Flow characteristics control turnover of polar trace organic compounds in the hyporheic zone of an urban lowland river

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaper, Jonas L.; Seher, Wiebke; Jaeger, Anna; Galloway, Jason; Nuetzmann, Gunnar; Putschew, Anke; Lewandowski, Joerg

2017-04-01

Hyporheic zones are hypothesized to be important sinks for polar trace organic compounds (TrOCs) in lotic systems, mitigating potential adverse effects of TrOCs on ecosystem functioning and drinking water production. Predicting the fate of TrOCs in the hyporheic zone, however, is difficult as the attenuation rate itself as well as the biogeochemical factors and hydrological conditions controlling attenuation rates are unknown. We used time series of temperature depth profiles as well as heat pulse sensing with a 1D advection dispersion transport model to calculate first order attenuation rates of several TrOCs from equilibrium depth profiles in an urban lowland river in Berlin, Germany. Ring enclosures were used to prohibit horizontal flow and to create distinct biogeochemical conditions within the hyporheic zone. Flow characteristics as well as biogeochemical conditions showed pronounced differences between depth profiles inside and outside of enclosures. TrOCs attenuation rates varied considerably among compounds reflecting their general susceptibility to biodegradation and sorption. While for some compounds such as benzotriazole and sulfamethoxazole redox conditions had an influence on attenuation rates, the fate of other compounds was not affected by biogeochemical parameters. Under loosing conditions, hyporheic zones of urban lowland rivers can thus be regarded as sinks for TrOCs. Their effectiveness is dependent on both, hyporheic exchange characteristics as well as biogeochemical parameters.

Normothermic ex-vivo preservation with the portable Organ Care System Lung device for bilateral lung transplantation (INSPIRE): a randomised, open-label, non-inferiority, phase 3 study.

PubMed

Warnecke, Gregor; Van Raemdonck, Dirk; Smith, Michael A; Massard, Gilbert; Kukreja, Jasleen; Rea, Federico; Loor, Gabriel; De Robertis, Fabio; Nagendran, Jayan; Dhital, Kumud K; Moradiellos Díez, Francisco Javier; Knosalla, Christoph; Bermudez, Christian A; Tsui, Steven; McCurry, Kenneth; Wang, I-Wen; Deuse, Tobias; Lesèche, Guy; Thomas, Pascal; Tudorache, Igor; Kühn, Christian; Avsar, Murat; Wiegmann, Bettina; Sommer, Wiebke; Neyrinck, Arne; Schiavon, Marco; Calebrese, Fiorella; Santelmo, Nichola; Olland, Anne; Falcoz, Pierre-Emanuel; Simon, Andre R; Varela, Andres; Madsen, Joren C; Hertz, Marshall; Haverich, Axel; Ardehali, Abbas

2018-05-01

Severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) of grade 3 (PGD3) is a common serious complication following lung transplantation. We aimed to assess physiological donor lung preservation using the Organ Care System (OCS) Lung device compared with cold static storage. In this non-inferiority, randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial (INSPIRE) recipients were aged 18 years or older and were registered as standard criteria primary double lung transplant candidates. Eligible donors were younger than 65 years old with a ratio of partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood to the fraction of inspired oxygen of more than 300 mm Hg. Transplant recipients were randomly assigned (1:1) with permuted blocks, stratified by centre, to receive standard criteria donor lungs preserved in the OCS Lung device (OCS arm) or cold storage at 4°C (control arm). The composite primary effectiveness endpoint was absence of PGD3 within the first 72 h after transplant and 30-day survival in the per-protocol population, with a stringent 4% non-inferiority margin. Superiority was tested upon meeting non-inferiority. The primary safety endpoint was the mean number of lung graft-related serious adverse events within 30 days of transplant. We did analyses in the per-protocol and intention-to-treat populations. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01630434. Between Nov 17, 2011, and Nov 24, 2014, we randomly assigned 370 patients, and 320 (86%) underwent transplantation (n=151 OCS and n=169 control); follow-up was completed in Nov 24, 2016. The primary endpoint was met in 112 (79·4%) of 141 patients (95% CI 71·8 to 85·8) in the OCS group compared with 116 (70·3%) of 165 patients (62·7 to 77·2) in the control group (non-inferiority point estimate -9·1%; 95% CI -∞ to -1·0; p=0·0038; and superiority test p=0·068). Patient survival at day 30 post-transplant was 135 (95·7%) of 141 patients (95% CI 91·0-98·4) in the OCS group and 165 patients (100%; 97·8-100·0) in the control group (p=0·0090) and at 12 months was 126 (89·4%) of 141 patients (83·1-93·9) for the OCS group compared with 146 (88·1%) of 165 patients (81·8-92·8) for the control group. Incidence of PGD3 within 72 h was reported in 25 (17·7%) of 141 patients in the OCS group (95% CI 11·8 to 25·1) and 49 (29·7%) of 165 patients in the control group (22·8 to 37·3; superiority test p=0·015). The primary safety endpoint was met (0·23 lung graft-related serious adverse events in the OCS group compared with 0·28 events in the control group [point estimate -0·045%; 95% CI -∞ to 0·047; non-inferiority test p=0·020]). In the intention-to-treat population, causes of death at 30 days and in hospital were lung graft failure or lung infection (n=2 for OCS vs n=7 for control), cardiac causes (n=4 vs n=1), vascular or stroke (n=3 vs n=0), metabolic coma (n=0 vs n=2), and generalised sepsis (n=0 vs n=1). The INSPIRE trial met its primary effectiveness and safety endpoints. Although no short-term survival benefit was reported, further research is needed to see whether the reduced incidence of PGD3 within 72 h of a transplant might translate into earlier recovery and improved long-term outcomes after lung transplantation. TransMedics Inc. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geomorphic controls on floodplain organic carbon storage in sediment along five rivers in interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lininger, K.; Wohl, E.; Rose, J. R.

2016-12-01

High latitude permafrost regions contain large amounts of organic carbon (OC) in the subsurface, but little work has quantified OC storage in floodplain sediment in the high latitudes. Floodplains influence the export of OC to the ocean by temporarily storing OC at timescales of 101 to 103 years. To fully understand terrestrial carbon cycling, the storage and residence time of OC in floodplains, and the geomorphic controls on OC storage, must be taken into account. Small-scale spatial variations in OC storage within floodplains likely reflect geomorphic processes of deposition and floodplain development. We present results of floodplain OC storage and residence time in sediment along 5 rivers in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in interior Alaska, a region with discontinuous permafrost. We collected sediment samples within the active layer along tributaries to the Yukon River and the mainstem Yukon River and analyzed the sediment samples for OC content. We classified sample locations by geomorphic type (filled secondary channels, levees, point bars) and vegetation type (herbaceous, deciduous/shrub, white spruce, and black spruce wetlands), and found that both geomorphology and vegetation influence OC concentration and OC mass per area. Preliminary results suggest that filled secondary channels contain more OC per area compared to other geomorphic types. We present results of radiocarbon dates from river cutbanks associated with our sampling sites, which give a maximum age for residence times of OC in sediment before erosion and transport. The radiocarbon dates also provide estimates of long-term OC accretion within the Yukon Flats floodplains. Small-scale variations within floodplains as a result of floodplain depositional processes and vegetation communities shed light on the geomorphic controls on OC storage. This work will help constrain the spatial variation in OC storage and OC residence time across the landscape in a region experiencing rapid climate change and permafrost thaw.

Oligo-carrageenan kappa-induced reducing redox status and activation of TRR/TRX system increase the level of indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellin A3 and trans-zeatin in Eucalyptus globulus trees.

PubMed

González, Alberto; Contreras, Rodrigo A; Zúiga, Gustavo; Moenne, Alejandra

2014-08-20

Eucalyptus globulus trees treated with oligo-carrageenan (OC) kappa showed an increase in NADPH, ascorbate and glutathione levels and activation of the thioredoxin reductase (TRR)/thioredoxin (TRX) system which enhance photosynthesis, basal metabolism and growth. In order to analyze whether the reducing redox status and the activation of thioredoxin reductase (TRR)/thioredoxin (TRX) increased the level of growth-promoting hormones, trees were treated with water (control), with OC kappa, or with inhibitors of ascorbate synthesis, lycorine, glutathione synthesis, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), NADPH synthesis, CHS-828, and thioredoxin reductase activity, auranofine, and with OC kappa, and cultivated for four additional months. Eucalyptus trees treated with OC kappa showed an increase in the levels of the auxin indole 3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin A3 (GA3) and the cytokinin trans-zeatin (t-Z) as well as a decrease in the level of the brassinosteroid epi-brassinolide (EB). In addition, treatment with lycorine, BSO, CHS-828 and auranofine inhibited the increase in IAA, GA3 and t-Z as well as the decrease in EB levels. Thus, the reducing redox status and the activation of TRR/TRX system induced by OC kappa increased the levels of IAA, GA3 and t-Z levels determining, at least in part, the stimulation of growth in Eucalyptus trees.

Oral contraceptive containing chlormadinone acetate and ethinylestradiol reduces plasma concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

PubMed

Gomes, Valéria A; Vieira, Carolina S; Jacob-Ferreira, Anna L; Belo, Vanessa A; Soares, Gustavo M; França, Janaína B; Ferriani, Rui A; Tanus-Santos, Jose E

2012-09-01

Biochemical markers of cardiovascular disease, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), are altered in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), with many of these alterations thought to be due to excess androgen concentrations. Despite oral contraceptives (OCs) being the first-line pharmacological treatment in women with PCOS and the importance of MMPs in many physiological conditions and pathological states, including cardiovascular diseases, no study has yet evaluated whether OCs alter plasma concentrations of MMPs. We therefore assessed whether treatment with an OC containing the anti-androgenic progestogen alters MMP profiles in women with PCOS. We analysed 20 women with PCOS who wanted hormonal contraception (OC-PCOS group), 20 ovulatory women who required hormonal contraception (OC-control group) and 20 ovulatory women who wanted non-hormonal contraception (non-OC-control group). OC consisted of cyclic use of 2 mg chlormadinone acetate/30 μg ethinylestradiol for 6 months. Plasma concentrations of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were measured by gelatin zymography or enzyme-linked immunoassays. OC treatment for 6 months significantly reduced plasma MMP-2 concentrations in the OC-control and OC-PCOS groups and TIMP-2 and TIMP-1 concentrations levels in the OC-control group (all p < 0.05), but had no effects on MMP-9 concentrations or on MMP-2/TIMP-2 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratios in any group (all p > 0.05). These findings indicated that long-term treatment with an OC containing chlormadinone acetate plus ethinylestradiol reduced plasma MMP-2 concentrations in both healthy and PCOS women. As the latter have imbalances in circulating matrix MMPs, treatment of these women with an OC may be beneficial. © 2012 The Authors Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology © 2012 Nordic Pharmacological Society.

Study of High-Performance Satellite Bus System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirai, Tatsuya; Noda, Atsushi; Tsuiki, Atsuo

2002-01-01

Speaking of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites like earth observation satellites, the light-weighing and high performance bus system will make an great contribution to mission components development.Also, the rising ratio of payload to total mass will reduce the launch cost.Office of Research and Development in National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is studying such a sophisticated satellite bus system.The system is expected to consist of the following advanced components and subsystems which in parallel have been developed from the element level by the Office. (a) Attitude control system (ACS) This subsystem will provide function to very accurately determine and control the satellite attitude with a next generation star tracker, a GPS receiver, and the onboard software to achieve this function. (b) Electric power system (EPS) This subsystem will be getting much lighter and powerful by utilizing the more efficient solar battery cell, power MOS FET, and DC/DC converter.Besides, to cumulate and supply the power, the Office will also study a Litium battery for space which is light and small enough to contribute to reducing size and weight of the EPS. (c) Onboard computing system (OCS) This computing system will provide function of high speed processing.The MPU (Multi Processing Unit) cell in the OCS is capable of executing approximately 200 MIPS (Mega Instructions Per Second).The OCS will play an important role not only enough for the ACS to function well but also enough for the image processing data to be handled. (d) Thermal control system (TCS) As a thermal control system, mission-friendly system is under study.A small hybrid fluid thermal control system that the Office is studying with a combination of mechanical pump loop and capillary pump loop will be robust to change of thermal loads and facilitate the system to control the temperature. (e) Communications system (CS) In order to transmit high rate data, the office is studying an optical link system.The optical communications system will provide the much smaller size of component than the microwave, while it simultaneously provides transmission of a quantity of data at a high speed.

Evaluation of the reported association of obsessive-compulsive symptoms or disorder with Tourette's disorder.

PubMed

Shapiro, A K; Shapiro, E

1992-01-01

This review evaluates the evidence reporting an association of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with Tourette's syndrome or disorder (TS). Published reports in the literature describing a relationship between OCS-OCD and TS provided the data for the review. The methodological adequacy of the studies are discussed and rated on five criteria: adequacy of the experimental sample, presence and adequacy of the control sample, whether tics are defined as OCS-OCD, whether blind procedures are used to diagnose OCS-OCD in subjects and controls, and evidence for the reliability and validity of OCS-OCD measures. Although there are considerable clinical indications suggesting an association of OCS-OCD with TS and chronic motor tic disorder (CMT), and a possible overlap between OSC-OCD and TS, our evaluation of the evidence does not provide adequate support for an association between these disorders. To meaningfully evaluate the possible relationship between OCS-OCD and TS requires development of specific criteria for classification of OCS-OCD-TS symptoms, use of adequate experimental and control samples, blind evaluation, reliable and valid measures of OCS-OCD-TS, and appropriate statistical analysis. If such studies are performed, it is possible that the strong relationship reported between OCS-OCD and TS is more likely to be artifact than fact, and recent bandwagon effect rather than the latest breakthrough.

Operational experience of the OC-OTEC experiments at NELH

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

Link, H

1989-02-01

The Solar Energy Research Institute, under funding and program direction from the US Department of Energy, has been operating a small-scale test apparatus to investigate key components of open- cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OC-OTEC). The apparatus started operations in October 1987 and continues to provide valuable information on heat-and mass-transfer processes in evaporators and condensers, gas sorption processes as seawater is depressurized and repressurized, and control and instrumentation characteristics of open-cycle systems. Although other test facilities have been used to study some of these interactions, this is the largest apparatus of its kind to use seawater since Georges Claude`smore » efforts in 1926. The information obtained from experiments conducted in this apparatus is being used to design a larger scale experiment in which a positive net power production is expected to be demonstrated for the first time with OC-OTEC. This paper describes the apparatus, the major tests conducted during its first 18 months of operation, and the experience gained in OC-OTEC system operation. 13 refs., 8 figs.« less

Removal of trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated soil using a two-stage anaerobic-aerobic composting technique.

PubMed

Ponza, Supat; Parkpian, Preeda; Polprasert, Chongrak; Shrestha, Rajendra P; Jugsujinda, Aroon

2010-01-01

The effect of organic carbon addition on remediation of trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated clay soil was investigated using a two stage anaerobic-aerobic composting system. TCE removal rate and processes involved were determined. Uncontaminated clay soil was treated with composting materials (dried cow manure, rice husk and cane molasses) to represent carbon based treatments (5%, 10% and 20% OC). All treatments were spiked with TCE at 1,000 mg TCE/kg DW and incubated under anaerobic and mesophillic condition (35 degrees C) for 8 weeks followed by continuous aerobic condition for another 6 weeks. TCE dissipation, its metabolites and biogas composition were measured throughout the experimental period. Results show that TCE degradation depended upon the amount of organic carbon (OC) contained within the composting treatments/matrices. The highest TCE removal percentage (97%) and rate (75.06 micro Mole/kg DW/day) were obtained from a treatment of 10% OC composting matrices as compared to 87% and 27.75 micro Mole/kg DW/day for 20% OC, and 83% and 38.08 micro Mole/kg DW/day for soil control treatment. TCE removal rate was first order reaction kinetics. Highest degradation rate constant (k(1) = 0.035 day(- 1)) was also obtained from the 10% OC treatment, followed by 20% OC (k(1) = 0.026 day(- 1)) and 5% OC or soil control treatment (k(1) = 0.023 day(- 1)). The half-life was 20, 27 and 30 days, respectively. The overall results suggest that sequential two stages anaerobic-aerobic composting technique has potential for remediation of TCE in heavy texture soil, providing that easily biodegradable source of organic carbon is present.

Decreased undercarboxylated osteocalcin in children with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Takaya, Junji; Tanabe, Yuko; Kuroyanagi, Yuichi; Kaneko, Kazunari

2016-08-01

Osteocalcin (OC) is a bone-specific protein secreted by osteoblasts and often used as a bone formation biomarker. OC undergoes post-translational carboxylation to yield carboxylated osteocalcin (Gla-OC) and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (uc-OC) molecules. The aim of this study was to explore the association between bone and glucose metabolism by evaluating OC, ionized cations, and markers of glucose metabolism in children with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). The subjects were nine children with DM2 [six males, three females; age 15.7±4.1 years; duration of disease 3.2±1.2 years], 18 children with simple obesity [12 males, six females; age 12.6±4.1 years], and 12 controls [eight males, four females; age 12.3±3.2 years]. Serum Gla-OC and uc-OC levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Patients with DM2 (0.65±0.46 ng/mL), but not with obesity (1.11±0.55 ng/mL), had lower uc-OC levels than controls (1.25±0.49 ng/mL). Serum uc-OC was negatively correlated with mean serum glucose levels (r=-0.447, p=0.013) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (r=-0.455, p=0.012) in all subjects. Serum Gla-OC was correlated with serum alkaline phosphatase (r=0.601, p<0.001) and inorganic phosphorus (r=0.686, p<0.001), yet negatively correlated with age (r=-0.383, p=0.030). Mean serum ionized magnesium was lower in DM2 subjects than in controls. Mean serum ionized calcium was higher in obese subjects than in controls. In all subjects, mean serum ionized magnesium was negatively correlated with mean serum glucose levels. Osteoblast-derived protein OC, especially uc-OC, may have a role in the pathophysiology of diabetes by being associated with blood glucose homeostasis.

76 FR 50748 - Information Collection Activity: Production Safety Systems, Revision of a Collection; Submitted...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-16

... Production Safety Systems. OMB Control Number: 1010-0059. Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands..., precautions, and techniques sufficient to prevent or minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control... an identifiable non-Federal recipient above and beyond those which accrue to the public at large...

Nitrosamine and related food intake and gastric and oesophageal cancer risk: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence

PubMed Central

Jakszyn, Paula; González, Carlos Alberto

2006-01-01

AIM: To study the association between nitrite and nitrosamine intake and gastric cancer (GC), between meat and processed meat intake, GC and oesophageal cancer (OC), and between preserved fish, vegetable and smoked food intake and GC. METHODS: In this article we reviewed all the published cohort and case-control studies from 1985-2005, and analyzed the relationship between nitrosamine and nitrite intake and the most important related food intake (meat and processed meat, preserved vegetables and fish, smoked foods and beer drinking) and GC or OC risk. Sixty-one studies, 11 cohorts and 50 case-control studies were included. RESULTS: Evidence from case-control studies supported an association between nitrite and nitrosamine intake with GC but evidence was insufficient in relation to OC. A high proportion of case-control studies found a positive association with meat intake for both tumours (11 of 16 studies on GC and 11 of 18 studies on OC). A relatively large number of case-control studies showed quite consistent results supporting a positive association between processed meat intake and GC and OC risk (10 of 14 studies on GC and 8 of 9 studies on OC). Almost all the case-control studies found a positive and significant association between preserved fish, vegetable and smoked food intake and GC. The evidence regarding OC was more limited. Overall the evidence from cohort studies was insufficient or more inconsistent than that from case-control studies. CONCLUSION: The available evidence supports a positive association between nitrite and nitrosamine intake and GC, between meat and processed meat intake and GC and OC, and between preserved fish, vegetable and smoked food intake and GC, but is not conclusive. PMID:16865769

Breath sulfides and pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Kamboures, M A; Blake, D R; Cooper, D M; Newcomb, R L; Barker, M; Larson, J K; Meinardi, S; Nussbaum, E; Rowland, F S

2005-11-01

We have determined the concentrations of carbonyl sulfide (OCS), dimethylsulfide, and carbon disulfide (CS(2)) in the breath of a group of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and one of healthy controls. At the detection sensitivity in these experiments, room air always contained measurable quantities of these three gases. For each subject the inhaled room concentrations were subtracted from the time-coincident concentrations in exhaled breath air. The most significant differences between the CF and control cohorts in these breath-minus-room values were found for OCS. The control group demonstrated a net uptake of 250 +/- 20 parts-per-trillion-by-volume (pptv), whereas the CF cohort had a net uptake of 110 +/- 60 pptv (P = 0.00003). Three CF patients exhaled more OCS than they inhaled from the room. The OCS concentrations in the CF cohort were strongly correlated with pulmonary function. The dimethylsulfide concentrations in breath were greatly enhanced over ambient, but no significant difference was observed between the CF and healthy control groups. The net (breath minus room) CS(2) concentrations for individuals ranged between +180 and -100 pptv. They were slightly greater in the CF cohort (+26 +/- 38 pptv) vs. the control group (-17 +/- 15 pptv; P = 0.04). Lung disease in CF is accompanied by the subsistence of chronic bacterial infections. Sulfides are known to be produced by bacteria in various systems and were therefore the special target for this investigation. Our results suggest that breath sulfide content deserves attention as a noninvasive marker of respiratory colonization.

Coordination of the Arc Regulatory System and Pheromone-Mediated Positive Feedback in Controlling the Vibrio fischeri lux Operon

PubMed Central

Septer, Alecia N.; Stabb, Eric V.

2012-01-01

Bacterial pheromone signaling is often governed both by environmentally responsive regulators and by positive feedback. This regulatory combination has the potential to coordinate a group response among distinct subpopulations that perceive key environmental stimuli differently. We have explored the interplay between an environmentally responsive regulator and pheromone-mediated positive feedback in intercellular signaling by Vibrio fischeri ES114, a bioluminescent bacterium that colonizes the squid Euprymna scolopes. Bioluminescence in ES114 is controlled in part by N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3OC6), a pheromone produced by LuxI that together with LuxR activates transcription of the luxICDABEG operon, initiating a positive feedback loop and inducing luminescence. The lux operon is also regulated by environmentally responsive regulators, including the redox-responsive ArcA/ArcB system, which directly represses lux in culture. Here we show that inactivating arcA leads to increased 3OC6 accumulation to initiate positive feedback. In the absence of positive feedback, arcA-mediated control of luminescence was only ∼2-fold, but luxI-dependent positive feedback contributed more than 100 fold to the net induction of luminescence in the arcA mutant. Consistent with this overriding importance of positive feedback, 3OC6 produced by the arcA mutant induced luminescence in nearby wild-type cells, overcoming their ArcA repression of lux. Similarly, we found that artificially inducing ArcA could effectively repress luminescence before, but not after, positive feedback was initiated. Finally, we show that 3OC6 produced by a subpopulation of symbiotic cells can induce luminescence in other cells co-colonizing the host. Our results suggest that even transient loss of ArcA-mediated regulation in a sub-population of cells can induce luminescence in a wider community. Moreover, they indicate that 3OC6 can communicate information about both cell density and the state of ArcA/ArcB. PMID:23152924

75 FR 3392 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-21

... 40 CFR part 55,\\1\\ which established requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources in order... air pollution from OCS sources located within 25 miles of States' seaward boundaries that are the same... the Act requires that EPA establish requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources located...

Evaluation of the effects of various culture condition on Cr (VI)reduction by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in a novel high-throughputmini-bioreactor

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

Tang, Yinjie J.; Laidlaw, David; Gani, Kishen

2006-03-16

The growth and Cr(VI) reduction by Shewanella oneidensisMR-1 was examined using a mini-bioreactor system that independentlymonitors and controls pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature for each ofits 24, 10-mL reactors. Independent monitoring and control of eachreactor in the cassette allows the exploration of a matrix ofenvironmental conditions known to influence S. oneidensis chromiumreduction. S. oneidensis MR-1 grew in minimal medium without amino acidor vitamin supplementation under aerobic conditions but required serineand glycine supplementation under anaerobic conditions. Growth wasinhibited by dissolved oxygen concentrations>80 percent. Lactatetransformation to acetate was enhanced by low concentration of dissolvedoxygen during the logarithmic growth phase. Between 11 andmore » 35oC, thegrowth rate obeyed the Arrhenius reaction rate-temperature relationship,with a maximum growth rate occurring at 35oC. S. oneidensis MR-1 was ableto grow over a wide range of pH (6-9). At neutral pH and temperaturesranging from 30-35oC, S. oneidensis MR-1 reduced 100 mu M Cr(VI) toCr(III) within 20 minutes in the exponential growth phase, and the growthrate was not affected by the addition of chromate; it reduced chromateeven faster at temperatures between 35 and 39oC. At low temperatures(<25oC), acidic (pH<6.5), or alkaline (pH>8.5) conditions, 100mu M Cr(VI) strongly inhibited growth and chromate reduction. Themini-bioreactor system enabled the rapid determination of theseparameters reproducibly and easily by performing very few experiments.Besides its use for examining parameters of interest to environmentalremediation, the device will also allow one to quickly assess parametersfor optimal production of recombinant proteins or secondarymetabolites« less

Middle Holocene Organic Carbon and Biomarker Records from the South Yellow Sea: Relationship to the East Asian Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Liang; Hu, Bangqi; Li, Jun; Dou, Yanguang; Xie, Luhua; Dong, Liang

2018-03-01

The East Asian monsoon system influences the sedimentation and transport of organic matter in East Asian marginal seas that is derived from both terrestrial and marine sources. In this study, we determined organic carbon (OC) isotope values, concentrations of marine biomarkers, and levels of OC and total nitrogen (TN) in core YSC-1 from the central South Yellow Sea (SYS). Our objectives were to trace the sources of OC and variations in palaeoproductivity since the middle Holocene, and their relationships with the East Asian monsoon system. The relative contributions of terrestrial versus marine organic matter in core sediments were estimated using a two-end-member mixing model of OC isotopes. Results show that marine organic matter has been the main sediment constituent since the middle Holocene. The variation of terrestrial organic carbon concentration (OCter) is similar to the EASM history. However, the variation of marine organic carbon concentration (OCmar) is opposite to that of the EASM curve, suggesting OCmar is distinctly influenced by terrestrial material input. Inputs of terrestrial nutrients into the SYS occur in the form of fluvial and aeolian dust, while concentrations of nutrients in surface water are derived mainly from bottom water via the Yellow Sea circulation system, which is controlled by the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). Variations in palaeoproductivity represented by marine organic matter and biomarker records are, in general, consistent with the recent EAWM intensity studies, thus, compared with EASM, EAWM may play the main role to control the marine productivity variations in the SYS.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-01

The Payload Operations Center (POC) is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS). Located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, it is the focal point for American and international science activities aboard the ISS. The POC's unique capabilities allow science experts and researchers around the world to perform cutting-edge science in the unique microgravity environment of space. The POC is staffed around the clock by shifts of payload flight controllers. At any given time, 8 to 10 flight controllers are on consoles operating, plarning for, and controlling various systems and payloads. This photograph shows the Operations Controllers (OC) at their work stations. The OC coordinates the configuration of resources to enable science operations, such as power, cooling, commanding, and the availability of items like tools and laboratory equipment.

Soil Dissolved Organic Carbon Fluxes are Controlled by both Precipitation and Longer-Term Climate Effects on Boreal Forest Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotchkiss, E. R.; Ziegler, S. E.; Edwards, K. A.; Bowering, K.

2017-12-01

Water acts as a control on the cycling of organic carbon (OC). Forest productivity responses to climate change are linked to water availability while water residence time is a major control on OC loss in aquatic ecosystems. However, controls on the export of terrestrial OC to the aquatic environment remains poorly understood. Transport of dissolved OC (DOC) through soils both vertically to deeper soil horizons and into aquatic systems is a key flux of terrestrial OC, but the climate drivers controlling OC mobilized from soils is poorly understood. We installed zero-tension lysimeters across similar balsam fir forest sites within three regions that span a MAT gradient of 5.2˚C and MAP of 1050-1500 mm. Using soil water collected over all seasons for four years we tested whether a warmer and wetter climate promotes greater DOC fluxes in ecosystems experiencing relatively high precipitation. Variability within and between years was compared to that observed across climates to test the sensitivity of this flux to shorter relative to longer-term climate effects on this flux. The warmest and wettest southern site exhibited the greatest annual DOC flux (25 to 28 g C m-2 y-1) in contrast to the most northern site (8 to 10 g C m -2 y-1). This flux represented 10% of litterfall C inputs across sites and surpassed the DOC export from associated forested headwater streams (1 to 16 g C m-2 y-1) suggesting terrestrial to aquatic interface processing. Historical climate and increased soil C inputs explain the greater DOC flux in the southern region. Even in years with comparable annual precipitation among regions the DOC flux differed by climate region. Furthermore, neither quantity nor form of precipitation could explain inter-annual differences in DOC flux within each region. Region specific relationships between precipitation and soil water flux instead suggest historical climate effects may impact soil water transport efficiency thereby controlling the regional variation in the DOC flux. As these forests are exposed to a warmer and wetter climate, DOC transport from organic soils will likely increase. Although precipitation changes will impact this C flux, longer-term climate effects impacting soil inputs, composition and structure of these forests will play an important role in controlling DOC transport in a warmer and wetter future.

Boreal soil carbon dynamics under a changing climate: a model inversion approach

Treesearch

Zhaosheng Fan; Jason C. Neff; Jennifer W. Harden; Kimberly P. Wickland

2008-01-01

Several fundamental but important factors controlling the feedback of boreal organic carbon (OC) to climate change were examined using a mechanistic model of soil OC dynamics, including the combined effects of temperature and moisture on the decomposition of OC and the factors controlling carbon quality and decomposition with depth. To estimate decomposition rates and...

33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

33 CFR 106.260 - Security measures for access control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental... unattended spaces that adjoin areas to which OCS facility personnel and visitors have access; (9) Ensure OCS...

Modeling the production, decomposition, and transport of dissolved organic carbon in boreal soils

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fan, Zhaosheng; Neff, Jason C.; Wickland, Kimberly P.

2010-01-01

The movement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) through boreal ecosystems has drawn increased attention because of its potential impact on the feedback of OC stocks to global environmental change in this region. Few models of boreal DOC exist. Here we present a one-dimensional model with simultaneous production, decomposition, sorption/desorption, and transport of DOC to describe the behavior of DOC in the OC layers above the mineral soils. The field-observed concentration profiles of DOC in two moderately well-drained black spruce forest sites (one with permafrost and one without permafrost), coupled with hourly measured soil temperature and moisture, were used to inversely estimate the unknown parameters associated with the sorption/desorption kinetics using a global optimization strategy. The model, along with the estimated parameters, reasonably reproduces the concentration profiles of DOC and highlights some important potential controls over DOC production and cycling in boreal settings. The values of estimated parameters suggest that humic OC has a larger potential production capacity for DOC than fine OC, and most of the DOC produced from fine OC was associated with instantaneous sorption/desorption whereas most of the DOC produced from humic OC was associated with time-dependent sorption/desorption. The simulated DOC efflux at the bottom of soil OC layers was highly dependent on the component and structure of the OC layers. The DOC efflux was controlled by advection at the site with no humic OC and moist conditions and controlled by diffusion at the site with the presence of humic OC and dry conditions.

Selection with inbreeding control in simulated young bull schemes for local dairy cattle breeds.

PubMed

Gandini, G; Stella, A; Del Corvo, M; Jansen, G B

2014-03-01

Local breeds are rarely subject to modern selection techniques; however, selection programs will be required if local breeds are to remain a viable livelihood option for farmers. Selection in small populations needs to take into account accurate inbreeding control. Optimum contribution selection (OCS) is efficient in controlling inbreeding and maximizes genetic gain. The current paper investigates genetic progress in simulated dairy cattle populations from 500 to 6,000 cows undergoing young bull selection schemes with OCS compared with truncation selection (TS) at an annual inbreeding rate of 0.003. Selection is carried out for a dairy trait with a base heritability of 0.3. A young bull selection scheme was used because of its simplicity in implementation. With TS, annual genetic gain from 0.111 standard deviation units with 500 cows increases rapidly to 0.145 standard deviation units with 4,000 cows. Then, genetic gain increases more slowly up to 6,000 cows. At the same inbreeding rate, OCS produces higher genetic progress than TS. Differences in genetic gain between OCS and TS vary from to 2 to 6.3%. Genetic gain is also improved by increasing the number of years that males can be used as sires of sires. When comparing OCS versus TS at different heritabilities, we observe an advantage of OCS only at high heritability, up to 8% with heritability of 0.9. By increasing the constraint on inbreeding, the difference of genetic gain between the 2 selection methods increases in favor of OCS, and the advantage at the inbreeding rate of 0.001 per generation is 6 times more than at the inbreeding rate of 0.003. Opportunities exist for selection even in dairy cattle populations of a few hundred females. In any case, selection in local breeds will most often require specific investments in infrastructure and manpower, including systems for accurate data recording and selection skills and the presence of artificial insemination and breeders organizations. A cost-benefit analysis is therefore advisable before considering the implementation of selection schemes in local dairy cattle breeds. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Metabolic Effects of a Commonly Used Combined Hormonal Oral Contraceptive in Women With and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

PubMed

Adeniji, Adeola A; Essah, Paulina A; Nestler, John E; Cheang, Kai I

2016-06-01

Data on combined hormonal oral contraceptives' (OCs) effects on metabolic changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been conflicting and were predominantly based on OCs with cyproterone acetate (unavailable in the United States) Most studies did not include normal women as controls. We compared metabolic changes before and after an OC commonly used in the United States between women with and without PCOS. Ten PCOS and 20 control women took ethinyl estradiol 35 μg and norgestimate 0.18/0.215/0.25 mg. Fasting glucose and insulin, area-under-the-curve (AUC) glucose and insulin, insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment of insulin sensitivity index [HOMA-ISI] and Matsuda index), insulinogenic index (Δinsulin0-30 minutes/Δglucose0-30 minutes), blood pressure, and lipids were evaluated at baseline and after three cycles of OC. At baseline, PCOS women had lower insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index p = 0.0093, HOMA-ISI p = 0.0397), higher fasting insulin (p = 0.0495), fasting glucose (p = 0.0393), AUC insulin (p = 0.0023), and triglycerides (p = 0.0044) versus controls. Baseline AUC glucose did not differ between PCOS women and controls. After 3 months of OC use, glucose tolerance worsened in PCOS women versus controls (p = 0.0468). Higher baseline androgens were predictive of worsened glucose tolerance, and a reduction of AUC insulin during OC use. The insulinogenic index significantly decreased in PCOS women (p < 0.01), while fasting insulin and insulin resistance significantly worsened in control women. Women with PCOS exhibited worsened glucose tolerance (demonstrated by AUC glucose) after 3 months of a commonly used OC compared with control women. Larger studies with longer follow-up should confirm these findings.

Short-term response of bone turnover to low-dose oral contraceptives in exercising women with hypothalamic amenorrhea.

PubMed

Vescovi, Jason D; VanHeest, Jaci L; De Souza, Mary Jane

2008-02-01

We examined the response of bone turnover markers and indices of energy status after 2 weeks of oral contraceptive (OC) therapy in premenopausal women with exercise-associated menstrual disturbances (EAMD). Six women with EAMD received one 28-day cycle of a triphasic OC containing 180-250 mcg norgestimate/25 mcg ethinyl estradiol (EAMD+OC) and six were controls (EAMD controls). Bone turnover markers amino-terminal propeptide of Type I procollagen and serum carboxy-terminal telopeptides of Type I collagen (PINP and SCTX-I) were assessed at baseline and after 2 weeks of OC therapy (EAMD+OC) or after a 30-day monitoring period (EAMD controls). Total triiodothyronine, resting energy expenditure (REE) and dietary intake were assessed as secondary end points. The absolute and percent changes from baseline in the primary and secondary outcomes were evaluated using an analysis of covariance, adjusting for baseline values of the corresponding outcome. Compared to EAMD controls, a significant change from baseline was observed in the EAMD+OC group for PINP (mean+/-SEM, 9.9+/-6.1 vs. -33.9+/-9.0 mcg/L; p=.005) and SCTX-I (-0.02+/-0.11 vs. -0.25+/-0.07 ng/mL; p=.017), but not osteoprotegerin (-0.53+/-0.22 vs. 0.20+/-0.44 pmol/L; p=.429) after 2 weeks (14.7+/-0.3 days) of OC therapy. Total triiodothyronine levels were elevated in the EAMD+OC group after therapy compared with EAMD controls (19.7+/-4.1 vs. -8.4+/-4.9 ng/dL; p=.002); however, no differences between groups were observed for the changes in REE or dietary intake. Our data demonstrate that 2 weeks of low-dose OC therapy rapidly reduced markers of bone resorption and formation, without any significant impact on energy status in women with EAMD.

Autism and ADHD Symptoms in Patients with OCD: Are They Associated with Specific OC Symptom Dimensions or OC Symptom Severity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anholt, Gideon E.; Cath, Danielle C.; van Oppen, Patricia; Eikelenboom, Merijn; Smit, Johannes H.; van Megen, Harold; van Balkom, Anton J. L. M.

2010-01-01

In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the relationship between autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom, and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom dimensions and severity has scarcely been studied. Therefore, 109 adult outpatients with primary OCD were compared to 87 healthy controls on OC, ADHD and…

Definition of the Semisubmersible Floating System for Phase II of OC4

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

Robertson, A.; Jonkman, J.; Masciola, M.

Phase II of the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation (OC4) project involved modeling of a semisubmersible floating offshore wind system as shown below. This report documents the specifications of the floating system, which were needed by the OC4 participants for building aero-hydro-servo-elastic models.

Biogeochemical stability and reactions of iron-organic carbon complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Adhikari, D.; Zhao, Q.; Dunham-Cheatham, S.; Das, K.; Mejia, J.; Huang, R.; Wang, X.; Poulson, S.; Tang, Y.; Obrist, D.; Roden, E. E.

2017-12-01

Our core hypothesis is that the degradation rate of soil organic carbon (OC) is governed by the amount of iron (Fe)-bound OC, and the ability of microbial communities to utilize OC as an energy source and electron shuttle for Fe reduction that in turn stimulates reductive release of Fe-bound labile dissolved OC. This hypothesis is being systematically evaluated using model Fe-OC complexes, natural soils, and microcosm system. We found that hematite-bound aliphatic C was more resistant to reduction release, although hematite preferred to sorb more aromatic C. Resistance to reductive release represents a new mechanism that aliphatic soil OC was stabilized by association with Fe oxide. In other studies, pyrogenic OC was found to facilitate the reduction of hematite, by enhancing extracellular electron transport and sorbing Fe(II). For ferrihydrite-OC co-precipitates, the reduction of Fe and release of OC was closely governed by the C/Fe ratio in the system. Based on the XPS, XANES and XAFS analysis, the transformation of Fe speciation was heterogeneous, depending on the conformation and composition of Fe-OC complexes. For natural soils, we investigated the quantity, characteristics, and reactivity of Fe-bound OC in soils collected from 14 forests in the United States. Fe-bound OC contributed up to 57.8% of total OC in the forest soils. Under the anaerobic conditions, the reduction of Fe was positively correlated to the electron accepting capacity of OC. Our findings highlight the closely coupled dynamics of Fe and OC, with broad implications on the turnover of OC and biogeochemical cycles of Fe.

Compression Socks Worn During Flight and Hemostatic Balance in Boston Marathon Runners on Oral Contraceptives.

PubMed

Taylor, Beth A; Zaleski, Amanda L; Ballard, Kevin D; Panza, Gregory A; Fernandez, Antonio B; Corso, Lauren; Pescatello, Linda S; Baggish, Aaron L; Troyanos, Christopher; Thompson, Paul D

2018-05-01

To investigate the effect of oral contraceptive (OC) use and compression socks on hemostatic activation in women flying cross-country to and from a marathon. Prospective study. 2015 Boston Marathon. Women were divided into non-OC using (CONTROL; n = 12), OC-using (OC; n = 15), and OC-using plus compression sock (OC + SOCK; n = 14) groups. Women in OC + SOCK wore compression socks during flights to and from the marathon. Venous blood samples were collected within 24 hours of arriving in Boston (EXPO), immediately after the marathon (RUN), and within 24 hours after a return flight home (Post-Flight) for analysis of thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), d-dimer, and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). TAT did not increase with exercise (P = 0.48) and was not affected by group (P = 0.08) or the interaction between these 2 factors (P = 0.80). Group, time, and their interaction were significant for d-dimer (all P < 0.05) such that d-dimer increased with acute exercise to a greater extent (Δ d-dimer from expo to postrace = 909.5 ± 1021.9 ng/mL) in the OC + SOCK group relative to OC (Δ d-dimer = 240.0 ± 178.5 ng/mL; P = 0.02) and CONTROL (Δ d-dimer = 230.3 ± 120.3 ng/mL; P = 0.02). There was a significant effect of time, group, and the interaction on t-PA (all P < 0.01) such that t-PA increased with acute exercise to a greater extent (Δ t-PA from expo to postrace = 19.6 ± 10.0 ng/mL) in the CONTROL group relative to OC (Δ t-PA = 4.0 ± 1.8 ng/mL; P < 0.01) and OC + SOCK (Δ t-PA = 3.3 ± 1.2 ng/mL; P < 0.01). Female runners using OCs did not exhibit disproportionately increased coagulation. The use of compression socks in women on OCs, surprisingly, resulted in a greater increase in d-dimer after exercise.

Goechemical and Hydrogeochemical Properties of Cappadocia Geothermal Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furkan Sener, Mehmet; Sener, Mehmet; Uysal, Tonguc

2016-04-01

In order to determine the geothermal resource potential of Niǧde, Nevşehir and Aksaray provinces in Central Anatolian Volcanic Province (CAVP), geothermal fluids, surface water, and alteration rock samples from the Cappadocia volcanic zone in Turkey were investigated for their geochemical and stable isotopic characteristics in light of published geological and tectonic studies. Accordingly, the Cappadocia Geothermal Province (CGP) has two different geothermal systems located along tectonic zones including five active and two potential geothermal fields, which are located between Tuzgölü Fault Zone and Keçiboyduran-Melendiz Fault and north of Keçiboyduran-Melendiz Fault. Based on water chemistry and isotope compositions, samples from the first area are characterized by Ca-Mg-HCO3 ve Ca-HCO3 type mineral poor waters and Ca-Na-SO4 and Ca-Mg-SO4 type for the cold waters and the hot waters, respectively, whereas hot waters from the second area are Na-Cl-HCO3 and Ca-Na-HCO3 type mineral poor waters. According to δ18O and δ2H isotope studies, the geothermal waters are fed from meteoric waters. Results of silica geothermometer indicate that the reservoir temperature of Dertalan, Melendiz Mount, Keçiboyduran Mount, Hasan Mount (Keçikalesi), Ziga, Acıgöl, and Derinkuyu geothermal waters are 150-173 oC, 88-117 oC, 91-120 oC, 94-122 oC, 131-156 oC, 157-179 oC; 152-174 oC and 102-130 oC, respectively. The REE composition of geothermal fluids, surface water, and mineral precipitates indicate that temperature has a strong effect on REE fractionation of the sampled fluids. Eu- and Ce- anomalies (Eu/Eu*, Ce/Ce*) are visible in several samples, which are related to the inheritance from the host reservoir rocks and redox-controlled fractionation of these elements during water-rock interactions. REE and Yttrium geochemistry results of altered rock samples and water samples, which were taken from same locations exhibited quite similar features in each system. Hence, it was conclude that the same hydrothermal fluid in geothermal system was reached to the surface and interacted with the surface rocks. Our conceptual geothermal model for Cappadocia Geothermal Province based on our geochemical and hydrogeochemical data in combination with geological and geophysical information suggest that the geothermal resources in this region are controlled by primary (active fault) and secondary (buried fault) tectonic belts. Further, our geochemical data indicate the Paleozoic-Mesozoic marble and gneiss being the reservoir rocks. Geogradient and impending heat fluxes to the surface with a possible crustal thinning, which was developed after regional tectonic activities during the Late Pliocene-Quaternary period, constitutes the heat sources. In addition, our study suggest that the Quaternary tuff and ignimbrites of Cappadocia Volcanics represent the seal rock of the geothermal system. In conclusion this study provide evidence for a significant geothermal potential in the Cappadocia region with well-defined seal rocks. However, further studies are needed to resolve the geothermal fluid source problem. Keywords: Cappadocia, geothermal systems, geochemistry, rare earth elements, hydrogeochemistry, hydrothermal alteration.

Software and cyber-infrastructure development to control the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanes-Díaz, A.; Antón, J. L.; Rueda-Teruel, S.; Guillén-Civera, L.; Bello, R.; Jiménez-Mejías, D.; Chueca, S.; Lasso-Cabrera, N. M.; Suárez, O.; Rueda-Teruel, F.; Cenarro, A. J.; Cristobal-Hornillos, D.; Marin-Franch, A.; Luis-Simoes, R.; López-Alegre, G.; Rodríguez-Hernández, M. A. C.; Moles, M.; Ederoclite, A.; Varela, J.; Vazquez Ramió, H.; Díaz-Martín, M. C.; Iglesias-Marzoa, R.; Maicas, N.; Lamadrid, J. L.; Lopez-Sainz, A.; Hernández-Fuertes, J.; Valdivielso, L.; Mendes de Oliveira, C.; Penteado, P.; Schoenell, W.; Kanaan, A.

2014-07-01

The Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ) is a new astronomical facility located at the Sierra de Javalambre (Teruel, Spain) whose primary role will be to conduct all-sky astronomical surveys with two unprecedented telescopes of unusually large fields of view: the JST/T250, a 2.55m telescope of 3deg field of view, and the JAST/T80, an 83cm telescope of 2deg field of view. CEFCA engineering team has been designing the OAJ control system as a global concept to manage, monitor, control and maintain all the observatory systems including not only astronomical subsystems but also infrastructure and other facilities. In order to provide quality, reliability and efficiency, the OAJ control system (OCS) design is based on CIA (Control Integrated Architecture) and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) as a key to improve day and night operation processes. The OCS goes from low level hardware layer including IOs connected directly to sensors and actuators deployed around the whole observatory systems, including telescopes and astronomical instrumentation, up to the high level software layer as a tool to perform efficiently observatory operations. We will give an overview of the OAJ control system design and implementation from an engineering point of view, giving details of the design criteria, technology, architecture, standards, functional blocks, model structure, development, deployment, goals, report about the actual status and next steps.

40 CFR 86.884-9 - Smoke measurement system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... extinction meter. ER06OC93.182 (b) Equipment. The following equipment shall be used in the system. (1... used to remove the exhaust from the test site. (2) Smokemeter (light extinction meter)—continuous... a remote control unit. (ix) Light extinction meters employing substantially identical measurement...

40 CFR 86.884-9 - Smoke measurement system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... extinction meter. ER06OC93.182 (b) Equipment. The following equipment shall be used in the system. (1... used to remove the exhaust from the test site. (2) Smokemeter (light extinction meter)—continuous... a remote control unit. (ix) Light extinction meters employing substantially identical measurement...

40 CFR 86.884-9 - Smoke measurement system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... extinction meter. ER06OC93.182 (b) Equipment. The following equipment shall be used in the system. (1... used to remove the exhaust from the test site. (2) Smokemeter (light extinction meter)—continuous... a remote control unit. (ix) Light extinction meters employing substantially identical measurement...

40 CFR 86.884-9 - Smoke measurement system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... extinction meter. ER06OC93.182 (b) Equipment. The following equipment shall be used in the system. (1... used to remove the exhaust from the test site. (2) Smokemeter (light extinction meter)—continuous... a remote control unit. (ix) Light extinction meters employing substantially identical measurement...

Seasonal emaciation causes tissue redistribution and an increased potential for toxicity of lipophilic pollutants in farmed arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus).

PubMed

Helgason, Lisa B; Wolkers, Hans; Fuglei, Eva; Ahlstrøm, Oystein; Muir, Derek; Jørgensen, Even H

2013-08-01

Many Arctic animals carry high body burdens of organochlorine contaminants (OCs) as a result of long-range transport of persistent pollutants. It has been shown that seasonal mobilization of body fat in these species results in increased blood concentration of OCs. The authors investigated OC assimilation, tissue distribution, and biotransformation in farmed Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) continuously fed a diet containing contaminated minke whale blubber or lard (control) from 8 wk of age in August 2003, until sampling when they were at their fattest (in November 2004) and leanest (in June 2005). Markedly higher tissue (liver, adrenals, brain, and blood) OC levels were found in June than in November despite low exposure to OCs during emaciation, suggesting that OCs had been redistributed from adipose tissues to vital organs. There were no differences in the activities of hepatic biotransforming enzymes between exposed fat and control fat foxes, except for 16α-hydroxylation, which was higher in exposed fat foxes. In emaciated foxes, ethoxyresorufin activity was higher in exposed than in control foxes, indicating an enhanced potential for toxicity of OCs with emaciation. Lower activities of 6β- and 2β-hydroxylation were found in lean than in fat foxes, irrespective of OC treatment. The results show that emaciation increase the toxic potential of accumulated OCs and emphasize that body adiposity must be considered when time-trend analyses, risk assessments, and effect studies are designed. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:1784-1792. © 2013 SETAC. Copyright © 2013 SETAC.

The influence of travel time on emergency obstetric care seeking behavior in the urban poor of Bangladesh: a GIS study.

PubMed

Panciera, Rocco; Khan, Akib; Rizvi, Syed Jafar Raza; Ahmed, Shakil; Ahmed, Tanvir; Islam, Rubana; Adams, Alayne M

2016-08-22

Availability of Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) is crucial to avert maternal death due to life-threatening complications potentially arising during delivery. Research on the determinants of utilization of EmOC has neglected urban settings, where traffic congestion can pose a significant barrier to the access of EmOC facilities, particularly for the urban poor due to costly and limited transportation options. This study investigates the impact of travel time to EmOC facilities on the utilization of facility-based delivery services among mothers living in urban poor settlements in Sylhet, Bangladesh. A cross-sectional EmOC health-seeking behavior survey from 39 poor urban clusters was geo-spatially linked to a comprehensive geo-referenced dataset of EmOC facility locations. Geo-spatial techniques and logistic regression were then applied to quantify the impact of travel time on place of delivery (EmOC facility or home), while controlling for confounding socio-cultural and economic factors. Increasing travel time to the nearest EmOC facility is found to act as a strong deterrent to seeking care for the urban poor in Sylhet. Logistic regression results indicate that a 5-min increase in travel time to the nearest EmOC facility is associated with a 30 % decrease (0.655 odds ratio, 95 % CI: 0.529-0.811) in the likelihood of delivery at an EmOC facility rather than at home. Moreover, the impact of travel time varies substantially between public, NGO and private facilities. A 5-min increase in travel time from a private EmOC facility is associated with a 32.9 % decrease in the likelihood of delivering at a private facility, while for public and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) EmOC facilities, the impact is lower (28.2 and 28.6 % decrease respectively). Other strong determinants of delivery at an EmOC facility are the use of antenatal care and mother's formal education, while Muslim mothers are found to be more likely to deliver at home. Geospatial evidence points to the need to strengthen referral and emergency transport systems in order to reduce urban travel time, and establish or relocate EmOC facilities closer to where the poor reside. However, female education and antenatal care coverage remain the most important determinants of facility delivery.

Oral contraceptives increase insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 concentration in women with polycystic ovarian disease.

PubMed

Suikkari, A M; Tiitinen, A; Stenman, U H; Seppälä, M; Laatikainen, T

1991-05-01

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) stimulates ovarian androgen production. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) inhibits IGF actions in vitro. To investigate the effect of oral contraceptive (OC) pills, given for 3 months, on serum gonadotropin, androgen, IGF-I, and IGFBP-1 concentrations, and glucose tolerance in seven women with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) and in five healthy control subjects. Seven women with PCOD and five healthy control subjects. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed before and after treatment with OC. After treatment with OC, serum luteinizing hormone, androstenedione, and free testosterone levels decreased, and sex hormone-binding globulin concentration increased in the women with PCOD as well as in the control subjects. The cumulative response of serum insulin to OGTT was larger in the women with PCOD than in the control subjects both before and after treatment. Serum IGF-I concentration, which was unchanged during OGTT, decreased from basal level of 326 +/- 70 micrograms/L to 199 +/- 28 micrograms/L after treatment with OC in the women with PCOD, whereas no change was found in the control subjects (from 235 +/- 11 micrograms/L to 226 +/- 11 micrograms/L). Treatment with OC caused an increase of the mean basal IGFBP-1 concentration from 24 +/- 7 micrograms/L to 73 +/- 14 micrograms/L in the women with PCOD. This increase was constant during the OGTT. In the control subjects, treatment with OC did not result in any significant change in IGFBP-1 concentrations (from 44 +/- 11 micrograms/L to 61 +/- 9 micrograms/L). The combination of decreased total IGF-I concentration and increased IGFBP-1 concentration induced by OC may decrease ovarian androgen production in PCOD.

The Official Control beyond the Official Control. How To Plan And Schedule Controls Starting From Risk Assessment Along The Agro-Food Supply Chain.

PubMed

Panunzio, M F; Caporizzi, R; Lagravinese, D; Conversano, M

2015-01-01

Every year the Italian Ministry of Health, on the basis of regional data, draws up the "Report on Official Controls" to be submitted to the Parliament. The report contains abundant data, diagrams and charts and illustrates the number and type of official controls (OC) performed by the pertinent Bodies (Ministry of Health, Regional and Local Health Authorities) over the previous year on Food Business Operators (FBO), in accordance with the EC Regulation 882/2004. The trend - which has consolidated over the years - relates to the multiplicity of OC and shows a decrease of such controls compared to an increase in "non-conformities". OC frequency is established by the Regional Authorities on the basis of the categorisation of both a "generic risk" for companies calculated taking into account the probability of occurrence of a "non-conformity", and a "specific" risk, assessed on the basis of the results of the OC actually performed on a given "Operatore del Settore Alimentare" (Food Sector Operator, in Italian: OSA). Thus, categorisation (i.e. the probability of occurrence of non-conformities) is the main driver of the OC scheduling and planning process. We have been asking ourselves whether the current OC planning/scheduling method is still suitable for ensuring food safety in the face of internalisation of the food supply chain. As a matter of fact, food safety is now becoming increasingly variable due to the globalization of consumption where "farm to fork", rather than "border to fork", food safety must be ensured. On the basis of these considerations, a different OC planning /scheduling method is being proposed based on the assessment of risks and the estimation of the occurrence of the same along the agro-food chain.

Quantifying Sources and Fluxes of Aquatic Carbon in U.S. Streams and Reservoirs Using Spatially Referenced Regression Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, E. W.; Smith, R. A.; Alexander, R. B.; Schwarz, G. E.

2004-12-01

Organic carbon (OC) is a critical water quality characteristic in riverine systems that is an important component of the aquatic carbon cycle and energy balance. Examples of processes controlled by OC interactions are complexation of trace metals; enhancement of the solubility of hydrophobic organic contaminants; formation of trihalomethanes in drinking water; and absorption of visible and UV radiation. Organic carbon also can have indirect effects on water quality by influencing internal processes of aquatic ecosystems (e.g. photosynthesis and autotrophic and heterotrophic activity). The importance of organic matter dynamics on water quality has been recognized, but challenges remain in quantitatively addressing OC processes over broad spatial scales in a hydrological context. In this study, we apply spatially referenced watershed models (SPARROW) to statistically estimate long-term mean-annual rates of dissolved- and total- organic carbon export in streams and reservoirs across the conterminous United States. We make use of a GIS framework for the analysis, describing sources, transport, and transformations of organic matter from spatial databases providing characterizations of climate, land use, primary productivity, topography, soils, and geology. This approach is useful because it illustrates spatial patterns of organic carbon fluxes in streamflow, highlighting hot spots (e.g., organic-rich environments in the southeastern coastal plain). Further, our simulations provide estimates of the relative contributions to streams from allochthonous and autochthonous sources. We quantify surface water fluxes of OC with estimates of uncertainty in relation to the overall US carbon budget; our simulations highlight that aquatic sources and sinks of OC may be a more significant component of regional carbon cycling than was previously thought. Further, we are using our simulations to explore the potential role of climate and other changes in the terrestrial environment on OC fluxes in aquatic systems.

A novel membrane distillation-thermophilic bioreactor system: biological stability and trace organic compound removal.

PubMed

Wijekoon, Kaushalya C; Hai, Faisal I; Kang, Jinguo; Price, William E; Guo, Wenshan; Ngo, Hao H; Cath, Tzahi Y; Nghiem, Long D

2014-05-01

The removal of trace organic compounds (TrOCs) by a novel membrane distillation-thermophilic bioreactor (MDBR) system was examined. Salinity build-up and the thermophilic conditions to some extent adversely impacted the performance of the bioreactor, particularly the removal of total nitrogen and recalcitrant TrOCs. While most TrOCs were well removed by the thermophilic bioreactor, compounds containing electron withdrawing functional groups in their molecular structure were recalcitrant to biological treatment and their removal efficiency by the thermophilic bioreactor was low (0-53%). However, the overall performance of the novel MDBR system with respect to the removal of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and TrOCs was high and was not significantly affected by the conditions of the bioreactor. All TrOCs investigated here were highly removed (>95%) by the MDBR system. Biodegradation, sludge adsorption, and rejection by MD contribute to the removal of TrOCs by MDBR treatment. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oligo-carrageenan kappa-induced reducing redox status and increase in TRR/TRX activities promote activation and reprogramming of terpenoid metabolism in Eucalyptus trees.

PubMed

González, Alberto; Gutiérrez-Cutiño, Marlen; Moenne, Alejandra

2014-06-05

In order to analyze whether the reducing redox status and activation of thioredoxin reductase (TRR)/thioredoxin(TRX) system induced by oligo-carrageenan (OC) kappa in Eucalyptus globulus activate secondary metabolism increasing terpenoid synthesis, trees were sprayed on the leaves with water, with OC kappa, or with inhibitors of NAD(P)H, ascorbate (ASC) and (GSH) synthesis and TRR activity, CHS-828, lycorine, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) and auranofine, respectively, and with OC kappa and cultivated for four months. The main terpenoids in control Eucalyptus trees were eucalyptol (76%), α-pinene (7.4%), aromadendrene (3.6%), silvestrene (2.8%), sabinene (2%) and α-terpineol (0.9%). Treated trees showed a 22% increase in total essential oils as well as a decrease in eucalyptol (65%) and sabinene (0.8%) and an increase in aromadendrene (5%), silvestrene (7.8%) and other ten terpenoids. In addition, treated Eucalyptus showed seven de novo synthesized terpenoids corresponding to carene, α-terpinene, α-fenchene, γ-maaliene, spathulenol and α-camphenolic aldehyde. Most increased and de novo synthesized terpenoids have potential insecticidal and antimicrobial activities. Trees treated with CHS-828, lycorine, BSO and auranofine and with OC kappa showed an inhibition of increased and de novo synthesized terpenoids. Thus, OC kappa-induced reducing redox status and activation of TRR/TRX system enhance secondary metabolism increasing the synthesis of terpenoids and reprogramming of terpenoid metabolism in Eucalyptus trees.

High resolution imaging of intracellular oxygen concentration by phosphorescence lifetime

PubMed Central

Kurokawa, Hiromi; Ito, Hidehiro; Inoue, Mai; Tabata, Kenji; Sato, Yoshifumi; Yamagata, Kazuya; Kizaka-Kondoh, Shinae; Kadonosono, Tetsuya; Yano, Shigenobu; Inoue, Masahiro; Kamachi, Toshiaki

2015-01-01

Optical methods using phosphorescence quenching by oxygen are suitable for sequential monitoring and non-invasive measurements for oxygen concentration (OC) imaging within cells. Phosphorescence intensity measurement is widely used with phosphorescent dyes. These dyes are ubiquitously but heterogeneously distributed inside the whole cell. The distribution of phosphorescent dye is a major disadvantage in phosphorescence intensity measurement. We established OC imaging system for a single cell using phosphorescence lifetime and a laser scanning confocal microscope. This system had improved spatial resolution and reduced the measurement time with the high repetition rate of the laser. By the combination of ubiquitously distributed phosphorescent dye with this lifetime imaging microscope, we can visualize the OC inside the whole cell and spheroid. This system uses reversible phosphorescence quenching by oxygen, so it can measure successive OC changes from normoxia to anoxia. Lower regions of OC inside the cell colocalized with mitochondria. The time-dependent OC change in an insulin-producing cell line MIN6 by the glucose stimulation was successfully visualized. Assessing the detailed distribution and dynamics of OC inside cells achieved by the presented system will be useful to understanding a physiological and pathological oxygen metabolism. PMID:26065366

Laser based analysis using a passively Q-switched laser employing analysis electronics and a means for detecting atomic optical emission of the laser media

DOEpatents

Woodruff, Steven D.; Mcintyre, Dustin L.

2016-03-29

A device for Laser based Analysis using a Passively Q-Switched Laser comprising an optical pumping source optically connected to a laser media. The laser media and a Q-switch are positioned between and optically connected to a high reflectivity mirror (HR) and an output coupler (OC) along an optical axis. The output coupler (OC) is optically connected to the output lens along the optical axis. A means for detecting atomic optical emission comprises a filter and a light detector. The optical filter is optically connected to the laser media and the optical detector. A control system is connected to the optical detector and the analysis electronics. The analysis electronics are optically connected to the output lens. The detection of the large scale laser output production triggers the control system to initiate the precise timing and data collection from the detector and analysis.

The effect of an abuse‐deterrent opioid formulation (OxyContin) on opioid abuse‐related outcomes in the postmarketing setting

PubMed Central

Chilcoat, HD; Butler, SF; Sellers, EM; Kadakia, A; Harikrishnan, V; Haddox, JD; Dart, RC

2016-01-01

An extended‐release opioid analgesic (OxyContin, OC) was reformulated with abuse‐deterrent properties to deter abuse. This report examines changes in abuse through oral and nonoral routes, doctor‐shopping, and fatalities in 10 studies 3.5 years after reformulation. Changes in OC abuse from 1 year before to 3 years after OC reformulation were calculated, adjusted for prescription changes. Abuse of OC decreased 48% in national poison center surveillance systems, decreased 32% in a national drug treatment system, and decreased 27% among individuals prescribed OC in claims databases. Doctor‐shopping for OC decreased 50%. Overdose fatalities reported to the manufacturer decreased 65%. Abuse of other opioids without abuse‐deterrent properties decreased 2 years later than OC and with less magnitude, suggesting OC decreases were not due to broader opioid interventions. Consistent with the formulation, decreases were larger for nonoral than oral abuse. Abuse‐deterrent opioids may mitigate abuse and overdose risks among chronic pain patients. PMID:27170195

Carbonyl Sulfide Fluxes from a Tall Grass Prairie Ecosystem Through a Growing Season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsip, B. M.; Berkelhammer, M. B.; Matamala, R.; Cook, D. R.; Whelan, C.

2016-12-01

An ecosystem's carbonyl sulfide (OCS or COS) flux is a powerful proxy for plant-controlled carbon and water exchange. Few studies have applied this approach to grassland ecosystems, which are characterized by complex species distributions that vary temporally. Our results reported here contrast previous work done on OCS fluxes from agricultural and forest ecosystems where climate and phenology shift but species distributions are fixed. A laser absorption spectrometer installed in a temperature-controlled enclosure measured OCS flux data continuously during the entire growing season at the Fermi prairie eddy covariance site in Illinois, USA. Ambient atmospheric concentrations of OCS, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide (CO2), and water vapor (H2O) were sampled at 1 Hz frequency from four inlets at different heights within and above the vegetation canopy from May to October, 2016. We observed a well-defined seasonal OCS cycle whose trend followed the Northern Hemisphere average. The data also show a strong diel cycle in the above-canopy gradient and absolute concentrations. Nighttime OCS in the canopy periodically dropped below 30 pmol•m-1, which, to our knowledge, are the lowest tropospheric OCS concentrations ever observed. These values were associated with steep OCS gradients above the canopy of -80 pmol•mol-1•m-1. These results highlight significant nighttime plant and soil uptake of OCS. Midday OCS gradients were -8.0 pmol•mol-1•m-1 and variations followed the day-to-day CO2 gradient. This demonstrates the close coupling of OCS and CO2 even as the season and species makeup evolves. Using the flux-gradient approach, we will convert OCS gradients to ecosystem fluxes by deriving the eddy diffusivity from existing eddy covariance data on site. After correcting for OCS and CO2 soil fluxes, we will compare gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from the two approaches, and assess the robustness of OCS to constrain GPP in this ecosystem.

Insights into organic carbon oxidation potential during fluvial transport from laboratory and field experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheingross, J. S.; Dellinger, M.; Eglinton, T. I.; Fuchs, M. C.; Golombek, N.; Hilton, R. G.; Hovius, N.; Lupker, M.; Repasch, M. N.; Sachse, D.; Turowski, J. M.; Vieth-Hillebrand, A.; Wittmann, H.

2017-12-01

Over geologic timescales, the exchange of organic carbon (OC) between the atmosphere, hydropshere, biosphere and geosphere can be a major control on atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The carbon fluxes from the oxidation of rock-derived OC (a CO2 source) and erosion, transport, and burial of biospheric OC (a potential CO2 sink) during fluvial transit are approximately the same order of magnitude or larger than those from silicate weathering. Despite field data showing increasing oxidation of OC moving downstream in lowland rivers, it is unclear if losses occur primarily during active fluvial transport, where OC is in continual motion within an aerated river, or during periods of temporary storage in river floodplains which may be anoxic. The unknown location of OC oxidation (i.e., river vs. floodplain) limits our ability to mechanistically link geochemical and geomorphic processes which are required to develop models capable of predicting OC losses, constrain carbon budgets, and unravel links between climate, tectonics, and erosion. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated OC oxidation in controlled laboratory experiments and a simplified field setting. We performed experiments in annular flumes that simulate fluvial transport without floodplain storage, allowing mixtures of OC-rich and siliciclastic sediment to be transported for distances of 1000 km. Preliminary experiments exploring both rock-derived and biospheric OC sources show minimal OC oxidation during active river transport, consistent with the idea that the majority of OC loss occurs during transient floodplain storage. These results are also consistent with new field data collected in the Rio Bermejo, Argentina, a lowland river traversing 800 km with no tributary inputs, where aged floodplain deposits have 3 to 10 times lower OC concentrations compared to modern river sediments. Together our field data and experiments support the hypothesis that oxidation of OC occurs primarily during floodplain storage rather than fluvial transport.

High organic inputs explain shallow and deep SOC storage in a long-term agroforestry system - combining experimental and modeling approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardinael, Rémi; Guenet, Bertrand; Chevallier, Tiphaine; Dupraz, Christian; Cozzi, Thomas; Chenu, Claire

2018-01-01

Agroforestry is an increasingly popular farming system enabling agricultural diversification and providing several ecosystem services. In agroforestry systems, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks are generally increased, but it is difficult to disentangle the different factors responsible for this storage. Organic carbon (OC) inputs to the soil may be larger, but SOC decomposition rates may be modified owing to microclimate, physical protection, or priming effect from roots, especially at depth. We used an 18-year-old silvoarable system associating hybrid walnut trees (Juglans regia × nigra) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum) and an adjacent agricultural control plot to quantify all OC inputs to the soil - leaf litter, tree fine root senescence, crop residues, and tree row herbaceous vegetation - and measured SOC stocks down to 2 m of depth at varying distances from the trees. We then proposed a model that simulates SOC dynamics in agroforestry accounting for both the whole soil profile and the lateral spatial heterogeneity. The model was calibrated to the control plot only. Measured OC inputs to soil were increased by about 40 % (+ 1.11 t C ha-1 yr-1) down to 2 m of depth in the agroforestry plot compared to the control, resulting in an additional SOC stock of 6.3 t C ha-1 down to 1 m of depth. However, most of the SOC storage occurred in the first 30 cm of soil and in the tree rows. The model was strongly validated, properly describing the measured SOC stocks and distribution with depth in agroforestry tree rows and alleys. It showed that the increased inputs of fresh biomass to soil explained the observed additional SOC storage in the agroforestry plot. Moreover, only a priming effect variant of the model was able to capture the depth distribution of SOC stocks, suggesting the priming effect as a possible mechanism driving deep SOC dynamics. This result questions the potential of soils to store large amounts of carbon, especially at depth. Deep-rooted trees modify OC inputs to soil, a process that deserves further study given its potential effects on SOC dynamics.

Does IGF-1 play a role in the biology of ovarian cancer?

PubMed

Majchrzak-Baczmańska, Dominika; Malinowski, Andrzej; Głowacka, Ewa; Wilczyński, Miłosz

2018-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate serum concentrations of the insulin-like growth factor-1 in women with ovarian cancer and healthy controls, and to compare free IGF-1 levels with selected clinical and pathological param-eters. Correlation analysis was used to measure the following: IGF-1 concentration and Ca125; IGF-1 level and the height of the OC patients. The study included 70 patients with OC and 50 healthy controls. Serum concentrations of free IGF-1 were measured in all subjects. Routine diagnostic tests (CBC and USG and Ca125) were performed. Significantly higher serum concentrations of free IGF-1 were found in the study group as compared to controls. No statistically significant relationships between IGF-1 serum concentrations and tumor differentiation, histological type, and disease stage were detected. No statistically significant correlations between IGF-1 and Ca125 level or between IGF-1 and growth of OC patients were found. Serum IGF-1 participates in the etiopathogenesis of ovarian cancer in menstruating women, while local synthesis of this factor and other components of the autocrine loop of the IGF-1 system play a greater role in their post-menopausal peers.

Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) Mission System Increment 3 (JMS Inc 3)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

2016 Major Automated Information System Annual Report Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) Mission System Increment 3 (JMS Inc 3) Defense...1725 DSN Phone: DSN Fax: Date Assigned: May 16, 2014 Program Information Program Name Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) Mission System...approved program baseline; therefore, no Original Estimate has been established. JMS Inc 3 2016 MAR UNCLASSIFIED 4 Program Description The Joint Space

Definition of the Floating System for Phase IV of OC3

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

Jonkman, J.

Phase IV of the IEA Annex XXIII Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration (OC3) involves the modeling of an offshore floating wind turbine. This report documents the specifications of the floating system, which are needed by the OC3 participants for building aero-hydro-servo-elastic models.

Continuous In-situ Measurements of Carbonyl Sulfide to Constrain Ecosystem Carbon and Water Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rastogi, B.; Kim, Y.; Berkelhammer, M. B.; Noone, D. C.; Lai, C. T.; Hollinger, D. Y.; Bible, K.; Leen, J. B.; Gupta, M.; Still, C. J.

2014-12-01

Understanding the processes that control the terrestrial exchange of carbon and water are critical for examining the role of forested ecosystems in changing climates. A small but increasing number of studies have identified Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS) as a potential tracer for photosynthesis. OCS is hydrolyzed by an irreversible reaction in leaf mesophyll cells that is catalyzed by the enzyme, carbonic anhydrase. Leaf-level field and greenhouse studies indicate that OCS uptake is controlled by stomatal activity and that the ratio of OCS and CO2 uptake is reasonably constant. Existing studies on ecosystem OCS exchange have been based on laboratory measurements or short field campaigns and therefore little information on OCS exchange in a natural ecosystem over longer timescales is available. The objective of this study is to further assess the stability of OCS as a tracer for canopy photosynthesis in an active forested ecosystem and also to assess its utility for constraining transpiration, since both fluxes are mediated by canopy stomatal conductance. An off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy analyzer (Los Gatos Research Inc.) was deployed at the Wind River Experimental Forest in Washington (45.8205°N, 121.9519°W). Canopy air was sampled from three heights to measure vertical gradients of OCS within the canopy, and OCS exchange between the forest and the atmosphere. Here we take advantage of simultaneous measurements of the stable isotopologues of H2O and CO2 at corresponding heights as well as NEE (Net Ecosystem Exchange) from eddy covariance measurements to compare GPP (Gross Primary Production) and transpiration estimates from a variety of independent techniques. Our findings seek to allow assessment of the environmental and ecophysicological controls on evapotranspiration rates, which are projected to change in coming decades, and are otherwise poorly constrained.

Association of Glycemic Status with Bone Turnover Markers in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Sweta Vilas; Meenatchi, Suruthi; Reeta, R; Ramesh, Ramasamy; Srinivasan, A R; Lenin, C

2017-01-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has profound implications on the skeleton. Even though bone mineral density is increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, they are more prone for fractures. The weakening of bone tissue in type 2 diabetes mellitus can be due to uncontrolled blood sugar levels leading to high levels of bone turnover markers in blood. The aim of this study is to find the association between glycemic status and bone turnover markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This case-control study was carried out in a tertiary health care hospital. Fifty clinically diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in the age group between 30 and 50 years were included as cases. Fifty age- and gender-matched healthy nondiabetics were included as controls. Patients with complications and chronic illness were excluded from the study. Depending on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, patients were grouped into uncontrolled (HbA1c >7%, n = 36) and controlled (HbA1c <7%, n = 14) diabetics. Based on duration of diabetes, patients were grouped into newly diagnosed, 1-2 years, 3-5 years, and >5 years. Serum osteocalcin (OC), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), acid phosphatase (ACP), and HbA1c levels were estimated. OC/BAP and OC/ACP ratio was calculated. Student's t -test, analysis of variance, and Chi-square tests were used for analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done for OC/BAP and OC/ACP ratios. Serum OC, HbA1c, and OC/BAP ratio were increased in cases when compared to controls and were statistically significant ( P < 0.001). OC/ACP ratio was decreased in type 2 diabetes mellitus and was statistically significant ( P = 0.01). In patients with >5-year duration of diabetes, HbA1c level was high and was statistically significant ( P < 0.042). BAP levels were high in uncontrolled diabetics but statistically not significant. ROC curve showed OC/BAP ratio better marker than OC/ACP ratio. Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus affects bone tissue resulting in variations in bone turnover markers. Bone turnover markers are better in predicting recent changes in bone morphology and are cost effective.

Multi-species constraint of anthropogenic and biogenic processes over North America during ACT-America summer 2016 and winter 2017 aircraft campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parazoo, N.; Bowman, K. W.; Kuai, L.; Liu, J.; Lee, M.; Baker, I. T.; Berry, J. A.; Davis, K. J.; Lauvaux, T.; DiGangi, J. P.; Sweeney, C.

2017-12-01

Multi-species measurements of CO, OCS, and SIF have the potential to attribute CO2 variability to productivity and anthropogenic emissions. ACT-America aircraft campaigns in summer 2016 and winter 2017 collected vertical profiles of these key species close to their sources, providing important constraints on CO2 sources across 3 unique regions in eastern North America. The CMS-Flux carbon cycle assimilation system uses satellite measurements of CO (MOPITT), CO2 (OCO-2), SIF (OCO-2), and OCS (TES) to determine regional CO2 sources due to fossil fuel emissions, biomass burning, and net biome exchange, providing independent flux constraints, and which can be propagated back to the atmosphere for direct comparison to aircraft data. Here, we evaluate tracer-tracer correlations between CO2, CO, and OCS from ACT-America aircraft data during fall and winter campaigns, and compare to posterior signals from CMS-Flux over the same period. To predict atmospheric OCS signals, we leverage mechanistic representations of OCS plant uptake and GPP in the SiB land surface model to determine OCS-GPP linear relationships, then use SIF optimized estimates of GPP to infer OCS fluxes. Our objectives in this study are 3 fold: (1) Determine consistency of regional source attributions from CMS-Flux with aircraft data from ACT-America; (2) Analyze observed (ACT-America) and predicted (CMS-Flux) tracer-tracer correlations across multiple seasons and regions to identify key biogenic and anthropogenic drivers; (3) Determine to what extent SIF and OCS are valid linear predictors of GPP spatial variability. Summertime evaluation of these tracers shows good correlation between OCS/CO2 and OCS/CO in the midwest but poorer correlation in the northeast possibly reflecting biogenic controls on CO2. Comparisons of observed and predicted CO and CO2 in the PBL with CMF-Flux data indicate positively correlated biases that reflect both transport and flux errors. These results are compared with the winter campaign data to better inform biogenic vs anthropogenic sources, and provide ensemble predictions of OCS from SiB and multi-satellite SIF constraints for more robust analysis of GPP variability.

The fate of polar trace organic compounds in the hyporheic zone.

PubMed

Schaper, Jonas L; Seher, Wiebke; Nützmann, Gunnar; Putschew, Anke; Jekel, Martin; Lewandowski, Jörg

2018-04-18

The hyporheic zone (HZ) is often considered to efficiently remove polar trace organic compounds (TrOCs) from lotic systems, mitigating potential adverse effects of TrOCs on ecosystem functioning and drinking water production. Predicting the fate of TrOCs in the hyporheic zone (HZ) is difficult as the in-situ removal rate constants are not known and the biogeochemical factors as well as hydrological conditions controlling the removal efficiency are not fully understood. To determine the in-situ removal efficiency of the HZ for a variety of TrOCs as a function of the biogeochemical milieu, we conducted a field study in an urban river near Berlin, Germany. Subsurface flow was studied by time series of temperature depth profiles and the biogeochemical milieu of the HZ by concentration depth profiles. These results, in conjunction with a 1D advection-dispersion transport model, were used to calculate first-order removal rate constants of several polar TrOCs in the HZ. For the majority of TrOCs investigated, removal rate constants were strongly dependent on redox conditions, with significantly higher removal rates observed under predominantly suboxic (i.e. denitrifying) compared to anoxic (i.e. Fe and Mn reducing) conditions. Compared to previous studies on the fate of TrOCs in saturated sediments, half-lives within oxic/suboxic sections of the HZ were relatively low, attributable to the site-specific characteristics of the HZ in a stream dominated by wastewater treatment plant effluent. For nine out of thirteen investigated TrOCs, concentrations decreased significantly in the HZ with relative removal percentages ranging from 32% for primidone to 77% for gabapentin. For many TrOCs, removal efficiency decreased drastically as redox conditions became anoxic. For the majority of compounds investigated here, the HZ indeed acts as an efficient bioreactor that is capable of removing TrOCs along relatively short flow paths. Depending on the TrOC, removal capacity may be enhanced by either increasing the magnitude of groundwater-surface exchange fluxes, by increasing the total residence time in the HZ or the exposure time to suboxic zones, respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety of hormonal replacement therapy and oral contraceptives in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Rojas-Villarraga, Adriana; Torres-Gonzalez, July-Vianneth; Ruiz-Sternberg, Ángela-María

2014-01-01

There is conflicting data regarding exogenous sex hormones [oral contraceptives (OC) and hormonal replacement therapy (HRT)] exposure and different outcomes on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this work is to determine, through a systematic review and meta-analysis the risks associated with estrogen use for women with SLE as well as the association of estrogen with developing SLE. MEDLINE, EMBASE, SciElo, BIREME and the Cochrane library (1982 to July 2012), were databases from which were selected and reviewed (PRISMA guidelines) randomized controlled trials, cross-sectional, case-control and prospective or retrospective nonrandomized, comparative studies without language restrictions. Those were evaluated by two investigators who extracted information on study characteristics, outcomes of interest, risk of bias and summarized strength of evidence. A total of 6,879 articles were identified; 20 full-text articles were included. Thirty-two meta-analyses were developed. A significant association between HRT exposure (Random model) and an increased risk of developing SLE was found (Rate Ratio: 1.96; 95%-CI: 1.51-2.56; P-value<0.001). One of eleven meta-analyses evaluating the risk for SLE associated with OC exposure had a marginally significant result. There were no associations between HRT or OC exposure and specific outcomes of SLE. It was not always possible to Meta-analyze all the available data. There was a wide heterogeneity of SLE outcome measurements and estrogen therapy administration. An association between HRT exposure and SLE causality was observed. No association was found when analyzing the risk for SLE among OC users, however since women with high disease activity/Thromboses or antiphospholipid-antibodies were excluded from most of the studies, caution should be exercised in interpreting the present results. To identify risk factors that predispose healthy individuals to the development of SLE who are planning to start HRT or OC is suggested.

The Rusty Sink: Iron Promotes the Preservation of Organic Matter in Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lalonde, K. M.; Mucci, A.; Moritz, A.; Ouellet, A.; Gelinas, Y.

2011-12-01

The biogeochemical cycles of iron (Fe) and organic carbon (OC) are strongly interlinked. In oceanic waters, organic ligands have been shown to control the concentration of dissolved Fe [1], whereas in soils, solid Fe phases provide a sheltering and preservative effect for organic matter [2]. Until now however, the role of iron in the preservation of OC in sediments has not been clearly established. Here we show that 21.5 ± 8.6% of the OC in sediments is directly bound to reactive iron phases, which promote the preservation of OC in sediments. Iron-bound OC represents a global mass of 19 to 45 × 10^15 g of OC in surface marine sediments. This pool of OC is different from the rest of sedimentary OC, with 13C and nitrogen-enriched organic matter preferentially bound to Fe which suggests that biochemical fractionation occurs with OC-Fe binding. Preferential binding also affects the recovery of high molecular weight lipid biomarkers and acidic lignin oxidation products, changing the environmental message of proxies derived from these biomarkers. [1] Johnson, K. S., Gordon, R. M. & Coale, K. H. What controls dissolved iron in the world ocean? Marine Chemistry 57, 137-161 (1997). [2] Kaiser, K. & Guggenberger, G. The role of DOM sorption to mineral surfaces in the preservation of organic matter in soils. Organic Geochemistry 31, 711-725 (2000).

Evaluation of retrofit crankcase ventilation controls and diesel oxidation catalysts for reducing air pollution in school buses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trenbath, Kim; Hannigan, Michael P.; Milford, Jana B.

2009-12-01

This study evaluates the effect of retrofit closed crankcase ventilation filters (CCFs) and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) on the in-cabin air quality in transit-style diesel school buses. In-cabin pollution levels were measured on three buses from the Pueblo, CO District 70 fleet. Monitoring was conducted while buses were driven along their regular routes, with each bus tested three times before and three times after installation of control devices. Ultrafine number concentrations in the school bus cabins were 33-41% lower, on average, after the control devices were installed. Mean mass concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) were 56% lower, organic carbon (OC) 41% lower, elemental carbon (EC) 85% lower, and formaldehyde 32% lower after control devices were installed. While carbon monoxide concentrations were low in all tests, mean concentrations were higher after control devices were installed than in pre-retrofit tests. Reductions in number, OC, and formaldehyde concentrations were statistically significant, but reductions in PM2.5 mass were not. Even with control devices installed, during some runs PM2.5 and OC concentrations in the bus cabins were elevated compared to ambient concentrations observed in the area. OC concentrations inside the bus cabins ranged from 22 to 58 μg m -3 before and 13 to 33 μg m -3 after control devices were installed. OC concentrations were correlated with particle-bound organic tracers for lubricating oil emissions (hopanes) and diesel fuel and tailpipe emissions (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and aliphatic hydrocarbons). Mean concentrations of hopanes, PAH, and aliphatic hydrocarbons were lower by 37, 50, and 43%, respectively, after the control devices were installed, suggesting that both CCFs and DOCs were effective at reducing in-cabin OC concentrations.

Metabolic Effects of a Commonly Used Combined Hormonal Oral Contraceptive in Women With and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PubMed Central

Adeniji, Adeola A.; Essah, Paulina A.; Nestler, John E.

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: Data on combined hormonal oral contraceptives' (OCs) effects on metabolic changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been conflicting and were predominantly based on OCs with cyproterone acetate (unavailable in the United States) Most studies did not include normal women as controls. We compared metabolic changes before and after an OC commonly used in the United States between women with and without PCOS. Methods: Ten PCOS and 20 control women took ethinyl estradiol 35 μg and norgestimate 0.18/0.215/0.25 mg. Fasting glucose and insulin, area-under-the-curve (AUC) glucose and insulin, insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment of insulin sensitivity index [HOMA-ISI] and Matsuda index), insulinogenic index (Δinsulin0–30 minutes/Δglucose0–30 minutes), blood pressure, and lipids were evaluated at baseline and after three cycles of OC. Results: At baseline, PCOS women had lower insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index p = 0.0093, HOMA-ISI p = 0.0397), higher fasting insulin (p = 0.0495), fasting glucose (p = 0.0393), AUC insulin (p = 0.0023), and triglycerides (p = 0.0044) versus controls. Baseline AUC glucose did not differ between PCOS women and controls. After 3 months of OC use, glucose tolerance worsened in PCOS women versus controls (p = 0.0468). Higher baseline androgens were predictive of worsened glucose tolerance, and a reduction of AUC insulin during OC use. The insulinogenic index significantly decreased in PCOS women (p < 0.01), while fasting insulin and insulin resistance significantly worsened in control women. Conclusion: Women with PCOS exhibited worsened glucose tolerance (demonstrated by AUC glucose) after 3 months of a commonly used OC compared with control women. Larger studies with longer follow-up should confirm these findings. PMID:26871978

Enhanced treatment of secondary municipal wastewater effluent: comparing (biological) filtration and ozonation in view of micropollutant removal, unselective effluent toxicity, and the potential for real-time control.

PubMed

Chys, Michael; Demeestere, Kristof; Ingabire, Ange Sabine; Dries, Jan; Van Langenhove, Herman; Van Hulle, Stijn W H

2017-07-01

Ozonation and three (biological) filtration techniques (trickling filtration (TF), slow sand filtration (SSF) and biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration) have been evaluated in different combinations as tertiary treatment for municipal wastewater effluent. The removal of 18 multi-class pharmaceuticals, as model trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), has been studied. (Biological) activated carbon filtration could reduce the amount of TrOCs significantly (>99%) but is cost-intensive for full-scale applications. Filtration techniques mainly depending on biodegradation mechanisms (TF and SSF) are found to be inefficient for TrOCs removal as a stand alone technique. Ozonation resulted in 90% removal of the total amount of quantified TrOCs, but a post-ozonation step is needed to cope with an increased unselective toxicity. SSF following ozonation showed to be the only technique able to reduce the unselective toxicity to the same level as before ozonation. In view of process control, innovative correlation models developed for the monitoring and control of TrOC removal during ozonation, are verified for their applicability during ozonation in combination with TF, SSF or BAC. Particularly for the poorly ozone reactive TrOCs, statistically significant models were obtained that correlate TrOC removal and reduction in UVA 254 as an online measured surrogate parameter.

Continuous In-situ Measurements of Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS) and Carbon Dioxide Isotopes to Constrain Ecosystem Carbon and Water Exchanges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rastogi, B.; Still, C. J.; Noone, D. C.; Berkelhammer, M. B.; Whelan, M.; Lai, C. T.; Hollinger, D. Y.; Gupta, M.; Leen, J. B.; Huang, Y. W.

2015-12-01

Understanding the processes that control the terrestrial exchange of carbon and water are critical for examining the role of forested ecosystems in changing climates. A small but increasing number of studies have identified Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS) as a potential tracer for photosynthesis. OCS is hydrolyzed by an irreversible reaction in leaf mesophyll cells that is catalyzed by the enzyme, carbonic anhydrase. Leaf- level field and greenhouse studies indicate that OCS uptake is controlled by stomatal activity and that the ratio of OCS and CO2 uptake is reasonably constant. Existing studies on ecosystem OCS exchange have been based on laboratory measurements or short field campaigns and therefore little information on OCS exchange in a natural ecosystem over longer timescales is available. The objective of this study is to further assess the stability of OCS as a tracer for canopy photosynthesis in an active forested ecosystem and also to assess its utility for constraining transpiration, since both fluxes are mediated by canopy stomatal conductance. An off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy analyzer (Los Gatos Research Inc.) was deployed at the Wind River Experimental Forest in Washington (45.8205°N, 121.9519°W). Canopy air was sampled from four heights as well as the soil to measure vertical gradients of OCS within the canopy, and OCS exchange between the forest and the atmosphere for the growing season. Here we take advantage of simultaneous measurements of the stable isotopologues of H2O and CO2 at corresponding heights as well as NEE (Net Ecosystem Exchange) from eddy covariance measurements to compare GPP (Gross Primary Production) and transpiration estimates from a variety of independent techniques. Our findings also seek to allow assessment of the environmental and ecophysicological controls on evapotranspiration rates, which are projected to change in coming decades, and are otherwise poorly constrained.

Utilization of the organ care system as ex-vivo lung perfusion after cold storage transportation.

PubMed

Mohite, P N; Maunz, O; Popov, A-F; Zych, B; Patil, N P; Simon, A R

2015-11-01

The Organ Care System (OCS) allows perfusion and ventilation of the donor lungs under physiological conditions. Ongoing trials to compare preservation with OCS Lung with standard cold storage do not include donor lungs with suboptimal gas exchange and donor lungs treated with OCS following cold storage transportation. We present a case of a 48-yr-old man who received such lungs after cold storage transportation treated with ex-vivo lung perfusion utilizing OCS. © The Author(s) 2015.

Sensory Intolerance: Latent Structure and Psychopathologic Correlates

PubMed Central

Taylor, Steven; Conelea, Christine A.; McKay, Dean; Crowe, Katherine B.; Abramowitz, Jonathan S.

2014-01-01

Background Sensory intolerance refers to high levels of distress evoked by everyday sounds (e.g., sounds of people chewing) or commonplace tactile sensations (e.g., sticky or greasy substances). Sensory intolerance may be associated with obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms, OC-related phenomena, and other forms of psychopathology. Sensory intolerance is not included as a syndrome in current diagnostic systems, although preliminary research suggests that it might be a distinct syndrome. Objectives First, to investigate the latent structure of sensory intolerance in adults; that is, to investigate whether it is syndrome-like in nature, in which auditory and tactile sensory intolerance co-occur and are associated with impaired functioning. Second, to investigate the psychopathologic correlates of sensory intolerance. In particular, to investigate whether sensory intolerance is associated with OC-related phenomena, as suggested by previous research. Method A sample of 534 community-based participants were recruited via Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk program. Participants completed measures of sensory intolerance, OC-related phenomena, and general psychopathology. Results Latent class analysis revealed two classes of individuals: Those who were intolerant of both auditory and tactile stimuli (n = 150), and those who were relatively undisturbed by auditory or tactile stimuli (n = 384). Sensory intolerant individuals, compared to those who were comparatively sensory tolerant, had greater scores on indices of general psychopathology, more severe OC symptoms, a higher likelihood of meeting caseness criteria for OC disorder, elevated scores on measures of OC-related dysfunctional beliefs, a greater tendency to report OC-related phenomena (e.g., a greater frequency of tics), and more impairment on indices of social and occupational functioning. Sensory intolerant individuals had significantly higher scores on OC symptoms even after controlling for general psychopathology. Conclusions Consistent with recent research, these findings provide further evidence for a sensory intolerance syndrome. The findings provide a rationale for conducting future research for determining whether a sensory intolerance syndrome should be included in the diagnostic nomenclature. PMID:24703593

Exploring the sensitivity of soil carbon dynamics to climate change, fire disturbance and permafrost thaw in a black spruce ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Donnell, J. A.; Harden, J.W.; McGuire, A.D.; Romanovsky, V.E.

2011-01-01

In the boreal region, soil organic carbon (OC) dynamics are strongly governed by the interaction between wildfire and permafrost. Using a combination of field measurements, numerical modeling of soil thermal dynamics, and mass-balance modeling of OC dynamics, we tested the sensitivity of soil OC storage to a suite of individual climate factors (air temperature, soil moisture, and snow depth) and fire severity. We also conducted sensitivity analyses to explore the combined effects of fire-soil moisture interactions and snow seasonality on OC storage. OC losses were calculated as the difference in OC stocks after three fire cycles (???500 yr) following a prescribed step-change in climate and/or fire. Across single-factor scenarios, our findings indicate that warmer air temperatures resulted in the largest relative soil OC losses (???5.3 kg C mg-2), whereas dry soil conditions alone (in the absence of wildfire) resulted in the smallest carbon losses (???0.1 kg C mg-2). Increased fire severity resulted in carbon loss of ???3.3 kg C mg-2, whereas changes in snow depth resulted in smaller OC losses (2.1-2.2 kg C mg-2). Across multiple climate factors, we observed larger OC losses than for single-factor scenarios. For instance, high fire severity regime associated with warmer and drier conditions resulted in OC losses of ???6.1 kg C mg-2, whereas a low fire severity regime associated with warmer and wetter conditions resulted in OC losses of ???5.6 kg C mg-2. A longer snow-free season associated with future warming resulted in OC losses of ???5.4 kg C mg-2. Soil climate was the dominant control on soil OC loss, governing the sensitivity of microbial decomposers to fluctuations in temperature and soil moisture; this control, in turn, is governed by interannual changes in active layer depth. Transitional responses of the active layer depth to fire regimes also contributed to OC losses, primarily by determining the proportion of OC into frozen and unfrozen soil layers. ?? 2011 Author(s).

Quality assurance and quality control for thermal/optical analysis of aerosol samples for organic and elemental carbon.

PubMed

Chow, Judith C; Watson, John G; Robles, Jerome; Wang, Xiaoliang; Chen, L-W Antony; Trimble, Dana L; Kohl, Steven D; Tropp, Richard J; Fung, Kochy K

2011-12-01

Accurate, precise, and valid organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC, respectively) measurements require more effort than the routine analysis of ambient aerosol and source samples. This paper documents the quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures that should be implemented to ensure consistency of OC and EC measurements. Prior to field sampling, the appropriate filter substrate must be selected and tested for sampling effectiveness. Unexposed filters are pre-fired to remove contaminants and acceptance tested. After sampling, filters must be stored in the laboratory in clean, labeled containers under refrigeration (<4 °C) to minimize loss of semi-volatile OC. QA activities include participation in laboratory accreditation programs, external system audits, and interlaboratory comparisons. For thermal/optical carbon analyses, periodic QC tests include calibration of the flame ionization detector with different types of carbon standards, thermogram inspection, replicate analyses, quantification of trace oxygen concentrations (<100 ppmv) in the helium atmosphere, and calibration of the sample temperature sensor. These established QA/QC procedures are applicable to aerosol sampling and analysis for carbon and other chemical components.

78 FR 59263 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for California

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-26

... pertains to the requirements for OCS sources for which the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control...), EPA proposed to incorporate various Santa Barbara County APCD air pollution control requirements into... requires that EPA establish requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources located within 25 miles...

Current Status of Carl Sagan Observatory in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez-Ibarra, A.

The current status of Observatory "Carl Sagan" (OCS) of University of Sonora is presented. This project was born in 1996 focused to build a small solar-stellar observatory completely operated by remote control. The observatory will be at "Cerro Azul", a 2480 m peak in one of the best regions in the world for astronomical observation, at the Sonora-Arizona desert. The OCS, with three 16 cm solar telescopes and a 55 cm stellar telescope is one of the cheapest observatories, valuated in US200,000 Added to its scientific goals to study solar coronal holes and Supernovae Type 1A, the OCS has a strong educative and cultural program in Astronomy to all levels. At the end of 2001, we started the Program "Constelacion", to build small planetariums through all the countries with a cost of only US80,000. Also, the webcast system for transmission of the solar observations from the prototype OCS at the campus, was expanded to webcast educational programs in Astronomy since July of this year, including courses and diplomats for Latin American people. All of these advances are exposed here.

Biocorrosion and uptake of titanium by human osteoclasts.

PubMed

Cadosch, Dieter; Al-Mushaiqri, Mohamed S; Gautschi, Oliver P; Meagher, James; Simmen, Hans-Peter; Filgueira, Luis

2010-12-15

All metals in contact with a biological system undergo corrosion through an electrochemical redox reaction. This study investigated whether human osteoclasts (OC) are able to grow on titanium and aluminum, and directly corrode the metals leading to the release of corresponding metal ions, which are believed to cause inflammatory reactions and activate osteoclastic differentiation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated long-term viable OC cultures on the surface of titanium and aluminum foils. Atomic emission spectrometry investigations showed significantly increased levels of aluminum in the supernatant of OC cultured on aluminum; however, all measurements in the supernatants of cell cultures on titanium were below detection limits. Despite this, confocal microscopy analysis with Newport Green DCF diacetate ester staining depicted intense fluorescence throughout the cytoplasm and nucleolus of OC cultured on titanium foils. Comparable fluorescence intensities were not observed in monocytes and control cells cultured on glass. The present study demonstrated that human osteoclast precursors are able to grow and differentiate toward mature OC on titanium and aluminum. Furthermore, it established that the mature cells are able to directly corrode the metal surface and take up corresponding metal ions, which subsequently may be released and thereby induce the formation of osteolytic lesions in the periprosthetic bone, contributing to the loosening of the implant. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of smartphone oral contraceptive reminder applications.

PubMed

Gal, Noga; Zite, Nikki B; Wallace, Lorraine S

2015-01-01

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are the most widely used contraceptive method among women of reproductive age in the United States (US). Routine download and use of health-related smartphone applications (apps) continues to increase. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of English-language, smartphone-platform OC reminder apps currently available for download in the US. During June-July 2013, official Internet-based, mobile app platforms for the two major smartphone operating systems in the US-Android (Google Play Store) and iPhone (iTunes)-were searched. "Birth control," "the pill," and "contraception" were entered into the search-bar of each Smartphone store. Apps were assessed for the following: cost, health care professionals' involvement in app development, reminder mechanisms, and functionality. Of the 39 unique OC reminder apps meeting inclusion criteria, 7 (18%) did not operate as intended when downloaded. Most apps functioned without an Internet connection (97%) and included pop-up notifications (84%). Certain app features overcome common causes of missing an alarm, and hypothetically, may minimize likelihood of an OC user missing a daily pill. Health care providers should inform users of potential pitfalls and advise them that an OC reminder app should be not be used as a sole reminder method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predictions of Energy Savings in HVAC Systems by Lumped Models (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-14

various control devices into a simulated HVAC system. Con- trols contain a setpoint of 26.7oC. The adjustable damper, variable chiller work input, and variable fanspeed contain values of αP of -1.0, 0.1, and 1.0, respectively. 25 ...Villanova, PA 19085 bCode 985, Naval System Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Philadelphia, PA 19112 Abstract An approach to optimizing the energy...suggest an order of mag- nitude greater energy savings using a variable chiller power control approach compared to control damper and variable-drive

Near Real Time Operational Satellite Ocean Color Products From NOAA OSPO CoastWatch Okeanos System:: Status and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banghua Yan, B.

2016-02-01

Near real-time (NRT) ocean color (OC) satellite operation products are generated and distributed in NOAA Okeanos Operational Product System, by using the CWAPS including the Multi-Sensor Level (MSL) 12 and the chlorophyll-a frontal algorithms. Current OC operational products include daily chlorophyll concentration (anomaly), water turbidity, remote sensing reflectance and chlorophyll frontal products from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua. The products have been widely applied to USA local and state ecosystem research, ecosystem observations, and fisheries managements for coastal and regional forecasting of ocean water quality, phytoplankton concentrations, and primary production. Users of the products have the National Ocean Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Weather Service, and Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Recently, the OC products are being extended to S-NPP VIIRS to provide global NRT ocean color products to user community suh as National Weatrher Service for application for Global Data Assimilation System and Real-Time Ocean Forecast System. However, there remain some challenges in application of the products due to certain product quality and coverage issues. Recent efforts were made to provide a comprehensive web-based Quality Assurance (QA) tool for monitoring OC products quality in near real time mode, referring to http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/color_new/color.htm. The new QA monitoring tool includes but not limited to the following advanced features applicable for MODIS/Aqua and NPP/VIIRS OC products: 1) Monitoring product quality in NRT mode; 2) Monitoring the availability and quality of OC products with time; 3) Detecting anomalous OC products due to low valid pixels and other quality issues. As an example, potential application and challenges of the ocean color products to oceanic oil spill detection are investigated. It is thus expected that the Okeanos ocean color operational system in combination with the new QA monitoring tool will more efficiently ensure availability and quality of satellite operational OC products from Okeanos system to the user community. The QA tool also will provide much useful information of OC products quality and statistics to the OC user community.

The Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) Mission System (JMS) and the Advanced Research, Collaboration, and Application Development Environment (ARCADE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, K.; Kim, R.; Echeverry, J.

The Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) is a command and control center focused on executing the Space Control mission of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC-SPACE) to ensure freedom of action of United States (US) space assets, while preventing adversary use of space against the US. To accomplish this, the JSpOC tasks a network of space surveillance sensors to collect Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data on resident space objects (RSOs) in near earth and deep space orbits. SSA involves the ingestion of data sources and use of algorithms and tools to build, maintain, and disseminate situational awareness of RSOs in space. On the heels of emergent and complex threats to space assets, the JSpOC's capabilities are limited by legacy systems and CONOPs. The JSpOC Mission System (JMS) aims to consolidate SSA efforts across US agencies, international partners, and commercial partners. The JMS program is intended to deliver a modern service-oriented architecture (SOA) based infrastructure with increased process automation and improved tools to remove the current barriers to JSpOC operations. JMS has been partitioned into several developmental increments. Increment 1, completed and operational in early 2013, and Increment 2, which is expected to be completed in 2016, will replace the legacy Space Defense Operations Center (SPADOC) and Astrodynamics Support Workstation (ASW) capabilities. In 2017 JMS Increment 3 will continue to provide additional SSA and C2 capabilities that will require development of new applications and procedures as well as the exploitation of new data sources. Most importantly, Increment 3 is uniquely postured to evolve the JSpOC into the centralized and authoritative source for all Space Control applications by using its SOA to aggregate information and capabilities from across the community. To achieve this goal, Scitor Corporation has supported the JMS Program Office as it has entered into a partnership with AFRL/RD (Directed Energy) and AFRL/RV (Space Vehicles) to create the Advanced Research, Collaboration, and Application Development Environment (ARCADE). The ARCADE formalizes capability development processes that hitherto have been ad hoc, slow to address the evolving space threat environment, and not easily repeatable. Therefore, the purpose of the ARCADE is to: (1) serve as a centralized testbed for all research and development (R&D) activities related to JMS applications, including algorithm development, data source exposure, service orchestration, and software services, and provide developers reciprocal access to relevant tools and data to accelerate technology development, (2) allow the JMS program to communicate user capability priorities and requirements to developers, (3) facilitate collaboration among developers who otherwise would not collaborate due to organizational, policy, or geographical barriers, and (4) support market research efforts by identifying outstanding performers that are available to shepherd into the formal transition process. Over the last several years Scitor Corporation has provided systems engineering support to the JMS Increment 3 Program Office, and has worked with AFRL/RV and AFRL/RD to create a high performance computing environment and SOA at both unclassified and classified levels that together allow developers to develop applications in an environment similar to the version of JMS currently in use by the JSpOC operators. Currently the ARCADE is operational in an unclassified environment via the High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) Portal on DREN. The ARCADE also exists on SECRET and TOP SECRET environments on multiple networks. This presentation will cover the following topics: (1) Scitors role in shaping the ARCADE into its current form, (2) ARCADEs value proposition for potential technology developers, and (3) ARCADEs value proposition for the Government. These topics will be discussed by way of several case studies: a JMS Prototype activity, integration of the Search and Determine Integrated Environment (SADIE) system into the ARCADE, and developer challenge opportunities using the ARCADE. The contents of this presentation will be UNCLASSIFIED.

The effects of different therapeutic modalities on cardiovascular risk factors in women with polycystıc ovary syndrome: A randomızed controlled study.

PubMed

Bodur, Serkan; Dundar, Ozgur; Kanat-Pektas, Mine; Kinci, Mehmet Ferdi; Tutuncu, Levent

2018-06-01

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of 3 mg drospirenone/30 μg ethinyl estradiol (OC) alone or combined with 1700 mg metformin on metabolic risk factors. In this randomized, prospective, controlled study, 87 non-obese (18-30 BMI) women of reproductive age (18-39) with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were assigned to control (n = 17), OC (n = 21), combination (n = 20) and metformin (n = 29) therapy groups. Adiponectin levels changed -28.27%, -20.37% and 35.78% after OC, combination and metformin therapies, respectively. High sensitive C-reactive protein levels (hsCRP) changed with OC, combination and metformin therapies by 102.32%, 3.2% and -7.14%, respectively. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels decreased 41.34% in the metformin group. Apolipoprotein-B levels changed in a manner similar to changes in hsCRP levels. The homeostatic model insulin resistance index changed significantly between the groups following treatment (p = 0.001). Six cycles of treatments with OC alone may cause metabolic variables to deteriorate in non-obese women with PCOS. The addition of metformin to OC may ameliorate some aspects of this effect. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Differences in Military Obstacle Course Performance Between Three Energy-Storing and Shock-Adapting Prosthetic Feet in High-Functioning Transtibial Amputees: A Double-Blind, Randomized Control Trial.

PubMed

Highsmith, M Jason; Kahle, Jason T; Miro, Rebecca M; Lura, Derek J; Carey, Stephanie L; Wernke, Matthew M; Kim, Seok Hun; Quillen, William S

2016-11-01

Approximately 683 persons engaged in military service experienced transtibial amputation (TTA) related to recent war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military TTAs function at a level beyond basic ambulation. No empirical data demonstrate which higher functioning prosthetic feet maximize injured service personnel's ability to continue performing at a level commensurate with return to duty. This study's purpose was to determine which of three high-functioning, energy-storing prosthetic feet maximize performance and preference in a field obstacle course (OC) and to quantify physical performance differences between TTAs and high-functioning nonamputees. A randomized, double-blind, repeated measures experimental design compared three prosthetic feet (Ossur Variflex, Endolite Elite Blade, and Ossur Re-Flex Rotate) during performance on a field OC. TTAs accommodated with study feet and the OC before assessment. 14 TTAs and 14 nonamputee controls completed the course. Subjective and objective performance differences were compared across feet conditions and between groups. Total OC completion times were similar between prosthetic feet: Elite-Blade (419 seconds ± 130), Variflex (425 seconds ± 144), and Re-Flex Rotate (444 seconds ± 220). Controls' OC completion time (287.2 seconds ± 58) was less (p ≤ 0.05) than TTA times. In total, controls had faster completion times (p ≤ 0.05) compared to all prosthetic feet conditions in 13/17 obstacles. Re-Flex Rotate had 2 additional obstacles different (p ≤ 0.05) than controls and required more time to complete. Median RPE values were lower (p ≤ 0.05) for controls than TTA regardless of foot. Regarding foot preference for OC completion, 7/14 (50%) preferred Elite Blade, 5/14 (36%) preferred Re-Flex Rotate, and the remaining 2/14 (14%) preferred Variflex. Controls completed the OC faster and with less effort than TTAs regardless of prosthetic foot. No clear differences in prosthetic feet emerged during OC completion; however, individual task performance, perceived effort, and preference resulted in trends of slight performance improvement with and preference for Elite Blade, a dual function energy-storing and return foot combined with vertical shock absorption. Understanding how to maximally improve performance in such functional tasks may allow service members to best sustain physical fitness, return to their military occupational specialty and possibly in-theater duty. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

SKIPing With Head Start Teachers: Influence of T-SKIP on Object-Control Skills.

PubMed

Brian, Ali; Goodway, Jacqueline D; Logan, Jessica A; Sutherland, Sue

2017-12-01

Children from disadvantaged settings are at risk for delays in their object-control (OC) skills. Fundamental motor skill interventions, such as the Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers (SKIP) Program, are highly successful when led by motor development experts. However, few preschools employ such experts. This study examined the extent to which Head Start teachers delivering an 8-week teacher-led SKIP (T-SKIP) intervention elicited learning of OC skills for Head Start children. Head Start teachers (n = 5) delivered T-SKIP for 8 weeks (450 min). Control teachers (n = 5) implemented the typical standard of practice, or well-equipped free play. All children (N = 122) were pretested and posttested on the OC Skill subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Descriptive analyses at pretest identified 81% of the children were developmentally delayed in OC skills (below the 30th percentile). A 2-level hierarchical linear model demonstrated the effectiveness of T-SKIP with significant differences (β = 4.70), t(8) = 7.02, p < .001, η2 = .56, between T-SKIP children (n = 63) and control children (n = 59) at posttest. Head Start teachers who delivered T-SKIP could bring about positive changes in children's OC skills, thereby remediating the initial developmental delays presented. Control children remained delayed in their OC skills in spite of daily well-equipped free play, giving rise to concerns about their future motor competence and physical activity levels.

Serum concentrations of soluble (s)L- and (s)P-selectins in women with ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Majchrzak-Baczmańska, Dominika B; Głowacka, Ewa; Wilczyński, Miłosz; Malinowski, Andrzej

2018-03-01

The aim of the study was to compare serum concentration of soluble L- and P-selectins in women with ovarian cancer (OC) and healthy controls, and to investigate sL- and sP-selectin levels with regard to clinical and pathological parameters. Correlation analysis was used to measure the following: sL- and sP-selectin concentration and Ca125; sP-selectin and platelet concentrations; and sL-selectin and serum leukocyte levels in women with OC. The study included 29 patients with OC and 23 healthy controls. Serum concentrations of sL- and sP-selectins were measured in all subjects. Routine diagnostic tests: CBC and USG (both groups) and Ca125 (study group) were performed. Significantly higher serum concentrations of sL- and sP-selectins were found in the study group as compared to controls. Lower levels of serum sL-selectin were observed in women with poorly-differentiated OC (G3) and advanced stages of the disease (FIGO III, IV), but the results were statistically insignificant. No statistically significant relationship was detected between sP-selectin serum concentration in women with OC and tumour differentiation, histological type, and stage of the disease. No significant correlation was found between sL- and sP-selectins and Ca125 levels. A weak correlation was found between serum concentration of sP-selectin in women with OC and platelet count. No statistically significant correlation was observed between sL-selectin concentration and serum leukocyte levels in women with OC. The analysis of sL- and sP-selectin concentrations may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of OC. The levels of sL-selectin decrease with disease progression.

Diagnostic markers for the detection of ovarian cancer in BRCA1 mutation carriers

PubMed Central

Weingartshofer, Sigrid; Rappaport-Fürhauser, Christine; Zeilinger, Robert; Pils, Dietmar; Muhr, Daniela; Braicu, Elena I.; Kastner, Marie-Therese; Tan, Yen Y.; Semmler, Lorenz; Sehouli, Jalid; Singer, Christian F.

2017-01-01

Background Screening for ovarian cancer (OC) in women at high risk consists of a combination of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and transvaginal ultrasound, despite their low sensitivity and specificity. This could be improved by the combination of several biomarkers, which has been shown in average risk patients but has not been investigated until now in female BRCA mutation carriers. Methods Using a multiplex, bead-based, immunoassay system, we analyzed the concentrations of leptin, prolactin, osteopontin, insulin-like growth factor II, macrophage inhibitory factor, CA125 and human epididymis antigen 4 in 26 healthy wild type women, 26 healthy BRCA1 mutation carriers, 28 wildtype OC patients and 26 OC patients with BRCA1 mutation. Results Using the ROC analysis, we found a high overall sensitivity of 94.3% in differentiating healthy controls from OC patients with comparable results in the wildtype subgroup (sensitivity 92.8%, AUC = 0.988; p = 5.2e-14) as well as in BRCA1 mutation carriers (sensitivity 95.2%, AUC = 0.978; p = 1.7e-15) at an overall specificity of 92.3%. The used algorithm also allowed to identify healthy BRCA1 mutation carriers when compared to healthy wildtype women (sensitivity 88.4%, specificity 80.7%, AUC = 0.895; p = 6e-08), while this was less pronounced in patients with OC (sensitivity 66.7%, specificity 67.8%, AUC = 0.724; p = 0.00065). Conclusion We have developed an algorithm, which can differentiate between healthy women and OC patients and have for the first time shown, that such an algorithm can also be used in BRCA mutation carriers. To clarify a suggested benefit to the existing early detection program, large prospective trials with mainly early stage OC cases are warranted. PMID:29244844

Radiophotoluminescent and Tenebrescent Glasses

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-11-24

Mineral Industries | Pennsylvania State College State College, Pennsylvania -j-- Copy No. 42 < Dr; G. Monk Senior Physicist , Remote Control...the quaternary system A^Og-ELO-? P2Oc-BaO, In order to better understand this fact stapler binary and ternary compositions were considered, The

The influence of distance and level of care on delivery place in rural Zambia: a study of linked national data in a geographic information system.

PubMed

Gabrysch, Sabine; Cousens, Simon; Cox, Jonathan; Campbell, Oona M R

2011-01-25

Maternal and perinatal mortality could be reduced if all women delivered in settings where skilled attendants could provide emergency obstetric care (EmOC) if complications arise. Research on determinants of skilled attendance at delivery has focussed on household and individual factors, neglecting the influence of the health service environment, in part due to a lack of suitable data. The aim of this study was to quantify the effects of distance to care and level of care on women's use of health facilities for delivery in rural Zambia, and to compare their population impact to that of other important determinants. Using a geographic information system (GIS), we linked national household data from the Zambian Demographic and Health Survey 2007 with national facility data from the Zambian Health Facility Census 2005 and calculated straight-line distances. Health facilities were classified by whether they provided comprehensive EmOC (CEmOC), basic EmOC (BEmOC), or limited or substandard services. Multivariable multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the influence of distance to care and level of care on place of delivery (facility or home) for 3,682 rural births, controlling for a wide range of confounders. Only a third of rural Zambian births occurred at a health facility, and half of all births were to mothers living more than 25 km from a facility of BEmOC standard or better. As distance to the closest health facility doubled, the odds of facility delivery decreased by 29% (95% CI, 14%-40%). Independently, each step increase in level of care led to 26% higher odds of facility delivery (95% CI, 7%-48%). The population impact of poor geographic access to EmOC was at least of similar magnitude as that of low maternal education, household poverty, or lack of female autonomy. Lack of geographic access to emergency obstetric care is a key factor explaining why most rural deliveries in Zambia still occur at home without skilled care. Addressing geographic and quality barriers is crucial to increase service use and to lower maternal and perinatal mortality. Linking datasets using GIS has great potential for future research and can help overcome the neglect of health system factors in research and policy. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

A two-year study of carbonaceous aerosols in ambient PM2.5 at a regional background site for western Yangtze River Delta, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dong; Cui, Hongfei; Zhao, Yu; Yin, Lina; Lu, Yan; Wang, Qingeng

2017-01-01

To analyze the characteristics of regional background carbonaceous aerosols in western Yangtze River Delta (YRD), hourly organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in fine particular matter (PM2.5) were measured with a semi-continuous carbon analyzer at a suburban site in upwind Nanjing from June 2013 to May 2015. Relatively low OC, EC and OC/EC were observed compared to other studies conducted in Nanjing. The reasons include the limited primary emissions around the observation site, the improved emission controls in recent years, and the use of denuder to reduce positive artifact in OC measurement. Resulting from the stable atmosphere conditions and emission variations, the highest concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols were found in both winters, with average OC and EC observed at 11.8 ± 10.0 and 5.9 ± 3.4 μg/m3 for the first one, and 8.1 ± 5 and 4.5 ± 2.4 μg/m3 for the second one, respectively. Compared to 2013, reduced OC and EC were found in summer and autumn 2014, demonstrating the benefits of emission control polices implemented for the Nanjing Youth Olympic, while elevated OC observed in spring 2015 was attributed probably to the increased biomass burning. For the hazy event in winter 2013, the back trajectories of air masses suggested that heavy pollution were from eastern Jiangsu, northern Anhui and Jiangsu, downtown Nanjing, and Shanghai. Secondary aerosol formation played an important role indicated by the larger mass fraction of OC and increased OC/EC in PM2.5 during the heavy pollution period. In the harvest season, biomass burning was estimated to contribute 51% and 16% of OC and EC concentrations, respectively.

How can the auditory efferent system protect our ears from noise-induced hearing loss? Let us count the ways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Lynne; Miller, Judi A. Lapsley

2015-12-01

It is a cause for some debate as to how the auditory olivocochlear (OC) efferent system could protect hearing from noise trauma. In this review, we examined physiological research to find mechanisms that could effectively attenuate the response to sound. For each purported mechanism, we indicate which part of the OC-efferent system is responsible for the function and the site of action. These mechanisms include basilar-membrane phase shifts at high stimulus levels; changes in outer-hair-cell stiffness and phase lag associated with efferent slow effects; small decreases in endocochlear potentials causing small decreases in outer- and inner-hair-cell output; low-spontaneous-rate and medium-spontaneous-rate fibers showing OC-induced decrements at high levels; auditory-nerve initial-peak reduction; OC effect increasing over minutes; cholinergic activation of anti-apoptotic pathways; and anti-excitotoxicity. There are clearly multiple opportunities for the OC-efferent system to protect the inner ear from noise trauma. From further exploration into the mechanisms outlined here, as well as to-be-discovered mechanisms, we will gain a greater understanding of the protective nature of the OC-efferent system. These findings could aid our ability to design better predictive tests for people at risk for noise-induced hearing loss.

Erosion of modern terrestrial organic matter as a major component of sediments in fjords

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Xingqian; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Savage, Candida

2017-02-01

Fjords have recently been recognized as "hot spots" of carbon burial. In this study, we investigated organic carbon (OC) and biomarker radiocarbon values in fjord sediments from New Zealand. Our results showed that OC was mostly modern with the most aged OC in middle reaches of fjords, likely related to hydrodynamic sorting and inputs along adjacent slopes. Radiocarbon ages of sedimentary OC increased from north-to-south, consistent with the Fiordland regional gradients of lower fjord slopes and less rainfall. Our biomarker results suggested that lignin and long-chain fatty acids were preferentially linked with fresh terrestrial debris and degraded soil, respectively, likely due to their chemical and physical properties. Finally, we propose that fjords are a significant sink of modern OC, in contrast to large lowland coastal systems as a major sink of preaged OC. Overall, this study indicated that radiocarbon techniques are critical in investigating carbon dynamics in coastal systems.

Dream recall and dream content in obsessive-compulsive patients: is there a change during exposure treatment?

PubMed

Kuelz, Anne K; Stotz, Ulrike; Riemann, Dieter; Schredl, Michael; Voderholzer, Ulrich

2010-08-01

Very little is known about dreams in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder, especially regarding changes over the course of treatment with stimulus exposure and response prevention. By use of dream content analysis, 40 dreams of 9 obsessive compulsive (OC) inpatients were compared with 84 dreams of 10 matched OC outpatients and 63 dreams of 11 healthy control participants. Dream protocols of inpatients were collected at the beginning of treatment and after the first exposure exercises. Controls filled in dream protocols in respective intervals. Before treatment, dreams of patients showed significantly less positive contents than dreams of healthy controls. Under treatment with exposure, a significant reduction of OC themes was observed. The findings support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming by showing a link between day-time symptoms and OC symptoms in dreams. Contrary to expectations, however, exposure treatment does not intensify dreams.

Quantitative assessment of organizational culture within hospitals and its relevance to infection prevention and control strategies.

PubMed

Borg, M A; Waisfisz, B; Frank, U

2015-05-01

It has been suggested that organizational culture (OC) is an important driver of infection prevention and control (IPC) behaviour among healthcare workers. This study examined OC in seven European hospitals using a validated assessment tool based on Hofstede's model, and identified significant variations in OC scores. Hospitals with low prevalence of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) exhibited high scores for change facilitation and change readiness, whereas hospitals with high prevalence of MRSA exhibited low scores for these determinants. It is possible to use tools, available outside health care, to study OC within hospitals and gain better insight into IPC behaviour change strategies. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Constraining gross primary production and ecosystem respiration estimates for North America using atmospheric observations of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) and CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, W.; Ju, W.; Chen, H.; Peters, W.; van der Velde, I.; Baker, I. T.; Andrews, A. E.; Zhang, Y.; Launois, T.; Campbell, J. E.; Suntharalingam, P.; Montzka, S. A.

2016-12-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is a promising novel atmospheric tracer for studying carbon cycle processes. OCS shares a similar pathway as CO2 during photosynthesis but not released through a respiration-like process, thus could be used to partition Gross Primary Production (GPP) from Net Ecosystem-atmosphere CO2 Exchange (NEE). This study uses joint atmospheric observations of OCS and CO2 to constrain GPP and ecosystem respiration (Re). Flask data from tower and aircraft sites over North America are collected. We employ our recently developed CarbonTracker (CT)-Lagrange carbon assimilation system, which is based on the CT framework and the Weather Research and Forecasting - Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (WRF-STILT) model, and the Simple Biosphere model with simulated OCS (SiB3-OCS) that provides prior GPP, Re and plant uptake fluxes of OCS. Derived plant OCS fluxes from both process model and GPP-scaled model are tested in our inversion. To investigate the ability of OCS to constrain GPP and understand the uncertainty propagated from OCS modeling errors to constrained fluxes in a dual-tracer system including OCS and CO2, two inversion schemes are implemented and compared: (1) a two-step scheme, which firstly optimizes GPP using OCS observations, and then simultaneously optimizes GPP and Re using CO2 observations with OCS-constrained GPP in the first step as prior; (2) a joint scheme, which simultaneously optimizes GPP and Re using OCS and CO2 observations. We will evaluate the result using an estimated GPP from space-borne solar-induced fluorescence observations and a data-driven GPP upscaled from FLUXNET data with a statistical model (Jung et al., 2011). Preliminary result for the year 2010 shows the joint inversion makes simulated mole fractions more consistent with observations for both OCS and CO2. However, the uncertainty of OCS simulation is larger than that of CO2. The two-step and joint schemes perform similarly in improving the consistence with observations for OCS, implicating that OCS could provide independent constraint in joint inversion. Optimization makes less total GPP and Re but more NEE, when testing with prior CO2 fluxes from two biosphere models. This study gives an in-depth insight into the role of joint atmospheric OCS and CO2 observations in constraining CO2 fluxes.

Post-Glacial Climate Forcing of Surface Processes in the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin and Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hein, C. J.; Galy, V.; France-Lanord, C.; Galy, A.; Kudrass, H. R.; Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B.

2016-12-01

Silicate weathering coupled with carbonate precipitation and organic carbon (OC) burial in marine sediments are the primary mechanisms sequestering atmospheric CO2 over a range of timescales. The efficiency of both processes has long been mechanistically linked to climate: increased atmospheric CO2 sequestration under warm/wet conditions acts as a negative feedback, thereby contributing to global climate regulation. Over glacial-interglacial timescales, climate has been proposed to control the export rate of terrestrial silicate weathering products and terrestrial OC to river-dominated margins, as well as the rates of chemical weathering (i.e., the efficiency of carbon sequestration). Focused on the Ganges-Brahmaputra drainage basin, this study quantifies the relative role of climate change in the efficiency of silicate weathering and OC burial following the last glacial maximum. Stable hydrogen (δD) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic compositions of terrestrial plant wax compounds preserved in the Bengal Fan channel-levee system capture variations in the strength of the Indian summer monsoon and vegetation dynamics. Specifically, a 40‰ shift in δD and a 4‰ shift in both bulk OC and plant wax δ13C values between the late glacial and mid-Holocene, followed by a return to more intermediate values during the late Holocene, correlate well with regional post-glacial paleoclimate records. Sediment provenance proxies (Sr, Nd isotopic compositions) reveal that these changes coincided with a focusing of erosion on the southern flank of the Himalayan range during periods of greater monsoon strength and enhanced sediment discharge. However, OC loading, and thus carbon burial efficiency, in the Bengal Fan remained constant through time, demonstrating the primacy of physical erosion and climate-driven sediment export in marine OC sequestration. In contrast, a gradual increase in K/Si* and Ca/Si, and decrease in H2O+/Si*, throughout the study period may demonstrate the decoupling of climate and silicate weathering during the late Holocene, if those ratios are valid proxies for catchment-scale chemical weathering intensity. Together, these results reveal the dominant feedback between climate and sediment-export / OC-burial within the Ganges-Brahmaputra / Bengal Fan system following deglaciation.

Quantifying Organic Matter in Surface Waters of the United States and Delivery to the Coastal Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, E. W.; Alexander, R. B.; Smith, R. A.; Shih, J.

2012-12-01

Organic carbon (OC) is a critical water quality characteristic in surface waters. It is an important component of the energy balance and food chains in freshwater and estuarine aquatic ecosystems, is significant in the mobilization and transport of contaminants along flow paths, and is associated with the formation of known carcinogens in drinking water supplies. The importance of OC dynamics on water quality has been recognized, but challenges remain in quantitatively addressing processes controlling OC fluxes over broad spatial scales in a hydrological context, and considering upstream-downstream linkages along flow paths. Here, we: 1) quantified lateral OC fluxes in rivers, streams, and reservoirs across the nation from headwaters to the coasts; 2) partitioned how much organic carbon that is stored in lakes, rivers and streams comes from allochthonous sources (produced in the terrestrial landscape) versus autochthonous sources (produced in-stream by primary production); 3) estimated the delivery of dissolved and total forms of organic carbon to coastal estuaries and embayments; and 4) considered seasonal factors affecting the temporal variation in OC responses. To accomplish this, we developed national-scale models of organic carbon in U.S. surface waters using the spatially referenced regression on watersheds (SPARROW) technique. The modeling approach uses mechanistic formulations, imposes mass balance constraints, and provides a formal parameter estimation structure to statistically estimate sources and fate of OC in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We calibrated and evaluated the model with statistical estimates of OC loads that were observed at a network of monitoring stations across the nation, and further explored factors controlling seasonal dynamics of OC based on these long term monitoring data. Our results illustrate spatial patterns and magnitudes OC loadings in rivers, highlighting hot spots and suggesting origins of the OC to each location. Further, our results yield quantitative estimates of aquatic OC fluxes for large water regions and for the nation, providing a refined estimate of the role of surface water fluxes of OC in relationship to regional and national carbon budgets. Finally, we are using our simulations to explore the role of OC in relation to other nutrients in contributing to acidification and eutrophication of coastal waters.

Space Weather Forecasting at the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nava, O.

2012-12-01

The Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base is the command and control focal point for the operational employment of worldwide joint space forces. The JSpOC focuses on planning and executing US Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC SPACE) mission. Through the JSpOC, the Weather Specialty Team (WST) monitors space and terrestrial weather effects, plans and assesses weather impacts on military operations, and provides reach-back support for deployed theater solar and terrestrial needs. This presentation will detail how space weather affects the JSpOC mission set and how the scientific community can enhance the WST's capabilities and effectiveness.

Ultrasensitive Analyzer for Realtime, In-Situ Airborne and Terrestrial Measurements of OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provencal, R. A.; Gupta, M.; Baer, D. S.; Genty, B.

2012-12-01

Extensive research has suggested that OCS plays a critical role in Earth's environment. Due to its long atmospheric lifetime of ~ 35 years, OCS is the most abundant sulfur gas in the atmosphere and has been implicated in controlling the sulfur budget and aerosol loading of the stratosphere with tropical stratospheric levels exceeding 400 pptv as determined by remote satellite sensing. During volcanically-quiet periods, OCS is primarily responsible for the stratospheric aerosol layer, and flight data suggests that OCS may be used as an inverse tracer for biogenic volatile organic carbon compounds, including those thought to be responsible for the formation of secondary organic aerosols. Additionally, since the primary source and sink of non-anthropogenic OCS are considered to be the ocean emission and terrestrial vegetation uptake respectively, preliminary experimental and modeling studies have suggested that OCS/CO2 ratios may provide a tool to measure photosynthesis and help distinguish it from respiration. These results, and other similar data, have led researchers to propose that simultaneous measurements of OCS and CO2 can constrain the parameterizations of respiration and photosynthesis in carbon cycle models, and OCS gradients in the continental growing season may have broad use as a measurement-based tracer of photosynthesis. Despite the importance of carbonyl sulfide in atmospheric processes, the OCS atmospheric budget is poorly determined. Its primary sources are ocean outgassing, industrial processes (many of which produce CS2 that then oxidized into OCS), and biomass burning. Its primary sinks are vegetation and soils. However, the budget is poorly balanced with very high uncertainty. Improved, in-situ terrestrial flux and airborne measurements of OCS are required to improve this budget and further elucidate its role in stratospheric aerosol formation and as a tracer for biogenic volatile organics and photosynthesis. In this work, we have fabricated a mid-infrared Off-Axis ICOS system operating near 4.86 microns for the simultaneous quantification of OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O in ambient air. The sensor was thoroughly tested on diluted, certified samples and found to be precise (OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O to better than ±4 ppt, ±0.2 ppm, ±0.31 ppb, and ±3.7 ppm respectively, 1-sigma at 1 Hz) and linear (R-squared > 0.9997 for all gases) over a wide dynamic range (OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O ranging from 0.2 - 70 ppb, 500 - 3000 ppm, 150 - 480 ppb, and 7000 - 21000 ppm respectively). The instrument's time response (1/e) was limited by the gas flow rate through the measurement cell and can readily exceed 10 Hz for eddy flux studies. Cross-interference measurements showed that there was no appreciable change in measured OCS concentration with variations in CO2 (500 - 3500 ppm), CO, or H2O.

Safety, efficacy, actions, and patient acceptability of drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol contraceptive pills in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

PubMed

Breech, Lesley L; Braverman, Paula K

2010-08-09

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is estimated to affect 3%-8% of reproductive age women. Multiple therapeutic modalities have been evaluated with varying efficacy for the associated somatic and mood symptoms. The majority of older studies had shown that oral contraceptive pills (OCs) were most effective for the physical symptoms. However, newer OCs containing a novel progestin, drospirenone, have shown promise in alleviating both the somatic and affective/behavioral symptoms. This progestin, which is a derivative of spironolactone, has both antimineralocorticoid and antiandrogenic activity. A 24/4 formulation containing 20 μg of ethinyl estradiol has been found effective in randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials utilizing established scales documenting symptoms associated with PMDD. Multiple studies have shown that drospirenone-containing OCs are safe without evidence of clinically adverse effects on carbohydrate metabolism, lipids, blood pressure, weight, serum potassium or increased thrombotic events compared to other low dose OCs. In addition, significant improvements have been demonstrated in acne, hirsutism, and fluid retention symptoms. Several open label studies demonstrated good patient compliance and reported satisfaction with the method. Because of the significant placebo effect demonstrated in the blinded placebo-controlled trials, additional large randomized placebo-controlled trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of the drospirenone OCs in the treatment of PMDD. However, this OC formulation appears to be a promising therapeutic modality.

Safety, efficacy, actions, and patient acceptability of drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol contraceptive pills in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder

PubMed Central

Breech, Lesley L; Braverman, Paula K

2010-01-01

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is estimated to affect 3%–8% of reproductive age women. Multiple therapeutic modalities have been evaluated with varying efficacy for the associated somatic and mood symptoms. The majority of older studies had shown that oral contraceptive pills (OCs) were most effective for the physical symptoms. However, newer OCs containing a novel progestin, drospirenone, have shown promise in alleviating both the somatic and affective/behavioral symptoms. This progestin, which is a derivative of spironolactone, has both antimineralocorticoid and antiandrogenic activity. A 24/4 formulation containing 20 μg of ethinyl estradiol has been found effective in randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials utilizing established scales documenting symptoms associated with PMDD. Multiple studies have shown that drospirenone-containing OCs are safe without evidence of clinically adverse effects on carbohydrate metabolism, lipids, blood pressure, weight, serum potassium or increased thrombotic events compared to other low dose OCs. In addition, significant improvements have been demonstrated in acne, hirsutism, and fluid retention symptoms. Several open label studies demonstrated good patient compliance and reported satisfaction with the method. Because of the significant placebo effect demonstrated in the blinded placebo-controlled trials, additional large randomized placebo-controlled trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of the drospirenone OCs in the treatment of PMDD. However, this OC formulation appears to be a promising therapeutic modality. PMID:21072278

Undercarboxylated osteocalcin measured with a specific immunoassay predicts hip fracture in elderly women: the EPIDOS Study.

PubMed

Vergnaud, P; Garnero, P; Meunier, P J; Bréart, G; Kamihagi, K; Delmas, P D

1997-03-01

Increased levels of circulating undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC), measured indirectly with the hydroxyapatite (HAP) binding assay, have been shown to predict hip fracture risk in a small group of elderly institutionalized women. The aim of this study was to confirm these findings in a prospective cohort study (EPIDOS prospective study) of 7598 healthy, independently living women over 75 yr of age. One hundred and four women who sustained a hip fracture during a 22-month follow-up period were age matched with 255 controls who did not fracture. Baseline samples were collected before hip fracture for measurement of total OC and ucOC, assessed either with the HAP binding assay or directly with a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This direct ELISA uses human recombinant noncarboxylated OC as a standard and two monoclonal antibodies, one of which was raised against the 14-30 Glu synthetic peptide. We found that the intra- and interassay variations are less than 11%, and this assay exhibits a 5% cross-reactivity with purified human bone OC, used as a source of carboxylated OC. ucOC levels measured with this ELISA correlated well with the HAP binding assay in the population of 359 elderly women (r = 0.82; P < 0.0001). We estimated the risk of hip fracture for women with levels of ucOC in the highest quartile of values for the 255 controls. We found that increased levels of ucOC measured by ELISA were associated with increased hip fracture risk with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.0), and the ELISA had a greater sensitivity than the HAP assay. In contrast, total OC was not associated with hip fracture risk. After adjustment for femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) and mobility status assessed by gait speed, ucOC still predicted hip fracture with an OR of 1.8 (1.0-3.0). Women with both femoral neck BMD in the lowest quartile and ucOC in the highest quartile were at higher risk of hip fracture, with an OR of 5.5 (2.7-11.2), than those with only low BMD or high ucOC levels. In conclusion, we have developed a new specific ELISA for serum ucOC, with low cross-reactivity with carboxylated OC and increased specificity and sensitivity over the HAP assay. Using this new ELISA, we found that ucOC, but not total OC, predicts hip fracture risk independently of femoral neck BMD in elderly women drawn from the general population. Thus, ucOC measurement could be combined with bone mass determination to improve the assessment of hip fracture risk in elderly women.

The risk of venous thrombosis in women over 50 years old using oral contraception or postmenopausal hormone therapy.

PubMed

Roach, R E J; Lijfering, W M; Helmerhorst, F M; Cannegieter, S C; Rosendaal, F R; van Hylckama Vlieg, A

2013-01-01

Oral contraception (OC) and postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) can be used to alleviate menopausal symptoms. However, the risk of venous thrombosis (VT) associated with OC use in women over 50 years old has never been assessed and the two preparations have not been directly compared. To determine and compare the risk of VT associated with OC and HT use. From a large case-control study, 2550 women aged over 50 years old, 1082 patients with a first VT and 1468 controls, were included. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for VT were calculated for OC-users (164 patients and 54 controls) and HT-users (88 patients and 102 controls) compared with non-hormone users (823 patients and 1304 controls). OC-users had a 6.3-fold (4.6-9.8) increased risk of VT. This ranged from 5.4 (3.3-8.9) for preparations containing levonorgestrel to 10.2 (4.8-21.7) for desogestrel. The VT-risk associated with oral HT use was 4.0 (1.8-8.2) for conjugated equine estrogen combined with medroxyprogesterone acetate and 3.9 (1.5-10.7) for micronized estradiol combined with norethisterone acetate. Non-oral HT did not increase the risk of VT: OR 1.1 (0.6-1.8). Relative risk estimates were further increased in hormone users with factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A or blood group non-O and hormone users with a family history of VT. In this study, non-oral HT seemed to be the safest hormonal preparation in women over 50 years old. OC use increased the VT risk the most, especially in women with inherited thrombophilia or a family history of VT. © 2012 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Iron-bound organic carbon in forest soils: quantification and characterization

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Qian; Poulson, Simon R.; Obrist, Daniel; ...

2016-08-24

Iron oxide minerals play an important role in stabilizing organic carbon (OC) and regulating the biogeochemical cycles of OC on the earth surface. To predict the fate of OC, it is essential to understand the amount, spatial variability, and characteristics of Fe-bound OC in natural soils. In this study, we investigated the concentrations and characteristics of Fe-bound OC in soils collected from 14 forests in the United States and determined the impact of ecogeographical variables and soil physicochemical properties on the association of OC and Fe minerals. On average, Fe-bound OC contributed 37.8 % of total OC (TOC) in forestmore » soils. Atomic ratios of OC : Fe ranged from 0.56 to 17.7, with values of 1–10 for most samples, and the ratios indicate the importance of both sorptive and incorporative interactions. The fraction of Fe-bound OC in TOC (fFe-OC) was not related to the concentration of reactive Fe, which suggests that the importance of association with Fe in OC accumulation was not governed by the concentration of reactive Fe. Concentrations of Fe-bound OC and fFe-OC increased with latitude and reached peak values at a site with a mean annual temperature of 6.6 °C. Attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) analyses revealed that Fe-bound OC was less aliphatic than non-Fe-bound OC. Fe-bound OC also was more enriched in 13C compared to the non-Fe-bound OC, but C/N ratios did not differ substantially. In summary, 13C-enriched OC with less aliphatic carbon and more carboxylic carbon was associated with Fe minerals in the soils, with values of fFe-OC being controlled by both sorptive and incorporative associations between Fe and OC. Overall, this study demonstrates that Fe oxides play an important role in regulating the biogeochemical cycles of C in forest soils and uncovers the governing factors for the spatial variability and characteristics of Fe-bound OC.« less

Influence of oral contraceptives on endogenous pain control in healthy women.

PubMed

Rezaii, Taraneh; Ernberg, Malin

2010-06-01

This study investigated the influence of oral contraceptives (OC) on diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) in healthy women. Fifteen women taking OC and 17 normally menstruating women (No-OC) were tested during high and low endogenous estrogens sessions. Saliva was sampled for analysis of endogenous estradiol level. Mechanical pressure (test stimuli) was applied to the masseter muscle and finger. The pain induced by this pressure was assessed on a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS) before, during, and after immersion of the contralateral hand in ice-cold water (cold pressor test, CPT) to induce DNIC. For all subjects, pain induced by the test stimuli decreased significantly during the CPT (P < 0.001). The decrease in general was larger in the No-OC group, with a significant difference between groups in the masseter muscle in the low session (P < 0.027). There were no significant differences between groups or sessions in estradiol levels. These results indicate that endogenous pain modulation may be less effective in OC users.

Do oral contraceptives increase epileptic seizures?

PubMed

Reddy, Doodipala Samba

2017-02-01

Hormonal contraceptives are used by over 100 million people worldwide. Recently, there has been an emerging interest in studying the potential impact of oral contraceptives (OCs) on certain neurological conditions. It has been suspected for some time that hormonal birth control increases seizure activity in women with epilepsy, but there is little supportive data. Areas covered: Literature from PubMed and online sources was analyzed with respect to hormonal contraception and epilepsy or seizures. New evidence indicates that OCs can cause an increase in seizures in women with epilepsy. The epilepsy birth control registry, which surveyed women with epilepsy, found that those using hormonal contraceptives self-reported 4.5 times more seizures than those that did not use such contraceptives. A preclinical study confirmed these outcomes wherein epileptic animals given ethinyl estradiol, the primary component of OCs, had more frequent seizures that are more likely to be resistant. Expert commentary: OC pills may increase seizures in women with epilepsy and such refractory seizures are more likely to cause neuronal damage in the brain. Thus, women of child bearing age with epilepsy should consider using non-hormonal forms of birth control to avoid risks from OC pills. Additional research into the mechanisms and prospective clinical investigation are needed.

Study of the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism in oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders in Argentine patients.

PubMed

Zarate, Ana Maria; Don, Julieta; Secchi, Dante; Carrica, Andres; Galindez Costa, Fernanda; Panico, Rene; Brusa, Martin; Barra, José Luis; Brunotto, Mabel

2017-05-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of TP53Arg72Pro mutations and their possible relationship with oral carcinoma and oral potentially malignant disorders in Argentine patients. A cross-sectional study was performed on 111 exfoliated cytologies from patients with oral cancer (OC), oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and controls. The TP53Arg72Pro mutations were determined using conventional PCR. We evaluated univariate and multivariate study variables, setting p < 0.05. We found: (a) a low frequency of Pro72 variant in control group and a high frequency in OC and OPMD, as well in OC and oral leukoplakia (OL) diagnosis; (b) multivariate association among the TP53CC genotype and females over 45 years with no tobacco nor alcohol habits with oral lichen planus pathology; (c) multivariate association between the TP53GC genotype and males with alcohol and tobacco habits and OC and OL pathologies. Our results showed that the wild-type Arg72variant was related to control patients and Pro72variant was related to OC and OPMD, in Argentine patients.

33 CFR 106.405 - Format and content of the Facility Security Plan (FSP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...; (9) Security systems and equipment maintenance; (10) Security measures for access control; (11... Facility Security Plan (FSP). 106.405 Section 106.405 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES...

Organic carbon burial in fjords: Terrestrial versus marine inputs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Xingqian; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Savage, Candida; Smith, Richard W.

2016-10-01

Fjords have been identified as sites of enhanced organic carbon (OC) burial and may play an important role in regulating climate change on glacial-interglacial timescales. Understanding sediment processes and sources of sedimentary OC are necessary to better constrain OC burial in fjords. In this study, we use Fiordland, New Zealand, as a case study and present data on surface sediments, sediment down-cores and terrestrial end-members to examine dynamics of sediments and the sources of OC in fjord sediments. Sediment cores showed evidence of multiple particle sources, frequent bioturbation and mass-wasting events. A multi-proxy approach (stable isotopes, lignin-phenols and fatty acids) allowed for separation of marine, soil and vascular plant OC in surface sediments. The relationship between mass accumulation rate (MAR) and OC contents in fjord surface sediments suggested that mineral dilution is important in controlling OC content on a global scale, but is less important for specific regions (e.g., New Zealand). The inconsistency of OC budgets calculated by using MAR weighted %OC and OC accumulation rates (AR; 6 vs 21-31 Tg OC yr-1) suggested that sediment flux in fjords was likely underestimated. By using end-member models, we propose that 55% to 62% of total OC buried in fjords is terrestrially derived, and accounts for 17 ± 12% of the OCterr buried in all marine sediments. The strong correlation between MAR and OC AR indicated that OC flux will likely decrease in fjords in the future with global warming due to decrease in sediment flux caused by glacier denudation.

Operant conditioning: a minimal components requirement in artificial spiking neurons designed for bio-inspired robot's controller

PubMed Central

Cyr, André; Boukadoum, Mounir; Thériault, Frédéric

2014-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the operant conditioning (OC) learning process within a bio-inspired paradigm, using artificial spiking neural networks (ASNN) to act as robot brain controllers. In biological agents, OC results in behavioral changes learned from the consequences of previous actions, based on progressive prediction adjustment from rewarding or punishing signals. In a neurorobotics context, virtual and physical autonomous robots may benefit from a similar learning skill when facing unknown and unsupervised environments. In this work, we demonstrate that a simple invariant micro-circuit can sustain OC in multiple learning scenarios. The motivation for this new OC implementation model stems from the relatively complex alternatives that have been described in the computational literature and recent advances in neurobiology. Our elementary kernel includes only a few crucial neurons, synaptic links and originally from the integration of habituation and spike-timing dependent plasticity as learning rules. Using several tasks of incremental complexity, our results show that a minimal neural component set is sufficient to realize many OC procedures. Hence, with the proposed OC module, designing learning tasks with an ASNN and a bio-inspired robot context leads to simpler neural architectures for achieving complex behaviors. PMID:25120464

Operant conditioning: a minimal components requirement in artificial spiking neurons designed for bio-inspired robot's controller.

PubMed

Cyr, André; Boukadoum, Mounir; Thériault, Frédéric

2014-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the operant conditioning (OC) learning process within a bio-inspired paradigm, using artificial spiking neural networks (ASNN) to act as robot brain controllers. In biological agents, OC results in behavioral changes learned from the consequences of previous actions, based on progressive prediction adjustment from rewarding or punishing signals. In a neurorobotics context, virtual and physical autonomous robots may benefit from a similar learning skill when facing unknown and unsupervised environments. In this work, we demonstrate that a simple invariant micro-circuit can sustain OC in multiple learning scenarios. The motivation for this new OC implementation model stems from the relatively complex alternatives that have been described in the computational literature and recent advances in neurobiology. Our elementary kernel includes only a few crucial neurons, synaptic links and originally from the integration of habituation and spike-timing dependent plasticity as learning rules. Using several tasks of incremental complexity, our results show that a minimal neural component set is sufficient to realize many OC procedures. Hence, with the proposed OC module, designing learning tasks with an ASNN and a bio-inspired robot context leads to simpler neural architectures for achieving complex behaviors.

Progestin and estrogen potency of combination oral contraceptives and endometrial cancer risk.

PubMed

Maxwell, G L; Schildkraut, J M; Calingaert, B; Risinger, J I; Dainty, L; Marchbanks, P A; Berchuck, A; Barrett, J C; Rodriguez, G C

2006-11-01

Using data from a case-control study of endometrial cancer, we investigated the relationship between the progestin and estrogen potency in combination oral contraceptives (OCs) and the risk of developing endometrial cancer. Subjects included 434 endometrial cancer cases and 2,557 controls identified from the Cancer and Steroid Hormone (CASH) study. OCs were classified into four categories according to the individual potencies of each hormonal constituent (high versus low estrogen or progestin potency). Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between endometrial cancer risk and combination OC formulations. With non-users as the referent group, use of OCs with either high potency progestin [odds ratio for endometrial cancer (OR)=0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.10 to 0.43] or with low potency progestin (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.25 to 0.60) were both associated with a decreased risk of endometrial cancer. Overall high progestin potency OCs did not confer significantly more protection than low progestin potency OCs (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.24 to 1.14). However, among women with a body mass index of 22.1 kg/m2 or higher, those who used high progestin potency oral contraceptives had a lower risk of endometrial cancer than those who used low progestin potency oral contraceptives (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.11 to 0.92) while those with a BMI below 22.1 kg/m2 did not (OR=1.36, 95% CI=0.39 to 4.70). The potency of the progestin in most OCs appears adequate to provide a protective effect against endometrial cancer. Higher progestin-potency OCs may be more protective than lower progestin potency OCs among women with a larger body habitus.

[A study on the association between the use of oral contraception and cancer of the breast or cervix: preliminary findings of a French study].

PubMed

Le, M G; Bachelot, A; Doyen, F; Kramar, A

1985-03-01

A case-control study of the relationship between oral contraceptive (OC) use and cancer of the breast or cervix in women aged 45 and under is currently underway in 4 cancer centers, a public assistance hospital, and 3 private clinics in France. The preliminary analysis is presented of 240 cases of breast cancer, 84 of cervical cancer, 68 controls with nongynecological cancers, and 246 controls with nonmalignant conditions except benign breast disease and moderate or severe cervical dysplasia. 46% of controls had benign and 7% had malignant thyroid conditions, 4% had ovarian cysts, 3% had uterine fibromas, 6% had other gynecological conditions, 9% had other types of conditions, and 10% were hospital personnel, visitors, or women having routine examinations. The mean duration of OC use was not significantly different among different groups of controls. 3 factors were found to raise the risk of breast cancer significantly in the study population: a family history of breast cancer raised relative risk to 1.75, having 3 or fewer children raised it to 2.16, and having 2 or more induced abortions raised it to 1.75. Occupational status, marital status, age at menarche, age at 1st birth, number of spontaneous abortions, and benign breast disease were not associated with breast cancer. There was no association between breast cancer and duration of OC use or OC use before or after the 1st pregnancy or age 25. Women beginning OC use before age 25 had a relative risk of .55 compared to other women. No increased risk of breast cancer was seen when various types of OCs, including combined, biphasic, sequential, or low or higher dosed progestagen only formulations were analyzed separetely, and users of progestagen only pills had a decreased incidence. There was no relationship between risk of brest cancer and estrogen dose of combined, sequential, or biphasic pills. 4 factors were related to cervical cancer: high occupational status, number of children, number of induced abortions, and history of benign breast disease. OC use was not significantly related to cervical cancer. The relative risk of cervical cancer was less than unity through 5 years of use and increased to 1.39 after 9 years, but still failed to attain statistical significance. The risk of cervical cancer was found to increase with use of OCs for more than 7 years beginning after age 25. The sample size was too small to permit separate analysis for different types of OCs.

Organizational culture and its implications for infection prevention and control in healthcare institutions.

PubMed

De Bono, S; Heling, G; Borg, M A

2014-01-01

It is not uncommon for infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions to be successful in one hospital yet fail, or have significantly less success, when implemented in another healthcare institution. Organizational factors have been postulated to be a major reason. As a result, there has been an increasing drive in recent years to understand and address organizational culture (OC) in order to achieve improved healthcare performance. To examine the inter-relationship between OC and behavioural attitudes by healthcare professionals; to determine whether and how OC may impact on IPC compliance; and to highlight the potential for OC modification interventions to improve IPC practices within hospitals. Previous literature is reviewed and synthesized, using both IPC journals as well as publications focusing on human behaviour and organizational change. The article evaluates the theory of OC within healthcare settings and identifies how various elements appear to impact on IPC-related behaviour. It highlights the paucity of well-designed studies but identifies sporadic literature suggesting that well-designed and customized OC change initiatives can have a positive impact on IPC practices, such as hand hygiene. OC change appears to be a promising, albeit challenging, target for IPC improvement campaigns - both from a theoretical perspective as well as from the results of the few available studies. However, more data and quality information are needed to identify effective strategies that can elicit effective and sustained change. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Contemporary Assessment of Lateral Fluxes of Organic Carbon in Inland Waters of the USA and Delivery to Coastal Waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, E. W.; Alexander, R. B.; Smith, R. A.; Shih, J.; Schwarz, G. E.

2010-12-01

Organic carbon (OC) is a critical water quality characteristic in surface waters, as it is an important component of the energy balance and food chains in freshwater and estuarine aquatic ecosystems, is significant in the mobilization and transport of contaminants along flow paths, and is associated with the formation of known carcinogens in drinking water supplies. The importance of OC dynamics on water quality has been recognized, but challenges remain in quantitatively addressing processes controlling OC fluxes over broad spatial scales in a hydrological context. Here, we: 1) quantified lateral OC fluxes in rivers, streams, and reservoirs across the nation; 2) partitioned how much organic carbon that is stored in lakes, rivers and streams comes from allochthonous sources (produced in the terrestrial landscape) versus autochthonous sources (produced in-stream by primary production); and 3) estimated the delivery of dissolved and total forms of organic carbon to coastal estuaries and embayments. To accomplish this, we developed national-scale models of organic carbon in U.S. surface waters using the spatially referenced regression on watersheds (SPARROW) technique. This approach uses mechanistic formulations, imposes mass balance constraints, and provides a formal parameter estimation structure to statistically estimate sources and fate of OC in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We make use of a GIS based framework to describe sources of organic matter and characteristics of the landscape that affect its fate and transport, from spatial databases providing characterizations of climate, land cover, primary productivity, topography, soils, geology, and water routing. We calibrated and evaluated the model with statistical estimates of organic carbon loads that were observed at 1,125 monitoring stations across the nation. Our results illustrate spatial patterns and magnitudes OC loadings in rivers and reservoirs, highlighting hot spots and suggesting origins of the OC to each location. Further, our results yield quantitative estimates of aquatic OC fluxes for large water regions and for the nation, providing a refined estimate of the role of surface water fluxes of OC in relationship to regional and national carbon budgets. Finally, we are using our simulations to explore the potential role of climate and other changes in the terrestrial environment on OC fluxes in aquatic systems.

Loss of Infinitival Complementation in Romanian Diachronic Syntax

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Maria

2009-01-01

For the most part, my study is a descriptive analysis of infinitival complement clauses and the corresponding subjunctive clauses in Romanian, that is, obligatory control (OC) structures. OC is a relation of obligatory coreferentiality between a matrix argument (controller) and the null subject of the subordinate (controlee) of the same sentence.…

76 FR 15898 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations; Consistency Update for California

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-22

... for OCS sources for which the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (``Santa Barbara...\\ which established requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources in order to attain and maintain... Mexico west of 87.5 degrees longitude. Section 328 of the Act requires that for such sources located...

76 FR 1389 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for California

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-10

... for OCS sources for which the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (``Santa Barbara...\\ which established requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources in order to attain and maintain... Mexico west of 87.5 degrees longitude. Section 328 of the Act requires that for such sources located...

B-1 Systems Approach to Training. Task Analysis Listings

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-07-01

OFF FUEL VALVES AND PUMPS PHR-OFF FUEL VALVES AND PUMPS = AUTO ^FT TFR MODE LAND SELECTOR SWITCHES TQ *QFF...TFR MODE SWITCH-RIGHT «JFT L TFR MODE SELECT SWITCH TQ * TF1 CHECKLIST TFR MODE SWITCH-LEFT TFR MODE SWITCH-LEFT...DOOR HANDLE ENTRY LADDER CONTROL SWITCH ENTRY LADDER CONTROL SWITCH = DN* 16.1.1.001.OC* SET TANK FILL VALVE SWS ON

Optimal control of fast and high-fidelity quantum state transfer in spin-1/2 chains

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

Zhang, Xiong-Peng; Shao, Bin, E-mail: sbin610@bit.edu.cn; Hu, Shuai

Spin chains are promising candidates for quantum communication and computation. Using quantum optimal control (OC) theory based on the Krotov method, we present a protocol to perform quantum state transfer with fast and high fidelity by only manipulating the boundary spins in a quantum spin-1/2 chain. The achieved speed is about one order of magnitude faster than that is possible in the Lyapunov control case for comparable fidelities. Additionally, it has a fundamental limit for OC beyond which optimization is not possible. The controls are exerted only on the couplings between the boundary spins and their neighbors, so that themore » scheme has good scalability. We also demonstrate that the resulting OC scheme is robust against disorder in the chain.« less

Renshaw cell interneuron specialization is controlled by a temporally restricted transcription factor program

PubMed Central

Stam, Floor J.; Hendricks, Timothy J.; Zhang, Jingming; Geiman, Eric J.; Francius, Cedric; Labosky, Patricia A.; Clotman, Frederic; Goulding, Martyn

2012-01-01

The spinal cord contains a diverse array of physiologically distinct interneuron cell types that subserve specialized roles in somatosensory perception and motor control. The mechanisms that generate these specialized interneuronal cell types from multipotential spinal progenitors are not known. In this study, we describe a temporally regulated transcriptional program that controls the differentiation of Renshaw cells (RCs), an anatomically and functionally discrete spinal interneuron subtype. We show that the selective activation of the Onecut transcription factors Oc1 and Oc2 during the first wave of V1 interneuron neurogenesis is a key step in the RC differentiation program. The development of RCs is additionally dependent on the forkhead transcription factor Foxd3, which is more broadly expressed in postmitotic V1 interneurons. Our demonstration that RCs are born, and activate Oc1 and Oc2 expression, in a narrow temporal window leads us to posit that neuronal diversity in the developing spinal cord is established by the composite actions of early spatial and temporal determinants. PMID:22115757

Temperature response of permafrost soil carbon is attenuated by mineral protection.

PubMed

Gentsch, Norman; Wild, Birgit; Mikutta, Robert; Čapek, Petr; Diáková, Katka; Schrumpf, Marion; Turner, Stephanie; Minnich, Cynthia; Schaarschmidt, Frank; Shibistova, Olga; Schnecker, Jörg; Urich, Tim; Gittel, Antje; Šantrůčková, Hana; Bárta, Jiři; Lashchinskiy, Nikolay; Fuß, Roland; Richter, Andreas; Guggenberger, Georg

2018-05-18

Climate change in Arctic ecosystems fosters permafrost thaw and makes massive amounts of ancient soil organic carbon (OC) available to microbial breakdown. However, fractions of the organic matter (OM) may be protected from rapid decomposition by their association with minerals. Little is known about the effects of mineral-organic associations (MOA) on the microbial accessibility of OM in permafrost soils and it is not clear which factors control its temperature sensitivity. In order to investigate if and how permafrost soil OC turnover is affected by mineral controls, the heavy fraction (HF) representing mostly MOA was obtained by density fractionation from 27 permafrost soil profiles of the Siberian Arctic. In parallel laboratory incubations, the unfractionated soils (bulk) and their HF were comparatively incubated for 175 days at 5 and 15°C. The HF was equivalent to 70 ± 9% of the bulk CO 2 respiration as compared to a share of 63 ± 1% of bulk OC that was stored in the HF. Significant reduction of OC mineralization was found in all treatments with increasing OC content of the HF (HF-OC), clay-size minerals and Fe or Al oxyhydroxides. Temperature sensitivity (Q10) decreased with increasing soil depth from 2.4 to 1.4 in the bulk soil and from 2.9 to 1.5 in the HF. A concurrent increase in the metal-to-HF-OC ratios with soil depth suggests a stronger bonding of OM to minerals in the subsoil. There, the younger 14 C signature in CO 2 than that of the OC indicates a preferential decomposition of the more recent OM and the existence of a MOA fraction with limited access of OM to decomposers. These results indicate strong mineral controls on the decomposability of OM after permafrost thaw and on its temperature sensitivity. Thus, we here provide evidence that OM temperature sensitivity can be attenuated by MOA in permafrost soils. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemical shift and surface characteristics of Al-doped ZnO thin film on SiOC dielectrics.

PubMed

Oh, Teresa; Lee, Sang Yeol

2013-10-01

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were fabricated on SiOC/p-Si wafer and SiOC film was prepared on a p-type Si substrate with the SiC target at oxygen ambient with the gas flow rate of 5-30 sccm by a RF magnetron sputter. C-V curve of SiOC/Si wafer was measured to observe the relationship between the polarity of SiOC dielectrics and the change of capacitance depending on oxygen gas flow rate. The SiOC film could be controlled to be polar or nonpolar, and their surface energy was changed depending on the polarity. Smooth surface is essential to improve the TFT performance. AZO-TFTs used smooth SiOC film with low polarity as a gate insulator was observed to show low leakage current (IL) and low subthreshold voltage swing. It is proposed that SiOC film with high degree amorphous structure as a gate insulator between AZO and Si wafer could solve problems of the mismatched interfaces, which was originated from the electron scattering due to the grain boundary.

Risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer in the female population of Belgrade, Serbia: a case-control study.

PubMed

Gazibara, Tatjana; Filipović, Aleksandra; Kesić, Vesna; Kisiĉ-Tepavcević, Darija; Pekmezović, Tatjana

2013-12-01

Ovarian cancer (OC) comprises 3% of all cancers, but it is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women. The aim of this case-control study was to determine the risk factors for OC in the female population of Belgrade, Serbia. A total of 80 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study between 2006 and 2008 in two national referral centers for OC in Serbia. The control subjects were recruited during the regular gynecological check-ups in the Public Health Center of the corresponding municipalities. All the study participants were interviewed during their visits to the above mentioned institutions by two physicians using the same questionnaire. In order to analyze the influence of specific exposure to the risk of the disease, we categorized variables according to the cut-off values. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated separately for each variable using univariate conditional logistic regression analysis. There were no statistically significant differences in educational level, years of schooling, occupational and employment status between patients with OC and women in the control group. Oral contraceptives use and other contraceptive methods (condoms, mechanical contraceptive devices) were highly statistically significantly more frequent among women in the control group (OR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.7, p = 0.005; OR = 0.1, 95% CI 0.01-0.5, p = 0.001, respectively). The patients with OC practiced sports for 6.3 +/- 2.1 years, and controls for 11.8 +/- 9.9 years. Sport and recreation activities were statistically significantly protective (OR = 0.2, p = 0.011; OR = 0.4, p = 0.019). Tea consumption on daily basis had a highly statistically significat protective effect (OR = 0.3, p = 0.001). Oral contraceptives use and physical activity were independent protective factors for OC in this study.

Increased thrombin generation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A pilot study on the effect of metformin and oral contraceptives.

PubMed

Glintborg, Dorte; Sidelmann, Johannes J; Altinok, Magda Lambaa; Mumm, Hanne; Andersen, Marianne

2015-10-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) which may be modified by the use of metformin and oral contraceptives (OC). Thrombin generation (TG) measures are risk markers of CVD and address the composite of multiple factors that influence blood coagulation. This prospective, randomized, intervention study evaluated the potential influence of PCOS on TG measures and the effect of OC and/or metformin on TG measures in women with PCOS. Ninety patients with PCOS and 35 controls were included. Patients were randomized to 12 months of treatment with metformin, metformin+OC or OC alone. C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, total cholesterol, trunk fat mass, body mass index, estradiol, testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) as well as TG measures, i.e. the lag time for formation of thrombin, the endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), peak thrombin concentration (peak) and time to peak were determined at baseline and after 12 months of treatment. CRP and total testosterone were significantly higher and SHBG significantly lower in PCOS women than in controls (P=0.012, P<0.001 and P=0.008, respectively). The TG measures ETP, peak and lag time were increased in women with PCOS compared to controls (P<0.01). Significant correlations were observed between TG measures and fibrinogen, CRP, SHBG and fat trunk mass (P>0.01). ETP (P=0.006), peak (P=0.003) and lag time (P=0.023) remained increased after adjustment for these potential confounders. Treatment with OC and metformin+OC further increased ETP (P<0.001) and peak (P<0.005) and reduced time to peak (P<0.04). The increase in ETP was significantly lower in the metformin+OC group than in the OC group (P<0.05). Metformin alone did not affect TG significantly. PCOS is associated with increase in TG measures independent of other risk factors of CVD. OC increase TG measures further and may thus add to the increased risk of CVD already present in women with PCOS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parental overcontrol x OPRM1 genotype interaction predicts school-aged children's sympathetic nervous system activation in response to performance challenge.

PubMed

Partington, Lindsey C; Borelli, Jessica L; Smiley, Patricia; Jarvik, Ella; Rasmussen, Hannah F; Seaman, Lauren C; Nurmi, Erika L

2018-04-26

Parental overcontrol (OC), the excessive regulation of a child's behavior, cognition, and emotion, is associated with the development of child anxiety. While studies have shown that genetic factors may increase sensitivity to stress, genetic vulnerability to parental OC has not been examined in anxiety etiology. A functional polymorphism in the mu opioid receptor OPRM1 (A118G, rs1799971) has been shown to impact stress reactivity. Using a community sample of children (N = 85, 9-12 years old), we examined the main and interactive effects of maternal OC and child OPRM1 genotype in predicting children's sympathetic nervous system reactivity during a performance stressor. Neither OC nor genotype predicted children's electrodermal activity (EDA); however, the interaction between OC and child genotype significantly predicted stress reactivity, as indexed by EDA, during the challenging task. Among children with the minor G-allele, higher maternal OC was associated with higher reactivity. In A homozygotes, maternal OC was not associated with EDA, suggesting a diathesis-stress pattern of gene x environment interaction. We discuss implications for anxiety etiology and intervention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organic carbon transport through a discontinuous fluvial system in a Mediterranean catchment after a greening-up process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boix-Fayos, Carolina; Almagro, María; Díaz-Pereira, Elvira; Pérez-Cutillas, Pedro; de Vente, Joris; Martínez-Mena, María

2017-04-01

Quantification of different organic carbon pools mobilized by lateral fluxes is important to close organic carbon (OC) budgets at the catchment scale. This quantification helps to identify in which forms OC is transferred, deposited, and mineralized during the erosion cycle. Many Mediterranean mountain catchments have experienced important land use changes in the last 50 years leading to a recovery of the vegetation in many cases. Furthermore, many of them are characterized by stream discontinuity with high runoff rates responding to intensive hydrological pulses. There is a current lack of knowledge on fluvial OC fluxes and their relation to soil organic carbon stocks in these systems. The objective of this research was to quantify the amount of organic carbon transported by these systems in a catchment representative of Mediterranean conditions and to explore how intermittent fluvial systems can affect organic carbon transported by lateral flows. During six years OC fluvial fluxes in a catchment of 77 km2 in SE Spain were monitored. The catchment experienced a greening-up process in the last 50 years through a conversion mainly from agricultural use (decrease 44%) to forest (increase 45%). Data on water discharge, sediment concentration, total organic carbon (OC) of suspended sediments and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were collected throughout 32 rainfall events and 13 sampling periods with base flow conditions. The data were collected from two monitoring stations located on two nested subcatchments covering permanent and ephemeral flow conditions. We found no significant differences in OC concentrations in suspended sediments (10.1 ± 5 g kg-1) and DOC (0.014 ± 0.010 g kg-1) between the ephemeral and the permanent streams. However, sediment concentration, index of aggregation and silt content of suspended load were significantly higher in the ephemeral stream than in the permanent one. OC concentration of suspended sediments was much lower than OC concentration of the catchment soils (20.5 ± 7 g kg-1), and it showed a strong positive correlation with clay content. DOC concentrations were quite high, being in the upper limit of the mean values reported for European rivers and close to DOC values of runoff generated in natural forests from similar areas. A strong positive correlation between DOC and sediment concentration was also observed. DOC represents a 20% and 12% of the total OC fluvial flux in the permanent and ephemeral streams, respectively. OC in suspended solids represents an 80% and 88% of the total OC fluvial flux in the permanent and ephemeral streams, respectively. The ephemeral stream (with a contribution of 70% to the total catchment area) provides up to 20% to the total transported OC downstream. The OC transported to the catchment outlet (1.97 g C m-2 year-1) constitutes 33 % of the OC lateral flux mobilized in the upper subcatchment areas (6 g C m-2 year-1). These findings highlight the strong dynamic character of organic carbon during transport in these fluvial systems and the important role of the hydrological regime for carbon transport and stability.

Diverse origins and pre-depositional histories of organic matter in contemporary Chinese marginal sea sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Shuqin; Eglinton, Timothy I.; Montluçon, Daniel B.; McIntyre, Cameron; Zhao, Meixun

2016-10-01

Marginal seas are estimated to account for up to 90% of organic carbon (OC) burial in marine sediments, and thus play an important role in global carbon cycle. However, comprehensive assessments of carbon budgets for marginal sea systems are challenging due to their inherent complexity, with spatial and temporal variability in carbon inputs and dispersal processes. We examine the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea (BS-YS) in order to further our understanding of sedimentary OC delivery, translocation and accumulation in a shallow marginal sea system. Bulk properties and the content and isotopic compositions (Δ14C, δ13C) of source-specific plant wax n-alkyl lipid biomarkers were determined for a suite of surficial sediment samples. Variable δ13C values (-25.1‰ to -28.5‰) and contemporary radiocarbon ages of short-chain n-fatty acids (FAs; C16, C18) reflect modern autochthonous marine and/or fresh terrestrial plant input. In contrast, extremely depleted Δ14C values (-932‰ to -979‰) of short-chain n-alkanes (C16, C18) suggest a predominant input from sedimentary rocks (petrogenic OC) or petroleum. Abundance-weighted average δ13C and Δ14C values of long-chain leaf wax lipids (C26+28+30n-FAs, C24+26+28n-alkanols, C27+29+31n-alkanes) are -29.1 ± 1.1‰ to -30.2 ± 0.3‰, and -286 ± 150‰ to -442 ± 119‰, respectively, illustrating that terrestrial OC delivery is dominated by pre-aged (∼3000-5000 14C yrs) C3 vegetation sources. A coupled carbon-isotopic mixing model, based on the bulk and compound-specific biomarker δ13C and Δ14C values, is used to partition the BS-YS sedimentary OC into three components that reflect both origins and transport processes. For all sampling sites, 31-64% is modern/contemporary OC, 24-49% is pre-aged terrestrial OC, and 7-26% is fossil OC, the latter likely derived from both physical erosion of ancient sedimentary rocks and fossil fuel sources. Pre-aged soil OC is most prominent in front of the modern and old Huanghe (Yellow River) delta (48% and 49%), and fossil OC is most significant north of the old Huanghe mouth (26%). Significant pre-aged soil contributions (33%) are also evident for sites further offshore, where transport and deposition of eolian dust supply may be important. For the three major deposition areas of the BS-YS system (Bohai Basin, sub-aqueous Huanghe delta and central south YS basin), we estimate that about 3.02 Mt/yr of refractory, plant-derived pre-aged soil OC and 0.98 Mt/yr of 14C-depleted fossil OC accumulates in surface sediments, corresponding to 35% and 11% of sediment TOC, respectively. Compared with estimates for fluxes from corresponding sources, the burial efficiency is close to 100% for pre-aged soil OC and 70% for fossil OC, implying efficient OC burial in delta and shelf environments. Re-burial of these two pools of terrigenous OC only affects carbon cycling on millennial and longer timescales respectively, and exerts little influence on the modern carbon cycle (<100 yr). Carbon isotopic compositions of source specific biomarkers are a useful tool not only for constraining OC sources and transport vectors, but also for delineating their impact on the contemporary carbon cycling in marginal sea systems.

Geomorphological Controls on Fluvial Organic Carbon Storage in Wood and Soil in the Olympic, Cascade, and Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, D.; Wohl, E.

2017-12-01

The terrestrial organic carbon (OC) pool plays a major role in impacting global climate through the storage and potential release of carbon. In particular, areas of high net primary productivity, such as mountainous regions, and high spatial complexity, such as mountain river floodplains, show potential to act as both strong OC reservoirs and potential OC emitters in a changing climate. We focus on mountain rivers as potential hot swaths of OC storage and, accordingly, as places where land management to retain OC on the landscape may be especially impactful. Mountain river OC storage magnitude and age is a function of the soil and geomorphologic conditions at a reach scale, which are in turn determined by broader characteristics, such as climate, ecology, and tectonics. We present field data on OC storage in soil and wood from three mountain ranges across the western U.S.: the Wind River Range in Wyoming and the Olympic and Central Cascade Ranges in Washington. While the Big Sandy River basin in the Wind River Range exhibits relatively low relief, a semi-arid climate, and a fire-mediated disturbance regime, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie basin in the Cascades and the Sitkum and South Fork Calawah basins in the Olympics exhibit high relief and a humid climate. In contrast to the Olympics, the study basin in the Cascades exhibits strong longitudinal disconnectivity in the form of glaciogenic lakes, whereas the study basins in the Olympics lack large depositional zones that can store sediment for long periods of time. With our expansive dataset of OC storage magnitude and age in downed wood and soil from these three disparate regions, covering a wide range of tectonic, geomorphic, climatic, and ecologic variability, we are able to evaluate both the magnitude and age of the mountain river carbon pool as well as the factors that control that magnitude and age. We present a statistical model that illuminates the dominant controls on the magnitude and age of OC storage in mountain rivers. Using this, we broadly examine mountain river carbon storage dynamics with the goal of allowing land managers to prioritize and focus management efforts to retain OC on the landscape.

The Influence of Distance and Level of Care on Delivery Place in Rural Zambia: A Study of Linked National Data in a Geographic Information System

PubMed Central

Gabrysch, Sabine; Cousens, Simon; Cox, Jonathan; Campbell, Oona M. R.

2011-01-01

Background Maternal and perinatal mortality could be reduced if all women delivered in settings where skilled attendants could provide emergency obstetric care (EmOC) if complications arise. Research on determinants of skilled attendance at delivery has focussed on household and individual factors, neglecting the influence of the health service environment, in part due to a lack of suitable data. The aim of this study was to quantify the effects of distance to care and level of care on women's use of health facilities for delivery in rural Zambia, and to compare their population impact to that of other important determinants. Methods and Findings Using a geographic information system (GIS), we linked national household data from the Zambian Demographic and Health Survey 2007 with national facility data from the Zambian Health Facility Census 2005 and calculated straight-line distances. Health facilities were classified by whether they provided comprehensive EmOC (CEmOC), basic EmOC (BEmOC), or limited or substandard services. Multivariable multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the influence of distance to care and level of care on place of delivery (facility or home) for 3,682 rural births, controlling for a wide range of confounders. Only a third of rural Zambian births occurred at a health facility, and half of all births were to mothers living more than 25 km from a facility of BEmOC standard or better. As distance to the closest health facility doubled, the odds of facility delivery decreased by 29% (95% CI, 14%–40%). Independently, each step increase in level of care led to 26% higher odds of facility delivery (95% CI, 7%–48%). The population impact of poor geographic access to EmOC was at least of similar magnitude as that of low maternal education, household poverty, or lack of female autonomy. Conclusions Lack of geographic access to emergency obstetric care is a key factor explaining why most rural deliveries in Zambia still occur at home without skilled care. Addressing geographic and quality barriers is crucial to increase service use and to lower maternal and perinatal mortality. Linking datasets using GIS has great potential for future research and can help overcome the neglect of health system factors in research and policy. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:21283606

Tactile/kinesthetic stimulation (TKS) increases tibial speed of sound and urinary osteocalcin (U-MidOC and unOC) in premature infants (29-32weeks PMA).

PubMed

Haley, S; Beachy, J; Ivaska, K K; Slater, H; Smith, S; Moyer-Mileur, L J

2012-10-01

Preterm delivery (<37 weeks post-menstrual age) is associated with suboptimal bone mass. We hypothesized that tactile/kinesthetic stimulation (TKS), a form of infant massage that incorporates kinesthetic movement, would increase bone strength and markers of bone accretion in preterm infants. Preterm, AGA infants (29-32 weeks) were randomly assigned to TKS (N=20) or Control (N=20). Twice daily TKS was provided 6 days per week for 2 weeks. Control infants received the same care without TKS treatment. Treatment was masked to parents, health care providers, and study personnel. Baseline and week two measures were collected for tibial speed of sound (tSOS, m/sec), a surrogate for bone strength, by quantitative ultrasound (Sunlight8000) and urine markers of bone metabolism, pyridinium crosslinks and osteocalcin (U-MidOC and unOC). Infant characteristics at birth and study entry as well as energy/nutrient intake were similar between TKS and Control. TKS intervention attenuated the decrease in tSOS observed in Control infants (p<0.05). Urinary pyridinium crosslinks decreased over time in both TKS and CTL (p<0.005). TKS infants experienced greater increases in urinary osteocalcin (U-MidOC, p<0.001 and unOC, p<0.05). We conclude that TKS improves bone strength in premature infants by attenuating the decrease that normally follows preterm birth. Further, biomarkers of bone metabolism suggest a modification in bone turnover in TKS infants in favor of bone accretion. Taken together, we speculate that TKS improves bone mineralization. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abrupt release of terrigenous organic carbon to the Laptev Sea at termination of the Younger Dryas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesi, T.; Muschitiello, F.; Smittenberg, R.; Jakobsson, M.; Vonk, J.; Hill, P.; Dudarev, O.; Semiletov, I. P.; Kirchner, N.; Noormets, R.; Andersson, A.; Gustafsson, O.

2015-12-01

Based on analysis of a piston core collected in 2014 from the Lena River paleo delta, now Laptev Sea, we show that rapid and massive organic carbon (OC) deposition took place into the marine system at the termination of the Younger Dryas when the Arctic region experienced a large and extremely fast climate change. The highly laminated strata with absence of bioturbation further confirm the rapid event-driven emplacement of this deposit which was largely dominated by terrigenous OC as indicated by depleted δ13C values and high concentrations of terrestrial fossil biomarkers (lignin phenols and cutin-derived products). Moreover, the hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of HMW n-alkanes indicates that this terrestrially-derived translocated OC was produced in the watershed during a relatively cold period. The OC appears to be a few thousand years old at time of deposition (ca. 4-5000 radiocarbon years; reservoir age corrected), consistent with the radiocarbon age of pre-aged OC currently supplied by the Lena river. Altogether our results indicate that fast climate warming exerts first-order control on large-scale carbon redistribution. Because the Younger Dryas-Preboreal transition occurred within a few decades, we infer that the abrupt and large release of terrigenous OC was essentially driven by rapid changes in the permafrost stability (i.e., thermal collapse/thawing) and increase in precipitation over the Siberian watershed. Interestingly, only surface and sub-surface carbon pools (i.e., active layer) were remobilized while deep and old sources (radiocarbon dead) did not seem to have substantially contributed to the total land-to-ocean flux during the Younger Dryas-Preboreal transition.

77 FR 52630 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for California

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-30

... for OCS sources for which the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (``Santa Barbara... promulgated 40 CFR part 55,\\1\\ which established requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources in... those located in the Gulf of Mexico west of 87.5 degrees longitude. Section 328 of the Act requires that...

Heat Shock Protein HSP27 Secretion by Ovarian Cancer Cells Is Linked to Intracellular Expression Levels, Occurs Independently of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Pathway and HSP27's Phosphorylation Status, and Is Mediated by Exosome Liberation

PubMed Central

Klinkmann, Gerd; Diesing, Karoline; Koensgen, Dominique; Burchardt, Martin

2017-01-01

The heat shock protein HSP27 has been correlated in ovarian cancer (OC) patients with aggressiveness and chemoresistance and, therefore, represents a promising potential biomarker for OC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response. Notably, secretion of soluble HSP27 has been described by a few cell types and may take place as well in OC cells. Therefore, we studied HSP27 secretion mechanisms under diverse cellular conditions in an OC cell model system. Secretion of HSP27 was characterized after overexpression of HSP27 by transfected plasmids and after heat shock. Intra- and extracellular HSP27 amounts were assessed by Western blotting and ELISA. Protein secretion was blocked by brefeldin A and the impact of the HSP27 phosphorylation status was analyzed overexpressing HSP27 phosphomutants. The present study demonstrated that HSP27 secretion by OVCAR-3 and SK-OV-3 cells depends on intracellular HSP27 concentrations. Moreover, HSP27 secretion is independent of the endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway and HSP27 phosphorylation. Notably, analysis of OC cell-born exosomes not only confirmed the concentration-dependent correlation of HSP27 expression and secretion but also demonstrated a concentration-dependent incorporation of HSP27 protein into exosomes. Thus, secreted HSP27 may become more important as an extracellular factor which controls the tumor microenvironment and might be a noninvasive biomarker. PMID:28325957

Heat Shock Protein HSP27 Secretion by Ovarian Cancer Cells Is Linked to Intracellular Expression Levels, Occurs Independently of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Pathway and HSP27's Phosphorylation Status, and Is Mediated by Exosome Liberation.

PubMed

Stope, Matthias B; Klinkmann, Gerd; Diesing, Karoline; Koensgen, Dominique; Burchardt, Martin; Mustea, Alexander

2017-01-01

The heat shock protein HSP27 has been correlated in ovarian cancer (OC) patients with aggressiveness and chemoresistance and, therefore, represents a promising potential biomarker for OC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response. Notably, secretion of soluble HSP27 has been described by a few cell types and may take place as well in OC cells. Therefore, we studied HSP27 secretion mechanisms under diverse cellular conditions in an OC cell model system. Secretion of HSP27 was characterized after overexpression of HSP27 by transfected plasmids and after heat shock. Intra- and extracellular HSP27 amounts were assessed by Western blotting and ELISA. Protein secretion was blocked by brefeldin A and the impact of the HSP27 phosphorylation status was analyzed overexpressing HSP27 phosphomutants. The present study demonstrated that HSP27 secretion by OVCAR-3 and SK-OV-3 cells depends on intracellular HSP27 concentrations. Moreover, HSP27 secretion is independent of the endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway and HSP27 phosphorylation. Notably, analysis of OC cell-born exosomes not only confirmed the concentration-dependent correlation of HSP27 expression and secretion but also demonstrated a concentration-dependent incorporation of HSP27 protein into exosomes. Thus, secreted HSP27 may become more important as an extracellular factor which controls the tumor microenvironment and might be a noninvasive biomarker.

Effect of combined metformin and oral contraceptive on metabolic factors and endothelial function in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome

PubMed Central

Essah, Paulina A; Arrowood, James A; Cheang, Kai I; Adawadkar, Swati S; Stovall, Dale W.; Nestler, John E.

2011-01-01

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study, 19 overweight women with PCOS were randomized to a 3-month course of either metformin plus combined hormonal oral contraceptive (OC) (n=9) or OC and matched placebo (n=10). After 3 months, both treatments had similar effects on androgen levels, lipid profile, insulin sensitivity and serum inflammatory markers, but flow-mediated dilatation increased by 69.0% in the metformin-OC group (p=0.01) while it remained unchanged in the OC group. PMID:21733508

Emerging Nanotechnology-based Corrosion Control Coatings

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

Posdorfer, J., Synth. Met., 102, 1400-1401, 1999. • Fluoro- and silicon/silicone modified polymers • Organic- inorganic hybrid polymers Hopkins, A, The...O O S u b s t ra te Hybrid Organic- Inorganic Sol-gel Coating Bis-Ureasil HN NH O HN NH O Si MeO OMe MeO Si OMe OMe OMeR C2H5O Si OC2H5 OC2H5 OC2H5...Cycloaliphatic Amine 35% 65% 100% Nanotechnology-based coatings Ce+3Ce+3 Δ, H2O, OH - ΔEnviron > Tm =40 oC + Corrosion resistant Hybrid Organic- Inorganic

Large CH4 production fueled by autochthonous OC in an anoxic sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasset, Charlotte; Mendonça, Raquel; Villamor Saucedo, Gabriella; Sobek, Sebastian

2017-04-01

River damming and human-induced eutrophication both affect river and lake functioning, increase organic carbon (OC) sedimentation rates and generate anoxic conditions in bottom waters. Under these conditions, OC in sediments is decomposed into CO2 and CH4, a high potential greenhouse gas. It has been shown that the decomposition of land-derived (allochthonous) OC is inhibited at anoxic conditions, compared to OC internally produced (autochthonous). However, the overall extent and end products (CO2 or CH4) of anoxic decomposition remain poorly known for different types of OC, making it difficult to judge the effect of river damming and eutrophication on greenhouse gas emissions from inland waters. We incubated different types of allochthonous OC (terrestrial plants) and autochthonous OC (phytoplankton and aquatic vascular plants) in an anoxic sediment during 130 days. We aimed to test 1) if this addition of relatively fresh OC resulted in an increase of CH4 production and 2) if autochthonous OC would produce more CH4 than allochthonous OC. We assessed the contribution to CH4 production of the different OC sources (i.e. sediment or added OC) with stable isotope measurements. We found that the addition of relatively fresh OC greatly increased CH4 production. Autochthonous OC generally produced more CH4 than allochthonous OC, but the overall extent of CH4 production was highly variable between the different autochthonous OC types. The d13C-CH4 measurements indicated that CH4 originated exclusively from the added OC. We conclude that the production of CH4 is likely to to be high in eutrophic as well as in artificial lakes, especially when these systems have anoxic bottom waters and high internal primary productivity and thus a high supply of autochthonous OC to the sediment. The current expansion of reservoir construction in concert with almost globally prevalent anthropogenic eutrophication are therefore likely to increase CH4 production in inland waters.

Vulnerability factors in OCD symptoms: cross-cultural comparisons between Turkish and Canadian samples.

PubMed

Yorulmaz, Orçun; Gençöz, Tülin; Woody, Sheila

2010-01-01

Recent findings have suggested some potential psychological vulnerability factors for development of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms, including cognitive factors of appraisal and thought control, religiosity, self-esteem and personality characteristics such as neuroticism. Studies demonstrating these associations usually come from Western cultures, but there may be cultural differences relevant to these vulnerability factors and OC symptoms. The present study examined the relationship between putative vulnerability factors and OC symptoms by comparing non-clinical samples from Turkey and Canada, two countries with quite different cultural characteristics. The findings revealed some common correlates such as neuroticism and certain types of metacognition, including appraisals of responsibility/threat estimation and perfectionism/need for certainty, as well as thought-action fusion. However, culture-specific factors were also indicated in the type of thought control participants used. For OC disorder symptoms, Turkish participants were more likely to utilize worry and thought suppression, while Canadian participants tended to use self-punishment more frequently. The association with common factors supports the cross-cultural validity of some factors, whereas unique factors suggest cultural features that may be operative in cognitive processes relevant to OC symptoms.

Soil organic matter content: a non-liner control on microbial respiration in soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnecker, Jörg; Grandy, Stuart

2016-04-01

It is widely assumed that microbial activity and respiration rates respond linearly to substrate concentrations, irrespective of substrate chemical characteristics, but this assumption remains largely untested. We know that microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and the amount of CO2 respired from soil depends on substrate availability. While soils with high SOM concentrations will have higher respiration rates than soils with low SOM concentrations, the specific relationship between substrate quantity and CO2 respired and its underlying mechanisms has robust theoretical, modeling, and management implications. In a lab incubation experiment, we amended a mixture of agricultural soil and sand with increasing amounts of one of three plant residues differing in their C/N ratio (clover C/N 14; rye C/N 23 and wheat straw C/N 110). Keeping the soil/sand mixture at a constant ratio, we obtained 9 levels of organic carbon (OC) content ranging from 0.25% to 5.7%. The sand-soil-residue mixtures were then incubated at constant temperature and water contents for a total of 63 days. Our results show that across substrates CO2 production increased with increasing OC content following a sigmoidal curve function instead of the expected linear one. A breakpoint analysis for the respiration curve of rye revealed two significant break points at 1.3 and 3.8 % OC. The three individual linear relations might be shaped by spatial separation of substrate and microbes and the interaction of the microbes themselves. In the first "survival" phase up to 1.3 % OC, more substrate leads to the survival of more microbes. However, microbial growth does not result in the discovery of new resources. In the "expansion" phase (1.3 % OC to 3.8 % OC), microbial growth is successful and microbes can exploit new resources. Finally, in the "competition" phase microbes start to compete for space and resources, which leads to a decrease in decomposition and respiration. While the results for clover were similar to rye, different amounts of straw resulted in an almost linear relationship between OC content and respiratory loss. The low N content of straw may explain this, limiting microbial growth and the exploration for new resources. Microbes in the straw treatment likely remained in the "survival" phase. Our findings of a non-linear decrease of CO2 production with decreasing OC content indicate that spatial separation as an inherent property of SOM content is an important control on decomposition of soil organic matter. Knowledge of this controlling effect might be beneficial in many ways. For example, even small additions of plant residues to agricultural systems might strongly enhance N availability to microbes and plants. Further, the spatial distribution of new C inputs may regulate its potential to be decomposed or stabilized. Finally, our results will help to improve model parameterization and predictions about microbial limitations and potential changes in decomposition under a future climate.

Spatial variations in geochemical characteristics of the modern Mackenzie Delta sedimentary system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vonk, Jorien E.; Giosan, Liviu; Blusztajn, Jerzy; Montlucon, Daniel; Graf Pannatier, Elisabeth; McIntyre, Cameron; Wacker, Lukas; Macdonald, Robie W.; Yunker, Mark B.; Eglinton, Timothy I.

2015-12-01

The Mackenzie River in Canada is by far the largest riverine source of sediment and organic carbon (OC) to the Arctic Ocean. Therefore the transport, degradation and burial of OC along the land-to-ocean continuum for this riverine system is important to study both regionally and as a dominant representative of Arctic rivers. Here, we apply sedimentological (grain size, mineral surface area), and organic and inorganic geochemical techniques (%OC, δ13C-OC and Δ14C-OC, 143Nd/144Nd, δ2H and δ18O, major and trace elements) on particulate, bank, channel and lake surface sediments from the Mackenzie Delta, as well as on surface sediments from the Mackenzie shelf in the Beaufort Sea. Our data show a hydrodynamic sorting effect resulting in the accumulation of finer-grained sediments in lake and shelf deposits. A general decrease in organic carbon (OC) to mineral surface area ratios from river-to-sea furthermore suggests a loss of mineral-bound terrestrial OC during transport through the delta and deposition on the shelf. The net isotopic value of the terrestrial OC that is lost en route, derived from relationships between δ13C, OC and surface area, is -28.5‰ for δ13C and -417‰ for Δ14C. We calculated that OC burial efficiencies are around 55%, which are higher (∼20%) than other large river systems such as the Amazon. Old sedimentary OC ages, up to 12 14C-ky, suggest the delivery of both a petrogenic OC source (with an estimated contribution of 19 ± 9%) as well as a pre-aged terrestrial OC source. We calculated the 14C-age of this pre-aged, biogenic, component to be about 6100 yrs, or -501‰, which illustrates that terrestrial OC in the watershed can reside for millennia in soils before being released into the river. Surface sediments in lakes across the delta (n = 20) showed large variability in %OC (0.92-5.7%) and δ13C (-30.7‰ to -23.5‰). High-closure lakes, flooding only at exceptionally high water levels, hold high sedimentary OC contents (>2.5%) and young biogenic OC with a terrestrial or an autochthonous source whereas no-closure lakes, permanently connected to a river channel, hold sediments with pre-aged, terrestrial OC. The intermediate low-closure lakes, flooding every year during peak discharge, display the largest variability in OC content, age and source, likely reflecting variability in for example the length of river-lake connections, the distance to sediment source and the number of intermediate settling basins. Bank, channel and suspended sediment show variable 143Nd/144Nd values, yet there is a gradual but distinct spatial transition in 143Nd/144Nd (nearly three ε units; from -11.4 to -13.9) in the detrital fraction of lake surface sediments from the western to the eastern delta. This reflects the input of younger Peel River catchment material in the west and input of older geological source material in the east, and suggests that lake sediments can be used to assess variability in source watershed patterns across the delta.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive compulsive symptoms in Afrikaner schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients.

PubMed

Seedat, F; Roos, J L; Pretorius, H W; Karayiorgou, M; Nel, B

2007-11-01

There is evidence of variation in the prevalence of co-morbid obsessive-compulsive disorder in schizophrenia amongst ethnic groups. This study evaluated the lifetime prevalence and clinical characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)/ obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in Afrikaner schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorder patients. An ongoing genetic study of schizophrenia is currently being conducted on the Afrikaner founder population. In this cohort of 400 subjects from the original genetic study, we identified 53 subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and co-morbid OCD/OCS (study group). They were matched for gender and age of onset of illness with 59 subjects who do not have OCD/OCS (control group). The diagnostic instrument used in this cohort is the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) version 2, which has been translated into Afrikaans. In addition to the DIGS, information for the relevant clinical characteristics reported in this study was also drawn from a detailed narrative chronological summary report and clinical files. A checklist was completed. The prevalence of co-morbid OCD/OCS amongst 400 subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder was 13.2% [n=53] of which 40 were male and 13 female patients. The prevalence of OCD was 10.7% and OCS was 2.5%. Contamination obsessions [n=17] were the most common type of obsession reported, followed by religious obsessions [n=8]. The most prevalent compulsions were repetitive rituals [n=32] followed by checking behaviour [n=22]. Onset of psychotic symptoms was found to be insidious in 86.8% of the study group compared to 24.6% of the control group (p<0.0001). Second-generation antipsychotic use was found to be statistically more prevalent in the study group (77.4%), compared to the control group (45.8%) (p=0.0008). 73% of the study group experienced depressive symptoms compared to 50.8% of the control group. Both groups were found to have a similar incidence of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. Substance abuse amongst the control group was significantly higher (35.9%) compared to the study group (19.2%) (p <0.05). Cannabis was most commonly abused in both groups, followed by alcohol. The prevalence rate of 13.2% of co-morbid OCD/OCS in Afrikaner schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients differs from findings in other ethnic groups, suggesting the possible role of genetic and cultural factors in the prevalence of co-morbid OCD/OCS. Second-generation antipsychotic use amongst schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients with co-morbid OCD/OCS was found to be significantly higher than in those without co-morbid OCD/OCS. Clinical characteristics of Afrikaner schizophrenics and schizoaffective disorder patients with and without co-morbid OCD/OCS are the same, both groups were associated with significant psychopathology and a poor prognosis.

The Sense of Incompleteness as a Motivator of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms: An Empirical Analysis of Concepts and Correlates

PubMed Central

Taylor, Steven; McKay, Dean; Crowe, Katherine B.; Abramowitz, Jonathan S.; Conelea, Christine A.; Calamari, John E.; Sica, Claudio

2014-01-01

Contemporary models of obsessive-compulsive disorder emphasize the importance of harm avoidance (HA) and related dysfunctional beliefs as motivators of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in Janet’s (1908) concept of incompleteness (INC) as another potentially important motivator. Contemporary investigators define INC as the sense that one’s actions, intentions, or experiences have not been properly achieved. Janet defined INC more broadly to include alexithymia, depersonalization, derealization, and impaired psychological mindedness. We conducted two studies to address four issues: (a) the clinical correlates of INC; (b) whether INC and HA are distinguishable constructs; (c) whether INC predicts OC symptoms after controlling for HA; and (d) the relative merits of broad versus narrow conceptualizations of INC. Study 1 was a meta-analysis of the clinical correlates of narrowly defined INC (16 studies, N=5,940). INC was correlated with all types of OC symptoms, and was more strongly correlated with OC symptoms than with general distress. Study 2 (N=534 nonclinical participants) showed that: (a) INC and HA were strongly correlated but factor analytically distinguishable; (b) INC statistically predicted all types of OC symptoms even after controlling for HA; and (c) narrow INC was most strongly correlated with OC symptoms whereas broad INC was most strongly correlated with general distress. Although the findings are limited by being correlational in nature, they support the hypothesis that INC, especially in its narrow form, is a motivator of OC symptoms. PMID:24491200

Direct influence of titanium and zirconia particles on the morphology and functionality of mature human osteoclasts.

PubMed

Pasold, Juliane; Markhoff, Jana; Tillmann, Jenny; Krogull, Martin; Pisowocki, Phillip; Bader, Rainer

2017-09-01

Within the last ten years of biomedical implants, the focus is increasingly on bioceramics, specifically on zirconia (ZrO 2 ). Hence, we analyzed the impact of ZrO 2 particles in comparison to titanium particles on mature human osteoclasts (OCs) as little is known about the direct effect of wear particles on mature OCs and their role in the osteolytic process during aseptic endoprosthesis loosening. Changes in cell morphology and functionality of OCs incubated with particles in different concentrations were investigated in vitro. OCs tend to be enlarged after three days of cultivation with both types of particles, especially with high concentrations of ZrO 2 , suggesting increased cell fusion. Further, we identified significantly increased expression of OC specific and bone matrix related genes: VNR, RANK, TRAP, and CTSK pointing on a direct stimulatory particle effect on the functionality of mature OCs. In completion, we quantified the bone resorption activity of particle treated mature OCs but could not detect a significant difference in bone resorption compared to OCs cultivated without particles. However, we could identify significantly higher gene expression of MMP-1 in particle treated OCs compared to untreated control OCs after three days of incubation. We also detected an impaired production of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase, especially for OCs treated with high ZrO 2 concentrations. In conclusion, our in vitro data show that abrasion particles could have a direct influence on mature OCs and therefore could promote increased OC-mediated bone resorption during aseptic loosening of total joint replacements. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2608-2615, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enhanced terrestrial carbon preservation promoted by reactive iron in deltaic sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, Michael R.; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Gélinas, Yves; Allison, Mead A.; Twilley, Robert R.

2016-02-01

We examined the role of reactive iron (FeR) in preserving organic carbon (OC) across a subaerial chronosequence of the Wax Lake Delta, a prograding delta within the Mississippi River Delta complex. We found that ~15.0% of the OC was bound to FeR, and the dominant binding mechanisms varied from adsorption in the youngest subaerial region to coprecipitation at the older, vegetated sites. The δ13C of the iron-associated OC was more negative than the total OC (mean = -2.6‰), indicating greater preference for terrestrial material and/or compounds with more negative δ13C values. However, only the adsorbed OC displayed preferential binding of lignin phenols. We estimate that ~8% of the OC initially deposited in deltaic systems is bound to FeR (equivalent to 6 × 1012 gC yr-1), and this percentage increases postdepositionally, as coprecipitation of FeR and OC allows for an even greater amount of OC to be bound to FeR.

Oil spills, 1971-75, Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Danenberger, Elmer P.

1976-01-01

Oil spillage connected with federally supervised drilling and production activities has been a matter of wide public concern. In its supervision of mineral-resource development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the U.S. Geological Survey is responsible for the day-to-day inspection and monitoring of OCS oil and gas operations. During these activities, the U.S. Geological Survey records and investigates hydrocarbon discharges resulting from such operations. Beginning in 1971, all spills have been recorded, and a computer file has been maintained on all spills of 1 barrel or more. The total Gulf of Mexico OCS oil spillage recorded during January 1, 1971-December 31, 1975, amounted to 51,421 barrels. Production during that period amounted to 35,219 barrels per barrel spilled. In all, 5,857 spills were recorded, but 85.5 percent of the total spill volume was contributed by just 5 incidents. The environmental effect of these incidents apparently was minimal and of short duration. No spills of more than 50 barrels resulted from drilling operations during the period. The only spillage resulting from blowouts was caused by nondrilling incidents, including completion, production, and workover. The amount of oil discharged from spills of less than 50 barrels decreased by more than half between 1971 and 1975. The improvement reflects changes in the operating philosophy of the offshore industry, tightening of U.S. Geological Survey operating orders, and substantial increases in the inspection force. Most production-platform spills involve failures in the sump system, the separator system, or other hydrocarbon-handling equipment; improved sump-system designs and better high-low-level controls have reduced both the number and the volume of spills. Pipeline and pump spills also declined significantly, although the decline appears less attributable to revisions in OCS operating requirements. No operator consistently contributed a disproportionate amount of spillage. Most of the platforms having production spills had only one spill during the period. Of the 304 platforms having incidents, 255 had 2 spills or less and 188 had only 1 spill. Comparison of the volume spilled with the volume produced for Gulf of Mexico OCS operations during 1971-75 results in a spillage rate of 0.0028 percent. Spillage from tankers is estimated to be greater. The OCS drilling and production spillage rate is not expected to increase during exploration and development of the frontier areas.

The effect of ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives upon mucoprotein content of cervical mucus.

PubMed

Aksoy, Murat; Guven, Suleyman; Tosun, Ilknur; Aydın, Faruk; Kart, Cavit

2012-09-01

To report the effect of oral contraceptives (OC) on cervical mucoprotein content by evaluating quantitatively mucoprotein 1 (MUC1), mucoprotein 2 (MUC2), mucoprotein 5AC (MUC5AC) and mucoprotein 5B (MUC5B) levels. This prospective controlled study included 20 women of reproductive age who had requested OC. Cervical mucus samples were obtained from the women before use of the OC and after 2 months of OC use. The mucus samples were then evaluated quantitatively for MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC5B by ELISA by using specific antibodies. MUC5AC mucoprotein predominated quantitatively both before and after OC use. After OC use, compared to before OC use, variable increases in the levels of all studied mucoproteins were recorded, but the increases in MUC1, MUC2 and MUC5B were statistically significant. The difference in the level of MUC2 was remarkable (+54.36 ± 31.88 ng/mL). OC use may change the mucoprotein content (especially for MUC2) of cervical mucus and thus, may cause a highly viscous pattern of cervical mucus which may enhance the contraceptive efficacy of OC pills. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanistic investigations of Se(VI) treatment in anoxic groundwater using granular iron and organic carbon: an EXAFS study.

PubMed

Gibson, Blair D; Blowes, David W; Lindsay, Matthew B J; Ptacek, Carol J

2012-11-30

The removal of aqueous Se(VI) from a simulated groundwater by granular iron (GI), organic carbon (OC), and a mixture of these reactive materials (GI-OC) was evaluated in laboratory batch experiments. The experiments were performed under anoxic conditions to simulate subsurface treatment. A total reaction time of 120 h (5 d) was chosen to investigate the rapid changes in speciation occurring over reaction times that are reasonable for permeable reactive barrier (PRB) systems. After 120 h, concentrations of Se decreased by >90% in the GI system, 15% in the OC system and 35% in the GI-OC mixture. Analysis of the materials after contact with Se using synchrotron-radiation based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicated the presence of Se(IV) and Se(0) on the margins of GI grains after 6h with evidence of SeO and SeSe bonding, whereas Se(VI) was not observed. After 72 h, Se(0) was the only form of Se present in the GI experiments. In the OC batches, the XAS analysis indicated binding consistent with sorption of aqueous Se(VI) onto the OC with only minor reduction to Se(IV) and Se(0) after 120 h. Selenium XAS spectra collected for the GI-OC mixture were consistent with spectra for Se(IV) and Se(0) on both the margins of GI grains and OC particles, suggesting that the presence of dissolved Fe may have mediated the reduction of sorbed Se(VI). The results suggest that the application of granular Fe is effective at inducing aqueous Se removal in anoxic conditions through reductive precipitation processes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in the soil C cycle at the arid-hyperarid transition in the Atacama Desert

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ewing, S.A.; Macalady, J.L.; Warren-Rhodes, K.; McKay, C.P.; Amundson, Ronald

2008-01-01

We examined soil organic C (OC) turnover and transport across the rainfall transition from a biotic, arid site to a largely abiotic, hyperarid site. With this transition, OC concentrations decrease, and C cycling slows precipitously, both in surface horizons and below ground. The concentration and isotopic character of soil OC across this transition reflect decreasing rates of inputs, decomposition, and downward transport. OC concentrations in the arid soil increase slightly with depth in the upper meter, but are generally low and variable (???0.05%; total inventory of 1.82 kg m-2); OC-??14C values decrease from modern (+7???) to very 14C-depleted (-966???) with depth; and OC-??13C values are variable (-23.7??? to -14.1???). Using a transport model, we show that these trends reflect relatively rapid cycling in the upper few centimeters, and spatially variable preservation of belowground OC from root inputs, possibly during a previous, wetter climate supporting higher soil OC concentrations. In the driest soil, the OC inventory is the lowest among the sites (0.19 kg m-2), and radiocarbon values are 14C-depleted (-365??? to -696???) but show no trend with depth, indicating belowground OC inputs and long OC residence times throughout the upper meter (104 y). A distinct depth trend in ??13C values and OC/ON values within the upper 40 cm at the driest site may reflect photochemical alteration of organic matter at the soil surface, combined with limited subsurface decomposition and downward transport. We argue that while root inputs are preserved at the wetter sites, C cycling in the most hyperarid soil occurs through infrequent, rapid dissolved transport of highly photodegraded organic matter during rare rain events, each followed by a pulse of decomposition and subsequent prolonged drought. These belowground inputs are likely a primary control on the character, activity, and depth distribution of small microbial populations. While the lack of water is the dominant control on C cycling, very low C/N ratios of organic matter suggest that when rainfall occurs, hyperarid soils are effectively C limited. The preservation of fossil root fragments in the sediment beneath the driest soil indicates that wetter climate conditions preceded formation of this soil, and that vadose zone microbial activity has been extremely limited for the past 2 My. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

The effect of combination oral contraceptives on smoking-related symptomatology during short-term smoking abstinence.

PubMed

Hinderaker, Katie; Allen, Alicia M; Tosun, Nicole; al'Absi, Mustafa; Hatsukami, Dorothy; Allen, Sharon S

2015-02-01

Although an estimated 25% of premenopausal smokers report using oral contraceptives (OC), little is known about how OC use may influence smoking cessation. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in smoking-related symptomatology during acute smoking abstinence between women on a standardized combination OC (Tri-Sprintec(™)) compared to women not on OCs (no-OC). Participants were women aged 18-40 who smoked ≥5 cigarettes/day and reported regular menstrual cycles. Using a controlled cross-over design, participants completed two six-day testing weeks: Low Progesterone Week (LPW; Follicular (F) phase in no-OC or 1st week of pills in OC) and High Progesterone Week (HPW; Luteal (L) phase in no-OC or 3rd week of pills in OC). Each testing week included daily assessment of symptomatology and biochemical confirmation of smoking status. During smoking abstinence, the OC group (n=14) reported significantly lower levels of positive affect (21.56±7.12 vs. 24.57±6.46; β=3.63, p=0.0323) than the no-OC group (n=28). Further significant interactions between group and testing week were observed as follows: Smoking satisfaction was higher during LPW in the OC group (LPW: 4.29±1.30 vs. HPW: 4.10±1.37) but higher during HPW in the no-OC group (LPW: 3.91±1.30 vs. HPW: 4.23±1.30; β=-0.5499, p<0.0001). Similar interactions were noted in negative affect and psychological reward of smoking. These results suggest that women on OCs may have different patterns of smoking-related symptomatology during short-term smoking abstinence as compared to women not on OCs. Additional work is needed to examine how this may affect smoking cessation efforts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LSST camera control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Stuart; Thaler, Jon; Schalk, Terry; Huffer, Michael

2006-06-01

The LSST Camera Control System (CCS) will manage the activities of the various camera subsystems and coordinate those activities with the LSST Observatory Control System (OCS). The CCS comprises a set of modules (nominally implemented in software) which are each responsible for managing one camera subsystem. Generally, a control module will be a long lived "server" process running on an embedded computer in the subsystem. Multiple control modules may run on a single computer or a module may be implemented in "firmware" on a subsystem. In any case control modules must exchange messages and status data with a master control module (MCM). The main features of this approach are: (1) control is distributed to the local subsystem level; (2) the systems follow a "Master/Slave" strategy; (3) coordination will be achieved by the exchange of messages through the interfaces between the CCS and its subsystems. The interface between the camera data acquisition system and its downstream clients is also presented.

Comparing the impact of conventional pesticide and use of a transgenic pest-resistant crop on the beneficial carabid beetle Pterostichus melanarius.

PubMed

Mulligan, Evan A; Ferry, Natalie; Jouanin, Lise; Walters, Keith Fa; Port, Gordon R; Gatehouse, Angharad Mr

2006-10-01

The potential impact of a chemical pesticide control method has been compared with that of transgenic plants expressing a protease inhibitor conferring insect resistance by utilising a tritrophic system comprising the crop plant Brassica napus (L.) (Oilseed rape), the pest mollusc Deroceras reticulatum (Müller) and the predatory carabid beetle Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). Cypermethrin, as the most widely used pesticide in UK oilseed rape (OSR) cultivation, was selected as the conventional treatment. OSR expressing a cysteine protease inhibitor, oryzacystatin-1 (OC-1), was the transgenic comparator. In feeding trials, D. reticulatum showed no significant long-term effects on measured life history parameters (survival, weight gain, food consumption) as a result of exposure to either the cypermethrin or OC-1 treatment. However, D. reticulatum was able to respond to the presence of the dietary inhibitor by producing two novel proteases following exposure to OC-1-expressing OSR. Similarly, P. melanarius showed no detectable alterations in mortality, weight gain or food consumption when feeding on D. reticulatum previously fed either pesticide-contaminated or GM plant material. Furthermore, as with the slug, a novel form of protease, approximately M(r) 27 kDa, was induced in the carabid in response to feeding on slugs fed OC-1-expressing OSR.

Organic carbon burial in global lakes and reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mendonça, Raquel; Müller, Roger A.; Clow, David W.; Verpoorter, Charles; Raymond, Peter; Tranvik, Lars; Sobek, Sebastian

2017-01-01

Burial in sediments removes organic carbon (OC) from the short-term biosphere-atmosphere carbon (C) cycle, and therefore prevents greenhouse gas production in natural systems. Although OC burial in lakes and reservoirs is faster than in the ocean, the magnitude of inland water OC burial is not well constrained. Here we generate the first global-scale and regionally resolved estimate of modern OC burial in lakes and reservoirs, deriving from a comprehensive compilation of literature data. We coupled statistical models to inland water area inventories to estimate a yearly OC burial of 0.15 (range, 0.06–0.25) Pg C, of which ~40% is stored in reservoirs. Relatively higher OC burial rates are predicted for warm and dry regions. While we report lower burial than previously estimated, lake and reservoir OC burial corresponded to ~20% of their C emissions, making them an important C sink that is likely to increase with eutrophication and river damming.

Promoting oral cancer examinations to medical primary care providers: a cluster randomized trial.

PubMed

Wee, Alvin G; Zimmerman, Lani M; Anderson, James R; Nunn, Martha E; Loberiza, Fausto R; Sitorius, Michael A; Pullen, Carol H

2016-09-01

To compare the percentage of patients who had an oral cancer examination (OCE) by their primary care provider (PCP) in medical clinics participating in a web-based education with poster reminder intervention to that of patients in control clinics. To also determine the effects for PCPs in medical clinics participating in the web-based education with poster reminder intervention as compared with those in control clinics regarding: a) index of knowledge of oral cancer risk factors (RiskOC) and b) index of knowledge of oral cancer diagnostic procedures (DiagOC). Six medical clinics were recruited to participate in this study and randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. PCPs (physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses) took a pretest; 2 weeks later, they participated in the web-based educational program, including a posttest (intervention group) or took a posttest only (control group). In each clinic, 1 week following completion of the PCPs' posttests, 94 patients were recruited to complete a one-page survey. The intervention clinics were found to be a significant factor for the PCPs to perform patient OCEs, after controlling for significant covariates, that is, age, main reason for clinic visit, OCE for patient in the past year, clinic's mean DiagOC score, and clinic's mean RiskOC score. The intervention also resulted in the PCPs increasing their pretest to posttest RiskOC scores. The use of intervention has the potential to increase PCPs' short-term knowledge and to increase the frequency of PCPs' routine, nonsymptomatic opportunistic OCE on patients. © 2016 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

Behavior of microorganisms in drinking water treatment by inductively coupled plasma system: Case study in ground water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desmiarti, Reni; Hazmi, Ariadi; Martynis, Munas; Sutopo, Ulung Muhammad; Li, Fusheng

2018-02-01

Pathogenic bacteria, such as total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC) and other coliforms (OC), were removed from groundwater by inductively coupled plasma system treatment in continuous flow experiments. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of flowrate and frequency on the behavior of microorganisms in drinking water treatment using inductively coupled plasma system (ICPS). The results showed that after 120 minutes of ICPS treatment, the removal efficiency with respect to TC, FC and OC decreased with increasing flowrate. The removal efficiency of FC was achieved at 100% in all runs. Compared to FC, the removal efficiencies with respect to TC and FC were lower than those with respect to TC and OC in the following order: FC >OC> TC. The disinfection yield of TC and OC significantly increased when the removal efficiency increased. The electromagnetic flux varied from 8.08±0.46 to 10.54±0.19 W/cm2. The results in the present work can be used to design a new technology for drinking water treatment to remove all pathogenic bacteria without using hazardous chemicals.

Degradation State and Sequestration Potential of Carbon in Coastal Wetlands of Texas: Mangrove Vs. Saltmarsh Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterne, A. M. E.; Kaiser, K.; Louchouarn, P.; Norwood, M. J.

2015-12-01

The estimated magnitude of the organic carbon (OC) stocks contained in the first meter of US coastal wetland soils represents ~10% of the entire OC stock in US soils (4 vs. 52 Pg, respectively). Because this stock extends to several meters below the surface for many coastal wetlands, it becomes paramount to understand the fate of OC under ecosystem shifts, varying natural environmental constraints, and changing land use. In this project we analyze the major classes of biochemicals including total hydrolysable neutral carbohydrates, enantiomeric amino acids, phenols, and cutins/suberins at two study sites located on the Texas coastline to investigate chemical composition and its controls on organic carbon preservation in mangrove (Avicennia germinans) and saltmarsh grass (Spartina alterniflora) dominated wetlands. Results show neutral carbohydrates and lignin contribute 30-70% and 10-40% of total OC, respectively, in plant litter and surface sediments at both sites. Sharp declines of carbohydrate yields with depth occur parallel to increasing Ac/AlS,V ratios indicating substantial decomposition of both the polysaccharide and lignin components of litter detritus. Contrasts in the compositions and relative abundances of all previously mentioned compound classes are further discussed to examine the role of litter biochemistry in OC preservation. For example, the selective preservation of cellulose over hemicellulose in sediments indicates macromolecular structure plays a key role in preservation between plant types. It is concluded that the chemical composition of litter material controls the composition and magnitude of OC stored in sediments. Ultimately, as these ecosystems transition from one dominant plant type to another, as is currently observed along the Texas coastline, there is the potential for OC sequestration efficiency to shift due to the changing composition of OC input to sediments.

Effects of deletion of ER-alpha in osteoblast-lineage cells on bone mass and adaptation to mechanical loading differs in female and male mice

PubMed Central

Melville, Katherine M.; Kelly, Natalie H.; Surita, Gina; Buchalter, Daniel B.; Schimenti, John C.; Main, Russell P.; Ross, F. Patrick; van der Meulen, Marjolein C. H.

2015-01-01

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) has been implicated in bone’s response to mechanical loading in both males and females. ERα in osteoblast lineage cells is important for determining bone mass, but results depend on animal sex and the cellular stage at which ERα is deleted. We demonstrated previously that when ERα is deleted from mature osteoblasts and osteocytes in mixed background female mice, bone mass and strength are decreased. However, few studies exist examining the skeletal response to loading in bone cell-specific ERαKO mice. Therefore, we crossed ERα floxed (ERαfl/fl) and osteocalcin-Cre (OC-Cre) mice to generate animals lacking ERα in mature osteoblasts and osteocytes (pOC-ERαKO) and littermate controls (LC). At 10 weeks of age the left tibia was loaded in vivo for two weeks. We analyzed bone mass through microCT, bone formation rate by dynamic histomorphometry, bone strength from mechanical testing, and osteoblast and osteoclast activity by serum chemistry and immunohistochemistry. ERα in mature osteoblasts differentially regulated bone mass in males and females. Compared to LC, female pOC-ERαKO mice had decreased cortical and cancellous bone mass, while male pOC-ERαKO mice had equal or greater bone mass than LC. Bone mass results correlated with decreased compressive strength in pOC-ERαKO female L5 vertebrae, and with increased maximum moment in pOC-ERαKO male femora. Female pOC-ERαKO mice responded more to mechanical loading, while the response of pOC-ERαKO male animals was similar to their littermate controls. PMID:25707500

High Latitude Reefs: A Potential Refuge for Reef Builders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amat, A.; Bates, N.

2003-04-01

Coral reefs globally show variable signs of deterioration or community structure changes due to a host of anthropogenic and natural factors. In these global scenarios, rates of calcification by reef builders such as Scleractinian corals are predicted to significantly decline in the future due to the increase in atmospheric CO_2. When considering the response of reefs to the present climate change, temperature effects should also be taken into account. Here, we investigate the simultaneous impact of temperature and CO_2 on the high-latitude Bermuda coral reef system (32^oN, 64^oE)through a series of in vitro experiments at different CO_2 levels and seasonally different summer (27^oC) and winter (20^oC) temperature conditions. Four species of Scleractinian corals (Porites astreoides, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Madracis mirabilis and decactis) were acclimated for three months at: 20^oC and 27^oC (both with CO_2 levels at 400 ppm (control) and 700 ppm). Growth was assessed by buoyant weight techniques during the acclimation period. Photosynthesis, respiration and calcification were measured at the end of this period using respirometric chambers. A reproduction experiment was also undertaken under 27^oC. Photosynthesis mainly remains constant or increases under high CO_2 conditions. The results of the integrated calcification measurements confirm the hypothesis that an increase in CO_2 induces a decrease in calcification. However an increase in photosynthesis can be observed when CO_2 is unfavorable for calcification suggesting that a biological control of calcification through photosynthesis could prevent a drop in the calcification potential. Buoyant weight results indicate that the CO_2 impact could be less detrimental under lower temperature. This result will be compared with the instantaneous calcification measurements in the chambers and some in situ coral growth assessments in winter and summer conditions. The consequences for the response of marginal reefs undergoing high seasonal temperature variations will finally be discussed.

Instructional Climates in Preschool Children Who Are At-Risk. Part I: Object-Control Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Leah E.; Goodway, Jacqueline D.

2009-01-01

Part I of this study examined the effect of two 9-week instructional climates (low autonomy [LA] and mastery motivational climate [MMC]) on object-control (OC) skill development in preschoolers (N = 117). Participants were randomly assigned to an LA, MMC, or comparison group. OC skills were assessed at pretest, posttest, and retention test with…

Baby Shampoo to Relieve the Discomfort of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Stopyra, Jason P; Winslow, James E; Johnson, James C; Hill, Keith D; Bozeman, William P

2018-03-01

Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or pepper spray, and tear gas (CS) are used by police and the military and produce severe discomfort. Some have proposed that washing with baby shampoo helps reduce this discomfort. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study to determine if baby shampoo is effective in reducing the severity and duration of these effects. Study subjects included volunteers undergoing OC or CS exposure as part of their police or military training. After standardized exposure to OC or CS all subjects were allowed to irrigate their eyes and skin ad lib with water. Those randomized to the intervention group were provided with baby shampoo for application to their head, neck, and face. Participants rated their subjective discomfort in two domains on a scale of 0-10 at 0, 3, 5, 10, and 15 minutes. We performed statistical analysis using a two-tailed Mann-Whitney Test. There were 58 participants. Of 40 subjects in the OC arm of the study, there were no significant differences in the ocular or respiratory discomfort at any of the time points between control (n=19) and intervention (n=21) groups. Of 18 subjects in the CS arm, there were no significant differences in the ocular or skin discomfort at any of the time points between control (n=8) and intervention (n=10) groups. Irrigation with water and baby shampoo provides no better relief from OC- or CS-induced discomfort than irrigation with water alone.

Sapphire: Canada's Answer to Space-Based Surveillance of Orbital Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maskell, P.; Oram, L.

The Canadian Department of National Defence is in the process of developing the Canadian Space Surveillance System (CSSS) as the main focus of the Surveillance of Space (SofS) Project. The CSSS consists of two major elements: the Sapphire System and the Sensor System Operations Centre (SSOC). The space segment of the Sapphire System is comprised of the Sapphire Satellite - an autonomous spacecraft with an electro-optical payload which will act as a contributing sensor to the United States (US) Space Surveillance Network (SSN). It will operate in a circular, sunsynchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 750 kilometers and image a minimum of 360 space objects daily in orbits ranging from 6,000 to 40,000 kilometers in altitude. The ground segment of the Sapphire System is composed of a Spacecraft Control Center (SCC), a Satellite Processing and Scheduling Facility (SPSF), and the Sapphire Simulator. The SPSF will be responsible for data transmission, reception, and processing while the SCC will serve to control and monitor the Sapphire Satellite. Surveillance data will be received from Sapphire through two ground stations. Following processing by the SPSF, the surveillance data will then be forwarded to the SSOC. The SSOC will function as the interface between the Sapphire System and the US Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). The JSpOC coordinates input from various sensors around the world, all of which are a part of the SSN. The SSOC will task the Sapphire System daily and provide surveillance data to the JSpOC for correlation with data from other SSN sensors. This will include orbital parameters required to predict future positions of objects to be tracked. The SSOC receives daily tasking instructions from the JSpOC to determine which objects the Sapphire spacecraft is required to observe. The advantage of this space-based sensor over ground-based telescopes is that weather and time of day are not factors affecting observation. Thus, space-based optical surveillance does not suffer outage periods of surveillance as is the case with ground-based optical sensors. This allows a space-based sensor to obtain more data and to collect it from a more flexible vantage point. The Sapphire launch is planned for July 2011. The Sapphire spacecraft is designed to operate for a minimum of five years. It will contribute considerably to establishing a significant space capability for Canada. This and other current Canadian space initiatives, will have wide-ranging benefits in the area of National Defence.

Three-dimensional multi bioluminescent sources reconstruction based on adaptive finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xibo; Tian, Jie; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Xing; Xue, Zhenwen; Dong, Di; Han, Dong

2011-03-01

Among many optical molecular imaging modalities, bioluminescence imaging (BLI) has more and more wide application in tumor detection and evaluation of pharmacodynamics, toxicity, pharmacokinetics because of its noninvasive molecular and cellular level detection ability, high sensitivity and low cost in comparison with other imaging technologies. However, BLI can not present the accurate location and intensity of the inner bioluminescence sources such as in the bone, liver or lung etc. Bioluminescent tomography (BLT) shows its advantage in determining the bioluminescence source distribution inside a small animal or phantom. Considering the deficiency of two-dimensional imaging modality, we developed three-dimensional tomography to reconstruct the information of the bioluminescence source distribution in transgenic mOC-Luc mice bone with the boundary measured data. In this paper, to study the osteocalcin (OC) accumulation in transgenic mOC-Luc mice bone, a BLT reconstruction method based on multilevel adaptive finite element (FEM) algorithm was used for localizing and quantifying multi bioluminescence sources. Optical and anatomical information of the tissues are incorporated as a priori knowledge in this method, which can reduce the ill-posedness of BLT. The data was acquired by the dual modality BLT and Micro CT prototype system that was developed by us. Through temperature control and absolute intensity calibration, a relative accurate intensity can be calculated. The location of the OC accumulation was reconstructed, which was coherent with the principle of bone differentiation. This result also was testified by ex vivo experiment in the black 96-plate well using the BLI system and the chemiluminescence apparatus.

Children's and mothers' cardiovascular reactivity to a standardized laboratory stressor: Unique relations with maternal anxiety and overcontrol.

PubMed

Borelli, Jessica L; Burkhart, Margaret L; Rasmussen, Hannah F; Smiley, Patricia A; Hellemann, Gerhard

2018-04-01

Research documents bidirectional associations between parental overcontrol (OC) and children's anxiety; OC may place children at risk for anxiety and also may occur in response to children's requests for help. However, to date no studies have examined children's or parents' in-the-moment emotional responses to OC. Using a community sample of mothers and school-age children, we examine the individual and interactive influences of maternal OC, maternal anxiety, children's help-seeking, and children's anxiety in predicting physiological reactivity in response to a stressor faced by children and observed by mothers, predicting that for children of higher anxiety mothers, higher OC will be associated with increases in reactivity (decreases in respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]), whereas for higher anxiety mothers themselves, engaging in OC will be associated with reductions in physiological reactivity (decreases in heart rate). Multilevel modeling suggested that for children of higher anxiety mothers, greater peak OC is associated with greater reductions in RSA (increases in reactivity) after the onset of OC. In contrast, for higher anxiety mothers themselves, greater peak OC was linked with attenuations in heart rate. Effects held when controlling for children's anxiety and help-seeking, and no pattern of effects was observed with analyses in which children's help-seeking was the predictor or children's anxiety was the moderator, suggesting that in this case, physiological reactivity is uniquely associated with the interaction between maternal OC and anxiety. Among mothers with higher anxiety, OC may serve a regulatory function, reducing physiological reactivity, while exacerbating children's reactivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Health care resource use and costs associated with possible side effects of high oral corticosteroid use in asthma: a claims-based analysis.

PubMed

Luskin, Allan T; Antonova, Evgeniya N; Broder, Michael S; Chang, Eunice Y; Omachi, Theodore A; Ledford, Dennis K

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of possible oral corticosteroid (OCS)-related side effects and health care resource use and costs in patients with asthma. This was a cross-sectional, matched-cohort, retrospective study using a commercial claims database. Adults with asthma diagnosis codes and evidence of asthma medication use were studied. Patients with high OCS use (≥30 days of OCS annually) were divided into those who did versus those who did not experience OCS-related possible side effects. Their health care resource use and costs were compared using linear regression or negative binomial regression models, adjusting for age, sex, geographic region, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease status. After adjustment, high OCS users with possible side effects were more likely to have office visits (23.0 vs 19.6; P <0.001) and hospitalizations (0.44 vs 0.22; P <0.001) than those without possible side effects. Emergency department visits were similar between the groups. High OCS users with possible side effects had higher adjusted total annual mean health care costs ($25,168) than those without such side effects ($21,882; P =0.009). Among high OCS users, patients with possible OCS-related side effects are more likely to use health care services than those without such side effects. Although OCS may help control asthma and manage exacerbations, OCS side effects may result in additional health care resource use and costs, highlighting the need for OCS-sparing asthma therapies.

Oral contraception following abortion

PubMed Central

Che, Yan; Liu, Xiaoting; Zhang, Bin; Cheng, Linan

2016-01-01

Abstract Oral contraceptives (OCs) following induced abortion offer a reliable method to avoid repeated abortion. However, limited data exist supporting the effective use of OCs postabortion. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis in the present study reported immediate administration of OCs or combined OCs postabortion may reduce vaginal bleeding time and amount, shorten the menstruation recovery period, increase endometrial thickness 2 to 3 weeks after abortion, and reduce the risk of complications and unintended pregnancies. A total of 8 major authorized Chinese and English databases were screened from January 1960 to November 2014. Randomized controlled trials in which patients had undergone medical or surgical abortions were included. Chinese studies that met the inclusion criteria were divided into 3 groups: administration of OC postmedical abortion (group I; n = 1712), administration of OC postsurgical abortion (group II; n = 8788), and administration of OC in combination with traditional Chinese medicine postsurgical abortion (group III; n = 19,707). In total, 119 of 6160 publications were included in this analysis. Significant difference was observed in group I for vaginal bleeding time (P = 0.0001), the amount of vaginal bleeding (P = 0.03), and menstruation recovery period (P < 0.00001) compared with the control groups. Group II demonstrated a significant difference in vaginal bleeding time (P < 0.00001), the amount of vaginal bleeding (P = 0.0002), menstruation recovery period (P < 0.00001), and endometrial thickness at 2 (P = 0.003) and 3 (P < 0.00001) weeks postabortion compared with the control group. Similarly, a significant difference was observed in group III for reducing vaginal bleeding time (P < 0.00001) and the amount of vaginal bleeding (P < 0.00001), shortening the menstruation recovery period (P < 0.00001), and increasing endometrial thickness 2 and 3 weeks after surgical abortion (P < 0.00001, all). Immediate administration of OCs postabortion may reduce vaginal bleeding time and amount, shorten the menstruation recovery period, increase endometrial thickness 2 to 3 weeks after abortion, and reduce the risk of complications and unintended pregnancies. PMID:27399060

Using NDACC column measurements of carbonyl sulfide to estimate its sources and sinks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuting; Marshall, Julia; Palm, Mathias; Deutscher, Nicholas; Roedenbeck, Christian; Warneke, Thorsten; Notholt, Justus; Baker, Ian; Berry, Joe; Suntharalingam, Parvadha; Jones, Nicholas; Mahieu, Emmanuel; Lejeune, Bernard; Hannigan, James; Conway, Stephanie; Strong, Kimberly; Campbell, Elliott; Wolf, Adam; Kremser, Stefanie

2016-04-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is taken up by plants during photosynthesis through a similar pathway as carbon dioxide (CO2), but is not emitted by respiration, and thus holds great promise as an additional constraint on the carbon cycle. It might act as a sort of tracer of photosynthesis, a way to separate gross primary productivity (GPP) from the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) that is typically derived from flux modeling. However the estimates of OCS sources and sinks still have significant uncertainties, which make it difficult to use OCS as a photosynthetic tracer, and the existing long-term surface-based measurements are sparse. The NDACC-IRWG measures the absorption of OCS in the atmosphere, and provides a potential long-term database of OCS total/partial columns, which can be used to evaluate OCS fluxes. We have retrieved OCS columns from several NDACC sites around the globe, and compared them to model simulation with OCS land fluxes based on the simple biosphere model (SiB). The disagreement between the measurements and the forward simulations indicates that (1) the OCS land fluxes from SiB are too low in the northern boreal region; (2) the ocean fluxes need to be optimized. A statistical linear flux model describing OCS is developed in the TM3 inversion system, and is used to estimate the OCS fluxes. We performed flux inversions using only NOAA OCS surface measurements as an observational constraint and with both surface and NDACC OCS column measurements, and assessed the differences. The posterior uncertainties of the inverted OCS fluxes decreased with the inclusion of NDACC data comparing to those using surface data only, and could be further reduced if more NDACC sites were included.

The impact of metformin, oral contraceptives, and lifestyle modification on polycystic ovary syndrome in obese adolescent women in two randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials.

PubMed

Hoeger, Kathleen; Davidson, Kristen; Kochman, Lynda; Cherry, Tracy; Kopin, Laurie; Guzick, David S

2008-11-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) presents in adolescence, and obesity is a common finding. The benefits and risks of alternate approaches to the management of PCOS in obese adolescent women are not clear. We investigated the effects of metformin, oral contraceptives (OCs), and/or lifestyle modification in obese adolescent women with PCOS. Two small, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials were performed. A total of 79 obese adolescent women with PCOS participated. In the single treatment trial, subjects were randomized to metformin, placebo, a lifestyle modification program, or OC. In the combined treatment trial, all subjects received lifestyle modification and OC and were randomized to metformin or placebo. Serum concentrations of androgens and lipids were measured. Lifestyle modification alone resulted in a 59% reduction in free androgen index with a 122% increase in SHBG. OC resulted in a significant decrease in total testosterone (44%) and free androgen index (86%) but also resulted in an increase in C-reactive protein (39.7%) and cholesterol (14%). The combination of lifestyle modification, OC, and metformin resulted in a 55% decrease in total testosterone, as compared to 33% with combined treatment and placebo, a 4% reduction in waist circumference, and a significant increase in HDL (46%). In these preliminary trials, both lifestyle modification and OCs significantly reduce androgens and increase SHBG in obese adolescents with PCOS. Metformin, in combination with lifestyle modification and OC, reduces central adiposity, reduces total testosterone, and increases HDL, but does not enhance overall weight reduction.

Imaging-based optical caliper for objects in hot manufacturing processes

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

Huang, Howard

OG Technologies, Inc. (OGT), in conjunction with its industrial and academic partners, proposes to develop an Imaging-Based Optical Caliper (hereafter referred to as OC) for Objects in Hot Manufacturing Processes. The goal is to develop and demonstrate the OC with the synergy of OGT's current technological pool and other innovations to provide a light weight, robust, safe and accurate portable dimensional measurement device for hot objects with integrated wireless communication capacity to enable real time process control. The technical areas of interest in this project are the combination of advanced imaging, Sensor Fusion, and process control. OGT believes that themore » synergistic interactions between its current set of technologies and other innovations could deliver products that are viable and have high impact in the hot manufacture processes, such as steel making, steel rolling, open die forging, and glass industries, resulting in a new energy efficient control paradigm in the operations through improved yield, prolonged tool life and improved quality. In-line dimension measurement and control is of interest to the steel makers, yet current industry focus is on the final product dimension only instead of whole process due to the limit of man power, system cost and operator safety concerns. As sensor technologies advances, the industry started to see the need to enforce better dimensional control throughout the process, but lack the proper tools to do so. OGT along with its industrial partners represent the indigenous effort of technological development to serve the US steel industry. The immediate market that can use and get benefited from the proposed OC is the Steel Industry. The deployment of the OC has the potential to provide benefits in reduction of energy waste, CO2 emission, waste water amount, toxic waste, and so forth. The potential market after further expended function includes Hot Forging and Freight Industries. The OC prototypes were fabricated, and were progressively tested on-site in several steel mill and hot forging facilities for evaluation. Software refinements and new calibration procedures were also carried out to overcome the discovered glitches. Progress was presented to the hot manufacture facilities worldwide. Evidence showed a great interest and practical need for this product. OGT is in the pilot commercialization mode for this new development. The R&D team also successfully developed a 3D measurement function with no additional investment of hardware or equipment to measure low or room temperature object dimensions. Several tests were conducted in the reality environment to evaluate the measurement results. This new application will require additional development in product design.« less

Hypermethylated APC in serous carcinoma based on a meta-analysis of ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Shen, Chunyan; Sheng, Qifang; Zhang, Xiaojie; Fu, Yuling; Zhu, Kemiao

2016-09-26

The reduced expression of the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene, a tumor suppressor gene, through promoter hypermethylation has been reported to play a key role in the carcinogenesis. However, the correlation between APC promoter hypermethylation and ovarian cancer (OC) remains to be clarified. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in related research databases. The overall odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95 % confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the effects of APC promoter hypermethylation on OC and clinicopathological characteristics. Ultimately, 12 eligible studies were used in our study, including 806 OC samples, 429 normal controls, 109 benign lesions and 75 LMP samples. The pooled OR showed that APC promoter hypermethylation was significantly higher in OC than in normal and benign controls (OR = 6.18 and OR = 3.26, respectively). No significant correlation was observed between OC and low malignant potential (LMP) tumors (P = 0.436). In the comparison of OC and normal controls, subgroup analysis based on race showed that the overall OR of APC promoter hypermethylation was significant and similar in Asians and Caucasians (OR = 8.34 and OR = 5.39, respectively). A subgroup analysis based on sample type found that the pooled OR was significantly higher in blood than in tissue (OR = 18.71 and OR = 5.74, respectively). A significant association was not observed between APC promoter hypermethylation and tumor grade or tumor stage. The pooled OR indicated that APC promoter hypermethylation was significantly lower in serous carcinoma than in non-serous carcinoma (OR = 0.56, P = 0.02). No obvious publication bias was detected by Egger's test (all P > 0.05). APC promoter hypermethylation may be linked to the increased risk of OC. It was associated with histological type, but not with tumor grade or tumor stage. Moreover, hypermethylated APC may be a noninvasive biomarker using blood samples. Future studies are required to validate these results.

Modern deposition rates and patterns of organic carbon burial in Fiordland, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez, Michael T.; Allison, Mead A.; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Cui, Xingqian; Savage, Candida; Schüller, Susanne E.; Smith, Richard W.; Vetter, Lael

2016-11-01

Fjords are disproportionately important for global organic carbon (OC) burial relative to their spatial extent and may be important in sequestering atmospheric CO2, providing a negative climate feedback. Within fjords, multiple locally variable delivery mechanisms control mineral sediment deposition, which in turn modulates OC burial. Sediment and OC sources in Fiordland, New Zealand, include terrigenous input at fjord heads, sediment reworking over fjord-mouth sills, and landslide events from steep fjord walls. Box cores were analyzed for sedimentary texture, sediment accumulation rate, and OC content to evaluate the relative importance of each delivery mechanism. Sediment accumulation was up to 3.4 mm/yr in proximal and distal fjord areas, with lower rates in medial reaches. X-radiograph and 210Pb stratigraphy indicate mass wasting and surface-sediment bioturbation throughout the fjords. Sediment accumulation rates are inversely correlated with %OC. Spatial heterogeneity in sediment depositional processes and rates is important when evaluating OC burial within fjords.

Octopamine: a new feeding modulator in Lymnaea

PubMed Central

Vehovszky, Á.

1998-01-01

The role of octopamine (OA) in the feeding system of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, was studied by applying behavioural tests on intact animals, and a combination of electrophysiological analysis and morphological labelling in the isolated central nervous system. OA antagonists phentolamine, demethylchlordimeform (DCDM) and 2-chloro-4-methyl-2-(phenylimino)-imidazolidine (NC-7) were injected into intact snails and the sucrose-induced feeding response of animals was monitored. Snails that received 25 to 50 mg kg-1 phentolamine did not start feeding in sucrose, and the same dose of NC-7 reduced the number of feeding animals by 80 to 90% 1 to 3 hours after injection. DCDM treatment reduced feeding by 20 to 60%. In addition, both phentolamine and NC-7 significantly decreased the feeding rate of those animals that still accepted food after 1 to 6 hours of injection. In the central nervous system a pair of buccal neurons was identified by electrophysiological and morphological criteria. After double labelling (intracellular staining with Lucifer yellow followed by OA-immunocytochemistry) these neurons were shown to be OA immunoreactive, and electrophysiological experiments confirmed that they are members of the buccal feeding system. Therefore the newly identified buccal neurons were called OC neurons (putative octopamine containing neurons or octopaminergic cells). Synchronous intracellular recordings demonstrated that the OC neurons share a common rhythm with feeding neurons either appearing spontaneously or evoked by intracellularly stimulated feeding interneurons. OC neurons also have synaptic connections with identified members of the feeding network: electrical coupling was demonstrated between OC neurons and members of the B4 cluster motoneurons, furthermore, chemically transmitted synaptic responses were recorded both on feeding motoneurons (B1, B2 cells) and the SO modulatory interneuron after the stimulation of OC neurons. However, elementary synaptic potentials could not be recorded on the follower cells of OC neurons. Prolonged (20 to 30 s) intracellular stimulation of OC cells activated the buccal feeding neurons leading to rhythmic activity pattern (fictive feeding) in a way similar to OA applied by perfusion onto isolated central nervous system (CNS) preparations. Our results suggest that OA acts as a modulatory substance in the feeding system of Lymnaea stagnalis and the newly identified pair of OC neurons belongs to the buccal feeding network.

Generalized Two-Dimensional Perturbation Correlation Infrared Spectroscopy reveals Mechanisms for the Development of Surface Charge and Recalcitrance in Plant-derived Biochars

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

Harvey, Omar R.; Herbert, Bruce; Kuo, Li-Jung

2012-09-05

Fundamental knowledge of how biochars develop surface-charge and resistance to environmental degradation (or recalcitrance) is crucial to their production for customized applications or, understanding their functions in the environment. Two-dimensional perturbation-based correlation infrared spectroscopy (2D-PCIS) was used to study the biochar formation process in three taxonomically-different plant biomass, under oxygen-limited conditions along a heat-treatment-temperature gradient (HTT; 200-650 oC). Results from 2D-PCIS pointed to the systematic, HTT-induced defragmenting of lignocellulose H-bonding network, and demethylenation/demethylation, oxidation or dehydroxylation/dehydrogenation of lignocellulose fragments as the primary reactions controlling biochar properties along the HTT gradient. The cleavage of OH O-type H-bonds, oxidation of free primarymore » hydroxyls (HTT≤500 oC), and their subsequent dehydrogenation/dehydroxylation (HTT>500 oC) controlled surface charge on the biochars; while the dehydrogenation of methylene groups, which yielded increasingly condensed structures (R-CH2-R →R=CH-R →R=C=R), controlled biochar recalcitrance. Variations in biochar properties across plant biomass type were attributable to taxa-specific transformations. For example, apparent inefficiencies in the cleavage of wood-specific H-bonds, and their subsequent oxidation to carboxyls, lead to lower surface charge in wood biochars (compared to grass biochars). Both non-taxa and taxa-specific transformations highlighted by 2D-PCIS could have significant implications for biochar functioning in fire-impacted or biochar-amended systems.« less

Bond Capability of Universal Adhesive Systems to Dentin in Self-etch Mode after Short-term Storage and Cyclic Loading

PubMed Central

Costa, Daniele Morosini; Somacal, Deise Caren; Borges, Gilberto Antonio; Spohr, Ana Maria

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim was to evaluate, in vitro, the tensile bond strength to dentin of Scotchbond Universal (SU), All-Bond Universal (AU) and One Coat 7 Universal (OC7) adhesives applied in self-etch mode, after 24 h of storage and after 500,000 loading cycles, using Clearfil SE Bond (SE) as a control. Materials and Methods: The adhesives were applied on the dentin of bovine teeth, followed by the application of a composite resin. Thirty specimens were obtained for each adhesive. Half of the specimens were submitted to cyclic loading for 500,000 cycles. All specimens were submitted to a tensile bond strength test in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute. Results: According to two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (α=5%), the interaction between the adhesive and cyclic loading factors was significant (p=0.001). The means followed by the same letter represent no significant difference in the bond strength (MPa) after 24 h: OC7=7.86A (±2.90), SU=6.78AB (±2.03), AU=5.61BC (±2.32), and SE=3.53C (±1.89). After cyclic loading, SE, SU and AU maintained bond strength comparable to 24 h period. There was a significant decrease only for OC7. Conclusion: SU, AU and OC7 had bond strength to dentin comparable to that of SE. Only OC7 had decreased bond strength to dentin after cyclic loading. PMID:28839476

Portable Fiber Laser System and Method to Remove Pits and Cracks on Sensitized Surfaces of Aluminum Alloys

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

resistant 5083- H116 aluminum, sheet, 1/4" thick, 2" x 24", 2 pieces 71.60 5 Reagent VWR & Fisher Nitric acid and sodium hydroxide for mass loss...Temperature stability ±0.1oC @37oC Temperature uniformity ±0.2oC @37oC 693.55 4 5083-H116 Al-Mg alloy materials McMaster Carr Strengthened corrosion ...test, other acids for etching, electrochemical polishing, and anodizing 700.28 6 Containers VWR Beakers, petri dishes, bottles, graduated cylinders

46 CFR 32.15-30 - Radar-T/OC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Radar-T/OC. 32.15-30 Section 32.15-30 Shipping COAST... Navigation Equipment § 32.15-30 Radar—T/OC. All tankships of 1,600 gross tons and over in ocean or coastwise service must be fitted with a marine radar system for surface navigation. Facilities for plotting radar...

46 CFR 32.15-30 - Radar-T/OC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radar-T/OC. 32.15-30 Section 32.15-30 Shipping COAST... Navigation Equipment § 32.15-30 Radar—T/OC. All tankships of 1,600 gross tons and over in ocean or coastwise service must be fitted with a marine radar system for surface navigation. Facilities for plotting radar...

46 CFR 32.15-30 - Radar-T/OC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Radar-T/OC. 32.15-30 Section 32.15-30 Shipping COAST... Navigation Equipment § 32.15-30 Radar—T/OC. All tankships of 1,600 gross tons and over in ocean or coastwise service must be fitted with a marine radar system for surface navigation. Facilities for plotting radar...

46 CFR 32.15-30 - Radar-T/OC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Radar-T/OC. 32.15-30 Section 32.15-30 Shipping COAST... Navigation Equipment § 32.15-30 Radar—T/OC. All tankships of 1,600 gross tons and over in ocean or coastwise service must be fitted with a marine radar system for surface navigation. Facilities for plotting radar...

46 CFR 32.15-30 - Radar-T/OC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Radar-T/OC. 32.15-30 Section 32.15-30 Shipping COAST... Navigation Equipment § 32.15-30 Radar—T/OC. All tankships of 1,600 gross tons and over in ocean or coastwise service must be fitted with a marine radar system for surface navigation. Facilities for plotting radar...

Control of Randomly Sampled Robotic Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-01

task is so cumbersome and complicated that we would not be able to do without lots of mistakes. To avoid this formidable business , a Lisp program is...Artificial Inteligence Laboratory, 1972. PumA26O.c Ned Mar 8 17:51:04 1989 1 #include <rnath.h> #define real float #define mm 6 #define G 9.83. #define M6

Dynamics and fate of SOC in tidal marshes along a salinity gradient (Scheldt estuary, Belgium)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van de Broek, Marijn; Temmermann, Stijn; Merckx, Roel; Wang, Zhengang; Govers, Gerard

2016-04-01

Coastal ecosystems have been attributed the potential to store large amounts of organic carbon (OC), often referred to as blue carbon, of which a considerable amount is stored in tidal marsh soils. Large uncertainties still exist with respect to the amount and controlling factors of soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in these ecosystems. Moreover, most research has focused on SOC dynamics of saltmarshes, while brackish and freshwater marshes are often even more productive and thus receive even larger organic carbon inputs. Therefore, in this study the OC dynamics of tidal marsh soils along an estuarine gradient are studied in order to contribute to our knowledge of 1) the stocks, 2) the controlling factors and 3) the fate of SOC in tidal marshes with different environmental characteristics. This research thus contributes to a better understanding of the potential of coastal environments to store organic carbon under future climatic changes. Soil and vegetation samples are collected in tidal salt-, brackish- and freshwater marshes in the Scheldt estuary (Belgium - The Netherlands). At each tidal marsh, three replicate soil cores up to 1.5m depth in 0.03m increments are collected at locations with both a low and a high elevation. These cores are analyzed for OC, stable C and N isotopes, bulk density and texture. Incubation experiments of topsoil samples were conducted and both aboveground and belowground biomass were collected. The results show that SOC stocks (range: 13,5 - 35,4 kg OC m-2), standing biomass (range: 2000 - 7930 g DW m-2) and potential soil respiration of CO2 (range: 0,03 - 0,12 % per unit OC per day) decrease with increasing salinity. This shows that both the amount of OC from local macrophytes and the quality of the organic matter are important factors controlling the SOC stocks. In addition, based on the analysis of stable C and N isotopes, it appears that when a significant fraction of SOC is derived from local macrophytes, higher SOC stocks are found, while a change in aboveground vegetation type can have large effects on SOC accumulation. Moreover, as these marsh soils have been dated before, the observed depth patterns in SOC can be linked to historical changes (e.g. changes in vegetation). A calibrated model simulating sediment deposition in these marshes is coupled to a two-pool OC model to study the effect of sediment deposition rate on the fate of SOC, with most input information being collected at the field sites. This allows us to calculate the residence time of OC in these tidal marsh soils, a measure that is very uncertain, also for other ecosystems. The part concerning modelling is however still under progress at the moment of writing. This study shows to which extent OC stocks and dynamics of tidal marsh soils along a temperate estuary are controlled by 1) the amount and quality of OC input and 2) the contribution from different sources of OC, and uses these finding to construct a 1D model to simulate these dynamics through time.

Active control of the spatial MRI phase distribution with optimal control theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lefebvre, Pauline M.; Van Reeth, Eric; Ratiney, Hélène; Beuf, Olivier; Brusseau, Elisabeth; Lambert, Simon A.; Glaser, Steffen J.; Sugny, Dominique; Grenier, Denis; Tse Ve Koon, Kevin

2017-08-01

This paper investigates the use of Optimal Control (OC) theory to design Radio-Frequency (RF) pulses that actively control the spatial distribution of the MRI magnetization phase. The RF pulses are generated through the application of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle and optimized so that the resulting transverse magnetization reproduces various non-trivial and spatial phase patterns. Two different phase patterns are defined and the resulting optimal pulses are tested both numerically with the ODIN MRI simulator and experimentally with an agar gel phantom on a 4.7 T small-animal MR scanner. Phase images obtained in simulations and experiments are both consistent with the defined phase patterns. A practical application of phase control with OC-designed pulses is also presented, with the generation of RF pulses adapted for a Magnetic Resonance Elastography experiment. This study demonstrates the possibility to use OC-designed RF pulses to encode information in the magnetization phase and could have applications in MRI sequences using phase images.

Towards a mechanistic understanding of carbon stabilization in manganese oxides

PubMed Central

Johnson, Karen; Purvis, Graham; Lopez-Capel, Elisa; Peacock, Caroline; Gray, Neil; Wagner, Thomas; März, Christian; Bowen, Leon; Ojeda, Jesus; Finlay, Nina; Robertson, Steve; Worrall, Fred; Greenwell, Chris

2015-01-01

Minerals stabilize organic carbon (OC) in sediments, thereby directly affecting global climate at multiple scales, but how they do it is far from understood. Here we show that manganese oxide (Mn oxide) in a water treatment works filter bed traps dissolved OC as coatings build up in layers around clean sand grains at 3%w/wC. Using spectroscopic and thermogravimetric methods, we identify two main OC fractions. One is thermally refractory (>550 °C) and the other is thermally more labile (<550 °C). We postulate that the thermal stability of the trapped OC is due to carboxylate groups within it bonding to Mn oxide surfaces coupled with physical entrapment within the layers. We identify a significant difference in the nature of the surface-bound OC and bulk OC . We speculate that polymerization reactions may be occurring at depth within the layers. We also propose that these processes must be considered in future studies of OC in natural systems. PMID:26194625

Comparing the impacts of sediment-bound bifenthrin on aquatic macroinvertebrates in laboratory bioassays and field microcosms.

PubMed

Boyle, Rhianna L; Hoak, Molly N; Pettigrove, Vincent J; Hoffmann, Ary A; Long, Sara M

2016-11-01

We conducted two laboratory bioassays and two field microcosm exposures with bifenthrin (a synthetic pyrethroid) in order to evaluate the capacity of single-species laboratory bioassays to predict lethal and sublethal impacts on aquatic invertebrates in microcosms. For the laboratory species, Chironomus tepperi, larval survival was reduced by 24% at 53.66µg/g OC, while adult emergence was reduced at concentrations of 33.33µg/g OC and higher, with a 61% decrease at 77.78µg/g OC and no emergence at 126.67µg/g OC. The abundance of several other microcosm taxa was reduced in the microcosms at a similar concentration range (33.33µg/g OC and above), however there was no impact on the abundance of the congeneric species, Chironomus oppositus. The differences in impacts between test systems were potentially due to both differing species sensitivity and the interaction of ambient temperature with bifenthrin toxicity. Bifenthrin also was associated with early emergence of Chironomus sp. in both test systems, at concentrations of 10µg/g OC and higher (laboratory) and 43.90µg/g OC (microcosm), and with a significant decrease in the proportion of C. oppositus males in a microcosm. These findings indicate that while laboratory bioassays accurately predict many impacts in the field, there are some limitations to the predictive capacity of these tests. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular Cloning and mRNA Expression of Heat Shock Protein Genes and Their Response to Cadmium Stress in the Grasshopper Oxya chinensis.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuping; Liu, Yaoming; Zhang, Jianzhen; Guo, Yaping; Ma, Enbo

2015-01-01

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are highly conserved molecular chaperones that are synthesized in response to stress. In this study, we cloned the full-length sequences of the Grp78 (glucose-regulated protein 78), Hsp70, Hsp90, and Hsp40 genes from the Chinese rice grasshopper Oxya chinensis. The full-length cDNA sequences of OcGrp78, OcHsp70, OcHsp90, and OcHsp40 contain open reading frames of 1947, 1920, 2172, and 1042 bp that encode proteins of 649, 640, 724, and 347 amino acids, respectively. Fluorescent real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to quantify the relative transcript levels of these Hsp genes in different tissues and developmental stages. The mRNAs encoding these four Hsp genes were present at all developmental stages and in all tissues examined but were expressed at varying levels. Additionally, we investigated the mRNA expression profiles of these four Hsps in O. chinensis subjected to Cadmium (Cd) stress. OcGrp78, OcHsp70, OcHsp90, and OcHsp40 mRNA expression was induced under acute Cd stress; the levels reached a maximum within a short time (6 h), were reduced significantly at 12 h, and were lowered to or below control levels by 48 h. Regarding induction efficiency, OcHsp70 was the most sensitive gene to acute Cd stress. Chronic Cd exposure showed that dietary Cd treatment induced increased OcGrp78, OcHsp90, and OcHsp40 expression. However, dietary Cd induced a significant reduction of OcHsp70 expression. In the period tested, no significant difference in the mortality of the grasshoppers was observed. Our results suggest that these four Hsps genes, especially OcHsp70, are sensitive to acute Cd stress and could be used as molecular markers for toxicology studies. However, our results also indicate that OcHsp70 is not suitable for use as a molecular marker of chronic Cd contamination.

Abuse potential, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of intranasally administered crushed oxycodone HCl abuse-deterrent controlled-release tablets in recreational opioid users

PubMed Central

Harris, Stephen C; Perrino, Peter J; Smith, Ira; Shram, Megan J; Colucci, Salvatore V; Bartlett, Cynthia; Sellers, Edward M

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate abuse potential, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of intranasally administered, crushed reformulated OxyContin® (oxycodone HCl controlled-release) tablets (ORF), relative to crushed original OxyContin® (OC), oxycodone powder (Oxy API), and OC placebo. This randomized, double-blind, positive- and placebo-controlled crossover study enrolled healthy, adult, nonphysically dependent recreational opioid users with recent history of intranasal drug abuse (N = 27). Active treatments contained oxycodone (30 mg). Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics (e.g., Overall Drug Liking [ODL], Take Drug Again [TDA], and High Visual Analog Scales [VAS]; Subjective Drug Value [SDV]; pupillometry; intranasal irritation), and safety (e.g., adverse events, vital signs, laboratory tests) were assessed to 24 hours postdose. Crushed ORF administration yielded reduced oxycodone Cmax and increased Tmax versus crushed OC and Oxy API. Peak effects for pharmacodynamic measures were delayed with ORF (1–2 hours) versus OC and Oxy API (0.5–1 hour). ODL, TDA, High VAS, and SDV Emax values were significantly lower (P ≤ .05) and some intranasal irritation ratings were greater for ORF versus OC and Oxy API. No significant or unexpected safety findings were observed. Compared with OC and Oxy API, intranasally administered ORF was associated with lower and delayed peak plasma concentrations, decreased drug-liking, and decreased intranasal tolerability. This suggests that ORF has a decreased potential for intranasal oxycodone abuse. There were no significant or unexpected safety findings. As is true for all abuse potential studies, epidemiological or other appropriate post-marketing studies are required to assess the impact of the reduction in intranasal oxycodone abuse potential observed in the present study on real-world patterns of ORF misuse, abuse, and diversion. PMID:24243216

Streptococcal upper respiratory tract infections and psychosocial stress predict future tic and obsessive-compulsive symptom severity in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Lin, Haiqun; Williams, Kyle A.; Katsovich, Liliya; Findley, Diane B.; Grantz, Heidi; Lombroso, Paul J.; King, Robert A.; Bessen, Debra E.; Johnson, Dwight; Kaplan, Edward L.; Landeros-Weisenberger, Angeli; Zhang, Heping; Leckman, James F.

2009-01-01

Background: One goal of this prospective longitudinal study was to identify new group A beta hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome (TS) and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) compared to healthy control subjects. We then examined the power of GABHS infections and measures of psychosocial stress to predict future tic, obsessive-compulsive (OC), and depressive symptom severity. Methods: Consecutive ratings of tic, OC and depressive symptom severity were obtained for 45 cases and 41 matched control subjects over a two-year period. Clinical raters were blinded to the results of laboratory tests. Laboratory personnel were blinded to case or control status and clinical ratings. Structural equation modeling for unbalanced repeated measures was used to assess the sequence of new GABHS infections and psychosocial stress and their impact on future symptom severity. Results: Increases in tic and OC symptom severity did not occur after every new GABHS infection. However, the structural equation model found that these newly diagnosed infections were predictive of modest increases in future tic and OC symptom severity, but did not predict future depressive symptom severity. In addition, the inclusion of new infections in the model greatly enhanced, by a factor of three, the power of psychosocial stress in predicting future tic and OC symptom severity. Conclusions: Our data suggest that a minority of children with TS and early-onset OCD were sensitive to antecedent GABHS infections. These infections also enhanced the predictive power of current psychosocial stress on future tic and OC symptom severity. PMID:19833320

Baby Shampoo to Relieve the Discomfort of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Winslow, James E.; Johnson, James C.; Hill, Keith D.; Bozeman, William P.

2018-01-01

Introduction Oleoresin capsicum (OC) or pepper spray, and tear gas (CS) are used by police and the military and produce severe discomfort. Some have proposed that washing with baby shampoo helps reduce this discomfort. Methods We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study to determine if baby shampoo is effective in reducing the severity and duration of these effects. Study subjects included volunteers undergoing OC or CS exposure as part of their police or military training. After standardized exposure to OC or CS all subjects were allowed to irrigate their eyes and skin ad lib with water. Those randomized to the intervention group were provided with baby shampoo for application to their head, neck, and face. Participants rated their subjective discomfort in two domains on a scale of 0–10 at 0, 3, 5, 10, and 15 minutes. We performed statistical analysis using a two-tailed Mann-Whitney Test. Results There were 58 participants. Of 40 subjects in the OC arm of the study, there were no significant differences in the ocular or respiratory discomfort at any of the time points between control (n=19) and intervention (n=21) groups. Of 18 subjects in the CS arm, there were no significant differences in the ocular or skin discomfort at any of the time points between control (n=8) and intervention (n=10) groups. Conclusion Irrigation with water and baby shampoo provides no better relief from OC- or CS-induced discomfort than irrigation with water alone. PMID:29560057

Allocating physicians' overhead costs to services: an econometric/accounting-activity based-approach.

PubMed

Peden, Al; Baker, Judith J

2002-01-01

Using the optimizing properties of econometric analysis, this study analyzes how physician overhead costs (OC) can be allocated to multiple activities to maximize precision in reimbursing the costs of services. Drawing on work by Leibenstein and Friedman, the analysis also shows that allocating OC to multiple activities unbiased by revenue requires controlling for revenue when making the estimates. Further econometric analysis shows that it is possible to save about 10 percent of OC by paying only for those that are necessary.

The role of terrestrially derived organic carbon in the coastal ocean: A changing paradigm and the priming effect

PubMed Central

Bianchi, Thomas S.

2011-01-01

One of the major conundrums in oceanography for the past 20 y has been that, although the total flux of dissolved organic carbon (OC; DOC) discharged annually to the global ocean can account for the turnover time of all oceanic DOC (ca. 4,000–6,000 y), chemical biomarker and stable isotopic data indicate that there is very little terrestrially derived OC (TerrOC) in the global ocean. Similarly, it has been estimated that only 30% of the TerrOC buried in marine sediments is of terrestrial origin in muddy deltaic regions with high sedimentation rates. If vascular plant material—assumed to be highly resistant to decay—makes up much of the DOC and particulate OC of riverine OC (along with soil OC), why do we not see more TerrOC in coastal and oceanic waters and sediments? An explanation for this “missing” TerrOC in the ocean is critical in our understanding of the global carbon cycle. Here, I consider the origin of vascular plants, the major component of TerrOC, and how their appearance affected the overall cycling of OC on land. I also examine the role vascular plant material plays in soil OC, inland aquatic ecosystems, and the ocean, and how our understanding of TerrOC and “priming” processes in these natural systems has gained considerable interests in the terrestrial literature, but has largely been ignored in the aquatic sciences. Finally, I close by postulating that priming is in fact an important process that needs to be incorporated into global carbon models in the context of climate change. PMID:22106254

Clotting Factor Changes during the First Cycle of Oral Contraceptive Use

PubMed Central

Westhoff, Carolyn L.; Eisenberger, Andrew; Tang, Rosalind; Cremers, Serge; Grossman, Lisa V.; Pike, Malcolm C.

2016-01-01

Objectives The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highest during the initial months of oral contraceptive (OC) use. We sought to evaluate the extent of hemostatic variable changes during the initial OC cycle and if such changes are related to systemic ethinyl estradiol (EE2) exposure. Study Design Participants provided multiple blood samples during a 21-day OC cycle (30 mcg EE2; 150 mcg levonorgestrel) and after a single dose following a wash-out period. Analytes included D-dimer, factor VIII activity, protein C total antigen and the hepatic proteins corticosteroid- and sex-hormone-binding globulins (CBG and SHBG). EE2 pharmacokinetic analyses related to the 24 hours after the first OC tablet (OC1) and at steady state (OC21). Results Seventeen women completed the study. D-dimer more than doubled by OC6 (p = 0.013) and remained elevated at OC21 (p=0.012). D-dimer levels within women varied widely from day-to-day. Factor VIII increased 27% by OC2 (p < 0.001), but declined to a 9% increase by OC21. Protein C increased only 6%. EE2 steady-state area-under-the-curve ranged from 488 to 1103 pg·h/mL; higher levels were not correlated with greater increases in clotting variables. CBG and SHBG increased significantly, but were not significantly correlated with levels of EE2 or with the hemostatic variables. Conclusions D-dimer increases during the first OC cycle were at least as great as increases seen with longer OC use. These results provide support for the increased VTE risk during initial OC use. The extreme variability in D-dimer levels may be an important component of this risk. PMID:26452328

Effect of combined metformin and oral contraceptive therapy on metabolic factors and endothelial function in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

PubMed

Essah, Paulina A; Arrowood, James A; Cheang, Kai I; Adawadkar, Swati S; Stovall, Dale W; Nestler, John E

2011-08-01

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 19 overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome were randomized to a 3-month course of either metformin plus combined hormonal oral contraceptive (OC) (n = 9) or OC plus matched placebo (n = 10). After 3 months, both treatments had similar effects on androgen levels, lipid profile, insulin sensitivity, and serum inflammatory markers, but flow-mediated dilatation increased by 69.0% in the metformin plus OC group while it remained unchanged in the OC group. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NO: NCT00682890. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Size-resolved source apportionment of carbonaceous particulate matter in urban and rural sites in central California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, Walter A.; Kleeman, Michael J.

2011-08-01

Very little is currently known about the relationship between exposure to different sources of ambient ultrafine particles (PM 0.1) and human health effects. If human health effects are enhanced by PM 0.1's ability to cross cell membranes, then more information is needed describing the sources of ultrafine particles that are deposited in the human respiratory system. The current study presents results for the source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in six size fractions smaller than 1.8 μm particle diameter including ultrafine particles (PM 0.1) in one of the most polluted air basins in the United States. Size-resolved source apportionment results are presented at an urban site and rural site in central California's heavily polluted San Joaquin Valley during the winter and summer months using a molecular marker chemical mass balance (MM-CMB) method. Respiratory deposition calculations for the size-resolved source apportionment results are carried out with the Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry Model ( MPPD v 2.0), including calculations for ultrafine (PM 0.1) source deposition. Diesel engines accounted for the majority of PM 0.1 and PM 1.8 EC at both the urban and rural sampling locations during both summer and winter seasons. Meat cooking accounted for 33-67% and diesel engines accounted for 15-21% of the PM 0.1 OC at Fresno. Meat cooking accounted for 22-26% of the PM 0.1 OC at the rural Westside location, while diesel engines accounted for 8-9%. Wood burning contributions to PM 0.1 OC increased to as much as 12% of PM 0.1 OC during the wintertime. The modest contribution of wood smoke reflects the success of emissions control programs over the past decade. In contrast to PM 0.1, PM 1.8 OC had a higher fraction of unidentified source contributions (68-85%) suggesting that this material is composed of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) or primary organic aerosol (POA) that has been processed by atmospheric chemical reactions. Meat cooking was the largest identified source of PM 1.8 organic carbon (OC) at the Fresno site (12-13%) while diesel engines were the largest identified PM 1.8 OC source at the rural site (5-8%). Wood burning contributions to PM 1.8 OC increased during the wintertime at both sites (6-9%) but were relatively small during the summertime (˜1%). As expected, diesel engines were the dominant source of PM 0.1 EC respiratory deposition at both the urban and rural site in both summer and winter (0.01-0.03 μg PM 0.1 EC deposited per m 3 air inhaled). Meat cooking accounted for 0.01-0.025 μg PM 0.1 OC deposited per m 3 air inhaled while diesel fuel accounted for 0.005-0.013 μg PM 0.1 OC deposited per m 3 air inhaled. Minor contributions from wood burning, motor oil, and gasoline fuel were calculated at levels <0.005 μg PM 0.1 OC deposited per m 3 air inhaled at both urban and rural locations during winter and summer seasons. If the burden of PM 0.1 deposited in the respiratory system is relevant for human health effects, then future toxicology studies should be carried out at PM 0.1 concentrations and source mixtures equivalent to those measured in the current study.

Organizational Climate Assessment: a Systemic Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argentero, Piergiorgio; Setti, Ilaria

A number of studies showed how the set up of an involving and motivating work environment represents a source for organizational competitive advantage: in this view organizational climate (OC) research occupies a preferred position in current I/O psychology. The present study is a review carried out to establish the breadth of the literature on the characteristics of OC assessment considered in a systemic perspective. An organization with a strong climate is a work environment whose members have similar understanding of the norms and practices and share the same expectations. OC should be considered as a sort of emergent entity and, as such, it can be studied only within a systemic perspective because it is linked with some organizational variables, in terms of antecedents (such as the organization's internal structure and its environmental features) and consequences (such as job performance, psychological well-being and withdrawal) of the climate itself. In particular, when employees have a positive view of their organizational environment, consistently with their values and interests, they are more likely to identify their personal goals with those of the organization and, in turn, to invest a greater effort to pursue them: the employees' perception of the organizational environment is positively related to the key outcomes such as job involvement, effort and performance. OC analysis could also be considered as an effective Organizational Development (OD) tool: in particular, the Survey Feedback, that is the return of the OC survey results, could be an effective instrument to assess the efficacy of specific OD programs, such as Team Building, TQM and Gainsharing. The present study is focused on the interest to investigate all possible variables which are potential moderators of the climate - outcome relationship: therefore future researches in the OC field should consider a great variety of organizational variables, considered in terms of antecedents and effects of OC, and OC studies should be conducted as cross-level and multilevel researches.

Influence of Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Nanofibers and BMP-2–Containing Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Nanofibers on Growth and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Schofer, Markus D.; Fuchs-Winkelmann, Susanne; Gräbedünkel, Christian; Wack, Christina; Dersch, Roland; Rudisile, Markus; Wendorff, Joachim H.; Greiner, Andreas; Paletta, Jürgen R. J.; Boudriot, Ulrich

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to characterize synthetic poly-(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofibers concerning their ability to promote growth and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells in vitro, as well as to test their suitability as a carrier system for growth factors. Fiber matrices composed of PLLA or BMP-2–incorporated PLLA were seeded with human mesenchymal stem cells and cultivated over a period of 22 days under growth and osteoinductive conditions, and analyzed during the course of culture, with respect to gene expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), and collagen I (COL-I). Furthermore, COL-I and OC deposition, as well as cell densities and proliferation, were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy. Although the presence of nanofibers diminished the dexamethasone-induced proliferation, there were no differences in cell densities or deposition of either COL-I or OC after 22 days of culture. The gene expression of ALP, OC, and COL-I decreased in the initial phase of cell cultivation on PLLA nanofibers as compared to cover slip control, but normalized during the course of cultivation. The initial down-regulation was not observed when BMP-2 was directly incorporated into PLLA nanofibers by electrospinning, indicating that growth factors like BMP-2 might survive the spinning process in a bioactive form. PMID:19112539

DC-STAMP Is an Osteoclast Fusogen Engaged in Periodontal Bone Resorption

PubMed Central

Wisitrasameewong, W.; Kajiya, M.; Movila, A.; Rittling, S.; Ishii, T.; Suzuki, M.; Matsuda, S.; Mazda, Y.; Torruella, M.R.; Azuma, M.M.; Egashira, K.; Freire, M.O.; Sasaki, H.; Wang, C.Y.; Han, X.; Taubman, M.A.; Kawai, T.

2017-01-01

Dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP) plays a key role in the induction of osteoclast (OC) cell fusion, as well as DC-mediated immune regulation. While DC-STAMP gene expression is upregulated in the gingival tissue with periodontitis, its pathophysiological roles in periodontitis remain unclear. To evaluate the effects of DC-STAMP in periodontitis, anti-DC-STAMP–monoclonal antibody (mAb) was tested in a mouse model of ligature-induced periodontitis (n = 6–7/group) where Pasteurella pneumotropica (Pp)-reactive immune response activated T cells to produce receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), which, in turn, promotes the periodontal bone loss via upregulation of osteoclastogenesis. DC-STAMP was expressed on the cell surface of mature multinuclear OCs, as well as immature mononuclear OCs, in primary cultures of RANKL-stimulated bone marrow cells. Anti-DC-STAMP-mAb suppressed the emergence of large, but not small, multinuclear OCs, suggesting that DC-STAMP is engaged in the late stage of cell fusion. Anti-DC-STAMP-mAb also inhibited pit formation caused by RANKL-stimulated bone marrow cells. Attachment of ligature to a second maxillary molar induced DC-STAMP messenger RNA and protein, along with elevated tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase–positive (TRAP+) OCs and alveolar bone loss. As we expected, systemic administration of anti-DC-STAMP-mAb downregulated the ligature-induced alveolar bone loss. Importantly, local injection of anti-DC-STAMP-mAb also suppressed alveolar bone loss and reduced the total number of multinucleated TRAP+ cells in mice that received ligature attachment. Attachment of ligature induced significantly elevated tumor necrosis factor–α, interleukin-1β, and RANKL in the gingival tissue compared with the control site without ligature (P < 0.05), which was unaffected by local injection with either anti-DC-STAMP-mAb or control-mAb. Neither in vivo anti-Pp IgG antibody nor in vitro anti-Pp T-cell response and resultant production of RANKL was affected by anti-DC-STAMP-mAb. This study illustrated the roles of DC-STAMP in promoting local OC cell fusion without affecting adaptive immune responses to oral bacteria. Therefore, it is plausible that a novel therapeutic regimen targeting DC-STAMP could suppress periodontal bone loss. PMID:28199142

Evidence for the respiration of ancient terrestrial organic C in northern temperate lakes and streams

PubMed Central

McCallister, S. Leigh; del Giorgio, Paul A.

2012-01-01

Northern rivers and lakes process large quantities of organic and inorganic carbon from the surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. These external carbon inputs fuel widespread CO2 supersaturation in continental waters, and the resulting CO2 emissions from lakes and rivers are now recognized as a globally significant loss of terrestrial production to the atmosphere. Whereas the magnitude of emissions has received much attention, the pathways of C delivery and processing that generate these emissions are still not well-understood. CO2 outgassing in aquatic systems has been unequivocally linked to microbial degradation and respiration of terrestrial organic carbon (OC), but the nature (i.e., age and source) of this OC respired in surface waters is largely unknown. We present direct radiocarbon measurements of OC respired by bacteria in freshwater aquatic systems, specifically temperate lakes and streams in Québec. Terrestrial OC fuels much of the respiration in these systems, and our results show that a significant fraction of the respired terrestrial OC is old (in the range of 1,000–3,000 y B.P.). Because the bulk OC pools in these lakes is relatively young, our results also suggest selective removal of an old but highly bioreactive terrestrial OC pool and its conversion to CO2 by bacteria. The respiration of ancient 14C-depleted terrestrial C in northern lakes and rivers provides a biological link between contemporary aquatic carbon biogeochemistry and paleo-conditions in the watershed, and it implies the aquatic-mediated return to the atmosphere of C putatively considered permanently stored, thus challenging current models of long-term C storage in terrestrial reservoirs. PMID:23027957

Spatial Associations and Chemical Composition of Organic Carbon Sequestered in Fe, Ca, and Organic Carbon Ternary Systems.

PubMed

Sowers, Tyler D; Adhikari, Dinesh; Wang, Jian; Yang, Yu; Sparks, Donald L

2018-05-25

Organo-mineral associations of organic carbon (OC) with iron (Fe) oxides play a major role in environmental OC sequestration, a process crucial to mitigating climate change. Calcium has been found to have high coassociation with OC in soils containing high Fe content, increase OC sorption extent to poorly crystalline Fe oxides, and has long been suspected to form bridging complexes with Fe and OC. Due to the growing realization that Ca may be an important component of C cycling, we launched a scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) investigation, paired with near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, in order to spatially resolve Fe, Ca, and OC relationships and probe the effect of Ca on sorbed OC speciation. We performed STXM-NEXAFS analysis on 2-line ferrihydrite reacted with leaf litter-extractable dissolved OC and citric acid in the absence and presence of Ca. Organic carbon was found to highly associate with Ca ( R 2 = 0.91). Carboxylic acid moieties were dominantly sequestered; however, Ca facilitated the additional sequestration of aromatic and phenolic moieties. Also, C NEXAFS revealed polyvalent metal ion complexation. Our results provide evidence for the presence of Fe-Ca-OC ternary complexation, which has the potential to significantly impact how organo-mineral associations are modeled.

Microbiological and faunal soil attributes of coffee cultivation under different management systems in Brazil.

PubMed

Lammel, D R; Azevedo, L C B; Paula, A M; Armas, R D; Baretta, D; Cardoso, E J B N

2015-11-01

Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world and different plantation management systems have been applied to improve sustainability and soil quality. Little is known about the environmental effects of these different management systems, therefore, the goal of this study was to use soil biological parameters as indicators of changes. Soils from plantations in Southeastern Brazil with conventional (CC), organic (OC) and integrated management systems containing intercropping of Brachiaria decumbens (IB) or Arachis pintoi (IA) were sampled. Total organic carbon (TOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), microbial activity (C-CO2), metabolic quotient (qCO2), the enzymes dehydrogenase, urease, acid phosphatase and arylsulphatase, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization and number of spores and soil fauna were evaluated. The greatest difference between the management systems was seen in soil organic matter content. The largest quantity of TOC was found in the OC, and the smallest was found in IA. TOC content influenced soil biological parameters. The use of all combined attributes was necessary to distinguish the four systems. Each management presented distinct faunal structure, and the data obtained with the trap method was more reliable than the TSBF (Tropical Soils) method. A canonic correlation analysis showed that Isopoda was correlated with TOC and the most abundant order with OC. Isoptera was the most abundant faunal order in IA and correlated with MBC. Overall, OC had higher values for most of the biological measurements and higher populations of Oligochaeta and Isopoda, corroborating with the concept that the OC is a more sustainable system.

Involvement of the orphan nuclear estrogen receptor-related receptor α in osteoclast adhesion and transmigration

PubMed Central

Bonnelye, Edith; Saltel, Frédéric; Chabadel, Anne; Zirngibl, Ralph A; Aubin, Jane E; Jurdic, Pierre

2010-01-01

The orphan nuclear receptor, estrogen receptor-related receptor α (ERRα) is expressed in osteoblasts and osteoclasts (OCs) and has been proposed to be a modulator of estrogen signaling. To determine the role of ERRα in OC biology, we knocked down ERRα activity by transient transfection of an siRNA directed against ERRα in the RAW264.7 monocyte–macrophage cell line that differentiates into OCs in the presence of receptor activator of nuclear factor κB-ligands and macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In parallel, stable RAW cell lines expressing a dominant-negative form of ERRα and green fluorescent protein (RAW-GFP-ERRαΔAF2) were used. Expression of OC markers was assessed by real-time PCR, and adhesion and transmigration tests were performed. Actin cytoskeletal organization was visualized using confocal microscopy. We found that RAW264.7 cells expressing siRNA directed against ERRα and RAW-GFP-ERRαΔAF2 OCs displayed abnormal spreading, and decreased osteopontin and β3 integrin subunit expression compared with the corresponding control cells. Decreased adhesion and the absence of podosome belts concomitant with abnormal localization of c-src were also observed in RAW-GFP-ERRαΔAF2-derived OCs. In addition, RAW-GFP-ERRαΔAF2-derived OCs failed to transmigrate through osteoblast cell layers. Our data show that the impairment of ERRα function does not alter OC precursor proliferation and differentiation but does alter the adhesion/spreading and migration capacities of mature OCs. PMID:20841427

Effect of Weight Loss, Exercise, or Both on Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin and Insulin Secretion in Frail, Obese Older Adults

PubMed Central

Napoli, Nicola; Phadnis, Uma; Armamento-Villareal, Reina

2017-01-01

Background Obesity exacerbates age-related decline in glucometabolic control. Undercarboxylated osteocalcin (UcOC) regulates pancreatic insulin secretion. The long-term effect of lifestyle interventions on UcOC and insulin secretion has not been investigated. Methods One hundred seven frail, obese older adults were randomized into the control (N = 27), diet (N = 26), exercise (N = 26), and diet-exercise (N = 28) groups for 1 year. Main outcomes included changes in UcOC and disposition index (DI). Results UcOC increased in the diet group (36 ± 11.6%) but not in the other groups (P < 0.05 between groups). Although similar increases in DI occurred in the diet-exercise and diet groups at 6 months, DI increased more in the diet-exercise group (92.4 ± 11.4%) than in the diet group (61.9 ± 15.3%) at 12 months (P < 0.05). UcOC and body composition changes predicted DI variation in the diet group only (R2 = 0.712), while adipocytokines and physical function changes contributed to DI variation in both the diet (∆R2 = 0.140 and 0.107) and diet-exercise (∆R2 = 0.427 and 0.243) groups (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions Diet, but not exercise or both, increases UcOC, whereas both diet and diet-exercise increase DI. UcOC accounts for DI variation only during active weight loss, while adipocytokines and physical function contribute to diet-exercise-induced DI variation, highlighting different mechanisms for lifestyle-induced improvements in insulin secretion. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00146107. PMID:28951766

Effect of Weight Loss, Exercise, or Both on Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin and Insulin Secretion in Frail, Obese Older Adults.

PubMed

Colleluori, Georgia; Napoli, Nicola; Phadnis, Uma; Armamento-Villareal, Reina; Villareal, Dennis T

2017-01-01

Obesity exacerbates age-related decline in glucometabolic control. Undercarboxylated osteocalcin (UcOC) regulates pancreatic insulin secretion. The long-term effect of lifestyle interventions on UcOC and insulin secretion has not been investigated. One hundred seven frail, obese older adults were randomized into the control ( N = 27), diet ( N = 26), exercise ( N = 26), and diet-exercise ( N = 28) groups for 1 year. Main outcomes included changes in UcOC and disposition index (DI). UcOC increased in the diet group (36 ± 11.6%) but not in the other groups ( P < 0.05 between groups). Although similar increases in DI occurred in the diet-exercise and diet groups at 6 months, DI increased more in the diet-exercise group (92.4 ± 11.4%) than in the diet group (61.9 ± 15.3%) at 12 months ( P < 0.05). UcOC and body composition changes predicted DI variation in the diet group only ( R 2 = 0.712), while adipocytokines and physical function changes contributed to DI variation in both the diet (∆ R 2 = 0.140 and 0.107) and diet-exercise (∆ R 2 = 0.427 and 0.243) groups ( P < 0.05 for all). Diet, but not exercise or both, increases UcOC, whereas both diet and diet-exercise increase DI. UcOC accounts for DI variation only during active weight loss, while adipocytokines and physical function contribute to diet-exercise-induced DI variation, highlighting different mechanisms for lifestyle-induced improvements in insulin secretion. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00146107.

Sex determines which section of the SLC6A4 gene is linked to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in normal Chinese college students.

PubMed

Lei, Xuemei; Chen, Chuansheng; He, Qinghua; Chen, Chunhui; Moyzis, Robert K; Xue, Gui; Chen, Xiongying; Cao, Zhongyu; Li, Jin; Li, He; Zhu, Bi; Chun Hsu, Anna Shan; Li, Sufang; Li, Jun; Dong, Qi

2012-09-01

Previous case-control and family-based association studies have implicated the SLC6A4 gene in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Little research, however, has examined this gene's role in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in community samples. The present study genotyped seven tag SNPs and two common functional tandem repeat polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR and STin2), which together cover the whole SLC6A4 gene, and investigated their associations with OCS in normal Chinese college students (N = 572). The results revealed a significant gender main effect and gender-specific genetic effects of the SLC6A4 gene on OCS. Males scored significantly higher on total OCS and its three dimensions than did females (ps < .01). The 5-HTTLPR in the promoter region showed a female-specific genetic effect, with the l/l and l/s genotypes linked to higher OCS scores than the s/s genotype (ps < .05). In contrast, a conserved haplotype polymorphism (rs1042173| rs4325622| rs3794808| rs140701| rs4583306| rs2020942) covering from intron 3 to the 3' UTR of the SLC6A4 gene showed male-specific genetic effects, with the CGAAGG/CGAAGG genotype associated with lower OCS scores than the other genotypes (ps < .05). These effects remained significant after controlling for OCS-related factors including participants' depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as stressful life events, and correction for multiple tests. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for our understanding of the sex-specific role of the different sections of the SLC6A4 gene in OCD. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Clitoral vascularization and sexual behavior in young patients treated with drospirenone-ethinyl estradiol or contraceptive vaginal ring: a prospective, randomized, pilot study.

PubMed

Battaglia, Cesare; Morotti, Elena; Persico, Nicola; Battaglia, Bruno; Busacchi, Paolo; Casadio, Paolo; Paradisi, Roberto; Venturoli, Stefano

2014-02-01

Oral contraceptives (OC) are effective for birth control and have good cycle control and tolerability. However, the hormonal components could modify mood and libido. The aim of this study is to evaluate the genital vascular effects and sexual behavior of an OC containing 30 μg ethinyl estradiol and 3 mg drospirenone in comparison with a flexible combined contraceptive vaginal ring. Forty women underwent a sonographic assessment of the clitoral anatomy and vascularization and were administered the McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire (MFSQ) and the Beck's Depression Inventory questionnaire (BDI). Estradiol, androstenedione, testosterone, and SHBG were assayed. Free Androgen Index (FAI) and Free Estrogen Index (FEI) were calculated. The patients were randomly submitted to OC (group I; n = 21) or vaginal ring (group II; n = 19). Ultrasonographic clitoral volume, pulsatility index (PI) of dorsal clitoral arteries, MFSQ, BDI, and hormonal and biochemical assays were analyzed. After therapy, the testosterone levels were reduced in both groups, whereas estradiol decreased only in group I women. The SHBG increased in all the subjects, and both FAI and FEI decreased. The clitoral volume decreased in all the women. The PI of the dorsal clitoral artery increased only in patients on OC. The hormonal contraception was associated, in both studied groups, with a significant decrease of the two-factor Italian MFSQ score, which was more marked in OC users. In group I subjects, there was a reduction of the number of intercourse/week and a reduction of orgasm frequency during intercourse. The pain during intercourse worsened after OC use. The vaginal ring users reported a vaginal wetness. Six-month treatment with hormonal contraception is associated with a diminished MFSQ score. However, the frequency of sexual intercourse and orgasm was reduced only by the use of OC. The OC use was associated with increased pain during intercourse. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

High Primary Production Contrasts with Intense Carbon Emission in a Eutrophic Tropical Reservoir

PubMed Central

Almeida, Rafael M.; Nóbrega, Gabriel N.; Junger, Pedro C.; Figueiredo, Aline V.; Andrade, Anízio S.; de Moura, Caroline G. B.; Tonetta, Denise; Oliveira, Ernandes S.; Araújo, Fabiana; Rust, Felipe; Piñeiro-Guerra, Juan M.; Mendonça, Jurandir R.; Medeiros, Leonardo R.; Pinheiro, Lorena; Miranda, Marcela; Costa, Mariana R. A.; Melo, Michaela L.; Nobre, Regina L. G.; Benevides, Thiago; Roland, Fábio; de Klein, Jeroen; Barros, Nathan O.; Mendonça, Raquel; Becker, Vanessa; Huszar, Vera L. M.; Kosten, Sarian

2016-01-01

Recent studies from temperate lakes indicate that eutrophic systems tend to emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) and bury more organic carbon (OC) than oligotrophic ones, rendering them CO2 sinks in some cases. However, the scarcity of data from tropical systems is critical for a complete understanding of the interplay between eutrophication and aquatic carbon (C) fluxes in warm waters. We test the hypothesis that a warm eutrophic system is a source of both CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere, and that atmospheric emissions are larger than the burial of OC in sediments. This hypothesis was based on the following assumptions: (i) OC mineralization rates are high in warm water systems, so that water column CO2 production overrides the high C uptake by primary producers, and (ii) increasing trophic status creates favorable conditions for CH4 production. We measured water-air and sediment-water CO2 fluxes, CH4 diffusion, ebullition and oxidation, net ecosystem production (NEP) and sediment OC burial during the dry season in a eutrophic reservoir in the semiarid northeastern Brazil. The reservoir was stratified during daytime and mixed during nighttime. In spite of the high rates of primary production (4858 ± 934 mg C m-2 d-1), net heterotrophy was prevalent due to high ecosystem respiration (5209 ± 992 mg C m-2 d-1). Consequently, the reservoir was a source of atmospheric CO2 (518 ± 182 mg C m-2 d-1). In addition, the reservoir was a source of ebullitive (17 ± 10 mg C m-2 d-1) and diffusive CH4 (11 ± 6 mg C m-2 d-1). OC sedimentation was high (1162 mg C m-2 d-1), but our results suggest that the majority of it is mineralized to CO2 (722 ± 182 mg C m-2 d-1) rather than buried as OC (440 mg C m-2 d-1). Although temporally resolved data would render our findings more conclusive, our results suggest that despite being a primary production and OC burial hotspot, the tropical eutrophic system studied here was a stronger CO2 and CH4 source than a C sink, mainly because of high rates of OC mineralization in the water column and sediments. PMID:27242737

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of chicken osteocalcin and its use in evaluation of perch effects on bone remodeling in caged White Leghorns.

PubMed

Jiang, S; Cheng, H W; Hester, P Y; Hou, J-F

2013-08-01

Osteocalcin (OC) is a sensitive biochemical marker for evaluating bone turnover in mammals. The role of avian OC is less clear because of the need for a chicken assay. Our objectives were to develop an assay using indirect competitive ELISA for detecting chicken serum OC and use the assay to examine the effects of perches on bone remodeling in caged hens. Anti-chicken OC polyclonal antibody was produced by immunization of rabbits with a recombinant OC from Escherichia coli. Chicken OC extracted from bone was used as a coated protein, and purified chicken OC was used for calibration. The limit of detection of the developed OC ELISA was 0.13 ng/mL. The intra- and interassay CV were <7 and <12%, respectively. The sensitivity of the developed OC ELISA was compared with a commercial Rat-Mid OC ELISA in laying hens housed in conventional cages with or without perches. Serum samples were collected from 71-wk-old White Leghorn hens subjected to 4 treatments. Treatment 1 was control chickens that never had access to perches during their life cycle. Treatment 2 chickens had perches during the pullet phase (0 to 16.9 wk of age), whereas treatment 3 chickens had perches only during the egg-laying phase of the life cycle (17 to 71 wk of age). Treatment 4 chickens always had access to perches (0 to 71 wk of age). Correlation between the 2 assays was 0.62 (P < 0.0001). Levels of serum OC using the developed chicken ELISA were higher than that detected using the Rat-Mid ELISA (P < 0.0001). Results from the chicken ELISA assay showed that hens with perch access had higher concentrations of serum OC than hens without perches during egg laying (P = 0.04). Pullet access to perches did not affect serum OC levels in 71-wk-old hens (P = 0.15). In conclusion, a chicken OC ELISA has been validated that is sensitive and accurate with adequate discriminatory power for measuring bone remodeling in chickens.

Oral candidiasis.

PubMed

Millsop, Jillian W; Fazel, Nasim

2016-01-01

Oral candidiasis (OC) is a common fungal disease encountered in dermatology, most commonly caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans in the mouth. Although thrush is a well-recognized presentation of OC, it behooves clinicians to be aware of the many other presentations of this disease and how to accurately diagnose and manage these cases. The clinical presentations of OC can be broadly classified as white or erythematous candidiasis, with various subtypes in each category. The treatments include appropriate oral hygiene, topical agents, and systemic medications. This review focuses on the various clinical presentations of OC and treatment options. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Violent obsessions are associated with suicidality in an OCD analog sample of college students.

PubMed

Ching, Terence H W; Williams, Monnica; Siev, Jedidiah

2017-03-01

The picture of suicide in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is unclear because previous research did not uniformly control for depressive symptoms when examining the relationship between OCD and suicidality. Specific links between OC symptom dimensions and suicidality were also not adequately studied. As such, we investigated specific associations between OC symptom dimensions and suicidality, beyond the contribution of depressive symptoms, in an OCD analog sample of college students, a group traditionally at risk for suicide. One hundred and forty-six college students (103 females; 43 males) who exceeded the clinical cut-off for OC symptoms on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Revised (OCI-R) were recruited. Participants completed an online questionnaire containing measures that assessed suicidality and OC and depressive symptom severity. Total OC symptom severity, unacceptable thoughts, and especially violent obsessions exhibited significant positive zero-order correlations with suicidality. However, analyses of part correlations indicated that only violent obsessions had a significant unique association with suicidality after controlling for depressive symptoms. Our findings support the hypothesis that violent obsessions have a specific role in suicidality beyond the influence of depressive symptoms in an OCD analog sample of college students. A strong clinical focus on suicide risk assessment and safety planning in college students reporting violent obsessions is therefore warranted. Future related research should employ longitudinal or prospective designs and control for other possible comorbid symptoms in larger and more representative samples of participants formally diagnosed with OCD in order to verify the generalizability of our findings to these groups.

Effect of metformin and oral contraceptives on polycystic ovary syndrome and IVF cycles.

PubMed

Kalem, M N; Kalem, Z; Gurgan, T

2017-07-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of metformin and/or OC added to the treatment of PCOS patients at our clinic on IVF outcome. This study is a retrospective study that assesses the data of PCOS patients who received IVF between 2005 and 2015 at a private IVF center. The study included 496 PCOS cases aged between 24 and 40. Participants diagnosed with PCOS were divided into 4 groups according to the use of metformin and OC prior to the IVF cycle: 11.1% were in the metformin group, 31.3% in the OC group, 14.9% in the Metformin + OC group, and 42.7% in the control group. No difference was found in the total gonadotropin dose and duration of stimulation between the groups. Clinical pregnancy rates and implantation rates were similar in all groups, although the numbers of oocytes, mature oocytes, fertilized oocytes, and transferred embryos were lower in the treatment groups received metformin compared to the OC group and control group. There was no significant difference in the presence of OHSS and the singleton and multiple pregnancies between the four groups. The present study established no positive role of metformin and OC use in increasing the treatment success in IVF/ICSI cycles in PCOS patients. It would be appropriate to limit the use of these agents with special indications such as decreasing insulin resistance or synchronizing follicular cohort.

Comparing the Effects of Oral Contraceptives Containing Levonorgestrel With Products Containing Antiandrogenic Progestins on Clinical, Hormonal, and Metabolic Parameters and Quality of Life in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

PubMed Central

Amiri, Mina; Nahidi, Fatemeh; Khalili, Davood; Bidhendi-Yarandi, Razieh

2017-01-01

Background Oral contraceptives (OCs) have been used as a first-line option for medical treatment in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Despite theoretical superiority of products containing antiandrogenic progestins compared to OCs containing levonorgestrel (LNG), the clinical advantage of these compounds remains unclear. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the effects of OCs containing LNG with products containing antiandrogenic progestins including cyproterone acetate, drospirenone, and desogestrel on clinical, hormonal, and metabolic parameters and quality of life in women with PCOS. Methods We conducted a 6-arm crossover randomized controlled trial with each arm including OCs containing LNG and one of those 3 OCs containing antiandrogenic progestins. The anthropometric and clinical manifestations and hormonal and biochemical parameters of participants were assessed at 6 time points including baseline, after washout period, and 3 and 6 months after intervention. Results The study is ongoing and follow-up of recruited women will continue until 2018. Conclusions This study will provide scientific evidence on comparability of OCs with the various progesterones that will assist in decision making taking into account cost effectiveness. Trial Registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT201702071281N2; http://www.irct.ir/searchresult.php? keyword=&id=1281&number=2&prt=12869&total=10&m=1 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6tSP8FNWo) PMID:28963092

Effects of menstrual cycle, oral contraception, and training on exercise-induced changes in circulating DHEA-sulphate and testosterone in young women.

PubMed

Enea, C; Boisseau, N; Ottavy, M; Mulliez, J; Millet, C; Ingrand, I; Diaz, V; Dugué, B

2009-06-01

The objective of this study was to ascertain the effects of menstrual cycle, oral contraception, and training status on the exercise-induced changes in circulating DHEA-sulphate and testosterone in young women. Twenty-eight healthy women were assigned to an untrained group (n = 16) or a trained group (n = 12) depending on their training background. The untrained group was composed of nine oral contraceptive users (OC+) and seven eumenorrheic women (OC-). The trained group was composed of OC+ subjects only. All the OC+ subjects were taking the same low-dose oral contraception. Three laboratory sessions were organised in a randomised order: a prolonged exercise test until exhaustion, a short-term exhaustive exercise test, and a control session. Blood specimens were collected before, during and after the exercise tests and at the same time of the day during the control session. Basal circulating testosterone was significantly lower in trained as compared to untrained subjects. In all subjects, the prolonged exhaustive exercise induced a significant increase in circulating DHEA-s and testosterone. The short-term exercise induced a significant increase in circulating DHEA-s in untrained eumenorrheic and in trained OC users only. Menstrual phases in OC- did not influence the responses. It was found that exhaustive physical exercise induced an increase in circulating DHEA-s and testosterone in young women. Oral contraception may limit short-term exercise-induced changes.

Consortium analysis of gene and gene-folate interactions in purine and pyrimidine metabolism pathways with ovarian carcinoma risk

PubMed Central

Kelemen, Linda E.; Terry, Kathryn L.; Goodman, Marc T.; Webb, Penelope M.; Bandera, Elisa V.; McGuire, Valerie; Rossing, Mary Anne; Wang, Qinggang; Dicks, Ed; Tyrer, Jonathan P.; Song, Honglin; Kupryjanczyk, Jolanta; Dansonka-Mieszkowska, Agnieszka; Plisiecka-Halasa, Joanna; Timorek, Agnieszka; Menon, Usha; Gentry-Maharaj, Aleksandra; Gayther, Simon A.; Ramus, Susan J.; Narod, Steven A.; Risch, Harvey A.; McLaughlin, John R.; Siddiqui, Nadeem; Glasspool, Rosalind; Paul, James; Carty, Karen; Gronwald, Jacek; Lubiński, Jan; Jakubowska, Anna; Cybulski, Cezary; Kiemeney, Lambertus A.; Massuger, Leon F. A. G.; van Altena, Anne M.; Aben, Katja K. H.; Olson, Sara H.; Orlow, Irene; Cramer, Daniel W.; Levine, Douglas A.; Bisogna, Maria; Giles, Graham G.; Southey, Melissa C.; Bruinsma, Fiona; Kjær, Susanne Krüger; Høgdall, Estrid; Jensen, Allan; Høgdall, Claus K.; Lundvall, Lene; Engelholm, Svend-Aage; Heitz, Florian; du Bois, Andreas; Harter, Philipp; Schwaab, Ira; Butzow, Ralf; Nevanlinna, Heli; Pelttari, Liisa M.; Leminen, Arto; Thompson, Pamela J.; Lurie, Galina; Wilkens, Lynne R.; Lambrechts, Diether; Van Nieuwenhuysen, Els; Lambrechts, Sandrina; Vergote, Ignace; Beesley, Jonathan; Fasching, Peter A.; Beckmann, Matthias W.; Hein, Alexander; Ekici, Arif B.; Doherty, Jennifer A.; Wu, Anna H.; Pearce, Celeste L.; Pike, Malcolm C.; Stram, Daniel; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Rudolph, Anja; Dörk, Thilo; Dürst, Matthias; Hillemanns, Peter; Runnebaum, Ingo B.; Bogdanova, Natalia; Antonenkova, Natalia; Odunsi, Kunle; Edwards, Robert P.; Kelley, Joseph L.; Modugno, Francesmary; Ness, Roberta B.; Karlan, Beth Y.; Walsh, Christine; Lester, Jenny; Orsulic, Sandra; Fridley, Brooke L.; Vierkant, Robert A.; Cunningham, Julie M.; Wu, Xifeng; Lu, Karen; Liang, Dong; Hildebrandt, Michelle A.T.; Weber, Rachel Palmieri; Iversen, Edwin S.; Tworoger, Shelley S.; Poole, Elizabeth M.; Salvesen, Helga B.; Krakstad, Camilla; Bjorge, Line; Tangen, Ingvild L.; Pejovic, Tanja; Bean, Yukie; Kellar, Melissa; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Brinton, Louise A.; Lissowska, Jolanta; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Campbell, Ian G.; Eccles, Diana; Whittemore, Alice S.; Sieh, Weiva; Rothstein, Joseph H.; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Ziogas, Argyrios; Phelan, Catherine M.; Moysich, Kirsten B.; Goode, Ellen L.; Schildkraut, Joellen M.; Berchuck, Andrew; Pharoah, Paul D.P.; Sellers, Thomas A.; Brooks-Wilson, Angela; Cook, Linda S.; Le, Nhu D.

2014-01-01

Scope We re-evaluated previously reported associations between variants in pathways of one-carbon (folate) transfer genes and ovarian carcinoma (OC) risk, and in related pathways of purine and pyrimidine metabolism, and assessed interactions with folate intake. Methods and Results Odds ratios (OR) for 446 genetic variants were estimated among 13,410 OC cases and 22,635 controls and among 2,281 cases and 3,444 controls with folate information. Following multiple testing correction, the most significant main effect associations were for DPYD variants rs11587873 (OR=0.92, P=6x10−5) and rs828054 (OR=1.06, P=1x10−4). Thirteen variants in the pyrimidine metabolism genes, DPYD, DPYS, PPAT and TYMS, also interacted significantly with folate in a multi-variant analysis (corrected P=9.9x10−6) but collectively explained only 0.2% of OC risk. Although no other associations were significant after multiple testing correction, variants in SHMT1 in one-carbon transfer, previously reported with OC, suggested lower risk at higher folate (Pinteraction=0.03-0.006). Conclusions Variation in pyrimidine metabolism genes, particularly DPYD, which was previously reported to be associated with OC, may influence risk; however, stratification by folate intake is unlikely to modify disease risk appreciably in these women. SHMT1 SNP-byfolate interactions are plausible but require further validation. Polymorphisms in selected genes in purine metabolism were not associated with OC. PMID:25066213

Diagnostic performance of bone metabolic indexes for the detection of stroke.

PubMed

Tan, Li Ming; Wang, Lu; Chen, Juan-Juan; Li, Hua; Luo, Wen-Bo

2017-01-01

To explore the diagnostic performance of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and osteocalcin (OC) in predicting stroke.  Methods: This retrospective survey was conducted in The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China. involved 121 cerebral infarction patients and 103 cerebral hemorrhage patients as the experimental groups, 100 volunteers as the healthy control group and 80 brain trauma patients as the disease control group. The 25(OH)D, PTH, BALP, and OC levels of all participants were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.  Results: The serum concentration of 25(OH)D in stroke patients was appreciably lower than that of the control groups (p less than 0.05), and subsequently, the deficiency level of 25(OH)D in the stroke population was considerably higher than that of the control groups (p less than 0.05). The serum concentrations of PTH and OC in stroke patients exceeded those found in the control groups (p less than 0.05), and the abnormal level in the stroke patients was also higher than that of the control. Compared with the control group, BALP concentrations in cerebral infarction patients were increased significantly. Additionally, abnormal levels of BALP in stroke patients were found to be higher than those in the control groups. However, concentrations and abnormal levels of BALP in cerebral hemorrhage patients were not found to be significantly different than those found in cerebral infarction and the control groups, There were no substantial differences between the 2 control groups. Conclusion: Lack of 25(OH)D and excessive PTH, BALP, and OC could indicate a high risk of stroke.

Contrasting effects of biochar, compost and farm manure on alleviation of nickel toxicity in maize (Zea mays L.) in relation to plant growth, photosynthesis and metal uptake.

PubMed

Rehman, Muhammad Zia-Ur; Rizwan, Muhammad; Ali, Shafaqat; Fatima, Nida; Yousaf, Balal; Naeem, Asif; Sabir, Muhammad; Ahmad, Hamaad Raza; Ok, Yong Sik

2016-11-01

Nickel (Ni) toxicity in agricultural crops is a widespread problem while little is known about the role of biochar (BC) and other organic amendments like farm manure (FM) from cattle farm and compost (Cmp) on its alleviation. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of BC, Cmp and FM on physiological and biochemical characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.) under Ni stress. Maize was grown in Ni spiked soil without and with two rates of the amendments (equivalent to 1% and 2% organic carbon, OC) applied separately to the soil. After harvest, plant height, root length, dry weight, chlorophyll contents, gas exchange characteristics and trace elements in plants were determined. In addition, post-harvest soil characteristics like pHs, ECe and bioavailable Ni were also determined. Compared to the control, all of the amendments increased plant height, root length, shoot and root dry weight with the maximum increase in all parameters by FM (2% OC) treatment. Similarly, total chlorophyll contents and gas exchange characteristics significantly increased with the application of amendments being maximum with FM (2% OC) application. Amendments significantly increased copper, zinc, manganese and iron concentrations and decreased Ni concentrations in the plants. The highest reduction in shoot Ni concentration was recorded with FM (2% OC) followed by BC (2% OC) being 73.2% and 61.1% lower compared to the control, respectively. The maximum increase in soil pH and decrease in AB-DTPA extractable Ni was recorded with BC (2% OC) followed by FM (2% OC). It is concluded that FM (2% OC) was the most effective in reducing Ni toxicity to plants by reducing Ni uptake while BC (2% OC) was the most effective in decreasing bioavailable Ni in the soil through increasing soil pH. However, long-term field studies are needed to evaluate the effects of these amendments in reducing Ni toxicity in plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amounts, isotopic character and ages of organic and inorganic carbon exported from rivers to ocean margins: Assessment of natural and anthropogenic controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, J. E.; Hossler, K.

2012-12-01

Riverine exports of carbon (C) and organic matter (OM) are regulated by a variety of natural and anthropogenic factors. Understanding the relationships between these various factors and C and OM exports can help to constrain global C budgets, as well allow assessment of current and future anthropogenic impacts on both riverine and global C cycles. We quantified the effects of multiple natural and anthropogenic controls on riverine export fluxes and compositions of particulate organic C (POC), dissolved organic C (DOC), and dissolved inorganic C (DIC) for a regional group of eight rivers in the northeastern U.S. For allochthonous and aged C contributions to POC, DOC and DIC exports, we first estimated fractional contributions from six potential sources for POC and DOC (i.e., modern C3 plant material (C3-OC), modern C4 plant material (C4-OC), modern algal material (algal OC), slow-turnover soil OC (slow SOC; turnover time 25 yr), passive-turnover soil OC (passive SOC; turnover time 5,000 yr) and fossil OC and four potential sources for DIC (i.e., modern atmospheric CO2 exchange, carbonate dissolution, POC remineralization and DOC remineralization) using a novel time-varying isotope mixing model. Using these estimated source contributions, we then estimated the allochthonous proportions of (a) the POC and DOC pools to be the C3-OC, C4-OC, slow SOC, passive SOC, and fossil OC contributions; and (b) the DIC pools to be the dissolved carbonates, remineralized allochthonous POC, and remineralized allochthonous DOC contributions. We considered aged C to be anything older than ˜ 60 yr, which included passive SOC and fossil OC for POC and DOC and dissolved carbonates and aged fractions of remineralized POC and DOC for DIC. Potential controls related to hydrogeomorphology and regional climate, soil order, soil texture, bedrock lithology, land use, and additional anthropogenic factors were analyzed collectively, individually, and at scales of both local and regional influence. Factors related either to hydrogeomorphology and climate or to anthropogenic factors exhibited the strongest impacts on riverine C exports and compositions, particularly at broader regional scales. The effect of hydrogeomorphology and climate was primarily one of size, as larger watersheds with greater discharge exported more total C and terrestrial C. Principal anthropogenic factors included impacts of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and river impoundments. The presence of WWTPs as well as anthropogenic use of carbonate-based materials (e.g., limestone) may have substantially increased riverine C exports, particularly fossil C exports, in the study region. The presence of nuclear power plants in the associated watersheds is also discussed because of the potential for anthropogenic 14C inputs and subsequent biasing of aquatic C studies utilizing natural abundance 14C.

Decreased nitric oxide levels stimulate osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption both in vitro and in vivo on the chick chorioallantoic membrane in association with neoangiogenesis.

PubMed

Collin-Osdoby, P; Rothe, L; Bekker, S; Anderson, F; Osdoby, P

2000-03-01

High nitric oxide (NO) levels inhibit osteoclast (OC)-mediated bone resorption in vivo and in vitro, and nitrate donors protect against estrogen-deficient bone loss in postmenopausal women. Conversely, decreased NO production potentiates OC bone resorption in vitro and is associated with in vivo bone loss in rats and humans. Previously, we reported that bone sections from rats administered aminoguanidine (AG), a selective inhibitor of NO production via inducible NO synthase, exhibited both increased OC resorptive activity as well as greater numbers of OC. Here, we investigated further whether AG promoted osteoclastogenesis, in addition to stimulating mature OC function, using a modified in vivo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) system and an in vitro chick bone marrow OC-like cell developmental model. AG, focally administered in small agarose plugs placed directly adjacent to a bone chip implanted on the CAM, dose-dependently elicited neoangiogenesis while stimulating the number, size, and bone pit resorptive activity of individual OC ectopically formed in vivo. In addition to enhancing OC precursor recruitment via neoangiogenesis, AG also exerted other vascular-independent effects on osteoclastogenesis. Thus, AG promoted the in vitro fusion and formation from bone marrow precursor cells of larger OC-like cells that contained more nuclei per cell and exhibited multiple OC differentiation markers. AG stimulated development was inversely correlated with declining medium nitrite levels. In contrast, three different NO donors each dose-dependently inhibited in vitro OC-like cell development while raising medium nitrite levels. Therefore, NO sensitively regulates OC-mediated bone resorption through affecting OC recruitment (angiogenesis), formation (fusion and differentiation), and bone resorptive activity in vitro and in vivo. Possibly, the stimulation of neoangiogenesis and OC-mediated bone remodeling via AG or other pro-angiogenic agents may find clinical applications in reconstructive surgery, fracture repair, or the treatment of avascular necrosis.

Characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols at a pair of suburban and downtown sites in Nanjing, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Y.

2014-12-01

Carbonaceous species in PM2.5 were measured in three seasons (except winter) in downtown and around a year in suburban in Nanjing. In particular, the OC and EC concentrations were continuously measured with 1-h interval at both sites. The mean concentrations of PM2.5, OC, EC were 85.9 μg/m3, 10.4 μg/m3, 4.2 μg/m3 and 63.4 μg/m3, 8.1 μg/m3, 5.3μg/m3 for downtown and suburban respectively. At the suburban site, compared to the lowest average concentration in spring, the relatively higher concentration of carbonaceous aerosol in summer was caused by biomass-burning activities. Significant increasing peaks of OC (up to 122.9 ug/m3) and EC (up to 35.8 ug/m3) in suburban were recorded in the June 10th night, and it is indicated using back trajectory that the air mass came through nearby agriculture areas. On the other hand, the OC and EC concentrations during the 2nd AYG (Asian Youth Games, Aug 16th - 24th in 2013) compared to that in rest days in August reduced by 21% and 10%, respectively, attributing to the effective control measures on reduction of industrial point sources, temporary control of motor vehicle and fugitive dusts. Rations of OC/EC in suburban were much lower than that in downtown. This might be due to the fact that the sampling point in suburban is quite close (in 400 meters) to a main highway. Both OC and EC concentrations in suburban were higher in nighttime than daytime, except OC in summer, indicating the existence of strong SOC and supported by high OC/EC and O3 at noon. The annual average SOC estimated by EC-tracer methods occupied 34.5% and 36.7% of the total OC for the downtown and suburban areas, respectively. OC/EC correlations in suburban were much weaker than those from downtown areas, which shows suburban areas is much more affected by long-range transport of pollution and/or complex sources including domestic coal combustion, biomass burning, industrial and transportation, especially in three other seasons except winter, which is also supported by poor correlations between carbonaceous species and gaseous pollutants (NO2, SO2, CO) in spring at suburban site.

Online Least Squares One-Class Support Vector Machines-Based Abnormal Visual Event Detection

PubMed Central

Wang, Tian; Chen, Jie; Zhou, Yi; Snoussi, Hichem

2013-01-01

The abnormal event detection problem is an important subject in real-time video surveillance. In this paper, we propose a novel online one-class classification algorithm, online least squares one-class support vector machine (online LS-OC-SVM), combined with its sparsified version (sparse online LS-OC-SVM). LS-OC-SVM extracts a hyperplane as an optimal description of training objects in a regularized least squares sense. The online LS-OC-SVM learns a training set with a limited number of samples to provide a basic normal model, then updates the model through remaining data. In the sparse online scheme, the model complexity is controlled by the coherence criterion. The online LS-OC-SVM is adopted to handle the abnormal event detection problem. Each frame of the video is characterized by the covariance matrix descriptor encoding the moving information, then is classified into a normal or an abnormal frame. Experiments are conducted, on a two-dimensional synthetic distribution dataset and a benchmark video surveillance dataset, to demonstrate the promising results of the proposed online LS-OC-SVM method. PMID:24351629

Online least squares one-class support vector machines-based abnormal visual event detection.

PubMed

Wang, Tian; Chen, Jie; Zhou, Yi; Snoussi, Hichem

2013-12-12

The abnormal event detection problem is an important subject in real-time video surveillance. In this paper, we propose a novel online one-class classification algorithm, online least squares one-class support vector machine (online LS-OC-SVM), combined with its sparsified version (sparse online LS-OC-SVM). LS-OC-SVM extracts a hyperplane as an optimal description of training objects in a regularized least squares sense. The online LS-OC-SVM learns a training set with a limited number of samples to provide a basic normal model, then updates the model through remaining data. In the sparse online scheme, the model complexity is controlled by the coherence criterion. The online LS-OC-SVM is adopted to handle the abnormal event detection problem. Each frame of the video is characterized by the covariance matrix descriptor encoding the moving information, then is classified into a normal or an abnormal frame. Experiments are conducted, on a two-dimensional synthetic distribution dataset and a benchmark video surveillance dataset, to demonstrate the promising results of the proposed online LS-OC-SVM method.

Distribution of intrarenal blood flow consequent to left atrial balloon inflation.

PubMed

Passmore, J C; Stremel, R W; Hock, C E; Allen, R L; Bradford, W B

1985-01-01

The effects of inflation of a balloon within, and consequent distension of, the left atrium (LABI, left atrial balloon inflation) on total renal blood flow (RBF) and intrarenal blood flow distribution were measured and compared to values obtained from another group of dogs that were hemorrhaged (HEM) to the same level of hypotension as that produced by LABI, a mean systemic arterial pressure of 88 mm Hg. Kidney wt/kg, RBF/kg body wt, and urine flow were markedly reduced during the hemorrhage period in the HEM group when compared to values obtained during the experimental period for the LABI group. Data from the freeze-dissection (133Xe) analysis revealed that the percentage distribution of blood flow as renal outer cortical (OC) blood flow was less (26%) in the HEM group than in the LABI group (50%), this latter value being very similar to that of control dogs that experienced no hypotension (49%). LABI better maintains OC blood flow and urine flow when compared to HEM at the same systemic blood pressure, suggesting a role for cardiopulmonary receptors in reflex sympathetic control of renal blood flow distribution during hypotension.

Tendon Volume Determination on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Supraspinatus Tendinopathy.

PubMed

Spall, Benjamin F; Fransson, Boel A; Martinez, Steve A; Wilkinson, Thomas E

2016-04-01

To determine the supraspinatus tendon volume using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in dogs with non-calcified supraspinatus tendinopathy (NCST), in dogs with orthopedic disease other than NCST, and in healthy dogs. Case series. Twenty-two dogs (18 client-owned dogs; 4 purpose-bred dogs). Dogs undergoing shoulder MRI were categorized as NCST if they were diagnosed with NCST only, had histologic confirmed diagnosis, underwent surgical treatment, and were available for follow-up longer than 4 months. Dogs with MRI performed for a forelimb lameness because of a diagnosis other than NCST were categorized as orthopedic control (OC). Healthy dogs from an unrelated study were categorized as healthy controls (HC). Tendon volume was determined from MRI using public domain software and compared across categories. The study included 9 NCST dogs, 9 OC dogs, and 4 HC dogs. The median tendon volume for NCST was 1,323 mm(3), OC was 630 mm(3), and HC was 512 mm(3). The volume was significantly higher in the NCST than OC (P = .0012) and HC (P = .003). There was no difference between OC and HC (P = .76). Dogs diagnosed with NCST had higher supraspinatus tendon volumes compared to dogs with other orthopedic disorders and healthy dogs. © Copyright 2016 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Temperament features in adolescents with ego-syntonic or ego-dystonic obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

PubMed

Marchesi, Carlo; Ampollini, Paolo; DePanfilis, Chiara; Maggini, Carlo

2008-09-01

The present study evaluated whether different patterns of temperament may predict a different threshold of acceptability of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in adolescents. OC symptomatology was detected with the Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version (LOI-CV) and temperament was assessed using the tridimensional personality questionnaire in 2,775 high-school students. According to the LOI-CV scores, the adolescents were classified as high interference (interfering, ego-dystonic symptoms) (HI), supernormal (noninterfering, ego-syntonic symptoms) (Sn) and controls (C) HI were 119 (4.3%), Sn 85 (3.1%) and C 2,571 (92.6%). The best predictor of belonging to HI or Sn groups was the temperament configuration of high Harm Avoidance (HA) and high Persistence (P). The feature that mainly distinguishes the two symptomatic groups were Novelty Seeking (NS) levels. Our data suggest that people characterized by pessimistic worry in anticipation of future problems, passive avoidant behaviour, rapid fatigability (high HA) and irresoluteness, ambitiousness, perseverance, perfectionism, enduring feelings of frustration (high P) might develop OC symptoms. Whether OC symptoms become ego-syntonic or ego-dystonic seems to mainly depend on NS levels: low NS might protect people (with the prevention of "exploratory and active behaviours" that may elicit loss of control on symptoms) from the development of interfering OC symptoms.

OSTEOCLAST-INDUCED FOXP3+ CD8 T-CELLS LIMIT BONE LOSS IN MICE

PubMed Central

Buchwald, Zachary S.; Kiesel, Jennifer R.; Yang, Chang; DiPaolo, Richard; Novack, Deborah V.; Aurora, Rajeev

2014-01-01

Osteoimmunology is the crosstalk between the skeletal and immune system. We have previously shown in vitro that osteoclasts (OC) crosspresent antigens to induce FoxP3 in CD8 T-cells (OCiTcREG), which then suppress osteoclast activity. Here we assessed the ability of OC-iTcREG to limit bone resorption in vivo. Mice lacking CD8 T-cells lose more bone in response to RANKL (Tnfsf11) administration. Using adoptive transfer experiments we demonstrate that FoxP3+ CD8 T-cells limit bone loss by RANKL administration. In ovariectomized mice, a murine model of postmenopausal osteoporosis, OC-iTcREG limited bone loss and increased bone density as assessed by serum markers, micro computed tomography (μCT) and histomorphometry. Indeed, OC-iTcREG—treated ovariectomized mice had decreased levels of effector T-cells in the bone marrow compared to untreated mice, and increased bone formation rates relative to bisphosphonate-treated mice. Our results provide the first in vivo evidence that OC-iTcREG have anti-resorptive activity and repress the immune system, thus extending the purview of osteoimmunology. PMID:23756229

Optical conductivity of an interacting Weyl liquid in the collisionless regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Bitan; Juričić, Vladimir

2017-10-01

Optical conductivity (OC) can serve as a measure of correlation effects in a wide range of condensed-matter systems. We show that the long-range tail of the Coulomb interaction yields a universal correction to the OC in a three-dimensional Weyl semimetal σ (Ω ) =σ0(Ω ) [1 +1/N +1 ] , where σ0(Ω ) =N e02Ω /(12 h v ) is the OC in the noninteracting system, with v as the actual (renormalized) Fermi velocity of Weyl quasiparticles at frequency Ω , and e0 is the electron charge in vacuum. Such universal enhancement of OC, which depends only on the number of Weyl nodes near the Fermi level (N ), is a remarkable consequence of an intriguing conspiracy among the quantum-critical nature of an interacting Weyl liquid, marginal irrelevance of the long-range Coulomb interaction, and violation of hyperscaling in three dimensions, and can directly be measured in recently discovered Weyl as well as Dirac materials. By contrast, a local density-density interaction produces a nonuniversal correction to the OC, stemming from the nonrenormalizable nature of the corresponding interacting field theory.

Parity History Determines a Systemic Inflammatory Response to Spread of Ovarian Cancer in Naturally Aged Mice.

PubMed

Urzua, Ulises; Chacon, Carlos; Lizama, Luis; Sarmiento, Sebastián; Villalobos, Pía; Kroxato, Belén; Marcelain, Katherine; Gonzalez, María-Julieta

2017-10-01

Aging intersects with reproductive senescence in women by promoting a systemic low-grade chronic inflammation that predisposes women to several diseases including ovarian cancer (OC). OC risk at menopause is significantly modified by parity records during prior fertile life. To date, the combined effects of age and parity on the systemic inflammation markers that are particularly relevant to OC initiation and progression at menopause remain largely unknown. Herein, we profiled a panel of circulating cytokines in multiparous versus virgin C57BL/6 female mice at peri-estropausal age and investigated how cytokine levels were modulated by intraperitoneal tumor induction in a syngeneic immunocompetent OC mouse model. Serum FSH, LH and TSH levels increased with age in both groups while prolactin (PRL) was lower in multiparous respect to virgin mice, a finding previously observed in parous women. Serum CCL2, IL-10, IL-5, IL-4, TNF-α, IL1-β and IL-12p70 levels increased with age irrespective of parity status, but were specifically reduced following OC tumor induction only in multiparous mice. Animals developed hemorrhagic ascites and tumor implants in the omental fat band and other intraperitoneal organs by 12 weeks after induction, with multiparous mice showing a significantly extended survival. We conclude that previous parity history counteracts aging-associated systemic inflammation possibly by reducing the immunosuppression that typically allows tumor spread. Results suggest a partial impairment of the M2 shift in tumor-associated macrophages as well as decreased stimulation of regulatory B-cells in aged mice. This long term, tumor-concurrent effect of parity on inflammation markers at menopause would be a contributing factor leading to decreased OC risk.

Parity History Determines a Systemic Inflammatory Response to Spread of Ovarian Cancer in Naturally Aged Mice

PubMed Central

Urzua, Ulises; Chacon, Carlos; Lizama, Luis; Sarmiento, Sebastián; Villalobos, Pía; Kroxato, Belén; Marcelain, Katherine; Gonzalez, María-Julieta

2017-01-01

Aging intersects with reproductive senescence in women by promoting a systemic low-grade chronic inflammation that predisposes women to several diseases including ovarian cancer (OC). OC risk at menopause is significantly modified by parity records during prior fertile life. To date, the combined effects of age and parity on the systemic inflammation markers that are particularly relevant to OC initiation and progression at menopause remain largely unknown. Herein, we profiled a panel of circulating cytokines in multiparous versus virgin C57BL/6 female mice at peri-estropausal age and investigated how cytokine levels were modulated by intraperitoneal tumor induction in a syngeneic immunocompetent OC mouse model. Serum FSH, LH and TSH levels increased with age in both groups while prolactin (PRL) was lower in multiparous respect to virgin mice, a finding previously observed in parous women. Serum CCL2, IL-10, IL-5, IL-4, TNF-α, IL1-β and IL-12p70 levels increased with age irrespective of parity status, but were specifically reduced following OC tumor induction only in multiparous mice. Animals developed hemorrhagic ascites and tumor implants in the omental fat band and other intraperitoneal organs by 12 weeks after induction, with multiparous mice showing a significantly extended survival. We conclude that previous parity history counteracts aging-associated systemic inflammation possibly by reducing the immunosuppression that typically allows tumor spread. Results suggest a partial impairment of the M2 shift in tumor-associated macrophages as well as decreased stimulation of regulatory B-cells in aged mice. This long term, tumor-concurrent effect of parity on inflammation markers at menopause would be a contributing factor leading to decreased OC risk. PMID:28966800

Dynamics of upper mantle rocks decompression melting above hot spots under continental plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perepechko, Yury; Sorokin, Konstantin; Sharapov, Victor

2014-05-01

Numeric 2D simulation of the decompression melting above the hot spots (HS) was accomplished under the following conditions: initial temperature within crust mantle section was postulated; thickness of the metasomatized lithospheric mantle is determined by the mantle rheology and position of upper asthenosphere boundary; upper and lower boundaries were postulated to be not permeable and the condition for adhesion and the distribution of temperature (1400-2050°C); lateral boundaries imitated infinity of layer. Sizes and distribution of lateral points, their symmetry, and maximum temperature varied between the thermodynamic condition for existences of perovskite - majorite transition and its excess above transition temperature. Problem was solved numerically a cell-vertex finite volume method for thermo hydrodynamic problems. For increasing convergence of iterative process the method of lower relaxation with different value of relaxation parameter for each equation was used. The method of through calculation was used for the increase in the computing rate for the two-layered upper mantle - lithosphere system. Calculated region was selected as 700 x (2100-4900) km. The time step for the study of the asthenosphere dynamics composed 0.15-0.65 Ma. The following factors controlling the sizes and melting degree of the convective upper mantle, are shown: a) the initial temperature distribution along the section of upper mantleb) sizes and the symmetry of HS, c) temperature excess within the HS above the temperature on the upper and lower mantle border TB=1500-2000oC with 5-15% deviation but not exceed 2350oC. It is found, that appearance of decompression melting with HS presence initiate primitive mantle melting at TB > of 1600oC. Initial upper mantle heating influence on asthenolens dimensions with a constant HS size is controlled mainly by decompression melting degree. Thus, with lateral sizes of HS = 400 km the decompression melting appears at TB > 1600oC and HS temperature (THS) > 1900oC asthenolens size ~700 km. When THS = of 2000oC the maximum melting degree of the primitive mantle is near 40%. An increase in the TB > 1900oC the maximum degree of melting could rich 100% with the same size of decompression melting zone (700 km). We examined decompression melting above the HS having LHS = 100 km - 780 km at a TB 1850- 2100oC with the thickness of lithosphere = 100 km.It is shown that asthenolens size (Lln) does not change substantially: Lln=700 km at LHS = of 100 km; Lln= 800 km at LHS = of 780 km. In presence of asymmetry of large HS the region of advection is developed above the HS maximum with the formation of asymmetrical cell. Influence of lithospheric plate thicknesses on appearance and evolution of asthenolens above the HS were investigated for the model stepped profile for the TB ≤ of 1750oS with Lhs = 100km and maximum of THS =2350oC. With an increase of TB the Lln difference beneath lithospheric steps is leveled with retention of a certain difference to melting degrees and time of the melting appearance a top of the HS. RFBR grant 12-05-00625.

Aquatic Nuisance Sp[ecies Research Program. Ecological Impacts of Suckermouth Catfishes (Loricariidae) in North America: A Conceptual Model. Volume 14-1, March 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

not provide effective control. Most tropical fi sh commercially available to hobbyists have recommended temperature requirements > 20 oC (e.g...at 10-12 oC (RR-C). This suggests lower lethal temperatures of 12-14 oC, but laboratory studies by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...55(5): 58-60. Flecker, A.S. 1992. Fish trophic guilds and the structure of a tropical stream: Weak vs. strong indirect effects . Ecology 73

Dynamic Control System Performance during Commissioning of the Space Technology 7-Disturbance Reduction System Experiment of LISA Pathfinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsu, Oscar; Maghami, Peiman; O’Donnell, James R., Jr.; Ziemer, John; Romero-Wolf, Andrew

2017-01-01

The Space Technology-7 Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) launched aboard the European Space Agencys LISA Pathfinder spacecraft on December 3, 2015, after more than a decade in development. DRS consists of three prima-ry components: an Integrated Avionics Unit (IAU), Colloidal MicroNewton Thrusters, and Dynamic Control System (DCS) algorithms implemented on the IAU. During the portions of the mission in which the DRS was under control, the DCS was responsible for controlling the spacecraft and the free-floating test masses that were part of the LISA Test Package. The commissioning period was originally divided into two periods: before propulsion separation and after pro-pulsion separation. A recommissioning period was added after an anomaly oc-curred in the thruster system. The paper will describe the activities used to com-mission DRS, present results from the commissioning of the DCS and the re-commissioning activities performed after the thruster anomaly.

RANKL/Osteoprotegerin System and Bone Turnover in Hashimoto Thyroiditis.

PubMed

Konca Degertekin, Ceyla; Turhan Iyidir, Ozlem; Aktas Yılmaz, Banu; Elbeg, Sehri; Pasaoglu, Ozge Tugce; Pasaoglu, Hatice; Cakır, Nuri; Arslan, Metin

2016-10-01

Hypothyroidism is associated with changes in bone metabolism. The impact of hypothyroidism and the associated autoimmunity on the mediators of bone turnover in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is not known. In this study, we assessed the levels of OPG, RANKL, and IL-6 along with markers of bone formation as osteocalcin (OC) and markers of bone resorption as type 1 collagen C telopeptide (CTX) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRAcP 5b) in 30 hypothyroid and 30 euthyroid premenopausal HT patients and 20 healthy premenopausal controls. We found that TRAcP 5b (p = 0.006), CTX (p = 0.01), OC (p = 0.017), and IL-6 (p < 0.001) levels were lower in the hypothyroid group compared to euthyroid HT patients and controls. OPG levels were higher (p < 0.001) and RANKL levels were lower (p = 0.021) in hypothyroid and euthyroid HT patients compared to controls. TSH was negatively correlated with IL-6 (rho = -0.434, p < 0.001), OC (rho = -0.313, p = 0.006), TRAcP 5b (rho = -0.335, p = 0.003), and positively correlated with OPG (rho = 0.248, p = 0.029). RANKL/OPG ratio was independently associated with the presence of HT. In conclusion, bone turnover is slowed down by hypothyroidism in premenopausal patients with HT. Thyroid autoimmunity might have a unique impact on OPG/RANKL levels apart from the resultant hypothyroidism.

Organic carbon biolabilty increases with depth in a yedoma permafrost profile in Interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heslop, J. K.; Walter Anthony, K. M.; Spencer, R.; Winkel, M.; Zhang, M.; Liebner, S.; Podgorski, D. C.; Zito, P.; Kholodov, A. L.

2017-12-01

Permafrost organic carbon (OC) biolability is known to be controlled by both the OC molecular composition and redox state and the microbial community structure and its response to permafrost thaw. However, due to their complexity, both these mechanisms remain poorly understood. A substantial portion ( 16%) of global permafrost OC is stored in particularly deep, ice-rich permafrost deposits known as yedoma. We anaerobically incubated sediment from four depths in a 12-m yedoma profile in Interior Alaska with three treatments: control without amendment, inoculated with sediment from an adjacent thermokarst lake, and inoculated with sterilized lake sediment. We quantified CO2 and CH4 as end products of C mineralization, used qPCR to characterize the initial methanogenic communities, and used FT-ICR-MS to characterize the molecular composition of water-extractable organic matter at the beginning and end of the 154-d incubation. Proportions of aliphatics and peptides increased with depth in the permafrost profile, which would be consistent with long-term accumulation of anaerobic fermentation end products in yedoma-type permafrost. Moreover, these compounds positively correlated with anaerobic CO2 and CH4 production and their degradation rates corresponded to high proportions (53.3 ±41.9%) of OC mineralization, suggesting increasing proportions of these compounds with depth correspond to increasing OC quality and increased C mineralization per unit OC. Methanogenic communities were below detection limits in all controls. Following exposure to modern lake sediment microbial communities with detectable methanogens, we observed increases in anaerobic CO2 (65.1% ±75.2%) and CH4 (1,197% ±914%) production. The treatments with sterilized lake sediment did not contain detectable methanogens, and had increased anaerobic CO2 (52.6% ±69.2%) production but decreased CH4 (-74.1% ±33.8%) production. These preliminary results suggest anaerobic CH4 production is limited by ancient microbial communities in yedoma permafrost and might increase if exposed to modern microbial communities during thaw. This finding is important for better understanding how the release of thawed ancient OC from deep yedoma permafrost in thermokarst lake and coastal erosional environments will impact global C cycling.

Effects of chronic treatment with cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin on oral contraceptive-induced high blood pressure in female rats.

PubMed

Olatunji, L A; Soladoye, A O

2010-03-01

The present study sought to investigate the effects of prostaglandins synthesis inhibition with indomethacin on blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac weight, plasma electrolytes and cardiovascular responses to arterial baroreceptor stimulation in Oral contraceptive (OC) treated female Sprague-Dawley rats. Oral administration of synthetic oestrogen, ethinyl oestradiol in combination with progestogen, norgestrel for ten weeks significantly increased blood pressure and cardiac weight compared with those of the control rats. Concomitant treatment with indomethacin significantly abrogated increase in blood pressure but did not affect the increase in cardiac weight induced by OC. Heart rate, plasma sodium and potassium concentrations were not affected by OC and/or indomethacin treatment. OC treatment did not alter sympathetic-mediated pressor and tachycardiac responses caused by bilateral carotid baroreceptors unloading. However, these responses were significantly attenuated by indomethacin treatment. These results demonstrated that rat model of OC-induced high blood pressure developed cardiac hypertrophy that is not associated with altered sympathetic-mediated cardiovascular responses to arterial baroreceptor stimulation. The finding that indomethacin prevented OC-induced high blood pressure, but not associated cardiac hypertrophy implies that synthesis of prostaglandins may be an important determinant of OC-induced hypertension, while associated cardiac hypertrophy may not be pressure overload-dependent.

Short-term variations in bone remodeling markers of an oral contraception formulation containing 3 mg of drospirenone plus 30 microg of ethinyl estradiol: observational study in young postadolescent women.

PubMed

Paoletti, Anna Maria; Orrù, Marisa; Lello, Stefano; Floris, Stefano; Ranuzzi, Francesca; Etzi, Rossella; Zedda, Pierina; Guerriero, Stefano; Fratta, Stefania; Sorge, Roberto; Mallarini, Giorgio; Melis, Gian Benedetto

2004-10-01

The clinical study of treated subjects and nontreated controls was made in healthy eumenorrheic young postadolescent women volunteers in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Cagliari University, to investigate whether an oral contraceptive (OC) containing drospirenone (3 mg) plus ethinyl estradiol (30 microg) (DRSP+EE) can affect bone metabolism. Control group (n = 26) and OC group (n = 28) women did not differ in age, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and main outcome measures [urinary levels of deoxypyridinoline and pyridinoline, serum levels of osteocalcin, bone specific alkaline phosphatase (bSAP), total testosterone (total-T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), progesterone and bone mineral density (BMD) at the heel]. The control group was studied at the luteal phase (LP) during both the first and the sixth menstrual cycle; the OC group was studied during the first cycle at the LP, and on days 16-18 of the sixth cycle of DRSP+EE treatment. At the sixth cycle, in the control group, the main outcome measures did not change compared to baseline. In the OC group, deoxypyridinoline, pyridinoline, osteocalcin, bSAP, total-T and progesterone levels were reduced, whereas SHBG levels were increased. The BMD was unchanged compared to baseline. The results suggest that 6-month DRSP+EE treatment decreases bone turnover. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

Prolongevity effects of a botanical with oregano and cranberry extracts in Mexican fruit flies: examining interactions of diet restriction and age.

PubMed

Zou, Sige; Carey, James R; Liedo, Pablo; Ingram, Donald K; Yu, Binbing

2012-04-01

Botanicals rich with phytochemicals have numerous health benefits. Dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan in diverse species. We previously demonstrated that an oregano-cranberry (OC) mixture can promote longevity in the Mexican Fruit fly (Mexfly, Anastrepha ludens Loew). However, little is known about the interaction between botanicals and DR, and the age-dependent effect of botanicals on lifespan and reproduction. Here we investigated these issues by feeding Mexflies a full or DR diet supplemented with or without 2% OC. Lifespan and daily egg production of individual flies were recorded. The effect of short-term OC supplementation was evaluated by implementing the supplementation at three age intervals-young, middle, and old age. We found that OC increased lifespan of Mexflies on the full or DR diet when compared to their respective controls. OC increased reproduction of females on the full diet and, to a lesser extent, on the DR diet. Short-term OC supplementation was not sufficient to extend lifespan for males at all three age intervals nor for females at young and old age intervals. However, OC supplementation at the middle age interval was sufficient to extend lifespan in females, while only OC supplementation at the young age interval increased reproduction in females. Our findings suggest that OC extends lifespan and promotes reproduction partly through DR-independent pathways, and short-term supplementation have varied impact on longevity and reproduction. This also suggests a positive interaction between non-genetic interventions in promoting longevity and provides guidance for using botanicals as aging interventions in humans.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and personal disposition, family coherence and school environment in Chinese adolescents: a resilience approach.

PubMed

Sun, Jing; Li, Zhan-Jiang; Buys, Nicholas J; Storch, Eric A; Wang, Ji-sheng

2014-10-01

Risk factors of adolescents with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OC) have been extensively examined, but protective resilience factors have not been explored, particularly in Chinese adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the association of resilience factors with the occurrence of OC and its symptoms in Chinese adolescents. This study consisted of two phases. The first phase used a cross-sectional design involving a stratified clustered non-clinical sample of 3185 secondary school students. A clinical interview procedure was then employed to diagnose OC in students who had a Leyton Obsessional Inventory 'yes' score of ≥15. The second phase used a case-control study design to analyse the relationship between resilience factors and OC in a matched sample of 288 adolescents with diagnosed OC relative to 246 healthy adolescents. Low personal disposition scores in self-fulfilment, flexibility and self-esteem, and low peer relation scores in the school environment were associated with a higher probability of having OC. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that OC symptoms were significantly associated with personal dispositions, poor peer relationships and maladaptive social life, but not to family coherence. The study is not prospective in nature, so the causal relationship between OC occurrence and resilience factors cannot be confirmed. Second, the use of self-report instruments in personal disposition, family coherence, and school environment may be a source of error. Resilience factors at both the personal disposition and school environment levels are important predictors of OC symptoms and caseness. Future studies using prospective designs are needed to confirm these relationships. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vitamin K-induced effects on body fat and weight: results from a 3-year vitamin K2 intervention study.

PubMed

Knapen, M H J; Jardon, K M; Vermeer, C

2018-01-01

Vitamin K status has been linked to fat and glucose metabolism by several authors, but whether high vitamin K intake influences body weight or composition has remained unclear. Here we tested the hypothesis that increased vitamin K intake decreases body fat or fat distribution. In a randomized placebo-controlled human intervention trial, 214 postmenopausal women, 55-65 years of age, received either 180 mcg/day of vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7, MK-7) or placebo for 3 years. Osteocalcin (OC) carboxylation was used as a marker for vitamin K status, and fat distribution was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry total body scan. In the total cohort, MK-7 supplementation increased circulating carboxylated OC (cOC) but had no effect on body composition. In those with an above-median response in OC carboxylation ('good responders'), MK-7 treatment resulted in a significant increase in total and human molecular weight adiponectin and a decrease in abdominal fat mass and in the estimated visceral adipose tissue area compared with the placebo group and the poor responders. The fact that changes in body composition measures or markers for fat or glucose metabolism were not associated with changes in uncarboxylated OC (ucOC) does not support the assumption that ucOC stimulates fat metabolism in humans. Instead, high vitamin K2 intake may support reducing body weight, abdominal and visceral fat, notably in subjects showing a strong increase in cOC. A causal relation between the changes in cOC and body fat or distribution cannot be concluded from these data.

Eclipsing Binaries with Possible Tertiary Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, LeRoy F.

2013-05-01

Many eclipsing binary star systems (EBS) show long-term variations in their orbital periods which are evident in their O-C (observed minus calculated period) diagrams. This research carried out an analysis of 324 eclipsing binary systems taken from the systems analyzed in the Bob Nelson's O-C Files database. Of these 18 systems displayed evidence of periodic variations of the arrival times of the eclipses. These rates of period changes are sinusoidal variations. The sinusoidal character of these variations is suggestive of Keplerian motion caused by an orbiting companion. The reason for these changes is unknown, but mass loss, apsidal motion, magnetic activity and the presence of a third body have been proposed. This paper has assumed light time effect as the cause of the sinusoidal variations caused by the gravitational pull of a tertiary companion orbiting around the eclipsing binary systems. An observed minus calculated (O-C) diagram of the 324 systems was plotted using a quadratic ephemeris to determine if the system displayed a sinusoidal trend in theO-C residuals. After analysis of the 18 systems, seven systems, AW UMa, BB PEG, OO Aql, V508 Oph, VW Cep, WCrv and YY ERI met the benchmark of the criteria of a possible orbiting companion. The other 11 systems displayed a sinusoidal variation in the O-C residuals of the primary eclipses but these systems in the Bob Nelson's O-C Files did not contain times of minimum (Tmin) of the secondary eclipses and therefore not conclusive in determining the presents of the effects of a tertiary companion. An analysis of the residuals of the seven systems yields a light-time semi-amplitude, orbital period, eccentricity and mass of the tertiary companion as the amplitude of the variation is proportional to the mass, period and inclination of the 3rd orbiting body. Knowing the low mass of the tertiary body in the seven cases the possibility of five of these tertiary companions being brown dwarfs is discussed.

Massive carbon addition to an organic-rich Andosol increased the subsoil but not the topsoil carbon stock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zieger, Antonia; Kaiser, Klaus; Ríos Guayasamín, Pedro; Kaupenjohann, Martin

2018-05-01

Andosols are among the most carbon-rich soils, with an average of 254 Mg ha-1 organic carbon (OC) in the upper 100 cm. A current theory proposes an upper limit for OC stocks independent of increasing carbon input, because of finite binding capacities of the soil mineral phase. We tested the possible limits in OC stocks for Andosols with already large OC concentrations and stocks (212 g kg-1 in the first horizon, 301 Mg ha-1 in the upper 100 cm). The soils received large inputs of 1800 Mg OC ha-1 as sawdust within a time period of 20 years. Adjacent soils without sawdust application served as controls. We determined total OC stocks as well as the storage forms of organic matter (OM) of five horizons down to 100 cm depth. Storage forms considered were pyrogenic carbon, OM of < 1.6 g cm-3 density and with little to no interaction with the mineral phase, and strongly mineral-bonded OM forming particles of densities between 1.6 and 2.0 g cm-3 or > 2.0 g cm-3. The two fractions > 1.6 g cm-3 were also analysed for aluminium-organic matter complexes (Al-OM complexes) and imogolite-type phases using ammonium-oxalate-oxalic-acid extraction and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Pyrogenic organic carbon represented only up to 5 wt % of OC, and thus contributed little to soil OM. In the two topsoil horizons, the fraction between 1.6 and 2.0 g cm-3 had 65-86 wt % of bulk soil OC and was dominated by Al-OM complexes. In deeper horizons, the fraction > 2.0 g cm-3 contained 80-97 wt % of the bulk soil's total OC and was characterized by a mixture of Al-OM complexes and imogolite-type phases, with proportions of imogolite-type phases increasing with depth. In response to the sawdust application, only the OC stock at 25-50 cm depth increased significantly (α = 0.05, 1 - β = 0.8). The increase was entirely due to increased OC in the two fractions > 1.6 g cm-3. However, there was no significant increase in the total OC stocks within the upper 100 cm. The results suggest that long-term large OC inputs cannot be taken up by the obviously OC-saturated topsoil but induce downward migration and gradually increasing storage of OC in subsurface soil layers. The small additional OC accumulation despite the extremely large OC input over 20 years, however, shows that long time periods of high input are needed to promote the downward movement and deep soil storage of OC.

Utilization of the Organ Care System Lung for the assessment of lungs from a donor after cardiac death (DCD) before bilateral transplantation.

PubMed

Mohite, P N; Sabashnikov, A; García Sáez, D; Pates, B; Zeriouh, M; De Robertis, F; Simon, A R

2015-07-01

In this manuscript, we present the first experience of evaluating donation after circulatory death (DCD) lungs, using the normothermic preservation Organ Care System (OCS) and subsequent successful transplantation. The OCS could be a useful tool for the evaluation of marginal lungs from DCD donors as it allows a proper recruitment and bronchoscopy in such donations in addition to continuous ex-vivo perfusion and assessment and treatment during transport. The OCS could potentially be a standard of care in the evaluation of marginal lungs from DCD. © The Author(s) 2014.

Comparison of adsorption coefficient (K[sub oc]) for soils and HPLC retention factors of aromatic hydrocarbons using a chemically immobilized humic acid column in RP-HPLC

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

Szabo, G.; Bulman, R.A.

The determination of soil adsorption coefficients (K[sub oc]) via HPLC capacity factors (k[prime]) has been studied, including the effect of column type and mobile phase composition on the correlation between log K[sub oc] and log k[prime]. K[sub oc] values obtained by procedures other than HPLC correlate well with HPLC capacity factors determined on a chemically immobilized humic acid stationary phase, and it is suggested that this phase is a better model for the sorption onto soil or sediment than the octadecyl-, phenyl- and ethylsilica phases. By using log k[prime][sub w] a theoretical capacity factor has been obtained by extrapolation ofmore » the retention data in a binary solvent system to pure aqueous eluent. There is a better correlation between log K[sub oc] and log k[prime][sub w] than the correlation between log K[sub oc] and log k[prime].« less

76 FR 19122 - Record of Decision (ROD) for Authorizing the Use of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Sand Resources...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-06

... Aeronautics and Space Administration's Wallops Flight Facility Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure... authorize the use of OCS sand resources in National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Wallops... infrastructure on the WFF (such as rocket launch pads, runways, and launch control centers) valued at over $1...

Neuropsychological Functioning in Obsessive-Compulsive Washers: Drug-Naive Without Depressive Symptoms.

PubMed

Saremi, Ali Akbar; Shariat, Seyed Vahid; Nazari, Mohammad Ali; Dolatshahi, Behrooz

2017-01-01

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a complex and heterogeneous neuropsychiatric syndrome. Contamination obsessions and washing/cleaning compulsions are the most frequent clinical OCD subtypes. The current study aimed at examining the neuropsychological impairments in drug-naive obsessive-compulsive (OC) washers without depressive symptoms and their association with the severity of symptoms. In the current causal-comparative study, 35 patients with diagnostic and statistical mental disorders class (DSM)-IV diagnosed with washing-subtype OCD and 35 healthy subjects were selected by the convenience sampling method and evaluated by computerized neuropsychology battery and clinical tests as Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Go/No-Go Test, Digits Forward (DF), Digits Backward (DB), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-28. The patients were matched to the comparison group with regard to age, gender, intelligence quotient (IQ), education, and handedness. All the tests were standardized in Iran. SPSS version 20.00 was used for descriptive and analytical data analysis. There was no statistically significant different between the OCD washing and the control groups regarding socio-demographic variables or IQ. There were significant differences between the OC washer and the healthy control groups on the neuropsychological functioning. The obtained results suggested that OC washers performed significantly worse on neuropsychological measures than the controls. There was no significant association between the severity of OC symptoms and the neuropsychological functions in the OCD washing group. It was concluded that executive function impairment, which is a core feature in OC washers was trait-like in nature.

Application of Phasor Measurement Units for Protection of Distribution Networks with High Penetration of Photovoltaic Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meskin, Matin

The rate of the integration of distributed generation (DG) units to the distribution level to meet the growth in demand increases as a reasonable replacement for costly network expansion. This integration brings many advantages to the consumers and power grids, as well as giving rise to more challenges in relation to protection and control. Recent research has brought to light the negative effects of DG units on short circuit currents and overcurrent (OC) protection systems in distribution networks. Change in the direction of fault current flow, increment or decrement of fault current magnitude, blindness of protection, feeder sympathy trip, nuisance trip of interrupting devices, and the disruption of coordination between protective devices are some potential impacts of DG unit integration. Among other types of DG units, the integration of renewable energy resources into the electric grid has seen a vast improvement in recent years. In particular, the interconnection of photovoltaic (PV) sources to the medium voltage (MV) distribution networks has experienced a rapid increase in the last decade. In this work, the effect of PV source on conventional OC relays in MV distribution networks is shown. It is indicated that the PV output fluctuation, due to changes in solar radiation, causes the magnitude and direction of the current to change haphazardly. These variations may result in the poor operation of OC relays as the main protective devices in the MV distribution networks. In other words, due to the bi-directional power flow characteristic and the fluctuation of current magnitude occurring in the presence of PV sources, a specific setting of OC relays is difficult to realize. Therefore, OC relays may operate in normal conditions. To improve the OC relay operation, a voltage-dependent-overcurrent protection is proposed. Although, this new method prevents the OC relay from maloperation, its ability to detect earth faults and high impedance faults is poor. Thus, a comprehensive protective system is suggested at the end of the dissertation. The proposed method is based on the application of the phasor measurement unit (PMU) and the differential protection method. All of the current magnitudes and angles are collected by PMU and are sent to the phasor data concentrator (PDC), where a differential protection algorithm is applied to these data. If any fault is detected, the trip will be sent back to the corresponding circuit breakers across the network. Higher selectivity, sensitivity, and faster operation in the differential protection are superior to those of other protection schemes. Differential protection operates as unit protection, which means that it operates only when there is a fault in the protection zone. It does not function for faults occurring out of zone. Therefore, no coordination is required between differential protections across the power system. Moreover, the misoperation of this protective scheme is less likely as compared to other protection methods.

Metabolic profiling in Prader-Willi syndrome and nonsyndromic obesity: sex differences and the role of growth hormone.

PubMed

Irizarry, Krystal A; Bain, James; Butler, Merlin G; Ilkayeva, Olga; Muehlbauer, Michael; Haqq, Andrea M; Freemark, Michael

2015-12-01

To identify metabolic factors controlling appetite and insulin sensitivity in PWS and assess effects of GH treatment. We compared amino acids, fatty acids and acylcarnitines in GH-treated and untreated PWS children and obese and lean controls to identify biomarkers associated with ghrelin, peptide YY and markers of insulin sensitivity (adiponectin and HOMA-IR). Compared with obese controls (OC), children with PWS had fasting hyperghrelinaemia, hyperadiponectinaemia, hypoinsulinaemia and increased ghrelin/PYY. Hyperghrelinaemia, hyperadiponectinaemia and hypoinsulinaemia were more striking in PWS females than males, and decreases in BCAA were detected only in PWS females. GH-treated PWS subjects had lower leptin and higher IGF-1 and adiponectin than untreated subjects; fasting ghrelin, PYY and insulin levels were comparable. Ghrelin correlated inversely with BCAA in PWS but not OC. Adiponectin correlated negatively with BMIz and HOMA-IR in PWS; in contrast, adiponectin correlated more strongly with BCAA than BMIz or HOMA-IR in OC. BCAA levels were lower in PWS females than OC females and correlated inversely with ghrelin. Low BCAA in PWS females may promote hyperghrelinaemia and hyperphagia, while hyperadiponectinaemia may maintain insulin sensitivity despite excess weight gain. GH treatment may reduce leptin and increase adiponectin, but does not affect fasting ghrelin or PYY. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Metabolic profiling in Prader-Willi syndrome and non-syndromic obesity: sex differences and the role of growth hormone

PubMed Central

Irizarry, Krystal A.; Bain, James; Butler, Merlin G.; Ilkayeva, Olga; Muehlbauer, Michael; Haqq, Andrea M.; Freemark, Michael

2015-01-01

Objectives To identify metabolic factors controlling appetite and insulin sensitivity in PWS and assess effects of GH treatment. Methods We compared amino acids, fatty acids, and acylcarnitines in GH-treated and untreated PWS children and obese and lean controls to identify biomarkers associated with ghrelin, peptide YY, and markers of insulin sensitivity (adiponectin and HOMA-IR). Results Compared with obese controls (OC), children with PWS had hyperghrelinemia, hyperadiponectinemia, hypoinsulinemia, and increased ghrelin/PYY. Hyperghrelinemia, hyperadiponectinemia, and hypoinsulinemia were more striking in PWS females than males and decreases in BCAA were detected only in PWS females. GH-treated PWS subjects had lower leptin and higher IGF-1 and adiponectin than untreated subjects; ghrelin, PYY, and insulin levels were comparable. Ghrelin correlated inversely with BCAA in PWS but not OC. Adiponectin correlated negatively with BMIz and HOMA-IR in PWS; in contrast, adiponectin correlated more strongly with BCAA than BMIz or HOMA-IR in OC. Conclusions BCAA levels were lower in PWS females than OC females and correlated inversely with ghrelin. Low BCAA in PWS females may promote hyperghrelinemia and hyperphagia, while hyperadiponectinemia may maintain insulin sensitivity despite excess weight gain. GH treatment may reduce leptin and increase adiponectin, but does not affect ghrelin or PYY. PMID:25736874

Optical multicast system for data center networks.

PubMed

Samadi, Payman; Gupta, Varun; Xu, Junjie; Wang, Howard; Zussman, Gil; Bergman, Keren

2015-08-24

We present the design and experimental evaluation of an Optical Multicast System for Data Center Networks, a hardware-software system architecture that uniquely integrates passive optical splitters in a hybrid network architecture for faster and simpler delivery of multicast traffic flows. An application-driven control plane manages the integrated optical and electronic switched traffic routing in the data plane layer. The control plane includes a resource allocation algorithm to optimally assign optical splitters to the flows. The hardware architecture is built on a hybrid network with both Electronic Packet Switching (EPS) and Optical Circuit Switching (OCS) networks to aggregate Top-of-Rack switches. The OCS is also the connectivity substrate of splitters to the optical network. The optical multicast system implementation requires only commodity optical components. We built a prototype and developed a simulation environment to evaluate the performance of the system for bulk multicasting. Experimental and numerical results show simultaneous delivery of multicast flows to all receivers with steady throughput. Compared to IP multicast that is the electronic counterpart, optical multicast performs with less protocol complexity and reduced energy consumption. Compared to peer-to-peer multicast methods, it achieves at minimum an order of magnitude higher throughput for flows under 250 MB with significantly less connection overheads. Furthermore, for delivering 20 TB of data containing only 15% multicast flows, it reduces the total delivery energy consumption by 50% and improves latency by 55% compared to a data center with a sole non-blocking EPS network.

Current hormonal contraceptive use predicts female extra-pair and dyadic sexual behavior: evidence based on Czech National Survey data.

PubMed

Klapilová, Kateřina; Cobey, Kelly D; Wells, Timothy; Roberts, S Craig; Weiss, Petr; Havlíček, Jan

2014-01-10

Data from 1155 Czech women (493 using oral contraception, 662 non-users), obtained from the Czech National Survey of Sexual Behavior, were used to investigate evolutionary-based hypotheses concerning the predictive value of current oral contraceptive (OC) use on extra-pair and dyadic (in-pair) sexual behavior of coupled women. Specifically, the aim was to determine whether current OC use was associated with lower extra-pair and higher in-pair sexual interest and behavior, because OC use suppresses cyclical shifts in mating psychology that occur in normally cycling women. Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression and negative binomial models were used to test associations between OC use and these sexual measures, controlling for other relevant predictors (e.g., age, parity, in-pair sexual satisfaction, relationship length). The overall incidence of having had an extra-pair partner or one-night stand in the previous year was not related to current OC use (the majority of the sample had not). However, among the women who had engaged in extra-pair sexual behavior, OC users had fewer one-night stands than non-users, and tended to have fewer partners, than non-users. OC users also had more frequent dyadic intercourse than non-users, potentially indicating higher commitment to their current relationship. These results suggest that suppression of fertility through OC use may alter important aspects of female sexual behavior, with potential implications for relationship functioning and stability.

Clinical, endocrine and metabolic effects of metformin added to ethinyl estradiol-cyproterone acetate in non-obese women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Elter, Koray; Imir, Gonca; Durmusoglu, Fatih

2002-07-01

Oral contraceptive pills (OC) are usually the first choice of treatment for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), when fertility is not desired. However, they do not improve, or may even further induce impairment of insulin sensitivity, which is already impaired in women with PCOS. In this prospective, randomized study, we analysed the additional benefits of adding metformin to the OC treatment in non-obese women with PCOS. After a baseline work-up including body mass index (BMI), waist:hip ratio (WHR), Ferriman-Gallwey score, ovarian volume, serum gonadotrophin, androgen and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels, and fasting lipid, glucose and insulin levels, 40 non-obese women with PCOS were assigned either to the OC or to the OC + metformin treatment by computer-assisted randomization. At the end of the 4 month follow-up period, subjects were re-evaluated. The two groups were similar at baseline. After treatment, women in the OC + metformin group had significant decreases in BMI and WHR, and a significant increase in insulin sensitivity, in contrast to those in the OC group, who had insignificant changes in these parameters. Adding metformin also caused significant improvements in serum androstenedione and SHBG levels compared with the OC treatment alone. Adding metformin to the OC treatment may improve the insulin sensitivity, and may further suppress the hyperandrogenaemia in non-obese women with PCOS.

History of oral contraceptive use and risk of spontaneous abortion

PubMed Central

Hahn, Kristen A.; Hatch, Elizabeth E.; Rothman, Kenneth J.; Mikkelsen, Ellen M.; Brogly, Susan B.; Sørensen, Henrik T.; Riis, Anders H.; Wise, Lauren A.

2015-01-01

Purpose To examine the association between pregravid oral contraceptive (OC) use and spontaneous abortion (SAB). Methods In an Internet-based preconception cohort study of 4,862 Danish pregnancy planners, we used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between OC use and SAB. We controlled for maternal age, physical activity, parity, education, alcohol and caffeine consumption, body mass index, and smoking. Results Compared with women who discontinued OCs >1 year before conception, HRs were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.77, 1.17), 0.99 (95% CI: 0.82, 1.19), and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.60, 1.06) for women who discontinued OCs 7-12, 2-6, and 0-1 months before conception, respectively. Compared with <4 years of OC use, HRs for 4-7, 8-11, and ≥12 years of OC use were 1.05 (95% CI: 0.80, 1.37), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.71, 1.19), and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.65, 1.19), respectively. Dose of estrogen and generation of progestin were not materially associated with SAB risk. Conclusions We found no evidence that pregravid OC use is associated with an increase in SAB. Use within one month of conception was associated with a slightly lower risk of SAB, but this may be due to increased reproductive fitness in women who conceive quickly after discontinuation of OCs. PMID:26452607

Advection of surface-derived organic carbon fuels microbial reduction in Bangladesh groundwater

PubMed Central

Mailloux, Brian J.; Trembath-Reichert, Elizabeth; Cheung, Jennifer; Watson, Marlena; Stute, Martin; Freyer, Greg A.; Ferguson, Andrew S.; Ahmed, Kazi Matin; Alam, Md. Jahangir; Buchholz, Bruce A.; Thomas, James; Layton, Alice C.; Zheng, Yan; Bostick, Benjamin C.; van Geen, Alexander

2013-01-01

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) by drinking shallow groundwater causes widespread disease in Bangladesh and neighboring countries. The release of As naturally present in sediment to groundwater has been linked to the reductive dissolution of iron oxides coupled to the microbial respiration of organic carbon (OC). The source of OC driving this microbial reduction—carbon deposited with the sediments or exogenous carbon transported by groundwater—is still debated despite its importance in regulating aquifer redox status and groundwater As levels. Here, we used the radiocarbon (14C) signature of microbial DNA isolated from groundwater samples to determine the relative importance of surface and sediment-derived OC. Three DNA samples collected from the shallow, high-As aquifer and one sample from the underlying, low-As aquifer were consistently younger than the total sediment carbon, by as much as several thousand years. This difference and the dominance of heterotrophic microorganisms implies that younger, surface-derived OC is advected within the aquifer, albeit more slowly than groundwater, and represents a critical pool of OC for aquifer microbial communities. The vertical profile shows that downward transport of dissolved OC is occurring on anthropogenic timescales, but bomb 14C-labeled dissolved OC has not yet accumulated in DNA and is not fueling reduction. These results indicate that advected OC controls aquifer redox status and confirm that As release is a natural process that predates human perturbations to groundwater flow. Anthropogenic perturbations, however, could affect groundwater redox conditions and As levels in the future. PMID:23487743

Virtual colonoscopy, optical colonoscopy, or fecal occult blood testing for colorectal cancer screening: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

You, John J; Liu, Yudong; Kirby, John; Vora, Parag; Moayyedi, Paul

2015-07-09

No head-to-head randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the superiority of one colorectal screening modality over another in reducing colorectal cancer mortality. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial of fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), optical colonoscopy (OC), and virtual colonoscopy (VC), to inform the planning of a larger evaluative trial. Eligible patients (aged 50 to 70) were recruited from five primary care practices in Hamilton, ON, Canada, between March 23, 2010 and August 11, 2010, and randomized 1:1:1 in a parallel design using an automated, centralized telephone service to either FOBT, OC, or VC. To reflect conventional practice, patients received no additional reminders to complete their allocated screening test beyond those received in usual practice. The primary outcome was completion of the assigned screening procedure. Results of the index test and any follow-up investigations were ascertained at 6 months. Participants, caregivers, and outcome assessors were not blinded to group assignment. The trial was stopped early due to lack of ongoing funding. A total of 198 participants were enrolled, of whom 67 were allocated to FOBT, 66 to OC, and 65 to VC. The allocated screening procedure was completed by 43 (64%) subjects allocated to FOBT (95% confidence interval [CI], 52-75%), 53 (80%) subjects allocated to OC (95% CI, 69-88%), and 50 (77%) subjects allocated to VC (95% CI, 65-85%); because the trial stopped early, we had insufficient statistical power to detect clinically relevant differences in completion rates. During 6 months follow-up, colorectal adenomas were detected in 0 (0%) subjects allocated to FOBT, 12 (18%) subjects allocated to OC, and 2 (3%) subjects allocated to VC. One subject in the OC arm had histological evidence of high-grade dysplasia. No subjects were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. In this pilot randomized controlled trial of colorectal cancer screening in a primary care setting, 64-80% of subjects completed their allocated screening test. These findings may be of value to investigators planning clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00865527. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00865527.

Carbon Dynamics Along a Temperate Fjord-Head Delta: Linkages With Carbon Burial in Fjords

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Xingqian; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Kenney, William F.; Wang, Jiaze; Curtis, Jason H.; Xu, Kehui; Savage, Candida

2017-12-01

We used seven 210Pb-dated sediment cores from the Gaer Arm in the Doubtful Sound fjord complex, Fiordland, New Zealand to evaluate organic carbon (OC) dynamics in a temperate fjord-head delta. The highly dynamic spatial features of this delta were clearly evident in the observed sediment properties such as mass accumulation rates that varied by a factor of 14, sediment grain size by a factor 5, and sedimentary OC content by a factor 6. Low lignin concentrations (e.g., 2.95 mg (100 mg OC)-1) and syringic/vanillic ratios of lignin phenols (S/V; e.g., 0.44) at the upper deltaic stations were representative of substantial autochthonous OC contributions to delta sediments. Significantly higher acid/aldehyde ratios of vanillic phenols [(Ad/Al)v] at the deltaic stations (0.45-0.82) than the surface grabs (0.26-0.30) indicated rapid degradation of OC within the delta. Despite being a "hot spot" for OC oxidation, the delta likely improves OC preservation in the adjacent fjord by filtering out coarse-grained particles and exporting fine-grained particles to fjord sediments. Our results showed that fjord-head deltas can influence sedimentation and OC dynamics in select regions of fjords and thus warrant more examination of fjord-head processes, particularly in areas where they are expanding. In particular, as Earth warms and glaciers retreat, the newly exposed fjord-head platforms in high-latitude environments may evolve into similar "hot spots" of OC oxidation, thereby altering the dynamics of OC burial in these systems.

Relationships between organizational workplace characteristics and perceived workplace strain in call-centers in France.

PubMed

Boini, Stéphanie; Chouanière, Dominique; Colin, Régis; Wild, Pascal

2013-11-01

Our objective was to study the associations between organizational workplace characteristics (OC) reported by call-center (CC) managers and workplace stressors reported by call-handlers. The managers of 107 CCs were interviewed by their occupational physicians using a questionnaire designed to specifically explore OC in the CCs. Four thousand two call-handlers from these CCs completed a self-report questionnaire including the Karasek and Siegrist work stressor questionnaires and two specific items on other workplace stressors. Around one-third of the OC examined were associated with the demand/control ratio, the perception of demanding work and ethical conflicts, however, far fewer OC were associated with the effort/reward ratio. Most OC were associated with higher levels of job stressors. Some had strong, systematic negative associations with stressors (e.g., highly formatted instructions for the client relationship). These findings could help in targeting job stressor prevention and health improvement strategies in CCs. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Elongational Viscosity Rheological Parameter Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

necessary to operate at sub-atmospheric pressure, so that I + P1 PCO 26 remains small. For example, if the system is initially at 0. 5 psia (which requires...figure 4. 6. 1. 1 Cell: The heart of the system is the glass/copper cell (I) with the platinum electrode nmounted in it. Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively...Washington, OC 20418 S~Brooks AFB, TX 78235 US Public Health Service AFAMRL/TS Center for Disease Control ATTN: COL Johnson I ATTN: Lewis Webb, Jr

Monitoring the variations of the oxygen transfer rate in a full scale membrane bioreactor using daily mass balances.

PubMed

Racault, Y; Stricker, A-E; Husson, A; Gillot, S

2011-01-01

Oxygen transfer in biological wastewater treatment processes with high sludge concentration, such as membrane bioreactor (MBR), is an important issue. The variation of alpha-factor versus mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration was investigated in a full scale MBR plant under process conditions, using mass balances. Exhaustive data from the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) and from additional online sensors (COD, DO, MLSS) were used to calculate the daily oxygen consumption (OC) using a non-steady state mass balance for COD and total N on a 24-h basis. To close the oxygen balance, OC has to match the total oxygen transfer rate (OTRtot) of the system, which is provided by fine bubble (FB) diffusers in the aeration tank and coarse bubbles (CB) in separate membrane tanks. First assessing OTR(CB) then closing the balance OC = OTRtot allowed to calculate OTR(FB) and to fit an exponential relationship between OTR(FB) and MLSS. A comparison of the alpha-factor obtained by this balance method and by direct measurements with the off-gas method on the same plant is presented and discussed.

Iron geochemistry and organic carbon preservation by iron (oxyhydr)oxides in surface sediments of the East China Sea and the south Yellow Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Wei-Wei; Zhu, Mao-Xu; Yang, Gui-Peng; Li, Tie

2018-02-01

In marine sediments factors that influence iron (Fe) geochemistry and its interactions with other elements are diverse and remain poorly understood. Here we comparatively study Fe speciation and reactive Fe-bound organic carbon (Fe-OC) in surface sediments of the East China Sea (ECS) and the south Yellow Sea (SYS). The objectives are to better understand the potential impacts of geochemically distinct sediment sources and depositional/diagenetic settings on Fe geochemistry and OC preservation by Fe (hydr)oxides in sediments of the two extensive shelf seas around the world. Contents of carbonate- and acid-volatile-sulfide (AVS)-associated Fe(II) (FeAVS + carb) and magnetite (Femag) in the ECS sediments are about 5 and 9 times higher, respectively, than in the SYS. This could be ascribed to the ferruginous conditions of the ECS sediments that favor the formation/accumulation of Fecarb and Femag, a unique feature of marine unsteady depositional regimes. Much lower total Fe(II) contents in the SYS than in the ECS suggest that lower availability of highly reactive Fe (FeHR) and/or weak Fe reduction is a factor limiting Fe(II) formation and accumulation in the SYS sediments. The ratio of FeHR to total Fe is, on average, markedly higher (2.4 times) in the ECS sediments than in the SYS, which may be a combined result of several factors relevant to different sediment sources and depositional/diagenetic settings. In comparison with many other marine sediments, the percent fractions (fFe-OC) of Fe-OC to total organic carbon (TOC) in the ECS and the SYS are low, which can be ascribed to surface adsorption of OC rather than coprecipitation or organic complexation as the dominant binding mechanisms. Based on the fFe-OC in this study, total Fe-OC estimated for global continental shelves is equivalent to 38% of the atmospheric CO2 pool, which indicates the important role of sorptive stabilization of Fe-OC in continental shelf sediments for buffering CO2 release to the atmosphere. In the SYS, consistently less 13C-depleted Fe-OC relative to 13C of non-Fe-bound OC (13Cnon-Fe-OC) suggests selective sequestration of labile marine OC in the marine OC-dominated sediments of the central SYS. In the ECS, however, efficient oxidation of OC and frequent redox cycling of Fe in the unsteady depositional regimes may complicate the isotopic compositions of Fe-OC. A combination of our results and literature data demonstrates that Fe-OC contents are strongly dependent on the availability of TOC and reactive Fe, but the fFe-OC is primarily controlled by the processes of Fe redox cycling in the sediments.

Intracellular Enzymes Contribution to the Biocatalytic Removal of Pharmaceuticals by Trametes hirsuta.

PubMed

Haroune, Lounès; Saibi, Sabrina; Cabana, Hubert; Bellenger, Jean-Philippe

2017-01-17

The use of white rot fungi (WRF) for bioremediation of recalcitrant trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) is becoming greatly popular. Biosorption and lignin modifying enzymes (LMEs) are the most often reported mechanisms of action. Intracellular enzymes, such as cytochrome P450 (CYP450), have also been suggested to contribute. However, direct evidence of TrOCs uptake and intracellular transformation is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative contribution of biosorption, extracellular LMEs activity, TrOCs uptake, and intracellular CYP450 on the removal of six nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIs) by Trametes hirsuta. Results show that for most tested NSAIs, LMEs activity and biosorption failed to explain the observed removal. Most tested TrOCs are quickly taken up and intracellularly transformed. Fine characterization of intracellular transformation using ketoprofen showed that CYP450 is not the sole intracellular enzyme responsible for intracellular transformation. The contribution of CYP450 in further transformation of ketoprofen byproducts is also reported. These results illustrate that TrOCs transformation by WRF is a more complex process than previously reported. Rapid uptake of TrOCs and intracellular transformation through diverse enzymatic systems appears to be important components of WRF efficiency toward TrOCs.

Olivocochlear neuron central anatomy is normal in alpha 9 knockout mice.

PubMed

Brown, M Christian; Vetter, Douglas E

2009-03-01

Olivocochlear (OC) neurons were studied in a transgenic mouse with deletion of the alpha 9 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit. In this alpha 9 knockout mouse, the peripheral effects of OC stimulation are lacking and the peripheral terminals of OC neurons under outer hair cells have abnormal morphology. To account for this mouse's apparently normal hearing, it has been proposed to have central compensation via collateral branches to the cochlear nucleus. We tested this idea by staining OC neurons for acetylcholinesterase and examining their morphology in knockout mice, wild-type mice of the same background strain, and CBA/CaJ mice. Knockout mice had normal OC systems in terms of numbers of OC neurons, dendritic patterns, and numbers of branches to the cochlear nucleus. The branch terminations were mainly to edge regions and to a lesser extent the core of the cochlear nucleus, and were similar among the strains in terms of the distribution and staining density. These data demonstrate that there are no obvious changes in the central morphology of the OC neurons in alpha 9 knockout mice and make less attractive the idea that there is central compensation for deletion of the peripheral receptor in these mice.

Olivocochlear Efferent Control in Sound Localization and Experience-Dependent Learning

PubMed Central

Irving, Samuel; Moore, David R.; Liberman, M. Charles; Sumner, Christian J.

2012-01-01

Efferent auditory pathways have been implicated in sound localization and its plasticity. We examined the role of the olivocochlear system (OC) in horizontal sound localization by the ferret and in localization learning following unilateral earplugging. Under anesthesia, adult ferrets underwent olivocochlear bundle section at the floor of the fourth ventricle, either at the midline or laterally (left). Lesioned and control animals were trained to localize 1 s and 40ms amplitude-roved broadband noise stimuli from one of 12 loudspeakers. Neither type of lesion affected normal localization accuracy. All ferrets then received a left earplug and were tested and trained over 10 d. The plug profoundly disrupted localization. Ferrets in the control and lateral lesion groups improved significantly during subsequent training on the 1 s stimulus. No improvement (learning) occurred in the midline lesion group. Markedly poorer performance and failure to learn was observed with the 40 ms stimulus in all groups. Plug removal resulted in a rapid resumption of normal localization in all animals. Insertion of a subsequent plug in the right ear produced similar results to left earplugging. Learning in the lateral lesion group was independent of the side of the lesion relative to the earplug. Lesions in all reported cases were verified histologically. The results suggest the OC system is not needed for accurate localization, but that it is involved in relearning localization during unilateral conductive hearing loss. PMID:21325517

Real-time 2D spatially selective MRI experiments: Comparative analysis of optimal control design methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maximov, Ivan I.; Vinding, Mads S.; Tse, Desmond H. Y.; Nielsen, Niels Chr.; Shah, N. Jon

2015-05-01

There is an increasing need for development of advanced radio-frequency (RF) pulse techniques in modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems driven by recent advancements in ultra-high magnetic field systems, new parallel transmit/receive coil designs, and accessible powerful computational facilities. 2D spatially selective RF pulses are an example of advanced pulses that have many applications of clinical relevance, e.g., reduced field of view imaging, and MR spectroscopy. The 2D spatially selective RF pulses are mostly generated and optimised with numerical methods that can handle vast controls and multiple constraints. With this study we aim at demonstrating that numerical, optimal control (OC) algorithms are efficient for the design of 2D spatially selective MRI experiments, when robustness towards e.g. field inhomogeneity is in focus. We have chosen three popular OC algorithms; two which are gradient-based, concurrent methods using first- and second-order derivatives, respectively; and a third that belongs to the sequential, monotonically convergent family. We used two experimental models: a water phantom, and an in vivo human head. Taking into consideration the challenging experimental setup, our analysis suggests the use of the sequential, monotonic approach and the second-order gradient-based approach as computational speed, experimental robustness, and image quality is key. All algorithms used in this work were implemented in the MATLAB environment and are freely available to the MRI community.

Caphosol(®) mouthwash gives no additional protection against oral mucositis compared to cryotherapy alone in stem cell transplantation. A pilot study.

PubMed

Svanberg, Anncarin; Öhrn, Kerstin; Birgegård, Gunnar

2015-02-01

To investigate if adding Caphosol(®), a mouthwash solution, to oral cryotherapy (OC) further protects against oral mucositis (OM), a toxic painful complication to high dose chemotherapy. The study was a randomised, controlled, study design. Patients ≥16 years scheduled for allogeneic stem cell transplantation were included consecutively and randomised to experimental group receiving OC combined with Caphosol(®) (n = 20) or control group receiving OC only (n = 20). OC was given from start to end of HDCT. Caphosol(®), from day 0 to day 21. There were no significant differences regarding age or gender between the groups. Mucositis was assessed with the World Health Organisation (WHO) grading scale. Pain was assessed with a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain. Start and duration of therapy with pain relieving drugs, serum C-reactive protein values, and number of days of hospitalisation were collected from the medical records. Data on OM, oral pain, use of i.v. opioids and total parenteral nutrition were collected during 22 days. There was no significant difference between the groups on OM, oral pain, use of i.v. opioids or TPN between the groups. The study showed no additional effect of combining Caphosol(®) with OC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproductive factors and ovarian cancer risk in African-American women.

PubMed

Moorman, Patricia G; Alberg, Anthony J; Bandera, Elisa V; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill; Bondy, Melissa; Cote, Michele L; Funkhouser, Ellen; Peters, Edward S; Schwartz, Ann G; Terry, Paul; Crankshaw, Sydnee; Wang, Frances; Schildkraut, Joellen M

2016-09-01

Reproductive characteristics, the most established ovarian cancer risk factors, differ markedly between African-American and white women. Studies in predominantly white populations suggest that associations between reproductive characteristics and ovarian cancer vary by timing of the events and menopause status. This analysis examined associations between number, duration, and timing of reproductive events and epithelial ovarian cancer among African-American women. Data from a multicenter case-control study of ovarian cancer in African-American women (641 cases/752 controls) were used to examine associations with oral contraceptive (OC) use and pregnancy characteristics. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with reproductive characteristics were calculated with logistic regression models. OC use (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9), parity (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.6), and breastfeeding for >12 months (OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.5) were inversely associated with ovarian cancer. More recent pregnancies and OC use had stronger associations with ovarian cancer than pregnancies or OC use that occurred earlier in life, especially among premenopausal women. This study provides the first thorough documentation that pregnancy, breastfeeding, and OC use are inversely associated with ovarian cancer in African-American women, similar to what has been observed in white women. The associations with timing of the exposures suggest that these factors have both short- and long-term effects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of hydrology in annual organic carbon loads and terrestrial organic matter export from a midwestern agricultural watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalzell, Brent J.; Filley, Timothy R.; Harbor, Jon M.

2007-03-01

Defining the control that hydrology exerts on organic carbon (OC) export at the watershed scale is important for understanding how the source and quantity of OC in streams and rivers is influenced by climate change or by landscape drainage. To this end, molecular (lignin phenol), stable carbon isotope, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) data were collected over a range of flow conditions to examine the influence of hydrology on annual OC export from an 850 km 2 Midwestern United States agricultural watershed located in west central Indiana. In years 2002 and 2003, modeled annual DOC loads were 19.5 and 14.1 kg ha -1yr -1, while 71% and 85%, respectively, of the total annual OC was exported in flow events occurring during less than 20% of that time. These results highlight the importance of short-duration, high-discharge events (common in smaller watersheds) in controlling annual OC export. Based on reported increases in annual stream discharge coupled with current estimates of DOC export, annual DOC loads in this watershed may have increased by up to 40% over the past 50 years. Molecular (lignin phenol) characterization of quantity and relative degradation state of terrestrial OC shows as much temporal variability of lignin parameters (in high molecular weight dissolved organic carbon) in this one watershed as that demonstrated in previously published studies of dissolved organic matter in the Mississippi and Amazon Rivers. These results suggest that hydrologic variability is at least as important in determining the nature and extent of OC export as geographic variability. Moreover, molecular and bulk stable carbon isotope data from high molecular weight dissolved organic carbon and colloidal organic carbon showed that increased stream flow from the study watershed was responsible for increased export of agriculturally derived OC. When considered in the context of results from other studies that show the importance of flood events and in-stream processing of terrestrial organic carbon, our results show how hydrologic variability in smaller watersheds can reflect landscape-scale carbon dynamics in ways that cannot necessarily be measured at the outlets of large rivers due to multiple source signals and attenuated hydrology.

Global gene expression analysis of early response to chemotherapy treatment in ovarian cancer spheroids.

PubMed

L'Espérance, Sylvain; Bachvarova, Magdalena; Tetu, Bernard; Mes-Masson, Anne-Marie; Bachvarov, Dimcho

2008-02-26

Chemotherapy (CT) resistance in ovarian cancer (OC) is broad and encompasses diverse unrelated drugs, suggesting more than one mechanism of resistance. To better understand the molecular mechanisms controlling the immediate response of OC cells to CT exposure, we have performed gene expression profiling in spheroid cultures derived from six OC cell lines (OVCAR3, SKOV3, TOV-112, TOV-21, OV-90 and TOV-155), following treatment with 10,0 microM cisplatin, 2,5 microM paclitaxel or 5,0 microM topotecan for 72 hours. Exposure of OC spheroids to these CT drugs resulted in differential expression of genes associated with cell growth and proliferation, cellular assembly and organization, cell death, cell cycle control and cell signaling. Genes, functionally involved in DNA repair, DNA replication and cell cycle arrest were mostly overexpressed, while genes implicated in metabolism (especially lipid metabolism), signal transduction, immune and inflammatory response, transport, transcription regulation and protein biosynthesis, were commonly suppressed following all treatments. Cisplatin and topotecan treatments triggered similar alterations in gene and pathway expression patterns, while paclitaxel action was mainly associated with induction of genes and pathways linked to cellular assembly and organization (including numerous tubulin genes), cell death and protein synthesis. The microarray data were further confirmed by pathway and network analyses. Most alterations in gene expression were directly related to mechanisms of the cytotoxics actions in OC spheroids. However, the induction of genes linked to mechanisms of DNA replication and repair in cisplatin- and topotecan-treated OC spheroids could be associated with immediate adaptive response to treatment. Similarly, overexpression of different tubulin genes upon exposure to paclitaxel could represent an early compensatory effect to this drug action. Finally, multicellular growth conditions that are known to alter gene expression (including cell adhesion and cytoskeleton organization), could substantially contribute in reducing the initial effectiveness of CT drugs in OC spheroids. Results described in this study underscore the potential of the microarray technology for unraveling the complex mechanisms of CT drugs actions in OC spheroids and early cellular response to treatment.

BRCA1/2 and TP53 mutation status associates with PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Wieser, Verena; Gaugg, Inge; Fleischer, Martina; Shivalingaiah, Giridhar; Wenzel, Soeren; Sprung, Susanne; Lax, Sigurd F; Zeimet, Alain G; Fiegl, Heidelinde; Marth, Christian

2018-04-03

Checkpoint molecules such as programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 are critically required for tumor immune escape. The objective of this study was to investigate tumoral PD-1 and PD-L1 mRNA-expression in a cohort of ovarian cancer (OC) patients in relation to tumor mutations. We analyzed mRNA expression of PD-1 , PD-L1 and IFNG by quantitative real-time PCR in tissue of 170 patients with low grade-serous (LGSOC), high-grade serous (HGSOC), endometrioid and clear cell OC compared to 28 non-diseased tissues (ovaries and fallopian tubes) in relation to tumor protein 53 ( TP53 ) and breast cancer gene 1/2 ( BRCA1/2 ) mutation status. TP53 -mutated OC strongly expressed PD-L1 compared to TP53 wild-type OC ( p = 0.028) and BRCA1/2 -mutated OC increasingly expressed PD-1 ( p = 0.024) and PD-L1 ( p = 0.012) compared to BRCA1/2 wild-type OC. For the first time in human, we noted a strong correlation between tumoral IFNG and PD-1 or PD-L1 mRNA-expression, respectively ( p < 0.001). OC tissue increasingly expressed PD-1 compared to healthy controls (vs. ovaries: p < 0.001; vs. tubes: p = 0.018). PD-1 and PD-L1 mRNA-expression increased with higher tumor grade ( p = 0.008 and p = 0.027, respectively) and younger age (< median age, p = 0.001). Finally, in the major subgroup of our cohort, FIGO stage III/IV HGSOC, high PD-1 and PD-L1 mRNA-expression was associated with reduced progression-free ( p = 0.024) and overall survival ( p = 0.049) but only in the univariate analysis. Our study suggests that in OC PD-1 / PD-L1 mRNA-expression is controlled by IFNγ and affected by TP53 and BRCA1/2 mutations. We suggest that these mutations might serve as potential predictive factors that guide anti- PD1 / PD-L1 immunotherapy.

Screening for colorectal cancer with FOBT, virtual colonoscopy and optical colonoscopy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in the Florence district (SAVE study)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most frequent cancer in Europe. Randomized clinical trials demonstrated that screening with fecal occult blood test (FOBT) reduces mortality from CRC. Accordingly, the European Community currently recommends population-based screening with FOBT. Other screening tests, such as computed tomography colonography (CTC) and optical colonoscopy (OC), are highly accurate for examining the entire colon for adenomas and CRC. Acceptability represents a critical determinant of the impact of a screening program. We designed a randomized controlled trial to compare participation rate and diagnostic yield of FOBT, CTC with computer-aided diagnosis, and OC as primary tests for population-based screening. Methods/Design A total of 14,000 subjects aged 55 to 64 years, living in the Florence district and never screened for CRC, will be randomized in three arms: group 1 (5,000 persons) invited to undergo CTC (divided into: subgroup 1A with reduced cathartic preparation and subgroup 1B with standard bowel preparation); group 2 (8,000 persons) invited to undergo a biannual FOBT for three rounds; and group 3 (1,000 persons) invited to undergo OC. Subjects of each group will be invited by mail to undergo the selected test. All subjects with a positive FOBT or CTC test (that is, mass or at least one polyp ≥6 mm) will be invited to undergo a second-level OC. Primary objectives of the study are to compare the participation rate to FOBT, CTC and OC; to compare the detection rate for cancer or advanced adenomas of CTC versus three rounds of biannual FOBT; to evaluate referral rate for OC induced by primary CTC versus three rounds of FOBT; and to estimate costs of the three screening strategies. A secondary objective of the study is to create a biological bank of blood and stool specimens from subjects undergoing CTC and OC. Discussion This study will provide information about participation/acceptability, diagnostic yield and costs of screening with CTC in comparison with the recommended test (FOBT) and OC. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01651624. PMID:23497601

Microbial heterotrophy coupled to Fe-S-As cycling in a shallow-sea hydrothermal system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, G.; Amend, J.

2013-12-01

To date, there are only a few known heterotrophic arsenite oxidizers and arsenate reducers. They utilize organic compounds as their carbon source and/or as important electron donors in the transfer arsenic in high temperature environments. Arsenic in hydrothermal vent systems can be immobilized at low temperatures through (ad)sorption on iron oxide and other iron-bearing minerals. Interactions with sulfur species can also affect the redox state of arsenic species. A better understanding of microbially-catalyzed reactions involving carbon, arsenic, iron and sulfur would provide constraints on the mobility of arsenic in a wide variety of natural and engineered systems. The aim of this study is to establish links between microbial distribution and in situ Fe-S-As cycling processes in a shallow-sea hydrothermal vent system. We investigated three shallow-sea hydrothermal vents, Champagne Hot Spring (CHS), Soufriere Spring (SOU) and Portsmouth Spring (PM), located off the western coast of Dominica, Lesser Antilles. CHS and SOU are characterized by moderate temperatures (46oC and 55oC, respectively), and PM is substantially hotter (~90-111 oC). Two sediment cores (one close to and one far from the thermal source) were collected from CHS and from SOU. Porewaters in both background cores had low concentrations of arsenic (mostly As3+, to a lesser extent As5+, DMA, MMA) and ferrous iron. The arsenic concentrations (predominantly As3+) in the CHS high temperature core were 30-90 nM, tracking with dissolved iron. Similar to CHS, the arsenic concentration in the SOU high temperature core was dominated by As3+ and controlled by ferrous iron. However, the arsenic concentration at SOU is comparatively higher, up to 1.9 mM. At the hotter and deeper PM site, highly elevated arsenic levels (1-2.5 mM) were measured, values that are among the highest arsenic concentrations ever reported in a marine hydrothermal system. Several autotrophic and heterotrophic media at two pHs (5.5 and 8.0) were designed to target microbial reductive and oxidative metabolisms of arsenic, iron and sulfur. Incubations were carried out at four temperatures (30, 50, 70, 90 oC), covering the mesophilic to hyperthermophilic range. Sediment and biofilm samples from all three sites were used as inocula in enrichments targeting heterotrophic arsenite oxidation and arsenate reduction. From these enrichments, multiple pure strains were isolated at 30, 50 and 70 oC. From the 50oC enrichments on oxic, heterotrophic media inoculated with both SOU sediment and biofilm, we isolated aerobic thermophilic sulfate reducers producing high concentration of sulfide. The produced sulfide transforms ferrihydrite to an amorphous arsenic-metal-sulfide mineral. The current culturing results not only expand the diversity of arsenic oxidizing, arsenate reducing, and aerobic sulfate reducing organisms, but also show that the microbes influence in situ Fe-S-As transformation. More molecular and physiological tests are underway to better characterize the microbe-mineral interactions in laboratory enrichments and natural environments to determine the biological effects on the cycling of As-Fe-S in shallow-sea hydrothermal systems.

How Oral Contraceptives Impact Social-Emotional Behavior and Brain Function.

PubMed

Montoya, Estrella R; Bos, Peter A

2017-02-01

Millions of women worldwide use oral contraceptives ('the pill'; OCs), often starting at a pubertal age when their brains are in a crucial developmental stage. Research into the social-emotional effects of OCs is of utmost importance. In this review, we provide an overview of studies that have emerged over the past decade investigating how OCs, and their main ingredients estradiol (E) and progesterone (P), influence social-emotional behaviors and underlying brain functions. Based on this overview, we present a heuristic model that postulates that OCs modulate core social-emotional behaviors and brain systems. Research domains and challenges for the future, as well as implications, are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Zhao, Donghui; Key Lab of Inorganic Coating Materials, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi, Changning, Shanghai 200050; Zhu, Yingchun, E-mail: yzhu@mail.sic.ac.cn

In this article, the polymorph selection of calcium carbonate has been successfully achieved in water-soluble carboxymethyl chitosan aqueous solution at different temperatures (25-95 {sup o}C). Vaterite is formed in carboxymethyl chitosan solution 25 {sup o}C accompanied with trace of calcite, whereas pure aragonite is obtained at 95 {sup o}C. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses show that the products are formed from the recrystallization of nanometer crystallites. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses reveal that the polymorph of calcium carbonate is controlled and selected by kinetics in various temperatures. As a heterogeneous nucleator and stabilizing agent, carboxymethyl chitosan changes themore » nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate from thermodynamic into kinetic control. Under kinetic limitation, the reaction rate of aragonite increases along with the elevating of temperature and surpasses the rate of vaterite above 327 K.« less

Factors affecting emission of AITC and subsequent disease control efficacy of Brassica juncea seed meal soil amendment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil physical conditions demonstrably affected allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) emitted from Brassica juncea cv Pacific Gold seed meal (SM) amended soil. The AITC concentration detected increased with an increase in temperature from 10 oC to 30 oC. AITC concentration also increased with an increase in so...

Accuracy of five intraoral scanners compared to indirect digitalization.

PubMed

Güth, Jan-Frederik; Runkel, Cornelius; Beuer, Florian; Stimmelmayr, Michael; Edelhoff, Daniel; Keul, Christine

2017-06-01

Direct and indirect digitalization offer two options for computer-aided design (CAD)/ computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)-generated restorations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of different intraoral scanners and compare them to the process of indirect digitalization. A titanium testing model was directly digitized 12 times with each intraoral scanner: (1) CS 3500 (CS), (2) Zfx Intrascan (ZFX), (3) CEREC AC Bluecam (BLU), (4) CEREC AC Omnicam (OC) and (5) True Definition (TD). As control, 12 polyether impressions were taken and the referring plaster casts were digitized indirectly with the D-810 laboratory scanner (CON). The accuracy (trueness/precision) of the datasets was evaluated by an analysing software (Geomagic Qualify 12.1) using a "best fit alignment" of the datasets with a highly accurate reference dataset of the testing model, received from industrial computed tomography. Direct digitalization using the TD showed the significant highest overall "trueness", followed by CS. Both performed better than CON. BLU, ZFX and OC showed higher differences from the reference dataset than CON. Regarding the overall "precision", the CS 3500 intraoral scanner and the True Definition showed the best performance. CON, BLU and OC resulted in significantly higher precision than ZFX did. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the accuracy of the ascertained datasets was dependent on the scanning system. The direct digitalization was not superior to indirect digitalization for all tested systems. Regarding the accuracy, all tested intraoral scanning technologies seem to be able to reproduce a single quadrant within clinical acceptable accuracy. However, differences were detected between the tested systems.

Shape deformation of the organ of Corti associated with length changes of outer hair cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmermann, U.; Fermin, C.

1996-01-01

Cochlear outer hair cells (OHC) are commonly assumed to function as mechanical effectors as well as sensory receptors in the organ of Corti (OC) of the inner ear. OHC in vitro and in organ explants exhibit mechanical responses to electrical, chemical or mechanical stimulation which may represent an aspect of their effector process that is expected in vivo. A detailed description, however, of an OHC effector operation in situ is still missing. Specifically, little is known as to how OHC movements influence the geometry of the OC in situ. Previous work has demonstrated that the motility of isolated OHCs in response to electrical stimulation and to K(+)-gluconate is probably under voltage control and causes depolarisation (shortening) and hyperpolarization (elongation). This work was undertaken to investigate if the movements that were observed in isolated OHC, and which are induced by ionic stimulation, could change the geometry of the OC. A synchronized depolarization of OHC was induced in guinea pig cochleae by exposing the entire OC to artificial endolymph (K+). Subsequent morphometry of mid-modiolar sections from these cochleae revealed that the distance between the basilar membrane (BM) and the reticular lamina (RL) had decreased considerably. Furthermore, in the three upper turns OHC had significantly shortened in all rows. The results suggest that OHC can change their length in the organ of Corti (OC) thus deforming the geometry of the OC. The experiments reveal a tonic force generation within the OC that may change the position of RL and/or BM, contribute to damping, modulate the BM-RL-distance and control the operating points of RL and sensory hair bundles. Thus, the results suggest active self-adjustments of cochlear mechanics by slow OHC length changes. Such mechanical adjustments have recently been postulated to correspond to timing elements of animal communication, speech or music.

Chronic Sleep Restriction during Pregnancy - Repercussion on Cardiovascular and Renal Functioning of Male Offspring

PubMed Central

Lima, Ingrid L. B.; Rodrigues, Aline F. A. C.; Bergamaschi, Cássia T.; Campos, Ruy R.; Hirata, Aparecida E.; Tufik, Sergio; Xylaras, Beatriz D. P.; Visniauskas, Bruna; Chagas, Jair R.; Gomes, Guiomar N.

2014-01-01

Changes in the maternal environment can induce fetal adaptations that result in the progression of chronic diseases in the offspring. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of maternal chronic sleep restriction on blood pressure, renal function and cardiac baroreflex response on male offspring at adult age. Female 3-month-old Wistar rats were divided in two experimental groups: control (C) and chronic sleep restricted (CSR). Pregnancy was confirmed by vaginal smear. Chronic sleep restricted females were subjected to sleep restriction by the multiple platform technique for 20 h daily, between the 1st and 20th day of pregnancy. After birth, the litters were reduced to 6 rats per mother, and were designated as offspring from control (OC) and offspring from chronic sleep restricted (OCSR). Indirect blood pressure (BPi – tail cuff) was measured by plethysmography in male offspring at 3 months old. Following, the renal function and cardiac baroreflex response were analyzed. Values of BPi in OCSR were significantly higher compared to OC [OC: 127±2.6 (19); OCSR: 144±2.5 (17) mmHg]. The baroreflex sensitivity to the increase of blood pressure was reduced in OCSR [Slope: OC: −2.6±0.15 (9); OCRS: −1.6±0.13 (9)]. Hypothalamic activity of ACE2 was significantly reduced in OCSR compared to OC [OC: 97.4±15 (18); OSR: 60.2±3.6 (16) UAF/min/protein mg]. Renal function alteration was noticed by the increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) observed in OCSR [OC: 6.4±0.2 (10); OCSR: 7.4±0.3 (7)]. Chronic sleep restriction during pregnancy caused in the offspring hypertension, altered cardiac baroreflex response, reduced ACE-2 activity in the hypothalamus and renal alterations. Our data suggest that the reduction of sleeping time along the pregnancy is able to modify maternal homeostasis leading to functional alterations in offspring. PMID:25405471

Chronic sleep restriction during pregnancy--repercussion on cardiovascular and renal functioning of male offspring.

PubMed

Lima, Ingrid L B; Rodrigues, Aline F A C; Bergamaschi, Cássia T; Campos, Ruy R; Hirata, Aparecida E; Tufik, Sergio; Xylaras, Beatriz D P; Visniauskas, Bruna; Chagas, Jair R; Gomes, Guiomar N

2014-01-01

Changes in the maternal environment can induce fetal adaptations that result in the progression of chronic diseases in the offspring. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of maternal chronic sleep restriction on blood pressure, renal function and cardiac baroreflex response on male offspring at adult age. Female 3-month-old Wistar rats were divided in two experimental groups: control (C) and chronic sleep restricted (CSR). Pregnancy was confirmed by vaginal smear. Chronic sleep restricted females were subjected to sleep restriction by the multiple platform technique for 20 h daily, between the 1st and 20th day of pregnancy. After birth, the litters were reduced to 6 rats per mother, and were designated as offspring from control (OC) and offspring from chronic sleep restricted (OCSR). Indirect blood pressure (BPi - tail cuff) was measured by plethysmography in male offspring at 3 months old. Following, the renal function and cardiac baroreflex response were analyzed. Values of BPi in OCSR were significantly higher compared to OC [OC: 127 ± 2.6 (19); OCSR: 144 ± 2.5 (17) mmHg]. The baroreflex sensitivity to the increase of blood pressure was reduced in OCSR [Slope: OC: -2.6 ± 0.15 (9); OCRS: -1.6 ± 0.13 (9)]. Hypothalamic activity of ACE2 was significantly reduced in OCSR compared to OC [OC: 97.4 ± 15 (18); OSR: 60.2 ± 3.6 (16) UAF/min/protein mg]. Renal function alteration was noticed by the increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) observed in OCSR [OC: 6.4 ± 0.2 (10); OCSR: 7.4 ± 0.3 (7)]. Chronic sleep restriction during pregnancy caused in the offspring hypertension, altered cardiac baroreflex response, reduced ACE-2 activity in the hypothalamus and renal alterations. Our data suggest that the reduction of sleeping time along the pregnancy is able to modify maternal homeostasis leading to functional alterations in offspring.

Oral contraceptives, breastfeeding and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Swedish EIRA study.

PubMed

Orellana, Cecilia; Saevarsdottir, Saedis; Klareskog, Lars; Karlson, Elizabeth W; Alfredsson, Lars; Bengtsson, Camilla

2017-11-01

To study whether oral contraceptive (OC) use or breastfeeding (BF) influence the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), stratifying the cases by presence/absence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), and whether these factors interact with known risk factors in the development of ACPA-positive RA. Women aged ≥18 years, participants in the population-based case-control Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of RA study (2641 cases/4251 controls), completed an extensive questionnaire regarding OC, BF and potential confounders. We calculated ORs, with 95% CIs, adjusted for age, residential area, smoking and alcohol consumption. Attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) was estimated to evaluate presence of interaction. Compared with never users, ever and past OC users had a decreased risk of ACPA-positive RA (OR=0.84 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.96); OR=0.83 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.95), respectively). No significant associations were found for ACPA-negative RA. Long duration of OC use (>7 years vs never use) decreased the risk of both ACPA-positive (p=0.0037) and ACPA-negative RA (p=0.0356).A history of long BF decreased the risk only of ACPA-positive RA in a dose-dependent manner (p=0.0086), but this trend did not remain after adjustments. A significant interaction was observed between the lack of OC use and smoking (AP=0.28 (95% CI 0.14-0.42)) on the risk of ACPA-positive RA. No interactions were found for BF. OC decreased the risk of RA, especially ACPA-positive RA, where an interaction with smoking was observed. A long duration of OC use decreased the risk of both disease subsets. We could not confirm an association between BF and a decreased risk of either ACPA-positive or ACPA-negative RA. © 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.

Metabolic and adipose tissue signatures in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome: a model of extreme adiposity.

PubMed

Lacroix, Delphine; Moutel, Sandrine; Coupaye, Muriel; Huvenne, Hélène; Faucher, Pauline; Pelloux, Véronique; Rouault, Christine; Bastard, Jean-Philippe; Cagnard, Nicolas; Dubern, Béatrice; Clément, Karine; Poitou, Christine

2015-03-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), the most frequent syndrome of obesity, is a model of early fat mass (FM) development, but scarce data exist on adipose tissue characteristics. The objective of the study was to compare metabolic, fat distribution, and transcriptomic signatures of sc adipose tissue (scAT) in PWS adults, with matched obese adults with primary obesities. Hormonal and metabolic assessments, systemic inflammation, and gene expression in scAT were compared between PWS patients and obese controls (OCs). Each 42nd PWS patient was matched with one randomly paired control with primary obesity. Matching factors were age, gender, fat mass (percentage), and diabetic status. Compared with OCs, the PWS group had a decreased percentage of trunk FM and a better metabolic profile with decreased insulin and homeostasis model assessment, an index of insulin-resistance, and increased concentrations of serum adiponectin and ghrelin. Adipocyte size relative to body fat was significantly higher in PWS vs OCs. scAT in PWS patients was characterized by a transcriptomic functional signature with enrichment of themes related to immunoinflammation, the extracellular matrix, and angiogenesis. A RT-PCR targeted study revealed that candidate genes encoding proinflammatory markers and remodeling molecules, CD68, CD3e, IL-1β, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5, collagen type 4-α, and lysyl oxidase, were down-regulated. Matched for FM, PWS subjects have a better metabolic profile, a phenotype that could be linked to changes in scAT remodeling and promotion of adipocyte growth.

Substantial soil organic carbon retention along floodplains of mountain streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutfin, Nicholas A.; Wohl, Ellen

2017-07-01

Small, snowmelt-dominated mountain streams have the potential to store substantial organic carbon in floodplain sediment because of high inputs of particulate organic matter, relatively lower temperatures compared with lowland regions, and potential for increased moisture conditions. This work (i) quantifies mean soil organic carbon (OC) content along 24 study reaches in the Colorado Rocky Mountains using 660 soil samples, (ii) identifies potential controls of OC content based on soil properties and spatial position with respect to the channel, and (iii) and examines soil properties and OC across various floodplain geomorphic features in the study area. Stepwise multiple linear regression (adjusted r2 = 0.48, p < 0.001) indicates that percentage of silt and clay, sample depth, percent sand, distance from the channel, and relative elevation from the channel are significant predictors of OC content in the study area. Principle component analysis indicates limited separation between geomorphic floodplain features based on predictors of OC content. A lack of significant differences among floodplain features suggests that the systematic random sampling employed in this study can capture the variability of OC across floodplains in the study area. Mean floodplain OC (6.3 ± 0.3%) is more variable but on average greater than values in uplands (1.5 ± 0.08% to 2.2 ± 0.14%) of the Colorado Front Range and higher than published values from floodplains in other regions, particularly those of larger rivers.

Exposure to emotionally arousing, contamination-relevant pictorial stimuli interferes with response inhibition: Implication for obsessive–compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Adams, Thomas G.

2016-01-01

Multiple emotional processes are implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessions and compulsions and individuals diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have reliably shown deficits in response inhibition. Little research has tested how emotional processes might interact with cognitive control in the context of OCD. High contamination obsessive-compulsive (OC) and low contamination-OC participants completed an emotional go/no-go task to measure the interfering effects contamination-threat images relative to neutral images on action restraint (errors of commission). Results revealed that high contamination-OC participants committed marginally more commission errors (11.04%) than low contamination-OC participants (10.30%) on neutral no-go trials, but this effect was not significant (p > .05). All participants committed significantly more errors of commission on contamination-threat trails relative to neutral no-go trials, p < .01, but the interfering effects of contamination-threat images was significantly larger (p = .05) for high-contamination-OC participants. Errors of commission almost doubled for high contamination-OC participants on contamination-threat no-go trials (20.78%), compared to a more modest increase for low contamination-OC participants (14.80%). These findings suggest that individuals with elevated symptoms of OCD may have significantly more difficulty inhibiting their actions when processing disorder relevant or emotionally arousing information. This observation has implications for the pathogenesis of obsessions and compulsions. PMID:28090434

Technical note: An inverse method to relate organic carbon reactivity to isotope composition from serial oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemingway, Jordon D.; Rothman, Daniel H.; Rosengard, Sarah Z.; Galy, Valier V.

2017-11-01

Serial oxidation coupled with stable carbon and radiocarbon analysis of sequentially evolved CO2 is a promising method to characterize the relationship between organic carbon (OC) chemical composition, source, and residence time in the environment. However, observed decay profiles depend on experimental conditions and oxidation pathway. It is therefore necessary to properly assess serial oxidation kinetics before utilizing decay profiles as a measure of OC reactivity. We present a regularized inverse method to estimate the distribution of OC activation energy (E), a proxy for bond strength, using serial oxidation. Here, we apply this method to ramped temperature pyrolysis or oxidation (RPO) analysis but note that this approach is broadly applicable to any serial oxidation technique. RPO analysis directly compares thermal reactivity to isotope composition by determining the E range for OC decaying within each temperature interval over which CO2 is collected. By analyzing a decarbonated test sample at multiple masses and oven ramp rates, we show that OC decay during RPO analysis follows a superposition of parallel first-order kinetics and that resulting E distributions are independent of experimental conditions. We therefore propose the E distribution as a novel proxy to describe OC thermal reactivity and suggest that E vs. isotope relationships can provide new insight into the compositional controls on OC source and residence time.

Comparison of extracts and toxicities of organic compounds in drinking water concentrated by single and composite XAD resins.

PubMed

Zhou, Xue; Xiang, Lunhui; Wu, Fenghong; Peng, Xiaoling; Xie, Hong; Wang, Jiachun; Yang, Kedi; Lu, Wenqing; Wu, Zhigang

2013-12-01

We compared extracts and toxicities of organic compounds (OCs) in drinking water concentrated by composite XAD-2/8 resin (mixed with an equal volume of XAD-2 and XAD-8 resins) with those extracted by single XAD-2 (non-polar) and XAD-8 (polar) resins. Drinking water was processed from raw water of the Han River and the Yangtze River in Wuhan section, China. The extraction efficiency of all resins was controlled at 30%. The types of extracted OCs were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were assessed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and comet assays, respectively, in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Our results showed that XAD-2/8 extracted a larger variety of OCs, compared with XAD-8 and XAD-2. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of extracted OCs were in the order of XAD-8> XAD-2/8> XAD-2 at almost all tested concentrations after 24 h treatment (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that single XAD resin selectively extracts either polar or non-polar OCs, which would lead to over- or under-estimation of the toxicity of drinking water. Nevertheless, composite resin extracts both polar and non-polar OCs, and could be utilized as a useful extraction technique to evaluate the level and toxicity of OCs in drinking water.

Blowout Prevention System Events and Equipment Component Failures : 2016 SafeOCS Annual Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-22

The SafeOCS 2016 Annual Report, produced by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), summarizes blowout prevention (BOP) equipment failures on marine drilling rigs in the Outer Continental Shelf. It includes an analysis of equipment component f...

Strong composition-dependent variation of MCs + calibration factors in TiO x and GeO x ( x ≤ 2) films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnaser, Hubert; Le, Yongkang; Su, Weifeng

2006-07-01

The emission of MCs + secondary ions (M designates the analyte species) from TiO x (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 2) and GeO x (0.001 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) films under Cs + bombardment was examined. The relative calibration factors of OCs +/TiCs + and OCs +/GeCs + were determined and were found to depend pronouncedly on the O/Ti and O/Ge atomic concentration ratios. Specifically, with increasing oxygen content OCs + ions form much more efficiently (as compared to TiCs + or GeCs + ions), an enhancement amounting to more than a factor of 10 for the highest oxygen concentrations. Concurrently, the formation of TiOCs + or GeOCs + ions increases drastically. For both oxide systems, an empirical relation for the oxygen-concentration dependence of the relative calibration factors could be established.

Adaptive output-based command shaping for sway control of a 3D overhead crane with payload hoisting and wind disturbance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullahi, Auwalu M.; Mohamed, Z.; Selamat, H.; Pota, Hemanshu R.; Zainal Abidin, M. S.; Ismail, F. S.; Haruna, A.

2018-01-01

Payload hoisting and wind disturbance during crane operations are among the challenging factors that affect a payload sway and thus, affect the crane's performance. This paper proposes a new online adaptive output-based command shaping (AOCS) technique for an effective payload sway reduction of an overhead crane under the influence of those effects. This technique enhances the previously developed output-based command shaping (OCS) which was effective only for a fixed system and without external disturbances. Unlike the conventional input shaping design technique which requires the system's natural frequency and damping ratio, the proposed technique is designed by using the output signal and thus, an online adaptive algorithm can be formulated. To test the effectiveness of the AOCS, experiments are carried out using a laboratory overhead crane with a payload hoisting in the presence of wind, and with different payloads. The superiority of the method is confirmed by 82% and 29% reductions in the overall sway and the maximum transient sway respectively, when compared to the OCS, and two robust input shapers namely Zero Vibration Derivative-Derivative and Extra-Insensitive shapers. Furthermore, the method demonstrates a uniform crane's performance under all conditions. It is envisaged that the proposed method can be very useful in designing an effective controller for a crane system with an unknown payload and under the influence of external disturbances.

Radiocarbon constraints on the coupled growth of sediment and organic carbon reservoirs in fluvial systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, M. A.; Kemeny, P. C.; Fischer, W. W.; Lamb, M. P.

2017-12-01

Vast amounts of sediments are stored transiently in fluvial deposits as they move in rivers from source to sink. The timescale(s) of transient storage have the potential to set the cadence for biogeochemical reactions to occur in river sediments. However, the extent to which storage modulates the chemical composition of river sediments remains unclear. In case of the organic carbon (OC) cycle, transient sediment storage may leave an imprint in the radiocarbon (14C) content of riverine particulate OC (POC), offering a potential tool to trace the coupling of sediment storage and biogeochemical cycling in river systems. We investigated the modern and ancient budgets of sediments and POC in the Efi Haukadalsá River catchment in West Iceland to provide new empirical constraints on the role of sediment storage in the terrestrial OC cycle. This field site is attractive because the basaltic bedrock is free of rock-derived (i.e. "petrogenic") POC such that bulk 14C measurements can be interpreted more directly as constraints on catchment OC storage timescales. Additionally, Lake Haukadalsvatn at the outlet of the river catchment has captured sediment for nearly 13 ka, which offers a complementary record of the evolution of climate-sediment-OC linkages since deglaciation. New 14C measurements show that bulk POC in fine grained fluvial deposits within the Haukadalsá catchment is remarkably old (model ages between 1 and 10 ka). This evidence for "aged" POC in floodplain storage is consistent with previous measurements from Lake Haukadalsvatn, which show that POC is aged in the river system by thousands of years prior to deposition in the lake. Additionally, our estimate of the mean transit time of sediments through the river system matches the millennial-scale reservoir age of riverine POC derived from 14C, which implies a tight coupling between sediment storage and the OC cycle. We interpret the long-term increase in the 14C reservoir age of riverine POC over the last 10 ka preserved in the lake sediments to reflect the growth of a terrestrial sediment reservoir and concomitant POC storage in response to deglaciation. Our results illustrate how sediment storage by fluvial systems strongly influences the terrestrial OC cycle and its response to changes in environmental conditions.

Treatment decision-making processes in the systemic treatment of ovarian cancer: review of the scientific evidence.

PubMed

Luketina, Hrvoje; Fotopoulou, Christina; Luketina, Ruzica-Rosalia; Pilger, Adak; Sehouli, Jalid

2012-09-01

The systemic treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the cornerstones in the multimodal management of advanced OC in both primary and recurrent stages of this disease. In most situations various treatment options are available but only few data exists about the treatment decision-making process. Therefore, we conducted a review of the current literature regarding the decision-making process concerning the systemic therapy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The electronic database MEDLINE (PubMed) was systematically reviewed for studies that evaluate the treatment decision-making processes in patients with advanced OC. The PubMed database was searched in detail for all titles and abstracts of potentially relevant studies published between 1995 and 2011. An initial search identified 15 potentially relevant studies, but only seven met all inclusion criteria. Factors that influence treatment decisions in patients with OC include not only rational arguments and medical reasons, but also individual attitudes, fears, existential questions, various projections resulting from the physician patient relationship and the social environment. The physician's personal experience with OC treatment seems to be an important factor, followed by previous personal experience with medical issues, and the fear of side-effects and future metastases. Family and self-support organisations also seem to play a significant role in the treatment decision-making process. This review underlines the need for more research activities to explore the treatment decision-making process to enable the best individual support for patients in treatment decision-making. It is a challenge for clinicians to determine the individual information needs of women with OC and to involve them during the decision-making process to the extent they wish.

Perceived susceptibility to pregnancy and its association with safer sex, contraceptive adherence and subsequent pregnancy among adolescent and young adult women.

PubMed

Rahman, Mahbubur; Berenson, Abbey B; Herrera, Sandra R

2013-04-01

The study was conducted to examine the hypotheses that adolescent and young adult women who perceived they are susceptible to pregnancy when birth control is not used are less likely to practice unsafe sex, discontinue oral contraception (OC) and become pregnant during a 12-month follow-up period. We conducted secondary analyses using data collected for a randomized controlled trial on OC adherence among 1155 low-income women 16-24 years of age. Demographics, lifestyle variables, perceived susceptibility to pregnancy assessed at baseline, and data on OC and condom use and pregnancy status collected during 12 months of follow-up were used for the analyses. Overall, 62.3% of women accurately understood the risks of pregnancy without using any birth control method. However, perceived susceptibility was not associated with OC continuation [odds ratio (OR) 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79-1.11], condom use at last sexual intercourse (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.84-1.24), dual method use (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.92-1.48) and subsequent pregnancy (hazards ratio 1.08, 95% CI 0.77-1.49) during the 12-month follow-up period. Perceived susceptibility to pregnancy, an important component of the health belief model, does not seem to have any impact on use of birth control methods, safer sex or rate of subsequent pregnancy among low-income adolescent and young adult women. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Onecut1 and Onecut2 redundantly regulate early retinal cell fates during development

PubMed Central

Sapkota, Darshan; Chintala, Hemabindu; Wu, Fuguo; Fliesler, Steven J.; Hu, Zihua; Mu, Xiuqian

2014-01-01

Previously, we have shown that Onecut1 (Oc1) and Onecut2 (Oc2) are expressed in retinal progenitor cells, developing retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), and horizontal cells (HCs). However, in Oc1-null mice, we only observed an 80% reduction in HCs, but no defects in other cell types. We postulated that the lack of defects in other cell types in Oc1-null retinas was a result of redundancy with Oc2. To test this theory, we have generated Oc2-null mice and now show that their retinas also only have defects in HCs, with a 50% reduction in their numbers. However, when both Oc1 and Oc2 are knocked out, the retinas exhibit more profound defects in the development of all early retinal cell types, including completely failed genesis of HCs, compromised generation of cones, reduced production (by 30%) of RGCs, and absence of starburst amacrine cells. Cone subtype diversification and RGC subtype composition also were affected in the double-null retina. Using RNA-Seq expression profiling, we have identified downstream genes of Oc1 and Oc2, which not only confirms the redundancy between the two factors and renders a molecular explanation for the defects in the double-null retinas, but also shows that the onecut factors suppress the production of the late cell type, rods, indicating that the two factors contribute to the competence of retinal progenitor cells for the early retinal cell fates. Our results provide insight into how onecut factors regulate the creation of cellular diversity in the retina and, by extension, in the central nervous system in general. PMID:25228773

[Oral contraception and the vascular risk].

PubMed

Garnier, L F; Gruel, Y

1989-01-01

Vascular risk, mainly thromboembolitic risk, attributed to oral contraceptives (OCs) since 1962, has been primarily linked to ethinyl estradiol (EE). OCs which combine estrogen and have been associated with cerebral vascular accidents. A 1977 study showed a 40% increase of mortality due to cardiovascular complications in women taking OCs. There were of both an arterial and a venous character. The risk of myocardial infarction was 3 times more frequent among OC users. Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were more numerous. Some other risk factors include smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and age 35. The risk of heart attack vanishes a few years after stopping OC use. The reduction of EE (and similarly progesterone) dosage from 100-50 mcg also lower the risk of hypertension, cerebral vascular accidents, and venous thrombosis. Prolonged use of OCs causes disorders of hemostasis affecting the walls of blood vessels, modifying the viscosity of blood flow (increase of hematocrits, reduction of venous tonus), modifying plasmatic coagulation (increase of platelets, increase of factors VII and X and plasma fibrinogen, and decrease of antithrombin III activity), and increased fibrinolysis. These anomalies are exclusively associated with high doses of estrogens. 5% of women using OCs develop moderate hypertension of 5-10 mm Hg of systolic pressure 5 years later, but after cessation it is reversed. OCs stimulate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system causing accelerated production of angiotensin II with the resultant forceful vasotension. 3 months after quitting OC use, high blood pressure returns to normal. EE can provoke diabetes; it increases very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) production, but total cholesterol is hardly affected. The androgenic property of progestogens reduces HDL. Combined OCs are contraindicated for women with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and a family history of vascular accidents.

The metabolic phenotype of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in childhood: heightened insulin sensitivity relative to body mass index.

PubMed

Haqq, Andrea M; Muehlbauer, Michael J; Newgard, Christopher B; Grambow, Steven; Freemark, Michael

2011-01-01

Insulin sensitivity is higher in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) than in body mass index-matched obese controls (OCs). Factors contributing to the heightened insulin sensitivity of PWS remain obscure. We compared the fasting levels of various hormones, cytokines, lipids, and liver function tests in 14 PWS patients and 14 OCs with those in 14 age- and gender-matched lean children (LC). We hypothesized that metabolic profiles of children with PWS are comparable with those of LC, but different from those of OCs. Leptin levels were comparable in PWS patients and OCs, suggesting comparable degrees of adiposity. Glucose levels were comparable among groups. However, fasting insulin concentrations and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index were lower in PWS patients than in OCs (P < 0.05) and similar to LC. Moreover, high-density lipoprotein levels were lower and triglycerides higher in OCs (P < 0.05) but not PWS patients. Total adiponectin, high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin and the HMW to total adiponectin ratio were higher in PWS patients (P < 0.05) than in OCs and similar to LC. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and IL-6 levels were higher in OCs than in PWS patients or LC (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, PAI-1 levels were elevated in both OC and PWS patients. There were no group differences in glucagon-like peptide-1, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, TNFα, IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-18, resistin, total or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, or alanine aminotransferase. The heightened insulin sensitivity of PWS patients relative to OCs is associated with higher levels of adiponectin and lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and IL-6. Future studies will determine whether PWS children are protected from obesity comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Decreased Levels of Circulating Carboxylated Osteocalcin in Children with Low Energy Fractures: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Popko, Janusz; Karpiński, Michał; Chojnowska, Sylwia; Maresz, Katarzyna; Milewski, Robert; Badmaev, Vladimir; Schurgers, Leon J

2018-06-06

In the past decades, an increased interest in the roles of vitamin D and K has become evident, in particular in relation to bone health and prevention of bone fractures. The aim of the current study was to evaluate vitamin D and K status in children with low-energy fractures and in children without fractures. The study group of 20 children (14 boys, 6 girls) aged 5 to 15 years old, with radiologically confirmed low-energy fractures was compared with the control group of 19 healthy children (9 boys, 10 girls), aged 7 to 17 years old, without fractures. Total vitamin D (25(OH)D3 plus 25(OH)D2), calcium, BALP (bone alkaline phosphatase), NTx (N-terminal telopeptide), and uncarboxylated (ucOC) and carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC) serum concentrations were evaluated. Ratio of serum uncarboxylated osteocalcin to serum carboxylated osteocalcin ucOC:cOC (UCR) was used as an indicator of bone vitamin K status. Logistic regression models were created to establish UCR influence for odds ratio of low-energy fractures in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the serum calcium, NTx, BALP, or total vitamin D levels between the two groups. There was, however, a statistically significant difference in the UCR ratio. The median UCR in the fracture group was 0.471 compared with the control group value of 0.245 ( p < 0.0001). In the logistic regression analysis, odds ratio of low-energy fractures for UCR was calculated, with an increased risk of fractures by some 78.3 times. In this pilot study, better vitamin K status expressed as the ratio of ucOC:cOC-UCR—is positively and statistically significantly correlated with lower rate of low-energy fracture incidence.

Influence of 20–Year Organic and Inorganic Fertilization on Organic Carbon Accumulation and Microbial Community Structure of Aggregates in an Intensively Cultivated Sandy Loam Soil

PubMed Central

Zhang, Huanjun; Ding, Weixin; He, Xinhua; Yu, Hongyan; Fan, Jianling; Liu, Deyan

2014-01-01

To evaluate the long–term effect of compost (CM) and inorganic fertilizer (NPK) application on microbial community structure and organic carbon (OC) accumulation at aggregate scale, soils from plots amended with CM, NPK and no fertilizer (control) for 20 years (1989–2009) were collected. Soil was separated into large macroaggregate (>2,000 μm), small macroaggregate (250–2,000 μm), microaggregate (53–250 μm), silt (2–53 μm) and clay fraction (<2 μm) by wet-sieving, and their OC concentration and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) were measured. The 20-year application of compost significantly (P<0.05) increased OC by 123–134% and accelerated the formation of macroaggregates, but decreased soil oxygen diffusion coefficient. NPK mainly increased OC in macroaggregates and displayed weaker influence on aggregation. Bacteria distributed in all aggregates, while fungi and actinobacteria were mainly in macroaggregates and microaggregates. The ratio of monounsaturated to branched (M/B) PLFAs, as an indicator for the ratio of aerobic to anaerobic microorganisms, increased inversely with aggregate size. Both NPK and especially CM significantly (P<0.05) decreased M/B ratios in all aggregates except the silt fraction compared with the control. The increased organic C in aggregates significantly (P<0.05) negatively correlated with M/B ratios under CM and NPK. Our study suggested that more efficient OC accumulations in aggregates under CM–treated than under NPK–treated soil was not only due to a more effective decrease of actinobacteria, but also a decrease of monounsaturated PLFAs and an increase of branched PLFAs. Aggregations under CM appear to alter micro-habitats to those more suitable for anaerobes, which in turn boosts OC accumulation. PMID:24667543

Pre-gravid oral contraceptive use in relation to birth weight: a prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Hatch, EE; Hahn, KA; Mikkelsen, EM; Riis, AH; Sorensen, HT; Rothman, KJ; Wise, LA

2015-01-01

Few studies have evaluated the association between pregravid oral contraceptive (OC) use and birth weight, and findings have been conflicting. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 5921 pregnancy planners in Denmark to evaluate recency, duration, and type of OC used before conception in relation to infant birth weight. Participants completed online questionnaires and reported detailed information on contraceptive history and covariates at baseline. Participants completed bimonthly follow-up questionnaires to update their pregnancy status for up to12 months or until conception occurred. Birth weight data were ascertained from the Danish Medical Birth Registry for 4046 live births delivered by study participants between 2008 and 2010. We used multivariable linear and log-binomial regression analyses to control for confounding. Mean birth weight was higher among women who had used OCs within 0–1 months (mean difference = 97 g, CI: 26, 168) or 2–6 months (mean difference=40 g, CI: −5, 85) before conception, compared with more than 12 months before conception. Mean birth weight was lower among women who had used OCs for long durations (mean difference comparing ≥12 with <4 years of OC use = −85 g, CI: −158, −11). Our findings indicate that pregravid OC use within 6 months of conception may be associated with a small increase in birth weight, but that long duration of use may have the opposite effect. Results were stronger among male infants, among 2nd and 4th generation OC users, and among users of OCs with a higher estrogen dose. PMID:26076921

Alzheimer's-associated A{beta} oligomers show altered structure, immunoreactivity and synaptotoxicity with low doses of oleocanthal

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

Pitt, Jason; Roth, William; Lacor, Pascale

2009-10-15

It now appears likely that soluble oligomers of amyloid-{beta}{sub 1-42} peptide, rather than insoluble fibrils, act as the primary neurotoxin in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Consequently, compounds capable of altering the assembly state of these oligomers (referred to as ADDLs) may have potential for AD therapeutics. Phenolic compounds are of particular interest for their ability to disrupt A{beta} oligomerization and reduce pathogenicity. This study has focused on oleocanthal (OC), a naturally-occurring phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil. OC increased the immunoreactivity of soluble A{beta} species, when assayed with both sequence- and conformation-specific A{beta} antibodies, indicating changes in oligomer structure. Analysismore » of oligomers in the presence of OC showed an upward shift in MW and a ladder-like distribution of SDS-stable ADDL subspecies. In comparison with control ADDLs, oligomers formed in the presence of OC (A{beta}-OC) showed equivalent colocalization at synapses but exhibited greater immunofluorescence as a result of increased antibody recognition. The enhanced signal at synapses was not due to increased synaptic binding, as direct detection of fluorescently-labeled ADDLs showed an overall reduction in ADDL signal in the presence of OC. Decreased binding to synapses was accompanied by significantly less synaptic deterioration assayed by drebrin loss. Additionally, treatment with OC improved antibody clearance of ADDLs. These results indicate oleocanthal is capable of altering the oligomerization state of ADDLs while protecting neurons from the synaptopathological effects of ADDLs and suggest OC as a lead compound for development in AD therapeutics.« less

Neuropsychological Functioning in Obsessive-Compulsive Washers: Drug-Naive Without Depressive Symptoms

PubMed Central

Saremi, Ali Akbar; Shariat, Seyed Vahid; Nazari, Mohammad Ali; Dolatshahi, Behrooz

2017-01-01

Introduction: Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a complex and heterogeneous neuropsychiatric syndrome. Contamination obsessions and washing/cleaning compulsions are the most frequent clinical OCD subtypes. The current study aimed at examining the neuropsychological impairments in drug-naive obsessive-compulsive (OC) washers without depressive symptoms and their association with the severity of symptoms. Methods: In the current causal-comparative study, 35 patients with diagnostic and statistical mental disorders class (DSM)-IV diagnosed with washing-subtype OCD and 35 healthy subjects were selected by the convenience sampling method and evaluated by computerized neuropsychology battery and clinical tests as Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Go/No-Go Test, Digits Forward (DF), Digits Backward (DB), Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-28. The patients were matched to the comparison group with regard to age, gender, intelligence quotient (IQ), education, and handedness. All the tests were standardized in Iran. SPSS version 20.00 was used for descriptive and analytical data analysis. Results: There was no statistically significant different between the OCD washing and the control groups regarding socio-demographic variables or IQ. There were significant differences between the OC washer and the healthy control groups on the neuropsychological functioning. The obtained results suggested that OC washers performed significantly worse on neuropsychological measures than the controls. There was no significant association between the severity of OC symptoms and the neuropsychological functions in the OCD washing group. Conclusion: It was concluded that executive function impairment, which is a core feature in OC washers was trait-like in nature. PMID:28781731

Measurement of OCS, CO2, CO and H2O aboard NASA's WB-57 High Altitude Platform Using Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leen, J. B.; Owano, T. G.; Du, X.; Gardner, A.; Gupta, M.

2014-12-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is the most abundant sulfur gas in the atmosphere and has been implicated in controlling the sulfur budget and aerosol loading of the stratosphere. In the troposphere, OCS is irreversibly consumed during photosynthesis and may serve as a tracer for gross primary production (GPP). Its primary sources are ocean outgassing, industrial processes, and biomass burning. Its primary sinks are vegetation and soils. Despite the importance of OCS in atmospheric processes, the OCS atmospheric budget is poorly determined and has high uncertainty. OCS is typically monitored using either canisters analyzed by gas chromatography or integrated atmospheric column measurements. Improved in-situ terrestrial flux and airborne measurements are required to constrain the OCS budget and further elucidate its role in stratospheric aerosol formation and as a tracer for biogenic volatile organics and photosynthesis. Los Gatos Research has developed a flight capable mid-infrared Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) analyzer to simultaneously quantify OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O in ambient air at up to 2 Hz. The prototype was tested on diluted, certified samples and found to be precise (OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O to better than ±4 ppt, ±0.2 ppm, ±0.31 ppb, and ±3.7 ppm respectively, 1s in 1 sec) and linear (R2 > 0.9997 for all gases) over a wide dynamic range (OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O ranging from 0.2 - 70 ppb, 500 - 3000 ppm, 150 - 480 ppb, and 7000 - 21000 ppm respectively). Cross-interference measurements showed no appreciable change in measured OCS concentration with variations in CO2 (500 - 3500 ppm) or CO. We report on high altitude measurements made aboard NASA's WB-57 research aircraft. Two research flights were conducted from Houston, TX. The concentration of OCS, CO2, CO, and H2O were continuously recorded from sea level to approximately 60,000 feet. The concentration of OCS was observed to increase with altitude through the troposphere due to the consumption in photosynthesis at ground level and was well correlated with CO2. These results demonstrate that the OA-ICOS instrument is capable of high altitude airborne operation that will advance our understanding of OCS's role in Earth's atmosphere by providing precise and accurate measurements throughout the troposphere and into the stratosphere.

Characterization of particle bound organic carbon from diesel vehicles equipped with advanced emission control technologies.

PubMed

Pakbin, Payam; Ning, Zhi; Schauer, James J; Sioutas, Constantinos

2009-07-01

A chassis dynamometer study was carried out by the University of Southern California in collaboration with the Air Resources Board (CARB) to investigate the physical, chemical, and toxicological characteristics of diesel emissions of particulate matter (PM) from heavy-duty vehicles. These heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDV) were equipped with advanced emission control technologies, designed to meet CARB retrofit regulations. A HDDV without any emission control devices was used as the baseline vehicle. Three advanced emission control technologies; continuously regenerating technology (CRT), zeolite- and vanadium-based selective catalytic reduction technologies (Z-SCRT and V-SCRT), were tested under transient (UDDS) (1) and cruise (80 kmph) driving cycles to simulate real-world driving conditions. This paper focuses on the characterization of the particle bound organic species from the vehicle exhaust. Physical and chemical properties of PM emissions have been reported by Biswas et al. Atmos. Environ. 2008, 42, 5622-5634) and Hu et al. (Atmos. Environ. 2008, submitted) Significant reductions in the emission factors (microg/mile) of particle bound organic compounds were observed in HDDV equipped with advanced emission control technologies. V-SCRT and Z-SCRT effectively reduced PAHs, hopanes and steranes, n-alkanes and acids by more than 99%, and often to levels below detection limits for both cruise and UDDS cycles. The CRT technology also showed similar reductions with SCRT for medium and high molecular weight PAHs, acids, but with slightly lower removal efficiencies for other organic compounds. Ratios of particle bound organics-to-OC mass (microg/g) from the baseline exhaust were compared with their respective ratios in diesel fuel and lubricating oil, which revealed that hopanes and steranes originate from lubricating oil, whereas PAHs can either form during the combustion process or originate from diesel fuel itself. With the introduction of emission control technologies, the particle bound organics-to-OC ratios (microg/g) decreased considerably for PAHs, while the reduction was insignificant for hopanes and steranes, implying that fuel and lubricating oil have substantially different contributions to the total OC emitted by vehicles operating with after-treatment control devices compared to the baseline vehicle since these control technologies had a much larger impact on PAH OC than hopanes and steranes OC.

Source, transport and fate of soil organic matter inferred from microbial biomarker lipids on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bischoff, Juliane; Sparkes, Robert B.; Doğrul Selver, Ayça; Spencer, Robert G. M.; Gustafsson, Örjan; Semiletov, Igor P.; Dudarev, Oleg V.; Wagner, Dirk; Rivkina, Elizaveta; van Dongen, Bart E.; Talbot, Helen M.

2016-09-01

The Siberian Arctic contains a globally significant pool of organic carbon (OC) vulnerable to enhanced warming and subsequent release by both fluvial and coastal erosion processes. However, the rate of release, its behaviour in the Arctic Ocean and vulnerability to remineralisation is poorly understood. Here we combine new measurements of microbial biohopanoids including adenosylhopane, a lipid associated with soil microbial communities, with published glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) and bulk δ13C measurements to improve knowledge of the fate of OC transported to the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS). The microbial hopanoid-based soil OC proxy R'soil ranges from 0.0 to 0.8 across the ESAS, with highest values nearshore and decreases offshore. Across the shelf R'soil displays a negative linear correlation with bulk δ13C measurements (r2 = -0.73, p = < 0.001). When compared to the GDGT-based OC proxy, the branched and isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index, a decoupled (non-linear) behaviour on the shelf was observed, particularly in the Buor-Khaya Bay, where the R'soil shows limited variation, whereas the BIT index shows a rapid decline moving away from the Lena River outflow channels. This reflects a balance between delivery and removal of OC from different sources. The good correlation between the hopanoid and bulk terrestrial signal suggests a broad range of hopanoid sources, both fluvial and via coastal erosion, whilst GDGTs appear to be primarily sourced via fluvial transport. Analysis of ice complex deposits (ICDs) revealed an average R'soil of 0.5 for the Lena Delta, equivalent to that of the Buor-Khaya Bay sediments, whilst ICDs from further east showed higher values (0.6-0.85). Although R'soil correlates more closely with bulk OC than the BIT, our understanding of the endmembers of this system is clearly still incomplete, with variations between the different East Siberian Arctic regions potentially reflecting differences in environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, pH), but other physiological controls on microbial bacteriohopanepolyol (BHP) production under psychrophilic conditions are as yet unknown.

Exchange of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) between soils and atmosphere under various CO2 concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunk, Rüdiger; Behrendt, Thomas; Yi, Zhigang; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Kesselmeier, Jürgen

2017-06-01

A new continuous integrated cavity output spectroscopy analyzer and an automated soil chamber system were used to investigate the exchange processes of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) between soils and the atmosphere under laboratory conditions. The exchange patterns of OCS between soils and the atmosphere were found to be highly dependent on soil moisture and ambient CO2 concentration. With increasing soil moisture, OCS exchange ranged from emission under dry conditions to an uptake within an optimum moisture range, followed again by emission at high soil moisture. Elevated CO2 was found to have a significant impact on the exchange rate and direction as tested with several soils. There is a clear tendency toward a release of OCS at higher CO2 levels (up to 7600 ppm), which are typical for the upper few centimeters within soils. At high soil moisture, the release of OCS increased sharply. Measurements after chloroform vapor application show that there is a biotic component to the observed OCS exchange. Furthermore, soil treatment with the fungi inhibitor nystatin showed that fungi might be the dominant OCS consumers in the soils we examined. We discuss the influence of soil moisture and elevated CO2 on the OCS exchange as a change in the activity of microbial communities. Physical factors such as diffusivity that are governed by soil moisture also play a role. Comparing KM values of the enzymes to projected soil water CO2 concentrations showed that competitive inhibition is unlikely for carbonic anhydrase and PEPCO but might occur for RubisCO at higher CO2 concentrations.

Environmental contaminant mixtures modulate in vitro influenza infection.

PubMed

Desforges, Jean-Pierre; Bandoro, Christopher; Shehata, Laila; Sonne, Christian; Dietz, Rune; Puryear, Wendy B; Runstadler, Jonathan A

2018-09-01

Environmental chemicals, particularly organochlorinated contaminants (OCs), are associated with a ranged of adverse health effects, including impairment of the immune system and antiviral immunity. Influenza A virus (IAV) is an infectious disease of major global public health concern and exposure to OCs can increase the susceptibility, morbidity, and mortality to disease. It is however unclear how pollutants are interacting and affecting the outcome of viral infections at the cellular level. In this study, we investigated the effects of a mixture of environmentally relevant OCs on IAV infectivity upon in vitro exposure in Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells and human lung epithelial cells (A549). Exposure to OCs reduced IAV infectivity in MDCK and A549 cells during both short (18-24h) and long-term (72h) infections at 0.05 and 0.5ppm, and effects were more pronounced in cells co-treated with OCs and IAV than pre-treated with OCs prior to IAV (p<0.001). Pre-treatment of host cells with OCs did not affect IAV cell surface attachment or entry. Visualization of IAV by transmission electron microscopy revealed increased envelope deformations and fewer intact virions during OC exposure. Taken together, our results suggest that disruption of IAV infection upon in vitro exposure to OCs was not due to host-cell effects influencing viral attachment and entry, but perhaps mediated by direct effects on viral particles or cellular processes involved in host-virus interactions. In vitro infectivity studies such as ours can shed light on the complex processes underlying host-pathogen-pollutant interactions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Teaching Striking Skills in Elementary Physical Education Using Woodball

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Seung Ho; Lee, Jihyun

2017-01-01

Object control (OC) skills are a part of fundamental motor skills and basic functional skills, which work as a prerequisite to becoming a skilled performer in many sports. Of various OC skills, striking is one of the most difficult to master due to a variety of interrelated movement components. A form of vertical or underarm striking is a more…

Integrating De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Cloning to Obtain Chicken Ovocleidin-17 Full-Length cDNA

PubMed Central

Ning, ZhongHua; Hincke, Maxwell T.; Yang, Ning; Hou, ZhuoCheng

2014-01-01

Efficiently obtaining full-length cDNA for a target gene is the key step for functional studies and probing genetic variations. However, almost all sequenced domestic animal genomes are not ‘finished’. Many functionally important genes are located in these gapped regions. It can be difficult to obtain full-length cDNA for which only partial amino acid/EST sequences exist. In this study we report a general pipeline to obtain full-length cDNA, and illustrate this approach for one important gene (Ovocleidin-17, OC-17) that is associated with chicken eggshell biomineralization. Chicken OC-17 is one of the best candidates to control and regulate the deposition of calcium carbonate in the calcified eggshell layer. OC-17 protein has been purified, sequenced, and has had its three-dimensional structure solved. However, researchers still cannot conduct OC-17 mRNA related studies because the mRNA sequence is unknown and the gene is absent from the current chicken genome. We used RNA-Seq to obtain the entire transcriptome of the adult hen uterus, and then conducted de novo transcriptome assembling with bioinformatics analysis to obtain candidate OC-17 transcripts. Based on this sequence, we used RACE and PCR cloning methods to successfully obtain the full-length OC-17 cDNA. Temporal and spatial OC-17 mRNA expression analyses were also performed to demonstrate that OC-17 is predominantly expressed in the adult hen uterus during the laying cycle and barely at immature developmental stages. Differential uterine expression of OC-17 was observed in hens laying eggs with weak versus strong eggshell, confirming its important role in the regulation of eggshell mineralization and providing a new tool for genetic selection for eggshell quality parameters. This study is the first one to report the full-length OC-17 cDNA sequence, and builds a foundation for OC-17 mRNA related studies. We provide a general method for biologists experiencing difficulty in obtaining candidate gene full-length cDNA sequences. PMID:24676480

Primary and secondary carbonaceous species in the atmosphere of Western Riverside County, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Kwangsam; Sawant, Aniket A.; Song, Chen; Cocker, David R.

Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC) and PM 2.5 mass concentrations were measured from September 2001 through January 2002 in Mira Loma, CA. EC and OC were analyzed using the NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) 5040 thermal/optical transmittance method. OC concentrations in Mira Loma were found to be higher than those of other urban sites in the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB), while EC concentrations were comparable to or lower than those of other SoCAB sites. Overall, OC and EC concentrations accounted for 26% and 5% of the total PM 2.5, respectively. OC/EC ratios ranged from 1.6 to 12.8 with an average of 5.2. These values were higher than those observed at other urban sites in the United States by a factor of 2. A stronger correlation between suspended OC and EC concentrations was noted in months with lower photochemical activity (December and January, r=0.82) than in months with greater photochemical activity (September and October, r=0.64). The elevated levels of OC, OC/EC ratios, and the seasonal difference in correlation between OC and EC concentrations were attributed in part to significant secondary organic aerosol formation. The fraction of total organic carbon that was secondary organic carbon (SOC) was estimated using the OC/EC minimum ratio method and Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) modeling. Based on the OC/EC minimum ratio method, the contribution of SOC to the total organic carbon tended to be higher during the months with greater photochemical activity (63%) than those with lower photochemical activity (44%). Based on CMB modeling, SOC contributed to 14% of the total PM 2.5 mass and 57% of the total organic carbon during the study period. Overall, these findings suggest that photochemical activity can appreciably affect total PM 2.5 mass concentrations in Mira Loma, and that measures to control emissions of SOC precursors incorporated as part of a region-wide air quality management plan could lead to a perceptible drop in total PM 2.5 mass concentrations in this area.

Integrating de novo transcriptome assembly and cloning to obtain chicken Ovocleidin-17 full-length cDNA.

PubMed

Zhang, Quan; Liu, Long; Zhu, Feng; Ning, ZhongHua; Hincke, Maxwell T; Yang, Ning; Hou, ZhuoCheng

2014-01-01

Efficiently obtaining full-length cDNA for a target gene is the key step for functional studies and probing genetic variations. However, almost all sequenced domestic animal genomes are not 'finished'. Many functionally important genes are located in these gapped regions. It can be difficult to obtain full-length cDNA for which only partial amino acid/EST sequences exist. In this study we report a general pipeline to obtain full-length cDNA, and illustrate this approach for one important gene (Ovocleidin-17, OC-17) that is associated with chicken eggshell biomineralization. Chicken OC-17 is one of the best candidates to control and regulate the deposition of calcium carbonate in the calcified eggshell layer. OC-17 protein has been purified, sequenced, and has had its three-dimensional structure solved. However, researchers still cannot conduct OC-17 mRNA related studies because the mRNA sequence is unknown and the gene is absent from the current chicken genome. We used RNA-Seq to obtain the entire transcriptome of the adult hen uterus, and then conducted de novo transcriptome assembling with bioinformatics analysis to obtain candidate OC-17 transcripts. Based on this sequence, we used RACE and PCR cloning methods to successfully obtain the full-length OC-17 cDNA. Temporal and spatial OC-17 mRNA expression analyses were also performed to demonstrate that OC-17 is predominantly expressed in the adult hen uterus during the laying cycle and barely at immature developmental stages. Differential uterine expression of OC-17 was observed in hens laying eggs with weak versus strong eggshell, confirming its important role in the regulation of eggshell mineralization and providing a new tool for genetic selection for eggshell quality parameters. This study is the first one to report the full-length OC-17 cDNA sequence, and builds a foundation for OC-17 mRNA related studies. We provide a general method for biologists experiencing difficulty in obtaining candidate gene full-length cDNA sequences.

Positive anodic poised potential regulates microbial fuel cell performance with the function of open and closed circuitry.

PubMed

Srikanth, S; Venkata Mohan, S; Sarma, P N

2010-07-01

Positive influence of poised potential on microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance was observed with increase in the applied potential up to 600 mV and decreased thereafter. Higher power output (79.33 mW/m(2)) was observed at 600 mV poised potential under open circuit operation (OC). Closed circuit operation (CC) showed almost negligible power output due to continuous electron discharge against an external load (100 Omega). However, CC operation resulted in the higher substrate (chemical oxygen demand (COD)) degradation [61.23% (control); 70.46% (OC; 600 mV); 74.15% (CC; 600 mV)] and total dissolved solids (TDS) removal [29.17% (control); 43.75% (OC; 600 mV); 72.92% (CC; 600 mV)] efficiencies compared to OC. Electron discharge and energy conversion efficiency was also observed to be higher with 600 mV poised potential. Poising potential showed additional redox couples (-0.29+/-0.05 mV) on cyclic voltammetry. Application of poised potential during startup phase will help to enrich electrochemically active consortia on anode resulting in improved performance of MFC. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategic memory in adults with anorexia nervosa: are there similarities to obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders?

PubMed

Sherman, Bonnie J; Savage, Cary R; Eddy, Kamryn T; Blais, Mark A; Deckersbach, Thilo; Jackson, Safia C; Franko, Debra L; Rauch, Scott L; Herzog, David B

2006-09-01

There is growing interest in the relationship between anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders (e.g., OCD, body dysmorphic disorder [BDD]). Previous neuropsychological investigations of OC spectrum disorders have identified problems with the efficient use of strategy on complex measures of learning and memory. This study evaluated nonverbal strategic memory in AN outpatients using an approach previously applied to OC spectrum disorders. Eighteen patients with AN and 19 healthy control participants completed the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT), a widely used measure of nonverbal strategic planning, learning, and memory. Individuals with AN differed significantly from healthy controls in the organizational strategies used to copy the RCFT figure, and they recalled significantly less information on both immediate and delayed testing. Multiple regression analyses indicated that group differences in learning were mediated by copy organizational strategies. These results are identical to study findings in OCD and BDD, indicating important shared neuropsychological features among AN and these OC spectrum disorders. As in OCD and BDD, the essential cognitive deficit in AN was impaired use of organizational strategies, which may inform our understanding of the pathophysiology of AN and potentially offer treatment implications. Copyright (c) 2006 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[The etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder from the aspects of attachment theory, with special regard to perceived parental treatment, attachment patterns and emotion regulation difficulties].

PubMed

Rejtô, Nóra; Papp, Gábor; Molnár, Judit

The focus of our study was the etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder from attachment aspects. Our aim was to examine the representations of perceived parental treatment, attachment patterns and the level of emotion regulation of people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. 223 people participated in our study. The clinical group consisted of 92 persons with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, while the control group involved 131 people without OC symptoms. In the study we used the Young Parenting Inventory, the Relationship Questionnaire, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Besides we compiled a questionnaire based on the DSM-5 and a demographic questionnaire. Respondents could fill the questionnaires online. The clinical group is characterized by significantly higher toxic frustration of each five basic emotional needs than the control group. Specifically, in the case of people with OC smptoms the toxic parental treatments for Defectiveness/ Shame, Dependence/Incompetence, Enmeshment/Undeveloped self, Entitlement/Grandiosity, Approval-seeking/ Recognition-seeking, Negativity/Pessimism, Emotional inhibition, Unrelenting standards/Hypercriticalness and Punitiveness were significantly more frequent than in the control group. The OC group is also characterized by significantly lower rate of secure attachment style, while dismissive attachment style proved to be the most frequent attachment style among them. The OC group also struggle with significantly higher level of emotion regulation difficulties.

Locus of control, perceived parenting style, and symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with Tourette's syndrome.

PubMed

Cohen, Esther; Sade, Michal; Benarroch, Fortu; Pollak, Yehuda; Gross-Tsur, Varda

2008-08-01

This study explored the contribution of two psychosocial factors, locus of control (LOC) and perceived parenting style, to symptoms of internalizing disorders in children with Tourette syndrome (TS). This contribution was further evaluated in relation to TS severity. Sixty-five children (53 boys, 12 girls) ages 9.0-16.9 years, of normal intelligence, completed questionnaires evaluating their depression and anxiety symptoms, LOC, and maternal parenting style. Their mothers rated TS severity, determined by tic severity, symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS). Higher rates of symptoms of anxiety and depression were associated with a more external LOC and a more rejecting and controlling parenting style. Additionally, depression correlated significantly with tic severity, ADHD and OCS, whereas anxiety correlated only with ADHD symptoms and OCS, but not with tics. Regression analyses showed that LOC, OCS and ADHD symptoms each significantly contributed to predicting anxiety level, whereas LOC and ADHD symptoms significantly contributed to predicting depression symptoms. Rates of symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with TS are markedly influenced by psychosocial factors, extending beyond the influence of ADHD and OCD, both common comorbid disorders in TS. An internal LOC, which is associated with an accepting and autonomy-granting parenting style, appears to be a protective factor against anxiety and depression.

Dynamics of sediment carbon stocks across intertidal wetland habitats of Moreton Bay, Australia.

PubMed

Hayes, Matthew A; Jesse, Amber; Hawke, Bruce; Baldock, Jeff; Tabet, Basam; Lockington, David; Lovelock, Catherine E

2017-10-01

Coastal wetlands are known for high carbon storage within their sediments, but our understanding of the variation in carbon storage among intertidal habitats, particularly over geomorphological settings and along elevation gradients, is limited. Here, we collected 352 cores from 18 sites across Moreton Bay, Australia. We assessed variation in sediment organic carbon (OC) stocks among different geomorphological settings (wetlands within riverine settings along with those with reduced riverine influence located on tide-dominated sand islands), across elevation gradients, with distance from shore and among habitat and vegetation types. We used mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy combined with analytical data and partial least squares regression to quantify the carbon content of ~2500 sediment samples and provide fine-scale spatial coverage of sediment OC stocks to 150 cm depth. We found sites in river deltas had larger OC stocks (175-504 Mg/ha) than those in nonriverine settings (44-271 Mg/ha). Variation in OC stocks among nonriverine sites was high in comparison with riverine and mixed geomorphic settings, with sites closer to riverine outflow from the east and south of Moreton Bay having higher stocks than those located on the sand islands in the northwest of the bay. Sediment OC stocks increased with elevation within nonriverine settings, but not in riverine geomorphic settings. Sediment OC stocks did not differ between mangrove and saltmarsh habitats. OC stocks did, however, differ between dominant species across the research area and within geomorphic settings. At the landscape scale, the coastal wetlands of the South East Queensland catchments (17,792 ha) are comprised of approximately 4,100,000-5,200,000 Mg of sediment OC. Comparatively high variation in OC storage between riverine and nonriverine geomorphic settings indicates that the availability of mineral sediments and terrestrial derived OC may exert a strong influence over OC storage potential across intertidal wetland systems. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sediment accretion and organic carbon burial relative to sea-level rise and storm events in two mangrove forests in Everglades National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smoak, Joseph M.; Breithaupt, Joshua L.; Smith, Thomas J.; Sanders, Christian J.

2013-01-01

The goal of this investigation was to examine how sediment accretion and organic carbon (OC) burial rates in mangrove forests respond to climate change. Specifically, will the accretion rates keep pace with sea-level rise, and what is the source and fate of OC in the system? Mass accumulation, accretion and OC burial rates were determined via 210Pb dating (i.e. 100 year time scale) on sediment cores collected from two mangrove forest sites within Everglades National Park, Florida (USA). Enhanced mass accumulation, accretion and OC burial rates were found in an upper layer that corresponded to a well-documented storm surge deposit. Accretion rates were 5.9 and 6.5 mm yr−1 within the storm deposit compared to overall rates of 2.5 and 3.6 mm yr−1. These rates were found to be matching or exceeding average sea-level rise reported for Key West, Florida. Organic carbon burial rates were 260 and 393 g m−2 yr−1 within the storm deposit compared to 151 and 168 g m−2 yr−1 overall burial rates. The overall rates are similar to global estimates for OC burial in marine wetlands. With tropical storms being a frequent occurrence in this region the resulting storm surge deposits are an important mechanism for maintaining both overall accretion and OC burial rates. Enhanced OC burial rates within the storm deposit could be due to an increase in productivity created from higher concentrations of phosphorus within storm-delivered sediments and/or from the deposition of allochthonous OC. Climate change-amplified storms and sea-level rise could damage mangrove forests, exposing previously buried OC to oxidation and contribute to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However, the processes described here provide a mechanism whereby oxidation of OC would be limited and the overall OC reservoir maintained within the mangrove forest sediments.

Might generic OCs create contraceptive price war?

PubMed

1987-02-01

Genora 1/35 and 1/50, the 1st generic oral contraceptives (OCs) in the world, are now being marketed in the US. Clinicians interviewed by "Contraceptive Technology Update" (CTU) offer differing opinions as to what this new OC may mean in the marketplace. Products of Rugby Laboratories, the pills are copy products of Ortho Pharmaceutical's ON 1/35 and ON 1/50 formulations. Most clinicians believe that Genora's success or failure in the OC market depends on its eventual retail price. The price difference of $3-$4 may be sufficiently substantial for retailers to charge less for the generic OCs. If that is the case, many doctors may prescribe a pill which will save their patients $4/month. Dr. Mildred Hanson, a Minneapolis gynecologist/obstetrician, feels any cost savings from Genora will have a significant impact on the OC market. She suggests that the less expensive OCs will catch the attention of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and the business of women who participate in such health plans. Yet James Burns, director of family planning services for the Hartford City Health Department, thinks that even a full-scale retail price war won't have much effect from a clinic standpoint. He reports that clinics are able to obtain contraceptive supplies rather inexpensively through the contracting system. Hanson also expressed doubt over the potential popularity of Genora 1/50 as clinical concerns about the effects of combined OCs on serum lipid levels and carbohydrate metabolism have resulted in a nationwide push toward OCs containing less than 50 micrograms of estrogen. He indicated concern that declines in pharmaceutical house products from pricing competition with generic pills might have a negative impact on contraceptive research and development. Dick Haskitt, director of business planning for Syntex Laboratories, Inc., who will produce the OCs for Rugby, reports that their market research shows that people are very interested in having a generic OC available. Initially, Genora will be marketed only to retail pharmacies, wholesalers, and drug chains.

Validation of a two-tier grading system in an unselected, consecutive cohort of serous ovarian cancer patients.

PubMed

Battista, Marco Johannes; Cotarelo, Cristina; Almstedt, Katrin; Heimes, Anne-Sophie; Makris, Georgios-Marios; Weyer, Veronika; Schmidt, Marcus

2016-09-01

New insights into the carcinogenesis of ovarian cancer (OC) lead to the definition of low-grade and high-grade serous OC. In this study, we validated the MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) two-tier grading system and compared it with the traditional three-tier grading system as suggested by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). Consecutive patients with serous OC were enrolled. These two grading systems were assessed independently from each other. Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox-regression analyses were performed to validate and compare their prognostic impact. 143 consecutive patients entered the study. According to the Kaplan-Meier estimates, the MDACC grading system (p = 0.001) predicted the progression free survival (PFS) more precisely than the FIGO system (p = 0.025). The MDACC grading system (p = 0.008) but not the FIGO system (p = 0.329) showed a statistically significant difference in terms of disease specific survival (DSS). Multivariable Cox-regression analyses revealed an independent prognostic impact of the MDACC grading system but not of the FIGO system for PFS (HR 1.570; 95 % CI 1.007-2.449; p = 0.047, and HR 0.712; 95 % CI 0.476-1.066; p = 0.099, respectively). Concerning DSS, the two-tier grading system but not the FIGO system showed a prognostic impact in a univariable Cox-regression analysis (HR 2.152; 95 % CI 1.207-3.835; p = 0.009, and HR 1.258; 95 % CI 0.801-1.975; p = 0.319, respectively). We were able to validate the MDACC grading system in serous OC. Moreover, this grading system was stronger associated with survival than the FIGO system.

miR-133b Regulation of Connective Tissue Growth Factor

PubMed Central

Gjymishka, Altin; Pi, Liya; Oh, Seh-Hoon; Jorgensen, Marda; Liu, Chen; Protopapadakis, Yianni; Patel, Ashnee; Petersen, Bryon E.

2017-01-01

miRNAs are involved in liver regeneration, and their expression is dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a direct target of miR-133b, is crucial in the ductular reaction (DR)/oval cell (OC) response for generating new hepatocyte lineages during liver injury in the context of hepatotoxin-inhibited hepatocyte proliferation. Herein, we investigate whether miR-133b regulation of CTGF influences HCC cell proliferation and migration, and DR/OC response. We analyzed miR-133b expression and found it to be down-regulated in HCC patient samples and induced in the rat DR/OC activation model of 2-acetylaminofluorene with partial hepatectomy. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-133b via adenoviral system in vitro led to decreased CTGF expression and reduced proliferation and Transwell migration of both HepG2 HCC cells and WBF-344 rat OCs. In vivo, overexpression of miR-133b in DR/OC activation models of 2-acetylaminofluorene with partial hepatectomy in rats, and 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine in mice, led to down-regulation of CTGF expression and OC proliferation. Collectively, these results show that miR-133b regulation of CTGF is a novel mechanism critical for the proliferation and migration of HCC cells and OC response. PMID:26945106

A comparison between the effects of gamma radiation and sulfur cure system on the microstructure and crosslink network of (styrene butadiene rubber/ethylene propylene diene monomer) blends in presence of nanoclay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoushtari Zadeh Naseri, Aida; Jalali-Arani, Azam

2015-10-01

Rubber blends based on (styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM)) with and without organoclay (OC) were prepared through a melt mixing process. The concentration ratio of the rubber phases (EPDM/SBR; 50/50 wt%) and the amount of the OC were kept constant. The samples were then vulcanized by means of gamma radiation using a Co-60 gamma source as well as sulfur cure system. The effect of absorbed dose on the formation of the crosslinks was confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of absorbed dose, sulfur cure system and OC on the gel content, and crosslink density were evaluated by the chemical tests. Applying the Charlesby-Pinner equation to estimate the radiation chemical yield, revealed that the use of OC in the blend caused 20% reduction in the degradation/crosslinking ratio. Employing the swelling test data, some thermodynamic parameters were determined. Using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to investigate microstructure of the samples revealed a more homogeneous structure and also an increase in compatibility of the blend components in the sample cured by the irradiation in comparison to that cured by the sulfur curing system.

Substrate Temperature effect on the transition characteristics of Vanadium (IV) oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Tsung-Han; Wei, Wei; Jin, Chunming; Narayan, Jay

2008-10-01

One of the semiconductor to metal transition material (SMT) is Vanadium Oxide (VO2) which has a very sharp transition temperature close to 340 K as the crystal structure changes from monoclinic phase (semiconductor) into tetragonal phase (metal phase). We have grown high-quality epitaxial vanadium oxide (VO2) films on sapphire (0001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition for oxygen pressure 10-2torr and obtained interesting results without further annealing treatments. The epitaxial growth via domain matching epitaxy, where integral multiples of planes matched across the film-substrate interface. We were able to control the transition characteristics such as the sharpness (T), amplitude (A) of SMT transition and the width of thermal hysteresis (H) by altering the substrate temperature from 300 ^oC, 400 ^oC, 500 ^oC, and 600 ^oC. We use the XRD to identify the microstructure of film and measure the optical properties of film. Finally the transition characteristics is observed by the resistance with the increase of temperature by Van Der Pauw method from 25 to 100 ^oC to measure the electrical resistivity hystersis loop during the transition temperature.

Oral contraceptives and the prothrombin time.

PubMed

Pangrazzi, J; Roncaglioni, M C; Donati, M B

1980-02-02

Dr. De Teresa and others reported that mean prothrombin time ratio of 12 patients on long-term anticoagulation with warfarin was significantly higher when they were also taking oral contraceptives (OCs). A study of prothrombin complex activity was recently conducted in female rats treated with an estrogen-progestogen combination (lynestrenol 5 mg; mestranol 0.3 mg/kg body weight) which resulted in a 100% infertility in this species. After 1 treatment for only 1 estral cycle, OC-treated rats had a significantly longer Normotest clotting time (37.7+ or-0.5 sec) than control rats (31.0+or-0.4); the difference was even more notable after 10 cycles. Although this finding has not been reported in women on OCs, it may be that the estrogen-induced "lability" of the prothrombin complex occurs in humans only in special conditions, such as anticoagulation. Alternatively, liver dysfunction occurring among women on OCs may be responsible for reduced metabolism of warfarin, contributing to the effectiveness of the anticoagulation. Further pharmacology studies should be done to clarify the interaction between OCs and oral anticoagulants.

Shear induced structures in crystallizing cocoa butter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzanti, Gianfranco; Guthrie, Sarah E.; Sirota, Eric B.; Marangoni, Alejandro G.; Idziak, Stefan H. J.

2004-03-01

Cocoa butter is the main structural component of chocolate and many cosmetics. It crystallizes in several polymorphs, called phases I to VI. We used Synchrotron X-ray diffraction to study the effect of shear on its crystallization. A previously unreported phase (phase X) was found and a crystallization path through phase IV under shear was observed. Samples were crystallized under shear from the melt in temperature controlled Couette cells, at final crystallization temperatures of 17.5^oC, 20^oC and 22.5^oC in Beamline X10A of NSLS. The formation of phase X was observed at low shear rates (90 s-1) and low crystallization temperature (17.5^oC), but was absent at high shear (720 s-1) and high temperature (20^oC). The d-spacing and melting point suggest that this new phase is a mixture rich on two of the three major components of cocoa butter. We also found that, contrary to previous reports, the transition from phase II to phase V can happen through the intermediate phase IV, at high shear rates and temperature.

Validation of a new scale for measuring problematic internet use: implications for pre-employment screening.

PubMed

Davis, Richard A; Flett, Gordon L; Besser, Avi

2002-08-01

The current study introduced a theory-driven, multidimensional measure of problematic Internet use: the Online Cognition Scale (OCS). Undergraduate students (n = 211) in an industrial/organizational psychology course completed the OCS, along with measures of procrastination, rejection sensitivity, loneliness, depression, and impulsivity. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that problematic Internet use consists of four dimensions: diminished impulse control, loneliness/depression, social comfort, and distraction. As hypothesized, the OCS predicted all of the study variables in the expected directions. Representing a departure from previous research in this area, the current article focused on procrastination, impulsivity, and social rejection as key elements of problematic Internet use. Furthermore, interactive applications (e.g., chat) were most related to problematic Internet use, and scores on the OCS predicted being reprimanded at school or work for inappropriate Internet use. As a result, the utility of the OCS for both clinical assessment of Internet addiction and as an organizational preemployment screening measure to identify potential employees who are likely to abuse the Internet in the workplace (also known as "cyberslacking") were discussed.

OC5 Project Phase Ib: Validation of hydrodynamic loading on a fixed, flexible cylinder for offshore wind applications

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

Robertson, Amy N.; Wendt, Fabian; Jonkman, Jason M.

This paper summarizes the findings from Phase Ib of the Offshore Code Comparison, Collaboration, Continued with Correlation (OC5) project. OC5 is a project run under the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Research Task 30, and is focused on validating the tools used for modelling offshore wind systems through the comparison of simulated responses of select offshore wind systems (and components) to physical test data. For Phase Ib of the project, simulated hydrodynamic loads on a flexible cylinder fixed to a sloped bed were validated against test measurements made in the shallow water basin at the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) withmore » support from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The first phase of OC5 examined two simple cylinder structures (Phase Ia and Ib) to focus on validation of hydrodynamic models used in the various tools before moving on to more complex offshore wind systems and the associated coupled physics. As a result, verification and validation activities such as these lead to improvement of offshore wind modelling tools, which will enable the development of more innovative and cost-effective offshore wind designs.« less

OC5 Project Phase Ib: Validation of hydrodynamic loading on a fixed, flexible cylinder for offshore wind applications

DOE PAGES

Robertson, Amy N.; Wendt, Fabian; Jonkman, Jason M.; ...

2016-10-13

This paper summarizes the findings from Phase Ib of the Offshore Code Comparison, Collaboration, Continued with Correlation (OC5) project. OC5 is a project run under the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Research Task 30, and is focused on validating the tools used for modelling offshore wind systems through the comparison of simulated responses of select offshore wind systems (and components) to physical test data. For Phase Ib of the project, simulated hydrodynamic loads on a flexible cylinder fixed to a sloped bed were validated against test measurements made in the shallow water basin at the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) withmore » support from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The first phase of OC5 examined two simple cylinder structures (Phase Ia and Ib) to focus on validation of hydrodynamic models used in the various tools before moving on to more complex offshore wind systems and the associated coupled physics. As a result, verification and validation activities such as these lead to improvement of offshore wind modelling tools, which will enable the development of more innovative and cost-effective offshore wind designs.« less

The synergetic effect of moisture protection, substrate quality and biotic acclimation on soil organic carbon persistence along a cultivated loamy hillslope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiaux, François; Vanclooster, Marnik; Cornelis, Jean-Thomas; Van Oost, Kristof

2014-05-01

The combination of hydrologic, geomorphic and biogeochemical approaches is required to determine organic carbon (OC) persistence and dynamics within landscapes. Here, we used soil in-situ surface heterotrophic respiration measurement as an indicator of OC persistence along a hillslope (crop field on the loess belt under temperate climate), characterized by an important erosion-induced OC stock colluvium downslope. Along this topographical gradient, we quantified the space-time structure of soil water and temperature, and soil OC amount and quality (from a chemical point of view based on NaOCl oxidation) in relation to CO2 fluxes. We used a Generalized Least Square (GLS) regression model to identify the role of each abiotic factor as well as their interactions on observed soil respiration rates, and to calculate time-average values of these CO2 fluxes at each studied slope positions. We observed significant differences between the observed respiration rates along the topographical gradient (up to 30% more CO2 emissions downslope and 50% backslope, relative to un-eroded summit position). Despite mean CO2 fluxes (standardized at 15°C) at the bottom of the slope are significantly higher (p<0.05) than at the top of the hillslope, this difference is lower than expected given the high OC stock found downslope (c.2 times higher than at the summit position). In the cultivated loamy hillslope, the soil OC persistence is mainly controlled by the stabilizing effect of the high moisture content, implying large amount of OC. This provides evidence that soil OC dynamic (sink or source) can be mainly governed by site-specific abiotic conditions (e.g. soil moisture). On the other hand, OC found downslope was showed to be especially vulnerable for OC mineralization (it would emit 26% to c.40% more CO2 in case of temperature increase), due to both (i) improved efficiency of soil-micro-organisms in stabilizing conditions, and (ii) high quality of OC stock (easy to decompose for soil micro-organisms). This leads to consider erosion-induced OC stocks in downslope colluviums as "delayed bombs", which may be reconnected to the atmosphere if the current stabilizing conditions of this specific pedo-climatic ecosystem would be changed.

EDITORIAL: Quantum control theory for coherence and information dynamics Quantum control theory for coherence and information dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viola, Lorenza; Tannor, David

2011-08-01

Precisely characterizing and controlling the dynamics of realistic open quantum systems has emerged in recent years as a key challenge across contemporary quantum sciences and technologies, with implications ranging from physics, chemistry and applied mathematics to quantum information processing (QIP) and quantum engineering. Quantum control theory aims to provide both a general dynamical-system framework and a constructive toolbox to meet this challenge. The purpose of this special issue of Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics is to present a state-of-the-art account of recent advances and current trends in the field, as reflected in two international meetings that were held on the subject over the last summer and which motivated in part the compilation of this volume—the Topical Group: Frontiers in Open Quantum Systems and Quantum Control Theory, held at the Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (ITAMP) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), from 1-14 August 2010, and the Safed Workshop on Quantum Decoherence and Thermodynamics Control, held in Safed (Israel), from 22-27 August 2010. Initial developments in quantum control theory date back to (at least) the early 1980s, and have been largely inspired by the well-established mathematical framework for classical dynamical systems. As the above-mentioned meetings made clear, and as the burgeoning body of literature on the subject testifies, quantum control has grown since then well beyond its original boundaries, and has by now evolved into a highly cross-disciplinary field which, while still fast-moving, is also entering a new phase of maturity, sophistication, and integration. Two trends deserve special attention: on the one hand, a growing emphasis on control tasks and methodologies that are specifically motivated by QIP, in addition and in parallel to applications in more traditional areas where quantum coherence is nevertheless vital (such as, for instance, quantum control of chemical reactions or high-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy); on the other hand, an unprecedented demand for close coupling between theory and experiment, with theoretical developments becoming more and more attuned to and driven by experimental advances as different quantum technologies continue to evolve at an impressive pace in the laboratory. Altogether, these two trends account for several of the recurrent themes in this volume, as well as in the current quantum control literature as a whole: namely, the quest for control strategies that can attain the highest degree of precision and robustness possible, while striving for efficiency and, ultimately, optimality in achieving the intended control task under realistic operational constraints. From a theory standpoint, this makes it imperative to take into account increasingly more realistic control settings; to assess the quantitative impact of limited control resources and/or system knowledge; and to provide a rigorous and general foundation for existing experimental approaches in order to further enhance applicability and performance. From an experimental standpoint, renewed emphasis is in turn placed on validating theoretical predictions and benchmarking performance, so that the limiting constraints can be singled out for additional theoretical analysis and guidance. This ongoing cross-talk is clearly reflected in this collection, which brings together theoreticians and experimentalists, with a significant fraction of the papers reporting on combined quantum control theory-experiment efforts. While a precise categorization would neither be possible nor desirable, contributions to this volume have been loosely grouped into five broad sections. This grouping has been made in the hope that connections between different problems and/or technical approaches will become more transparent, facilitating the transfer of concepts and methods. The special issue opens with a section devoted to open-loop control methods, with special emphasis on dynamical decoupling (DD), which is becoming an increasingly important tool for decoherence control at the physical 'quantum firmware' level. In addition to including original research results, the first two articles, by Brion et al and Biercuk et al, also serve to pedagogically review some background in their respective subjects. In particular, Brion et al revisit one of the conceptually simplest approaches to open-loop manipulation of both closed and open quantum systems, nonholonomic control, motivated by its broad applicability to QIP settings. A special instance of open-loop control based on sequences of (nearly) instantaneous `bang-bang' pulses is addressed by Biercuk et al, who reformulate the simplest DD scenario, suppression of phase decoherence in a single qubit, as a filter-design problem. Peng et al report on the implementation of 'concatenated' DD for arbitrary single-qubit decoherence in the context of nuclear magnetic resonance QIP. A dedicated analysis of the performance of different DD schemes in the presence of realistic pulse errors is given by Wang and Dobrovitski. DD is also one of the strategies used by Lucamarini et al to reduce polarization decoherence in a photon qubit. These authors additionally report on the use of active feedback to counter transmission noise, effectively setting the stage for the second section, which is centered on closed-loop control. Unlike in open-loop control, measurement is an essential ingredient in closed-loop schemes aimed at both reliably identifying features of the target quantum system and further modifying its dynamics. The importance of directly measuring the spectrum of the underlying system-environment coupling is stressed by Almog et al, who show how this knowledge is crucial, in particular, for predicting the performance of DD sequences in experiments and for optimizing performance. Riofrio et al address a weak-measurement protocol for implementing quantum state tomography, which is a necessary 'primitive' for inferring the target quantum state and thereby diagnosing the control performance. Next, the impact of realistic control and system imperfections in continuous-time Markovian feedback strategies for rapid state preparation is analyzed by Combes and Wiseman. A prominent role is played in the special issue by optimal control (OC) approaches, reflecting their central importance for quantum control and QIP. The OC contributions have been divided into two separate sections, depending on whether the target dynamics is modeled as Hamiltonian (section 3) or dissipative (section 4), respectively. The contribution by Beltrani et al deals with `control landscapes', which provide a foundation for analyzing the performance of numerical OC algorithms and their robustness against control errors. Specifically, this paper characterizes geometric properties of the control landscape, relevant to the optimal control of state-to-state transitions. Application of OC theory to the problem of population transfer and coherence enhancement in Λ-systems is studied by Kumar et al, whereas Goerz et al report on the OC-design of a high-fidelity controlled phase-gate in atomic qubits. The robustness of an OC solution is specifically addressed by Negretti et al, along with an approach for identifying easily implementable while still 'close-to-optimal' control pulses. Powerful relaxation-optimized OC schemes (based on so-called opengrape algorithms) for generating unitary target gates in the presence of known dissipation parameters are discussed by Schulte-Herbrüggen et al. Next, Lapert et al report on the problem of time-optimal control of spin-1/2 systems undergoing Bloch relaxation dynamics, highlighting the crucial role played by singular extremals in the control synthesis. Alternative approaches for optimized control of qubits exposed to various decoherence processes are developed by Esher et al and Xue et al, based on a perturbative 'bath-optimized' formalism and on numerical optimization via a genetic algorithm, respectively. Testifying to the richness of the field, the volume concludes with four contributions that address a diverse range of problems. The exploitation of properties of adiabatic quantum evolutions is common to the first two papers. In particular, Legthtas et al offer a rigorous explanation for the robustness of a control protocol, chirped pulsing, that is widely employed in 'adiabatic rapid passage' experiments, while Han et al present a theoretical framework for adiabatic Raman photo-association schemes relevant to ultracold atomic systems. In the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics, Montenegro and Orszag describe how to engineer a system of two atoms coupled to distant lossy cavities so that stable atomic entanglement is generated. Finally, still very little is known about the physical mechanisms that are responsible for and control the experimentally observed 'coherent' features of transport phenomena in biological systems. The last contribution by Alicki and Giraldi analyzes energy transport in dynamical systems that can be modeled as 'quantum networks', and points to this fascinating emerging frontier. It is our hope that the above papers may help readers to gain an overview of some of the main trends in current quantum control efforts, both theoretical and experimental. In closing, we take the opportunity to thank the organizations which sponsored the above-mentioned ITAMP Topical Group (the United States National Science Foundation and Harvard University) and the Safed Workshop (the Israeli Science Foundation, the Safed Scientific Workshop program, CECAM and ACAM). Last but not least our sincere gratitude goes to all of the contributors to the volume and the reviewers as well as the J. Phys. B staff, for their respective efforts in preparing the papers and ensuring the overall quality of this special issue.

Soil erosion and significance for carbon fluxes in a mountainous Mediterranean-climate watershed.

PubMed

Smith, S V; Bullock, S H; Hinojosa-Corona, A; Franco-Vizcaíno, E; Escoto-Rodríguez, M; Kretzschmar, T G; Farfán, L M; Salazar-Ceseña, J M

2007-07-01

In topographically complex terrains, downslope movement of soil organic carbon (OC) can influence local carbon balance. The primary purpose of the present analysis is to compare the magnitude of OC displacement by erosion with ecosystem metabolism in such a complex terrain. Does erosion matter in this ecosystem carbon balance? We have used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) erosion model to estimate lateral fluxes of OC in a watershed in northwestern Mexico. The watershed (4900 km2) has an average slope of 10 degrees +/- 9 degrees (mean +/- SD); 45% is >10 degrees, and 3% is >30 degrees. Land cover is primarily shrublands (69%) and agricultural lands (22%). Estimated bulk soil erosion averages 1350 Mg x km(-2) x yr(-1). We estimate that there is insignificant erosion on slopes < 2 degrees and that 20% of the area can be considered depositional. Estimated OC erosion rates are 10 Mg x km(-2) x yr(-1) for areas steeper than 2 degrees. Over the entire area, erosion is approximately 50% higher on shrublands than on agricultural lands, but within slope classes, erosion rates are more rapid on agricultural areas. For the whole system, estimated OC erosion is approximately 2% of net primary production (NPP), increasing in high-slope areas to approximately 3% of NPP. Deposition of eroded OC in low-slope areas is approximately 10% of low-slope NPP. Soil OC movement from erosional slopes to alluvial fans alters the mosaic of OC metabolism and storage across the landscape.

The Inverse Optimal Control Problem for a Three-Loop Missile Autopilot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Donghyeok; Tahk, Min-Jea

2018-04-01

The performance characteristics of the autopilot must have a fast response to intercept a maneuvering target and reasonable robustness for system stability under the effect of un-modeled dynamics and noise. By the conventional approach, the three-loop autopilot design is handled by time constant, damping factor and open-loop crossover frequency to achieve the desired performance requirements. Note that the general optimal theory can be also used to obtain the same gain as obtained from the conventional approach. The key idea of using optimal control technique for feedback gain design revolves around appropriate selection and interpretation of the performance index for which the control is optimal. This paper derives an explicit expression, which relates the weight parameters appearing in the quadratic performance index to the design parameters such as open-loop crossover frequency, phase margin, damping factor, or time constant, etc. Since all set of selection of design parameters do not guarantee existence of optimal control law, explicit inequalities, which are named the optimality criteria for the three-loop autopilot (OC3L), are derived to find out all set of design parameters for which the control law is optimal. Finally, based on OC3L, an efficient gain selection procedure is developed, where time constant is set to design objective and open-loop crossover frequency and phase margin as design constraints. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is illustrated through numerical simulations.

Referrals between Public Sector Health Institutions for Women with Obstetric High Risk, Complications, or Emergencies in India – A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Singh, Samiksha; Doyle, Pat; Campbell, Oona M.; Mathew, Manu; Murthy, G. V. S.

2016-01-01

Emergency obstetric care (EmOC) within primary health care systems requires a linked referral system to be effective in reducing maternal death. This systematic review aimed to summarize evidence on the proportion of referrals between institutions during pregnancy and delivery, and the factors affecting referrals, in India. We searched 6 electronic databases, reviewed four regional databases and repositories, and relevant program reports from India published between 1994 and 2013. All types of study or reports (except editorials, comments and letters) which reported on institution-referrals (out-referral or in-referral) for obstetric care were included. Results were synthesized on the proportion and the reasons for referral, and factors affecting referrals. Of the 11,346 articles identified by the search, we included 232 articles in the full text review and extracted data from 16 studies that met our inclusion criteria Of the 16, one was RCT, seven intervention cohort (without controls), six cross-sectional, and three qualitative studies. Bias and quality of studies were reported. Between 25% and 52% of all pregnancies were referred from Sub-centres for antenatal high-risk, 14% to 36% from nurse run delivery or basic EmOC centres for complications or emergencies, and 2 to 7% were referred from doctor run basic EmOC centres for specialist care at comprehensive EmOC centres. Problems identified with referrals from peripheral health centres included low skills and confidence of staff, reluctance to induce labour, confusion over the clinical criteria for referral, non-uniform standards of care at referral institutions, a tendency to by-pass middle level institutions, a lack of referral communication and supervision, and poor compliance. The high proportion of referrals from peripheral health centers reflects the lack of appropriate clinical guidelines, processes, and skills for obstetric care and referral in India. This, combined with inadequate referral communication and low compliance, is likely to contribute to gaps and delays in the provision of emergency obstetric care. PMID:27486745

Long-term controls on the composition of particulate organic carbon buried offshore from the Waipaoa River, North Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leithold, E. L.; Blair, N. E.; Childress, L. B.; Brulet, B.

2009-12-01

In the Waipaoa watershed on the North Island of New Zealand, as in many small mountainous watersheds around the world, high sediment yields are accommodated by the weathering and mass wasting of bedrock as well as of its mantle of soil and vegetation. Investigation of both the contemporary Waipaoa system and the sedimentary record preserved in adjacent marine depocenters reveals that these three sources of sediment have also been the primary sources of riverine POC throughout the watershed’s Holocene history, but that their relative roles have varied as a function of environmental perturbations. Mass balance calculations using stable and radiogenic carbon isotopic ratios of organic matter associated with both bulk sediments and clay-sized isolates point to a large and persistent contribution of kerogen to POC in the Waipaoa system. This material has accumulated on the continental margin along with terrestrial plant-derived OC, much of which apparently had a short residence time in the watershed. The accelerated contribution of OC-poor volcanic tephra to the Waipaoa sediment load beginning about 4000 years ago led to dilution of both the kerogen and plant fraction, and ultimately to enhanced marine OC burial on the shelf via production of new mineral surface area and sorption from porewaters. Beginning around 700 years BP, anthropogenic influences have left their mark on the watershed and offshore record, including the introduction of a pulse of fine-grained charcoal from biomass burning. Deforestation of the headwaters has led to more widespread shallow landsliding and to the development of large gully complexes incised into tectonically crushed mudstones. The increased kerogen flux due to chronic gully erosion is apparent in the offshore record, but its impact on the composition and age of OC buried on the continental shelf is muted compared to the increase in riverine sediment discharge and sediment accumulation observed on the margin.

Parity, infertility, oral contraceptives, and hormone replacement therapy and the risk of ovarian serous borderline tumors: A nationwide case-control study.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Emma L Kaderly; Hannibal, Charlotte Gerd; Dehlendorff, Christian; Baandrup, Louise; Junge, Jette; Vang, Russell; Kurman, Robert J; Kjaer, Susanne K

2017-03-01

Few studies have examined the risk of an ovarian serous borderline tumor (SBT) associated with parity, infertility, oral contraceptives (OCs), or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which was the study aim. This nationwide case-control study included all women with an SBT diagnosis in Denmark, 1978-2002. SBTs were confirmed by centralized expert pathology review. For each case, 15 age-matched female controls were randomly selected using risk-set sampling. Cases and controls with previous cancer (except for non-melanoma skin cancer) and controls with bilateral oophorectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy were excluded. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We found a strongly decreased risk of SBTs among parous women which decreased with increasing number of children (p<0.01). Older age at first birth also decreased the SBT risk (p=0.03). An increased SBT risk was associated with infertility (OR=3.31; 95% CI: 2.44-4.49), which was present both among parous and nulliparous women. HRT use increased the SBT risk (OR=1.32; 95% CI: 1.02-1.72), whereas OC use decreased the risk (OR=0.40; 95% CI: 0.26-0.62). Our nationwide study with expert histopathologic review of all SBTs showed that parity, infertility, use of HRT, and use of OCs, respectively, were strongly associated with the risk of SBTs. This is the first study to report a strong and significantly decreased SBT risk associated with OC use and a significantly increased risk with infertility, and HRT use. This supports that SBTs and serous ovarian cancer share similar risk factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hormonal contraception and mental health: results of a population-based study.

PubMed

Toffol, E; Heikinheimo, O; Koponen, P; Luoto, R; Partonen, T

2011-11-01

The effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) on mental health are not clear, and no study has been focused on the effects of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) on mental health. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between the use of OCs and the LNG-IUS and psychological well-being and psychopathology. The associations between the current use of OCs and the LNG-IUS, and their duration versus mood symptoms [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)], psychological well-being [(General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12)] and recent psychiatric diagnoses [(Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI)] were examined among women who participated in the Finnish-population-based Health 2000 study. Analyses were performed on the 30- to 54-year-old sample (n = 2310); some of the analyses were extended to include the younger age group (18- to 54-year-old sample; n = 3223). Overall, hormonal contraception was well tolerated with few significant effects on psychological well-being. The length of OC use was inversely associated with some BDI items ('dissatisfaction, irritability, lost interest in people, earlier waking and lost interest in sex'), and directly associated with 'worries about one's health' (BDI) and with a current diagnosis of 'alcohol dependence' (CIDI). The current use of the LNG-IUS was inversely associated with 'earlier waking' (BDI) and with 'impaired concentration' (GHQ), while the length of LNG-IUS use was inversely associated with 'strain' (GHQ). The influence of hormonal birth control on mental health is modest and mainly favourable. The length of current OC use seems to have some beneficial effects on mood although the longer the duration of use, the greater the association with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Knowledge of the use of hormonal contraception might be of value when assessing psychopathology in women. The cross-sectional design, with partly retrospective data collection, precludes any causal conclusions.

On the future of carbonaceous aerosol emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streets, D. G.; Bond, T. C.; Lee, T.; Jang, C.

2004-12-01

This paper presents the first model-based forecasts of future emissions of the primary carbonaceous aerosols, black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC). The forecasts build on a recent 1996 inventory of emissions that contains detailed fuel, technology, sector, and world-region specifications. The forecasts are driven by four IPCC scenarios, A1B, A2, B1, and B2, out to 2030 and 2050, incorporating not only changing patterns of fuel use but also technology development. Emissions from both energy generation and open biomass burning are included. We project that global BC emissions will decline from 8.0 Tg in 1996 to 5.3-7.3 Tg by 2030 and to 4.3-6.1 Tg by 2050, across the range of scenarios. We project that OC emissions will decline from 34 Tg in 1996 to 24-30 Tg by 2030 and to 21-28 Tg by 2050. The introduction of advanced technology with lower emission rates, as well as a shift away from the use of traditional solid fuels in the residential sector, more than offsets the increased combustion of fossil fuels worldwide. Environmental pressures and a diminishing demand for new agricultural land lead to a slow decline in the amount of open biomass burning. Although emissions of BC and OC are generally expected to decline around the world, some regions, particularly South America, northern Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, show increasing emissions in several scenarios. Particularly difficult to control are BC emissions from the transport sector, which increase under most scenarios. We expect that the BC/OC emission ratio for energy sources will rise from 0.5 to as much as 0.8, signifying a shift toward net warming of the climate system due to carbonaceous aerosols. When biomass burning is included, however, the BC/OC emission ratios are for the most part invariant across scenarios at about 0.2.

Prospects for future climate change and the reasons for early action

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

MacCracken, Michael C.

2008-06-15

Combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas, and to a lesser extent deforestation, land-cover change, and emissions of halocarbons and other greenhouse gases, are rapidly increasing the atmospheric concentrations of climate-warming gases. The global average temperature is already approximately 0.8{sup o}C above its preindustrial level, and present atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases will contribute to further warming of 0.5-1{sup o}C as equilibrium is re-established. Warming has been and will be greater in mid and high latitudes compared with low latitudes, over land compared with oceans, and at night compared with day. As emissions continue to increase, both warming and themore » commitment to future warming are presently increasing at a rate of approximately 0.2{sup o}C per decade, with projections that the rate of warming will further increase if emission controls are not put in place. Such warming and the associated changes are likely to result in severe impacts on key societal and environmental support systems. Present estimates are that limiting the increase in global average surface temperature to no more than 2-2.5{sup o}C above its 1750 value of approximately 15{sup o}C will be required to avoid the most catastrophic, but certainly not all, consequences of climate change. Accomplishing this will require reducing emissions sharply by 2050 and to near zero by 2100. This can only be achieved if: (1) developed nations move rapidly to demonstrate that a modem society can function without reliance on technologies that release carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and other non-CO{sub 2} greenhouse gases to the atmosphere; and (2) if developing nations act in the near-term to sharply limit their non-CO{sub 2} emissions while minimizing growth in CO{sub 2} emissions, and then in the long-term join with the developed nations to reduce all emissions as cost-effective technologies are developed. 183 refs., 13 figs., 5 tabs.« less

External Error Monitoring in Subclinical Obsessive-Compulsive Subjects: Electrophysiological Evidence from a Gambling Task

PubMed Central

Ye, Rong; Chen, Xingui; Dong, Yi; Li, Dan; Zhang, Long; Li, Dandan; Wang, Kai

2014-01-01

Background Feedback-related negativity (FRN) is believed to be an important electrophysiology index of “external” negative feedback processing. Previous studies on FRN in obsessive-compulsive (OC) individuals are scarce and controversial. In these studies, anxiety symptoms were not evaluated in detail. However, OC disorders have a number of radical differences from anxiety disorders. It is necessary to study FRN and its neuroanatomical correlates in OC individuals without anxious symptoms. Methods A total of 628 undergraduate students completed an OC questionnaire. We chose 14 students who scored in the upper 10% and 14 students who scored in the lowest 10% without anxiety symptoms as a subclinical OC group (SOC) and a low obsessive-compulsive group (LOC). The students all performed the revised Iowa Gambling Task. We used the event-related potentials (ERP) and standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) to track external negative feedback processing and its substrate in the brain. Results Our study revealed poorer decision-making ability and greater FRN amplitudes in SOC subjects compared with LOC controls. The SOC subjects displayed anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) hyperactivation during the loss feedback condition. Specifically, we found an intercorrelation of current source density during the loss condition between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and aPFC in the LOC subjects but not in the SOC group. Conclusions Our results support the notion that overactive external feedback error processing may reflect a candidate endophenotype of OC. We also provide important information on the dysfunction in the interaction between aPFC and dACC in populations with OC. Nevertheless, the findings support that OC may be distinguished from other anxiety disorders using a new electrophysiology perspective. PMID:24609106

URINARY MUTAGENESIS AS AN EXPOSURE BIOMARKER OF COOKED-MEAT-ASSOCIATED MUTAGENS: INFLUENCE OF COOKING TEMPERATURE, PHENOTYPE, AND GENOTYPE IN A CONTROLLED METABOLIC FEEDING STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

ABSTRACT
We evaluated urinary mutagenicity and selected phenotypes and genotypes in 60 subjects in a metabolic feeding study in which meat cooked at low temperature (100oC) was consumed for 1 week followed by meat cooked at high temperature (250oC) the second week. Meat coo...

Novel optimum contribution selection methods accounting for conflicting objectives in breeding programs for livestock breeds with historical migration.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Bennewitz, Jörn; Wellmann, Robin

2017-05-12

Optimum contribution selection (OCS) is effective for increasing genetic gain, controlling the rate of inbreeding and enables maintenance of genetic diversity. However, this diversity may be caused by high migrant contributions (MC) in the population due to introgression of genetic material from other breeds, which can threaten the conservation of small local populations. Therefore, breeding objectives should not only focus on increasing genetic gains but also on maintaining genetic originality and diversity of native alleles. This study aimed at investigating whether OCS was improved by including MC and modified kinships that account for breed origin of alleles. Three objective functions were considered for minimizing kinship, minimizing MC and maximizing genetic gain in the offspring generation, and we investigated their effects on German Angler and Vorderwald cattle. In most scenarios, the results were similar for Angler and Vorderwald cattle. A significant positive correlation between MC and estimated breeding values of the selection candidates was observed for both breeds, thus traditional OCS would increase MC. Optimization was performed under the condition that the rate of inbreeding did not exceed 1% and at least 30% of the maximum progress was achieved for all other criteria. Although traditional OCS provided the highest breeding values under restriction of classical kinship, the magnitude of MC in the progeny generation was not controlled. When MC were constrained or minimized, the kinship at native alleles increased compared to the reference scenario. Thus, in addition to constraining MC, constraining kinship at native alleles is required to ensure that native genetic diversity is maintained. When kinship at native alleles was constrained, the classical kinship was automatically lowered in most cases and more sires were selected. However, the average breeding value in the next generation was also lower than that obtained with traditional OCS. For local breeds with historical introgressions, current breeding programs should focus on increasing genetic gain and controlling inbreeding, as well as maintaining the genetic originality of the breeds and the diversity of native alleles via the inclusion of MC and kinship at native alleles in the OCS process.

Use of a monophasic, low-dose oral contraceptive in relation to mental functioning.

PubMed

Deijen, J B; Duyn, K J; Jansen, W A; Klitsie, J W

1992-10-01

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of Minulet, a new low-dose oral contraceptive on mood in two groups and to compare the effect with a control group of women not taking oral contraceptives (OC). The women participating were between 16 and 45 years of age. They completed the Amsterdam Mood Questionnaire (AMQ) and the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) three times. They were filled in before treatment started, after taking Minulet for one month and then again after three months. The questionnaires were filled in by a group of 200 women who had not taken OC before (starters), and by a second group of 370 women who were already taking OC (switchers). A group of 140 women who did not use any OC during the study served as a control group. These women also filled in the same questionnaires, both at the start, and after one and three months. As far as the AMQ was concerned, the switchers appeared in the initial measurement to have significantly higher scores (that is to say, a worse mood) for "tiredness", "depression", "moodiness", "anxiety" and "anger", than those of the starters and the control group. Moreover, the switchers had reduced scores (that is to say, an improved mood) on the AMQ-scales during their use of Minulet compared to their initial use of oral contraceptives. The scores of the starters and the control group on the AMQ-scales remained unchanged on all three measurements. It can be concluded from this that these groups felt as well as they did before.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Tuning the conductance of H2O@C60 by position of the encapsulated H2O

PubMed Central

Zhu, Chengbo; Wang, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

The change of conductance of single-molecule junction in response to various external stimuli is the fundamental mechanism for the single-molecule electronic devices with multiple functionalities. We propose the concept that the conductance of molecular systems can be tuned from inside. The conductance is varied in C60 with encapsulated H2O, H2O@C60. The transport properties of the H2O@C60-based nanostructure sandwiched between electrodes are studied using first-principles calculations combined with the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism. Our results show that the conductance of the H2O@C60 is sensitive to the position of the H2O and its dipole direction inside the cage with changes in conductance up to 20%. Our study paves a way for the H2O@C60 molecule to be a new platform for novel molecule-based electronics and sensors. PMID:26643873

Correlating the nanoscale mechanical and chemical properties of knockout mice bones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavukcuoglu, Nadire Beril

Bone is a mineral-organic composite where the organic matrix is mainly type I collagen plus small amounts of non-collagenous proteins including osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC) and fibrillin 2 (Fbn2). Mature bone undergoes remodeling continually so new bone is formed and old bone resorbed. Uncoupling between the bone resorption and bone formation causes an overall loss of bone mass and leads to diseases like osteoporosis and osteopenia. These are characterized by structural deterioration of the bone tissue and an increased risk of fracture. The non-collagenous bone proteins are known to have a role in regulating bone turnover and to affect the structural integrity of bone. OPN and OC play a key role in bone resorption and formation, while absence of Fbn-2 causes a connective tissue disorder (congenital contractural arachnodactyly) and has been associated with decreased bone mass. In this thesis nanoindentation and Raman-microspectroscopy techniques were used to investigate and correlate the mechanical and chemical properties of cortical femoral bones from OPN deficient (OPN-/-), OC deficient (OC-/-) and Fbn-2 deficient (Fbn2-/-) mice and their age, sex and background matched wild-type controls (OPN+/+, OC+/+ and Fbn2+/+). For OPN the hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) of under 12 week OPN-/- bones were significantly lower than for OPN+/+ bones, but Raman showed no significant difference. Mechanical properties of bones from mice older than 12 weeks were not significantly different with genotype. However, mineralization and crystallinity from >50 week OPN-/- bones were significantly higher than for OPN+/+ bones. Mechanical properties of OPN-/- bones showed no variation with age, but mineralization, crystallinity and type-B carbonate substitution increased for both genotypes. For OC-/- intra-bone analyses showed that the hardness and crystallinity of the bones were significantly higher, especially in the mid-cortical sections, compared to OC+/+ bones. Fbn2-/- bones had significantly lower hardness and elastic modulus compared to Fbn2+/+ bones, but the crystallinity was higher. Type-B carbonate substitution decreased significantly in OC-/- and Fbn2-/- bones compared to their wild-type controls. The thesis has provided new insight into how non-collagenous proteins affect the nanomechanics and chemistry of bone tissue. This information will assist in the development of new treatments for osteopenia/osteoporosis.

A New Soluble Gelatin Sponge for Transcatheter Hepatic Arterial Embolization

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

Takasaka, Isao; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Sato, Morio, E-mail: morisato@mail.wakayama-med.ac.jp

2010-12-15

To prepare a soluble gelatin sponge (GS) and to explore the GS particles (GSPs) that inhibit development of collateral pathways when transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization is performed. The approval of the Institutional Committee on Research Animal Care of our institution was obtained. By means of 50 and 100 kDa of regenerative medicine-gelatin (RM-G), RM-G sponges were prepared by freeze-drying and heating to temperatures of 110-150{sup o}C for cross-linkage. The soluble times of RM-GSPs were measured in vitro. Eight swine for transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization were assigned into two groups: six received 135{sup o}C/50RM-GSPs, 125{sup o}C/100RM-GSPs, and 138{sup o}C/50RM-GSPs, with solublemore » time of 48 h or more in vitro; two swine received Gelpart GSPs (G-GSPs) with insoluble time of 14 days as a control. Transarterial chemoembolization was performed on two branches of the hepatic artery per swine. RM-GSPs heated at temperatures of 110-138{sup o}C were soluble. Mean soluble times of the RM-GSPs increased with higher temperature. Hepatic branches embolized with G-GSP remained occluded after 6 days, and development of collateral pathways was observed after 3 days. Hepatic branches embolized with 135{sup o}C/50RM-GSP and 125{sup o}C/100RM-GSP remained occluded for 4 h, and recanalization was observed after 1 day. Hepatic branches embolized with 138{sup o}C/50RM-GS remained occluded for 1 day, and recanalization was observed after 2 days with no development of collateral pathways. In RM-GSs with various soluble times that were prepared by modulating the heating temperature, 138{sup o}C/50RM-GSP was the soluble GSP with the longest occlusion time without inducing development of collateral pathways.« less

Carbonaceous PM(2.5) and secondary organic aerosol across the Veneto region (NE Italy).

PubMed

Khan, Md Badiuzzaman; Masiol, Mauro; Formenton, Gianni; Di Gilio, Alessia; de Gennaro, Gianluigi; Agostinelli, Claudio; Pavoni, Bruno

2016-01-15

Organic and elemental carbon (OC-EC) were measured in 360 PM2.5 samples collected from April 2012 to February 2013 at six provinces in the Veneto region, to determine the factors affecting the carbonaceous aerosol variations. The 60 daily samples have been collected simultaneously in all sites during 10 consecutive days for 6 months (April, June, August, October, December and February). OC ranged from 0.98 to 22.34 μg/m(3), while the mean value was 5.5 μg/m(3), contributing 79% of total carbon. EC concentrations fluctuated from 0.19 to 11.90 μg/m(3) with an annual mean value of 1.31 μg/m(3) (19% of the total carbon). The monthly OC concentration gradually increased from April to December. The EC did not vary in accordance with OC. However the highest values for both parameters were recorded in the cold period. The mean OC/EC ratio is 4.54, which is higher than the values observed in most of the other European cities. The secondary organic carbon (SOC) contributed for 69% of the total OC and this was confirmed by both the approaches OC/EC minimum ratio and regression. The results show that OC, EC and SOC exhibited higher concentration during winter months in all measurement sites, suggesting that the stable atmosphere and lower mixing play important role for the accumulation of air pollutant and hasten the condensation or adsorption of volatile organic compounds over the Veneto region. Significant meteorological factors controlling OC and EC were investigated by fitting linear models and using a robust procedure based on weighted likelihood, suggesting that low wind speed and temperature favour accumulation of emissions from local sources. Conditional probability function and conditional bivariate probability function plots indicate that both biomass burning and vehicular traffic are probably the main local sources for carbonaceous particulate matter emissions in two selected cities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lake eutrophication and its implications for organic carbon sequestration in Europe.

PubMed

Anderson, N J; Bennion, H; Lotter, A F

2014-09-01

The eutrophication of lowland lakes in Europe by excess nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is severe because of the long history of land-cover change and agricultural intensification. The ecological and socio-economic effects of eutrophication are well understood but its effect on organic carbon (OC) sequestration by lakes and its change overtime has not been determined. Here, we compile data from ~90 culturally impacted European lakes [~60% are eutrophic, Total P (TP) >30 μg P l(-1) ] and determine the extent to which OC burial rates have increased over the past 100-150 years. The average focussing corrected, OC accumulation rate (C ARFC ) for the period 1950-1990 was ~60 g C m(-2) yr(-1) , and for lakes with >100 μg TP l(-1) the average was ~100 g C m(-2) yr(-1) . The ratio of post-1950 to 1900-1950 C AR is low (~1.5) indicating that C accumulation rates have been high throughout the 20th century. Compared to background estimates of OC burial (~5-10 g C m(-2) yr(-1) ), contemporary rates have increased by at least four to fivefold. The statistical relationship between C ARFC and TP derived from this study (r(2) = 0.5) can be used to estimate OC burial at sites lacking estimates of sediment C-burial. The implications of eutrophication, diagenesis, lake morphometry and sediment focussing as controls of OC burial rates are considered. A conservative interpretation of the results of the this study suggests that lowland European meso- to eutrophic lakes with >30 μg TP l(-1) had OC burial rates in excess of 50 g C m(-2) yr(-1) over the past century, indicating that previous estimates of regional lake OC burial have seriously underestimated their contribution to European carbon sequestration. Enhanced OC burial by lakes is one positive side-effect of the otherwise negative impact of the anthropogenic disruption of nutrient cycles. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Real-time 2D spatially selective MRI experiments: Comparative analysis of optimal control design methods.

PubMed

Maximov, Ivan I; Vinding, Mads S; Tse, Desmond H Y; Nielsen, Niels Chr; Shah, N Jon

2015-05-01

There is an increasing need for development of advanced radio-frequency (RF) pulse techniques in modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems driven by recent advancements in ultra-high magnetic field systems, new parallel transmit/receive coil designs, and accessible powerful computational facilities. 2D spatially selective RF pulses are an example of advanced pulses that have many applications of clinical relevance, e.g., reduced field of view imaging, and MR spectroscopy. The 2D spatially selective RF pulses are mostly generated and optimised with numerical methods that can handle vast controls and multiple constraints. With this study we aim at demonstrating that numerical, optimal control (OC) algorithms are efficient for the design of 2D spatially selective MRI experiments, when robustness towards e.g. field inhomogeneity is in focus. We have chosen three popular OC algorithms; two which are gradient-based, concurrent methods using first- and second-order derivatives, respectively; and a third that belongs to the sequential, monotonically convergent family. We used two experimental models: a water phantom, and an in vivo human head. Taking into consideration the challenging experimental setup, our analysis suggests the use of the sequential, monotonic approach and the second-order gradient-based approach as computational speed, experimental robustness, and image quality is key. All algorithms used in this work were implemented in the MATLAB environment and are freely available to the MRI community. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges in engineering osteochondral tissue grafts with hierarchical structures.

PubMed

Gadjanski, Ivana; Vunjak-Novakovic, Gordana

2015-01-01

A major hurdle in treating osteochondral (OC) defects is the different healing abilities of two types of tissues involved - articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Biomimetic approaches to OC-construct engineering, based on recapitulation of biological principles of tissue development and regeneration, have potential for providing new treatments and advancing fundamental studies of OC tissue repair. This review on state of the art in hierarchical OC tissue graft engineering is focused on tissue engineering approaches designed to recapitulate the native milieu of cartilage and bone development. These biomimetic systems are discussed with relevance to bioreactor cultivation of clinically sized, anatomically shaped human cartilage/bone constructs with physiologic stratification and mechanical properties. The utility of engineered OC tissue constructs is evaluated for their use as grafts in regenerative medicine, and as high-fidelity models in biological research. A major challenge in engineering OC tissues is to generate a functionally integrated stratified cartilage-bone structure starting from one single population of mesenchymal cells, while incorporating perfusable vasculature into the bone, and in bone-cartilage interface. To this end, new generations of advanced scaffolds and bioreactors, implementation of mechanical loading regimens and harnessing of inflammatory responses of the host will likely drive the further progress.

Optimal control of CPR procedure using hemodynamic circulation model

DOEpatents

Lenhart, Suzanne M.; Protopopescu, Vladimir A.; Jung, Eunok

2007-12-25

A method for determining a chest pressure profile for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) includes the steps of representing a hemodynamic circulation model based on a plurality of difference equations for a patient, applying an optimal control (OC) algorithm to the circulation model, and determining a chest pressure profile. The chest pressure profile defines a timing pattern of externally applied pressure to a chest of the patient to maximize blood flow through the patient. A CPR device includes a chest compressor, a controller communicably connected to the chest compressor, and a computer communicably connected to the controller. The computer determines the chest pressure profile by applying an OC algorithm to a hemodynamic circulation model based on the plurality of difference equations.

Thought control strategies in adolescents: links with OCD symptoms and meta-cognitive beliefs.

PubMed

Wilson, Charlotte; Hall, Martin

2012-07-01

The perceived control of intrusive thoughts is important in our understanding of a variety of psychological disorders, but particularly in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Little research has explored thought control strategies in younger populations, despite the frequent onset of OCD in childhood. This study examined thought control strategies and meta-cognitive beliefs in relation to Obsessive Compulsive (OC) interference scores in an adolescent sample. A non-referred sample of 151 adolescents aged 13-16 completed the Thought Control Questionnaire, the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire - Adolescent version, and the Leyton Obsessional Inventory - Child Version. Adolescents reported using distraction and worry as thought control strategies as much as adults, but social control and reappraisal less frequently, with adolescent males also reporting less use of punishment as a strategy. The strategies of worry and punishment, and positive beliefs about worry, uncontrollability and danger beliefs (UCD) and superstition punishment and responsibility beliefs (SPR) predicted OC interference scores. Furthermore, these meta-cognitive beliefs mediated the relationships between punishment and worry and OC interference scores. Given the similarities between our results and those from research exploring these variables in adults, it is proposed that cognitive behavioural models of OCD that have been developed in adult populations may be relevant to adolescents, but that meta-cognitive beliefs about superstition, punishment and responsibility may be important in adolescence.

Geographic Model and Biomarker-Derived Measures of Pesticide Exposure and Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

RITZ, BEATE; COSTELLO, SADIE

2013-01-01

For more than two decades, reports have suggested that pesticides and herbicides may be an etiologic factor in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). To date, no clear associations with any specific pesticide have been demonstrated from epidemiological studies perhaps, in part, because methods of reliably estimating exposures are lacking. We tested the validity of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based exposure assessment model that estimates potential environmental exposures at residences from pesticide applications to agricultural crops based on California Pesticide Use Reports (PUR). Using lipid-adjusted dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) serum levels as the “gold standard” for pesticide exposure, we conducted a validation study in a sample taken from an ongoing, population-based case–control study of PD in Central California. Residential, occupational, and other risk factor data were collected for 22 cases and 24 controls from Kern county, California. Environmental GIS–PUR-based organochlorine (OC) estimates were derived for each subject and compared to lipid-adjusted DDE serum levels. Relying on a linear regression model, we predicted log-transformed lipid-adjusted DDE serum levels. GIS–PUR-derived OC measure, body mass index, age, gender, mixing and loading pesticides by hand, and using pesticides in the home, together explained 47% of the DDE serum level variance (adjusted r2 = 0.47). The specificity of using our environmental GIS–PUR-derived OC measures to identify those with high-serum DDE levels was reasonably good (87%). Our environmental GIS–PUR-based approach appears to provide a valid model for assessing residential exposures to agricultural pesticides. PMID:17119217

Biomarkers in Transit Reveal the Nature of Fluvial Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponton, C.; West, A.; Feakins, S. J.; Galy, V.

2013-12-01

The carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of vascular plant leaf waxes are common proxies for hydrologic and vegetation change. Sedimentary archives off major river systems are prime targets for continental paleoclimate studies under the assumption that rivers integrate changes in terrestrial organic carbon (OC) composition over their drainage basin. However, the proportional contribution of sources within the basin (e.g. head waters vs. floodplain) and the transit times of OC through the fluvial system remain largely unknown. This lack of quantifiable information about the proportions and timescales of integration within large catchments poses a challenge for paleoclimate reconstructions. To examine the sources of terrestrial OC eroded and supplied to a river system and the spatial distribution of these sources, we use compound specific isotope analysis (i.e. δ13C, Δ14C, and δD) on plant-derived leaf waxes, filtered from large volumes of river water (20-200L) along a major river system. We selected the Kosñipata River that drains the western flank of the Andes in Peru, joins the Madre de Dios River across the Amazonian floodplain, and ultimately contributes to the Amazon River. Our study encompassed an elevation gradient of >4 km, in an almost entirely forested catchment. Precipitation δD values vary by >50‰ due to the isotopic effect of elevation, a feature we exploit to identify the sources of plant wax n-alkanoic acids transported by the river. We used the δD plant wax values from tributary rivers as source constrains and the main stem values as the integrated signal. In addition, compound specific radiocarbon on individual chain length n-alkanoic acids provide unprecedented detail on the integrated age of these compounds. Preliminary results have established that 1) most of the OC transport occurs in the wet season; 2) total carbon transport in the Madre de Dios is dominated by lowland sources because of the large floodplain area, but initial data suggest that OC from high elevations may be proportionally overrepresented relative to areal extent, with possibly important implications for biomarker isotope composition; 3) timescales of different biomarkers vary considerably; 4) the composition of OC varies downstream and with depth stratification within large rivers. We filtered >1000L of river water in this remote location during the wet season, and are presently replicating that study during the dry season, providing a seasonal comparison of OC transport in this major river system.

Pediatric resident perceptions of shift work in ward rotations.

PubMed

Nomura, Osamu; Mishina, Hiroki; Jasti, Harish; Sakai, Hirokazu; Ishiguro, Akira

2017-10-01

Although the long working hours of physicians are considered to be a social issue, no effective policies such as duty hour regulations have so far been proposed in Japan. We implemented an overnight call shift (OCS) system for ward rotations to improve the working environment for residents in a pediatric residency program. We later conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire asking the residents to compare this system with the traditional overnight call system. Forty-one pediatric residents participated in this survey. The residents felt that the quality of patient care improved (80.4% agreed). Most felt that there was less emphasis on education (26.8%) and more emphasis on service (31.7%). Overall, the residents reported that the OCS was beneficial (90.2%). In conclusion, the pediatric residents considered the OCS system during ward rotations as beneficial. Alternative solutions are vital to balance improvements in resident work conditions with the requirement for a high quality of education. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

Effects of relativity for atomization and isomerization energies of seaborgium carbonyl SgCO and seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC: Relativity predicts SgOC to be more stable than SgCO

DOE PAGES

Malli, Gulzari L.

2015-12-31

Our ab initio all-electron fully relativistic Dirac-Fock (DF) and nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock (NR) calculations for seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC predict atomization energy (AE) of 13.04 and 11.05 eV, respectively. However, the corresponding DF and NR atomization energies for the seaborgium carbonyl SgCO are predicted as 12.75 and 12.45 eV, respectively. This is the first such result in Chemistry where an isocarbonyl (and especially for a system of superheavy element Sg) is predicted to be more stable at the DF level of theory than the corresponding carbonyl. The predicted energy for the formation of the carbonyl SgCO at the relativistic DF and NRmore » levels of theory is -54.90 and -50.95 kJ /mol, whereas the corresponding energy of formation of the isocarbonyl SgOC is -64.44 and -18.64 kJ/mol, respectively. Ours are the first results of relativistic effects for isomerization and atomization energies of the superheavy seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC and its isomer SgCO. Lastly, the formation of isocarbonyl SgOC, should be favored over the carbonyl isomer SgCO in the first step of the reaction Sg+CO →SgOC.« less

Production of Carbon Occluded in Phytolith Is Season-Dependent in a Bamboo Forest in Subtropical China

PubMed Central

Huang, Zhang-Ting; Jiang, Pei-Kun; Chang, Scott Xiaochuan; Zhang, Yan; Ying, Yu-Qi

2014-01-01

Carbon (C) occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) is a stable form of C; when PhytOC is returned to the soil through litterfall it is stored in the soil which can be an effective way for long-term C sequestration. However, few estimates on the rate of PhytOC input to the soil are available. To better understand the seasonal dynamics of PhytOC production and the annual rate of stable C sequestration through PhytOC input, we quantified the monthly litterfall, phytolith and PhytOC return to the soil over a year in a typical Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) forest in subtropical China. The monthly litterfall ranged between 14.81 and 131.18 g m−2, and the phytolith concentration in the monthly litterfall samples ranged between 47.21 and 101.68 g kg−1 of litter mass, with the PhytOC concentration in the phytolith ranged between 29.4 and 44.9 g kg−1 of phytolith, equivalent to 1.8–3.6 g kg−1 of PhytOC in the litterfall (based on litterfall dry mass). The amount of phytolith input to the soil system was 292.21±69.12 (mean±SD) kg ha−1 yr−1, sequestering 41.45±9.32 kg CO2−e ha−1 yr−1 of C in the studied Lei bamboo forest. This rate of C sequestration through the formation of PhytOC found in this study falls within the range of rates for other grass-type species reported in the literature. We conclude that return of C occluded in phytolith to the soil can be a substantial source of stable soil C and finding means to increase PhytOC storage in the soil should be able to play a significant role in mitigating the rapidly increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration. PMID:25188462

Impact of Hormone-Associated Resistance to Activated Protein C on the Thrombotic Potential of Oral Contraceptives: A Prospective Observational Study

PubMed Central

Müller, Jens; Sukhitashvili, Shorena; Welz, Julia; Kuhn, Walther C.; Oldenburg, Johannes; Rudlowski, Christian; Pötzsch, Bernd

2014-01-01

Introduction The increased thrombotic risk of oral contraceptives (OC) has been attributed to various alterations of the hemostatic system, including acquired resistance to activated protein C (APC). To evaluate to what extent OC-associated APC resistance induces a prothrombotic state we monitored plasma levels of thrombin and molecular markers specific for thrombin formation in women starting OC use. Elevated plasma levels of thrombin have been reported to characterize situations of high thrombotic risk such as trauma-induced hypercoagulability, but have not yet been studied during OC use. Patients and Methods Blood samples were collected prospectively from healthy women (n = 21) before and during three menstruation cycles after start of OC. APC resistance was evaluated using a thrombin generation-based assay. Plasma levels of thrombin and APC were directly measured using highly sensitive oligonucleotide-based enzyme capture assay (OECA) technology. Thrombin generation markers and other hemostasis parameters were measured additionally. Results All women developed APC resistance as indicated by an increased APC sensitivity ratio compared with baseline after start of OC (p = 0.0003). Simultaneously, plasma levels of thrombin, prothrombin fragment 1+2, and of thrombin-antithrombin complexes did not change, ruling out increased thrombin formation. APC plasma levels were also not influenced by OC use, giving further evidence that increased thrombin formation did not occur. Conclusions In the majority of OC users no enhanced thrombin formation occurs despite the development of APC resistance. It cannot be ruled out, however, that thrombin formation might occur to a greater extent in the presence of additional risk factors. If this were the case, endogenous thrombin levels might be a potential biomarker candidate to identify women at high thrombotic risk during OC treatment. Large-scale studies are required to assess the value of plasma levels of thrombin as predictors of OC-associated thrombotic risk. PMID:25121606

Carbon balance in an irrigated corn field after inorganic fertilizer or manure application

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Little is known about inorganic fertilizer or manure effects on organic carbon (OC) and inorganic C (IC) losses from a furrow irrigated field, particularly in the context of other system C gains or losses. In 2003 and 2004, we measured dissolved organic and inorganic C (DOC, DIC), particulate OC an...

Manure and inorganic fertilizer effects on carbon balance and losses in irrigated corn

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Little is known about inorganic fertilizer or manure effects on organic carbon (OC) and inorganic C (IC) losses from a furrow irrigated field, particularly in the context of other system C gains or losses. In 2003 and 2004, we measured dissolved organic and inorganic C (DOC, DIC), particulate OC an...

78 FR 39184 - Privacy Act, Exempt Record System; Implementation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-01

... Related to Research Misconduct Proceedings, HHS/FDA/OC, 09-10-0020. Title 45 PART 5b--PRIVACY ACT... protect the integrity of FDA's scientific research misconduct proceedings and to protect the identity of... Research Misconduct Proceedings, HHS/FDA/OC,'' under subsections (k)(2) and (k)(5) of the Privacy Act (5 U...

Enhancement in Open-Circuit Voltage in Organic Solar Cells by Using Ladder-Type Nonfullerene Acceptors

DOE PAGES

Cai, Zhengxu; Zhao, Donglin; Sharapov, Valerii; ...

2018-03-28

The open-circuit voltage (V oc) loss has always been a major factor in lowering power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs). A method to improve the V oc is indispensable to achieve high PCEs. Here in this paper, we investigated a series of perylene diimide-based ladder-type molecules as electron acceptors in nonfullerene OPVs. The D-A ladder-type structures described here lock our pi-systems into a planar structure and eliminate bond twisting associated with linear conjugated systems. This enlarges the interface energy gap (ΔE DA), extends electronic delocalization, and hence improves the V oc. More importantly, these devicesmore » showed an increase in V oc without compromising either the J sc or the FF. C5r exhibited a strong intermolecular interaction and a PCE value of 6.1%. Moreover, grazing-incident wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis and atomic force microscopy images suggested that our fused-ring acceptors showed a suitable domain size and uniform blend films, which were not affected by their rigid molecular structures.« less

Enhancement in Open-Circuit Voltage in Organic Solar Cells by Using Ladder-Type Nonfullerene Acceptors.

PubMed

Cai, Zhengxu; Zhao, Donglin; Sharapov, Valerii; Awais, Mohammad A; Zhang, Na; Chen, Wei; Yu, Luping

2018-04-25

The open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) loss has always been a major factor in lowering power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs). A method to improve the V oc is indispensable to achieve high PCEs. In this paper, we investigated a series of perylene diimide-based ladder-type molecules as electron acceptors in nonfullerene OPVs. The D-A ladder-type structures described here lock our π-systems into a planar structure and eliminate bond twisting associated with linear conjugated systems. This enlarges the interface energy gap (Δ E DA ), extends electronic delocalization, and hence improves the V oc . More importantly, these devices showed an increase in V oc without compromising either the J sc or the FF. C5r exhibited a strong intermolecular interaction and a PCE value of 6.1%. Moreover, grazing-incident wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis and atomic force microscopy images suggested that our fused-ring acceptors showed a suitable domain size and uniform blend films, which were not affected by their rigid molecular structures.

Enhancement in Open-Circuit Voltage in Organic Solar Cells by Using Ladder-Type Nonfullerene Acceptors

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

Cai, Zhengxu; Zhao, Donglin; Sharapov, Valerii

The open-circuit voltage (V oc) loss has always been a major factor in lowering power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs). A method to improve the V oc is indispensable to achieve high PCEs. Here in this paper, we investigated a series of perylene diimide-based ladder-type molecules as electron acceptors in nonfullerene OPVs. The D-A ladder-type structures described here lock our pi-systems into a planar structure and eliminate bond twisting associated with linear conjugated systems. This enlarges the interface energy gap (ΔE DA), extends electronic delocalization, and hence improves the V oc. More importantly, these devicesmore » showed an increase in V oc without compromising either the J sc or the FF. C5r exhibited a strong intermolecular interaction and a PCE value of 6.1%. Moreover, grazing-incident wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis and atomic force microscopy images suggested that our fused-ring acceptors showed a suitable domain size and uniform blend films, which were not affected by their rigid molecular structures.« less

Thermomechanical and chemical properties of porous W/liquid Li hybrid systems as plasma-facing self-healing surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapat, Aveek; Lang, Eric; Neff, Anton; Allain, Jean Paul

2017-10-01

The environmental conditions at the plasma-material interface of a future nuclear fusion reactor interacting will be extreme. The incident plasma will carry heat fluxes of the order of 100's of MWm-2 and particle fluxes that can average 1024 m-2s-1. The fusion reactor wall would need to operate at high temperatures near 800 C and the incident energy of particles will vary from a few eV ions to MeV neutrons. A hybrid system, inspired by self-healing solid-state concepts, combines the ductile phase of liquid Li within a solid phase porous W. The liquid Li serves to control hydrogen retention and provide vapor shielding, within the framework of a tunable porosity to optimize edge plasma conditions [2]. Additionally, the porous interface can also provide for effective defect sinks for high duty cycle neutron damage. The surface chemistry of liquid Li on a porous surface varied with D irradiation is studied and its effect on retention. Prior results with refractory alloys have demonstrated effective wetting properties [3]. These hybrid systems, as well as traditional W samples, are bombarded with 500eV D2+and Ar+ at 230oC and 300oC. The Li, O, and C XPS peaks were examined and compared to controls. Additionally, the porous W is characterized for thermo-mechanical properties. Work supported by USDOE Contract DE- DE-SC0014267.

Organic Carbon Burial Rates in Mangrove Soils Along Florida's Coast from Tampa Bay to Biscayne National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smoak, J. M.; Breithaupt, J. L.; Moyer, R. P.; Sanders, C. J.; Proctor, M. R.; Jacobs, J. A.; Chappel, A. R.; Comparetto, K. R.

2016-12-01

Mangrove forests provide a range of valuable ecosystem services including sequestering organic carbon (OC) in their soils at rates much greater on a per area basis than those found in other types of forests. This restricts a large quantity of OC to a relatively small area along tropical and sub-tropical coastal margins, where dramatic climate-driven impacts are expected. Hence this small yet highly-vulnerable area will have a disproportionally large impact on global carbon cycling. One of the fundamental climate-related questions in mangrove systems is whether their soils will continue to function as a globally significant OC sink or become a source as previously buried OC is oxidized and returned to the atmosphere. While changes to precipitation, temperature, cyclone activity, etc. may influence this sink capacity, it is accelerating sea-level rise (SLR) that is of greatest immediate concern because if mangrove peat formation fails to keep pace then all ecosystem services, including carbon burial, will collapse. Mangroves that receive minimal terrigenous sediments (such as those in South Florida) are largely dependent on the rate of OC accumulation as a key contributor to accretion. To investigate these processes, we measured OC burial and accretion rates over the last 100 years (via 210Pb dating) from sites in Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Ten Thousand Islands, Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, and the Lower Florida Keys. The mean 100-year burial rate over all sites is 119 ± 33 (SD) g m-2 yr-1 which is lower than the global mean. Mean accretion rates were found to match (within error) the relatively modest average SLR over the last 100 years, but rates may not have kept pace with the substantially higher SLR in the last decade. This investigation contributes to establishing regional-scale Blue Carbon budgets, and examines how OC burial in mangroves has changed over the last 100 years. This improved understanding of past mangrove OC burial response coupled with future projections of climate change allows for better projections of future carbon cycling and budgets in coastal systems.

Flow-based ammonia gas analyzer with an open channel scrubber for indoor environments.

PubMed

Ohira, Shin-Ichi; Heima, Minako; Yamasaki, Takayuki; Tanaka, Toshinori; Koga, Tomoko; Toda, Kei

2013-11-15

A robust and fully automated indoor ammonia gas monitoring system with an open channel scrubber (OCS) was developed. The sample gas channel dimensions, hydrophilic surface treatment to produce a thin absorbing solution layer, and solution flow rate of the OCS were optimized to connect the OCS as in-line gas collector and avoid sample humidity effects. The OCS effluent containing absorbed ammonia in sample gas was injected into a derivatization solution flow. Derivatization was achieved with o-phthalaldehyde and sulfite in pH 11 buffer solution. The product, 1-sulfonateisoindole, is detected with a home-made fluorescence detector. The limit of detection of the analyzer based on three times the standard deviation of baseline noise was 0.9 ppbv. Sample gas could be analyzed 40 times per hour. Furthermore, relative humidity of up to 90% did not interfere considerably with the analyzer. Interference from amines was not observed. The developed gas analysis system was calibrated using a solution-based method. The system was used to analyze ammonia in an indoor environment along with an off-site method, traditional impinger gas collection followed by ion chromatographic analysis, for comparison. The results obtained using both methods agreed well. Therefore, the developed system can perform on-site monitoring of ammonia in indoor environments with improved time resolution compared with that of other methods. Crown Copyright © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential mobilization of terrestrial carbon pools in Eurasian Arctic river basins.

PubMed

Feng, Xiaojuan; Vonk, Jorien E; van Dongen, Bart E; Gustafsson, Örjan; Semiletov, Igor P; Dudarev, Oleg V; Wang, Zhiheng; Montluçon, Daniel B; Wacker, Lukas; Eglinton, Timothy I

2013-08-27

Mobilization of Arctic permafrost carbon is expected to increase with warming-induced thawing. However, this effect is challenging to assess due to the diverse processes controlling the release of various organic carbon (OC) pools from heterogeneous Arctic landscapes. Here, by radiocarbon dating various terrestrial OC components in fluvially and coastally integrated estuarine sediments, we present a unique framework for deconvoluting the contrasting mobilization mechanisms of surface vs. deep (permafrost) carbon pools across the climosequence of the Eurasian Arctic. Vascular plant-derived lignin phenol (14)C contents reveal significant inputs of young carbon from surface sources whose delivery is dominantly controlled by river runoff. In contrast, plant wax lipids predominantly trace ancient (permafrost) OC that is preferentially mobilized from discontinuous permafrost regions, where hydrological conduits penetrate deeper into soils and thermokarst erosion occurs more frequently. Because river runoff has significantly increased across the Eurasian Arctic in recent decades, we estimate from an isotopic mixing model that, in tandem with an increased transfer of young surface carbon, the proportion of mobilized terrestrial OC accounted for by ancient carbon has increased by 3-6% between 1985 and 2004. These findings suggest that although partly masked by surface carbon export, climate change-induced mobilization of old permafrost carbon is well underway in the Arctic.

Sleep disruption is related to poor response inhibition in individuals with obsessive-compulsive and repetitive negative thought symptoms.

PubMed

Nota, Jacob A; Schubert, Jessica R; Coles, Meredith E

2016-03-01

Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) are associated with poor inhibitory control. Sleep disruptions may partially mediate these relations and/or act as a "second hit" to individuals with OC symptoms and RNT. Models including habitual (past month) hours slept and bedtimes were tested. We employed a go/no-go task that allowed us to examine the relation between sleep and inhibition with various task contingencies. Sixty-seven unselected individuals were recruited from the participant pool at a public university. Bias-corrected bootstrap estimates did not show that sleep disruption mediated the relation between OC symptoms and response inhibition nor the relation between RNT and response inhibition. Multiple linear regression analyses found significant interactions between hours slept and OC symptom severity and between RNT and hours slept to predict poor response inhibition. Hours slept significantly negatively predicted commission errors when OC symptoms and RNT levels were relatively heightened but not when OC symptoms and RNT levels were relatively low. These effects were present in blocks where task contingencies were designed to shape a no-go bias. No significant relations were found with habitual bedtimes. The cross-sectional study design precludes testing the temporal precedence of symptoms in the "second hit" model. The unselected sample also limits generalization to clinical samples. These findings support a "second hit" model of interaction between sleep disruption and perseverative thoughts and behaviors. Further research on the mechanisms of the relation between sleep disruption and perseverative thought symptoms (OC and RNT) is warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emission rates of particulate matter and elemental and organic carbon from in-use diesel engines.

PubMed

Shah, Sandip D; Cocker, David R; Miller, J Wayne; Norbeck, Joseph M

2004-05-01

Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and particulate matter (PM) emission rates are reported for a number of heavy heavy-duty diesel trucks (HHDDTs) and back-up generators (BUGs) operating under real-world conditions. Emission rates were determined using a unique mobile emissions laboratory (MEL) equipped with a total capture full-scale dilution tunnel connected directly to the diesel engine via a snorkel. This paper shows that PM, EC, and OC emission rates are strongly dependent on the mode of vehicle operation; highway, arterial, congested, and idling conditions were simulated by following the speed trace from the California Air Resources Board HHDDT cycle. Emission rates for BUGs are reported as a function of engine load at constant speed using the ISO 8178B Cycle D2. The EC, OC, and PM emission rates were determined to be highly variable for the HHDDTs. It was determined that the per mile emission rate of OC from a HHDDT in congested traffic is 8.1 times higher than that of an HHDDT in cruise or highway speed conditions and 1.9 times higher for EC. EC/OC ratios for BUGs (which generally operate at steady states) and HHDDTs show marked differences, indicating that the transient nature of engine operation dictates the EC/OC ratio. Overall, this research shows that the EC/OC ratio varies widely for diesel engines in trucks and BUGs and depends strongly on the operating cycle. The findings reported here have significant implications in the application of chemical mass balance modeling, diesel risk assessment, and control strategies such as the Diesel Risk Reduction Program.

Laboratory controls of precursor and temperature on the kinetics and isotopic fractionations of microbial methane for deep subsurface environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Y.; Lin, L.; Wang, P.; Sun, C.

2009-12-01

In subsurface environments, the mineralization of organic carbon involves complex interactions among geological and microbial processes. As the most reduced form and the shortest hydrocarbon chain, methane, is the final product of both microbial degradation and thermal-cracking of organic matter, it serves as the connection of carbon cycles between different reservoirs. Of various mechanisms for methane formation, microbial methane constitutes 85% of the total methane inventory investigated by far. However, the mechanisms and resultant carbon isotope fingerprints of methanogenesis in environments still remained largely unknown. The types of precursors and temperature might be the most critical factors governing methanogenesis. Lots of studies have been investigating the mechanisms responsible for methanogenesis by pure cultures, but it still remains obscure with regard to which precursors are predominantly utilized by methanogens in natural settings. The effect of temperature is especially prominent for anoxic sediments within which the temperature increases with depth in accordance with the local geotherm. Commonly observed temperatures for methanogenesis span from ambient temperature to 90OC, a temperature range for most diagenetic reactions. In order to address how different precursors would be activated for microbially catalytic methane formation upon different temperatures, we incubated the sediments collected from Kuan-Tzu-Ling hot spring at temperatures up to 90OC. Five precursors including acetate, formate, methanol, methylamine, and hydrogen were added with the inocula to stimulate methanogenesis and inhibit fermentation, and were monitored together with methane production through time. Results of this experiments indicated that methanogenesis was positive at temperatures from room temperature to 80OC and precursors investigated despite substantial variations in the maximum rates and yields. In the experiment supplied with hydrogen and formate, methanogenic rates were rapid at all temperatures. Maximum methane production rates occurred at 40~50OC for incubations with methanol, 40~60OC for incubation with acetate, and 50OC for those with methylamine. The patterns of carbon isotopic compositions on methane were either consistent with the prediction of the Rayleigh fractionation in a closed system, trending toward more depleted through time or invariant through time, suggesting variable physiological responses and microbial assemblages to precursor additions. The obtained ɛ values were 0~-12‰ for incubations with acetate, -16~-45‰ for incubations with hydrogen, -50~-80‰ for incubations with methanol, and -87~-115‰ for incubations with methylamine. Acetoclastic methanogenesis appears to fractionate carbon isotopes at the smallest magnitude. This when combined with the results from positive controls and the field observation suggests that acetoclastic methanogenesis produced methane with isotopic signatures comparable with those with thermogenic in origin and contributed significantly to the total methane inventory in the Kuan-Tzu-Ling hotspring area.

Physical behavior and function early after hip fracture surgery in patients receiving comprehensive geriatric care or orthopedic care--a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Taraldsen, Kristin; Sletvold, Olav; Thingstad, Pernille; Saltvedt, Ingvild; Granat, Malcolm H; Lydersen, Stian; Helbostad, Jorunn L

2014-03-01

This study is a part of the randomized controlled trial, the Trondheim Hip Fracture Trial, and it compared physical behavior and function during the first postoperative days for hip fracture patients managed with comprehensive geriatric care (CGC) with those managed with orthopedic care (OC). Treatment comprised CGC with particular focus on mobilization, or OC. A total of 397 hip fracture patients, age 70 years or older, home dwelling, and able to walk 10 m before the fracture, were included. Primary outcome was measurement of upright time (standing and walking) recorded for 24 hours the fourth day postsurgery by a body-worn accelerometer-based activity monitor. Secondary outcomes were number of upright events on Day 4, need for assistance in ambulation measured by the Cumulated Ambulation score on Days 1-3, and lower limb function measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery on Day 5 postsurgery. A total of 317 (CGC n = 175, OC n = 142) participants wore the activity monitor for a 24-hour period. CGC participants had significantly more upright time (mean 57.6 vs 45.1 min, p = .016), higher number of upright events (p = .005) and better Short Physical Performance Battery scores (p = .002), than the OC participants. Cumulated Ambulation score did not differ between groups (p = .234). When treated with CGC, compared with OC, older persons suffering a hip fracture spent more time in upright, had more upright events, and had better lower limb function early after surgery despite no difference in their need for assistance during ambulation.

Bio-corrosion of stainless steel by osteoclasts--in vitro evidence.

PubMed

Cadosch, Dieter; Chan, Erwin; Gautschi, Oliver P; Simmen, Hans-Peter; Filgueira, Luis

2009-07-01

Most metals in contact with biological systems undergo corrosion by an electrochemical process. This study investigated whether human osteoclasts (OC) are able to grow on stainless steel (SS) and directly corrode the metal alloy leading to the formation of corresponding metal ions, which may cause inflammatory reactions and activate the immune system. Scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated long-term viable OC cultures and evident resorption features on the surface of SS discs on which OC were cultured for 21 days. The findings were confirmed by atomic emission spectrometry investigations showing significantly increased levels of chromium, nickel, and manganese in the supernatant of OC cultures. Furthermore, significant levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, which are considered to be major mediators of osteolysis, were revealed in the same cultures by cytometric bead array analysis. Within the present study, it was shown that human osteoclast precursors are able to grow and differentiate towards mature OC on SS. The mature cells are able to directly corrode the metal surface and release corresponding metal ions, which induce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that are known to enhance osteoclast differentiation, activation, and survival. Enhanced corrosion and the subsequently released metal ions may therefore result in enhanced osteolytic lesions in the peri-prosthetic bone, contributing to the aseptic loosening of the implant.

Updated O-C Diagrams for Several Bright HW Vir Binaries Observed with the Evryscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corcoran, Kyle A.; Barlow, Brad; Corbett, Hank; Fors, Octavi; Howard, Ward S.; Law, Nicholas; Ratzloff, Jeff

2018-01-01

HW Vir systems are eclipsing, post-common-envelope binaries consisting of a hot subdwarf star and a cooler M dwarf or brown dwarf companion. They show a strong reflection effect and have characteristically short orbital periods of only a few hours, allowing observers to detect multiple eclipses per night. Observed minus calculated (O-C) studies allow one to measure miniscule variations in the orbital periods of these systems by comparing observed eclipse timings to a calculated ephemeris. This technique is useful for detecting period changes due to secular evolution of the binary, gravitational wave emission, or reflex motion from an orbiting circumbinary object. Numerous eclipse timings obtained over several years are vital to the proper interpretation and analysis of O-C diagrams. The Evryscope – an array of twenty-four individual telescopes built by UNC and deployed on Cerro Tololo – images the entire Southern sky once every two minutes, producing an insurmountable amount of data for objects brighter than 16th magnitude. The cadence with which Evryscope exposes makes it an unparalleled tool for O-C analyses of HW Vir binaries; it will catalogue thousands of eclipses over the next several years. Here we present updated O-C diagrams for several HW Vir binaries using recent measurements from the Evryscope. We also use observations of AA Dor, an incredibly stable astrophysical clock, to characterize the accuracy of the Evryscope’s timestamps.

Pulmonary exposure to diesel exhaust particles enhances coagulatory disturbance with endothelial damage and systemic inflammation related to lung inflammation.

PubMed

Inoue, Ken-Ichiro; Takano, Hirohisa; Sakurai, Miho; Oda, Toshio; Tamura, Hiroshi; Yanagisawa, Rie; Shimada, Akinori; Yoshikawa, Toshikazu

2006-11-01

Pulmonary exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) enhances lung inflammation related to bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) in mice. Severe lung inflammation can reportedly induce coagulatory abnormalities and systemic inflammation. This study examined the effects of components of DEP on lung inflammation, pulmonary permeability, coagulatory changes, systemic inflammatory response, and lung-to-systemic translocation of LPS in a murine model of lung inflammation. ICR mice were divided into six experimental groups that intratracheally received vehicle, LPS (2.5 mg/kg), organic chemicals in DEP (DEP-OC; 4 mg/kg) extracted with dicloromethane), residual carbonaceous nuclei of DEP (washed DEP: 4 mg/kg), DEP-OC + LPS, or washed DEP + LPS. Both DEP components exacerbated lung inflammation, vascular permeability, and the increased fibrinogen and E-selectin levels induced by LPS. With overall trends, the exacerbation was more prominent with washed DEP than with DEP-OC. Washed DEP + LPS significantly decreased activated protein C and antithrombin-III and elevated circulatory levels of interleukin (IL)-6, keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC), and LPS as compared with LPS alone, whereas DEP-OC + LPS elevated IL-6, KC, and LPS without significance. These results show that DEP components, especially washed DEP, amplify the effects if LPS on the respiratory system and suggest that they contribute to the adverse health effects of particulate air pollution on the sensitive populations with predisposing vascular and/or pulmonary diseases, including ischemic vascular diseases and respiratory infection.

Reference intervals for serum osteocalcin concentrations in adult men and women from the study of health in Pomerania.

PubMed

Hannemann, Anke; Friedrich, Nele; Spielhagen, Christin; Rettig, Rainer; Ittermann, Till; Nauck, Matthias; Wallaschofski, Henri

2013-03-13

Osteocalcin (OC) is a bone-specific protein produced primarily by osteoblasts during bone formation. Besides its role in bone formation, osteocalcin may play a role in the regulation of energy metabolism and male fertility. To interpret serum OC data, reference intervals adapted to a specific laboratory method are needed. A healthy reference population was selected from the first follow-up of the Study of Health in Pomerania. Serum OC concentrations were measured with the IDS-iSYS N-Mid Osteocalcin assay on the IDS-iSYS Automated System (Immunodiagnostic Systems, Frankfurt am Main, Germany). The reference interval was defined as the central 95% range (2.5th-97.5th percentile). Age-specific reference intervals were calculated by quantile regression for 1107 men (25-79 years) and 545 premenopausal women (25-54 years). The reference interval for 498 postmenopausal women (50-79 years) was calculated irrespective of age. Median (1st-3rd quartile) serum OC concentrations were 15.4 ng/mL (12.0-19.4 ng/mL) in men, 14.4 ng/mL (11.3-18.5 ng/mL) in premenopausal women, and 18.6 ng/mL (13.6-25.6 ng/mL) in postmenopausal women. Serum OC concentrations were highest in men and premenopausal women aged 25-29 years, were stable during midlife, and rose again after 65 years of age in men and at transition to menopause in women. Serum OC concentrations were lower in women taking oral contraceptives or who were under hormone replacement therapy after menopause and in subjects with diabetes mellitus or with body mass index < 18 or > 30 kg/m2 than in subjects without these conditions. We established sex-specific adult reference intervals for the serum OC concentration measured by the IDS-iSYS N-Mid Osteocalcin assay.

Investigation of amorphous RuMoC alloy films as a seedless diffusion barrier for Cu/ p-SiOC:H ultralow- k dielectric integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Guohua; Liu, Bo; Li, Qiran

2015-08-01

Ultrathin RuMoC amorphous films prepared by magnetron co-sputtering with Ru and MoC targets in a sandwiched scheme Si/ p-SiOC:H/RuMoC/Cu were investigated as barrier in copper metallization. The evolution of final microstructure of RuMoC alloy films show sensitive correlation with the content of doped Mo and C elements and can be easily controlled by adjusting the sputtering power of the MoC target. There was no signal of interdiffusion between the Cu and SiOC:H layer in the sample of Cu/RuMoC/ p-SiOC:H/Si, even annealing up to 500 °C. Very weak signal of oxygen have been confirmed in the RuMoC barrier layer both as-deposited and after being annealed, and a good performance on preventing oxygen diffusion has been proved. Leakage current and resistivity evaluations also reveal the excellent thermal reliability of this Si/ p-SiOC:H/RuMoC/Cu film stack at the temperatures up to 500 °C, indicating its potential application in the advanced barrierless Cu metallization.

Training interpretation biases among individuals with symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Clerkin, Elise M.; Teachman, Bethany A.

2011-01-01

The current study tested the causal premise underlying cognitive models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) that negative interpretations of intrusive thoughts lead to the distress and impairment associated with symptoms of OCD. Specifically, we sought to determine: a) whether it was possible to train healthier (defined as more benign/less threatening) interpretations regarding the significance of intrusive thoughts; and b) whether there was a link between modifying negative interpretations and subsequent emotional vulnerability to an OC stressor. A nonclinical sample of students high in OC symptoms completed either a Positive (n=50) or Neutral (n=50) interpretation training procedure designed to alter OC-relevant interpretations and beliefs. As expected, participants in the Positive (versus Neutral) training condition endorsed healthier OC-relevant interpretations and beliefs following training. Additionally, when controlling for baseline affect, participants in the Positive (versus Neutral) training condition reported less negative affect during the OC stressor task (at the level of a nonsignificant trend) and reported less desire to perform neutralizing activities. In general, results provide some support for cognitive models of obsessions and suggest that negative interpretations of intrusive thoughts may be causally related to symptoms of OCD. PMID:21371415

Training interpretation biases among individuals with symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Clerkin, Elise M; Teachman, Bethany A

2011-09-01

The current study tested the causal premise underlying cognitive models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) that negative interpretations of intrusive thoughts lead to the distress and impairment associated with symptoms of OCD. Specifically, we sought to determine: (a) whether it was possible to train healthier (defined as more benign/less threatening) interpretations regarding the significance of intrusive thoughts; and (b) whether there was a link between modifying negative interpretations and subsequent emotional vulnerability to an OC stressor. A nonclinical sample of students high in OC symptoms completed either a Positive (n = 50) or Neutral (n = 50) interpretation training procedure designed to alter OC-relevant interpretations and beliefs. As expected, participants in the Positive (versus Neutral) training condition endorsed healthier OC-relevant interpretations and beliefs following training. Additionally, when controlling for baseline affect, participants in the Positive (versus Neutral) training condition reported less negative affect during the OC-stressor task (at the level of a non-significant trend) and reported less desire to perform neutralizing activities. In general, results provide some support for cognitive models of obsessions and suggest that negative interpretations of intrusive thoughts may be causally related to symptoms of OCD. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cortisol reactivity and emotional memory after psychosocial stress in oral contraceptive users.

PubMed

Mordecai, Kristen L; Rubin, Leah H; Eatough, Erin; Sundermann, Erin; Drogos, Lauren; Savarese, Antonia; Maki, Pauline M

2017-01-02

Oral contraceptive (OC) users typically show a blunted or no cortisol response to psychosocial stress. Although most OC regimens include both an inactive (dummy) and active pill phase, studies have not systematically investigated cortisol responses during these pill phases. Further, high levels of cortisol following a stressor diminish retrieval of emotional material, but the effects of stress on memory among OC users are poorly understood. We examined the effects of a psychosocial stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test, vs. a control condition on cortisol responsivity and emotional memory retrieval in women tested either during their active (n = 18) or inactive pill phase (n = 21). In secondary analyses, we quantitatively compared OC users with normally cycling women and showed a significant lack of cortisol response during both active and inactive pill phase. Emotional recall did not differ between active and inactive pill phases. Stress differentially diminished recall of negative words compared with positive or neutral words, but cortisol levels were unrelated to memory performance. These findings indicate that OC users have distinct cortisol and memory responses to stress that are similar between the active and inactive pill phases. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Field calibration and validation of remote-sensing surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pe'eri, Shachak; McLeod, Andy; Lavoie, Paul; Ackerman, Seth D.; Gardner, James; Parrish, Christopher

2013-01-01

The Optical Collection Suite (OCS) is a ground-truth sampling system designed to perform in situ measurements that help calibrate and validate optical remote-sensing and swath-sonar surveys for mapping and monitoring coastal ecosystems and ocean planning. The OCS system enables researchers to collect underwater imagery with real-time feedback, measure the spectral response, and quantify the water clarity with simple and relatively inexpensive instruments that can be hand-deployed from a small vessel. This article reviews the design and performance of the system, based on operational and logistical considerations, as well as the data requirements to support a number of coastal science and management projects. The OCS system has been operational since 2009 and has been used in several ground-truth missions that overlapped with airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB), hyperspectral imagery (HSI), and swath-sonar bathymetric surveys in the Gulf of Maine, southwest Alaska, and the US Virgin Islands (USVI). Research projects that have used the system include a comparison of backscatter intensity derived from acoustic (multibeam/interferometric sonars) versus active optical (ALB) sensors, ALB bottom detection, and seafloor characterization using HSI and ALB.

Evaluation of Ocean Color Scanner (OCS) photographic and digital data: Santa Barbara Channel test site, 29 October 1975 overflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraus, S. P.; Estes, J. E.; Kronenberg, M. R.; Hajic, E. J.

1977-01-01

A summary of Ocean Color Scanner data was examined to evaluate detection and discrimination capabilities of the system for marine resources, oil pollution and man-made sea surface targets of opportunity in the Santa Barbara Channel. Assessment of the utility of OCS for the determination of sediment transport patterns along the coastal zone was a secondary goal. Data products provided 1975 overflight were in digital and analog formats. In evaluating the OCS data, automated and manual procedures were employed. A total of four channels of data in digital format were analyzed, as well as three channels of color combined imagery, and four channels of black and white imagery. In addition, 1:120,000 scale color infrared imagery acquired simultaneously with the OCS data were provided for comparative analysis purposes.

Key factors limiting the open circuit voltage of n(+)pp(+) indium phosphide solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goradia, Chandra; Thesling, William; Weinberg, Irving

1991-01-01

Solar cells made from gallium arsenide (GaAs), with a room temperature bandgap of E(sub g) = 1.43 eV have exhibited the best measured open circuit voltage (V sub OC) of 1.05 V at 1 AMO, 25 C. The material InP is in many ways similar to GaAs. A simple calculation comparing InP to GaAs then shows that solar cells made from InP, with E(sub g) = 1.35 at 300 K, should exhibit the best measured (V sub OC) of approximately 950 mV at 1 AMO, 300 K. However, to date, the best measured V(sub OC) for InP solar cells made by any fabrication method is 899 mV at AM1.5, 25 C which would translate to 912 mV at 1 AMO, 25 C. The V(sub OC) of an n(+)pp(+) InP solar cell is governed by several factors. Of these, some factors, such as the thickness and doping of the emitter and base regions, are easily controlled and can be adjusted to desired values dictated by a good performance optimizing model. Such factors were not considered. There are other factors which also govern V(sub OC), and their values are not so easily controlled. The primary ones among these are (1) the indirect or Hall-Shockley-Read lifetimes in the various regions of the cell, (2) the low-doping intrinsic carrier concentration n(sub i) of the InP material, (3) the heavy doping factors in the emitter and BSF regions, and (4) the front surface recombination velocity S(sub F). The influence of these latter factors on the V(sub OC) of the n(+)pp(+) InP solar cell and the results were used to produce a near-optimum design of the n(+)pp(+) InP solar cell.

Alleviation of cadmium (Cd) toxicity and minimizing its uptake in wheat (Triticum aestivum) by using organic carbon sources in Cd-spiked soil.

PubMed

Rehman, Muhammad Zia Ur; Rizwan, Muhammad; Hussain, Amjad; Saqib, Muhammad; Ali, Shafaqat; Sohail, Muhammad Irfan; Shafiq, Mahnoor; Hafeez, Farhan

2018-06-06

Cadmium (Cd)-contamination of agricultural soils has been receiving attention worldwide due to its entry into food crops such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Little is known regarding the use of organic carbon (OC) sources in alleviating Cd toxicity in cereals. The current experiment was aimed to study the effects of different OC sources on the Cd accumulation by wheat. A pot study was conducted to determine the effects of rice husk biochar (RHB), farmyard manure (FYM), and lignite (LT) either alone or in combination on crop growth, Cd bioavailability and health risk assessment. The results proved that the application of OC sources like RHB, FYM, and LT either alone or in combination were highly effective in enhancing the wheat growth and yield as well as in minimizing the phyto-available fraction of Cd and its transfer to edible tissue of wheat. The RHB was the most efficient source in enhancing the plant growth and reducing the Cd concentration in wheat tissues. RHB increased grain yield by 91% and decreased Cd concentration in shoot, roots, grains, and bioavailable fraction of Cd by 67, 69, 62.5, and 74% than control, respectively. The RHB reduced the daily Cd uptake and health risk index in adults in comparison to control. Overall, where un-amended soil resulted in diminished plant productivity, the application of other OC sources also significantly proved their potential to enhance the dry weight and grain yield, suggesting that these OC sources may be used aiming to minimize the Cd concentration in crops. However, there is still a need to explore the potential of different OC sources in combination with other frequently available amendments for their large scale implementation in metal-contaminated soils. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organic History and Ice-Rock Decoupling on Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolotov, M. Y.

2007-12-01

The Cassini detection of methane, propane and acetylene in the Enceladus plume, and condensed organic compounds (OC) on the south polar region imply an organic-bearing interior of the moon. At least a few wt. % of C is expected in rocks from which Enceladus accreted. By analogy with carbonaceous chondrites, the majority of accreted OC was in a polymer in which polyaromatic groups are linked by O-, N-, and S-bearing aliphatic units. If accreted, cometary-type materials also delivered CO2, CO(?), methanol, ethane, ethene, acetylene, and condensed OC. Subsequent water ice melting and hydrothermal processes driven by decay of short-lived radionuclides led to dissolution of CO, CO2 and methanol in water and transformations of the polymer and cometary OC. CO converted to formic acid, carbonate species, methanol and methane. Hydrous pyrolysis and oxidation of the polymer partially liberated aromatic molecules and led to the formation of O-bearing OC (carboxylic and amino acids, alcohols). Increase in temperature favored oxidation of OC to carbonate species and N2, and led to graphitization of the polymer. Despite net oxidation of OC driven by H2 escape, mineral- catalyzed Fisher-Tropsch like synthesis of hydrocarbons and methane occurred in H2-rich niches. As a result, an array of aromatic, aliphatic, and N-, O-, S-bearing OC, and methane was delivered into a primordial water ocean in hydrothermal fluids. Highly soluble OC (acids, alcohols) made multiple passes through hydrothermal systems causing further oxidation of OC in rocks and solutions. In contrast, hydrocarbons exolved from cold oceanic water and formed an organic layer below the ice shell. Subsequent cooling of ocean-entering fluids and ocean freezing from above led to further separation and accumulation of OC. Some OC was trapped in ice, and methane formed clathrates. After freezing of salt eutectic brines, the light oil (a solution/mixture of ethane, propane, butane, ethene, acetylene, methanol, toluene etc.) remained unfrozen and decoupled the ice shell from underlying salt deposits and rocks. Even after oil solidification, if it occurred, the organic layer had a lower viscosity than salts and ice. An uneven pressure and/or topography at the ice-salt boundary could have led to preferential oil (and salt?) accumulation below the south polar region. Throughout history (and today), the uneven oil-rich layer could have favored tidal motions and heat generation at the bottom of the ice shell.

Soil water content plays an important role in soil-atmosphere exchange of carbonyl sulfide (OCS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Zhigang; Behrendt, Thomas; Bunk, Rüdiger; Wu, Dianming; Kesselmeier, Jürgen

2016-04-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is a quite stable gas in the troposphere and is transported up to the stratosphere, where it contributes to the sulfate aerosol layer (Crutzen 1976). The tropospheric concentration seems to be quite constant, indicating a balance between sinks and sources. Recent work by Sandoval-Soto et al. (2005) demonstrated the enormous strength of the vegetation sink and the urgent needs to understand the sinks and sources. The role of soils is a matter of discussion (Kesselmeier et al., 1999; Van Diest and Kesselmeier, 2008; Maseyk et al., 2014; Whelan et al., 2015). To better understand the influence of soil water content and OCS mixing ratio on OCS fluxes, we used an OCS analyzer (LGR COS/CO Analyzer 907-0028, Los Gatos, CA, USA) coupled with automated soil chamber system (Behrendt et al., 2014) to measure the OCS fluxes with a slow drying of four different types of soil (arable wheat soil in Mainz, blueberry soil in Waldstein, spruce soil in Waldstein and needle forest soil in Finland). Results showed that OCS fluxes as well as the optimum soil water content for OCS uptake varied significantly for different soils. The net production rates changed significantly with the soil drying out from 100% to about 5% water holding capacity (WHC), implying that soil water content play an important role in the uptake processes. The production and uptake processes were distinguished by the regression of OCS fluxes under different OCS mixing ratios. OCS compensation points (CP) were found to differ significantly for different soil types and water content, with the lowest CP at about 20% WHC, implying that when estimating the global budgets of OCS, especially for soils fluxes, soil water content should be taken into serious consideration. References Crutzen, P. J. 1976, Geophys. Res. Lett., 3, 73-76. Sandoval-Soto, L. et al., 2005, Biogeosciences, 2, 125-132. Kesselmeier, J. et al., 1999, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 11577-11584. Van Diest, H. and Kesselmeier, J. 2008, Biogeosciences, 5, 475-483. Maseyk, K. et al., 2014, PNAS, 111, No 25, 9064-9069. Whelan, M. E., and Rhew, R., C. 2015, J. Geophys. Res., 120, 54-62. Behrendt, T. et al., 2014, Biogeosciences, 11, 5463-5492.

Priming effects in boreal black spruce forest soils: quantitative evaluation and sensitivity analysis.

PubMed

Fan, Zhaosheng; Jastrow, Julie D; Liang, Chao; Matamala, Roser; Miller, Raymond Michael

2013-01-01

Laboratory studies show that introduction of fresh and easily decomposable organic carbon (OC) into soil-water systems can stimulate the decomposition of soil OC (SOC) via priming effects in temperate forests, shrublands, grasslands, and agro-ecosystems. However, priming effects are still not well understood in the field setting for temperate ecosystems and virtually nothing is known about priming effects (e.g., existence, frequency, and magnitude) in boreal ecosystems. In this study, a coupled dissolved OC (DOC) transport and microbial biomass dynamics model was developed to simultaneously simulate co-occurring hydrological, physical, and biological processes and their interactions in soil pore-water systems. The developed model was then used to examine the importance of priming effects in two black spruce forest soils, with and without underlying permafrost. Our simulations showed that priming effects were strongly controlled by the frequency and intensity of DOC input, with greater priming effects associated with greater DOC inputs. Sensitivity analyses indicated that priming effects were most sensitive to variations in the quality of SOC, followed by variations in microbial biomass dynamics (i.e., microbial death and maintenance respiration), highlighting the urgent need to better discern these key parameters in future experiments and to consider these dynamics in existing ecosystem models. Water movement carries DOC to deep soil layers that have high SOC stocks in boreal soils. Thus, greater priming effects were predicted for the site with favorable water movement than for the site with limited water flow, suggesting that priming effects might be accelerated for sites where permafrost degradation leads to the formation of dry thermokarst.

Reorganization of neuronal circuits of the central olfactory system during postprandial sleep

PubMed Central

Yamaguchi, Masahiro; Manabe, Hiroyuki; Murata, Koshi; Mori, Kensaku

2013-01-01

Plastic changes in neuronal circuits often occur in association with specific behavioral states. In this review, we focus on an emerging view that neuronal circuits in the olfactory system are reorganized along the wake-sleep cycle. Olfaction is crucial to sustaining the animals' life, and odor-guided behaviors have to be newly acquired or updated to successfully cope with a changing odor world. It is therefore likely that neuronal circuits in the olfactory system are highly plastic and undergo repeated reorganization in daily life. A remarkably plastic feature of the olfactory system is that newly generated neurons are continually integrated into neuronal circuits of the olfactory bulb (OB) throughout life. New neurons in the OB undergo an extensive selection process, during which many are eliminated by apoptosis for the fine tuning of neuronal circuits. The life and death decision of new neurons occurs extensively during a short time window of sleep after food consumption (postprandial sleep), a typical daily olfactory behavior. We review recent studies that explain how olfactory information is transferred between the OB and the olfactory cortex (OC) along the course of the wake-sleep cycle. Olfactory sensory input is effectively transferred from the OB to the OC during waking, while synchronized top-down inputs from the OC to the OB are promoted during the slow-wave sleep. We discuss possible neuronal circuit mechanisms for the selection of new neurons in the OB, which involves the encoding of olfactory sensory inputs and memory trace formation during waking and internally generated activities in the OC and OB during subsequent sleep. The plastic changes in the OB and OC are well coordinated along the course of olfactory behavior during wakefulness and postbehavioral rest and sleep. We therefore propose that the olfactory system provides an excellent model in which to understand behavioral state-dependent plastic mechanisms of the neuronal circuits in the brain. PMID:23966911

Elucidating the Role of Hyposalivation and Autoimmunity in Oral Candidiasis

PubMed Central

Billings, Monisha; Dye, Bruce A.; Iafolla, Timothy; Grisius, Margaret; Alevizos, Ilias

2016-01-01

Introduction Oral candidiasis (OC) is a potential oral complication in Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS). Some studies indicate that the low stimulated salivary flow and not low unstimulated salivary flow is associated with OC in SS, while others report that the underlying autoimmune disorders contributes to OC, based solely on correlation coefficients. Given the conflicting and limited existing evidence, we purposed to ascertain the role of both salivary gland dysfunction (hyposalivation based on unstimulated and stimulated flow rates) and autoimmunity (SS, other autoimmune disorders) in OC among those with SS, other salivary gland dysfunction and non-salivary gland dysfunction controls (NSGD). Methods A nested case-control study was designed within a larger NIH/NIDCR cohort. Descriptive analyses, non-parametric tests, comparative analyses, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken. Results Data on 1,526 subjects (701 SS, 247 ISS, 355 Sicca, and 223 NSGD) were obtained from the source cohort of 2,046 and analyzed for this current study. The median whole unstimulated salivary flow rate (WUS, ml/15min) was lower in SS (0.8, interquartile range (IQR) 1.8) compared to ISS (5.5, IQR 5.2, p<0.001) and NSGD (3.8, IQR 3.8, p<0.001) but comparable with that of Sicca (1.0, IQR 1.5, p=0.777) participants. The median total stimulated salivary flow rate (TSS, ml/15min) was lowest in SS (7.0, IQR 12.4, p<0.001) compared to other groups. Of the 45 OC cases in this cohort, 71.1% (n=32) were from the SS group. The prevalence of OC was highest in the SS group (4.6%, p=0.008). SS group had twice the risk of OC than NSGD (OR =2.2, 95%CI: 1.1–4.2,p=0.02 ) and Sicca (OR =2.2, 95%CI:1.0–4.8, p=0.03 ), adjusting for confounders; hyposalivation [WUS (OR=5.1, 95%CI: 2.5–10.4, p<0.001), TSS (OR=1.9, 95%CI:1.0–3.5, p=0.04)], history of other autoimmune disorders (OR=4.4, 95%CI:1.7–11.3, p=0.002), medications for extraglandular manifestations (OR=2.3, 95%CI:1.1–4.9, p=0.03), and diabetes mellitus (4.2, 95%CI:1.2–15.2, p=0.02) were independent predictors of OC; females had a lower risk than males (OR =0.29, 95%CI:0.13–0.67,p=0.004). Age, race, anti-SSA/SSB autoantibodies, focus score, other medications, anxiety, fatigue, cigarette smoking, alcohol, and caffeine use were not associated with oral candidiasis. Conclusion Salivary gland dysfunction (hyposalivation with WUS being a stronger predictor than TSS) and autoimmunity (SS, other autoimmune disorders, medications i.e., DMARDS) are both independent predictors of OC. Diabetes mellitus is an independent predictor of OC among those with salivary gland dysfunction. Our findings suggest that these independent predictors should be considered in the prevention and management of OC in this population. PMID:27998016

Microbiological evaluation of the steam sterilization of assembled laparoscopic instruments.

PubMed

Camargo, Tamara Carolina de; Graziano, Kazuko Uchikawa; Almeida, Alda Graciele Claudio Dos Santos; Suzuki, Karina; Silva, Cely Barreto da; Pinto, Flávia Morais Gomes

2016-11-21

assess the safety of steam sterilization of assembled laparoscopic instruments with challenge contamination. a laboratory experimental study, using as test samples trocars and laparoscopic graspers. Geobacillus stearothermophillus ATCC-7953 was used, with a microbial population of 106UFC/Filter paper substrate, removed from the biological indicator. Three of them were introduced into each instrument at the time of assembly, and sterilized at pressurized saturated steam, 134oC for 5 minutes. After sterilization, the instrument was disassembled and each filter paper substrate was inoculated in soybean casein culture and incubated at 56oC for 21 days. In case of absence of growth, they were subjected to heat shock of 80oC, for 20 minutes and re-incubated for 72 hours. Sample size: 185 graspers and 185 trocars, with 95% power. We paired the experiments with comparative negative control groups (5 graspers and 5 trocars with challenge contamination, sterilized disassembled) and positive control (30 filter paper supports, unsterilized), subject to the same incubation procedures. there was no microbial growth in experimental and negative control. The results of the positive control were satisfactory. this study provided strong scientific evidence to support the safety of steam sterilizing of the assembled laparoscopic instrument. avaliar a segurança da esterilização a vapor, do instrumental laparoscópico montado com desafio da contaminação. estudo experimental laboratorial, cujo corpo de prova foram trocarte e pinça laparoscópica. Utilizou-se esporos Geobacillus stearothermophillus ATCC-7953, com população microbiana de 106UFC/suporte de papel filtro, removidos do indicador biológico. Três deles foram introduzidos no interior de cada instrumento, no momento da montagem, sendo esterilizados a vapor saturado sob pressão, 134oC por 5 minutos. Depois da esterilização, o instrumental foi desmontado, e cada suporte de papel filtro foi inoculado em meio de cultura de caseína soja, incubado a 56oC por 21 dias. Não havendo crescimento, foram submetidos a um choque térmico de 80oC, por 20 minutos e reincubados por 72 horas. Tamanho da amostra, 185 pinças e 185 trocartes, com poder de 95%. Os experimentos foram acompanhados dos grupos controle negativo comparativo (5 pinças e 5 trocartes com contaminação desafio, esterilizados desmontados) e positivo (30 suportes de papel filtro, não esterilizados), submetidos aos mesmos procedimentos de incubação. não houve nenhum crescimento microbiano nos grupos experimental e controle negativo. Os resultados do controle positivo foram satisfatórios. este estudo forneceu fortes evidências científicas para sustentar a segurança da prática de esterilização a vapor do instrumental laparoscópico montado. evaluar la seguridad de la esterilización a través de vapor, de instrumental laparoscópico previamente montado con desafío de contaminación. estudio experimental en laboratorio, cuyo cuerpo de prueba fueron trócarte y pinza laparoscópica. Se utilizó esporas Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC-7953, con población microbiana de 106UFC/soporte de papel filtro, removidos del indicador biológico. Tres de ellos fueron introducidos en el interior de cada instrumento, en el momento del montaje, los que fueron esterilizados a vapor saturado bajo presión, 134oC por 5 minutos. Después de la esterilización, el instrumental fue desmontado y cada soporte de papel filtro fue inoculado en medio de una cultura de caseína y soya, incubado a 56oC por 21 días. No habiendo crecimiento, fueron sometidos a un choque térmico de 80oC, por 20 minutos y nuevamente incubados por 72 horas. La muestra estuvo constituida por 185 pinzas y 185 trócartes, con poder de 95%. Los experimentos fueron acompañados en los grupos: control negativo comparativo (5 pinzas y 5 trócartes con contaminación desafío, esterilizados desmontados) y positivo (30 soportes de papel filtro, no esterilizados), sometidos a los mismos procedimientos de incubación. no se encontró crecimiento microbiano en los grupos experimental y control negativo. Los resultados del control positivo fueron satisfactorios. este estudio suministra fuertes evidencias científicas para sustentar que la práctica, de esterilización a vapor del instrumental laparoscópico montado, es segura.

On spray drying of oxidized corn starch cross-linked gelatin microcapsules for drug release.

PubMed

Dang, Xugang; Yang, Mao; Shan, Zhihua; Mansouri, Shahnaz; May, Bee K; Chen, Xiaodong; Chen, Hui; Woo, Meng Wai

2017-05-01

Spray-dried gelatin/oxidized corn starch (G/OCS) microcapsules were produced for drug release application. The prepared microcapsules were characterized through a scanning electron microscope (SEM) picture and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The swelling characteristics of the G/OCS microcapsules and release properties of vitamin C were then investigated. The results from structural analysis indicated that the presence of miscibility and compatibility between oxidized corn starch and gelatin, and exhibits high thermal stability up to 326°C. The swelling of G/OCS microcapsules increased with increasing pH and reduced with decreasing ionic strength, attributed to the cross-linking between gelatin and oxidized corn starch, ionization of functional groups. Vitamin C release characteristic revealed controlled release behavior in the first 3h of contact with an aqueous medium. This release behavior was independent of the swelling behavior indicating the potential of the encapsulating matrix to produce controlled release across a spectrum of pH environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of flood events on the partitioning of labile and refractory carbon in the Missouri-Mississippi River system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roe, K. M.; Rosenheim, B. E.; Kolker, A.; Allison, M. A.; Nittrouer, J. A.; Duncan, D. D.; Nyman, J. A.; Butcher, K. A.; Adamic, J. F.

2009-12-01

The Missouri-Mississippi River system (MMRS) transports over 40% (4.0 x 109 kg) of the United States's annual input of total organic carbon (OC) from land to the marine environment, yet it is challenging to assess the MMRS’s exact role in the global carbon cycle because of the system’s complexity and temporal variability (i.e. high discharge events and low flow regimes). Determining the relative proportion of labile OC to refractory OC entrained in the MMRS during high and mean flow conditions would lend to the understanding of the MMRS’s role in the flux of carbon between the biospheric and atmospheric reservoirs, which is central to determining the role of anthropogenic CO2 in the global carbon cycle and in climate change. In this study, we investigate the relative proportion of labile OC to refractory OC in the lower MMRS during high and near-mean flow conditions in the springs of 2008 and 2009, respectively. The 2008 spring flood discharged 105 km3 of water, the maximum amount of water ever allowed out of the main channel, at a maximum rate of 4.3 x 104 m3s-1. Events of this scale have occurred only nine times in the past 80 years. Additionally, during the spring 2008 flood, bedload sand and large particulate OC transport rates were observed to increase exponentially. The following spring, high discharge rates returned to near-mean values with a peak discharge of 3.6 x 103 m3s-1. Using radiocarbon age and the thermal stability of organic matter (OM) as a proxy for lability, we evaluate the spectra of ages of particulate OM transported in the lower MMRS during these two flow regimes using a programmed-temperature pyrolysis/combustion system (PTP/CS) coupled with 14C determination. The PTP/CS utilizes the differences in thermal stability of acid insoluble particulate organic matter (AIPOM) to separate different components from the bulk. Employing PTP/CS on bulk AIPOM can complement experiments measuring small proportions of total OM such as compound specific isotopic analysis. In this study, we present, in terms of the spectra of ages present, a comparison of AIPOM transported down the lower MMRS during high and near-mean flow regimes in April 2008 and April 2009, respectively, and report the relative proportion of labile OC and refractory OC transported in the lower MMRS. Such research aims to help understand the complexities of the MMRS and its contribution to the global carbon cycle.

Association between Organizational Capacity and Involvement in Chronic Disease Prevention Programming among Canadian Public Health Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanusaik, Nancy; Sabiston, Catherine M.; Kishchuk, Natalie; Maximova, Katerina; O'Loughlin, Jennifer

2015-01-01

In the context of the emerging field of public health services and systems research, this study (i) tested a model of the relationships between public health organizational capacity (OC) for chronic disease prevention, its determinants (organizational supports for evaluation, partnership effectiveness) and one possible outcome of OC (involvement…

Novel Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment System for Energy Generation at Forward Operating Bases

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

every 5 minutes). Other automation features that come with the Bioflo include wet/dry level sensors, dissolved oxygen , pH, temperature and mixing...38 3.4.1 Operation at mesophilic temperature (35oC...38 ERDC/CERL TR-16-13 iv 3.4.2 Operation at ambient temperature (20 oC) ............................................................. 46

Decreased bone turnover markers in children on long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) for intestinal failure (IF).

PubMed

Derepas, Charlène; Kosar, Christina; Avitzur, Yaron; Wales, Paul W; Courtney-Martin, Glenda

2015-01-01

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is a well-recognized but poorly understood complication of long-term parenteral nutrition (PN). Bone histomorphometry in adults has provided useful information but does not provide quantitative measures of bone resorption and is to invasive for children. Measurement of bone turnover markers provides an alternative less invasive approach. We therefore aimed to measure bone turnover markers in children on long-term PN for intestinal failure (IF), and to compare them to age- and gender-matched controls. Serum concentrations of osteocalcin (OC), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), and c-telopeptide (CTx) were measured in IF patients treated at a multidisciplinary intestinal rehabilitation and home PN program at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. Age- and gender-matched control participants were recruited for comparison. A total of 13 IF patients and 20 control participants were recruited. IF patients had lower serum OC and CTx concentrations when compared with controls: 42.43 ± 11.54 vs 68.39 ± 20.95 µg/L (P < .01) and 7.454 ± 2.17 vs 9.246 ± 1.92 (P < .05; mean ± SD) µg/L for OC and CTx, respectively. In a subgroup of 9 IF patients for whom BMD was available, OC and CTx concentration were negatively correlated to BMD (g/cm(2)) and BMD z score. Bone turnover markers may be useful indicators for identifying children on long-term PN at risk of MBD. Further studies are needed to validate the current results and determine the factors that influence the occurrence and evolution of MBD in children on PN. © 2013 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Optimal Control for Fast and Robust Generation of Entangled States in Anisotropic Heisenberg Chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiong-Peng; Shao, Bin; Zou, Jian

2017-05-01

Motivated by some recent results of the optimal control (OC) theory, we study anisotropic XXZ Heisenberg spin-1/2 chains with control fields acting on a single spin, with the aim of exploring how maximally entangled state can be prepared. To achieve the goal, we use a numerical optimization algorithm (e.g., the Krotov algorithm, which was shown to be capable of reaching the quantum speed limit) to search an optimal set of control parameters, and then obtain OC pulses corresponding to the target fidelity. We find that the minimum time for implementing our target state depending on the anisotropy parameter Δ of the model. Finally, we analyze the robustness of the obtained results for the optimal fidelities and the effectiveness of the Krotov method under some realistic conditions.

Development and In Vivo Evaluation of a Novel Histatin-5 Bioadhesive Hydrogel Formulation against Oral Candidiasis

PubMed Central

Kong, Eric F.; Tsui, Christina; Boyce, Heather; Ibrahim, Ahmed; Hoag, Stephen W.; Karlsson, Amy J.; Meiller, Timothy F.

2015-01-01

Oral candidiasis (OC), caused by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, is the most common opportunistic infection in HIV+ individuals and other immunocompromised populations. The dramatic increase in resistance to common antifungals has emphasized the importance of identifying unconventional therapeutic options. Antimicrobial peptides have emerged as promising candidates for therapeutic intervention due to their broad antimicrobial properties and lack of toxicity. Histatin-5 (Hst-5) specifically has exhibited potent anticandidal activity indicating its potential as an antifungal agent. To that end, the goal of this study was to design a biocompatible hydrogel delivery system for Hst-5 application. The bioadhesive hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) hydrogel formulation was developed for topical oral application against OC. The new formulation was evaluated in vitro for gel viscosity, Hst-5 release rate from the gel, and killing potency and, more importantly, was tested in vivo in our mouse model of OC. The findings demonstrated a controlled sustained release of Hst-5 from the polymer and rapid killing ability. Based on viable C. albicans counts recovered from tongues of treated and untreated mice, three daily applications of the formulation beginning 1 day postinfection with C. albicans were effective in protection against development of OC. Interestingly, in some cases, Hst-5 was able to clear existing lesions as well as associated tissue inflammation. These findings were confirmed by histopathology analysis of tongue tissue. Coupled with the lack of toxicity as well as anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties of Hst-5, the findings from this study support the progression and commercial feasibility of using this compound as a novel therapeutic agent. PMID:26596951

Quantification of oral palatine Langerhans cells in HIV/AIDS associated oral Kaposi sarcoma with and without oral candidiasis.

PubMed

Jivan, Vibha; Meer, Shabnum

2016-01-01

Langerhans cells (LCs) are effective antigen-presenting cells that function as "custodians" of mucosa, modifying the immune system to pathogen entry, and tolerance to self-antigen and commensal microbes. A reduction in number of LCs in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals may predispose to local mucosal infections. To quantitatively determine the number of oral mucosal LCs in HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) associated oral Kaposi sarcoma (KS) with/without oral candidiasis (OC) and to define in situ interrelationships between the cells, OC, and HIV infection. Thirty-two periodic acid-Schiff. (PAS) stained histologic sections of palatal HIV/AIDS associated KS with intact oral epithelium were examined for Candida and divided into two groups: . (1) KS coinfected with Candida and. (2) KS noninfected with Candida. Sections were immunohistochemically stained with CD1a. The standard length of surface epithelium was measured and number of positively stained LCs counted per unit length. Control cases included non-Candida infected palatal mucosa overlying pleomorphic adenoma. (PA) and oral mucosa infected with Candida in otherwise healthy individuals. LC number per unit length of surface epithelium was statistically significantly greatest in uninfected PA mucosa and lowest in KS coinfected with Candida (P = 0.0001). A statistically significant difference was also noted between uninfected PA mucosa and non-Candida infected KS (P = 0.0014), in KS coinfected with Candida and non-infected KS (P = 0.0035), between OC and PA (P = 0.0001), and OC and KS coinfected with Candida (P = 0.0247). LC numbers are significantly reduced in oral tissues of HIV/AIDS infected patients by Candida infection when compared to oral tissues without.

Organic carbon burial rates in mangrove sediments: strengthening the global budget

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breithaupt, J.; Smoak, Joseph M.; Smith, Thomas J.; Sanders, Christian J.; Hoare, Armando

2012-01-01

Mangrove wetlands exist in the transition zone between terrestrial and marine environments and as such were historically overlooked in discussions of terrestrial and marine carbon cycling. In recent decades, mangroves have increasingly been credited with producing and burying large quantities of organic carbon (OC). The amount of available data regarding OC burial in mangrove soils has more than doubled since the last primary literature review (2003). This includes data from some of the largest, most developed mangrove forests in the world, providing an opportunity to strengthen the global estimate. First-time representation is now included for mangroves in Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand, along with additional data from Mexico and the United States. Our objective is to recalculate the centennial-scale burial rate of OC at both the local and global scales. Quantification of this rate enables better understanding of the current carbon sink capacity of mangroves as well as helps to quantify and/or validate the other aspects of the mangrove carbon budget such as import, export, and remineralization. Statistical analysis of the data supports use of the geometric mean as the most reliable central tendency measurement. Our estimate is that mangrove systems bury 163 (+40; -31) g OC m-2 yr-1 (95% C.I.). Globally, the 95% confidence interval for the annual burial rate is 26.1 (+6.3; -5.1) Tg OC. This equates to a burial fraction that is 42% larger than that of the most recent mangrove carbon budget (2008), and represents 10–15% of estimated annual mangrove production. This global rate supports previous conclusions that, on a centennial time scale, 8–15% of all OC burial in marine settings occurs in mangrove systems.

Organic carbon burial rates in mangrove sediments: Strengthening the global budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breithaupt, Joshua L.; Smoak, Joseph M.; Smith, Thomas J., III; Sanders, Christian J.; Hoare, Armando

2012-09-01

Mangrove wetlands exist in the transition zone between terrestrial and marine environments and as such were historically overlooked in discussions of terrestrial and marine carbon cycling. In recent decades, mangroves have increasingly been credited with producing and burying large quantities of organic carbon (OC). The amount of available data regarding OC burial in mangrove soils has more than doubled since the last primary literature review (2003). This includes data from some of the largest, most developed mangrove forests in the world, providing an opportunity to strengthen the global estimate. First-time representation is now included for mangroves in Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand, along with additional data from Mexico and the United States. Our objective is to recalculate the centennial-scale burial rate of OC at both the local and global scales. Quantification of this rate enables better understanding of the current carbon sink capacity of mangroves as well as helps to quantify and/or validate the other aspects of the mangrove carbon budget such as import, export, and remineralization. Statistical analysis of the data supports use of the geometric mean as the most reliable central tendency measurement. Our estimate is that mangrove systems bury 163 (+40; -31) g OC m-2 yr-1 (95% C.I.). Globally, the 95% confidence interval for the annual burial rate is 26.1 (+6.3; -5.1) Tg OC. This equates to a burial fraction that is 42% larger than that of the most recent mangrove carbon budget (2008), and represents 10-15% of estimated annual mangrove production. This global rate supports previous conclusions that, on a centennial time scale, 8-15% of all OC burial in marine settings occurs in mangrove systems.

When cancer is associated with illness but no longer with animal or zodiac sign: investigation of biased semantic networks in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

PubMed

Jelinek, Lena; Hottenrott, Birgit; Moritz, Steffen

2009-12-01

Building upon semantic network models, it is proposed that individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) process ambiguous words (e.g., homographs such as cancer) preferably in the context of the OC meaning (i.e., illness) and connect them to a lesser degree to other (neutral) cognitions (e.g., animal). To investigate this assumption, a new task was designed requiring participants to generate up to five associations for different cue words. Cue words were either emotionally neutral, negative or OC-relevant. Two thirds of the items were homographs, while the rest was unambiguous. Twenty-five OCD and 21 healthy participants were recruited via internet. Analyses reveal that OCD participants produced significantly more negative and OC-relevant associations than controls, supporting the assumption of biased associative networks in OCD. The findings support the use of psychological interventions such as Association Splitting that aim at restructuring associative networks in OCD by broadening the semantic scope of OC cognitions.

Challenges in engineering osteochondral tissue grafts with hierarchical structures Ivana Gadjanski, Gordana Vunjak Novakovic

PubMed Central

Gadjanski, Ivana; Vunjak-Novakovic, Gordana

2015-01-01

Introduction A major hurdle in treating osteochondral (OC) defects are the different healing abilities of two types of tissues involved - articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Biomimetic approaches to OC-construct-engineering, based on recapitulation of biological principles of tissue development and regeneration, have potential for providing new treatments and advancing fundamental studies of OC tissue repair. Areas covered This review on state of the art in hierarchical OC tissue graft engineering is focused on tissue engineering approaches designed to recapitulate the native milieu of cartilage and bone development. These biomimetic systems are discussed with relevance to bioreactor cultivation of clinically sized, anatomically shaped human cartilage/bone constructs with physiologic stratification and mechanical properties. The utility of engineered OC tissue constructs is evaluated for their use as grafts in regenerative medicine, and as high-fidelity models in biological research. Expert opinion A major challenge in engineering OC tissues is to generate a functionally integrated stratified cartilage-bone structure starting from one single population of mesenchymal cells, while incorporating perfusable vasculature into the bone, and in bone-cartilage interface. To this end, new generations of advanced scaffolds and bioreactors, implementation of mechanical loading regimens, and harnessing of inflammatory responses of the host will likely drive the further progress. PMID:26195329

Further evidence for lack of negative associations between hormonal contraception and mental health.

PubMed

Toffol, Elena; Heikinheimo, Oskari; Koponen, Päivikki; Luoto, Riitta; Partonen, Timo

2012-11-01

There is limited and inconsistent information concerning the effects of hormonal contraception [oral contraceptives (OCs) and the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)] on mental health. The aim of this work was to further study the association(s) between the use of OCs and the LNG-IUS and psychopathology. Data concerning adult women who participated in the national FINRISK Study Surveys in Finland in 1997, 2002 and 2007 were analyzed. The associations between the current use, as well as the duration of use of OCs and the LNG-IUS vs. mood symptoms, psychological and physical symptoms and recent psychiatric diagnoses were tested. A negative association between the current use of OCs and Beck Depression Inventory-13 (BDI-13) score was found. Some other negative associations, all characterized by a small effect size, were detected between current use of OCs and the BDI items feelings of dissatisfaction, feelings of uselessness, irritability, lost interest in people and lost appetite. Additionally, only weak positive associations were found between the duration of OC use and irregular heart rate, insomnia and recent anhedonia. No noteworthy associations emerged between current use of the LNG-IUS, or its duration, and any of the inquired items. The use of hormonal contraception is not associated with negative influence on mental health. Current OC use seems to be associated with better mood, whereas the associations between duration of use of hormonal contraception and mental health effects are not clear. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Seasonal variations in fate and removal of trace organic chemical contaminants while operating a full-scale membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Trinh, Trang; van den Akker, Ben; Coleman, Heather M; Stuetz, Richard M; Drewes, Jörg E; Le-Clech, Pierre; Khan, Stuart J

2016-04-15

Trace organic chemical (TrOC) contaminants are of concern for finished water from water recycling schemes because of their potential adverse environmental and public health effects. Understanding the impacts of seasonal variations on fate and removal of TrOCs is important for proper operation, risk assessment and management of treatment systems for water recycling such as membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Accordingly, this study investigated the fate and removal of a wide range of TrOCs through a full-scale MBR plant during summer and winter seasons. TrOCs included 12 steroidal hormones, 3 xeno-estrogens, 2 pesticides and 23 pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Seasonal differences in the mechanisms responsible for removing some of the TrOCs were evident. In particular the contribution of biotransformation and biomass adsorption to the overall removal of estrone, bisphenol A, 17β-estradiol and triclosan were consistently different between the two seasons. Substantially higher percentage removal via biotransformation was observed during the summer sampling period, which compensated for a reduction in removal attributed to biomass adsorption. The opposite was observed during winter, where the contribution of biotransformation to the overall removal of these TrOCs had decreased, which was offset by an improvement in biomass adsorption. The exact mechanisms responsible for this shift are unknown, however are likely to be temperature related as warmer temperatures can lower sorption efficiency, yet enhance biotransformation of these TrOCs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reaction of amorphous/crystalline SiOC/Fe interfaces by thermal annealing

DOE PAGES

Su, Qing; Zhernenkov, Mikhail; Ding, Hepeng; ...

2017-06-12

The development of revolutionary new alloys and composites is crucial to meeting materials requirements for next generation nuclear reactors. The newly developed amorphous silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and crystalline Fe composite system has shown radiation tolerance over a wide range of temperatures. To advance understanding of this new composite, we investigate the structure and thermal stability of the interface between amorphous SiOC and crystalline Fe by combining various experimental techniques and simulation methods. We show that the SiOC/Fe interface is thermally stable up to at least 400 °C. When the annealing temperature reaches 600 °C, an intermixed region forms at thismore » interface. This region appears to be a crystalline phase that forms an incoherent interface with the Fe layer. Density functional theory (DFT) Molecular dynamics (MD) is performed on the homogeneous SiFeOC phase to study the early stages of 2 formation of the intermixed layer. Both experimental and simulation results suggest this phase has the fayalite crystal structure. As a result, the physical processes involved in the formation of the intermixed region are discussed.« less

Gender and oral contraceptive steroids as determinants of drug glucuronidation: effects on clofibric acid elimination.

PubMed Central

Miners, J O; Robson, R A; Birkett, D J

1984-01-01

The disposition of clofibric acid, a drug metabolised largely by glucuronidation, was studied in eight males, eight females and eight females receiving oral contraceptive steroids (OCS). Clofibric acid plasma clearance was not significantly different in males compared to the control female group but was 48% greater (P less than 0.01) in women receiving OCS compared to non-pill using females. This difference was due to an alteration in clofibric acid metabolic clearance as there were no differences between the groups in clofibric acid free fraction. Along with previous data the results suggest that induction of drug glucuronidation by OCS may be of clinical importance, although any sex-related differences are unlikely to be of clinical significance. PMID:6487463

Microbiological evaluation of the steam sterilization of assembled laparoscopic instruments 1

PubMed Central

de Camargo, Tamara Carolina; Graziano, Kazuko Uchikawa; Almeida, Alda Graciele Claudio dos Santos; Suzuki, Karina; da Silva, Cely Barreto; Pinto, Flávia Morais Gomes

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: assess the safety of steam sterilization of assembled laparoscopic instruments with challenge contamination. Method: a laboratory experimental study, using as test samples trocars and laparoscopic graspers. Geobacillus stearothermophillus ATCC-7953 was used, with a microbial population of 106UFC/Filter paper substrate, removed from the biological indicator. Three of them were introduced into each instrument at the time of assembly, and sterilized at pressurized saturated steam, 134oC for 5 minutes. After sterilization, the instrument was disassembled and each filter paper substrate was inoculated in soybean casein culture and incubated at 56oC for 21 days. In case of absence of growth, they were subjected to heat shock of 80oC, for 20 minutes and re-incubated for 72 hours. Sample size: 185 graspers and 185 trocars, with 95% power. We paired the experiments with comparative negative control groups (5 graspers and 5 trocars with challenge contamination, sterilized disassembled) and positive control (30 filter paper supports, unsterilized), subject to the same incubation procedures. Results: there was no microbial growth in experimental and negative control. The results of the positive control were satisfactory. Conclusion: this study provided strong scientific evidence to support the safety of steam sterilizing of the assembled laparoscopic instrument. PMID:27878222

Incretin effects, gastric emptying and insulin responses to low oral glucose loads in patients after gastric bypass and lean and obese controls.

PubMed

Wölnerhanssen, Bettina K; Meyer-Gerspach, Anne Christin; Peters, Thomas; Beglinger, Christoph; Peterli, Ralph

2016-08-01

After laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), many patients suffer from dumping syndrome. Oral glucose tolerance tests are usually carried out with 50-75 g of glucose. The aim of this study was to examine whether minimal glucose loads of 10 g and 25 g induce a reliable secretion of satiation peptides without dumping symptoms after LRYGB. In addition, lean and obese controls were examined. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of low oral glucose loads on incretin release and gastric emptying. All surgical procedures were performed by the same surgeon (RP) at the St. Claraspital Basel in Switzerland. Oral glucose challenges were carried out at the University Hospital of Basel (Phase 1 Research Unit). Eight patients 10±.4 weeks after LRYGB (PostOP; body mass index [BMI]: 38.6 kg/m 2 ±1.7) as well as 12 lean controls (LC; BMI: 21.8 kg/m 2 ±.6) and 12 obese controls (OC; BMI 38.7 kg/m 2 ±1.3) received 10 g and 25 g of oral glucose. We examined clinical signs of dumping syndrome; plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, and peptide tyrosine tyrosine concentrations; and gastric emptying with a 13 C-sodium acetate breath test. No signs of dumping were seen in PostOP. Compared with OC, LC showed lower fasting glucose, insulin, and C-peptide, and lower homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) and AUC-180 for insulin and C-peptide. In PostOP, fasting insulin, HOMA and AUC-180 for insulin was lower and no difference was found in fasting C-peptide or AUC-180 for C-peptide compared to OC. There was no significant difference in fasting glucose, insulin, C-peptide, HOMA and AUC-180 for insulin in PostOP compared to LC, but AUC-180 for C-peptide was higher in PostOP. AUC-60 for gut hormones was similar in OC and LC and higher in PostOP compared to OC or LC. gastric emptying was slower in LC and OC compared with PostOP. After LRYGB, 25 g oral glucose is well tolerated and leads to reliable secretion of gut hormones. Fasting glucose, insulin and C-peptide are normalized, while glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide and peptide tyrosine tyrosine are overcorrected. Pouch emptying is accelerated after LRYGB. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Large-scale Patterns of 14C Age of Bulk Organic Carbon and Various Molecular Components in Grassland Soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, J.; Liu, Z.; Cao, Z.; Chen, L.; He, J. S.; Haghipour, N.; Wacker, L.; Eglinton, T. I.; Feng, X.

2017-12-01

Unraveling the fate of organic carbon (OC) in soils is essential to understanding the impact of global changes on the global carbon cycle. Previous studies have shown that while various soil OC components have different decomposability, chemically labile OC can have old 14C ages. However, few studies have compared the 14C age of various soil OC components on a large scale, which may provide important information on the link between the age or turnover of soil OC components to their sources, molecular structures as well as environmental variables. In this project, a suite of soil profiles were sampled along a large-scale transect of temperate and alpine grasslands across the Tibetan and Mongolian Plateaus in China with contrasting climatic, vegetation and soil properties. Bulk OC and source-specific compounds (including fatty acids (FAs), diacids (DAs) and lignin phenols) were radiocarbon-dated to investigate the age and turnover dynamics of different OC pools and the mechanisms controlling their stability. Our results show that lignin phenols displayed a large 14C variability. Short-chain (C16, 18) FAs sourced from vascular plants as well as microorganisms were younger than plant-derived long-chain FAs and DAs, indicating that short-chain FAs were easier to be decomposed or newly synthesized. In the temperate grasslands, long-chain DAs were younger than FAs, while the opposite trend was observed in the alpine grasslands. Preliminary correlation analysis suggests that the age of short-chain FAs were mainly influenced by clay contents and climate, while reactive minerals, clay or silt particles were important factors in the stabilization of long-chain FAs, DAs and lignin phenols. Overall, our study provided a unique 14 C dataset of soil OC components in grasslands, which will provide important constraints on soil carbon turnover in future investigations.

National Estimates of Genetic Testing in Women With a History of Breast or Ovarian Cancer.

PubMed

Childers, Christopher P; Childers, Kimberly K; Maggard-Gibbons, Melinda; Macinko, James

2017-12-01

Purpose In the United States, 3.8 million women have a history of breast (BC) or ovarian cancer (OC). Up to 15% of cases are attributable to heritable mutations, which, if identified, provide critical knowledge for treatment and preventive care. It is unknown how many patients who are at high risk for these mutations have not been tested and how rates vary by risk criteria. Methods We used pooled cross-sectional data from three Cancer Control Modules (2005, 2010, 2015) of the National Health Interview Survey, a national in-person household interview survey. Eligible patients were adult females with a history of BC and/or OC meeting select 2017 National Comprehensive Cancer Network eligibility criteria on the basis of age of diagnosis and family history. Outcomes included the proportion of individuals reporting a history of discussing genetic testing with a health professional, being advised to undergo genetic testing, or undergoing genetic testing for BC or OC. Results Of 47,218 women, 2.7% had a BC history and 0.4% had an OC history. For BC, 35.6% met one or more select eligibility criteria; of those, 29.0% discussed, 20.2% were advised to undergo, and 15.3% underwent genetic testing. Testing rates for individual eligibility criteria ranged from 6.2% (relative with OC) to 18.2% (diagnosis ≤ 45 years of age). For OC, 15.1% discussed, 13.1% were advised to undergo, and 10.5% underwent testing. Using only four BC eligibility criteria and all patients with OC, an estimated 1.2 to 1.3 million individuals failed to receive testing. Conclusion Fewer than one in five individuals with a history of BC or OC meeting select National Cancer Comprehensive Network criteria have undergone genetic testing. Most have never discussed testing with a health care provider. Large national efforts are warranted to address this unmet need.

Fault tolerant high-performance PACS network design and implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chimiak, William J.; Boehme, Johannes M.

1998-07-01

The Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Wake Forest University/Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) are implementing a second generation PACS. The first generation PACS provided helpful information about the functional and temporal requirements of the system. It highlighted the importance of image retrieval speed, system availability, RIS/HIS integration, the ability to rapidly view images on any PACS workstation, network bandwidth, equipment redundancy, and the ability for the system to evolve using standards-based components. This paper deals with the network design and implementation of the PACS. The physical layout of the hospital areas served by the PACS, the choice of network equipment and installation issues encountered are addressed. Efforts to optimize fault tolerance are discussed. The PACS network is a gigabit, mixed-media network based on LAN emulation over ATM (LANE) with a rapid migration from LANE to Multiple Protocols Over ATM (MPOA) planned. Two fault-tolerant backbone ATM switches serve to distribute network accesses with two load-balancing 622 megabit per second (Mbps) OC-12 interconnections. The switch was sized to be upgradable to provide a 2.54 Gbps OC-48 interconnection with an OC-12 interconnection as a load-balancing backup. Modalities connect with legacy network interface cards to a switched-ethernet device. This device has two 155 Mbps OC-3 load-balancing uplinks to each of the backbone ATM switches of the PACS. This provides a fault-tolerant logical connection to the modality servers which pass verified DICOM images to the PACS servers and proper PACS diagnostic workstations. Where fiber pulls were prohibitively expensive, edge ATM switches were installed with an OC-12 uplink to a backbone ATM switches. The PACS and data base servers are fault-tolerant, hot-swappable Sun Enterprise Servers with an OC-12 connection to a backbone ATM switch and a fast-ethernet connection to a back-up network. The workstations come with 10/100 BASET autosense cards. A redundant switched-ethernet network will be installed to provide yet another degree of network fault-tolerance. The switched-ethernet devices are connected to each of the backbone ATM switches with two-load-balancing OC-3 connections to provide fault-tolerant connectivity in the event of a primary network failure.

Matrix association effects on hydrodynamic sorting and degradation of terrestrial organic matter during cross-shelf transport in the Laptev and East Siberian shelf seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesi, Tommaso; Semiletov, Igor; Dudarev, Oleg; Andersson, August; Gustafsson, Örjan

2016-03-01

This study seeks an improved understanding of how matrix association affects the redistribution and degradation of terrigenous organic carbon (TerrOC) during cross-shelf transport in the Siberian margin. Sediments were collected at increasing distance from two river outlets (Lena and Kolyma Rivers) and one coastal region affected by erosion. Samples were fractionated according to density, size, and settling velocity. The chemical composition in each fraction was characterized using elemental analyses and terrigenous biomarkers. In addition, a dual-carbon-isotope mixing model (δ13C and Δ14C) was used to quantify the relative TerrOC contributions from active layer (Topsoil) and Pleistocene Ice Complex Deposits (ICD). Results indicate that physical properties of particles exert first-order control on the redistribution of different TerrOC pools. Because of its coarse nature, plant debris is hydraulically retained in the coastal region. With increasing distance from the coast, the OC is mainly associated with fine/ultrafine mineral particles. Furthermore, biomarkers indicate that the selective transport of fine-grained sediment results in mobilizing high-molecular weight (HMW) lipid-rich, diagenetically altered TerrOC while lignin-rich, less degraded TerrOC is retained near the coast. The loading (µg/m2) of lignin and HMW wax lipids on the fine/ultrafine fraction drastically decreases with increasing distance from the coast (98% and 90%, respectively), which indicates extensive degradation during cross-shelf transport. Topsoil-C degrades more readily (90 ± 3.5%) compared to the ICD-C (60 ± 11%) during transport. Altogether, our results indicate that TerrOC is highly reactive and its accelerated remobilization from thawing permafrost followed by cross-shelf transport will likely represent a positive feedback to climate warming.

Only-Child Status in Relation to Perceived Stress and Studying-Related Life Satisfaction among University Students in China: A Comparison with International Students.

PubMed

Chu, Janet Junqing; Khan, Mobarak Hossain; Jahn, Heiko J; Kraemer, Alexander

2015-01-01

University students in general face multiple challenges, which may affect their levels of perceived stress and life satisfaction. Chinese students currently face specific strains due to the One-Child Policy (OCP). The aim of this study was to assess (1) whether the levels of perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction are associated with only-child (OC) status after controlling for demographic and socio-economic characteristics and (2) whether these associations differ between Chinese and international students. A cross-sectional health survey based on a self-administrated standardised questionnaire was conducted among 1,843 (1,543 Chinese, 300 international) students at two Chinese universities in 2010-2011. Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and Stock and Kraemer's Studying-related Life Satisfaction Scale were used to measure perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of OC status with perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction by sex for Chinese students and international students separately. The Chinese non-only-children (NOCs) were more likely to come from small cities. Multivariable regression models indicate that the Chinese NOCs were more stressed than OCs (OR = 1.39, 1.11-1.74) with a stronger association in men (OR = 1.48, 1.08-2.02) than women (OR = 1.26, 0.89-1.77). NOCs were also more dissatisfied than their OC fellows in the Chinese subsample (OR = 1.37, 1.09-1.73). Among international students, no associations between OC status and perceived stress or studying-related life satisfaction were found. To promote equality between OCs and NOCs at Chinese universities, the causes of more stress and less studying-related life satisfaction among NOCs compared to OCs need further exploration.

Using radiocarbon to constrain black and organic carbon aerosol sources in Salt Lake City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouteva, Gergana O.; Randerson, James T.; Fahrni, Simon M.; Bush, Susan E.; Ehleringer, James R.; Xu, Xiaomei; Santos, Guaciara M.; Kuprov, Roman; Schichtel, Bret A.; Czimczik, Claudia I.

2017-09-01

Black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) aerosols are important components of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in polluted urban environments. Quantifying the contribution of fossil fuel and biomass combustion to BC and OC concentrations is critical for developing and validating effective air quality control measures and climate change mitigation policy. We used radiocarbon (14C) to measure fossil and contemporary biomass contributions to BC and OC at three locations in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, during 2012-2014, including during winter inversion events. Aerosol filters were analyzed with the Swiss_4S thermal-optical protocol to isolate BC. We measured fraction modern (fM) of BC and total carbon in PM2.5 with accelerator mass spectrometry and derived the fM of OC using isotope mass balance. Combined with 14C information of end-member composition, our data set of 31 14C aerosol measurements provided a baseline of the fossil and contemporary biomass components of carbonaceous aerosol. We show that fossil fuels were the dominant source of carbonaceous aerosol during winter, contributing 88% (80-98%) of BC and 58% (48-69%) of OC. While the concentration of both BC and OC increased during inversion events, the relative source contributions did not change. The sources of BC also did not vary throughout the year, while OC had a considerably higher contemporary biomass component in summer at 62% (49-76%) and was more variable. Our results suggest that in order to reduce PM2.5 levels in Salt Lake City to meet national standards, a more stringent policy targeting mobile fossil fuel sources may be necessary.

Non-terminal animal model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis induced by acute joint injury.

PubMed

Boyce, M K; Trumble, T N; Carlson, C S; Groschen, D M; Merritt, K A; Brown, M P

2013-05-01

Develop a non-terminal animal model of acute joint injury that demonstrates clinical and morphological evidence of early post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). An osteochondral (OC) fragment was created arthroscopically in one metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of 11 horses and the contralateral joint was sham operated. Eleven additional horses served as unoperated controls. Every 2 weeks, force plate analysis, flexion response, joint circumference, and synovial effusion scores were recorded. At weeks 0 and 16, radiographs (all horses) and arthroscopic videos (OC injured and sham joints) were graded. At week 16, synovium and cartilage biopsies were taken arthroscopically from OC injured and sham joints for histologic evaluation and the OC fragment was removed. OC fragments were successfully created and horses were free of clinical lameness after fragment removal. Forelimb gait asymmetry was observed at week 2 (P = 0.0012), while joint circumference (P < 0.0001) and effusion scores (P < 0.0001) were increased in injured limbs compared to baseline from weeks 2 to 16. Positive flexion response of injured limbs was noted at multiple time points. Capsular enthesophytes were seen radiographically in injured limbs. Articular cartilage damage was demonstrated arthroscopically as mild wear-lines and histologically as superficial zone chondrocyte death accompanied by mild proliferation. Synovial hyperemia and fibrosis were present at the site of OC injury. Acute OC injury to the MCP joint resulted in clinical, imaging, and histologic changes in cartilage and synovium characteristic of early PTOA. This model will be useful for defining biomarkers of early osteoarthritis and for monitoring response to therapy and surgery. Copyright © 2013 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conversation with traumatically brain-injured individuals: a controlled study of behavioural changes and their impact.

PubMed

Bond, F; Godfrey, H P

1997-05-01

The conversations of 62 traumatically brain-injured (TBI) patients, assessed between 6 months and 3 years post-injury, were compared with those of an orthopaedic control (OC) group (n = 25). Conversations involving TBI subjects were rated as significantly less interesting, less appropriate, less rewarding and more effortful than interactions involving OC subjects, and were characterized by differences in the frequency of prompt usage and turn duration. Furthermore, measures of turn duration and prompt frequency were significantly associated with the perceived quality of conversation. These findings provide a microbehavioural description of the social process through which TBI individuals fail to adequately reinforce others.

Oral cancer associated with chronic mechanical irritation of the oral mucosa.

PubMed

Piemonte, E; Lazos, J; Belardinelli, P; Secchi, D; Brunotto, M; Lanfranchi-Tizeira, H

2018-03-01

Most of the studies dealing with Chronic Mechanical Irritation (CMI) and Oral Cancer (OC) only considered prosthetic and dental variables separately, and CMI functional factors are not registered. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess OC risk in individuals with dental, prosthetic and functional CMI. Also, we examined CMI presence in relation to tumor size. A case-control study was carried out from 2009 to 2013. Study group were squamous cell carcinoma cases; control group was patients seeking dental treatment in the same institution. 153 patients were studied (Study group n=53, Control group n=100). CMI reproducibility displayed a correlation coefficient of 1 (p<0.0001). Bivariate analysis showed statistically significant associations for all variables (age, gender, tobacco and alcohol consumption and CMI). Multivariate analysis exhibited statistical significance for age, alcohol, and CMI, but not for gender or tobacco. Relationship of CMI with tumor size showed no statistically significant differences. CMI could be regarded as a risk factor for oral cancer. In individuals with other OC risk factors, proper treatment of the mechanical injuring factors (dental, prosthetic and functional) could be an important measure to reduce the risk of oral cancer.

Glycemic Control and Bone Turnover in Older Mexican Americans with Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Smith, Scott M.; Lee, MinJae; Pervin, Hannah; Musgrave, Paul; Watt, Gordon P.; Nader, Shahla; Khosla, Sundeep; Ambrose, Catherine G.; McCormick, Joseph B.; Fisher-Hoch, Susan P.

2018-01-01

Altered bone quality, caused by underlying metabolic changes of type 2 diabetes (T2D), has been hypothesized to cause altered bone strength and turnover leading to increased fracture risk in T2D patients. Current understanding about changes in bone turnover markers in T2D patients is mainly based on studies focused on Caucasian men and women. However, Hispanic populations have the highest prevalence of both T2D and osteoporosis in the US. We investigated associations of glycemic control (in terms of glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) and bone turnover rate in 69 older (≥50 years) Mexican American Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC) participants with T2D. Multivariable analyses were conducted to assess the associations between HbA1c (%), serum osteocalcin (OC), and serum sclerostin. In agreement with published reports from other racial/ethnic populations, our study found that lower bone turnover (indicated by lower serum OC) occurred in Mexican American men with T2D who had poorer glycemic control. For the women in our study, we found no significant association between glycemic control and OC. In contrast, HbA1c was positively associated with sclerostin for women, with near significance (p = 0.07), while no association was found in men. We recommend screening Mexican American individuals with T2D, specifically those with poor glycemic control, for bone loss and fracture risk. PMID:29862008

Update on the effect of exogenous hormone use on glioma risk in women: a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies.

PubMed

Lan, Yu-Long; Wang, Xun; Lou, Jia-Cheng; Ma, Bin-Bin; Xing, Jin-Shan; Zou, Shuang; Zhang, Bo

2018-04-01

Various studies have confirmed the important roles of endogenous hormones in the development of gliomas, while the roles of exogenous hormones remain controversial. Based on case-control studies and cohort studies, a meta-analysis was exerted to explore the effect of two exogenous hormones use (HRT: hormone replacement therapy; OC: oral contraceptives) on glioma risk. 16 eligible studies, including 11 case-control studies and 5 cohort studies, containing 8055027 women, were included in our study. All included studies have reported the relative risks (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We use the fixed-effects model to calculate the estimated overall risk. In case-control studies, the risk of glioma was lower in women who had ever been treated with an exogenous hormone than in the control group (HRT: OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.99; OC: OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.91-1.07). In research of cohort studies, similar results have been obtained (HRT: RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.83-1.08; OC: RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.66-0.84). Our study further confirmed that the use of exogenous hormones has an important impact on the risk of glioma in women. However, more prospective studies are needed to further confirm this conclusion.

Transplantation of an alginate-matrigel matrix containing isolated ovarian cells: first step in developing a biodegradable scaffold to transplant isolated preantral follicles and ovarian cells.

PubMed

Vanacker, Julie; Luyckx, Valérie; Dolmans, Marie-Madeleine; Des Rieux, Anne; Jaeger, Jonathan; Van Langendonckt, Anne; Donnez, Jacques; Amorim, Christiani A

2012-09-01

For women diagnosed with leukemia, transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue after disease remission is not advisable. Therefore, to restore fertility in these patients, we aim to develop a biodegradable artificial ovary that offers an environment where isolated follicles and ovarian cells (OCs) can survive and grow. Four NMRI mice were ovariectomized and their ovaries used to isolate OCs. Groups of 50,000 OCs were embedded in an alginate-matrigel matrix for further fixation (fresh controls), one week of in vitro culture (IVC) or heterotopic autografting. OC proliferation (Ki67), apoptosis (TUNEL), scaffold degradation, vessel formation (CD34) and inflammation (CD45) were analyzed. Ki67-positive OCs were found in 2.3%, 9.0% and 15.5% cells of cases in fresh, IVC and grafted beads respectively, while cells were TUNEL-positive in 0%, 1.5% and 6.9% of cases. After IVC or grafting, the beads degraded, losing their original round aspect, and infiltrating blood capillaries could be observed in the grafted beads. CD34-positive cells and 22% CD45-positive cells were found around and inside the matrix. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that an alginate-based matrix is a promising proposition to graft isolated OCs. After transplantation, this matrix was able to degrade, allowed vascularization and elicited a low inflammatory response. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oral contraceptives versus physical exercise on cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Orio, F; Muscogiuri, G; Giallauria, F; Savastano, S; Bottiglieri, P; Tafuri, D; Predotti, P; Colarieti, G; Colao, A; Palomba, S

2016-11-01

Although oral contraceptives (OCs) are one the most widespread therapy in young polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women and physical exercise represents a crucial first step in the treatment of overweight and obese PCOS, no studies were performed to compare the effects on cardiovascular risk (CVR) of OCs and physical exercise in PCOS. To compare the effects of OCs administration and physical exercise on the CVR, clinical, hormonal and metabolic parameters in PCOS women. One hundred and fifty PCOS women were enrolled and were randomized to OCs (3 mg drospirenone plus 30 μg ethinyloestradiol), structured exercise training programme (SETP) or polyvitamin tablets. The intervention phase study was of 6 months. Primary outcome was intima-media thickness (IMT) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Secondary outcomes were clinical, hormonal and metabolic changes. A significant reduction of IMT and a significant increase of FMD were observed in the SETP group after treatment. Compared to baseline, in the SETP group, a significant improvement in anthropometric measures, insulin sensitivity indexes, lipid profile, cardiopulmonary function, inflammatory markers and frequency of menses was observed. Oral contraceptives use was associated with a significant decrease of hyperandrogenism and a significant improvement of frequency of menses. Further, OCs use had a neutral effect on CVR risk factors. OCs effectively treat hyperandrogenism and menstrual disturbances, while SETP is more effective in improving cardiometabolic profile and cardiopulmonary function in PCOS . © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

OC-2-KB: A software pipeline to build an evidence-based obesity and cancer knowledge base.

PubMed

Lossio-Ventura, Juan Antonio; Hogan, William; Modave, François; Guo, Yi; He, Zhe; Hicks, Amanda; Bian, Jiang

2017-11-01

Obesity has been linked to several types of cancer. Access to adequate health information activates people's participation in managing their own health, which ultimately improves their health outcomes. Nevertheless, the existing online information about the relationship between obesity and cancer is heterogeneous and poorly organized. A formal knowledge representation can help better organize and deliver quality health information. Currently, there are several efforts in the biomedical domain to convert unstructured data to structured data and store them in Semantic Web knowledge bases (KB). In this demo paper, we present, OC-2-KB (Obesity and Cancer to Knowledge Base), a system that is tailored to guide the automatic KB construction for managing obesity and cancer knowledge from free-text scientific literature (i.e., PubMed abstracts) in a systematic way. OC-2-KB has two important modules which perform the acquisition of entities and the extraction then classification of relationships among these entities. We tested the OC-2-KB system on a data set with 23 manually annotated obesity and cancer PubMed abstracts and created a preliminary KB with 765 triples. We conducted a preliminary evaluation on this sample of triples and reported our evaluation results.

Uncertainty Analysis of OC5-DeepCwind Floating Semisubmersible Offshore Wind Test Campaign

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

Robertson, Amy N

This paper examines how to assess the uncertainty levels for test measurements of the Offshore Code Comparison, Continued, with Correlation (OC5)-DeepCwind floating offshore wind system, examined within the OC5 project. The goal of the OC5 project was to validate the accuracy of ultimate and fatigue load estimates from a numerical model of the floating semisubmersible using data measured during scaled tank testing of the system under wind and wave loading. The examination of uncertainty was done after the test, and it was found that the limited amount of data available did not allow for an acceptable uncertainty assessment. Therefore, thismore » paper instead qualitatively examines the sources of uncertainty associated with this test to start a discussion of how to assess uncertainty for these types of experiments and to summarize what should be done during future testing to acquire the information needed for a proper uncertainty assessment. Foremost, future validation campaigns should initiate numerical modeling before testing to guide the test campaign, which should include a rigorous assessment of uncertainty, and perform validation during testing to ensure that the tests address all of the validation needs.« less

Uncertainty Analysis of OC5-DeepCwind Floating Semisubmersible Offshore Wind Test Campaign: Preprint

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

Robertson, Amy N

This paper examines how to assess the uncertainty levels for test measurements of the Offshore Code Comparison, Continued, with Correlation (OC5)-DeepCwind floating offshore wind system, examined within the OC5 project. The goal of the OC5 project was to validate the accuracy of ultimate and fatigue load estimates from a numerical model of the floating semisubmersible using data measured during scaled tank testing of the system under wind and wave loading. The examination of uncertainty was done after the test, and it was found that the limited amount of data available did not allow for an acceptable uncertainty assessment. Therefore, thismore » paper instead qualitatively examines the sources of uncertainty associated with this test to start a discussion of how to assess uncertainty for these types of experiments and to summarize what should be done during future testing to acquire the information needed for a proper uncertainty assessment. Foremost, future validation campaigns should initiate numerical modeling before testing to guide the test campaign, which should include a rigorous assessment of uncertainty, and perform validation during testing to ensure that the tests address all of the validation needs.« less

Estimation of organic carbon loss potential in north of Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahriari, A.; Khormali, F.; Kehl, M.; Welp, G.; Scholz, Ch.

2009-04-01

The development of sustainable agricultural systems requires techniques that accurately monitor changes in the amount, nature and breakdown rate of soil organic matter and can compare the rate of breakdown of different plant or animal residues under different management systems. In this research, the study area includes the southern alluvial and piedmont plains of Gorgan River extended from east to west direction in Golestan province, Iran. Samples from 10 soil series and were collected from cultivation depth (0-30 cm). Permanganate-oxidizable carbon (POC) an index of soil labile carbon, was used to show soil potential loss of organic carbon. In this index shows the maximum loss of OC in a given soil. Maximum loss of OC for each soil series was estimated through POC and bulk density (BD). The potential loss of OC were estimated between 1253263 and 2410813 g/ha Carbon. Stable organic constituents in the soil include humic substances and other organic macromolecules that are intrinsically resistant against microbial attack, or that are physically protected by adsorption on mineral surfaces or entrapment within clay and mineral aggregates. However, the (Clay + Silt)/OC ratio had a negative significant (p < 0.001) correlation with POC content, confirming the preserving effect of fine particle.

Impact of primary and secondary air supply intensity in stove on emissions of size-segregated particulate matter and carbonaceous aerosols from apple tree wood burning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jian; Shen, Zhenxing; Zhang, Leiming; Zhang, Qian; Lei, Yali; Cao, Junji; Huang, Yu; Liu, Suixin; Zheng, Chunli; Xu, Hongmei; Liu, Hongxia; Pan, Hua; Liu, Pingping; Zhang, Renjian

2018-04-01

In order to assess emission factors (EF) more accurately from household biomass burning, a series of laboratory-controlled apple tree wood burning tests were conducted to measure the EFs of size-segregated particulate matter (PM) and carbonaceous aerosols. The controlled burning experiments were conducted with designed primary air (PA) and secondary air (SA) supply intensity. An optimum value of 7 m3·h- 1 was found for SA, resulting the highest modified combustion efficiency (92.4 ± 2.5%) as well as the lowest EFs of PM2.5 (0.13 ± 0.01 g·MJ- 1), OC (0.04 ± 0.03 g·MJ- 1) and EC (0.03 ± 0.01 g·MJ- 1). SA values of 7 and 10 m3·h- 1 resulted the lowest EFs for all the different PM sizes. In a test with PA of 6 m3·h- 1 and SA of 7 m3·h- 1, very low EFs were observed for OC1 (8.2%), OC2 (11.2%) and especially OP (Pyrolyzed OC) (0%, not detected), indicating nearly complete combustion under this air supply condition. Besides SA, higher PA was proved to have positive effects on PM and carbonaceous fraction emission reduction. For example, with a fixed SA of 1.5 m3·h- 1, EFs of PM2.5 decreased from 0.64 to 0.27 g·MJ- 1 when PA increased from 6 to 15 m3·h- 1 (P < 0.05). Similar reductions were also observed in EFs of OC, EC and size segregated PM.

Transcriptional control of the tissue-specific, developmentally regulated osteocalcin gene requires a binding motif for the Msx family of homeodomain proteins.

PubMed

Hoffmann, H M; Catron, K M; van Wijnen, A J; McCabe, L R; Lian, J B; Stein, G S; Stein, J L

1994-12-20

The OC box of the rat osteocalcin promoter (nt -99 to -76) is the principal proximal regulatory element contributing to both tissue-specific and developmental control of osteocalcin gene expression. The central motif of the OC box includes a perfect consensus DNA binding site for certain homeodomain proteins. Homeodomain proteins are transcription factors that direct proper development by regulating specific temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression. We therefore addressed the role of the homeodomain binding motif in the activity of the OC promoter. In this study, by the combined application of mutagenesis and site-specific protein recognition analysis, we examined interactions of ROS 17/2.8 osteosarcoma cell nuclear proteins and purified Msx-1 homeodomain protein with the OC box. We detected a series of related specific protein-DNA interactions, a subset of which were inhibited by antibodies directed against the Msx-1 homeodomain but which also recognize the Msx-2 homeodomain. Our results show that the sequence requirements for binding the Msx-1 or Msx-2 homeodomain closely parallel those necessary for osteocalcin gene promoter activity in vivo. This functional relationship was demonstrated by transient expression in ROS 17/2.8 osteosarcoma cells of a series of osteocalcin promoter (nt -1097 to +24)-reporter gene constructs containing mutations within and flanking the homeodomain binding site of the OC box. Northern blot analysis of several bone-related cell types showed that all of the cells expressed msx-1, whereas msx-2 expression was restricted to cells transcribing osteocalcin. Taken together, our results suggest a role for Msx-1 and -2 or related homeodomain proteins in transcription of the osteocalcin gene.

NELL-1 in the treatment of osteoporotic bone loss

DOE PAGES

James, Aaron W.; Shen, Jia; Zhang, Xinli; ...

2015-06-17

NELL-1 is a secreted, osteoinductive protein whose expression rheostatically controls skeletal ossification. Overexpression of NELL-1 results in craniosynostosis in humans and mice, whereas lack of Nell-1 expression is associated with skeletal undermineralization. Here we show that Nell-1-haploinsufficient mice have normal skeletal development but undergo age-related osteoporosis, characterized by a reduction in osteoblast: osteoclast (OB:OC) ratio and increased bone fragility. Recombinant NELL-1 binds to integrin β1 and consequently induces Wnt/β-catenin signalling, associated with increased OB differentiation and inhibition of OC-directed bone resorption. Systemic delivery of NELL-1 to mice with gonadectomy-induced osteoporosis results in improved bone mineral density. When extended to amore » large animal model, local delivery of NELL-1 to osteoporotic sheep spine leads to significant increase in bone formation. Furthermore, these findings suggest that NELL-1 deficiency plays a role in osteoporosis and demonstrate the potential utility of NELL-1 as a combination anabolic/antiosteoclastic therapeutic for bone loss.« less

NELL-1 in the treatment of osteoporotic bone loss

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

James, Aaron W.; Shen, Jia; Zhang, Xinli

NELL-1 is a secreted, osteoinductive protein whose expression rheostatically controls skeletal ossification. Overexpression of NELL-1 results in craniosynostosis in humans and mice, whereas lack of Nell-1 expression is associated with skeletal undermineralization. Here we show that Nell-1-haploinsufficient mice have normal skeletal development but undergo age-related osteoporosis, characterized by a reduction in osteoblast: osteoclast (OB:OC) ratio and increased bone fragility. Recombinant NELL-1 binds to integrin β1 and consequently induces Wnt/β-catenin signalling, associated with increased OB differentiation and inhibition of OC-directed bone resorption. Systemic delivery of NELL-1 to mice with gonadectomy-induced osteoporosis results in improved bone mineral density. When extended to amore » large animal model, local delivery of NELL-1 to osteoporotic sheep spine leads to significant increase in bone formation. Furthermore, these findings suggest that NELL-1 deficiency plays a role in osteoporosis and demonstrate the potential utility of NELL-1 as a combination anabolic/antiosteoclastic therapeutic for bone loss.« less

Chlordecone, a mixed pregnane X receptor (PXR) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) agonist, alters cholesterol homeostasis and lipoprotein metabolism in C57BL/6 mice

PubMed Central

Lee, Junga; Scheri, Richard C.; Zhang, Yuan; Curtis, Lawrence R.

2008-01-01

Chlordecone (CD) is one of many banned organochlorine (OC) insecticides that are widespread persistent organic pollutants. OC insecticides alter lipid homeostasis in rodents at doses that are not neurotoxic or carcinogenic. Pretreatment of mice or rats with CD altered tissue distribution of a subsequent dose of [14C]CD or [14C]cholesterol (CH). Nuclear receptors regulate expression of genes important in the homeostasis of CH and other lipids. In this study, we report that CD suppresses in vitro reporter systems for human liver X receptors (LXRs) and activates those for human farnesoid X receptor (FXR), pregnane X receptor (PXR) and estrogen receptor α (ERα) in a concentration-dependent manner (0–50 μM). Consistent with human PXR activation in vitro, three days after a single dose of CD (15 mg/kg) hepatic microsomal CYP3A11 protein increases in C57BL/6 mice. CD decreases hepatic CH ester content without altering total CH concentration. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) contents of hepatic lipoprotein-rich and microsomal fractions of CD-treated mice are higher than controls. There is a significant reduction in non-high density lipoprotein CH but not apolipoprotein B-48/100 (apoB-48/100) in plasma from CD-treated mice after a 4 h fast. At 14 days after 15 mg CD/kg apoA-I and apoB-100 proteins but not CYP3A11 protein in hepatic microsomes are similar to controls. This work indicates that altered CH homeostasis is a mode of OC insecticide action of relevance after a single dose. This at least partially explains altered CH tissue distribution in CD-pretreated mice. PMID:18789348

Patient classification as an outlier detection problem: An application of the One-Class Support Vector Machine

PubMed Central

Mourão-Miranda, Janaina; Hardoon, David R.; Hahn, Tim; Marquand, Andre F.; Williams, Steve C.R.; Shawe-Taylor, John; Brammer, Michael

2011-01-01

Pattern recognition approaches, such as the Support Vector Machine (SVM), have been successfully used to classify groups of individuals based on their patterns of brain activity or structure. However these approaches focus on finding group differences and are not applicable to situations where one is interested in accessing deviations from a specific class or population. In the present work we propose an application of the one-class SVM (OC-SVM) to investigate if patterns of fMRI response to sad facial expressions in depressed patients would be classified as outliers in relation to patterns of healthy control subjects. We defined features based on whole brain voxels and anatomical regions. In both cases we found a significant correlation between the OC-SVM predictions and the patients' Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), i.e. the more depressed the patients were the more of an outlier they were. In addition the OC-SVM split the patient groups into two subgroups whose membership was associated with future response to treatment. When applied to region-based features the OC-SVM classified 52% of patients as outliers. However among the patients classified as outliers 70% did not respond to treatment and among those classified as non-outliers 89% responded to treatment. In addition 89% of the healthy controls were classified as non-outliers. PMID:21723950

Relative value of the lumbar spine and hip bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in men with ankylosing spondylitis.

PubMed

Muntean, Laura; Rojas-Vargas, Marena; Font, Pilar; Simon, Siao-Pin; Rednic, Simona; Schiotis, Ruxandra; Stefan, Simona; Tamas, Maria M; Bolosiu, Horatiu D; Collantes-Estévez, Eduardo

2011-05-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers in men with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to determine their relationship with clinical features and disease activity. Serum carboxi terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), osteocalcin (OC) levels, and BMD of lumbar spine and proximal femur were evaluated in 44 males with AS, 18-60 years of age, and compared with those of 39 age-matched healthy men. Men with AS had a significantly lower BMD at the femoral neck and total hip as compared to age-matched controls (all p < 0.01). Osteopaenia or osteoporosis was found in 59.5% AS patients at the lumbar spine and in 47.7% at the femoral neck. Mean serum levels of OC and CTX were similar in AS patients and controls. There were no significant differences in BMD and bone turnover markers when comparing subgroups stratified according to disease duration or presence of peripheral arthritis. No correlations were found between disease activity markers and BMD or OC and CTX. In a cohort of relatively young males with AS, we found a high incidence of osteopaenia and osteoporosis. Disease activity and duration did not show any significant influence on BMD or serum levels of OC and CTX.

The LSST Scheduler from design to construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado, Francisco; Reuter, Michael A.

2016-07-01

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be a highly robotic facility, demanding a very high efficiency during its operation. To achieve this, the LSST Scheduler has been envisioned as an autonomous software component of the Observatory Control System (OCS), that selects the sequence of targets in real time. The Scheduler will drive the survey using optimization of a dynamic cost function of more than 200 parameters. Multiple science programs produce thousands of candidate targets for each observation, and multiple telemetry measurements are received to evaluate the external and the internal conditions of the observatory. The design of the LSST Scheduler started early in the project supported by Model Based Systems Engineering, detailed prototyping and scientific validation of the survey capabilities required. In order to build such a critical component, an agile development path in incremental releases is presented, integrated to the development plan of the Operations Simulator (OpSim) to allow constant testing, integration and validation in a simulated OCS environment. The final product is a Scheduler that is also capable of running 2000 times faster than real time in simulation mode for survey studies and scientific validation during commissioning and operations.

Sources of PM2.5 carbonaceous aerosol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Qijing; Alharbi, Badr; Shareef, Mohammed M.; Husain, Tahir; Pasha, Mohammad J.; Atwood, Samuel A.; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.

2018-03-01

Knowledge of the sources of carbonaceous aerosol affecting air quality in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is limited but needed for the development of pollution control strategies. We conducted sampling of PM2.5 from April to September 2012 at various sites in the city and used a thermo-optical semi-continuous method to quantify the organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations. The average OC and EC concentrations were 4.7 ± 4.4 and 2.1 ± 2.5 µg m-3, respectively, during this period. Both OC and EC concentrations had strong diurnal variations, with peaks at 06:00-08:00 LT and 20:00-22:00 LT, attributed to the combined effect of increased vehicle emissions during rush hour and the shallow boundary layer in the early morning and at night. This finding suggested a significant influence of local vehicular emissions on OC and EC. The OC / EC ratio in primary emissions was estimated to be 1.01, close to documented values for diesel emissions. Estimated primary organic carbon (POC) and secondary organic carbon (SOC) concentrations were comparable, with average concentrations of 2.0 ± 2.4 and 2.8 ± 3.4 µg m-3, respectively.We also collected 24 h samples of PM10 onto quartz microfiber filters and analyzed these for an array of metals by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Total OC was correlated with Ca (R2 of 0.63), suggesting that OC precursors and Ca may have similar sources, and the possibility that they underwent similar atmospheric processing. In addition to a ubiquitous dust source, Ca is emitted during desalting processes in the numerous refineries in the region and from cement kilns, suggesting these sources may also contribute to observed OC concentrations in Riyadh. Concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis showed that high OC and EC concentrations were associated with air masses arriving from the Persian Gulf and the region around Baghdad, locations with high densities of oil fields and refineries as well as a large Saudi Arabian cement plant. We further applied positive matrix factorization to the aligned dataset of EC, OC, and metal concentrations (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and V). Three factors were derived and were proposed to be associated with oil combustion, industrial emissions (Pb based), and a combined source from oil fields, cement production, and local vehicular emissions. The dominant OC and EC source was the combined source, contributing 3.9 µg m-3 (80 %) to observed OC and 1.9 µg m-3 (92 %) to observed EC.

Pharmacological blocking of the osteoclastic biocorrosion of surgical stainless steel in vitro.

PubMed

Lionetto, S; Little, A; Moriceau, G; Heymann, D; Decurtins, M; Plecko, M; Filgueira, L; Cadosch, D

2013-04-01

In vitro studies suggest that human osteoclasts (OC) are able to corrode surgical stainless steel 316L (SS). The aim of this study was to investigate whether osteoclastic biocorrosion can be blocked pharmacologically. Human OCs were generated in vitro from peripheral blood monocytic cells (PBMCs) in the presence of OC differentiation cytokines. The osteoclastic viability, differentiation, and resorptive function (on both bone and SS) were assessed using standard colorimetric cell viability assay 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenil)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt (MTS), fluorescence microscopy, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase expression (flow cytometry), and scanning electron microscopy. OCs cultured on SS were exposed to nontoxic concentrations of bafilomycin A1, amiloride hydrochloride, or zoledronic acid. The extent of biocorrosion was quantified using atomic emission spectrometry (to measure the concentration of metal ions released into the supernatant) and scanning electron microscopy. PBMCs differentiated into mature and functional OC in the presence of all the drugs used. Osteoclastic resorption of SS was noted with differences in the resorption pattern for all drug treatments. Under the drug treatments, single areas of osteoclastic resorption were larger in size but less abundant when compared with positive controls. None of the drugs used were able to inhibit osteoclastic biocorrosion of SS. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Open-Circuit Voltage and Power Conversion Efficiency Study of Fullerene Ternary Organic Solar Cells Based on Oligomer/Oligomer and Oligomer/Polymer.

PubMed

Zhang, Guichuan; Zhou, Cheng; Sun, Chen; Jia, Xiaoe; Xu, Baomin; Ying, Lei; Huang, Fei; Cao, Yong

2017-07-01

Variations in the open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of ternary organic solar cells are systematically investigated. The initial study of these devices consists of two electron-donating oligomers, S2 (two units) and S7 (seven units), and the electron-accepting [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC 71 BM) and reveals that the V oc is continuously tunable due to the changing energy of the charge transfer state (E ct ) of the active layers. Further investigation suggests that V oc is also continuously tunable upon change in E ct in a ternary blend system that consists of S2 and its corresponding polymer (P11):PC 71 BM. It is interesting to note that higher power conversion efficiencies can be obtained for both S2:S7:PC 71 BM and S2:P11:PC 71 BM ternary systems compared with their binary systems, which can be ascribed to an improved V oc due to the higher E ct and an improved fill factor due to the improved film morphology upon the incorporation of S2. These findings provide a new guideline for the future design of conjugated polymers for achieving higher performance of ternary organic solar cells. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The warm-hot intergalactic medium at z ~ 2.2: Metal enrichment and ionization source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, J.; Aracil, B.; Petitjean, P.; Pichon, C.

2002-12-01

Results are presented for our search for warm-hot gas towards the quasar Q 0329-385. We identify ten O VI systems of which two are within 5000 km s-1 of zem and a third one should be of intrinsic origin. The seven remaining systems have H I column densities 1013.7<=N (H I)<=1015.6 cm-2. At least ~ 1/3 of the individual O VI sub-systems have temperatures T < 1 x 105 K and cannot originate in collisionally ionized gas. Photoionization by a hard UV background field reproduces well the ionic ratios for metallicities in the range 10-2.5-10-0.5 solar, with possibly sub-solar N/C relative abundance. For [O/C]=0, the sizes inferred for the O VI clouds are in some cases larger than the maximum extent implied by the Hubble flow. This constraint is fulfilled assuming a moderate overabundance of oxygen relative to carbon. For a soft UV ionizing spectrum, an overabundance of O/C is required, [O/C]~ 0.0-1.3. For a hard(soft) U spectrum and [O/C]=0(1), the O VI regions have overdensities rho //lineρ ~ 10-40. Based on observations made at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), under prog. ID No. 166.A-0106(A), with the UVES spectrograph at the VLT, Paranal, Chile.

Utilization of the organ care system for bilateral lung transplantation: preliminary results of a comparative study.

PubMed

Zeriouh, Mohamed; Sabashnikov, Anton; Mohite, Prashant N; Zych, Bartlomiej; Patil, Nikhil P; García-Sáez, Diana; Koch, Achim; Weymann, Alexander; Soresi, Simona; Wippermann, Jens; Wahlers, Thorsten; De Robertis, Fabio; Popov, Aron-Frederik; Simon, André R

2016-09-01

Lung transplantation (LTx) remains the gold standard for patients with end-stage lung disease. However, due to donor organ shortage and brain stem death-related lung injury, only a small proportion of lungs are used increasing the mortality rate on the waiting list. A portable normothermic continuous ex vivo perfusion using the organ care system (OCS) represents one of the tools to increase the pool of donor organs and to improve the function of marginal lungs. We sought to assess mid-term outcomes after LTx using OCS and to compare outcomes including overall survival and freedom from bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) with those after conventional preservation. Included were 322 consecutive LTx performed at Harefield Hospital between January 2007 and December 2014. Recipients were divided into two groups depending on the organ storage strategy: the majority of patients (n = 308) were transplanted using lungs after cold storage (cold storage group), whereas 14 organs were preserved using OCS (OCS group). The primary end-points were overall survival and freedom from BOS after LTx. The secondary end-points were perioperative clinical characteristics and adverse events. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of most baseline donor and recipient characteristics. The percentage of heavy smokers among donors [8 (2.9%) vs 6 (42.9%), P < 0.001] and the median number of pack-years smoked by donors [14 (7;24) vs 25 (24;30), P = 0.026] were statistically higher in the OCS group. Patients from the OCS group had significantly better postoperative FEV1 at 3 [69 (54;86) vs 93 (87;89), P < 0.001] and 6 [77 (60;90) vs 94 (84;100), P = 0.006] months. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of cumulative survival and freedom from BOS between the two groups. Results after LTx using OCS are acceptable with excellent survival, and superior early outcome in terms of postoperative lung function despite higher risk in the OCS group. Further larger prospective trials are warranted to confirm our preliminary results and to elaborate long-term outcomes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Giant photovoltaic response in band engineered ferroelectric perovskite.

PubMed

Pal, Subhajit; Swain, Atal Bihari; Biswas, Pranab Parimal; Murali, D; Pal, Arnab; Nanda, B Ranjit K; Murugavel, Pattukkannu

2018-05-22

Recently the solar energy, an inevitable part of green energy source, has become a mandatory topics in frontier research areas. In this respect, non-centrosymmetric ferroelectric perovskites with open circuit voltage (V OC ) higher than the bandgap, gain tremendous importance as next generation photovoltaic materials. Here a non-toxic co-doped Ba 1-x (Bi 0.5 Li 0.5 ) x TiO 3 ferroelectric system is designed where the dopants influence the band topology in order to enhance the photovoltaic effect. In particular, at the optimal doping concentration (x opt  ~ 0.125) the sample reveals a remarkably high photogenerated field E OC  = 320 V/cm (V OC  = 16 V), highest ever reported in any bulk polycrystalline non-centrosymmetric systems. The band structure, examined through DFT calculations, suggests that the shift current mechanism is key to explain the large enhancement in photovoltaic effect in this family.

Turbidite carbon distribution by Ramped PyrOx, Astoria Canyon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Childress, L. B.; Galy, V.; McNichol, A. P.

2017-12-01

The magnitude and nature of carbon preserved in marine sediments can be affected by long-term processes such as climate change and tectonic transport; preservation of carbon can also be affected by short-term, episodic disturbances such as storm events, landslides, and earthquakes. In margins with active canyons, these systems can be efficient burial networks for carbon. The downslope displacement and reorganization of sediment and associated organic carbon (OC) during turbidite formation alters oxygen diffusion and the potential for aerobic oxidation, thereby modifying the redox geochemistry of the sediment package. Generally termed as a `burn-down', reactions at the subsurface oxidation front are linked to a loss of OC preservation within turbidite sequences. Still debated is the source of the OC residual within `burn-down' events, primarily whether the preserved material is dominated by terrestrial or marine components. To better understand the significance of canyon systems and turbidite deposits in the transport, preservation, and `burn-down' of organic carbon, samples from these systems can be studied using the Ramped PyrOx (RPO) technique. Whereas bulk radiocarbon measurements are unsuitable within turbidite deposits, RPO is well suited for characterizing the distribution of carbon sources within a turbidite interval. To complement RPO analyses, OC and N content, stable carbon isotope composition, gamma ray attenuation bulk density, computerized tomography, and magnetic susceptibility were determined. The turbidite systems of the Cascadia Subduction Zone have been extensively studied in relation to the Holocene paleoseismic record. Gravity cores collected in 2011 aboard the R/V Wecoma capture turbidite deposits in Astoria Canyon and demonstrate characteristics of `burn down' intervals. RPO data from within a 15 cm turbidite interval indicate minimal variation in reactivity structure, stable carbon isotope values and radiocarbon age, suggesting a shared source of sediment input. Such similarities imply minimal source-selective OC alteration and are consistent with a singular event (e.g. - flood) associated with late Holocene warm interval influence on the Columbia River Basin.

The California Central Coast Research Partnership: Building Relationships, Partnerships and Paradigms for University-Industry Research Collaboration

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-26

uW )1200- Power at -2.0 oC ( uW ) Power at 3.0 o0 I^W -Power at 8.0...oC ( uW ) 1000 -Power at 13.0 oC ( uW ) -Power at 18.0 oC ( uW ) -Power at 23.0 oC ( uW ) -Power at 28.0 oC ( uW ) Poe8t0300C(W Power at 38.0 oC ( uW ) Power at...438.0 oC ( uW ) 0.600 Power at 48.0 oC ( uW ) Power at 53.0 oC ( uW ) Power at 58.0 oC ( uW ) 400 Power at 63.0 oC ( uW ) Power at 68.0 oC ( uW ) Power at 73.0

Elucidating the role of hyposalivation and autoimmunity in oral candidiasis.

PubMed

Billings, M; Dye, B A; Iafolla, T; Grisius, M; Alevizos, I

2017-04-01

Oral candidiasis (OC) is a potential oral complication in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Some studies indicate that the low stimulated salivary flow and not low unstimulated salivary flow is associated with OC in SS, while others report that the underlying autoimmune disorders contribute to OC, based solely on correlation coefficients. Given the conflicting and limited existing evidence, we purposed to ascertain the role of both salivary gland dysfunction (hyposalivation based on unstimulated and stimulated flow rates) and autoimmunity (SS, other autoimmune disorders) in OC among those with SS, other salivary gland dysfunction, and non-salivary gland dysfunction controls (NSGD). A nested case-control study was designed within a larger NIH/NIDCR cohort. Descriptive analyses, nonparametric tests, comparative analyses, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken. Data on 1526 subjects (701 SS, 247 ISS, 355 Sicca, and 223 NSGD) were obtained from the source cohort of 2046 and analyzed for this study. The median whole unstimulated salivary flow rate (WUS, ml 15 min -1 ) was lower in SS (0.8, interquartile range (IQR) 1.8) compared to ISS (5.5, IQR: 5.2, P < 0.001) and NSGD (3.8, IQR: 3.8, P < 0.001) but comparable with that of Sicca (1.0, IQR: 1.5, P = 0.777) participants. The median total stimulated salivary flow rate (TSS, ml 15 min -1 ) was lowest in SS (7.0, IQR: 12.4, P < 0.001) compared to other groups. Of the 45 OC cases in this cohort, 71.1% (n = 32) were from the SS group. The prevalence of OC was highest in the SS group (4.6%, P = 0.008). SS group had twice the risk of OC than NSGD (OR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.1-4.2, P = 0.02) and Sicca (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0-4.8, P = 0.03), adjusting for confounders; hyposalivation [WUS (OR = 5.1, 95%CI: 2.5-10.4, P < 0.001), TSS (OR = 1.9, 95%CI: 1.0-3.5, P = 0.04)], history of other autoimmune disorders (OR = 4.4, 95%CI: 1.7-11.3, P = 0.002), medications for extraglandular manifestations (OR = 2.3, 95%CI: 1.1-4.9, P = 0.03), and diabetes mellitus (4.2, 95%CI: 1.2-15.2, P = 0.02) were independent predictors of OC; females had a lower risk than males (OR = 0.29, 95%CI: 0.13-0.67, P = 0.004). Age, race, anti-SSA/SSB autoantibodies, focus score, other medications, anxiety, fatigue, cigarette smoking, alcohol, and caffeine use were not associated with oral candidiasis. Salivary gland dysfunction (hyposalivation with WUS being a stronger predictor than TSS) and autoimmunity (SS, other autoimmune disorders, medications, i.e., DMARDS) are both independent predictors of OC. Diabetes mellitus is an independent predictor of OC among those with salivary gland dysfunction. Our findings suggest that these independent predictors should be considered in the prevention and management of OC in this population. © Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Charter for Systems Engineer Working Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suffredini, Michael T.; Grissom, Larry

2015-01-01

This charter establishes the International Space Station Program (ISSP) Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Systems Engineering Working Group (SEWG). The MSS SEWG is established to provide a mechanism for Systems Engineering for the end-to-end MSS function. The MSS end-to-end function includes the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), the Mobile Remote Servicer (MRS) Base System (MBS), Robotic Work Station (RWS), Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), Video Signal Converters (VSC), and Operations Control Software (OCS), the Mobile Transporter (MT), and by interfaces between and among these elements, and United States On-Orbit Segment (USOS) distributed systems, and other International Space Station Elements and Payloads, (including the Power Data Grapple Fixtures (PDGFs), MSS Capture Attach System (MCAS) and the Mobile Transporter Capture Latch (MTCL)). This end-to-end function will be supported by the ISS and MSS ground segment facilities. This charter defines the scope and limits of the program authority and document control that is delegated to the SEWG and it also identifies the panel core membership and specific operating policies.

The S(IV)-type Asteroids as Ordinary Chondrite Parent Body Candidates: Implications for the Completeness of the Meteorite Sample of Asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaffey, M. J.

1995-09-01

The discrepancy between the abundance of ordinary chondrites (OCs) among the meteorites and the rarity of unambiguously similar assemblages in the asteroid belt has been a major point of discussion within and between the asteroid and meteorite communities. Various resolutions to this apparent paradox have been proposed [e.g., 1-5], including: 1) interpretations of S-type asteroid spectra are incorrect due to space weathering effects; 2) ordinary chondrites derive from a few rare but favorably situated parent bodies; 3) OCs come from a residual population of small unheated mainbelt asteroids; 4) shock effects darken OC parent body surfaces disguising them as C-type asteroids, and 5) OCs come from inner solar system planetesimals ejected to the Oort cloud which have been recently perturbed into Earth-crossing orbits. Although none of these possibilities has yet been rigorously excluded, recent investigations suggest that the resolution of the apparent paradox lies in some combination of the first three options. For option 3, the discovery of a small mainbelt asteroid with an OC-like spectrum indicates OC-assemblages among the smaller mainbelt asteroids [6], although their abundance is still low in the current sample [7]. For option 2, the mineralogical survey indicated that while most S-asteroids could be rigorously excluded on mineralogical criteria, the S(IV) subtype of this class has silicate compositions within the OC range [8]. The S(IV)-objects are concentrated near the 3:1 secular resonance at 2.5 AU providing an efficient escape into Earth-crossing orbits. Unfortunately for a simple resolution of the OC parent body question, S(IV) spectra still exhibit weaker silicate features and redder spectral slopes than OC assemblages. Although significant uncertainties remain, optical alteration of asteroid surfaces interpreted from the Galileo images of Ida and Gaspra may reconcile the mismatch between OC and S(IV) spectra [option 1]. Although only a subset of the S(IV) objects are viable OC-parent bodies [3 Juno, 6 Hebe, and 7 Iris are the leading candidates], their proximity to the 3:1 chaotic zone would allow them to contribute a significant portion of the ordinary chondrites. In particular, dynamical models suggest that Hebe should be a major contributor to the terrestrial meteorite flux [9]. Each leading contender is currently undergoing detailed spectral evaluation as a potential OC source. From both asteroid observational constraints and from chemical and isotopic studies of meteorites, the ordinary chondrites appear to represent an extensive and relatively complete (by meteoritic standards) sample of a few asteroid source bodies. In a similar fashion, the Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite suite sample a single primary parent body (Vesta) and are over-represented in meteorite collections due to a fortuitous (and temporary on a solar system timescale) emplacement of Vesta ejecta fragments close to the 3:1 resonance. This suggests that the particular value of the ordinary chondrites lies in the good sample provided for each source body rather than as representatives of an abundant asteroid type. Acknowledgments: Various portions of this research were supported by NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics grant NAGW-642 and NSF Planetary Astronomy grant AST-9012180. References: [1] Wetherill G. W. and Chapman C. R. (1988) in Meteorites and the Early Solar System, pp. 35-67, Univ. of Arizona. [2] Bell J. F. et al. (1989) in Asteroids II, pp. 921-945, Univ. of Arizona. [3] Gaffey M. J. et al. (1989) in Asteroids II, pp. 98-127, Univ. of Arizona. [4] Britt D. T. and Pieters C. M. (1991) LPS XXII, 141-142. [5] Gaffey M. J. (1984) Icarus, 60, 83-114. [6] Binzel R. P. et al. (1993) Science, 262, 1541-1543. [7] Shui X. et al. (1995) Icarus, 115, 1-35. [8] Gaffey M. J. et al. (1993) Icarus, 106, 573-602. [9] Farinella P. et al. (1993) Icarus, 101, 174-187.

Osteocalcin is not a strong determinant of serum testosterone and sperm count in men from infertile couples.

PubMed

Schwetz, V; Gumpold, R; Graupp, M; Hacker, N; Schweighofer, N; Trummer, O; Pieber, T R; Ballon, M; Lerchbaum, E; Obermayer-Pietsch, B

2013-07-01

Osteocalcin (OC) - released by osteoblasts and known as a marker of bone turnover - has been suggested to influence male fertility in murine models by enhancing testosterone production and sperm count. Results from clinical studies are scarce, however. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the proposed association of OC, undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) or carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC) with testosterone and sperm count in a cohort of 159 young male adults from infertile couples. Semen analysis was performed. Testosterone, free testosterone, LH, OC and ucOC were measured in serum samples after an overnight fast. cOC and OC correlated weakly but significantly with testosterone (OC: r = 0.165, p = 0.040, cOC: r = 0.193, p = 0.017), but not after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI) or waist-hip ratio (WHR). %ucOC (ucOC levels expressed as percentage of total OC) correlated inversely with LH (r = -0.184, p = 0.023) and remained significant after the same adjustment. No significant correlations were observed between OC, cOC, ucOC, %ucOC and sperm count, semen volume and number of vital spermatozoa. In binary logistic regression analyses, none of the parameters of OC were predictors of oligozoospermia after adjusting for age and BMI or WHR. The weak association between %ucOC and LH has marginal clinical importance because of the lack of associations of parameters of OC with testosterone and sperm count. The current data thus cannot support the notion that OC is associated with male fertility in young men from infertile couples. © 2013 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.

Associations between Organochlorine Contaminant Concentrations and Clinical Health Parameters in Loggerhead Sea Turtles from North Carolina, USA

PubMed Central

Keller, Jennifer M.; Kucklick, John R.; Stamper, M. Andrew; Harms, Craig A.; McClellan-Green, Patricia D.

2004-01-01

Widespread and persistent organochlorine (OC) contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides, are known to have broad-ranging toxicities in wildlife. In this study we investigated, for the first time, their possible health effects on loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Nonlethal fat biopsies and blood samples were collected from live turtles for OC contaminant analysis, and concentrations were compared with clinical health assessment data, including hematology, plasma chemistry, and body condition. Concentrations of total PCBs (∑PCBs), ∑DDTs, ∑chlordanes, dieldrin, and mirex were determined in 44 fat biopsies and 48 blood samples. Blood concentrations of ∑chlordanes were negatively correlated with red blood cell counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, indicative of anemia. Positive correlations were observed between most classes of OC contaminants and white blood cell counts and between mirex and ∑TCDD-like PCB concentrations and the heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, suggesting modulation of the immune system. All classes of OCs in the blood except dieldrin were correlated positively with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, indicating possible hepatocellular damage. Mirex and ∑TCDD-like PCB blood concentrations were negatively correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Significant correlations to levels of certain OC contaminant classes also suggested possible alteration of protein (↑blood urea nitrogen, ↓albumin:globulin ratio), carbohydrate (↓glucose), and ion (↑sodium, ↓magnesium) regulation. These correlations suggest that OC contaminants may be affecting the health of loggerhead sea turtles even though sea turtles accumulate lower concentrations of OCs compared with other wildlife. PMID:15238280

Motion state analysis of space target based on optical cross section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Qichen; Li, Zhi; Xu, Can; Liu, Chenghao

2017-10-01

In order to solve the problem that the movement state analysis method of the space target based on OCS is not related to the real motion state. This paper proposes a method based on OCS for analyzing the state of space target motion. This paper first establish a three-dimensional model of real STSS satellite, then change the satellite's surface into element, and assign material to each panel according to the actual conditions of the satellite. This paper set up a motion scene according to the orbit parameters of STSS satellite in STK, and the motion states are set to three axis steady state and slowly rotating unstable state respectively. In these two states, the occlusion condition of the surface element is firstly determined, and the effective face element is selected. Then, the coordinates of the observation station and the solar coordinates in the satellite body coordinate system are input into the OCS calculation program, and the OCS variation curves of the three axis steady state and the slow rotating unstable state STSS satellite are obtained. Combining the satellite surface structure and the load situation, the OCS change curve of the three axis stabilized satellite is analyzed, and the conclude that the OCS curve fluctuates up and down when the sunlight is irradiated to the load area; By using Spectral analysis method, autocorrelation analysis and the cross residual method, the rotation speed of OCS satellite in slow rotating unstable state is analyzed, and the rotation speed of satellite is successfully reversed. By comparing the three methods, it is found that the cross residual method is more accurate.

Methods of analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory : determination of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in bottom and suspended sediment by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Noriega, Mary C.; Wydoski, Duane S.; Foreman, William T.

2004-01-01

A method applicable for the determination of 19 organochlorine (OC) pesticides, including total toxaphene as a complex mixture, and 3 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixtures as Aroclor equivalents--Aroclor 1016/1242, 1254, and 1260--in soil, aquatic bottom sediment, and suspended sediment is described. Method performance data are presented. The solvent system is designed to extract simultaneously selected OC pesticides and PCBs from the same sample matrix. The compounds are extracted by conventional Soxhlet extraction with dichloromethane, followed by partial isolation using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to remove inorganic sulfur and large naturally present molecules from the sediment extract. The aliquot of extract collected from the GPC for OCs (OC pesticides and PCBs) is split into two sample fractions by alumina/silica combined-column chromatography, followed by Florisil adsorption chromatography to remove interfering compounds in the second fraction. The OC fractions are analyzed by dual capillary-column gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC/ECD). This report is limited to the determination of selected OC pesticides and PCBs by GC/ECD using this method. Interim reporting levels (IRLs) have been set at 0.400 to 3.12 micrograms per kilogram for 18 individual OC pesticides, 200 micrograms per kilogram for toxaphene, and 4.04 to 4.68 micrograms per kilogram for the PCBs, based on a sample size of 25-gram equivalent dry weight. These reporting levels may change following additional determinations of method detection limits.

Quantification and characterization of colloids and organic carbon released under oscillating redox conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yan; Afsar, Mohammad; Yan, Jing

2017-04-01

Wetlands account for 8-10% of the world's land surface but their soils contain 20-30% of globe terrestrial carbon. The carbon is intimately mixed with minerals in the soils. Thus, mineral-associated-organic carbon (MOC), which often exists as colloids, can directly affect global carbon cycling at multiple scales. When wetland soils become reduced, large quantities of MOC are released due to dissolution of metal oxides, and mobilized and discharged into adjacent streams during rainfall events. Despite the clear relevance of wetlands to global carbon reservoirs and cycling, MOC, as an important component of wetland carbon pool, is poorly understood. Further, understanding of the key factors controlling the fluxes and compositional characteristics of MOC thus the underlying reaction mechanisms that are responsible for the sequestration and stabilization of OC is also lacking. Here we present results from both field sampling and laboratory experiments on the amount, size distribution, and composition of MOC as influenced by oscillating redox conditions. Using both conventional and advanced analytical techniques, including x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and isotope ratio mass spectroscopy (IRMS), we identify 4 MOC size fractions: 450-1000 nm, 100-450 nm, 2.3-100 nm and < 2.3 nm. Normalized atomic% of different elements obtained from XPS analysis reveal clear variations in mineral and OC compositions in the different size fractions. In particular, the "nano sized" MOC (i.e., 2.3-100 nm fraction) has the highest Mg/Al ratio and OC/mineral ratio, the lowest percentages of Al and Si, is mostly depleted in C-C/C-H functional groups but enriched with C=0 and C-O/C-N groups in contract to other size groups. IRMS analysis shows depletion of the heavier isotope 13C from the 2.3-100 nm fraction indicating the presence of more lignin derivatives in this size fraction. The observed size-dependent heterogeneity on C attachment and release to/from MOC can lead to more accurate assessment of OC stability in redox dynamic environments such as wetlands. We propose that size-dependent MOC behavior and associated processes must be considered in future studies of OC in natural systems.

Synthesis of composite magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 with alendronate for osteoporosis treatment

PubMed Central

Lee, Ming-Song; Su, Chao-Ming; Yeh, Jih-Chao; Wu, Pei-Ru; Tsai, Tien-Yao; Lou, Shyh-Liang

2016-01-01

Osteoporosis is a result of imbalance between bone formation by osteoblasts and resorption by osteoclasts (OCs). In the present study, we investigated the potential of limiting the aggravation of osteoporosis by reducing the activity of OCs through thermolysis. The proposed method is to synthesize bisphosphonate (Bis)-conjugated iron (II, III) oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles and incorporate them into OCs. The cells should be subsequently exposed to radiofrequency (RF) to induce thermolysis. In this study, particles of Fe3O4 were first synthesized by chemical co-precipitation and then coated with dextran (Dex). The Dex/Fe3O4 particles were then conjugated with Bis to form Bis/Dex/Fe3O4. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the average diameter of the Bis/Dex/Fe3O4 particles was ~20 nm. All three kinds of nanoparticles were found to have cubic inverse spinel structure of Fe3O4 by the X-ray diffraction analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that the Dex/Fe3O4 and Bis/Dex/Fe3O4 nanoparticles possessed their respective Dex and Bis functional groups, while a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer measured the magnetic moment to be 24.5 emu. In addition, the Bis/Dex/Fe3O4 nanoparticles were fully dispersed in double-distilled water. Osteoblasts and OCs were individually cultured with the nanoparticles, and an MTT assay revealed that they were non-cytotoxic. An RF system (42 kHz and 450 A) was used to raise the temperature of the nanoparticles for 20 minutes, and the thermal effect was found to be sufficient to destroy OCs. Furthermore, in vivo studies verified that nanoparticles were indeed magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and that they accumulated after being injected into the body of rats. In conclusion, we developed a water-dispersible magnetic nanoparticle that had RF-induced thermogenic properties, and the results indicated that the Bis/Dex/Fe3O4 nanoparticle had the potential for controlling osteoporosis. PMID:27695319

Carbon Processing in Aquatic Critical Zones: A Source-to-Sink Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchi, T. S.

2017-12-01

The majority of organic carbon (OC) in the global ocean is buried in the coastal margin. In particular, river delta and non-deltaic shelf regions bury an estimated 114 Tg C year-1 and 70 Tg C year-1, respectively, with only ca. 6 Tg C year-1 buried in the open ocean. While there has long standing general agreement that continental selves represent the largest sink of both terrestrial (OCterr) and marine (OCmari) OC in the global ocean, our understanding of the spatial and temporal complexity of this region continues to evolve. For example, fjords are now more recognized as "hotspots"of carbon burial with recent estimates suggesting fjord surface area-normalized OC burial rates are at least five times greater than other marine systems and one hundred times greater than the entire ocean average. Here, I will compare and contrast some of the key molecular biomarkers that have been used to date to track OC across different depositional environments (e.g., large river deltas and fjords) and explore how margin-type, residence time of transport, reservoir dams, redox, priming effects, and molecular stability, impact the utility of using different biomarkers in coastal OC cycling. Finally, I will focus on important critical zones within the aquatic continuum from land-to-sea and examine how more attention is needed better understand OC cycling in these new dynamic interfaces in the Anthropocene.

A Geodynamic model for melt generation and evolution of the Mid-Continental Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunawardana, P. M.; Moucha, R.; Rooney, T. O.; Stein, S.; Stein, C. A.; Hansen, M.

2017-12-01

The Mid-Continent Rift System (MCRS) is a 3000-km long failed rift system which formed within the Precambrian continent of Laurentia and nearly split North America apart about 1.1 billion years ago. The MCRS can also be classified as a Large Igneous Province (LIP) made up of two distinct magmatic phases (Stein et al., 2015). The first large scale magmatism is characterized by a large volume of flood basalt that filled a fault controlled basin. The second post-rift phase consists of volcanics and sediment that were deposited in a thermally subsiding basin after faulting ended. This flood basalt filled rift geometry is a special characteristic of the MCRS which is not observed in other presently active or ancient rifts. Hence the MCRS's unusual nature likely reflects the combined effects of rifting and a mantle plume. We investigate this hypothesis with a geodynamic model by fully exploring the parameter space for a range of mantle potential and plume excess temperatures as well as different extension scenarios and lithospheric/plume structure. We quantify the rate and amount of melt generated and compare these with inferred volume and history of magmatic activity. Our model suggests that for an initially thin 100 km continental lithosphere and high mantle potential temperatures above 1453 oC, a plume is not required to generate the inferred volume of flood basalt as long as the lithosphere is thinned rapidly (> 3cm/yr). We note that in this scenario, majority of the melt generation continues for a few million years after the rifting ends. However, for present-day mantle potential temperatures ( 1343 oC) a mantle plume is required with an excess of temperature > 100 oC to generate the required volume of flood basalt. Furthermore, if the initial continental lithosphere thickness is greater than 100 km, the required plume excess temperature to generate enough melt, must be > 200 oC for the range of mantle potential temperatures we explored. References Stein, C.A., Kley, J., Stein, S., Hindle, D., and Keller, G.R., 2015, North America's Midcontinent Rift: When rift met LIP: Geosphere, v. 11, no. 5, p. 1607-1616, doi:10.1130/GES01183.1.

Oxycodone recycling: a novel hypothesis of opioid tolerance development in humans.

PubMed

Linares, Oscar A; Fudin, Jeffrey; Schiesser, William E; Linares, Annemarie Daly; Boston, Raymond C

2014-09-01

We hypothesize that oxycodone (OC) recycling promotes sustained synaptic OC content, which prolongs OC's exposure to local μ-opioid receptors (μORs). In that way, OC recycling gives rise to OC tolerance in humans. To pilot test our hypothesis, we developed a whole-body OC mass transport tolerance recovery model. The model derived quantifiable measure of tolerance is TΩ. TΩ estimates OC's tolerance recovery in days; It is defined as the rate of recovery of OC's pharmacologic response after OC is stopped. We studied a random sample of five opioid intolerant healthy male subjects with no history of opioid or illicit drug use, or comorbidities in silico. Subjects were age 24.5 ± 2.3 yr (all values mean ± SD), weight 93 ± 20 kg, and CYP2D6 EM phenotype. Each subject was studied under two experimental conditions: (1) administration of a single oral dose of OC 12 ± 7 mg; and, after complete washout of OC from the intravascular pool, (2) administration of repetitive oral OC doses every 4h for 5 half-lives (t1/2 = 4.5h)-after which time steady-state was assumed. Repetitive OC dose TΩ fell 61% compared to single OC dose TΩ (5.2 ± 1.1 vs. 3.5 ± 0.7 days, p = 0.001). The fall in TΩ was associated with a significant 3-fold increase in extravascular OC content, which was accompanied by 2-fold increase in OC spillover from the extravascular pool, into the intravascular pool. Thus, the model predicted that a single dose of orally administered OC could give rise to tolerance. This is consistent with the widely held view of acute opioid tolerance. In addition, the dynamic changes accompanying repetitive OC dosing suggested that local unbound OC gave rise to both higher extravascular OC content and increased OC spillover. This reflects that OC stimulated endocytosis of μORs was accompanied by a reduction in the availability OC responsive neuroeffector cell surface μOR binding sites. We conclude that our hypothesis extends current concepts of opioid tolerance development to include OC recycling. OC recycling is a novel hypothesis of OC tolerance development in humans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flocculation of organic carbon from headwaters to estuary - the impact of soil erosion, water quality and land use on carbon transformation processes in eight streams draining Exmoor, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snoalv, J.; Groeneveld, M.; Quine, T. A.; Tranvik, L.

2017-12-01

Flocculation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in streams and rivers is a process that contributes to the pool of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the aquatic system. In low-energy waters the increased sedimentation rates of this higher-density fraction of organic carbon (OC) makes POC important in allocating organic carbon into limnic storage, which subsequently influences emissions of greenhouse gases from the continental environment to the atmosphere. Allochthonous OC, derived from the terrestrial environment by soil erosion and litterfall, import both mineral aggregate-bound and free OC into freshwaters, which comprise carbon species of different quality and recalcitrance than autochthonous in-stream produced OC, such as from biofilms, aquatic plants and algae. Increased soil erosion due to land use change (e.g. agriculture, deforestation etc.) influences the input of allochthonous OC, which can lead to increased POC formation and sedimentation of terrestrial OC at flocculation boundaries in the landscape, i.e. where coagulation and flocculation processes are prone to occur in the water column. This study investigates the seasonal variation in POC content and flocculation capacity with respect to water quality (elemental composition) in eight river systems (four agricultural and four wooded streams) with headwaters in Exmoor, UK, that drain managed and non-managed land into Bristol Channel. Through flocculation experiments the samples were allowed to flocculate by treatments with added clay and salt standards that simulate the flocculation processes by 1) increased input of sediment into streams, and 2) saline mixing at the estuarine boundary, in order to quantify floc production and investigate POC quality by each process respectively. The results show how floc production, carbon quality and incorporation (e.g. complexation) of metals and rare earth elements (REE) in produced POC and remaining DOC in solution vary in water samples over the season and how these are related to different flocculation processes and affected by land use. This study improves our understanding on OC flocculation dynamics on a local catchment scale and how POC fate is affected by changed water quality in streams perturbed by land use change.

Estimating systemic exposure to levonorgestrel from an oral contraceptive.

PubMed

Basaraba, Cale N; Westhoff, Carolyn L; Pike, Malcolm C; Nandakumar, Renu; Cremers, Serge

2017-04-01

The gold standard for measuring oral contraceptive (OC) pharmacokinetics is the 24-h steady-state area under the curve (AUC). We conducted this study to assess whether limited sampling at steady state or measurements following use of one or two OCs could provide an adequate proxy in epidemiological studies for the progestin 24-h steady-state AUC of a particular OC. We conducted a 13-sample, 24-h pharmacokinetic study on both day 1 and day 21 of the first cycle of a monophasic OC containing 30-mcg ethinyl estradiol and 150-mcg levonorgestrel (LNG) in 17 normal-weight healthy White women and a single-dose 9-sample study of the same OC after a 1-month washout. We compared the 13-sample steady-state results with several steady-state and single-dose results calculated using parsimonious sampling schemes. The 13-sample steady-state 24-h LNG AUC was highly correlated with the steady-state 24-h trough value [r=0.95; 95% confidence interval (0.85, 0.98)] and with the steady-state 6-, 8-, 12- and 16-h values (0.92≤r≤0.95). The trough values after one or two doses were moderately correlated with the steady-state 24-h AUC value [r=0.70; 95% CI (0.27, 0.90) and 0.77; 95% CI (0.40, 0.92), respectively]. Single time-point concentrations at steady state and after administration of one or two OCs gave highly to moderately correlated estimates of steady-state LNG AUC. Using such measures could facilitate prospective pharmaco-epidemiologic studies of the OC and its side effects. A single time-point LNG concentration at steady state is an excellent proxy for complete and resource-intensive steady-state AUC measurement. The trough level after two single doses is a fair proxy for steady-state AUC. These results provide practical tools to facilitate large studies to investigate the relationship between systemic LNG exposure and side effects in a real-life setting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bone regeneration with osteogenic matrix cell sheet and tricalcium phosphate: An experimental study in sheep.

PubMed

Kira, Tsutomu; Akahane, Manabu; Omokawa, Shohei; Shimizu, Takamasa; Kawate, Kenji; Onishi, Tadanobu; Tanaka, Yasuhito

2017-10-18

To determine the effects of a cell sheet created from sheep bone marrow and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) on osteogenesis. Bone marrow cells were harvested from a sheep and cultured in a minimal essential medium (MEM) containing ascorbic acid phosphate (AscP) and dexamethasone (Dex). After 2 wk, the formed osteogenic matrix cell sheet was lifted from the culture dish using a scraper. Additionally, harvested bone marrow cells were cultured in MEM only as a negative control group, and in MEM with AscP, Dex, and β-glycerophosphate as a positive control group. For in vitro evaluation, we measured the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin (OC) content in the media of the cultured cells from each group. For in vivo analysis, a porous TCP ceramic was used as a scaffold. We prepared an experimental group comprising TCP scaffolds wrapped with the osteogenic matrix cell sheets and a control group consisting of the TCP scaffold only. The constructs were implanted subcutaneously into athymic rats and the cell donor sheep, and bone formation was confirmed by histology after 4 wk. In the in vitro part, the mean ALP activity was 0.39 ± 0.03 mg/well in the negative control group, 0.67 ± 0.04 mg/well in the sheet group, and 0.65 ± 0.07 mg/well in the positive control group. The mean OC levels were 1.46 ± 0.33 ng/well in the negative control group, 3.92 ± 0.16 ng/well in the sheet group, and 4.4 ± 0.47 ng/well in the positive control group, respectively. The ALP activity and OC levels were significantly higher in the cell sheet and positive control groups than in the negative control group ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in ALP activity or OC levels between the cell sheet group and the positive control group ( P > 0.05). TCP constructs wrapped with cell sheets prior to implantation showed bone formation, in contrast to TCP scaffolds alone, which exhibited poor bone formation when implanted, in the subcutaneous layer both in athymic rats and in the sheep. This technique for preparing highly osteoinductive TCP may promote regeneration in large bone defects.

Local application of osteoprotegerin-chitosan gel in critical-sized defects in a rabbit model

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is used for the systemic treatment of bone diseases, although it has many side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate a newly formulated OPG-chitosan gel for local application to repair bone defects. Recent studies have reported that immunodetection of osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OC) can be used to characterise osteogenesis and new bone formation. Methods The osteogenic potential of the OPG-chitosan gel was evaluated in rabbits. Critical-sized defects were created in the calvarial bone, which were either left unfilled (control; group I), or filled with chitosan gel (group II) or OPG-chitosan gel (group III), with rabbits sacrificed at 6 and 12 weeks. Bone samples from the surgical area were decalcified and treated with routine histological and immunohistochemical protocols using OC, OPN, and cathepsin K (osteoclast marker) antibodies. The toxicity of the OPG-chitosan gel was evaluated by biochemical assays (liver and kidney function tests). Results The mean bone growth in defects filled with the OPG-chitosan gel was significantly higher than those filled with the chitosan gel or the unfilled group (p < 0.05). At 6 and 12 weeks, the highest levels of OC and OPN markers were found in the OPG-chitosan gel group, followed by the chitosan gel group. The number of osteoclasts in the OPG-chitosan gel group was lower than the other groups. The results of the liver and kidney functional tests indicated no signs of harmful systemic effects of treatment. In conclusion, the OPG-chitosan gel has many characteristics that make it suitable for bone repair and regeneration, highlighting its potential benefits for tissue engineering applications. PMID:28674665

Main controlling factors and forecasting models of lead accumulation in earthworms based on low-level lead-contaminated soils.

PubMed

Tang, Ronggui; Ding, Changfeng; Ma, Yibing; Wan, Mengxue; Zhang, Taolin; Wang, Xingxiang

2018-06-02

To explore the main controlling factors in soil and build a predictive model between the lead concentrations in earthworms (Pb earthworm ) and the soil physicochemical parameters, 13 soils with low level of lead contamination were used to conduct toxicity experiments using earthworms. The results indicated that a relatively high bioaccumulation factor appeared in the soils with low pH values. The lead concentrations between earthworms and soils after log transformation had a significantly positive correlation (R 2  = 0.46, P < 0.0001, n = 39). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis derived a fitting empirical model between Pb earthworm and the soil physicochemical properties: log(Pb earthworm ) = 0.96log(Pb soil ) - 0.74log(OC) - 0.22pH + 0.95, (R 2  = 0.66, n = 39). Furthermore, path analysis confirmed that the Pb concentrations in the soil (Pb soil ), soil pH, and soil organic carbon (OC) were the primary controlling factors of Pb earthworm with high pathway parameters (0.71, - 0.51, and - 0.49, respectively). The predictive model based on Pb earthworm in a nationwide range of soils with low-level lead contamination could provide a reference for the establishment of safety thresholds in Pb-contaminated soils from the perspective of soil-animal systems.

RADIOLOGICAL SURVEY STATION DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PIT DISASSEMBLY AND CONVERSION PROJECT

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

Dalmaso, M.; Gibbs, K.; Gregory, D.

2011-05-22

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has developed prototype equipment to demonstrate remote surveying of Inner and Outer DOE Standard 3013 containers for fixed and transferable contamination in accordance with DOE Standard 3013 and 10 CFR 835 Appendix B. When fully developed the equipment will be part of a larger suite of equipment used to package material in accordance with DOE Standard 3013 at the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Project slated for installation at the Savannah River Site. The prototype system consists of a small six-axis industrial robot with an end effector consisting of a force sensor, vacuum gripper andmore » a three fingered pneumatic gripper. The work cell also contains two alpha survey instruments, swipes, swipe dispenser, and other ancillary equipment. An external controller interfaces with the robot controller, survey instruments and other ancillary equipment to control the overall process. SRNL is developing automated equipment for the Pit Disassembly and Conversion (PDC) Project that is slated for the Savannah River Site (SRS). The equipment being developed is automated packaging equipment for packaging plutonium bearing materials in accordance with DOE-STD-3013-2004. The subject of this paper is the development of a prototype Radiological Survey Station (RSS). Other automated equipment being developed for the PDC includes the Bagless transfer System, Outer Can Welder, Gantry Robot System (GRS) and Leak Test Station. The purpose of the RSS is to perform a frisk and swipe of the DOE Standard 3013 Container (either inner can or outer can) to check for fixed and transferable contamination. This is required to verify that the contamination levels are within the limits specified in DOE-STD-3013-2004 and 10 CFR 835, Appendix D. The surface contamination limit for the 3013 Outer Can (OC) is 500 dpm/100 cm2 (total) and 20 dpm/100 cm2 (transferable). This paper will concentrate on the RSS developments for the 3013 OC but the system for the 3013 Inner Can (IC) is nearly identical.« less

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

Malli, Gulzari L., E-mail: malli@sfu.ca

Our ab initio all-electron fully relativistic Dirac-Fock (DF) and nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock (NR) calculations for seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC predict atomization energy (AE) of 13.04 and 11.05 eV, respectively. However, the corresponding DF and NR atomization energies for the seaborgium carbonyl SgCO are predicted as 12.75 and 12.45 eV, respectively. This is the first such result in Chemistry where an isocarbonyl (and especially for a system of superheavy element Sg) is predicted to be more stable at the DF level of theory than the corresponding carbonyl. The predicted energy for the formation of the carbonyl SgCO at the relativistic DF and NRmore » levels of theory is -54.90 and -50.95 kJ /mol, whereas the corresponding energy of formation of the isocarbonyl SgOC is -64.44 and -18.64 kJ/mol, respectively. Ours are the first results of relativistic effects for isomerization and atomization energies of the superheavy seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC and its isomer SgCO.The formation of isocarbonyl SgOC, should be favored over the carbonyl isomer SgCO in the first step of the reaction Sg+CO →SgOC.« less

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

Malli, Gulzari L.

Our ab initio all-electron fully relativistic Dirac-Fock (DF) and nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock (NR) calculations for seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC predict atomization energy (AE) of 13.04 and 11.05 eV, respectively. However, the corresponding DF and NR atomization energies for the seaborgium carbonyl SgCO are predicted as 12.75 and 12.45 eV, respectively. This is the first such result in Chemistry where an isocarbonyl (and especially for a system of superheavy element Sg) is predicted to be more stable at the DF level of theory than the corresponding carbonyl. The predicted energy for the formation of the carbonyl SgCO at the relativistic DF and NRmore » levels of theory is -54.90 and -50.95 kJ /mol, whereas the corresponding energy of formation of the isocarbonyl SgOC is -64.44 and -18.64 kJ/mol, respectively. Ours are the first results of relativistic effects for isomerization and atomization energies of the superheavy seaborgium isocarbonyl SgOC and its isomer SgCO. Lastly, the formation of isocarbonyl SgOC, should be favored over the carbonyl isomer SgCO in the first step of the reaction Sg+CO →SgOC.« less

Overshoot and Non-Overshoot Pathways to 1.5oC and Above: The Temperature Tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feijoo, F.; Edmonds, J.; Wise, M. A.; Mignone, B.; Kheshgi, H. S.

2017-12-01

We create 3000 temperature pathways that lead to a wide range of outcomes in 2100 from below 1.5oC to over 3oC. We use the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), which includes the HECTOR physical Earth system model, to generate emission, climate forcing and global temperature trajectories driven by a wide range of assumed carbon price trajectories. While no probability is estimated for the generated trajectories, we report the central estimate of temperature response to emissions from HECTOR. We find that despite the wide range of generated carbon emission trajectories, temperature pathways were constrained to a narrow range until shortly before mid-century. This "temperature tunnel" was the result of two phenomena: first, a narrow range of radiative forcing for 10-15 years created by the concurrent reduction of carbon and aerosol emissions; and second, the thermal lag of the climate response to radiative forcing change of roughly 10-15 years. Scenarios consistent with 1.5oC showed higher short-term temperatures than scenarios consistent with higher temperature outcomes. No scenarios were found that peak below approximately 1.9oC.

Partitioning of organic carbon among density fractions in surface sediments of Fiordland, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Xingqian; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Hutchings, Jack A.; Savage, Candida; Curtis, Jason H.

2016-03-01

Transport of particles plays a major role in redistributing organic carbon (OC) along coastal regions. In particular, the global importance of fjords as sites of carbon burial has recently been shown to be even more important than previously thought. In this study, we used six surface sediments from Fiordland, New Zealand, to investigate the transport of particles and OC based on density fractionation. Bulk, biomarker, and principle component analysis were applied to density fractions with ranges of <1.6, 1.6-2.0, 2.0-2.5, and >2.5 g cm-3. Our results found various patterns of OC partitioning at different locations along fjords, likely due to selective transport of higher density but smaller size particles along fjord head-to-mouth transects. We also found preferential leaching of certain biomarkers (e.g., lignin) over others (e.g., fatty acids) during the density fractionation procedure, which altered lignin-based degradation indices. Finally, our results indicated various patterns of OC partitioning on density fractions among different coastal systems. We further propose that a combination of particle size-density fractionation is needed to better understand transport and distribution of particles and OC.

SDN architecture for optical packet and circuit integrated networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furukawa, Hideaki; Miyazawa, Takaya

2016-02-01

We have been developing an optical packet and circuit integrated (OPCI) network, which realizes dynamic optical path, high-density packet multiplexing, and flexible wavelength resource allocation. In the OPCI networks, a best-effort service and a QoS-guaranteed service are provided by employing optical packet switching (OPS) and optical circuit switching (OCS) respectively, and users can select these services. Different wavelength resources are assigned for OPS and OCS links, and the amount of their wavelength resources are dynamically changed in accordance with the service usage conditions. To apply OPCI networks into wide-area (core/metro) networks, we have developed an OPCI node with a distributed control mechanism. Moreover, our OPCI node works with a centralized control mechanism as well as a distributed one. It is therefore possible to realize SDN-based OPCI networks, where resource requests and a centralized configuration are carried out. In this paper, we show our SDN architecture for an OPS system that configures mapping tables between IP addresses and optical packet addresses and switching tables according to the requests from multiple users via a web interface. While OpenFlow-based centralized control protocol is coming into widespread use especially for single-administrative, small-area (LAN/data-center) networks. Here, we also show an interworking mechanism between OpenFlow-based networks (OFNs) and the OPCI network for constructing a wide-area network, and a control method of wavelength resource selection to automatically transfer diversified flows from OFNs to the OPCI network.

Organic matter compositions and loadings in soils and sediments along the Fly River, Papua New Guinea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goñi, Miguel A.; Moore, Eric; Kurtz, Andrew; Portier, Evan; Alleau, Yvan; Merrell, David

2014-09-01

The compositions and loadings of organic matter in soils and sediments from a diverse range of environments along the Fly River system were determined to investigate carbon transport and sequestration in this region. Soil horizons from highland sites representative of upland sources have organic carbon contents (%OC) that range from 0.3 to 25 wt%, carbon:nitrogen ratios (OC/N) that range from 7 to 25 mol/mol, highly negative stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ13Corg < -26‰) and variable concentrations of lignin phenols (1 < LP < 5 mg/100 mg OC). These compositions reflect inputs from local vegetation, with contributions from bedrock carbon in the deeper mineral horizons. Soils developed on the levees of active floodplains receive inputs of allochthonous materials by overbank deposition as well as autochthonous inputs from local vegetation. In the forested upper floodplain reaches, %OC contents are lower than upland soils (0.8-1.5 wt%) as are OC/N ratios (9-15 mol/mol) while δ13Corg (-25 to -28‰) and LP (2-6 mg/100 mg OC) values are comparable to upland soils. These results indicate that organic matter present in these active floodplain soils reflect local (primarily C3) vegetation inputs mixed with allochthonous organic matter derived from eroded bedrock. In the lower reaches of the floodplain, which are dominated by swamp grass vegetation, isotopic compositions were less negative (δ13Corg > -25‰) and non-woody vegetation biomarkers (cinnamyl phenols and cutin acids) more abundant relative to upper floodplain sites. Soils developed on relict Pleistocene floodplain terraces, which are typically not flooded and receive little sediment from the river, were characterized by low %OC contents (<0.6 wt%), low OC/N ratios (<9 mol/mol), more positive δ13Corg signatures (>-21‰) and low LP concentrations (∼3 mg/100 mg OC). These relict floodplain soils contain modern carbon that reflects primarily local (C3 or C4) vegetation sources. Total suspended solids collected along the river varied widely in overall concentrations (1 < TSS < 9000 mg/L), %OC contents (0.1-60 wt%), OC/N ratios (7-17 mol/mol) and δ13Corg signatures (-26 to -32‰). These compositions reflect a mixture of C3 vascular plants and freshwater algae. However, little of this algal production appears to be preserved in floodplain soils. A comparison of organic carbon loadings of active floodplain soils (0.2 and 0.5 mg C/m2) with previous studies of actively depositing sediments in the adjacent delta-clinoform system (0.4-0.7 mg C/m2) indicates that Fly River floodplain sediments are less effective at sequestering organic carbon than deltaic sediments. Furthermore, relict Pleistocene floodplain sites with low or negligible modern sediment accumulation rates display significantly lower loadings (0.1-0.2 mg C/m2). This deficit in organic carbon likely reflects mineralization of sedimentary organic carbon during long term oxidative weathering, further reducing floodplain carbon storage.

[THE ROLE OF IMMUNOLOGICAL CHANGES IN ODONTOGENIC CYSTS].

PubMed

Lytvynets-Holutyak, Y E

2015-01-01

The study involved 67 patients with odontogenic cysts (OC) aged 18 to 45 years, who were divided into groups: Group 1 (n = 67) patients with OC aged 18 to 45 years, group 2--control group, consisted of 20 healthy persons of similar age. We studied the characteristics of immune status and immunoreactivity in patients with odontogenic cysts. Condition of cellular and humoral immunity was assessed by using the methods of direct rosette developing with erythrocytes coated with monoclonal antibodies to CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD22+, CD4/CD8 indicators of immunoregulatory index and phagocytic immunity. State of nonspecific resistance was studied by determining the phagocytic activity of neutrophils and their oxygen dependent metabolism in NBT test. The concentration of cytokines (IL-6 and IL-4) in serum was determined by ELISA. During the study we found that in patients with (OC) developed significant changes in the structure of the immune response at the cellular as well as at the humoral level that makes it necessary to develop new individualized preventive measures along with existing therapies OC.

Oral contraceptives and colorectal cancer risk: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Fernandez, E; Vecchia, C La; Balducci, A; Chatenoud, L; Franceschi, S; Negri, E

2001-01-01

Several studies have suggested an inverse association between use of combined oral contraceptives (OC) and the risk of colorectal cancer and here we present a meta-analysis of published studies. Articles considered were epidemiological studies published as full papers in English up to June 2000 that included quantitative information on OC use. The pooled relative risks (RR) of colorectal cancer for ever OC use from the 8 case-control studies was 0.81 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69–0.94), and the pooled estimate from the 4 cohort studies was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72–0.97). The pooled estimate from all studies combined was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74–0.92), without apparent heterogeneity. Duration of use was not associated with a decrease in risk, but there was some indication that the apparent protection was stronger for women who had used OCs more recently (RR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.30–0.71). A better understanding of this potential relation may help informed choice of contraception. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com PMID:11237397

Evolution of organic carbon burial in the Global Ocean during the Neogene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LI, Z.; Zhang, Y.

2017-12-01

Although only a small fraction of the organic carbon (OC) that rains from surface waters is eventually buried in the sediments, it is a process that controls the organic sub-cycle of the long-term carbon cycle, and the key for atmospheric O2, CO2 and nutrient cycling. Here we constrain the spatiotemporal variability of OC burial by quantifying the total organic carbon (TOC) mass accumulation rate (MAR) over the Neogene (23.0-2.6 Ma) by compiling the TOC, age model and sediment density data from sites retrieved by the Deep Sea Drilling Program, Ocean Drilling Program, and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. We screened all available sites which yielded 80 sites with adequate data quality, covering all major ocean basins and sedimentary depositional environments. All age models are updated to the GTS 2012 timescale so the TOC MAR records from different sites are comparable. Preliminary results show a clear early Miocene peak of OC burial in many sites related to high sediment flux which might reflect the orogenic uplift and/or glacier erosion. Places that receive high influx of terrigenous inputs become "hotspots" for Neogene burial of OC. At "open ocean" sites, OC burial seems to be more impacted by marine productivity changes, with a pronounced increase during the middle Miocene "Monterey Formation" and late Miocene - early Pliocene "Biogenic Bloom". Upon the completion of the data collection, we will further explore the regional and global OC burial in the context of tectonic uplift, climate change and the evolution of primary producers and consumers during the last 23 million years of Earth history.

The association between the combined oral contraceptive pill and insulin resistance, dysglycemia and dyslipidemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

PubMed

Halperin, Ilana J; Kumar, Shoba Sujana; Stroup, Donna F; Laredo, Sheila E

2011-01-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of young women. First-line treatment is often the oral contraceptive pill (OC), but evidence suggests that OC may worsen metabolic outcomes in this population. We undertook this meta-analysis of observational studies and cohorts from within randomized controlled studies to investigate the association between OC use and dysglycemia, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance (IR) in women with PCOS. We searched MEDLINE (1966-April 2010), EMBASE (1980-April 2010) and All EBM Reviews. We included prospective cohorts and RCTs that treated women, aged 13-44, with PCOS with OC for at least 3 months. Blinded quality assessment and data extraction were conducted on 35 included studies by two independent reviewers. We used random effects methods to calculate weighted mean differences as the effect size. We investigated heterogeneity using sequential removal of studies, subgroup analysis and meta-regression. OC use was significantly associated with an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.004) and triglycerides (P = 0.004). Significant heterogeneity was found in glucose, cholesterol, HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol triglycerides, fasting glucose to insulin ratios and homeostatic model assessments-IR. Study characteristics such as mean BMI, mean age and duration of study could explain some of the heterogeneity. Use of OC was not associated with clinically significant adverse metabolic consequences. Because of limitations of the underlying studies, further research including rigorously designed randomized trials would more definitively confirm our findings.

Non-terminal animal model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis induced by acute joint injury

PubMed Central

Boyce, Mary K.; Trumble, Troy N.; Carlson, Cathy S.; Groschen, Donna M.; Merritt, Kelly A.; Brown, Murray P.

2013-01-01

Objective Develop a non-terminal animal model of acute joint injury that demonstrates clinical and morphological evidence of early post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Methods An osteochondral (OC) fragment was created arthroscopically in one metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of 11 horses and the contralateral joint was sham operated. Eleven additional horses served as unoperated controls. Every 2 weeks, force plate analysis, flexion response, joint circumference, and synovial effusion scores were recorded. At weeks 0 and 16, radiographs (all horses) and arthroscopic videos (OC injured and sham joints) were graded. At week 16, synovium and cartilage biopsies were taken arthroscopically from OC injured and sham joints for histologic evaluation and the OC fragment was removed. Results Osteochondral fragments were successfully created and horses were free of clinical lameness after fragment removal. Forelimb gait asymmetry was observed at week 2 (P=0.0012), while joint circumference (P<0.0001) and effusion scores (P<0.0001) were increased in injured limbs compared to baseline from weeks 2 to 16. Positive flexion response of injured limbs was noted at multiple time points. Capsular enthesophytes were seen radiographically in injured limbs. Articular cartilage damage was demonstrated arthroscopically as mild wear-lines and histologically as superficial zone chondrocyte death accompanied by mild proliferation. Synovial hyperemia and fibrosis were present at the site of OC injury. Conclusion Acute OC injury to the MCP joint resulted in clinical, imaging, and histologic changes in cartilage and synovium characteristic of early PTOA. This model will be useful for defining biomarkers of early osteoarthritis and for monitoring response to therapy and surgery. PMID:23467035

Storage and stability of biochar-derived carbon and total organic carbon in relation to minerals in an acid forest soil of the Spanish Atlantic area.

PubMed

Fernández-Ugalde, Oihane; Gartzia-Bengoetxea, Nahia; Arostegi, Javier; Moragues, Lur; Arias-González, Ander

2017-06-01

Biochar can largely contribute to enhance organic carbon (OC) stocks in soil and improve soil quality in forest and agricultural lands. Its contribution depends on its recalcitrance, but also on its interactions with minerals and other organic compounds in soil. Thus, it is important to study the link between minerals, natural organic matter and biochar in soil. In this study, we investigated the incorporation of biochar-derived carbon (biochar-C) into various particle-size fractions with contrasting mineralogy and the effect of biochar on the storage of total OC in the particle-size fractions in an acid loamy soil under Pinus radiata (C3 type) in the Spanish Atlantic area. We compared plots amended with biochar produced from Miscanthus sp. (C4 type) with control plots (not amended). We separated sand-, silt-, and clay-size fractions in samples collected from 0 to 20-cm depth. In each fraction, we analyzed clay minerals, metallic oxides and oxy-hydroxides, total OC and biochar-C. The results showed that 51% of the biochar-C was in fractions <20μm one year after the application of biochar. Biochar-C stored in clay-size fractions (0.2-2μm, 0.05-0.2μm, <0.05μm) was only 14%. Even so, we observed that biochar-C increased with decreasing particle-size in clay-size fractions, as it occurred with the vermiculitic phases and metallic oxides and oxy-hydroxides. Biochar also affected to the distribution of total OC among particle-size fractions. Total OC concentration was greater in fractions 2-20μm, 0.2-2μm, 0.05-0.2μm in biochar-amended plots than in control plots. This may be explained by the adsorption of dissolved OC from fraction <0.05μm onto biochar particles. The results suggested that interactions between biochar, minerals and pre-existing organic matter already occurred in the first year. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect brain dysfunction in children with autism spectrum disorder when inferring the mental state of others.

PubMed

Iwanaga, Ryoichiro; Tanaka, Goro; Nakane, Hideyuki; Honda, Sumihisa; Imamura, Akira; Ozawa, Hiroki

2013-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for identifying abnormalities in prefrontal brain activity in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as they inferred the mental states of others. The subjects were 16 children with ASD aged between 8 and 14 years and 16 age-matched healthy control children. Oxygenated hemoglobin concentration was measured in the subject's prefrontal brain region on NIRS during tasks expressing a person's mental state (MS task) and expressing an object's characteristics (OC task). There was a significant main effect of group (ASD vs control), with the control group having more activity than the ASD group. But there was no significant main effect of task (MS task vs OC task) or hemisphere (right vs left). Significant interactions of task and group were found, with the control group showing more activity than the ASD group during the MS task relative to the OC task. NIRS showed that there was lower activity in the prefrontal brain area when children with ASD performed MS tasks. Therefore, clinicians might be able to use NIRS and these tasks for conveniently detecting brain dysfunction in children with ASD related to inferring mental states, in the clinical setting. © 2013 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2013 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

BMDS/SSA Integrated Sensing Demonstration (BISD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, T.; Springford, K.; Grimaldi, L.

2011-09-01

This demonstration is intended to provide a near-term prototype, leave-behind capability for integrating Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) ground sensors for use in the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) mission. Closed-loop tasking and cueing capability will be implemented, and a demonstration of net-centric space data dissemination using the BMDS sensors will be undertaken using various SSA mission threads. The demonstration is designed to highlight the implications of modifying software and/or hardware at the BMDS command and control node so that cost, risk, and schedule for an operational implementation can be fully understood. Additionally, this demonstration is intended to assess the impacts to both mission areas as a multi-mission, non-traditional sensor capability is integrated into the SSA mission. A successful demonstration will have many leave-behind capabilities and first-of-its-kind achievements to include: a) an extensible SSA operational prototype configuration for BMDS X-Band radars such as AN/TPY-2 and Sea-Based X-Band (SBX) b) a prototype SSA tasking and cueing capability between the Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space) Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) and the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) Experimental Laboratory (X-Lab), extensible to the Combatant Commands (COCOMS), and out to BMDS sensors c) a capability for a twoway, net-centric, interface for JSpOC space operations, to include translation from net-centric communications to legacy systems and d) processing of BMDS X-Band Radar tracks in the Space Defense Operations Center (SPADOC).

Improving Constraints on Climate System Properties withAdditional Data and New Statistical and Sampling Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forest, C. E.; Libardoni, A. G.; Sokolov, A. P.; Monier, E.

2017-12-01

We use the updated MIT Earth System Model (MESM) to derive the joint probability distribution function for Equilibrium Climate sensitivity (S), an effective heat diffusivity (Kv), and the net aerosol forcing (Faer). Using a new 1800-member ensemble of MESM runs, we derive PDFs by comparing model outputs against historical observations of surface temperature and global mean ocean heat content. We focus on how changes in (i) the MESM model, (ii) recent surface temperature and ocean heat content observations, and (iii) estimates of internal climate variability will all contribute to uncertainties. We show that estimates of S increase and Faer is less negative. These shifts result partly from new model forcing inputs but also from including recent temperature records that lead to higher values of S and Kv. We show that the parameter distributions are sensitive to the internal variability in the climate system. When considering these factors, we derive our best estimate for the joint probability distribution for the climate system properties. We estimate the 90-percent confidence intervals for climate sensitivity as 2.7-5.4 oC with a mode of 3.5 oC, for Kv as 1.9-23.0 cm2 s-1 with a mode of 4.41 cm2 s-1, and for Faer as -0.4 - -0.04 Wm-2 with a mode of -0.25 Wm-2. Lastly, we estimate TCR to be between 1.4 and 2.1 oC with a mode of 1.8 oC.

Availability and use of emergency obstetric care services in public hospitals in Laos PDR: a systems analysis.

PubMed

Douangphachanh, Xaysomphou; Ali, Moazzam; Outavong, Phathammavong; Alongkon, Phengsavanh; Sing, Menorath; Chushi, Kuroiwa

2010-12-01

The maternal mortality ratio in Laos in 2005 was 660 per 100,000 lives birth which was the third highest in Asia-Pacific Region. The objective was to determine the availability and use of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in provincial and district hospitals in Borikhamxay, Khammouane, and Savannakhet provinces using UN guidelines. A hospital-based cross sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2008. All district (30) and provincial hospitals (3) from three provinces were included. Analysis was based on hospital records reflecting 12 months of facility data. Data indicates that only 14 hospitals (42.4%) were providing EmOC services, i.e., 9 basic, 5 comprehensive services. The proportion of births in EmOC facilities was only 11.2%, the met need was a very low 14.5%, and the cesarean section rate was only 0.9%. The case fatality rate in Borikhanxay province was 2.8%; in Khammouane and in Savannakhet provinces it was less than 1%. Record keeping at hospitals was poor. Signal functions provided in the last three months showed only 48.5% of the facilities performed assisted vaginal delivery. This is the first study in Lao PDR to assess EmOC services. Almost all the indicators were below the UN recommendations. Health planners must take evidence-based decisions to rectify and improve the situation in the hospitals regarding EmOC services. These data can therefore help government to assign and allocate budgets appropriately, and help policymakers and planners to identify systemic bottlenecks and prioritize solutions and will help in improving maternal health.

Adopting and adapting a commercial view of web services for the Navy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, Elizabeth; Ladner, Roy; Katikaneni, Uday; Petry, Fred

2005-05-01

Web Services are being adopted as the enabling technology to provide net-centric capabilities for many Department of Defense operations. The Navy Enterprise Portal, for example, is Web Services-based, and the Department of the Navy is promulgating guidance for developing Web Services. Web Services, however, only constitute a baseline specification that provides the foundation on which users, under current approaches, write specialized applications in order to retrieve data over the Internet. Application development may increase dramatically as the number of different available Web Services increases. Reasons for specialized application development include XML schema versioning differences, adoption/use of diverse business rules, security access issues, and time/parameter naming constraints, among others. We are currently developing for the US Navy a system which will improve delivery of timely and relevant meteorological and oceanographic (MetOc) data to the warfighter. Our objective is to develop an Advanced MetOc Broker (AMB) that leverages Web Services technology to identify, retrieve and integrate relevant MetOc data in an automated manner. The AMB will utilize a Mediator, which will be developed by applying ontological research and schema matching techniques to MetOc forms of data. The AMB, using the Mediator, will support a new, advanced approach to the use of Web Services; namely, the automated identification, retrieval and integration of MetOc data. Systems based on this approach will then not require extensive end-user application development for each Web Service from which data can be retrieved. Users anywhere on the globe will be able to receive timely environmental data that fits their particular needs.

Exposure assessment of particulates of diesel and natural gas fuelled buses in silico.

PubMed

Pietikäinen, Mari; Oravisjärvi, Kati; Rautio, Arja; Voutilainen, Arto; Ruuskanen, Juhani; Keiski, Riitta L

2009-12-15

Lung deposition estimates of particulate emissions of diesel and natural gas (CNG) fuelled vehicles were studied by using in silico methodology. Particulate emissions and particulate number size distributions of two Euro 2 petroleum based diesel buses and one Euro 3 gas bus were measured. One of the petroleum based diesel buses used in the study was equipped with an oxidation catalyst on the vehicle (DI-OC) while the second had a partial-DPF catalyst (DI-pDPF). The third bus used was the gas bus with an oxidation catalyst on the vehicle (CNG-OC). The measurements were done using a transient chassis dynamometer test cycle (Braunschweig cycle) and an Electric Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI) with formed particulates in the size range of 7 nm to 10 microm. The total amounts of the emitted diesel particulates were 88-fold for DI-OC and 57-fold for DI-pDPF compared to the total amount of emitted CNG particulates. Estimates for the deposited particulates were computed with a lung deposition model ICRP 66 using in-house MATLAB scripts. The results were given as particulate numbers and percentages deposited in five different regions of the respiratory system. The percentages of particulates deposited in the respiratory system were 56% for DI-OC, 51% for DI-pDPF and 77% for CNG-OC of all the inhaled particulates. The result shows that under similar conditions the total lung dose of particulates originating from petroleum diesel fuelled engines DI-OC and DI-pDPF was more than 60-fold and 35-fold, respectively, compared to the lung dose of particulates originating from the CNG fuelled engine. The results also indicate that a majority (35-50%) of the inhaled particulates emitted from the tested petroleum diesel and CNG engines penetrate deep into the unciliated regions of the lung where gas-exchange occurs.

Biogenic manganese oxides as reservoirs of organic carbon and proteins in terrestrial and marine environments.

PubMed

Estes, E R; Andeer, P F; Nordlund, D; Wankel, S D; Hansel, C M

2017-01-01

Manganese (Mn) oxides participate in a range of interactions with organic carbon (OC) that can lead to either carbon degradation or preservation. Here, we examine the abundance and composition of OC associated with biogenic and environmental Mn oxides to elucidate the role of Mn oxides as a reservoir for carbon and their potential for selective partitioning of particular carbon species. Mn oxides precipitated in natural brackish waters and by Mn(II)-oxidizing marine bacteria and terrestrial fungi harbor considerable levels of organic carbon (4.1-17.0 mol OC per kg mineral) compared to ferromanganese cave deposits which contain 1-2 orders of magnitude lower OC. Spectroscopic analyses indicate that the chemical composition of Mn oxide-associated OC from microbial cultures is homogeneous with bacterial Mn oxides hosting primarily proteinaceous carbon and fungal Mn oxides containing both protein- and lipopolysaccharide-like carbon. The bacterial Mn oxide-hosted proteins are involved in both Mn(II) oxidation and metal binding by these bacterial species and could be involved in the mineral nucleation process as well. By comparison, the composition of OC associated with Mn oxides formed in natural settings (brackish waters and particularly in cave ferromanganese rock coatings) is more spatially and chemically heterogeneous. Cave Mn oxide-associated organic material is enriched in aliphatic C, which together with the lower carbon concentrations, points to more extensive microbial or mineral processing of carbon in this system relative to the other systems examined in this study, and as would be expected in oligotrophic cave environments. This study highlights Mn oxides as a reservoir for carbon in varied environments. The presence and in some cases dominance of proteinaceous carbon within the biogenic and natural Mn oxides may contribute to preferential preservation of proteins in sediments and dominance of protein-dependent metabolisms in the subsurface biosphere. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cleavage of a Neuroinvasive Human Respiratory Virus Spike Glycoprotein by Proprotein Convertases Modulates Neurovirulence and Virus Spread within the Central Nervous System

PubMed Central

Meessen-Pinard, Mathieu; Dubé, Mathieu; Day, Robert; Seidah, Nabil G.; Talbot, Pierre J.

2015-01-01

Human coronaviruses (HCoV) are respiratory pathogens that may be associated with the development of neurological diseases, in view of their neuroinvasive and neurotropic properties. The viral spike (S) glycoprotein is a major virulence factor for several coronavirus species, including the OC43 strain of HCoV (HCoV-OC43). In an attempt to study the role of this protein in virus spread within the central nervous system (CNS) and neurovirulence, as well as to identify amino acid residues important for such functions, we compared the sequence of the S gene found in the laboratory reference strain HCoV-OC43 ATCC VR-759 to S sequences of viruses detected in clinical isolates from the human respiratory tract. We identified one predominant mutation at amino acid 758 (from RRSR↓ G 758 to RRSR↓R 758), which introduces a putative furin-like cleavage (↓) site. Using a molecular cDNA infectious clone to generate a corresponding recombinant virus, we show for the first time that such point mutation in the HCoV-OC43 S glycoprotein creates a functional cleavage site between the S1 and S2 portions of the S protein. While the corresponding recombinant virus retained its neuroinvasive properties, this mutation led to decreased neurovirulence while potentially modifying the mode of virus spread, likely leading to a limited dissemination within the CNS. Taken together, these results are consistent with the adaptation of HCoV-OC43 to the CNS environment, resulting from the selection of quasi-species harboring mutations that lead to amino acid changes in viral genes, like the S gene in HCoV-OC43, which may contribute to a more efficient establishment of a less pathogenic but persistent CNS infection. This adaptative mechanism could potentially be associated with human encephalitis or other neurological degenerative pathologies. PMID:26545254

Contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care- does it work in rural India?

PubMed

Randive, Bharat; Chaturvedi, Sarika; Mistry, Nerges

2012-12-31

Contracting in private sector is promoted in developing countries facing human resources shortages as a challenge to reduce maternal mortality. This study explored provision, practice, performance, barriers to execution and views about contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in rural India. Facility survey was conducted in all secondary and tertiary public health facilities (44) in three heterogeneous districts in Maharashtra state of India. Interviews (42) were conducted with programme managers and district and block level officials and with public and private EmOC specialists. Locations of private obstetricians in the study districts were identified and mapped. Two schemes, namely Janani Suraksha Yojana and Indian Public Health standards (IPHS) provided for contracting in EmOC specialists. The IPHS provision was chosen for use mainly due to greater sum for contracting in (US $ 30/service episode vs.300 US$/month). The positions of EmOC specialists were vacant in 83% of all facilities that hence had a potential for contracting in EmOC specialists. Private specialists were contracted in at 20% such facilities. The contracting in of specialists did not greatly increase EmOC service outputs at facilities, except in facilities with determined leadership. Contracting in specialists was useful for non emergency conditions, but not for obstetric emergencies. The contracts were more of a relational nature with poor monitoring structures. Inadequate infrastructure, longer distance to private specialists, insufficient financial provision for contracting in, and poor management capacities were barriers to effective implementation of contracting in. Dependency on the private sector was a concern among public partners while the private partners viewed contracting in as an opportunity to gain experience and credibility. Density and geographic distribution of private specialists are important influencing factors in determining feasibility and use of contracting in for EmOC. Local circumstances dictate balance between introduction or expansion of contracts with private sector and strengthening public provisions and that neither of these disregard the need to strengthen public systems. Sustainability of contracting in arrangements, their effect on increasing coverage of EmOC services in rural areas and overlapping provisions for contracting in EmOC specialists are issues for future consideration.

Contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care- does it work in rural India?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Contracting in private sector is promoted in developing countries facing human resources shortages as a challenge to reduce maternal mortality. This study explored provision, practice, performance, barriers to execution and views about contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in rural India. Methods Facility survey was conducted in all secondary and tertiary public health facilities (44) in three heterogeneous districts in Maharashtra state of India. Interviews (42) were conducted with programme managers and district and block level officials and with public and private EmOC specialists. Locations of private obstetricians in the study districts were identified and mapped. Results Two schemes, namely Janani Suraksha Yojana and Indian Public Health standards (IPHS) provided for contracting in EmOC specialists. The IPHS provision was chosen for use mainly due to greater sum for contracting in (US $ 30/service episode vs.300 US$/month). The positions of EmOC specialists were vacant in 83% of all facilities that hence had a potential for contracting in EmOC specialists. Private specialists were contracted in at 20% such facilities. The contracting in of specialists did not greatly increase EmOC service outputs at facilities, except in facilities with determined leadership. Contracting in specialists was useful for non emergency conditions, but not for obstetric emergencies. The contracts were more of a relational nature with poor monitoring structures. Inadequate infrastructure, longer distance to private specialists, insufficient financial provision for contracting in, and poor management capacities were barriers to effective implementation of contracting in. Dependency on the private sector was a concern among public partners while the private partners viewed contracting in as an opportunity to gain experience and credibility. Conclusions Density and geographic distribution of private specialists are important influencing factors in determining feasibility and use of contracting in for EmOC. Local circumstances dictate balance between introduction or expansion of contracts with private sector and strengthening public provisions and that neither of these disregard the need to strengthen public systems. Sustainability of contracting in arrangements, their effect on increasing coverage of EmOC services in rural areas and overlapping provisions for contracting in EmOC specialists are issues for future consideration. PMID:23276148

Organic Carbon Release from Groundwater Sediments under Changing Geochemical Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinnacher, R. M.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Fox, P. M.; Nico, P. S.

2016-12-01

Due to climate change, local weather patterns are expected to change, especially with respect to precipitation, the frequency of extreme storm water events, and `drought-like' conditions. This in turn, may affect groundwater recharge, the geochemical conditions in natural groundwater systems, and the chemical and microbiological processes involved in organic matter degradation. Besides the complexity of organic matter structures and local limitations in nutrients, the association of organic carbon with sediment minerals can strongly limit organic matter bioaccessability and degradability. In this study, we investigate how variations in groundwater chemistry, e.g. with respect to dissolved CO2 concentrations, may potentially affect the release of natural organic carbon from groundwater sediments, and render organic matter more bioaccessible. In lab-scale experiments under anaerobic conditions, aquifer sediments from the floodplain of the Colorado River (Rifle, USA) were brought into contact with fresh, organic-carbon free groundwater solutions, at natural or reduced CO2 concentration levels. During the repeated exchange of solutions at two temperature settings (room-temperature and 4 °C), supernatant solutions were characterized in terms of pH, dissolved metal and organic carbon (OC) concentrations, and potential changes in released OC characteristics. Sediment samples were evaluated for possible differences in Fe-speciation before and after the experiment based on EXAFS (bulk Fe K-edge). Preliminary results for 20 exchanges of groundwater solutions show a repeated release of low OC concentrations ( 0.5-2 mg OC/g sediment; 0.05-0.2% of sediment-associated OC) without any apparent depletion in the overall source term over 50 days. After 14 days, room-temperature samples released slightly higher OC concentrations than samples kept at 4 °C. An increase in solution pH, after switching to a `CO2-free' groundwater solution, did not trigger a higher OC release. Last, specific UV absorbance measurements for room-temperature samples suggest changes in released OC characteristics due to repeated solution exchanges. Additional sample characterization is ongoing, with the goal to elucidate potential changes in released OC characteristics over the course of the experiment.

Effort-reward imbalance, overcommitment and their associations with all-cause and mental disorder long-term sick leave - A case-control study of the Swedish working population.

PubMed

Lidwall, Ulrik

2016-11-18

To investigate if effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and overcommitment (OC) are associated with all-cause and mental disorder long-term sick leave (LS), and to identify differences in associations between genders, private versus public sector employees and socioeconomic status groups. The study uses a cross-sectional case-control design with a sample of 3477 persons on long-term sick leave of more than 59 days and a control group of 2078 in employment. Data on sick leave originate from social insurance registers, while data on health, working and living conditions were gathered through a survey. The binary logistic regression was used to test the multivariate associations. Effort-reward imbalance was associated with all-cause LS among the women (odds ratio (OR) = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.2-2.08), but not among the men. Associations for mental disorder LS were evident for both ERI and OC among both genders (ERI/OC: women OR = 2.76/2.82; men OR = 2.18/2.92). For the men these associations were driven by high effort, while for the women it was low job esteem in public sector and low job security in private sector. Among the highly educated women, ERI was strongly related to mental disorder LS (OR = 6.94, 95% CI: 3.2-15.04), while the highly educated men seemed to be strongly affected by OC for the same outcome (OR = 5.79, 95% CI: 1.48-22.57). The study confirmed the independent roles of ERI and OC for LS, with stronger associations among the women and for mental disorders. The ERI model is a promising tool that can contribute to understanding the prevailing gender gap in sick leave and increasing sick leave due to mental disorders. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(6):973-989. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Searching Planets Around Some Selected Eclipsing Close Binary Stars Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasiroglu, Ilham; Slowikowska, Agnieszka; Krzeszowski, Krzysztof; Zejmo, M. Michal; Er, Hüseyin; Goździewski, Krzysztof; Zola, Stanislaw; Koziel-Wierzbowska, Dorota; Debski, Bartholomew; Ogloza, Waldemar; Drozdz, Marek

2016-07-01

We present updated O-C diagrams of selected short period eclipsing binaries observed since 2009 with the T100 Telescope at the TUBITAK National Observatory (Antalya, Turkey), the T60 Telescope at the Adiyaman University Observatory (Adiyaman, Turkey), the 60cm at the Mt. Suhora Observatory of the Pedagogical University (Poland) and the 50cm Cassegrain telescope at the Fort Skala Astronomical Observatory of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. All four telescopes are equipped with sensitive, back-illuminated CCD cameras and sets of wide band filters. One of the targets in our sample is a post-common envelope eclipsing binary NSVS 14256825. We collected more than 50 new eclipses for this system that together with the literature data gives more than 120 eclipse timings over the time span of 8.5 years. The obtained O-C diagram shows quasi-periodic variations that can be well explained by the existence of the third body on Jupiter-like orbit. We also present new results indicating a possible light time travel effect inferred from the O-C diagrams of two other binary systems: HU Aqr and V470 Cam.

How organic carbon derived from multiple sources contributes to carbon sequestration processes in a shallow coastal system?

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Kenta; Kuwae, Tomohiro

2015-01-01

Carbon captured by marine organisms helps sequester atmospheric CO2, especially in shallow coastal ecosystems, where rates of primary production and burial of organic carbon (OC) from multiple sources are high. However, linkages between the dynamics of OC derived from multiple sources and carbon sequestration are poorly understood. We investigated the origin (terrestrial, phytobenthos derived, and phytoplankton derived) of particulate OC (POC) and dissolved OC (DOC) in the water column and sedimentary OC using elemental, isotopic, and optical signatures in Furen Lagoon, Japan. Based on these data analysis, we explored how OC from multiple sources contributes to sequestration via storage in sediments, water column sequestration, and air–sea CO2 exchanges, and analyzed how the contributions vary with salinity in a shallow seagrass meadow as well. The relative contribution of terrestrial POC in the water column decreased with increasing salinity, whereas autochthonous POC increased in the salinity range 10–30. Phytoplankton-derived POC dominated the water column POC (65–95%) within this salinity range; however, it was minor in the sediments (3–29%). In contrast, terrestrial and phytobenthos-derived POC were relatively minor contributors in the water column but were major contributors in the sediments (49–78% and 19–36%, respectively), indicating that terrestrial and phytobenthos-derived POC were selectively stored in the sediments. Autochthonous DOC, part of which can contribute to long-term carbon sequestration in the water column, accounted for >25% of the total water column DOC pool in the salinity range 15–30. Autochthonous OC production decreased the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon in the water column and thereby contributed to atmospheric CO2 uptake, except in the low-salinity zone. Our results indicate that shallow coastal ecosystems function not only as transition zones between land and ocean but also as carbon sequestration filters. They function at different timescales, depending on the salinity, and OC sources. PMID:25880367

Source to Sink Transport of Terrestrial Biomarkers in a Monsoon-driven Fluvial System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirkels, F.; Zwart, H. M.; Usman, M.; Basu, S.; Martes, C.; Eglinton, T. I.; Peterse, F.

2016-12-01

Rivers are an important link in global organic carbon (OC) cycling by connecting soils and marine sediments. Whereas deposition of terrestrial carbon in marine settings may form a large OC sink, the extent of OC loss during river transport by CO2 outgassing is highly uncertain. In this context, it is crucial to better constrain the composition and sources of OC in rivers. The Godavari River in Central India is very dynamic with intense rainfall and high soil erosion rates during the monsoon and low transport during the dry period, representative of low frequency, high-impact erosion events expected worldwide due to climate change. In this study, we did a high-resolution sampling of soils, river sediments (bulk and < 63 um) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) during the monsoon and dry season. Source-to-sink tracing of concentration and compositional variations in branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) as soil-specific biomarkers allowed us to follow soil OC transport through the river basin. Spatial trends in weight-normalized GDGT patterns reveal marked changes during the monsoon and dry season from upstream tributaries towards the delta. Evolution of GDGT signatures along the course of the river shows that SPM during the monsoon carries a primarily soil-derived signal contributed by the northern headwaters. Dominance of the recently discovered 6-methyl isomer indicates a year-round aquatic contribution from the western tributaries. River water isotopic composition and GDGT signatures show that northern tributaries dominate modern OC export from the Godavari basin, providing new information for the interpretation of paleorecords derived from cores taken in the Bay of Bengal. More detailed insights in OC sources in the Godavari basin will derive from (bulk) δ13C and ultimately 14C analyses of soils and river sediments. Further research into provenance of the mineral fraction will reveal if sediment and OC transport is (de)coupled.

Temperature Measurement During Polymerization of Bone Cement in Percutaneous Vertebroplasty: An In Vivo Study in Humans

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

Anselmetti, Giovanni Carlo, E-mail: giovanni.anselmetti@ircc.it; Manca, Antonio; Kanika, Khanna

2009-05-15

Aim of the study was to 'in vivo' measure temperature, during percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV), within a vertebral body injected with different bone cements. According to the declaration of Helsinki, 22 women (60-80 years; mean, 75 years) with painful osteoporotic vertebral collapse underwent bilateral transpedicular PV on 22 lumbar vertebrae. Two 10-G vertebroplasty needles were introduced into the vertebra under digital fluoroscopy; a 16-G radiofrequency thermoablation needle (Starburst XL; RITA Medical System Inc., USA), carrying five thermocouples, was than coaxially inserted. Eleven different bone cements were injected and temperatures were measured every 30 s until temperatures dropped under 45{sup o}C. Aftermore » the thermocouple needle was withdrawn, bilateral PV was completed with cement injection through the vertebroplasty needle. Unpaired Student's t-tests, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to evaluate significant differences (p < 0.05) in peak temperatures, variations between cements, and clinical outcome. All procedures were completed without complications, achieving good clinical outcomes (p < 0.0001). Regarding average peak temperature, cements were divided into three groups: A (over 60{sup o}C), B (from 50{sup o} to 60{sup o}C), and C (below 50{sup o}C). Peak temperature in Group A (86.7 {+-} 10.7{sup o}C) was significantly higher (p = 0.0172) than that in Groups B (60.5 {+-} 3.7{sup o}C) and C (44.8 {+-} 2.6{sup o}C). The average of all thermocouples showed an extremely significant difference (p = 0.0002) between groups. None of the tested cements maintained a temperature {>=}45{sup o}C for more than 30 min. These data suggest that back-pain improvement is obtained not by thermal necrosis but by mechanical consolidation only. The relative necrotic thermal effect in vertebral metastases seems to confirm that analgesia must be considered the main intent of PV.« less

A pilot genetic study of the continuum between compulsivity and impulsivity in females: the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism.

PubMed

Baca-García, Enrique; Salgado, Beatríz Rodríguez; Segal, Helen Dolengevich; Lorenzo, Concepción Vaquero; Acosta, Mercedes Navio; Romero, Manuel Arrojo; Hernández, Montserrat Díaz; Saiz-Ruiz, Jeronimo; Fernandez Piqueras, Jose; de Leon, Jose

2005-06-01

According to some authors the obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum includes on one extreme, the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and on the other extreme the most impulsive behaviors. This is a controversial idea and other authors define the OC spectrum in different ways. The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene is one of the main genes that control serotonergic function. A polymorphism in the promoter area of this gene classifies subjects with low expression as S individuals (s/s or s/l) and subjects with high expression as L individuals (l/l). This polymorphism was studied in female OCD patients (n = 24), non-impulsive controls (n = 112) and impulsive suicidal patients (n = 118) to support the OC spectrum hypothesis from a genetic perspective. A linear association exists among the serotonin transporter promoter functional genotypes (S versus L individuals) (chi2 linear by linear association = 8.9; df = 1; p = 0.003). The frequency of S individuals (s/l or s/s) was lowest in OCD (54%, 13/24); intermediate in non-impulsive controls (71%, 80/112) and highest in impulsive suicide attempters (82%, 96/117). More importantly, future studies need to consider that genetics may be related to behavioral dimensions (compulsivity to impulsivity) instead of to specific psychiatric disorders defined in clinical terms.

Nandrolone excretion in sedentary vs physically trained young women.

PubMed

Enea, C; Boisseau, N; Bayle, M L; Flament, M M; Grenier-Loustalot, M F; Denjean, A; Diaz, V; Dugué, B

2010-02-01

We investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle, oral contraception and physical training on exhaustive exercise-induced changes in the excretion of nandrolone metabolites [19-norandrosterone (19-NA), and 19-noretiocholanolone (19-NE)] in young women. Twenty-eight women were allocated to an untrained group (n=16) or a trained group (n=12), depending on their physical training background. The untrained group was composed of nine oral contraceptive users (OC+) and seven eumenorrheic women (OC-), while the trained group was entirely composed of OC+ subjects. Three laboratory sessions were conducted in a randomized order: a prolonged exercise test, a short-term exercise test and a control session. Urine specimens were collected before and 30, 60 and 90 min after the exercise test and at the same times of the day during the control session. Urinary concentrations of nandrolone metabolites were determined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Urinary concentrations of 19-NA and 19-NE ranged from undetectable levels to 1.14 and 0.47 ng/mL, respectively. Nandrolone excretion was not affected by the menstrual cycle phase (early follicular vs mid-luteal), prior physical training, oral contraception or acute physical exercise. Therefore, a urinary concentration of 2 ng/mL of 19-NA appears to be fair as the upper acceptable limit in doping control tests for female athletes.

Pasture management controls soil organic matter stocks, properties, and biochemical functioning in Tibetan grasslands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spielvogel, Sandra; Breidenbach, Andreas; de la Haye, Tilman; Schleuß, Per; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Guggenberger, Georg

2016-04-01

The Tibetan Plateau hosts the highest and largest pasture ecosystem worldwide, and provides tremendous sinks for carbon. Due to the sheer size of the of the Tibetan Plateau, feedback effects of soil organic carbon (OC) losses from inadequate grassland management are of undisputed relevance for ecosystem stability and future global change scenarios. Given the vital importance of the Tibetan steppes as global OC sinks, we combined data on OC stocks from own studies with an extensive literature review on soils developed under montane and alpine Kobresia pygmaea and Stipa grandis pastures. We calculated soil OC stocks at the Tibetan Plateau within the first 30 cm of the soil profile depending on pasture management and climate. Vertical gradients of δ13C values, neutral sugar, cutin and suberin contents, lignin phenol contents as well as microbial community composition (t-RFLP analysis, 16S rDNA und IST sequencing) and activities of six extracellular enzymes involved in the C, N, and P cycle were assessed. The depth gradients of these parameters reflected degradation processes from intact Kobresia pastures (stage 0) to pronounced degradation (bare soil; stage 5). Moderate husbandry is beneficial for the storage of OC, nitrogen (N) and other nutrients (e.g. phosphorus) for the majority of the montane grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau (i.e., Kobresia pygmaea pastures). However, Kobresia root mats originated from grazing are affected by desiccations and frost, which cause polygonal cracking and initiates soil erosion. This process is accelerated under high grazing pressure (overgrazing) that enhances root mat degradation. Increasing degradation caused by large herbivore densities resulted in an increased OC decomposition demonstrated by decreasing δ13C values. The δ13C shift towards more negative values reflects the relative enrichment of 13C depleted lignin components during OC decomposition in the strongly disturbed soil. Translocation of topsoil material into the subsoil with advancing degradation (from stages 1 to 5) was indicated by increasing contributions of cutin to OC in the subsoils. Microbial community composition in the subsoil changed progressively from stage 1 to 5 with most pronounced changes of the fungal community. These findings were confirmed by the enzyme activities involved in the degradation of more complex OC compounds (e.g. fungal phenoloxidases) that were highest in the subsoil of degradation stage 4. In contrast, degradation stages 2 and 3 showed low enzyme activities in the subsoil if related to soil OC amount. We conclude that pasture degradation decreases not only the mechanical protection of soil surface by Kobresia root mats, but also changes their biochemical and microbial functions. Moderate grazing improves the pastures, increases OC sequestration and may stop the degradation of soils on Tibetan plateau.

A urine midmolecule osteocalcin assay shows higher discriminatory power than a serum midmolecule osteocalcin assay during short-term alendronate treatment of osteoporotic patients.

PubMed

Srivastava, A K; Mohan, S; Singer, F R; Baylink, D J

2002-07-01

We isolated and characterized a peptide fragment corresponding to amino acid sequence 14-28 of human osteocalcin in urine from Paget's disease, and developed a polyclonal antibody reactive to this peptide in urine. We used this antibody to measure urinary fragments of osteocalcin and compared to efficacy of the urinary osteocalcin assay with a serum osteocalcin (sOC) assay (ELISA-Osteo, Cis-Bio International) to monitor the short-term changes in bone turnover in response to alendronate treatment. The synthetic peptide-based urinary osteocalcin (uOC) radioimmunoassay (RIA) showed an analytical sensitivity of 6.25 ng/mL, standard curve range of 3.12-400 ng/mL, and mean intra- (n = 20) and interassay (n = 30) coefficient of variation (CV) of <15%. Urine osteocalcin concentrations in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients were approximately 90% higher than in normal premenopausal controls. Series of 24 h urine and matched serum samples were collected at baseline, 30 days, and 90 days after treatment of postmenopausal osteoporotic patients with daily dose of 10 mg alendronate. We measured urinary osteocalcin (uOc) levels and urinary N-telopeptide (uNTx, Ostex) in urine samples and serum N-telopeptide (sNTx), C-telopeptide (sCTx, Osteometer), serum osteocalcin (sOC) as well as bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (sALP) (Alkphose-B, Metra Biosystems) in serum samples. The percent change data obtained between baseline and 30 days (n = 18) posttreatment suggested a rapid decline in uOC concentration (-27%, p < 0.01) in response to alendronate treatment, as compared with a marginal and nonsignificant decrease in sOC (-7.2%, p = 0.417) or sALP (-3.4%, p = 0.689), two specific markers of bone formation. As expected, due to the coupling of bone formation and bone resorption, the concentration of all markers showed a 30%-45% decline compared with baseline values after 90 days (n = 16) of treatment. Correlation of markers after a 30 day treatment with alendronate revealed a higher correlation (r = 0.61, p < 0.01) between uOC and uNTx, as compared with sOC (r = 0.03, p = 0.447) or sALP (r = -0.14, p = 0.295) with uNTx. Similarly, correlation coefficients with r values between 0.48 and 0.55 (p < 0.05) were observed between uOC, sNTx, and sCTx, whereas no significant correlation was observed between sOC and sNTx or sCTx. These results provide indirect evidence that fragments measured by the urine assay probably originated from bone resorption, and suggest that the uOC assay could be used to assess short-term changes in bone metabolism with regard to osteocalcin.

Initial Experience With Tofacitinib in Clinical Practice: Treatment Patterns and Costs of Tofacitinib Administered as Monotherapy or in Combination With Conventional Synthetic DMARDs in 2 US Health Care Claims Databases.

PubMed

Harnett, James; Curtis, Jeffrey R; Gerber, Robert; Gruben, David; Koenig, Andrew

2016-06-01

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tofacitinib can be administered as a monotherapy or in combination with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This study describes RA patients' characteristics, treatment patterns, and costs for those initiating tofacitinib treatment as monotherapy or combination therapy, using US claims data from clinical practice. A retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged ≥18 years with RA (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 714.xx) and with ≥1 tofacitinib claim in the Truven Marketscan (TM) or the Optum Clinformatics (OC) database. Index was defined as the first tofacitinib fill date (November 2012-June 2014). Patients were continuously enrolled for ≥12 months before and after index. Adherence was assessed using the proportion of days covered (PDC) and medication possession ratio (MPR). Persistence was evaluated using a 1.5× days' supply gap or switch. All-cause and RA-related costs in the 12-month pre- and post-index periods were evaluated. Unadjusted and adjusted analyses were conducted on data on treatment patterns and costs stratified by monotherapy status. A total of 337 (TM) and 118 (OC) tofacitinib patients met the selection criteria; 52.2% (TM) and 50.8% (OC) received monotherapy and 83.7% (TM) and 76.3% (OC) had pre-index biologic DMARD experience. Twelve-month mean PDC values were 0.56 (TM) and 0.53 (OC), and 12-month mean MPR was 0.84 (TM) and 0.80 (OC), with persistence of 140.0 (TM) and 124.6 (OC) days. Between 12-month pre- and post-index periods, mean (SD) 12-month RA-related medical costs decreased by $5784 ($31,832) in TM and $6103 ($25,897) in OC (both, P < 0.05), whereas total costs increased by $3996 ($30,397) in TM (P < 0.05) and $1390 ($26,603) in OC. There were no significant differences in adherence, persistence, or all-cause/RA-related costs between monotherapy and combination therapy in unadjusted/adjusted analyses. This analysis adds to the existing tofacitinib knowledge base and will enable informed clinical and policy decision making based on valuable datasets independent of randomized controlled trials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of deposition temperature on the electrical properties of Ti/SiC Schottky barrier diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oder, Tom N.; Kundeti, Krishna C.; Borucki, Nicholas; Isukapati, Sundar B.

2017-12-01

Ti Schottky contacts were deposited on n-type 4H-SiC at different temperatures ranging from 28 oC to 900 oC using a magnetron sputtering deposition system to fabricate Schottky barrier diodes. Post deposition annealing at 500 oC for up to 60 hours in vacuum was carried to further improve the contact properties. Optimum barrier height of 1.13 eV and ideality factor of 1.04 was obtained in contacts deposited at 200 oC and annealed for 60 hours. Under a reverse voltage bias of 400 V, the average leakage current on these set of diodes was 6.6 x 10-8 A. Based on the x-ray diffraction analysis, TiC, Ti5Si3 and Ti3SiC2 were formed at the Ti/SiC interface. These results could be beneficial to improving the performance of 4H-SiC Schottky diodes for high power and high temperature applications.

Carbon dynamics of river corridors and the effects of human alterations

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

Wohl, Ellen; Hall, Robert O.; Lininger, Katherine B.

Research in stream metabolism, gas exchange, and sediment dynamics indicates that rivers are an active component of the global carbon cycle and that river form and process can influence partitioning of terrestrially derived carbon among the atmosphere, geosphere, and ocean. Here we develop a conceptual model of carbon dynamics (inputs, outputs, and storage of organic carbon) within a river corridor, which includes the active channel and the riparian zone. The exchange of carbon from the channel to the riparian zone represents potential for storage of transported carbon not included in the “active pipe” model of organic carbon (OC) dynamics inmore » freshwater systems. The active pipe model recognizes that river processes influence carbon dynamics, but focuses on CO2 emissions from the channel and eventual delivery to the ocean. We also review how human activities directly and indirectly alter carbon dynamics within river corridors. We propose that dams create the most significant alteration of carbon dynamics within a channel, but that alteration of riparian zones, including the reduction of lateral connectivity between the channel and riparian zone, constitutes the most substantial change of carbon dynamics in river corridors. We argue that the morphology and processes of a river corridor regulate the ability to store, transform, and transport OC, and that people are pervasive modifiers of river morphology and processes. The net effect of most human activities, with the notable exception of reservoir construction, appears to be that of reducing the ability of river corridors to store OC within biota and sediment, which effectively converts river corridors to OC sources rather than OC sinks. We conclude by summarizing knowledge gaps in OC dynamics and the implications of our findings for managing OC dynamics within river corridors.« less

Carbon dynamics of river corridors and the effects of human alterations

DOE PAGES

Wohl, Ellen; Hall, Robert O.; Lininger, Katherine B.; ...

2017-06-22

Research in stream metabolism, gas exchange, and sediment dynamics indicates that rivers are an active component of the global carbon cycle and that river form and process can influence partitioning of terrestrially derived carbon among the atmosphere, geosphere, and ocean. Here we develop a conceptual model of carbon dynamics (inputs, outputs, and storage of organic carbon) within a river corridor, which includes the active channel and the riparian zone. The exchange of carbon from the channel to the riparian zone represents potential for storage of transported carbon not included in the “active pipe” model of organic carbon (OC) dynamics inmore » freshwater systems. The active pipe model recognizes that river processes influence carbon dynamics, but focuses on CO2 emissions from the channel and eventual delivery to the ocean. We also review how human activities directly and indirectly alter carbon dynamics within river corridors. We propose that dams create the most significant alteration of carbon dynamics within a channel, but that alteration of riparian zones, including the reduction of lateral connectivity between the channel and riparian zone, constitutes the most substantial change of carbon dynamics in river corridors. We argue that the morphology and processes of a river corridor regulate the ability to store, transform, and transport OC, and that people are pervasive modifiers of river morphology and processes. The net effect of most human activities, with the notable exception of reservoir construction, appears to be that of reducing the ability of river corridors to store OC within biota and sediment, which effectively converts river corridors to OC sources rather than OC sinks. We conclude by summarizing knowledge gaps in OC dynamics and the implications of our findings for managing OC dynamics within river corridors.« less

Carbon dynamics of river corridors and the effects of human alterations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wohl, Ellen; Hall, Robert O.; Lininger, Katherine B; Sutfin, Nicholas A.; Walters, David

2017-01-01

Research in stream metabolism, gas exchange, and sediment dynamics indicates that rivers are an active component of the global carbon cycle and that river form and process can influence partitioning of terrestrially derived carbon among the atmosphere, geosphere, and ocean. Here we develop a conceptual model of carbon dynamics (inputs, outputs, and storage of organic carbon) within a river corridor, which includes the active channel and the riparian zone. The exchange of carbon from the channel to the riparian zone represents potential for storage of transported carbon not included in the “active pipe” model of organic carbon (OC) dynamics in freshwater systems. The active pipe model recognizes that river processes influence carbon dynamics, but focuses on CO2 emissions from the channel and eventual delivery to the ocean. We also review how human activities directly and indirectly alter carbon dynamics within river corridors. We propose that dams create the most significant alteration of carbon dynamics within a channel, but that alteration of riparian zones, including the reduction of lateral connectivity between the channel and riparian zone, constitutes the most substantial change of carbon dynamics in river corridors. We argue that the morphology and processes of a river corridor regulate the ability to store, transform, and transport OC, and that people are pervasive modifiers of river morphology and processes. The net effect of most human activities, with the notable exception of reservoir construction, appears to be that of reducing the ability of river corridors to store OC within biota and sediment, which effectively converts river corridors to OC sources rather than OC sinks. We conclude by summarizing knowledge gaps in OC dynamics and the implications of our findings for managing OC dynamics within river corridors.