Active browsing using similarity pyramids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jau-Yuen; Bouman, Charles A.; Dalton, John C.

1998-12-01

In this paper, we describe a new approach to managing large image databases, which we call active browsing. Active browsing integrates relevance feedback into the browsing environment, so that users can modify the database's organization to suit the desired task. Our method is based on a similarity pyramid data structure, which hierarchically organizes the database, so that it can be efficiently browsed. At coarse levels, the similarity pyramid allows users to view the database as large clusters of similar images. Alternatively, users can 'zoom into' finer levels to view individual images. We discuss relevance feedback for the browsing process, and argue that it is fundamentally different from relevance feedback for more traditional search-by-query tasks. We propose two fundamental operations for active browsing: pruning and reorganization. Both of these operations depend on a user-defined relevance set, which represents the image or set of images desired by the user. We present statistical methods for accurately pruning the database, and we propose a new 'worm hole' distance metric for reorganizing the database, so that members of the relevance set are grouped together.

A simple screening method for determining knowledge of the appropriate levels of activity and risk behaviour in young people with congenital cardiac conditions.

PubMed

Kendall, Lynne; Parsons, Jonathan M; Sloper, Patricia; Lewin, Robert J P

2007-04-01

To assess a novel method for assessing risk and providing advice about activity to children and young people with congenital cardiac disease and their parents. Questionnaire survey in outpatient clinics at a tertiary centre dealing with congenital cardiac disease, and 6 peripheral clinics. Children or their parents completed a brief questionnaire. If this indicated a desire for help, or a serious mismatch between advised and real level of activity, they were telephoned by a physiotherapist. MAIN MEASURES OF OUTCOME: Knowledge about appropriate levels of activity, and identification of the number exercising at an unsafe level, the number seeking help, and the type of help required. 253/258 (98.0%) questionnaires were returned, with 119/253 (47.0%) showing incorrect responses in their belief about their advised level of exercise; 17/253 (6.7%) had potentially dangerous overestimation of exercise. Asked if they wanted advice 93/253 (36.8%) said "yes", 43/253 (17.0%) "maybe", and 117/253 (46.2%) "no". Of those contacted by phone to give advice, 72.7% (56/77) required a single contact and 14.3% (11/77) required an intervention that required more intensive contact lasting from 2 up to 12 weeks. Of the cohort, 3.9% (3/77) were taking part in activities that put them at significant risk. There is a significant lack of knowledge about appropriate levels of activity, and a desire for further advice, in children and young people with congenital cardiac disease. A few children may be at very significant risk. These needs can be identified, and clinical risk reduced, using a brief self-completed questionnaire combined with telephone follow-up from a suitably knowledgeable physiotherapist.

Patient Activation and Mental Health Care Experiences Among Women Veterans.

PubMed

Kimerling, Rachel; Pavao, Joanne; Wong, Ava

2016-07-01

We utilized a nationally representative survey of women veteran primary care users to examine associations between patient activation and mental health care experiences. A dose-response relationship was observed, with odds of high quality ratings significantly greater at each successive level of patient activation. Higher activation levels were also significantly associated with preference concordant care for gender-related preferences (use of female providers, women-only settings, and women-only groups as often as desired). Results add to the growing literature documenting better health care experiences among more activated patients, and suggest that patient activation may play an important role in promoting engagement with mental health care.

Low Power, High Voltage Power Supply with Fast Rise/Fall Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bearden, Douglas B. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A low power, high voltage power supply system includes a high voltage power supply stage and a preregulator for programming the power supply stage so as to produce an output voltage which is a predetermined fraction of a desired voltage level. The power supply stage includes a high voltage, voltage doubler stage connected to receive the output voltage from the preregulator and for, when activated, providing amplification of the output voltage to the desired voltage level. A first feedback loop is connected between the output of the preregulator and an input of the preregulator while a second feedback loop is connected between the output of the power supply stage and the input of the preregulator.

Low power, high voltage power supply with fast rise/fall time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bearden, Douglas B. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A low power, high voltage power supply system includes a high voltage power supply stage and a preregulator for programming the power supply stage so as to produce an output voltage which is a predetermined fraction of a desired voltage level. The power supply stage includes a high voltage, voltage doubler stage connected to receive the output voltage from the preregulator and for, when activated, providing amplification of the output voltage to the desired voltage level. A first feedback loop is connected between the output of the preregulator and an input of the preregulator while a second feedback loop is connected between the output of the power supply stage and the input of the preregulator.

Pathfinder autonomous rendezvous and docking project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamkin, Stephen (Editor); Mccandless, Wayne (Editor)

1990-01-01

Capabilities are being developed and demonstrated to support manned and unmanned vehicle operations in lunar and planetary orbits. In this initial phase, primary emphasis is placed on definition of the system requirements for candidate Pathfinder mission applications and correlation of these system-level requirements with specific requirements. The FY-89 activities detailed are best characterized as foundation building. The majority of the efforts were dedicated to assessing the current state of the art, identifying desired elaborations and expansions to this level of development and charting a course that will realize the desired objectives in the future. Efforts are detailed across all work packages in developing those requirements and tools needed to test, refine, and validate basic autonomous rendezvous and docking elements.

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) Expert Consensus Panel Review.

PubMed

Goldstein, Irwin; Kim, Noel N; Clayton, Anita H; DeRogatis, Leonard R; Giraldi, Annamaria; Parish, Sharon J; Pfaus, James; Simon, James A; Kingsberg, Sheryl A; Meston, Cindy; Stahl, Stephen M; Wallen, Kim; Worsley, Roisin

2017-01-01

The objective of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health expert consensus panel was to develop a concise, clinically relevant, evidence-based review of the epidemiology, physiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), a sexual dysfunction affecting approximately 10% of adult women. Etiologic factors include conditions or drugs that decrease brain dopamine, melanocortin, oxytocin, and norepinephrine levels and augment brain serotonin, endocannabinoid, prolactin, and opioid levels. Symptoms include lack or loss of motivation to participate in sexual activity due to absent or decreased spontaneous desire, sexual desire in response to erotic cues or stimulation, or ability to maintain desire or interest through sexual activity for at least 6 months, with accompanying distress. Treatment follows a biopsychosocial model and is guided by history and assessment of symptoms. Sex therapy has been the standard treatment, although there is a paucity of studies assessing efficacy, except for mindfulness-based cognitive behavior therapy. Bupropion and buspirone may be considered off-label treatments for HSDD, despite limited safety and efficacy data. Menopausal women with HSDD may benefit from off-label testosterone treatment, as evidenced by multiple clinical trials reporting some efficacy and short-term safety. Currently, flibanserin is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved medication to treat premenopausal women with generalized acquired HSDD. Based on existing data, we hypothesize that all these therapies alter central inhibitory and excitatory pathways. In conclusion, HSDD significantly affects quality of life in women and can effectively be managed by health care providers with appropriate assessments and individualized treatments. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neural Correlates of Belief- and Desire-Reasoning in 7- and 8-year-old Children: An Event-Related Potential Study

PubMed Central

Bowman, Lindsay C.; Liu, David; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Wellman, Henry M.

2012-01-01

Theory of mind requires belief- and desire-understanding. Event-related brain potential (ERP) research on belief- and desire-reasoning in adults found mid-frontal activations for both desires and beliefs, and selective right-posterior activations only for beliefs. Developmentally, children understand desires before beliefs; thus, a critical question concerns whether neural specialization for belief-reasoning exists in childhood or develops later. Neural activity was recorded as 7- and 8-year-olds (N = 18) performed the same diverse-desires, diverse-beliefs, and physical control tasks used in a previous adult ERP study. Like adults, mid-frontal scalp activations were found for belief- and desire-reasoning. Moreover, analyses using correct trials alone yielded selective right-posterior activations for belief-reasoning. Results suggest developmental links between increasingly accurate understanding of complex mental states and neural specialization supporting this understanding. PMID:22925510

(Not) bringing up baby: the effects of jealousy on the desire to have and invest in children.

PubMed

Hill, Sarah E; Delpriore, Danielle J

2013-02-01

The present research uses insights from evolutionary psychology and social cognition to explore the relationship between jealousy-both experimentally activated and chronically accessible-on men's and women's desire to start a family and invest in children. In our first two studies, we found that chronically jealous men and women responded to primed infidelity threat by exhibiting a diminished interest in infants (Study 1) and reporting less happiness upon receiving pregnancy news (Study 2) relative to controls. Study 3 extended these results by examining the effects of jealousy on desired parental investment. Consistent with the proposed theoretical framework, chronically jealous men, but not women, respond to infidelity threat by decreasing their desired level of parental investment relative to controls. Together, these results provide novel empirical support for the hypothesis that jealousy functions to attenuate the reproductive costs associated with partner infidelity.

Sexuality after a cancer diagnosis: A population‐based study

PubMed Central

Wardle, Jane; Steptoe, Andrew; Fisher, Abigail

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND This study explored differences in sexual activity, function, and concerns between cancer survivors and cancer‐free controls in a population‐based study. METHODS The data were from 2982 men and 3708 women who were 50 years old or older and were participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Sexual well‐being was assessed with the Sexual Relationships and Activities Questionnaire, and cancer diagnoses were self‐reported. RESULTS There were no differences between cancer survivors and controls in levels of sexual activity (76.0% vs 78.5% for men and 58.2% vs 55.5% for women) or sexual function. Men and women with cancer diagnoses were more dissatisfied with their sex lives than controls (age‐adjusted percentages: 30.9% vs 19.8% for men [P = .023] and 18.2% vs 11.8% for women [P = .034]), and women with cancer were more concerned about levels of sexual desire (10.2% vs 7.1%; P = .006). Women diagnosed < 5 years ago were more likely to report difficulty with becoming aroused (55.4% vs 31.8%; P = .016) and achieving orgasm (60.6% vs 28.3%; P < .001) and were more concerned about sexual desire (14.8% vs 7.1%; P = .007) and orgasmic experience (17.6% vs 7.1%; P = .042) than controls, but there were no differences in men. CONCLUSIONS Self‐reports of sexual activity and functioning in older people with cancer are broadly comparable to age‐matched, cancer‐free controls. There is a need to identify the causes of sexual dissatisfaction among long‐term cancer survivors despite apparently normal levels of sexual activity and function for their age. The development of interventions addressing low sexual desire and problems with sexual functioning in women is also important and may be particularly relevant for cancer survivors after treatment. Cancer 2016;122:3883–3891. © 2016 American Cancer Society. PMID:27531631

Sexuality after a cancer diagnosis: A population-based study.

PubMed

Jackson, Sarah E; Wardle, Jane; Steptoe, Andrew; Fisher, Abigail

2016-12-15

This study explored differences in sexual activity, function, and concerns between cancer survivors and cancer-free controls in a population-based study. The data were from 2982 men and 3708 women who were 50 years old or older and were participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Sexual well-being was assessed with the Sexual Relationships and Activities Questionnaire, and cancer diagnoses were self-reported. There were no differences between cancer survivors and controls in levels of sexual activity (76.0% vs 78.5% for men and 58.2% vs 55.5% for women) or sexual function. Men and women with cancer diagnoses were more dissatisfied with their sex lives than controls (age-adjusted percentages: 30.9% vs 19.8% for men [P = .023] and 18.2% vs 11.8% for women [P = .034]), and women with cancer were more concerned about levels of sexual desire (10.2% vs 7.1%; P = .006). Women diagnosed < 5 years ago were more likely to report difficulty with becoming aroused (55.4% vs 31.8%; P = .016) and achieving orgasm (60.6% vs 28.3%; P < .001) and were more concerned about sexual desire (14.8% vs 7.1%; P = .007) and orgasmic experience (17.6% vs 7.1%; P = .042) than controls, but there were no differences in men. Self-reports of sexual activity and functioning in older people with cancer are broadly comparable to age-matched, cancer-free controls. There is a need to identify the causes of sexual dissatisfaction among long-term cancer survivors despite apparently normal levels of sexual activity and function for their age. The development of interventions addressing low sexual desire and problems with sexual functioning in women is also important and may be particularly relevant for cancer survivors after treatment. Cancer 2016;122:3883-3891. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society.

A novel fair active queue management algorithm based on traffic delay jitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xue-Shun; Yu, Shao-Hua; Dai, Jin-You; Luo, Ting

2009-11-01

In order to guarantee the quantity of data traffic delivered in the network, congestion control strategy is adopted. According to the study of many active queue management (AQM) algorithms, this paper proposes a novel active queue management algorithm named JFED. JFED can stabilize queue length at a desirable level by adjusting output traffic rate and adopting a reasonable calculation of packet drop probability based on buffer queue length and traffic jitter; and it support burst packet traffic through the packet delay jitter, so that it can traffic flow medium data. JFED impose effective punishment upon non-responsible flow with a full stateless method. To verify the performance of JFED, it is implemented in NS2 and is compared with RED and CHOKe with respect to different performance metrics. Simulation results show that the proposed JFED algorithm outperforms RED and CHOKe in stabilizing instantaneous queue length and in fairness. It is also shown that JFED enables the link capacity to be fully utilized by stabilizing the queue length at a desirable level, while not incurring excessive packet loss ratio.

Sexual Health and Well-being Among Older Men and Women in England: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

PubMed

Lee, David M; Nazroo, James; O'Connor, Daryl B; Blake, Margaret; Pendleton, Neil

2016-01-01

We describe levels of sexual activity, problems with sexual functioning, and concerns about sexual health among older adults in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and associations with age, health, and partnership factors. Specifically, a total of 6,201 core ELSA participants (56 % women) aged 50 to >90 completed a comprehensive Sexual Relationships and Activities questionnaire (SRA-Q) included in ELSA Wave 6 (2012/13). The prevalence of reporting any sexual activity in the last year declined with age, with women less likely than men at all ages to report being sexually active. Poorer health was associated with lower levels of sexual activity and a higher prevalence of problems with sexual functioning, particularly among men. Difficulties most frequently reported by sexually active women related to becoming sexually aroused (32 %) and achieving orgasm (27 %), while for men it was erectile function (39 %). Sexual health concerns most commonly reported by women related to their level of sexual desire (11 %) and frequency of sexual activities (8 %). Among men it was level of sexual desire (15 %) and erectile difficulties (14 %). While the likelihood of reporting sexual health concerns tended to decrease with age in women, the opposite was seen in men. Poor sexual functioning and disagreements with a partner about initiating and/or feeling obligated to have sex were associated with greater concerns about and dissatisfaction with overall sex life. Levels of sexual activity decline with increasing age, although a sizable minority of men and women remain sexually active until the eighth and ninth decades of life. Problems with sexual functioning were relatively common, but overall levels of sexual health concerns were much lower. Sexually active men reported higher levels of concern with their sexual health and sexual dissatisfaction than women at all ages. Older peoples' sexual health should be managed, not just in the context of their age, gender, and general health, but also within their existing sexual relationship.

Neural Correlates of Belief- and Desire-Reasoning in 7- and 8-Year-Old Children: An Event-Related Potential Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Lindsay C.; Liu, David; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Wellman, Henry M.

2012-01-01

Theory of mind requires belief- "and" desire-understanding. Event-related brain potential (ERP) research on belief- and desire-reasoning in adults found mid-frontal activations for both desires and beliefs, and selective right-posterior activations "only" for beliefs. Developmentally, children understand desires before beliefs; thus, a critical…

Beyond ‘MSM’: Sexual Desire Among Bisexually-Active Latino Men in New York City

PubMed Central

Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel A.

2015-01-01

Latino male bisexuality has been studied for the most part with a focus on men who have sex with men (MSM) and with little attention to sexual desire. The goal of this article is to present a comprehensive understanding of how sexual desire is organized, enacted through sexual activity, and interpreted in the sexual lives of bisexually-active Latino men. To achieve this aim, an analysis was made of 18 sexual histories of bisexually active Latino men who participated in a two-year ethnographic study. Four configurations of sexual desire were constructed to reflect what was found in this population of bisexually-active Latino men: (a) lifetime homoerotic desire and casual sex with women; (b) lifetime heteroerotic desire, but commercial sex with men; (c) lifetime heteroerotic/transgender desire; (d) lifetime sexual desire for women and men. These configurations are explored in detail in this article. The analysis presented here is intended to offer insights into the overall study of Latino male bisexuality and into the foundations for the design of HIV and STI prevention programs directed toward bisexually-active Latino men and their partners. PMID:26412977

Predictive Capability Maturity Model (PCMM).

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

Swiler, Laura Painton; Knupp, Patrick Michael; Urbina, Angel

2010-10-01

Predictive Capability Maturity Model (PCMM) is a communication tool that must include a dicussion of the supporting evidence. PCMM is a tool for managing risk in the use of modeling and simulation. PCMM is in the service of organizing evidence to help tell the modeling and simulation (M&S) story. PCMM table describes what activities within each element are undertaken at each of the levels of maturity. Target levels of maturity can be established based on the intended application. The assessment is to inform what level has been achieved compared to the desired level, to help prioritize the VU activities &more » to allocate resources.« less

Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance

DOEpatents

Pham, Quoc; Chang, On; Durairaj, Sumitha

2015-03-31

Loss of flow battery electrode catalyst layers during self-discharge or charge reversal may be prevented by establishing and maintaining a negative electrolyte imbalance during at least parts of a flow battery's operation. Negative imbalance may be established and/or maintained actively, passively or both. Actively establishing a negative imbalance may involve detecting an imbalance that is less negative than a desired threshold, and processing one or both electrolytes until the imbalance reaches a desired negative level. Negative imbalance may be effectively established and maintained passively within a cell by constructing a cell with a negative electrode chamber that is larger than the cell's positive electrode chamber, thereby providing a larger quantity of negative electrolyte for reaction with positive electrolyte.

Differences among college women for breast cancer prevention acquired information-seeking, desired apps and texts, and daughter-initiated information to mothers.

PubMed

Kratzke, Cynthia; Amatya, Anup; Vilchis, Hugo

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine among college women acquired breast cancer prevention information-seeking, desired apps and texts, and information given to mothers. Using a cross-sectional study, a survey was administered to college women at a southwestern university. College women (n = 546) used the Internet (44 %) for active breast cancer prevention information-seeking and used the Internet (74 %), magazines (69 %), and television (59 %) for passive information receipt. Over half of the participants desired breast cancer prevention apps (54 %) and texts (51 %). Logistic regression analyses revealed predictors for interest to receive apps were ethnicity (Hispanic), lower self-efficacy, actively seeking online information, and older age and predictors for interest to receive texts were lower self-efficacy and higher university level. Eighteen percent of college women (n = 99) reported giving information to mothers and reported in an open-ended item the types of information given to mothers. Predictors for giving information to mothers were actively and passively seeking online information, breast self-exam practice, and higher university level. Screenings were the most frequent types of information given to mothers. Breast cancer prevention information using apps, texts, or Internet and daughter-initiated information for mothers should be considered in health promotion targeting college students or young women in communities. Future research is needed to examine the quality of apps, texts, and online information and cultural differences for breast cancer prevention sources.

Expanding the Analysis of Psychosocial Factors of Sexual Desire in Men.

PubMed

Nimbi, Filippo Maria; Tripodi, Francesca; Rossi, Roberta; Simonelli, Chiara

2018-02-01

The literature lacks studies of the male sex drive. Most existing studies have focused on hypoactive sexual desire disorder in coupled heterosexual men, highlighting some of the main related biological, psychological, and social factors. To evaluate the role of selected psychological and social variables affecting male sexual desire such as quality of life, sexual function, distress, satisfaction, psychological symptoms, emotions, alexithymia, couple adjustment, sexism, cognitive schemas activated in a sexual context, sexual dysfunctional beliefs, and different classes of cognitions triggered during sexual activity about failure anticipation, erection concerns, age- and body-related thoughts, erotic fantasies, and negative attitudes toward sexuality. A wide self-administered survey used snowball sampling to reach 298 heterosexual Italian men (age = 32.66 ± 11.52 years) from the general population. 13 questionnaires exploring psychological and social elements involved in sexual response were administrated: International Index of Erectile Function, Short Form 36 for Quality of Life, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Symptom Check List-90-Revised, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Premature Ejaculation Severity Index, Sexual Distress Scale, Sexual Satisfaction Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Sexual Modes Questionnaire, Sexual Dysfunctional Belief Questionnaire, and Questionnaire of Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Context. Results showed lack of erotic thoughts (β = -0.328), fear (β = -0.259) and desire to have a baby (β = -0.259) as the main predictors of the level of sexual desire in this group. Energy-fatigue, depression, premature ejaculation severity, sexual distress, compatibility, subjective sexual response, and sexual conservatism had a weaker effect on sexual desire. Sexual functioning (13.80%), emotional response (12.70%), dysfunctional sexual beliefs (12.10%), and negative automatic thoughts (12.00%) had more variable effects on sexual drive. Analyzed variables could represent important factors that should be considered in the assessment of desire concerns and discussed in therapy. The strength of this study is the analysis of novel psychological and social factors on male sexual desire. Recruitment and sample size do not allow generalization of the results, but some crucial points for future research and clinical practice are discussed. Our findings showed that male sexual desire could be affected by many psychological and social elements. Other factors remain to be explored, in their direct and interactive effects, aiming to better explain male sexual desire functioning. Nimbi FM, Tripodi F, Rossi R, Simonelli C. Expanding the Analysis of Psychosocial Factors of Sexual Desire in Men. J Sex Med 2018;15:230-244. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are kids too busy?: early adolescents' perceptions of discretionary activities, overscheduling, and stress.

PubMed

Brown, Stephen L; Nobiling, Brandye D; Teufel, James; Birch, David A

2011-09-01

The activity patterns of children, especially after-school patterns, are receiving more professional attention. However, evidence regarding the value of various activities in children's lives is contradictory. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of discretionary activities, overscheduling, and levels of stress from adolescents' perspective. A sample of 882 children, ages 9 to 13, recruited at 9 health education centers in the United States was selected for this study. Children answered questionnaires using remote, handheld devices. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. The outcomes of interest were activity-based stress and desire for more free time. The primary predictor for the desire for more free time was hours of screen time (television, computer, video games): those who reported 3 or more hours were nearly 3 times more likely to desire more free time. Further, children who chose their own activities experienced more activity-related stress than those who shared decisions with parents. The single greatest predictor of activity-related stress was the reported number of hours spent on homework. Students who averaged at least 2 hours on homework per night were nearly twice as likely to report frequent activity-related stress. Parents of school-aged children should assess activity-related stress and the degree to which children perceive they are busy. Teachers, school counselors, and school administrators should be aware of these perceptions as they are making decisions regarding school schedules and should teach personal skills such as time management and stress control. © 2011, American School Health Association.

The Desired Learning Outcomes of School-Based Nutrition/Physical Activity Health Education: A Health Literacy Constructed Delphi Survey of Finnish Experts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ormshaw, Michael James; Kokko, Sami Petteri; Villberg, Jari; Kannas, Lasse

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to utilise the collective opinion of a group of Finnish experts to identify the most important learning outcomes of secondary-level school-based health education, in the specific domains of physical activity and nutrition. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: The study uses a Delphi survey technique to collect the…

Examining the relationships between body image, eating attitudes, BMI, and physical activity in rural and urban South African young adult females using structural equation modeling

PubMed Central

Wrottesley, Stephanie V.; Cohen, Emmanuel; Reddy, Ankita; Said-Mohamed, Rihlat; Twine, Rhian; Tollman, Stephen M.; Kahn, Kathleen; Dunger, David B.; Norris, Shane A.

2017-01-01

The persistence of food insecurity, malnutrition, increasing adiposity, and decreasing physical activity, heightens the need to understand relationships between body image satisfaction, eating attitudes, BMI and physical activity levels in South Africa. Females aged 18–23 years were recruited from rural (n = 509) and urban (n = 510) settings. Body image satisfaction was measured using Stunkard’s silhouettes, and the 26-item Eating Attitudes questionnaire (EAT-26) was used to evaluate participants’ risk of disordered eating. Minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Significant linear correlates were included in a series of regressions run separately for urban and rural participants. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships between variables. Urban females were more likely to be overweight and obese than rural females (p = 0.02), and had a greater desire to be thinner (p = 0.02). In both groups, being overweight or obese was positively associated with a desire to be thinner (p<0.01), and negatively associated with a desire to be fatter (p<0.01). Having a disordered eating attitude was associated with body image dissatisfaction in the urban group (β = 1.27, p<0.01, CI: 0.38; 2.16), but only with a desire to be fatter in the rural group (β = 0.63, p = 0.04, CI: 0.03; 1.23). In the SEM model, body image dissatisfaction was associated with disordered eating (β = 0.63), as well as higher MVPA participation (p<0.01). These factors were directly associated with a decreased risk of disordered eating attitude, and with a decreased desire to be thinner. Findings indicate a shift in both settings towards more Westernised ideals. Physical activity may provide a means to promote a healthy body image, while reducing the risk of disordered eating. Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in both rural and urban women, this study provides insights for future interventions aimed at decreasing adiposity in a healthy way. PMID:29145423

Examining the relationships between body image, eating attitudes, BMI, and physical activity in rural and urban South African young adult females using structural equation modeling.

PubMed

Prioreschi, Alessandra; Wrottesley, Stephanie V; Cohen, Emmanuel; Reddy, Ankita; Said-Mohamed, Rihlat; Twine, Rhian; Tollman, Stephen M; Kahn, Kathleen; Dunger, David B; Norris, Shane A

2017-01-01

The persistence of food insecurity, malnutrition, increasing adiposity, and decreasing physical activity, heightens the need to understand relationships between body image satisfaction, eating attitudes, BMI and physical activity levels in South Africa. Females aged 18-23 years were recruited from rural (n = 509) and urban (n = 510) settings. Body image satisfaction was measured using Stunkard's silhouettes, and the 26-item Eating Attitudes questionnaire (EAT-26) was used to evaluate participants' risk of disordered eating. Minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Significant linear correlates were included in a series of regressions run separately for urban and rural participants. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships between variables. Urban females were more likely to be overweight and obese than rural females (p = 0.02), and had a greater desire to be thinner (p = 0.02). In both groups, being overweight or obese was positively associated with a desire to be thinner (p<0.01), and negatively associated with a desire to be fatter (p<0.01). Having a disordered eating attitude was associated with body image dissatisfaction in the urban group (β = 1.27, p<0.01, CI: 0.38; 2.16), but only with a desire to be fatter in the rural group (β = 0.63, p = 0.04, CI: 0.03; 1.23). In the SEM model, body image dissatisfaction was associated with disordered eating (β = 0.63), as well as higher MVPA participation (p<0.01). These factors were directly associated with a decreased risk of disordered eating attitude, and with a decreased desire to be thinner. Findings indicate a shift in both settings towards more Westernised ideals. Physical activity may provide a means to promote a healthy body image, while reducing the risk of disordered eating. Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in both rural and urban women, this study provides insights for future interventions aimed at decreasing adiposity in a healthy way.

Science Interests of Urban Seventh Graders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Bernice Taylor; And Others

At the middle and elementary school levels, cultivating an interest in science has been considered an important goal. The primary aim should be to foster a desire for participation in science courses and activities. Research results suggest that schools do not provide a curriculum that supports science interests, and student attitudes toward…

Using Electronic Portfolios to Explore Essential Student Learning Outcomes in a Professional Development Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alanson, Erik R.; Robles, Richard A.

2016-01-01

The following study utilizes an ePortfolio platform to examine desirable employment competencies during an introductory level professional development course for cooperative education students at a large, research intensive institution. The researchers created course activities allowing students to demonstrate essential learning outcomes derived…

Body Image in Dyadic and Solitary Sexual Desire: The Role of Encoding Style and Distracting Thoughts.

PubMed

Dosch, Alessandra; Ghisletta, Paolo; Van der Linden, Martial

2016-01-01

This study explored the link between body image and desire to engage in sexual activity (dyadic and solitary desire) in adult women living in a long-term couple relationship. Moreover, it considered two psychological factors that may underlie such a link: the occurrence of body-related distracting thoughts during sexual activity and encoding style (i.e., the tendency to rely on preexisting internal schemata versus external information at encoding). A total of 53 women (29 to 47 years old) in heterosexual relationships completed questionnaires assessing sexual desire (dyadic, solitary), body image, body-related distracting thoughts during sexual activity, and encoding style. Results showed that poor body image was associated with low dyadic and solitary sexual desire. Body-related distracting thoughts during sexual activity mediated the link between body image and solitary (but not dyadic) sexual desire. Finally, the mediation of body-related distracting thoughts between body image and solitary sexual desire was moderated by encoding style. A negative body image promoted the occurrence of body-related distracting thoughts during sexual activity, especially in internal encoders. Our study highlights the importance of body image, distracting thoughts, and encoding style in women's solitary sexuality and suggests possible factors that may reduce the impact of those body-related factors in dyadic sexual desire.

Hybrid BCI approach to control an artificial tibio-femoral joint.

PubMed

Mercado, Luis; Rodriguez-Linan, Angel; Torres-Trevino, Luis M; Quiroz, G

2016-08-01

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for disabled people should allow them to use their remaining functionalities as control possibilities. BCIs connect the brain with external devices to perform the volition or intent of movement, regardless if that individual is unable to perform the task due to body impairments. In this work we fuse electromyographic (EMG) with electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in a framework called "Hybrid-BCI" (hBCI) approach to control the movement of a simulated tibio-femoral joint. Two mathematical models of a tibio-femoral joint are used to emulate the kinematic and dynamic behavior of the knee. The interest is to reproduce different velocities of the human gait cycle. The EEG signals are used to classify the user intent, which are the velocity changes, meanwhile the superficial EMG signals are used to estimate the amplitude of such intent. A multi-level controller is used to solve the trajectory tracking problem involved. The lower level consists of an individual controller for each model, it solves the tracking of the desired trajectory even considering different velocities of the human gait cycle. The mid-level uses a combination of a logical operator and a finite state machine for the switching between models. Finally, the highest level consists in a support vector machine to classify the desired activity.

Experiences and attitudes about physical activity and exercise in patients with chronic pain: a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Karlsson, Linn; Gerdle, Björn; Takala, Esa-Pekka; Andersson, Gerhard; Larsson, Britt

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe how patients with chronic pain experience physical activity and exercise (PA&E). This qualitative interview study included 16 women and two men suffering from chronic pain and referred to a multimodal pain rehabilitation program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. One main theme emerged: "To overcome obstacles and to seize opportunities to be physically active despite chronic pain." This main theme was abstracted from five themes: "Valuing a life with physical activity," "Physical activity and exercise - before and after pain," "A struggle - difficulties and challenges," "The enabling of physical activity," and "In need of continuous and active support." Although these participants valued PA&E, they seldom achieved desirable levels, and performance of PA&E was undermined by difficulties and failure. The discrepancy between the intention to perform physical activity and the physical activity accomplished could be related to motivation, self-efficacy, and action control. The participants desired high-quality interaction with healthcare providers. The findings can be applied to chronic pain rehabilitation that uses PA&E as treatment.

Comparing Subjective Ratings of Sexual Arousal and Desire in Partnered Sexual Activities from Women of Different Sexual Orientations.

PubMed

Persson, Tonje J; Ryder, Andrew G; Pfaus, James G

2016-08-01

Little is known about non-monosexual women's sexual arousal and desire. Typically, bisexual women have been excluded from research on sexual arousal and desire, whereas mostly heterosexual and mostly lesbian women have been placed into monosexual categories. This research (1) compared the subjective sexual arousal and desire of self-identified heterosexual, mostly heterosexual, bisexual, mostly lesbian, and lesbian women in partnered sexual activities with men and with women, and (2) compared within-group differences for subjective sexual arousal and desire with men versus women for the five groups. Participants included 388 women (M age = 24.40, SD = 6.40, 188 heterosexual, 53 mostly heterosexual, 64 bisexual, 32 mostly lesbian, 51 lesbian) who filled out the Sexual Arousal and Desire Inventory (SADI). Sexual orientation was associated with sexual arousal and desire in sexual activities with both men and with women. Bisexuals reported higher sexual arousal and desire for women than heterosexuals and lesbians, while lesbians reported lower sexual arousal and desire with men than the other groups. Heterosexuals and mostly heterosexuals scored higher on the male than on the female motivational dimension of the SADI, while the reverse was found for lesbians and mostly lesbians. Findings indicate that non-monosexuals have higher sexual arousal and desire in sexual activities with women than monosexuals. Further, bisexual women did not differentiate their sexual arousal with men versus women, while the other sexual orientation groups differentiated in terms of their motivation to engage in sexual activity. These findings may have implications for how female sexual orientation is conceptualized.

Desirability-based methods of multiobjective optimization and ranking for global QSAR studies. Filtering safe and potent drug candidates from combinatorial libraries.

PubMed

Cruz-Monteagudo, Maykel; Borges, Fernanda; Cordeiro, M Natália D S; Cagide Fajin, J Luis; Morell, Carlos; Ruiz, Reinaldo Molina; Cañizares-Carmenate, Yudith; Dominguez, Elena Rosa

2008-01-01

Up to now, very few applications of multiobjective optimization (MOOP) techniques to quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies have been reported in the literature. However, none of them report the optimization of objectives related directly to the final pharmaceutical profile of a drug. In this paper, a MOOP method based on Derringer's desirability function that allows conducting global QSAR studies, simultaneously considering the potency, bioavailability, and safety of a set of drug candidates, is introduced. The results of the desirability-based MOOP (the levels of the predictor variables concurrently producing the best possible compromise between the properties determining an optimal drug candidate) are used for the implementation of a ranking method that is also based on the application of desirability functions. This method allows ranking drug candidates with unknown pharmaceutical properties from combinatorial libraries according to the degree of similarity with the previously determined optimal candidate. Application of this method will make it possible to filter the most promising drug candidates of a library (the best-ranked candidates), which should have the best pharmaceutical profile (the best compromise between potency, safety and bioavailability). In addition, a validation method of the ranking process, as well as a quantitative measure of the quality of a ranking, the ranking quality index (Psi), is proposed. The usefulness of the desirability-based methods of MOOP and ranking is demonstrated by its application to a library of 95 fluoroquinolones, reporting their gram-negative antibacterial activity and mammalian cell cytotoxicity. Finally, the combined use of the desirability-based methods of MOOP and ranking proposed here seems to be a valuable tool for rational drug discovery and development.

A Real-Time Rejection Circuit to Automatically Reject Multiple Interfering Hopping Signals While Passing a Lower Level Desired Signal.

DTIC Science & Technology

contain the low level desired frequency components that are passed through an inverse transform device for producing a frequency domain signal of the desired signal uncorrupted by unwanted signals. Patent applications. (RRH)

Method and apparatus for sampling low-yield wells

DOEpatents

Last, George V.; Lanigan, David C.

2003-04-15

An apparatus and method for collecting a sample from a low-yield well or perched aquifer includes a pump and a controller responsive to water level sensors for filling a sample reservoir. The controller activates the pump to fill the reservoir when the water level in the well reaches a high level as indicated by the sensor. The controller deactivates the pump when the water level reaches a lower level as indicated by the sensors. The pump continuously activates and deactivates the pump until the sample reservoir is filled with a desired volume, as indicated by a reservoir sensor. At the beginning of each activation cycle, the controller optionally can select to purge an initial quantity of water prior to filling the sample reservoir. The reservoir can be substantially devoid of air and the pump is a low volumetric flow rate pump. Both the pump and the reservoir can be located either inside or outside the well.

Appetitive responses to sexual stimuli are attenuated in individuals with low levels of sexual desire.

PubMed

Giargiari, Tracie D; Mahaffey, Amanda L; Craighead, W Edward; Hutchison, Kent E

2005-10-01

Despite the high prevalence of sexual desire disorders, little is known about their biological underpinnings in humans. Animal studies suggest that dopamine is involved in appetitive sexual behavior; thus, one aim of this study was to elucidate that relationship in humans. This study used measurement of the acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition of the startle response (PPI) as psychophysiological indicators of changes in motivational states to assess the potential relation between sexual desire and appetitive motivation in humans. Responses to sexually provocative stimuli consisting of single nude men and single nude women in a sample of 153 participants (77 men, 76 women) were assessed. The results indicated that ASR was attenuated after exposure to appetitive stimuli (i.e., sexually provocative pictures of attractive individuals) to a greater extent among participants with higher levels of sexual desire, as measured by the Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (Spector, I. P., Carey, M. P., & Steinberg, L. (1996). Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 22, 175-190). In addition, PPI was inversely associated with subjective ratings across stimuli such that greater subjective levels of desire were correlated with lower levels of PPI. In general, these results suggest that individuals with lower levels of sexual desire may have a diminished physiological response to appetitive sexual stimuli.

Sex guilt mediates the relationship between religiosity and sexual desire in East Asian and Euro-Canadian college-aged women.

PubMed

Woo, Jane S T; Morshedian, Negar; Brotto, Lori A; Gorzalka, Boris B

2012-12-01

Research has examined the relationship between religiosity and sexuality but few studies have explored the mechanisms by which sexual variables are influenced by religiosity. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of sex guilt in the relationship between religiosity and sexual desire in women. Euro-Canadian (n = 178) and East Asian (n = 361) female university students completed a battery of questionnaires. Higher levels of religious fundamentalism, intrinsic religiosity and spirituality were associated with higher levels of sex guilt in both ethnic groups. Paranormal belief was not associated with sex guilt in either ethnic group. The Euro-Canadian women reported significantly higher levels of sexual desire and significantly less sex guilt than the East Asian women. Among the Euro-Canadian women, sex guilt mediated the relationships between spirituality and sexual desire, and fundamentalism and sexual desire; among the East Asian women, sex guilt mediated the relationships between spirituality and sexual desire, fundamentalism and sexual desire, and intrinsic religiosity and sexual desire. These findings suggest that sex guilt may be one mechanism by which religiosity affects sexual desire among women.

Gender Differences in the Resolution of Sexual Disagreement Situations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Sullivan, Lucia; And Others

In recent years, researchers have documented a convergence of gender roles in sexual interactions. In disagreement situations, where one partner desires a higher level of sexual activity than the other, man's traditional role was that of the aggressive initiator and woman's role was that of the passive recipient of unwanted sexual advances.…

Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior Regarding Condom Use in Urban Black Adolescent Males.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Michele D.; And Others

1994-01-01

Examined male adolescent behavior, attitudes, and knowledge concerning condom use. Findings from 241 sexually active black adolescent males revealed that factors associated with condom use included higher grade level, having 2 or more sexual partners in past 6 months, communication about contraception with sexual partner, desire for sexually…

An Examination of Tertiary Students' Desire to Found an Enterprise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birdthistle, Naomi

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the paper aims to identify and explain the behaviour and intentions of students in their decision to start entrepreneurial activities and establish an enterprise. Second, the paper aims to identify whether students in tertiary level institutions in Ireland display the personality traits of an…

75 FR 20427 - Agency Information Collection (Insurance Surveys) Activities Under OMB Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-19

... to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing service. Customer satisfaction surveys are used to gauge customer perceptions of VA services as well as customer expectations and desires. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to...

Professional, Organizational, and Training Weaknesses in Small Purchase within the Department of the Navy

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

attempt to take a leading role in the develcrzen’ of a basic perfcrmance appraisal system for field level activities. Such a system should be flrxible...the small purchase environment. Buyers desire that suiervisors take an active role in recognizing the achievemerts of individual buyers, and...organizational resources necessary to * indep •ed•ntly verify data included on reguests. c . Summary cl Solutions "The researchers recommend that refresler

Library Users' Service Desires: A LibQUAL+ Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Bruce; Kyrillidou, Martha; Cook, Colleen

2008-01-01

The present study was conducted to explore library users' desired service quality levels on the twenty-two core LibQUAL+ items. Specifically, we explored similarities and differences in users' desired library service quality levels across user groups (i.e., undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty), across geographic locations (i.e.,…

How the brain predicts people's behavior in relation to rules and desires. Evidence of a medio-prefrontal dissociation.

PubMed

Corradi-Dell'Acqua, Corrado; Turri, Francesco; Kaufmann, Laurence; Clément, Fabrice; Schwartz, Sophie

2015-09-01

Forming and updating impressions about others is critical in everyday life and engages portions of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC), the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the amygdala. Some of these activations are attributed to "mentalizing" functions necessary to represent people's mental states, such as beliefs or desires. Evolutionary psychology and developmental studies, however, suggest that interpersonal inferences can also be obtained through the aid of deontic heuristics, which dictate what must (or must not) be done in given circumstances. We used fMRI and asked 18 participants to predict whether unknown characters would follow their desires or obey external rules. Participants had no means, at the beginning, to make accurate predictions, but slowly learned (throughout the experiment) each character's behavioral profile. We isolated brain regions whose activity changed during the experiment, as a neural signature of impression updating: whereas dMPFC was progressively more involved in predicting characters' behavior in relation to their desires, the medial orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala were progressively more recruited in predicting rule-based behavior. Our data provide evidence of a neural dissociation between deontic inference and theory-of-mind (ToM), and support a differentiation of orbital and dorsal prefrontal cortex in terms of low- and high-level social cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of a videotape feedback package on the peer interactions of children with serious behavioral and emotional challenges.

PubMed Central

Kern-Dunlap, L; Dunlap, G; Clarke, S; Childs, K E; White, R L; Stewart, M P

1992-01-01

Peer interactions are among the greatest challenges experienced by children who have severe emotional and behavioral problems. This study evaluated an intervention package designed to increase the ratio of these children's desirable to undesirable interactions. The package included three principal components: (a) observation of videotapes following regularly scheduled peer activity sessions; (b) self-evaluation of the children's peer interactions observed on the videotapes; and (c) delayed feedback and reinforcement for desirable peer interactions. Five students from two elementary schools participated. Multiple baseline designs and one reversal were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention package. The results showed that the intervention produced lower levels of undesirable peer interactions and higher ratios of desirable to undesirable interactions for all participants. The results are discussed in regard to their conceptual and applied implications and in terms of specific directions for future research. PMID:1634428

Activation of Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity of Poly(vinyl alcohol) using a Supramolecular Trigger.

PubMed

Phillips, Daniel J; Congdon, Thomas R; Gibson, Matthew I

2016-03-07

Antifreeze (glyco)proteins (AF(G)Ps) have potent ice recrystallisation inhibition (IRI) activity - a desirable phenomenon in applications such as cryopreservation, frozen food and more. In Nature AF(G)P activity is regulated by protein expression levels in response to an environmental stimulus; temperature. However, this level of regulation is not possible in synthetic systems. Here, a synthetic macromolecular mimic is introduced, using supramolecular assembly to regulate activity. Catechol-terminated poly(vinyl alcohol) was synthesised by RAFT polymerization. Upon addition of Fe 3+ , larger supramolecular star polymers form by assembly with two or three catechols. This increase in molecular weight effectively 'switches on' the IRI activity and is the first example of external control over the function of AFP mimetics. This provides a simple but elegant solution to the challenge of external control of AFP-mimetic function.

Guide to the assessment of physical activity: Clinical and research applications: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

PubMed

Strath, Scott J; Kaminsky, Leonard A; Ainsworth, Barbara E; Ekelund, Ulf; Freedson, Patty S; Gary, Rebecca A; Richardson, Caroline R; Smith, Derek T; Swartz, Ann M

2013-11-12

The deleterious health consequences of physical inactivity are vast, and they are of paramount clinical and research importance. Risk identification, benchmarks, efficacy, and evaluation of physical activity behavior change initiatives for clinicians and researchers all require a clear understanding of how to assess physical activity. In the present report, we have provided a clear rationale for the importance of assessing physical activity levels, and we have documented key concepts in understanding the different dimensions, domains, and terminology associated with physical activity measurement. The assessment methods presented allow for a greater understanding of the vast number of options available to clinicians and researchers when trying to assess physical activity levels in their patients or participants. The primary outcome desired is the main determining factor in the choice of physical activity assessment method. In combination with issues of feasibility/practicality, the availability of resources, and administration considerations, the desired outcome guides the choice of an appropriate assessment tool. The decision matrix, along with the accompanying tables, provides a mechanism for this selection that takes all of these factors into account. Clearly, the assessment method adopted and implemented will vary depending on circumstances, because there is no single best instrument appropriate for every situation. In summary, physical activity assessment should be considered a vital health measure that is tracked regularly over time. All other major modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and smoking) are assessed routinely. Physical activity status should also be assessed regularly. Multiple physical activity assessment methods provide reasonably accurate outcome measures, with choices dependent on setting-specific resources and constraints. The present scientific statement provides a guide to allow professionals to make a goal-specific selection of a meaningful physical activity assessment method.

[By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread: a blessing or a curse?].

PubMed

Dankner, Rachel; Ben-Dov, Issahar

2005-01-01

Physical activity is crucial for maintaining normal structure and function of metabolic processes and body organs, such as the heart and muscles. Lack of regular activity leads to the deterioration of these organs, thereby increasing levels of morbidity and mortality. Physical activity is associated with lower incidence of total mortality and mortality from heart diseases. It also inhibits high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, colon cancer and probably breast cancer, osteoporosis, mental depression, and improves quality of life. While the favorable outcomes are usually related to activity level in a dose-response pattern, the greatest benefit is observed in the transition from sedentary to moderately active lifestyle. Despite possible direct and indirect adverse effects of physical activity, the benefits markedly outweigh the risk. In order to benefit from physical activity, people should perform activities that involve large muscle mass, at moderate intensity, during most of the week, or at least 3 days/week, for about 30 minutes a day. It is desirable to add strength and flexibility exercises. The need for medical screening prior to initiation of activity is questionable, and there are no solid recommendations. In the opinion of the authors, at all ages people should be aware of whether they possess one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Young healthy people free of risk factors may start activity, gradually, without special preparations or screening. However, men and women above the age of 45 or 50 years, respectively, or younger, if a risk factor is present, should consult their family physician or a specialist in order to perform relevant screening and obtain instructions on the desired nature of recommended physical activity, its length and intensity.

Well-being and Anticipation for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study.

PubMed

Luo, Yangmei; Chen, Xuhai; Qi, Senqing; You, Xuqun; Huang, Xiting

2017-01-01

Anticipation for future confers great benefits to human well-being and mental health. However, previous work focus on how people's well-being correlate with brain activities during perception of emotional stimuli, rather than anticipation for the future events. Here, the current study investigated how well-being relates to neural circuitry underlying the anticipating process of future desired events. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, 40 participants were scanned while they were performing an emotion anticipation task, in which they were instructed to anticipate the positive or neutral events. The results showed that bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) were activated during anticipation for positive events relative to neutral events, and the enhanced brain activation in MPFC was associated with higher level of well-being. The findings suggest a neural mechanism by which the anticipation process to future desired events correlates to human well-being, which provide a future-oriented view on the neural sources of well-being.

Well-being and Anticipation for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Luo, Yangmei; Chen, Xuhai; Qi, Senqing; You, Xuqun; Huang, Xiting

2018-01-01

Anticipation for future confers great benefits to human well-being and mental health. However, previous work focus on how people’s well-being correlate with brain activities during perception of emotional stimuli, rather than anticipation for the future events. Here, the current study investigated how well-being relates to neural circuitry underlying the anticipating process of future desired events. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, 40 participants were scanned while they were performing an emotion anticipation task, in which they were instructed to anticipate the positive or neutral events. The results showed that bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) were activated during anticipation for positive events relative to neutral events, and the enhanced brain activation in MPFC was associated with higher level of well-being. The findings suggest a neural mechanism by which the anticipation process to future desired events correlates to human well-being, which provide a future-oriented view on the neural sources of well-being. PMID:29375415

Patterns of Asexuality in China: Sexual Activity, Sexual and Romantic Attraction, and Sexual Desire.

PubMed

Zheng, Lijun; Su, Yanchen

2018-05-01

This study examined patterns of asexuality in Chinese asexual people in terms of sexual activities, sexual/romantic attraction, and sexual desire. The sample included 227 (64 men and 163 women) asexual participants and 57 (26 men and 31 women) uncertain asexual participants recruited from social networks for asexual people. The control group included 217 (115 men and 102 women) heterosexual participants recruited from general social networks. Participants scoring 40 or higher on the Asexuality Identification Scale were classified as asexual. Asexual participants reported having less frequent masturbation, sexual intercourse experience, and sexual and romantic attraction compared to heterosexual participants. Lower sexual attraction among asexuals indicated that "people who experience little or no sexual attraction" would be a more appropriate definition of asexuality. The pattern of uncertain asexual participants' sexual/romantic attraction and sexual desire was intermediate between heterosexual and asexual participants. Asexual participants scored significantly lower on dyadic sexual desire and slightly lower on solitary sexual desire than heterosexual participants. There were significant differences in sexual activities and solitary sexual desire among romantic orientation categories. Homoromantic participants showed higher dyadic sexual desire and were more likely to engage in masturbation, indicating the heterogeneity among asexual people. The findings indicated that Chinese asexual people showed similar patterns of asexuality as in Western nations. Specifically, asexual people have little or no sexual attraction, non-partner-orientated sexual desire, and are heterogeneous in sexual activities and sexual desire. This implies similar mechanisms underlying the etiology of asexuality across cultures.

Stream Splitting in Support of Intrusion Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-06-01

increased. Every computer on the Internet has no need to see the traffic of every other computer on the Internet. Indeed if this was so, nothing would get ...distinguishes the stream splitter from other network analysis tools. B. HIGH LEVEL DESIGN To get the desired level of performance, a multi-threaded...of greater concern than added accuracy of a Bayesian model. This is a case where close is good enough . b. PassiveSensors Though similar to active

Liquid level detector

DOEpatents

Grasso, A.P.

1984-02-21

A liquid level detector for low pressure boilers. A boiler tank, from which vapor, such as steam, normally exits via a main vent, is provided with a vertical side tube connected to the tank at the desired low liquid level. When the liquid level falls to the level of the side tube vapor escapes therethrough causing heating of a temperature sensitive device located in the side tube, which, for example, may activate a liquid supply means for adding liquid to the boiler tank. High liquid level in the boiler tank blocks entry of vapor into the side tube, allowing the temperature sensitive device to cool, for example, to ambient temperature.

Liquid level detector

DOEpatents

Grasso, Albert P.

1986-01-01

A liquid level detector for low pressure boilers. A boiler tank, from which apor, such as steam, normally exits via a main vent, is provided with a vertical side tube connected to the tank at the desired low liquid level. When the liquid level falls to the level of the side tube vapor escapes therethrough causing heating of a temperature sensitive device located in the side tube, which, for example, may activate a liquid supply means for adding liquid to the boiler tank. High liquid level in the boiler tank blocks entry of vapor into the side tube, allowing the temperature sensitive device to cool, for example, to ambient temperature.

Social capital, desire to increase physical activity and leisure-time physical activity: a population-based study.

PubMed

Lindström, M

2011-07-01

To investigate the associations between social capital (trust) and leisure-time physical activity. The 2004 Public Health Survey in Skåne is a cross-sectional study. In total, 27,757 individuals aged 18-80 years answered a postal questionnaire (59% participation). Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between trust, desire to increase physical activity and leisure-time physical activity. The prevalence of low leisure-time physical activity was 15.3% among men and 13.2% among women. Middle-aged men and older women, respondents born abroad, those with medium/low education, those with the desire to increase physical activity but needing support, and those reporting low trust had significantly higher odds ratios of low leisure-time physical activity than their respective reference groups. The associations between low trust and desire to increase physical activity and between low trust and low leisure-time physical activity remained in the multiple models. The positive association between low trust and low leisure-time physical activity remained after multiple adjustments. There is a concentration of men and women with low leisure-time physical activity who report the desire to increase their physical activity but think that they need support to do so. This group also has a significantly higher prevalence of low trust. Copyright © 2011 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recovery of strontium activity from a strontium-82/rubidium-82 generator

DOEpatents

Taylor, Wayne A.; Phillips, Dennis R.; Sosnowski, Kenneth M.

1999-10-12

Strontium-82 is recovered from spent strontium-82/rubidium-82 generators to provide a source of strontium-82 for additional strontium-82/rubidium-82 generators. The process involves stripping of the strontium-82 from used strontium-82/rubidium-82 generators followed by purification of the strontium-82 material to remove additional metal contaminants to desired levels.

The kynurenine pathway is activated in human obesity and shifted toward kynurenine monooxygenase activation.

PubMed

Favennec, Marie; Hennart, Benjamin; Caiazzo, Robert; Leloire, Audrey; Yengo, Loïc; Verbanck, Marie; Arredouani, Abdelilah; Marre, Michel; Pigeyre, Marie; Bessede, Alban; Guillemin, Gilles J; Chinetti, Giulia; Staels, Bart; Pattou, François; Balkau, Beverley; Allorge, Delphine; Froguel, Philippe; Poulain-Godefroy, Odile

2015-10-01

This study characterized the kynurenine pathway (KP) in human obesity by evaluating circulating levels of kynurenines and the expression of KP enzymes in adipose tissue. Tryptophan and KP metabolite levels were measured in serum of individuals from the D.E.S.I.R. cohort (case-cohort study: 212 diabetic, 836 randomly sampled) and in women with obesity, diabetic or normoglycemic, from the ABOS cohort (n = 100). KP enzyme gene expressions were analyzed in omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue of women from the ABOS cohort, in human primary adipocytes and in monocyte-derived macrophages. In the D.E.S.I.R. cohort, kynurenine levels were positively associated with body mass index (BMI) (P = 4.68 × 10(-19) ) and with a higher HOMA2-IR insulin resistance index (P = 6.23 × 10(-4) ). The levels of kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and quinolinic acid were associated with higher BMI (P < 0.05). The expression of several KP enzyme genes (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 [IDO1], kynureninase [KYNU], kynurenine 3-monooxygenase [KMO], and kynurenine aminotransferase III [CCBL2]) was increased in the omental adipose tissue of women with obesity compared to lean (P < 0.05), and their expression was induced by proinflammatory cytokines in human primary adipocytes (P < 0.05), except for KMO that is not expressed in these cells. The expressions of IDO1, KYNU, KMO, and CCBL2 were higher in proinflammatory than in anti-inflammatory macrophages (P < 0.05). In the context of obesity, the presence of macrophages in adipose tissue may contribute to diverting KP toward KMO activation. © 2015 The Obesity Society.

Control method for peak power delivery with limited DC-bus voltage

DOEpatents

Edwards, John; Xu, Longya; Bhargava, Brij B.

2006-09-05

A method for driving a neutral point-clamped multi-level voltage source inverter supplying a synchronous motor is provided. A DC current is received at a neutral point-clamped multi-level voltage source inverter. The inverter has first, second, and third output nodes. The inverter also has a plurality of switches. A desired speed of a synchronous motor connected to the inverter by the first second and third nodes is received by the inverter. The synchronous motor has a rotor and the speed of the motor is defined by the rotational rate of the rotor. A position of the rotor is sensed, current flowing to the motor out of at least two of the first, second, and third output nodes is sensed, and predetermined switches are automatically activated by the inverter responsive to the sensed rotor position, the sensed current, and the desired speed.

Normative influence and desired family size among young people in rural Egypt.

PubMed

Harbour, Catherine

2011-06-01

Research has identified the lack of acceptance of a two-child-family norm as the biggest obstacle to achieving replacement-level fertility in Egypt. This analysis examines norms about desired family size for 1,366 males and 1,367 females aged 15-24 in 2004 in rural Minya governorate. Two-level random-effects multivariate logistic regression models, stratified by sex and grouped by neighborhood, are used to assess normative influence at the household and neighborhood levels, controlling for individual- and household-level covariates. In the final model, young males in neighborhoods where more people desire a small family are 33 percent more likely to desire a small family than are young males in other neighborhoods. Young females in households with one or more adults preferring a small family are 78 percent more likely to desire a small family, and young females in households with one or more young people who prefer a small family are 37 percent more likely to desire a small family themselves, compared with those living with adults or with young people, respectively, who do not prefer a small family. Programs aiming to reduce fertility should be aware of gender differences in the sources of normative influence on desired family size.

The DSM diagnostic criteria for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women.

PubMed

Brotto, Lori A

2010-04-01

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is one of two sexual desire disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and is defined by the monosymptomatic criterion "persistently or recurrently deficient (or absent) sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity" that causes "marked distress or interpersonal difficulty." This article reviews the diagnosis of HSDD in prior and current (DSM-IV-TR) editions of the DSM, critiques the existing criteria, and proposes criteria for consideration in DSM-V. Problems in coming to a clear operational definition of desire, the fact that sexual activity often occurs in the absence of desire for women, conceptual issues in understanding untriggered versus responsive desire, the relative infrequency of unprovoked sexual fantasies in women, and the significant overlap between desire and arousal are reviewed and highlight the need for revised DSM criteria for HSDD that accurately reflect women's experiences. The article concludes with the recommendation that desire and arousal be combined into one disorder with polythetic criteria.

Activation of Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity of Poly(vinyl alcohol) using a Supramolecular Trigger†

PubMed Central

Phillips, Daniel J.; Congdon, Thomas R.; Gibson, Matthew I.

2016-01-01

Antifreeze (glyco)proteins (AF(G)Ps) have potent ice recrystallisation inhibition (IRI) activity – a desirable phenomenon in applications such as cryopreservation, frozen food and more. In Nature AF(G)P activity is regulated by protein expression levels in response to an environmental stimulus; temperature. However, this level of regulation is not possible in synthetic systems. Here, a synthetic macromolecular mimic is introduced, using supramolecular assembly to regulate activity. Catechol-terminated poly(vinyl alcohol) was synthesised by RAFT polymerization. Upon addition of Fe3+, larger supramolecular star polymers form by assembly with two or three catechols. This increase in molecular weight effectively ‘switches on’ the IRI activity and is the first example of external control over the function of AFP mimetics. This provides a simple but elegant solution to the challenge of external control of AFP-mimetic function. PMID:28003855

CORE SATURATION BLOCKING OSCILLATOR

DOEpatents

Spinrad, R.J.

1961-10-17

A blocking oscillator which relies on core saturation regulation to control the output pulse width is described. In this arrangement an external magnetic loop is provided in which a saturable portion forms the core of a feedback transformer used with the thermionic or semi-conductor active element. A first stationary magnetic loop establishes a level of flux through the saturation portion of the loop. A second adjustable magnet moves the flux level to select a saturation point giving the desired output pulse width. (AEC)

A functional neuroimaging study assessing gender differences in the neural mechanisms underlying the ability to resist impulsive desires.

PubMed

Diekhof, Esther K; Keil, Maria; Obst, Katrin U; Henseler, Ilona; Dechent, Peter; Falkai, Peter; Gruber, Oliver

2012-09-14

There is ample evidence of gender differences in neural processes and behavior. Differences in reward-related behaviors have been linked to either temporary or permanent organizational influences of gonadal hormones on the mesolimbic dopamine system and reward-related activation. Still, little is known about the association between biological gender and the neural underpinnings of the ability to resist reward-related impulses. Here we assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging which neural processes enable men and women to successfully control their desire for immediate reward when this is required by a higher-order goal (i.e., during a 'desire-reason dilemma'; Diekhof and Gruber, 2010). Thirty-two participants (16 females) were closely matched for age, personality characteristics (e.g., novelty seeking) and behavioral performance in the 'desire-reason task'. On the neural level, men and women showed similarities in the general response of the nucleus accumbens and of the ventral tegmental area to predictors of immediate reward, but they differed in additional brain mechanisms that enabled self-controlled decisions against the preference for immediate reward. Firstly, men exhibited a stronger reduction of activation in the ventral pallidum, putamen, temporal pole and pregenual anterior cingulate cortex during the 'desire-reason dilemma'. Secondly, connectivity analyses revealed a significant change in the direction of the connectivity between anteroventral prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens during decisions counteracting the reward-related impulse when comparing men and women. Together, these findings support the view of a sexual dimorphism that manifested in the recruitment of gender-specific neural resources during the successful deployment of self-control. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genotype status of the dopamine-related catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene corresponds with desirability of “unhealthy” foods

PubMed Central

Wallace, Deanna L.; Aarts, Esther; Uquillas, Federico d’Oleire; Dang, Linh C.; Greer, Stephanie M.; Jagust, William J.; D’Esposito, Mark

2015-01-01

The role of dopamine is extensively documented in weight regulation and food intake in both animal models and humans. Yet the role of dopamine has not been well studied in individual differences for food desirability. Genotype status of the dopamine-related catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been shown to influence dopamine levels, with greater COMT enzymatic activity in val/val individuals corresponding to greater degradation of dopamine. Decreased dopamine has been associated with poorer cognitive control and diminished goal-directed behavior in various behavioral paradigms. Additionally, dopaminergic-rich regions such as the frontal cortex and dorsal striatum have been shown to be important for supporting food-related decision-making. However, the role of dopamine, as assessed by COMT genotype status, in food desirability has not been fully explored. Therefore, we utilized an individual’s COMT genotype status (n=61) and investigated food desirability based on self-rated “healthy” and “unhealthy” food perceptions. Here we found val/val individuals (n=19) have greater desirability for self-rated “unhealthy” food items, but not self-rated “healthy” food items, as compared to val/met (n=24) and met/met (n=18) individuals (p<0.005). Utilizing an objective health measure for the food items, we also found val/val and val/met individuals have greater desirability for objectively defined “unhealthy” food items, as compared to met/met individuals (p<0.01). This work further substantiates a role of dopamine in food-related behaviors and more specifically in relationship to food desirability for “unhealthy” food items. PMID:25963102

Outdoor Education: Opening and Closing Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mingie, Walter, Comp.

Opening activites (to create an atmosphere of cooperation and a desire to work, explore, and learn together) and closing activities (to summarize what has happened or been learned) for outdoor education programs are described. All activities are intended to incite enthusiasm to learn and make the learning activity a desired, joyful experience.…

Air Force Research Laboratory Technology Milestones 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

these self - healing , mixed-signal integrated circuits, or HEALIC, adjust to existing conditions in order to maintain the desired level of...functionality. As part of aiding the DARPA effort to realize this self - healing capability, sensors scientists managed the development of a wideband, 6-18 GHz...technology, with the subsequent demonstration activity presenting the integrated designs containing this self - healing circuitry. The newly-concept

The Use of Linear Models for Determining School Workload and Activity Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vicino, Frank L.

This paper outlines the design and use of two linear models as decision-making tools in a school district. The problem to be solved was the allocation of resources for both clerical and custodial personnel. A solution was desired that could be quantified and documented and objectively serve the needs of the district. A clerical support model was…

Things online social networking can take away: Reminders of social networking sites undermine the desirability of offline socializing and pleasures.

PubMed

Li, Shiang-Shiang; Chang, Yevvon Yi-Chi; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2017-04-01

People are beginning to develop symbiotic relationships with social networking sites (SNSs), which provide users with abundant opportunities for social interaction. We contend that if people perceive SNSs as sources of social connection, the idea of SNSs may reduce the desire to pursue offline social activities and offline pleasures. Experiment 1 demonstrated that priming with SNSs was associated with a weakened desirability of offline social activities and an increased inclination to work alone. Felt relatedness mediated the link between SNS primes and reduced desire to engage in offline social activities. Experiment 2 showed that exposure to SNS primes reduced the desirability of offline socializing and lowered the desire for offline pleasurable experiences as well. Moreover, heavy users were more susceptible to this detrimental effect. We provide the first experimental evidence that the idea of online social networking may modulate users' engagement in offline social activities and offline pleasures. Hence, online social networking may satisfy the need for relatedness but undercut the likelihood of reaping enjoyment from offline social life. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Metabolic Syndrome and Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Women.

PubMed

Trompeter, Susan E; Bettencourt, Ricki; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth

2016-12-01

Limited literature suggests that sexual dysfunction in women covaries with the metabolic syndrome. This study examined the association of sexual function with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in healthy older women. There were 376 postmenopausal, community-dwelling women from the Rancho Bernardo Study (mean baseline age = 73 years) that completed a clinic visit during 1999-2002 and returned the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire mailed in 2002. Thirty-nine percent reported being sexually active; 41.5% met a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. The number of metabolic syndrome components was strongly associated with decreased sexual activity, desire, and low sexual satisfaction. Waist girth, diabetes, and hypertension were associated with decreased sexual activity. Elevated triglycerides were associated with low desire. Among the cardiovascular endpoints, heart attack, coronary artery bypass, and angina were associated with decreased sexual activity, but not with sexual desire or satisfaction. Past diagnosis of heart failure, poor circulation, and stroke were not associated with sexual function. Sexually active women with metabolic syndrome met criteria for sexual dysfunction in desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction domains. The FSFI Total Score did not differ significantly between sexually active and inactive women. Metabolic syndrome was associated with decreased sexual activity, desire, and satisfaction in all women and with sexual dysfunction in most domains in sexually active women. Coronary artery disease was more prevalent in women with low sexual activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of Tribulus terrestris for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

de Souza, Karla Zanolla Dias; Vale, Fabiene Bernardes Castro; Geber, Selmo

2016-11-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Tribulus terrestris for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women and evaluate its effect on the serum levels of testosterone. We performed a prospective randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, during 18 months. A total of 45 healthy sexually active postmenopausal women reporting diminished libido were selected to participate in the study and were randomly assigned to receive 750 mg/d of T terrestris or placebo for 120 days. Randomization was performed using sealed envelopes. All participants answered the Female Sexual Function Index and the Sexual Quotient-female version questionnaires and had their serum levels of prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, total testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin measured. A total of 36 participants completed the study, because 3 from each group were excluded due to side effects and 3 dropped out due to personal reasons. FSFI questionnaire results demonstrated an improvement in all domains in both groups (P < 0.05) except for lubrication which was improved only in the study group. QS-F results showed a significant improvement in the domains of desire (P < 0.01), arousal/lubrication (P = 0.02), pain (P = 0.02), and anorgasmia (P < 0.01) in women who used T terrestris, whereas no improvement was observed in the placebo group (P > 0.05). Moreover, free and bioavailable testosterone levels showed a significant increase in the T terrestris group (P < 0.05). Tribulus terrestris might be a safe alternative for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women, because it was effective in reducing symptoms with few side effects. Its probable mechanism of action involves an increase in the serum levels of free and bioavailable testosterone.

Evaluating the User Experience of Exercising Reaching Motions With a Robot That Predicts Desired Movement Difficulty.

PubMed

Shirzad, Navid; Van der Loos, H F Machiel

2016-01-01

The notion of an optimal difficulty during practice has been articulated in many areas of cognitive psychology: flow theory, the challenge point framework, and desirable difficulties. Delivering exercises at a participant's desired difficulty has the potential to improve both motor learning and users' engagement in therapy. Motivation and engagement are among the contributing factors to the success of exercise programs. The authors previously demonstrated that error amplification can be used to introduce levels of challenge into a robotic reaching task, and that machine-learning algorithms can dynamically adjust difficulty to the desired level with 85% accuracy. Building on these findings, we present the results of a proof-of-concept study investigating the impacts of practicing under desirable difficulty conditions. A control condition with a predefined random order for difficulty levels was deemed more suitable for this study (compared to constant or continuously increasing difficulty). By practicing the task at their desirable difficulties, participants in the experimental group perceived their performance at a significantly higher level and reported lower required effort to complete the task, in comparison to a control group. Moreover, based on self-reports, participants in the experimental group were willing, on average, to continue the training session for 4.6 more training blocks (∼45 min) compared to the control group's average. This study demonstrates the efficiency of delivering the exercises at the user's desired difficulty level to improve the user's engagement in exercise tasks. Future work will focus on clinical feasibility of this approach in increasing stroke survivors' engagement in their therapy programs.

Shaping Social Activity by Incentivizing Users

PubMed Central

Farajtabar, Mehrdad; Du, Nan; Rodriguez, Manuel Gomez; Valera, Isabel; Zha, Hongyuan; Song, Le

2015-01-01

Events in an online social network can be categorized roughly into endogenous events, where users just respond to the actions of their neighbors within the network, or exogenous events, where users take actions due to drives external to the network. How much external drive should be provided to each user, such that the network activity can be steered towards a target state? In this paper, we model social events using multivariate Hawkes processes, which can capture both endogenous and exogenous event intensities, and derive a time dependent linear relation between the intensity of exogenous events and the overall network activity. Exploiting this connection, we develop a convex optimization framework for determining the required level of external drive in order for the network to reach a desired activity level. We experimented with event data gathered from Twitter, and show that our method can steer the activity of the network more accurately than alternatives. PMID:26005312

Public Stigma Across Addictive Behaviors: Casino Gambling, eSports Gambling, and Internet Gaming.

PubMed

Peter, Samuel C; Li, Qian; Pfund, Rory A; Whelan, James P; Meyers, Andrew W

2018-04-07

The negative psychological effects of public stigma on disordered gamblers have been well documented. Public stigma deters treatment-seeking and other help-seeking behaviors, and negatively impacts individuals' view of themselves. Different types of disordered gambling activities may attract different degrees of stigma. One increasingly popular form of gambling involves placing bets on the outcomes of competitive video games, also called eSports gambling. This activity shares characteristics with Internet gaming and gambling. The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of public stigma held towards traditional casino gamblers, eSports gamblers, and Internet gamers, as compared to an individual experiencing comparable levels of impairment and distress due to a financial crisis. Using an experimental between-groups vignette study design, we found that all three types of behavioral addictions were more heavily stigmatized than the control condition. The three behavioral addictions were seen as being highly controllable, engendered a significant amount of anger and blame, and resulted in higher levels of desired social distance. Traditional casino gamblers were seen as significantly more dangerous to be around and created a higher level of desired social distance than the Internet gamer. Differences between the Internet gamer and eSports better were less pronounced. These findings underscore the importance of reducing public stigma for gambling and other behavioral addictions, and provide information that can be used when developing interventions to impact stigma.

Adaptive and Context-Aware Reconciliation of Reactive and Pro-active Behavior in Evolving Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trajcevski, Goce; Scheuermann, Peter

One distinct characteristics of the context-aware systems is their ability to react and adapt to the evolution of the environment, which is often a result of changes in the values of various (possibly correlated) attributes. Based on these changes, reactive systems typically take corrective actions, e.g., adjusting parameters in order to maintain the desired specifications of the system's state. Pro-active systems, on the other hand, may change the mode of interaction with the environment as well as the desired goals of the system. In this paper we describe our (ECA)2 paradigm for reactive behavior with proactive impact and we present our ongoing work and vision for a system that is capable of context-aware adaptation, while ensuring the maintenance of a set of desired behavioral policies. Our main focus is on developing a formalism that provides tools for expressing normal, as well as defeasible and/or exceptional specification. However, at the same time, we insist on a sound semantics and the capability of answering hypothetical "what-if" queries. Towards this end, we introduce the high-level language L_{ EAR} that can be used to describe the dynamics of the problem domain, specify triggers under the (ECA)2 paradigm, and reason about the consequences of the possible evolutions.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of testosterone cream on the sexual motivation of menopausal hysterectomized women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

PubMed

El-Hage, G; Eden, J A; Manga, R Zoa

2007-08-01

To assess the safety and efficacy of 10 mg topical testosterone therapy daily (2 cm Andro-Feme cream) as a treatment for low sexual desire in postmenopausal hysterectomized women who were already on transdermal estrogen. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study (each period being of 3 months' duration) was performed in the research center of a tertiary referral women's hospital. Thirty-six menopausal healthy women were recruited who had undergone a hysterectomy, who were not depressed, were in a stable relationship and who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for low sexual desire, as measured by the Brief Index of Sexual Function for Women (BISF-W). The primary outcome measure was improvement in the sexuality score as measured by a validated tool (BISF-W); secondary measures were sub-scores of the BISF-W, effect on mood and energy, lipids and testosterone levels. Testosterone cream significantly improved sexual desire, frequency of sex, receptivity and initiation as measured by the BISF-W score. It did not change mood, energy, lipids, blood pressure or weight over the study period. Testosterone cream significantly improved sexual scores in menopausal women with low sexual desire. It was effective, easy to use and had no side-effects over the 3-month period of active treatment. It offers a novel and acceptable method of administering testosterone to menopausal women.

Reduced labial temperature in response to sexual films with distractors among women with lower sexual desire.

PubMed

Prause, Nicole; Heiman, Julia

2010-02-01

Sexual desire variation traditionally has been treated as due to variance in affective response to sexual stimulation, but differences in attention to the stimuli may better account for differences in sexual desire. Determine whether sexual desire varies due to attention biases towards sexual stimuli. Sexual arousal was quantified by physiological (labia minus temperature) and experienced (continuously adjusting a potentiometer) indicators. Twenty-two women who varied in their level of sexual desire attended one laboratory session during which they viewed a neutral nature film, a sexual film, and a sexual film with distractors while their labial temperature and self-reported sexual arousal were recorded. Participants reported and displayed lower sexual arousal during the sexual stimulus with distractors as compared to the sexual film without distractors. While all women reported lower sexual arousal to the sexual film with distractors, women with relatively lower sexual desire also reported lower sexual arousal to the sexual film with no distractors than women with higher sexual desire. Physiologically, women with lower sexual desire exhibited lower labial temperature. Since the predicted lower self-reported and physiological sexual arousal to the sexual stimulus with distractors for the women with lower sexual desire did not emerge, this study does not support that sexual desire levels vary due to differential attention to sexual stimuli.

Influence of social desirability on age differences in self-reports of mood and personality

PubMed Central

Soubelet, Andrea; Salthouse, Timothy A.

2011-01-01

Increased age has been found to be associated with differences in affect and personality which have been interpreted in terms of better emotional regulation and increased maturity. However, these findings have largely been based on self-report data, and the primary goal of the current research was to investigate the hypothesis that age-related differences in affect and in certain desirable personality traits might, at least partially, reflect age differences in social desirability. As expected, increased age was associated with lower levels of negative affect and neuroticism and higher levels of positive affect, life satisfaction, agreeableness and conscientiousness, and scores on the social desirability scale were positively related to age and to desirable self-report characteristics, but negatively related to undesirable self-report characteristics. Importantly, controlling for the variance in the social desirability measure resulted in less positive age trends in both types of self-report measures. PMID:21682727

C-Tactile Mediated Erotic Touch Perception Relates to Sexual Desire and Performance in a Gender-Specific Way.

PubMed

Bendas, Johanna; Georgiadis, Janniko R; Ritschel, Gerhard; Olausson, Håkan; Weidner, Kerstin; Croy, Ilona

2017-05-01

Unmyelinated low-threshold mechanoreceptors-the so-called C-tactile (CT) afferents-play a crucial role in the perception and conduction of caressing and pleasant touch sensations and significantly contribute to the concept of erotic touch perception. To investigate the relations between sexual desire and sexual performance and the perception of touch mediated by CT afferents. Seventy healthy participants (28 men, 42 women; mean age ± SD = 24.84 ± 4.08 years, range = 18-36 years) underwent standardized and highly controlled stroking stimulation that varied in the amount of CT fiber stimulation by changing stroking velocity (CT optimal = 1, 3 and 10 cm/s; CT suboptimal = 0.1, 0.3, and 30 cm/s). Participants rated the perceived pleasantness, eroticism, and intensity of the applied tactile stimulation on a visual analog scale, completed the Sexual Desire Inventory, and answered questions about sexual performance. Ratings of perceived eroticism of touch were related to self-report levels of sexual desire and sexual performance. Pleasantness and eroticism ratings showed similar dependence on stroking velocity that aligned with the activity of CT afferents. Erotic touch perception was related to sexual desire and sexual performance in a gender-specific way. In women, differences in eroticism ratings between CT optimal and suboptimal velocities correlated positively with desire for sexual interaction. In contrast, in men, this difference correlated to a decreased frequency and longer duration of partnered sexual activities. The present results lay the foundation for future research assessing these relations in patients with specific impairments of sexual functioning (eg, hypoactive sexual desire disorder). The strength of the study is the combination of standardized neurophysiologic methods and behavioral data. A clear limitation of the study design is the exclusion of exact data on the female menstrual cycle and the recruitment of an inhomogeneous sample concerning sexual orientation. The present results provide further evidence that unmyelinated CT afferents play a role in the complex mechanism of erotic touch perception. The ability to differentiate between CT optimal and suboptimal stimuli relates to sexual desire and performance in a gender-specific way. Bendas J, Georgiadis JR, Ritschel G. C-Tactile Mediated Erotic Touch Perception Relates to Sexual Desire and Performance in a Gender-Specific Way. J Sex Med 2017;14:645-653. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of Sex Hormones With Sexual Function, Vitality, and Physical Function of Symptomatic Older Men With Low Testosterone Levels at Baseline in the Testosterone Trials

PubMed Central

Cunningham, Glenn R.; Stephens-Shields, Alisa J.; Rosen, Raymond C.; Wang, Christina; Ellenberg, Susan S.; Matsumoto, Alvin M.; Bhasin, Shalender; Molitch, Mark E.; Farrar, John T.; Cella, David; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth; Cauley, Jane A.; Cifelli, Denise; Crandall, Jill P.; Ensrud, Kristine E.; Fluharty, Laura; Gill, Thomas M.; Lewis, Cora E.; Pahor, Marco; Resnick, Susan M.; Storer, Thomas W.; Swerdloff, Ronald S.; Anton, Stephen; Basaria, Shehzad; Diem, Susan; Tabatabaie, Vafa; Hou, Xiaoling

2015-01-01

Context: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction, low vitality, and poor physical function increases with aging, as does the prevalence of low total and free testosterone (TT and FT) levels. However, the relationship between sex hormones and age-related alterations in older men is not clear. Objective: To test the hypotheses that baseline serum TT, FT, estradiol (E2), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels are independently associated with sexual function, vitality, and physical function in older symptomatic men with low testosterone levels participating in the Testosterone Trials (TTrials). Design: Cross-sectional study of baseline measures in the TTrials. Setting: The study was conducted at 12 sites in the United States. Participants: The 788 TTrials participants were ≥ 65 years and had evidence of sexual dysfunction, diminished vitality, and/or mobility disability, and an average of two TT < 275 ng/dL. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Question 4 of Psychosocial Daily Questionnaire (PDQ-Q4), the FACIT-Fatigue Scale, and the 6-minute walk test. Results: Baseline serum TT and FT, but not E2 or SHBG levels had small, but statistically significant associations with validated measures of sexual desire, erectile function, and sexual activity. None of these hormones was significantly associated within or across trials with FACIT-Fatigue, PHQ-9 Depression or Physical Function-10 scores, or gait speed. Conclusions: FT and TT levels were consistently, independently, and positively associated, albeit to a small degree, with measures of sexual desire, erectile function, and sexual activity, but not with measures of vitality or physical function in symptomatic older men with low T who qualified for the TTrials. PMID:25548978

Association of sex hormones with sexual function, vitality, and physical function of symptomatic older men with low testosterone levels at baseline in the testosterone trials.

PubMed

Cunningham, Glenn R; Stephens-Shields, Alisa J; Rosen, Raymond C; Wang, Christina; Ellenberg, Susan S; Matsumoto, Alvin M; Bhasin, Shalender; Molitch, Mark E; Farrar, John T; Cella, David; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth; Cauley, Jane A; Cifelli, Denise; Crandall, Jill P; Ensrud, Kristine E; Fluharty, Laura; Gill, Thomas M; Lewis, Cora E; Pahor, Marco; Resnick, Susan M; Storer, Thomas W; Swerdloff, Ronald S; Anton, Stephen; Basaria, Shehzad; Diem, Susan; Tabatabaie, Vafa; Hou, Xiaoling; Snyder, Peter J

2015-03-01

The prevalence of sexual dysfunction, low vitality, and poor physical function increases with aging, as does the prevalence of low total and free testosterone (TT and FT) levels. However, the relationship between sex hormones and age-related alterations in older men is not clear. To test the hypotheses that baseline serum TT, FT, estradiol (E2), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels are independently associated with sexual function, vitality, and physical function in older symptomatic men with low testosterone levels participating in the Testosterone Trials (TTrials). Cross-sectional study of baseline measures in the TTrials. The study was conducted at 12 sites in the United States. The 788 TTrials participants were ≥ 65 years and had evidence of sexual dysfunction, diminished vitality, and/or mobility disability, and an average of two TT < 275 ng/dL. None. Question 4 of Psychosocial Daily Questionnaire (PDQ-Q4), the FACIT-Fatigue Scale, and the 6-minute walk test. Baseline serum TT and FT, but not E2 or SHBG levels had small, but statistically significant associations with validated measures of sexual desire, erectile function, and sexual activity. None of these hormones was significantly associated within or across trials with FACIT-Fatigue, PHQ-9 Depression or Physical Function-10 scores, or gait speed. FT and TT levels were consistently, independently, and positively associated, albeit to a small degree, with measures of sexual desire, erectile function, and sexual activity, but not with measures of vitality or physical function in symptomatic older men with low T who qualified for the TTrials.

A Desire for Social Media Is Associated With a Desire for Solitary but Not Social Activities.

PubMed

Hill, Lauren; Zheng, Zane

2017-01-01

While social media is an aspect of life for many, it brings to light the lack of interpersonal connection when browsing activity occurs. The displacement theory suggests that the quality of one's offline interactions is affected by how much time an individual allots to those exchanges. Depending on the amount of time spent online, interpersonal connections may suffer and lead to negative psychological consequences. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between the desirability of social media and socialization preferences through a cue-based perceptual judgment task where participants ( N = 136) rated 40 gray-scale images in terms of their desirability. The image categories included social media icons, singular scenes depicting an isolated activity, social scenes representing an interactive activity, and traffic signs as the control. We also included questionnaires to assess depressiveness and aspects of social media usage. Our findings suggest that the immediate desire for social media is potentially linked to one's desire for social isolation as represented by the singular scene category, the intensity of participant's reported daily usage, and the extent to which social media is perceived to impact real social life. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the initial desirability judgment of social media and its association with other factors. Further research is needed to distinguish the variability in users' aim of using social media and if that is related to one's perceived feelings of social connectedness and solitude.

Students' Desired and Experienced Levels of Connectivity to an Asynchronous, Online, Distance Degree Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Shawnda; Baker, Mary; Terras, Katherine; Mahar, Patti; Chiasson, Kari

2016-01-01

This study examined graduate students' desired and experienced levels of connectivity in an online, asynchronous distance degree program. Connectivity was conceptualized as the students' feelings of community and involvement, not their level of access to the Internet. Graduate students enrolled in a distance degree program were surveyed on both…

In-Vivo Real-Time Control of Protein Expression from Endogenous and Synthetic Gene Networks

PubMed Central

Orabona, Emanuele; De Stefano, Luca; Ferry, Mike; Hasty, Jeff; di Bernardo, Mario; di Bernardo, Diego

2014-01-01

We describe an innovative experimental and computational approach to control the expression of a protein in a population of yeast cells. We designed a simple control algorithm to automatically regulate the administration of inducer molecules to the cells by comparing the actual protein expression level in the cell population with the desired expression level. We then built an automated platform based on a microfluidic device, a time-lapse microscopy apparatus, and a set of motorized syringes, all controlled by a computer. We tested the platform to force yeast cells to express a desired fixed, or time-varying, amount of a reporter protein over thousands of minutes. The computer automatically switched the type of sugar administered to the cells, its concentration and its duration, according to the control algorithm. Our approach can be used to control expression of any protein, fused to a fluorescent reporter, provided that an external molecule known to (indirectly) affect its promoter activity is available. PMID:24831205

Perceived and Ideal Body Image in Young Women in South Western Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Khalaf, Atika; Westergren, Albert; Berggren, Vanja; Ekblom, Örjan; Al-Hazzaa, Hazzaa M

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate perceived and ideal body image (BI) and associated factors among female university students in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study included 663 university female students. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, BMI, and BI perception (the 9-figure silhouette) were obtained. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis were conducted. An agreement between actual, perceived, and ideal BI was found in 23% of the participants. Behavioral (activity levels), social (presence of obese parents and fathers' level of education), and economic factors (households' monthly income, number of cars in the household, and kind of residence) were positively and significantly associated with the desire to be thinner. Similarly, socioeconomic associations (number of sisters and number of cars in the household) correlated positively and significantly with the desire to be heavier. The whole family should rather be considered in interventions related to appearance concerns and BI discrepancies. Furthermore, campaigns targeting improvement of adolescents' physical self-image should be a major priority of the public health sector.

Neuropharmacological Evaluation of Toxic Chemicals. Part 1. Behavioral and EEG Correlates of Immobilization in the Rhesus Monkey. Part 2. Operant Conditioning of 12-15 Hz Sensorimotor Cortex EEG Activity in the Rhesus Monkey

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-06-01

especially when procedures involving catheterization of the cardiovascular system or electrical stimulation or recording of brain were desired in awake ...immobilization. Most commonly, the greatest magnitude of SMR activity occurring in the awake condition appeared during immobilization or during immobiliz- ation...level of arousal in the awake animal. We were impressed by the fact that the immobilization response continued throughout the 15 minute observation

Dynamic control of spin states in interacting magnetic elements

DOEpatents

Jain, Shikha; Novosad, Valentyn

2014-10-07

A method for the control of the magnetic states of interacting magnetic elements comprising providing a magnetic structure with a plurality of interacting magnetic elements. The magnetic structure comprises a plurality of magnetic states based on the state of each interacting magnetic element. The desired magnetic state of the magnetic structure is determined. The active resonance frequency and amplitude curve of the desired magnetic state is determined. Each magnetic element of the magnetic structure is then subjected to an alternating magnetic field or electrical current having a frequency and amplitude below the active resonance frequency and amplitude curve of said desired magnetic state and above the active resonance frequency and amplitude curve of the current state of the magnetic structure until the magnetic state of the magnetic structure is at the desired magnetic state.

A 1 GHz Oscillator-Type Active Antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, Jennifer L.; Scardelletti, Maximilian; Ponchak, George E.

2008-01-01

Wireless sensors are desired for monitoring aircraft engines, automotive engines, industrial machinery, and many other applications. The most important requirement of sensors is that they do not interfere with the environment that they are monitoring. Therefore, wireless sensors must be small, which demands a high level of integration. Sensors that modulate an oscillator active antenna have advantages of small size, high level of integration, and lower packaging cost. Several types of oscillator active antennas have been reported. Ip et al. demonstrated a CPW line fed patch antenna with a feedback loop [1]. No degradation in performance was noticed without a ground plane. A GaAs FET was used in an amplifier/oscillator-based active antenna [2]. An oscillator based on a Cree SiC transistor was designed and characterized in [3]. This paper reports the integration of the SiC Clapp oscillator to a slotline loop antenna.

Patient engagement in the process of planning and designing outpatient care improvements at the Veterans Administration Health-care System: findings from an online expert panel.

PubMed

Khodyakov, Dmitry; Stockdale, Susan E; Smith, Nina; Booth, Marika; Altman, Lisa; Rubenstein, Lisa V

2017-02-01

There is a strong interest in the Veterans Administration (VA) Health-care System in promoting patient engagement to improve patient care. We solicited expert opinion using an online expert panel system with a modified Delphi structure called ExpertLens ™ . Experts reviewed, rated and discussed eight scenarios, representing four patient engagement roles in designing and improving VA outpatient care (consultant, implementation advisor, equal stakeholder and lead stakeholder) and two VA levels (local and regional). Rating criteria included desirability, feasibility, patient ability, physician/staff acceptance and impact on patient-centredness and care quality. Data were analysed using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method for determining consensus. Experts rated consulting with patients at the local level as the most desirable and feasible patient engagement approach. Engagement at the local level was considered more desirable than engagement at the regional level. Being an equal stakeholder at the local level received the highest ratings on the patient-centredness and health-care quality criteria. Our findings illustrate expert opinion about different approaches to patient engagement and highlight the benefits and challenges posed by each. Although experts rated local consultations with patients on an as-needed basis as most desirable and feasible, they rated being an equal stakeholder at the local level as having the highest potential impact on patient-centredness and care quality. This result highlights a perceived discrepancy between what is most desirable and what is potentially most effective, but suggests that routine local engagement of patients as equal stakeholders may be a desirable first step for promoting high-quality, patient-centred care. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Close Air Support versus Close Combat Attack

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-06

levels, little Army representation in the Joint Operations Center (JOC), a lack of proper equipment and training and fluid situations made centrally...Symbols are the most fluid of the parts, able to be shaped and changed as time proceeds and are therefore placed on the outside of the onion peel...rituals as “collective activities that are technically superfluous to reach desired ends but that, within a culture, are considered socially essential

High social desirability and prefrontal cortical activity in cancer patients: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Tashiro, Manabu; Juengling, Freimut D; Moser, Ernst; Reinhardt, Michael J; Kubota, Kazuo; Yanai, Kazuhiko; Sasaki, Hidetada; Nitzsche, Egbert U; Kumano, Hiroaki; Itoh, Masatoshi

2003-04-01

Social desirability is sometimes associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. Psycho-neuro-immune interaction has been hypothesized as an underlying mechanism of the negative clinical outcome. Purpose of this study was to examine possible effects of high social desirability on the regional brain activity in patients with malignant diseases. Brain metabolism of 16 patients with various malignant diseases was measured by PET with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Patients were divided into 2 groups using median split on Marlowe & Crown's Social Desirability Scale (MC), controlling for age, gender, and for severity of depression and anxiety, the possible two major influential factors. A group comparison of the regional cerebral activity was calculated on a voxel-by-voxel basis using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). The subgroup comparison showed that the high social desirability was associated with relatively increased metabolism in the cortical regions in the prefrontal, temporal and occipital lobes as well as in the anterior cingulate gyrus. High social desirability seems to be associated with increased activity in the prefrontal and other cortical areas. The finding is in an accordance with previous studies that demonstrated an association between prefrontal damage and anti-social behavior. Functional neuroimaging seems to be useful not only for psychiatric evaluation of major factors such as depression and anxiety but also for further psychosocial factors in cancer patients.

Increasing women’s sexual desire: The comparative effectiveness of estrogens and androgens

PubMed Central

Cappelletti, Maurand; Wallen, Kim

2016-01-01

Both estradiol and testosterone have been implicated as the steroid critical for modulating women’s sexual desire. By contrast, in all other female mammals only estradiol has been shown to be critical for female sexual motivation and behavior. Pharmaceutical companies have invested heavily in the development of androgen therapies for female sexual desire disorders, but today there are still no FDA approved androgen therapies for women. Nonetheless, testosterone is currently, and frequently, prescribed off-label for the treatment of low sexual desire in women, and the idea of testosterone as a cure-all for female sexual dysfunction remains popular. This paper places the ongoing debate concerning the hormonal modulation of women’s sexual desire within a historical context, and reviews controlled trials of estrogen and/or androgen therapies for low sexual desire in postmenopausal women. These studies demonstrate that estrogen-only therapies that produce periovulatory levels of circulating estradiol increase sexual desire in postmenopausal women. Testosterone at supraphysiological, but not at physiological, levels enhances the effectiveness of low-dose estrogen therapies at increasing women’s sexual desire; however, the mechanism by which supraphysiological testosterone increases women’s sexual desire in combination with an estrogen remains unknown. Because effective therapies require supraphysiological amounts of testosterone, it remains unclear whether endogenous testosterone contributes to the modulation of women’s sexual desire. The likelihood that an androgen-only clinical treatment will meaningfully increase women’s sexual desire is minimal, and the focus of pharmaceutical companies on the development of androgen therapies for the treatment of female sexual desire disorders is likely misplaced. PMID:26589379

ESTIMATING SAMPLE REQUIREMENTS FOR FIELD EVALUATIONS OF PESTICIDE LEACHING

EPA Science Inventory

A method is presented for estimating the number of samples needed to evaluate pesticide leaching threats to ground water at a desired level of precision. Sample size projections are based on desired precision (exhibited as relative tolerable error), level of confidence (90 or 95%...

Adaptive management on public lands in the United States: commitment or rhetoric?

Treesearch

William H. Moir; William M. Block

2001-01-01

Adaptive management (AM is the process of implementing land management activities in incremental steps and evaluating whether desired outcomes are being achieved at each step. If conditions deviate substantially from predictions, management activities are adjusted to achieve the desired outcomes. Thus, AM is a kind of monitoring, an activity that land management...

The Relationship History Calendar: Improving the Scope and Quality of Data on Youth Sexual Behavior*

PubMed Central

Luke, Nancy; Clark, Shelley; Zulu, Eliya

2012-01-01

Most survey data on sexual activities are obtained via face-to-face interviews, which are prone to misreporting of socially unacceptable behaviors. Demographers have developed various private response methods to minimize social desirability bias and improve the quality of reporting; however, these methods often limit the complexity of information collected. We designed a life history calendar—the Relationship History Calendar (RHC)—to increase the scope of data collected on sexual relationships and behavior while enhancing their quality. The RHC records detailed, 10-year retrospective information on sexual relationship histories. The structure and interview procedure draw on qualitative techniques, which could reduce social desirability bias. We evaluate the quality of data collected with the RHC compared to a standard face-to-face survey instrument through a field experiment conducted among 1275 youth in Kisumu, Kenya. The results suggest that the RHC reduces social desirability bias and improves reporting on multiple measures, including higher rates of abstinence among males and multiple recent sexual partnerships among females. The RHC fosters higher levels of rapport and respondent enjoyment, which appear to be the mechanisms through which social desirability bias is minimized. The RHC is an excellent alternative to private response methods and could potentially be adapted into large-scale surveys. PMID:21732169

The relationship history calendar: improving the scope and quality of data on youth sexual behavior.

PubMed

Luke, Nancy; Clark, Shelley; Zulu, Eliya M

2011-08-01

Most survey data on sexual activities are obtained via face-to-face interviews, which are prone to misreporting of socially unacceptable behaviors. Demographers have developed various private response methods to minimize social desirability bias and improve the quality of reporting; however, these methods often limit the complexity of information collected. We designed a life history calendar-the Relationship History Calendar (RHC)-to increase the scope of data collected on sexual relationships and behavior while enhancing their quality. The RHC records detailed, 10-year retrospective information on sexual relationship histories. The structure and interview procedure draw on qualitative techniques, which could reduce social desirability bias. We compare the quality of data collected with the RHC with a standard face-to-face survey instrument through a field experiment conducted among 1,275 youth in Kisumu, Kenya. The results suggest that the RHC reduces social desirability bias and improves reporting on multiple measures, including higher rates of abstinence among males and multiple recent sexual partnerships among females. The RHC fosters higher levels of rapport and respondent enjoyment, which appear to be the mechanisms through which social desirability bias is minimized. The RHC is an excellent alternative to private response methods and could potentially be adapted for large-scale surveys.

Sexual Desire During the Menopausal Transition and Early Postmenopause: Observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Ellen Sullivan; Smith-Di Julio, Kathy

2010-01-01

Abstract Aims To describe levels of sexual desire across the menopausal transition (MT) and early postmenopause (PM), including effects of age, MT-related factors, health, stress, symptoms (hot flash, sleep, mood), and social opportunity factors. Methods A subset of Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study (SMWHS) participants who provided data during the early reproductive, early and late menopausal transition stages, or postmenopause (n = 286), including menstrual calendars for staging the MT, annual health reports between 1990 and 2005, and morning urine samples assayed for estrone glucuronide (E1G), testosterone (T), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) was included. Multilevel modeling using the R program was used to test factors related to sexual desire. Results Women experienced a significant decrease in sexual desire during the late MT stage (p < 0.01) and early PM (p < 0.0001). Those with higher urinary E1G and T reported significantly higher levels of sexual desire, whereas those with higher FSH levels reported significantly lower sexual desire (p < 0.0001, 0.06, and 0.0002, respectively). Women using hormone therapy also reported higher sexual desire (p = 0.02). Those reporting higher perceived stress reported lower sexual desire (p < 0.0001), but history of sexual abuse did not have a significant effect. Those most troubled by symptoms of hot flashes, fatigue, depressed mood, anxiety, difficulty getting to sleep, early morning awakening, and awakening during the night also reported significantly lower sexual desire (p range from <0.03 to 0.0001), but there was no effect of vaginal dryness. Women with better perceived health reported higher sexual desire (p < 0.0001), and those reporting more exercise and more alcohol intake also reported greater sexual desire (p < 0.0001). Having a partner was associated with lower sexual desire. Conclusions Clinicians working with women traversing the MT should be aware that promoting healthy sexual functioning among midlife women requires consideration of their changing biology as well as ongoing life challenges. PMID:20109116

Neuroimaging Craving: Urge Intensity Matters

PubMed Central

Wilson, Stephen J.; Sayette, Michael A.

2015-01-01

Functional neuroimaging has become an increasingly common tool for studying drug craving. Furthermore, functional neuroimaging studies, which have addressed an incredibly diverse array of questions regarding the nature and treatment of craving, have had a substantial impact on theoretical models of addiction. Here, we offer three points related to this sizeable and influential body of research. First, we assert that the craving most investigators seek to study represents not just a desire but a strong desire to use drugs, consistent with prominent theoretical and clinical descriptions of craving. Second, we highlight that, despite the clear conceptual and clinical emphasis on craving as an intense desire, brain imaging studies often have been explicitly designed in a way that reduces the ability to generate powerful cravings. We illustrate this point by reviewing the peak urge levels endorsed by participants in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of cigarette craving in nicotine-deprived versus nondeprived smokers. Third, we suggest that brain responses measured during mild states of desire (such as following satiety) differ in fundamental ways from those measured during states of overpowering desire (i.e., craving) to use drugs. We support this position by way of a meta-analysis revealing that fMRI cue exposure studies using nicotine-deprived smokers have produced different patterns of brain activation than those using nondeprived smokers. Regarding brain imaging studies of craving, intensity of the urges matter, and more explicit attention to urge intensity in future work has the potential to yield valuable information about the nature of craving. PMID:25073979

Outcomes Desired by Practitioners and Academics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neff, Bonita Dostal; Walker, Gael; Smith, Michael F.; Creedon, Pam J.

1999-01-01

Uses data from the national survey described elsewhere in this issue to develop profiles of the desired characteristics of entry-level and advanced-level practitioners, and for educators teaching public relations in undergraduate and graduate programs. Finds unexpectedly strong agreement between educators and practitioners regarding these issues,…

[Anatomy and physiology of sexuality].

PubMed

Cour, F; Droupy, S; Faix, A; Methorst, C; Giuliano, F

2013-07-01

Knowledge of the physiology of male and female sexuality has advanced considerably. Initially there is always desire with its biological neuroendocrine components and its emotional field which is particularly marked in women. There is a distinction between "spontaneous" sexual desire related to intrinsic affective, cognitive stimuli, and fantasies, and "reactive" sexual desire in response to physical arousal. There are similarities between men and women concerning the activation of cerebral zones in sexual arousal contexts in laboratory conditions. The neural pathways for sexual arousal are similar between men and women, bringing into play the sympathetic centres of the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord and, at the sacral level, the parasympathetic center and the motoneurons controlling the muscular contractions of the pelviperineal striated muscles. Genital sensitivity is mainly transmitted by the pudendal nerve in both men and women. Sexual arousal in men consists of penile erection, and ejaculation accompanied with orgasm. In women, sexual arousal causes increase in blood to flow to the vagina leading to lubrication and to the vulva leading to the erection of the clitoris and vulvar hyperaemia. The orgasm which can be multiple in women is accompanied by contractions of the striated perineal muscles. Several neurotransmitters are closely involved in the control of sexuality at the central level: dopamine, ocytocin, serotonin, and peripheral: nitric oxide and noradrenaline in men, vasoactive intestinal peptide and neuropeptide Y in women. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

[A comparative biology and dynamic interpretation of necrophilia].

PubMed

Krizek, G O; Lidinger, H G

1993-04-01

The authors discuss some aspects of Necrophilia based on classic Freudian instinctive theories. Parallels are seen between different levels of life development on Earth and the basic antagonistic drives (Eros and Thanatos) in an attempt to explain this rare and unusual paraphilia. The authors mention, that in unicellular organisms, e.g. Amebas and Schizomycetae, there often does not exist what could be called "the death of an individual", when by splitting two new "individual organisms" are created and no death as such occurs. Here the supposed antagonism of these basic drives-Eros and Thanatos-actually does not manitest itself in the concentional sense. Necrophilia could be interpreted as a regressive desire to return into a phylogenetically older stage of life development, where no individual dies, and life continues without interruption. (On the level of these unicellular organisms, we should speak about "Dividuum" instead of using the classic term "Individuum".) There is some analogy to this regressive desire at a higher level of the biological development in Human society--a magic conviction about the possibility to receive a dead person-common in preliterate cultures. Necrophilia represents an attempt at symbolic unification between antagonistic active and passive drive tendencies and between the Libido and the Destructive instinct.

An Automated Pipeline for Engineering Many-Enzyme Pathways: Computational Sequence Design, Pathway Expression-Flux Mapping, and Scalable Pathway Optimization.

PubMed

Halper, Sean M; Cetnar, Daniel P; Salis, Howard M

2018-01-01

Engineering many-enzyme metabolic pathways suffers from the design curse of dimensionality. There are an astronomical number of synonymous DNA sequence choices, though relatively few will express an evolutionary robust, maximally productive pathway without metabolic bottlenecks. To solve this challenge, we have developed an integrated, automated computational-experimental pipeline that identifies a pathway's optimal DNA sequence without high-throughput screening or many cycles of design-build-test. The first step applies our Operon Calculator algorithm to design a host-specific evolutionary robust bacterial operon sequence with maximally tunable enzyme expression levels. The second step applies our RBS Library Calculator algorithm to systematically vary enzyme expression levels with the smallest-sized library. After characterizing a small number of constructed pathway variants, measurements are supplied to our Pathway Map Calculator algorithm, which then parameterizes a kinetic metabolic model that ultimately predicts the pathway's optimal enzyme expression levels and DNA sequences. Altogether, our algorithms provide the ability to efficiently map the pathway's sequence-expression-activity space and predict DNA sequences with desired metabolic fluxes. Here, we provide a step-by-step guide to applying the Pathway Optimization Pipeline on a desired multi-enzyme pathway in a bacterial host.

Parent-child relationships and self‑control in male university students' desire to play video games.

PubMed

Karbasizadeh, Sina; Jani, Masih; Keshvari, Mahtab

2018-06-12

To determine the relationship between the parent-child relationship, self-control and demographic characteristics and the desire to play video games among male university students at one university in Iran. This was a correlational, descriptive, applied study. A total of 103 male students were selected randomly as a study sample from the population of male students at Isfahan University in Iran. Data collection tools used were the Video Games Questionnaire, Tanji's Self-Control Scale, Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire, and Demographic Questionnaire. Data were analysed using stepwise regression analysis. This study found several factors increased male students' desire to play video games. Demographic characteristics associated with increased tendency to play video games among male students in Iran are older age, larger number of family members, lower parental level of education and higher socio-economic class, while other significant factors are a lower level of self‑control and a poorer parent-child relationship. PARTICIPANTS': higher socio-economic class, lower level of self-control and older age explained 8.2%, 5.2% and 5.9% of their desire to play video games, respectively. These three variables together accounted for significantly 16.9% of a male student's desire to play video games in this study ( P <0.05). These results suggest that the family's socio-economic status plays a significant role in young men's desire to play video games in Iran. Moreover, lower levels of self-control and a poorer parent-child relationship were found to be accompanied by a greater desire to play video games among male university students. © 2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

New approaches for estimating the demand for children.

PubMed

Lightbourne R

1987-01-01

This paper estimates the instantaneous demand for children during each month of the reproductive span. It does so by analyzing survey data on the desire to conceive as a function of 2 variables: parity and months elapsed since entry to each parity. Based on the estimates of the instantaneous demand for children, the paper develops a unified model for estimating desired conception waits, desired birth intervals, number of births wanted over a lifetime, the desired level of contraceptive prevalence, and the unmet need for contraception. The model is applied to Ecuador, Ghana, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea. In 3 of the 4 countries, substantial numbers of women desire very long birth intervals; if that preference for long birth intervals were realized, fertility would be substantially reduced. In all 4 countries there is a fraction of women whose desired conception wait is so short as to endanger maternal health and raise child mortality. In all 4 countries, the mean number of children that women would bear if they conceived only when they wanted to is very much lower than the contemporaneous total fertility rate and is substantially lower than desired family size. The estimates indicate that if women fully implemented their postponing and terminating preferences, fertility would decline by 58% in Ecuador, 25% in Ghana, 42% in Malaysia and 31% in the Republic of Korea. The level of contraceptive prevalence that would come into being if women implemented their postponing and terminating preferences is much higher than the actual level of contraceptive prevalence, thus indicating high levels of unmet need for contraceptives. These findings have implications for population policy in the areas of maternal health and child mortality, fertility and family planning.

Sexual functioning among women with physical disabilities.

PubMed

Nosek, M A; Rintala, D H; Young, M E; Howland, C A; Foley, C C; Rossi, D; Chanpong, G

1996-02-01

Three a priori hypotheses were tested: (1) There are significant differences in sociosexual behaviors of women with physical disabilities compared with women without disabilities; (2) the sexual functioning of women with disabilities is significantly related to age at onset of disability; (3) psychological factors explain more of the variance in the sexual functioning of women with physical disabilities than do disability, social and environmental factors. Case-comparison study using written survey. General community. The questionnaire was mailed to 1,150 women with physical disabilities who were recruited as volunteers or through independent living centers. Each woman gave a second copy of the questionnaire to an able-bodied female friend, which comprised the comparison group. The response rate was 45%, with 475 cases and 425 comparisons eligible to participate. The most common disability type was spinal cord injury (24%), followed by polio (18%), muscular dystrophy (11%), cerebral palsy (11%), multiple sclerosis (10%), joint disorders (7%), and skeletal abnormalities (5%). None. Sexual-functioning, consisting of four factors: (1) sexual desire, (2) sexual activity, (3) sexual response, (4) sexual satisfaction. Highly significant differences were found in level of sexual activity (p = .000001), response (p = .000009), and satisfaction (p=.000001) between women with and without disabilities. No significant differences were found between groups on sexual desire. Severity of disability was not significantly related to level of sexual activity. Psychological and social factors exert a strong impact on the sexual functioning of women with physical disabilities. Further investigations is needed of the effect of social environment on development of self-esteem and sexual self-image, and how these influences affect levels of sexual functioning in women with physical disabilities.

Neural Correlates of Appetite and Hunger-Related Evaluative Judgments

PubMed Central

Piech, Richard M.; Lewis, Jade; Parkinson, Caroline H.; Owen, Adrian M.; Roberts, Angela C.; Downing, Paul E.; Parkinson, John A.

2009-01-01

How much we desire a meal depends on both the constituent foods and how hungry we are, though not every meal becomes more desirable with increasing hunger. The brain therefore needs to be able to integrate hunger and meal properties to compute the correct incentive value of a meal. The present study investigated the functional role of the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex in mediating hunger and dish attractiveness. Furthermore, it explored neural responses to dish descriptions particularly susceptible to value-increase following fasting. We instructed participants to rate how much they wanted food menu items while they were either hungry or sated, and compared the rating differences in these states. Our results point to the representation of food value in the amygdala, and to an integration of attractiveness with hunger level in the orbitofrontal cortex. Dishes particularly desirable during hunger activated the thalamus and the insula. Our results specify the functions of evaluative structures in the context of food attractiveness, and point to a complex neural representation of dish qualities which contribute to state-dependent value. PMID:19672296

Neural correlates of appetite and hunger-related evaluative judgments.

PubMed

Piech, Richard M; Lewis, Jade; Parkinson, Caroline H; Owen, Adrian M; Roberts, Angela C; Downing, Paul E; Parkinson, John A

2009-08-12

How much we desire a meal depends on both the constituent foods and how hungry we are, though not every meal becomes more desirable with increasing hunger. The brain therefore needs to be able to integrate hunger and meal properties to compute the correct incentive value of a meal. The present study investigated the functional role of the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex in mediating hunger and dish attractiveness. Furthermore, it explored neural responses to dish descriptions particularly susceptible to value-increase following fasting. We instructed participants to rate how much they wanted food menu items while they were either hungry or sated, and compared the rating differences in these states. Our results point to the representation of food value in the amygdala, and to an integration of attractiveness with hunger level in the orbitofrontal cortex. Dishes particularly desirable during hunger activated the thalamus and the insula. Our results specify the functions of evaluative structures in the context of food attractiveness, and point to a complex neural representation of dish qualities which contribute to state-dependent value.

The role of individual differences on perceptions of wearable fitness device trust, usability, and motivational impact.

PubMed

Rupp, Michael A; Michaelis, Jessica R; McConnell, Daniel S; Smither, Janan A

2018-07-01

Lack of physical activity is a severe health concern in the United States with fewer than half of all Americans meeting the recommended weekly physical activity guidelines. Although wearable fitness devices can be effective in motivating people to be active, consumers are abandoning this technology soon after purchase. We examined the impact of several user (i.e. personality, age, computer self-efficacy, physical activity level) and device characteristics (trust, usability, and motivational affordances) on the behavioral intentions to use a wearable fitness device. Novice users completed a brief interaction with a fitness device similar to a first purchase experience before completing questionnaires about their interaction. We found computer self-efficacy, physical activity level, as well as personality traits indirectly increased the desire to use a fitness device and influenced the saliency of perceived motivational affordances. Additionally, trust, usability, and perceived motivational affordances were associated with increased intentions to use fitness devices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

User modeling techniques for enhanced usability of OPSMODEL operations simulation software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, William T.

1991-01-01

The PC based OPSMODEL operations software for modeling and simulation of space station crew activities supports engineering and cost analyses and operations planning. Using top-down modeling, the level of detail required in the data base can be limited to being commensurate with the results required of any particular analysis. To perform a simulation, a resource environment consisting of locations, crew definition, equipment, and consumables is first defined. Activities to be simulated are then defined as operations and scheduled as desired. These operations are defined within a 1000 level priority structure. The simulation on OPSMODEL, then, consists of the following: user defined, user scheduled operations executing within an environment of user defined resource and priority constraints. Techniques for prioritizing operations to realistically model a representative daily scenario of on-orbit space station crew activities are discussed. The large number of priority levels allows priorities to be assigned commensurate with the detail necessary for a given simulation. Several techniques for realistic modeling of day-to-day work carryover are also addressed.

Designing collective behavior in a termite-inspired robot construction team.

PubMed

Werfel, Justin; Petersen, Kirstin; Nagpal, Radhika

2014-02-14

Complex systems are characterized by many independent components whose low-level actions produce collective high-level results. Predicting high-level results given low-level rules is a key open challenge; the inverse problem, finding low-level rules that give specific outcomes, is in general still less understood. We present a multi-agent construction system inspired by mound-building termites, solving such an inverse problem. A user specifies a desired structure, and the system automatically generates low-level rules for independent climbing robots that guarantee production of that structure. Robots use only local sensing and coordinate their activity via the shared environment. We demonstrate the approach via a physical realization with three autonomous climbing robots limited to onboard sensing. This work advances the aim of engineering complex systems that achieve specific human-designed goals.

The effect of selected "desirable difficulties" on the ability to recall anatomy information.

PubMed

Dobson, John L; Linderholm, Tracy

2015-01-01

"Desirable difficulties" is a theory from cognitive science used to promote learning in a variety of contexts. The basic premise is that creating a cognitively challenging environment at the learning acquisition phase, by actively engaging learners in the retrieval of to-be-learned materials, promotes long-term retention. In this study, the degree of desirable difficulties was varied to identify how cognitively challenging the learning acquisition phase must be to benefit university-level students' learning of anatomy concepts. This is important to investigate as applied studies of desirable difficulties are less frequent than laboratory-based studies and the implementation of this principle may need to be tailored to the specific field of study, such as anatomy. As such, a read-read-read-read (R-R-R-R) condition was compared to read-generate-read-generate (R-G-R-G) and read-test-read-test (R-T-R-T) conditions. The three conditions varied in terms of how effortful the retrieval task was during the learning acquisition phase. R-R-R-R required little effort because participants passively read the materials four times. R-G-R-G required some effort to generate a response as participants completed a word fragment task during the learning acquisition phase. R-T-R-T was thought to be most demanding as participants performed a free recall task twice during the learning phase. With regard to the absolute amount of anatomy information recalled, the R-T-R-T condition was superior at both immediate and delayed (one week) assessment points. Thus, instructors and learners of anatomy would benefit from embedding more free recall components, or self-testing, into university-level course work or study practices. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

The Effect of Social Desirability and Social Approval on Self-Reports of Physical Activity

PubMed Central

Adams, Swann Arp; Matthews, Charles E.; Ebbeling, Cara B.; Moore, Charity G.; Cunningham, Joan E.; Fulton, Jeanette; Hebert, James R.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to examine social desirability and social approval as sources of error in three self-reported physical activity assessments using objective measures of physical activity as reference measures. In 1997, women (n = 81) living in Worcester, Massachusetts, completed doubly labeled water measurements and wore an activity monitor for 14 days. They also completed seven interviewer-administered 24-hour physical activity recalls (PARs) and two different self-administered 7-day PARs. Measures of the personality traits “social desirability” and “social approval” were regressed on 1) the difference between physical activity energy expenditure estimated from doubly labeled water and each physical activity assessment instrument and 2) the difference between monitor-derived physical activity duration and each instrument. Social desirability was associated with overreporting of activity, resulting in overestimation of physical activity energy expenditure by 0.65 kcal/kg/day on the second 7-day PAR (95% confidence interval: 0.06, 1.25) and overestimation of activity durations by 4.15–11.30 minutes/day (both 7-day PARs). Social approval was weakly associated with underestimation of physical activity on the 24-hour PAR (−0.15 kcal/kg/day, 95% confidence interval: −0.30, 0.005). Body size was not associated with reporting bias in this study. The authors conclude that social desirability and social approval may influence self-reported physical activity on some survey instruments. PMID:15692083

Knowledge of women in family planning and future desire to use contraception: a cross sectional survey in Urban Cameroon.

PubMed

Ajong, Atem Bethel; Njotang, Philip Nana; Kenfack, Bruno; Yakum, Martin Ndinakie; Mbu, Enow Robinson

2016-07-18

The rate of modern contraceptive use will be on an increase and maternal mortality on a decrease if women had a good knowledge on family planning and its methods. This survey was designed to evaluate the knowledge and determine the future desires to use contraception among women in Urban Cameroon. We conducted a cross sectional community based survey from March 2015 to April 2015 targeting women of childbearing age in the Biyem-Assi Health District. Participants were included using a multistep cluster sampling and the data collected face to face by well-trained surveyors using a pretested and validated questionnaire. The data were then analysed using the statistical software Epi-Info version 3.5.4. Proportions and their 95 % confidence intervals were calculated and in a multiple logistic regression model with threshold of significance set at p value ≤0.05, the odds ratio was used as the measure of association between selected covariates and future desire to use contraception. Among the 712 women included in the survey, the mean age was 27.5 ± 6.5 years. A good proportion (95.6 %) identified contraception as used to prevent unwanted pregnancy and this showed an increasing trend with increasing level of education. Also, 77.5 % thought that contraception should be used by all sexually active women. The most cited contraceptive methods were; condom 689 (96.8 %), oral pills 507 (71.2 %), and implants 390 (54.8 %). Their main sources of information were the health personnel (47.7 %) and the school (23.6 %). It was estimated that 31.0 [25.5-37.0] % of current contraceptive non-users had no desire of adopting a contraceptive method in the future. With the level of education, age, and marital status controlled, the number of unplanned pregnancies more than 3 (OR 0.66 [0.45-0.97], p = 0.035), and past adoption of more than 2 modern contraceptive methods (OR 0.45 [0.21-0.97], p = 0.041) were statistically significantly associated to decreased desire to adopt contraception in the future. The level of knowledge showed an association though not statistically significant with future desire to use contraception (OR 0.80 [0.47-1.37], p = 0.061). The knowledge of women of childbearing in the Biyem-Assi Health District was relatively high but still unsatisfactory. The proportion of contraceptive non users who have no desire of adopting any contraceptive method in future is still unacceptably high. Policy makers should improve on their strategies while empowering the health personnel and working in collaboration with the education ministries.

Work and retirement preferences of practicing radiologists as a predictor of workforce needs.

PubMed

Moriarity, Andrew K; Brown, Manuel L; Schultz, Lonni R

2014-08-01

The radiology job market has been described as highly variable, and recent practice hiring surveys predict that the number of available jobs will remain flat. Radiologists may be working more hours and retiring later than desired, activities that influence overall job availability. A national survey was performed to determine the desired work rate and retirement preferences of practicing radiologists, and the responses are used to estimate current and potential future work output and future workforce needs. Practicing radiologists were surveyed regarding current and preferred work level and desired and expected retirement age. A model incorporating these preferences and stratified by age was developed using survey responses and American Medical Association full-time equivalent (FTE) estimates. Available FTE radiologists are estimated under four scenarios from 2016 to 2031 in 5-year intervals. The model predicts a total of 26,362 FTE radiologists available in 2011, which corresponds to previous estimates. Participants reported working more hours and expecting to retire later than desired, with younger radiologists and women reporting the greatest desired decrease in FTE hours worked. Under each scenario, there is an initial FTE availability in 2016 ranging from 21,156 to 24,537, which increases to between 27,753 and 31,435 FTE by 2031 depending on work rate and retirement patterns. Practicing radiologists report that they currently work more hours than desired and expect to retire later than they would prefer. If radiologists changed current personal work rate and expected retirement age to meet these preferences, there would be an immediate shortage of FTE radiologists continuing until at least 2020 assuming no other workforce needs changes. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Daily affect and female sexual function.

PubMed

Kalmbach, David A; Pillai, Vivek

2014-12-01

The specific affective experiences related to changes in various aspects of female sexual function have received little attention as most prior studies have focused instead on the role of clinical mood and anxiety disorders and their influence on sexual dysfunction. We sought to understand the transaction between daily affect and female sexual function in effort to provide a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between affective and sexual experiences. The present study used a 2-week daily diary approach to examine same-day and temporal relations between positive and negative affect states and sexual function in young women. We examined the unique relations between positive (i.e., joviality, serenity, self-assurance) and negative (i.e., fear, sadness, hostility) affects and female sexual response (i.e., desire, subjective arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasmic function, and sexual pain) while controlling for higher order sexual distress, depression, and anxiety, as well as age effects and daily menstruation. Analyses revealed different aspects of both positive and negative affects to be independently related to sexual response indices. Specifically, results indicated that joviality was related to same-day sexual desire and predicted increased desire the following day. This latter relation was partially mediated by sexual activity. Further, greater sexual desire predicted next-day calmness, which was partially mediated by sexual activity. Notably, fear was related to same-day subjective arousal, lubrication, orgasmic function, and vaginal pain, whereas poorer orgasmic function predicted greater next-day sadness. These findings describe the manner in which changes in affect correspond to variations in female sexual function, thus highlighting the inextricability of mental and sexual health. Further, these findings may offer insight into the progression of normative levels of affect and sexual function as they develop into comorbid depression, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Improvement of expression level of polysaccharide lyases with new tag GAPDH in E. coli.

PubMed

Chen, Zhenya; Li, Ye; Sun, Xinxiao; Yuan, Qipeng

2016-10-20

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is widely used to express a variety of heterologous proteins. Efforts have been made to enhance the expression level of the desired protein. However, problems still exist to regulate the level of protein expression and therefore, new strategies are needed to overcome those issues. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) which is properly expressed in E. coli might play a leading role and increase the expression levels of the target proteins. In this study, GAPDH was fused with a target enzyme, ChSase ABC I, an endoeliminase and polysaceharide lyase. Our results confirmed this hypothesis and indicated that GAPDH boosted the expression level of ChSase ABC I with an increase of 2.25 times, while the enzymatic activity with an increase of 2.99 times. The hypothesis were also supported by RT-PCR study and GAPDH was more effective in enhancing the expression level and enzymatic activity as compared to MBP, which is commonly used as fused tag and can improve the soluble expression of target protein. addition, the expression level and enzymatic activity of other polysaceharide lyases were also improved in the presence of GAPDH. The findings of this study prove that GAPDH has a strong effect on enhancing the expression level and enzymatic activity of the target proteins. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Children’s belief- and desire-reasoning in the temporoparietal junction: evidence for specialization from functional near-infrared spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Bowman, Lindsay C.; Kovelman, Ioulia; Hu, Xiaosu; Wellman, Henry M.

2015-01-01

Behaviorally, children’s explicit theory of mind (ToM) proceeds in a progression of mental-state understandings: developmentally, children demonstrate accurate explicit desire-reasoning before accurate explicit belief-reasoning. Given its robust and cross-cultural nature, we hypothesize this progression may be paced in part by maturation/specialization of the brain. Neuroimaging research demonstrates that the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) becomes increasingly selective for ToM reasoning as children age, and as their ToM improves. But this research has narrowly focused on beliefs or on undifferentiated mental-states. A recent ERP study in children included a critical contrast to desire-reasoning, and demonstrated that right posterior potentials differentiated belief-reasoning from desire-reasoning. Taken together, the literature suggests that children’s desire-belief progression may be paced by specialization of the right TPJ for belief-reasoning specifically, beyond desire-reasoning. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis directly by examining children’s belief- and desire-reasoning using functional near-infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with structural magnetic resonance imaging to pinpoint brain activation in the right TPJ. Results showed greatest activation in the right TPJ for belief-reasoning, beyond desire-reasoning, and beyond non-mental reasoning (control). Findings replicate and critically extend prior ERP results, and provide clear evidence for a specific neural mechanism underlying children’s progression from understanding desires to understanding beliefs. PMID:26500527

Enhancement of anti-inflammatory activity of bromelain by its encapsulation in katira gum nanoparticles.

PubMed

Bernela, Manju; Ahuja, Munish; Thakur, Rajesh

2016-06-05

Bromelain-loaded katira gum nanoparticles were synthesized using 3 level optimization process and desirability approach. Nanoparticles of the optimized batch were characterized using particle size analysis, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Investigation of their in vivo anti-inflammatory activity by employing carrageenan induced rat-paw oedema method showed that encapsulation of bromelain in katira gum nanoparticles substantially enhanced its anti-inflammatory potential. This may be attributed to enhanced absorption owing to reduced particle size or to protection of bromelain from acid proteases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is High Sexual Desire a Risk for Women's Relationship and Sexual Well-Being?

PubMed

Štulhofer, Aleksandar; Bergeron, Sophie; Jurin, Tanja

2016-09-01

Historically, women's sexual desire has been deemed socially problematic. The growing popularity of the concept of hypersexuality-which lists high sexual desire among its core components-poses a risk of re-pathologizing female sexual desire. Data from a 2014 online survey of 2,599 Croatian women aged 18-60 years was used to examine whether high sexual desire is detrimental to women's relationship and sexual well-being. Based on the highest scores on an indicator of sexual desire, 178 women were classified in the high sexual desire (HSD) group; women who scored higher than one standard deviation above the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory mean were categorized in the hypersexuality (HYP) group (n = 239). Fifty-seven women met the classification criteria for both groups (HYP&HSD). Compared to other groups, the HSD was the most sexually active group. Compared to controls, the HYP and HYP&HSD groups-but not the HSD group-reported significantly more negative consequences associated with their sexuality. Compared to the HYP group, women with HSD reported better sexual function, higher sexual satisfaction, and lower odds of negative behavioral consequences. The findings suggest that, at least among women, hypersexuality should not be conflated with high sexual desire and frequent sexual activity.

Korean Children's Evaluation of Parental Restrictions Regarding Gender-Stereotypic Peer Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yoonjung; Lee-Kim, Jennie; Killen, Melanie; Park, Kyoungja; Kim, Jihyun

2012-01-01

Korean children's evaluations of parental restrictions of children's activities based on gender stereotypic expectations were investigated. Third and sixth grade Korean (N = 128) children evaluated scenarios in which a boy or girl desired to play ballet or soccer. Participants used stereotypes to support children's desires to play…

Objects of Desire: Power and Passion in Collaborative Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nardi, Bonnie A.

2005-01-01

This article uses activity theory to analyze the conduct of collaborative scientific research, showing how the conceptualization of object is critical to understanding key aspects of scientific collaboration. I argue that the passions and desires behind objects of scientific research are missing in most accounts. I suggest refinements to the…

Outreach at Washington State University: a case study in costs and attendance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, Elizabeth A.; Bollen, Viktor; Bersano, Thomas M.; Mossman, Sean M.

2016-09-01

Making effective and efficient use of outreach resources can be difficult for student groups in smaller rural communities. Washington State University's OSA/SPIE student chapter desires well attended yet cost-effective ways to educate and inform the public. We designed outreach activities focused on three different funding levels: low upfront cost, moderate continuing costs, and high upfront cost with low continuing costs. By featuring our activities at well attended events, such as a pre-football game event, or by advertising a headlining activity, such as a laser maze, we take advantage of large crowds to create a relaxed learning atmosphere. Moreover, participants enjoy casual learning while waiting for a main event. Choosing a particular funding level and associating with well-attended events makes outreach easier. While there are still many challenges to outreach, such as motivating volunteers or designing outreach programs, we hope overcoming two large obstacles will lead to future outreach success.

Participation in home, extracurricular, and community activities among children and young people with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Orlin, Margo N; Palisano, Robert J; Chiarello, Lisa A; Kang, Lin-Ju; Polansky, Marcia; Almasri, Nihad; Maggs, Jill

2010-02-01

Participation in home, extracurricular, and community activities is a desired outcome of rehabilitation services for children and young people with cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age and gross motor function on participation among children and young people with CP. Five hundred participants (277 males, 223 females) were grouped by age and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level. There were 291 children aged 6 to 12 years and 209 young people aged 13 to 21 years. There were 128 participants in GMFCS level I, 220 in levels II/III, and 152 in levels IV/V. Participants completed the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment to measure number of activities (diversity) and how often they were performed (intensity) in the past 4 months. Children had higher overall participation diversity and intensity than young people (p<0.001). Children and young people in GMFCS level I had the highest overall participation, followed by children and young people in levels II/III and IV/V. Children had higher participation in recreational (p<0.001) but not formal (such as team sports or clubs) or physical activities. Children (p<0.01) and young people (p<0.001) in level I had the highest participation in physical activities; diversity and intensity were generally low. The findings provide evidence of the effect of age and gross motor function on participation of children and young people with CP. Low participation in physical activities may have implications for fitness and health, especially for children and young people in GMFCS levels IV and V.

Advertising, Desire, and the Unified Field: A Metaphysical Perspective on Advertising.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wesson, David A.

Suggesting that ills said to be perpetrated by advertising are really attributes of a unified field of consciousness, this paper discusses the concept that advertising creates desire. The generally undisputed notion that advertising helps to create specific desires is distinguished from the criticism that advertising increases the level and…

Effective and ineffective use of fear in health promotion campaigns.

PubMed Central

Soames Job, R F

1988-01-01

Health promotion campaigns are typically designed to elicit fear, yet the use of fear is often ineffective in achieving the desired behavior change. Campaigns which attempt to use fear as part of a punishment procedure are unlikely to succeed. Consistent with established principles of learning, fear is most likely to be effective if the campaign allows for the desired behavior to be reinforced by a reduction in the level of fear. This entails five requirements: 1) fear onset should occur before the desired behavior is offered; 2) the event upon which the fear is based should appear to be likely; 3) a specific desired behavior should be offered as part of the campaign; 4) the level of fear elicited should only be such that the desired behavior offered is sufficient to substantially reduce the fear; 5) fear offset should occur as a reinforcer for the desired behavior, confirming its effectiveness. Under some circumstances it may be difficult to ensure that these requirements are met. In general, a positive reinforcement approach may prove to be more effective than the use of fear. PMID:3276236

The relationship between social desirability bias and self-reports of health, substance use, and social network factors among urban substance users in Baltimore, Maryland.

PubMed

Latkin, Carl A; Edwards, Catie; Davey-Rothwell, Melissa A; Tobin, Karin E

2017-10-01

Social desirability response bias may lead to inaccurate self-reports and erroneous study conclusions. The present study examined the relationship between social desirability response bias and self-reports of mental health, substance use, and social network factors among a community sample of inner-city substance users. The study was conducted in a sample of 591 opiate and cocaine users in Baltimore, Maryland from 2009 to 2013. Modified items from the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were included in the survey, which was conducted face-to-face and using Audio Computer Self Administering Interview (ACASI) methods. There were highly statistically significant differences in levels of social desirability response bias by levels of depressive symptoms, drug use stigma, physical health status, recent opiate and cocaine use, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, and size of social networks. There were no associations between health service utilization measures and social desirability bias. In multiple logistic regression models, even after including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) as a measure of depressive symptomology, social desirability bias was associated with recent drug use and drug user stigma. Social desirability bias was not associated with enrollment in prior research studies. These findings suggest that social desirability bias is associated with key health measures and that the associations are not primarily due to depressive symptoms. Methods are needed to reduce social desirability bias. Such methods may include the wording and prefacing of questions, clearly defining the role of "study participant," and assessing and addressing motivations for socially desirable responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels: Variability, Knowledge Gaps, and the Concept of a Desirable Range.

PubMed

Fuleihan, Ghada El-Hajj; Bouillon, Roger; Clarke, Bart; Chakhtoura, Marlene; Cooper, Cyrus; McClung, Michael; Singh, Ravinder J

2015-07-01

Hypovitaminosis D is prevalent worldwide but proportions vary widely between regions, depending on genetic and lifestyle factors, the threshold to define deficiency, and accuracy of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) assays used. Latitude, pollution, concealing clothing, sun exposure, gender, dietary habits, and lack of government regulation account for up to 50% in variations in serum 25OHD levels, whereas genetic polymorphisms in the vitamin D pathway account for less than 5%. Organizations/societies have developed guidelines for recommended desirable 25OHD levels and vitamin D doses to reach them, but their applicability across age groups and populations are still debated. This article and the accompanying online Supporting Information highlight sources of variations in circulating 25OHD levels, uncertainties and knowledge gaps, and analytical problems facing 25OHD assays, while keeping efficacy and safety data as the dominant factors when defining a desirable range for 25OHD levels. We propose a desirable range of 20 to 40 ng/mL (50 to 100 nmol/L), provided precise and accurate assays are used. Although slightly lower levels, 15 to 20 ng/mL, may be sufficient for some infants and adults, higher levels, 40 to 60 ng/mL, may still be safe. This desirable range allows physicians to tailor treatment while taking season, lifestyle, vitamin D intake, and other sources of variation into account. We reserve 25OHD measurements for at-risk patients, defined by disease or lifestyle, and the use of 25OHD assays calibrated against the recommended international standards. Most target groups reach desirable target levels by a daily intake of 400 to 600 IU for children and 800 IU for adults. A total daily allowance of vitamin D of up to 1000 IU in the pediatric age groups, and up to 2000 IU in adults, tailored to an individual patient risk profile, is probably safe over long durations. Additional data are needed to validate the proposed range and vitamin D doses, especially in children, pregnant women, and non-white populations. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Meta-analysis of Specific Music Therapy Measures and Their Implications for the Health Care System.

PubMed

Llovet, Aliza K

The purpose of the activity reported in this article was to conduct an exhaustive search of the Journal of Music Therapy, filter the articles on the desired parameters, and organize data for analysis and interpretation. Specifically, the researcher studied whether (a) there was a significant difference in physiological measures, (b) there was a significant difference in quality of life, (c) there was a significant difference in satisfaction levels, (d) there was a significant difference in pain reduction, (e) there was a significant difference in procedural length, (f) there was a significant difference in length of stay, and (g) whether the overall effect size and 95% confidence level support the recommendation of music therapy in the health care setting. Twenty-four studies met criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. Results revealed an overall effect size of d = 0.61. However, results of the 95% confidence interval included 0, which suggests that there may not be a statistically significant difference in the health care setting on desired measures. Further results and implications are discussed within the article.

Human Sexual Desire Disorder: Do We Have a Problem?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNab, Warren L.; Henry, Jean

2006-01-01

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), loss of sexual desire for sexual activity, is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions of men and women in the United States. This article presents an overview of this specific sexual dysfunction including incidence, possible causes, treatment options, and the role of the health educator in addressing…

The common neural bases between sexual desire and love: a multilevel kernel density fMRI analysis.

PubMed

Cacioppo, Stephanie; Bianchi-Demicheli, Francesco; Frum, Chris; Pfaus, James G; Lewis, James W

2012-04-01

One of the most difficult dilemmas in relationship science and couple therapy concerns the interaction between sexual desire and love. As two mental states of intense longing for union with others, sexual desire and love are, in fact, often difficult to disentangle from one another. The present review aims to help understand the differences and similarities between these two mental states using a comprehensive statistical meta-analyses of all functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on sexual desire and love. Systematic retrospective review of pertinent neuroimaging literature. Review of published literature on fMRI studies illustrating brain regions associated with love and sexual desire to date. Sexual desire and love not only show differences but also recruit a striking common set of brain areas that mediate somatosensory integration, reward expectation, and social cognition. More precisely, a significant posterior-to-anterior insular pattern appears to track sexual desire and love progressively. This specific pattern of activation suggests that love builds upon a neural circuit for emotions and pleasure, adding regions associated with reward expectancy, habit formation, and feature detection. In particular, the shared activation within the insula, with a posterior-to-anterior pattern, from desire to love, suggests that love grows out of and is a more abstract representation of the pleasant sensorimotor experiences that characterize desire. From these results, one may consider desire and love on a spectrum that evolves from integrative representations of affective visceral sensations to an ultimate representation of feelings incorporating mechanisms of reward expectancy and habit learning. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Aging prisoners' treatment selection: does prospect theory enhance understanding of end-of-life medical decisions?

PubMed

Phillips, Laura L; Allen, Rebecca S; Harris, Grant M; Presnell, Andrew H; Decoster, Jamie; Cavanaugh, Ronald

2011-10-01

With the rapid growth in the older inmate population and the economic impact of end-of-life treatments within the cash-strapped prison system, consideration should be given to inmate treatment preferences. We examined end-of-life treatment preferences and days of desired life for several health scenarios among male inmates incarcerated primarily for murder. Inmates over the age of 45 who passed a cognitive screening completed face-to-face interviews (N = 94; mean age = 57.7; SD = 10.68). We found a 3-way interaction indicating that the effect of parole expectation on desire for life-sustaining treatment varied by race/ethnicity and treatment. Minority inmates desired cardiopulmonary resuscitation or feeding tubes only if they believed that they would be paroled. The model predicting desire for palliative care was not significant. Future days of desired life were related to prospective health condition, fear of death, negative affect, and trust in prison health care. Caucasian inmates expressed a desire for more days of life out of prison, whereas minority inmates did not differ in days of desired life either in or out of prison. Minorities wanted more days of life than Caucasians but only if they believed that they would be paroled. End-of-life care for the burgeoning inmate population is costly, and active life-sustaining treatments may not be desired under certain conditions. Specifically, expectation of parole but not current functional ability interacts with future illness condition in explaining inmates' desire for active treatment or days of desired life in the future.

Touching moments: desire modulates the neural anticipation of active romantic caress

PubMed Central

Ebisch, Sjoerd J.; Ferri, Francesca; Gallese, Vittorio

2014-01-01

A romantic caress is a basic expression of affiliative behavior and a primary reinforcer. Given its inherent affective valence, its performance also would imply the prediction of reward values. For example, touching a person for whom one has strong passionate feelings likely is motivated by a strong desire for physical contact and associated with the anticipation of hedonic experiences. The present study aims at investigating how the anticipatory neural processes of active romantic caress are modulated by the intensity of the desire for affective contact as reflected by passionate feelings for the other. Functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning was performed in romantically involved partners using a paradigm that allowed to isolate the specific anticipatory representations of active romantic caress, compared with control caress, while testing for the relationship between neural activity and measures of feelings of passionate love for the other. The results demonstrated that right posterior insula activity in anticipation of romantic caress significantly co-varied with the intensity of desire for union with the other. This effect was independent of the sensory-affective properties of the performed touch, like its pleasantness. Furthermore, functional connectivity analysis showed that the same posterior insula cluster interacted with brain regions related to sensory-motor functions as well as to the processing and anticipation of reward. The findings provide insight on the neural substrate mediating between the desire for and the performance of romantic caress. In particular, we propose that anticipatory activity patterns in posterior insula may modulate subsequent sensory-affective processing of skin-to-skin contact. PMID:24616676

Implications of No Recent Sexual Activity, Casual Sex, or Exclusive Sex for College Women's Sexual Well-Being Depend on Sexual Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaestle, Christine E.; Evans, Larissa M.

2018-01-01

Objective: We examine how sexual activity relates to sexual well-being within the context of sexual attitudes, sexual agency, and sexual desire. Participants/Methods: We surveyed 471 college women in 2012-2014 who had ever had sex. Results: Sexual agency and sexual desire consistently predicted well-being, regardless of recent sexual activity.…

O/MN Budget Execution at U.S. Naval Shore Activities: A Model for Improving Resource Allocation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

those objective. Is thus for tie, B r d*nateet ennhanced written ai ti 1 fiquoA by the Commaul9 fco VARIANCE RIPIA3ATION PORN ...of each requirement to be prioritized. Needs/desires of all concerned are discussed and classified. [ Family Service Center Director] Under present...obligation of end year sweep up of funds. [Admin. Officer/Director Family Service Center] More knowledge of operational level problems. [Budget Analyst

Sports activities and endurance capacity of bone tumor patients after rotationplasty.

PubMed

Hillmann, Axel; Weist, Roger; Fromme, Albert; Völker, Klaus; Rosenbaum, Dieter

2007-07-01

To investigate the preferred types of sports activities of patients with rotationplasty and to measure their physiologic performance characteristics through treadmill ergometry. Cross-sectional, descriptive analysis and repeated measures of different velocities. Biomechanics research laboratory. Patients (n=61) with rotationplasty after bone tumor surgery, 30 of whom participated in a functional trial (treadmill), and a control group (n=20). Not applicable. Patients' participation in sports compared with that of the healthy population, treadmill performance at 2 or 3 different speeds, heart rate, lactate accumulation, oxygen consumption, ventilatory equivalent, efficiency, respiratory minute volume, and respiratory quotient. High activity in sports participation (85%) in most common sports (8 competitive, 17 sports club members, the remaining subjects were recreational athletes). At the same treadmill speed, lactate accumulation and all cardiorespiratory functions were higher in rotationplasty patients than in the control group. Patients can re-engage in a high level of physical activity after rotationplasty for bone tumor treatment. This physical activity is necessary if patients want to maintain or improve a desired level of sports activity.

Psychosocial withdrawal characteristics of nicotine compared with alcohol and caffeine.

PubMed

Miyata, Hisatsugu; Hironaka, Naoyuki; Takada, Kohji; Miyasato, Katsumasa; Nakamura, Koichi; Yanagita, Tomoji

2008-10-01

The purpose of the present study was to observe the psychosocial characteristics of withdrawal from cigarette smoking in comparison with those from caffeine (CAF) and alcoholic (ALC) beverage withdrawal. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers at a medial level of dependence on both cigarettes (nicotine, NCT) and either CAF or ALC, as judged by the DSM-IV-TR criteria for substance dependence, participated in this study. The participants were required to abstain from smoking and either CAF or ALC for 7 days, each one after another, with a 7-day interval. The order of abstinence was counterbalanced among the participants. Psychosocial parameters, including a desire for substances, social activity function, well-being, withdrawal symptoms, and vital signs, were assessed during the withdrawal periods. The study protocol was approved by the Jikei University Review Board. The results indicated that there were no differences in the maximum level of desire for a substance and the influence on social activity function between NCT and other substances during the withdrawal periods. As for withdrawal symptoms, NCT caused a more intensive degree of irritability than CAF or ALC, and a more intensive degree of difficulty concentrating and restlessness than did withdrawal from ALC. However, the subjective well-being questionnaire indicated no differences in these symptoms between NCT and other substances. The present results suggest that there are no significant differences in psychosocial manifestations regarding the difficulty in abstaining from NCT, CAF, and ALC.

The object of sexual desire: examining the "what" in "what do you desire?".

PubMed

Mark, Kristen; Herbenick, Debby; Fortenberry, Dennis; Sanders, Stephanie; Reece, Michael

2014-11-01

Over the past two decades, sexual desire and desire discrepancy have become more frequently studied as have potential pharmaceutical interventions to treat low sexual desire. However, the complexities of sexual desire-including what exactly is desired-remain poorly understood. To understand the object of men's and women's sexual desire, evaluate gender differences and similarities in the object of desire, and examine the impact of object of desire discrepancies on overall desire for partner in men and women in the context of long-term relationships. A total of 406 individuals, 203 men and 203 women in a relationship with one another, completed an online survey on sexual desire. Reports of the object of sexual desire in addition to measures of sexual desire for current partner were collected from both members of the couple. There were significant gender differences in the object of sexual desire. Men were significantly more likely to endorse desire for sexual release, orgasm, and pleasing their partner than were women. Women were significantly more likely to endorse desire for intimacy, emotional closeness, love, and feeling sexually desirable than men. Discrepancies within the couple with regard to object of desire were related to their level of sexual desire for partner, accounting for 17% of variance in men's desire and 37% of variance in women's desire. This research provides insights into the conceptualization of sexual desire in long-term relationships and the multifaceted nature of sexual desire that may aid in more focused ways to maintain desire over long-term relationships. Future research on the utility of this perspective of sexual desire and implications for clinicians working with couples struggling with low sexual desire in their relationships is discussed. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Neuroimaging craving: urge intensity matters.

PubMed

Wilson, Stephen J; Sayette, Michael A

2015-02-01

Functional neuroimaging has become an increasingly common tool for studying drug craving. Furthermore, functional neuroimaging studies, which have addressed an incredibly diverse array of questions regarding the nature and treatment of craving, have had a substantial impact on theoretical models of addiction. Here, we offer three points related to this sizeable and influential body of research. First, we assert that the craving most investigators seek to study represents not just a desire but a strong desire to use drugs, consistent with prominent theoretical and clinical descriptions of craving. Secondly, we highlight that, despite the clear conceptual and clinical emphasis on craving as an intense desire, brain imaging studies often have been designed explicitly in a way that reduces the ability to generate powerful cravings. We illustrate this point by reviewing the peak urge levels endorsed by participants in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of cigarette craving in nicotine-deprived versus non-deprived smokers. Thirdly, we suggest that brain responses measured during mild states of desire (such as following satiety) differ in fundamental ways from those measured during states of overpowering desire (i.e. craving) to use drugs. We support this position by way of a meta-analysis revealing that fMRI cue exposure studies using nicotine-deprived smokers have produced different patterns of brain activation to those using non-deprived smokers. Regarding brain imaging studies of craving, intensity of the urges matter, and more explicit attention to urge intensity in future work has the potential to yield valuable information about the nature of craving. © 2014 Society for the Study of Addiction.

U.S. consumer demand for restaurant calorie information: targeting demographic and behavioral segments in labeling initiatives.

PubMed

Kolodinsky, Jane; Reynolds, Travis William; Cannella, Mark; Timmons, David; Bromberg, Daniel

2009-01-01

To identify different segments of U.S. consumers based on food choices, exercise patterns, and desire for restaurant calorie labeling. Using a stratified (by region) random sample of the U.S. population, trained interviewers collected data for this cross-sectional study through telephone surveys. Center for Rural Studies U.S. national health survey. The final sample included 580 responses (22% response rate); data were weighted to be representative of age and gender characteristics of the U.S. population. Self-reported behaviors related to food choices, exercise patterns, desire for calorie information in restaurants, and sample demographics. Clusters were identified using Schwartz Bayesian criteria. Impacts of demographic characteristics on cluster membership were analyzed using bivariate tests of association and multinomial logit regression. Cluster analysis revealed three clusters based on respondents' food choices, activity levels, and desire for restaurant labeling. Two clusters, comprising three quarters of the sample, desired calorie labeling in restaurants. The remaining cluster opposed restaurant labeling. Demographic variables significantly predicting cluster membership included region of residence (p < .10), income (p < .05), gender (p < .01), and age (p < .10). Though limited by a low response and potential self-reporting bias in the phone survey, this study suggests that several groups are likely to benefit from restaurant calorie labeling. Specific demographic clusters could be targeted through labeling initiatives.

76 FR 27921 - Raisins Produced From Grapes Grown in California; Increase in Desirable Carryout Used To Compute...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-13

... rule would increase the desirable carryout used to compute the yearly trade demand for Natural (sun... raisins are available. Currently, the desirable carryout for Natural (sun-dried) Seedless (NS) raisins is... carryout level to be used in computing and announcing a crop year's marketing policy for Natural (sun-dried...

Generation of mammalian cells stably expressing multiple genes at predetermined levels.

PubMed

Liu, X; Constantinescu, S N; Sun, Y; Bogan, J S; Hirsch, D; Weinberg, R A; Lodish, H F

2000-04-10

Expression of cloned genes at desired levels in cultured mammalian cells is essential for studying protein function. Controlled levels of expression have been difficult to achieve, especially for cell lines with low transfection efficiency or when expression of multiple genes is required. An internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) has been incorporated into many types of expression vectors to allow simultaneous expression of two genes. However, there has been no systematic quantitative analysis of expression levels in individual cells of genes linked by an IRES, and thus the broad use of these vectors in functional analysis has been limited. We constructed a set of retroviral expression vectors containing an IRES followed by a quantitative selectable marker such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) or truncated cell surface proteins CD2 or CD4. The gene of interest is placed in a multiple cloning site 5' of the IRES sequence under the control of the retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter. These vectors exploit the approximately 100-fold differences in levels of expression of a retrovirus vector depending on its site of insertion in the host chromosome. We show that the level of expression of the gene downstream of the IRES and the expression level and functional activity of the gene cloned upstream of the IRES are highly correlated in stably infected target cells. This feature makes our vectors extremely useful for the rapid generation of stably transfected cell populations or clonal cell lines expressing specific amounts of a desired protein simply by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) based on the level of expression of the gene downstream of the IRES. We show how these vectors can be used to generate cells expressing high levels of the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) or a dominant negative Smad3 protein and to generate cells expressing two different cloned proteins, Ski and Smad4. Correlation of a biologic effect with the level of expression of the protein downstream of the IRES provides strong evidence for the function of the protein placed upstream of the IRES.

Satisfaction with appearance and the desired treatment to improve aesthetics.

PubMed

Al-Zarea, Bader K

2013-01-01

Objective. To identify participants' satisfaction with appearance and the desired treatment to improve aesthetics. Materials and Methods. 220 participants (127 males and 93 females, mean age = 21.4 ± 1.5 years) were recruited into the study. A structured questionnaire was used to assess patients' satisfaction with appearance and what treatment they desire to improve aesthetics. Participants scored the level of satisfaction with appearance using visual analogue scale. Results. The VAS mean score of satisfaction with general appearance was 6.8 ± 2.3. Half participants were dissatisfied with tooth appearance and 65.9% were dissatisfied with tooth colour. Higher VAS scores were associated with higher desire for all treatments that improve tooth appearance (P < .05). Dissatisfaction with tooth appearance increased with increased dissatisfaction with teeth colour, feeling of poor tooth alignment, presence of fractured anterior teeth, and increased desire for orthodontic, crowns, and dentures treatments (P < .05). Dissatisfaction with tooth colour was associated with increased desire for tooth whitening and tooth coloured fillings (P < .05). Conclusions. Participants had high levels of dissatisfaction with tooth appearance and tooth colour. Dissatisfaction with tooth colour contributed to the increased dissatisfaction with tooth appearance. Dissatisfaction with tooth appearance, colour, alignment, and condition was significantly related to high desire for aesthetic treatments.

Texture evolution during thermomechanical processing in rare earth free magnesium alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Victoria Mayne

The use of wrought magnesium alloys is highly desirable for a wide range of applications where low component weight is desirable due to the high specific strength and stiffness the alloys can achieve. However, the implementation of wrought magnesium has been hindered by the limited room temperature formability which typically results from deformation processing. This work identifies opportunities for texture modification during thermomechanical processing of conventional (rare earth free) magnesium alloys via a combination of experimental investigation and polycrystal plasticity simulations. During deformation, it is observed that a homogeneous distribution of coarse intermetallic particles efficiently weakens deformation texture at all strain levels, while a highly inhomogeneous particle distribution is only effective at high strains. The particle deformation effects are complemented by the addition of alkaline earth solute, which modifies the relative deformation mode activity. During recrystallization, grains with basal orientations recrystallize more readily than off-basal grains, despite similar levels of internal misorientation. Dislocation substructure investigations revealed that this is a result of enhanced nucleation in the basal grains due to the dominance of prismatic slip. This dissertation identifies avenues to enhance the potential formability of magnesium alloys during thermomechanical processing by minimizing the evolved texture strength. The following are the identified key aspects of microstructural control: -Maintaining a fine grain size, likely via Zener pinning, to favorably modify deformation mode activity and homogenize deformation. -Developing a coarse, homogeneously distributed population of coarse intermetallic particles to promote a diffuse deformation texture. -Minimizing the activity of prismatic slip to retard the recrystallization of grains with basal orientations, allowing the development of a more diffuse recrystallization texture.

Androgens and Psychosocial Factors Related to Sexual Dysfunctions in Premenopausal Women∗: ∗2016 ISSM Female Sexual Dysfunction Prize.

PubMed

Wåhlin-Jacobsen, Sarah; Kristensen, Ellids; Pedersen, Anette Tønnes; Laessøe, Nanna Cassandra; Cohen, Arieh S; Hougaard, David M; Lundqvist, Marika; Giraldi, Annamaria

2017-03-01

The female sexual response is complex and influenced by several biological, psychological, and social factors. Testosterone is believed to modulate a woman's sexual response and desire, because low levels are considered a risk factor for impaired sexual function, but previous studies have been inconclusive. To investigate how androgen levels and psychosocial factors are associated with female sexual dysfunction (FSD), including hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). The cross-sectional study included 428 premenopausal women 19 to 58 years old who completed a questionnaire on psychosocial factors and had blood sampled at days 6 to 10 in their menstrual cycle. Logistic regression models were built to test the association among hormone levels, psychosocial factors, and sexual end points. Five different sexual end points were measured using the Female Sexual Function Index and the Female Sexual Distress Scale: impaired sexual function, sexual distress, FSD, low sexual desire, and HSDD. Serum levels of total and free testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and androsterone glucuronide were analyzed using mass spectrometry. After adjusting for psychosocial factors, women with low sexual desire had significantly lower mean levels of free testosterone and androstenedione compared with women without low sexual desire. None of the androgens were associated with FSD in general or with HSDD in particular. Relationship duration longer than 2 years and mild depressive symptoms increased the risk of having all the sexual end points, including FSD in general and HSDD in particular in multivariate analyses. In this large cross-sectional study, low sexual desire was significantly associated with levels of free testosterone and androstenedione, but FSD in general and HSDD in particular were not associated with androgen levels. Length of relationship and depression were associated with FSD including HSDD. Wåhlin-Jacobsen S, Kristensen E, Tønnes Pedersen A, et al. Androgens and Psychosocial Factors Related to Sexual Dysfunctions in Premenopausal Women. J Sex Med 2017;14:366-379. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Couple Characteristics and Contraceptive Use among Women and their Partners in Urban Kenya

PubMed Central

Irani, Laili; Speizer, Ilene S.; Fotso, Jean-Christophe

2014-01-01

Background Few studies have used couple data to identify individual- and relationship-level characteristics that affect contraceptive use in urban areas. Using matched couple data from urban Kenya collected in 2010, this study determines the association between relationship-level characteristics (desire for another child, communication about desired number of children and FP use) and contraceptive use and intention to use among non-users. Methods Data were collected from three Kenyan cities: Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. Baseline population-based survey data from the Measurement, Learning & Evaluation Project were used to identify 883couples (weighted value=840). Multivariate regressions used the couple as the unit of analysis. Results Almost two-thirds of couples currently used contraception. Adjusting for individual- and environmental-level characteristics, couples who desired another child were less likely to use contraception than couples wanting more children. In addition, couples where both partners reported communicating with each other regarding desired number of children and FP use were more likely to use contraception compared to couples that did not communicate. Analyses testing the association of relationship-level characteristics and intention to use contraception, among non-users, resembled those of current contraceptive users. Conclusion Couple-level characteristics are associated with current contraceptive use and future intent to use. Couples that discussed their desired number of children and FP use were more likely to use contraception than couples that did not communicate with each other. FP programs should identify strategies to improve communication in FP among couples and to ensure better cooperation between partners. PMID:24733057

Blood Compatibility of Sulfonated Cladophora Nanocellulose Beads.

PubMed

Rocha, Igor; Lindh, Jonas; Hong, Jaan; Strømme, Maria; Mihranyan, Albert; Ferraz, Natalia

2018-03-07

Sulfonated cellulose beads were prepared by oxidation of Cladophora nanocellulose to 2,3-dialdehyde cellulose followed by sulfonation using bisulfite. The physicochemical properties of the sulfonated beads, i.e., high surface area, high degree of oxidation, spherical shape, and the possibility of tailoring the porosity, make them interesting candidates for the development of immunosorbent platforms, including their application in extracorporeal blood treatments. A desired property for materials used in such applications is blood compatibility; therefore in the present work, we investigate the hemocompatibility of the sulfonated cellulose beads using an in vitro whole blood model. Complement system activation (C3a and sC5b-9 levels), coagulation activation (thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) levels) and hemolysis were evaluated after whole blood contact with the sulfonated beads and the results were compared with the values obtained with the unmodified Cladophora nanocellulose. Results showed that neither of the cellulosic materials presented hemolytic activity. A marked decrease in TAT levels was observed after blood contact with the sulfonated beads, compared with Cladophora nanocellulose. However, the chemical modification did not promote an improvement in Cladophora nanocellulose hemocompatibility in terms of complement system activation. Even though the sulfonated beads presented a significant reduction in pro-coagulant activity compared with the unmodified material, further modification strategies need to be investigated to control the complement activation by the cellulosic materials.

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase, enzyme substitution therapy for phenylketonuria, where are we now?

PubMed

Sarkissian, Christineh N; Gámez, Alejandra

2005-12-01

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder in which mutations in the phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase (PAH) gene result in an inactive enzyme (PAH, EC 1.14.16.1). The effect is an inability to metabolize phenylalanine (Phe), translating into elevated levels of Phe in the bloodstream (hyperphenylalaninemia). If therapy is not implemented at birth, mental retardation can occur. PKU patients respond to treatment with a low-phenylalanine diet, but compliance with the diet is difficult, therefore the development of alternative treatments is desirable. Enzyme substitution therapy with a recombinant phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) is currently being explored. This enzyme converts Phe to the harmless metabolites, trans-cinnamic acid and trace ammonia. Taken orally and when non-absorbable and protected, PAL lowers plasma Phe in mutant hyperphenylalaninemic mouse models. Subcutaneous administration of PAL results in more substantial lowering of plasma and significant reduction in brain Phe levels, however the metabolic effect is not sustained following repeated injections due to an immune response. We have chemically modified PAL by pegylation to produce a protected form of PAL that possesses better specific activity, prolonged half-life, and reduced immunogenicity in vivo. Subcutaneous administration of pegylated molecules to PKU mice has the desired metabolic response (prolonged reduction in blood Phe levels) with greatly attenuated immunogenicity.

Small molecule glycoconjugates with anticancer activity.

PubMed

Pastuch-Gawołek, Gabriela; Malarz, Katarzyna; Mrozek-Wilczkiewicz, Anna; Musioł, Marta; Serda, Maciej; Czaplinska, Barbara; Musiol, Robert

2016-04-13

Glycoconjugates are combinations of sugar moieties with organic compounds. Due to their biological resemblance, such structures often have properties that are desirable for drugs. In this study we designed and synthesised several glycoconjugates from small molecular quinolines and substituted gluco- and galactopyranosyl amines. Although the parent quinoline compounds were inactive in affordable concentrations, the glycoconjugates that were obtained appeared to be cytotoxic against cancer cells at the micromolar level. When combined with copper ions, their activity increased even further. Their mechanism of action is connected to the formation of reactive oxygen species and the intercalation of DNA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Assessing the Desired and Actual Levels of Teachers' Participation in Decision-Making in Secondary Schools of Ethiopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bademo, Yismaw; Tefera, Bekalu Ferede

2016-01-01

This study was conducted to assess the desired and actual levels of teachers' participation in decision-making process in Ethiopian secondary schools. For this, the study employed a cross-sectional survey design collecting data from sampled secondary school teachers (n = 258) found in Assosa Zone, Benishangual Gumuz Regional state, Ethiopia.…

On Competences and Values: From the Desire to Educate to Educating the Desire of Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larrañaga, Roberto Sancho

2015-01-01

The competence discourse issued by the Colombian Ministry of National Education defines an ontological duty, a set of logics for the education of subjectivity. Some interesting elements result from this analysis. The first level, or denotative level, manages a management or business cultural code. This code is closely related to the second level…

Overview of developing desired conditions: Short-term actions, long-term objectives

Treesearch

J. D. Chew; K. O' Hara; J. G. Jones

2001-01-01

A number of modeling tools are required to go from short-term treatments to long-term objectives expressed as desired future conditions. Three models are used in an example that starts with determining desired stand level structure and ends with the implementation of treatments over time at a landscape scale. The Multi-Aged Stocking Assessment Model (MASAM) is used for...

Aging Prisoners’ Treatment Selection: Does Prospect Theory Enhance Understanding of End-of-Life Medical Decisions?

PubMed Central

Phillips, Laura L.; Allen, Rebecca S.; Harris, Grant M.; Presnell, Andrew H.; DeCoster, Jamie; Cavanaugh, Ronald

2011-01-01

Purpose: With the rapid growth in the older inmate population and the economic impact of end-of-life treatments within the cash-strapped prison system, consideration should be given to inmate treatment preferences. We examined end-of-life treatment preferences and days of desired life for several health scenarios among male inmates incarcerated primarily for murder. Design and Methods: Inmates over the age of 45 who passed a cognitive screening completed face-to-face interviews (N = 94; mean age = 57.7; SD = 10.68). Results: We found a 3-way interaction indicating that the effect of parole expectation on desire for life-sustaining treatment varied by race/ethnicity and treatment. Minority inmates desired cardiopulmonary resuscitation or feeding tubes only if they believed that they would be paroled. The model predicting desire for palliative care was not significant. Future days of desired life were related to prospective health condition, fear of death, negative affect, and trust in prison health care. Caucasian inmates expressed a desire for more days of life out of prison, whereas minority inmates did not differ in days of desired life either in or out of prison. Minorities wanted more days of life than Caucasians but only if they believed that they would be paroled. Implications: End-of-life care for the burgeoning inmate population is costly, and active life-sustaining treatments may not be desired under certain conditions. Specifically, expectation of parole but not current functional ability interacts with future illness condition in explaining inmates’ desire for active treatment or days of desired life in the future. PMID:21593007

Effects-based strategy development through center of gravity and target system analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Christopher M.; Prendergast, Michael; Pioch, Nicholas; Jones, Eric K.; Graham, Stephen

2003-09-01

This paper describes an approach to effects-based planning in which a strategic-theater-level mission is refined into operational-level and ultimately tactical-level tasks and desired effects, informed by models of the expected enemy response at each level of abstraction. We describe a strategy development system that implements this approach and supports human-in-the-loop development of an effects-based plan. This system consists of plan authoring tools tightly integrated with a suite of center of gravity (COG) and target system analysis tools. A human planner employs the plan authoring tools to develop a hierarchy of tasks and desired effects. Upon invocation, the target system analysis tools use reduced-order models of enemy centers of gravity to select appropriate target set options for the achievement of desired effects, together with associated indicators for each option. The COG analysis tools also provide explicit models of the causal mechanisms linking tasks and desired effects to one another, and suggest appropriate observable indicators to guide ISR planning, execution monitoring, and campaign assessment. We are currently implementing the system described here as part of the AFRL-sponsored Effects Based Operations program.

Directed Evolution as a Powerful Synthetic Biology Tool

PubMed Central

Cobb, Ryan E.; Sun, Ning; Zhao, Huimin

2012-01-01

At the heart of synthetic biology lies the goal of rationally engineering a complete biological system to achieve a specific objective, such as bioremediation and synthesis of a valuable drug, chemical, or biofuel molecule. However, the inherent complexity of natural biological systems has heretofore precluded generalized application of this approach. Directed evolution, a process which mimics Darwinian selection on a laboratory scale, has allowed significant strides to be made in the field of synthetic biology by allowing rapid identification of desired properties from large libraries of variants. Improvement in biocatalyst activity and stability, engineering of biosynthetic pathways, tuning of functional regulatory systems and logic circuits, and development of desired complex phenotypes in industrial host organisms have all been achieved by way of directed evolution. Here, we review recent contributions of directed evolution to synthetic biology at the protein, pathway, network, and whole cell levels. PMID:22465795

A General Strategy for Targeting Drugs to Bone.

PubMed

Jahnke, Wolfgang; Bold, Guido; Marzinzik, Andreas L; Ofner, Silvio; Pellé, Xavier; Cotesta, Simona; Bourgier, Emmanuelle; Lehmann, Sylvie; Henry, Chrystelle; Hemmig, René; Stauffer, Frédéric; Hartwieg, J Constanze D; Green, Jonathan R; Rondeau, Jean-Michel

2015-11-23

Targeting drugs to their desired site of action can increase their safety and efficacy. Bisphosphonates are prototypical examples of drugs targeted to bone. However, bisphosphonate bone affinity is often considered too strong and cannot be significantly modulated without losing activity on the enzymatic target, farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS). Furthermore, bisphosphonate bone affinity comes at the expense of very low and variable oral bioavailability. FPPS inhibitors were developed with a monophosphonate as a bone-affinity tag that confers moderate affinity to bone, which can furthermore be tuned to the desired level, and the relationship between structure and bone affinity was evaluated by using an NMR-based bone-binding assay. The concept of targeting drugs to bone with moderate affinity, while retaining oral bioavailability, has broad application to a variety of other bone-targeted drugs. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Predicting the activity and toxicity of new psychoactive substances: a pharmaceutical industry perspective.

PubMed

Leach, Andrew G

2014-01-01

Predicting the effect that new compounds might have when administered to human beings is a common desire shared by researchers in the pharmaceutical industry and those interested in psychoactive compounds (illicit or otherwise). The experience of the pharmaceutical industry is that making such predictions at a usefully accurate level is not only difficult but that even when billions of dollars are spent to ensure that only compounds likely to have a desired effect without unacceptable side-effects are dosed to humans in clinical trials, they fail in more than 90% of cases. A range of experimental and computational techniques is used and they are placed in their context in this paper. The particular roles played by computational techniques and their limitations are highlighted; these techniques are used primarily to reduce the number of experiments that must be performed but cannot replace those experiments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neurofeedback fMRI-mediated learning and consolidation of regional brain activation during motor imagery

PubMed Central

Yoo, Seung-Schik; Lee, Jong-Hwan; O’Leary, Heather; Panych, Lawrence P.; Jolesz, Ferenc A.

2009-01-01

We report the long-term effect of real-time functional MRI (rtfMRI) training on voluntary regulation of the level of activation from a hand motor area. During the performance of a motor imagery task of a right hand, blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal originating from a primary motor area was presented back to the subject in real-time. Demographically matched individuals also received the same procedure without valid feedback information. Followed by the initial rtfMRI sessions, both groups underwent two-week long, daily-practice of the task. Off-line data analysis revealed that the individuals in the experimental group were able to increase the level of BOLD signal from the regulatory target to a greater degree compared to the control group. Furthermore, the learned level of activation was maintained after the two-week period, with the recruitment of additional neural circuitries such as the hippocampus and the limbo-thalamo-cortical pathway. The activation obtained from the control group, in the absence of proper feedback, was indifferent across the training conditions. The level of BOLD activity from the target regulatory region was positively correlated with a self evaluative score within the experimental group, while the majority of control subjects had difficulty adopting a strategy to attain the desired level of functional regulation. Our results suggest that rtfMRI helped individuals learn how to increase region-specific cortical activity associated with a motor imagery task, and the level of increased activation in motor areas was consolidated after the two-week self-practice period, with the involvement of neural circuitries implicated in motor skill learning. PMID:19526048

Sexual function of young women with myelomeningocele.

PubMed

Gamé, Xavier; Moscovici, Jacques; Guillotreau, Julien; Roumiguié, Mathieu; Rischmann, Pascal; Malavaud, Bernard

2014-06-01

To assess the sexual function of young women with spina bifida and myelomeningocele and to determine the factors influencing their sexual function. A postal cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was performed in 44 women, mean age 27.66 ± 5.89 years, with spina bifida and myelomeningocele. The questionnaire included the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women and questions about voiding mode, urinary symptoms, socioeconomic status, education level, lifestyle, and partnership. In parallel, data were also collected from the paediatric surgery records of patients who returned the questionnaire. The response rate was 56.8% (25/44). All domains of female sexual function (thoughts/desires, arousal, frequency of sexual activity, receptivity/initiation, pleasure/orgasm, relationship satisfaction) were altered. Urinary incontinence was likely to be the main factor responsible for altered sexual function and was associated with lower thoughts/desires, arousal, and receptivity/initiation scores. Wearing pads also constituted a limitation to achieving intimacy. Young myelomeningocele women report poor sexual functioning. The presence of urinary incontinence is associated with lower thoughts/desire, arousal, and receptivity/initiation. Copyright © 2013 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Full kinetics investigation of the formation reaction of phosphonate esters in the gas-phase: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Kazemian, Mohammad Amin; Habibi-Khorassani, Sayyed Mostafa; Maghsoodlu, Malek Taher; Ebrahimi, Ali

2014-04-01

In the present work, the proposed multiple-mechanisms have been investigated theoretically for the reaction between triphenyl phosphite and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of N-H acid such as aniline for generation of phosphonate esters using ab initio molecular orbital theory in gas phase. The profile of the potential energy surface was constructed at the HF/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. The kinetics of the gas phase reaction was studied by evaluating the reaction path of various mechanisms. Between 12 speculative proposed mechanisms {step₁, step₂ (with four possibilities), step₃ (with three possibilities), and step₄} only the third speculative mechanism was recognized as a desirable mechanism. Theoretical kinetics data involving k and E(a), activation (ΔG(‡), ΔS(‡) and ΔH(‡)), and thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔS° and ΔH°) were calculated for each step of the various mechanisms. Step₁ of the desirable mechanism was identified as the rate determining step. Comparison of the theoretical desirable mechanism with the rate law that has been previously obtained by UV spectrophotometry experiments indicated that the results are in good agreement.

Brain activity and desire for internet video game play

PubMed Central

Han, Doug Hyun; Bolo, Nicolas; Daniels, Melissa A.; Arenella, Lynn; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F.

2010-01-01

Objective Recent studies have suggested that the brain circuitry mediating cue induced desire for video games is similar to that elicited by cues related to drugs and alcohol. We hypothesized that desire for internet video games during cue presentation would activate similar brain regions to those which have been linked with craving for drugs or pathological gambling. Methods This study involved the acquisition of diagnostic MRI and fMRI data from 19 healthy male adults (ages 18–23 years) following training and a standardized 10-day period of game play with a specified novel internet video game, “War Rock” (K-network®). Using segments of videotape consisting of five contiguous 90-second segments of alternating resting, matched control and video game-related scenes, desire to play the game was assessed using a seven point visual analogue scale before and after presentation of the videotape. Results In responding to internet video game stimuli, compared to neutral control stimuli, significantly greater activity was identified in left inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, right and left parietal lobe, right and left thalamus, and right cerebellum (FDR <0.05, p<0.009243). Self-reported desire was positively correlated with the beta values of left inferior frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and right and left thalamus. Compared to the general players, members who played more internet video game (MIGP) cohort showed significantly greater activity in right medial frontal lobe, right and left frontal pre-central gyrus, right parietal post-central gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and left parietal precuneus gyrus. Controlling for total game time, reported desire for the internet video game in the MIGP cohort was positively correlated with activation in right medial frontal lobe and right parahippocampal gyrus. Discussion The present findings suggest that cue-induced activation to internet video game stimuli may be similar to that observed during cue presentation in persons with substance dependence or pathological gambling. In particular, cues appear to commonly elicit activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, and thalamus. PMID:21220070

Jealousy increased by induced relative left frontal cortical activity.

PubMed

Kelley, Nicholas J; Eastwick, Paul W; Harmon-Jones, Eddie; Schmeichel, Brandon J

2015-10-01

Asymmetric frontal cortical activity may be one key to the process linking social exclusion to jealous feelings. The current research examined the causal role of asymmetric frontal brain activity in modulating jealousy in response to social exclusion. Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) over the frontal cortex to manipulate asymmetric frontal cortical activity was combined with a modified version of the Cyberball paradigm designed to induce jealousy. After receiving 15 min of tDCS, participants were excluded by a desired partner and reported how jealous they felt. Among individuals who were excluded, tDCS to increase relative left frontal cortical activity caused greater levels of self-reported jealousy compared to tDCS to increase relative right frontal cortical activity or sham stimulation. Limitations concerning the specificity of this effect and implications for the role of the asymmetric prefrontal cortical activity in motivated behaviors are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Mother and Father Socially Desirable Responding in Nine Countries: Two Kinds of Agreement and Relations to Parenting Self-Reports

PubMed Central

Bornstein, Marc H.; Putnick, Diane L.; Lansford, Jennifer E.; Pastorelli, Concetta; Skinner, Ann T.; Sorbring, Emma; Tapanya, Sombat; Maria Uribe Tirado, Liliana; Zelli, Arnaldo; Peña Alampay, Liane; Al-Hassan, Suha M.; Bacchini, Dario; Silvia Bombi, Anna; Chang, Lei; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Di Giunta, Laura; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Malone, Patrick S.; Oburu, Paul

2014-01-01

We assessed 2 forms of agreement between mothers’ and fathers’ socially desirable responding in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States (N = 1110 families). Mothers and fathers in all nine countries reported socially desirable responding in the upper half of the distribution, and countries varied minimally (but China was higher than the cross-country grand mean and Sweden lower). Mothers and fathers did not differ in reported levels of socially desirable responding, and mothers’ and fathers’ socially desirable responding were largely uncorrelated. With one exception, mothers’ and fathers’ socially desirable responding were similarly correlated with self-perceptions of parenting, and correlations varied somewhat across countries. These findings are set in a discussion of socially desirable responding, cultural psychology, and family systems. PMID:25043708

Connecting Patients to mHealth Applications to Enhance Self-care Management.

PubMed

Conroy, Meghan K

2015-09-01

Smartphone use and the desire to use mHealth are growing in the population of patients who most commonly use home healthcare (HHC) services, a population with chronic conditions and complex healthcare management needs. HHC nurses are positioned to connect HHC patients with mHealth Apps to access health-related information, engage in interactive monitoring, and manage self-care activities. The challenge of finding reputable Apps is discussed and resources are presented to overcome this challenge at the business orindividual level.

Average Associations Between Sexual Desire, Testosterone, and Stress in Women and Men Over Time.

PubMed

Raisanen, Jessica C; Chadwick, Sara B; Michalak, Nicholas; van Anders, Sari M

2018-05-29

Sexual desire and testosterone are widely assumed to be directly and positively linked to each other despite the lack of supporting empirical evidence. The literature that does exist is mixed, which may result from a conflation of solitary and dyadic desire, and the exclusion of contextual variables, like stress, known to be relevant. Here, we use the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds as a framework for examining how testosterone, solitary and partnered desire, and stress are linked over time. To do so, we collected saliva samples (for testosterone and cortisol) and measured desire as well as other variables via questionnaires over nine monthly sessions in 78 women and 79 men. Linear mixed models showed that testosterone negatively predicted partnered desire in women but not men. Stress moderated associations between testosterone and solitary desire in both women and men, but differently: At lower levels of stress, higher average testosterone corresponded to higher average solitary desire for men, but lower solitary desire on average for women. Similarly, for partnered desire, higher perceived stress predicted lower desire for women, but higher desire for men. We conclude by discussing the ways that these results both counter presumptions about testosterone and desire but fit with the existing literature and theory, and highlight the empirical importance of stress and gender norms.

An implicit theory of self-esteem: the consequences of perceived self-esteem for romantic desirability.

PubMed

Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Myers, Erin M

2011-04-07

The provision of information appears to be an important property of self-esteem as evidenced by previous research concerning the status-tracking and status-signaling models of self-esteem. The present studies examine whether there is an implicit theory of self-esteem that leads individuals to assume targets with higher levels of self-esteem possess more desirable characteristics than those with lower levels of self-esteem. Across 6 studies, targets with ostensibly higher levels of self-esteem were generally rated as more attractive and as more desirable relationship partners than those with lower levels of self- esteem. It is important to note, however, that this general trend did not consistently emerge for female targets. Rather, female targets with high self-esteem were often evaluated less positively than those with more moderate levels of self-esteem. The present findings are discussed in the context of an extended informational model of self-esteem consisting of both the status-tracking and status-signaling properties of self-esteem.

Bimaterial Microcantilevers as a Hybrid Sensing Platform

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

cantilevers are immersed in dilute solution (milli molar) of desired organic molecule (e.g., alkanethiols) in aqueous or organic solvent (e.g., water... active layers, and some of the im- portant applications. Emphasizing the material design aspects, the review underscores the most important findings... active sensing materials in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), soft matter-inclusive sensors bring a desir- able diversity in signal transduction

Wanting to Be Different Predicts Nonmotivated Change: Actual-Desired Self-Discrepancies and Susceptibility to Subtle Change Inductions.

PubMed

DeMarree, Kenneth G; Rios, Kimberly; Randell, J Adam; Wheeler, S Christian; Reich, Darcy A; Petty, Richard E

2016-12-01

Actual-desired discrepancies in people's self-concepts represent structural incongruities in their self-representations that can lead people to experience subjective conflict. Theory and research suggest that structural incongruities predict susceptibility to subtle influences like priming and conditioning. Although typically examined for their motivational properties, we hypothesized that because self-discrepancies represent structural incongruities in people's self-concepts, they should also predict susceptibility to subtle influences on people's active self-views. Across three studies, we found that subtle change inductions (self-evaluative conditioning and priming) exerted greater impact on active self-perceptions and behavior as actual-desired self-discrepancies increased in magnitude. Exploratory analyses suggested that these changes occurred regardless of the compatibility of the change induction with individuals' desired self-views. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Gender moderates the effects of independence and dependence desires during the social support process.

PubMed

Nagumey, Alexander J; Reich, John W; Newsom, Jason

2004-03-01

This investigation examined the roles of gender and desires for independence and dependence in the support process. We assessed 118 older adults who reported needing help with at least 1 activity of daily living as a result of illness or health problems. Men with a high desire to be independent responded negatively to receiving support from their social network. Women's outcomes were generally unaffected by their independence and dependence desires. These results indicate that gender and desires for independence and dependence should be taken into account when examining the social support process, especially in men with health problems.

Patient characteristics associated with treatment choice for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Sullivan, Stephanie A; Davidson, Emily R W; Bretschneider, C Emi; Liberty, Abigail L; Geller, Elizabeth J

2016-05-01

Women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) frequently undergo more than one treatment prior to settling on their final strategy. We hypothesize that women who are younger, with worse POP and SUI symptoms will desire and choose surgical treatment. A retrospective cohort study was performed over 1 year identifying new patients presenting with POP and/or SUI at a university hospital. Our aim was to determine patient desire for either surgical or conservative treatment, as well as the actual treatment chosen and received after the first visit and 1 year later. To identify predictors of choice, baseline demographic characteristics were obtained. Of the 203 women who met the inclusion criteria, 44.3 % (90/203) desired surgery and 55.7 % (113/203) desired conservative treatment at their first visit. Women who desired surgery were more likely to be younger (p = 0.003), sexually active (p = 0.001), have more advanced prolapse (p = 0.006), and have more bothersome symptoms (p = 0.05). Of the women who desired surgery at their first visit, 12.2 % (11/90) actually chose conservative treatment. These women were less likely to be insured (p = 0.01). By 1 year, of the women who initially desired and subsequently chose conservative treatment, 26.5 % (30/113) had undergone surgery. The women who changed from conservative to surgical treatment were more likely to be younger (p = 0.01), non-White (p = 0.03), and sexually active (p = 0.04). In this study, younger, sexually active women were more likely to either opt for surgery initially or to change their treatment plan from conservative to surgical.

An Overwhelming Desire to Be Blind: Similarities and Differences between Body Integrity Identity Disorder and the Wish for Blindness.

PubMed

Gutschke, Katja; Stirn, Aglaja; Kasten, Erich

2017-01-01

The urge to be permanently blind is an extremely rare mental health disturbance. The underlying cause of this desire has not been determined yet, and it is uncertain whether the wish for blindness is a condition that can be included in the context of body integrity identity disorder, a condition where people feel an overwhelming need to be disabled, in many cases by amputation of a limb or through paralysis. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that people with a desire for blindness suffer from a greater degree of visual stress in daily activities than people in a healthy visual control group. We created a Likert scale questionnaire to measure visual stress, covering a wide range of everyday situations. The wish for blindness is extremely rare and worldwide only 5 people with an urge to be blind were found to participate in the study (4 female, 1 male). In addition, a control group of 35 (28 female, 7 male) visually healthy people was investigated. Questions addressing issues that may be experienced by participants with a desire to be blind were integrated into the questionnaire. The hypothesis that people with a desire for blindness suffer from a significantly higher visual overload in activities of daily living than visually healthy subjects was confirmed; the significance of visual stress between these groups was p < 0.01. In addition, an interview with the 5 affected participants supported the causal role of visual overload. The desire for blindness seems to originate from visual overload caused by either ophthalmologic or organic brain disturbances. In addition, psychological reasons such as certain personal character traits may play an active role in developing, maintaining, and reinforcing one's desire to be blind.

Individual Differences in the Effects of Mood on Sexuality: The Revised Mood and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ-R)

PubMed Central

Janssen, Erick; Macapagal, Kathryn R.; Mustanski, Brian

2013-01-01

Previous research using the Mood and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ) has revealed substantial variability in how negative mood impacts sexual response and behavior. However, the MSQ does not address differences between desire for solo or partnered sexual activity, examine the effects of sexual activity on mood, or assess the effects of positive mood. This paper presents the development and factor structure of the Revised Mood and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ-R). An exploratory factor analysis in a sample of heterosexual men, homosexual men, and heterosexual women (N = 1983) produced 8 factors. Considerable variability was found in how moods influence sexual desire and arousal, in the effects of mood on sexual behavior, and in the reciprocal effects of sexual activity on mood. Among other findings, heterosexual women were less likely than heterosexual and homosexual men to experience increased sexual desire and arousal when anxious or stressed, whereas homosexual men and heterosexual women were less likely than heterosexual men to experience increased desire when sad or depressed. Heterosexual men and women were more likely than homosexual men to report increased desire when in a positive mood. Intercorrelations and correlations with various sexual behaviors varied by group. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed. PMID:22963331

A comparative analysis of the modification of sexual desire of users of oral hormonal contraceptives and intrauterine contraceptive devices.

PubMed

Martin-Loeches, M; Ortí, R M; Monfort, M; Ortega, E; Rius, J

2003-09-01

To compare the influence of oral hormonal contraceptives (OCs) and the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) on the modification of sexual desire. A prospective observational study of 1073 women using OCs or an IUD at the Family Planning Center 'Marina Alta' in Alicante, Spain. In order to evaluate the relative risk regarding the decrease in libido attributed to each contraceptive method, a logistic regression analysis was undertaken which considered the factors of age adjustment, level of studies, family planning information, relationship with partner, age when sexual relationships were initiated, parity, contraceptive method previously used and the duration of use of the contraceptive method. No differences in the decrease of sexual desire were observed between the use of the OC and IUD (odds ratio (OR) 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-2.49), yet differences were noted, however, in relation to age (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.10). Although these differences were not statistically significant, a high level of awareness regarding family planning was shown to increase sexual desire when compared to a lower level of information on this subject (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.41-1.01). Sexual desire was seen to decrease if the quality of the relationship with the partner was average (OR 2.24; 95% CI 1.36-3.69) or poor (OR 4.69; 95% CI 1.93-11.4). Nulliparous women showed a greater decrease in sexual desire in relation to women who had already given birth (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.00-2.47). Sexual desire was greater if the contraceptive method had already been in use for 6-12 months (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.17-0.98). Sexual desire does not vary in relation to the use of OCs or IUDs, yet it does decrease with age, in nulliparous women and in those with an average or poor relationship with their partner. Furthermore, sexual desire shows an increase between the first 6 and 12 months of contraceptive treatment.

Study of Social Desirability Levels of Female Youth Camp Leader Candidates in Accordance with Some Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Üzümcü, Bülent

2016-01-01

The aim of the study examination of the study of social desirability levels of female youth camp leader candidates in according with some variables. The study the scope of the research consists of 326 female trainees participated in the relevant course of youth camp leader candidates, depending on the Youth and Sport Ministry. As a measurement…

Factors associated with a bad functional prognosis in early inflammatory back pain: results from the DESIR cohort.

PubMed

Lukas, C; Dougados, M; Combe, B

2016-01-01

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a heterogeneous disease with hardly predictable potential courses. We aimed at determining prognostic factors of bad functional outcome at 2 years in patients with early inflammatory back pain (IBP). Data from patients included in the French multicentre devenir des spondylarthropathies indifférenciées récentes (DESIR) cohort, that is, suffering from IBP starting before 50 years of age and lasting for 3-36 months, were used. A bad functional outcome at 24 months was defined as an increase in bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), or BASFI at 2 years higher than the 75th centile in the cohort. Demographic, clinical, biological and radiological data collected at inclusion were compared in patients with bad functional outcome versus others, by χ(2) test, then by a multivariate logistic regression model with stepwise selection of relevant factors. 513 patients (54.4% females, 72.2% fulfilling ASAS criteria) were assessed. Of those, 130 (25.3%) fulfilled the aforementioned criteria of a bad functional outcome (BASFI increase ≥4 units or ≥36 at 2 years). Multivariate analysis revealed that not fulfilling ASAS criteria, female sex, age >33 years, lower educational level, active smoking status and high disease activity according to bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) at baseline were independently associated with a bad functional outcome at 24 months. Sensitivity analyses restricted to patients fulfilling ASAS criteria for SpA resulted in similar results. We observed, in a large prospective cohort of patients with early IBP, formerly described bad prognostic factors, especially a low educational level, an older age and a high disease activity at onset, and revealed that active smoking status and female sex were also independently associated with a poor outcome. Fulfilment of ASAS criteria, on the other hand, was predictive of a better outcome, most likely due to the more consensual management of a defined disease.

The impact of multimorbidity on sexual function in middle-aged and older women: beyond the single disease perspective.

PubMed

Appa, Ayesha A; Creasman, Jennifer; Brown, Jeanette S; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K; Thom, David H; Subak, Leslee L; Huang, Alison J

2014-11-01

Little is known about sexual activity and function in women with multiple chronic health conditions. To examine the impact of multimorbidity on sexual activity and function in middle-aged and older women. Multiethnic cross-sectional cohort of 1,997 community-dwelling women (mean age of 60.2 [±9.5] years) in California. Structured questionnaires assessed prior diagnoses of common cardiometabolic, colorectal, neuropsychiatric, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and genitourinary conditions. Sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, overall sexual satisfaction, and specific sexual problems (i.e., difficulty with arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and pain) were assessed by structured questionnaires. Seventy-one percent of women had two or more diagnosed chronic conditions. Fifty-nine percent reported low sexual desire, 53% reported less than monthly sexual activity, and 47% reported low overall sexual satisfaction. Multimorbidity was associated with increased odds of reporting low sexual desire (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.06-1.17, per each additional chronic condition), less than monthly sexual activity (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.05-1.17 per each additional condition), and low sexual satisfaction (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.04-1.16 per each additional condition), adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and partner status. Depression and urinary incontinence were each independently associated with low desire (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.19-1.97, and OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.00-1.52, respectively), less than monthly sexual activity (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.06-1.83, and OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.02-1.62, respectively), and low sexual satisfaction (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.14-1.93, and OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.11-1.73, respectively), adjusting for other types of conditions. After adjustment for total number of chronic conditions, age remained a significant predictor of low desire and less than monthly sexual activity, but not sexual satisfaction. Women with multiple chronic health conditions are at increased risk for decreased sexual function. Depression and incontinence may have particularly strong effects on sexual desire, frequency of activity, and satisfaction in women, independent of other comorbid conditions. Women's overall sexual satisfaction may be more strongly influenced by multimorbidity than age. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Sleep, serotonin, and suicide in Japan.

PubMed

Kohyama, Jun

2011-01-01

This article reviews evidence supporting the hypothesis that suicide rates in Japan could be reduced by elevating serotonin levels via increasing the average duration of sleep. Seven major relevant findings were apparent in the literature: 1) Sleep loss is associated with suicide, but the direction of causality is equivocal. 2) Decreased serotonergic activity may be involved in suicidal behavior. 3) Sleep debt may decrease serotonergic activity. 4) The suicide rate in Japan has remained at a heightened level for the past 12 years. 5) The average sleep duration in Japan has decreased over the past 40 years. 6) The average sleep duration in Japan is among the lowest in the world. 7) The average sleep duration in Japan plateaued in 1995 and has been relatively stable since. From the research reviewed, two major problematic issues were apparent: 1) Most people in Japan receive inadequate sleep. 2) Individuals whose sleep is inadequate are unlikely to be sufficiently physically active to stimulate serotonergic systems to a desirable level. I propose that public health initiatives encouraging a longer duration of sleep may provide a relatively simple way of addressing the disturbing current trend in Japan. The combination of actigraph and brain serotonin level measurement could allow large population-based cohort studies to be designed, to elucidate the causal links between sleep duration, serotonin levels, and suicide rates.

Understanding barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and physical activity from patients either before and after knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Pellegrini, Christine A; Ledford, Gwendolyn; Chang, Rowland W; Cameron, Kenzie A

2017-05-05

We sought to identify patient-reported barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and physical activity among patients before or after knee arthroplasty. Twenty patients with knee osteoarthritis aged 40-79 years who had knee arthroplasty surgery scheduled or completed within 3 months were interviewed. Interview topics included perceived barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and activity before or after surgery. Interviews were coded and analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Interviews were completed with 11 pre-operative (67.1 ± 7.6 years, 45.5% female, BMI 31.2 ± 6.3) and nine post-operative patients (61.7 ± 11.7 years, 44.4% female, BMI 30.2 ± 4.7 kg/m 2 ). The most commonly identified personal barriers to healthy eating identified were desire for high-fat/high-calorie foods, managing overconsumption and mood. Factors related to planning, portion control and motivation to improve health were identified as healthy eating facilitators. Identified personal barriers for activity included pain, physical limitations and lack of motivation, whereas facilitators included having motivation to improve knee symptoms/outcomes, personal commitment to activity and monitoring activity levels. Identifying specific eating and activity barriers and facilitators, such as mood and motivation to improve outcomes, provides critical insight from the patient perspective, which will aid in developing weight management programs during rehabilitation for knee arthroplasty patients. Implications for rehabilitation This study provides insight into the identified barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and physical activity in knee arthroplasty patients, both before and after surgery. Intrapersonal barriers that may hinder engagement in physical activity and rehabilitation include pain, physical limitations and lack of motivation; factors that may help to improve activity and the rehabilitation process include being motivated to improve knee outcomes, having a personal commitment to activity and tracking activity levels. Barriers that may interfere with healthy eating behaviors and knee arthroplasty rehabilitation include the desire for high-fat/high-calorie foods, overeating and mood; whereas planning and portion control may help to facilitate healthy eating. Understanding barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and physical activity can help guide rehabilitation professionals with their discussions on weight management with patients who had or are contemplating knee arthroplasty.

Design and implementation of a project-based active/cooperative engineering design course for freshmen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdulaal, R. M.; Al-Bahi, A. M.; Soliman, A. Y.; Iskanderani, F. I.

2011-08-01

A project-based active/cooperative design course is planned, implemented, assessed and evaluated to achieve several desired engineering outcomes. The course allows freshman-level students to gain professional hands-on engineering design experience through an opportunity to practise teamwork, quality principles, communication skills, life-long learning, realistic constraints and awareness of current domestic and global challenges. Throughout successive design reports and in-class assignments, the students are required by the end of the semester to communicate, clearly and concisely, the details of their design both orally and in writing through a functional artefact/prototype, a design notebook, an A0 project poster and a final oral presentation. In addition to these direct assessment tools, several indirect measures are used to ensure triangulation. Assignments are based on customer expectations using a detailed checklist. This paper shows the direct and indirect assessment tools that indicated a high level of achievement of course learning outcomes and a high level of student satisfaction.

Automatic controls and regulators: A compilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Devices, methods, and techniques for control and regulation of the mechanical/physical functions involved in implementing the space program are discussed. Section one deals with automatic controls considered to be, essentially, start-stop operations or those holding the activity in a desired constraint. Devices that may be used to regulate activities within desired ranges or subject them to predetermined changes are dealt with in section two.

Oxytocin increases VTA activation to infant and sexual stimuli in nulliparous and postpartum women

PubMed Central

Gregory, Rebecca; Cheng, Hu; Rupp, Heather A.; Sengelaub, Dale R.; Heiman, Julia R.

2015-01-01

After giving birth, women typically experience decreased sexual desire and increased responsiveness to infant stimuli. These postpartum changes may be viewed as a trade-off in reproductive interests, which could be due to alterations in brain activity including areas associated with reward. The goal of this study was to describe the roles of oxytocin and parity on reward area activation in response to reproductive stimuli, specifically infant and sexual images. Because they have been shown to be associated with reward, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) were targeted as areas of expected alterations in activity. Oxytocin was chosen as a potential mediator of reproductive trade-offs because of its relationship to both mother–infant interactions, including breastfeeding and bonding, and sexual responses. We predicted that postpartum women would show higher reward area activation to infant stimuli and nulliparous women would show higher activation to sexual stimuli and that oxytocin would increase activation to infant stimuli in nulliparous women. To test this, we measured VTA and NAc activation using fMRI in response to infant photos, sexual photos, and neutral photos in 29 postpartum and 30 nulliparous women. Participants completed the Sexual Inhibition (SIS) and Sexual Excitation (SES) Scales and the Brief Index of Sexual Function for Women (BISF-W), which includes a sexual desire dimension, and received either oxytocin or placebo nasal spray before viewing crying and smiling infant and sexual images in an fMRI scanner. For both groups of women, intranasal oxytocin administration increased VTA activation to both crying infant and sexual images but not to smiling infant images. We found that postpartum women showed lower SES, higher SIS, and lower sexual desire compared to nulliparous women. Across parity groups, SES scores were correlated with VTA activation and subjective arousal ratings to sexual images. In postpartum women, sexual desire was positively correlated with VTA activation to sexual images and with SES. Our findings show that postpartum decreases in sexual desire may in part be mediated by VTA activation, and oxytocin increased activation of the VTA but not NAc in response to sexual and infant stimuli. Oxytocin may contribute to the altered reproductive priorities in postpartum women by increasing VTA activation to salient infant stimuli. PMID:25562711

Clinical and biopsychosocial determinants of sexual dysfunction in middle-aged and older Australian men.

PubMed

Martin, Sean; Atlantis, Evan; Wilson, David; Lange, Kylie; Haren, Matthew T; Taylor, Anne; Wittert, Gary

2012-08-01

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and other related sexual dysfunctions in men have recently been shown to associate with a range of conditions and biopsychosocial factors. However, few studies have been able to control for these related factors simultaneously. To determine the prevalence of and associated risk factors for ED and low solitary and dyadic sexual desire. Erectile function (International Index of Erectile Function-erectile function) and sexual desire (Sexual Desire Inventory 2), as well as associated sociodemographic, lifestyle, biological, and clinical risk factors. Data were collected from 1,195 randomly selected, community-dwelling men as part of the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study. The prevalence of ED, low solitary, and dyadic sexual desire was 17.7%, 67.7%, and 13.5%, respectively. Increasing age, abdominal fat mass, obstructive sleep apnea risk, and the absence of a regular partner were associated with both degrees of ED severity. Insufficient physical activity, low alcohol consumption, and hypertension were associated with mild ED only, and voiding lower urinary tract symptoms, diabetes, and lower plasma testosterone were independently associated with moderate to severe ED. Increasing age, lower alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activity, and a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or insomnia were associated with both low dyadic and solitary sexual desire. Postschool qualifications and lower plasma testosterone were associated with low dyadic desire, whereas lower education and income, unemployment, and migration were associated with low solitary sexual desire. The absence of a regular partner and postschool qualifications were associated with higher solitary sexual desire. While ED and low dyadic and solitary sexual desire share some risk factors, we were able to demonstrate that unique factors exist for each of these domains. Attention should first be given to addressing these modifiable risk factors. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Healthcare provider counseling to quit smoking and patient desire to quit: The role of negative smoking outcome expectancies.

PubMed

Tucker, Joan S; Stucky, Brian D; Edelen, Maria Orlando; Shadel, William G; Klein, David J

2018-05-21

The U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline on treating tobacco use and dependence recommends providing advice to quit to every tobacco user seen in a healthcare setting. However, the mechanism through which counseling encourages patients to quit has not been adequately studied. This study tests whether the association between receiving healthcare provider counseling and desire to quit is accounted for by negative health and psychosocial outcome expectancies of smoking. Data were collected online from 721 adult smokers who had seen a healthcare provider in the past 12 months. Associations between counseling to quit, negative outcome expectancies of smoking, and desire to quit were tested, as well as whether outcome expectancies and desire to quit differed by type of counseling (counseling only vs. counseling plus assistance) and level of smoking. Bivariate associations indicated a stronger desire to quit among patients receiving counseling, particularly when it included healthcare provider assistance to quit. SEM results indicated that the association between counseling and desire to quit was fully accounted for by patients' negative health and psychosocial outcome expectancies for smoking. These associations were found across levels of smoking in the case of health expectancies, but were limited to moderate and heavy smokers in the case of psychosocial expectancies. Results suggest that the time devoted to counseling patients about smoking should include providing some assistance to quit, such as recommending a product, prescription or program. Regardless of smoking level, this counseling should incorporate techniques to elicit patients' negative health and psychosocial expectancies of smoking. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Active charge trapping control in dielectrics under ionizing radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez-Pumar, M.; Bheesayagari, C.; Gorreta, S.; Pons-Nin, J.

2017-12-01

Charge trapping is is a design and reliability factor in plasma sensors. Examples can be found in microchannel plate detectors in plasma analyzers, where multiple layers have been devised to ensure filled trapped electrons for enhanced secondary emission [1]. Charge trap mapping is used to recover distortion in telescope CCDs [2]. Specific technologies are designed to mitigate the effect of ionizing radiation in monolithic Active Pixel Sensors [3]. We report in this paper a control loop designed to control charge in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor capacitors. We find that the net trapped charge in the device can be set within some limits to arbitrary values that can be changed with time. The control loop periodically senses the net trapped charge by detecting shifts in the capacitance vs voltage characteristic, and generates adequate waveform sequences to keep the trapped charge at the desired level [4]. The waveforms continuously applied have been chosen to provide different levels of charge injection into the dielectric. The control generates the adequate average charge injection to reach and maintain the desired level of trapped charge, compensating external disturbances. We also report that this control can compensate charge generated by ionizing radiation. Experiments will be shown in which this compensation is obtained with X-rays and gamma radiation. The presented results open the possibility of applying active compensation techniques for the first time in a wide number of devices such as radiation sensors, MOS transistors and other devices. The continuous drive towards integration may allow the implementation of this type of controls in devices needing to reject external disturbances, or needing to optimize their response to radiation or ion fluxes. References: [1] patent US 2009/0212680 A1. [2] A&A 534, A20 (2011). [3] Hemperek, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. in Phys. Res. Sect. A.796, pp 8-12, 2015. [4] Dominguez, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electr, 64 (4), 3023-3029, 2017.

Culture Conditions for Production of Biomass, Adenosine, and Cordycepin from Cordyceps sinensis CS1197: Optimization by Desirability Function Method

PubMed Central

Ghatnur, Shashidhar M.; Parvatam, Giridhar; Balaraman, Manohar

2015-01-01

Background: Cordyceps sinensis (CS) is a traditional Chinese medicine contains potent active metabolites such as nucleosides and polysaccharides. The submerged cultivation technique is studied for the large scale production of CS for biomass and metabolites production. Objective: To optimize culture conditions for large-scale production of CS1197 biomass and metabolites production. Materials and Methods: The CS1197 strain of CS was isolated from dead larvae of natural CS and the authenticity was assured by the presence of two major markers adenosine and cordycepin by high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. A three-level Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize process parameters culturing temperature, pH, and inoculum volume for the biomass yield, adenosine and cordycepin. The experimental results were regressed to a second-order polynomial equation by a multiple regression analysis for the prediction of biomass yield, adenosine and cordycepin production. Multiple responses were optimized based on desirability function method. Results: The desirability function suggested the process conditions temperature 28°C, pH 7 and inoculum volume 10% for optimal production of nutraceuticals in the biomass. The water extracts from dried CS1197 mycelia showed good inhibition for 2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid-free radicals. Conclusion: The result suggests that response surface methodology-desirability function coupled approach can successfully optimize the culture conditions for CS1197. SUMMARY Authentication of CS1197 strain by the presence of adenosine and cordycepin and culturing period was determined to be for 14 daysContent of nucleosides in natural CS was found higher than in cultured CS1197 myceliumBox-Behnken design to optimize critical cultural conditions: temperature, pH and inoculum volumeWater extract showed better antioxidant activity proving credible source of natural antioxidants. PMID:26929580

Satiety-induced enhanced neuronal activity in the frontal operculum relates to the desire for food in the obese female brain.

PubMed

Kumar, Saurabh; Grundeis, Felicitas; Brand, Cristin; Hwang, Han-Jeong; Mehnert, Jan; Pleger, Burkhard

2018-06-22

In the present pilot study, we questioned how eating to satiety affects cognitive influences on the desire for food and corresponding neuronal activity in the obese female brain. During EEG recording, lean (n = 10) and obese women (n = 10) self-rated the ability to reappraise visually presented food. All women were measured twice, when hungry and after eating to satiety. After eating to satiety, reappraisal of food was easier than when being hungry. Comparing the EEG data of the sated to the hungry state, we found that only in obese women the frontal operculum was involved not only in the reappraisal of food but also in admitting the desire for the same food. The right frontal operculum in the obese female brain, assumed to primarily host gustatory processes, may be involved in opposing cognitive influences on the desire for food. These findings may help to find potential brain targets for non-invasive brain stimulation or neurofeedback studies that aim at modulating the desire for food.

Information giving and decision-making in patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review.

PubMed

Gaston, Christine M; Mitchell, Geoffrey

2005-11-01

Patients with advanced, non-curable cancer face difficult decisions on further treatment, where a small increase in survival time must be balanced against the toxicity of the treatment. If patients want to be involved in these decisions, in keeping with current notions of autonomy and empowerment, they also require to be adequately informed both on the treatments proposed and on their own disease status and prognosis. A systematic review was performed on decision-making and information provision in patients with advanced cancer. Studies of interventions to improve information giving and encourage participation in decision-making were reviewed, including both randomised controlled trials and uncontrolled studies. Almost all patients expressed a desire for full information, but only about two-thirds wished to participate actively in decision-making. Higher educational level, younger age and female sex were predictive of a desire to participate in decision-making. Active decision-making was more common in patients with certain cancers (e.g. breast) than others (e.g. prostate). A number of simple interventions including question prompt sheets, audio-taping of consultations and patient decision aids have been shown to facilitate such involvement.

Engine Cylinder Temperature Control

DOEpatents

Kilkenny, Jonathan Patrick; Duffy, Kevin Patrick

2005-09-27

A method and apparatus for controlling a temperature in a combustion cylinder in an internal combustion engine. The cylinder is fluidly connected to an intake manifold and an exhaust manifold. The method and apparatus includes increasing a back pressure associated with the exhaust manifold to a level sufficient to maintain a desired quantity of residual exhaust gas in the cylinder, and varying operation of an intake valve located between the intake manifold and the cylinder to an open duration sufficient to maintain a desired quantity of fresh air from the intake manifold to the cylinder, wherein controlling the quantities of residual exhaust gas and fresh air are performed to maintain the temperature in the cylinder at a desired level.

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HYPOACTIVE SEXUAL DESIRE IN WOMEN: A NARRATIVE REVIEW.

PubMed

Malary, Mina; Khani, Soghra; Pourasghar, Mehdi; Moosazadeh, Mahmood; Hamzehgardeshi, Zeinab

2015-12-01

As a mental response to sexual stimuli, sexual desire determines human sexual behavior and represents the cognitive capacity of sexual stimulation, so that avoiding sexual activity has a very negative effect on the discharge of intimacy and joy in couple's relationship and threatens the stability relationship, which can finally end in sexual dissatisfaction and divorce; it may even affect the reproduction. This study, reviews the literature on biopsychosocial determinants of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women in childbearing ages. The search was done from January to March 2015 by the use of the data bases ProQuest, Pubmed, CINAHL, Ovid and Medline and the words sexual desire, related factors and biopsychosocial determinants were used as free text words. The words reduce sexual desire, hypoactive sexual desire disorder, dyadic relationship, biopsychosocial factors and women were used as keywords in the search. Also, the articles focusing on any aspects of sexual desire such as biological, social and psychological factors and relationship factors alone or integrated, were included in the study. The articles which specifically targeted the hypoactive sexual desire disorder in pregnant and lactating women and also the articles targeting biopsychosocial factors related to other types of sexual function disorder such as arousal disorder, orgasm disorder and dyspareunia, were all excluded from this study. After reviewing the literature, the findings were categorized in three main class of effect of biologic factors on sexual desire and sexual hypoactivity, the effect of psychological factors on sexual desire and the effect of cultural factors and couple's relationship on sexual desire, each of these domains cover a wide range (such as hormonal changes, chronic diseases, psychological difficulties (perceived stress, anxiety, depression). Incompatibility of couples, the spouse's sexual function disorder) which may overlap. Because of the complexity of etiology and the difficulty of treating hypoactive sexual desire disorder, it is necessary to use biopsychosocial approaches to diagnose and treat the disorder. According to the findings of this reviewing study, the factors able to affect sexual desire and activity are not distinct and often overlap, therefore, the complicated etiology of hypoactive sexual desire disorder often needs multidimensional intervention to use biopsychosocial approach; Multi factor assessment with a combination of psychological, physical, social and hormonal intervention can be effective in making strategies to treat the symptoms of HSDD.

A control theoretic model of driver steering behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donges, E.

1977-01-01

A quantitative description of driver steering behavior such as a mathematical model is presented. The steering task is divided into two levels: (1) the guidance level involving the perception of the instantaneous and future course of the forcing function provided by the forward view of the road, and the response to it in an anticipatory open-loop control mode; (2) the stabilization level whereby any occuring deviations from the forcing function are compensated for in a closed-loop control mode. This concept of the duality of the driver's steering activity led to a newly developed two-level model of driver steering behavior. Its parameters are identified on the basis of data measured in driving simulator experiments. The parameter estimates of both levels of the model show significant dependence on the experimental situation which can be characterized by variables such as vehicle speed and desired path curvature.

Problematic internet pornography use: The role of craving, desire thinking, and metacognition.

PubMed

Allen, Andrew; Kannis-Dymand, Lee; Katsikitis, Mary

2017-07-01

Defined as sexually explicit material that elicits erotic thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, internet pornography is a prevalent form of media that may facilitate problematic use and craving for engagement. Research suggests that superordinate cognitions and information processing, such as desire thinking and metacognition, are central to the activation and escalation of craving in addictive behaviours. The current study aimed to contribute to the literature by testing the proposed metacognitive model of desire thinking and craving in a sample of problematic pornography users, while revising the model by incorporating negative affect. From a theoretical perspective, environmental cues trigger positive metacognitions about desire thinking that directly influence desire thinking, resulting in the escalation of craving, negative metacognitions, and negative affect. Participants were recruited via an online survey and screened for problematic internet pornography use. Path analyses were used to investigate relationships among the aforementioned constructs in a final sample of 191 participants. Consistent with previous research, results of this study validated the existence of metacognitive processes in the activation of desire thinking and escalation of craving, while indicating that desire thinking has the potential to influence negative affect. Additionally, results supported the role of significant indirect relationships between constructs within the revised model of metacognition, desire thinking, and psychopathology. Collectively, the findings demonstrate the clinical value of a metacognitive conceptualisation of problematic pornography use. Exploring the metacognitive mechanisms that underpin problematic internet pornography use may give rise to the development of new treatment and relapse prevention strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Image registration method for medical image sequences

DOEpatents

Gee, Timothy F.; Goddard, James S.

2013-03-26

Image registration of low contrast image sequences is provided. In one aspect, a desired region of an image is automatically segmented and only the desired region is registered. Active contours and adaptive thresholding of intensity or edge information may be used to segment the desired regions. A transform function is defined to register the segmented region, and sub-pixel information may be determined using one or more interpolation methods.

The impact of physician payment methods on raising the efficiency of the healthcare system: an international comparison.

PubMed

Simoens, Steven; Giuffrida, Antonio

2004-01-01

This article reviews policies on physician payment methods that Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have implemented to promote an efficient deployment of physicians. Countries' experiences show that payment by fee-for-service, capitation and salary influences physician activity levels and productivity. However, the impact of these simple payment methods is complex and may be diluted by clinical, demographic, ethical and organisational factors. Policies that have attempted to curb health expenditure by controlling fee levels have sometimes been eroded by physicians increasing the volume of service supply, or providing services that attract higher fees. Flexible blended payment methods based on the combination of a fixed component, through either capitation or salary, and a variable component, through fee-for-service, may produce a desirable mix of incentives. Integrating such blended payment methods with mechanisms to monitor physician activity may offer potential success.

Childhood Social Inequalities Influences Neural Processes in Young Adult Caregiving

PubMed Central

Kim, Pilyoung; Ho, S. Shaun; Evans, Gary W.; Liberzon, Israel; Swain, James E.

2016-01-01

Childhood poverty is associated with harsh parenting with a risk of transmission to the next generation. This prospective study examined the relations between childhood poverty and non-parent adults’ neural responses to infant cry sounds. While no main effects of poverty were revealed in contrasts of infant cry vs. acoustically matched white noise, a gender by childhood poverty interaction emerged. In females, childhood poverty was associated with increased neural activations in the posterior insula, striatum, calcarine sulcus, hippocampus and fusiform gyrus, while, in males, childhood poverty was associated with reduced levels of neural responses to infant cry in the same regions. Irrespective of gender, neural activation in these regions was associated with higher levels of annoyance with the cry sound and reduced desire to approach the crying infant. The findings suggest gender differences in neural and emotional responses to infant cry sounds among young adults growing up in poverty. PMID:25981334

When environmental action does not activate concern: the case of impaired water quality in two rural watersheds.

PubMed

Stough-Hunter, Anjel; Lekies, Kristi S; Donnermeyer, Joseph F

2014-12-01

Little research has considered how residents' perceptions of their local environment may interact with efforts to increase environmental concern, particularly in areas in need of remediation. This study examined the process by which local environmental action may affect environmental concern. A model was presented for exploring the effects of community-based watershed organizations (CWOs) on environmental concern that also incorporates existing perceptions of the local environment. Survey data were collected from area residents in two watersheds in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA, an area affected by abandoned mine drainage. The findings suggest that residents' perceptions of local water quality and importance of improving water quality are important predictors of level of environmental concern and desire for action; however, in this case, having an active or inactive CWO did not influence these perceptions. The implications of these findings raise important questions concerning strategies and policy making around environmental remediation at the local level.

Estimating relative demand for wildlife: Conservation activity indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Gary G.; Larson, Joseph S.

1982-09-01

An alternative method of estimating relative demand among nonconsumptive uses of wildlife and among wildlife species is proposed. A demand intensity score (DIS), derived from the relative extent of an individual's involvement in outdoor recreation and conservation activities, is used as a weighting device to adjust the importance of preference rankings for wildlife uses and wildlife species relative to other members of a survey population. These adjusted preference rankings were considered to reflect relative demand levels (RDLs) for wildlife uses and for species by the survey population. This technique may be useful where it is not possible or desirable to estimate demand using traditional economic means. In one of the findings from a survey of municipal conservation commission members in Massachusetts, presented as an illustration of this methodology, poisonous snakes were ranked third in preference among five groups of reptiles. The relative demand level for poisonous snakes, however, was last among the five groups.

Spray dried amikacin powder for inhalation in cystic fibrosis patients: a quality by design approach for product construction.

PubMed

Belotti, Silvia; Rossi, Alessandra; Colombo, Paolo; Bettini, Ruggero; Rekkas, Dimitrios; Politis, Stavros; Colombo, Gaia; Balducci, Anna Giulia; Buttini, Francesca

2014-08-25

An amikacin product for convenient and compliant inhalation in cystic fibrosis patients was constructed by spray-drying in order to produce powders of pure drug having high respirability and flowability. An experimental design was applied as a statistical tool for the characterization of amikacin spray drying process, through the establishment of mathematical relationships between six Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) of the finished product and five Critical Process Parameters (CPPs). The surface-active excipient, PEG-32 stearate, studied for particle engineering, in general did not benefit the CQAs of the spray dried powders for inhalation. The spray drying feed solution required the inclusion of 10% (v/v) ethanol in order to reach the desired aerodynamic performance of powders. All desirable function solutions indicated that the favourable concentration of amikacin in the feed solution had to be kept at 1% w/v level. It was found that when the feed rate of the sprayed solution was raised, an increase in the drying temperature to the maximum value (160 °C) was required to maintain good powder respirability. Finally, the increase in drying temperature always led to an evident increase in emitted dose (ED) without affecting the desirable fine particle dose (FPD) values. The application of the experimental design enabled us to obtain amikacin powders with both ED and FPD, well above the regulatory and scientific references. The finished product contained only the active ingredient, which keeps low the mass to inhale for dose requirement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Liquid cooled approaches for high density avionics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levasseur, Robert

Next-generation aircraft will require avionics that provide greater system performance in a smaller volume, a process that requires highly developed thermal management techniques. To meet this need, a liquid-cooled approach has been developed to replace the conventional air-cooled approach for high-power applications. Liquid-cooled chassis and flow-through modules have been developed to limit junction temperatures to acceptable levels. Liquid cooling also permits emergency operation after loss of coolant for longer time intervals, which is desirable for flight-critical airborne applications. Activity to date has emphasized the development of chassis and modules that support the US Department of Defense's (DoD) two-level maintenance initiative as governed by the Joint Integrated Avionics Working Group (JIAWG).

Connecting people and trails : local community planning for bicyclists and pedestrians.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-01-01

Many communities in Iowa have expressed a desire to develop a plan : for better accommodating pedestrians and bicyclists in their : community. This desire results from the recognition that walking and : bicycling are popular recreational activities a...

A three-level atomicity model for decentralized workflow management systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben-Shaul, Israel Z.; Heineman, George T.

1996-12-01

A workflow management system (WFMS) employs a workflow manager (WM) to execute and automate the various activities within a workflow. To protect the consistency of data, the WM encapsulates each activity with a transaction; a transaction manager (TM) then guarantees the atomicity of activities. Since workflows often group several activities together, the TM is responsible for guaranteeing the atomicity of these units. There are scalability issues, however, with centralized WFMSs. Decentralized WFMSs provide an architecture for multiple autonomous WFMSs to interoperate, thus accommodating multiple workflows and geographically-dispersed teams. When atomic units are composed of activities spread across multiple WFMSs, however, there is a conflict between global atomicity and local autonomy of each WFMS. This paper describes a decentralized atomicity model that enables workflow administrators to specify the scope of multi-site atomicity based upon the desired semantics of multi-site tasks in the decentralized WFMS. We describe an architecture that realizes our model and execution paradigm.

Everyday temptations: an experience sampling study of desire, conflict, and self-control.

PubMed

Hofmann, Wilhelm; Baumeister, Roy F; Förster, Georg; Vohs, Kathleen D

2012-06-01

How often and how strongly do people experience desires, to what extent do their desires conflict with other goals, and how often and successfully do people exercise self-control to resist their desires? To investigate desire and attempts to control desire in everyday life, we conducted a large-scale experience sampling study based on a conceptual framework integrating desire strength, conflict, resistance (use of self-control), and behavior enactment. A sample of 205 adults wore beepers for a week. They furnished 7,827 reports of desire episodes and completed personality measures of behavioral inhibition system/behavior activation system (BIS/BAS) sensitivity, trait self-control, perfectionism, and narcissistic entitlement. Results suggest that desires are frequent, variable in intensity, and largely unproblematic. Those urges that do conflict with other goals tend to elicit resistance, with uneven success. Desire strength, conflict, resistance, and self-regulatory success were moderated in multiple ways by personality variables as well as by situational and interpersonal factors such as alcohol consumption, the mere presence of others, and the presence of others who already had enacted the desire in question. Whereas personality generally had a stronger impact on the dimensions of desire that emerged early in its course (desire strength and conflict), situational factors showed relatively more influence on components later in the process (resistance and behavior enactment). In total, these findings offer a novel and detailed perspective on the nature of everyday desires and associated self-regulatory successes and failures. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Sexual Health and Positive Subjective Well-Being in Partnered Older Men and Women

PubMed Central

Vanhoutte, Bram; Nazroo, James; Pendleton, Neil

2016-01-01

Objectives: We examine the associations between different patterns of sexual behavior and function and three indicators of subjective well-being (SWB) covering eudemonic, evaluative, and affective well-being in a representative sample of partnered older people. Method: Using data from a Sexual Relationships and Activities Questionnaire (SRA-Q) in Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, latent class analysis identified groups characterized by distinctive patterns of sexual behavior and function and then examined their link to SWB. Eudemonic SWB was measured using a revised 15-item version of the CASP-19, evaluative SWB using the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and affective SWB using the 8-item version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. Results: Sexual behavior and function was best described by six classes among men and five classes among women. These ranged from high sexual desire, frequent partnered sexual activities, and few sexual problems (Class 1) to low sexual desire, infrequent/no sexual activity, and problems with sexual function (Class 5[women]/6[men]). Men and women who reported either infrequent/no sexual activity, or were sexually active but reported sexual problems, generally had lower SWB than those individuals identified in Class 1. Poorer SWB in men was more strongly associated with sexual function difficulties, whereas in women desire and frequency of partnered activities appeared more important in relation to SWB. Discussion: Within the context of a partnered relationship continuing sexual desire, activity and functioning are associated with higher SWB, with distinctive patterns for women and men. PMID:26993519

Desire thinking: what is it and what drives it?

PubMed

Caselli, Gabriele; Spada, Marcantonio M

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the construct of desire thinking and test a metacognitive model of desire thinking and craving, based on the work of Spada, Caselli and Wells (2012; 2013), which aims to explain the perseveration of desire thinking. We conducted two studies involving four clinical samples (total N = 493) and a community sample (N = 494) presenting with different addictive behaviors. The relationships among variables were examined by testing the fit of path models within each sample. In the model presented it was proposed that positive metacognitions about desire thinking are associated with, in turn, imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration, marking the activation of desire thinking. Verbal perseveration is then associated to negative metacognitions about desire thinking and craving denoting the pathological escalation of desire thinking. Finally, a direct association between positive metacognitions about desire thinking and negative metacognitions about desire thinking would mark those occasions where target-achieving behaviour runs as an automatized schemata without the experience of craving. Results indicated a good model fit in the clinical sample and a variation in the model structure in the community sample. These findings provide further support for the application of metacognitive theory to desire thinking and craving in addictive behaviors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Object of desire self-consciousness theory.

PubMed

Bogaert, Anthony F; Brotto, Lori A

2014-01-01

In this article, the authors discuss the construct of object of desire self-consciousness, the perception that one is romantically and sexually desirable in another's eyes. The authors discuss the nature of the construct, variations in its expression, and how it may function as part of a self-schemata or script related to romance and sexuality. The authors suggest that object of desire self-consciousness may be an adaptive, evolved psychological mechanism allowing sexual and romantic tactics suitable to one's mate value. The authors also suggest that it can act as a signal that one has high mate value in the sexual marketplace. The authors then review literature (e.g., on fantasies, on sexual activity preferences, on sexual dysfunctions, on language) suggesting that object of desire self-consciousness plays a particularly important role in heterosexual women's sexual/romantic functioning and desires.

Control of wheeled mobile robot in restricted environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Mohammed A. H.; En, Chang Yong

2018-03-01

This paper presents a simulation and practical control system for wheeled mobile robot in restricted environment. A wheeled mobile robot with 3 wheels is fabricated and controlled by proportional derivative active force control (PD-AFC) to move in a pre-planned restricted environment to maintain the tracking errors at zero level. A control system with two loops, outer by PD controller and inner loop by Active Force Control, are designed to control the wheeled mobile robot. Fuzzy logic controller is implemented in the Active force Control to estimate the inertia matrix that will be used to calculate the actual torque applied on the wheeled mobile robot. The mobile robot is tested in two different trajectories, namely are circular and straight path. The actual path and desired path are compared.

Active Contours Driven by Multi-Feature Gaussian Distribution Fitting Energy with Application to Vessel Segmentation.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Zhang, Huimao; He, Kan; Chang, Yan; Yang, Xiaodong

2015-01-01

Active contour models are of great importance for image segmentation and can extract smooth and closed boundary contours of the desired objects with promising results. However, they cannot work well in the presence of intensity inhomogeneity. Hence, a novel region-based active contour model is proposed by taking image intensities and 'vesselness values' from local phase-based vesselness enhancement into account simultaneously to define a novel multi-feature Gaussian distribution fitting energy in this paper. This energy is then incorporated into a level set formulation with a regularization term for accurate segmentations. Experimental results based on publicly available STructured Analysis of the Retina (STARE) demonstrate our model is more accurate than some existing typical methods and can successfully segment most small vessels with varying width.

fNIRS Evidence of Prefrontal Regulation of Frustration in Early Childhood

PubMed Central

Perlman, Susan B.; Luna, Beatriz; Hein, Tyler C.; Huppert, Theodore J.

2013-01-01

The experience of frustration is common in early childhood, yet some children seem to possess a lower tolerance for frustration than others. Characterizing the biological mechanisms underlying a wide range of frustration tolerance observed in early childhood may inform maladaptive behavior and psychopathology that is associated with this construct. The goal of this study was to measure prefrontal correlates of frustration in 3–5 year-old children, who are not readily adaptable for typical neuroimaging approaches, using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). fNIRS of frontal regions were measured as frustration was induced in children through a computer game where a desired and expected prize was “stolen” by an animated dog. A fNIRS general linear model (GLM) was used to quantify the correlation of brain regions with the task and identify areas that were statistically different between the winning and frustrating test conditions. A second-level voxel-based ANOVA analysis was then used to correlate the amplitude of each individual’s brain activation with measure of parent-reported frustration. Experimental results indicated increased activity in the middle prefrontal cortex during winning of a desired prize, while lateral prefrontal cortex activity increased during frustration. Further, activity increase in lateral prefrontal cortex during frustration correlated positively with parent-reported frustration tolerance. These findings point to the role of the lateral prefrontal cortex as a potential region supporting the regulation of emotion during frustration. PMID:23624495

Parental motivation to change body weight in young overweight children.

PubMed

Taylor, Rachael W; Williams, Sheila M; Dawson, Anna M; Haszard, Jillian J; Brown, Deirdre A

2015-07-01

To determine what factors are associated with parental motivation to change body weight in overweight children. Cross-sectional study. Dunedin, New Zealand. Two hundred and seventy-one children aged 4-8 years, recruited in primary and secondary care, were identified as overweight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) after screening. Parents completed questionnaires on demographics; motivation to improve diet, physical activity and weight; perception and concern about weight; parenting; and social desirability, prior to being informed that their child was overweight. Additional measures of physical activity (accelerometry), dietary intake and child behaviour (questionnaire) were obtained after feedback. Although all children were overweight, only 42% of parents perceived their child to be so, with 36% indicating any concern. Very few parents (n 25, 8%) were actively trying to change the child's weight. Greater motivation to change weight was observed for girls compared with boys (P = 0.001), despite no sex difference in BMI Z-score (P = 0.374). Motivation was not associated with most demographic variables, social desirability, dietary intake, parenting or child behaviour. Increased motivation to change the child's weight was observed for heavier children (P < 0.001), those who were less physically active (P = 0.002) and more sedentary (P < 0.001), and in parents who were more concerned about their child's weight (P < 0.001) or who used greater food restriction (P < 0.001). Low levels of parental motivation to change overweight in young children highlight the urgent need to determine how best to improve motivation to initiate change.

Method for preparing salt solutions having desired properties

DOEpatents

Ally, Moonis R.; Braunstein, Jerry

1994-01-01

The specification discloses a method for preparing salt solutions which exhibit desired thermodynamic properties. The method enables prediction of the value of the thermodynamic properties for single and multiple salt solutions over a wide range of conditions from activity data and constants which are independent of concentration and temperature. A particular application of the invention is in the control of salt solutions in a process to provide a salt solution which exhibits the desired properties.

Thermal inactivation of Salmonella enteritidis PT 30 in almond kernels as influenced by water activity.

PubMed

Villa-Rojas, Rossana; Tang, Juming; Wang, Shaojin; Gao, Mengxiang; Kang, Dong-Hyun; Mah, Jae-Hyung; Gray, Peter; Sosa-Morales, Maria Elena; López-Malo, Aurelio

2013-01-01

Salmonellosis outbreaks related to consumption of raw almonds have encouraged the scientific community to study the inactivation kinetics of pathogens in this dry commodity. However, the low moisture content of the product presents a challenge for thermal control, because the time required to achieve the desired thermal inactivation of microorganisms increases sharply with reduced moisture content and water activity. In this study, we explored and modeled the heat inactivation of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis PT 30 in almond cultivar 'Nonpareil' kernel flour at four water activity (a(w)) values (0.601, 0.720, 0.888, and 0.946) using four temperatures for each a(w). The results showed that the inactivation was well fitted by both Weibull distribution (R(2) = 0.93 to 1.00) and first-order kinetics (R(2) = 0.82 to 0.96). At higher a(w) values, the rate of inactivation increased and less time was needed to achieve the required population reduction. These results suggest that, to avoid deterioration of product quality, shorter process times at lower temperatures may be used to achieve desired inactivation levels of Salmonella Enteritidis PT 30 by simply increasing the moisture content of almonds. These goals could be achieved with the use of existing procedures already practiced by the food industry, such as washing or prewetting scalding before heat inactivation.

The Experimental Manipulation of Desire Thinking in Alcohol use Disorder.

PubMed

Caselli, Gabriele; Gemelli, Antonella; Spada, Marcantonio M

2017-03-01

Desire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process involving verbal and imaginal elaboration of a desired target. Recent research has revealed that desire thinking may play a significant role in the escalation of craving. The goal of this study was to explore the effect of a desire thinking induction on craving in a sample of patients with alcohol use disorder. Ten patients with alcohol use disorder were exposed to a brief exposure to alcohol-related thoughts plus desire thinking induction versus brief exposure to alcohol-related thoughts plus distraction. The induction of desire thinking led to a significant increase in distress and urge to use alcohol when compared to a behavioural assessment test and a distraction task. The clinical implications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Psychotherapeutic strategies that target desire thinking, both at the assessment and at the intervention levels, may be relevant in the treatment of craving-related problems. Deriving and illustrating the role of desire thinking in a given episode of craving may support the development of metacognitive awareness about its functions and consequences. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Paedophilia, Sexual Desire, and Perversity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiecker, Ben; Steutel, Jan

1997-01-01

Criticizes justifications given by pedophiles for having sex with children, including an analysis of "sexual desire" and "erotic." Raises the question of whether pedophile activities can ever be morally permissible. Uses principles of mutual consent and non-exploitation to answer negatively. Examines whether pedophile desires…

Desire for autonomy in health care decisions: a general population survey.

PubMed

Cullati, Stéphane; Courvoisier, Delphine S; Charvet-Bérard, Agathe I; Perneger, Thomas V

2011-04-01

To examine factors associated with desire for autonomy in health care decisions in the general population. Mailed survey of 2348 residents of Geneva, Switzerland. Participants answered questions on a scale measuring their desire for autonomy in health care decisions. The scale was scored between 0 (lowest desire for autonomy) and 100 (highest desire for autonomy). On average the respondents favoured shared or active involvement in medical decisions (mean score 62.0, SD 20.9), but attitudes varied considerably. In the multivariate model, factors associated with a higher desire for autonomy included female gender, younger age, higher education, living alone, reporting an excellent global health and - a new observation compared to previous studies - having made several medical decisions in the past 6 months. The attitudes of the general public appear to be consistent with the model of shared decision making. However, people vary considerably in their desire for autonomy. An explicit assessment of each individual's desire for autonomy may improve the decision-making process. Such an assessment should be repeated regularly, as familiarity with medical decisions may increase the desire for autonomy. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultural desire need not improve with cultural knowledge: A cross-sectional study of student nurses.

PubMed

Isaacs, Anton Neville; Raymond, Anita; Jacob, Elisabeth; Jones, Janet; McGrail, Matthew; Drysdale, Marlene

2016-07-01

Cultural desire is considered to be a prerequisite for developing cultural competence. This study explored cultural desire among student nurses towards Aboriginal peoples and its association with participation in a one-semester unit on Aboriginal health through a cross-sectional survey. Our main outcome, cultural desire, was measured using two items level of agreement with Aboriginal health being an integral component of the nursing curriculum and an expressed interest in Aboriginal health. 220 (74.58%) student nurses completed the survey. Completing the Aboriginal Health and wellbeing unit did not influence students' opinions on inclusion of the unit as part of the nursing curriculum (odds ratio OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.43-1.29) or their overall cultural desire (mean difference = -0.69, 95% CI -1.29 to -0.08, p = 0.026). Students who completed the unit reported a higher understanding of Aboriginal health (OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.35-4.08) but lower interest levels in the subject (OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.24-0.84). Further research is necessary to explore how and when cultural desire might develop in nurses who are trained in cultural competence particularly in the contexts of post-colonial disparities and political conflict. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detectors for Active Interrogation Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, S. D.; Hamel, M. C.; Bourne, M. M.; Pozzi, S. A.

Active interrogation creates an environment that is particularly challenging from a radiation-detection standpoint: the elevated background levels from the source can mask the desired signatures from the SNM. Neutron based interrogation experiments have shown that nanosecond-level timing is required to discriminate induced-fission neutrons from the scattered source neutrons. Previous experiments using high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays have demonstrated the ability to induce and detect prompt photofission neutrons from single target materials; however, a real-world application would require spectroscopic capability to discern between photofission neutrons emitted by SNM and neutrons emitted by other reactions in non-SNM. Using digital pulse-shape discrimination, organic liquid scintillators are capable of reliably detecting neutrons in an intense gamma-ray field. Photon misclassification rates as low as 1 in 106 have been achieved, which is approaching the level of gaseous neutron detectors such as 3He without the need for neutron moderation. These scintillators also possess nanosecond-timing resolution, making them candidates for both neutron-and photon-driven active interrogation systems. We have applied an array of liquid and NaI(Tl) scintillators to successfully image 13.7 kg of HEU interrogated by a DT neutron generator; the system was in the direct presence of the accelerator during the experiment.

Do Activity Level Outcome Measures Commonly Used in Neurological Practice Assess Upper-Limb Movement Quality?

PubMed

Demers, Marika; Levin, Mindy F

2017-07-01

Movement is described in terms of task-related end point characteristics in external space and movement quality (joint rotations in body space). Assessment of upper-limb (UL) movement quality can assist therapists in designing effective treatment approaches for retraining lost motor elements and provide more detailed measurements of UL motor improvements over time. To determine the extent to which current activity level outcome measures used in neurological practice assess UL movement quality. Outcome measures assessing arm/hand function at the International Classification of Function activity level recommended by neurological clinical practice guidelines were reviewed. Measures assessing the UL as part of a general mobility assessment, those strictly evaluating body function/structure or participation, and paediatric measures were excluded. In all, 15 activity level outcome measures were identified; 9 measures assess how movement is performed by measuring either end point characteristics or movement quality. However, except for the Reaching Performance Scale for Stroke and the Motor Evaluation Scale for Upper Extremity in Stroke Patients, these measures only account for deficits indirectly by giving a partial score if movements are slower or if the person experiences difficulties. Six outcome measures neither assess any parameters related to movement quality, nor distinguish between improvements resulting from motor compensation or recovery of desired movement strategies. Current activity measures may not distinguish recovery from compensation and adequately track changes in movement quality over time. Movement quality may be incorporated into clinical assessment using observational kinematics with or without low-cost motion tracking technology.

GRIK1 genotype and daily expectations of alcohol's positive effects moderate the reduction of heavy drinking by topiramate.

PubMed

Kranzler, Henry R; Armeli, Stephen; Tennen, Howard; Gelernter, Joel; Covault, Jonathan

2014-12-01

Using retrospective reports obtained during treatment visits in 138 heavy drinkers, we found that topiramate's reduction of heavy drinking was moderated by a polymorphism (rs2832407) in GRIK1, which encodes the GluK1 kainate subunit (Kranzler et al., 2014a). A subsequent analysis of that 12-week topiramate treatment trial showed similar effects of medication and genotype on daily drinking reports obtained via interactive voice response technology (IVR; Kranzler et al., 2014b). Specifically, rs2832407*C-allele homozygotes treated with topiramate reported lower levels of drinking than those receiving placebo. This group also had the largest decreases in the expected positive effects of drinking (i.e., expectancies) and desire to drink. To extend that analysis, which focused on how mean levels of desire and expectancies changed over time with treatment, we used a within-person approach to examine whether daily variation in expectancies and desire to drink interact with topiramate treatment and genotype to predict nighttime drinking levels. In contrast to the previous analysis (Kranzler et al., 2014b), here we focus on whether alcohol expectancies and desire to drink moderate the effects of topiramate on drinking. Results showed a 3-way interaction of daily expectancies with genotype and medication, such that the protective effect of topiramate on nighttime drinking among rs2832407*C-allele homozygotes was decreased on days characterized by relatively high levels of anticipated positive effects of alcohol. There was no moderating effect of desire to drink or negative alcohol expectancies. Thus, there is specific moderation of the effects of topiramate by both genotype and cognitive process. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Evaluation of Ho:KPb2Cl5 as a Diode-Pumpable Mid-IR Laser Material

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

is the decay of the upper laser level without emitting light , due to the simultaneous emission of enough lattice vibrational quanta (phonons) to...have an energy level spacing that can result in emission at the desired laser wavelength, and that state must emit light efficiently. It is also...extremely desirable that it absorb light in the wavelength region where laser diodes operate most efficiently, approximately 800–1000 nm. This enables

Does religiousness and spirituality moderate the relations between physical and mental health among aging prisoners?

PubMed

Allen, Rebecca S; Harris, Grant M; Crowther, Martha R; Oliver, Joann S; Cavanaugh, Ronald; Phillips, Laura L

2013-07-01

We examined positive and negative religious coping as moderators of the relation between physical limitations, depression, and desire for hastened death among male inmates incarcerated primarily for murder. Inmates over the age of 45 years who passed a cognitive screening completed face-to-face interviews (N = 94; mean age = 57.7 years; SD = 10.68). Multiple regression analyses included age, race/ethnicity, parole belief, physical health, positive or negative religious coping, and all two-way interactions represented by the product of health and a religious coping variable. Older inmates and those who reported greater levels of positive religious coping endorsed fewer symptoms of depression, whereas those who reported greater levels of negative religious coping endorsed more symptoms of depression. Inmates who reported higher levels of depression endorsed a greater desire for hastened death. The effect of physical functioning on desire for hastened death is moderated by negative religious coping such that those who endorsed higher levels of negative religious coping reported a greater desire for hastened death. Examinations of religious/spiritual practices and mindfulness-based interventions in prison research have assumed a positive stance with regard to the potential impact of religious/spiritual coping on physical and mental health. The current findings provide cautionary information that may further assist in selection of inmates for participation in such interventions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Antibacterial Compounds of Canadian Honeys Target Bacterial Cell Wall Inducing Phenotype Changes, Growth Inhibition and Cell Lysis That Resemble Action of β-Lactam Antibiotics

PubMed Central

Brudzynski, Katrina; Sjaarda, Calvin

2014-01-01

Honeys show a desirable broad spectrum activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria making antibacterial activity an intrinsic property of honey and a desirable source for new drug development. The cellular targets and underlying mechanism of action of honey antibacterial compounds remain largely unknown. To facilitate the target discovery, we employed a method of phenotypic profiling by directly comparing morphological changes in Escherichia coli induced by honeys to that of ampicillin, the cell wall-active β-lactam of known mechanism of action. Firstly, we demonstrated the purity of tested honeys from potential β-lactam contaminations using quantitative LC-ESI-MS. Exposure of log-phase E. coli to honey or ampicillin resulted in time- and concentration-dependent changes in bacterial cell shape with the appearance of filamentous phenotypes at sub-inhibitory concentrations and spheroplasts at the MBC. Cell wall destruction by both agents, clearly visible on microscopic micrographs, was accompanied by increased permeability of the lipopolysaccharide outer membrane as indicated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). More than 90% E. coli exposed to honey or ampicillin became permeable to propidium iodide. Consistently with the FACS results, both honey-treated and ampicillin-treated E. coli cells released lipopolysaccharide endotoxins at comparable levels, which were significantly higher than controls (p<0.0001). E. coli cells transformed with the ampicillin-resistance gene (β–lactamase) remained sensitive to honey, displayed the same level of cytotoxicity, cell shape changes and endotoxin release as ampicillin-sensitive cells. As expected, β–lactamase protected the host cell from antibacterial action of ampicillin. Thus, both honey and ampicillin induced similar structural changes to the cell wall and LPS and that this ability underlies antibacterial activities of both agents. Since the cell wall is critical for cell growth and survival, honey active compounds would be highly applicable for therapeutic purposes while differences in the mode of action between honey and ampicillin may provide clinical advantage in eradicating β-lactam-resistant pathogens. PMID:25191847

The impact of female education on fertility desires in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Matin, K A

1985-01-01

The objective of this study is to determine whether in Bangladesh a wife's educational level significantly affects her desire for more children, or whether Bangladesh has not yet reached the threshold of socioeconomic development where education has any effect on the number of additional children desired. The analysis was carried out in a rural-urban context and also at different stages in the woman's life cycle, as defined by parity at time of interview. 2-3 live births were considered early stage, and 4 or more were defined as later stage. The analysis was carried out on 2791 women selected from the Bangladesh Fertility Survey of 1975-76 who at the time of interview met the criteria of being married, fecund, parity of 2 or more, and having a husband present in the household. The method used to perform the analysis was the Maximum Likelihood estimation method for the truncated dependent variable developed by J. Tobin. The method is a hybrid of probit analysis and classical regression and was chosen because the dependent variable, number of additional children desired, had a clustering of values at the lower limit of O. Separate regressions were run by life cycle stage (parity) and rural-urban background. The effect of variables such as the education of the husband, age, age at first marriage, work status of wife, number of living male children, and infant mortality were held constant in order to find the impact of education on desired fertility. The study found that the number of additional children desired by rural wives was greater than that desired by urban wives at all stages of the life cycle. The mean number of additional children desired by a rural wife at the early stage of the life cycle was .57 and in the later stage .15. For urban women the corresponding values were .29 and .12. The study found that the educational level of both the wife and the husband and the age of the wife at first marriage were not significant. The age of the woman was not significant in urban areas but was negatively significant.in rural areas. The percent of dead children was positively significant in both urban and rural areas for early stage women but for later stage women only in rural areas. In rural areas also the number of living male children was positively significant. The author concludes that Bangladesh is not at the developmental level where education has a significant effect on desire for additional children and that desired fertility is more influenced by antecedent factors such as income, infant mortality, and preference for male children. He recommends that measures be taken to improve socioeconomic levels and provide employment opportunities for women. He also suggests that additional analysis be done to identify the factors important in determining fertility decisions in urban areas and that separate policies be adopted for rural and urban areas.

Developing a physical activity legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: a policy-led systematic review.

PubMed

Weed, Mike; Coren, Esther; Fiore, Jo; Wellard, Ian; Mansfield, Louise; Chatziefstathiou, Dikaia; Dowse, Suzanne

2012-03-01

There is no evidence that previous Olympic Games have raised physical activity levels in adult populations. However, it may be premature to assume that this lack of previous evidence for an inherent effect is an indication that there is no potential to proactively harness the Games to generate a physical activity or sport legacy. Given that the political goal of achieving a physical activity legacy had already been set, the policy-led aim of this systematic review was to examine the processes by which the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games might deliver a physical activity (as opposed to sport) legacy. Searches were conducted on five databases: SPORTS DISCUS, CINAHL, PsychLNFO, MEDLINE and Web of Knowledge. There are two key findings: first, that communities that are not positively engaged with hosting the 2012 Games in London are likely to be beyond the reach of any initiatives seeking to harness the Games to develop legacies in any area; second, major events such as London 2012 can, if promoted in the right way, generate a 'festival effect' that may have the potential to be harnessed to promote physical activity among the least active. The 'festival effect' derives from the promotion of the 2012 Games as a national festival that is bigger than and beyond sport, but that is also rooted in the lives of local and cultural communities, thus creating a strong desire to participate in some way in an event that is both nationally significant and locally or culturally relevant. Physical activity policy makers and professionals should seek to satisfy this desire to participate through providing physical activity (rather than sport) opportunities presented as fun community events or programmes. The key to generating a physical activity legacy among the least active adults through this process is to de-emphasise the sporting element of the 2012 Games and promote the festival element.

Association between parenting practices and children's dietary intake, activity behavior and development of body mass index: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Insights into the effects of energy balance-related parenting practices on children's diet and activity behavior at an early age is warranted to determine which practices should be recommended and to whom. The purpose of this study was to examine child and parent background correlates of energy balance-related parenting practices at age 5, as well as the associations of these practices with children's diet, activity behavior, and body mass index (BMI) development. Methods Questionnaire data originated from the KOALA Birth Cohort Study for ages 5 (N = 2026) and 7 (N = 1819). Linear regression analyses were used to examine the association of child and parent background characteristics with parenting practices (i.e., diet- and activity-related restriction, monitoring and stimulation), and to examine the associations between these parenting practices and children's diet (in terms of energy intake, dietary fiber intake, and added sugar intake) and activity behavior (i.e., physical activity and sedentary time) at age 5, as well as BMI development from age 5 to age 7. Moderation analyses were used to examine whether the associations between the parenting practices and child behavior depended on child characteristics. Results Several child and parent background characteristics were associated with the parenting practices. Dietary monitoring, stimulation of healthy intake and stimulation of physical activity were associated with desirable energy balance-related behaviors (i.e., dietary intake and/or activity behavior) and desirable BMI development, whereas restriction of sedentary time showed associations with undesirable behaviors and BMI development. Child eating style and weight status, but not child gender or activity style, moderated the associations between parenting practices and behavior. Dietary restriction and monitoring showed weaker, or even undesirable associations for children with a deviant eating style, whereas these practices showed associations with desirable behavior for normal eaters. By contrast, stimulation to eat healthy worked particularly well for children with a deviant eating style or a high BMI. Conclusion Although most energy balance-related parenting practices were associated with desirable behaviors, some practices showed associations with undesirable child behavior and weight outcomes. Only parental stimulation showed desirable associations with regard to both diet and activity behavior. The interaction between parenting and child characteristics in the association with behavior calls for parenting that is tailored to the individual child. PMID:21401954

Association between parenting practices and children's dietary intake, activity behavior and development of body mass index: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study.

PubMed

Gubbels, Jessica S; Kremers, Stef P J; Stafleu, Annette; de Vries, Sanne I; Goldbohm, R Alexandra; Dagnelie, Pieter C; de Vries, Nanne K; van Buuren, Stef; Thijs, Carel

2011-03-14

Insights into the effects of energy balance-related parenting practices on children's diet and activity behavior at an early age is warranted to determine which practices should be recommended and to whom. The purpose of this study was to examine child and parent background correlates of energy balance-related parenting practices at age 5, as well as the associations of these practices with children's diet, activity behavior, and body mass index (BMI) development. Questionnaire data originated from the KOALA Birth Cohort Study for ages 5 (N = 2026) and 7 (N = 1819). Linear regression analyses were used to examine the association of child and parent background characteristics with parenting practices (i.e., diet- and activity-related restriction, monitoring and stimulation), and to examine the associations between these parenting practices and children's diet (in terms of energy intake, dietary fiber intake, and added sugar intake) and activity behavior (i.e., physical activity and sedentary time) at age 5, as well as BMI development from age 5 to age 7. Moderation analyses were used to examine whether the associations between the parenting practices and child behavior depended on child characteristics. Several child and parent background characteristics were associated with the parenting practices. Dietary monitoring, stimulation of healthy intake and stimulation of physical activity were associated with desirable energy balance-related behaviors (i.e., dietary intake and/or activity behavior) and desirable BMI development, whereas restriction of sedentary time showed associations with undesirable behaviors and BMI development. Child eating style and weight status, but not child gender or activity style, moderated the associations between parenting practices and behavior. Dietary restriction and monitoring showed weaker, or even undesirable associations for children with a deviant eating style, whereas these practices showed associations with desirable behavior for normal eaters. By contrast, stimulation to eat healthy worked particularly well for children with a deviant eating style or a high BMI. Although most energy balance-related parenting practices were associated with desirable behaviors, some practices showed associations with undesirable child behavior and weight outcomes. Only parental stimulation showed desirable associations with regard to both diet and activity behavior. The interaction between parenting and child characteristics in the association with behavior calls for parenting that is tailored to the individual child.

Use of Osmotic Pumps to Establish the Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Relationship and Define Desirable Human Performance Characteristics for Aggrecanase Inhibitors.

PubMed

Wiley, Michael R; Durham, Timothy B; Adams, Lisa A; Chambers, Mark G; Lin, Chaohua; Liu, Chin; Marimuthu, Jothirajah; Mitchell, Peter G; Mudra, Daniel R; Swearingen, Craig A; Toth, James L; Weller, Jennifer M; Thirunavukkarasu, Kannan

2016-06-23

The development of reliable relationships between in vivo target engagement, pharmacodynamic activity, and efficacy in chronic disease models is beneficial for enabling hypothesis-driven drug discovery and facilitating the development of patient-focused candidate selection criteria. Toward those ends, osmotic infusion pumps can be useful for overcoming limitations in the PK properties of proof-of-concept (POC) compounds to accelerate the development of such relationships. In this report, we describe the application of this strategy to the development of hydantoin-derived aggrecanase inhibitors (eg, 3) for the treatment of osteoarthiritis (OA). Potent, selective inhibitors were efficacious in both chemical and surgical models of OA when exposures were sustained in excess of 10 times the plasma IC50. The use of these data for establishing patient-focused candidate selection criteria is exemplified with the characterization of compound 8, which is projected to sustain the desired level of target engagement at a dose of 45 mg qd.

Semiconducting compounds and devices incorporating same

DOEpatents

Marks, Tobin J; Facchetti, Antonio; Boudreault, Pierre-Luc; Miyauchi, Hiroyuki

2014-06-17

Disclosed are molecular and polymeric compounds having desirable properties as semiconducting materials. Such compounds can exhibit desirable electronic properties and possess processing advantages including solution-processability and/or good stability. Organic transistor and photovoltaic devices incorporating the present compounds as the active layer exhibit good device performance.

Semiconducting compounds and devices incorporating same

DOEpatents

Marks, Tobin J.; Facchetti, Antonio; Boudreault, Pierre-Luc; Miyauchi, Hiroyuki

2016-01-19

Disclosed are molecular and polymeric compounds having desirable properties as semiconducting materials. Such compounds can exhibit desirable electronic properties and possess processing advantages including solution-processability and/or good stability. Organic transistor and photovoltaic devices incorporating the present compounds as the active layer exhibit good device performance.

University-industry interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hastings, Daniel E.

1990-01-01

It is posited that university industry interaction is highly desirable from the viewpoint of the long term economic development of the country as well as being desirable for the Space Grant Programs. The present and future possible interactions are reviewed for the three university levels namely, undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research.

Unique battery with a multi-functional, physicochemically active membrane separator/electrolyte-electrode monolith and a method making the same

DOEpatents

Gerald, II, Rex E; Ruscic, Katarina J; Sears, Devin N; Smith, Luis J; Klinger, Robert J; Rathke, Jerome W

2013-11-26

The invention relates to a unique battery having a physicochemically active membrane separator/electrolyte-electrode monolith and method of making the same. The Applicant's invented battery employs a physicochemically active membrane separator/electrolyte-electrode that acts as a separator, electrolyte, and electrode, within the same monolithic structure. The chemical composition, physical arrangement of molecules, and physical geometry of the pores play a role in the sequestration and conduction of ions. In one preferred embodiment, ions are transported via the ion-hoping mechanism where the oxygens of the Al.sub.2O.sub.3 wall are available for positive ion coordination (i.e. Li.sup.+). This active membrane-electrode composite can be adjusted to a desired level of ion conductivity by manipulating the chemical composition and structure of the pore wall to either increase or decrease ion conduction.

Unique battery with a multi-functional, physicochemically active membrane separator/electrolyte-electrode monolith and a method making the same

DOEpatents

Gerald II, Rex E.; Ruscic, Katarina J.; Sears, Devin N.; Smith, Luis J.; Klingler, Robert J.; Rathke, Jerome W.

2012-07-24

The invention relates to a unique battery having a physicochemically active membrane separator/electrolyte-electrode monolith and method of making the same. The Applicant's invented battery employs a physicochemically active membrane separator/electrolyte-electrode that acts as a separator, electrolyte, and electrode, within the same monolithic structure. The chemical composition, physical arrangement of molecules, and physical geometry of the pores play a role in the sequestration and conduction of ions. In one preferred embodiment, ions are transported via the ion-hoping mechanism where the oxygens of the Al₂O₃ wall are available for positive ion coordination (i.e. Li⁺). This active membrane-electrode composite can be adjusted to a desired level of ion conductivity by manipulating the chemical composition and structure of the pore wall to either increase or decrease ion conduction.

Sexual Health and Positive Subjective Well-Being in Partnered Older Men and Women.

PubMed

Lee, David M; Vanhoutte, Bram; Nazroo, James; Pendleton, Neil

2016-07-01

We examine the associations between different patterns of sexual behavior and function and three indicators of subjective well-being (SWB) covering eudemonic, evaluative, and affective well-being in a representative sample of partnered older people. Using data from a Sexual Relationships and Activities Questionnaire (SRA-Q) in Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, latent class analysis identified groups characterized by distinctive patterns of sexual behavior and function and then examined their link to SWB. Eudemonic SWB was measured using a revised 15-item version of the CASP-19, evaluative SWB using the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and affective SWB using the 8-item version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. Sexual behavior and function was best described by six classes among men and five classes among women. These ranged from high sexual desire, frequent partnered sexual activities, and few sexual problems (Class 1) to low sexual desire, infrequent/no sexual activity, and problems with sexual function (Class 5([women])/6([men])). Men and women who reported either infrequent/no sexual activity, or were sexually active but reported sexual problems, generally had lower SWB than those individuals identified in Class 1. Poorer SWB in men was more strongly associated with sexual function difficulties, whereas in women desire and frequency of partnered activities appeared more important in relation to SWB. Within the context of a partnered relationship continuing sexual desire, activity and functioning are associated with higher SWB, with distinctive patterns for women and men. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Calculating the ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score if the conventional c-reactive protein level is below the limit of detection or if high-sensitivity c-reactive protein is used: an analysis in the DESIR cohort.

PubMed

Machado, Pedro; Navarro-Compán, Victoria; Landewé, Robert; van Gaalen, Floris A; Roux, Christian; van der Heijde, Désirée

2015-02-01

The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) is a composite measure of disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis. The aims of this study were to determine the most appropriate method for calculating the ASDAS using the C-reactive protein (CRP) level when the conventional CRP level was below the limit of detection, to determine how low CRP values obtained by high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) measurement influence ASDAS-CRP results, and to test agreement between different ASDAS formulae. Patients with axial spondyloarthritis who had a conventional CRP level below the limit of detection (5 mg/liter) were selected (n = 257). The ASDAS–conventional CRP with 11 different imputations for the conventional CRP value (range 0–5 mg/liter, at 0.5-mg/liter intervals) was calculated. The ASDAS-hsCRP and ASDAS using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were also calculated. Agreement between the ASDAS formulae was tested. The ASDAS-hsCRP showed better agreement with the ASDAS-CRP calculated using the conventional CRP imputation values of 1.5 and 2.0 mg/liter and with the ASDAS-ESR than with other imputed formulae. Disagreement occurred mainly in lower disease activity states (inactive/moderate disease activity). When the CRP value was <2 mg/liter, the resulting ASDAS-CRP scores may have been inappropriately low. When the conventional CRP level is below the limit of detection or when the hsCRP level is <2 mg/liter, the constant value of 2 mg/liter should be used to calculate the ASDAS-CRP score. There is good agreement between the ASDAS-hsCRP and ASDAS-ESR; however, formulae are not interchangeable.

Desire for Sweet Taste Unchanged After Eating: Evidence of a Dessert Mentality?

PubMed

Harington, Kate; Smeele, Rebecca; Van Loon, Fiona; Yuan, Jannie; Haszard, Jillian Joy; Drewer, Amanda; Venn, Bernard Joseph

2016-08-01

Added sugars provide calories and desirability to foods and beverages. Our aim was to test whether desire for a sweet taste would be better maintained than a desire for other tastes for 3 hours after a test meal. Eighty-three young adults ate 2 slices of bread on 2 separate occasions after which they were asked to rate their desire for savory, sweet, fatty, or salty tastes and to specify the number of servings of white rice, pizza, cheese and crackers, sweet biscuits, and pasta they could consume. Desirability was assessed using 100-mm visual analog scales (VAS), with 0 mm representing no desire and 100 mm great desire. When participants provided a quantitative assessment of the servings of foods that they wanted to eat following the bread meal, desire decreased on average for all foods measured, χ 2 (3) = 2.63, p = 0.452. Mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) change in VAS taste desirability 30 minutes after eating declined for salty (14.5 mm [10.5, 18.6]), fatty (11.2 mm [7.1, 15.2]), and savory (24.1 mm [19.7, 28.5]) tastes (p < 0.001). Desirability for sweet taste did not differ from baseline (2.4 mm [-2.3, 7.1]), and this level of desire was maintained throughout the 3-hour period. The data indicate a partial disconnection between appetite and desirability for sweet taste. Physiological and psychosocial reward systems may make it difficult for people to resist sweet tasting foods and beverages. Targeting familial and cultural practices that discourage the consumption of added sugar foods might be useful to combat desire-driven food intake.

RE-DEFINING THE ROLES OF SENSORS IN OBJECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MONITORING

PubMed Central

Chen, Kong Y.; Janz, Kathleen F.; Zhu, Weimo; Brychta, Robert J.

2011-01-01

Background As physical activity researchers are increasingly using objective portable devices, this review describes current state of the technology to assess physical activity, with a focus on specific sensors and sensor properties currently used in monitors and their strengths and weakness. Additional sensors and sensor properties desirable for activity measurement and best practices for users and developers also are discussed. Best Practices We grouped current sensors into three broad categories for objectively measuring physical activity: associated body movement, physiology, and context. Desirable sensor properties for measuring physical activity and the importance of these properties in relationship to specific applications are addressed, and the specific roles of transducers and data acquisition systems within the monitoring devices are defined. Technical advancements in sensors, microcomputer processors, memory storage, batteries, wireless communication, and digital filters have made monitors more usable for subjects (smaller, more stable, and longer running time) and for researchers (less costly, higher time resolution and memory storage, shorter download time, and user-defined data features). Future Directions Users and developers of physical activity monitors should learn about the basic properties of their sensors, such as range, accuracy, precision, while considering the data acquisition/filtering steps that may be critical to data quality and may influence the desirable measurement outcome(s). PMID:22157770

Electrochemical cell operation and system

DOEpatents

Maru, Hansraj C.

1980-03-11

Thermal control in fuel cell operation is affected through sensible heat of process gas by providing common input manifolding of the cell gas flow passage in communication with the cell electrolyte and an additional gas flow passage which is isolated from the cell electrolyte and in thermal communication with a heat-generating surface of the cell. Flow level in the cell gas flow passage is selected based on desired output electrical energy and flow level in the additional gas flow passage is selected in accordance with desired cell operating temperature.

Iranian Adolescents' Intended Age of Marriage and Desired Family Size.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tashakkori, Abbas; And Others

1987-01-01

Examined questionnaire data pertaining to intended age of marriage and desired family size from Iranian 12th graders. Proximal factors (individual level variables such as self-concept and school success) were stronger predictors on both dependent measures than were distal factors (parental education, sibling size, and family modernity). Proximal…

Whither Education for Health Care Delivery. A Florida Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Margaret K., Ed.; Filson, Dolores, Ed.

The conference summarized in this monograph grew out of two expressed concerns of health care personnel educators: their desire for more information about future trends in health care delivery, and their desire for better articulation of the various levels of programs preparing health related personnel. Papers presented include these: Future…

We All Want the Same Thing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rambo, Karen E.; Boazman, Janette

2012-01-01

Researchers, parents, counselors, and teachers share a common desire to ensure personal growth and academic development for children. At a very foundational level, they desire health and happiness for all children, as well as an education with quality schools and good teachers. They want all children to be in programs that appropriately address…

A methodology for the evaluation of program cost and schedule risk for the SEASAT program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abram, P.; Myers, D.

1976-01-01

An interactive computerized project management software package (RISKNET) is designed to analyze the effect of the risk involved in each specific activity on the results of the total SEASAT-A program. Both the time and the cost of each distinct activity can be modeled with an uncertainty interval so as to provide the project manager with not only the expected time and cost for the completion of the total program, but also with the expected range of costs corresponding to any desired level of significance. The nature of the SEASAT-A program is described. The capabilities of RISKNET and the implementation plan of a RISKNET analysis for the development of SEASAT-A are presented.

Paralyzed by desire: a new type of body integrity identity disorder.

PubMed

Giummarra, Melita J; Bradshaw, John L; Hilti, Leonie M; Nicholls, Michael E R; Brugger, Peter

2012-03-01

Body incongruity in body integrity identity disorder (BIID) manifests in the desire to have a healthy limb amputated. We describe a variant of the disorder: the desire to become paralyzed (paralysis-BIID). Sixteen otherwise healthy participants, recruited through Internet-based forums, websites, or word of mouth, completed questionnaires about details of their desire and accompanying symptoms. Onset of the desire for paralysis typically preceded puberty. All participants indicated a specific level for desired spinal cord injury. All participants simulated paralysis through mental imagery or physical pretending, and 9 (56%) reported erotic interest in paraplegia and/or disability. Our key new finding was that 37.5% of paralysis-BIID participants were women, compared with 4.4% women in a sample of 68 individuals with amputation-BIID. BIID reflects a disunity between self and body, usually with a prominent sexual component. Sex-related differences are emerging: unlike men, a higher proportion of women desire paralysis than desire amputation, and, while men typically seek unilateral amputation, women typically seek bilateral amputation. We propose that these sex-related differences in BIID manifestation may relate to sex differences in cerebral lateralization, or to disruption of representation and/or processing of body-related information in right-hemisphere frontoparietal networks.

Gender-specificity of solitary and dyadic sexual desire among gynephilic and androphilic women and men.

PubMed

Dawson, Samantha J; Chivers, Meredith L

2014-04-01

Incentive motivation theory proposes that sexual desire emerges from sexual arousal, and is triggered by sexually competent stimuli. Research demonstrates gender and sexual orientation differences in the features that contribute to the competency of sexual stimuli. Men's and gynephilic women's genital arousal tends to be gender-specific with preferred gender eliciting significantly greater genital arousal than nonpreferred gender. In contrast, stimuli depicting preferred and nonpreferred gender elicit similar degrees of genital arousal among androphilic women, termed a gender-nonspecific pattern. Given these differences in the features that elicit a sexual response, and that sexual desire is proposed to emerge from sexual arousal, the question remains as to whether sexual desire would emerge only through exposure to preferred stimuli or whether patterns of responsive desire would parallel those observed for genital arousal. The study aims to examine patterns of dyadic and solitary sexual desire in response to stimuli differing in incentive value. Thirty androphilic women, 21 gynephilic women, 21 gynephilic men, and 16 androphilic men participated in a sexual psychophysiological session. Participants viewed sexual stimuli that varied the gender of the actors and the intensity of sexual activities depicted. Participants reported their degree of desire for sex with a partner (dyadic desire) and desire to masturbate (solitary desire), before and after each film. Men and gynephilic women exhibited gender-specific patterns of sexual desire. Androphilic women's dyadic desire showed significantly less differentiation between genders, and their solitary desire did not differentiate at all. No gender difference was observed for either type of desire. All groups reported greater desire as stimulus intensity increased. Gender-nonspecific sexual response is not limited to the sexual arousal patterns of androphilic women, but extends to include responsive sexual desire. Men and gynephilic women, however, show gender-specific responsive sexual desire that parallels their sexual arousal patterns. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Perceived reasons, incentives, and barriers to physical activity in Swedish elderly men.

PubMed

Sjörs, Camilla; Bonn, Stephanie E; Trolle Lagerros, Ylva; Sjölander, Arvid; Bälter, Katarina

2014-11-12

Knowledge about factors influencing physical activity behavior is needed in order to tailor physical activity interventions to the individual. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perceived reasons, barriers, and incentives to increased physical activity, as well as preferable activities, among elderly men in Sweden. In total, 150 men aged 50-86 years responded to a Web-based questionnaire. Men who reported that they exercised sometimes or often received questions about reasons for physical activity (n=104), while men who reported that they never or seldom exercised received questions about barriers (n=46). The most frequent perceived reason for being physically active was health (82%), followed by enjoyment (45%), and a desire to lose/maintain weight (27%). Lack of interest/motivation was identified as the primary perceived barrier (17%). Incentives for increasing the level of activity included becoming more motivated and having a training partner. Walking was the most preferred activity. Enjoyment and maintaining a good health were important reasons for engaging in physical activity among Swedish elderly men.

A miniature, wearable activity/fall monitor to assess the efficacy of mobility therapy for children with cerebral palsy during everyday living.

PubMed

Smith, Warren D; Bagley, Anita

2010-01-01

Children with cerebral palsy may have difficulty walking and may fall frequently, resulting in a decrease in their participation in school and community activities. It is desirable to assess the effectiveness of mobility therapies for these children on their functioning during everyday living. Over 50 hours of tri-axial accelerometer and digital video recordings from 35 children with cerebral palsy and 51 typically-developing children were analyzed to develop algorithms for automatic real-time processing of the accelerometer signals to monitor a child's level of activity and to detect falls. The present fall-detection algorithm has 100% specificity and a sensitivity of 100% for falls involving trunk rotation. Sensitivities for drops to the knees and to the bottom are 72% and 78%, respectively. The activity and fall-detection algorithms were implemented in a miniature, battery-powered microcontroller-based activity/fall monitor that the child wears in a small fanny pack during everyday living. The monitor continuously logs 1-min. activity levels and the occurrence and characteristics of each fall for two-week recording sessions. Pre-therapy and post-therapy recordings from these monitors will be used to assess the efficacies of alternative treatments for gait abnormalities.

Impact of wastewater treatment configuration and seasonal conditions on thyroid hormone disruption and stress effects in Rana catesbeiana tailfin.

PubMed

Wojnarowicz, Pola; Ogunlaja, Olumuyiwa O; Xia, Chen; Parker, Wayne J; Helbing, Caren C

2013-12-03

Improved endocrine disrupting compound (EDC) removal is desirable in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) although increased removal does not always translate into reduced biological activity. Suitable methods for determining reduction in biological activity of effluents are needed. In order to determine which MWWTPs are the most effective at removing EDC activities, we operated three configurations of pilot sized biological reactors (conventional activated sludge, CAS; nitrifying activated sludge, NAS; and biological nutrient removal, BNR) receiving the same influent under simulated winter and summer conditions. As frogs are model organisms for the study of thyroid hormone (TH) action, we used the North American species Rana catesbeiana in a cultured tadpole tailfin (C-fin) assay to compare the effluents. TH-responsive (thyroid hormone receptors alpha (thra) and beta (thrb)) and stress-responsive (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and heat shock protein 30) mRNA transcript levels were examined. Effluents infrequently perturbed stress-responsive transcript abundance but thra/thrb levels were significantly altered. In winter conditions, CAS caused frequent TH perturbations while BNR caused none. In summer conditions, however, BNR caused substantial TH perturbations while CAS caused few. Our findings contrast other studies of seasonal variations of EDC removal and accentuate the importance of utilizing appropriate biological readouts for assessing EDC activities.

Demonstrating the suitability of genetic algorithms for driving microbial ecosystems in desirable directions.

PubMed

Vandecasteele, Frederik P J; Hess, Thomas F; Crawford, Ronald L

2007-07-01

The functioning of natural microbial ecosystems is determined by biotic interactions, which are in turn influenced by abiotic environmental conditions. Direct experimental manipulation of such conditions can be used to purposefully drive ecosystems toward exhibiting desirable functions. When a set of environmental conditions can be manipulated to be present at a discrete number of levels, finding the right combination of conditions to obtain the optimal desired effect becomes a typical combinatorial optimisation problem. Genetic algorithms are a class of robust and flexible search and optimisation techniques from the field of computer science that may be very suitable for such a task. To verify this idea, datasets containing growth levels of the total microbial community of four different natural microbial ecosystems in response to all possible combinations of a set of five chemical supplements were obtained. Subsequently, the ability of a genetic algorithm to search this parameter space for combinations of supplements driving the microbial communities to high levels of growth was compared to that of a random search, a local search, and a hill-climbing algorithm, three intuitive alternative optimisation approaches. The results indicate that a genetic algorithm is very suitable for driving microbial ecosystems in desirable directions, which opens opportunities for both fundamental ecological research and industrial applications.

Desired Precision in Multi-Objective Optimization: Epsilon Archiving or Rounding Objectives?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asadzadeh, M.; Sahraei, S.

2016-12-01

Multi-objective optimization (MO) aids in supporting the decision making process in water resources engineering and design problems. One of the main goals of solving a MO problem is to archive a set of solutions that is well-distributed across a wide range of all the design objectives. Modern MO algorithms use the epsilon dominance concept to define a mesh with pre-defined grid-cell size (often called epsilon) in the objective space and archive at most one solution at each grid-cell. Epsilon can be set to the desired precision level of each objective function to make sure that the difference between each pair of archived solutions is meaningful. This epsilon archiving process is computationally expensive in problems that have quick-to-evaluate objective functions. This research explores the applicability of a similar but computationally more efficient approach to respect the desired precision level of all objectives in the solution archiving process. In this alternative approach each objective function is rounded to the desired precision level before comparing any new solution to the set of archived solutions that already have rounded objective function values. This alternative solution archiving approach is compared to the epsilon archiving approach in terms of efficiency and quality of archived solutions for solving mathematical test problems and hydrologic model calibration problems.

Drying kinetic of tucum fruits (Astrocaryum aculeatum Meyer): physicochemical and functional properties characterization.

PubMed

Silva, Michele Bezerra; Perez, Victor Haber; Pereira, Nádia Rosa; Silveira, Thays da Costa; da Silva, Nathalia Ribeiro Ferreira; de Andrade, Cristilane Macharete; Sampaio, Romildo Martins

2018-05-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the drying kinetic of tucum fruits (epicarp and mesocarp) Astrocaryum aculeatum Meyer at three different temperatures (50, 60, and 70 °C). The physicochemical characterization, water activity, moisture content, including β-carotene and vitamin C content in - natura and dried fruits were analyzed. The fruit fractions presented high β-carotene, protein and lipid levels. Fatty acid profile showed oleic acid as the major fatty acid. Different mathematical models were computed to assess the drying process. The Page model was observed to be the best to describe the drying kinetic with the highest correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) 0.99 and the least Chi squared ( χ 2 ) close to 10 5 at the studied temperatures. The drying process reduced water activity to desirable levels in all trials and β-carotene retentions after drying remained at satisfactory levels, fact that resulted in minimum value of 63% and approximately 94% in some cases. Vitamin C retention was comparatively more around 20-40% compared to control.

Muscle synergies in neuroscience and robotics: from input-space to task-space perspectives.

PubMed

Alessandro, Cristiano; Delis, Ioannis; Nori, Francesco; Panzeri, Stefano; Berret, Bastien

2013-01-01

In this paper we review the works related to muscle synergies that have been carried-out in neuroscience and control engineering. In particular, we refer to the hypothesis that the central nervous system (CNS) generates desired muscle contractions by combining a small number of predefined modules, called muscle synergies. We provide an overview of the methods that have been employed to test the validity of this scheme, and we show how the concept of muscle synergy has been generalized for the control of artificial agents. The comparison between these two lines of research, in particular their different goals and approaches, is instrumental to explain the computational implications of the hypothesized modular organization. Moreover, it clarifies the importance of assessing the functional role of muscle synergies: although these basic modules are defined at the level of muscle activations (input-space), they should result in the effective accomplishment of the desired task. This requirement is not always explicitly considered in experimental neuroscience, as muscle synergies are often estimated solely by analyzing recorded muscle activities. We suggest that synergy extraction methods should explicitly take into account task execution variables, thus moving from a perspective purely based on input-space to one grounded on task-space as well.

The influence of partnership on contraceptive use among HIV-infected women accessing antiretroviral therapy in rural Uganda.

PubMed

Nieves, Christina I; Kaida, Angela; Seage, George R; Kabakyenga, Jerome; Muyindike, Winnie; Boum, Yap; Mocello, A Rain; Martin, Jeffrey N; Hunt, Peter W; Haberer, Jessica E; Bangsberg, David R; Matthews, Lynn T

2015-08-01

The objective was to determine individual and dyadic factors associated with effective contraceptive use among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in rural Uganda. HIV-infected women enrolled in the Uganda AIDS Rural Treatment Outcomes cohort completed questionnaires (detailing sociobehavioral characteristics, sexual and reproductive history, contraceptive use, fertility desires) and phlebotomy (October 2011-March 2013). We describe prevalence of effective contraceptive use (i.e., consistent condom use and/or oral contraceptives, injectable hormonal contraception, intrauterine device, female sterilization) in the previous 6 months among sexually active, nonpregnant women (18-40 years). We assessed covariates of contraceptive use using multivariable logistic regression. A total of 362 women (median values: age 30 years, CD4 count 397 cells/mm(3), 4.0 years since ART initiation) were included. Among 284 sexually active women, 50% did not desire a(nother) child, and 51% had a seroconcordant partner. Forty-five percent (n=127) reported effective contraceptive use, of whom 57% (n=72) used condoms, 42% (n=53) injectables, 12% (n=15) oral contraceptives and 11% (n=14) other effective methods. Dual contraception was reported by 6% (n=8). Only "partnership fertility desire" was independently associated with contraceptive use; women who reported that neither partner desired a child had significantly increased odds of contraceptive use (adjusted odds ratio: 2.40, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-5.35) compared with women in partnerships where at least one partner desired a child. Less than half of sexually active HIV-infected women accessing ART used effective contraception, of which 44% (n=56) relied exclusively on male condoms, highlighting a continued need to expand access to a wider range of longer-acting female-controlled contraceptive methods. Association with partnership fertility desire underscores the need to include men in reproductive health programming. Less than half of sexually active HIV-infected women accessing ART in rural Uganda reported using effective contraception, of whom 44% relied exclusively on the male condom. These findings highlight the need to expand access to a wider range of longer-acting, female-controlled contraceptive methods for women seeking to limit or space pregnancies. Use of contraception was more likely when both the male and female partner expressed concordant desires to limit future fertility, emphasizing the importance of engaging men in reproductive health programming. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of a wireless, self-powered, electroacoustic liner system.

PubMed

Phipps, Alex; Liu, Fei; Cattafesta, Louis; Sheplak, Mark; Nishida, Toshikazu

2009-02-01

This paper demonstrates the system operation of a self-powered active liner for the suppression of aircraft engine noise. The fundamental element of the active liner system is an electromechanical Helmholtz resonator (EMHR), which consists of a Helmholtz resonator with one of its rigid walls replaced with a circular piezoceramic composite plate. For this system demonstration, two EMHR elements are used, one for acoustic impedance tuning and one for energy harvesting. The EMHR used for acoustic impedance tuning is shunted with a variable resistive load, while the EMHR used for energy harvesting is shunted to a flyback power converter and storage element. The desired acoustic impedance conditions are determined externally, and wirelessly transmitted to the liner system. The power for the receiver and the impedance tuning circuitry in the liner are supplied by the harvested energy. Tuning of the active liner is demonstrated at three different sound pressure levels (148, 151, and 153 dB) in order to show the robustness of the energy harvesting and storage system. An acoustic tuning range of approximately 200 Hz is demonstrated for each of the three available power levels.

An investigation of the practice activities and coaching behaviors of professional top-level youth soccer coaches.

PubMed

Partington, M; Cushion, C

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the coaching behaviors of elite English youth soccer coaches in different practice settings and gain insight into the coaches' cognitive processes underpinning these behaviors. The practice setting was split into two types of activities, "training form" and "playing form," and behavioral data were collected using a modified version of the Coach Analysis and Intervention System. Interpretive interview data were triangulated with the behavioral data to ensure that both the "what" and the "why" of the coaches' behavior and practice were considered. The results showed the coaches using more "training form" activities than "playing form," and using high levels of prescriptive instruction, regardless of practice type, in contrast to a stated desire to "developing the whole player," creating "decision makers," and being a "facilitator of knowledge creation." The interviews revealed that the coaches had a low self-awareness about their behavior, with an epistemological gap identified between understanding and practice, with statements of intent not being matched by knowledge and action. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Selection of differently temporally regulated African swine fever virus promoters with variable expression activities and their application for transient and recombinant virus mediated gene expression.

PubMed

Portugal, Raquel S; Bauer, Anja; Keil, Guenther M

2017-08-01

African swine fever virus threatens pig production worldwide due to the lack of vaccines, for which generation of both deletion and insertion mutants is considered. For development of the latter, operational ASFV promoters of different temporal regulation and strengths are desirable. We therefore compared the capacities of putative promoter sequences from p72, CD2v, p30, viral DNA polymerase and U104L genes to mediate expression of luciferase from transfected plasmids after activation in trans, or p30-, DNA polymerase- and U104L promoters in cis, using respective ASFV recombinants. We identified sequences with promoter activities upstream the viral ORFs, and showed that they differ in both their expression intensity regulating properties and in their temporal regulation. In summary, p30 and DNA polymerase promoters are recommended for high level early regulated transgene expression. For late expression, the p72, CD2v and U104L promoter are suitable. The latter however, only if low level transgene expression is aimed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Literature Circles on Text Analysis and Reading Desire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karatay, Halit

2017-01-01

In order to make teaching activities more appealing, different techniques and strategies have been constantly employed. This study utilized the strategy of "literature circles" to improve the text-analysis skills, reading desires, and interests of prospective teachers of Turkish. "Literature circles" was not chosen to be used…

Relationships between Motivations for Community Service Participation and Desire to Continue Service Following College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soria, Krista M.; Thomas-Card, Traci

2014-01-01

In this study, we explored whether college students' motivations for participating in community service were associated with their perceptions that service enhanced their desire to continue participating in communityfocused activities after graduation, after statistically controlling for demographic variables and other variables of interest.…

The Relations of Motivational Traits with Workplace Deviance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diefendorff, James M.; Mehta, Kajal

2007-01-01

The authors developed and tested new theoretical relations between approach and avoidance motivational traits and deviant work behaviors. Approach motivation was divided into 3 traits: personal mastery (i.e., desire to achieve), competitive excellence (i.e., desire to perform better than others), and behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity…

Attachment predicts cortisol response and closeness in dyadic social interaction.

PubMed

Ketay, Sarah; Beck, Lindsey A

2017-06-01

The present study examined how the interplay of partners' attachment styles influences cortisol response, actual closeness, and desired closeness during friendship initiation. Participants provided salivary cortisol samples at four timepoints throughout either a high or low closeness task that facilitated high or low levels of self-disclosure with a potential friend (i.e., another same-sex participant). Levels of actual closeness and desired closeness following the task were measured via inclusion of other in the self. Results from multi-level modeling indicated that the interaction of both participants' attachment avoidance predicted cortisol response patterns, with participants showing the highest cortisol response when there was a mismatch between their own and their partners' attachment avoidance. Further, the interaction between both participants' attachment anxiety predicted actual closeness and desired closeness, with participants both feeling and wanting the most closeness with partners when both they and their partners were low in attachment anxiety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RBSDesigner: software for designing synthetic ribosome binding sites that yields a desired level of protein expression.

PubMed

Na, Dokyun; Lee, Doheon

2010-10-15

RBSDesigner predicts the translation efficiency of existing mRNA sequences and designs synthetic ribosome binding sites (RBSs) for a given coding sequence (CDS) to yield a desired level of protein expression. The program implements the mathematical model for translation initiation described in Na et al. (Mathematical modeling of translation initiation for the estimation of its efficiency to computationally design mRNA sequences with a desired expression level in prokaryotes. BMC Syst. Biol., 4, 71). The program additionally incorporates the effect on translation efficiency of the spacer length between a Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence and an AUG codon, which is crucial for the incorporation of fMet-tRNA into the ribosome. RBSDesigner provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for the convenient design of synthetic RBSs. RBSDesigner is written in Python and Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 and is publicly available as precompiled stand-alone software on the web (http://rbs.kaist.ac.kr). dhlee@kaist.ac.kr

Hormonal predictors of women's extra-pair vs. in-pair sexual attraction in natural cycles: Implications for extended sexuality.

PubMed

Grebe, Nicholas M; Emery Thompson, Melissa; Gangestad, Steven W

2016-02-01

In naturally cycling women, Roney and Simmons (2013) examined hormonal correlates of their desire for sexual contact. Estradiol was positively associated, and progesterone negatively associated, with self-reported desire. The current study extended these findings by examining, within a sample of 33 naturally cycling women involved in romantic relationships, hormonal correlates of sexual attraction to or interests in specific targets: women's own primary partner or men other than women's primary partner. Women's sexual interests and hormone (estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone) levels were assessed at two different time points. Whereas estradiol levels were associated with relatively greater extra-pair sexual interests than in-pair sexual interests, progesterone levels were associated with relatively greater in-pair sexual interests. Both hormones specifically predicted in-pair sexual desire, estradiol negatively and progesterone positively. These findings have implications for understanding the function of women's extended sexuality - their sexual proceptivity and receptivity outside the fertile phase, especially during the luteal phase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimization of armored spherical tanks for storage on the lunar surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bents, D. J.; Knight, D. A.

1992-01-01

A redundancy strategy for reducing micrometeroid armoring mass is investigated, with application to cryogenic reactant storage for a regenerative fuel cell (RFC) on the lunar surface. In that micrometeoroid environment, the cryogenic fuel must be protected from loss due to tank puncture. The tankage must have a sufficiently high probability of survival over the length of the mission so that the probability of system failure due to tank puncture is low compared to the other mission risk factors. Assuming that a single meteoroid penetration can cause a storage tank to lose its contents, two means are available to raise the probability of surviving micrometeoroid attack to the desired level. One can armor the tanks to a thickness sufficient to reduce probability of penetration of any tank to the desired level or add extra capacity in the form of space tanks that results in survival of a given number out of the ensemble at the desired level. A combination of these strategies (armor and redundancy) is investigated.

Elementary School Teachers' Perception of Desirable Learning Activities: A Singaporean Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Ai-girl

2001-01-01

From ratings of children's learning activities by 209 elementary teachers in Singapore, four factors emerged: conventional activities, motivational activities, student-directed activities that foster independence and collaboration, and teacher-directed group activities. Beginning teachers preferred motivational activities. The current environment…

In sport and now in medical school: examining students’ well-being and motivations for learning

PubMed Central

Mosewich, Amber

2017-01-01

Objectives To investigate relationships between students’ past level of involvement in physical activity/sport and their motivations for learning (achievement goals) and well-being in medical school. In doing so, we provide evidence to medical programs to inform admission processes and curriculum planning. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Out of 640 medical students, 267 completed an online questionnaire with measures of: achievement goals, academic burnout, physical activity/sport involvement, and demographics. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (frequency, mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, Cronbach alpha, Spearman correlation). Results Students who had pursued physical activity/sport at higher levels of involvement had lower academic burnout scores and endorsed maladaptive achievement goals to a less degree. Specifically, the level of students’ involvement in physical activity/sport was negatively correlated with academic burnout (r=-0.15, p=0.014) and with achievement goals of performance approach (r=-0.15, p=0.014), performance avoidance (r=-0.21, p=0.001), and mastery avoidance (r=-0.24, p<0.001). Conclusions Pursuit of dedicated personal activities such as sport appears to be associated with the desired quality of motivation and well-being of medical students. A school culture that fosters resilience of newly admitted students through extracurricular activities and raises students’ awareness of maladaptive and adaptive achievement goals is likely to be beneficial in addressing academic burnout and improving the mental health of medical students.   PMID:28968223

Illinois ground-water observation network; a preliminary planning document for network design

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frost, L.R.; O'Hearn, Michael; Gibb, J.P.; Sherrill, M.G.

1984-01-01

Water-level and water-quality networks in Illinois were evaluated to determine the adequacy and completeness of available data bases. Ground-water data in present data bases are inadequate to provide information on ground-water quality and water levels in large areas of Illinois and in the major geohydrologic units underlying Illinois and surrounding areas. Data-management needs indicate that a new data base is desirable and could be developed by use of carefully selected available data and new data. Types of data needed to define ground-water quality and water levels in selected geohydrologic units were tentatively identified. They include data on concentrations of organic chemicals related to activities of man, and concentrations of inorganic chemicals which relate either to man 's activities or to the chemical composition of the source aquifer. Water-level data are needed which can be used to describe short- and long-term stresses on the ground-water resources of Illinois. Establishment of priorities for data collection has been deferred until existing hydrologic data files can be stored for usable data and until input from other local, State, and Federal agencies can be solicited and compiled. (USGS)

Actual versus desired initiation patterns among a sample of college men: tapping disjunctures within traditional male sexual scripts.

PubMed

Dworkin, Shari L; O'Sullivan, Lucia

2005-05-01

Research on men's sexual scripts has tended to overlook that some men do not endorse traditional scripts or that one or both members of a couple might desire a departure from culturally dominant sexual scripts. This study used in-depth interviews with 32 college-aged men from a community college in New York City to examine disjunctures between current and desired sexual initiation patterns. Results show that although men currently practice male-dominated patterns of sexual initiation, many men desire egalitarian patterns of initiation. Men offered clear preference to be an object of desire to their female partners, deployed narratives of wanting to share the "labor" of sexual initiation, and expressed ideologies of sexual egalitarianism. We consider how shifting terrains of gender relations in contemporary U.S. culture may shape masculinities and sexual scripts. We also consider how an examination of disjunctures between current and desired practices might be useful to HIV researchers interested in interviewing across multiple levels of the sexual script.

Efficient search, mapping, and optimization of multi-protein genetic systems in diverse bacteria

PubMed Central

Farasat, Iman; Kushwaha, Manish; Collens, Jason; Easterbrook, Michael; Guido, Matthew; Salis, Howard M

2014-01-01

Developing predictive models of multi-protein genetic systems to understand and optimize their behavior remains a combinatorial challenge, particularly when measurement throughput is limited. We developed a computational approach to build predictive models and identify optimal sequences and expression levels, while circumventing combinatorial explosion. Maximally informative genetic system variants were first designed by the RBS Library Calculator, an algorithm to design sequences for efficiently searching a multi-protein expression space across a > 10,000-fold range with tailored search parameters and well-predicted translation rates. We validated the algorithm's predictions by characterizing 646 genetic system variants, encoded in plasmids and genomes, expressed in six gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial hosts. We then combined the search algorithm with system-level kinetic modeling, requiring the construction and characterization of 73 variants to build a sequence-expression-activity map (SEAMAP) for a biosynthesis pathway. Using model predictions, we designed and characterized 47 additional pathway variants to navigate its activity space, find optimal expression regions with desired activity response curves, and relieve rate-limiting steps in metabolism. Creating sequence-expression-activity maps accelerates the optimization of many protein systems and allows previous measurements to quantitatively inform future designs. PMID:24952589

Design and synthesis of a series of bioavailable fatty acid synthase (FASN) KR domain inhibitors for cancer therapy.

PubMed

Lu, Tianbao; Schubert, Carsten; Cummings, Maxwell D; Bignan, Gilles; Connolly, Peter J; Smans, Karine; Ludovici, Donald; Parker, Michael H; Meyer, Christophe; Rocaboy, Christian; Alexander, Richard; Grasberger, Bruce; De Breucker, Sabine; Esser, Norbert; Fraiponts, Erwin; Gilissen, Ron; Janssens, Boudewijn; Peeters, Danielle; Van Nuffel, Luc; Vermeulen, Peter; Bischoff, James; Meerpoel, Lieven

2018-05-08

We designed and synthesized a new series of fatty acid synthase (FASN) inhibitors with potential utility for the treatment of cancer. Extensive SAR studies led to highly active FASN inhibitors with good cellular activity and oral bioavailability, exemplified by compound 34. Compound 34 is a potent inhibitor of human FASN (IC 50  = 28 nM) that effectively inhibits proliferation of A2780 ovarian cells (IC 50  = 13 nM) in lipid-reduced serum (LRS). This cellular activity can be rescued by addition of palmitate, consistent with an on-target effect. Compound 34 is also active in many other cell types, including PC3M (IC 50  = 25 nM) and LnCaP-Vancouver prostate cells (IC 50  = 66 nM), and is highly bioavailable (F 61%) with good exposure after oral administration. In a pharmacodynamics study in H460 lung xenograft-bearing mice, oral treatment with compound 34 results in elevated tumor levels of malonyl-CoA and decreased tumor levels of palmitate, fully consistent with the desired target engagement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of response surface and neural network models in conjugation with desirability function for estimation of nutritional needs of methionine, lysine, and threonine in broiler chickens.

PubMed

Mehri, Mehran

2014-07-01

The optimization algorithm of a model may have significant effects on the final optimal values of nutrient requirements in poultry enterprises. In poultry nutrition, the optimal values of dietary essential nutrients are very important for feed formulation to optimize profit through minimizing feed cost and maximizing bird performance. This study was conducted to introduce a novel multi-objective algorithm, desirability function, for optimization the bird response models based on response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). The growth databases on the central composite design (CCD) were used to construct the RSM and ANN models and optimal values for 3 essential amino acids including lysine, methionine, and threonine in broiler chicks have been reevaluated using the desirable function in both analytical approaches from 3 to 16 d of age. Multi-objective optimization results showed that the most desirable function was obtained for ANN-based model (D = 0.99) where the optimal levels of digestible lysine (dLys), digestible methionine (dMet), and digestible threonine (dThr) for maximum desirability were 13.2, 5.0, and 8.3 g/kg of diet, respectively. However, the optimal levels of dLys, dMet, and dThr in the RSM-based model were estimated at 11.2, 5.4, and 7.6 g/kg of diet, respectively. This research documented that the application of ANN in the broiler chicken model along with a multi-objective optimization algorithm such as desirability function could be a useful tool for optimization of dietary amino acids in fractional factorial experiments, in which the use of the global desirability function may be able to overcome the underestimations of dietary amino acids resulting from the RSM model. © 2014 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, and Heart Protection

MedlinePlus

... Some medications What should your lipid levels be? Target values (desired levels of lipids) depend on your ... more risk factors you have, the lower your target LDL level should be. Experts recommend the following ...

Nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators enhance female sexual motivation.

PubMed

Jones, Amanda; Hwang, Dong Jin; Duke, Charles B; He, Yali; Siddam, Anjaiah; Miller, Duane D; Dalton, James T

2010-08-01

Women experience a decline in estrogen and androgen levels after natural or surgically induced menopause, effects that are associated with a loss of sexual desire and bone mineral density. Studies in our laboratories have shown the beneficial effects of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) in the treatment of osteoporosis and muscle wasting in animal models. A series of S-3-(phenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-(4-cyano-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-propionamide analogs was synthesized to evaluate the effects of B-ring substitutions on in vitro and in vivo pharmacologic activity, especially female sexual motivation. The androgen receptor (AR) relative binding affinities ranged from 0.1 to 26.5% (relative to dihydrotestosterone) and demonstrated a range of agonist activity at 100 nM. In vivo pharmacologic activity was first assessed by using male rats. Structural modifications to the B-ring significantly affected the selectivity of the SARMs, demonstrating that single-atom substitutions can dramatically and unexpectedly influence activity in androgenic (i.e., prostate) and anabolic (i.e., muscle) tissues. (S)-N-(4-cyano-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(3-fluoro,4-chlorophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-propanamide (S-23) displayed full agonist activity in androgenic and anabolic tissues; however, the remaining SARMs were more prostate-sparing, selectively maintaining the size of the levator ani muscle in castrated rats. The partner-preference paradigm was used to evaluate the effects of SARMs on female sexual motivation. With the exception of two four-halo substituted analogs, the SARMs increased sexual motivation in ovariectomized rats, with potency and efficacy comparable with testosterone propionate. These results indicate that the AR is important in regulating female libido given the nonaromatizable nature of SARMs and it could be a superior alternative to steroidal testosterone preparations in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

Nonsteroidal Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators Enhance Female Sexual Motivation

PubMed Central

Jones, Amanda; Hwang, Dong Jin; Duke, Charles B.; He, Yali; Siddam, Anjaiah; Miller, Duane D.

2010-01-01

Women experience a decline in estrogen and androgen levels after natural or surgically induced menopause, effects that are associated with a loss of sexual desire and bone mineral density. Studies in our laboratories have shown the beneficial effects of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) in the treatment of osteoporosis and muscle wasting in animal models. A series of S-3-(phenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-(4-cyano-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-propionamide analogs was synthesized to evaluate the effects of B-ring substitutions on in vitro and in vivo pharmacologic activity, especially female sexual motivation. The androgen receptor (AR) relative binding affinities ranged from 0.1 to 26.5% (relative to dihydrotestosterone) and demonstrated a range of agonist activity at 100 nM. In vivo pharmacologic activity was first assessed by using male rats. Structural modifications to the B-ring significantly affected the selectivity of the SARMs, demonstrating that single-atom substitutions can dramatically and unexpectedly influence activity in androgenic (i.e., prostate) and anabolic (i.e., muscle) tissues. (S)-N-(4-cyano-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(3-fluoro,4-chlorophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-propanamide (S-23) displayed full agonist activity in androgenic and anabolic tissues; however, the remaining SARMs were more prostate-sparing, selectively maintaining the size of the levator ani muscle in castrated rats. The partner-preference paradigm was used to evaluate the effects of SARMs on female sexual motivation. With the exception of two four-halo substituted analogs, the SARMs increased sexual motivation in ovariectomized rats, with potency and efficacy comparable with testosterone propionate. These results indicate that the AR is important in regulating female libido given the nonaromatizable nature of SARMs and it could be a superior alternative to steroidal testosterone preparations in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder. PMID:20444881

Effects of everyday romantic goal pursuit on women's attitudes toward math and science.

PubMed

Park, Lora E; Young, Ariana F; Troisi, Jordan D; Pinkus, Rebecca T

2011-09-01

The present research examined the impact of everyday romantic goal strivings on women's attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It was hypothesized that women may distance themselves from STEM when the goal to be romantically desirable is activated because pursuing intelligence goals in masculine domains (i.e., STEM) conflicts with pursuing romantic goals associated with traditional romantic scripts and gender norms. Consistent with hypotheses, women, but not men, who viewed images (Study 1) or overheard conversations (Studies 2a-2b) related to romantic goals reported less positive attitudes toward STEM and less preference for majoring in math/science compared to other disciplines. On days when women pursued romantic goals, the more romantic activities they engaged in and the more desirable they felt, but the fewer math activities they engaged in. Furthermore, women's previous day romantic goal strivings predicted feeling more desirable but being less invested in math on the following day (Study 3).

Psychology Students' Expectations Regarding Educational Requirements and Salary for Desired Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strapp, Chehalis M.; Drapela, Danica J.; Henderson, Cierra I.; Nasciemento, Emily; Roscoe, Lauren J.

2018-01-01

This study investigated the accuracy of psychology majors' expectations regarding careers. Psychology majors, including 101 women and 35 men (M[subscript age] = 23 years; standard deviation[subscript age] = 6.25), indicated a desired career and estimated the level of education needed and the expected annual salary for the career. Students'…

The Level of Desirability of Information Technology Systems and Its Relation with Organizational Commitment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allammeh, Sayyed Mohsen; Shavaran, Hamidreza; Dabaghi, Azizollah; Arbabisarjou, Azizollah

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to define Information Technology (IT) desirability and determine IT relationship with organizational commitment. The existence of such a relationship between IT & organizational commitment can guide the organizational leaders to promote and to develop the IT potentials in order to improve the performance of employees,…

Honey bee stock genotypes do not affect the level of physiological responses to chalkbrood fungus, Ascosphaera apis.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Breeding honey bees (Apis mellifera) for physiological resistance to diseases is a highly desirable and environmentally safe approach to increasing colony survival. Selection of desirable traits is a critical element of any breeding program. In this study we investigate whether honey bee stocks dif...

The Effect of Shared versus Individual Reflection on Team Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domke-Damonte, Darla J.; Keels, J. Kay

2015-01-01

In this study, teams in a strategic management classroom were given one of two versions of an assignment related to the development of a team contract: independent individual reflections on desired team behaviors versus team-level reflections on desired behavioral norms. Results of a multivariate analysis of covariance, controlling for gender and…

Desire for female sterilization among women wishing to limit births in rural Rakai, Uganda

PubMed Central

Lutalo, Tom; Gray, Ron; Mathur, Sanyukta; Wawer, Maria; Guwatudde, David; Santelli, John; Nalugoda, Fred; Makumbi, Fredrick

2015-01-01

Objective Uganda has an unmet need for family planning of 34% and a total fertility rate of 6.2. We assessed the desire for female sterilization among sexually active women who wanted to stop childbearing in rural Rakai district, Uganda. Study design 7,192 sexually active women enrolled in a community cohort between 2002 and 2008 were asked about fertility intentions. Those stating that they did not want another child (limiters) were asked whether they would be willing to accept female sterilization, if available. Trends in desire for sterilization were determined by Chi-square test for trend, and Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence rate ratios (PRR) and 95% confidence intervals of the associations between desire for sterilization and socio-demographic characteristics and HIV status. Results From 2002 to 2008, the proportion of limiters dropped (47.2% to 43.7%; p<0.01). Use of pills and injectables among limiters significantly increased, 38.9% to 50.3% (p<0.0001), while use of IUDs and implants declined from 3.3% to 1.7% (p<0.001). The desire for sterilization significantly increased from 54.2% to 63.1% (p<0.0001), and this was consistently higher among the HIV-positive (63.6% to 70.9%, p<0.01) than HIV-negative women (53.3% to 61.2%, p<0.0001). Factors significantly associated with the desire for sterilization included higher number of living children (>=3), being HIV-infected and having received HIV counseling and testing. Conclusion There is latent and growing desire for sterilization in this population. Our findings suggest a need to increase permanent contraception services for women who want to limit childbearing in this setting. PMID:26232377

An optimum organizational structure for a large earth-orbiting multidisciplinary space base. Ph.D. Thesis - Fla. State Univ., 1973

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ragusa, J. M.

1975-01-01

An optimum hypothetical organizational structure was studied for a large earth-orbiting, multidisciplinary research and applications space base manned by a crew of technologists. Because such a facility does not presently exist, in situ empirical testing was not possible. Study activity was, therefore, concerned with the identification of a desired organizational structural model rather than with the empirical testing of the model. The essential finding of this research was that a four-level project type total matrix model will optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of space base technologists.

An optimum organizational structure for a large earth-orbiting multidisciplinary Space Base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ragusa, J. M.

1973-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify an optimum hypothetical organizational structure for a large earth-orbiting multidisciplinary research and applications (R&A) Space Base manned by a mixed crew of technologists. Since such a facility does not presently exist, in situ empirical testing was not possible. Study activity was, therefore, concerned with the identification of a desired organizational structural model rather than the empirical testing of it. The essential finding of this research was that a four-level project type 'total matrix' model will optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of Space Base technologists.

AMPLITUDE DISCRIMINATOR HAVING SEPARATE TRIGGERING AND RECOVERY CONTROLS UTILIZING AUTOMATIC TRIGGERING

DOEpatents

Chase, R.L.

1962-01-23

A transistorized amplitude discriminator circuit is described in which the initial triggering sensitivity and the recovery threshold are separately adjustable in a convenient manner. The discriminator is provided with two independent bias components, one of which is for circuit hysteresis (recovery) and one of which is for trigger threshold level. A switching circuit is provided to remove the second bias component upon activation of the trigger so that the recovery threshold is always at the point where the trailing edge of the input signal pulse goes through zero or other desired value. (AEC)

Laboratory measurement of the anticoagulant activity of the non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants.

PubMed

Cuker, Adam; Siegal, Deborah M; Crowther, Mark A; Garcia, David A

2014-09-16

Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) do not require routine laboratory monitoring. However, laboratory measurement may be desirable in special situations and populations. This study's objective was to systematically review and summarize current evidence regarding laboratory measurement of the anticoagulant activity of dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. We searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies that reported a relationship between drug levels of dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban and coagulation assay results. Study quality was evaluated using QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2). We identified 17 eligible studies for dabigatran, 15 for rivaroxaban, and 4 for apixaban. For dabigatran, a normal thrombin time excludes clinically relevant drug concentrations. The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) are less sensitive and may be normal at trough drug levels. The dilute thrombin time (R(2) = 0.92 to 0.99) and ecarin-based assays (R(2) = 0.92 to 1.00) show excellent linearity across on-therapy drug concentrations and may be used for drug quantification. For rivaroxaban and apixaban, anti-Xa activity is linear (R(2) = 0.89 to 1.00) over a wide range of drug levels and may be used for drug quantification. Undetectable anti-Xa activity likely excludes clinically relevant drug concentrations. The PT is less sensitive (especially for apixaban); a normal PT may not exclude clinically relevant levels. The APTT demonstrates insufficient sensitivity and linearity for quantification. Dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban exhibit variable effects on coagulation assays. Understanding these effects facilitates interpretation of test results in NOAC-treated patients. More information on the relationship between drug levels and clinical outcomes is needed. Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between serum IGF-1, handgrip strength, physical performance and falls in elderly men and women.

PubMed

Van Nieuwpoort, Caroline; Vlot, Mariska; Schaap, Laura; Lips, Paul; Drent, Madeleine

2018-05-22

Human aging is accompanied by a decrease in growth hormone secretion and serum IGF-1 levels. Also, loss of muscle mass, strength and impairment of physical performance, ending in a state of frailty, are seen in elderly. We aimed to investigate whether handgrip strength, physical performance and recurrent falls are related to serum IGF-1 levels in community dwelling elderly. Observational cohort study (cross-sectional and prospective). We studied the association between IGF-1 and handgrip strength, physical performance and falls in participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. 1292 participants were included (633 men, 659 women). Serum IGF-1 levels were divided into quartiles (IGF-1-Q1 to IGF-1-Q4). Data on falls were collected prospectively for a period of three years. All analyses were stratified for age and physical activity and adjusted for relevant confounders. Men with a low physical activity score in IGF-1-Q1 and IGF-1-Q2 of the younger age group had a lower handgrip strength compared to IGF-1-Q4. In younger more active males in IGF-1-Q2 physical performance was worse. Recurrent fallers were less prevalent in older, low active males with low IGF-1 levels. In females, recurrent fallers were more prevalent in older, more active females in IGF-1-Q2. IGF-1 quartile may predict changes in handgrip strength and physical performance in men and women. Our results indicate that lower IGF-1 levels are associated with lower handgrip strength and worse physical performance, but less recurrent fallers especially in men. Associations were often more robust in IGF-1-Q2. Future studies on this topic are desirable.

Demonstration of glass-based photonic interposer for mid-board-optical engines and electrical-optical circuit board (EOCB) integration strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröder, H.; Neitz, M.; Schneider-Ramelow, M.

2018-02-01

Due to its optical transparency and superior dielectric properties glass is regarded as a promising candidate for advanced applications as active photonic interposer for mid-board-optics and optical PCB waveguide integration. The concepts for multi-mode and single-mode photonic system integration are discussed and related demonstration project results will be presented. A hybrid integrated photonic glass body interposer with integrated optical lenses for multi-mode data communication wavelength of 850 nm have been realized. The paper summarizes process developments which allow cost efficient metallization of TGV. Electro-optical elements like photodiodes and VCSELs can be directly flip-chip mounted on the glass substrate according to the desired lens positions. Furthermore results for a silicon photonic based single-mode active interposer integration onto a single mode glass made EOCB will be compared in terms of packaging challenges. The board level integration strategy for both of these technological approaches and general next generation board level integration concepts for photonic interposer will be introductorily discussed.

Acoustic emission monitoring of recycled aggregate concrete under bending

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsoumani, A. A.; Barkoula, N.-M.; Matikas, T. E.

2015-03-01

The amount of construction and demolition waste has increased considerably over the last few years, making desirable the reuse of this waste in the concrete industry. In the present study concrete specimens are subjected at the age of 28 days to four-point bending with concurrent monitoring of their acoustic emission (AE) activity. Several concrete mixtures prepared using recycled aggregates at various percentages of the total coarse aggregate and also a reference mix using natural aggregates, were included to investigate their influence of the recycled aggregates on the load bearing capacity, as well as on the fracture mechanisms. The results reveal that for low levels of substitution the influence of using recycled aggregates on the flexural strength is negligible while higher levels of substitution lead into its deterioration. The total AE activity, as well as the AE signals emitted during failure, was related to flexural strength. The results obtained during test processing were found to be in agreement with visual observation.

Active influence in dynamical models of structural balance in social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summers, Tyler H.; Shames, Iman

2013-07-01

We consider a nonlinear dynamical system on a signed graph, which can be interpreted as a mathematical model of social networks in which the links can have both positive and negative connotations. In accordance with a concept from social psychology called structural balance, the negative links play a key role in both the structure and dynamics of the network. Recent research has shown that in a nonlinear dynamical system modeling the time evolution of “friendliness levels” in the network, two opposing factions emerge from almost any initial condition. Here we study active external influence in this dynamical model and show that any agent in the network can achieve any desired structurally balanced state from any initial condition by perturbing its own local friendliness levels. Based on this result, we also introduce a new network centrality measure for signed networks. The results are illustrated in an international-relations network using United Nations voting record data from 1946 to 2008 to estimate friendliness levels amongst various countries.

Chemical release from single-PMMA microparticles monitored by CARS microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enejder, Annika; Svedberg, Fredrik; Nordstierna, Lars; Nydén, Magnus

2011-03-01

Microparticles loaded with antigens, proteins, DNA, fungicides, and other functional agents emerge as ideal vehicles for vaccine, drug delivery, genetic therapy, surface- and crop protection. The microscopic size of the particles and their collective large specific surface area enables highly active and localized release of the functional substance. In order to develop designs with release profiles optimized for the specific application, it is desirable to map the distribution of the active substance within the particle and how parameters such as size, material and morphology affect release rates at single particle level. Current imaging techniques are limited in resolution, sensitivity, image acquisition time, or sample treatment, excluding dynamic studies of active agents in microparticles. Here, we demonstrate that the combination of CARS and THG microscopy can successfully be used, by mapping the spatial distribution and release rates of the fungicide and food preservative IPBC from different designs of PMMA microparticles at single-particle level. By fitting a radial diffusion model to the experimental data, single particle diffusion coefficients can be determined. We show that release rates are highly dependent on the size and morphology of the particles. Hence, CARS and THG microscopy provides adequate sensitivity and spatial resolution for quantitative studies on how singleparticle properties affect the diffusion of active agents at microscopic level. This will aid the design of innovative microencapsulating systems for controlled release.

Implicit and Explicit Sexual Attitudes: How Are They Related to Sexual Desire and Sexual Satisfaction in Men and Women?

PubMed

Dosch, Alessandra; Belayachi, Sanaâ; Van der Linden, Martial

2016-01-01

This article examines individual variability in sexual desire and sexual satisfaction by exploring the relation between these sexual aspects and sexual attitudes (implicit and explicit) and by taking gender into account, as this has been shown to be an influential factor. A total of 28 men and 33 women living in heterosexual relationships completed questionnaires assessing sexual desire (dyadic, solitary), sexual satisfaction, and explicit sexual attitudes. An adapted version of the Affect Misattribution Procedure was used to assess implicit sexual attitudes. Results showed higher levels of dyadic and solitary sexual desire in men than in women. No gender differences were found regarding sexual satisfaction or sexual attitudes. High dyadic sexual desire was associated with positive implicit and explicit sexual attitudes, regardless of gender. However, solitary sexual desire was significantly higher in men than women and was associated, in women only, with positive implicit sexual attitudes, suggesting that solitary sexual desire may fulfill different functions in men and women. Finally, sexual satisfaction depended on the combination of explicit and implicit sexual attitudes in both men and women. This study highlights the importance of considering both implicit and explicit sexual attitudes to better understand the mechanisms underlying individual variability in sexual desire and satisfaction.

[Unconscious sexual desire: fMRI and EEG evidences from self-expansion theory to mirror neurons].

PubMed

Ortigue, Stephanie; Bianchi-Demicheli, Francesco

2010-03-24

Recent advances in cognitive-social neuroscience allow a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying dyadic relationships. From a neuronal viewpoint, desire in dyadic relationships involves a specific fronto-temporo-parietal network and also a subcortical network that mediates conscious and unconscious mechanisms of reward, satisfaction, attention, self representation and self-expansion. The integration of this neuroscientific knowledge on the unconscious neurobiological activation for sexual desire in the human brain will provide physicians with new therapeutical and neuroscientific tools to apprehend sexual disorders in couple.

Sexuality: Desire, activity and intimacy in the elderly

PubMed Central

Kalra, Gurvinder; Subramanyam, Alka; Pinto, Charles

2011-01-01

Background: Sexual function and activity in old age have been inadequately studied world over. It is important to know that aging processes are not confined to persons beyond the age of 60 years; many changes in elderly have their antecedents in the middle age. Aims: This study sought to determine the patterns of sexual activity and function in individuals over 50 years of age. It also sought to discuss barriers such as chronic illness that may interfere with sexual function. Materials and Methods: We conducted a study of subjects above the age of 50 years in various outpatient departments (OPDs) of a teaching municipal hospital in Mumbai, by interviewing 60 individuals who attended the OPDs, after taking their informed consent. Socio-demographic and other information on their sexual function and activities were obtained. Data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences v15. Results: 72% individuals below 60 were sexually active, while only 57% above 60 were active. Others had become completely abstinent at some time in their lives. Statistical analysis revealed significant gender, health and educational status based differences in the sample. Conclusion: Our study showed significant presence of sexual desire, activity and function even after the age of 50 years; a decline by the age of 60 and above was a finding that reflected more in women. Chronic illness did affect sexual function and desire. PMID:22303037

Strengthening Children's Advertising Defenses: The Effects of Forewarning of Commercial and Manipulative Intent.

PubMed

Rozendaal, Esther; Buijs, Laura; van Reijmersdal, Eva A

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether a forewarning of advertising's intent can increase children's (N = 159, 8-10 years old) defenses against television commercials to lower their desire for advertised products. Two different forewarnings were tested, one for advertising's commercial intent or warning for the promotional nature, and one for advertising's manipulative intent or warning for the deceptive nature. Results showed that only the warning of manipulative intent prior to advertising exposure was successful in increasing children's advertising defenses. This forewarning activated children's attitudinal advertising literacy (i.e., skepticism toward the commercial), which in turn led to lower advertised product desire. The forewarning of commercial intent was not effective in strengthening children's advertising defenses. These findings have important implications for interventions that aim to lower children's desire for (unhealthy) advertised products by activating their advertising literacy.

"Pruning of biomolecules and natural products (PBNP)": an innovative paradigm in drug discovery.

PubMed

Bathula, Surendar Reddy; Akondi, Srirama Murthy; Mainkar, Prathama S; Chandrasekhar, Srivari

2015-06-21

The source or inspiration of many marketed drugs can be traced back to natural product research. However, the chemical structure of natural products covers a wide spectrum from very simple to complex. With more complex structures it is often desirable to simplify the molecule whilst retaining the desired biological activity. This approach seeks to identify the structural unit or pharmacophore responsible for the desired activity. Such pharmacophores have been the start point for a wide range of lead generation and optimisation programmes using techniques such as Biology Oriented Synthesis, Diversity Oriented Synthesis, Diverted Total Synthesis, and Fragment Based Drug Discovery. This review discusses the literature precedence of simplification strategies in four areas of natural product research: proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, and compounds isolated from natural product extracts, and their impact on identifying therapeutic products.

Detectors for Active Interrogation Applications

DOE PAGES

Clarke, S. D.; Hamel, M. C.; Bourne, M. M.; ...

2017-10-26

Active interrogation creates an environment that is particularly challenging from a radiation-detection standpoint: the elevated background levels from the source can mask the desired signatures from the SNM. Neutron based interrogation experiments have shown that nanosecond-level timing is required to discriminate induced-fission neutrons from the scattered source neutrons. Previous experiments using high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays have demonstrated the ability to induce and detect prompt photofission neutrons from single target materials; however, a real-world application would require spectroscopic capability to discern between photofission neutrons emitted by SNM and neutrons emitted by other reactions in non-SNM. Using digital pulseshape discrimination, organic liquid scintillatorsmore » are capable of reliably detecting neutrons in an intense gamma-ray field. Photon misclassification rates as low as 1 in 10 6 have been achieved, which is approaching the level of gaseous neutron detectors such as 3He without the need for neutron moderation. These scintillators also possess nanosecond-timing resolution, making them candidates for both neutron-and photon-driven active interrogation systems. Lastly, we have applied an array of liquid and NaI(Tl) scintillators to successfully image 13.7 kg of HEU interrogated by a DT neutron generator; the system was in the direct presence of the accelerator during the experiment.« less

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9: a new target molecule for gene therapy.

PubMed

Banaszewska, Anna; Piechota, Michal; Plewa, Robert

2012-06-01

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has emerged as a novel target for controlling plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. At present it is clear that the major classes of commonly prescribed lipid-lowering medications increase serum PCSK9 levels and fail to protect a significant percentage of patients from cardiovascular events. Therefore development of new LDL-C lowering medications that either do not increase circulating PCSK9 levels or work through inhibition of PCSK9 expression and protease activity is a highly desirable approach to overcome hypercholesterolemia. Since there are several agents which are being evaluated in human preclinical and clinical trials, this review summarizes current therapeutic strategies targeting PCSK9, including specific antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and other small-molecule inhibitors.

Military Healthcare Providers' Knowledge and Comfort Regarding the Medical Care of Active Duty Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Patients.

PubMed

Rerucha, Caitlyn M; Runser, Lloyd A; Ee, Juliana S; Hersey, Elizabeth G

2018-01-01

This study assessed military healthcare providers' knowledge, clinical practice, and comfort in caring for active duty (AD) lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) patients. Primary care providers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina were surveyed anonymously. The response rate was 28% (n = 40). Almost two-thirds of the respondents felt comfortable discussing sexual health with AD patients, but only 5% inquired about same-sex sexual activity. Slightly less than one-third reported prior training in LGB healthcare topics and nearly four-fifths desired clear guidance from the Department of Defense regarding the process for screening and documentation of AD same-sex sexual activity. The findings highlight providers' need and desire for training in LGB patient care.

The Impact of Alexithymia on Desire for Alcohol during a Social Stress Test.

PubMed

Knapton, Cindy; Bruce, Gillian; Williams, Lynn

2018-03-21

Alexithymia is a personality construct comprising difficulty in identifying and describing emotions and externally oriented thinking. Its role in heavy and problematic alcohol consumption is well documented, together with its relationship with social stress. However, little research has examined whether social stress has any effect on desire for alcohol among alexithymic individuals. In this experimental study, we explored the relationship between alexithymia and desire for alcohol in response to an experimental social stressor. One hundred and thirty eight social drinkers completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, self-report measures of alcohol consumption and a stress-inducing task. Desire for alcohol was measured at three time points: baseline, stressor and recovery. Correlation analysis demonstrated that alexithymia was associated with significantly higher rates of alcohol consumption and higher levels of desire for alcohol. Mixed measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant main effect of alexithymia and a significant group by time effect of alexithymia on desire for alcohol. Conclusions/Importance: The findings demonstrate increased desire for alcohol before, during and after a social stressor among alexithymic participants. These findings offer an insight into the relationship between alexithymia, social stress and alcohol consumption.

Construction of a WMR for trajectory tracking control: experimental results.

PubMed

Silva-Ortigoza, R; Márquez-Sánchez, C; Marcelino-Aranda, M; Marciano-Melchor, M; Silva-Ortigoza, G; Bautista-Quintero, R; Ramos-Silvestre, E R; Rivera-Díaz, J C; Muñoz-Carrillo, D

2013-01-01

This paper reports a solution for trajectory tracking control of a differential drive wheeled mobile robot (WMR) based on a hierarchical approach. The general design and construction of the WMR are described. The hierarchical controller proposed has two components: a high-level control and a low-level control. The high-level control law is based on an input-output linearization scheme for the robot kinematic model, which provides the desired angular velocity profiles that the WMR has to track in order to achieve the desired position (x∗, y∗) and orientation (φ∗). Then, a low-level control law, based on a proportional integral (PI) approach, is designed to control the velocity of the WMR wheels to ensure those tracking features. Regarding the trajectories, this paper provides the solution or the following cases: (1) time-varying parametric trajectories such as straight lines and parabolas and (2) smooth curves fitted by cubic splines which are generated by the desired data points {(x₁∗, y₁∗),..., (x(n)∗, y(n)∗)}. A straightforward algorithm is developed for constructing the cubic splines. Finally, this paper includes an experimental validation of the proposed technique by employing a DS1104 dSPACE electronic board along with MATLAB/Simulink software.

Construction of a WMR for Trajectory Tracking Control: Experimental Results

PubMed Central

Silva-Ortigoza, R.; Márquez-Sánchez, C.; Marcelino-Aranda, M.; Marciano-Melchor, M.; Silva-Ortigoza, G.; Bautista-Quintero, R.; Ramos-Silvestre, E. R.; Rivera-Díaz, J. C.; Muñoz-Carrillo, D.

2013-01-01

This paper reports a solution for trajectory tracking control of a differential drive wheeled mobile robot (WMR) based on a hierarchical approach. The general design and construction of the WMR are described. The hierarchical controller proposed has two components: a high-level control and a low-level control. The high-level control law is based on an input-output linearization scheme for the robot kinematic model, which provides the desired angular velocity profiles that the WMR has to track in order to achieve the desired position (x∗, y∗) and orientation (φ∗). Then, a low-level control law, based on a proportional integral (PI) approach, is designed to control the velocity of the WMR wheels to ensure those tracking features. Regarding the trajectories, this paper provides the solution or the following cases: (1) time-varying parametric trajectories such as straight lines and parabolas and (2) smooth curves fitted by cubic splines which are generated by the desired data points {(x1∗, y1∗),..., (xn∗, yn∗)}. A straightforward algorithm is developed for constructing the cubic splines. Finally, this paper includes an experimental validation of the proposed technique by employing a DS1104 dSPACE electronic board along with MATLAB/Simulink software. PMID:23997679

Young Children's Psychological Explanations and Their Relationship to Perception- and Intention-Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colonnesi, Cristina; Koops, Willem; Meerum Terwogt, Mark

2008-01-01

The present study examined two key aspects of young children's ability to explain human behaviour in a mentalistic way. First, we explored desires that are of a level of difficulty comparable with that of false beliefs. For this purpose, the so-called "alternative desires" were created. Second, we examined how children's psychological…

Mapping Students' Conceptual Modes When Thinking about Chemical Reactions Used to Make a Desired Product

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinrich, M. L.; Talanquer, V.

2015-01-01

The central goal of this qualitative research study was to uncover major implicit assumptions that students with different levels of training in the discipline apply when thinking and making decisions about chemical reactions used to make a desired product. In particular, we elicited different ways of conceptualizing why chemical reactions happen…

Does Technology Elicit Desired Behaviors in Emotionally Disturbed Students?: Perceptions of Elementary Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Michael W.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify the perceptions of educators regarding the potential impact of technology as a motivator to elicit desirable behaviors within students that have been identified with an educational diagnosis of emotional disturbance at the elementary school level. A review of the literature focused on key…

Adolescents' and Parents' Evaluations of Helping versus Fulfilling Personal Desires in Family Situations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smetana, Judith G.; Tasopoulos-Chan, Marina; Gettman, Denise C.; Villalobos, Myriam; Campione-Barr, Nicole; Metzger, Aaron

2009-01-01

A sample of 118 predominantly European American families with early and middle adolescents (M[subscript ages]=12.32 and 15.18 years) and 1 parent evaluated hypothetical conflicts between adolescents' and parents' requests for assistance versus the other's personal desires. Evaluations differed by level of need, but in low-need situations,…

College for All: Gaps between Desirable and Actual P-12 Math Achievement Trajectories for College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaekyung

2012-01-01

This study addresses missing links in "college for all" debates by investigating gaps between actual and desirable math achievement trajectories for students' college readiness. Linking multiple national data sets across P-16 education levels, the study estimates college readiness benchmarks separately for two-year and four-year college…

Primary Teacher Educators' Perception of Desired and Achieved Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Geography Education in Primary Teacher Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blankman, Marian; van der Schee, Joop; Volman, Monique; Boogaard, Marianne

2015-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a study conducted among primary geography teacher educators. The research examines the perceptions of educators of primary teacher students' desired and achieved levels of substantial knowledge, syntactic knowledge, and beliefs about the subject of geography. The findings indicate that primary teacher educators…

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

Benson, Stephen V.; Marhauser, Frank; Douglas, David R.

A method for the suppression of upstream-directed field emission in RF accelerators. The method is not restricted to a certain number of cavity cells, but requires similar operating field levels in all cavities to efficiently annihilate the once accumulated energy. Such a field balance is desirable to minimize dynamic RF losses, but not necessarily achievable in reality depending on individual cavity performance, such as early Q.sub.0-drop or quench field. The method enables a significant energy reduction for upstream-directed electrons within a relatively short distance. As a result of the suppression of upstream-directed field emission, electrons will impact surfaces at rathermore » low energies leading to reduction of dark current and less issues with heating and damage of accelerator components as well as radiation levels including neutron generation and thus radio-activation.« less

Apigenin manipulates the ubiquitin-proteasome system to rescue estrogen receptor-β from degradation and induce apoptosis in prostate cancer cells.

PubMed

Singh, Vishal; Sharma, Vikas; Verma, Vikas; Pandey, Deepti; Yadav, Santosh K; Maikhuri, Jagdamba P; Gupta, Gopal

2015-12-01

To investigate apigenin (5,7,4-trihydroxyflavone), a dietary flavonoid with proteasome-inhibitory activity (desired for the management of multiple types of cancers), against FDA-approved anticancer proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in context to its effects on the tumor suppressor estrogen receptor-beta (ER-β) in prostate cancer cells. Prostate cancer (PC-3) cells were treated with either apigenin or bortezomib, and proliferation inhibition was correlated with proteasomal biochemistry, ER-degradation and cell apoptosis. Apigenin specifically inhibited only chymotrypsin-like activity of proteasome without affecting trypsin and caspase-like activities, which was in contrast to the non-specific inhibition of all the three activities by bortezomib. Apigenin selectively increased the protein levels of ER-β at 1.8 and 10.0 µM (without affecting mRNA levels) and preferentially accumulated ubiquitinated ER-β over ER-α in PC-3. Apigenin-treated cells exhibited increased ER-β interactions with ubiquitin-protein ligase E6AP, downregulated PSMA5 (α-5 subunit for assembly of 20S proteasome) without affecting PSMB1 (β-1 subunit), PSMB2 (β-2 subunit) and PSMB5 (β-5 subunit, whose overexpression by bortezomib causes drug resistance) of proteasome at mRNA levels. Caspase-3 activation in PC-3 by apigenin was dependent on caspase-8 activity but independent of mitochondrial membrane depolarization. The deubiquitinase USP14 activity, which antagonizes degradation of proteins via proteasome, was significantly increased by apigenin treatment. Apigenin selectively inhibits proteasomal degradation of tumor suppressor ER-β by specifically inhibiting chymotrypsin-like activity of proteasome, preventing its assembly via PSMA5 and inhibiting USP14 enzyme activity in prostate cancer cells, resulting in cancer cell apoptosis. Unlike bortezomib, apigenin's actions are subtle, precise, mechanistically distinct and capable of abstaining drug resistance.

On the virtues of automated quantitative structure-activity relationship: the new kid on the block.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Marcelo T; Katekawa, Edson

2018-02-01

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) has proved to be an invaluable tool in medicinal chemistry. Data availability at unprecedented levels through various databases have collaborated to a resurgence in the interest for QSAR. In this context, rapid generation of quality predictive models is highly desirable for hit identification and lead optimization. We showcase the application of an automated QSAR approach, which randomly selects multiple training/test sets and utilizes machine-learning algorithms to generate predictive models. Results demonstrate that AutoQSAR produces models of improved or similar quality to those generated by practitioners in the field but in just a fraction of the time. Despite the potential of the concept to the benefit of the community, the AutoQSAR opportunity has been largely undervalued.

Fertility desires and fertility outcomes.

PubMed

Bracher, M; Santow, G

1991-05-01

An Australian 1-in-1000 national probability sample conducted in 1986 yielded 2547 women aged 20-59 who provided detailed life histories on marital unions, childbearing, and contraception. Age specific fertility rates, desired family size, differentials in desired family size, desired fertility and achieved fertility, and sequential family building are examined. The results indicate that the desired family size at 1st marriage has declined only slightly over the past 30 years. 3 children are generally desired, and ver few desire 2. The constance of fertility desires in contrasted with the fertilitydecline to below replacement levels. Several reasons are suggested for the desired family size: the desire is for a family size within the family tradition and modified by the desire to have 1 of each sex, the desire reflects less on intentions but more on normative pressure to become a parent. Marrying is self selecting on the desire for a traditional family of at least 2 children. There is a rising age at marriage as well as a decline in marriages. Desired family size exceeds completed fertility. Period factors and personal circumstances affect fertility intentions. Future inquires should explore the multiple factors relating to fertility, rather than in comparing fertility desires and actual fertility. The data collected on age specific fertility were comparable to official estimates. The fertility decline was evidenced in all groups except teenagers. The decline was nearly 50% for those 20-24 years between the 1050's-80's, 33% for ages 25-29. Marriage patterns explain this decline in part. Between 1971-76, women aged 20-25 were married 37 months out of 60 months in 1971-76 versus 25 out of 60 months in 1981-86. Within the 25 year age group, marital fertility has declined and unmarried fertility, which is low, has risen, Women in a marital union of any kind has remained stable. Fertility within de facto unions, which is lower than within marriage, is higher than fertility outside a marital union, and highest in the teens. Distributions of desired children were strongly bimodel with concentrations of 2 and 4 children.

Automated segmentation of blood-flow regions in large thoracic arteries using 3D-cine PC-MRI measurements.

PubMed

van Pelt, Roy; Nguyen, Huy; ter Haar Romeny, Bart; Vilanova, Anna

2012-03-01

Quantitative analysis of vascular blood flow, acquired by phase-contrast MRI, requires accurate segmentation of the vessel lumen. In clinical practice, 2D-cine velocity-encoded slices are inspected, and the lumen is segmented manually. However, segmentation of time-resolved volumetric blood-flow measurements is a tedious and time-consuming task requiring automation. Automated segmentation of large thoracic arteries, based solely on the 3D-cine phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) blood-flow data, was done. An active surface model, which is fast and topologically stable, was used. The active surface model requires an initial surface, approximating the desired segmentation. A method to generate this surface was developed based on a voxel-wise temporal maximum of blood-flow velocities. The active surface model balances forces, based on the surface structure and image features derived from the blood-flow data. The segmentation results were validated using volunteer studies, including time-resolved 3D and 2D blood-flow data. The segmented surface was intersected with a velocity-encoded PC-MRI slice, resulting in a cross-sectional contour of the lumen. These cross-sections were compared to reference contours that were manually delineated on high-resolution 2D-cine slices. The automated approach closely approximates the manual blood-flow segmentations, with error distances on the order of the voxel size. The initial surface provides a close approximation of the desired luminal geometry. This improves the convergence time of the active surface and facilitates parametrization. An active surface approach for vessel lumen segmentation was developed, suitable for quantitative analysis of 3D-cine PC-MRI blood-flow data. As opposed to prior thresholding and level-set approaches, the active surface model is topologically stable. A method to generate an initial approximate surface was developed, and various features that influence the segmentation model were evaluated. The active surface segmentation results were shown to closely approximate manual segmentations.

Instant transformation of learned repulsion into motivational "wanting".

PubMed

Robinson, Mike J F; Berridge, Kent C

2013-02-18

Learned cues for pleasant reward often elicit desire, which, in addicts, may become compulsive. According to the dominant view in addiction neuroscience and reinforcement modeling, such desires are the simple products of learning, coming from a past association with reward outcome. We demonstrate that cravings are more than merely the products of accumulated pleasure memories-even a repulsive learned cue for unpleasantness can become suddenly desired via the activation of mesocorticolimbic circuitry. Rats learned repulsion toward a Pavlovian cue (a briefly-inserted metal lever) that always predicted an unpleasant Dead Sea saltiness sensation. Yet, upon first reencounter in a novel sodium-depletion state to promote mesocorticolimbic reactivity (reflected by elevated Fos activation in ventral tegmentum, nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, and the orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex), the learned cue was instantly transformed into an attractive and powerful motivational magnet. Rats jumped and gnawed on the suddenly attractive Pavlovian lever cue, despite never having tasted intense saltiness as anything other than disgusting. Instant desire transformation of a learned cue contradicts views that Pavlovian desires are essentially based on previously learned values (e.g., prediction error or temporal difference models). Instead desire is recomputed at reencounter by integrating Pavlovian information with the current brain/physiological state. This powerful brain transformation reverses strong learned revulsion into avid attraction. When applied to addiction, related mesocorticolimbic transformations (e.g., drugs or neural sensitization) of cues for already-pleasant drug experiences could create even more intense cravings. This cue/state transformation helps define what it means to say that addiction hijacks brain limbic circuits of natural reward. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modifying Student Behavior in an Open Classroom through Changes in the Physical Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinstein, Carol S.

1977-01-01

Spatial distribution of activity in a second-third grade open classroom was observed before and after a change in the physical design, to test the hypothesis that minor changes in the physical setting would produce predictable, desirable changes in student behavior. In most cases the desired behavior changes were produced. (Author/MV)

Family Sex Communication and the Sexual Desire, Attitudes, and Behavior of Late Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamboni, Brian D.; Silver, Rachel

2009-01-01

Parental sex education might promote healthy sexual behavior among adolescents, but some parents assume that family communication about sex will lead to sexual activity. Family sex communication has been studied with a limited range of adolescent sexual behaviors but not sexual fantasy or desire. Two measures of family sex communication were…

My Kids, Your Kids, Our Kids: What Parents and the Public Want from Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valant, Jon; Newark, Daniel A.

2017-01-01

Background/Context: School choice reforms could strengthen parents' influence on school behaviors, since schools must appeal to parents in order to operate. If parents' desires for schools differ from the broader public's desires for schools, then schools might pursue different goals and activities in systems emphasizing school choice. One popular…

The Importance and Use of Targeted Content Knowledge with Scaffolding Aid in Educational Simulation Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Fu-Hsing; Kinzer, Charles; Hung, Kuo-Hsun; Chen, Cheng-Ling Alice; Hsu, I-Ying

2013-01-01

While most current educational simulation games provide learners with gameplay experience to motivate learning, there is often a lack of focus on ensuring that the desired content knowledge is actually learned. Students may focus on completing game activities without learning the targeted content knowledge, thus negating the desired learning…

The Effect of Selected "Desirable Difficulties" on the Ability to Recall Anatomy Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobson, John L.; Linderholm, Tracy

2015-01-01

"Desirable difficulties" is a theory from cognitive science used to promote learning in a variety of contexts. The basic premise is that creating a cognitively challenging environment at the learning acquisition phase, by actively engaging learners in the retrieval of to-be-learned materials, promotes long-term retention. In this study,…

Hormonal Treatment of Transgender Women with Oral Estradiol.

PubMed

Leinung, Matthew C; Feustel, Paul J; Joseph, Jalaja

2018-01-01

Purpose: Maintaining cross-sex hormone levels in the normal physiologic range for the desired gender is the cornerstone of transgender hormonal therapy, but there are limited data on how to achieve this. We investigated the effectiveness of oral estradiol therapy in achieving this goal. Methods: We analyzed data on all transgender females seen in our clinic since 2008 treated with oral estradiol. We looked at the success of achieving serum levels of testosterone and 17-β estradiol in the normal range on various doses of estradiol (with and without antiandrogens spironolactone and finasteride). Results: There was a positive correlation between estradiol dose and 17-β estradiol, but testosterone suppression was less well correlated. Over 70% achieved treatment goals (adequate 17-β estradiol levels and testosterone suppression) on 4 mg daily or more. Nearly a third of patients did not achieve adequate treatment goals on 6 or even 8 mg daily of estradiol. Spironolactone, but not finasteride, use was associated with impairment of obtaining desired 17-β estradiol levels. Spironolactone did not enhance testosterone suppression, and finasteride was associated with higher testosterone levels. Conclusions: Oral estradiol was effective in achieving desired serum levels of 17-β estradiol, but there was wide individual variability in the amount required. Oral estradiol alone was not infrequently unable to achieve adequate testosterone suppression. Spironolactone did not aid testosterone suppression and seemed to impair achievement of goal serum 17-β estradiol levels. Testosterone levels were higher with finasteride use. We recommend that transgender women receiving estradiol therapy have hormone levels monitored so that therapy can be individualized.

A qualitative study of successful adolescent and young adult weight losers: implications for weight control intervention.

PubMed

Jensen, Chad D; Duraccio, Kara M; Hunsaker, Sanita L; Rancourt, Diana; Kuhl, Elizabeth S; Jelalian, Elissa; Wing, Rena R

2014-12-01

Our study aims to provide an in-depth analysis of behavioral strategies, psychological factors, and social contributors to adolescent weight loss and weight loss maintenance among participants in the Adolescent Weight Control Registry (AWCR). Qualitative analyses were conducted using semi-structured interview data from 40 participants from the AWCR who successfully lost ≥10 lbs and maintained their weight loss for at least one year. In contrast to existing literature, our findings suggest that primary motivating factors for adolescent weight loss may be intrinsic (e.g., desire for better health, desire to improve self-worth) rather than extrinsic. In addition, life transitions (e.g., transition to high school) were identified as substantial motivators for weight-related behavior change. Peer and parental encouragement and instrumental support were widely endorsed as central to success. The most commonly endorsed weight loss maintenance strategies included attending to dietary intake and physical activity levels, and making self-corrections when necessary. Results from this study highlight considerations for future adolescent weight control treatment development.

Relationship between perceived body image and recorded body mass index among Kuwaiti female university students.

PubMed

Kabir, Yearul; Zafar, Tasleem A; Waslien, Carol

2013-01-01

The associations between body image and attitudes toward obesity and thinness and their associations with measured body mass index (BMI) among female students of Kuwait University (n = 137) was examined in 2008. The body image perceptions were assessed using nine female silhouettes figures. The difference between current perceived body image (PBI) and ideal body image (IBI) was used as a measure of body image dissatisfaction (BID). Students tended to have a bigger PBI and smaller IBI than would be expected from their BMI category, leading to high levels of BID in each BMI category. PBI, IBI, BID, RBI were highly correlated with each other, and BMI was significantly correlated with each of them. The coefficients of these associations were not significantly altered in multiple regression analysis by the addition of potential confounding variables, such as age, marital status, physical activity, dieting behavior, parental education, and family size. These results suggest that PBI and a desire to be thinner were strongly related to BID and that thinness is becoming more desired in Kuwaiti society than the plump body image of the past.

Mapping of reproductive health financing: methodological challenges.

PubMed

Pradhan, Jalandhar; Sidze, Estelle Monique; Khanna, Anoop; Beekink, Erik

2014-10-01

Low level of funding for reproductive health (RH) is a cause for concern, given that RH service utilization in the vast majority of the developing world is well below the desired level. Though there is an urgent need to track the domestic and international financial resource flows for RH, the instruments through which financial resources are tracked in developing countries are limited. In this paper we examined the methodological and conceptual challenges of monitoring financial resources for RH services at international and national level. At the international level, there are a number of estimates that highlights the need for financial resources for RH programmes but the estimates vary significantly. At the national level, Reproductive Health Accounts (RHA) in the framework of National Health Accounts (NHA) is considered to be the ideal source to track domestic financial flows for RH activities. However, the weak link between data production by the RHA and its application by the stakeholders as well as lack of political will impedes the institutionalization of RHA at the country level. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of training and technical assistance needs of Colorectal Cancer Control Program Grantees in the U.S.

PubMed

Escoffery, Cam; Hannon, Peggy; Maxwell, Annette E; Vu, Thuy; Leeman, Jennifer; Dwyer, Andrea; Mason, Caitlin; Sowles, Shaina; Rice, Ketra; Gressard, Lindsay

2015-01-31

Practitioners often require training and technical assistance to build their capacity to select, adapt, and implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs). The CDC Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) aims to promote CRC screening to increase population-level screening. This study identified the training and technical assistance (TA) needs and preferences for training related to the implementation of EBIs among CRCCP grantees. Twenty-nine CRCCP grantees completed an online survey about their screening activities, training and technical assistance in 2012. They rated desire for training on various evidence-based strategies to increase cancer screening, evidence-based competencies, and program management topics. They also reported preferences for training formats and facilitators and barriers to trainings. Many CRCCP grantees expressed the need for training with regards to specific EBIs, especially system-level and provider-directed EBIs to promote CRC screening. Grantees rated these EBIs as more difficult to implement than client-oriented EBIs. Grantees also reported a moderate need for training regarding finding EBIs, assessing organizational capacity, implementing selected EBIs, and conducting process and outcome evaluations. Other desired training topics reported with higher frequency were partnership development and data collection/evaluation. Grantees preferred training formats that were interactive such as on-site trainings, webinars or expert consultants. Public health organizations need greater supports for adopting evidence-based interventions, working with organizational-level change, partnership development and data management. Future capacity building efforts for the adoption of EBIs should focus on systems or provider level interventions and key processes for health promotion and should be delivered in a variety of ways to assist local organizations in cancer prevention and control.

Strengthening Children’s Advertising Defenses: The Effects of Forewarning of Commercial and Manipulative Intent

PubMed Central

Rozendaal, Esther; Buijs, Laura; van Reijmersdal, Eva A.

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether a forewarning of advertising’s intent can increase children’s (N = 159, 8–10 years old) defenses against television commercials to lower their desire for advertised products. Two different forewarnings were tested, one for advertising’s commercial intent or warning for the promotional nature, and one for advertising’s manipulative intent or warning for the deceptive nature. Results showed that only the warning of manipulative intent prior to advertising exposure was successful in increasing children’s advertising defenses. This forewarning activated children’s attitudinal advertising literacy (i.e., skepticism toward the commercial), which in turn led to lower advertised product desire. The forewarning of commercial intent was not effective in strengthening children’s advertising defenses. These findings have important implications for interventions that aim to lower children’s desire for (unhealthy) advertised products by activating their advertising literacy. PMID:27551271

megaTALs: a rare-cleaving nuclease architecture for therapeutic genome engineering.

PubMed

Boissel, Sandrine; Jarjour, Jordan; Astrakhan, Alexander; Adey, Andrew; Gouble, Agnès; Duchateau, Philippe; Shendure, Jay; Stoddard, Barry L; Certo, Michael T; Baker, David; Scharenberg, Andrew M

2014-02-01

Rare-cleaving endonucleases have emerged as important tools for making targeted genome modifications. While multiple platforms are now available to generate reagents for research applications, each existing platform has significant limitations in one or more of three key properties necessary for therapeutic application: efficiency of cleavage at the desired target site, specificity of cleavage (i.e. rate of cleavage at 'off-target' sites), and efficient/facile means for delivery to desired target cells. Here, we describe the development of a single-chain rare-cleaving nuclease architecture, which we designate 'megaTAL', in which the DNA binding region of a transcription activator-like (TAL) effector is used to 'address' a site-specific meganuclease adjacent to a single desired genomic target site. This architecture allows the generation of extremely active and hyper-specific compact nucleases that are compatible with all current viral and nonviral cell delivery methods.

Directing reaction pathways by catalyst active-site selection using self-assembled monolayers.

PubMed

Pang, Simon H; Schoenbaum, Carolyn A; Schwartz, Daniel K; Medlin, J Will

2013-01-01

One key route for controlling reaction selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis is to prepare catalysts that exhibit only specific types of sites required for desired product formation. Here we show that alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers with varying surface densities can be used to tune selectivity to desired hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation products during the reaction of furfural on supported palladium catalysts. Vibrational spectroscopic studies demonstrate that the selectivity improvement is achieved by controlling the availability of specific sites for the hydrogenation of furfural on supported palladium catalysts through the selection of an appropriate alkanethiolate. Increasing self-assembled monolayer density by controlling the steric bulk of the organic tail ligand restricts adsorption on terrace sites and dramatically increases selectivity to desired products furfuryl alcohol and methylfuran. This technique of active-site selection simultaneously serves both to enhance selectivity and provide insight into the reaction mechanism.

Rethinking physical activity communication: using focus groups to understand women's goals, values, and beliefs to improve public health.

PubMed

Segar, Michelle; Taber, Jennifer M; Patrick, Heather; Thai, Chan L; Oh, April

2017-05-18

Communication about physical activity (PA) frames PA and influences what it means to people, including the role it plays in their lives. To the extent that PA messages can be designed to reflect outcomes that are relevant to what people most value experiencing and achieving in their daily lives, the more compelling and effective they will be. Aligned with self-determination theory, this study investigated proximal goals and values that are salient in everyday life and how they could be leveraged through new messaging to better support PA participation among women. The present study was designed to examine the nature of women's daily goals and priorities and investigate women's PA beliefs, feelings, and experiences, in order to identify how PA may compete with or facilitate women's daily goals and priorities. Preliminary recommendations are proposed for designing new PA messages that align PA with women's daily goals and desired experiences to better motivate participation. Eight focus groups were conducted with White, Black, and Hispanic/Latina women aged 22-49, stratified by amount of self-reported PA (29 low active participants, 11 high active participants). Respondents discussed their goals, values, and daily priorities along with beliefs, feelings about and experiences being physically active. Data were collected, coded, and analyzed using a thematic analysis strategy to identify emergent themes. Many of the goals and values that both low and high active participants discussed as desiring and valuing map on to key principles of self-determination theory. However, the discussions among low active participants suggested that their beliefs, feelings, experiences, and definitions of PA were in conflict with their proximal goals, values, and priorities, also undermining their psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Findings from this study can be used to inform and evaluate new physical activity communication strategies that leverage more proximal goals, values, and experiences of happiness and success to better motivate PA among ethnically diverse low active women. Specifically, this research suggests a need to address how women's daily goals and desired experiences may undermine PA participation, in addition to framing PA as facilitating rather than competing with their daily priorities and desired leisure-time experiences.

Molecular understanding of polyelectrolyte binders that actively regulate ion transport in sulfur cathodes

DOE PAGES

Li, Longjun; Pascal, Tod A.; Connell, Justin G.; ...

2017-12-22

Polymer binders in battery electrodes may be either active or passive. This distinction depends on whether the polymer influences charge or mass transport in the electrode. Though it is desirable to understand how to tailor the macromolecular design of a polymer to play a passive or active role, design rules are still lacking, as is a framework to assess the divergence in such behaviors. We reveal the molecular-level underpinnings that distinguish an active polyelectrolyte binder designed for lithium-sulfur batteries from a passive alternative. The binder, a cationic polyelectrolyte, is shown to both facilitate lithium-ion transport through its reconfigurable network ofmore » mobile anions and restrict polysulfide diffusion from mesoporous carbon hosts by anion metathesis, which we show is selective for higher oligomers. These attributes then allow cells to be operated for > 100 cycles with excellent rate capability using cathodes with areal sulfur loadings up to 8.1 mg cm -2 .« less

Analytic Determination of Interference Thresholds for Microwave Landing System Equipment and TACAN/DME Equipment

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

terminals for the PD channel, in dB, at function level tD /U]lL pea^,, desired-to-average undesired signal power at the phase-locked loop for successful...listed belows MS Receiver Reparation Distance (nmI) estimated Altitude Uetwen Desired & Undesired MS (Kilo feet) Grcnd Nquipment 2.1 42 10 142 20) 1q3

Characteristics of Health Educators Desired by Inner-City Health Clinic Patients: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, James; Sidani, Jaime

2007-01-01

A group (n = 170) of inner-city, predominantly African American, health clinic patients were asked to identify the characteristics they desired in a new clinic health educator. A plurality (44%) of the patients perceived a bachelor's degree would be a sufficient level of education. The vast majority of patients claimed the sex of the health…

Prioritization in medical school simulation curriculum development using survey tools and desirability function: a pilot experiment.

PubMed

Ingrassia, Pier Luigi; Barozza, Ludovico Giovanni; Franc, Jeffrey Michael

2018-01-01

In Italy, there is no framework of procedural skills that all medical students should be able to perform autonomously at graduation. The study aims at identifying (1) a set of essential procedural skills and (2) which abilities could be potentially taught with simulation. Desirability score was calculated for each procedure to determine the most effective manner to proceed with simulation curriculum development. A web poll was conducted at the School of Medicine in Novara, looking at the level of expected and self-perceived competency for common medical procedures. Three groups were enrolled: (1) faculty, (2) junior doctors in their first years of practice, and (3) recently graduated medical students. Level of importance of procedural skills for independent practice expressed by teachers, level of mastery self-perceived by learners (students and junior doctors) and suitability of simulation training for the given technical skills were measured. Desirability function was used to set priorities for future learning. The overall mean expected level of competency for the procedural skills was 7.9/9. Mean level of self reported competency was 4.7/9 for junior doctors and 4.4/9 for recently graduated students. The highest priority skills according to the desirability function were urinary catheter placement, nasogastric tube insertion, and incision and drainage of superficial abscesses. This study identifies those technical competencies thought by faculty to be important and assessed the junior doctors and recent graduates level of self-perceived confidence in performing these skills. The study also identifies the perceived utility of teaching these skills by simulation. The study prioritizes those skills that have a gap between expected and observed competency and are also thought to be amenable to teaching by simulation. This allows immediate priorities for simulation curriculum development in the most effective manner. This methodology may be useful to researchers in other centers to prioritize simulation training.

Effect of thought suppression on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

PubMed

Erskine, James A K; Ussher, Michael; Cropley, Mark; Elgindi, Abdelaziz; Zaman, Manzir; Corlett, Bethan

2012-01-01

Suppressing smoking thoughts has been shown to result in elevated smoking. However, the effect of suppressing smoking thoughts on desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms has not been investigated. We examined the effects of suppressing smoking thoughts on the subsequent desire to smoke and on tobacco withdrawal symptoms, relative to groups that were either thinking about anything they wished or actively thinking about smoking. A randomised experimental study compared the effects of three manipulations (suppressed smoking thoughts, expressed smoking thoughts and thoughts of anything they wished) on desire and withdrawal immediately after the manipulation and 5 and 10 min after. Suppressing smoking thoughts did not result in elevated subsequent desire to smoke, relative to the other manipulations. Suppressing smoking thoughts resulted in a significant elevation in hunger ratings, relative to the other manipulations, at all measurement times. There were no significant effects for the other withdrawal symptoms. Self-reported greater use of thought suppression in everyday life was significantly associated with greater desire to smoke at baseline and was associated with lower mindfulness scores. Laboratory-instructed suppression of smoking thoughts is associated with increased reports of hunger but did not lead to increases in other withdrawal symptoms or elevated desire to smoke. Reports of everyday use of thought suppression are associated with elevated desire to smoke at baseline. Further investigations need to assess the effect of suppressing smoking cravings, instead of general smoking thoughts, on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal.

Application of threshold concepts to ecological management problems: occupancy of Golden Eagles in Denali National Park, Alaska: Chapter 5

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eaton, Mitchell J.; Martin, Julien; Nichols, James D.; McIntyre, Carol; McCluskie, Maggie C.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Lubow, Bruce L.; Runge, Michael C.; Edited by Guntenspergen, Glenn R.

2014-01-01

In this chapter, we demonstrate the application of the various classes of thresholds, detailed in earlier chapters and elsewhere, via an actual but simplified natural resource management case study. We intend our example to provide the reader with the ability to recognize and apply the theoretical concepts of utility, ecological and decision thresholds to management problems through a formalized decision-analytic process. Our case study concerns the management of human recreational activities in Alaska’s Denali National Park, USA, and the possible impacts of such activities on nesting Golden Eagles, Aquila chrysaetos. Managers desire to allow visitors the greatest amount of access to park lands, provided that eagle nesting-site occupancy is maintained at a level determined to be acceptable by the managers themselves. As these two management objectives are potentially at odds, we treat minimum desired occupancy level as a utility threshold which, then, serves to guide the selection of annual management alternatives in the decision process. As human disturbance is not the only factor influencing eagle occupancy, we model nesting-site dynamics as a function of both disturbance and prey availability. We incorporate uncertainty in these dynamics by considering several hypotheses, including a hypothesis that site occupancy is affected only at a threshold level of prey abundance (i.e., an ecological threshold effect). By considering competing management objectives and accounting for two forms of thresholds in the decision process, we are able to determine the optimal number of annual nesting-site restrictions that will produce the greatest long-term benefits for both eagles and humans. Setting a utility threshold of 75 occupied sites, out of a total of 90 potential nesting sites, the optimization specified a decision threshold at approximately 80 occupied sites. At the point that current occupancy falls below 80 sites, the recommended decision is to begin restricting access to humans; above this level, it is recommended that all eagle territories be opened to human recreation. We evaluated the sensitivity of the decision threshold to uncertainty in system dynamics and to management objectives (i.e., to the utility threshold).

Dynamic subfilter-scale stress model for large-eddy simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouhi, A.; Piomelli, U.; Geurts, B. J.

2016-08-01

We present a modification of the integral length-scale approximation (ILSA) model originally proposed by Piomelli et al. [Piomelli et al., J. Fluid Mech. 766, 499 (2015), 10.1017/jfm.2015.29] and apply it to plane channel flow and a backward-facing step. In the ILSA models the length scale is expressed in terms of the integral length scale of turbulence and is determined by the flow characteristics, decoupled from the simulation grid. In the original formulation the model coefficient was constant, determined by requiring a desired global contribution of the unresolved subfilter scales (SFSs) to the dissipation rate, known as SFS activity; its value was found by a set of coarse-grid calculations. Here we develop two modifications. We de-fine a measure of SFS activity (based on turbulent stresses), which adds to the robustness of the model, particularly at high Reynolds numbers, and removes the need for the prior coarse-grid calculations: The model coefficient can be computed dynamically and adapt to large-scale unsteadiness. Furthermore, the desired level of SFS activity is now enforced locally (and not integrated over the entire volume, as in the original model), providing better control over model activity and also improving the near-wall behavior of the model. Application of the local ILSA to channel flow and a backward-facing step and comparison with the original ILSA and with the dynamic model of Germano et al. [Germano et al., Phys. Fluids A 3, 1760 (1991), 10.1063/1.857955] show better control over the model contribution in the local ILSA, while the positive properties of the original formulation (including its higher accuracy compared to the dynamic model on coarse grids) are maintained. The backward-facing step also highlights the advantage of the decoupling of the model length scale from the mesh.

A computer-based servo system for controlling isotonic contractions of muscle.

PubMed

Smith, J P; Barsotti, R J

1993-11-01

We have developed a computer-based servo system for controlling isotonic releases in muscle. This system is a composite of commercially available devices: an IBM personal computer, an analog-to-digital (A/D) board, an Akers AE801 force transducer, and a Cambridge Technology motor. The servo loop controlling the force clamp is generated by computer via the A/D board, using a program written in QuickBASIC 4.5. Results are shown that illustrate the ability of the system to clamp the force generated by either skinned cardiac trabeculae or single rabbit psoas fibers down to the resolution of the force transducer within 4 ms. This rate is independent of the level of activation of the tissue and the size of the load imposed during the release. The key to the effectiveness of the system consists of two algorithms that are described in detail. The first is used to calculate the error signal to hold force to the desired level. The second algorithm is used to calculate the appropriate gain of the servo for a particular fiber and the size of the desired load to be imposed. The results show that the described computer-based method for controlling isotonic releases in muscle represents a good compromise between simplicity and performance and is an alternative to the custom-built digital/analog servo devices currently being used in studies of muscle mechanics.

Fluoride contamination in drinking water in rural habitations of Central Rajasthan, India.

PubMed

Hussain, Ikbal; Arif, Mohd; Hussain, Jakir

2012-08-01

Fluoride concentration in groundwater sources used as major drinking water source in rural area of block Nawa (Nagaur District), Rajasthan was examined and the toxic effects by intake of excess fluoride on rural habitants were studied. In block 13, habitations (30%) were found to have fluoride concentration more than 1.5 mg/l (viz. maximum desirable limit of Indian drinking water standards IS 10500, 1999). In five habitations (11%), fluoride concentration in groundwater is at toxic level (viz. above 3.0 mg/l). The maximum fluoride concentration in the block is 5.91 mg/l from Sirsi village. As per the desirable and maximum permissible limit for fluoride in drinking water, determined by World Health Organization or by Bureau of Indian Standards, the groundwater of about 13 habitations of the studied sites is unfit for drinking purposes. Due to the higher fluoride level in drinking water, several cases of dental and skeletal fluorosis have appeared at alarming rate in this region. There is an instant need to take ameliorative steps in this region to prevent the population from fluorosis. Groundwater sources of block Nawa can be used for drinking after an effective treatment in absence of other safe source. The evaluation of various defluoridation methods on the basis of social and economical structure of India reveals that the clay pot chip, activated alumina adsorption, and Nalgonda techniques are the most promising.

PRO-ACT

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Technical product bulletin: aka OILCLEAN w/ACTIVATOR, this bioremediation agent (biological additive) used in oil spill cleanups consists of two parts: liquid microbes and activator nutrient.Works best with desired concentrations nitrogen and phosphorous

Rule-based navigation control design for autonomous flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contreras, Hugo; Bassi, Danilo

2008-04-01

This article depicts a navigation control system design that is based on a set of rules in order to follow a desired trajectory. The full control of the aircraft considered here comprises: a low level stability control loop, based on classic PID controller and the higher level navigation whose main job is to exercise lateral control (course) and altitude control, trying to follow a desired trajectory. The rules and PID gains were adjusted systematically according to the result of flight simulation. In spite of its simplicity, the rule-based navigation control proved to be robust, even with big perturbation, like crossing winds.

Mechanization of Library Procedures in the Medium-sized Medical Library: IX. Holding Statements in PHILSOM: a Study of their Activity *

PubMed Central

Beckwith, Helen K.

1970-01-01

A study was made of the serial holding statements in PHILSOM over a six-month period, in order to determine the desirability of printing the complete serial holding statements monthly. Attention was given to the frequency of internal and update changes in both active and dead entries. The results indicate that while sufficient activity is observed in active serial entries to warrant their monthly updating, dead serial entries remain constant over this period. This indicates that a large group of PHILSOM entries can be easily identified and isolated, facilitating division and independent updating of the resultant lists. The desirability of such a division, however, must also take into consideration the user's ease in handling such a segmented listing. Images PMID:5439902

Kisspeptin modulates sexual and emotional brain processing in humans.

PubMed

Comninos, Alexander N; Wall, Matthew B; Demetriou, Lysia; Shah, Amar J; Clarke, Sophie A; Narayanaswamy, Shakunthala; Nesbitt, Alexander; Izzi-Engbeaya, Chioma; Prague, Julia K; Abbara, Ali; Ratnasabapathy, Risheka; Salem, Victoria; Nijher, Gurjinder M; Jayasena, Channa N; Tanner, Mark; Bassett, Paul; Mehta, Amrish; Rabiner, Eugenii A; Hönigsperger, Christoph; Silva, Meire Ribeiro; Brandtzaeg, Ole Kristian; Lundanes, Elsa; Wilson, Steven Ray; Brown, Rachel C; Thomas, Sarah A; Bloom, Stephen R; Dhillo, Waljit S

2017-02-01

Sex, emotion, and reproduction are fundamental and tightly entwined aspects of human behavior. At a population level in humans, both the desire for sexual stimulation and the desire to bond with a partner are important precursors to reproduction. However, the relationships between these processes are incompletely understood. The limbic brain system has key roles in sexual and emotional behaviors, and is a likely candidate system for the integration of behavior with the hormonal reproductive axis. We investigated the effects of kisspeptin, a recently identified key reproductive hormone, on limbic brain activity and behavior. Using a combination of functional neuroimaging and hormonal and psychometric analyses, we compared the effects of kisspeptin versus vehicle administration in 29 healthy heterosexual young men. We demonstrated that kisspeptin administration enhanced limbic brain activity specifically in response to sexual and couple-bonding stimuli. Furthermore, kisspeptin's enhancement of limbic brain structures correlated with psychometric measures of reward, drive, mood, and sexual aversion, providing functional significance. In addition, kisspeptin administration attenuated negative mood. Collectively, our data provide evidence of an undescribed role for kisspeptin in integrating sexual and emotional brain processing with reproduction in humans. These results have important implications for our understanding of reproductive biology and are highly relevant to the current pharmacological development of kisspeptin as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with common disorders of reproductive function. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Wellcome Trust (Ref 080268), and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Administrator Perceptions of Actual and Desired Time Spent by School Psychologists in Different Roles and Satisfaction with School Psychologists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levinson, Edward M.; And Others

1996-01-01

Surveyed 512 elementary and secondary administrators regarding their perceptions of the time spent by school psychologists in 15 role functions and other duties. Results indicate that administrators desired school psychologists to spend less time in assessment and administrative activities than they were perceived to be spending in these areas.…

Teaching Desirable Environmental Ethics and Action through School Activities. ERIC/SMEAC Environmental Education Digest No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Robert W.; Disinger, John F.

One of the major goals of environmental education is developing students with positive environmental ethics and motivated to take desirable environmental actions. Research indicates that attitudes and behaviors of individuals are frequently modeled after the attitude and behavior of others. Since most youth spend 6 to 7 hours per day in school…

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

Clarke, S. D.; Hamel, M. C.; Bourne, M. M.

Active interrogation creates an environment that is particularly challenging from a radiation-detection standpoint: the elevated background levels from the source can mask the desired signatures from the SNM. Neutron based interrogation experiments have shown that nanosecond-level timing is required to discriminate induced-fission neutrons from the scattered source neutrons. Previous experiments using high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays have demonstrated the ability to induce and detect prompt photofission neutrons from single target materials; however, a real-world application would require spectroscopic capability to discern between photofission neutrons emitted by SNM and neutrons emitted by other reactions in non-SNM. Using digital pulseshape discrimination, organic liquid scintillatorsmore » are capable of reliably detecting neutrons in an intense gamma-ray field. Photon misclassification rates as low as 1 in 10 6 have been achieved, which is approaching the level of gaseous neutron detectors such as 3He without the need for neutron moderation. These scintillators also possess nanosecond-timing resolution, making them candidates for both neutron-and photon-driven active interrogation systems. Lastly, we have applied an array of liquid and NaI(Tl) scintillators to successfully image 13.7 kg of HEU interrogated by a DT neutron generator; the system was in the direct presence of the accelerator during the experiment.« less

Anti-Proliferation Effects of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) on the Progression of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

PubMed

Chung, Kyung-Sook; Shin, Su-Jin; Lee, Na Young; Cheon, Se-Yun; Park, Wansu; Sun, Seung-Ho; An, Hyo-Jin

2016-07-01

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a urologic disease that affects most of men over the age 50. But until now there is no such perfect cure without side effects. Because of diverse adverse effects, it is desirable to develop effective and long term-safety-herbal medicines to inhibit the progress of BPH. In spite of garlic's large use and a wide spectrum of studies, including anti-hyperlipidemic, cardio-protective, and anti-inflammatory activities, there was none to prove efficacy for BPH. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of garlic to prove its suppressing effects on BPH. Garlic administration decreased relative prostate weight ratio, suppressed mRNA expression level of AR, DHT serum levels, and the growth of prostatic tissue in BPH-induced rats. Moreover, garlic administration decreased the levels of inflammatory proteins, iNOS, and COX-2 in prostatic tissue. Further investigation showed that garlic induced accumulation of death-inducing signal complex and activation of AMPK and decreased the levels of anti-apoptotic proteins, such as Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and survivin. These results suggest that garlic may have suppressing effects on BPH and it has great potential to be developed as treatment for BPH. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Applications of Fisher Information to the Management of Sustainable Environmental Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, Audrey L.; Pawlowski, Christopher; Fath, Brian D.; Cabezas, Heriberto

All organisms alter their surroundings, and humans now have the ability to affect environments at increasingly larger temporal and spatial scales. Indeed, mechanical and engineering advances of the twentieth century greatly enhanced the scale of human activities. Among these are the use and redistribution of natural resources. Unfortunately, these activities can have unexpected and unintended consequences. Environmental systems often respond to these activities with diminished or lost capacity of natural function. Fortunately, environmental management can play an important role in ameliorating these negative effects. The aim is to promote sustainable development, i.e., enrichment of the lives of the majority of people without seriously degrading the diversity and richness of the environment. However, the management tools themselves often fall prey to the same narrow levels of perspective that generated the negative conditions. The challenge is to develop a system-level index, one that indicates the organization and direction of ecological system dynamics. This index could detect when the system is changing its configuration to a new, perhaps less desirable, dynamic regime and may be incorporated into a sustainable management plan for the system. In this chapter, we demonstrate the use of Fisher information (FI) as such an environmental system index.

Neural correlates of wishful thinking.

PubMed

Aue, Tatjana; Nusbaum, Howard C; Cacioppo, John T

2012-11-01

Wishful thinking (WT) implies the overestimation of the likelihood of desirable events. It occurs for outcomes of personal interest, but also for events of interest to others we like. We investigated whether WT is grounded on low-level selective attention or on higher level cognitive processes including differential weighting of evidence or response formation. Participants in our MRI study predicted the likelihood that their favorite or least favorite team would win a football game. Consistent with expectations, favorite team trials were characterized by higher winning odds. Our data demonstrated activity in a cluster comprising parts of the left inferior occipital and fusiform gyri to distinguish between favorite and least favorite team trials. More importantly, functional connectivities of this cluster with the human reward system were specifically involved in the type of WT investigated in our study, thus supporting the idea of an attention bias generating WT. Prefrontal cortex activity also distinguished between the two teams. However, activity in this region and its functional connectivities with the human reward system were altogether unrelated to the degree of WT reflected in the participants' behavior and may rather be related to social identification, ensuring the affective context necessary for WT to arise.

An adaptive-management framework for optimal control of hiking near golden eagle nests in Denali National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martin, Julien; Fackler, Paul L.; Nichols, James D.; Runge, Michael C.; McIntyre, Carol L.; Lubow, Bruce L.; McCluskie, Maggie C.; Schmutz, Joel A.

2011-01-01

Unintended effects of recreational activities in protected areas are of growing concern. We used an adaptive-management framework to develop guidelines for optimally managing hiking activities to maintain desired levels of territory occupancy and reproductive success of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in Denali National Park (Alaska, U.S.A.). The management decision was to restrict human access (hikers) to particular nesting territories to reduce disturbance. The management objective was to minimize restrictions on hikers while maintaining reproductive performance of eagles above some specified level. We based our decision analysis on predictive models of site occupancy of eagles developed using a combination of expert opinion and data collected from 93 eagle territories over 20 years. The best predictive model showed that restricting human access to eagle territories had little effect on occupancy dynamics. However, when considering important sources of uncertainty in the models, including environmental stochasticity, imperfect detection of hares on which eagles prey, and model uncertainty, restricting access of territories to hikers improved eagle reproduction substantially. An adaptive management framework such as ours may help reduce uncertainty of the effects of hiking activities on Golden Eagles

Neural correlates of wishful thinking

PubMed Central

Nusbaum, Howard C.; Cacioppo, John T.

2012-01-01

Wishful thinking (WT) implies the overestimation of the likelihood of desirable events. It occurs for outcomes of personal interest, but also for events of interest to others we like. We investigated whether WT is grounded on low-level selective attention or on higher level cognitive processes including differential weighting of evidence or response formation. Participants in our MRI study predicted the likelihood that their favorite or least favorite team would win a football game. Consistent with expectations, favorite team trials were characterized by higher winning odds. Our data demonstrated activity in a cluster comprising parts of the left inferior occipital and fusiform gyri to distinguish between favorite and least favorite team trials. More importantly, functional connectivities of this cluster with the human reward system were specifically involved in the type of WT investigated in our study, thus supporting the idea of an attention bias generating WT. Prefrontal cortex activity also distinguished between the two teams. However, activity in this region and its functional connectivities with the human reward system were altogether unrelated to the degree of WT reflected in the participants’ behavior and may rather be related to social identification, ensuring the affective context necessary for WT to arise. PMID:22198967

Effect of social desirability on adolescent girls' responses to an eating disorders prevention program.

PubMed

Tilgner, Linda; Wertheim, Eleanor H; Paxton, Susan J

2004-03-01

The current study examined whether a social desirability response bias is a source of measurement error in prevention research. Six hundred and seventy-seven female students in Grade 7 (n = 345) and Grade 8 (n = 332) were divided into either an intervention condition, in which participants watched a videotape promoting body acceptance and discouraging dieting and then discussed issues related to the video, or a control condition. Questionnaires were completed at baseline, postintervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Social desirability scores were correlated at a low but significant level with baseline body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, bulimic tendencies, intention to diet, and size discrepancy for intervention participants. Social desirability did not correlate significantly with change over time in the outcome measures. The findings suggested that changes in girls' self-reports related to a prevention program were relatively free of social desirability response bias. Copyright 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 35: 211-216, 2004.

A Prospective Investigation of Affect, the Desire to Gamble, Gambling Motivations and Gambling Behavior in the Mood Disorders.

PubMed

Quilty, Lena C; Watson, Chris; Toneatto, Tony; Bagby, R Michael

2017-03-01

Time-sampling methodology was implemented to examine the prospective associations between affect, desire to gamble, and gambling behavior in individuals diagnosed with a mood disorder. Thirty (9 male, 21 female) adults with a lifetime diagnosis of a depressive or bipolar disorder diagnosis who endorsed current gambling and lifetime gambling harm participated in the present study. Participants completed electronic diary entries of their current affective state, desire to gamble, and gambling behavior for 30 consecutive days. Hierarchical linear modelling revealed that affect was not a predictor of gambling behavior. Instead, affect predicted the desire to gamble, with high levels of sadness and arousal independently predicting an increased desire to gamble. Desire to gamble predicted actual gambling behavior. There were no differences across diagnostic groups in terms of gambling motivations at baseline; however, during the 30-day period, participants with bipolar disorder endorsed gambling to cope with negative affect more often than did participants with depressive disorder, whereas those with depressive disorder more often endorsed gambling for social reasons or enhancement of positive affect. The present findings provide evidence that negative affect is not directly related to actual gambling behavior, and suggest that affective states rather impact the desire to gamble.

A miniature Rotary Compressor with a 1:10 compression ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, Olly; Tabota, Eugene; Arbon EurIng, Ian; FIMechE, CEng

2015-08-01

Micro compressors have applications in medical devices, robotics and “nanosatellites”. The problem of active cooling for photo detectors in “nano-satellites” becomes more important because the majority of space missions target Earth observation, and passive cooling does not provide the required temperatures to achieve the desired SNR levels. Reciprocating compressors used in cryocoolers cause vibrations. VERT Rotors has built an ultralow-vibration rotary compressor with 40mm-long screws, and our prototype delivered 1:10 compression ratio. This “nano” compressor is a non-conventional conical type consisting of an Inner conical screw rotor revolving inside an Outer screw rotor.

Predictors of sports motivation among gay and bisexual men.

PubMed

Zamboni, Brian D; Crawford, Isiaah; Carrico, Adam W

2008-01-01

Athletic activities are associated with reduced levels of stress and negative mood states among heterosexuals; thus, examining this association among gay/bisexual men is warranted. The current study examined the relationship between sports motivation and mood states, self-esteem, body esteem, life satisfaction, perceptions of masculinity/femininity, and parental encouragement for athletic endeavors among 195 gay/bisexual men. The results were mixed, but suggest that sports participation among gay/bisexual men may relate to a desire to express their masculinity and maintain a positive body image. Gay/bisexual men may be more likely to participate in sports if they receive positive reinforcement from others.

Cross-cultural comparison of motor competence in children from Australia and Belgium

PubMed Central

Bardid, Farid; Rudd, James R.; Lenoir, Matthieu; Polman, Remco; Barnett, Lisa M.

2015-01-01

Motor competence in childhood is an important determinant of physical activity and physical fitness in later life. However, childhood competence levels in many countries are lower than desired. Due to the many different motor skill instruments in use, children's motor competence across countries is rarely compared. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the motor competence of children from Australia and Belgium using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK). The sample consisted of 244 (43.4% boys) Belgian children and 252 (50.0% boys) Australian children, aged 6–8 years. A MANCOVA for the motor scores showed a significant country effect. Belgian children scored higher on jumping sideways, moving sideways and hopping for height but not for balancing backwards. Moreover, a Chi squared test revealed significant differences between the Belgian and Australian score distribution with 21.3% Belgian and 39.3% Australian children scoring “below average.” The very low levels reported by Australian children may be the result of cultural differences in physical activity contexts such as physical education and active transport. When compared to normed scores, both samples scored significantly worse than children 40 years ago. The decline in children's motor competence is a global issue, largely influenced by increasing sedentary behavior and a decline in physical activity. PMID:26217282

Method for determining molten metal pool level in twin-belt continuous casting machines

DOEpatents

Kaiser, Timothy D.; Daniel, Sabah S.; Dykes, Charles D.

1989-03-21

A method for determining level of molten metal in the input of a continuous metal casting machine having at least one endless, flexible, revolving casting belt with a surface which engages the molten metal to be cast and a reverse, cooled surface along which is directed high velocity liquid coolant includes the steps of predetermining the desired range of positions of the molten metal pool and positioning at least seven heat-sensing transducers in bearing contact with the moving reverse belt surface and spaced in upstream-downstream relationship relative to belt travel spanning the desired pool levels. A predetermined temperature threshold is set, somewhat above coolant temperature and the output signals of the transducer sensors are scanned regarding their output signals indicative of temperatures of the moving reverse belt surface. Position of the molten pool is determined using temperature interpolation between any successive pair of upstream-downstream spaced sensors, which follows confirmation that two succeeding downstream sensors are at temperature levels exceeding threshold temperature. The method accordingly provides high resolution for determining pool position, and verifies the determined position by utilizing full-strength signals from two succeeding downstream sensors. In addition, dual sensors are used at each position spanning the desired range of molten metal pool levels to provide redundancy, wherein only the higher temperature of each pair of sensors at a station is utilized.

Corticostriatal and Dopaminergic Response to Beer Flavor with Both fMRI and [(11) C]raclopride Positron Emission Tomography.

PubMed

Oberlin, Brandon G; Dzemidzic, Mario; Harezlak, Jaroslaw; Kudela, Maria A; Tran, Stella M; Soeurt, Christina M; Yoder, Karmen K; Kareken, David A

2016-09-01

Cue-evoked drug-seeking behavior likely depends on interactions between frontal activity and ventral striatal (VST) dopamine (DA) transmission. Using [(11) C]raclopride (RAC) positron emission tomography (PET), we previously demonstrated that beer flavor (absent intoxication) elicited VST DA release in beer drinkers, inferred by RAC displacement. Here, a subset of subjects from this previous RAC-PET study underwent a similar paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test how orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and VST blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses to beer flavor are related to VST DA release and motivation to drink. Male beer drinkers (n = 28, age = 24 ± 2, drinks/wk = 16 ± 10) from our previous PET study participated in a similar fMRI paradigm wherein subjects tasted their most frequently consumed brand of beer and Gatorade(®) (appetitive control). We tested for correlations between BOLD activation in fMRI and VST DA responses in PET, and drinking-related variables. Compared to Gatorade, beer flavor increased wanting and desire to drink, and induced BOLD responses in bilateral OFC and right VST. Wanting and desire to drink correlated with both right VST and medial OFC BOLD activation to beer flavor. Like the BOLD findings, beer flavor (relative to Gatorade) again induced right VST DA release in this fMRI subject subset, but there was no correlation between DA release and the magnitude of BOLD responses in frontal regions of interest. Both imaging modalities showed a right-lateralized VST response (BOLD and DA release) to a drug-paired conditioned stimulus, whereas fMRI BOLD responses in the VST and medial OFC also reflected wanting and desire to drink. The data suggest the possibility that responses to drug-paired cues may be rightward biased in the VST (at least in right-handed males) and that VST and OFC responses in this gustatory paradigm reflect stimulus wanting. Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Desire for female sterilization among women wishing to limit births in rural Rakai, Uganda.

PubMed

Lutalo, Tom; Gray, Ron; Mathur, Sanyukta; Wawer, Maria; Guwatudde, David; Santelli, John; Nalugoda, Fred; Makumbi, Fredrick

2015-11-01

Uganda has an unmet need for family planning of 34% and a total fertility rate of 6.2. We assessed the desire for female sterilization among sexually active women who wanted to stop childbearing in rural Rakai district, Uganda. 7192 sexually active women enrolled in a community cohort between 2002 and 2008 were asked about fertility intentions. Those stating that they did not want another child (limiters) were asked whether they would be willing to accept female sterilization, if available. Trends in desire for sterilization were determined by chi-square test for trend, and Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals of the associations between desire for sterilization and socio-demographic characteristics and HIV status. From 2002 to 2008, the proportion of limiters dropped (from 47.2% to 43.7%; p<.01). Use of pills and injectables among limiters significantly increased, 38.9% to 50.3% (p<.0001), while use of intrauterine devices and implants declined from 3.3% to 1.7% (p<0.001). The desire for sterilization significantly increased from 54.2% to 63.1% (p<0.0001), and this was consistently higher among the HIV-positive (63.6-70.9%, p<0.01) than HIV-negative women (53.3-61.2%, p<0.0001). Factors significantly associated with the desire for sterilization included higher number of living children (>=3), being HIV-infected and having received HIV counseling and testing. There is latent and growing desire for sterilization in this population. Our findings suggest a need to increase permanent contraception services for women who want to limit childbearing in this setting. A large unmet need for permanent female contraception services exists in Uganda. Efforts to increase the method mix by increasing permanent contraception services could reduce fertility rates and undesired births. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of Tribulus Terrestris for the treatment of premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

Vale, Fabiene Bernardes Castro; Zanolla Dias de Souza, Karla; Rezende, Camilla Russi; Geber, Selmo

2018-05-01

Although hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most common sexual complaint, there is no consensus for the ideal treatment. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of treating premenopausal women with HSDD with Tribulus terrestris and its effect on the serum levels of testosterone. We performed a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, with 40 premenopausal women reporting diminished libido, receiving T. terrestris or placebo. The questionnaires FSFI and the QS-F were used to evaluate sexual dysfunction before and after treatment. Patients treated with T. terrestris experienced improvement in total score of FSFI (p < .001) and domains "desire" (p < .001), "sexual arousal" (p = .005), "lubrication" (p = .001), "orgasm" (p <.001), "pain" (p = .030) and "satisfaction" (p = .001). Treatment with placebo did not improve the scores for the "lubrication" and "pain". QS-F scores showed that patients using T. terrestris had improvements in "desire" (p = .012), "sexual arousal/lubrication" (p = .002), "pain" (p = .031), "orgasm" (p = .004) and "satisfaction" (p = .001). Women treated with placebo did not score improvements. Women receiving T. terrestris had increased levels of free (p = .046) and bioavailable (p < .048) testosterone. T. terrestris might be a safe alternative for the treatment of premenopausal women with HSDD as it was effective in reducing the symptoms, probably due to an increase in the serum levels of free and bioavailable testosterone.

Emotional regulation of fertility decision making: what is the nature and structure of "baby fever"?

PubMed

Brase, Gary L; Brase, Sandra L

2012-10-01

Baby fever-a visceral physical and emotional desire to have a baby-is well known in popular culture, but has not been empirically studied in psychology. Different theoretical perspectives suggest that desire for a baby is either superfluous to biological sex drives and maternal instincts, a sociocultural phenomenon unrelated to biological or evolutionary forces, or an evolved adpatation for regulating birth timing, proceptive behavior, and life history trajectories. A series of studies (involving 337 undergraduate participants and 853 participants from a general population Internet sample) found that: (a) a simple scale measure could elicit ratings of desire frequency; (b) these ratings exhibited significant sex differences; (c) this sex difference was distinct from a general desire for sexual activity; and (d) these findings generalize to a more diverse online population. Factor analyses of ratings for desire elicitors/inhibitors identified three primary factors underlying baby fever. Baby fever appears to be a real phenomenon, with an underlying multifactorial structure.

Demographic and Developmental Differences in the Content and Sequence of Adolescents’ Ideal Romantic Relationship Behaviors

PubMed Central

Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Goldberg, Shoshana K.; Widman, Laura; Reese, Bianka M.; Halpern, Carolyn T.

2015-01-01

This study utilizes data from 18,392 respondents (aged 12–19) in Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to provide a detailed descriptive analysis of U.S. adolescents’ desired behaviors in their ideal romantic relationships. Age, gender, and ethnic group differences in the desire for—and preferred sequence of—a set of activities that could occur in a hypothetical romantic relationship were explored within subsets of heterosexual (n=17,274) and sexual minority adolescents (n=1,118). Non-sexual behaviors were more commonly desired compared to sexual behaviors. The typical desired behavioral sequence was: holding hands, going out alone, telling others they were a couple, kissing, saying “I love you,” sexual touching, and finally having sex. Overall, more similarities than differences emerged across groups, with some notable differences in the percentages who desired sexual behaviors. Results provide a nuanced picture of adolescent relationship scripts, with implications for education and prevention. PMID:26431691

The desire for sons and excess fertility: a household-level analysis of parity progression in India.

PubMed

Chaudhuri, Sanjukta

2012-12-01

The desire for sons often influences fertility behavior in India. Women with a small number or low proportion of sons may be more likely than other women to continue childbearing. Data from India's 2005-2006 National Family Health Survey were used to examine several hypotheses regarding the association between sex composition of children and parity progression among parous women aged 35-49. Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression analysis that controlled for possible confounders were performed separately by parity. Women with more sons than daughters were generally less likely than those with more daughters than sons to continue childbearing; parity progression driven by the desire for sons accounted for 7% of births. At any given parity, the last-born child of women who had stopped childbearing was more likely to be a son than a daughter (sex ratios, 133-157). In multivariate analyses, women without any sons were more likely than women without any daughters to continue childbearing at parities 1-4 (odds ratios, 1.4-4.5). At most or all parities, continued childbearing was positively associated with having had a child who died, and negatively associated with levels of women's education and media exposure and with household wealth. The desire for sons appears to be a significant motivation for parity progression. Although population policies that reduce family size are essential, also imperative are policies that reduce desire for sons by challenging the perception that sons are more valuable than daughters.

Dental esthetic satisfaction, received and desired dental treatments for improvement of esthetics.

PubMed

Akarslan, Zühre Zafersoy; Sadik, Burak; Erten, Hüya; Karabulut, Erdem

2009-01-01

The purposes of this research were to investigate factors influencing patients' satisfaction with their present dental esthetic, received previous dental treatments on anterior teeth and basic treatments that they wanted to undergo to improve their dental appearance. A total of 1014 patients who attended a dental school in a major city in Turkey participated in the study. The participants were surveyed with a questionnaire containing questions about gender, age, education level, self-reported tooth appearance, received previous dental treatments on anterior teeth and desired basic esthetic dental treatments. Statistical analysis of the verifying data was made with descriptive statistics, chi2 test and multiple logistic regression analyses. According to the analyses of the verifying data, 55.1% of the patients were dissatisfied with the color of their teeth, 42.7% with dental appearance, 29.9% with crowding of anterior teeth, 23.3% were hiding teeth while smiling, 16.1% had non-esthetic restorations and 11.9% thought that their anterior teeth were protruding. Esthetic restoration was found to be the most-performed treatment recently (29.0%) and whitening of teeth was the most-desired dental treatment (49.0%). Gender, age and education level had an effect on satisfaction and received previous and desired dental treatments for improvement of esthetics. Many of the Turkish patients surveyed in the study were dissatisfied and desired the improvement of dental esthetics. Therefore, dentists should consider this as an important dimension in their practice.

Bayesian enhancement two-stage design for single-arm phase II clinical trials with binary and time-to-event endpoints.

PubMed

Shi, Haolun; Yin, Guosheng

2018-02-21

Simon's two-stage design is one of the most commonly used methods in phase II clinical trials with binary endpoints. The design tests the null hypothesis that the response rate is less than an uninteresting level, versus the alternative hypothesis that the response rate is greater than a desirable target level. From a Bayesian perspective, we compute the posterior probabilities of the null and alternative hypotheses given that a promising result is declared in Simon's design. Our study reveals that because the frequentist hypothesis testing framework places its focus on the null hypothesis, a potentially efficacious treatment identified by rejecting the null under Simon's design could have only less than 10% posterior probability of attaining the desirable target level. Due to the indifference region between the null and alternative, rejecting the null does not necessarily mean that the drug achieves the desirable response level. To clarify such ambiguity, we propose a Bayesian enhancement two-stage (BET) design, which guarantees a high posterior probability of the response rate reaching the target level, while allowing for early termination and sample size saving in case that the drug's response rate is smaller than the clinically uninteresting level. Moreover, the BET design can be naturally adapted to accommodate survival endpoints. We conduct extensive simulation studies to examine the empirical performance of our design and present two trial examples as applications. © 2018, The International Biometric Society.

Application of Mensuration Technology to Improve the Accuracy of Field Artillery Firing Unit Location

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-13

8 U.S. Army Field Artillery Operations ............................................................................ 8 Geodesy ...Experts in this field of study have a full working knowledge of geodesy and the theory that allows mensuration to surpass the level of accuracy achieved...desired. (2) Fire that is intended to achieve the desired result on target.”6 Geodesy : “that branch of applied mathematics which determines by observation

Designing Inter-Organisational Collectivities for Dynamic Fit: Stability, maneuvrability and Application in Disaster Relief Endeavours

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

changed consumer preferences . Hence, static stability limits initial performance deviation (e.g., maintaining desired airplane altitude, maintaining...by changed consumer preferences . Hence, dynamic stability limits the duration of performance deviation (e.g., maintaining desired airplane altitude...altitude from wind gust. Initial resistance to deviation in profit level from change in consumer preferences . Dynamic stability Quickness of a

Professional burnout syndrome in doctors of surgical specialties in Ukraine: causes, consequences, labor optimization ways.

PubMed

Skurupii, Dmytro A; Kholod, Dmytro A; Sonnik, Evgen G

The professional burnout syndrome (PBS) affects quality of medical care provision for people, which is acquires the special actuality in terms of reforming the health care system. To study ways to improve the efficiency of doctors of surgical specialties based on analyzes of PBS and its consequences. A survey of psychological tests and 62 surgical doctors was carried out. It was found out that the PBS reaches a peak after 11 to 15 years of working experience. Anesthesiologists have high levels of PBS, emotional exhaustion, cynicism, low desire for career growth, frequent misunderstanding with the administration, they prefer 8-hour working day, and relieve stress by sleeping and consuming alcohol. Obstetrician-gynecologists show moderate level of PBS and emotional exhaustion, high degree of cynicism, strong desire for career growth, frequent misunderstandings with patients and their relatives, prefer 8-hour working day, relieve stress by smoking and socializing with family and friends. Traumatic surgeons have moderate level of PBS, emotional exhaustion, high degree of cynicism, strong desire for career growth, frequent misunderstandings with their colleagues of related specialties, prefer the 24-hour working day, and reli eve their stress with alcohol and sports. Surgeons have moderate level of PBS, emotional exhaustion, low degree of cynicism, moderate desire for career growth, frequent misunderstandings with their colleagues of related specialties, prefer the 8-hour working day, and relieve stress by smoking and sleeping. PBS is most expressed in doctors having working experience of 11 to 15 years and in anesthesiologists. They get professional deformations. These features should be considered in course of organization of working process of medical teams.

Physical Activity and Lipid Profile in the ELSA-Brasil Study

PubMed Central

da Silva, Raquel Caroline; Diniz, Maria de Fátima Haueisen Sander; Alvim, Sheila; Vidigal, Pedro Guatimosim; Fedeli, Ligia Maria Giongo; Barreto, Sandhi Maria

2016-01-01

Background Regular physical activity (PA) induces desirable changes in plasma levels of high- and low-density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL, respectively) and triglycerides (TG), important risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases. However, doubts whether intensity and duration have equivalent benefits remain. Objective To assess the association of PA intensity and duration with HDL, LDL and TG levels. Methods Cross-sectional study with 12,688 participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) baseline, who were not on lipid-lowering medication. After adjustment for important covariates, multiple linear regression was used to assess the association of PA intensity and duration with HDL, LDL and TG (natural logarithm) levels. Results Both moderate and vigorous PA and PA practice ≥ 150 min/week were significantly associated with higher HDL and lower TG levels. Vigorous PA was associated with lower LDL only on univariate analysis. After adjustments, moderate and vigorous PA increased mean HDL level by 0.89 mg/dL and 1.71 mg/dL, respectively, and reduced TG geometric mean by 0.98 mg/dL and 0.93 mg/dL, respectively. PA practice ≥ 150 min/week increased mean HDL level by 1.05 mg/dL, and decreased TG geometric mean by 0.98 mg/dL. Conclusion Our findings reinforce the benefits of both PA parameters studied on HDL and TG levels, with a slight advantage for vigorous PA as compared to the recommendation based only on PA duration. PMID:27355470

A Content Analysis of Functional Recovery Strategies of Breast Cancer Survivors

PubMed Central

Lyons, Kathleen D.; Svensborn, Ingrid A.; Kornblith, Alice B.; Hegel, Mark T.

2015-01-01

Seventeen breast cancer survivors completed a six-week, telephone-delivered, Behavioral Activation/Problem-solving intervention designed to reduce participation restrictions. A content analysis of the session data was conducted to identify the goals and patterns of goal attainment, in order to understand what women were trying to achieve in their recovery. The 17 women set 141 goals. Sixty-six (47%) of the goals reflected a desire to add a new activity to their routine and 75 (53%) of the goals reflected a desire to perform a routine activity more efficiently. The women set goals to address challenges in exercising (24%), work (13%), nutrition (11%), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs; 10%), stress management (9%), and social activities (9%). The women set an average of 8 goals and met 71% of their goals. The intervention shows promise in helping women set and achieve a number of functional goals as part of breast cancer recovery. PMID:26460469

Neural response to visual sexual cues in dopamine treatment-linked hypersexuality in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Politis, Marios; Loane, Clare; Wu, Kit; O'Sullivan, Sean S; Woodhead, Zoe; Kiferle, Lorenzo; Lawrence, Andrew D; Lees, Andrew J; Piccini, Paola

2013-02-01

Hypersexuality with compulsive sexual behaviour is a significant source of morbidity for patients with Parkinson's disease receiving dopamine replacement therapies. We know relatively little about the pathophysiology of hypersexuality in Parkinson's disease, and it is unknown how visual sexual stimuli, similar to the portrayals of sexuality in the mainstream mass media may affect the brain and behaviour in such susceptible individuals. Here, we have studied a group of 12 patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality using a functional magnetic resonance imaging block design exposing participants to both sexual, other reward-related and neutral visual cues. We hypothesized that exposure to visual sexual cues would trigger increased sexual desire in patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality that would correspond to changes in brain activity in regions linked to dopaminergically stimulated sexual motivation. Patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality were scanned ON and OFF dopamine drugs, and their results were compared with a group of 12 Parkinson's disease control patients without hypersexuality or other impulse control disorders. Exposure to sexual cues significantly increased sexual desire and hedonic responses in the Parkinson's disease hypersexuality group compared with the Parkinson's disease control patients. These behavioural changes corresponded to significant blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes in regions within limbic, paralimbic, temporal, occipital, somatosensory and prefrontal cortices that correspond to emotional, cognitive, autonomic, visual and motivational processes. The functional imaging data showed that the hypersexuality patients' increased sexual desire correlated with enhanced activations in the ventral striatum, and cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices. When the patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality were OFF medication, the functional imaging data showed decreases in activation during the presentation of sexual cues relative to rest. These deactivations were not observed when the patients were ON medication, suggesting that dopamine drugs may release inhibition within local neuronal circuits in the cerebral cortex that may contribute to compulsive sexual behaviour. The findings of this study have implications with respect to the potential influence of cue exposure via exposure to mass media in enhancing libido, which in this group of vulnerable patients can lead to devastating social consequences and occasionally, custodial sentences. Stimulation through exposure to sexual visual cues in patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality provides a motivational impetus for seeking this reward behaviour through activations and deactivations of cerebral cortex.

Computing moment to moment BOLD activation for real-time neurofeedback

PubMed Central

Hinds, Oliver; Ghosh, Satrajit; Thompson, Todd W.; Yoo, Julie J.; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Triantafyllou, Christina; Gabrieli, John D.E.

2013-01-01

Estimating moment to moment changes in blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activation levels from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data has applications for learned regulation of regional activation, brain state monitoring, and brain-machine interfaces. In each of these contexts, accurate estimation of the BOLD signal in as little time as possible is desired. This is a challenging problem due to the low signal-to-noise ratio of fMRI data. Previous methods for real-time fMRI analysis have either sacrificed the ability to compute moment to moment activation changes by averaging several acquisitions into a single activation estimate or have sacrificed accuracy by failing to account for prominent sources of noise in the fMRI signal. Here we present a new method for computing the amount of activation present in a single fMRI acquisition that separates moment to moment changes in the fMRI signal intensity attributable to neural sources from those due to noise, resulting in a feedback signal more reflective of neural activation. This method computes an incremental general linear model fit to the fMRI timeseries, which is used to calculate the expected signal intensity at each new acquisition. The difference between the measured intensity and the expected intensity is scaled by the variance of the estimator in order to transform this residual difference into a statistic. Both synthetic and real data were used to validate this method and compare it to the only other published real-time fMRI method. PMID:20682350

Individual differences in epistemic motivation and brain conflict monitoring activity.

PubMed

Kossowska, Małgorzata; Czarnek, Gabriela; Wronka, Eligiusz; Wyczesany, Miroslaw; Bukowski, Marcin

2014-06-06

It is well documented that motivation toward closure (NFC), defined as a desire for a quick and unambiguous answer to a question and an aversion to uncertainty, is linked to more structured, rigid, and persistent cognitive styles. However, the neurocognitive correlates of NFC have never been tested. Thus, using event-related potentials, we examined the hypothesis that NFC is associated with the neurocognitive process for detecting discrepancies between response tendencies and higher level intentions. We found that greater NFC is associated with lower conflict-related anterior cingulate activity, suggesting lower sensitivity to cues for altering a habitual response pattern and lower sensitivity to committing errors. This study provides evidence that high NFC acts as a bulwark against anxiety-producing uncertainty and minimizes the experience of error. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An adaptive multi-feature segmentation model for infrared image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tingting; Han, Jin; Zhang, Yi; Bai, Lianfa

2016-04-01

Active contour models (ACM) have been extensively applied to image segmentation, conventional region-based active contour models only utilize global or local single feature information to minimize the energy functional to drive the contour evolution. Considering the limitations of original ACMs, an adaptive multi-feature segmentation model is proposed to handle infrared images with blurred boundaries and low contrast. In the proposed model, several essential local statistic features are introduced to construct a multi-feature signed pressure function (MFSPF). In addition, we draw upon the adaptive weight coefficient to modify the level set formulation, which is formed by integrating MFSPF with local statistic features and signed pressure function with global information. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can make up for the inadequacy of the original method and get desirable results in segmenting infrared images.

The pursuit of optimal distinctiveness and consumer preferences.

PubMed

He, Lingnan; Cong, Feng; Liu, Yanping; Zhou, Xinyue

2010-10-01

This article investigates the effect of optimal distinctiveness on consumer product consumption. The authors argue that consumers acquire and display material possessions to restore their optimal levels of distinctiveness. Results showed that placing consumers in a state of low distinctiveness increased desire to acquire distinctive products, whereas perceptions of high distinctiveness reduced desire to acquire such products. Consumers' desire for distinctiveness-related products held true for various consumer choices, including willingness to pay more for limited-edition products and preference for unpopular gifts. This finding has implications for understanding consumer choice in expressing identity. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Sports and disability.

PubMed

Wilson, Pamela E; Clayton, Gerald H

2010-03-01

Participation in recreational and competitive sports at an early age has long been touted as a positive influence on growth and development, and for fostering lifelong healthy lifestyles. The benefits of an active lifestyle include not only fitness, but the promotion of a sense of inclusion and improved self-esteem. These benefits are well documented in all populations, and their importance has been summarized in the recent Healthy People 2010 guidelines. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently produced a summary statement on the benefits of activity for disabled children. They note that children with disabilities tend to have an overall lower level of fitness and an increased level of obesity. For this population, developing a lifelong desire to be active can be a simple means for limiting illness and much of the morbidity associated with sedentary lifestyles often associated with disability. For disabled youth, participation in disabled sports programs available nationally and internationally can be an effective means to promote such precepts. The goal of this focused review is to improve the learner's knowledge of the positive impact that active lifestyles can have on overall health in the disabled youth population and, as a result, modify their practice by incorporating recreational and competitive sport activities as part of improving overall patient care. Copyright 2010 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

National Strategic Planning: Linking DIMEFIL/PMESII to a Theory of Victory

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

theoretical and one practical, and both are interlinked, The theoretical problem is the lack of a mental framework tying the desired end state...mental framework tying the desired end state (usually broadly stated) to the activities undertaken with the instruments of national power. This is a... FRAMEWORK TO DIMEFIL/PMESII ............ 39 CHAPTER 4. HOLY GRAIL OR WITCHES’ BREW? RECORDING REASONING IN SOFTWARE

Evaluations of Conflicts Between Latino Values and Autonomy Desires Among Puerto Rican Adolescents.

PubMed

Villalobos Solís, Myriam; Smetana, Judith G; Tasopoulos-Chan, Marina

2017-09-01

Puerto Rican adolescents (N = 105; M age  = 15.97 years, SD = 1.40) evaluated hypothetical situations describing conflicts between Latino values (family obligations and respeto) and autonomy desires regarding personal, friendship, and dating activities. Adolescents judged that peers should prioritize Latino values over autonomy, which led to greater feelings of pride than happiness. However, they believed that teens would prioritize autonomy over Latino values, which led to greater feelings of happiness than pride. Adolescents reasoned about autonomy desires as personal issues, whereas reasoning about Latino values was multifaceted, including references to conventions and concerns for others. Furthermore, judgments and reasoning depended on the type of autonomy desire and Latino value and sometimes, by participants' age and sex. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Seed-based expression systems for plant molecular farming.

PubMed

Boothe, Joseph; Nykiforuk, Cory; Shen, Yin; Zaplachinski, Steven; Szarka, Steven; Kuhlman, Philip; Murray, Elizabeth; Morck, Douglas; Moloney, Maurice M

2010-06-01

The evolution of the seed system provides enormous adaptability to the gymnosperms and angiosperms, because of the properties of dormancy, nutrient storage and seedling vigour. Many of the unique properties of seeds can be exploited in molecular farming applications, particularly where it is desirable to produce large quantities of a recombinant protein. Seeds of transgenic plants have been widely used to generate a raw material for the extraction and isolation of proteins and polypeptides, which can be processed into valuable biopharmaceuticals. The factors that control high-level accumulation of recombinant proteins in seed are reviewed in the following paragraphs. These include promoters and enhancers, which regulate transcript abundance. However, it is shown that subcellular trafficking and targeting of the desired polypeptides or proteins play a crucial role in their accumulation at economically useful levels. Seeds have proven to be versatile hosts for recombinant proteins of all types, including peptides or short and long polypeptides as well as complex, noncontiguous proteins like antibodies and other immunoglobulins. The extraction and recovery of recombinant proteins from seeds is greatly assisted by their dormancy properties, because this allows for long-term stability of stored products including recombinant proteins and a decoupling of processing from the growth and harvest cycles. Furthermore, the low water content and relatively low bioload of seeds help greatly in designing cost-effective manufacturing processes for the desired active pharmaceutical ingredient. The development of cGMP processes based on seed-derived materials has only been attempted by a few groups to date, but we provide a review of the key issues and criteria based on interactions with Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. This article uses 'case studies' to highlight the utility of seeds as vehicles for pharmaceutical production including: insulin, human growth hormone, lysozyme and lactoferrin. These examples serve to illustrate the preclinical and, in one case, clinical information required to move these plant-derived molecules through the research phase and into the regulatory pathway en route to eventual approval.

Active Learning Strategies in Face-to-Face Courses. IDEA Paper #53

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millis, Barbara J.

2012-01-01

As numerous research studies suggest, teachers who desire increased student learning should adopt active learning. This article explores the research, defines active learning, discusses its value, offers suggestions for implementing it, and provides six concrete examples of active learning approaches: Thinking-Aloud Pair Problem-Solving;…

Requirements for the Entry Level Librarian.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creth, Sheila; Harders, Faith

1980-01-01

Presents the expectations of academic research libraries in the hiring of entry level librarians relative to academic and work experience. Results of a survey indicate that skills in management, automation, research, and writing are highly desirable. (RAA)

When helping helps: exploring health benefits of cancer survivors participating in for-cause physical activity events.

PubMed

Umstattd Meyer, M Renée; Meyer, Andrew R; Wu, Cindy; Bernhart, John

2018-05-29

Over 15.5 million Americans live with cancer and 5-year survival rates have risen to 69%. Evidence supports important health benefits of regular physical activity for cancer survivors, including increased strength and quality of life, and reduced fatigue, recurrence, and mortality. However, physical activity participation among cancer survivors remains low. Cancer organizations provide various resources and support for cancer survivors, including emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. Many cancer organizations, like the LIVESTRONG Foundation, support the cancer community by sponsoring and hosting for-cause physical activity events, providing opportunities for anyone (including cancer survivors) to "help"/support those living with cancer. The concept of helping others has been positively related with wellbeing, physical activity, and multiple health behaviors for those helping. However, the role of helping others has not been examined in the context of being physically active to help others or its relationship with overall physical activity and quality of life among those helping. Therefore, we developed a path model to examine relationships between cancer survivors' (1) desire to help others with cancer, (2) physically active LIVESTRONG participation to help others, (3) regular physical activity engagement, and (4) quality of life. In 2010, 3257 cancer survivors responded to an online survey sent to all people involved with the LIVESTRONG organization at any level. The hypothesized path model was tested using path analysis (Mplus 8). After list-wise deletion of missing responses, our final sample size was 3122 (61.8% female, mean age: 48.2 years [SD = 12.7]). Results indicated that the model yielded perfect fit indexes. Controlling for age, sex, income, and survivorship length, desire to help was positively related with physically active LIVESTRONG participation (β = .11, p < .001), which was positively related with regular physical activity (β = .30, p < .001), and regular physical activity was positively related with quality of life (β = .194, p < .001). Results suggest that cancer survivors can benefit from participating in for-cause physical activity events, including more regular physical activity. Researchers need to further investigate the role of helping others when examining health behaviors and outcomes, and cancer organizations should continue encouraging cancer survivors to help others by participating in physical activity events.

[Effect of social desirability on dietary intake estimated from a food questionnaire].

PubMed

Barros, Renata; Moreira, Pedro; Oliveira, Bruno

2005-01-01

Self-report of dietary intake could be biased by social thus affecting risk estimates in epidemiological studies. The objective of study was to assess the effect of social desirability on dietary intake from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). A convenience sample of 483 Portuguese university students was recruited. Subjects were invited to complete a two-part self-administered questionnaire: the first part included the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (M-CSDS), a physical activity questionnaire and self-reported height and weight; the second part, included a semi-quantitative FFQ validated for Portuguese adults, that should be returned after fulfillment. All subjects completed the first part of the questionnaire and 40.4% returned the FFQ fairly completed. In multiple regression analysis, after adjustment for energy and confounders, social desirability produced a significant positive effect in the estimates of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium and potassium, in both genders. In multiple regression, after adjustment for energy and confounders, social desirability had a significant positive effect in the estimates of vegetable consumption, for both genders, and a negative effect in white bread and beer, for women. Social desirability affected nutritional and food intake estimated from a food frequency questionnaire.

Boycunts and bonus holes: trans men's bodies, neoliberalism, and the sexual productivity of genitals.

PubMed

Edelman, Elijah Adiv; Zimman, Lal

2014-01-01

Recent theorizations of trans embodiment have brought attention to the ways neoliberalism limits the productivity of nonnormatively gendered bodies. This article deals with the discursive framing of embodiment and sexual desirability among trans men and other transmasculine persons negotiating Internet-mediated homoerotic spaces. Micro-level analysis of discourse structure and macro-level analysis of socio-political context together show how trans men navigate homonormative sexual economies by linguistically recuperating their bodies' sexually productivity. Instead of undermining claims of embodied masculinity and homoerotic value, potential sites of exclusion-i.e., trans genitals-become sites of flexible accumulation that enhance rather than detract from their bearers' desirability.

On-line measurement of heat of combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaturvedi, S. K.; Chegini, H.

1988-01-01

An experimental method for an on-line measurement of heat of combustion of a gaseous hydrocarbon fuel mixture of unknown composition is developed. It involves combustion of a test gas with a known quantity of air to achieve a predetermined oxygen concentration level in the combustion products. This is accomplished by a feedback controller which maintains the gas volumetric flow rate at a level consistent with the desired oxygen concentration in the products. The heat of combustion is determined from a known correlation with the gas volumetric flow rate. An on-line microcomputer accesses the gas volumetric flow data, and displays the heat of combustion values at desired time intervals.

Characterization study of an intensified complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor active pixel sensor.

PubMed

Griffiths, J A; Chen, D; Turchetta, R; Royle, G J

2011-03-01

An intensified CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) has been constructed for operation in low-light-level applications: a high-gain, fast-light decay image intensifier has been coupled via a fiber optic stud to a prototype "VANILLA" APS, developed by the UK based MI3 consortium. The sensor is capable of high frame rates and sparse readout. This paper presents a study of the performance parameters of the intensified VANILLA APS system over a range of image intensifier gain levels when uniformly illuminated with 520 nm green light. Mean-variance analysis shows the APS saturating around 3050 Digital Units (DU), with the maximum variance increasing with increasing image intensifier gain. The system's quantum efficiency varies in an exponential manner from 260 at an intensifier gain of 7.45 × 10(3) to 1.6 at a gain of 3.93 × 10(1). The usable dynamic range of the system is 60 dB for intensifier gains below 1.8 × 10(3), dropping to around 40 dB at high gains. The conclusion is that the system shows suitability for the desired application.

Characterization study of an intensified complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor active pixel sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, J. A.; Chen, D.; Turchetta, R.; Royle, G. J.

2011-03-01

An intensified CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) has been constructed for operation in low-light-level applications: a high-gain, fast-light decay image intensifier has been coupled via a fiber optic stud to a prototype "VANILLA" APS, developed by the UK based MI3 consortium. The sensor is capable of high frame rates and sparse readout. This paper presents a study of the performance parameters of the intensified VANILLA APS system over a range of image intensifier gain levels when uniformly illuminated with 520 nm green light. Mean-variance analysis shows the APS saturating around 3050 Digital Units (DU), with the maximum variance increasing with increasing image intensifier gain. The system's quantum efficiency varies in an exponential manner from 260 at an intensifier gain of 7.45 × 103 to 1.6 at a gain of 3.93 × 101. The usable dynamic range of the system is 60 dB for intensifier gains below 1.8 × 103, dropping to around 40 dB at high gains. The conclusion is that the system shows suitability for the desired application.

Transparent self-cleaning dust shield

DOEpatents

Mazumder, Malay K.; Sims, Robert A.; Wilson, James D.

2005-06-28

A transparent electromagnetic shield to protect solar panels and the like from dust deposition. The shield is a panel of clear non-conducting (dielectric) material with embedded parallel electrodes. The panel is coated with a semiconducting film. Desirably the electrodes are transparent. The electrodes are connected to a single-phase AC signal or to a multi-phase AC signal that produces a travelling electromagnetic wave. The electromagnetic field produced by the electrodes lifts dust particles away from the shield and repels charged particles. Deposited dust particles are removed when the electrodes are activated, regardless of the resistivity of the dust. Electrostatic charges on the panel are discharged by the semiconducting film. When used in conjunction with photovoltaic cells, the power for the device may be obtained from the cells themselves. For other surfaces, such as windshields, optical windows and the like, the power must be derived from an external source. One embodiment of the invention employs monitoring and detection devices to determine when the level of obscuration of the screen by dust has reached a threshold level requiring activation of the dust removal feature.

Optimizing a desirable fare structure for a bus-subway corridor

PubMed Central

Liu, Bing-Zheng; Ge, Ying-En; Cao, Kai; Jiang, Xi; Meng, Lingyun; Liu, Ding; Gao, Yunfeng

2017-01-01

This paper aims to optimize a desirable fare structure for the public transit service along a bus-subway corridor with the consideration of those factors related to equity in trip, including travel distance and comfort level. The travel distance factor is represented by the distance-based fare strategy, which is an existing differential strategy. The comfort level one is considered in the area-based fare strategy which is a new differential strategy defined in this paper. Both factors are referred to by the combined fare strategy which is composed of distance-based and area-based fare strategies. The flat fare strategy is applied to determine a reference level of social welfare and obtain the general passenger flow along transit lines, which is used to divide areas or zones along the corridor. This problem is formulated as a bi-level program, of which the upper level maximizes the social welfare and the lower level capturing traveler choice behavior is a variable-demand stochastic user equilibrium assignment model. A genetic algorithm is applied to solve the bi-level program while the method of successive averages is adopted to solve the lower-level model. A series of numerical experiments are carried out to illustrate the performance of the models and solution methods. Numerical results indicate that all three differential fare strategies play a better role in enhancing the social welfare than the flat fare strategy and that the fare structure under the combined fare strategy generates the highest social welfare and the largest resulting passenger demand, which implies that the more equity factors a differential fare strategy involves the more desirable fare structure the strategy has. PMID:28981508

Optimizing a desirable fare structure for a bus-subway corridor.

PubMed

Liu, Bing-Zheng; Ge, Ying-En; Cao, Kai; Jiang, Xi; Meng, Lingyun; Liu, Ding; Gao, Yunfeng

2017-01-01

This paper aims to optimize a desirable fare structure for the public transit service along a bus-subway corridor with the consideration of those factors related to equity in trip, including travel distance and comfort level. The travel distance factor is represented by the distance-based fare strategy, which is an existing differential strategy. The comfort level one is considered in the area-based fare strategy which is a new differential strategy defined in this paper. Both factors are referred to by the combined fare strategy which is composed of distance-based and area-based fare strategies. The flat fare strategy is applied to determine a reference level of social welfare and obtain the general passenger flow along transit lines, which is used to divide areas or zones along the corridor. This problem is formulated as a bi-level program, of which the upper level maximizes the social welfare and the lower level capturing traveler choice behavior is a variable-demand stochastic user equilibrium assignment model. A genetic algorithm is applied to solve the bi-level program while the method of successive averages is adopted to solve the lower-level model. A series of numerical experiments are carried out to illustrate the performance of the models and solution methods. Numerical results indicate that all three differential fare strategies play a better role in enhancing the social welfare than the flat fare strategy and that the fare structure under the combined fare strategy generates the highest social welfare and the largest resulting passenger demand, which implies that the more equity factors a differential fare strategy involves the more desirable fare structure the strategy has.

The common P446L polymorphism in GCKR inversely modulates fasting glucose and triglyceride levels and reduces type 2 diabetes risk in the DESIR prospective general French population.

PubMed

Vaxillaire, Martine; Cavalcanti-Proença, Christine; Dechaume, Aurélie; Tichet, Jean; Marre, Michel; Balkau, Beverley; Froguel, Philippe

2008-08-01

Hepatic glucokinase (GCK) is a key regulator of glucose storage and disposal in the liver, where its activity is competitively modulated, with respect to glucose, by binding to glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) in the presence of fructose 6-phosphate. Genome-wide association studies for type 2 diabetes identified GCKR as a potential locus for modulating triglyceride levels. We evaluated, in a general French population, the contribution of the GCKR rs1260326-P446L polymorphism to quantitative metabolic parameters and to dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia risk. Genotype effects of rs1260326 were studied in 4,833 participants from the prospective DESIR (Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance syndrome) cohort both at inclusion and using the measurements at follow-up. The minor T-allele of rs1260326 was strongly associated with lower fasting glucose (-1.43% per T-allele; P = 8 x 10(-13)) and fasting insulin levels (-4.23%; P = 3 x 10(-7)), lower homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (-5.69%; P = 1 x 10(-8)), and, conversely, higher triglyceride levels (3.41%; P = 1 x 10(-4)) during the 9-year study. These effects relate to a lower risk of hyperglycemia (odds ratio [OR] 0.79 [95% CI 0.70-0.88]; P = 4 x 10(-5)) and of incident cases during the study (hazard ratio [HR] 0.83 [0.74-0.95]; P = 0.005). Moreover, an additive effect of GCKR rs1260326(T) and GCK (-30G) alleles conferred lower fasting glycemia (P = 1 x 10(-13)), insulinemia (P = 5 x 10(-6)), and hyperglycemia risk (P = 1 x 10(-6)). GCKR-L446 carriers are protected against type 2 diabetes despite higher triglyceride levels and risk of dyslipidemia, which suggests a potential molecular mechanism by which these two components of the metabolic syndrome can be dissociated.

STUDYING TRAVEL-RELATED INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENTS AND DESIRES BY COMBINING HIERARCHICALLY STRUCTURED ORDINAL VARIABLES

PubMed Central

Song, Tingting; Wittkowski, Knut M.

2010-01-01

Ordinal measures are frequently encountered in travel behavior research. This paper presents a new method for combining them when a hierarchical structure of the data can be presumed. This method is applied to study the subjective assessment of the amount of travel by different transportation modes among a group of French clerical workers, along with the desire to increase or decrease the use of such modes. Some advantages of this approach over traditional data reduction technique such as factor analysis when applied to ordinal data are then illustrated. In this study, combining evidence from several variables sheds light on the observed moderately negative relationship between the personal assessment of the amount of travel and the desire to increase or decrease it, thus integrating previous partial (univariate) results. We find a latent demand for travel, thus contributing to clarify the behavioral mechanisms behind the induced traffic phenomenon. Categorizing the above relationship by transportation mode shows a desire for a less environmental-friendly mix of modes (i.e. a greater desire to use heavy motorized modes and a lower desire to use two-wheeled modes), whenever the respondents do not feel to travel extensively. This result, combined with previous theoretical investigations concerning the determinants of the desire to alter trips consumption levels, shows the importance of making people aware of how much they travel. PMID:20953273

Self-defeating behaviors in organizations: the relationship between thwarted belonging and interpersonal work behaviors.

PubMed

Thau, Stefan; Aquino, Karl; Poortvliet, P Marijn

2007-05-01

This multisource field study applied belongingness theory to examine whether thwarted belonging, defined as the perceived discrepancy between one's desired and actual levels of belonging with respect to one's coworkers, predicts interpersonal work behaviors that are self-defeating. Controlling for demographic variables, job type, justice constructs, and trust in organization in a multilevel regression analysis using data from 130 employees of a clinical chemical laboratory and their supervisors, the authors found that employees who perceive greater levels of desired coworker belonging than actual levels of coworker belonging were more likely to engage in interpersonally harmful and less likely to engage in interpersonally helpful behaviors. Implications for the application of belongingness theory to explain self-defeating behaviors in organizations are discussed. 2007 APA, all rights reserved

Online bargaining and interpersonal trust.

PubMed

Naquin, Charles E; Paulson, Gaylen D

2003-02-01

The presented study explores the effect of interacting over the Internet on interpersonal trust when bargaining online. Relative to face-to-face negotiations, online negotiations were characterized by (a) lower levels of pre-negotiation trust and (b) lower levels of post-negotiation trust. The reduced levels of pre-negotiation trust in online negotiations (i.e., before any interaction took place) demonstrate that negotiators bring different expectations to the electronic bargaining table than to face-to-face negotiations. These negative perceptions of trust were found to mediate another aspect of the relationship, namely, desired future interaction. Those who negotiated online reported less desire for future interactions with the other party. Online negotiators also were less satisfied with their outcome and less confident in the quality of their performance, despite the absence of observable differences in economic outcome quality.

Brain activation patterns in women with acquired hypoactive sexual desire disorder and women with normal sexual function: a cross-sectional pilot study.

PubMed

Woodard, Terri L; Nowak, Nicole T; Balon, Richard; Tancer, Manuel; Diamond, Michael P

2013-10-01

To examine and compare brain activation patterns of premenopausal women with normal sexual function and those with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) during viewing of validated sexually explicit film clips. Cross-sectional pilot study. University-based clinical research center. Premenopausal women. None. Areas of brain activation during viewing of sexually explicit film clips. Women with normal sexual function showed significantly greater activation of the right thalamus, left insula, left precentral gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus in comparison with women with HSDD, who exhibited greater activation of the right medial frontal gyrus and left precuneus regions. Women with HSDD may have alterations in activation of limbic and cortical structures responsible for acquiring, encoding, and retrieving memory, the processing and memory of emotional reactions, and areas responsible for heightened attention to one's own physical state. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain activation patterns in women with acquired hypoactive sexual desire disorder and women with normal sexual function: a cross-sectional pilot study

PubMed Central

Woodard, Terri L.; Nowak, Nicole T.; Balon, Richard; Tancer, Manuel; Diamond, Michael P.

2013-01-01

Objective To examine and compare brain activation patterns of premenopausal women with normal sexual function and those with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) during viewing of validated sexually explicit film clips. Design Cross-sectional pilot study. Setting University-based clinical research center. Patient(s) Premenopausal women. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Areas of brain activation during viewing of sexually explicit film clips. Result(s) Women with normal sexual function showed significantly greater activation of the right thalamus, left insula, left precentral gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus in comparison with women with HSDD, who exhibited greater activation of the right medial frontal gyrus and left precuneus regions. Conclusion(s) Women with HSDD may have alterations in activation of limbic and cortical structures responsible for acquiring, encoding, and retrieving memory, the processing and memory of emotional reactions, and areas responsible for heightened attention to one’s own physical state. PMID:23830149

Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity.

PubMed

Tavares, Inês M; Laan, Ellen T M; Nobre, Pedro J

2017-06-01

Cognitive-affective factors contribute to female sexual dysfunctions, defined as clinically significant difficulties in the ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure. Automatic thoughts and affect presented during sexual activity are acknowledged as maintenance factors for these difficulties. However, there is a lack of studies on the influence of these cognitive-affective dimensions regarding female orgasm. To assess the role of automatic thoughts and affect during sexual activity in predicting female orgasm occurrence and to investigate the mediator role of these variables in the relation between sexual activity and orgasm occurrence. Nine hundred twenty-six sexually active heterosexual premenopausal women reported on frequency of sexual activities and frequency of orgasm occurrence, cognitive factors, and social desirability. Participants completed the Sexual Modes Questionnaire-Automatic Thoughts Subscale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Socially Desirable Response Set. Multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses were performed, controlling for the effect of covariates such as social desirability, sociodemographic and medical characteristics, and relationship factors. The main outcome measurement was orgasm frequency as predicted and mediated by automatic thoughts and affect experienced during sexual activities. The presence of failure thoughts and lack of erotic thoughts during sexual activity significantly and negatively predicted female orgasm, whereas positive affect experienced during sexual activity significantly and positively predicted female orgasm. Moreover, negative automatic thoughts and positive affect during sexual activity were found to mediate the relation between sexual activity and female orgasm occurrence. These data suggest that the cognitive aspects of sexual involvement are critical to enhancing female orgasm experience and can aid the development of strategies that contemplate the central role of automatic thoughts and of positive emotions experienced during sexual activity. Data were not collected face to face, which constitutes a strength of this study, because it is known that social desirability is lower in self-administered online questionnaires compared with traditional paper-and-pencil questionnaires, particularly for more sensitive sexual issues. The fact that the sample was composed of heterosexual, premenopausal, and relatively young women demands some caution regarding generalization of the present results. The findings support the contribution of cognitive and affective factors to female orgasmic functioning. It is recommended that future research confirm these findings with other samples, particularly clinical samples of women with orgasmic difficulties. Tavares IM, Laan ETM, Nobre PJ. Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity. J Sex Med 2017;14:818-828. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Religiosity as self-enhancement: a meta-analysis of the relation between socially desirable responding and religiosity.

PubMed

Sedikides, Constantine; Gebauer, Jochen E

2010-02-01

In a meta-analysis, the authors test the theoretical formulation that religiosity is a means for self-enhancement. The authors operationalized self-enhancement as socially desirable responding (SDR) and focused on three facets of religiosity: intrinsic, extrinsic, and religion-as-quest. Importantly, they assessed two moderators of the relation between SDR and religiosity. Macro-level culture reflected countries that varied in degree of religiosity (from high to low: United States, Canada, United Kingdom). Micro-level culture reflected U.S. universities high (Christian) versus low (secular) on religiosity. The results were generally consistent with the theoretical formulation. Both macro-level and micro-level culture moderated the relation between SDR and religiosity: This relation was more positive in samples that placed higher value on religiosity (United States > Canada > United Kingdom; Christian universities > secular universities). The evidence suggests that religiosity is partly in the service of self-enhancement.

Component model reduction via the projection and assembly method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernard, Douglas E.

1989-01-01

The problem of acquiring a simple but sufficiently accurate model of a dynamic system is made more difficult when the dynamic system of interest is a multibody system comprised of several components. A low order system model may be created by reducing the order of the component models and making use of various available multibody dynamics programs to assemble them into a system model. The difficulty is in choosing the reduced order component models to meet system level requirements. The projection and assembly method, proposed originally by Eke, solves this difficulty by forming the full order system model, performing model reduction at the the system level using system level requirements, and then projecting the desired modes onto the components for component level model reduction. The projection and assembly method is analyzed to show the conditions under which the desired modes are captured exactly; to the numerical precision of the algorithm.

Librarians in Evidence-Based Medicine Curricula: A Qualitative Study of Librarian Roles, Training, and Desires for Future Development.

PubMed

Maggio, Lauren A; Durieux, Nancy; Tannery, Nancy H

2015-01-01

This study aims to describe librarians' roles in evidence-based medicine (EBM) from the librarian perspective, identify how librarians are trained to teach, and highlight preferences for professional development. A multiinstitution qualitative study was conducted. Nine medical librarians identified by their faculty as integrated into EBM training were interviewed. Participants' descriptions indicated that they were active in curriculum development, deployment (including teaching activities), and assessment to support EBM. Participants identified direct experience and workshop participation as primary methods of learning to teach. Participants desired continuing development as teachers and requested opportunities for in-person workshops, shadowing physicians, and online training.

Sex after seventy: a pilot study of sexual function in older persons.

PubMed

Smith, Lizette J; Mulhall, John P; Deveci, Serkan; Monaghan, Niall; Reid, M C

2007-09-01

Limited information is available regarding sexual functioning among adults aged 70 years and older. To assess sexual functioning among older men and women, and ascertain patient-physician communication patterns about sexual functioning. Prospective participants were approached prior to scheduled appointments with their primary care physician. In-depth sexual histories were obtained along with data on their demographic, medical, psychological, and cognitive status. Sexual functioning was assessed using standardized questionnaires, and simple yes/no questions were administered to ascertain information regarding patient-physician communication practices about sex. Of the 74 eligible patients approached, 50 (68%) participated. The participants had a mean age +/- standard deviation (SD) of 81 +/- 6 years and most (56%) were women. Eighteen percent of the women and 41% of the men were sexually active. The most commonly reported sexual activity was intercourse for men and masturbation for women. Among the women, the most commonly cited reason for being sexually inactive was "no desire," whereas for most men, it was "erectile dysfunction." Sexual function scores for women were low across each category (lubrication, desire, orgasm, arousal, pain, and satisfaction.) For men, low sexual function scores were found in the domains of erectile function, orgasm, and overall satisfaction, but not desire. Only 4% of the women (vs. 36% of men) reported initiating a discussion about sexual function with their physician in the past year, whereas 7% of the women (vs. 32% of men) reported that their physician inquired about the topic in the preceding year. Finally, 32% of the women (vs. 86% of men) felt that physicians should initiate discussions about sexual function. In this study of older adults, a minority reported current sexual activity. Among sexually inactive women, most did not wish to resume activity, whereas desire for sexual activity remained high among men, despite substantial problems with erectile dysfunction.

Impact of job insecurity on sexual desire: an exploratory analysis.

PubMed

Domenighetti, Gianfranco; Tomada, Angelo; Marazzi, Alfio; Abazi, Ornela; Quaglia, Jacqueline

2009-08-22

To explore, for the first time, the impact of job insecurity on sexual desire. Cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of 7247 individuals aged 20-64 years working as full or part-time employees in Switzerland. The logistic regression analysis showed that workers aged 20-49 years perceiving high levels of job insecurity are exposed to a significantly higher risk of decrease of sexual desire compared to the reference group. The risk is 53% higher among men (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.16-2.01) and 47% for woman (OR 1.47; 1.13-1.91). No increased risk was found for employees aged 50-64 years old. An increasing fear of job loss is associated with a deterioration in sexual desire. These first preliminary findings should promote further epidemiological and clinical prospective studies on the impact of job insecurity on intimate relationships and sexual dysfunction.

Romantic partners in a market perspective: expectations about what ensures a highly desirable partner.

PubMed

Castro, Felipe N; Hattori, Wallisen T; Yamamoto, Maria Emília; Lopes, Fívia A

2013-10-01

This study used the biological market perspective and influential statistical models from the marketing field to investigate males' and females' expectations regarding which combination of characteristics are most relevant in ensuring desirable partnerships for same-sex individuals. Thus, 358 Brazilian undergraduates assessed eight descriptions of same-gender stimulus targets (formulated with different levels of physical attractiveness, social skills, and current or prospective social status) and evaluated the overall desirability of the targets' expected or probable partners. From the possible combinations, three groups emerged: for one group, mainly composed of men, status characteristics were the most important attributes; for the others, mostly composed of women, social skills or physical characteristics were identified as most important in appealing to a desirable partner. This work expands the understanding of variability in male and female romantic expectations, and its implications are discussed from an evolutionary perspective.

Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study.

PubMed

Farr, Olivia M; Tuccinardi, Dario; Upadhyay, Jagriti; Oussaada, Sabrina M; Mantzoros, Christos S

2018-01-01

The use of walnuts is recommended for obesity and type 2 diabetes, although the mechanisms through which walnuts may improve appetite control and/or glycaemic control remain largely unknown. To determine whether short-term walnut consumption could alter the neural control of appetite using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial of 10 patients who received, while living in the controlled environment of a clinical research center, either walnuts or placebo (using a validated smoothie delivery system) for 5 days each, separated by a wash-out period of 1 month. Walnut consumption decreased feelings of hunger and appetite, assessed using visual analog scales, and increased activation of the right insula to highly desirable food cues. These findings suggest that walnut consumption may increase salience and cognitive control processing of highly desirable food cues, leading to the beneficial metabolic effects observed. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Innovative Application of a Multidimensional Item Response Model in Assessing the Influence of Social Desirability on the Pseudo-Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Kathy; Baranowski, Tom; Thompson, Debbe; Jago, Russell; Baranowski, Janice; Klesges, Lisa M.

2006-01-01

This study examined multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) modeling to assess social desirability (SocD) influences on self-reported physical activity self-efficacy (PASE) and fruit and vegetable self-efficacy (FVSE). The observed sample included 473 Houston-area adolescent males (10-14 years). SocD (nine items), PASE (19 items) and FVSE (21…

Journal of the United States Artillery. Volume 56, Number 2, February 1922

DTIC Science & Technology

1922-02-01

contributes more to the success of camp than any other single activity. Athletics, singing, musical performances, and other amusements should be...will not cause full performance of duty and meeting of responsibility. The latter are separate desirable personal characteristics to be developed in...desire to make and which have not been included in the foregoing. REPLIES to QUESTIONNAIRE A number of characteristic answersto these questionsare

Evaluation of innovative concepts for semi-active and active rotorcraft control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Weddingen, Yannick

2011-12-01

Lead-lag dampers are present in most rotor systems to provide the desired level of damping for all flight conditions. These dampers are critical components of the rotor system, and the performance of semi-active Coulomb friction-based lead-lag dampers is examined for the UH-60 aircraft. The concept of adaptive damping, or "damping on demand," is discussed for both ground resonance and forward flight. The concept of selective damping is also assessed, and shown to face many challenges. In rotorcraft flight dynamics, optimized warping twist change is a potentially enabling technology to improve overall rotorcraft performance. Research efforts in recent years have led to the application of active materials for rotorcraft blade actuation. An innovative concept is proposed wherein the typically closed section blade is cut open to create a torsionally compliant structure that acts as its own amplification device; deformation of the blade is dynamically controlled by out-of-plane warping. Full-blade warping is shown to have the potential for great design flexibility. Recent advances in rotorcraft blade design have also focused on variable-camber airfoils, particularly concepts involving "truss-core" configurations. One promising concept is the use of hexagonal chiral lattice structures in continuously deformable helicopter blades. The static behavior of passive and active chiral networks using piezoelectric actuation strategies is investigated, including under typical aerodynamic load levels. The analysis is then extended to the dynamic response of active chiral networks in unsteady aerodynamic environments.

Normativity and Desirability in Observational Assessments of Family Interaction.

PubMed

Deal, James E

2018-06-11

Issues of normativity (responding in a typical or average fashion) and desirability (the tendency for raters to endorse positive characteristics rather than neutral or more negative ones) are common in areas of the social sciences that frequently utilize profile correlations to measure dyadic similarity. They have implications for family scholars as well. In the present study, a pre-existing data set was used to make an initial, though limited, investigation into potential confounds of normativity and desirability for macrolevel observational assessments of family interaction. An empirical example is presented using q-sort ratings of family interaction, with variance in observational assessments decomposed into component parts. High levels of both normativity and desirability were found, indicating possible problems in terms of both reliability and validity of assessment. While the results provide an interesting beginning, they are limited due to the use of a q-sort methodology as well as an instrument with limited background and use. These limitations are discussed, as well as alternative interpretations for normativity and desirability and implications for future research. © 2018 Family Process Institute.

Active Listening in Peer Interviews: The Influence of Message Paraphrasing on Perceptions of Listening Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weger, Harry, Jr.; Castle, Gina R.; Emmett, Melissa C.

2010-01-01

Perhaps no communication skill is identified as regularly as active listening in training programs across a variety of disciplines and activities. Yet little empirical research has examined specific elements of active listening responses in terms of their effectiveness in achieving desired interpersonal outcomes. This study reports an experiment…

Virtual exertions: evoking the sense of exerting forces in virtual reality using gestures and muscle activity.

PubMed

Chen, Karen B; Ponto, Kevin; Tredinnick, Ross D; Radwin, Robert G

2015-06-01

This study was a proof of concept for virtual exertions, a novel method that involves the use of body tracking and electromyography for grasping and moving projections of objects in virtual reality (VR). The user views objects in his or her hands during rehearsed co-contractions of the same agonist-antagonist muscles normally used for the desired activities to suggest exerting forces. Unlike physical objects, virtual objects are images and lack mass. There is currently no practical physically demanding way to interact with virtual objects to simulate strenuous activities. Eleven participants grasped and lifted similar physical and virtual objects of various weights in an immersive 3-D Cave Automatic Virtual Environment. Muscle activity, localized muscle fatigue, ratings of perceived exertions, and NASA Task Load Index were measured. Additionally, the relationship between levels of immersion (2-D vs. 3-D) was studied. Although the overall magnitude of biceps activity and workload were greater in VR, muscle activity trends and fatigue patterns for varying weights within VR and physical conditions were the same. Perceived exertions for varying weights were not significantly different between VR and physical conditions. Perceived exertion levels and muscle activity patterns corresponded to the assigned virtual loads, which supported the hypothesis that the method evoked the perception of physical exertions and showed that the method was promising. Ultimately this approach may offer opportunities for research and training individuals to perform strenuous activities under potentially safer conditions that mimic situations while seeing their own body and hands relative to the scene. © 2014, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction in community-dwelling older women.

PubMed

Zeleke, Berihun M; Bell, Robin J; Billah, Baki; Davis, Susan R

2017-04-01

To determine the prevalence of hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction (HSDD) and its associated factors in women aged 65 to 79 years. A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was conducted amongst community-dwelling older women. Participants were recruited between April and August 2014 from a national database based on electoral rolls. Sexual function and sexual distress were assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index and the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised, respectively. HSDD was defined as the presence of both low sexual desire and sexually related personal distress. The mean ± SD age of the 1,548 women was 71 ± 3.4 years and 52.6% were partnered. Among the participants, 88.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86.3%-89.6%) had low sexual desire, 15.5% (95% CI, 13.8%-17.4%) had sexually related personal distress, and 13.6% (95% CI, 11.9%-15.4%) had HSDD. The HSDD was more common among partnered than among unpartnered women (23.7% vs 5.9%; P < 0.001). Being partnered (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.21; 95% CI, 2.50-7.07), having vaginal dryness during intercourse (AOR = 2.37; 95% CI, 1.58-3.55), having symptomatic pelvic floor dysfunction (AOR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.29-2.92), and having moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (AOR = 4.15; 95% CI, 2.16-7.96) were independently associated with having HSDD. In a subanalysis, HSDD was more common among sexually active than sexually inactive women (31.5% vs 17.3%; P < 0.001). Furthermore, 32% (95% CI, 27.7%-38.3%) of partnered sexually active women had HSDD, as did 22% (95% CI, 11.5%-37.8%) of unpartnered sexually active women. HSDD is common and associated with potentially modifiable risk factors in older women. It should not be assumed that unpartnered older women are sexually inactive or are not distressed by low sexual desire.

Illuminating the multifaceted roles of neurotransmission in shaping neuronal circuitry.

PubMed

Okawa, Haruhisa; Hoon, Mrinalini; Yoshimatsu, Takeshi; Della Santina, Luca; Wong, Rachel O L

2014-09-17

Across the nervous system, neurons form highly stereotypic patterns of synaptic connections that are designed to serve specific functions. Mature wiring patterns are often attained upon the refinement of early, less precise connectivity. Much work has led to the prevailing view that many developing circuits are sculpted by activity-dependent competition among converging afferents, which results in the elimination of unwanted synapses and the maintenance and strengthening of desired connections. Studies of the vertebrate retina, however, have recently revealed that activity can play a role in shaping developing circuits without engaging competition among converging inputs that differ in their activity levels. Such neurotransmission-mediated processes can produce stereotypic wiring patterns by promoting selective synapse formation rather than elimination. We discuss how the influence of transmission may also be limited by circuit design and further highlight the importance of transmission beyond development in maintaining wiring specificity and synaptic organization of neural circuits. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The physician as disability advisor for patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

PubMed

Rainville, James; Pransky, Glenn; Indahl, Aage; Mayer, Eric K

2005-11-15

Literature review. To review the literature about the performance of physicians as mediators of temporary and permanent disability for patients with chronic musculoskeletal complaints. To assess specifically the nature and variance of recommendations from physicians, factors influencing physician performance, and efforts to influence physician behavior in this area. While caring for patients with musculoskeletal injuries, physicians are often asked to recommend appropriate levels of activity and work. These recommendations have significant consequences for patients' general health, employment, and financial well-being. Medical literature search. Physician recommendations limiting activity and work after injury are highly variable, often reflecting their own pain attitudes and beliefs. Patients' desires strongly predict disability recommendations (i.e., physicians often acquiesce to patients' requests). Other influences include jurisdiction, employer, insurer, and medical system factors. The most successful efforts to influence physician recommendations have used mass communication to influence public attitudes, while reinforcing the current standard of practice for physicians. Physician recommendations for work and activity have important health and financial implications. Systemic, multidimensional approaches are necessary to improve performance.

Acquisition and Retention of Sterile Compounding Accuracy Skills

PubMed Central

Brown, Michael C.; Valdovinos, Katie; Zavala, Pedro J.

2017-01-01

Objective. To determine the accuracy of dose of pharmacy students’ parenteral sterile preparation skills and to measure pharmacy students’ skill retention 1.5 years later. Methods. An exercise was designed to assess each student’s accuracy in compounding a sterile preparation with the correct potency during a second and then third year course. Results. Initially, the mean (standard deviation) of 141 students’ compounded preparation dose was not significantly different than the desired dose. Additionally, 91.5% of products were within 10% of the desired dose. In the follow-up activity the next academic year, the mean dose was not significantly different than the original compounded dose. Similarly 92.9% were within 10% of the desired dose. Conclusion. Students’ overall accuracy of sterile compounding was good initially and well-retained more than a year later, with more than 90% of students being within 10% of the desired dose in both courses. PMID:28970616

The DSM diagnostic criteria for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in men.

PubMed

Brotto, Lori A

2010-06-01

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is one of two sexual desire disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and is defined by two criteria: A-"persistently or recurrently deficient (or absent) sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity" and B-"marked distress or interpersonal difficulty." This paper reviews the prevalence and correlates of low desire in men and qualitative and quantitative research on the experience of sexual desire in men and women. A literature search of Medline, PudMed, and PsychInfo was used to identify any publication on low desire in men. The strength of empirical findings was used as a basis for making proposed revisions to the diagnostic criteria for HSDD in men. The dilemma of whether desire and arousal can be reliably differentiated in men is discussed, and parallels to the literature in women are drawn. Finally, I consider three options for the diagnosis of low desire in men for DSM-5. Option 1 proposes that the DSM-IV-TR name and criteria are preserved for men in DSM-5. Option 2 proposes that the recently proposed criteria for Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder in women are also adopted for men, which would result in one gender-neutral category. Option 3 proposes that the criteria for Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder also be applied to men, with a minor modification to one criterion (i.e., that absent or reduced genital and/or nongenital physical changes not be included as a criterion); this diagnosis would then be applied only to men. The evidence supporting each of these proposals is presented and critiqued. It is concluded that the proposal for DSM-5 should be made on the basis of field testing of new criteria.

Constraint-Referenced Analytics of Algebra Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutherland, Scot M.; White, Tobin F.

2016-01-01

The development of the constraint-referenced analytics tool for monitoring algebra learning activities presented here came from the desire to firstly, take a more quantitative look at student responses in collaborative algebra activities, and secondly, to situate those activities in a more traditional introductory algebra setting focusing on…

Examining "Active" Procrastination from a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cao, Li

2012-01-01

This study examined the notion that active procrastinators are a positive type of procrastinators who possess desirable characteristics similar to non-procrastinators, but different from the traditional passive procrastinators. A two-step procedure was followed to categorise university students (N = 125) as active procrastinators, passive…

Investigation of innovative synthesis of biologically active compounds on the basis of newly developed reactions.

PubMed

Honda, Toshio

2012-01-01

Synthesis of biologically active compounds, including natural products and pharmaceutical agents, is an important and interesting research area since the large structural diversity and complexity of bioactive compounds make them an important source of leads and scaffolds in drug discovery and development. Many structurally and also biologically interesting compounds, including marine natural products, have been isolated from nature and have also been prepared on the basis of a computational design for the purpose of developing medicinal chemistry. In order to obtain a wide variety of derivatives of biologically active compounds from the viewpoint of medicinal chemistry, it is essential to establish efficient synthetic procedures for desired targets. Newly developed reactions should also be used for efficient synthesis of desired compounds. Thus, recent progress in the synthesis of biologically active compounds by focusing on the development of new reactions is summarized in this review article.

Method and apparatus for controlling fuel/air mixture in a lean burn engine

DOEpatents

Kubesh, John Thomas; Dodge, Lee Gene; Podnar, Daniel James

1998-04-07

The system for controlling the fuel/air mixture supplied to a lean burn engine when operating on natural gas, gasoline, hydrogen, alcohol, propane, butane, diesel or any other fuel as desired. As specific humidity of air supplied to the lean burn engine increases, the oxygen concentration of exhaust gas discharged by the engine for a given equivalence ratio will decrease. Closed loop fuel control systems typically attempt to maintain a constant exhaust gas oxygen concentration. Therefore, the decrease in the exhaust gas oxygen concentration resulting from increased specific humidity will often be improperly attributed to an excessive supply of fuel and the control system will incorrectly reduce the amount of fuel supplied to the engine. Also, the minimum fuel/air equivalence ratio for a lean burn engine to avoid misfiring will increase as specific humidity increases. A relative humidity sensor to allow the control system to provide a more enriched fuel/air mixture at high specific humidity levels. The level of specific humidity may be used to compensate an output signal from a universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor for changing oxygen concentrations at a desired equivalence ratio due to variation in specific humidity specific humidity. As a result, the control system will maintain the desired efficiency, low exhaust emissions and power level for the associated lean burn engine regardless of the specific humidity level of intake air supplied to the lean burn engine.

Changes in Men's Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol Levels, and in Sexual Desire after Smelling Female Axillary and Vulvar Scents.

PubMed

Cerda-Molina, Ana Lilia; Hernández-López, Leonor; de la O, Claudio E; Chavira-Ramírez, Roberto; Mondragón-Ceballos, Ricardo

2013-01-01

Several studies have shown that a woman's vaginal or axillary odors convey information on her attractivity. Yet, whether such scents induce psychoneuroendocrinological changes in perceivers is still controversial. We studied if smelling axillary and vulvar odors collected in the periovulatory and late luteal phases of young women modify salivary testosterone and cortisol levels, as well as sexual desire in men. Forty-five women and 115 men, all of them college students and unacquainted with each other, participated in the study. Female odors were collected on pads affixed to the axilla and on panty protectors both worn the entire night before experiments. Men provided five saliva samples, a basal one before the smelling procedure, and four more 15, 30, 60, and 75 min after exposure to odors. Immediately after smelling the odor source, men answered a questionnaire rating hedonic qualities of scents, and after providing the last saliva sample they answered questionnaire on sexual desire. We found that periovulatory axillary and vulvar odors increased testosterone and cortisol levels, with vulvar scents producing a more prolonged effect. Luteal axilla odors decreased testosterone and cortisol levels, while luteal vulva odors increased cortisol. Periovulatory axilla and vulva scents accounted for a general increase of interest in sex. These odors were also rated as more pleasant and familiar, while luteal vulvar odors were perceived as intense and unpleasant.

Changes in Men’s Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol Levels, and in Sexual Desire after Smelling Female Axillary and Vulvar Scents

PubMed Central

Cerda-Molina, Ana Lilia; Hernández-López, Leonor; de la O, Claudio E.; Chavira-Ramírez, Roberto; Mondragón-Ceballos, Ricardo

2013-01-01

Several studies have shown that a woman’s vaginal or axillary odors convey information on her attractivity. Yet, whether such scents induce psychoneuroendocrinological changes in perceivers is still controversial. We studied if smelling axillary and vulvar odors collected in the periovulatory and late luteal phases of young women modify salivary testosterone and cortisol levels, as well as sexual desire in men. Forty-five women and 115 men, all of them college students and unacquainted with each other, participated in the study. Female odors were collected on pads affixed to the axilla and on panty protectors both worn the entire night before experiments. Men provided five saliva samples, a basal one before the smelling procedure, and four more 15, 30, 60, and 75 min after exposure to odors. Immediately after smelling the odor source, men answered a questionnaire rating hedonic qualities of scents, and after providing the last saliva sample they answered questionnaire on sexual desire. We found that periovulatory axillary and vulvar odors increased testosterone and cortisol levels, with vulvar scents producing a more prolonged effect. Luteal axilla odors decreased testosterone and cortisol levels, while luteal vulva odors increased cortisol. Periovulatory axilla and vulva scents accounted for a general increase of interest in sex. These odors were also rated as more pleasant and familiar, while luteal vulvar odors were perceived as intense and unpleasant. PMID:24194730

Current and desired competency levels of secondary agricultural teachers in Pennsylvania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elbert, Chanda Dehron

The purpose of this study was to identify the competencies needed by secondary agricultural teachers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Specifically, this study identified competencies needed to help make teachers more effective while working with special needs students. The objectives of the study were to: (1) determine, verify, and evaluate competencies needed by secondary teachers of agriculture to work with handicapped students enrolled in agricultural and vocational education programs; (2) determine, verify, and evaluate competencies needed by secondary teachers of agriculture to work with economically disadvantaged students enrolled in agricultural and vocational education programs; (3) determine, verify, and evaluate competencies needed by secondary teachers of agriculture to work with academically challenged students enrolled in agricultural and vocational programs; and (4) evaluate the self-perceived competency levels of secondary agricultural education teachers and their desired competency levels. A 50% simple random sample of secondary agricultural teachers from the Directory for Agricultural Education in Pennsylvania, 1999--2000 was used. The design for the study was a descriptive study. The data collection instrument used was divided into five different areas: personal characteristics, professional role and development, instructional role, knowledge statements, and student leadership and organization. Subjects were asked to rate their present and desired levels of competency in the categories using a Likert-type scale. The competency scale was as follows: 1 = not competent; 2 = slightly competent, 3 = competent; 4 = very competent; 5 = extremely competent. There were 153 questionnaires mailed to the secondary agricultural education teachers. A total of 96 teachers responded to the questionnaire. Frequencies and distributions were used to describe demographic variables. T-test and analysis of variance were used to determine relationships between nominal variables. A paired t-test was used to conduct an analysis of each competency area identified. Repeated measures were used to compare differences among categories. The data suggested that all teachers rated their desired level of competencies higher than their current competency levels. It was recommended that teachers be given the opportunity to attend additional professional development programs which will increase their knowledge base while working with special needs students.

An experimental study of factors affecting the selective inhibition of sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asiabanpour, Bahram

Selective Inhibition of Sintering (SIS) is a new rapid prototyping method that builds parts in a layer-by-layer fabrication basis. SIS works by joining powder particles through sintering in the part's body, and by sintering inhibition of some selected powder areas. The objective of this research has been to improve the new SIS process, which has been invented at USC. The process improvement is based on statistical design of experiments. To conduct the needed experiments a working machine and related path generator software were needed. The machine and its control software were made available prior to this research. The path generator algorithms and software had to be created. This program should obtain model geometry data from a CAD file and generate an appropriate path file for the printer nozzle. Also, the program should generate a simulation file for path file inspection using virtual prototyping. The activities related to path generator constitute the first part of this research, which has resulted in an efficient path generator. In addition, to reach an acceptable level of accuracy, strength, and surface quality in the fabricated parts, all effective factors in the SIS process should be identified and controlled. Simultaneous analytical and experimental studies were conducted to recognize effective factors and to control the SIS process. Also, it was known that polystyrene was the most appropriate polymer powder and saturated potassium iodide was the most effective inhibitor among the available candidate materials. In addition, statistical tools were applied to improve the desirable properties of the parts fabricated by the SIS process. An investigation of part strength was conducted using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and a region of acceptable operating conditions for the part strength was found. Then, through analysis of the experimental results, the impact of the factors on the final part surface quality and dimensional accuracy was modeled. After developing a desirability function model, process operating conditions for maximum desirability were identified. Finally, the desirability model was validated.

Optimal Control Allocation with Load Sensor Feedback for Active Load Suppression, Flight-Test Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Christopher J.; Goodrick, Dan

2017-01-01

The problem of control command and maneuver induced structural loads is an important aspect of any control system design. The aircraft structure and the control architecture must be designed to achieve desired piloted control responses while limiting the imparted structural loads. The classical approach is to utilize high structural margins, restrict control surface commands to a limited set of analyzed combinations, and train pilots to follow procedural maneuvering limitations. With recent advances in structural sensing and the continued desire to improve safety and vehicle fuel efficiency, it is both possible and desirable to develop control architectures that enable lighter vehicle weights while maintaining and improving protection against structural damage. An optimal control technique has been explored and shown to achieve desirable vehicle control performance while limiting sensed structural loads to specified values. This technique has been implemented and flown on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Full-scale Advanced Systems Testbed aircraft. The flight tests illustrate that the approach achieves the desired performance and show promising potential benefits. The flights also uncovered some important issues that will need to be addressed for production application.

On codes with multi-level error-correction capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shu

1987-01-01

In conventional coding for error control, all the information symbols of a message are regarded equally significant, and hence codes are devised to provide equal protection for each information symbol against channel errors. However, in some occasions, some information symbols in a message are more significant than the other symbols. As a result, it is desired to devise codes with multilevel error-correcting capabilities. Another situation where codes with multi-level error-correcting capabilities are desired is in broadcast communication systems. An m-user broadcast channel has one input and m outputs. The single input and each output form a component channel. The component channels may have different noise levels, and hence the messages transmitted over the component channels require different levels of protection against errors. Block codes with multi-level error-correcting capabilities are also known as unequal error protection (UEP) codes. Structural properties of these codes are derived. Based on these structural properties, two classes of UEP codes are constructed.

Adaptive environmental management of tourism in the Province of Siena, Italy using the ecological footprint.

PubMed

Patterson, Trista M; Niccolucci, Valentina; Marchettini, Nadia

2008-01-01

Adaptive management as applied to tourism policy treats management policies as experiments that probe the responses of the system as human behavior changes. We present a conceptual systems model that incorporates the gap between observed and desired levels of the ecological footprint with respect to biocapacity. Addressing this gap (or 'overshoot') can inform strategies to increase or decrease visitation or its associated consumption in the coming years. The feedback mechanism in this conceptual model incorporates a gap between observed and desired ecological footprint levels of tourists and residents. The work is based on longer-term and ongoing study of tourism impacts and ecological footprint assessments from the SPIN-Eco Project. We present historical tourism and environmental data from the province of Siena, Italy and discuss the use of discrete, static environmental indicators as part of an iterative feedback process to manage tourism within biophysical limits. We discuss a necessary shift of emphasis from certain and static numbers to a process-based management model that can reflect slow changes to biophysical resources. As underscored by ecological footprint analysis, the energy and material use associated with tourism and local activity can erode natural capital foundations if that use exceeds the area's biological capacity to support it. The dynamic, and iterative process of using such indicators as management feedback allows us to view sustainability more accurately as a transition and journey, rather than a static destination to which management must arrive.

Three approaches to define desired soil organic matter contents.

PubMed

Sparling, G; Parfitt, R L; Hewitt, A E; Schipper, L A

2003-01-01

Soil organic C is often suggested as an indicator of soil quality, but desirable targets are rarely specified. We tested three approaches to define maximum and lowest desirable soil C contents for four New Zealand soil orders. Approach 1 used the New Zealand National Soils Database (NSD). The maximum C content was defined as the median value of long-term pastures, and the lower quartile defined the lowest desirable soil C content. Approach 2 used the CENTURY model to predict maximum C contents of long-term pasture. Lowest desirable content was defined by the level that still allowed recovery to 80% of the maximum C content over 25 yr. Approach 3 used an expert panel to define desirable C contents based on production and environmental criteria. Median C contents (0-20 cm) for the Recent, Granular, Melanic, and Allophanic orders were 72, 88, 98, 132 Mg ha(-1), and similar to contents predicted by the CENTURY model (78, 93, 102, and 134 Mg ha(-1), respectively). Lower quartile values (54, 78, 73, and 103 Mg ha(-1), respectively) were similar to the lowest desirable C contents calculated by CENTURY (55, 54, 67, and 104 Mg ha(-1), respectively). Expert opinion was that C contents could be depleted below these values with tolerable effects on production but less so for the environment. The CENTURY model is our preferred approach for setting soil organic C targets, but the model needs calibrating for other soils and land uses. The statistical and expert opinion approaches are less defensible in setting lower limits for desirable C contents.

U.S. Policy and Strategy Toward Afghanistan After 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is part of the U.S. Army War College and is the strategic-level study agent for issues related to national security and...attainment accomplish the effect desired ( relates to objective)? • Feasibility—can the action be accomplished by the means available ( relates to concept...Acceptability—are the consequences of cost justified by the importance of the effect desired ( relates to resources/concept)?4 The challenge posed

Monolithically, widely tunable quantum cascade lasers based on a heterogeneous active region design.

PubMed

Zhou, Wenjia; Bandyopadhyay, Neelanjan; Wu, Donghai; McClintock, Ryan; Razeghi, Manijeh

2016-06-08

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become important laser sources for accessing the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range, achieving watt-level continuous wave operation in a compact package at room temperature. However, up to now, wavelength tuning, which is desirable for most applications, has relied on external cavity feedback or exhibited a limited monolithic tuning range. Here we demonstrate a widely tunable QCL source over the 6.2 to 9.1 μm wavelength range with a single emitting aperture by integrating an eight-laser sampled grating distributed feedback laser array with an on-chip beam combiner. The laser gain medium is based on a five-core heterogeneous QCL wafer. A compact tunable laser system was built to drive the individual lasers within the array and produce any desired wavelength within the available spectral range. A rapid, broadband spectral measurement (520 cm(-1)) of methane using the tunable laser source shows excellent agreement to a measurement made using a standard low-speed infrared spectrometer. This monolithic, widely tunable laser technology is compact, with no moving parts, and will open new opportunities for MIR spectroscopy and chemical sensing.

Female sexuality

PubMed Central

Rao, T.S. Sathyanarana; Nagaraj, Anil Kumar M.

2015-01-01

Sex is a motive force bringing a man and a woman into intimate contact. Sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life and encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction. Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, practices, roles and relationships. Though generally, women are sexually active during adolescence, they reach their peak orgasmic frequency in their 30 s, and have a constant level of sexual capacity up to the age of 55 with little evidence that aging affects it in later life. Desire, arousal, and orgasm are the three principle stages of the sexual response cycle. Each stage is associated with unique physiological changes. Females are commonly affected by various disorders in relation to this sexual response cycle. The prevalence is generally as high as 35–40%. There are a wide range of etiological factors like age, relationship with a partner, psychiatric and medical disorders, psychotropic and other medication. Counseling to overcome stigma and enhance awareness on sexuality is an essential step in management. There are several effective psychological and pharmacological therapeutic approaches to treat female sexual disorders. This article is a review of female sexuality. PMID:26330647

Monolithically, widely tunable quantum cascade lasers based on a heterogeneous active region design

PubMed Central

Zhou, Wenjia; Bandyopadhyay, Neelanjan; Wu, Donghai; McClintock, Ryan; Razeghi, Manijeh

2016-01-01

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become important laser sources for accessing the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range, achieving watt-level continuous wave operation in a compact package at room temperature. However, up to now, wavelength tuning, which is desirable for most applications, has relied on external cavity feedback or exhibited a limited monolithic tuning range. Here we demonstrate a widely tunable QCL source over the 6.2 to 9.1 μm wavelength range with a single emitting aperture by integrating an eight-laser sampled grating distributed feedback laser array with an on-chip beam combiner. The laser gain medium is based on a five-core heterogeneous QCL wafer. A compact tunable laser system was built to drive the individual lasers within the array and produce any desired wavelength within the available spectral range. A rapid, broadband spectral measurement (520 cm−1) of methane using the tunable laser source shows excellent agreement to a measurement made using a standard low-speed infrared spectrometer. This monolithic, widely tunable laser technology is compact, with no moving parts, and will open new opportunities for MIR spectroscopy and chemical sensing. PMID:27270634

Xenomelia: a new right parietal lobe syndrome.

PubMed

McGeoch, Paul D; Brang, David; Song, Tao; Lee, Roland R; Huang, Mingxiong; Ramachandran, V S

2011-12-01

Damage to the right parietal lobe has long been associated with various disorders of body image. The authors have recently suggested that an unusual behavioural condition in which otherwise rational individuals desire the amputation of a healthy limb might also arise from right parietal dysfunction. Four subjects who desired the amputation of healthy legs (two right, one left and one, at first, bilateral and then left only) were recruited and underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) scans during tactile stimulation of sites above and below the desired amputation line. Regions of interest (ROIs) in each hemisphere (superior parietal lobule (SPL), inferior parietal lobule, S1, M1, insula, premotor cortex and precuneus) were defined using FreeSurfer software. Analysis of average MEG activity across the 40-140 ms post-stimulation timeframe was carried out using an unpaired t test. This revealed significantly reduced activation only in the right SPL ROI for the subjects' affected legs when compared with both subjects' unaffected legs and that of controls. The right SPL is a cortical area that appears ideally placed to unify disparate sensory inputs to create a coherent sense of having a body. The authors propose that inadequate activation of the right SPL leads to the unnatural situation in which the sufferers can feel the limb in question being touched without it actually incorporating into their body image, with a resulting desire for amputation. The authors introduce the term 'xenomelia' as a more appropriate name than apotemnophilia or body integrity identity disorder, for what appears to be an unrecognised right parietal lobe syndrome.

CONTROL RODS FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS

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

Bell, F.R.

1963-01-16

A means for controlling the control rod in emergency, when it is desired to shutdown the reactor with the shortest possible delay, is described. When the emergency occurs the control rod is allowed to drop freely under gravity from the control rod support tube into the bore in the reactor core. A normal shutdown is reached almost at the lowest rod position. In the shut-down position and also below it, the control rod had its full effect of reducing the level of activity in the core. When the shut-down position was reached, a brake came into action to decelerate themore » rod and reduce shock and the likelihood of damage. (C.E.S.)« less

Composite media for ion processing

DOEpatents

Mann, Nick R [Blackfoot, ID; Wood, Donald J [Peshastin, WA; Todd, Terry A [Aberdeen, ID; Sebesta, Ferdinand [Prague, CZ

2009-12-08

Composite media, systems, and devices for substantially removing, or otherwise processing, one or more constituents of a fluid stream. The composite media comprise a plurality of beads, each having a matrix substantially comprising polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and supporting one or more active components which are effective in removing, by various mechanisms, one or more constituents from a fluid stream. Due to the porosity and large surface area of the beads, a high level of contact is achieved between composite media of the present invention and the fluid stream being processed. Further, the homogeneity of the beads facilitates use of the beads in high volume applications where it is desired to effectively process a large volume of flow per unit of time.

Concern for Group Reputation Increases Prosociality in Young Children.

PubMed

Engelmann, Jan M; Herrmann, Esther; Tomasello, Michael

2018-02-01

The motivation to build and maintain a positive personal reputation promotes prosocial behavior. But individuals also identify with their groups, and so it is possible that the desire to maintain or enhance group reputation may have similar effects. Here, we show that 5-year-old children actively invest in the reputation of their group by acting more generously when their group's reputation is at stake. Children shared significantly more resources with fictitious other children not only when their individual donations were public rather than private but also when their group's donations (effacing individual donations) were public rather than private. These results provide the first experimental evidence that concern for group reputation can lead to higher levels of prosociality.

Smartphone and Internet Preferences of Parents: Information Needs and Desired Involvement in Infant Care and Pain Management in the NICU.

PubMed

Orr, Talia; Campbell-Yeo, Marsha; Benoit, Britney; Hewitt, Brenda; Stinson, Jennifer; McGrath, Patrick

2017-04-01

Despite an abundance of research that identifies the benefits for both parent and child when parents are actively involved in their infant's care, challenges related to the best methods to engage families persist. To conduct a feasibility study that aims to understand the preferences of smartphone and Internet use by parents of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) related to information seeking and active participation in infant care, with a focus on pain management interventions. A paper-based survey was distributed to 90 parents in a tertiary-level NICU from September to November 2013. Response rate was 80% (72 of the 90). Ninety-seven percent accessed the Internet daily, 87% using their smartphone, and ranked it as an important source of NICU information (81%), more than books (56%) and brochures (33%). Participants reported a desire to have more information on how they could provide general comfort (96%), as well as greater participation in comforting their baby during painful procedures (94%). Parents in the NICU want more information and greater involvement in their infant's care and pain management and place a higher value on the Internet compared with traditional resources. Researchers and clinicians should work together to determine the quality of online resources to better support and evaluate parent use of the Internet as a health information resource. Future studies should examine parental preference regarding the optimal balance between online sources and face-to-face interactions.

Monodisperse Ultrasmall Manganese-Doped Multimetallic Oxysulfide Nanoparticles as Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalyst.

PubMed

Zhang, Yingying; Wang, Xiang; Hu, Dandan; Xue, Chaozhuang; Wang, Wei; Yang, Huajun; Li, Dongsheng; Wu, Tao

2018-04-25

The highly efficient and cheap non-Pt-based electrocatalysts such as transition-based catalysts prepared via facile methods for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are desirable for large-scale practical industry applications in energy conversion and storage systems. Herein, we report a straightforward top-down synthesis of monodisperse ultrasmall manganese-doped multimetallic (ZnGe) oxysulfide nanoparticles (NPs) as an efficient ORR electrocatalyst by simple ultrasonic treatment of the Mn-doped Zn-Ge-S chalcogenidometalate crystal precursors in H 2 O/EtOH for only 1 h at room temperature. Thus obtained ultrasmall monodisperse Mn-doped oxysulfide NPs with ultralow Mn loading level (3.92 wt %) not only exhibit comparable onset and half-wave potential (0.92 and 0.86 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, respectively) to the commercial 20 wt % Pt/C but also exceptionally high metal mass activity (189 mA/mg at 0.8 V) and good methanol tolerance. A combination of transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis demonstrated that the homogenous distribution of a large amount of Mn(III) on the surface of NPs mainly accounts for the high ORR activity. We believe that this simple synthesis of Mn-doped multimetallic (ZnGe) oxysulfide NPs derived from chalcogenidometalates will open a new route to explore the utilization of discrete-cluster-based chalcogenidometalates as novel non-Pt electrocatalysts for energy applications and provide a facile way to realize the effective reduction of the amount of catalyst while keeping desired catalytic performances.

Kisspeptin modulates sexual and emotional brain processing in humans

PubMed Central

Comninos, Alexander N.; Wall, Matthew B.; Demetriou, Lysia; Shah, Amar J.; Clarke, Sophie A.; Narayanaswamy, Shakunthala; Nesbitt, Alexander; Izzi-Engbeaya, Chioma; Prague, Julia K.; Abbara, Ali; Ratnasabapathy, Risheka; Salem, Victoria; Nijher, Gurjinder M.; Jayasena, Channa N.; Tanner, Mark; Bassett, Paul; Mehta, Amrish; Rabiner, Eugenii A.; Hönigsperger, Christoph; Silva, Meire Ribeiro; Brandtzaeg, Ole Kristian; Wilson, Steven Ray; Brown, Rachel C.; Thomas, Sarah A.; Bloom, Stephen R.; Dhillo, Waljit S.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND. Sex, emotion, and reproduction are fundamental and tightly entwined aspects of human behavior. At a population level in humans, both the desire for sexual stimulation and the desire to bond with a partner are important precursors to reproduction. However, the relationships between these processes are incompletely understood. The limbic brain system has key roles in sexual and emotional behaviors, and is a likely candidate system for the integration of behavior with the hormonal reproductive axis. We investigated the effects of kisspeptin, a recently identified key reproductive hormone, on limbic brain activity and behavior. METHODS. Using a combination of functional neuroimaging and hormonal and psychometric analyses, we compared the effects of kisspeptin versus vehicle administration in 29 healthy heterosexual young men. RESULTS. We demonstrated that kisspeptin administration enhanced limbic brain activity specifically in response to sexual and couple-bonding stimuli. Furthermore, kisspeptin’s enhancement of limbic brain structures correlated with psychometric measures of reward, drive, mood, and sexual aversion, providing functional significance. In addition, kisspeptin administration attenuated negative mood. CONCLUSIONS. Collectively, our data provide evidence of an undescribed role for kisspeptin in integrating sexual and emotional brain processing with reproduction in humans. These results have important implications for our understanding of reproductive biology and are highly relevant to the current pharmacological development of kisspeptin as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with common disorders of reproductive function. FUNDING. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Wellcome Trust (Ref 080268), and the Medical Research Council (MRC). PMID:28112678

Improving collaboration between professionals supporting mentally ill offenders.

PubMed

Hean, Sarah; Ødegård, Atle; Willumsen, Elisabeth

2017-06-12

Purpose Interprofessional collaboration is necessary when supporting mentally ill offenders but little is understood of these interactions. The purpose of this paper is to explore prison officers' perceptions of current and desirable levels of interprofessional collaboration (relational coordination (RC)) to understand how collaboration between these systems can be improved. Design/methodology/approach Gittell's RC scale was administered to prison officers within the Norwegian prison system ( n=160) using an adaptation of the instrument in which actual and desired levels of RC are evaluated. This differentiates between prison officers' expectations of optimum levels of collaboration with other professional groups, dependent on the role function and codependence, vs actual levels of collaboration. Findings Prison officers reported different RC levels across professional groups, the lowest being with specialist mental health staff and prison doctors and highest with nurses, social workers and other prison officers. Significant differences between desired and actual RC levels suggest expertise of primary care staff is insufficient, as prison officers request much greater contact with mental health specialists when dealing with the mentally ill offender. Originality/value The paper contributes to limited literature on collaborative practice between prison and health care professionals. It questions the advisability of enforcing care pathways that promote the lowest level of effective care in the prison system and suggest ways in which mental health specialists might be better integrated into the prison system. It contributes to the continued debate on how mental health services should be integrated into the prison system, suggesting that the current import model used in Norway and other countries, may not be conducive to generating the close professional relationships required between mental health and prison staff.

On categorization and quantification of women's sexual dysfunctions: an epidemiological approach.

PubMed

Oberg, K; Fugl-Meyer, A R; Fugl-Meyer, K S

2004-06-01

The objectives of this study are to compare the two definitions of female sexual dysfunction, namely dysfunction per se (A category) and personal distress caused by dysfunction (B category), and to gauge their associations with some sociodemographic aspects and level of sexual well-being. The subjects were a nationally representative sample of sexually active Swedish women (n: 1056) aged 18-65 y, who participated in a combined structured interview/questionnaire investigation. The functions analysed were: self-reported sexual desire, interest, lubrication, orgasm, genital pain and vaginism, which were subclassified for the A and B categories into no, mild (sporadically occurring) and manifest dysfunction. Sexual well-being was reported along a six-grade scale ranging from very satisfied to very dissatisfied. The sociodemographic items registered were: education, occupation, financial situation, social group, immigrant status, location of domicile and church-going. Aggregated mild and manifest dysfunction per se of sexual interest, orgasm and vaginal lubrication were reported by about 60-90%. More than one-third had dyspareunia, but few reported vaginism. Mild dysfunctions were clearly more common than manifest dysfunctions. Not fully 45% of those with manifest low interest and orgasm perceived these dysfunctions as manifestly distressing, while in 60-70% lubricational insufficiency of dyspareunia led to manifest distress. Age and the included sociodemographic variables had marginal or no influence on sexual functions. A four-factor sexual function pattern was identified, closely linking A and B categories in a pairwise manner. Three factors, labelled sexual desire, orgasm and genital function were powerful classifiers (discriminant analysis) of level of sexual well-being. Hence, it is a matter of taste whether to use the A or the B category. Together, they can explain the gross level of satisfaction with sexual life to an adequate extent.

Optimized coordination of brakes and active steering for a 4WS passenger car.

PubMed

Tavasoli, Ali; Naraghi, Mahyar; Shakeri, Heman

2012-09-01

Optimum coordination of individual brakes and front/rear steering subsystems is presented. The integrated control strategy consists of three modules. A coordinated high-level control determines the body forces/moment required to achieve vehicle motion objectives. The body forces/moment are allocated to braking and steering subsystems through an intermediate unit, which integrates available subsystems based on phase plane notion in an optimal manner. To this end, an optimization problem including several equality and inequality constraints is defined and solved analytically, such that a real-time implementation can be realized without the use of numeric optimization software. A low-level slip-ratio controller works to generate the desired longitudinal forces at small longitudinal slip-ratios, while averting wheel locking at large slip-ratios. The efficiency of the suggested approach is demonstrated through computer simulations. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

AOSSM Early Sport Specialization Consensus Statement.

PubMed

LaPrade, Robert F; Agel, Julie; Baker, Joseph; Brenner, Joel S; Cordasco, Frank A; Côté, Jean; Engebretsen, Lars; Feeley, Brian T; Gould, Daniel; Hainline, Brian; Hewett, Timothy; Jayanthi, Neeru; Kocher, Mininder S; Myer, Gregory D; Nissen, Carl W; Philippon, Marc J; Provencher, Matthew T

2016-04-01

Early sport specialization is not a requirement for success at the highest levels of competition and is believed to be unhealthy physically and mentally for young athletes. It also discourages unstructured free play, which has many benefits. To review the available evidence on early sports specialization and identify areas where scientific data are lacking. Think tank, roundtable discussion. The primary outcome of this think tank was that there is no evidence that young children will benefit from early sport specialization in the majority of sports. They are subject to overuse injury and burnout from concentrated activity. Early multisport participation will not deter young athletes from long-term competitive athletic success. Youth advocates, parents, clinicians, and coaches need to work together with the sport governing bodies to ensure healthy environments for play and competition that do not create long-term health issues yet support athletic competition at the highest level desired.

AOSSM Early Sport Specialization Consensus Statement

PubMed Central

LaPrade, Robert F.; Agel, Julie; Baker, Joseph; Brenner, Joel S.; Cordasco, Frank A.; Côté, Jean; Engebretsen, Lars; Feeley, Brian T.; Gould, Daniel; Hainline, Brian; Hewett, Timothy E.; Jayanthi, Neeru; Kocher, Mininder S.; Myer, Gregory D.; Nissen, Carl W.; Philippon, Marc J.; Provencher, Matthew T.

2016-01-01

Background: Early sport specialization is not a requirement for success at the highest levels of competition and is believed to be unhealthy physically and mentally for young athletes. It also discourages unstructured free play, which has many benefits. Purpose: To review the available evidence on early sports specialization and identify areas where scientific data are lacking. Study Design: Think tank, roundtable discussion. Results: The primary outcome of this think tank was that there is no evidence that young children will benefit from early sport specialization in the majority of sports. They are subject to overuse injury and burnout from concentrated activity. Early multisport participation will not deter young athletes from long-term competitive athletic success. Conclusion: Youth advocates, parents, clinicians, and coaches need to work together with the sport governing bodies to ensure healthy environments for play and competition that do not create long-term health issues yet support athletic competition at the highest level desired. PMID:27169132

Advanced avionics concepts: Autonomous spacecraft control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

A large increase in space operations activities is expected because of Space Station Freedom (SSF) and long range Lunar base missions and Mars exploration. Space operations will also increase as a result of space commercialization (especially the increase in satellite networks). It is anticipated that the level of satellite servicing operations will grow tenfold from the current level within the next 20 years. This growth can be sustained only if the cost effectiveness of space operations is improved. Cost effectiveness is operational efficiency with proper effectiveness. A concept is presented of advanced avionics, autonomous spacecraft control, that will enable the desired growth, as well as maintain the cost effectiveness (operational efficiency) in satellite servicing operations. The concept of advanced avionics that allows autonomous spacecraft control is described along with a brief description of each component. Some of the benefits of autonomous operations are also described. A technology utilization breakdown is provided in terms of applications.

Universal single point liquid level sensor

DOEpatents

Kronberg, J.W.

1992-10-27

A liquid level detector comprises a thermistor and circuitry for determining electrically if the thermistor is wet or dry and additionally, and continuously, if the thermistor is open or shorted. The voltage across the thermistor is filtered to remove low frequency electrical noise, then compared with a reference low voltage to determine if shorted and to a transition voltage chosen to be between the thermistor's normal wet and dry voltages to determine if the thermistor is wet or dry. The voltage is also compared to the supply voltage using a CMOS gate circuit element to determine if the thermistor is open. The gate passes both faults on to an LED to signal that a fault condition exists or indicates by another LED the wet or dry condition of the thermistor. A pump may be activated through a relay if the thermistor tests wet or dry, as desired. 1 figure.

Universal single point liquid level sensor

DOEpatents

Kronberg, James W.

1992-01-01

A liquid level detector comprises a thermistor and circuitry for determining electrically if the thermistor is wet or dry and additionally, and continuously, if the thermistor is open or shorted. The voltage across the thermistor is filtered to remove low frequency electrical noise, then compared with a reference low voltage to determine if shorted and to a transition voltage chosen to be between the thermistor's normal wet and dry voltages to determine if the thermistor is wet or dry. The voltage is also compared to the supply voltage using a CMOS gate circuit element to determine if the thermistor is open. The gate passes both faults on to an LED to signal that a fault condition exists or indicates by another LED the wet or dry condition of the thermistor. A pump may be activated through a relay if the thermistor tests wet or dry, as desired.

High Level Analysis, Design and Validation of Distributed Mobile Systems with CoreASM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farahbod, R.; Glässer, U.; Jackson, P. J.; Vajihollahi, M.

System design is a creative activity calling for abstract models that facilitate reasoning about the key system attributes (desired requirements and resulting properties) so as to ensure these attributes are properly established prior to actually building a system. We explore here the practical side of using the abstract state machine (ASM) formalism in combination with the CoreASM open source tool environment for high-level design and experimental validation of complex distributed systems. Emphasizing the early phases of the design process, a guiding principle is to support freedom of experimentation by minimizing the need for encoding. CoreASM has been developed and tested building on a broad scope of applications, spanning computational criminology, maritime surveillance and situation analysis. We critically reexamine here the CoreASM project in light of three different application scenarios.

Redistribution of carbon flux in Torulopsis glabrata by altering vitamin and calcium level.

PubMed

Liu, Liming; Li, Yin; Zhu, Yang; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

2007-01-01

Manipulation of cofactor (thiamine, biotin and Ca(2+)) levels as a potential tool to redistribute carbon flux was studied in Torulopsis glabrata. With sub-optimization of vitamin in fermentation medium, the carbon flux was blocked at the key node of pyruvate, and 69 g/L pyruvate was accumulated. Increasing the concentrations of thiamine and biotin could selectively open the valve of carbon flux from pyruvate to pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the pyruvate carboxylase (PC) pathway and the channel into the TCA cycle, leading to the over-production of alpha-ketoglutarate. In addition, the activity of PC was enhanced with Ca(2+) present in fermentation medium. By combining high concentration's vitamins and CaCO(3) as the pH buffer, a batch culture was conducted in a 7-L fermentor, with the pyruvate concentration decreased to 21.8 g/L while alpha-ketoglutarate concentration increased to 43.7 g/L. Our study indicated that the metabolic flux could be redistributed to overproduce desired metabolites with manipulating the cofactor levels. Furthermore, the manipulation of vitamin level provided an alternative tool to realize metabolic engineering goals.

MO-C-9A-01: Effective Medical Physics Educational Activities: Models and Methods

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

Sprawls, P

Medical physics is learned in a combination of activities including classroom sessions, individual study, small-group collaborative problem solving, and direct experience in the laboratory or clinical environment. Each type of learning activity is characterized by its effectiveness in producing the desired knowledge for the learner and the cost in terms of resources and human effort required providing it. While learning and teaching is a human activity, modern technology provides a variety of tools that can be used to enhance human performance. The class or conference room is the common setting for educational sessions in both academic institutions and continuing educationmore » conferences and programs such as those sponsored by the AAPM. A major value of a class/conference room program is efficiency by bringing a group of learners together to share in a common learning experience under the guidance of one or more experienced learning facilitators (lecturers or presenters). A major challenge is that the class/conference room is separated from the real world of medical physics. The design of an educational activity needs to take into consideration the desired outcomes with respect to what the learners should be able to do. The distinction is that of being able to apply the knowledge to perform specific physics functions rather than just knowing and being able to recall facts, and perhaps do well on written examinations. These are different types of knowledge structures within the human brain and distinctly different learning activities to develop each. Much of medical physics education, especially at the post-graduate and continuing education level, is for the purpose of enhancing the ability of physicists and other related professionals to perform applied procedures and tasks and requires specific types of knowledge.In this session we will analyze various learning activity models, the values and limitations of each, and how they can be used in medical physics education. An example we will use is optimizing CT image quality and dose which is an important topic for medical physicists, radiologists and residents, along with technologists. The knowledge structure for this is best developed by a combination of learning activities including class/conference discussions, individual study and review, and direct observation and interaction in the clinical setting under the direction of a knowledgeable leader.The function of the human brain will be considered with respect to learning experiences that contribute to effective medical physics knowledge structures. The characteristics of various types of educational activities will be compared with respect to their effectiveness for producing desired outcomes along with their limitations. Emphasis will be given to the design of highly-effective classroom/conference presentations, and activities will be demonstrated with an emphasis on using technology to enhance human performance of both learners and the learning facilitators. Learning Objectives: Develop and provide highly effective medical physics educational sessions. Use technology to enhance human performance in the educational process. Identify and analyze various models of educational activities Select and use educational activities that contribute value to the medical physics profession.« less

A Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robot in Sitting Position with a Review of Training Activities.

PubMed

Eiammanussakul, Trinnachoke; Sangveraphunsiri, Viboon

2018-01-01

Robots for stroke rehabilitation at the lower limbs in sitting/lying position have been developed extensively. Some of them have been applied in clinics and shown the potential of the recovery of poststroke patients who suffer from hemiparesis. These robots were developed to provide training at different joints of lower limbs with various activities and modalities. This article reviews the training activities that were realized by rehabilitation robots in literature, in order to offer insights for developing a novel robot suitable for stroke rehabilitation. The control system of the lower limb rehabilitation robot in sitting position that was introduced in the previous work is discussed in detail to demonstrate the behavior of the robot while training a subject. The nonlinear impedance control law, based on active assistive control strategy, is able to define the response of the robot with more specifications while the passivity property and the robustness of the system is verified. A preliminary experiment is conducted on a healthy subject to show that the robot is able to perform active assistive exercises with various training activities and assist the subject to complete the training with desired level of assistance.

Doubling Pharmacist Coverage in the Intensive Care Unit: Impact on the Pharmacists' Clinical Activities and Team Members' Satisfaction.

PubMed

McDaniel, Joshua; Bass, Lynn; Pate, Toni; DeValve, Michael; Miller, Susan

2017-09-01

Background: National professional organizations have recognized pharmacists as essential members of the intensive care unit (ICU) team. Critical care pharmacists' clinical activities have been categorized as fundamental, desirable, and optimal, providing a structure for gauging ICU pharmacy services being provided. Objective: To determine the impact the addition of a second ICU pharmacist covering 30 adult ICU beds at a large regional medical center has on the complexity of pharmacists' interventions, the types of clinical activities performed by the pharmacists, and the ICU team members' satisfaction. Methods: A prospective mixed-method descriptive study was conducted. Pharmacists recorded their interventions and clinical activities performed. A focus group composed of randomly selected ICU team members was held to qualitatively describe the impact of the additional pharmacist coverage on patient care, team dynamics, and pharmacy services provided. Results: The baseline period consisted of 33 days, and the intervention period consisted of 20 days. The average complexity of interventions was 1.72 during the baseline period (mode = 2) versus 1.69 (mode = 2) during the intervention period. The number of desirable and optimal clinical activities performed daily increased during the intervention from 8.4 (n = 279) to 16.4 (n = 328) and 2.3 (n = 75) to 8.6 (n = 171) compared with the baseline, respectively. Focus group members qualitatively described additional pharmacist coverage as beneficial. Conclusion: The additional critical care pharmacist did not increase pharmacy intervention complexity; however, more interventions were performed per day. Additional pharmacist coverage increased the daily number of desirable and optimal clinical activities performed and positively impacted ICU team members' satisfaction.

Desire to Have Children Among Transgender People in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study.

PubMed

Auer, Matthias K; Fuss, Johannes; Nieder, Timo O; Briken, Peer; Biedermann, Sarah V; Stalla, Günter K; Beckmann, Matthias W; Hildebrandt, Thomas

2018-05-01

Many trans individuals undergo medical interventions that result in irreversible loss of fertility. Little is known about their desire to have children and attitudes toward fertility preservation options. To study how the desire for children and the use of fertility preservation options varies among trans women and trans men in different transitioning stages in Germany. In this cross-sectional multi-center study, N = 99 trans women and N = 90 trans men were included. Of these, 26 of each sex were just about to start medical treatment. Outcome parameter were the prevalence and determinants of a desire to have children in trans persons. Before treatment, a desire for children was significantly higher in trans men compared to trans women (P = .016). In contrast, in those who had already started treatment, a current desire to have children was equally present in about one fourth of participants of both genders while the interest in having children in the future was significantly higher in trans women (69.9%) than in trans men (46.9%; P = .034). Although 76.1% of trans women and 76.6% of trans men indicated that they had at least thought about preserving germ cells before starting medical transition, only 9.6% of trans women and 3.1% of trans men had put this idea into practice. Most trans men in both groups indicated that insemination of a female partner with sperm from an unrelated donor was a suitable option to fulfill their child wish, potentially explaining their low interest in preserving their own germ cells. Finally, a logistic regression analysis accounting for potential confounders revealed that overall trans women were more than twice as likely to have a current desire to have children (odds ratio 2.58), and this wish was on average 5.3% lower with each year of increasing age. A low level of fertility preservation among trans persons is contrasted by a high level of desire for children. This highlights the importance of counseling trans individuals regarding fertility preservation options. To our knowledge, this is the first study that addresses desire to have children in a clinical sample of trans women. It is also the first that investigates this issue among trans men who have not started medical treatment, and the first comparison of both genders. A limitation for the generalization of our results is the special legal context in Germany that forbids oocyte donation for reciprocal in vitro fertilization. Reproductive desire is high among trans individuals, but the use of reproductive options is surprisingly low. Auer MK, Fuss J, Nieder TO, et al. Desire to Have Children Among Transgender People in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study. J Sex Med 2018;15:757-767. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementing quality/productivity improvement initiatives in an engineering environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruda, R. R.

1985-01-01

Quality/Productivity Improvement (QPI) initiatives in the engineering environment at McDonnell Douglas-Houston include several different, distinct activities, each having its own application, yet all targeted toward one common goal - making continuous improvement a way of life. The chief executive and the next two levels of management demonstrate their commitment to QPI with hands-on involvement in several activities. Each is a member of a QPI Council which consists of six panels - Participative Management, Communications, Training, Performance/Productivity, Human Resources Management and Strategic Management. In addition, each manager conducts Workplace Visits and Bosstalks, to enhance communications with employees and to provide a forum for the identification of problems - both real and perceived. Quality Circles and Project Teams are well established within McConnel Douglas as useful and desirable employee involvement teams. The continued growth of voluntary membership in the circles program is strong evidence of the employee interest and management support that have developed within the organization.

A pharmacy course on leadership and leading change.

PubMed

Sorensen, Todd D; Traynor, Andrew P; Janke, Kristin K

2009-04-07

To develop and implement a course that develops pharmacy students' leadership skills and encourages them to become leaders within the profession. A leadership course series was offered to pharmacy students on 2 campuses. The series incorporated didactic, experiential, and self-directed learning activities, and focused on developing core leadership skills, self-awareness, and awareness of the process for leading change. Students reported increased knowledge and confidence in their ability to initiate and lead efforts for change. The learning activities students' valued most were the StrengthsFinder assessment (67% of students rated "very useful") and a Leadership Networking Partners (LNP) program (83% of students rated "very useful"). Teaching leadership skills poses a significant challenge in curriculum development and requires multifaceted course design elements that resonate with students and engage the practice community. Addressing these requirements results in a high level of student engagement and a desire to continue the development of leadership skills.

A new approach of active compliance control via fuzzy logic control for multifingered robot hand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamil, M. F. A.; Jalani, J.; Ahmad, A.

2016-07-01

Safety is a vital issue in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). In order to guarantee safety in HRI, a model reference impedance control can be a very useful approach introducing a compliant control. In particular, this paper establishes a fuzzy logic compliance control (i.e. active compliance control) to reduce impact and forces during physical interaction between humans/objects and robots. Exploiting a virtual mass-spring-damper system allows us to determine a desired compliant level by understanding the behavior of the model reference impedance control. The performance of fuzzy logic compliant control is tested in simulation for a robotic hand known as the RED Hand. The results show that the fuzzy logic is a feasible control approach, particularly to control position and to provide compliant control. In addition, the fuzzy logic control allows us to simplify the controller design process (i.e. avoid complex computation) when dealing with nonlinearities and uncertainties.

[Physiological characteristics and the level of risk factors for ischemic heart disease in marathon runners between 30 and 59 years of age].

PubMed

Kostka, T; Drygas, W; Mrozek, P

1989-02-06

The results of anthropometric, biochemical, cardiological and performance capacity studies in the 37 marathon runners, 113 men systematically practising recreational training programme with a domination of endurance exercises and 44 healthy men with little leisure time physical activity have been compared. In comparison with a group of physically non-active persons, the marathon runners are characterized by considerably higher physical working capacity, slimmer figure, lower resting heart rate, lower diastolic blood pressure, high concentration of HDL cholesterol and lower cholesterol: HDL cholesterol index. However, these differences are minimal in comparison with other systematically training persons, and with regard to the majority of factors statistically insignificant. It seems that for reaching the physiological effects desired from the point of view of ischemic heart disease prevention the endurance training of lower capacity and intensity would be sufficient.

Treatability study of pesticide-based industrial wastewater.

PubMed

Shah, Kinnari; Chauhan, L I; Galgale, A D

2012-10-01

This paper finds out appropriate treatment methods for wastewater of an Organophosphorus viz, chloropyrifos pesticide manufacturing industry. The characterization of wastewater generated during trial production of chloropyrifos was carried out. Based on the characterization of wastewater, various treatability studies were conducted. The most desirable results were obtained with treatment scheme employing acidification, chlorination with NaOCl, suspended growth biological treatment, chemical precipitation for phosphorous removal and activated carbon treatment. Acidification of wastewater helps in by-product recovery as well as reduction in COD upto 36.26%. Chlorination followed by biological treatment was found to be effective to reduce the COD level by 62.06%. To comply with permissible limits prescribed by Effluent Channel Project Ltd.(ECPL)* and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) for discharge of industrial effluent into channel, further treatment in the form of chemical precipitation (for phosphorous removal) and granular activated carbon is suggested.

Tuning the autophagy-inducing activity of lanthanide-based nanocrystals through specific surface-coating peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunjiao; Zheng, Fang; Yang, Tianlong; Zhou, Wei; Liu, Yun; Man, Na; Zhang, Li; Jin, Nan; Dou, Qingqing; Zhang, Yong; Li, Zhengquan; Wen, Long-Ping

2012-09-01

The induction of autophagy on exposure of cells to a variety of nanoparticles represents both a safety concern and an application niche for engineered nanomaterials. Here, we show that a short synthetic peptide, RE-1, identified by means of phage display, binds to lanthanide (LN) oxide and upconversion nanocrystals (UCN), forms a stable coating layer on the nanoparticles’ surface, and effectively abrogates their autophagy-inducing activity. Furthermore, RE-1 peptide variants exhibit a differentially reduced binding capability, and correspondingly, a varied ability to reduce the autophagic response. We also show that the addition of an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif to RE-1 enhances autophagy for LN UCN through the interaction with integrins. RE-1 and its variants provide a versatile tool for tuning material-cell interactions to achieve the desired level of autophagy, and may prove useful for the various diagnostic and therapeutic applications of LN-based nanomaterials and nanodevices.

Cloning and expression of the gene for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase

DOEpatents

Studier, F. William; Davanloo, Parichehre; Rosenberg, Alan H.; Moffatt, Barbara A.; Dunn, John J.

1999-02-09

This application describes a means to clone a functional gene for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. Active T7 RNA polymerase is produced from the cloned gene, and a plasmid has been constructed that can produce the active enzyme in large amounts. T7 RNA polymerase transcribes DNA very efficiently and is highly selective for a relatively long promoter sequence. This enzyme is useful for synthesizing large amounts of RNA in vivo or in vitro, and is capable of producing a single RNA selectively from a complex mixture of DNAs. The procedure used to obtain a clone of the R7 RNA polymerase gene can be applied to other T7-like phages to obtain clones that produce RNA polymerases having different promoter specificities, different bacterial hosts, or other desirable properties. T7 RNA polymerase is also used in a system for selective, high-level synthesis of RNAs and proteins in suitable host cells.

Cloning and expression of the gene for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase

DOEpatents

Studier, F. William; Davanloo, Parichehre; Rosenberg, Alan H.; Moffatt, Barbara A.; Dunn, John J.

1997-12-02

This application describes a means to clone a functional gene for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. Active T7 RNA polymerase is produced from the cloned gene, and a plasmid has been constructed that can produce the active enzyme in large amounts. T7 RNA polymerase transcribes DNA very efficiently and is highly selective for a relatively long promoter sequence. This enzyme is useful for synthesizing large amounts of RNA in vivo or in vitro, and is capable of producing a single RNA selectively from a complex mixture of DNAs. The procedure used to obtain a clone of the R7 RNA polymerase gene can be applied to other T7-like phages to obtain clones that produce RNA polymerases having different promoter specificities, different bacterial hosts, or other desirable properties. T7 RNA polymerase is also used in a system for selective, high-level synthesis of RNAs and proteins in suitable host cells.

Cloning and expression of the gene for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase

DOEpatents

Studier, F. William; Davanloo, Parichehre; Rosenberg, Alan H.; Moffatt, Barbara A.; Dunn, John J.

1990-01-01

This application describes a means to clone a functional gene for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. Active T7 RNA polymerase is produced from the cloned gene, and a plasmid has been constructed that can produce the active enzyme in large amounts. T7 RNA polymerase transcribes DNA very efficiently and is highly selective for a relatively long promoter sequence. This enzyme is useful for synthesizing large amounts of RNA in vivo or in vitro, and is capable of producing a single RNA selectively from a complex mixture of DNAs. The procedure used to obtain a clone of the T7 RNA polymerase gene can be applied to other T7-like phages to obtain clones that produce RNA polymerases having different promoter specificities, different bacterial hosts, or other desirable properties. T7 RNA polymerase is also used in a system for selective, high-level synthesis of RNAs and proteins in suitable host cells.

G2 and G5 carboxyl-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimers interact differently with 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphocholine bilayers **1

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Limits on non-target tissue exposure and avoidance of metabolic changes to active agents make topical application/delivery of skin active agents highly desirable. Individually, phospholipid liposomes and polyamidoamine dendrimers are effective delivery systems of various active agents. Potentially...

Resource and activity substitutes for recreational salmon fishing in New Zealand

Treesearch

Bo Shelby

1985-01-01

Substitutes become an issue when people are constrained from participating in desired activities. This study investigates and compares activity and resource substitutes for recreational salmon fishing in New Zealand. Results suggest that resource substitution and inventories need more attention, user perceptions of substitutes are important, substitutes can be...

Psychosocial Factors in Activity Selection, Activity Perseverance, and Performance Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Robert N.

In order to understand what motivates children to participate in or avoid engaging in physical activities, it is necessary to understand something about motivation. There are two sources of motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from drives, psychological and physiological processes, and needs such as the desire for achievement and…

Design and experiment study of a semi-active energy-regenerative suspension system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Dehua; Chen, Long; Wang, Ruochen; Jiang, Haobin; Shen, Yujie

2015-01-01

A new kind of semi-active energy-regenerative suspension system is proposed to recover suspension vibration energy, as well as to reduce the suspension cost and demands for the motor-rated capacity. The system consists of an energy-regenerative damper and a DC-DC converter-based energy-regenerative circuit. The energy-regenerative damper is composed of an electromagnetic linear motor and an adjustable shock absorber with three regulating levels. The linear motor just works as the generator to harvest the suspension vibration energy. The circuit can be used to improve the system’s energy-regenerative performance and to continuously regulate the motor’s electromagnetic damping force. Therefore, although the motor works as a generator and damps the isolation without an external power source, the motor damping force is controllable. The damping characteristics of the system are studied based on a two degrees of freedom vehicle vibration model. By further analyzing the circuit operation characteristics under different working modes, the double-loop controller is designed to track the desired damping force. The external-loop is a fuzzy controller that offers the desired equivalent damping. The inner-loop controller, on one hand, is used to generate the pulse number and the frequency to control the angle and the rotational speed of the step motor; on the other hand, the inner-loop is used to offer the duty cycle of the energy-regenerative circuit. Simulations and experiments are conducted to validate such a new suspension system. The results show that the semi-active energy-regenerative suspension can improve vehicle ride comfort with the controllable damping characteristics of the linear motor. Meanwhile, it also ensures energy regeneration.

Effectiveness of Social Marketing Interventions to Promote Physical Activity Among Adults: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Xia, Yuan; Deshpande, Sameer; Bonates, Tiberius

2016-11-01

Social marketing managers promote desired behaviors to an audience by making them tangible in the form of environmental opportunities to enhance benefits and reduce barriers. This study proposed "benchmarks," modified from those found in the past literature, that would match important concepts of the social marketing framework and the inclusion of which would ensure behavior change effectiveness. In addition, we analyzed behavior change interventions on a "social marketing continuum" to assess whether the number of benchmarks and the role of specific benchmarks influence the effectiveness of physical activity promotion efforts. A systematic review of social marketing interventions available in academic studies published between 1997 and 2013 revealed 173 conditions in 92 interventions. Findings based on χ 2 , Mallows' Cp, and Logical Analysis of Data tests revealed that the presence of more benchmarks in interventions increased the likelihood of success in promoting physical activity. The presence of more than 3 benchmarks improved the success of the interventions; specifically, all interventions were successful when more than 7.5 benchmarks were present. Further, primary formative research, core product, actual product, augmented product, promotion, and behavioral competition all had a significant influence on the effectiveness of interventions. Social marketing is an effective approach in promoting physical activity among adults when a substantial number of benchmarks are used and when managers understand the audience, make the desired behavior tangible, and promote the desired behavior persuasively.

Discovery of Novel Inhibitors and Fluorescent Probe Targeting NAMPT.

PubMed

Wang, Xia; Xu, Tian-Ying; Liu, Xin-Zhu; Zhang, Sai-Long; Wang, Pei; Li, Zhi-Yong; Guan, Yun-Feng; Wang, Shu-Na; Dong, Guo-Qiang; Zhuo, Shu; Le, Ying-Ying; Sheng, Chun-Quan; Miao, Chao-Yu

2015-07-31

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is a promising antitumor target. Novel NAMPT inhibitors with diverse chemotypes are highly desirable for development of antitumor agents. Using high throughput screening system targeting NAMPT on a chemical library of 30000 small-molecules, we found a non-fluorescent compound F671-0003 and a fluorescent compound M049-0244 with excellent in vitro activity (IC50: 85 nM and 170 nM respectively) and anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 cells. These two compounds significantly depleted cellular NAD levels. Exogenous NMN rescued their anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 cells. Structure-activity relationship study proposed a binding mode for NAMPT inhibitor F671-0003 and highlighted the importance of hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and π-π interactions in inhibitor binding. Imaging study provided the evidence that fluorescent compound M049-0244 (3 μM) significantly stained living HepG2 cells. Cellular fluorescence was further verified to be NAMPT dependent by using RNA interference and NAMPT over expression transgenic mice. Our findings provide novel antitumor lead compounds and a "first-in-class" fluorescent probe for imaging NAMPT.

Predicting flow at work: investigating the activities and job characteristics that predict flow states at work.

PubMed

Nielsen, Karina; Cleal, Bryan

2010-04-01

Flow (a state of consciousness where people become totally immersed in an activity and enjoy it intensely) has been identified as a desirable state with positive effects for employee well-being and innovation at work. Flow has been studied using both questionnaires and Experience Sampling Method (ESM). In this study, we used a newly developed 9-item flow scale in an ESM study combined with a questionnaire to examine the predictors of flow at two levels: the activities (brainstorming, planning, problem solving and evaluation) associated with transient flow states and the more stable job characteristics (role clarity, influence and cognitive demands). Participants were 58 line managers from two companies in Denmark; a private accountancy firm and a public elder care organization. We found that line managers in elder care experienced flow more often than accountancy line managers, and activities such as planning, problem solving, and evaluation predicted transient flow states. The more stable job characteristics included in this study were not, however, found to predict flow at work. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Examining the impact of changes in school tobacco control policies and programs on current smoking and susceptibility to future smoking among youth in the first two years of the COMPASS study: looking back to move forward.

PubMed

Leatherdale, Scott T; Cole, Adam

2015-01-01

School-based prevention activities continue to be an important tobacco control resource, however there is little guidance for school-based tobacco control programming within Ontario. The objective of this study is to identify real-world changes in school-based tobacco control programs or policies in the COMPASS study and examine of those interventions (natural experiments) had any impact on the school-level prevalence of smoking susceptibility and current smoking over time. This paper uses longitudinal school-level smoking behaviour data from Year 1 (Y1: 2012-13) and Year 2 (Y2: 2013-14) of the COMPASS study. Changes to school-level tobacco control programs and policies were measured using the COMPASS School Programs and Policies Questionnaire and knowledge broker follow-up interviews. Quasi-experimental tests of proportion and difference-in-difference models were used to evaluate the impact of the interventions identified between Y1 and Y2 on school-level prevalence of smoking susceptibility among never smokers and current smoking. Between Y1 and Y2, 17 schools reported a change in their tobacco control programming or policies. In four of the intervention schools, the increase in the within-school prevalence of susceptible never smokers between Y1 and Y2 was significantly greater than the natural change observed in the control schools. In five of the intervention schools, the decrease in the within-school prevalence of current smokers between Y1 and Y2 was significantly greater than the natural change observed in the control schools. Only two of the new interventions evaluated (both focused on policies of progressive punishment for students caught smoking on school property), were associated with significant desirable changes in both smoking susceptibility and current smoking between Y1 and Y2. Interventions specific to effective and enforced tobacco control were the most common and consistently had the desired impact on the school-level prevalence of smoking susceptibility and current smoking. Due to the variation in the types of interventions implemented and their effectiveness, additional evaluation evidence is necessary to determine the most successful activities and contexts among individual students. The results presented here highlight which of these real-world promising interventions should be further evaluated using the longitudinal individual-level data in COMPASS over time.

EXERCISE IMPROVES SEXUAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN TAKING ANTIDEPRESSANTS: RESULTS FROM A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL

PubMed Central

Lorenz, Tierney Ahrold; Meston, Cindy May

2014-01-01

Background In laboratory studies, exercise immediately before sexual stimuli improved sexual arousal of women taking antidepressants [1]. We evaluated if exercise improves sexual desire, orgasm, and global sexual functioning in women experiencing antidepressant-induced sexual side effects. Methods Fifty-two women who were reporting antidepressant sexual side effects were followed for 3 weeks of sexual activity only. They were randomized to complete either three weeks of exercise immediately before sexual activity (3×/week) or 3 weeks of exercise separate from sexual activity (3×/week). At the end of the first exercise arm, participants crossed to the other. We measured sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, depression, and physical health. Results Exercise immediately prior to sexual activity significantly improved sexual desire and, for women with sexual dysfunction at baseline, global sexual function. Scheduling regular sexual activity significantly improved orgasm function; exercise did not increase this benefit. Neither regular sexual activity nor exercise significantly changed sexual satisfaction. Conclusions Scheduling regular sexual activity and exercise may be an effective tool for the behavioral management of sexual side effects of antidepressants. PMID:24754044

Exercise improves sexual function in women taking antidepressants: results from a randomized crossover trial.

PubMed

Lorenz, Tierney Ahrold; Meston, Cindy May

2014-03-01

In laboratory studies, exercise immediately before sexual stimuli improved sexual arousal of women taking antidepressants [1]. We evaluated if exercise improves sexual desire, orgasm, and global sexual functioning in women experiencing antidepressant-induced sexual side effects. Fifty-two women who were reporting antidepressant sexual side effects were followed for 3 weeks of sexual activity only. They were randomized to complete either three weeks of exercise immediately before sexual activity (3×/week) or 3 weeks of exercise separate from sexual activity (3×/week). At the end of the first exercise arm, participants crossed to the other. We measured sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, depression, and physical health. Exercise immediately prior to sexual activity significantly improved sexual desire and, for women with sexual dysfunction at baseline, global sexual function. Scheduling regular sexual activity significantly improved orgasm function; exercise did not increase this benefit. Neither regular sexual activity nor exercise significantly changed sexual satisfaction. Scheduling regular sexual activity and exercise may be an effective tool for the behavioral management of sexual side effects of antidepressants

Practical Approaches to Prescribing Physical Activity and Monitoring Exercise Intensity.

PubMed

Reed, Jennifer L; Pipe, Andrew L

2016-04-01

Regular physical activity helps to prevent heart disease, and reduces the risk of first or subsequent cardiovascular events. It is recommended that Canadian adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more, and perform muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least 2 days per week. Individual exercise prescriptions can be developed using the frequency, intensity, time, and type principles. Increasing evidence suggests that high-intensity interval training is efficacious for a broad spectrum of heart health outcomes. Several practical approaches to prescribing and monitoring exercise intensity exist including: heart rate monitoring, the Borg rating of perceived exertion scale, the Talk Test, and, motion sensors. The Borg rating of perceived exertion scale matches a numerical value to an individual's perception of effort, and can also be used to estimate heart rate. The Talk Test, the level at which simple conversation is possible, can be used to monitor desired levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise. Motion sensors can provide users with practical and useful exercise training information to aid in meeting current exercise recommendations. These approaches can be used by the public, exercise scientists, and clinicians to easily and effectively guide physical activity in a variety of settings. Copyright © 2016 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method to detect Bcr-Abl kinase activity in CML using a peptide biosensor.

PubMed

Yang, Tzu-Yi; Eissler, Christie L; Hall, Mark C; Parker, Laurie L

2013-01-01

The protein kinase Bcr-Abl plays a major role in the pathogenesis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and is the target of the breakthrough drug imatinib (Gleevec™). While most patients respond well to imatinib, approximately 30% never achieve remission or develop resistance within 1-5 years of starting imatinib treatment. Evidence from clinical studies suggests that achieving at least 50% inhibition of a patient's Bcr-Abl kinase activity (relative to their level at diagnosis) is associated with improved patient outcomes, including reduced occurrence of resistance and longer maintenance of remission. Accordingly, sensitive assays for detecting Bcr-Abl kinase activity compatible with small amounts of patient material are desirable as potential companion diagnostics for imatinib. Here we report the detection of Bcr-Abl activity and inhibition by imatinib in the human CML cell line K562 using a cell-penetrating peptide biosensor and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. MRM enabled reproducible, selective detection of the peptide biosensor at fmol levels from aliquots of cell lysate equivalent to ~15,000 cells. This degree of sensitivity will facilitate the miniaturization of the entire assay procedure down to cell numbers approaching 15,000, making it practical for translational applications in patient cells in which the limited amount of available patient material often presents a major challenge.

A Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) Method to Detect Bcr-Abl Kinase Activity in CML Using a Peptide Biosensor

PubMed Central

Yang, Tzu-Yi; Eissler, Christie L.; Hall, Mark C.; Parker, Laurie L.

2013-01-01

The protein kinase Bcr-Abl plays a major role in the pathogenesis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and is the target of the breakthrough drug imatinib (Gleevec™). While most patients respond well to imatinib, approximately 30% never achieve remission or develop resistance within 1–5 years of starting imatinib treatment. Evidence from clinical studies suggests that achieving at least 50% inhibition of a patient’s Bcr-Abl kinase activity (relative to their level at diagnosis) is associated with improved patient outcomes, including reduced occurrence of resistance and longer maintenance of remission. Accordingly, sensitive assays for detecting Bcr-Abl kinase activity compatible with small amounts of patient material are desirable as potential companion diagnostics for imatinib. Here we report the detection of Bcr-Abl activity and inhibition by imatinib in the human CML cell line K562 using a cell-penetrating peptide biosensor and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. MRM enabled reproducible, selective detection of the peptide biosensor at fmol levels from aliquots of cell lysate equivalent to ∼15,000 cells. This degree of sensitivity will facilitate the miniaturization of the entire assay procedure down to cell numbers approaching 15,000, making it practical for translational applications in patient cells in which the limited amount of available patient material often presents a major challenge. PMID:23437189

The No!—Or the Yes and the How—of Sex for Patients with Neck, Back and Radicular Pain Syndromes

PubMed Central

Rubin, David

1970-01-01

The restrictions imposed upon sexual activity by neck, back and radicular pain syndromes are of serious concern to the patient. In recent years the subject of When, and even How is raised with increasing frequency, and the patient expects the physician to reply with appropriate answers. The reply must be tempered by the level of the patient's recovery, the evaluation of what other activities the patient can perform without pain or with minimal pain and the method to be used. Sexual activity may precipitate recurrent pain or aggravate existing pain in the same manner as lifting, pushing, pulling or any other physical activity, if performed too early or too vigorously in the course of recovery from neck, back or radicular pain syndromes. In dealing with the problem of recovery from painful musculoskeletal or neuromuscular states, timing is of the utmost importance. Unless a timetable is specifically outlined, recurrences are common, and the condition may become chronic. The inability of the patient to deal satisfactorily with the sexual aspect of his daily living may, in itself, lead to emotional tensions and guilt feelings which may delay or prevent recovery. There is need to handle this problem at every level of the involvement in order to achieve a desirable end result—namely, the absence of pain and its replacement with pleasure. PMID:4249673

Participant perceptions of a novel physiotherapy approach ("Blue Prescription") for increasing levels of physical activity in people with multiple sclerosis: a qualitative study following intervention.

PubMed

Smith, Catherine M; Hale, Leigh A; Mulligan, Hilda F; Treharne, Gareth J

2013-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate experiences of participating in a feasibility trial of a novel physiotherapy intervention (Blue Prescription). The trial was designed to increase participation in physical activity for people with multiple sclerosis living in the community. We individually interviewed 27 volunteers from two New Zealand metropolitan areas at the conclusion of their participation in Blue Prescription. We asked volunteers about what participation in Blue Prescription had meant to them; how participants intended to continue with their physical activity; how the approach differed from previous experiences of physiotherapy encounters; and how Blue Prescription could be improved. Interviews were semi-structured, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using a General Inductive Approach. 'Support' was identified as a key theme with three sub-themes: 'The therapeutic relationship'; 'The Blue Prescription approach'; and 'Supporting themselves'. We identified two additional themes 'Motivation to participate' and 'Improving the Blue Prescription approach'. A novel approach (Blue Prescription) which facilitates engagement in higher levels of desirable physical activity was perceived by participants to be supportive, motivating and enabling. This approach might be particularly useful for people with multiple sclerosis ready to adopt new health-related behaviours. For future studies, this approach requires further refinement, particularly with regards to methods of communication and evaluation.

What, Why, How - Creative Activities in Occupational Therapy Practice in Sweden.

PubMed

Müllersdorf, Maria; Ivarsson, Ann-Britt

2016-12-01

Creative activities have historically been used in occupational therapy, and although their usage has declined in recent decades, they are still used in Swedish practice. The aim of this study was to better understand how occupational therapists use creative activities in practice. A web-based survey was sent to 520 occupational therapists, of which 304 (58.5%) responded. The main reason identified for using creative activities was to strengthen the client's occupational performance, well-being and self-esteem. The expected outcomes of applying creative activities were to support the client in self-expression and experiencing joy and desire. More than half of the occupational therapist respondents did not use creative activities to the extent they desired. Creative activities in occupational therapy are still used as a vital treatment to strengthen the clients' occupational performance abilities. The survey has looked at only a professional perspective on effectiveness of applying creative activities in occupational therapy. More research is needed to evaluate how occupational therapists internationally apply creative activities. There is also a need to gain information from the client's perspective on the therapeutic value of creative activities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Report of 1,000 Hour Catalyst Longevity Evaluation

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

Daniel M. Ginosar

2009-06-01

This report presents the results of a 1,000 hour, high-pressure, catalyst longevity test for the decomposition of concentrated sulfuric acid. The reaction is used for both the sulfur-iodine (S-I) cycle and hybrid sulfur cycle. By the time of the delivery date of April 17, 2009, for project milestone no. 2NIN07TC050114, the 1% Pt/TiO2 catalyst had been in the reaction environment for 658 hours. During the first 480 hours of testing, the catalyst activity provided stable, near-equilibrium yields of 46.8% SO2 and 22.8% O2. However, product yields declined at sample exposure times >480 hours. At 658 hours of operation, catalyst activitymore » (based on oxygen yield) declined to 57% relative to the stable period of catalyst activity. Thus, as of April 17, this catalyst did not provide the desired stability level of <10% degradation per 1,000 hours. The experiment was terminated on April 27, after 792 hours, when a fitting failed and the catalyst was displaced from the reactor such that the sample could not be recovered. Oxygen conversion at the end of the experiment was 12.5% and declining, suggesting that at that point, catalyst activity had decreased to 54% of the initial level.« less

The Treasure in Leisure Activities: Fostering Resilience in Young People Who Are Blind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jessup, Glenda M.; Cornell, Elaine; Bundy, Anita C.

2010-01-01

Because leisure activities are often viewed as optional, their value to people with disabilities may not be recognized. This study explored the benefits of leisure activities for eight young people who are blind. These activities provided them with supportive relationships, a desirable identity, experiences of power and control, and experiences of…

Mismatch of desired versus perceived social support and associated levels of anxiety and depression in newly diagnosed cancer patients.

PubMed

Linden, Wolfgang; Vodermaier, Andrea

2012-07-01

Perceived social support serves as a buffer against stress in cancer patients as well as in the healthy. However, not all individuals low in support necessarily want more support. We, therefore, tested a match-mismatch model (low versus high perceived support relative to low versus high desired support) with regard to its association with emotional distress. Participants included two large samples of n = 576 consecutively recruited, newly diagnosed cancer patients and n = 383 healthy controls. The hypothesized interaction effects of perceived and desired support and its impact on anxiety and depressive symptoms were tested via hierarchical linear regression. Perceived social support and desire for support were orthogonal in cancer patients (r = -0.03, p = 0.56). In accordance with the match-mismatch model, only those cancer patients with a high desire for support but who perceived low support exceeded cut-offs suggestive of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, whereas the other patient groups did not show clinical symptoms. Results for healthy controls were weaker. The findings support the hypothesized match-mismatch model suggesting that lack of social support is only associated with emotional distress when patients desire more support than they actually perceive as having. Perceived as well as desired social support are, therefore, relevant and non-overlapping constructs to be included in screening tools for emotional distress in order to heighten the utility of screening as a decision aid to guide psycho-oncological follow-up.

Was it the drink? The conditioned association of alcohol and desire to quit smoking on the dual use of little cigars/cigarillos and cigarettes among men and women.

PubMed

Ehlke, Sarah J; Cohn, Amy M

2016-08-01

Dual use of little cigars/cigarillos (LCCs) with cigarettes is becoming more popular; especially among men, but infrequently studied. Dual tobacco users show a higher prevalence of health-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol use, are likely exposed to higher levels of nicotine and tobacco-related toxicants, and have greater difficulty quitting and maintaining abstinence. This study examined the effects of alcohol use, and desire to quit smoking on dual use of LCCs and cigarettes among men and women. Data utilized responses from a screening survey of 571 adult smokers. Basic demographic information, current cigarette use, desire to quit smoking, frequency of current LCC use, and alcohol and drug use were collected. Dual users were more likely to be male and younger, report drug use in the past 90-days, and have a lower desire to quit smoking. Regression analyses showed a 3-way interaction of gender, alcohol use frequency, and desire to quit smoking, such that men who drank alcohol more frequently who had a higher desire to quit smoking used LCCs more frequently than men with a lower desire to quit. Alcohol use may be a risk factor for men's dual use of LCCs and cigarettes among those who want to quit smoking. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Adaptive Automation Triggered by EEG-Based Mental Workload Index: A Passive Brain-Computer Interface Application in Realistic Air Traffic Control Environment.

PubMed

Aricò, Pietro; Borghini, Gianluca; Di Flumeri, Gianluca; Colosimo, Alfredo; Bonelli, Stefano; Golfetti, Alessia; Pozzi, Simone; Imbert, Jean-Paul; Granger, Géraud; Benhacene, Raïlane; Babiloni, Fabio

2016-01-01

Adaptive Automation (AA) is a promising approach to keep the task workload demand within appropriate levels in order to avoid both the under - and over-load conditions, hence enhancing the overall performance and safety of the human-machine system. The main issue on the use of AA is how to trigger the AA solutions without affecting the operative task. In this regard, passive Brain-Computer Interface (pBCI) systems are a good candidate to activate automation, since they are able to gather information about the covert behavior (e.g., mental workload) of a subject by analyzing its neurophysiological signals (i.e., brain activity), and without interfering with the ongoing operational activity. We proposed a pBCI system able to trigger AA solutions integrated in a realistic Air Traffic Management (ATM) research simulator developed and hosted at ENAC (É cole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile of Toulouse, France). Twelve Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) students have been involved in the experiment and they have been asked to perform ATM scenarios with and without the support of the AA solutions. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed pBCI system, since it enabled the AA mostly during the high-demanding conditions (i.e., overload situations) inducing a reduction of the mental workload under which the ATCOs were operating. On the contrary, as desired, the AA was not activated when workload level was under the threshold, to prevent too low demanding conditions that could bring the operator's workload level toward potentially dangerous conditions of underload.

Adaptive Automation Triggered by EEG-Based Mental Workload Index: A Passive Brain-Computer Interface Application in Realistic Air Traffic Control Environment

PubMed Central

Aricò, Pietro; Borghini, Gianluca; Di Flumeri, Gianluca; Colosimo, Alfredo; Bonelli, Stefano; Golfetti, Alessia; Pozzi, Simone; Imbert, Jean-Paul; Granger, Géraud; Benhacene, Raïlane; Babiloni, Fabio

2016-01-01

Adaptive Automation (AA) is a promising approach to keep the task workload demand within appropriate levels in order to avoid both the under- and over-load conditions, hence enhancing the overall performance and safety of the human-machine system. The main issue on the use of AA is how to trigger the AA solutions without affecting the operative task. In this regard, passive Brain-Computer Interface (pBCI) systems are a good candidate to activate automation, since they are able to gather information about the covert behavior (e.g., mental workload) of a subject by analyzing its neurophysiological signals (i.e., brain activity), and without interfering with the ongoing operational activity. We proposed a pBCI system able to trigger AA solutions integrated in a realistic Air Traffic Management (ATM) research simulator developed and hosted at ENAC (École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile of Toulouse, France). Twelve Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) students have been involved in the experiment and they have been asked to perform ATM scenarios with and without the support of the AA solutions. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed pBCI system, since it enabled the AA mostly during the high-demanding conditions (i.e., overload situations) inducing a reduction of the mental workload under which the ATCOs were operating. On the contrary, as desired, the AA was not activated when workload level was under the threshold, to prevent too low demanding conditions that could bring the operator's workload level toward potentially dangerous conditions of underload. PMID:27833542

Increasing Level of Aspiration by Matching Construal Level and Temporal Distance: The Motivating Effects of Contemplating "How" Now and "Why" Later

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fessel, Florian

2009-01-01

Individuals trying to achieve goals often set a level of aspiration ahead of time, that is, they determine which specific outcomes in goal pursuit they desire to obtain. In the research contained in the current dissertation, I demonstrate that temporal distance and construal level have diametrically opposing effects on level of aspiration such…

NAEP Reporting Practices: Investigating District-Level and Market-Basket Reporting. The Compass Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVito, Pasquale J., Ed.; Koenig, Judith A., Ed.

A committee of the National Research Council studied the desirability, feasibility, and potential impact of two reporting practices for National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results: district-level reporting and market-basket reporting. NAEP's sponsors believe that reporting district-level NAEP results would support state and local…

Immersive Environment Technologies for Mars Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, John R.; Hartman, Frank

2000-01-01

JPL's charter includes the unmanned exploration of the Solar System. One of the tools for exploring other planets is the rover as exemplified by Sojourner on the Mars Pathfinder mission. The light speed turnaround time between Earth and the outer planets precludes the use of teleoperated rovers so autonomous operations are built in to the current and upcoming generation devices. As the level of autonomy increases, the mode of operations shifts from low-level specification of activities to a higher-level specification of goals. To support this higher-level activity, it is necessary to provide the operator with an effective understanding of the in-situ environment and also the tools needed to specify the higher-level goals. Immersive environments provide the needed sense of presence to achieve this goal. Use of immersive environments at JPL has two main thrusts that will be discussed in this talk. One is the generation of 3D models of the in-situ environment, in particular the merging of models from different sensors, different modes (orbital, descent, and lander), and even different missions. The other is the use of various tools to visualize the environment within which the rover will be operating to maximize the understanding by the operator. A suite of tools is under development which provide an integrated view into the environment while providing a variety of modes of visualization. This allows the operator to smoothly switch from one mode to another depending on the information and presentation desired.

Review Guidelines for Software Languages for use in Nuclear Power Plant Safety Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-10-01

desirable to segregate base classes from derived classes. Review is facilitated and safety is enhanced if project-specific guidance is provided on the... Segregate base from derived classes. In C++, it is desirable to segregate base classes from derived classes. 4.4.1.8 Minimizing Use of Literals...memory utilization. At the lowest level are base attributes, i.e., attributes xv NUREG/CR-6463 Rev. 1 sufficiently specific to define guidelines. An

Spectroscopic detection

DOEpatents

Woskov, Paul P.; Hadidi, Kamal

2003-01-01

In embodiments, spectroscopic monitor monitors modulated light signals to detect low levels of contaminants and other compounds in the presence of background interference. The monitor uses a spectrometer that includes a transmissive modulator capable of causing different frequency ranges to move onto and off of the detector. The different ranges can include those with the desired signal and those selected to subtract background contributions from those with the desired signal. Embodiments of the system are particularly useful for monitoring metal concentrations in combustion effluent.

Women Workers and Women at Home Are Equally Inactive: NHANES 2003-2006.

PubMed

Steeves, Jeremy A; Murphy, Rachel A; Zipunnikov, Vadim; Strath, Scott J; Harris, Tamara B

2015-08-01

The prevalence of female homemakers (those who stay at home to care for the home or family) has increased to 29%. Homemakers may be more active than employed women (EW). Limited data are available for domestic-related activity; therefore, the assessment of the activity levels of homemakers has been sparse. This study compared objectively measured activity (total activity counts, counts per minute, and percent time in various activity intensity levels) of homemakers and EW. Women's (18-60 yr) accelerometer data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed in 2014 (n = 1763). Daily (hour-by-hour) profiles of activity were compared between homemakers and EW. Women spent most of their day in sedentary (∼55%) and light (∼32%) activity, with limited lifestyle (∼11%) and moderate vigorous physical activity (MVPA; ∼2%); and there were no differences between the homemakers and EW. Hour-by-hour analysis showed that the homemakers had more light and less sedentary activity than EW during the afternoon (P < 0.002), whereas EW had more MVPA at times corresponding to commuting to and from work and midday (P < 0.002). On weekdays, EW initiated activity earlier than homemakers but not on weekends. On weekends, both groups had less MVPA than weekdays. Employed women with child(ren) younger than 18 yr had greater counts per minute and lifestyle activity and less sedentary activity than EW without child(ren) younger than 18 yr. Our hourly analysis delineated important differences in activity between the groups. Homemakers accumulate enough light activity throughout the day to be as active as EW who are highly sedentary during the workday, but seem to acquire activity through commuting. Interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and increase activity are highly desirable and should take into consideration the temporality of homemakers and EW activity patterns.

HIV/AIDS and contraceptive use: factors associated with contraceptive use among sexually active HIV-positive women in Kenya.

PubMed

Magadi, Monica A; Magadi, Winnie A

2017-03-01

With increased availability of antiretroviral therapy and improved survival for people living with HIV, more HIV-positive women are leading full reproductive lives. However, HIV-positive women have special contraceptive needs/concerns. This paper examines the individual and community-level HIV/AIDS factors associated with contraceptive use and compares predictors of contraceptive uptake between HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Kenya. The study is based on secondary analysis of cross-sectional data of a sample of 9132 sexually active women of reproductive age from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys collected in 2003 and 2008. Multilevel logistic regression models are used to examine individual and contextual community-level factors associated with current contraceptive use. The study provides evidence of lower contraceptive uptake among women living in high HIV-prevalence communities. It further reveals striking differences in factors associated with contraceptive uptake between HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. Education and the desire to stop childbearing are strongly associated with contraceptive uptake among uninfected women, but both factors are not significant among HIV-positive women for whom wealth is the most important factor. While HIV-negative women in the richest wealth quintile are about twice as likely to use contraceptives as their counterparts of similar characteristics in the poorest quintile, this gap is about sevenfold among HIV-positive women. These findings suggest that having the desire and relevant knowledge to use contraceptives does not necessarily translate into expected contraceptive behavior for HIV-positive women in Kenya and that poor HIV-positive women may be particularly in need of increased access to contraceptive services. • Study provides evidence of lower contraceptive uptake among women living in high HIV-prevalence communities in Kenya. • Results reveal striking differences in factors associated with contraceptive use between HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. • Poverty may be an impediment to contraceptive uptake among HIV-positive women in Kenya. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dopaminergic tone does not influence pain levels during placebo interventions in patients with chronic neuropathic pain.

PubMed

Skyt, Ina; Moslemi, Kurosh; Baastrup, Cathrine; Grosen, Kasper; Benedetti, Fabrizio; Petersen, Gitte L; Price, Donald D; Hall, Kathryn T; Kaptchuk, Ted J; Svensson, Peter; Jensen, Troels S; Vase, Lene

2017-10-23

Placebo effects have been reported in patients with chronic neuropathic pain. Expected pain levels and positive emotions are involved in the observed pain relief, but the underlying neurobiology is largely unknown. Patients with neuropathic pain are highly motivated for pain relief, and as motivational factors such as expectations of reward, as well as pain processing in itself, are related to the dopaminergic system, it can be speculated that dopamine release contributes to placebo effects in neuropathic pain. Nineteen patients with neuropathic pain after thoracic surgery were tested during a placebo intervention consisting of open and hidden applications of the pain-relieving agent lidocaine (2 mL) and no treatment. The dopamine antagonist haloperidol (2 mg) and the agonist levodopa/carbidopa (100/25 mg) were administered to test the involvement of dopamine. Expected pain levels, desire for pain relief, and ongoing and evoked pain were assessed on mechanical visual analog scales (0-10). Significant placebo effects on ongoing (P ≤ 0.003) and evoked (P ≤ 0.002) pain were observed. Expectancy and desire accounted for up to 41.2% and 71.5% of the variance in ongoing and evoked pain, respectively, after the open application of lidocaine. We found no evidence for an effect of haloperidol and levodopa/carbidopa on neuropathic pain levels (P = 0.071-0.963). Dopamine seemed to influence the levels of expectancy and desire, yet there was no evidence for indirect or interaction effects on the placebo effect. This is the first study to suggest that dopamine does not contribute to placebo effects in chronic neuropathic pain.

HIGH SHEAR GRANULATION PROCESS: ASSESSING IMPACT OF FORMULATION VARIABLES ON GRANULES AND TABLETS CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH DRUG LOADING FORMULATION USING DESIGN OF EXPERIMENT METHODOLOGY.

PubMed

Fayed, Mohamed H; Abdel-Rahman, Sayed I; Alanazi, Fars K; Ahmed, Mahrous O; Tawfeek, Hesham M; Ali, Bahaa E

2017-03-01

High shear wet granulation is a significant component procedure in the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of two independent formulation variables; polyvinypyrrolidone (PVP) as a binder (X,) and croscarmellose sodium (CCS) as a disintegrant (X2) on the crit- ical quality attributes of acetaminophen granules and their corresponding tablets using design of experiment (DoE) approach. A two factor, three level (32) full factorial design has been applied; each variable was investi- gated at three levels to characterize their strength and interaction. The dried granules have been analyzed for their density, granule size and flowability. Additionally, the produced tablets have been investigated for: break- ing force, friability, disintegration time and t. of drug dissolution. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the two variables had a significant impact (p < 0.05) on granules and tablets characteristics, while only the binder concentration influenced the tablets friability. Furthermore, significant interactions (p < 0.05) between the two variables, for granules and tablets attributes, were also found. However, variables interaction showed minimal effect for granules flowability as well as tablets friability. Desirability function was carried out to opti- mize the variables under study to obtain product within the USP limit. It was found that the higher desirability (0.985) could be obtained at the medium level of PVP and low level of CCS. Ultimately, this study supplies the formulator with beneficial tools in selecting the proper level of binder and disintegrant to attain product with desired characteristics.

Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable

PubMed Central

Gino, Francesca; Wilmuth, Caroline Ashley; Brooks, Alison Wood

2015-01-01

Women are underrepresented in most high-level positions in organizations. Though a great deal of research has provided evidence that bias and discrimination give rise to and perpetuate this gender disparity, in the current research we explore another explanation: men and women view professional advancement differently, and their views affect their decisions to climb the corporate ladder (or not). In studies 1 and 2, when asked to list their core goals in life, women listed more life goals overall than men, and a smaller proportion of their goals related to achieving power at work. In studies 3 and 4, compared to men, women viewed high-level positions as less desirable yet equally attainable. In studies 5–7, when faced with the possibility of receiving a promotion at their current place of employment or obtaining a high-power position after graduating from college, women and men anticipated similar levels of positive outcomes (e.g., prestige and money), but women anticipated more negative outcomes (e.g., conflict and tradeoffs). In these studies, women associated high-level positions with conflict, which explained the relationship between gender and the desirability of professional advancement. Finally, in studies 8 and 9, men and women alike rated power as one of the main consequences of professional advancement. Our findings reveal that men and women have different perceptions of what the experience of holding a high-level position will be like, with meaningful implications for the perpetuation of the gender disparity that exists at the top of organizational hierarchies. PMID:26392533

Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable.

PubMed

Gino, Francesca; Wilmuth, Caroline Ashley; Brooks, Alison Wood

2015-10-06

Women are underrepresented in most high-level positions in organizations. Though a great deal of research has provided evidence that bias and discrimination give rise to and perpetuate this gender disparity, in the current research we explore another explanation: men and women view professional advancement differently, and their views affect their decisions to climb the corporate ladder (or not). In studies 1 and 2, when asked to list their core goals in life, women listed more life goals overall than men, and a smaller proportion of their goals related to achieving power at work. In studies 3 and 4, compared to men, women viewed high-level positions as less desirable yet equally attainable. In studies 5-7, when faced with the possibility of receiving a promotion at their current place of employment or obtaining a high-power position after graduating from college, women and men anticipated similar levels of positive outcomes (e.g., prestige and money), but women anticipated more negative outcomes (e.g., conflict and tradeoffs). In these studies, women associated high-level positions with conflict, which explained the relationship between gender and the desirability of professional advancement. Finally, in studies 8 and 9, men and women alike rated power as one of the main consequences of professional advancement. Our findings reveal that men and women have different perceptions of what the experience of holding a high-level position will be like, with meaningful implications for the perpetuation of the gender disparity that exists at the top of organizational hierarchies.