14 CFR 45.25 - Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.25 Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft. (a) The operator of a fixed-wing aircraft shall display the... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft...

14 CFR 45.25 - Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.25 Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft. (a) The operator of a fixed-wing aircraft must display the... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft...

14 CFR 45.25 - Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.25 Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft. (a) The operator of a fixed-wing aircraft must display the... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft...

14 CFR 45.25 - Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.25 Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft. (a) The operator of a fixed-wing aircraft must display the... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft...

14 CFR 45.25 - Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.25 Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft. (a) The operator of a fixed-wing aircraft shall display the... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Location of marks on fixed-wing aircraft...

Do olfactory behaviour and marking responses of Konik polski stallions to faeces from conspecifics of either sex differ?

PubMed

Jezierski, Tadeusz; Jaworski, Zbigniew; Sobczyńska, Magdalena; Ensminger, John; Górecka-Bruzda, Aleksandra

2017-09-27

The aim of the study was to assess whether adult stallions differentiate their olfactory and marking behaviour towards the excreta of their potential male rivals and mares. Four Konik polski stallions were individually exposed simultaneously to their own and each others' faeces as well as faeces of mares in oestrus vs. dioestrus. Five series of 30min observation sessions were conducted in a round pen each on two consecutive days from March to July, totaling in 5h observation per stallion. Stallions sniffed and displayed flehmen reaction towards mares' faeces significantly longer (P<0.01) than towards stallions' faeces. No significant differences were found in marking by defecations upon stallions' vs. mares' faeces. The stallions urinated exclusively on mares' faeces. Sniffing, flehmen, defecations and urinations performed towards faeces of mares in oestrus vs. dioestrus did not differ significantly. The results showed that stallions differentiate their olfactory behaviour towards excreta of conspecifics of different sex but perhaps not towards faeces of females in different reproductive status. This for the first time establishes that stallions exhibit different marking behaviour upon stallions' vs. mares' faeces. It is hypothesized that marking of other stallions' faeces by defecation may advertise presence of the stallion, whereas marking of mares' faeces by urination may serve to mask the presence of a mare to prevent potential rivals from locating the mare in an area where mares' faeces are found. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in voice onset time: A developmental study of phonetic context effects in British English

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whiteside, Sandra P.; Henry, Luisa; Dobbin, Rachel

2004-08-01

Voice onset time (VOT) data for the plosives /p b t d k g/ in two vowel contexts (eye opena) for 5 groups of 46 boys and girls aged 5; 8 (5 years, 8 months) to 13;2 years were investigated to examine patterns of sex differences. Results indicated that there was some evidence of females displaying longer VOT values than the males. In addition, these were found to be most marked for the data of the 13;2-year olds. Furthermore, the sex differences in the VOT values displayed phonetic context effects. For example, the greatest sex differences were observed for the voiceless plosives, and within the context of the vowel /i/.

Real-time Kinematics Base Station and Survey Unit Setup Method for the Synchronous Impulse Reconstruction (SIRE) Radar

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

GPS receiver, the Ashtech ProMark 500; a 3.4-GHz radio modem, the FreeWave 3400-SMR; a display unit, the Magellan MobileMapper CX; a 12-V battery pack...Figure 8. Bottom view of the ProMark 500. 3.1 Survey Unit RTK GPS Setup The following are the procedures for setting up...the RTK GPS Survey Unit: 1. Connect the radio modem to the ProMark 500 with serial cable #7 and #8. Display Screen Scroll Button Power LED Log

Behavior of radio-marked breeding American woodcocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

McAuley, D.G.; Longcore, J.R.; Sepik, G.F.; Longcore, Jerry R.; Sepik, Greg F.

1993-01-01

During spring 1986-89, we equipped 175 male and 89 female American woodcocks (Scolopax minor) with radio transmitters. Radio-marking had little effect on behavior; within 1 day of marking, 37 of 64 (58%) displaying males were dominant and within 7 days, 138 of 157 (88%) were dominant. All females marked before nesting proceeded to nest, and marked females with broods remained with broods after release. Dominance of males declined from 73% in April to 69% in May and to 26% in June as breeding activity waned. In all years, after-second-year (ASY) males were dominant more often than second-year (SY) males (67.5% vs. 58.9%). ;Most males displayed at more than one (range = 2-12) site. Distances that males moved between the primary singing ground and subsequent singing grounds averaged 775 m in all years and ranged from 618 m (1986) to 966 m (1988). Females visited males at singing grounds throughout the breeding cycle; some females visited more than one site. During prenesting, females remained in daytime covers during the crepuscular period (55%), flew to different feeding covers (22%), visited singing grounds (14%), or flew from daytime covers to unknown locations (9%). During nesting, females left nests during the crepuscular period (72%) and moved to singing grounds (5%), to feeding areas (59%), and to undetermined locations (7%). Females with broods remained with their broods during the crepuscular period (62%), flew to feeding areas (30%), visited singing grounds (1%), or flew to undetermined locations (6%). The woodcock mating system is similar to a resource-based polygyny. Males compete for singing grounds near high-quality nesting areas. The fitness of males is expressed by dominance at more than one singing ground. Woodcocks are not monogamous; females may visit more than three different males during a single courtship period but do not visit males regularly. Most females leave nests during the crepuscular period to feed in a different cover.

14 CFR 45.21 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... person may operate a U.S.-registered aircraft unless that aircraft displays nationality and registration... or confuses the nationality and registration marks. (c) Aircraft nationality and registration marks... color with the background; and (4) Be legible. (d) The aircraft nationality and registration marks may...

14 CFR 45.21 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... person may operate a U.S.-registered aircraft unless that aircraft displays nationality and registration... or confuses the nationality and registration marks. (c) Aircraft nationality and registration marks... color with the background; and (4) Be legible. (d) The aircraft nationality and registration marks may...

14 CFR 45.21 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... person may operate a U.S.-registered aircraft unless that aircraft displays nationality and registration... or confuses the nationality and registration marks. (c) Aircraft nationality and registration marks... color with the background; and (4) Be legible. (d) The aircraft nationality and registration marks may...

Host-plant relationships and comparative ecology of conifer - feeding budworms (Choristoneura spp.)

Treesearch

V. G. Nealis

2003-01-01

North American budworms are eruptive insect species that form intimate ecological relationships with their host trees. Population data for the eastern spruce budworm and jack pine budworm implicate natural enemies as primary determinants of population collapses. Yet the dynamics of these two species display markedly different temporal and spatial characteristics. One...

14 CFR 45.29 - Size of marks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... part, the nationality and registration marks must be of equal height and on— (1) Fixed-wing aircraft... display on that aircraft temporary or permanent nationality and registration marks at least 12 inches high... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION...

Basic Perception in Head-worn Augmented Reality Displays

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

Basic Perception in Head-worn Augmented Reality Displays Mark A. Livingston, Joseph L. Gabbard , J. Edward Swan II, Ciara M. Sibley, and Jane H...mark.livingston@nrl.navy.mil Joseph L. Gabbard Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA e-mail: jgabbard@vt.edu J...Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 2 Livingston, Gabbard , et al. 1 Introduction For many first-time users of augmented reality

Frequency encoded auditory display of the critical tracking task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevenson, J.

1984-01-01

The use of auditory displays for selected cockpit instruments was examined. In auditory, visual, and combined auditory-visual compensatory displays of a vertical axis, critical tracking task were studied. The visual display encoded vertical error as the position of a dot on a 17.78 cm, center marked CRT. The auditory display encoded vertical error as log frequency with a six octave range; the center point at 1 kHz was marked by a 20-dB amplitude notch, one-third octave wide. Asymptotic performance on the critical tracking task was significantly better when using combined displays rather than the visual only mode. At asymptote, the combined display was slightly, but significantly, better than the visual only mode. The maximum controllable bandwidth using the auditory mode was only 60% of the maximum controllable bandwidth using the visual mode. Redundant cueing increased the rate of improvement of tracking performance, and the asymptotic performance level. This enhancement increases with the amount of redundant cueing used. This effect appears most prominent when the bandwidth of the forcing function is substantially less than the upper limit of controllability frequency.

Aerobic capacity and hepatic mitochondrial lipid oxidation alters susceptibility for chronic high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis.

PubMed

Morris, E Matthew; Meers, Grace M E; Koch, Lauren G; Britton, Steven L; Fletcher, Justin A; Fu, Xiaorong; Shankar, Kartik; Burgess, Shawn C; Ibdah, Jamal A; Rector, R Scott; Thyfault, John P

2016-10-01

Rats selectively bred for high capacity running (HCR) or low capacity running (LCR) display divergence for intrinsic aerobic capacity and hepatic mitochondrial oxidative capacity, both factors associated with susceptibility for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we tested if HCR and LCR rats display differences in susceptibility for hepatic steatosis after 16 wk of high-fat diets (HFD) with either 45% or 60% of kcals from fat. HCR rats were protected against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, whereas only the 60% HFD induced steatosis in LCR rats, as marked by a doubling of liver triglycerides. Hepatic complete fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and mitochondrial respiratory capacity were all lower in LCR compared with HCR rats. LCR rats also displayed lower hepatic complete and incomplete FAO in the presence of etomoxir, suggesting a reduced role for noncarnitine palmitoyltransferase-1-mediated lipid catabolism in LCR versus HCR rats. Hepatic complete FAO and mitochondrial respiration were largely unaffected by either chronic HFD; however, 60% HFD feeding markedly reduced 2-pyruvate oxidation, a marker of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux, and mitochondrial complete FAO only in LCR rats. LCR rats displayed lower levels of hepatic long-chain acylcarnitines than HCR rats but maintained similar levels of hepatic acetyl-carnitine levels, further supporting lower rates of β-oxidation, and TCA cycle flux in LCR than HCR rats. Finally, only LCR rats displayed early reductions in TCA cycle genes after the acute initiation of a HFD. In conclusion, intrinsically high aerobic capacity confers protection against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis through elevated hepatic mitochondrial oxidative capacity.

Aerobic capacity and hepatic mitochondrial lipid oxidation alters susceptibility for chronic high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis

PubMed Central

Morris, E. Matthew; Meers, Grace M. E.; Koch, Lauren G.; Britton, Steven L.; Fletcher, Justin A.; Fu, Xiaorong; Shankar, Kartik; Burgess, Shawn C.; Ibdah, Jamal A.; Rector, R. Scott

2016-01-01

Rats selectively bred for high capacity running (HCR) or low capacity running (LCR) display divergence for intrinsic aerobic capacity and hepatic mitochondrial oxidative capacity, both factors associated with susceptibility for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we tested if HCR and LCR rats display differences in susceptibility for hepatic steatosis after 16 wk of high-fat diets (HFD) with either 45% or 60% of kcals from fat. HCR rats were protected against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, whereas only the 60% HFD induced steatosis in LCR rats, as marked by a doubling of liver triglycerides. Hepatic complete fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and mitochondrial respiratory capacity were all lower in LCR compared with HCR rats. LCR rats also displayed lower hepatic complete and incomplete FAO in the presence of etomoxir, suggesting a reduced role for noncarnitine palmitoyltransferase-1-mediated lipid catabolism in LCR versus HCR rats. Hepatic complete FAO and mitochondrial respiration were largely unaffected by either chronic HFD; however, 60% HFD feeding markedly reduced 2-pyruvate oxidation, a marker of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux, and mitochondrial complete FAO only in LCR rats. LCR rats displayed lower levels of hepatic long-chain acylcarnitines than HCR rats but maintained similar levels of hepatic acetyl-carnitine levels, further supporting lower rates of β-oxidation, and TCA cycle flux in LCR than HCR rats. Finally, only LCR rats displayed early reductions in TCA cycle genes after the acute initiation of a HFD. In conclusion, intrinsically high aerobic capacity confers protection against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis through elevated hepatic mitochondrial oxidative capacity. PMID:27600823

Bacteriophages as scaffolds for bipartite display: designing swiss army knives on a nanoscale.

PubMed

Molek, Peter; Bratkovič, Tomaž

2015-03-18

Bacteriophages have been exploited as cloning vectors and display vehicles for decades owing to their genetic and structural simplicity. In bipartite display setting, phage takes on the role of a handle to which two modules are attached, each endowing it with specific functionality, much like the Swiss army knife. This concept offers unprecedented potential for phage applications in nanobiotechnology. Here, we compare common phage display platforms and discuss approaches to simultaneously append two or more different (poly)peptides or synthetic compounds to phage coat using genetic fusions, chemical or enzymatic conjugations, and in vitro noncovalent decoration techniques. We also review current reports on design of phage frameworks to link multiple effectors, and their use in diverse scientific disciplines. Bipartite phage display had left its mark in development of biosensors, vaccines, and targeted delivery vehicles. Furthermore, multifunctionalized phages have been utilized to template assembly of inorganic materials and protein complexes, showing promise as scaffolds in material sciences and structural biology, respectively.

Recognition of microbial glycans by human intelectin-1

DOE PAGES

Wesener, Darryl A.; Wangkanont, Kittikhun; McBride, Ryan; ...

2015-07-06

The glycans displayed on mammalian cells can differ markedly from those on microbes. Such differences could, in principle, be 'read' by carbohydrate-binding proteins, or lectins. In this paper, we used glycan microarrays to show that human intelectin-1 (hIntL-1) does not bind known human glycan epitopes but does interact with multiple glycan epitopes found exclusively on microbes: β-linked D-galactofuranose (β-Galf), D-phosphoglycerol–modified glycans, heptoses, D-glycero-D-talo-oct-2-ulosonic acid (KO) and 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (KDO). The 1.6-Å-resolution crystal structure of hIntL-1 complexed with β-Galf revealed that hIntL-1 uses a bound calcium ion to coordinate terminal exocyclic 1,2-diols. N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), a sialic acid widespread in humanmore » glycans, has an exocyclic 1,2-diol but does not bind hIntL-1, probably owing to unfavorable steric and electronic effects. hIntL-1 marks only Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes that display surface glycans with terminal 1,2-diol groups. Finally, this ligand selectivity suggests that hIntL-1 functions in microbial surveillance.« less

14 CFR 45.22 - Exhibition, antique, and other aircraft: Special rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.22.... registration number of the aircraft; or (ii) The symbol appropriate to the airworthiness certificate of the.... registration number of the aircraft; and (2) It displays no other mark that begins with the letter “N” anywhere...

14 CFR 45.22 - Exhibition, antique, and other aircraft: Special rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.22.... registration number of the aircraft; or (ii) The symbol appropriate to the airworthiness certificate of the.... registration number of the aircraft; and (2) It displays no other mark that begins with the letter “N” anywhere...

14 CFR 45.22 - Exhibition, antique, and other aircraft: Special rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.22.... registration number of the aircraft; or (ii) The symbol appropriate to the airworthiness certificate of the.... registration number of the aircraft; and (2) It displays no other mark that begins with the letter “N” anywhere...

14 CFR 45.22 - Exhibition, antique, and other aircraft: Special rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION MARKING Nationality and Registration Marks § 45.22.... registration number of the aircraft; or (ii) The symbol appropriate to the airworthiness certificate of the.... registration number of the aircraft; and (2) It displays no other mark that begins with the letter “N” anywhere...

Green Power Partner Mark Use and Display Guidelines

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. EPA's Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program designed to reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation by promoting renewable energy. This page contains the guidelines for use of the Green Power Partnership mark.

Self-recognition in pigeons revisited.

PubMed

Uchino, Emiko; Watanabe, Shigeru

2014-11-01

Recognition of a self-image in a mirror is investigated using the mark test during which a mark is placed onto a point on the body that is not directly visible, and the presence or absence of self-directed behaviors is evaluated for the mirror-observing subjects. Great apes, dolphins, possibly elephants, and magpies have all passed the mark test, that is, displayed self-directed behaviors, whereas monkeys, crows, and other animals have failed the test even though they were able to use a mirror to find a not-directly-visible object. Self-directed behavior and mirror use are prerequisites of a successful mark test, and the absence of these behaviors may lead to false negative results. Epstein, Lanza, and Skinner (1981) reported self-directed behavior of pigeons in front of a mirror after explicit training of self-directed pecking and of pecking an object with the aid of a mirror, but certain other researchers could not confirm the results. The aim of the present study was to conduct the mark test with two pigeons that had received extensive training of the prerequisite behaviors. Crucial points of the training were identical topography (pecking) and the same reinforcement (food) in the prerequisite behaviors as well as sufficient training of these behaviors. After training for the prerequisite behaviors, both pigeons spontaneously integrated the learned self-directed and mirror-use behavior and displayed self-directed behavior in a mark test. This indicates that pigeons display mirror self-recognition after training of suitable ontogenetic contingency. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Test Track Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-01

the surface, together with the effect of flying flintstones results in severe wear to the tyres , brake pipes and all other fittings found underneath a...The building also contains the following test facilities. A 15 m square flat floor used for vehicle measurement accuracy checks, tyre deflections, and... tyres . The course is regularly maintained but dependant on weather, the surface condition may display marked differences. Alpine Course This is a

Progressive transmission of secured images with authentication using decompositions into monovariate functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leni, Pierre-Emmanuel; Fougerolle, Yohan D.; Truchetet, Frédéric

2014-05-01

We propose a progressive transmission approach of an image authenticated using an overlapping subimage that can be removed to restore the original image. Our approach is different from most visible watermarking approaches that allow one to later remove the watermark, because the mark is not directly introduced in the two-dimensional image space. Instead, it is rather applied to an equivalent monovariate representation of the image. Precisely, the approach is based on our progressive transmission approach that relies on a modified Kolmogorov spline network, and therefore inherits its advantages: resilience to packet losses during transmission and support of heterogeneous display environments. The marked image can be accessed at any intermediate resolution, and a key is needed to remove the mark to fully recover the original image without loss. Moreover, the key can be different for every resolution, and the images can be globally restored in case of packet losses during the transmission. Our contributions lie in the proposition of decomposing a mark (an overlapping image) and an image into monovariate functions following the Kolmogorov superposition theorem; and in the combination of these monovariate functions to provide a removable visible "watermarking" of images with the ability to restore the original image using a key.

PubMed Central

PANATTO, D.; ARATA, L.; BEVILACQUA, I.; APPRATO, L.; GASPARINI, R.; AMICIZIA, D.

2015-01-01

Summary Introduction. Health-related knowledge is often assessed through multiple-choice tests. Among the different types of formats, researchers may opt to use multiple-mark items, i.e. with more than one correct answer. Although multiple-mark items have long been used in the academic setting – sometimes with scant or inconclusive results – little is known about the implementation of this format in research on in-field health education and promotion. Methods. A study population of secondary school students completed a survey on nutrition-related knowledge, followed by a single- lecture intervention. Answers were scored by means of eight different scoring algorithms and analyzed from the perspective of classical test theory. The same survey was re-administered to a sample of the students in order to evaluate the short-term change in their knowledge. Results. In all, 286 questionnaires were analyzed. Partial scoring algorithms displayed better psychometric characteristics than the dichotomous rule. In particular, the algorithm proposed by Ripkey and the balanced rule showed greater internal consistency and relative efficiency in scoring multiple-mark items. A penalizing algorithm in which the proportion of marked distracters was subtracted from that of marked correct answers was the only one that highlighted a significant difference in performance between natives and immigrants, probably owing to its slightly better discriminatory ability. This algorithm was also associated with the largest effect size in the pre-/post-intervention score change. Discussion. The choice of an appropriate rule for scoring multiple- mark items in research on health education and promotion should consider not only the psychometric properties of single algorithms but also the study aims and outcomes, since scoring rules differ in terms of biasness, reliability, difficulty, sensitivity to guessing and discrimination. PMID:26900331

Mice completely lacking immunoproteasomes display major alterations in antigen presentation

PubMed Central

Kincaid, Eleanor Z; Che, Jenny W; York, Ian; Escobar, Hernando; Reyes-Vargas, Eduardo; Delgado, Julio C.; Welsh, Raymond M; Karow, Margaret L.; Murphy, Andrew J.; Valenzuela, David M.; Yancopoulos, George D.; Rock, Kenneth L

2011-01-01

The importance of immunoproteasomes to antigen presentation has been unclear because animals totally lacking immunoproteasomes have not been previously developed. Here we show that dendritic cells from mice lacking the three immunoproteasome catalytic subunits display defects in presenting multiple major histocompatability (MHC) class I epitopes. During viral infection in vivo, the presentation of a majority of MHC class I epitopes is markedly reduced in immunoproteasome-deficient animals, while presentation of MHC class II peptides is unaffected. By mass spectrometry the repertoire of MHC class I-presented peptides is ~50% different and these differences are sufficient to stimulate robust transplant rejection of wild type cells in mutant mice. These results indicate that immunoproteasomes play a much more important role in antigen presentation than previously thought. PMID:22197977

Electrocardiographic patterns in African University strength and endurance athletes of Zulu descent.

PubMed

Grace, J; Duvenage, E; Jordaan, J P

2015-11-01

There is concern over the effect of training on heart function of athletes as recorded by 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG). Although ECG abnormalities with respect to ethnic origin of black athletes from the Caribbean, West Africa and East Africa have been reported, black athletes from southern Africa, specifically participating in different sports, have never been investigated before. The purpose of this study was to analyze the ECG patterns in South African students of Zulu descent, who represented our university in boxing (endurance modality) and body building (resistance modality) at a regional level. Fifteen subjects each were assigned to an endurance (E), resistance (R) or control (C) group, respectively. ECG patterns were recorded with a 12-lead ECG. Our subjects indicated no significant differences in ECG patterns in relation to whether they participate in strength or endurance related sport. However, 80% of the endurance group and 67% of the resistance displayed ECG criteria indicative of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), group E displays higher R5/S1-wave voltages (E=43.3 mm; R=36.8 mm; C=37.1 mm) as well distinctly abnormal ECG patterns (E=87%; R=73%; C=53%), raising clinical suspicion of structural heart disease. Our cohort presented with non-significant, marked ST-segment elevation (53% of both the E and R groups) and inverted T-waves in 27% of the E group. Similar to findings in other ethnic Africans, a large proportion of our Zulu study population displayed ECG criteria indicative of LVH on the evidence of a marked increase of R5/S1-wave voltage and ST/T-segment changes with no differences in relation to whether they participate in strength or endurance related sport.

The Psychological Cost of Making Control Responses in the Nonstereotype Direction.

PubMed

Chan, Alan H S; Hoffmann, Errol R

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop a scale for the "psychological cost" of making control responses in the nonstereotype direction. Wickens, Keller, and Small suggested values for the psychological cost arising from having control/display relationships that were not in the common stereotype directions. We provide values of such costs specifically for these situations. Working from data of Chan and Hoffmann for 168 combinations of display location, control type, and display movement direction, we define values for the cost and compare these with the suggested values of Wickens et al.'s Frame of Reference Transformation Tool (FORT) model. We found marked differences between the values of the FORT model and the data of our experiments. The differences arise largely from the effects of the Worringham and Beringer visual field principle not being adequately considered in the previous research. A better indication of the psychological cost for use of incorrect control/display stereotypes is given. It is noted that these costs are applicable only to the factor of stereotype strength and not other factors considered in the FORT model. Effects of having controls and displays that are not arranged to operate with population expectancies can be readily determined from the data in this paper. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Effectively Transforming IMC Flight into VMC Flight: An SVS Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaab, Louis J.; Hughes, Monic F.; Parrish, Russell V.; Takallu, Mohammad A.

2006-01-01

A flight-test experiment was conducted using the NASA LaRC Cessna 206 aircraft. Four primary flight and navigation display concepts, including baseline and Synthetic Vision System (SVS) concepts, were evaluated in the local area of Roanoke Virginia Airport, flying visual and instrument approach procedures. A total of 19 pilots, from 3 pilot groups reflecting the diverse piloting skills of the GA population, served as evaluation pilots. Multi-variable Discriminant Analysis was applied to three carefully selected and markedly different operating conditions with conventional instrumentation to provide an extension of traditional analysis methods as well as provide an assessment of the effectiveness of SVS displays to effectively transform IMC flight into VMC flight.

14 CFR 45.21 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... person may operate a U.S.-registered aircraft unless that aircraft displays nationality and registration... that modifies or confuses the nationality and registration marks. (c) Aircraft nationality and registration marks must— (1) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, be painted on the aircraft or...

14 CFR 45.21 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... person may operate a U.S.-registered aircraft unless that aircraft displays nationality and registration... that modifies or confuses the nationality and registration marks. (c) Aircraft nationality and registration marks must— (1) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, be painted on the aircraft or...

Experimental Results of Multiple Scattering.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

error is seen to be less for targets with smaller IS()I/IS(O)Iratio like the softer particles made from expanded polystyrene and larger for harder...optical spectrum, we also notice marked differences from the P, Q plots of dylite ( expanded polystyrene ) particles in preceding sections. It was...spheres made of expanded polystyrene . As X is continuously varied for the display of if(e) , we notice a fairly symmetrical intensity profile about X = 8/2

Post-copulatory display in fulvous and black-bellied tree ducks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meanley, B.; Meanley, A.G.

1958-01-01

The courtship display of tree ducks has been characterized as simple, resembling that of the swan (Delacour, 'Waterfowl of the World', vol. 1, p. 32, London, 1954). However F. Finn ('Bird Behaviour', p. 262, London, 1919) called attention briefly to the fact that "there is frequently a marked display after, but not before, pairing, both parties executing a step-dance in the water with one wing held aloft." So far as we know, this curious display has not been described in detail nor pictured.

78 FR 18306 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-26

... properly labeled and packaged. Meat and poultry products not marked with the mark of inspection and shipped... it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Food Safety and Inspection Service Title... Collection: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been delegated the authority to exercise the...

Reduced posting and marking of flight progress strips for en route air traffic control : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-02-01

The new Display System Replacement (DSR) being implemented in air route traffic control centers (ARTCCs) will allow the data-side controller less room to post Flight Progress Strips (FPSs). We tested a new FPS marking and posting procedure designed t...

Entanglement complexity in quantum many-body dynamics, thermalization, and localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhi-Cheng; Hamma, Alioscia; Giampaolo, Salvatore M.; Mucciolo, Eduardo R.; Chamon, Claudio

2017-07-01

Entanglement is usually quantified by von Neumann entropy, but its properties are much more complex than what can be expressed with a single number. We show that the three distinct dynamical phases known as thermalization, Anderson localization, and many-body localization are marked by different patterns of the spectrum of the reduced density matrix for a state evolved after a quantum quench. While the entanglement spectrum displays Poisson statistics for the case of Anderson localization, it displays universal Wigner-Dyson statistics for both the cases of many-body localization and thermalization, albeit the universal distribution is asymptotically reached within very different time scales in these two cases. We further show that the complexity of entanglement, revealed by the possibility of disentangling the state through a Metropolis-like algorithm, is signaled by whether the entanglement spectrum level spacing is Poisson or Wigner-Dyson distributed.

Effect of nutritional status and sampling intensity on recovery after dorsal aorta cannulation in free-swimming Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

PubMed

Djordjevic, B; Kristensen, T; Øverli, Ø; Rosseland, B O; Kiessling, A

2012-02-01

Recovery from implantation of a cannula in the dorsal aorta (DA) of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was studied in relation to nutritional status and sampling intensity. The incentive for the study was the inconsistency between published reports and our own experience of recovery and longevity of fish exposed to this protocol. In two studies using starved fish, blood (0.3 ml) was sampled 0, 1 and 24 h after DA-cannulation, and thereafter at 48 and 72 h and thereafter once weekly for four weeks. In a third study using fed fish, four consecutive samples (0, 3, 6 and 12 h after a meal) were obtained twice a week over a four-week period. All fish displayed a sharp increase in pCO(2) and haematocrit (Hct) during surgery, followed by a marked raise in cortisol, glucose, sodium and potassium (1 h). pCO(2), pH and Hct approached baseline levels as early as the 1 h post-surgery sample, while this was not the case for cortisol and electrolytes before the 24 h post-surgery sample. Glucose did not display any significant changes post surgery. From then on, all variables displayed minor but non-significant (P > 0.05) changes indicating a steady state close to baseline values for unstressed fish. This pattern was independent of sampling procedure, i.e. repeated single or multiple samples and thus volume of blood removed. Nutritional status (fed vs. starved) did not affect post-surgical recovery pattern. Only K(+) and Hct displayed consistent and significant post-prandial patterns. We found marked differences between baseline level of cannulated fish and uncannulated control fish, in pH, K(+) and Hct indicating that cannulation may be the preferred method to obtain representative resting values in fish.

Summarized Costs, Placement Of Quality Stars, And Other Online Displays Can Help Consumers Select High-Value Health Plans.

PubMed

Greene, Jessica; Hibbard, Judith H; Sacks, Rebecca M

2016-04-01

Starting in 2017, all state and federal health insurance exchanges will present quality data on health plans in addition to cost information. We analyzed variations in the current design of information on state exchanges to identify presentation approaches that encourage consumers to take quality as well as cost into account when selecting a health plan. Using an online sample of 1,025 adults, we randomly assigned participants to view the same comparative information on health plans, displayed in different ways. We found that consumers were much more likely to select a high-value plan when cost information was summarized instead of detailed, when quality stars were displayed adjacent to cost information, when consumers understood that quality stars signified the quality of medical care, and when high-value plans were highlighted with a check mark or blue ribbon. These approaches, which were equally effective for participants with higher and lower numeracy, can inform the development of future displays of plan information in the exchanges. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Vegetable Oil-based Diesel Fuels From 1900 to the Present

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The diesel engine, invented and developed by Rudolf Diesel in the 1890's, was displayed at the Paris World Exposition in 1900. At that occasion, one of the displayed diesel engines ran on peanut oil. This event marks the beginning of the use of vegetable oils and, later, derivatives thereof as die...

Interruption as a test of the user-computer interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreifeldt, J. G.; Mccarthy, M. E.

1981-01-01

In order to study the effects different logic systems might have on interrupted operation, an algebraic calculator and a reverse polish notation calculator were compared when trained users were interrupted during problem entry. The RPN calculator showed markedly superior resistance to interruption effects compared to the AN calculator although no significant differences were found when the users were not interrupted. Causes and possible remedies for interruption effects are speculated. It is proposed that because interruption is such a common occurrence, it be incorporated into comparative evaluation tests of different logic system and control/display system and that interruption resistance be adopted as a specific design criteria for such design.

Venus gravity anomalies and their correlations with topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sjogren, W. L.; Bills, B. G.; Birkeland, P. W.; Esposito, P. B.; Konopliv, A. R.; Mottinger, N. A.; Ritke, S. J.; Phillips, R. J.

1983-01-01

This report provides a summary of the high-resolution gravity data obtained from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter radio tracking data. Gravity maps, covering a 70 deg latitude band through 360 deg of longitude, are displayed as line-of-sight and vertical gravity. Topography converted to gravity and Bouguer gravity maps are also shown in both systems. Topography to gravity ratios are made over several regions of the planet. There are markedly different ratios for the Aphrodite area as compared to the Beta and Atla areas.

Mentalizing skills do not differentiate believers from non-believers, but credibility enhancing displays do.

PubMed

Maij, David L R; van Harreveld, Frenk; Gervais, Will; Schrag, Yann; Mohr, Christine; van Elk, Michiel

2017-01-01

The ability to mentalize has been marked as an important cognitive mechanism enabling belief in supernatural agents. In five studies we cross-culturally investigated the relationship between mentalizing and belief in supernatural agents with large sample sizes (over 67,000 participants in total) and different operationalizations of mentalizing. The relative importance of mentalizing for endorsing supernatural beliefs was directly compared with credibility enhancing displays-the extent to which people observed credible religious acts during their upbringing. We also compared autistic with neurotypical adolescents. The empathy quotient and the autism-spectrum quotient were not predictive of belief in supernatural agents in all countries (i.e., The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States), although we did observe a curvilinear effect in the United States. We further observed a strong influence of credibility enhancing displays on belief in supernatural agents. These findings highlight the importance of cultural learning for acquiring supernatural beliefs and ask for reconsiderations of the importance of mentalizing.

50 CFR 665.16 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... of 65 ft (19.8 m) LOA or longer, the official number must be displayed in block Arabic numerals at....8 m) LOA or longer must be marked in block Arabic numerals at least 14 inches (35.6 cm) in height. (3) For all other vessels, the official number must be displayed in block Arabic numerals at least 10...

50 CFR 665.16 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... of 65 ft (19.8 m) LOA or longer, the official number must be displayed in block Arabic numerals at....8 m) LOA or longer must be marked in block Arabic numerals at least 14 inches (35.6 cm) in height. (3) For all other vessels, the official number must be displayed in block Arabic numerals at least 10...

Patterns of craniofacial integration in extant Homo, Pan, and Gorilla.

PubMed

Polanski, Joshua M; Franciscus, Robert G

2006-09-01

Brain size increased greatly during Pleistocene human evolution, while overall facial and dentognathic size decreased markedly. This mosaic pattern is due to either selective forces that acted uniquely on each functional unit in a modularized, developmentally uncoupled craniofacial complex, or alternatively, selection that acted primarily on one unit, with the other responding passively as part of a coevolved set of ontogenetically and evolutionarily integrated structures. Using conditional independence modeling on homologous linear measurements of the height, breadth, and depth of the cranium in Pan (n = 95), Gorilla (n = 102), and recent Homo (n = 120), we reject the null hypothesis of equal levels of overall cranial integration. While all three groups share the pattern of greater neurocranial integration with distinct separation between the face and neurocranium (modularization), family differences do exist. The apes are more integrated in their entire crania, but display a particularly strong pattern of integration within the facial complex related to prognathism. Modern humans display virtually no facial integration, a pattern which is likely related to their markedly decreased facial projection. Modern humans also differ from their great ape counterparts in being more integrated within the breadth dimension of the cranial vault, likely tied to the increase in brain size and eventual globularity seen in human evolution. That the modern human integration pattern differs from the ancestral African great ape pattern along the inverse neurocranial-facial trend seen in human evolution indicates that this shift in the pattern of integration is evolutionarily significant, and may help to clarify aspects of the current debate over defining modern humans. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Poster: Building a Large Tiled-Display Cluster

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

graphics cards ( Nvidia Quadro FX 5800), and each graphics ∗e-mail: mark.livingston@nrl.navy.mil †e-mail: jonathan.decker@nrl.navy.mil card in a display...such as DisplayPort and HDMI (see: Nvidia Quadro 6000). We recommend these formats because they are much easier to plug-and-play. 3.4 Leverage Open...will find yourself with all the issues related to owning a server room. Today, there are a number of companies offering turn-key so- lutions for tiled

49 CFR 174.680 - Division 6.1 (poisonous) materials with foodstuffs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... not transport any package bearing a POISON or POISON INHALATION HAZARD label in the same car with any... by humans or animals. (b) A carrier must separate any package bearing a POISON label displaying the text “PG III,” or bearing a “PG III” mark adjacent to the POISON label, from materials marked as or...

49 CFR 174.680 - Division 6.1 (poisonous) materials with foodstuffs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... not transport any package bearing a POISON or POISON INHALATION HAZARD label in the same car with any... by humans or animals. (b) A carrier must separate any package bearing a POISON label displaying the text “PG III,” or bearing a “PG III” mark adjacent to the POISON label, from materials marked as or...

49 CFR 174.680 - Division 6.1 (poisonous) materials with foodstuffs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... not transport any package bearing a POISON or POISON INHALATION HAZARD label in the same car with any... by humans or animals. (b) A carrier must separate any package bearing a POISON label displaying the text “PG III,” or bearing a “PG III” mark adjacent to the POISON label, from materials marked as or...

49 CFR 174.680 - Division 6.1 (poisonous) materials with foodstuffs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... not transport any package bearing a POISON or POISON INHALATION HAZARD label in the same car with any... by humans or animals. (b) A carrier must separate any package bearing a POISON label displaying the text “PG III,” or bearing a “PG III” mark adjacent to the POISON label, from materials marked as or...

49 CFR 174.680 - Division 6.1 (poisonous) materials with foodstuffs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... not transport any package bearing a POISON or POISON INHALATION HAZARD label in the same car with any... by humans or animals. (b) A carrier must separate any package bearing a POISON label displaying the text “PG III,” or bearing a “PG III” mark adjacent to the POISON label, from materials marked as or...

Reading with filtered fixations: adult age differences in the effectiveness of low-level properties of text within central vision.

PubMed

Jordan, Timothy R; McGowan, Victoria A; Paterson, Kevin B

2014-06-01

When reading, low-level visual properties of text are acquired from central vision during brief fixational pauses, but the effectiveness of these properties may differ in older age. To investigate, a filtering technique displayed the low, medium, or high spatial frequencies of text falling within central vision as young (18-28 years) and older (65+ years) adults read. Reading times for normal text did not differ across age groups, but striking differences in the effectiveness of spatial frequencies were observed. Consequently, even when young and older adults read equally well, the effectiveness of spatial frequencies in central vision differs markedly in older age. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Pixels, people, perception, pet peeves, and possibilities: a look at displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Task, H. Lee

2007-04-01

This year marks the 35 th anniversary of the Visually Coupled Systems symposium held at Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas in November of 1972. This paper uses the proceedings of the 1972 VCS symposium as a guide to address several topics associated primarily with helmet-mounted displays, systems integration and the human-machine interface. Specific topics addressed include monocular and binocular helmet-mounted displays (HMDs), visor projection HMDs, color HMDs, system integration with aircraft windscreens, visual interface issues and others. In addition, this paper also addresses a few mysteries and irritations (pet peeves) collected over the past 35+ years of experience in the display and display related areas.

Methods and apparatus for integrating, organizing, and accessing flight planning and other data on multifunction cockpit displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbs, Michael J. (Inventor); Adams, Michael B. (Inventor); Chase, Karl L. (Inventor); Van Omen, Debi (Inventor); Lewis, Daniel E. (Inventor); McCrobie, Daniel E. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A method and system for displaying a flight plan such that an entire flight plan is viewable through the use of scrolling devices is disclosed. The flight plan display may also include a method and system for collapsing and expanding a flight plan display, have provisions for the conspicuous marking of changes to a flight plan, the use of tabs to switch between various displays of data, and access to a navigation database that allows a user to view information about various navigational aids. The database may also the access to the information about the navigational aids to be prioritized based on proximity to the current position of the aircraft.

Attention biases towards and away from threat mark the relation between early dysregulated fear and the later emergence of social withdrawal

PubMed Central

Morales, Santiago; Pérez-Edgar, Koraly E.; Buss, Kristin A.

2014-01-01

Fearful temperament, mostly studied as behavioral inhibition (BI), has been extensively associated with social withdrawal in childhood and the later emergence of anxiety disorders, especially social anxiety disorder (SAD). Recent studies have characterized a distinct type of fearful temperament marked by high levels of fear in low threat situations – labeled dysregulated fear. Dysregulated fear has been related to SAD over and above risks associated with BI. However, the mechanism by which dysregulated fear is related to SAD has not been studied. Cognitive mechanisms, such as attentional bias towards threat, may be a possible conduit. We examined differences in attentional bias towards threat in six-year-olds who displayed a pattern of dysregulated fear at age two (N = 23) compared with children who did not display dysregulated fear (N = 33). Moreover, we examined the concurrent relation between attentional bias and social withdrawal. Results indicated that children characterized by dysregulated fear showed a significant bias away from threat, and that this bias was significantly different from the children without dysregulated fear, who showed no significant bias. Moreover, attentional bias towards threat was positively related to social withdrawal only for the dysregulated fear group. These results are discussed in consideration of the existing knowledge of attentional bias to threat in the developmental and pediatric anxiety literatures, as well as recent studies that find important heterogeneity in attentional bias. PMID:25510354

Attention Biases Towards and Away from Threat Mark the Relation between Early Dysregulated Fear and the Later Emergence of Social Withdrawal.

PubMed

Morales, Santiago; Pérez-Edgar, Koraly E; Buss, Kristin A

2015-08-01

Fearful temperament, mostly studied as behavioral inhibition (BI), has been extensively associated with social withdrawal in childhood and the later emergence of anxiety disorders, especially social anxiety disorder (SAD). Recent studies have characterized a distinct type of fearful temperament marked by high levels of fear in low threat situations - labeled dysregulated fear. Dysregulated fear has been related to SAD over and above risks associated with BI. However, the mechanism by which dysregulated fear is related to SAD has not been studied. Cognitive mechanisms, such as attentional bias towards threat, may be a possible conduit. We examined differences in attentional bias towards threat in six-year-olds who displayed a pattern of dysregulated fear at age two (N = 23) compared with children who did not display dysregulated fear (N = 33). Moreover, we examined the concurrent relation between attentional bias and social withdrawal. Results indicated that children characterized by dysregulated fear showed a significant bias away from threat, and that this bias was significantly different from the children without dysregulated fear, who showed no significant bias. Moreover, attentional bias towards threat was positively related to social withdrawal only for the dysregulated fear group. These results are discussed in consideration of the existing knowledge of attentional bias to threat in the developmental and pediatric anxiety literatures, as well as recent studies that find important heterogeneity in attentional bias.

The influence of perceptual load on age differences in selective attention.

PubMed

Maylor, E A; Lavie, N

1998-12-01

The effect of perceptual load on age differences in visual selective attention was examined in 2 studies. In Experiment 1, younger and older adults made speeded choice responses indicating which of 2 target letters was present in a relevant set of letters in the center of the display while they attempted to ignore an irrelevant distractor in the periphery. The perceptual load of relevant processing was manipulated by varying the central set size. When the relevant set size was small, the adverse effect of an incompatible distractor was much greater for the older participants than for the younger ones. However, with larger relevant set sizes, this was no longer the case, with the distractor effect decreasing for older participants at lower levels of perceptual load than for younger ones. In Experiment 2, older adults were tested with the empty locations in the central set either unmarked (as in Experiment 1) or marked by small circles to form a group of 6 items irrespective of set size; the 2 conditions did not differ markedly, ruling out an explanation based entirely on perceptual grouping.

User Friendly Real Time Display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, Denise M.; McCracken, Bill

1989-02-01

Real-time viewing of high resolution infrared line scan reconnaissance imagery is greatly facilitated using Honeywell's Real Time Display in conjunction with a D-500 Infrared Reconnaissance System. The Real-Time Display (RTD) provides the capability of on-board review of high resolution infrared imagery using the wide infrared dynamic range of the D-500 infrared receiver to maximum advantage. The scan converter accepts, processes, and displays imagery from four channels of the IR Receiver after formatting by a multiplexer. The scan converter interfaces with a standard RS-170 video monitor. Detailed review and on-board analysis of infrared reconnaissance imagery stored on a videotape is easily accomplished using the many user-friendly features of the RTD. Using a convenient joystick controller, on-screen mode menus, and a moveable cursor, the operator can examine scenes of interest at four different display magnifications using a four step bidirectional zoom. Imagery areas of interest are first noted using the scrolling wide field display mode at 8x reduced display resolution. On noting an area of interest, the imagery can be marked on the tape record for future recovery and a freeze frame mode can be initiated. The operator can then move the cursor to the area of interest and zoom to higher display magnification for 4x, 2x, and lx display resolutions so that the full 4096 x 4096 pixel infrared frame can be matched to the 512 x 512 pixel display frame. At 8x wide field display magnification the full line scanner field of view is displayed at 8x reduced resolution. There are two selectable modes of obtaining this reduced resolution. The operator can use the default method, which averages the signal from an 8 x 8 pixel group, or it is also possible to select the peak signal of the 8 x 8 pixel block to represent the entire block on the display. In this alternate peak-signal display the wide field can be effectively scanned for hot objects which are more likely to be candidate targets. The intermediate 4x and 2x zoom steps are very useful in maintaining operator orientation in examining target clusters and industrial complexes. The four operating modes of the RTD are described and their use to the operator on a typical mission is outlined. Some installation details are given. The RTD as part of a complete D-500 Infrared Linescan Reconnaissance System is now being installed on a Beech 1900 Environmental Control Aircraft to monitor pollution in very sensitive and commercially important marine ecologies. Its application on military reconnaissance missions will allow the normal review of recorded videotape imagery at a ground station immediately after return of the aircraft to base. The areas of highest interest will have been previously marked during the airborne real-time review by the operator. The RTD packages into only two Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), a Scan Converter, and a Control Unit which includes a joystick hand controller. The CRT display is assumed to be part of the aircraft.

Coding of Border Ownership in Monkey Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Zhou, Hong; Friedman, Howard S.; von der Heydt, Rüdiger

2016-01-01

Areas V1 and V2 of the visual cortex have traditionally been conceived as stages of local feature representations. We investigated whether neural responses carry information about how local features belong to objects. Single-cell activity was recorded in areas V1, V2, and V4 of awake behaving monkeys. Displays were used in which the same local feature (contrast edge or line) could be presented as part of different figures. For example, the same light–dark edge could be the left side of a dark square or the right side of a light square. Each display was also presented with reversed contrast. We found significant modulation of responses as a function of the side of the figure in >50% of neurons of V2 and V4 and in 18% of neurons of the top layers of V1. Thus, besides the local contrast border information, neurons were found to encode the side to which the border belongs (“border ownership coding”). A majority of these neurons coded border ownership and the local polarity of luminance–chromaticity contrast. The others were insensitive to contrast polarity. Another 20% of the neurons of V2 and V4, and 48% of top layer V1, coded local contrast polarity, but not border ownership. The border ownership-related response differences emerged soon (<25 msec) after the response onset. In V2 and V4, the differences were found to be nearly independent of figure size up to the limit set by the size of our display (21°). Displays that differed only far outside the conventional receptive field could produce markedly different responses. When tested with more complex displays in which figure-ground cues were varied, some neurons produced invariant border ownership signals, others failed to signal border ownership for some of the displays, but neurons that reversed signals were rare. The influence of visual stimulation far from the receptive field center indicates mechanisms of global context integration. The short latencies and incomplete cue invariance suggest that the border-ownership effect is generated within the visual cortex rather than projected down from higher levels. PMID:10964965

The development of vector based 2.5D print methods for a painting machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parraman, Carinna

2013-02-01

Through recent trends in the application of digitally printed decorative finishes to products, CAD, 3D additive layer manufacturing and research in material perception, [1, 2] there is a growing interest in the accurate rendering of materials and tangible displays. Although current advances in colour management and inkjet printing has meant that users can take for granted high-quality colour and resolution in their printed images, digital methods for transferring a photographic coloured image from screen to paper is constrained by pixel count, file size, colorimetric conversion between colour spaces and the gamut limits of input and output devices. This paper considers new approaches to applying alternative colour palettes by using a vector-based approach through the application of paint mixtures, towards what could be described as a 2.5D printing method. The objective is to not apply an image to a textured surface, but where texture and colour are integral to the mark, that like a brush, delineates the contours in the image. The paper describes the difference between the way inks and paints are mixed and applied. When transcribing the fluid appearance of a brush stroke, there is a difference between a halftone printed mark and a painted mark. The issue of surface quality is significant to subjective qualities when studying the appearance of ink or paint on paper. The paper provides examples of a range of vector marks that are then transcribed into brush stokes by the painting machine.

Evaluation of the Portable Instantaneous Display Analysis Spectrometer (PIDAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyon, R. J. P.; Rubin, Tod; Ohashi, Makoto

1988-01-01

The Portable Instantaneous Display Analysis System (PIDAS) was evaluated by measuring 125 spectra of mineral specimens and rock samples under the following conditions: in the laboratory under artificial illumination and outdoors, on the building patio, while still using the line voltage electric power supplies. The PIDAS was compared and contrasted with the GEOSCAN PFS, Daedalus-Spectrafax 440, and the Geophysical Environmental Research (GER) IRIS Mark 4.

75 FR 38805 - Filing Via the Internet; Electronic Tariff Filings Notice of Display of Time on Commission's...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-06

... system the time used by the Commission to mark officially the time that eFilings and eTariff submissions... timely. The time display will assist users in ensuring that their filings are timely filed, i.e., are... electronic submissions in lieu of paper using the eFiling link at http://www.ferc.gov . Also, Filing...

Pyroxene structures, cathodoluminescence and the thermal history of the enstatite chondrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Yanhong; Huang, Shaoxiong; Schneider, Diann; Benoit, Paul H.; Sears, Derek W. G.; DeHart, John M.; Lofgren, Gary E.

1996-01-01

In order to explore the thermal history of enstatite chondrites, we examined the cathodoluminescence (CL) and thermoluminescence (TL) properties of 15 EH chondrites and 21 EL chondrites, including all available petrographic types, both textural types 3-6 and mineralogical types alpha-delta. The CL properties of EL3(alpha) and EH3(alpha) chondrites are similar. Enstatite grains high in Mn and other transition metals display red CL, while enstatite with low concentrations of these elements show blue CL. A few enstatite grains with greater than 5 wt% FeO display no CL. In contrast, the luminescent properties of the metamorphosed EH chondrites are very different from those of metamorphosed EL chondrites. While the enstatites in metamorphosed EH chondrites display predominantly blue CL, the enstatites in metamorphosed EL chondrites display a distinctive magenta CL with blue and red peaks of approximately equal intensity in their spectra. The TL sensitivities of the enstatite chondrites correlate with the intensity of the blue CL and, unlike other meteorite classes, are not simply related to metamorphism. The different luminescent properties of metamorphosed EH and EL chondrites cannot readily be attributed to compositional differences. But x-ray diffraction data suggests that the enstatite in EH5(gamma),(delta) chondrites is predominantly disordered orthopyroxene, while enstatite in EL6(beta) chondrites is predominantly ordered orthopyroxene. The difference in thermal history of metamorphosed EL and EH chondrites is so marked that the use of single 'petrographic' types is misleading, and separate textural and mineralogical types are preferable. Our data confirm earlier suggestions that metamorphosed EH chondrites underwent relatively rapid cooling, and the metamorphosed EL chondrites cooled more slowly and experienced prolonged heating in the orthopyroxene field.

The sodium pump α1 sub-unit: a disease progression–related target for metastatic melanoma treatment

PubMed Central

Mathieu, Véronique; Pirker, Christine; Martin de Lassalle, Elisabeth; Vernier, Mathieu; Mijatovic, Tatjana; DeNeve, Nancy; Gaussin, Jean-François; Dehoux, Mischael; Lefranc, Florence; Berger, Walter; Kiss, Robert

2009-01-01

Melanomas remain associated with dismal prognosis because they are naturally resistant to apoptosis and they markedly metastasize. Up-regulated expression of sodium pump α sub-units has previously been demonstrated when comparing metastatic to non-metastatic melanomas. Our previous data revealed that impairing sodium pump α1 activity by means of selective ligands, that are cardiotonic steroids, markedly impairs cell migration and kills apoptosis-resistant cancer cells. The objective of this study was to determine the expression levels of sodium pump α sub-units in melanoma clinical samples and cell lines and also to characterize the role of α1 sub-units in melanoma cell biology. Quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the expression levels of sodium pump α sub-units. In vitro cytotoxicity of various cardenolides and of an anti-α1 siRNA was evaluated by means of MTT assay, quantitative videomicroscopy and through apoptosis assays. The in vivo activity of a novel cardenolide UNBS1450 was evaluated in a melanoma brain metastasis model. Our data show that all investigated human melanoma cell lines expressed high levels of the α1 sub-unit, and 33% of human melanomas displayed significant α1 sub-unit expression in correlation with the Breslow index. Furthermore, cardenolides (notably UNBS1450; currently in Phase I clinical trials) displayed marked anti-tumour effects against melanomas in vitro. This activity was closely paralleled by decreases in cMyc expression and by increases in apoptotic features. UNBS1450 also displayed marked anti-tumour activity in the aggressive human metastatic brain melanoma model in vivo. The α1 sodium pump sub-unit could represent a potential novel target for combating melanoma. PMID:19243476

The ontogeny of expression of communicative genes in coyote-beagle hybrids.

PubMed

Moon-Fanelli, Alice

2011-11-01

Although there are minimal genetic differences between the coyote (Canis latrans), the gray wolf (Canis lupus), and the domestic dog (Canis familiaris), these three species are extremely different in numerous aspects of their physiology, morphology, and behavior. In particular, the threat display of coyotes differs markedly from dogs and wolves. Coyotes display a wide open mouth gape-threat with attendant arched back defensive posture, and hiss vocalization. In our experience, this threat display is absent from the repertoire of the domestic dog and the gray wolf. We hypothesized that the foundation of these differences in species-typical threat displays is genetic. The threat displays of coyote-beagle crosses (F1's, F2's, F3's, F1F2's and beagle backcrosses), included the following phenotypes: that of each parental species, that of the domestic dog during pre-pubertal development switching spontaneously to the coyote gape-threat following sexual maturation; and a comparable phenotype requiring exposure to post-pubertal social stress-priming to bring the encoded genetic potential for the gape-threat to expression. The changeover from the dog snarl-threat to the coyote gape-threat was accompanied by a precipitous rise in endogenous cortisol levels over baseline. We hypothesized that where alternative genetic systems are physically available, their selective expression in development may depend on environmental events, such as social stress, to affect internal mechanisms that ultimately control the phenotype. Exogenously elevated cortisol levels, in the absence of the subjective experience of social stress, were associated with the onset of the expression of the coyote threat pattern in an F1 hybrid possessing a full haploid complement of coyote genes and his backcross offspring resulting from a breeding to his F2 daughter. With oral doses of hydrocortisone, the cortisol levels were substantially elevated over basal levels. With endogenous cortisol priming, an increase up to five-fold over those levels obtained with social stress was associated with the expression of the coyote phenotype.

49 CFR 38.113 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... inches of the platform height. (e) Signage. The International Symbol of Accessibility shall be displayed... are not marked by the access symbol (see fig. 6). Appropriate signage shall also indicate which...

49 CFR 38.113 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... inches of the platform height. (e) Signage. The International Symbol of Accessibility shall be displayed... are not marked by the access symbol (see fig. 6). Appropriate signage shall also indicate which...

49 CFR 38.113 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... inches of the platform height. (e) Signage. The International Symbol of Accessibility shall be displayed... are not marked by the access symbol (see fig. 6). Appropriate signage shall also indicate which...

36 CFR § 1192.113 - Doorways.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the platform height. (e) Signage. The International Symbol of Accessibility shall be displayed on the... marked by the access symbol (see Fig. 6). Appropriate signage shall also indicate which accessible doors...

Infants' use of category knowledge and object attributes when segregating objects at 8.5 months of age.

PubMed

Needham, Amy; Cantlon, Jessica F; Ormsbee Holley, Susan M

2006-12-01

The current research investigates infants' perception of a novel object from a category that is familiar to young infants: key rings. We ask whether experiences obtained outside the lab would allow young infants to parse the visible portions of a partly occluded key ring display into one single unit, presumably as a result of having categorized it as a key ring. This categorization was marked by infants' perception of the keys and ring as a single unit that should move together, despite their attribute differences. We showed infants a novel key ring display in which the keys and ring moved together as one rigid unit (Move-together event) or the ring moved but the keys remained stationary throughout the event (Move-apart event). Our results showed that 8.5-month-old infants perceived the keys and ring as connected despite their attribute differences, and that their perception of object unity was eliminated as the distinctive attributes of the key ring were removed. When all of the distinctive attributes of the key ring were removed, the 8.5-month-old infants perceived the display as two separate units, which is how younger infants (7-month-old) perceived the key ring display with all its distinctive attributes unaltered. These results suggest that on the basis of extensive experience with an object category, infants come to identify novel members of that category and expect them to possess the attributes typical of that category.

Processing grammatical gender in Dutch: Evidence from eye movements.

PubMed

Brouwer, Susanne; Sprenger, Simone; Unsworth, Sharon

2017-07-01

Previous research has demonstrated that grammatical gender in Dutch is typically acquired late. Most of this work used production data only, and consequently children's knowledge of Dutch gender may have been underestimated. In this study, therefore, we examined whether 49 4- to 7-year-old Dutch-speaking children (and 19 adult controls) were able to use gender marking in the article preceding the object label during online sentence processing to (a) anticipate the upcoming object label or to (b) facilitate the processing of that label as it is presented. In addition, we investigated whether children's online processing and production of gender marking on articles were related. In an eye-tracking task, participants were presented with sentences and visual displays with two objects, representing nouns of either the same gender (uninformative) or different genders (informative). Children were divided into a non-targetlike group and a targetlike group on the basis of their scores for neuter nouns in the production task. Our analyses examined whether participants could use gender marking anticipatorily (i.e., before the onset of the noun) and facilitatively (i.e., from noun onset). Results showed that Dutch-speaking adults and children who were successful in production used gender marking anticipatorily. However, children who did not systematically produce gender-marked articles used gender marking only facilitatively. These findings reveal that successful online comprehension may in part be possible before targetlike production is completely in place, but at the same time targetlike production may be a trigger for online comprehension to be completely successful. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scent-marking by coyotes, Canis latrans: the influence of social and ecological factors

PubMed

Gese; Ruff

1997-11-01

We observed 49 coyotes, Canis latransfrom five resident packs for 2456 h and five transient coyotes for 51 h from January 1991 to June 1993 in the Lamar River Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A. During these observations we recorded 3042 urinations, 451 defecations, 446 ground scratches and 743 double-marks. The rate of scent-marking (via urination) was influenced by the social organization (resident versus transient) to which the coyote belonged, the social class (alpha, beta or pup) of the animal and the time of the year. Transient coyotes scent-marked at a lower rate than did members of a resident pack. Within the resident packs, alpha coyotes scent-marked at a higher rate than beta coyotes (adults and yearlings subordinant to alphas, but dominant over pups) and pups. Alpha coyotes increased their rate of marking during the breeding season; beta and pup coyotes performed scent-marks at a relatively constant rate throughout the year. There was no influence of social class or time of year on the rate of defecation. The rate of double-marking was highest among alpha coyotes with a peak during the breeding season. Alpha coyotes ground-scratched at a higher rate than did beta and pup coyotes. Alpha and beta coyotes scent-marked more than expected along the periphery of the territory compared to the interior; pups marked in the interior and edge in proportion to expected frequencies. Double-marking and ground-scratching were higher than expected along the periphery of the territory. The distribution of defecations was not different from expected along the edge versus the interior of the territory. Pack size did not influence the rate of scent-marking performed by individuals in the pack or by the alpha pair. We concluded that alpha coyotes were the primary members of the resident pack involved in scent-marking. The large coyote packs and the high rate of marking by the alpha pairs were parallel to the scent-marking behaviour displayed by wolves, C. lupusto a greater extent than previously reported. Scent-marks appear to provide internal information to the members of the resident pack (internal map of territory, breeding condition, reproductive synchrony) and enhance demarcation of territorial boundaries.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Early social enrichment provided by communal nest increases resilience to depression-like behavior more in female than in male mice.

PubMed

D'Andrea, Ivana; Gracci, Fiorenza; Alleva, Enrico; Branchi, Igor

2010-12-20

Early experiences produce persistent changes in behavior and brain function. Being reared in a communal nest (CN), consisting of a single nest where three mouse mothers keep their pups together and share care-giving behavior from birth to weaning, provides an highly stimulating social environment to the developing pup since both mother-offspring and peer-to-peer interactions are markedly increased. Here we show that being reared in a CN affects adult behavior of CD-1 mice in a gender-dependent fashion, with reduced depression-like responses in females and increased anxiety-like behavior in males. In particular, CN females showed higher sucrose preference at baseline condition, drinking more sweet solution compared to female mice reared in a standard laboratory condition (SN). In the isolation test, both SN and CN females showed a reduction in sucrose preference after exposure to isolation stress. However, after 24h, only CN females significantly recovered. Finally, in the forced swim test, compared to SN, CN females spent longer time floating, a behavioral response that in the CN model has been inversely associated with display of endophenotypes of depression. With regard to the emotional response, CN males displayed an increased anxiety-like behavior in comparison to SN, spending less time in the open arms and displaying reduced head-dippings in the elevated plus-maze test. No difference was found in females. Overall, our findings show that gender and early experiences interact in modulating adult behavior. In particular, we show that early experiences modified developmental trajectories shaping adult endophenotypes of depression more markedly in females than in males. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

16 CFR 305.16 - Labeling and marking for plumbing products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... printed matter distributed or displayed in connection with such product (including packaging and point-of-sale material, catalog material, and print advertising) shall include, in a conspicuous manner, the...

33 CFR 183.27 - Construction of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... exposure to water, oil, salt spray, direct sunlight, heat, cold, and wear expected in normal operation of...) BOATING SAFETY BOATS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT Display of Capacity Information § 183.27 Construction of...

33 CFR 183.27 - Construction of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... exposure to water, oil, salt spray, direct sunlight, heat, cold, and wear expected in normal operation of...) BOATING SAFETY BOATS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT Display of Capacity Information § 183.27 Construction of...

Cellular distribution, purification and electrophoretic properties of malate dehydrogenase in Trichuris ovis and inhibition by benzimidazoles and pyrimidine derivatives.

PubMed

Sanchez-Moreno, M; Ortega, J E; Valero, A

1989-12-01

High levels of malate dehydrogenase were found in Trichuris ovis. Two molecular forms of the enzyme, of different cellular location and electrophoretic pattern, were isolated and purified. The activity of soluble malate dehydrogenase was greater than that of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase. Both forms also displayed different electrophoretic profiles in comparison with purified extracts from goat (Capra hircus) liver. Substrate concentration directly affected enzyme activity. Host and parasite malate dehydrogenase activity were both inhibited by a series of benzimidazoles and pyrimidine-derived compounds, some of which markedly reduced parasite enzyme activity, but not host enzyme activity. Percentage inhibition by some pyrimidine derivatives was greater than that produced by benzimidazoles.

Terminal weather information management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Alfred T.

1990-01-01

Since the mid-1960's, microburst/windshear events have caused at least 30 aircraft accidents and incidents and have killed more than 600 people in the United States alone. This study evaluated alternative means of alerting an airline crew to the presence of microburst/windshear events in the terminal area. Of particular interest was the relative effectiveness of conventional and data link ground-to-air transmissions of ground-based radar and low-level windshear sensing information on microburst/windshear avoidance. The Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator located at Ames Research Center was employed in a line oriented simulation of a scheduled round-trip airline flight from Salt Lake City to Denver Stapleton Airport. Actual weather en route and in the terminal area was simulated using recorded data. The microburst/windshear incident of July 11, 1988 was re-created for the Denver area operations. Six experienced airline crews currently flying scheduled routes were employed as test subjects for each of three groups: (1) A baseline group which received alerts via conventional air traffic control (ATC) tower transmissions; (2) An experimental group which received alerts/events displayed visually and aurally in the cockpit six miles (approx. 2 min.) from the microburst event; and (3) An additional experimental group received displayed alerts/events 23 linear miles (approx. 7 min.) from the microburst event. Analyses of crew communications and decision times showed a marked improvement in both situation awareness and decision-making with visually displayed ground-based radar information. Substantial reductions in the variability of decision times among crews in the visual display groups were also found. These findings suggest that crew performance will be enhanced and individual differences among crews due to differences in training and prior experience are significantly reduced by providing real-time, graphic display of terminal weather hazards.

Unstable power threatens the powerful and challenges the powerless: evidence from cardiovascular markers of motivation.

PubMed

Scheepers, Daan; Röell, Charlotte; Ellemers, Naomi

2015-01-01

Possessing social power has psychological and biological benefits. For example, during task interactions, people high in power are more likely to display a benign cardiovascular (CV) response pattern indicative of "challenge" whereas people low in power are more likely to display a maladaptive CV pattern indicative of "threat" (Scheepers et al., 2012). Challenge is marked by high cardiac output (CO) and low total peripheral resistance (TPR), while threat is marked by low CO and high TPR (Blascovich and Mendes, 2010). In the current work we addressed a possible moderator of the power-threat/challenge relationship, namely the stability of power. We examined the influence of the stability of power (roles could or could not change) on CV responses during a dyadic task where one person was the "chief designer" (high power) and one person was the "assistant" (low power). During the task, different CV-measures were taken [CO, TPR, heart rate, pre-ejection period). Whereas participants in the unstable low power condition showed a stronger tendency toward challenge, participants in the unstable high power condition showed a stronger tendency toward threat. Moreover, participants in the stable low power condition showed CV signs of task disengagement. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of contextual variables in shaping the relationship between power and benign/maladaptive physiological responses.

Unstable power threatens the powerful and challenges the powerless: evidence from cardiovascular markers of motivation

PubMed Central

Scheepers, Daan; Röell, Charlotte; Ellemers, Naomi

2015-01-01

Possessing social power has psychological and biological benefits. For example, during task interactions, people high in power are more likely to display a benign cardiovascular (CV) response pattern indicative of “challenge” whereas people low in power are more likely to display a maladaptive CV pattern indicative of “threat” (Scheepers et al., 2012). Challenge is marked by high cardiac output (CO) and low total peripheral resistance (TPR), while threat is marked by low CO and high TPR (Blascovich and Mendes, 2010). In the current work we addressed a possible moderator of the power-threat/challenge relationship, namely the stability of power. We examined the influence of the stability of power (roles could or could not change) on CV responses during a dyadic task where one person was the “chief designer” (high power) and one person was the “assistant” (low power). During the task, different CV-measures were taken [CO, TPR, heart rate, pre-ejection period). Whereas participants in the unstable low power condition showed a stronger tendency toward challenge, participants in the unstable high power condition showed a stronger tendency toward threat. Moreover, participants in the stable low power condition showed CV signs of task disengagement. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of contextual variables in shaping the relationship between power and benign/maladaptive physiological responses. PMID:26074860

Communication: Non-Newtonian rheology of inorganic glass-forming liquids: Universal patterns and outstanding questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, W.; Aitken, B. G.; Sen, S.

2017-02-01

All families of inorganic glass-forming liquids display non-Newtonian rheological behavior in the form of shear thinning at high shear rates. Experimental evidence is presented to demonstrate the existence of remarkable universality in this behavior, irrespective of chemical composition, structure, topology, and viscosity. However, contrary to intuition, in all cases the characteristic shear rates that mark the onset of shear thinning in these liquids are orders of magnitude slower than the global shear relaxation rates. Attempt is made to reconcile such differences within the framework of the cooperative structural relaxation model of glass-forming liquids.

Speed-Up Techniques for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Very Large Scale Integration.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-14

The input voltage at which the two transistors are in the constant current region at the same time marks the active operating region of the inverter...decoder precharge configurations. One circuit displayed a marked enhancement in operation while the other precharged circuit displyed degraded operation due...34 IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, SC-18: 457-462 (October 1983). 19. Cobbold , R. Theory and Applications of Field Effect Transistors, New York: John

Joint Force Quarterly. Issue 67, 4th Quarter, October 2012

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 2012 2...Defense Douglas N. Hime Naval War College Mark H. Jacobsen Marine Corps Command and Staff College Daniel T. Kuehl Information Resources Management...Norris Air Command and Staff College Col Mark Pizzo, USMC (Ret.) National War College James A . Schear Office of the Secretary of Defense LtGen Bernard

A comparative study on pathological features of transgenic rat lines expressing either three or four repeat misfolded tau.

PubMed

Valachova, Bernadeta; Brezovakova, Veronika; Bugos, Ondrej; Jadhav, Santosh; Smolek, Tomas; Novak, Petr; Zilka, Norbert

2018-08-01

Human tauopathies represent a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by distinct clinical features, typical histopathological structures, and defined ratio(s) of three-repeat and four-repeat tau isoforms within pathological aggregates. How the optional microtubule-binding repeat of tau influences this differentiation of pathologies is understudied. We have previously generated and characterized transgenic rodent models expressing human truncated tau aa151-391 with either three (SHR24) or four microtubule-binding repeats (SHR72). Here, we compare the behavioral and neuropathological hallmarks of these two transgenic lines using a battery of tests for sensorimotor, cognitive, and neurological functions over the age range of 3.5-15 months. Progression of sensorimotor and neurological deficits was similar in both transgenic lines; however, the lifespan of transgenic line SHR72 expressing truncated four-repeat tau was markedly shorter than SHR24. Moreover, the expression of three or four-repeat tau induced distinct neurofibrillary pathology in these lines. Transgenic lines displayed different distribution of tau pathology and different type of neurofibrillary tangles. Our results suggest that three- and four-repeat isoforms of tau may display different modes of action in the diseased brain. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Attentional distribution in the visual field during same-different judgments as assessed by response competition.

PubMed

Pan, K; Eriksen, C W

1993-02-01

Judgments of same and different on a comparison task have been found to be subject to response competition if an irrelevant stimulus is presented in the display along with the target stimuli. For example, the reaction time for judging two letters the same is markedly increased if a different but irrelevant letter is also present in the display (C. W. Eriksen, O'Hara, & B. [A.] Eriksen, 1982). We have made use of this competition effect to map the visual attentional field in two dimensions. In two experiments, we varied the size of the attended area by varying the separation of the comparison stimuli. The boundaries of the attended area were mapped by varying the location of a response-competitive irrelevant noise letter. On this task, the attended area was found to be elliptical in shape, with the location of the target stimuli defining the major axis. The minor axis of the ellipse increased in direct proportion to increases in the major axis. Rather than interpret these field effects in terms of areas of enhanced processing, we propose that instead they represent the limits or failures in inhibition of competing stimulation.

Defensive responses of cuttlefish to different teleost predators.

PubMed

Staudinger, Michelle D; Buresch, Kendra C; Mäthger, Lydia M; Fry, Charlie; McAnulty, Sarah; Ulmer, Kimberly M; Hanlon, Roger T

2013-12-01

We evaluated cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) responses to three teleost predators: bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and black seabass (Centropristis striata). We hypothesized that the distinct body shapes, swimming behaviors, and predation tactics exhibited by the three fishes would elicit markedly different antipredator responses by cuttlefish. Over the course of 25 predator-prey behavioral trials, 3 primary and 15 secondary defense behaviors of cuttlefish were shown to predators. In contrast, secondary defenses were not shown during control trials in which predators were absent. With seabass-a benthic, sit-and-pursue predator-cuttlefish used flight and spent more time swimming in the water column than with other predators. With bluefish-an active, pelagic searching predator-cuttlefish remained closely associated with the substrate and relied more on cryptic behaviors. Startle (deimatic) displays were the most frequent secondary defense shown to seabass and bluefish, particularly the Dark eye ring and Deimatic spot displays. We were unable to evaluate secondary defenses by cuttlefish to flounder-a lie-and-wait predator-because flounder did not pursue cuttlefish or make attacks. Nonetheless, cuttlefish used primary defense during flounder trials, alternating between cryptic still and moving behaviors. Overall, our results suggest that cuttlefish may vary their behavior in the presence of different teleost predators: cryptic behaviors may be more important in the presence of active searching predators (e.g., bluefish), while conspicuous movements such as swimming in the water column and startle displays may be more prevalent with relatively sedentary, bottom-associated predators (e.g., seabass).

50 CFR 300.14 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... § 300.212, that documentation number must be preceded by the characters “USA” and a hyphen (that is, “USA-”). (ii) The markings must be displayed at all times on the vessel's side or superstructure, port...

50 CFR 300.14 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... § 300.212, that documentation number must be preceded by the characters “USA” and a hyphen (that is, “USA-”). (ii) The markings must be displayed at all times on the vessel's side or superstructure, port...

50 CFR 300.14 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... § 300.212, that documentation number must be preceded by the characters “USA” and a hyphen (that is, “USA-”). (ii) The markings must be displayed at all times on the vessel's side or superstructure, port...

50 CFR 300.14 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... § 300.212, that documentation number must be preceded by the characters “USA” and a hyphen (that is, “USA-”). (ii) The markings must be displayed at all times on the vessel's side or superstructure, port...

50 CFR 300.14 - Vessel identification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... § 300.212, that documentation number must be preceded by the characters “USA” and a hyphen (that is, “USA-”). (ii) The markings must be displayed at all times on the vessel's side or superstructure, port...

50 CFR 648.84 - Gear-marking requirements and gear restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... magnetic south through west to, and including, north) of the gear displays a standard 12-inch (30.5-cm.... The easternmost end (meaning the half compass circle from magnetic north through east to, and...

A Study on Attention Guidance to Driver by Subliminal Visual Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Hiroshi; Honda, Hirohiko

This paper presents a new warning method for increasing drivers' sensitivity for recognizing hazardous factors in the driving environment. The method is based on a subliminal effect. The results of many experiments performed by three dimensional head-mounted display shows that the response time for detecting a flashing mark tended to decrease when a subliminal mark was shown in advance. Priming effects are observed in subliminal visual information. This paper also proposes a scenario for implementing this method in real vehicles.

Constraining Slab Breakoff Induced Magmatism through Numerical Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeburn, R.; Van Hunen, J.; Maunder, B. L.; Magni, V.; Bouilhol, P.

2015-12-01

Post-collisional magmatism is markedly different in nature and composition than pre-collisional magmas. This is widely interpreted to mark a change in the thermal structure of the system due to the loss of the oceanic slab (slab breakoff), allowing a different source to melt. Early modelling studies suggest that when breakoff takes place at depths shallower than the overriding lithosphere, magmatism occurs through both the decompression of upwelling asthenopshere into the slab window and the thermal perturbation of the overriding lithosphere (Davies & von Blanckenburg, 1995; van de Zedde & Wortel, 2001). Interpretations of geochemical data which invoke slab breakoff as a means of generating magmatism mostly assume these shallow depths. However more recent modelling results suggest that slab breakoff is likely to occur deeper (e.g. Andrews & Billen, 2009; Duretz et al., 2011; van Hunen & Allen, 2011). Here we test the extent to which slab breakoff is a viable mechanism for generating melting in post-collisional settings. Using 2-D numerical models we conduct a parametric study, producing models displaying a range of dynamics with breakoff depths ranging from 150 - 300 km. Key models are further analysed to assess the extent of melting. We consider the mantle wedge above the slab to be hydrated, and compute the melt fraction by using a simple parameterised solidus. Our models show that breakoff at shallow depths can generate a short-lived (< 3 Myr) pulse of mantle melting, through the hydration of hotter, undepleted asthenosphere flowing in from behind the detached slab. However, our results do not display the widespread, prolonged style of magmatism, observed in many post-collisional areas, suggesting that this magmatism may be generated via alternative mechanisms. This further implies that using magmatic observations to constrain slab breakoff is not straightforward.

'tomo_display' and 'vol_tools': IDL VM Packages for Tomography Data Reconstruction, Processing, and Visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivers, M. L.; Gualda, G. A.

2009-05-01

One of the challenges in tomography is the availability of suitable software for image processing and analysis in 3D. We present here 'tomo_display' and 'vol_tools', two packages created in IDL that enable reconstruction, processing, and visualization of tomographic data. They complement in many ways the capabilities offered by Blob3D (Ketcham 2005 - Geosphere, 1: 32-41, DOI: 10.1130/GES00001.1) and, in combination, allow users without programming knowledge to perform all steps necessary to obtain qualitative and quantitative information using tomographic data. The package 'tomo_display' was created and is maintained by Mark Rivers. It allows the user to: (1) preprocess and reconstruct parallel beam tomographic data, including removal of anomalous pixels, ring artifact reduction, and automated determination of the rotation center, (2) visualization of both raw and reconstructed data, either as individual frames, or as a series of sequential frames. The package 'vol_tools' consists of a series of small programs created and maintained by Guilherme Gualda to perform specific tasks not included in other packages. Existing modules include simple tools for cropping volumes, generating histograms of intensity, sample volume measurement (useful for porous samples like pumice), and computation of volume differences (for differential absorption tomography). The module 'vol_animate' can be used to generate 3D animations using rendered isosurfaces around objects. Both packages use the same NetCDF format '.volume' files created using code written by Mark Rivers. Currently, only 16-bit integer volumes are created and read by the packages, but floating point and 8-bit data can easily be stored in the NetCDF format as well. A simple GUI to convert sequences of tiffs into '.volume' files is available within 'vol_tools'. Both 'tomo_display' and 'vol_tools' include options to (1) generate onscreen output that allows for dynamic visualization in 3D, (2) save sequences of tiffs to disk, and (3) generate MPEG movies for inclusion in presentations, publications, websites, etc. Both are freely available as run-time ('.sav') versions that can be run using the free IDL Virtual Machine TM, available from ITT Visual Information Solutions: http://www.ittvis.com/ProductServices/IDL/VirtualMachine.aspx The run-time versions of 'tomo_display' and 'vol_tools' can be downloaded from: http://cars.uchicago.edu/software/idl/tomography.html http://sites.google.com/site/voltools/

Advanced Aircrew Display Symposium (3rd), 19-20 May.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-01-01

piozea. This was in 1968. ’hS ese3e -2 -12 CE LS 1s desijn a si’mc;,41ed coiimator (movic diamond . fixed line) ot zo jza cy, .mhch v.as mounted on a...typical of electromechanical sights. The tracer sight displays electronic bullets with stadiametric range marks and a diamond at target range when...hackles on the necks of some engineers and pilots, we have become sensitive to the super-engineer/ super- pilot syndrome . It is very desirable to

Taphonomic analysis of the hominin remains from Swabian Jura and their implications for the mortuary practices during the Upper Paleolithic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sala, Nohemi; Conard, Nicholas

2016-10-01

The symbolic behavior of human beings usually is manifested in different ways such as figurative art, musical traditions, spoken language or complex funerary behavior. The Paleolithic sites of the Swabian Jura contain a rich archaeological record including the oldest evidence of musical instruments and figurative art which indicates complex cognitive abilities of the Paleolithic Homo sapiens that colonized Europe. Nevertheless, there is no evidence for burials in the Swabian caves during the Paleolithic. This raises questions regarding the kind of mortuary practices that existed in this region during the Paleolithic. In this paper, we address these questions from a taphonomic perspective by analyzing the hominin remains recovered in caves of the Swabian Jura. Whatever the funerary behavior was during the Early and Middle Upper Paleolithic, we have no evidence to document these practices. The Magdalenian hominin remains from Brillenhöhle, however, display anthropic modifications that have been hotly debated in the past. Our taphonomic analysis indicates that the assemblage displays traces of butchery similar to those recorded in the faunal remains. In addition to the cut marks, we have documented intentional breakage and human tooth marks, suggesting that the consumption of human corpses took place during the Magdalenian at Brillenhöhle. Similar anthropic modifications have also been documented in Magdalenian horizon at Hohle Fels. This suggests that the cannibalism practices during the Magdalenian were more common than previously expected during the Magdalenian in the Swabian Jura.

50 CFR 648.84 - Gear-marking requirements and gear restrictions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) tetrahedral corner radar reflector and a pennant positioned on a staff at least 6 ft (1.8 m) above the buoy... including, south) of the gear need display only the standard 12-inch (30.5-cm) tetrahedral radar reflector...

TID Test Results for 4th Generation iPad(TradeMark)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guertin, S. M.; Allen, G. R.; McClure, S. S.; LaBel, K. A.

2013-01-01

TID testing of 4th generation iPads is reported. Of iPad subsystems, results indicate that the charging circuitry and display drivers fail at lowest TID levels. Details of construction are investigated for additional testing of components.

Ejaculate of sneaker males is pheromonally inconspicuous in the black goby, Gobius niger (Teleostei, Gobiidae).

PubMed

Locatello, L; Mazzoldi, C; Rasotto, M B

2002-11-01

The black goby, Gobius niger, shows alternative male mating tactics, i.e., parental and sneaker males. Males release a sexual pheromone that attracts females and stimulates aggressive displays in males. This pheromone is produced by the mesorchial gland, a structure well developed in parental males but markedly undeveloped in sneakers. We measured the behavioral response of parental males to the ejaculates of males performing different reproductive tactics. Parental males reacted to the ejaculate of other parental males, with stereotypic aggressive behaviors, but not to the ejaculate of sneakers; consequently sneaker male ejaculate appears to be pheromonally inconspicuous. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Mentalizing skills do not differentiate believers from non-believers, but credibility enhancing displays do

PubMed Central

van Harreveld, Frenk; Gervais, Will; Schrag, Yann; Mohr, Christine; van Elk, Michiel

2017-01-01

The ability to mentalize has been marked as an important cognitive mechanism enabling belief in supernatural agents. In five studies we cross-culturally investigated the relationship between mentalizing and belief in supernatural agents with large sample sizes (over 67,000 participants in total) and different operationalizations of mentalizing. The relative importance of mentalizing for endorsing supernatural beliefs was directly compared with credibility enhancing displays–the extent to which people observed credible religious acts during their upbringing. We also compared autistic with neurotypical adolescents. The empathy quotient and the autism-spectrum quotient were not predictive of belief in supernatural agents in all countries (i.e., The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States), although we did observe a curvilinear effect in the United States. We further observed a strong influence of credibility enhancing displays on belief in supernatural agents. These findings highlight the importance of cultural learning for acquiring supernatural beliefs and ask for reconsiderations of the importance of mentalizing. PMID:28832606

Recognition of Damaged Arrow-Road Markings by Visible Light Camera Sensor Based on Convolutional Neural Network.

PubMed

Vokhidov, Husan; Hong, Hyung Gil; Kang, Jin Kyu; Hoang, Toan Minh; Park, Kang Ryoung

2016-12-16

Automobile driver information as displayed on marked road signs indicates the state of the road, traffic conditions, proximity to schools, etc. These signs are important to insure the safety of the driver and pedestrians. They are also important input to the automated advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), installed in many automobiles. Over time, the arrow-road markings may be eroded or otherwise damaged by automobile contact, making it difficult for the driver to correctly identify the marking. Failure to properly identify an arrow-road marker creates a dangerous situation that may result in traffic accidents or pedestrian injury. Very little research exists that studies the problem of automated identification of damaged arrow-road marking painted on the road. In this study, we propose a method that uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize six types of arrow-road markings, possibly damaged, by visible light camera sensor. Experimental results with six databases of Road marking dataset, KITTI dataset, Málaga dataset 2009, Málaga urban dataset, Naver street view dataset, and Road/Lane detection evaluation 2013 dataset, show that our method outperforms conventional methods.

Recognition of Damaged Arrow-Road Markings by Visible Light Camera Sensor Based on Convolutional Neural Network

PubMed Central

Vokhidov, Husan; Hong, Hyung Gil; Kang, Jin Kyu; Hoang, Toan Minh; Park, Kang Ryoung

2016-01-01

Automobile driver information as displayed on marked road signs indicates the state of the road, traffic conditions, proximity to schools, etc. These signs are important to insure the safety of the driver and pedestrians. They are also important input to the automated advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), installed in many automobiles. Over time, the arrow-road markings may be eroded or otherwise damaged by automobile contact, making it difficult for the driver to correctly identify the marking. Failure to properly identify an arrow-road marker creates a dangerous situation that may result in traffic accidents or pedestrian injury. Very little research exists that studies the problem of automated identification of damaged arrow-road marking painted on the road. In this study, we propose a method that uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize six types of arrow-road markings, possibly damaged, by visible light camera sensor. Experimental results with six databases of Road marking dataset, KITTI dataset, Málaga dataset 2009, Málaga urban dataset, Naver street view dataset, and Road/Lane detection evaluation 2013 dataset, show that our method outperforms conventional methods. PMID:27999301

Comparative transduction mechanisms of hair cells in the bullfrog utriculus. 1: Responses to intracellular current

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baird, Richard A.

1994-01-01

Hair cells in the bullfrog sacculus are specifically adapted to sense small-amplitude, high-frequency linear accelerations. These hair cells display many properties that are undesirable or inappropriate for hair cells that must provide static gravity sensitivity. This study resulted in part due to an interest in seeing how the transduction mechanisms of hair cells in a gravity-sensing otolith endorgan would differ from those in the bullfrog sacculus. The bullfrog utriculus is an appropriate model for these studies, because its structure is representative of higher vertebrates in general and its function as a sensor of static gravity and dynamic linear acceleration is well known. Hair cells in the bullfrog utriculus, classifiable as Type 2 by cell body and synapse morphology, differ markedly in hair bundle morphology from those in the bullfrog sacculus. Moreover, the hair bundle morphologies of utricular hair cells, unlike those in the sacculus, differ in different membrane regions.

Acquiring Complex Focus-Marking: Finnish 4- to 5-Year-Olds Use Prosody and Word Order in Interaction

PubMed Central

Arnhold, Anja; Chen, Aoju; Järvikivi, Juhani

2016-01-01

Using a language game to elicit short sentences in various information structural conditions, we found that Finnish 4- to 5-year-olds already exhibit a characteristic interaction between prosody and word order in marking information structure. Providing insights into the acquisition of this complex system of interactions, the production data showed interesting parallels to adult speakers of Finnish on the one hand and to children acquiring other languages on the other hand. Analyzing a total of 571 sentences produced by 16 children, we found that children rarely adjusted input word order, but did systematically avoid marked OVS order in contrastive object focus condition. Focus condition also significantly affected four prosodic parameters, f0, duration, pauses and voice quality. Differing slightly from effects displayed in adult Finnish speech, the children produced larger f0 ranges for words in contrastive focus and smaller ones for unfocused words, varied only the duration of object constituents to be longer in focus and shorter in unfocused condition, inserted more pauses before and after focused constituents and systematically modified their use of non-modal voice quality only in utterances with narrow focus. Crucially, these effects were modulated by word order. In contrast to comparable data from children acquiring Germanic languages, the present findings reflect the more central role of word order and of interactions between word order and prosody in marking information structure in Finnish. Thus, the study highlights the role of the target language in determining linguistic development. PMID:27990130

33 CFR 165.836 - Security Zone; Escorted Vessels, Mobile, Alabama, Captain of the Port.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... lights, vessel markings, or with agency insignia as follows: Coast Guard surface or air asset displaying... coming up onto or coming off a plane; or (3) Creating an excessive wake or surge. (b) Regulated area. All...

27 CFR 555.125 - Records maintained by permittees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...; (iii) Manufacturer's marks of identification; (iv) Quantity (applicable quantity units, such as pounds... (dyn), blasting agents (ba), detonators (det), display fireworks (df), etc., and size (length and... nonlicensees or nonpermittees as prescribed in § 555.126. (5) The regional director (compliance) may authorize...

27 CFR 555.125 - Records maintained by permittees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...; (iii) Manufacturer's marks of identification; (iv) Quantity (applicable quantity units, such as pounds... (dyn), blasting agents (ba), detonators (det), display fireworks (df), etc., and size (length and... nonlicensees or nonpermittees as prescribed in § 555.126. (5) The regional director (compliance) may authorize...

In-Vehicle Display Icons and Other Information Elements: Literature Review

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-05-01

This report describes the objectives, methods, and findings associated with Task A: Perform Literature Review. The purpose of Task A is to conduct a review of relevant symbols and research, including the use of symbols by manufacturers and after-mark...

Communicating about quantity without a language model: number devices in homesign grammar.

PubMed

Coppola, Marie; Spaepen, Elizabet; Goldin-Meadow, Susan

2013-01-01

All natural languages have formal devices for communicating about number, be they lexical (e.g., two, many) or grammatical (e.g., plural markings on nouns and/or verbs). Here we ask whether linguistic devices for number arise in communication systems that have not been handed down from generation to generation. We examined deaf individuals who had not been exposed to a usable model of conventional language (signed or spoken), but had nevertheless developed their own gestures, called homesigns, to communicate. Study 1 examined four adult homesigners and a hearing communication partner for each homesigner. The adult homesigners produced two main types of number gestures: gestures that enumerated sets (cardinal number marking), and gestures that signaled one vs. more than one (non-cardinal number marking). Both types of gestures resembled, in form and function, number signs in established sign languages and, as such, were fully integrated into each homesigner's gesture system and, in this sense, linguistic. The number gestures produced by the homesigners' hearing communication partners displayed some, but not all, of the homesigners' linguistic patterns. To better understand the origins of the patterns displayed by the adult homesigners, Study 2 examined a child homesigner and his hearing mother, and found that the child's number gestures displayed all of the properties found in the adult homesigners' gestures, but his mother's gestures did not. The findings suggest that number gestures and their linguistic use can appear relatively early in homesign development, and that hearing communication partners are not likely to be the source of homesigners' linguistic expressions of non-cardinal number. Linguistic devices for number thus appear to be so fundamental to language that they can arise in the absence of conventional linguistic input. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Communicating about quantity without a language model: Number devices in homesign grammar

PubMed Central

Coppola, Marie; Spaepen, Elizabet; Goldin-Meadow, Susan

2013-01-01

All natural languages have formal devices for communicating about number, be they lexical (e.g., two, many) or grammatical (e.g., plural markings on nouns and/or verbs). Here we ask whether linguistic devices for number arise in communication systems that have not been handed down from generation to generation. We examined deaf individuals who had not been exposed to a usable model of conventional language (signed or spoken), but had nevertheless developed their own gestures, called homesigns, to communicate. Study 1 examined four adult homesigners and a hearing communication partner for each homesigner. The adult homesigners produced two main types of number gestures: gestures that enumerated sets (cardinal number marking), and gestures that signaled one vs. more than one (non-cardinal number marking). Both types of gestures resembled, in form and function, number signs in established sign languages and, as such, were fully integrated into each homesigner's gesture system and, in this sense, linguistic. The number gestures produced by the homesigners’ hearing communication partners displayed some, but not all, of the homesigners’ linguistic patterns. To better understand the origins of the patterns displayed by the adult homesigners, Study 2 examined a child homesigner and his hearing mother, and found that the child's number gestures displayed all of the properties found in the adult homesigners’ gestures, but his mother's gestures did not. The findings suggest that number gestures and their linguistic use can appear relatively early in homesign development, and that hearing communication partners are not likely to be the source of homesigners’ linguistic expressions of non-cardinal number. Linguistic devices for number thus appear to be so fundamental to language that they can arise in the absence of conventional linguistic input. PMID:23872365

Reliability of Displayed Tidal Volume in Healthy and Surfactant-Depleted Piglets.

PubMed

Mendiondo Luedloff, A Cecilia; Thurman, Tracy L; Holt, Shirley J; Bai, Shasha; Heulitt, Mark J; Courtney, Sherry E

2016-12-01

Volutrauma has been established as the key factor in ventilator-induced lung injury and can only be avoided if tidal volume (V T ) is accurately displayed and delivered. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of displayed exhaled V T in a ventilator commonly used in small infants with or without a proximal flow sensor and using 3 methods to achieve a target V T in both a healthy and lung-injured neonatal pig model. This was a prospective animal study utilizing 8 male pigs, approximately 2.0 kg (range 1.8-2.2 kg). Intubated, sedated, neonatal pigs were studied with both healthy and injured lungs using the Servo-i ventilator. In pressure-regulated volume control, both with and without a proximal flow sensor, we used 3 methods to set V T : (1) circuit compliance compensation (CCC) on, set V T 6-8 mL/kg; (2) CCC off, calculated V T using the manufacturer's circuit compliance factor; and (3) CCC off, set V T 10-12 mL/kg to approximate a target V T of 6-8 mL/kg. Ventilator-displayed exhaled V T measurements were compared with exhaled V T measured at the airway opening by a calibrated pneumotachograph. Bland-Altman plots were constructed to show the level of agreement between the two. CCC improved accuracy and precision of displayed exhaled V T when the sensor was not used, more markedly in the lung-injured model. Without CCC, the sensor improved accuracy and precision of displayed exhaled V T , again more markedly in the lung-injured model. When the Servo-i ventilator is used in neonates, CCC or the in-line sensor should be employed due to the large positive bias and imprecision seen with CCC off and no sensor in-line. Copyright © 2016 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Countermeasures for unintentional and intentional video watermarking attacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deguillaume, Frederic; Csurka, Gabriela; Pun, Thierry

2000-05-01

These last years, the rapidly growing digital multimedia market has revealed an urgent need for effective copyright protection mechanisms. Therefore, digital audio, image and video watermarking has recently become a very active area of research, as a solution to this problem. Many important issues have been pointed out, one of them being the robustness to non-intentional and intentional attacks. This paper studies some attacks and proposes countermeasures applied to videos. General attacks are lossy copying/transcoding such as MPEG compression and digital/analog (D/A) conversion, changes of frame-rate, changes of display format, and geometrical distortions. More specific attacks are sequence edition, and statistical attacks such as averaging or collusion. Averaging attack consists of averaging locally consecutive frames to cancel the watermark. This attack works well for schemes which embed random independent marks into frames. In the collusion attack the watermark is estimated from single frames (based on image denoising), and averaged over different scenes for better accuracy. The estimated watermark is then subtracted from each frame. Collusion requires that the same mark is embedded into all frames. The proposed countermeasures first ensures robustness to general attacks by spread spectrum encoding in the frequency domain and by the use of an additional template. Secondly, a Bayesian criterion, evaluating the probability of a correctly decoded watermark, is used for rejection of outliers, and to implement an algorithm against statistical attacks. The idea is to embed randomly chosen marks among a finite set of marks, into subsequences of videos which are long enough to resist averaging attacks, but short enough to avoid collusion attacks. The Bayesian criterion is needed to select the correct mark at the decoding step. Finally, the paper presents experimental results showing the robustness of the proposed method.

77 FR 35855 - Safety Zone, Temporary Change for Recurring Fifth Coast Guard District Fireworks Displays...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-15

..., approximately 500 yards northwest of the waterfront at Oxford, MD. * * * * * Dated: June 4, 2012. Mark P. O'Malley, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Baltimore. [FR Doc. 2012-14647 Filed 6-14-12; 8:45...

Homosexuality as a consequence of epigenetically canalized sexual development.

PubMed

Rice, William R; Friberg, Urban; Gavrilets, Sergey

2012-12-01

Male and female homosexuality have substantial prevalence in humans. Pedigree and twin studies indicate that homosexuality has substantial heritability in both sexes, yet concordance between identical twins is low and molecular studies have failed to find associated DNA makers. This paradoxical pattern calls for an explanation. We use published data on fetal androgen signaling and gene regulation via nongenetic changes in DNA packaging (epigenetics) to develop a new model for homosexuality. It is well established that fetal androgen signaling strongly influences sexual development. We show that an unappreciated feature of this process is reduced androgen sensitivity in XX fetuses and enhanced sensitivity in XY fetuses, and that this difference is most feasibly mused by numerous sex-specific epigenetic modifications ("epi-marks") originating in embryonic stem cells. These epi-marks buffer XX fetuses from masculinization due to excess fetal androgen exposure and similarly buffer XY fetuses from androgen underexposure. Extant data indicates that individual epi-marks influence some but not other sexually dimorphic traits, vary in strength across individuals, and are produced during ontogeny and erased between generations. Those that escape erasure will steer development of the sexual phenotypes they influence in a gonad-discordant direction in opposite sex offspring, mosaically feminizing XY offspring and masculinizing XX offspring. Such sex-specific epi-marks are sexually antagonistic (SA-epi-marks) because they canalize sexual development in the parent that produced them, but contribute to gonad-trait discordances in opposite-sex offspring when unerased. In this model, homosexuality occurs when stronger-than-average SA-epi-marks (influencing sexual preference) from an opposite-sex parent escape erasure and are then paired with a weaker-than-average de novo sex-specific epi-marks produced in opposite-sex offspring. Our model predicts that homosexuality is part of a wider phenomenon in which recently evolved androgen-influenced traits commonly display gonad-trait discordances at substantial frequency, and that the molecular feature underlying most homosexuality is not DNA polymorphism(s), but epi-marks that evolved to canalize sexual dimorphic development that sometimes carryover across generations and contribute to gonad-trait discordances in opposite-sex descendants.

Travel guidance system for vehicles

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

Takanabe, K.; Yamamoto, M.; Ito, K.

1987-02-24

A travel guidance system is described for vehicles including: a heading sensor for detecting a direction of movement of a vehicle; a distance sensor for detecting a distance traveled by the vehicle; a map data storage medium preliminarily storing map data; a control unit for receiving a heading signal from the heading sensor and a distance signal from the distance sensor to successively compute a present position of the vehicle and for generating video signals corresponding to display data including map data from the map data storage medium and data of the present position; and a display having first andmore » second display portions and responsive to the video signals from the control unit to display on the first display portion a map and a present portion mark, in which: the map data storage medium comprises means for preliminarily storing administrative division name data and landmark data; and the control unit comprises: landmark display means for: (1) determining a landmark closest to the present position, (2) causing a position of the landmark to be displayed on the map and (3) retrieving a landmark massage concerning the landmark from the storage medium to cause the display to display the landmark message on the second display portion; division name display means for retrieving the name of an administrative division to which the present position belongs from the storage medium and causing the display to display a division name message on the second display portion; and selection means for selectively actuating at least one of the landmark display means and the division name display means.« less

Urine Scent Marking (USM): A Novel Test for Depressive-Like Behavior and a Predictor of Stress Resiliency in Mice

PubMed Central

Lehmann, Michael L.; Geddes, Claire E.; Lee, Jennifer L.; Herkenham, Miles

2013-01-01

Decreased interest in pleasurable stimuli including social withdrawal and reduced libido are some of the key symptomatic criteria for major depression, and thus assays that measure social and sexual behavior in rodents may be highly appropriate for modeling depressive states. Here we present a novel approach for validating rodent models of depression by assessing male urine scent marking (USM) made in consequence to a spot of urine from a proestrous female. USM is an ethologically important form of sexual communication expressed by males to attract females. The expression of this behavior is highly sensitive and adaptive to environmental cues and social status. We hypothesized that male USM behavior offers a naturalistic measure of social motivation that can be used to evaluate hedonic behaviors relevant to the study of mood disorders. We demonstrated that 1) adult male mice displayed a strong preference for marking proestrous female urine with a high degree of specificity, 2) exposure to chronic social defeat profoundly decreased USM whereas exposure to environmental enrichment increased USM, 3) the standard antidepressant fluoxetine reversed declines in USM induced by social defeat, 4) USM behavior closely correlated with other hedonic measures, and 5) USM scores in non-stressed mice predicted behavioral outcomes after defeat exposure such that mice displaying high preference for marking female urine prior to social defeat showed behavioral resiliency after social defeat. The findings indicate that the USM test is a sensitive, validated measure of psychosocial stress effects that has high predictive value for examination of stress resiliency and vulnerability and their neurobiological substrates. PMID:23875001

Proteomic and Lipidomic Analysis of Nanoparticle Corona upon Contact with Lung Surfactant Reveals Differences in Protein, but Not Lipid Composition.

PubMed

Raesch, Simon Sebastian; Tenzer, Stefan; Storck, Wiebke; Rurainski, Alexander; Selzer, Dominik; Ruge, Christian Arnold; Perez-Gil, Jesus; Schaefer, Ulrich Friedrich; Lehr, Claus-Michael

2015-12-22

Pulmonary surfactant (PS) constitutes the first line of host defense in the deep lung. Because of its high content of phospholipids and surfactant specific proteins, the interaction of inhaled nanoparticles (NPs) with the pulmonary surfactant layer is likely to form a corona that is different to the one formed in plasma. Here we present a detailed lipidomic and proteomic analysis of NP corona formation using native porcine surfactant as a model. We analyzed the adsorbed biomolecules in the corona of three NP with different surface properties (PEG-, PLGA-, and Lipid-NP) after incubation with native porcine surfactant. Using label-free shotgun analysis for protein and LC-MS for lipid analysis, we quantitatively determined the corona composition. Our results show a conserved lipid composition in the coronas of all investigated NPs regardless of their surface properties, with only hydrophilic PEG-NPs adsorbing fewer lipids in total. In contrast, the analyzed NP displayed a marked difference in the protein corona, consisting of up to 417 different proteins. Among the proteins showing significant differences between the NP coronas, there was a striking prevalence of molecules with a notoriously high lipid and surface binding, such as, e.g., SP-A, SP-D, DMBT1. Our data indicate that the selective adsorption of proteins mediates the relatively similar lipid pattern in the coronas of different NPs. On the basis of our lipidomic and proteomic analysis, we provide a detailed set of quantitative data on the composition of the surfactant corona formed upon NP inhalation, which is unique and markedly different to the plasma corona.

Exploring age differences in visual working memory capacity: is there a contribution of memory for configuration?

PubMed

Cowan, Nelson; Saults, J Scott; Clark, Katherine M

2015-07-01

Recent research has shown marked developmental increases in the apparent capacity of working memory. This recent research is based largely on performance on tasks in which a visual array is to be retained briefly for comparison with a subsequent probe display. Here we examined a possible theoretical alternative (or supplement) to a developmental increase in working memory in which children could improve in the ability to combine items in an array to form a coherent configuration. Elementary school children and adults received, on each trial, an array of colored spots to be remembered. On some trials, we provided structure in the probe display to facilitate the formation of a mental representation in which a coherent configuration is encoded. This stimulus structure in the probe display helped younger children, and thus reduced the developmental trend, but only on trials in which the participants were held responsible for the locations of items in the array. We conclude that, in addition to the development of the ability to form precise spatial configurations from items, the evidence is consistent with the existence of an actual developmental increase in working memory capacity for objects in an array. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal ecology and activity patterns of the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglassi) and the sage brush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) in southeastern Idaho

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

Guyer, C.; Linder, A.D.

1985-10-31

A mark-recapture study of the short-horned lizard (Phyrnosoma douglassi) and the sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) was performed from 1976 to 1977 in southeastern Idaho. Both species had mean cloacal temperatures of approximately 33 C. However, P. douglassi had more variable cloacal temperatures, particularly during morning and evening periods. This was caused by differences in sleeping sites chosen by the two species. Adults of both species were active from mid-April through late August, with peak activity in June. Juvenile P. douglassi displayed a seasonal activity pattern similar to that of adults. Juvenile S. graciosus were most active later in the yearmore » (August), when adults were disappearing. In both species, young-of-the-year appeared in early to mid-August. Adult and juvenile P. douglassi were active during all daylight hours and displayed no activity peaks, whereas young-of-the-year displayed a bimodal activity pattern. Adult and juvenile S. graciosus were active over all daylight hours but had peak activity between 1200 and 1500 h. Ants (Pogonomyrmex) were the lizard's principle prey. However, only young-of-the-year P. douglassi had activity patterns that paralleled that of ants on their mounds. 22 references, 4 figures.« less

F-8 SCW on display stand

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-03-13

A Vought F-8A Crusader was selected by NASA as the testbed aircraft (designated TF-8A) to install an experimental Supercritical Wing (SCW) in place of the conventional wing. The unique design of the Supercritical Wing reduces the effect of shock waves on the upper surface near Mach 1, which in turn reduces drag. In the photograph the TF-8A Crusader with the Supercritical Wing is shown on static display in front of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The F-8 SCW aircraft, along with the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire aircraft were placed on display on May 27, 1992, at a conference marking the 20th anniversary of the start of the two programs.

Behavioural profiles of two Wistar rat lines selectively bred for high or low anxiety-related behaviour.

PubMed

Liebsch, G; Montkowski, A; Holsboer, F; Landgraf, R

1998-08-01

Over the past years, two breeding lines, derived originally from outbred Wistar rats, have been established that differ markedly and consistently in their anxiety-related behaviour in the elevated plus-maze. At the age of ten weeks, rats were tested once on the elevated plus-maze and the males and females displaying the most anxious and the least anxious behaviour were sib-mated to start a new generation of the high anxiety-related behaviour (HAB) and the low anxiety-related behaviour (LAB) lines, respectively. The resulting difference in emotionality between these two lines was also evident in an open field test and correlated with differences in the forced swim test. In the open field, the HAB rats tended to be less active and explored the central zone of the open field much less than the LAB animals. In the forced swim test, HAB rats started floating earlier, spent significantly more time in this immobile posture and struggled less than LAB rats. However, in an olfactory-cued social discrimination task there was no difference between male and female animals from either line. The overall performance in these various behavioural tests suggests that selective breeding has resulted in rat lines not only differing markedly in their innate anxiety-related behaviour in the plus-maze, but also in other stress-related behavioural performances, suggesting a close link between the emotional evaluation of a novel and stressful situation and an individual's coping strategy.

Subroutines GEORGE and DRASTC simplify operation of automatic digital plotter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Englel, F., III; Gray, W. H.; Richard, P. J.

1967-01-01

FORTRAN language subroutines enable the production of a tape for a 360-30 tape unit that controls the CALCOMP 566 Digital Incremental Plotter. This provides the plotter with instructions for graphically displaying data points with the proper scaling of axes, numbering, lettering, and tic marking.

Developmental and sex-related differences in preschoolers' affective decision making.

PubMed

Heilman, Renata M; Miu, Andrei C; Benga, Oana

2009-01-01

This study investigated developmental and sex-related differences in affective decision making, using a two-deck version of Children's Gambling Task administered to 3- and 4-year-old children. The main findings were that 4-year-old children displayed better decision-making performance than 3-year-olds. This effect was independent of developmental changes in inductive reasoning, language, and working memory. There were also sex differences in decision-making performance, which were apparent only in 3-year-old children and favored girls. Moreover, age predicted awareness of task and the correlation between the latter and decision-making performance was significant, but only in 4-year-old children. This study thus indicates that there is a remarkable developmental leap in affective decision making, whose effects are apparent around the age of 4, which according to our results, also marks the age when the correlation of declarative knowledge and decision-making performance becomes significant.

Effects of Discrete Charge Clustering in Simulations of Charged Interfaces.

PubMed

Grime, John M A; Khan, Malek O

2010-10-12

A system of counterions between charged surfaces is investigated, with the surfaces represented by uniform charged planes and three different arrangements of discrete surface charges - an equispaced grid and two different clustered arrangements. The behaviors of a series of systems with identical net surface charge density are examined, with particular emphasis placed on the long ranged corrections via the method of "charged slabs" and the effects of the simulation cell size. Marked differences are observed in counterion distributions and the osmotic pressure dependent on the particular representation of the charged surfaces; the uniformly charged surfaces and equispaced grids of discrete charge behave in a broadly similar manner, but the clustered systems display a pronounced decrease in osmotic pressure as the simulation size is increased. The influence of the long ranged correction is shown to be minimal for all but the very smallest of system sizes.

[Extrinsic allergic alveolitis. Clinical experience at the Instituto National de Enfermedades Respiratorias (INER)].

PubMed

Chapela-Mendoza, R; Selman-Lama, M

1999-01-01

Extrinsic allergic alveolitis is an interstitial lung disease caused by exposure to a variety of inhaled antigens. In Mexico, the most frequent form is due to the inhalation of avian antigens, markedly pigeon proteins. Depending on type and time exposure, the disease presents different clinical forms usually characterized by progressive dyspnea, ground glass or reticulonodular images on chest x rays, a restrictive functional pattern, rest hypoxemia worsening with exercise, and increase of T lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage with an inversion in the helper/suppressor ratio. In this paper, we discuss a 15-year experience with this pathological problem in Mexico, emphasizing the differences with this disorder in Caucasian populations. Generally, our patients display a chronic form of the disease, which evolves to fibrosis in about one-half of the patients. In this sense, the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic focusing exhibit different elements, and thus the development of clinical and basic research is strongly required.

[Comparison of the botanic morphology and blooming characteristics of four cultivars of rose].

PubMed

Wang, Kang-cai; Tang, Xiao-qing; Sheng, Min-li; Xu, Xiao-lan; Fang, Zhen

2004-05-01

To establish identifying method for further development and utilization by studying botanic morphology and blooming characteristics of four varieties of roses in Jiangsu province. Flower-bud and flower-form were observed by dissection and plant modality and blooming process were investigated. The flower form and plant modality was obviously different among the 4 varieties of roses. The process of differentiation of flower-bud could be divided into five stages: the transformation of nutritive growth cone, the occurrence and development of sepal, formation of petal primordium, formation of pistil and stamen. The blooming process was made up of flower-bud period, display-petal period, initiating blooming period, blooming period, withering period and corresponding biological marks.

Seed tissue and nutrient partitioning, a case for the nucellus.

PubMed

Lu, Jing; Magnani, Enrico

2018-06-05

Flowering plants display a large spectrum of seed architectures. The volume ratio of maternal versus zygotic seed tissues changes considerably among species and underlies different nutrient-storing strategies. Such diversity arose through the evolution of cell elimination programs that regulate the relative growth of one tissue over another to become the major storage compartment. The elimination of the nucellus maternal tissue is regulated by developmental programs that marked the origin of angiosperms and outlined the most ancient seed architectures. This review focuses on such a defining mechanism for seed evolution and discusses the role of nucellus development in seed tissues and nutrient partitioning at the light of novel discoveries on its molecular regulation.

Cavity-type hypersonic phononic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, A.; Pennec, Y.; Yanagishita, T.; Masuda, H.; Knoll, W.; Djafari-Rouhani, B.; Fytas, G.

2012-11-01

We report on the engineering of the phonon dispersion diagram in monodomain anodic porous alumina (APA) films through the porosity and physical state of the material residing in the nanopores. Lattice symmetry and inclusion materials are theoretically identified to be the main factors which control the hypersonic acoustic wave propagation. This involves the interaction between the longitudinal and the transverse modes in the effective medium and a flat band characteristic of the material residing in the cavities. Air and filled nanopores, therefore, display markedly different dispersion relations and the inclusion materials lead to a locally resonant structural behavior uniquely determining their properties under confinement. APA films emerge as a new platform to investigate the rich acoustic phenomena of structured composite matter.

Genetics of behavior in the silver fox.

PubMed

Kukekova, Anna V; Temnykh, Svetlana V; Johnson, Jennifer L; Trut, Lyudmila N; Acland, Gregory M

2012-02-01

The silver fox provides a rich resource for investigating the genetics of behavior, with strains developed by intensely selective breeding that display markedly different behavioral phenotypes. Until recently, however, the tools for conducting molecular genetic investigations in this species were very limited. In this review, the history of development of this resource and the tools to exploit it are described. Although the focus is on the genetics of domestication in the silver fox, there is a broader context. In particular, one expectation of the silver fox research is that it will be synergistic with studies in other species, including humans, to yield a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms and evolution of a wider range of social cognitive behaviors.

Broad chromosomal domains of histone modification patterns in C. elegans

PubMed Central

Liu, Tao; Rechtsteiner, Andreas; Egelhofer, Thea A.; Vielle, Anne; Latorre, Isabel; Cheung, Ming-Sin; Ercan, Sevinc; Ikegami, Kohta; Jensen, Morten; Kolasinska-Zwierz, Paulina; Rosenbaum, Heidi; Shin, Hyunjin; Taing, Scott; Takasaki, Teruaki; Iniguez, A. Leonardo; Desai, Arshad; Dernburg, Abby F.; Kimura, Hiroshi; Lieb, Jason D.; Ahringer, Julie; Strome, Susan; Liu, X. Shirley

2011-01-01

Chromatin immunoprecipitation identifies specific interactions between genomic DNA and proteins, advancing our understanding of gene-level and chromosome-level regulation. Based on chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments using validated antibodies, we define the genome-wide distributions of 19 histone modifications, one histone variant, and eight chromatin-associated proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos and L3 larvae. Cluster analysis identified five groups of chromatin marks with shared features: Two groups correlate with gene repression, two with gene activation, and one with the X chromosome. The X chromosome displays numerous unique properties, including enrichment of monomethylated H4K20 and H3K27, which correlate with the different repressive mechanisms that operate in somatic tissues and germ cells, respectively. The data also revealed striking differences in chromatin composition between the autosomes and between chromosome arms and centers. Chromosomes I and III are globally enriched for marks of active genes, consistent with containing more highly expressed genes, compared to chromosomes II, IV, and especially V. Consistent with the absence of cytological heterochromatin and the holocentric nature of C. elegans chromosomes, markers of heterochromatin such as H3K9 methylation are not concentrated at a single region on each chromosome. Instead, H3K9 methylation is enriched on chromosome arms, coincident with zones of elevated meiotic recombination. Active genes in chromosome arms and centers have very similar histone mark distributions, suggesting that active domains in the arms are interspersed with heterochromatin-like structure. These data, which confirm and extend previous studies, allow for in-depth analysis of the organization and deployment of the C. elegans genome during development. PMID:21177964

33 CFR 183.25 - Display of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor or U.S. Coast Guard Maximum Capacities XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor with remote steering XXX Horsepower, motor without remote steering (2) For inboard boats and inboard-outboard...

33 CFR 183.25 - Display of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor or U.S. Coast Guard Maximum Capacities XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor with remote steering XXX Horsepower, motor without remote steering (2) For inboard boats and inboard-outboard...

33 CFR 183.25 - Display of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor or U.S. Coast Guard Maximum Capacities XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor with remote steering XXX Horsepower, motor without remote steering (2) For inboard boats and inboard-outboard...

33 CFR 183.25 - Display of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor or U.S. Coast Guard Maximum Capacities XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor with remote steering XXX Horsepower, motor without remote steering (2) For inboard boats and inboard-outboard...

The Effect of Attributional Processes Concerning Medication Taking on Return of Fear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Mark B.; Smits, Jasper A. J.; Whitley, Diana; Bystritsky, Alexander; Telch, Michael J.

2008-01-01

In this investigation, the authors examined the effect of attributional processes concerning medication taking on return of fear following exposure-based treatment. Participants (87% undergraduate students and 13% community volunteers) displaying marked claustrophobic fear (N = 95) were randomly allocated to a waitlist condition, a psychological…

46 CFR 169.750 - Radio call sign.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radio call sign. 169.750 Section 169.750 Shipping COAST... Control, Miscellaneous Systems, and Equipment Markings § 169.750 Radio call sign. Each vessel certificated for exposed or partially protected water service must have its radio call sign permanently displayed...

27 CFR 555.123 - Records maintained by licensed manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... marks of identification. (3) Quantity (applicable quantity units, such as pounds of explosives, number...), blasting agents (ba), detonators (det), display fireworks (df), etc.) and size (length and diameter or... or brand name of manufacturer or name of importer, as applicable, if acquired other than by his own...

27 CFR 555.123 - Records maintained by licensed manufacturers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... marks of identification. (3) Quantity (applicable quantity units, such as pounds of explosives, number...), blasting agents (ba), detonators (det), display fireworks (df), etc.) and size (length and diameter or... or brand name of manufacturer or name of importer, as applicable, if acquired other than by his own...

49 CFR 215.301 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Stenciling § 215.301 General. The railroad or private car owner reporting mark, the car number, and built date shall be stenciled, or otherwise displayed, in... shall not be less than one inch high: (a) On each side of each railroad freight car body; and (b) In the...

49 CFR 215.301 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Stenciling § 215.301 General. The railroad or private car owner reporting mark, the car number, and built date shall be stenciled, or otherwise displayed, in... shall not be less than one inch high: (a) On each side of each railroad freight car body; and (b) In the...

49 CFR 215.301 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Stenciling § 215.301 General. The railroad or private car owner reporting mark, the car number, and built date shall be stenciled, or otherwise displayed, in... shall not be less than one inch high: (a) On each side of each railroad freight car body; and (b) In the...

49 CFR 215.301 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Stenciling § 215.301 General. The railroad or private car owner reporting mark, the car number, and built date shall be stenciled, or otherwise displayed, in... shall not be less than one inch high: (a) On each side of each railroad freight car body; and (b) In the...

49 CFR 215.301 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Stenciling § 215.301 General. The railroad or private car owner reporting mark, the car number, and built date shall be stenciled, or otherwise displayed, in... shall not be less than one inch high: (a) On each side of each railroad freight car body; and (b) In the...

Mineralogical Features and REE Distribution in Ortho- and Clinopyroxenes of the HaH 317 Enstatite Chondrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moggi-Cecchi, V.; Pratesi, G.

2004-03-01

SEM, EMPA and LA-ICP-MS analyses have been performed on HaH 317, an EL4 enstatite chondrite. Phases detected are En, Kam, Tro, Dio, Pla, Nin, Old. Diopside and enstatite grains display similar REEs patterns with marked Ce and LREE enrichments.

33 CFR 183.25 - Display of markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor or U.S. Coast Guard Maximum Capacities XX Persons or XXX Pounds XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear XXX Horsepower, motor with remote steering XXX Horsepower, motor without remote steering (2) For inboard boats and inboard-outboard...

Bifurcation in epigenetics: Implications in development, proliferation, and diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jost, Daniel

2014-01-01

Cells often exhibit different and stable phenotypes from the same DNA sequence. Robustness and plasticity of such cellular states are controlled by diverse transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms, among them the modification of biochemical marks on chromatin. Here, we develop a stochastic model that describes the dynamics of epigenetic marks along a given DNA region. Through mathematical analysis, we show the emergence of bistable and persistent epigenetic states from the cooperative recruitment of modifying enzymes. We also find that the dynamical system exhibits a critical point and displays, in the presence of asymmetries in recruitment, a bifurcation diagram with hysteresis. These results have deep implications for our understanding of epigenetic regulation. In particular, our study allows one to reconcile within the same formalism the robust maintenance of epigenetic identity observed in differentiated cells, the epigenetic plasticity of pluripotent cells during differentiation, and the effects of epigenetic misregulation in diseases. Moreover, it suggests a possible mechanism for developmental transitions where the system is shifted close to the critical point to benefit from high susceptibility to developmental cues.

Applying Semantic Web technologies to improve the retrieval, credibility and use of health-related web resources.

PubMed

Mayer, Miguel A; Karampiperis, Pythagoras; Kukurikos, Antonis; Karkaletsis, Vangelis; Stamatakis, Kostas; Villarroel, Dagmar; Leis, Angela

2011-06-01

The number of health-related websites is increasing day-by-day; however, their quality is variable and difficult to assess. Various "trust marks" and filtering portals have been created in order to assist consumers in retrieving quality medical information. Consumers are using search engines as the main tool to get health information; however, the major problem is that the meaning of the web content is not machine-readable in the sense that computers cannot understand words and sentences as humans can. In addition, trust marks are invisible to search engines, thus limiting their usefulness in practice. During the last five years there have been different attempts to use Semantic Web tools to label health-related web resources to help internet users identify trustworthy resources. This paper discusses how Semantic Web technologies can be applied in practice to generate machine-readable labels and display their content, as well as to empower end-users by providing them with the infrastructure for expressing and sharing their opinions on the quality of health-related web resources.

Emotional Processing of Infants Displays in Eating Disorders

PubMed Central

Cardi, Valentina; Corfield, Freya; Leppanen, Jenni; Rhind, Charlotte; Deriziotis, Stephanie; Hadjimichalis, Alexandra; Hibbs, Rebecca; Micali, Nadia; Treasure, Janet

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of this study is to examine emotional processing of infant displays in people with Eating Disorders (EDs). Background Social and emotional factors are implicated as causal and maintaining factors in EDs. Difficulties in emotional regulation have been mainly studied in relation to adult interactions, with less interest given to interactions with infants. Method A sample of 138 women were recruited, of which 49 suffered from Anorexia Nervosa (AN), 16 from Bulimia Nervosa (BN), and 73 were healthy controls (HCs). Attentional responses to happy and sad infant faces were tested with the visual probe detection task. Emotional identification of, and reactivity to, infant displays were measured using self-report measures. Facial expressions to video clips depicting sad, happy and frustrated infants were also recorded. Results No significant differences between groups were observed in the attentional response to infant photographs. However, there was a trend for patients to disengage from happy faces. People with EDs also reported lower positive ratings of happy infant displays and greater subjective negative reactions to sad infants. Finally, patients showed a significantly lower production of facial expressions, especially in response to the happy infant video clip. Insecure attachment was negatively correlated with positive facial expressions displayed in response to the happy infant and positively correlated with the intensity of negative emotions experienced in response to the sad infant video clip. Conclusion People with EDs do not have marked abnormalities in their attentional processing of infant emotional faces. However, they do have a reduction in facial affect particularly in response to happy infants. Also, they report greater negative reactions to sadness, and rate positive emotions less intensively than HCs. This pattern of emotional responsivity suggests abnormalities in social reward sensitivity and might indicate new treatment targets. PMID:25463051

Enterocyte fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs): different functions of liver and intestinal FABPs in the intestine.

PubMed

Gajda, Angela M; Storch, Judith

2015-02-01

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABP) are highly abundant cytosolic proteins that are expressed in most mammalian tissues. In the intestinal enterocyte, both liver- (LFABP; FABP1) and intestinal FABPs (IFABP; FABP2) are expressed. These proteins display high-affinity binding for long-chain fatty acids (FA) and other hydrophobic ligands; thus, they are believed to be involved with uptake and trafficking of lipids in the intestine. In vitro studies have identified differences in ligand-binding stoichiometry and specificity, and in mechanisms of FA transfer to membranes, and it has been hypothesized that LFABP and IFABP have different functions in the enterocyte. Studies directly comparing LFABP- and IFABP-null mice have revealed markedly different phenotypes, indicating that these proteins indeed have different functions in intestinal lipid metabolism and whole body energy homeostasis. In this review, we discuss the evolving knowledge of the functions of LFABP and IFABP in the intestinal enterocyte. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison between rice husk ash grown in different regions for stabilizing fly ash from a solid waste incinerator.

PubMed

Benassi, L; Bosio, A; Dalipi, R; Borgese, L; Rodella, N; Pasquali, M; Depero, L E; Bergese, P; Bontempi, E

2015-08-15

The Stabilization of heavy metals from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash by rice husk ash (RHA) is under intense study as an effective strategy to recover and reuse industrial and agricultural waste together. We compare the metal entrapment performances of RHA from different Asian rice sources – namely from Japonica rice grown in Italy and Indica rice grown in India – Physicochemical and morphological characterization of the final stabilized material show that the same thermal treatment may result in marked structural differences in the silica contained in the two RHA. Remarkably, one of them displays a crystalline silica content, although obtained by a thermal treatment below 800 °C. We also find that the presence of an alkali metal ion (potassium) in the rice husk plays a crucial role in the attainment of the final silica phase. These physicochemical differences are mirrored by different stabilization yields by the two RHA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adolescent and Young Adult Male Mental Health: Transforming System Failures Into Proactive Models of Engagement.

PubMed

Rice, Simon M; Purcell, Rosemary; McGorry, Patrick D

2018-03-01

Adolescent and young adult men do poorly on indicators of mental health evidenced by elevated rates of suicide, conduct disorder, substance use, and interpersonal violence relative to their female peers. Data on global health burden clearly demonstrate that young men have a markedly distinct health risk profile from young women, underscoring different prevention and intervention needs. Evidence indicates that boys disconnect from health-care services during adolescence, marking the beginning of a progression of health-care disengagement and associated barriers to care, including presenting to services differently, experiencing an inadequate or poorly attuned clinical response, and needing to overcome pervasive societal attitudes and self-stigma to access available services. This review synthesizes key themes related to mental ill health in adolescent boys and in young adult men. Key social determinants are discussed, including mental health literacy, self-stigma and shame, masculinity, nosology and diagnosis, and service acceptability. A call is made for focused development of policy, theory, and evaluation of targeted interventions for this population, including gender-synchronized service model reform and training of staff, including the e-health domain. Such progress is expected to yield significant social and economic benefits, including reduction to mental ill health and interpersonal violence displayed by adolescent boys and young adult men. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Growth and abundance of Pacific Sand Lance, Ammodytes hexapterus, under differing oceanographic regimes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robards, Martin D.; Gray, Floyd; Piatt, John F.

2002-01-01

Dramatic changes in seabird and marine mammal stocks in the Gulf of Alaska have been linked to shifts in abundance and composition of forage fish stocks over the past 20 years. The relative value (e.g., size and condition of individual fish, abundance) of specific forage fish stocks to predators under temporally changing oceanographic regimes is also expected to vary. We inferred potential temporal responses in abundance, growth, and age structure of a key forage fish, sand lance, by studying across spatially different oceanographic regimes. Marked meso-scale differences in abundance, growth, and mortality existed in conjunction with these differing regimes. Growth rate within stocks (between years) was positively correlated with temperature. However, this relationship did not exist among stocks (locations) and differing growth rates were better correlated to marine productivity. Sand lance were least abundant and grew slowest at the warmest site (Chisik Island), an area of limited habitat and low food abundance. Abundance and growth of juvenile sand lance was highest at the coolest site (Barren Islands), an area of highly productive upwelled waters. Sand lance at two sites located oceanographically between the Barren Islands and Chisik Island (inner- and outer-Kachemak Bay) displayed correspondingly intermediate abundance and growth. Resident predators at these sites are presented with markedly different numbers and quality of this key prey species. Our results suggest that at the decadal scale, Gulf of Alaska forage fish such as sand lance are probably more profoundly affected by changes in abundance and quality of their planktonic food, than by temperature alone.

Will musculoskeletal, visual and psychosocial stress change for visual display unit (VDU) operators when moving from a single-occupancy office to an office landscape?

PubMed

Helland, Magne; Horgen, Gunnar; Kvikstad, Tor Martin; Garthus, Tore; Aarås, Arne

2008-01-01

This study investigated the effect of moving from single-occupancy offices to a landscape environment. Thirty-two visual display unit (VDU) operators reported no significant change in visual discomfort. Lighting conditions and glare reported subjectively showed no significant correlation with visual discomfort. Experience of pain was found to reduce subjectively rated work capacity during VDU tasks. The correlation between visual discomfort and reduced work capacity for single-occupancy offices was rs=.88 (p=.000) and for office landscape rs=.82 (p=.000). Eye blink rate during habitual VDU work was recorded for 12 operators randomly selected from the 32 participants in the office landscape. A marked drop in eye blink rate during VDU work was found compared to eye blink rate during easy conversation. There were no significant changes in pain intensity in the neck, shoulder, forearm, wrist/hand, back or headache (.24

Cree antidiabetic plant extracts display mechanism-based inactivation of CYP3A4.

PubMed

Tam, Teresa W; Liu, Rui; Arnason, John T; Krantis, Anthony; Staines, William A; Haddad, Pierre S; Foster, Brian C

2011-01-01

Seventeen Cree antidiabetic medicinal plants were studied to determine their potential to inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) through mechanism-based inactivation (MBI). The ethanolic extracts of the medicinal plants were studied for their inhibition of CYP3A4 using the substrates testosterone and dibenzylfluorescein (DBF) in high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and microtiter fluorometric assays, respectively. Using testosterone as a substrate, extracts of Alnus incana, Sarracenia purpurea, and Lycopodium clavatum were identified as potent CYP3A4 MBIs, while those from Abies balsamea, Picea mariana, Pinus banksiana, Rhododendron tomentosum, Kalmia angustifolia, and Picea glauca were identified as less potent inactivators. Not unexpectedly, the other substrate, DBF, showed a different profile of inhibition. Only A. balsamea was identified as a CYP3A4 MBI using DBF. Abies balsamea displayed both NADPH- and time-dependence of CYP3A4 inhibition using both substrates. Overall, several of the medicinal plants may markedly deplete CYP3A4 through MBI and, consequently, decrease the metabolism of CYP3A4 substrates including numerous medications used by diabetics.

Perceived stress predicts altered reward and loss feedback processing in medial prefrontal cortex

PubMed Central

Treadway, Michael T.; Buckholtz, Joshua W.; Zald, David H.

2013-01-01

Stress is a significant risk factor for the development of psychopathology, particularly symptoms related to reward processing. Importantly, individuals display marked variation in how they perceive and cope with stressful events, and such differences are strongly linked to risk for developing psychiatric symptoms following stress exposure. However, many questions remain regarding the neural architecture that underlies inter-subject variability in perceptions of stressors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) paradigm, we examined the effects of self-reported perceived stress levels on neural activity during reward anticipation and feedback in a sample of healthy individuals. We found that subjects reporting more uncontrollable and overwhelming stressors displayed blunted neural responses in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) following feedback related to monetary gains as well monetary losses. This is consistent with preclinical models that implicate the mPFC as a key site of vulnerability to the noxious effects of uncontrollable stressors. Our data help translate these findings to humans, and elucidate some of the neural mechanisms that may underlie stress-linked risk for developing reward-related psychiatric symptoms. PMID:23730277

Low-cost soft-copy display accuracy in the detection of pulmonary nodules by single-exposure dual-energy subtraction: comparison with hard-copy viewing.

PubMed

Kido, S; Kuriyama, K; Hosomi, N; Inoue, E; Kuroda, C; Horai, T

2000-02-01

This study endeavored to clarify the usefulness of single-exposure dual-energy subtraction computed radiography (CR) of the chest and the ability of soft-copy images to detect low-contrast simulated pulmonary nodules. Conventional and bone-subtracted CR images of 25 chest phantom image sets with a low-contrast nylon nodule and 25 without a nodule were interpreted by 12 observers (6 radiologists, 6 chest physicians) who rated each on a continuous confidence scale and marked the position of the nodule if one was present. Hard-copy images were 7 x 7-inch laser-printed CR films, and soft-copy images were displayed on a 21-inch noninterlaced color CRT monitor with an optimized dynamic range. Soft-copy images were adjusted to the same size as hard-copy images and were viewed under darkened illumination in the reading room. No significant differences were found between hard- and soft-copy images. In conclusion, the soft-copy images were found to be useful in detecting low-contrast simulated pulmonary nodules.

Do Doppler color flow algorithms for mapping disturbed flow make sense?

PubMed

Gardin, J M; Lobodzinski, S M

1990-01-01

It has been suggested that a major advantage of Doppler color flow mapping is its ability to visualize areas of disturbed ("turbulent") flow, for example, in valvular stenosis or regurgitation and in shunts. To investigate how various color flow mapping instruments display disturbed flow information, color image processing was used to evaluate the most common velocity-variance color encoding algorithms of seven commercially available ultrasound machines. In six of seven machines, green was reportedly added by the variance display algorithms to map areas of disturbed flow. The amount of green intensity added to each pixel along the red and blue portions of the velocity reference color bar was calculated for each machine. In this study, velocities displayed on the reference color bar ranged from +/- 46 to +/- 64 cm/sec, depending on the Nyquist limit. Of note, changing the Nyquist limits depicted on the color reference bars did not change the distribution of the intensities of red, blue, or green within the contour of the reference map, but merely assigned different velocities to the pixels. Most color flow mapping algorithms in our study added increasing intensities of green to increasing positive (red) or negative (blue) velocities along their color reference bars. Most of these machines also added increasing green to red and blue color intensities horizontally across their reference bars as a marker of increased variance (spectral broadening). However, at any given velocity, marked variations were noted between different color flow mapping instruments in the amount of green added to their color velocity reference bars.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Executive functions and language in children with different subtypes of specific language impairment.

PubMed

Acosta Rodríguez, V; Ramírez Santana, G M; Hernández Expósito, S

The marked heterogeneity among children diagnosed with specific language impairment (SLI) highlights the importance of studying and describing cases based on the distinction between the expressive and receptive-expressive SLI subtypes. The main objective of this study was to examine neuropsychological, linguistic, and narrative behaviours in children with different SLI subtypes. A comprehensive battery of language and neuropsychological tests was administered to a total of 58 children (29 with SLI and 29 normal controls) between 5.60 and 11.20 years old. Both SLI subtypes performed more poorly than the control group in language skills, narrative, and executive function. Furthermore, the expressive SLI group demonstrated substantial ungrammaticality, as well as problems with verbal fluency and both verbal and spatial working memory, while the receptive-expressive SLI subtype displayed poorer neuropsychological performance in general. Our findings showed that children with either SLI subtype displayed executive dysfunctions that were not limited to verbal tasks but rather extended to nonverbal measures. This could reflect a global cognitive difficulty which, along with declining linguistic and narrative skills, illustrates the complex profile of this impairment. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Adolescent internalizing symptoms and negative life events: the sensitizing effects of earlier life stress and cortisol.

PubMed

Ruttle, Paula L; Armstrong, Jeffrey M; Klein, Marjorie H; Essex, Marilyn J

2014-11-01

Although adolescence is marked by increased negative life events and internalizing problems, few studies investigate this association as an ongoing longitudinal process. Moreover, while there are considerable individual differences in the degree to which these phenomena are linked, little is known about the origins of these differences. The present study examines early life stress (ELS) exposure and early-adolescent longitudinal afternoon cortisol level as predictors of the covariation between internalizing symptoms and negative life events across high school. ELS was assessed by maternal report during infancy, and the measure of cortisol was derived from assessments at ages 11, 13, and 15 years. Life events and internalizing symptoms were assessed at ages 15, 17, and 18 years. A two-level hierarchical linear model revealed that ELS and cortisol were independent predictors of the covariation of internalizing symptoms and negative life events. Compared to those with lower levels of ELS, ELS-exposed adolescents displayed tighter covariation between internalizing symptoms and negative life events. Adolescents with lower longitudinal afternoon cortisol displayed tighter covariation between negative life events and internalizing symptoms, while those with higher cortisol demonstrated weaker covariation, partially due to increased levels of internalizing symptoms when faced with fewer negative life events.

Dynamics of amino acid utilization in Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17395.

PubMed

Zech, Hajo; Hensler, Michael; Koßmehl, Sebastian; Drüppel, Katharina; Wöhlbrand, Lars; Trautwein, Kathleen; Colby, Thomas; Schmidt, Jürgen; Reinhardt, Richard; Schmidt-Hohagen, Kerstin; Schomburg, Dietmar; Rabus, Ralf

2013-10-01

Time-resolved utilization of multiple amino acids by Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17395 was studied during growth with casamino acids. The 15 detected amino acids could be grouped according to depletion rate into four different categories, i.e. from rapid (category I) to nondepletion (category IV). Upon entry into stationary growth phase, amino acids of category I (e.g. glutamate) were (almost) completely depleted, while those of categories II (e.g. leucine) and III (e.g. serine) were further consumed at varying rates and to different extents. Thus, cultures entered stationary growth phase despite the ample presence of organic nutrients, i.e. under nonlimiting conditions. Integrated proteomic and metabolomic analysis identified 1747 proteins and 94 intracellular metabolites. Of these, 180 proteins and 86 metabolites displayed altered abundance levels during growth. Most strikingly, abundance and activity profiles of alanine dehydrogenase concomitantly increased with the onset of enhanced alanine utilization during transition into stationary growth phase. Most enzymes of amino acid and central metabolism, however, displayed unaltered abundances across exponential and stationary growth phases. In contrast, metabolites of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway and gluconeogenesis as well as cellular fatty acids increased markedly in abundance in early stationary growth phase. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Art in a new light: Design and assessment of illuminants to reduce photochemical degradation of works of art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado Ramos, Monica Fabiola

The purpose of this research is to design the best lighting that will minimize long term photochemical degradation of Old Master Drawings and/or other works of art, while maintaining the patron's appreciation of the object's color and detail. The present approach is a technological refinement to the basic underlying earlier work on fluorescent lighting by W. A. Thornton, W.A. at General Electric1. Thin-film dielectric, multi-coating technology is used to create filters that eliminate ultraviolet light, near infrared light and significant unnecessary parts from the visible spectrum, thus maximizing the reduction in photochemical degradation, while maintaining optimal color rendering. Three interference filters, were designed and manufactured successfully. The filters are designated Mark 1, Mark 2, & Mark 3. In this dissertation, the filters are analyzed with regard to their performance parameters. This includes color rendering, retardation in fading or color change, beam angle effects, filter stability, perceived brightness, and visual appreciation parameters. To a high confidence level, all three filters are perceived as being indistinguishable from Unfiltered light with regard to the color confusion index parameter (CCI). Subjective assessments by tests subjects suggest the Mark 3 filter may display some distinguishability with a confidence level for distinguishability of 35% for the overall satisfaction parameter. The Mark 3 filter is the most complex three-color type spectral profile and this might be expected due to beam angle effects or departures in accuracy of color theory. Beam angle affects suggest that the Mark 1 and Mark 2 filters do not display significant color rendering aberrations due to Newton's colors interference effects, except possibly at the periphery of the broadest (55-60+°) beam angle lamps. Filtered and Unfiltered light are effectively of the same perceived brightness, though to a low confidence level, Unfiltered light might be perceived brighter. Accelerated aging studies of the filters indicate useful mean time before failures of >20 years. In fact, no failure was observed in any of the accelerated studies, The Mark 2 and Mark 3 filters were evaluated in equal-luminosity studies with regard to their effect on limiting fading of both standard fading samples such as the ISO Blue Wool series, and also other commercial pigments or stains. Within experimental error, the Mark 2 filter either slowed fading or had no effect on fading for all pigments relative to Unfiltered light and OptivexRTM filtered light, OptivexRTM being a common commercial filter used to protect works of art. Mark 3 protected in many cases, but for some pigments it was less protective than OptivexRTM filtered light. This failure is interpreted in terms of the wavelength dependence of the excess light in certain wavelength regions on an equal luminosity condition, and suggests that more subtle wavelength dependent optimizations have to be undertaken for filters which possess significant band separation.

Real time imaging of infrared scene data generated by the Naval Postgraduate School Infrared Search and Target Designation (NPS-IRSTD) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baca, Michael J.

1990-09-01

A system to display images generated by the Naval Postgraduate School Infrared Search and Target Designation (a modified AN/SAR-8 Advanced Development Model) in near real time was developed using a 33 MHz NIC computer as the central controller. This computer was enhanced with a Data Translation DT2861 Frame Grabber for image processing and an interface board designed and constructed at NPS to provide synchronization between the IRSTD and Frame Grabber. Images are displayed in false color in a video raster format on a 512 by 480 pixel resolution monitor. Using FORTRAN, programs have been written to acquire, unscramble, expand and display a 3 deg sector of data. The time line for acquisition, processing and display has been analyzed and repetition periods of less than four seconds for successive screen displays have been achieved. This represents a marked improvement over previous methods necessitating slower Direct Memory Access transfers of data into the Frame Grabber. Recommendations are made for further improvements to enhance the speed and utility of images produced.

49 CFR 221.13 - Marking device display.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... by this subpart shall be illuminated continuously or flash during the period between one hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise, and during all other hours when weather conditions so restrict visibility that the end silhouette of a standard box car cannot be seen from 1/2 mile on tangent track by a...

Multi-ethnic meta-analysis identifies RAI1 as a possible obstructive sleep apnea related quantitative trait locus in men

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common heritable disorder displaying marked sexual dimorphism in disease prevalence and progression. Previous genetic association studies have identified a few genetic loci associated with OSA and related quantitative traits, but they have only focused on single et...

Increasing Social Interaction Using Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching with Nonverbal School-Age Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franco, Jessica H.; Davis, Barbara L.; Davis, John L.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Children with autism display marked deficits in initiating and maintaining social interaction. Intervention using play routines can create a framework for developing and maintaining social interaction between these children and their communication partners. Method: Six nonverbal 5- to 8-year-olds with autism were taught to engage in…

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

The space shuttle Endeavour, atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, lands at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2012 in Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. Today's flight marks the final scheduled ferry flight of the Space Shuttle Program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Matt Hedges)

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

The space shuttle Endeavour, atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, performs a fly-by of Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2012 in Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. Today's flight marks the final scheduled ferry flight of the Space Shuttle Program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Signal Detection Methods and Discriminant Analysis Applied to Categorization of Newspaper and Government Documents: A Preliminary Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Kwong Bor; Rieh, Soo Young; Kantor, Paul

2000-01-01

Discussion of natural language processing focuses on experiments using linear discriminant analysis to distinguish "Wall Street Journal" texts from "Federal Register" tests using information about the frequency of occurrence of word boundaries, sentence boundaries, and punctuation marks. Displays and interprets results in terms…

49 CFR 172.336 - Identification numbers; special provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... accordance with § 172.542(c). (3) On cargo tanks They contain only fuel oil The cargo tank is marked “Fuel... petroleum distillate fuel The identification number for the liquid petroleum distillate fuel having the lowest flash point is displayed. If the cargo tank also contains gasoline and alcohol fuel blends...

Stylistic Performance through Affective Marking: A Case of Multilingual Literary Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chakravarty, Urjani

2016-01-01

This paper provides an overall analysis of how multi-lingual writer like Amitav Ghosh write about emotion in his literary text, and emphasize on how multilingual authors display emotion/affect through use of literary multilingualism (affective markers) combined with writer style. Through use of multiple strategies, they reduces the limitations of…

14 CFR 91.126 - Operating on or in the vicinity of an airport in Class G airspace.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... displays approved light signals or visual markings indicating that turns should be made to the right, in... safety. (d) Communications with control towers. Unless otherwise authorized or required by ATC, no person... two-way radio communications are maintained between that aircraft and the control tower...

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) for Cluster B Personality Disorders: Creating Meaning, Mattering, and Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pankey, Julieann

2012-01-01

There are ten identified personality disorders, broken into three clusters: A, B, and C. Individuals with a cluster B diagnosis may demonstrate marked displays of emotional instability, erratic and disruptive patterns around interpersonal relationships, a myopic and restricted range of affect, a pronounced lack of empathy and insight, barriers…

Visual search for feature and conjunction targets with an attention deficit.

PubMed

Arguin, M; Joanette, Y; Cavanagh, P

1993-01-01

Abstract Brain-damaged subjects who had previously been identified as suffering from a visual attention deficit for contralesional stimulation were tested on a series of visual search tasks. The experiments examined the hypothesis that the processing of single features is preattentive but that feature integration, necessary for the correct perception of conjunctions of features, requires attention (Treisman & Gelade, 1980 Treisman & Sato, 1990). Subjects searched for a feature target (orientation or color) or for a conjunction target (orientation and color) in unilateral displays in which the number of items presented was variable. Ocular fixation was controlled so that trials on which eye movements occurred were cancelled. While brain-damaged subjects with a visual attention disorder (VAD subjects) performed similarly to normal controls in feature search tasks, they showed a marked deficit in conjunction search. Specifically, VAD subjects exhibited an important reduction of their serial search rates for a conjunction target with contralesional displays. In support of Treisman's feature integration theory, a visual attention deficit leads to a marked impairment in feature integration whereas it does not appear to affect feature encoding.

Study of the low-frequency dispersion of permittivity and resistivity in tight rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hongqi; Jie, Tian; Li, Bo; Youming, Deng; Chunning, Qiu

2017-08-01

The road to understanding the frequency dispersion (relaxation) of permittivity and resistivity in tight rocks remains relatively uncharted. Our team from Da'anzhai Group, Jurassic formation, Sichuan Basin carried out practical research to explore this phenomenon. The research was conducted under laboratory conditions for a selection of low frequencies, with ranges between 0.1 Hz to 1 kHz. Our research has shown that, although both the permittivity and resistivity decrease as the frequency increases, the two individual metrics display different behaviours when compared with each other. While the degree of resistivity variation is minimal, to the point that it is redundant, the permittivity, on the other hand, demonstrates something that is scientifically noteworthy. Permittivity has a distinctive dispersion degree across the entire sample of frequencies and the difference between the minimum and maximum frequencies is several orders of magnitude. An additional, and unexpected, learning from our research is that the level of frequency dispersion increases as the water saturation and concentration increases. In this paper, a collection of equations has been formulated to describe this relationship. These equations particularly shed light on the areas of rock porosity and saturation. They also show that the degree of frequency dispersion of permittivity or resistivity can be used as a function of water saturation and concentration. Two new variables are introduced here, DR and DC, to demonstrate the relaxation law quantitatively. In our practical research, we have characterised the relationship between the saturation and concentration with dielectric relaxation, using three different concentrations of DR and DC and five different saturations of NaCl solution. In difference to conventional Archie's multiple experimental parameters, we have established a new formula to derive the saturation from Rp and Cp, or from DR and DC directly. Two important frequencies were also further investigated for Cp dispersion: first is the critical frequency, which marks the dispersion speed change from steep phase to steady phase, and second is the zero-frequency, which marks the dispersion when it approaches zero. All tight rocks were measured under the same conditions, with the results displaying the same pattern of variations. The results have led us to believe that Cp's frequency dispersion at low-frequencies provides a new methodology to characterise tight rocks.

The search for instantaneous vection: An oscillating visual prime reduces vection onset latency.

PubMed

Palmisano, Stephen; Riecke, Bernhard E

2018-01-01

Typically it takes up to 10 seconds or more to induce a visual illusion of self-motion ("vection"). However, for this vection to be most useful in virtual reality and vehicle simulation, it needs to be induced quickly, if not immediately. This study examined whether vection onset latency could be reduced towards zero using visual display manipulations alone. In the main experiments, visual self-motion simulations were presented to observers via either a large external display or a head-mounted display (HMD). Priming observers with visually simulated viewpoint oscillation for just ten seconds before the main self-motion display was found to markedly reduce vection onset latencies (and also increase ratings of vection strength) in both experiments. As in earlier studies, incorporating this simulated viewpoint oscillation into the self-motion displays themselves was also found to improve vection. Average onset latencies were reduced from 8-9s in the no oscillating control condition to as little as 4.6 s (for external displays) or 1.7 s (for HMDs) in the combined oscillation condition (when both the visual prime and the main self-motion display were oscillating). As these display manipulations did not appear to increase the likelihood or severity of motion sickness in the current study, they could possibly be used to enhance computer generated simulation experiences and training in the future, at no additional cost.

The search for instantaneous vection: An oscillating visual prime reduces vection onset latency

PubMed Central

Riecke, Bernhard E.

2018-01-01

Typically it takes up to 10 seconds or more to induce a visual illusion of self-motion (“vection”). However, for this vection to be most useful in virtual reality and vehicle simulation, it needs to be induced quickly, if not immediately. This study examined whether vection onset latency could be reduced towards zero using visual display manipulations alone. In the main experiments, visual self-motion simulations were presented to observers via either a large external display or a head-mounted display (HMD). Priming observers with visually simulated viewpoint oscillation for just ten seconds before the main self-motion display was found to markedly reduce vection onset latencies (and also increase ratings of vection strength) in both experiments. As in earlier studies, incorporating this simulated viewpoint oscillation into the self-motion displays themselves was also found to improve vection. Average onset latencies were reduced from 8-9s in the no oscillating control condition to as little as 4.6 s (for external displays) or 1.7 s (for HMDs) in the combined oscillation condition (when both the visual prime and the main self-motion display were oscillating). As these display manipulations did not appear to increase the likelihood or severity of motion sickness in the current study, they could possibly be used to enhance computer generated simulation experiences and training in the future, at no additional cost. PMID:29791445

Characterization of HPV and host genome interactions in primary head and neck cancers.

PubMed

Parfenov, Michael; Pedamallu, Chandra Sekhar; Gehlenborg, Nils; Freeman, Samuel S; Danilova, Ludmila; Bristow, Christopher A; Lee, Semin; Hadjipanayis, Angela G; Ivanova, Elena V; Wilkerson, Matthew D; Protopopov, Alexei; Yang, Lixing; Seth, Sahil; Song, Xingzhi; Tang, Jiabin; Ren, Xiaojia; Zhang, Jianhua; Pantazi, Angeliki; Santoso, Netty; Xu, Andrew W; Mahadeshwar, Harshad; Wheeler, David A; Haddad, Robert I; Jung, Joonil; Ojesina, Akinyemi I; Issaeva, Natalia; Yarbrough, Wendell G; Hayes, D Neil; Grandis, Jennifer R; El-Naggar, Adel K; Meyerson, Matthew; Park, Peter J; Chin, Lynda; Seidman, J G; Hammerman, Peter S; Kucherlapati, Raju

2014-10-28

Previous studies have established that a subset of head and neck tumors contains human papillomavirus (HPV) sequences and that HPV-driven head and neck cancers display distinct biological and clinical features. HPV is known to drive cancer by the actions of the E6 and E7 oncoproteins, but the molecular architecture of HPV infection and its interaction with the host genome in head and neck cancers have not been comprehensively described. We profiled a cohort of 279 head and neck cancers with next generation RNA and DNA sequencing and show that 35 (12.5%) tumors displayed evidence of high-risk HPV types 16, 33, or 35. Twenty-five cases had integration of the viral genome into one or more locations in the human genome with statistical enrichment for genic regions. Integrations had a marked impact on the human genome and were associated with alterations in DNA copy number, mRNA transcript abundance and splicing, and both inter- and intrachromosomal rearrangements. Many of these events involved genes with documented roles in cancer. Cancers with integrated vs. nonintegrated HPV displayed different patterns of DNA methylation and both human and viral gene expressions. Together, these data provide insight into the mechanisms by which HPV interacts with the human genome beyond expression of viral oncoproteins and suggest that specific integration events are an integral component of viral oncogenesis.

Advanced Three-Dimensional Display System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geng, Jason

2005-01-01

A desktop-scale, computer-controlled display system, initially developed for NASA and now known as the VolumeViewer(TradeMark), generates three-dimensional (3D) images of 3D objects in a display volume. This system differs fundamentally from stereoscopic and holographic display systems: The images generated by this system are truly 3D in that they can be viewed from almost any angle, without the aid of special eyeglasses. It is possible to walk around the system while gazing at its display volume to see a displayed object from a changing perspective, and multiple observers standing at different positions around the display can view the object simultaneously from their individual perspectives, as though the displayed object were a real 3D object. At the time of writing this article, only partial information on the design and principle of operation of the system was available. It is known that the system includes a high-speed, silicon-backplane, ferroelectric-liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (SLM), multiple high-power lasers for projecting images in multiple colors, a rotating helix that serves as a moving screen for displaying voxels [volume cells or volume elements, in analogy to pixels (picture cells or picture elements) in two-dimensional (2D) images], and a host computer. The rotating helix and its motor drive are the only moving parts. Under control by the host computer, a stream of 2D image patterns is generated on the SLM and projected through optics onto the surface of the rotating helix. The system utilizes a parallel pixel/voxel-addressing scheme: All the pixels of the 2D pattern on the SLM are addressed simultaneously by laser beams. This parallel addressing scheme overcomes the difficulty of achieving both high resolution and a high frame rate in a raster scanning or serial addressing scheme. It has been reported that the structure of the system is simple and easy to build, that the optical design and alignment are not difficult, and that the system can be built by use of commercial off-the-shelf products. A prototype of the system displays an image of 1,024 by 768 by 170 (=133,693,440) voxels. In future designs, the resolution could be increased. The maximum number of voxels that can be generated depends upon the spatial resolution of SLM and the speed of rotation of the helix. For example, one could use an available SLM that has 1,024 by 1,024 pixels. Incidentally, this SLM is capable of operation at a switching speed of 300,000 frames per second. Implementation of full-color displays in future versions of the system would be straightforward: One could use three SLMs for red, green, and blue, respectively, and the colors of the voxels could be automatically controlled. An optically simpler alternative would be to use a single red/green/ blue light projector and synchronize the projection of each color with the generation of patterns for that color on a single SLM.

Differential actions of antiparkinson agents at multiple classes of monoaminergic receptor. III. Agonist and antagonist properties at serotonin, 5-HT(1) and 5-HT(2), receptor subtypes.

PubMed

Newman-Tancredi, Adrian; Cussac, Didier; Quentric, Yann; Touzard, Manuelle; Verrièle, Laurence; Carpentier, Nathalie; Millan, Mark J

2002-11-01

Although certain antiparkinson agents interact with serotonin (5-HT) receptors, little information is available concerning functional actions. Herein, we characterized efficacies of apomorphine, bromocriptine, cabergoline, lisuride, piribedil, pergolide, roxindole, and terguride at human (h)5-HT(1A), h5-HT(1B), and h5-HT(1D) receptors [guanosine 5'-O-(3-[(35)S]thio)triphosphate ([(35)S]GTPgammaS) binding], and at h5-HT(2A), h5-HT(2B), and h5-HT(2C) receptors (depletion of membrane-bound [(3)H]phosphatydilinositol). All drugs stimulated h5-HT(1A) receptors with efficacies (compared with 5-HT, 100%) ranging from modest (apomorphine, 35%) to high (cabergoline, 93%). At h5-HT(1B) receptors, efficacies varied from mild (terguride, 37%) to marked (cabergoline, 102%) and potencies were modest (pEC(50) values of 5.8-7.6): h5-HT(1D) sites were activated with a similar range of efficacies and greater potency (7.1-8.5). Piribedil and apomorphine were inactive at h5-HT(1B) and h5-HT(1D) receptors. At h5-HT(2A) receptors, terguride, lisuride, bromocriptine, cabergoline, and pergolide displayed potent (7.6-8.8) agonist properties (49-103%), whereas apomorphine and roxindole were antagonists and piribedil was inactive. Only pergolide (113%/8.2) and cabergoline (123%/8.6) displayed pronounced agonist properties at h5-HT(2B) receptors. At 5-HT(2C) receptors, lisuride, bromocriptine, pergolide, and cabergoline were efficacious (75-96%) agonists, apomorphine and terguride were antagonists, and piribedil was inactive. MDL100,907 and SB242,084, selective antagonists at 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors, respectively, abolished these actions of pergolide, cabergoline, and bromocriptine. In conclusion, antiparkinson agents display markedly different patterns of agonist and antagonist properties at multiple 5-HT receptor subtypes. Although all show modest (agonist) activity at 5-HT(1A) sites, their contrasting actions at 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2C) sites may be of particular significance to their functional profiles in vivo.

Dipturus amphispinus sp. nov., a new longsnout skate (Rajoidei: Rajidae) from the Philippines.

PubMed

Last, Peter R; Alava, Moonyeen

2013-01-01

A new long-snouted skate, Dipturus amphispinus sp. nov., is formally described based on material caught in the Sulu Sea and later acquired from fish markets of the central and southern Philippines. It differs from its congeners in the western North Pacific, apart from D. wuhanlingi (East and South China Seas), in having a variably-defined, parallel row of posterolaterally directed lumbar thorns, and well-developed scapular thorns on each side of the disc. However, the paired rows of lumbar thorns are better defined in Dipturus amphispinus sp. nov. than in D. wuhanlingi, and these species also differ in some aspects of their morphometrics, meristics and squamation. Dipturus amphispinus sp. nov. displays marked sexual dimorphism with adult males having a relatively broader mouth, much longer teeth, a relatively shorter snout, head and disc, a taller first dorsal fin, and a proportionally longer posterior pelvic-fin lobe and tail, than adult-sized females.

7. Photocopy of photograph (original print in possession of Mary ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. Photocopy of photograph (original print in possession of Mary Lane Knott, 508 Central Avenue, Ridgely MD 21660). Photographer and date unknown, Circa 1900. VIEW EAST, SOUTHWEST FRONT, NORTHWEST SIDE Front and side elevations. Note the duplication of the recessed store front with display windows. Note the break in the original clapboard siding toward the rear on the Northwest side and the new clapboard siding near the buggy. Near the buggy wheel an original brick pier. Note the panelling below the display windows and the penny gumball machine on the wall marked 'Adams Tutti-Frutti'. - 510 Central Avenue (Commercial Building), Ridgely, Caroline County, MD

Structural and Developmental Disparity in the Tentacles of the Moon Jellyfish Aurelia sp.1

PubMed Central

Gold, David A.; Nakanishi, Nagayasu; Hensley, Nicholai M.; Cozzolino, Kira; Tabatabaee, Mariam; Martin, Michelle; Hartenstein, Volker; Jacobs, David K.

2015-01-01

Tentacles armed with stinging cells (cnidocytes) are a defining trait of the cnidarians, a phylum that includes sea anemones, corals, jellyfish, and hydras. While cnidarian tentacles are generally characterized as structures evolved for feeding and defense, significant variation exists between the tentacles of different species, and within the same species across different life stages and/or body regions. Such diversity suggests cryptic distinctions exist in tentacle function. In this paper, we use confocal and transmission electron microscopy to contrast the structure and development of tentacles in the moon jellyfish, Aurelia species 1. We show that polyp oral tentacles and medusa marginal tentacles display markedly different cellular and muscular architecture, as well as distinct patterns of cellular proliferation during growth. Many structural differences between these tentacle types may reflect biomechanical solutions to different feeding strategies, although further work would be required for a precise mechanistic understanding. However, differences in cell proliferation dynamics suggests that the two tentacle forms lack a conserved mechanism of development, challenging the textbook-notion that cnidarian tentacles can be homologized into a conserved bauplan. PMID:26241309

Structural and Developmental Disparity in the Tentacles of the Moon Jellyfish Aurelia sp.1.

PubMed

Gold, David A; Nakanishi, Nagayasu; Hensley, Nicholai M; Cozzolino, Kira; Tabatabaee, Mariam; Martin, Michelle; Hartenstein, Volker; Jacobs, David K

2015-01-01

Tentacles armed with stinging cells (cnidocytes) are a defining trait of the cnidarians, a phylum that includes sea anemones, corals, jellyfish, and hydras. While cnidarian tentacles are generally characterized as structures evolved for feeding and defense, significant variation exists between the tentacles of different species, and within the same species across different life stages and/or body regions. Such diversity suggests cryptic distinctions exist in tentacle function. In this paper, we use confocal and transmission electron microscopy to contrast the structure and development of tentacles in the moon jellyfish, Aurelia species 1. We show that polyp oral tentacles and medusa marginal tentacles display markedly different cellular and muscular architecture, as well as distinct patterns of cellular proliferation during growth. Many structural differences between these tentacle types may reflect biomechanical solutions to different feeding strategies, although further work would be required for a precise mechanistic understanding. However, differences in cell proliferation dynamics suggests that the two tentacle forms lack a conserved mechanism of development, challenging the textbook-notion that cnidarian tentacles can be homologized into a conserved bauplan.

Self-recognition in retarded children.

PubMed

Hill, S D; Tomlin, C

1981-03-01

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between cognitive and affective development. Young preverbal retarded children watched TV images of themselves with faces marked or unmarked and of a peer whose face was marked. We used the objective technique of increased mark-directed responses as evidence of self-recognition and rated the children's reactions as they watched these images. The emergence of self-recognition was closely tied to the maturity of the children's general responsiveness to their reflections. The Down's syndrome children made a broad range of responses, including the curiosity and self-conscious behaviors characteristic of normal children during the second year of life, and all except one of these children showed evidence that they recognized their images. In contrast, the range of behaviors displayed by multihandicapped children was greatly restricted and similar to children in the first year of life. Less than half of these children showed an emergence of self-recognition.

Computer systems and methods for the query and visualization multidimensional databases

DOEpatents

Stolte, Chris; Tang, Diane L.; Hanrahan, Patrick

2017-04-25

A method of generating a data visualization is performed at a computer having a display, one or more processors, and memory. The memory stores one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The process receives user specification of a plurality of characteristics of a data visualization. The data visualization is based on data from a multidimensional database. The characteristics specify at least x-position and y-position of data marks corresponding to tuples of data retrieved from the database. The process generates a data visualization according to the specified plurality of characteristics. The data visualization has an x-axis defined based on data for one or more first fields from the database that specify x-position of the data marks and the data visualization has a y-axis defined based on data for one or more second fields from the database that specify y-position of the data marks.

Holo-Chidi video concentrator card

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nwodoh, Thomas A.; Prabhakar, Aditya; Benton, Stephen A.

2001-12-01

The Holo-Chidi Video Concentrator Card is a frame buffer for the Holo-Chidi holographic video processing system. Holo- Chidi is designed at the MIT Media Laboratory for real-time computation of computer generated holograms and the subsequent display of the holograms at video frame rates. The Holo-Chidi system is made of two sets of cards - the set of Processor cards and the set of Video Concentrator Cards (VCCs). The Processor cards are used for hologram computation, data archival/retrieval from a host system, and for higher-level control of the VCCs. The VCC formats computed holographic data from multiple hologram computing Processor cards, converting the digital data to analog form to feed the acousto-optic-modulators of the Media lab's Mark-II holographic display system. The Video Concentrator card is made of: a High-Speed I/O (HSIO) interface whence data is transferred from the hologram computing Processor cards, a set of FIFOs and video RAM used as buffer for data for the hololines being displayed, a one-chip integrated microprocessor and peripheral combination that handles communication with other VCCs and furnishes the card with a USB port, a co-processor which controls display data formatting, and D-to-A converters that convert digital fringes to analog form. The co-processor is implemented with an SRAM-based FPGA with over 500,000 gates and controls all the signals needed to format the data from the multiple Processor cards into the format required by Mark-II. A VCC has three HSIO ports through which up to 500 Megabytes of computed holographic data can flow from the Processor Cards to the VCC per second. A Holo-Chidi system with three VCCs has enough frame buffering capacity to hold up to thirty two 36Megabyte hologram frames at a time. Pre-computed holograms may also be loaded into the VCC from a host computer through the low- speed USB port. Both the microprocessor and the co- processor in the VCC can access the main system memory used to store control programs and data for the VCC. The Card also generates the control signals used by the scanning mirrors of Mark-II. In this paper we discuss the design of the VCC and its implementation in the Holo-Chidi system.

49 CFR 172.332 - Identification number markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 160 mm (6.3 inches) high by 400 mm (15.7 inches) wide with a 15 mm (0.6 inches) black outer border. The identification number shall be displayed in 100 mm (3.9 inches) black Helvetica Medium numerals on the orange panel. Measurements may vary from those specified plus or minus 5 mm (0.2 inches). (2) The...

49 CFR 172.332 - Identification number markings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 160 mm (6.3 inches) high by 400 mm (15.7 inches) wide with a 15 mm (0.6 inches) black outer border. The identification number shall be displayed in 100 mm (3.9 inches) black Helvetica Medium numerals on the orange panel. Measurements may vary from those specified plus or minus 5 mm (0.2 inches). (2) The...

49 CFR 172.322 - Marine pollutants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... freight container or portable tank loaded on a motor vehicle or rail car. This mark may be displayed in... L (1.3 gallons) or less for liquids; or (ii) A net mass of 5 kg (11 pounds) or less for solids (2...) 5 kg (11 pounds) or less net capacity for solids. (3) Except for transportation by vessel, on a bulk...

49 CFR 172.322 - Marine pollutants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... freight container or portable tank loaded on a motor vehicle or rail car. This mark may be displayed in... L (1.3 gallons) or less for liquids; or (ii) A net mass of 5 kg (11 pounds) or less for solids (2...) 5 kg (11 pounds) or less net capacity for solids. (3) Except for transportation by vessel, on a bulk...

Creative Commons and Why It Should Be More Commonly Understood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Doug

2009-01-01

Authors, videographers, musicians, photographers, and almost anyone who creates materials and makes them publicly available has an alternative to standard copyright licensing: Creative Commons (CC). It is a tool that helps the creator display a licensing mark. The creator can assign a variety of rights for others to use his work--rights that are…

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase in Reuber hepatoma cells: variation in enzyme activity, insulin regulation, and cellular lipid content.

PubMed

Bianchi, A; Evans, J L; Nordlund, A C; Watts, T D; Witters, L A

1992-01-01

Reuber hepatoma cells are useful cultured lines for the study of insulin action, lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, and the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), the rate-limiting enzyme of fatty acid biosynthesis. During investigations in different clonal lines of these cells, we have uncovered marked intercellular variability in the activity, enzyme content, and insulin regulation of ACC paralleled by differences in cellular neutral lipid (triglyceride) content. Two contrasting clonal lines, Fao and H356A-1, have been studied in detail. Several features distinguish these two lines, including differences in ACC activity and enzyme kinetics, the content of the two major hepatic ACC isozymes (Mr 280,000 and 265,000 Da) and their heteroisozymic complex, the extent of ACC phosphorylation, and the ability of ACC to be activated on stimulation by insulin and insulinomimetic agonists. As studied by Nile Red staining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting, these two lines also display marked differences in neutral lipid content, which correlates with both basal levels of ACC activity and inhibition of ACC by the fatty acid analog, 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid (TOFA). These results emphasize the importance of characterization of any particular clonal line of Reuber cells for studies of enzyme regulation, substrate metabolism, and hormone action. With respect to ACC, studies in contrasting clonal lines of Reuber cells could provide valuable clues to understanding both the complex mechanisms of intracellular ACC regulation in the absence and presence of hormones and its regulatory role(s) in overall hepatic lipid metabolism.

A marked difference in pathogenesis and immune response induced by different Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes

PubMed Central

LÓPEZ, B; AGUILAR, D; OROZCO, H; BURGER, M; ESPITIA, C; RITACCO, V; BARRERA, L; KREMER, K; HERNANDEZ-PANDO, R; HUYGEN, K; VAN SOOLINGEN, D

2003-01-01

In the last decade, an unprecedented genetic diversity has been disclosed among Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains found worldwide. However, well-conserved genotypes seem to prevail in areas with high incidence of tuberculosis. As this may be related to selective advantages, such as advanced mechanisms to circumvent [M. bovis Bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG)-induced] host defence mechanisms, we investigated the influence of strain diversity on the course of experimental disease. Twelve M. tuberculosis strains, representing four major genotype families found worldwide today, and the laboratory strain H37Rv were each used to infect BALB/c mice by direct intratracheal injection. Compared with H37Rv, infections with Beijng strains were characterized by extensive pneumonia, early but ephemeral tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) expression, and significantly higher earlier mortality. Conversely, Canetti strains induced limited pneumonia, sustained TNF-α and iNOS expression in lungs, and almost 100% survival. Strains of the Somali and the Haarlem genotype families displayed less homogeneous, intermediate rates of survival. Previous BCG vaccination protected less effectively against infection with Beijing strains than against the H37Rv strain. In conclusion, genetically different M. tuberculosis strains evoked markedly different immunopathological events. Bacteria with the Beijing genotype, highly prevalent in Asia and the former USSR, elicited a non-protective immune response in mice and were the most virulent. Future immunological research, particularly on candidate vaccines, should include a broad spectrum of M. tuberculosis genotypes rather than a few laboratory strains. PMID:12823275

Masticatory motor patterns in ungulates: a quantitative assessment of jaw-muscle coordination in goats, alpacas and horses.

PubMed

Williams, Susan H; Vinyard, Christopher J; Wall, Christine E; Hylander, William L

2007-04-01

We investigated patterns of jaw-muscle coordination during rhythmic mastication in three species of ungulates displaying the marked transverse jaw movements typical of many large mammalian herbivores. In order to quantify consistent motor patterns during chewing, electromyograms were recorded from the superficial masseter, deep masseter, posterior temporalis and medial pterygoid muscles of goats, alpacas and horses. Timing differences between muscle pairs were evaluated in the context of an evolutionary model of jaw-muscle function. In this model, the closing and food reduction phases of mastication are primarily controlled by two distinct muscle groups, triplet I (balancing-side superficial masseter and medial pterygoid and working-side posterior temporalis) and triplet II (working-side superficial masseter and medial pterygoid and balancing-side posterior temporalis), and the asynchronous activity of the working- and balancing-side deep masseters. The three species differ in the extent to which the jaw muscles are coordinated as triplet I and triplet II. Alpacas, and to a lesser extent, goats, exhibit the triplet pattern whereas horses do not. In contrast, all three species show marked asynchrony of the working-side and balancing-side deep masseters, with jaw closing initiated by the working-side muscle and the balancing-side muscle firing much later during closing. However, goats differ from alpacas and horses in the timing of the balancing-side deep masseter relative to the triplet II muscles. This study highlights interspecific differences in the coordination of jaw muscles to influence transverse jaw movements and the production of bite force in herbivorous ungulates.

Knuckle walking signal in the manual digits of Pan and Gorilla.

PubMed

Matarazzo, Stacey

2008-01-01

This article examines the curvature of the manual proximal and middle phalanges of species belonging to Pan, Gorilla, Ateles, Macaca, Pongo, Hylobates, and Cebus to determine whether middle phalangeal curvature, when considered in conjunction with proximal phalangeal curvature, yields a locomotor signal. Prior studies have demonstrated the discriminatory power of proximal phalanges for separating suspensory species (including knuckle walkers) from pronograde quadrupedal species, but less emphasis has been placed on the distinguishing phalangeal characteristics of taxa within the suspensory category. This study demonstrates, first, that middle phalanges discriminate suspensory from nonsuspensory species, although not as cleanly as proximal phalanges. Finer discrimination of locomotor signals, including subtle differences among animals employing different modes of suspension, is possible through a comparison of the curvatures of the proximal phalanges and corresponding middle phalanges. Their relative curvature differs in quadrupeds, brachiators, and knuckle walkers. Knuckle walkers (Pan and Gorilla) have relatively little curvature of the middle phalanges coupled with marked curvature of the proximal phalanges, whereas brachiators (Ateles and Hylobates) display marked curvature of both proximal and middle phalanges, and pronograde quadrupeds (Cebus and Macaca) have relatively straight proximal and moderately curved middle phalanges. Quadrumanous climbers (Pongo) have a unique combination of traits, whereby curvature is high in both proximal and middle phalanges, but less so in the latter than the former. These differences, predictable on the basis of the biomechanical forces to which digits are subjected, may open a new venue for future research on the locomotor repertoire of prebipedal ancestors of hominins. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Dendritic position is a major determinant of presynaptic strength

PubMed Central

de Jong, Arthur P.H.; Schmitz, Sabine K.; Toonen, Ruud F.G.

2012-01-01

Different regulatory principles influence synaptic coupling between neurons, including positional principles. In dendrites of pyramidal neurons, postsynaptic sensitivity depends on synapse location, with distal synapses having the highest gain. In this paper, we investigate whether similar rules exist for presynaptic terminals in mixed networks of pyramidal and dentate gyrus (DG) neurons. Unexpectedly, distal synapses had the lowest staining intensities for vesicular proteins vGlut, vGAT, Synaptotagmin, and VAMP and for many nonvesicular proteins, including Bassoon, Munc18, and Syntaxin. Concomitantly, distal synapses displayed less vesicle release upon stimulation. This dependence of presynaptic strength on dendritic position persisted after chronically blocking action potential firing and postsynaptic receptors but was markedly reduced on DG dendrites compared with pyramidal dendrites. These data reveal a novel rule, independent of neuronal activity, which regulates presynaptic strength according to dendritic position, with the strongest terminals closest to the soma. This gradient is opposite to postsynaptic gradients observed in pyramidal dendrites, and different cell types apply this rule to a different extent. PMID:22492722

Metabolic Responses to Low Temperature of Three Peach Fruit Cultivars Differently Sensitive to Cold Storage

PubMed Central

Brizzolara, Stefano; Hertog, Maarten; Tosetti, Roberta; Nicolai, Bart; Tonutti, Pietro

2018-01-01

Refrigerated storage is widely applied in order to maintain peach quality but it can also induce chilling injuries (CIs) such as flesh browning and bleeding, and mealiness. Peach fruit from three cultivars (‘Red Haven’, RH, ‘Regina di Londa’, RL, and ‘Flaminia’, FL) were stored for 4 weeks under low temperatures (0.5 and 5.5°C). GC-MS was employed to study changes in both metabolome and volatilome induced by cold storage in the mesocarp. CIs were assessed both at the end of each week of storage and after subsequent shelf-life (SL) at 20°C. Flesh browning and mealiness appeared to be more related to 5.5°C storage, while flesh bleeding revealed high incidence following 0.5°C storage. Compared to RL and FL, RH showed a marked lower incidence of CIs. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate that RH peaches indeed differ from RL and FL in particular when considering data from samples collected at the end of the cold storage. Common and divergent responses have been identified in terms of metabolic responses to the applied low temperatures. In all three cultivars raffinose, glucose-6P, fucose, xylose, sorbitol, GABA, epicatechin, catechin, and putrescine markedly increased during cold storage, while citramalic, glucuronic, mucic and shikimic acids decreased. Among volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes and alcohols generally accumulated more under low temperature conditions while esters and lactones evolved during subsequent SL. The main cultivar differences developed after cold storage during SL although some common responses (e.g., an increased production of ethyl acetate) were observed. The lower levels of flesh browning and bleeding displayed by RH peaches were related to compounds with antioxidant activity, or acting as osmotic protectants and membrane stabilizer. Indeed, RH showed higher levels of amino acids and urea, together with a marked increase in putrescine, sorbitol, maltitol, myoinositol and sucrose detected during storage and SL. PMID:29892309

Metabolic Responses to Low Temperature of Three Peach Fruit Cultivars Differently Sensitive to Cold Storage.

PubMed

Brizzolara, Stefano; Hertog, Maarten; Tosetti, Roberta; Nicolai, Bart; Tonutti, Pietro

2018-01-01

Refrigerated storage is widely applied in order to maintain peach quality but it can also induce chilling injuries (CIs) such as flesh browning and bleeding, and mealiness. Peach fruit from three cultivars ('Red Haven', RH, 'Regina di Londa', RL, and 'Flaminia', FL) were stored for 4 weeks under low temperatures (0.5 and 5.5°C). GC-MS was employed to study changes in both metabolome and volatilome induced by cold storage in the mesocarp. CIs were assessed both at the end of each week of storage and after subsequent shelf-life (SL) at 20°C. Flesh browning and mealiness appeared to be more related to 5.5°C storage, while flesh bleeding revealed high incidence following 0.5°C storage. Compared to RL and FL, RH showed a marked lower incidence of CIs. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate that RH peaches indeed differ from RL and FL in particular when considering data from samples collected at the end of the cold storage. Common and divergent responses have been identified in terms of metabolic responses to the applied low temperatures. In all three cultivars raffinose, glucose-6P, fucose, xylose, sorbitol, GABA, epicatechin, catechin, and putrescine markedly increased during cold storage, while citramalic, glucuronic, mucic and shikimic acids decreased. Among volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes and alcohols generally accumulated more under low temperature conditions while esters and lactones evolved during subsequent SL. The main cultivar differences developed after cold storage during SL although some common responses (e.g., an increased production of ethyl acetate) were observed. The lower levels of flesh browning and bleeding displayed by RH peaches were related to compounds with antioxidant activity, or acting as osmotic protectants and membrane stabilizer. Indeed, RH showed higher levels of amino acids and urea, together with a marked increase in putrescine, sorbitol, maltitol, myoinositol and sucrose detected during storage and SL.

Sex differences but no evidence of quantitative honesty in the warning signals of six-spot burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae L.).

PubMed

Briolat, Emmanuelle Sophie; Zagrobelny, Mika; Olsen, Carl Erik; Blount, Jonathan D; Stevens, Martin

2018-05-16

The distinctive black and red wing pattern of six-spot burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae, L.) is a classic example of aposematism, advertising their potent cyanide-based defences. While such warning signals provide a qualitatively honest signal of unprofitability, the evidence for quantitative honesty, whereby variation in visual traits could provide accurate estimates of individual toxicity, is more equivocal. Combining measures of cyanogenic glucoside content and wing colour from the perspective of avian predators, we investigate the relationship between coloration and defences in Z. filipendulae, to test signal honesty both within and across populations. There were no significant relationships between mean cyanogenic glucoside concentration and metrics of wing coloration across populations in males, yet in females higher cyanogenic glucoside levels were associated with smaller and lighter red forewing markings. Trends within populations were similarly inconsistent with quantitative honesty, and persistent differences between the sexes were apparent: larger females, carrying a greater total cyanogenic glucoside load, displayed larger but less conspicuous markings than smaller males, according to several colour metrics. The overall high aversiveness of cyanogenic glucosides and fluctuations in colour and toxin levels during an individual's lifetime may contribute to these results, highlighting generally important reasons why signal honesty should not always be expected in aposematic species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Age-specific oxidative status and the expression of pre- and postcopulatory sexually selected traits in male red junglefowl, Gallus gallus

PubMed Central

Noguera, Jose C; Dean, Rebecca; Isaksson, Caroline; Velando, Alberto; Pizzari, Tommaso

2012-01-01

Oxidative stress is emerging as a key factor underpinning life history and the expression of sexually selected traits. Resolving the role of oxidative stress in life history and sexual selection requires a pluralistic approach, which investigates how age affects the relationship between oxidative status (i.e., antioxidants and oxidative damage) and the multiple traits contributing to variation in reproductive success. Here, we investigate the relationship between oxidative status and the expression of multiple sexually selected traits in two-age classes of male red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, a species which displays marked male reproductive senescence. We found that, irrespective of male age, both male social status and comb size were strongly associated with plasma oxidative status, and there was a nonsignificant tendency for sperm motility to be associated with seminal oxidative status. Importantly, however, patterns of plasma and seminal antioxidant levels differed markedly in young and old males. While seminal antioxidants increased with plasma antioxidants in young males, the level of seminal antioxidants remained low and was independent of plasma levels in old males. In addition, old males also accumulated more oxidative damage in their sperm DNA. These results suggest that antioxidant allocation across different reproductive traits and somatic maintenance might change drastically as males age, leading to age-specific patterns of antioxidant investment. PMID:23139875

Ultra-realistic imaging: a new beginning for display holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjelkhagen, Hans I.; Brotherton-Ratcliffe, David

2014-02-01

Recent improvements in key foundation technologies are set to potentially transform the field of Display Holography. In particular new recording systems, based on recent DPSS and semiconductor lasers combined with novel recording materials and processing, have now demonstrated full-color analogue holograms of both lower noise and higher spectral accuracy. Progress in illumination technology is leading to a further major reduction in display noise and to a significant increase of the clear image depth and brightness of such holograms. So too, recent progress in 1-step Direct-Write Digital Holography (DWDH) now opens the way to the creation of High Virtual Volume Displays (HVV) - large format full-parallax DWDH reflection holograms having fundamentally larger clear image depths. In a certain fashion HVV displays can be thought of as providing a high quality full-color digital equivalent to the large-format laser-illuminated transmission holograms of the sixties and seventies. Back then, the advent of such holograms led to much optimism for display holography in the market. However, problems with laser illumination, their monochromatic analogue nature and image noise are well cited as being responsible for their failure in reality. Is there reason for believing that the latest technology improvements will make the mark this time around? This paper argues that indeed there is.

Sneaking a peek: pigeons use peripheral vision (not mirrors) to find hidden food.

PubMed

Ünver, Emre; Garland, Alexis; Tabrik, Sepideh; Güntürkün, Onur

2017-07-01

A small number of species are capable of recognizing themselves in the mirror when tested with the mark-and-mirror test. This ability is often seen as evidence of self-recognition and possibly even self-awareness. Strangely, a number of species, for example monkeys, pigs and dogs, are unable to pass the mark test but can locate rewarding objects by using the reflective properties of a mirror. Thus, these species seem to understand how a visual reflection functions but cannot apply it to their own image. We tested this discrepancy in pigeons-a species that does not spontaneously pass the mark test. Indeed, we discovered that pigeons can successfully find a hidden food reward using only the reflection, suggesting that pigeons can also use and potentially understand the reflective properties of mirrors, even in the absence of self-recognition. However, tested under monocular conditions, the pigeons approached and attempted to walk through the mirror rather than approach the physical food, displaying similar behavior to patients with mirror agnosia. These findings clearly show that pigeons do not use the reflection of mirrors to locate reward, but actually see the food peripherally with their near-panoramic vision. A re-evaluation of our current understanding of mirror-mediated behavior might be necessary-especially taking more fully into account species differences in visual field. This study suggests that use of reflections in a mirrored surface as a tool may be less widespread than currently thought.

Reduced Distractibility in a Remote Culture

PubMed Central

de Fockert, Jan W.; Caparos, Serge; Linnell, Karina J.; Davidoff, Jules

2011-01-01

Background In visual processing, there are marked cultural differences in the tendency to adopt either a global or local processing style. A remote culture (the Himba) has recently been reported to have a greater local bias in visual processing than Westerners. Here we give the first evidence that a greater, and remarkable, attentional selectivity provides the basis for this local bias. Methodology/Principal Findings In Experiment 1, Eriksen-type flanker interference was measured in the Himba and in Western controls. In both groups, responses to the direction of a task-relevant target arrow were affected by the compatibility of task-irrelevant distractor arrows. However, the Himba showed a marked reduction in overall flanker interference compared to Westerners. The smaller interference effect in the Himba occurred despite their overall slower performance than Westerners, and was evident even at a low level of perceptual load of the displays. In Experiment 2, the attentional selectivity of the Himba was further demonstrated by showing that their attention was not even captured by a moving singleton distractor. Conclusions/Significance We argue that the reduced distractibility in the Himba is clearly consistent with their tendency to prioritize the analysis of local details in visual processing. PMID:22046275

Scratching behaviour and its features: a questionnaire-based study in an Italian sample of domestic cats.

PubMed

Mengoli, Manuel; Mariti, Chiara; Cozzi, Alessandro; Cestarollo, Elisa; Lafont-Lecuelle, Céline; Pageat, Patrick; Gazzano, Angelo

2013-10-01

Scratching behaviour in cats is described as a normal expression of the feline ethogram, having different possible purposes related to visual and chemical communication. During behavioural consultations owners often mention scratching as an additional problem. This preliminary study aimed to understand the characteristics of this complex behaviour by examining the variables displayed by a sample of the Italian feline population using multiple correspondence analysis. One hundred and twenty-eight cats were screened by means of a questionnaire to identify features of their scratching behaviour. Our data showed the importance of both the presence/absence of a scratching post in the cat's living area and its relationship to marking. When a scratching post is present in a cat's living area, the cat appears to use it. Some aspects related to sex, neutering, age and environmental characteristics may modify the expression of scratching as a marking behaviour. Research has led to increased knowledge of this behaviour and may help veterinarians in describing to owners why it is important for cats to express scratching behaviour in their environment. Such information could help veterinarians and owners to recognise normal and problematic scratching behaviours.

Formulation of immunoassay calibrators in pasteurized albumin can significantly enhance their durability.

PubMed

Warren, David J; Nordlund, Marianne S; Paus, Elisabeth

2010-02-28

Calibrator matrix can have significant effects on the commutability of assay standards and on the maintenance of their integrity. We have observed marked instability in progastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP) assay standards traceable to the bovine serum albumin (BSA) used in matrix formulation. Attempts were made to improve calibrator stability using different albumin pretreatments. Observed analyte recoveries in calibrators prepared with untreated BSA were consistently less than 45% after 1 week of storage at 4 degrees C. Pre-treating the BSA by chromatography on immobilized heparin or benzamidine failed to improve calibrator durability with day 7 recoveries of less than 55%. In marked contrast, calibrators formulated with albumin pasteurized at pH 3.0 displayed remarkable stability. Recoveries of >97% were observed after 4 weeks of storage at either 4 degrees C or room temperature. Even calibrators incubated for 4 weeks at 37 degrees C gave recoveries between 91-106%. This improvement was not seen with BSA pasteurized at neutral pH. Albumin pretreatment is straightforward, easily scalable and dramatically improves calibrator stability. Matrix formulated with acid-pasteurized BSA may prove more generally useful when assays are plagued by poor calibrator durability. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple Immune-Inflammatory and Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress Pathways Explain the Frequent Presence of Depression in Multiple Sclerosis.

PubMed

Morris, Gerwyn; Reiche, Edna Maria Vissoci; Murru, Andrea; Carvalho, André F; Maes, Michael; Berk, Michael; Puri, Basant K

2018-01-02

Patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) or major depressive disorder (MDD) share a wide array of biological abnormalities which are increasingly considered to play a contributory role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of both illnesses. Shared abnormalities include peripheral inflammation, neuroinflammation, chronic oxidative and nitrosative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, increased intestinal barrier permeability with bacterial translocation into the systemic circulation, neuroendocrine abnormalities and microglial pathology. Patients with MS and MDD also display a wide range of neuroimaging abnormalities and patients with MS who display symptoms of depression present with different neuroimaging profiles compared with MS patients who are depression-free. The precise details of such pathology are markedly different however. The recruitment of activated encephalitogenic Th17 T cells and subsequent bidirectional interaction leading to classically activated microglia is now considered to lie at the core of MS-specific pathology. The presence of activated microglia is common to both illnesses although the pattern of such action throughout the brain appears to be different. Upregulation of miRNAs also appears to be involved in microglial neurotoxicity and indeed T cell pathology in MS but does not appear to play a major role in MDD. It is suggested that the antidepressant lofepramine, and in particular its active metabolite desipramine, may be beneficial not only for depressive symptomatology but also for the neurological symptoms of MS. One clinical trial has been carried out thus far with, in particular, promising MRI findings.

Bill Parsons with Discovery Processing Team

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-29

Mark McGee (right) shows the bead blasting completed on the rudder speed brake on orbiter Discovery to Shuttle Program Manager Bill Parsons (center). McGee is manager, Orbiter Processing Facility, with United Space Alliance. At left is Mark Nappi, deputy associate program manager, ground operations, USA. The work was part of Orbiter Major Modifications (OMM) that were recently completed on Discovery. The OMM work ranged from wiring, control panels and black boxes to gaseous and fluid systems tubing and components. These systems were deserviced, disassembled, inspected, modified, reassembled, checked out and reserviced, as were most other systems onboard. The work included the installation of the Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) - a state-of-the-art “glass cockpit.”

Migration of the digital interactive breast-imaging teaching file

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Fei; Sickles, Edward A.; Huang, H. K.; Zhou, Xiaoqiang

1998-06-01

The digital breast imaging teaching file developed during the last two years in our laboratory has been used successfully at UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) as a routine teaching tool for training radiology residents and fellows in mammography. Building on this success, we have ported the teaching file from an old Pixar imaging/Sun SPARC 470 display system to our newly designed telemammography display workstation (Ultra SPARC 2 platform with two DOME Md5/SBX display boards). The old Pixar/Sun 470 system, although adequate for fast and high-resolution image display, is 4- year-old technology, expensive to maintain and difficult to upgrade. The new display workstation is more cost-effective and is also compatible with the digital image format from a full-field direct digital mammography system. The digital teaching file is built on a sophisticated computer-aided instruction (CAI) model, which simulates the management sequences used in imaging interpretation and work-up. Each user can be prompted to respond by making his/her own observations, assessments, and work-up decisions as well as the marking of image abnormalities. This effectively replaces the traditional 'show-and-tell' teaching file experience with an interactive, response-driven type of instruction.

The Gene Construction Kit: a new computer program for manipulating and presenting DNA constructs.

PubMed

Gross, R H

1990-06-01

The Gene Construction Kit is a new tool for manipulating and displaying DNA sequence information. Constructs can be displayed either graphically or as formatted sequence. Segments of DNA can be cut out with restriction enzymes and pasted into other sites. The program keeps track of staggered ends and notifies the user of incompatibilities and offers a choice of ligation options. Each segment of a construct can have its own defined thickness, pattern, direction and color. The sequence listing can be displayed in any font and style in user defined grouping. Nucleotide positions can be displayed as can restriction sites and protein sequences. The DNA can be displayed as either single- or double-stranded. Restriction sites can be readily marked. Alternative views of the DNA can be maintained and the history of the construct automatically stored. Gel electrophoresis patterns can be generated and can be used in cloning project design. Extensive comments can be stored with the construct and can be searched rapidly for key words. High quality illustrations showing multiple editable constructs with added graphics and text information can be generated for slides, posters or publication.

Flat-panel video resolution LED display system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wareberg, P. G.; Kennedy, D. I.

The system consists of a 128 x 128 element X-Y addressable LED array fabricated from green-emitting gallium phosphide. The LED array is interfaced with a 128 x 128 matrix TV camera. Associated electronics provides for seven levels of grey scale above zero with a grey scale ratio of square root of 2. Picture elements are on 0.008 inch centers resulting in a resolution of 125 lines-per-inch and a display area of approximately 1 sq. in. The LED array concept lends itself to modular construction, permitting assembly of a flat panel screen of any desired size from 1 x 1 inch building blocks without loss of resolution. A wide range of prospective aerospace applications exist extending from helmet-mounted systems involving small dedicated arrays to multimode cockpit displays constructed as modular screens. High-resolution LED arrays are already used as CRT replacements in military film-marking reconnaissance applications.

Motivations-Attributes-Skills-Knowledge Model as Framework for Leadership Assessment Balanced Scorecards: An Empirical Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellamy, Chris D.

2013-01-01

Over the course of history many leaders have made their mark on society. These leaders have led uprisings, movements, and organizations that have left legacy's in today's society. Leaders such as Martin Luther King, Adolph Hitler, and Jack Welch have displayed behaviors and leadership competencies which motivated their followers. These…

Mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with resistant starch display marked shifts in the liver metabolome concurrent with altered gut bacteria

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High-amylose maize resistant starch type 2 (HAMRS2) is a fermentable dietary fiber known to alter the gut milieu, including the gut microbiota, which may explain reported effects of resistant starch to ameliorate obesity-associated metabolic dysfunction. Our working hypothesis is that HAMRS2-induced...

Obese mice fed a diet supplemented with enzyme-treated wheat bran display marked shifts in the liver metabolome concurrent with altered gut bacteria

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Enzyme-treated wheat bran (ETWB) is a fermentable dietary fiber previously shown to decrease liver triglycerides and modify the gut microbiome in mice. It is not clear which mechanisms explain how ETWB feeding impacts hepatic metabolism, but factors (i.e., metabolites) associated with specific micro...

Effect of Alternative and Augmentative Communication on Language and Social Behavior of Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lal, Rubina

2010-01-01

Teaching children with autism is a challenging task for educators and parents, as the children display marked deficits in language and social behaviors. One of the major goals of an intervention program for children with autism is to provide them a method of functional communication and ample opportunities to practice these skills. For some…

Antisense Inhibition of the 2-Oxoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex in Tomato Demonstrates Its Importance for Plant Respiration and during Leaf Senescence and Fruit Maturation[W][OA

PubMed Central

Araújo, Wagner L.; Tohge, Takayuki; Osorio, Sonia; Lohse, Marc; Balbo, Ilse; Krahnert, Ina; Sienkiewicz-Porzucek, Agata; Usadel, Björn; Nunes-Nesi, Adriano; Fernie, Alisdair R.

2012-01-01

Transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants expressing a fragment of the gene encoding the E1 subunit of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in the antisense orientation and exhibiting substantial reductions in the activity of this enzyme exhibit a considerably reduced rate of respiration. They were, however, characterized by largely unaltered photosynthetic rates and fruit yields but restricted leaf, stem, and root growth. These lines displayed markedly altered metabolic profiles, including changes in tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and in the majority of the amino acids but unaltered pyridine nucleotide content both in leaves and during the progression of fruit ripening. Moreover, they displayed a generally accelerated development exhibiting early flowering, accelerated fruit ripening, and a markedly earlier onset of leaf senescence. In addition, transcript and selective hormone profiling of gibberellins and abscisic acid revealed changes only in the former coupled to changes in transcripts encoding enzymes of gibberellin biosynthesis. The data obtained are discussed in the context of the importance of this enzyme in both photosynthetic and respiratory metabolism as well as in programs of plant development connected to carbon–nitrogen interactions. PMID:22751214

A Drastic Change in Background Luminance or Motion Degrades the Preview Benefit.

PubMed

Osugi, Takayuki; Murakami, Ikuya

2017-01-01

When some distractors (old items) precede some others (new items) in an inefficient visual search task, the search is restricted to new items, and yields a phenomenon termed the preview benefit. It has recently been demonstrated that, in this preview search task, the onset of repetitive changes in the background disrupts the preview benefit, whereas a single transient change in the background does not. In the present study, we explored this effect with dynamic background changes occurring in the context of realistic scenes, to examine the robustness and usefulness of visual marking. We examined whether preview benefit in a preview search task survived through task-irrelevant changes in the scene, namely a luminance change and the initiation of coherent motion, both occurring in the background. Luminance change of the background disrupted preview benefit if it was synchronized with the onset of the search display. Furthermore, although the presence of coherent background motion per se did not affect preview benefit, its synchronized initiation with the onset of the search display did disrupt preview benefit if the motion speed was sufficiently high. These results suggest that visual marking can be destroyed by a transient event in the scene if that event is sufficiently drastic.

Rats do not eat alone in public: Food-deprived rats socialize rather than competing for baits

PubMed Central

Ram, Tamar; Zadicario, Pazit; Eilam, David

2017-01-01

Limited resources result in competition among social animals. Nevertheless, social animals also have innate preferences for cooperative behavior. In the present study, 12 dyads of food-deprived rats were tested in four successive trials, and then re-tested as eight triads of food-deprived rats that were unfamiliar to each other. We found that the food-deprived dyads or triads of rats did not compete for the food available to them at regular spatially-marked locations that they had previously learnt. Rather, these rats traveled together to collect the baits. One rat, or two rats in some triads, lead (ran ahead) to collect most of the baits, but "leaders" differed across trials so that, on average, each rat ultimately collected similar amounts of baits. Regardless of which rat collected the baits, the rats traveled together with no substantial difference among them in terms of their total activity. We suggest that rats, which are a social species that has been found to display reciprocity, have evolved to travel and forage together and to share limited resources. Consequently, they displayed a sort of 'peace economy' that on average resulted in equal access to the baits across trials. For social animals, this type of dynamics is more relaxed, tolerant, and effective in the management of conflicts. Rather than competing for the limited available food, the food-deprived rats socialized and coexisted peacefully. PMID:28278246

Uptake of atrial fibrillation screening aiming at stroke prevention: geo-mapping of target population and non-participation.

PubMed

Engdahl, Johan; Holmén, Anders; Rosenqvist, Mårten; Strömberg, Ulf

2013-08-03

In a screening study for silent atrial fibrillation (AF), which is a frequent source of cardiac emboli with ischemic stroke, the proportion of non-participants was considerable and their clinical profile differed from the participants' profile. We intended to geo-map the target population and non-participation in an attempt to understand factors related to screening uptake and, thereby, obtain useful information needed to intervene for improved uptake. In the municipality of Halmstad, Sweden, all residents born in 1934-1935 were invited to the screening study during April 2010 to February 2012. The total study group included 848 participants and 367 non-participants from 12 parishes. Geo-maps displaying participation, along with target-population-based geo-maps displaying proportion of immigrants and ischemic stroke incidence, were used. Smoothed non-participation ratios (SmNPR) varied from 0.81 to 1.24 across different parishes (SmNRP=1 corresponds to the expected participation based on the total study group). Among high risk individuals, the geographical variation was more pronounced (SmNPR range 0.75-1.51). Two parishes with higher share of immigrants and elevated population-based ischemic stroke incidence showed markedly lower participation, particularly among high-risk individuals. AF screening uptake varied evidently between parishes, particularly among high-risk individuals. Geo-mapping of target population and non-participation yielded useful information needed to intervene for improved screening uptake.

Impact of CCR1 silencing on the assembly of lignified secondary walls in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Ruel, Katia; Berrio-Sierra, Jimmy; Derikvand, Mohammad Mir; Pollet, Brigitte; Thévenin, Johanne; Lapierre, Catherine; Jouanin, Lise; Joseleau, Jean-Paul

2009-01-01

A cinnamoyl-CoA reductase 1 knockout mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated for the consequences of lignin synthesis perturbation on the assembly of the cell walls. The mutant displayed a dwarf phenotype and a strong collapse of its xylem vessels corresponding to lower lignin content and a loss of lignin units of the noncondensed type. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the transformation considerably impaired the capacity of interfascicular fibers and vascular bundles to complete the assembly of cellulose microfibrils in the S(2) layer, the S(1) layer remaining unaltered. Such disorder in cellulose was correlated with X-ray diffraction showing altered organization. Semi-quantitative immunolabeling of lignins showed that the patterns of distribution were differentially affected in interfascicular fibers and vascular bundles, pointing to the importance of noncondensed lignin structures for the assembly of a coherent secondary wall. The use of laser capture microdissection combined with the microanalysis of lignins and polysaccharides allowed these polymers to be characterized into specific cell types. Wild-type A. thaliana displayed a two-fold higher syringyl to guaiacyl ratio in interfascicular fibers compared with vascular bundles, whereas this difference was less marked in the cinnamoyl-CoA reductase 1 knockout mutant.

Support for User Interfaces for Distributed Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eychaner, Glenn; Niessner, Albert

2005-01-01

An extensible Java(TradeMark) software framework supports the construction and operation of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for distributed computing systems typified by ground control systems that send commands to, and receive telemetric data from, spacecraft. Heretofore, such GUIs have been custom built for each new system at considerable expense. In contrast, the present framework affords generic capabilities that can be shared by different distributed systems. Dynamic class loading, reflection, and other run-time capabilities of the Java language and JavaBeans component architecture enable the creation of a GUI for each new distributed computing system with a minimum of custom effort. By use of this framework, GUI components in control panels and menus can send commands to a particular distributed system with a minimum of system-specific code. The framework receives, decodes, processes, and displays telemetry data; custom telemetry data handling can be added for a particular system. The framework supports saving and later restoration of users configurations of control panels and telemetry displays with a minimum of effort in writing system-specific code. GUIs constructed within this framework can be deployed in any operating system with a Java run-time environment, without recompilation or code changes.

Olfactory experience and the development of odor preference and vaginal marking in female Syrian hamsters.

PubMed

Maras, Pamela M; Petrulis, Aras

2008-07-05

Rodent reproductive behavior relies heavily on odor processing, and evidence suggests that many odor-guided sexual behaviors are shaped by prior experience. We sought to determine if exposure to male odors during development is required for the adult expression of proceptive sexual behavior toward male odors in female Syrian hamsters. Exposure to male odors was restricted in naïve subjects by removing all male siblings from the litter at three to five days of age. Control litters were also culled, but included equal numbers of male and female pups. As adults, naïve females displayed investigatory preferences toward male odors in a Y-maze that were comparable to control females; this preference was observed whether contact with the odor stimuli was prevented of allowed. In contrast, naïve females vaginal scent-marked equally toward male and female volatile odors, suggesting an inability to target behavior toward sexually relevant odors. However, naïve females marked preferentially toward male odors when allowed to contact the odor stimuli. These results provide evidence for the experience-dependent development of vaginal marking behavior toward volatile components of sexual odors. Furthermore, they suggest that distinct mechanisms regulate the development of odor preferences and vaginal marking behavior in this species.

Oscillatory bedload transport: Data review and simple formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallermeier, Robert J.

1982-11-01

This review displays over 700 rates of sediment transport by oscillatory flow from 20 sources. Sediments include fine sands to pebbles, both of quartz and of lightweight materials, and the transport rates in water range over seven orders of magnitude. Most data are average gross (to and fro) bedload rates collinear with laboratory flow over a horizontal sediment bed, although other situations with net transport, suspended load, or oblique field waves are considered. As peak flow velocity nears twice the threshold velocity for sediment motion, bedload appears to be fully developed and the transport rate is near that given by a simple formula including flow frequency and peak velocity, and sediment size and density. At lesser peak velocities, bedload rates are markedly smaller and distinctly different regimes of sediment mobilization and transport may be identified.

Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats

PubMed Central

Kaelin, Christopher B.; Xu, Xiao; Hong, Lewis Z.; David, Victor A.; McGowan, Kelly A.; Schmidt-Küntzel, Anne; Roelke, Melody E.; Pino, Javier; Pontius, Joan; Cooper, Gregory M.; Manuel, Hermogenes; Swanson, William F.; Marker, Laurie; Harper, Cindy K.; van Dyk, Ann; Yue, Bisong; Mullikin, James C.; Warren, Wesley C.; Eizirik, Eduardo; Kos, Lidia; O’Brien, Stephen J.; Barsh, Gregory S.; Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn

2013-01-01

Color markings among felid species display both a remarkable diversity and a common underlying periodicity. A similar range of patterns in domestic cats suggests a conserved mechanism whose appearance can be altered by selection. We identified the gene responsible for tabby pattern variation in domestic cats as Transmembrane aminopeptidase Q (Taqpep), which encodes a membrane-bound metalloprotease. Analyzing 31 other felid species, we identified Taqpep as the cause of the rare king cheetah phenotype, in which spots coalesce into blotches and stripes. Histologic, genomic expression, and transgenic mouse studies indicate that paracrine expression of Endothelin3 (Edn3) coordinates localized color differences. We propose a two-stage model in which Taqpep helps to establish a periodic pre-pattern during skin development that is later implemented by differential expression of Edn3. PMID:22997338

Modification of social withdrawal through symbolic modeling1

PubMed Central

O'Connor, Robert D.

1969-01-01

The present experiment was designed to test the efficacy of symbolic modeling as a treatment to enhance social behavior in preschool isolates. Nursery school children who displayed marked social withdrawal were assigned to one of two conditions. One group observed a film depicting increasingly more active social interactions between children with positive consequences ensuing in each scene, while a narrative soundtrack emphasized the appropriate behavior of the models. A control group observed a film that contained no social interaction. Control children displayed no change in withdrawal behavior, whereas those who had the benefit of symbolic modeling increased their level of social interaction to that of non-isolate nursery school children. PMID:16795196

Digital Light Processing update: status and future applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hornbeck, Larry J.

1999-05-01

Digital Light Processing (DLP) projection displays based on the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) were introduced to the market in 1996. Less than 3 years later, DLP-based projectors are found in such diverse applications as mobile, conference room, video wall, home theater, and large-venue. They provide high-quality, seamless, all-digital images that have exceptional stability as well as freedom from both flicker and image lag. Marked improvements have been made in the image quality of DLP-based projection display, including brightness, resolution, contrast ratio, and border image. DLP-based mobile projectors that weighted about 27 pounds in 1996 now weight only about 7 pounds. This weight reduction has been responsible for the definition of an entirely new projector class, the ultraportable. New applications are being developed for this important new projection display technology; these include digital photofinishing for high process speed minilab and maxilab applications and DLP Cinema for the digital delivery of films to audiences around the world. This paper describes the status of DLP-based projection display technology, including its manufacturing, performance improvements, and new applications, with emphasis on DLP Cinema.

Secondary forms of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: A whole different prognosis.

PubMed

Núñez-Gil, Iván J; Almendro-Delia, Manuel; Andrés, Mireia; Sionis, Alessandro; Martin, Ana; Bastante, Teresa; Córdoba-Soriano, Juan G; Linares, José A; González Sucarrats, Silvia; Sánchez-Grande-Flecha, Alejandro; Fabregat-Andrés, Oscar; Pérez, Beatriz; Escudier-Villa, Juan M; Martin-Reyes, Roberto; Pérez-Castellanos, Alberto; Rueda Sobella, Ferrán; Cambeiro, Cristina; Piqueras-Flores, Jesús; Vidal-Perez, Rafael; Bodí, Vicente; García de la Villa, Bernardo; Corbí-Pascua, Miguel; Biagioni, Corina; Mejía-Rentería, Hernán D; Feltes, Gisela; Barrabés, José

2016-08-01

Takotsubo syndrome (TKS) usually mimics an acute coronary syndrome. However, several clinical forms have been reported. Our aim was to assess if different stressful triggers had prognostic influence on TKS, and to establish a working classification. We performed an analysis including patients with TKS between 2003-2013 from our prospective local database and the RETAKO National Registry, fulfilling Mayo criteria. Patients were divided in two groups regarding their potential triggers: (a) none/psychic stress as 'primary forms' and (b) physical factors (asthma, surgery, trauma, etc.) as 'secondary forms'. Finally, 328 patients were included, 90.2% women, with a mean age of 69.7 years. Patients were divided into primary TKS (n=265) and 63 secondary TKS groups. Age, gender, previous functional class and cardiovascular risk profile displayed no differences between groups before admission. However, primary-TKS patients suffered a main complaint of chest pain (89.4% vs 50.7%, p<0.0001) with frequent vegetative symptoms. Regarding treatment before admission, there were no differences either. During admission, differences were related to more intensive antithrombotic and anxiolytic drug use in the primary TKS group. Inotropic and mechanical ventilation use was higher in the secondary cohort. After discharge, a more frequent prescription of beta-blockers and statins in primary-TKS patients was seen. Secondary forms displayed more in-hospital stay and evolutive complications: death (hazard ratio (HR): 3.41; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14-10.16, p=0.02), combined event variable (MACE) (HR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.01-2.6, p=0.04) and recurrences (HR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.06-3.22, p=0.02). Secondary TKS could present or mark worse short and long-term prognoses in terms of mortality, recurrences and readmissions. We propose a simple working nomenclature for TKS. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015.

Enabling high grayscale resolution displays and accurate response time measurements on conventional computers.

PubMed

Li, Xiangrui; Lu, Zhong-Lin

2012-02-29

Display systems based on conventional computer graphics cards are capable of generating images with 8-bit gray level resolution. However, most experiments in vision research require displays with more than 12 bits of luminance resolution. Several solutions are available. Bit++ (1) and DataPixx (2) use the Digital Visual Interface (DVI) output from graphics cards and high resolution (14 or 16-bit) digital-to-analog converters to drive analog display devices. The VideoSwitcher (3) described here combines analog video signals from the red and blue channels of graphics cards with different weights using a passive resister network (4) and an active circuit to deliver identical video signals to the three channels of color monitors. The method provides an inexpensive way to enable high-resolution monochromatic displays using conventional graphics cards and analog monitors. It can also provide trigger signals that can be used to mark stimulus onsets, making it easy to synchronize visual displays with physiological recordings or response time measurements. Although computer keyboards and mice are frequently used in measuring response times (RT), the accuracy of these measurements is quite low. The RTbox is a specialized hardware and software solution for accurate RT measurements. Connected to the host computer through a USB connection, the driver of the RTbox is compatible with all conventional operating systems. It uses a microprocessor and high-resolution clock to record the identities and timing of button events, which are buffered until the host computer retrieves them. The recorded button events are not affected by potential timing uncertainties or biases associated with data transmission and processing in the host computer. The asynchronous storage greatly simplifies the design of user programs. Several methods are available to synchronize the clocks of the RTbox and the host computer. The RTbox can also receive external triggers and be used to measure RT with respect to external events. Both VideoSwitcher and RTbox are available for users to purchase. The relevant information and many demonstration programs can be found at http://lobes.usc.edu/.

THE EFFICACY OF THREE MEDICINAL PLANTS; GARLIC, GINGER AND MIRAZID AND A CHEMICAL DRUG METRONIDAZOLE AGAINST CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM: II-HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES.

PubMed

Abouel-Nour, Mohamed F; El-Shewehy, Dina Magdy M; Hamada, Shadia F; Morsy, Tosson A

2016-04-01

Cryptosporidiosis parvum is a zoonotic protozoan parasite infects intestinal epithelial cells of man and animals causing a major health problem. This study was oriented to evaluate the protective and curative capacity of garlic, ginger and mirazid in comparison with metronidazole drug (commercially known) against Cryptosporidium in experimental mice. Male Swiss Albino mice experimentally infected with C. parvum were treated with medicinal plants extracts (Ginger, Mirazid, and Garlic) as compared to chemical drug Metronidazole. Importantly, C. parvum-infected mice treated with ginger, Mirazid, garlic and metronidazole showed a complete elimination in shedding oocysts by 9th day PI. The reduction and elimination of shedding oocysts in response to the treatments might be attributable to a direct effect on parasite growth in intestines, sexual phases production and/or the formation of oocysts. The results were evaluated histopathological examination of ideum section of control mice (uninfected, untreated) displayed normal architecture of the villi. Examiination of infected mice ileum section (infected, untreated) displayed histopathological alterations from uninfected groups. Examination of ileum section prepared from mice treated with garlic, ginger, mirazid, and metronidazole displayed histopathological alterations from that of the control groups, and showed marked histologic correction in the pattern with the four regimes used in comparison to control mice. Garlic successfully eradicated oocysts of infected mice from stool and intestine. Supplementation of ginger to infected mice markedly corrected elevation in the inflammatory risk factors and implied its potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory capabilities. Infected mice treated with ginger, mirazid, garlic and metronidazole showed significant symptomatic improvements during treatment.

Ultrasonographic localization of the thyroid gland for its optimal shielding prior to lateral cephalometric radiography: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Hurmerinta, Kirsti; Rice, David; Suomalainen, Anni

2016-01-01

Objectives: Lateral cephalometric radiography is a common radiographic examination technique in children. The exclusion of the thyroid gland from the primary X-ray beam is important especially with children. However, patient treatment might require displaying the four most cranial cervical vertebrae (C1–C4) for the assessment of cervical vertebral maturation. Our aim was to present a safe way to display C1–C4 and exclude the thyroid gland from the X-ray beam during lateral cephalometric radiography. Methods: The thyroid glands of 25, 7- to 12-year-old patients were localized by ultrasound examination and shielded prior to lateral cephalometric radiography. A roentgen-positive mark was taped on the patient's skin at the level of most cranial level of the thyroid gland in the midsagittal plane. After exposure, each lateral cephalometric radiograph (LCR) was analyzed for the visibility of the cervical vertebrae. The distance between the ear post and the highest edge of the thyroid shield (TS) at the lateral part of the neck was measured and compared with the distance between the centre of the radiological external auditory meatus, and a roentgen-positive mark was made on the LCR. Results: 68% of the LCRs displayed C1–C4, and the rest of them displayed C1–C3. In all of the patients, the highest edge of the TS in the lateral parts of the neck was located in a higher position than the actual most cranial level of the thyroid gland. Conclusions: Despite localizing the thyroid gland prior to lateral cephalometric radiography, simultaneous visualization of C1–C4 and exclusion of the thyroid gland from the primary X-ray beam during lateral cephalometric radiography might not be completely possible in children because of the design and poor fitness of the TS. PMID:26764584

33 CFR 149.570 - How is a platform, single point mooring, or submerged turret loading identified?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... loading (STL) that protrudes above the water or is marked by a buoy must display the name of the deepwater... water at all angles of approach to the structure; and (2) From aircraft on approach to the structure if the structure is equipped with a helicopter pad. (b) The information required in paragraph (a) of this...

33 CFR 149.570 - How is a platform, single point mooring, or submerged turret loading identified?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... loading (STL) that protrudes above the water or is marked by a buoy must display the name of the deepwater... water at all angles of approach to the structure; and (2) From aircraft on approach to the structure if the structure is equipped with a helicopter pad. (b) The information required in paragraph (a) of this...

33 CFR 149.570 - How is a platform, single point mooring, or submerged turret loading identified?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... loading (STL) that protrudes above the water or is marked by a buoy must display the name of the deepwater... water at all angles of approach to the structure; and (2) From aircraft on approach to the structure if the structure is equipped with a helicopter pad. (b) The information required in paragraph (a) of this...

33 CFR 149.570 - How is a platform, single point mooring, or submerged turret loading identified?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... loading (STL) that protrudes above the water or is marked by a buoy must display the name of the deepwater... water at all angles of approach to the structure; and (2) From aircraft on approach to the structure if the structure is equipped with a helicopter pad. (b) The information required in paragraph (a) of this...

33 CFR 149.570 - How is a platform, single point mooring, or submerged turret loading identified?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... loading (STL) that protrudes above the water or is marked by a buoy must display the name of the deepwater... water at all angles of approach to the structure; and (2) From aircraft on approach to the structure if the structure is equipped with a helicopter pad. (b) The information required in paragraph (a) of this...

Kuwait City, Kuwait as seen from STS-59

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The radiating transportation pattern of this 20th-Century urban plan is nicely displayed in this high-resolution photograph. Light-toned spots in the desrt mark oil well sites; along the south edge of the scene, some dark residue remains from the fires set during the recent Gulf War. Blown sand has nearly hidden the soot and thick oil that were deposited on the surface.

The Role of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator A1B1 in Growth Factor-Mediated Mammary Tumorigenesis

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

study display dwarfism and the retardation of mammary gland growth [9]. At the 4-month time point, I similarly observed an overall decrease in mammary...Coactivator A1B1 in Growth Factor- Mediated Mammary Tumorigenesis PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Mark P Fereshteh (BS) CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION...U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702-5012 DISTRIBUTION

Innovation Expo

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-31

Mark Lewis displays the two U.S. Patent plaques he received during a ceremony at the 2017 Innovation Expo at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To his right is Kelly Jones-McDowall, event co-chairperson. The purpose of the annual two-day expo is to help foster innovation and creativity among the Kennedy workforce. The event included several keynote speakers, training opportunities, an innovation showcase and the KSC Kickstart competition.

Korean Affairs Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-11

Briefs DPRK-USSR Film Exchange Plan 100 Gymnastic Performance in Ethiopia 100 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Meeting Marks University of Science...and artistic value and making literature a thoroughly communist humanics of chuche in order to fully carry out the tasks set forth in the work...PERFORMANCE IN ETHIOPIA—Pyongyang January 31 (KCNA)—The mass gymnastic display "Genuine Police of People1’ created and directed by mass gymnastic

Photodegradation and Photophysics of Laser Dyes

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-30

research. "The Photophysics and Photochem istry of’ Orgainic Laser Dyecs uander Conditions oit Binding to Polymethacrylic Acid in Water** thcsis...c 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 wotrds) 6 The solubilization of laser dyes in water with the aid of the polyelectrolyte, poly(methacr,-- lic acid ) (PMAA...moderately acidic pH. Polymer-bound dyes in water display markedly enhanced emission yield, lifetime, and polarization. Dye materials are also less

Effect of recombinant human gamma interferon on intracellular activities of antibiotics against Listeria monocytogenes in the human macrophage cell line THP-1.

PubMed Central

Scorneaux, B; Ouadrhiri, Y; Anzalone, G; Tulkens, P M

1996-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen which enters cells by endocytosis and reaches phagolysosomes from where it escapes and multiplies in the cytosol of untreated cells. Exposure of macrophages to gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) restricts L. monocytogenes to phagosomes and prevents its intracellular multiplication. We have tested whether IFN-gamma also modulates the susceptibility of L. monocytogenes to antibiotics. We selected drugs from three different classes displaying marked properties concerning their cellular accumulation and subcellular distribution, namely, ampicillin (not accumulated by cells but present in cytosol), azithromycin (largely accumulated by cells but mostly restricted to lysosomes), and sparfloxacin (accumulated to a fair extent but detected only in cytosol). We used a continuous line of myelomonocytic cells (THP-1 macrophages), which display specific surface receptors for IFN-gamma, and examined the activity of these antibiotics against L. monocytogenes Hly+ (virulent variant) and L. monocytogenes Hly- (a nonvirulent variant defective in hemolysin production). Untreated THP-1 and phorbol myristate acetate-differentiated THP-1 were permissive for infection and multiplication of intracellular L. monocytogenes Hly+ (virulent variant). All three antibiotics tested were bactericidal against this Listeria strain when added to an extracellular concentration of 10x their MIC. After preexposure of THP-1 to IFN-gamma, L. monocytogenes Hly+ was still phagocytosed but no longer grew intracellularly. The activity of ampicillin became almost undetectable (antagonistic effect), and that of azithromycin was unchanged (additive effect with that of IFN-gamma), whereas that of sparfloxacin was markedly enhanced (synergy). A similar behavior (lack of bacterial growth, associated with a loss of activity of ampicillin, an enhanced activity of sparfloxacin, and unchanged activity of azithromycin) was observed in cells infected with L. monocytogenes Hly-. This modulation of antibiotic activity, which we ascribe to the change of subcellular localization of L. monocytogenes caused by IFN-gamma or by the lack of virulence factor, could result from a change in bacterial responsiveness to antibiotics, a modification of the drug activity, or differences in drug bioavailabilities between cytosol and phagosomes. PMID:8723471

Alterations in hippocampal and cortical densities of functionally different interneurons in rat models of absence epilepsy.

PubMed

Papp, Péter; Kovács, Zsolt; Szocsics, Péter; Juhász, Gábor; Maglóczky, Zsófia

2018-05-31

Recent data from absence epileptic patients and animal models provide evidence for significant impairments of attention, memory, and psychosocial functioning. Here, we outline aspects of the electrophysiological and structural background of these dysfunctions by investigating changes in hippocampal and cortical GABAergic inhibitory interneurons in two genetically absence epileptic rat strains: the Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) and the Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) rats. Using simultaneously recorded field potentials from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1 cortex, seizure focus) and the hippocampal hilus, we demonstrated that typical frequencies of spike-wave discharges (SWDs; 7-8 Hz, GAERS; 7-9 Hz, WAG/Rij) and their harmonics appeared and their EEG spectral power markedly increased on recordings not only from the S1 cortex, but also from the hilus in both GAERS and WAG/Rij rats during SWDs. Moreover, we observed an increased synchronization between S1 cortex and hilus at 7-8 Hz (GAERS) and 7-9 Hz (WAG/Rij) and at their harmonics when SWDs occurred in the S1 cortex in both rat strains. In addition, using immunohistochemistry we demonstrated changes in the densities of perisomatic (parvalbumin-immunopositive, PV+) and interneuron-selective (calretinin-immunopositive, CR+) GABAergic inhibitory interneuron somata. Specifically, GAERS and WAG/Rij rats displayed lower densities of PV-immunopositivity in the hippocampal hilus compared to non-epileptic control (NEC) and normal Wistar rats. GAERS and WAG/Rij rats also show a marked reduction in the density of CR + interneurons in the same region in comparison with NEC rats. Data from the S1 cortex reveals bidirectional differences in PV + density, with GAERS displaying a significant increase, whereas WAG/Rij a reduction compared to control rat strains. Our results suggest an enhanced synchronization and functional connections between the hippocampus and S1 cortex as well as thalamocortical activities during SWDs and a functional alteration of inhibitory mechanisms in the hippocampus and S1 cortex of two genetic models of absence epilepsy, presumably in relation with increased neuronal activity and seizure-induced neuronal injury. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distribution and sources of organic matter in surface marine sediments across the North American Arctic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goñi, Miguel A.; O'Connor, Alison E.; Kuzyk, Zou Zou; Yunker, Mark B.; Gobeil, Charles; Macdonald, Robie W.

2013-09-01

As part of the International Polar Year research program, we conducted a survey of surface marine sediments from box cores along a section extending from the Bering Sea to Davis Strait via the Canadian Archipelago. We used bulk elemental and isotopic compositions, together with biomarkers and principal components analysis, to elucidate the distribution of marine and terrestrial organic matter in different regions of the North American Arctic margin. Marked regional contrasts were observed in organic carbon loadings, with the highest values (≥1 mg C m-2 sediment) found in sites along Barrow Canyon and the Chukchi and Bering shelves, all of which were characterized by sediments with low oxygen exposure, as inferred from thin layers (<2 cm) of Mn oxihydroxides. We found strong regional differences in inorganic carbon concentrations, with sites from the Canadian Archipelago and Lancaster Sound displaying elevated values (2-7 wt %) and highly depleted 14C compositions consistent with inputs from bedrock carbonates. Organic carbon:nitrogen ratios, stable carbon isotopes, and terrigenous organic biomarkers (lignin phenols and cutin acids) all indicate marked regional differences in the proportions of marine and terrigenous organic matter present in surface sediments. Regions such as Barrow Canyon and the Mackenzie River shelf were characterized by the highest contributions of land-derived organic matter, with compositional characteristics that suggested distinct sources and provenance. In contrast, sediments from the Canadian Archipelago and Davis Strait had the smallest contributions of terrigenous organic matter and the lowest organic carbon loadings indicative of a high degree of post-depositional oxidation.

Impact of point-of-sale tobacco display bans: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey

PubMed Central

Li, Lin; Borland, Ron; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Thrasher, James F.; Hammond, David; Cummings, Kenneth M.

2013-01-01

This study examined the impact of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco marketing restrictions in Australia and Canada, in relation to the United Kingdom and the United States where there were no such restrictions during the study period (2006–10). The data came from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, a prospective multi-country cohort survey of adult smokers. In jurisdictions where POS display bans were implemented, smokers’ reported exposure to tobacco marketing declined markedly. From 2006 to 2010, in Canada, the percentages noticing POS tobacco displays declined from 74.1 to 6.1% [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.26, P < 0.001]; and reported exposure to POS tobacco advertising decreased from 40.3 to 14.1% (adjusted OR = 0.61, P < 0.001). Similarly, in Australia, noticing of POS displays decreased from 73.9 to 42.9%. In contrast, exposure to POS marketing in the United States and United Kingdom remained high during this period. In parallel, there were declines in reported exposures to other forms of advertising/promotion in Canada and Australia, but again, not in the United States or United Kingdom. Impulse purchasing of cigarettes was lower in places that enacted POS display bans. These findings indicate that implementing POS tobacco display bans does result in lower exposure to tobacco marketing and less frequent impulse purchasing of cigarettes. PMID:23640986

Impact of point-of-sale tobacco display bans: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Li, Lin; Borland, Ron; Fong, Geoffrey T; Thrasher, James F; Hammond, David; Cummings, Kenneth M

2013-10-01

This study examined the impact of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco marketing restrictions in Australia and Canada, in relation to the United Kingdom and the United States where there were no such restrictions during the study period (2006-10). The data came from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, a prospective multi-country cohort survey of adult smokers. In jurisdictions where POS display bans were implemented, smokers' reported exposure to tobacco marketing declined markedly. From 2006 to 2010, in Canada, the percentages noticing POS tobacco displays declined from 74.1 to 6.1% [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.26, P < 0.001]; and reported exposure to POS tobacco advertising decreased from 40.3 to 14.1% (adjusted OR = 0.61, P < 0.001). Similarly, in Australia, noticing of POS displays decreased from 73.9 to 42.9%. In contrast, exposure to POS marketing in the United States and United Kingdom remained high during this period. In parallel, there were declines in reported exposures to other forms of advertising/promotion in Canada and Australia, but again, not in the United States or United Kingdom. Impulse purchasing of cigarettes was lower in places that enacted POS display bans. These findings indicate that implementing POS tobacco display bans does result in lower exposure to tobacco marketing and less frequent impulse purchasing of cigarettes.

Manganese Deficiency Leads to Genotype-Specific Changes in Fluorescence Induction Kinetics and State Transitions1[C][OA

PubMed Central

Husted, Søren; Laursen, Kristian H.; Hebbern, Christopher A.; Schmidt, Sidsel B.; Pedas, Pai; Haldrup, Anna; Jensen, Poul E.

2009-01-01

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes display a marked difference in their ability to tolerate growth at low manganese (Mn) concentrations, a phenomenon designated as differential Mn efficiency. Induction of Mn deficiency in two genotypes differing in Mn efficiency led to a decline in the quantum yield efficiency for both, although faster in the Mn-inefficient genotype. Leaf tissue and thylakoid Mn concentrations were reduced under Mn deficiency, but no difference between genotypes was observed and no visual Mn deficiency symptoms were developed. Analysis of the fluorescence induction kinetics revealed that in addition to the usual O-J-I-P steps, clear K and D steps were developed in the Mn-inefficient genotype under Mn deficiency. These marked changes indicated damages to photosystem II (PSII). This was further substantiated by state transition measurements, indicating that the ability of plants to redistribute excitation energy was reduced. The percentage change in state transitions for control plants with normal Mn supply of both genotypes was 9% to 11%. However, in Mn-deficient leaves of the Mn-inefficient genotypes, state transitions were reduced to less than 1%, whereas no change was observed for the Mn-efficient genotypes. Immunoblotting and the chlorophyll a/b ratio confirmed that Mn deficiency in general resulted in a significant reduction in abundance of PSII reaction centers relative to the peripheral antenna. In addition, PSII appeared to be significantly more affected by Mn limitation than PSI. However, the striking genotypic differences observed in Mn-deficient plants, when analyzing state transitions and fluorescence induction kinetics, could not be correlated with specific changes in photosystem proteins. Thus, there is no simple linkage between protein expression and the differential reduction in state transition and fluorescence induction kinetics observed for the genotypes under Mn deficiency. PMID:19369593

Hydraulic conductivity and contribution of aquaporins to water uptake in roots of four sunflower genotypes.

PubMed

Adiredjo, Afifuddin Latif; Navaud, Olivier; Grieu, Philippe; Lamaze, Thierry

2014-12-01

This article evaluates the potential of intraspecific variation for whole-root hydraulic properties in sunflower. We investigated genotypic differences related to root water transport in four genotypes selected because of their differing water use efficiency (JAC doi: 10.1111/jac.12079. 2014). We used a pressure-flux approach to characterize hydraulic conductance (L 0 ) which reflects the overall water uptake capacity of the roots and hydraulic conductivity (Lp r ) which represents the root intrinsic water permeability on an area basis. The contribution of aquaporins (AQPs) to water uptake was explored using mercuric chloride (HgCl 2 ), a general AQP blocker. There were considerable variations in root morphology between genotypes. Mean values of L 0 and Lp r showed significant variation (above 60% in both cases) between recombinant inbred lines in control plants. Pressure-induced sap flow was strongly inhibited by HgCl 2 treatment in all genotypes (more than 50%) and contribution of AQPs to hydraulic conductivity varied between genotypes. Treated root systems displayed markedly different L 0 values between genotypes whereas Lp r values were similar. Our analysis points to marked differences between genotypes in the intrinsic aquaporin-dependent path (Lp r in control plants) but not in the intrinsic AQP-independent paths (Lp r in HgCl 2 treated plants). Overall, root anatomy was a major determinant of water transport properties of the whole organ and can compensate for a low AQP contribution. Hydraulic properties of root tissues and organs might have to be taken into account for plant breeding since they appear to play a key role in sunflower water balance and water use efficiency.

KNOX1 is expressed and epigenetically regulated during in vitro conditions in Agave spp

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The micropropagation is a powerful tool to scale up plants of economical and agronomical importance, enhancing crop productivity. However, a small but growing body of evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, can be affected under the in vitro conditions characteristic of micropropagation. Here, we tested whether the adaptation to different in vitro systems (Magenta boxes and Bioreactors) modified epigenetically different clones of Agave fourcroydes and A. angustifolia. Furthermore, we assessed whether these epigenetic changes affect the regulatory expression of KNOTTED1-like HOMEOBOX (KNOX) transcription factors. Results To gain a better understanding of epigenetic changes during in vitro and ex vitro conditions in Agave fourcroydes and A. angustifolia, we analyzed global DNA methylation, as well as different histone modification marks, in two different systems: semisolid in Magenta boxes (M) and temporary immersion in modular Bioreactors (B). No significant difference was found in DNA methylation in A. fourcroydes grown in either M or B. However, when A. fourcroydes was compared with A. angustifolia, there was a two-fold difference in DNA methylation between the species, independent of the in vitro system used. Furthermore, we detected an absence or a low amount of the repressive mark H3K9me2 in ex vitro conditions in plants that were cultured earlier either in M or B. Moreover, the expression of AtqKNOX1 and AtqKNOX2, on A. fourcroydes and A. angustifolia clones, is affected during in vitro conditions. Therefore, we used Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation (ChIP) to know whether these genes were epigenetically regulated. In the case of AtqKNOX1, the H3K4me3 and H3K9me2 were affected during in vitro conditions in comparison with AtqKNOX2. Conclusions Agave clones plants with higher DNA methylation during in vitro conditions were better adapted to ex vitro conditions. In addition, A. fourcroydes and A. angustifolia clones displayed differential expression of the KNOX1 gene during in vitro conditions, which is epigenetically regulated by the H3K4me3 and H3K9me2 marks. The finding of an epigenetic regulation in key developmental genes will make it important in future studies to identify factors that help to find climate-resistant micropropagated plants. PMID:23126409

Gene transfer of Hodgkin cell lines via multivalent anti-CD30 scFv displaying bacteriophage.

PubMed

Chung, Yoon-Suk A; Sabel, Katja; Krönke, Martin; Klimka, Alexander

2008-04-16

The display of binding ligands, such as recombinant antibody fragments, on the surface of filamentous phage makes it possible to specifically attach these phage particles to target cells. After uptake of the phage, their internal single-stranded DNA is processed by the host cell, which allows transient expression of an encoded eukaryotic gene cassette. This opens the possibility to use bacteriophage as vectors for targeted gene therapy, although the transduction efficiency is very low. Here we demonstrate the display of an anti-CD30 single chain variable fragment fused to the major coat protein pVIII on the surface of bacteriophage. These phage particles showed an improved binding and transduction efficiency of CD30 positive Hodgkin-lymphoma cells, compared to bacteriophage with the anti-CD30 single chain variable fragment fused to the minor coat protein pIII. We can conclude from the results that the postulated multivalency of the anti-CD30-pVIII displaying bacteriophage combined with disseminated display of the anti-CD30 scFv on the whole particle surface is responsible for the improved gene transfer rate. These results mark an important step towards the use of phage particles as a cheap and safe gene transfer vehicle for the gene delivery of the desired target cells via their specific surface receptors.

Can a More User-Friendly Medicare Plan Finder Improve Consumers' Selection of Medicare Plans?

PubMed

Martino, Steven C; Kanouse, David E; Miranda, David J; Elliott, Marc N

2017-10-01

To evaluate the efficacy for consumers of two potential enhancements to the Medicare Plan Finder (MPF)-a simplified data display and a "quick links" home page designed to match the specific tasks that users seek to accomplish on the MPF. Participants (N = 641) were seniors and adult caregivers of seniors who were recruited from a national online panel. Participants browsed a simulated version of the MPF, made a hypothetical plan choice, and reported on their experience. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions in a fully factorial design: 2 home pages (quick links, current MPF home page) × 2 data displays (simplified, current MPF display) × 2 plan types (stand-alone prescription drug plan [PDP], Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage [MA-PD]). The quick links page resulted in more favorable perceptions of the MPF, improved users' understanding of the information, and increased the probability of choosing the objectively best plan. The simplified data display resulted in a more favorable evaluation of the website, better comprehension of the displayed information, and, among those choosing a PDP only, an increased probability of choosing the best plan. Design enhancements could markedly improve average website users' understanding, ability to use, and experience of using the MPF. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Handball Practice Enhances Bone Mass in Specific Sites Among Prepubescent Boys.

PubMed

Missawi, Kawther; Zouch, Mohamed; Chakroun, Yosra; Chaari, Hamada; Tabka, Zouhair; Bouajina, Elyès

2016-01-01

This investigation's purpose is to focus on the effects of practicing handball for at least 2 yr on bone acquisition among prepubescent boys. One hundred prepubescent boys aged 10.68 ± 0.85 yr were divided into 2 groups: 50 handball players (HP group) and 50 controls (C group). Bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and bone area (BA) were evaluated by using dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry on the whole body, lumbar spine (L2-L4), legs, arms, femoral necks, hips and radiuses. Results showed greater values of BMD in both right and left femoral neck and total hip in handball players than in controls. In addition, handball players had higher values of legs and right total hip BMC than controls without any obvious variation of BA measurement in all sites between groups. All results of the paired t-test displayed an obviously marked variation of bone mass parameters between the left and right sides in the trained group without any marked variation among controls. Data showed an increased BMD of the supporting sites between the left and the right leg among handball players. However, "BMC" results exhibited higher values in the right than in the left total hip, and in the right total radius than in the left correspondent site. In addition, differences in the "BA" measurements were observed in the left total hip and in the right arm. Specific bone sites are markedly stimulated by handball training in prepubescent boys. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhacement of intrafield overlay using a design based metrology system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jo, Gyoyeon; Ji, Sunkeun; Kim, Shinyoung; Kang, Hyunwoo; Park, Minwoo; Kim, Sangwoo; Kim, Jungchan; Park, Chanha; Yang, Hyunjo; Maruyama, Kotaro; Park, Byungjun

2016-03-01

As the scales of the semiconductor devices continue to shrink, accurate measurement and control of the overlay have been emphasized for securing more overlay margin. Conventional overlay analysis methods are based on the optical measurement of the overlay mark. However, the overlay data obtained from these optical methods cannot represent the exact misregistration between two layers at the circuit level. The overlay mismatch may arise from the size or pitch difference between the overlay mark and the real pattern. Pattern distortion, caused by CMP or etching, could be a source of the overlay mismatch as well. Another issue is the overlay variation in the real circuit pattern which varies depending on its location. The optical overlay measurement methods, such as IBO and DBO that use overlay mark on the scribeline, are not capable of defining the exact overlay values of the real circuit. Therefore, the overlay values of the real circuit need to be extracted to integrate the semiconductor device properly. The circuit level overlay measurement using CDSEM is time-consuming in extracting enough data to indicate overall trend of the chip. However DBM tool is able to derive sufficient data to display overlay tendency of the real circuit region with high repeatability. An E-beam based DBM(Design Based Metrology) tool can be an alternative overlay measurement method. In this paper, we are going to certify that the overlay values extracted from optical measurement cannot represent the circuit level overlay values. We will also demonstrate the possibility to correct misregistration between two layers using the overlay data obtained from the DBM system.

[Comparison of bite marks and teeth features using 2D and 3D methods].

PubMed

Lorkiewicz-Muszyńska, Dorota; Glapiński, Mariusz; Zaba, Czesław; Łabecka, Marzena

2011-01-01

The nature of bite marks is complex. They are found at the scene of crime on different materials and surfaces - not only on human body and corpse, but also on food products and material objects. Human bites on skin are sometimes difficult to interpret and to analyze because of the specific character of skin--elastic and distortable--and because different areas of human body have different surfaces and curvatures. A bite mark left at the scene of crime can be a highly helpful way to lead investigators to criminals. The study was performed to establish: 1) whether bite marks exhibit variations in the accuracy of impressions on different materials, 2) whether it is possible to use the 3D method in the process of identifying an individual based on the comparison of bite marks revealed at the scene, and 3D scans of dental casts, 3) whether application of the 3D method allows for elimination of secondary photographic distortion of bite marks. The authors carried out experiments on simulated cases. Five volunteers bit various materials with different surfaces. Experimental bite marks were collected with emphasis on differentiations of materials. Subsequently, dental impressions were taken from five volunteers in order to prepare five sets of dental casts (the maxilla and mandible. The biting edges of teeth were impressed in wax to create an imprint. The samples of dental casts, corresponding wax bite impressions and bite marks from different materials were scanned with 2D and 3D scanners and photographs were taken. All of these were examined in detail and then compared using different methods (2D and 3D). 1) Bite marks exhibit variations in accuracy of impression on different materials. The most legible reproduction of bite marks was seen on cheese. 2) In comparison of bite marks, the 3D method and 3D scans of dental casts are highly accurate. 3) The 3D method helps to eliminate secondary photographic distortion of bite marks.

Hybrid Wing Body Planform Design with Vehicle Sketch Pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wells, Douglas P.; Olson, Erik D.

2011-01-01

The objective of this paper was to provide an update on NASA s current tools for design and analysis of hybrid wing body (HWB) aircraft with an emphasis on Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP). NASA started HWB analysis using the Flight Optimization System (FLOPS). That capability is enhanced using Phoenix Integration's ModelCenter(Registered TradeMark). Model Center enables multifidelity analysis tools to be linked as an integrated structure. Two major components are linked to FLOPS as an example; a planform discretization tool and VSP. The planform discretization tool ensures the planform is smooth and continuous. VSP is used to display the output geometry. This example shows that a smooth & continuous HWB planform can be displayed as a three-dimensional model and rapidly sized and analyzed.

Supplementation of Male Pheromone on Rock Substrates Attracts Female Rock Lizards to the Territories of Males: A Field Experiment

PubMed Central

Martín, José; López, Pilar

2012-01-01

Background Many animals produce elaborated sexual signals to attract mates, among them are common chemical sexual signals (pheromones) with an attracting function. Lizards produce chemical secretions for scent marking that may have a role in sexual selection. In the laboratory, female rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni) prefer the scent of males with more ergosterol in their femoral secretions. However, it is not known whether the scent-marks of male rock lizards may actually attract females to male territories in the field. Methodology/Principal Findings In the field, we added ergosterol to rocks inside the territories of male lizards, and found that this manipulation resulted in increased relative densities of females in these territories. Furthermore, a higher number of females were observed associated to males in manipulated plots, which probably increased mating opportunities for males in these areas. Conclusions/Significance These and previous laboratory results suggest that female rock lizards may select to settle in home ranges based on the characteristics of scent-marks from conspecific males. Therefore, male rock lizards might attract more females and obtain more matings by increasing the proportion of ergosterol when scent-marking their territories. However, previous studies suggest that the allocation of ergosterol to secretions may be costly and only high quality males could afford it, thus, allowing the evolution of scent-marks as an honest sexual display. PMID:22253895

New Horizons Sees Pluto (Animation) Note: There is debate within the science community as to whether

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons acquired images of the Pluto field three days apart in late September 2006, in order to see Pluto's motion against a dense background of stars. LORRI took three frames at 1-second exposures on both Sept. 21 and Sept. 24. Because it moved along its predicted path, Pluto was detected in all six images.

These images are displayed using false-color to represent different intensities: the lowest intensity level is black, different shades of red mark intermediate intensities, and the highest intensity is white.

The images appear pixilated because they were obtained in a mode that compensates for the drift in spacecraft pointing over long exposure times. LORRI also made these observations before operators uploaded new flight-control software in October; the upgraded software package includes an optical navigation capability that will make LORRI approximately three times more sensitive still than for these Pluto observations.

Aqueous and Ethanolic Valeriana officinalis Extracts Change the Binding of Ligands to Glutamate Receptors

PubMed Central

Del Valle-Mojica, Lisa M.; Cordero-Hernández, José M.; González-Medina, Giselle; Ramos-Vélez, Igmeris; Berríos-Cartagena, Nairimer; Torres-Hernández, Bianca A.; Ortíz, José G.

2011-01-01

The effects of two valerian extracts (aqueous and hydroalcoholic) were investigated through [3H]Glutamate ([3H]Glu) and [3H]Fluorowillardine ([3H]FW) receptor binding assays using rat synaptic membranes in presence of different receptor ligands. In addition, the extract stability was monitored spectrophotometrically. Both extracts demonstrated interaction with ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs). However, the extracts displayed considerable differences in receptor selectivity. The hydroalcoholic extract selectively interacted with quisqualic acid (QA), group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) ligand, while the aqueous extract did not alter the binding of QA. The stability of the extracts was examined during several weeks. Freshly prepared extract inhibited 38–60% of [3H]FW binding (AMPA). After 10 days, the aqueous extract inhibited 85% of [3H]FW binding while the hydroalcoholic extract markedly potentiated (200%) [3H]FW binding to AMPA receptors. Thus, our results showed that factors such as extraction solvent and extract stability determine the selectivity for glutamate receptor (GluR) interactions. PMID:21151614

Aqueous and Ethanolic Valeriana officinalis Extracts Change the Binding of Ligands to Glutamate Receptors.

PubMed

Del Valle-Mojica, Lisa M; Cordero-Hernández, José M; González-Medina, Giselle; Ramos-Vélez, Igmeris; Berríos-Cartagena, Nairimer; Torres-Hernández, Bianca A; Ortíz, José G

2011-01-01

The effects of two valerian extracts (aqueous and hydroalcoholic) were investigated through [(3)H]Glutamate ([(3)H]Glu) and [(3)H]Fluorowillardine ([(3)H]FW) receptor binding assays using rat synaptic membranes in presence of different receptor ligands. In addition, the extract stability was monitored spectrophotometrically. Both extracts demonstrated interaction with ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs). However, the extracts displayed considerable differences in receptor selectivity. The hydroalcoholic extract selectively interacted with quisqualic acid (QA), group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) ligand, while the aqueous extract did not alter the binding of QA. The stability of the extracts was examined during several weeks. Freshly prepared extract inhibited 38-60% of [(3)H]FW binding (AMPA). After 10 days, the aqueous extract inhibited 85% of [(3)H]FW binding while the hydroalcoholic extract markedly potentiated (200%) [(3)H]FW binding to AMPA receptors. Thus, our results showed that factors such as extraction solvent and extract stability determine the selectivity for glutamate receptor (GluR) interactions.

Structural insights into Aspergillus fumigatus lectin specificity: AFL binding sites are functionally non-equivalent.

PubMed

Houser, Josef; Komarek, Jan; Cioci, Gianluca; Varrot, Annabelle; Imberty, Anne; Wimmerova, Michaela

2015-03-01

The Aspergillus fumigatus lectin AFL was recently described as a new member of the AAL lectin family. As a lectin from an opportunistic pathogen, it might play an important role in the interaction of the pathogen with the human host. A detailed study of structures of AFL complexed with several monosaccharides and oligosaccharides, including blood-group epitopes, was combined with affinity data from SPR and discussed in the context of previous findings. Its six binding sites are non-equivalent, and owing to minor differences in amino-acid composition they exhibit a marked difference in specific ligand recognition. AFL displays a high affinity in the micromolar range towards oligosaccharides which were detected in plants and also those bound on the human epithelia. All of these results indicate AFL to be a complex member of the lectin family and a challenging target for future medical research and, owing to its binding properties, a potentially useful tool in specific biotechnological applications.

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

Reitan, J.B.; Feren, K.

The luminal surface of mouse bladder urothelium was studied by scanning microscopy 1 year after irradiation with 0, 10 and 20 Gy respectively. The controls that were anaesthetized only displayed surface characteristics indistinguishable from normal urothelium. Irradiation with 10 Gy did not result in marked overall changes in the scanning electron microscopic features of the luminal aspect, but in some areas alterations comparable to the alterations after 20 Gy were observed. After irradiation with 20 Gy focal hyperplastic areas, superficial early ulceration and dedifferentiation of cover cells were seen. The dedifferentiation to featureless cells is probably not associated with increasedmore » proliferation, which in focally hyperplastic areas gives rise to a cobblestone or fuzzy appearance with small superficial cells and with many different surface features. The featureless cells may represent degenerative or agonal changes only, but a preneoplastic nature cannot be ruled out.« less

Influence of the axial rotation angle on tool mark striations.

PubMed

Garcia, Derrel Louis; Pieterman, René; Baiker, Martin

2017-10-01

A tool's axial rotation influences the geometric properties of a tool mark. The larger the axial rotation angle, the larger the compression of structural details like striations. This complicates comparing tool marks at different axial rotations. Using chisels, tool marks were made from 0° to 75° axial rotation and compared using an automated approach Baiker et al. [10]. In addition, a 3D topographic surface of a chisel was obtained to generate virtual tool marks and to test whether the axial rotation angle of a mark could be predicted. After examination of the tool mark and chisel data-sets it was observed that marks lose information with increasing rotation due to the change in relative distance between geometrical details on the tool and the disappearance of smaller details. The similarity and repeatability were high for comparisons between marks with no difference in axial rotation, but decreasing with increased rotation angle from 0° to 75°. With an increasing difference in the rotation angles, the tool marks had to be corrected to account for the different compression factors between them. For compression up to 7.5%, this was obtained automatically by the tool mark alignment method. For larger compression, manually re-sizing the marks to the uncompressed widths at 0° rotation before the alignment was found suitable for successfully comparing even large differences in axial rotation. The similarity and repeatability were decreasing however, with increasing degree of re-sizing. The quality was assessed by determining the similarity at different detail levels within a tool mark. With an axial rotation up to 75°, tool marks were found to reliably represent structural details down to 100μm. The similarity of structural details below 100μm was dependent on the angle, with the highest similarity at small rotation angles and the lowest similarity at large rotation angles. Filtering to remove the details below 100μm lead to consistently higher similarity between tool marks at all angles and allowed for a comparison of marks up to 75° axial rotation. Finally, generated virtual tool mark profiles with an axial rotation were compared to experimental tool marks. The similarity between virtual and experimental tool marks remained high up to 60° rotation after which it decreased due to the loss in quality in both marks. Predicting the rotation angle is possible under certain conditions up to 45° rotation with an accuracy of 2.667±0.577° rotation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Job-Grading System Manual for Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

rationale for use and forwarded through designated channels to the office of DoD NAF Personnel Policy. E. USE OF OPM POSITION CLASSIFICATION AND JOB...marking, building and control of campfires, and identification of hazardous plants and animals. Schedules day or longer "camp-outs," publicizes the...Merchandisers PS-5 decorate designated areas, including showcases, ledges, and fixtures. Incumbents set up focal displays near entrances to attract cus

Signal design and courtship presentation coincide for highly biased delivery of an iridescent butterfly mating signal

PubMed Central

White, Thomas E; Zeil, Jochen; Kemp, Darrell J; Rodriguez, R; Lenormand, T

2015-01-01

Sensory drive theory contends that signaling systems should evolve to optimize transmission between senders and intended receivers, while minimizing visibility to eavesdroppers where possible. In visual communication systems, the high directionality afforded by iridescent coloration presents underappreciated avenues for mediating this trade-off. This hypothesis predicts functional links between signal design and presentation such that visual conspicuousness is maximized only under ecologically relevant settings and/or to select audiences. We addressed this prediction using Hypolimnas bolina, a butterfly in which males possess ultraviolet markings on their dorsal wing surfaces with a narrow angular reflectance function. Males bearing brighter dorsal markings are increasingly attractive to females, but also likely more conspicuous to predators. Our data indicate that, during courtship (and given the ritualized wingbeat dynamics at these times), males position themselves relative to females in such a way as to simultaneously maximize three components of known or putative signal conspicuousness: brightness, area, and iridescent flash. This suggests that male signal design and display have coevolved for the delivery of an optimally conspicuous signal to courted females. More broadly, these findings imply a potential signaling role for iridescence itself, and pose a novel example for how signal design may coevolve with the behavioral context of display. PMID:25328995

Early sexual behavior in a sample of low-income, African American Children.

PubMed

Thigpen, Jeffry W

2009-01-01

This study describes the sexual behavior of 2- to 12-year-old African American children without known histories of sexual abuse and explores the relation of this behavior to gender and age. Primary caregivers were recruited from a public "Well Child" clinic and administered the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI), a parental report measure that assesses a broad range of childhood sexual behaviors within 9 specific domains. CSBI data were collected on 249 African American children. Results indicate that African American children display a broad range of sexual behavior that was not reported to frequently occur. Sexual behaviors that involved requesting, planning, or forcing other children and adults into sexual activity were not reported. Although significant differences were not found between frequency levels of sexual behavior reported for boys and girls, the range of sexual behavior observed and reported for girls was narrower in comparison to boys. Significant differences were found between frequency levels of sexual behavior observed and reported for children of different ages. Analysis of the behavioral differences found between children of different ages indicates the emergence of a marked interest in sexuality as African American children approached puberty.

Individual Differences in Audio-Vocal Speech Imitation Aptitude in Late Bilinguals: Functional Neuro-Imaging and Brain Morphology

PubMed Central

Reiterer, Susanne Maria; Hu, Xiaochen; Erb, Michael; Rota, Giuseppina; Nardo, Davide; Grodd, Wolfgang; Winkler, Susanne; Ackermann, Hermann

2011-01-01

An unanswered question in adult language learning or late bi and multilingualism is why individuals show marked differences in their ability to imitate foreign accents. While recent research acknowledges that more adults than previously assumed can still acquire a “native” foreign accent, very little is known about the neuro-cognitive correlates of this special ability. We investigated 140 German-speaking individuals displaying varying degrees of “mimicking” capacity, based on natural language text, sentence, and word imitations either in their second language English or in Hindi and Tamil, languages they had never been exposed to. The large subject pool was strictly controlled for previous language experience prior to magnetic resonance imaging. The late-onset (around 10 years) bilinguals showed significant individual differences as to how they employed their left-hemisphere speech areas: higher hemodynamic activation in a distinct fronto-parietal network accompanied low ability, while high ability paralleled enhanced gray matter volume in these areas concomitant with decreased hemodynamic responses. Finally and unexpectedly, males were found to be more talented foreign speech mimics. PMID:22059077

Midsagittal brain variation and MRI shape analysis of the precuneus in adult individuals.

PubMed

Bruner, Emiliano; Rangel de Lázaro, Gizéh; de la Cuétara, José Manuel; Martín-Loeches, Manuel; Colom, Roberto; Jacobs, Heidi I L

2014-04-01

Recent analyses indicate that the precuneus is one of the main centres of integration in terms of functional and structural processes within the human brain. This neuroanatomical element is formed by different subregions, involved in visuo-spatial integration, memory and self-awareness. We analysed the midsagittal brain shape in a sample of adult humans (n = 90) to evidence the patterns of variability and geometrical organization of this area. Interestingly, the major brain covariance pattern within adult humans is strictly associated with the relative proportions of the precuneus. Its morphology displays a marked individual variation, both in terms of geometry (mostly in its longitudinal dimensions) and anatomy (patterns of convolution). No patent differences are evident between males and females, and the allometric effect of size is minimal. However, in terms of morphology, the precuneus does not represent an individual module, being influenced by different neighbouring structures. Taking into consideration the apparent involvement of the precuneus in higher-order human brain functions and evolution, its wide variation further stresses the important role of these deep parietal areas in modern neuroanatomical organization. © 2014 Anatomical Society.

[Neutropenia in dogs: etiology and prognostic factors].

PubMed

Cook, Andrea M; Bauer, Natali; Neiger, Reto; Peppler, Christine; Moritz, Andreas

2016-10-12

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate frequency, prognostic factors, and differences for various etiologies of neutropenia in dogs. A total of 391 dogs with neutrophil counts < 2.78 x 10 9 /l (January 2008 to December 2012) were included and, depending on the etiology of neutropenia, assigned to seven diagnostic groups: nonbacterial infectious disease, increased demand due to marked inflammation, drug-associated, bone-marrow diseases, immune-mediated, physiologic, miscellaneous. Absolute neutrophil counts, evidence of neutrophil toxicity or left shift, case history, rectal temperature, hospitalization, and survival were compared among groups. Increased demand due to marked inflammation (90/391, 23%) and nonbacterial infectious disease (70/391, 18%) were the most common causes for neutropenia, followed by drug-associated neutropenia (43/391, 11%) and bone-marrow disease (32/391, 8%). Immune-mediated and physiologic neutropenia (both 16/391, 4%) were uncommon. Almost one third (124/391, 32%) of dogs were assigned to the miscellaneous group. Absolute neutrophil counts were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in dogs of the physiologic and miscellaneous groups than in the other groups. Dogs with immune-mediated neutropenia or nonbacterial infectious disease displayed significantly lower absolute neutrophil counts than dogs with neutropenia due to an increased demand (p < 0.001) and were most commonly referred with a history of fever (11/16, 69%) or gastrointestinal signs (52/70, 74%), respectively. Neutrophil toxicity and left shift were most commonly associated with an increased demand due to marked inflammation (60/90 and 25/90, 67% and 28%, respectively) and the mortality rate was highest in this group (32/90, 36%). Neutrophil toxicity and left shift are associated with an increased demand due to marked inflammation and may indicate a poor prognosis. The lower the absolute neutrophil count, the greater the probability of an immune-mediated neutropenia. Neutropenia should be assessed in context with case history, clinical examination, and neutrophil morphology.

Softcopy quality ruler method: implementation and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Elaine W.; Keelan, Brian W.; Chen, Junqing; Phillips, Jonathan B.; Chen, Ying

2009-01-01

A softcopy quality ruler method was implemented for the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) Camera Phone Image Quality (CPIQ) Initiative. This work extends ISO 20462 Part 3 by virtue of creating reference digital images of known subjective image quality, complimenting the hardcopy Standard Reference Stimuli (SRS). The softcopy ruler method was developed using images from a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II D-SLR digital still camera (DSC) and a Kodak P880 point-and-shoot DSC. Images were viewed on an Apple 30in Cinema Display at a viewing distance of 34 inches. Ruler images were made for 16 scenes. Thirty ruler images were generated for each scene, representing ISO 20462 Standard Quality Scale (SQS) values of approximately 2 to 31 at an increment of one just noticeable difference (JND) by adjusting the system modulation transfer function (MTF). A Matlab GUI was developed to display the ruler and test images side-by-side with a user-adjustable ruler level controlled by a slider. A validation study was performed at Kodak, Vista Point Technology, and Aptina Imaging in which all three companies set up a similar viewing lab to run the softcopy ruler method. The results show that the three sets of data are in reasonable agreement with each other, with the differences within the range expected from observer variability. Compared to previous implementations of the quality ruler, the slider-based user interface allows approximately 2x faster assessments with 21.6% better precision.

Pollination ecology of Silene acutifolia (Caryophyllaceae): floral traits variation and pollinator attraction.

PubMed

Buide, María Luisa

2006-02-01

The floral display influences the composition of pollinators interacting with a plant species. Geographic and temporal variation in pollinator composition complicates the understanding of the evolutionary consequences of floral display variation. This paper analyses the relationships between Silene acutifolia, a hermaphroditic perennial herb, and its pollinators, based on field studies in the north-west of Spain. Studies were conducted over three years (1997-1999). Firstly, the main pollinators of this species were determined for two years in one population. Secondly, pollen limitation in fruit and seed production was analysed by supplementary hand pollinations, and counting the pollen grains and tubes growing in styles for two different-sized populations. Finally, the effect of flower size and number on the rate of visitation and total seed number was examined for 15 marked plants. The primary pollinators were long-tongued insects, including Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera, but the composition and visitation frequencies differed between years. Pollen limitation occurred in one of the years of study. There was between-population variation in the number of pollen grains and pollen tubes found in styles, suggesting pollen limitation in one population. Overall, pollinators visited plants with more open flowers more frequently, and pollinated more flowers within these plants. Conversely, petal and calyx sizes had no effect on insect visitation. Plants with higher rates of visits produced higher number of seeds, suggesting that pollinator-mediated limitation of seed and fruit production may be important in some years.

SU-E-I-23: Design and Clinical Application of External Marking Body in Multi- Mode Medical Images Registration and Fusion

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

Chen, Z; Gong, G

2014-06-01

Purpose: To design an external marking body (EMB) that could be visible on computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images and to investigate the use of the EMB for multiple medical images registration and fusion in the clinic. Methods: We generated a solution containing paramagnetic metal ions and iodide ions (CT'MR dual-visible solution) that could be viewed on CT and MR images and multi-mode image visible solution (MIVS) that could be obtained by mixing radioactive nuclear material. A globular plastic theca (diameter: 3–6 mm) that mothball the MIVS and themore » EMB was brought by filling MIVS. The EMBs were fixed on the patient surface and CT, MR, PET and SPECT scans were obtained. The feasibility of clinical application and the display and registration error of EMB among different image modalities were investigated. Results: The dual-visible solution was highly dense on CT images (HU>700). A high signal was also found in all MR scanning (T1, T2, STIR and FLAIR) images, and the signal was higher than subcutaneous fat. EMB with radioactive nuclear material caused a radionuclide concentration area on PET and SPECT images, and the signal of EMB was similar to or higher than tumor signals. The theca with MIVS was clearly visible on all the images without artifact, and the shape was round or oval with a sharp edge. The maximum diameter display error was 0.3 ± 0.2mm on CT and MRI images, and 1.0 ± 0.3mm on PET and SPECT images. In addition, the registration accuracy of the theca center among multi-mode images was less than 1mm. Conclusion: The application of EMB with MIVS improves the registration and fusion accuracy of multi-mode medical images. Furthermore, it has the potential to ameliorate disease diagnosis and treatment outcome.« less

Resistance to docetaxel in prostate cancer is associated with androgen receptor activation and loss of KDM5D expression

PubMed Central

Komura, Kazumasa; Jeong, Seong Ho; Hinohara, Kunihiko; Qu, Fangfang; Wang, Xiaodong; Hiraki, Masayuki; Azuma, Haruhito; Lee, Gwo-Shu Mary; Kantoff, Philip W.; Sweeney, Christopher J.

2016-01-01

The androgen receptor (AR) plays an essential role in prostate cancer, and suppression of its signaling with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been the mainstay of treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer for more than 70 y. Chemotherapy has been reserved for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-led trial E3805: ChemoHormonal Therapy Versus Androgen Ablation Randomized Trial for Extensive Disease in Prostate Cancer (CHAARTED) showed that the addition of docetaxel to ADT prolonged overall survival compared with ADT alone in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. This finding suggests that there is an interaction between AR signaling activity and docetaxel sensitivity. Here we demonstrate that the prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and LAPC4 display markedly different sensitivity to docetaxel with AR activation, and RNA-seq analysis of these cell lines identified KDM5D (lysine-specific demethylase 5D) encoded on the Y chromosome as a potential mediator of this sensitivity. Knocking down KDM5D expression in LNCaP leads to docetaxel resistance in the presence of dihydrotestosterone. KDM5D physically interacts with AR in the nucleus, and regulates its transcriptional activity by demethylating H3K4me3 active transcriptional marks. Attenuating KDM5D expression dysregulates AR signaling, resulting in docetaxel insensitivity. KDM5D deletion was also observed in the LNCaP-derived CRPC cell line 104R2, which displayed docetaxel insensitivity with AR activation, unlike parental LNCaP. Dataset analysis from the Oncomine database revealed significantly decreased KDM5D expression in CRPC and poorer prognosis with low KDM5D expression. Taking these data together, this work indicates that KDM5D modulates the AR axis and that this is associated with altered docetaxel sensitivity. PMID:27185910

Cohort study investigating the effects of first stage of the English tobacco point-of-sale display ban on awareness, susceptibility and smoking uptake among adolescents

PubMed Central

Bogdanovica, Ilze; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

2017-01-01

Objective A prospective evaluation of the effect of 2012 point-of-sale (PoS) display ban in supermarkets in England on perceived exposure to PoS displays, and on changes in susceptibility and smoking uptake among young people. Design Cohort study. Settings Seven schools in Nottinghamshire, England. Participants 1035 11–16-year-old school children. Primary and secondary outcome measures Changes in reported exposure to PoS displays before and after prohibition, and the association between exposure to and awareness of PoS displays and change in susceptibility to smoking and smoking status between 2011 and 2012 (before the ban) and 2012 and 2013 (after the ban). Results The proportion of children noticing tobacco PoS displays in supermarkets most or every time they visited a shop changed little between 2011 and 2012 (59.6% (95% CI 56.6% to 62.6%) and 58.8% (95% CI 55.8% to 61.8%), respectively); but decreased by about 13 percentage points to 45.7% (95% CI 42.7% to 48.7%) in 2013, after the ban. However, after adjusting for confounders, implementation of the first stage of the PoS ban in 2012 did not result in significant changes in the relation between susceptibility to smoking and smoking status and exposure to and awareness of PoS displays. Conclusions Prohibition of PoS in large supermarkets resulted in a decline in the proportion of young people noticing PoS displays in large shops, but little or no change in smoking uptake or susceptibility. It remains to be seen whether extension of the PoS ban to all shops in 2015 has a more marked effect. PMID:28115330

Increased androgenic sensitivity in the hind limb muscular system marks the evolution of a derived gestural display.

PubMed

Mangiamele, Lisa A; Fuxjager, Matthew J; Schuppe, Eric R; Taylor, Rebecca S; Hödl, Walter; Preininger, Doris

2016-05-17

Physical gestures are prominent features of many species' multimodal displays, yet how evolution incorporates body and leg movements into animal signaling repertoires is unclear. Androgenic hormones modulate the production of reproductive signals and sexual motor skills in many vertebrates; therefore, one possibility is that selection for physical signals drives the evolution of androgenic sensitivity in select neuromotor pathways. We examined this issue in the Bornean rock frog (Staurois parvus, family: Ranidae). Males court females and compete with rivals by performing both vocalizations and hind limb gestural signals, called "foot flags." Foot flagging is a derived display that emerged in the ranids after vocal signaling. Here, we show that administration of testosterone (T) increases foot flagging behavior under seminatural conditions. Moreover, using quantitative PCR, we also find that adult male S. parvus maintain a unique androgenic phenotype, in which androgen receptor (AR) in the hind limb musculature is expressed at levels ∼10× greater than in two other anuran species, which do not produce foot flags (Rana pipiens and Xenopus laevis). Finally, because males of all three of these species solicit mates with calls, we accordingly detect no differences in AR expression in the vocal apparatus (larynx) among taxa. The results show that foot flagging is an androgen-dependent gestural signal, and its emergence is associated with increased androgenic sensitivity within the hind limb musculature. Selection for this novel gestural signal may therefore drive the evolution of increased AR expression in key muscles that control signal production to support adaptive motor performance.

Grey matter volume in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and associated eating disorder symptoms.

PubMed

Martin Monzon, Beatriz; Henderson, Luke A; Madden, Sloane; Macefield, Vaughan G; Touyz, Stephen; Kohn, Michael R; Clarke, Simon; Foroughi, Nasim; Hay, Phillipa

2017-10-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental health disorder of complex aetiology. Previous neuroimaging studies have found consistent global reductions in global grey matter volume of underweight girls with AN; however, differences in regional grey matter volumes are less consistent. The aims of this study were to investigate grey matter regional volumes of adolescent girls with AN before and after weight recovery and the relationship of any changes with clinical characteristics. We collected high-resolution T1-weighted images from 26 underweight girls with AN before weight gain and 20 healthy control volunteers. Clinical features were assessed using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. AN subjects displayed reduced grey matter volumes in the insula, amygdala, prefrontal, hippocampal and cingulate cortices and the precuneus, relative to healthy controls. In a subset of 10 AN subjects who were followed after weight recovery, grey matter volumes increased to near-control levels in the orbito- and medial prefrontal, insular, left hippocampal and mid- and posterior cingulate cortices and precuneus. The recovery of the right anterior thalamus and the left orbitofrontal cortex was correlated with improvements in eating concerns and shape concerns, respectively. However, large parts of the anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nuclei and right hippocampus did not display any grey matter recovery following a short-term of treatment. These results show that in adolescents with AN, some brain regions display marked recovery in grey matter volume following weight recovery, whereas others do not, considering grey mater recovery possibly linked to symptom improvement. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The handicap of abnormal colour vision.

PubMed

Cole, Barry L

2004-07-01

All people with abnormal colour vision, except for a few mildly affected deuteranomals, report that they experience problems with colour in everyday life and at work. Contemporary society presents them with increasing problems because colour is now so widely used in printed materials and in computer displays. Equal opportunity law gives them protection against unfair discrimination in employment, so a decision to exclude a person from employment on the grounds of abnormal colour vision must now be well supported by good evidence and sound argument. This paper reviews the investigations that have contributed to understanding the nature and consequences of the problems they have. All those with abnormal colour vision are at a disadvantage with comparative colour tasks that involve precise matching of colours or discrimination of fine colour differences either because of their loss of colour discrimination or anomalous perception of metamers. The majority have problems when colour is used to code information, in man-made colour codes and in naturally occurring colour codes that signal ripeness of fruit, freshness of meat or illness. They can be denied the benefit of colour to mark out objects and organise complex visual displays. They may be unreliable when a colour name is used as an identifier. They are slower and less successful in search when colour is an attribute of the target object or is used to organise the visual display. Because those with the more severe forms of abnormal colour vision perceive a very limited gamut of colours, they are at a disadvantage in the pursuit and appreciation of those forms of art that use colour.

Increased androgenic sensitivity in the hind limb muscular system marks the evolution of a derived gestural display

PubMed Central

Mangiamele, Lisa A.; Fuxjager, Matthew J.; Schuppe, Eric R.; Taylor, Rebecca S.; Hödl, Walter; Preininger, Doris

2016-01-01

Physical gestures are prominent features of many species’ multimodal displays, yet how evolution incorporates body and leg movements into animal signaling repertoires is unclear. Androgenic hormones modulate the production of reproductive signals and sexual motor skills in many vertebrates; therefore, one possibility is that selection for physical signals drives the evolution of androgenic sensitivity in select neuromotor pathways. We examined this issue in the Bornean rock frog (Staurois parvus, family: Ranidae). Males court females and compete with rivals by performing both vocalizations and hind limb gestural signals, called “foot flags.” Foot flagging is a derived display that emerged in the ranids after vocal signaling. Here, we show that administration of testosterone (T) increases foot flagging behavior under seminatural conditions. Moreover, using quantitative PCR, we also find that adult male S. parvus maintain a unique androgenic phenotype, in which androgen receptor (AR) in the hind limb musculature is expressed at levels ∼10× greater than in two other anuran species, which do not produce foot flags (Rana pipiens and Xenopus laevis). Finally, because males of all three of these species solicit mates with calls, we accordingly detect no differences in AR expression in the vocal apparatus (larynx) among taxa. The results show that foot flagging is an androgen-dependent gestural signal, and its emergence is associated with increased androgenic sensitivity within the hind limb musculature. Selection for this novel gestural signal may therefore drive the evolution of increased AR expression in key muscles that control signal production to support adaptive motor performance. PMID:27143723

Insulin sensitivity in relation to fat distribution and plasma adipocytokines among abusers of anabolic androgenic steroids.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Jon Jarløv; Schou, Morten; Selmer, Christian; Johansen, Marie Louise; Gustafsson, Finn; Frystyk, Jan; Dela, Flemming; Faber, Jens; Kistorp, Caroline

2017-09-01

Abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is prevalent among young men, but information regarding effects on insulin sensitivity and fat distribution is limited. The objective was to investigate insulin sensitivity in relation to fat distribution and adipocytokines among current and former AAS abusers compared with controls. Cross-sectional study among men involved in recreational strength training. Current and former AAS abusers (n=37 and n=33) and controls (n=30) volunteered from the community. We assessed insulin sensitivity by Matsuda index (oral glucose tolerance test). Using overnight fasting blood samples, adiponectin and leptin were measured. Body composition and fat distribution, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT), were assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Current and former AAS abusers displayed lower Matsuda index than controls (%-difference (95%CI) from controls, -26% (-45; -1) and -39% (-55; -18)). Testosterone was markedly higher among current AAS abusers and subnormal among former AAS abusers compared with controls. Current AAS abusers displayed higher mean VAT than controls (388 (17) vs 293 (12) cm 3 , P<.001) whereas body fat %, adiponectin and leptin concentrations were lower. In contrast, former AAS abusers showed highest leptin concentrations and body fat %. Multivariate linear regressions identified VAT as independent predictor of lower Matsuda index among current AAS abusers compared with controls; while body fat % independently predicted lower Matsuda index among former AAS abusers. Both current and former AAS abusers displayed lower insulin sensitivity which could be mediated by higher VAT and total body fat %, respectively. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic analysis of mouse embryonic stem cells bearing Msh3 and Msh2 single and compound mutations.

PubMed

Abuin, A; Zhang, H; Bradley, A

2000-01-01

We have previously described the use of homologous recombination and CRE-loxP-mediated marker recycling to generate mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines homozygous for mutations at the Msh3, Msh2, and both Msh3 and Msh2 loci (2). In this study, we describe the analysis of these ES cells with respect to processes known to be affected by DNA mismatch repair. ES cells homozygous for the Msh2 mutation displayed increased resistance to killing by the cytotoxic drug 6-thioguanine (6TG), indicating that the 6TG cytotoxic mechanism is mediated by Msh2. The mutation rate of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase 1 (HSV-tk1) gene was unchanged in Msh3-deficient ES cell lines but markedly elevated in Msh2-deficient and Msh3 Msh2 double-mutant cells. Notably, the HSV-tk1 mutation rate was 11-fold higher, on average, than that of the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) locus in Msh2-deficient cells. Sequence analysis of HSV-tk1 mutants from these cells indicated the presence of a frameshift hotspot within the HSV-tk1 coding region. Msh3-deficient cells displayed a modest (16-fold) elevation in the instability of a dinucleotide repeat, whereas Msh2-deficient and Msh2 Msh3 double-mutant cells displayed markedly increased levels of repeat instability. Targeting frequencies of nonisogenic vectors were elevated in Msh2-deficient ES cell lines, confirming the role of Msh2 in blocking recombination between diverged sequences (homeologous recombination) in mammalian cells. These results are consistent with accumulating data from other laboratories and support the current model of DNA mismatch repair in mammalian cells.

Genetic Analysis of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Bearing Msh3 and Msh2 Single and Compound Mutations

PubMed Central

Abuin, Alejandro; Zhang, HeJu; Bradley, Allan

2000-01-01

We have previously described the use of homologous recombination and CRE-loxP-mediated marker recycling to generate mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines homozygous for mutations at the Msh3, Msh2, and both Msh3 and Msh2 loci (2). In this study, we describe the analysis of these ES cells with respect to processes known to be affected by DNA mismatch repair. ES cells homozygous for the Msh2 mutation displayed increased resistance to killing by the cytotoxic drug 6-thioguanine (6TG), indicating that the 6TG cytotoxic mechanism is mediated by Msh2. The mutation rate of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase 1 (HSV-tk1) gene was unchanged in Msh3-deficient ES cell lines but markedly elevated in Msh2-deficient and Msh3 Msh2 double-mutant cells. Notably, the HSV-tk1 mutation rate was 11-fold higher, on average, than that of the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) locus in Msh2-deficient cells. Sequence analysis of HSV-tk1 mutants from these cells indicated the presence of a frameshift hotspot within the HSV-tk1 coding region. Msh3-deficient cells displayed a modest (16-fold) elevation in the instability of a dinucleotide repeat, whereas Msh2-deficient and Msh2 Msh3 double-mutant cells displayed markedly increased levels of repeat instability. Targeting frequencies of nonisogenic vectors were elevated in Msh2-deficient ES cell lines, confirming the role of Msh2 in blocking recombination between diverged sequences (homeologous recombination) in mammalian cells. These results are consistent with accumulating data from other laboratories and support the current model of DNA mismatch repair in mammalian cells. PMID:10594017

(De-)accentuation and the process of information status: evidence from event-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Baumann, Stefan; Schumacher, Petra B

2012-09-01

The paper reports on a perception experiment in German that investigated the neuro-cognitive processing of information structural concepts and their prosodic marking using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Experimental conditions controlled the information status (given vs. new) of referring and non-referring target expressions (nouns vs. adjectives) and were elicited via context sentences, which did not - unlike most previous ERP studies in the field--trigger an explicit focus expectation. Target utterances displayed prosodic realizations of the critical words which differed in accent position and accent type. Electrophysiological results showed an effect of information status, maximally distributed over posterior sites, displaying a biphasic N400--Late Positivity pattern for new information. We claim that this pattern reflects increased processing demands associated with new information, with the N400 indicating enhanced costs from linking information with the previous discourse and the Late Positivity indicating the listener's effort to update his/her discourse model. The prosodic manipulation registered more pronounced effects over anterior regions and revealed an enhanced negativity followed by a Late Positivity for deaccentuation, probably also reflecting costs from discourse linking and updating respectively. The data further lend indirect support for the idea that givenness applies not only to referents but also to non-referential expressions ('lexical givenness').

Homologous versus heterologous interactions in the bicomponent staphylococcal γ-haemolysin pore1

PubMed Central

Viero, Gabriella; Cunaccia, Romina; Prévost, Gilles; Werner, Sandra; Monteil, Henri; Keller, Daniel; Joubert, Olivier; Menestrina, Gianfranco; Dalla Serra, Mauro

2005-01-01

Staphylococcal γ-haemolysin HlgA–HlgB forms a β-barrel transmembrane pore in cells and in model membranes. The pore is formed by the oligomerization of two different proteins and a still debated number of monomers. To clarify the topology of the pore, we have mutated single residues – placed near the right and left interfaces of each monomer into cysteine. The mutants were labelled with fluorescent probes, forming a donor–acceptor pair for FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer). Heterologous couples (labelled on complementary left and right interfaces) displayed a marked FRET, suggesting extensive HlgA–HlgB or HlgB–HlgA contacts. Heterologous control couples (with both components labelled on the same side) showed absent or low FRET. We found the same result for the homologous couple formed by HlgA [i.e. HlgA–HlgA in the presence of wt (wild-type) HlgB]. The homologous HlgB couple (HlgB–HlgB labelled on left and right interfaces and in the presence of wt HlgA) displayed a transient, declining FRET, which may indicate fast formation of an intermediate that is consumed during pore formation. We conclude that bicomponent pores are assembled by alternating heterologous monomers. PMID:16241903

Laser marking as environment technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobotova, Lydia; Badida, Miroslav

2017-11-01

The contribution deals with the laser marking as one of the progressive and environment friendly technologies with utilisation in many branches of industry. Engraving and other types of laser marking of different types of materials are very actual technologies these days. Laser marking decreases the waste creation in comparison with the other classical marking technologies, which use paintings or created chips. In this experimental investigation the laser marking surface texturing of material AL99,7 according to STN 42 4003:1993-08 (STN EN 573) has been conducted. The laser marking machine TruMark 6020 and software TruTops Mark were used. Laser surface texturing after laser marking has been realised under different combinations of process parameters: pulse frequency, pulse energy and laser beam scanning speed. The morphological characterization of engraving or annealing surfaces has been performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The evaluation of roughness of engraved surfaces has been realized according to STN EN ISO 4287 by using Surftest SJ 301. The aim of the contribution was to show how different laser parameters affect the surface texture and colour change of metallic materials while creating minimal waste.

[The scent marking of territory of gerbils: a comparative analysis exemplified by 4 species of the genus Meriones].

PubMed

Gromov, V S

1997-01-01

Sex-age and seasonal variability of the ventral glands and different stereotypes of scent marking behaviour in four Meriones species (M. unguiculatus, M. meridianus, M. libycus, M. tamariscinus) have been studied in nature and under semi-natural conditions. Two major ways of olfactory marking are considered: by secretion of the ventral glands and by "signal heaps" with urine and feces. Intraspecific and inter-species variability of marking activity is investigated. The ventral glands start to function at the period of preparation of a generative system to reproduction. The peak of secretary activity of gland and maximum of two types of marking activity is observed in spring and early summer, i.e. the period of active reproduction. The maximum of two types of the marking activity is observed during this period. In M. tamariscinus and M. meridianus the marking by the ventral gland is prevailing mode of the territory scent marking, while Mongolian gerbils (M. unguiculatus) prefer to use "signal heaps" Libyan gerbils (M. libycus) in this relation take an intermediate position. At the non-productive period a level of marking activity is on 10-20 times lower than at the reproductive season. Besides hormonal, social factors were also important for regulation of marking activity. By influence of these factors the differences in the level of marking activity in high-rank and low-rank individuals and differences in patterns of a spatial distribution of scent marks in individuals of different hierarchical rank is explained. Functional significance of various ways of territory scent marking is discussed.

Multiple layer identification label using stacked identification symbols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schramm, Harry F. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An automatic identification system and method are provided which employ a machine readable multiple layer label. The label has a plurality of machine readable marking layers stacked one upon another. Each of the marking layers encodes an identification symbol detectable using one or more sensing technologies. The various marking layers may comprise the same marking material or each marking layer may comprise a different medium having characteristics detectable by a different sensing technology. These sensing technologies include x-ray, radar, capacitance, thermal, magnetic and ultrasonic. A complete symbol may be encoded within each marking layer or a symbol may be segmented into fragments which are then divided within a single marking layer or encoded across multiple marking layers.

Role of post-mapping computed tomography in virtual-assisted lung mapping.

PubMed

Sato, Masaaki; Nagayama, Kazuhiro; Kuwano, Hideki; Nitadori, Jun-Ichi; Anraku, Masaki; Nakajima, Jun

2017-02-01

Background Virtual-assisted lung mapping is a novel bronchoscopic preoperative lung marking technique in which virtual bronchoscopy is used to predict the locations of multiple dye markings. Post-mapping computed tomography is performed to confirm the locations of the actual markings. This study aimed to examine the accuracy of marking locations predicted by virtual bronchoscopy and elucidate the role of post-mapping computed tomography. Methods Automated and manual virtual bronchoscopy was used to predict marking locations. After bronchoscopic dye marking under local anesthesia, computed tomography was performed to confirm the actual marking locations before surgery. Discrepancies between marking locations predicted by the different methods and the actual markings were examined on computed tomography images. Forty-three markings in 11 patients were analyzed. Results The average difference between the predicted and actual marking locations was 30 mm. There was no significant difference between the latest version of the automated virtual bronchoscopy system (30.7 ± 17.2 mm) and manual virtual bronchoscopy (29.8 ± 19.1 mm). The difference was significantly greater in the upper vs. lower lobes (37.1 ± 20.1 vs. 23.0 ± 6.8 mm, for automated virtual bronchoscopy; p < 0.01). Despite this discrepancy, all targeted lesions were successfully resected using 3-dimensional image guidance based on post-mapping computed tomography reflecting the actual marking locations. Conclusions Markings predicted by virtual bronchoscopy were dislocated from the actual markings by an average of 3 cm. However, surgery was accurately performed using post-mapping computed tomography guidance, demonstrating the indispensable role of post-mapping computed tomography in virtual-assisted lung mapping.

Rapeseed and milk protein exhibit a similar overall nutritional value but marked difference in postprandial regional nitrogen utilization in rats

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Rapeseed is an emerging and promising source of dietary protein for human nutrition and health. We previously found that rapeseed protein displayed atypical nutritional properties in humans, characterized by low bioavailability and a high postprandial biological value. The objective of the present study was to investigate the metabolic fate of rapeseed protein isolate (RPI) and its effect on protein fractional synthesis rates (FSR) in various tissues when compared to a milk protein isolate (MPI). Methods Rats (n = 48) were given a RPI or MPI meal, either for the first time or after 2-week adaptation to a MPI or RPI-based diet. They were divided in two groups for measuring the fed-state tissue FSR 2 h after the meal (using a flooding dose of 13C-valine) and the dietary N postprandial distribution at 5 h (using 15N-labeled meals). Results RPI and MPI led to similar FSR and dietary nitrogen (N) losses (ileal and deamination losses of 4% and 12% of the meal, respectively). By contrast, the dietary N incorporation was significantly higher in the intestinal mucosa and liver (+36% and +16%, respectively) and lower in skin (-24%) after RPI than MPI. Conclusions Although RPI and MPI led to the same overall level of postprandial dietary N retention in rats (in line with our findings in humans), this global response conceals marked qualitative differences at the tissue level regarding dietary N accretion. The fact that FSR did not however differed between groups suggest a differential modulation of proteolysis after RPI or MPI ingestion, or other mechanisms that warrant further study. PMID:21787407

Scent marking in Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi): novel observations close a key gap in understanding felid communication behaviours.

PubMed

Allen, Maximilian L; Wittmer, Heiko U; Setiawan, Endro; Jaffe, Sarah; Marshall, Andrew J

2016-10-14

Intraspecific communication is integral to the behavioural ecology of solitary carnivores, but observing and quantifying their communication behaviours in natural environments is difficult. Our systematic literature review found that basic information on scent marking is completely lacking for 23% of all felid species, and information on 21% of other felid species comes solely from one study of captive animals. Here we present results of the first systematic investigation of the scent marking behaviours of Sunda clouded leopards in the wild. Our observations using motion-triggered video cameras in Indonesian Borneo are novel for clouded leopards, and contrary to previous descriptions of their behaviour. We found that clouded leopards displayed 10 distinct communication behaviours, with olfaction, scraping, and cheek rubbing the most frequently recorded. We also showed that males make repeated visits to areas they previously used for marking and that multiple males advertise and receive information at the same sites, potentially enhancing our ability to document and monitor clouded leopard populations. The behaviours we recorded are remarkably similar to those described in other solitary felids, despite tremendous variation in the environments they inhabit, and close a key gap in understanding and interpreting communication behaviours of clouded leopards and other solitary felids.

Scent marking in Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi): novel observations close a key gap in understanding felid communication behaviours

PubMed Central

Allen, Maximilian L.; Wittmer, Heiko U.; Setiawan, Endro; Jaffe, Sarah; Marshall, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

Intraspecific communication is integral to the behavioural ecology of solitary carnivores, but observing and quantifying their communication behaviours in natural environments is difficult. Our systematic literature review found that basic information on scent marking is completely lacking for 23% of all felid species, and information on 21% of other felid species comes solely from one study of captive animals. Here we present results of the first systematic investigation of the scent marking behaviours of Sunda clouded leopards in the wild. Our observations using motion-triggered video cameras in Indonesian Borneo are novel for clouded leopards, and contrary to previous descriptions of their behaviour. We found that clouded leopards displayed 10 distinct communication behaviours, with olfaction, scraping, and cheek rubbing the most frequently recorded. We also showed that males make repeated visits to areas they previously used for marking and that multiple males advertise and receive information at the same sites, potentially enhancing our ability to document and monitor clouded leopard populations. The behaviours we recorded are remarkably similar to those described in other solitary felids, despite tremendous variation in the environments they inhabit, and close a key gap in understanding and interpreting communication behaviours of clouded leopards and other solitary felids. PMID:27739507

Computerized tool mark comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feigin, Gavriel; Aperman, Arie; Springer, Eliot; Jungmann, Noam

1995-09-01

The computerized toolmark comparison system is based on a cross correlation between a striation mark left by a tool on a lock and a test mark made by a suspect or the data base. The cross correlation is applied in the frequency domain for time saving. The area to be correlated is defined by the toolmark expert. A profile line is calculated and displayed based on the defined area. The two compared images may appear relatively shifted to one another, or only part of the toolmark that appears in the other. The same length of profiles is chosen from the two samples for entering to the updated correlation process. All possible correlations are checked by cutting and shifting through all cobinations. The database contains the defined images and the profiles calculated from them. The system consists of a 486 PC with a frame grabber and a video camera attached to a microscope. Results show that if the striation marks are clear and are wider than a minimum pixel limit, the correlation result higher than 0.6 is a possible match and has to be checked by the expert for a final decision. Future plans are to implement a 2D correlation. This method will enable us to deal with combinations of striations which are found frequently in real case work.

Not All Same-Different Discriminations Are Created Equal: Evidence Contrary to a Unidimensional Account of Same-Different Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Brett M.; Wasserman, Edward A.; Cook, Robert G.

2006-01-01

In Experiment 1, we trained four pigeons to concurrently discriminate displays of 16 same icons (16S) from displays of 16 different icons (16D) as well as between displays of same icons (16S) from displays that contained 15 same icons and one different icon (15S:1D). The birds rapidly learned to discriminate 16S vs. 16D displays, but they failed…

[Myocardial contractility and hemodynamics in hypothyroidism].

PubMed

Selivonenko, V G

1977-01-01

The author determined the phasic structure of the systole of the left ventricle by the method of polycardiography and hemodynamics in 20 patients suffering from hypothyrodism. Blood plasma and erythrocyte electrolytes were examined at the same time. Patients with hypothyroidism displayed a phasic syndrome of hypodynamia and a marked correlation between the phase of the synchronous contraction, the period of ejection, the strength of contraction of the left ventricle and the electrolyte content. Sodium and magnesium produced the greatest influence on the phasic structure of the systole; potassium and calcium had a lesser effect. The heart stroke volume diminished; as to the cardiac index, expenditure of the energy of cardiac contractions directed to the maintenance of movement of 1 litre of the minute blood volume; the external work, and the peripheral vascular resistance displayed no significant change.

Translocation Pathway-Dependent Assembly of Streptavidin- and Antibody-Binding Filamentous Virus-Like Particles.

PubMed

Kim, Eun Joong; Jeon, Chang Su; Hwang, Inseong; Chung, Taek Dong

2017-02-01

Compared to well-tolerated p3 fusion, the display of fast-folding proteins fused to the minor capsid p7 and the major capsid p8, as well as in vivo biotinylation of biotin acceptor peptide (AP) fused to p7, are found to be markedly inefficient using the filamentous phage. Here, to overcome such limitations, the effect of translocation pathways, amber mutation, and phage and phagemid display systems on p7 and p8 display of antibody-binding domains are examined, while comparing the level of in vivo biotinylation of AP fused to p7 or p3. Interestingly, the in vivo biotinylation of AP occurs only in p3 fusion and the fast-folding antibody-binding scaffolds fused to p7 and p8 are best displayed via a twin-arginine translocation pathway in TG1 cells. The lower the expression level of the wild-type p8 and the smaller the size of the guest protein, the better the display of Z-domain fused to the recombinant p8. The in vivo biotinylated multifunctional filamentous virus-like particles can be vertically immobilized on streptavidin (SAV)-coated microspheres to resemble cellular microvilli-like structures, which reportedly enhance protein-protein interactions due to dramatically expanded flexible surface area. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High performance visual display for HENP detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGuigan, Michael; Smith, Gordon; Spiletic, John; Fine, Valeri; Nevski, Pavel

2001-08-01

A high end visual display for High Energy Nuclear Physics (HENP) detectors is necessary because of the sheer size and complexity of the detector. For BNL this display will be of special interest because of STAR and ATLAS. To load, rotate, query, and debug simulation code with a modern detector simply takes too long even on a powerful work station. To visualize the HENP detectors with maximal performance we have developed software with the following characteristics. We develop a visual display of HENP detectors on BNL multiprocessor visualization server at multiple level of detail. We work with general and generic detector framework consistent with ROOT, GAUDI etc, to avoid conflicting with the many graphic development groups associated with specific detectors like STAR and ATLAS. We develop advanced OpenGL features such as transparency and polarized stereoscopy. We enable collaborative viewing of detector and events by directly running the analysis in BNL stereoscopic theatre. We construct enhanced interactive control, including the ability to slice, search and mark areas of the detector. We incorporate the ability to make a high quality still image of a view of the detector and the ability to generate animations and a fly through of the detector and output these to MPEG or VRML models. We develop data compression hardware and software so that remote interactive visualization will be possible among dispersed collaborators. We obtain real time visual display for events accumulated during simulations.

Photon Hunting in the Twilight Zone: Visual Features of Mesopelagic Bioluminescent Sharks

PubMed Central

Claes, Julien M.; Partridge, Julian C.; Hart, Nathan S.; Garza-Gisholt, Eduardo; Ho, Hsuan-Ching; Mallefet, Jérôme; Collin, Shaun P.

2014-01-01

The mesopelagic zone is a visual scene continuum in which organisms have developed various strategies to optimize photon capture. Here, we used light microscopy, stereology-assisted retinal topographic mapping, spectrophotometry and microspectrophotometry to investigate the visual ecology of deep-sea bioluminescent sharks [four etmopterid species (Etmopterus lucifer, E. splendidus, E. spinax and Trigonognathus kabeyai) and one dalatiid species (Squaliolus aliae)]. We highlighted a novel structure, a translucent area present in the upper eye orbit of Etmopteridae, which might be part of a reference system for counterillumination adjustment or acts as a spectral filter for camouflage breaking, as well as several ocular specialisations such as aphakic gaps and semicircular tapeta previously unknown in elasmobranchs. All species showed pure rod hexagonal mosaics with a high topographic diversity. Retinal specialisations, formed by shallow cell density gradients, may aid in prey detection and reflect lifestyle differences; pelagic species display areae centrales while benthopelagic and benthic species display wide and narrow horizontal streaks, respectively. One species (E. lucifer) displays two areae within its horizontal streak that likely allows detection of conspecifics' elongated bioluminescent flank markings. Ganglion cell topography reveals less variation with all species showing a temporal area for acute frontal binocular vision. This area is dorsally extended in T. kabeyai, allowing this species to adjust the strike of its peculiar jaws in the ventro-frontal visual field. Etmopterus lucifer showed an additional nasal area matching a high rod density area. Peak spectral sensitivities of the rod visual pigments (λmax) fall within the range 484–491 nm, allowing these sharks to detect a high proportion of photons present in their habitat. Comparisons with previously published data reveal ocular differences between bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent deep-sea sharks. In particular, bioluminescent sharks possess higher rod densities, which might provide them with improved temporal resolution particularly useful for bioluminescent communication during social interactions. PMID:25099504

Photon hunting in the twilight zone: visual features of mesopelagic bioluminescent sharks.

PubMed

Claes, Julien M; Partridge, Julian C; Hart, Nathan S; Garza-Gisholt, Eduardo; Ho, Hsuan-Ching; Mallefet, Jérôme; Collin, Shaun P

2014-01-01

The mesopelagic zone is a visual scene continuum in which organisms have developed various strategies to optimize photon capture. Here, we used light microscopy, stereology-assisted retinal topographic mapping, spectrophotometry and microspectrophotometry to investigate the visual ecology of deep-sea bioluminescent sharks [four etmopterid species (Etmopterus lucifer, E. splendidus, E. spinax and Trigonognathus kabeyai) and one dalatiid species (Squaliolus aliae)]. We highlighted a novel structure, a translucent area present in the upper eye orbit of Etmopteridae, which might be part of a reference system for counterillumination adjustment or acts as a spectral filter for camouflage breaking, as well as several ocular specialisations such as aphakic gaps and semicircular tapeta previously unknown in elasmobranchs. All species showed pure rod hexagonal mosaics with a high topographic diversity. Retinal specialisations, formed by shallow cell density gradients, may aid in prey detection and reflect lifestyle differences; pelagic species display areae centrales while benthopelagic and benthic species display wide and narrow horizontal streaks, respectively. One species (E. lucifer) displays two areae within its horizontal streak that likely allows detection of conspecifics' elongated bioluminescent flank markings. Ganglion cell topography reveals less variation with all species showing a temporal area for acute frontal binocular vision. This area is dorsally extended in T. kabeyai, allowing this species to adjust the strike of its peculiar jaws in the ventro-frontal visual field. Etmopterus lucifer showed an additional nasal area matching a high rod density area. Peak spectral sensitivities of the rod visual pigments (λmax) fall within the range 484-491 nm, allowing these sharks to detect a high proportion of photons present in their habitat. Comparisons with previously published data reveal ocular differences between bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent deep-sea sharks. In particular, bioluminescent sharks possess higher rod densities, which might provide them with improved temporal resolution particularly useful for bioluminescent communication during social interactions.

3D geometric morphometric analysis of the proximal epiphysis of the hominoid humerus

PubMed Central

Arias-Martorell, Julia; Potau, Josep Maria; Bello-Hellegouarch, Gaëlle; Pastor, Juan Francisco; Pérez-Pérez, Alejandro

2012-01-01

In this study we perform a three-dimensional geometric morphometric (3D GM) analysis of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus in extant great apes, including humans, in order to accurately describe the functional anatomical differences between these taxa. In addition, a fossil hominin specimen of Australopithecus afarensis was included in a multivariate GM analysis in order to test the potential of this methodological approach for making locomotor inferences from fossil remains. The results obtained show significant differences in proximal humeral morphology among the taxa studied, which had thus far largely remained unnoticed. Based on morphofunctional considerations, these anatomical differences can be correlated to differences in the locomotor repertoires of the taxa, thus confirming that the proximal humerus is suitable for constructing paleobiological inferences about locomotion. Modern humans display markedly divergent features, which set them apart from both the extant great apes and the fossil hominin A. afarensis. The morphology of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus of the latter more closely resembles that of the orangutans, thus suggesting that despite hindlimb adaptations to bipedalism, the forelimb of this taxon was still functionally involved in arboreal behaviors, such as climbing or suspension. PMID:22946496

Oceanic protists with different forms of acquired phototrophy display contrasting biogeographies and abundance.

PubMed

Leles, S G; Mitra, A; Flynn, K J; Stoecker, D K; Hansen, P J; Calbet, A; McManus, G B; Sanders, R W; Caron, D A; Not, F; Hallegraeff, G M; Pitta, P; Raven, J A; Johnson, M D; Glibert, P M; Våge, S

2017-08-16

This first comprehensive analysis of the global biogeography of marine protistan plankton with acquired phototrophy shows these mixotrophic organisms to be ubiquitous and abundant; however, their biogeography differs markedly between different functional groups. These mixotrophs, lacking a constitutive capacity for photosynthesis (i.e. non-constitutive mixotrophs, NCMs), acquire their phototrophic potential through either integration of prey-plastids or through endosymbiotic associations with photosynthetic microbes. Analysis of field data reveals that 40-60% of plankton traditionally labelled as (non-phototrophic) microzooplankton are actually NCMs, employing acquired phototrophy in addition to phagotrophy. Specialist NCMs acquire chloroplasts or endosymbionts from specific prey, while generalist NCMs obtain chloroplasts from a variety of prey. These contrasting functional types of NCMs exhibit distinct seasonal and spatial global distribution patterns. Mixotrophs reliant on 'stolen' chloroplasts, controlled by prey diversity and abundance, dominate in high-biomass areas. Mixotrophs harbouring intact symbionts are present in all waters and dominate particularly in oligotrophic open ocean systems. The contrasting temporal and spatial patterns of distribution of different mixotroph functional types across the oceanic provinces, as revealed in this study, challenges traditional interpretations of marine food web structures. Mixotrophs with acquired phototrophy (NCMs) warrant greater recognition in marine research. © 2017 The Author(s).

Spatially heterogeneous stochasticity and the adaptive diversification of dormancy.

PubMed

Rajon, E; Venner, S; Menu, F

2009-10-01

Diversified bet-hedging, a strategy that leads several individuals with the same genotype to express distinct phenotypes in a given generation, is now well established as a common evolutionary response to environmental stochasticity. Life-history traits defined as diversified bet-hedging (e.g. germination or diapause strategies) display marked differences between populations in spatial proximity. In order to find out whether such differences can be explained by local adaptations to spatially heterogeneous environmental stochasticity, we explored the evolution of bet-hedging dormancy strategies in a metapopulation using a two-patch model with patch differences in stochastic juvenile survival. We found that spatial differences in the level of environmental stochasticity, restricted dispersal, increased fragmentation and intermediate survival during dormancy all favour the adaptive diversification of bet-hedging dormancy strategies. Density dependency also plays a major role in the diversification of dormancy strategies because: (i) it may interact locally with environmental stochasticity and amplify its effects; however, (ii) it can also generate chaotic population dynamics that may impede diversification. Our work proposes new hypotheses to explain the spatial patterns of bet-hedging strategies that we hope will encourage new empirical studies of this topic.

Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Differences in Sexual Behavior between Roman High and Low Avoidance Male Rats: A Microdialysis Study in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex.

PubMed

Sanna, Fabrizio; Bratzu, Jessica; Piludu, Maria A; Corda, Maria G; Melis, Maria R; Giorgi, Osvaldo; Argiolas, Antonio

2017-01-01

Roman High- (RHA) and Low-Avoidance (RLA) outbred rats, which differ for a respectively rapid vs. poor acquisition of the active avoidance response in the shuttle-box, display differences in sexual activity when put in the presence of a sexually receptive female rat. Indeed RHA rats show higher levels of sexual motivation and copulatory performance than RLA rats, which persist also after repeated sexual activity. These differences have been correlated to a higher tone of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of RHA rats vs. RLA rats, revealed by the higher increase of dopamine found in the dialysate obtained from the nucleus accumbens of RHA than RLA rats during sexual activity. This work shows that extracellular dopamine and noradrenaline (NA) also, increase in the dialysate from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male RHA and RLA rats put in the presence of an inaccessible female rat and more markedly during direct sexual interaction. Such increases in dopamine (and its main metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, DOPAC) and NA were found in both sexually naïve and experienced animals, but they were higher: (i) in RHA than in RLA rats; and (ii) in sexually experienced RHA and RLA rats than in their naïve counterparts. Finally, the differences in dopamine and NA in the mPFC occurred concomitantly to those in sexual activity, as RHA rats displayed higher levels of sexual motivation and copulatory performance than RLA rats in both the sexually naïve and experienced conditions. These results suggest that a higher dopaminergic tone also occurs in the mPFC, together with an increased noradrenergic tone, which may be involved in the different copulatory patterns found in RHA and RLA rats, as suggested for the mesolimbic dopaminergic system.

Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Differences in Sexual Behavior between Roman High and Low Avoidance Male Rats: A Microdialysis Study in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

PubMed Central

Sanna, Fabrizio; Bratzu, Jessica; Piludu, Maria A.; Corda, Maria G.; Melis, Maria R.; Giorgi, Osvaldo; Argiolas, Antonio

2017-01-01

Roman High- (RHA) and Low-Avoidance (RLA) outbred rats, which differ for a respectively rapid vs. poor acquisition of the active avoidance response in the shuttle-box, display differences in sexual activity when put in the presence of a sexually receptive female rat. Indeed RHA rats show higher levels of sexual motivation and copulatory performance than RLA rats, which persist also after repeated sexual activity. These differences have been correlated to a higher tone of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of RHA rats vs. RLA rats, revealed by the higher increase of dopamine found in the dialysate obtained from the nucleus accumbens of RHA than RLA rats during sexual activity. This work shows that extracellular dopamine and noradrenaline (NA) also, increase in the dialysate from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male RHA and RLA rats put in the presence of an inaccessible female rat and more markedly during direct sexual interaction. Such increases in dopamine (and its main metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, DOPAC) and NA were found in both sexually naïve and experienced animals, but they were higher: (i) in RHA than in RLA rats; and (ii) in sexually experienced RHA and RLA rats than in their naïve counterparts. Finally, the differences in dopamine and NA in the mPFC occurred concomitantly to those in sexual activity, as RHA rats displayed higher levels of sexual motivation and copulatory performance than RLA rats in both the sexually naïve and experienced conditions. These results suggest that a higher dopaminergic tone also occurs in the mPFC, together with an increased noradrenergic tone, which may be involved in the different copulatory patterns found in RHA and RLA rats, as suggested for the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. PMID:28638325

Behavioral and anatomical correlates of chronic episodic hypoxia during sleep in the rat.

PubMed

Gozal, D; Daniel, J M; Dohanich, G P

2001-04-01

The role played by chronic episodic hypoxia (EHYP) in the neurocognitive morbidity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is unknown. Sleep recordings, Morris water maze experiments, and immunohistochemistry for NMDA NR1 glutamate receptor, c-fos protein, and apoptosis [nuclear immunoreactivity for single-stranded DNA and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling assay] were conducted in EHYP-exposed Sprague Dawley male rats. Exposures consisted of up to14 d in an environmental chamber in which O(2) concentrations were cycled between 10 and 21% every 90 sec or 30 min during 12 hr of daylight. For the remaining 12 hr, EHYP rats breathed room air, while controls spent 14 d in room air. Although EHYP induced significant disruption of sleep architecture during the initial day of exposure, sleep patterns normalized thereafter. Marked increases in apoptosis occurred in the CA1 hippocampal region (sevenfold) and cortex (Cx; eightfold) after 1-2 d of EHYP but not in CA3 and were followed by decreases toward normoxic levels by 14 d. Double labeling for NMDA NR1 and c-fos revealed marked architectural disorganization in CA1 and Cx with increases in c-fos over time. Rats exposed to EHYP displayed significantly longer escape latencies and swim path lengths to escape a hidden platform during 12 training trials given over 2 d. Differences in the performances of EHYP and control rats, although reduced, persisted after 14 d of recovery. We conclude that EHYP is associated with marked cellular changes over time within neural regions associated with cognitive functions. Furthermore, EHYP impaired performance during acquisition of a cognitive spatial task without affecting sensorimotor function. Such changes may underlie components of the learning and memory impairments found in OSA.

Sex and age-specific differences in ultraviolet reflectance of scent marks of bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus).

PubMed

Koivula, M; Koskela, E; Viitala, J

1999-12-01

Scent markings of voles are visible via their ultraviolet reflection. Kestrels, and possibly other diurnal raptors, may use this property when hunting. We performed a laboratory study on bank voles to determine whether UV-reflectance of scent marks differs in relation to sex, age and social status. When reflectance spectra of scent marks were measured with a spectro-radiometer, we found UV reflectance to be strongest in mature males. There were no differences between mature females and immature juveniles, nor between sexes in juveniles or mature and immature individuals in females. Moreover, we did not find any difference in UV reflectance between dominant and subordinate mature males. The results of this study support earlier findings that UV sensitive predators may use UV reflectance of scent marks as a prey cue. Consequently, studies on differing vulnerability of voles to avian predators should take into account not only their space use and behaviour but also the UV reflectance of their scent marks.

A Morphological and Morphometric Study of Bite Marks Caused by Mice (Mus Musculus) on Different Baits for Forensic Purposes.

PubMed

Toledo, Víctor A; Fonseca, Gabriel M; González, Paula A; Ibarra, Luis; Torres, Francisco J; Sáez, Pedro L

2017-03-01

In animal bites, the dental attributes can be fundamental in identifying the marks made by various species on different matrices. Although rodent bite marks have been studied in the context of postmortem interference, little research has used different baits to analyze these marks linking not only specific behavior patterns but also the possibility of structural damage. Twenty mice (Mus musculus) were exposed to different baits to study their bite marks in a controlled model. The known pattern of parallel and multiple grooves has been seen in all baits, but polyvinyl chloride and fiber-optic cable were significantly different between each other and the other baits. Some baits showed patterns of anchorage of the upper incisors and space between the lower incisors when gnawing. This technical note represents a novel model of analysis where veterinarians and/or dentists may be asked to give an opinion on alleged animal bite marks. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Studies of Antiviral Activity and Cytotoxicity of Wrightia tinctoria and Morinda citrifolia

PubMed Central

Selvam, P.; Murugesh, N.; Witvrouw, M.; Keyaerts, E.; Neyts, J.

2009-01-01

Different extracts of leaf parts of Wrightia tinctoria and fruit powder of Morinda citrifolia have been studied against replication of HIV-1(IIIB) in MT-4 cells and HCV in Huh 5.2 cells. Chloroform extract of Wrightia tinctoria exhibited a maximum protection of 48% against the cytopathic effect of HIV-1(IIIB) in MT-4 cells. Fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia exhibited a displayed marked cytotoxic activity in lymphocyte (MT-4) cells (CC50: 0.19 mg/ml). The 50% effective concentration for inhibition of HCV subgenomic replicon replication in Huh 5-2 cells by Morinda citrifolia was 0.98 μg/ml and by chloroform extract of Wrightia tinctoria was 10 μg/ml. The concentration that reduced the growth of exponentially proliferating Huh 5-2 cells by 50% was greater than 50 μg/ml. PMID:20376221

Friendship group identification, multidimensional self-concept, and experience of developmental tasks in adolescence.

PubMed

Tarrant, Mark; MacKenzie, Liam; Hewitt, Lisa A

2006-08-01

This study applied a social identity perspective to the study of adolescent self-concept and social development. British adolescents aged 14-15 years (N=114) completed a questionnaire which asked them to: (i) rate their degree of identification with a school-based friendship group; (ii) complete a measure of multi-dimensional self-concept; and (iii) report their experiences of a variety of personal, relational and socio-institutional (e.g., achieving economic independence) developmental tasks. Compared to low identifiers, participants who were highly identified with a friendship group reported highest levels of self-esteem; and these differences were most marked in non-academic domains of self. High identifiers also displayed higher levels of general self-esteem and reported more positive experiences of personal and relational developmental tasks. The discussion focuses on the potential benefits to understanding of social developmental processes that can be derived from a consideration of adolescents' subjective appraisals of their peer relations.

Fetal cerebral imaging - ultrasound vs. MRI: an update.

PubMed

Blondiaux, Eléonore; Garel, Catherine

2013-11-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze the advantages and limitations of prenatal ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of the fetal brain. These imaging modalities should not be seen as competitive but rather as complementary. There are wide variations in the world regarding screening policies, technology, skills, and legislation about termination of pregnancy, and these variations markedly impact on the way of using prenatal imaging. According to the contribution expected from each technique and to local working conditions, one should choose the most appropriate imaging modality on a case-by-case basis. The advantages and limitations of US and MRI in the setting of fetal brain imaging are displayed. Different anatomical regions (midline, ventricles, subependymal area, cerebral parenchyma, pericerebral space, posterior fossa) and pathological conditions are analyzed and illustrated in order to compare the respective contribution of each technique. An accurate prenatal diagnosis of cerebral abnormalities is of utmost importance for prenatal counseling.

Memory and modularity in cell-fate decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norman, Thomas M.; Lord, Nathan D.; Paulsson, Johan; Losick, Richard

2013-11-01

Genetically identical cells sharing an environment can display markedly different phenotypes. It is often unclear how much of this variation derives from chance, external signals, or attempts by individual cells to exert autonomous phenotypic programs. By observing thousands of cells for hundreds of consecutive generations under constant conditions, we dissect the stochastic decision between a solitary, motile state and a chained, sessile state in Bacillus subtilis. We show that the motile state is `memoryless', exhibiting no autonomous control over the time spent in the state. In contrast, the time spent as connected chains of cells is tightly controlled, enforcing coordination among related cells in the multicellular state. We show that the three-protein regulatory circuit governing the decision is modular, as initiation and maintenance of chaining are genetically separable functions. As stimulation of the same initiating pathway triggers biofilm formation, we argue that autonomous timing allows a trial commitment to multicellularity that external signals could extend.

Forensic characterization of camcorded movies: digital cinema vs. celluloid film prints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolland-Nevière, Xavier; Chupeau, Bertrand; Do"rr, Gwena"l.; Blondé, Laurent

2012-03-01

Digital camcording in the premises of cinema theaters is the main source of pirate copies of newly released movies. To trace such recordings, watermarking systems are exploited in order for each projection to be unique and thus identifiable. The forensic analysis to recover these marks is different for digital and legacy cinemas. To avoid running both detectors, a reliable oracle discriminating between cams originating from analog or digital projections is required. This article details a classification framework relying on three complementary features : the spatial uniformity of the screen illumination, the vertical (in)stability of the projected image, and the luminance artifacts due to the interplay between the display and acquisition devices. The system has been tuned with cams captured in a controlled environment and benchmarked against a medium-sized dataset (61 samples) composed of real-life pirate cams. Reported experimental results demonstrate that such a framework yields over 80% classification accuracy.

Acephate affects migratory orientation of the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vyas, N.B.; Kuenzel, W.J.; Hill, E.F.; Sauer, J.R.

1995-01-01

Migratory white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) were exposed to acephate (acetylphosphoramidothioic acid O,S-dimethyl ester), an organophosphorus pesticide, to determine its effects on migratory orientation and behavior. Birds were also exposed to polarizer sheets to determine the mechanism by which acephate may affect migratory orientation. Adult birds exposed to 256 ppm acephate a.i. were not able to establish a preferred migratory orientation and exhibited random activity. All juvenile treatment groups displayed a seasonally correct southward migratory orientation. We hypothesize that acephate may have produced aberrant migratory behavior by affecting the memory of the migratory route and wintering ground. This experiment reveals that an environmentally relevant concentration of a common organophosphorus pesticide can alter migratory orientation, but its effect is markedly different between adult and juvenile sparrows. Results suggest that the survival of free-flying adult passerine migrants may be compromised following organophosphorus pesticide exposure.

Reaction times and anticipatory skills of karate athletes.

PubMed

Mori, Shuji; Ohtani, Yoshio; Imanaka, Kuniyasu

2002-07-01

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the reaction times (RTs) and anticipation of karate athletes. In Experiment 1, choice RTs and simple RTs were measured with two types of stimuli. One was videotaped scenes of opponent's offensive actions, which simulated the athletes' view in real situations, and the other was static filled circles, or dots. In the choice RT task, participants were required to indicate as soon as possible whether the offensive actions would be aimed at the upper or middle level of their body, or the dot was presented either at a higher or a lower position. In the simple RT task, they were required to respond as soon as possible when the offensive action started from a static display of the opponent's ready stance, or a dot appeared on the display. The results showed significant differences between the karate athletes and the novices in the choice RT task, the difference being more marked for the video stimuli than for the dot stimuli. There was no significant difference in simple RT between the two groups of participants, for either type of stimuli. In Experiment 2, the proportions of correct responses (PCRs) were measured for video stimuli which were cut off at the seventh frame from the onset of the opponent's offensive action. The athletes yielded significantly higher PCRs than the novices. Collectively the results of the two experiments demonstrate the superior anticipatory skills of karate athletes regarding the target area of an opponent's attack (Scott, Williams, & Davids, Studies in perception and action II: Posters presented at the VIIth International conference on Event Perception and Action, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 1993, p. 217; Wiiliams & Elliot, Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology 21 (1999) 362), together with their advantage over novices in non-specific sensory functions (e.g., vertical discrimination).

Different Hippocampus Functional Connectivity Patterns in Healthy Young Adults with Mutations of APP/Presenilin-1/2 and APOEε4.

PubMed

Zheng, Li Juan; Su, Yun Yan; Wang, Yun Fei; Schoepf, U Joseph; Varga-Szemes, Akos; Pannell, Jonathan; Liang, Xue; Zheng, Gang; Lu, Guang Ming; Yang, Gui Fen; Zhang, Long Jiang

2018-04-01

This study aims to explore the hippocampus-based functional connectivity patterns in young, healthy APP and/or presenilin-1/2 mutation carriers and APOE ε4 subjects. Seventy-eight healthy young adults (33 male, mean age 24.0 ± 2.2 years; 18 APP and/or presenilin1/2 mutation carriers [APP/presenilin-1/2 group], 30 APOE ε4 subjects [APOE ε4 group], and 30 subjects without the above-mentioned genes [control group]) underwent resting-state functional MR imaging and neuropsychological assessments. Bilateral hippocampus functional connectivity patterns were compared among three groups. The brain regions with statistical differences were then extracted, and correlation analyses were performed between Z values of the brain regions and neuropsychological results. Compared with control group, both APOE ε4 group and APP/presenilin-1/2 group showed increased functional connectivity in medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus for the seeds of bilateral hippocampi. The APOE ε4 group displayed increased functional connectivity from bilateral hippocampi to the left middle temporal gyrus compared with the control group. Moreover, compared with the APP/presenilin-1/2 group, the APOE ε4 group also had markedly increased functional connectivity in right hippocampus-left middle temporal gyrus. The Z values of right hippocampus-left middle temporal gyrus correlated with various neuropsychological results across all the subjects, as well as in APOE ε4 group. Young healthy adults carrying APOE ε4 and APP/presenilin-1/2 displayed different hippocampus functional connectivity patterns, which may underlie the discrepant mechanisms of gene-modulated cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

Hepatitis C Patient-Derived Glycoproteins Exhibit Marked Differences in Susceptibility to Serum Neutralizing Antibodies: Genetic Subtype Defines Antigenic but Not Neutralization Serotype▿

PubMed Central

Tarr, Alexander W.; Urbanowicz, Richard A.; Hamed, Mohamed R.; Albecka, Anna; McClure, C. Patrick; Brown, Richard J. P.; Irving, William L.; Dubuisson, Jean; Ball, Jonathan K.

2011-01-01

Neutralizing antibodies have a role in controlling hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A successful vaccine will need to elicit potently neutralizing antibodies that are capable of preventing the infection of genetically diverse viral isolates. However, the specificity of the neutralizing antibody response in natural HCV infection still is poorly understood. To address this, we examined the reactivity of polyclonal antibodies isolated from chronic HCV infection to the diverse patient-isolated HCV envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 (E1E2), and we also examined the potential to neutralize the entry of pseudoparticles bearing these diverse E1E2 proteins. The genetic type of the infection was found to determine the pattern of the antibody recognition of these E1E2 proteins, with the greatest reactivity to homologous E1E2 proteins. This relationship was strongest when the component of the antibody response directed only to linear epitopes was analyzed. In contrast, the neutralization serotype did not correlate with genotype. Instead, serum-derived antibodies displayed a range of neutralization breadth and potency, while different E1E2 glycoproteins displayed different sensitivities to neutralization, such that these could be divided broadly into neutralization-sensitive and -resistant phenotypes. An important additional observation was that entry mediated by some E1E2 proteins was enhanced in the presence of some of the polyclonal antibody fractions isolated during chronic infection. These data highlight the need to use diverse E1E2 isolates, which represent extremes of neutralization sensitivity, when screening antibodies for therapeutic potential and for testing antibodies generated following immunization as part of vaccine development. PMID:21325403

Epigenetic programming during monocyte to macrophage differentiation and trained innate immunity

PubMed Central

Saeed, Sadia; Quintin, Jessica; Kerstens, Hindrik H.D.; Rao, Nagesha A; Aghajanirefah, Ali; Matarese, Filomena; Cheng, Shih-Chin; Ratter, Jacqueline; Berentsen, Kim; van der Ent, Martijn A.; Sharifi, Nilofar; Janssen-Megens, Eva M.; Huurne, Menno Ter; Mandoli, Amit; van Schaik, Tom; Ng, Aylwin; Burden, Frances; Downes, Kate; Frontini, Mattia; Kumar, Vinod; Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Evangelos J; Ouwehand, Willem H; van der Meer, Jos W.M.; Joosten, Leo A.B.; Wijmenga, Cisca; Martens, Joost H.A.; Xavier, Ramnik J.; Logie, Colin; Netea, Mihai G.; Stunnenberg, Hendrik G.

2014-01-01

Structured Abstract Introduction Monocytes circulate in the bloodstream for up to 3–5 days. Concomitantly, immunological imprinting of either tolerance (immunosuppression) or trained immunity (innate immune memory) determines the functional fate of monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages, as observed after infection or vaccination. Methods Purified circulating monocytes from healthy volunteers were differentiated under the homeostatic M-CSF concentrations present in human serum. During the first 24 hours, trained immunity was induced by β-glucan (BG) priming, while post-sepsis immunoparalysis was mimicked by exposure to LPS, generating endotoxin-induced tolerance. Epigenomic profiling of the histone marks H3K4me1, H3K4me3 and H3K27ac, DNase I accessibility and RNA sequencing were performed at both the start of the experiment (ex vivo monocytes) and at the end of the six days of in vitro culture (macrophages). Results Compared to monocytes (Mo), naïve macrophages (Mf) display a remodeled metabolic enzyme repertoire and attenuated innate inflammatory pathways; most likely necessary to generate functional tissue macrophages. Epigenetic profiling uncovered ~8000 dynamic regions associated with ~11000 DNase I hypersensitive sites. Changes in histone acetylation identified most dynamic events. Furthermore, these regions of differential histone marks displayed some degree of DNase I accessibility that was already present in monocytes. H3K4me1 mark increased in parallel with de novo H3K27ac deposition at distal regulatory regions; H3K4me1 mark remained even after the loss of H3K27ac, marking decommissioned regulatory elements. β-glucan priming specifically induced ~3000 distal regulatory elements, whereas LPS-tolerization uniquely induced H3K27ac at ~500 distal regulatory regions. At the transcriptional level, we identified co-regulated gene modules during monocyte to macrophage differentiation, as well as discordant modules between trained and tolerized cells. These indicate that training likely involves an increased expression of modules expressed in naïve macrophages, including genes that code for metabolic enzymes. On the other hand, endotoxin tolerance involves gene modules that are more active in monocytes than in naïve macrophages. About 12% of known human transcription factors display variation in expression during macrophage differentiation, training and tolerance. We also observed transcription factor motifs in DNase I hypersensitive sites at condition-specific dynamic epigenomic regions, implying that specific transcription factors are required for trained and tolerized macrophage epigenetic and transcriptional programs. Finally, our analyses and functional validation indicate that the inhibition of cAMP generation blocked trained immunity in vitro and during an in vivo model of lethal C. albicans infection, abolishing the protective effects of trained immunity. Discussion We documented the importance of epigenetic regulation of the immunological pathways underlying monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and trained immunity. These dynamic epigenetic elements may inform on potential pharmacological targets that modulate innate immunity. Altogether, we uncovered the epigenetic and transcriptional programs of monocyte differentiation to macrophages that distinguish tolerant and trained macrophage phenotypes, providing a resource to further understand and manipulate immune-mediated responses. PMID:25258085

Virtual tool mark generation for efficient striation analysis in forensic science

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

Ekstrand, Laura

In 2009, a National Academy of Sciences report called for investigation into the scienti c basis behind tool mark comparisons (National Academy of Sciences, 2009). Answering this call, Chumbley et al. (2010) attempted to prove or disprove the hypothesis that tool marks are unique to a single tool. They developed a statistical algorithm that could, in most cases, discern matching and non-matching tool marks made at di erent angles by sequentially numbered screwdriver tips. Moreover, in the cases where the algorithm misinterpreted a pair of marks, an experienced forensics examiner could discern the correct outcome. While this research served tomore » con rm the basic assumptions behind tool mark analysis, it also suggested that statistical analysis software could help to reduce the examiner's workload. This led to a new tool mark analysis approach, introduced in this thesis, that relies on 3D scans of screwdriver tip and marked plate surfaces at the micrometer scale from an optical microscope. These scans are carefully cleaned to remove noise from the data acquisition process and assigned a coordinate system that mathematically de nes angles and twists in a natural way. The marking process is then simulated by using a 3D graphics software package to impart rotations to the tip and take the projection of the tip's geometry in the direction of tool travel. The edge of this projection, retrieved from the 3D graphics software, becomes a virtual tool mark. Using this method, virtual marks are made at increments of 5 and compared to a scan of the evidence mark. The previously developed statistical package from Chumbley et al. (2010) performs the comparison, comparing the similarity of the geometry of both marks to the similarity that would occur due to random chance. The resulting statistical measure of the likelihood of the match informs the examiner of the angle of the best matching virtual mark, allowing the examiner to focus his/her mark analysis on a smaller range of angles. Preliminary results are quite promising. In a study with both sides of 6 screwdriver tips and 34 corresponding marks, the method distinguished known matches from known non-matches with zero false positive matches and only two matches mistaken for non-matches. For matches, it could predict the correct marking angle within 5-10 . Moreover, on a standard desktop computer, the virtual marking software is capable of cleaning 3D tip and plate scans in minutes and producing a virtual mark and comparing it to a real mark in seconds. These results support several of the professional conclusions of the tool mark analysis com- munity, including the idea that marks produced by the same tool only match if they are made at similar angles. The method also displays the potential to automate part of the comparison process, freeing the examiner to focus on other tasks, which is important in busy, backlogged crime labs. Finally, the method o ers the unique chance to directly link an evidence mark to the tool that produced it while reducing potential damage to the evidence.« less

Myelography Iodinated Contrast Media. 2. Conformational Versatility of Iopamidol in the Solid State.

PubMed

Bellich, Barbara; Di Fonzo, Silvia; Tavagnacco, Letizia; Paolantoni, Marco; Masciovecchio, Claudio; Bertolotti, Federica; Giannini, Giovanna; De Zorzi, Rita; Geremia, Silvano; Maiocchi, Alessandro; Uggeri, Fulvio; Masciocchi, Norberto; Cesàro, Attilio

2017-02-06

The phenomenon of polymorphism is of great relevance in pharmaceutics, since different polymorphs have different physicochemical properties, e.g., solubility, hence, bioavailability. Coupling diffractometric and spectroscopic experiments with thermodynamic analysis and computational work opens to a methodological approach which provides information on both structure and dynamics in the solid as well as in solution. The present work reports on the conformational changes in crystalline iopamidol, which is characterized by atropisomerism, a phenomenon that influences both the solution properties and the distinct crystal phases. The conformation of iopamidol is discussed for three different crystal phases. In the anhydrous and monohydrate crystal forms, iopamidol molecules display a syn conformation of the long branches stemming out from the triiodobenzene ring, while in the pentahydrate phase the anti conformation is found. IR and Raman spectroscopic studies carried out on the three crystal forms, jointly with quantum chemical computations, revealed that the markedly different spectral features can be specifically attributed to the different molecular conformations. Our results on the conformational versatility of iopamidol in different crystalline phases, linking structural and spectroscopic evidence for the solution state and the solid forms, provide a definite protocol for grasping the signals that can be taken as conformational markers. This is the first step for understanding the crystallization mechanism occurring in supersaturated solution of iopamidol molecules.

H-Ras and K-Ras Oncoproteins Induce Different Tumor Spectra When Driven by the Same Regulatory Sequences.

PubMed

Drosten, Matthias; Simón-Carrasco, Lucía; Hernández-Porras, Isabel; Lechuga, Carmen G; Blasco, María T; Jacob, Harrys K C; Fabbiano, Salvatore; Potenza, Nicoletta; Bustelo, Xosé R; Guerra, Carmen; Barbacid, Mariano

2017-02-01

Genetic studies in mice have provided evidence that H-Ras and K-Ras proteins are bioequivalent. However, human tumors display marked differences in the association of RAS oncogenes with tumor type. Thus, to further assess the bioequivalence of oncogenic H-Ras and K-Ras, we replaced the coding region of the murine K-Ras locus with H-Ras G12V oncogene sequences. Germline expression of H-Ras G12V or K-Ras G12V from the K-Ras locus resulted in embryonic lethality. However, expression of these genes in adult mice led to different tumor phenotypes. Whereas H-Ras G12V elicited papillomas and hematopoietic tumors, K-Ras G12V induced lung tumors and gastric lesions. Pulmonary expression of H-Ras G12V created a senescence-like state caused by excessive MAPK signaling. Likewise, H-Ras G12V but not K-Ras G12V induced senescence in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Label-free quantitative analysis revealed that minor differences in H-Ras G12V expression levels led to drastically different biological outputs, suggesting that subtle differences in MAPK signaling confer nonequivalent functions that influence tumor spectra induced by RAS oncoproteins. Cancer Res; 77(3); 707-18. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Effect of display location on control-display stereotype strength for translational and rotational controls with linear displays.

PubMed

Chan, Alan H S; Hoffmann, Errol R

2015-01-01

Experiments were designed to investigate the effects of control type and display location, relative to the operator, on the strength of control/display stereotypes. The Worringham and Beringer Visual Field principle and an extension of this principle for rotary controls (Hoffmann E.R., and Chan A.H.S. 2013). "The Worringham and Beringer 'Visual Field' Principle for Rotary Controls. Ergonomics." 56 (10): 1620-1624) indicated that, for a number of different control types (rotary and lever) on different planes, there should be no significant effect of the display location relative to the seated operator. Past data were surveyed and stereotype strengths listed. Experiments filled gaps where data are not available. Six different control types and seven display locations were used, as in the Frame of Reference Transformation Tool (FORT) model of Wickens et al. (Wickens, C.D., Keller, J.W., and Small, R.L. (2010). "Left. No, Right! Development of the Frame of Reference Transformation Tool (FORT)." Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 54th Annual Meeting September 2010, 54: 1022-1026). Control/display arrangements with high stereotype strengths were evaluated yielding data for designers of complex control/display arrangements where the control and display are in different planes and for where the operator is moving. It was found possible to predict display/control arrangements with high stereotype strength, based on past data. Practitioner Summary: Controls and displays in complex arrangements need to have high compatibility. These experiments provide arrangements for six different controls (rotary and translational) and seven different display locations relative to the operator.

Effect of Display Technology on Perceived Scale of Space.

PubMed

Geuss, Michael N; Stefanucci, Jeanine K; Creem-Regehr, Sarah H; Thompson, William B; Mohler, Betty J

2015-11-01

Our goal was to evaluate the degree to which display technologies influence the perception of size in an image. Research suggests that factors such as whether an image is displayed stereoscopically, whether a user's viewpoint is tracked, and the field of view of a given display can affect users' perception of scale in the displayed image. Participants directly estimated the size of a gap by matching the distance between their hands to the gap width and judged their ability to pass unimpeded through the gap in one of five common implementations of three display technologies (two head-mounted displays [HMD] and a back-projection screen). Both measures of gap width were similar for the two HMD conditions and the back projection with stereo and tracking. For the displays without tracking, stereo and monocular conditions differed from each other, with monocular viewing showing underestimation of size. Display technologies that are capable of stereoscopic display and tracking of the user's viewpoint are beneficial as perceived size does not differ from real-world estimates. Evaluations of different display technologies are necessary as display conditions vary and the availability of different display technologies continues to grow. The findings are important to those using display technologies for research, commercial, and training purposes when it is important for the displayed image to be perceived at an intended scale. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Speed Isn't Everything: A Study of Examination Marking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadas, Rita; Suto, Irenka

2010-01-01

The question of whether marking speed is related to marking accuracy is important for training examiners and planning realistic marking schedules. We explored marking speed in the context of a past examination for an international biology qualification for 14- to 16-year-olds. Forty-two markers with differing backgrounds experimentally marked 23…

A Study of Mesoscale Probability Forecasting Performance Based on an Advanced Image Display System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-30

CLASSIFICATION lb. RESTRICTIVE MARKINGS Uncl assified 2&. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY 3. DISTRIBUTION/AVAI LABILITY OF REPORT 2b. DE CLASSI FICAT... sensors in the surface network, an air-to-ground lightning detection system, and NWS 6Brown, R. C., 1983: Anatomy of a nesoscale instrumentation system...W. B. Sweezy, R. G. Strauch, E. R. Westwater, and C. G. Little, 1983: An automatic Profiler of the temperatura , wind, and humidity in the troposphere

All-Hazard Consequence Management Planning for the Water Sector: Preparedness, Emergency Response, and Recovery CIPAC Workshop

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-01

subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE...of Health Mark Miller Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health Debbie Newberry, co-chair US EPA...Utilities Linda Eichmiller Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators Jeff Fencil US EPA Office of Ground Water and

Earth observations taken by the STS-59 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-04-14

STS059-306-034 (9-20 April 1994) --- The radiating transportation pattern of this 20th-Century urban plan is nicely displayed in this high-resolution photograph. Light-toned spots in the desert mark oil well sites; along the south edge of the scene, some dark residue remains from the fires set during the recent Gulf War. Blown sand has nearly hidden the soot and thick oil that were deposited on the surface. Nikon photograph, 300mm lens.

Integrated Support for Manipulation and Display of 3D Objects for the Command and Control Workstation of the Future

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

Science Unclassified SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE la. REPORT SECURITY CLASS’r!CATION )b RESTRICTIVE MARKINGS UNCLASSIFIED...2a. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY 3. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY OF REPORT Approved for public release; Zb. DECLASSIFICATION I DOWNGRADING SCHEDULE...ZIP Code) 10 SOURCE OF FUNDING NUMBERS PROGRAM PROJECT TASK WORK UNIT Monterey, CA. 93943 FLEMENT NO. NO. NO ACCESSION NO. 11. TITLE (Include Security

The hedonic drive to consume palatable foods appears to be lower in gastric band carriers than in severely obese patients who have not undergone a bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Ullrich, J; Ernst, B; Wilms, B; Thurnheer, M; Hallschmid, M; Schultes, B

2013-04-01

We have recently shown that severely obese patients display a markedly enhanced drive to consume palatable food, and that this hedonic hunger is reduced after gastric bypass surgery. Adjustable gastric banding is another frequently performed bariatric operation with unknown effects on hedonic hunger motivation. Here, we compared the level of hedonic hunger in patients who have undergone a gastric banding with that in severely obese patients who have not undergone a bariatric operation and nonobese controls. In a cross-sectional case-control study, 116 gastric banding patients, 138 severely obese patients, and 133 nonobese controls were examined with the Power of Food Scale (PFS), a questionnaire that reliably measures an individual's motivation to consume highly palatable food. While the severely obese patients displayed markedly higher aggregated PFS scores and scores on the subdomain "generally available" and "physically present" food than the nonobese controls (all P < 0.001), the gastric banding patients showed significantly lower scores on all of these variables than the obese patients (all P < 0.001). However, the generally available food score was still higher in gastric banding patients than in the nonobese controls (P = 0.001). Data suggest that adjustable gastric banding may reduce the excessive appetite for palatable foods in severely obese patients. This suggestion needs to be confirmed in longitudinal studies.

Narciclasine as well as other Amaryllidaceae isocarbostyrils are promising GTP-ase targeting agents against brain cancers.

PubMed

Van Goietsenoven, Gwendoline; Mathieu, Véronique; Lefranc, Florence; Kornienko, Alexander; Evidente, Antonio; Kiss, Robert

2013-03-01

The anticancer activity of Amaryllidaceae isocarbostyrils is well documented. At pharmacological concentrations, that is, approximately 1 μM in vitro and approximately 10 mg/kg in vivo, narciclasine displays marked proapoptotic and cytotoxic activity, as does pancratistatin, and significant in vivo anticancer effects in various experimental models, but it is also associated with severe toxic side effects. At physiological doses, that is, approximately 50 nM in vitro and approximately 1 mg/kg in vivo, narciclasine is not cytotoxic but cytostatic and displays marked anticancer activity in vivo in experimental models of brain cancer (including gliomas and brain metastases), but it is not associated with toxic side effects. The cytostatic activity of narciclasine involves the impairment of actin cytoskeleton organization by targeting GTPases, including RhoA and the elongation factor eEF1A. We have demonstrated that chronic treatments of narciclasine (1 mg/kg) significantly increased the survival of immunodeficient mice orthotopically xenografted with highly invasive human glioblastomas and apoptosis-resistant brain metastases, including melanoma- and non-small-cell-lung cancer- (NSCLC) related brain metastases. Thus, narciclasine is a potentially promising agent for the treatment of primary brain cancers and various brain metastases. To date, efforts to develop synthetic analogs with anticancer properties superior to those of narciclasine have failed; thus, research efforts are now focused on narciclasine prodrugs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Phage display peptide libraries: deviations from randomness and correctives

PubMed Central

Ryvkin, Arie; Ashkenazy, Haim; Weiss-Ottolenghi, Yael; Piller, Chen; Pupko, Tal; Gershoni, Jonathan M

2018-01-01

Abstract Peptide-expressing phage display libraries are widely used for the interrogation of antibodies. Affinity selected peptides are then analyzed to discover epitope mimetics, or are subjected to computational algorithms for epitope prediction. A critical assumption for these applications is the random representation of amino acids in the initial naïve peptide library. In a previous study, we implemented next generation sequencing to evaluate a naïve library and discovered severe deviations from randomness in UAG codon over-representation as well as in high G phosphoramidite abundance causing amino acid distribution biases. In this study, we demonstrate that the UAG over-representation can be attributed to the burden imposed on the phage upon the assembly of the recombinant Protein 8 subunits. This was corrected by constructing the libraries using supE44-containing bacteria which suppress the UAG driven abortive termination. We also demonstrate that the overabundance of G stems from variant synthesis-efficiency and can be corrected using compensating oligonucleotide-mixtures calibrated by mass spectroscopy. Construction of libraries implementing these correctives results in markedly improved libraries that display random distribution of amino acids, thus ensuring that enriched peptides obtained in biopanning represent a genuine selection event, a fundamental assumption for phage display applications. PMID:29420788

Shifting wavelengths of ultraweak photon emissions from dying melanoma cells: their chemical enhancement and blocking are predicted by Cosic's theory of resonant recognition model for macromolecules.

PubMed

Dotta, Blake T; Murugan, Nirosha J; Karbowski, Lukasz M; Lafrenie, Robert M; Persinger, Michael A

2014-02-01

During the first 24 h after removal from incubation, melanoma cells in culture displayed reliable increases in emissions of photons of specific wavelengths during discrete portions of this interval. Applications of specific filters revealed marked and protracted increases in infrared (950 nm) photons about 7 h after removal followed 3 h later by marked and protracted increases in near ultraviolet (370 nm) photon emissions. Specific wavelengths within the visible (400 to 800 nm) peaked 12 to 24 h later. Specific activators or inhibitors for specific wavelengths based upon Cosic's resonant recognition model elicited either enhancement or diminishment of photons at the specific wavelength as predicted. Inhibitors or activators predicted for other wavelengths, even within 10 nm, were less or not effective. There is now evidence for quantitative coupling between the wavelength of photon emissions and intrinsic cellular chemistry. The results are consistent with initial activation of signaling molecules associated with infrared followed about 3 h later by growth and protein-structural factors associated with ultraviolet. The greater-than-expected photon counts compared with raw measures through the various filters, which also function as reflective material to other photons, suggest that photons of different wavelengths might be self-stimulatory and could play a significant role in cell-to-cell communication.

Stabilized nonlinear optical chromophore alignment in high-? guest - host polycarbonates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healy, D.; Bloor, D.; Gray, D.; Cross, G. H.

1997-11-01

Electric-field-poling studies of two polycarbonates doped with 2-(N,N dimethylamino)-5-nitroacetanilide revealed a long-term room-temperature alignment stability. This stability at room temperature is compared with that of similarly doped poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) which displays short-term relaxation. Despite several previous suggestions that hydrogen bonding between guest and host plays a major role in these effects, infra-red spectroscopic studies refuted the idea that stronger hydrogen bond formation in the polycarbonate rather than in PMMA is the dominant influence. Rather we show, using an examination of the poling currents during poling, that the re-orientation dynamics in the polycarbonate systems are markedly different. In the case of PMMA-doped films, the deposited surface charge is compensated by poling currents at a rate at least comparable to the rate of deposition of corona charge. The compensation rate for polycarbonate-doped systems was markedly lower, however, suggesting that polar re-orientation is slower. Studies of the second-order optical nonlinearities of poled thin films using second-harmonic generation revealed an apparent enhancement of the second-harmonic coefficient compared with the predictions of conventional theories. However, we note that the use of microscopic parameters (the dipole moment and the first hyperpolarizability) obtained from measurements in non-dipolar media may give rise to the apparent anomaly since high reaction fields in polycarbonate films may act to modify these parameters.

Reactions of Air Transport Flight Crews to Displays of Weather During Simulated Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bliss, James P.; Fallon, Corey; Bustamante, Ernesto; Bailey, William R., III; Anderson, Brittany

2005-01-01

Display of information in the cockpit has long been a challenge for aircraft designers. Given the limited space in which to present information, designers have had to be extremely selective about the types and amount of flight related information to present to pilots. The general goal of cockpit display design and implementation is to ensure that displays present information that is timely, useful, and helpful. This suggests that displays should facilitate the management of perceived workload, and should allow maximal situation awareness. The formatting of current and projected weather displays represents a unique challenge. As technologies have been developed to increase the variety and capabilities of weather information available to flight crews, factors such as conflicting weather representations and increased decision importance have increased the likelihood for errors. However, if formatted optimally, it is possible that next generation weather displays could allow for clearer indications of weather trends such as developing or decaying weather patterns. Important issues to address include the integration of weather information sources, flight crew trust of displayed weather information, and the teamed reactivity of flight crews to displays of weather. Past studies of weather display reactivity and formatting have not adequately addressed these issues; in part because experimental stimuli have not approximated the complexity of modern weather displays, and in part because they have not used realistic experimental tasks or participants. The goal of the research reported here was to investigate the influence of onboard and NEXRAD agreement, range to the simulated potential weather event, and the pilot flying on flight crew deviation decisions, perceived workload, and perceived situation awareness. Fifteen pilot-copilot teams were required to fly a simulated route while reacting to weather events presented in two graphical formats on a separate visual display. Measures of flight crew reactions included performance-based measures such as deviation decision accuracy, and judgment-based measures such as perceived decision confidence, workload, situation awareness, and display trust. Results demonstrated that pilots adopted a conservative reaction strategy, often choosing to deviate from weather rather than ride through it. When onboard and NEXRAD displays did not agree, flight crews reacted in a complex manner, trusting the onboard system more but using the NEXRAD system to augment their situation awareness. Distance to weather reduced situation awareness and heightened workload levels. Overall, flight crews tended to adopt a participative leadership style marked by open communication. These results suggest that future weather displays should exploit the existing benefits of NEXRAD presentation for situation awareness while retaining the display structure and logic inherent in the onboard system.

In vivo exposures to particulate matter collected from Saudi Arabia or nickel chloride display similar dysregulation of metabolic syndrome genes

PubMed Central

Brocato, Jason; Hernandez, Michelle; Laulicht, Freda; Sun, Hong; Shamy, Magdy; Alghamdi, Mansour A.; Khoder, Mamdouh I.; Kluz, Thomas; Chen, Lung-Chi; Costa, Max

2016-01-01

Particulate matter (PM) exposures have been linked to mortality, low birth weights, hospital admissions, and diseases associated with metabolic syndrome, including diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. In a previous in vitro and in vivo study, data demonstrated that PM10µm collected from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (PMSA) altered expression of genes involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism, as well as many other genes associated with metabolic disorders. PMSA contains a relatively high concentration of nickel (Ni), known to be linked to several metabolic disorders. In order to evaluate if Ni and PM exposures induce similar gene expression profiles, mice were exposed to 100µg/50µl PMSA (PM-100), 50µg/50µl nickel chloride (Ni-50), or 100µg/50µl nickel chloride (Ni-100) twice a week for 4 weeks and hepatic gene expression changes determined. Ultimately, 55 of the same genes were altered in all 3 exposures. However, where the two Ni groups differed markedly was in the regulation (up or down) of these genes. Ni-100 and PM-100 groups displayed similar regulations, whereby 104 of the 107 genes were similarly modulated. Many of the 107 genes involved in metabolic syndrome and include ALDH4A1, BCO2, CYP1A, CYP2U, TOP2A. In addition, the top affected pathways such as fatty acid α-oxidation, and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, are involved in metabolic diseases. Most notably, the top diseased outcome affected by these changes in gene expression was cardiovascular disease. Given these data, it appears that Ni and PMSA exposures display similar gene expression profiles, modulating the expression of genes involved in metabolic disorders. PMID:26692068

Evaluating pavement markings on portland cement concrete (PCC) and various asphalt surfaces : results of year 1 data collection.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-01

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) uses a variety of different pavement marking : systems and has experienced a wide range of pavement marking performance. In an effort to : maximize marking performance and to optimize marking selection...

Similarity of vegetation dynamics during interglacial periods

PubMed Central

Cheddadi, Rachid; de Beaulieu, Jacques-Louis; Jouzel, Jean; Andrieu-Ponel, Valérie; Laurent, Jeanne-Marine; Reille, Maurice; Raynaud, Dominique; Bar-Hen, Avner

2005-01-01

The Velay sequence (France) provides a unique, continuous, palynological record spanning the last four climatic cycles. A pollen-based reconstruction of temperature and precipitation displays marked climatic cycles. An analysis of the climate and vegetation changes during the interglacial periods reveals comparable features and identical major vegetation successions. Although Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11.3 and the Holocene had similar earth precessional variations, their correspondence in terms of vegetation dynamics is low. MIS 9.5, 7.5, and especially 5.5 display closer correlation to the Holocene than MIS 11.3. Ecological factors, such as the distribution and composition of glacial refugia or postglacial migration patterns, may explain these discrepancies. Comparison of ecosystem dynamics during the past five interglacials suggests that vegetation development in the current interglacial has no analogue from the past 500,000 years. PMID:16162676

Conodont faunas from a complete basinal succession of the upper part of the Wordian (Middle Permian, Guadalupian, West Texas)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wardlaw, Bruce R.; Nestell, Merlynd K.

2015-01-01

In the southern part of the Patterson Hills just to the west of the Guadalupe Mountains escarpment ofWest Texas, a 29m outcrop of alternating calcareous siltstone and silty limestone with a few thin fine sandstone interbeds displays the overlap occurrence of a narrowmorphotype of Jinogondolella nankingensis (herein named J. nankingensis behnkeni) with J. aserrata near its base. The transition of Jinogondolella aserrata to J. postserrata is present near the top of this section and marks theWordian-Capitanian boundary, therefore displaying a significant portion of the upper part of theWordian in one short continuous section. Pseudohindeodus brevis n. sp. and H. capitanensis n. sp. are described. Pseudohindeodus ramovsi, Caenodontus serrulatus, Hindeodus wordensis, Sweetina triticum, Jinogondolella palmata, and J. errata also occur in this succession.

Teleoperated robotic sorting system

DOEpatents

Roos, Charles E.; Sommer, Jr., Edward J.; Parrish, Robert H.; Russell, James R.

2008-06-24

A method and apparatus are disclosed for classifying materials utilizing a computerized touch sensitive screen or other computerized pointing device for operator identification and electronic marking of spatial coordinates of materials to be extracted. An operator positioned at a computerized touch sensitive screen views electronic images of the mixture of materials to be sorted as they are conveyed past a sensor array which transmits sequences of images of the mixture either directly or through a computer to the touch sensitive display screen. The operator manually "touches" objects displayed on the screen to be extracted from the mixture thereby registering the spatial coordinates of the objects within the computer. The computer then tracks the registered objects as they are conveyed and directs automated devices including mechanical means such as air jets, robotic arms, or other mechanical diverters to extract the registered objects.

Relations between parents' interactive style in dyadic and triadic play and toddlers' symbolic capacity.

PubMed

Keren, M; Feldman, R; Namdari-Weinbaum, I; Spitzer, S; Tyano, S

2005-10-01

Play has a major role in the evaluation and treatment of young children referred to mental health clinicians. The present study examined parental correlates of preschoolers' symbolic play during dyadic and triadic play interactions. Boys' play contained more aggressive themes, and girls' contained more nurturing themes. Mothers displayed more caring themes during play with both sons and daughters, and fathers displayed more repair and construction themes. Mothers' and fathers' facilitative- creative interaction style in dyadic play predicted the level of the child's symbolic play. Co-parenting style marked by cooperation and autonomy predicted symbolic play during a triadic family session. Child intelligence predicted symbolic play beyond the parent's style during triadic but not dyadic interactions. The findings have implications for early intervention directed at increasing symbolic play in young children.

Teleoperated robotic sorting system

DOEpatents

Roos, Charles E.; Sommer, Edward J.; Parrish, Robert H.; Russell, James R.

2000-01-01

A method and apparatus are disclosed for classifying materials utilizing a computerized touch sensitive screen or other computerized pointing device for operator identification and electronic marking of spatial coordinates of materials to be extracted. An operator positioned at a computerized touch sensitive screen views electronic images of the mixture of materials to be sorted as they are conveyed past a sensor array which transmits sequences of images of the mixture either directly or through a computer to the touch sensitive display screen. The operator manually "touches" objects displayed on the screen to be extracted from the mixture thereby registering the spatial coordinates of the objects within the computer. The computer then tracks the registered objects as they are conveyed and directs automated devices including mechanical means such as air jets, robotic arms, or other mechanical diverters to extract the registered objects.

Developing Intepretive Soil Education Displays.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansmeyer, T. L.; Cooper, T. H.

1993-01-01

Describes several soil educational displays developed for park and nature center trails. Displays include full-scale soil monoliths displayed along the trails with explanations on why and how the soils are different, and micro-monoliths exhibiting the different soil types. (MDH)

Point-of-Sale Tobacco Advertising and Display Bans: Policy Evaluation Study in Five Russian Cities.

PubMed

Kennedy, Ryan David; Grant, Ashley; Spires, Mark; Cohen, Joanna E

2017-08-15

The tobacco industry uses point-of-sale (POS) advertising, promotion, and product display to increase consumption of its products among current users, to attract new consumers, and to encourage former customers to resume tobacco use. As part of a comprehensive tobacco control effort, Russia-having one of the highest tobacco use prevalence rates in the world-enacted legislation that banned tobacco POS advertising, effective November 15, 2013, and banned the display of tobacco and the sale of cigarettes in kiosks, effective June 1, 2014. The objective of the study was to evaluate the implementation of the national law by assessing the state of POS advertising, promotion, and product display, and sales in kiosks across Russia. Two waves of observations were conducted to measure compliance with the POS restrictions: wave 1 took place in April-May 2014 after the advertising ban was in effect and again in August-September 2014 after the display ban and elimination of tobacco sales in kiosks came into effect. Observations were conducted by local trained staff that traveled to 5 populous cities in different regions of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk). Staff followed a published POS evaluation protocol and used mobile phones to collect data. Observations were conducted in a roughly equal number of supermarket chains, convenience stores, and kiosks. Observed items included advertising at POS, product displays, and cigarette sales in kiosks. Observations were made in 780 venues in wave 1 and in 779 revisited venues in wave 2. In wave 1, approximately a third of supermarkets and convenience stores (34.2%, 184/538) were advertising cigarettes using light boxes, and over half of observed venues (54.3%, 292/538) had signage such as banners or shelf liners that used colors or images related to cigarette brands. Product displays were common in wave 1. In wave 2, compliance with advertising restrictions was very good: there were virtually no light boxes (1.0%, 5/489); banners or shelf liners were observed in 30.5% (149/489) of supermarkets/convenience stores; approximately 7.4% (36/489) of venues were still displaying products in a powerwall. In wave 2, 41.3% (100/242) of kiosks continued to sell tobacco. Russia's compliance with POS bans was excellent. Remaining compliance issues are largely with the use of cigarette brand colors or images used in banners or shelf liners; this type of infraction is more difficult to enforce as inspectors need to be deeply familiar with tobacco industry products and marketing practices. A sizable proportion of kiosks continue to sell tobacco post restrictions. ©Ryan David Kennedy, Ashley Grant, Mark Spires, Joanna E Cohen. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 15.08.2017.

Leniency and halo effects in marking undergraduate short research projects.

PubMed

McKinstry, Brian H; Cameron, Helen S; Elton, Robert A; Riley, Simon C

2004-11-29

Supervisors are often involved in the assessment of projects they have supervised themselves. Previous research suggests that detailed marking sheets may alleviate leniency and halo effects. We set out to determine if, despite using such a marking schedule, leniency and halo effects were evident in the supervisors' marking of undergraduate short research projects (special study modules (SSM)). Review of grades awarded by supervisors, second markers and control markers to the written reports of 4th year medical students who had participated in an SSM during two full academic years (n = 399). Paired t-tests were used to compare mean marks, Pearson correlation to look at agreement between marks and multiple linear regression to test the prediction of one mark from several others adjusted for one another. There was a highly significant difference of approximately half a grade between supervisors and second markers with supervisors marking higher. (t = 3.12, p < 0.01, difference in grade score = 0.42, 95% CI for mean difference 0.18-0.80). There was a high correlation between the two marks awarded for performance of the project and the written report by the supervisor (r = 0.75), but a low-modest correlation between supervisor and second marker (r = 0.28). Linear regression analysis of the influence of the supervisors' mark for performance on their mark for the report gave a non-significant result. This suggests a leniency effect but no halo effect. This study shows that with the use of structured marking sheet for assessment of undergraduate medical students, supervisors marks are not associated with a halo effect, but leniency does occur. As supervisor assessment is becoming more common in both under graduate and postgraduate teaching new ways to improve objectivity in marking and to address the leniency of supervisors should be sought.

[Particle emission characteristics of diesel bus fueled with bio-diesel].

PubMed

Lou, Di-Ming; Chen, Feng; Hu, Zhi-Yuan; Tan, Pi-Qiang; Hu, Wei

2013-10-01

With the use of the Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer (EEPS), a study on the characteristics of particle emissions was carried out on a China-IV diesel bus fueled with blends of 5% , 10% , 20% , 50% bio-diesel transformed from restaurant waste oil and China-IV diesel (marked separately by BD5, BD10, BD20, BD50), pure bio-diesel (BD100) and pure diesel (BD0). The results indicated that particulate number (PN) and mass (PM) emissions of bio-diesel blends increased with the increase in bus speed and acceleration; with increasing bio-diesel content, particulate emissions displayed a relevant declining trend. In different speed ranges, the size distribution of particulate number emissions (PNSD) was bimodal; in different acceleration ranges, PNSD showed a gradual transition from bimodal shape to unimodal when bus operation was switched from decelerating to accelerating status. Bio-diesel blends with higher mixture ratios showed significant reduction in PN emissions for accumulated modes, and the particulate number emission peaks moved towards smaller sizes; but little change was obtained in PN emissions for nuclei modes; reduction also occurred in particle geometric diameter (Dg).

Distinct Tensile Response of Model Semi-flexible Elastomer Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilera-Mercado, Bernardo M.; Cohen, Claude; Escobedo, Fernando A.

2011-03-01

Through coarse-grained molecular modeling, we study how the elastic response strongly depends upon nanostructural heterogeneities in model networks made of semi-flexible chains exhibiting both regular and realistic connectivity. Idealized regular polymer networks have been shown to display a peculiar elastic response similar to that of super-tough natural materials (e.g., organic adhesives inside abalone shells). We investigate the impact of chain stiffness, and the effect of including tri-block copolymer chains, on the network's topology and elastic response. We find in some systems a dual tensile response: a liquid-like behavior at small deformations, and a distinct saw-tooth shaped stress-strain curve at moderate to large deformations. Additionally, stiffer regular networks exhibit a marked hysteresis over loading-unloading cycles that can be deleted by heating-cooling cycles or by performing deformations along different axes. Furthermore, small variations of chain stiffness may entirely change the nature of the network's tensile response from an entropic to an enthalpic elastic regime, and micro-phase separation of different blocks within elastomer networks may significantly enhance their mechanical strength. This work was supported by the American Chemical Society.

A peptidomimetic targeting white fat causes weight loss and improved insulin resistance in obese monkeys.

PubMed

Barnhart, Kirstin F; Christianson, Dawn R; Hanley, Patrick W; Driessen, Wouter H P; Bernacky, Bruce J; Baze, Wallace B; Wen, Sijin; Tian, Mei; Ma, Jingfei; Kolonin, Mikhail G; Saha, Pradip K; Do, Kim-Anh; Hulvat, James F; Gelovani, Juri G; Chan, Lawrence; Arap, Wadih; Pasqualini, Renata

2011-11-09

Obesity, defined as body mass index greater than 30, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and a financial burden worldwide. Despite significant efforts in the past decade, very few drugs have been successfully developed for the treatment of obese patients. Biological differences between rodents and primates are a major hurdle for translation of anti-obesity strategies either discovered or developed in rodents into effective human therapeutics. Here, we evaluate the ligand-directed peptidomimetic CKGGRAKDC-GG-(D)(KLAKLAK)(2) (henceforth termed adipotide) in obese Old World monkeys. Treatment with adipotide induced targeted apoptosis within blood vessels of white adipose tissue and resulted in rapid weight loss and improved insulin resistance in obese monkeys. Magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry confirmed a marked reduction in white adipose tissue. At experimentally determined optimal doses, monkeys from three different species displayed predictable and reversible changes in renal proximal tubule function. Together, these data in primates establish adipotide as a prototype in a new class of candidate drugs that may be useful for treating obesity in humans.

Spectrally tuned structural and pigmentary coloration of birdwing butterfly wing scales.

PubMed

Wilts, Bodo D; Matsushita, Atsuko; Arikawa, Kentaro; Stavenga, Doekele G

2015-10-06

The colourful wing patterns of butterflies play an important role for enhancing fitness; for instance, by providing camouflage, for interspecific mate recognition, or for aposematic display. Closely related butterfly species can have dramatically different wing patterns. The phenomenon is assumed to be caused by ecological processes with changing conditions, e.g. in the environment, and also by sexual selection. Here, we investigate the birdwing butterflies, Ornithoptera, the largest butterflies of the world, together forming a small genus in the butterfly family Papilionidae. The wings of these butterflies are marked by strongly coloured patches. The colours are caused by specially structured wing scales, which act as a chirped multilayer reflector, but the scales also contain papiliochrome pigments, which act as a spectral filter. The combined structural and pigmentary effects tune the coloration of the wing scales. The tuned colours are presumably important for mate recognition and signalling. By applying electron microscopy, (micro-)spectrophotometry and scatterometry we found that the various mechanisms of scale coloration of the different birdwing species strongly correlate with the taxonomical distribution of Ornithoptera species. © 2015 The Author(s).

Spectrally tuned structural and pigmentary coloration of birdwing butterfly wing scales

PubMed Central

Wilts, Bodo D.; Matsushita, Atsuko; Arikawa, Kentaro; Stavenga, Doekele G.

2015-01-01

The colourful wing patterns of butterflies play an important role for enhancing fitness; for instance, by providing camouflage, for interspecific mate recognition, or for aposematic display. Closely related butterfly species can have dramatically different wing patterns. The phenomenon is assumed to be caused by ecological processes with changing conditions, e.g. in the environment, and also by sexual selection. Here, we investigate the birdwing butterflies, Ornithoptera, the largest butterflies of the world, together forming a small genus in the butterfly family Papilionidae. The wings of these butterflies are marked by strongly coloured patches. The colours are caused by specially structured wing scales, which act as a chirped multilayer reflector, but the scales also contain papiliochrome pigments, which act as a spectral filter. The combined structural and pigmentary effects tune the coloration of the wing scales. The tuned colours are presumably important for mate recognition and signalling. By applying electron microscopy, (micro-)spectrophotometry and scatterometry we found that the various mechanisms of scale coloration of the different birdwing species strongly correlate with the taxonomical distribution of Ornithoptera species. PMID:26446560

The individuality of mice.

PubMed

Lathe, R

2004-12-01

Mutant mice simulating human CNS disorders are used as models for therapeutic drug development. Drug evaluation requires a coherent correlation between behavioral phenotype and drug status. Variations in behavioral responses could mask such correlations, a problem highlighted by the three-site studies of Crabbe et al. (1999) and Wahlsten et al. (2003a). Factors contributing to variation are considered, focusing on differences between individual animals. Genetic differences due to minisatellite variation suggest that each mouse is genetically distinct. Effects during gestation, including maternal stress, influence later life behavior; while endocrine exchanges between fetus and parent, and between male and female fetuses dependent on intrauterine position, also contribute. Pre and perinatal nutrition and maternal attention also play a role. In adults, endocrine cyclicity in females is a recognized source of behavioral diversity. Notably, there is increasing recognition that groups of wild and laboratory mice have complex social structures, illustrated through consideration of Crowcroft (1966). Dominance status can markedly modify behavior in test paradigms addressing anxiety, locomotion and aggressiveness, to an extent comparable to mutation or drug status. Understanding how such effects amplify the behavioral spectrum displayed by otherwise identical animals will improve testing.

Effect of temperature and cultivar on polyphenol retention and mass transfer during osmotic dehydration of apples.

PubMed

Devic, Emilie; Guyot, Sylvain; Daudin, Jean-Dominique; Bonazzi, Catherine

2010-01-13

Several cultivars of apples (Malus domestica) were chosen for their variable concentrations and compositions in phenolic compounds. Cubed samples (1 cm3) were subjected to osmotic dehydration, and the effect of temperature was studied at 45 and 60 degrees C. Water loss, sucrose impregnation, and the evolution of some natural components of the product were followed to quantify mass transfer. Ascorbic acid and polyphenols were quantified by HPLC for several osmotic dehydration times and regardless of the quantity of impregnated sugar. Changes in antioxidant components differed as a function of the nature of molecules. Their concentrations decreased in line with temperature, and few differences were observed between cultivars. Processing at a lower temperature (45 degrees C) caused a total loss in ascorbic acid but allowed the retention of between 74 and 85% of initial polyphenols, depending on the cultivar. Cultivars containing highly polymerized procyanidins (such as Guillevic) experienced less loss. Hydroxycinnamic acids and monomeric catechins displayed the most marked changes. Leaching with water into the soaking solution was the principal mechanism retained to explain these losses.

Rocket Engines Displayed for 1966 Inspection at Lewis Research Center

NASA Image and Video Library

1966-10-21

An array of rocket engines displayed in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory for the 1966 Inspection held at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. Lewis engineers had been working on chemical, nuclear, and solid rocket engines throughout the 1960s. The engines on display are from left to right: two scale models of the Aerojet M-1, a Rocketdyne J-2, a Pratt and Whitney RL-10, and a Rocketdyne throttleable engine. Also on display are several ejector plates and nozzles. The Chemical Rocket Division resolved issues such as combustion instability and screech, and improved operation of cooling systems and turbopumps. The 1.5-million pound thrust M-1 engine was the largest hydrogen-fueled rocket engine ever created. It was a joint project between NASA Lewis and Aerojet-General. Although much larger in size, the M-1 used technology developed for the RL-10 and J-2. The M-1 program was cancelled in late 1965 due to budget cuts and the lack of a post-Apollo mission. The October 1966 Inspection was the culmination of almost a year of events held to mark the centers’ 25th anniversary. The three‐day Inspection, Lewis’ first since 1957, drew 2000 business, industry, and government executives and included an employee open house. The visitors witnessed presentations at the major facilities and viewed the Gemini VII spacecraft, a Centaur rocket, and other displays in the hangar. In addition, Lewis’ newest facility, the Zero Gravity Facility, was shown off for the first time.

Cohort study investigating the effects of first stage of the English tobacco point-of-sale display ban on awareness, susceptibility and smoking uptake among adolescents.

PubMed

Bogdanovica, Ilze; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

2017-01-23

A prospective evaluation of the effect of 2012 point-of-sale (PoS) display ban in supermarkets in England on perceived exposure to PoS displays, and on changes in susceptibility and smoking uptake among young people. Cohort study. Seven schools in Nottinghamshire, England. 1035 11-16-year-old school children. Changes in reported exposure to PoS displays before and after prohibition, and the association between exposure to and awareness of PoS displays and change in susceptibility to smoking and smoking status between 2011 and 2012 (before the ban) and 2012 and 2013 (after the ban). The proportion of children noticing tobacco PoS displays in supermarkets most or every time they visited a shop changed little between 2011 and 2012 (59.6% (95% CI 56.6% to 62.6%) and 58.8% (95% CI 55.8% to 61.8%), respectively); but decreased by about 13 percentage points to 45.7% (95% CI 42.7% to 48.7%) in 2013, after the ban. However, after adjusting for confounders, implementation of the first stage of the PoS ban in 2012 did not result in significant changes in the relation between susceptibility to smoking and smoking status and exposure to and awareness of PoS displays. Prohibition of PoS in large supermarkets resulted in a decline in the proportion of young people noticing PoS displays in large shops, but little or no change in smoking uptake or susceptibility. It remains to be seen whether extension of the PoS ban to all shops in 2015 has a more marked effect. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The role of plant phenology in stomatal ozone flux modeling.

PubMed

Anav, Alessandro; Liu, Qiang; De Marco, Alessandra; Proietti, Chiara; Savi, Flavia; Paoletti, Elena; Piao, Shilong

2018-01-01

Plant phenology plays a pivotal role in the climate system as it regulates the gas exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere. The uptake of ozone by forest is estimated through several meteorological variables and a specific function describing the beginning and the termination of plant growing season; actually, in many risk assessment studies, this function is based on a simple latitude and topography model. In this study, using two satellite datasets, we apply and compare six methods to estimate the start and the end dates of the growing season across a large region covering all Europe for the year 2011. Results show a large variability between the green-up and dormancy dates estimated using the six different methods, with differences greater than one month. However, interestingly, all the methods display a common spatial pattern in the uptake of ozone by forests with a marked change in the magnitude, up to 1.9 TgO 3 /year, and corresponding to a difference of 25% in the amount of ozone that enters the leaves. Our results indicate that improved estimates of ozone fluxes require a better representation of plant phenology in the models used for O 3 risk assessment. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Application of Mls Data to the Assessment of Safety-Related Features in the Surrounding Area of Automatically Detected Pedestrian Crossings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soilán, M.; Riveiro, B.; Sánchez-Rodríguez, A.; González-deSantos, L. M.

2018-05-01

During the last few years, there has been a huge methodological development regarding the automatic processing of 3D point cloud data acquired by both terrestrial and aerial mobile mapping systems, motivated by the improvement of surveying technologies and hardware performance. This paper presents a methodology that, in a first place, extracts geometric and semantic information regarding the road markings within the surveyed area from Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) data, and then employs it to isolate street areas where pedestrian crossings are found and, therefore, pedestrians are more likely to cross the road. Then, different safety-related features can be extracted in order to offer information about the adequacy of the pedestrian crossing regarding its safety, which can be displayed in a Geographical Information System (GIS) layer. These features are defined in four different processing modules: Accessibility analysis, traffic lights classification, traffic signs classification, and visibility analysis. The validation of the proposed methodology has been carried out in two different cities in the northwest of Spain, obtaining both quantitative and qualitative results for pedestrian crossing classification and for each processing module of the safety assessment on pedestrian crossing environments.

Perceiving crowd attention: Gaze following in human crowds with conflicting cues.

PubMed

Sun, Zhongqiang; Yu, Wenjun; Zhou, Jifan; Shen, Mowei

2017-05-01

People automatically redirect their visual attention by following others' gaze orientation, a phenomenon called "gaze following." This is an evolutionarily generated socio-cognitive process that provides people with information about their environments. Often, however, people in crowds can have rather different gaze orientations. This study investigated how gaze following occurs in situations with many conflicting gazes. In two experiments, we modified the gaze cueing paradigm to use a crowd rather than a single individual. Specifically, participants were presented with a group of human avatars with differing gaze orientations, and the target appeared randomly on the left or right side of a display. We found that (a) when a marked difference existed in the number of avatars with divergent gaze orientations, participants automatically followed the majority's gaze orientation, and (b) the strongest gaze cue effect occurred when all gazes shared the same orientation, with the response superiority of the majority's oriented location monotonically diminishing with the number of gazes with divergent orientations. These findings suggested that the majority rule plays a role in gaze following behavior when individuals are confronted with conflicting multigaze scenes, and that an increasing subgroup size appears to enlarge the strength of the gaze cueing effect.

The effect of life-history variation on the population size structure of a rocky intertidal snail ( Littorina sitkana)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rochette, Rémy; Dunmall, Karen; Dill, Lawrence M.

2003-03-01

On wave-sheltered shores of the northeastern Pacific, the population size structure of Littorina sitkana varies with intertidal height, as larger snails are mostly found only in the upper intertidal. This pattern has been attributed to high predation rates by crabs (and perhaps fish) on large snails inhabiting low-intertidal areas; i.e., large snails are presumed to be rare there simply because predators kill them. In this study we investigate the hypothesis that predation contributes to the shore-level size gradient displayed by L. sitkana by selecting for (or inducing) earlier sexual maturation and reduced somatic growth in low-shore snails relative to high-shore individuals. In the first part of our study, we carried out laboratory dissections, field experiments (mark-release-recapture and caging), and field surveys on a wave-protected shore in Bamfield Inlet, Barkley Sound (British Columbia, Canada). The principal results were: (1) adult survivorship was greater at higher, than at lower, intertidal level, (2) snails displayed a preference for their shore level of origin, (3) immature adults from the high intertidal displayed greater rates of somatic growth relative to immature adults from the low intertidal, and (4) low-shore snails matured at a smaller size than high-shore individuals. In the second part of the study, a large-scale survey showed intra-specific variation in size at sexual maturity (point 4 above) to be relatively consistent over time (winter of 1999 and 2001 for snails from our main study site) and space (13 different sites in winter 2001), although the magnitude of these differences varied greatly from shore to shore. Our results indicate that L. sitkana individuals inhabiting upper and lower parts of their intertidal range allocate resources differently to somatic and gonadal growth, an intra-specific difference that is best interpreted as a response to spatial and size-dependent variation in predation pressure. Taken together, results of this and other recent studies indicate that phenotypic responses to contrasting selection pressures operating in upper- and lower-intertidal areas contribute to the intertidal size gradient of L. sitkana. We believe that greater consideration of evolutionary processes in ecological studies will lead to a more complete understanding of the mechanisms responsible for structuring marine coastal communities.

Correspondence effects with torches: grasping affordance or visual feature asymmetry?

PubMed

Song, Xiaolei; Chen, Jing; Proctor, Robert W

2014-01-01

Three experiments were conducted to determine whether an object-based correspondence effect for torch (flashlight) stimuli reported by Pellicano et al. [( 2010 ). Simon-like and functional affordance effects with tools: The effects of object perceptual discrimination and object action state. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 2190-2201] is due to a grasping affordance provided by the handle or asymmetry of feature markings on the torch. In Experiment 1 the stimuli were the same as those from Pellicano et al.'s Experiment 2, whereas in Experiments 2 and 3 the stimuli were modified versions with the graspable handle removed. Participants in all experiments performed upright/inverted orientation judgements on the torch stimuli. The results of Experiment 1 replicated those of Pellicano et al.: A small but significant object-based correspondence effect was evident, mainly when the torch was in an active state. With the handle of the torch removed in Experiment 2, making the barrel markings more asymmetric in the display, the correspondence effect was larger. Experiment 3 directly demonstrated an effect of barrel-marking asymmetry on the correspondence effect: When only the half of the markings nearest the light end of the torch was included, the correspondence effect reversed to favour the light end. The results are in agreement with a visual feature-asymmetry account and are difficult to reconcile with a grasping-affordance account.

Software Displays Data on Active Regions of the Sun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golightly, Mike; Weyland, Mark; Raben, Vern

2011-01-01

The Solar Active Region Display System is a computer program that generates, in near real time, a graphical display of parameters indicative of the spatial and temporal variations of activity on the Sun. These parameters include histories and distributions of solar flares, active region growth, coronal mass ejections, size, and magnetic configuration. By presenting solar-activity data in graphical form, this program accelerates, facilitates, and partly automates what had previously been a time-consuming mental process of interpretation of solar-activity data presented in tabular and textual formats. Intended for original use in predicting space weather in order to minimize the exposure of astronauts to ionizing radiation, the program might also be useful on Earth for predicting solar-wind-induced ionospheric effects, electric currents, and potentials that could affect radio-communication systems, navigation systems, pipelines, and long electric-power lines. Raw data for the display are obtained automatically from the Space Environment Center (SEC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Other data must be obtained from the NOAA SEC by verbal communication and entered manually. The Solar Active Region Display System automatically accounts for the latitude dependence of the rate of rotation of the Sun, by use of a mathematical model that is corrected with NOAA SEC active-region position data once every 24 hours. The display includes the date, time, and an image of the Sun in H light overlaid with latitude and longitude coordinate lines, dots that mark locations of active regions identified by NOAA, identifying numbers assigned by NOAA to such regions, and solar-region visual summary (SRVS) indicators associated with some of the active regions. Each SRVS indicator is a small pie chart containing five equal sectors, each of which is color-coded to provide a semiquantitative indication of the degree of hazard posed by one aspect of the activity at the indicated location. The five aspects in question are the history of solar flares, the history of coronal mass ejections, the growth or decay of activity, the overall size, and the magnetic configuration. Mouse-clicking on an active-region-marking dot, SRVS indicator, or NOAA region number causes the program to generate a solar-region summary table (SRT) for the active region in question. The SRT contains additional quantitative and qualitative data, beyond those contained in the SRVS: These data include the solar coordinates of the region, the area of the region and its change in area during the past 24 hours, the change in the number of sunspots in the region during the past 24 hours, the magnetic configuration, and the types, dates, and times of the most recent flare and coronal mass ejection.

Linguistic constraints on children's overt marking of BE by dialect and age.

PubMed

Roy, Joseph; Oetting, Janna B; Moland, Christy Wynn

2013-06-01

Overt marking of BE in nonmainstream adult dialects of English is influenced by a number of linguistic constraints, including the structure's person, number, tense, contractibility, and grammatical function. In the current study, the authors examined the effects of these constraints on overt marking of BE in children as a function of their nonmainstream English dialect and age. The data were language samples from 62 children, ages 4-6 years; 24 children spoke African American English (AAE), and 38 spoke Southern White English (SWE). Analyses included analysis of variance and logistic regression. Rates of overt marking varied by the children's dialect but not their age. Although the person, number, tense, and grammatical function of BE influenced the children's rates of marking, the nature and magnitude of the influence differed by the children's dialect. For AAE-speaking children, contractibility also influenced their marking of BE. Consistent with the adult literature, the current study showed that AAE- and SWE-speaking children marked BE in ways that differed from each other and from what has been documented for child speakers of Mainstream American English. These findings show stability in the use of BE in AAE and SWE that spans different generations and different dialect communities.

Linguistic Constraints on Children's Overt Marking of BE by Dialect and Age

PubMed Central

Roy, Joseph; Oetting, Janna B.; Moland, Christy Wynn

2013-01-01

Purpose Overt marking of BE in nonmainstream adult dialects of English is influenced by a number of linguistic constraints, including the structure's person, number, tense, contractibility, and grammatical function. In the current study, we examined the effects of these constraints on overt marking of BE in children as a function of their nonmainstream English dialect and age. Methods The data were language samples from 62 children, aged four to six years; 24 spoke African American English (AAE) and 38 spoke Southern White English (SWE). Analyses included analysis of variance and logistic regression. Results Rates of overt marking varied by the children's dialect but not their age. Although the person, number, tense, and grammatical function of BE influenced the children's rates of marking, the nature and magnitude of the influence differed by the children's dialect. For AAE-speaking children, contractibility also influenced their marking of BE. Conclusions Consistent with the adult literature, the AAE- and SWE-speaking children marked BE in ways that differed from each other and from what has been documented for child speakers of Mainstream American English. These findings show stability in the use of BE in AAE and SWE that spans different generations and different dialect communities. PMID:23275400

Inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) attachment. 5. An evolution from indole to azaindoles leading to the discovery of 1-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-(4,7-dimethoxy-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridin-3-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (BMS-488043), a drug candidate that demonstrates antiviral activity in HIV-1-infected subjects.

PubMed

Wang, Tao; Yin, Zhiwei; Zhang, Zhongxing; Bender, John A; Yang, Zhong; Johnson, Graham; Yang, Zheng; Zadjura, Lisa M; D'Arienzo, Celia J; DiGiugno Parker, Dawn; Gesenberg, Christophe; Yamanaka, Gregory A; Gong, Yi-Fei; Ho, Hsu-Tso; Fang, Hua; Zhou, Nannan; McAuliffe, Brian V; Eggers, Betsy J; Fan, Li; Nowicka-Sans, Beata; Dicker, Ira B; Gao, Qi; Colonno, Richard J; Lin, Pin-Fang; Meanwell, Nicholas A; Kadow, John F

2009-12-10

Azaindole derivatives derived from the screening lead 1-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (1) were prepared and characterized to assess their potential as inhibitors of HIV-1 attachment. Systematic replacement of each of the unfused carbon atoms in the phenyl ring of the indole moiety by a nitrogen atom provided four different azaindole derivatives that displayed a clear SAR for antiviral activity and all of which displayed marked improvements in pharmaceutical properties. Optimization of these azaindole leads resulted in the identification of two compounds that were advanced to clinical studies: (R)-1-(4-benzoyl-2-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-(4-methoxy-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (BMS-377806, 3) and 1-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-(4,7-dimethoxy-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridin-3-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (BMS-488043, 4). In a preliminary clinical study, 4 administered as monotherapy for 8 days, reduced viremia in HIV-1-infected subjects, providing proof of concept for this mechanistic class.

Molecular profiling of dilated cardiomyopathy that progresses to heart failure

PubMed Central

Burke, Michael A.; Chang, Stephen; Wakimoto, Hiroko; Gorham, Joshua M.; Conner, David A.; Christodoulou, Danos C.; Parfenov, Michael G.; DePalma, Steve R.; Eminaga, Seda; Konno, Tetsuo; Seidman, Jonathan G.; Seidman, Christine E.

2016-01-01

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is defined by progressive functional and structural changes. We performed RNA-seq at different stages of disease to define molecular signaling in the progression from pre-DCM hearts to DCM and overt heart failure (HF) using a genetic model of DCM (phospholamban missense mutation, PLNR9C/+). Pre-DCM hearts were phenotypically normal yet displayed proliferation of nonmyocytes (59% relative increase vs. WT, P = 8 × 10–4) and activation of proinflammatory signaling with notable cardiomyocyte-specific induction of a subset of profibrotic cytokines including TGFβ2 and TGFβ3. These changes progressed through DCM and HF, resulting in substantial fibrosis (17.6% of left ventricle [LV] vs. WT, P = 6 × 10–33). Cardiomyocytes displayed a marked shift in metabolic gene transcription: downregulation of aerobic respiration and subsequent upregulation of glucose utilization, changes coincident with attenuated expression of PPARα and PPARγ coactivators -1α (PGC1α) and -1β, and increased expression of the metabolic regulator T-box transcription factor 15 (Tbx15). Comparing DCM transcriptional profiles with those in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) revealed similar and distinct molecular mechanisms. Our data suggest that cardiomyocyte-specific cytokine expression, early fibroblast activation, and the shift in metabolic gene expression are hallmarks of cardiomyopathy progression. Notably, key components of these profibrotic and metabolic networks were disease specific and distinguish DCM from HCM. PMID:27239561

A search for natural bioactive compounds in Bolivia through a multidisciplinary approach. Part V. Evaluation of the antimalarial activity of plants used by the Tacana Indians.

PubMed

Deharo, E; Bourdy, G; Quenevo, C; Muñoz, V; Ruiz, G; Sauvain, M

2001-09-01

One hundred and twenty-five extracts of 122 different plant species traditionally used by the Tacana, a native community living in lowland forest at the base of the last foothills of the Cordillera Oriental of the Bolivian Andes, were screened for antimalarial activity in vitro on Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistant (D2) and sensitive strains (F32), and were evaluated in vivo on rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei. Five ethanolic stembark extracts showed marked activity either in vitro or in vivo, and only one of them, Bowdichia virgilioides being traditionally used against malaria, was active in vitro (IC50=1 microg/ml on both strains) and in vivo (51% at 100 mg/kg). Other active extracts were from Caesalpinia pluviosa bark displaying activity in vitro against chloroquine resistant strain (IC50 8.3 microg/ml), traditionally used against dysentery; two Lauraceae bark extracts, Nectandra aff. hihua and Licaria canella respectively used for construction purposes and against stomach ache, both displaying activity in vitro against P. falciparum sensible and resistant strains (IC50 around 4 microg/ml); finally, the bark of a strongly aromatic Burseraceae, Protium glabrescens exuding an anti-inflammatory and analgesic resin, was active in vivo only (61% at 100 mg/kg). Results are discussed in relation with Tacana traditional medicine.

19 CFR 181.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the appendix to this part. (k) Marking Rules. Marking Rules means the “NAFTA Marking Rules” as defined..., the following terms shall have the meanings indicated unless either the context in which they are used requires a different meaning or a different definition is prescribed for a particular subpart, section or...

Use of the Photo-Electromyogram to Objectively Diagnose and Monitor Treatment of Post-TBI Light Sensitivity

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

in place. Mark Ginsberg, one of our local jewelry story owners has acquired 3D extruding printers for medical instrumentation applications and will...comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE...tested out our software, which was written to control the monitor brightness, duration, and color for each visual stimulus. The software has been

Southeast Asia Report, Vietnam, Tap Chi Cong San, No. 8, August 1984.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-22

filled with lyricism and romance, an epic. Continuing this direction and style, recent films have taken another step forward, have reached a new level of...rich in lyricism , were compressed but moving, like poetry, and whereas the resistance against the United States for national salvation marked the...in the " Essay on the Vinh Loi Canal," Nguyen Thong displayed his scientific mind by proposing that the canal be narrow and deep so that it could

Landing Trail in 3-D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

A three-dimensional color model created using data from the Mars Exploration Rover's panoramic camera shows images of airbag drag marks on the martian surface. The triangular rock in the upper left corner is approximately 20 centimeters (8 inches) tall. The meatball-shaped rock in the upper right corner is approximately 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall. The dark portion of the surface, or 'trough' is approximately 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) deep at its deepest point. This model is displayed using software developed by NASA's Ames Research Center.

Venera 13 and venera 14: sedimentary rocks on venus?

PubMed

Florensky, C P; Basilevsky, A T; Kryuchkov, V P; Kusmin, R O; Nikolaeva, O V; Pronin, A A; Chernaya, I M; Tyuflin, Y S; Selivanov, A S; Naraeva, M K; Ronca, L B

1983-07-01

Venera 13 and Venera 14 transmitted almost complete panoramic views of their landing sites. Analyses of the photographs show the presence of rock formations undergoing geomorphic degradation. The formations display ripple marks, thin layering, differential erosion, and curvilinear fracturings. Some of them are interpreted as lithified clastic sediments. The lithification could have taken place at depth or at the surface, resulting in a type of duricrust. The origin of the sediments is unknown but could be aeolian, volcanic, or related to impacts or to turbidity currents.

Forster Resonance Energy Transfer Between Core/Shell Quantum Dots and Bacteriorhodopsin

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

through 1 -ethyl- 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl ) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) linker techniques. An amide linkage between the carboxyl- QD and bR amino...Förster Resonance Energy Transfer between Core/Shell QuantumDots and Bacteriorhodopsin Mark H. Griep, 1 , 2, 3 Eric M.Winder,2, 4 Donald R. Lueking,2, 4...failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1 . REPORT DATE 2012 2. REPORT TYPE 3

Three-dimensional quantitative flow diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miles, Richard B.; Nosenchuck, Daniel M.

1989-01-01

The principles, capabilities, and practical implementation of advanced measurement techniques for the quantitative characterization of three-dimensional flows are reviewed. Consideration is given to particle, Rayleigh, and Raman scattering; fluorescence; flow marking by H2 bubbles, photochromism, photodissociation, and vibrationally excited molecules; light-sheet volume imaging; and stereo imaging. Also discussed are stereo schlieren methods, holographic particle imaging, optical tomography, acoustic and magnetic-resonance imaging, and the display of space-filling data. Extensive diagrams, graphs, photographs, sample images, and tables of numerical data are provided.

STS-30 aft flight deck onboard view of overhead window, Earth limb, cow photo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Since the beginning of manned space travel, astronauts have taken onboard with them items of person sentiment. During STS-30 onboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, Mission Specialist Mark C. Lee brought along a photograph of a cow. The photo testifies to his background as one reared on a Wisconsin farm and is displayed on aft flight deck alongside an overhead window. Outside the window, some 160 nautical miles away, is the cloud-covered Earth surface.

Characterization of crosstalk in stereoscopic display devices.

PubMed

Zafar, Fahad; Badano, Aldo

2014-12-01

Many different types of stereoscopic display devices are used for commercial and research applications. Stereoscopic displays offer the potential to improve performance in detection tasks for medical imaging diagnostic systems. Due to the variety of stereoscopic display technologies, it remains unclear how these compare with each other for detection and estimation tasks. Different stereo devices have different performance trade-offs due to their display characteristics. Among them, crosstalk is known to affect observer perception of 3D content and might affect detection performance. We measured and report the detailed luminance output and crosstalk characteristics for three different types of stereoscopic display devices. We recorded the effect of other issues on recorded luminance profiles such as viewing angle, use of different eye wear, and screen location. Our results show that the crosstalk signature for viewing 3D content can vary considerably when using different types of 3D glasses for active stereo displays. We also show that significant differences are present in crosstalk signatures when varying the viewing angle from 0 degrees to 20 degrees for a stereo mirror 3D display device. Our detailed characterization can help emulate the effect of crosstalk in conducting computational observer image quality assessment evaluations that minimize costly and time-consuming human reader studies.

Cultural and Species Differences in Gazing Patterns for Marked and Decorated Objects: A Comparative Eye-Tracking Study

PubMed Central

Mühlenbeck, Cordelia; Jacobsen, Thomas; Pritsch, Carla; Liebal, Katja

2017-01-01

Objects from the Middle Paleolithic period colored with ochre and marked with incisions represent the beginning of non-utilitarian object manipulation in different species of the Homo genus. To investigate the visual effects caused by these markings, we compared humans who have different cultural backgrounds (Namibian hunter–gatherers and German city dwellers) to one species of non-human great apes (orangutans) with respect to their perceptions of markings on objects. We used eye-tracking to analyze their fixation patterns and the durations of their fixations on marked and unmarked stones and sticks. In an additional test, humans evaluated the objects regarding their aesthetic preferences. Our hypotheses were that colorful markings help an individual to structure the surrounding world by making certain features of the environment salient, and that aesthetic appreciation should be associated with this structuring. Our results showed that humans fixated on the marked objects longer and used them in the structural processing of the objects and their background, but did not consistently report finding them more beautiful. Orangutans, in contrast, did not distinguish between object and background in their visual processing and did not clearly fixate longer on the markings. Our results suggest that marking behavior is characteristic for humans and evolved as an attention-directing rather than aesthetic benefit. PMID:28167923

Three methods of presenting flight vector information in a head-up display during simulated STOL approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dwyer, J. H., III; Palmer, E. A., III

1975-01-01

A simulator study was conducted to determine the usefulness of adding flight path vector symbology to a head-up display designed to improve glide-slope tracking performance during steep 7.5 deg visual approaches in STOL aircraft. All displays included a fixed attitude symbol, a pitch- and roll-stabilized horizon bar, and a glide-slope reference bar parallel to and 7.5 deg below the horizon bar. The displays differed with respect to the flight-path marker (FPM) symbol: display 1 had no FPM symbol; display 2 had an air-referenced FPM, and display 3 had a ground-referenced FPM. No differences between displays 1 and 2 were found on any of the performance measures. Display 3 was found to decrease height error in the early part of the approach and to reduce descent rate variation over the entire approach. Two measures of workload did not indicate any differences between the displays.

Mass marking of juvenile Schizothorax wangchiachii (Fang) with alizarin red S and evaluation of stock enhancement in the Jinping area of the Yalong River

PubMed Central

Yang, Kun; Li, Shu; Liu, Xiaoshuai; Gan, Weixiong; Deng, Longjun; Tang, Yezhong

2017-01-01

Schizothorax wangchiachii is a key fish species in the stock enhancement program of the Yalong River hydropower project, China. Alizarin red S (ARS) was used to mark large numbers of juvenile S. wangchiachii in the Jinping Hatchery and later used to evaluate stock enhancement in the Jinping area of the Yalong River. In a small-scale pilot study, 7,000 juveniles of the 2014 cohort were successfully marked by immersion in ARS solution, and no mortality was recorded during the marking process. The ARS mark in the fish otoliths remained visible 20 months later. In the large-scale marking study, approximately 600,000 juveniles of the 2015 cohort were successfully marked. Mortalities of both marked and unmarked juveniles were very low and did not differ significantly. Total length, wet mass and condition factor did not differ significantly between unmarked and marked individuals after three months. On 24 July 2015, about 840,000 Jinping Hatchery-produced young S. wangchiachii, including 400,000 marked individuals, were released at two sites in the Jinping area. Recapture surveys showed that (1) marked and unmarked S. wangchiachii did not differ significantly in total length, wet mass and condition factor; (2) stocked individuals became an important part of recruitment of the 2015 cohort; (3) instantaneous growth rate of marked individuals tended to slightly increase; and (4) most stocked individuals were distributed along a 10–15 km stretch near the release sites. These results suggest that the ARS method is a cost-efficient way to mass mark juvenile S. wangchiachii and that releasing juveniles is an effective means of stock recruitment. PMID:29230371

A large-scale examination of the effectiveness of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences in higher education assessment.

PubMed

Hinton, Daniel P; Higson, Helen

2017-01-01

The present research aims to more fully explore the issues of performance differences in higher education assessment, particularly in the context of a common measure taken to address them. The rationale for the study is that, while performance differences in written examinations are relatively well researched, few studies have examined the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing these performance differences, particularly in modern student populations. By examining a large archive (N = 30674) of assessment data spanning a twelve-year period, the relationship between assessment marks and factors such as ethnic group, gender and socio-environmental background was investigated. In particular, analysis focused on the impact that the implementation of anonymous marking for assessment of written examinations and coursework has had on the magnitude of mean score differences between demographic groups of students. While group differences were found to be pervasive in higher education assessment, these differences were observed to be relatively small in practical terms. Further, it appears that the introduction of anonymous marking has had a negligible effect in reducing them. The implications of these results are discussed, focusing on two issues, firstly a defence of examinations as a fair and legitimate form of assessment in Higher Education, and, secondly, a call for the re-examination of the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences.

A large-scale examination of the effectiveness of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences in higher education assessment

PubMed Central

Higson, Helen

2017-01-01

The present research aims to more fully explore the issues of performance differences in higher education assessment, particularly in the context of a common measure taken to address them. The rationale for the study is that, while performance differences in written examinations are relatively well researched, few studies have examined the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing these performance differences, particularly in modern student populations. By examining a large archive (N = 30674) of assessment data spanning a twelve-year period, the relationship between assessment marks and factors such as ethnic group, gender and socio-environmental background was investigated. In particular, analysis focused on the impact that the implementation of anonymous marking for assessment of written examinations and coursework has had on the magnitude of mean score differences between demographic groups of students. While group differences were found to be pervasive in higher education assessment, these differences were observed to be relatively small in practical terms. Further, it appears that the introduction of anonymous marking has had a negligible effect in reducing them. The implications of these results are discussed, focusing on two issues, firstly a defence of examinations as a fair and legitimate form of assessment in Higher Education, and, secondly, a call for the re-examination of the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences. PMID:28813457

Direct evidence of hybodont shark predation on Late Jurassic ammonites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vullo, Romain

2011-06-01

Sharks are known to have been ammonoid predators, as indicated by analysis of bite marks or coprolite contents. However, body fossil associations attesting to this predator-prey relationship have never been described so far. Here, I report a unique finding from the Late Jurassic of western France: a complete specimen of the Kimmeridgian ammonite Orthaspidoceras bearing one tooth of the hybodont shark Planohybodus. Some possible tooth puncture marks are also observed. This is the first direct evidence of such a trophic link between these two major Mesozoic groups, allowing an accurate identification of both organisms. Although Planohybodus displays a tearing-type dentition generally assumed to have been especially adapted for large unshelled prey, our discovery clearly shows that this shark was also able to attack robust ammonites such as aspidoceratids. The direct evidence presented here provides new insights into the Mesozoic marine ecosystem food webs.

Community phylogenetic diversity of cyanobacterial mats associated with geothermal springs along a tropical intertidal gradient.

PubMed

Jing, Hongmei; Lacap, Donnabella C; Lau, Chui Yim; Pointing, Stephen B

2006-04-01

The 16S rRNA gene-defined bacterial diversity of tropical intertidal geothermal vents subject to varying degrees of seawater inundation was investigated. Shannon-Weaver diversity estimates of clone library-derived sequences revealed that the hottest pools located above the mean high-water mark that did not experience seawater inundation were most diverse, followed by those that were permanently submerged below the mean low-water mark. Pools located in the intertidal were the least biodiverse, and this is attributed to the fluctuating conditions caused by periodic seawater inundation rather than physicochemical conditions per se. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that a ubiquitous Oscillatoria-like phylotype accounted for 83% of clones. Synechococcus-like phylotypes were also encountered at each location, whilst others belonging to the Chroococcales, Oscillatoriales, and other non-phototrophic bacteria occurred only at specific locations along the gradient. All cyanobacterial phylotypes displayed highest phylogenetic affinity to terrestrial thermophilic counterparts rather than marine taxa.

Mt. Etna, Sicily as seen from STS-64

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-09-19

STS064-71-037 (9-20 Sept. 1994) --- Mt. Etna on Sicily displays a steam plume from its summit. Geologists attribute the volcano's existence to the collision of tectonic plates. Unlike the sudden, explosive eruption at Rabaul, Mt. Etna's activity is ongoing and is generally not explosive - Etna's slopes have been settled with villages and cultivated land for centuries. Other Mediterranean volcanoes (like Santorini) have experienced large catastrophic eruptions. Etna recently finished a two-year eruption (ending in 1993), marked by relatively gentle lava flows down the eastern flank. It has been continually degassing since then, according to the geologists, producing an omnipresent steam plume, as seen here. The 1993 flow is difficult to identify in this image because it lies within shadows on the eastern flank, but small cinder cones on the western flank mark earlier episodes of volcanic activity. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

High contrast laser marking of alumina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penide, J.; Quintero, F.; Riveiro, A.; Fernández, A.; del Val, J.; Comesaña, R.; Lusquiños, F.; Pou, J.

2015-05-01

Alumina serves as raw material for a broad range of advanced ceramic products. These elements should usually be identified by some characters or symbols printed directly on them. In this sense, laser marking is an efficient, reliable and widely implemented process in industry. However, laser marking of alumina still leads to poor results since the process is not able to produce a dark mark, yielding bad contrast. In this paper, we present an experimental study on the process of marking alumina by three different lasers working in two wavelengths: 1064 nm (Near-infrared) and 532 nm (visible, green radiation). A colorimetric analysis has been carried out in order to compare the resulting marks and its contrast. The most suitable laser operating conditions were also defined and are reported here. Moreover, the physical process of marking by NIR lasers is discussed in detail. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy were also employed to analyze the results. Finally, we propose an explanation for the differences of the coloration induced under different atmospheres and laser parameters. We concluded that the atmosphere is the key parameter, being the inert one the best choice to produce the darkest marks.

Tonganoxichnus, a new insect trace from the Upper Carboniferous of eastern Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mangano, M.G.; Buatois, L.A.; Maples, C.G.; Lanier, Wendy E.

1997-01-01

Upper Carboniferous tidal rhythmites of the Tonganoxie Sandstone Member (Stranger Formation) at Buildex Quarry, eastern Kansas, USA, host a relatively diverse arthropod-dominated ichnofauna. Bilaterally symmetrical traces displaying unique anterior and posterior sets of morphological features are well represented within the assemblage. A new ichnogenus, Tonganoxichnus, is proposed for these traces. T. buildexensis, the type ichnospecies, has an anterior region characterized by the presence of a frontal pair of maxillary palp impressions, followed by a head impression and three pairs of conspicuous thoracic appendage imprints symmetrically opposite along a median axis. The posterior region commonly exhibits numerous delicate chevron-like markings, recording the abdominal appendages, and a thin, straight, terminal extension. T. buildexensis is interpreted as a resting trace. A second ichnospecies, T. ottawensis, is characterized by a fan-like arrangement of mostly bifid scratch marks at the anterior area that records the head- and thoracic-appendage backstrokes against the substrate. The posterior area shows chevron-like markings or small subcircular impressions that record the abdominal appendages of the animal, also ending in a thin, straight, terminal extension. Specimens display lateral repetition, and are commonly grouped into twos or threes with a fix point at the posteriormost tail-like structure. T. ottawensis is interpreted as a jumping structure, probably in connection with feeding purposes. The two ichnospecies occur in close association, and share sufficient morphologic features to support the same type of arthropod producer. T. buildexensis closely mimics the ventral anatomy of the tracemaker, whereas T. ottawensis records the jumping abilities of the animal providing significant ethologic and paleoecologic information. The presence of well-differentiated cephalic, thoracic, and abdominal features, particularly in T. buildexensis, resembles the diagnostic tagmosis and segmentation of insects. Detailed analysis of trace morphology and comparison with described Paleozoic insect fossils and extant related forms suggest a monuran as the most likely tracemaker.

Pathologic features of fatal shark attacks.

PubMed

Byard, R W; Gilbert, J D; Brown, K

2000-09-01

To examine the pattern of injuries in cases of fatal shark attack in South Australian waters, the authors examined the files of their institution for all cases of shark attack in which full autopsies had been performed over the past 25 years, from 1974 to 1998. Of the seven deaths attributed to shark attack during this period, full autopsies were performed in only two cases. In the remaining five cases, bodies either had not been found or were incomplete. Case 1 was a 27-year-old male surfer who had been attacked by a shark. At autopsy, the main areas of injury involved the right thigh, which displayed characteristic teeth marks, extensive soft tissue damage, and incision of the femoral artery. There were also incised wounds of the right wrist. Bony injury was minimal, and no shark teeth were recovered. Case 2 was a 26-year-old male diver who had been attacked by a shark. At autopsy, the main areas of injury involved the left thigh and lower leg, which displayed characteristic teeth marks, extensive soft tissue damage, and incised wounds of the femoral artery and vein. There was also soft tissue trauma to the left wrist, with transection of the radial artery and vein. Bony injury was minimal, and no shark teeth were recovered. In both cases, death resulted from exsanguination following a similar pattern of soft tissue and vascular damage to a leg and arm. This type of injury is in keeping with predator attack from underneath or behind, with the most severe injuries involving one leg. Less severe injuries to the arms may have occurred during the ensuing struggle. Reconstruction of the damaged limb in case 2 by sewing together skin, soft tissue, and muscle bundles not only revealed that no soft tissue was missing but also gave a clearer picture of the pattern of teeth marks, direction of the attack, and species of predator.

A comprehensive analysis of filamentous phage display vectors for cytoplasmic proteins: an analysis with different fluorescent proteins.

PubMed

Velappan, Nileena; Fisher, Hugh E; Pesavento, Emanuele; Chasteen, Leslie; D'Angelo, Sara; Kiss, Csaba; Longmire, Michelle; Pavlik, Peter; Bradbury, Andrew R M

2010-03-01

Filamentous phage display has been extensively used to select proteins with binding properties of specific interest. Although many different display platforms using filamentous phage have been described, no comprehensive comparison of their abilities to display similar proteins has been conducted. This is particularly important for the display of cytoplasmic proteins, which are often poorly displayed with standard filamentous phage vectors. In this article, we have analyzed the ability of filamentous phage to display a stable form of green fluorescent protein and modified variants in nine different display vectors, a number of which have been previously proposed as being suitable for cytoplasmic protein display. Correct folding and display were assessed by phagemid particle fluorescence, and with anti-GFP antibodies. The poor correlation between phagemid particle fluorescence and recognition of GFP by antibodies, indicates that proteins may fold correctly without being accessible for display. The best vector used a twin arginine transporter leader to transport the displayed protein to the periplasm, and a coil-coil arrangement to link the displayed protein to g3p. This vector was able to display less robust forms of GFP, including ones with inserted epitopes, as well as fluorescent proteins of the Azami green series. It was also functional in mock selection experiments.

"As soon as the bat met the ball, I knew it was gone": outcome prediction, hindsight bias, and the representation and control of action in expert and novice baseball players.

PubMed

Gray, Rob; Beilock, Sun L; Carr, Thomas H

2007-08-01

A virtual-reality batting task compared novice and expert baseball players' ability to predict the outcomes of their swings as well as the susceptibility of these outcome predictions to hindsight bias--a measure of strength and resistance to distortion of memory for predicted action outcomes. During each swing the simulation stopped when the bat met the ball. Batters marked where on the field they thought the ball would land. Correct feedback was then displayed, after which batters attempted to remark the location they had indicated prior to feedback. Expert batters were more accurate than less-skilled individuals in the initial marking and showed less hindsight bias in the postfeedback marking. Furthermore, experts' number of hits in the previous block of trials was positively correlated with prediction accuracy and negatively correlated with hindsight bias. The reverse was true for novices. Thus the ability to predict the outcome of one's performance before such information is available in the environment is not only based on one's overall skill level, but how one is performing at a given moment.

Urease inhibitory profile of extracts and chemical constituents of Pistacia atlantica ssp. cabulica Stocks.

PubMed

Uddin, Ghias; Ismail; Rauf, Abdur; Raza, Muslim; Khan, Haroon; Nasruddin; Khan, Majid; Farooq, Umar; Khan, Ajmal; Arifullah

2016-06-01

The current study was designed to evaluate the urease inhibitory profile of extract and fractions of Pistacia atlantica ssp. cabulica Stocks followed by bioactivity-guided isolated compounds. The crude extract was found significantly active with urease inhibitor (95.40% at 0.2 mg/mL) with IC50 values of 32.0 ± 0.28 μg/mL. Upon fractionation, ethyl acetate fraction displayed 100% urease inhibition with IC50 values of 19.9 ± 0.51 μg/mL at 0.2 mg/mL. However, n-hexane and chloroform fractions exhibited insignificant urease inhibition. Similarly, the isolated compound, transilitin (1) and dihydro luteolin (2) demonstrated marked urease attenuation with 95 and 98% respectively, at 0.15 mg/mL. Both the isolated compounds showed marked potency with IC50 values of 8.54 ± 0.54 and 9.58 ± 2.22 μg/mL, respectively. In short, both the extract and fractions and isolated compounds showed marked urease inhibition and thus a useful natural source of urease inhibition.

What Determines GCSE Marking Accuracy? An Exploration of Expertise among Maths and Physics Markers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suto, W. M. Irenka; Nadas, Rita

2008-01-01

Examination marking utilises a variety of cognitive processes, and from a psychological perspective, the demands that different questions place on markers will vary considerably. To what extent does marking accuracy vary among markers with differing backgrounds and experiences? More fundamentally, what makes some questions harder to mark…

Bumblebees can discriminate between scent-marks deposited by conspecifics

PubMed Central

Pearce, Richard F.; Giuggioli, Luca; Rands, Sean A.

2017-01-01

Bumblebees secrete a substance from their tarsi wherever they land, which can be detected by conspecifics. These secretions are referred to as scent-marks, which bumblebees are able to use as social cues. Although it has been found that bumblebees can detect and associate scent-marks with rewarding or unrewarding flowers, their ability at discriminating between scent-marks from bumblebees of differing relatedness is unknown. We performed three separate experiments with bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), where they were repeatedly exposed to rewarding and unrewarding artificial flowers simultaneously. Each flower type carried scent-marks from conspecifics of differing relatedness or were unmarked. We found that bumblebees are able to distinguish between 1. Unmarked flowers and flowers that they themselves had scent-marked, 2. Flowers scent-marked by themselves and flowers scent-marked by others in their nest (nestmates), and 3. Flowers scent-marked by their nestmates and flowers scent-marked by non-nestmates. The bumblebees found it more difficult to discriminate between each of the flower types when both flower types were scent-marked. Our findings show that bumblebees have the ability to discriminate between scent-marks of conspecifics, which are potentially very similar in their chemical composition, and they can use this ability to improve their foraging success. PMID:28266572

Aggressive Transition between Alternative Male Social Tactics in a Long-Lived Australian Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii) Living at High Density

PubMed Central

Baird, Troy A.; Baird, Teresa D.; Shine, Richard

2012-01-01

Theory predicts the evolution of alternative male social tactics when intense competition coupled with the superior competitive ability of some individuals limits access to reproductive opportunities by others. How selection has shaped alternative social tactics may be especially interesting in long-lived species where size among sexually mature males varies markedly. We conducted experimental studies on long-lived eastern Australian water dragons living where competition was intense to test the hypotheses that mature males adopt alternative social tactics that are plastic, and that large size and body condition determine resource-holding potential. Approximately one-half of mature males (N = 14) defended territories using high rates of patrol and advertisement display, whereas 16 smaller mature males having lower body condition indices utilized non-territorial social tactics. Although territorial males were larger in absolute size and head dimensions, their heads were not allometrically larger. Territorial males advertised very frequently using displays involving stereotypical movements of the head and dewlap. More aggressive displays were given infrequently during baseline social conditions, but increased during periods of social instability. Female home ranges overlapped those of several territorial and non-territorial males, but females interacted more frequently with territorial males. The extreme plasticity of social tactics in this species that are dependent on body size was confirmed by two instances when relatively large non-territorial males spontaneously evicted territory owners, and by marked shifts in tactics by non-territorial males in response to temporary experimental removals of territory owners, followed (usually) by their expulsion when original owners were reinstated. The high level of social plasticity in this population where same-sex competitors are densely concentrated in preferred habitat suggests that chronic high energetic costs of defense may select for males to cycle between territorial and non-territorial social tactics depending upon their changing energetic status and their current capacity for competition with rivals. PMID:22905109

TLR4 deficiency promotes autophagy during cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema.

PubMed

An, Chang Hyeok; Wang, Xiao Mei; Lam, Hilaire C; Ifedigbo, Emeka; Washko, George R; Ryter, Stefan W; Choi, Augustine M K

2012-11-01

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) exert important nonimmune functions in lung homeostasis. TLR4 deficiency promotes pulmonary emphysema. We examined the role of TLR4 in regulating cigarette smoke (CS)-induced autophagy, apoptosis, and emphysema. Lung tissue was obtained from chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) patients. C3H/HeJ (Tlr4-mutated) mice and C57BL/10ScNJ (Tlr4-deficient) mice and their respective control strains were exposed to chronic CS or air. Human or mouse epithelial cells (wild-type, Tlr4-knockdown, and Tlr4-deficient) were exposed to CS-extract (CSE). Samples were analyzed for TLR4 expression, and for autophagic or apoptotic proteins by Western blot analysis or confocal imaging. Chronic obstructive lung disease lung tissues and human pulmonary epithelial cells exposed to CSE displayed increased TLR4 expression, and increased autophagic [microtubule-associated protein-1 light-chain-3B (LC3B)] and apoptotic (cleaved caspase-3) markers. Beas-2B cells transfected with TLR4 siRNA displayed increased expression of LC3B relative to control cells, basally and after exposure to CSE. The basal and CSE-inducible expression of LC3B and cleaved caspase-3 were elevated in pulmonary alveolar type II cells from Tlr4-deficient mice. Wild-type mice subjected to chronic CS-exposure displayed airspace enlargement;, however, the Tlr4-mutated or Tlr4-deficient mice exhibited a marked increase in airspace relative to wild-type mice after CS-exposure. The Tlr4-mutated or Tlr4-deficient mice showed higher levels of LC3B under basal conditions and after CS exposure. The expression of cleaved caspase-3 was markedly increased in Tlr4-deficient mice exposed to CS. We describe a protective regulatory function of TLR4 against emphysematous changes of the lung in response to CS.

TLR4 deficiency promotes autophagy during cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema

PubMed Central

An, Chang Hyeok; Wang, Xiao Mei; Lam, Hilaire C.; Ifedigbo, Emeka; Washko, George R.; Ryter, Stefan W.

2012-01-01

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) exert important nonimmune functions in lung homeostasis. TLR4 deficiency promotes pulmonary emphysema. We examined the role of TLR4 in regulating cigarette smoke (CS)-induced autophagy, apoptosis, and emphysema. Lung tissue was obtained from chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) patients. C3H/HeJ (Tlr4-mutated) mice and C57BL/10ScNJ (Tlr4-deficient) mice and their respective control strains were exposed to chronic CS or air. Human or mouse epithelial cells (wild-type, Tlr4-knockdown, and Tlr4-deficient) were exposed to CS-extract (CSE). Samples were analyzed for TLR4 expression, and for autophagic or apoptotic proteins by Western blot analysis or confocal imaging. Chronic obstructive lung disease lung tissues and human pulmonary epithelial cells exposed to CSE displayed increased TLR4 expression, and increased autophagic [microtubule-associated protein-1 light-chain-3B (LC3B)] and apoptotic (cleaved caspase-3) markers. Beas-2B cells transfected with TLR4 siRNA displayed increased expression of LC3B relative to control cells, basally and after exposure to CSE. The basal and CSE-inducible expression of LC3B and cleaved caspase-3 were elevated in pulmonary alveolar type II cells from Tlr4-deficient mice. Wild-type mice subjected to chronic CS-exposure displayed airspace enlargement;, however, the Tlr4-mutated or Tlr4-deficient mice exhibited a marked increase in airspace relative to wild-type mice after CS-exposure. The Tlr4-mutated or Tlr4-deficient mice showed higher levels of LC3B under basal conditions and after CS exposure. The expression of cleaved caspase-3 was markedly increased in Tlr4-deficient mice exposed to CS. We describe a protective regulatory function of TLR4 against emphysematous changes of the lung in response to CS. PMID:22983353

Sex differences in the play behavior of immature spotted hyenas, Crocuta crocuta.

PubMed

Pedersen, J M; Glickman, S E; Frank, L G; Beach, F A

1990-09-01

Social, locomotor, and object play were studied in a colony of five male and five female peer-reared spotted hyenas during 12 1-hr tests while the animals were 13-19 months of age. Animals were tested in both same-sex and mixed-sex groups and were stimulated to play by the introduction of fresh straw and sawdust bedding. Each test was videotaped and the frequency of each type of play was determined by a time sampling procedure. Females played more frequently than males, however, the category of play which was elevated depended upon the social context during testing. In same-sex tests the frequency of vigorous social play displayed by females markedly exceeded that by males, but no comparable sex difference appeared in mixed-sex tests. Females engaged in locomotor play more frequently than males in mixed-sex tests, but no comparable sex difference appeared in same-sex tests. No sex difference in object play was observed. Two male and two female hyenas were gonadectomized prior to the initiation of the present sequence of tests. The results suggest that gonadectomy during the prepubertal period does not affect the frequency of play behavior. However, the small sample sizes preclude any conclusive determination of the effects of these gonadectomies on play.

Comparing Acquisition of AAC-Based Mands in Three Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using iPad® Applications with Different Display and Design Elements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gevarter, Cindy; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Rojeski, Laura; Sammarco, Nicolette; Sigafoos, Jeff; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Lang, Russell

2014-01-01

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) applications may differ in their use of display and design elements. Using a multielement design, this study compared mand acquisition in three preschool-aged males with autism spectrum disorder, across three different displays in two iPad® AAC applications. Displays included a Widgit symbol button…

A Novel Marking Reader for Progressive Addition Lenses Based on Gabor Holography.

PubMed

Perucho, Beatriz; Picazo-Bueno, José Angel; Micó, Vicente

2016-05-01

Progressive addition lenses (PALs) are marked with permanent engraved marks (PEMs) at standardized locations. Permanent engraved marks are very useful through the manufacturing and mounting processes, act as locator marks to re-ink the removable marks, and contain useful information about the PAL. However, PEMs are often faint and weak, obscured by scratches, partially occluded, and difficult to recognize on tinted lenses or with antireflection or scratch-resistant coatings. The aim of this article is to present a new generation of portable marking reader based on an extremely simplified concept for visualization and identification of PEMs in PALs. Permanent engraved marks on different PALs are visualized using classical Gabor holography as underlying principle. Gabor holography allows phase sample visualization with adjustable magnification and can be implemented in either classical or digital versions. Here, visual Gabor holography is used to provide a magnified defocused image of the PEMs onto a translucent visualization screen where the PEM is clearly identified. Different types of PALs (conventional, personalized, old and scratched, sunglasses, etc.) have been tested to visualize PEMs with the proposed marking reader. The PEMs are visible in every case, and variable magnification factor can be achieved simply moving up and down the PAL in the instrument. In addition, a second illumination wavelength is also tested, showing the applicability of this novel marking reader for different illuminations. A new concept of marking reader ophthalmic instrument has been presented and validated in the laboratory. The configuration involves only a commercial-grade laser diode and a visualization screen for PEM identification. The instrument is portable, economic, and easy to use, and it can be used for identifying patient's current PAL model and for marking removable PALs again or finding test points regardless of the age of the PAL, its scratches, tints, or coatings.

A spectrally tunable LED sphere source enables accurate calibration of tristimulus colorimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fryc, I.; Brown, S. W.; Ohno, Y.

2006-02-01

The Four-Color Matrix method (FCM) was developed to improve the accuracy of chromaticity measurements of various display colors. The method is valid for each type of display having similar spectra. To develop the Four-Color correction matrix, spectral measurements of primary red, green, blue, and white colors of a display are needed. Consequently, a calibration facility should be equipped with a number of different displays. This is very inconvenient and expensive. A spectrally tunable light source (STS) that can mimic different display spectral distributions would eliminate the need for maintaining a wide variety of displays and would enable a colorimeter to be calibrated for a number of different displays using the same setup. Simulations show that an STS that can create red, green, blue and white distributions that are close to the real spectral power distribution (SPD) of a display works well with the FCM for the calibration of colorimeters.

Docking alignment system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monford, Leo G. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

Improved techniques are provided for alignment of two objects. The present invention is particularly suited for three-dimensional translation and three-dimensional rotational alignment of objects in outer space. A camera 18 is fixedly mounted to one object, such as a remote manipulator arm 10 of the spacecraft, while the planar reflective surface 30 is fixed to the other object, such as a grapple fixture 20. A monitor 50 displays in real-time images from the camera, such that the monitor displays both the reflected image of the camera and visible markings on the planar reflective surface when the objects are in proper alignment. The monitor may thus be viewed by the operator and the arm 10 manipulated so that the reflective surface is perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera, the roll of the reflective surface is at a selected angle with respect to the camera, and the camera is spaced a pre-selected distance from the reflective surface.

Improved docking alignment system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monford, Leo G. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

Improved techniques are provided for the alignment of two objects. The present invention is particularly suited for 3-D translation and 3-D rotational alignment of objects in outer space. A camera is affixed to one object, such as a remote manipulator arm of the spacecraft, while the planar reflective surface is affixed to the other object, such as a grapple fixture. A monitor displays in real-time images from the camera such that the monitor displays both the reflected image of the camera and visible marking on the planar reflective surface when the objects are in proper alignment. The monitor may thus be viewed by the operator and the arm manipulated so that the reflective surface is perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera, the roll of the reflective surface is at a selected angle with respect to the camera, and the camera is spaced a pre-selected distance from the reflective surface.

Proceedings of the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing First Flight's 20th Anniversary Celebration. Volume 2; Bibliography Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hodge, Kenneth E. (Compiler); Kellogg, Yvonne (Editor)

1996-01-01

A technical symposium, aircraft display dedication, and pilots' panel discussion were held on May 27, 1992. to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first flights of the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) and Supercritical Wing (SCW) research aircraft. The symposium featured technical presentations by former key government and industry participants in the advocacy, design, aircraft modification, and flight research program activities. The DFBW and SCW technical contributions are cited. A dedication ceremony marked permanent display of both program aircraft. The panel discussion participants included eight of the eighteen research and test pilots who flew these experimental aircraft. Pilots' remarks include descriptions of their most memorable flight experiences. The report also includes a survey of the Gulf Air War, an after-dinner presentation by noted aerospace author and historian Dr. Richard Hallion.

Proceedings of the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing First Flight's 20th Anniversary Celebration. Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hodge, Kenneth E. (Compiler)

1996-01-01

A technical symposium, aircraft display dedication, and pilots' panel discussion were held on May 27, 1992, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first flights of the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) and Supercrit- ical Wing (SCW) research aircraft. The symposium featured technical presentations by former key government and industry participants in the advocacy, design, aircraft modification, and flight research program activities. The DFBW and SCW technical contributions are cited. A dedication ceremony marked permanent display of both program aircraft. The panel discussion participants included eight of the eighteen research and test pilots who flew these experimental aircraft. Pilots' remarks include descriptions of their most memorable flight experiences The report also includes a survey of the Gulf Air War, and an after-dinner presentation by noted aerospace author and historian Dr. Richard Hallion.

The counting abilities of children with specific language impairment: a comparison of oral and gestural tasks.

PubMed

Fazio, B B

1994-04-01

This study examined the counting abilities of preschool children with specific language impairment compared to language-matched and mental-age-matched peers. In order to determine the nature of the difficulties SLI children exhibited in counting, the subjects participated in a series of oral counting tasks and a series of gestural tasks that used an invented counting system based on pointing to body parts. Despite demonstrating knowledge of many of the rules associated with counting, SLI preschool children displayed marked difficulty in counting objects. On oral counting tasks, they showed difficulty with rote counting, displayed a limited repertoire of number terms, and miscounted sets of objects. However, on gestural counting tasks, SLI children's performance was significantly better. These findings suggest that SLI children have a specific difficulty with the rote sequential aspect of learning number words.

Leniency and halo effects in marking undergraduate short research projects

PubMed Central

McKinstry, Brian H; Cameron, Helen S; Elton, Robert A; Riley, Simon C

2004-01-01

Background Supervisors are often involved in the assessment of projects they have supervised themselves. Previous research suggests that detailed marking sheets may alleviate leniency and halo effects. We set out to determine if, despite using such a marking schedule, leniency and halo effects were evident in the supervisors' marking of undergraduate short research projects (special study modules (SSM)). Methods Review of grades awarded by supervisors, second markers and control markers to the written reports of 4th year medical students who had participated in an SSM during two full academic years (n = 399). Paired t-tests were used to compare mean marks, Pearson correlation to look at agreement between marks and multiple linear regression to test the prediction of one mark from several others adjusted for one another. Results There was a highly significant difference of approximately half a grade between supervisors and second markers with supervisors marking higher. (t = 3.12, p < 0.01, difference in grade score = 0.42, 95% CI for mean difference 0.18–0.80). There was a high correlation between the two marks awarded for performance of the project and the written report by the supervisor (r = 0.75), but a low-modest correlation between supervisor and second marker (r = 0.28). Linear regression analysis of the influence of the supervisors' mark for performance on their mark for the report gave a non-significant result. This suggests a leniency effect but no halo effect. Conclusions This study shows that with the use of structured marking sheet for assessment of undergraduate medical students, supervisors marks are not associated with a halo effect, but leniency does occur. As supervisor assessment is becoming more common in both under graduate and postgraduate teaching new ways to improve objectivity in marking and to address the leniency of supervisors should be sought. PMID:15569395

Metal artefact reduction in gemstone spectral imaging dual-energy CT with and without metal artefact reduction software.

PubMed

Lee, Young Han; Park, Kwan Kyu; Song, Ho-Taek; Kim, Sungjun; Suh, Jin-Suck

2012-06-01

To assess the usefulness of gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) dual-energy CT (DECT) with/without metal artefact reduction software (MARs). The DECTs were performed using fast kV-switching GSI between 80 and 140 kV. The CT data were retro-reconstructed with/without MARs, by different displayed fields-of-view (DFOV), and with synthesised monochromatic energy in the range 40-140 keV. A phantom study of size and CT numbers was performed in a titanium plate and a stainless steel plate. A clinical study was performed in 26 patients with metallic hardware. All images were retrospectively reviewed in terms of the visualisation of periprosthetic regions and the severity of beam-hardening artefacts by using a five-point scale. The GSI-MARs reconstruction can markedly reduce the metal-related artefacts, and the image quality was affected by the prosthesis composition and DFOV. The spectral CT numbers of the prosthesis and periprosthetic regions showed different patterns on stainless steel and titanium plates. Dual-energy CT with GSI-MARs can reduce metal-related artefacts and improve the delineation of the prosthesis and periprosthetic region. We should be cautious when using GSI-MARs because the image quality was affected by the prosthesis composition, energy (in keV) and DFOV. The metallic composition and size should be considered in metallic imaging with GSI-MARs reconstruction. • Metal-related artefacts can be troublesome on musculoskeletal computed tomography (CT). • Gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) with dual-energy CT (DECT) offers a novel solution • GSI and metallic artefact reduction software (GSI-MAR) can markedly reduce these artefacts. • However image quality is influenced by the prosthesis composition and other parameters. • We should be aware about potential overcorrection when using GSI-MARs.

Heading control and the effects of display characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinz, Stephanie J.; Bennett, C. Thomas

1989-01-01

The present study evaluates whether type of display (dot or wire frame) and direction of movement have an effect on a person's ability to actively maintain a specific heading angle. The questions addressed were: (1) does the magnitude of the heading angle errors differ in the two displays, (2) are some heading angles more difficult to maintain than others, and (3) does the magnitude of some errors differ as a function of display type and direction of movement. Differences between the results of this study and previous research are explained by methodological differences across the studies. Another factor that may be responsible for the difference between previous findings and those presented here is the type of graphics used to display the simulated motion. The physical characteristics of the display or the graphics engines that generate the scene have varied greatly across the studies. Analyses and diagrams are presented showing results of the study and the differences generated from previous studies on this subject.

Impaired compensatory beta-cell function and growth in response to high-fat diet in LDL receptor knockout mice

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Ricardo B d; Carvalho, Carolina P d F; Polo, Carla C; Dorighello, Gabriel d G; Boschero, Antônio C; Oliveira, Helena C F d; Collares-Buzato, Carla B

2014-01-01

In this study, we investigated the effect of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) deficiency on gap junctional connexin 36 (Cx36) islet content and on the functional and growth response of pancreatic beta-cells in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet. After 60 days on regular or HF diet, the metabolic state and morphometric islet parameters of wild-type (WT) and LDLr−/− mice were assessed. HF diet-fed WT animals became obese and hypercholesterolaemic as well as hyperglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic, glucose intolerant and insulin resistant, characterizing them as prediabetic. Also they showed a significant decrease in beta-cell secretory response to glucose. Overall, LDLr−/− mice displayed greater susceptibility to HF diet as judged by their marked cholesterolaemia, intolerance to glucose and pronounced decrease in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. HF diet induced similarly in WT and LDLr−/− mice, a significant decrease in Cx36 beta-cell content as revealed by immunoblotting. Prediabetic WT mice displayed marked increase in beta-cell mass mainly due to beta-cell hypertrophy/replication. Nevertheless, HF diet-fed LDLr−/− mice showed no significant changes in beta-cell mass, but lower islet–duct association (neogenesis) and higher beta-cell apoptosis index were seen as compared to controls. The higher metabolic susceptibility to HF diet of LDLr−/− mice may be explained by a deficiency in insulin secretory response to glucose associated with lack of compensatory beta-cell expansion. PMID:24853046

Digital mobile telephones and interference of ophthalmic equipment.

PubMed

Ang, G S; Lian, P; Ng, W S; Whyte, I; Ong, J M

2007-01-01

To assess the effect of mobile telephone electromagnetic interference on electronic ophthalmic equipment. Prospective audit with mobile telephones placed at distances of 3 m, 1 m, and 30 cm from, and in contact with, electronic ophthalmic equipment. Any interruption or cessation of the function of the ophthalmic device was assessed with the mobile telephones in standby, and in dialling or receiving modes. Any alterations of displayed digital figures or numbers were also assessed. A total of 23 electronic ophthalmic devices in two hospital ophthalmology outpatient departments were evaluated. All six mobile telephones used, and 22 (95.7%) of the 23 ophthalmic equipment evaluated had the Conformité Européene (CE) mark. No device showed any interruption or cessation of function. There were no alterations of displayed digital figures or numbers. The only effect of any kind was found with four instruments (1 non-CE marked), where there was temporary flickering on the screen, and only occurred when the mobile telephones were dialling or receiving at a distance of 30 cm or less from the instruments. This study shows that among the electronic ophthalmic devices tested, none suffered failure or interruption of function, from mobile telephone interference. Although not comprehensive for all ophthalmic equipment, the results question the need for a complete ban of mobile telephones in ophthalmic departments. It highlights the need for a controlled, objectively measured study of the clinically relevant effects of mobile telephones in the ophthalmology outpatient setting.

The examination and identification of bite marks in foods using 3D scanning and 3D comparison methods.

PubMed

Naether, Silvio; Buck, Ursula; Campana, Lorenzo; Breitbeck, Robert; Thali, Michael

2012-01-01

Bite mark analysis offers the opportunity to identify the biter based on the individual characteristics of the dentitions. Normally, the main focus is on analysing bite mark injuries on human bodies, but also, bite marks in food may play an important role in the forensic investigation of a crime. This study presents a comparison of simulated bite marks in different kinds of food with the dentitions of the presumed biter. Bite marks were produced by six adults in slices of buttered bread, apples, different kinds of Swiss chocolate and Swiss cheese. The time-lapse influence of the bite mark in food, under room temperature conditions, was also examined. For the documentation of the bite marks and the dentitions of the biters, 3D optical surface scanning technology was used. The comparison was performed using two different software packages: the ATOS modelling and analysing software and the 3D studio max animation software. The ATOS software enables an automatic computation of the deviation between the two meshes. In the present study, the bite marks and the dentitions were compared, as well as the meshes of each bite mark which were recorded in the different stages of time lapse. In the 3D studio max software, the act of biting was animated to compare the dentitions with the bite mark. The examined food recorded the individual characteristics of the dentitions very well. In all cases, the biter could be identified, and the dentitions of the other presumed biters could be excluded. The influence of the time lapse on the food depends on the kind of food and is shown on the diagrams. However, the identification of the biter could still be performed after a period of time, based on the recorded individual characteristics of the dentitions.

A virtual reality oriented clinical experiment on post-stroke rehabilitation: performance and preference comparison among different stereoscopic displays­

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Shih-Ching; Rizzo, Albert; Sawchuk, Alexander A.

2007-02-01

We have developed a novel VR task: the Dynamic Reaching Test, that measures human forearm movement in 3D space. In this task, three different stereoscopic displays: autostereoscopic (AS), shutter glasses (SG) and head mounted display (HMD), are used in tests in which subjects must catch a virtual ball thrown at them. Parameters such as percentage of successful catches, movement efficiency (subject path length compared to minimal path length), and reaction time are measured to evaluate differences in 3D perception among the three stereoscopic displays. The SG produces the highest percentage of successful catches, though the difference between the three displays is small, implying that users can perform the VR task with any of the displays. The SG and HMD produced the best movement efficiency, while the AS was slightly less efficient. Finally, the AS and HMD produced similar reaction times that were slightly higher (by 0.1 s) than the SG. We conclude that SG and HMD displays were the most effective, but only slightly better than the AS display.

Synthesis and plasma pharmacokinetics in CD-1 mice of a 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivative displaying anti-cancer activity.

PubMed

Lallemand, Benjamin; Ouedraogo, Moustapha; Wauthoz, Nathalie; Lamkami, Touria; Mathieu, Veronique; Jabin, Ivan; Amighi, Karim; Kiss, Robert; Dubois, Jacques; Goole, Jonathan

2013-03-01

The plasma pharmacokinetic profile in CD-1 mice of a novel 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) derivative, which displays in vitro anti-cancer activity, was assessed. This study involved an original one-step synthesis of N-(2-{3-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ureido}ethyl)-glycyrrhetinamide, (2) a compound that displays marked anti-proteasome and anti-kinase activity. The bioselectivity profile of 2 on human normal NHDF fibroblasts vs human U373 glioblastoma cells was assessed. Maximal tolerated dose (MTD) profiling of 2 was carried out in CD1 mice, and its serum pharmacokinetics were profiled using an acute intravenous administration of 40 mg/kg body weight. Compound 2 displayed IC(50) in vitro growth inhibitory concentrations of 29 and 8 μm on NHDF fibroblasts and U373 glioblastoma cells, respectively, thus a bioselectivity index of ∼4. The intravenous pharmacokinetic parameters revealed that 2 was rapidly distributed (t(1/2dist) of ∼3 min) but slowly eliminated (t(1/2elim)  = ∼77 min). This study describes an original and reliable nanoemulsion of a GA derivative with both anti-proteasome and anti-kinase properties and that should be further tested in vivo using various human xenograft or murine syngeneic tumour models with both single and chronic intravenous administration. © 2012 The Authors. JPP © 2012. Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Evaluation of advanced displays for engine monitoring and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Summers, L. G.

1993-01-01

The relative effectiveness of two advanced display concepts for monitoring engine performance for commercial transport aircraft was studied. The concepts were the Engine Monitoring and Control System (EMACS) display developed by NASA Langley and a display by exception design. Both of these concepts were based on the philosophy of providing information that is directly related to the pilot's task. Both concepts used a normalized thrust display. In addition, EMACS used column deviation indicators; i.e., the difference between the actual parameter value and the value predicted by an engine model, for engine health monitoring; while the Display by Exception displayed the engine parameters if the automated system detected a difference between the actual and the predicted values. The results showed that the advanced display concepts had shorter detection and response times. There were no differences in any of the results between manual and auto throttles. There were no effects upon perceived workload or performance on the primary flight task. The majority of pilots preferred the advanced displays and thought they were operationally acceptable. Certification of these concepts depends on the validation of the engine model. Recommendations are made to improve both the EMACS and the display by exception display formats.

[Peptide phage display in biotechnology and biomedicine].

PubMed

Kuzmicheva, G A; Belyavskaya, V A

2016-07-01

To date peptide phage display is one of the most common combinatorial methods used for identifying specific peptide ligands. Phage display peptide libraries containing billions different clones successfully used for selection of ligands with high affinity and selectivity toward wide range of targets including individual proteins, bacteria, viruses, spores, different kind of cancer cells and variety of nonorganic targets (metals, alloys, semiconductors etc.) Success of using filamentous phage in phage display technologies relays on the robustness of phage particles and a possibility to genetically modify its DNA to construct new phage variants with novel properties. In this review we are discussing characteristics of the most known non-commercial peptide phage display libraries of different formats (landscape libraries in particular) and their successful applications in several fields of biotechnology and biomedicine: discovery of peptides with diagnostic values against different pathogens, discovery and using of peptides recognizing cancer cells, trends in using of phage display technologies in human interactome studies, application of phage display technologies in construction of novel nano materials.

Design and evaluation of web-based image transmission and display with different protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Bin; Chen, Kuangyi; Zheng, Xichuan; Zhang, Jianguo

2011-03-01

There are many Web-based image accessing technologies used in medical imaging area, such as component-based (ActiveX Control) thick client Web display, Zerofootprint thin client Web viewer (or called server side processing Web viewer), Flash Rich Internet Application(RIA) ,or HTML5 based Web display. Different Web display methods have different peformance in different network environment. In this presenation, we give an evaluation on two developed Web based image display systems. The first one is used for thin client Web display. It works between a PACS Web server with WADO interface and thin client. The PACS Web server provides JPEG format images to HTML pages. The second one is for thick client Web display. It works between a PACS Web server with WADO interface and thick client running in browsers containing ActiveX control, Flash RIA program or HTML5 scripts. The PACS Web server provides native DICOM format images or JPIP stream for theses clients.

Visual and ocular effects from the use of flat-panel displays.

PubMed

Porcar, Esteban; Pons, Alvaro M; Lorente, Amalia

2016-01-01

To evaluate the prevalence of eye symptoms in a non-presbyopic population of video display unit (VDU) users with flat-panel displays. One hundred and sixteen VDU users with flat-panel display from an urban population participated in the study; their ages ranging from 20 to 34y. There were 60 females and 56 males. An eye examination to rule out the presence of significant uncorrected refractive errors, general binocular dysfunctions and eye conditions was carried out. In order to determine and quantify the type and nature of eye symptoms, participants were asked to answer written questionnaire and the results were grouped by gender, age and number of hours a day spent using a VDU. Seventy-two percent of participants reported eye symptoms related to VDU use. Eye symptoms from moderate-to-severe were found in 23% of participants. The main symptom was moderate-to-severe tired eyes (14%); followed by sensitivity to bright lights (12%), blurred vision at far distances (10%), eyestrain or dry eye or irritated or burning eyes (9%), difficulty in refocusing from one distance to another or headache (8%) and blurred vision at near or intermediate distances (<4%). Eye symptoms were greater among females (P=0.005) and increased with VDU use, markedly above 6h spent using a VDU in a typical day (P=0.01). Significant eye symptoms relate to VDU use often occur and should not be underestimated. The increasing use of electronic devices with flat-panel display should prompt users to take appropriate measures to prevent or to relieve the eye symptoms arising from their use.

A quality assessment tool for markup-based clinical guidelines.

PubMed

Shalom, Erez; Shahar, Yuval; Taieb-Maimon, Meirav; Lunenfeld, Eitan

2008-11-06

We introduce a tool for quality assessment of procedural and declarative knowledge. We developed this tool for evaluating the specification of mark-up-based clinical GLs. Using this graphical tool, the expert physician and knowledge engineer collaborate to perform scoring, using pre-defined scoring scale, each of the knowledge roles of the mark-ups, comparing it to a gold standard. The tool enables scoring the mark-ups simultaneously at different sites by different users at different locations.

49 CFR 172.302 - General marking requirements for bulk packagings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) Size of markings. Except as otherwise provided, markings required by this subpart on bulk packagings... to remove any potential hazard; or (2) Refilled, with a material requiring different markings or no... body or trailer in which the lading has been fumigated with any hazardous material, or is undergoing...

JWST Full-Scale Model on Display in Orlando

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

JWST Full-Scale Model on Display. A full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope was built by the prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, to provide a better understanding of the size, scale and complexity of this satellite. The model is constructed mainly of aluminum and steel, weighs 12,000 lb., and is approximately 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and 40 feet tall. The model requires 2 trucks to ship it and assembly takes a crew of 12 approximately four days. This model has traveled to a few sites since 2005. The photographs below were taken at some of its destinations. The model was on display at The International Society for Optical Engineering's (SPIE) week-long Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentations conference,May 25 - 30, 2006. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Dr Mark Clampin NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Quantitative analysis of ChIP-seq data uncovers dynamic and sustained H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 modulation in cancer cells under hypoxia.

PubMed

Adriaens, Michiel E; Prickaerts, Peggy; Chan-Seng-Yue, Michelle; van den Beucken, Twan; Dahlmans, Vivian E H; Eijssen, Lars M; Beck, Timothy; Wouters, Bradly G; Voncken, Jan Willem; Evelo, Chris T A

2016-01-01

A comprehensive assessment of the epigenetic dynamics in cancer cells is the key to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer and to improving cancer diagnostics, prognostics and treatment. By combining genome-wide ChIP-seq epigenomics and microarray transcriptomics, we studied the effects of oxygen deprivation and subsequent reoxygenation on histone 3 trimethylation of lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and lysine 27 (H3K27me3) in a breast cancer cell line, serving as a model for abnormal oxygenation in solid tumors. A priori, epigenetic markings and gene expression levels not only are expected to vary greatly between hypoxic and normoxic conditions, but also display a large degree of heterogeneity across the cell population. Where traditionally ChIP-seq data are often treated as dichotomous data, the model and experiment here necessitate a quantitative, data-driven analysis of both datasets. We first identified genomic regions with sustained epigenetic markings, which provided a sample-specific reference enabling quantitative ChIP-seq data analysis. Sustained H3K27me3 marking was located around centromeres and intergenic regions, while sustained H3K4me3 marking is associated with genes involved in RNA binding, translation and protein transport and localization. Dynamic marking with both H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 (hypoxia-induced bivalency) was found in CpG-rich regions at loci encoding factors that control developmental processes, congruent with observations in embryonic stem cells. In silico -identified epigenetically sustained and dynamic genomic regions were confirmed through ChIP-PCR in vitro, and obtained results are corroborated by published data and current insights regarding epigenetic regulation.

Evaluation of a new electronic preoperative reference marker for toric intraocular lens implantation by two different methods of analysis: Adobe Photoshop versus iTrace.

PubMed

Farooqui, Javed Hussain; Sharma, Mansi; Koul, Archana; Dutta, Ranjan; Shroff, Noshir Minoo

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to compare two different methods of analysis of preoperative reference marking for toric intraocular lens (IOL) after marking with an electronic marker. Cataract and IOL Implantation Service, Shroff Eye Centre, New Delhi, India. Fifty-two eyes of thirty patients planned for toric IOL implantation were included in the study. All patients had preoperative marking performed with an electronic preoperative two-step toric IOL reference marker (ASICO AE-2929). Reference marks were placed at 3-and 9-o'clock positions. Marks were analyzed with two systems. First, slit-lamp photographs taken and analyzed using Adobe Photoshop (version 7.0). Second, Tracey iTrace Visual Function Analyzer (version 5.1.1) was used for capturing corneal topograph examination and position of marks noted. Amount of alignment error was calculated. Mean absolute rotation error was 2.38 ± 1.78° by Photoshop and 2.87 ± 2.03° by iTrace which was not statistically significant ( P = 0.215). Nearly 72.7% of eyes by Photoshop and 61.4% by iTrace had rotation error ≤3° ( P = 0.359); and 90.9% of eyes by Photoshop and 81.8% by iTrace had rotation error ≤5° ( P = 0.344). No significant difference in absolute amount of rotation between eyes when analyzed by either method. Difference in reference mark positions when analyzed by two systems suggests the presence of varying cyclotorsion at different points of time. Both analysis methods showed an approximately 3° of alignment error, which could contribute to 10% loss of astigmatic correction of toric IOL. This can be further compounded by intra-operative marking errors and final placement of IOL in the bag.

The role of beetle marks and flower colour on visitation by monkey beetles (hopliini) in the greater cape floral region, South Africa.

PubMed

Van Kleunen, Mark; Nänni, Ingrid; Donaldson, John S; Manning, John C

2007-12-01

A deviation from the classical beetle pollination syndrome of dull-coloured flowers with an unpleasant scent is found in the Greater Cape Floral Region of South Africa. Here, monkey beetles (Scarabaeidae) visit brightly coloured, odourless flowers with conspicuous dark spots and centres (beetle marks). The role of flower colour and markings in attracting monkey beetles is still poorly understood. Artificial model flowers with different marking patterns were used to test the effect of beetle marks on visitation by monkey beetles. To test whether monkey beetles are conditioned to the colour of the local matrix species, model flowers of different colours were placed in populations of three differently coloured species of Iridaceae. Among all three matrix species the presence of dark markings of some kind (either centres or spots) increased visitation rates but the different matrix species differed in whether the effect was due to a dark centre or to dark spots. Monkey beetles were not conditioned for the colour of the matrix species: model colour was not significant in the Hesperantha vaginata and in the Romulea monadelpha matrices, whereas yellow model flowers were preferred over orange ones in the orange-flowered Sparaxis elegans matrix. This study is the first to demonstrate that beetle marks attract pollinating monkey beetles in the Greater Cape Floral Region. In contrast to plants with the classical beetle pollination syndrome that use floral scent as the most important attractant of pollinating beetles, plants with the monkey beetle pollination syndrome rely on visual signals, and, in some areas at least, monkey beetles favour flowers with dark beetle markings over unmarked flowers.

Avidin-Based Targeting and Purification of a Protein IX-Modified, Metabolically Biotinylated Adenoviral Vector

PubMed Central

Campos, Samuel K.; Parrott, M. Brandon; Barry, Michael A.

2014-01-01

While genetic modification of adenoviral vectors can produce vectors with modified tropism, incorporation of targeting peptides/proteins into the structural context of the virion can also result in destruction of ligand targeting or virion integrity. To combat this problem, we have developed a versatile targeting system using metabolically biotinylated adenoviral vectors bearing biotinylated fiber proteins. These vectors have been demonstrated to be useful as a platform for avidin-based ligand screening and vector targeting by conjugating biotinylated ligands to the virus using high-affinity tetrameric avidin (Kd = 10−15 M). The biotinylated vector could also be purified by biotin-reversible binding on monomeric avidin (Kd = 10−7 M). In this report, a second metabolically biotinylated adenovirus vector, Ad-IX-BAP, has been engineered by fusing a biotin acceptor peptide (BAP) to the C-terminus of the adenovirus pIX protein. This biotinylated vector displays twice as many biotins and was markedly superior for single-step affinity purification on monomeric avidin resin. However, unlike the fiber-biotinylated vector, Ad-IX-BAP failed to retarget to cells with biotinylated antibodies including anti-CD71 against the transferrin receptor. In contrast, Ad-IX-BAP was retargeted if transferrin, the cognate ligand for CD71, was used as a ligand rather than the anti-CD71. This work demonstrates the utility of metabolic biotinylation as a molecular screening tool to assess the utility of different viral capsid proteins for ligand display and the biology and compatibility of different ligands and receptors for vector targeting applications. These results also demonstrate the utility of the pIX-biotinylated vector as a platform for gentle single-step affinity purification of adenoviral vectors. PMID:15194061

Stable-Isotope Probing of Bacteria Capable of Degrading Salicylate, Naphthalene, or Phenanthrene in a Bioreactor Treating Contaminated Soil

PubMed Central

Singleton, David R.; Powell, Sabrina N.; Sangaiah, Ramiah; Gold, Avram; Ball, Louise M.; Aitken, Michael D.

2005-01-01

[13C6]salicylate, [U-13C]naphthalene, and [U-13C]phenanthrene were synthesized and separately added to slurry from a bench-scale, aerobic bioreactor used to treat soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Incubations were performed for either 2 days (salicylate, naphthalene) or 7 days (naphthalene, phenanthrene). Total DNA was extracted from the incubations, the “heavy” and “light” DNA were separated, and the bacterial populations associated with the heavy fractions were examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Unlabeled DNA from Escherichia coli K-12 was added to each sample as an internal indicator of separation efficiency. While E. coli was not detected in most analyses of heavy DNA, a low number of E. coli sequences was recovered in the clone libraries associated with the heavy DNA fraction of [13C]phenanthrene incubations. The number of E. coli clones recovered proved useful in determining the relative amount of light DNA contamination of the heavy fraction in that sample. Salicylate- and naphthalene-degrading communities displayed similar DGGE profiles and their clone libraries were composed primarily of sequences belonging to the Pseudomonas and Ralstonia genera. In contrast, heavy DNA from the phenanthrene incubations displayed a markedly different DGGE profile and was composed primarily of sequences related to the Acidovorax genus. There was little difference in the DGGE profiles and types of sequences recovered from 2- and 7-day incubations with naphthalene, so secondary utilization of the 13C during the incubation did not appear to be an issue in this experiment. PMID:15746319

Lessons From the First Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Cell Cycle Control in Rodent Insulinoma Cell Lines

PubMed Central

Cozar-Castellano, Irene; Harb, George; Selk, Karen; Takane, Karen; Vasavada, Rupangi; Sicari, Brian; Law, Brian; Zhang, Pili; Scott, Donald K.; Fiaschi-Taesch, Nathalie; Stewart, Andrew F.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE—Rodent insulinoma cell lines may serve as a model for designing continuously replicating human β-cell lines and provide clues as to the central cell cycle regulatory molecules in the β-cell. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We performed a comprehensive G1/S proteome analysis on the four most widely studied rodent insulinoma cell lines and defined their flow cytometric profiles and growth characteristics. RESULTS—1) Despite their common T-antigen–derived origins, MIN6 and BTC3 cells display markedly different G1/S expression profiles; 2) despite their common radiation origins, RINm5F and INS1 cells display striking differences in cell cycle protein profiles; 3) phosphorylation of pRb is absent in INS1 and RINm5F cells; 4) cyclin D2 is absent in RINm5F and BTC3 cells and therefore apparently dispensable for their proliferation; 5) every cell cycle inhibitor is upregulated, presumably in a futile attempt to halt proliferation; 6) among the G1/S proteome members, seven are pro-proliferation molecules: cyclin-dependent kinase-1, -2, -4, and -6 and cyclins A, E, and D3; and 7) overexpression of the combination of these seven converts arrested proliferation rates in primary rat β-cells to those in insulinoma cells. Unfortunately, this therapeutic overexpression appears to mildly attenuate β-cell differentiation and function. CONCLUSIONS—These studies underscore the importance of characterizing the cell cycle at the protein level in rodent insulinoma cell lines. They also emphasize the hazards of interpreting data from rodent insulinoma cell lines as modeling normal cell cycle progression. Most importantly, they provide seven candidate targets for inducing proliferation in human β-cells. PMID:18650366

Bone scintigraphy of the aged patient. 1. /sup 99m/Tc-polyphosphate bone scintigraphy (in Japanese)

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

Yamamoto, M.; Chiba, K.; Tanno, M.

Application and evaluation of a new bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticai, / sup 99m/Tc-polyphosphate are reported. Analysis of the image by digital color display data analyzer (Phosdac) was performed. The subjects of the study were cases at Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital ranging from 63 to 85 years old with several kinds of bone diseases. Polyphosphate kits (Diagnostic Isotopes, Inc.) were used to prepare /sup 99m/Tc, and a Rho/gamma HP gamma-camera was used for scintigraphy. The images obtained were analyzed by Phosdac to obtain clear image of the bone system. In the final preparation, presence of approximately 30% of free /sup 99m/Tc was noticedmore » by paper chromatography. /sup 99m/Tc- polyphosphate was cleared from the blood with a half time of about 60 min. Urinary excretion proved to be 40 to 60% within 24 hrs. The bone system was visualized rather clearly with high accumulation of the label in the diseased region in spite of the fact that geriatric cases had marked general osteoporotic tendencies. In some cases, ribs were clearly visualized, and different information from that of x-ray was obtained by scanning images. Data processing by Phosdac increased diagnostic accuracy by enhancing the difference of the density of the image as well as eliminating the background caused by free /sup 99m/TcO/sub 4/. In conclusion, /sup 99m/Tc-polyphosphate was proved to be useful for bone scanning in geriatric cases. A digital color display data analyzer was successfully applied for the processing of the original data. (auth)« less

Hemispheric differences in recognizing upper and lower facial displays of emotion.

PubMed

Prodan, C I; Orbelo, D M; Testa, J A; Ross, E D

2001-01-01

To determine if there are hemispheric differences in processing upper versus lower facial displays of emotion. Recent evidence suggests that there are two broad classes of emotions with differential hemispheric lateralization. Primary emotions (e.g. anger, fear) and associated displays are innate, are recognized across all cultures, and are thought to be modulated by the right hemisphere. Social emotions (e.g., guilt, jealousy) and associated "display rules" are learned during early child development, vary across cultures, and are thought to be modulated by the left hemisphere. Display rules are used by persons to alter, suppress or enhance primary emotional displays for social purposes. During deceitful behaviors, a subject's true emotional state is often leaked through upper rather than lower facial displays, giving rise to facial blends of emotion. We hypothesized that upper facial displays are processed preferentially by the right hemisphere, as part of the primary emotional system, while lower facial displays are processed preferentially by the left hemisphere, as part of the social emotional system. 30 strongly right-handed adult volunteers were tested tachistoscopically by randomly flashing facial displays of emotion to the right and left visual fields. The stimuli were line drawings of facial blends with different emotions displayed on the upper versus lower face. The subjects were tested under two conditions: 1) without instructions and 2) with instructions to attend to the upper face. Without instructions, the subjects robustly identified the emotion displayed on the lower face, regardless of visual field presentation. With instructions to attend to the upper face, for the left visual field they robustly identified the emotion displayed on the upper face. For the right visual field, they continued to identify the emotion displayed on the lower face, but to a lesser degree. Our results support the hypothesis that hemispheric differences exist in the ability to process upper versus lower facial displays of emotion. Attention appears to enhance the ability to explore these hemispheric differences under experimental conditions. Our data also support the recent observation that the right hemisphere has a greater ability to recognize deceitful behaviors compared with the left hemisphere. This may be attributable to the different roles the hemispheres play in modulating social versus primary emotions and related behaviors.

Responses of female rock lizards to multiple scent marks of males: effects of male age, male density and scent over-marking.

PubMed

Martín, José; López, Pilar

2013-03-01

Scent-marked substrates may inform conspecifics on the characteristics of territorial males. Scent-marks of male Carpetan rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni) affect space use of females, which by selecting an area may increase the probability of mating with the male that has scent-marked that area. However, males do not hold exclusive territories, and scent-marks of different individual males are often together. This may provide complex information from multiple sources on the social structure. Here, we examined female preference in response to scent marks of various males and combinations in a laboratory experiment. Females preferred areas scent-marked by territorial old males against those scent-marked by young satellite-sneaker males. This reflected the known preference of females for mating with old males. In a second experiment, females preferred areas scent-marked by two males to areas of similar size marked by a single male. This may increase the probability of obtaining multiple copulations with different males, which may favour sperm competition and cryptic female choice, or may be a way to avoid infertile males. Finally, when we experimentally over-marked the scent-marks of an old male with scent-marks of a young male, females did not avoid, nor prefer, the over-marked area, suggesting that the quality of the old male may override the presence of a satellite male. We suggest that, irrespective of the causes underlying why a female selects a scent-marked area, this strategy may affect her reproductive success, which may have the same evolutionary consequences that "direct" mate choice decisions of other animals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Does the choice of display system influence perception and visibility of clinically relevant features in digital pathology images?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimpe, Tom; Rostang, Johan; Avanaki, Ali; Espig, Kathryn; Xthona, Albert; Cocuranu, Ioan; Parwani, Anil V.; Pantanowitz, Liron

2014-03-01

Digital pathology systems typically consist of a slide scanner, processing software, visualization software, and finally a workstation with display for visualization of the digital slide images. This paper studies whether digital pathology images can look different when presenting them on different display systems, and whether these visual differences can result in different perceived contrast of clinically relevant features. By analyzing a set of four digital pathology images of different subspecialties on three different display systems, it was concluded that pathology images look different when visualized on different display systems. The importance of these visual differences is elucidated when they are located in areas of the digital slide that contain clinically relevant features. Based on a calculation of dE2000 differences between background and clinically relevant features, it was clear that perceived contrast of clinically relevant features is influenced by the choice of display system. Furthermore, it seems that the specific calibration target chosen for the display system has an important effect on the perceived contrast of clinically relevant features. Preliminary results suggest that calibrating to DICOM GSDF calibration performed slightly worse than sRGB, while a new experimental calibration target CSDF performed better than both DICOM GSDF and sRGB. This result is promising as it suggests that further research work could lead to better definition of an optimized calibration target for digital pathology images resulting in a positive effect on clinical performance.

Modified expression of cytoplasmic isocitrate dehydrogenase electrophoretic isoforms in seminal plasma of men with sertoli-cell-only syndrome and seminoma.

PubMed

Starita-Geribaldi, Mireille; Samson, Michel; Guigonis, Jean-Marie; Pointis, Georges; Fenichel, Patrick

2008-06-01

Two isoforms of human cytoplasmic isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDPc) of close molecular weights and different isoelectric points were identified in human seminal plasma (SP) by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by mass spectrometry (MS). These two isoforms were detected in the normospermic men SP and their expressions were markedly altered in patients with testicular seminoma, the most frequent testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC): increase of the more acidic spot and decrease of the more basic one. Since oligospermia has been considered as a high risk pathological condition for developing a testicular cancer, the two IDPc isoforms were analyzed in SP of a group of secretory azoospermic patients. In this group the two spots displayed similar variations of expression to those observed in testicular seminoma. These results propose IDPc as a promising SP biomarker of testicular seminoma. Whether IDPc alteration in secretory azoospermia is predictive of testicular seminoma remains to be elucidated. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Mechanistic study of intertypic nucleoprotein complex formation and its inhibitory effect toward influenza A virus.

PubMed

Narkpuk, Jaraspim; Jaru-Ampornpan, Peera; Subali, Theressa; Bertulfo, Fatima Carla T; Wongthida, Phonphimon; Jongkaewwattana, Anan

2015-11-01

Co-infection of influenza A and B viruses (IAV and IBV) results in marked decreases in IAV replication. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed for this phenomenon. Recently, we reported that IBV nucleoprotein (BNP) alone can suppress IAV replication and proposed an inhibition model in which BNP binds IAV nucleoprotein (ANP) and disrupts IAV polymerase complexes. Here, using mutagenesis and co-immunoprecipitation, we determined the protein motifs mediating the intertypic ANP-BNP complex and showed that it specifically interferes with ANP׳s interaction with the PB2 subunit of the IAV polymerase but not with the other subunit PB1. We further demonstrated that BNP only suppresses growth of IAVs but not other RNA viruses. However, different IAV strains display varied sensitivity toward the BNP׳s inhibitory effect. Together, our data provide mechanistic insights into intertypic nucleoprotein complex formation and highlight the role of BNP as a potential broad-spectrum anti-IAV agent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progressive thalamocortical neuron loss in Cln5 deficient mice: distinct effects in Finnish variant late infantile NCL

PubMed Central

von Schantz, Carina; Kielar, Catherine; Hansen, Stine N; Pontikis, Charlie C; Alexander, Noreen A; Kopra, Outi; Jalanko, Anu; Cooper, Jonathan D

2009-01-01

Finnish variant LINCL (vLINCLFin) is the result of mutations in the CLN5 gene. To gain insights into the pathological staging of this fatal pediatric disorder, we have undertaken a stereological analysis of the CNS of Cln5 deficient mice (Cln5-/-) at different stages of disease progression. Consistent with human vLINCLFin, these Cln5-/- mice displayed a relatively late onset regional atrophy and generalized cortical thinning and synaptic pathology, preceded by early and localized glial responses within the thalamocortical system. However, in marked contrast to other forms of NCL, neuron loss in Cln5-/- mice began in the cortex and only subsequently occurred within thalamic relay nuclei. Nevertheless, as in other NCL mouse models, this progressive thalamocortical neuron loss was still most pronounced within the visual system. These data provide unexpected evidence for a distinctive sequence of neuron loss in the thalamocortical system of Cln5-/- mice, diametrically opposed to that seen in other forms of NCL. PMID:19385065

Progressive thalamocortical neuron loss in Cln5 deficient mice: Distinct effects in Finnish variant late infantile NCL.

PubMed

von Schantz, Carina; Kielar, Catherine; Hansen, Stine N; Pontikis, Charlie C; Alexander, Noreen A; Kopra, Outi; Jalanko, Anu; Cooper, Jonathan D

2009-05-01

Finnish variant LINCL (vLINCL(Fin)) is the result of mutations in the CLN5 gene. To gain insights into the pathological staging of this fatal pediatric disorder, we have undertaken a stereological analysis of the CNS of Cln5 deficient mice (Cln5-/-) at different stages of disease progression. Consistent with human vLINCL(Fin), these Cln5-/- mice displayed a relatively late onset regional atrophy and generalized cortical thinning and synaptic pathology, preceded by early and localized glial responses within the thalamocortical system. However, in marked contrast to other forms of NCL, neuron loss in Cln5-/- mice began in the cortex and only subsequently occurred within thalamic relay nuclei. Nevertheless, as in other NCL mouse models, this progressive thalamocortical neuron loss was still most pronounced within the visual system. These data provide unexpected evidence for a distinctive sequence of neuron loss in the thalamocortical system of Cln5-/- mice, diametrically opposed to that seen in other forms of NCL.

Field migration rates of tidal meanders recapitulate fluvial morphodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finotello, Alvise; Lanzoni, Stefano; Ghinassi, Massimiliano; Marani, Marco; Rinaldo, Andrea; D'Alpaos, Andrea

2018-02-01

The majority of tidal channels display marked meandering features. Despite their importance in oil-reservoir formation and tidal landscape morphology, questions remain on whether tidal-meander dynamics could be understood in terms of fluvial processes and theory. Key differences suggest otherwise, like the periodic reversal of landscape-forming tidal flows and the widely accepted empirical notion that tidal meanders are stable landscape features, in stark contrast with their migrating fluvial counterparts. On the contrary, here we show that, once properly normalized, observed migration rates of tidal and fluvial meanders are remarkably similar. Key to normalization is the role of tidal channel width that responds to the strong spatial gradients of landscape-forming flow rates and tidal prisms. We find that migration dynamics of tidal meanders agree with nonlinear theories for river meander evolution. Our results challenge the conventional view of tidal channels as stable landscape features and suggest that meandering tidal channels recapitulate many fluvial counterparts owing to large gradients of tidal prisms across meander wavelengths.

Characterization of polysaccharides with marked inhibitory effect on lipid accumulation in Pleurotus eryngii.

PubMed

Chen, Jingjing; Yong, Yangyang; Xing, Meichun; Gu, Yifan; Zhang, Zhao; Zhang, Shizhu; Lu, Ling

2013-09-12

Mushrooms have a great potential for the production of useful bioactive metabolites. To explore the bioactive compounds from edible mushrooms for interfering with the development of macrophage-derived foam cells, which is recognized as the hallmark of early atherosclerosis, eight types of mushrooms polysaccharides had been selected to be tested. Consequently, different mushrooms polysaccharides displayed diverse component profiles. Of polysaccharides that we tested, the Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharide had the strongest inhibitory effect on lipid accumulation. Furthermore, through fractionation of DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100, the polysaccharide from P. eryngii had been successfully purified and identified. By the analysis of IR, GC, and HPLC, the purified polysaccharide was estimated to be 30-38 kDa for the average molecular weight with the monosaccharide composition mainly composed of D-types of mannose, glucose and galactose. Findings presented in this report firstly provide direct evidence, which links the purified polysaccharide moiety with the biological function in foam-cell model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Dependency in the Elasticity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Wall upon Cell Viability and Membrane Integrity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McPherson, Dacia; Zhu, Chenhui; Yi, Youngwoo; Clark, Noel

2007-03-01

In this study the elastic spring constant of the yeast cell wall is probed with the atomic force microscope (AFM) under variable conditions. Cells were sequentially analyzed in rich growth medium (YPD), a 0.8 M NaCl rich growth medium solution and an injection of 0.01% sodium azide solution. Cells in late log phase, which have variable diameters within three to five microns, were immobilized on a patterned silicon substrate with holes approximately 3.8um in diameter and 1.5um deep that was functionalized with polyethylenimine prior to cell application. Force curves were taken moving laterally across the cell in one dimension after exposure to each medium. Spring constants of the cells, calculated from force curves, displayed a positional dependency and marked differences in high osmolarity medium and after the injection of sodium azide. This study demonstrates the ability of the AFM to investigate changes in cell morphology and correlate those findings to underlying physiological processes.

Stable carbon isotopes: possible clues to early life on Mars.

PubMed

Schidlowski, M

1992-01-01

Organic and inorganic carbon in terrestrial near-surface environments are characterized by a marked difference in their 13C/12C ratios which can be traced back in the Earth's sedimentary record over almost 4 billion years. There is no doubt that the bias in favour of 12C displayed by biogenic matter derives, for the most part, from the isotope-selecting properties of the carbon-fixing enzyme (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase) that is operative in the principal photosynthetic pathway and promotes most of the carbon transfer from the non-living to the living realm. Postulating a universality of biological principles in analogy to the proven universality of the laws of physics and chemistry, we may expect enzymatic reactions in exobiological systems to be beset with B similar kinetic fractionation effects. Hence, the retrieval from the oldest Martian sediments of isotopic fractionations between reduced and oxidized (carbonate) carbon may substantially constrain current conjectures on the possible existence of former life on Mars.

Coordinated Beating of Algal Flagella is Mediated by Basal Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Kirsty; Goldstein, Raymond

Cilia or flagella often exhibit synchronized behavior. This includes phase-locking, as seen in Chlamydomonas, and metachronal wave formation in the respiratory cilia of higher organisms. Since the observations by Gray and Rothschild of phase synchrony of nearby swimming spermatozoa, it has been a working hypothesis that synchrony arises from hydrodynamic interactions between beating filaments. Recent work on the dynamics of physically separated pairs of flagella isolated from the multicellular alga Volvox has shown that hydrodynamic coupling alone is sufficient for synchrony. However, the situation is more complex when considering multiple flagella on a single cell. We suggest that a mechanism, internal to the cell, provides an additional flagellar coupling. For instance, flagella of Chlamydomonas mutants deficient in filamentary connections between basal bodies are found to display markedly different synchronization from the wildtype. Diverse flagellar coordination strategies found in quadri-, octo- and hexadecaflagellates reveal further evidence that intracellular couplings between flagellar basal bodies compete with hydrodynamic interactions to determine the precise form of flagellar synchronization in unicellular algae.

Interaction of 3,8-diazabicyclo (3.2.1) octanes with mu and delta opioid receptors.

PubMed

Cignarella, G; Barlocco, D; Tranquillini, M E; Volterra, A; Brunello, N; Racagni, G

1988-05-01

A series of 3,8-diazabicyclo (3.2.1) octanes (DBO) (1) substituted at the nitrogen atoms by acyl and aralkenyl groups, were tested in in vitro binding assays towards mu and delta opioid receptors. The most representative terms (1a, 1d, 1g, 1j,) were also evaluated for the analgesic potency in vivo by the hot plate method. Among the compounds tested the most potent was the p.nitrocinnamyl DBO (1d) which displayed a mu/delta selectivity and an analgesic activity respectively 25 and 17 fold those of morphine. On the contrary, the m.hydroxycinnamyl DBO (1g) was markedly less active as agonist than the parent 1a, thus suggesting that structure 1 interacts with opioid receptors in a different fashion than morphine. Compound 1j isomer of 1a which is provided with high mu affinity, but lower analgesic potency, was found to possess a mixed agonist-antagonist activity.

A Longitudinal Examination of Early Adolescence Ethnic Identity Trajectories

PubMed Central

Huang, Cindy Y.; Stormshak, Elizabeth A.

2011-01-01

Early adolescence is marked by transitions for adolescents, and is also a time for identity exploration. Ethnic identity is an essential component of youths’ sense of self. In this study we examined the trajectories of ethnic identity for adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds during a 4-year period. Six latent class trajectories were identified in the study: the majority of adolescents (41.8%) displayed growth in ethnic identity over 4 years, followed by 30.1% whose high levels of ethnic identity remained stable, then by those who experienced moderate decreases in ethnic identity (10.8 percent). Another class of adolescents (7.3%) showed significant declines in ethnic identity level, followed by 5.5% of adolescents with significant increases, and finally by 4.5% of adolescents with low stable levels of ethnic identity during this developmental period. The classes differed by ethnicity, and adolescents with increasing high levels of ethnic identity reported better parent–child relationships. Findings and implications are discussed. PMID:21787058

A Study of the Oscillation Marks' Characteristics of Continuously Cast Incoloy Alloy 825 Blooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleem, Saud; Vynnycky, Michael; Fredriksson, Hasse

2016-08-01

A comprehensive experimental study of oscillation mark (OM) formation and its characteristics during the solidification of Incoloy alloy 825 in the continuous casting of blooms is investigated by plant trials and metallographic study. The experiments involved two heats with the same casting and mold conditions and sampling at different locations across the strand. The metallographic study combined macro/micro-examinations of OMs and segregation analysis of Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Si by microprobe analysis. The results show that OMs have widely different characteristics, such as mark type, depth, segregation, and accompanying microstructure. Furthermore, the mark pitch can vary considerably even for the similar casting conditions, leading to different conditions for the marks' formation in relation to the mold's cyclic movement. Finally, a mechanism for the OM formation is discussed and proposed. Possible solutions for minimizing the observed defects by optimizing the mold conditions are suggested.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlamp, Michael C.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2010-04-13

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit light of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlamp, Michael C.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2005-03-08

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit light of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlamp, Michael C.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2015-06-23

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit light of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlamp, Michael C; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2014-02-11

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit light of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlamp, Michael C.; Alivisatos, Paul A.

2015-11-10

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit tight of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon [Pinole, CA; Schlamp, Michael C [Plainsboro, NJ; Alivisatos, A Paul [Oakland, CA

2011-09-27

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit light of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlam, Michael C; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2014-03-25

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit tight of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Electronic displays using optically pumped luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals

DOEpatents

Weiss, Shimon; Schlamp, Michael C.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2017-06-06

A multicolor electronic display is based on an array of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanocrystals which emit tight of different colors are grouped into pixels. The nanocrystals are optically pumped to produce a multicolor display. Different sized nanocrystals are used to produce the different colors. A variety of pixel addressing systems can be used.

Absence of an N-Linked Glycosylation Motif in the Glycoprotein of the Live-Attenuated Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever Vaccine, Candid #1, Results in Its Improper Processing, and Reduced Surface Expression.

PubMed

Manning, John T; Seregin, Alexey V; Yun, Nadezhda E; Koma, Takaaki; Huang, Cheng; Barral, José; de la Torre, Juan C; Paessler, Slobodan

2017-01-01

Junin virus (JUNV), a highly pathogenic New World arenavirus, is the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF). The live-attenuated Candid #1 (Can) strain currently serves as a vaccine for at-risk populations. We have previously shown that the Can glycoprotein (GPC) gene is the primary gene responsible for attenuation in a guinea pig model of AHF. However, the mechanisms through which the GPC contributes to the attenuation of the Can strain remain unknown. A more complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying the attenuation and immunogenicity of the Can strain will potentially allow for the rational design of additional safe and novel vaccines. Here, we provide a detailed comparison of both RNA and protein expression profiles between both inter- and intra-segment chimeric JUNV recombinant clones expressing combinations of genes from the Can strain and the pathogenic Romero (Rom) strain. The recombinant viruses that express Can GPC, which were shown to be attenuated in guinea pigs, displayed different RNA levels and GPC processing patterns as determined by Northern and Western blot analyses, respectively. Analysis of recombinant viruses containing amino acid substitutions selected at different mouse brain passages during the generation of Can revealed that altered Can GPC processing was primarily due to the T168A substitution within G1, which eliminates an N-linked glycosylation motif. Incorporation of the T168A substitution in the Rom GPC resulted in a Can-like processing pattern of Rom GPC. In addition, JUNV GPCs containing T168A substitution were retained within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and displayed significantly lower cell surface expression than wild-type Rom GPC. Interestingly, the reversion A168T in Can GPC significantly increased GPC expression at the cell surface. Our results demonstrate that recombinant JUNV (rJUNV) expressing Can GPC display markedly different protein expression and elevated genomic RNA expression when compared to viruses expressing Rom GPC. Additionally, our findings indicate that the N-linked glycosylation motif at amino acid positions 166-168 is important for trafficking of JUNV GPC to the cell surface, and the elimination of this motif interferes with the GPC release from the ER.

Changes in the Hydrocarbon Proportions of Colony Odor and Their Consequences on Nestmate Recognition in Social Wasps

PubMed Central

Costanzi, Elena; Bagnères, Anne-Geneviève; Lorenzi, Maria Cristina

2013-01-01

In social insects, colonies have exclusive memberships and residents promptly detect and reject non-nestmates. Blends of epicuticular hydrocarbons communicate colony affiliation, but the question remains how social insects use the complex information in the blends to discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates. To test this we altered colony odor by simulating interspecific nest usurpation. We split Polistes dominulus paper-wasp nests into two halves and assigned a half to the original foundress and the other half to a P. nimphus usurper for 4 days. We then removed foundresses and usurpers from nests and investigated whether emerging P. dominulus workers recognized their never-before-encountered mothers, usurpers and non-nestmates of the two species. Behavioral and chemical analyses of wasps and nests indicated that 1) foundresses marked their nests with their cuticular hydrocarbons; 2) usurpers overmarked foundress marks and 3) emerging workers learned colony odor from nests as the odor of the female that was last on nest. However, notwithstanding colony odor was usurper-biased in usurped nests, workers from these nests recognized their mothers, suggesting that there were pre-imaginal and/or genetically encoded components in colony-odor learning. Surprisingly, workers from usurped nests also erroneously tolerated P. nimphus non-nestmates, suggesting they could not tell odor differences between their P. nimphus usurpers and P. nimphus non-nestmates. Usurpers changed the odors of their nests quantitatively, because the two species had cuticular hydrocarbon profiles that differed only quantitatively. Possibly, P. dominulus workers were unable to detect differences between nestmate and non-nestmate P. nimphus because the concentration of some peaks in these wasps was beyond the range of workers' discriminatory abilities (as stated by Weber's law). Indeed, workers displayed the least discrimination abilities in the usurped nests where the relative odor changes due to usurpation were the largest, suggesting that hydrocarbon variations beyond species-specific ranges can alter discrimination abilities. PMID:23734237

Host Genes and Resistance/Sensitivity to Military Priority Pathogens

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

NZB/BlnJ (stock no. 684), C3H/HeJ (stock no. 659), BALB/cByJ (stock no. 1026), AKR /J (stock no. 648), B10.D2-H2/ oSnJ (stock no. 461), A /J (stock...person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control... A ; Williams, Robert W.; Boon, Adranius; Bix, Mark; Marion, Tony.     5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S

Student experimenter and sponsor display SE83-9 "Chix in Space" incubator

NASA Image and Video Library

1988-08-13

S88-44514 (13 Aug 1988) --- Student experimenter John C. Vellinger, left, explains components of an incubator used in his experiment to be carried onboard the Discovery for NASA's STS-29 mission next year. Mark S. Deusser, representing the sponsoring organization, holds up the incubator for inspection by members of the STS-29 crew who will monitor in-space operation of the experiment, titled "Chicken Embryo Development in Space." Astronaut Robert C. Springer is partially visible in lower right foreground. The student's sponsor is Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Independent Engineering Assessment of the Army’s Transportation Plan for BRAC Recommendation #133 Project Fort Belvoir - Mark Center, Virginia

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-30

does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 30 NOV 2011 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2011 to 00-00-2011 4...Appropriate site variables (for purposes of accurate modeling); • Potential queues caused by the access control facility to the south parking...to LoS D LoS Control Delay/Vehicle (sec) Qualitative Description A ≤10 Good progression, few stops, and short cycle lengths B >10 - 20 Good

Mars - Hellas Planitia gravity analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sjogren, W. L.; Wimberley, R. N.

1981-01-01

Doppler radio tracking data from Viking Orbiter 1 has provided new detailed observations of gravity variations over Hellas Planitia. Line-of-sight Bouguer gravity definitely indicates that isostatic adjustment has occurred. Two theoretical models were tested to obtain fits to the gravity data. Results for a surface deficit model, and a model with a surface deficit and a mass excess at depth are displayed. The mass-at-depth model produced very marked improvement in the data fit as compared to the surface deficit model. The optimum depth for the mass excess is 130 km.

Target Acquisition: Human Observer Performance Studies and TARGAC Model Validation

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

complete Scenario I run were displayed on a monitor. A transparent sheet was attached to the face of the monitor, the approach route was sketched on...track, passed a mark on the monitor face , the target was at a stop-sign location. The IRIG-B time of that instance was noted, and, since the distance of...route right 100- 80- 60 - 40 C.) 20 [- ion, A20 recognitio 0 0 . identification,C.) . 1I . I - - -• , 4) 1000 2000 3000 4000 SP Target G Q Target I0

Student experimenter and sponsor display SE83-9 'Chix in Space' incubator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Student experimenter John C. Vellinger (left) explains components of an incubator for his Student Experiment (SE) 83-9 Chicken Embryo Development in Space or 'Chix in Space' to be carried onboard STS-29 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103. Mark S. Deusser, representing the sponsoring organization, holds up the incubator for inspection by STS-29 crewmembers who will monitor in-space operation of the experiment. Mission Specialist (MS) Robert C. Springer is partially visible in the lower right foreground. The student's sponsor is Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

Effect of Temperature on the Fracture Toughness of Hot Isostatically Pressed 304L Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, A. J.; Brayshaw, W. J.; Sherry, A. H.

2018-03-01

Herein, we have performed J- Resistance multi-specimen fracture toughness testing of hot isostatically pressed (HIP'd) and forged 304L austenitic stainless steel, tested at elevated (300 °C) and cryogenic (- 140 °C) temperatures. The work highlights that although both materials fail in a pure ductile fashion, stainless steel manufactured by HIP displays a marked reduction in fracture toughness, defined using J 0.2BL, when compared to equivalently graded forged 304L, which is relatively constant across the tested temperature range.

Linked Sex Differences in Cognition and Functional Connectivity in Youth.

PubMed

Satterthwaite, Theodore D; Wolf, Daniel H; Roalf, David R; Ruparel, Kosha; Erus, Guray; Vandekar, Simon; Gennatas, Efstathios D; Elliott, Mark A; Smith, Alex; Hakonarson, Hakon; Verma, Ragini; Davatzikos, Christos; Gur, Raquel E; Gur, Ruben C

2015-09-01

Sex differences in human cognition are marked, but little is known regarding their neural origins. Here, in a sample of 674 human participants ages 9-22, we demonstrate that sex differences in cognitive profiles are related to multivariate patterns of resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rsfc-MRI). Males outperformed females on motor and spatial cognitive tasks; females were faster in tasks of emotion identification and nonverbal reasoning. Sex differences were also prominent in the rsfc-MRI data at multiple scales of analysis, with males displaying more between-module connectivity, while females demonstrated more within-module connectivity. Multivariate pattern analysis using support vector machines classified subject sex on the basis of their cognitive profile with 63% accuracy (P < 0.001), but was more accurate using functional connectivity data (71% accuracy; P < 0.001). Moreover, the degree to which a given participant's cognitive profile was "male" or "female" was significantly related to the masculinity or femininity of their pattern of brain connectivity (P = 2.3 × 10(-7)). This relationship was present even when considering males and female separately. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that sex differences in patterns of cognition are in part represented on a neural level through divergent patterns of brain connectivity. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Discharge-related trends in the composition of particulate organic matter exported by small mountainous rivers: results from Oregon and California (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goni, M. A.; Hatten, J. A.; Wheatcroft, R. A.; Borgeld, J.; Williamson, A.; Padgett, J.; Pasternack, G. B.; Gray, A.; Watson, E. B.

2009-12-01

Small mountainous rivers display highly variable discharges on both seasonal and event scales. Previous work has shown marked differences in the composition of the particulate load of rivers collected at different stages of the hydrograph, but fewer studies have specifically investigated how the biogeochemical compositions of particulate organic matter change as a function of discharge and how this variation affects the characteristics of the materials reaching the ocean. We explore these issues using data from three rivers along the west coast of the U.S. (Umpqua, Eel and Salinas) with similar watershed size but contrasting climate, vegetation and land use. Coarse and fine particulate organic matter samples collected at different discharges, including several flood events, were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen content, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions, radiocarbon compositions and yields of different organic biomarkers (e.g. lignin phenols, cutin acids, amino acid products). This presentation will focus on comparing and contrasting the provenance, age, and biochemical make-up of materials transported by each of the rivers as a function of discharge. Seasonal and event-scale differences in organic matter concentrations and compositions will be the subject of an accompanying poster. We will discuss both the processes responsible for these contrasts and the impacts they have on the delivery and fate of terrigenous organic matter in the coastal ocean.

Two Different Approaches to Automated Mark Up of Emotions in Text

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francisco, Virginia; Hervás, Raqucl; Gervás, Pablo

This paper presents two different approaches to automated marking up of texts with emotional labels. For the first approach a corpus of example texts previously annotated by human evaluators is mined for an initial assignment of emotional features to words. This results in a List of Emotional Words (LEW) which becomes a useful resource for later automated mark up. The mark up algorithm in this first approach mirrors closely the steps taken during feature extraction, employing for the actual assignment of emotional features a combination of the LEW resource and WordNet for knowledge-based expansion of words not occurring in LEW. The algorithm for automated mark up is tested against new text samples to test its coverage. The second approach mark up texts during their generation. We have a knowledge base which contains the necessary information for marking up the text. This information is related to actions and characters. The algorithm in this case employ the information of the knowledge database and decides the correct emotion for every sentence. The algorithm for automated mark up is tested against four different texts. The results of the two approaches are compared and discussed with respect to three main issues: relative adequacy of each one of the representations used, correctness and coverage of the proposed algorithms, and additional techniques and solutions that may be employed to improve the results.

Effects of Developmental Bisphenol A Exposure on Reproductive-Related Behaviors in California Mice (Peromyscus californicus): A Monogamous Animal Model

PubMed Central

Williams, Scott A.; Jasarevic, Eldin; Vandas, Gregory M.; Warzak, Denise A.; Geary, David C.; Ellersieck, Mark R.; Roberts, R. Michael; Rosenfeld, Cheryl S.

2013-01-01

Bisphenol A (BPA), a pervasive, endocrine disrupting compound (EDC), acts as a mixed agonist- antagonist with respect to estrogens and other steroid hormones. We hypothesized that sexually selected traits would be particularly sensitive to EDC. Consistent with this concept, developmental exposure of males from the polygynous deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, to BPA resulted in compromised spatial navigational ability and exploratory behaviors, while there was little effect on females. Here, we have examined a related, monogamous species, the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus), where we predicted that males would be less sensitive to BPA in terms of navigational and exploratory behaviors, while displaying other traits related to interactions with females and territorial marking that might be vulnerable to disruption. As in the deer mouse experiments, females were fed either a phytoestrogen-free CTL diet through pregnancy and lactation or the same diet supplemented with BPA (50 mg/kg feed weight) or ethinyl estradiol (EE) (0.1 part per billion) to provide a “pure” estrogen control. After weaning, pups were maintained on CTL diet until they had reached sexual maturity, at which time behaviors were evaluated. In addition, territorial marking was assessed in BPA-exposed males housed alone and when a control male was visible in the testing arena. In contrast to deer mice, BPA and EE exposure had no effect on spatial navigational skills in either male or female California mice. While CTL females exhibited greater exploratory behavior than CTL males, BPA exposure abolished this sex difference. BPA-exposed males, however, engaged in less territorial marking when CTL males were present. These studies demonstrate that developmental BPA exposure can disrupt adult behaviors in a sex- and species-dependent manner and are consistent with the hypothesis that sexually selected traits are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruption and should be a consideration in risk assessment studies. PMID:23405200

Dietary alleviation of maternal obesity and diabetes: increased resistance to diet-induced obesity transcriptional and epigenetic signatures.

PubMed

Attig, Linda; Vigé, Alexandre; Gabory, Anne; Karimi, Moshen; Beauger, Aurore; Gross, Marie-Sylvie; Athias, Anne; Gallou-Kabani, Catherine; Gambert, Philippe; Ekstrom, Tomas J; Jais, Jean-Philippe; Junien, Claudine

2013-01-01

According to the developmental origins of health and diseases (DOHaD), and in line with the findings of many studies, obesity during pregnancy is clearly a threat to the health and well-being of the offspring, later in adulthood. We previously showed that 20% of male and female inbred mice can cope with the obesogenic effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) for 20 weeks after weaning, remaining lean. However the feeding of a control diet (CD) to DIO mice during the periconceptional/gestation/lactation period led to a pronounced sex-specific shift (17% to 43%) from susceptibility to resistance to HFD, in the female offspring only. Our aim in this study was to determine how, in the context of maternal obesity and T2D, a CD could increase resistance on female fetuses. Transcriptional analyses were carried out with a custom-built mouse liver microarray and by quantitative RT-PCR for muscle and adipose tissue. Both global DNA methylation and levels of pertinent histone marks were assessed by LUMA and western blotting, and the expression of 15 relevant genes encoding chromatin-modifying enzymes was analyzed in tissues presenting global epigenetic changes. Resistance was associated with an enhancement of hepatic pathways protecting against steatosis, the unexpected upregulation of neurotransmission-related genes and the modulation of a vast imprinted gene network. Adipose tissue displayed a pronounced dysregulation of gene expression, with an upregulation of genes involved in lipid storage and adipocyte hypertrophy or hyperplasia in obese mice born to lean and obese mothers, respectively. Global DNA methylation, several histone marks and key epigenetic regulators were also altered. Whether they were themselves lean (resistant) or obese (sensitive), the offspring of lean and obese mice clearly differed in terms of several metabolic features and epigenetic marks suggesting that the effects of a HFD depend on the leanness or obesity of the mother.

Interexaminer variation of minutia markup on latent fingerprints.

PubMed

Ulery, Bradford T; Hicklin, R Austin; Roberts, Maria Antonia; Buscaglia, JoAnn

2016-07-01

Latent print examiners often differ in the number of minutiae they mark during analysis of a latent, and also during comparison of a latent with an exemplar. Differences in minutia counts understate interexaminer variability: examiners' markups may have similar minutia counts but differ greatly in which specific minutiae were marked. We assessed variability in minutia markup among 170 volunteer latent print examiners. Each provided detailed markup documenting their examinations of 22 latent-exemplar pairs of prints randomly assigned from a pool of 320 pairs. An average of 12 examiners marked each latent. The primary factors associated with minutia reproducibility were clarity, which regions of the prints examiners chose to mark, and agreement on value or comparison determinations. In clear areas (where the examiner was "certain of the location, presence, and absence of all minutiae"), median reproducibility was 82%; in unclear areas, median reproducibility was 46%. Differing interpretations regarding which regions should be marked (e.g., when there is ambiguity in the continuity of a print) contributed to variability in minutia markup: especially in unclear areas, marked minutiae were often far from the nearest minutia marked by a majority of examiners. Low reproducibility was also associated with differences in value or comparison determinations. Lack of standardization in minutia markup and unfamiliarity with test procedures presumably contribute to the variability we observed. We have identified factors accounting for interexaminer variability; implementing standards for detailed markup as part of documentation and focusing future training efforts on these factors may help to facilitate transparency and reduce subjectivity in the examination process. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Surface Textures and Features Indicative of Endogenous Growth at the McCartys Flow Field, NM, as an Analog to Martian Volcanic Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleacher, Jacob E.; Crumpler, L. S.; Garry, W. B.; Zimbelman, J. R.; Self, S.; Aubele, J. C.

2012-01-01

Basaltic lavas typically form channels or tubes, which are recognized on the Earth and Mars. Although largely unrecognized in the planetary community, terrestrial inflated sheet flows also display morphologies that share many commonalities with lava plains on Mars. The McCartys lava flow field is among the youngest (approx.3000 yrs) basaltic flows in the continental United States. The southwest sections of the flow displays smooth, flat-topped plateaus with irregularly shaped pits and hummocky inter-plateau units that form a polygonal surface. Plateaus are typically elongate in map view, up to 20 m high and display lineations within the glassy crust. Lineated surfaces occasionally display small < 1m diameter lava coils. Lineations are generally straight and parallel each other, sometimes for over 100 meters. The boundaries between plateaus and depressions are also lineated and tilted to angles sometimes approaching vertical. Plateau-parallel cracks, sometimes containing squeeze-ups, mark the boundary between tilted crust and plateau. Some plateau depressions display level floors with hummocky surfaces, while some are bowl shaped with floors covered in broken lava slabs. The lower walls of pits sometimes display lateral, sagged lava wedges. Infrequently, pit floors display the upper portion of a tumulus from an older flow. In some places the surface crust has been disrupted forming a slabby texture. Slabs are typically on the scale of a meter or less across and no less than 7-10 cm thick. The slabs preserve the lineated textures of the undisturbed plateau crust. It appears that this style of terrain represents the emplacement of an extensive sheet that experiences inflation episodes within preferred regions where lateral spreading of the sheet is inhibited, thereby forming plateaus. Rough surfaces represent inflation-related disruption of pahoehoe lava and not a a lava. Depressions are often the result of non-inflation and can be clearly identified by lateral squeeze-outs along the pit walls that form when the rising crust exposes the still liquid core of the sheet. The plains of Tharsis and Elysium, Mars, display many analogous features

Synthesis and evaluation of "AZT-HEPT", "AZT-pyridinone", and "ddC-HEPT" conjugates as inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase.

PubMed

Pontikis, R; Dollé, V; Guillaumel, J; Dechaux, E; Note, R; Nguyen, C H; Legraverend, M; Bisagni, E; Aubertin, A M; Grierson, D S; Monneret, C

2000-05-18

To test the concept that HIV reverse transcriptase could be effectively inhibited by "mixed site inhibitors", a series of seven conjugates containing both a nucleoside analogue component (AZT 1, ddC 2) and a nonnucleoside type inhibitor (HEPT analogue 12, pyridinone 27) were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to block HIV replication. The (N-3 and C-5)AZT-HEPT conjugates 15, 22, and 23 displayed 2-5 microM anti-HIV activity, but they had no effect on the replication of HIV-2 or the HIV-1 strain with the Y181C mutation. The (C-5)AZT-pyridinone conjugates 34-37 were found to be inactive. In marked contrast, the ddC-HEPT molecule 26 displayed the same potency (EC(50) = 0.45 microM) against HIV-1 (wild type and the Y181C nevirapine-resistant strain) and HIV-2 in cell culture. No synergistic effect was observed for these bis-substrate inhibitors, suggesting that the two individual inhibitor components in these molecules do not bind simultaneously in their respective sites. Interestingly, however, the results indicate that the AZT-HEPT conjugates and the ddC-HEPT derivative 26 inhibit reverse transcriptase (RT) in an opposite manner. One explanation for this difference is that the former compounds interact preferentially with the hydrophobic pocket in RT, whereas 26 (after supposed triphosphorylation) inhibits RT through binding in the catalytic site.

Introduction and enzootic of A/H5N1 in Egypt: Virus evolution, pathogenicity and vaccine efficacy ten years on.

PubMed

Abdelwhab, E M; Hassan, M K; Abdel-Moneim, A S; Naguib, M M; Mostafa, A; Hussein, I T M; Arafa, A; Erfan, A M; Kilany, W H; Agour, M G; El-Kanawati, Z; Hussein, H A; Selim, A A; Kholousy, S; El-Naggar, H; El-Zoghby, E F; Samy, A; Iqbal, M; Eid, A; Ibraheem, E M; Pleschka, S; Veits, J; Nasef, S A; Beer, M; Mettenleiter, T C; Grund, C; Ali, M M; Harder, T C; Hafez, H M

2016-06-01

It is almost a decade since the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus (A/H5N1) of clade 2.2.1 was introduced to Egypt in 2005, most likely, via wild birds; marking the longest endemic status of influenza viruses in poultry outside Asia. The endemic A/H5N1 in Egypt still compromises the poultry industry, poses serious hazards to public health and threatens to become potentially pandemic. The control strategies adopted for A/H5N1 in Egyptian poultry using diverse vaccines in commercialized poultry neither eliminated the virus nor did they decrease its evolutionary rate. Several virus clades have evolved, a few of them disappeared and others prevailed. Disparate evolutionary traits in both birds and humans were manifested by accumulation of clade-specific mutations across viral genomes driven by a variety of selection pressures. Viruses in vaccinated poultry populations displayed higher mutation rates at the immunogenic epitopes, promoting viral escape and reducing vaccine efficiency. On the other hand, viruses isolated from humans displayed changes in the receptor binding domain, which increased the viral affinity to bind to human-type glycan receptors. Moreover, viral pathogenicity exhibited several patterns in different hosts. This review aims to provide an overview of the viral evolution, pathogenicity and vaccine efficacy of A/H5N1 in Egypt during the last ten years. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Meriolins, a new class of cell death inducing kinase inhibitors with enhanced selectivity for cyclin-dependent kinases.

PubMed

Bettayeb, Karima; Tirado, Oscar M; Marionneau-Lambot, Séverine; Ferandin, Yoan; Lozach, Olivier; Morris, Jonathan C; Mateo-Lozano, Silvia; Drueckes, Peter; Schächtele, Christoph; Kubbutat, Michael H G; Liger, François; Marquet, Bernard; Joseph, Benoît; Echalier, Aude; Endicott, Jane A; Notario, Vicente; Meijer, Laurent

2007-09-01

Protein kinases represent promising anticancer drug targets. We describe here the meriolins, a new family of inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK). Meriolins represent a chemical structural hybrid between meridianins and variolins, two families of kinase inhibitors extracted from various marine invertebrates. Variolin B is currently in preclinical evaluation as an antitumor agent. A selectivity study done on 32 kinases showed that, compared with variolin B, meriolins display enhanced specificity toward CDKs, with marked potency on CDK2 and CDK9. The structures of pCDK2/cyclin A/variolin B and pCDK2/cyclin A/meriolin 3 complexes reveal that the two inhibitors bind within the ATP binding site of the kinase, but in different orientations. Meriolins display better antiproliferative and proapoptotic properties in human tumor cell cultures than their parent molecules, meridianins and variolins. Phosphorylation at CDK1, CDK4, and CDK9 sites on, respectively, protein phosphatase 1alpha, retinoblastoma protein, and RNA polymerase II is inhibited in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exposed to meriolins. Apoptosis triggered by meriolins is accompanied by rapid Mcl-1 down-regulation, cytochrome c release, and activation of caspases. Meriolin 3 potently inhibits tumor growth in two mouse xenograft cancer models, namely, Ewing's sarcoma and LS174T colorectal carcinoma. Meriolins thus constitute a new CDK inhibitory scaffold, with promising antitumor activity, derived from molecules initially isolated from marine organisms.

A comparison of the effects of tributyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride on cell proliferation, proapoptotic p53, Bax, and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein levels in human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line.

PubMed

Fickova, Maria; Macho, Ladislav; Brtko, Julius

2015-06-01

In recent years it was disclosed, that numerous organotin(IV) derivatives have remarkable cytotoxicity against several types of cancer cells. The property to inhibit cell growth makes these compounds promising for antitumor therapy, as the clinical effectiveness of cisplatin is limited by drug resistance and significant side effects. Tributyltin and triphenyltin are known as endocrine disruptors. Moreover, the compounds exert their toxicity in mammals predominantly through nuclear receptor signaling. Here we present the effects of tributyltin chloride (TBT-Cl) and triphenyltin chloride (TPT-Cl) on cell proliferation, expression of proapoptotic p53, Bax, and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins in human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line. Dose and time dependent (24, 48 and 72 h) cell expositions have demonstrated TBT-Cl as more effective in inhibiting MCF-7 cell proliferation than TPT-Cl. Short time treatment with TBT-Cl displayed marked stimulation of p53 protein expression when compared to TPT-Cl. Both organotin compounds displayed similar mild enhancement of Bax protein expression. The 24h exposition of TPT-Cl induced substantial diminution of Bcl-2 protein expression in comparison with both, untreated cells and TBT-Cl treated cells. Our observations indicate that TBT-Cl and TPT-Cl have different antiproliferative potency and distinct impact on expression of apoptosis marker proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Children's Control/Display Stereotypes.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Errol R; Chan, Alan H S; Tai, Judy P C

2018-06-01

Objective The aim of this study was to determine control/display stereotypes for children of a range of ages and development of these stereotypes with age. Background Little is known about control/display stereotypes for children of different ages and the way in which these stereotypes develop with age. This study is part of a program to determine the need to design differentially for these age groups. Method We tested four groups of children with various tasks (age groups 5 to 7, 8 to 10, 11 to 13, 14 to 16), with about 30 in each group. Examples of common tasks were opening a bottle, turning on taps, and allocating numbers to keypads. More complex tasks involved rotating a control to move a display in a requested direction. Results Tasks with which different age groups were familiar showed no effect of age group. Different control/display arrangements generally showed an increase in stereotype strength with age, with dependence on the form of the control/display arrangement. Two-dimensional arrangements, with the control on the same plane as the display, had higher stereotype strength than three-dimensional arrangements for all age groups, suggesting an effect of familiarity with controls and displays with increasing age. Conclusion Children's control/display stereotypes do not differ greatly from those of adults, and hence, design for children older than 5 years of age, for control/display stereotypes, can be the same as that for adult populations. Application When designing devices for children, the relationship between controls and displays can be as for adult populations, for which there are considerable experimental data.

Evaluation of longitudinal construction joints on traffic operations and safety.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

Motorists generally follow the guidance provided by pavement markings, which are normally marked in : coincidence with the longitudinal construction joints, when the markings are necessary. At some locations, : however, there may be a difference betw...

Evaluation of inlaid durable pavement markings in an Oregon snow zone.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-04-01

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) evaluated the use of inlaid durable pavement markings within a snow zone. Three different durable pavement marking products were installed and evaluated: Dura-Stripe, a methyl methacrylate; Permaline...

Sex-specific impact of prenatal stress on growth and reproductive parameters of guinea pigs.

PubMed

Schöpper, Hanna; Klaus, Teresa; Palme, Rupert; Ruf, Thomas; Huber, Susanne

2012-12-01

Body condition and reproductive maturation are parameters of reproductive success that are influenced by sexual hormones rising in the circulation during the time of puberty. Various endocrine systems can be programmed by conditions experienced during early life. Stress for instance is supposed to be capable of influencing fetal development, leading to adjustments of offspring's later physiology. We examined whether prenatal stress (induced by exposure to strobe light) during early- to mid-gestation was capable of affecting later reproductive parameters in guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus). Therefore, we measured the levels of testosterone and progesterone from the age of day 12-124 in prenatally stressed (PS, n = 20) and unaffected control animals (n = 24). Furthermore, we determined the timing of puberty and growth. Body weight development revealed significantly faster growth in PS females compared to control animals. The onset of first estrus was slightly earlier in PS females, however not significantly so. Cycle lengths and levels of progesterone differed between groups over the course of time with higher progesterone levels and more constant cycles among PS females compared to control females who displayed marked differences between first and subsequent cycles. Levels of testosterone did not differ between groups. We conclude that prenatal stress accelerates growth and maturity in females, but not in males.

Self-Assembled Multivalent (SAMul) Polyanion Binding-Impact of Hydrophobic Modifications in the Micellar Core on DNA and Heparin Binding at the Peripheral Cationic Ligands.

PubMed

Albanyan, Buthaina; Laurini, Erik; Posocco, Paola; Pricl, Sabrina; Smith, David K

2017-05-05

This paper reports a small family of cationic surfactants designed to bind polyanions such as DNA and heparin. Each molecule has the same hydrophilic cationic ligand and a hydrophobic aliphatic group with eighteen carbon atoms with one, two, or three alkene groups within the hydrophobic chain (C18-1, C18-2 and C18-3). Dynamic light scattering indicates that more alkenes lead to geometric distortion, giving rise to larger self-assembled multivalent (SAMul) nanostructures. Mallard Blue and Ethidium Bromide dye displacement assays demonstrate that heparin and DNA have markedly different binding preferences, with heparin binding most effectively to C18-1, and DNA to C18-3, even though the molecular structural differences of these SAMul systems are buried in the hydrophobic core. Multiscale modelling suggests that adaptive heparin maximises enthalpically favourable interactions with C18-1, while shape-persistent DNA forms a similar number of interactions with each ligand display, but with slightly less entropic cost for binding to C18-3-fundamental thermodynamic differences in SAMul binding of heparin or DNA. This study therefore provides unique insight into electrostatic molecular recognition between highly charged nanoscale surfaces in biologically relevant systems. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Purification and characterization of multiple forms of the pineapple-stem-derived cysteine proteinases ananain and comosain.

PubMed Central

Napper, A D; Bennett, S P; Borowski, M; Holdridge, M B; Leonard, M J; Rogers, E E; Duan, Y; Laursen, R A; Reinhold, B; Shames, S L

1994-01-01

A mixture of ananain (EC 3.4.22.31) and comosain purified from crude pineapple stem extract was found to contain numerous closely related enzyme forms. Chromatographic separation of the major enzyme forms was achieved after treatment of the mixture with thiol-modifying reagents: reversible modification with 2-hydroxyethyl disulphide provided enzyme for kinetic studies, and irreversible alkylation with bromotrifluoroacetone or iodoacetamide gave enzyme for structural analyses by 19F-n.m.r. and electrospray mass spectrometry respectively. Structural and kinetic analyses revealed comosain to be closely related to stem bromelain (EC 3.4.22.32), whereas ananain differed markedly from both comosain and stem bromelain. Nevertheless, differences were seen between comosain and stem bromelain in amino acid composition and kinetic specificity towards the epoxide inhibitor E-64. Differences between five isolatable alternative forms of ananain were characterized by amidolytic activity, thiol stoichiometry and accurate mass determinations. Three of the enzyme forms displayed ananain-like amidolytic activity, whereas the other two forms were inactive. Thiol-stoichiometry determinations revealed that the active enzyme forms contained one free thiol, whereas the inactive forms lacked the reactive thiol required for enzyme activity. M.s. provided direct evidence for oxidation of the active-site thiol to the corresponding sulphinic acid. Images Figure 3 Figure 4 PMID:8053898

Escitalopram—translating molecular properties into clinical benefit: reviewing the evidence in major depression

PubMed Central

Leonard, Brian; Taylor, David

2010-01-01

The majority of currently marketed drugs contain a mixture of enantiomers; however, recent evidence suggests that individual enantiomers can have pharmacological properties that differ importantly from enantiomer mixtures. Escitalopram, the S-enantiomer of citalopram, displays markedly different pharmacological activity to the R-enantiomer. This review aims to evaluate whether these differences confer any significant clinical advantage for escitalopram over either citalopram or other frequently used antidepressants. Searches were conducted using PubMed and EMBASE (up to January 2009). Abstracts of the retrieved studies were reviewed independently by both authors for inclusion. Only those studies relating to depression or major depressive disorder were included. The search identified over 250 citations, of which 21 studies and 18 pooled or meta-analyses studies were deemed suitable for inclusion. These studies reveal that escitalopram has some efficacy advantage over citalopram and paroxetine, but no consistent advantage over other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Escitalopram has at least comparable efficacy to available serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, venlafaxine XR and duloxetine, and may offer some tolerability advantages over these agents. This review suggests that the mechanistic advantages of escitalopram over citalopram translate into clinical efficacy advantages. Escitalopram may have a favourable benefit-risk ratio compared with citalopram and possibly with several other antidepressant agents. PMID:20147575

An fMRI study of working memory in first-degree unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients.

PubMed

Meda, Shashwath A; Bhattarai, Manish; Morris, Nicholas A; Astur, Robert S; Calhoun, Vince D; Mathalon, Daniel H; Kiehl, Kent A; Pearlson, Godfrey D

2008-09-01

Identifying intermediate phenotypes of genetically complex psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia is important. First-degree relatives of persons with schizophrenia have increased genetic risk for the disorder and tend to show deficits on working memory (WM) tasks. An open question is the relationship between such behavioral endophenotypes and the corresponding brain activation patterns revealed during functional imaging. We measured task performance during a Sternberg WM task and used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess whether 23 non-affected first-degree relatives showed altered performance and functional activation compared to 43 matched healthy controls. We predicted that a significant proportion of unaffected first-degree relatives would show either aberrant task performance and/or abnormal related fMRI blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) patterns. While task performance in the relatives was not different than that of controls they were significantly slower in responding to probes., Schizophrenia relatives displayed reduced activation, most markedly in bilateral dorsolateral/ventrolateral (DLPFC/VLPFC) prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex when encoding stimuli and in bilateral DLPFC and parietal areas during response selection. Additionally, fMRI differences in both conditions were modulated by load, with a parametric increase in between-group differences with load in several key regions during encoding and an opposite effect during response selection.

Survival and reproduction of radio-marked adult spotted owls.

Treesearch

C.C. Foster; E.D. Forsman; E.C. Meslow; G.S. Miller; J.A. Reid; F.F. Wagner; A.B. Carey; J.B. Lint

1992-01-01

We compared survival, reproduction, and body mass of radio-marked and non radio-marked spotted owls (Strix occidentalis) to determine if backpack radios influenced reproduction or survival. In most study areas and years, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in survival of males and females or in survival of radio-marked versus banded owls. There...

User experiences of evidence-based online resources for health professionals: User testing of The Cochrane Library

PubMed Central

Rosenbaum, Sarah E; Glenton, Claire; Cracknell, Jane

2008-01-01

Background Evidence-based decision making relies on easy access to trustworthy research results. The Cochrane Library is a key source of evidence about the effect of interventions and aims to "promote the accessibility of systematic reviews to anyone wanting to make a decision about health care". We explored how health professionals found, used and experienced The Library, looking at facets of user experience including findability, usability, usefulness, credibility, desirability and value. Methods We carried out 32 one-hour usability tests on participants from Norway and the UK. Participants both browsed freely and attempted to perform individually tailored tasks while "thinking aloud". Sessions were recorded and viewed in real time by researchers. Transcriptions and videos were reviewed by one researcher and one designer. Findings reported here reflect issues receiving a high degree of saturation and that we judge to be critical to the user experience of evidence-based web sites, based on principles for usability heuristics, web guidelines and evidence-based practice. Results Participants had much difficulty locating both the site and its contents. Non-native English speakers were at an extra disadvantage when retrieving relevant documents despite high levels of English-language skills. Many participants displayed feelings of ineptitude, alienation and frustration. Some made serious mistakes in correctly distinguishing between different information types, for instance reviews, review protocols, and individual studies. Although most expressed a high regard for the site's credibility, some later displayed a mistrust of the independence of the information. Others were overconfident, thinking everything on The Cochrane Library site shared the same level of quality approval. Conclusion Paradoxically, The Cochrane Library, established to support easy access to research evidence, has its own problems of accessibility. Health professionals' experiences of this and other evidence-based online resources can be improved by applying existing principles for web usability, prioritizing the development of simple search functionality, emitting "researcher" jargon, consistent marking of site ownership, and clear signposting of different document types and different content quality. PMID:18662382

Long- and Mid-Term Variations of the Soft X-ray Flare Type in Solar Cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chertok, I. M.; Belov, A. V.

2017-10-01

Using data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) spacecraft in the 1 - 8 Å wavelength range for Solar Cycles 23, 24, and part of Cycles 21 and 22, we compare mean temporal parameters (rise and decay times, and duration) and the proportion of impulsive short-duration events (SDE) and gradual long-duration events (LDE) among C- and ≥ M1.0-class flares. It is found that the fraction of the SDE ≥ M1.0-class flares (including spikes) in Cycle 24 exceeds that in Cycle 23 in all three temporal parameters at the maximum phase and in the decay time during the ascending cycle phase. However, Cycles 23 and 24 barely differ in the fraction of the SDE C-class flares. The temporal parameters of SDEs, their fraction, and consequently the relationship between the SDE and LDE flares do not remain constant, but reveal regular changes within individual cycles and during the transition from one cycle to another. In all phases of all four cycles, these changes have the character of pronounced, large-amplitude "quasi-biennial" oscillations (QBOs). In different cycles and at the separate phases of individual cycles, such QBOs are superimposed on various systematic trends displayed by the analyzed temporal flare parameters. In Cycle 24, the fraction of the SDE ≥ M1.0-class flares from the N- and S-hemispheres displays the most pronounced synchronous QBOs. The QBO amplitude and general variability of the intense ≥ M1.0-class flares almost always markedly exceeds those of the moderate C-class flares. The ordered quantitative and qualitative variations of the flare type revealed in the course of the solar cycles are discussed within the framework of the concept that the SDE flares are associated mainly with small sunspots (including those in developed active regions) and that small and large sunspots behave differently during cycles and form two distinct populations.

LCD displays performance comparison by MTF measurement using the white noise stimulus method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitjà, Carles; Escofet, Jaume

2011-01-01

The amount of images produced to be viewed as soft copies on output displays are significantly increasing. This growing occurs at the expense of the images targeted to hard copy versions on paper or any other physical support. Even in the case of high quality hard copy production, people working in professional imaging uses different displays in selecting, editing, processing and showing images, from laptop screen to specialized high end displays. Then, the quality performance of these devices is crucial in the chain of decisions to be taken in image production. Metrics of this quality performance can help in the equipment acquisition. Different metrics and methods have been described to determine the quality performance of CRT and LCD computer displays in clinical area. One of most important metrics in this field is the device spatial frequency response obtained measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF). This work presents a comparison between the MTF of three different LCD displays, Apple MacBook Pro 15", Apple LED Cinema Display 24" and Apple iPhone4, measured by the white noise stimulus method, over vertical and horizontal directions. Additionally, different displays show particular pixels structure pattern. In order to identify this pixel structure, a set of high magnification images is taken from each display to be related with the respective vertical and horizontal MTF.

Geology of Utah and Nevada by ERTS imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, M. L. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Two ancient watercourses have been observed on ERTS-1 imagery. These lie in the Waterpocket Fold area, north of the Marble Canyon section of the Colorado River, in Arizona and Utah. A third old watercourse of interest is an ancient canyon of the Colorado and is located on image no. 1156-17260. Image no. 1051-17414 contains some very useful information concerning the hydrology, sedimentology, and biology of Great Salt Lake and Bear Lake in Utah. In Great Salt Lake, there is a sharp line between the portion of the lake north of the railroad causeway and that south of the causeway. There is a marked difference in salinity across the causeway, and this is reflected in different algal species. On the same image, sediment plumes in Bear Lake clearly delineate the circulation pattern, and provide excellent indications of bottom contours over much of the area. Image no. 1051-17420 contains part of Great Salt Lake and all of Utah Lake. The latter displays a very interesting surface pattern which is probably due to an algal bloom which has been swirled into a spiral by the circulation of the lake.

Wild Asian elephants distinguish aggressive tiger and leopard growls according to perceived danger.

PubMed

Thuppil, Vivek; Coss, Richard G

2013-10-23

Prey species exhibit antipredator behaviours such as alertness, aggression and flight, among others, in response to predators. The nature of this response is variable, with animals reacting more strongly in situations of increased vulnerability. Our research described here is the first formal study to investigate night-time antipredator behaviour in any species of elephants, Asian or African. We examined the provocative effects of elephant-triggered tiger and leopard growls while elephants attempted to crop-raid. Tigers opportunistically prey on elephant calves, whereas leopards pose no threat; therefore, we predicted that the elephant response would be reflective of this difference. Elephants reacted similarly cautiously to the simulated presence of felids of both species by eventually moving away, but differed markedly in their more immediate behavioural responses. Elephants retreated silently to tiger-growl playbacks, whereas they responded with aggressive vocalizations, such as trumpets and grunts, to leopard-growl playbacks. Elephants also lingered in the area and displayed alert or investigative behaviours in response to leopard growls when compared with tiger growls. We anticipate that the methods outlined here will promote further study of elephant antipredator behaviour in a naturalistic context, with applications for conservation efforts as well.

Sequence polymorphism in candidate genes for differences in winter plumage between Scottish and Scandinavian Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus).

PubMed

Skoglund, Pontus; Höglund, Jacob

2010-04-23

Population variation in the degree of seasonal polymorphism is rare in birds, and the genetic basis of this phenomenon remains largely undescribed. Both sexes of Scandinavian and Scottish Willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) display marked differences in their winter phenotypes, with Scottish grouse retaining a pigmented plumage year-round and Scandinavian Willow grouse molting to a white morph during winter. A widely studied pathway implicated in vertebrate pigmentation is the melanin system, for which functional variation has been characterised in many taxa. We sequenced coding regions from four genes involved in melanin pigmentation (DCT, MC1R, TYR and TYRP1), and an additional control involved in the melanocortin pathway (AGRP), to investigate the genetic basis of winter plumage in Lagopus. Despite the well documented role of the melanin system in animal coloration, we found no plumage-associated polymorphism or evidence for selection in a total of approximately 2.6 kb analysed sequence. Our results indicate that the genetic basis of alternating between pigmented and unpigmented seasonal phenotypes is more likely explained by regulatory changes controlling the expression of these or other loci in the physiological pathway leading to pigmentation.