Insulin and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor synergistically promote astrocyte survival and proliferation in serum-free medium.

PubMed

Jia, Mei; Shi, Zhongfang; Yan, Xu; Xu, Lixin; Dong, Liping; Li, Jiaxin; Wang, Yujiao; Yang, Shaohua; Yuan, Fang

2018-06-08

In vitro systems allowing maintenance and experimentation on primary astrocyte cultures have been used for decades. Astrocyte cultures are most maintained in serum-containing medium which has been found to alter the morphology and gene profiles of astrocytes. Here, we reported a new serum-free medium for astrocyte culture, which consisted of DMEM and NB media supplemented with insulin and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) (SF-I-H medium). Meanwhile FBS-containing (FBS) medium composed of DMEM medium containing 10% FBS were used for comparison study. Cerebral cortex was harvested from postnatal day 1 Wistar rats and brain cells were isolated and seeded to poly-L-lysine coated culture dishes after 15 min differential velocity adherence. Compared with FBS medium, astrocytes in SF-I-H medium are smaller and exhibited process bearing morphologies. MTT assays showed that cell density and proliferation rate were higher in SF-I-H medium than in FBS medium all the time, and flow cytometry analysis revealed that SF-I-H medium promoted cell mitosis in a manner comparable to FBS medium. Consistently, western blot analysis further revealed that insulin and HB-EGF synergistically activated the PI3K-AKT and MAPK-ERK1/2 signaling cascades as FBS. Astrocytes cultured in SF-I-H medium grow faster than FBS medium. Taken together, our results indicated that SF-I-H medium, in which cell morphology was similar with astrocytes in brain, was more effective for astrocyte survival and proliferation than FBS medium, providing a new cell model to study astrocyte functions without the interference of serum. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effective-Medium Models for Marine Gas Hydrates, Mallik Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, D. A.; Knapp, C. C.; Knapp, J. H.

2011-12-01

Hertz-Mindlin type effective-medium dry-rock elastic models have been commonly used for more than three decades in rock physics analysis, and recently have been applied to assessment of marine gas hydrate resources. Comparisons of several effective-medium models with derivative well-log data from the Mackenzie River Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada (i.e. Mallik 2L-38 and 5L-38) were made several years ago as part of a marine gas hydrate joint industry project in the Gulf of Mexico. The matrix/grain supporting model (one of the five models compared) was clearly a better representation of the Mallik data than the other four models (2 cemented sand models; a pore-filling model; and an inclusion model). Even though the matrix/grain supporting model was clearly better, reservations were noted that the compressional velocity of the model was higher than the compressional velocity measured via the sonic logs, and that the shear velocities showed an even greater discrepancy. Over more than thirty years, variations of Hertz-Mindlin type effective medium models have evolved for unconsolidated sediments and here, we briefly review their development. In the past few years, the perfectly smooth grain version of the Hertz-Mindlin type effective-medium model has been favored over the infinitely rough grain version compared in the Gulf of Mexico study. We revisit the data from the Mallik wells to review assertions that effective-medium models with perfectly smooth grains are a better predictor than models with infinitely rough grains. We briefly review three Hertz-Mindlin type effective-medium models, and standardize nomenclature and notation. To calibrate the extended effective-medium model in gas hydrates, we use a well accepted framework for unconsolidated sediments through Hashin-Shtrikman bounds. We implement the previously discussed effective-medium models for saturated sediments with gas hydrates and compute theoretical curves of seismic velocities versus gas hydrate saturation to compare with well log data available from the Canadian gas hydrates research site. By directly comparing the infinitely rough and perfectly smooth grain versions of the Hertz-Mindlin type effective-medium model, we provide additional insight to the discrepancies noted in the Gulf of Mexico study.

No effect of embryo culture media on birthweight and length of newborns.

PubMed

Lin, Shengli; Li, Ming; Lian, Ying; Chen, Lixue; Liu, Ping

2013-07-01

Does the type of media used to culture embryos for IVF influence the birthweight and length of neonates? No significant differences were observed in birthweight and length among the three embryo culture media used for in vitro embryo culture. Since the establishment of IVF as an assisted reproductive technology (ART), many different culture systems have been used for the development of human embryos. Some studies have shown that the types of culture media influence the newborn birthweight; however, other studies have shown no effect. To further explore this contradictory issue, we compared the birthweight and length of neonates born after the transfer of embryos cultured in one of three commercially available media. This retrospective analysis of birthweight and length of newborns included 1201 women who delivered singletons and 445 women who delivered twins. The following three commercially available culture media were used: G5™, Global and Quinn's advantage media. Women who underwent IVF-ET cycles between 2008 and 2010 were analyzed. Patients younger than 40 years of age with a body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m(2) were analyzed. Only data from singletons and twins born alive after the 20th week of gestation were included in the data analysis. Patients who received preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and donor oocytes were excluded. The analysis of 1201 singletons and 445 sets of twins showed no significant association between mean birthweight or mean birth length and the type of embryo culture medium. Inter-twin mean birthweight and length disparities were analyzed, but were not shown to be significantly different. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that maternal weight, maternal height, gestational age and infant gender were significantly related to birthweight, and paternal height, gestational age and newborn complications were significantly associated with birth length. The current study showed that birthweight and length of newborns were not associated with the embryo culture medium. More research needs to be performed to analyze the effects of other culture medium formulations and to evaluate the long-term effects of embryo culture medium on the health of children conceived through ART. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS: Our retrospective study suggests that embryo culture medium does not influence neonatal birthweight and length; however, the effects of culture medium on epigenetic variation of embryos need to be studied further.

Dexamethasone implant in silicone oil: in vitro behavior.

PubMed

Flores-Villalobos, Erick Omar; Ramírez-Estudillo, J Abel; Robles-Contreras, Atzin; Oliva-Ramírez, Jacqueline L

2018-01-01

To determine the effect of the silicone on the dexamethasone intravitreal implant. Basic, experimental, prospective and transversal study performed at the hospital "Nuestra Señora de la Luz" in Mexico City. One dexamethasone implant was placed in a test tube with 4 mL of each tamponade medium: 1000cS, 5000cS and heavy silicone oil; basic saline solution was used as the control medium. Photographs were taken weekly for 12 months. 200 µL samples were taken from each medium at 24 h, 1, 2 weeks and monthly for 12 months. ELISA test was performed to quantify dexamethasone release in every sample. An inflammatory stimulus was created and later exposed it to every sample in order to test their anti-inflammatory capacity by cytokine analysis using cytometric bead array. Statistically significant results were obtained with p < 0.05. Photographic follow-up showed disintegration of the implant in control medium. Implants in silicone oil suffered no changes during follow-up. Dexamethasone levels in control medium showed stability from month 2 to 12. Silicone oil mediums showed irregular dexamethasone release during the 1 year period. Dexamethasone in control medium had inhibitory effects on TNF-α starting at 24 h (p < 0.001) and remained stable. Dexamethasone in 1000cS silicone oil showed inhibitory effects from month 2 (p < 0.001) until month 6 (p < 0.001). Implants in denser silicone oils showed no inhibitory effects in any of the samples. Denser mediums altered the implant pharmacokinetics and showed no anti-inflammatory effects even when concentrations were quantified at levels similar to control medium in vitro.

13 C Flux Analysis Reveals that Rebalancing Medium Amino Acid Composition can Reduce Ammonia Production while Preserving Central Carbon Metabolism of CHO Cell Cultures.

PubMed

McAtee Pereira, Allison G; Walther, Jason L; Hollenbach, Myles; Young, Jamey D

2018-02-06

13 C metabolic flux analysis (MFA) provides a rigorous approach to quantify intracellular metabolism of industrial cell lines. In this study, 13 C MFA was used to characterize the metabolic response of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to a novel medium variant designed to reduce ammonia production. Ammonia inhibits growth and viability of CHO cell cultures, alters glycosylation of recombinant proteins, and enhances product degradation. Ammonia production was reduced by manipulating the amino acid composition of the culture medium; specifically, glutamine, glutamate, asparagine, aspartate, and serine levels were adjusted. Parallel 13 C flux analysis experiments determined that, while ammonia production decreased by roughly 40%, CHO cell metabolic phenotype, growth, viability, and monoclonal antibody (mAb) titer were not significantly altered by the changes in media composition. This study illustrates how 13 C flux analysis can be applied to assess the metabolic effects of media manipulations on mammalian cell cultures. The analysis revealed that adjusting the amino acid composition of CHO cell culture media can effectively reduce ammonia production while preserving fluxes throughout central carbon metabolism. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Dissociation of heavy quarkonia in an anisotropic hot QCD medium in a quasiparticle model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamal, Mohammad Yousuf; Nilima, Indrani; Chandra, Vinod; Agotiya, Vineet Kumar

2018-05-01

The present article is the follow-up work of Phys. Rev. D 94, 094006 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevD.94.094006, where we have extended the study of quarkonia dissociation in (momentum) anisotropic hot QCD medium. As evident by the experimentally observed collective flow at the RHIC and LHC, the momentum anisotropy is present at almost all the stages after the collision, and therefore, it is important to include its effects in the analysis. Employing the in-medium (corrected) potential while considering the anisotropy (both oblate and prolate cases) in the medium, the thermal widths and the binding energies of the heavy quarkonia states (s -wave charmonia and s -wave bottomonia specifically, for radial quantum numbers n =1 and 2) have been determined. The hot QCD medium effects have been included by employing a quasiparticle description. The presence of anisotropy has modified the potential and then the thermal widths and binding energies of these states in a significant manner. The results show a quite visible shift in the values of dissociation temperatures as compared to the isotropic case. Further, the hot QCD medium interaction effects suppress the dissociation temperature as compared to the case where we consider the medium as a noninteracting ultrarelativistic gas of quarks (antiquarks) and gluons.

An experimental strategy validated to design cost-effective culture media based on response surface methodology.

PubMed

Navarrete-Bolaños, J L; Téllez-Martínez, M G; Miranda-López, R; Jiménez-Islas, H

2017-07-03

For any fermentation process, the production cost depends on several factors, such as the genetics of the microorganism, the process condition, and the culture medium composition. In this work, a guideline for the design of cost-efficient culture media using a sequential approach based on response surface methodology is described. The procedure was applied to analyze and optimize a culture medium of registered trademark and a base culture medium obtained as a result of the screening analysis from different culture media used to grow the same strain according to the literature. During the experiments, the procedure quantitatively identified an appropriate array of micronutrients to obtain a significant yield and find a minimum number of culture medium ingredients without limiting the process efficiency. The resultant culture medium showed an efficiency that compares favorably with the registered trademark medium at a 95% lower cost as well as reduced the number of ingredients in the base culture medium by 60% without limiting the process efficiency. These results demonstrated that, aside from satisfying the qualitative requirements, an optimum quantity of each constituent is needed to obtain a cost-effective culture medium. Study process variables for optimized culture medium and scaling-up production for the optimal values are desirable.

Photon migration through a turbid slab described by a model based on diffusion approximation. I. Theory.

PubMed

Contini, D; Martelli, F; Zaccanti, G

1997-07-01

The diffusion approximation of the radiative transfer equation is a model used widely to describe photon migration in highly diffusing media and is an important matter in biological tissue optics. An analysis of the time-dependent diffusion equation together with its solutions for the slab geometry and for a semi-infinite diffusing medium are reported. These solutions, presented for both the time-dependent and the continuous wave source, account for the refractive index mismatch between the turbid medium and the surrounding medium. The results have been compared with those obtained when different boundary conditions were assumed. The comparison has shown that the effect of the refractive index mismatch cannot be disregarded. This effect is particularly important for the transmittance. The discussion of results also provides an analysis of the role of the absorption coefficient in the expression of the diffusion coefficient.

The effects of iris-ciliary complex on the organ cultured rabbit ocular lens.

PubMed

Niyogi, T K; Emanuel, K; Parafina, J; Bagchi, M

1991-01-01

Freshly isolated rabbit lenses were cultured with and without attached iris-ciliary (IC)-complex for 24 hours in TC-199 medium. Subsequent morphological analysis revealed that the IC-complex cannot be maintained in serum-free medium. In addition an observed effect of the IC-complex on the co-cultured lenses could not be due only because of the cellular degeneration of the IC-complex. To test this possibility lenses with attached IC-complexes were incubated in 20% serum-containing TC-199 medium. The IC-complex cultured in 20% serum containing medium retained its normal morphology. However co-cultured lens cells displayed vacuoles and other signs of degeneration. The protein synthetic and Na+/K+ pump activities of these lenses were also significantly depressed. These data indicated that the observed effects of IC-complex on the lens were not due to its cellular degradation. Preliminary experiments showed that the IC-complex contains water soluble factor(s) which could effectively inhibit lens protein synthesis and Na+/K+ pump.

Transfer function characteristics of super resolving systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milster, Tom D.; Curtis, Craig H.

1992-01-01

Signal quality in an optical storage device greatly depends on the optical system transfer function used to write and read data patterns. The problem is similar to analysis of scanning optical microscopes. Hopkins and Braat have analyzed write-once-read-many (WORM) optical data storage devices. Herein, transfer function analysis of magnetooptic (MO) data storage devices is discussed with respect to improving transfer-function characteristics. Several authors have described improving the transfer function as super resolution. However, none have thoroughly analyzed the MO optical system and effects of the medium. Both the optical system transfer function and effects of the medium of this development are discussed.

A model for sequential decoding overflow due to a noisy carrier reference. [communication performance prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Layland, J. W.

1974-01-01

An approximate analysis of the effect of a noisy carrier reference on the performance of sequential decoding is presented. The analysis uses previously developed techniques for evaluating noisy reference performance for medium-rate uncoded communications adapted to sequential decoding for data rates of 8 to 2048 bits/s. In estimating the ten to the minus fourth power deletion probability thresholds for Helios, the model agrees with experimental data to within the experimental tolerances. The computational problem involved in sequential decoding, carrier loop effects, the main characteristics of the medium-rate model, modeled decoding performance, and perspectives on future work are discussed.

LASER METHODS IN BIOLOGY: Optical anisotropy of fibrous biological tissues: analysis of the influence of structural properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimnyakov, D. A.; Sinichkin, Yu P.; Ushakova, O. V.

2007-08-01

The results of theoretical analysis of the optical anisotropy of multiply scattering fibrillar biological tissues based on the model of an effective anisotropic medium are compared with the experimental in vivo birefringence data for the rat derma obtained earlier in spectral polarisation measurements of rat skin samples in the visible region. The disordered system of parallel dielectric cylinders embedded into an isotropic dielectric medium was considered as a model medium. Simulations were performed taking into account the influence of a partial mutual disordering of the bundles of collagen and elastin fibres in derma on birefringence in samples. The theoretical optical anisotropy averaged over the spectral interval 550-650 nm for the model medium with parameters corresponding to the structural parameters of derma is in good agreement with the results of spectral polarisation measurements of skin samples in the corresponding wavelength range.

Gene expression responses of HeLa cells to chemical species generated by an atmospheric plasma flow

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

Yokoyama, Mayo, E-mail: yokoyama@plasma.ifs.tohoku.ac.jp; Johkura, Kohei, E-mail: kohei@shinshu-u.ac.jp; Sato, Takehiko, E-mail: sato@ifs.tohoku.ac.jp

2014-08-08

Highlights: • Response of HeLa cells to a plasma-irradiated medium was revealed by DNA microarray. • Gene expression pattern was basically different from that in a H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-added medium. • Prominently up-/down-regulated genes were partly shared by the two media. • Gene ontology analysis showed both similar and different responses in the two media. • Candidate genes involved in response to ROS were detected in each medium. - Abstract: Plasma irradiation generates many factors able to affect the cellular condition, and this feature has been studied for its application in the field of medicine. We previously reported that hydrogenmore » peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) was the major cause of HeLa cell death among the chemical species generated by high level irradiation of a culture medium by atmospheric plasma. To assess the effect of plasma-induced factors on the response of live cells, HeLa cells were exposed to a medium irradiated by a non-lethal plasma flow level, and their gene expression was broadly analyzed by DNA microarray in comparison with that in a corresponding concentration of 51 μM H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. As a result, though the cell viability was sufficiently maintained at more than 90% in both cases, the plasma-medium had a greater impact on it than the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-medium. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed fundamentally different cellular responses between these two media. A larger population of genes was upregulated in the plasma-medium, whereas genes were downregulated in the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-medium. However, a part of the genes that showed prominent differential expression was shared by them, including an immediate early gene ID2. In gene ontology analysis of upregulated genes, the plasma-medium showed more diverse ontologies than the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-medium, whereas ontologies such as “response to stimulus” were common, and several genes corresponded to “response to reactive oxygen species.” Genes of AP-1 proteins, e.g., JUN and FOS, were detected and notably elevated in the plasma-medium. These results showed that the medium irradiated with a non-lethal level of plasma flow altered various gene expressions of HeLa cells by giving not only common effects with H{sub 2}O{sub 2} but also some distinctive actions. This study suggests that in addition to H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, other chemical species able to affect the cellular responses exist in the plasma-irradiated medium and provide unique features for it, probably increasing the oxidative stress level.« less

Technological effect of vibroprocessing by flows of organic granular media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebedev, V. A.; Shishkina, A. P.; Davydova, I. V.; Morozova, A. V.

2018-03-01

The analysis of approaches to modeling of vibrational processing by granulated media is carried out. The vibroprocessing model which provides effective finishing of the surfaces of the parts due to the stone fruit organic media granules is developed. The model is based on the granule flow energy impact on the surface being treated. As the main characteristic of the organic media processing, a specific volumetric metal scrap is used, the physical meaning of which is the increase rate in the thickness of the material removed from the surface at a given velocity and pressure of the medium. It is shown that the metal scrap depends on the medium flow velocity, the height of the loading column of the granular medium, and the conditions for the formation of a medium stationary circulation motion. Based on the analysis of the results of experimental studies of the influence of amplitude-frequency characteristics on the removal of metal in the process of vibroprocessing with abrasive granules, the dependence of the specific volume metal removal is proposed for organic media processing, taking into account the threshold amplitude and frequency of oscillations of the working chamber, at which the effect of surface treatment is observed. The established set of relationships describing the effective conditions for vibroprocessing with stone organic media was obtained using experimental data, which allows us to assume that the model obtained is valid.

Rigorous coupled wave analysis of acousto-optics with relativistic considerations.

PubMed

Xia, Guoqiang; Zheng, Weijian; Lei, Zhenggang; Zhang, Ruolan

2015-09-01

A relativistic analysis of acousto-optics is presented, and a rigorous coupled wave analysis is generalized for the diffraction of the acousto-optical effect. An acoustic wave generates a grating with temporally and spatially modulated permittivity, hindering direct applications of the rigorous coupled wave analysis for the acousto-optical effect. In a reference frame which moves with the acoustic wave, the grating is static, the medium moves, and the coupled wave equations for the static grating may be derived. Floquet's theorem is then applied to cast these equations into an eigenproblem. Using a Lorentz transformation, the electromagnetic fields in the grating region are transformed to the lab frame where the medium is at rest, and relativistic Doppler frequency shifts are introduced into various diffraction orders. In the lab frame, the boundary conditions are considered and the diffraction efficiencies of various orders are determined. This method is rigorous and general, and the plane waves in the resulting expansion satisfy the dispersion relation of the medium and are propagation modes. Properties of various Bragg diffractions are results, rather than preconditions, of this method. Simulations of an acousto-optical tunable filter made by paratellurite, TeO(2), are given as examples.

Solvent Dependence of Double Proton Transfer in the Formic Acid-Formamidine Complex: Path Integral Molecular Dynamics Investigation.

PubMed

Kungwan, Nawee; Ngaojampa, Chanisorn; Ogata, Yudai; Kawatsu, Tsutomu; Oba, Yuki; Kawashima, Yukio; Tachikawa, Masanori

2017-10-05

Solvent dependence of double proton transfer in the formic acid-formamidine (FA-FN) complex at room temperature was investigated by means of ab initio path integral molecular dynamics (AIPIMD) simulation with taking nuclear quantum and thermal effects into account. The conductor-like screening model (COSMO) was applied for solvent effect. In comparison with gas phase, double proton delocalization between two heavy atoms (O and N) in FA-FN were observed with reduced proton transfer barrier height in low dielectric constant medium (<4.8). For dielectric constant medium at 4.8, the chance of finding these two protons are more pronounced due to the solvent effect which completely washes out the proton transfer barrier. In the case of higher dielectric constant medium (>4.8), the ionic species becomes more stable than the neutral ones and the formate anion and formamidium cation are thermodynamically stable. For ab initio molecular dynamics simulation, in low dielectric constant medium (<4.8) a reduction of proton transfer barrier with solvent effect is found to be less pronounced than the AIPIMD due to the absence of nuclear quantum effect. Moreover, the motions of FA-FN complex are significantly different with increasing dielectric constant medium. Such a difference is revealed in detail by the principal component analysis.

A modified shark-fin test simulating the single-step/double-mix technique: A comparison of three groups of elastomers.

PubMed

Huettig, Fabian; Chekhani, Usama; Klink, Andrea; Said, Fadi; Rupp, Frank

2018-06-08

The shark-fin test was modified to convey the clinical application of a single-step/double-mix technique assessing the behavior of two viscosities applied at one point in time. A medium and light body polyether (PE), a medium and light body polyvinylsiloxane (PVS), and a medium as well as heavy and light body vinyl polyether silicone (PVXE) impression material were analyzed solely, and in a layered mixture of 1:1 and 3:1 at working times of 50, 80, and 120 s. The fin heights were measured with a digital ruler. The wettability was measured 50 and 80 s after mixing by drop shape analysis. The results showed a synergistic effect of the medium and light body PE. This was not observed in PVXE and PVS. Interestingly, PVXE showed an antagonistic flow behavior in 3:1 mixture with medium body. PVXE was more hydrophilic than PE and PVS. Future rheological studies should clarify the detected flow effects.

Jeans Instability of the Self-Gravitating Viscoelastic Ferromagnetic Cylinder with Axial Nonuniform Rotation and Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhiman, Joginder Singh; Sharma, Rajni

2017-12-01

The effects of nonuniform rotation and magnetic field on the instability of a self gravitating infinitely extending axisymmetric cylinder of viscoelastic ferromagnetic medium have been studied using the Generalised Hydrodynamic (GH) model. The non-uniform magnetic field and rotation are acting along the axial direction of the cylinder and the propagation of the wave is considered along the radial direction, while the ferrofluid magnetization is taken collinear with the magnetic field. A general dispersion relation representing magnetization, magnetic permeability and viscoelastic relaxation time parameters is obtained using the normal mode analysis method in the linearized perturbation equation system. Jeans criteria which represent the onset of instability of self gravitating medium are obtained under the limits; when the medium behaves like a viscous liquid (strongly coupled limit) and a Newtonian liquid (weakly coupled limit). The effects of various parameters on the Jeans instability criteria and on the growth rate of self gravitating viscoelastic ferromagnetic medium have been discussed. It is found that the magnetic polarizability due to ferromagnetization of medium marginalizes the effect of non-uniform magnetic field on the Jeans instability, whereas the viscoelasticity of the medium has the usual stabilizing effect on the instability of the system. Further, it is found that the cylindrical geometry is more stable than the Cartesian one. The variation of growth rate against the wave number and radial distance has been depicted graphically.

Follow-up treatment effects of contingency management and motivational interviewing on substance use: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Sayegh, Caitlin S; Huey, Stanley J; Zara, Erica J; Jhaveri, Kinnari

2017-06-01

Motivation is an integral factor in substance use treatment and long-term recovery. However, it is unclear what role intrinsic and extrinsic motivation play across different treatment modalities. A meta-analysis (N = 84) was performed to estimate the pooled effect size of Motivational Interviewing (MI; primarily targeting intrinsic motivation) and contingency management (CM; primarily targeting extrinsic motivation) at different follow-up periods. Collapsed across all substance types, CM had a significant effect at 3-month follow-up, only. In contrast, MI had a significant effect at 6-month follow-up, only. CM had small and medium effects on multiple substances at 3-month follow-up (i.e., tobacco, marijuana, stimulants, polysubstances), but not at 6-month follow-up. MI had 1 significant medium effect at 3-month follow-up (i.e., marijuana), but several significant small effects at 6-month follow-up (i.e., alcohol, tobacco, polysubstances). This meta-analysis suggests that both CM and MI promote reductions in a range of substances, even several months after the intervention concludes. Further, these results provide some evidence that extrinsically focused CM may produce medium follow-up effects in the short run, but intrinsically focused MI may produce small but durable follow-up effects. However, this interpretation is complicated by the differences between the MI and CM studies that preclude statistical tests comparing effect sizes, and few studies assessed motivation itself. Future researchers should investigate how motivational dynamics impact lasting outcomes in substance use treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Fundamental study for scattering suppression in biological tissue using digital phase-conjugate light with intensity modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toda, Sogo; Kato, Yuji; Kudo, Nobuki; Shimizu, Koichi

2017-04-01

For transillumination imaging of an animal body, we have attempted to suppress the scattering effect in a turbid medium. It is possible to restore the optical image before scattering using phase-conjugate light. We examined the effect of intensity information as well as the phase information for the restoration of the original light distribution. In an experimental analysis using animal tissue, the contributions of the phase- and the intensity-information to the image restoration through turbid medium were demonstrated.

A cost effective cultivation medium for biocalcification of Bacillus pasteurii KCTC 3558 and its effect on cement cubes properties.

PubMed

Yoosathaporn, S; Tiangburanatham, P; Bovonsombut, S; Chaipanich, A; Pathom-Aree, W

2016-01-01

Application of carbonate precipitation induced by Bacillus pasteurii for improving some properties of cement has been reported. However, it is not yet successful in commercial scale due to the high cost of cultivation medium. This is the first report on the application of effluent from chicken manure bio-gas plant, a high protein content agricultural waste, as an alternative growth medium for carbonate precipitation by B. pasteurii KCTC3558. Urease activity of B. pasteurii KCTC3558 cultured in chicken manure effluent medium and other three standard media were examined using phenate method. The highest urease production was achieved in chicken manure effluent medium (16.756Umg(-1) protein). Cost per liter of chicken manure effluent medium is up to 88.2% lower than other standard media. The most effective cultivation media was selected for carbonate precipitation study in cement cubes. Water absorption, voids, apparent density and compressive strength of cement cubes were measured according to the ASTM standard. The correlation between the increasing density and compressive strength of bacterial added cement cube was evident. The density of bacterial cement cube is 5.1% higher than control while the compressive strength of cement mixed with bacterial cells in chicken manure effluent medium increases up to 30.2% compared with control. SEM and XRD analysis also found the crystalline phase of calcium carbonate within bacterial cement which confirmed that the increasing density and compressive strength were resulted from bacterial carbonate precipitation. This study indicated that the effluent from chicken manure bio-gas plant could be used as an alternative cost effective culture medium for cultivation and biocalcification of B. pasteurii KCTC3558 in cement. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Effect of the medium's density on the hydrocyclonic separation of waste plastics with different densities.

PubMed

Fu, Shuangcheng; Fang, Yong; Yuan, Huixin; Tan, Wanjiang; Dong, Yiwen

2017-09-01

Hydrocyclones can be applied to recycle waste plastics with different densities through separating plastics based on their differences in densities. In the process, the medium density is one of key parameters and the value of the medium's density is not just the average of the density of two kinds of plastics separated. Based on the force analysis and establishing the equation of motion of particles in the hydrocyclone, a formula to calculate the optimum separation medium density has been deduced. This value of the medium's density is a function of various parameters including the diameter, density, radial position and tangential velocity of particles, and viscosity of the medium. Tests on the separation performance of the hydrocyclone has been conducted with PET and PVC particles. The theoretical result appeared to be in good agreement with experimental results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family Caregivers of Liver Transplant Recipients: Coping Strategies Associated With Different Levels of Post-traumatic Growth.

PubMed

Pérez-San-Gregorio, M Á; Martín-Rodríguez, A; Borda-Mas, M; Avargues-Navarro, M L; Pérez-Bernal, J; Gómez-Bravo, M Á

2018-03-01

Analyze the influence of 2 variables (post-traumatic growth and time since liver transplantation) on coping strategies used by the transplant recipient's family members. In all, 218 family members who were their main caregivers of liver transplant recipients were selected. They were evaluated using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the Brief COPE. A 3 × 3 factorial analysis of variance was used to analyze the influence that post-traumatic growth level (low, medium, and high) and time since transplantation (≤3.5 years, >3.5 to ≤9 years, and >9 years) exerted on caregiver coping strategies. No interactive effects between the two factors in the study were found. The only significant main effect was the influence of the post-traumatic growth factor on the following variables: instrumental support (P = .007), emotional support (P = .005), self-distraction (P = .006), positive reframing (P = .000), acceptance (P = .013), and religion (P = <.001). According to the most relevant effect sizes, low post-traumatic growth compared with medium growth was associated with less use of self-distraction (P = .006, d = -0.52, medium effect size), positive reframing (P = .001, d = -0.62, medium effect size), and religion (P = .000, d = -0.66, medium effect size), and in comparison with high growth, it was associated with less use of positive reframing (P = .002, d = -0.56, medium effect size) and religion (P = .000, d = 0.87, large effect size). Regardless of the time elapsed since the stressful life event (liver transplantation), family members with low post-traumatic growth usually use fewer coping strategies involving a positive, transcendent vision to deal with transplantation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photodynamic treatment of culture medium containing serum induces long-lasting toxicity in vitro.

PubMed

Olivier, David; Douillard, Samuel; Lhommeau, Isabelle; Patrice, Thierry

2009-10-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) produces singlet oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage tumor cells and the vasculature. The resulting effect is a balance between photo-oxidations through primary or secondary ROS and scavenging activity. Sensitizers are distributed in the extracellular space before and during cell sensitization, suggesting that PDT could act directly on cell structures and on extracellular compartments, including sera. In this study we endeavored to determine whether the application of PDT to culture medium could affect cell survival. Culture medium [RPMI 1640 supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS)] was incubated with Rose Bengal and irradiated before being added to cells for various contact times as a replacement for untreated medium. Cells were then kept in darkness until the survival assay. Treated medium reduced cell survival by up to 40% after 30 min of contact for 10 microg/ml of Rose Bengal and 20 J/cm(2). Rose Bengal or m-THPC alone or irradiated in water had no effect. This effect was dependent on the doses of Rose Bengal and light and decreased when FCS was replaced by human serum mixed with FCS. The reduction in survival observed with treated medium was more pronounced when the cell doubling time was shorter. Analysis of ROS or peroxide production in treated medium by DCFH added at the end of irradiation of Rose Bengal in serum-containing medium revealed a long-lasting oxidizing activity. Our findings support the hypothesis of an ROS- or peroxide-mediated, PDT-induced, long-lasting cell toxicity.

Impact of Continuous Administration of Tolvaptan on Preventing Medium-Term Worsening Renal Function and Long-Term Adverse Events in Heart Failure Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

PubMed

Nakano, Yusuke; Mizuno, Tomofumi; Niwa, Toru; Mukai, Kentaro; Wakabayashi, Hirokazu; Watanabe, Atsushi; Ando, Hirohiko; Takashima, Hiroaki; Murotani, Kenta; Waseda, Katsuhisa; Amano, Tetsuya

2018-01-27

Tolvaptan (TLV) has an inhibiting effect for worsening renal function (WRF) in acute decompensated heart failure (HF) patients. However, there are limited data regarding the effect of continuous TLV administration on medium-term WRF.This was a retrospective observational study in hospitalized HF patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). TLV was administered to those patients with fluid retention despite standard HF therapy. We compared 34 patients treated with TLV (TLV group) to 33 patients treated with conventional HF therapy with high-dose loop diuretics (furosemide ≥ 40 mg) (Loop group). Clinical outcomes, including the incidence of medium-term WRF, defined as increase of serum creatinine > 0.3 mg/dL, at 6 months after discharge and adverse events rate, were evaluated.Baseline patient characteristics were not different between the TLV and Loop group. The TLV group consisted of less frequent use of loop diuretics and carperitide compared with the Loop group. The incidence of medium-term WRF was significantly lower in the TLV group than in the Loop group (3.2% versus 31.0%, P = 0.002). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the TLV non-user was an independent predictor of medium-term WRF. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the long-term event-free survival was significantly higher in the TLV group (log-rank P = 0.01).Continuous administration of TLV may reduce the risk of medium-term WRF, resulting possibility in improvement of long-term adverse outcomes in HF patients with CKD.

Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Consequences of Poor Infant Health: An Analysis Using Siblings and Twins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oreopoulos, Philip; Stabile, Mark; Walld, Randy; Roos, Leslie L.

2008-01-01

We use administrative data on a sample of births between 1978 and 1985 to investigate the short-, medium-, and long-term consequences of poor infant health. Our findings offer several advances to the existing literature on the effects of early infant health on subsequent health, education, and labor force attachment. First, we use a large sample…

Application of Low cost Spirulina growth medium using Deep sea water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Dae-hack; Kim, Bong-ju; Lee, Sung-jae; Choi, Nag-chul; Park, Cheon-young

2017-04-01

Deep-sea water has a relatively constant temperature, abundant nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, nitrates, and phosphates, etc., and stable water quality, even though there might be some variations of their compositions according to collection places. Thus, deep-sea water would be a good substrate for algal growth and biomass production since it contains various nutrients, including a fluorescent red pigment, and β-carotene, etc. The aim of this study was to investigate the economics of a culture condition through comparative analysis to Spirulina platensis growth characteristic under various medium conditions for cost-effective production of Spirulina sp.. Growth experiments were performed with S. platensis under various culture medium conditions (deep sea water + SP medium). Growth tests for culture medium demonstrated that the deep sea water to SP medium ratio of 50:50(W/W) was effective in S. platensis with the maximum biomass (1.35g/L) and minimum medium making cost per production mass (133.28 KRW/g). Parameter estimation of bio-kinetics (maximum growth rate and yield) for low cost medium results showed that the maximum growth rate and yield of N, P, K were obtained under deep sea water to SP medium ratio of 50:50(W/W) of 0.057 1/day and 0.151, 0.076, 0.123, respectively. Acknowledgment : "This research was a part of the project titled 'Development of microalgae culture technique for cosmetic materials based on ocean deep sea water(20160297)', funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea."

The effect of dissipative inhomogeneous medium on the statistics of the wave intensity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saatchi, Sasan S.

1993-01-01

One of the main theoretical points in the theory of wave propagation in random medium is the derivation of closed form equations to describe the statistics of the propagating waves. In particular, in one dimensional problems, the closed form representation of the multiple scattering effects is important since it contributes in understanding such problems like wave localization, backscattering enhancement, and intensity fluctuations. In this the propagation of plane waves in a layer of one-dimensional dissipative random medium is considered. The medium is modeled by a complex permittivity whose real part is a constant representing the absorption. The one dimensional problem is mathematically equivalent to the analysis of a transmission line with randomly perturbed distributed parameters and a single mode lossy waveguide and the results can be used to study the propagation of radio waves through atmosphere and the remote sensing of geophysical media. It is assumed the scattering medium consists of an ensemble of one-dimensional point scatterers randomly positioned in a layer of thickness L with diffuse boundaries. A Poisson impulse process with density lambda is used to model the position of scatterers in the medium. By employing the Markov properties of this process an exact closed form equation of Kolmogorov-Feller type was obtained for the probability density of the reflection coefficient. This equation was solved by combining two limiting cases: (1) when the density of scatterers is small; and (2) when the medium is weakly dissipative. A two variable perturbation method for small lambda was used to obtain solutions valid for thick layers. These solutions are then asymptotically evaluated for small dissipation. To show the effect of dissipation, the mean and fluctuations of the reflected power are obtained. The results were compared with a lossy homogeneous medium and with a lossless inhomogeneous medium and the regions where the effect of absorption is not essential were discussed.

Economic analysis of three interventions of different intensity in improving school implementation of a government healthy canteen policy in Australia: costs, incremental and relative cost effectiveness.

PubMed

Reilly, Kathryn L; Reeves, Penny; Deeming, Simon; Yoong, Sze Lin; Wolfenden, Luke; Nathan, Nicole; Wiggers, John

2018-03-20

No evaluations of the cost or cost effectiveness of interventions to increase school implementation of food availability policies have been reported. Government and non-government agency decisions regarding the extent of investment required to enhance school implementation of such policies are unsupported by such evidence. This study sought to i) Determine cost and cost-effectiveness of three interventions in improving school implementation of an Australian government healthy canteen policy and; ii) Determine the relative cost-effectiveness of the interventions in improving school implementation of such a policy. An analysis of the cost and cost-effectiveness of three implementation interventions of varying support intensity, relative to usual implementation support conducted during 2013-2015 was undertaken. Secondly, an indirect comparison of the trials was undertaken to determine the most cost-effective of the three strategies. The economic analysis was based on the cost of delivering the interventions by health service delivery staff to increase the proportion of schools 'adherent' with the policy. The total costs per school were $166,971, $70,926 and $75,682 for the high, medium and low intensity interventions respectively. Compared to usual support, the cost effectiveness ratios for each of the three interventions were: A$2982 (high intensity), A$2627 (medium intensity) and A$4730 (low intensity) per percent increase in proportion of schools reporting 'adherence'). Indirect comparison between the 'high' and 'medium intensity' interventions showed no statistically significant difference in cost-effectiveness. The results indicate that while the cost profiles of the interventions varied substantially, the cost-effectiveness did not. This result is valuable to policy makers seeking cost-effective solutions that can be delivered within budget.

Stability Analysis and Internal Heating Effect on Oscillatory Convection in a Viscoelastic Fluid Saturated Porous Medium Under Gravity Modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhadauria, B. S.; Singh, M. K.; Singh, A.; Singh, B. K.; Kiran, P.

2016-12-01

In this paper, we investigate the combined effect of internal heating and time periodic gravity modulation in a viscoelastic fluid saturated porous medium by reducing the problem into a complex non-autonomous Ginzgburg-Landau equation. Weak nonlinear stability analysis has been performed by using power series expansion in terms of the amplitude of gravity modulation, which is assumed to be small. The Nusselt number is obtained in terms of the amplitude for oscillatory mode of convection. The influence of viscoelastic parameters on heat transfer has been discussed. Gravity modulation is found to have a destabilizing effect at low frequencies and a stabilizing effect at high frequencies. Finally, it is found that overstability advances the onset of convection, more with internal heating. The conditions for which the complex Ginzgburg-Landau equation undergoes Hopf bifurcation and the amplitude equation undergoes supercritical pitchfork bifurcation are studied.

Genome-wide analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance metabolites revealed parent-of-origin effect on triglycerides in medium very low-density lipoprotein in PTPRD gene.

PubMed

Pervjakova, N; Kukushkina, V; Haller, T; Kasela, S; Joensuu, A; Kristiansson, K; Annilo, T; Perola, M; Salomaa, V; Jousilahti, P; Metspalu, A; Mägi, R

2018-05-01

The aim of the study was to explore the parent-of-origin effects (POEs) on a range of human nuclear magnetic resonance metabolites. We search for POEs in 14,815 unrelated individuals from Estonian and Finnish cohorts using POE method for the genotype data imputed with 1000 G reference panel and 82 nuclear magnetic resonance metabolites. Meta-analysis revealed the evidence of POE for the variant rs1412727 in PTPRD gene for the metabolite: triglycerides in medium very low-density lipoprotein. No POEs were detected for genetic variants that were previously known to have main effect on circulating metabolites. We demonstrated possibility to detect POEs for human metabolites, but the POEs are weak, and therefore it is hard to detect those using currently available sample sizes.

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

Kaothekar, Sachin, E-mail: sackaothekar@gmail.com

I have studied the effects of finite electron inertia, finite ion Larmor radius (FLR) corrections, and radiative heat-loss function on the thermal instability of an infinite homogeneous, viscous plasma incorporating the effect of thermal conductivity for star formation in interstellar medium (ISM). A general dispersion relation is derived using the normal mode analysis method with the help of relevant linearized perturbation equations of the problem. The wave propagation is discussed for longitudinal and transverse directions to the external magnetic field and the conditions of modified thermal instabilities and stabilities are discussed in different cases. We find that the thermal instabilitymore » criterion is get modified into radiative instability criterion by inclusion of radiative heat-loss functions with thermal conductivity. The viscosity of medium removes the effect of FLR corrections from the condition of radiative instability. Numerical calculation shows stabilizing effect of heat-loss function, viscosity and FLR corrections, and destabilizing effect of finite electron inertia on the thermal instability. Results carried out in this paper shows that stars are formed in interstellar medium mainly due to thermal instability.« less

Cost effectiveness of ramipril treatment for cardiovascular risk reduction.

PubMed

Malik, I S; Bhatia, V K; Kooner, J S

2001-05-01

To assess the cost effectiveness of ramipril treatment in patients at low, medium, and high risk of cardiovascular death. Population based cost effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the health care provider in the UK. Effectiveness was modelled using data from the HOPE (heart outcome prevention evaluation) trial. The life table method was used to predict mortality in a medium risk cohort, as in the HOPE trial (2.44% annual mortality), and in low and high risk groups (1% and 4.5% annual mortality, respectively). UK population using 1998 government actuary department data. Cost per life year gained at five years and lifetime treatment with ramipril. Cost effectiveness was pound36 600, pound13 600, and pound4000 per life year gained at five years and pound5300, pound1900, and pound100 per life year gained at 20 years (lifetime treatment) in low, medium, and high risk groups, respectively. Cost effectiveness at 20 years remained well below that of haemodialysis ( pound25 000 per life year gained) over a range of potential drug costs and savings. Treatment of the HOPE population would cost the UK National Health Service (NHS) an additional pound360 million but would prevent 12 000 deaths per annum. Ramipril is cost effective treatment for cardiovascular risk reduction in patients at medium, high, and low pretreatment risk, with a cost effectiveness comparable with the use of statins. Implementation of ramipril treatment in a medium risk population would result in a major reduction in cardiovascular deaths but would increase annual NHS spending by pound360 million.

Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy on glycaemic control and psychological outcomes in adults with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Uchendu, C; Blake, H

2017-03-01

Diabetes is a chronic progressive condition presenting physical, social and psychological challenges that increase the risk of comorbid mental health problems. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in treating a variety of psychological disorders, and may potentially improve glycaemic control and psychological outcomes in diabetes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to establish the effectiveness of CBT on glycaemic control and comorbid diabetes-related distress, depression, anxiety and quality of life in the short, medium and longer term among adults with diabetes. An electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and references in reviews. Twelve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified that evaluated the effectiveness of CBT on at least one of: glycaemic control, diabetes-related distress, anxiety, depression or quality of life in adults with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and Review Manager version 5.3 were used for risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis, respectively. CBT is effective in reducing short-term and medium-term glycaemic control, although no significant effect was found for long-term glycaemic control. CBT improved short- and medium-term anxiety and depression, and long-term depression. Mixed results were found for diabetes-related distress and quality of life. CBT is beneficial in improving depression for adults with diabetes. It may have benefits for improving glycaemic control and other aspects of psychological health, although the findings are inconclusive. © 2016 Diabetes UK.

A Meta-Analysis of Mathematics and Working Memory: Moderating Effects of Working Memory Domain, Type of Mathematics Skill, and Sample Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peng, Peng; Namkung, Jessica; Barnes, Marcia; Sun, Congying

2016-01-01

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the relation between mathematics and working memory (WM) and to identify possible moderators of this relation including domains of WM, types of mathematics skills, and sample type. A meta-analysis of 110 studies with 829 effect sizes found a significant medium correlation of mathematics and WM, r…

On Thermal Instability of Kuvshiniski Fluid with Suspended Particles Saturated in a Porous Medium in the Presence of a Magnetic Field June 13, 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, M.

2017-12-01

The thermal instability of a Kuvshiniski viscoelastic fluid is considered to include the effects of a uniform horizontal magnetic field, suspended particles saturated in a porous medium. The analysis is carried out within the framework of the linear stability theory and normal mode technique. For the case of stationary convection, the Kuvshiniski viscoelastic fluid behaves like a Newtonian fluid and the magnetic field has a stabilizing effect, whereas medium permeability and suspended particles are found to have a destabilizing effect on the system, oscillatory modes are introduced in the system, in the absence of these the principle of exchange of stabilities is valid. Graphs in each case have been plotted by giving numerical values to the parameters, depicting the stability characteristics. Sufficient conditions for the avoidance of overstability are also obtained.

Nonlocal elasticity and shear deformation effects on thermal buckling of a CNT embedded in a viscoelastic medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zenkour, A. M.

2018-05-01

The thermal buckling analysis of carbon nanotubes embedded in a visco-Pasternak's medium is investigated. The Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory, in conjunction with the first-order Donnell's shell theory, is used for this purpose. The surrounding medium is considered as a three-parameter viscoelastic foundation model, Winkler-Pasternak's model as well as a viscous damping coefficient. The governing equilibrium equations are obtained and solved for carbon nanotubes subjected to different thermal and mechanical loads. The effects of nonlocal parameter, radius and length of nanotube, and the three foundation parameters on the thermal buckling of the nanotube are studied. Sample critical buckling loads are reported and graphically illustrated to check the validity of the present results and to present benchmarks for future comparisons.

Thermoeconomic analysis of an integrated multi-effect desalination thermal vapor compression (MED-TVC) system with a trigeneration system using triple-pressure HRSG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaebi, Hadi; Abbaspour, Ghader

2018-05-01

In this research, thermoeconomic analysis of a multi-effect desalination thermal vapor compression (MED-TVC) system integrated with a trigeneration system with a gas turbine prime mover is carried out. The integrated system comprises of a compressor, a combustion chamber, a gas turbine, a triple-pressure (low, medium and high pressures) heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) system, an absorption chiller cycle (ACC), and a multi-effect desalination (MED) system. Low pressure steam produced in the HRSG is used to drive absorption chiller cycle, medium pressure is used in desalination system and high pressure superheated steam is used for heating purposes. For thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analysis of the proposed integrated system, Engineering Equation Solver (EES) is used by employing mass, energy, exergy, and cost balance equations for each component of system. The results of the modeling showed that with the new design, the exergy efficiency in the base design will increase to 57.5%. In addition, thermoeconomic analysis revealed that the net power, heating, fresh water and cooling have the highest production cost, respectively.

Physico-chemical properties and cytotoxic potential of Cordyceps sinensis metabolites.

PubMed

Lee, Eun-Jeong; Jang, Ka-Hee; Im, Seon-Young; Lee, Yoon-Kyung; Farooq, Muhammad; Farhoudi, Rozbeh; Lee, Dong-Jin

2015-01-01

This study was conducted to estimate the antioxidant activities, biochemical properties and biological activities of one of the entomopathogenic fungi, Cordyceps sinensis. Analysis of fungal metabolites indicated that the most abundant free sugar was glucose; the highest component of organic acids was citric acid from 10-day culture medium and the glutamate was the predominant amino acid observed from 3-day culture medium. Maximum total polyphenols and flavonoids were detected in the 15-day culture medium. For cytotoxicity test, three cancer cell lines, HepG2 (liver), MCF-7 (breast) and A549 (lung) were used. The IC50 values of the highest toxicity of HepG2 cell lines were observed from 10-day cultured medium, whereas the highest toxicity of MCF-7 and A549 was observed on 5-day cultured medium. This is the first study reporting on the strong antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of C. sinensis. Culture medium of C. sinensis may thus be used as an effective antioxidant and anticancer treatment of natural origin.

Current information technology needs of small to medium sized apparel manufacturers and contractors

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

Wimple, C., LLNL

1998-04-01

This report documents recent efforts of the American Textile Partnership (AMTEX{sup TM}) Demand Activated Manufacturing Architecture (DAMA) Project to identify opportunities for cost effective enhanced information technology use by small to medium sized apparel manufacturers and contractors. Background on the AMTEX/DAMA project and objectives for the specific DAMA Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) effort are discussed in this section. The approach used to gather information about current opportunities or needs is outlined in Section 2 Approach, and relevant findings are identified and a brief analysis of the information gathered is presented in Section 3 Findings. Recommendations based on the analysis,more » are offered in Section 4 Recommendations, and plans are suggested for DAMA follow-on in Section 5 Future Plans. Trip reports for each of the companies visited are contained in Appendix E - Company Trip Reports. These individual reports contain the data upon which the analysis presented in Section 3 Findings is based.« less

Meta-Analysis of the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to Understanding Health Behaviors.

PubMed

McEachan, Rosemary; Taylor, Natalie; Harrison, Reema; Lawton, Rebecca; Gardner, Peter; Conner, Mark

2016-08-01

Reasoned action approach (RAA) includes subcomponents of attitude (experiential/instrumental), perceived norm (injunctive/descriptive), and perceived behavioral control (capacity/autonomy) to predict intention and behavior. To provide a meta-analysis of the RAA for health behaviors focusing on comparing the pairs of RAA subcomponents and differences between health protection and health-risk behaviors. The present research reports a meta-analysis of correlational tests of RAA subcomponents, examination of moderators, and combined effects of subcomponents on intention and behavior. Regressions were used to predict intention and behavior based on data from studies measuring all variables. Capacity and experiential attitude had large, and other constructs had small-medium-sized correlations with intention; all constructs except autonomy were significant independent predictors of intention in regressions. Intention, capacity, and experiential attitude had medium-large, and other constructs had small-medium-sized correlations with behavior; intention, capacity, experiential attitude, and descriptive norm were significant independent predictors of behavior in regressions. The RAA subcomponents have utility in predicting and understanding health behaviors.

The effect of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions: a meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Zeng, Xianglong; Chiu, Cleo P K; Wang, Rong; Oei, Tian P S; Leung, Freedom Y K

2015-01-01

While it has been suggested that loving-kindness meditation (LKM) is an effective practice for promoting positive emotions, the empirical evidence in the literature remains unclear. Here, we provide a systematic review of 24 empirical studies (N = 1759) on LKM with self-reported positive emotions. The effect of LKM on positive emotions was estimated with meta-analysis, and the influence of variations across LKM interventions was further explored with subgroup analysis and meta-regression. The meta-analysis showed that (1) medium effect sizes for LKM interventions on daily positive emotions in both wait-list controlled RCTs and non-RCT studies; and (2) small to large effect sizes for the on-going practice of LKM on immediate positive emotions across different comparisons. Further analysis showed that (1) interventions focused on loving-kindness had medium effect size, but interventions focused on compassion showed small effect sizes; (2) the length of interventions and the time spent on meditation did not influence the effect sizes, but the studies without didactic components in interventions had small effect sizes. A few individual studies reported that the nature of positive emotions and individual differences also influenced the results. In sum, LKM practice and interventions are effective in enhancing positive emotions, but more studies are needed to identify the active components of the interventions, to compare different psychological operations, and to explore the applicability in clinical populations.

The effect of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions: a meta-analytic review

PubMed Central

Zeng, Xianglong; Chiu, Cleo P. K.; Wang, Rong; Oei, Tian P. S.; Leung, Freedom Y. K.

2015-01-01

While it has been suggested that loving-kindness meditation (LKM) is an effective practice for promoting positive emotions, the empirical evidence in the literature remains unclear. Here, we provide a systematic review of 24 empirical studies (N = 1759) on LKM with self-reported positive emotions. The effect of LKM on positive emotions was estimated with meta-analysis, and the influence of variations across LKM interventions was further explored with subgroup analysis and meta-regression. The meta-analysis showed that (1) medium effect sizes for LKM interventions on daily positive emotions in both wait-list controlled RCTs and non-RCT studies; and (2) small to large effect sizes for the on-going practice of LKM on immediate positive emotions across different comparisons. Further analysis showed that (1) interventions focused on loving-kindness had medium effect size, but interventions focused on compassion showed small effect sizes; (2) the length of interventions and the time spent on meditation did not influence the effect sizes, but the studies without didactic components in interventions had small effect sizes. A few individual studies reported that the nature of positive emotions and individual differences also influenced the results. In sum, LKM practice and interventions are effective in enhancing positive emotions, but more studies are needed to identify the active components of the interventions, to compare different psychological operations, and to explore the applicability in clinical populations. PMID:26579061

Lead and Conduct Problems: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcus, David K.; Fulton, Jessica J.; Clarke, Erin J.

2010-01-01

This meta-analysis examined the association between conduct problems and lead exposure. Nineteen studies on 8,561 children and adolescents were included. The average "r" across all 19 studies was 0.19 (p less than 0.001), which is considered a medium effect size. Studies that assessed lead exposure using hair element analysis yielded…

Investigation on gas medium parameters for an ArF excimer laser through orthogonal experimental design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Xingliang; Sha, Pengfei; Fan, Yuanyuan; Jiang, R.; Zhao, Jiangshan; Zhou, Yi; Yang, Junhong; Xiong, Guangliang; Wang, Yu

2018-02-01

Due to complex kinetics of formation and loss mechanisms, such as ion-ion recombination reaction, neutral species harpoon reaction, excited state quenching and photon absorption, as well as their interactions, the performance behavior of different laser gas medium parameters for excimer laser varies greatly. Therefore, the effects of gas composition and total gas pressure on excimer laser performance attract continual research studies. In this work, orthogonal experimental design (OED) is used to investigate quantitative and qualitative correlations between output laser energy characteristics and gas medium parameters for an ArF excimer laser with plano-plano optical resonator operation. Optimized output laser energy with good pulse to pulse stability can be obtained effectively by proper selection of the gas medium parameters, which makes the most of the ArF excimer laser device. Simple and efficient method for gas medium optimization is proposed and demonstrated experimentally, which provides a global and systematic solution. By detailed statistical analysis, the significance sequence of relevant parameter factors and the optimized composition for gas medium parameters are obtained. Compared with conventional route of varying single gas parameter factor sequentially, this paper presents a more comprehensive way of considering multivariables simultaneously, which seems promising in striking an appropriate balance among various complicated parameters for power scaling study of an excimer laser.

Mobility of power-law and Carreau fluids through fibrous media.

PubMed

Shahsavari, Setareh; McKinley, Gareth H

2015-12-01

The flow of generalized Newtonian fluids with a rate-dependent viscosity through fibrous media is studied, with a focus on developing relationships for evaluating the effective fluid mobility. Three methods are used here: (i) a numerical solution of the Cauchy momentum equation with the Carreau or power-law constitutive equations for pressure-driven flow in a fiber bed consisting of a periodic array of cylindrical fibers, (ii) an analytical solution for a unit cell model representing the flow characteristics of a periodic fibrous medium, and (iii) a scaling analysis of characteristic bulk parameters such as the effective shear rate, the effective viscosity, geometrical parameters of the system, and the fluid rheology. Our scaling analysis yields simple expressions for evaluating the transverse mobility functions for each model, which can be used for a wide range of medium porosity and fluid rheological parameters. While the dimensionless mobility is, in general, a function of the Carreau number and the medium porosity, our results show that for porosities less than ɛ≃0.65, the dimensionless mobility becomes independent of the Carreau number and the mobility function exhibits power-law characteristics as a result of the high shear rates at the pore scale. We derive a suitable criterion for determining the flow regime and the transition from a constant viscosity Newtonian response to a power-law regime in terms of a new Carreau number rescaled with a dimensionless function which incorporates the medium porosity and the arrangement of fibers.

Twenty First Century Cyberbullying Defined: An Analysis of Intent, Repetition and Emotional Response

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Carol Marie

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent and impact that cyberbullying has on the undergraduate college student and provide a current definition for the event. A priori power analysis guided this research to provide an 80 percent probability of detecting a real effect with medium effect size. Adequate research power was essential to…

Effectiveness of patient simulation in nursing education: meta-analysis.

PubMed

Shin, Sujin; Park, Jin-Hwa; Kim, Jung-Hee

2015-01-01

The use of simulation as an educational tool is becoming increasingly prevalent in nursing education, and a variety of simulators are utilized. Based on the results of these studies, nursing facilitators must find ways to promote effective learning among students in clinical practice and classrooms. To identify the best available evidence about the effects of patient simulation in nursing education through a meta-analysis. This study explores quantitative evidence published in the electronic databases: EBSCO, Medline, ScienceDirect, and ERIC. Using a search strategy, we identified 2503 potentially relevant articles. Twenty studies were included in the final analysis. We found significant post-intervention improvements in various domains for participants who received simulation education compared to the control groups, with a pooled random-effects standardized mean difference of 0.71, which is a medium-to-large effect size. In the subgroup analysis, we found that simulation education in nursing had benefits, in terms of effect sizes, when the effects were evaluated through performance, the evaluation outcome was psychomotor skills, the subject of learning was clinical, learners were clinical nurses and senior undergraduate nursing students, and simulators were high fidelity. These results indicate that simulation education demonstrated medium to large effect sizes and could guide nurse educators with regard to the conditions under which patient simulation is more effective than traditional learning methods. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum optical effective-medium theory and transformation quantum optics for metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wubs, Martijn; Amooghorban, Ehsan; Zhang, Jingjing; Mortensen, N. Asger

2016-09-01

While typically designed to manipulate classical light, metamaterials have many potential applications for quantum optics as well. We argue why a quantum optical effective-medium theory is needed. We present such a theory for layered metamaterials that is valid for light propagation in all spatial directions, thereby generalizing earlier work for one-dimensional propagation. In contrast to classical effective-medium theory there is an additional effective parameter that describes quantum noise. Our results for metamaterials are based on a rather general Lagrangian theory for the quantum electrodynamics of media with both loss and gain. In the second part of this paper, we present a new application of transformation optics whereby local spontaneous-emission rates of quantum emitters can be designed. This follows from an analysis how electromagnetic Green functions trans- form under coordinate transformations. Spontaneous-emission rates can be either enhanced or suppressed using invisibility cloaks or gradient index lenses. Furthermore, the anisotropic material profile of the cloak enables the directional control of spontaneous emission.

Effect of Longitudinal Magnetic Field on Vibration Characteristics of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in a Viscoelastic Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, D. P.; Lei, Y.; Shen, Z. B.

2017-12-01

The effect of longitudinal magnetic field on vibration response of a sing-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) embedded in viscoelastic medium is investigated. Based on nonlocal Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, Maxwell's relations, and Kelvin viscoelastic foundation model, the governing equations of motion for vibration analysis are established. The complex natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes in closed form for the embedded SWCNT with arbitrary boundary conditions are obtained using transfer function method (TFM). The new analytical expressions for the complex natural frequencies are also derived for certain typical boundary conditions and Kelvin-Voigt model. Numerical results from the model are presented to show the effects of nonlocal parameter, viscoelastic parameter, boundary conditions, aspect ratio, and strength of the magnetic field on vibration characteristics for the embedded SWCNT in longitudinal magnetic field. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods for vibration analysis of embedded SWCNTs under magnetic field.

Consequences of covariant kaon dynamics in heavy ion collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, C.; Kosov, D. S.; Faessler, Amand; Wang, Z. S.; Waindzoch, T.

1998-08-01

The influence of the chiral mean field on the kaon dynamics in heavy ion reactions is investigated. Inside the nuclear medium the kaons are described as dressed quasi-particles carrying effective masses and momenta. A momentum dependent part of the interaction which resembles a Lorentz force originates from spatial components of the vector field and provides an important contribution to the in-medium kaon dynamics. This contribution is found to counterbalance the influence of the vector potential on the K+ in-plane flow to a strong extent. Thus it appears to be difficult to restrict the in-medium potential from the analysis of the corresponding transverse flow.

Temperature behavior of the magnetoresistance hysteresis in a granular high-temperature superconductor: Magnetic flux compression in the intergrain medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenov, S. V.; Balaev, D. A.

2018-07-01

Granular high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) are characterized by the hysteretic behavior of magnetoresistance. This phenomenon is attributed to the effective field in the intergrain medium of a granular HTS. At the grain boundaries, which are, in fact, weak Josephson couplings, the dissipation is observed. The effective field in the intergrain medium is a superposition of the external field and the field induced by magnetic moments of HTS grains. Meanwhile, analysis of the field width of the R(H) magnetoresistance hysteresis ΔH = Hdec - Hinc at Hdec = const, where Hinc and Hdec are increasing and decreasing branches of the R(H) hysteretic dependence, shows that the effective field in the intergrain medium exceeds by far both the external field and the field induced by magnetic moments of HTS grains. This situation suggests the magnetic flux compression in the intergrain medium because of the small length of grain boundaries, which amounts to ∼1 nm, i.e., is comparable with the coherence length and corresponds to Josephson tunneling in HTS materials. In this work, using the previously developed approach, we examine experimental data on the magnetoresistance and magnetization hysteresis in the granular YBa2Cu3O7 HTS compound in the range from 77 K to the critical temperature. According to the results obtained, the degree of magnetic flux compression determined by the parameter α in the expression for the effective field Beff(H) = H - 4π M(H) α in the intergrain medium remains constant over the investigated temperature range. All the features of the observed evolution of the R(H) hysteretic dependences are explained well within the proposed approach when the expression for Beff(H) contains the experimental M(H) magnetization data and the parameter α of about 20-25. The latter is indicative of the dominant effect of magnetic flux compression in the intergrain medium on the transport properties of granular HTS materials.

The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for Chinese people: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Ng, Ting Kin; Wong, Daniel Fu Keung

2018-07-01

Over the past decade, cognitive behavioral therapy has been applied to an increasingly wider range of disorders and problems in Chinese societies. However, no meta-analysis has been conducted to synthesize the studies on cognitive behavioral therapy for Chinese clients. The purpose of this meta-analytic study was to examine the overall efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for Chinese people. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases, including Web of Science, PsycINFO and PubMed. Pooled mean effect sizes were calculated using the random-effects model. The literature search identified 55 studies with 6763 Chinese participants. The overall short-term effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on the primary outcome was medium in size. Effect sizes were medium for anxiety, depression/well-being and caregiving stress and small for psychotic symptoms and addictive behaviors. The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on process variables, dysfunctional thoughts and coping, were in the small range. The overall longer-term effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on the primary outcome was medium in size. Moderator analyses showed that the short-term effect was stronger for culturally adapted cognitive behavioral therapy than for unadapted cognitive behavioral therapy. Type of primary outcome, type of control group, recruitment method, study design, the format of delivery and region were found to moderate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy. The findings of this study provide evidence for the overall efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for Chinese people and the benefit of cultural adaptation of cognitive behavioral therapy to Chinese culture.

The effects of magnetohydrodynamic and radiation on flow of second grade fluid past an infinite inclined plate in porous medium

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

Ismail, Zulkhibri; Khan, Ilyas; Nasir, Nadirah Mohd

2015-02-03

An analysis of the exact solutions of second grade fluid problem for unsteady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows past an infinite inclined plate in a porous medium is presented. It is assumed that the bounding infinite inclined plate has a constant temperature with radiation effects. Based on Boussinesq approximation the expressions for dimensionless velocity, temperature and concentration are obtained by using Laplace transform method. The derived solutions satisfying the involved differential equations, and all the boundary and initial conditions. The influence of various parameters on the velocity has been illustrated graphically and analyzed.

An analysis of oscillatory hydromagnetic couette flow through a porous medium in a rotating system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajesh, K.; Govindarajan, A.; Vidhya, M.; Siva, E. P.

2018-04-01

Analysis of an exact solution of oscillatory Ekman boundary layer flow through a porous medium bounded by two horizontal flat plates is found. One of the plates is at rest and the other one is oscillating in its own plane. The whole of the system rotates about an axis normal to the plates. The effects of Coriolis force and the permeability of the porous medium on the flow field are studied. It is seen that even in the special case of resonance (w = 2Ω) the solution obtained by Mazumder is incorrect as contended by Ganapathy. It is found that the amplitude of the resultant velocity |A0| for the steady part increases with either an increase in the permeability parameter k0 (or) an increase in the rotation parameter R. But the above profiles have a reverse trend when there is an increase in the Hartmann number.

Analysis of the medium field Q-slope in superconducting cavities made of bulk niobium

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

Gianluigi Ciovati; J. Halbritter

The quality factor of superconducting radio-frequency cavities made of high purity, bulk niobium increases with rf field in the medium field range (peak surface magnetic field between 20 and about 100 mT). The causes for this effect are not clear yet. The dependence of the surface resistance on the peak surface magnetic field is typically linear and quadratic. This contribution will present an analysis of the medium field Q-slope data measured on cavities treated with buffered chemical polishing (BCP) at Jefferson Lab, as function of different treatments such as post-purification and low-temperature baking. The data have been compared with amore » model involving a combination of heating and of hysteresis losses due to ''strong-links'' formed or weakened at niobium surfaces during oxidation, which correlate to {delta}{Delta}/kT{sub c} changes by baking.« less

Steam automobile analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peoples, J. A.

1975-01-01

Report includes many charts that present graphically the effects of design parameters on performance. Equations and data are given which can assist designer in selecting among such factors as working medium, horsepower, and engine components.

A Factor Analysis of Peking Opera: Its Functions in Mass Communications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Philip H.

The study reported in this paper examined the structure and function of Chinese opera (also known as Peking opera) as an effective communication medium of social control and change in China, a land populated by 800 million people and nourished by a 5,000-year-old civilization. The study followed structural-functional analysis, content analysis,…

Complex Dynamics of Equatorial Scintillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piersanti, Mirko; Materassi, Massimo; Forte, Biagio; Cicone, Antonio

2017-04-01

Radio power scintillation, namely highly irregular fluctuations of the power of trans-ionospheric GNSS signals, is the effect of ionospheric plasma turbulence. The scintillation patterns on radio signals crossing the medium inherit the ionospheric turbulence characteristics of inter-scale coupling, local randomness and large time variability. On this basis, the remote sensing of local features of the turbulent plasma is feasible by studying radio scintillation induced by the ionosphere. The distinctive character of intermittent turbulent media depends on the fluctuations on the space- and time-scale statistical properties of the medium. Hence, assessing how the signal fluctuation properties vary under different Helio-Geophysical conditions will help to understand the corresponding dynamics of the turbulent medium crossed by the signal. Data analysis tools, provided by complex system science, appear to be best fitting to study the response of a turbulent medium, as the Earth's equatorial ionosphere, to the non-linear forcing exerted by the Solar Wind (SW). In particular we used the Adaptive Local Iterative Filtering, the Wavelet analysis and the Information theory data analysis tool. We have analysed the radio scintillation and ionospheric fluctuation data at low latitude focusing on the time and space multi-scale variability and on the causal relationship between forcing factors from the SW environment and the ionospheric response.

Optimization of fermentation medium for the production of atrazine degrading strain Acinetobacter sp. DNS(32) by statistical analysis system.

PubMed

Zhang, Ying; Wang, Yang; Wang, Zhi-Gang; Wang, Xi; Guo, Huo-Sheng; Meng, Dong-Fang; Wong, Po-Keung

2012-01-01

Statistical experimental designs provided by statistical analysis system (SAS) software were applied to optimize the fermentation medium composition for the production of atrazine-degrading Acinetobacter sp. DNS(32) in shake-flask cultures. A "Plackett-Burman Design" was employed to evaluate the effects of different components in the medium. The concentrations of corn flour, soybean flour, and K(2)HPO(4) were found to significantly influence Acinetobacter sp. DNS(32) production. The steepest ascent method was employed to determine the optimal regions of these three significant factors. Then, these three factors were optimized using central composite design of "response surface methodology." The optimized fermentation medium composition was composed as follows (g/L): corn flour 39.49, soybean flour 25.64, CaCO(3) 3, K(2)HPO(4) 3.27, MgSO(4)·7H(2)O 0.2, and NaCl 0.2. The predicted and verifiable values in the medium with optimized concentration of components in shake flasks experiments were 7.079 × 10(8) CFU/mL and 7.194 × 10(8) CFU/mL, respectively. The validated model can precisely predict the growth of atrazine-degraing bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. DNS(32).

Comparative proteomic analysis of fluoride treated rat bone provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of fluoride toxicity.

PubMed

Wei, Yan; Zeng, Beibei; Zhang, Hua; Chen, Cheng; Wu, Yanli; Wang, Nanlan; Wu, Yanqiu; Zhao, Danqing; Zhao, Yuxi; Iqbal, Javed; Shen, Liming

2018-07-01

Long-term excessive intake of fluoride (F) could lead to chronic fluorosis. To explore the underlying molecular mechanisms, present study is designed to elucidate the effect of fluoride on proteome expression of bone in sodium fluoride (NaF)-treated SD rats. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to determine the severity of osteofluorosis, and bone samples were submitted for iTRAQ analysis. The results showed that the cortical thickness and trabecular area of femur bone in medium- and high-dose groups were higher than in control group. Contrary to this, trabecular area was reduced in the low-dose group, indicating that the bone mass was increased in medium- and high-dose groups, and decreased in the low-dose group. Thirteen (13), 35, and 34 differentially expressed proteins were identified in low-, medium-, and high-dose group, respectively. The medium- and high-dose groups shared a more similar protein expression pattern. These proteins were mainly associated with collagen metabolism, proteoglycans (PGs), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), etc. The results suggested that the effect of NaF on SD rats is in a dose-dependent manner. Some key proteins found here may be involved in affecting the bone tissues and bone marrow or muscle, and account for the complex pathology and clinical symptoms of fluorosis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of limb kinematics between collected and lengthened (medium/extended) trot in two groups of dressage horses on two different surfaces.

PubMed

Walker, V A; Tranquille, C A; Newton, J R; Dyson, S J; Brandham, J; Northrop, A J; Murray, R C

2017-09-01

Dressage horses are often asked to work in lengthened paces during training and competition, but to date there is limited information about the biomechanics of dressage-specific paces. Preliminary work has shown increased fetlock extension in extended compared with collected paces, but further investigation of the kinematic differences between collected, medium and extended trot in dressage horses is warranted. Investigation of the effect of collected vs. medium/extended trot on limb kinematics of dressage horses. Prospective kinematic evaluation. Twenty clinically sound horses in active dressage training were used. Group 1: Ten young horses (≤6 years) were assessed at collected and medium trot and Group 2: Ten mature horses (≥9 years) were assessed at collected and extended trot. All horses were evaluated on two different surfaces. High speed motion capture (240 Hz) was used to determine kinematic variables. Fore- and hindlimb angles were measured at mid-stance. Descriptive statistics and mixed effect multilevel regression analyses were performed. Speed and stride length were reduced and stride duration increased at collected compared with medium/extended trot. Lengthened trot (medium/extended trot) was associated with increased fetlock extension in both the fore- and hindlimbs in both groups of horses. Changes were greater in mature horses compared with young horses. Shoulder and carpus angles were associated with forelimb fetlock angle. Hock angle was not significantly influenced by pace. Surface had no effect on fetlock or hock angles. Only 2D motion analysis was carried out. Results may have differed in horses with more extreme gait characteristics. Medium/extended trot increases extension of the fore- and hindlimb fetlock joints compared with collected trot in both young and mature dressage horses, respectively. © 2017 EVJ Ltd.

Mining microarray datasets in nutrition: expression of the GPR120 (n-3 fatty acid receptor/sensor) gene is down-regulated in human adipocytes by macrophage secretions.

PubMed

Trayhurn, Paul; Denyer, Gareth

2012-01-01

Microarray datasets are a rich source of information in nutritional investigation. Targeted mining of microarray data following initial, non-biased bioinformatic analysis can provide key insight into specific genes and metabolic processes of interest. Microarrays from human adipocytes were examined to explore the effects of macrophage secretions on the expression of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPR) genes that encode fatty acid receptors/sensors. Exposure of the adipocytes to macrophage-conditioned medium for 4 or 24 h had no effect on GPR40 and GPR43 expression, but there was a marked stimulation of GPR84 expression (receptor for medium-chain fatty acids), the mRNA level increasing 13·5-fold at 24 h relative to unconditioned medium. Importantly, expression of GPR120, which encodes an n-3 PUFA receptor/sensor, was strongly inhibited by the conditioned medium (15-fold decrease in mRNA at 24 h). Macrophage secretions have major effects on the expression of fatty acid receptor/sensor genes in human adipocytes, which may lead to an augmentation of the inflammatory response in adipose tissue in obesity.

Mining microarray datasets in nutrition: expression of the GPR120 (n-3 fatty acid receptor/sensor) gene is down-regulated in human adipocytes by macrophage secretions

PubMed Central

Trayhurn, Paul; Denyer, Gareth

2012-01-01

Microarray datasets are a rich source of information in nutritional investigation. Targeted mining of microarray data following initial, non-biased bioinformatic analysis can provide key insight into specific genes and metabolic processes of interest. Microarrays from human adipocytes were examined to explore the effects of macrophage secretions on the expression of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPR) genes that encode fatty acid receptors/sensors. Exposure of the adipocytes to macrophage-conditioned medium for 4 or 24 h had no effect on GPR40 and GPR43 expression, but there was a marked stimulation of GPR84 expression (receptor for medium-chain fatty acids), the mRNA level increasing 13·5-fold at 24 h relative to unconditioned medium. Importantly, expression of GPR120, which encodes an n-3 PUFA receptor/sensor, was strongly inhibited by the conditioned medium (15-fold decrease in mRNA at 24 h). Macrophage secretions have major effects on the expression of fatty acid receptor/sensor genes in human adipocytes, which may lead to an augmentation of the inflammatory response in adipose tissue in obesity. PMID:25191551

Positive effects of combined cognitive and physical exercise training on cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Karssemeijer, Esther G A; Aaronson, Justine A; Bossers, Willem J; Smits, Tara; Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M; Kessels, Roy P C

2017-11-01

Combined cognitive and physical exercise interventions have potential to elicit cognitive benefits in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. This meta-analysis aims to quantify the overall effect of these interventions on global cognitive functioning in older adults with MCI or dementia. Ten randomized controlled trials that applied a combined cognitive-physical intervention with cognitive function as an outcome measure were included. For each study effect sizes were computed (i.e., post-intervention standardized mean difference (SMD) scores) and pooled, using a random-effects meta-analysis. The primary analysis showed a small-to-medium positive effect of combined cognitive-physical interventions on global cognitive function in older adults with MCI or dementia (SMD[95% confidence interval]=0.32[0.17;0.47], p<0.00). A combined intervention was equally beneficial in patients with dementia (SMD=0.36[0.12;0.60], p<0.00) and MCI (SMD=0.39[0.15;0.63], p<0.05). In addition, the analysis showed a moderate-to-large positive effect after combined cognitive-physical interventions for activities of daily living (ADL) (SMD=0.65[0.09;1.21], p<0.01)and a small-to-medium positive effect for mood (SMD=0.27[0.04;0.50], p<0.01). These functional benefits emphasize the clinical relevance of combined cognitive and physical training strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In vitro cultures of Bacopa monnieri and an analysis of selected groups of biologically active metabolites in their biomass.

PubMed

Muszyńska, Bożena; Łojewski, Maciej; Sułkowska-Ziaja, Katarzyna; Szewczyk, Agnieszka; Gdula-Argasińska, Joanna; Hałaszuk, Patrycja

2016-11-01

Bacopa monnieri L. Pennell (Scrophulariaceae) is one of the most important plants in the system of Indian medicine (Ayurveda). This paper studies the optimal growth of B. monnieri for effective accumulation of metabolites. Biomass growth of this plant could be accomplished in liquid cultures on Murashige & Skoog medium. Powdered shoots of in vitro cultures of B. monnieri were extracted by methanol for indole compounds, phenolic compounds and bacosides for RP-HPLC analysis. Fatty acid analysis was performed via gas chromatography. Anti-inflammatory effect of B. monnieri extracts was evaluated in the A549 cells. COX-2 and cPGES expression was analyzed using Western blots. l-Tryptophan and serotonin were found in biomass from in vitro cultures of B. monnieri on MS medium and in biomass from the MS mediums enriched with the different additions such as of 0.1 g/L magnesium sulphate, 0.1 g/L zinc hydroaspartate, 0.1 g/L l-tryptophan, 0.25 g/L serine, 0.5 g/L serine and 0.5 mg/L anthranilic acid. The content of l-tryptophan and serotonin compounds was significant in biomass from medium with the addition of 0.1 g/L zinc hydroaspartate (0.72 mg/g dry weight and 1.19, respectively). Phenolic compounds identified in biomass from the same variants of MS medium were chlorogenic acid (ranging from 0.20 to 0.70 mg/g dry weight), neochlorogenic acid (ranging from 0.11 to 0.40 mg/g dry weight) and caffeic acid (ranging from 0.01 to 0.04 mg/g dry weight). The main group of fatty acids in biomass was saturated fatty acids (53.4%). The predominant fatty acid was palmitic acid. A significant decrease of COX-2 and cPGES expression was observed in the A549 cells activated with LPS and treated with B. monnieri extracts. As far as we know, this is the first analysis of indole compounds and phenolic acids in this plant. The multi-therapeutic effect of B. monnieri is expressed by the activity of bacosides. Information about the presence of indole and phenolic compounds, and fatty acids in this plant is limited, but the content of these compounds might participate in the physiological activity of B. monnieri.

Examining Cultural Capital and Student Achievement: Results of a Meta-Analytic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Cheng Yong

2017-01-01

This meta-analysis summarized the relationships between cultural capital and student achievement (155 effect sizes involving 685,393 K-12 students) published in education journals between 1981 and 2015. Results showed a small-to-medium overall mean effect size, and larger individual effect sizes for parental education and parental expectations…

Metabolome analysis reveals the effect of carbon catabolite control on the poly(γ-glutamic acid) biosynthesis of Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 9945.

PubMed

Mitsunaga, Hitoshi; Meissner, Lena; Palmen, Thomas; Bamba, Takeshi; Büchs, Jochen; Fukusaki, Eiichiro

2016-04-01

Poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a polymer composed of L- and/or D-glutamic acids that is produced by Bacillus sp. Because the polymer has various features as water soluble, edible, non-toxic and so on, it has attracted attention as a candidate for many applications such as foods, cosmetics and so on. However, although it is well known that the intracellular metabolism of Bacillus sp. is mainly regulated by catabolite control, the effect of the catabolite control on the PGA producing Bacillus sp. is largely unknown. This study is the first report of metabolome analysis on the PGA producing Bacillus sp. that reveals the effect of carbon catabolite control on the metabolism of PGA producing Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 9945. Results showed that the cells cultivated in glycerol-containing medium showed higher PGA production than the cells in glucose-containing medium. Furthermore, metabolome analysis revealed that the activators of CcpA and CodY, global regulatory proteins of the intracellular metabolism, accumulated in the cells cultivated in glycerol-containing and glucose-containing medium, respectively, with CodY apparently inhibiting PGA production. Moreover, the cells seemed to produce glutamate from citrate and ammonium using glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase. Pulsed addition of di-ammonium hydrogen citrate, as suggested by the metabolome result, was able to achieve the highest value so far for PGA production in B. licheniformis. Copyright © 2015 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic analysis of bulk-fill composites: Effect of food-simulating liquids.

PubMed

Eweis, Ahmed Hesham; Yap, Adrian U-Jin; Yahya, Noor Azlin

2017-10-01

This study investigated the effect of food simulating liquids on visco-elastic properties of bulk-fill restoratives using dynamic mechanical analysis. One conventional composite (Filtek Z350 [FZ]), two bulk-fill composites (Filtek Bulk-fill [FB] and Tetric N Ceram [TN]) and a bulk-fill giomer (Beautifil-Bulk Restorative [BB]) were evaluated. Specimens (12 × 2 × 2mm) were fabricated using customized stainless steel molds. The specimens were light-cured, removed from their molds, finished, measured and randomly divided into six groups. The groups (n = 10) were conditioned in the following mediums for 7 days at 37°C: air (control), artificial saliva (SAGF), distilled water, 0.02N citric acid, heptane, 50% ethanol-water solution. Specimens were assessed using dynamic mechanical testing in flexural three-point bending mode and their respective mediums at 37°C and a frequency range of 0.1-10Hz. The distance between the supports were fixed at 10mm and an axial load of 5N was employed. Data for elastic modulus, viscous modulus and loss tangent were subjected to ANOVA/Tukey's tests at significance level p < 0.05. Significant differences in visco-elastic properties were observed between materials and mediums. Apart from bulk-fill giomer, elastic modulus was the highest after conditioning in heptane. No apparent trends were noted for viscous modulus. Generally, loss tangent was the highest after conditioning in ethanol. The effect of food-simulating liquids on the visco-elastic properties of bulk-fill composites was material and medium dependent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Foot orthoses for plantar heel pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Whittaker, Glen A; Munteanu, Shannon E; Menz, Hylton B; Tan, Jade M; Rabusin, Chantel L; Landorf, Karl B

2018-03-01

To investigate the effectiveness of foot orthoses for pain and function in adults with plantar heel pain. Systematic review and meta-analysis. The primary outcome was pain or function categorised by duration of follow-up as short (0 to 6 weeks), medium (7 to 12 weeks) or longer term (13 to 52 weeks). Medline, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Embase and the Cochrane Library from inception to June 2017. Studies must have used a randomised parallel-group design and evaluated foot orthoses for plantar heel pain. At least one outcome measure for pain or function must have been reported. A total of 19 trials (1660 participants) were included. In the short term , there was very low-quality evidence that foot orthoses do not reduce pain or improve function. In the medium term , there was moderate-quality evidence that foot orthoses were more effective than sham foot orthoses at reducing pain (standardised mean difference -0.27 (-0.48 to -0.06)). There was no improvement in function in the medium term. In the longer term , there was very low-quality evidence that foot orthoses do not reduce pain or improve function. A comparison of customised and prefabricated foot orthoses showed no difference at any time point. There is moderate-quality evidence that foot orthoses are effective at reducing pain in the medium term, however it is uncertain whether this is a clinically important change. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Transient birefringence effects in electromagnetically induced transparency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parshkov, O. M.

2015-11-01

We report the results of numerical modelling of transient birefringence that arises as a result of electromagnetically induced transparency on degenerate quantum transitions between the states with J = 0, 1 and 2 in the presence of the Doppler broadening of spectral lines. It is shown that in the case of a linearly polarised control field, the effect of transient birefringence leads to a decay of the input circularly polarised probe pulse into separate linearly polarised pulses inside a medium. In the case of a circularly polarised control field, the effect of transient birefringence manifests itself in a decay of the input linearly polarised probe pulse into separate circularly polarised pulses. It is shown that the distance that a probe pulse has to pass in a medium before decaying into subpulses is considerably greater in the first case than in the second. The influence of the input probe pulse power and duration on the process of spatial separation into individual pulses inside a medium is studied. A qualitative analysis of the obtained results is presented.

Assessing the Battery Cost at Which Plug-In Hybrid Medium-Duty Parcel Delivery Vehicles Become Cost-Effective

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

Ramroth, L. A.; Gonder, J. D.; Brooker, A. D.

2013-04-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) validated diesel-conventional and diesel-hybrid medium-duty parcel delivery vehicle models to evaluate petroleum reductions and cost implications of hybrid and plug-in hybrid diesel variants. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants are run on a field data-derived design matrix to analyze the effect of drive cycle, distance, engine downsizing, battery replacements, and battery energy on fuel consumption and lifetime cost. For an array of diesel fuel costs, the battery cost per kilowatt-hour at which the hybridized configuration becomes cost-effective is calculated. This builds on a previous analysis that found the fuel savings from medium duty plug-inmore » hybrids more than offset the vehicles' incremental price under future battery and fuel cost projections, but that they seldom did so under present day cost assumptions in the absence of purchase incentives. The results also highlight the importance of understanding the application's drive cycle specific daily distance and kinetic intensity.« less

A Meta-Analysis on Antecedents and Outcomes of Detachment from Work.

PubMed

Wendsche, Johannes; Lohmann-Haislah, Andrea

2016-01-01

Detachment from work has been proposed as an important non-work experience helping employees to recover from work demands. This meta-analysis (86 publications, k = 91 independent study samples, N = 38,124 employees) examined core antecedents and outcomes of detachment in employee samples. With regard to outcomes, results indicated average positive correlations between detachment and self-reported mental (i.e., less exhaustion, higher life satisfaction, more well-being, better sleep) and physical (i.e., lower physical discomfort) health, state well-being (i.e., less fatigue, higher positive affect, more intensive state of recovery), and task performance (small to medium sized effects). However, average relationships between detachment and physiological stress indicators and work motivation were not significant while associations with contextual performance and creativity were significant, but negative. Concerning work characteristics, as expected, job demands were negatively related and job resources were positively related to detachment (small sized effects). Further, analyses revealed that person characteristics such as negative affectivity/neuroticism (small sized effect) and heavy work investment (medium sized effect) were negatively related to detachment whereas detachment and demographic variables (i.e., age and gender) were not related. Moreover, we found a medium sized average negative relationship between engagement in work-related activities during non-work time and detachment. For most of the examined relationships heterogeneity of effect sizes was moderate to high. We identified study design, samples' gender distribution, and affective valence of work-related thoughts as moderators for some of these aforementioned relationships. The results of this meta-analysis point to detachment as a non-work (recovery) experience that is influenced by work-related and personal characteristics which in turn is relevant for a range of employee outcomes.

A Meta-Analysis on Antecedents and Outcomes of Detachment from Work

PubMed Central

Wendsche, Johannes; Lohmann-Haislah, Andrea

2017-01-01

Detachment from work has been proposed as an important non-work experience helping employees to recover from work demands. This meta-analysis (86 publications, k = 91 independent study samples, N = 38,124 employees) examined core antecedents and outcomes of detachment in employee samples. With regard to outcomes, results indicated average positive correlations between detachment and self-reported mental (i.e., less exhaustion, higher life satisfaction, more well-being, better sleep) and physical (i.e., lower physical discomfort) health, state well-being (i.e., less fatigue, higher positive affect, more intensive state of recovery), and task performance (small to medium sized effects). However, average relationships between detachment and physiological stress indicators and work motivation were not significant while associations with contextual performance and creativity were significant, but negative. Concerning work characteristics, as expected, job demands were negatively related and job resources were positively related to detachment (small sized effects). Further, analyses revealed that person characteristics such as negative affectivity/neuroticism (small sized effect) and heavy work investment (medium sized effect) were negatively related to detachment whereas detachment and demographic variables (i.e., age and gender) were not related. Moreover, we found a medium sized average negative relationship between engagement in work-related activities during non-work time and detachment. For most of the examined relationships heterogeneity of effect sizes was moderate to high. We identified study design, samples' gender distribution, and affective valence of work-related thoughts as moderators for some of these aforementioned relationships. The results of this meta-analysis point to detachment as a non-work (recovery) experience that is influenced by work-related and personal characteristics which in turn is relevant for a range of employee outcomes. PMID:28133454

Liposome encapsulated soy lecithin and cholesterol can efficiently replace chicken egg yolk in human semen cryopreservation medium.

PubMed

Mutalik, Srinivas; Salian, Sujith Raj; Avadhani, Kiran; Menon, Jyothsna; Joshi, Haritima; Hegde, Aswathi Raju; Kumar, Pratap; Kalthur, Guruprasad; Adiga, Satish Kumar

2014-06-01

Cryopreservation of spermatozoa plays a significant role in reproductive medicine and fertility preservation. Chicken egg yolk is used as an extender in cryopreservation of human spermatozoa using glycerol egg yolk citrate (GEYC) buffered medium. Even though 50% survival of spermatozoa is generally achieved with this method, the risk of high levels of endotoxins and transmission pathogens from chicken egg yolk is a matter of concern. In the present study we attempted to establish a chemically defined cryopreservation medium which can replace the chicken egg yolk without affecting sperm survival. Ejaculates from 28 men were cryopreserved with GEYC based freezing medium or liposome encapsulated soy lecithin-cholesterol based freezing medium (LFM). The semen samples were subjected to rapid thawing after 14 days of storage in liquid nitrogen. Post-thaw analysis indicated significantly higher post-thaw motility and sperm survival in spermatozoa cryopreserved with LFM compared to conventional GEYC freezing medium. The soy lecithin and cholesterol at the ratio of 80:20 with sucrose showed the highest percentage of post-thaw motility and survival compared to the other compositions. In conclusion, chemically defined cryopreservation medium with liposome encapsulated soy lecithin and cholesterol can effectively replace the chicken egg yolk from human semen cryopreservation medium without compromising post-thaw outcome.

Dependence of synchronized bursting activity on medium stirring and the perfusion rate in a cultured network of neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heo, Ryoun; Kim, Hyun; Lee, Kyoung J.

2016-05-01

A cultured network of neurons coupled with a multi-electrode-array (MEA) recording system has been a useful platform for investigating various issues in neuroscience and engineering. The neural activity supported by the system can be sensitive to environmental fluctuations, for example, in the medium's nutrient composition, ph, and temperature, and to mechanical disturbances, yet this issue has not been the subject. Especially, a normal practice in maintaining neuronal cell cultures involves an intermittent sequence of medium exchanges, typically at a time interval of a few days, and one such sudden medium exchange is unavoidably accompanied by many unintended disturbances. Here, based on a quantitative time-series analysis of synchronized bursting events, we explicitly demonstrate that such a medium exchange can, indeed, bring a huge change in the existing neural activity. Subsequently, we develop a medium perfusion-stirring system and an ideal protocol that can be used in conjunction with a MEA recording system, providing long-term stability. Specifically, we systematically evaluate the effects of medium stirring and perfusion rates. Unexpectedly, even some vigorous mechanical agitations do not have any impacts on neural activity. On the other hand, too much replenishment ( e.g., 1.8 ml/day for a 1.8-ml dish) of neurobasal medium results in an excitotoxicity.

Energy analysis of cool, medium, and dark roofs on residential buildings in the U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunbar, Michael A.

This study reports an energy analysis of cool, medium, and dark roofs on residential buildings in the U.S. Three analyses were undertaken in this study: energy consumption, economic analysis, and an environmental analysis. The energy consumption reports the electricity and natural gas consumption of the simulations. The economic analysis uses tools such as simple payback period (SPP) and net present value (NPV) to determine the profitability of the cool roof and the medium roof. The variable change for each simulation model was the roof color. The default color was a dark roof and the results were focused on the changes produced by the cool roof and the medium roof. The environmental analysis uses CO2 emissions to assess the environmental impact of the cool roof and the medium roof. The analysis uses the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) EnergyPlus software to produce simulations of a typical, two-story residential home in the U.S. The building details of the typical, two-story U.S. residential home and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) building code standards used are discussed in this study. This study indicates that, when material and labor costs are. assessed, the cool roof and the medium roof do not yield a SPP less than 10 years. Furthermore, the NPV results assess that neither the cool roof nor the medium roof are a profitable investment in any climate zone in the U.S. The environmental analysis demonstrates that both the cool roof and the medium roof have a positive impact in warmer climates by reducing the CO2 emissions as much as 264 kg and 129 kg, respectively.

Multidimensional Perfectionism and Burnout: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Hill, Andrew P; Curran, Thomas

2016-08-01

A meta-analysis of research examining the relationships between multidimensional perfectionism and burnout is provided. In doing so, relationships before and after controlling for the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism were examined along with whether relationships were moderated by domain (work, sport, or education). A literature search yielded 43 studies (N = 9,838) and 663 effect sizes. Meta-analysis using random-effects models revealed that perfectionistic strivings had small negative or non-significant relationships with overall burnout and symptoms of burnout. By contrast, perfectionistic concerns displayed medium-to-large and medium positive relationships with overall burnout and symptoms of burnout. After controlling for the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism, "pure" perfectionistic strivings displayed notably larger negative relationships. In terms of moderation, in some cases, perfectionistic strivings were less adaptive and perfectionistic concerns more maladaptive in the work domain. Future research should examine explanatory mechanisms, adopt longitudinal designs, and develop interventions to reduce perfectionistic concerns fueled burnout. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Optimizing the selection of small-town wastewater treatment processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jianping; Zhang, Siqi

2018-04-01

Municipal wastewater treatment is energy-intensive. This high energy consumption causes high sewage treatment plant operating costs and increases the energy burden. To mitigate the adverse impacts of China’s development, sewage treatment plants should adopt effective energy-saving technologies. Artificial fortified natural water treatment and use of activated sludge and biofilm are all suitable technologies for small-town sewage treatment. This study features an analysis of the characteristics of small and medium-sized township sewage, an overview of current technologies, and a discussion of recent progress in sewage treatment. Based on this, an analysis of existing problems in municipal wastewater treatment is presented, and countermeasures to improve sewage treatment in small and medium-sized towns are proposed.

Rappaport-Vassiliadis medium for recovery of Salmonella spp. from low microbial load foods: collaborative study.

PubMed

Hammack, T S; Amaguaña, R M; Andrews, W H; Lerner, I

2001-01-01

Twenty-three laboratories participated in a collaborative study to compare the relative effectiveness of Rappaport-Vassiliadis (RV) medium incubated at 42 degrees C, selenite cystine (SC) broth (35 degrees C), and tetrathionate (TT) broth (35 and 43 degrees C) for recovery of Salmonella from the following foods with a low microbial load: dried egg yolk, dry active yeast, ground black pepper, guar gum, and instant nonfat dry milk. For dry active yeast, lauryl tryptose (LT) broth, incubated at 35 degrees C, was used instead of SC broth. All of the foods were artificially inoculated with single Salmonella serovars, that had been lyophilized before inoculation, at high and low target levels of 0.4 and 0.04 colony forming units/g food, respectively. For analysis of 870 test portions, representing all of the foods except yeast, 249 Salmonella-positive test portions were detected by RV medium, 265 by TT broth (43 degrees C), 268 by TT broth (35 degrees C), and 269 by SC broth (35 degrees C). For analysis of 225 test portions of yeast, 79 Salmonella-positive test portions were detected by RV medium, 79 by TT broth (43 degrees C), 84 by TT broth (35 degrees C), and 68 by LT broth (35 degrees C). RV medium was comparable to, or even more effective than, the other selective enrichments for recovery of Salmonella from all of the foods except guar gum. It is recommended that RV (42 degrees C) and TT (35 degrees C) be used with foods that have a low microbial load, except for guar gum for which SC (35 degrees C) and TT (35 degrees C) are recommended.

Wave propagation in a strongly heterogeneous elastic porous medium: Homogenization of Biot medium with double porosities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohan, Eduard; Naili, Salah; Nguyen, Vu-Hieu

2016-08-01

We study wave propagation in an elastic porous medium saturated with a compressible Newtonian fluid. The porous network is interconnected whereby the pores are characterized by two very different characteristic sizes. At the mesoscopic scale, the medium is described using the Biot model, characterized by a high contrast in the hydraulic permeability and anisotropic elasticity, whereas the contrast in the Biot coupling coefficient is only moderate. Fluid motion is governed by the Darcy flow model extended by inertia terms and by the mass conservation equation. The homogenization method based on the asymptotic analysis is used to obtain a macroscopic model. To respect the high contrast in the material properties, they are scaled by the small parameter, which is involved in the asymptotic analysis and characterized by the size of the heterogeneities. Using the estimates of wavelengths in the double-porosity networks, it is shown that the macroscopic descriptions depend on the contrast in the static permeability associated with pores and micropores and on the frequency. Moreover, the microflow in the double porosity is responsible for fading memory effects via the macroscopic poroviscoelastic constitutive law. xml:lang="fr"

Influence of embryo culture medium on incidence of ectopic pregnancy in in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Lin, Shengli; Li, Rong; Zheng, Xiaoying; Chi, Hongbin; Ren, Xiulian; Yang, Rui; Liu, Ping; Qiao, Jie

2015-12-01

To explore the effect of type of media used to culture embryos for IVF on the incidence of ectopic pregnancy (EP). Retrospective analysis. University-affiliated IVF center. The retrospective analysis involved 23,481 women who underwent IVF-ET cycles between 2011 and 2013. None. There was an association between EP and the culture medium. During 23,481 fresh transfer cycles, 364 patients were diagnosed with EP. The EP to clinical pregnancy rate was 3.01% in the G5 group, 3.89% in the G5 Plus group, and 4.04% in the Global group. The EP to clinical pregnancy rates were significantly higher in the G5 Plus and Global groups than in the G5 group. After adjusting for confounding factors, the incidence of EP was significantly associated with the G5 Plus and Global media. Our results showed that there is an association between incidence of EP and the culture medium. The rates of EP to clinical pregnancy were significantly higher in the G5 Plus and Global media than in the G5 medium. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on polarization image methods in turbid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Qiang; Mo, Chunhe; Liu, Boyu; Duan, Jin; Zhang, Su; Zhu, Yong

2014-11-01

Polarization imaging detection technology in addition to the traditional imaging information, also can get polarization multi-dimensional information, thus improve the probability of target detection and recognition.Image fusion in turbid medium target polarization image research, is helpful to obtain high quality images. Based on visible light wavelength of light wavelength of laser polarization imaging, through the rotation Angle of polaroid get corresponding linear polarized light intensity, respectively to obtain the concentration range from 5% to 10% of turbid medium target stocks of polarization parameters, introduces the processing of image fusion technology, main research on access to the polarization of the image by using different polarization image fusion methods for image processing, discusses several kinds of turbid medium has superior performance of polarization image fusion method, and gives the treatment effect and analysis of data tables. Then use pixel level, feature level and decision level fusion algorithm on three levels of information fusion, DOLP polarization image fusion, the results show that: with the increase of the polarization Angle, polarization image will be more and more fuzzy, quality worse and worse. Than a single fused image contrast of the image be improved obviously, the finally analysis on reasons of the increase the image contrast and polarized light.

Development of LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous analysis of the cardioprotective drug dexrazoxane and its metabolite ADR-925 in isolated cardiomyocytes and cell culture medium.

PubMed

Kovarikova, Petra; Pasakova-Vrbatova, Ivana; Vavrova, Anna; Stariat, Jan; Klimes, Jiri; Simunek, Tomas

2013-03-25

Dexrazoxane (DEX) is the only clinically used drug effective against anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity and extravasation injury. However, the mechanism of its cardioprotective action still remains elusive. This paucity of comprehensive data is at least partially caused by the analytical difficulties associated with selective and sensitive simultaneous determination of the parent drug and its putative active metabolite ADR-925 in the relevant biological material. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the first LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of DEX and ADR-925 in the isolated rat neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes (NVCMs) and the cell culture medium. The analysis was performed on a Synergi Polar-RP column using the gradient profile of the mobile phase composed of 2mM ammonium formate and methanol. Electrospray ionization and ion trap mass analyzer were used as ionization and detection techniques, respectively. NVCMs were precipitated with methanol and the cell culture medium samples were diluted with the same solvent prior the LC-MS/MS analysis. The method was validated within the range of 4-80pmol/10(6) NVCMs and 7-70pmol/10(6) NVCMs for DEX and ADR-925, respectively, and at the concentrations of 8-100μM for both compounds in the culture cell medium. The practical applicability of this method was confirmed by the pilot analysis of NVCMs and the corresponding cell medium samples from relevant in vitro experiment. Hence, the LC-MS/MS method developed in this study represents a modern analytical tool suitable for investigation of DEX bioactivation inside the cardiomyocytes. In addition, the basic utility of the method for the analysis of DEX and ADR-925 in plasma samples was proved in a pilot experiment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of effect-directed analysis to identify mutagenic nitrogenous disinfection by-products of advanced oxidation drinking water treatment.

PubMed

Vughs, D; Baken, K A; Kolkman, A; Martijn, A J; de Voogt, P

2018-02-01

Advanced oxidation processes are important barriers for organic micropollutants in (drinking) water treatment. It is however known that medium pressure UV/H 2 O 2 treatment may lead to mutagenicity in the Ames test, which is no longer present after granulated activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Many nitrogen-containing disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) result from the reaction of photolysis products of nitrate with (photolysis products of) natural organic material (NOM) during medium pressure UV treatment of water. Identification of the N-DBPs and the application of effect-directed analysis to combine chemical screening results with biological activity would provide more insight into the relation of specific N-DBPs with the observed mutagenicity and was the subject of this study. To this end, fractions of medium pressure UV-treated and untreated water extracts were prepared using preparative HPLC and tested using the Ames fluctuation test. In addition, high-resolution mass spectrometry was performed on all fractions to assess the presence of N-DBPs. Based on toxicity data and read across analysis, we could identify five N-DBPs that are potentially genotoxic and were present in relatively high concentrations in the fractions in which mutagenicity was observed. The results of this study offer opportunities to further evaluate the identity and potential health concern of N-DBPs formed during advanced oxidation UV drinking water treatment.

Evaluation of the Universal Viral Transport system for long-term storage of virus specimens for microbial forensics.

PubMed

Hosokawa-Muto, Junji; Fujinami, Yoshihito; Mizuno, Natsuko

2015-08-01

Forensic microbial specimens, including bacteria and viruses, are collected at biocrime and bioterrorism scenes. Although it is preferable that the pathogens in these samples are alive and kept in a steady state, the samples may be stored for prolonged periods before analysis. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of storage conditions on the pathogens contained within such samples. To evaluate the capacity to preserve viable virus and the viral genome, influenza virus was added to the transport medium of the Universal Viral Transport system and stored for over 3 months at various temperatures, after which virus titrations and quantitative analysis of the influenza hemagglutinin gene were performed. Although viable viruses became undetectable 29 days after the medium was stored at room temperature, viruses in the medium stored at 4°C were viable even after 99 days. A quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the hemagglutinin gene was maintained for 99 days at both 4°C and room temperature. Therefore, long-term storage at 4°C has little effect on viable virus and viral genes, so the Universal Viral Transport system can be useful for microbial forensics. This study provides important information for the handling of forensic virus specimens. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Effects of preincubation of eggs and activation medium on the percentage of eyed embryos in ide (Leuciscus idus), an externally fertilizing fish.

PubMed

Siddique, Mohammad Abdul Momin; Linhart, Otomar; Krejszeff, Sławomir; Żarski, Daniel; Król, Jarosław; Butts, Ian Anthony Ernest

2016-03-15

Standardization of fertilization protocols is crucial for improving reproductive techniques for externally fertilizing fish in captive breeding. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the effects of preincubation of eggs and activation medium on the percentage of eyed embryos for ide (Leuciscus idus). Pooled eggs from five females were preincubated in three different activating media for 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 seconds and then fertilized by pooled sperm from five males. At the eyed-egg stage, the percentage of viable embryos was later calculated. Results showed that preincubation time was significant for the freshwater activation medium (P < 0.001), such that the percentage of eyed embryos declined across the preincubation time gradient. Additionally, there was an effect on the percentage of eyed embryos when eggs were incubated with Woynarovich solution (P < 0.001), such that a decline was detected at 90 seconds, whereas no effect was detected for the saline water medium. Activating medium had a significant effect on the percentage of eyed embryos for each preincubation time (P < 0.05). More precisely, freshwater produced the lowest percentage of eyed embryos at all preincubation times (ranged from 1.9% at 120 seconds to 43.6% at 0 seconds), whereas saline water and Woynarovich solution produced the highest percentage of eyed embryos at 0 seconds and 30 seconds before incubation. Woynarovich solution produced the highest percentage of eyed embryos at 60 seconds (65.26%), whereas saline water produced the highest percentage at 90 seconds (68.37%). No difference was detected between saline water and Woynarovich solution at 120 seconds. Examination of sperm traits showed no impact of activating medium on computer assisted sperm analysis parameters. Together, these results suggest that saline water or Woynarovich solution improve fertilization rate in ide during IVF; thus, these media are useful for standardizing fertilization protocols and controlled reproduction for this species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medium-Induced QCD Cascade: Democratic Branching and Wave Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaizot, J.-P.; Iancu, E.; Mehtar-Tani, Y.

2013-08-01

We study the average properties of the gluon cascade generated by an energetic parton propagating through a quark-gluon plasma. We focus on the soft, medium-induced emissions which control the energy transport at large angles with respect to the leading parton. We show that the effect of multiple branchings is important. In contrast with what happens in a usual QCD cascade in vacuum, medium-induced branchings are quasidemocratic, with offspring gluons carrying sizable fractions of the energy of their parent gluon. This results in an efficient mechanism for the transport of energy toward the medium, which is akin to wave turbulence with a scaling spectrum ˜1/ω. We argue that the turbulent flow may be responsible for the excess energy carried by very soft quanta, as revealed by the analysis of the dijet asymmetry observed in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.

Elastic effects on vibration of bilayer graphene sheets incorporating integrated VdWs interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamali, Kamran; Nazemnezhad, Reza; Zare, Mojtaba

2018-03-01

The following study addresses the free vibration analysis of a bilayer graphene sheet (BLGS) embedded in an elastic medium in the presence of shear and tensile-compressive effects of van der Waals (vdWs) interactions. To ascertain the contribution of each force, the effects are considered separately and simultaneously. To model the geometry of the BLGS, the sandwich plate theory and the Hamilton’s principle are considered to derive the governing equations of motion. The Harmonic differential quadrature method is applied to solve the coupled equations and obtain the natural frequencies and related mode shapes. The results reveal that the contribution of tensile-compressive modulus of elastic medium is the most in changing the frequency of BLGSs.

Carbon footprint analysis as a tool for energy and environmental management in small and medium-sized enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giama, E.; Papadopoulos, A. M.

2018-01-01

The reduction of carbon emissions has become a top priority in the decision-making process for governments and companies, the strict European legislation framework being a major driving force behind this effort. On the other hand, many companies face difficulties in estimating their footprint and in linking the results derived from environmental evaluation processes with an integrated energy management strategy, which will eventually lead to energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions. The paper highlights the need of companies to establish integrated environmental management practices, with tools such as carbon footprint analysis to monitor the energy performance of production processes. Concepts and methods are analysed, and selected indicators are presented by means of benchmarking, monitoring and reporting the results in order to be used effectively from the companies. The study is based on data from more than 90 Greek small and medium enterprises, followed by a comprehensive discussion of cost-effective and realistic energy-saving measures.

Determination of the Far-Infrared Cosmic Background Using COBE/DIRBE and WHAM Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Odegard, N.; Arendt, R. G.; Dwek, E.; Haffner, L. M.; Hauser, M. G.; Reynolds, R. J.

2007-01-01

Determination of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) at far infrared wavelengths using COBE/DIRBE data is limited by the accuracy to which foreground interplanetary and Galactic dust emission can be modeled and subtracted. Previous determinations of the far infrared CIB (e.g., Hauser et al. 1998) were based on the detection of residual isotropic emission in skymaps from which the emission from interplanetary dust and the neutral interstellar medium were removed. In this paper we use the Wisconsin H(alpha) Mapper (WHAM) Northern Sky Survey as a tracer of the ionized medium to examine the effect of this foreground component on determination of the CIB. We decompose the DIRBE far infrared data for five high Galactic latitude regions into HI- and H(alpha)- correlated components and a residual component. Eased on FUSE H2 absorption line observations, the contribution of a11 H2-correlated component is expected to he negligible. We find the H(alpha)-correlated component to be consistent with zero for each region, and we find that addition of an H(alpha)-correlated component in modeling the foreground emission has negligible effect on derived CIB results. Our CIB detections and 2(sigma) upper limits are essentially the same as those derived by Hauser et al. and are given by (nu)I(sub nu)(nW/sq m/sr) < 75, < 32, 25+/-8, and 13+/-3 at gamma = 60, 100, 140, and 240 microns, respectively. Our residuals have not been subjected to a detailed anisotropy test, so our CIB results do not supersede those of Hauser et al. Mie derive upper limits on the 100 micron emissivity of the ionized medium that are typically about 40% of the 100 micron emissivity of the neutral atomic medium. This low value may be caused in part by a lower dust-to-gas mass ratio in the ionized medium than in the neutral medium, and in part by a shortcoming of using H(alpha) intensity as a tracer of far infrared emission. If H(alpha) is not a reliable tracer, our analysis would underestimate the emissivity of the ionized medium, and both our analysis and the Hauser et al. analysis may slightly overestimate the CIB. We estimate the possible effect for the CIB to be only about 5%, which is much smaller than the quoted uncertainties. From a comparison of the Hauser et al. CIB results with the integrated galaxy brightness from Spitzer source counts, we obtain 2(sigma) upper limits on a possible diffuse CIB component that are 26 nW/sq m/sr at 140 microns and 8.5 nW/sq m/sr at 240 microns.

Development of indirect EFBEM for radiating noise analysis including underwater problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Hyun-Wung; Hong, Suk-Yoon; Song, Jee-Hun

2013-09-01

For the analysis of radiating noise problems in medium-to-high frequency ranges, the Energy Flow Boundary Element Method (EFBEM) was developed. EFBEM is the analysis technique that applies the Boundary Element Method (BEM) to Energy Flow Analysis (EFA). The fundamental solutions representing spherical wave property for radiating noise problems in open field and considering the free surface effect in underwater are developed. Also the directivity factor is developed to express wave's directivity patterns in medium-to-high frequency ranges. Indirect EFBEM by using fundamental solutions and fictitious source was applied to open field and underwater noise problems successfully. Through numerical applications, the acoustic energy density distributions due to vibration of a simple plate model and a sphere model were compared with those of commercial code, and the comparison showed good agreement in the level and pattern of the energy density distributions.

Peristaltic transport of copper-water nanofluid saturating porous medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, F. M.; Hayat, T.; Ahmad, B.

2015-03-01

Prime goal of present study is to model the problem for peristaltic transport of copper-water nanofluid in an asymmetric channel. The fluid fills porous space. Analysis is carried out in the presence of mixed conviction, viscous dissipation and heat generation/absorption. Long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximations are utilized in problem formulation. Numerical computations are presented for the axial velocity, pressure gradient, streamlines, temperature and heat transfer rate at the boundary. Graphical analysis is carried out to examine the effects of sundry parameters on flow quantities of interest. Results revealed that the axial velocity of copper-water nanofluid decreases with an increase in the nanoparticle volume fraction. Copper nanoparticles prove effective coolant since they sufficiently reduce the fluid temperature and show increase in the heat transfer between the fluid and solid boundary. Moreover temperature of the fluid decreases by increasing the permeability of porous medium.

Efficacy of group social skills interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Gates, Jacquelyn A.; Kang, Erin; Lerner, Matthew D.

2017-01-01

Group-based social skills interventions (GSSIs) are widely used for treating social competence among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but their efficacy is unclear. Previous meta-analysis of the literature on well-designed trials of GSSIs is limited in size and scope, collapsing across highly heterogeneous sources (parents; youths; teachers; observers; behavioral tasks). The current meta-analysis of randomized control trials (RCTs) was conducted to ascertain overall effectiveness of GSSIs and differences by reporting sources. Nineteen RCTs met inclusion criteria. Results show that overall positive aggregate effects were medium (g = 0.51, p < 0.001). Effects were large for self-report (g = 0.92, p < 0.001), medium for task-based measures (g = 0.58, p < 0.001), small for parent- and observer-report (g = 0.47 and 0.40, respectively, p < 0.001), and nonsignificant for teacher-report (p = 0.11). Moderation analyses of self-report revealed the effect was wholly attributable to youth reporting that they learned about skilled social behaviors (social knowledge; g = 1.15, p < 0.01), but not that they enacted them (social performance; g = 0.28, p = 0.31). Social skills interventions presently appear modestly effective for youth with ASD, but may not generalize to school settings or self-reported social behavior. PMID:28130983

Micromechanics of cataclastic pore collapse in limestone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wei; Baud, Patrick; Wong, Teng-Fong

2010-04-01

The analysis of compactant failure in carbonate formations hinges upon a fundamental understanding of the mechanics of inelastic compaction. Microstructural observations indicate that pore collapse in a limestone initiates at the larger pores, and microcracking dominates the deformation in the periphery of a collapsed pore. To capture these micromechanical processes, we developed a model treating the limestone as a dual porosity medium, with the total porosity partitioned between macroporosity and microporosity. The representative volume element is made up of a large pore which is surrounded by an effective medium containing the microporosity. Cataclastic yielding of this effective medium obeys the Mohr-Coulomb or Drucker-Prager criterion, with failure parameters dependent on porosity and pore size. An analytic approximation was derived for the unconfined compressive strength associated with failure due to the propagation and coalescence of pore-emanated cracks. For hydrostatic loading, identical theoretical results for the pore collapse pressure were obtained using the Mohr-Coulomb or Drucker-Prager criterion. For nonhydrostatic loading, the stress state at the onset of shear-enhanced compaction was predicted to fall on a linear cap according to the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. In contrast, nonlinear caps in qualitative agreement with laboratory data were predicted using the Drucker-Prager criterion. Our micromechanical model implies that the effective medium is significantly stronger and relatively pressure-insensitive in comparison to the bulk sample.

The effects of a physical activity intervention on employees in small and medium enterprises: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Edmunds, Sarah; Stephenson, Duncan; Clow, Angela

2013-01-01

Workplaces have potential as a setting for physical activity promotion but evidence of the effectiveness of intervention programmes in small and medium sized enterprises is limited. This paper reports the impact of an intervention which trained existing employees to promote physical activity to their colleagues. Eighty-nine previously low-active employees from 17 small and medium sized organisations participated. A mixed methods evaluation design was used. Quantitative data were collected at baseline and 6 months later using an online questionnaire. Qualitative data from a series of 6 focus groups were analysed. Repeated measures t-tests showed significant increases over time in physical activity, general health rating, satisfaction with life and positive mood states. There were significant decreases in body mass index (BMI), perceived stress, negative mood states and presenteeism. There was no change in absenteeism. Analysis of focus group data provided further insight into the impact of the intervention. Five major themes emerged: awareness of physical activity; sustaining physical activity behaviour change; improved health and well-being; enhanced social networks; and embedding physical activity in the workplace culture. This study shows it is feasible and effective to train employees in small and medium sized enterprises to support their colleagues in physical activity behaviour change.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Tactical Satellites, High-Altitude Long-Endurance Airships, and High and Medium Altitude Unmanned Aerial Systems for ISR and Communication Missions

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

greatest coverage. Coverage rates will vary depending on the type of orbit. Orbits are generally optimized for the spacecraft mission. Imaging ... DETERMINING MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS (MOE) ............. 46 1. MOE Attributes...101 A. DETERMINING COST ALTERNATIVES ......................................... 101 1. All

Optimization of critical medium components using response surface methodology for phenazine-1-carboxylic acid production by Pseudomonas sp. M-18Q.

PubMed

Yuan, Li-Li; Li, Ya-Qian; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Xue-Hong; Xu, Yu-Quan

2008-03-01

The optimal flask-shaking batch fermentation medium for phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) production by Pseudomonas sp. M-18Q, a qscR chromosomal inactivated mutant of the strain M18 was studied using statistical experimental design and analysis. The Plackett-Burman design (PBD) was used to evaluate the effects of eight medium components on the production of PCA, which showed that glucose and soytone were the most significant ingredients (P<0.05). The steepest ascent experiment was adopted to determine the optimal region of the medium composition. The optimum composition of the fermentation medium for maximum PCA yield, as determined on the basis of a five-level two-factor central composite design (CCD), was obtained by response surface methodology (RSM). The high correlation between the predicted and observed values indicated the validity of the model. A maximum PCA yield of 1240 mg/l was obtained at 17.81 g/l glucose and 11.47 g/l soytone, and the production was increased by 65.3% compared with that using the original medium, which was at 750 mg/l.

Design of an efficient medium for heterologous protein production in Yarrowia lipolytica: case of human interferon alpha 2b.

PubMed

Gasmi, Najla; Ayed, Atef; Nicaud, Jean-Marc; Kallel, Héla

2011-05-20

The non conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has aroused a strong industrial interest for heterologous protein production. However most of the studies describing recombinant protein production by this yeast rely on the use of complex media, such media are not convenient for large scale production particularly for products intended for pharmaceutical applications. In addition medium composition can also affect the production yield. Hence it is necessary to design an efficient medium for therapeutic protein expression by this host. Five different media, including four minimal media and a complex medium, were assessed in shake flasks for the production of human interferon alpha 2b (hIFN α2b) by Y. lipolytica under the control of POX2 promoter inducible with oleic acid. The chemically defined medium SM4 formulated by Invitrogen for Pichia pastoris growth was the most suitable. Using statistical experimental design this medium was further optimized. The selected minimal medium consisting in SM4 supplemented with 10 mg/l FeCl₃, 1 g/l glutamate, 5 ml/l PTM1 (Pichia Trace Metals) solution and a vitamin solution composed of myo-inositol, thiamin and biotin was called GNY medium. Compared to shake flask, bioreactor culture in GNY medium resulted in 416-fold increase of hIFN α2b production and 2-fold increase of the biological activity. Furthermore, SM4 enrichment with 5 ml/l PTM1 solution contributed to protect hIFN α2b against the degradation by the 28 kDa protease identified by zymography gel in culture supernatant. The screening of the inhibitory effect of the trace elements present in PTM1 solution on the activity of this protease was achieved using a Box-Behnken design. Statistical data analysis showed that FeCl₃ and MnSO₄ had the most inhibitory effect. We have designed an efficient medium for large scale production of heterologous proteins by Y. lipolytica. The optimized medium GNY is suitable for the production of hIFN α2b with the advantage that no complex nitrogen sources with non-defined composition were required.

A Hidden Pitfall in the Preparation of Agar Media Undermines Microorganism Cultivability

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Tomohiro; Kawasaki, Kosei; Daimon, Serina; Kitagawa, Wataru; Yamamoto, Kyosuke; Tamaki, Hideyuki; Tanaka, Michiko; Nakatsu, Cindy H.

2014-01-01

Microbiologists have been using agar growth medium for over 120 years. It revolutionized microbiology in the 1890s when microbiologists were seeking effective methods to isolate microorganisms, which led to the successful cultivation of microorganisms as single clones. But there has been a disparity between total cell counts and cultivable cell counts on plates, often referred to as the “great plate count anomaly,” that has long been a phenomenon that still remains unsolved. Here, we report that a common practice microbiologists have employed to prepare agar medium has a hidden pitfall: when phosphate was autoclaved together with agar to prepare solid growth media (PT medium), total colony counts were remarkably lower than those grown on agar plates in which phosphate and agar were separately autoclaved and mixed right before solidification (PS medium). We used a pure culture of Gemmatimonas aurantiaca T-27T and three representative sources of environmental samples, soil, sediment, and water, as inocula and compared colony counts between PT and PS agar plates. There were higher numbers of CFU on PS medium than on PT medium using G. aurantiaca or any of the environmental samples. Chemical analysis of PT agar plates suggested that hydrogen peroxide was contributing to growth inhibition. Comparison of 454 pyrosequences of the environmental samples to the isolates revealed that taxa grown on PS medium were more reflective of the original community structure than those grown on PT medium. Moreover, more hitherto-uncultivated microbes grew on PS than on PT medium. PMID:25281372

Direct observation and theory of trajectory-dependent electronic energy losses in medium-energy ion scattering.

PubMed

Hentz, A; Parkinson, G S; Quinn, P D; Muñoz-Márquez, M A; Woodruff, D P; Grande, P L; Schiwietz, G; Bailey, P; Noakes, T C Q

2009-03-06

The energy spectrum associated with scattering of 100 keV H+ ions from the outermost few atomic layers of Cu(111) in different scattering geometries provides direct evidence of trajectory-dependent electronic energy loss. Theoretical simulations, combining standard Monte Carlo calculations of the elastic scattering trajectories with coupled-channel calculations to describe inner-shell ionization and excitation as a function of impact parameter, reproduce the effects well and provide a means for far more complete analysis of medium-energy ion scattering data.

Fine structure of transient waves in a random medium: The correlation and spectral density functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenzel, Alan R.

1994-01-01

This is essentially a progress report on a theoretical investigation of the propagation of transient waves in a random medium. The emphasis in this study is on applications to sonic-boom propagation, particularly as regards the effect of atmospheric turbulence on the sonic-boom waveform. The analysis is general, however, and is applicable to other types of waves besides sonic-boom waves. The phenomenon of primary concern in this investigation is the fine structure of the wave. A figure is used to illustrate what is meant by finestructure.

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

Dag, Serkan; Yildirim, Bora; Sabuncuoglu, Baris

The objective of this study is to develop crack growth analysis methods for functionally graded materials (FGMs) subjected to mode I cyclic loading. The study presents finite elements based computational procedures for both two and three dimensional problems to examine fatigue crack growth in functionally graded materials. Developed methods allow the computation of crack length and generation of crack front profile for a graded medium subjected to fluctuating stresses. The results presented for an elliptical crack embedded in a functionally graded medium, illustrate the competing effects of ellipse aspect ratio and material property gradation on the fatigue crack growth behavior.

Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental health-related stigma and discrimination in the medium and long term: systematic review.

PubMed

Mehta, N; Clement, S; Marcus, E; Stona, A-C; Bezborodovs, N; Evans-Lacko, S; Palacios, J; Docherty, M; Barley, E; Rose, D; Koschorke, M; Shidhaye, R; Henderson, C; Thornicroft, G

2015-11-01

Most research on interventions to counter stigma and discrimination has focused on short-term outcomes and has been conducted in high-income settings. To synthesise what is known globally about effective interventions to reduce mental illness-based stigma and discrimination, in relation first to effectiveness in the medium and long term (minimum 4 weeks), and second to interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We searched six databases from 1980 to 2013 and conducted a multi-language Google search for quantitative studies addressing the research questions. Effect sizes were calculated from eligible studies where possible, and narrative syntheses conducted. Subgroup analysis compared interventions with and without social contact. Eighty studies (n = 422 653) were included in the review. For studies with medium or long-term follow-up (72, of which 21 had calculable effect sizes) median standardised mean differences were 0.54 for knowledge and -0.26 for stigmatising attitudes. Those containing social contact (direct or indirect) were not more effective than those without. The 11 LMIC studies were all from middle-income countries. Effect sizes were rarely calculable for behavioural outcomes or in LMIC studies. There is modest evidence for the effectiveness of anti-stigma interventions beyond 4 weeks follow-up in terms of increasing knowledge and reducing stigmatising attitudes. Evidence does not support the view that social contact is the more effective type of intervention for improving attitudes in the medium to long term. Methodologically strong research is needed on which to base decisions on investment in stigma-reducing interventions. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental health-related stigma and discrimination in the medium and long term: systematic review

PubMed Central

Mehta, N.; Clement, S.; Marcus, E.; Stona, A.-C.; Bezborodovs, N.; Evans-Lacko, S.; Palacios, J.; Docherty, M.; Barley, E.; Rose, D.; Koschorke, M.; Shidhaye, R.; Henderson, C.; Thornicroft, G.

2015-01-01

Background Most research on interventions to counter stigma and discrimination has focused on short-term outcomes and has been conducted in high-income settings. Aims To synthesise what is known globally about effective interventions to reduce mental illness-based stigma and discrimination, in relation first to effectiveness in the medium and long term (minimum 4 weeks), and second to interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Method We searched six databases from 1980 to 2013 and conducted a multi-language Google search for quantitative studies addressing the research questions. Effect sizes were calculated from eligible studies where possible, and narrative syntheses conducted. Subgroup analysis compared interventions with and without social contact. Results Eighty studies (n = 422 653) were included in the review. For studies with medium or long-term follow-up (72, of which 21 had calculable effect sizes) median standardised mean differences were 0.54 for knowledge and −0.26 for stigmatising attitudes. Those containing social contact (direct or indirect) were not more effective than those without. The 11 LMIC studies were all from middle-income countries. Effect sizes were rarely calculable for behavioural outcomes or in LMIC studies. Conclusions There is modest evidence for the effectiveness of anti-stigma interventions beyond 4 weeks follow-up in terms of increasing knowledge and reducing stigmatising attitudes. Evidence does not support the view that social contact is the more effective type of intervention for improving attitudes in the medium to long term. Methodologically strong research is needed on which to base decisions on investment in stigma-reducing interventions. PMID:26527664

Analysis mathematical literacy skills in terms of the students’ metacognition on PISA-CPS model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovan; Waluya, S. B.; Nugroho, S. E.

2018-03-01

This research was aimed to know the effectiveness of PISA-CPS model and desceibe the mathematical literacy skills (KLM) in terms of the students’ metacognition. This study used Mixed Methods approaches with the concurrent embedded desaign. The technique of data analysis on quantitative research done analysis of lesson plan, prerequisite test, test hypotesis 1 and hypotesis test. While qualitative research done data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclution and data verification. The subject of this study was the students of Grade Eight (VIII) of SMP Islam Sultan Agung 4 Semarang, Central Java. The writer analyzed the data with quantitative and qualitative approaches based on the metacognition of the students in low, medium and high groups. Subsequently, taken the mathematical literacy skills (KLM) from students’ metacognition in low, medium, and high . The results of the study showed that the PISA-CPS model was complete and the students’ mathematical literacy skills in terms of the students’ metacognition taught by the PISA-CPS model was higher than the expository learning. metacognitions’ students classified low hadmathematical literacy skills (KLM) less good, metacognitions’ students classified medium had mathematical literacy skills (KLM) good enough, metacognitions’ students classified high had mathematical literacy skills (KLM) very good. Based onresult analysis got conclusion that the PISA-CPS model was effective toward the students’ mathematical literacy skills (KLM). To increase the students’ mathematical literacy skills (KLM), the teachers need to provide reinforcements in the form of the exercises so that the student’s mathematical literacy was achieved at level 5 and level 6.

Cytotoxicity analysis of EDTA and citric acid applied on murine resident macrophages culture.

PubMed

Amaral, K F; Rogero, M M; Fock, R A; Borelli, P; Gavini, G

2007-05-01

To assess the ex vivo cytotoxicity of EDTA and citric acid solutions on macrophages. The cytotoxicity of 17% EDTA and 15% citric acid was evaluated on murine macrophage cultures using MTT-Tetrazolium method [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide]. A total of 5 x 10(5) cells were plated in medium culture with 17% EDTA or 15% citric acid. Fresh medium was used as a control. Toxicity values were analysed statistically by anova and Tukey's test (P<0.05) at short (0, 6, 12, 24 h) and medium periods (1, 3, 5, 7 days), using ELISA absorbance. On the short term, both EDTA (0.253 nm) and citric acid (0.260 nm) exhibited cytotoxic effects on macrophage cultures (P<0.05). On the medium term, statistical differences were observed (P<0.05) between the groups. EDTA (0.158 nm) and citric acid (0.219 nm) were cytotoxic when compared with the control group; EDTA-reduced macrophage viability significantly more than citric acid (P<0.05). Both EDTA and citric acid had effects on macrophages cells ex vivo, but citric acid was less toxic in periods from 1 to 7 days of use.

Perturbations of the seismic reflectivity of a fluid-saturated depth-dependent poroelastic medium.

PubMed

de Barros, Louis; Dietrich, Michel

2008-03-01

Analytical formulas are derived to compute the first-order effects produced by plane inhomogeneities on the point source seismic response of a fluid-filled stratified porous medium. The derivation is achieved by a perturbation analysis of the poroelastic wave equations in the plane-wave domain using the Born approximation. This approach yields the Frechet derivatives of the P-SV- and SH-wave responses in terms of the Green's functions of the unperturbed medium. The accuracy and stability of the derived operators are checked by comparing, in the time-distance domain, differential seismograms computed from these analytical expressions with complete solutions obtained by introducing discrete perturbations into the model properties. For vertical and horizontal point forces, it is found that the Frechet derivative approach is remarkably accurate for small and localized perturbations of the medium properties which are consistent with the Born approximation requirements. Furthermore, the first-order formulation appears to be stable at all source-receiver offsets. The porosity, consolidation parameter, solid density, and mineral shear modulus emerge as the most sensitive parameters in forward and inverse modeling problems. Finally, the amplitude-versus-angle response of a thin layer shows strong coupling effects between several model parameters.

The effect of growth medium salinity of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida on the immune response of hybrid bass (Morone saxatilis x M. chrysops).

PubMed

Nitzan, S; Shwartsburd, B; Heller, E D

2004-02-01

Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (P. damselae) was grown on various media and the effect of media salinity on certain immune responses of hybrid bass was studied. In Israel, pasteurellosis outbreaks have not been reported at water salinities below 1.38 per thousand. During vaccination experiments the salinity of the medium on which P. damselae is grown, was shown to affect stimulation of the immune system. No correlation was found between antibody response and protection. Bacterial envelopes separated by electrophoresis and subjected to western blot analysis revealed an antibody response against some protein bands. Band sequencing was performed to identify the protein stimulating the immune response. Sequence identity of 80% was seen in 10-amino-acid overlap of the 36-kDa band with a specific gene of alkalophilic Bacillus firmus. A preparation of P. damselae grown in a 2.5% NaCl medium at 25 degrees C is the most effective vaccine against pasteurellosis, providing hybrid bass with quite good protection.

Comparative Effectiveness of Pharmacological Interventions for Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Singh, Siddharth; Murad, Mohammad Hassan; Chandar, Apoorva K; Bongiorno, Connie M; Singal, Ashwani K; Atkinson, Stephen R; Thursz, Mark R; Loomba, Rohit; Shah, Vijay H

2015-10-01

Severe alcoholic hepatitis (AH) has high mortality. We assessed the comparative effectiveness of pharmacological interventions for severe AH, through a network meta-analysis combining direct and indirect treatment comparisons. We conducted a systematic literature review, through February 2015, for randomized controlled trials of adults with severe AH (discriminant function ≥32 and/or hepatic encephalopathy) that compared the efficacy of active pharmacologic interventions (corticosteroids, pentoxifylline, and N-acetylcysteine [NAC], alone or in combination) with each other or placebo, in reducing short-term mortality (primary outcome) and medium-term mortality, acute kidney injury, and/or infections (secondary outcomes). We performed direct and Bayesian network meta-analysis for all treatments, and used Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria to appraise quality of evidence. We included 22 randomized controlled trials (2621 patients) comparing 5 different interventions. In a direct meta-analysis, only corticosteroids decreased risk of short-term mortality. In a network meta-analysis, moderate quality evidence supported the use of corticosteroids alone (relative risk [RR], 0.54; 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.39-0.73) or in combination with pentoxifylline (RR, 0.53; 95% CrI, 0.36-0.78) or NAC (RR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05-0.39), to reduce short-term mortality; low quality evidence showed that pentoxifylline also decreased short-term mortality (RR, 0.70; 95% CrI, 0.50-0.97). The addition of NAC, but not pentoxifylline, to corticosteroids may be superior to corticosteroids alone for reducing short-term mortality. No treatment was effective in reducing medium-term mortality. Imprecise estimates and the small number of direct trials lowered the confidence in several comparisons. In patients with severe AH, pentoxifylline and corticosteroids (alone and in combination with pentoxifylline or NAC) can reduce short-term mortality. No treatment decreases risk of medium-term mortality. Copyright © 2015 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ascorbic acid treatment elevates follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone plasma levels and enhances sperm quality in albino Wistar rats.

PubMed

Okon, Uduak Akpan; Utuk, Ikponoabasi Ibanga

2016-01-01

Infertility issues have been linked to the effect of oxidative reaction in the reproductive system. This study evaluated the effect of ascorbic acid, on fertility parameters of male albino Wistar rats was studied. Eighteen albino Wistar rats weighed between 178 g and 241 g were used, randomly assigned into three groups. Group 1 was the control group; oral gavaged 5 ml of distilled water; Groups 2 and 3 were administered medium dose (250 mg/kg) and high dose of ascorbic acid (400 mg/kg), respectively; twice daily for 21 days. Blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture, and blood serum was obtained for hormonal assay, and the testes were harvested for sperm analysis. Follicle stimulating hormone levels significantly increased in the high-dose group as compared to both the control and medium dose groups. Luteinizing hormone levels in the medium dose group decreased significantly as compared to the control group. Testosterone significantly increased in both the medium- and high-dose groups as compared to the control group. Sperm motility increased significantly in the high-dose group as compared to both control and medium-dose groups. Percentage sperm concentration decreased significantly in the medium-dose group when compared to the control and increased significantly in the high-dose group as compared to the medium-dose group. For percentage normal morphology, there was a dose-dependent increase in the test groups when compared to control group. These results are indicative of a positive influence of ascorbic acid on male fertility modulators and may therefore, serve as a potential adjuvant treatment for male infertility cases.

On gel electrophoresis of dielectric charged particles with hydrophobic surface: A combined theoretical and numerical study.

PubMed

Majee, Partha Sarathi; Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Gopmandal, Partha Pratim; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

2018-03-01

A theoretical study on the gel electrophoresis of a charged particle incorporating the effects of dielectric polarization and surface hydrophobicity at the particle-liquid interface is made. A simplified model based on the weak applied field and low charge density assumption is also presented and compared with the full numerical model for a nonpolarizable particle to elucidate the nonlinear effects such as double layer polarization and relaxation as well as surface conduction. The main motivation of this study is to analyze the electrophoresis of the surface functionalized nanoparticle with tunable hydrophobicity or charged fluid drop in gel medium by considering the electrokinetic effects and hydrodynamic interactions between the particle and the gel medium. An effective medium approach, in which the transport in the electrolyte-saturated hydrogel medium is governed by the Brinkman equation, is adopted in the present analysis. The governing electrokinetic equations based on the conservation principles are solved numerically. The Navier-slip boundary condition along with the continuity condition of dielectric displacement are imposed on the surface of the hydrophobic polarizable particle. The impact of the slip length on the electrophoresis is profound for a thinner Debye layer, however, surface conduction effect also becomes significant for a hydrophobic particle. Impact of hydrophobicity and relaxation effects are higher for a larger particle. Dielectric polarization creates a reduction in its electrophoretic propulsion and has negligible impact at the thinner Debye length as well as lower gel screening length. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Study of Automobile Market Dynamics : Volume 2. Analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-08-01

Volume II describes the work in providing statistical inputs to a computer model by examining the effects of various options on the number of automobiles sold; the distribution of sales among small, medium and large cars; the distribution between aut...

Synthetic cystic fibrosis sputum medium diminishes Burkholderia cenocepacia antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus independently of phenylacetic acid production.

PubMed

Lightly, Tasia Joy; Phung, Ryan R; Sorensen, John L; Cardona, Silvia T

2017-05-01

Phenylacetic acid (PAA), an intermediate of phenylalanine degradation, is emerging as a signal molecule in microbial interactions with the host. In this work, we explore the presence of phenylalanine and PAA catabolism in 3 microbial pathogens of the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung microbiome: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cenocepacia, and Aspergillus fumigatus. While in silico analysis of B. cenocepacia J2315 and A. fumigatus Af293 genome sequences showed complete pathways from phenylalanine to PAA, the P. aeruginosa PAO1 genome lacked several coding genes for phenylalanine and PAA catabolic enzymes. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of supernatants from B. cenocepacia K56-2 detected PAA when grown in Luria-Bertani medium but not in synthetic cystic fibrosis sputum medium (SCFM). However, we were unable to identify PAA production by A. fumigatus or P. aeruginosa in any of the conditions tested. The inhibitory effect of B. cenocepacia on A. fumigatus growth was evaluated using agar plate interaction assays. Inhibition of fungal growth by B. cenocepacia was lessened in SCFM but this effect was not dependent on bacterial production of PAA. In summary, while we demonstrated PAA production by B. cenocepacia, we were not able to link this metabolite with the B. cenocepacia - A. fumigatus microbial interaction in CF nutritional conditions.

Nitrogen sparing effect of structured triglycerides containing both medium-and long-chain fatty acids in critically ill patients; a double blind randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Lindgren, B F; Ruokonen, E; Magnusson-Borg, K; Takala, J

2001-02-01

Patients with sepsis and trauma are characterised by hypermetabolism, insulin resistance and protein catabolism. Fat emulsions containing medium chain triglycerides have been suggested to be beneficial for these patients since medium chain fatty acids are a more readily available source of energy when compared to long chain fatty acids. The aim of this study was to compare a medium and long chain triglyceride emulsion consisting of structured triglycerides (ST) with a long chain triglyceride (LCT) emulsion in terms of effects on nitrogen balance, energy metabolism and safety. 30 ICU patients with sepsis or multiple injury received a fat emulsion with ST or 20% LCT (1.5 g triglycerides/kg body weight/day) as a component of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), for 5 days in a double blind randomised parallel group design. The main analysis was made on the 3 day per protocol population due to lack of patients at day 5. There were no differences in baseline characteristics of the two groups receiving either the LCT or the ST emulsion. The efficacy analysis was performed on the per protocol population (n=9 ST, n=11 LCT). There was a significant difference between the two treatments regarding daily nitrogen balances when the first 3 days were analysed P=0.0038). This resulted in an amelioration of the nitrogen balance on day 3 in the group on ST as compared to those on LCT (0.1+/-2.4 g vs -9.9+/-2.1 g P=0.01). The 3 day cumulative nitrogen balance was significantly better in the group receiving ST compared to those on LCT (-0.7+/-6.0 vs -16.7+/-3.9 P=0.03). This better cumulative nitrogen balance on day 3 was also preserved as a tendency (P=0.061) in the analysis of the intention to treat population, but on day 5 there was no significant difference (P=0.08). The ST emulsion was well tolerated and no difference was found compared to the LCT emulsion regarding respiratory quotient, energy expenditure, glucose or triglyceride levels during infusion. Administration of a structured triglyceride emulsion resulted in an amelioration of nitrogen balance despite no effect on energy expenditure in short term administration over 3 days to ICU patients when compared to a long chain triglyceride emulsion. No side effects linked to medium chain triglycerides were noted. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Response of a semiconducting infinite medium under two temperature theory with photothermal excitation due to laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotfy, Kh.; Gabr, M. E.

2017-12-01

A novel model of two-dimensional deformations for two-temperature theory at the free surface under the excitation of thermoelastic wave by pulsed laser for a semi-infinite semiconducting medium is studied. The effect of mechanical force during a photothermal process is investigated. The mathematical methods of the Lord-Shulman (LS includes one relaxation time) and Green-Lindsay (GL with two relaxation times) theories as well as the classical dynamical coupled theory (CD) are used. An exact expression for displacement components, force stresses, carrier density and distribution of temperature are obtained using the harmonic wave analysis. Combinations of two-temperature and photothermal theories are obtained analytically. Comparisons of the results are made between the three theories also. The effects of thermoelectric coupling parameter, two-temperature parameter on the displacement component, force stress, carrier density, and distribution of temperature for silicon (Si) medium have been illustrated graphically. The variations of the considered variables with the horizontal distance have been discussed.

Sequential low and medium frequency ultrasound assists biodegradation of wheat chaff by white rot fungal enzymes.

PubMed

Oliver, Christine M; Mawson, Raymond; Melton, Laurence D; Dumsday, Geoff; Welch, Jessica; Sanguansri, Peerasak; Singh, Tanoj K; Augustin, Mary Ann

2014-10-13

The consequences of ultrasonic pre-treatment using low (40 kHz) and medium (270 kHz) frequency (40 kHz followed by 270 kHz) on the degradation of wheat chaff (8 g 100ml(-1) acetate buffer, pH 5) were evaluated. In addition, the effects of the ultrasonic pre-treatment on the degradation of the wheat chaff when subsequently exposed to enzyme extracts from two white rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Trametes sp.) were investigated. Pre-treatment by sequential low and medium frequency ultrasound had a disruptive effect on the lignocellulosic matrix. Analysis of the phenolic-derived volatiles after enzymatic hydrolysis showed that biodegradation with the enzyme extract obtained from P. chrysosporium was more pronounced compared to that of the Trametes sp. The efficacy of the ultrasonic pre-treatment was attributed to increased enzyme accessibility of the cellulose fibrils due to sonication-induced disruption of the plant surface structure, as shown by changes in the microstructure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Research on Time-frequency Characteristics of Magneto-acoustic Signal of Different Thickness Medium Based on Wave Summing Method].

PubMed

Zhang, Shunqi; Yin, Tao; Ma, Ren; Liu, Zhipeng

2015-08-01

Functional imaging method of biological electrical characteristics based on magneto-acoustic effect gives valuable information of tissue in early tumor diagnosis, therein time and frequency characteristics analysis of magneto-acoustic signal is important in image reconstruction. This paper proposes wave summing method based on Green function solution for acoustic source of magneto-acoustic effect. Simulations and analysis under quasi 1D transmission condition are carried out to time and frequency characteristics of magneto-acoustic signal of models with different thickness. Simulation results of magneto-acoustic signal were verified through experiments. Results of the simulation with different thickness showed that time-frequency characteristics of magneto-acoustic signal reflected thickness of sample. Thin sample, which is less than one wavelength of pulse, and thick sample, which is larger than one wavelength, showed different summed waveform and frequency characteristics, due to difference of summing thickness. Experimental results verified theoretical analysis and simulation results. This research has laid a foundation for acoustic source and conductivity reconstruction to the medium with different thickness in magneto-acoustic imaging.

A two-dimensional approach to relationship conflict: meta-analytic findings.

PubMed

Woodin, Erica M

2011-06-01

This meta-analysis of 64 studies (5,071 couples) used a metacoding system to categorize observed couple conflict behaviors into categories differing in terms of valence (positive to negative) and intensity (high to low) and resulting in five behavioral categories: hostility, distress, withdrawal, problem solving, and intimacy. Aggregate effect sizes indicated that women were somewhat more likely to display hostility, distress, and intimacy during conflict, whereas men were somewhat more likely to display withdrawal and problem solving. Gender differences were of a small magnitude. For both men and women, hostility was robustly associated with lower relationship satisfaction (medium effect), distress and withdrawal were somewhat associated (small effect), and intimacy and problem solving were both closely associated with relationship satisfaction (medium effect). Effect sizes were moderated in several cases by study characteristics including year of publication, developmental period of the sample, recruitment design, duration of observed conflict, method used to induce conflict, and type of coding system used. Findings from this meta-analysis suggest that high-intensity conflict behaviors of both a positive and negative nature are important correlates of relationship satisfaction and underscore the relatively small gender differences in many conflict behaviors. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

Monitoring of anatabine release by methyl jasmonate elicited BY-2 cells using surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

PubMed

De Bleye, C; Dumont, E; Dispas, A; Hubert, C; Sacré, P-Y; Netchacovitch, L; De Muyt, B; Kevers, C; Dommes, J; Hubert, Ph; Ziemons, E

2016-11-01

A new application of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in the field of plant material analysis is proposed in this study. The aim was to monitor the release of anatabine by methyl jasmonate (MeJa) elicited Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells. Gold nanoparticles (AuNps) were used as SERS substrate. The first step was to study the SERS activity of anatabine in a complex matrix comprising the culture medium and BY-2 cells. The second step was the calibration. This one was successfully performed directly in the culture medium in order to take into account the matrix effect, by spiking the medium with different concentrations of anatabine, leading to solutions ranging from 250 to 5000µgL(-1). A univariate analysis was performed, the intensity of a band situated at 1028cm(-1), related to anatabine, was plotted against the anatabine concentration. A linear relationship was observed with a R(2) of 0.9951. During the monitoring study, after the MeJa elicitation, samples were collected from the culture medium containing BY-2 cells at 0, 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h and were analysed using SERS. Finally, the amount of anatabine released in the culture medium was determined using the response function, reaching a plateau after 72h of 82µg of anatabine released/g of fresh weight (FW) MeJa elicited BY-2 cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Internet-delivered transdiagnostic and tailored cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Păsărelu, Costina Ruxandra; Andersson, Gerhard; Bergman Nordgren, Lise; Dobrean, Anca

2017-01-01

Anxiety and depressive disorders are often comorbid. Transdiagnostic and tailored treatments seem to be promising approaches in dealing with comorbidity. Although several primary studies have examined the effects of Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) for anxiety and depression, no meta-analysis including different types of iCBT that address comorbidity has been conducted so far. We conducted systematic searches in databases up to 1 July 2016. Only randomized trials comparing transdiagnostic/tailored iCBT for adult anxiety and/or depression with control groups were included. Nineteen randomized trials with a total of 2952 participants that met inclusion criteria were analyzed. The quality of the studies was high, however the blinding criteria were not fulfilled. The uncontrolled effect size (Hedges' g) of transdiagnostic/tailored iCBT on anxiety and depression outcomes was large and medium for quality of life. The controlled effect size for iCBT on anxiety and depression outcomes was medium to large (anxiety: g = .82, 95% CI: .58-1.05, depression: g = .79, 95% CI: .59-1.00) and medium on quality of life (g = .56, 95% CI: .37-.73). Heterogeneity was small (quality of life) to moderate (anxiety, depression). There was a large effect on generic outcome measures and a moderate effect on comorbidities. When compared to disorder-specific treatments there were no differences on anxiety and quality of life outcomes, however there were differences in depression outcomes. Transdiagnostic and tailored iCBT are effective interventions for anxiety disorders and depression. Future studies should investigate mechanisms of change and develop outcome measures for these interventions.

Preparation of individual human diploid fibroblasts and study of ion transport.

PubMed

Abraham, E H; Breslow, J L; Epstein, J; Chang-Sing, P; Lechene, C

1985-01-01

A method for analyzing individual mammalian cells with electron probe microanalysis has been developed using human diploid fibroblasts. Cells were grown on the same support that is used for experimental manipulations and analysis. Steady-state cation and anion concentrations and kinetic processes during experimental perturbations could be measured on populations of less than 1,000 cells. Human diploid fibroblasts in normal tissue culture medium had the following intracellular concentrations (in mM): K, 168; Na, 25.0; Cl, 51.2; P, 84.1; S, 16.5; Ca, 6.04; and Mg, 10.0. The ratios of K to Na were equivalent when measured in the nuclear or cytoplasmic area of the cells. Serum in the incubation medium was found to increase the cellular effective permeability to Na by a factor of 2.5, while leaving the effective permeability to K unchanged. When returned to control medium after 7 h of incubation in K-free medium, the cells recovered normal K/Na in less than 1 h. In some experiments the coupling ratio of the ouabain-inhibitable cellular transport of Na to K was 3:2 and the ratio of Cl to K was 1:2. The sum of intracellular content (Na + K) (an estimate of cellular volume) did not change when the cells were placed in K-free medium and increased by less than 30% after ouabain treatment. After 5-7 h of ouabain treatment or of incubation in K-free medium, long after the intracellular K had been replaced by Na, the cellular chloride content had not changed significantly.

Computational Analysis on Performance of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Diffuser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adib, M. A. H. M.; Adnan, F.; Ismail, A. R.; Kardigama, K.; Salaam, H. A.; Ahmad, Z.; Johari, N. H.; Anuar, Z.; Azmi, N. S. N.

2012-09-01

Application of thermal energy storage (TES) system reduces cost and energy consumption. The performance of the overall operation is affected by diffuser design. In this study, computational analysis is used to determine the thermocline thickness. Three dimensional simulations with different tank height-to-diameter ratio (HD), diffuser opening and the effect of difference number of diffuser holes are investigated. Medium HD tanks simulations with double ring octagonal diffuser show good thermocline behavior and clear distinction between warm and cold water. The result show, the best performance of thermocline thickness during 50% time charging occur in medium tank with height-to-diameter ratio of 4.0 and double ring octagonal diffuser with 48 holes (9mm opening ~ 60%) acceptable compared to diffuser with 6mm ~ 40% and 12mm ~ 80% opening. The conclusion is computational analysis method are very useful in the study on performance of thermal energy storage (TES).

The Web as a Delivery Medium To Enhance Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillani, Bijan

1998-01-01

Discusses how to design and develop an effective Web site to enhance instruction based on a graduate course at California State University at Hayward. Topics include the analysis phase, content organization, site architecture, interface design, testing, and the evaluation process. (LRW)

Development of markers for cholinergic neurones in re-aggregate cultures of foetal rat whole brain in serum-containing and serum-free media: effects of triiodothyronine (T3).

PubMed Central

Atterwill, C. K.; Kingsbury, A.; Nicholls, J.; Prince, A.

1984-01-01

Development has been studied in re-aggregate cultures derived from the 16 day foetal rat brain and the effects of triiodothyronine (T3) investigated. Cultures were maintained in either a medium containing 10% serum (S+), or in serum-free culture medium (S-) or in serum-free medium containing 30nM T3. The muscarinic cholinoceptor, measured by specific binding of [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzitate ([3H]-QNB) at 9 and 14 days in vitro, was at a lower level in the serum-free cultured cells compared with those in serum-containing culture medium (S+). In cultures in the latter medium, receptor concentration at day 14 was of a similar magnitude to that in rat brain at an equivalent postnatal age. Binding increased with development from 9 to 14 days in vitro in the S+ medium but not in the S- medium. T3 treatment caused an 85% increase in [3H]-QNB binding compared with the cultures in S- medium at day 14 to a level equivalent to that found in the cells grown in S+ medium. This increase was reflected in the Bmax but not in the KD (approx. 0.1nM). Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity developed more slowly in the S- medium than in the S+ medium where the specific activity approximated values obtained in vivo. T3 treatment of cultures grow in S- medium significantly enhanced the developmental rate of increase of ChAT activity. The characteristics of [3H]-choline uptake and metabolism in the cultures was examined. Uptake was strictly Na+-independent but was energy-dependent, and inhibited by 2, 4'-dinitrophenol (2, 4'-DNP) and cooling (0-4 degrees C). Neither iodoacetate nor ouabain had any effect on the amount of uptake. Hemicholinium (HC3) was a potent inhibitor of uptake (70% inhibition at 10 microM HC3). Metabolism studies showed virtually no conversion to [3H]-acetylcholine ([3H]-ACH) in reaggregates grown in either the S+, S- or T3 containing media. However, a small amount of [3H]-choline was incorporated into phosphorylcholine. T3 treatment had no effect on this metabolic profile. The kinetics of [3H]-choline uptake by the re-aggregates was also studied in the re-aggregate cultures (after 12 and 22 days in vitro) using [3H]-choline at 0.05-100 microM. Both Eadie-Hofstee transformation and least-squares analysis of the data showed that the uptake comprised only a single low-affinity component with an apparent Kt = approx. 50 microM. Unlike ChAT and [3H]-QNB binding, there appeared to be no difference between the uptake in the different culture conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) Images Fig. 6 PMID:6487898

Estrogen and phenol red free medium for osteoblast culture: study of the mineralization ability.

PubMed

de Faria, A N; Zancanela, D C; Ramos, A P; Torqueti, M R; Ciancaglini, P

2016-08-01

To design an estrogen and phenol red free medium for cell culture and check its effectiveness and safety on osteoblast growth it is necessary to maintain the estrogen receptors free for tests. For this purpose, we tested some modifications of the traditional culture media: estrogen depleted fetal bovine serum; estrogen charcoal stripped fetal bovine serum and phenol red free α-MEM. The aim of this work is to examine the effects of its depletion in the proliferation, differentiation, and toxicity of mesenchymal stromal cells differentiated into osteoblasts to obtain an effective interference free culture medium for in vitro studies, focused on non-previously studied estrogen receptors. We performed viability tests using the following techniques: MTT, alkaline phosphatase specific activity, formation of mineralized matrix by Alizarin technique and analysis of SEM/EDX of mineralized nodules. The results showed that the culture media with estrogen free α-MEM + phenol red free α-MEM did not impact viability, alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization of the osteoblasts culture compared to control. In addition, its nodules possess Ca/P ratio similar to hydroxyapatite nodules on the 14th and 21st day. In conclusion, the modified culture medium with phenol red free α-MEM with estrogen depleted fetal bovine serum can be safely used in experiments where the estrogen receptors need to be free.

Effect of Lipid Peroxidation Products on the Activity of Human Retinol Dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12) and Retinoid Metabolism

PubMed Central

Lee, Seung-Ah; Belyaeva, Olga V.; Kedishvili, Natalia Y.

2008-01-01

SUMMARY Mutations in human Retinol Dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12) are known to cause photoreceptor cell death but the physiological function of RDH12 in photoreceptors remains poorly understood. In vitro, RDH12 recognizes both retinoids and medium-chain aldehydes as substrates. Our previous study suggested that RDH12 protects cells against toxic levels of retinaldehyde and retinoic acid [Lee et al., J. Biol. Chem. 282 (2007) 35621–35628]. Here, we investigated whether RDH12 can also protect cells against highly reactive medium-chain aldehydes. Analysis of cell survival demonstrated that RDH12 was protective against nonanal but not against 4-hydroxynonenal. At high concentrations, nonanal inhibited the activity of RDH12 towards retinaldehyde, suggesting that nonanal was metabolized by RDH12. 4-Hydroxynonenal did not inhibit the RDH12 retinaldehyde reductase activity, but it strongly inhibited the activities of lecithin:retinol acyl transferase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, resulting in decreased levels of retinyl esters and retinoic acid and accumulation of unesterified retinol. Thus, the results of this study showed that RDH12 is more effective in protection against retinaldehyde than against medium-chain aldehydes, and that medium-chain aldehydes, especially 4-hydroxynonenal, severely disrupt cellular retinoid homeostasis. Together, these findings provide a new insight into the effects of lipid peroxidation products and the impact of oxidative stress on retinoid metabolism. PMID:18396173

Characterization of third-body media particles and their effect on in vitro composite wear

PubMed Central

Lawson, Nathaniel C.; Cakir, Deniz; Beck, Preston; Litaker, Mark S.; Burgess, John O.

2012-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare four medium particles currently used for in vitro composite wear testing (glass and PMMA beads and millet and poppy seeds). Methods Particles were prepared as described in previous wear studies. Hardness of medium particles was measured with a nano-indentor, particle size was measured with a particle size analyzer, and the particle form was determined with light microscopy and image analysis software. Composite wear was measured using each type of medium and water in the Alabama wear testing device. Four dental composites were compared: a hybrid (Z100), flowable microhybrid (Estelite Flow Quick), micromatrix (Esthet-X), and nano-filled (Filtek Supreme Plus). The test ran for 100,000 cycles at 1.2Hz with 70N force by a steel antagonist. Volumetric wear was measured by non-contact profilometry. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test was used to compare both materials and media. Results Hardness values (GPa) of the particles are (glass, millet, PMMA, poppy respectively): 1.310(0.150), 0.279(.170), 0.279(0.095), and 0.226(0.146). Average particle sizes (μm) are (glass, millet, PMMA, poppy respectively): 88.35(8.24), 8.07(4.05), 28.95(8.74), and 14.08(7.20). Glass and PMMA beads were considerably more round than the seeds. During composite wear testing, glass was the only medium that produced more wear than the use of water alone. The rank ordering of the materials varied with each medium, however, the glass and PMMA bead medium allowed better discrimination between materials. Significance PMMA beads are a practical and relevant choice for composite wear testing because they demonstrate similar physical properties as seeds but reduce the variability of wear measurements. PMID:22578990

Effects of sodium pentaborate pentahydrate exposure on Chlorella vulgaris growth, chlorophyll content, and enzyme activities.

PubMed

Chen, Xueqing; Pei, Yuansheng

2016-10-01

Sodium pentaborate pentahydrate (SPP) is a rare mineral. In this study, SPP was synthesized from boric acid and borax through low-temperature crystallization, and its effects on the growth of the alga, Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) were assessed. The newly synthesized SPP was characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential thermal analysis. The changes in C. vulgaris growth, chlorophyll content, and enzyme activities upon exposure to SPP for 168h were evaluated. Results showed that SPP treatment was detrimental to C. vulgaris growth during the first 24-120h of exposure. The harmful effects, however, diminished over time (168h), even at an effective medium concentration of 226.37mg BL(-1) (the concentration of boron applied per liter of culture medium). A similar trend was observed for chlorophyll content (chlorophyll a and b) and indicated that the photosynthesis of C. vulgaris was not affected and that high levels of SPP may even promote chlorophyll synthesis. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities of C. vulgaris increased during 24-120h exposure to SPP, but these activities gradually decreased as culture time progressed. In other words, the initial detrimental effects of synthetic SPP on C. vulgaris were temporary and reversible. This research provides a scientific basis for applications of SPP in the environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of group social skills interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gates, Jacquelyn A; Kang, Erin; Lerner, Matthew D

2017-03-01

Group-based social skills interventions (GSSIs) are widely used for treating social competence among youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but their efficacy is unclear. Previous meta-analysis of the literature on well-designed trials of GSSIs is limited in size and scope, collapsing across highly heterogeneous sources (parents; youths; teachers; observers; behavioral tasks). The current meta-analysis of randomized control trials (RCTs) was conducted to ascertain overall effectiveness of GSSIs and differences by reporting sources. Nineteen RCTs met inclusion criteria. Results show that overall positive aggregate effects were medium (g=0.51, p<0.001). Effects were large for self-report (g=0.92, p<0.001), medium for task-based measures (g=0.58, p<0.001), small for parent- and observer-report (g=0.47 and 0.40, respectively, p<0.001), and nonsignificant for teacher-report (p=0.11). Moderation analyses of self-report revealed the effect was wholly attributable to youth reporting that they learned about skilled social behaviors (social knowledge; g=1.15, p<0.01), but not that they enacted them (social performance; g=0.28, p=0.31). Social skills interventions presently appear modestly effective for youth with ASD, but may not generalize to school settings or self-reported social behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medium Suppression of In medium Nucleon-Nucleon Cross Sections Predicted with Various Microscopic Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yong-Zhong; Lu, Fei-Ping; Wei, Xiao-Ping; Zheng, Yu-Ming

2014-08-01

The nucleon-nucleon cross sections in the dense nuclear matter are microscopically calculated by using Dirac—Brueckner—Hartree—Fock (DBHF) approximation with different covariant representations of the T-matrix, i.e., complete pseudo-vector (CPV), pseudoscalar (PS) and pseudo-vector (PV) choices. Special attention is paid to the discrepancies among the cross sections calculated with these different T-matrix project choices. The results show that the medium suppression of the cross section given by DBHF in the CPV choice is not only smaller than those obtained in both PS and PV choices, but also smaller than the predictions with a nonrelativistic Brueckner—Hartree—Fock (BHF) method including three body force (3BF). The further analysis reveals that the influence of the different choices on the cross section in the DBHF approximation is mainly determined by the state of smaller total angular momentum due to the medium effect being strongly suppressed in the higher angular momentum.

Does the type of culture medium used influence birthweight of children born after IVF?

PubMed

Zandstra, Heleen; Van Montfoort, Aafke P A; Dumoulin, John C M

2015-03-01

Do culture media influence birthweight of children born after IVF? Some studies have observed a significant effect of culture media on birthweight, while others have not, but since most studies compared different culture media, conventional meta-analysis was not possible. Animal studies suggest that in vitro culture of embryos can have a significant effect on the birthweight of offspring when compared with in vivo developed embryos. The type of culture medium (or certain components of the medium) used is one of the causal factors. We reviewed all available literature reporting on a relation between culture medium and birthweight in human studies and a selection of animal studies. An extensive literature search on Pubmed and Medline was performed with relevant search criteria relating to IVF, birthweight and culture medium. Eleven studies reporting on a relationship between culture medium and birthweight in human were included in this review. Five of these found significant differences in birthweight when offspring born after culture in different culture media were compared. The remaining studies did not find differences in birthweight after changing culture medium. The number of human studies is limited and different culture media with different compositions are compared which makes a comparison between the studies difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, most study designs were retrospective with consecutive use of different culture media and limited sample sizes, which makes bias of the results likely. If it could be confirmed that the type of culture medium used does indeed influence phenotypic characteristics (such as birthweight) of children born after IVF, it would underline the importance of monitoring the health of IVF children in relation to aspects of the laboratory techniques used during embryo culture. No funding was applicable to this study. No conflict of interest is declared. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hypoxic-Preconditioned Bone Marrow Stem Cell Medium Significantly Improves Outcome After Retinal Ischemia in Rats

PubMed Central

Roth, Steven; Dreixler, John C.; Mathew, Biji; Balyasnikova, Irina; Mann, Jacob R.; Boddapati, Venkat; Xue, Lai; Lesniak, Maciej S.

2016-01-01

Purpose We have previously demonstrated the protective effect of bone marrow stem cell (BMSC)-conditioned medium in retinal ischemic injury. We hypothesized here that hypoxic preconditioning of stem cells significantly enhances the neuroprotective effect of the conditioned medium and thereby augments the protective effect in ischemic retina. Methods Rats were subjected to retinal ischemia by increasing intraocular pressure to 130 to 135 mm Hg for 55 minutes. Hypoxic-preconditioned, hypoxic unconditioned, or normoxic medium was injected into the vitreous 24 hours after ischemia ended. Recovery was assessed 7 days after injections by comparing electroretinography measurements, histologic examination, and apoptosis (TUNEL, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay). To compare proteins secreted into the medium in the groups and the effect of hypoxic exposure, we used rat cytokine arrays. Results Eyes injected with hypoxic BMSC–conditioned medium 24 hours after ischemia demonstrated significantly enhanced return of retinal function, decreased retinal ganglion cell layer loss, and attenuated apoptosis compared to those administered normoxic or hypoxic unconditioned medium. Hypoxic-preconditioned medium had 21 significantly increased protein levels compared to normoxic medium. Conclusions The medium from hypoxic-preconditioned BMSCs robustly restored retinal function and prevented cell loss after ischemia when injected 24 hours after ischemia. The protective effect was even more pronounced than in our previous studies of normoxic conditioned medium. Prosurvival signals triggered by the secretome may play a role in this neuroprotective effect. PMID:27367588

Effectiveness of different styles of massage therapy in fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Yuan, Susan Lee King; Matsutani, Luciana Akemi; Marques, Amélia Pasqual

2015-04-01

The systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of massage in fibromyalgia. An electronic search was conducted at MEDLINE, SCiELO, EMBASE, ISI, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL and LILACS (Jan 1990-May 2013). Ten randomized and non-randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of massage alone on symptoms and health-related quality of life of adult patients with fibromyalgia were included. Two reviewers independently screened records, examined full-text reports for compliance with the eligibility criteria, and extracted data. Meta-analysis (pooled from 145 participants) shows that myofascial release had large, positive effects on pain and medium effects on anxiety and depression at the end of treatment, in contrast with placebo; effects on pain and depression were maintained in the medium and short term, respectively. Narrative analysis suggests that: myofascial release also improves fatigue, stiffness and quality of life; connective tissue massage improves depression and quality of life; manual lymphatic drainage is superior to connective tissue massage regarding stiffness, depression and quality of life; Shiatsu improves pain, pressure pain threshold, fatigue, sleep and quality of life; and Swedish massage does not improve outcomes. There is moderate evidence that myofascial release is beneficial for fibromyalgia symptoms. Limited evidence supports the application of connective tissue massage and Shiatsu. Manual lymphatic drainage may be superior to connective tissue massage, and Swedish massage may have no effects. Overall, most styles of massage therapy consistently improved the quality of life of fibromyalgia patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Affective empathy in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bonfils, Kelsey A; Lysaker, Paul H; Minor, Kyle S; Salyers, Michelle P

2016-08-01

Affective empathy, or the emotional response one has to the experiences or emotional states of others, contributes to relationship-maintaining behaviors and is key in fostering social connections, yet no work has synthesized the body of literature for people with schizophrenia. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to determine the extent to which those diagnosed with schizophrenia experience deficits in affective empathy. A literature search was conducted of studies examining empathy. Data were analyzed using a random effects meta-analytic model with Hedges' g standardized mean difference effect size. Individuals with schizophrenia exhibited significant, medium deficits in affective empathy (k=37). Measurement type moderated the affective empathy deficit such that performance-based measures showed larger schizophrenia group deficits than self-report measures. Consistent, significant deficits in affective empathy were found comparing people with schizophrenia to healthy controls, especially when using performance-based assessments. The medium effect suggests an important role for empathy in the realm of social cognitive research, and points to the need for further investigation of measurement techniques and associations with functional outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inhibitive effect of Xylopia ferruginea extract on the corrosion of mild steel in 1M HCl medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raja, Pandian Bothi; Rahim, Afidah Abdul; Osman, Hasnah; Awang, Khalijah

2011-08-01

The alkaloid content of the leaves and stem bark of Xylopia ferruginea plant was isolated and tested for its anticorrosion potential on mild steel corrosion in a hydrochloric acid medium by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) analysis. The experimental results reveal the effective anticorrosion potential of the plant extract. The mixed mode of action exhibited by the plant extract is evidenced from the polarization study. SEM images proof the formation of a protective layer over the mild steel surface, and this is supported by the FTIR study. The possible mode of the corrosion inhibition mechanism has also been discussed.

Finite-size effects on the radiative energy loss of a fast parton in hot and dense strongly interacting matter

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

Caron-Huot, Simon; Gale, Charles

2010-12-15

We consider finite-size effects on the radiative energy loss of a fast parton moving in a finite-temperature, strongly interacting medium, using the light-cone path integral formalism put forward by B. G. Zakharov [JETP Lett. 63, 952 (1996); 65, 615 (1997)]. We present a convenient reformulation of the problem that makes possible its exact numerical analysis. This is done by introducing the concept of a radiation rate in the presence of finite-size effects. This effectively extends the finite-temperature approach of Arnold, Moore, and Yaffe [J. High Energy Phys. 11 (2001) 057; 12 (2001) 009; 06 (2001) 030] (AMY) to include interferencemore » between vacuum and medium radiation. We compare results with those obtained in the regime considered by AMY, with those obtained at leading order in an opacity expansion, and with those obtained deep in the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal regime.« less

PHAGE FORMATION IN STAPHYLOCOCCUS MUSCAE CULTURES

PubMed Central

Price, Winston H.

1950-01-01

1. Four strains of Staphylococcus muscae have been isolated which differ in their growth rates and phage syntheses in Fildes' synthetic medium. 2. Two of the strains when singly infected cannot release phage in Fildes' synthetic medium unless a substance present in certain acid-hydrolyzed proteins is added to the medium. One of these strains also requires other substance(s) present in acid-hydrolyzed proteins in order to grow in Fildes' medium. 3. The two strains which do not require the addition of the phage-stimulating factor have been found either to synthesize this substance, or one similar to it. One of these strains will not grow in Fildes' medium unless substance(s) present in acid-hydrolyzed proteins is added to the medium. 4. The purified acid-hydrolyzed protein factor necessary for virus liberation does not affect the multiplication rate of uninfected S. muscae cells in Fildes' synthetic medium. 5. The substance is not needed for the adsorption or the invasion of the host cell by the virus. In the absence of the factor, the virus is adsorbed to the cell and "kills" it. 6. An analysis carried out by means of the one-step growth curve technique has indicated that the substance is not concerned simply with the mechanism of virus release, but is necessary for some initial stage in virus synthesis. 7. With one bacterial strain not requiring the AHPF, aspartic acid had to be present at least during the minimum latent period for the cell to form virus. 8. In the absence of aspartic acid, the virus was adsorbed to the cell and killed it, but no virus was released from singly infected bacteria. 9. If the cells were grown in a medium containing aspartic acid and then resuspended in the medium minus aspartic acid, no virus was released, although such cells contained at least two times the amount of aspartic acid necessary for the burst size in the complete medium. 10. Aspartic acid, a constituent of the virus particle, appears from an analysis of one-step growth curves to take part in the initial phase of phage synthesis. 11. The effect of amino acids on virus formation is discussed in relation to the time sequence of virus protein and desoxyribonucleic acid synthesis. PMID:14824494

Competing effects of particle and medium inertia on particle diffusion in viscoelastic materials, and their ramifications for passive microrheology.

PubMed

Indei, Tsutomu; Schieber, Jay D; Córdoba, Andrés

2012-04-01

We analyze the appropriate form for the generalized Stokes-Einstein relation (GSER) for viscoelastic solids and fluids when bead inertia and medium inertia are taken into account, which we call the inertial GSER. It was previously shown for Maxwell fluids that the Basset (or Boussinesq) force arising from medium inertia can act purely dissipatively at high frequencies, where elasticity of the medium is dominant. In order to elucidate the cause of this counterintuitive result, we consider Brownian motion in a purely elastic solid where ordinary Stokes-type dissipation is not possible. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem requires the presence of a dissipative mechanism for the particle to experience fluctuating Brownian forces in a purely elastic solid. We show that the mechanism for such dissipation arises from the radiation of elastic waves toward the system boundaries. The frictional force associated with this mechanism is the Basset force, and it exists only when medium inertia is taken into consideration in the analysis of such a system. We consider first a one-dimensional harmonic lattice where all terms in the generalized Langevin equation--i.e., the elastic term, the memory kernel, and Brownian forces-can be found analytically from projection-operator methods. We show that the dissipation is purely from radiation of elastic waves. A similar analysis is made on a particle in a continuum, three-dimensional purely elastic solid, where the memory kernel is determined from continuum mechanics. Again, dissipation arises only from radiation of elastic shear waves toward infinite boundaries when medium inertia is taken into account. If the medium is a viscoelastic solid, Stokes-type dissipation is possible in addition to radiational dissipation so that the wave decays at the penetration depth. Inertial motion of the bead couples with the elasticity of the viscoelastic material, resulting in a possible resonant oscillation of the mean-square displacement (MSD) of the bead. On the other hand, medium inertia (the Basset force) tends to attenuate the oscillations by the dissipation mechanism described above. Thus competition between bead inertia and medium inertia determines whether or not the MSD oscillates. We find that, if the medium density is larger than 4/7 of the bead density, the Basset damping will suppress oscillations in the MSD; this criterion is sufficient but not necessary to present oscillations.

The effect of spatially varying velocity field on the transport of radioactivity in a porous medium.

PubMed

Sen, Soubhadra; Srinivas, C V; Baskaran, R; Venkatraman, B

2016-10-01

In the event of an accidental leak of the immobilized nuclear waste from an underground repository, it may come in contact of the flow of underground water and start migrating. Depending on the nature of the geological medium, the flow velocity of water may vary spatially. Here, we report a numerical study on the migration of radioactivity due to a space dependent flow field. For a detailed analysis, seven different types of velocity profiles are considered and the corresponding concentrations are compared. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance analysis of automobile radiator using carboxyl graphene nanofluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao Ponangi, Babu; Sumanth, S.; Krishna, V.; Seetharam, T. R.; Seetharamu, K. N.

2018-04-01

A feasible solution to increase the effectiveness of the radiator will be the use of stabilized nanofluid. A mixture of small amount of solid particle, whose size is less than 100nm in the fluid phase, is termed as nanofluid. In current work, a small concentration of carboxyl-graphene nanostructure sheets/flakes are used as the solid medium, where conventional Ethylene glycol is used as the fluid medium. Visible checking method has been adopted, to check the stability of the nanofluid. The results showed the promising level of improvement in the values of Nusselt number and Effectiveness of the radiator, without changing the actual design of radiator. Examination of Pressure drop shows, a very small increase in its value even though the nanofluid has been used. About 19% improvement in the value of Effectiveness has been achieved at very small concentrations.

Effects of strontium on proliferation and differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

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

Li, Yunfeng; Li, Jihua; Zhu, Songsong

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Strontium ranelate (SrR) inhibits proliferation of BMMSCs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SrR increases osteoblastic but decreases adipocytic differentiation of BMMSCs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SrR increases expression of Runx2, BSP and OCN by BMMSCs in osteogenic medium. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SrR decreases expression of PPAR{gamma}, aP2/ALBP and LPL by BMMSCs in adipogenic medium. -- Abstract: Strontium ranelate (SrR) was an effective anti-osteoporotic drug to increase bone formation and decrease bone resorption. However, reports about the effect of SR on osteoblastic and adipocytic differentiation from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are limited. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether SrR affects the ability ofmore » BMMSCs to differentiate into osteoblasts or adipocytes. Rat BMMSCs were identified by flow cytometry and exposed to SR (0.1 and 1.0 mM Sr{sup 2+}) under osteogenic or adipogenic medium for 1 and 2 weeks. The proliferation and differentiation of BMMSCs were analyzed by MTT, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Oil red O staining, quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot assays. SrR significantly inhibited the proliferation, increased osteoblastic but decreased adipocytic differentiation of rat BMMSCs dose-dependently. In osteogenic medium, SrR increased the expression of ALP, the mRNA levels of Cbfa1/Runx2, bone sialoprotein, and osteocalcin by RT-PCR, and the protein levels of Cbfa1/Runx2 by Western blot. In adipogenic medium, SrR decreased the mRNA levels of PPAR{gamma}2, adipocyte lipid-binding protein 2 (aP2/ALBP), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) by RT-PCR, and the protein expression of PPAR{gamma} in Western blot analysis. These results indicated that the effects of SrR to promote osteoblastic but inhibit adipocytic differentiation of BMMSCs might contribute to its effect on osteoporosis treatment.« less

Effective determination of a pharmaceutical, sulpiride, in river water by online SPE-LC-MS using a molecularly imprinted polymer as a preconcentration medium.

PubMed

Kubo, Takuya; Kuroda, Kenta; Tominaga, Yuichi; Naito, Toyohiro; Sueyoshi, Kenji; Hosoya, Ken; Otsuka, Koji

2014-02-01

We report an effective and a quantitative analysis method for one of pharmaceuticals, sulpiride, in river water by online solid phase extraction (SPE) connected with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using a molecularly imprinted polymer as a preconcentration medium. The polymer prepared with a pseudo template molecule showed the selective retention ability based on the interval recognition of functional groups in sulpiride. Also, the imprinted polymer provided an effective concentration of a trace level of sulpiride in offline SPE with dual washing processes using water and acetonitrile, although another imprinted polymer prepared by an authentic method using sulpiride and methacrylic acid as a template and a functional monomer, respectively, showed the selective adsorption only in organic solvents. Furthermore, we employed the imprinted polymer as the preconcentration column of online SPE-LC-MS and the results supposed that the proposed system allowed the quantitative analysis of sulpiride with high sensitivity and recovery (10ng/L at 96%). Additionally, the determination of sulpiride in real river water without an additional spiking was effectively achieved by the system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fourier mode analysis of slab-geometry transport iterations in spatially periodic media

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

Larsen, E; Zika, M

1999-04-01

We describe a Fourier analysis of the diffusion-synthetic acceleration (DSA) and transport-synthetic acceleration (TSA) iteration schemes for a spatially periodic, but otherwise arbitrarily heterogeneous, medium. Both DSA and TSA converge more slowly in a heterogeneous medium than in a homogeneous medium composed of the volume-averaged scattering ratio. In the limit of a homogeneous medium, our heterogeneous analysis contains eigenvalues of multiplicity two at ''resonant'' wave numbers. In the presence of material heterogeneities, error modes corresponding to these resonant wave numbers are ''excited'' more than other error modes. For DSA and TSA, the iteration spectral radius may occur at these resonantmore » wave numbers, in which case the material heterogeneities most strongly affect iterative performance.« less

Medium Optimization for the Production of Fibrinolytic Enzyme by Paenibacillus sp. IND8 Using Response Surface Methodology

PubMed Central

Prakash Vincent, Samuel Gnana

2014-01-01

Production of fibrinolytic enzyme by a newly isolated Paenibacillus sp. IND8 was optimized using wheat bran in solid state fermentation. A 25 full factorial design (first-order model) was applied to elucidate the key factors as moisture, pH, sucrose, yeast extract, and sodium dihydrogen phosphate. Statistical analysis of the results has shown that moisture, sucrose, and sodium dihydrogen phosphate have the most significant effects on fibrinolytic enzymes production (P < 0.05). Central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the optimal concentrations of these three components and the experimental results were fitted with a second-order polynomial model at 95% level (P < 0.05). Overall, 4.5-fold increase in fibrinolytic enzyme production was achieved in the optimized medium as compared with the unoptimized medium. PMID:24523635

Calculation of Transfer Functions of Multilayer Biotissues in the Problems of Correction of Their Fluorescence Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lysenko, S. A.

2018-01-01

A method for rapid calculation of a flux of stimulated fluorescence of a multilayer optically dense medium with inhomogeneous distribution of the fluorophore has been developed. The light field in the medium at the excitation wavelength of fluorescence is represented by a superposition of incident collimated, incident diffuse, and reflected diffuse fluxes. A two-stream approximation is used to describe the light field in the medium at the wavelength of emission of the fluorescence. Fluxes in adjacent elementary layers of the medium and on its surface are connected by simple matrix operators that are obtained using a combination of engineering approaches of radiation-transfer theory and single-scattering approximation. The calculations of fluorescence fluxes of a four-layer biotissue that are excited and recorded at 400-800 nm are compared with their Monte Carlo simulation with a discrepancy of 1%. The effect of the propagation medium on the fluorescence spectra of 5-ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX that are recorded from human skin was studied, and a technique for their correction that is based on measurements and quantitative analysis of the diffuse reflectance spectrum of skin was proposed.

Recovery of insulin sensitivity and optimal body composition after rapid weight loss in obese dogs fed a high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet.

PubMed

André, A; Leriche, I; Chaix, G; Thorin, C; Burger, M; Nguyen, P

2017-06-01

This study investigated the effects of an experimental high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet (protein level, 46% metabolizable energy, ME). First, postprandial plasma glucose and insulin kinetics were determined in steady-state overweight/obese Beagle dogs (28%-41% excess body weight) for an experimental high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet (protein level, 46% ME) and a commercial high-carbohydrate medium-protein diet (protein level, 24%ME) in obese dogs. Secondly, all the dogs were included in a weight loss programme. They were fed the high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet, and the energy allocation was gradually reduced until they reached their optimal body weight. Insulin sensitivity and body composition were evaluated before and after weight loss using a euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp and the deuterium oxide dilution technique respectively. For statistical analysis, linear mixed effect models were used with a significance level of 5%. Postprandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were substantially lower with the high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet than the high-carbohydrate medium-protein diet. These differences can be explained mainly by the difference in carbohydrate content between the two diets. Energy restriction (35% lower energy intake than in the obese state) resulted in a 2.23 ± 0.05% loss in body weight/week, and the dogs reached their optimal body weight in 12-16 weeks. Weight loss was associated with a significant increase in insulin sensitivity. The high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet allowed fat-free mass preservation despite a relatively high rate of weekly weight loss. The increase in insulin sensitivity indicated improved control of carbohydrate metabolism, possible due to weight loss and to the nature of the diet. Thus, a high-protein medium-carbohydrate diet is a good nutritional solution for managing the weight of overweight dogs. This diet may improve glycaemic control, which could be beneficial for preventing or managing impaired glucose tolerance in obese dogs and for safe and successful weight loss while preserving lean body mass. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Short-term adaptations following Complex Training in team-sports: A meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Martinez-Rodriguez, Alejandro; Calleja-González, Julio; Alcaraz, Pedro E.

2017-01-01

Objective The purpose of this meta-analysis was to study the short-term adaptations on sprint and vertical jump (VJ) performance following Complex Training (CT) in team-sports. CT is a resistance training method aimed at developing both strength and power, which has a direct effect on sprint and VJ. It consists on alternating heavy resistance training exercises with plyometric/power ones, set for set, on the same workout. Methods A search of electronic databases up to July 2016 (PubMed-MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, Web of Knowledge) was conducted. Inclusion criteria: 1) at least one CT intervention group; 2) training protocols ≥4-wks; 3) sample of team-sport players; 4) sprint or VJ as an outcome variable. Effect sizes (ES) of each intervention were calculated and subgroup analyses were performed. Results A total of 9 studies (13 CT groups) met the inclusion criteria. Medium effect sizes (ES) (ES = 0.73) were obtained for pre-post improvements in sprint, and small (ES = 0.41) in VJ, following CT. Experimental-groups presented better post-intervention sprint (ES = 1.01) and VJ (ES = 0.63) performance than control-groups. Sprint large ESs were exhibited in younger athletes (<20 years old; ES = 1.13); longer CT interventions (≥6 weeks; ES = 0.95); conditioning activities with intensities ≤85% 1RM (ES = 0.96) and protocols with frequencies of <3 sessions/week (ES = 0.84). Medium ESs were obtained in Division I players (ES = 0.76); training programs >12 total sessions (ES = 0.74). VJ Large ESs in programs with >12 total sessions (ES = 0.81). Medium ESs obtained for under-Division I individuals (ES = 0.56); protocols with intracomplex rest intervals ≥2 min (ES = 0.55); conditioning activities with intensities ≤85% 1RM (ES = 0.64); basketball/volleyball players (ES = 0.55). Small ESs were found for younger athletes (ES = 0.42); interventions ≥6 weeks (ES = 0.45). Conclusions CT interventions have positive medium effects on sprint performance and small effects on VJ in team-sport athletes. This training method is a suitable option to include in the season planning. PMID:28662108

The Effectiveness of Teamwork Training on Teamwork Behaviors and Team Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Interventions

PubMed Central

McEwan, Desmond; Ruissen, Geralyn R.; Eys, Mark A.; Zumbo, Bruno D.; Beauchamp, Mark R.

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of teamwork interventions that were carried out with the purpose of improving teamwork and team performance, using controlled experimental designs. A literature search returned 16,849 unique articles. The meta-analysis was ultimately conducted on 51 articles, comprising 72 (k) unique interventions, 194 effect sizes, and 8439 participants, using a random effects model. Positive and significant medium-sized effects were found for teamwork interventions on both teamwork and team performance. Moderator analyses were also conducted, which generally revealed positive and significant effects with respect to several sample, intervention, and measurement characteristics. Implications for effective teamwork interventions as well as considerations for future research are discussed. PMID:28085922

Micropropagation of an exotic ornamental plant, Calathea crotalifera, for production of high quality plantlets.

PubMed

Rozali, Shahril Efzueni; Rashid, Kamaludin A; Taha, Rosna Mat

2014-01-01

A successful protocol was established for micropropagation in two selected varieties of exotic ornamental plants, Calathea crotalifera. The effects of different sterilization techniques, explant type, and the combination and concentration of plant growth regulators on shoots induction were studied. The axillary shoot buds explants sprouted from rhizomes in soil free conditions showed high induction rate of shoots with lowest contamination percentage when treated with combination of 30% (v/v) NaOCl, 70% (v/v) ethanol, and 0.3% (w/v) HgCl2. In the present study, the highest number of multiple shoots was obtained in MS basal medium supplemented with 3.5 mg/L 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP), 1.0 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 3% sucrose, and 6 g/L plant agar for both varieties and was used as multiplication medium. Microshoots were highly induced when the young shoot bud explants were incised longitudinally prior subculture. Chlorophyll analysis was studied to test the effects of activated charcoal and L-glutamine on reduction of necrosis problem. The maximum roots induction was recorded on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) compared to indolebutyric acid (IBA). The complete regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized in the soilless medium under greenhouse condition. This is the first report of rapid mass propagation for C. crotalifera.

Proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived stromal cells on akermanite-bioactive ceramics.

PubMed

Sun, Hongli; Wu, Chengtie; Dai, Kerong; Chang, Jiang; Tang, Tingting

2006-11-01

In the present study, the effects of a calcium magnesium silicate bioactive ceramic (akermanite) on proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC) have been investigated and compared with the classical ceramic (beta-tricalcium phosphate, beta-TCP). Akermanite and beta-TCP disks were seeded with hBMSC and kept in growth medium or osteogenic medium for 10 days. Proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation were evaluated on day 1, 4, 7 and 10. The data from the Alamar Blue assay and lactic acid production assay showed that hBMSC proliferated more significantly on akermanite than on beta-TCP. The analysis of osteoblast-related genes, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteocalcin (OC), indicated that akermanite ceramics enhanced the expression of osteoblast-related genes, but type I collagen (COL I) showed no noticeable difference among akermanite and beta-TCP ceramics. Furthermore, this stimulatory effect was observed not only in osteogenic medium, but also in normal growth medium without osteogenic reagents such as l-ascorbic acid, glycerophosphate and dexamethasone. This result suggests that akermanite can promote osteoblastic differentiation of hBMSC in vitro even without osteogenic reagents, and may be used as a bioactive material for bone regeneration and tissue engineering applications.

Photothermal waves for two temperature with a semiconducting medium under using a dual-phase-lag model and hydrostatic initial stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotfy, Kh.

2017-07-01

The dual-phase-lag (DPL) model with two different time translations and Lord-Shulman (LS) theory with one relaxation time are applied to study the effect of hydrostatic initial stress on medium under the influence of two temperature parameter(a new model will be introduced using two temperature theory) and photothermal theory. We solved the thermal loading at the free surface in the semi-infinite semiconducting medium-coupled plasma waves with the effect of mechanical force during a photothermal process. The exact expressions of the considered variables are obtained using normal mode analysis also the two temperature coefficient ratios were obtained analytically. Numerical results for the field quantities are given in the physical domain and illustrated graphically under the effects of several parameters. Comparisons are made between the results of the two different models with and without two temperature parameter, and for two different values of the hydrostatic initial stress. A comparison is carried out between the considered variables as calculated from the generalized thermoelasticity based on the DPL model and the LS theory in the absence and presence of the thermoelastic and thermoelectric coupling parameters.

Effect of nitrogen sources on biomass, lipid and docosahexanoic acid production by Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auma, Khairunnisa; Hamid, Aidil Abdul; Yusoff, Wan Mohtar Wan

2018-04-01

A local isolate, Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1 has been verified to have high content of docosahexanoic acid (DHA). However, the effect of different nitrogen sources on biomass, lipid concentration and DHA content in Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1 is still unknown. Hence, this study is focused in using six different organic and inorganic nitrogen sources to grow Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1 in optimized Burja medium. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) gave the highest biomass concentration of 15.97 g/L followed by ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) with 13.37 g/L at 96 hr. These two nitrogen sources had significant effect on the biomass concentration (p<0.05). The highest lipid accumulated was obtained using MSG that reached 79.6% in biomass concentration. DHA content in lipid showed cultivation using MSG reached 47.9% (4.95 g/L). Statistical analysis using least significant difference (LSD) showed significant lipid production (p<0.05) when cultivated in MSG compared to other five nitrogen sources. The highest DHA productivity (0.052 g/L hr-1) was obtained in medium containing MSG. This study proves that nitrogen component in the medium significantly affects the biomass concentration, lipid and DHA content.

Cost-effectiveness of iso- versus low-osmolality contrast media in outpatients with high risk of contrast medium-induced nephropathy.

PubMed

Chicaíza-Becerra, Liliana Alejandra; García-Molina, Mario; Gamboa, Óscar

2012-06-01

Contrast media can cause acute renal failure by direct toxic effects on the tubular cells and kidney ischemia. Diabetics and hospitalized patients have a greater risk of developing contrast-induced nephropathy than the general population. The cost effectiveness of iso and low-osmolality contrast media was assessed in high risk outpatients. The analysis was based on a systematic literature review comparing the nephrotoxic effects of iso- to low-osmolality contrast media. Only direct costs were considered; these were obtained from the official tariff manual. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, efficiency curves and acceptability curves were calculated. Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed for costs and effects, as well as probabilistic analyses. Zero and 3% discounts were applied to results. The cost-effectiveness threshold was equal to the per capita GDP per life-year gained. Alternatives with Iopamidol and Iodixanol are preferable to the others, because both reduce risk of contrast-induced nephropathy and are less costly. The incremental cost-effectiveness of the Iodixanol alternative compared to the Iopamidol alternative is US$ 14,660 per additional life year gained; this is more than twice the threshold. The low-osmolality contrast medium, Iopamidol, appears to be cost-effective when compared with Iohexol or other low-osmolality contrast media (Iopromide, Iobitridol, Iomeprol, Iopentol and Ioxilan) in contrast-induced nephropathy, high-risk outpatients. The choice of the iso-osmolality contrast medium, Iodixanol, depends on its cost per vial and on the willingness to pay.

Sustained effects of neurofeedback in ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Van Doren, Jessica; Arns, Martijn; Heinrich, Hartmut; Vollebregt, Madelon A; Strehl, Ute; K Loo, Sandra

2018-02-14

Neurofeedback (NF) has gained increasing interest in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Given learning principles underlie NF, lasting clinical treatment effects may be expected. This systematic review and meta-analysis addresses the sustainability of neurofeedback and control treatment effects by considering randomized controlled studies that conducted follow-up (FU; 2-12 months) assessments among children with ADHD. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched through November 2017. Within-group and between-group standardized mean differences (SMD) of parent behavior ratings were calculated and analyzed. Ten studies met inclusion criteria (NF: ten studies, N = 256; control: nine studies, N = 250). Within-group NF effects on inattention were of medium effect size (ES) (SMD = 0.64) at post-treatment and increased to a large ES (SMD = 0.80) at FU. Regarding hyperactivity/impulsivity, NF ES were medium at post-treatment (SMD = 0.50) and FU (SMD = 0.61). Non-active control conditions yielded a small significant ES on inattention at post-treatment (SMD = 0.28) but no significant ES at FU. Active treatments (mainly methylphenidate), had large ES for inattention (post: SMD = 1.08; FU: SMD = 1.06) and medium ES for hyperactivity/impulsivity (post: SMD = 0.74; FU: SMD = 0.67). Between-group analyses also revealed an advantage of NF over non-active controls [inattention (post: SMD = 0.38; FU: SMD = 0.57); hyperactivity-impulsivity (post: SMD = 0.25; FU: SMD = 0.39)], and favored active controls for inattention only at pre-post (SMD = - 0.44). Compared to non-active control treatments, NF appears to have more durable treatment effects, for at least 6 months following treatment. More studies are needed for a properly powered comparison of follow-up effects between NF and active treatments and to further control for non-specific effects.

Effect of culture medium on toxic effect of ZnO nanoparticles to freshwater microalgae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aravantinou, Andriana F.; Tsarpali, Vasiliki; Dailianis, Stefanos; Manariotis, Ioannis D.

2014-05-01

The widely use of nanoparticles (NPs) in many products, is increasing over time. The release of NPs into the environment may affect ecosystems, and therefore it is essential to study their impact on aquatic organisms. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs on microalgae, cultured in different mediums. Chlorococcum sp. and Scenedesmus rubescens were used as freshwater microalgae model species in order to investigate the toxic effects of ZnO NPs. Microalgae species exposed to ZnO NPs concentrations varying from 0.081 to 810 mg/L for different periods of time (24 to 96 h) and two different culture mediums. The aggregation level and particle size distribution of NPs were also determined during the experiments. The experimental results revealed significant differences on algae growth rates depending on the selected culture medium. Specifically, the toxic effect of ZnO NPs in Chlorococcum sp. was higher in cultures with 1/3N BG-11 medium than in BBM medium, despite the fact that the dissolved zinc concentration was higher in BBM medium. On the other hand, Scenedesmus rubescens exhibited the exact opposite behavior, with the highest toxic effect in cultures with BBM medium. Both species growth was significantly affected by the exposure time, the NPs concentrations, and mainly the culture medium.

Profiling of Extracellular Toxins Associated with Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison in Prorocentrum lima Culture Medium by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Pan, Lei; Chen, Junhui; Shen, Huihui; He, Xiuping; Li, Guangjiu; Song, Xincheng; Zhou, Deshan; Sun, Chengjun

2017-01-01

Extracellular toxins released by marine toxigenic algae into the marine environment have attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this study, profiling, characterization and quantification of extracellular toxin compounds associated with diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP) in the culture medium of toxin-producing dinoflagellates were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry for the first time. Results showed that solid-phase extraction can effectively enrich and clean the DSP compounds in the culture medium of Prorocentrum lima (P. lima), and the proposed method achieved satisfactory recoveries (94.80%–100.58%) and repeatability (relative standard deviation ≤9.27%). Commercial software associated with the accurate mass information of known DSP toxins and their derivatives was used to screen and identify DSP compounds. Nine extracellular DSP compounds were identified, of which seven toxins (including OA-D7b, OA-D9b, OA-D10a/b, and so on) were found in the culture medium of P. lima for the first time. The results of quantitative analysis showed that the contents of extracellular DSP compounds in P. lima culture medium were relatively high, and the types and contents of intracellular and extracellular toxins apparently varied in the different growth stages of P. lima. The concentrations of extracellular okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-1 were within 19.9–34.0 and 15.2–27.9 μg/L, respectively. The total concentration of the DSP compounds was within the range of 57.70–79.63 μg/L. The results showed that the proposed method is an effective tool for profiling the extracellular DSP compounds in the culture medium of marine toxigenic algae. PMID:28974018

Physical Forces Shape Group Identity of Swimming Pseudomonas putida Cells.

PubMed

Espeso, David R; Martínez-García, Esteban; de Lorenzo, Víctor; Goñi-Moreno, Ángel

2016-01-01

The often striking macroscopic patterns developed by motile bacterial populations on agar plates are a consequence of the environmental conditions where the cells grow and spread. Parameters such as medium stiffness and nutrient concentration have been reported to alter cell swimming behavior, while mutual interactions among populations shape collective patterns. One commonly observed occurrence is the mutual inhibition of clonal bacteria when moving toward each other, which results in a distinct halt at a finite distance on the agar matrix before having direct contact. The dynamics behind this phenomenon (i.e., intolerance to mix in time and space with otherwise identical others) has been traditionally explained in terms of cell-to-cell competition/cooperation regarding nutrient availability. In this work, the same scenario has been revisited from an alternative perspective: the effect of the physical mechanics that frame the process, in particular the consequences of collisions between moving bacteria and the semi-solid matrix of the swimming medium. To this end, we set up a simple experimental system in which the swimming patterns of Pseudomonas putida were tested with different geometries and agar concentrations. A computational analysis framework that highlights cell-to-medium interactions was developed to fit experimental observations. Simulated outputs suggested that the medium is compressed in the direction of the bacterial front motion. This phenomenon generates what was termed a compression wave that goes through the medium preceding the swimming population and that determines the visible high-level pattern. Taken together, the data suggested that the mechanical effects of the bacteria moving through the medium created a factual barrier that impedes to merge with neighboring cells swimming from a different site. The resulting divide between otherwise clonal bacteria is thus brought about by physical forces-not genetic or metabolic programs.

Epidermal regulation of dermal fibroblast activity.

PubMed

Garner, W L

1998-07-01

Although the association between delayed burn wound healing and subsequent hypertrophic scar formation is well-established, the mechanism for this relationship is unknown. Unhealed burn wounds lack an epidermis, suggesting a possible regulatory role for the epidermis in controlling dermal fibroblast matrix synthesis. Therefore, we examined the effect of epidermal cells and media conditioned by epidermal cells on fibroblast collagen synthesis and replication. Purified fibroblast and keratinocyte cell strains were developed from discarded normal adult human skin. Conditioned media were created by incubation of cytokine-free and serum-free medium with either confluent fibroblast or keratinocyte cultures for 18 hours (n = 3). Nearly confluent fibroblast cultures were exposed for 48 hours to graded concentrations of either unconditioned medium (control), conditioned medium, or varying numbers of keratinocytes. Replication was quantified by the incorporation of 3H-thymidine. Collagen synthesis was measured by the incorporation of 3H-proline into collagenase-sensitive protein. Data were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression. Keratinocyte conditioned medium induced a significant increase in replication (n = 3) (p = 0.004) and a decrease in collagen synthesis (n = 6) (p < 0.001). In contrast, neither fibroblast conditioned medium nor control medium had an effect on fibroblast replication or collagen synthesis. Co-culture of fibroblast with a graded number of keratinocytes similarly decreased collagen synthesis (n = 6) (p < 0.001). Dermal fibroblast collagen synthesis appears to be regulated by a soluble keratinocyte product. This result suggests a mechanism for the clinical observation that unhealed burn wounds, which lack the epidermis, demonstrate excess collagen production and scar. Clinical strategies to decrease hypertrophic scar should include an attempt at early wound closure with skin grafting or the application of cultured epithelial autografts.

Profiling of Extracellular Toxins Associated with Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison in Prorocentrum lima Culture Medium by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Pan, Lei; Chen, Junhui; Shen, Huihui; He, Xiuping; Li, Guangjiu; Song, Xincheng; Zhou, Deshan; Sun, Chengjun

2017-09-30

Extracellular toxins released by marine toxigenic algae into the marine environment have attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this study, profiling, characterization and quantification of extracellular toxin compounds associated with diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP) in the culture medium of toxin-producing dinoflagellates were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry for the first time. Results showed that solid-phase extraction can effectively enrich and clean the DSP compounds in the culture medium of Prorocentrum lima ( P. lima ), and the proposed method achieved satisfactory recoveries (94.80%-100.58%) and repeatability (relative standard deviation ≤9.27%). Commercial software associated with the accurate mass information of known DSP toxins and their derivatives was used to screen and identify DSP compounds. Nine extracellular DSP compounds were identified, of which seven toxins (including OA-D7b, OA-D9b, OA-D10a/b, and so on) were found in the culture medium of P. lima for the first time. The results of quantitative analysis showed that the contents of extracellular DSP compounds in P. lima culture medium were relatively high, and the types and contents of intracellular and extracellular toxins apparently varied in the different growth stages of P. lima . The concentrations of extracellular okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-1 were within 19.9-34.0 and 15.2-27.9 μg/L, respectively. The total concentration of the DSP compounds was within the range of 57.70-79.63 μg/L. The results showed that the proposed method is an effective tool for profiling the extracellular DSP compounds in the culture medium of marine toxigenic algae.

Electronic Cigarettes Are as Toxic to Skin Flap Survival as Tobacco Cigarettes.

PubMed

Rau, Aline Sabrina; Reinikovaite, Viktorija; Schmidt, Eric P; Taraseviciene-Stewart, Laima; Deleyiannis, Frederic White-Brown

2017-07-01

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have become increasingly popular. However, information about the health risks associated with e-cigarette use is sparse. Currently, no published studies examine the effects of chronic e-cigarette exposure on microcirculation or perfusion. Using a rat skin flap model, we examined the toxic microcirculatory effects e-cigarettes may have in comparison with tobacco cigarettes. Fifty-eight rats were randomized to either exposure to room air, tobacco cigarette smoke, medium-nicotine content (1.2%) e-cigarette vapor, or a high-nicotine content (2.4%) e-cigarette vapor. After 4 weeks of exposure, a random pattern, 3 × 9 cm skin flap was elevated on the dorsum of the rats. At 5 weeks, flap survival was evaluated quantitatively, and the rats were euthanized. Plasma was collected for nicotine and cotinine analysis, and flap tissues were harvested for histopathological analysis. Evaluation of the dorsal skin flaps demonstrated significantly increased necrosis in the vapor and tobacco groups. The average necrosis within the groups was as follows: control 19.23%, high-dose vapor 28.61%, medium-dose vapor 35.93%, and tobacco cigarette 30.15%. Although the e-cigarette and tobacco cigarette groups did not differ significantly, each individual group had significantly more necrosis than the control group (P<0.05). These results were corroborated with histopathological analysis of hypoxic tissue. Both the medium-content and high-nicotine content e-cigarette exposure groups had similar amounts of flap necrosis and hypoxia when compared with the tobacco cigarette exposure group. Nicotine-containing e-cigarette vapor is similarly toxic to skin flap survival as tobacco cigarettes.

Restoring effect of selenium on the molecular content, structure and fluidity of diabetic rat kidney brush border cell membrane.

PubMed

Gurbanov, Rafig; Bilgin, Mehmet; Severcan, Feride

2016-04-01

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a dominant factor standing for kidney impairments during diabetes. In this study, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to disclose the diabetes-induced structural changes in the kidney and evaluate the effects of selenium on diabetes. The increase in the area of the olefinic band indicated increased amount of lipid peroxidation end products in diabetic kidney brush border cell membrane. Moreover, saturated lipid content of this cell membrane considerably diminished. DKD was found to disrupt lipid order and cause a decrease in membrane dynamics. However, the administration of selenium at low and medium doses was shown to improve these conditions by changing the lipid contents toward control values, restoring the ordered structure of the lipids and membrane dynamics. Curve-fitting and artificial neural network (ANN) analyses of secondary structures of proteins demonstrated a relative increase in α-helix and reduction in the β-sheet during diabetes in comparison to the control group, which were ameliorated following selenium treatment at low and medium doses. These findings were further confirmed by applying hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). A clear separation of the experimental groups was obtained with high heterogeneity in the lipid and protein regions. These chemometric analyses showed that the low and medium doses of selenium-treated diabetic groups are successfully segregated from the diabetic group and clustered closer to the control. The study suggests that medium and, more predominantly, low-dose selenium treatment can be efficient in eliminating diabetes-induced structural alterations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Search for Earthquake-Induced Prompt Gravity Signals in Gravimetric Data: Data Analysis and a New Observation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, M.; Kame, N.; Watada, S.; Ohtani, M.; Araya, A.; Imanishi, Y.; Ando, M.; Kunugi, T.

2017-12-01

Seismic waves radiated from an earthquake rupture induces density perturbations of the medium, which in turn generates prompt gravity changes at all distances before the arrival of seismic waves. Detection of the gravity signal before the seismic one is a challenge in seismology. In this study, we searched for the prompt gravity changes from the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake in data recorded by gravimeters, seismometers, and tiltmeters. Predicted changes from the currently used simplified model were not identified using band-pass filtering and multi-station stacking even though sufficient signal-to-noise ratios were achieved. Our data analysis raised discrepancy between the data and the theoretical model. To interpret the absence of signals in the data, we investigated the effect of self-gravity deformation on the measurement of gravitational acceleration, which has been ignored in the existing theory. We analytically calculated the displacement of the observation station induced by the prompt gravity changes in an infinite homogeneous medium, and showed that before the arrival of P waves each point in the medium moves at an acceleration identical to the applied gravity change, i.e., free-falls. As a result of the opposite inertial force, gravity sensors attached to the medium lose their sensitivity to the prompt gravity changes. This new observation model incorporated with the self-gravity effect explains the absence of such prompt signals in the acceleration data. We have shown the negative observability in acceleration, but there remains a possibility of detection of its spatial gradients or spatial strain. For a future detection experiment, we derived an analytical expression of the theoretical gravity gradients from a general seismic source described as a moment tensor.

Whole Grain Intake and Glycaemic Control in Healthy Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PubMed

Marventano, Stefano; Vetrani, Claudia; Vitale, Marilena; Godos, Justyna; Riccardi, Gabriele; Grosso, Giuseppe

2017-07-19

There is growing evidence from both observational and intervention studies that Whole Grain (WG) cereals exert beneficial effects on human health, especially on the metabolic profile. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT) to assess the acute and medium/long-term effect of WG foods on glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals. A search for all the published RCT on the effect of WG food intake on glycaemic and insulin response was performed up to December 2016. Effect size consisted of mean difference (MD) and 95% CI between the outcomes of intervention and the control groups using the generic inverse-variance random effects model. The meta-analysis of the 14 studies testing the acute effects of WG foods showed significant reductions of the post-prandial values of the glucose iAUC (0-120 min) by -29.71 mmol min/L (95% CI: -43.57, -15.85 mmol min/L), the insulin iAUC (0-120 min) by -2.01 nmol min/L (95% CI: -2.88, -1.14 nmol min/L), and the maximal glucose and insulin response. In 16 medium- and long-term RCTs, effects of WG foods on fasting glucose and insulin and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance values were not significant. The consumption of WG foods is able to improve acutely the postprandial glucose and insulin homeostasis compared to similar refined foods in healthy subjects. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects and the biological mechanisms.

Axisymmetric magnetorotational instability in ideal and viscous laboratory plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhailovskii, A. B.; Lominadze, J. G.; Churikov, A. P.; Erokhin, N. N.; Pustovitov, V. D.; Konovalov, S. V.

2008-10-01

The original analysis of the axisymmetric magnetorotational instability (MRI) by Velikhov (Sov. Phys. JETP 9, 995 (1959)) and Chandrasekhar (Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 46, 253 (1960)), applied to the ideally conducting magnetized medium in the laboratory conditions and restricted to the incompressible approximation, is extended by allowing for the compressibility. Thereby, two additional driving mechanisms of MRI are revealed in addition to the standard drive due to the negative medium rotation frequency gradient (the Velikhov effect). One is due to the squared medium pressure gradient and another is a combined effect of the pressure and density gradients. For laboratory applications, the expression for the MRI boundary with all the above driving mechanisms and the stabilizing magnetoacoustic effect is derived. The effects of parallel and perpendicular viscosities on the MRI in the laboratory plasma are investigated. It is shown that, for strong viscosity, there is a family of MRI driven for the same condition as the ideal one. It is also revealed that the presence of strong viscosity leads to additional family of instabilities called the viscosity-driven MRI. Then the parallel-viscositydriven MRI looks as an overstability (oscillatory instability) possessing both the growth rate and the real part of oscillation frequency, while the perpendicular-viscosity MRI is the aperiodical instability.

Improving students’ mathematical critical thinking through rigorous teaching and learning model with informal argument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamid, H.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze an improvement of students’ mathematical critical thinking (CT) ability in Real Analysis course by using Rigorous Teaching and Learning (RTL) model with informal argument. In addition, this research also attempted to understand students’ CT on their initial mathematical ability (IMA). This study was conducted at a private university in academic year 2015/2016. The study employed the quasi-experimental method with pretest-posttest control group design. The participants of the study were 83 students in which 43 students were in the experimental group and 40 students were in the control group. The finding of the study showed that students in experimental group outperformed students in control group on mathematical CT ability based on their IMA (high, medium, low) in learning Real Analysis. In addition, based on medium IMA the improvement of mathematical CT ability of students who were exposed to RTL model with informal argument was greater than that of students who were exposed to CI (conventional instruction). There was also no effect of interaction between RTL model and CI model with both (high, medium, and low) IMA increased mathematical CT ability. Finally, based on (high, medium, and low) IMA there was a significant improvement in the achievement of all indicators of mathematical CT ability of students who were exposed to RTL model with informal argument than that of students who were exposed to CI.

Boric acid-enhanced embedding medium for cryomicrotomy.

PubMed

Lim, Jin Ik; Park, Hun-Kuk

2012-05-01

A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based resin is commonly used as a cryoembedding medium for the histological analysis of frozen tissue sections. However, it is not easy to obtain sufficient numbers of satisfactory reproducible sections owing to the differences between the mechanical properties of the medium and embedded tissue and the low cohesive force of the medium. We describe a modified PVA-based cryoembedding medium, composed of PVA (10wt% and 15wt%) with the addition of boric acid (from 0 to 5wt%), that can improve the sectioning properties and efficiency of frozen tissue for histological analysis. The amount of load under the same compressive displacement as well as cohesive force increased with increasing boric acid and PVA contents. 15wt% PVA and 3wt% boric acid was determined as an optimal composition for cryoembedding material based on the sectioning efficiency measured by the numbers of unimpaired sectioned slices and the amount of load under the same compressive displacement test. On the basis of the results of routine hematoxylin and eosin staining of cryosections of tissue embedded in a medium with 3wt% boric acid and PVA, it was concluded that the modified PVA cryoembedding medium can improve the efficiency of cryosectioning for subsequent histological or histochemical analysis of various tissues. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Identification and Characterization of Soluble Factors Involved in Delayed Effects of Low Dose Radiation. Final report

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

Baulch, Janet

2013-09-11

This is a 'glue grant' that was part of a DOE Low Dose project entitled 'Identification and Characterization of Soluble Factors Involved in Delayed Effects of Low Dose Radiation'. This collaborative program has involved Drs. David L. Springer from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), John H. Miller from Washington State University, Tri-cities (WSU) and William F. Morgan then from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). In July 2008, Dr. Morgan moved to PNNL and Dr. Janet E. Baulch became PI for this project at University of Maryland. In November of 2008, a one year extension with no new funds wasmore » requested to complete the proteomic analyses. The project stemmed from studies in the Morgan laboratory demonstrating that genomically unstable cells secret a soluble factor or factors into the culture medium, that cause cytogenetic aberrations and apoptosis in normal parental GM10115 cells. The purpose of this project was to identify the death inducing effect (DIE) factor or factors, estimate their relative abundance, identify the cell signaling pathways involved and finally recapitulate DIE in normal cells by exogenous manipulation of putative DIE factors in culture medium. As reported in detail in the previous progress report, analysis of culture medium from the parental cell line, and stable and unstable clones demonstrated inconsistent proteomic profiles as relate to candidate DIE factors. While the proposed proteomic analyses did not provide information that would allow DIE factors to be identified, the analyses provided another important set of observations. Proteomic analysis suggested that proteins associated with the cellular response to oxidative stress and mitochondrial function were elevated in the medium from unstable clones in a manner consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction. These findings correlate with previous studies of these clones that demonstrated functional differences between the mitochondria of stable and unstable clones. These mitochondrial abnormalities in the unstable clones contributes to oxidative stress.« less

Research and Analysis on the Localization of a 3-D Single Source in Lossy Medium Using Uniform Circular Array

PubMed Central

Xue, Bing; Qu, Xiaodong; Fang, Guangyou; Ji, Yicai

2017-01-01

In this paper, the methods and analysis for estimating the location of a three-dimensional (3-D) single source buried in lossy medium are presented with uniform circular array (UCA). The mathematical model of the signal in the lossy medium is proposed. Using information in the covariance matrix obtained by the sensors’ outputs, equations of the source location (azimuth angle, elevation angle, and range) are obtained. Then, the phase and amplitude of the covariance matrix function are used to process the source localization in the lossy medium. By analyzing the characteristics of the proposed methods and the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) method, the computational complexity and the valid scope of these methods are given. From the results, whether the loss is known or not, we can choose the best method for processing the issues (localization in lossless medium or lossy medium). PMID:28574467

Senescent sperm performance in old male birds.

PubMed

Møller, A P; Mousseau, T A; Rudolfsen, G; Balbontín, J; Marzal, A; Hermosell, I; De Lope, F

2009-02-01

Senescence is the deterioration of the phenotype with age caused by negative effects of mutations acting late in life or the physiological deterioration of vital processes. Birds have traditionally been assumed to senescence slowly despite their high metabolic rates, high blood sugar levels and high body temperature. Here we investigate the patterns of age-related performance of sperm of a long distance migrant, the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, varying in age from 1 to 6 years, analysed by the computer-assisted sperm analysis equipment. Sperm showed deteriorating performance in terms of linear movement, track velocity, straight line velocity and reduced proportions of rapidly moving, progressive and motile sperm with age. In a second series of experiments, we assessed performance of sperm from the same males in neutral medium and in medium derived from the reproductive tract of females in an attempt to test if sperm of old males performed relatively better in female medium, as expected from extra-pair paternity being negatively related to male age, but not to female age. Older males showed consistently better performance in female medium than in neutral medium in terms of track velocity, straight line velocity and reduced proportions of rapidly moving, progressive and motile sperm, whereas young males showed better performance in neutral medium. These results provide evidence of declining sperm performance for important reproductive variables not only with age, but also with the sperm of old males performing differentially better in female medium than young males.

Medium-mediated effects increase cell killing in a human keratinocyte cell line exposed to solar-simulated radiation.

PubMed

Maguire, Alanna; Morrissey, Brian; Walsh, James E; Lyng, Fiona M

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate whether cell culture medium is a biologically relevant exposure medium that can be employed in non-ionising photobiological investigations. The effect of solar-simulated irradiation on cell culture medium and its ability to elicit cell death was studied. The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell secreted factors, and the contribution of individual components of the medium were investigated. Cell death was found to be primarily mediated through the formation of ROS via riboflavin photosensitisation and degradation in the cell culture medium. Phenol red was found to significantly reduce the cell killing ability of riboflavin. Exposures in riboflavin-free medium resulted in significantly increased cell survival compared to identical exposures in riboflavin containing medium. This study has shown that solar radiation toxicity is augmented by cell culture medium due to the presence of riboflavin. Results suggest that exposures performed in phenol red-free medium may serve to increase phototoxic effects if riboflavin is present. Riboflavin-free media is recommended for solar radiation investigations to eliminate concerns regarding riboflavin photosensitisation and nutrient deprivation.

Activity-Based Costing in a Service Organization

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-01

environments, very little research has been done in service organizations. This thesis is a comparative analysis of a tradional cost accounting system with an...activity-based cost accounting system in a medium-sized mass transit system. The purpose of the analysis was to determine whether activity-based... accounting techniques can effectively be applied in a service industry. In addition, a goal for the thesis was to determine which costing system reports a

HPLC-ESI-MS(n) Analysis, Fed-Batch Cultivation Enhances Bioactive Compound Biosynthesis and Immune-Regulative Effect of Adventitious Roots in Pseudostellaria heterophylla.

PubMed

Wang, Juan; Li, Jing; Li, Hongfa; Wu, Xiaolei; Gao, Wenyuan

2015-09-01

A electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) analysis was performed in order to identify the active composition in Pseudostellaria heterophylla adventitious roots. Pseudostellarin A, C, D, and G were identified from P. heterophylla adventitious roots on the basis of LC-MS(n) analysis. The culture conditions of adventitious roots were optimized, and datasets were subjected to a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), in which the growth ratio and some compounds showed a positive correlation with an aeration volume of 0.3 vvm and inoculum density of 0.15 %. Fed-batch cultivation enhanced the contents of total saponin, polysaccharides, and specific oxygen uptaker rate (SOUR). The maximum dry root weight (4.728 g l(-1)) was achieved in the 3/4 Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium group. PLS-DA showed that polysaccharides contributed significantly to the clustering of different groups and showed a positive correlation in the MS medium group. The delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction on the mice induced by 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was applied to compare the immunocompetence effects of adventitious roots (AR) with field native roots (NR) of P. heterophylla. As a result, AR possessed a similar immunoregulation function as NR.

Tank cultivation of the red algae Palmaria mollis: Effects of nutrients on growth rate, biochemical quality, and epiphytic growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben, D.; Langdon, C. J.

2016-02-01

Pacific dulse (Palmaria mollis) is a candidate for aquaculture production in Oregon due to its high protein content, fast growth rate, and ability to fare in cold water conditions. Current cultivation methods use the F/2 medium to supply nutrients to macroalgae cultures. The F/2 medium is a costly mixture of nitrate, phosphate, trace metals and vitamins. The F/2 medium has been the standard for microalgae cultivation, but research has lacked on the necessity of all or part of this mixture for macroalgae cultivation. This study is designed to contribute to the development of Pacific dulse cultivation by measuring how different fertilizer regimens affect the growth, biochemical composition, and quality of Palmaria mollis (C-3 variety) in hopes to reduce the production cost. I hypothesis that dulse will not require additional nutrients during summer cultivation, due to summer upwelling conditions. Experiments were conducted in a flow-through water system, controlling for flow rate, stocking density, and nutrient supplementation. To test this, two replicates of four nutrient regimes were organized: no supplemental nutrients, all nutrients (standard F/2 medium), nitrate/phosphate only, and nitrate/phosphate with trace metals. Each tank was monitored weekly for color quality, epiphytic growth, specific growth rate, production and a final biochemical analysis. This study has preliminarily concluded that supplemental nutrients have no significant effect on production or biochemical quality, but does have an effect quality of epiphytic growth.

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

Huang, Yuan; Luo, Fangjun; Li, Hui

During inflammation in the glomerulus, the proliferation of myofiroblast-like mesangial cells is commonly associated with the pathological process. Macrophages play an important role in regulating the growth of resident mesangial cells in the glomeruli. Alternatively activated macrophage (M2 macrophage) is a subset of macrophages induced by IL-13/IL-4, which is shown to play a repair role in glomerulonephritis. Prompted by studies of development, we performed bone marrow derived macrophage and rat mesangial cell co-culture study. Conditioned medium from IL-4 primed M2 macrophages induced rat mesangial cell apoptosis. The pro-apoptotic effect of M2 macrophages was demonstrated by condensed nuclei stained with Hoechstmore » 33258, increased apoptosis rates by flow cytometry analysis and enhanced caspase-3 activation by western blot. Fas protein was up-regulated in rat mesangial cells, and its neutralizing antibody ZB4 partly inhibited M2 macrophage-induced apoptosis. The up-regulated arginase-1 expression in M2 macrophage also contributed to this apoptotic effect. These results indicated that the process of apoptosis triggered by conditioned medium from M2 macrophages, at least is partly conducted through Fas in rat mesangial cells. Our findings provide compelling evidence that M2 macrophages control the growth of mesangial cells in renal inflammatory conditions. - Highlights: • Conditioned-medium from M2 macrophages induces rat mesangial cell (MsC) apoptosis. • M2 macrophage conditioned medium exerts its pro-apoptotic effects via Fas ligand. • Arginase-1 activity in M2 macrophages plays a role in inducing apoptosis in rat MsC.« less

Effects of Strength Training Using Unstable Surfaces on Strength, Power and Balance Performance Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Behm, David G; Muehlbauer, Thomas; Kibele, Armin; Granacher, Urs

2015-12-01

The effectiveness of strength training on unstable surfaces (STU) versus stable surfaces (STS) or a control condition (CON; i.e., no training or regular training only) for strength, power and balance performance across the lifespan has not yet been investigated in a systematic review and meta-analysis. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to determine the general effects of STU versus STS or CON on muscle strength, power and balance in healthy individuals across the lifespan and to investigate whether performance changes following STU are age specific. A computerized systematic literature search was performed in the electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science from January 1984 up to February 2015. Initially, 209 articles were identified for review. Only controlled trials were included if they investigated STU in healthy individuals and tested at least one measure of maximal strength, strength endurance, muscle power, or static/dynamic balance. In total, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. The included studies were coded for the following criteria: age, sex, training status, training modality, exercise and test modality. Effect size measures included within-subject standardized mean differences (SMDw) and weighted between-subject standardized mean differences (SMDb). Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using I2 and χ2 statistics. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. Our search failed to identify studies that examined the effects of STU versus STS or CON in children and middle-aged adults. However, four studies were identified that investigated the effects of STU versus CON or STS in adolescents, 15 studies were identified in young adults and three studies were identified in old adults. Compared with CON, STU produced medium effects on maximal strength in young adults and no effects to medium effects in old adults. In addition, large effects were detected on strength endurance in adolescents and in young adults; in old adults, a small effect was found. With regard to muscle power, medium effects were observed in young adults and small effects were observed in old adults. Further, large effects were found for static and dynamic balance in old adults, but only a small effect was found for dynamic balance in young adults. The comparison of STU and STS revealed inconsistent results as indicated by training-induced changes in favour of STU, as well as STS. Small to medium effects were found for maximal strength in adolescents in favour of STS, and small effects were found in young adults in favour of STU. With regard to strength endurance, large effects were found in adolescents in favour of STS and small effects were found in favour of STU. Additionally, we detected small effects in young adults in favour of STU. In terms of muscle power, no effects were observed in adolescents but medium effects were found in favour of STS in young adults. With regard to balance, small effects were detected in adolescents for static and dynamic balance in favour of STU. In young adults, small effects were found for static balance in favour of STS. With regard to dynamic balance, the analysis revealed small effects in young adults in favour of STU. The quality of the included studies was rather low, with mean PEDro scores of 5.8, 4.0 and 5.0 for studies including adolescents, young adults and old adults, respectively. Further, trivial to considerable heterogeneity between studies (i.e., 0% ≤ I2 ≤ 96%) was detected. Compared with CON, STU is effective in improving muscle strength, power and balance in adolescents, young adults and old adults. However, inconsistent results were particularly found in adolescents and young adults when the specific effects of STU were compared with those of STS. We conclude that the performance of STU compared with STS has limited extra effects on muscle strength, power and balance performance in healthy adolescents and young adults. Given that our systematic search did not identify studies that examined the effects of STU versus STS in children, middle-aged adults and old adults, further research of high methodological quality is needed to determine whether there are additive effects of STU as compared with STS in those age groups.

Firefighting and Emergency Response Study of Advanced Composites Aircraft. Objective 2: Firefighting Effectiveness of Technologies and Agents on Composite Aircraft Fires

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-31

current methods used for aluminum-skinned aircraft. To this end, a series of medium-scale fire experiments were performed on aerospace composite materials...History.....................................................................................................................4 3. METHODS , ASSUMPTIONS AND...4.3. Agent Cost Analysis ..........................................................................................................21 5. CONCLUSIONS

Intelligence and Interpersonal Sensitivity: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Nora A.; Hall, Judith A.

2011-01-01

A meta-analytic review investigated the association between general intelligence and interpersonal sensitivity. The review involved 38 independent samples with 2988 total participants. There was a highly significant small-to-medium effect for intelligence measures to be correlated with decoding accuracy (r=0.19, p less than 0.001). Significant…

Geospatial analysis of bicycle network "level of traffic stress", bicycle mode choice behavior, and bicycle crashes for risk factor identification.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-01

Small and medium-sized cities need publicly acceptable criteria for bicycle infrastructure improvements. This report explores the : effectiveness of one proposed system of bicycle infrastructure criteria using data from a state-of-the-art travel surv...

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cyber-Victimization and Educational Outcomes for Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardella, Joseph H.; Fisher, Benjamin W.; Teurbe-Tolon, Abbie R.

2017-01-01

Adolescents' Internet use is increasingly mobile, private, and unsupervised, which raises concerns given that the Internet increasingly serves as a medium for experiencing victimization. Although it is widely recognized that in-person victimization has a deleterious effect on adolescents' educational outcomes, the extent to which…

Integrating Transportation Modeling and Desktop GIS: A Practical and Affordable Analysis Tool for Small and Medium Sized Communities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-16

This paper and presentation discuss some of the benefits of integrating travel : demand models and desktop GIS (ArchInfo and ArcView for PCs) as a : cost-effective and staff saving tool, as well as specific improvements to : transportation planning m...

Generation of medium frequency electrotherapeutic signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Płaza, Mirosław; Szcześniak, Zbigniew; Dudek, Jolanta

2017-08-01

In this paper, generation methods of sinusoidal medium frequency electrotherapeutic signals have been studied. Signals of this type are increasingly used in electrotherapy owing to the development of both physical medicine and engineering sciences. The article presents analysis and comparison of analogue and digital methods of generation therapeutic signals. Analysis presented in the paper attempts to answer the question which technique of medium frequency signal generation can be most broadly applied in electrotherapy methods.

Urea enhances cell lysis of Schizosaccharomyces pombe ura4 mutants.

PubMed

Nishino, Kohei; Kushima, Misaki; Kaino, Tomohiro; Matsuo, Yasuhiro; Kawamukai, Makoto

2017-07-01

Cell lysis is induced in Schizosaccharomyces pombe ∆ura4 cells grown in YPD medium, which contains yeast extract, polypeptone, and glucose. To identify the medium components that induce cell lysis, we first tested various kinds of yeast extracts from different suppliers. Cell lysis of ∆ura4 cells on YE medium was observed when yeast extracts from OXOID, BD, Oriental, and Difco were used, but not when using yeast extract from Kyokuto. To determine which compounds induced cell lysis, we subjected yeast extract and polypeptone to GC-MS analysis. Ten kinds of compounds were detected in OXOID and BD yeast extracts, but not in Kyokuto yeast extract. Among them was urea, which was also present in polypeptone, and it clearly induced cell lysis. Deletion of the ure2 gene, which is responsible for utilizing urea, abolished the lytic effect of urea. The effect of urea was suppressed by deletion of pub1, and a similar phenotype was observed in the presence of polypeptone. Thus, urea is an inducer of cell lysis in S. pombe ∆ura4 cells.

Statistical optimization of medium components and growth conditions by response surface methodology to enhance phenol degradation by Pseudomonas putida.

PubMed

Annadurai, Gurusamy; Ling, Lai Yi; Lee, Jiunn-Fwu

2008-02-28

In this work, a four-level Box-Behnken factorial design was employed combining with response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the medium composition for the degradation of phenol by pseudomonas putida (ATCC 31800). A mathematical model was then developed to show the effect of each medium composition and their interactions on the biodegradation of phenol. Response surface method was using four levels like glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and sodium chloride, which also enabled the identification of significant effects of interactions for the batch studies. The biodegradation of phenol on Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 31800) was determined to be pH-dependent and the maximum degradation capacity of microorganism at 30 degrees C when the phenol concentration was 0.2 g/L and the pH of the solution was 7.0. Second order polynomial regression model was used for analysis of the experiment. Cubic and quadratic terms were incorporated into the regression model through variable selection procedures. The experimental values are in good agreement with predicted values and the correlation coefficient was found to be 0.9980.

Feedback and Acousto Optic Isolation Effects on Laser Stability.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-03-01

This paper analyzes the effect of optical feedback on laser frequency stability and the acousto optic isolator concept, which was demonstrated...nonlinearity such as saturation in the laser medium. The analysis mathematically corroborates the initial acousto optic isolator concept and the...limited experimental data available. In the study of the acousto optic isolator, it was determined that an acceptable analytic expression for the

Social cognitive functioning in prodromal psychosis: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lee, Tae Young; Hong, Sang Bin; Shin, Na Young; Kwon, Jun Soo

2015-05-01

There is substantial evidence regarding a social cognitive deficit in schizophrenia, and it has been suggested to be a trait-marker of this disorder. However, a domain-by-domain analysis of social cognitive deficits in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis has not been performed. Electronic databases were searched for studies regarding social cognitive performance in individuals at CHR. The included social cognitive domains, which were classified based on the Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) initiative of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), were as follows: theory of mind (ToM), social perception (SP), attributional bias (AB), and emotion processing (EP). Twenty studies that included 1229 individuals at CHR and 825 healthy controls met the inclusion criteria. The overall effect size for social cognition was medium (g=-0.477). The largest effect size was identified for AB (g=-0.708). A medium effect size was identified for EP (g=-0.446) and ToM (g=-0.425), and small effects were identified for SP (g=-0.383). This is the first quantitative domain-by-domain social cognitive meta-analysis regarding CHR individuals. The present study indicated that individuals at CHR exhibited significant impairments in all domains of social cognition compared with healthy controls, with the largest effect size identified for AB. The identification of social cognitive domains that reflect an increased risk for impending psychosis and of predictors of the conversion to psychosis via a longitudinal follow-up study is required. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the dielectric function of colloidal Cd1 - xHgxTe quantum dot films by spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejaoui, A.; Alonso, M. I.; Garriga, M.; Campoy-Quiles, M.; Goñi, A. R.; Hetsch, F.; Kershaw, S. V.; Rogach, A. L.; To, C. H.; Foo, Y.; Zapien, J. A.

2017-11-01

We report on the investigation by spectroscopic ellipsometry of films containing Cd1 - xHgxTe alloy quantum dots (QDs). The alloy QDs were fabricated from colloidal CdTe QDs grown by an aqueous synthesis process followed by an ion-exchange step in which Hg2+ ions progressively replace Cd2+. For ellipsometric studies, several films were prepared on glass substrates using layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition. The contribution of the QDs to the measured ellipsometric spectra is extracted from a multi-sample, transmission and multi- angle-of-incidence ellipsometric data analysis fitted using standard multilayer and effective medium models that include surface roughness effects, modeled by an effective medium approximation. The relationship of the dielectric function of the QDs retrieved from these studies to that of the corresponding II-VI bulk material counterparts is presented and discussed.

The cold reading technique.

PubMed

Dutton, D L

1988-04-15

For many people, belief in the paranormal derives from personal experience of face-to-face interviews with astrologers, palm readers, aura and Tarot readers, and spirit mediums. These encounters typically involve cold reading, a process in which a reader makes calculated guesses about a client's background and problems and, depending on the reaction, elaborates a reading which seems to the client so uniquely appropriate that it carries with it the illusion of having been produced by paranormal means. The cold reading process is shown to depend initially on the Barnum effect, the tendency for people to embrace generalized personality descriptions as idiosyncratically their own. Psychological research into the Barnum effect is critically reviewed, and uses of the effect by a professional magician are described. This is followed by detailed analysis of the cold reading performances of a spirit medium. Future research should investigate the degree to which cold readers may have convinced themselves that they actually possess psychic or paranormal abilities.

Coffee husk waste for fermentation production of mosquitocidal bacteria.

PubMed

Poopathi, Subbiah; Abidha, S

2011-12-01

Coffee husk waste (CHW) discarded as bio-organic waste, from coffee industries, is rich in carbohydrates. The current study emphasizes the management of solid waste from agro-industrial residues for the production of biopesticides (Bacillus sphaericus, and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis), to control disease transmitting mosquito vectors. An experimental culture medium was prepared by extracting the filtrates from coffee husk. A conventional culture medium (NYSM) also was prepared. The studies revealed that the quantity of mosquitocidal toxins produced from CHW is at par with NYSM. The bacteria produced in these media, were bioassayed against mosquito vectors (Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles stephensi, and Aedes aegypti) and it was found that the toxic effect was statistically comparable. Cost-effective analysis have revealed that, production of biopesticides from CHW is highly economical. Therefore, the utilization of CHW provides dual benefits of effective utilization of environmental waste and efficient production of mosquitocidal toxins.

50 years of rational‐emotive and cognitive‐behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

PubMed Central

Cotet, Carmen; Matu, Silviu; Mogoase, Cristina; Stefan, Simona

2017-01-01

Objective Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), introduced by Albert Ellis in the late 1950s, is one of the main pillars of cognitive‐behavioral therapy. Existing reviews on REBT are overdue by 10 years or more. We aimed to summarize the effectiveness and efficacy of REBT since its beginnings and investigate the alleged mechanisms of change. Method Systematic search identified 84 articles, out of which 68 provided data for between‐group analyses and 39 for within‐group analyses. Results We found a medium effect size of REBT compared to other interventions on outcomes (d = 0.58) and on irrational beliefs (d = 0.70), at posttest. For the within‐group analyses, we obtained medium effects for both outcomes (d = 0.56) and irrational beliefs (d = 0.61). Several significant moderators emerged. Conclusion REBT is a sound psychological intervention. Directions for future studies are outlined, stemming from the limitations of existing ones. PMID:28898411

The frequency of clinical pregnancy and implantation rate after cultivation of embryos in a medium with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in patients with preceding failed attempts of ART.

PubMed

Tevkin, S; Lokshin, V; Shishimorova, M; Polumiskov, V

2014-10-01

The application in IVF practice of modern techniques can improve positive outcome of each cycle in the assisted reproductive technology (ART) programs and the effectiveness of treatment as a whole. There are embryos in the female reproductive tract in physiological medium which contain various cytokines and growth factors. It plays an important role in the regulation of normal embryonic development, improve implantation and subsequently optimizing the development of the fetus and the placenta. Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF is one of the cytokines playing an important role in reproductive function. Addition of recombinant GM-CSF to the culture medium can makes closer human embryos culture to in vivo conditions and improve the efficacy ART cycles. The analysis of culture embryos in EmbryoGen medium has shown that fertilization rate embryo culture and transfer to patients with previous unsuccessful attempts increases clinical pregnancy rate compared to the control group 39.1 versus 27.8%, respectively. It is noted that the implantation rate (on 7 weeks' gestation) and progressive clinical pregnancy rate (on 12 weeks' gestation) were significantly higher in group embryos culture in EmbryoGen medium compared to standard combination of medium (ISM1+VA), and were 20.4 and 17.4% versus 11.6 and 9.1%, respectively.

Effects of small variations of speed of sound in optoacoustic tomographic imaging

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

Deán-Ben, X. Luís; Ntziachristos, Vasilis; Razansky, Daniel, E-mail: dr@tum.de

2014-07-15

Purpose: Speed of sound difference in the imaged object and surrounding coupling medium may reduce the resolution and overall quality of optoacoustic tomographic reconstructions obtained by assuming a uniform acoustic medium. In this work, the authors investigate the effects of acoustic heterogeneities and discuss potential benefits of accounting for those during the reconstruction procedure. Methods: The time shift of optoacoustic signals in an acoustically heterogeneous medium is studied theoretically by comparing different continuous and discrete wave propagation models. A modification of filtered back-projection reconstruction is subsequently implemented by considering a straight acoustic rays model for ultrasound propagation. The results obtainedmore » with this reconstruction procedure are compared numerically and experimentally to those obtained assuming a heuristically fitted uniform speed of sound in both full-view and limited-view optoacoustic tomography scenarios. Results: The theoretical analysis showcases that the errors in the time-of-flight of the signals predicted by considering the straight acoustic rays model tend to be generally small. When using this model for reconstructing simulated data, the resulting images accurately represent the theoretical ones. On the other hand, significant deviations in the location of the absorbing structures are found when using a uniform speed of sound assumption. The experimental results obtained with tissue-mimicking phantoms and a mouse postmortem are found to be consistent with the numerical simulations. Conclusions: Accurate analysis of effects of small speed of sound variations demonstrates that accounting for differences in the speed of sound allows improving optoacoustic reconstruction results in realistic imaging scenarios involving acoustic heterogeneities in tissues and surrounding media.« less

Multifractality of laser beam spatial intensity in a turbulent medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barille, Régis; Lapenna, Paolo

2006-05-01

We present the results of a laser beam passing through a turbulent medium. First we measure the geometric parameters and the spatial coherence of the beam as a function of wind velocities. A multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis algorithm is applied to determine the multifractal scaling behavior of the intensity patterns. The measurements are fitted with models used in the analysis of river runoff records. We show the surprising result that the multifractality decreases when the spatial coherence of the laser is decreased. Universal scaling properties could be applied to the spatial characterization of a laser propagating in a turbulent medium or random medium.

A Novel Counter Sheet-flow Sandwich Cell Culture Device for Mammalian Cell Growth in Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shujin; Gao, Yuxin; Shu, Nanjiang; Tang, Zemei; Tao, Zulai; Long, Mian

2008-08-01

Cell culture and growth in space is crucial to understand the cellular responses under microgravity. The effects of microgravity were coupled with such environment restrictions as medium perfusion, in which the underlying mechanism has been poorly understood. In the present work, a customer-made counter sheet-flow sandwich cell culture device was developed upon a biomechanical concept from fish gill breathing. The sandwich culture unit consists of two side chambers where the medium flow is counter-directional, a central chamber where the cells are cultured, and two porous polycarbonate membranes between side and central chambers. Flow dynamics analysis revealed the symmetrical velocity profile and uniform low shear rate distribution of flowing medium inside the central culture chamber, which promotes sufficient mass transport and nutrient supply for mammalian cell growth. An on-orbit experiment performed on a recovery satellite was used to validate the availability of the device.

Fluid-Driven Deformation of a Soft Porous Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, Tyler; Wilen, Larry; Wettlaufer, John

2017-11-01

Viscous drag forces resisting the flow of fluid through a soft porous medium are maintained by restoring forces associated with deformations in the solid matrix. We describe experimental measurements of the deformation of foam under a pressure-driven flow of water along a single axis. Image analysis techniques allow tracking of the foam displacement while pressure sensors allow measurement of the fluid pressure. Experiments are performed for a series of different pressure heads ranging from 10 to 90 psi, and the results are compared to theory. This work builds on previous measurements of the fluid-induced deformation of a bed of soft hydrogel spheres. Compared to the hydrogel system, foams have the advantage that the constituents of the porous medium do not rearrange during an experiment, but they have the disadvantage of having a high friction coefficient with any boundaries. We detail strategies to characterize and mitigate the effects of friction on the observed foam deformations.

Polyphenol fatty acid esters as serine protease inhibitors: a quantum-chemical QSAR analysis.

PubMed

Viskupicova, Jana; Danihelova, Martina; Majekova, Magdalena; Liptaj, Tibor; Sturdik, Ernest

2012-12-01

We investigated the ability of polyphenol fatty acid esters to inhibit the activity of serine proteases trypsin, thrombin, elastase and urokinase. Potent protease inhibition in micromolar range was displayed by rutin and rutin derivatives esterified with medium and long chain, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (1e-m), followed by phloridzin and esculin esters with medium and long fatty acid chain length (2a-d, 3a-d), while unmodified compounds showed only little or no effect. QSAR study of the compounds tested provided the most significant parameters for individual inhibition activities, i.e. number of hydrogen bond donors for urokinase, molecular volume for thrombin, and solvation energy for elastase. According to the statistical analysis, the action of elastase inhibitors is opposed to those of urokinase and thrombin. Cluster analysis showed two groups of compounds: original polyphenols together with rutin esters with short fatty acid chain length and rutin esters with long fatty acid chain length.

Heat and mass transfer analysis of unsteady MHD nanofluid flow through a channel with moving porous walls and medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubair Akbar, Muhammad; Ashraf, Muhammad; Farooq Iqbal, Muhammad; Ali, Kashif

2016-04-01

The paper presents the numerical study of heat and mass transfer analysis in a viscous unsteady MHD nanofluid flow through a channel with porous walls and medium in the presence of metallic nanoparticles. The two cases for effective thermal conductivity are discussed in the analysis through H-C model. The impacts of the governing parameters on the flow, heat and mass transfer aspects of the issue are talked about. Under the patronage of small values of permeable Reynolds number and relaxation/contraction parameter, we locate that, when wall contraction is together with suction, flow turning is encouraged close to the wall where the boundary layer is shaped. On the other hand, when the wall relaxation is coupled with injection, the flow adjacent to the porous walls decreased. The outcome of the exploration may be beneficial for applications of biotechnology. Numerical solutions for the velocity, heat and mass transfer rate at the boundary are obtained and analyzed.

The Effect Of Atributes Product’s Analysis, Halal Certification, And Product Innovation To The Interest Of Consumer Buying-Back Through The Advantage Competitive Of Micro Small And Medium Business (MSMB) In Medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aditi, Bunga

2017-12-01

This research is done to know and analyzing the effect of attribute, halal certification product, and product innovation on the competitiveness of Micro Small and Medium Business in Medan, knowing and analyzing the effect of product attribute, halal certification, and product innovation to consumer buying surge. The type of research used is explanatory research with quantitative approach. The population in this study is the community as consumers who are in the area of Medan province of North Sumatera. Total sample of 150 people. Sampling method which use an accidental sampling is the technique of determining samples by chance, example: consumers whomeets with researcher coincidentally can be sampled if the consumer is appropriate or suitable as a source of data. This research uses the method of Structural Equation Modeling analysis. The mainting of this research is showed that product attributes, halal certification, and product innovation had a positive and significant impact on competitive advantage which impact on consumer buy-back (surge) interest. The advantage competitive has affects consumer buying surge interest positively. Keywords: Product attributes, halal certification, product innovation, competitive advantage, consumer buying interest

Influenza pandemic preparedness: motivation for protection among small and medium businesses in Australia

PubMed Central

Watkins, Rochelle E; Cooke, Feonagh C; Donovan, Robert J; MacIntyre, C Raina; Itzwerth, Ralf; Plant, Aileen J

2007-01-01

Background Community-wide preparedness for pandemic influenza is an issue that has featured prominently in the recent news media, and is currently a priority for health authorities in many countries. The small and medium business sector is a major provider of private sector employment in Australia, yet we have little information about the preparedness of this sector for pandemic influenza. This study aimed to investigate the association between individual perceptions and preparedness for pandemic influenza among small and medium business owners and managers. Methods Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 201 small and medium business owners or managers in New South Wales and Western Australia. Eligible small or medium businesses were defined as those that had less than 200 employees. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of having considered the impact of, having a plan for, and needing help to prepare for pandemic influenza. Results Approximately 6 per cent of participants reported that their business had a plan for pandemic influenza, 39 per cent reported that they had not thought at all about the impact of pandemic influenza on their business, and over 60 per cent stated that they required help to prepare for a pandemic. Beliefs about the severity of pandemic influenza and the ability to respond were significant independent predictors of having a plan for pandemic influenza, and the perception of the risk of pandemic influenza was the most important predictor of both having considered the impact of, and needing help to prepare for a pandemic. Conclusion Our findings suggest that small and medium businesses in Australia are not currently well prepared for pandemic influenza. We found that beliefs about the risk, severity, and the ability to respond effectively to the threat of pandemic influenza are important predictors of preparedness. Campaigns targeting small and medium businesses should emphasise the severity of the consequences to their businesses if a pandemic were to occur, and, at the same time, reassure them that there are effective strategies capable of being implemented by small and medium businesses to deal with a pandemic. PMID:17634112

Influenza pandemic preparedness: motivation for protection among small and medium businesses in Australia.

PubMed

Watkins, Rochelle E; Cooke, Feonagh C; Donovan, Robert J; MacIntyre, C Raina; Itzwerth, Ralf; Plant, Aileen J

2007-07-17

Community-wide preparedness for pandemic influenza is an issue that has featured prominently in the recent news media, and is currently a priority for health authorities in many countries. The small and medium business sector is a major provider of private sector employment in Australia, yet we have little information about the preparedness of this sector for pandemic influenza. This study aimed to investigate the association between individual perceptions and preparedness for pandemic influenza among small and medium business owners and managers. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 201 small and medium business owners or managers in New South Wales and Western Australia. Eligible small or medium businesses were defined as those that had less than 200 employees. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of having considered the impact of, having a plan for, and needing help to prepare for pandemic influenza. Approximately 6 per cent of participants reported that their business had a plan for pandemic influenza, 39 per cent reported that they had not thought at all about the impact of pandemic influenza on their business, and over 60 per cent stated that they required help to prepare for a pandemic. Beliefs about the severity of pandemic influenza and the ability to respond were significant independent predictors of having a plan for pandemic influenza, and the perception of the risk of pandemic influenza was the most important predictor of both having considered the impact of, and needing help to prepare for a pandemic. Our findings suggest that small and medium businesses in Australia are not currently well prepared for pandemic influenza. We found that beliefs about the risk, severity, and the ability to respond effectively to the threat of pandemic influenza are important predictors of preparedness. Campaigns targeting small and medium businesses should emphasise the severity of the consequences to their businesses if a pandemic were to occur, and, at the same time, reassure them that there are effective strategies capable of being implemented by small and medium businesses to deal with a pandemic.

DAMPING OF MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC TURBULENCE IN PARTIALLY IONIZED PLASMA: IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMIC RAY PROPAGATION

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

Xu, Siyao; Yan, Huirong; Lazarian, A., E-mail: syxu@pku.edu.cn, E-mail: huirong.yan@desy.de, E-mail: lazarian@astro.wisc.edu

2016-08-01

We study the damping processes of both incompressible and compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in a partially ionized medium. We start from the linear analysis of MHD waves, applying both single-fluid and two-fluid treatments. The damping rates derived from the linear analysis are then used in determining the damping scales of MHD turbulence. The physical connection between the damping scale of MHD turbulence and the cutoff boundary of linear MHD waves is investigated. We find two branches of slow modes propagating in ions and neutrals, respectively, below the damping scale of slow MHD turbulence, and offer a thorough discussion of theirmore » propagation and dissipation behavior. Our analytical results are shown to be applicable in a variety of partially ionized interstellar medium (ISM) phases and the solar chromosphere. The importance of neutral viscosity in damping the Alfvenic turbulence in the interstellar warm neutral medium and the solar chromosphere is demonstrated. As a significant astrophysical utility, we introduce damping effects to the propagation of cosmic rays in partially ionized ISM. The important role of turbulence damping in both transit-time damping and gyroresonance is identified.« less

An evaluation of clinical performance of FTA cards for HPV 16/18 detection using cobas 4800 HPV Test compared to dry swab and liquid medium.

PubMed

Dong, Li; Lin, Chunqing; Li, Li; Wang, Margaret; Cui, Jianfeng; Feng, Ruimei; Liu, Bin; Wu, Zeni; Lian, Jia; Liao, Guangdong; Chen, Wen; Qiao, Youlin

2017-09-01

Effective dry storage and transport media as an alternative to conventional liquid-based medium would facilitate the accessibility of women in the low-resource settings to human papillomavirus (HPV)- based cervical cancer screening. To evaluate analytical and clinical performance of indicating FTA™ Elute Cartridge (FTA card) for the detection of HPV16/18 and cervical precancerous lesions and cancer compared to dry swab and liquid medium. Ninety patients with abnormal cytology and/or HPV infection were included for analysis. Three specimens of cervical exfoliated cells from each woman were randomly collected by FTA card, dry swab or liquid-based medium prior to colposcopy examination. The subsequent HPV DNA tests were performed on cobas 4800 HPV platform. High-risk HPV (hrHPV) positivity rate was 63.3%, 62.2% and 65.6% for samples collected by FTA card, dry swab and liquid medium, respectively. The overall agreements and kappa values for the detection of hrHPV, HPV 16 and HPV 18 between FTA card and liquid-based medium were 88.9% (κ=0.76), 97.8% (κ=0.94) and 100% (κ=1.0),respectively; between FTA card and dry swab were 92.1% (κ=0.83), 94.5% (κ=0.87) and 100% (κ=1.0), respectively. The performances of hrHPV tested by FTA card, dry swab, and liquid-based medium for detecting CIN2+ were comparable in terms of the sensitivity and specificity. The specificity of detection of CIN2+ by HPV16/18 increased by approximately 40% compared to hrHPV for any medium albeit at cost of a moderate loss of sensitivity. Dry medium might offer an alternative to conventional liquid-based medium in the HPV-based cervical cancer screening program especially in low-resource settings but still needs further evaluation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Three-dimensional localization and optical imaging of objects in turbid media with independent component analysis.

PubMed

Xu, M; Alrubaiee, M; Gayen, S K; Alfano, R R

2005-04-01

A new approach for optical imaging and localization of objects in turbid media that makes use of the independent component analysis (ICA) from information theory is demonstrated. Experimental arrangement realizes a multisource illumination of a turbid medium with embedded objects and a multidetector acquisition of transmitted light on the medium boundary. The resulting spatial diversity and multiple angular observations provide robust data for three-dimensional localization and characterization of absorbing and scattering inhomogeneities embedded in a turbid medium. ICA of the perturbations in the spatial intensity distribution on the medium boundary sorts out the embedded objects, and their locations are obtained from Green's function analysis based on any appropriate light propagation model. Imaging experiments were carried out on two highly scattering samples of thickness approximately 50 times the transport mean-free path of the respective medium. One turbid medium had two embedded absorptive objects, and the other had four scattering objects. An independent component separation of the signal, in conjunction with diffusive photon migration theory, was used to locate the embedded inhomogeneities. In both cases, improved lateral and axial localizations of the objects over the result obtained by use of common photon migration reconstruction algorithms were achieved. The approach is applicable to different medium geometries, can be used with any suitable photon propagation model, and is amenable to near-real-time imaging applications.

Estimation of Random Medium Parameters from 2D Post-Stack Seismic Data and Its Application in Seismic Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, X.; Zhu, P.; Gu, Y.; Xu, Z.

2015-12-01

Small scale heterogeneities of subsurface medium can be characterized conveniently and effectively using a few simple random medium parameters (RMP), such as autocorrelation length, angle and roughness factor, etc. The estimation of these parameters is significant in both oil reservoir prediction and metallic mine exploration. Poor accuracy and low stability existed in current estimation approaches limit the application of random medium theory in seismic exploration. This study focuses on improving the accuracy and stability of RMP estimation from post-stacked seismic data and its application in the seismic inversion. Experiment and theory analysis indicate that, although the autocorrelation of random medium is related to those of corresponding post-stacked seismic data, the relationship is obviously affected by the seismic dominant frequency, the autocorrelation length, roughness factor and so on. Also the error of calculation of autocorrelation in the case of finite and discrete model decreases the accuracy. In order to improve the precision of estimation of RMP, we design two improved approaches. Firstly, we apply region growing algorithm, which often used in image processing, to reduce the influence of noise in the autocorrelation calculated by the power spectrum method. Secondly, the orientation of autocorrelation is used as a new constraint in the estimation algorithm. The numerical experiments proved that it is feasible. In addition, in post-stack seismic inversion of random medium, the estimated RMP may be used to constrain inverse procedure and to construct the initial model. The experiment results indicate that taking inversed model as random medium and using relatively accurate estimated RMP to construct initial model can get better inversion result, which contained more details conformed to the actual underground medium.

Development of a semidefined growth medium for Pedobacter cryoconitis BG5 using statistical experimental design.

PubMed

Ong, Magdalena; Ongkudon, Clarence M; Wong, Clemente Michael Vui Ling

2016-10-02

Pedobacter cryoconitis BG5 are psychrophiles isolated from the cold environment and capable of proliferating and growing well at low temperature regime. Their cellular products have found a broad spectrum of applications, including in food, medicine, and bioremediation. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a high-cell density cultivation strategy coupled with optimized growth medium for P. cryoconitis BG5. To date, there has been no published report on the design and optimization of growth medium for P. cryoconitis, hence the objective of this research project. A preliminary screening of four commercially available media, namely tryptic soy broth, R2A, Luria Bertani broth, and nutrient broth, was conducted to formulate the basal medium. Based on the preliminary screening, tryptone, glucose, NaCl, and K2HPO4 along with three additional nutrients (yeast extract, MgSO4, and NH4Cl) were identified to form the basal medium which was further analyzed by Plackett-Burman experimental design. Central composite experimental design using response surface methodology was adopted to optimize tryptone, yeast extract, and NH4Cl concentrations in the formulated growth medium. Statistical data analysis showed a high regression factor of 0.84 with a predicted optimum optical (600 nm) cell density of 7.5 using 23.7 g/L of tryptone, 8.8 g/L of yeast extract, and 0.7 g/L of NH4Cl. The optimized medium for P. cryoconitis BG5 was tested, and the observed optical density was 7.8. The cost-effectiveness of the optimized medium was determined as 6.25 unit prices per gram of cell produced in a 250-ml Erlenmeyer flask.

Increased Volume of Lumbar Surgeries for Herniated Intervertebral Disc Disease and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

PubMed

Kim, Chi Heon; Chung, Chun Kee; Kim, Myo Jeong; Choi, Yunhee; Kim, Min-Jung; Hahn, Seokyung; Shin, Sukyoun; Jong, Jong-Myung; Lee, Jun Ho

2018-04-15

Retrospective cohort study of a nationwide database. The primary objective was to summarize the use of surgical methods for lumbar herniated intervertebral disc disease (HIVD) at two different time periods under the national health insurance system. The secondary objective was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis by utilizing incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). The selection of surgical method for HIVD may or may not be consistent with cost effectiveness under national health insurance system, but this issue has rarely been analyzed. The data of all patients who underwent surgeries for HIVD in 2003 (n = 17,997) and 2008 (n = 38,264) were retrieved. The surgical methods included open discectomy (OD), fusion surgery, laminectomy, and percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD). The hospitals were classified as tertiary-referral hospitals (≥300 beds), medium-sized hospitals (30-300 beds), or clinics (<30 beds). ICER showed the difference in the mean total cost per 1% decrease in the reoperation probability among surgical methods. The total cost included the costs of the index surgery and the reoperation. In 2008, the number of surgeries increased by 2.13-fold. The number of hospitals increased by 34.75% (731 in 2003 and 985 in 2008). The proportion of medium-sized hospitals increased from 62.79% to 70.86%, but the proportion of surgeries performed at those hospitals increased from 61.31% to 85.08%. The probability of reoperation was highest after laminectomy (10.77%), followed by OD (10.50%), PELD (9.20%), and fusion surgery (7.56%). The ICERs indicated that PELD was a cost-effective surgical method. The proportion of OD increased from 71.21% to 84.12%, but that of PELD decreased from 16.68% to 4.57%. The choice of surgical method might not always be consistent with cost-effectiveness strategies, and a high proportion of medium-sized hospitals may be responsible for this change. 4.

The origins of dragon-kings and their occurrence in society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malkov, Artemy; Zinkina, Julia; Korotayev, Andrey

2012-11-01

A society is a medium with a complex structure of one-to-one relations between people. Those could be relations between friends, wife-husband relationships, relations between business partners, and so on. At a certain level of analysis, a society can be regarded as a gigantic maze constituted of one-to-one relationships between people. From a physical standpoint it can be considered as a highly porous medium. Such media are widely known for their outstanding properties and effects like self-organized criticality, percolation, power-law distribution of network cluster sizes, etc. In these media supercritical events, referred to as dragon-kings, may occur in two cases: when increasing stress is applied to a system (self-organized criticality scenario) or when increasing conductivity of a system is observed (percolation scenario). In social applications the first scenario is typical for negative effects: crises, wars, revolutions, financial breakdowns, state collapses, etc. The second scenario is more typical for positive effects like emergence of cities, growth of firms, population blow-ups, economic miracles, technology diffusion, social network formation, etc. If both conditions (increasing stress and increasing conductivity) are observed together, then absolutely miraculous dragon-king effects can occur that involve most human society. Historical examples of this effect are the emergence of the Mongol Empire, world religions, World War II, and the explosive proliferation of global internet services. This article describes these two scenarios in detail beginning with an overview of historical dragon-king events and phenomena starting from the early human history till the last decades and concluding with an analysis of their possible near future consequences on our global society. Thus we demonstrate that in social systems dragon-king is not a random outlier unexplainable by power-law statistics, but a natural effect. It is a very large cluster in a porous percolation medium. It occurs as a result of changes in external conditions, such as supercritical load, increase in system elements’ sensitivity, or system connectivity growth.

Finite Element Simulation of the Shear Effect of Ultrasonic on Heat Exchanger Descaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Shaolv; Wang, Zhihua; Wang, Hehui

2018-03-01

The shear effect on the interface of metal plate and its attached scale is an important mechanism of ultrasonic descaling, which is caused by the different propagation speed of ultrasonic wave in two different mediums. The propagating of ultrasonic wave on the shell is simulated based on the ANSYS/LS-DYNA explicit dynamic analysis. The distribution of shear stress in different paths under ultrasonic vibration is obtained through the finite element analysis and it reveals the main descaling mechanism of shear effect. The simulation result is helpful and enlightening to the reasonable design and the application of the ultrasonic scaling technology on heat exchanger.

Micropropagation of an Exotic Ornamental Plant, Calathea crotalifera, for Production of High Quality Plantlets

PubMed Central

Efzueni Rozali, Shahril; Rashid, Kamaludin A.; Mat Taha, Rosna

2014-01-01

A successful protocol was established for micropropagation in two selected varieties of exotic ornamental plants, Calathea crotalifera. The effects of different sterilization techniques, explant type, and the combination and concentration of plant growth regulators on shoots induction were studied. The axillary shoot buds explants sprouted from rhizomes in soil free conditions showed high induction rate of shoots with lowest contamination percentage when treated with combination of 30% (v/v) NaOCl, 70% (v/v) ethanol, and 0.3% (w/v) HgCl2. In the present study, the highest number of multiple shoots was obtained in MS basal medium supplemented with 3.5 mg/L 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP), 1.0 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 3% sucrose, and 6 g/L plant agar for both varieties and was used as multiplication medium. Microshoots were highly induced when the young shoot bud explants were incised longitudinally prior subculture. Chlorophyll analysis was studied to test the effects of activated charcoal and L-glutamine on reduction of necrosis problem. The maximum roots induction was recorded on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) compared to indolebutyric acid (IBA). The complete regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized in the soilless medium under greenhouse condition. This is the first report of rapid mass propagation for C. crotalifera. PMID:25136669

A Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of English-Medium and Turkish-Medium Accounting Education: Gazi University Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaif, Figen; Karapinar, Aydin; Yangin Eksi, Gonca

2017-01-01

The authors explore the effect of medium of instruction on students' attainments at a large state university in Turkey in the Department of Business Administration. The findings indicate no statistically significant difference in grades of 386 students with respect to medium of instruction. As for entry rankings however, those in the…

Relieving patients' pain with expectation interventions: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Peerdeman, Kaya J; van Laarhoven, Antoinette I M; Keij, Sascha M; Vase, Lene; Rovers, Maroeska M; Peters, Madelon L; Evers, Andrea W M

2016-06-01

Patients' expectations are important predictors of the outcome of analgesic treatments, as demonstrated predominantly in research on placebo effects. Three commonly investigated interventions that have been found to induce expectations (verbal suggestion, conditioning, and mental imagery) entail promising, brief, and easy-to-implement adjunctive procedures for optimizing the effectiveness of analgesic treatments. However, evidence for their efficacy stems mostly from research on experimentally evoked pain in healthy samples, and these findings might not be directly transferable to clinical populations. The current meta-analysis investigated the effects of these expectation inductions on patients' pain relief. Five bibliographic databases were systematically searched for studies that assessed the effects of brief verbal suggestion, conditioning, or imagery interventions on pain in clinical populations, with patients experiencing experimental, acute procedural, or chronic pain, compared with no treatment or control treatment. Of the 15,955 studies retrieved, 30 met the inclusion criteria, of which 27 provided sufficient data for quantitative analyses. Overall, a medium-sized effect of the interventions on patients' pain relief was observed (Hedges g = 0.61, I = 73%), with varying effects of verbal suggestion (k = 18, g = 0.75), conditioning (always paired with verbal suggestion, k = 3, g = 0.65), and imagery (k = 6, g = 0.27). Subset analyses indicated medium to large effects on experimental and acute procedural pain and small effects on chronic pain. In conclusion, patients' pain can be relieved with expectation interventions; particularly, verbal suggestion for acute procedural pain was found to be effective.

Image analysis technique as a tool to identify morphological changes in Trametes versicolor pellets according to exopolysaccharide or laccase production.

PubMed

Tavares, Ana P M; Silva, Rui P; Amaral, António L; Ferreira, Eugénio C; Xavier, Ana M R B

2014-02-01

Image analysis technique was applied to identify morphological changes of pellets from white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor on agitated submerged cultures during the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS) or ligninolytic enzymes. Batch tests with four different experimental conditions were carried out. Two different culture media were used, namely yeast medium or Trametes defined medium and the addition of lignolytic inducers as xylidine or pulp and paper industrial effluent were evaluated. Laccase activity, EPS production, and final biomass contents were determined for batch assays and the pellets morphology was assessed by image analysis techniques. The obtained data allowed establishing the choice of the metabolic pathways according to the experimental conditions, either for laccase enzymatic production in the Trametes defined medium, or for EPS production in the rich Yeast Medium experiments. Furthermore, the image processing and analysis methodology allowed for a better comprehension of the physiological phenomena with respect to the corresponding pellets morphological stages.

Advertisements and information objects' positioning technologies based on the territorial zoning of the city of Tomsk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovyev, R.; Seryakov, V.

2014-10-01

The main results obtained in the analysis of existing advertising facilities in the city of Tomsk were considered as a basis for media planning while choosing the most effective advertising medium and its location depending on the area of territorial and functional purpose of the city.

Developmental Relationship Programs: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Peer-Mentoring Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shojai, Siamack; Davis, William J.; Root, Patricia S.

2014-01-01

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the impact and effectiveness of developmental relationships provided through academic intervention programs at a medium-size master's level public university in the Northeastern United States. The programs' curriculum follows the Model of Strategic Learning's four pillars of learning and is administered…

Student Response to Hypermedia in the Lecture Theatre: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Damian

The Computer Science Department at Monash University (Victoria, Australia) recently began presenting lectures using projection of a hypertext system, HyperLecture, running on a notebook computer as the primary medium. This paper presents a statistical analysis of student reactions to this approach, focusing on the effects, as perceived by the…

A Linguistic Analysis of Counselor's Affect Oriented Responses across Three Levels of Counseling Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warden, Kathleen; Wycoff, Jean

The effect of counselors' level of experience on clients' expression of feeling has not been investigated using stylistic and semantic measures. To examine the influence of affectively oriented counselors' level of experience, six counselors at three experience levels (low--masters, counseling practicum students; medium--doctoral, counseling…

Tidal River Elbe - a sediment budget for the grain size fraction of medium sand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winterscheid, Axel

2016-04-01

Human interventions have a historic and ongoing impact on estuarine sediment budgets across many estuaries worldwide. An early inference was the construction of embankments resulting in a constant loss of intertidal flats. Additionally, settlement activities and large scale land use changes in the upstream catchment areas had also an effect on sediment inflow rates. Today, the navigation channels in estuaries have been deepened for larger and more efficient vessels to reach a well-developed infrastructure of harbors and industrial areas often located far inland. In the past few years and just within the North-East Atlantic, the total annual amount of dredged sediments dumped at sea varied from 80 to 130 million tons (OSPAR Commission). In most estuaries across Europe the resulting human impact on the sediment fluxes and morphodynamics is significant. A good understanding of estuarine processes is essential for determining useful and meaningful measures to mitigate negative effects and to improve the current situation. Maintenance dredging and its environmental effects are therefore in the focus of public attention. Against this background, it is the aim of the presentation to identify and therefore to separate the particular effect that maintenance dredging has on sediment fluxes and budgets in the estuarine environment. Case study is the Tidal River Elbe in Germany, and here we set the focus on the grain size fraction of medium sand. In the past, river engineering measures forced the natural dynamics to form a concentrated stream flow along a fixed channel, except at a number of locations where side channels still exist. In addition to that, the main channel was deepened several times. The last deepening was in 1999/2000. The most significant deepening, however, took place from 1957 to 1962. Until then, an erosion-stable layer of marine clay (in German called "Klei") formed a flat bottom along most sections of the main channel. After removal of this layer of marine clay by capital dredging, Weichselion sandy deposits, which formed the geological layer underneath, now became part of the sediment transport regime. Nowadays, most sections of the main channel are morphologically characterized by a medium sandy river bed and subaquatic dunes of several meters height followed by sections of a poorly structured river bed caused by the sedimentation of silty sediments. By setting up the sediment balance for medium sand, the fluxes entering the estuary from the inland Elbe is one source term in the equation. The average annual load for the medium sand is estimated to be 110,000 m³/year (1996 - 2008, measurement station Neu Darchau). Further downstream in the tidal part of the river there are no further measurement stations located, but the analysis of a time series of multibeam sonar data (2000 to 2014) shows that large amounts of medium sand episodically pass the tidal weir at Geesthacht only in the event of extreme flood. This is due to a significant increase in bed volume between Geesthacht and the Port of Hamburg in the aftermath of a singular extreme event. Until the next extreme event the bed volume (functions as temporary storage for medium sand) is eroding again, which is the second source term. By comparing the information on bed load fluxes, the evolution of bed volumes over time and the dredging statistics we can conclude for the longer term that the total amount of medium sand that has been dredged and taken out of the system for constructional purposes is the same order of magnitude compared to the sum of both source terms. Hence, there is no or very limited net transport of medium sand passing the port area and entering the downstream river section. From the subsequent analysis of multibeam sonar data (2008 - 2014) we know for the river section from Hamburg to Brunsbuettel (total distance of 40 km) that there has been a continuous loss of about 1 Mio. m³/a in bed volumes, which means a deficit situation for medium sand. Currently, the Weichselion deposit is the active source for medium sand, but due to the lack of medium sand fluxes from upstream this at the cost of having an ongoing deepening of the main channel. The presumed cause for this deficit situation is the current management of the sandy dredged material. First of all, dredging and subsequent extraction of the dredged material is strongly affecting the longitudinal transport of medium sandy sediments from upstream through the Port of Hamburg in seaward direction. Further downstream in the river section in deficit, all dredged material, which is about 1 Mio m³/a solely for the fraction of medium sand, is transported by hopper dredgers over a long distance up to 40 km in seaward direction and disposed on a single site near Brunsbuettel. This 1 Mio m³/a is a similar volume in comparison to the loss in bed volume. From an analysis of the geometry of the subaquatic dunes we know for sandy sediments a seaward net transport that exists for large parts of this river section. All in one, there is an irretrievable and ongoing loss of medium sandy sediments. Vice versa for the river section next to Brunsbuettel, which is the location of the disposal site, the data show an increase of bed volumes and dredging amounts at the same time. For the Elbe case study we could demonstrate that maintenance dredging (and the subsequent disposal) could have a significant impact on the large scale sediment budget. Appropriate measures to stabilize the sediment budget in the inner part of the Tidal River Elbe for medium sand is (a) to dispose all medium sandy dredged material as close as possible to the location of dredging and (b) to reduce the extraction of medium sand in the Hamburg Port area.

Whole Grain Intake and Glycaemic Control in Healthy Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

PubMed Central

Marventano, Stefano; Vetrani, Claudia; Vitale, Marilena; Riccardi, Gabriele; Grosso, Giuseppe

2017-01-01

Backgrounds: There is growing evidence from both observational and intervention studies that Whole Grain (WG) cereals exert beneficial effects on human health, especially on the metabolic profile. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT) to assess the acute and medium/long-term effect of WG foods on glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals. Methods: A search for all the published RCT on the effect of WG food intake on glycaemic and insulin response was performed up to December 2016. Effect size consisted of mean difference (MD) and 95% CI between the outcomes of intervention and the control groups using the generic inverse-variance random effects model. Results: The meta-analysis of the 14 studies testing the acute effects of WG foods showed significant reductions of the post-prandial values of the glucose iAUC (0–120 min) by −29.71 mmol min/L (95% CI: −43.57, −15.85 mmol min/L), the insulin iAUC (0–120 min) by −2.01 nmol min/L (95% CI: −2.88, −1.14 nmol min/L), and the maximal glucose and insulin response. In 16 medium- and long-term RCTs, effects of WG foods on fasting glucose and insulin and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance values were not significant. Conclusions: The consumption of WG foods is able to improve acutely the postprandial glucose and insulin homeostasis compared to similar refined foods in healthy subjects. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects and the biological mechanisms. PMID:28753929

Effect of bioconversion conditions on vanillin production by Amycolatopsis sp. ATCC 39116 through an analysis of competing by-product formation.

PubMed

Ma, Xiao-kui; Daugulis, Andrew J

2014-05-01

This study investigated the effects of transformation conditions such as initial pH, the initial concentration of glucose and yeast extract in the medium, and the separate addition of ferulic acid and vanillic acid, on the production of vanillin through an analysis of competing by-product formation by Amycolatopsis sp. ATCC 39116. The extent and nature of by-product formation and vanillin yield were affected by initial pH and different initial concentrations of glucose and yeast extract in the medium, with a high yield of vanillin and high cell density obtained at pH 8.0, 10 g/l glucose, and 8 g/l yeast extract. High concentrations of ferulic acid were found to negatively affect cell density. Additional supplementation of 100 mg/l vanillic acid, a metabolically linked by-product, was found to result in a high concentration of vanillin and guaiacol, an intermediate of vanillin. Via an analysis of the effect of these transformation conditions on competing by-product formation, high concentrations of ferulic acid were transformed with a molar yield to vanillin of 96.1 and 95.2 %, by Amycolatopsis sp. ATCC 39116 and Streptomyces V1, respectively, together with a minor accumulation of by-products. These are among the highest performance values reported in the literature to date for Streptomyces in batch cultures.

Relationship between pH and Medium Dissolved Solids in Terms of Growth and Metabolism of Lactobacilli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae during Ethanol Production

PubMed Central

Narendranath, Neelakantam V.; Power, Ronan

2005-01-01

The specific growth rates of four species of lactobacilli decreased linearly with increases in the concentration of dissolved solids (sugars) in liquid growth medium. This was most likely due to the osmotic stress exerted by the sugars on the bacteria. The reduction in growth rates corresponded to decreased lactic acid production. Medium pH was another factor studied. As the medium pH decreased from 5.5 to 4.0, there was a reduction in the specific growth rate of lactobacilli and a corresponding decrease in the lactic acid produced. In contrast, medium pH did not have any significant effect on the specific growth rate of yeast at any particular concentration of dissolved solids in the medium. However, medium pH had a significant (P < 0.001) effect on ethanol production. A medium pH of 5.5 resulted in maximal ethanol production in all media with different concentrations of dissolved solids. When the data were analyzed as a 4 (pH levels) by 4 (concentrations of dissolved solids) factorial experiment, there was no synergistic effect (P > 0.2923) observed between pH of the medium and concentration of dissolved solids of the medium in reducing bacterial growth and metabolism. The data suggest that reduction of initial medium pH to 4.0 for the control of lactobacilli during ethanol production is not a good practice as there is a reduction (P < 0.001) in the ethanol produced by the yeast at pH 4.0. Setting the mash (medium) with ≥30% (wt/vol) dissolved solids at a pH of 5.0 to 5.5 will minimize the effects of bacterial contamination and maximize ethanol production by yeast. PMID:15870306

Analysis of Nonlinear Periodic and Aperiodic Media: Application to Optical Logic Gates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yisheng

This dissertation is about the analysis of nonlinear periodic and aperiodic media and their application to the design of intensity controlled all optical logic gates: AND, OR, and NOT. A coupled nonlinear differential equation that characterizes the electromagnetic wave propagation in a nonlinear periodic (and aperiodic) medium has been derived from the first principle. The equations are general enough that it reflects the effect of transverse modal fields and can be used to analyze both co-propagating and counter propagating waves. A numerical technique based on the finite differences method and absorbing boundary condition has been developed to solve the coupled differential equations here. The numerical method is simple and accurate. Unlike the method based on characteristics that has been reported in the literature, this method does not involve integration and step sizes of time and space coordinates are decoupled. The decoupling provides independent choice for time and space step sizes. The concept of "gap soliton" has also been re-examined. The dissertation consists of four manuscripts. Manuscript I reports on the design of all optical logic gates: AND, OR, and NOT based on the bistability property of nonlinear periodic and aperiodic waveguiding structures. The functioning of the logic gates has been shown by analysis. The numerical technique that has been developed to solve the nonlinear differential equations are addressed in manuscript II. The effect of transverse modal fields on the bistable property of nonlinear periodic medium is reported in manuscript III. The concept of "gap soliton" that are generated in a nonlinear periodic medium has been re-examined. The details on the finding of the re-examination are discussed in manuscript IV.

Mars Express MARSIS Radar: A Prediction of the Effect of Overlying Ice on Detecting Polar Basal Lakes and Inter-Glacial Aquifers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, W. M.; Plaut, J. J.; Gurnett, D. A.; Picardi, G.

2004-01-01

The penetration of the MARSIS radar signal into the polar ice mass is modeled to determine the capability of the instrument to locate sub-glacial aquifers. As a ground penetrating radar, the orbiting MARSIS transmits a signal greater than 1 W between 1-5 MHz. In this work we will investigate the effect of ice conductive losses on the radar-detection of subsurface aquifers. Based on wave propagation analysis, it is found that for a bulk ice conductivity below 10-5 S/m, conductive losses in the medium are not significant. However, if the bulk ice conductivity is relatively large (greater than 10-5 S/m), the reflected signal from any deep aquifer will be absorbed as it propagates in the lossy ice medium limiting the probing depth.

Nonequilibrium Statistical Operator Method and Generalized Kinetic Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzemsky, A. L.

2018-01-01

We consider some principal problems of nonequilibrium statistical thermodynamics in the framework of the Zubarev nonequilibrium statistical operator approach. We present a brief comparative analysis of some approaches to describing irreversible processes based on the concept of nonequilibrium Gibbs ensembles and their applicability to describing nonequilibrium processes. We discuss the derivation of generalized kinetic equations for a system in a heat bath. We obtain and analyze a damped Schrödinger-type equation for a dynamical system in a heat bath. We study the dynamical behavior of a particle in a medium taking the dissipation effects into account. We consider the scattering problem for neutrons in a nonequilibrium medium and derive a generalized Van Hove formula. We show that the nonequilibrium statistical operator method is an effective, convenient tool for describing irreversible processes in condensed matter.

Isolation of antifungal bacteria from Japanese fermented soybeans, natto.

PubMed

Murata, Daichi; Sawano, Sayaka; Ohike, Tatsuya; Okanami, Masahiro; Ano, Takashi

2013-12-01

An inhibitory effect of a traditional Japanese fermented food, natto, was found against plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum, and the bacteria which showed inhibition were isolated from the natto. Among isolated bacteria, BC-1 and GAc exhibited a strong antagonistic effect in vitro against plant pathogens on an agar medium. The supernatant of bacterial culture also showed strong activity against R. solani, which meant the antimicrobial substances were produced and secreted into the medium. Both of the bacteria were estimated as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens from a partial sequence of the 16s rRNA gene. High performance liquid chromatography analysis clearly showed the production of the lipopeptide antibiotic iturin A by BC-1 and GAc. Copyright © 2013 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heat Transfer Analysis for Stationary Boundary Layer Slip Flow of a Power-Law Fluid in a Darcy Porous Medium with Plate Suction/Injection

PubMed Central

Aziz, Asim; Ali, Yasir; Aziz, Taha; Siddique, J. I.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the slip effects on the boundary layer flow and heat transfer characteristics of a power-law fluid past a porous flat plate embedded in the Darcy type porous medium. The nonlinear coupled system of partial differential equations governing the flow and heat transfer of a power-law fluid is transformed into a system of nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations by applying a suitable similarity transformation. The resulting system of ordinary differential equations is solved numerically using Matlab bvp4c solver. Numerical results are presented in the form of graphs and the effects of the power-law index, velocity and thermal slip parameters, permeability parameter, suction/injection parameter on the velocity and temperature profiles are examined. PMID:26407162

Eigenvalue approach to coupled thermoelasticity in a rotating isotropic medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayones, F. S.; Abd-Alla, A. M.

2018-03-01

In this paper the linear theory of the thermoelasticity has been employed to study the effect of the rotation in a thermoelastic half-space containing heat source on the boundary of the half-space. It is assumed that the medium under consideration is traction free, homogeneous, isotropic, as well as without energy dissipation. The normal mode analysis has been applied in the basic equations of coupled thermoelasticity and finally the resulting equations are written in the form of a vector- matrix differential equation which is then solved by eigenvalue approach. Numerical results for the displacement components, stresses, and temperature are given and illustrated graphically. Comparison was made with the results obtained in the presence and absence of the rotation. The results indicate that the effect of rotation, non-dimensional thermal wave and time are very pronounced.

Rational Design of Photonic Dust from Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Films: A Versatile Photonic Nanotool for Visual Sensing

PubMed Central

Chen, Yuting; Santos, Abel; Wang, Ye; Kumeria, Tushar; Ho, Daena; Li, Junsheng; Wang, Changhai; Losic, Dusan

2015-01-01

Herein, we present a systematic study on the development, optimisation and applicability of interferometrically coloured distributed Bragg reflectors based on nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA-DBRs) in the form of films and nanoporous microparticles as visual/colorimetric analytical tools. Firstly, we synthesise a complete palette of NAA-DBRs by galvanostatic pulse anodisation approach, in which the current density is altered in a periodic fashion in order to engineer the effective medium of the resulting photonic films in depth. NAA-DBR photonic films feature vivid colours that can be tuned across the UV-visible-NIR spectrum by structural engineering. Secondly, the effective medium of the resulting photonic films is assessed systematically by visual analysis and reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) in order to establish the most optimal nanoporous platforms to develop visual/colorimetric tools. Then, we demonstrate the applicability of NAA-DBR photonic films as a chemically selective sensing platform for visual detection of mercury(II) ions. Finally, we generate a new nanomaterial, so-called photonic dust, by breaking down NAA-DBRs films into nanoporous microparticles. The resulting microparticles (μP-NAA-DBRs) display vivid colours and are sensitive towards changes in their effective medium, opening new opportunities for developing advanced photonic nanotools for a broad range of applications. PMID:26245759

Nonlinear and diffraction effects in propagation of N-waves in randomly inhomogeneous moving media.

PubMed

Averiyanov, Mikhail; Blanc-Benon, Philippe; Cleveland, Robin O; Khokhlova, Vera

2011-04-01

Finite amplitude acoustic wave propagation through atmospheric turbulence is modeled using a Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK)-type equation. The equation accounts for the combined effects of nonlinearity, diffraction, absorption, and vectorial inhomogeneities of the medium. A numerical algorithm is developed which uses a shock capturing scheme to reduce the number of temporal grid points. The inhomogeneous medium is modeled using random Fourier modes technique. Propagation of N-waves through the medium produces regions of focusing and defocusing that is consistent with geometrical ray theory. However, differences up to ten wavelengths are observed in the locations of fist foci. Nonlinear effects are shown to enhance local focusing, increase the maximum peak pressure (up to 60%), and decrease the shock rise time (about 30 times). Although the peak pressure increases and the rise time decreases in focal regions, statistical analysis across the entire wavefront at a distance 120 wavelengths from the source indicates that turbulence: decreases the mean time-of-flight by 15% of a pulse duration, decreases the mean peak pressure by 6%, and increases the mean rise time by almost 100%. The peak pressure and the arrival time are primarily governed by large scale inhomogeneities, while the rise time is also sensitive to small scales.

Rational Design of Photonic Dust from Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Films: A Versatile Photonic Nanotool for Visual Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuting; Santos, Abel; Wang, Ye; Kumeria, Tushar; Ho, Daena; Li, Junsheng; Wang, Changhai; Losic, Dusan

2015-08-01

Herein, we present a systematic study on the development, optimisation and applicability of interferometrically coloured distributed Bragg reflectors based on nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA-DBRs) in the form of films and nanoporous microparticles as visual/colorimetric analytical tools. Firstly, we synthesise a complete palette of NAA-DBRs by galvanostatic pulse anodisation approach, in which the current density is altered in a periodic fashion in order to engineer the effective medium of the resulting photonic films in depth. NAA-DBR photonic films feature vivid colours that can be tuned across the UV-visible-NIR spectrum by structural engineering. Secondly, the effective medium of the resulting photonic films is assessed systematically by visual analysis and reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) in order to establish the most optimal nanoporous platforms to develop visual/colorimetric tools. Then, we demonstrate the applicability of NAA-DBR photonic films as a chemically selective sensing platform for visual detection of mercury(II) ions. Finally, we generate a new nanomaterial, so-called photonic dust, by breaking down NAA-DBRs films into nanoporous microparticles. The resulting microparticles (μP-NAA-DBRs) display vivid colours and are sensitive towards changes in their effective medium, opening new opportunities for developing advanced photonic nanotools for a broad range of applications.

Effect of fermentation parameters on bio-alcohols production from glycerol using immobilized Clostridium pasteurianum: an optimization study.

PubMed

Khanna, Swati; Goyal, Arun; Moholkar, Vijayanand S

2013-01-01

This article addresses the issue of effect of fermentation parameters for conversion of glycerol (in both pure and crude form) into three value-added products, namely, ethanol, butanol, and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO), by immobilized Clostridium pasteurianum and thereby addresses the statistical optimization of this process. The analysis of effect of different process parameters such as agitation rate, fermentation temperature, medium pH, and initial glycerol concentration indicated that medium pH was the most critical factor for total alcohols production in case of pure glycerol as fermentation substrate. On the other hand, initial glycerol concentration was the most significant factor for fermentation with crude glycerol. An interesting observation was that the optimized set of fermentation parameters was found to be independent of the type of glycerol (either pure or crude) used. At optimum conditions of agitation rate (200 rpm), initial glycerol concentration (25 g/L), fermentation temperature (30°C), and medium pH (7.0), the total alcohols production was almost equal in anaerobic shake flasks and 2-L bioreactor. This essentially means that at optimum process parameters, the scale of operation does not affect the output of the process. The immobilized cells could be reused for multiple cycles for both pure and crude glycerol fermentation.

Aircraft requirements for low/medium density markets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ausrotas, R.; Dodge, S.; Faulkner, H.; Glendinning, I.; Hays, A.; Simpson, R.; Swan, W.; Taneja, N.; Vittek, J.

1973-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the demand for and the economic factors involved in air transportation in a low and medium density market. The subjects investigated are as follows: (1) industry and market structure, (2) aircraft analysis, (3) economic analysis, (4) field surveys, and (5) computer network analysis. Graphs are included to show the economic requirements and the aircraft performance characteristics.

Memory-focused interventions for people with cognitive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.

PubMed

Yang, Hui-Ling; Chan, Pi-Tuan; Chang, Pi-Chen; Chiu, Huei-Ling; Sheen Hsiao, Shu-Tai; Chu, Hsin; Chou, Kuei-Ru

2018-02-01

A better understanding of people with cognitive disorders improves performance on memory tasks through memory-focused interventions are needed. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of memoryfocused interventions on cognitive disorders through a meta-analysis. Systematic review and meta-analysis. The online electronic databases PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Ovid-Medline, CINHAL, PsycINFO, Ageline, and Embase (up to May 2017) were used in this study. No language restriction was applied to the search. Objective memory (learning and memory function, immediate recall, delayed recall, and recognition) was the primary indicator and subjective memory performance, global cognitive function, and depression were the secondary indicators. The Hedges' g of change, subgroup analyses, and meta-regression were analyzed on the basis of the characteristics of people with cognitive disorders. A total of 27 studies (2177 participants, mean age=75.80) reporting RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated a medium-to-large effect of memory-focused interventions on learning and memory function (Hedges' g=0.62) and subjective memory performance (Hedges' g=0.67), a small-to-medium effect on delayed recall and depression, and a small effect on immediate recall and global cognitive function (all p<0.05) compared with the control. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression indicated that the effects on learning and memory function were more profound in the format of memory training, individual training, shorter treatment duration, and more than eight treatment sessions, and the effect size indicated the MMSE score was the most crucial indicator (β=-0.06, p=0.04). This is first comprehensive meta-analysis of special memory domains in people with cognitive disorders. The results revealed that memory-focused interventions effectively improved memory-related performance in people with cognitive disorders. An appropriately designed intervention can effectively improve memory function, reduce disability progression, and improve mood state in people with cognitive disorders. Additional randomized controlled trials including measures of recognition, global cognitive function, and depression should be conducted and analyzed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complementary and alternative exercise for fibromyalgia: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Mist, Scott David; Firestone, Kari A; Jones, Kim Dupree

2013-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine includes a number of exercise modalities, such as tai chi, qigong, yoga, and a variety of lesser-known movement therapies. A meta-analysis of the current literature was conducted estimating the effect size of the different modalities, study quality and bias, and adverse events. The level of research has been moderately weak to date, but most studies report a medium-to-high effect size in pain reduction. Given the lack of adverse events, there is little risk in recommending these modalities as a critical component in a multimodal treatment plan, which is often required for fibromyalgia management.

Effects of neural stem cell media on hypoxic injury in rat hippocampal slice cultures.

PubMed

Lee, Na Mi; Chae, Soo Ahn; Lee, Hong Jun

2017-12-15

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries cause serious neurological sequelae, yet there is currently no effective treatment for them. We hypothesized that neurotrophic factors released into the medium by stem cells could supply hypoxia-damaged organotypic hippocampal slice cultures with regenerative abilities. We prepared organotypic slice cultures of the hippocampus of 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats based on the modified Stoppini method; slices were cultured for 14days in vitro using either Gahwiler's medium (G-medium) or stem cell-conditioned medium (S-medium) as culture medium. At day 14 in vitro, hippocampal slice cultures were exposed to 95% N 2 and 5% CO 2 for 3h to induce hypoxic damage, the extent of which was then measured using propidium iodide fluorescence and immunohistochemistry images. We performed dot blotting to estimate neurotrophic/growth factor levels in the G- and S-media. Organotypic hippocampal slices cultured using S-medium after hypoxic injury were significantly less damaged than those cultured using G-medium. GLUT1, NGF, GDNF, VEGF, GCSF, and IGF2 levels were higher in S-medium than in G-medium, whereas FGF1, HIF, and MCP3 levels were not significantly different between media. In conclusion, we found that stem cell-conditioned medium had a neuroprotective effect against hypoxic injury, and that, of the various neurotrophic factors in S-medium, NGF, GDNF, and VEGF can contribute to neuroprotection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lung cells support osteosarcoma cell migration and survival.

PubMed

Yu, Shibing; Fourman, Mitchell Stephen; Mahjoub, Adel; Mandell, Jonathan Brendan; Crasto, Jared Anthony; Greco, Nicholas Giuseppe; Weiss, Kurt Richard

2017-01-25

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor, with a propensity to metastasize to the lungs. Five-year survival for metastatic OS is below 30%, and has not improved for several decades despite the introduction of multi-agent chemotherapy. Understanding OS cell migration to the lungs requires an evaluation of the lung microenvironment. Here we utilized an in vitro lung cell and OS cell co-culture model to explore the interactions between OS and lung cells, hypothesizing that lung cells would promote OS cell migration and survival. The impact of a novel anti-OS chemotherapy on OS migration and survival in the lung microenvironment was also examined. Three human OS cell lines (SJSA-1, Saos-2, U-2) and two human lung cell lines (HULEC-5a, MRC-5) were cultured according to American Type Culture Collection recommendations. Human lung cell lines were cultured in growth medium for 72 h to create conditioned media. OS proliferation was evaluated in lung co-culture and conditioned media microenvironment, with a murine fibroblast cell line (NIH-3 T3) in fresh growth medium as controls. Migration and invasion were measured using a real-time cell analysis system. Real-time PCR was utilized to probe for Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH1) expression. Osteosarcoma cells were also transduced with a lentivirus encoding for GFP to permit morphologic analysis with fluorescence microscopy. The anti-OS efficacy of Disulfiram, an ALDH-inhibitor previously shown to inhibit OS cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro, was evaluated in each microenvironment. Lung-cell conditioned medium promoted osteosarcoma cell migration, with a significantly higher attractive effect on all three osteosarcoma cell lines compared to basic growth medium, 10% serum containing medium, and NIH-3 T3 conditioned medium (p <0.05). Lung cell conditioned medium induced cell morphologic changes, as demonstrated with GFP-labeled cells. OS cells cultured in lung cell conditioned medium had increased alkaline phosphatase staining. Lung endothelial HULEC-5a cells are attractants for OS cell migration, proliferation, and survival. The SJSA-1 osteosarcoma cell line demonstrated greater metastatic potential than Saos-2 and U-2 cells. ALDH appears to be involved in the interaction between lung and OS cells, and ALP may be a valuable biomarker for monitoring functional OS changes during metastasis.

Needle Acupuncture for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

RCTs). We did identify statistically significant, clinically medium effects in favor of acupuncture (as an adjunctive or monotherapy) versus any...statistically significant, clinically medium effects in favor of acupuncture (as an adjunctive or monotherapy) versus any comparator at...at postintervention. We did identify statistically significant, clinically medium effects in favor of acupuncture (as an adjunctive or monotherapy

Characteristics of the GPR field pattern antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Gracia, V.; González-Drigo, R.; Di Capua, D.; Pujades, L. G.

2007-10-01

Ground-Penetrating Radar has become a popular non-destructive and non-invasive tool in different kind of applications: civil engineering, archaeology, concrete and masonry analysis, etc. The selection of the antenna frequencies depends on the application, but each antenna has a radiation pattern and some characteristics that have influence in the final interpretation and in the model obtained for the studied medium. The knowledge of these features and its coupling effects with the medium could improve the results of the GPR prospecting studies. In this work, some experimental procedures were carried out in order to obtain the 1.6 GHz centre frequency antenna characteristics in the air and in one material medium and to compare them. First, the study of the attenuation due to geometrical spreading was performed. This result was compared with the amplitude attenuation in a material medium, deduced from the GPR experimental data. Second, the shape of the radiation pattern was estimated in laboratory for different distances between the target and the antenna. Near field and far field were considered during the experimental data acquisition. Third, the relative amplitude of the reflected wave (in dB) was obtained depending on the relative position of the antenna over the target. The shape of the radiation pattern and the relative amplitudes obtained in the air were compared with those obtained in a slow medium (water). This slow medium was characterized with the wave velocity and the attenuation factor of the GPR signal.

Formulation and Statistical Optimization of Culture Medium for Improved Production of Antimicrobial Compound by Streptomyces sp. JAJ06

PubMed Central

Arul Jose, Polpass; Sivakala, Kunjukrishnan Kamalakshi; Jebakumar, Solomon Robinson David

2013-01-01

Streptomyces sp. JAJ06 is a seawater-dependent antibiotic producer, previously isolated and characterised from an Indian coastal solar saltern. This paper reports replacement of seawater with a defined salt formulation in production medium and subsequent statistical media optimization to ensure consistent as well as improved antibiotic production by Streptomyces sp. JAJ06. This strain was observed to be proficient to produce antibiotic compound with incorporation of chemically defined sodium-chloride-based salt formulation instead of seawater into the production medium. Plackett-Burman design experiment was applied, and three media constituents, starch, KBr, and CaCO3, were recognised to have significant effect on the antibiotic production of Streptomyces JAJ06 at their individual levels. Subsequently, Response surface methodology with Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize these influencing medium constituents for the improved antibiotic production of Streptomyces sp. JAJ06. A total of 17 experiments were conducted towards the construction of a quadratic model and a second-order polynomial equation. Optimum levels of medium constituents were obtained by analysis of the model and numerical optimization method. When the strain JAJ06 was cultivated in the optimized medium, the antibiotic activity was increased to 173.3 U/mL, 26.8% increase as compared to the original (136.7 U/mL). This study found a useful way to cultivate Streptomyces sp. JAJ06 for enhanced production of antibiotic compound. PMID:24454383

"Who Does She Think She Is?"--Vernacular Medium and Failed Romance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandhu, Priti

2014-01-01

Through a close analysis of an Indian woman's unsuccessful romance narrative, this article examines how class-based ideologies and prejudices concerning English and vernacular medium education sustain and perpetuate dismissive and disparaging attitudes toward people educated in the vernacular. The analysis utilizes theoretical understandings of…

Space domain analysis of micro-IDG structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izzat, Narian; Pennock, Steve R.; Rozzi, Tullio

1994-06-01

The Microstrip Loaded Inset Dielectric Waveguide has been proposed as a transmission medium alternative to microstrip, and as a useful antenna medium at X-band and millimetric frequencies. In the present analysis we consider the case where a multi-layer, multi-conductor microstrip circuit may be housed within Inset Dielectric Waveguide.

Modification of Einstein A Coefficient in Dissipative Gas Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cao, Chang-Qi; Cao, Hui; Qin, Ke-Cheng

1996-01-01

Spontaneous radiation in dissipative gas medium such as plasmas is investigated by Langevin equations and the modified Weisskopf-Wigner approximation. Since the refractive index of gas medium is expected to be nearly unity, we shall first neglect the medium polarization effect. We show that absorption in plasmas may in certain case modify the Einstein A coefficient significantly and cause a pit in the A coefficient-density curves for relatively low temperature plasmas and also a pit in the A coefficient-temperature curves. In the next, the effect of medium polarization is taken into account in addition. To our surprise, its effect in certain case is quite significant. The dispersive curves show different behaviors in different region of parameters.

Evaluation of the Performance of Iodine-Treated Biocidal Filters Under the Influence of Environmental Parameters

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

analysis for total virus count . To examine the effects of bioaerosol on the release of iodine from the triiodide resin medium, MS2 aerosol was treated with...airborne pathogens. 2.2.2. Viral Aerosols Bioaerosols are airborne particles with biological origins, such as nonviable pollen , and viable fungi...performed: collection efficiency of BioSampler, virus PSD by SMPS, plaque assay for virus infectivity, and PCR analysis for total virus count . PSL

Special Operations Forces Aviation on a Shoestring Budget: An Effectiveness Analysis of Light and Medium Fixed Wing Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

C2 Command and Control CAIG Cost Analysis Improvement Group CAS Close Air Support CASA Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA CLS Contract...Commercially Available Off-the-Shelf Commercially available off-the shelf (COTS) is defined as any item of supply (including construction material...uses are found for old weapons that were constructed for use in industrial war against soldiers and heavy armament. 6. The sides are mostly non

A Combined Finite-Element/Discrete-Particle Analysis of a Side-Vent-Channel-Based Concept for Improved Blast-Survivability of Light Tactical Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

design of side- vent-channels. The results obtained confirmed the beneficial effects of the side-vent-channels in reducing the blast momentum , although...confirmed the beneficial effects of the side-vent-channels in reducing the blast momentum , although the extent of these effects is relatively small (3...products against the surrounding medium is associated with exchange of linear momentum and various energy components (e.g. potential, thermal

Effect of melatonin on vascular responses in aortic rings of aging rats.

PubMed

Reyes-Toso, Carlos F; Obaya-Naredo, Daniel; Ricci, Conrado R; Planells, Fernando M; Pinto, Jorge E; Linares, Laura M; Cardinali, Daniel P

2007-04-01

In old animals a marked reduction in endothelium-dependent relaxation occurs. Since there is evidence that the endothelial dysfunction associated with aging may be partly related to the local formation of reactive oxygen species, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the natural antioxidant melatonin (10(-5)mol/l) on in vitro contractility of aged aortic rings under conditions of increased oxidative stress (40 m mol/l glucose concentration in medium). Experiments were carried out in 18-20 months old, Wistar male rats, using adult (6-7 months old) animals as controls. A higher plasma lipid peroxidation was found in aged rats as compared to the younger ones. In a first experiment, dose-response curves for acetylcholine-induced relaxation of aortic rings were conducted. Analyzed as a main factor in a factorial ANOVA, age decreased and melatonin augmented the relaxing response to acetylcholine. melatonin's restoring effect on aortic ring relaxation was found in aged aortic rings only and was more pronounced in the presence of a high glucose medium. In a second experiment, the effect of melatonin on the contractility response to phenylephrine of intact or endothelium-denuded aortic rings obtained from aged or control rats was examined in normal or high glucose medium. A main factor analysis in the factorial ANOVA indicated that age and operation augmented, and melatonin decreased, aortic ring contractility response to phenylephrine. Melatonin's restoring effect on aortic contractility was seen in aged aortic rings. The effect of age or a high glucose medium on phenylephrine-induced contractility was more pronounced in the absence of an intact endothelium. Aging did not affect the relaxant response of intact or endothelium-denuded rings to sodium nitroprusside. The results support the improvement by melatonin of vascular response in aging rats, presumably via its antioxidant activity.

Optimized undulator to generate low energy photons from medium to high energy accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Ting-Yi; Chiu, Mau-Sen; Luo, Hao-Wen; Yang, Chin-Kang; Huang, Jui-Che; Jan, Jyh-Chyuan; Hwang, Ching-Shiang

2017-07-01

While emitting low energy photons from a medium or high energy storage ring, the on-axis heat load on the beam line optics can become a critical issue. In addition, the heat load in the bending magnet chamber, especially in the vertical and circular polarization mode of operation may cause some concern. In this work, we compare the heat loads for the APPLE-II and the Knot-APPLE, both optimized to emit 10 eV photons from the 3 GeV TPS. Under this constraint the heat load analysis, synchrotron radiation performance and features in various polarization modes are presented. Additional consideration is given to beam dynamics effect.

A coupled analytical model for hydrostatic response of 1-3 piezocomposites.

PubMed

Rajapakse, Nimal; Chen, Yue

2008-08-01

This study presents a fully coupled analysis of a unit cell of a 1-3 piezocomposite under hydrostatic loading. The governing equations for coupled axisymmetric electroelastic field of a transversely isotropic piezoelectric medium and a transversely isotropic elastic medium are used. A reduced form of the analytical general solutions expressed in terms of series of modified Bessel functions of the first and second kind are used. The solution of the boundary-value problem corresponding to a unit cell is presented. The effective properties of a 1-3 piezocomposite are obtained for different fiber volume fractions, polymer and piezoceramic properties, and fiber aspect ratios. Comparisons with previously reported simplified and uncoupled models are made.

Effects of exercise and manual therapy on pain associated with hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Beumer, Lucy; Wong, Jennie; Warden, Stuart J; Kemp, Joanne L; Foster, Paul; Crossley, Kay M

2016-04-01

To explore the effects of exercise (water-based or land-based) and/or manual therapies on pain in adults with clinically and/or radiographically diagnosed hip osteoarthritis (OA). A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed, with patient reported pain assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) or the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale. Data were grouped by follow-up time (0-3 months=short term; 4-12 months=medium term and; >12 months=long term), and standardised mean differences (SMD) with 95% CIs were used to establish intervention effect sizes. Study quality was assessed using modified PEDro scores. 19 trials were included. Four studies showed short-term benefits favouring water-based exercise over minimal control using the WOMAC pain subscale (SMD -0.53, 95% CI -0.96 to -0.10). Six studies supported a short-term benefit of land-based exercise compared to minimal control on VAS assessed pain (SMD -0.49, 95% CI -0.70 to -0.29). There were no medium (SMD -0.23, 95% CI -0.48 to 0.03) or long (SMD -0.22, 95% CI -0.51 to 0.06) term benefits of exercise therapy, or benefit of combining exercise therapy with manual therapy (SMD -0.38, 95% CI -0.88 to 0.13) when compared to minimal control. Best available evidence indicates that exercise therapy (whether land-based or water-based) is more effective than minimal control in managing pain associated with hip OA in the short term. Larger high-quality RCTs are needed to establish the effectiveness of exercise and manual therapies in the medium and long term. 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/

Clean image synthesis and target numerical marching for optical imaging with backscattering light

PubMed Central

Pu, Yang; Wang, Wubao

2011-01-01

Scanning backscattering imaging and independent component analysis (ICA) are used to probe targets hidden in the subsurface of a turbid medium. A new correction procedure is proposed and used to synthesize a “clean” image of a homogeneous host medium numerically from a set of raster-scanned “dirty” backscattering images of the medium with embedded targets. The independent intensity distributions on the surface of the medium corresponding to individual targets are then unmixed using ICA of the difference between the set of dirty images and the clean image. The target positions are localized by a novel analytical method, which marches the target to the surface of the turbid medium until a match with the retrieved independent component is accomplished. The unknown surface property of the turbid medium is automatically accounted for by this method. Employing clean image synthesis and target numerical marching, three-dimensional (3D) localization of objects embedded inside a turbid medium using independent component analysis in a backscattering geometry is demonstrated for the first time, using as an example, imaging a small piece of cancerous prostate tissue embedded in a host consisting of normal prostate tissue. PMID:21483608

Effect of cavitation on the properties of coal-tar pitch as studied by gas-liquid chromatography

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

M.I. Baikenov; T.B. Omarbekov; S.K. Amerkhanova

2008-02-15

The applicability of the cavitation-wave effect to coal-tar pitch processing is considered. The results of the GLC analysis of the test material before and after rotor-pulsation cavitation treatment are given. The organic matter of coal-tar pitch was found to degrade upon cavitation; as a result of this, the yields of light and medium fractions considerably increased. 5 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.

Association between weight perception and psychological distress.

PubMed

Atlantis, E; Ball, K

2008-04-01

Obesity is a well-known cause of cardiovascular disease burden and premature death, but effects on depressive symptoms remain equivocal. Depressive symptoms may be more common among the obese individuals who perceive themselves as overweight, rather than those who perceive themselves as having an acceptable weight. Our aim was to determine whether weight status and weight perceptions are independently associated with psychological distress. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Australian National Health Survey 2004-2005 (N=17 253). All variables were collected by self-report. Adjusted multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to generate prevalence odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for medium (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) scores of 20-29) and high (K10 scores of 30-50) psychological distress (compared with K10 scores of 10-19 as the reference) associated with weight status (standard body mass index (BMI) cutoffs for underweight, overweight and obesity vs normal weight), weight perception (perceived underweight and overweight vs acceptable weight) and weight misperception (incorrect with BMI vs correct with BMI) adjusting for numerous important covariates. Overweight and underweight perception increased the odds of medium (40 and 50%) and high (50 and 120%) psychological distress, whereas weight status and weight misperception were not associated with psychological distress in adjusted analysis. Gender, alcohol consumed per week and post-school education were not significant covariates (at P<0.10 level). Overweight and underweight perception rather than weight status or weight misperception are significant risk factors associated with medium and high psychological distress prevalence and effects appear to be uniform for men and women. Well-designed prospective studies are still needed to determine whether weight perceptions cause psychological distress, and if so, whether symptoms are significantly reduced following effective intervention.

"Mass Effect 2": A Case Study in the Design of Game Narrative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bizzocchi, Jim; Tanenbaum, Joshua

2012-01-01

Digital games have matured substantially as a narrative medium in the last decade. However, there is still much work to be done to more fully understand the poetics of story-based-games. Game narrative remains an important issue with significant cultural, economic and scholarly implications. In this article, we undertake a critical analysis of the…

Social Protest Novels in Management Education: Using "Hawk's Nest" to Enhance Stakeholder Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westerman, James W.; Westerman, Jennifer Hughes

2009-01-01

This article examines the potential of the social protest novel as a teaching tool in the management classroom. It suggests that the social protest novel provides a uniquely powerful medium in that it effectively captures the student's imagination and interest with an engrossing narrative, personalizes the importance of management issues and…

Attachment and Internalizing Behavior in Early Childhood: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madigan, Sheri; Atkinson, Leslie; Laurin, Kristin; Benoit, Diane

2013-01-01

Empirical research supporting the contention that insecure attachment is related to internalizing behaviors has been inconsistent. Across 60 studies including 5,236 families, we found a significant, small to medium effect size linking insecure attachment and internalizing behavior (observed d = 0.37, 95% CI [0.27, 0.46]; adjusted d = 0.19, 95% CI…

Teacher Capabilities in a Multicultural Educational Environment: An Analysis of the Impact of a Professional Development Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauridsen, Karen M.; Lauridsen, Ole

2018-01-01

With more programmes being taught through English in non-Anglophone contexts, higher education lecturers are faced with new challenges. This article briefly presents a professional development initiative carried out at departmental level as an intervention for all English Medium Instruction lecturers. In order to assess the effect of such an…

Learning to Design WebQuests: An Exploration in Preservice Social Studies Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Alisa

2008-01-01

Effective uses of technology in social studies methods courses is an under-researched field. This study focused on the development of WebQuests to engage teacher candidate's exploration of the Internet as an authentic medium for inquiry in social studies education. Analysis of appropriateness of tasks in the WebQuests, depth of ideas and audience…

Brokerage and SME Innovation: An Analysis of the Technology Transfer Service at Area Science Park, Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cattapan, Paolo; Passarelli, Mariacarmela; Petrone, Michele

2012-01-01

This paper contributes to the literature on innovation brokerage by analysing the effects of brokerage activities on the innovation and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The authors provide a detailed description of the Technology Transfer Service (TTS), credited as a European best-practice innovation broker, at Area Science…

Hydrogen-Rich Medium Attenuated Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Monocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion and Vascular Endothelial Permeability via Rho-Associated Coiled-Coil Protein Kinase.

PubMed

Xie, Keliang; Wang, Weina; Chen, Hongguang; Han, Huanzhi; Liu, Daquan; Wang, Guolin; Yu, Yonghao

2015-07-01

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in critically ill patients. In recent years, molecular hydrogen, as an effective free radical scavenger, has been shown a selective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, and it is beneficial in the treatment of sepsis. Rho-associated coiled-coil protein kinase (ROCK) participates in junction between normal cells, and regulates vascular endothelial permeability. In this study, we used lipopolysaccharide to stimulate vascular endothelial cells and explored the effects of hydrogen-rich medium on the regulation of adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells and vascular endothelial permeability. We found that hydrogen-rich medium could inhibit adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells and decrease levels of adhesion molecules, whereas the levels of transepithelial/endothelial electrical resistance values and the expression of vascular endothelial cadherin were increased after hydrogen-rich medium treatment. Moreover, hydrogen-rich medium could lessen the expression of ROCK, as a similar effect of its inhibitor Y-27632. In addition, hydrogen-rich medium could also inhibit adhesion of polymorphonuclear neutrophils to endothelial cells. In conclusion, hydrogen-rich medium could regulate adhesion of monocytes/polymorphonuclear neutrophils to endothelial cells and vascular endothelial permeability, and this effect might be related to the decreased expression of ROCK protein.

Interleukin-22 participates in the inflammatory process of vitiligo

PubMed Central

Dong, Jinjin; An, Xiaohong; Zhong, Hui; Wang, Yichuan; Shang, Jing; Zhou, Jia

2017-01-01

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentary skin inflammatory disorder. The pathogenesis of inflammatory skin disease involves the release of cytokines from keratinocytes, including interleukin (IL)-1β. IL-22 belongs to a family of cytokines structurally related to IL-10, including IL-19, IL-20, IL-24, and IL-26. In contrast to IL-10, IL-22 has proinflammatory activities. Among skin cell populations only keratinocytes are the major targets of IL-22. In the present study, we demonstrated that IL-22 promoting IL-1β secretion from keratinocytes via the Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)-caspase-1 pathway. It inhibited the expression of protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) of keratinocytes. However, IL-22 had no direct effect on normal human foreskin-derived epidermal melanocytes (NHEM). Considering the closely connection between keratinocytes and melanocytes, and the ability of keratinocytes to produce a plethora of cytokines, in the present work, we examined whether IL-22 could regulate melanocytes functions by keratinocytes participation. Keratinocytes were exposed to IL-22 and the conditional medium was collected. The effect of conditional medium on melanocytes was studied. The expressions of relative proteins were assessed by western blot. Influence of conditional medium on NHEM migration was assessed by Transwell method and the apoptosis by flow cytometry analysis. The IL-22-treating keratinocytes conditional medium inhibited melanogenesis and restrained the expressions of Rab GTPases of NHEM. In addition, the conditional medium suppressed melanocytes migration and induced apoptosis. Our results collectively indicated that IL-22 may potentiate IL-1β-mediated skin inflammation and result in participating in the inflammatory pathogenesis of vitiligo. PMID:29312598

Influence of Post-Mortem Sperm Recovery Method and Extender on Unstored and Refrigerated Rooster Sperm Variables.

PubMed

Villaverde-Morcillo, S; Esteso, M C; Castaño, C; Santiago-Moreno, J

2016-02-01

Many post-mortem sperm collection techniques have been described for mammalian species, but their use in birds is scarce. This paper compares the efficacy of two post-mortem sperm retrieval techniques - the flushing and float-out methods - in the collection of rooster sperm, in conjunction with the use of two extenders, i.e., L&R-84 medium and Lake 7.1 medium. To determine whether the protective effects of these extenders against refrigeration are different for post-mortem and ejaculated sperm, pooled ejaculated samples (procured via the massage technique) were also diluted in the above extenders. Post-mortem and ejaculated sperm variables were assessed immediately at room temperature (0 h), and after refrigeration at 5°C for 24 and 48 h. The flushing method retrieved more sperm than the float-out method (596.5 ± 75.4 million sperm vs 341.0 ± 87.6 million sperm; p < 0.05); indeed, the number retrieved by the former method was similar to that obtained by massage-induced ejaculation (630.3 ± 78.2 million sperm). For sperm collected by all methods, the L&R-84 medium provided an advantage in terms of sperm motility variables at 0 h. In the refrigerated sperm samples, however, the Lake 7.1 medium was associated with higher percentages of viable sperm, and had a greater protective effect (p < 0.05) with respect to most motility variables. In conclusion, the flushing method is recommended for collecting sperm from dead birds. If this sperm needs to be refrigerated at 5°C until analysis, Lake 7.1 medium is recommended as an extender. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Detection of Subtle Hydromechanical Medium Changes Caused By a Small-Magnitude Earthquake Swarm in NE Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Hour, V.; Schimmel, M.; Do Nascimento, A. F.; Ferreira, J. M.; Lima Neto, H. C.

2016-04-01

Ambient noise correlation analyses are largely used in seismology to map heterogeneities and to monitor the temporal evolution of seismic velocity changes associated mostly with stress field variations and/or fluid movements. Here we analyse a small earthquake swarm related to a main mR 3.7 intraplate earthquake in North-East of Brazil to study the corresponding post-seismic effects on the medium. So far, post-seismic effects have been observed mainly for large magnitude events. In our study, we show that we were able to detect localized structural changes even for a small earthquake swarm in an intraplate setting. Different correlation strategies are presented and their performances are also shown. We compare the classical auto-correlation with and without pre-processing, including 1-bit normalization and spectral whitening, and the phase auto-correlation. The worst results were obtained for the pre-processed data due to the loss of waveform details. The best results were achieved with the phase cross-correlation which is amplitude unbiased and sensitive to small amplitude changes as long as there exist waveform coherence superior to other unrelated signals and noise. The analysis of 6 months of data using phase auto-correlation and cross-correlation resulted in the observation of a progressive medium change after the major recorded event. The progressive medium change is likely related to the swarm activity through opening new path ways for pore fluid diffusion. We further observed for the auto-correlations a lag time frequency-dependent change which likely indicates that the medium change is localized in depth. As expected, the main change is observed along the fault.

Development and characterization of a compact hand-held gamma probe system, SURGEOGUIDE, based on NEMA NU3-2004 standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaviani, S.; Zeraatkar, N.; Sajedi, S.; Gorjizadeh, N.; Farahani, M. H.; Ghafarian, P.; El Fakhri, G.; Sabet, H.; Ay, M. R.

2016-12-01

Using an intra-operative gamma probe after periareolar or peritumoral injection of a radiotracer during surgery helps the surgeon to identify the sentinel, or first, nodal site of regional metastasis in clinically node-negative patients. The pathological analysis of this node can have an important influence on the treatment staging in various cancers. This paper reports the design and performance evaluation of a gamma probe recently developed in our department. The detector unit of this system consists of an 8 mm diameter and 10 mm thickness monolithic CsI(Tl) scintillator optically, coupled to a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) with an active area of 6×6 mm2, and a single-hole collimator. The unit is shielded using tungsten. The system can operate in three different modes for Tc-99m, I-131, or F-18 isotopes. The following measurements were carried out to evaluate the performance of the probe: sensitivity in air and scatter medium, spatial resolution in scatter medium, angular resolution in scatter medium, and side and back shielding effectiveness. All experiments have been performed based on the NEMA NU3-2004 standard set up. The measured system sensitivities in air and scatter medium (water) are 1700 cps/MBq and 1770 cps/MBq, respectively, both measured at 3 cm from the collimator. The spatial resolution in the scatter medium is about 45 mm at 3 cm distance from the collimator. Also, the angular resolution of the probe is 74o FWHM. Finally, a shielding effectiveness of 99.5% is measured. The results show that the probe can potentially be used for sentinel lymph node localization during the surgery.

Effect of spectral sampling on the temporal coherence analysis of a broadband source in a SFG interferometer.

PubMed

Darré, Pascaline; Szemendera, Ludovic; Grossard, Ludovic; Delage, Laurent; Reynaud, François

2015-10-05

In the frame of sum frequency generation of a broadband infrared source, we aim to enlarge the converted bandwidth by using a pump frequency comb while keeping a high conversion efficiency. The nonlinear effects are simultaneously induced in the same nonlinear medium. In this paper, we investigate the spectral filtering effect on the temporal coherence behavior with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer using two pump lines. We show that joined effects of quasi-phase matching and spectral sampling lead to an original coherence behavior.

Effects of Bacteria on Artemia franciscana Cultured in Different Gnotobiotic Environments

PubMed Central

Marques, Antonio; Dinh, Thi; Ioakeimidis, Christos; Huys, Geert; Swings, Jean; Verstraete, Willy; Dhont, Jean; Sorgeloos, Patrick; Bossier, Peter

2005-01-01

The use of probiotics is receiving considerable attention as an alternative approach to control microbiota in aquaculture farms, especially in hatching facilities. However, application with consistent results is hampered by insufficient information on their modes of action. To investigate whether dead bacteria (allowing investigation of their nutritional effect) or live bacteria (allowing evaluation of their probiotic effect) have any beneficial effect towards Artemia franciscana and, subsequently, if live bacteria have probiotic effects beyond the effects observed with dead bacteria, a model system was employed using gnotobiotic Artemia as a test organism. Nauplii were cultured in the presence of 10 bacterial strains combined with four different major axenic live feeds (two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and two strains of Dunaliella tertiolecta) differing in their nutritional values. In combination with poor- and medium-quality live feeds, dead bacteria exerted a strong effect on Artemia survival but a rather weak or no effect on individual length and constituted a maximum of only 5.9% of the total ash-free dry weight supplied. These effects were reduced or even disappeared when medium- to good-quality major feed sources were used, possibly due to improvements in the health status of Artemia. Some probiotic bacteria, such as GR 8 (Cytophaga spp.), improved (not always significantly) the performance of nauplii beyond the effect observed with dead bacteria, independently of the feed supplied. The present approach can be an excellent system to study the exact mode of action of bacteria, especially if combined with challenge tests or other types of analysis (e.g., transcriptome and proteonomic analysis). PMID:16085818

Effect of environmental and cultural conditions on medium pH and explant growth performance of Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii) shoot cultures

PubMed Central

Chen, Chien-Chih; Bates, Rick; Carlson, John

2015-01-01

The medium pH level of plant tissue cultures has been shown to be essential to many aspects of explant development and growth. Sensitivity or tolerance of medium pH change in vitro varies according to specific requirements of individual species. The objectives of this study are to 1) determine medium pH change over time in storage conditions and with presence of explants, 2) evaluate the effects of medium pH change on explant growth performance and 3) assess the effects of adding a pH stabilizer, 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) that is commonly used in Douglas-fir micropropagation medium. Vegetative buds were collected in the spring before breaking dormancy from juvenile and mature donor trees for conducting these evaluations. Medium, with or without MES, was pre-adjusted to five pH levels before adding MES, agar and autoclaving. Medium pH changes and explant growth parameters were measured at eight different incubation times. Overall, MES provided a more stable medium pH, relative to starting pH values, under both light and dark storage conditions as well as with presence of explants. A general trend of decreasing medium pH over time was found comparing explants from juvenile and mature donor genotypes. Explant height and weight growth increased over time, but differ among explants from juvenile and mature donor genotypes. Our findings suggest that a 21-day subculture practice may best sustain medium freshness, medium pH level and desirable explant growth. PMID:26535110

Metamaterial-based lossy anisotropic epsilon-near-zero medium for energy collimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Nian-Hai; Zhang, Peng; Koschny, Thomas; Soukoulis, Costas M.

2016-06-01

A lossy anisotropic epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) medium may lead to a counterintuitive phenomenon of omnidirectional bending-to-normal refraction [S. Feng, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 193904 (2012), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.193904], which offers a fabulous strategy for energy collimation and energy harvesting. Here, in the scope of effective medium theory, we systematically investigate two simple metamaterial configurations, i.e., metal-dielectric-layered structures and the wire medium, to explore the possibility of fulfilling the conditions of such an anisotropic lossy ENZ medium by playing with materials' parameters. Both realistic metamaterial structures and their effective medium equivalences have been numerically simulated, and the results are in excellent agreement with each other. Our study provides clear guidance and therefore paves the way towards the search for proper designs of anisotropic metamaterials for a decent effect of energy collimation and wave-front manipulation.

Crop area estimation using high and medium resolution satellite imagery in areas with complex topography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Husak, G.J.; Marshall, M. T.; Michaelsen, J.; Pedreros, Diego; Funk, Christopher C.; Galu, G.

2008-01-01

Reliable estimates of cropped area (CA) in developing countries with chronic food shortages are essential for emergency relief and the design of appropriate market-based food security programs. Satellite interpretation of CA is an effective alternative to extensive and costly field surveys, which fail to represent the spatial heterogeneity at the country-level. Bias-corrected, texture based classifications show little deviation from actual crop inventories, when estimates derived from aerial photographs or field measurements are used to remove systematic errors in medium resolution estimates. In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid high-medium resolution technique for Central Ethiopia that combines spatially limited unbiased estimates from IKONOS images, with spatially extensive Landsat ETM+ interpretations, land-cover, and SRTM-based topography. Logistic regression is used to derive the probability of a location being crop. These individual points are then aggregated to produce regional estimates of CA. District-level analysis of Landsat based estimates showed CA totals which supported the estimates of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development. Continued work will evaluate the technique in other parts of Africa, while segmentation algorithms will be evaluated, in order to automate classification of medium resolution imagery for routine CA estimation in the future.

CuInGaSe{sub 2} nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation in liquid medium

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

Mendivil, M.I.; García, L.V.; Krishnan, B.

2015-12-15

Highlights: • CIGS nanocolloids were synthesized using PLAL technique. • Characterized their morphology, structure, composition and optical properties. • Morphologies were dependent on ablation wavelength and liquid medium. • Optical absorption and bandgap of these nanocolloids were tunable. - Abstract: Pulsed laser ablation in liquid medium (PLALM) is a nanofabrication technique to produce complex nanostructures. CuInGaSe{sub 2} (CIGS) is an alloy with applications in photovoltaic industry. In this work, we studied the effects of laser ablation wavelength, energy fluence and liquid medium on the properties of the CIGS nanoparticles synthesized by PLALM. The nanoparticles obtained were analyzed by transmission electronmore » microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. XPS results confirmed the chemical states and composition of the ablated products. TEM analysis showed different morphologies for the nanomaterials obtained in different liquid media and ablation wavelengths. The optical properties for these CIGS nanocolloids were analyzed using UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The results demonstrated the use of PLALM as a useful synthesis technique for nanoparticles of quaternary photovoltaic materials.« less

Flow of foams in two-dimensional disordered porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dollet, Benjamin; Geraud, Baudouin; Jones, Sian A.; Meheust, Yves; Cantat, Isabelle; Institut de Physique de Rennes Team; Geosciences Rennes Team

2015-11-01

Liquid foams are a yield stress fluid with elastic properties. When a foam flow is confined by solid walls, viscous dissipation arises from the contact zones between soap films and walls, giving very peculiar friction laws. In particular, foams potentially invade narrow pores much more efficiently than Newtonian fluids, which is of great importance for enhanced oil recovery. To quantify this effect, we study experimentally flows of foam in a model two-dimensional porous medium, consisting of an assembly of circular obstacles placed randomly in a Hele-Shaw cell, and use image analysis to quantify foam flow at the local scale. We show that bubbles split as they flow through the porous medium, by a mechanism of film pinching during contact with an obstacle, yielding two daughter bubbles per split bubble. We quantify the evolution of the bubble size distribution as a function of the distance along the porous medium, the splitting probability as a function of bubble size, and the probability distribution function of the daughter bubbles. We propose an evolution equation to model this splitting phenomenon and compare it successfully to the experiments, showing how at long distance, the porous medium itself dictates the size distribution of the foam.

Crop area estimation using high and medium resolution satellite imagery in areas with complex topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husak, G. J.; Marshall, M. T.; Michaelsen, J.; Pedreros, D.; Funk, C.; Galu, G.

2008-07-01

Reliable estimates of cropped area (CA) in developing countries with chronic food shortages are essential for emergency relief and the design of appropriate market-based food security programs. Satellite interpretation of CA is an effective alternative to extensive and costly field surveys, which fail to represent the spatial heterogeneity at the country-level. Bias-corrected, texture based classifications show little deviation from actual crop inventories, when estimates derived from aerial photographs or field measurements are used to remove systematic errors in medium resolution estimates. In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid high-medium resolution technique for Central Ethiopia that combines spatially limited unbiased estimates from IKONOS images, with spatially extensive Landsat ETM+ interpretations, land-cover, and SRTM-based topography. Logistic regression is used to derive the probability of a location being crop. These individual points are then aggregated to produce regional estimates of CA. District-level analysis of Landsat based estimates showed CA totals which supported the estimates of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development. Continued work will evaluate the technique in other parts of Africa, while segmentation algorithms will be evaluated, in order to automate classification of medium resolution imagery for routine CA estimation in the future.

A Meta-analysis of the Correlation between Maltreatment, Witnessing Domestic Violence, and Bullying among Youths in South Korea.

PubMed

Go, Eun Joo; Kong, Jung Won; Kim, Ko Eun

2018-01-01

The aim of this meta-analysis is to examine synthesized correlation outcomes between maltreatment, witnessing domestic violence, and bullying among youths in South Korea. The study examined 42 studies from between 2000 and 2015; the results showed that there is a medium effect size for this association among youths. Specifically, the effect size of the association was found to be larger for physical and verbal/emotional abuse and neglect than exposure to domestic violence for youths. The authors suggest that effective prevention and intervention for youths who are at risk of suffering maltreatment and witnessing domestic violence may help them avoid developing bullying behaviors.

Review and analysis of potential safety impacts of and regulatory barriers to fuel efficiency technologies and alternative fuels in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

This report summarizes a safety analysis of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MD/HDVs) equipped with fuel efficiency (FE) technologies and/or using alternative fuels (natural gas-CNG and LNG, propane, biodiesel and power train electrification). The st...

Characterization of a novel epigenetic effect of ionizing radiation: the death-inducing effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagar, Shruti; Smith, Leslie E.; Morgan, William F.

2003-01-01

The detrimental effects associated with exposure to ionizing radiation have long been thought to result from the direct targeting of the nucleus leading to DNA damage; however, the emergence of concepts such as radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects have challenged this dogma. After cellular exposure to ionizing radiation, we have isolated a number of clones of Chinese hamster-human hybrid GM10115 cells that demonstrate genomic instability as measured by chromosomal destabilization. These clones show dynamic and persistent generation of chromosomal rearrangements multiple generations after the original insult. We hypothesize that these unstable clones maintain this delayed instability phenotype by secreting factors into the culture medium. To test this hypothesis we transferred filtered medium from unstable cells to unirradiated GM10115 cells. No GM10115 cells were able to survive this medium. This phenomenon by which GM10115 cells die when cultured in medium from chromosomally unstable GM10115 clones is the death-inducing effect. Medium transfer experiments indicate that a factor or factors is/are secreted by unstable cells within 8 h of growth in fresh medium and result in cell killing within 24 h. These factors are stable at ambient temperature but do not survive heating or freezing, and are biologically active when diluted with fresh medium. We present the initial description and characterization of the death-inducing effect. This novel epigenetic effect of radiation has implications for radiation risk assessment and for health risks associated with radiation exposure.

Medium-based noninvasive preimplantation genetic diagnosis for human α-thalassemias-SEA.

PubMed

Wu, Haitao; Ding, Chenhui; Shen, Xiaoting; Wang, Jing; Li, Rong; Cai, Bing; Xu, Yanwen; Zhong, Yiping; Zhou, Canquan

2015-03-01

To develop a noninvasive medium-based preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) test for α-thalassemias-SEA. The embryos of α-thalassemia-SEA carriers undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) were cultured. Single cells were biopsied from blastomeres and subjected to fluorescent gap polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis; the spent culture media that contained embryo genomic DNA and corresponding blastocysts as verification were subjected to quantitative-PCR (Q-PCR) detection of α-thalassemia-SEA. The diagnosis efficiency and allele dropout (ADO) ratio were calculated, and the cell-free DNA concentration was quantitatively assessed in the culture medium. The diagnosis efficiency of medium-based α-thalassemias-SEA detection significantly increased compared with that of biopsy-based fluorescent gap PCR analysis (88.6% vs 82.1%, P < 0.05). There is no significant difference regarding ADO ratio between them. The optimal time for medium-based α-thalassemias-SEA detection is Day 5 (D5) following IVF. Medium-based α-thalassemias-SEA detection could represent a novel, quick, and noninvasive approach for carriers to undergo IVF and PGD.

Analysis of localized fringes in the holographic optical Schlieren system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurtz, R. L.

1980-01-01

The relation between localization of interference fringes in classical and holographic interferometry is reviewed and an application of holographic interferometry is considered for which the object is a transparent medium with nonhomogeneous refractive index. The technique is based on the analysis of the optical path length change of the object wave as it propagates through a transparent medium. Phase shifts due to variations of the speed of light within the medium give rise to an interference pattern. The resulting interferogram can be used to determine the physical properties of the medium or transparent object. Such properties include the mass density of fluids, electron densities of plasmas, the temperature of fluids, the chemical species concentration of fluids, and the state of stress in solids. The optical wave used can be either a simple plane or spherical wave, or it may be a complicated spatial wave scattered by a diffusing screen. The mathematical theory on the formation and analysis of localized fringes, the general theoretical concepts used, and a computer code for analysis are included along with the inversion of fringe order data.

Linear Stability Analysis of Gravitational Effects on a Low-Density Gas Jet Injected into a High-Density Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, Anthony L.; Parthasarathy, Ramkumar N.

2005-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of buoyancy on the absolute instability of low-density gas jets injected into high-density gas mediums. Most of the existing analyses of low-density gas jets injected into a high-density ambient have been carried out neglecting effects of gravity. In order to investigate the influence of gravity on the near-injector development of the flow, a spatio-temporal stability analysis of a low-density round jet injected into a high-density ambient gas was performed. The flow was assumed to be isothermal and locally parallel; viscous and diffusive effects were ignored. The variables were represented as the sum of the mean value and a normal-mode small disturbance. An ordinary differential equation governing the amplitude of the pressure disturbance was derived. The velocity and density profiles in the shear layer, and the Froude number (signifying the effects of gravity) were the three important parameters in this equation. Together with the boundary conditions, an eigenvalue problem was formulated. Assuming that the velocity and density profiles in the shear layer to be represented by hyperbolic tangent functions, the eigenvalue problem was solved for various values of Froude number. The Briggs-Bers criterion was combined with the spatio-temporal stability analysis to determine the nature of the absolute instability of the jet whether absolutely or convectively unstable. The roles of the density ratio, Froude number, Schmidt number, and the lateral shift between the density and velocity profiles on the absolute instability of the jet were determined. Comparisons of the results with previous experimental studies show good agreement when the effects of these variables are combined together. Thus, the combination of these variables determines how absolutely unstable the jet will be.

50 years of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

David, Daniel; Cotet, Carmen; Matu, Silviu; Mogoase, Cristina; Stefan, Simona

2018-03-01

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), introduced by Albert Ellis in the late 1950s, is one of the main pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Existing reviews on REBT are overdue by 10 years or more. We aimed to summarize the effectiveness and efficacy of REBT since its beginnings and investigate the alleged mechanisms of change. Systematic search identified 84 articles, out of which 68 provided data for between-group analyses and 39 for within-group analyses. We found a medium effect size of REBT compared to other interventions on outcomes (d = 0.58) and on irrational beliefs (d = 0.70), at posttest. For the within-group analyses, we obtained medium effects for both outcomes (d = 0.56) and irrational beliefs (d = 0.61). Several significant moderators emerged. REBT is a sound psychological intervention. Directions for future studies are outlined, stemming from the limitations of existing ones. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Low-loss planar metamaterials electromagnetically induced transparency for sensitive refractive index sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Ying; Hu, Sen; Huang, Xiaojun; Yu, Zetai; Lin, Hai; Yang, Helin

2017-10-01

A low-loss and high transmission electromagnetically induced transparency like (EIT- like) structure is experimentally and numerically demonstrated in this paper. The proposed planar structure based on EIT-like metamaterial consists of two separate split-ring resonators, and its resulting transmission level can maximally reach 0.89 with significant suppression of radiation loss. According to the effective medium theory, the imaginary parts of the effective permittivity and permeability of the metamaterial are used as the evidence of low-loss. In the analysis, the simulated surface current, magnetic field distribution and coupled oscillator model reveal the principle of high transmittance EIT-effect. Furthermore, the peak of transparency frequency is highly sensitive to the variation of refractive index in the background medium. The sensor based on the proposed EIT structure can achieve a sensitivity of 1.69 GHz/RIU (refractive index unit) and a figure of merit of 11.66. Such metamaterials have potential perspectives in sensing and chiral slow light devices.

Effects of shearing on biogas production and microbial community structure during anaerobic digestion with recuperative thickening.

PubMed

Yang, Shufan; Phan, Hop V; Bustamante, Heriberto; Guo, Wenshan; Ngo, Hao H; Nghiem, Long D

2017-06-01

Recuperative thickening can intensify anaerobic digestion to produce more biogas and potentially reduce biosolids odour. This study elucidates the effects of sludge shearing during the thickening process on the microbial community structure and its effect on biogas production. Medium shearing resulted in approximately 15% increase in biogas production. By contrast, excessive or high shearing led to a marked decrease in biogas production, possibly due to sludge disintegration and cell lysis. Microbial analysis using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that medium shearing increased the evenness and diversity of the microbial community in the anaerobic digester, which is consistent with the observed improved biogas production. By contrast, microbial diversity decreased under either excessive shearing or high shearing condition. In good agreement with the observed decrease in biogas production, the abundance of Bacteroidales and Syntrophobaterales (which are responsible for hydrolysis and acetogenesis) decreased due to high shearing during recuperative thickening. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Analysis of workplace health promotion and its effect on work ability and health-related quality of life in a medium-sized business].

PubMed

Biallas, B; Froböse, I; Zöller, M; Wilke, C

2015-05-01

This study analyses the effect of workplace health promotion on work ability and health-related quality of life in white-collar and blue-collar workers in a medium-sized business. The intervention group contains 75 subjects with a mean age of 36.6±10.63 years (55 men, 20 women). The participation rate is 47%. White-collar workers show improvement in their health-related quality of life regarding physical and psychological aspects and work ability. Physically inactive employees show improvement in their health-related quality of life regarding physical and psychological aspects as well as context. Active employees only show significant improvement in terms of work ability. In conclusion, the promotion of exercise in the context of occupational health promotion has a positive effect on quality of life and work ability of employees and, thus, is a benefit for both the individual as well as the business itself. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

[Analysis of Scattered Radiation in an Irradiated Body by Means of the Monte Carlo Simulation: Variation of the Subjective Contrast Due to Difference in the Location of Inhomogeneous Region].

PubMed

Kato, Hideki; Sawada, Michito

2015-12-01

When an inhomogeneous medium such as bone, whose composition or density are clearly different from that of soft tissue of human body, exist in irradiated body, a subjective contrast of X-ray image changes by the location of these inhomogeneous medium. This cause due to the change of behavior of scattered photons in the body depends on the location of inhomogeneous medium besides due to the influence of a penumbra. But this mechanism is not explained clearly yet. In this paper, it was analyzed by means of the Monte Carlo simulation that what kind of difference occurs to a subjective contrast by the difference in location of inhomogeneous medium in water phantom and that a change in behavior of scattered photons in the phantom influences a subjective contrast by what kind of mechanism. In this case the inhomogeneous medium is bone, whose effective atomic number and density are higher than that of water, the subjective contrast of X-ray image degrades when bone is located near the entrance surface (upper position) than located near the exit surface (lower position). This is caused by the number of scattered photons, originated in primary photons incident upon the zone besides the region from entrance surface to exit surface including inhomogeneous medium and incident on the area of shadow of inhomogeneous medium on the image detector, is greater in case of the upper position than in case of the lower position. In the lower position, many of these scattered photons are interacted in bone located near the exit surface by the photo-electric absorption and only a small amount is incident on the image detector.

Rapid in vitro propagation, conservation and analysis of genetic stability of Viola pilosa.

PubMed

Soni, Madhvi; Kaur, Rajinder

2014-01-01

A protocol for in vitro propagation was developed for Viola pilosa, a plant of immense medicinal value. To start with in vitro propagation, the sterilized explants (buds) were cultured on MS basal medium supplemented with various concentrations of growth regulators. One of the medium compositions MS basal + 0.5 mg/l BA + 0.5 mg/l TDZ + 0.5 mg/l GA3 gave best results for in vitro shoot bud establishment. Although the problem of shoot vitrification occurred on this medium but this was overcome by transferring the vitrified shoots on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/l BA and 0.25 mg/l Kn. The same medium was found to be the best medium for further in vitro shoot multiplication. 100 % root induction from in vitro grown shoots was obtained on half strength MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/l IBA. In vitro formed plantlets were hardened and transferred to soil with 83 % survival. Additionally, conservation of in vitro multiplying shoots was also attempted using two different approaches namely slowing down the growth at low temperature and cryopreservation following vitrification. At low temperature retrieval rate was better at 10 °C than at 4 °C after conservation of in vitro multiplying shoots. In cryopreservation-vitrification studies, the vitrified shoot buds gave maximum retrieval of 41.66 % when they were precooled at 4 °C, while only 16.66 % vitrified shoots were retrieved from those precooled at 10 °C. Genetic stability of the in vitro grown plants was analysed by RAPD and ISSR markers which indicated no somaclonal variation among in vitro grown plants demonstrating the feasibility of using the protocol without any adverse genetical effects.

Correlation effects during liquid infiltration into hydrophobic nanoporous media

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

Borman, V. D., E-mail: vdborman@mephi.ru; Belogorlov, A. A.; Byrkin, V. A.

To explain the thermal effects observed during the infiltration of a nonwetting liquid into a disordered nanoporous medium, we have constructed a model that includes correlation effects in a disordered medium. It is based on analytical methods of the percolation theory. The infiltration of a porous medium is considered as the infiltration of pores in an infinite cluster of interconnected pores. Using the model of randomly situated spheres (RSS), we have been able to take into account the correlation effect of the spatial arrangement and connectivity of pores in the medium. The other correlation effect of the mutual arrangement ofmore » filled and empty pores on the shell of an infinite percolation cluster of filled pores determines the infiltration fluctuation probability. This probability has been calculated analytically. Allowance for these correlation effects during infiltration and defiltration makes it possible to suggest a physical mechanism of the contact angle hysteresis and to calculate the dependences of the contact angles on the degree of infiltration, porosity of the medium, and temperature. Based on the suggested model, we have managed to describe the temperature dependences of the infiltration and defiltration pressures and the thermal effects that accompany the absorption of energy by disordered porous medium-nonwetting liquid systems with various porosities in a unified way.« less

Amplitude and polarization asymmetries in a ring laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, L. L.; Buholz, N. E.

1971-01-01

Asymmetric amplitude effects between the oppositely directed traveling waves in a He-Ne ring laser are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. These effects make it possible to detect angular orientations of an inner-cavity bar with respect to the plane of the ring cavity. The amplitude asymmetries occur when a birefringent bar is placed in the three-mirror ring cavity, and an axial magnetic field is applied to the active medium. A simplified theoretical analysis is performed by using a first order perturbation theory to derive an expression for the polarization of the active medium, and a set of self-consistent equations are derived to predict threshold conditions. Polarization asymmetries between the oppositely directed waves are also predicted. Amplitude asymmetries similar in nature to those predicted at threshold occur when the laser is operating in 12-15 free-running modes, and polarization asymmetry occurs simultaneously.

Realizing high-quality ultralarge momentum states and ultrafast topological transitions using semiconductor hyperbolic metamaterials

DOE PAGES

Campione, Salvatore; Liu, Sheng; Luk, Ting S.; ...

2015-08-05

We employ both the effective medium approximation (EMA) and Bloch theory to compare the dispersion properties of semiconductor hyperbolic metamaterials (SHMs) at mid-infrared frequencies and metallic hyperbolic metamaterials (MHMs) at visible frequencies. This analysis reveals the conditions under which the EMA can be safely applied for both MHMs and SHMs. We find that the combination of precise nanoscale layering and the longer infrared operating wavelengths puts the SHMs well within the effective medium limit and, in contrast to MHMs, allows for the attainment of very high photon momentum states. Additionally, SHMs allow for new phenomena such as ultrafast creation ofmore » the hyperbolic manifold through optical pumping. Furthermore, we examine the possibility of achieving ultrafast topological transitions through optical pumping which can photo-dope appropriately designed quantum wells on the femtosecond time scale.« less

Effect of repeated earthquake on inelastic moment resisting concrete frame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahara, R. M. K.; Majid, T. A.; Zaini, S. S.; Faisal, A.

2017-10-01

This paper investigates the response of inelastic moment resisting concrete building under repeated earthquakes. 2D models consist of 3-storey, 6-storey and 9-storey representing low to medium rise building frame were designed using seismic load and ductility class medium (DCM) according to the requirements set by Euro Code 8. Behaviour factor and stiffness degradation were also taken into consideration. Seven sets of real repeated earthquakes as opposed to artificial earthquakes data were used. The response of the frame was measured in terms of the inter-storey drift and maximum displacement. By adopting repeated earthquake, the recorded mean IDR increased in the range of 3% - 21%. Similarly, in the case of maximum displacement, the values also increased from 20 mm to 40 mm. The findings concluded that the effect of using repeated earthquake in seismic analysis considerably influenced the inter-storey drift and the maximum displacement.

Effective Medium Ratio Obeying Wideband Left-Handed Miniaturized Meta-atoms for Multi-band Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Mohammad Jakir; Faruque, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal; Islam, Mohammad Tariqul

2017-12-01

In this paper, a miniaturized wideband left-handed (LH) meta-atom based on planar modified multiple hexagonal split ring resonators was designed, simulated, fabricated and tested that can maintain a left-handed property. An analysis and comparison of the different array structures were performed that obtained better effective medium ratio (EMR) and wideband (5.54 GHz) for multi band operations in the microwave regime. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method based Computer Simulation Technology was implemented to design the meta-atom. The meta-atom showed multi-band response in conjunction with wideband and LH property over the certain frequency bands in the microwave spectra. The EMR was considerably improved compared to previously reported meta-atoms. The measured results showed good agreement with the simulated results. The dimensions, S-parameters and EMR parameters of the proposed miniaturized LH meta-atom are appropriate for L-, S-, C-, X-, and Ku-band applications.

Effective Medium Ratio Obeying Wideband Left-Handed Miniaturized Meta-atoms for Multi-band Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Mohammad Jakir; Faruque, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal; Islam, Mohammad Tariqul

2018-03-01

In this paper, a miniaturized wideband left-handed (LH) meta-atom based on planar modified multiple hexagonal split ring resonators was designed, simulated, fabricated and tested that can maintain a left-handed property. An analysis and comparison of the different array structures were performed that obtained better effective medium ratio (EMR) and wideband (5.54 GHz) for multi band operations in the microwave regime. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method based Computer Simulation Technology was implemented to design the meta-atom. The meta-atom showed multi-band response in conjunction with wideband and LH property over the certain frequency bands in the microwave spectra. The EMR was considerably improved compared to previously reported meta-atoms. The measured results showed good agreement with the simulated results. The dimensions, S-parameters and EMR parameters of the proposed miniaturized LH meta-atom are appropriate for L-, S-, C-, X-, and Ku-band applications.

The type of culture medium and the duration of in vitro culture do not influence birthweight of ART singletons.

PubMed

De Vos, A; Janssens, R; Van de Velde, H; Haentjens, P; Bonduelle, M; Tournaye, H; Verheyen, G

2015-01-01

Does the type of in vitro culture medium or the duration of in vitro culture influence singleton birthweight after IVF/ICSI treatment? In a comparison of two culture media, neither the medium nor the duration of culture (Day 3 versus Day 5 blastocyst transfer) had any effect on mean singleton birthweight. Previous studies indicated that in vitro culture of human embryos may affect birthweight of live born singletons. Both the type of culture medium and the duration of culture may be implicated. However, these studies are small and report conflicting results. A large retrospective analysis was performed including all singleton live births after transferring fresh Day 3 or Day 5 embryos. IVF and ICSI cycles performed between April 2004 and December 2009 at a tertiary care centre were included for analysis. A total of 2098 singleton live births resulting from singleton pregnancies were included for analysis. Two different sequential embryo culture media were concurrently used in an alternating way: Medicult (n = 1388) and Vitrolife (n = 710). Maternal age, maternal and paternal BMI, maternal parity, maternal smoking, main cause of infertility, cycle rank, stimulation protocol, method of fertilization (IVF or ICSI), time in culture and number of embryos transferred were taken into account. Embryo transfers were performed either on Day 3 (n = 1234) or on Day 5 (n = 864). Singleton birthweight was the primary outcome parameter. Gestational age and gender of the newborn were accounted for in the multiple regression analysis. No significant differences in mean singleton birthweight were observed between the two culture media: Medicult 3222 g (±15 SE) and Vitrolife 3251 g (±21 SE) (P = 0.264). The mean singleton birthweight was not different between Day 3 embryo transfers (3219 ± 16 g) and Day 5 blastocyst transfers (3250 ± 19 g; P = 0.209). Multiple regression analysis controlling for potential maternal, paternal, treatment and newborn confounders confirmed the non-significant differences in mean singleton birthweight between the two culture media. Likewise, the adjusted mean singleton birthweight was not different according to the duration of in vitro culture (P = 0.521). The conclusions are limited by its retrospective design; however, the two different sequential culture systems were used in an alternating way during the same time period. Pregnancy-associated factors possibly influencing birthweight (such as diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia) were not included in the analysis. This large retrospective study does not support earlier concerns that both the type of culture medium and the duration of embryo culture influence singleton birthweight. However, a continuous surveillance of human embryo culture procedures (medium type, culture duration and other culture conditions) should remain a priority within assisted reproduction technology. None. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The role of Argopecten purpuratus shells structuring the soft bottom community in shallow waters of southern Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lomovasky, Betina J.; Gamero, Patricia A.; Romero, Leonardo; Firstater, Fausto N.; Gamarra Salazar, Alex; Hidalgo, Fernando; Tarazona, Juan; Iribarne, Oscar O.

2015-12-01

Accumulation of Argopecten purpuratus shells often occurs after El Niño events in shallow waters of Independencia Bay (14°17‧S-76°10‧W; Pisco, Peru). Here we experimentally investigate the effects of their shell accumulation on macrobenthos assemblages in soft bottom, shallow areas of the bay. A field experiment (from May 2006 to May 2007), including four treatments with different coverage levels of empty shells of A. purpuratus, were randomly arranged in: (1) areas devoid of shells ("Empty" treatment: experimental control), (2) 50% of the plot area covered with shells haphazardly distributed over the bottom ("medium" treatment), (3) 100% of the plot area covered with shells, forming a 10 cm valve layer ("full" treatment) and (4) "natural control". We found a total of 124 taxa throughout the experiment. Polychaetes, crustaceans and mollusks were the most abundant groups in "natural controls", dominated by the gastropod Nassarius gayi and the polychaetes Prionospio peruana, Platynereis bicanaliculata and Mediomastus branchiferus. The abundance of individuals (N) and the species richness (S) were higher in the "medium" treatment, but only in one month under positive sea bottom thermal anomalies. Similarity analysis (Bray-Curtis) showed that "natural control", "empty" and "full" treatments were more similar among them than the "medium" treatment. Multidimensional analysis showed no clear species association among treatments and a higher grouping among the samplings of Jun-06, Aug-06 and Nov-06. Our results also showed that the commercial crab Romaleon polyodon and the polyplacophora Tonicia elegans were positively affected by shell accumulations ("medium" treatment), while the limpet Fissurella crassa was negatively affected. Our study shows that directly by changing habitat structure or indirectly by changing sediment characteristics, the addition of scallop shells to the soft bottom can modify the macrobenthic assemblage; however, the seasonal oceanographic variability (e.g. upwelling, El Niño) could have stronger effects controlling this system than the presence of the shells itself.

Effect of barium sulfate contrast medium on rheology and sensory texture attributes in a model food.

PubMed

Ekberg, O; Bulow, M; Ekman, S; Hall, G; Stading, M; Wendin, K

2009-03-01

The swallowing process can be visualized using videoradiography, by mixing food with contrast medium, e.g., barium sulfate (BaSO(4)), making it radiopaque. The sensory properties of foods may be affected by adding this medium. To evaluate if and to what extent sensory and rheological characteristics of mango purée were altered by adding barium sulfate to the food. This study evaluated four food samples based on mango purée, with no or added barium sulfate contrast medium (0%, 12.5%, 25.0%, and 37.5%), by a radiographic method, and measured sensory texture properties and rheological characteristics. The sensory evaluation was performed by an external trained panel using quantitative descriptive analysis. The ease of swallowing the foods was also evaluated. The sensory texture properties of mango purée were significantly affected by the added barium in all evaluated attributes, as was the perception of particles. Moreover, ease of swallowing was significantly higher in the sample without added contrast medium. All samples decreased in extensional viscosity with increasing extension rate, i.e., all samples were tension thinning. Shear viscosity was not as dependent on the concentration of BaSO(4) as extensional viscosity. Addition of barium sulfate to a model food of mango purée has a major impact on perceived sensory texture attributes as well as on rheological parameters.

Effective self-regulation change techniques to promote mental wellbeing among adolescents: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

van Genugten, Lenneke; Dusseldorp, Elise; Massey, Emma K; van Empelen, Pepijn

2017-03-01

Mental wellbeing is influenced by self-regulation processes. However, little is known on the efficacy of change techniques based on self-regulation to promote mental wellbeing. The aim of this meta-analysis is to identify effective self-regulation techniques (SRTs) in primary and secondary prevention interventions on mental wellbeing in adolescents. Forty interventions were included in the analyses. Techniques were coded into nine categories of SRTs. Meta-analyses were conducted to identify the effectiveness of SRTs, examining three different outcomes: internalising behaviour, externalising behaviour, and self-esteem. Primary interventions had a small-to-medium ([Formula: see text] = 0.16-0.29) on self-esteem and internalising behaviour. Secondary interventions had a medium-to-large short-term effect (average [Formula: see text] = 0.56) on internalising behaviour and self-esteem. In secondary interventions, interventions including asking for social support [Formula: see text] 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.11-1.98) had a great effect on internalising behaviour. Interventions including monitoring and evaluation had a greater effect on self-esteem [Formula: see text] 95% CI = 0.21-0.57). For primary interventions, there was not a single SRT that was associated with a greater intervention effect on internalising behaviour or self-esteem. No effects were found for externalising behaviours. Self-regulation interventions are moderately effective at improving mental wellbeing among adolescents. Secondary interventions promoting 'asking for social support' and promoting 'monitoring and evaluation' were associated with improved outcomes. More research is needed to identify other SRTs or combinations of SRTs that could improve understanding or optimise mental wellbeing interventions.

Expression of virulence factors by Staphylococcus aureus grown in serum.

PubMed

Oogai, Yuichi; Matsuo, Miki; Hashimoto, Masahito; Kato, Fuminori; Sugai, Motoyuki; Komatsuzawa, Hitoshi

2011-11-01

Staphylococcus aureus produces many virulence factors, including toxins, immune-modulatory factors, and exoenzymes. Previous studies involving the analysis of virulence expression were mainly performed by in vitro experiments using bacterial medium. However, when S. aureus infects a host, the bacterial growth conditions are quite different from those in a medium, which may be related to the different expression of virulence factors in the host. In this study, we investigated the expression of virulence factors in S. aureus grown in calf serum. The expression of many virulence factors, including hemolysins, enterotoxins, proteases, and iron acquisition factors, was significantly increased compared with that in bacterial medium. In addition, the expression of RNA III, a global regulon for virulence expression, was significantly increased. This effect was partially restored by the addition of 300 μM FeCl₃ into serum, suggesting that iron depletion is associated with the increased expression of virulence factors in serum. In chemically defined medium without iron, a similar effect was observed. In a mutant with agr inactivated grown in serum, the expression of RNA III, psm, and sec4 was not increased, while other factors were still induced in the mutant, suggesting that another regulatory factor(s) is involved. In addition, we found that serum albumin is a major factor for the capture of free iron to prevent the supply of iron to bacteria grown in serum. These results indicate that S. aureus expresses virulence factors in adaptation to the host environment.

Cytogenetic effects of leachates from tannery solid waste on the somatic cells of Vicia faba.

PubMed

Chandra, Saurabh; Chauhan, L K S; Pande, P N; Gupta, S K

2004-04-01

The contamination of surface- and groundwater by the leaching of solid wastes generated by industrial activities as a result of water runoff and rainfall is a matter of great concern. The leachates from tannery solid waste (TSW), a major environmental pollutant, were examined for their possible genotoxic effects on the somatic cells of Vicia faba. Leachates were prepared from solid wastes procured from leather-tanning industrial sites, and V. faba seedlings were exposed to three test concentrations, 2.5%, 5%, and 10%, through soil and aqueous media for 5 days. The root tips examined for cytogenetic damage revealed that leachate of TSW significantly inhibited the mitotic index and induced significantly frequent chromosomal and mitotic aberrations (CA/MA) in a dose-dependent manner. The chemical analysis of TSW samples revealed that the chief constituents were chromium and nickel, which may cause genetic abnormalities. The frequency of aberrations was found to be higher in the root meristematic cells of Vicia faba exposed through the aqueous medium than those exposed through the soil medium. The results of the present study indicated that contamination of potable water bodies by leachates of TSW may cause genotoxicity. For the biomonitoring of complex mixtures of toxicants with the V. faba bioassay, the use of the aqueous medium seems to be a more promising method than the use of the soil medium. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 129-133, 2004.

Proteomic analysis of Oenococcus oeni freeze-dried culture to assess the importance of cell acclimation to conduct malolactic fermentation in wine.

PubMed

Cecconi, Daniela; Milli, Alberto; Rinalducci, Sara; Zolla, Lello; Zapparoli, Giacomo

2009-09-01

Cultures of Oenococcus oeni, the most important malolactic bacterium, are used to induce malolactic fermentation in wine. Survival assays in two different wines confirmed that cells acclimated for 24 h in half-strength wine-like medium (acclimation medium) enhanced the malolactic performances. To investigate the effect of the pre-incubation phase on cell physiology, a proteomic study was carried out. Total protein extracts of acclimated and non-acclimated cell cultures (control) were analyzed by 2-D-PAGE. A total of 20 out of approximately 400 spots varied significantly. All the spots were identified by MS analysis and most of them were proteins involved in metabolism, transcription/translation processes and stress response. The results revealed the different physiological status between non-acclimated and acclimated cells explaining, in part, their different behavior in wine. Regulation of stress proteins such as heat and cold shock proteins was involved. Moreover, the availability of sugars and amino acids (even if at low concentration) in acclimation medium determined a modulation of energy metabolism enhancing the resistance to stressful conditions (as those that cells find in wine when inoculated). Finally, this proteomic study increased knowledge concerning the physiological changes in freeze-dried culture occurring with pre-inoculation procedures.

Xanthan gum production using jackfruit-seed-powder-based medium: optimization and characterization.

PubMed

Felicia Katherine, R; Muthukumaran, C; Sharmila, G; Manoj Kumar, N; Tamilarasan, K; Jaiganesh, R

2017-08-01

Xanthan gum (XG) production by Xanthomonas campestris NCIM 2961 using jackfruit seed powder (JSP) as a novel substrate was reported. Central composite design (CCD) of response surface method (RSM) was used to evaluate the linear and interaction effects of five medium variables (JSP, peptone, citric acid, K 2 HPO 4 and KH 2 PO 4 ) for XG production. Maximum XG production (51.62 g/L) was observed at the optimum level of JSP (4 g/L), peptone (0.93 g/L), citric acid (0.26 g/L), K 2 HPO 4 (1.29 g/L) and KH 2 PO 4 (0.5 g/L). K 2 HPO 4 and KH 2 PO 4 were found as significant medium components, which served as buffering agents as well as nutrients for X. campestris growth. The obtained biopolymer was characterized as XG by XRD and FTIR analysis. Results of this study revealed that JSP was found to be a suitable low cost substrate for XG production.

Propagation properties of the chirped Airy beams through the gradient-index medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Liyan; Zhang, Jianbin; Pang, Zihao; Wang, Linyi; Zhong, Tianfen; Yang, Xiangbo; Deng, Dongmei

2017-11-01

Through analytical derivation and numerical analysis, the propagation properties of the chirped Airy(CAi) beams in the gradient-index medium are investigated. The intensity and the phase distributions, the propagation trajectory and the Poynting vector of the CAi beams are demonstrated to investigate the propagation properties. Owing to the special and symmetrical refractive index profile of the gradient-index medium, the CAi beams propagate periodically. The effects of the distribution factor and the chirped parameter on the propagation of the CAi beams are analyzed. As the increasing of the distribution factor, the intensity distribution of the CAi beams is more scattering. However, with the chirped parameter increasing, the focusing property of the CAi beams strengthens. The variation of the chirped parameter can change the position of the peak intensity maximum, but it cannot alter the period of the peak intensity. The variations of the initial phase and the energy of the beams in the transverse plane expedite accordingly.

Flotation removal of the microalga Nannochloropsis sp. using Moringa protein-oil emulsion: A novel green approach.

PubMed

Kandasamy, Ganesan; Shaleh, Sitti Raehanah Muhamad

2018-01-01

A new approach to recover microalgae from aqueous medium using a bio-flotation method is reported. The method involves utilizing a Moringa protein extract - oil emulsion (MPOE) for flotation removal of Nannochloropsis sp. The effect of various factors has been assessed using this method, including operating parameters such as pH, MPOE dose, algae concentration and mixing time. A maximum flotation efficiency of 86.5% was achieved without changing the pH condition of algal medium. Moreover, zeta potential analysis showed a marked difference in the zeta potential values when increase the MPOE dose concentration. An optimum condition of MPOE dosage of 50ml/L, pH 8, mixing time 4min, and a flotation efficiency of greater than 86% was accomplished. The morphology of algal flocs produced by protein-oil emulsion flocculant were characterized by microscopy. This flotation method is not only simple, but also an efficient method for harvesting microalgae from culture medium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategies to reduce plate waste in primary schools - experimental evaluation.

PubMed

Liz Martins, Margarida; Rodrigues, Sara Sp; Cunha, Luís M; Rocha, Ada

2016-06-01

To determine and compare the effect of two interventions in reducing the plate waste of school lunches. A between-group analysis was conducted among children from three primary schools: (i) a group receiving intervention A, designed for children and focusing on nutrition education and food waste; (ii) a group receiving intervention B, intended for teachers and focusing on the causes and consequences of food waste; and (iii) a control group with no intervention. For each child, physical weighing of individual meals and leftovers was performed on three non-consecutive weeks at baseline (T0), 1 week (T1, short term) and 3 months (T2, medium term) following the intervention. Plate waste was recorded for a total of 1742 lunches during 14 d over eight different menus. Portuguese public primary schools in the city of Porto. All fourth-grade children (n 212) attending the three preselected schools. After intervention A focusing on nutrition education designed for children, a decrease in soup waste was observed compared with the control group. The effect was greater at T1 (-11·9 (se 2·8) %; P<0·001) than at T2 (-5·8 (se 4·4) %; P=0·103). The plate waste of identical main dishes decreased strongly at T1 (-33·9 (se 4·8) %; P<0·001). However, this effect was not found at T2 (-13·7 (se 3·2) %; P<0·001). After intervention B involving teachers, plate waste decreased at T2 (-5·5 (se 1·9) % for soup; -5·4 (se 2·4) % for identical main dishes). Nutrition education designed for children was more effective in the short than the medium term. Thus, this kind of intervention was not effective in reducing food waste in the medium term. In contrast, an intervention focusing on teachers revealed better results in the medium term than in the short term.

Effect of Acidity of a Medium on Riboflavin Photodestruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astanov, S. Kh.; Turdiev, M.; Sharipov, M. Z.; Kurtaliev, É. N.; Nizomov, N. N.

2016-03-01

Effect of acidity of a medium on the spectroscopic characteristics of riboflavin aqueous solutions is investigated by the method of fluorescent and absorption spectroscopy. Significant deformation of the electronic spectra of riboflavin aqueous solutions irradiated with unfiltered light of a PRK-2 lamp is observed. It is established that riboflavin photostability in an acid medium is about twice as much as the photostability in a neutral medium, which is caused by the formation of a protonated species.

An examination on the influence of small and medium enterprise (SME) stakeholder on green supply chain management practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahlan, M. Z.; Sidek, A. A.; Suffian, S. A.; Hazza, M. H. F. A.; Daud, M. R. C.

2018-01-01

In this paper, climate change and global warming are the biggest current issues in the industrial sectors. The green supply chain managements (GSCM) is one of the crucial input to these issues. Effective GSCM can potentially secure the organization’s competitive advantage and improve the environmental performance of the network activities. In this study, the aim is to investigate and examine how a small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stakeholder pressure and top management influence green supply chain management practices. The study is further advance green supply chain management research in Malaysia focusing on SMEs manufacturing sector using structural equation modelling. Structural equation modelling is a multivariate statistical analysis technique used to examine structural relationship. It is the combination of factor analysis and multi regression analysis and used to analyse structural relationship between measure variable and latent factor. This research found that top management support and stakeholder pressure is the major influence for SMEs to adopt green supply chain management. The research also found that top management is fully mediate with the relationship between stakeholder pressure and monitoring supplier environmental performance.

O the Determination of the Complex Refractive Index of Powdered Materials in the 9 TO 11 Micrometer Spectral Region Utilizing AN Attenuated Total Reflectance Technique.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillespie, James Bryce

1982-03-01

A specific method of determining the complex refractive index of powdered materials using attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy was investigated. A very precise laser/goniometric ATR system was assembled and applied to powdered samples of carbon blacks, graphite, kaolin clay, quartz, calcite, and sodalime glass beads. The reflectivity data fell into two categories: (1) data representative of a medium having a unique effective refractive index and (2) data representative of a scattering medium having no unique refractive index. Data of the first kind were obtained from all the carbon black, graphite, and kaolin clay samples. The Fahrenfort-Visser solution of the Fresnel equations was applied to the goniometric reflectivity data for these samples to obtain the complex refractive index of these effective media. The complex refractive index obtained in this manner is not that of the bulk material but is instead a value which may be related to the bulk material value through some refractive index mixing rule. A systematic experiment using carbon black of particle size 0.0106 mm diameter was conducted to determine the applicability of several mixture rules for the volume packing fraction range of .2 to .6 which is most often encountered. The Bruggemann effective medium theory produced credible results while the Lorentz-Lorenz rule and the empirical Biot-Arago rule were invalid in this volume packing region. The Bruggemann rule was applied to lampblack, Mogul-L carbon black, graphite, and kaolin clay to obtain the complex refractive indices of these materials from the ATR spectroscopy data. Goniometric reflectivity data representative of an inhomogeneous scattering medium were obtained from all the powdered quartz, powdered calcite, and sodalime glass beads samples. These samples all contained particles with diameters nearly as large as the wavelength. These data demonstrate that the ATR technique, coupled with an effective medium analysis, may be used to obtain optical constants of powdered materials only when the particles are small compared to the wavelength.

Effectiveness of training in organizations: a meta-analysis of design and evaluation features.

PubMed

Arthur, Winfred; Bennett, Winston; Edens, Pamela S; Bell, Suzanne T

2003-04-01

The authors used meta-analytic procedures to examine the relationship between specified training design and evaluation features and the effectiveness of training in organizations. Results of the meta-analysis revealed training effectiveness sample-weighted mean ds of 0.60 (k = 15, N = 936) for reaction criteria, 0.63 (k = 234, N = 15,014) for learning criteria, 0.62 (k = 122, N = 15,627) for behavioral criteria, and 0.62 (k = 26, N = 1,748) for results criteria. These results suggest a medium to large effect size for organizational training. In addition, the training method used, the skill or task characteristic trained, and the choice of evaluation criteria were related to the effectiveness of training programs. Limitations of the study along with suggestions for future research are discussed.

Effect of viscous dissipation and radiation in an annular cone

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

Ahmed, N. J. Salman; Kamangar, Sarfaraz; Khan, T. M. Yunus, E-mail: yunus.tatagar@gmail.com

The viscous dissipation is an effect due to which heat is generated inside the medium. The presence of radiation further complicates the heat transfer behavior inside porous medium. The present paper discusses the combined effect of viscous dissipation and radiation inside a porous medium confined in an annular cone with inner radius r{sub i}. The viscous dissipation and radiation terms are included in the energy equation thereby solving the coupled momentum and energy equations with the help of finite element method. The results are presented in terms of isothermal and streamline indicating the thermal and fluid flow behavior of porousmore » medium. It is found that the combination of viscous dissipation and radiation parameter and the cone angle has significant effect on the heat transfer and fluid flow behavior inside the porous medium. The fluid velocity is found to increase with the increase in Raleigh number.« less

Treatment Effects for Common Outcomes of Child Sexual Abuse: A Current Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Trask, Emily V.; Walsh, Kate; DiLillo, David

2010-01-01

The present meta-analysis examined the effects of psychosocial treatments at reducing deleterious outcomes of sexual abuse. The meta-analysis included a total of 35 published and unpublished studies written in English, focusing on youth under the age of 18, and evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for the most common negative outcomes of sexual abuse: PTSD symptoms, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems. Results revealed medium effect sizes for PTSD symptoms, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems following treatment for sexual abuse. This study also examined the potential moderating effects of treatment (e.g., modality, duration, inclusion of caregiver) and participant (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity) characteristics. Results indicated that longer interventions were associated with greater treatment gains while group and individual treatments were equally effective. These findings shed new light on treatment effectiveness and provide useful information regarding the conditions under which treatment may be most effective. Future directions for research in this area are discussed. PMID:21603060

Age of G-1 PLUS v5 embryo culture medium is inversely associated with birthweight of the newborn.

PubMed

Kleijkers, Sander H M; van Montfoort, Aafke P A; Smits, Luc J M; Coonen, Edith; Derhaag, Josien G; Evers, Johannes L H; Dumoulin, John C M

2015-06-01

Does age of G-1 PLUS v5 embryo culture medium affect IVF outcome? Birthweight of singletons born after IVF showed an inverse association with age of the embryo culture medium, while no association was found between age of culture medium and fertilization rate, embryonic development or ongoing pregnancy. It has been reported that IVF culture media can deteriorate during storage, which suggests that the capacity of culture media to support optimal embryo development decreases over time. Some animal studies showed an effect of storage time on embryo development, in contrast to other studies, while the effect of aging culture medium on IVF outcome in humans is unknown. We used data on outcome of 1832 IVF/ICSI cycles with fresh embryo transfer, performed in the period 2008-2012 to evaluate the association of fertilization rate, embryonic development, ongoing pregnancy and birthweight of singletons with age of the culture medium (Vitrolife AB G-1 PLUS v5). Age of the culture medium was calculated by subtracting the production date from the date of ovum retrieval. Data analysis included linear regression and logistic regression on continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively. Age of the culture medium was not associated with fertilization rate (P = 0.543), early cleavage rate (P = 0.155), percentage of embryos containing four or more cells on Day 2 (P = 0.401), percentage of embryos containing eight or more cells on Day 3 (P = 0.175), percentage of embryos with multinucleated blastomeres (P = 0.527), or ongoing pregnancy (P = 0.729). However, birthweight of the newborn was inversely associated with age of the medium (β = -3.6 g, SE: 1.5 g, P = 0.021), after controlling for possible confounders (day of embryo transfer, number of transferred embryos, child's gender, gestational age at birth, parity, pregnancy complications, maternal smoking, height and weight, and paternal height and weight) and the association was not biased by year of treatment, time since first opening of the bottle or batch variations. This indicates a difference of 234 g in birthweight of newborns for media with an age difference of 65 days. The results from this study may be specific for the G-1 PLUS v5 culture medium and extrapolation of the results to other media should be done with caution because of the differences in composition and shelf life. Age of G-1 PLUS v5 medium used to culture human embryos affects birthweight of the respective newborn. This could imply that the preimplantation embryo adapts to its in vitro environment with lasting in vivo consequences. Therefore, it is important that companies are transparent about the exact composition of their embryo culture media, which will allow IVF clinics to further investigate the effects of the media or media components on the health of IVF children. No funding and no competing interests declared. Not applicable. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impact of porosity on Jeans instability in viscous quantum magnetoplasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prajapat, V.; Sutar, D. L.; Pensia, R. K.

2018-05-01

This paper treats the Jeans instability improved at the theoretical investigation of the presence of viscosity and resistivity in the porous medium. Following the normal mode analysis using the QMHD model, the dispersion relation is discussed for wave propagation in longitudinal and transverse direction. The Jeans criteria of instability are affected by the presence of porosity. The graphical presentation shows that porosity has a stabilizing effect while resistivity has destabilizing effect in the system.

Analysis of optical scheme for medium-range directed energy laser weapon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabczyński, Jan K.; Kaśków, Mateusz; Gorajek, Łukasz; Kopczyński, Krzysztof

2017-10-01

The relations between range of operation and aperture of laser weapon system were investigated, taking into account diffraction and technical limitations as beam quality, accuracy of point tracking, technical quality of optical train, etc. As a result for the medium ranges of 1 - 2 km we restricted the analysis to apertures not wider than 150 mm and the optical system without adaptive optics. To choose the best laser beam shape, the minimization of aperture losses and thermooptical effects inside optics as well as the effective width of laser beam in far field should be taken into account. We have analyzed theoretically such a problem for the group of a few most interesting from that point of view profiles including for reference two limiting cases of Gaussian beam and `top hat' profile. We have found that the most promising is the SuperGaussian profile of index p = 2 for which the surfaces of beam shaper elements can be manufactured in the acceptable cost-effective way and beam quality does not decrease noticeably. Further, we have investigated the thermo-optic effects on the far field parameters of Gaussian and `top hat' beams to determine the influence of absorption in optical elements on beam quality degradation. The simplified formulae were derived for beam quality measures (parameter M2 and Strehl ratio) which enables to estimate the influence of absorption losses on degradation of beam quality.

Interventions based on self-management of well-being theory: pooling data to demonstrate mediation and ceiling effects, and to compare formats.

PubMed

Goedendorp, M M; Steverink, N

2017-09-01

Interventions based on self-management of well-being (SMW) theory have shown positive effects, but additional questions remain: (1) Are improvements in well-being, as induced by the interventions, mediated by improved self-management ability (SMA)? (2) Do the interventions show ceiling effects? (3) Is a particular format of SMW intervention (individual, group, or self-help) more effective? Data of three randomized controlled trials were pooled. The greater part of the sample (N = 445) consisted of single older females. A bootstrap analysis was performed to test for mediation. Regression analyses with interaction effects were performed to test for ceiling effects. Controlled and transformed effect sizes (proportion of maximum change) were calculated to compare formats. There was a full significant mediation of well-being by SMA. A significant interaction (ceiling) effect was found on well-being, but not on SMA. The controlled effect sizes of the raw scores were small to medium (.04-.49), and were small to large after transformation (.41-.73). None of the intervention formats was more effective. Support for SMW theory was found, i.e. increasing self-management ability lead to improved well-being. Some ceiling effect was found. We conclude that various SMW interventions formats can improve self-management abilities and well-being with medium effects.

Hypergravity Loading the Cultured Osteoblasts: Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Cellular Morphology and the Cytoskeleton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Searby, N. D.; Steele, C. R.; Globus, R. K.; Dalton, Bonnie P. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Bone forming cells, osteoblasts, respond to various mechanical forces, including mechanical strain and fluid-induced shear stress. This study examined whether osteoblasts detect changes in gravity as a mechanical force, as assessed by cellular morphology and dimensions of the cytoskeletal network. We used modeling to evaluate how gravity influences cell morphology given theoretical differences in densities between the surrounding medium, cytoplasm, and nucleus. A mechanical model was built based on analysis of axisymmetric shell structures (Fast4 software) to study the effects of 10 times gravity (10G) on cell height. The model indicated 0.02% decrease in overall cell height when the medium was 10% denser than the nucleus or cytoplasm, 5.9 x 10(exp-5)% decrease when the nucleus was 10% denser than the cytoplasm or medium, and 1.3 x 10(exp-5)% decrease when the cell cytoplasm was 10% denser than the nucleus or medium. To experimentally evaluate the influence of gravity, cultured primary fetal rat osteoblasts were grown to near confluence and centrifuged at 10G for 3 hours. Actin, microtubules, and nuclei were fluorescently labeled and analyzed by confocal microscopy to determine overall microtubule and actin network height. Centrifugation led to an apparent reduction in height of both the microtubule (-16%) and the actin (-20%) networks relative to stationary controls. Thus, both modeling and experiments indicate that hypergravity reduces the height of the osteoblast cell layer and their microtubule and actin networks. This combination of modeling and experimental analyses will help us to better understand the mechanical loading of osteoblasts.

Direct Demonstration of the Concept of Unrestricted Effective-Medium Approximation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Dlugach, Zhanna M.; Zakharova, Nadezhda T.

2014-01-01

The modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index is defined as one that yields accurate values of a representative set of far-field scattering characteristics (including the scattering matrix) for an object made of randomly heterogeneous materials. We validate the concept of the modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index by comparing numerically exact superposition T-matrix results for a spherical host randomly filled with a large number of identical small inclusions and Lorenz-Mie results for a homogeneous spherical counterpart. A remarkable quantitative agreement between the superposition T-matrix and Lorenz-Mie scattering matrices over the entire range of scattering angles demonstrates unequivocally that the modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index is a sound (albeit still phenomenological) concept provided that the size parameter of the inclusions is sufficiently small and their number is sufficiently large. Furthermore, it appears that in cases when the concept of the modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index works, its actual value is close to that predicted by the Maxwell-Garnett mixing rule.

Complementary and alternative exercise for fibromyalgia: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Mist, Scott David; Firestone, Kari A; Jones, Kim Dupree

2013-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine includes a number of exercise modalities, such as tai chi, qigong, yoga, and a variety of lesser-known movement therapies. A meta-analysis of the current literature was conducted estimating the effect size of the different modalities, study quality and bias, and adverse events. The level of research has been moderately weak to date, but most studies report a medium-to-high effect size in pain reduction. Given the lack of adverse events, there is little risk in recommending these modalities as a critical component in a multimodal treatment plan, which is often required for fibromyalgia management. PMID:23569397

Bisphenol A alters β-hCG and MIF release by human placenta: an in vitro study to understand the role of endometrial cells.

PubMed

Mannelli, C; Ietta, F; Carotenuto, C; Romagnoli, R; Szostek, A Z; Wasniewski, T; Skarzynski, D J; Paulesu, Luana

2014-01-01

A proper fetomaternal immune-endocrine cross-talk in pregnancy is fundamental for reproductive success. This might be unbalanced by exposure to environmental chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA). As fetoplacental contamination with BPA originates from the maternal compartment, this study investigated the role of the endometrium in BPA effects on the placenta. To this end, in vitro decidualized stromal cells were exposed to BPA 1 nM, and their conditioned medium (diluted 1 : 2) was used on chorionic villous explants from human placenta. Parallel cultures of placental explants were directly exposed to 0.5 nM BPA while, control cultures were exposed to the vehicle (EtOH 0.1%). After 24-48 h, culture medium from BPA-treated and control cultures was assayed for concentration of hormone human Chorionic Gonadotropin ( β -hCG) and cytokine Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF). The results showed that direct exposure to BPA stimulated the release of both MIF and β -hCG. These effects were abolished/diminished in placental cultures exposed to endometrial cell-conditioned medium. GM-MS analysis revealed that endometrial cells retain BPA, thus reducing the availability of this chemical for the placenta. The data obtained highlight the importance of in vitro models including the maternal component in reproducing the effects of environmental chemicals on human fetus/placenta.

Bisphenol A Alters β-hCG and MIF Release by Human Placenta: An In Vitro Study to Understand the Role of Endometrial Cells

PubMed Central

Mannelli, C.; Ietta, F.; Carotenuto, C.; Romagnoli, R.; Szostek, A. Z.; Wasniewski, T.; Skarzynski, D. J.

2014-01-01

A proper fetomaternal immune-endocrine cross-talk in pregnancy is fundamental for reproductive success. This might be unbalanced by exposure to environmental chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA). As fetoplacental contamination with BPA originates from the maternal compartment, this study investigated the role of the endometrium in BPA effects on the placenta. To this end, in vitro decidualized stromal cells were exposed to BPA 1 nM, and their conditioned medium (diluted 1 : 2) was used on chorionic villous explants from human placenta. Parallel cultures of placental explants were directly exposed to 0.5 nM BPA while, control cultures were exposed to the vehicle (EtOH 0.1%). After 24–48 h, culture medium from BPA-treated and control cultures was assayed for concentration of hormone human Chorionic Gonadotropin (β-hCG) and cytokine Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF). The results showed that direct exposure to BPA stimulated the release of both MIF and β-hCG. These effects were abolished/diminished in placental cultures exposed to endometrial cell-conditioned medium. GM-MS analysis revealed that endometrial cells retain BPA, thus reducing the availability of this chemical for the placenta. The data obtained highlight the importance of in vitro models including the maternal component in reproducing the effects of environmental chemicals on human fetus/placenta. PMID:24737926

The natural compound Guttiferone F sensitizes prostate cancer to starvation induced apoptosis via calcium and JNK elevation.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Lao, Yuanzhi; Zhang, Hong; Wang, Xiaoyu; Tan, Hongsheng; Lin, Zhixiu; Xu, Hongxi

2015-04-11

In a cytotoxicity screen in serum-free medium, Guttiferone F showed strong growth inhibitory effect against prostate cancer cells. Prostate cancer cells LNCaP and PC3 were treated with Guttiferone F in serum depleted medium. Sub-G1 phase distributions were estimated with flow cytometry. Mitochondrial disruption was observed under confocal microscope using Mitotracker Red staining. Gene and protein expression changes were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Ca(2+) elevation was examined by Fluo-4 staining under fluorescence microscope. PC3 xenografts in mice were examined by immunohistochemical analysis. Guttiferone F had strong growth inhibitory effect against prostate cancer cell lines under serum starvation. It induced a significant increase in sub-G1 fraction and DNA fragmentation. In serum-free medium, Guttiferone F triggered mitochondria dependent apoptosis by regulating Bcl-2 family proteins. In addition, Guttiferone F attenuated the androgen receptor expression and phosphorylation of ERK1/2, while activating the phosphorylation of JNK and Ca(2+) flux. Combination of caloric restriction with Guttiferone F in vivo could increase the antitumor effect without causing toxicity. Guttiferone F induced prostate cancer cell apoptosis under serum starvation via Ca(2+) elevation and JNK activation. Combined with caloric restriction, Guttiferone F exerted significant growth inhibition of PC3 cells xenograft in vivo. Guttiferone F is therefore a potential anti-cancer compound.

Profitability and sustainability of small - medium scale palm biodiesel plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solikhah, Maharani Dewi; Kismanto, Agus; Raksodewanto, Agus; Peryoga, Yoga

2017-06-01

The mandatory of biodiesel application at 20% blending (B20) has been started since January 2016. It creates huge market for biodiesel industry. To build large-scale biodiesel plant (> 100,000 tons/year) is most favorable for biodiesel producers since it can give lower production cost. This cost becomes a challenge for small - medium scale biodiesel plants. However, current biodiesel plants in Indonesia are located mainly in Java and Sumatra, which then distribute biodiesel around Indonesia so that there is an additional cost for transportation from area to area. This factor becomes an opportunity for the small - medium scale biodiesel plants to compete with the large one. This paper discusses the profitability of small - medium scale biodiesel plants conducted on a capacity of 50 tons/day using CPO and its derivatives. The study was conducted by performing economic analysis between scenarios of biodiesel plant that using raw material of stearin, PFAD, and multi feedstock. Comparison on the feasibility of scenarios was also conducted on the effect of transportation cost and selling price. The economic assessment shows that profitability is highly affected by raw material price so that it is important to secure the source of raw materials and consider a multi-feedstock type for small - medium scale biodiesel plants to become a sustainable plant. It was concluded that the small - medium scale biodiesel plants will be profitable and sustainable if they are connected to palm oil mill, have a captive market, and are located minimally 200 km from other biodiesel plants. The use of multi feedstock could increase IRR from 18.68 % to 56.52 %.

Effect of tributyltin (TBT) in the metabolic activity of TBT-resistant and sensitive estuarine bacteria.

PubMed

Cruz, Andreia; Oliveira, Vanessa; Baptista, Inês; Almeida, Adelaide; Cunha, Angela; Suzuki, Satoru; Mendo, Sónia

2012-01-01

The effect of tributyltin (TBT) on growth and metabolic activity of three estuarine bacteria with different TBT resistance profiles was investigated in an organic-rich culture medium (TSB) and in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) buffer. Exposure to TBT was assessed by determining its effect on growth (OD(600 nm) measurement), bacterial productivity (leucine incorporation), viability (CFU counts), aggregation and cell size (from Live/Dead analysis), ATP and NADH concentrations. TBT exposure resulted in decrease of bacterial density, cell size, and metabolic activity. In addition, cell aggregates were observed in the TBT-treated cultures. TBT strongly affected bacterial cell metabolism and seemed to exert an effect on its equilibrium, interfering with cell activity. Also, TBT toxicity was lower when cells were grown in TSB than in PBS, suggesting that a nutrient-rich growth medium can protect cells from TBT toxicity. This study contributes to our understanding of the TBT-resistant cell behavior reflected in its physiology and metabolic activity. This information is of utmost importance for further studies of TBT bioremediation. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The genetic architecture of maize (Zea mays L.) kernel weight determination.

PubMed

Alvarez Prado, Santiago; López, César G; Senior, M Lynn; Borrás, Lucas

2014-09-18

Individual kernel weight is an important trait for maize yield determination. We have identified genomic regions controlling this trait by using the B73xMo17 population; however, the effect of genetic background on control of this complex trait and its physiological components is not yet known. The objective of this study was to understand how genetic background affected our previous results. Two nested stable recombinant inbred line populations (N209xMo17 and R18xMo17) were designed for this purpose. A total of 408 recombinant inbred lines were genotyped and phenotyped at two environments for kernel weight and five other traits related to kernel growth and development. All traits showed very high and significant (P < 0.001) phenotypic variability and medium-to-high heritability (0.60-0.90). When N209xMo17 and R18xMo17 were analyzed separately, a total of 23 environmentally stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) and five epistatic interactions were detected for N209xMo17. For R18xMo17, 59 environmentally stable QTL and 17 epistatic interactions were detected. A joint analysis detected 14 stable QTL regardless of the genetic background. Between 57 and 83% of detected QTL were population specific, denoting medium-to-high genetic background effects. This percentage was dependent on the trait. A meta-analysis including our previous B73xMo17 results identified five relevant genomic regions deserving further characterization. In summary, our grain filling traits were dominated by small additive QTL with several epistatic and few environmental interactions and medium-to-high genetic background effects. This study demonstrates that the number of detected QTL and additive effects for different physiologically related grain filling traits need to be understood relative to the specific germplasm. Copyright © 2014 Alvarez Prado et al.

[TMOSKOVHE COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTIC OF GROWTH MEDIUMS FOR SEPARATION OF CORYNEBACTERIA].

PubMed

Shepelin, A P; Polosenko, O V; Borisova, O Yu; Pimenova, A S; Gadua, N T

2016-01-01

The comparative tests of growth mediums for isolation and accumulation of diphtheria bacteria were implemented. The testing consisted of six series of growth medium "Corynebacagar" produced by the state research center of applied microbiology and biotechnology and three series of blood tellurite agar. The concluding results of identification of biological indicators of all series of growth nutrient mediums are presented The "Corynebacagar" is recommended for application in health care practice for primary inoculation of pathological material during implementation of cultural analysis on diphtheria.

A Comparative Analysis of E-Mail and Face-to-Face Communication in an Educational Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lightfoot, Jay M.

2006-01-01

Electronic mail (e-mail) is an extremely important medium for Internet-based education. Due to its unique characteristics, there is reason to be concerned that students do not put appropriate care into writing messages that are sent via e-mail. This has significant implications for the effectiveness of online learning environments. This paper…

A Theorem and its Application to Finite Tampers

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Feynman, R. P.

1946-08-15

A theorem is derived which is useful in the analysis of neutron problems in which all neutrons have the same velocity. It is applied to determine extrapolated end-points, the asymptotic amplitude from a point source, and the neutron density at the surface of a medium. Formulas fro the effect of finite tampers are derived by its aid, and their accuracy discussed.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides Promote the Growth of Staphylococci

PubMed Central

Hunt, K. M.; Preuss, J.; Nissan, C.; Davlin, C. A.; Williams, J. E.; Shafii, B.; Richardson, A. D.; McGuire, M. K.; Bode, L.

2012-01-01

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), which constitute a major component of human milk, promote the growth of particular bacterial species in the infant's gastrointestinal tract. We hypothesized that HMO also interact with the bacterial communities present in human milk. To test this hypothesis, two experiments were conducted. First, milk samples were collected from healthy women (n = 16); culture-independent analysis of the bacterial communities was performed, HMO content was analyzed, and the relation between these factors was investigated. A positive correlation was observed between the relative abundance of Staphylococcus and total HMO content (r = 0.66). In a follow-up study, we conducted a series of in vitro growth curve experiments utilizing Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis and HMO isolated from human milk. HMO exhibited stimulatory effects on bacterial growth under various nutritional conditions. Analysis of culture supernatants from these experiments revealed that HMO did not measurably disappear from the culture medium, indicating that the growth-enhancing effects were not a result of bacterial metabolism of the HMO. Instead, stimulation of growth caused greater utilization of amino acids in minimal medium. Collectively, the data provide evidence that HMO may promote the growth of Staphylococcus species in the lactating mammary gland. PMID:22562995

Melatonin promotes goat spermatogonia stem cells (SSCs) proliferation by stimulating glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) production in Sertoli cells.

PubMed

Niu, Bowen; Li, Bo; Wu, Chongyang; Wu, Jiang; Yan, Yuan; Shang, Rui; Bai, Chunling; Li, Guangpeng; Hua, Jinlian

2016-11-22

Melatonin has been reported to be an important endogenous hormone for regulating neurogenesis, immunityand the biological clock. Recently, the effects of melatonin on neural stem cells (NSCs), mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs), and induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs) have been reported; however, the effects of melatonin on spermatogonia stem cells (SSCs) are not clear. Here, 1μM and 1nM melatonin was added to medium when goat SSCs were cultured in vitro, the results showed that melatonin could increase the formation and size of SSC colonies. Real-time quantitative PCR (QRT-PCR) and western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of SSC proliferation and self-renewal markers were up-regulated. Meanwhile, QRT-PCR results showed that melatonin inhibit the mRNA expression level of SSC differentiation markers. ELISA analysis showed an obvious increase in the concentration of GDNF (a niche factor secreted by Sertoli cells) in the medium when treated with melatonin. Meanwhile, the phosphorylation level of AKT, a downstream of GDNF-GFRa1-RET pathway was activated. In conclusion, melatonin promotes goat SSC proliferation by stimulating GDNF production in Sertoli cells.

Biodegradation Mechanisms of Patulin in Candida guilliermondii: An iTRAQ-Based Proteomic Analysis

PubMed Central

Chen, Yong; Peng, Huai-Min; Wang, Xiao; Li, Bo-Qiang; Long, Man-Yuan; Tian, Shi-Ping

2017-01-01

Patulin, a potent mycotoxin, contaminates fruits and derived products worldwide, and is a serious health concern. Several yeast strains have shown the ability to effectively degrade patulin. However, the mechanisms of its biodegradation still remain unclear at this time. In the present study, biodegradation and involved mechanisms of patulin by an antagonistic yeast Candida guilliermondii were investigated. The results indicated that C. guilliermondii was capable of not only multiplying to a high population in medium containing patulin, but also effectively reducing patulin content in culture medium. Degradation of patulin by C. guilliermondii was dependent on the yeast cell viability, and mainly occurred inside cells. E-ascladiol was the main degradation product of patulin. An iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis revealed that the responses of C. guilliermondii to patulin were complex. A total of 30 differential proteins involved in 10 biological processes were identified, and more than two-thirds of the differential proteins were down-accumulated. Notably, a short-chain dehydrogenase (gi|190348612) was markedly induced by patulin at both the protein and mRNA levels. Our findings will provide a foundation to help enable the commercial development of an enzyme formulation for the detoxification of patulin in fruit-derived products. PMID:28208714

Power in Bayesian Mediation Analysis for Small Sample Research

PubMed Central

Miočević, Milica; MacKinnon, David P.; Levy, Roy

2018-01-01

It was suggested that Bayesian methods have potential for increasing power in mediation analysis (Koopman, Howe, Hollenbeck, & Sin, 2015; Yuan & MacKinnon, 2009). This paper compares the power of Bayesian credibility intervals for the mediated effect to the power of normal theory, distribution of the product, percentile, and bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals at N≤ 200. Bayesian methods with diffuse priors have power comparable to the distribution of the product and bootstrap methods, and Bayesian methods with informative priors had the most power. Varying degrees of precision of prior distributions were also examined. Increased precision led to greater power only when N≥ 100 and the effects were small, N < 60 and the effects were large, and N < 200 and the effects were medium. An empirical example from psychology illustrated a Bayesian analysis of the single mediator model from prior selection to interpreting results. PMID:29662296

Power in Bayesian Mediation Analysis for Small Sample Research.

PubMed

Miočević, Milica; MacKinnon, David P; Levy, Roy

2017-01-01

It was suggested that Bayesian methods have potential for increasing power in mediation analysis (Koopman, Howe, Hollenbeck, & Sin, 2015; Yuan & MacKinnon, 2009). This paper compares the power of Bayesian credibility intervals for the mediated effect to the power of normal theory, distribution of the product, percentile, and bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals at N≤ 200. Bayesian methods with diffuse priors have power comparable to the distribution of the product and bootstrap methods, and Bayesian methods with informative priors had the most power. Varying degrees of precision of prior distributions were also examined. Increased precision led to greater power only when N≥ 100 and the effects were small, N < 60 and the effects were large, and N < 200 and the effects were medium. An empirical example from psychology illustrated a Bayesian analysis of the single mediator model from prior selection to interpreting results.

Optimization of media composition for Nattokinase production by Bacillus subtilis using response surface methodology.

PubMed

Deepak, V; Kalishwaralal, K; Ramkumarpandian, S; Babu, S Venkatesh; Senthilkumar, S R; Sangiliyandi, G

2008-11-01

Response surface methodology and central composite rotary design (CCRD) was employed to optimize a fermentation medium for the production of Nattokinase by Bacillus subtilis at pH 7.5. The four variables involved in this study were Glucose, Peptone, CaCl2, and MgSO4. The statistical analysis of the results showed that, in the range studied; only peptone had a significant effect on Nattokinase production. The optimized medium containing (%) Glucose: 1, Peptone: 5.5, MgSO4: 0.2 and CaCl2: 0.5 resulted in 2-fold increased level of Nattokinase (3194.25U/ml) production compared to initial level (1599.09U/ml) after 10h of fermentation. Nattokinase production was checked with fibrinolytic activity.

The effect of environmental pH on polymeric transfection efficiency.

PubMed

Kang, Han Chang; Samsonova, Olga; Kang, Sun-Woong; Bae, You Han

2012-02-01

Although polymers, polyplexes, and cells are exposed to various extracellular and intracellular pH environments during polyplex preparation and polymeric transfection, the impact of environmental pH on polymeric transfection has not yet been investigated. This study aims to understand the influence of environmental pH on polymeric transfection by modulating the pH of the transfection medium or the culture medium. Changes in the extracellular pH affected polymeric transfection by way of complex factors such as pH-induced changes in polymer characteristics (e.g., proton buffering capacity and ionization), polyplex characteristics (e.g., size, surface charge, and decomplexation), and cellular characteristics (e.g., cellular uptake, cell cycle phases, and intracellular pH environment). Notably, acidic medium delayed endocytosis, endosomal acidification, cytosolic release, and decomplexation of polyplexes, thereby negatively affecting gene expression. However, acidic medium inhibited mitosis and reduced dilution of gene expression, resulting in increased transfection efficiency. Compared to pH 7.4 medium, acidic transfection medium reduced gene expression 1.6-7.7-fold whereas acidic culture medium enhanced transfection efficiency 2.1-2.6-fold. Polymeric transfection was affected more by the culture medium than by the transfection medium. Understanding the effects of extracellular pH during polymeric transfection may stimulate new strategies for determining effective and safe polymeric gene carriers. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling of layered anisotropic composite material based on effective medium theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Yang; Song, Jiming

2018-04-01

In this paper, we present an efficient method to simulate multilayered anisotropic composite material with effective medium theory. Effective permittivity, permeability and orientation angle for a layered anisotropic composite medium are extracted with this equivalent model. We also derive analytical expressions for effective parameters and orientation angle with low frequency (LF) limit, which will be shown in detail. Numerical results are shown in comparing extracted effective parameters and orientation angle with analytical results from low frequency limit. Good agreements are achieved to demonstrate the accuracy of our efficient model.

Proteome analysis of Aspergillus niger: Lactate added in starch-containing medium can increase production of the mycotoxin fumonisin B2 by modifying acetyl-CoA metabolism

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Aspergillus niger is a filamentous fungus found in the environment, on foods and feeds and is used as host for production of organic acids, enzymes and proteins. The mycotoxin fumonisin B2 was recently found to be produced by A. niger and hence very little is known about production and regulation of this metabolite. Proteome analysis was used with the purpose to reveal how fumonisin B2 production by A. niger is influenced by starch and lactate in the medium. Results Fumonisin B2 production by A. niger was significantly increased when lactate and starch were combined in the medium. Production of a few other A. niger secondary metabolites was affected similarly by lactate and starch (fumonisin B4, orlandin, desmethylkotanin and pyranonigrin A), while production of others was not (ochratoxin A, ochratoxin alpha, malformin A, malformin C, kotanin, aurasperone B and tensidol B). The proteome of A. niger was clearly different during growth on media containing 3% starch, 3% starch + 3% lactate or 3% lactate. The identity of 59 spots was obtained, mainly those showing higher or lower expression levels on medium with starch and lactate. Many of them were enzymes in primary metabolism and other processes that affect the intracellular level of acetyl-CoA or NADPH. This included enzymes in the pentose phosphate pathway, pyruvate metabolism, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, ammonium assimilation, fatty acid biosynthesis and oxidative stress protection. Conclusions Lactate added in a medium containing nitrate and starch can increase fumonisin B2 production by A. niger as well as production of some other secondary metabolites. Changes in the balance of intracellular metabolites towards a higher level of carbon passing through acetyl-CoA and a high capacity to regenerate NADPH during growth on medium with starch and lactate were found to be the likely cause of this effect. The results lead to the hypothesis that fumonisin production by A. niger is regulated by acetyl-CoA. PMID:20003296

Global sensitivity analysis of multiscale properties of porous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Um, Kimoon; Zhang, Xuan; Katsoulakis, Markos; Plechac, Petr; Tartakovsky, Daniel M.

2018-02-01

Ubiquitous uncertainty about pore geometry inevitably undermines the veracity of pore- and multi-scale simulations of transport phenomena in porous media. It raises two fundamental issues: sensitivity of effective material properties to pore-scale parameters and statistical parameterization of Darcy-scale models that accounts for pore-scale uncertainty. Homogenization-based maps of pore-scale parameters onto their Darcy-scale counterparts facilitate both sensitivity analysis (SA) and uncertainty quantification. We treat uncertain geometric characteristics of a hierarchical porous medium as random variables to conduct global SA and to derive probabilistic descriptors of effective diffusion coefficients and effective sorption rate. Our analysis is formulated in terms of solute transport diffusing through a fluid-filled pore space, while sorbing to the solid matrix. Yet it is sufficiently general to be applied to other multiscale porous media phenomena that are amenable to homogenization.

Effect of bicarbonate concentration on aerobic growth of campylobacter in a fumarate-pyruvate medium

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) concentration on aerobic growth of Campylobacter in a fumarate-pyruvate medium. Fumarate-pyruvate broth medium was supplemented with 0.00 to 0.10% NaHCO3 and inoculated with Campylobacter coli 33559, Campyloba...

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different devices used for the closure of small-to-medium-sized patent ductus arteriosus in pediatric patients

PubMed Central

El-Saiedi, Sonia A; El Sisi, Amal M; Mandour, Rodina Sobhy; Abdel-Aziz, Doaa M; Attia, Wael A

2017-01-01

Aims: In this study, we examined the differences in cost and effectiveness of various devices used for the closure of small to medium sized patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Setting and Design: We retrospectively studied 116 patients who underwent closure of small PDAs between January 2010 and January 2015. Subjects and Methods: Three types of devices were used: the Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) II, the cook detachable coil and the Nit Occlud coil (NOC). Immediate and late complications were recorded and patients were followed up for 3 months after the procedure. Statistical Methods: All statistical calculations were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Science software. P <0.05 were considered significant. Results: We successfully deployed ADO II devices in 33 out of 35 cases, cook detachable coils in 36 out of 40 cases and NOCs in 38 out of 41 cases. In the remaining nine cases, the first device was unsuitable or embolized and required retrieval and replacement with another device. Eleven patients (9.5%) developed vascular complications and required anticoagulation therapy. Patients who had hemolysis or vascular complications remained longer in the intensive care unit, with consequently higher total cost (P = 0.016). Also, the need for a second device increased the cost per patient. Conclusions: The cook detachable coil is the most cost-effective device for closure of small-to medium-sized PDAs. Calculations of the incremental cost-effectiveness. (ICE) revealed that the Cook detachable coil had less ICE than the ADO II and NOC. The NOC was more effective with fewer complications. PMID:28566822

Systematization of the Mechanism by Which Plasma Irradiation Causes Cell Growth and Tumor Cell Death

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, Nobuyuki

2015-09-01

New methods and technologies have improved minimally invasive surgical treatment and saved numerous patients. Recently, plasma irradiation has been demonstrated that might be useful in medical field and the plasma irradiation device is expected to become practically applicable. Mild plasma coagulator showed some advantages such as hemostasis and adhesion reduction in experimental animal model, but the mechanism of plasma irradiation remains unclear. Our study group aim to clarify the mechanism of plasma irradiation effects, mainly focusing on oxidative stress using cultured cell lines and small animal model. First, a study using cultured cell lines showed that the culture medium that was activated by plasma irradiation (we called this kind of medium as ``PAM'' -plasma activated medium-) induced tumor cell death. Although this effect was mainly found to be due to hydrogen peroxide, the remaining portion was considered as the specific effect of the plasma irradiation and we are now studying focusing on this effect. Second, we established a mouse intra-peritoneal adhesion model and checked biological reaction that occurred in the adhesion part. Histopathological study showed inflammatory cells infiltration into adhesion part and the expression of PTX3 that might involve tissue repair around adhesion part. We also confirmed that cytokines IL-6 and IL-10 might be useful as a marker of adhesion formation in this model. Applying ``PAM'' or mild plasma irradiation in this model, we examine the effects of plasma on inflamed cells. The samples in these experiments would be applied to targeted proteomics analysis, and we aim to demonstrate the systematization of the cell's reaction by plasma irradiation.

Medium Effects on Freeze-Out of Light Clusters at NICA Energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röpke, G.; Blaschke, D.; Ivanov, Yu. B.; Karpenko, Iu.; Rogachevsky, O. V.; Wolter, H. H.

2018-05-01

We estimate the chemical freeze-out of light nuclear clusters for NICA energies of above 2 A GeV. On the one hand we use results from the low energy domain of about 35 A MeV, where medium effects have been shown to be important to explain experimental results. On the high energy side of LHC energies the statistical model without medium effects has provided results for the chemical freeze-out. The two approaches extrapolated to NICA energies show a discrepancy that can be attributed to medium effects and that for the deuteron/proton ratio amounts to a factor of about three. These findings underline the importance of a detailed investigation of light cluster production at NICA energies.

Disjunction between Language Policy and Children's Sociocultural Ecology--An Analysis of English-Medium Education Policy in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manan, Syed Abdul; David, Maya Khemlani; Dumanig, Francisco Perlas

2015-01-01

Sociocultural theory and constructionists propose that language learning is a socially and culturally mediated process, and they emphasize on social interaction. This study examines the amount of students' exposure to the school language to account for the link between English-medium policies in low-fee English-medium schools and children's…

Design and fabrication of integrated micro/macrostructure for 3D functional gradient systems based on additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Ming; Xie, Luofeng; Jiang, Weifeng; Yin, Guofu

2018-05-01

Functional gradient systems have important applications in many areas. Although a 2D dielectric structure that serves as the gradient index medium for controlling electromagnetic waves is well established, it may not be suitable for application in 3D case. In this paper, we present a method to realize functional gradient systems with 3D integrated micro/macrostructure. The homogenization of the structure is studied in detail by conducting band diagram analysis. The analysis shows that the effective medium approximation is valid even when periodicity is comparable to wavelength. The condition to ensure the polarization-invariant, isotropic, and frequency-independent property is investigated. The scheme for the design and fabrication of 3D systems requiring spatial material property distribution is presented. By using the vat photopolymerization process, a large overall size of macrostructure at the system level and precise fine features of microstructure at the unit cell level are realized, thus demonstrating considerable scalability of the system for wave manipulation.

The relationship between adult attachment style and post-traumatic stress symptoms: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Woodhouse, Sarah; Ayers, Susan; Field, Andy P

2015-10-01

There is increasing evidence that adult attachment plays a role in the development and perseverance of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This meta-analysis aims to synthesise this evidence and investigate the relationship between adult attachment styles and PTSD symptoms. A random-effects model was used to analyse 46 studies (N=9268) across a wide range of traumas. Results revealed a medium association between secure attachment and lower PTSD symptoms (ρˆ=-.27), and a medium association, in the opposite direction, between insecure attachment and higher PTSD symptoms (ρˆ=.26). Attachment categories comprised of high levels of anxiety most strongly related to PTSD symptoms, with fearful attachment displaying the largest association (ρˆ=.44). Dismissing attachment was not significantly associated with PTSD symptoms. The relationship between insecure attachment and PTSD was moderated by type of PTSD measure (interview or questionnaire) and specific attachment category (e.g. secure, fearful). Results have theoretical and clinical significance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of early addition of bone morphogenetic protein 5 (BMP5) to embryo culture medium on in vitro development and expression of developmentally important genes in bovine preimplantation embryos.

PubMed

García, Elina V; Miceli, Dora C; Rizo, Gabriela; Valdecantos, Pablo A; Barrera, Antonio D

2015-09-01

Previous studies have reported that bone morphogenetic protein 5 (BMP5) is differentially expressed in the isthmus of bovine oviducts and it is present in the oviductal fluid. However, the specific action of this factor is unknown. To evaluate whether BMP5 exerts some effect during early bovine embryo development, gene expression of BMP5, BMP receptors, and the effect of exogenous BMP5 on in vitro development and expression of developmentally important genes were assessed. In experiment 1, pools of embryos at two-cell, four-cell, eight-cell, and blastocyst stages, derived from in vitro fertilization, were collected for analysis of BMP5 and BMP receptors (BMPR1A, BMPR1B, and BMPR2) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. On the basis of previous results, in experiment 2, presumptive zygotes were cultured for the first 48 hours after insemination in CR1aa medium assaying three different treatments: (1) control (CR1aa); (2) vehicle control (CR1aa + 0.04 mM HCl), and (3) BMP5 treatment (CR1aa + 100 ng/mL of BMP5). The cleavage rate was evaluated 48 hours after insemination (Day 2), and then, embryos were transferred to CR1aa + 10% fetal bovine serum. The blastocyst rate was determined on Day 7. In experiment 3, pools of embryos at two-cell, four-cell, eight-cell, and blastocyst stages, derived from control and BMP5-treated groups, were collected for analysis of ID2 (BMP target gene), OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2 (pluripotency genes) mRNA expression. BMP5 transcripts were not detectable in any of the embryonic stages examined, whereas the relative mRNA abundance of the three BMP receptors analyzed was greater in early embryo development stages before maternal-embryonic transition, raising the possibility of a direct effect of exogenous BMPs on the embryo during the first developmental period. Although early addition of 100 ng/mL of BMP5 to the embryo culture medium had no effect on the cleavage rate, a significantly higher proportion of cleaved embryos developed to the blastocyst stage in the BMP5 group. Moreover, reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of SOX2 in two-cell stage embryos, ID2 and OCT4 in eight-cell stage embryos, and NANOG and OCT4 in blastocysts derived from BMP5-treated embryos. In conclusion, our results report that early addition of BMP5 to the embryo culture medium had a positive effect on the blastocyst rate and affected the relative expression of BMP target and pluripotency genes, suggesting that BMP5 could play an important role in the preimplantation development of bovine embryos. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Culture medium based on biogas slurry and breeding of oil Chlorella].

PubMed

Zhao, Feng-Min; Mei, Shuai; Cao, You-Fu; Ding, Jin-Feng; Xu, Jia-Jie; Li, Shu-Jun

2014-06-01

The oil chlorella cultivation and biogas slurry treatment were combined. The biogas slurry provided water and nutrient for growing chlorella, at the same time, harmless treatment of biogas slurry was realized. This paper cultivated 4 species of oil chlorella in the mixed medium of biogas slurry and green algae medium (the volume ratios were 1 : 9, 1 : 3, 1 : 1 and 3 : 1, respectively), and compared their oil productivity to select the best oil chlorella species and the optimal culture medium. The results showed that, the combination of medium and chlorella species to reach the highest oil productivity was a volume ratio of 1 : 3 and the chlorella species BJ05, and the oil productivity of chlorella BJ05 was 9.20 mg x (L x d)(-1), higher than that in green algae medium [8.66 mg x (L x d)(-1)]. In mixed medium with a volume ratio of 1:3, the effect of adding different nutrients into the green algae medium on the oil productivity was examined, and the results showed that, sodium carbonate and citric acid had no negative effect on the oil productivity of chlorella BJ05. in the absence of sodium carbonate and citric acid, the oil productivity of chlorella BJ05 was 9.36 mg x (L x d)(-1), and the removal of COD (chemical oxygen demand), total nitrogen, total phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen rates were 59%, 75%, 61% and 100%, respectively. Deficiency in other nutrients had negative effect on the oil productivity. Therefore, the culture medium was further optimized to the mixed medium of biogas slurry and green algae medium with a volume ratio of 1 : 3 and without addition of sodium carbonate and citric acid.

Beta1-integrin and IL-1alpha expression as bystander effect of medium from irradiated cells: the pilot study.

PubMed

Osterreicher, Jan; Skopek, Jirí; Jahns, Juta; Hildebrandt, Guido; Psutka, Jan; Vilasová, Zdenka; Tanner, Judith Maria; Vogt, Jürgen; Butz, Tilman

2003-01-01

Bystander effects have been proposed as a third action pathway of ionising radiation besides direct and indirect effects. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether expression of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) and beta1-integrin is elevated in bystander cells as a marker for bystander effects in comparison with classical markers such as the clonogenic assay, apoptosis and the presence of micronuclei. The hybrid cell line E.A. hy.926 obtained by fusion of HUVEC cells with the epithelial cell line A 459 was irradiated with 0-5 Gy. Bystander effects were established via medium transfer at 45 min and 4 h after irradiation from irradiated to nonirradiated cell populations. In order to exclude effects of the irradiated medium itself, irradiated medium only was also used for transfer to nonirradiated cells. Then, cells were fixed at 1, 2, 6, and 24 h after irradiation or medium transport and IL-1alpha and beta1-integrin were detected and evaluated. A higher number of beta1-integrin-positive cells was observed in both irradiated and bystander cell populations than in the control group at 1 and 24 h after irradiation with 1 Gy or medium transfer. Significantly higher numbers of IL-1alpha-positive cells were found at 1, 2, and 6 h after irradiation with 1 Gy or medium transfer as well as at 2 and 6 h after irradiation with 5 Gy or medium transfer. Clonogenic survival decreased dependently on the dose in irradiated cells but did not show any significant difference between the bystander cell populations and sham-irradiated cells. The irradiated medium itself did not have any effect. It is concluded that beta1-integrin and IL-1alpha expression may serve as more sensitive markers of post-irradiation responses in bystander cell populations than the classical radiobiological markers. Moreover, overexpression of beta1-integrin and IL-1alpha may induce increased susceptibility to inflammation of bystander cells.

Physicochemical properties of precursors of Al2O3-ZrO2 oxide ceramics prepared by electrochemical method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrova, E. V.; Dresvyannikov, A. F.; Ahmadi Daryakenari, M.; Khairullina, A. I.

2016-05-01

Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray, and thermal analysis are used to examine the structure and properties of dispersive systems based on aluminum and zirconium oxides prepared electrochemically. The effect the conditions of synthesis have on the structure and morphology of Al2O3-ZrO2 particles is studied. It is shown that the effect of an electric field on the reaction medium allows us to adjust the physicochemical properties and morphology.

Multidisciplinary Analysis of Cyclophilin a Function in Human Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

reversible following washing and medium change; at concen- trations of z30 Ag/mL, these effects were not reversible and cell death ensued (data not...proliferation, but did not induce the 278 death of breast cancer cells. Treatment at higher doses (30 μg CsA/ml and above) 279 resulted in the...induction of cell death . These studies were extended to examine the 280 effects of CsA treatment on anchorage-independent growth, as measured by soft agar

Transfection effect of microbubbles on cells in superposed ultrasound waves and behavior of cavitation bubble.

PubMed

Kodama, Tetsuya; Tomita, Yukio; Koshiyama, Ken-Ichiro; Blomley, Martin J K

2006-06-01

The combination of ultrasound and ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) is able to induce transient membrane permeability leading to direct delivery of exogenous molecules into cells. Cavitation bubbles are believed to be involved in the membrane permeability; however, the detailed mechanism is still unknown. In the present study, the effects of ultrasound and the UCAs, Optison on transfection in vitro for different medium heights and the related dynamic behaviors of cavitation bubbles were investigated. Cultured CHO-E cells mixed with reporter genes (luciferase or beta-gal plasmid DNA) and UCAs were exposed to 1 MHz ultrasound in 24-well plates. Ultrasound was applied from the bottom of the well and reflected at the free surface of the medium, resulting in the superposition of ultrasound waves within the well. Cells cultured on the bottom of 24-well plates were located near the first node (displacement node) of the incident ultrasound downstream. Transfection activity was a function determined with the height of the medium (wave traveling distance), as well as the concentration of UCAs and the exposure time was also determined with the concentration of UCAs and the exposure duration. Survival fraction was determined by MTT assay, also changes with these values in the reverse pattern compared with luciferase activity. With shallow medium height, high transfection efficacy and high survival fraction were obtained at a low concentration of UCAs. In addition, capillary waves and subsequent atomized particles became significant as the medium height decreased. These phenomena suggested cavitation bubbles were being generated in the medium. To determine the effect of UCAs on bubble generation, we repeated the experiments using crushed heat-treated Optison solution instead of the standard microbubble preparation. The transfection ratio and survival fraction showed no additional benefit when ultrasound was used. These results suggested that cavitation bubbles created by the collapse of UCAs were a key factor for transfection, and their intensities were enhanced by the interaction of the superpose ultrasound with the decreasing the height of the medium. Hypothesizing that free cavitation bubbles were generated from cavitation nuclei created by fragmented UCA shells, we carried out numerical analysis of a free spherical bubble motion in the field of ultrasound. Analyzing the interaction of the shock wave generated by a cavitation bubble and a cell membrane, we estimated the shock wave propagation distance that would induce cell membrane damage from the center of the cavitation bubble.

Blackbody emission from light interacting with an effective moving dispersive medium.

PubMed

Petev, M; Westerberg, N; Moss, D; Rubino, E; Rimoldi, C; Cacciatori, S L; Belgiorno, F; Faccio, D

2013-07-26

Intense laser pulses excite a nonlinear polarization response that may create an effective flowing medium and, under appropriate conditions, a blocking horizon for light. Here, we analyze in detail the interaction of light with such laser-induced flowing media, fully accounting for the medium dispersion properties. An analytical model based on a first Born approximation is found to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations based on Maxwell's equations and shows that when a blocking horizon is formed, the stimulated medium scatters light with a blackbody emission spectrum. Based on these results, diamond is proposed as a promising candidate medium for future studies of Hawking emission from artificial, dispersive horizons.

Increased efficiency of mammalian somatic cell hybrid production under microgravity conditions during ballistic rocket flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schnettler, R.; Gessner, P.; Zimmermann, U.; Neil, G. A.; Urnovitz, H. B.

1989-01-01

The electrofusion of hybridoma cell lines under short-duration microgravity during a flight of the TEXUS 18 Black Brand ballistic sounding rocket at Kiruna, Sweden is reported. The fusion partners, growth medium, cell fusion medium, cell fusion, cell viability in the fusion medium, and postfusion cell culture are described, and the rocket, cell fusion chamber, apparatus, and module are examined. The experimental timeline, the effects of fusion medium and incubation time on cell viability and hybrid yields, and the effect of microgravity on hybrid yields are considered.

Protease production by fermentation of fish solubles from salmon canning processes.

PubMed

Wah-On, H C; Branion, R M; Strasdine, G A

1980-09-01

Production of protease by fermentation, using Sorangium 495, of a substrate based on condensed fish solubles is demonstrated. The effects of carbohydrate addition, pH, fish solubles concentration, scale-up, agitation, and air flow rate on protease yields are described. While the fish solubles medium alone could give rise to measurable yields of protease, these were, at worst, doubled when 1% glucose was added to the medium. pH 7 was optimal for protease yield. Although the concentration of fish solubles in the basic medium showed no significant effect on cell yield, maximum protease yield was observed at a protein concentration equivalent to 3.85 mg/mL of bovine serum albumin. Protease production rates decreased as medium protein fermentor showed no significant effect on maximum protease yields. The effects of agitator speed and air flow rate on protease yield suggested that the rate of O2 transfer from air to medium could limit the rate of protease production. It was also noted that protease production is not growth associated.

Remote sensing of Earth terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kong, Jin AU; Yueh, Herng-Aung

1990-01-01

The layered random medium model is used to investigate the fully polarimetric scattering of electromagnetic waves from vegetation. The vegetation canopy is modeled as an anisotropic random medium containing nonspherical scatterers with preferred alignment. The underlying medium is considered as a homogeneous half space. The scattering effect of the vegetation canopy are characterized by 3-D correlation functions with variances and correlation lengths respectively corresponding to the fluctuation strengths and the physical geometries of the scatterers. The strong fluctuation theory is used to calculate the anisotropic effective permittivity tensor of the random medium and the distorted Born approximation is then applied to obtain the covariance matrix which describes the fully polarimetric scattering properties of the vegetation field. This model accounts for all the interaction processes between the boundaries and the scatterers and includes all the coherent effects due to wave propagation in different directions such as the constructive and destructive interferences. For a vegetation canopy with low attenuation, the boundary between the vegetation and the underlying medium can give rise to significant coherent effects.

How Does the Medium Affect the Message?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dommermuth, William P.

1974-01-01

This experimental comparison of the advertising effectiveness of television, movies, radio, and print finds no support for McLuhan's idea that television is a "cool" medium and movies are a "hot" medium. (RB)

Dissolved oxygen concentration in the medium during cell culture: Defects and improvements.

PubMed

Zhang, Kuan; Zhao, Tong; Huang, Xin; He, Yunlin; Zhou, Yanzhao; Wu, Liying; Wu, Kuiwu; Fan, Ming; Zhu, Lingling

2016-03-01

In vitro cell culture has provided a useful model to study the effects of oxygen on cellular behavior. However, it remains unknown whether the in vitro operations themselves affect the medium oxygen levels and the living states of cells. In addition, a prevailing controversy is whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is induced by continuous hypoxia or reoxygenation. In this study, we have measured the effects of different types of cell culture containers and the oxygen environment where medium replacement takes place on the actual oxygen tension in the medium. We found that the deviations of oxygen concentrations in the medium are much greater in 25-cm(2) flasks than in 24-well plates and 35-mm dishes. The dissolved oxygen concentrations in the medium were increased after medium replacement in normoxia, but remained unchanged in glove boxes in which the oxygen tension remained at a low level (11.4, 5.7, and 0.5% O2 ). We also found that medium replacement in normoxia increased the number of ROS-positive cells and reduced the cell viability; meanwhile, medium replacement in a glove box did not produce the above effects. Therefore, we conclude that the use of 25-cm(2) flasks should be avoided and demonstrate that continuous hypoxia does not produce ROS, whereas the reoxygenation that occurs during the harvesting of cells leads to ROS and induces cell death. © 2015 International Federation for Cell Biology.

Effect of nitrogen source concentration on curdlan production by Agrobacterium sp. ATCC 31749 grown on prairie cordgrass hydrolysates.

PubMed

West, Thomas P

2016-01-01

The effect of nitrogen source concentration on the production of the polysaccharide curdlan by the bacterium Agrobacterium sp. ATCC 31749 from hydrolysates of prairie cordgrass was examined. The highest curdlan concentrations were produced by ATCC 31749 when grown on a medium containing a solids-only hydrolysate and the nitrogen source ammonium phosphate (2.2 mM) or on a medium containing a complete hydrolysate and 3.3 mM ammonium phosphate. The latter medium sustained a higher level of bacterial curdlan production than the former medium after 144 hr. Biomass production by ATCC 31749 was highest after 144 hr when grown on a medium containing a solids-only hydrolysate and 2.2 or 8.7 mM ammonium phosphate. On the medium containing the complete hydrolysate, biomass production by ATCC 31749 was highest after 144 hr when 3.3 mM ammonium phosphate was present. Bacterial biomass production after 144 hr was greater on the complete hydrolysate medium compared to the solids-only hydrolysate medium. Curdlan yield produced by ATCC 31749 after 144 hr from the complete hydrolysate medium containing 3.3 mM ammonium phosphate was higher than from the solids-only hydrolysate medium containing 2.2 mM ammonium phosphate.

Metabolic characterization of cultured mammalian cells by mass balance analysis, tracer labeling experiments and computer-aided simulations.

PubMed

Okahashi, Nobuyuki; Kohno, Susumu; Kitajima, Shunsuke; Matsuda, Fumio; Takahashi, Chiaki; Shimizu, Hiroshi

2015-12-01

Studying metabolic directions and flow rates in cultured mammalian cells can provide key information for understanding metabolic function in the fields of cancer research, drug discovery, stem cell biology, and antibody production. In this work, metabolic engineering methodologies including medium component analysis, (13)C-labeling experiments, and computer-aided simulation analysis were applied to characterize the metabolic phenotype of soft tissue sarcoma cells derived from p53-null mice. Cells were cultured in medium containing [1-(13)C] glutamine to assess the level of reductive glutamine metabolism via the reverse reaction of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). The specific uptake and production rates of glucose, organic acids, and the 20 amino acids were determined by time-course analysis of cultured media. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the (13)C-labeling of citrate, succinate, fumarate, malate, and aspartate confirmed an isotopically steady state of the cultured cells. After removing the effect of naturally occurring isotopes, the direction of the IDH reaction was determined by computer-aided analysis. The results validated that metabolic engineering methodologies are applicable to soft tissue sarcoma cells derived from p53-null mice, and also demonstrated that reductive glutamine metabolism is active in p53-null soft tissue sarcoma cells under normoxia. Copyright © 2015 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Coffee Extracts with Different Roasting Degrees on Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Systems in Mice.

PubMed

Choi, Sukyoung; Jung, Soohan; Ko, Kwang Suk

2018-03-16

Coffee roasting affects the taste, color, and aroma of coffee. The Maillard reaction, a major reaction during the roasting process, produces melanoidin, which affects the overall antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory effects of coffee. In this experiment, coffee roasting was divided into four degrees: Light, Medium, City, and French. To examine the in vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of coffee extracts with different roasting degrees, we used 10-week-old male C57BL/6 mice. Mice were pre-treated with coffee extracts for 10 days by oral gavage (300 mg/Kg.B.W). After the last pre-treatment, lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 15 mg/Kg.B.W) was injected intraperitoneally for immune stimulation. Histopathological analysis showed that hepatic portal vein invasion and liver necrosis were severe in the LPS-treated group. However, these phenomena were greatly ameliorated when mice were pre-treated with Light- or Medium-roasted coffee extracts. Hepatic glutathione level was increased in the French group but decreased in the LPS-stimulated group. When mice were treated with LPS, mRNA expression level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was increased, whereas TNF-α expression was significantly reduced in the Light and Medium groups. Treatment with coffee extracts decreased the mRNA expression levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in mice stimulated by LPS, regardless of coffee roasting degrees. These effects decreased with the increasing coffee roasting degree. Results of luciferase reporter assay revealed that these effects of coffee extracts were transcriptionally regulated by the NF-κB pathway. Taken together, these results suggest that the roasting degree affects the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of coffee extracts.

Bone regeneration with a combination of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite silica gel, platelet-rich growth factor, and mesenchymal stem cells: a histologic study in rabbit calvaria.

PubMed

Behnia, Hossein; Khojasteh, Arash; Kiani, Mohammad Taghi; Khoshzaban, Ahad; Mashhadi Abbas, Fatemeh; Bashtar, Maryam; Dashti, Seyedeh Ghazaleh

2013-02-01

This study aimed to assess NanoBone as a carrier construct for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich growth factor (PRGF). In the calvarial bone of 8 mature New Zealand White male rabbits, four 8-mm defects were created. Each defect received one of the following treatments: Group 1, 0.2 mg Nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) granule + 2 mL culture medium; Group 2, 0.2 mg Nano-HA + 1 mL autologous PRGF + 2 mL acellular culture medium; Group 3, 0.2 mg Nano-HA + 2 mL culture medium containing 100,000 autogenous MSCs; Group 4, 0.2 mg Nano-HA + 2 mL culture medium containing 100,000 autogenous MSCs + 1 mL autologous PRGF. Histomorphometric analysis at 6 and 12 weeks demonstrated significantly higher bone formation in group 4 (29.45% and 44.55%, respectively) (P < .05). Bone formation in groups 1, 2, and 3 were as follows: 11.35% and 32.53%, 29.10% and 39.74%, and 25.82% and 39.11%, respectively. NanoBone with MSCs and PRGF seems to be an effective combination for bone regeneration in a rabbit calvaria model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimization of Medium Using Response Surface Methodology for Lipid Production by Scenedesmus sp.

PubMed Central

Yang, Fangfang; Long, Lijuan; Sun, Xiumei; Wu, Hualian; Li, Tao; Xiang, Wenzhou

2014-01-01

Lipid production is an important indicator for assessing microalgal species for biodiesel production. In this work, the effects of medium composition on lipid production by Scenedesmus sp. were investigated using the response surface methodology. The results of a Plackett–Burman design experiment revealed that NaHCO3, NaH2PO4·2H2O and NaNO3 were three factors significantly influencing lipid production, which were further optimized by a Box–Behnken design. The optimal medium was found to contain 3.07 g L−1 NaHCO3, 15.49 mg L−1 NaH2PO4·2H2O and 803.21 mg L−1 NaNO3. Using the optimal conditions previously determined, the lipid production (304.02 mg·L−1) increased 54.64% more than that using the initial medium, which agreed well with the predicted value 309.50 mg L−1. Additionally, lipid analysis found that palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1) dominantly constituted the algal fatty acids (about 60% of the total fatty acids) and a much higher content of neutral lipid accounted for 82.32% of total lipids, which strongly proved that Scenedesmus sp. is a very promising feedstock for biodiesel production. PMID:24663113

Cost-effective medium for the production of mosquito pupicidal lipopeptide from Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis (VCRC B471).

PubMed

Bhuvaneswari, S; Manonmani, A M; Geetha, I

2015-03-01

A cyclic lipopeptide (CLP), surfactin produced by a strain of Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis (VCRC B471) was found to exhibit mosquitocidal activity. The present study was carried out to enhance the surfactin level using low cost material in the production medium. Two carbon sources, glucose and common sugar, and two nitrogen sources, ammonium nitrate and soya were used in the study. Different concentrations of 'C' and 'N' sources were used in the production medium to enhance the production of surfactin. A new medium (SS7) containing 2% sugar, 6% soya and 0.5% common salt with micronutrients was designed which was found to enhance the production of surfactin. The crude mosquitocidal metabolite (CMM) produced in this medium was 3 g/l which was two times higher than that obtained using synthetic medium NYSM. The LC50 dosage of the CMM to the pupal stages of An. stephensi (2.3 μg/ml) was comparable to that obtained with CMM from the conventional medium. The newly designed cost-effective medium designated as sugar soya medium (SSM) enhanced the production of surfactin and the cost of production was estimated as [symbol: see text] 6 per litre, which is six times lesser than that of the conventional medium. Replacement of sodium chloride with cooking salt further reduced the cost of the medium.

Method of dispensing droplets to penetration-resistive mediums. [Patent application

DOEpatents

Fowler, V.L.; Ryon, A.D.; Haas, P.A.

1982-06-10

Uniform, monosized microspheroids are produced in a gelation medium characterized by a high resistance to surface penetration by reducing the effect of impact on entry of the droplets into the medium by contacting the droplet with a stream of medium and by introducing the resulting stream into a gelation column.

Effect of boric acid solution on cartilage metabolism.

PubMed

Benderdour, M; Hess, K; Gadet, M D; Dousset, B; Nabet, P; Belleville, F

1997-05-08

Pelvic cartilage of chick embryo was used to demonstrate that presence of boron in culture medium decreases synthesis of proteoglycans, collagen and total proteins but on the other hand increases the release of these macromolecules. However, when glucose concentration in culture medium is brought to 22mM, the synthesis decrease is no longer observed, whereas release increase persists. Proteins released into the culture medium included heat shock proteins (70 hsp) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). The amount of phosphorylated proteins was enhanced in presence of boron while endoprotease activity in cartilage and in culture medium was significantly augmented. The in vitro effects of boric acid may explain its in vivo effect on wound healing.

Effects of ß-TCP scaffolds on neurogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells.

PubMed

Arpornmaeklong, Premjit; Pressler, Michael J

2018-01-01

Extracellular matrix (ECM) and adhesion molecules play crucial roles in regulating growth and differentiation of stem cells. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) scaffolds on differentiation and expression of ECM and adhesion molecules of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Undifferentiated hESCs were seeded on ß-TCP scaffolds and cell culture plates and cultured in growth and osteogenic medium for 21 days. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed adhesion and growth of hESCs on the porous ß-TCP scaffolds. Histological analysis, immunohistochemical staining and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that the scaffolds supported growth and differentiation of hESCs. Expression levels of neural crest related genes (AP2a, FoxD3, HNK1, P75, Sox1, Sox10) and osteoblast-related genes (Runx2, SPP1 and BGLA) on the scaffolds in osteogenic medium were significantly higher than on the scaffolds in growth and cell culture plates in osteogenic medium, respectively (p<0.05). Polymerase chain reaction array experiments demonstrated increased expression of ECM and adhesion molecule-related genes on the scaffolds. In conclusion, osteoconductive scaffolds such as ß-TCP scaffolds promoted differentiation of hESCs, particularly expression of genes related to neural crest stem cell and osteoblastic differentiations. Beta-TCP scaffolds could be an alternative cell culture substrate for neural crest and osteogenic differentiation of hESCs. Optimization of culture medium may be necessary to enhance lineage restriction of hESCs on the ß-TCP scaffolds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Selected Enhancements for Soil Vapor Extraction

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-01

Inches per second ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS (Continued) xiii ISB In situ bioremediation JFK John F. Kennedy Airport K Hydraulic conductivity KAI KAI...wells by an applied vacuum. RFH is effective for treating VOCs in low-permeability soil in the vadose zone. Electrical Resistance Heating : This... applied vacuum. However, application of steam injection/stripping systems is limited to medium- to high-permeability soils. ER heating is more

Media and dilution procedures tested to minimize handling effects on human, rabbit, and bull sperm for computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA).

PubMed

Farrell, P B; Foote, R H; McArdle, M M; Trouern-Trend, V L; Tardif, A L

1996-01-01

Proper handling of semen prior to computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) is critical if the analysis is to be representative of the fresh sample. The effects of diluting medium or dilution and holding time before CASA on multiple sperm characteristics were studied. Four replicates of unselected semen samples from each of eight human donors were diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-glucose plus bovine serum albumin (BSA), with Tyrode's albumen lactate pyruvate (TALP), and with high-potassium TALP (K-TALP) to a concentration of approximately 25 x 10(6) sperm/ml. The diluted semen was held for 0, 1, and 2 hours at approximately 30 degrees C before CASA, with little difference between the three diluents in all 12 variables measured. There was a decline of 3-6% in the proportion of motile sperm over a 2-hour period (P < 0.05). Donors were the largest source of differences (P < 0.05). Rabbit sperm (five bucks, four ejaculates per buck) were processed in a manner similar to that of the human sperm. There was a major effect of media. The average percentages of motile sperm over 2 hours in TALP, K-TALP, and PBS were 76, 42, and 29%, respectively (P < 0.05), with a decline of only 3% in TALP during the 2 hours. Hyperactivity and other characteristics were affected by treatment. Donors were a large source of variation. Bull semen (10 bulls, two ejaculates per bull) either was not diluted or diluted with TALP 2x or 4x and held for 0, 1, and 2 hours at 30 degrees C. It was then diluted to 25 x 10(6) sperm/ml with TALP. There was little change in most sperm characteristics in any treatment during the first hour, although many of the changes were statistically significant. The percentage of motile sperm in undiluted semen declined from 87% to 82% over 2 hours. Modified TALP was a suitable medium for sperm from all three species, and a simple PBS-glucose-BSA medium can be used for human sperm.

Sperm DNA fragmentation induced by cryopreservation: new insights and effect of a natural extract from Opuntia ficus-indica.

PubMed

Meamar, Mehrdad; Zribi, Nassira; Cambi, Marta; Tamburrino, Lara; Marchiani, Sara; Filimberti, Erminio; Fino, Maria Grazia; Biggeri, Annibale; Menezo, Yves; Forti, Gianni; Baldi, Elisabetta; Muratori, Monica

2012-08-01

To analyze the effect of cryopreservation on sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in two cytometric sperm populations, PI(brighter) and PI(dimmer), and to test the effects of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) extracts, which contain antioxidants and flavanoids, and of resveratrol on cryopreservation of human semen. In vitro prospective study. Institutional study. Twenty-one normozoospermic men undergoing semen analysis for couple infertility. Cryopreservation using the routine method in the presence of OFI extracts or resveratrol. Measurement of SDF by TUNEL/PI flow cytometric method to evaluate sperm motility (by automated motion analysis, CASA system) and viability (by eosin/nigrosin staining) in the two populations of sperm PI(br) and PI(dim). Cryopreservation induced an increase of SDF only in the PI(br) sperm population. The increase was negatively dependent on the basal values of SDF in the same population. Addition of OFI extracts and resveratrol to the cryopreservation medium slightly but statistically significantly reduced SDF in the PI(br) population without affecting the deleterious effect of cryopreservation on sperm motion parameters or viability. The increase of SDF in the PI(br) population, which is unrelated to semen quality, suggests that caution must be taken in using cryopreserved semen, as morphologically normal and motile sperm may be damaged. The addition of substances with multifunctional properties such as OFI extracts to cryopreservation medium is only slightly effective in preventing the dramatic effects on SDF. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effectiveness of problem-based learning on students’ problem solving ability in vector analysis course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mushlihuddin, R.; Nurafifah; Irvan

2018-01-01

The student’s low ability in mathematics problem solving proved to the less effective of a learning process in the classroom. Effective learning was a learning that affects student’s math skills, one of which is problem-solving abilities. Problem-solving capability consisted of several stages: understanding the problem, planning the settlement, solving the problem as planned, re-examining the procedure and the outcome. The purpose of this research was to know: (1) was there any influence of PBL model in improving ability Problem solving of student math in a subject of vector analysis?; (2) was the PBL model effective in improving students’ mathematical problem-solving skills in vector analysis courses? This research was a quasi-experiment research. The data analysis techniques performed from the test stages of data description, a prerequisite test is the normality test, and hypothesis test using the ANCOVA test and Gain test. The results showed that: (1) there was an influence of PBL model in improving students’ math problem-solving abilities in vector analysis courses; (2) the PBL model was effective in improving students’ problem-solving skills in vector analysis courses with a medium category.

Collective Beer Brand Identity: A Semiotic Analysis of the Websites Representing Small and Medium Enterprises in the Brewing Industry of Western PA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cincotta, Dominic

2014-01-01

This research studies how brand identities, individually and communally, as read through websites are created among small and medium-sized enterprise breweries in western Pennsylvania. Content analysis through the frame of Kress and van Leeuwen was used as the basis for the codebook that reads each brand identity for the researcher. The…

More "Seriously Visible" Reading: McCloud, McLuhan, and the Visual Language of "The Medium Is the Massage"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Kevin

2009-01-01

This article provides an analysis of Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore's "The Medium Is the Massage," a visual-verbal text that is generally acknowledged as innovative but seldom taken seriously or read carefully. The analysis draws on the visual language vocabulary developed by Scott McCloud in "Understanding Comics" and argues that the field of…

Spontaneous Ion Depletion and Accumulation Phenomena Induced by Imbibition through Permselective Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyomin; Jung, Yeonsu; Park, Sungmin; Kim, Ho-Young; Kim, Sung Jae

2016-11-01

Generally, an ion depletion region near a permselective medium is induced by predominant ion flux through the medium. External electric field or hydraulic pressure has been reported as the driving forces. Among these driving forces, an imbibition through the nanoporous medium was chosen as the mechanism to spontaneously generate the ion depletion region. The water-absorbing process leads to the predominant ion flux so that the spontaneous formation of the ion depletion zone is expected even if there are no additional driving forces except for the inherent capillary action. In this presentation, we derived the analytical solutions using perturbation method and asymptotic analysis for the spontaneous phenomenon. Using the analysis, we found that there is also spontaneous accumulation regime depending on the mobility of dissolved electrolytic species. Therefore, the rigorous analysis of the spontaneous ion depletion and accumulation phenomena would provide a key perspective for the control of ion transportation in nanofluidic system such as desalinator, preconcentrator, and energy harvesting device, etc. Samsung Research Funding Center of Samsung Electronics (SRFC-MA1301-02) and BK21 plus program of Creative Research Engineer Development IT, Seoul National University.

Isogeometric frictionless contact analysis with the third medium method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruse, R.; Nguyen-Thanh, N.; Wriggers, P.; De Lorenzis, L.

2018-01-01

This paper presents an isogeometric formulation for frictionless contact between deformable bodies, based on the recently proposed concept of the third medium. This concept relies on continuum formulations not only for the contacting bodies but also for a fictitious intermediate medium in which the bodies can move and interact. Key to the formulation is a suitable definition of the constitutive behavior of the third medium. In this work, based on a number of numerical tests, the role of the material parameters of the third medium is systematically assessed. We also assess the rate of spatial convergence for higher-order discretizations, stemming from the regularization of the non-smooth contact problem inherent to the third medium approach. Finally, problems with self contact are considered and turn out to be an attractive application of the method.

[Report quality evaluation of systematic review or Meta-analysis published in China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica].

PubMed

Zhang, Yan; Yu, Dan-Dan; Cui, De-Hua; Liao, Xing; Guo, Hua

2018-03-01

To evaluate the report quality of intervention-related systematic reviews or Meta-analysis published in China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, we searched CNKI and China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica webpages to collect intervention-related systematic reviews or Meta-analysis since the first issue of the magazine. A total of 40 systematic reviews or Meta-analysis reports were included, including one network Meta-analysis. According to the PRISMA statement published in 2009, the report quality of the systematic reviews or Meta-analysis was evaluated. According to the results, 3 had the low quality, 30 had the medium quality, and 7 had the high quality. The average score for all of items was 30 points (21-30.5 points for the medium quality). The 17 high-quality (31-40 points) report items were title, rationale, objectives, information sources, study selection, data collection process, data items, risk of bias in individual studies, summary measures, risk of bias across studies, study selection, study characteristics, risk of bias within studies, results of individual studies, synthesis of results, risk of bias across studies and funding; the 4 medium-quality (21-30.5 points) reporting items were eligibility criteria, search, limitations and conclusions; and the 6 low-quality (<=20.5 points) reporting items were structured summary, protocol and registration, synthesis of results, additional analysis (No.16), additional analysis (No.23) and summary of evidence. Through the analysis, it is found that the report quality of intervention-related systematic reviews or Meta-analysis published in China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica is medium, and it is necessary to improve the quality standard of the report. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Applying Failure Modes, Effects, And Criticality Analysis And Human Reliability Analysis Techniques To Improve Safety Design Of Work Process In Singapore Armed Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

an instituted safety program that utilizes a generic risk assessment method involving the 5-M (Mission, Man, Machine , Medium and Management) factor...the Safety core value is hinged upon three key principles—(1) each soldier has a crucial part to play, by adopting safety as a core value and making...it a way of life in his unit; (2) safety is an integral part of training, operations and mission success, and (3) safety is an individual, team and

Analysis of waveguides containing EMCs (electromagnetic conductors) or PEMCs (perfect electromagnetic conductors)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prudêncio, Filipa R.; Matos, Sérgio A.; Paiva, Carlos R.

2014-11-01

The concept of a perfect electromagnetic conductor (PEMC) was introduced to generalize and unify two well-known and apparently disjoint concepts in electromagnetics: the perfect electric conductor (PEC) and the perfect magnetic conductor (PMC). Although the PEMC has proven a fertile tool in electromagnetic analyses dealing with new and complex boundaries, its corresponding definition as a medium has, nevertheless, raised several problems. In fact, according to its initial 3D definition, the PEMC cannot be considered a unique and well-defined medium: it leads to extraneous fields without physical meaning. By using a previously published generalization of a PEMC that regards this concept both as a boundary and as a medium - which was dubbed an MIM (Minkowskian isotropic medium) and acts, in practice, as an actual electromagnetic conductor (EMC) - it is herein presented a straightforward analysis of waveguides containing PEMCs that readily and systematically follows from the general framework of waveguides containing EMCs.

Highly selective medium for isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from food.

PubMed Central

al-Zoreky, N; Sandine, W E

1990-01-01

A new selective medium (Al-Zoreky-Sandine listeria medium [ASLM]) was formulated to recover Listeria monocytogenes from food specimens; the medium completely inhibited common food microflora. Recognition of Listeria colonies is evident by black discoloration of the medium due to esculin hydrolysis without need for special illuminating equipment. The medium contains acriflavin, ceftazidime, and moxalactam as selective agents. Compared with Listeria Selective Agar, ASLM was equally effective in recovering L. monocytogenes. However, ASLM inhibited micrococci, enterococci, and gram-negative bacteria, especially a strain that mimicked L. monocytogenes on Listeria Selective Agar. The new medium was able to recover heat injured cells with only 15% less count than the nonselective medium. Images PMID:2126701

Preparation of DNA from cytological material: effects of fixation, staining, and mounting medium on DNA yield and quality.

PubMed

Dejmek, Annika; Zendehrokh, Nooreldin; Tomaszewska, Malgorzata; Edsjö, Anders

2013-07-01

Personalized oncology requires molecular analysis of tumor cells. Several studies have demonstrated that cytological material is suitable for DNA analysis, but to the authors' knowledge there are no systematic studies comparing how the yield and quality of extracted DNA is affected by the various techniques used for the preparation of cytological material. DNA yield and quality were compared using cultured human lung cancer cells subjected to different preparation techniques used in routine cytology, including fixation, mounting medium, and staining. The results were compared with the outcome of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) genotyping of 66 clinical cytological samples using the same DNA preparation protocol. All tested protocol combinations resulted in fragment lengths of at least 388 base pairs. The mounting agent EcoMount resulted in higher yields than traditional xylene-based medium. Spray and ethanol fixation resulted in both a higher yield and better DNA quality than air drying. In liquid-based cytology (LBC) methods, CytoLyt solution resulted in a 5-fold higher yield than CytoRich Red. Papanicolaou staining provided twice the yield of hematoxylin and eosin staining in both liquid-based preparations. Genotyping outcome and quality control values from the clinical EGFR genotyping demonstrated a sufficient amount and amplifiability of DNA in both spray-fixed and air-dried cytological samples. Reliable clinical genotyping can be performed using all tested methods. However, in the cell line experiments, spray- or ethanol-fixed, Papanicolaou-stained slides provided the best results in terms of yield and fragment length. In LBC, the DNA recovery efficiency of the preserving medium may differ considerably, which should be taken into consideration when introducing LBC. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2013;121:344-353. © 2013 American Cancer Society. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Instability of supersonic cold streams feeding galaxies - I. Linear Kelvin-Helmholtz instability with body modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandelker, Nir; Padnos, Dan; Dekel, Avishai; Birnboim, Yuval; Burkert, Andreas; Krumholz, Mark R.; Steinberg, Elad

2016-12-01

Massive galaxies at high redshift are predicted to be fed from the cosmic web by narrow, dense streams of cold gas that penetrate through the hot medium encompassed by a stable shock near the virial radius of the dark-matter halo. Our long-term goal is to explore the heating and dissipation rate of the streams and their fragmentation and possible breakup, in order to understand how galaxies are fed, and how this affects their star formation rate and morphology. We present here the first step, where we analyse the linear Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) of a cold, dense slab or cylinder in 3D flowing supersonically through a hot, dilute medium. The current analysis is limited to the adiabatic case with no gravity. By analytically solving the linear dispersion relation, we find a transition from a dominance of the familiar rapidly growing surface modes in the subsonic regime to more slowly growing body modes in the supersonic regime. The system is parametrized by three parameters: the density contrast between stream and medium, the Mach number of stream velocity with respect to the medium and the stream width with respect to the halo virial radius. A realistic choice for these parameters places the streams near the mode transition, with the KHI exponential-growth time in the range 0.01-10 virial crossing times for a perturbation wavelength comparable to the stream width. We confirm our analytic predictions with idealized hydrodynamical simulations. Our linear estimates thus indicate that KHI may be effective in the evolution of streams before they reach the galaxy. More definite conclusions await the extension of the analysis to the non-linear regime and the inclusion of cooling, thermal conduction, the halo potential well, self-gravity and magnetic fields.

Occupational cosmic radiation exposure in Portuguese airline pilots: study of a possible correlation with oxidative biological markers.

PubMed

Silva, Rodrigo; Folgosa, Filipe; Soares, Paulo; Pereira, Alice S; Garcia, Raquel; Gestal-Otero, Juan Jesus; Tavares, Pedro; Gomes da Silva, Marco D R

2013-05-01

Several studies have sought to understand the health effects of occupational exposure to cosmic radiation. However, only few biologic markers or associations with disease outcomes have so far been identified. In the present study, 22 long- and 26 medium-haul male Portuguese airline pilots and 36 factory workers who did not fly regularly were investigated. The two groups were comparable in age and diet, were non-smokers, never treated with ionizing radiation and other factors. Cosmic radiation exposure in pilots was quantified based on direct monitoring of 51 flights within Europe, and from Europe to North and South America, and to Africa. Indirect dose estimates in pilots were performed based on the SIEVERT (Système informatisé d'évaluation par vol de l'exposition au rayonnement cosmique dans les transports aériens) software for 6,039 medium- and 1,366 long-haul flights. Medium-haul pilots had a higher cosmic radiation dose rate than long-haul pilots, that is, 3.3 ± 0.2 μSv/h and 2.7 ± 0.3 μSv/h, respectively. Biological tests for oxidative stress on blood and urine, as appropriate, at two time periods separated by 1 year, included measurements of antioxidant capacity, total protein, ferritin, hemoglobin, creatinine and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG). Principal components analysis was used to discriminate between the exposed and unexposed groups based on all the biological tests. According to this analysis, creatinine and 8OHdG levels were different for the pilots and the unexposed group, but no distinctions could be made among the medium- and the long-haul pilots. While hemoglobin levels seem to be comparable between the studied groups, they were directly correlated with ferritin values, which were lower for the airline pilots.

Mapping plastic greenhouse with medium spatial resolution satellite data: Development of a new spectral index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dedi; Chen, Jin; Zhou, Yuan; Chen, Xiang; Chen, Xuehong; Cao, Xin

2017-06-01

Plastic greenhouses (PGs) are an important agriculture development technique to protect and control the growing environment for food crops. The extensive use of PGs can change the agriculture landscape and affects the local environment. Accurately mapping and estimating the coverage of PGs is a necessity to the strategic planning of modern agriculture. Unfortunately, PG mapping over large areas is methodologically challenging, as the medium spatial resolution satellite imagery (such as Landsat data) used for analysis lacks spatial details and spectral variations. To fill the gap, the paper proposes a new plastic greenhouse index (PGI) based on the spectral, sensitivity, and separability analysis of PGs using medium spatial resolution images. In the context of the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery, the paper examines the effectiveness and capability of the proposed PGI. The results indicate that PGs in Landsat ETM+ image can be successfully detected by the PGI if the PG fraction is greater than 12% in a mixed pixel. A kappa coefficient of 0.83 and overall accuracy of 91.2% were achieved when applying the proposed PGI in the case of Weifang District, Shandong, China. These results show that the proposed index can be applied to identifying transparent PGs in atmospheric corrected Landsat image and has the potential for the digital mapping of plastic greenhouse coverage over a large area.

Optical spectrum measurement of a cell-adhered microcavity for the cell-cycle analysis applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Ryusuke; Terakawa, Mitsuhiro; Tanabe, Takasumi

2015-03-01

We build a setup and demonstrate successful measurement of the transmittance spectrum of a whispering gallery mode silica optical microcavity in which NIH 3T3 cells adhered on the top surface to achieve real-time and label-free measurement of the cell cycle. Label-free measurement is expected to prevent the cells to exhibit secondary effect. We build a system that enables the control of the gap distance between the microcavity and the tapered fiber, both of which are placed in the cell culture medium. The optimization of the tapered fiber diameter is the key to measure the spectrum of a microcavity in liquid. A swept wavelength laser light at a wavelength of 766 to 780 nm is used for the measurement. The cavity exhibit a Q of 1 . 0 ×106 in air, where the value is 1 . 0 ×105 in the medium and drops to 3 . 1 ×104 after the cell-adhesion. Still the Q of the microcavity is sufficiently high to detect the change at the cavity surface. Indeed we observe slight spectrum shift toward a longer wavelength, which we believe is due to the adherence of NIH 3T3 cells on the silica microcavity.The successful measurement of the transmittance spectrum of a microcavity in cell culture medium is the first step to realize the analysis of the cell-cycle based on microcavity system.

IVF culture medium affects post-natal weight in humans during the first 2 years of life.

PubMed

Kleijkers, Sander H M; van Montfoort, Aafke P A; Smits, Luc J M; Viechtbauer, Wolfgang; Roseboom, Tessa J; Nelissen, Ewka C M; Coonen, Edith; Derhaag, Josien G; Bastings, Lobke; Schreurs, Inge E L; Evers, Johannes L H; Dumoulin, John C M

2014-04-01

Is post-natal growth during the first 2 years of life in IVF singletons affected by type of medium used for culturing human embryos during an IVF treatment? The in vitro culture of human embryos in medium from Cook resulted in singletons with a lower weight during the first 2 years of life compared with singletons born after embryo culture in medium from Vitrolife. In a previous study, we reported that type of medium used for culturing human IVF embryos during the first few days after fertilization until fresh embryo transfer significantly affects fetal growth and consequently birthweight of the resulting singletons. From July 2003 to December 2006, a total of 1432 IVF treatment cycles with fresh embryo transfer were randomly allocated to have all embryos cultured in medium from Vitrolife AB (n = 715) or from Cook (n = 717). Two years after delivery, questionnaires were sent to the parents of all children requesting data about weight, height and head circumference around 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7.5, 9, 11, 14, 18 and 24 months of age. These measurements were collected as part of the children's health programme at municipal infant welfare centres in the Netherlands by health professionals unaware of this study. Patients requiring donor oocytes or applying for PGD were excluded from the study. From the 294 live born singletons that fulfilled our inclusion criteria, 29 were lost to follow-up. The remaining 265 singletons (Cook group: 117, Vitrolife group: 148) were included in the analysis. Data analysis included linear regression, to compare cross-sectionally weight standard deviation score (SDS), height SDS and head circumference, and the first order Berkey-Reed model for a longitudinal analysis of the growth data. Singletons in the Vitrolife group were heavier during the first 2 years of life compared with singletons in the Cook group. Cross-sectional analyses showed that adjusted weight SDS differed between groups at 1 (0.35 ± 0.14, P = 0.010), 2 (0.39 ± 0.14, P = 0.006), 3 (0.35 ± 0.14, P = 0.011), 4 (0.30 ± 0.13, P = 0.020), 11 (0.28 ± 0.13, P = 0.036), 14 (0.32 ± 0.13, P = 0.014) and 24 (0.39 ± 0.15, P = 0.011) months of age, while adjusted height SDS was only significantly different at 1 (0.21 ± 0.11, P = 0.048) month of age. Head circumference was similar between the two groups at all ages. Longitudinal analyses showed that both post-natal weight (P = 0.005) and height (P = 0.031) differed between the groups throughout the first 2 years of life, while the growth velocity was not significantly different between the two groups. Factors that might influence post-natal growth were included in the analysis; however, it was not possible to include all such factors, for example childhood diseases or nutrition, as this information was not available. The effect of culture medium during the first few days after fertilization on prenatal growth and birthweight persists during the first 2 years of life. This suggests that the human embryo is sensitive to its very early environment, and that the culture medium used in IVF may have lasting consequences. Further monitoring of the long-term growth, development and health of IVF children is therefore warranted. W.V. was funded with an unrestricted research grant from the Stichting Fertility Foundation. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Not applicable.

The Context of Current Content Analysis of Gender Roles: An Introduction to a Special Issue

PubMed Central

Popova, Lucy; Linz, Daniel G.

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper is to provide context for the quantitative content analyses of gender roles that are to be included in both parts of this special issue. First, a timeline of historical uses of the content analysis methodology is presented. Second, research objectives that frequently drive content analysis of gender roles are described; these include: to support feminist claims, to compare media with real life, to predict effects on audiences, and to detect effects of media producers on content. Third, previous content analyses published in Sex Roles and other gender-focused journals are reviewed and categorized in terms of medium, genre, time span, gender, and nationality. Finally, contributions of each of the articles in this special issue are outlined. PMID:20694031

Clinical Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Ikiugu, Moses N; Nissen, Ranelle M; Bellar, Cali; Maassen, Alexya; Van Peursem, Katlin

The purpose of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of theory-based occupational therapy interventions in improving occupational performance and well-being among people with a mental health diagnosis. The meta-analysis included 11 randomized controlled trials with a total of 520 adult participants with a mental health diagnosis. Outcomes were occupational performance, well-being, or both. We conducted meta-analyses using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (Version 3.0) with occupational performance and well-being as the dependent variables. Results indicated a medium effect of intervention on improving occupational performance (mean Hedge's g = 0.50, Z = 4.05, p < .001) and a small effect on well-being (mean Hedge's g = 0.46, Z = 4.96, p < .001). Theory-based occupational therapy interventions may be effective in improving occupational performance and well-being among people with a mental health diagnosis and should be an integral part of rehabilitation services in mental health. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Ethanol production using a soy hydrolysate-based medium or a yeast autolysate-based medium

DOEpatents

Ingram, Lonnie O.

2000-01-01

This invention presents a method for the production of ethanol that utilizes a soy hydrolysate-based nutrient medium or a yeast autolysate-based medium nutrient medium in conjunction with ethanologenic bacteria and a fermentable sugar for the cost-effective production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. The invention offers several advantages over presently available media for use in ethanol production, including consistent quality, lack of toxins and wide availability.

A meta-analysis of risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Trickey, David; Siddaway, Andy P; Meiser-Stedman, Richard; Serpell, Lucy; Field, Andy P

2012-03-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex and chronic disorder that causes substantial distress and interferes with social and educational functioning. Consequently, identifying the risk factors that make a child more likely to experience traumatic distress is of academic, clinical and social importance. This meta-analysis estimated the population effect sizes of 25 potential risk factors for PTSD in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years across 64 studies (N=32,238). Medium to large effect sizes were shown for many factors relating to subjective experience of the event and post-trauma variables (low social support, peri-trauma fear, perceived life threat, social withdrawal, comorbid psychological problem, poor family functioning, distraction, PTSD at time 1, and thought suppression); whereas pre-trauma variables and more objective measures of the assumed severity of the event generated small to medium effect sizes. This indicates that subjective peri-trauma factors and post-event factors are likely to have a major role in determining whether a child develops PTSD following exposure to a traumatic event. Such factors could potentially be assessed following a potentially traumatic event in order to screen for those most vulnerable to developing PTSD and target treatment efforts accordingly. The findings support the cognitive model of PTSD as a way of understanding its development and guiding interventions to reduce symptoms. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yoga-based exercise improves balance and mobility in people aged 60 and over: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Youkhana, Sabrina; Dean, Catherine M; Wolff, Moa; Sherrington, Catherine; Tiedemann, Anne

2016-01-01

one-third of community-dwelling older adults fall annually. Exercise that challenges balance is proven to prevent falls. We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the impact of yoga-based exercise on balance and physical mobility in people aged 60+ years. searches for relevant trials were conducted on the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) from inception to February 2015. Trials were included if they evaluated the effect of physical yoga (excluding meditation and breathing exercises alone) on balance in people aged 60+ years. We extracted data on balance and the secondary outcome of physical mobility. Standardised mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random-effects models. Methodological quality of trials was assessed using the 10-point Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. six trials of relatively high methodological quality, totalling 307 participants, were identified and had data that could be included in a meta-analysis. Overall, yoga interventions had a small effect on balance performance (Hedges' g = 0.40, 95% CI 0.15-0.65, 6 trials) and a medium effect on physical mobility (Hedges' g = 0.50, 95% CI 0.06-0.95, 3 trials). yoga interventions resulted in small improvements in balance and medium improvements in physical mobility in people aged 60+ years. Further research is required to determine whether yoga-related improvements in balance and mobility translate to prevention of falls in older people. PROSPERO Registration number CRD42015015872. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Numerical study of the medium thickness in the Z-scan technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Severiano Carrillo, I.; Méndez Otero, M. M.; Arroyo Carrasco, M. L.; Iturbe Castillo, M. D.

2011-09-01

The optical characterization of nonlinear media through the Z-scan technique considers initially a thin medium (with a thickness much less than the beam depth of focus). It has been observed that increasing the thickness of the medium the transmittance increases, this means that n2 increases, for this reason we will present a numerical model to determinate the minimum thin and the maximum thick medium limit. A thin medium is considered as a thin lens with focal length F1 and a thick medium can be regarded as a set of such thin lenses set with focal lengths F2, these lenses are contained in a medium whit a refraction index different than air. This analysis is made through Matlab using the theory of Gaussian beams, ABCD matrices and the q parameter, elementary theory in the development of this work, where the main feature of this model is that the nonlinearity type of the medium is considered as an integer constant in its focal length3. We present the graphs obtained from Z-scan for thick medium with both thermal and Kerr nonlinearities.

Trident and MISTY: a universal pipeline for generating and sharing synthetic spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hummels, Cameron; Smith, Britton; Silvia, Devin; Peeples, Molly; Prochaska, X.; Tejos, Nicolas

2016-03-01

Astrophysical simulations are useful insofar as they aid in the interpretation of telescopic observations. Thus, a primary task in simulation analysis is in producing synthetic observations for direct comparison against observational data. Furthermore, we as a field need an effective means for storing these synthetic observable data products, such that they are accessible and searchable by the entire population of researchers. In this talk, we present Trident, a universal pipeline for producing synthetic spectra from any of the major hydrodynamics codes, and MISTY, a means of storing these spectra on the HST MAST data archive. Trident and MISTY are our attempts to solve the difficult problems of synthetic data production and publicly-accessible storage for the scientific communities studying the intergalactic medium and circumgalactic medium.

Surface Selective Oxide Reduction During the Intercritical Annealing of Medium Mn Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jo, Kyoung Rae; Cho, Lawrence; Oh, Jong Han; Kim, Myoung Soo; Kang, Ki Cheol; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2017-08-01

Third generation advanced high-strength steels achieve an excellent strength-ductility balance using a cost-effective alloy composition. During the continuous annealing of medium Mn steel, the formation of an external selective oxide layer of MnO has a negative impact on the coating quality after galvanizing. A procedure to reduce the selective oxide was therefore developed. It involves annealing in the temperature range of 1073 K to 1323 K (800 °C to 1050 °C) in a HNx gas atmosphere. Annealing at higher temperatures and the use of larger H2 volume fractions are shown to make the gas atmosphere reducing with respect to MnO. The reduction of the surface MnO layer was observed by SEM, GDOES, and cross-sectional TEM analysis.

Tai Chi for Risk of Falls. A Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lomas-Vega, Rafael; Obrero-Gaitán, Esteban; Molina-Ortega, Francisco J; Del-Pino-Casado, Rafael

2017-09-01

To analyze the effectiveness of tai chi for falls prevention. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Pubmed, Scopus, CINHAL, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were searched to May 26, 2016. Older adult population and at-risk adults. Randomized controlled trials analyzing the effect of tai chi versus other treatments on risk of falls. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for falls incidence and hazard ratio (HR) for time to first fall. The search strategy identified 891 potentially eligible studies, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. There was high-quality evidence of a medium protective effect for fall incidence over the short term (IRR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.46, 0.70) and a small protective effect over the long term (IRR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.77, 0.98). Regarding injurious falls, we found very low-quality evidence of a medium protective effect over the short term (IRR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.33, 0.74) and a small effect over the long term (IRR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.95). There was no effect on time to first fall, with moderate quality of evidence (HR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.69, 1.37). In at-risk adults and older adults, tai chi practice may reduce the rate of falls and injury-related falls over the short term (<12 months) by approximately 43% and 50%, respectively. Tai chi practice may not influence time to first fall in these populations. Due to the low quality of evidence, more studies investigating the effects of tai chi on injurious falls and time to first fall are required. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

Power of mental health nursing research: a statistical analysis of studies in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing.

PubMed

Gaskin, Cadeyrn J; Happell, Brenda

2013-02-01

Having sufficient power to detect effect sizes of an expected magnitude is a core consideration when designing studies in which inferential statistics will be used. The main aim of this study was to investigate the statistical power in studies published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. From volumes 19 (2010) and 20 (2011) of the journal, studies were analysed for their power to detect small, medium, and large effect sizes, according to Cohen's guidelines. The power of the 23 studies included in this review to detect small, medium, and large effects was 0.34, 0.79, and 0.94, respectively. In 90% of papers, no adjustments for experiment-wise error were reported. With a median of nine inferential tests per paper, the mean experiment-wise error rate was 0.51. A priori power analyses were only reported in 17% of studies. Although effect sizes for correlations and regressions were routinely reported, effect sizes for other tests (χ(2)-tests, t-tests, ANOVA/MANOVA) were largely absent from the papers. All types of effect sizes were infrequently interpreted. Researchers are strongly encouraged to conduct power analyses when designing studies, and to avoid scattergun approaches to data analysis (i.e. undertaking large numbers of tests in the hope of finding 'significant' results). Because reviewing effect sizes is essential for determining the clinical significance of study findings, researchers would better serve the field of mental health nursing if they reported and interpreted effect sizes. © 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing © 2012 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Helicopter Non-Unique Trim Strategies for Blade-Vortex Interaction (BVI) Noise Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malpica, Carlos; Greenwood, Eric; Sim, Ben W.

2016-01-01

An acoustics parametric analysis of the effect of fuselage drag and pitching moment on the Blade-Vortex Interaction (BVI) noise radiated by a medium lift helicopter (S-70UH-60) in a descending flight condition was conducted. The comprehensive analysis CAMRAD II was used for the calculation of vehicle trim, wake geometry and integrated air loads on the blade. The acoustics prediction code PSU-WOPWOP was used for calculating acoustic pressure signatures for a hemispherical grid centered at the hub. This paper revisits the concept of the X-force controller for BVI noise reduction, and investigates its effectiveness on an S-70 helicopter. The analysis showed that further BVI noise reductions were achievable by controlling the fuselage pitching moment. Reductions in excess of 6 dB of the peak BVI noise radiated towards the ground were demonstrated by compounding the effect of airframe drag and pitching moment simultaneously.

Chemically defined serum-free conditions for cartilage regeneration from human embryonic stem cells.

PubMed

Yang, Dandan; Chen, Shubin; Gao, Changzhao; Liu, Xiaobo; Zhou, Yulai; Liu, Pengfei; Cai, Jinglei

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was to improve a method that induce cartilage differentiation of human embryoid stem cells (hESCs) in vitro, and test the effect of in vivo environments on the further maturation of hESCs derived cells. Embryoid bodies (EBs) formed from hESCs, with serum-free KSR-based medium and mesodermal specification related factors, CHIR, and Noggin for first 8days. Then cells were digested and cultured as micropellets in serum-free KSR-based chondrogenic medium that was supplemented with PDGF-BB, TGF β3, BMP4 in sequence for 24days. The morphology, FACS, histological staining as well as the expression of chondrogenic specific genes were detected in each stage, and further in vivo experiments, cell injections and tissue transplantations, further verified the formation of chondrocytes. We were able to obtain chondrocyte/cartilage from hESCs using serum-free KSR-based conditioned medium. qPCR analysis showed that expression of the chondroprogenitor genes and the chondrocyte/cartilage matrix genes. Morphology analysis demonstrated we got PG+COL2+COL1-particles. It indicated we obtained hyaline cartilage-like particles. 32-Day differential cells were injected subcutaneous. Staining results showed grafts developed further mature in vivo. But when transplanted in subrenal capsule, their effect was not good as in subcutaneous. Microenvironment might affect the cartilage formation. The results of this study provide an absolute serum-free and efficient approach for generation of hESC-derived chondrocytes, and cells will become further maturation in vivo. It provides evidence and technology for the hypothesis that hESCs may be a promising therapy for the treatment of cartilage disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of music therapy for children and adolescents with psychopathology: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gold, Christian; Voracek, Martin; Wigram, Tony

2004-09-01

The objectives of this review were to examine the overall efficacy of music therapy for children and adolescents with psychopathology, and to examine how the size of the effect of music therapy is influenced by the type of pathology, client's age, music therapy approach, and type of outcome. Eleven studies were included for analysis, which resulted in a total of 188 subjects for the meta-analysis. Effect sizes from these studies were combined, with weighting for sample size, and their distribution was examined. After exclusion of an extreme positive outlying value, the analysis revealed that music therapy has a medium to large positive effect (ES =.61) on clinically relevant outcomes that was statistically highly significant (p <.001) and statistically homogeneous. No evidence of a publication bias was identified. Effects tended to be greater for behavioural and developmental disorders than for emotional disorders; greater for eclectic, psychodynamic, and humanistic approaches than for behavioural models; and greater for behavioural and developmental outcomes than for social skills and self-concept. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.

Effective Medium Theories for Multicomponent Poroelastic Composites

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

Berryman, J G

2005-02-08

In Biot's theory of poroelasticity, elastic materials contain connected voids or pores and these pores may be filled with fluids under pressure. The fluid pressure then couples to the mechanical effects of stress or strain applied externally to the solid matrix. Eshelby's formula for the response of a single ellipsoidal elastic inclusion in an elastic whole space to a strain imposed at a distant boundary is a very well-known and important result in elasticity. Having a rigorous generalization of Eshelby's results valid for poroelasticity means that the hard part of Eshelby's work (in computing the elliptic integrals needed to evaluatemore » the fourth-rank tensors for inclusions shaped like spheres, oblate and prolate spheroids, needles and disks) can be carried over from elasticity to poroelasticity--and also thermoelasticity--with only relatively minor modifications. Effective medium theories for poroelastic composites such as rocks can then be formulated easily by analogy to well-established methods used for elastic composites. An identity analogous to Eshelby's classic result has been derived [Physical Review Letters 79:1142-1145 (1997)] for use in these more complex and more realistic problems in rock mechanics analysis. Descriptions of the application of this result as the starting point for new methods of estimation are presented, including generalizations of the coherent potential approximation (CPA), differential effective medium (DEM) theory, and two explicit schemes. Results are presented for estimating drained shear and bulk modulus, the Biot-Willis parameter, and Skempton's coefficient. Three of the methods considered appear to be quite reliable estimators, while one of the explicit schemes is found to have some undesirable characteristics.« less

A clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a thermosensitive hydrogel-type cultured epidermal allograft for deep second-degree burns.

PubMed

Yim, Haejun; Yang, Hyeong-Tae; Cho, Yong-Suk; Kim, Dohern; Kim, Jong-Hyun; Chun, Wook; Hur, Jun

2014-12-01

This study is a phase 1 and 2 clinical trial for investigating the safety profile, effective treatment dose and effectiveness of the newly developed thermosensitive hydrogel-type cultured epidermal allograft. For phase 1, the keratinocytes were divided into 3 groups as follows, with 5 patients in each group: (1) low-dose group (6.7×10(6)/1.5mL), (2) medium-dose group (2×10(7)/1.5mL), and (3) high-dose group (6.0×10(7)/1.5mL). The second phase of the trial proceeded with 10 cases after choosing the most effective dose based on the analysis of the first phase. When comparing re-epithelialization time, medium- and high-dose group showed significantly shorter re-epithelialization time than low-dose group (p=0.003 and p=0.002). A total of 15 cases, 5 cases selected from phase 1 and 10 cases test in phase 2 with the medium dose, were compared with the re-epithelialization period. The re-epithelialization period was 9.6±4.0 days in the test site and 12.4±4.8 days in the control site. In the test site, re-epithelialization was 2.8±1.8 days faster than in the control site (p<0.0001). There was no significant adverse reaction in our clinical trial. In conclusion, this new type of CEAllo accelerates wound healing time and shows the safety. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Brazilian Pampa Biome Honey Protects Against Mortality, Locomotor Deficits and Oxidative Stress Induced by Hypoxia/Reperfusion in Adult Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Cruz, L C; Ecker, A; Dias, R S; Seeger, R L; Braga, M M; Boligon, A A; Martins, I K; Costa-Silva, D G; Barbosa, N V; Cañedo, A D; Posser, T; Franco, J L

2016-02-01

We aimed to investigate the potential beneficial effects of the Brazilian Pampa biome honey in a Drosophila-based hypoxia model. Adult flies were reared in standard medium in the presence or absence of honey (at a final concentration of 10 % in medium). Then, control flies (4 % sucrose in medium) and honey-treated flies were submitted to hypoxia. Subsequently, flies were analyzed for mortality, neurolocomotor behavior (negative geotaxis), mitochondrial/oxidative stress parameters and expression of hypoxia/stress related genes by RT-qPCR. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of phenolics and flavonoids in the studied honey. Caffeic acid was the major compound followed by p-coumaric acid and kaempferol. The presence of such compounds was correlated with a substantial antioxidant activity in vitro. Flies subjected to hypoxia presented marked mortality, locomotor deficits and changes in oxidative stress and mitochondrial activity parameters. Honey treatment was able to completely block mortality and locomotor phenotypes. In addition, honey was able to reverse ROS production and hypoxia-induced changes in mitochondrial complex I and II activity. Hypoxia also induced an up-regulation in mRNA expression of Sima (HIF-1), NFκβ, NRF2, HOX, AKT-1, InR, dILP2, dILP5 and HSP27. Honey treatment was not able to modulate changes in the tested genes, indicating that its protective effects involve additional mechanisms other than transcriptional activity of hypoxia-driven adaptive responses in flies. Our results demonstrated, for the first time, the beneficial effects of honey against the deleterious effects of hypoxia/reperfusion processes in a complex organism.

Meta-analysis of the role of delivery mode in postpartum depression (Iran 1997-2011)

PubMed Central

Bahadoran, Parvin; Oreizi, Hamid Reza; Safari, Saeideh

2014-01-01

Background: Postpartum period is the riskiest time for mood disorders and psychosis. Postpartum depression is the most important mood disorder after delivery, which can be accompanied by mother-child and family relationship disorders. Meta-analysis with the integration of research results demonstrates to investigate the association between the mode of delivery and postpartum depression. Materials and Methods: This meta-analysis uses the Rosenthal and Robin approach. For this purpose, 18 studies which were acceptable in terms of methodology were selected and meta-analysis was conducted on them. Research instrument was a checklist of meta-analysis. After summarizing the results of the studies, effect sizes were calculated manually and combined based on meta-analysis method. Results: The findings showed that the amount of effect size (in term of Cohen d) of delivery mode on postpartum depression was 0/30 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Delivery mode on maternal mental health is assessed medium. Meta analysis also indicates moderator variables role, and researcher must focus in these variables. PMID:25540791

Transcriptome analysis of Schistosoma mansoni larval development using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE).

PubMed

Taft, A S; Vermeire, J J; Bernier, J; Birkeland, S R; Cipriano, M J; Papa, A R; McArthur, A G; Yoshino, T P

2009-04-01

Infection of the snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, by the free-swimming miracidial stage of the human blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, and its subsequent development to the parasitic sporocyst stage is critical to establishment of viable infections and continued human transmission. We performed a genome-wide expression analysis of the S. mansoni miracidia and developing sporocyst using Long Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (LongSAGE). Five cDNA libraries were constructed from miracidia and in vitro cultured 6- and 20-day-old sporocysts maintained in sporocyst medium (SM) or in SM conditioned by previous cultivation with cells of the B. glabrata embryonic (Bge) cell line. We generated 21 440 SAGE tags and mapped 13 381 to the S. mansoni gene predictions (v4.0e) either by estimating theoretical 3' UTR lengths or using existing 3' EST sequence data. Overall, 432 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed amongst all 5 libraries. In total, 172 tags were differentially expressed between miracidia and 6-day conditioned sporocysts and 152 were differentially expressed between miracidia and 6-day unconditioned sporocysts. In addition, 53 and 45 tags, respectively, were differentially expressed in 6-day and 20-day cultured sporocysts, due to the effects of exposure to Bge cell-conditioned medium.

In vitro analysis of rifampicin and its effect on quality control tests of rifampicin containing dosage forms.

PubMed

Agrawal, S; Panchagnula, R

2004-10-01

The chemical stability of rifampicin both in solid state and various media has widely been investigated. While rifampicin is appreciably stable in solid-state, its decomposition rate is very high in acidic as well as in alkaline medium and a variety of decomposition products were identified. The literature reports on highly variable rifampicin decomposition in acidic medium. Hence, the objective of this investigation was to study possible reasons responsible for this variability. For this purpose, filter validation and correlation between rifampicin and its degradation products were developed to account for the loss of rifampicin in acidic media. For analysis of rifampicin with or without the presence of isoniazid, a simple and accurate method was developed using high performance chromatography recommended in FDC monographs of the United States Pharmacopoeia. Using the equations developed in this investigation, the amount of rifampicin degraded in the acidic media was calculated from the area under curve of the degradation products. Further, it was proved that in a dissolution study, the colorimetric method of analysis recommended in the United States Pharmacopoeia provides accurate results regarding rifampicin release. Filter type, time of injection as well as interpretation of data are important factors that affect analysis results of rifampicin in in vitro studies and quality control.

Low-cost production of 6G-fructofuranosidase with high value-added astaxanthin by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous.

PubMed

Ning, Yawei; Li, Qiang; Chen, Feng; Yang, Na; Jin, Zhengyu; Xu, Xueming

2012-01-01

The effects of medium composition and culture conditions on the production of (6)G-fructofuranosidase with value-added astaxanthin were investigated to reduce the capital cost of neo-fructooligosaccharides (neo-FOS) production by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. The sucrose and corn steep liquor (CSL) were found to be the optimal carbon source and nitrogen source, respectively. CSL and initial pH were selected as the critical factors using Plackett-Burman design. Maximum (6)G-fructofuranosidase 242.57 U/mL with 5.23 mg/L value-added astaxanthin was obtained at CSL 52.5 mL/L and pH 7.89 by central composite design. Neo-FOS yield could reach 238.12 g/L under the optimized medium conditions. Cost analysis suggested 66.3% of substrate cost was reduced compared with that before optimization. These results demonstrated that the optimized medium and culture conditions could significantly enhance the production of (6)G-fructofuranosidase with value-added astaxanthin and remarkably decrease the substrate cost, which opened up possibilities to produce neo-FOS industrially. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of sufficient phosphorus in biodiesel production from diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

PubMed

Yu, Shi-Jin; Shen, Xiao-Fei; Ge, Huo-Qing; Zheng, Hang; Chu, Fei-Fei; Hu, Hao; Zeng, Raymond J

2016-08-01

In order to study the role of sufficient phosphorus (P) in biodiesel production by microalgae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum were cultivated in six different media treatments with combination of nitrogen (N) sufficiency/deprivation and phosphorus sufficiency/limitation/deprivation. Profiles of N and P, biomass, and fatty acids (FAs) content and compositions were measured during a 7-day cultivation period. The results showed that the FA content in microalgae biomass was promoted by P deprivation. However, statistical analysis showed that FA productivity had no significant difference (p = 0.63, >0.05) under the treatments of N deprivation with P sufficiency (N-P) and N deprivation with P deprivation (N-P-), indicating P sufficiency in N deprivation medium has little effect on increasing biodiesel productivity from P. triornutum. It was also found that the P absorption in N-P medium was 1.41 times higher than that in N sufficiency and P sufficiency (NP) medium. N deprivation with P limitation (N-P-l) was the optimal treatment for producing biodiesel from P. triornutum because of both the highest FA productivity and good biodiesel quality.

Assessment of changes of vector borne diseases with wetland characteristics using multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Sheela, A M; Sarun, S; Justus, J; Vineetha, P; Sheeja, R V

2015-04-01

Vector borne diseases are a threat to human health. Little attention has been paid to the prevention of these diseases. We attempted to identify the significant wetland characteristics associated with the spread of chikungunya, dengue fever and malaria in Kerala, a tropical region of South West India using multivariate analyses (hierarchical cluster analysis, factor analysis and multiple regression). High/medium turbid coastal lagoons and inland water-logged wetlands with aquatic vegetation have significant effect on the incidence of chikungunya while dengue influenced by high turbid coastal beaches and malaria by medium turbid coastal beaches. The high turbidity in water is due to the urban waste discharge namely sewage, sullage and garbage from the densely populated cities and towns. The large extent of wetland is low land area favours the occurrence of vector borne diseases. Hence the provision of pollution control measures at source including soil erosion control measures is vital. The identification of vulnerable zones favouring the vector borne diseases will help the authorities to control pollution especially from urban areas and prevent these vector borne diseases. Future research should cover land use cover changes, climatic factors, seasonal variations in weather and pollution factors favouring the occurrence of vector borne diseases.

Escherichia coli growth changes by the mediated effects after low-intensity electromagnetic irradiation of extremely high frequencies.

PubMed

Torgomyan, Heghine; Hovnanyan, Karlen; Trchounian, Armen

2013-04-01

Water is the major constituent of environmental medium and biological systems. The effects occurring in water as a result of low-intensity electromagnetic irradiation (EMI) in extremely high frequencies are supposed to be the primary mechanism to create conditions for biological responses. The EMI effects on Escherichia coli, after irradiation of their suspension, are most probably water-mediated. Indirect effects of EMI at 51.8, 53, 70.6, and 73 GHz frequencies on bacteria, through water, assay buffer (Tris-phosphate buffer with inorganic salts at low or moderate concentrations), or peptone growth medium were studied. The mediated effects of 70.6 and 73 GHz irradiated water, assay buffer, and growth medium on E. coli growth characteristics were insignificant. But the results were different for 51.8 and 53 GHz. EMI mediated effects on bacterial growth were clearly demonstrated. The effects were more strongly expressed with 53 GHz. Moreover, it was shown that 70.6 and 73 GHz similarly suppressed the cell growth after direct irradiation of E. coli in water or on solid medium. Interestingly, for 51.8 and 53 GHz the bacterial growth decreases after suspension irradiation was less, compared to the direct irradiation of bacteria on solid medium. Especially, it was also more expressed in case of 53 GHz. Also with electron microscopy, EMI-induced bacterial cell sizes and structure different changes were detected. In addition, the distinguished changes in surface tension, oxidation-reduction potential and pH of water, assay buffer, growth medium, and bacterial suspension were determined. They depended on EMI frequency used. The differences could be associated with the partial absorbance of EMI energy by the surrounding medium, which depends on a specific frequency. The results are crucial to understand biophysical mechanisms of EMI effects on bacteria.

The MIDAS processor. [Multivariate Interactive Digital Analysis System for multispectral scanner data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kriegler, F. J.; Gordon, M. F.; Mclaughlin, R. H.; Marshall, R. E.

1975-01-01

The MIDAS (Multivariate Interactive Digital Analysis System) processor is a high-speed processor designed to process multispectral scanner data (from Landsat, EOS, aircraft, etc.) quickly and cost-effectively to meet the requirements of users of remote sensor data, especially from very large areas. MIDAS consists of a fast multipipeline preprocessor and classifier, an interactive color display and color printer, and a medium scale computer system for analysis and control. The system is designed to process data having as many as 16 spectral bands per picture element at rates of 200,000 picture elements per second into as many as 17 classes using a maximum likelihood decision rule.

Effectiveness of a freely available computerised cognitive behavioural therapy programme (MoodGYM) for depression: Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Twomey, Conal; O'Reilly, Gary

2017-03-01

To investigate the effectiveness of a freely available computerised cognitive behavioural therapy programme (MoodGYM) for depression (primary outcome), anxiety and general psychological distress in adults. We searched PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Social Science Citation Index and references from identified papers. To assess MoodGYM's effectiveness, we conducted random effects meta-analysis of identified randomised controlled trials. Comparisons from 11 studies demonstrated MoodGYM's effectiveness for depression symptoms at post-intervention, with a small effect size ( g = 0.36, 95% confidence interval: 0.17-0.56; I 2  = 78%). Removing the lowest quality studies ( k = 3) had minimal impact; however, adjusting for publication bias reduced the effect size to a non-significant level ( g = 0.17, 95% confidence interval: -0.01 to 0.38). Comparisons from six studies demonstrated MoodGYM's effectiveness for anxiety symptoms at post-intervention, with a medium effect size ( g = 0.57, 95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.94; I 2  = 85%). Although comparisons from six studies did not yield significance for MoodGYM's effectiveness for general psychological distress symptoms, the small effect size approached significance ( g = 0.34, 95% confidence interval: -0.04 to 0.68; I 2  = 79%). Both the type of setting (clinical vs non-clinical) and MoodGYM-developer authorship in randomised controlled trials had no meaningful influence on results; however, the results were confounded by the type of control deployed, level of clinician guidance, international region of trial and adherence to MoodGYM. The confounding influence of several variables, and presence of publication bias, means that the results of this meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution. Tentative support is provided for MoodGYM's effectiveness for symptoms of depression and general psychological distress. The programme's medium effect on anxiety symptoms demonstrates its utility for people with this difficulty. MoodGYM benefits from its free accessibility over the Internet, but adherence rates can be problematic and at the extreme can fall below 10%. We conclude that MoodGYM is best placed as a population-level intervention that is likely to benefit a sizeable minority of its users.

Molecular Hydrogen Alleviates Cellular Senescence in Endothelial Cells.

PubMed

Hara, Fumihiko; Tatebe, Junko; Watanabe, Ippei; Yamazaki, Junichi; Ikeda, Takanori; Morita, Toshisuke

2016-08-25

Substantial evidence indicates that molecular hydrogen (H2) has beneficial vascular effects because of its antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, hydrogen-rich water may prove to be an effective anti-aging drink. This study examined the effects of H2on endothelial senescence and clarified the mechanisms involved. Hydrogen-rich medium was produced by a high-purity hydrogen gas generator. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for various time periods in normal or hydrogen-rich medium. The baseline H2concentration in hydrogen-rich medium was 0.55±0.07 mmol/L. This concentration gradually decreased, and H2was almost undetectable in medium after 12 h. At 24 h after TCDD exposure, HUVECs treated with TCDD exhibited increased 8OHdG and acetyl-p53 expression, decreased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+))/NADH ratio, impaired Sirt1 activity, and enhanced senescence-associated β-galactosidase. However, HUVECs incubated in hydrogen-rich medium did not exhibit these TCDD-induced changes accompanying Nrf2 activation, which was observed even after H2was undetectable in the medium. Chrysin, an inhibitor of Nrf2, abolished the protective effects of H2on HUVECs. H2has long-lasting antioxidant and anti-aging effects on vascular endothelial cells through the Nrf2 pathway, even after transient exposure to H2. Hydrogen-rich water may thus be a functional drink that increases longevity. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2037-2046).

Findings from the Families on Track Intervention Pilot Trial for Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Their Families.

PubMed

Petrenko, Christie L M; Pandolfino, Mary E; Robinson, Luther K

2017-07-01

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are at high risk for costly, debilitating mental health problems and secondary conditions, such as school disruption, trouble with the law, and substance use. The study objective was to pilot a multicomponent intervention designed to prevent secondary conditions in children with FASD and improve family adaptation. Thirty children with FASD or prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) (ages 4 to 8) and their primary caregivers were enrolled. Families were randomized to either the Families on Track Integrated Preventive Intervention or an active control of neuropsychological assessment and personalized community referrals. The 30-week intervention integrates scientifically validated bimonthly, in-home parent behavioral consultation, and weekly child skills groups. Outcomes measured at baseline and follow-up postintervention included intervention satisfaction, child emotional and behavioral functioning, child self-esteem, caregiver knowledge of FASD and advocacy, caregiver attitudes, use of targeted parenting practices, perceived family needs met, social support, and self-care. Data analysis emphasized calculation of effect sizes and was supplemented with analysis of variance techniques. Analyses indicated that families participating in the intervention reported high program satisfaction. Relative to comparison group outcomes, the intervention was associated with medium-to-large effects for child emotion regulation, self-esteem, and anxiety. Medium-sized improvements in disruptive behavior were observed for both groups. Medium and large effects were seen for important caregiver outcomes: knowledge of FASD and advocacy, attributions of behavior, use of antecedent strategies, parenting efficacy, family needs met, social support, and self-care. This pilot study yielded promising findings from the multicomponent Families on Track Integrated Preventive Intervention for child and caregiver outcomes. An important next step is to complete a randomized control trial of the Families on Track Program with a larger sample fully representative of this underserved clinical population with built-in study of implementation parameters. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Comparison of a Stratified Group Intervention (STarT Back) With Usual Group Care in Patients With Low Back Pain: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Murphy, Susan E; Blake, Catherine; Power, Camillus K; Fullen, Brona M

2016-04-01

A nonrandomized controlled trial. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of group-based stratified care in primary care. Stratified care based on psychosocial screening (STarT Back) has demonstrated greater clinical and cost-effectiveness in patients with low back pain. However, low back pain interventions are often delivered in groups and evaluating this system of care in a group setting is important. Patients were recruited from 60 general practices and linked physiotherapy services. A new group stratified intervention was compared with a historical nonstratified control group. Patients stratified as low, medium and high risk were offered risk-matched group care. Consenting participants completed self-report measures of functional disability (primary outcome measure), pain, psychological distress, and beliefs. The historical control received a generic group intervention. Analysis was by intention to treat. In total, 251 patients in the new stratified intervention and 332 in the historical control were included in the primary analysis at 12 weeks. The mean age of patients was 43 ± 10.98 years. Overall adjusted mean changes in the RMDQ scores were higher in the stratified intervention than in the control arm at 12-week follow-up (P = 0.028). Exploring the risk groups, individually the high-risk stratified group, demonstrated better outcome over the controls (P = 0.031). The medium-risk stratified intervention demonstrated equally good outcomes (P = 0.125), and low-risk stratified patients, despite less intervention, did as well as the historical controls (P = 0.993). Stratified care delivered in a group setting demonstrated superior outcomes in the high-risk patients, and equally good outcomes for the medium and low-risk groups. This model, embedded in primary care, provides an early and effective model of chronic disease management and adds another dimension to the utility of the STarT Back system of care. 2.

Preferences for emotional information in older and younger adults: a meta-analysis of memory and attention tasks.

PubMed

Murphy, Nora A; Isaacowitz, Derek M

2008-06-01

The authors conducted a meta-analysis to determine the magnitude of older and younger adults' preferences for emotional stimuli in studies of attention and memory. Analyses involved 1,085 older adults from 37 independent samples and 3,150 younger adults from 86 independent samples. Both age groups exhibited small to medium emotion salience effects (i.e., preference for emotionally valenced stimuli over neutral stimuli) as well as positivity preferences (i.e., preference for positively valenced stimuli over neutral stimuli) and negativity preferences (i.e., preference for negatively valenced stimuli to neutral stimuli). There were few age differences overall. Type of measurement appeared to influence the magnitude of effects; recognition studies indicated significant age effects, where older adults showed smaller effects for emotion salience and negativity preferences than younger adults.

In Vitro Impact of Conditioned Medium From Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone on Human Umbilical Endothelial Cells.

PubMed

Harnik, Branko; Miron, Richard J; Buser, Daniel; Gruber, Reinhard

2017-03-01

Angiogenesis is essential for the consolidation of bone allografts. The underlying molecular mechanism, however, remains unclear. Soluble factors released from demineralized freeze-dried bone target mesenchymal cells; however, their effect on endothelial cells has not been investigated so far. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine the effect of conditioned medium from demineralized freeze-dried bone on human umbilical endothelial cells in vitro. Conditioned medium was first prepared from demineralized freeze-dried bone following 24 hours incubation at room temperature to produce demineralized bone conditioned media. Thereafter, conditioned medium was used to stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro by determining the cell response based on viability, proliferation, expression of apoptotic genes, a Boyden chamber to determine cell migration, and the formation of branches. The authors report here that conditioned medium decreased viability and proliferation of endothelial cells. Neither of the apoptotic marker genes was significantly altered when endothelial cells were exposed to conditioned medium. The Boyden chamber revealed that endothelial cells migrate toward conditioned medium. Moreover, conditioned medium moderately stimulated the formation of branches. These findings support the concept that conditioned medium from demineralized freeze-dried bone targets endothelial cells by decreasing their proliferation and enhancing their motility under these in vitro conditions.

Percolation Laws of a Fractal Fracture-Pore Double Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yangsheng; Feng, Zengchao; Lv, Zhaoxing; Zhao, Dong; Liang, Weiguo

2016-12-01

The fracture-pore double porosity medium is one of the most common media in nature, for example, rock mass in strata. Fracture has a more significant effect on fluid flow than a pore in a fracture-pore double porosity medium. Hence, the fracture effect on percolation should be considered when studying the percolation phenomenon in porous media. In this paper, based on the fractal distribution law, three-dimensional (3D) fracture surfaces, and two-dimensional (2D) fracture traces in rock mass, the locations of fracture surfaces or traces are determined using a random function of uniform distribution. Pores are superimposed to build a fractal fracture-pore double medium. Numerical experiments were performed to show percolation phenomena in the fracture-pore double medium. The percolation threshold can be determined from three independent variables (porosity n, fracture fractal dimension D, and initial value of fracture number N0). Once any two are determined, the percolation probability exists at a critical point with the remaining parameter changing. When the initial value of the fracture number is greater than zero, the percolation threshold in the fracture-pore medium is much smaller than that in a pore medium. When the fracture number equals zero, the fracture-pore medium degenerates to a pore medium, and both percolation thresholds are the same.

Oxidative stress gradient in a medium during human corneal organ culture

PubMed Central

Johnsen-Soriano, Siv; Haug, Kristiane; Arnal, Emma; Peris-Martinez, Cristina; Moe, Morten C.

2012-01-01

Purpose Lipid peroxidation content was measured in an organ culture medium after one-week storage of human donor corneas. Moreover, the effects of the medium on oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity, and the proliferation of cultured human corneal cells were studied. Methods The medium was sampled from the upper and lower halves of storage vials and from controls (n=42). Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cultured human corneal epithelium (CRL-11515) was exposed to different medium samples and monitored for changes in MDA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]), total antioxidant capacity (antioxidant assay kit), and proliferation (Ki-67). Results A significant increase in MDA was observed in the organ culture medium in the lower level of storage vials. The addition of this fraction to cultured cells increased MDA significantly after 3 days, and the medium from both levels significantly increased MDA after 7 days. The medium from both levels significantly decreased the total antioxidant capacity of the cells but did not affect proliferative activity. Conclusions An oxidative gradient with an evident biologic effect is established in the medium in vials during organ culture of human donor corneas. Donor tissue stored at the bottom or in lower levels of such vials is exposed to a significant amount of oxidative stress. PMID:22736949

Spermatogonial Culture Medium: An Effective and Efficient Nutrient Mixture for Culturing Rat Spermatogonial Stem Cells1

PubMed Central

Wu, Zhuoru; Falciatori, Ilaria; Molyneux, Laura A.; Richardson, Timothy E.; Chapman, Karen M.; Hamra, F. Kent

2009-01-01

An economical and simplified procedure to derive and propagate fully functional lines of undifferentiated rat spermatogonia in vitro is presented. The procedure is based on the formulation of a new spermatogonial culture medium termed SG medium. The SG medium is composed of a 1:1 mixture of Dulbecco modified Eagle medium:Ham F12 nutrient, 20 ng/ml of GDNF, 25 ng/ml of FGF2, 100 μM 2-mercaptoethanol, 6 mM l-glutamine, and a 1× concentration of B27 Supplement Minus Vitamin A solution. Using SG medium, six individual spermatogonial lines were derived from the testes of six separate Sprague-Dawley rats. After proliferating over a 120-day period in SG medium, stem cells within the spermatogonial cultures effectively regenerated spermatogenesis in testes of busulfan-treated recipient rats, which transmitted the donor cell haplotype to more than 75% of progeny by natural breeding. Subculturing in SG medium did not require protease treatment and was achieved by passaging the loosely bound spermatogonial cultures at 1:3 dilutions onto fresh monolayers of irradiated DR4 mouse fibroblasts every 12 days. Spermatogonial lines derived and propagated using SG medium were characterized as homogeneous populations of ZBTB16+ DAZL+ cells endowed with spermatogonial stem cell potential. PMID:19299316

Effect of medium osmolarity and taurine on neuritic outgrowth from goldfish retinal explants.

PubMed

Cubillán, Lisbeth; Obregón, Francisco; Lima, Lucimey

2009-01-01

Taurine stimulates outgrowth of goldfish retinal explants in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, an effect related to calcium movement and protein phosphorylation. Since taurine is an osmoregulator in the central nervous system, and osmolality might influence regeneration, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the possible effect of hypo-osmolality on basal outgrowth and on the trophic action of the amino acid. Accordingly, goldfish retinal explants obtained after crushing the optic nerve were cultured in iso- and hypo-osmotic medium, the latter achieved by diluting the medium 10% 24 and 72 h after plating. The length and density of the neurites, measured after 5 days in culture, were significantly lower in the hypo- than in the iso-osmotic medium. Taurine stimulated the outgrowth under both conditions, but the percentage of increase was greater in iso-osmotic medium. Taurine concentration, determined by HPLC, did not significantly change in explants. Co-administration of beta-alanine and taurine impaired the trophic effect of taurine to a greater extent in the iso- than in hypo-osmotic medium, indicating a possible differential interaction with the taurine transporter which could be altered by osmotic stress. The exact mechanism of outgrowth regulation by hypotonicity requires further clarification, taking into considering possible modification of the taurine transporter.

Phosphate-Catalyzed Hydrogen Peroxide Formation from Agar, Gellan, and κ-Carrageenan and Recovery of Microbial Cultivability via Catalase and Pyruvate.

PubMed

Kawasaki, Kosei; Kamagata, Yoichi

2017-11-01

Previously, we reported that when agar is autoclaved with phosphate buffer, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is formed in the resulting medium (PT medium), and the colony count on the medium inoculated with environmental samples becomes much lower than that on a medium in which agar and phosphate are autoclaved separately (PS medium) (T. Tanaka et al., Appl Environ Microbiol 80:7659-7666, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02741-14). However, the physicochemical mechanisms underlying this observation remain largely unknown. Here, we determined the factors affecting H 2 O 2 formation in agar. The H 2 O 2 formation was pH dependent: H 2 O 2 was formed at high concentrations in an alkaline or neutral phosphate buffer but not in an acidic buffer. Ammonium ions enhanced H 2 O 2 formation, implying the involvement of the Maillard reaction catalyzed by phosphate. We found that other gelling agents (e.g., gellan and κ-carrageenan) also produced H 2 O 2 after being autoclaved with phosphate. We then examined the cultivability of microorganisms from a fresh-water sample to test whether catalase and pyruvate, known as H 2 O 2 scavengers, are effective in yielding high colony counts. The colony count on PT medium was only 5.7% of that on PS medium. Catalase treatment effectively restored the colony count of PT medium (to 106% of that on PS medium). In contrast, pyruvate was not as effective as catalase: the colony count on sodium pyruvate-supplemented PT medium was 58% of that on PS medium. Given that both catalase and pyruvate can remove H 2 O 2 from PT medium, these observations indicate that although H 2 O 2 is the main cause of reduced colony count on PT medium, other unknown growth-inhibiting substances that cannot be removed by pyruvate (but can be by catalase) may also be involved. IMPORTANCE The majority of bacteria in natural environments are recalcitrant to laboratory culture techniques. Previously, we demonstrated that one reason for this is the formation of high H 2 O 2 levels in media prepared by autoclaving agar and phosphate buffer together (PT medium). In this study, we investigated the factors affecting H 2 O 2 formation from agar. H 2 O 2 formation is pH dependent, and ammonium ions promote this phosphate-catalyzed H 2 O 2 formation. Amendment of catalase or pyruvate, a well-known H 2 O 2 -scavenging agent, effectively eliminated H 2 O 2 Yet results suggest that growth-inhibiting factor(s) that cannot be eliminated by pyruvate (but can be by catalase) are present in PT medium. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Phosphate-Catalyzed Hydrogen Peroxide Formation from Agar, Gellan, and κ-Carrageenan and Recovery of Microbial Cultivability via Catalase and Pyruvate

PubMed Central

Kamagata, Yoichi

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Previously, we reported that when agar is autoclaved with phosphate buffer, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is formed in the resulting medium (PT medium), and the colony count on the medium inoculated with environmental samples becomes much lower than that on a medium in which agar and phosphate are autoclaved separately (PS medium) (T. Tanaka et al., Appl Environ Microbiol 80:7659–7666, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02741-14). However, the physicochemical mechanisms underlying this observation remain largely unknown. Here, we determined the factors affecting H2O2 formation in agar. The H2O2 formation was pH dependent: H2O2 was formed at high concentrations in an alkaline or neutral phosphate buffer but not in an acidic buffer. Ammonium ions enhanced H2O2 formation, implying the involvement of the Maillard reaction catalyzed by phosphate. We found that other gelling agents (e.g., gellan and κ-carrageenan) also produced H2O2 after being autoclaved with phosphate. We then examined the cultivability of microorganisms from a fresh-water sample to test whether catalase and pyruvate, known as H2O2 scavengers, are effective in yielding high colony counts. The colony count on PT medium was only 5.7% of that on PS medium. Catalase treatment effectively restored the colony count of PT medium (to 106% of that on PS medium). In contrast, pyruvate was not as effective as catalase: the colony count on sodium pyruvate-supplemented PT medium was 58% of that on PS medium. Given that both catalase and pyruvate can remove H2O2 from PT medium, these observations indicate that although H2O2 is the main cause of reduced colony count on PT medium, other unknown growth-inhibiting substances that cannot be removed by pyruvate (but can be by catalase) may also be involved. IMPORTANCE The majority of bacteria in natural environments are recalcitrant to laboratory culture techniques. Previously, we demonstrated that one reason for this is the formation of high H2O2 levels in media prepared by autoclaving agar and phosphate buffer together (PT medium). In this study, we investigated the factors affecting H2O2 formation from agar. H2O2 formation is pH dependent, and ammonium ions promote this phosphate-catalyzed H2O2 formation. Amendment of catalase or pyruvate, a well-known H2O2-scavenging agent, effectively eliminated H2O2. Yet results suggest that growth-inhibiting factor(s) that cannot be eliminated by pyruvate (but can be by catalase) are present in PT medium. PMID:28821549

Effectiveness of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents under routine care conditions on behavioral and emotional problems rated by parents and patients: an observational study.

PubMed

Walter, Daniel; Dachs, Lydia; Faber, Martin; Goletz, Hildegard; Goertz-Dorten, Anja; Hautmann, Christopher; Kinnen, Claudia; Rademacher, Christiane; Schuermann, Stephanie; Metternich-Kaizman, Tanja Wolff; Doepfner, Manfred

2018-01-01

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered in routine care settings for children and adolescents with mental disorders. This observational study examined changes in behavioral and emotional problems of adolescents with mental disorders during routine outpatient CBT delivered at a university outpatient clinic and compared them with a historical control group of youths who received academic tutoring of comparable length and intensity. Assessments were made at the start and end of treatment (pre- and post-assessment) using parent ratings of the German versions of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and self-ratings of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) scale. For the main analysis, 677 adolescents aged 11‒21 years had complete data. Changes from pre- to post-assessment showed significant reductions in mental health problems on both parent- and self-ratings. Pre- to post-effect sizes (Cohen's d) were small-to-medium for the total sample (d = 0.23 to d = 0.62) and medium-to-large for those adolescents rated in the clinical range on each (sub)scale at the start of treatment (d = 0.65 to d = 1.48). We obtained medium net effect sizes (d = 0.69) for the CBCL and YSR total scores when patients in the clinical range were compared to historical controls. However, a substantial part of the sample remained in the clinical range at treatment end. The results suggest that CBT is effective for adolescents with mental disorders when administered under routine care conditions but must be interpreted conservatively due to the lack of a direct control condition.

Three-Nucleon Forces and Triplet Pairing in Neutron Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papakonstantinou, P.; Clark, J. W.

2017-12-01

The existence of superfluidity of the neutron component in the core of a neutron star, associated specifically with triplet P-wave pairing, is currently an open question that is central to interpretation of the observed cooling curves and other neutron-star observables. Ab initio theoretical calculations aimed at resolving this issue face unique challenges in the relevant high-density domain, which reaches beyond the saturation density of symmetrical nuclear matter. These issues include uncertainties in the three-nucleon (3N) interaction and in the effects of strong short-range correlations—and more generally of in-medium modification of nucleonic self-energies and interactions. A survey of existing solutions of the gap equations in the triplet channel demonstrates that the net impact on the gap magnitude of 3N forces, coupled channels, and mass renormalization shows extreme variation dependent on specific theoretical inputs, in some cases even pointing to the absence of a triplet gap, thus motivating a detailed analysis of competing effects within a well-controlled model. In the present study, we track the effects of the 3N force and in-medium modifications in the representative case of the ^3P_2 channel, based on the Argonne v_{18} two-nucleon (2N) interaction supplemented by 3N interactions of the Urbana IX family. Sensitivity of the results to the input interaction is clearly demonstrated. We point out consistency issues with respect to the simultaneous treatment of 3N forces and in-medium effects, which warrant further investigation. We consider this pilot study as the first step toward a systematic and comprehensive exploration of coupled-channel ^3P F_2 pairing using a broad range of 2N and 3N interactions from the current generation of refined semi-phenomenological models and models derived from chiral effective field theory.

Familiarity Vs Trust: A Comparative Study of Domain Scientists' Trust in Visual Analytics and Conventional Analysis Methods.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Aritra; Lee, Joon-Yong; Wilson, Ryan; Lafrance, Robert A; Cramer, Nick; Cook, Kristin; Payne, Samuel

2017-01-01

Combining interactive visualization with automated analytical methods like statistics and data mining facilitates data-driven discovery. These visual analytic methods are beginning to be instantiated within mixed-initiative systems, where humans and machines collaboratively influence evidence-gathering and decision-making. But an open research question is that, when domain experts analyze their data, can they completely trust the outputs and operations on the machine-side? Visualization potentially leads to a transparent analysis process, but do domain experts always trust what they see? To address these questions, we present results from the design and evaluation of a mixed-initiative, visual analytics system for biologists, focusing on analyzing the relationships between familiarity of an analysis medium and domain experts' trust. We propose a trust-augmented design of the visual analytics system, that explicitly takes into account domain-specific tasks, conventions, and preferences. For evaluating the system, we present the results of a controlled user study with 34 biologists where we compare the variation of the level of trust across conventional and visual analytic mediums and explore the influence of familiarity and task complexity on trust. We find that despite being unfamiliar with a visual analytic medium, scientists seem to have an average level of trust that is comparable with the same in conventional analysis medium. In fact, for complex sense-making tasks, we find that the visual analytic system is able to inspire greater trust than other mediums. We summarize the implications of our findings with directions for future research on trustworthiness of visual analytic systems.

Quasi-linear theory of electron density and temperature fluctuations with application to MHD generators and MPD arc thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, M.

1972-01-01

Fluctuations in electron density and temperature coupled through Ohm's law are studied for an ionizable medium. The nonlinear effects are considered in the limit of a third order quasi-linear treatment. Equations are derived for the amplitude of the fluctuation. Conditions under which a steady state can exist in the presence of the fluctuation are examined and effective transport properties are determined. A comparison is made to previously considered second order theory. The effect of third order terms indicates the possibility of fluctuations existing in regions predicted stable by previous analysis.

Three-dimensional site response at KiK-net downhole arrays

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, Eric M.; Tanaka, Yasuo; Baise, Laurie G.; Kayen, Robert E.

2010-01-01

Ground motions at two Kiban-Kyoshin Network (KiK-net) strong motion downhole array sites in Hokkaido, Japan (TKCH08 in Taiki and TKCH05 in Honbetsu) illustrate the importance of three-dimensional (3D) site effects. These sites recorded the M8.0 2003 Tokachi-Oki earthquake, with recorded accelerations above 0.4 g at both sites as well as numerous ground motions from smaller events. Weak ground motions indicate that site TKCH08 is well modeled with the assumption of plane SH waves traveling through a 1D medium (SH1D), while TKCH05 is characteristic of a poor fit to the SH1D theoretical response. We hypothesized that the misfit at TKCH05results from the heterogeneity of the subsurface. To test this hypothesis, we measured four S-wave velocity profiles in the vicinity (< 300 m) of each site with the spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) method. This KiK-net site pair is ideal for assessing the relative importance of 3D site effects and nonlinear site effects. The linear ground motions at TKCH05 isolate the 3D site effects, as we hypothesized from the linear ground motions and confirmed with our subsequent SASW surveys. The Tokachi-Oki time history at TKCH08 isolates the effects of nonlinearity from spatial heterogeneity because the 3D effects are negligible. The Tokachi-Oki time history at TKCH05 includes both nonlinear and 3D site effects. Comparisons of the accuracy of the SH1D model predictions of these surface time histories from the downhole time histories indicates that the 3D site effects are at least as important as nonlinear effects in this case. The errors associated with the assumption of a 1D medium and 1D wave propagation will be carried into a nonlinear analysis that relies on these same assumptions. Thus, the presence of 3D effects should be ruled out prior to a 1D nonlinear analysis. The SH1D residuals show that 3D effects can be mistaken for nonlinear effects.

Psychosocial Interventions and Wellbeing in Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Pascoe, Michaela C.; Thompson, David R.; Castle, David J.; Jenkins, Zoe M.; Ski, Chantal F.

2017-01-01

Purpose: A number of studies, including systematic reviews, show beneficial effects of psychosocial interventions for people with diabetes mellitus; however, they have not been assessed using meta-analysis. The purpose of this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials is to investigate the effects of psychosocial interventions on depressive and anxiety symptoms, quality of life and self-efficacy in individuals with diabetes mellitus. Methods: The databases Pubmed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science and SocINDEX were searched with no year restriction. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials published in English that included individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, aged 18 years or above, who engaged in a psychosocial intervention, with outcome measures addressing depressive or anxiety symptomology, quality of life or self-efficacy. Eligible studies needed to compare the intervention to usual care. Study selection was completed using Covidence and meta-analysis was undertaken using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Results: Seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Five studies investigated the effects of psychosocial interventions and showed a medium to large benefit for depressive symptoms (SMD: −0.70; CI: −1.27, −0.13) which persisted at follow up (SMD: −1.54, CI: −2.97, −0.12). Similar results were not seen immediately post-intervention in the three studies that assessed anxiety symptoms (SMD: −0.30; CI: −0.69, 0.10); however, a medium beneficial effect was seen at follow up (SMD = −0.61, CI = −0.92 to −0.31). Small benefits were seen in the three studies assessing quality of life outcomes (SMD: 0.30, CI: 0.06, 0.55). No benefit was seen in the two studies assessing self-efficacy (SMD: 0.23, CI: −0.11, 0.57). Conclusions: The results of the current study provide preliminary evidence that psychosocial interventions, compared to usual care, reduce depressive symptoms, and may improve quality of life in individuals with diabetes. However, only a few studies were included and the clinical significance of these findings is unknown. PMID:29259563

Effectiveness of intra-articular injection in wrist joints according to triamcinolone hexacetonide dose in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled double-blind study.

PubMed

Pereira, Daniele Freitas; Natour, Jamil; Machado, Natália Pereira; Furtado, Rita Nely Vilar

2015-02-01

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness in the medium term between low and high doses of triamcinolone hexacetonide used in intra-articular injection in medium-sized joints of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. A randomized double-blind study was carried out in rheumatoid arthritis patients with wrist painful refractory synovitis. Sixty wrists were included and randomized to receive low dose (20 mg) or high dose (40 mg). The outcomes assessed in T0, T1, T4, T8, and T12 weeks were visual analog scale for pain and for swelling, chronic disease activity index, goniometry, simplified Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire, and side effects. Baseline mean (standard deviation) values were pain visual analog scale of 6.1 (1.6) and 6.3 (1.7), P = 0.562; swelling visual analog scale of 5.9 and 6.4, P = 0.466; chronic disease activity index of 17.8 and 16.8, P = 0.366; and Health Assessment Questionnaire of 0.8 and 0.7, P = 0.238, in the high- and low-dose groups, respectively. Both groups improved pain and swelling assessed by the visual analog scale, P < 0.001, in the intragroup analysis. Chronic disease activity index, goniometry, and Health Assessment Questionnaire also improved equally over time in both groups in the intragroup analysis (P < 0.001, 0.001, and 0.002, respectively). No serious side effects were detected. High and low triamcinolone hexacetonide doses had good effectiveness in wrist-blinded intra-articular injection of rheumatoid arthritis patients, without statistical difference between them.

Investigation of the Klinkenberg effect in a micro/nanoporous medium by direct simulation Monte Carlo method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Guang; Weigand, Bernhard

2018-04-01

The pressure-driven gas transport characteristics through a porous medium consisting of arrays of discrete elements is investigated by using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Different porous structures are considered, accounting for both two- and three-dimensional arrangements of basic microscale and nanoscale elements. The pore scale flow patterns in the porous medium are obtained, and the Knudsen diffusion in the pores is studied in detail for slip and transition flow regimes. A new effective pore size of the porous medium is defined, which is a function of the porosity, the tortuosity, the contraction factor, and the intrinsic permeability of the porous medium. It is found that the Klinkenberg effect in different porous structures can be fully described by the Knudsen number characterized by the effective pore size. The accuracies of some widely used Klinkenberg correlations are evaluated by the present DSMC results. It is also found that the available correlations for apparent permeability, most of which are derived from simple pipe or channel flows, can still be applicative for more complex porous media flows, by using the effective pore size defined in this study.

Comparison of three different C18 HPLC columns with different particle sizes for the optimization of aflatoxins analysis.

PubMed

Medina, A; Magan, N

2012-03-15

In this work we compared the performance of chromatography columns with particles of 5 and 3 μm with the new 2.7 μm solid core particles for the analysis of aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, and G2 using trifluoroacetic acid pre-column derivatization. Three different columns have been used and chromatographic parameters as retention time, resolution, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ) were obtained from all of them and compared. The results show that comparing with the traditional columns, shorter columns (100 mm × 4.6 mm) with the new solid core particles are suitable for the analysis of these mycotoxins and allowed the reduction of the analysis time by 45.5% and 33.3% with respect to columns with particle size 5 μm (150 mm × 4.6 mm) and 3 μm (150 mm × 4.6 mm) respectively, without any detrimental effect on performance. This leads to the reduction of the analysis costs by saving on organic solvents and increasing the total number of analyses per day. The capability of these columns for analyzing samples, in different culture media, was assessed by analyzing different samples from: yeasts extract sucrose medium, corn meal agar medium and fresh hazelnut media. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bayesian evaluation of effect size after replicating an original study

PubMed Central

van Aert, Robbie C. M.; van Assen, Marcel A. L. M.

2017-01-01

The vast majority of published results in the literature is statistically significant, which raises concerns about their reliability. The Reproducibility Project Psychology (RPP) and Experimental Economics Replication Project (EE-RP) both replicated a large number of published studies in psychology and economics. The original study and replication were statistically significant in 36.1% in RPP and 68.8% in EE-RP suggesting many null effects among the replicated studies. However, evidence in favor of the null hypothesis cannot be examined with null hypothesis significance testing. We developed a Bayesian meta-analysis method called snapshot hybrid that is easy to use and understand and quantifies the amount of evidence in favor of a zero, small, medium and large effect. The method computes posterior model probabilities for a zero, small, medium, and large effect and adjusts for publication bias by taking into account that the original study is statistically significant. We first analytically approximate the methods performance, and demonstrate the necessity to control for the original study’s significance to enable the accumulation of evidence for a true zero effect. Then we applied the method to the data of RPP and EE-RP, showing that the underlying effect sizes of the included studies in EE-RP are generally larger than in RPP, but that the sample sizes of especially the included studies in RPP are often too small to draw definite conclusions about the true effect size. We also illustrate how snapshot hybrid can be used to determine the required sample size of the replication akin to power analysis in null hypothesis significance testing and present an easy to use web application (https://rvanaert.shinyapps.io/snapshot/) and R code for applying the method. PMID:28388646

Transition state analogue imprinted polymers as artificial amidases for amino acid p-nitroanilides: morphological effects of polymer network on catalytic efficiency.

PubMed

Mathew, Divya; Thomas, Benny; Devaky, K S

2017-11-13

The morphology of the polymer network - porous/less porous - plays predominant role in the amidase activities of the polymer catalysts in the hydrolytic reactions of amino acid p-nitroanilides. Polymers with the imprints of stable phosphonate analogue of the intermediate of hydrolytic reactions were synthesized as enzyme mimics. Molecular imprinting was carried out in thermodynamically stable porogen dimethyl sulphoxide and unstable porogen chloroform, to investigate the morphological effects of polymers on catalytic amidolysis. It was found that the medium of polymerization has vital influence in the amidase activities of the enzyme mimics. The morphological studies of the polymer catalysts were carried out by scanning electron microscopy and Bruner-Emmett-Teller analysis. The morphology of the polymer catalysts and their amidase activities are found to be dependent on the composition of reaction medium. The polymer catalyst prepared in dimethyl sulphoxide is observed to be efficient in 1:9 acetonitrile (ACN)-Tris HCl buffer and that prepared in chloroform is noticed to be stereo specifically and shape-selectively effective in 9:1 ACN-Tris HCl buffer. The solvent memory effect in catalytic amidolysis was investigated using the polymer prepared in acetonitrile.

Effects of methadone hydrochloride on the growth of organotypic cerebellar cultures prepared from methadone-tolerant and control rats.

PubMed

Willson, N J; Schneider, J F; Roizin, L; Fleiss, J F; Rivers, W; Demartini, J E

1976-11-01

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given dl-methadone (5 mg/kg) for at least 3 months and then mated. The drug was continued throughout pregnancy and after delivery. The newly born pups were divided into two groups. One group was tested for in vivo methadone tolerance, while the animals in the othergroup were used to prepare organotypic cerebellar cultures. Various amounts of dl-methadone were added to the media of half of these cerebellum cultures. The effect of the drug in the medium was assessed by measuring explant outgrowth. Similar experiments were carried out with control animals. Statistical analysis of the data obtained in the in vivo portion of the experiment indicates that the pups of methadone-treated mothers tolerate methadone better than those of untreated mothers. The culture experiments revealed that the addition of methadone to the medium reduced explant outgrowth size and this was a dose-related effect. Also, there was significantly less outgrowth from explants prepared using pups of methadone-treated mothers as compared to the controls. There was no significant difference in the effect of methadone on the growth of cultures prepared from the methadone-tolerant and control animals.

[Protein-losing enteropathy with systemic lupus erythematosus effectively treated with octreotide and medium chain triglyceride diet: A case report].

PubMed

Kubo, Makoto; Uchida, Kousuke; Nakashima, Tadaaki; Oda, Seiko; Nakamura, Tomomi; Hashimoto, Shinichi; Watada, Toshiko; Nakamura, Hiroshi; Araki, Jun; Matsuzaki, Masunori; Yano, Masafumi

2015-01-01

In January 2009, a 62-year-old man presented with diarrhea, leg edema, and thrombopenia and was admitted to our hospital. The past medical history revealed Sjögren's syndrome and autoimmune hepatitis for which he had been administered prednisolone. On admission, a laboratory examination revealed massive hypoalbuminemia and high levels of C-reactive protein and platelet-associated IgG. Anti-double stranded DNA and anti-Sm antibodies were negative. Analysis of the bone marrow aspirate and Tc-99m albumin scintigraphy findings suggested autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP) and protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), respectively. We diagnosed him as SLE, because past immunoserological testing had showed positivity for anti-double stranded DNA antibody and LE cells. Methylprednisolone pulse therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy were ineffective. Rituximab was ineffective against PLE but was effective against AITP. Cyclosporine and Cyclophosphamide were ineffective against PLE. Subcutaneous injection of 200-μg octreotide daily and a medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet was effective against PLE, and the patient's condition dramatically improved. The effectiveness of octreotide treatment and an MCT diet in the treatment of PLE with SLE is discussed.

Effects of a meal rich in medium-chain saturated fat on postprandial lipemia in relatives of type 2 diabetics.

PubMed

Pietraszek, Anna; Hermansen, Kjeld; Pedersen, Steen B; Langdahl, Bente L; Holst, Jens J; Gregersen, Søren

2013-01-01

Patients with type 2 diabetes and their relatives (REL) have increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Postprandial triglyceridemia (PPL), which is influenced by diet, is an independent risk factor for CVD. Little is known about the effects of medium-chain saturated fatty acids (medium-chain SFA) on PPL and gene expression in REL. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that medium-chain SFA cause larger PPL response in REL compared with controls (CON) and have a differential effect on circulating incretins and ghrelin and gene expression in muscle and adipose tissue in REL and CON. Seventeen REL and 17 CON received a fat-rich meal (79 energy percent from fat) based on medium-chain SFA (coconut oil). Plasma concentrations of triglycerides (TG), free-fatty acids, insulin, glucose, glucagon-like peptide-1, glucose-dependent insulintropic peptide, and ghrelin were measured before and during 240 min postprandially. Muscle and adipose tissue biopsies were taken at baseline and after the test meal. After the test meal, REL had a higher plasma TG response (P = 0.002) and a tendency toward higher insulin response (P = 0.100). A number of genes were upregulated in response to the meal rich in medium-chain SFA in CON, but not in REL. A meal high in medium-chain SFA resulted in larger PPL response in REL than in CON. It remains to be clarified whether this can be reproduced by a pure medium-chain fat (MCT) load. The meal exerted a differential effect on gene expression in muscle, but not adipose tissue, of REL compared with CON. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Organic syntheses employing supercritical carbon dioxide as a reaction solvent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barstow, Leon E. (Inventor); Ward, Glen D. (Inventor); Bier, Milan (Inventor)

1991-01-01

Chemical reactions are readily carried out using supercritical carbon dioxide as the reaction medium. Supercritical carbon dioxide is of special value as a reaction medium in reactions for synthesizing polypeptides, for sequencing polypeptides, or for amino acid analysis.

Organic syntheses employing supercritical carbon dioxide as a reaction solvent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barstow, Leon E. (Inventor); Ward, Glen D. (Inventor); Bier, Milan (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Chemical reactions are readily carried out using supercritical carbon dioxide as the reaction medium. Supercritical carbon dioxide is of special value as a reaction medium in reactions for synthesizing polypeptides, for sequencing polypeptides, or for amino acid analysis.

Effectiveness of Global Postural Re-education for Treatment of Spinal Disorders: A Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lomas-Vega, Rafael; Garrido-Jaut, María Victoria; Rus, Alma; Del-Pino-Casado, Rafael

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of global postural re-education (GPR) on the treatment of spinal disorders by performing a systematic review and a meta-analysis. MEDLINE, Scopus, and PEDro databases were searched without language or publication date restrictions. Data on pain and function were used to evaluate the effectiveness of GPR. Randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials analyzing the effectiveness of GPR on spinal disorders were selected. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. The meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-analysis 3.3 software. Seven randomized controlled trials and 4 controlled clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed a medium improvement on pain (SMD = -0.63; 95% CI, -0.43 to -0.83) and function (SMD = -0.48; 95% CI, -0.25 to -0.72) after GPR treatment. The positive effect, which was greater in patients with ankylosing spondylitis followed by low back pain and neck pain, was more significant during the intermediate follow-up than immediately after treatment. This meta-analysis provides reliable evidence that GPR may be an effective method for treating spinal disorders by decreasing pain and improving function.

Universities, SMEs and Social Capital: Can You Get Too Much of a Good Thing? An Illustrative Analysis of One University's Knowledge Exchange Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Ian

2016-01-01

This article explores a university knowledge exchange programme for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner-managers. Specifically, it considers why a programme designed to achieve growth in a group of SMEs through the creation of a network high in social capital may have become a constraint on the programme's effectiveness over a period of…

Investigation of the Acoustics of Marine Sediments using an Impedance Tube

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-30

Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass), Syringodium filiforme (manatee grass), and Halodule wrightii (shoal grass). The work led to an invited paper and...equation could be used to model sound propagation in seagrass beds as an effective medium. A typical result for the species Thalassia testudinum (turtle...analysis (Fig. 13), was found to be χleaf = 0.23. Similar results were found the Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) rhizomes (underground root

Effects of alternative energy sources on bacterial cellulose characteristics produced by Komagataeibacter medellinensis.

PubMed

Molina-Ramírez, Carlos; Enciso, Carla; Torres-Taborda, Mabel; Zuluaga, Robin; Gañán, Piedad; Rojas, Orlando J; Castro, Cristina

2018-05-27

Bacterial cellulose (BC) was produced by Komagataeibacter medellinensis using Hestrin and Schramm modified medium in the presence of alternative energy sources (AES), such as ethanol and acetic acid, to explore the effect of AES on the characteristics and properties of the resulting BC. In this study, the physicochemical and structural characteristics of the obtained BC were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and mechanical testing analysis. Ethanol and acetic acid (at 0.1 wt%) were proven to improve the BC yield by K. medellinensis by 279% and 222%, respectively. However, the crystallinity index (%), the degree of polymerization, and maximum rate of degradation temperatures decreased by 9.2%, 36%, and 4.96%, respectively, by the addition of ethanol and by 7.2%, 27%, and 4.21%, respectively, by the addition of acetic acid. The significance of this work, lies on the fact that there is not any report about how BC properties change when substances like ethanol or acetic acid are added to culture medium, and which is the mechanism that provokes those changes, that in our case we could demonstrate the relationship of a higher BC production rate (provoked by ethanol and acetic acid adding) and changes in BC properties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of Local Herb Potency as Rumen Modifier: The Effect of Red Ginger (Zingiber officinale Var.Rubrum) on Parameters of Ruminal Fermentation In Vitro

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawati, A.; Widodo; Artama, W. T.; Yusiati, L. M.

2018-02-01

Essential oil is one of rumen modifier alternatives due to its antimicrobial property. Red ginger is one of local herbs with high essential oil content. The effect of red ginger on rumen fermentation parameters was studied in this research using in vitro gas production method. Five level of red ginger meal was added to the diet to meet final essential oil concentration in fermentation medium of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/L. Substrate of fermentation as microbial feed composed of Penisetum hybride, rice bran, and wheat pollard in ratio 60:20:20 DM basis. Fermentation was carried out for 24 h at 39°C. Total gas production was measured at the end of incubation and sample for methane analysis was taken. Medium sample was taken for analysis of pH, ammonium and VFA concentration, microbial protein and protozoa number. Data showed that addition of red ginger in the diet did not affect the pH, ammonia and VFA concentration, microbial protein and also protozoa number. However, red ginger addition significantly decrease ammonia concentration in all treatment. It could be concluded that addition of red ginger in the diet reduced degradation protein in the rumen as illustrated in lower ammonia concentration.

Do beef risk perceptions or risk attitudes have a greater effect on the beef purchase decisions of Canadian consumers?

PubMed

Yang, Jun; Goddard, Ellen

2011-01-01

Cluster analysis is applied in this study to group Canadian households by two characteristics, their risk perceptions and risk attitudes toward beef. There are some similarities in demographic profiles, meat purchases, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) media recall between the cluster that perceives beef to be the most risky and the cluster that has little willingness to accept the risks of eating beef. There are similarities between the medium risk perception cluster and the medium risk attitude cluster, as well as between the cluster that perceives beef to have little risk and the cluster that is most willing to accept the risks of eating beef. Regression analysis shows that risk attitudes have a larger impact on household-level beef purchasing decisions than do risk perceptions for all consumer clusters. This implies that it may be more effective to undertake policies that reduce the risks associated with eating beef, instead of enhancing risk communication to improve risk perceptions. Only for certain clusters with higher willingness to accept the risks of eating beef might enhancing risk communication increase beef consumption significantly. The different role of risk perceptions and risk attitudes in beef consumption needs to be recognized during the design of risk management policies.

Enhanced tagging of light utilizing acoustic radiation force with speckle pattern analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vakili, Ali; Hollmann, Joseph L.; Holt, R. Glynn; DiMarzio, Charles A.

2017-10-01

In optical imaging, the depth and resolution are limited due to scattering. Unlike light, scattering of ultrasound (US) waves in tissue is negligible. Hybrid imaging methods such as US-modulated optical tomography (UOT) use the advantages of both modalities. UOT tags light by inducing phase change caused by modulating the local index of refraction of the medium. The challenge in UOT is detecting the small signal. The displacement induced by the acoustic radiation force (ARF) is another US effect that can be utilized to tag the light. It induces greater phase change, resulting in a stronger signal. Moreover, the absorbed acoustic energy generates heat, resulting in change in the index of refraction and a strong phase change. The speckle pattern is governed by the phase of the interfering scattered waves; hence, speckle pattern analysis can obtain information about displacement and temperature changes. We have presented a model to simulate the insonation processes. Simulation results based on fixed-particle Monte Carlo and experimental results show that the signal acquired by utilizing ARF is stronger compared to UOT. The introduced mean irradiance change (MIC) signal reveals both thermal and mechanical effects of the focused US beam in different timescales. Simulation results suggest that variation in the MIC signal can be used to generate a displacement image of the medium.

Spectroscopic analysis of solar and cosmic X-ray spectra. 1: The nature of cosmic X-ray spectra and proposed analytical techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, A. B. C., Jr.

1975-01-01

Techniques for the study of the solar corona are reviewed as an introduction to a discussion of modifications required for the study of cosmic sources. Spectroscopic analysis of individual sources and the interstellar medium is considered. The latter was studied via analysis of its effect on the spectra of selected individual sources. The effects of various characteristics of the ISM, including the presence of grains, molecules, and ionization, are first discussed, and the development of ISM models is described. The expected spectral structure of individual cosmic sources is then reviewed with emphasis on supernovae remnants and binary X-ray sources. The observational and analytical requirements imposed by the characteristics of these sources are identified, and prospects for the analysis of abundances and the study of physical parameters within them are assessed. Prospects for the spectroscopic study of other classes of X-ray sources are also discussed.

The effect of culture medium and carrier on explant culture of human limbal epithelium: A comparison of ultrastructure, keratin profile and gene expression.

PubMed

Pathak, Meeta; Olstad, O K; Drolsum, Liv; Moe, Morten C; Smorodinova, Natalia; Kalasova, Sarka; Jirsova, Katerina; Nicolaissen, Bjørn; Noer, Agate

2016-12-01

Patients with limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) often experience pain and photophobia due to recurrent epithelial defects and chronic inflammation of the cornea. Successfully restoring a healthy corneal surface in these patients by transplantation of ex vivo expanded human limbal epithelial cells (LECs) may alleviate these symptoms and significantly improve their quality of life. The clinical outcome of transplantation is known to be influenced by the quality of transplanted cells. Presently, several different protocols for cultivation and transplantation of LECs are in use. However, no consensus on an optimal protocol exists. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of culture medium and carrier on the morphology, staining of selected keratins and global gene expression in ex vivo cultured LECs. Limbal biopsies from cadaveric donors were cultured for three weeks on human amniotic membrane (HAM) or on tissue culture coated plastic (PL) in either a complex medium (COM), containing recombinant growth factors, hormones, cholera toxin and fetal bovine serum, or in medium supplemented only with human serum (HS). The expanded LECs were examined by light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunohistochemistry (IHC) for keratins K3, K7, K8, K12, K13, K14, K15 and K19, as well as microarray and qRT-PCR analysis. The cultured LECs exhibited similar morphology and keratin staining on LM, TEM and IHC examination, regardless of the culture condition. The epithelium was multilayered, with cuboidal basal cells and flattened superficial cells. Cells were attached to each other by desmosomes. Adhesion complexes were observed between basal cells and the underlying carrier in LECs cultured on HAM, but not in LECs cultured on PL. GeneChip Human Gene 2.0 ST microarray (Affymetrix) analysis revealed that 18,653 transcripts were ≥2 fold up or downregulated (p ≤ 0.05). Cells cultured in the same medium (COM or HS) showed more similarities in gene expression than cells cultured on the same carrier (HAM or PL). When each condition was compared to HAM/COM, no statistical difference was found in the transcription level of the selected genes associated with keratin expression, stemness, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, corneal wound healing or autophagy. In conclusion, the results indicate that ex vivo cultures of LECs on HAM and PL, using culture media supplemented with COM or HS, yield tissues with similar morphology and keratin staining. The gene expression appears to be more similar in cells cultured in the same medium (COM or HS) compared to cells cultured on the same carrier (HAM or PL). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of education and income on cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Khaing, Win; Vallibhakara, Sakda A; Attia, John; McEvoy, Mark; Thakkinstian, Ammarin

2017-07-01

Objective Previous studies have reported discrepancy effects of education and income on cardiovascular diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis was therefore conducted which aimed to summarize effects of education and income on cardiovascular diseases. Methods Studies were identified from Medline and Scopus until July 2016. Cohorts were eligible if they assessed associations between education/income and cardiovascular diseases, had at least one outcome including coronary artery diseases, cardiovascular events, strokes and cardiovascular deaths. A multivariate meta-analysis was applied to pool risk effects of these social determinants. Results Among 72 included cohorts, 39, 19, and 14 were studied in Europe, USA, and Asia. Pooled risk ratios of low and medium versus high education were 1.36 (95% confidence interval: 1.11-1.66) and 1.21 (1.06-1.40) for coronary artery diseases, 1.50 (1.17-1.92) and 1.27 (1.09-1.48) for cardiovascular events, 1.23 (1.06-1.43) and 1.17 (1.01-1.35) for strokes, and 1.39 (1.26-1.54) and 1.21 (1.12-1.30) for cardiovascular deaths. The effects of education on all cardiovascular diseases were still present in US and Europe settings, except in Asia this was present only for cardiovascular deaths. Effects of low and medium income versus high on these corresponding cardiovascular diseases were 1.49 (1.16-1.91) and 1.27 (1.10-1.47) for coronary artery diseases, 1.17 (0.96-1.44) and 1.05 (0.98-1.13) for cardiovascular events, 1.30 (0.99-1.72) and 1.24 (1.00-1.53) for strokes, and 1.76 (1.45-2.14) and 1.34 (1.17-1.54) for cardiovascular deaths. Conclusion Social determinants are risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in developed countries, although high heterogeneity in pooling. Data in Asia countries are still needed to update pooling.

Carbonate pore system evaluation using the velocity-porosity-pressure relationship, digital image analysis, and differential effective medium theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima Neto, Irineu A.; Misságia, Roseane M.; Ceia, Marco A.; Archilha, Nathaly L.; Oliveira, Lucas C.

2014-11-01

Carbonate reservoirs exhibit heterogeneous pore systems and a wide variety of grain types, which affect the rock's elastic properties and the reservoir parameter relationships. To study the Albian carbonates in the Campos Basin, a methodology is proposed to predict the amount of microporosity and the representative aspect ratio of these inclusions. The method assumes three pore-space scales in two representative inclusion scenarios: 1) a macro-mesopore median aspect ratio from the thin-section digital image analysis (DIA) and 2) a microporosity aspect ratio predicted based on the measured P-wave velocities. Through a laboratory analysis of 10 grainstone core samples of the Albian age, the P- and S-wave velocities (Vp and Vs) are evaluated at effective pressures of 0-10 MPa. The analytical theories in the proposed methodology are functions of the aspect ratios from the differential effective medium (DEM) theory, the macro-mesopore system recognized from the DIA, the amount of microporosity determined by the difference between the porosities estimated from laboratorial helium-gas and the thin-section petrographic images, and the P-wave velocities under dry effective pressure conditions. The DIA procedure is applied to estimate the local and global parameters, and the textural implications concerning ultrasonic velocities and image resolution. The macro-mesopore inclusions contribute to stiffer rocks and higher velocities, whereas the microporosity inclusions contribute to softer rocks and lower velocities. We observe a high potential for this methodology, which uses the microporosity aspect ratio inverted from Vp to predict Vs with a good agreement. The results acceptably characterize the Albian grainstones. The representative macro-mesopore aspect ratio is 0.5, and the inverted microporosity aspect ratio ranges from 0.01 to 0.07. The effective pressure induced an effect of slight porosity reduction during the triaxial tests, mainly in the microporosity inclusions, slightly changing the amount and the aspect ratio of the microporosity.

Effect of limonene on the heterotrophic growth and polyhydroxybutyrate production by Cupriavidus necator H16.

PubMed

Guzman Lagunes, F; Winterburn, J B

2016-12-01

The inhibitory effect of limonene on polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production in Cupriavidus necator H16 was studied. Firstly, results demonstrate the feasibility of using orange juicing waste (OJW) as a substrate for PHB production. An intracellular PHB content of 81.4% (w/w) was attained for a total dry matter concentration of 9.58gL -1 , when the OJW medium was used. Later, a mineral medium designed to mimic the nutrient levels found in the complex medium derived from OJW was used to study the effect of limonene on the production of PHB. Results showed a drop in specific growth rate (μ) of more than 50% when the initial limonene concentration was 2% (v/v) compared to the limonene free medium. This work highlights the importance of a limonene recovery stage prior to fermentation, to maintain levels below 1% (v/v) in the medium, adding value to the OJW and enhancing the fermentation process productivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of temperature and medium composition on inhibitory activities of gossypol-related compounds against aflatoxigenic fungi.

PubMed

Mellon, J E; Dowd, M K; Beltz, S B

2013-07-01

To investigate the effects of temperature and medium composition on growth/aflatoxin inhibitory activities of terpenoids gossypol, gossypolone and apogossypolone against Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. The compounds were tested at a concentration of 100 μg ml(-1) in a Czapek Dox (Czapek) agar medium at 25, 31 and 37°C. Increased incubation temperature marginally increased growth inhibition caused by these compounds, but reduced the aflatoxin inhibition effected by gossypol. Gossypolone and apogossypolone retained good aflatoxin inhibitory activity against A. flavus and A. parasiticus at higher incubation temperatures. However, increased temperature also significantly reduced aflatoxin production in control cultures. The effects of the terpenoids on fungal growth and aflatoxin production against the same fungi were also determined in Czapek, Czapek with a protein/amino acid addendum and yeast extract sucrose (YES) media. Growth of these fungi in the protein-supplemented Czapek medium or in the YES medium greatly reduced the growth inhibition effects of the terpenoids. Apogossypolone displayed strong anti-aflatoxigenic activity in the Czapek medium, but this activity was significantly reduced in the protein-amended Czapek and YES media. Gossypol, which displayed little to no aflatoxin inhibitory activity in the Czapek medium, did yield significant anti-aflatoxigenic activity in the YES medium. Incubation temperature and media composition are important parameters involved in the regulation of aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. These parameters also affect the potency of growth and aflatoxin inhibitory activities of these gossypol-related compounds against aflatoxigenic fungi. Studies utilizing gossypol-related compounds as inhibitory agents of biological activities should be interpreted with caution due to compound interaction with multiple components of the test system, especially serum proteins. Published [2013]. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Effect of different growth conditions on the discrimination of three bacteria by pyrolysis gas-liquid chromatography.

PubMed Central

Gutteridge, C S; Norris, J R

1980-01-01

High-resolution pyrolysis gas-liquid chromatography was applied to three bacteria (Escherichia coli NCTC 9001, Pseudomonas putida (NCIB 9494, and Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 8532) grown under a variety of conditions. Changing the culture medium drastically altered the quantitative aspects of the pyrograms of all three organisms, but the effects of culture time and incubation temperature were less severe. Mathematical analysis of the relative peak heights showed that four peaks could be used to discriminate the three bacteria however they were cultured. PMID:6999989

Wind turbine wake measurement in complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, KS; Larsen, GC; Menke, R.; Vasiljevic, N.; Angelou, N.; Feng, J.; Zhu, WJ; Vignaroli, A.; W, W. Liu; Xu, C.; Shen, WZ

2016-09-01

SCADA data from a wind farm and high frequency time series measurements obtained with remote scanning systems have been analysed with focus on identification of wind turbine wake properties in complex terrain. The analysis indicates that within the flow regime characterized by medium to large downstream distances (more than 5 diameters) from the wake generating turbine, the wake changes according to local atmospheric conditions e.g. vertical wind speed. In very complex terrain the wake effects are often “overruled” by distortion effects due to the terrain complexity or topology.

The Effect of Communications Medium on the Fundamental Frequency of Speech.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noll, A. Michael

1978-01-01

Describes the results of preliminary experiments to investigate the effects of communications medium (face-to-face and two-way closed circuit television) on the fundamental frequency of speakers in a dyadic communications situation. (JMF)

Antitumor Activity of Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells during Direct or Indirect Co-Culturing with C6 Glioma Cells.

PubMed

Gabashvili, A N; Baklaushev, V P; Grinenko, N F; Mel'nikov, P A; Cherepanov, S A; Levinsky, A B; Chehonin, V P

2016-02-01

The tumor-suppressive effect of rat mesenchymal stem cells against low-differentiated rat C6 glioma cells during their direct and indirect co-culturing and during culturing of C6 glioma cells in the medium conditioned by mesenchymal stem cells was studied in an in vitro experiment. The most pronounced antitumor activity of mesenchymal stem cells was observed during direct co-culturing with C6 glioma cells. The number of live C6 glioma cells during indirect co-culturing and during culturing in conditioned medium was slightly higher than during direct co-culturing, but significantly differed from the control (C6 glioma cells cultured in medium conditioned by C6 glioma cells). The cytotoxic effect of medium conditioned by mesenchymal stem cells was not related to medium depletion by glioma cells during their growth. The medium conditioned by other "non-stem" cells (rat astrocytes and fibroblasts) produced no tumor-suppressive effect. Rat mesenchymal stem cells, similar to rat C6 glioma cells express connexin 43, the main astroglial gap junction protein. During co-culturing, mesenchymal stem cells and glioma C6 cells formed functionally active gap junctions. Gap junction blockade with connexon inhibitor carbenoxolone attenuated the antitumor effect observed during direct co-culturing of C6 glioma cells and mesenchymal stem cells to the level produced by conditioned medium. Cell-cell signaling mediated by gap junctions can be a mechanism of the tumor-suppressive effect of mesenchymal stem cells against C6 glioma cells. This phenomenon can be used for the development of new methods of cell therapy for high-grade malignant gliomas.

Large Fizeau's light-dragging effect in a moving electromagnetically induced transparent medium.

PubMed

Kuan, Pei-Chen; Huang, Chang; Chan, Wei Sheng; Kosen, Sandoko; Lan, Shau-Yu

2016-10-03

As one of the most influential experiments on the development of modern macroscopic theory from Newtonian mechanics to Einstein's special theory of relativity, the phenomenon of light dragging in a moving medium has been discussed and observed extensively in different types of systems. To have a significant dragging effect, the long duration of light travelling in the medium is preferred. Here we demonstrate a light-dragging experiment in an electromagnetically induced transparent cold atomic ensemble and enhance the dragging effect by at least three orders of magnitude compared with the previous experiments. With a large enhancement of the dragging effect, we realize an atom-based velocimeter that has a sensitivity two orders of magnitude higher than the velocity width of the atomic medium used. Such a demonstration could pave the way for motional sensing using the collective state of atoms in a room temperature vapour cell or solid state material.

Evaluation of the effects of a plasma activated medium on cancer cells

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

Mohades, S.; Laroussi, M., E-mail: mlarouss@odu.edu; Sears, J.

2015-12-15

The interaction of low temperature plasma with liquids is a relevant topic of study to the field of plasma medicine. This is because cells and tissues are normally surrounded or covered by biological fluids. Therefore, the chemistry induced by the plasma in the aqueous state becomes crucial and usually dictates the biological outcomes. This process became even more important after the discovery that plasma activated media can be useful in killing various cancer cell lines. Here, we report on the measurements of concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, a species known to have strong biological effects, produced by application of plasma tomore » a minimum essential culture medium. The activated medium is then used to treat SCaBER cancer cells. Results indicate that the plasma activated medium can kill the cancer cells in a dose dependent manner, retain its killing effect for several hours, and is as effective as apoptosis inducing drugs.« less

Seismic Hazard Analysis as a Controlling Technique of Induced Seismicity in Geothermal Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Convertito, V.; Sharma, N.; Maercklin, N.; Emolo, A.; Zollo, A.

2011-12-01

The effect of induced seismicity of geothermal systems during stimulation and fluid circulation can cover a wide range of values from light and unfelt to severe and damaging. If the design of a modern geothermal system requires the largest efficiency to be obtained from the social point of view it is required that the system could be managed in order to reduce possible impact in advance. In this framework, automatic control of the seismic response of the stimulated reservoir is nowadays mandatory, particularly in proximity of densely populated areas. Recently, techniques have been proposed for this purpose mainly based on the concept of the traffic light. This system provides a tool to decide the level of stimulation rate based on the real-time analysis of the induced seismicity and the ongoing ground motion values. However, in some cases the induced effect can be delayed with respect to the time when the reservoir is stimulated. Thus, a controlling system technique able to estimate the ground motion levels for different time scales can help to better control the geothermal system. Here we present an adaptation of the classical probabilistic seismic hazard analysis to the case where the seismicity rate as well as the propagation medium properties are not constant with time. We use a non-homogeneous seismicity model for modeling purposes, in which the seismicity rate and b-value of the recurrence relationship change with time. Additionally, as a further controlling procedure, we propose a moving time window analysis of the recorded peak ground-motion values aimed at monitoring the changes in the propagation medium. In fact, for the same set of magnitude values recorded at the same stations, we expect that on average peak ground motion values attenuate in same way. As a consequence, the residual differences can be reasonably ascribed to changes in medium properties. These changes can be modeled and directly introduced in the hazard integral. We applied the proposed technique to a training dataset of induced earthquakes recorded by Berkeley-Geysers network, which is installed in The Geysers geothermal area in Northern California. The reliability of the techniques is then tested by using a different dataset performing seismic hazard analysis in a time-evolving approach, which provides with ground-motion values having fixed probabilities of exceedence. Those values can be finally compared with the observations by using appropriate statistical tests.

Medium effect on the characteristics of the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals.

PubMed

Huang, Qinghua; Ren, Hengxin; Zhang, Dan; Chen, Y John

2015-01-01

Recently developed numerical simulation technique can simulate the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals for a double couple point source or a finite fault planar source. Besides the source effect, the simulation results showed that both medium structure and medium property could affect the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals. The waveform of coupled signals for a layered structure is more complicated than that for a simple uniform structure. Different from the seismic signals, the electromagnetic signals are sensitive to the medium properties such as fluid salinity and fluid viscosity. Therefore, the co-seismic electromagnetic signals may be more informative than seismic signals.

Medium effect on the characteristics of the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals

PubMed Central

HUANG, Qinghua; REN, Hengxin; ZHANG, Dan; CHEN, Y. John

2015-01-01

Recently developed numerical simulation technique can simulate the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals for a double couple point source or a finite fault planar source. Besides the source effect, the simulation results showed that both medium structure and medium property could affect the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals. The waveform of coupled signals for a layered structure is more complicated than that for a simple uniform structure. Different from the seismic signals, the electromagnetic signals are sensitive to the medium properties such as fluid salinity and fluid viscosity. Therefore, the co-seismic electromagnetic signals may be more informative than seismic signals. PMID:25743062

Physical structure changes of solid medium by steam explosion sterilization.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhi-Min; Wang, Lan; Chen, Hong-Zhang

2016-03-01

Physical structure changes of solid medium were investigated to reveal effects of steam explosion sterilization on solid-state fermentation (SSF). Results indicated that steam explosion changed the structure of solid medium at both molecular and three-dimensional structural levels, which exposed hydrophilic groups and enlarged pores and cavities. It was interesting to find that pores where capillary water located were the active sites for SSF, due to the close relationship among capillary water relaxation time, specific surface area and fermentation performance. Therefore, steam explosion sterilization increased the effective contact area for microbial cells on solid medium, which contributed to improving SSF performance. Combined with the previous research, mechanisms of SSF improvement by steam explosion sterilization contained both chemical and physical effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A microPIXE investigation of the interaction of cells of Schizosaccharomyces pombe with the culture medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rombouts, P. M. M.; Gomez-Morilla, I.; Grime, G. W.; Webb, R. P.; Cuenca, L.; Rodriguez, R.; Browton, M.; Wardell, N.; Underwood, B.; Kirkby, N. F.; Kirkby, K. J.

2007-07-01

Schizosaccharomyces pombe ( S. pombe) is a eucaryotic cell type similar to mammalian cells but much more simple. As it also executes its cell cycle rapidly it is very useful for investigating basic processes in cells. In this paper we report a feasibility study of the applicability of microPIXE to investigate the interaction between S. pombe cells and the surrounding culture medium. Cells were cultured in various growth medium prior to preparation for analysis. 1 μl drops of medium and cells were spotted onto polypropylene foils held in contact with a polished copper block previously cooled in liquid nitrogen. The samples were dehydrated by freeze-drying. Micro PIXE analysis was carried out with the IBC microbeam facility using a beam of 2.5 MeV protons focused to 1-2 μm diameter. Initially no elemental contrast was observed between the cells and the medium, but by modifying the dilution of the cell suspension, the cells could be distinguished from the surrounding medium through an increased concentration of P and reduced concentration of Cl. The distribution of Na in the medium around the cells showed evidence of the action of the Na pump. Sporulation appears to be induced in the cells by adding Cu to the growth medium and the uptake of Cu by the cells could be clearly observed. This study shows that it is possible to analyse the mass transport of elements in and out of cells In the future this will enable concentration gradients to be analysed and allow the rate of production or consumption of individual cells to be calculated. By observing these patterns for individual cells (not populations) at various known points in the cell cycle, fundamental data can be derived.

Efficacy Beliefs, Job Satisfaction, Stress and Their Influence on the Occupational Commitment of English-Medium Content Teachers in the Dominican Republic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barouch Gilbert, Rachel; Adesope, Olusola O.; Schroeder, Noah Lee

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of efficacy, job satisfaction, job stress and their influence on the occupational commitment of English-medium content teachers. A total of 109 practicing English-medium and Spanish-medium content teachers from the Dominican Republic volunteered to participate in the study. Findings…

High statistics study of in-medium S- and P-wave quarkonium states in lattice Non-relativistic QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S.; Petreczky, P.; Rothkopf, A.

2017-11-01

Many measurements of quarkonium suppression at the LHC, e.g. the nuclear modification factor RAA of J / Ψ, are well described by a multitude of different models. Thus pinpointing the underlying physics aspects is difficult and guidance based on first principles is needed. Here we present the current status of our ongoing high precision study of in-medium spectral properties of both bottomonium and charmonium based on NRQCD on the lattice. This effective field theory allows us to capture the physics of quarkonium without modeling assumptions in a thermal QCD medium. In our study a first principles and realistic description of the QCD medium is provided by state-of-the-art lattices of the HotQCD collaboration at almost physical pion mass. Our updated results corroborate a picture of sequential modification of states with respect to their vacuum binding energy. Using a novel low-gain variant of the Bayesian BR method for reconstructing spectral functions we find that remnant features of the Upsilon may survive up to T ∼ 400MeV, while the χb signal disappears around T ∼ 270MeV. The c c ‾ analysis hints at melting of χc below T ∼ 190MeV while some J / Ψ remnant feature might survive up to T ∼ 245MeV. An improved understanding of the numerical artifacts in the Bayesian approach and the availability of increased statistics have made possible a first quantitative study of the in-medium ground state masses, which tend to lower values as T increases, consistent with lattice potential based studies.

Effect of genotype, gelling agent, and auxin on the induction of somatic embryogenesis in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.).

PubMed

El Abidine Triqui, Zine; Guédira, Abdelkarim; Chlyah, Averil; Chlyah, Hassane; Souvannavong, Vongthip; Haïcour, Robert; Sihachakr, Darasinh

2008-03-01

Lateral buds of six cultivars of sweet potato were induced to form embryogenic callus in a culture medium solidified with two types of gelling agents, Agar or Gelrite, and supplemented with various concentrations of auxins, 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T and Picloram. Of the six cultivars screened, only three gave an embryogenic response. Best results with an average of 3.53% embryogenic response were obtained with the medium solidified with Agar, while in Gelrite only 0.45% of lateral buds gave rise to embryogenic callus. The interaction between the genotype and auxins was highly significant; particularly the optimal response was obtained with cv. Zho and 865 yielding 10.7 and 14.7% somatic embryogenesis, respectively, in the medium containing 2,4,5-T or Picloram. The plant conversion was dramatically improved by subculture of the embryogenic callus on the medium with the combination of 1 microM 2,4-D and 1 microM Kinetin or 5 microM ABA alone before transfer of mature embryos onto hormone-free medium. The embryogenic callus of sweet potato and its sustained ability to further regenerate plants have regularly been maintained for several years by frequent subculture in 5 microM 2,4,5-T or the combination of 10 microM 2,4-D and 1 microM BAP or kinetin. The embryo-derived plants seemed apparently genetically stable and similar to the hexaploid parental plants, based on morphological analysis and their ploidy level determined by using flow cytometry.

Studies on the cytotoxicity of diamond nanoparticles against human cancer cells and lymphocytes.

PubMed

Adach, Kinga; Fijalkowski, Mateusz; Gajek, Gabriela; Skolimowski, Janusz; Kontek, Renata; Blaszczyk, Alina

2016-07-25

Detonation nanodiamonds (DND) are a widely studied group of carbon nanomaterials. They have the ability to adsorb a variety of biomolecules and drugs onto their surfaces, and additionally their surfaces may be subjected to chemical functionalization by covalent bonds. We present a procedure for the purification and surface oxidation of diamond nanoparticles, which were then tested by spectroscopic analysis such as ATR-FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. We also examined the zeta potential of the tested material. Analysis of the cytotoxic effect of nanodiamonds against normal lymphocytes derived from human peripheral blood, the non-small cell lung cancer cell line (A549) and the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT29) was performed using MTT colorimetric assay. Evaluation of cell viability was performed after 1-h and 24-h treatment with the tested nanoparticles applied at concentrations ranging from 1 μg/ml to 100 μg/ml. We found that the survival of the examined cells was strongly associated with the presence of serum proteins in the growth medium. The incubation of cells with nanodiamonds in the presence of serum did not exert a significant effect on cell survival, while the cell treatment in a serum-free medium resulted in a decrease in cell survival compared to the negative control. The role of purification and functionalization of nanodiamonds on their cytotoxicity was also demonstrated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creating a flipbook as a medium of instruction based on the research on activity test of kencur extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monika, Icha; Yeni, Laili Fitri; Ariyati, Eka

2016-02-01

This research aimed to reveal the validity of the flipbook as a medium of learning for the sub-material of environmental pollution in the tenth grade based on the results of the activity test of kencur (Kaempferia galanga) extract to control the growth of the Fusarium oxysporum fungus. The research consisted of two stages. First, testing the validity of the medium of flipbook through validation by seven assessors and analyzed based on the total average score of all aspects. Second, testing the activity of the kencur extract against the growth of Fusarium oxysporum by using the experimental method with 10 treatments and 3 repetitions which were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. The making of the flipbook medium was done through the stages of analysis for the potential and problems, data collection, design, validation, and revision. The validation analysis on the flipbook received an average score of 3.7 and was valid to a certain extent, so it could be used in the teaching and learning process especially in the sub-material of environmental pollution in the tenth grade of the senior high school.

Fully Dedifferentiated Chondrocytes Expanded in Specific Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth Medium with FGF2 Obtains Mesenchymal Stem Cell Phenotype In Vitro but Retains Chondrocyte Phenotype In Vivo

PubMed Central

Lee, Jungsun; Lee, Jin-Yeon; Chae, Byung-Chul; Jang, Jeongho

2017-01-01

Given recent progress in regenerative medicine, we need a means to expand chondrocytes in quantity without losing their regenerative capability. Although many reports have shown that growth factor supplementation can have beneficial effects, the use of growth factor–supplemented basal media has widespread effect on the characteristics of chondrocytes. Chondrocytes were in vitro cultured in the 2 most widely used chondrocyte growth media, conventional chondrocyte culture medium and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) culture medium, both with and without fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) supplementation. Their expansion rates, expressions of extracellular matrix–related factors, senescence, and differentiation potentials were examined in vitro and in vivo. Our results revealed that chondrocytes quickly dedifferentiated during expansion in all tested media, as assessed by the loss of type II collagen expression. The 2 basal media (chondrocyte culture medium vs. MSC culture medium) were associated with distinct differences in cell senescence. Consistent with the literature, FGF2 was associated with accelerated dedifferentiation during expansion culture and superior redifferentiation upon induction. However, chondrocytes expanded in FGF2-containing conventional chondrocyte culture medium showed MSC-like features, as indicated by their ability to direct ectopic bone formation and cartilage formation. In contrast, chondrocytes cultured in FGF2-supplemented MSC culture medium showed potent chondrogenesis and almost no bone formation. The present findings show that the chosen basal medium can exert profound effects on the characteristics and activity of in vitro–expanded chondrocytes and indicate that right growth factor/medium combination can help chondrocytes retain a high-level chondrogenic potential without undergoing hypertrophic transition. PMID:29251111

Effect of soil heating by 239Pu on field fauna

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

Krivolutskii, D. A.; Fedorova, M. N.

1973-12-01

This paper presents continued studies on the effect of radioactive heating of the medium on soil fauna. Plutonium-239 was selected for study because of its high radiotoxicity and because the effects of heating of a medium by alpha radiation on the animal population had not been previously observed.

Nanosized UCMSC-derived extracellular vesicles but not conditioned medium exclusively inhibit the inflammatory response of stimulated T cells: implications for nanomedicine.

PubMed

Monguió-Tortajada, Marta; Roura, Santiago; Gálvez-Montón, Carolina; Pujal, Josep Maria; Aran, Gemma; Sanjurjo, Lucía; Franquesa, Marcel la; Sarrias, Maria-Rosa; Bayes-Genis, Antoni; Borràs, Francesc E

2017-01-01

Undesired immune responses have drastically hampered outcomes after allogeneic organ transplantation and cell therapy, and also lead to inflammatory diseases and autoimmunity. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) have powerful regenerative and immunomodulatory potential, and their secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) are envisaged as a promising natural source of nanoparticles to increase outcomes in organ transplantation and control inflammatory diseases. However, poor EV preparations containing highly-abundant soluble proteins may mask genuine vesicular-associated functions and provide misleading data. Here, we used Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) to successfully isolate EVs from UCMSCs-conditioned medium. These vesicles were defined as positive for CD9, CD63, CD73 and CD90, and their size and morphology characterized by NTA and cryo-EM. Their immunomodulatory potential was determined in polyclonal T cell proliferation assays, analysis of cytokine profiles and in the skewing of monocyte polarization. In sharp contrast to the non-EV containing fractions, to the complete conditioned medium and to ultracentrifuged pellet, SEC-purified EVs from UCMSCs inhibited T cell proliferation, resembling the effect of parental UCMSCs. Moreover, while SEC-EVs did not induce cytokine response, the non-EV fractions, conditioned medium and ultracentrifuged pellet promoted the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by polyclonally stimulated T cells and supported Th17 polarization. In contrast, EVs did not induce monocyte polarization, but the non-EV fraction induced CD163 and CD206 expression and TNF-α production in monocytes. These findings increase the growing evidence confirming that EVs are an active component of MSC's paracrine immunosuppressive function and affirm their potential for therapeutics in nanomedicine. In addition, our results highlight the importance of well-purified and defined preparations of MSC-derived EVs to achieve the immunosuppressive effect.

Pro-Inflammatory cytokines increases hepatocellular carcinoma cells thermotolerance: Evidence of how local inflammation may negatively impact radiofrequency ablation local control rates

PubMed Central

Douglas, Wade G.; Wang, Yangping; Gibbs, John F.; Tracy, Erin; Kuvshinoff, Boris; Huntoon, Kristin; Baumann, Heinz

2008-01-01

Background Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) associated with inflammation that undergo radiofrequency ablation (RFA) appear to have poorer local control rates. Little is known of how mediators of inflammation influence HCC cellular thermotolerance which in part is mediated by heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70). This study determines how inflammatory mediators effect cellular thermotolerance and provides insight into how associated inflammation may impact HCC RFA local control rates. Methods HepG2 cell lines were cultured in control medium (CM) or CM containing conditioned medium of endotoxin-activated macrophage (CMM). Serial dilutions of CMM established microenvironments approximating low, medium and high CMM. All groups underwent a heat shock challenge (HSC) at 45° C for 10 minutes. Western blot, northern blot, densometric analysis, along with Thymidine and clonagenic assays determined how inflammation influenced multiple biologic endpoints. Results Cells cultured in low CMM, expressed significantly more HSP 70 RNA and protein compared to control cells after HSC. The cells also had a higher proliferative and survival rate after HSC compared to control cells. Medium CMM cultured cells had no significant difference in HSP 70 RNA and protein production or proliferation and survival rates after HSC, compared to CM cultured cells. AT high CMM the inhibitory effects of inflammatory mediators prevailed, all the measured endpoints were significantly less compared to CM cultured cells. Conclusions This study demonstrates that inflammation can alter the responsiveness of HCC cells to a HSC in a dose dependent manner. This study supports the clinical observation that HCC associated with chronic inflammation have worse RFA local control rates. PMID:18262552

Effects of ionic liquid to water ratio as a composite medium for the synthesis of LiFePO4 for battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tith, Rany; Dutta, Jaydeep; Jung, Kichang; Martinez-Morales, Alfredo A.

2017-05-01

LiFePO4 is a highly researched cathode material that serves as an alternative material for traditional commercial lithiumion batteries such as LiCoO2. Currently, there are a number of different methods to synthesize LiFePO4 including: hydrothermal, solid state, spray pyrolysis, and coprecipitation. Our proposed method has the potential to provide an ecologically friendly and economically competitive way to synthesize LiFePO4 by utilizing ionic liquid and water, as a composite synthesis medium. The addition of water to ionic liquid can be beneficial as it can act as a mineralizer to bring insoluble precursors to form LiFePO4 seed crystals. Furthermore, this method provides the possibility of recycling the ionic liquid for repeated synthesis processes. In this work, we study the effects of ionic liquid to water ratio on the crystallinity and morphology of the synthesized material. Our group was able to conclude a reaction medium utilizing a ratio of equal parts of 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium trifluoromethane sulfonate (EMIM Otf) and water, or a slightly favored ionic liquid ratio, increases the efficacy of the synthesis route. Crystallinity and purity was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine morphology and crystal sizes, and energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDX) was used for elemental analysis.

Analysis of operational requirements for medium density air transportation. Volume 1: Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The medium density air travel market was studied to determine the aircraft design and operational requirements. The impact of operational characteristics on the air travel system and the economic viability of the study aircraft were also evaluated. Medium density is defined in terms of numbers of people transported (20 to 500 passengers per day on round trip routes), and frequency of service ( a minumium of two and maximum of eight round trips per day) for 10 regional carriers. The operational characteristics of aircraft best suited to serve the medium density air transportation market are determined and a basepoint aircraft is designed from which tradeoff studies and parametric variations could be conducted. The impact of selected aircraft on the medium density market, economics, and operations is ascertained. Research and technology objectives for future programs in medium density air transportation are identified and ranked.

Fatty acid and sterol composition of three phytomonas species.

PubMed

Nakamura, C V; Waldow, L; Pelegrinello, S R; Ueda-Nakamura, T; Filho, B A; Filho, B P

1999-01-01

Fatty acid and sterol analysis were performed on Phytomonas serpens and Phytomonas sp. grown in chemically defined and complex medium, and P. françai cultivated in complex medium. The three species of the genus Phytomonas had qualitatively identical fatty acid patterns. Oleic, linoleic, and linolenic were the major unsaturated fatty acids. Miristic and stearic were the major saturated fatty acids. Ergosterol was the only sterol isolated from Phytmonas sp. and P. serpens grown in a sterol-free medium, indicating that it was synthesized de novo. When P. françai that does not grow in defined medium was cultivated in a complex medium, cholesterol was the only sterol detected. The fatty acids and sterol isolated from Phytomonas sp. and P. serpens grown in a chemically defined lipid-free medium indicated that they were able to biosynthesize fatty acids and ergosterol from acetate or from acetate precursors such as glucose or threonine.

Medium optimization for pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) production by Methylobacillus sp. zju323 using response surface methodology and artificial neural network-genetic algorithm.

PubMed

Wei, Peilian; Si, Zhenjun; Lu, Yao; Yu, Qingfei; Huang, Lei; Xu, Zhinan

2017-08-09

Methylobacillus sp. zju323 was adopted to improve the biosynthesis of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) by systematic optimization of the fermentation medium. The Plackett-Burman design was implemented to screen for the key medium components for the PQQ production. CoCl 2  · 6H 2 O, ρ-amino benzoic acid, and MgSO 4  · 7H 2 O were found capable of enhancing the PQQ production most significantly. A five-level three-factor central composite design was used to investigate the direct and interactive effects of these variables. Both response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network-genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) were used to predict the PQQ production and to optimize the medium composition. The results showed that the medium optimized by ANN-GA was better than that by RSM in maximizing PQQ production and the experimental PQQ concentration in the ANN-GA-optimized medium was improved by 44.3% compared with that in the unoptimized medium. Further study showed that this ANN-GA-optimized medium was also effective in improving PQQ production by fed-batch mode, reaching the highest PQQ accumulation of 232.0 mg/L, which was about 47.6% increase relative to that in the original medium. The present work provided an optimized medium and developed a fed-batch strategy which might be potentially applicable in industrial PQQ production.

Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoqian; Machado, Gustavo C; Eyles, Jillian P; Ravi, Varshini; Hunter, David J

2018-02-01

To investigate the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements for patients with osteoarthritis. An intervention systematic review with random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Allied and Complementary Medicine and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched from inception to April 2017. Randomised controlled trials comparing oral supplements with placebo for hand, hip or knee osteoarthritis. Of 20 supplements investigated in 69 eligible studies, 7 (collagen hydrolysate, passion fruit peel extract, Curcuma longa extract, Boswellia serrata extract, curcumin, pycnogenol and L-carnitine) demonstrated large (effect size >0.80) and clinically important effects for pain reduction at short term. Another six (undenatured type II collagen, avocado soybean unsaponifiables, methylsulfonylmethane, diacerein, glucosamine and chondroitin) revealed statistically significant improvements on pain, but were of unclear clinical importance. Only green-lipped mussel extract and undenatured type II collagen had clinically important effects on pain at medium term. No supplements were identified with clinically important effects on pain reduction at long term. Similar results were found for physical function. Chondroitin demonstrated statistically significant, but not clinically important structural improvement (effect size -0.30, -0.42 to -0.17). There were no differences between supplements and placebo for safety outcomes, except for diacerein. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation suggested a wide range of quality evidence from very low to high. The overall analysis including all trials showed that supplements provided moderate and clinically meaningful treatment effects on pain and function in patients with hand, hip or knee osteoarthritis at short term, although the quality of evidence was very low. Some supplements with a limited number of studies and participants suggested large treatment effects, while widely used supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin were either ineffective or showed small and arguably clinically unimportant treatment effects. Supplements had no clinically important effects on pain and function at medium-term and long-term follow-ups. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Calcium in the control of renin release.

PubMed

Park, C S; Malvin, R L

1978-07-01

The effect of Ca concentrations in the incubation medium and of estimated intracellular Ca concentrations on renin release was examined with use of pig renal cortical slices. In addition, the Ca requirement for the epinephrine stimulatory effect and for the ouabain inhibitory action on renin release was also tested. In mediums containing 5.9 mM K, variations in Ca concentration had no effect on renin release. In contrast, when the K concentration was 59 mM, a significant inhibition of renin release was attained with all concentrations of calcium. The inhibition of renin release in high K mediums by Ca was attributed to an increase in the intracellular Ca concentration. In addition, both the stimulatory effect of epinephrine and the inhibitory effect of ouabain on renin release required Ca in the medium. These results support the hypothesis that the control of renin secretion is mediated, in part, by changes in the intracellular concentration of Ca, most likely in the juxtaglomerular cells.

Impact of marine reserve on maximum sustainable yield in a traditional prey-predator system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Prosenjit; Kar, T. K.; Ghorai, Abhijit

2018-01-01

Multispecies fisheries management requires managers to consider the impact of fishing activities on several species as fishing impacts both targeted and non-targeted species directly or indirectly in several ways. The intended goal of traditional fisheries management is to achieve maximum sustainable yield (MSY) from the targeted species, which on many occasions affect the targeted species as well as the entire ecosystem. Marine reserves are often acclaimed as the marine ecosystem management tool. Few attempts have been made to generalize the ecological effects of marine reserve on MSY policy. We examine here how MSY and population level in a prey-predator system are affected by the low, medium and high reserve size under different possible scenarios. Our simulation works shows that low reserve area, the value of MSY for prey exploitation is maximum when both prey and predator species have fast movement rate. For medium reserve size, our analysis revealed that the maximum value of MSY for prey exploitation is obtained when prey population has fast movement rate and predator population has slow movement rate. For high reserve area, the maximum value of MSY for prey's exploitation is very low compared to the maximum value of MSY for prey's exploitation in case of low and medium reserve. On the other hand, for low and medium reserve area, MSY for predator exploitation is maximum when both the species have fast movement rate.

Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows as Probes of Environment and Blastwave Physics II: The Distribution of p and Structure of the Circumburst Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starling, R. L. C.; vanderHorst, A. J.; Rol, E.; Wijers, R. A. M. J.; Kouveliotou, C.; Wiersema, K.; Curran, P. A.; Weltevrede, P.

2007-01-01

We constrain blastwave parameters and the circumburst media of a subsample of BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Bursts. For this sample we derive the values of the injected electron energy distribution index, p, and the density structure index of the circumburst medium, k, from simultaneous spectral fits to their X-ray, optical and nIR afterglow data. The spectral fits have been done in count space and include the effects of metallicity, and are compared with the previously reported optical and X-ray temporal behaviour. Assuming the fireball model, we can find a mean value of p for the sample as a whole of 2.035. A statistical analysis Of the distribution demonstrates that the p values in this sample are inconsistent with a single universal value for p at the 3sigma level or greater. This approach provides us with a measured distribution of circumburst density structures rather than considering only the cases of k = 0 (homogeneous) and k = 2 (wind-like). We find five GRBs for which k can be well constrained, and in four of these cases the circumburst medium is clearly wind-like. The fifth source has a value of 0 less than or equal to k less than or equal to 1, consistent with a homogeneous circumburst medium.

The quality of sperm preparation medium affects the motility, viability, and DNA integrity of human spermatozoa.

PubMed

Anbari, Fatemeh; Halvaei, Iman; Nabi, Ali; Ghazali, Shahin; Khalili, Mohammad Ali; Johansson, Lars

2016-01-01

The goal was to compare the effects of three different sperm preparation media on sperm motility, viability, and DNA integrity of semen samples from normozoospermic men. A total of 15 normozoospermic males were included in the study. The semen analysis (SA) was performed in accordance with the WHO guidelines (2010). After SA, each sample was divided into three aliquots, and swim-up was performed with three different sperm preparation media (Sperm Preparation Media, Origio, Denmark; Ham's F10, Biochrome, Berlin, Germany; and VitaSperm™, Innovative Biotech, Iran). Sperm motility, viability, and DNA fragmentation were evaluated at 0, 1, 2, and 24 h after swim-up. There were no significant differences, at any time intervals, in the total sperm motility between the different sperm preparation media. However, the rate of progressive motility was significantly higher in spermatozoa prepared using the media from Origio in comparison with VitaSperm™ ( P = 0.03), whereas no significant difference was found against Ham's F10 medium. No significant differences in sperm viability were seen between the media products. However, 1 h after swim-up, the extent of sperm DNA fragmentation was lower in the medium from Origio versus VitaSperm™ ( P = 0.02). The data showed that the quality of medium for preparation of semen samples from normozoospermic men significantly affects the performance of spermatozoa in assisted conception programs.

Soy milk as a storage medium to preserve human fibroblast cell viability: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Moura, Camilla Christian Gomes; Soares, Priscilla Barbosa Ferreira; Reis, Manuella Verdinelli de Paula; Fernandes Neto, Alfredo Júlio; Soares, Carlos José

2012-01-01

Soy milk (SM) is widely consumed worldwide as a substitute for cow milk. It is a source of vitamins, carbohydrates and sugars, but its capacity to preserve cell viability has not been evaluated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of SM to maintain the viability of human fibroblasts at short periods compared with different cow milks. Human mouth fibroblasts were cultured and stored in the following media at room temperature: 10% Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) (positive control group); long shelf-life ultra-high temperature whole cow milk (WM); long shelf-life ultra-high temperature skim cow milk (SKM); powdered cow milk (PM); and soy milk (SM). After 5, 15, 30 and 45 min, cell viability was analyzed using the MTT assay. Data were analyzed statistically by the Kruskal-Wallis test with post-analysis using the Dunn's method (α=0.05). SKM showed the lowest capacity to maintain cell viability in all analyzed times (p<0.05). At 30 and 45 min, the absorbance levels in control group (DMEM) and SM were significantly higher than in SKM (p<0.05). Cell viability decreased along the time (5-45 min). The results indicate that SM can be used as a more adequate storage medium for avulsed teeth. SKM was not as effective in preserving cell viability as the cell culture medium and SM.

Are work organization interventions effective in preventing or reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders? A systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Stock, Susan R; Nicolakakis, Nektaria; Vézina, Nicole; Vézina, Michel; Gilbert, Louis; Turcot, Alice; Sultan-Taïeb, Hélène; Sinden, Kathryn; Denis, Marie-Agnès; Delga, Céline; Beaucage, Clément

2018-03-01

Objectives We sought to determine whether interventions that target work organization or the psychosocial work environment are effective in preventing or reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) compared to usual work. Methods We systematically reviewed the 2000-2015 English- and French-language scientific literature, including studies evaluating the effectiveness of an organizational or psychosocial work intervention on incidence, prevalence or intensity of work-related musculoskeletal pain or disorders in the neck, shoulders, upper limbs and/or back or of work absence due to such problems, among non-sick-listed workers. We excluded rehabilitation and individual-level behavioral interventions and studies with >50% attrition. We analyzed medium- and high-quality studies and synthesized the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development & Evaluation (GRADE) approach. An analysis of key workplace intervention elements supplemented the interpretation of results. Results We identified 884 articles; 28 met selection criteria, yielding 2 high-quality, 10 medium-quality and 16 low-quality studies. There was moderate evidence that supplementary breaks, compared to conventional break schedules, are effective in reducing symptom intensity in various body regions. Evidence was low-to-very-low quality for other interventions, primarily due to risk of bias related to study design, high attrition rates, co-interventions, and insensitive indicators. Most interventions lacked key intervention elements, such as work activity analysis and ergonomist guidance during implementation, but the relation of these elements to intervention effectiveness or ineffectiveness remains to be demonstrated. Conclusions Targeting work-rest cycles may reduce WMSD. Better quality studies are needed to allow definitive conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of other work organizational or psychosocial interventions to prevent or reduce WMSD.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A meta-analysis of executive functioning.

PubMed

Hirst, Rayna B; Beard, Charlotte L; Colby, Katrina A; Quittner, Zoe; Mills, Brent M; Lavender, Jason M

2017-12-01

Research investigating the link between eating disorder (ED) diagnosis and executive dysfunction has had conflicting results, yet no meta-analyses have examined the overall association of ED pathology with executive functioning (EF). Effect sizes were extracted from 32 studies comparing ED groups (27 of anorexia nervosa, 9 of bulimia nervosa) with controls to determine the grand mean effect on EF. Analyses included effects for individual EF measures, as well as an age-based subgroup analysis. There was a medium effect of ED diagnosis on executive functioning, with bulimia nervosa demonstrating a larger effect (Hedges's g=-0.70) than anorexia nervosa (g=-0.41). Within anorexia nervosa studies, subgroup analyses were conducted for age and diagnostic subtype. The effect of anorexia nervosa on EF was largest in adults; however, subgroup differences for age were not significant. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are associated with EF deficits, which are particularly notable for individuals with bulimia nervosa. The present analysis includes recommendations for future studies regarding study design and EF measurement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of different agar diffusion methods for the detection of residues in the kidneys of pigs treated with antimicrobial drugs.

PubMed

Korkeala, H; Sorvettula, O; Mäki-Petäys, O; Hirn, J

1983-01-01

Residue analyses of the kidneys of twenty-six pigs treated with various antimicrobial drugs 20 h before slaughter and of eleven untreated pigs were performed. The effects of storage temperature of the kidneys, and of sampling location, on the residue analysis were also studied. No method alone was sufficient for the detection of residues. Oxytetracycline residues could be detected at pH 6, dihydrostreptomycin residues at pH 8, and sulphonamide residues if trimethoprim was present in the medium. Chloramphenicol, penicillin G procaine, tylosin and lincomycin residues were not detectable with the methods used. The concentration of ampicillin decreased during the storage of samples at +4°C. Most methods also yielded zones of inhibition for the frozen kidneys from untreated pigs. It seems necessary to use agar media of two different pH values: the addition of trimethoprim to the medium is also needed. The use of fresh pig kidneys, and samples containing both kidney medulla and kidney cortex, is recommended in residue analysis. Copyright © 1983. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Optimizing surface characteristics for cell adhesion and proliferation on titanium plasma spray coatings on polyetheretherketone.

PubMed

Yoon, Byung Jo Victor; Xavier, Fred; Walker, Brendon R; Grinberg, Samuel; Cammisa, Frank P; Abjornson, Celeste

2016-10-01

Titanium plasma spray coating on polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a recent innovation to interbody spacer technology. The inherent hydrophobic properties of standard, uncoated PEEK implants can hamper cell attachment and bone healing during fusion. The addition of titanium coating not only offers initial stability due to increased surface roughness but also long-term stability due to bony ongrowth created from osteoconductive microenvironment on the device surface. The previously established hydrophilic and osteophilic properties of commercially pure titanium (CPTi) can potentially provide an ideal environment promoting cell attachment and bony ongrowth when applied at the end plate level of the fusion site. Because the surface material composition and topography is what seems to directly affect cell adhesion, it is important to determine the ideal titanium coating for the highest effectiveness. The purpose of the study is to determine whether there is an optimal surface roughness for the titanium coatings and whether different polishing methods have a greater effect than roughness or topography in mediating cell adhesion to the surface. The study was divided into two phases. In Phase 1, the effects of varying surface roughnesses on identical polishing method were compared. In Phase 2, the effect of varying polishing methods was compared on identical surface roughnesses. Coating thickness, porosity, and surface roughness were characterized using an optical microscope as per ASTM F 1854 standards. For both phases, PEEK coupons with plasma-sprayed CPTi were used, and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) at an initial density of 25,000 cells/cm 2 were seeded and cultured for 24 hours before fixation in 10% formalin. The cultured hMSCs were visualized by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, a fluorescent stain that binds to the DNA of living cells. Samples were imaged using an environmental scanning electron microscope (eSEM) (Carl Zeiss Microscopy, Thornwood, NY, USA) using a backscattered detector. Image analysis of the CPTi coatings showed uniform and rough surfaces. For Phase 1, roughness was evaluated as fine, medium, and coarse. The eSEM image analysis and cell counting by DAPI demonstrated that hMSCs have a tendency to form stronger adhesion and greater pseudopodia extensions on fine roughness surfaces. Individual hMSCs were seen forming cytoplasmic processes extending across the width of a pore. There was a 4- and 20-fold reduction in adhered hMSCs with an increase to medium and coarse roughnesses, respectively. For Phase 2, studied groups are (1) medium CPTi coating with zirconia polishing, (2) medium CPTi coating with CPTi polishing, and (3) fine CPTi coating with CPTi polishing. The eSEM image analysis and cell counting by DAPI demonstrated that hMSCs have a tendency to form stronger adhesion and greater pseudopodia extensions on Group 3 over the other two groups. There was a twofold reduction in adhered hMSCs on medium roughness relative to fine. No difference in cell adhesion was found between Groups 1 and 2. Individual hMSCs were seen forming cytoplasmic processes extending across the width of a pore. Previously, it was accepted without much scrutiny that surface coatings were beneficial. This study begins to discover that surface topography directly affects the potential for cells to adhere and proliferate and lead to greater surgical efficacy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the morphology of the scattering medium as seen by MST/ST radars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gage, K. S.

1983-01-01

Much is learned about the morphology of the small scale structures of the atmosphere from analysis of echoes observed by MST radars. The use of physical models enables a synthesis of diverse observations. Each model contains an implicit assumption about the nature of the irregularity structure of the medium. A comparison is made between the irregularity structure implicit in several models and what is known about the structure of the medium.

Analysis of the generalized (2+1)-dimensional Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov equations with variable coefficients in an inhomogeneous medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chai, Han-Peng; Tian, Bo; Zhen, Hui-Ling; Chai, Jun; Guan, Yue-Yang

2017-08-01

Korteweg-de Vries (KdV)-type equations are seen to describe the shallow-water waves, lattice structures and ion-acoustic waves in plasmas. Hereby, we consider an extension of the KdV-type equations called the generalized (2+1)-dimensional Nizhnik-Novikov-Veselov equations with variable coefficients in an inhomogeneous medium. Via the Hirota bilinear method and symbolic computation, we derive the bilinear forms, N-soliton solutions and Bäcklund transformation. Effects of the first- and higher-order dispersion terms are investigated. Soliton evolution and interaction are graphically presented and analyzed: Both the propagation velocity and direction of the soliton change when the dispersion terms are time-dependent; The interactions between/among the solitons are elastic, independent of the forms of the coefficients in the equations.

The effect of gender and age differences on media selection in small and medium tourism enterprises.

PubMed

Dehkordi, Majid A; Zarei, Behrouz; Dehkordi, Shabnam A

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that gender and age differences have on the communication media selection within the context of small and medium tourism enterprises (SMEs). Media Richness Theory (MRT) was used to assess media preferences in the firms. Using a mail questionnaire, data from 78 firms were collected on seven popular media in use. Historical data of the firms, media characteristics, and other firm-specific factors were included in the analysis. The results indicated that there are substantial gender and age differences in term of communication media selection. This is consistent with MRT and highlights the importance of choosing the appropriate media in SMEs, according with the employee's behaviors, in order to achieve better outcomes and to smooth the path towards good performance in the future.

Validation of a Medium-Throughput Method for Evaluation of Intracellular Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis▿

PubMed Central

Eklund, Daniel; Welin, Amanda; Schön, Thomas; Stendahl, Olle; Huygen, Kris; Lerm, Maria

2010-01-01

Intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis have adapted to a life inside host cells, in which they utilize host nutrients to replicate and spread. Ineffective methods for the evaluation of growth of intracellular pathogens in their true environment pose an obstacle for basic research and drug screening. Here we present the validation of a luminometry-based method for the analysis of intramacrophage growth of M. tuberculosis. The method, which is performed in a medium-throughput format, can easily be adapted for studies of other intracellular pathogens and cell types. The use of host cells in drug-screening assays dedicated to find antimicrobials effective against intracellular pathogens permits the discovery of not only novel antibiotics but also compounds with immunomodulatory and virulence-impairing activities, which may be future alternatives or complements to antibiotics. PMID:20107000