The half-life of 218Po.

PubMed

Martz, D E; Harris, R T; Langner, G H

1989-07-01

Direct observation of the 218Po alpha-peak decay with a microcomputer-controlled alpha-spectrometer yielded a mean half-life value of 3.040 +/- 0.008 min, where the error quoted represents twice the standard deviation of the means from 38 separate decay measurements. The 1912 and 1924 218Po half-life measurements, which provided the 3.05-min value listed in nuclear tables for the past 60 y, are critically reviewed. Two more recent experiments, which yielded longer values of 3.11 min (Van Hise et al. 1982) and 3.093 min (Potapov and Soloshenkov 1986), are also discussed.

Measurement of the BB Decay Half-Life of 130Te with the NEMO-3 Detector

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

A. J. Caffrey

2011-08-01

We report results from the NEMO-3 experiment based on an exposure of 1275 days with 661 g of 130Te in the form of enriched and natural tellurium foils. The double B decay rate of 130Te is found to be greater than zero with a significance of 7.7 standard deviations and the half-life is measured to be T2v 1/2 = [7.0 +/- 0.9(stat) +/- 1.1 (syst)] x 10{sup 20} yr. This represents the most precise measurement of this half-life yet published and the first real-time observation of this decay.

High-Precision Half-Life Measurement for the Superallowed β+ Emitter Alm26

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, P.; Ettenauer, S.; Ball, G. C.; Leslie, J. R.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Austin, R. A. E.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Cross, D. S.; Demand, G.; Djongolov, M.; Garrett, P. E.; Green, K. L.; Grinyer, G. F.; Hackman, G.; Leach, K. G.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Triambak, S.; Williams, S. J.

2011-01-01

A high-precision half-life measurement for the superallowed β+ emitter Alm26 was performed at the TRIUMF-ISAC radioactive ion beam facility yielding T1/2=6346.54±0.46stat±0.60systms, consistent with, but 2.5 times more precise than, the previous world average. The Alm26 half-life and ft value, 3037.53(61) s, are now the most precisely determined for any superallowed β decay. Combined with recent theoretical corrections for isospin-symmetry-breaking and radiative effects, the corrected Ft value for Alm26, 3073.0(12) s, sets a new benchmark for the high-precision superallowed Fermi β-decay studies used to test the conserved vector current hypothesis and determine the Vud element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark mixing matrix.

High-Precision Half-Life Measurements for the Superallowed Fermi β+ Emitters 14O and 18Ne

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laffoley, A. T.; Andreoiu, C.; Austin, R. A. E.; Ball, G. C.; Bender, P. C.; Bidaman, H.; Bildstein, V.; Blank, B.; Bouzomita, H.; Cross, D. S.; Deng, G.; Diaz Varela, A.; Dunlop, M. R.; Dunlop, R.; Finlay, P.; Garnsworthy, A. B.; Garrett, P.; Giovinazzo, J.; Grinyer, G. F.; Grinyer, J.; Hadinia, B.; Jamieson, D. S.; Jigmeddorj, B.; Ketelhut, S.; Kisliuk, D.; Leach, K. G.; Leslie, J. R.; MacLean, A.; Miller, D.; Mills, B.; Moukaddam, M.; Radich, A. J.; Rajabali, M. M.; Rand, E. T.; Svensson, C. E.; Tardiff, E.; Thomas, J. C.; Turko, J.; Voss, P.; Unsworth, C.

High-precision half-life measurements, at the level of ±0.04%, for the superallowed Fermi emitters 14O and 18Ne have been performed at TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility. Using 3 independent detector systems, a gas-proportional counter, a fast plastic scintillator, and a high-purity germanium array, a series of direct β and γ counting measurements were performed for each of the isotopes. In the case of 14O, these measurements were made to help resolve an existing discrepancy between detection methods, whereas for 18Ne the half-life precision has been improved in anticipation of forthcoming high-precision branching ratio measurements.

Precision half-life measurement of 11C: The most precise mirror transition F t value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valverde, A. A.; Brodeur, M.; Ahn, T.; Allen, J.; Bardayan, D. W.; Becchetti, F. D.; Blankstein, D.; Brown, G.; Burdette, D. P.; Frentz, B.; Gilardy, G.; Hall, M. R.; King, S.; Kolata, J. J.; Long, J.; Macon, K. T.; Nelson, A.; O'Malley, P. D.; Skulski, M.; Strauss, S. Y.; Vande Kolk, B.

2018-03-01

Background: The precise determination of the F t value in T =1 /2 mixed mirror decays is an important avenue for testing the standard model of the electroweak interaction through the determination of Vu d in nuclear β decays. 11C is an interesting case, as its low mass and small QE C value make it particularly sensitive to violations of the conserved vector current hypothesis. The present dominant source of uncertainty in the 11CF t value is the half-life. Purpose: A high-precision measurement of the 11C half-life was performed, and a new world average half-life was calculated. Method: 11C was created by transfer reactions and separated using the TwinSol facility at the Nuclear Science Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame. It was then implanted into a tantalum foil, and β counting was used to determine the half-life. Results: The new half-life, t1 /2=1220.27 (26 ) s, is consistent with the previous values but significantly more precise. A new world average was calculated, t1/2 world=1220.41 (32 ) s, and a new estimate for the Gamow-Teller to Fermi mixing ratio ρ is presented along with standard model correlation parameters. Conclusions: The new 11C world average half-life allows the calculation of a F tmirror value that is now the most precise value for all superallowed mixed mirror transitions. This gives a strong impetus for an experimental determination of ρ , to allow for the determination of Vu d from this decay.

Intrinsically disordered segments and the evolution of protein half-life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, M.

2013-03-01

Precise turnover of proteins is essential for cellular homeostasis and is primarily mediated by the proteasome. Thus, a fundamental question is: What features make a protein an efficient substrate for degradation? Here I will present results that proteins with a long terminal disordered segment or internal disordered segments have a significantly shorter half-life in yeast. This relationship appears to be evolutionarily conserved in mouse and human. Furthermore, upon gene duplication, divergence in the length of terminal disorder or variation in the number of internal disordered segments results in significant alteration of the half-life of yeast paralogs. Many proteins that exhibit such changes participate in signaling, where altered protein half-life will likely influence their activity. We suggest that variation in the length and number of disordered segments could serve as a remarkably simple means to evolve protein half-life and may serve as an underappreciated source of genetic variation with important phenotypic consequences. MMB acknowledges the Medical Research Council for funding his research program.

High-precision half-life measurements of the T =1 /2 mirror β decays 17F and 33Cl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinyer, J.; Grinyer, G. F.; Babo, M.; Bouzomita, H.; Chauveau, P.; Delahaye, P.; Dubois, M.; Frigot, R.; Jardin, P.; Leboucher, C.; Maunoury, L.; Seiffert, C.; Thomas, J. C.; Traykov, E.

2015-10-01

Background: Measurements of the f t values for T =1 /2 mirror β+ decays offer a method to test the conserved vector current hypothesis and to determine Vud, the up-down matrix element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix. In most mirror decays used for these tests, uncertainties in the f t values are dominated by the uncertainties in the half-lives. Purpose: Two precision half-life measurements were performed for the T =1 /2 β+ emitters, 17F and 33Cl, in order to eliminate the half-life as the leading source of uncertainty in their f t values. Method: Half-lives of 17F and 33Cl were determined using β counting of implanted radioactive ion beam samples on a moving tape transport system at the Système de Production d'Ions Radioactifs Accélérés en Ligne low-energy identification station at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds. Results: The 17F half-life result, 64.347 (35) s, precise to ±0.05 % , is a factor of 5 times more precise than the previous world average. The half-life of 33Cl was determined to be 2.5038 (22) s. The current precision of ±0.09 % is nearly 2 times more precise compared to the previous world average. Conclusions: The precision achieved during the present measurements implies that the half-life no longer dominates the uncertainty of the f t values for both T =1 /2 mirror decays 17F and 33Cl.

High-precision half-life measurements for the superallowed Fermi β+ emitter 14O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laffoley, A. T.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Austin, R. A. E.; Ball, G. C.; Blank, B.; Bouzomita, H.; Cross, D. S.; Diaz Varela, A.; Dunlop, R.; Finlay, P.; Garnsworthy, A. B.; Garrett, P. E.; Giovinazzo, J.; Grinyer, G. F.; Hackman, G.; Hadinia, B.; Jamieson, D. S.; Ketelhut, S.; Leach, K. G.; Leslie, J. R.; Tardiff, E.; Thomas, J. C.; Unsworth, C.

2013-07-01

The half-life of the superallowed Fermi β+ emitter 14O has been determined via simultaneous direct β and γ counting experiments at TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) facility. A γ-ray counting measurement was performed by detecting the 2312.6-keV γ rays emitted from an excited state of the daughter 14N following the implantation of samples at the center of the 8π γ-ray spectrometer, a spherical array of 20 high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. A simultaneous β counting experiment was performed using a fast plastic scintillator positioned behind the implantation site with a solid angle coverage of ˜20%. The results, T1/2(β)=70.610±0.030s and T1/2(γ)=70.632±0.094s, form a consistent set and, together with eight previous measurements, establish a new average for the 14O half-life of T1/2=70.619±0.011s with a reduced χ2 of 0.99.

Determination of photon emission probability for the main gamma ray and half-life measurements of 64Cu.

PubMed

Pibida, L; Zimmerman, B; Bergeron, D E; Fitzgerald, R; Cessna, J T; King, L

2017-11-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) performed new standardization measurements for 64 Cu. As part of this work the photon emission probability for the main gamma-ray line and the half-life were determined using several high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. Half-life determinations were also carried out with a NaI(Tl) well counter and two pressurized ionization chambers. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Re-measuring the half-life of ^60Fe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collon, Philippe; Stolz, Andreas; Austin, Sam; Couder, Manoel; Ahmad, Irshad; Greene, John; Robertson, Daniel; Schmitt, Chris; Bowers, Matt; Lu, Wenting; Post, Kirk; Carilli, Michael

2009-10-01

A recent experiment both at PSI and at Munich on the ^60Fe lifetime points to a T1/2 for ^60Fe that is possibly 70% higher (i.e. ˜2.6x10^6 years) than the presently accepted value (1.5x10^6 years). ^60Fe is mainly produced in core collapse supernovae explosions and these new results open up a number of questions as many factors scale with this number; from the ^60Fe abundance determination with gamma ray telescope measurements to recent ^60Fe(n, γ) cross section studies. We are presently working on a double-pronged attempt at re-measuring this half-life using the ``old'' AMS technique used by the Kutschera group in 1984 as well as a low-background activity measurement on the growth of ^60Co from the decay of ^60Fe. Both rely however on a clean production of a ^60Fe sample as measurements rely on measuring the ^60Co decay γ-line from ^60Co produced by the decay of ^60Fe. Beam time was made available at the NSCL to produce a well characterized ^60Fe sample at the focal plane of the A1900. The ^60Fe ions were implanted in a high purity Al target. We will report the results from this run as well as from the chemical separation of the ^60Fe and first measurements of the sample.

Static and dynamic half-life and lifetime molecular turnover of enzymes.

PubMed

Miyawaki, Osato; Kanazawa, Tsukasa; Maruyama, Chika; Dozen, Michiko

2017-01-01

The static half-life of an enzyme is the half-life of a free enzyme not working without substrate and the dynamic half-life is that of an active enzyme working with plenty amount of substrate. These two half-lives were measured and compared for glucoamylase (GA) and β-galactosidase (BG). The dynamic half-life was much longer than the static half-life by one to three orders of magnitude for both enzymes. For BG, the half-life of the enzyme physically entrapped in a membrane reactor was also measured. In this case also, the half-life of BG in the membrane reactor was much longer than the free enzyme without substrate. These results suggest the large difference in stabilities between the free enzyme and the enzyme-substrate complex. This may be related to the natural enzyme metabolism. According to the difference in half-life, the lifetime molecular turnover (LMT), which is the number of product molecules produced by a single molecule of enzyme until it loses its activity completely, was much higher by one to four orders of magnitude for the active enzyme than the free enzyme. The concept of LMT, proposed here, will be important in bioreactor operations with or without immobilization. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-precision half-life determination for the superallowed β+ emitter Ga62

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinyer, G. F.; Finlay, P.; Svensson, C. E.; Ball, G. C.; Leslie, J. R.; Austin, R. A. E.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Chaffey, A.; Chakrawarthy, R. S.; Garrett, P. E.; Hackman, G.; Hyland, B.; Kanungo, R.; Leach, K. G.; Mattoon, C. M.; Morton, A. C.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Ressler, J. J.; Sarazin, F.; Savajols, H.; Schumaker, M. A.; Wong, J.

2008-01-01

The half-life of the superallowed β+ emitter Ga62 has been measured at TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility using a fast-tape-transport system and 4π continuous-flow gas proportional counter to detect the positrons from the decay of Ga62 to the daughter Zn62. The result, T1/2=116.100±0.025 ms, represents the most precise measurement to date (0.022%) for any superallowed β-decay half-life. When combined with six previous measurements of the Ga62 half-life, a new world average of T1/2=116.121±0.021 ms is obtained. This new half-life measurement results in a 20% improvement in the precision of the Ga62 superallowed ft value while reducing its mean by 0.9σ to ft=3074.3(12) s. The impact of this half-life measurement on precision tests of the CVC hypothesis and isospin symmetry breaking corrections for A⩾62 superallowed decays is discussed.

A new measurement of the half-life of (166m)Ho.

PubMed

Nedjadi, Y; Bailat, C; Caffari, Y; Froidevaux, P; Wastiel, C; Kivel, N; Guenther-Leopold, I; Triscone, G; Jaquenod, F; Bochud, F

2012-09-01

The work presented here is a new and precise measurement of the half-life of (166m)Ho by determining the activity concentration, using an ionisation chamber calibrated for this nuclide, and measuring the number of (166m)Ho atoms using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Since the isotope (166)Er interferes with the mass spectrometric measurement, Er has to be eliminated from the (166m)Ho radioactive solution. The elimination was achieved using ion-exchange chromatography with the cation exchange resin Dowex AG 50W-X8 and 2-Hydroxybutanoic acid as the mobile phase. After a first transit through the chromatographic column, the purified (166m)Ho eluate was spiked with natural Er to get a resulting Er isotopic composition close to that of natural Er at better than 99.5%, and then it underwent two further separations to eliminate the Er. The activity concentration of this Er-free radioactive (166m)Ho solution was measured in our reference ionisation chamber calibrated for this nuclide by means of the 4πβ(PC)-γ and 4πβ(PS)-4πγ coincidence techniques and integral counting with a well-type NaI(Tl) detector and Monte Carlo efficiencies. An aliquot of this standardized solution was sent to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) for mass concentration determination using an isotope dilution MC-ICP-MS approach. The mass concentration of (166m)Ho in this solution was determined with 0.25% relative standard uncertainty. This value was corroborated by two other independent measurements. The new half-life of (166m)Ho, 1132.6(39) years (k=1), is compatible with the value determined in 1965, but is 5.6% shorter and about 43 times more precise. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the double- β decay half-life of 136 Xe with the KamLAND-Zen experiment

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

Gando, A.; Gando, Y.; Hanakago, H.

2012-04-19

We present results from the KamLAND-Zen double-beta decay experiment based on an exposure of 77.6 days with 129 kg of 136Xe. The measured two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life of 136Xe is Tmore » $$2ν\\atop{1/2}$$ = 2.38 ± 0.02(stat) ± 0.14(syst) x10 21 yr, consistent with a recent measurement by EXO-200. We also obtain a lower limit for the neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life, T$$0ν\\atop{1/2}$$ > 5.7 x 10 24 yr at 90% C.L.« less

Ultra-High Precision Half-Life Measurement for the Superallowed &+circ; Emitter ^26Al^m

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, P.; Demand, G.; Garrett, P. E.; Leach, K. G.; Phillips, A. A.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Svensson, C. E.; Triambak, S.; Grinyer, G. F.; Leslie, J. R.; Andreoiu, C.; Cross, D.; Austin, R. A. E.; Ball, G. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Djongolov, M.; Ettenauer, S.; Hackman, G.; Pearson, C. J.; Williams, S. J.

2009-10-01

The calculated nuclear structure dependent correction for ^26Al^m (δC-δNS= 0.305(27)% [1]) is smaller by nearly a factor of two than the other twelve precision superallowed cases, making it an ideal case to pursue a reduction in the experimental errors contributing to the Ft value. An ultra-high precision half-life measurement for the superallowed &+circ; emitter ^26Al^m has been made at the Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) facility at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada. A beam of ˜10^5 ^26Al^m/s was delivered in October 2007 and its decay was observed using a 4π continuous gas flow proportional counter as part of an ongoing experimental program in superallowed Fermi β decay studies. With a statistical precision of ˜0.008%, the present work represents the single most precise measurement of any superallowed half-life to date. [4pt] [1] I.S. Towner and J.C. Hardy, Phys. Rev. C 79, 055502 (2009).

Ultra-High Precision Half-Life Measurement for the Superallowed &+circ; Emitter ^26Al^m

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, P.; Demand, G.; Garrett, P. E.; Leach, K. G.; Phillips, A. A.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Svensson, C. E.; Triambak, S.; Ball, G. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Djongolov, M.; Ettenauer, S.; Hackman, G.; Pearson, C. J.; Williams, S. J.; Andreoiu, C.; Cross, D.; Austin, R. A. E.; Grinyer, G. F.; Leslie, J. R.

2008-10-01

The calculated nuclear structure dependent correction for ^26Al^m (δC-δNS= 0.305(27)% [1]) is smaller by nearly a factor of two than the other twelve precision superallowed cases, making it an ideal case to pursue a reduction in the experimental errors contributing to the Ft value. An ultra-high precision half-life measurement for the superallowed &+circ; emitter ^26Al^m has been made using a 4π continuous gas flow proportional counter as part of an ongoing experimental program in superallowed Fermi β decay studies at the Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) facility at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada, which delivered a beam of ˜10^5 ^26Al^m/s in October 2007. With a statistical precision of ˜0.008%, the present work represents the single most precise measurement of any superallowed half-life to date. [1] I.S. Towner and J.C. Hardy, Phys. Rev. C 77, 025501 (2008).

Strategies to improve plasma half life time of peptide and protein drugs.

PubMed

Werle, M; Bernkop-Schnürch, A

2006-06-01

Due to the obvious advantages of long-acting peptide and protein drugs, strategies to prolong plasma half life time of such compounds are highly on demand. Short plasma half life times are commonly due to fast renal clearance as well as to enzymatic degradation occurring during systemic circulation. Modifications of the peptide/protein can lead to prolonged plasma half life times. By shortening the overall amino acid amount of somatostatin and replacing L: -analogue amino acids with D: -amino acids, plasma half life time of the derivate octreotide was 1.5 hours in comparison to only few minutes of somatostatin. A PEG(2,40 K) conjugate of INF-alpha-2b exhibited a 330-fold prolonged plasma half life time compared to the native protein. It was the aim of this review to provide an overview of possible strategies to prolong plasma half life time such as modification of N- and C-terminus or PEGylation as well as methods to evaluate the effectiveness of drug modifications. Furthermore, fundamental data about most important proteolytic enzymes of human blood, liver and kidney as well as their cleavage specificity and inhibitors for them are provided in order to predict enzymatic cleavage of peptide and protein drugs during systemic circulation.

High-Precision Half-Life and Branching Ratio Measurements for the Superallowed β+ Emitter 26Alm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, P.; Svensson, C. E.; Demand, G. A.; Garrett, P. E.; Green, K. L.; Leach, K. G.; Phillips, A. A.; Rand, E. T.; Ball, G.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Djongolov, M.; Ettenauer, S.; Hackman, G.; Pearson, C. J.; Leslie, J. R.; Andreoiu, C.; Cross, D.; Austin, R. A. E.; Grinyer, G. F.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Williams, S. J.; Triambak, S.

2013-03-01

High-precision half-life and branching-ratio measurements for the superallowed β+ emitter 26Alm were performed at the TRIUMF-ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. An upper limit of ≤ 15 ppm at 90% C.L. was determined for the sum of all possible non-analogue β+/EC decay branches of 26Alm, yielding a superallowed branching ratio of 100.0000+0-0.0015%. A value of T1/2 = 6:34654(76) s was determined for the 26Alm half-life which is consistent with, but 2.5 times more precise than, the previous world average. Combining these results with world-average measurements yields an ft value of 3037.58(60) s, the most precisely determined for any superallowed emitting nucleus to date. This high-precision ft value for 26Alm provides a new benchmark to refine theoretical models of isospin-symmetry-breaking effects in superallowed β decays.

Precise measurement of the half-life of the Fermi {beta} decay of {sup 26}Al{sup m}

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

Scott, Rebecca J.; Thompson, Maxwell N.; Rassool, Roger P.

2011-08-15

State-of-the-art signal digitization and analysis techniques have been used to measure the half-life of the Fermi {beta} decay of {sup 26}Al{sup m}. The half-life was determined to be 6347.8 {+-} 2.5 ms. This new datum contributes to the experimental testing of the conserved-vector-current hypothesis and the required unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix: two essential components of the standard model. Detailed discussion of the experimental techniques and data analysis and a thorough investigation of the statistical and systematic uncertainties are presented.

Improved measurement of the half-life of the J π = 8 - nuclear isomer 152m2 Eu

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

Humby, Peter; Simon, Anna; Beausang, C. W.

2015-02-23

The standard γ-ray energy calibration source 152Eu is well known based on the 13.5 y decay of its ground state. Nevertheless, in addition to this decay 152Eu also has two relatively long-lived isomeric states: a 9 h J π=0 - state at E *=46 keV and a 96 min J π=8 - state at E *=148 keV. Here we report a new measurement of the half-lives of both of these isomeric states. Excited states in 152Eu were populated following the 154Sm (p,3n) reaction using a 25 MeV proton beam from the K-150 cyclotron at the Cyclotron Institute of Texas A&Mmore » University. Post irradiation, γ rays from the de-excitation of the long lived isomeric states were measured using the six BGO shielded high-purity germanium (HPGe) clover detectors that are part of the STARLiTeR array. The half-life of the J π=8 - isomer 152m2Eu was obtained by measuring the decrease in intensity of the 90 keV γ ray from the cascade to the ground state. The half-life of this state was measured to be 95.8(4) min which is in agreement with and significantly more precise than the previously measured value of 96(1) min. In a manner similar to the ground state the second long-lived isomer 151m1Eu, the J π=0 - state at 46 keV, β decays to excited states in 152Gd and 152Sm. Also, the half-life of this state was measured to be 9.39(7) h using five γ-ray transitions.« less

Half-life of the superallowed β+ emitter Ne18

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinyer, G. F.; Smith, M. B.; Andreoiu, C.; Andreyev, A. N.; Ball, G. C.; Bricault, P.; Chakrawarthy, R. S.; Daoud, J. J.; Finlay, P.; Garrett, P. E.; Hackman, G.; Hyland, B.; Leslie, J. R.; Morton, A. C.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Schumaker, M. A.; Svensson, C. E.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Williams, S. J.; Zganjar, E. F.

2007-08-01

The half-life of Ne18 has been determined by detecting 1042-keV γ rays in the daughter F18 following the superallowed-Fermi β+ decay of samples implanted at the center of the 8πγ-ray spectrometer, a spherical array of 20 HPGe detectors. Radioactive Ne18 beams were produced on-line, mass-separated, and ionized using an electron-cyclotron-resonance ionization source at the ISAC facility at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada. This is the first high-precision half-life measurement of a superallowed Fermi β decay to utilize both a large-scale HPGe spectrometer and the isotope separation on-line technique. The half-life of Ne18, 1.6656 ± 0.0019 s, deduced following a 1.4σ correction for detector pulse pile-up, is four times more precise than the previous world average. As part of an investigation into potential systematic effects, the half-life of the heavier isotope Ne23 was determined to be 37.11 ± 0.06 s, a factor of 2 improvement over the previous precision.

Precision half-life measurement of the 4-fold forbidden {beta} decay of {sup 50}V

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

Dombrowski, H.; Neumaier, S.; Zuber, K.

2011-05-15

A sensitive search of the 4-fold forbidden nonunique decay of {sup 50}V has been performed. A total mass measuring time product of 186 kg d has been accumulated. A reliable half-life value with the highest precision so far of (2.29{+-}0.25)x10{sup 17} years of the electron capture decay of {sup 50}V into the first excited state of {sup 50}Ti could be obtained. A photon emission line following the {beta} decay into the first excited state of {sup 50}Cr could not be observed, resulting in a lower limit on the half-life of the {beta}-decay branch of 1.7x10{sup 18} years. This is notmore » in good agreement with a claimed observation of this decay branch published in 1989.« less

Pile-up corrections for high-precision superallowed β decay half-life measurements via γ-ray photopeak counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinyer, G. F.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Andreyev, A. N.; Austin, R. A. E.; Ball, G. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Chakrawarthy, R. S.; Finlay, P.; Garrett, P. E.; Hackman, G.; Hyland, B.; Kulp, W. D.; Leach, K. G.; Leslie, J. R.; Morton, A. C.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Sarazin, F.; Schumaker, M. A.; Smith, M. B.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Waddington, J. C.; Williams, S. J.; Wong, J.; Wood, J. L.; Zganjar, E. F.

2007-09-01

A general technique that corrects γ-ray gated β decay-curve data for detector pulse pile-up is presented. The method includes corrections for non-zero time-resolution and energy-threshold effects in addition to a special treatment of saturating events due to cosmic rays. This technique is verified through a Monte Carlo simulation and experimental data using radioactive beams of Na26 implanted at the center of the 8π γ-ray spectrometer at the ISAC facility at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada. The β-decay half-life of Na26 obtained from counting 1809-keV γ-ray photopeaks emitted by the daughter Mg26 was determined to be T=1.07167±0.00055 s following a 27σ correction for detector pulse pile-up. This result is in excellent agreement with the result of a previous measurement that employed direct β counting and demonstrates the feasibility of high-precision β-decay half-life measurements through the use of high-purity germanium γ-ray detectors. The technique presented here, while motivated by superallowed-Fermi β decay studies, is general and can be used for all half-life determinations (e.g. α-, β-, X-ray, fission) in which a γ-ray photopeak is used to select the decays of a particular isotope.

HALO--a Java framework for precise transcript half-life determination.

PubMed

Friedel, Caroline C; Kaufmann, Stefanie; Dölken, Lars; Zimmer, Ralf

2010-05-01

Recent improvements in experimental technologies now allow measurements of de novo transcription and/or RNA decay at whole transcriptome level and determination of precise transcript half-lives. Such transcript half-lives provide important insights into the regulation of biological processes and the relative contributions of RNA decay and de novo transcription to differential gene expression. In this article, we present HALO (Half-life Organizer), the first software for the precise determination of transcript half-lives from measurements of RNA de novo transcription or decay determined with microarrays or RNA-seq. In addition, methods for quality control, filtering and normalization are supplied. HALO provides a graphical user interface, command-line tools and a well-documented Java application programming interface (API). Thus, it can be used both by biologists to determine transcript half-lives fast and reliably with the provided user interfaces as well as software developers integrating transcript half-life analysis into other gene expression profiling pipelines. Source code, executables and documentation are available at http://www.bio.ifi.lmu.de/software/halo.

Measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life of $$^{130}$$Te with the CUORE-0 experiment

DOE PAGES

Alduino, C.; Alfonso, K.; Artusa, D. R.; ...

2017-01-06

Here, we report on the measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life of 130Te with the CUORE-0 detector. From an exposure of 33.4 kg year of TeO 2, the half-life is determined to be T 2ν 1/2 = [8.2 ± 0.2 (stat.) ± 0.6 (syst.)] × 10 20 year. This result is obtained after a detailed reconstruction of the sources responsible for the CUORE-0 counting rate, with a specific study of those contributing to the 130Te neutrinoless double-beta decay region of interest.

Half-life measurement of 212Pb by means of a liquid scintillator-based 220Rn trap.

PubMed

Kossert, Karsten

2017-07-01

A beaker was filled with a liquid mineral oil scintillator to catch 220 Rn from a 228 Th source. The liquid scintillator was then transferred to a polyethylene vial which was measured in a custom-built triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) counter. The measurements were used to determine the 212 Pb half-life which was found to be 10.622(7) hours. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a time-variable nuclear pulser for half life measurements

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

Zahn, Guilherme S.; Domienikan, Claudio; Carvalhaes, Roberto P. M.

2013-05-06

In this work a time-variable pulser system with an exponentially-decaying pulse frequency is presented, which was developed using the low-cost, open-source Arduino microcontroler plataform. In this system, the microcontroller produces a TTL signal in the selected rate and a pulse shaper board adjusts it to be entered in an amplifier as a conventional pulser signal; both the decay constant and the initial pulse rate can be adjusted using a user-friendly control software, and the pulse amplitude can be adjusted using a potentiometer in the pulse shaper board. The pulser was tested using several combinations of initial pulse rate and decaymore » constant, and the results show that the system is stable and reliable, and is suitable to be used in half-life measurements.« less

Stable isotope turnover and half-life in animal tissues: a literature synthesis.

PubMed

Vander Zanden, M Jake; Clayton, Murray K; Moody, Eric K; Solomon, Christopher T; Weidel, Brian C

2015-01-01

Stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur are used as ecological tracers for a variety of applications, such as studies of animal migrations, energy sources, and food web pathways. Yet uncertainty relating to the time period integrated by isotopic measurement of animal tissues can confound the interpretation of isotopic data. There have been a large number of experimental isotopic diet shift studies aimed at quantifying animal tissue isotopic turnover rate λ (%·day(-1), often expressed as isotopic half-life, ln(2)/λ, days). Yet no studies have evaluated or summarized the many individual half-life estimates in an effort to both seek broad-scale patterns and characterize the degree of variability. Here, we collect previously published half-life estimates, examine how half-life is related to body size, and test for tissue- and taxa-varying allometric relationships. Half-life generally increases with animal body mass, and is longer in muscle and blood compared to plasma and internal organs. Half-life was longest in ecotherms, followed by mammals, and finally birds. For ectotherms, different taxa-tissue combinations had similar allometric slopes that generally matched predictions of metabolic theory. Half-life for ectotherms can be approximated as: ln (half-life) = 0.22*ln (body mass) + group-specific intercept; n = 261, p<0.0001, r2 = 0.63. For endothermic groups, relationships with body mass were weak and model slopes and intercepts were heterogeneous. While isotopic half-life can be approximated using simple allometric relationships for some taxa and tissue types, there is also a high degree of unexplained variation in our models. Our study highlights several strong and general patterns, though accurate prediction of isotopic half-life from readily available variables such as animal body mass remains elusive.

Half-life, branching-ratio, and Q-value measurement for the superallowed 0{sup +}{yields}0{sup +}{beta}{sup +} emitter {sup 42}Ti

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

Nieto, T. Kurtukian; Souin, J.; Audirac, L.

2009-09-15

The half-life, the branching ratio, and the decay Q value of the superallowed {beta} emitter {sup 42}Ti were measured in an experiment performed at the JYFLTRAP facility of the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaeskylae. {sup 42}Ti is the heaviest T{sub z}=-1 nucleus for which high-precision measurements of these quantities have been tried. The half-life (T{sub 1/2}=208.14{+-}0.45 ms) and the Q value [Q{sub EC}=7016.83(25) keV] are close to or reach the required precision of about 0.1%. The branching ratio for the superallowed decay branch [BR=47.7(12)%], a by-product of the half-life measurement, does not reach the necessary precision yet. Nonetheless,more » these results allow one to determine the experimental ft value and the corrected Ft value to be 3114(79) and 3122(79) s, respectively.« less

High-Precision Measurement of the Ne19 Half-Life and Implications for Right-Handed Weak Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Triambak, S.; Finlay, P.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Hackman, G.; Ball, G. C.; Garrett, P. E.; Svensson, C. E.; Cross, D. S.; Garnsworthy, A. B.; Kshetri, R.; Orce, J. N.; Pearson, M. R.; Tardiff, E. R.; Al-Falou, H.; Austin, R. A. E.; Churchman, R.; Djongolov, M. K.; D'Entremont, R.; Kierans, C.; Milovanovic, L.; O'Hagan, S.; Reeve, S.; Sjue, S. K. L.; Williams, S. J.

2012-07-01

We report a precise determination of the Ne19 half-life to be T1/2=17.262±0.007s. This result disagrees with the most recent precision measurements and is important for placing bounds on predicted right-handed interactions that are absent in the current standard model. We are able to identify and disentangle two competing systematic effects that influence the accuracy of such measurements. Our findings prompt a reassessment of results from previous high-precision lifetime measurements that used similar equipment and methods.

High-precision measurement of the 19Ne half-life and implications for right-handed weak currents.

PubMed

Triambak, S; Finlay, P; Sumithrarachchi, C S; Hackman, G; Ball, G C; Garrett, P E; Svensson, C E; Cross, D S; Garnsworthy, A B; Kshetri, R; Orce, J N; Pearson, M R; Tardiff, E R; Al-Falou, H; Austin, R A E; Churchman, R; Djongolov, M K; D'Entremont, R; Kierans, C; Milovanovic, L; O'Hagan, S; Reeve, S; Sjue, S K L; Williams, S J

2012-07-27

We report a precise determination of the (19)Ne half-life to be T(1/2)=17.262±0.007 s. This result disagrees with the most recent precision measurements and is important for placing bounds on predicted right-handed interactions that are absent in the current standard model. We are able to identify and disentangle two competing systematic effects that influence the accuracy of such measurements. Our findings prompt a reassessment of results from previous high-precision lifetime measurements that used similar equipment and methods.

High-Precision Half-Life Measurement for the Superallowed {beta}{sup +} Emitter {sup 26}Al{sup m}

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

Finlay, P.; Svensson, C. E.; Green, K. L.

2011-01-21

A high-precision half-life measurement for the superallowed {beta}{sup +} emitter {sup 26}Al{sup m} was performed at the TRIUMF-ISAC radioactive ion beam facility yielding T{sub 1/2}=6346.54{+-}0.46{sub stat{+-}}0.60{sub syst} ms, consistent with, but 2.5 times more precise than, the previous world average. The {sup 26}Al{sup m} half-life and ft value, 3037.53(61) s, are now the most precisely determined for any superallowed {beta} decay. Combined with recent theoretical corrections for isospin-symmetry-breaking and radiative effects, the corrected Ft value for {sup 26}Al{sup m}, 3073.0(12) s, sets a new benchmark for the high-precision superallowed Fermi {beta}-decay studies used to test the conserved vector current hypothesismore » and determine the V{sub ud} element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark mixing matrix.« less

Site-Specific Albumination as an Alternative to PEGylation for the Enhanced Serum Half-Life in Vivo.

PubMed

Yang, Byungseop; Lim, Sung In; Kim, Jong Chul; Tae, Giyoong; Kwon, Inchan

2016-05-09

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been widely used as a serum half-life extender of therapeutic proteins. However, due to immune responses and low degradability of PEG, developing serum half-life extender alternatives to PEG is required. Human serum albumin (HSA) has several beneficial features as a serum half-life extender, including a very long serum half-life, good degradability, and low immune responses. In order to further evaluate the efficacy of HSA, we compared the extent of serum half-life extension of a target protein, superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP), upon HSA conjugation with PEG conjugation side-by-side. Combination of site-specific incorporation of p-azido-l-phenylalanine into sfGFP and copper-free click chemistry achieved the site-specific conjugation of a single HSA, 20 kDa PEG, or 30 kDa PEG to sfGFP. These sfGFP conjugates exhibited the fluorescence comparable to or even greater than that of wild-type sfGFP (sfGFP-WT). In mice, HSA-conjugation to sfGFP extended the serum half-life 9.0 times compared to that of unmodified sfGFP, which is comparable to those of PEG-conjugated sfGFPs (7.3 times for 20 kDa PEG and 9.5 times for 30 kDa PEG). These results clearly demonstrated that HSA was as effective as PEG in extending the serum half-life of a target protein. Therefore, with the additional favorable features, HSA is a good serum half-life extender of a (therapeutic) protein as an alternative to PEG.

β-decay half-life of V50 calculated by the shell model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haaranen, M.; Srivastava, P. C.; Suhonen, J.; Zuber, K.

2014-10-01

In this work we survey the detectability of the β- channel of 2350V leading to the first excited 2+ state in 2450Cr. The electron-capture (EC) half-life corresponding to the transition of 2350V to the first excited 2+ state in 2250Ti had been measured earlier. Both of the mentioned transitions are 4th-forbidden non-unique. We have performed calculations of all the involved wave functions by using the nuclear shell model with the GXPF1A interaction in the full f-p shell. The computed half-life of the EC branch is in good agreement with the measured one. The predicted half-life for the β- branch is in the range ≈2×1019 yr whereas the present experimental lower limit is 1.5×1018 yr. We discuss also the experimental lay-out needed to detect the β--branch decay.

Half-life of the superallowed {beta}{sup +} emitter {sup 18}Ne

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

Grinyer, G. F.; Andreoiu, C.; Finlay, P.

The half-life of {sup 18}Ne has been determined by detecting 1042-keV {gamma} rays in the daughter {sup 18}F following the superallowed-Fermi {beta}{sup +} decay of samples implanted at the center of the 8{pi}{gamma}-ray spectrometer, a spherical array of 20 HPGe detectors. Radioactive {sup 18}Ne beams were produced on-line, mass-separated, and ionized using an electron-cyclotron-resonance ionization source at the ISAC facility at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada. This is the first high-precision half-life measurement of a superallowed Fermi {beta} decay to utilize both a large-scale HPGe spectrometer and the isotope separation on-line technique. The half-life of {sup 18}Ne, 1.6656 {+-} 0.0019 s,more » deduced following a 1.4{sigma} correction for detector pulse pile-up, is four times more precise than the previous world average. As part of an investigation into potential systematic effects, the half-life of the heavier isotope {sup 23}Ne was determined to be 37.11 {+-} 0.06 s, a factor of 2 improvement over the previous precision.« less

Measurement of the double-{beta} decay half-life of {sup 150}Nd and search for neutrinoless decay modes with the NEMO-3 detector

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

Argyriades, J.; Augier, C.; Bongrand, M.

2009-09-15

The half-life for double-{beta} decay of {sup 150}Nd has been measured by the NEMO-3 experiment at the Modane Underground Laboratory. Using 924.7 days of data recorded with 36.55 g of {sup 150}Nd, we measured the half-life for 2{nu}{beta}{beta} decay to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 2{nu}}=(9.11{sub -0.22}{sup +0.25}(stat.){+-}0.63(syst.))x10{sup 18} yr. The observed limit on the half-life for neutrinoless double-{beta} decay is found to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 0{nu}}>1.8x10{sup 22} yr at 90% confidence level. This translates into a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of <4.0-6.3 eV if the nuclear deformation is taken into account. We also set limits on modelsmore » involving Majoron emission, right-handed currents, and transitions to excited states.« less

Update of NIST half-life results corrected for ionization chamber source-holder instability.

PubMed

Unterweger, M P; Fitzgerald, R

2014-05-01

As reported at the ICRM 2011, it was discovered that the source holder used for calibrations in the NIST 4πγ ionization chamber (IC) was not stable. This has affected a large number of half-life measurement results previously reported and used in compilations of nuclear data. Corrections have been made on all of the half-life data based on the assumption that the changes to the ionization chamber response were gradual. The corrections are energy dependent and therefore radionuclide specific. This presentation will review our results and present the recommended changes in half-life values and/or uncertainties. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

PEPlife: A Repository of the Half-life of Peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathur, Deepika; Prakash, Satya; Anand, Priya; Kaur, Harpreet; Agrawal, Piyush; Mehta, Ayesha; Kumar, Rajesh; Singh, Sandeep; Raghava, Gajendra P. S.

2016-11-01

Short half-life is one of the key challenges in the field of therapeutic peptides. Various studies have reported enhancement in the stability of peptides using methods like chemical modifications, D-amino acid substitution, cyclization, replacement of labile aminos acids, etc. In order to study this scattered data, there is a pressing need for a repository dedicated to the half-life of peptides. To fill this lacuna, we have developed PEPlife (http://crdd.osdd.net/raghava/peplife), a manually curated resource of experimentally determined half-life of peptides. PEPlife contains 2229 entries covering 1193 unique peptides. Each entry provides detailed information of the peptide, like its name, sequence, half-life, modifications, the experimental assay for determining half-life, biological nature and activity of the peptide. We also maintain SMILES and structures of peptides. We have incorporated web-based modules to offer user-friendly data searching and browsing in the database. PEPlife integrates numerous tools to perform various types of analysis such as BLAST, Smith-Waterman algorithm, GGSEARCH, Jalview and MUSTANG. PEPlife would augment the understanding of different factors that affect the half-life of peptides like modifications, sequence, length, route of delivery of the peptide, etc. We anticipate that PEPlife will be useful for the researchers working in the area of peptide-based therapeutics.

High-precision half-life determination for 21Na using a 4 π gas-proportional counter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, P.; Laffoley, A. T.; Ball, G. C.; Bender, P. C.; Dunlop, M. R.; Dunlop, R.; Hackman, G.; Leslie, J. R.; MacLean, A. D.; Miller, D.; Moukaddam, M.; Olaizola, B.; Severijns, N.; Smith, J. K.; Southall, D.; Svensson, C. E.

2017-08-01

A high-precision half-life measurement for the superallowed β+ transition between the isospin T =1 /2 mirror nuclei 21Na and 21Ne has been performed at the TRIUMF-ISAC radioactive ion beam facility yielding T1 /2=22.4506 (33 ) s, a result that is a factor of 4 more precise than the previous world-average half-life for 21Na and represents the single most precisely determined half-life for a transition between mirror nuclei to date. The contribution to the uncertainty in the 21Na F tmirror value due to the half-life is now reduced to the level of the nuclear-structure-dependent theoretical corrections, leaving the branching ratio as the dominant experimental uncertainty.

On the half-life of luminescence signals in dosimetric applications: A unified presentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagonis, V.; Kitis, G.; Polymeris, G. S.

2018-06-01

Luminescence signals from natural and man-made materials are widely used in dosimetric and dating applications. In general, there are two types of half-lives of luminescence signals which are of importance to experimental and modeling work in this research area. The first type of half-life is the time required for the population of the trapped charge in a single trap to decay to half its initial value. The second type of half-life is the time required for the luminescence intensity to drop to half of its initial value. While there a handful of analytical expressions available in the literature for the first type of half-life, there are no corresponding analytical expressions for the second type. In this work new analytical expressions are derived for the half-life of luminescence signals during continuous wave optical stimulation luminescence (CW-OSL) or isothermal luminescence (ITL) experiments. The analytical expressions are derived for several commonly used luminescence models which are based on delocalized transitions involving the conduction band: first and second order kinetics, empirical general order kinetics (GOK), mixed order kinetics (MOK) and the one-trap one-recombination center (OTOR) model. In addition, half-life expressions are derived for a different type of luminescence model, which is based on localized transitions in a random distribution of charges. The new half-life expressions contain two parts. The first part is inversely proportional to the thermal or optical excitation rate, and depends on the experimental conditions and on the cross section of the relevant luminescence process. The second part is characteristic of the optical and/or thermal properties of the material, as expressed by the parameters in the model. A new simple and quick method for analyzing luminescence signals is developed, and examples are given of applying the new method to a variety of dosimetric materials. The new test allows quick determination of whether a set of

The Plasma Disappearance Time and Catabolic Half-Life of I 131-Labelled Normal Human Gamma Globulin in Amyloidosis and in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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

Mills, John A.; Calkins, Evan; Cohen, Alan S.

1961-10-01

The serum survival time and catabclic half-life of intravenously injected I 131-labeled pooled human gamma globulin - were studied in three patients with amyloidosis, four patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and three normal controls. The half-time of gamma globulin survival in the controsubjects ranged from 16.5 to 30 days. Two patients with amyloidosis, one primary and one secondary, both with the nephrotic syndrome, exhibited shortened serum half-times of 4.5 and 11 days, respectively. The serum half-time of the latter patient, before the appearance of clinical amyloidosis, was 14 days. One patient with primary amyloidosis but without nephrosis exhibited a half-time ofmore » serum gamma globulin disappearance of 21 days. The half-time of gamma globulin disappearance in four patients with chronic active rheumatoid arthritis varied between 19.5 and 8.5 days. The lower figure was found in a patient having a high titer of rheumatoid factor. If this subject is excepted, the average half- time in three rheumatoid subjects is 17 days. The catabolic half-life of the iodinated gamma globulin agreed in most instances with the serum half-time. The calculated distribution space of the injected gamma globulin showed no consistent alteration in either amyloidosis or rheumatoid arthritis as compared with the control subjects. Since the nephrotic syndrome from other causes may produce an accelerated catabolic half-life, a similar finding on these subjects cannot be ascribed to amyloidosis.« less

Half-life and magnetic moment of the first excited state in {sup 132}I

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

Tanigaki, M.; Ohkubo, Y.; Izumi, S.

2009-09-15

The half-life and the magnetic moment were measured for the first excited state in {sup 132}I, of which the inconsistent results on the half-life have been reported by several other groups. This time, measurements were performed on {sup 132}I obtained as a decay product of a {sup 132}Te radioactive beam from the ion guide at Tohoku University. The half-life of this level was determined to be T{sub 1/2}=1.120{+-}0.015 ns using a conventional coincidence technique with a pair of BaF{sub 2} detectors. The time-differential perturbed angular correlation technique was successfully applied to the first excited state in {sup 132}I implanted intomore » nickel foils. The magnetic moment of this state was determined to be {mu}=+(2.06{+-}0.18){mu}{sub N}. The present results are consistent with values reported by Gorodetzky et al. and Singh et al.« less

A calculation model to half-life estimate of two-proton radioactive decay process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavares, O. A. P.; Medeiros, E. L.

2018-04-01

Partial half-life of the radioactive decay by the two-proton emission mode has been estimated for proton-rich nuclei of mass number 18 < A < 68 by a model based on the quantum mechanical tunneling mechanism through a potential barrier. The Coulomb, centrifugal and overlapping contributions to the barrier have been considered within the spherical nucleus approximation. The present calculation method has been shown to be adequate in reproducing the existing experimental half-life data for 19Mg, 45Fe, 48Ni, and 54Zn 2p-emitter nuclides within a factor six. For 67Kr parent nucleus the calculated partial 2p-decay half-life has been found to be ten times greater than the recent, unique measured value at RIKEN Nishina Center. Prediction for new, yet unmeasured cases of two-proton radioactivity are also reported.

Half-life of Th232 and the branching ratio of Bi212

USGS Publications Warehouse

Senftle, F.E.; Farley, T.A.; Lazar, N.

1956-01-01

The half-life of Th232 has been calculated by determining an absolute gamma-disintegration rate for Tl208 in equilibrium with Th232 for three old thorium nitrate salts and one natural thorite sample. The branching ratio, ??(??+??), for Bi212, a necessary parameter in the calculation, was also measured. The half-life of Th232 was found to be 1.42??1010 years within an estimated error of 5%, which is essentially in agreement with the presently accepted value. The branching ratio, ??(??+??), of Bi212 was found to be 0.362??0.006, about 7.4% higher than the currently accepted value. ?? 1956 The American Physical Society.

Standardisation and half-life of 89Zr.

PubMed

García-Toraño, E; Peyrés, V; Roteta, M; Mejuto, M; Sánchez-Cabezudo, A; Romero, E

2018-04-01

The nuclide 89 Zr is being tested for the labelling of compounds with long blood circulation times. It decays by beta plus emission (22.8%) and by electron capture (77.2%) to 89 Y. Its half-life has been determined by following the decay rate with two measurement systems; an Ionisation Chamber and an HPGe detector. The combination of six results gives a value of T 1/2 = 78.333 (38) h, slightly lower than the DDEP recommended value of 78.42 (13) h. This radionuclide has also been standardised by liquid scintillation counting, 4πγ counting and coincidence techniques. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing of peptides with desired half-life in intestine-like environment.

PubMed

Sharma, Arun; Singla, Deepak; Rashid, Mamoon; Raghava, Gajendra Pal Singh

2014-08-20

In past, a number of peptides have been reported to possess highly diverse properties ranging from cell penetrating, tumor homing, anticancer, anti-hypertensive, antiviral to antimicrobials. Owing to their excellent specificity, low-toxicity, rich chemical diversity and availability from natural sources, FDA has successfully approved a number of peptide-based drugs and several are in various stages of drug development. Though peptides are proven good drug candidates, their usage is still hindered mainly because of their high susceptibility towards proteases degradation. We have developed an in silico method to predict the half-life of peptides in intestine-like environment and to design better peptides having optimized physicochemical properties and half-life. In this study, we have used 10mer (HL10) and 16mer (HL16) peptides dataset to develop prediction models for peptide half-life in intestine-like environment. First, SVM based models were developed on HL10 dataset which achieved maximum correlation R/R2 of 0.57/0.32, 0.68/0.46, and 0.69/0.47 using amino acid, dipeptide and tripeptide composition, respectively. Secondly, models developed on HL16 dataset showed maximum R/R2 of 0.91/0.82, 0.90/0.39, and 0.90/0.31 using amino acid, dipeptide and tripeptide composition, respectively. Furthermore, models that were developed on selected features, achieved a correlation (R) of 0.70 and 0.98 on HL10 and HL16 dataset, respectively. Preliminary analysis suggests the role of charged residue and amino acid size in peptide half-life/stability. Based on above models, we have developed a web server named HLP (Half Life Prediction), for predicting and designing peptides with desired half-life. The web server provides three facilities; i) half-life prediction, ii) physicochemical properties calculation and iii) designing mutant peptides. In summary, this study describes a web server 'HLP' that has been developed for assisting scientific community for predicting intestinal half-life

Half-life determination for {sup 108}Ag and {sup 110}Ag

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

Zahn, Guilherme S.; Genezini, Frederico A.

2014-11-11

In this work, the half-life of the short-lived silver radionuclides {sup 108}Ag and {sup 110}Ag were measured by following the activity of samples after they were irradiated in the IEA-R1 reactor. The results were then fitted using a non-paralizable dead time correction to the regular exponential decay and the individual half-life values obtained were then analyzed using both the Normalized Residuals and the Rajeval techniques, in order to reach the most exact and precise final values. To check the validity of dead-time correction, a second correction method was also employed by means of counting a long-lived {sup 60}Co radioactive sourcemore » together with the samples as a livetime chronometer. The final half-live values obtained using both dead-time correction methods were in good agreement, showing that the correction was properly assessed. The results obtained are partially compatible with the literature values, but with a lower uncertainty, and allow a discussion on the last ENSDF compilations' values.« less

The impact of extended half-life versus conventional factor product on hemophilia caregiver burden.

PubMed

Schwartz, Carolyn E; Powell, Victoria E; Su, Jun; Zhang, Jie; Eldar-Lissai, Adi

2018-05-01

Extended half-life factor products have reduced annualized bleeding rates in hemophilia patients. The impact of extended half-life versus conventional factor products on hemophilia caregiver burden has not been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate caregiver burden in extended half-life versus conventional factor products for hemophilia A and B. This cross-sectional web-based study of caregivers of people with hemophilia A or B was recruited from a panel research company and by word of mouth. Participants completed the Hemophilia Caregiver Impact measure, the PedsQL Family Impact Module (PedsQL), and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI). We also collected demographic, insurance coverage, and medical information related to the hemophilia patient(s). Burden differences were assessed using linear regression and matched cohort analyses. The sample (n = 448) included 49 people who were caring for people on extended half-life factor products. Worse caregiver burden was associated with more infusions per week and more bleeds in the past 6 months. Regression analyses suggested that caring for someone who is on a extended half-life factor product is associated with lower emotional impact (β = - 0.11, p < 0.05, Adjusted R 2  = 0.06), and shows a trend association with lower practical impact (β = - 0.09, p < 0.10, Adjusted R 2  = 0.05). The matched cohort analysis also revealed that people on extended half-life factor product had lower Emotional Impact and Practical Impact scores (t = - 2.95 and - 2.94, respectively, p < 0.05 in both cases). No differences were detected on the PedsQL or the WPAI. The reduced required frequency of factor product infusions of extended half-life factor products appears to reduce the emotional distress and practical burden of caregiving. Future work should evaluate the longitudinal impact.

Genome-wide gene expression and RNA half-life measurements allow predictions of regulation and metabolic behavior in Methanosarcina acetivorans

DOE PAGES

Peterson, Joseph R.; Thor, ShengShee; Kohler, Lars; ...

2016-11-16

Here, while a few studies on the variations in mRNA expression and half-lives measured under different growth conditions have been used to predict patterns of regulation in bacterial organisms, the extent to which this information can also play a role in defining metabolic phenotypes has yet to be examined systematically. Here we present the first comprehensive study for a model methanogen. As a result, we use expression and half-life data for the methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans growing on fast- and slow-growth substrates to examine the regulation of its genes. Unlike Escherichia coli where only small shifts in half-lives were observed, wemore » found that most mRNA have significantly longer half-lives for slow growth on acetate compared to fast growth on methanol or trimethylamine. Interestingly, half-life shifts are not uniform across functional classes of enzymes, suggesting the existence of a selective stabilization mechanism for mRNAs. Using the transcriptomics data we determined whether transcription or degradation rate controls the change in transcript abundance. Degradation was found to control abundance for about half of the metabolic genes underscoring its role in regulating metabolism. Genes involved in half of the metabolic reactions were found to be differentially expressed among the substrates suggesting the existence of drastically different metabolic phenotypes that extend beyond just the methanogenesis pathways. By integrating expression data with an updated metabolic model of the organism (iST807) significant differences in pathway flux and production of metabolites were predicted for the three growth substrates. In conclusion, this study provides the first global picture of differential expression and half-lives for a class II methanogen, as well as provides the first evidence in a single organism that drastic genome-wide shifts in RNA half-lives can be modulated by growth substrate. We determined which genes in each metabolic pathway

Genome-wide gene expression and RNA half-life measurements allow predictions of regulation and metabolic behavior in Methanosarcina acetivorans

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

Peterson, Joseph R.; Thor, ShengShee; Kohler, Lars

Here, while a few studies on the variations in mRNA expression and half-lives measured under different growth conditions have been used to predict patterns of regulation in bacterial organisms, the extent to which this information can also play a role in defining metabolic phenotypes has yet to be examined systematically. Here we present the first comprehensive study for a model methanogen. As a result, we use expression and half-life data for the methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans growing on fast- and slow-growth substrates to examine the regulation of its genes. Unlike Escherichia coli where only small shifts in half-lives were observed, wemore » found that most mRNA have significantly longer half-lives for slow growth on acetate compared to fast growth on methanol or trimethylamine. Interestingly, half-life shifts are not uniform across functional classes of enzymes, suggesting the existence of a selective stabilization mechanism for mRNAs. Using the transcriptomics data we determined whether transcription or degradation rate controls the change in transcript abundance. Degradation was found to control abundance for about half of the metabolic genes underscoring its role in regulating metabolism. Genes involved in half of the metabolic reactions were found to be differentially expressed among the substrates suggesting the existence of drastically different metabolic phenotypes that extend beyond just the methanogenesis pathways. By integrating expression data with an updated metabolic model of the organism (iST807) significant differences in pathway flux and production of metabolites were predicted for the three growth substrates. In conclusion, this study provides the first global picture of differential expression and half-lives for a class II methanogen, as well as provides the first evidence in a single organism that drastic genome-wide shifts in RNA half-lives can be modulated by growth substrate. We determined which genes in each metabolic pathway

Development of CANDLES low background HPGe detector and half-life measurement of 180Tam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, W. M.; Kishimoto, T.; Umehara, S.; Matsuoka, K.; Suzuki, K.; Yoshida, S.; Nakajima, K.; Iida, T.; Fushimi, K.; Nomachi, M.; Ogawa, I.; Tamagawa, Y.; Hazama, R.; Takemoto, Y.; Nakatani, N.; Takihira, Y.; Tozawa, M.; Kakubata, H.; Trang, V. T. T.; Ohata, T.; Tetsuno, K.; Maeda, T.; Khai, B. T.; Li, X. L.; Batpurev, T.

2018-01-01

A low background HPGe detector system was developed at CANDLES Experimental Hall for multipurpose use. Various low background techniques were employed, including hermatic shield design, radon gas suppression, and background reduction analysis. A new pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method was specially created for coaxial Ge detector. Using this PSD method, microphonics noise and background event at low energy region less than 200 keV can be rejected effectively. Monte Carlo simulation by GEANT4 was performed to acquire the detection efficiency and study the interaction of gamma-rays with detector system. For rare decay measurement, the detector was utilized to detect the nature's most stable isomer tantalum-180m (180Tam) decay. Two phases of tantalum physics run were completed with total livetime of 358.2 days, which Phase II has upgraded shield configuration. The world most stringent half-life limit of 180Tam has been successfully achieved.

Quantification of 60Fe atoms by MC-ICP-MS for the redetermination of the half-life.

PubMed

Kivel, Niko; Schumann, Dorothea; Günther-Leopold, Ines

2013-03-01

In many scientific fields, the half-life of radionuclides plays an important role. The accurate knowledge of this parameter has direct impact on, e.g., age determination of archeological artifacts and of the elemental synthesis in the universe. In order to derive the half-life of a long-lived radionuclide, the activity and the absolute number of atoms have to be analyzed. Whereas conventional radiation measurement methods are typically applied for activity determinations, the latter can be determined with high accuracy by mass spectrometric techniques. Over the past years, the half-lives of several radionuclides have been specified by means of multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) complementary to the earlier reported values mainly derived by accelerator mass spectrometry. The present paper discusses all critical aspects (amount of material, radiochemical sample preparation, interference correction, isotope dilution mass spectrometry, calculation of measurement uncertainty) for a precise analysis of the number of atoms by MC-ICP-MS exemplified for the recently published half-life determination of 60Fe (Rugel et al, Phys Rev Lett 103:072502, 2009).

Leadership in Higher Education and the Second Half of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Roxanne

2006-01-01

Research indicates that little is understood about the impact of what has been called "the second half of life" on administrators in higher education, such as deans and department chairs. This study addresses this lack of knowledge by reviewing research on the second half of life phenomena, especially its possible impact on university/college…

Half life of chromium in serum and urine in a former plasma cutter of stainless steel

PubMed Central

Petersen, R.; Thomsen, J. F.; Jorgensen, N. K.; Mikkelsen, S.

2000-01-01

For 8 years chromium in serum and urine has been followed up in a former plasma cutter of stainless steel who was exposed to airborne dust and fumes containing chromium during this work. After the first examination for serum chromium the exposure ended. Serum chromium concentration has been measured seven times during the period and was initially very high and has subsequently dropped slowly. The half life was 40 months in serum. Urinary chromium has been measured five times. The half life was 129 months in urine. The study shows that exposure to airborne dust and fumes containing chromium may cause accumulation of chromium in the body, and that when exposure ends, elimination of chromium is very slow. Previous studies suggest that chromium mainly accumulates in the lungs.


Keywords: chromium half life; plasma cutting; stainless steel PMID:10711283

A biomimetic approach for enhancing the in vivo half-life of peptides

PubMed Central

Penchala, Sravan C; Miller, Mark R; Pal, Arindom; Dong, Jin; Madadi, Nikhil R.; Xie, Jinghang; Joo, Hyun; Tsai, Jerry; Batoon, Patrick; Samoshin, Vyacheslav; Franz, Andreas; Cox, Trever; Miles, Jesse; Chan, William K; Park, Miki S; Alhamadsheh, Mamoun M

2015-01-01

The tremendous therapeutic potential of peptides has not yet been realized, mainly due to their short in vivo half-life. While conjugation to macromolecules has been a mainstay approach for enhancing the half-life of proteins, the steric hindrance of macromolecules often harms the binding of peptides to target receptors, compromising the in vivo efficacy. Here we report a new strategy for enhancing the in vivo half-life of peptides without compromising their potency. Our approach involves endowing peptides with a small-molecule that binds reversibly to the serum protein, transthyretin. Although there are few reversible albumin-binding molecules, we are unaware of designed small molecules that bind reversibly to other serum proteins and are used for half-life extension in vivo. We show here that our strategy was indeed effective in enhancing the half-life of an agonist for GnRH receptor while maintaining its binding affinity, which was translated into superior in vivo efficacy. PMID:26344696

A formula for half-life of proton radioactivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhi-Xing; Dong, Jian-Min

2018-01-01

We present a formula for proton radioactivity half-lives of spherical proton emitters with the inclusion of the spectroscopic factor. The coefficients in the formula are calibrated with the available experimental data. As an input to calculate the half-life, the spectroscopic factor that characterizes the important information on nuclear structure should be obtained with a nuclear many-body approach. This formula is found to work quite well, and in better agreement with experimental measurements than other theoretical models. Therefore, it can be used as a powerful tool in the investigation of proton emission, in particular for experimentalists. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11435014, 11405223, 11675265, 11575112), the 973 Program of China (2013CB834401, 2013CB834405), National Key Program for S&T Research and Development (2016YFA0400501), the Knowledge Innovation Project (KJCX2-EW-N01) of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China (11321064) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Predictors of 25(OH)D half-life and plasma 25(OH)D concentration in The Gambia and the UK.

PubMed

Jones, K S; Assar, S; Vanderschueren, D; Bouillon, R; Prentice, A; Schoenmakers, I

2015-03-01

Predictors of 25(OH)D3 half-life were factors associated with vitamin D metabolism, but were different between people in The Gambia and the UK. Country was the strongest predictor of plasma 25(OH)D concentration, probably as a marker of UVB exposure. 25(OH)D3 half-life may be applied as a tool to investigate vitamin D expenditure. The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of 25(OH)D3 half-life and plasma 25(OH)D concentration. Plasma half-life of an oral tracer dose of deuterated-25(OH)D3 was measured in healthy men aged 24-39 years, resident in The Gambia, West Africa (n = 18) and in the UK during the winter (n = 18), countries that differ in calcium intake and vitamin D status. Plasma and urinary markers of vitamin D, calcium, phosphate and bone metabolism, nutrient intakes and anthropometry were measured. Normally distributed data are presented as mean (SD) and non-normal data as geometric mean (95% CI). Gambian compared to UK men had higher plasma concentrations of 25(OH)D (69 (13) vs. 29 (11) nmol/L; P < 0.0001); 1,25(OH)2D (181 (165, 197) vs. 120 (109, 132) pmol/L; P < 0.01); and parathyroid hormone (PTH) (50 (42, 60) vs. 33 (27, 39); P < 0.0001). There was no difference in 25(OH)D3 half-life (14.7 (3.5) days vs. 15.6 (2.5) days) between countries (P = 0.2). In multivariate analyses, 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D, vitamin D binding protein and albumin-adjusted calcium (Caalb) explained 79% of variance in 25(OH)D3 half-life in Gambians, but no significant predictors were found in UK participants. For the countries combined, Caalb, PTH and plasma phosphate explained 39 % of half-life variability. 1,25(OH)2D, weight, PTH and country explained 81% of variability in 25(OH)D concentration; however, country alone explained 74%. Factors known to affect 25(OH)D metabolism predict 25(OH)D3 half-life, but these differed between countries. Country predicted 25(OH)D, probably as a proxy measure for UVB exposure and vitamin D supply. This study supports the use of 25(OH

Variation in absorption and half-life of hydrocortisone influence plasma cortisol concentrations.

PubMed

Hindmarsh, Peter C; Charmandari, Evangelia

2015-04-01

Hydrocortisone therapy should be individualized in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) patients to avoid over and under replacement. We have assessed how differences in absorption and half-life of cortisol influence glucocorticoid exposure. Forty-eight patients (21 M) aged between 6·1 and 20·3 years with CAH due to CYP21A2 deficiency were studied. Each patient underwent a 24-h plasma cortisol profile with the morning dose used to calculate absorption parameters along with an intravenous (IV) hydrocortisone (15 mg/m(2) body surface area) bolus assessment of half-life. Parameters derived were maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ), time of maximum plasma concentration (tmax ), time to attaining plasma cortisol concentration <100 nmol/l and half-life of cortisol. Mean half-life was 76·5 ± 5·2 (range 40-225·3) min, Cmax 780·7 ± 61·6 nmol/l and tmax 66·7 (range 20-118) min. Time taken to a plasma cortisol concentration less than 100 nmol/l was 289 (range 140-540) min. Those with a fast half-life and slow tmax took longest to reach a plasma cortisol concentration less than 100 nmol/l (380 ± 34·6 min), compared to those with a slow half-life and fast tmax (298 ± 34·8 min) and those with a fast half-life and fast tmax (249·5 ± 14·4 min) (One-way anovaF = 4·52; P = 0·009). Both rate of absorption and half-life of cortisol in the circulation play important roles in determining overall exposure to oral glucocorticoid. Dose regimens need to incorporate estimates of these parameters into determining the optimum dosing schedule for individuals. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Half-life of Si-32 from tandem-accelerator mass spectrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elmore, D.; Anantaraman, N.; Fulbright, H. W.; Gove, H. E.; Nishiizumi, K.; Murrell, M. T.; Honda, M.; Hans, H. S.

1980-01-01

A newly developed mass-spectrometry technique employing a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator together with a special beam-transport system and heavy-ion detector has been used to determine the half-life of Si-32. The result obtained, 108 plus or minus 18 yr, disagrees with the accepted value of 330 plus or minus 40 yr. The implications of the new half-life of Si-32, which is used for dating studies, are discussed.

Using gamma distribution to determine half-life of rotenone, applied in freshwater.

PubMed

Rohan, Maheswaran; Fairweather, Alastair; Grainger, Natasha

2015-09-15

Following the use of rotenone to eradicate invasive pest fish, a dynamic first-order kinetic model is usually used to determine the half-life and rate at which rotenone dissipated from the treated waterbody. In this study, we investigate the use of a stochastic gamma model for determining the half-life and rate at which rotenone dissipates from waterbodies. The first-order kinetic and gamma models produced similar values for the half-life (4.45 days and 5.33 days respectively) and days to complete dissipation (51.2 days and 52.48 days respectively). However, the gamma model fitted the data better and was more flexible than the first-order kinetic model, allowing us to use covariates and to predict a possible range for the half-life of rotenone. These benefits are particularly important when examining the influence that different environmental factors have on rotenone dissipation and when trying to predict the rate at which rotenone will dissipate during future operations. We therefore recommend that in future the gamma distribution model is used when calculating the half-life of rotenone in preference to the dynamic first-order kinetics model. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metabolic half-life of somatostatin and peptidase activities are altered in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Weber, S J; Louis, R B; Trombley, L; Bissette, G; Davies, P; Davis, T P

1992-01-01

Several reports have described decreased immunoreactive somatostatin levels in specific regions of post-mortem brain tissue from patients diagnosed with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT). In an attempt to determine if the metabolism of somatostatin is also altered as a result of SDAT, we examined the regional metabolic half-life of somatostatin-28 (SS-28) and somatostatin-14 (SS-14). The activity of the following peptidases was also determined: neutral endopeptidase E.C. 3.4.24.11; metalloendopeptidase E.C. 3.4.24.15; carboxypeptidase E (E.C. 3.4.17.10); and trypsin-like serine protease. The metabolic half-life of SS-28 was significantly reduced in post-mortem Brodmann Area 22 of SDAT tissue. This decrease in SS-28 metabolic half-life was correlated with a significant increase in trypsin-like serine protease activity in the same SDAT brain region. The formation rate of SS-14 from SS-28 incubated with Brodmann Area 22 homogenates was also increased in SDAT tissues as compared to controls. A regional variation in neutral endopeptidase E.C. 3.4.24.11 was also noted in both controls and SDAT samples. Although postmortem intervals of samples varied significantly, no effect was seen on any biochemical parameter measured. Results from this study provide evidence that a correlation can be made between changes in metabolic half-life somatostatin and alterations in neuropeptidase activities due to SDAT. As these data show alterations in both proteolytic metabolism and peptidase activities, many other biologically active peptide substrates could also be affected in SDAT.

Evaluation of the 129I Half-Life Value Through Analyses of Primitive Meteorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pravdivtseva, Olga; Meshik, Alex; Hohenberg, Charles M.

The preserved record of decay of now-extinct 129I into 129Xe forms the basis of the I-Xe chronometer. Comparison of the high precision I-Xe and Pb-Pb ages of chondrules and pure mineral phases separated from eight meteorites suggests the 17.5 ÷ 14.6 Ma range for the 129I half-life, assuming that the 235U and 238U half-lives are correct. The mean value of 16 Ma indicates that the 15.7 Ma half-life of 129I used here for the I-Xe age calculations is most probably correct. Since the 129I half-life value only affects the relative I-Xe ages, the few Ma relative to the Shallowater standard, the absolute I-Xe ages are almost immune to this uncertainty in the 129I half-life.

The Use of Gene Ontology Term and KEGG Pathway Enrichment for Analysis of Drug Half-Life

PubMed Central

Chen, Lei; Lu, Jing; Kong, XiangYin; Huang, Tao; Li, HaiPeng

2016-01-01

A drug’s biological half-life is defined as the time required for the human body to metabolize or eliminate 50% of the initial drug dosage. Correctly measuring the half-life of a given drug is helpful for the safe and accurate usage of the drug. In this study, we investigated which gene ontology (GO) terms and biological pathways were highly related to the determination of drug half-life. The investigated drugs, with known half-lives, were analyzed based on their enrichment scores for associated GO terms and KEGG pathways. These scores indicate which GO terms or KEGG pathways the drug targets. The feature selection method, minimum redundancy maximum relevance, was used to analyze these GO terms and KEGG pathways and to identify important GO terms and pathways, such as sodium-independent organic anion transmembrane transporter activity (GO:0015347), monoamine transmembrane transporter activity (GO:0008504), negative regulation of synaptic transmission (GO:0050805), neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction (hsa04080), serotonergic synapse (hsa04726), and linoleic acid metabolism (hsa00591), among others. This analysis confirmed our results and may show evidence for a new method in studying drug half-lives and building effective computational methods for the prediction of drug half-lives. PMID:27780226

A New Method to Determine the Half-Life for Penicillin Using Microcalorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z. X.; Zhao, W. W.

2015-01-01

The dissolution process of penicillin in normal saline and isotonic glucose solution was reported using a microcalorimeter. Both the integral and differential heats of solution were measured. The quantitative relationships between the amount of heat released and the quantity of dissolved penicillin were established. Meanwhile, the kinetics and the half-life of the dissolution processes as well as the enthalpy of solution, the entropy of dissolution, and the free energy of dissolution were determined. The results showed that a change of the solvent from normal saline to isotonic glucose solution had little effect on the half-life of penicillin in the dissolution process, and there was no significant difference between the stabilities of penicillin in isotonic glucose solution and normal saline. Moreover, the dissolution process of penicillin in isotonic glucose solution followed the first-order kinetics. These results could provide a theoretical basis for the clinical applications of penicillin.

Extension of in vivo half-life of biologically active peptides via chemical conjugation to XTEN protein polymer.

PubMed

Podust, Vladimir N; Sim, Bee-Cheng; Kothari, Dharti; Henthorn, Lana; Gu, Chen; Wang, Chia-wei; McLaughlin, Bryant; Schellenberger, Volker

2013-11-01

XTEN, unstructured biodegradable proteins, have been used to extend the in vivo half-life of genetically fused therapeutic proteins and peptides. To expand the applications of XTEN technology to half-life extension of other classes of molecules, XTEN protein polymers and methods for chemical XTENylation were developed. Two XTEN precursors were engineered to contain enzymatically removable purification tags. The proteins were readily expressed in bacteria and purified to homogeneity by chromatography techniques. As proof-of-principle, GLP2-2G peptide was chemically conjugated to each of the two XTEN protein polymers using maleimide-thiol chemistry. The monodisperse nature of XTEN protein polymer enabled reaction monitoring as well as the detection of peptide modifications in the conjugated state using reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The resulting GLP2-2G-XTEN conjugates were purified by preparative RP-HPLC to homogeneity. In comparison with recombinantly fused GLP2-2G-XTEN, chemically conjugated GLP2-2G-XTEN molecules exhibited comparable in vitro activity, in vitro plasma stability and pharmacokinetics in rats. These data suggest that chemical XTENylation could effectively extend the half-life of a wide spectrum of biologically active molecules, therefore broadening its applicability.

Estimation of Monocrotophos renal elimination half-life in humans.

PubMed

Jose, Arun; Selvakumar, Ratnasamy; Peter, John Victor; Karthik, Gunasekaran; Fleming, Denise Helen; Fleming, Jude Joseph

2015-01-01

Monocrotophos, implicated in about 1/4th of organophosphate poisonings in our centre, is associated with the highest mortality (24%). Yet data on its pharmacokinetics in humans is limited. We estimated the renal elimination half-life of monocrotophos. Consecutive patients presenting with monocrotophos overdose over a 2-month period who had normal renal function were recruited. Monocrotophos in plasma and urine were quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Urine was obtained from catheterised samples at 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8, 8-12 and 12-24 h. Plasma specimens were collected at the time of admission, and at the midpoint of the urine sample collections at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 21 h. Renal elimination half-life was calculated from the cumulative amount excreted in the urine. The cohort of 5 male patients, aged 35.8 ± 2.94 years, presented with typical organophosphate (cholinergic) toxidrome following intentional monocrotophos overdose. All patients required mechanical ventilation; one patient died. Plasma data was available from 5 patients and urine data from 3 patients. The median renal elimination half-life was 3.3 (range: 1.9-5.0 h). Plasma monocrotophos values, as natural log, fell in a linear fashion up to around 10 h after admission. After the 10-hour period, there was a secondary rise in values in all the 3 patients in whom sampling was continued after 10 h. A renal elimination half-life of 3.3 h for monocrotophos is consistent with a water-soluble compound which is rapidly cleared from the plasma. The secondary rise in plasma monocrotophos values suggests possible re-distribution. Determining the elimination profile of this compound will help develop better strategies for treatment.

Combined glyco- and protein-Fc engineering simultaneously enhance cytotoxicity and half-life of a therapeutic antibody.

PubMed

Monnet, Céline; Jorieux, Sylvie; Souyris, Nathalie; Zaki, Ouafa; Jacquet, Alexandra; Fournier, Nathalie; Crozet, Fabien; de Romeuf, Christophe; Bouayadi, Khalil; Urbain, Rémi; Behrens, Christian K; Mondon, Philippe; Fontayne, Alexandre

2014-01-01

While glyco-engineered monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with improved antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) are reaching the market, extensive efforts have also been made to improve their pharmacokinetic properties to generate biologically superior molecules. Most therapeutic mAbs are human or humanized IgG molecules whose half-life is dependent on the neonatal Fc receptor FcRn. FcRn reduces IgG catabolism by binding to the Fc domain of endocytosed IgG in acidic lysosomal compartments, allowing them to be recycled into the blood. Fc-engineered mAbs with increased FcRn affinity resulted in longer in vivo half-life in animal models, but also in healthy humans. These Fc-engineered mAbs were obtained by alanine scanning, directed mutagenesis or in silico approach of the FcRn binding site. In our approach, we applied a random mutagenesis technology (MutaGen™) to generate mutations evenly distributed over the whole Fc sequence of human IgG1. IgG variants with improved FcRn-binding were then isolated from these Fc-libraries using a pH-dependent phage display selection process. Two successive rounds of mutagenesis and selection were performed to identify several mutations that dramatically improve FcRn binding. Notably, many of these mutations were unpredictable by rational design as they were located distantly from the FcRn binding site, validating our random molecular approach. When produced on the EMABling(®) platform allowing effector function increase, our IgG variants retained both higher ADCC and higher FcRn binding. Moreover, these IgG variants exhibited longer half-life in human FcRn transgenic mice. These results clearly demonstrate that glyco-engineering to improve cytotoxicity and protein-engineering to increase half-life can be combined to further optimize therapeutic mAbs.

All half-lives are wrong, but some half-lives are useful.

PubMed

Wright, J G; Boddy, A V

2001-01-01

The half-life of a drug, which expresses a change in concentration in units of time, is perhaps the most easily understood pharmacokinetic parameter and provides a succinct description of many concentration-time profiles. The calculation of a half-life implies a linear, first-order, time-invariant process. No drug perfectly obeys such assumptions, although in practise this is often a valid approximation and provides invaluable quantitative information. Nevertheless, the physiological processes underlying half-life should not be forgotten. The concept of clearance facilitates the interpretation of factors affecting drug elimination, such as enzyme inhibition or renal impairment. Relating clearance to the observed concentration-time profile is not as naturally intuitive as is the case with half-life. As such, these 2 approaches to parameterising a linear pharmacokinetic model should be viewed as complementary rather than alternatives. The interpretation of pharmacokinetic parameters when there are multiple disposition phases is more challenging. Indeed, in any pharmacokinetic model, the half-lives are only one component of the parameters required to specify the concentration-time profile. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic parameters are of little use without a dose history. Other factors influencing the relevance of each disposition phase to clinical end-points must also be considered. In summarising the pharmacokinetics of a drug, statistical aspects of the estimation of a half-life are often overlooked. Half-lives are rarely reported with confidence intervals or measures of variability in the population, and some approaches to this problem are suggested. Half-life is an important summary statistic in pharmacokinetics, but care must be taken to employ it appropriately in the context of dose history and clinically relevant pharmacodynamic end-points.

Potential fitness benefits of the half-pounder life history in Klamath River steelhead

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hodge, Brian W.; Wilzbach, Peggy; Duffy, Walter G.

2014-01-01

Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from several of the world's rivers display the half-pounder life history, a variant characterized by an amphidromous (and, less often, anadromous) return to freshwater in the year of initial ocean entry. We evaluated factors related to expression of the half-pounder life history in wild steelhead from the lower Klamath River basin, California. We also evaluated fitness consequences of the half-pounder phenotype using a simple life history model that was parameterized with our empirical data and outputs from a regional survival equation. The incidence of the half-pounder life history differed among subbasins of origin and smolt ages. Precocious maturation occurred in approximately 8% of half-pounders and was best predicted by individual length in freshwater preceding ocean entry. Adult steelhead of the half-pounder phenotype were smaller and less fecund at age than adult steelhead of the alternative (ocean contingent) phenotype. However, our data suggest that fish of the half-pounder phenotype are more likely to spawn repeatedly than are fish of the ocean contingent phenotype. Models predicted that if lifetime survivorship were equal between phenotypes, the fitness of the half-pounder phenotype would be 17–28% lower than that of the ocean contingent phenotype. To meet the condition of equal fitness between phenotypes would require that first-year ocean survival be 21–40% higher among half-pounders in freshwater than among their cohorts at sea. We concluded that continued expression of the half-pounder phenotype is favored by precocious maturation and increased survival relative to that of the ocean contingent phenotype.

Improved half-life determination and β-delayed γ-ray spectroscopy for 18Ne decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinyer, G. F.; Ball, G. C.; Bouzomita, H.; Ettenauer, S.; Finlay, P.; Garnsworthy, A. B.; Garrett, P. E.; Green, K. L.; Hackman, G.; Leslie, J. R.; Pearson, C. J.; Rand, E. T.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Svensson, C. E.; Thomas, J. C.; Triambak, S.; Williams, S. J.

2013-04-01

The half-life of the superallowed Fermi β+ emitter 18Ne has been determined to ±0.07% precision by counting 1042 keV delayed γ rays that follow approximately 8% of all β decays. The deduced half-life, T1/2=1.6648(11) s, includes a 0.7% correction that accounts for systematic losses associated with rate-dependent detector pulse pileup that was determined using a recently developed γ-ray photopeak-counting technique. This result is a factor of two times more precise than, and in excellent agreement with, a previous lower-statistics measurement that employed the same experimental setup. High-resolution β-delayed γ-ray spectroscopy results for the relative γ-ray intensities and β-decay branching ratios to excited states in the daughter 18F are also presented.

Extending Serum Half-life of Albumin by Engineering Neonatal Fc Receptor (FcRn) Binding*

PubMed Central

Andersen, Jan Terje; Dalhus, Bjørn; Viuff, Dorthe; Ravn, Birgitte Thue; Gunnarsen, Kristin Støen; Plumridge, Andrew; Bunting, Karen; Antunes, Filipa; Williamson, Rebecca; Athwal, Steven; Allan, Elizabeth; Evans, Leslie; Bjørås, Magnar; Kjærulff, Søren; Sleep, Darrell; Sandlie, Inger; Cameron, Jason

2014-01-01

A major challenge for the therapeutic use of many peptides and proteins is their short circulatory half-life. Albumin has an extended serum half-life of 3 weeks because of its size and FcRn-mediated recycling that prevents intracellular degradation, properties shared with IgG antibodies. Engineering the strictly pH-dependent IgG-FcRn interaction is known to extend IgG half-life. However, this principle has not been extensively explored for albumin. We have engineered human albumin by introducing single point mutations in the C-terminal end that generated a panel of variants with greatly improved affinities for FcRn. One variant (K573P) with 12-fold improved affinity showed extended serum half-life in normal mice, mice transgenic for human FcRn, and cynomolgus monkeys. Importantly, favorable binding to FcRn was maintained when a single-chain fragment variable antibody was genetically fused to either the N- or the C-terminal end. The engineered albumin variants may be attractive for improving the serum half-life of biopharmaceuticals. PMID:24652290

High-precision {beta} decay half-life measurements of proton-rich nuclei for testing the CVC hypothesis

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

Kurtukian-Nieto, T.; Collaboration: NEX Group of CENBG

2011-11-30

The experimental study of super-allowed nuclear {beta} decays serves as a sensitive probe of the conservation of the weak vector current (CVC) and allows tight limits to be set on the presence of scalar or right-handed currents. Once CVC is verified, it is possible to determine the V{sub ud} element of the CKM quark-mixing matrix. Similarly, the study of nuclear mirror {beta} decays allows to arrive at the same final quantity V{sub ud}. Whereas dedicated studies of 0{sup +}{yields}0{sup +} decays are performed for several decades now, the potential of mirror transitions was only rediscovered recently. Therefore, it can bemore » expected that important progress is possible with high-precision studies of different mirror {beta} decays. In the present piece of work the half-life measurements performed by the CENBG group of the proton-rich nuclei {sup 42}Ti, {sup 38-39}Ca, {sup 30-31}S and {sup 29}P are summarised.« less

β+ decay and cosmic-ray half-life of 91Nb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindi, M. M.; Sur, Bhaskar; Wedding, Kristin L.; Bardayan, D. W.; Czerwinski, K. R.; da Cruz, M. T. F.; Hoffman, D. C.; Larimer, R.-M.; Lesko, K. T.; Norman, Eric B.

1993-06-01

In the laboratory, 91Nb decays by electron capture with a 680-yr half-life. However, as a high energy cosmic ray, it would be stripped of its atomic electrons and would be able to undergo only β+ decay. We produced and chemically purified a sample of 91Nb and observed its decay with an array of Ge and NaI detectors. By following the β+ annihilation radiation, we were able to determine the β+ branching ratios of both the 105-keV, 61-d isomer and the ground state of 91Nb. The ground-state branch is (7.7+/-0.8)×10-3% leading to a β+ partial half-like of (8.8+/-1.9)×106 yr. Such a value of the half-life makes 91Nb a good candidate for determining the confinement time of this secondary component of the cosmic rays.

Extending the half-life of a fab fragment through generation of a humanized anti-human serum albumin Fv domain: An investigation into the correlation between affinity and serum half-life.

PubMed

Adams, Ralph; Griffin, Laura; Compson, Joanne E; Jairaj, Mark; Baker, Terry; Ceska, Tom; West, Shauna; Zaccheo, Oliver; Davé, Emma; Lawson, Alastair Dg; Humphreys, David P; Heywood, Sam

2016-10-01

We generated an anti-albumin antibody, CA645, to link its Fv domain to an antigen-binding fragment (Fab), thereby extending the serum half-life of the Fab. CA645 was demonstrated to bind human, cynomolgus, and mouse serum albumin with similar affinity (1-7 nM), and to bind human serum albumin (HSA) when it is in complex with common known ligands. Importantly for half-life extension, CA645 binds HSA with similar affinity within the physiologically relevant range of pH 5.0 - pH 7.4, and does not have a deleterious effect on the binding of HSA to neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). A crystal structure of humanized CA645 Fab in complex with HSA was solved and showed that CA645 Fab binds to domain II of HSA. Superimposition with the crystal structure of FcRn bound to HSA confirmed that CA645 does not block HSA binding to FcRn. In mice, the serum half-life of humanized CA645 Fab is 84.2 h. This is a significant extension in comparison with < 1 h for a non-HSA binding CA645 Fab variant. The Fab-HSA structure was used to design a series of mutants with reduced affinity to investigate the correlation between the affinity for albumin and serum half-life. Reduction in the affinity for MSA by 144-fold from 2.2 nM to 316 nM had no effect on serum half-life. Strikingly, despite a reduction in affinity to 62 µM, an extension in serum half-life of 26.4 h was still obtained. CA645 Fab and the CA645 Fab-HSA complex have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) with accession codes, 5FUZ and 5FUO, respectively.

New isomer and decay half-life of {sup 115}Ru

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

Kurpeta, J.; Plochocki, A.; Rissanen, J.

2010-12-15

Exotic, neutron-rich nuclei of mass A=115 produced in proton-induced fission of {sup 238}U were extracted using the IGISOL mass separator. The beam of isobars was transferred to the JYFLTRAP Penning trap system for further separation to the isotopic level. Monoisotopic samples of {sup 115}Ru nuclei were used for {gamma}and {beta} coincidence spectroscopy. In {sup 115}Ru we have observed excited levels, including an isomer with a half-life of 76(6) ms and (7/2{sup -}) spin and parity. The first excited 61.7-keV level in {sup 115}Ru with spins and parity (3/2{sup +}) may correspond to an oblate 3/2{sup +}[431] Nilsson orbital. A half-lifemore » of 318(19) ms for the {beta}{sup -} decay of the (1/2{sup +}) ground state in {sup 115}Ru has been firmly established in two independent measurements, a value which is significantly shorter than that previously reported.« less

Estimates of the half-life of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in Vietnam veterans of operation ranch hand

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

Pirkle, J.L.; Wolfe, W.H.; Patterson, D.G.

1989-01-01

A half-life of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD; commonly known as dioxin) in serum has been measured in 36 Air Force Vietnam Veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, which was the operation that aerially sprayed the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam. From serum specimens taken in 1982 and 1987, the median half-life of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in these Ranch Hand veterans was found to be 7.1 yr (95% confidence interval about the median of 5.8-9.6 yr). These veterans reported no civilian exposure to dioxin or herbicides. Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in the 1982 serum specimens from these veterans ranged from 16.9 to 423 parts per trillion onmore » a lipid weight basis. The half-life estimates were not associated with the concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in the 1982 serum specimens. This half-life of 7.1 yr is much longer than the half-life of 2,3,7,8-TCDD reported in animals but is consistent with recent evidence from other human exposures to 2,3,7,8-TCDD.« less

Superior serum half life of albumin tagged TNF ligands

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

Mueller, Nicole; Schneider, Britta; Pfizenmaier, Klaus

2010-06-11

Due to their immune stimulating and apoptosis inducing properties, ligands of the TNF family attract increasing interest as therapeutic proteins. A general limitation of in vivo applications of recombinant soluble TNF ligands is their notoriously rapid clearance from circulation. To improve the serum half life of the TNF family members TNF, TWEAK and TRAIL, we genetically fused soluble variants of these molecules to human serum albumin (HSA). The serum albumin-TNF ligand fusion proteins were found to be of similar bioactivity as the corresponding HSA-less counterparts. Upon intravenous injection (i.v.), serum half life of HSA-TNF ligand fusion proteins, as determined bymore » ELISA, was around 15 h as compared to approximately 1 h for all of the recombinant control TNF ligands without HSA domain. Moreover, serum samples collected 6 or 24 h after i.v. injection still contained high TNF ligand bioactivity, demonstrating that there is only limited degradation/inactivation of circulating HSA-TNF ligand fusion proteins in vivo. In a xenotransplantation model, significantly less of the HSA-TRAIL fusion protein compared to the respective control TRAIL protein was required to achieve inhibition of tumor growth indicating that the increased half life of HSA-TNF ligand fusion proteins translates into better therapeutic action in vivo. In conclusion, our data suggest that genetic fusion to serum albumin is a powerful and generally applicable mean to improve bioavailability and in vivo activity of TNF ligands.« less

Is obesity associated with a decline in intelligence quotient during the first half of the life course?

PubMed

Belsky, Daniel W; Caspi, Avshalom; Goldman-Mellor, Sidra; Meier, Madeline H; Ramrakha, Sandhya; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E

2013-11-01

Cross-sectional studies have found that obesity is associated with low intellectual ability and neuroimaging abnormalities in adolescence and adulthood. Some have interpreted these associations to suggest that obesity causes intellectual decline in the first half of the life course. We analyzed data from a prospective longitudinal study to test whether becoming obese was associated with intellectual decline from childhood to midlife. We used data from the ongoing Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort study of 1,037 children in New Zealand who were followed prospectively from birth (1972-1973) through their fourth decade of life with a 95% retention rate. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was measured in childhood and adulthood. Anthropometric measurements were taken at birth and at 12 subsequent in-person assessments. As expected, cohort members who became obese had lower adulthood IQ scores. However, obese cohort members exhibited no excess decline in IQ. Instead, these cohort members had lower IQ scores since childhood. This pattern remained consistent when we accounted for children's birth weights and growth during the first years of life, as well as for childhood-onset obesity. Lower IQ scores among children who later developed obesity were present as early as 3 years of age. We observed no evidence that obesity contributed to a decline in IQ, even among obese individuals who displayed evidence of the metabolic syndrome and/or elevated systemic inflammation.

Is Obesity Associated With a Decline in Intelligence Quotient During the First Half of the Life Course?

PubMed Central

Belsky, Daniel W.; Caspi, Avshalom; Goldman-Mellor, Sidra; Meier, Madeline H.; Ramrakha, Sandhya; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E.

2013-01-01

Cross-sectional studies have found that obesity is associated with low intellectual ability and neuroimaging abnormalities in adolescence and adulthood. Some have interpreted these associations to suggest that obesity causes intellectual decline in the first half of the life course. We analyzed data from a prospective longitudinal study to test whether becoming obese was associated with intellectual decline from childhood to midlife. We used data from the ongoing Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort study of 1,037 children in New Zealand who were followed prospectively from birth (1972–1973) through their fourth decade of life with a 95% retention rate. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was measured in childhood and adulthood. Anthropometric measurements were taken at birth and at 12 subsequent in-person assessments. As expected, cohort members who became obese had lower adulthood IQ scores. However, obese cohort members exhibited no excess decline in IQ. Instead, these cohort members had lower IQ scores since childhood. This pattern remained consistent when we accounted for children's birth weights and growth during the first years of life, as well as for childhood-onset obesity. Lower IQ scores among children who later developed obesity were present as early as 3 years of age. We observed no evidence that obesity contributed to a decline in IQ, even among obese individuals who displayed evidence of the metabolic syndrome and/or elevated systemic inflammation. PMID:24029684

Geochemical constraints on the half-life of {sup 130}Te

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

Thomas, H. V.; Pattrick, R. A. D.; Crowther, S. A.

2008-11-15

To determine the half-life of {sup 130}Te we have analyzed multiple aliquots of geological telluride samples 100 times smaller than those previously reported using a unique resonance ionization mass spectrometer. We employ a low-fluence neutron irradiation that allows determination of parent and daughter from the same xenon isotopic analysis. Step heating of these irradiated samples allows the {sup 130}Xe/{sup 132}Xe ratio of fluids trapped inside the tellurides to be determined. Considering only samples where the trapped {sup 130}Xe/{sup 132}Xe ratio is demonstrably consistent with atmospheric xenon, we can avoid over- or under-estimating the half-life due to redistribution or inheritance ofmore » radiogenic {sup 130}Xe. Combining our work with literature data, it is clear that several relatively young samples have retained xenon quantitatively since formation, allowing the half-life to be determined as (8.0{+-}1.1)x10{sup 20} yr. Older samples have clearly been affected by post-formation processing. This suggests that there is little hope of monitoring solar luminosity through the geological record of {sup 126}Xe production by solar neutrinos, but it is possible that geologically useful chronological information can be obtained from this system.« less

Half-life of leu-enkephalin in the serum of infants of the first year of life on different types of feeding: relationship with temperament.

PubMed

Sokolov, O Yu; Kurasova, O B; Kost, N V; Gabaeva, M V; Korneeva, E V; Mikheeva, I G; Zozulya, A A

2004-04-01

The half-life of leu-enkephalin in the serum of infants aged under 1 year is significantly shorter than in adults. In girls leu-enkephalin half-life is significantly longer than in boys. The half-life of leu-enkephalin is different in infants on breast and formula feeding. Nine characteristics of temperament in infants of the first year of life were determined using EITQ and ITQ questionnaires. Serum leu-enkephalin half-life directly correlated with temperament characteristics (activity, perception, threshold), but not with the level psychomotor development.

Comparison between the clot-protecting activity of a mutant plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 with a very long half-life and 6-aminocaproic acid.

PubMed

Kindell, Daniel Glenn; Keck, Rick Wayne; Jankun, Jerzy

2015-06-01

Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 is a serpin glycoprotein that can stabilize blood clots by inhibiting fibrinolysis. However, wild-type PAI-1 has the disadvantage of a short half-life of ∼2 h. A very long half-life (VLHL) PAI-1 mutant was developed previously with an active-form half-life of >700 h, making it a possible candidate for use in hemorrhagic therapy. Current treatments for mitigating hemorrhage, other than inducers of blood clotting, are limited to lysine analog antifibrinolytics, including 6-aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid. VLHL PAI-1 has been previously demonstrated to limit bleeding; however, the efficacy of this protein compared with lysine analog antifibrinolytics has not been investigated. The aim of the current study was to compare the clot stabilizing properties of the novel antifibrinolytic VLHL PAI-1 with those of 6-aminocaproic acid in reference plasma. Using thromboelastographic analysis, VLHL PAI-1 exhibited an IC 50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) of 8.8×10 -8 mol/l, while 6-aminocaproic acid showed an IC 50 of 1.6×10 -4 mol/l. However, at doses of >9.0×10 -7 mol/l, VLHL PAI-1 exhibited a delay in the onset of clot formation, which may be attributed to thrombin inhibition by excess PAI-1. The inhibition of tissue plasminogen activator by VLHL PAI-1 demonstrated improved efficacy over 6-aminocaproic acid in mitigating hemorrhage. In addition, patients with a PAI-1 deficiency, which causes blood clots to lyse rapidly resulting in profuse bleeding, may benefit from the application of VLHL PAI-1 as an antihemorrhagic therapy.

Comparison between the clot-protecting activity of a mutant plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 with a very long half-life and 6-aminocaproic acid

PubMed Central

KINDELL, DANIEL GLENN; KECK, RICK WAYNE; JANKUN, JERZY

2015-01-01

Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 is a serpin glycoprotein that can stabilize blood clots by inhibiting fibrinolysis. However, wild-type PAI-1 has the disadvantage of a short half-life of ∼2 h. A very long half-life (VLHL) PAI-1 mutant was developed previously with an active-form half-life of >700 h, making it a possible candidate for use in hemorrhagic therapy. Current treatments for mitigating hemorrhage, other than inducers of blood clotting, are limited to lysine analog antifibrinolytics, including 6-aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid. VLHL PAI-1 has been previously demonstrated to limit bleeding; however, the efficacy of this protein compared with lysine analog antifibrinolytics has not been investigated. The aim of the current study was to compare the clot stabilizing properties of the novel antifibrinolytic VLHL PAI-1 with those of 6-aminocaproic acid in reference plasma. Using thromboelastographic analysis, VLHL PAI-1 exhibited an IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) of 8.8×10−8 mol/l, while 6-aminocaproic acid showed an IC50 of 1.6×10−4 mol/l. However, at doses of >9.0×10−7 mol/l, VLHL PAI-1 exhibited a delay in the onset of clot formation, which may be attributed to thrombin inhibition by excess PAI-1. The inhibition of tissue plasminogen activator by VLHL PAI-1 demonstrated improved efficacy over 6-aminocaproic acid in mitigating hemorrhage. In addition, patients with a PAI-1 deficiency, which causes blood clots to lyse rapidly resulting in profuse bleeding, may benefit from the application of VLHL PAI-1 as an antihemorrhagic therapy. PMID:26136983

Settling the half-life of 60Fe: fundamental for a versatile astrophysical chronometer.

PubMed

Wallner, A; Bichler, M; Buczak, K; Dressler, R; Fifield, L K; Schumann, D; Sterba, J H; Tims, S G; Wallner, G; Kutschera, W

2015-01-30

In order to resolve a recent discrepancy in the half-life of 60Fe, we performed an independent measurement with a new method that determines the 60Fe content of a material relative to 55Fe (t1/2=2.744  yr) with accelerator mass spectrometry. Our result of (2.50±0.12)×10(6)  yr clearly favors the recently reported value (2.62±0.04)×10(6)  yr, and rules out the older result of (1.49±0.27)×10(6)  yr. The present weighted mean half-life value of (2.60±0.05)×10(6)  yr substantially improves the reliability as an important chronometer for astrophysical applications in the million-year time range. This includes its use as a sensitive probe for studying recent chemical evolution of our Galaxy, the formation of the early Solar System, nucleosynthesis processes in massive stars, and as an indicator of a recent nearby supernova.

Label-free Fab and Fc affinity/avidity profiling of the antibody complex half-life for polyclonal and monoclonal efficacy screening.

PubMed

Read, Thomas; Olkhov, Rouslan V; Williamson, E Diane; Shaw, Andrew M

2015-09-01

A unified approach to affinity screening for Fab and Fc interactions of an antibody for its antigen and FcγR receptor has been developed. An antigen array is used for the Fab affinity and cross-reactivity screening and protein A/G proxy is the FcγR receptor. The affinities are derived using a simple 1:1 binding model with a consistent error analysis. The association and dissociation kinetics are measured over optimised times for accurate determination. The Fab/Fc affinities are derived for ten antibodies: mAb-actin (mouse), pAb-BSA (sheep), pAb-collagen V (rabbit), pAb-CRP (goat), mAb-F1 (mouse), mAbs (mouse) 7.3, 12.3, 29.3, 36.3 and 46.3 raised against LcrV in Yersinia pestis. The rate of the dissociation of antigen-antibody complexes relates directly to their immunological function as does the Fc-FcγR complex and a new half-life plot has been defined with a Fab/Fc half-life range of 17-470 min. The upper half-life value points to surface avidity. Two antibodies that are protective as an immunotherapy define a Fab half-life >250 min and an Fc half-life >50 min as characteristics of ideal interactions which can form the basis of an antibody screen for immunotherapy.

Determination of the half-life of the ground state of {sup 229}Th by using {sup 232}U and {sup 233}U decay series

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

Kikunaga, H.; Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198; Suzuki, T.

2011-07-15

The half-life of the ground state of {sup 229}Th ({sup 229}Th{sup g}) has become an important factor in nuclear technology, for example, in the geological disposal of nuclear spent fuel. However, the values reported in two previous studies are not in agreement. This study reevaluates the half-life of {sup 229}Th{sup g} by using a simple and reliable method. The {sup 232}U/{sup 233}U activity ratio of a {sup 232,233}U sample was measured by high-resolution {alpha}-particle spectrometry. Next, the {sup 228}Th/{sup 229}Th{sup g} activity ratio of the Th sample, which was grown from the {sup 232,233}U sample, was also measured. The half-lifemore » of {sup 229}Th{sup g} was calculated from these activity ratios, the growth time, and the half-lives of {sup 232}U, {sup 233}U, and {sup 228}Th. From the results of these five measurements, the half-life of {sup 229}Th{sup g} is determined to be 7932 {+-} 55 yr at a confidence level of 2{sigma}.« less

Hour Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty? Future Time Perspective and Preoccupation with Negative Events Across the Life Span

PubMed Central

Strough, JoNell; de Bruin, Wändi Bruine; Parker, Andrew M.; Lemaster, Philip; Pichayayothin, Nipat; Delaney, Rebecca

2016-01-01

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults' emotional well-being stems from having limited future time perspective that motivates them to maximize well-being in the “here and now.” Presumably, then, older adults' time horizons are associated with emotional competencies that boost positive affect and dampen negative affect, but little research has addressed this. Using a US national adult life-span sample (N= 3,933, 18-93 yrs), we found that a two-factor model of future time perspective (focus on future opportunities; focus on limited time) fit the data better than a one-factor model. Through middle age, people perceived the life-span hourglass as half full—they focused more on future opportunities than limited time. Around age 60, the balance changed to increasingly perceiving the life-span hourglass as half empty—they focused less on future opportunities and more on limited time. This pattern held even after accounting for perceived health, self-reported decision-making ability, and retirement status. At all ages, women's time horizons focused more on future opportunities compared to men's, and men's focused more on limited time. Focusing on future opportunities was associated with reporting less preoccupation with negative events, whereas focusing on limited time was associated with reporting more preoccupation. Older adults reported less preoccupation with negative events and this association was stronger after controlling for their perceptions of limited time and fewer future opportunities, suggesting that other pathways may explain older adults' reports of their ability to disengage from negative events. Insights gained and questions raised by measuring future time perspective as two dimensions are discussed. PMID:27267222

Hour glass half full or half empty? Future time perspective and preoccupation with negative events across the life span.

PubMed

Strough, JoNell; Bruine de Bruin, Wändi; Parker, Andrew M; Lemaster, Philip; Pichayayothin, Nipat; Delaney, Rebecca

2016-09-01

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults' emotional well-being stems from having a limited future time perspective that motivates them to maximize well-being in the "here and now." Presumably, then, older adults' time horizons are associated with emotional competencies that boost positive affect and dampen negative affect, but little research has addressed this. Using a U.S. adult life-span sample (N = 3,933; 18-93 years), we found that a 2-factor model of future time perspective (future opportunities; limited time) fit the data better than a 1-factor model. Through middle age, people perceived the life-span hourglass as half full-they focused more on future opportunities than limited time. Around Age 60, the balance changed to increasingly perceiving the life-span hourglass as half empty-they focused less on future opportunities and more on limited time, even after accounting for perceived health, self-reported decision-making ability, and retirement status. At all ages, women's time horizons focused more on future opportunities compared with men's, and men's focused more on limited time. Focusing on future opportunities was associated with reporting less preoccupation with negative events, whereas focusing on limited time was associated with reporting more preoccupation. Older adults reported less preoccupation with negative events, and this association was stronger after controlling for their perceptions of limited time and fewer future opportunities, suggesting that other pathways may explain older adults' reports of their ability to disengage from negative events. Insights gained and questions raised by measuring future time perspective as 2 dimensions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Interspecies scaling: predicting volumes, mean residence time and elimination half-life. Some suggestions.

PubMed

Mahmood, I

1998-05-01

Extrapolation of animal data to assess pharmacokinetic parameters in man is an important tool in drug development. Clearance, volume of distribution and elimination half-life are the three most frequently extrapolated pharmacokinetic parameters. Extensive work has been done to improve the predictive performance of allometric scaling for clearance. In general there is good correlation between body weight and volume, hence volume in man can be predicted with reasonable accuracy from animal data. Besides the volume of distribution in the central compartment (Vc), two other volume terms, the volume of distribution by area (Vbeta) and the volume of distribution at steady state (VdSS), are also extrapolated from animals to man. This report compares the predictive performance of allometric scaling for Vc, Vbeta and VdSS in man from animal data. The relationship between elimination half-life (t(1/2)) and body weight across species results in poor correlation, most probably because of the hybrid nature of this parameter. To predict half-life in man from animal data, an indirect method (CL=VK, where CL=clearance, V is volume and K is elimination rate constant) has been proposed. This report proposes another indirect method which uses the mean residence time (MRT). After establishing that MRT can be predicted across species, it was used to predict half-life using the equation MRT=1.44 x t(1/2). The results of the study indicate that Vc is predicted more accurately than Vbeta and VdSS in man. It should be emphasized that for first-time dosing in man, Vc is a more important pharmacokinetic parameter than Vbeta or VdSS. Furthermore, MRT can be predicted reasonably well for man and can be used for prediction of half-life.

Content Analysis of Life Exhibitions in Japanese Science Museums and Centres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazama, Tomoko; Ogawa, Masakata

2015-01-01

Life exhibitions in Japanese science museums (SMs) face difficulties in coping with rapid progress in the life sciences owing to certain constraints around the frequency of exhibit renovations, and the Japanese indigenous understanding of the natural world (Shizen) that Japanese visitors unconsciously bring with them. To what extent do current…

Innovative methodology for intercomparison of radionuclide calibrators using short half-life in situ prepared radioactive sources

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

Oliveira, P. A.; Santos, J. A. M., E-mail: joao.santos@ipoporto.min-saude.pt; Serviço de Física Médica do Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, EPE, Porto

2014-07-15

Purpose: An original radionuclide calibrator method for activity determination is presented. The method could be used for intercomparison surveys for short half-life radioactive sources used in Nuclear Medicine, such as{sup 99m}Tc or most positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals. Methods: By evaluation of the resulting net optical density (netOD) using a standardized scanning method of irradiated Gafchromic XRQA2 film, a comparison of the netOD measurement with a previously determined calibration curve can be made and the difference between the tested radionuclide calibrator and a radionuclide calibrator used as reference device can be calculated. To estimate the total expected measurement uncertainties, a carefulmore » analysis of the methodology, for the case of{sup 99m}Tc, was performed: reproducibility determination, scanning conditions, and possible fadeout effects. Since every factor of the activity measurement procedure can influence the final result, the method also evaluates correct syringe positioning inside the radionuclide calibrator. Results: As an alternative to using a calibrated source sent to the surveyed site, which requires a relatively long half-life of the nuclide, or sending a portable calibrated radionuclide calibrator, the proposed method uses a source preparedin situ. An indirect activity determination is achieved by the irradiation of a radiochromic film using {sup 99m}Tc under strictly controlled conditions, and cumulated activity calculation from the initial activity and total irradiation time. The irradiated Gafchromic film and the irradiator, without the source, can then be sent to a National Metrology Institute for evaluation of the results. Conclusions: The methodology described in this paper showed to have a good potential for accurate (3%) radionuclide calibrators intercomparison studies for{sup 99m}Tc between Nuclear Medicine centers without source transfer and can easily be adapted to other short half-life

Half-lives of 214Pb and 214Bi.

PubMed

Martz, D E; Langner, G H; Johnson, P R

1991-10-01

New measurements on chemically separated samples of 214Bi have yielded a mean half-life value of 19.71 +/- 0.02 min, where the error quoted is twice the standard deviation of the mean based on 23 decay runs. This result provides strong support for the historic 19.72 +/- 0.04 min half-life value and essentially excludes the 19.9-min value, both reported in previous studies. New measurements of the decay rate of 222Rn progeny activity initially in radioactive equilibrium have yielded a value of 26.89 +/- 0.03 min for the half-life of 214Pb, where the error quoted is twice the standard deviation of the mean based on 12 decay runs. This value is 0.1 min longer than the currently accepted 214Pb half-value of 26.8 min.

Urinary excretion half life of trichloroacetic acid as a biomarker of exposure to chlorinated drinking water disinfection by-products

PubMed Central

Bader, E; Hrudey, S; Froese, K

2004-01-01

Methods: A longitudinal pilot exposure/intervention study measured the elimination half life of TCAA in urine. Beverage consumption was limited to a public water supply and bottled water of known TCAA concentration, and ingestion volume was managed. The five participants limited fluid consumption to only the water provided. Consumption journals were kept by each participant and their daily first morning urine (FMU) samples were analysed for TCAA and creatinine. TCAA elimination half life curves were generated from a two week washout period using TCAA-free bottled water. Results: Individual elimination half lives ranged from 2.1 to 6.3 days, for single compartment exponential decay, the model which fit the data. Conclusion: Urinary TCAA is persistent enough to be viable as a biomarker of medium term (days) exposure to drinking water TCAA ingestion within a range of realistic concentrations. PMID:15258281

Pharmacokinetic-based prediction of real-life dosing of extended half-life clotting factor concentrates on hemophilia

PubMed Central

Gherardini, Stefano

2018-01-01

The improvement of clotting factor concentrates (CFCs) has undergone an impressive boost during the last six years. Since 2010, several new recombinant factor (rF)VIII/IX concentrates entered phase I/II/III clinical trials. The improvements are related to the culture of human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, post-translational glycosylation, PEGylation, and co-expression of the fragment crystallizable (Fc) region of immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 or albumin genes in the manufacturing procedures. The extended half-life (EHL) CFCs allow an increase of the interval between bolus administrations during prophylaxis, a very important advantage for patients with difficulties in venous access. Although the inhibitor risk has not been fully established, phase III studies have provided standard prophylaxis protocols, which, compared with on-demand treatment, have achieved very low annualized bleeding rates (ABRs). The key pharmacokinetics (PK) parameter to tailor patient therapy is clearance, which is more reliable than the half-life of CFCs; the clearance considers the decay rate of the drug concentration–time profile, while the half-life considers only the half concentration of the drug at a given time. To tailor the prophylaxis of hemophilia patients in real-life, we propose two formulae (expressed in terms of the clearance, trough and dose interval between prophylaxis), respectively based on the one- and two-compartmental models (CMs), for the prediction of the optimal single dose of EHL CFCs. Once the data from the time decay of the CFCs are fitted by the one- or two-CMs after an individual PK analysis, such formulae provide to the treater the optimal trade-off among trough and time-intervals between boluses. In this way, a sufficiently long time-interval between bolus administration could be guaranteed for a wider class of patients, with a preassigned level of the trough. Finally, a PK approach using repeated dosing is discussed, and some examples with new EHL CFCs are shown

[beta][sup +] decay and cosmic-ray half-life of [sup 91]Nb

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

Hindi, M.M.; Sur, B.; Wedding, K.L.

1993-06-01

In the laboratory, [sup 91]Nb decays by electron capture with a 680-yr half-life. However, as a high energy cosmic ray, it would be stripped of its atomic electrons and would be able to undergo only [beta][sup +] decay. We produced and chemically purified a sample of [sup 91]Nb and observed its decay with an array of Ge and NaI detectors. By following the [beta][sup +] annihilation radiation, we were able to determine the [beta][sup +] branching ratios of both the 105-keV, 61-d isomer and the ground state of [sup 91]Nb. The ground-state branch is (7.7[plus minus]0.8)[times]10[sup [minus]3]% leading to amore » [beta][sup +] partial half-like of (8.8[plus minus]1.9)[times]10[sup 6] yr. Such a value of the half-life makes [sup 91]Nb a good candidate for determining the confinement time of this secondary component of the cosmic rays.« less

A Case Controlled Examination of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide in the Second Half of Life.

PubMed

Van Orden, Kimberly A; Smith, Phillip N; Chen, Tian; Conwell, Yeates

2016-07-02

The interpersonal theory of suicide proposes that the most proximal cause of suicide is the combination of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness coupled with a pre-existing vulnerability of reduced fear of death and increased pain tolerance. This pre-existing vulnerability develops in response to painful and provocative life events. According to the theory, empirically demonstrated risk factors for suicide operate by increasing the likelihood of one or more of the theory's constructs. The current study examined the relations of the major constructs of the interpersonal theory with suicide case status compared to living controls in the second half of life. The current study used a pre-existing psychological autopsy database to compare suicide decedents to living controls 50 years and older. Theory constructs were measured by composite scores of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and painful and provocative experiences using an a priori selection of items comprising each construct. Suicide decedents experienced greater levels of all three of the theory's constructs when examined independently compared to living controls. When examined simultaneously while also controlling for Major Depression, greater perceived burdensomeness and painful and provocative experiences were associated with suicide case status (vs. control). The interpersonal theory is a comprehensive framework that may be useful in understanding risk for death by suicide in the second half of life. Clinical management of suicide risk for adults in the second half of life could include a focus on perceived burdensomeness, as the IPTS proposes that this psychological state is amenable to change via therapeutic intervention.

A measure of satisfaction with food-related life.

PubMed

Grunert, Klaus G; Dean, Moira; Raats, Monique M; Nielsen, Niels Asger; Lumbers, Margaret

2007-09-01

A measure of satisfaction with food-related life is developed and tested in three studies in eight European countries. Five items are retained from an original pool of seven; these items exhibit good reliability as measured by Cronbach's alpha, good temporal stability, convergent validity with two related measures, and construct validity as indicated by relationships with other indicators of quality of life, including the Satisfaction With Life and the SF-8 scales. It is concluded that this scale will be useful in studies trying to identify factors contributing to satisfaction with food-related life.

Enhanced in Vivo Efficacy of a Type I Interferon Superagonist with Extended Plasma Half-life in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis*

PubMed Central

Harari, Daniel; Kuhn, Nadine; Abramovich, Renne; Sasson, Keren; Zozulya, Alla L.; Smith, Paul; Schlapschy, Martin; Aharoni, Rina; Köster, Mario; Eilam, Raya; Skerra, Arne; Schreiber, Gideon

2014-01-01

IFNβ is a common therapeutic option to treat multiple sclerosis. It is unique among the family of type I IFNs in that it binds to the interferon receptors with high affinity, conferring exceptional biological properties. We have previously reported the generation of an interferon superagonist (dubbed YNSα8) that is built on the backbone of a low affinity IFNα but modified to exhibit higher receptor affinity than even for IFNβ. Here, YNSα8 was fused with a 600-residue hydrophilic, unstructured N-terminal polypeptide chain comprising proline, alanine, and serine (PAS) to prolong its plasma half-life via “PASylation.” PAS-YNSα8 exhibited a 10-fold increased half-life in both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic assays in a transgenic mouse model harboring the human receptors, notably without any detectable loss in biological potency or bioavailability. This long-lived superagonist conferred significantly improved protection from MOG35–55-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis compared with IFNβ, despite being injected with a 4-fold less frequency and at an overall 16-fold lower dosage. These data were corroborated by FACS measurements showing a decrease of CD11b+/CD45hi myeloid lineage cells detectable in the CNS, as well as a decrease in IBA+ cells in spinal cord sections determined by immunohistochemistry for PAS-YNSα8-treated animals. Importantly, PAS-YNSα8 did not induce antibodies upon repeated administration, and its biological efficacy remained unchanged after 21 days of treatment. A striking correlation between increased levels of CD274 (PD-L1) transcripts from spleen-derived CD4+ cells and improved clinical response to autoimmune encephalomyelitis was observed, indicating that, at least in this mouse model of multiple sclerosis, CD274 may serve as a biomarker to predict the effectiveness of IFN therapy to treat this complex disease. PMID:25193661

Half-life of {sup 221}Fr in Si and Au at 4 K and at millikelvin temperatures

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

Wauters, F.; Breitenfeldt, M.; De Leebeeck, V.

2010-12-15

The half-life of the {alpha}-decaying nucleus {sup 221}Fr was determined in different environments, that is, embedded in Si at 4 K, and embedded in Au at 4 K and about 20 mK. No differences in half-life for these different conditions were observed within 0.1%. Furthermore, we quote a value for the absolute half-life of {sup 221}Fr of t{sub 1/2}=286.1(10) s that is of comparable precision to the most precise value available in the literature.

76 FR 12399 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Paris: Life & Luxury”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-07

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7355] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Paris: Life & Luxury'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following determinations... the exhibition ``Paris: Life & Luxury,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the...

Sub-nanosecond Half-life Measurement of the Yrast I{sup π}=5{sup −} State in the N=78 Nucleus {sup 136}{sub 58}Ce using Fast-timing Coincident Gamma-ray Spectroscopy

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

Alharbi, T.; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science in Zulfi, Almajmaah University, P.O. Box 1712, 11932; Regan, P.H., E-mail: p.regan@surrey.ac.uk

2014-06-15

We report on the measurement of the half-life of the yrast I{sup π}=5{sup −} state in the transitional nucleus {sup 136}Ce using a combined HPGe-LaBr3(Ce) scintillator gamma-ray detection array. The measured value for the E1 decay is approximately half a nanosecond, which corresponds to an E1 decay strength of approximately 2×10{sup −6} Wu. This value is in line with single-particle type E1 decays in this mass region and suggests no sign of additional K-hindrance associated with axially symmetric quadrupole deformations observed for lighter cerium isotopes.

The Next Big Thing We Won't Be Able to Live Without? Fulbright's Half-Life Theory Gives Us Some Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulbright, Ron

2015-01-01

My great-grandparents lived one-half of their lives without electricity. My grandparents lived one-half of their lives without a telephone. My parents lived one-half of their lives without a television. My sister has lived one-half of her life without a computer and I have lived one-half of my life without Google. Today, we could not imagine life…

Ubiquitin-fusion as a strategy to modulate protein half-life: A3G antiviral activity revisited

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

Cadima-Couto, Iris; Freitas-Vieira, Acilino; Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisboa

2009-10-25

The human APOBEC3G (A3G) is a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 replication and its activity is suppressed by HIV-1 virion infectivity factor (Vif). Vif neutralizes A3G mainly by inducing its degradation in the proteasome and blocking its incorporation into HIV-1 virions. Assessing the time needed for A3G incorporation into virions is, therefore, important to determine how quickly Vif must act to induce its degradation. We show that modelling the intracellular half-life of A3G can induce its Vif-independent targeting to the ubiquitin-proteasome system. By using various amino acids (X) in a cleavable ubiquitin-X-A3G fusion, we demonstrate that the half-life (t1/2) of X-A3Gmore » can be manipulated. We show that A3G molecules with a half-life of 13 min are incorporated into virions, whereas those with a half-life shorter than 5 min were not. The amount of X-A3G incorporated into virions increases from 13 min (Phe-A3G) to 85 min (Asn-A3G) and remains constant after this time period. Interestingly, despite the presence of similar levels of Arg-A3G (t1/2 = 28 min) and Asp-A3G (t1/2 = 65 min) into HIV-1 DELTAvif virions, inhibition of viral infectivity was only evident in the presence of A3G proteins with a longer half-life (t1/2 >= 65 min).« less

Persistence and Effective Half-Life of Chemical Warfare Agent VX on Grass Foliage

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-01

obtain results applicable to VX- contaminated battlefields. The Effective Half-Life of VX on grass foliage was determined as the net effect of factors...Soldiers on VX- contaminated battlefields. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Chemical warfare agent (CWA) Agent–plant Echinochloa crus-galli Foliage Effective Half...The use of either trade or manufacturers ’ names in this report does not constitute an official endorsement of any commercial products. This report may

Thirty years after Chernobyl: Long-term determination of 137Cs effective half-life in the lichen Stereocaulon vesuvianum.

PubMed

Savino, F; Pugliese, M; Quarto, M; Adamo, P; Loffredo, F; De Cicco, F; Roca, V

2017-06-01

It has been widely shown that nuclear fallout includes substances, which accumulate in organisms such as crustaceans, fish, mushrooms and lichens, helping to evaluate the activity concentration of contaminants accumulated on a long time. In this context, radiocaesium deposited in soil following the Chernobyl accident on 26 April 1986 is known to have remained persistently available for plant uptake in many areas of Europe. Studies on the lichen Stereocaulon vesuvianum show the plant's high capacity to retain radionuclides from the substrate and the air. After the Chernobyl accident, starting from September 1986, at the Radioactivity Laboratory (LaRa) of the University of Naples Federico II, four monitoring campaigns to evaluate the activity concentration of four isotopes of the two elements caesium and ruthenium ( 134 Cs, 137 Cs, 103 Ru and 106 Ru) were carried out until 1999. This study allowed the effective half-life of 134 Cs and 137 Cs to be estimated. Twenty-eight years after the accident, in December 2014, a further sampling was carried out; only 137 Cs was revealed beyond the detection limits, measuring activity concentrations ranging from 20 to 40 Bq/kg, while the other radionuclides were no longer observed due to their shorter half-life. The last sampling allowed more precise determination of the effective half-life of 137 Cs (6.2 ± 0.1 year), due to the larger dataset on a large time period. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incorporation of Half-Cycle Theory Into Ko Aging Theory for Aerostructural Flight-Life Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Tran, Van T.; Chen, Tony

2007-01-01

The half-cycle crack growth theory was incorporated into the Ko closed-form aging theory to improve accuracy in the predictions of operational flight life of failure-critical aerostructural components. A new crack growth computer program was written for reading the maximum and minimum loads of each half-cycle from the random loading spectra for crack growth calculations and generation of in-flight crack growth curves. The unified theories were then applied to calculate the number of flights (operational life) permitted for B-52B pylon hooks and Pegasus adapter pylon hooks to carry the Hyper-X launching vehicle that air launches the X-43 Hyper-X research vehicle. A crack growth curve for each hook was generated for visual observation of the crack growth behavior during the entire air-launching or captive flight. It was found that taxiing and the takeoff run induced a major portion of the total crack growth per flight. The operational life theory presented can be applied to estimate the service life of any failure-critical structural components.

Work Dissatisfaction and Sleep Problems among Canadians in the Latter Half of Life.

PubMed

Brown, Kyla; Bierman, Alex

2017-09-01

This study examined the relationship between work dissatisfaction and sleep problems among Canadian adults in the latter half of life, as well as how gender and social contact moderate this relationship. Data were obtained from the Canadian General Social Survey, Cycle 21 (2007), which sampled adults aged 45 and older in 2007. Analyses focused on individuals with employment as their main activity. Analyses show that work dissatisfaction positively predicts trouble sleeping. There are no significant gender differences in this relationship. Social contact with friends buffers this relationship, but social contact with family does not, and buffering does not vary significantly between men and women. This research contributes to knowledge on sleep problems by showing that work dissatisfaction is adversely associated with sleep problems among Canadians in the latter half of life, but social contact with friends can weaken this deleterious relationship.

Do radioactive half-lives vary with the Earth-to-Sun distance?

PubMed

Hardy, J C; Goodwin, J R; Iacob, V E

2012-09-01

Recently, Jenkins, Fischbach and collaborators have claimed evidence that radionuclide half-lives vary systematically over a ±0.1% range as a function of the oscillating distance between the Earth and the Sun, based on multi-year activity measurements. We have avoided the time-dependent instabilities to which such measurements are susceptible by directly measuring the half-life of (198)Au (t(1/2)=2.695 d) on seven occasions spread out in time to cover the complete range of Earth-Sun distances. We observe no systematic oscillations in half-life and can set an upper limit on their amplitude of ±0.02%. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adenosine monophosphate deaminase 3 activation shortens erythrocyte half-life and provides malaria resistance in mice.

PubMed

Hortle, Elinor; Nijagal, Brunda; Bauer, Denis C; Jensen, Lora M; Ahn, Seong Beom; Cockburn, Ian A; Lampkin, Shelley; Tull, Dedreia; McConville, Malcolm J; McMorran, Brendan J; Foote, Simon J; Burgio, Gaetan

2016-09-01

The factors that determine red blood cell (RBC) lifespan and the rate of RBC aging have not been fully elucidated. In several genetic conditions, including sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and G6PD deficiency, erythrocyte lifespan is significantly shortened. Many of these diseases are also associated with protection from severe malaria, suggesting a role for accelerated RBC senescence and clearance in malaria resistance. Here, we report a novel, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mutation that causes a gain of function in adenosine 5'-monophosphate deaminase (AMPD3). Mice carrying the mutation exhibit rapid RBC turnover, with increased erythropoiesis, dramatically shortened RBC lifespan, and signs of increased RBC senescence/eryptosis, suggesting a key role for AMPD3 in determining RBC half-life. Mice were also found to be resistant to infection with the rodent malaria Plasmodium chabaudi. We propose that resistance to P. chabaudi is mediated by increased RBC turnover and higher rates of erythropoiesis during infection. © 2016 by The American Society of Hematology.

Increased volume of distribution for recombinant activated factor VII and longer plasma-derived factor VII half-life may explain their long lasting prophylactic effect.

PubMed

Mathijssen, Natascha C J; Masereeuw, Rosalinde; Holme, Pal Andre; van Kraaij, Marian G J; Laros-van Gorkom, Britta A P; Peyvandi, Flora; van Heerde, Waander L

2013-08-01

Prophylaxis with plasma-derived or recombinant activated factor VII is beneficial in severe factor VII deficiency. To understand why prophylactic treatment with both products is efficacious, we conducted a pharmacokinetic study. Ten factor VII deficient patients were treated with either recombinant activated (20 μg/kg) or plasma-derived (25 IU/kg) factor VII in a cross-over design. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed through activated factor VII activity, factor VII clotting activity, and factor VII antigen levels on depicted time points. Factor VII activity half-lifes, determined by non-compartmental and one-compartmental analysis (results in brackets), were shorter for recombinant activated (1.4h; 0.7h) than for plasma-derived factor VII (6.8h; 3.2h); both recombinant activated (5.1h; 2.1h and plasma-derived factor VII (5.8h; 3.2h) resulted in longer half-lives of factor VII antigen. Activated factor VII half-lives (based on activated factor VII activity levels) were significantly higher compared to factor VII clotting activity (1.6h; 0.9h). Volumes of distribution were significantly higher for activated factor VII (236 ml/kg; 175 ml/kg, measured by activated factor VII) as compared to plasma-derived factor VII (206 ml/kg; 64 ml/kg, measured by factor FVII activity), suggesting a plasma- and extracellular fluid distribution for recombinant activated factor VII. Recombinant activated factor VII showed significantly shorter half-lifes than plasma-derived factor VII. Volumes of distribution were significantly higher for treatment with recombinant activated factor VII. The longer half-life for plasma-derived factor VII, compared to recombinant activated factor VII, and the increased volume of distribution for recombinant activated factor VII, compared to plasma-derived factor VII may further elucidate the beneficial effect of prophylactic treatment of both products. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 52783 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-30

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8003] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following... ``Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States...

Extending the Serum Half-Life of G-CSF via Fusion with the Domain III of Human Serum Albumin

PubMed Central

Zhao, Shuqiang; Zhang, Yu; Tian, Hong; Chen, Xiaofei; Cai, Di; Yao, Wenbing; Gao, Xiangdong

2013-01-01

Protein fusion technology is one of the most commonly used methods to extend the half-life of therapeutic proteins. In this study, in order to prolong the half-life of Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), the domain III of human serum albumin (3DHSA) was genetically fused to the N-terminal of G-CSF. The 3DHSA-G-CSF fusion gene was cloned into pPICZαA along with the open reading frame of the α-factor signal under the control of the AOX1 promoter. The recombinant expression vector was transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115, and the recombinant strains were screened by SDS-PAGE. As expected, the 3DHSA-G-CSF showed high binding affinity with HSA antibody and G-CSF antibody, and the natural N-terminal of 3DHSA was detected by N-terminal sequencing. The bioactivity and pharmacokinetic studies of 3DHSA-G-CSF were respectively determined using neutropenia model mice and human G-CSF ELISA kit. The results demonstrated that 3DHSA-G-CSF has the ability to increase the peripheral white blood cell (WBC) counts of neutropenia model mice, and the half-life of 3DHSA-G-CSF is longer than that of native G-CSF. In conclusion, 3DHSA can be used to extend the half-life of G-CSF. PMID:24151579

Utilization of in vitro Caco-2 permeability and liver microsomal half-life screens in discovering BMS-488043, a novel HIV-1 attachment inhibitor with improved pharmacokinetic properties.

PubMed

Yang, Zheng; Zadjura, Lisa M; Marino, Anthony M; D'Arienzo, Celia J; Malinowski, Jacek; Gesenberg, Christoph; Lin, Pin-Fang; Colonno, Richard J; Wang, Tao; Kadow, John F; Meanwell, Nicholas A; Hansel, Steven B

2010-04-01

Optimizing pharmacokinetic properties to improve oral exposure is a common theme in modern drug discovery. In the present work, in vitro Caco-2 permeability and microsomal half-life screens were utilized in an effort to guide the structure-activity relationship in order to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of novel HIV-1 attachment inhibitors. The relevance of the in vitro screens to in vivo pharmacokinetic properties was first demonstrated with a number of program compounds at the early stage of lead optimization. The Caco-2 permeability, tested at 200 microM, was quantitatively predictive of in vivo oral absorption, with complete absorption occurring at a Caco-2 permeability of 100 nm/s or higher. The liver microsomal half-life screen, conducted at 1 microM substrate concentration, can readily differentiate low-, intermediate-, and high-clearance compounds in rats, with a nearly 1:1 correlation in 12 out of 13 program compounds tested. Among the >100 compounds evaluated, BMS-488043 emerged as a lead, exhibiting a Caco-2 permeability of 178 nm/s and a microsomal half-life predictive of a low clearance (4 mL/min/kg) in humans. These in vitro characteristics translated well to the in vivo setting. The oral bioavailability of BMS-488043 in rats, dogs, and monkeys was 90%, 57%, and 60%, respectively. The clearance was low in all three species tested, with a terminal half-life ranging from 2.4 to 4.7 h. Furthermore, the oral exposure of BMS-488043 was significantly improved (6- to 12-fold in rats and monkeys) compared to the prototype compound BMS-378806 that had a suboptimal Caco-2 permeability (51 nm/s) and microsomal half-life. More importantly, the improvements in preclinical pharmacokinetics translated well to humans, leading to a >15-fold increase in the human oral exposure of BMS-488043 than BMS-378806 and enabling a clinical proof-of-concept for this novel class of anti-HIV agents. The current studies demonstrated the valuable role of in vitro ADME screens

Estimating biodegradation half-lives for use in chemical screening.

PubMed

Aronson, Dallas; Boethling, Robert; Howard, Philip; Stiteler, William

2006-06-01

Biodegradation half-lives are needed for many applications in chemical screening, but these data are not available for most chemicals. To address this, in phase one of this work we correlated the much more abundant ready and inherent biodegradation test data with measured half-lives for water and soil. In phase two, we explored the utility of the BIOWIN models (in EPI Suite) and molecular fragments for predicting half-lives. BIOWIN model output was correlated directly with measured half-lives, and new models were developed by re-regressing the BIOWIN fragments against the half-lives. All of these approaches gave the best results when used for binary (fast/slow) classification of half-lives, with accuracy generally in the 70-80% range. In the last phase, we used the collected half-life data to examine the default half-lives assigned by EPI Suite and the PBT Profiler for use as input to their level III multimedia models. It is concluded that estimated half-lives should not be used for purposes other than binning or prioritizing chemicals unless accuracy improves significantly.

Educational Activities for the Life Over Time Exhibit at The Field Museum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laraba, Peter; Wickland, Thomas J.

The activities presented in this book, designed to help 4th through 8th grade instructors teach about the history of life, help students prepare for a visit to a museum exhibit on life through time. The pre- and post-visit activities as well as the in-museum activities help students prepare for and enjoy their 4.5 billion year trip through time at…

Half-life measurements of isomeric states populated in projectile fragmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowry, M.; Podolyák, Zs.; Kurcewicz, J.; Pietri, S.; Bunce, M.; Regan, P. H.; Farinon, F.; Geissel, H.; Nociforo, C.; Prochazka, A.; Weick, H.; Allegro, P.; Benlliure, J.; Benzoni, G.; Boutachkov, P.; Gerl, J.; Gorska, M.; Gottardo, A.; Gregor, N.; Janik, R.; Knöbel, R.; Kojouharov, I.; Kubo, T.; Litvinov, Y. A.; Merchan, E.; Mukha, I.; Naqvi, F.; Pfeiffer, B.; Pfützner, M.; Plaß, W.; Pomorski, M.; Riese, B.; Ricciardi, M. V.; Schmidt, K.-H.; Schaffner, H.; Kurz, N.; Denis Bacelar, A. M.; Bruce, A. M.; Farrelly, G. F.; Alkhomashi, N.; Al-Dahan, N.; Scheidenberger, C.; Sitar, B.; Spiller, P.; Stadlmann, J.; Strmen, P.; Sun, B.; Takeda, H.; Tanihata, I.; Terashima, S.; Valiente Dobon, J. J.; Winfield, J. S.; Wollersheim, H.-J.; Woods, P. J.

2012-10-01

The half-lives of excited isomeric states observed in 195Au, 201Tl and 215Rn are reported for the first time. Delayed γ-rays were correlated with nuclei produced in the projectile fragmentation of relativistic 238U ions, unambiguously identified in terms of their atomic number (Z) and mass-to-charge ratio (A/Q) after traversing an in-flight separator. The observation of a long-lived isomeric state in 195Au with t1/2 = 16-4+8 μs is presented. Two shorter-lived isomeric states were detected in 201Tl and 215Rn with t1/2 = 95-21+39 and 57-12+21 ns respectively. In total 24 isomeric states were identified in different nuclei from Pt to Rn (A ˜ 200) during the current study, the majority of which were previously reported. The wealth of spectroscopic data provides the opportunity to determine the isomeric ratios over a wide range of Z, A and angular momentum (I ħ) of the reaction products. In particular, high-spin states with I ≳ 18 ħ provide a robust test of theoretical models of fragmentation.

Biological half-life of gaseous elemental iodine deposited onto rice grains

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

Uchida, S.; Muramatsu, Y.; Sumiya, M.

In order to obtain the biological half-life (Tb) of iodine deposited on rough rice grains, rice plants of four different growing stages--heading, milky, dough, and yellow ripe--were exposed to elemental gaseous iodine. After the exposure, the rough rice samples were collected at different intervals and analyzed for iodine to estimate the value of Tb. The average value of Tb obtained by the experiments at the dough and yellow ripe stages was about 200 d. This value is considerably larger than those for pasture grass and leafy vegetables.

Half-Lives of 101Rh and 108m Ag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norman, Eric; Browne, Edgardo; Shugart, Howard

2014-09-01

Half-lives of short-lived nuclei can easily be measured by direct counting techniques, whereas those of long-lived naturally-occurring nuclei are usually determined by specific activity measurements. However, half-lives in the range of 1 - 1,000,000 years are notoriously difficult to determine. For example, published values for the half-life of 101Rh range from 3.0 +/- 0.4 years to 10 +/- 1 years, and for 108m Ag published values range from 127 +/- 21 years to 438 +/- 9 years. In order to resolve the issues of what the half-lives of these isotopes actually are, we set up two separate long-term gamma-ray counting experiments. Gamma-ray data were collected in time bins using high-purity Ge detectors and ORTEC PC-based data acquisition systems. We counted in this manner for a period of approximately 5 years for 101Rh and 3 years for 108mAg. In this talk we will describe the details of these experiments and will present the final results for the half-lives of 101Rh and 108mAg determined from these measurements. Half-lives of short-lived nuclei can easily be measured by direct counting techniques, whereas those of long-lived naturally-occurring nuclei are usually determined by specific activity measurements. However, half-lives in the range of 1 - 1,000,000 years are notoriously difficult to determine. For example, published values for the half-life of 101Rh range from 3.0 +/- 0.4 years to 10 +/- 1 years, and for 108m Ag published values range from 127 +/- 21 years to 438 +/- 9 years. In order to resolve the issues of what the half-lives of these isotopes actually are, we set up two separate long-term gamma-ray counting experiments. Gamma-ray data were collected in time bins using high-purity Ge detectors and ORTEC PC-based data acquisition systems. We counted in this manner for a period of approximately 5 years for 101Rh and 3 years for 108mAg. In this talk we will describe the details of these experiments and will present the final results for the half-lives of 101Rh

Protein half-life determines expression of proteostatic networks in podocyte differentiation.

PubMed

Schroeter, Christina B; Koehler, Sybille; Kann, Martin; Schermer, Bernhard; Benzing, Thomas; Brinkkoetter, Paul T; Rinschen, Markus M

2018-04-25

Podocytes are highly specialized, epithelial, postmitotic cells, which maintain the renal filtration barrier. When adapting to considerable metabolic and mechanical stress, podocytes need to accurately maintain their proteome. Immortalized podocyte cell lines are a widely used model for studying podocyte biology in health and disease in vitro. In this study, we performed a comprehensive proteomic analysis of the cultured human podocyte proteome in both proliferative and differentiated conditions at a depth of >7000 proteins. Similar to mouse podocytes, human podocyte differentiation involved a shift in proteostasis: undifferentiated podocytes have high expression of proteasomal proteins, whereas differentiated podocytes have high expression of lysosomal proteins. Additional analyses with pulsed stable-isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture and protein degradation assays determined protein dynamics and half-lives. These studies unraveled a globally increased stability of proteins in differentiated podocytes. Mitochondrial, cytoskeletal, and membrane proteins were stabilized, particularly in differentiated podocytes. Importantly, protein half-lives strongly contributed to protein abundance in each state. These data suggest that regulation of protein turnover of particular cellular functions determines podocyte differentiation, a paradigm involving mitophagy and, potentially, of importance in conditions of increased podocyte stress and damage.-Schroeter, C. B., Koehler, S., Kann, M., Schermer, B., Benzing, T., Brinkkoetter, P. T., Rinschen, M. M. Protein half-life determines expression of proteostatic networks in podocyte differentiation.

When do star clusters become multiple star systems? II. Toward a half-life formalism with four bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibragimov, Timur; Leigh, Nathan W. C.; Ryu, Taeho; Panurach, Teresa; Perna, Rosalba

2018-03-01

We present a half-life formalism for describing the disruption of gravitationally-bound few-body systems, with a focus on binary-binary scattering. For negative total encounter energies, the four-body problem has three possible decay products in the point particle limit. For each decay product and a given set of initial conditions, we obtain directly from numerical scattering simulations the half-life for the distribution of disruption times. As in radioactive decay, the half-lives should provide a direct prediction for the relative fractions of each decay product. We test this prediction with simulated data and find good agreement with our hypothesis. We briefly discuss applications of this feature of the gravitational four-body problem to populations of black holes in globular clusters. This paper, the second in the series, builds on extending the remarkable similarity between gravitational chaos at the macroscopic scale and radioactive decay at the microscopic scale to larger-N systems.

When do star clusters become multiple star systems? II. Towards a half-life formalism with four bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibragimov, Timur; Leigh, Nathan W. C.; Ryu, Taeho; Panurach, Teresa; Perna, Rosalba

2018-07-01

We present a half-life formalism for describing the disruption of gravitationally bound few-body systems, with a focus on binary-binary scattering. For negative total encounter energies, the four-body problem has three possible decay products in the point-particle limit. For each decay product and a given set of initial conditions, we obtain directly from numerical scattering simulations the half-life for the distribution of disruption times. As in radioactive decay, the half-lives should provide a direct prediction for the relative fractions of each decay product. We test this prediction with simulated data and find good agreement with our hypothesis. We briefly discuss applications of this feature of the gravitational four-body problem to populations of black holes in globular clusters. This paper, the second in the series, builds on extending the remarkable similarity between gravitational chaos at the macroscopic scale and radioactive decay at the microscopic scale to larger-N systems.

Real-World Analysis of Dispensed IUs of Coagulation Factor IX and Resultant Expenditures in Hemophilia B Patients Receiving Standard Half-life Versus Extended Half-life Products and Those Switching from Standard Half-life to Extended Half-life Products.

PubMed

Tortella, Bartholomew J; Alvir, José; McDonald, Margaret; Spurden, Dean; Fogarty, Patrick F; Chhabra, Amit; Pleil, Andreas M

2018-01-24

Hemophilia B requires replacement therapy with factor IX (FIX) coagulation products to treat and prevent bleeding episodes. A recently introduced extended half-life (EHL) recombinant FIX replacement product provided the opportunity to compare the amount of dispensed factor and expenditures for EHL treatment compared with a standard half-life (SHL) product. To determine factor international units (IUs) dispensed and expenditures associated with switching from nonacog alfa, the most commonly used SHL replacement product, to eftrenonacog alfa, an EHL FIX replacement product. Two U.S. claims databases were analyzed. A large national specialty pharmacy dispensation claims database was used to identify the number of IUs dispensed and monthly charges for all patients with hemophilia B from April 2015 to June 2016. Truven Health MarketScan Research Databases (January 2010-July 2016) were used to identify IUs and expenditures for patients with claims data for at least 3 months before and after switching from the SHL to the EHL product. Medians for IUs and expenditures are presented to accommodate for skewness of data distribution. The national specialty pharmacy database analysis included 296 patients with moderate or severe hemophilia B (233 on SHL; 94 on EHL). Median monthly factor dispensed was 11% lower (2,142 IU) in the EHL versus SHL cohort over the study period, while individual monthly reductions ranged from 32% to 47% (9,838 IU to 16,514 IU). Using the wholesale acquisition cost, the median per-patient monthly factor expenditures over the 15-month study period were 94% higher ($23,005) for the EHL than for the SHL product. Individual median monthly expenditure differences ranged from 15% ($6,562) to 49% ($19,624). In the Truven database, 14 patients switched from the SHL to the EHL product. The amount of factor dispensed was variable; in the 1-year period before and after the switch from the SHL to the EHL product, mean IUs dispensed decreased by 3,005 IU, while

Fab-dsFv: A bispecific antibody format with extended serum half-life through albumin binding.

PubMed

Davé, Emma; Adams, Ralph; Zaccheo, Oliver; Carrington, Bruce; Compson, Joanne E; Dugdale, Sarah; Airey, Michael; Malcolm, Sarah; Hailu, Hanna; Wild, Gavin; Turner, Alison; Heads, James; Sarkar, Kaushik; Ventom, Andrew; Marshall, Diane; Jairaj, Mark; Kopotsha, Tim; Christodoulou, Louis; Zamacona, Miren; Lawson, Alastair D; Heywood, Sam; Humphreys, David P

2016-10-01

An antibody format, termed Fab-dsFv, has been designed for clinical indications that require monovalent target binding in the absence of direct Fc receptor (FcR) binding while retaining substantial serum presence. The variable fragment (Fv) domain of a humanized albumin-binding antibody was fused to the C-termini of Fab constant domains, such that the VL and VH domains were individually connected to the Cκ and CH1 domains by peptide linkers, respectively. The anti-albumin Fv was selected for properties thought to be desirable to ensure a durable serum half-life mediated via FcRn. The Fv domain was further stabilized by an inter-domain disulfide bond. The bispecific format was shown to be thermodynamically and biophysically stable, and retained good affinity and efficacy to both antigens simultaneously. In in vivo studies, the serum half-life of Fab-dsFv, 2.6 d in mice and 7.9 d in cynomolgus monkeys, was equivalent to Fab'-PEG.

Fab-dsFv: A bispecific antibody format with extended serum half-life through albumin binding

PubMed Central

Davé, Emma; Adams, Ralph; Zaccheo, Oliver; Carrington, Bruce; Compson, Joanne E.; Dugdale, Sarah; Airey, Michael; Malcolm, Sarah; Hailu, Hanna; Wild, Gavin; Turner, Alison; Heads, James; Sarkar, Kaushik; Ventom, Andrew; Marshall, Diane; Jairaj, Mark; Kopotsha, Tim; Christodoulou, Louis; Zamacona, Miren; Lawson, Alastair D.; Heywood, Sam; Humphreys, David P.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT An antibody format, termed Fab-dsFv, has been designed for clinical indications that require monovalent target binding in the absence of direct Fc receptor (FcR) binding while retaining substantial serum presence. The variable fragment (Fv) domain of a humanized albumin-binding antibody was fused to the C-termini of Fab constant domains, such that the VL and VH domains were individually connected to the Cκ and CH1 domains by peptide linkers, respectively. The anti-albumin Fv was selected for properties thought to be desirable to ensure a durable serum half-life mediated via FcRn. The Fv domain was further stabilized by an inter-domain disulfide bond. The bispecific format was shown to be thermodynamically and biophysically stable, and retained good affinity and efficacy to both antigens simultaneously. In in vivo studies, the serum half-life of Fab-dsFv, 2.6 d in mice and 7.9 d in cynomolgus monkeys, was equivalent to Fab'-PEG. PMID:27532598

Dexamethasone promotes granulocyte mobilization by prolonging the half-life of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor in healthy donors for granulocyte transfusions.

PubMed

Hiemstra, Ida H; van Hamme, John L; Janssen, Machiel H; van den Berg, Timo K; Kuijpers, Taco W

2017-03-01

Granulocyte transfusion (GTX) is a potential approach to correcting neutropenia and relieving the increased risk of infection in patients who are refractory to antibiotics. To mobilize enough granulocytes for transfusion, healthy donors are premedicated with granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and dexamethasone. Granulocytes have a short circulatory half-life. Consequently, patients need to receive GTX every other day to keep circulating granulocyte counts at an acceptable level. We investigated whether plasma from premedicated donors was capable of prolonging neutrophil survival and, if so, which factor could be held responsible. The effects of plasma from G-CSF/dexamethasone-treated donors on neutrophil survival were assessed by annexin-V, CD16. and CXCR4 staining and nuclear morphology. We isolated an albumin-bound protein using α-chymotrypsin and albumin-depletion and further characterized it using protein analysis. The effects of dexamethasone and G-CSF were assessed using mifepristone and G-CSF-neutralizing antibody. G-CSF plasma concentrations were determined by Western blot and Luminex analyses. G-CSF/dexamethasone plasma contained a survival-promoting factor for at least 2 days. This factor was recognized as an albumin-associated protein and was identified as G-CSF itself, which was surprising considering its reported half-life of only 4.5 hours. Compared with coadministration of dexamethasone, administration of G-CSF alone to the same GTX donors led to a faster decline in circulating G-CSF levels, whereas dexamethasone itself did not induce any G-CSF, demonstrating a role for dexamethasone in increasing G-CSF half-life. Dexamethasone increases granulocyte yield upon coadministration with G-CSF by extending G-CSF half-life. This observation might also be exploited in the coadministration of dexamethasone with other recombinant proteins to modulate their half-life. © 2016 AABB.

The detectability half-life in arthropod predator-prey research: what it is, why we need it, how to measure it, and how to use it.

PubMed

Greenstone, Matthew H; Payton, Mark E; Weber, Donald C; Simmons, Alvin M

2014-08-01

Molecular gut-content analysis enables detection of arthropod predation with minimal disruption of ecosystem processes. Most assays produce only qualitative results, with each predator testing either positive or negative for target prey remains. Nevertheless, they have yielded important insights into community processes. For example, they have confirmed the long-hypothesized role of generalist predators in retarding early-season build-up of pest populations prior to the arrival of more specialized predators and parasitoids and documented the ubiquity of secondary and intraguild predation. However, raw qualitative gut-content data cannot be used to assess the relative impact of different predator taxa on prey population dynamics: they must first be weighted by the relative detectability periods for molecular prey remains for each predator-prey combination. If this is not carried out, interpretations of predator impact will be biased towards those with the longest detectabilities. We review the challenges in determining detectability half-lives, including unstated assumptions that have often been ignored in the performance of feeding trials. We also show how detectability half-lives can be used to properly weight assay data to rank predators by their importance in prey population suppression, and how sets of half-lives can be used to test hypotheses concerning predator ecology and physiology. We use data from 32 publications, comprising 97 half-lives, to generate and test hypotheses on taxonomic differences in detectability half-lives and discuss the possible role of the detectability half-life in interpreting qPCR and next-generation sequencing data. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Anxiety Trajectories in the Second Half of Life: Genetic and Environmental Contributions over Age

PubMed Central

Lee, Lewina O.; Gatz, Margaret; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Prescott, Carol A.

2015-01-01

Clinically significant anxiety symptoms are prevalent among the elderly, yet knowledge about the longitudinal course of anxiety symptoms in later life remains scarce. The goals of this study were to (1) characterize age trajectories of state anxiety symptoms in the second half of life, and (2) estimate genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in the age trajectory of state anxiety. This study was based on data from 1,482 participants in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging who were aged 50 and older at their first occasion (512 complete twin pairs, 458 singletons) and had up to six measurement occasions spanning 11 years. Consistent with lifespan developmental theories of age-related emotional change, anxiety symptom levels declined during the transition from midlife to the mid −60s, followed by a mild increase that gradually plateaued in the 80s. There were substantial individual differences in the age trajectory of anxiety. After accounting for effects of sex, cohort, mode of testing and proximity to death, this longitudinal variation was partitioned into biometric sources. Nonshared environmental variance was highest in the late 60s and declined thereafter, whereas genetic variance increased at an accelerated pace from approximately age 60 onward. There was no evidence for effects of rearing or other shared environment on anxiety symptoms in later life. These findings highlight how the etiology of anxiety symptoms changes from midlife to old age. PMID:26751006

The beta(+) decay and cosmic-ray half-life of Mn-54

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dacruz, M. T. F.; Norman, E. B.; Chan, Y. D.; Garcia, A.; Larimer, R. M.; Lesko, K. T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Wietfeldt, F. E.

1993-03-01

We performed a search for the beta(+) branch of Mn-54 decay. As a cosmic ray, Mn-54, deprived of its atomic electrons, can decay only via beta(+) and beta(-) decay, with a half-life of the order of 106 yr. This turns Mn-54 into a suitable cosmic chronometer for the study of cosmic-ray confinement times. We searched for coincident back-to-back 511-keV gamma-rays using two germanium detectors inside a Nal(Tl) annulus. An upper limit of 2 x 10-8 was found for the beta(+) decay branch, corresponding to a lower limit of 13.7 for the log ft value.

3-O sulfation of heparin leads to hepatotropism and longer circulatory half-life.

PubMed

Miller, Colton M; Xu, Yongmei; Kudrna, Katrina M; Hass, Blake E; Kellar, Brianna M; Egger, Andrew W; Liu, Jian; Harris, Edward N

2018-05-17

Heparins are common blood anticoagulants that are critical for many surgical and biomedical procedures used in modern medicine. In contrast to natural heparin derived from porcine gut mucosa, synthetic heparins are homogenous by mass, polymer length, and chemistry. Stable cell lines expressing the human and mouse Stabilin receptors were used to evaluate endocytosis of natural and synthetic heparin. We chemoenzymatically produced synthetic heparin consisting of 12 sugars (dodecamers) containing 14 sulfate groups resulting in a non-3-O sulfated structure (n12mer). Half of the n12mer was modified with a 3-O sulfate on a single GlcNS sugar producing the 3-O sulfated heparin (12mer). Wildtype (WT), Stabilin-1 knock-out (KO), and Stabilin-2 KO C57BL/6 mice were developed and used for metabolic studies and provided as a source for primary liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. Human and mouse Stabilin-2 receptors had very similar endocytosis rates of both the 12mer and n12mer, suggesting that they are functionally similar in primary cells. Subcutaneous injections of the n12mer and 12mer revealed that the 12mer had a much longer half-life in circulation and a higher accumulation in liver. The n12mer never accumulated in circulation and was readily excreted by the kidneys before liver accumulation could occur. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells from the Stabilin-2 KO mice had lower uptake rates for both dodecamers, whereas, the Stabilin-1 KO mice had lower endocytosis rates for the 12mer than the n12mer. 3-O sulfation of heparin is correlated to both a longer circulatory half-life and hepatotropism which is largely performed by the Stabilin receptors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tailoring treatment of haemophilia B: accounting for the distribution and clearance of standard and extended half-life FIX concentrates.

PubMed

Iorio, Alfonso; Fischer, Kathelijn; Blanchette, Victor; Rangarajan, Savita; Young, Guy; Morfini, Massimo

2017-06-02

The prophylactic administration of factor IX (FIX) is considered the most effective treatment for haemophilia B. The inter-individual variability and complexity of the pharmacokinetics (PK) of FIX, and the rarity of the disease have hampered identification of an optimal treatment regimens. The recent introduction of extended half-life recombinant FIX molecules (EHL-rFIX), has prompted a thorough reassessment of the clinical efficacy, PK and pharmacodynamics of plasma-derived and recombinant FIX. First, using longer sampling times and multi-compartmental PK models has led to more precise (and favourable) PK for FIX than was appreciated in the past. Second, investigating the distribution of FIX in the body beyond the vascular space (which is implied by its complex kinetics) has opened a new research field on the role for extravascular FIX. Third, measuring plasma levels of EHL-rFIX has shown that different aPTT reagents have different accuracy in measuring different FIX molecules. How will this new knowledge reflect on clinical practice? Clinical decision making in haemophilia B requires some caution and expertise. First, comparisons between different FIX molecules must be assessed taking into consideration the comparability of the populations studied and the PK models used. Second, individual PK estimates must rely on multi-compartmental models, and would benefit from adopting a population PK approach. Optimal sampling times need to be adapted to the prolonged half-life of the new EHL FIX products. Finally, costs considerations may apply, which is beyond the scope of this manuscript but might be deeply connected with the PK considerations discussed in this communication.

Half-lives of 132La and 135La

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abel, E. P.; Clause, H. K.; Fonslet, J.; Nickles, R. J.; Severin, G. W.

2018-03-01

The half-lives of 135La and 132La were determined via serial gamma spectroscopy, and the half-life of 135La was further determined by a high-precision ionization-chamber measurement. The results are 18.91(2) hr for 135La and 4.59(4) hr for 132La compared with the previously compiled values of 19.5(2) hr and 4.8(2) hr, respectively. These lanthanum isotopes comprise a medically interesting system with positron emitter 132La and Auger-electron emitter 135La forming a theranostic pair for internal diagnostics and therapeutics. The precise half-lives are necessary for proper evaluation of their value in medicine and for a more representative tabulation of nuclear data.

Vitamin E plasma kinetics in swine show low bioavailability and short half-life of -α-tocopheryl acetate.

PubMed

van Kempen, T A T G; Reijersen, M H; de Bruijn, C; De Smet, S; Michiels, J; Traber, M G; Lauridsen, C

2016-10-01

Vitamin E is important for animal production because of its effects on health and product quality, but the amount and form required remains controversial. Our objective was to quantify the absolute bioavailability of oral -α-tocopheryl acetate (α-TAc) in swine (22 ± 1 kg and 8 wk old, fitted with jugular catheters) adapted to a diet supplemented with 75 mg/kg -α-TAc; 75 mg/kg was chosen because this level represents the nonweighted average inclusion level in piglet diets across Western key swine-producing countries. For this, a 350-g test meal (6% fat) was supplied at time 0 containing 75 mg deuterated (D9) -α-TAc to 9 animals, and 8 animals received an intravenous () dose containing deuterated (D6) RRR-α-tocopherol (α-T) at one-eighth the oral dose and a test meal without supplemental vitamin E. Plasma samples (12 to 13 per animal) were obtained at incremental intervals over 75 h for analysis of deuterated α-T using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, the i.v. dose rapidly disappeared from plasma and then reappeared. The half-life for this first peak was only 1.7 ± 0.3 min. The second peak had an appearance rate (Ka) of 0.10 ± 0.06 d and a half-life of 5.9 ± 1.2 h. Oral dosing resulted, after a lag of 56 min, in a Ka of 0.91 ± 0.21 d and a half-life of 2.6 ± 0.8 h. The bioavailability for oral α-TAc was 12.5%, whereas the area under the curve was only 5.4%. This low bioavailability, small area under the curve, and short half-life are likely because of various factors, that is, the use of only 6% fat in the diet, the use of the acetate ester and , and the high dose relative to requirements. In conclusion, i.v. dosed vitamin E shows both a rapid and a very slow pool, whereas orally dosed vitamin E shows a single slow pool. The oral material has a very short half-live (44% of i.v. or 2.6 h), low bioavailability (12.5%), and a very small area under the curve (5.4%), bringing into question the efficacy of typical doses of vitamin

Advances in Therapeutic Fc Engineering – Modulation of IgG-Associated Effector Functions and Serum Half-life

PubMed Central

Saxena, Abhishek; Wu, Donghui

2016-01-01

Today, monoclonal immunoglobulin gamma (IgG) antibodies have become a major option in cancer therapy especially for the patients with advanced or metastatic cancers. Efficacy of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is achieved through both its antigen-binding fragment (Fab) and crystallizable fragment (Fc). Fab can specifically recognize tumor-associated antigen (TAA) and thus modulate TAA-linked downstream signaling pathways that may lead to the inhibition of tumor growth, induction of tumor apoptosis, and differentiation. The Fc region can further improve mAbs’ efficacy by mediating effector functions such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis. Moreover, Fc is the region interacting with the neonatal Fc receptor in a pH-dependent manner that can slow down IgG’s degradation and extend its serum half-life. Loss of the antibody Fc region dramatically shortens its serum half-life and weakens its anticancer effects. Given the essential roles that the Fc region plays in the modulation of the efficacy of mAb in cancer treatment, Fc engineering has been extensively studied in the past years. This review focuses on the recent advances in therapeutic Fc engineering that modulates its related effector functions and serum half-life. We also discuss the progress made in aglycosylated mAb development that may substantially reduce the cost of manufacture but maintain similar efficacies as conventional glycosylated mAb. Finally, we highlight several Fc engineering-based mAbs under clinical trials. PMID:28018347

Comparison of 75SeHCAT retention half-life and fecal content of individual bile acids in patients with chronic diarrheal disorders.

PubMed

Scheurlen, C; Kruis, W; Büll, U; Stellaard, F; Lang, P; Paumgartner, G

1986-01-01

Measurement of the retention of 23-75Se-25-homotaurocholic acid (SeHCAT) has been suggested as a new test for ileal function. We investigated 31 patients with chronic diarrhea, 10 with ileal Crohn's disease and 21 with diarrhea but without ileal disease. The whole-body retention half-life of 1 mu Ci SeHCAT was determined and compared to the fecal content of total and individual bile acids. Patients with ileal disease had increased primary fecal bile acids (chenodeoxycholic acid: mean 6.95 mg/g dry weight, range 3.15-10.6 mg/g; cholic acid: mean 18.15 mg/g, range 10.3-33.9 mg/g) and a short SeHCAT retention (mean 11.9 h, range 2-24 h), whereas patients with intact ileum had normal fecal bile acids and a SeHCAT retention of 85.9 h (range 28-216 h). SeHCAT retention half-life differentiated well between patients with ileal disease and patients with normal ileum, thus indicating the SeHCAT test as a valid investigation method for detection of primary bile acid malabsorption in patients with chronic diarrhea and ileal dysfunction.

Standard Operating Procedure for Using the NAFTA Guidance to Calculate Representative Half-life Values and Characterizing Pesticide Degradation

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Results of the degradation kinetics project and describes a general approach for calculating and selecting representative half-life values from soil and aquatic transformation studies for risk assessment and exposure modeling purposes.

Eawag-Soil in enviPath: a new resource for exploring regulatory pesticide soil biodegradation pathways and half-life data.

PubMed

Latino, Diogo A R S; Wicker, Jörg; Gütlein, Martin; Schmid, Emanuel; Kramer, Stefan; Fenner, Kathrin

2017-03-22

Developing models for the prediction of microbial biotransformation pathways and half-lives of trace organic contaminants in different environments requires as training data easily accessible and sufficiently large collections of respective biotransformation data that are annotated with metadata on study conditions. Here, we present the Eawag-Soil package, a public database that has been developed to contain all freely accessible regulatory data on pesticide degradation in laboratory soil simulation studies for pesticides registered in the EU (282 degradation pathways, 1535 reactions, 1619 compounds and 4716 biotransformation half-life values with corresponding metadata on study conditions). We provide a thorough description of this novel data resource, and discuss important features of the pesticide soil degradation data that are relevant for model development. Most notably, the variability of half-life values for individual compounds is large and only about one order of magnitude lower than the entire range of median half-life values spanned by all compounds, demonstrating the need to consider study conditions in the development of more accurate models for biotransformation prediction. We further show how the data can be used to find missing rules relevant for predicting soil biotransformation pathways. From this analysis, eight examples of reaction types were presented that should trigger the formulation of new biotransformation rules, e.g., Ar-OH methylation, or the extension of existing rules, e.g., hydroxylation in aliphatic rings. The data were also used to exemplarily explore the dependence of half-lives of different amide pesticides on chemical class and experimental parameters. This analysis highlighted the value of considering initial transformation reactions for the development of meaningful quantitative-structure biotransformation relationships (QSBR), which is a novel opportunity offered by the simultaneous encoding of transformation reactions and

Half-life of porcine antibodies absorbed from a colostrum supplement containing porcine immunoglobulins.

PubMed

Polo, J; Campbell, J M; Crenshaw, J; Rodríguez, C; Pujol, N; Navarro, N; Pujols, J

2012-12-01

Absorption of immunoglobulins (Ig) at birth from colostrum is essential for piglet survival. The objective was to evaluate the half-life of antibodies absorbed in the bloodstream of newborn piglets orally fed a colostrum supplement (CS) containing energy (fat and carbohydrates) and IgG from porcine plasma. Viable piglets (n = 23; 900 to 1,800 g BW) from 6 sows were colostrum deprived and blood sampled and within the next 2 h of life randomly allocated to either control group (n = 9) providing 30 mL of Ig-free milk replacer or a group (n = 14) receiving 30 mL of CS by oral gavage. Piglets were transported to a Biosafety Level 3 facility (Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal, Spain) and fed Ig-free milk replacer every 3 to 4 h for 15 d. Survival, weight, plasma IgG content by radial immunodiffusion (RID), and antibodies against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhy), and swine influenza virus (SIV) were determined by specific ELISA before treatment administration, at 24 h, and weekly for 56 d. Clinical symptoms were not observed for either group. Mortality index was lower (17 vs. 38%; P < 0.02) and BW higher (17.7 vs. 15.3 kg; P = 0.035) for pigs supplemented with CS than piglets in the control group. At 24 h postadministration, the CS group had a plasma IgG mean of 7.6 ± 0.06 vs. 0.14 ± 0.03 mg/mL for the control group. The IgG levels in the CS group decayed until day 21 when de novo synthesis of IgG was detected in 25% of piglets. Half-life of antibody concentration (HLAC) by RID was 6.2 d. In the CS group, efficiency of PCV2 and PPV antibody transfer was high. For PCV2, all animals remained positive by day 56 and the calculated HLAC was 17.7 d. For PPV, 72.7% of piglets were ELISA positive by day 35 and HLAC was 12.0 d. For PRRS, all piglets remained positive by day 14 and the calculated HLAC was 11.9 d. For Mhy and SIV the calculated HLAC were 8.4 and 3.0 d

A Phoswich Detector System to Measure Sub-Second Half-Lives using ICF Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coats, Micah; Cook, Katelyn; Yuly, Mark; Padalino, Stephen; Sangster, Craig; Regan, Sean

2017-10-01

The 3H(t,γ)6He cross section has not been measured at any bombarding energy due to the difficulties of simultaneously producing both a tritium beam and target at accelerator labs. An alternative technique may be to use an ICF tt implosion at the OMEGA Laser Facility. The 3H(t,γ)6He cross section could be determined in situ by measuring the beta decay of 6He beginning a few milliseconds after the shot along with other ICF diagnostics. A dE-E phoswich system capable of surviving in the OMEGA target chamber was tested using the SUNY Geneseo pelletron to create neutrons via 2H(d,n)3He and subsequently 6He via 9Be(n,α)6He in a beryllium target. The phoswich dE-E detector system was used to select beta decay events and measure the 807 ms half-life of 6He. It is composed of a thin, 2 ns decay time dE scintillator optically coupled to a thick, 285 ns E scintillator, with a linear gate to separate the short dE pulse from the longer E tail. Funded in part by a Grant from the DOE through the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

Hair-to-blood ratio and biological half-life of mercury: experimental study of methylmercury exposure through fish consumption in humans.

PubMed

Yaginuma-Sakurai, Kozue; Murata, Katsuyuki; Iwai-Shimada, Miyuki; Nakai, Kunihiko; Kurokawa, Naoyuki; Tatsuta, Nozomi; Satoh, Hiroshi

2012-02-01

The hair-to-blood ratio and biological half-life of methylmercury in a one-compartment model seem to differ between past and recent studies. To reevaluate them, 27 healthy volunteers were exposed to methylmercury at the provisional tolerable weekly intake (3.4 µg/kg body weight/week) for adults through fish consumption for 14 weeks, followed by a 15-week washout period after the cessation of exposure. Blood was collected every 1 or 2 weeks, and hair was cut every 4 weeks. Total mercury (T-Hg) concentrations were analyzed in blood and hair. The T-Hg levels of blood and hair changed with time (p < 0.001). The mean concentrations increased from 6.7 ng/g at week 0 to 26.9 ng/g at week 14 in blood, and from 2.3 to 8.8 µg/g in hair. The mean hair-to-blood ratio after the adjustment for the time lag from blood to hair was 344 ± 54 (S.D.) for the entire period. The half-lives of T-Hg were calculated from raw data to be 94 ± 23 days for blood and 102 ± 31 days for hair, but the half-lives recalculated after subtracting the background levels from the raw data were 57 ± 18 and 64 ± 22 days, respectively. In conclusion, the hair-to-blood ratio of methylmercury, based on past studies, appears to be underestimated in light of recent studies. The crude half-life may be preferred rather than the recalculated one because of the practicability and uncertainties of the background level, though the latter half-life may approximate the conventional one.

An improved method for determination of fumigant degradation half-life in soil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using the current approach, measurement of fumigant degradation half-lives under realistic soil conditions is problematic due to the large headspace that is necessary above the soil during incubation. This results in a poor degree of contact between the fumigant and the soil’s degrading surfaces; di...

Consideration on the Long Ecological Half-Life Component of (137)Cs in Demersal Fish Based on Field Observation Results Obtained after the Fukushima Accident.

PubMed

Tagami, Keiko; Uchida, Shigeo

2016-02-16

Radiocesium concentrations in most marine fish collected off the coast of Fukushima and surrounding prefectures have decreased with time, and four years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident occurred, radiocesium concentrations have generally fallen below the detectable level (ca. < 10 Bq kg(-1)-raw). Only in some demersal fish species have detectable concentration levels still been found, and even these species have showed slow radiocesium decreases. The food web was considered as the major factor causing this phenomenon; however, slow elimination rates of radiocesium from these fish species also could be the cause. The latter effect was examined by considering that the (137)Cs concentration decreasing trend in fish could be fit with a set of three exponentially decreasing components; that is, having short, intermediate, and long biological half-lives. The long ecological half-life component was calculated using a 400-1500 d period of monitoring results for Japanese rockfish (Sebastes cheni) and compared with previous reported laboratory results for biological half-life. The obtained ecological half-lives ranged from 274-365 d, and these values agreed with the biological half-life of this fish species. This result implied that the long biological half-lives of radiocesium in some demersal fish species made their radiocesium contamination periods longer.

RBC-/Cr-51/ half-life and albumin turnover in growing Beagle dogs during chronic radial acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckman, D. A.; Evans, J. W.; Oyama, J.

1979-01-01

The effects of chronic centrifugation on growing Beagle dogs exposed to -2 or -2.6 Gx on albumin and RBC turnover rates, albumin concentration and space, and total blood volume were determined and compared with caged and run control of animals. Albumin-(I-125) and autologous RBC-(Cr-51) preparations were injected into all dogs at day 82 of the centrifugation periods, and the disappearance curves were determined by successive bleedings of the animals over the next 35 d, during which the centrifugation was continued. There were no differences in albumin turnover rates or space. Two populations of RBCs were found in both centrifugated groups, one with a normal half-life of 27 + or - 1 S.E.M. d, and one with a significantly (p less than 0.01) shorter half-life of 15 + or - 2 S.E.M. d. An absolute polycythemia was also observed in both centrifuged groups. The results suggest that chronic centrifugation acts through some as-yet unknown mechanism to affect RBC population kinetics.

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Plasma Half-Life Determination and Long-Term Tissue Distribution in Beef Cattle (Bos taurus).

PubMed

Lupton, Sara J; Dearfield, Kerry L; Johnston, John J; Wagner, Sarah; Huwe, Janice K

2015-12-30

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is used in consumer products as a surfactant and is found in industrial and consumer waste, which ends up in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). PFOS does not breakdown during WWTP processes and accumulates in the biosolids. Common practices include application of biosolids to pastures and croplands used for feed, and as a result, animals such as beef cattle are exposed to PFOS. To determine plasma and tissue depletion kinetics in cattle, 2 steers and 4 heifers were dosed with PFOS at 0.098 mg/kg body weight and 9.1 mg/kg, respectively. Plasma depletion half-lives for steers and heifers were 120 ± 4.1 and 106 ± 23.1 days, respectively. Specific tissue depletion half-lives ranged from 36 to 385 days for intraperitoneal fat, back fat, muscle, liver, bone, and kidney. These data indicate that PFOS in beef cattle has a sufficiently long depletion half-life to permit accumulation in edible tissues.

Observation of daily and annular variations in the 214Po half-life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexeev, E. N.; Gavrilyuk, Yu. M.; Gangapshev, A. M.; Gezhaev, A. M.; Kazalov, V. V.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Panasenko, S. I.; Ratkevich, S. S.

2017-11-01

Results of the analysis of a time series of values of the half-life (τ) of the 214Po nucleus with a different time step obtained from the TAU-1 (354 days) and TAU-2 (973 days) installations are presented. The annual variation with an amplitude of (9.8 ± 0.6) × 10-4 and daily variations in the solar, lunar, and sidereal times with amplitudes of (5.3 ± 0.3) × 10-4, (6.9 ± 2.0) × 10-4, and (7.2 ± 1.2) × 10-4, respectively, are found in the series of τ values. It is shown that variations in microclimatic parameters cannot be a cause of τ variations.

Apparent Half-Lives of Dioxins, Furans, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls as a Function of Age, Body Fat, Smoking Status, and Breast-Feeding

PubMed Central

Milbrath, Meghan O’Grady; Wenger, Yvan; Chang, Chiung-Wen; Emond, Claude; Garabrant, David; Gillespie, Brenda W.; Jolliet, Olivier

2009-01-01

Objective In this study we reviewed the half-life data in the literature for the 29 dioxin, furan, and polychlorinated biphenyl congeners named in the World Health Organization toxic equivalency factor scheme, with the aim of providing a reference value for the half-life of each congener in the human body and a method of half-life estimation that accounts for an individual’s personal characteristics. Data sources and extraction We compared data from > 30 studies containing congener-specific elimination rates. Half-life data were extracted and compiled into a summary table. We then created a subset of these data based on defined exclusionary criteria. Data synthesis We defined values for each congener that approximate the half-life in an infant and in an adult. A linear interpolation of these values was used to examine the relationship between half-life and age, percent body fat, and absolute body fat. We developed predictive equations based on these relationships and adjustments for individual characteristics. Conclusions The half-life of dioxins in the body can be predicted using a linear relationship with age adjusted for body fat, smoking, and breast-feeding. Data suggest an alternative method based on a linear relationship between half-life and total body fat, but this approach requires further testing and validation with individual measurements. PMID:19337517

Isolation of human anti-serum albumin Fab antibodies with an extended serum-half life.

PubMed

Kang, Hyeon-Ju; Kim, Hye-Jin; Cha, Sang-Hoon

2016-01-01

The serum albumin (SA) has been exploited to generate long-acting biotherapeutics by taking advantage of the FcRn-mediated recycling mechanism in a direct or an indirect way. Since Fab fragments have been proven to be clinically safe for human usage, we assumed that human anti-SA Fab antibodies could have a great potential as a carrier molecule to extend the serum half-life of therapeutic proteins. We, herein, had attempted to isolate anti-SA Fab antibodies from HuDVFab-8L antibody library via a phage display technology, and identified eight discrete human Fab antibodies. One of the Fab antibodies, SL335, showed the strongest binding reactivity to human SA with nM range of affinity at both pH 6 and pH 7.4, and cross-reacted to SAs from various species including rat, mouse, canine and monkey. The in vivo pharmacokinetic assay using a rat model indicated that SL335 has approximately 10 fold longer serum half-life and 26 to 44-fold increase in AUC0 → ∞ compared to the negative control Fab molecule in both intravenous and subcutaneous administrations. Knowing that Fabs have proven to be safe in clinics for a long time, SL335 seems to have a great potential in generating long-acting protein drugs by tagging effector molecules with either chemical conjugation or genetic fusion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of the energy transitions and half-lives of Rubidium nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biçer, Ahmet; Manisa, Kaan; Engin Çalık, Abdullah; Erdoğan, Mehmet; Şen, Mürsel; Bircan, Hasan; Dapo, Haris; Boztosun, Ismail

2018-03-01

The photonuclear reactions, first extensively studied in the 1970's and performed using the gamma rays obtained via bremsstrahlung, are a standard nuclear physics experiment. In this study, a non-enriched Rubidium sample was irradiated with photons produced by a clinical linear electron accelerator (cLINACs) with energies up to 18 MeV with the aim of activating it through photonuclear reactions. The activated sample was measured with a high purity germanium detector (HPGe) with the aim of measuring the transition energies and half-lives. The spectroscopic analysis performed on the obtained data yielded high quality results for the transition energies with precision matching or surpassing the literature data. For the half-lives the results were consistent with the literature, most notably the half-life of 84mRb decay was determined as 20.28(2) m. The results for both energies and half-lives further show that the clinical linear accelerators can be successfully used as an efficient tool in experimental nuclear research endeavors.

Movement Complexity and Neuromechanical Factors Affect the Entropic Half-Life of Myoelectric Signals

PubMed Central

Hodson-Tole, Emma F.; Wakeling, James M.

2017-01-01

Appropriate neuromuscular functioning is essential for survival and features underpinning motor control are present in myoelectric signals recorded from skeletal muscles. One approach to quantify control processes related to function is to assess signal variability using measures such as Sample Entropy. Here we developed a theoretical framework to simulate the effect of variability in burst duration, activation duty cycle, and intensity on the Entropic Half-Life (EnHL) in myoelectric signals. EnHLs were predicted to be <40 ms, and to vary with fluctuations in myoelectric signal amplitude and activation duty cycle. Comparison with myoelectic data from rats walking and running at a range of speeds and inclines confirmed the range of EnHLs, however, the direction of EnHL change in response to altered locomotor demand was not correctly predicted. The discrepancy reflected different associations between the ratio of the standard deviation and mean signal intensity (Ist:It¯) and duty factor in simulated and physiological data, likely reflecting additional information in the signals from the physiological data (e.g., quiescent phase content; variation in action potential shapes). EnHL could have significant value as a novel marker of neuromuscular responses to alterations in perceived locomotor task complexity and intensity. PMID:28974932

An Investigation of the Life Experiences and Beliefs of High School Teachers Exhibiting Effective Classroom Management Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Byron

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the life experiences and beliefs of high school teachers exhibiting highly effective classroom management skills. The research for this phenomenological study utilized the narrative inquiry method of data collection. This study investigates the life experiences and beliefs of nine teachers…

A system to measure isomeric state half-lives in the 10 ns to 10 μs range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toufen, D. L.; Allegro, P. R. P.; Medina, N. H.; Oliveira, J. R. B.; Cybulska, E. W.; Seale, W. A.; Linares, R.; Silveira, M. A. G.; Ribas, R. V.

2014-07-01

The Isomeric State Measurement System (SISMEI) was developed to search for isomeric nuclear states produced by fusion-evaporation reactions. The SISMEI consists of 10 plastic phoswich telescopes, two lead shields, one NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, two Compton suppressed HPGe γ-ray detectors, and a cone with a recoil product catcher. The new system was tested at the 8 UD Pelletron tandem accelerator of the University of São Paulo with the measurement of two known isomeric states: 54Fe, 10+ state (E = 6527.1 (11) keV, T1/2 = 364(7) ns) and the 5/2+ state of 19F (E = 197.143 (4) keV, T1/2 = 89.3 (10) ns). The results indicate that the system is capable of identifying delayed transitions, of measuring isomeric state lifetimes, and of identifying the feeding transitions of the isomeric state through the delayed γ-γ coincidence method. The measured half-life for the 10+ state was T1/2 = 365(14) ns and for the 5/2+ state, 100(36) ns.

A system to measure isomeric state half-lives in the 10 ns to 10 μs range.

PubMed

Toufen, D L; Allegro, P R P; Medina, N H; Oliveira, J R B; Cybulska, E W; Seale, W A; Linares, R; Silveira, M A G; Ribas, R V

2014-07-01

The Isomeric State Measurement System (SISMEI) was developed to search for isomeric nuclear states produced by fusion-evaporation reactions. The SISMEI consists of 10 plastic phoswich telescopes, two lead shields, one NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, two Compton suppressed HPGe γ-ray detectors, and a cone with a recoil product catcher. The new system was tested at the 8 UD Pelletron tandem accelerator of the University of São Paulo with the measurement of two known isomeric states: (54)Fe, 10(+) state (E = 6527.1 (11) keV, T(1/2) = 364(7) ns) and the 5/2(+) state of (19)F (E = 197.143 (4) keV, T(1/2) = 89.3 (10) ns). The results indicate that the system is capable of identifying delayed transitions, of measuring isomeric state lifetimes, and of identifying the feeding transitions of the isomeric state through the delayed γ-γ coincidence method. The measured half-life for the 10(+) state was T(1/2) = 365(14) ns and for the 5/2(+) state, 100(36) ns.

A Two-pronged Binding Mechanism of IgG to the Neonatal Fc Receptor Controls Complex Stability and IgG Serum Half-life*

PubMed Central

Schoch, Angela; Larraillet, Vincent; Hilger, Maximiliane; Schlothauer, Tilman; Emrich, Thomas

2017-01-01

The success of recombinant monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgG) is rooted in their ability to target distinct antigens with high affinity combined with an extraordinarily long serum half-life, typically around 3 weeks. The pharmacokinetics of IgGs is intimately linked to the recycling mechanism of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). For long serum half-life of therapeutic IgGs, the highly pH-dependent interaction with FcRn needs to be balanced to allow efficient FcRn binding and release at slightly acidic pH and physiological pH, respectively. Some IgGs, like the antibody briakinumab has an unusually short half-life of ∼8 days. Here we dissect the molecular origins of excessive FcRn binding in therapeutic IgGs using a combination of hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and FcRn affinity chromatography. We provide experimental evidence for a two-pronged IgG-FcRn binding mechanism involving direct FcRn interactions with both the Fc region and the Fab regions of briakinumab, and correlate the occurrence of excessive FcRn binding to an unusually strong Fab-FcRn interaction. PMID:28062799

Phenobarbital administration every eight hours: improvement of seizure management in idiopathic epileptic dogs with decreased phenobarbital elimination half-life.

PubMed

Stabile, F; Barnett, C R; De Risio, L

2017-02-18

Estimated prevalence of canine idiopathic epilepsy is 0.6 per cent in the first-opinion canine population in the UK. Phenobarbital monotherapy has been reported to reduce/eradicate seizure activity in 60-93 per cent of idiopathic epileptic dogs (IEDs). The objective of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of the administration of phenobarbital orally every eight hours in IEDs with phenobarbital elimination half-life less than 20 hours. Medical records of 10 IEDs in which steady state trough serum phenobarbital levels were within the reference range and phenobarbital elimination half-life had become less than 20 hours following prolonged administration every 12 hours were reviewed. Side effects and seizure frequency when phenobarbital was administered every 12 hours or 8 hours were compared. In all dogs the side effects of the antiepileptic medication treatment improved. When phenobarbital was administered every eight hours, 9/10 dogs experienced improvement in seizure frequency and 8/10 dogs maintained seizure freedom for a period three times longer than the longest interictal interval period previously recorded. Reduction in the severity and number of clusters of seizures was recorded in one of the remaining two dogs. The administration of phenobarbital orally every eight hours in IEDs with decreased phenobarbital elimination half-life appears safe and can improve seizure management. The results of this study were presented in abstract form (poster) for the 28th symposium of the European Society of Veterinary Neurology - European College of Veterinary Neurology (ESVN), September 18-19, 2015, Amsterdam, Netherlands. British Veterinary Association.

The novel benzopyran class of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. Part 2: The second clinical candidate having a shorter and favorable human half-life

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

Wang, Jane L.; Limburg, David; Graneto, Matthew J.

2012-05-29

In this Letter, we provide the structure-activity relationships, optimization of design, testing criteria, and human half-life data for a series of selective COX-2 inhibitors. During the course of our structure-based drug design efforts, we discovered two distinct binding modes within the COX-2 active site for differently substituted members of this class. The challenge of a undesirably long human half-life for the first clinical candidate 1t{sub 1/2} = 360 h was addressed by multiple strategies, leading to the discovery of 29b-(S) (SC-75416) with t{sub 1/2} = 34 h.

Biological half-life and organ distribution of [3H]8-arginine vasopressin following administration of vasopressin receptor antagonist OPC-31260.

PubMed

Molnár, Andor H; Varga, Csaba; Janáky, Tamás; Tóth, Gábor; Tóth, Géza; Farkas, Judit; László, Ferenc; László, Ferenc A

2007-06-07

The effects of the antidiuretic (V(2)) non-peptide receptor antagonist OPC-31260 on the plasma vasopressin level and the biological half-life and organ distribution of radiochemically pure, biologically active [(3)H]8-arginine vasopressin [spec. act.: 15.9 mCi/mmol (588 GBq/mmol)] were studied in Wistar rats. The plasma vasopressin level increased significantly throughout the whole experimental period (24 h). There was no change in the fast phase of the curves of total radioactivity disappearance from the plasma after the administration of [(3)H]arginine vasopressin (control: 1.51+/-0.17 min, OPC-31260-treated: 1.42+/-0.12 min, n=10). The fast phase of the disappearance curves of intact [(3)H]arginine vasopressin did not change either following the administration of OPC-31260 in a dose of 30 mg/kg p.o. (control: 1.06+/-0.19 min, OPC-31260-treated: 1.00+/-0.15 min, n=6). The slow phase of the biological half-life, which is characteristic for the examined compound, proved to be significantly longer (total radioactivity control: 9.29+/-0.61 min, OPC-31260-treated: 12.33+/-0.42 min, P<0.05, n=10; [(3)H]arginine vasopressin radioactivity: control: 5.96+/-0.58 min, OPC-31260-treated: 8.90+/-0.37 min, P<0.05, n=6). In the control rats, the radioactivity was accumulated to the greatest extent in the neurohypophysis, adenohypophysis and kidney. Following OPC-31260 administration, significantly more radioactive compounds accumulated in the kidney (control: 0.30+/-0.052 total radioactivity %/100 mg organ weight, OPC-31260-treated: 0.50+/-0.133 total radioactivity %/100 mg organ weight, P<0.05, n=10) and neurohypophysis (control: 0.37+/-0.053 total radioactivity %/100 mg organ weight, OPC-31260-treated: 0.52+/-0.076 total radioactivity %/100 mg organ weight, P<0.05, n=10). Our results permit the conclusion that the antidiuretic antagonist OPC-31260 not only blocks the V(2) receptors, but also increases the biological half-life of vasopressin. The longer biological half-life of

Enhanced circulation half-life of site-specific PEGylated rhG-CSF: optimization of PEG molecular weight.

PubMed

Zhai, Yanqin; Zhao, Yongjiang; Lei, Jiandu; Su, Zhiguo; Ma, Guanghui

2009-07-15

Recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) and its PEGylated product "mono-PEG20-GCSF" have already been widely used for treatment of all kinds of neutropenia. However, the high required dosage of mono-PEG20-GCSF made it relatively expensive in clinical use. We postulated that an N-terminal site-specific PEGylated rhG-CSF with higher PEG Mw (PEG30 kDa) might be able to achieve longer circulation half-life while retaining its bioactivity, allowing the reduction of dosage for clinical use. rhG-CSF was PEGylated at the N-terminus by 5 kDa, 10 kDa, 20 kDa and 30 kDa methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-propionaldehyde (mPEG-ALD), and the four PEGylates were compared with respect to reaction, separation, characterization and also in vivo/in vitro activity, results showed that the mPEG-ALD of higher Mw demonstrated better N-terminal site-specific selectivity, separation purity and yield. The production cost and in vitro activity of mono-PEG30-GCSF and mono-PEG20-GCSF were almost the same, while mono-PEG30-GCSF showed longer in vivo circulation half-life and 60% higher drug bioavailability than mono-PEG20-GCSF. Consequently, mono-PEG30-GCSF shall be administered at a lower dosage than mono-PEG20-GCSF while retaining the same therapeutic efficacy.

A system to measure isomeric state half-lives in the 10 ns to 10 μs range

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

Toufen, D. L., E-mail: dennis@if.usp.br; Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo - IFSP, 07115-000 Guarulhos, São Paulo; Allegro, P. R. P.

2014-07-15

The Isomeric State Measurement System (SISMEI) was developed to search for isomeric nuclear states produced by fusion-evaporation reactions. The SISMEI consists of 10 plastic phoswich telescopes, two lead shields, one NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, two Compton suppressed HPGe γ-ray detectors, and a cone with a recoil product catcher. The new system was tested at the 8 UD Pelletron tandem accelerator of the University of São Paulo with the measurement of two known isomeric states: {sup 54}Fe, 10{sup +} state (E = 6527.1 (11) keV, T{sub 1/2} = 364(7) ns) and the 5/2{sup +} state of {sup 19}F (E = 197.143 (4)more » keV, T{sub 1/2} = 89.3 (10) ns). The results indicate that the system is capable of identifying delayed transitions, of measuring isomeric state lifetimes, and of identifying the feeding transitions of the isomeric state through the delayed γ-γ coincidence method. The measured half-life for the 10{sup +} state was T{sub 1/2} = 365(14) ns and for the 5/2{sup +} state, 100(36) ns.« less

A Cryogenic Half-Wave Plate Module to Measure Polarization at Multiple FIR Passbands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rennick, Timothy S.; Vaillancourt, John E.; Hildebrand, Roger H.; Heimsath, Stephen J.

2002-01-01

One of the key components in a far-infrared polarimeter that is being designed at the University of Chicago is a locally-powered half-wave plate module. This compact, lightweight, and reliable module will operate at cryogenic temperatures, rotating a half-wave plate about its axis within the optical path. By doing so, polarization measurements can be made. Further, by utilizing multiple half-wave plate modules within the polarimeter, multiple wavelengths or passbands can be studied. In this paper, we describe the design and performance of a relatively inexpensive prototype module that was assembled and tested successfully, outline the difficulties that had to be overcome, and recommend improvements to future modules. This effort now lays some of the groundwork for a next-generation polarimeter for far-infrared astronomy.

A half-metallic half-Heusler alloy having the largest atomic-like magnetic moment at optimized lattice constant

DOE PAGES

Zhang, R. L.; Damewood, L.; Fong, C. Y.; ...

2016-11-02

For half-Heusler alloys, the general formula is XYZ, where X can be a transition or alkali metal element, Y is another transition metal element, typically Mn or Cr, and Z is a group IV element or a pnicitide. The atomic arrangements within a unit-cell show three configurations. Before this study, most of the predictions of half-metallic properties of half-Heusler alloys at the lattice constants differing from their optimized lattice constant. Based on the electropositivity of X and electronegativity of Z for half-Heusler alloys, we found that one of the configurations of LiCrS exhibits half-metallic properties at its optimized lattice constantmore » of 5.803Å, and has the maximum atomic-like magnetic moment of 5μ B. In conclusion, the challenges of its growth and the effects of the spin-orbit effect in this alloy will be discussed.« less

Immunoglobulin Fc domain fusion to TRAIL significantly prolongs its plasma half-life and enhances its antitumor activity.

PubMed

Wang, Haizhen; Davis, Jennifer S; Wu, Xiangwei

2014-03-01

TRAIL (Apo2L) is a potent inducer of cell death. Interest in TRAIL has increased, following the observation that TRAIL can selectively kill a wide variety of human cancer cells without killing normal cells both in vitro and when grown as xenografts. Therefore, TRAIL has been proposed as a promising anticancer agent and currently is being tested in clinical trials. However, recombinant TRAIL has a very short plasma half-life, which limits its therapeutic potential. To overcome this limitation, we investigated the ability of the human IgG1 fragment crystallizable region (Fc) to enhance TRAIL stability. In this report, we show that Fc-TRAIL chimeric protein displays higher specific activity in vitro and a significantly longer half-life in mice than recombinant human TRAIL (rh-TRAIL). No short-term toxicity, especially liver toxicity, was observed. More importantly, Fc-TRAIL was much more effective in inhibiting tumor growth in a xenograft tumor model compared with rh-TRAIL. Our data suggest that fusion of Fc to TRAIL is able to improve the bioavailability and activity of TRAIL both in vitro and in vivo, and Fc-TRAIL may be explored for future clinical applications in cancer treatment and prevention. ©2014 AACR.

Methodology for Assessing the Probability of Corrosion in Concrete Structures on the Basis of Half-Cell Potential and Concrete Resistivity Measurements

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In recent years, the corrosion of steel reinforcement has become a major problem in the construction industry. Therefore, much attention has been given to developing methods of predicting the service life of reinforced concrete structures. The progress of corrosion cannot be visually assessed until a crack or a delamination appears. The corrosion process can be tracked using several electrochemical techniques. Most commonly the half-cell potential measurement technique is used for this purpose. However, it is generally accepted that it should be supplemented with other techniques. Hence, a methodology for assessing the probability of corrosion in concrete slabs by means of a combination of two methods, that is, the half-cell potential method and the concrete resistivity method, is proposed. An assessment of the probability of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures carried out using the proposed methodology is presented. 200 mm thick 750 mm  ×  750 mm reinforced concrete slab specimens were investigated. Potential E corr and concrete resistivity ρ in each point of the applied grid were measured. The experimental results indicate that the proposed methodology can be successfully used to assess the probability of corrosion in concrete structures. PMID:23766706

Methodology for assessing the probability of corrosion in concrete structures on the basis of half-cell potential and concrete resistivity measurements.

PubMed

Sadowski, Lukasz

2013-01-01

In recent years, the corrosion of steel reinforcement has become a major problem in the construction industry. Therefore, much attention has been given to developing methods of predicting the service life of reinforced concrete structures. The progress of corrosion cannot be visually assessed until a crack or a delamination appears. The corrosion process can be tracked using several electrochemical techniques. Most commonly the half-cell potential measurement technique is used for this purpose. However, it is generally accepted that it should be supplemented with other techniques. Hence, a methodology for assessing the probability of corrosion in concrete slabs by means of a combination of two methods, that is, the half-cell potential method and the concrete resistivity method, is proposed. An assessment of the probability of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures carried out using the proposed methodology is presented. 200 mm thick 750 mm  ×  750 mm reinforced concrete slab specimens were investigated. Potential E corr and concrete resistivity ρ in each point of the applied grid were measured. The experimental results indicate that the proposed methodology can be successfully used to assess the probability of corrosion in concrete structures.

Unfounded Attribution of the "Half-Life" Index-Number of Literature Obsolescence to Burton and Kebler: A Literature Science Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szava-Kovats, Endre

2002-01-01

The term and notion of the "half-life" index-number of literature obsolescence, and their borrowing from nuclear physics and adaptation into the literature of literature obsolescence, have up to now been attributed to the librarian Burton and the physicist Kebler and to their 1960 journal article. This article presents evidence to show it is…

The interaction between thermodynamic stability and buried free cysteines in regulating the functional half-life of fibroblast growth factor-1.

PubMed

Lee, Jihun; Blaber, Michael

2009-10-16

Protein biopharmaceuticals are an important and growing area of human therapeutics; however, the intrinsic property of proteins to adopt alternative conformations (such as during protein unfolding and aggregation) presents numerous challenges, limiting their effective application as biopharmaceuticals. Using fibroblast growth factor-1 as model system, we describe a cooperative interaction between the intrinsic property of thermostability and the reactivity of buried free-cysteine residues that can substantially modulate protein functional half-life. A mutational strategy that combines elimination of buried free cysteines and secondary mutations that enhance thermostability to achieve a substantial gain in functional half-life is described. Furthermore, the implementation of this design strategy utilizing stabilizing mutations within the core region resulted in a mutant protein that is essentially indistinguishable from wild type as regard protein surface and solvent structure, thus minimizing the immunogenic potential of the mutations. This design strategy should be generally applicable to soluble globular proteins containing buried free-cysteine residues.

The antitumor agent 3-bromopyruvate has a short half-life at physiological conditions.

PubMed

Glick, Matthew; Biddle, Perry; Jantzi, Josh; Weaver, Samantha; Schirch, Doug

2014-09-12

Clinical research is currently exploring the validity of the anti-tumor candidate 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) as a novel treatment for several types of cancer. However, recent publications have overlooked rarely-cited earlier work about the instability of 3-BP and its decay to 3-hydroxypyruvate (3-HP) which have obvious implications for its mechanism of action against tumors, how it is administered, and for precautions when preparing solutions of 3-BP. This study found the first-order decay rate of 3-BP at physiological temperature and pH has a half-life of only 77 min. Lower buffer pH decreases the decay rate, while choice of buffer and concentration do not affect it. A method for preparing more stable solutions is also reported. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Investigation of radioactivity measurement of medical radioactive waste].

PubMed

Koizumi, Kiyoshi; Masuda, Kazutaka; Kusakabe, Kiyoko; Kinoshita, Fujimi; Kobayashi, Kazumi; Yamamoto, Tetsuo; Kanaya, Shinichi; Kida, Tetsuo; Yanagisawa, Masamichi; Iwanaga, Tetsuo; Ikebuchi, Hideharu; Kusama, Keiji; Namiki, Nobuo; Okuma, Hiroshi; Fujimura, Yoko; Horikoshi, Akiko; Tanaka, Mamoru

2004-11-01

To explore the possibility of which medical radioactive wastes could be disposed as general wastes after keeping them a certain period of time and confirming that their radioactivity reach a background level (BGL), we made a survey of these wastes in several nuclear medicine facilities. The radioactive wastes were collected for one week, packed in a box according to its half-life, and measured its radioactivity by scintillation survey meter with time. Some wastes could reach a BGL within 10 times of half-life, but 19% of the short half-life group (group 1) including 99mTc and 123I, and 8% of the middle half-life group (group 2) including 67Ga, (111)In, and 201Tl did not reach a BGL within 20 times of half-life. A reason for delaying the time of reaching a BGL might be partially attributed to high initial radiation dose rate or heavy package weight. However, mixing with the nuclides of longer half-life was estimated to be the biggest factor affecting this result. When disposing medical radioactive wastes as general wastes, it is necessary to avoid mixing with radionuclide of longer half-life and confirm that it reaches a BGL by actual measurement.

Health status and suicide in the second half of life

PubMed Central

Conwell, Yeates; Duberstein, Paul R.; Hirsch, Jameson K.; Conner, Kenneth R.; Eberly, Shirley; Caine, Eric D.

2010-01-01

Objective To examine the associations of suicide in the second half of life with medical and psychiatric illness, functional limitations, and reported use of inpatient, ambulatory, and home health care services. Method A retrospective case-control design was used to compare 86 people over age 50 years who died by suicide with a comparison group of 86 living community participants that were individually matched on age, gender, race, and county of residence. Results Suicide decedents had more Axis I diagnoses, including current mood and anxiety disorders, worse physical health status, and greater impairment in functional capacity. They were more likely to have required psychiatric treatment, medical, or surgical hospitalization in the last year, and visiting nurse or home health aide services. In a multivariate model, the presence of any active Axis I disorder and any impairment in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) made independent contributions to suicide risk. Conclusions Mental illness, physical illness, and associated functional impairments represent domains of risk for suicide in this age group. In addition to individuals with psychiatric illness, those with severe or comorbid physical illness and functional disability who require inpatient and home care services should be targeted for screening and preventive interventions. PMID:19582758

Half Lives for ``Irradiated'' Nonscience Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geise, Kathleen; Hallam, Peter; Rattray, Rebecca; Stencel, Robert; Wolfe, Tristan

2014-03-01

We launched new hands-on radiation labs to supplement lecture material for undergraduate, non-science majors at the University of Denver to reinforce learning objectives during winter quarter 2014 and in order to help educate the public about nuclear energy decisions. Our learning objectives included: 1. differentiate between particle radiation and electro-magnetic radiation, 2. understand that particle radiation comes in alpha, beta and gamma types, 3. atomic and nuclear structure, 4. decay and half-life, 5. understand safe vs. unsafe doses and issues surrounding nuclear waste disposal. We used prelab surveys, prelab assessments, laboratory write-ups and quizzes to measure success with the learning objectives.

[Reliability and validity of Meaningful Life Measure-Chinese Revised in Chinese college students].

PubMed

Xiao, Rong; Lai, Qiao-Zhen; Yang, Jia-Ping

2016-04-20

To test the reliability and validity of Meaningful Life Measure-Chinese Revised (MLM-CR) in Chinese college students. A total of 1035 college students were evaluated with MLM-CR, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Purpose in Life (PIL) and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), and 120 of the students were examined with PIL-SF twice. All the items in MLM-CR had good discrimination indexes (r=0.753-0.838, P<0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the hypothesized five-factor model of MLM-CR (Χ 2 /df=3.4, GFI=0.946, AGFI=0.924, RMR=0.069, NFI=0.953, CFI=0.966, RMSEA=0.048). The total internal consistency reliability of MLM-CR was 0.942, and the alpha coefficients of the 5 dimensions ranged from 0.782 to 0.877; the total split-half reliability was 0.920, and the split-half reliability of the 5 dimensions ranged from 0.752 to 0.830; the total test-retest reliability was 0.871, and the test-retest reliability of the 5 dimensions ranged from 0.783 to 0.805. The criterion validity of MLM-CR in correlation with SWLS, PIL and PHQ-2 was 0.66, 0.755 and -0.388, respectively (P<0.01). The Average score of MLM-CR of the college students was 5.20∓0.90, and the scores were significantly higher in female students than in the male students (P<0.001). MLM-CR has good psychometric properties for application in comprehensive evaluation of personal meaning in life.

Scientific life should be measured in seven year units.

PubMed

Charlton, Bruce G

2006-01-01

Traditional wisdom and empirical observation unite in recommending a 7 year unit for measuring human life - including individual and institutional science. But, because of astronomy and the decimal system, things tend to be measured either in years, five years or in decades. A year is too short while a decade is too long to measure the trends and transitions of individual or institutional life. And the half decade, such as the 'five year plan' beloved by politicians and bureaucrats seems too short. Therefore, seven years should become the standard unit for tracking trends and measuring attainment. Precedents for using a seven year unit include the notorious Jesuit saying: 'Give me the child until he is seven, and I will show you the man'; and the 'ninth commandment' of Leo Szilard: 'Do your work for six years; but in the seventh, go into solitude or among strangers, so that the memory of your friends does not prevent you from being what you have become'. In a scientific career, seven years is approximately the time spent at high school, the time taken for a traditional basic scientific training of first degree and doctorate, and the period after the doctorate building the knowledge to become an expert specialist. There seems to be enough anecdotal evidence to support the idea that we should reconsider the universal but un-reflective use of decimal units in planning and evaluation. For instance, seven year fellowships and program grants might replace the current five year versions. A new - and previously unconsidered - field of research beckons.

The effective and environmental half-life of 137Cs at Coral Islands at the former US nuclear test site.

PubMed

Robison, William L; Conrado, Cynthia L; Bogen, Kenneth T; Stoker, A Carol

2003-01-01

The United States (US) conducted nuclear weapons testing from 1946 to 1958 at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the northern Marshall Islands. Based on previous detailed dose assessments for Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap, and Utirik Atolls over a period of 28 years, cesium-137 (137Cs) at Bikini Atoll contributes about 85-89% of the total estimated dose through the terrestrial food chain as a result of uptake of 137Cs by food crops. The estimated integral 30, 50, and 70-year doses were based on the radiological decay of 137Cs (30-year half-life) and other radionuclides. However, there is a continuing inventory of 137Cs and 90Sr in the fresh water portion of the groundwater at all contaminated atolls even though the turnover rate of the fresh groundwater is about 5 years. This is evidence that a portion of the soluble fraction of 137Cs and 90Sr inventory in the soil is lost by transport to groundwater when rainfall is heavy enough to cause recharge of the lens, resulting in loss of 137Cs from the soil column and root zone of the plants. This loss is in addition to that caused by radioactive decay. The effective rate of loss was determined by two methods: (1) indirectly, from time-dependent studies of the 137Cs concentration in leaves of Pisonia grandis, Guettarda specosia, Tournefortia argentea (also called Messerschmidia), Scaevola taccada, and fruit from Pandanus and coconut trees (Cocos nucifera L.), and (2) more directly, by evaluating the 137Cs/90Sr ratios at Bikini Atoll. The mean (and its lower and upper 95% confidence limits) for effective half-life and for environmental-loss half-life (ELH) based on all the trees studied on Rongelap, Bikini, and Enewetak Atolls are 8.5 years (8.0 years, 9.8 years), and 12 years (11 years, 15 years), respectively. The ELH based on the 137Cs/90Sr ratios in soil in 1987 relative to the 137Cs/90Sr ratios at the time of deposition in 1954 is less than 17 years. The magnitude of the decrease below 17 years depends on the ELH for 90Sr

Long-acting follicle-stimulating hormone analogs containing N-linked glycosylation exhibited increased bioactivity compared with o-linked analogs in female rats.

PubMed

Weenen, C; Peña, J E; Pollak, S V; Klein, J; Lobel, L; Trousdale, R K; Palmer, S; Lustbader, E G; Ogden, R T; Lustbader, J W

2004-10-01

The effects of altering the number and type of additional carbohydrate moieties on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of FSH were examined in this report. A series of single-chain follitropins, containing variable numbers of additional N- (or O-) linked carbohydrates, were designed and expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Proper folding, efficient receptor binding, and signal transduction were confirmed by in vitro assays. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters were evaluated in immature female Sprague Dawley rats. Increasing the number of glycosylation sites with either N- (or O-) linked moieties extended the elimination half-life as much as 2-fold compared with recombinant human FSH (rhFSH). However, there was a maximum elimination half-life such that further glycosylation provided no additional lengthening of the half-life. Conversely, biopotency, as assessed by inhibin A levels 74 h post injection, and follicle production were significantly higher for the N-linked analogs. Rats stimulated with the longest acting analogs (either N- or O-linked) showed significantly higher ovarian weights than rats receiving a single injection of rhFSH. The analog containing four additional N-linked sites (rhFSH-N4) had the greatest number of large, preovulatory follicles. Although the half-life of rhFSH-N4 displayed no further enhancement beyond the other longest acting analogs, this analog exhibited significantly increased biopotency in rats. This work provides the basis for the generation of a series of reagents potentially useful for therapeutic applications.

Chitosan-decorated selenium nanoparticles as protein carriers to improve the in vivo half-life of the peptide therapeutic BAY 55-9837 for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Rao, Lei; Ma, Yi; Zhuang, Manjiao; Luo, Tianjie; Wang, Yayu; Hong, An

2014-01-01

As a potential protein therapeutic for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), BAY 55-9837 is limited by poor stability and a very short half-life in vivo. The purpose of this study was to construct a novel nanostructured biomaterial by conjugating BAY 55-9837 to chitosan-decorated selenium nanoparticles (CS-SeNPs) to prolong the in vivo half-life of BAY 55-9837 by reducing its renal clearance rate. BAY 55-9837-loaded CS-SeNPs (BAY-CS-SeNPs) were prepared, and their surface morphology, particle size, zeta potential, and structure were characterized. The stability, protein-loading rate, and in vitro release of BAY 55-9837 from CS-SeNPs were also quantified. Additionally, a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was developed for the quantification of BAY 55-9837 in mouse plasma. Thereafter, mice were injected via the tail vein with either BAY 55-9837 or BAY-CS-SeNPs, and the plasma concentration of BAY 55-9837 was determined via our validated HPLC method at different time intervals postinjection. Relevant in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters (half-life, area under the curve from time 0 to last sampling point, observed clearance) were then calculated and analyzed. BAY-CS-SeNPs were successfully synthesized, with diameters of approximately 200 nm. BAY-CS-SeNPs displayed good stability with a high protein-loading rate, and the release process of BAY 55-9837 from the CS-SeNPs lasted for over 70 hours, with the cumulative release reaching 78.9%. Moreover, the conjugation of CS-SeNPs to BAY 55-9837 significantly reduced its renal clearance to a rate of 1.56 mL/h and extended its half-life to 20.81 hours. In summary, our work provides a simple method for reducing the renal clearance rate and extending the half-life of BAY 55-9837 in vivo by utilizing CS-SeNPs as nanocarriers.

Application of fracture mechanics and half-cycle method to the prediction of fatigue life of B-52 aircraft pylon components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, W. L.; Carter, A. L.; Totton, W. W.; Ficke, J. M.

1989-01-01

Stress intensity levels at various parts of the NASA B-52 carrier aircraft pylon were examined for the case when the pylon store was the space shuttle solid rocket booster drop test vehicle. Eight critical stress points were selected for the pylon fatigue analysis. Using fracture mechanics and the half-cycle theory (directly or indirectly) for the calculations of fatigue-crack growth ,the remaining fatigue life (number of flights left) was estimated for each critical part. It was found that the two rear hooks had relatively short fatigue life and that the front hook had the shortest fatigue life of all the parts analyzed. The rest of the pylon parts were found to be noncritical because of their extremely long fatigue life associated with the low operational stress levels.

PREPARATION, IN VITRO AND IN VIVO CHARACTERIZATION OF HYDROPHOBIC PATCHES OF A HIGHLY WATER SOLUBLE DRUG FOR PROLONGED PLASMA HALF LIFE: EFFECT OF PERMEATION ENHANCERS.

PubMed

Yaqoob, Ayesha; Ahmad, Mahmood; Mahmood, Asif; Sarfraz, Rai Muhammad

2016-11-01

Aim of present study was to develop metoprolol matrix patches using different enhancers. Combination of two hydrophobic polymers, ethyl cellulose and eudragit RL 100 (8 : 2) were used for preparation of unilaminated matrix patch. 10% w/w of isopropyl myristate (IPM), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), span (20 (S20), Tween 20 (T20) and eucalyptus oil as enhancers and 40% of dibutyl phthalate as plasticizer were used. Prepared patches were evaluated for physical appearance, weight uniformity and thickness. FTIR studies were performed to assess compatibility among ingredients and developed formulation. Dissolution and permeation studies were performed to compare effects of enhancers. Surface morphology after release was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Selected formulation was subjected to in vivo studies by randomized crossover design in rabbits (n = 6) for pharmacokinetic comparison with oral solution administration. Physical evaluation revealed that translucent, flexible, non brittle patches of uniform weight and thickness were prepared. Release from patches followed Higuchi model. Mechanism of release was Fickian. Formulation containing IPM showed that release was by anomalous transport. Highest permeation flux was observed for formulation containing IPM with 2-fold enhancement in permeation. Permeation flux for patches was in order of formulation with no enhancer > IPM > T20 > S20 > DMSO = eucalyptus oil. Plasma concentration from in vivo studies exhibited sustained plasma levels of metoprolol after transdermal patch application in comparison to oral solution administration. Pharmacokinetic analysis of in vivo data elucidated that half life was increased 8 times when compared to oral administration, due to controlled release of drug for longer period of time. These findings suggested that hydrophobic transdermal patches of highly water soluble drug metoprolol were successfully prepared with 10% of IPM for sustained systemic delivery for prolonged half life.

Direct Measurements of Half-Cycle Reaction Heats during Atomic Layer Deposition by Calorimetry

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

Lownsbury, James M.; Gladden, James A.; Campbell, Charles T.

We introduce a new high-temperature adsorption calorimeter that approaches the ideal limit of a heat detector whereby the signal at any time is proportional to the heat power being delivered to the sample and prove its sensitivity for measuring pulse-to-pulse heats of half-reactions during atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 400 K. The heat dynamics of amorphous Al2O3 growth via sequential self-limiting surface reaction of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and H2O is clearly resolved. Calibration enables quantitation of the exothermic TMA and H2O half-reactions with high precision, -343 kJ/mol TMA and -251 kJ/mol H2O, respectively. A time resolution better than 1 ms ismore » demonstrated, allowing for the deconvolution of at least two distinct surface reactions during TMA microdosing. It is further demonstrated that this method can provide the heat of reaction versus extent of reaction during each precursors half-reaction, thus providing even richer mechanistic information on the surface processes involved. The broad applicability of this novel calorimeter is demonstrated through excellent signal-to-noise ratios of less exothermic ALD half-reactions to produce TiO2 and MnO.« less

Direct Measurements of Half-Cycle Reaction Heats during Atomic Layer Deposition by Calorimetry

DOE PAGES

Lownsbury, James M.; Gladden, James A.; Campbell, Charles T.; ...

2017-10-05

We introduce a new high-temperature adsorption calorimeter that approaches the ideal limit of a heat detector whereby the signal at any time is proportional to the heat power being delivered to the sample and prove its sensitivity for measuring pulse-to-pulse heats of half-reactions during atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 400 K. The heat dynamics of amorphous Al2O3 growth via sequential self-limiting surface reaction of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and H2O is clearly resolved. Calibration enables quantitation of the exothermic TMA and H2O half-reactions with high precision, -343 kJ/mol TMA and -251 kJ/mol H2O, respectively. A time resolution better than 1 ms ismore » demonstrated, allowing for the deconvolution of at least two distinct surface reactions during TMA microdosing. It is further demonstrated that this method can provide the heat of reaction versus extent of reaction during each precursors half-reaction, thus providing even richer mechanistic information on the surface processes involved. The broad applicability of this novel calorimeter is demonstrated through excellent signal-to-noise ratios of less exothermic ALD half-reactions to produce TiO2 and MnO.« less

Metric half-span model support system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, C. M., Jr.; Dollyhigh, S. M.; Shaw, D. S. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

A model support system used to support a model in a wind tunnel test section is described. The model comprises a metric, or measured, half-span supported by a nonmetric, or nonmeasured half-span which is connected to a sting support. Moments and forces acting on the metric half-span are measured without interference from the support system during a wind tunnel test.

Method for measuring the alternating current half-wave voltage of a Mach-Zehnder modulator based on opto-electronic oscillation.

PubMed

Hong, Jun; Chen, Dongchu; Peng, Zhiqiang; Li, Zulin; Liu, Haibo; Guo, Jian

2018-05-01

A new method for measuring the alternating current (AC) half-wave voltage of a Mach-Zehnder modulator is proposed and verified by experiment in this paper. Based on the opto-electronic self-oscillation technology, the physical relationship between the saturation output power of the oscillating signal and the AC half-wave voltage is revealed, and the value of the AC half-wave voltage is solved by measuring the saturation output power of the oscillating signal. The experimental results show that the measured data of this new method involved are in agreement with a traditional method, and not only an external microwave signal source but also the calibration for different frequency measurements is not needed in our new method. The measuring process is simplified with this new method on the premise of ensuring the accuracy of measurement, and it owns good practical value.

Measurements of air-broadened and nitrogen-broadened half-widths and shifts of ozone lines near 9 microns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, M. A. H.; Rinsland, C. P.; Devi, Malathy V.; Benner, D. Chris; Thakur, K. B.

1988-01-01

Air- and nitrogen-broadened half-widths and line shifts at room temperature for more than 60 individual vibration-rotation transitions in the nu1 fundamental band of (O-16)3 and several transitions in the nu3 band were determined from infrared absorption spectra. These spectra were recorded at 0.005/cm resolution with a Fourier-transform spectrometer. A tunable-diode-laser spectrometer operating in the 1090-1150/cm region was also used to record data on oxygen-, nitrogen-, and air-broadened half-widths for selected individual transitions. The nitrogen- and air-broadened half-widths determined by these two different measurement techniques are consistent to within 4 percent. The results are in good agreement with other published measurements and calculations.

Early Life Stress: Effects on the Regulation of Anxiety Expression in Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Burkholder, Amanda R; Koss, Kalsea J; Hostinar, Camelia E; Johnson, Anna E; Gunnar, Megan R

2016-11-01

This study examined children's ( N = 79; 9-10 years) and adolescents' ( N = 82; 15-16 years) ability to regulate their emotion expressions of anxiety as they completed a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). Approximately half in each age group were internationally adopted from institutional care ( N = 79) and half were non-adopted, age-matched peers ( N = 82). Institutional care was viewed as a form of early life stress. Coders who were reliable and blind to group status watched videos of the session to assess anxiety expressions using the Child and Adolescent Stress and Emotion Scale developed for this study. Children exhibited more expressions of anxiety than adolescents, and youth adopted from institutions showed more expressions of anxiety than their non-adopted counterparts. The role of early life stress on observed anxiety expressions remained significant after controlling for differences in age, physiological stress responses measured through salivary cortisol reactivity, and self-reports of stress during the TSST-C. This suggests possible deficits in the regulation of expressive behavior for youth with early life stress histories, which cannot be explained by experiencing the task as more stressful.

Early Life Stress: Effects on the Regulation of Anxiety Expression in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Burkholder, Amanda R; Koss, Kalsea J.; Hostinar, Camelia E; Johnson, Anna E.; Gunnar, Megan R

2017-01-01

This study examined children’s (N = 79; 9–10 years) and adolescents’ (N = 82; 15–16 years) ability to regulate their emotion expressions of anxiety as they completed a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). Approximately half in each age group were internationally adopted from institutional care (N = 79) and half were non-adopted, age-matched peers (N = 82). Institutional care was viewed as a form of early life stress. Coders who were reliable and blind to group status watched videos of the session to assess anxiety expressions using the Child and Adolescent Stress and Emotion Scale developed for this study. Children exhibited more expressions of anxiety than adolescents, and youth adopted from institutions showed more expressions of anxiety than their non-adopted counterparts. The role of early life stress on observed anxiety expressions remained significant after controlling for differences in age, physiological stress responses measured through salivary cortisol reactivity, and self-reports of stress during the TSST-C. This suggests possible deficits in the regulation of expressive behavior for youth with early life stress histories, which cannot be explained by experiencing the task as more stressful. PMID:28584408

Phase I study of BAY 94-9027, a PEGylated B-domain-deleted recombinant factor VIII with an extended half-life, in subjects with hemophilia A.

PubMed

Coyle, T E; Reding, M T; Lin, J C; Michaels, L A; Shah, A; Powell, J

2014-04-01

BAY 94-9027 is a B-domain-deleted recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) with site-specific attachment of poly(ethylene glycol) that has shown an extended half-life in animal models of hemophilia. To assess the pharmacokinetics and safety of BAY 94-9027 after single and repeated administration in subjects with severe hemophilia A. This 8-week, prospective, multicenter, open-label, phase I trial was conducted in 14 subjects aged 21–58 years with FVIII of < 1%, ≥ 150 days of exposure to FVIII, and no history of FVIII inhibitors. After a ≥ 3-day washout, subjects received a single dose of sucrose-formulated rFVIII (rFVIII-FS) (cohort 1 [n = 7], 25 IU kg−1; cohort 2 [n = 7], 50 IU kg−1) for a 48-h pharmacokinetic (PK) study. After another ≥ 3-day washout, cohort 1 received twice-weekly BAY 94-9027 at 25 IU kg−1 (16 doses), and cohort 2 received once-weekly BAY 94-9027 at 60 IU kg−1 (nine doses). A 168-h PK study was performed after the first and last BAY 94-9027 doses. BAY 94-9027 showed equivalent recovery and an improved PK profile vs. rFVIII-FS, with a half-life of ~ 19 h (vs. ~ 13.0 h for rFVIII-FS). BAY 94-9027 was well tolerated, and no immunogenicity was observed. This phase I study demonstrates that BAY 94-9027 has an extended half-life in subjects with hemophilia A and, after multiple dosing, was well tolerated with no immunogenicity during the 8-week trial. A phase III study in a larger number of subjects is underway to fully characterize how this prolonged half-life will permit less frequent prophylaxis dosing for patients with hemophilia.

Crosslinking of micropatterned collagen-based nerve guides to modulate the expected half-life.

PubMed

Salvatore, L; Madaghiele, M; Parisi, C; Gatti, F; Sannino, A

2014-12-01

The microstructural, mechanical, compositional, and degradative properties of a nerve conduit are known to strongly affect the regenerative process of the injured peripheral nerve. Starting from the fabrication of micropatterned collagen-based nerve guides, according to a spin-casting process reported in the literature, this study further investigates the possibility to modulate the degradation rate of the scaffolds over a wide time frame, in an attempt to match different rates of nerve regeneration that might be encountered in vivo. To this aim, three different crosslinking methods, that is, dehydrothermal (DHT), carbodiimide-based (EDAC), and glutaraldehyde-based (GTA) crosslinking, were selected. The elastically effective degree of crosslinking, attained by each method and evaluated according to the classical rubber elasticity theory, was found to significantly tune the in vitro half-life (t1/2 ) of the matrices, with an exponential dependence of the latter on the crosslink density. The high crosslinking efficacy of EDAC and GTA treatments, respectively threefold and fourfold when compared to the one attained by DHT, led to a sharp increase of the corresponding in vitro half-lives (ca., 10, 172, and 690 h, for DHT, EDAC, and GTA treated matrices, respectively). As shown by cell viability assays, the cytocompatibility of both DHT and EDAC treatments, as opposed to the toxicity of GTA, suggests that such methods are suitable to crosslink collagen-based scaffolds conceived for clinical use. In particular, nerve guides with expected high residence times in vivo might be produced by finely controlling the biocompatible reaction(s) adopted for crosslinking. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Cost of Uncertain Life Span*

PubMed Central

Edwards, Ryan D.

2012-01-01

A considerable amount of uncertainty surrounds the length of human life. The standard deviation in adult life span is about 15 years in the U.S., and theory and evidence suggest it is costly. I calibrate a utility-theoretic model of preferences over length of life and show that one fewer year in standard deviation is worth about half a mean life year. Differences in the standard deviation exacerbate cross-sectional differences in life expectancy between the U.S. and other industrialized countries, between rich and poor countries, and among poor countries. Accounting for the cost of life-span variance also appears to amplify recently discovered patterns of convergence in world average human well-being. This is partly for methodological reasons and partly because unconditional variance in human length of life, primarily the component due to infant mortality, has exhibited even more convergence than life expectancy. PMID:22368324

External radiation exposure, excretion, and effective half-life in 177Lu-PSMA-targeted therapies.

PubMed

Kurth, J; Krause, B J; Schwarzenböck, S M; Stegger, L; Schäfers, M; Rahbar, K

2018-04-12

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted therapy with 177 Lu-PSMA-617 is a therapeutic option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). To optimize the therapy procedure, it is necessary to determine relevant parameters to define radiation protection and safety necessities. Therefore, this study aimed at estimating the ambient radiation exposure received by the patient. Moreover, the excreted activity was quantified. In total, 50 patients with mCRPC and treated with 177 Lu-PSMA-617 (mean administered activity 6.3 ± 0.5 GBq) were retrospectively included in a bi-centric study. Whole-body dose rates were measured at a distance of 2 m at various time points after application of 177 Lu-PSMA-617, and effective half-lives for different time points were calculated and compared. Radiation exposure to the public was approximated using the dose integral. For the estimation of the excreted activity, whole body measurements of 25 patients were performed at 7 time points. Unbound 177 Lu-PSMA-617 was rapidly cleared from the body. After 4 h, approximately 50% and, after 12 h, approximately 70% of the administered activity were excreted, primarily via urine. The mean dose rates were the following: 3.6 ± 0.7 μSv/h at 2 h p. i., 1.6 ± 0.6 μSv/h at 24 h, 1.1 ± 0.5 μSv/h at 48 h, and 0.7 ± 0.4 μSv/h at 72 h. The mean effective half-life of the cohort was 40.5 ± 9.6 h (min 21.7 h; max 85.7 h). The maximum dose to individual members of the public per treatment cycle was ~ 250 ± 55 μSv when the patient was discharged from the clinic after 48 h and ~ 190 ± 36 μSv when the patient was discharged after 72 h. In terms of the radiation exposure to the public, 177 Lu-PSMA is a safe option of radionuclide therapy. As usually four (sometimes more) cycles of the therapy are performed, it must be conducted in a way that ensures that applicable legal requirements can be followed. In

Dual Constant Domain-Fab: A novel strategy to improve half-life and potency of a Met therapeutic antibody.

PubMed

Cignetto, Simona; Modica, Chiara; Chiriaco, Cristina; Fontani, Lara; Milla, Paola; Michieli, Paolo; Comoglio, Paolo M; Vigna, Elisa

2016-06-01

The kinase receptor encoded by the Met oncogene is a sensible target for cancer therapy. The chimeric monovalent Fab fragment of the DN30 monoclonal antibody (MvDN30) has an odd mechanism of action, based on cell surface removal of Met via activation of specific plasma membrane proteases. However, the short half-life of the Fab, due to its low molecular weight, is a severe limitation for the deployment in therapy. This issue was addressed by increasing the Fab molecular weight above the glomerular filtration threshold through the duplication of the constant domains, in tandem (DCD-1) or reciprocally swapped (DCD-2). The two newly engineered molecules showed biochemical properties comparable to the original MvDN30 in vitro, acting as full Met antagonists, impairing Met phosphorylation and activation of downstream signaling pathways. As a consequence, Met-mediated biological responses were inhibited, including anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth. In vivo DCD-1 and DCD-2 showed a pharmacokinetic profile significantly improved over the original MvDN30, doubling the circulating half-life and reducing the clearance. In pre-clinical models of cancer, generated by injection of tumor cells or implant of patient-derived samples, systemic administration of the engineered molecules inhibited the growth of Met-addicted tumors. Copyright © 2016 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The truly remarkable universality of half a standard deviation: confirmation through another look.

PubMed

Norman, Geoffrey R; Sloan, Jeff A; Wyrwich, Kathleen W

2004-10-01

In this issue of Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, Farivar, Liu, and Hays present their findings in 'Another look at the half standard deviation estimate of the minimally important difference in health-related quality of life scores (hereafter referred to as 'Another look') . These researchers have re-examined the May 2003 Medical Care article 'Interpretation of changes in health-related quality of life: the remarkable universality of half a standard deviation' (hereafter referred to as 'Remarkable') in the hope of supporting their hypothesis that the minimally important difference in health-related quality of life measures is undoubtedly closer to 0.3 standard deviations than 0.5. Nonetheless, despite their extensive wranglings with the exclusion of many articles that we included in our review; the inclusion of articles that we did not include in our review; and the recalculation of effect sizes using the absolute value of the mean differences, in our opinion, the results of the 'Another look' article confirm the same findings in the 'Remarkable' paper.

Communicating Science through Exhibitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P.; Harold, J.; Morrow, C.

It is critically important for the public to better understand the scientific process. Museum exhibitions are an important part of informal science education that can effectively reach public audiences as well as school groups. They provide an important gateway for the public to learn about compelling scientific endeavors. There are many ways for scientists to help develop science exhibitions. The Space Science Institute (SSI) is a national leader in producing traveling science exhibitions and their associated educational programming (i.e. interactive websites, educator workshops, public talks, instructional materials). Two of its exhibitions, Space Weather Center and MarsQuest, are currently on tour. Another exhibition, Alien Earths, is in development. The Space Weather Center was developed in partnership with various research missions at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. MarsQuest is a 5000 square-foot traveling exhibition. The exhibit's second 3-year tour began this January at the Detroit Science Center. It is enabling millions of Americans to share in the excitement of the scientific exploration of Mars and to learn more about their own planet in the process. The 3,000 square-foot traveling exhibition, called Alien Earths, will bring origins-related research and discoveries to students and the American public. Alien Earths has four interrelated exhibit areas: Our Place in Space, Star Birth, PlanetQuest, and Search for Life. Exhibit visitors will explore the awesome events surrounding the birth of stars and planets; they will join scientists in the hunt for planets outside our solar system including those that may be in ``habitable zones'' around other stars; and finally they will be able to learn about how scientists are looking for signs of life beyond Earth. Besides the exhibits, SSI is also developing interactive web sites based on exhibit themes. New technologies are transforming the Web from a static medium to an interactive environment with tremendous

Alcohol in the second half of life: do usual quantity and frequency of drinking to intoxication increase with increased drinking frequency?

PubMed

Brunborg, Geir Scott; Østhus, Ståle

2015-02-01

We investigated if increased drinking frequency among adults in the second half of life co-occurred with increased usual quantity and increased intoxication frequency. Two-wave panel study. Norway. Norwegian adults (1017 women and 959 men) aged 40-79 years. Drinking frequency, usual quantity and intoxication frequency was measured by self-report in 2002/03 and again in 2007/08. Information about gender, age and level of education was obtained from the public register. Health was collected by self-report. Because of a significant gender × change in drinking frequency interaction effect on change in intoxication frequency (b = 0.02, P = 0.013), women and men were analysed separately. After adjusting for covariates, women who increase their drinking frequency showed a non-significant decrease in usual quantity [low initial usual quantity (LIUQ): β = -0.01, P = 0.879; high initial usual quantity (HIUQ): β = -0.06, P = 0.164] and a non-significant increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: β = 0.04, P = 0.569; HIUQ: β = 0.09, P = 0.251). Men who increased their drinking frequency showed a small decrease in usual quantity (LIUQ: β = -0.06, P = 0.049; HIUQ: β = -0.05, P = 0.002) and a small increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: β = 0.05, P = 0.035; HIUQ: β = 0.13, P = 0.004). Among Norwegian adults in the second half of life, increased drinking frequency appears to be associated with a small reduction in usual quantity, and a small increase in frequency of drinking to intoxication. © 2014 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Determining thyroid {sup 131}I effective half-life for the treatment planning of Graves' disease

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

Willegaignon, Jose; Sapienza, Marcelo T.; Barberio Coura Filho, George

2013-02-15

Purpose: Thyroid {sup 131}I effective half-life (T{sub eff}) is an essential parameter in patient therapy when accurate radiation dose is desirable for producing an intended therapeutic outcome. Multiple {sup 131}I uptake measurements and resources from patients themselves and from nuclear medicine facilities are requisites for determining T{sub eff}, these being limiting factors when implementing the treatment planning of Graves' disease (GD) in radionuclide therapy. With the aim of optimizing this process, this study presents a practical, propitious, and accurate method of determining T{sub eff} for dosimetric purposes. Methods: A total of 50 patients with GD were included in this prospectivemore » study. Thyroidal {sup 131}I uptake was measured at 2-h, 6-h, 24-h, 48-h, 96-h, and 220-h postradioiodine administration. T{sub eff} was calculated by considering sets of two measured points (24-48-h, 24-96-h, and 24-220-h), sets of three (24-48-96-h, 24-48-220-h, and 24-96-220-h), and sets of four (24-48-96-220-h). Results: When considering all the measured points, the representative T{sub eff} for all the patients was 6.95 ({+-}0.81) days, whereas when using such sets of points as (24-220-h), (24-96-220-h), and (24-48-220-h), this was 6.85 ({+-}0.81), 6.90 ({+-}0.81), and 6.95 ({+-}0.81) days, respectively. According to the mean deviations 2.2 ({+-}2.4)%, 2.1 ({+-}2.0)%, and 0.04 ({+-}0.09)% found in T{sub eff}, calculated based on all the measured points in time, and with methods using the (24-220-h), (24-48-220-h), and (24-96-220-h) sets, respectively, no meaningful statistical difference was noted among the three methods (p > 0.500, t test). Conclusions: T{sub eff} obtained from only two thyroid {sup 131}I uptakes measured at 24-h and 220-h, besides proving to be sufficient, accurate enough, and easily applicable, attributes additional major cost-benefits for patients, and facilitates the application of the method for dosimetric purposes in the treatment planning

Development and in vivo characterization of a novel peptide drug delivery system providing extended plasma half life.

PubMed

Shahnaz, Gul; Iqbal, Javed; Rahmat, Deni; Perera, Glen; Laffleur, Flavia; Rossi, Denise; Bernkop-Schnürch, Andreas

2012-02-10

It was the aim of this study to develop a sustained parenteral peptide (DALCE) delivery system by the immobilization of DALCE to thiolated carboxymethyl dextran-cysteine (CMD-Cys) via disulfide bond formation. The resulting CMD-Cys-DALCE conjugate displayed a 22.6±7.9% (m/m) of DALCE (mean±S.D.; n=3). The conjugation of DALCE with CMD-Cys was confirmed by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. In vitro release studies of conjugate CMD-Cys-DALCE in the presence of 2 μM/ml reduced glutathione (GSH) being also available in the plasma showed a sustained peptide release over a time period of 8 h, because of thiol/disulfide exchange reactions. For in vivo pharmacokinetic study, DALCE and CMD-Cys-DALCE were administered intravenously to male Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 1mg/kg. The AUC(0-8) (ng.min/ml) was determined to be 268848±924 and 40019±495 for CMD-Cys-DALCE and DALCE, respectively. The mean residence time (MRT) was determined to be 256±8 and 53.1±9.5 min for CMD-Cys-DALCE and for DALCE, respectively. CMD-Cys-DALCE showed a more than 5-fold increased elimination half-life (p<0.01), 3-fold decreased volume of distribution (p<0.01) and a 6.7-fold decreased plasma clearance rate (p<0.01) compared to DALCE. According to these findings, CMD-Cys-DALCE seems to act as prodrug by improving half-life and decreasing plasma clearance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estimation of renal allograft half-life: fact or fiction?

PubMed

Azancot, M Antonieta; Cantarell, Carme; Perelló, Manel; Torres, Irina B; Serón, Daniel; Seron, Daniel; Moreso, Francesc; Arias, Manuel; Campistol, Josep M; Curto, Jordi; Hernandez, Domingo; Morales, José M; Sanchez-Fructuoso, Ana; Abraira, Victor

2011-09-01

Renal allograft half-life time (t½) is the most straightforward representation of long-term graft survival. Since some statistical models overestimate this parameter, we compare different approaches to evaluate t½. Patients with a 1-year functioning graft transplanted in Spain during 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 were included. Exponential, Weibull, gamma, lognormal and log-logistic models censoring the last year of follow-up were evaluated. The goodness of fit of these models was evaluated according to the Cox-Snell residuals and the Akaike's information criterion (AIC) was employed to compare these models. We included 4842 patients. Real t½ in 1990 was 14.2 years. Median t½ (95% confidence interval) in 1990 and 2002 was 15.8 (14.2-17.5) versus 52.6 (35.6-69.5) according to the exponential model (P < 0.001). No differences between 1990 and 2002 were observed when t½ was estimated with the other models. In 1990 and 2002, t½ was 14.0 (13.1-15.0) versus 18.0 (13.7-22.4) according to Weibull, 15.5 (13.9-17.1) versus 19.1 (15.6-22.6) according to gamma, 14.4 (13.3-15.6) versus 18.3 (14.2-22.3) according to the log-logistic and 15.2 (13.8-16.6) versus 18.8 (15.3-22.3) according to the lognormal models. The AIC confirmed that the exponential model had the lowest goodness of fit, while the other models yielded a similar result. The exponential model overestimates t½, especially in cohorts of patients with a short follow-up, while any of the other studied models allow a better estimation even in cohorts with short follow-up.

Neutron activation of natural materials in a PWR spectrum: feedback on {sup 116m}In relative γ emission intensities and half-life

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

Gruel, Adrien; Geslot, Benoit; Di Salvo, Jacques

2015-07-01

During the MAESTRO program, carried out between 2011 and 2014 in MINERVE zero power reactor, common Gen-II and Gen-III light water reactor materials were irradiated. For some of these materials, the decay of their activation products was also measured by γ spectrometry. Initially devoted to the measurement of the integral capture cross section by activation and reactivity-oscillation method, these results can also provide useful information on decay data of various radionuclides. This approach of this experiment led to a common roadmap shared by the Experimental Physics Section and the Henri Becquerel National Laboratory to improve decay data in nuclear datamore » libraries. Results discussed in this paper concern the relative emission intensities of the main γ rays of {sup 116m}In. Six irradiations of samples with various physical forms of {sup nat}In were carried out. Measurements were analyzed using decay data from several evaluations and it is shown that γ ray activities are not consistent. Analyses were carried out to provide new relative γ emission intensities from these measurements. The {sup 116m}In half-life has also been measured and shows a good agreement with existing values. Finally, an overview of the foreseen results on additional decay data from the MAESTRO program is given. (authors)« less

A highly potent extended half-life antibody as a potential RSV vaccine surrogate for all infants.

PubMed

Zhu, Qing; McLellan, Jason S; Kallewaard, Nicole L; Ulbrandt, Nancy D; Palaszynski, Susan; Zhang, Jing; Moldt, Brian; Khan, Anis; Svabek, Catherine; McAuliffe, Josephine M; Wrapp, Daniel; Patel, Nita K; Cook, Kimberly E; Richter, Bettina W M; Ryan, Patricia C; Yuan, Andy Q; Suzich, JoAnn A

2017-05-03

Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) illness in all infants is a major public health priority. However, no vaccine is currently available to protect this vulnerable population. Palivizumab, the only approved agent for RSV prophylaxis, is limited to high-risk infants, and the cost associated with the requirement for dosing throughout the RSV season makes its use impractical for all infants. We describe the development of a monoclonal antibody as potential RSV prophylaxis for all infants with a single intramuscular dose. MEDI8897*, a highly potent human antibody, was optimized from antibody D25, which targets the prefusion conformation of the RSV fusion (F) protein. Crystallographic analysis of Fab in complex with RSV F from subtypes A and B reveals that MEDI8897* binds a highly conserved epitope. MEDI8897* neutralizes a diverse panel of RSV A and B strains with >50-fold higher activity than palivizumab. At similar serum concentrations, prophylactic administration of MEDI8897* was ninefold more potent than palivizumab at reducing pulmonary viral loads by >3 logs in cotton rats infected with either RSV A or B subtypes. MEDI8897 was generated by the introduction of triple amino acid substitutions (YTE) into the Fc domain of MEDI8897*, which led to more than threefold increased half-life in cynomolgus monkeys compared to non-YTE antibody. Considering the pharmacokinetics of palivizumab in infants, which necessitates five monthly doses for protection during an RSV season, the high potency and extended half-life of MEDI8897 support its development as a cost-effective option to protect all infants from RSV disease with once-per-RSV-season dosing in the clinic. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

High precision measurements of 26Naβ- decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinyer, G. F.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Andreyev, A. N.; Austin, R. A.; Ball, G. C.; Chakrawarthy, R. S.; Finlay, P.; Garrett, P. E.; Hackman, G.; Hardy, J. C.; Hyland, B.; Iacob, V. E.; Koopmans, K. A.; Kulp, W. D.; Leslie, J. R.; MacDonald, J. A.; Morton, A. C.; Ormand, W. E.; Osborne, C. J.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Sarazin, F.; Schumaker, M. A.; Scraggs, H. C.; Schwarzenberg, J.; Smith, M. B.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Waddington, J. C.; Wood, J. L.; Zganjar, E. F.

2005-04-01

High-precision measurements of the half-life and β-branching ratios for the β- decay of 26Na to 26Mg have been measured in β-counting and γ-decay experiments, respectively. A 4π proportional counter and fast tape transport system were employed for the half-life measurement, whereas the γ rays emitted by the daughter nucleus 26Mg were detected with the 8π γ-ray spectrometer, both located at TRIUMF's isotope separator and accelerator radioactive beam facility. The half-life of 26Na was determined to be T1/2=1.07128±0.00013±0.00021s, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The logft values derived from these experiments are compared with theoretical values from a full sd-shell model calculation.

Exhibiting Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golden, Deborah; Elbaz-Luwisch, Freema

2007-01-01

This paper examines some of the dilemmas that accompany the emergence of the personal voice in scholarly work, by taking a close, grounded look at the way in which these unfolded in a specific academic course. As part of the course, entitled "A cultural approach to the life cycle", students were asked to participate in a group exhibition in which…

Grip strength and quality of life in the second half of life: hope as a moderator.

PubMed

Gum, Amber M; Segal-Karpas, Dikla; Avidor, Sharon; Ayalon, Liat; Bodner, Ehud; Palgi, Yuval

2017-09-28

The purpose of the current study was to investigate grip strength, hope, and their interaction as predictors of quality of life four years later in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Data were derived from the first (2005-2006) and second wave (2009) of the Israeli component of the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; N = 344). Hope was measured by three items from the Hope   Scale, and quality of life was measured by the CASP-12 (Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure). Multiple regression analyses were conducted. Grip strength at T1 predicted QoL in T2, but hope was not a significant predictor. Furthermore, hope moderated the effect of handgrip on QoL, such that the effect was weaker for higher levels of hope. As hypothesized, hope acted as a moderator, such that poor grip strength was associated with worse QoL for less hopeful older adults, but grip strength was not associated with QoL for more hopeful older adults. Findings are consistent with a theoretical conceptualization of hope as a buffer between physical challenges and negative outcomes like QoL. Encouraging a hopeful perspective could enhance QoL for older adults with decreased muscle strength.

Carboxyhemoglobin half-life during hyperbaric oxygen in a patient with lung dysfunction: a case report.

PubMed

Weaver, Lindell K; Deru, Kayla

2017-01-01

The carboxyhemoglobin half-life (COHb t1/2) during hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) is often quoted as 23 minutes, derived from the average of two adult male volunteers breathing HBO₂ at 3 atmospheres absolute (ATA). However, the mean COHb t1/2 of 12 male volunteer smokers was 26.3 minutes at 1.58 ATA and in 12 non-intubated carbon monoxide (CO) poisoned patients treated at 3 ATA, was 43 minutes. An 81-year old male, poisoned by an improperly ventilated natural gas heater, was intubated for coma, then treated with HBO₂. His PaO₂/FiO₂ = 283 from aspiration. His initial COHb was 34.4%, and 18 minutes before HBO₂, 5.9%. After a compression interval of 17 minutes, the COHb measured after 22 minutes at 3 ATA was 3.3%. By exponential decay, his COHb t1/2 before HBO₂ was 95 minutes. We estimate the range for COHb t1/2 during compression as 62-81 minutes and for the 3-ATA interval, 58 to 49 minutes, respectively. The mid-point estimate of COHb t1/2 at 3 ATA was 53 minutes. The COHb t1/2 we calculated is greater than previously reported, but longer in our patient possibly because of concomitant respiratory failure, lung dysfunction, and mechanical ventilation. The often-cited COHb t1/2 of 23 minutes, likely underestimates the actual COHb t1/2 in CO-poisoned patients, especially those with cardiopulmonary dysfunction.

Staggered Orbital Currents in the Half-Filled Two-Leg Ladder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fjaerestad, J. O.; Marston, Brad; Sudbo, A.

2002-03-01

We present strong analytical and numerical evidence for the existence of a staggered flux (SF) phase in the half-filled two-leg ladder, with true long-range order in the counter-circulating currents. Using abelian bosonization with a careful treatment of the Klein factors, we show that a certain phase of the half-filled ladder, previously identified as having spin-Peierls order, instead exhibits staggered orbital currents with no dimerization.(J. O. Fjærestad and J. B. Marston, cond- mat/0107094.) This result, combined with a weak-coupling renormalization-group analysis, implies that the SF phase exists in a region of the phase diagram of the half-filled t-U-V-J ladder. Using the density-matrix renormalization-group (DMRG) approach generalized to complex-valued wavefunctions, we demonstrate that the SF phase exhibits robust currents at intermediate values of the interaction strengths.

Designing Art Exhibitions in an Educational Virtual World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Julian, June; Crooks, Julian

2011-01-01

Demonstrating the multiple features of the Cerulean Gallery in Second Life, this research report showcases several exemplar exhibits created by students, artists, and museums. Located in The Educational Media Center, a Second Life teaching and social space, the Cerulean Gallery exhibits functioned as case studies that tested its effectiveness as…

Bringing dinosaurs back to life: exhibiting prehistory at the American Museum of Natural History.

PubMed

Rieppel, Lukas

2012-09-01

This essay examines the exhibition of dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Dinosaurs provide an especially illuminating lens through which to view the history of museum display practices for two reasons: they made for remarkably spectacular exhibits; and they rested on contested theories about the anatomy, life history, and behavior of long-extinct animals to which curators had no direct observational access. The American Museum sought to capitalize on the popularity of dinosaurs while mitigating the risks of mounting an overtly speculative display by fashioning them into a kind of mixed-media installation made of several elements, including fossilized bone, shellac, iron, and plaster. The resulting sculptures provided visitors with a vivid and lifelike imaginative experience. At the same time, curators, who were anxious to downplay the speculative nature of mounted dinosaurs, drew systematic attention to the material connection that tied individual pieces of fossilized bone to the actual past. Freestanding dinosaurs can therefore be read to have functioned as iconic sculptures that self-consciously advertised their indexical content.

Engineering half-Heusler thermoelectric materials using Zintl chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeier, Wolfgang G.; Schmitt, Jennifer; Hautier, Geoffroy; Aydemir, Umut; Gibbs, Zachary M.; Felser, Claudia; Snyder, G. Jeffrey

2016-06-01

Half-Heusler compounds based on XNiSn and XCoSb (X = Ti, Zr or Hf) have rapidly become important thermoelectric materials for converting waste heat into electricity. In this Review, we provide an overview on the electronic properties of half-Heusler compounds in an attempt to understand their basic structural chemistry and physical properties, and to guide their further development. Half-Heusler compounds can exhibit semiconducting transport behaviour even though they are described as ‘intermetallic’ compounds. Therefore, it is most useful to consider these systems as rigid-band semiconductors within the framework of Zintl (or valence-precise) compounds. These considerations aid our understanding of their properties, such as the bandgap and low hole mobility because of interstitial Ni defects in XNiSn. Understanding the structural and bonding characteristics, including the presence of defects, will help to develop different strategies to improve and design better half-Heusler thermoelectric materials.

Intermittent Drug Dosing Intervals Guided by the Operational Multiple Dosing Half Lives for Predictable Plasma Accumulation and Fluctuation

PubMed Central

Grover, Anita; Benet, Leslie Z.

2013-01-01

Intermittent drug dosing intervals are usually initially guided by the terminal pharmacokinetic half life and are dependent on drug formulation. For chronic multiple dosing and for extended release dosage forms, the terminal half life often does not predict the plasma drug accumulation or fluctuation observed. We define and advance applications for the operational multiple dosing half lives for drug accumulation and fluctuation after multiple oral dosing at steady-state. Using Monte Carlo simulation, our results predict a way to maximize the operational multiple dosing half lives relative to the terminal half life by using a first-order absorption rate constant close to the terminal elimination rate constant in the design of extended release dosage forms. In this way, drugs that may be eliminated early in the development pipeline due to a relatively short half life can be formulated to be dosed at intervals three times the terminal half life, maximizing compliance, while maintaining tight plasma concentration accumulation and fluctuation ranges. We also present situations in which the operational multiple dosing half lives will be especially relevant in the determination of dosing intervals, including for drugs that follow a direct PKPD model and have a narrow therapeutic index, as the rate of concentration decrease after chronic multiple dosing (that is not the terminal half life) can be determined via simulation. These principles are illustrated with case studies on valproic acid, diazepam, and anti-hypertensives. PMID:21499748

Open-ended half-mode substrate integrated waveguide sensor with ground flange for complex permittivity measurement

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A novel open-ended half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) sensor with ground flange for measuring complex permittivity of liquids, semisolids, and granular and particulate materials is presented. The open-ended HMSIW is designed and fabricated on FR4 substrate. The ground flange was custo...

Quality of life and psychological health indicators in the national social life, health, and aging project.

PubMed

Shiovitz-Ezra, Sharon; Leitsch, Sara; Graber, Jessica; Karraker, Amelia

2009-11-01

The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) measures seven indicators of quality of life (QoL) and psychological health. The measures used for happiness, self-esteem, depression, and loneliness are well established in the literature. Conversely, measures of anxiety, stress, and self-reported emotional health were modified for their use in this unique project. The purpose of this paper is to provide (a) an overview of NSHAP's QoL assessment and (b) evidence for the adequacy of the modified measures. First, we examined the psychometric properties of the modified measures. Second, the established QoL measures were used to examine the concurrent validity of the modified measures. Finally, gender- and age-group differences were examined for each modified measure. The anxiety index exhibited good internal reliability and concurrent validity. Consistent with the literature, a single-factor structure best fit the data. Stress was satisfactory in terms of concurrent validity but with only fair internal consistency. Self-reported emotional health exhibited good concurrent validity and moderate external validity. The modified indices used in NSHAP tended to exhibit good internal reliability and concurrent validity. These measures can confidently be used in the exploration of QoL and psychological health in later life and its many correlates.

Half-life of the 15 /2+ state of 135I: A test of E 2 seniority relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spagnoletti, P.; Simpson, G. S.; Carroll, R.; Régis, J.-M.; Blanc, A.; Jentschel, M.; Köster, U.; Mutti, P.; Soldner, T.; de France, G.; Ur, C. A.; Urban, W.; Bruce, A. M.; Drouet, F.; Fraile, L. M.; Gaffney, L. P.; Ghitǎ, D. G.; Ilieva, S.; Jolie, J.; Korten, W.; Kröll, T.; Larijarni, C.; Lalkovski, S.; Licǎ, R.; Mach, H.; Mǎrginean, N.; Paziy, V.; Podolyák, Zs.; Regan, P. H.; Scheck, M.; Saed-Samii, N.; Thiamova, G.; Townsley, C.; Vancraeyenest, A.; Vedia, V.; Gargano, A.; Van Isacker, P.

2017-02-01

The half-life of the 15 /21+ state of the 3-valence-proton nucleus 135I has been measured to be 1.74(8) ns using the EXILL-FATIMA mixed array of Ge and LaBr3 detectors. The nuclei were produced following the cold neutron-induced fission of a 235U target at the PF1B beam line of the Institut Laue-Langevin. The extracted B (E 2 ;15 /2+→11 /2+) value enabled a test of seniority relations for the first time between E 2 transition rates. Large-scale shell-model calculations were performed for 134Te and 135I, and reinterpreted in a single-orbit approach. The results show that the two-body component of the E 2 operator can be large whereas energy shifts due to the three-body component of the effective interaction are small.

Self-Validating Thermocouples for Assured Measurement Confidence and Extended Useful Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, C. J.; Pearce, J. V.; Machin, G.; Schwarz, C.; Lindner, R.

2012-07-01

Accurate measurements of temperatures above 1500 °C pose unique and challenging requirements in space. Tungsten-rhenium (W-Re) thermocouples, which are commonly used, quickly exhibit significant thermoelectric inhomogeneity and drift. To address this issue, the National Physical Laboratory in cooperation with ESA/ESTEC is developing an innovative method of validating the performance of high-temperature thermocouples in-situ. The results of measurements using eutectic metal-carbon fixed-point cells containing Co-C (~1324 °C), Pt-C (~1738 °C), Ru-C (~1953 °C) and Ir-C (~2292°C) ingots incorporated onto the thermocouple in use are presented. By monitoring the thermoelectric signal each time the thermal environment passes through the melting temperature of the ingot, the user observes the degree of drift. This assures measurement confidence and extends the useful life of the thermocouple as the drift may be corrected for, if necessary. This approach opens the possibility for improved temperature measurement for ESA/ESTEC research applications and industrial use.

Measuring end-of-life care outcomes prospectively.

PubMed

Steinhauser, Karen E

2005-01-01

This paper discusses the state of the science in prospective measurement in end-of-life research and identifies particular areas for focused attention. Topics include defining the scope of inquiry, evaluating experiences of patients too ill to communicate, the role of proxy and family response, measurement sensitivity to change, the role of theory in guiding measurement efforts, evaluating relationships between domains of end-of-life experience, and measurement of cultural comprehensiveness. The state of the sciences calls for future research to (1) conduct longitudinal studies to capture transitions in end-of-life trajectories; (2) evaluate the quality of proxy reporting as it varies by rater relationship, domain, and over time; (3) use state-of-the art psychometric and longitudinal techniques to validate measures and to assess sensitivity to change; (4) develop further and test conceptual models of the experience of dying; (5) study the inter-relatedness of multiple dimensions of end-of-life trajectories; (6) compile updated information evaluating available measurement tools; and (7) conduct population- based research with attention to ethnic and age diversity.

Simultaneous quarter-wave plate and half-mirror operation through a highly flexible single layer anisotropic metasurface.

PubMed

Khan, M Ismail; Tahir, Farooq A

2017-11-22

A highly flexible single-layer metasurface manifesting quarter-wave plate as well as half-mirror (1:1 beam-splitter) operation in the microwave frequency regime is being presented in this research. The designed metasurface reflects half power of the impinging linearly polarized electromagnetic wave as circularly polarized wave while the remaining half power is transmitted as circularly polarized wave at resonance frequency. Similarly, a circularly polarized incident wave is reflected and transmitted as linearly polarized wave with equal half powers. Moreover, the response of the metasurface is quite stable against the variations in the incidence angle up to 45°. The measurements performed on the fabricated prototype exhibit a good agreement with the simulation results. The compact size, flexible structure, angular stability and two in one operation (operating as a quarter-wave plate and beam-splitter at the same time) are the main characteristics of the subject metasurface that makes it a potential candidate for numerous applications in communication and miniaturized and conformal polarization control devices.

Scattering of three-dimensional plane waves in a self-reinforced half-space lying over a triclinic half-space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Shishir; Pramanik, Abhijit; Smita; Pramanik, Snehamoy

2018-06-01

The phenomenon of plane waves at the intersecting plane of a triclinic half-space and a self-reinforced half-space is discussed with possible applications during wave propagation. Analytical expressions of the phase velocities of reflection and refraction for quasi-compressional and quasi-shear waves under initial stress are discussed carefully. The closest form of amplitude proportions on reflection and refraction factors of three quasi-plane waves are developed mathematically by applying appropriate boundary conditions. Graphics are sketched to exhibit the consequences of initial stress in the three-dimensional plane wave on reflection and refraction coefficients. Some special cases that coincide with the fundamental properties of several layers are designed to express the reflection and refraction coefficients.

[Gerotranscendence in the second half of life: first empirical investigation in Flanders].

PubMed

Raes, F; Marcoen, A

2001-08-01

Tornstam regards gerotranscendence as the final stage in a natural process towards maturity and wisdom, that can be described as a shift in meta-perspective which accompanies the process of aging: from a materialistic and rational perspective to a more cosmic and transcendent one. The present study contributes to the development of a by Tornstam used gerotranscendence scale, and looks for theoretically expected relations between gerotranscendence and psychosocial variables such as life satisfaction, death attitude, and recently experienced life crises. The relation between gerotranscendence and dimensions of religion and faith will also be examined. Participants were 120 older adults, 58 men and 62 women, aged 45-92 years. The scores on the gerotranscendence scale were not congruent, neither with the hypothetical threefold apriori scales, nor with the factor structure Tornstam had found in his research. An exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors which were to a certain extent reconcilable with the gerotranscendence theory. The subscales are Transcendent connection, Active involvement and coherence, and Attachment to life and material goods. Older respondents and respondents who experienced one or more life crises, have higher scores on Transcendent connection. The experience of connection seems to be related to dimensions of religion and faith. The results warrant further research into a measurement of gerotranscendence and the relation with dimensions of religion and faith.

Clinical utility and patient perspectives on the use of extended half-life rFIXFc in the management of hemophilia B

PubMed Central

Miguelino, Maricel G; Powell, Jerry S

2014-01-01

Hemophilia B is an X-linked genetic disease caused by mutation of the gene for coagulation protein factor IX (FIX), with an incidence of approximately once every 30,000 male births in all populations and ethnic groups. When severe, the disease leads to spontaneous life threatening bleeding episodes. When untreated, most patients die from bleeding complications before 25 years of age. Current therapy requires frequent intravenous infusions of therapeutic recombinant or plasma-derived protein concentrates containing FIX. Most patients administer the infusions at home every few days, and must limit their physical activities to avoid abnormal bleeding when the FIX activity levels are below normal. After completing the pivotal Phase III clinical trial, a new therapeutic FIX preparation that has been engineered for an extended half-life in circulation, received regulatory approval in March 2014 in Canada and the US. This new FIX represents a major therapeutic advance for patients with hemophilia B. The half-life is prolonged due to fusion of the native FIX molecule with the normal constant region of immunoglobulin G. This fusion molecule then follows the normal immunoglobulin recirculation pathways through endothelial cells, resulting in prolonged times in circulation. In the clinical trials, over 150 patients successfully used eftrenonacog alfa regularly for more than 1 year to prevent spontaneous bleeding, to successfully treat any bleeding episodes, and to provide effective coagulation for major surgery. All infusions were well tolerated and effective, with no inhibitors detected and no safety concerns. This promising therapy should allow patients to use fewer infusions to maintain appropriate FIX activity levels in all clinical settings. PMID:25143713

Estimation of elimination half-lives of organic chemicals in humans using gradient boosting machine.

PubMed

Lu, Jing; Lu, Dong; Zhang, Xiaochen; Bi, Yi; Cheng, Keguang; Zheng, Mingyue; Luo, Xiaomin

2016-11-01

Elimination half-life is an important pharmacokinetic parameter that determines exposure duration to approach steady state of drugs and regulates drug administration. The experimental evaluation of half-life is time-consuming and costly. Thus, it is attractive to build an accurate prediction model for half-life. In this study, several machine learning methods, including gradient boosting machine (GBM), support vector regressions (RBF-SVR and Linear-SVR), local lazy regression (LLR), SA, SR, and GP, were employed to build high-quality prediction models. Two strategies of building consensus models were explored to improve the accuracy of prediction. Moreover, the applicability domains (ADs) of the models were determined by using the distance-based threshold. Among seven individual models, GBM showed the best performance (R(2)=0.820 and RMSE=0.555 for the test set), and Linear-SVR produced the inferior prediction accuracy (R(2)=0.738 and RMSE=0.672). The use of distance-based ADs effectively determined the scope of QSAR models. However, the consensus models by combing the individual models could not improve the prediction performance. Some essential descriptors relevant to half-life were identified and analyzed. An accurate prediction model for elimination half-life was built by GBM, which was superior to the reference model (R(2)=0.723 and RMSE=0.698). Encouraged by the promising results, we expect that the GBM model for elimination half-life would have potential applications for the early pharmacokinetic evaluations, and provide guidance for designing drug candidates with favorable in vivo exposure profile. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "System Genetics" Guest Editor: Dr. Yudong Cai and Dr. Tao Huang. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The crowded life is a slow life: Population density and life history strategy.

PubMed

Sng, Oliver; Neuberg, Steven L; Varnum, Michael E W; Kenrick, Douglas T

2017-05-01

The world population has doubled over the last half century. Yet, research on the psychological effects of human population density, once a popular topic, has decreased over the past few decades. Applying a fresh perspective to an old topic, we draw upon life history theory to examine the effects of population density. Across nations and across the U.S. states (Studies 1 and 2), we find that dense populations exhibit behaviors corresponding to a slower life history strategy, including greater future-orientation, greater investment in education, more long-term mating orientation, later marriage age, lower fertility, and greater parental investment. In Studies 3 and 4, experimentally manipulating perceptions of high density led individuals to become more future-oriented. Finally, in Studies 5 and 6, experimentally manipulating perceptions of high density seemed to lead to life-stage-specific slower strategies, with college students preferring to invest in fewer rather than more relationship partners, and an older MTurk sample preferring to invest in fewer rather than more children. This research sheds new insight on the effects of density and its implications for human cultural variation and society at large. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Safety and efficacy of BAY 94-9027, a prolonged-half-life factor VIII.

PubMed

Reding, M T; Ng, H J; Poulsen, L H; Eyster, M E; Pabinger, I; Shin, H-J; Walsch, R; Lederman, M; Wang, M; Hardtke, M; Michaels, L A

2017-03-01

Essentials Recombinant factor VIII BAY 94-9027 conjugates in a site-specific manner with polyethylene glycol. BAY 94-9027 was given to patients with severe hemophilia A as prophylaxis and to treat bleeds. BAY 94-9027 prevented bleeds at dose intervals up to every 7 days and effectively treated bleeds. BAY 94-9027 treatment was mainly well tolerated and no patient developed factor VIII inhibitors. Click to hear Dr Tiede's perspective on half-life extended factor VIII for the treatment of hemophilia A SUMMARY: Background BAY 94-9027 is a B-domain-deleted prolonged-half-life recombinant factor VIII (FVIII) that conjugates in a site-specific manner with polyethylene glycol. Objective Assess efficacy and safety of BAY 94-9027 for prophylaxis and treatment of bleeds in patients with severe hemophilia A. Patients/methods In this multinational, phase 2/3, partially randomized, open-label trial, men aged 12-65 years with FVIII < 1% and ≥ 150 exposure days to FVIII received BAY 94-9027 for 36 weeks on demand or prophylactically at intervals determined following a 10-week run-in period on 25 IU kg -1 body weight two times per week. Patients with > 1 bleed during the run-in subsequently received 30-40 IU kg -1 two times per week; patients with ≤ 1 bleed were eligible for randomization to every-5-days (45-60 IU kg -1 ) or every-7-days (60 IU kg -1 ) prophylaxis (1 : 1) for 26 additional weeks until randomization arms were filled. Patients who were eligible but not randomized continued twice-weekly prophylaxis. The primary efficacy outcome was annualized bleeding rate (ABR). Results The intent-to-treat population included 132 patients (prophylaxis, n = 112; on demand, n = 20). Median ABR (quartile [Q1; Q3]) for patients treated two times per week who were not eligible for randomization (n = 13) improved after dose increase (17.4 [14.3; 26.0] to 4.1 [2.0; 10.6]). Median ABR for patients randomized to every-5-days treatment (n = 43) was 1.9 (0; 4.2), similar to patients

Human neutrophil kinetics: modeling of stable isotope labeling data supports short blood neutrophil half-lives.

PubMed

Lahoz-Beneytez, Julio; Elemans, Marjet; Zhang, Yan; Ahmed, Raya; Salam, Arafa; Block, Michael; Niederalt, Christoph; Asquith, Becca; Macallan, Derek

2016-06-30

Human neutrophils have traditionally been thought to have a short half-life in blood; estimates vary from 4 to 18 hours. This dogma was recently challenged by stable isotope labeling studies with heavy water, which yielded estimates in excess of 3 days. To investigate this disparity, we generated new stable isotope labeling data in healthy adult subjects using both heavy water (n = 4) and deuterium-labeled glucose (n = 9), a compound with more rapid labeling kinetics. To interpret results, we developed a novel mechanistic model and applied it to previously published (n = 5) and newly generated data. We initially constrained the ratio of the blood neutrophil pool to the marrow precursor pool (ratio = 0.26; from published values). Analysis of heavy water data sets yielded turnover rates consistent with a short blood half-life, but parameters, particularly marrow transit time, were poorly defined. Analysis of glucose-labeling data yielded more precise estimates of half-life (0.79 ± 0.25 days; 19 hours) and marrow transit time (5.80 ± 0.42 days). Substitution of this marrow transit time in the heavy water analysis gave a better-defined blood half-life of 0.77 ± 0.14 days (18.5 hours), close to glucose-derived values. Allowing the ratio of blood neutrophils to mitotic neutrophil precursors (R) to vary yielded a best-fit value of 0.19. Reanalysis of the previously published model and data also revealed the origin of their long estimates for neutrophil half-life: an implicit assumption that R is very large, which is physiologically untenable. We conclude that stable isotope labeling in healthy humans is consistent with a blood neutrophil half-life of less than 1 day. © 2016 by The American Society of Hematology.

Field performance measurements of half-facepiece respirators: steel mill operations.

PubMed

Myers, W R; Zhuang, Z

1998-11-01

Ambient and in-facepiece samples to evaluate the protection provided by negative-pressure, half-facepiece respirators were collected on workers in different areas of a steel mill including a sinter plant and a basic oxygen process shop. Protection was assessed by workplace protection factors (WPF). All the in-facepiece concentrations were dramatically less than the corresponding ambient concentration levels or permissible exposure limits. The geometric mean (GM) ambient and in-facepiece concentrations of iron were found to vary among tasks. Significant differences were also found to occur between the GM ambient exposure levels in which some of the respirators were used. Significant differences in respirator performance as measured by WPF or in-facepiece iron concentration were observed among different brands of respirators. For all job classifications and at all levels of airborne exposure, the fifth percentile estimates for the WPF distributions for each brand of respirator were all greater than 20.

Prediction of a new class of half-metallic ferromagnets from first principles [A new class of half-metallic ferromagnets from first principles

DOE PAGES

Griffin, Sinead M.; Neaton, Jeffrey B.

2017-09-12

Half-metallic ferromagnetism (HMFM) occurs rarely in materials and yet offers great potential for spintronic devices. Recent experiments suggest a class of compounds with the `ThCrmore » $$_{2}$$Si$$_{2}$$' (122) structure -- isostructural and containing elements common with Fe pnictide-based superconductors -- can exhibit HMFM. Here we use $ab$ $initio$ density-functional theory calculations to understand the onset of half-metallicity in this family of materials and explain the appearance of ferromagnetism at a quantum critical point. We also predict new candidate materials with HMFM and high Curie temperatures through A-site alloying.« less

Whole-genome analysis of mRNA decay in Plasmodium falciparum reveals a global lengthening of mRNA half-life during the intra-erythrocytic development cycle.

PubMed

Shock, Jennifer L; Fischer, Kael F; DeRisi, Joseph L

2007-01-01

The rate of mRNA decay is an essential element of post-transcriptional regulation in all organisms. Previously, studies in several organisms found that the specific half-life of each mRNA is precisely related to its physiologic role, and plays an important role in determining levels of gene expression. We used a genome-wide approach to characterize mRNA decay in Plasmodium falciparum. We found that, globally, rates of mRNA decay increase dramatically during the asexual intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle. During the ring stage of the cycle, the average mRNA half-life was 9.5 min, but this was extended to an average of 65 min during the late schizont stage of development. Thus, a major determinant of mRNA decay rate appears to be linked to the stage of intra-erythrocytic development. Furthermore, we found specific variations in decay patterns superimposed upon the dominant trend of progressive half-life lengthening. These variations in decay pattern were frequently enriched for genes with specific cellular functions or processes. Elucidation of Plasmodium mRNA decay rates provides a key element for deciphering mechanisms of genetic control in this parasite, by complementing and extending previous mRNA abundance studies. Our results indicate that progressive stage-dependent decreases in mRNA decay rate function are a major determinant of mRNA accumulation during the schizont stage of intra-erythrocytic development. This type of genome-wide change in mRNA decay rate has not been observed in any other organism to date, and indicates that post-transcriptional regulation may be the dominant mechanism of gene regulation in P. falciparum.

Topology and Oligomerization of Mono- and Oligomeric Proteins Regulate Their Half-Lives in the Cell.

PubMed

Mallik, Saurav; Kundu, Sudip

2018-06-05

To find additional structural constraints (besides disordered segments) that regulate protein half-life in the cell, we herein assess the influence of native topology of monomeric and sequestration of oligomeric proteins into multimeric complexes in yeast, human, and mouse. Native topology acts as a molecular marker of globular protein's mechanical resistance and consequently captures their half-life variations on genome scale. Sequestration into multimeric complexes elongates oligomeric protein half-life in the cell, presumably by burying ubiquitinoylation sites and disordered segments required for proteasomal recognition. The latter effect is stronger for proteins associated with multiple complexes and for those binding early during complex self-assembly, including proteins that oligomerize with large proportions of surface buried. After gene duplication, diversification of topology and sequestration into non-identical sets of complexes alter half-lives of paralogous proteins during the course of evolution. Thus, native topology and sequestration into multimeric complexes reflect designing principles of proteins to regulate their half-lives. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring meaning in life following cancer

PubMed Central

Jim, Heather S.; Purnell, Jason Q.; Richardson, Susan A.; Golden-Kreutz, Deanna; Andersen, Barbara L.

2007-01-01

Meaning in life is a multi-faceted construct that has been conceptualized in diverse ways. It refers broadly to the value and purpose of life, important life goals, and for some, spirituality. We developed a measure of meaning in life derived from this conceptualization and designed to be a synthesis of relevant theoretical and empirical traditions. Two samples, all cancer patients, provided data for scale development and psychometric study. From exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses the Meaning in Life Scale (MiLS) emerged, and includes four aspects: Harmony and Peace, Life Perspective, Purpose and Goals, Confusion and Lessened Meaning, and Benefits of Spirituality. Supporting data for reliability (internal consistency, test–retest) and construct validity (convergent, discriminant, individual differences) are provided. The MiLS offers a theoretically based and psychometrically sound assessment of meaning in life suitable for use with cancer patients. PMID:16838197

Modification of the Fc Region of a Human Anti-oncostatin M Monoclonal Antibody for Higher Affinity to FcRn Receptor and Extension of Half-life in Cynomolgus Monkeys.

PubMed

Nnane, Ivo P; Han, Chao; Jiao, Qun; Tam, Susan H; Davis, Hugh M; Xu, Zhenhua

2017-07-01

clearance and a longer terminal half-life in cynomolgus monkeys. CNTO 8212 demonstrated linear PK after a single IV dose (1-20 mg/kg) in cynomolgus monkeys. The predicted human PK parameters suggest that CNTO 8212 is likely to exhibit slow clearance and long terminal half-life in human beings and may likely allow less frequent dosing in the clinical setting. © 2017 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

Application of simple mathematical expressions to relate the half-lives of xenobiotics in rats to values in humans.

PubMed

Ward, Keith W; Erhardt, Paul; Bachmann, Kenneth

2005-01-01

Previous publications from GlaxoSmithKline and University of Toledo laboratories convey our independent attempts to predict the half-lives of xenobiotics in humans using data obtained from rats. The present investigation was conducted to compare the performance of our published models against a common dataset obtained by merging the two sets of rat versus human half-life (hHL) data previously used by each laboratory. After combining data, mathematical analyses were undertaken by deploying both of our previous models, namely the use of an empirical algorithm based on a best-fit model and the use of rat-to-human liver blood flow ratios as a half-life correction factor. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed, as well as evaluation of the impact of molecular properties on predictability. The merged dataset was remarkably diverse with respect to physiochemical and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. Application of both models revealed similar predictability, depending upon the measure of stipulated accuracy. Certain molecular features, particularly rotatable bond count and pK(a), appeared to influence the accuracy of prediction. This collaborative effort has resulted in an improved understanding and appreciation of the value of rats to serve as a surrogate for the prediction of xenobiotic half-lives in humans when clinical pharmacokinetic studies are not possible or practicable.

A Novel Method and Its Application to Measuring Pathogen Decay in Bioaerosols from Patients with Respiratory Disease

PubMed Central

Knibbs, Luke D.; Kidd, Timothy J.; Wainwright, Claire E.; Wood, Michelle E.; Ramsay, Kay A.; Bell, Scott C.; Morawska, Lidia

2016-01-01

This work aimed to develop an in vivo approach for measuring the duration of human bioaerosol infectivity. To achieve this, techniques designed to target short-term and long-term bioaerosol aging, were combined in a tandem system and optimized for the collection of human respiratory bioaerosols, without contamination. To demonstrate the technique, cough aerosols were sampled from two persons with cystic fibrosis and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Measurements and cultures from aerosol ages of 10, 20, 40, 900 and 2700 seconds were used to determine the optimum droplet nucleus size for pathogen transport and the airborne bacterial biological decay. The droplet nuclei containing the greatest number of colony forming bacteria per unit volume of airborne sputum were between 1.5 and 2.6 μm. Larger nuclei of 3.9 μm, were more likely to produce a colony when impacted onto growth media, because the greater volume of sputum comprising the larger droplet nuclei, compensated for lower concentrations of bacteria within the sputum of larger nuclei. Although more likely to produce a colony, the larger droplet nuclei were small in number, and the greatest numbers of colonies were instead produced by nuclei from 1.5 to 5.7 μm. Very few colonies were produced by smaller droplet nuclei, despite their very large numbers. The concentration of viable bacteria within the dried sputum comprising the droplet nuclei exhibited an orderly dual decay over time with two distinct half-lives. Nuclei exhibiting a rapid biological decay process with a 10 second half-life were quickly exhausted, leaving only a subset characterized by a half-life of greater than 10 minutes. This finding implied that a subset of bacteria present in the aerosol was resistant to rapid biological decay and remained viable in room air long enough to represent an airborne infection risk. PMID:27388489

Simplified half-life methods for the analysis of kinetic data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhart, J. G.; Levin, E.

1988-01-01

The analysis of reaction rate data has as its goal the determination of the order rate constant which characterize the data. Chemical reactions with one reactant and present simplified methods for accomplishing this goal are considered. The approaches presented involve the use of half lives or other fractional lives. These methods are particularly useful for the more elementary discussions of kinetics found in general and physical chemistry courses.

Assessment of biological half life using in silico QSPkR approach: a self organizing molecular field analysis (SOMFA) on a series of antimicrobial quinolone drugs.

PubMed

Goel, Honey; Sinha, V R; Thareja, Suresh; Aggarwal, Saurabh; Kumar, Manoj

2011-08-30

The quinolones belong to a family of synthetic potent broad-spectrum antibiotics and particularly active against gram-negative organisms, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A 3D-QSPkR approach has been used to obtain the quantitative structure pharmacokinetic relationship for a series of quinolone drugs using SOMFA. The series consisting of 28 molecules have been investigated for their pharmacokinetic performance using biological half life (t(1/2)). A statistically validated robust model for a diverse group of quinolone drugs having flexibility in structure and pharmacokinetic profile (t(1/2)) obtained using SOMFA having good cross-validated correlation coefficient r(cv)(2) (0.6847), non cross-validated correlation coefficient r(2) values (0.7310) and high F-test value (33.9663). Analysis of 3D-QSPkR models through electrostatic and shape grids provide useful information about the shape and electrostatic potential contributions on t(1/2). The analysis of SOMFA results provide an insight for the generation of novel molecular architecture of quinolones with optimal half life and improved biological profile. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of three artificial light sources on oviposition and half-life of the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): Improving small-scale indoor rearing.

PubMed

Heussler, Carina D; Walter, Andreas; Oberkofler, Hannes; Insam, Heribert; Arthofer, Wolfgang; Schlick-Steiner, Birgit C; Steiner, Florian M

2018-01-01

Hermetia illucens (L.), the Black Soldier Fly, has received increased scientific attention for its potential in circular waste management where larvae can serve as feedstuff for livestock and for biodiesel production. The flies occur naturally in (sub)-tropical and warm-temperate climates, and their mating depends on space and sunlight. Small-scale indoor rearing of Black Soldier Flies has been challenging because they react sensitive to artificial light sources and cage sizes, but recent studies have shown that small-scale rearing under artificial light is feasible. Here, we test the influence of three artificial light sources (light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, and halogen lamps) on small-scale indoor rearing. Three experiments were conducted to compare oviposition traits (pre-oviposition period, total oviposition-period, and egg mass per female) and half-life among the three light sources. Oviposition did not differ among the three light sources, but male and female half-life did. Based on the performance of the light-emitting diodes and their outstanding energy efficiency, we recommend this light source for small-scale indoor rearing of Black Soldier Flies.

Quality of Life. Volume I: Conceptualization and Measurement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schalock, Robert L., Ed.; Siperstein, Gary N., Ed.

This volume deals with the conceptualization and measurement of quality of life for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Part 1, "The Conceptualization of Quality of Life," contains: "Self Advocacy: Foundation for Quality of Life" (Nancy A. Ward and Kenneth D. Keith); "Quality of Life and the Individual's Perspective"…

A latent class analysis of friendship network types and their predictors in the second half of life.

PubMed

Miche, Martina; Huxhold, Oliver; Stevens, Nan L

2013-07-01

Friendships contribute uniquely to well-being in (late) adulthood. However, studies on friendship often ignore interindividual differences in friendship patterns. The aim of this study was to investigate such differences including their predictors. The study builds on Matthews's qualitative model of friendship styles. Matthews distinguished 3 approaches to friendship differing by number of friends, duration of friendships, and emotional closeness. We used latent class analysis to identify friendship network types in a sample of middle-aged and older adults aged 40-85 years (N = 1,876). Data came from the German Aging Survey (DEAS). Our analysis revealed 4 distinct friendship network types that were in high congruence with Matthews's typology. We identified these as a discerning style, which focuses on few close relationships, an independent style, which refrains from close engagements, and 2 acquisitive styles that both acquire new friends across their whole life course but differ regarding the emotional closeness of their friendships. Socioeconomic status, gender, health, and network-disturbing and network-sustaining variables predicted affiliations with network types. We argue that future studies should consider a holistic view of friendships in order to better understand the association between friendships and well-being in the second half of life.

Scattered Dose Calculations and Measurements in a Life-Like Mouse Phantom

PubMed Central

Welch, David; Turner, Leah; Speiser, Michael; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Brenner, David J.

2017-01-01

Anatomically accurate phantoms are useful tools for radiation dosimetry studies. In this work, we demonstrate the construction of a new generation of life-like mouse phantoms in which the methods have been generalized to be applicable to the fabrication of any small animal. The mouse phantoms, with built-in density inhomogeneity, exhibit different scattering behavior dependent on where the radiation is delivered. Computer models of the mouse phantoms and a small animal irradiation platform were devised in Monte Carlo N-Particle code (MCNP). A baseline test replicating the irradiation system in a computational model shows minimal differences from experimental results from 50 Gy down to 0.1 Gy. We observe excellent agreement between scattered dose measurements and simulation results from X-ray irradiations focused at either the lung or the abdomen within our phantoms. This study demonstrates the utility of our mouse phantoms as measurement tools with the goal of using our phantoms to verify complex computational models. PMID:28140787

Calculation of pressure half-time.

PubMed

Oyama, Mark A; Weidman, Jess A; Cole, Steven G

2008-06-01

Doppler echocardiography is useful in assessing the severity of obstructive cardiac lesions, such as mitral valve stenosis. The Doppler study can be used to calculate pressure half-time (PHT), which is defined as the time required for the pressure gradient across an obstruction to decrease to half of its maximal value. Thus, PHT increases as the severity of stenosis increases. In this report, we describe the methodology involved in measuring PHT in a dog with mitral valve stenosis before and after balloon valvuloplasty.

For better and for worse: the relationship between future expectations and functioning in the second half of life.

PubMed

Shrira, Amit; Palgi, Yuval; Ben-Ezra, Menachem; Spalter, Tal; Kavé, Gitit; Shmotkin, Dov

2011-03-01

To examine age group differences in the relationship between future expectations about standards of living and physical, mental, and cognitive functioning in the second half of life. Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (N=27,687, mean age=64.44). First, with increasing age, the expectation to improve (ETI) and the expectation to worsen (ETW) in standards of living became more independent of each other. Second, with increasing age, ETI was less strongly correlated with functioning whereas ETW was more strongly correlated with it. Third, with increasing age, the relationship between ETI and functioning was more strongly moderated by ETW, so that adaptive functioning was associated with expectations that no major change is to occur and with expectations for both growth and decline. Late-life positive and negative expectancies are less interdependent than they are in younger age, probably due to their stronger interaction when associating with functioning. Expectancies interact either to reflect an attempt to preserve the functional status quo (low expectancy to improve and to decline) or may signal a highly complex mental organization (high expectancy to improve and to decline).

For Better and for Worse: The Relationship between Future Expectations and Functioning in the Second Half of Life

PubMed Central

Palgi, Yuval; Ben-Ezra, Menachem; Spalter, Tal; Kavé, Gitit; Shmotkin, Dov

2011-01-01

Objectives. To examine age group differences in the relationship between future expectations about standards of living and physical, mental, and cognitive functioning in the second half of life. Method. Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (N = 27,687, mean age = 64.44). Results. First, with increasing age, the expectation to improve (ETI) and the expectation to worsen (ETW) in standards of living became more independent of each other. Second, with increasing age, ETI was less strongly correlated with functioning whereas ETW was more strongly correlated with it. Third, with increasing age, the relationship between ETI and functioning was more strongly moderated by ETW, so that adaptive functioning was associated with expectations that no major change is to occur and with expectations for both growth and decline. Discussion. Late-life positive and negative expectancies are less interdependent than they are in younger age, probably due to their stronger interaction when associating with functioning. Expectancies interact either to reflect an attempt to preserve the functional status quo (low expectancy to improve and to decline) or may signal a highly complex mental organization (high expectancy to improve and to decline). PMID:21296870

Prediction of thyroidal 131I effective half-life in patients with Graves' disease.

PubMed

Zhang, Ruiguo; Zhang, Guizhi; Wang, Renfei; Tan, Jian; He, Yajing; Meng, Zhaowei

2017-10-06

Calculation of effective thyroidal half-life (Teff) of iodine-131( 131 I) is cumbersome and tedious. The aim of this study was to investigate factors that could be used to predict Teff and to develop a Teff prediction model in Graves' disease patients. A total of 256 patients with GD were involved in this study. We investigated the influences of age, gender, disease duration, thyroid weight, antithyroid drugs, antithyroid drugs discontinuation period (ADP), thyroid function indexes, thyroid autoantibodies, thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb) level and radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) values before 131 I therapy on Teff, applying univariate and multivariate analyses. Teff correlated negatively with thyroid peroxidase antibody, TRAb and thyroid weight, as well as positively with 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour RAIU. Additionally, a longer ADP (especially≥ 14d) or without antithyroid drugs before 131 I therapy led to a longer Teff. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that 24-hour and 72-hour RAIU were statistically significant predictors of Teff ( P <0.001). The relationship was: predictive Teff=5.277+0.295×72-hour RAIU-0.217×24-hour RAIU (r =0.865, P < 0.001). The present results indicate that prediction of Teff from 24-hour and 72-hour RAIU is feasible in patients with Graves' disease, with high prediction accuracy.

PASylation: a biological alternative to PEGylation for extending the plasma half-life of pharmaceutically active proteins

PubMed Central

Schlapschy, Martin; Binder, Uli; Börger, Claudia; Theobald, Ina; Wachinger, Klaus; Kisling, Sigrid; Haller, Dirk; Skerra, Arne

2013-01-01

A major limitation of biopharmaceutical proteins is their fast clearance from circulation via kidney filtration, which strongly hampers efficacy both in animal studies and in human therapy. We have developed conformationally disordered polypeptide chains with expanded hydrodynamic volume comprising the small residues Pro, Ala and Ser (PAS). PAS sequences are hydrophilic, uncharged biological polymers with biophysical properties very similar to poly-ethylene glycol (PEG), whose chemical conjugation to drugs is an established method for plasma half-life extension. In contrast, PAS polypeptides offer fusion to a therapeutic protein on the genetic level, permitting Escherichia coli production of fully active proteins and obviating in vitro coupling or modification steps. Furthermore, they are biodegradable, thus avoiding organ accumulation, while showing stability in serum and lacking toxicity or immunogenicity in mice. We demonstrate that PASylation bestows typical biologics, such as interferon, growth hormone or Fab fragments, with considerably prolonged circulation and boosts bioactivity in vivo. PMID:23754528

Half-and-Half Palatoplasty.

PubMed

Han, Hyun Ho; Kang, In Sook; Rhie, Jong Won

2014-08-01

A 14-month-old child was diagnosed with a Veau Class II cleft palate. Von Langenbeck palatoplasty was performed for the right palate, and V-Y pushback palatoplasty was performed for the left palate. The child did not have a special problem during the surgery, and the authors were able to elongate the cleft by 10 mm. Contrary to preoperative concerns regarding the hybrid use of palatoplasties, the uvula and midline incisions remained balanced in the middle. The authors named this combination method "half-and-half palatoplasty" and plan to conduct a long-term follow up study as a potential solution that minimizes the complications of palatoplasty.

Half-and-Half Palatoplasty

PubMed Central

Han, Hyun Ho; Kang, In Sook

2014-01-01

A 14-month-old child was diagnosed with a Veau Class II cleft palate. Von Langenbeck palatoplasty was performed for the right palate, and V-Y pushback palatoplasty was performed for the left palate. The child did not have a special problem during the surgery, and the authors were able to elongate the cleft by 10 mm. Contrary to preoperative concerns regarding the hybrid use of palatoplasties, the uvula and midline incisions remained balanced in the middle. The authors named this combination method "half-and-half palatoplasty" and plan to conduct a long-term follow up study as a potential solution that minimizes the complications of palatoplasty. PMID:28913201

Average and recommended half-life values for two neutrino double beta decay: Upgrade-2013

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

Barabash, A. S.

2013-12-30

All existing positive results on two neutrino double beta decay in different nuclei were analyzed. Using the procedure recommended by the Particle Data Group, weighted average values for half-lives of {sup 48}Ca, {sup 76}Ge, {sup 82}Se, {sup 96}Zr, {sup 100}Mo, {sup 100}Mo−{sup 100}Ru (0{sub 1}{sup +}), {sup 116}Cd, {sup 130}Te, {sup 136}Xe, {sup 150}Nd, {sup 150}Nd−{sup 150}Sm (0{sub 1}{sup +}) and {sup 238}U were obtained. Existing geochemical data were analyzed and recommended values for half-lives of {sup 128}Te and {sup 130}Ba are proposed. I recommend the use of these results as the most currently reliable values for half-lives.

Cardiovascular reactivity in real life settings: Measurement, mechanisms and meaning

PubMed Central

Zanstra, Ydwine Jieldouw; Johnston, Derek William

2011-01-01

Cardiovascular reactivity to stress is most commonly studied in the laboratory. Laboratory stressors may have limited ecological validity due to the many constraints, operating in controlled environments. This paper will focus on paradigms that involve the measurement of cardiovascular reactions to stress in real life using ambulatory monitors. Probably the most commonly used paradigm in this field is to measure the response to a specific real life stressor, such as sitting an exam or public speaking. A more general approach has been to derive a measure of CV variability testing the hypothesis that more reactive participants will have more variable heart rate or blood pressure. Alternatively, self-reports of the participants’ perceived stress, emotion or demands may be linked to simultaneously collected ambulatory measures of cardiovascular parameters. This paper examines the following four questions: (1) What is the form and what are the determinants of stress-induced CV reactivity in real life? (2) What are the psychophysiological processes underlying heart rate and blood pressure reactivity in real life? (3) Does CV reactivity determined in the laboratory predict CV reactivity in real life? (4) Are ambulatory cardiovascular measures predictive of cardiovascular disease? It is concluded that the hemodynamic processes that underlie the blood pressure response can reliably be measured in real life and the psychophysiological relationships seen in the laboratory have been obtained in real life as well. Studies examining the effects of specific real life stressors show that responses obtained in real life are often larger than those obtained in the laboratory. Subjective ratings of stress, emotion and cognitive determinants of real life stress (e.g. demand, reward and control) also relate to real life CV responses. Surprisingly, ambulatory studies on real life cardiovascular reactivity to stress as a predictor of cardiovascular disease are rare. Measuring the CV

Exhibition of stochastic resonance in vestibular tilt motion perception.

PubMed

Galvan-Garza, R C; Clark, T K; Mulavara, A P; Oman, C M

2018-04-03

Stochastic Resonance (SR) is a phenomenon broadly described as "noise benefit". The application of subsensory electrical Stochastic Vestibular Stimulation (SVS) via electrodes behind each ear has been used to improve human balance and gait, but its effect on motion perception thresholds has not been examined. This study investigated the capability of subsensory SVS to reduce vestibular motion perception thresholds in a manner consistent with a characteristic bell-shaped SR curve. We measured upright, head-centered, roll tilt Direction Recognition (DR) thresholds in the dark in 12 human subjects with the application of wideband 0-30 Hz SVS ranging from ±0-700 μA. To conservatively assess if SR was exhibited, we compared the proportions of both subjective and statistical SR exhibition in our experimental data to proportions of SR exhibition in multiple simulation cases with varying underlying SR behavior. Analysis included individual and group statistics. As there is not an established mathematical definition, three humans subjectively judged that SR was exhibited in 78% of subjects. "Statistically significant SR exhibition", which additionally required that a subject's DR threshold with SVS be significantly lower than baseline (no SVS), was present in 50% of subjects. Both percentages were higher than simulations suggested could occur simply by chance. For SR exhibitors, defined by subjective or statistically significant criteria, the mean DR threshold improved by -30% and -39%, respectively. The largest individual improvement was -47%. At least half of the subjects were better able to perceive passive body motion with the application of subsensory SVS. This study presents the first conclusive demonstration of SR in vestibular motion perception. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Importance of neonatal FcR in regulating the serum half-life of therapeutic proteins containing the Fc domain of human IgG1: a comparative study of the affinity of monoclonal antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins to human neonatal FcR.

PubMed

Suzuki, Takuo; Ishii-Watabe, Akiko; Tada, Minoru; Kobayashi, Tetsu; Kanayasu-Toyoda, Toshie; Kawanishi, Toru; Yamaguchi, Teruhide

2010-02-15

The neonatal FcR (FcRn) binds to the Fc domain of IgG at acidic pH in the endosome and protects IgG from degradation, thereby contributing to the long serum half-life of IgG. To date, more than 20 mAb products and 5 Fc-fusion protein products have received marketing authorization approval in the United States, the European Union, or Japan. Many of these therapeutic proteins have the Fc domain of human IgG1; however, the serum half-lives differ in each protein. To elucidate the role of FcRn in the pharmacokinetics of Fc domain-containing therapeutic proteins, we evaluated the affinity of the clinically used human, humanized, chimeric, or mouse mAbs and Fc-fusion proteins to recombinant human FcRn by surface plasmon resonance analysis. The affinities of these therapeutic proteins to FcRn were found to be closely correlated with the serum half-lives reported from clinical studies, suggesting the important role of FcRn in regulating their serum half-lives. The relatively short serum half-life of Fc-fusion proteins was thought to arise from the low affinity to FcRn. The existence of some mAbs having high affinity to FcRn and a short serum half-life, however, suggested the involvement of other critical factor(s) in determining the serum half-life of such Abs. We further investigated the reason for the relatively low affinity of Fc-fusion proteins to FcRn and suggested the possibility that the receptor domain of Fc-fusion protein influences the structural environment of the FcRn binding region but not of the FcgammaRI binding region of the Fc domain.

Implications of measures of quality of life for policy development.

PubMed

Mosteller, F

1987-01-01

Quality of life measurements can lead to legislative programs for health, new policies for the health care system, and possibly new attitudes in the courts. Clinical decisions, public health evaluations, and advice for legislatures and courts require diverse measures. We illustrate potential use of such measures with reimbursement problems, programs like Head Start, mainstreaming the handicapped, day care and prenatal care, terminal care for the elderly, monitoring programs, and chronic disabilities. The many treatment policies discussed at the Portugal Conference show the need for quality of life measures in clinical trials. The courts, although considering quality of life, do not seem to consider quality of life measures. If scientists and medical experts wish to establish or change the positions of the courts, consensus conferences appear more effective than regulation or new legislation. To contribute more than they now do to policy, workers measuring quality of life need to develop a variety of measures and methods. They, then, must apply them to medical and health problems, build up a substantial literature, and set priorities for the research needs of the field.

pH-selective mutagenesis of protein-protein interfaces: in silico design of therapeutic antibodies with prolonged half-life.

PubMed

Spassov, Velin Z; Yan, Lisa

2013-04-01

Understanding the effects of mutation on pH-dependent protein binding affinity is important in protein design, especially in the area of protein therapeutics. We propose a novel method for fast in silico mutagenesis of protein-protein complexes to calculate the effect of mutation as a function of pH. The free energy differences between the wild type and mutants are evaluated from a molecular mechanics model, combined with calculations of the equilibria of proton binding. The predicted pH-dependent energy profiles demonstrate excellent agreement with experimentally measured pH-dependency of the effect of mutations on the dissociation constants for the complex of turkey ovomucoid third domain (OMTKY3) and proteinase B. The virtual scanning mutagenesis identifies all hotspots responsible for pH-dependent binding of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) and the results support the current understanding of the salvage mechanism of the antibody by FcRn based on pH-selective binding. The method can be used to select mutations that change the pH-dependent binding profiles of proteins and guide the time consuming and expensive protein engineering experiments. As an application of this method, we propose a computational strategy to search for mutations that can alter the pH-dependent binding behavior of IgG to FcRn with the aim of improving the half-life of therapeutic antibodies in the target organism. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Half wavelength dipole antennas over stratified media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latorraca, G. A.

1972-01-01

Theoretical solutions of the fields induced by half-wavelength, horizontal, electric field dipoles (HEDS) are determined based on studies of infinitesimal, horizontal, electric field dipoles over low loss plane-stratified media. To determine these solutions, an approximation to the current distribution of a half-wavelength HED is derived and experimentally verified. Traverse and antenna measurements obtained on the Athabasca Glacier in the summer of 1971 are related to the characteristics of the transmitting antenna design, and the measurement techniques and field equipment used in the glacier trials are described and evaluated.

Alien Earths: A Traveling Science Exhibit and Education Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P. B.; Morrow, C. A.; Harold, J.

2004-05-01

Where did we come from? Are we alone? These age-old questions form the basis of NASA's Origins Program, a series of missions spanning the next twenty years that will use a host of space- and ground-based observatories to understand the origin and development of galaxies, stars, planets, and the conditions necessary to support life. The Space Science Institute in Boulder, CO, is developing a 3,000 square-foot traveling exhibition, called Alien Earths, which will bring origins-related research and discoveries to students and the American public. Alien Earths will have four interrelated exhibit areas: Our Place in Space, Star Birth, PlanetQuest, and Search for Life. Exhibit visitors will explore the awesome events surrounding the birth of stars and planets; they will join scientists in the hunt for planets outside our solar system including those that may be in "habitable zones" around other stars; and finally they will be able to learn about the wide range of conditions for life on Earth and how scientists are looking for signs of life beyond Earth. Visitors will also learn about the tools scientists use, such as space-based and ground-based telescopes, to improve our understanding of the cosmos. The exhibit's size will permit it to visit medium sized museums in all regions of the country. It will begin its 3-year tour to 9 host museums and science centers in early 2005 at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California. The Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) will manage the exhibit's national tour. In addition to the exhibit, the project includes workshops for educators and docents at host sites, as well as a public website that will use exhibit content to delve deeper into origins research. Current partners in the Alien Earths project include ASTC, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Lawrence Hall of Science, NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA missions (Navigator, SIRTF, and Kepler), the SETI Institute, and the Space Telescope Science Institute

Museum Exhibition on Testing and Measurement: Scientific Principles, Social Impact of Testing, and Dialogue with the Public

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allalouf, Avi; Alderoqui-Pinus, Diana

2012-01-01

This article deals with a pioneering project currently being developed, namely, the Exhibition on Testing and Measurement. This interactive traveling exhibition will be presented in science museums in Israel, the United States, and other countries. It has been conceived as an innovative means of familiarizing the public with educational…

21 CFR 131.180 - Half-and-half.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...). (ii) Natural and artificial food flavoring. (c) Methods of analysis. The milkfat content is determined... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Half-and-half. 131.180 Section 131.180 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN...

21 CFR 131.180 - Half-and-half.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...). (ii) Natural and artificial food flavoring. (c) Methods of analysis. The milkfat content is determined... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Half-and-half. 131.180 Section 131.180 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN...

21 CFR 131.180 - Half-and-half.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...). (ii) Natural and artificial food flavoring. (c) Methods of analysis. The milkfat content is determined... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Half-and-half. 131.180 Section 131.180 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN...

21 CFR 131.180 - Half-and-half.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...). (ii) Natural and artificial food flavoring. (c) Methods of analysis. The milkfat content is determined... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Half-and-half. 131.180 Section 131.180 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN...

21 CFR 131.180 - Half-and-half.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...). (ii) Natural and artificial food flavoring. (c) Methods of analysis. The milkfat content is determined... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Half-and-half. 131.180 Section 131.180 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN...

Measurement properties of asthma-specific quality-of-life measures: protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Apfelbacher, Christian; Paudyal, Priya; Bülbül, Alpaslan; Smith, Helen

2014-07-24

Asthma is a frequent chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, and the assessment of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) is important in both research and routine care. Various asthma-specific measures of HrQoL exist but there is uncertainty which measures are best suited for use in research and routine care. Therefore, the aim of the proposed research is a comprehensive systematic assessment of the measurement properties of the existing measures that were developed to measure asthma-specific quality of life. This study is a systematic review of the measurement properties of asthma-specific measures of health-related quality of life. PubMed and Embase will be searched using a selection of relevant search terms. Eligible studies will be primary empirical studies evaluating, describing or comparing measurement properties of asthma-specific HRQL tools. Eligibility assessment and data abstraction will be performed independently by two reviewers. Evidence tables will be generated for study characteristics, instrument characteristics, measurement properties and interpretability. The quality of the measurement properties will be assessed using predefined criteria. Methodological quality of studies will be assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. A best evidence synthesis will be undertaken if more than one study have investigated a particular measurement property. The proposed systematic review will produce a comprehensive assessment of measurement properties of existing measures of asthma-specific health-related quality of life. We also aim to derive recommendations in order to help researchers and practitioners alike in the choice of instrument. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014010491.

Half-Life of Sulfonylureas in HNF1A and HNF4A Human MODY Patients is not Prolonged as Suggested by the Mouse Hnf1a(-/-) Model.

PubMed

Urbanova, Jana; Andel, Michal; Potockova, Jana; Klima, Josef; Macek, Jan; Ptacek, Pavel; Mat'oska, Vaclav; Kumstyrova, Tereza; Heneberg, Petr

2015-01-01

Sulfonylurea derivatives are widely used for clinical treatment of human subjects with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) caused by mutations in HNF-1α or HNF-4α despite the mechanism leading to their hypersensitivity is incompletely understood. In Hnf1a(-/-) mice, serum concentrations and half-life of sulfonylurea derivatives are strongly increased. We thus hypothesized that reduced sulfonylurea derivatives clearance stands behind their therapeutic potential in human HNF1A/HNF4A MODY subjects. Single doses of 3 mg glipizide and 5 mg glibenclamide/glyburide were administered sequentially to seven HNF1A/HNF4A MODY subjects and six control individuals matched for their age, BMI and CYP2C9 genotype. Pharmacokinetic (plasma concentration levels, Cmax, tmax, t1/2, AUC) and pharmacodynamic parameters (glycemia, C-peptide and insulin plasma levels) were followed for 24 hours after drug administration. We provide the first evidence on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sulfonylurea derivatives in human MODY subjects. The half-life of glipizide did not change, and reached 3.8±0.7 and 3.7±1.8 h in the MODY and control subjects, respectively. The half-life of glibenclamide was increased only in some MODY subjects (t1/2 9.5±6.7 and 5.0±1.4 h, respectively). Importantly, the intra- individual responses of MODY (but control) subjects to glipizide and glibenclamide treatment were highly correlated. With regards to pharmacodynamics, we observed a differential response of control but not MODY subjects to the doses of glipizide and glibenclamide applied. We rejected the hypothesis that all human MODY-associated mutations in HNF1A / HNF4A induce changes in the pharmacokinetics of sulfonylureas in humans analogically to the Hnf1a(-/-) mouse model.

CYP2C8 activity recovers within 96 hours after gemfibrozil dosing: estimation of CYP2C8 half-life using repaglinide as an in vivo probe.

PubMed

Backman, Janne T; Honkalammi, Johanna; Neuvonen, Mikko; Kurkinen, Kaisa J; Tornio, Aleksi; Niemi, Mikko; Neuvonen, Pertti J

2009-12-01

Gemfibrozil 1-O-beta-glucuronide is a mechanism-based inhibitor of cytochrome P450 2C8. We studied the recovery of CYP2C8 activity after discontinuation of gemfibrozil treatment using repaglinide as a probe drug, to estimate the in vivo turnover half-life of CYP2C8. In a randomized five-phase crossover study, nine healthy volunteers ingested 0.25 mg of repaglinide alone or after different time intervals after a 3-day treatment with 600 mg of gemfibrozil twice daily. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0 to infinity of repaglinide was 7.6-, 2.9-, 1.4- and 1.0-fold compared with the control phase when it was administered 1, 24, 48, or 96 h after the last gemfibrozil dose, respectively (P < 0.001 versus control for 1, 24, and 48 h after gemfibrozil). Thus, a strong CYP2C8 inhibitory effect persisted even after gemfibrozil and gemfibrozil 1-O-beta-glucuronide concentrations had decreased to less than 1% of their maximum (24-h dosing interval). In addition, the metabolite to repaglinide AUC ratios indicated that significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of repaglinide metabolism continued up to 48 h after gemfibrozil administration. Based on the recovery of repaglinide oral clearance, the in vivo turnover half-life of CYP2C8 was estimated to average 22 +/- 6 h (mean +/- S.D.). In summary, CYP2C8 activity is recovered gradually during days 1 to 4 after gemfibrozil discontinuation, which should be considered when CYP2C8 substrate dosing is planned. The estimated CYP2C8 half-life will be useful for in vitro-in vivo extrapolations of drug-drug interactions involving induction or mechanism-based inhibition of CYP2C8.

Cosmic Origins: A Traveling Science Exhibit and Education Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P. B.; Morrow, C. A.; Harold, J.

2003-12-01

The Space Science Institute of Boulder, Colorado, is developing a 3,000 square-foot traveling exhibition, called Cosmic Origins, which will bring origins-related research and discoveries to students and the American public. Cosmic Origins will have three interrelated exhibit areas: Star Formation, Planet Quest, and Search for Life. Exhibit visitors will explore the awesome events surrounding the birth of stars and planets; they will join scientists in the hunt for planets outside our solar system including those that may be in "habitable zones" around other stars; and finally they will be able to learn about the wide range of conditions for life on Earth and how scientists are looking for signs of life beyond Earth. Visitors will also learn about the tools scientists' use, such as space-based and ground-based telescopes, to improve our understanding of the cosmos. Exhibit content will address age-old questions that form the basis of NASA's Origins and Astrobiology programs: Where did we come from? Are we alone? In addition to the exhibit, our project will include workshops for educators and docents at host sites, as well as a public Web site that will use a virtual rendering of exhibit content. The exhibit's size will permit it to visit medium sized museums in underserved regions of the country. It will begin its 3-year tour to 9 host museums and science centers in early 2005. A second 3-year tour is also planned for 2008. The Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) will manage the exhibit's national tour. Current partners in the Cosmic Origins project include ASTC, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Lawrence Hall of Science, NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA missions (e.g. PlanetQuest, SIRTF, and Kepler), New York Hall of Science, the SETI Institute, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The exhibition is supported by grants from NSF and NASA. This report will focus on the Planet Quest part of the exhibition.

Effect of the starting point of half-pin insertion on the insertional torque of the pin at the tibia.

PubMed

Kim, Sung Jae; Kim, Sung Hwan; Kim, Young Hwan; Chun, Yong Min

2015-01-01

The authors have observed a failure to achieve secure fixation in elderly patients when inserting a half-pin at the anteromedial surface of the tibia. The purpose of this study was to compare two methods for inserting a half-pin at tibia diaphysis in elderly patients. Twenty cadaveric tibias were divided into Group C or V. A half-pin was inserted into the tibias of Group C via the conventional method, from the anteromedial surface to the interosseous border of the tibia diaphysis, and into the tibias of Group V via the vertical method, from the anterior border to the posterior surface at the same level. The maximum insertion torque was measured during the bicortical insertion with a torque driver. The thickness of the cortex was measured by micro-computed tomography. The relationship between the thickness of the cortex engaged and the insertion torque was investigated. The maximum insertion torque and the thickness of the cortex were significantly higher in Group V than Group C. Both groups exhibited a statistically significant linear correlation between torque and thickness by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Half-pins inserted by the vertical method achieved purchase of more cortex than those inserted by the conventional method. Considering that cortical thickness and insertion torque in Group V were significantly greater than those in Group C, we suggest that the vertical method of half-pin insertion may be an alternative to the conventional method in elderly patients.

Effective Half-Life of Caesium-137 in Various Environmental Media at the Savannah River Site

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

Paller, M. H.; Jannik, G. T.; Baker, R. A.

2014-05-01

During the operational history of the Savannah River Site (SRS), many different radionuclides have been released from site facilities into the SRS environment. However, only a relatively small number of pathways, most importantly 137Cs in fish and deer, have contributed significantly to doses and risks to the public. The “effective” half-lives (T e) of 137Cs (which include both physical decay and environmental dispersion) in Savannah River floodplain soil and vegetation and in fish and white-tailed deer from the SRS were estimated using long-term monitoring data. For 1974–2011, the T es of 137Cs in Savannah River floodplain soil and vegetation weremore » 17.0 years (95% CI = 14.2–19.9) and 13.4 years (95% CI = 10.8–16.0), respectively. These T es were greater than in a previous study that used data collected only through 2005 as a likely result of changes in the flood regime of the Savannah River. Field analyses of 137Cs concentrations in deer collected during yearly controlled hunts at the SRS indicated an overall T e of 15.9 years (95% CI = 12.3–19.6) for 1965–2011; however, the T e for 1990–2011 was significantly shorter (11.8 years, 95% CI = 4.8–18.8) due to an increase in the rate of 137Cs removal. The shortest T es were for fish in SRS streams and the Savannah River (3.5–9.0 years), where dilution and dispersal resulted in rapid 137Cs removal. Long-term data show that T es are significantly shorter than the physical half-life of 137Cs in the SRS environment but that they can change over time. Therefore, it is desirable have a long period of record for calculating Tes and risky to extrapolate T es beyond this period unless the processes governing 137Cs removal are clearly understood.« less

Time scale dependence of the center of pressure entropy: What characteristics of the neuromuscular postural control system influence stabilographic entropic half-life?

PubMed

Federolf, Peter; Zandiyeh, Payam; von Tscharner, Vinzenz

2015-12-01

The center of pressure (COP) movement in studies of postural control reveals a highly regular structure (low entropy) over short time periods and a highly irregular structure over large time scales (high entropy). Entropic half-life (EnHL) is a novel measure that quantifies the time over which short-term temporal correlations in a time series deteriorate to an uncorrelated, random structure. The current study suggested and tested three hypotheses about how characteristics of the neuromuscular postural control system may affect stabilometric EnHL: (H1) control system activity hypothesis: EnHL decreases with increased frequency of control system interventions adjusting COP motion; (H2) abundance of states hypothesis: EnHL decreases with increased number of mechanically equivalent states available to the postural system; and (H3) neurologic process hierarchy hypothesis: EnHL increases if postural control functions shift from the spinal level to the motor cortex. Thirty healthy participants performed quiet stance tests for 90 s in 18 different conditions: stance (bipedal, one-legged, and tandem); footwear (bare foot, regular sports shoe, and rocker sole shoes); and simultaneous cognitive task (two-back working memory task, no challenge). A four-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant changes in EnHL for the different stance positions and for different movement directions (medio-lateral, anterior-posterior). These changes support H1 and H2. Significant differences were also found between rocker sole shoes and normal or barefoot standing, which supports H3. This study contributes to the understanding of how and why EnHL is a useful measure to monitor neuromuscular control of balance.

The Identification and Assessment of Late-life ADHD in Memory Clinics

PubMed Central

Fischer, Barbara L.; Gunter-Hunt, Gail; Steinhafel, Courtney Holm; Howell, Timothy

2013-01-01

INTRODUCTION Little data exists about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in late life. While evaluating patients’ memory problems, our Memory Clinic staff has periodically identified ADHD in previously undiagnosed adults. We conducted a survey to assess the extent to which other memory clinics view ADHD as a relevant clinical issue. METHOD We developed and sent a questionnaire to Memory Clinics in the United States to ascertain how ADHD was identified and addressed. The percentage of responding memory clinics’ means of assessing and managing late-life ADHD comprised the measurements for this study. RESULTS Approximately one-half of responding memory clinics reported seeing ADHD patients. Of these, one-half reported identifying previously diagnosed cases, and almost one-half reported diagnosing ADHD themselves. One fifth of clinics reported screening regularly for ADHD, and few clinics described treatment methods. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that U.S. memory clinics may not adequately identify and address ADHD in late life. PMID:22173147

Reliability of measuring half-cycle cervical range of motion may be increased using a spirit level for calibration.

PubMed

Wilke, Jan; Niederer, Daniel; Vogt, Lutz; Banzer, Winfried

2018-02-01

Assessments of range of motion (ROM) represent an essential part of clinical diagnostics. Ultrasonic movement analyses have been demonstrated to provide reliable results when analyzing complete amplitudes (e.g., flexion-extension). However, due to subjective determination of the starting position, the assessment of half-cycle movements (e.g, flexion only) is less reproducible. The present study aimed to examine the reliability of measuring half-cycle cervical ROM using a spirit level for calibration. 20 healthy subjects (30 ± 12yrs, 7♂, 13♀) participated in the randomized, controlled, cross-over trial. In two testing sessions with one week of wash-out in between, cervical ROM was measured by means of an ultrasonic 3D movement analysis system using a test-retest design (baseline and 5 min post baseline). The sessions differed with reference to the mask carrying the ultrasound markers. It was removed during the 5 min break (mask off) or not (mask on). To determine the resting position, a bull's eye spirit level was used in each measurement. With ICC values of 0.90-0.98 (mask on, p < 0.001) and 0.90 to 0.97 (mask off, p < 0.001), both examined conditions demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability for separating the cycles regarding all movement planes. Cervical ROM during half-cycle movements can be assessed with excellent reliability using a spirit level. In contrast to subjective determination of the starting position, analyzing complete movement planes does not increase reliability. Using a defined and objective zero positioning allows the evaluation of repositioning tasks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Half-lives of PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA after end of exposure to contaminated drinking water.

PubMed

Li, Ying; Fletcher, Tony; Mucs, Daniel; Scott, Kristin; Lindh, Christian H; Tallving, Pia; Jakobsson, Kristina

2018-01-01

Municipal drinking water contaminated with perfluorinated alkyl acids had been distributed to one-third of households in Ronneby, Sweden. The source was firefighting foam used in a nearby airfield since the mid-1980s. Clean water was provided from 16 December 2013. To determine the rates of decline in serum perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and their corresponding half-lives. Up to seven blood samples were collected between June 2014 and September 2016 from 106 participants (age 4-84 years, 53% female). Median initial serum concentrations were PFHxS, 277 ng/mL (range 12-1660); PFOS, 345 ng/mL (range 24-1500); and PFOA, 18 ng/mL (range 2.4-92). The covariate-adjusted average rates of decrease in serum were PFHxS, 13% per year (95% CI 12% to 15%); PFOS, 20% per year (95% CI 19% to 22%); and PFOA, 26% per year (95% CI 24% to 28%). The observed data are consistent with a first-order elimination model. The mean estimated half-life was 5.3 years (95% CI 4.6 to 6.0) for PFHxS, 3.4 years (95% CI 3.1 to 3.7) for PFOS and 2.7 years (95% CI 2.5 to 2.9) for PFOA. The interindividual variation of half-life was around threefold when comparing the 5th and 95th percentiles. There was a marked sex difference with more rapid elimination in women for PFHxS and PFOS, but only marginally for PFOA. The estimated half-life for PFHxS was considerably longer than for PFOS and PFOA. For PFHxS and PFOS, the average half-life is shorter than the previously published estimates. For PFOA the half-life is in line with the range of published estimates. © 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.

Half-lives of PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA after end of exposure to contaminated drinking water

PubMed Central

Li, Ying; Fletcher, Tony; Mucs, Daniel; Scott, Kristin; Lindh, Christian H; Tallving, Pia; Jakobsson, Kristina

2018-01-01

Background Municipal drinking water contaminated with perfluorinated alkyl acids had been distributed to one-third of households in Ronneby, Sweden. The source was firefighting foam used in a nearby airfield since the mid-1980s. Clean water was provided from 16 December 2013. Objective To determine the rates of decline in serum perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and their corresponding half-lives. Methods Up to seven blood samples were collected between June 2014 and September 2016 from 106 participants (age 4–84 years, 53% female). Results Median initial serum concentrations were PFHxS, 277 ng/mL (range 12–1660); PFOS, 345 ng/mL (range 24–1500); and PFOA, 18 ng/mL (range 2.4–92). The covariate-adjusted average rates of decrease in serum were PFHxS, 13% per year (95% CI 12% to 15%); PFOS, 20% per year (95% CI 19% to 22%); and PFOA, 26% per year (95% CI 24% to 28%). The observed data are consistent with a first-order elimination model. The mean estimated half-life was 5.3 years (95% CI 4.6 to 6.0) for PFHxS, 3.4 years (95% CI 3.1 to 3.7) for PFOS and 2.7 years (95% CI 2.5 to 2.9) for PFOA. The interindividual variation of half-life was around threefold when comparing the 5th and 95th percentiles. There was a marked sex difference with more rapid elimination in women for PFHxS and PFOS, but only marginally for PFOA. Conclusions The estimated half-life for PFHxS was considerably longer than for PFOS and PFOA. For PFHxS and PFOS, the average half-life is shorter than the previously published estimates. For PFOA the half-life is in line with the range of published estimates. PMID:29133598

Life history migrations of adult Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout in the upper Yellowstone River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ertel, Brian D.; McMahon, Thomas E.; Koel, Todd M.; Gresswell, Robert E.; Burckhardt, Jason

2017-01-01

Knowledge of salmonid life history types at the watershed scale is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone for effective management. In this study, we used radiotelemetry to characterize the life history movements of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri in the upper Yellowstone River, an extensive tributary that composes nearly half of the drainage area of Yellowstone Lake. In Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout have precipitously declined over the past 2 decades primarily due to predation from introduced Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush. Radio tags were implanted in 152 Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, and their movements monitored over 3 years. Ninety-six percent of tagged trout exhibited a lacustrine–adfluvial life history, migrating upstream a mean distance of 42.6 km to spawn, spending an average of 24 d in the Yellowstone River before returning to Yellowstone Lake. Once in the lake, complex postspawning movements were observed. Only 4% of radio-tagged trout exhibited a fluvial or fluvial–adfluvial life history. Low prevalence of fluvial and fluvial–adfluvial life histories was unexpected given the large size of the upper river drainage. Study results improve understanding of life history diversity in potamodromous salmonids inhabiting relatively undisturbed watersheds and provide a baseline for monitoring Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout response to management actions in Yellowstone Lake.

78 FR 23623 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “American Encounters...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-19

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8286] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``American Encounters: Genre Painting and Everyday Life'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the... exhibition ``American Encounters: Genre Painting and Everyday Life,'' imported from abroad for temporary...

Life stress and risk of precancerous cervical lesions: a pretest directed by the life stress model.

PubMed

Lovejoy, N C; Roche, N; McLean, D

1997-01-01

To present the results of a pilot study to pretest instruments designed to measure selected variables named in the Life Stress Model, a model of health outcomes. Additional aims were to determine the effect of completing personal risk assessments for precancerous squamous-cell intraepithelial lesions of the cervic (SIL) on receptivity to cervical cancer prevention information and to extend knowledge of stressful life events experienced by inner-city women attending high-risk health clinics. Cross-sectional. 20 adult women attending high-risk prenatal or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outpatient clinics in one of two New York City hospitals. Most were recovering drugs abusers; half were diagnosed with HIV infections. Data were collected by self-report using standard measures. Demographics, medical histories of immunosuppressive states, and investigator-developed screening inventories of behavioral and dietary risk factors associated with SIL also were administered. Life event stressors, psychological state, social support, symptom distress, and SIL diagnosis. Instruments met acceptable psychometric standards for internal consistency, but the standard measure of stressful life events did not capture the full range of stressors experienced by this group of patients: hovering relatives, abusive spouses, HIV diagnosis, changes in welfare benefits, the HIV status of the unborn, and mandatory foster care. Although unable to recall cancer histories of family members, about half of the women who completed study instruments were interested in receiving more information cervical cancer. Exploratory analyses suggest that women diagnosed with SIL experience more psychological distress and family disfunction than women without SIL. Completing personal SIL risk assessments may stimulate patients' receptivity to cancer risk factor information. Health outcomes studies guided by the Life Stress Model may prove fruitful. Cancer risk factor assessments may be an important method

Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2), a potential agent of bioterrorism, has a short distribution and a long elimination half-life, and induces kidney and thymus lesions in rats.

PubMed

Liu, Yue-Nan; Wang, Sheng-Han; Li, Tao; Wang, Qin; Tu, Wei; Cai, Kun; Hou, Xiao-Jun; Tian, Ren-Mao; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Hao; Xiao, Le; Shi, Jing; Cheng, Yuan-Guo; Li, Jian-Chun; Wang, Hui

2011-09-01

Shiga toxin type 2, a major virulence factor produced by the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, is a potential toxin agent of bioterrorism. In this study, iodine-125 (125I) was used as an indicator to describe the in vivo Stx2 biodistribution profile. The rats were injected intravenously (i.v.) with 125I-Stx2 at three doses of 5.1-127.5 μg/kg body weight. Stx2 had a short distribution half-life (t (1/2)α, less than 6 min) and a long elimination half-life in rat. The toxicokinetics of Stx2 in rats was dose dependent and nonlinear. Stx2 concentrations in various tissues were detected at 5-min, 0.5-h, and 72-h postinjection. High radioactivity was found in the lungs, kidneys, nasal turbinates, and sometimes in the eyes, which has never been reported in previous studies. In a preliminary assessment, lesions were found in the kidney and thymus.

Using Comparative Planetology in Exhibit Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P. B.; Harold, J. B.; Morrow, C. A.

2004-12-01

It is critically important for the public to better understand the scientific process. Museum exhibitions are an important part of informal science education that can effectively reach public audiences as well as school groups. They provide an important gateway for the public to learn about compelling scientific endeavors. The Space Science Institute (SSI) is a national leader in producing traveling science exhibitions and their associated educational programming (i.e. interactive websites, educator workshops, public talks, instructional materials). The focus of this presentation will be on three of its exhibit projects: MarsQuest (currently on tour), Alien Earths (in fabrication), and Giant Planets (in development). MarsQuest is enabling millions of Americans to share in the excitement of the scientific exploration of Mars and to learn more about their own planet in the process. Alien Earths will bring origins-related research and discoveries to students and the American public. It has four interrelated exhibit areas: Our Place in Space, Star Birth, PlanetQuest, and Search for Life. Exhibit visitors will explore the awesome events surrounding the birth of stars and planets; they will join scientists in the hunt for planets outside our solar system including those that may be in "habitable zones" around other stars; and finally they will be able to learn about how scientists are looking for signs of life beyond Earth. Giant Planets: Exploring the Outer Solar System will take advantage of the excitement generated by the Cassini mission and bring planetary and origins research and discoveries to students and the public. It will be organized around four thematic areas: Our Solar System; Colossal Worlds; Moons, Rings, and Fields; and Make Space for Kids. Giant Planets will open in 2007. This talk will focus on the importance of making Earth comparisons in the conceptual design of each exhibit and will show several examples of how these comparisons were manifested in

β-decay half-lives of new neutron-rich rare-earth isotopes 159Pm,162Sm, and 166Gd

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichikawa, S.; Asai, M.; Tsukada, K.; Haba, H.; Nagame, Y.; Shibata, M.; Sakama, M.; Kojima, Y.

2005-06-01

The new neutron-rich rare-earth isotopes 159Pm, 162Sm, and 166Gd produced in the proton-induced fission of 238U were identified using the JAERI on-line isotope separator (JAERI-ISOL) coupled to a gas-jet transport system. The half-lives of 159Pm, 162Sm, and 166Gd were determined to be 1.5 ± 0.2, 2.4 ± 0.5, and 4.8 ± 1.0 s respectively. The partial decay scheme of 166Gd was constructed from γγ-coincidence data. A more accurate half-life value of 25.6 ± 2.2 s was obtained for the previously identified isotope 166Tb. The half-lives measured in the present study are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions calculated by the second generation of the gross theory with the atomic masses evaluated by Audi and Wapstra.

The elimination half-life of benzodiazepines and fall risk: two prospective observational studies.

PubMed

de Vries, Oscar J; Peeters, Geeske; Elders, Petra; Sonnenberg, Caroline; Muller, Majon; Deeg, Dorly J H; Lips, Paul

2013-11-01

the STOPP criteria advise against the use of long-acting benzodiazepines (LBs). to study whether LBs are associated with a higher fall risk than short-acting benzodiazepines (SBs) (elimination half-life ≤ 10 h). we used base-line data and prospective fall follow-up from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, a longitudinal cohort study including 1,509 community-dwelling older persons (Study 1) and from a separate fall prevention study with 564 older persons after a fall (Study 2). Time to the first fall after inclusion and number of falls in the first year after inclusion were the primary endpoints. both in Study 1 and Study 2 the use of SBs was associated with time to the first fall, hazard ratio (HR) 1.62 (95% CI: 1.03-2.56) and HR 1.64 (95% CI: 1.19-2.26),respectively. LBs were not significantly associated with time to first fall, HR 1.40 (0.85-2.31) and HR 1.08 (0.72-1.62). In both studies, the use of SBs was also associated with number of falls, odds ratio (OR) 1.28 (95% CI: 1.01-1.61) and OR 1.37 (95% CI: 1.10-1.70). LBs were not significantly associated with number of falls, OR 1.23 (0.96-1.57) and 1.10 (0.82-1.48). the use of SBs is not associated with a lower fall risk compared with LBs. The use of both SBs and LBs by old persons should be strongly discouraged.

Positive and negative affectivity as risk factors for heavy drinking in the second half of life: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Brunborg, Geir Scott

2017-05-01

To estimate the prospective relations between levels of propensity to experience positive affect (PA) and propensity to experience negative affect (NA) and risk of heavy drinking in a cohort of Norwegians aged 40-80 years. Clustered sampling was used to draw Norwegians aged 40-79 years in 2002/03 (t1). The relationship between PA and NA measured at t1 and heavy drinking measured in 2007/08 (t2) was estimated with random-intercept logistic regression. Norway. A total of 2142 (44.0% men) who consumed mean = 3.07 [standard deviation (SD) = 3.15] UK units of alcohol on average per week and were intoxicated less than once per week at t1. The Brief Measure of Positive and Negative Affect, quantity-frequency measure of alcohol use and frequency of drinking to intoxication. Heavy drinking at t2 (> 14 units per week and/or intoxication ≥ once per week) was regressed on PA and NA at t1. Controlling for alcohol consumption, gender, age, income and level of education (at t1) and change in PA and NA, there was little evidence for an association between level of PA and heavy drinking [odds ratio (OR) = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.71, 1.29, Bayes factor = 0.15]. The level of NA at t1 was associated with greater risk of heavy drinking at t2 (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.93). There is little evidence for an association between the propensity to experience positive affect and heavy drinking among Norwegians aged 40-80 years. Norwegian adults in the second half of life with a high propensity to experience negative affect are at greater risk of heavy drinking approximately 5 years later than those with a low propensity to experience negative affect. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Starship Life Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2009-01-01

The design and mass cost of a starship and its life support system are investigated. The mission plan for a multi generational interstellar voyage to colonize a new planet is used to describe the starship design, including the crew habitat, accommodations, and life support. Only current technology is assumed. Highly reliable life support systems can be provided with reasonably small additional mass, suggesting that they can support long duration missions. Bioregenerative life support, growing crop plants that provide food, water, and oxygen, has been thought to need less mass than providing stored food for long duration missions. The large initial mass of hydroponics systems is paid for over time by saving the mass of stored food. However, the yearly logistics mass required to support a bioregenerative system exceeds the mass of food solids it produces, so that supplying stored dehydrated food always requires less mass than bioregenerative food production. A mixed system that grows about half the food and supplies the other half dehydrated has advantages that allow it to breakeven with stored dehydrated food in about 66 years. However, moderate increases in the hydroponics system mass to achieve high reliability, such as adding spares that double the system mass and replacing the initial system every 100 years, increase the mass cost of bioregenerative life support. In this case, the high reliability half food growing, half food supplying system does not breakeven for 389 years. An even higher reliability half and half system, with three times original system mass and replacing the system every 50 years, never breaks even. Growing food for starship life support requires more mass than providing dehydrated food, even for multigeneration voyages of hundreds of years. The benefits of growing some food may justify the added mass cost. Much more efficient recycling food production is wanted but may not be possible. A single multigenerational interstellar voyage to

Kinetic modeling and half life study on bioremediation of crude oil dispersed by Corexit 9500.

PubMed

Zahed, Mohammad Ali; Aziz, Hamidi Abdul; Isa, Mohamed Hasnain; Mohajeri, Leila; Mohajeri, Soraya; Kutty, Shamsul Rahman Mohamed

2011-01-30

Hydrocarbon pollution in marine ecosystems occurs mainly by accidental oil spills, deliberate discharge of ballast waters from oil tankers and bilge waste discharges; causing site pollution and serious adverse effects on aquatic environments as well as human health. A large number of petroleum hydrocarbons are biodegradable, thus bioremediation has become an important method for the restoration of oil polluted areas. In this research, a series of natural attenuation, crude oil (CO) and dispersed crude oil (DCO) bioremediation experiments of artificially crude oil contaminated seawater was carried out. Bacterial consortiums were identified as Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Vibrio. First order kinetics described the biodegradation of crude oil. Under abiotic conditions, oil removal was 19.9% while a maximum of 31.8% total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) removal was obtained in natural attenuation experiment. All DCO bioreactors demonstrated higher and faster removal than CO bioreactors. Half life times were 28, 32, 38 and 58 days for DCO and 31, 40, 50 and 75 days for CO with oil concentrations of 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/L, respectively. The effectiveness of Corexit 9500 dispersant was monitored in the 45 day study; the results indicated that it improved the crude oil biodegradation rate. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health-related quality-of-life outcome measures in paediatric palliative care: A systematic review of psychometric properties and feasibility of use

PubMed Central

Coombes, Lucy H; Wiseman, Theresa; Lucas, Grace; Sangha, Amrit; Murtagh, Fliss EM

2016-01-01

Background: The number of children worldwide requiring palliative care services is increasing due to advances in medical care and technology. The use of outcome measures is important to improve the quality and effectiveness of care. Aim: To systematically identify health-related quality-of-life outcome measures that could be used in paediatric palliative care and examine their feasibility of use and psychometric properties. Design: A systematic literature review and analysis of psychometric properties. Data sources: PsychInfo, Medline and EMBASE were searched from 1 January 1990 to 10 December 2014. Hand searches of the reference list of included studies and relevant reviews were also performed. Results: From 3460 articles, 125 papers were selected for full-text assessment. A total of 41 articles met the eligibility criteria and examined the psychometric properties of 22 health-related quality-of-life measures. Evidence was limited as at least half of the information on psychometric properties per instrument was missing. Measurement error was not analysed in any of the included articles and responsiveness was only analysed in one study. The methodological quality of included studies varied greatly. Conclusion: There is currently no ‘ideal’ outcome assessment measure for use in paediatric palliative care. The domains of generic health-related quality-of-life measures are not relevant to all children receiving palliative care and some domains within disease-specific measures are only relevant for that specific population. Potential solutions include adapting an existing measure or developing more individualized patient-centred outcome and experience measures. Either way, it is important to continue work on outcome measurement in this field. PMID:27247087

Lessons from life: Learning from exhibits, animals and interaction in a museum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldowsky, Alexander Noah

This study examines the effect of interaction on visitor behavior at a public aquarium, experimentally comparing one exhibit under interactive and noninteractive conditions. A quantitative analysis showed that the time visitor groups spent in the study area significantly increased in the interactive condition (median 73 vs. 32 seconds). Further, this effect extended only to those groups within the interactive condition in which at least one member operated the exhibit (median 102 vs. 36 seconds). Both median times and survival curves are compared, and the analysis controlled for group size, age and sex ratios, visitor density, queuing time, and animal activity. Qualitative analyses focused on visitors' spontaneous conversation at the exhibit. Interactive visitors were found to engage in more in-depth exploration, including conducting informal experiments. The amount of discussion was found to correlate with stay time (r = 0.47). Visitor discussion centered on the exhibit, with frequent observations of penguin behavior. Greater enthusiasm was observed for interactive visitors, and coding showed interactive visitors laughed more frequently, and were significantly more likely to speculate on the penguins' reactions and motivations for behaviors. The experimental setup included a control condition consisting of a typical aquarium exhibit, including live penguins, naturalistic habitat, and graphics. The interactive condition added a device designed to mediate a two-way interaction between the visitors and penguins: visitors moved a light beam across the bottom of the pool. The penguins, intern, chased the light. This exhibit was designed both to benefit visitors and to serve as behavioral enrichment for the penguins. A third condition employed an automatically moving light, which elicited similar penguin behaviors, but without allowing visitor interaction. Videotaped data was analyzed for 301 visitor groups (756 individuals). A supplemental study employed video recall

Measurement of Quality of Life II. From the Philosophy of Life to Science

PubMed Central

Ventegodt, Soren; Merrick, Joav; Andersen, Niels Jorgen

2003-01-01

We believe it should be possible to make operational the philosophical ideas of the good life in order to make it the object of scientific research. The Quality of Life Research Center in Copenhagen, Denmark has therefore spent the last several years with these questions and tried to find practical and evidence-based scientific solutions.This paper describes the theoretical road taken in moving from the abstract philosophy of life to the actual questionnaire. It presents an important aspect of our work with the quality-of-life (QOL) concept though the last decade. We have developed the quality-of-life philosophy; the SEQOL, QOL5, and QOL1 questionnaires; the quality-of-life theory; and the quality-of-life research methodology. We carried out quality-of-life population surveys and developed techniques for improving quality of life with the chronically sick patient. This paper presents the struggle to create a rating scale for the generic measurement of the global quality of life, based on quality-of-life theory, derived from quality-of-life philosophy. The developed rating scale is a ratio scale combining a Likert scale, a visual analogue scale, and a numerical scale, to a reduced combination scale. This allows for the extraction of as much information from the respondents as possible without exhausting them unduly or demanding more than can be reasonably expected. PMID:14570987

Measurement of quality of life II. From the philosophy of life to science.

PubMed

Ventegodt, Søren; Merrick, Joav; Andersen, Niels Jørgen

2003-10-13

We believe it should be possible to make operational the philosophical ideas of the good life in order to make it the object of scientific research. The Quality of Life Research Center in Copenhagen, Denmark has therefore spent the last several years with these questions and tried to find practical and evidence-based scientific solutions. This paper describes the theoretical road taken in moving from the abstract philosophy of life to the actual questionnaire. It presents an important aspect of our work with the quality-of-life (QOL) concept though the last decade. We have developed the quality-of-life philosophy; the SEQOL, QOL5, and QOL1 questionnaires; the quality-of-life theory; and the quality-of-life research methodology. We carried out quality-of-life population surveys and developed techniques for improving quality of life with the chronically sick patient. This paper presents the struggle to create a rating scale for the generic measurement of the global quality of life, based on quality-of-life theory, derived from quality-of-life philosophy. The developed rating scale is a ratio scale combining a Likert scale, a visual analogue scale, and a numerical scale, to a reduced combination scale. This allows for the extraction of as much information from the respondents as possible without exhausting them unduly or demanding more than can be reasonably expected.

77 FR 54647 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Manet: Portraying Life”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-05

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8012] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Manet: Portraying Life'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following determinations...: Portraying Life,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural...

Determination of life for a polyimide-epoxy alternator insulation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penn, W. B.; Schaefer, R. F.; Balke, R. L.

1974-01-01

Tests were conducted to predict remaining electrical insulation life of a polyimide epoxy insulated 60 KW, 208 volt homopolar inductor alternator, following completion of 23,130 hours of turbo-alternator endurance tests. The sectioned armature winding of this alternator stator was used as means to evaluate and measure end-life at several aging temperatures for development of an Arrhenius plot. A one-half life rate of 11.3 C was established from these data with a predicted remaining life of 60,000 hours at an armature winding temperature of 248 C and a total life, including endurance test time, of 61,645 hours.

Half-lives of 221Fr, 217At, 213Bi, 213Po and 209Pb from the 225Ac decay series.

PubMed

Suliman, G; Pommé, S; Marouli, M; Van Ammel, R; Stroh, H; Jobbágy, V; Paepen, J; Dirican, A; Bruchertseifer, F; Apostolidis, C; Morgenstern, A

2013-07-01

The half-lives of (221)Fr, (217)At, (213)Bi, (213)Po, and (209)Pb were measured by means of an ion-implanted planar Si detector for alpha and beta particles emitted from weak (225)Ac sources or from recoil sources, which were placed in a quasi-2π counting geometry. Recoil sources were prepared by collecting atoms from an open (225)Ac source onto a glass substrate. The (221)Fr and (213)Bi half-lives were determined by following the alpha particle emission rate of recoil sources as a function of time. Similarly, the (209)Pb half-life was determined from the beta particle count rate. The shorter half-lives of (217)At and (213)Po were deduced from delayed coincidence measurements on weak (225)Ac sources using digital data acquisition in list mode. The resulting values: T1/2((221)Fr)=4.806 (6) min, T1/2((217)At)=32.8 (3)ms, T1/2((213)Bi)=45.62 (6)min, T1/2((213)Po)=3.708 (8) μs, and T1/2((209)Pb)=3.232 (5)h were in agreement only with the best literature data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NS5A inhibitors unmask differences in functional replicase complex half-life between different hepatitis C virus strains

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

Benzine, Tiffany; Brandt, Ryan; Lovell, William C.

We synthesized the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA by the replicase complex (RC), a macromolecular assembly composed of viral non-structural proteins and cellular co-factors. Inhibitors of the HCV NS5A protein block formation of new RCs but do not affect RNA synthesis by preformed RCs. Without new RC formation, existing RCs turn over and are eventually lost from the cell. We aimed to use NS5A inhibitors to estimate the half-life of the functional RC of HCV. We compared different cell culture-infectious strains of HCV that may be grouped based on their sensitivity to lipid peroxidation: robustly replicating, lipid peroxidation resistant (LPOmore » R) viruses (e.g. JFH-1 or H77D) and more slowly replicating, lipid peroxidation sensitive (LPO S) viruses (e.g. H77S.3 and N.2). Furthermore, in luciferase assays, LPO S HCV strains declined under NS5A inhibitor therapy with much slower kinetics compared to LPO R HCV strains. This difference in rate of decline was not observed for inhibitors of the NS5B RNAdependent RNA polymerase suggesting that the difference was not simply a consequence of differences in RNA stability. In further analyses, we compared two isoclonal HCV variants: the LPO S H77S.3 and the LPO R H77D that differ only by 12 amino acids. Differences in rate of decline between H77S.3 and H77D following NS5A inhibitor addition were not due to amino acid sequences in NS5A but rather due to a combination of amino acid differences in the non-structural proteins that make up the HCV RC. The mathematical modeling of intracellular HCV RNA dynamics suggested that differences in RC stability (half-lives of 3.5 and 9.9 hours, for H77D and H77S.3, respectively) are responsible for the different kinetics of antiviral suppression between LPO S and LPO R viruses. In nascent RNA capture assays, the rate of RNA synthesis decline following NS5A inhibitor addition was significantly faster for H77D compared to H77S.3 indicating different half-lives of functional RCs.« less

NS5A inhibitors unmask differences in functional replicase complex half-life between different hepatitis C virus strains

DOE PAGES

Benzine, Tiffany; Brandt, Ryan; Lovell, William C.; ...

2017-06-08

We synthesized the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA by the replicase complex (RC), a macromolecular assembly composed of viral non-structural proteins and cellular co-factors. Inhibitors of the HCV NS5A protein block formation of new RCs but do not affect RNA synthesis by preformed RCs. Without new RC formation, existing RCs turn over and are eventually lost from the cell. We aimed to use NS5A inhibitors to estimate the half-life of the functional RC of HCV. We compared different cell culture-infectious strains of HCV that may be grouped based on their sensitivity to lipid peroxidation: robustly replicating, lipid peroxidation resistant (LPOmore » R) viruses (e.g. JFH-1 or H77D) and more slowly replicating, lipid peroxidation sensitive (LPO S) viruses (e.g. H77S.3 and N.2). Furthermore, in luciferase assays, LPO S HCV strains declined under NS5A inhibitor therapy with much slower kinetics compared to LPO R HCV strains. This difference in rate of decline was not observed for inhibitors of the NS5B RNAdependent RNA polymerase suggesting that the difference was not simply a consequence of differences in RNA stability. In further analyses, we compared two isoclonal HCV variants: the LPO S H77S.3 and the LPO R H77D that differ only by 12 amino acids. Differences in rate of decline between H77S.3 and H77D following NS5A inhibitor addition were not due to amino acid sequences in NS5A but rather due to a combination of amino acid differences in the non-structural proteins that make up the HCV RC. The mathematical modeling of intracellular HCV RNA dynamics suggested that differences in RC stability (half-lives of 3.5 and 9.9 hours, for H77D and H77S.3, respectively) are responsible for the different kinetics of antiviral suppression between LPO S and LPO R viruses. In nascent RNA capture assays, the rate of RNA synthesis decline following NS5A inhibitor addition was significantly faster for H77D compared to H77S.3 indicating different half-lives of functional RCs.« less

Measuring quality of life in cleft lip and palate patients: currently available patient-reported outcomes measures.

PubMed

Eckstein, Donna A; Wu, Rebecca L; Akinbiyi, Takintope; Silver, Lester; Taub, Peter J

2011-11-01

Patient-reported outcomes in cleft lip and palate treatment are critical for patient care. Traditional surgical outcomes focused on objective measures, such as photographs, anatomic measurements, morbidity, and mortality. Although these remain important, they leave many questions unanswered. Surveys that include aesthetics, speech, functionality, self-image, and quality of life provide more thorough outcomes assessment. It is vital that reliable, valid, and comprehensive questionnaires are available to craniofacial surgeons. The authors performed a literature review to identify questionnaires validated in cleft lip and palate patients. Qualifying instruments were assessed for adherence to guidelines for development and validation by the scientific advisory committee and for content. The authors identified 44 measures used in cleft lip and palate studies. After 15 ad hoc questionnaires, eight generic instruments, 11 psychiatric instruments, and one non-English language questionnaire were excluded, nine measures remained. Of these, four were never validated in the cleft population. Analysis revealed one craniofacial-specific measure (Youth Quality of Life-Facial Differences), two voice-related measures (Patient Voice-Related Quality of Life and Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented), and two oral health-related measures (Child Oral Health Impact Profile and Child Oral Health Quality of Life). The Youth Quality of Life-Facial Differences, Child Oral Health Impact Profile, and Child Oral Health Quality of Life questionnaires were sufficiently validated. None was created specifically for clefts, resulting in content limitations. There is a lack of comprehensive, valid, and reliable questionnaires for cleft lip and palate surgery. For thorough assessment of satisfaction, further research to develop and validate cleft lip and palate surgery-specific instruments is needed.

Measuring the quality of life of people at the end of life: The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised.

PubMed

Cohen, S Robin; Sawatzky, Richard; Russell, Lara B; Shahidi, Javad; Heyland, Daren K; Gadermann, Anne M

2017-02-01

The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire has been widely used with people with life-threatening illnesses without modification since its publication in 1996. With use, areas for improvement have emerged; therefore, various minor modifications were tested over time. To revise the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised) while maintaining or improving its psychometric properties and length, keeping it as close as possible to the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire to enable reasonable comparison with existing McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire literature. Data sets from eight studies were used (four studies originally used to develop the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, two to develop new McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire versions, and two with unrelated purposes). The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised was developed using analyses of measurement invariance, confirmatory factor analysis, and calculation of correlations with the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire's global quality of life item. Data were from 1702 people with life-threatening illnesses recruited from acute and palliative care units, palliative home care services, and oncology and HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics. The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised consists of 14 items (plus the global quality of life item). A new Physical subscale was created combining physical symptoms and physical well-being and a new item on physical functioning. The Existential subscale was reduced to four items. The revised Support subscale, renamed Social, focuses more on relationships. The Psychological subscale remains unchanged. Confirmatory factor analysis results provide support for the measurement structure of the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised. The overall scale has good internal consistency reliability ( α = 0.94). The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised improves on and can replace the McGill Quality of Life

Half-metallic Co-based quaternary Heusler alloys for spintronics: Defect- and pressure-induced transitions and properties

DOE PAGES

Enamullah, .; Johnson, D. D.; Suresh, K. G.; ...

2016-11-07

Heusler compounds offer potential as spintronic devices due to their spin polarization and half-metallicity properties, where electron spin-majority (minority) manifold exhibits states (band gap) at the electronic chemical potential, yielding full spin polarization in a single manifold. Yet, Heuslers often exhibit intrinsic disorder that degrades its half-metallicity and spin polarization. Using density-functional theory, we analyze the electronic and magnetic properties of equiatomic Heusler (L2 1) CoMnCrAl and CoFeCrGe alloys for effects of hydrostatic pressure and intrinsic disorder (thermal antisites, binary swaps, and vacancies). Under pressure, CoMnCrAl undergoes a metallic transition, while half-metallicity in CoFeCrGe is retained for a limited range.more » Antisite disorder between Cr-Al pair in CoMnCrAl alloy is energetically the most favorable, and retains half-metallic character in Cr-excess regime. However, Co-deficient samples in both alloys undergo a transition from half-metallic to metallic, with a discontinuity in the saturation magnetization. For binary swaps, configurations that compete with the ground state are identified and show no loss of half-metallicity; however, the minority-spin band gap and magnetic moments vary depending on the atoms swapped. For single binary swaps, there is a significant energy cost in CoMnCrAl but with no loss of half-metallicity. Although a few configurations in CoFeCrGe energetically compete with the ground state, the minority-spin band gap and magnetic moments vary depending on the atoms swapped. Furthermore, this information should help in controlling these potential spintronic materials.« less

Half-metallic Co-based quaternary Heusler alloys for spintronics: Defect- and pressure-induced transitions and properties

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

Enamullah, .; Johnson, D. D.; Suresh, K. G.

Heusler compounds offer potential as spintronic devices due to their spin polarization and half-metallicity properties, where electron spin-majority (minority) manifold exhibits states (band gap) at the electronic chemical potential, yielding full spin polarization in a single manifold. Yet, Heuslers often exhibit intrinsic disorder that degrades its half-metallicity and spin polarization. Using density-functional theory, we analyze the electronic and magnetic properties of equiatomic Heusler (L2 1) CoMnCrAl and CoFeCrGe alloys for effects of hydrostatic pressure and intrinsic disorder (thermal antisites, binary swaps, and vacancies). Under pressure, CoMnCrAl undergoes a metallic transition, while half-metallicity in CoFeCrGe is retained for a limited range.more » Antisite disorder between Cr-Al pair in CoMnCrAl alloy is energetically the most favorable, and retains half-metallic character in Cr-excess regime. However, Co-deficient samples in both alloys undergo a transition from half-metallic to metallic, with a discontinuity in the saturation magnetization. For binary swaps, configurations that compete with the ground state are identified and show no loss of half-metallicity; however, the minority-spin band gap and magnetic moments vary depending on the atoms swapped. For single binary swaps, there is a significant energy cost in CoMnCrAl but with no loss of half-metallicity. Although a few configurations in CoFeCrGe energetically compete with the ground state, the minority-spin band gap and magnetic moments vary depending on the atoms swapped. Furthermore, this information should help in controlling these potential spintronic materials.« less

Trends In Rhode Island Forests: A Half-Century of Change

Treesearch

Northeastern Research Station and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Forest Environment

2002-01-01

Forests provide watershed protection, settings for recreation, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, wood and other products, and much more. Forests contribute to the quality of life of each Rhode Island resident making the State a better place in which to live. Some of the significant trends that have occurred in Rhode Island's forests over the last half century are...

Relationship among aqueous copper half-lives and responses of Pimephales promelas to a series of copper sulfate pentahydrate concentrations.

PubMed

Calomeni, Alyssa J; Kinley, Ciera M; Geer, Tyler D; Iwinski, Kyla J; Hendrikse, Maas; Rodgers, John H

2018-04-01

Copper algaecide exposures in situ are often of shorter duration than exposures for static toxicity experiments because aqueous concentrations in situ dissipate as a function of site-specific fate processes. Consequently, responses of organisms to static copper exposures may overestimate effects following in situ exposures. To understand the role of exposure duration for altering responses, Pimephales promelas survival was compared following static (96 h) and pulse (1.5, 4, 8, and 15 h half-lives) exposures of CuSO 4 •5H 2 O. Copper concentrations sorbed by fry indicated a consequence of different exposures. Responses of P. promelas to static exposures resulted in 96 h LC 50 s of 166 µgCu/L (95% confidence interval [CI], 142-189 µgCu/L) as soluble copper and 162 µgCu/L (CI, 140-183 µgCu/L) as acid soluble copper. Relative to static 96 h LC 50 s, exposures with half-lives of 1.5, 4 and 8 h resulted in LC 50 s 10, 3 and 2 times greater, respectively, for responses measured 96 h after exposure initiation. Copper concentrations extracted from fry exposed for 1.5, 4 and 8 h half-lives were less than the static experiment. However, copper sorbed by fry in the 15 h half-life experiment was not different than the static experiment. The relationship between 96 h LC 50 and 1/half-life was expressed using the equations y = 116 + 1360 × (R 2  = 0.97) for soluble copper and y = 147 + 1620 × (R 2  = 0.98) for acid soluble copper. Incorporation of exposure duration for predictions of P. promelas responses to copper pulse exposures increases prediction accuracy by an order of magnitude.

Studies of a urinary biomarker of dietary inorganic sulphur in subjects on diets containing 1-38 mmol sulphur/day and of the half-life of ingested 34SO4(2-).

PubMed

Curno, R; Magee, E A; Edmond, L M; Cummings, J H

2008-09-01

Sulphites are widely used food additives that may damage health, hence limits are set on their use. They are excreted in urine as sulphate, along with sulphate derived from sulphur amino acids. Dietary intakes of sulphites are hard to determine, so we have tested the utility of urinary nitrogen:sulphate ratio as a biomarker of inorganic sulphur (IS) intake. Additionally we determined the half-life of ingested (34)SO(4)(2-) from its urinary excretion. Twenty healthy adult subjects were recruited by poster advertisement, for a 24-h study where they ate specified foods, which were high in IS, in addition to their normal diet. The half-life of ingested (34)SO(4)(2-) was assessed in five healthy volunteers, given 5.9 mmols of Na(2)(34)SO(4) as a single dose and collecting all urine specimens for 72-96 h. Urine and duplicate diets from three previously conducted studies were analysed for nitrogen and sulphate content, thus expanding the range of IS intakes for evaluation. Duplicate diets were analysed for IS content by ion exchange chromatography, while IS intake was predicted from urinary sulphate (g/day S)-(urinary nitrogen (g/day)/18.89). (32)S:(34)S ratios were determined by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. The range of IS intake was 1.3-37.5 mmol S/day. Actual and predicted IS intakes were mmol/day+/-s.e. 9.2+/-0.65 and 7.0+/-0.45, respectively, and were correlated r=0.60 (n=108). The mean half-life of ingested (34)SO(4)(2-) was 8.2 h. From a 24-h urine collection, IS intake from the habitual diet can be determined for groups of individuals. To predict individual intakes of IS, which may include high sporadic amounts from beer and wine, at least 48 h of urine collection would be required.

Structured light generation by magnetic metamaterial half-wave plates at visible wavelength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Jinwei; Luk, Ting S.; Gao, Jie; Yang, Xiaodong

2017-12-01

Metamaterial or metasurface unit cells functioning as half-wave plates play an essential role for realizing ideal Pancharatnam-Berry phase optical elements capable of tailoring light phase and polarization as desired. Complex light beam manipulation through these metamaterials or metasurfaces unveils new dimensions of light-matter interactions for many advances in diffraction engineering, beam shaping, structuring light, and holography. However, the realization of metamaterial or metasurface half-wave plates in visible spectrum range is still challenging mainly due to its specific requirements of strong phase anisotropy with amplitude isotropy in subwavelength scale. Here, we propose magnetic metamaterial structures which can simultaneously exploit the electric field and magnetic field of light for achieving the nanoscale half-wave plates at visible wavelength. We design and demonstrate the magnetic metamaterial half-wave plates in linear grating patterns with high polarization conversion purity in a deep subwavelength thickness. Then, we characterize the equivalent magnetic metamaterial half-wave plates in cylindrical coordinate as concentric-ring grating patterns, which act like an azimuthal half-wave plate and accordingly exhibit spatially inhomogeneous polarization and phase manipulations including spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion and vector beam generation. Our results show potentials for realizing on-chip beam converters, compact holograms, and many other metamaterial devices for structured light beam generation, polarization control, and wavefront manipulation.

Psychosocial correlates of unintentional weight loss in the second half of life in the German general population

PubMed Central

König, Hans-Helmut

2017-01-01

Background Unintentional weight loss (UWL) is common in older age and associated with adverse outcomes including mortality. The aim of the present study was to determine psychosocial correlates of UWL. Methods Data were derived from a large, nationally representative study of community-dwelling individuals in the second half of life (40 years and over) in Germany in 2014 (n = 7,933). Data on UWL were assessed in face-to-face interviews as unintentional loss of more than 5kg (11 pounds) in weight in the past 12 months, and data on psychosocial factors were recorded in self-administered questionnaires. Results Multiple logistic regressions revealed that UWL was positively associated with depressive symptoms and positive affect, whereas it was negatively associated with self-esteem. Individuals with UWL were more likely to feel lonely and perceive themselves as socially excluded. Conclusion The findings of important psychosocial correlates of UWL may help to identify individuals at risk for UWL in older age. This is in particular important since interventions to treat this phenomenon in older age are available that reduce adverse consequences resulting from UWL. PMID:28968437

Tunneling Evidence of Half-Metallic Ferromagnetism in La(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO(3)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wei, J. Y. T.; Yeh, N. C.; Vasquez, R. P.

1997-01-01

Direct experimental evidence of half-metallic density of states (DOS) is observed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy on ferromagnetic La(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO(3) which exhibits colossal magnetoresistance (SMR).

Differences in the half-lives of some mitochondrial rat liver enzymes may derive partially from hepatocyte heterogeneity.

PubMed

Vargas, J L; Roche, E; Knecht, E; Grisolía, S

1987-11-16

The different turnover rates of rat liver mitochondrial enzymes make autophagy unlikely to be the main mechanism for degradation of mitochondria. Although alternatives have been presented, hepatocyte heterogeneity has not been considered. Lighter hepatocytes isolated in a discontinuous Percoll gradient contain more glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) (half-life 1 day) and a more active autophagic system than heavier hepatocytes. The latter contain more carbamoyl phosphate synthase (CPS) and ornithine carbamoyl transferase (OTC) (half-lives 8 days) but less lysosomal activity. As expected, isolated autophagic vacuoles contain, relative to the mitochondrial content, 3-times less OTC and CPS than GDH, probably reflecting a faster lysosomal engulfment of mitochondria in the light hepatocytes (which contain more GDH). These data may explain some of the half-life differences of the enzymes studied.

76 FR 63341 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Dead Sea Scrolls...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7644] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the... exhibition ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times'' imported from abroad for temporary...

Half-Lives of Proton Emitters With a Deformed Density-Dependent Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Yi-Bin; Ren, Zhong-Zhou; Ni, Dong-Dong; Sheng, Zong-Qiang

2010-11-01

Half-lives of proton radioactivity are investigated with a deformed density-dependent model. The single folding potential which is dependent on deformation and orientation is employed to calculate the proton decay width through the deformed potential barrier. In addition, the spectroscopic factor is taken into account in the calculation, which is obtained in the relativistic mean field theory with NL3. The calculated results of semi-spherical nuclei are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data, and the results of well-deformed nuclei are also satisfactory. Moreover, a formula for the spherical proton emission half-life based on the Gamow quantum tunneling theory is presented.

A Measure of Maintenance Training/Qualification Readiness and Its Impact on Billet Life Cycle Coast.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

MAINTENANCE READINESS ESTIMATION---------------- 24 A. AVIATION TRAINING SUPPORT SYSTEM ---- 25 B. MAINTENANCE MATRIX UTILIZATION-------------- 27 C...nonexistent follow-on training programs. CRef. 13 The operation and maintenance o systems account for a major portion of system life cycle cost. Studies of... systems annual support costs show that manpower consistently consuwme over half of the funds appropriated for operation and maintenance of the system £Ref

Health-related quality of life measurement in oncology: advances and opportunities.

PubMed

Cella, David; Stone, Arthur A

2015-01-01

The concept of health-related quality of life has a long history in the field of oncology treatment and research. We present a brief history of how the concept has evolved in oncology and the sentinel events in that process. We then focus on advances in measurement science as applied to health-related quality of life measures and argue that a compelling new set of measurement tools is now available, including brief, generic measures with good psychometric qualities (exemplified by the new PROMIS measures and the possibility of a common metric spanning all diseases). The last section of the paper turns to emerging opportunities for these measures, including in clinical trials, healthcare reform, and regulatory deliberations. Our conclusion is that health-related quality of life is more important today than it has ever been, and that the time has come for an even wider adoption of the new measures. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

77 FR 64373 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Dead Sea Scrolls...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-19

... Determinations: ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times,'' Formerly Titled ``The Dead Sea Scrolls... the Department of State pertaining to the exhibition ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times.'' The referenced notice is corrected here to change the exhibition name to ``The Dead Sea...

78 FR 62354 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Dead Sea Scrolls...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-18

... Determinations: ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times'' Formerly Titled ``The Dead Sea Scrolls... Department of State pertaining to the exhibition ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times... of the Federal Register (volume 77, number 203) to change the exhibition name to ``The Dead Sea...

78 FR 24462 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition; Determinations: “The Dead Sea Scrolls...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-25

...; Determinations: ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times'' Formerly Titled ``The Dead Sea Scrolls... Department of State pertaining to the exhibition ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times... of the Federal Register (volume 77, number 203) to change the exhibition name to ``The Dead Sea...

78 FR 16565 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Dead Sea Scrolls...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-15

... Determinations: ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times'' Formerly Titled ``The Dead Sea Scrolls... Department of State pertaining to the exhibition ``The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times... of the Federal Register (volume 77, number 203) to change the exhibition name to ``The Dead Sea...

Cancer survivors exhibit a different relationship between muscle strength and health-related quality of life/fatigue compared to healthy subjects.

PubMed

Morishita, S; Tsubaki, A; Fu, J B; Mitobe, Y; Onishi, H; Tsuji, T

2018-05-16

We investigated the difference in relationship between muscle strength and quality of life (QOL)/fatigue in long-term cancer survivors and healthy subjects. Thirty-six cancer survivors and 29 healthy subjects were assessed for body composition and bone status at the calcaneus using the Osteo Sono Assessment Index. Muscle strength was evaluated via handgrip and knee extensor strength. Health-related QOL was assessed using the Medical Outcome Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. Fatigue was measured using the brief fatigue inventory. Cancer survivors exhibited lower QOL scores in the physical functioning, physical role function, bodily pain and general health domains (p < .05). Grip and knee extension muscle strength in cancer survivors was positively correlated with the physical function and bodily pain of QOL (p < .05). The usual fatigue subscale score was only significantly higher in cancer survivors than in healthy subjects (p < .05). However, there were no correlations between muscle strength and fatigue in cancer survivors. Our results showed that muscle strength was an important factor for improving QOL in cancer survivors. We believe that the findings of this study will be relevant in the context of planning rehabilitation for cancer survivors. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

From "Work-Family" to "Work-Life": Broadening Our Conceptualization and Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeney, Jessica; Boyd, Elizabeth M.; Sinha, Ruchi; Westring, Alyssa F.; Ryan, Ann Marie

2013-01-01

Despite frequent reference to "work-life" issues in the organizational literature, little theoretical or empirical attention has been paid to nonwork areas beyond family. The purpose of the research described here is to move beyond work-family conflict to a broader conceptualization and measurement of work interference with life. A measure of work…

Cross-cultural measurement invariance in the satisfaction with food-related life scale in older adults from two developing countries.

PubMed

Schnettler, Berta; Miranda-Zapata, Edgardo; Lobos, Germán; Lapo, María; Grunert, Klaus G; Adasme-Berríos, Cristian; Hueche, Clementina

2017-05-30

Nutrition is one of the major determinants of successful aging. The Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFL) scale measures a person's overall assessment regarding their food and eating habits. The SWFL scale has been used in older adult samples across different countries in Europe, Asia and America, however, there are no studies that have evaluated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the scale in older adult samples. Therefore, we evaluated the measurement invariance of the SWFL scale across older adults from Chile and Ecuador. Stratified random sampling was used to recruit a sample of older adults of both genders from Chile (mean age = 71.38, SD = 6.48, range = 60-92) and from Ecuador (mean age = 73.70, SD = 7.45, range = 60-101). Participants reported their levels of satisfaction with food-related life by completing the SWFL scale, which consists of five items grouped into a single dimension. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine cross-cultural measurement invariance of the SWFL scale. Results showed that the SWFL scale exhibited partial measurement invariance, with invariance of all factor loadings, invariance in all but one item's threshold (item 1) and invariance in all items' uniqueness (residuals), which leads us to conclude that there is a reasonable level of partial measurement invariance for the CFA model of the SWFL scale, when comparing the Chilean and Ecuadorian older adult samples. The lack of invariance in item 1 confirms previous studies with adults and emerging adults in Chile that suggest this item is culture-sensitive. We recommend revising the wording of the first item of the SWFL in order to relate the statement with the person's life. The SWFL scale shows partial measurement invariance across older adults from Chile and Ecuador. A 4-item version of the scale (excluding item 1) provides the basis for international comparisons of satisfaction with food-related life in older adults from developing

Life balance and well-being: testing a novel conceptual and measurement approach.

PubMed

Sheldon, Kennon M; Cummins, Robert; Kamble, Shanmukh

2010-08-01

Although a balanced life has always been viewed as desirable, there are problems with extant conceptualizations and measures of this construct. Here we introduce 2 new life-balance measures, based on time-use profiles, that address these problems. One defines life balance as objectively equitable time use across multiple life domains, and the other defines life balance as low subjective discrepancy between actual and ideal time-use profiles. Study 1 finds that both measures predict concurrent well-being, in both U.S. and Indian samples. Study 2 shows that fluctuations in balance predict fluctuations in well-being over a 3-week period. Study 3 replicates the Study 1 findings using a different time assessment technique, based on the Day Reconstruction Method. Study 4 assigns participants the month-long goal of enhancing their life balance, finding that those who achieve this goal enhance their well-being. In all 4 studies, the balance effects on well-being were mediated by psychological need satisfaction associated with balance.

{beta}-decay half-lives of new neutron-rich rare-earth isotopes {sup 159}Pm,{sup 162}Sm, and {sup 166}Gd

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

Ichikawa, S.; Asai, M.; Tsukada, K.

The new neutron-rich rare-earth isotopes {sup 159}Pm, {sup 162}Sm, and {sup 166}Gd produced in the proton-induced fission of {sup 238}U were identified using the JAERI on-line isotope separator (JAERI-ISOL) coupled to a gas-jet transport system. The half-lives of {sup 159}Pm, {sup 162}Sm, and {sup 166}Gd were determined to be 1.5 {+-} 0.2, 2.4 {+-} 0.5, and 4.8 {+-} 1.0 s respectively. The partial decay scheme of {sup 166}Gd was constructed from {gamma}{gamma}-coincidence data. A more accurate half-life value of 25.6 {+-} 2.2 s was obtained for the previously identified isotope {sup 166}Tb. The half-lives measured in the present study aremore » in good agreement with the theoretical predictions calculated by the second generation of the gross theory with the atomic masses evaluated by Audi and Wapstra.« less

Sex differences in science museum exhibit attraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arámbula Greenfield, Teresa

This study examines the relative attraction of hands-on, interactive science museum exhibits for females and males. Studies have demonstrated that such exhibits can be effective learning experiences for children, with both academic and affective benefits. Other studies have shown that girls and boys do not always experience the same science-related educational opportunities and that, even when they do, they do not necessarily receive the same benefits from them. These early differences can lead to more serious educational and professional disparities later in life. As interactive museum exhibits represent a science experience that is-readily available to both girls and boys, the question arose as to whether they were being used similarly by the two groups as well as by adult women and men. It was found that both girls and boys used all types of exhibits, but that girls were more likely than boys to use puzzles and exhibits focusing on the human body; boys were more likely than girls to use computers and exhibits illustrating physical science principles. However, this was less true of children accompanied by adults (parents) than it was of unaccompanied children on school field trips who roamed the museum more freely.Received: 16 February 1994; Revised: 3 February 1995;

Perceptions of Life Changes: An Alternate Measure of Aging through Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suggs, Patricia K.; Kivett, Vira R.

Retrospective strategies measuring perceived life changes over time can further the advancement of life span developmental research. Researchers have neglected the individual's perception of his/her life changes over time. This study attempts to determine discriminators of change over time as operationalized by perceptions of change. Subjects…

University of Maryland MRSEC - NanoFabulous Exhibit

Science.gov Websites

NanoFabulous, an exciting interactive museum exhibition designed to help children and their families understand we can engage children, the more likely they are to develop a life-long interest in STEM," says with Nano is to present nanoscience to children in a fun and engaging way that they can understand, and

Spontaneous formation and dynamics of half-skyrmions in a chiral liquid-crystal film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nych, Andriy; Fukuda, Jun-Ichi; Ognysta, Uliana; Žumer, Slobodan; Muševič, Igor

2017-12-01

Skyrmions are coreless vortex-like excitations emerging in diverse condensed-matter systems, and real-time observation of their dynamics is still challenging. Here we report the first direct optical observation of the spontaneous formation of half-skyrmions. In a thin film of a chiral liquid crystal, depending on experimental conditions including film thickness, they form a hexagonal lattice whose lattice constant is a few hundred nanometres, or appear as isolated entities with topological defects compensating their charge. These half-skyrmions exhibit intriguing dynamical behaviour driven by thermal fluctuations. Numerical calculations of real-space images successfully corroborate the experimental observations despite the challenge because of the characteristic scale of the structures close to the optical resolution limit. A thin film of a chiral liquid crystal thus offers an intriguing platform that facilitates a direct investigation of the dynamics of topological excitations such as half-skyrmions and their manipulation with optical techniques.

Measurement properties of adult quality-of-life measurement instruments for eczema: a systematic review.

PubMed

Heinl, D; Prinsen, C A C; Deckert, S; Chalmers, J R; Drucker, A M; Ofenloch, R; Humphreys, R; Sach, T; Chamlin, S L; Schmitt, J; Apfelbacher, C

2016-03-01

The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative has identified quality of life (QoL) as a core outcome domain to be evaluated in every eczema trial. It is unclear which of the existing QoL instruments is most appropriate for this domain. Thus, the aim of this review was to systematically assess the measurement properties of existing measurement instruments developed and/or validated for the measurement of QoL in adult eczema. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed and Embase identifying studies on measurement properties of adult eczema QoL instruments. For all eligible studies, we assessed the adequacy of the measurement properties and the methodological quality with the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. A best evidence synthesis summarizing findings from different studies was the basis to assign four degrees of recommendation (A-D). A total of 15 articles reporting on 17 instruments were included. No instrument fulfilled the criteria for category A. Six instruments were placed in category B, meaning that they have the potential to be recommended depending on the results of further validation studies. Three instruments had poor adequacy in at least one required adequacy criterion and were therefore put in category C. The remaining eight instruments were minimally validated and were thus placed in category D. Currently, no QoL instrument can be recommended for use in adult eczema. The Quality of Life Index for Atopic Dermatitis (QoLIAD) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) are recommended for further validation research. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measuring the returns to NASA life sciences research and development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertzfeld, Henry R.

1998-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has invested in R&D in the life sciences for forty years. The thrust of this investment has been directed toward the support of human beings in space flight and in space activities. There are many documented examples of beneficial services and products now used in everyday life and medical practice that can be traced to origins in the R&D of the space program. However, a framework for quantitatively documenting, characterizing, and analyzing these public benefits has eluded researchers. This paper will present the results of a pilot project that includes the development of a methodology for assessing the economic benefits from NASA life sciences R&D and for realistically evaluating the financial leverage that private companies which are either involved in NASA R&D or which have ``bootstrapped'' NASA R&D into commercial products have realized. The results will show that the NASA life sciences investments are more engineering oriented, and more typically show results in the fields of instrumentation and medical devices. This is substantially different in nature from the focus of the National Institutes of Health, which is organized around the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The appropriate measures of benefits for engineering-oriented products are economic parameters that focus on capital equipment. NIH benefits are more typically measured by human labor parameters, including the much more difficult to quantify measures of the quality and delivery of medical services. Although there is tremendous overlap in the goals and outputs of NASA life sciences and NIH investments, and NASA R&D is also very concerned with human beings and the quality of life, NIH is the overwhelming large source of life sciences R&D funds in the US. NASA has a special niche in life sciences R&D that supports the NASA mission as well as overall research issues in the life sciences. This paper evaluates the economic benefits of NASA's life

Lifetime Measurement of the 229Th nuclear isomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seiferle, Benedict; von der Wense, Lars; Thirolf, Peter G.

2017-01-01

The first excited isomeric state of 229Th possesses the lowest energy among all known excited nuclear states. The expected energy is accessible with today's laser technology and in principle allows for a direct optical laser excitation of the nucleus. The isomer decays via three channels to its ground state (internal conversion, γ decay, and bound internal conversion), whose strengths depend on the charge state of Thm229 . We report on the measurement of the internal-conversion decay half-life of neutral Thm229 . A half-life of 7 ±1 μ s has been measured, which is in the range of theoretical predictions and, based on the theoretically expected lifetime of ≈1 04 s of the photonic decay channel, gives further support for an internal conversion coefficient of ≈1 09, thus constraining the strength of a radiative branch in the presence of internal conversion.

High-order integral equation methods for problems of scattering by bumps and cavities on half-planes.

PubMed

Pérez-Arancibia, Carlos; Bruno, Oscar P

2014-08-01

This paper presents high-order integral equation methods for the evaluation of electromagnetic wave scattering by dielectric bumps and dielectric cavities on perfectly conducting or dielectric half-planes. In detail, the algorithms introduced in this paper apply to eight classical scattering problems, namely, scattering by a dielectric bump on a perfectly conducting or a dielectric half-plane, and scattering by a filled, overfilled, or void dielectric cavity on a perfectly conducting or a dielectric half-plane. In all cases field representations based on single-layer potentials for appropriately chosen Green functions are used. The numerical far fields and near fields exhibit excellent convergence as discretizations are refined-even at and around points where singular fields and infinite currents exist.

Development and validation of the Pediatric Stroke Quality of Life Measure.

PubMed

Fiume, Andrea; Deveber, Gabrielle; Jang, Shu-Hyun; Fuller, Colleen; Viner, Shani; Friefeld, Sharon

2018-06-01

To develop and validate a disease-specific parent proxy and child quality of life (QoL) measure for patients aged 2 to 18 years surviving cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) and arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS). Utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods, we developed a 75-item Pediatric Stroke Quality of Life Measure (PSQLM) questionnaire. We mailed the PSQLM and a standardized generic QoL measure, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), to 353 families. Stroke type, age at stroke, and neurological outcome on the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure were documented. We calculated the internal consistency, validity, and reliability of the PSQLM. The response rate was 29%, yielding a sample of 101 patients (mean age 9y 9mo [SD 4.30]; 69 AIS [68.3%], 32 CSVT [31.7%]). The internal consistency of the PSQLM was high (Cronbach's α=0.94-0.97). Construct validity for the PSQLM was moderately strong (r=0.3-0.4; p<0.003) and, as expected, correlation with the PedsQL was moderate, suggesting the PSQLM operationalizes QoL distinct from the PedsQL. Test-retest reliability at 2 weeks was very good (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.85-0.95; 95% confidence interval 0.83-0.97) and good agreement was established between parent and child report (ICC 0.63-0.76). The PSQLM demonstrates sound psychometric properties. Further research will seek to increase its clinical utility by reducing length and establishing responsiveness for descriptive and longitudinal evaluative assessment. A pediatric stroke-specific quality of life (QoL) measurement tool for assessments based on perceptions of importance and satisfaction. Moderate-to-high reliability and validity established for a new clinical scale evaluating QoL among children with stroke. Perceived QoL measured using the Pediatric Stroke Quality of Life Measure appears lower in children with neurological impairment. © 2018 Mac Keith Press.

Meeting the Institute of Medicine’s 2030 US Life Expectancy Target

PubMed Central

Kindig, David; Nobles, Jenna; Zidan, Moheb

2018-01-01

Objectives To quantify the improvement in US life expectancy required to reach parity with high-resource nations by 2030, to document historical precedent of this rate, and to discuss the plausibility of achieving this rate in the United States. Methods We performed a demographic analysis of secondary data in 5-year periods from 1985 to 2015. Results To achieve the United Nations projected mortality estimates for Western Europe in 2030, the US life expectancy must grow at 0.32% a year between 2016 and 2030. This rate has precedent, even in low-mortality populations. Over 204 country-periods examined, nearly half exhibited life-expectancy growth greater than 0.32%. Of the 51 US states observed, 8.2% of state-periods demonstrated life-expectancy growth that exceeded the 0.32% target. Conclusions Achieving necessary growth in life expectancy over the next 15 years despite historical precedent will be challenging. Much all-cause mortality is structured decades earlier and, at present, older-age mortality reductions in the United States are decelerating. Addressing mortality decline at all ages will require enhanced political will and a strong commitment to equity improvement in the US population. PMID:29161064

Assessing College Student-Athletes' Life Stress: Initial Measurement Development and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Frank Jing-Horng; Hsu, Ya-Wen; Chan, Yuan-Shuo; Cheen, Jang-Rong; Kao, Kuei-Tsu

2012-01-01

College student-athletes have unique life stress that warrants close attention. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid measurement assessing college student-athletes' life stress. In Study 1, a focus group discussion and Delphi method produced a questionnaire draft, termed the College Student-Athletes' Life Stress Scale. In…

Frictionless Contact of Multilayered Composite Half Planes Containing Layers With Complex Eigenvalues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Wang; Binienda, Wieslaw K.; Pindera, Marek-Jerzy

1997-01-01

A previously developed local-global stiffness matrix methodology for the response of a composite half plane, arbitrarily layered with isotropic, orthotropic or monoclinic plies, to indentation by a rigid parabolic punch is further extended to accommodate the presence of layers with complex eigenvalues (e.g., honeycomb or piezoelectric layers). First, a generalized plane deformation solution for the displacement field in an orthotropic layer or half plane characterized by complex eigenvalues is obtained using Fourier transforms. A local stiffness matrix in the transform domain is subsequently constructed for this class of layers and half planes, which is then assembled into a global stiffness matrix for the entire multilayered half plane by enforcing continuity conditions along the interfaces. Application of the mixed boundary condition on the top surface of the half plane indented by a rigid punch results in an integral equation for the unknown pressure in the contact region. The integral possesses a divergent kernel which is decomposed into Cauchy-type and regular parts using the asymptotic properties of the local stiffness matrix and a relationship between Fourier and finite Hilbert transform of the contact pressure. The solution of the resulting singular integral equation is obtained using a collocation technique based on the properties of orthogonal polynomials developed by Erdogan and Gupta. Examples are presented that illustrate the important influence of low transverse properties of layers with complex eigenvalues, such as those exhibited by honeycomb, on the load versus contact length response and contact pressure distributions for half planes containing typical composite materials.

Ba 0.4 Rb 0.6 Mn 2 As 2 : A prototype half-metallic ferromagnet

DOE PAGES

Pandey, Abhishek; Johnston, D. C.

2015-11-02

Half-metallic ferromagnetism (FM) in single-crystal Ba 0.39(1)Rb 0.61(1)Mn 2As 2 below its Curie temperature T C = 103(2) K is reported. The magnetization M versus applied magnetic field H isotherm data at 1.8 K show complete polarization of the itinerant doped-hole magnetic moments that are introduced by substituting Rb for Ba. Here, the material exhibits extremely soft FM, with unobservably small remanent magnetization and coercive field. Surprisingly, and contrary to typical itinerant FMs, the M(H) data follow the Arrott-plot paradigm that is based on a mean-field theory of local-moment FMs. The in-plane electrical resistivity data are fitted well by anmore » activated-T 2 expression for T ≤ T C, whereas the data sharply deviate from this model for T > T C. Hence the activated-T 2 resistivity model is an excellent diagnostic for determining the onset of half-metallic FM in this compound, which in turn demonstrates the presence of a strong correlation between the electronic transport and magnetic properties of the material. Together with previous data on 40% hole-doped Ba 0.6K 0.4Mn 2As 2, these measurements establish 61%-doped Ba 0.39Rb 0.61Mn 2As 2 as a prototype for a class of half-metallic ferromagnets in which all the itinerant carriers in the material are ferromagnetic.« less

Measuring the Resilience of Advanced Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, Ann Maria; Dearden, Richard; Levri, Julie A.

2002-01-01

Despite the central importance of crew safety in designing and operating a life support system, the metric commonly used to evaluate alternative Advanced Life Support (ALS) technologies does not currently provide explicit techniques for measuring safety. The resilience of a system, or the system s ability to meet performance requirements and recover from component-level faults, is fundamentally a dynamic property. This paper motivates the use of computer models as a tool to understand and improve system resilience throughout the design process. Extensive simulation of a hybrid computational model of a water revitalization subsystem (WRS) with probabilistic, component-level faults provides data about off-nominal behavior of the system. The data can then be used to test alternative measures of resilience as predictors of the system s ability to recover from component-level faults. A novel approach to measuring system resilience using a Markov chain model of performance data is also developed. Results emphasize that resilience depends on the complex interaction of faults, controls, and system dynamics, rather than on simple fault probabilities.

Subjective Quality of Life Measures for Evaluating Medical Intervention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCauley, Clark; Bremer, Barbara A.

1991-01-01

Evidence indicates that subjective quality-of-life scales developed by N. M. Bradburn (1969) and by A. Campbell, P. Converse, and W. Rodgers (1976) can be as sensitive as physiological measures in distinguishing among medical treatment groups. These scales can complement more objective measures of patient status. (SLD)

Otolith oxygen isotopes measured by high-precision secondary ion mass spectrometry reflect life history of a yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera).

PubMed

Matta, Mary Elizabeth; Orland, Ian J; Ushikubo, Takayuki; Helser, Thomas E; Black, Bryan A; Valley, John W

2013-03-30

The oxygen isotope ratio (δ(18)O value) of aragonite fish otoliths is dependent on the temperature and the δ(18)O value of the ambient water and can thus reflect the environmental history of a fish. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) offers a spatial-resolution advantage over conventional acid-digestion techniques for stable isotope analysis of otoliths, especially given their compact nature. High-precision otolith δ(18)O analysis was conducted with an IMS-1280 ion microprobe to investigate the life history of a yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), a Bering Sea species known to migrate ontogenetically. The otolith was cut transversely through its core and one half was roasted to eliminate organic contaminants. Values of δ(18)O were measured in 10-µm spots along three transects (two in the roasted half, one in the unroasted half) from the core toward the edge. Otolith annual growth zones were dated using the dendrochronology technique of crossdating. Measured values of δ(18)O ranged from 29.0 to 34.1‰ (relative to Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water). Ontogenetic migration from shallow to deeper waters was reflected in generally increasing δ(18)O values from age-0 to approximately age-7 and subsequent stabilization after the expected onset of maturity at age-7. Cyclical variations of δ(18)O values within juvenile otolith growth zones, up to 3.9‰ in magnitude, were caused by a combination of seasonal changes in the temperature and the δ(18)O value of the ambient water. The ion microprobe produced a high-precision and high-resolution record of the relative environmental conditions experienced by a yellowfin sole that was consistent with population-level studies of ontogeny. Furthermore, this study represents the first time that crossdating has been used to ensure the dating accuracy of δ(18)O measurements in otoliths. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effects of prolonged running on foot posture: a repeated measures study of half marathon runners using the foot posture index and navicular height

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Different foot postures are associated with alterations in foot function, kinetics and the subsequent occurrence of injury. Little is known about changes in foot posture following prolonged weightbearing exercise. This study aimed to identify changes in foot posture after running a half marathon. Methods Foot posture was measured using the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6) and navicular height in thirty volunteer participants before and after running a half marathon. FPI-6 scores were converted to Rasch logit values and means compared for these and navicular height using an ANOVA. Results There was a 5 mm drop in navicular height in both feet when measured after the half marathon (P < 0.05). The FPI-6 showed a side x time interaction with an increase in score indicating a more ‘pronated’ position in the left foot of + 2 [Rasch value + 1.7] but no change in the right foot (+ 0.4 [+ 0.76]) following the half marathon. Conclusion The apparent differences between the FPI-6 and navicular height on the right foot may be because the FPI-6 takes soft tissue contour changes into consideration whilst the navicular height focuses on skeletal changes. The changes in foot posture towards a more pronated position may have implications for foot function, and therefore risk of injury; shoe fit and comfort and also the effect of therapeutic orthoses worn during prolonged running. PMID:23705863

Life Goals in Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Hullmann, Stephanie E.; Robb, Sheri L.; Rand, Kevin L.

2015-01-01

Objective Purposes of this systematic review of life goal research in cancer patients were to: 1) identify life goal characteristics and processes being examined, 2) describe instruments used to assess life goal constructs, 3) identify theoretical models being used to guide research, and 4) summarize what is known about the impact of the cancer experience on life goal characteristics, processes, and psychological outcomes. Methods We conducted this systematic review using MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases. Inclusion criteria were: 1) published between 1993 and 2014, 2) English language, 3) cancer patient population, and 4) original research articles that assessed life goal characteristics and/or goal processes. One-hundred ninety-seven articles were screened and 27 included in the final review. Results Seven life goal characteristics and seven life goal processes were identified, and less than half of studies investigated associations between goal characteristics and processes. Conceptual definitions were not provided for about half of the identified life goal constructs. Studies used both validated and author-developed instruments to assess goal constructs. Twenty-four different theoretical models were identified, with self-regulation theory most frequently cited. Overall, the literature suggests that cancer impacts patients’ life goal characteristics and processes, and life goal disturbance is related to poorer psychological outcomes. Conclusions The impact of the cancer experience on life goals is an important and emerging area of research that would benefit from conceptual and theoretical clarity and measurement consistency. PMID:25990641

Looking East at BottomHalf of Reactor Number One and TopHalf ...

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

Looking East at Bottom-Half of Reactor Number One and Top-Half of Reactor Number 2 Including Weigh Hopper on Third Floor of Oxide Building - Hematite Fuel Fabrication Facility, Oxide Building & Oxide Loading Dock, 3300 State Road P, Festus, Jefferson County, MO

'Just give me the best quality of life questionnaire': the Karnofsky scale and the history of quality of life measurements in cancer trials.

PubMed

Timmermann, Carsten

2013-09-01

To use the history of the Karnofsky Performance Scale as a case study illustrating the emergence of interest in the measurement and standardisation of quality of life; to understand the origins of current-day practices. Articles referring to the Karnofsky scale and quality of life measurements published from the 1940s to the 1990s were identified by searching databases and screening journals, and analysed using close-reading techniques. Secondary literature was consulted to understand the context in which articles were written. The Karnofsky scale was devised for a different purpose than measuring quality of life: as a standardisation device that helped quantify effects of chemotherapeutic agents less easily measurable than survival time. Interest in measuring quality of life only emerged around 1970. When quality of life measurements were increasingly widely discussed in the medical press from the late 1970s onwards, a consensus emerged that the Karnofsky scale was not a very good tool. More sophisticated approaches were developed, but Karnofsky continued to be used. I argue that the scale provided a quick and simple, approximate assessment of the 'soft' effects of treatment by physicians, overlapping but not identical with quality of life.

Ultra-low magnetic damping in metallic and half-metallic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, Justin

The phenomenology of magnetic damping is of critical importance to devices which seek to exploit the electronic spin degree of freedom since damping strongly affects the energy required and speed at which a device can operate. However, theory has struggled to quantitatively predict the damping, even in common ferromagnetic materials. This presents a challenge for a broad range of applications in magnonics, spintronics and spin-orbitronics that depend on the ability to precisely control the damping of a material. I will discuss our recent work to precisely measure the intrinsic damping in several metallic and half-metallic material systems and compare experiment with several theoretical models. This investigation uncovered a metallic material composed of Co and Fe that exhibit ultra-low values of damping that approach values found in thin film YIG. Such ultra-low damping is unexpected in a metal since magnon-electron scattering dominates the damping in conductors. However, this system possesses a distinctive feature in the bandstructure that minimizes the density of states at the Fermi energy n(EF). These findings provide the theoretical framework by which such ultra-low damping can be achieved in metallic ferromagnets and may enable a new class of experiments where ultra-low damping can be combined with a charge current. Half-metallic Heusler compounds by definition have a bandgap in one of the spin channels at the Fermi energy. This feature can also lead to exceptionally low values of the damping parameter. Our results show a strong correlation of the damping with the order parameter in Co2MnGe. Finally, I will provide an overview of the recent advances in achieving low damping in thin film Heusler compounds.

Measuring End-of-Life Care Processes in Nursing Homes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temkin-Greener, Helena; Zheng, Nan; Norton, Sally A.; Quill, Timothy; Ladwig, Susan; Veazie, Peter

2009-01-01

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to develop measures of end-of-life (EOL) care processes in nursing homes and to validate the instrument for measuring them. Design and Methods: A survey of directors of nursing was conducted in 608 eligible nursing homes in New York State. Responses were obtained from 313 (51.5% response rate) facilities.…

Skin Friction Measurements at a Mach Number of Three and Momentum Thickness Reynolds Numbers Up to a Half Million.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-01

k ADAOGZ 826 ~~~~~~~~~AIR FORCE FLIGHT DNMC A RGTPTESNABO / / I SKIN FRICTION MEASUREMENTS AT A MACH NUMBER OF THREE AND MOMENT--ETCIU) UNCASSFIE...AT A MACH NUMBER OF THREE AND MOMENTUM THICKNESS REYNOLDS NUMEERS UP TO A HALF MILLION Anthony W. Fiore Aeromechanics Division DTIC September 1980...NOR(&) S. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER (s) 9. PER ORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS PROR UNT N WU Flight Dynamics Laboratory (AFWAL/FIMG)RA; WOKUNTU

The effects of lacosamide on cognition, quality-of-life measures, and quality of life in patients with refractory partial epilepsy.

PubMed

Lancman, Marcelo E; Fertig, Evan J; Trobliger, Robert W; Perrine, Kenneth; Myers, Lorna; Iyengar, Sloka S; Malik, Munazza

2016-08-01

The objective of this study was to examine cognitive and quality-of-life measures/quality of life outcomes with adjunctive lacosamide therapy in patients with treatment-resistant partial epilepsy. This was a prospective, open-label, nonblinded, adjunctive therapy test-retest (within subjects) study of patients with treatment-resistant partial epilepsy in which outcome (cognitive functioning and mood/quality of life) was measured in the same subject before and after adjunctive lacosamide administration for 24weeks. The cognitive assessment included the following: Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Buschke Selective Reminding Test, Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised, Stroop Color Word Test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Digit Span, Digit Cancellation, and Trails A and B. The quality-of-life measures/quality-of-life assessment included the following: Beck Depression Inventory-II, Profile of Mood States, and Quality of Life Inventory-89. Lacosamide was started at 100mg (50mg twice daily) and could be titrated as needed up to 400mg/day (200mg twice daily). Baseline concomitant AEDs were kept constant. Composite scores were calculated for a pre-post difference score for the cognitive and mood/quality-of-life measures separately and used in regression analyses to correct for the effects of age, education, seizure frequency, seizure severity, dose of lacosamide, and number of AEDs at baseline. Thirty-four patients were enrolled (13 males, 21 females). Mean age was 38.8±2.43years. Mean seizure frequency decreased significantly from 2.0±2.55 seizures per week at baseline to 1.02±1.72 seizures per week at posttreatment (t=4.59, p<.0001) with a 50% responder rate seen in 18 patients (52.9%). No significant differences were found on the composite scores of the cognitive or the mood/quality-of-life measures after 6months of lacosamide. Lacosamide appeared to have low risks of significant changes in cognition or mood/quality of life. In addition, the present study

Measuring the quality of life of the elderly in health promotion intervention clinical trials.

PubMed Central

Kutner, N G; Ory, M G; Baker, D I; Schechtman, K B; Hornbrook, M C; Mulrow, C D

1992-01-01

The Multicenter Trials of Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques (FICSIT) is a series of clinical trials of biomedical, behavioral, and environmental interventions to reduce the risks of frailty and injury among the elderly. Reliable assessment of the quality of life reported by the subjects is a central issue in evaluating the interventions. An intervention may have a significant impact on an elderly person's sense of well-being, even though significant improvement is not observed in selected physical outcome measures. Elderly persons' compliance with particular intervention regimens may be influenced by the quality of life effects that they perceive in relation to the intervention. The researchers review the definition and measurement of quality of life in the trials, with particular attention to issues in determining common measures used at all study locations. Practical considerations in the selection and use of quality of life measures in both community and institutional populations are addressed. Topics discussed include the interrelation of aging, functional capacities, and quality of life; the multi-dimensionality of quality of life in relation to differential intervention effects; and age-related issues in the collection of quality of life data. Preliminary observations are reviewed, and potential contributions of FICSIT to intervention-sensitive quality of life assessments among the elderly are noted. PMID:1410233

Criterion-Referenced Measurement: Half a Century Wasted?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popham, W. James

2014-01-01

Fifty years ago, Robert Glaser introduced the concept of criterion-referenced measurement in an article in American Psychologist. Its early proponents predicted that this measurement strategy would revolutionize education. But has it lived up to its promise? W. James Popham explores this question by looking at the history of criterion-referenced…

Fourfold symmetric anisotropic magnetoresistance in half-metallic Co2MnSi Heusler alloy thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oogane, Mikihiko; McFadden, Anthony P.; Kota, Yohei; Brown-Heft, Tobias L.; Tsunoda, Masakiyo; Ando, Yasuo; Palmstrøm, Chris J.

2018-06-01

In this study, we systematically investigated the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) effect in half-metallic Co2MnSi Heusler alloy films epitaxially grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The fourfold symmetric AMR was observed in the temperature range of 25–275 K. In addition, the films exhibited a marked change in twofold symmetric AMR below 100 K. This specific temperature dependence of the AMR effect in Co2MnSi films can be caused by the tetragonal crystal field because of the distortion of the lattice at low temperatures. The influence of tetragonal distortion on both the AMR effect and half-metallicity is also discussed by first-principles calculations.

The exploration of the exhibition informatization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jiankang

2017-06-01

The construction and management of exhibition informatization is the main task and choke point during the process of Chinese exhibition industry’s transformation and promotion. There are three key points expected to realize a breakthrough during the construction of Chinese exhibition informatization, and the three aspects respectively are adopting service outsourcing to construct and maintain the database, adopting advanced chest card technology to collect various kinds of information, developing statistics analysis to maintain good cutomer relations. The success of Chinese exhibition informatization mainly calls for mature suppliers who can provide construction and maintenance of database, the proven technology, a sense of data security, advanced chest card technology, the ability of data mining and analysis and the ability to improve the exhibition service basing on the commercial information got from the data analysis. Several data security measures are expected to apply during the process of system developing, including the measures of the terminal data security, the internet data security, the media data security, the storage data security and the application data security. The informatization of this process is based on the chest card designing. At present, there are several types of chest card technology: bar code chest card; two-dimension code card; magnetic stripe chest card; smart-chip chest card. The information got from the exhibition data will help the organizers to make relevant service strategies, quantify the accumulated indexes of the customers, and improve the level of the customer’s satisfaction and loyalty, what’s more, the information can also provide more additional services like the commercial trips, VIP ceremonial reception.

Influence of ethacrynic acid on glutathione S-transferase pi transcript and protein half-lives in human colon cancer cells.

PubMed

Shen, H; Ranganathan, S; Kuzmich, S; Tew, K D

1995-10-12

Ethacrynic acid (EA) is a plant phenolic acid that is both an inhibitor and an inducer of glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. To determine contributory factors in the increased GST activity caused by EA treatment, human colon carcinoma HT29 cells were compared with a cloned EA-resistant population (HT6-8) maintained in medium containing 72 microM EA. Several factors are involved in the increased expression of GST pi in HT6-8. For example, nuclear run-on experiments showed an approximately 2-fold increase in the rate of transcription of GST pi. In addition, the half-life of GST pi transcript was increased from 4.1 (wild type, HT29, HT4-1) to 8.4 hr. The half-life of GST pi protein was 1-2 hr in HT4-1 cells versus 8-9 hr in HT6-8 cells. When either human ovarian carcinoma cells (SKOV3) or human prostatic carcinoma cells (DU145) were treated with EA, the half-life of the GST pi transcript was also increased. The transcript half-lives of another thiol-metabolism enzyme, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS), and a phase II detoxification enzyme, dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (DDH), were also increased in HT6-8, SKOV3 and DU145 cells treated with EA. However, the half-lives of transcripts from "housekeeping genes," such as glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), beta-actin and beta-tubulin, were not changed in these cell lines following EA. Apparently, a number of coordinated factors are involved in EA-enhanced expression of GST pi and other detoxification enzymes.

Quality of Life: Meaning, Measurement, and Models

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

self - esteem has been found to be one of the strongest predictors of SQL (Dicner, 1984) and well-being scales covary strongly with the Rosenberg Self ...compared to a .51 for the Campbell et al. (1976) Index of Well-Being and .32 for the Cantril (1965) self -anchoring ladder scale . Andrews and Withey...1976) assessed test-retest reliability of their global life measure on the Delighted-Terrible scale

Treating Chronically Ill Diabetic Patients with Limited Life Expectancy: Implications for Performance Measurement

PubMed Central

Woodard, LeChauncy D.; Landrum, Cassie R.; Urech, Tracy H.; Profit, Jochen; Virani, Salim S.; Petersen, Laura A.

2012-01-01

Background/Objectives To validly assess quality-of-care differences among providers, performance measurement programs must reliably identify and exclude patients for whom the quality indicator may not be desirable, including those with limited life expectancy. We developed an algorithm to identify patients with limited life expectancy and examined the impact of limited life expectancy on glycemic control and treatment intensification among diabetic patients. Design We identified diabetic patients with coexisting congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, end-stage liver disease, and/or primary/metastatic cancers with limited life expectancy. To validate our algorithm, we assessed 5-year mortality among patients identified as having limited life expectancy. We compared rates of meeting performance measures for glycemic control between patients with and without limited life expectancy. Among uncontrolled patients, we examined the impact of limited life expectancy on treatment intensification within 90 days. Setting 110 Veterans Administration facilities; October 2006 – September 2007 Participants 888,628 diabetic patients Measurements Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) <9%; treatment intensification within 90 days Results 29,016 (3%) patients had limited life expectancy. Adjusting for age, 5-year mortality was 5 times higher among patients with limited life expectancy than those without. Patients with limited life expectancy had poorer glycemic control (77.1% vs. 78.1%) and less frequent treatment intensification (20.9% vs. 28.6%) than patients without, even after controlling for patient-level characteristics (odds ratio [OR]=0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.81-0.86 and OR=0.71; 95% CI=0.67-0.76, respectively). Conclusion Patients with limited life expectancy were slightly, but significantly less likely than those without to have HbA1c levels controlled and to receive treatment intensification, suggesting that providers treat these patients

Structural Basis of Conserved Cysteine in the Fibroblast Growth Factor Family: Evidence for a Vestigial Half-Cystine

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

Lee, Jihun; Blaber, Michael; FSU)

2010-11-09

The 22 members of the mouse/human fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of proteins contain a conserved cysteine residue at position 83 (numbering scheme of the 140-residue form of FGF-1). Sequence and structure information suggests that this position is a free cysteine in 16 members and participates as a half-cystine in at least 3 (and perhaps as many as 6) other members. While a structural role as a half-cystine provides a stability basis for possible selective pressure, it is less clear why this residue is conserved as a free cysteine (although free buried thiols can limit protein functional half-life). To probemore » the structural role of the free cysteine at position 83 in FGF-1, we constructed Ala, Ser, Thr, Val, and Ile mutations and determined their effects on structure and stability. These results show that position 83 in FGF-1 is thermodynamically optimized to accept a free cysteine. A second cysteine mutation was introduced into wild-type FGF-1 at adjacent position Ala66, which is known to participate as a half-cystine with position 83 in FGF-8, FGF-19, and FGF-23. Results show that, unlike position 83, a free cysteine at position 66 destabilizes FGF-1; however, upon oxidation, a near-optimal disulfide bond is formed between Cys66 and Cys83, resulting in {approx} 14 kJ/mol of increased thermostability. Thus, while the conserved free cysteine at position 83 in the majority of the FGF proteins may have a principal role in limiting functional half-life, evidence suggests that it is a vestigial half-cystine.« less

The assessment and measurement of adult life stress: Basic premises, operational principles, and design requirements.

PubMed

Harkness, Kate L; Monroe, Scott M

2016-07-01

Life stress is a central factor in the onset and course of a wide range of medical and psychiatric conditions. Determining the precise etiological and pathological consequences of stress, though, has been hindered by weaknesses in prevailing definitional and measurement practices. The purpose of the current paper is to evaluate the primary strategies for defining and measuring major and minor acute life events, chronic stressors, and daily hassles as informed by 3 basic scientific premises. The first premise concerns the manner in which stress is conceptualized and operationally defined, and specifically we assert that stress measures must not conflate the stress exposure with the stress response. The second premise concerns how stress exposures are measured, and we provide guidelines for optimizing standardized and sensitive indicators of life stress. The third premise addresses the consequences of variations in the procedures for life event measurement with regard to the validity of the research designs employed. We show that life stress measures are susceptible to several sources of bias, and if these potential sources of bias are not controlled in the design of the research, spurious findings may result. Our goal is to provide a useful guide for researchers who consider life stress to be an important factor in their theoretical models of disease, wish to incorporate measures of life stress in their research, and seek to avoid the common pitfalls of past measurement practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

7 CFR 51.2295 - Half kernel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Half kernel. 51.2295 Section 51.2295 Agriculture... Standards for Shelled English Walnuts (Juglans Regia) Definitions § 51.2295 Half kernel. Half kernel means the separated half of a kernel with not more than one-eighth broken off. ...

Capillary reference half-cell

DOEpatents

Hall, Stephen H.

1996-01-01

The present invention is a reference half-cell electrode wherein intermingling of test fluid with reference fluid does not affect the performance of the reference half-cell over a long time. This intermingling reference half-cell may be used as a single or double junction submersible or surface reference electrode. The intermingling reference half-cell relies on a capillary tube having a first end open to reference fluid and a second end open to test fluid wherein the small diameter of the capillary tube limits free motion of fluid within the capillary to diffusion. The electrode is placed near the first end of the capillary in contact with the reference fluid. The method of operation of the present invention begins with filling the capillary tube with a reference solution. After closing the first end of the capillary, the capillary tube may be fully submerged or partially submerged with the second open end inserted into test fluid. Since the electrode is placed near the first end of the capillary, and since the test fluid may intermingle with the reference fluid through the second open end only by diffusion, this intermingling capillary reference half-cell provides a stable voltage potential for long time periods.

Capillary reference half-cell

DOEpatents

Hall, S.H.

1996-02-13

The present invention is a reference half-cell electrode wherein intermingling of test fluid with reference fluid does not affect the performance of the reference half-cell over a long time. This intermingling reference half-cell may be used as a single or double junction submersible or surface reference electrode. The intermingling reference half-cell relies on a capillary tube having a first end open to reference fluid and a second end open to test fluid wherein the small diameter of the capillary tube limits free motion of fluid within the capillary to diffusion. The electrode is placed near the first end of the capillary in contact with the reference fluid. The method of operation of the present invention begins with filling the capillary tube with a reference solution. After closing the first end of the capillary, the capillary tube may be fully submerged or partially submerged with the second open end inserted into test fluid. Since the electrode is placed near the first end of the capillary, and since the test fluid may intermingle with the reference fluid through the second open end only by diffusion, this intermingling capillary reference half-cell provides a stable voltage potential for long time periods. 11 figs.

Measuring quality of life in evaluating clinical interventions: an overview.

PubMed

Kind, P

2001-07-01

Health professionals provide care with some purpose in mind. It is reasonable to assume that they are therefore interested in observing and measuring health outcomes. In the recent past, it has become fashionable to describe health outcomes in terms of their impact on 'quality of life', a widely used term that is usually left undefined. Measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are now in common usage in clinical studies. The construction of both generic and condition-specific measures of HRQoL relies heavily on the choice of descriptive domains, a process that often reflects the personal values of the developer of the instrument. Subjective valuation is a recurring phenomenon in the construction and application of HRQoL measures. These values should not be restricted to the private judgement of the clinician alone. The challenge for those evaluating clinical interventions is to make such values explicit and to extend the franchise to society as a whole.

Experiments and Cycling at the LHC Prototype Half-Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saban, R.; Casas-Cubillos, J.; Coull, L.; Cruikshank, P.; Dahlerup-Petersen, K.; Hilbert, B.; Krainz, G.; Kos, N.; Lebrun, P.; Momal, F.; Misiaen, D.; Parma, V.; Poncet, A.; Riddone, G.; Rijllart, A.; Rodriguez-Mateos, F.; Schmidt, R.; Serio, L.; Wallen, E.; van Weelderen, R.; Williams, L. R.

1997-05-01

The first version of the LHC prototype half-cell has been in operation since February 1995. It consists of one quadrupole and three 10-m twin aperture dipole magnets which operate at 1.8 K. This experimental set-up has been used to observe and study phenomena which appear when the systems are assembled in one unit and influence one another. The 18-month long experimental program has validated the cryogenic system and yielded a number of results on cryogenic instrumentation, magnet protection and vacuum in particular under non-standard operating conditions. The program was recently complemented by the cycling experiment: it consisted in powering the magnets following the ramp rates which will be experienced by the magnets during an LHC injection. In order to simulate 10 years of routine operation of LHC, more than 2000 1-hour cycles were performed interleaved with provoked quenches. The objective of this experiment was to reveal eventual flaws in the design of components. The prototype half-cell performed to expectations showing no sign of failure of fatigue of components for more than 2000 cycles until one of the dipoles started exhibiting an erratic quench behavior.

Improvement in health-related quality of life in patients with haemophilia B treated with nonacog beta pegol, a new extended half-life recombinant FIX product.

PubMed

Chowdary, P; Kearney, S; Regnault, A; Hoxer, C S; Yee, D L

2016-07-01

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals with haemophilia has greatly improved with the use of factor replacement and routine prophylaxis. To explore the HRQoL of individuals with haemophilia B treated with nonacog beta pegol, an extended half-life recombinant factor IX, in a single-blind, randomized multinational phase III pivotal trial (paradigm(™) 2) and its open-label extension (paradigm(™) 4). In the pivotal trial, adolescents and adults with haemophilia B were allocated to 28-week on-demand treatment or randomized to 52 weeks of prophylaxis with 10 or 40 IU kg(-1) nonacog beta pegol administered every seven days. In the extension trial, patients could continue on the same treatment or switch to the alternate dosing regimen at any time. HRQoL was assessed with the HAEMO-QOL/HAEM-A-QOL age-specific questionnaires and the EQ-5D. In the pivotal trial, adults receiving 40 IU kg(-1) prophylaxis reported significant improvements in the 'HAEM-A-QOL Total' score (-6.4 ± 8.5, P = 0.017) and in 'Sport' (-15.3 ± 8.5, P = 0.020), 'Feeling' (-15.2 ± 18.3, P = 0.010) and 'Partnership' (-9.6 ± 15.5, P = 0.046) domain scores; no significant improvements were seen in the other arms. At the pivotal trial end, fewer patients reported problems in the EQ-5D 'Mobility' and 'Pain/Discomfort' dimensions, in particular those receiving prophylaxis. In the extension trial, adult patients switching from 10 to 40 IU kg(-1) prophylaxis showed significant improvements in 'HAEM-A-QOL Total' score (-12.5 ± 8.7, P = 0.016) and 'Physical health' domain (-23.1 ± 14.4, P = 0.016). Prophylactic treatment with nonacog beta pegol 40 IU kg(-1) once weekly leads to HRQoL benefits in individuals with haemophilia B; this might be related to fewer bleeding episodes and higher FIX activity levels. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Visual Half-Field Experiments Are a Good Measure of Cerebral Language Dominance if Used Properly: Evidence from fMRI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Zoe R.; Brysbaert, Marc

2008-01-01

Traditional neuropsychology employs visual half-field (VHF) experiments to assess cerebral language dominance. This approach is based on the assumption that left cerebral dominance for language leads to faster and more accurate recognition of words in the right visual half-field (RVF) than in the left visual half-field (LVF) during tachistoscopic…

Life, the universe, and everything: an education outreach proposal to build a traveling astrobiology exhibit.

PubMed

Barge, Laura M; Pulschen, André A; Emygdio, Ana Paula Mendes; Congreve, Curtis; Kishimoto, Darío E; Bendia, Amanda G; de Morais M Teles, Antonio; DeMarines, Julia; Stoupin, Daniel

2013-03-01

Astrobiology is a transdisciplinary field with extraordinary potential for the scientific community. As such, it is important to educate the community at large about the growing importance of this field to increase awareness and scientific content learning and expose potential future scientists. To this end, we propose the creation of a traveling museum exhibit that focuses exclusively on astrobiology and utilizes modern museum exhibit technology and design. This exhibit (the "Astrobiology Road Show"), organized and evaluated by an international group of astrobiology students and postdocs, is planned to tour throughout the Americas.

Degradation and half-life of DNA present in biomass from a genetically-modified organism during land application.

PubMed

Halter, Mathew C; Zahn, James A

2017-02-01

White biotechnology has made a positive impact on the chemical industry by providing safer, more efficient chemical manufacturing processes that have reduced the use of toxic chemicals, harsh reaction conditions, and expensive metal catalysts, which has improved alignment with the principles of Green Chemistry. The genetically-modified (GM) biocatalysts that are utilized in these processes are typically separated from high-value products and then recycled, or eliminated. Elimination routes include disposal in sanitary landfills, incineration, use as a fuel, animal feed, or reuse as an agricultural soil amendment or other value-added products. Elimination routes that have the potential to impact the food chain or environment have been more heavily scrutinized for the fate and persistence of biological products. In this study, we developed and optimized a method for monitoring the degradation of strain-specific DNA markers from a genetically-modified organism (GMO) used for the commercial production of 1,3-propanediol. Laboratory and field tests showed that a marker for heterologous DNA in the GM organism was no longer detectable by end-point polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after 14 days. The half-life of heterologous DNA was increased by 17% (from 42.4 to 49.7 h) after sterilization of the soil from a field plot, which indicated that abiotic factors were important in degradation of DNA under field conditions. There was no evidence for horizontal transfer of DNA target sequences from the GMO to viable organisms present in the soil.

Effects of Ga substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of half metallic Fe2MnSi Heusler compound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedro, S. S.; Caraballo Vivas, R. J.; Andrade, V. M.; Cruz, C.; Paixão, L. S.; Contreras, C.; Costa-Soares, T.; Caldeira, L.; Coelho, A. A.; Carvalho, A. Magnus G.; Rocco, D. L.; Reis, M. S.

2015-01-01

The so-called half-metallic magnets have been proposed as good candidates for spintronic applications due to the feature of exhibiting a hundred percent spin polarization at the Fermi level. Such materials follow the Slater-Pauling rule, which relates the magnetic moment with the valence electrons in the system. In this paper, we study the bulk polycrystalline half-metallic Fe2MnSi Heusler compound replacing Si by Ga to determine how the Ga addition changes the magnetic, the structural, and the half-metal properties of this compound. The material does not follow the Slater-Pauling rule, probably due to a minor structural disorder degree in the system, but a linear dependence on the magnetic transition temperature with the valence electron number points to the half-metallic behavior of this compound.

Intrathoracic airway measurement: ex-vivo validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinhardt, Joseph M.; Raab, Stephen A.; D'Souza, Neil D.; Hoffman, Eric A.

1997-05-01

High-resolution x-ray CT (HRCT) provides detailed images of the lungs and bronchial tree. HRCT-based imaging and quantitation of peripheral bronchial airway geometry provides a valuable tool for assessing regional airway physiology. Such measurements have been sued to address physiological questions related to the mechanics of airway collapse in sleep apnea, the measurement of airway response to broncho-constriction agents, and to evaluate and track the progression of disease affecting the airways, such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. Significant attention has been paid to the measurements of extra- and intra-thoracic airways in 2D sections from volumetric x-ray CT. A variety of manual and semi-automatic techniques have been proposed for airway geometry measurement, including the use of standardized display window and level settings for caliper measurements, methods based on manual or semi-automatic border tracing, and more objective, quantitative approaches such as the use of the 'half-max' criteria. A recently proposed measurements technique uses a model-based deconvolution to estimate the location of the inner and outer airway walls. Validation using a plexiglass phantom indicates that the model-based method is more accurate than the half-max approach for thin-walled structures. In vivo validation of these airway measurement techniques is difficult because of the problems in identifying a reliable measurement 'gold standard.' In this paper we report on ex vivo validation of the half-max and model-based methods using an excised pig lung. The lung is sliced into thin sections of tissue and scanned using an electron beam CT scanner. Airways of interest are measured from the CT images, and also measured with using a microscope and micrometer to obtain a measurement gold standard. The result show no significant difference between the model-based measurements and the gold standard; while the half-max estimates exhibited a measurement bias and were significantly

[Measuring life satisfaction in children and adolescents--psychometric properties of the "Questions on Life Satisfaction" FLZ(KJ)].

PubMed

Henrich, Gerhard; Goldbeck, Lutz; Schmitz, Tim G; Besier, Tanja

2010-06-01

Measuring life satisfaction in children is becoming more and more important in clinical practice. This is the first study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the "Questions on Life Satisfaction for Children and Adolescents" FLZ(KJ) based on a student sample. 1 312 German students ( M=13.7 years, SD=1.4) filled in the FLZ(KJ). Item characteristics, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity were assessed. Age- and gender-specific reference data were reported. Items were well accepted by the students. Selectivity and internal consistency of the two modules were acceptable, with alpha scores of alpha=0.70 and 0.75. Associations with the KIDSCREEN-10 Index support the convergent valid-ity of the instrument. The FLZ(KJ) differentiated well between children with and without chronic conditions. The FLZ(KJ) are reliable and sufficiently valid, with psychometric properties comparable to the adult version of the instrument. The instrument is a useful tool in measuring life satisfaction in children and adolescents. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.New York.

Extraterrestrial Life: Life on Mars - Then and Now

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrhenius, Gustaf; Mojzsis, Stephen

1996-01-01

The recent claim to have identified possible signs of ancient life on Mars has been widely publicized and discussed. The authors conceded that none of the half-dozen pieces of evidence adduced in their paper individually provided strong support for extraterrestrial life, though they argued that the pieces added up to a case worth considering. Most - perhaps all - of the observed phenomena have counterparts in the inorganic world, so even the combination does not make a compelling case that there was ever life on Mars. Nevertheless, the importance of the problem has justified bringing the results to general attention. The paper has focussed interest on the origin and possible ubiquity of life, and on how we can design techniques capable of giving a more definitive answer to the question of whether there is, or has ever been, life elsewhere in the Universe.

Measuring Experience With End-of-Life Care: A Systematic Literature Review

PubMed Central

Lendon, Jessica Penn; Ahluwalia, Sangeeta C.; Walling, Anne M.; Lorenz, Karl A.; Oluwatola, Oluwatobi A.; Price, Rebecca Anhang; Quigley, Denise; Teno, Joan M.

2016-01-01

Context Increasing interest in end-of-life care has resulted in many tools to measure the quality of care. An important outcome measure of end-of-life care is the family members’ or caregivers’ experiences of care. Objectives To evaluate the instruments currently in use to inform next steps for research and policy in this area. Methods We conducted a systematic review of PubMed, PsycINFO, and PsycTESTS® for all English-language articles published after 1990 using instruments to measure adult patient, family, or informal caregiver experiences with end-of-life care. Survey items were abstracted and categorized into content areas identified through an iterative method using three independent reviewers. We also abstracted information from the most frequently used surveys about the identification of proxy respondents for after-death surveys, the timing and method of survey administration, and the health care setting being assessed. Results We identified 88 articles containing 51 unique surveys with available content. We characterized 14 content areas variably present across the 51 surveys. Information and care planning, provider care, symptom management, and overall experience were the most frequent areas addressed. There was also considerable variation across the surveys in the identification of proxy respondents, the timing of survey administration, and in the health care settings and services being evaluated. Conclusion This review identified several comprehensive surveys aimed at measuring the experiences of end-of-life care, covering a variety of content areas and practical issues for survey administration. Future work should focus on standardizing surveys and administration methods so that experiences of care can be reliably measured and compared across care settings. PMID:25543110

Between Exoticism and Universalism: Educational Sections in Latin American Participation at International Exhibitions, 1860-1900

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dussel, Ines

2011-01-01

International exhibitions provide a good arena in which to study the circulation and transfer of educational ideas and practices in the second half of the nineteenth century. Structured around themes of industry, progress, and civilisation, and defined as ephemeral museums of the new world of commodities for the consumption of the masses, they…

Quality of Life Scale: A Measure of Function for People with Pain

MedlinePlus

Quality Of Life Scale A Measure Of Function For People With Pain 0 Non-functioning 1 2 3 4 ... the week Active on weekends 9 10 Normal Quality of Life Work/volunteer/be active eight hours daily Take ...

Comparison of Trajectory Models in Calculations of N2-broadened Half-widths and N2-induced Line Shifts for the Rotational Band of H2O-16 and Comparison with Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamouroux, J.; Gamache, R. R.; Laraia, A. L.; Ma, Q.; Tipping, R. H.

2012-01-01

In this work, Complex Robert-Bonamy calculations of half-widths and line shifts were done for N2-broadening of water for 1639 transitions in the rotational band using two models for the trajectories. The first is a model correct to second order in time, the Robert-Bonamy parabolic approximation. The second is the solution of Hamilton's equations. Both models use the isotropic part of the atom-atom potential to determine the trajectories. The present calculations used an intermolecular potential expanded to 20th order to assure the convergence of the half-widths and line shifts. The aim of the study is to assess if the difference in the half-widths and line shifts determined from the two trajectory models is greater than the accuracy requirements of the spectroscopic and remote sensing communities. The results of the calculations are compared with measurements of the half-widths and line shifts. It is shown that the effects of the trajectory model greatly exceed the needs of current remote sensing measurements and that line shape parameters calculated using trajectories determined by solving Hamilton's equations agree better with measurement.

‘Just give me the best quality of life questionnaire’: the Karnofsky scale and the history of quality of life measurements in cancer trials

PubMed Central

Timmermann, Carsten

2013-01-01

Objectives: To use the history of the Karnofsky Performance Scale as a case study illustrating the emergence of interest in the measurement and standardisation of quality of life; to understand the origins of current-day practices. Methods: Articles referring to the Karnofsky scale and quality of life measurements published from the 1940s to the 1990s were identified by searching databases and screening journals, and analysed using close-reading techniques. Secondary literature was consulted to understand the context in which articles were written. Results: The Karnofsky scale was devised for a different purpose than measuring quality of life: as a standardisation device that helped quantify effects of chemotherapeutic agents less easily measurable than survival time. Interest in measuring quality of life only emerged around 1970. Discussion: When quality of life measurements were increasingly widely discussed in the medical press from the late 1970s onwards, a consensus emerged that the Karnofsky scale was not a very good tool. More sophisticated approaches were developed, but Karnofsky continued to be used. I argue that the scale provided a quick and simple, approximate assessment of the ‘soft’ effects of treatment by physicians, overlapping but not identical with quality of life. PMID:23239756

Campground marketing: the heavy-half strategy

Treesearch

Wilbur F. LaPage

1969-01-01

When we arrayed camping frequencies in order from the lowest to the highest number of days spent camping per year we found that half of the campers do much more than half of the camping. Campers in this heavy half consistently camp more, year after year, and are increasing their annual participation as well. Heavy-half campers have larger investments in camping...

Life capability of the silver electrode in alkaline electrochemical cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, H. A.

1976-01-01

Estimates of silver electrode degradation rates were made by comparing the recently measured capacities with the reported early life capacities. Chemical analyses were carried out to determine the extent of silver loss from the electrode and its distribution throughout the cell components. The results established that the silver electrode is very stable when stored at reduced temperatures in the range of 0 to -51 C, in which it exhibits a permanent degradation in capacity of 0.5%/year. The results also indicated that the silver electrode is not quite as stable when operated and stored at room temperature, where it exhibits permanent degradation in the range of 3% to 14%/year. These results were employed in predicting the life capability of the proposed new Ag-H2 cell and also in assessing the merits of employing silver electrodes in long-life probe batteries.

Ceramide binding to anandamide increases its half-life and potentiates its cytotoxicity in human neuroblastoma cells.

PubMed

Di Scala, Coralie; Mazzarino, Morgane; Yahi, Nouara; Varini, Karine; Garmy, Nicolas; Fantini, Jacques; Chahinian, Henri

2017-06-01

Anandamide (AEA) is a ubiquitous lipid that exerts neurotransmitter functions but also controls important biological functions such as proliferation, survival, or programmed cell death. The latter effects are also regulated by ceramide, a lipid enzymatically generated from sphingomyelin hydrolysis by sphingomyelinase. Ceramide has been shown to increase the cellular toxicity of AEA, but the mechanisms controlling this potentiating effect remained unclear. Here we have used a panel of in silico, physicochemical, biochemical and cellular approaches to study the crosstalk between AEA and ceramide apoptotic pathways. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that AEA and ceramide could form a stable complex in phosphatidylcholine membranes. Consistent with these data, we showed that AEA can specifically insert into ceramide monolayers whereas it did not penetrate into sphingomyelin membranes. Then we have studied the effects of ceramide on AEA-induced toxicity of human neuroblastoma cells. In these experiments, the cells have been either naturally enriched in ceramide by neutral sphingomyelinase pre-incubation or treated with C2-ceramide, a biologically active ceramide analog. Both treatments significantly increased the cytotoxicity of AEA as assessed by the MTS mitochondrial toxicity assay. This effect was correlated with the concomitant accumulation of natural ceramide (or its synthetic analog) and AEA in the cells. A kinetic study of AEA hydrolysis showed that ceramide inhibited the fatty acid amino hydrolase (FAAH) activity in cell extracts. Taken together, these data suggested that ceramide binds to AEA, increases its half-life and potentiates its cytotoxicity. Overall, these mechanisms account for a functional cross-talk between AEA and ceramide apoptotic pathways. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The validity of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in adolescents and a comparison with single-item life satisfaction measures: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Jovanović, Veljko

2016-12-01

The validity of the life satisfaction measures commonly used among adults has been rarely examined in adolescent samples. The present research had two main goals: (1) to evaluate the structural validity of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) among adolescents and to test measurement invariance across gender; (2) to compare the criterion and convergent validity of the SWLS and single-item life satisfaction measures among adolescents. Three samples of Serbian adolescents were recruited for the present research. Study 1 (N = 481, M age  = 17.01 years) examined the structure of the SWLS via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and evaluated measurement invariance of the SWLS across gender by a multi-group CFA. Study 2 (N = 283, M age  = 17.34 years) and Study 3 (N = 220, M age  = 16.73 years) compared the convergent validity of the SWLS and single-item life satisfaction measures. The results of Study 1 supported the original one-factor model of the SWLS among adolescents and provided evidence for strong measurement invariance of the SWLS across gender. The findings of Study 2 and Study 3 showed that the SWLS and single-item measures were equally valid and strongly associated (r = .734 in Study 2 and r = .668 in Study 3). No substantial differences in correlations with school success and well-being indicators were found between the SWLS and single-item measures. Our findings support the use of the SWLS among adolescents and indicate that single-item life satisfaction measures perform as well as the SWLS in adolescent samples.

Development and Validation of the Life Sciences Assessment: A Measure of Preschool Children's Conceptions of Basic Life Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maherally, Uzma Nooreen

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a science assessment tool termed the Life Sciences Assessment (LSA) in order to assess preschool children's conceptions of basic life sciences. The hypothesis was that the four sub-constructs, each of which can be measured through a series of questions on the LSA, will make a significant…

Electronic Structure Properties and a Bonding Model of Thermoelectric Half-Heusler and Boride Phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonson, Jack William

Half-Heusler alloys MNiSn and MCoSb (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) and layered boride intermetallics with structure types YCrB4 and Er 3CrB7 were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The thermoelectric properties of these two classes of alloys were measured from room temperature to 1100 K with the intent of indirectly studying their electronic structure properties and gauging not only their suitability but that of related alloys for high temperature thermoelectric power generation. In the case of the half-Heusler alloys, transition metals were substituted to both the M and Ni/Co sites to study the resultant modifications of the d-orbital-rich portion of the electronic structure near the Fermi energy. This modification and subsequent pinning of the Fermi energy within the gap is discussed herein in terms of first principles electronic structure calculations from the literature. In the half-Heusler alloys, it was found that substitution of transition metals invariably led to a decrease in the thermopower, while the resistivity typically maintained its semiconducting trend. On the other hand, Sn doping in MCoSb type alloys -- a dopant that has been known for some time to be efficient -- was shown to result in high ZT at temperatures in excess of 1000 K. Moreover, the band gaps of the transition metal-doped alloys measured in this work offer insight into the discrepancy between the predicted and measured band gaps in the undoped parent compositions. In the case of the layered boride alloys, on the other hand, few electronic calculations have been published, thus prompting the generalization of a well-known electron counting rule -- which is typically used to study molecular organometallics, boranes, and metallocenes -- to predict the trends in the densities of states of crystalline solids that possess the requisite deltahedral bonding geometry. In accordance with these generalized electronic counting rules, alloys of the form RMB4 (R = Y, Gd, Ho; M = Cr, Mo, W) were measured to

Study of ^{14}C Cluster Decay Half-Lives of Heavy Deformed Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamami, S. Rahimi; Pahlavani, M. R.

2018-01-01

A theoretical model based on deformed Woods-Saxon, Coulomb and centrifugal terms are constructed to evaluate the half-lives for the cluster radioactivity of various super heavy nuclei. Deformation have been applied on all parts of their potential containing nuclear barrier for cluster decay. Also, both parent and daughter nuclei are considered to be deformed. The calculated results of ^{14}C cluster radioactivity half-lives are compared with available experimental data. A satisfactory agreement between theoretical and measured data is achieved. Also, obtained half-lives for each decay family is agreed with Geiger-Nuttall law.

The D-galactose specific lectin of field bean (Dolichos lablab) seed binds sugars with extreme negative cooperativity and half-of-the-sites binding.

PubMed

Rao, Devavratha H; Gowda, Lalitha R

2012-08-15

The field bean (Dolichos lablab) lectin designated as PPO-haemagglutinin (DLL-II) is bifunctional, exhibiting both polyphenol oxidase and haemagglutinating activity. The lectin is unusual in that it binds galactose (Gal), lactose (Lac) and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) only in the presence of (NH₄)₂SO₄ and exhibits negative cooperativity and half-of-the-sites binding. Circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry and fluorescence quenching were used to assess the sugar binding in the presence of (NH₄)₂O₄. Comparison of the near-UV CD spectra with and without bound sugar revealed ligand induced conformational changes. The intrinsic fluorescence quenching data indicate that DLL-II exhibits weak binding to Gal in the presence of (NH₄)₂SO₄ with a stoichiometry of one bound ligand per dimer. ITC data fitted using a two sets of sites binding model presented a similar picture. The K(a)'s for Gal, Lac and GalNAc in the presence of (NH₄)₂SO₄ were 0.16±0.002, 0.21±0.004 and 8.45±0.78 (×10⁻³) M⁻¹ respectively. The Hill plot for the binding of these sugars to DLL-II was curvilinear with a tangent slope <1.0 indicating negative cooperativity. DLL-II thus exhibits half-of-the-site binding, an extreme form of negative cooperativity in which the second ligand does not bind at all. This is the first report of a legume lectin, exhibiting half-of-the-sites binding. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the topological charge and index of vortex vector optical fields with a space-variant half-wave plate.

PubMed

Liu, Gui-Geng; Wang, Ke; Lee, Yun-Han; Wang, Dan; Li, Ping-Ping; Gou, Fangwang; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wu, Shin-Tson; Wang, Hui-Tian

2018-02-15

Vortex vector optical fields (VVOFs) refer to a kind of vector optical field with an azimuth-variant polarization and a helical phase, simultaneously. Such a VVOF is defined by the topological index of the polarization singularity and the topological charge of the phase vortex. We present a simple method to measure the topological charge and index of VVOFs by using a space-variant half-wave plate (SV-HWP). The geometric phase grating of the SV-HWP diffracts a VVOF into ±1 orders with orthogonally left- and right-handed circular polarizations. By inserting a polarizer behind the SV-HWP, the two circular polarization states project into the linear polarization and then interfere with each other to form the interference pattern, which enables the direct measurement of the topological charge and index of VVOFs.

The Third Place in Second Life: Real Life Community in a Virtual World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peachey, Anna

In June 2006 The Open University (OU) purchased its first land in Second LifeTM (SL). Over a two and a half year period, the OU presence evolved and grew to a point where an average of between 150 and 250 unique users in any 7-day period are active in an OU area. This chapter charts the history of the development of the OU Second Life social community and considers the nature of that activity at a point of critical change, in January 2009, shortly before a new island is developed to provide a permanent home for the community. In order for the community to continue evolving it is necessary to understand the nature of the core activities of these users, and to consider this in a context of sustainable development. Through reference to aspects of socialisation and physical community, the author proposes that a virtual world environment can be described using the physical world concept of a Third Place in the information age, and considers the value of virtual space to a learning community. From a perspective of ethnography, this chapter captures a community development within SL and proposes that physical world concepts of community and Third Place are exhibited in a virtual world, and that there are equivalent benefits in the sense of support and belonging to a virtual world community.

Heinz Werner: His Life, Ideas, and Contributions to Developmental Psychology in the First Half of the 20th Century.

PubMed

Ostler, Teresa

2016-01-01

The author provides an overview of Heinz Werner's life and contributions to the field of developmental psychology during the first half of the 20th century. She focuses on his early work in Vienna and Munich as well as his tenure at the Psychological Institute in Hamburg, up through the time when he became a named Professor in Psychology at Clark University. Recognized as one of the founders of developmental psychology, Heinz Werner worked in the areas of perceptual development, comparative psychology, and symbol formation. Versatile in rigorous experimental methodologies, and in observational and phenomenological methodologies, Werner's approach to development stood in contrast to other approaches of development, both past and current. For Werner, development was a heuristic, a way of looking at processes in a variety of domains, including ontogeny, phylogeny, microgenesis, biology, developmental psychopathology, neuropsychology, and comparative psychology. Werner viewed development as proceeding from a state of relative globality and lack of differentiation to a state of increasing differentiation, articulation, and hierarchical integration, but he also stressed that individuals can function at different developmental levels under different times and conditions. Werner's holistic, organismic, comparative, and contextual approach to development transcended interdisciplinary boundaries, allowing him to study the interrelatedness between thought, language, feeling, perception, and culture.

Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites Exhibit Altered Patterns of Development in Infected Erythrocytes

PubMed Central

Hott, Amanda; Casandra, Debora; Sparks, Kansas N.; Morton, Lindsay C.; Castanares, Geocel-Grace; Rutter, Amanda

2015-01-01

Artemisinin derivatives are used in combination with other antimalarial drugs for treatment of multidrug-resistant malaria worldwide. Clinical resistance to artemisinin recently emerged in southeast Asia, yet in vitro phenotypes for discerning mechanism(s) of resistance remain elusive. Here, we describe novel phenotypic resistance traits expressed by artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The resistant parasites exhibit altered patterns of development that result in reduced exposure to drug at the most susceptible stage of development in erythrocytes (trophozoites) and increased exposure in the most resistant stage (rings). In addition, a novel in vitro delayed clearance assay (DCA) that assesses drug effects on asexual stages was found to correlate with parasite clearance half-life in vivo as well as with mutations in the Kelch domain gene associated with resistance (Pf3D7_1343700). Importantly, all of the resistance phenotypes were stable in cloned parasites for more than 2 years without drug pressure. The results demonstrate artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum has evolved a novel mechanism of phenotypic resistance to artemisinin drugs linked to abnormal cell cycle regulation. These results offer insights into a novel mechanism of drug resistance in P. falciparum and new tools for monitoring the spread of artemisinin resistance. PMID:25779582

"What makes life good?" Developing a culturally grounded quality of life measure for Alaska Native college students.

PubMed

Sharma, Dinghy Kristine B; Lopez, Ellen D S; Mekiana, Deborah; Ctibor, Alaina; Church, Charlene

2013-01-01

Alaska Native (AN) college students experience higher attrition rates than their non-Native peers. Understanding the factors that contribute to quality of life ("what makes life good") for AN students will help inform supportive programs that are congruent with their culture and college life experiences. Co-develop a conceptual model and a measure of quality of life (QOL) that reflects the experiences of AN college students. Six focus groups were conducted with 26 AN college students. Within a community-academic partnership, interactive data collection activities, co-analysis workgroup sessions and an interactive findings forum ensured a participant-driven research process. Students identified and operationally defined eight QOL domains (values, culture and traditions, spirituality, relationships, basic needs, health, learning and leisure). The metaphor of a tree visually illustrates how the domains values, culture and traditions and spirituality form the roots to the other domains that appear to branch out as students navigate the dual worldviews of Native and Western ways of living. The eight QOL domains and their items identified during focus groups were integrated into a visual model and an objective QOL measure. The hope is to provide a useful tool for developing and evaluating university-based programs and services aimed toward promoting a positive QOL and academic success for AN students.

STEM promotion through museum exhibits on cardiac monitoring & cardiac rhythm management.

PubMed

Countryman, Jordan D; Dow, Douglas E

2014-01-01

Formal education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) does not successfully engage all of the students who have potential to become skilled in STEM activities and careers. Museum exhibits may be able to reach and engage a broader range of the public. STEM Exhibits that are both understandable and capture the imagination of viewers may contribute toward increased interest in STEM activities. One such topic for such an exhibit could be cardiac pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators that sustain life. Although museums have existed for centuries, the available types of exhibit designs has dramatically increased in recent decades due to innovations in technology. Science and technology museums have especially taken advantage of the progression of exhibit design to developed new ways to communicate to their viewers. These novel presentation tools allow museums to more effectively convey to and engage viewers. This paper examines the techniques employed by museums in exhibits and considers the practices of several museums with exhibits related to cardiac monitoring (CM) and cardiac rhythm management (CRM).

Quality of life and urolithiasis: the patient - reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS).

PubMed

Patel, Nishant; Brown, Robert D; Sarkissian, Carl; De, Shubha; Monga, Manoj

2017-01-01

With a high rate of recurrence, urolithiasis is a chronic disease that impacts quality of life. The Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System is an NIH validated questionnaire to assess patient quality of life. We evaluated the impact of urolithiasis on quality of life using the NIH-sponsored PROMIS-43 questionnaire. Patients reporting to the kidney stone clinic were interviewed to collect information on stone history and demographic information and were asked to complete the PROMIS-43 questionnaire. Quality of life scores were analyzed using gender and age matched groups for the general US population. Statistical comparisons were made based on demographic information and patient stone history. Statistical significance was P<0.05. 103 patients completed the survey. 36% of respondents were male, the average age of the group was 52 years old, with 58% primary income earners, and 35% primary caregivers. 7% had never passed a stone or had a procedure while 17% passed 10 or more stones in their lifetime. Overall, pain and physical function were worse in patients with urolithiasis. Primary income earners had better quality of life while primary caregivers and those with other chronic medical conditions were worse. Patients on dietary and medical therapy had better quality of life scores. Urolithiasis patients subjectively have worse pain and physical function than the general population. The impact of pain on quality of life was greatest in those patients who had more stone episodes, underscoring the importance of preventive measures. Stone prevention measures improve quality of life. Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.

Emotions and physical health in the second half of life: interindividual differences in age-related trajectories and dynamic associations according to socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Schöllgen, Ina; Huxhold, Oliver; Schmiedek, Florian

2012-06-01

The importance of socioeconomic status (SES) for psychological functioning over the life span is increasingly acknowledged in psychological research. The Reserve Capacity Model by Gallo and Matthews (2003) suggests that SES is not only linked to physical health but also to the experience of positive and negative emotions. Moreover, due to differential amounts of psychosocial resources, cross-domain associations between emotions and health might differ according to SES. The present study examined age-related developments in positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and physical health, as well as dynamic associations between health and emotions in the second half of life. We looked at differences in these trajectories and their interrelationships according to education as one aspect of SES. We used data of up to three waves spanning 12 years from the nationally representative German Ageing Survey (N = 3,847, AgeT1 = 40-85 years). Applying multiple-group dual change score models, we found differential age-related change in PA and physical health, but not in NA, in two groups differing in level of education. NA did only predict change in physical health in low-educated individuals, whereas physical health was equally strongly related to change in PA in both education groups. These results indicate that SES not only affects changes in physical health and emotional functioning but also their interrelationships. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Issues in Evaluating Importance Weighting in Quality of Life Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Chang-ming

2013-01-01

For most empirical research investigating the topic of importance weighting in quality of life (QoL) measures, the prevailing approach has been to use (1) a limited choice of global QoL measures as criterion variables (often a single one) to determine the performance of importance weighting, (2) a limited option of weighting methods to develop…

Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: a review and recommendations.

PubMed

Russell, Mark; West, Daniel J; Harper, Liam D; Cook, Christian J; Kilduff, Liam P

2015-03-01

A number of intermittent team sports require that two consecutive periods of play (lasting for ~30-45 min) are separated by a 10-20 min half-time break. The half-time practices employed by team-sports players generally include returning to the changing rooms, temporarily relaxing from the cognitive and physical demands of the first half, rehydration and re-fuelling strategies, addressing injury or equipment concerns, and receiving tactical instruction and coach feedback. However, the typically passive nature of these actions has been associated with physiological changes that impair performance during the second half. Both physical and cognitive performances have been found to decline in the initial stages of subsequent exercise that follows half-time. An increased risk of injury has also been observed during this period. Therefore, half-time provides sports scientists and strength and conditioning coaches with an opportunity to optimise second-half performance. An overview of strategies thought to benefit team-sports athletes is presented; specifically, the efficacy of heat maintenance strategies (including passive and active methods), post-activation potentiation, hormonal priming, and modified hydro-nutritional practices are discussed. A theoretical model of applying these strategies in a manner that compliments current practice is also offered.

Synchronous Half-Wave Rectifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, Wally E.

1989-01-01

Synchronous rectifying circuit behaves like diode having unusually low voltage drop during forward-voltage half cycles. Circuit particularly useful in power supplies with potentials of 5 Vdc or less, where normal forward-voltage drops in ordinary diodes unacceptably large. Fabricated as monolithic assembly or as hybrid. Synchronous half-wave rectifier includes active circuits to attain low forward voltage drop and high rectification efficiency.

Coupling complement regulators to immunoglobulin domains generates effective anti-complement reagents with extended half-life in vivo

PubMed Central

HARRIS, C L; WILLIAMS, A S; LINTON, S M; MORGAN, B P

2002-01-01

Complement activation and subsequent generation of inflammatory molecules and membrane attack complex contributes to the pathology of a number of inflammatory and degenerative diseases, including arthritis, glomerulonephritis and demyelination. Agents that specifically inhibit complement activation might prove beneficial in the treatment of these diseases. Soluble recombinant forms of the naturally occurring membrane complement regulatory proteins (CRP) have been exploited for this purpose. We have undertaken to design better therapeutics based on CRP. Here we describe the generation of soluble, recombinant CRP comprising rat decay accelerating factor (DAF) or rat CD59 expressed as Fc fusion proteins, antibody-like molecules comprising two CRP moieties in place of the antibody Fab arms (CRP-Ig). Reagents bearing DAF on each arm (DAF-Ig), CD59 on each arm (CD59-Ig) and a hybrid reagent containing both DAF and CD59 were generated. All three reagents inhibited C activation in vitro. Compared with soluble CRP lacking Fc domains, activity was reduced, but was fully restored by enzymatic release of the regulator from the Ig moiety, implicating steric constraints in reducing functional activity. In vivo studies showed that DAF-Ig, when compared to soluble DAF, had a much extended half-life in the circulation in rats and concomitantly caused a sustained reduction in plasma complement activity. When given intra-articularly to rats in a model of arthritis, DAF-Ig significantly reduced severity of disease. The data demonstrate the potential of CRP-Ig as reagents for sustained therapy of inflammatory disorders, including arthritis, but emphasize the need for careful design of fusion proteins to retain function. PMID:12165074

Computational investigation of half-Heusler compounds for spintronics applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jianhua; Hegde, Vinay I.; Munira, Kamaram; Xie, Yunkun; Keshavarz, Sahar; Mildebrath, David T.; Wolverton, C.; Ghosh, Avik W.; Butler, W. H.

2017-01-01

We present first-principles density functional calculations of the electronic structure, magnetism, and structural stability of 378 XYZ half-Heusler compounds (with X = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh; Y = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni; Z = Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, P, As, Sb). We find that a "Slater-Pauling gap" in the density of states (i.e., a gap or pseudogap after nine states in the three atom primitive cell) in at least one spin channel is a common feature in half-Heusler compounds. We find that the presence of such a gap at the Fermi energy in one or both spin channels contributes significantly to the stability of a half-Heusler compound. We calculate the formation energy of each compound and systematically investigate its stability against all other phases in the open quantum materials database (OQMD). We represent the thermodynamic phase stability of each compound as its distance from the convex hull of stable phases in the respective chemical space and show that the hull distance of a compound is a good measure of the likelihood of its experimental synthesis. We find low formation energies and mostly correspondingly low hull distances for compounds with X = Co, Rh, or Ni, Y = Ti or V, and Z = P, As, Sb, or Si. We identify 26 18-electron semiconductors, 45 half-metals, and 34 near half-metals with negative formation energy that follow the Slater-Pauling rule of three electrons per atom. Our calculations predict several new, as-yet unknown, thermodynamically stable phases, which merit further experimental exploration—RuVAs, CoVGe, FeVAs in the half-Heusler structure, and NiScAs, RuVP, RhTiP in the orthorhombic MgSrSi-type structure. Further, two interesting zero-moment half-metals, CrMnAs and MnCrAs, are calculated to have negative formation energy. In addition, our calculations predict a number of hitherto unreported semiconducting (e.g., CoVSn and RhVGe), half-metallic (e.g., RhVSb), and near half-metallic (e.g., CoFeSb and CoVP) half-Heusler compounds to lie close to

Characteristics of neurogenic bowel in spinal cord injury and perceived quality of life.

PubMed

Pardee, Connie; Bricker, Diedre; Rundquist, Jeanine; MacRae, Christi; Tebben, Cherisse

2012-01-01

To investigate the association between characteristics of individuals with spinal cord injury and neurogenic bowel and their perceived quality of life. The study design is an exploratory, descriptive correlational design. To measure the variables of the study the Quality of Life Survey developed by Randell et al. (2001) was used to measure perceived quality of life related to bowel management. Individual bowel management preferences and subjective costs and benefits of the preferences were gathered through the Neurogenic Bowel Characteristics Survey. PARTICIPANTS/METHOD: Data were collected from a random half of the individuals who met the inclusion criteria from the patient database (n=1193). Two hundred and forty one surveys were analyzed for this study. More than half of the sample (n=134) provided their own bowel management consisting of digital stimulation, suppositories, and other aids; 8% (n=19) had a colostomy. Regardless of the bowel management program 54% (n=127) were satisfied with current methods. Although time reported to complete bowel programs ranged from 1 to 120 minutes, there was no difference in rating of satisfaction with time. There was a statistically significant difference between those satisfied and dissatisfied with current bowel management and quality of life; those satisfied demonstrated a higher quality of life on three subscales, work function (p= .021), bowel problems (p< .001), and social function (p< .001). Those dissatisfied with their bowel program perceived a lower quality of life and indicated problems of time (p= .001), pain or discomfort (p= .033), and poor results (p< .001). Research data provide the patient's perspective on bowel management characteristics, complications, satisfaction, and their perceived quality of life. Results of this research will be incorporated into bowel management education and possible modification of the current inpatient bowel management program. © 2012 Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

Half-metallic magnetism in Ti 3Co 5-xFe xB 2

DOE PAGES

Pathak, Rohit; Ahamed, Imran; Zhang, W. Y.; ...

2017-02-08

Here, bulk alloys and thin films of Fe-substituted Ti 3Co 5B 2 have been investigated by first-principle density-functional calculations. The series, which is of interest in the context of alnico magnetism and spin electronics, has been experimentally realized in nanostructures but not in the bulk. Our bulk calculations predict paramagnetism for Ti 3Co 5B 2, Ti 3Co 4FeB 2 and Ti 3CoFe 4B 2, whereas Ti 3Fe 5B 2 is predicted to be ferromagnetic. The thin films are all ferromagnetic, indicating that moment formation may be facilitated at nanostructural grain boundaries. One member of the thin-film series, namely Ti 3CoFemore » 4B 2, is half-metallic and exhibits perpendicular easy-axis magnetic anisotropy. The half-metallicity reflects the hybridization of the Ti, Fe and Co 3d orbitals, which causes a band gap in minority spin channel, and the limited equilibrium solubility of Fe in bulk Ti 3Co 5B 2 may be linked to the emerging half-metallicity due to Fe substitution.« less

Half-metallic magnetism in Ti 3Co 5-xFe xB 2

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

Pathak, Rohit; Ahamed, Imran; Zhang, W. Y.

Here, bulk alloys and thin films of Fe-substituted Ti 3Co 5B 2 have been investigated by first-principle density-functional calculations. The series, which is of interest in the context of alnico magnetism and spin electronics, has been experimentally realized in nanostructures but not in the bulk. Our bulk calculations predict paramagnetism for Ti 3Co 5B 2, Ti 3Co 4FeB 2 and Ti 3CoFe 4B 2, whereas Ti 3Fe 5B 2 is predicted to be ferromagnetic. The thin films are all ferromagnetic, indicating that moment formation may be facilitated at nanostructural grain boundaries. One member of the thin-film series, namely Ti 3CoFemore » 4B 2, is half-metallic and exhibits perpendicular easy-axis magnetic anisotropy. The half-metallicity reflects the hybridization of the Ti, Fe and Co 3d orbitals, which causes a band gap in minority spin channel, and the limited equilibrium solubility of Fe in bulk Ti 3Co 5B 2 may be linked to the emerging half-metallicity due to Fe substitution.« less

Communicating Complex Sciences by Means of Exhibitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, S.

2011-12-01

Earth Sciences will have to take over the leading role in global sustainable policy and in discussions about climate change. Efforts to raise attention within the politically responsible communities as well as in the public are getting more and more support by executive and advisory boards all over the world. But how can you successfully communicate complex sciences? For example, to start communication about climate change, the first step is to encourage people to be concerned about climate change. After that, one has to start thinking about how to present data and how to include the presented data into an unprejudiced context. Therefore, the communication toolbox offers various methods to reach diverse audiences. The R&D programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN conducts roving exhibitions as one of its most successful communication tools. With roving exhibitions GEOTECHNOLOGIEN is able to get in touch with different audiences at once. The main purpose and theme of these exhibitions is to convey the everyday means of climate change to the visitors. It is within the responsibility of science to communicate the effects of a phenomenon like climate change as well as the impact of research results to the everyday life of people. Currently, a GEOTECHNOLOGIEN roving exhibition on remote sensing with satellites deals with various issues of environmental research, including a chapter on climate change. By following the 3M-concept (Meaning - Memorable - Moving), exhibitions allow to connect the visitors daily environment and personal experiences with the presented issues and objects. Therefore, hands-on exhibits, exciting multimedia effects and high-tech artefacts have to be combined with interpretive text elements to highlight the daily significance of the scientific topics and the exhibition theme respectively. To create such an exhibition, strong conceptual planning has to be conducted. This includes the specification of stern financial as well as time wise milestones. In addition

Factor Activity Assays for Monitoring Extended Half-Life FVIII and Factor IX Replacement Therapies.

PubMed

Kitchen, Steve; Tiefenbacher, Stefan; Gosselin, Robert

2017-04-01

The advent of modified factor VIII (FVIII) and factor IX (FIX) molecules with extended half-lives (EHLs) compared with native FVIII and FIX represents a major advance in the field of hemophilia care, with the potential to reduce the frequency of prophylactic injections and/or to increase the trough level prior to subsequent injections. Monitoring treatment through laboratory assays will be an important part of ensuring patient safety, including any tailoring of prophylaxis. Several approaches have been used to extend half-lives, including PEGylation, and fusion to albumin or immunoglobulin. Some of these modifications affect factor assays as routinely performed in hemophilia centers; so, laboratories will need to use FVIII and FIX assays which have been shown to be suitable on a product-by-product basis. For some products, there are marked differences between results obtained using one-stage or chromogenic assays and results obtained using different reagents in the one-stage assay. The laboratory should use an assay in which the recovery of the product closely aligns with the assay used by the pharmaceutical company to assign potency to the product, so that the units reported by the laboratory agree with those used to demonstrate efficacy of the product during clinical trials. Reported assay differences in relation to several of the EHL FVIII and FIX molecules will be reviewed in this article. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Traveling Exhibitions: translating current science into effective science exhibitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P.; Morrow, C.; Harold, J.

The Space Science Institute (SSI) of Boulder, Colorado has recently developed two museum exhibits called the Space Weather Center and MarsQuest. It is currently planning to develop two other exhibitions called Cosmic Origins and InterActive Earth. Museum exhibitions provide research scientists the opportunity to engage in a number of activities that are vital to the success of earth and space outreach programs. The Space Weather Center was developed in partnership with various research missions at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The focus of the presentation will be on the Institute's MarsQuest exhibition. This project is a 5000 square-foot, 2.5M, traveling exhibition that is now touring the country. The exhibit's 3-year tour is enabling millions of Americans to share in the excitement of the scientific exploration of Mars and learn more about their own planet in the process. The associated planetarium show and education program will also be described, with particular emphasis on workshops to orient host museum staff (e.g. museum educators and docents). The workshops make innovative connections between the exhibitions interactive experiences and lesson plans aligned with the National Science Education Standards. SSI is also developing an interactive web site called MarsQuest On-line. The linkage between the web site, education program and exhibit will be discussed. MarsQuest and SSI's other exhibitions are good models for actively involving scientists and their discoveries to help improve informal science education in the museum community and for forging a stronger connection between formal and informal education.

Black Holes Traveling Exhibition: This Time, It's Personal.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dussault, Mary E.; Braswell, E. L.; Sunbury, S.; Wasser, M.; Gould, R. R.

2012-01-01

How can you make a topic as abstract as black holes seem relevant to the life of the average museum visitor? In 2009, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics developed a 2500 square foot interactive museum exhibition, "Black Holes: Space Warps & Time Twists,” with funding from the National Science Foundation and NASA. The exhibition has been visited by more than a quarter million museum-goers, and is about to open in its sixth venue at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, California. We have found that encouraging visitors to adopt a custom black hole explorer's identity can help to make the science of black holes more accessible and meaningful. The Black Holes exhibition uses networked exhibit technology that serves to personalize the visitor experience, to support learning over time including beyond the gallery, and to provide a rich quantitative source of embedded evaluation data. Visitors entering the exhibition create their own bar-coded "Black Holes Explorer's Card” which they use throughout the exhibition to collect and record images, movies, their own predictions and conclusions, and other black hole artifacts. This digital database of personal discoveries grows as visitors navigate through the gallery, and an automated web-content authoring system creates a personalized online journal of their experience that they can access once they get home. We report here on new intriguing results gathered from data generated by 112,000 visitors across five different venues. For example, an initial review of the data reveals correlations between visitors’ black hole explorer identity choices and their engagement with the exhibition. We will also discuss correlations between learning gains and personalization.

Bioart and Bildung—Wetware: Art, Agency, Animation, an Exhibition as Case Study

PubMed Central

Terranova, Charissa N.

2016-01-01

Recent events in the field of biology have further unfixed the definition of life. The negotiability of “life” is at the center of the exhibition “Wetware: Art, Agency, Animation” at the Beall Center for Art + Technology at the University of California, Irvine. The exhibition includes art by nine international artists working in the avant-garde area of contemporary art called “bioart.” This article is devoted to the unique educational space opened through the practice of bioart, focusing on how the exhibition brings the scientific question “What is life?” to a public audience. Bildung, a term that translates as education but encompasses exploration and growth, is based on the holistic unity of science and art and is used here to show that neither science nor art sacrifices legitimacy or distinction within bioart. Art can suggest design and be useful; science can point to abstraction and be poetic. Bioart inspires a chain of curiosity about the form, materials, media that artists use to probe, shape, direct, and display scientific processes and concepts. PMID:28101267

SIBLING CONFLICTS IN FULL- AND HALF-SIBLING HOUSEHOLDS IN THE UK.

PubMed

Tanskanen, Antti O; Danielsbacka, Mirkka; Jokela, Markus; Rotkirch, Anna

2017-01-01

Sibling relations are by nature ambivalent with high levels of both altruistic helping and competition. Higher relatedness is often assumed to reduce the occurrence of conflicts between siblings, but evidence of this has been scarce and mixed. Siblings typically compete over resources and parental attention, and parental constellations vary with sibship types. Since full-siblings compete over the same two biological parents, while half-siblings have only one shared biological parent and often a higher number of parents overall, it is hypothesized that conflicts are more common between full- than half-siblings. This study tested this assumption using the British Millennium Cohort Study (n=7527 children at age 11). Conflicts were measured as children's reports of how much siblings picked on and hurt each other. Households with full-siblings only, maternal half-siblings only, and both full- and maternal half-siblings were compared. The results show that children who were living with only their full-siblings were more likely to experience sibling conflicts compared with children living with their maternal half-siblings only. This was the case also after controlling for several potentially confounding variables. The results suggest that differential access to parental resources of available biological and step-parents may explain the higher amount of sibling conflict between full- compared with maternal half-siblings.

Self-esteem across the second half of life: The role of socioeconomic status, physical health, social relationships, and personality factors.

PubMed

von Soest, Tilmann; Wagner, Jenny; Hansen, Thomas; Gerstorf, Denis

2018-06-01

Self-esteem development across adulthood has been in the center of interest for some time now. However, not much is known about factors that shape self-esteem and its development in the second half of life and whether the factors differ with age and gender. To examine these questions, this study uses 2-wave data from the population-based NorLAG study in Norway (N = 5,555; M age = 58 years; 51% women) and combines self-report data on self-esteem and personality with registry-based information on socioeconomic status (education, income, unemployment), health problems (sick leave, lifetime history of disability), and social relationships (cohabiting partner, lifetime history of divorce and widowhood). Results from latent change score models revealed that self-esteem peaked at around age 50 and declined thereafter. More importantly, lower socioeconomic status, not having a cohabiting partner, unemployment, and disability were each uniquely associated with lower levels of self-esteem and/or steeper declines in self-esteem over the 5-year study period. Over and above registry-based information, personality characteristics were relevant, with a more mature personality being associated with higher self-esteem level. Emotionally stable participants also showed less pronounced declines in self-esteem. Moreover, associations of disability and of emotional stability with self-esteem level were weaker with advancing age. Among women, self-esteem level was more strongly associated with emotional stability and less strongly with openness, compared to men. Our findings demonstrate the utility of registry-based information and suggest that physical health, social relationships, and personality factors are in manifold ways uniquely associated with self-esteem and its development later in life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Half-of-the-Sites Reactivity of the Castor Δ9-18:0-Acyl Carrier Protein Desaturase.

PubMed

Liu, Qin; Chai, Jin; Moche, Martin; Guy, Jodie; Lindqvist, Ylva; Shanklin, John

2015-09-01

Fatty acid desaturases regulate the unsaturation status of cellular lipids. They comprise two distinct evolutionary lineages, a soluble class found in the plastids of higher plants and an integral membrane class found in plants, yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), animals, and bacteria. Both classes exhibit a dimeric quaternary structure. Here, we test the functional significance of dimeric organization of the soluble castor Δ9-18:0-acyl carrier protein desaturase, specifically, the hypothesis that the enzyme uses an alternating subunit half-of-the-sites reactivity mechanism whereby substrate binding to one subunit is coordinated with product release from the other subunit. Using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay, we demonstrated that dimers stably associate at concentrations typical of desaturase assays. An active site mutant T104K/S202E, designed to occlude the substrate binding cavity, was expressed, purified, and its properties validated by x-ray crystallography, size exclusion chromatography, and activity assay. Heterodimers comprising distinctly tagged wild-type and inactive mutant subunits were purified at 1:1 stoichiometry. Despite having only one-half the number of active sites, purified heterodimers exhibit equivalent activity to wild-type homodimers, consistent with half-of-the-sites reactivity. However, because multiple rounds of turnover were observed, we conclude that substrate binding to one subunit is not required to facilitate product release from the second subunit. The observed half-of-the-sites reactivity could potentially buffer desaturase activity from oxidative inactivation. That soluble desaturases require only one active subunit per dimer for full activity represents a mechanistic difference from the membrane class of desaturases such as the Δ9-acyl-CoA, Ole1p, from yeast, which requires two catalytically competent subunits for activity. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Budget Impact Analysis of Prolonged Half-Life Recombinant FVIII Therapy for Hemophilia in the United States.

PubMed

McMullen, Suzanne; Buckley, Brieana; Hall, Eric; Kendter, Jon; Johnston, Karissa

2017-01-01

Hemophilia A is a factor VIII deficiency, associated with spontaneous, recurrent bleeding episodes. This may lead to comorbidities such as arthropathy and joint replacement, which contribute to morbidity and increased health care expenditure. Recombinant factor VIII Fc fusion protein (rFVIIIFc), a prolonged half-life factor therapy, requires fewer infusions, resulting in reduced treatment burden. Use a budget impact analysis to assess the potential economic impact of introducing rFVIIIFc to a formulary from the perspective of a private payer in the United States. The budget impact model was developed to estimate the potential economic impact of adding rFVIIIFc to a private payer formulary across a 2-year time period. The eligible patient population consisted of inhibitor-free adults with severe hemophilia A, receiving recombinant-based episodic or prophylaxis treatment regimens. Patients were assumed to switch from conventional recombinant factor treatment to rFVIIIFc. Only medication costs were included in the model. The introduction of rFVIIIFc is estimated to have a budget impact of 1.4% ($0.12 per member per month) across 2 years for a private payer population of 1,000,000 (estimated 19.7 individuals receiving treatment for hemophilia A). The introduction of rFVIIIFc is estimated to prevent 124 bleeds across 2 years at a cost of $1891 per bleed avoided. Hemophilia A is a rare disease with a low prevalence; therefore, the overall cost to society of introducing rFVIIIFc is small. Considerations for comprehensively assessing the budget impact of introducing rFVIIIFc should include episodic and prophylaxis regimens, bleed avoidance, and annual factor consumption required under alternative scenarios. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Polygenes, Positive Affect, and Life Satisfaction

PubMed Central

Weiss, Alexander; Baselmans, Bart M. L.; Hofer, Edith; Yang, Jingyun; Okbay, Aysu; Lind, Penelope A.; Miller, Mike B.; Nolte, Ilja M.; Zhao, Wei; Hagenaars, Saskia P.; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Matteson, Lindsay K.; Snieder, Harold; Faul, Jessica D.; Hartman, Catharina A.; Boyle, Patricia A.; Tiemeier, Henning; Mosing, Miriam A.; Pattie, Alison; Davies, Gail; Liewald, David C.; Schmidt, Reinhold; De Jager, Philip L.; Heath, Andrew C.; Jokela, Markus; Starr, John M.; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Johannesson, Magnus; Cesarini, David; Hofman, Albert; Harris, Sarah E.; Smith, Jennifer A.; Keltikangas-Järvinen, Liisa; Pulkki-Råback, Laura; Schmidt, Helena; Smith, Jacqui; Iacono, William G.; McGue, Matt; Bennett, David A.; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Magnusson, Patrik K. E.; Deary, Ian J.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Bartels, Meike; Luciano, Michelle

2016-01-01

Approximately half of the variation in wellbeing measures overlaps with variation in personality traits. Studies of non-human primate pedigrees and human twins suggest that this is due to common genetic influences. We tested whether personality polygenic scores for the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) domains and for item response theory (IRT) derived extraversion and neuroticism scores predict variance in wellbeing measures. Polygenic scores were based on published genome-wide association (GWA) results in over 17,000 individuals for the NEO-FFI and in over 63,000 for the IRT extraversion and neuroticism traits. The NEO-FFI polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction in 7 cohorts, positive affect in 12 cohorts, and general wellbeing in 1 cohort (maximal N = 46,508). Meta-analysis of these results showed no significant association between NEO-FFI personality polygenic scores and the wellbeing measures. IRT extraversion and neuroticism polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction and positive affect in almost 37,000 individuals from UK Biobank. Significant positive associations (effect sizes <0.05%) were observed between the extraversion polygenic score and wellbeing measures, and a negative association was observed between the polygenic neuroticism score and life satisfaction. Furthermore, using GWA data, genetic correlations of −0.49 and −0.55 were estimated between neuroticism with life satisfaction and positive affect, respectively. The moderate genetic correlation between neuroticism and wellbeing is in line with twin research showing that genetic influences on wellbeing are also shared with other independent personality domains. PMID:27546527

EUV lithography for 30nm half pitch and beyond: exploring resolution, sensitivity, and LWR tradeoffs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putna, E. Steve; Younkin, Todd R.; Chandhok, Manish; Frasure, Kent

2009-03-01

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) denotes Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as a leading technology option for realizing the 32nm half-pitch node and beyond. Readiness of EUV materials is currently one high risk area according to assessments made at the 2008 EUVL Symposium. The main development issue regarding EUV resist has been how to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, high resolution, and low line width roughness (LWR). This paper describes the strategy and current status of EUV resist development at Intel Corporation. Data is presented utilizing Intel's Micro-Exposure Tool (MET) examining the feasibility of establishing a resist process that simultaneously exhibits <=30nm half-pitch (HP) L/S resolution at <=10mJ/cm2 with <=4nm LWR.

Science Museum Exhibits' Summative Evaluation with Knowledge Hierarchy Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yasar, Erkan; Gurel, Cem

2016-01-01

It is aimed in this research to measure via knowledge hierarchy the things regarding exhibit themes learned by the visitors of the exhibits and compare them with the purpose that the exhibits are designed for, thereby realizing a summative evaluation of the exhibits by knowledge hierarchy method. The research has been conducted in a children's…

Changes in quality of life after elective surgery: an observational study comparing two measures.

PubMed

Kronzer, Vanessa L; Jerry, Michelle R; Ben Abdallah, Arbi; Wildes, Troy S; McKinnon, Sherry L; Sharma, Anshuman; Avidan, Michael S

2017-08-01

Our main objective was to compare the change in a validated quality of life measure to a global assessment measure. The secondary objectives were to estimate the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) and to describe the change in quality of life by surgical specialty. This prospective cohort study included 7902 adult patients undergoing elective surgery. Changes in the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12), composed of a physical component summary (PCS) and a mental component summary (MCS), were calculated using preoperative and postoperative questionnaires. The latter also contained a global assessment question for quality of life. We compared PCS and MCS to the global assessment using descriptive statistics and weighted kappa. MCID was calculated using an anchor-based approach. Analyses were pre-specified and registered (NCT02771964). By the change in VR-12 scores, an equal proportion of patients experienced improvement and deterioration in quality of life (28% for PCS, 25% for MCS). In contrast, by the global assessment measure, 61% reported improvement, while only 10% reported deterioration. Agreement with the global assessment was slight for both PCS (kappa = 0.20, 57% matched) and MCS (kappa = 0.10, 54% matched). The MCID for the overall VR-12 score was approximately 2.5 points. Patients undergoing orthopedic surgery showed the most improvement in quality of life measures, while patients undergoing gastrointestinal/hepatobiliary or urologic surgery showed the most deterioration. Subjective global quality of life report does not agree well with a validated quality of life instrument, perhaps due to patient over-optimism.

A Novel Long-Acting Human Growth Hormone Fusion Protein (VRS-317): Enhanced In Vivo Potency and Half-Life

PubMed Central

Cleland, Jeffrey L; Geething, Nathan C; Moore, Jerome A; Rogers, Brian C; Spink, Benjamin J; Wang, Chai-Wei; Alters, Susan E; Stemmer, Willem P C; Schellenberger, Volker

2012-01-01

A novel recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) fusion protein (VRS-317) was designed to minimize receptor-mediated clearance through a reduction in receptor binding without mutations to rhGH by genetically fusing with XTEN amino acid sequences to the N-terminus and the C-terminus of the native hGH sequence. Although in vitro potency of VRS-317 was reduced approximately 12-fold compared with rhGH, in vivo potency was increased because of the greatly prolonged exposure to the target tissues and organs. VRS-317 was threefold more potent than daily rhGH in hypophysectomized rats and fivefold more potent than daily rhGH in juvenile monkeys. In juvenile monkeys, a monthly dose of 1.4 mg/kg VRS-317 (equivalent to 0.26 mg/kg rhGH) caused a sustained pharmacodynamic response for 1 month equivalent to 0.05 mg/kg/day rhGH (1.4 mg/kg rhGH total over 28 days). In monkeys, VRS-317, having a terminal elimination half-life of approximately 110 h, was rapidly and near-completely absorbed, and was well tolerated with no observed adverse effects after every alternate week subcutaneous dosing for 14 weeks. VRS-317 also did not cause lipoatrophy in pig and monkey studies. VRS-317 is currently being studied in GH-deficient patients to confirm the observations in these animal studies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 101:2744–2754, 2012 PMID:22678811

Effects of Ga substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of half metallic Fe{sub 2}MnSi Heusler compound

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

Pedro, S. S., E-mail: sandrapedro@uerj.br; Caraballo Vivas, R. J.; Andrade, V. M.

2015-01-07

The so-called half-metallic magnets have been proposed as good candidates for spintronic applications due to the feature of exhibiting a hundred percent spin polarization at the Fermi level. Such materials follow the Slater-Pauling rule, which relates the magnetic moment with the valence electrons in the system. In this paper, we study the bulk polycrystalline half-metallic Fe{sub 2}MnSi Heusler compound replacing Si by Ga to determine how the Ga addition changes the magnetic, the structural, and the half-metal properties of this compound. The material does not follow the Slater-Pauling rule, probably due to a minor structural disorder degree in the system,more » but a linear dependence on the magnetic transition temperature with the valence electron number points to the half-metallic behavior of this compound.« less

The association between objectively measured physical activity and life-space mobility among older people.

PubMed

Tsai, L-T; Portegijs, E; Rantakokko, M; Viljanen, A; Saajanaho, M; Eronen, J; Rantanen, T

2015-08-01

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between objectively measured physical activity and life-space mobility in community-dwelling older people. Life-space refers to the spatial area a person purposefully moves through in daily life (bedroom, home, yard, neighborhood, town, and beyond) and life-space mobility to the frequency of travel and the help needed when moving through different life-space areas. The study population comprised community-living 75- to 90-year-old people {n = 174; median age 79.7 [interquartile range (IQR) 7.1]}, participating in the accelerometer substudy of Life-Space Mobility in Old Age (LISPE) project. Step counts and activity time were measured by an accelerometer (Hookie "AM20 Activity Meter") for 7 days. Life-space mobility was assessed with Life-Space Assessment (LSA) questionnaire. Altogether, 16% had a life-space area restricted to the neighborhood when moving independently. Participants with a restricted life space were less physically active and about 70% of them had exceptionally low values in daily step counts (≤ 615 steps) and moderate activity time (≤ 6.8 min). Higher step counts and activity time correlated positively with life-space mobility. Prospective studies are needed to clarify the temporal order of low physical activity level and restriction in life-space mobility. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

How to Measure Quality-of-Life Concerns in Patients with Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction.

PubMed

Patel, Darshan P; Myers, Jeremy B; Lenherr, Sara M

2017-08-01

There is an evolving role for quality-of-life measures and patient-reported outcomes in the evaluation of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. We review available health-related quality-of-life instruments and patient-reported outcomes measures used in the assessment of patients with neurogenic bladder. We also discuss considerations for incorporation of these measures into clinical and patient-reported research. Emphasizing patient-reported outcomes in neurogenic bladder research will guide clinicians and other stakeholders to improve quality of life in this patient population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges of regulatory rights of half-capacitated persons: A sociological perspective on the French Civil Code reform.

PubMed

Eyraud, Benoît

2016-01-01

Democratic societies are based on the principle of equal legal capacity of all citizens to decide and act for themselves in all areas of social life. This "socio-civil capacity", which may involve both material property of an individual, as well as private life in matters ranging from health to personal relationships, is recognized by the law (both codified law and common law). These rights guarantee the autonomy and freedom of individuals in the name of respect for human dignity. Civil capacity of a person is legally diminished because his or her "natural" abilities, capacity, or competence are reduced. Recent social changes have lead to increased uses of legal measures of protection. The reasons for these changes are complex and they are accompanied by legislative reforms that modify the rights of half-capacitated persons. In this article, we examine certain issues of civil capacity rights based on the French example. We start present a perspective of the historical definition and practice of these rights as well as their democratization. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

IYA2009 in Second Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauthier, A.; Gay, P. L.

2008-11-01

The New Media Group is working to create an IYA2009 presence in the 3-dimensional multi-user virtual world called Second Life (SL). Current installations, development plans, and collaboration initiatives will be discussed. The first wave of development will bring real-life (RL) IYA2009 events and exhibits to the residents of Second Life. Informational kiosks with IYA2009 freebie avatar clothing will be placed in a variety of science-related places and other high traffic locations in SL. The IYA 2009 cornerstone project ``From Earth to the Universe'' is planned to be a portable exhibit in SL that can reside in temporary locations and be unveiled for special events. Interactive exhibits for ``400 Years of Astronomy Timeline,'' ``Galileo's Telescope,'' and ``Dark Sky Awareness'' will also be under design. Live events such as public lectures, coffee talks, and a web-streamed opening ceremonies SL party are also in the works. Our ultimate plan is to bring together all those interested in brainstorming, creating, and developing content, exhibits, and activities in Second Life for IYA2009. Sharing resources, sponsorship, and land space will help us all succeed in bringing astronomy to the public in 2009 and beyond.

Excretion Profiles and Half-Lives of Ten Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites after Dietary Exposure

PubMed Central

Li, Zheng; Romanoff, Lovisa; Bartell, Scott; Pittman, Erin N.; Trinidad, Debra A.; McClean, Michael; Webster, Thomas F.; Sjödin, Andreas

2015-01-01

Human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be assessed by biomonitoring of their urinary mono-hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PAHs). Limited information exists on the human pharmacokinetics of OH-PAHs. This study aimed to investigate the excretion half-life of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-PYR), the most used biomarker for PAH exposure, and 9 other OH-PAHs following a dietary exposure in 9 non-smoking volunteers with no occupational exposure to PAHs. Each person avoided food with known high PAH-content during the study period, except for a high PAH-containing lunch (barbecued chicken) on the first day. Individual urine samples (n = 217) were collected from 15 hours before to 60 hours following the dietary exposure. Levels of all OH-PAHs in all subjects increased rapidly by 9–141 fold after the exposure, followed by a decrease consistent with first order kinetics, and returned to background levels 24–48 hours after the exposure. The average time to reach maximal concentration ranged from 3.1 h (1-naphthol) to 5.5 h (1-PYR). Creatinine-adjusted urine concentrations for each metabolite were analyzed using a non-linear mixed effects model including a term to estimate background exposure. The background-adjusted half-life estimate was 3.9 h for 1-PYR and ranged 2.5–6.1 h for the other 9 OH-PAHs, which in general, were shorter than those previously reported. The maximum concentrations after the barbecued chicken consumption were comparable to the levels found in reported occupational settings with known high PAH exposures. It is essential to consider the relatively short half-life, the timing of samples relative to exposures, and the effect of diet when conducting PAH exposure biomonitoring studies. PMID:22663094

Quality-of-life measures for use within care homes: a systematic review of their measurement properties.

PubMed

Aspden, Trefor; Bradshaw, Siobhan A; Playford, E Diane; Riazi, Afsane

2014-09-01

the aims of this review were (i) to identify quality-of-life (QoL) measures which have had their measurement properties validated in people residing in care homes or nursing homes, and to critically compare and summarise these instruments and (ii) to make recommendations for measurement instruments. bibliographic databases PsycINFO, PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL and Embase were searched for articles evaluating measurement properties of QoL instruments in people residing in care homes. Methodological quality of studies was assessed using the consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments checklist. Measurement properties of instruments were appraised using a systematic checklist. the search strategy resulted in 3252 unique citations, of which 15 articles were included in this review. These articles assessed 13 instruments, 8 of which were dementia or Alzheimer specific instruments. The QUALIDEM, a dementia-specific observational instrument, had the widest array of information available on its measurement properties, which were mostly satisfactory. Most measurement instruments lacked information on hypotheses testing and content validity. Information on responsiveness and measurement error was not available for any instrument. for people with dementia living in care homes, the QUALIDEM is recommended for measuring QoL. For residents without dementia, we recommend Kane et al.'s Psychosocial Quality of Life Domains questionnaire. Studies of higher methodological quality, assessing a wider range of measurement properties are needed to allow a more fully informed choice of QoL instrument. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

7 CFR 51.1441 - Half-kernel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Half-kernel. 51.1441 Section 51.1441 Agriculture... Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans Definitions § 51.1441 Half-kernel. Half-kernel means one of the separated halves of an entire pecan kernel with not more than one-eighth of its original volume missing...

Better way to measure ageing in East Asia that takes life expectancy into account.

PubMed

Scherbov, Sergei; Sanderson, Warren C; Gietel-Basten, Stuart

2016-06-01

The aim of the study was to improve the measurement of ageing taking into account characteristics of populations and in particular changes in life expectancy. Using projected life tables, we calculated prospective old age dependency ratios (POADRs) to 2060, placing the boundary to old age at a moving point with a fixed remaining life expectancy (RLE) for all countries of East Asia. POADRs grow less rapidly than old age dependency ratios (OADRs). For example, in the Republic of Korea, the OADR is forecast to increase from around 0.1 in 1980 to around 0.8 in 2060, while the POADR is forecast to increase from around 0.1 to 0.4 over the same period. Policy makers may wish to take into account the fact that the increases in measures of ageing will be slower when those measures are adjusted for changes in life expectancy. © 2016 AJA Inc.

Visualizing Biological Data in Museums: Visitor Learning with an Interactive Tree of Life Exhibit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, Michael S.; Phillips, Brenda C.; Evans, Evelyn Margaret; Block, Florian; Diamond, Judy; Shen, Chia

2016-01-01

In this study, we investigate museum visitor learning and engagement at an interactive visualization of an evolutionary tree of life consisting of over 70,000 species. The study was conducted at two natural history museums where visitors collaboratively explored the tree of life using direct touch gestures on a multi-touch tabletop display. In the…

[A new patient focused scale for measuring quality of life in schizophrenic patients: the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SOL)].

PubMed

Martin, P; Caci, H; Azorin, J M; Daléry, J; Hardy-Baylé, M C; Etienne, D; Gérard, D; Peretti, C S

2005-01-01

RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE: Quality of Life (QOL) has been recognized as an important measure of the outcome of patients by clinicians and policy makers in Mental Health. The emerging consensus in the health field that personal values and the patient's preferences are important in monitoring the quality of medical care outcomes makes it even more important to assess the patient's perspectives. Unfortunately, there is little consensus about what constitutes QOL or how to measure it, particularly in psychotic patients. The objective of this study is to report the stages of development and validation of a QOL questionnaire based on issues pertinent to patients with schizophrenia. During a first phase, identical pattern were identified among interviews (conducted by psychologists) of schizophrenic patients (DSM IV, n = 100), mental health staff (n = 20) and families (n = 20). The data gathered in the first phase were discussed and organized, by 25 experts, into a structure that made up the skeleton of the scale (133 items, 17 factors). Based on a prospective epidemiological study conducted with 337 French psychiatrists, a validation analysis of structural and psychometric proprieties was performed. Finally reliability of the scale was assessed by a second test/retest (D0, D7) study (n = 100). A total of 686 schizophrenic, schizophreniform or schizoaffective patients (DSM IV) were included. Internal consistency analysis identified 14 factors (74 items), all with a Cronbach's alpha of at least 0.75: professional life (0.95), affective and sexual life (0.92), illness knowledge (0.90), relationship (0.92), life satisfaction, (0.87), coping with drugs (0.79), drugs impact on the body (0.87), daily life (0.83), family relationship (0.81), future (0.88), security feeling (0.84), leisure (0.87), money management (0.76) and autonomy (0.75). Construct validity was confirmed (Pearson test) using established clinical (Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale and Clinical Global Improvement), social

Measurements of I-129 in meteorites and lunar rock by tandem accelerator mass spectrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nizhiizumi, K.; Arnold, J. R.; Elmore, D.; Gove, H. E.; Honda, M.

1983-01-01

Precise measurements of the half-life of I-129 in three different meteorites and one lunar surface rock are reported. The meteorite source of I-129 was produced by cosmic ray secondary neutron reactions on Te, while the source in lunar materials in spallation on barium and rare earth elements. The Abee, Allende, and Dhajala meteorites were examined, together with the lunar rock 14310. Details of the process used to extract the iodine are provided. The Abee and Allende samples exhibited a production of 0.5 atom/min per gm of Te from the (n,2n) reaction and 0.05 atom/min/gm for the (n,gamma) reaction. The I-129 is concluded to be a viable tool for long-lived cosmogenic nuclide studies. Further work to extend the data to include the constancy of the cosmic ray flux, the meteorite bombardment history, and the cosmic exposure age dating by means of the I-129 and Xe-129 method is indicated.

Few Drugs Display Flip-Flop Pharmacokinetics and These Are Primarily Associated with Classes 3 and 4 of the BDDCS.

PubMed

Garrison, Kimberly L; Sahin, Selma; Benet, Leslie Z

2015-09-01

This study was conducted to determine the number of drugs exhibiting flip-flop pharmacokinetics following oral (p.o.) dosing from immediate-release dosage forms and if they exhibit a common characteristic that may be predicted based on BDDCS classification. The literature was searched for drugs displaying flip-flop kinetics (i.e., absorption half-life larger than elimination half-life) in mammals in PubMed, via internet search engines and reviewing drug pharmacokinetic data. Twenty two drugs were identified as displaying flip-flop kinetics in humans (13 drugs), rat (nine drugs), monkey (three drugs), horse (two drugs), and/or rabbit (two drugs). Nineteen of the 22 drugs exhibiting flip-flop kinetics were BDDCS Classes 3 and 4. One of the three exceptions, meclofenamic acid (Class 2), was identified in the horse; however, it would not exhibit flip-flop kinetics in humans where the p.o. dosing terminal half-life is 1.4 h. The second, carvedilol, can be explained based on solubility issues, but the third sapropterin dihydrochloride (nominally Class 1) requires further consideration. The few drugs displaying p.o. flip-flop kinetics in humans are predominantly BDDCS Classes 3 and 4. New molecular entities predicted to be BDDCS Classes 3 and 4 could be liable to exhibit flip-flop kinetics when the elimination half life is short and should be suspected to be substrates for intestinal transporters. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

76 FR 37641 - Safety Zone; Independence Day Fireworks Celebration for the City of Half Moon Bay, Half Moon Bay, CA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-28

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Independence Day Fireworks Celebration for the City of Half Moon Bay, Half Moon Bay... temporary safety zone in the navigable waters of Half Moon Bay, off of Pillar Point Harbor beach, Half Moon Bay, CA in support of the Independence Day Fireworks Celebration for the City of Half Moon Bay...

First report on the safety and efficacy of an extended half-life glycoPEGylated recombinant FVIII for major surgery in severe haemophilia A.

PubMed

Hampton, K; Chowdary, P; Dunkley, S; Ehrenforth, S; Jacobsen, L; Neff, A; Santagostino, E; Sathar, J; Takedani, H; Takemoto, C M; Négrier, C

2017-09-01

N8-GP (turoctocog alfa pegol) is an extended half-life glycoPEGylated recombinant factor VIII (FVIII) product developed for the prevention and treatment of bleeds in haemophilia A patients. This is a planned interim analysis of pathfinder™3, an international, open-label, Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety (including immunogenicity) of N8-GP administered before, during and after major surgery in severe haemophilia A patients aged ≥12 years. Sixteen patients who underwent 18 major surgical procedures (including synovectomy, joint replacement and ankle arthrodesis) were included here. Postoperative assessments were conducted daily for days 1-6, and once for days 7-14. Primary endpoint was N8-GP haemostatic efficacy, assessed after completion of surgery using a four-point scale ('excellent', 'good', 'moderate', 'none'). Haemostasis was successful (rated 'excellent' or 'good') on completion of surgery in 17 (94.4%) procedures and rated as 'moderate' (5.6%) for one surgery in a patient with multiple comorbidities who needed an intraoperative N8-GP dose (20.7 IU kg -1 ). In the postoperative period, three bleeds occurred (one during days 1-6; two during days 7-14); all were successfully treated with N8-GP. Mean N8-GP consumption on day of surgery was 80.0 IU kg -1 ; patients received a mean of 1.7 doses (median: 2, range: 1-3). No safety concerns were identified. The data showed that N8-GP was effective and well tolerated for the prevention and treatment of bleeds during major surgery; such FVIII products with extended half-lives may modify current treatment schedules, enabling fewer infusions and earlier patient discharge. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Heroic Measures for an American Hero: Attempting to Save the Life of General Douglas MacArthur.

PubMed

Pappas, Theodore N

2017-12-01

General Douglas MacArthur was a towering public figure on an international stage for the first half of the 20th century. He was healthy throughout his life but developed a series of medical problems when he entered his 80s. This article reviews the General's medical care during two separate life-threatening medical crises that required surgical intervention. The first episode occurred in 1960 when MacArthur presented with renal failure due to an obstructed prostate. Four years later after his 84th birthday, MacArthur developed bile duct obstruction from common duct stones. He underwent an uncomplicated cholecystectomy and common duct exploration but developed variceal bleeding requiring an emergent splenorenal shunt. His terminal event was precipitated by strangulated bowel in long-ignored very large inguinal hernias. MacArthur died, despite state-of-the-art surgical intervention, due to renal failure and hepatic coma.

Evaluation of effective energy for QA and QC: measurement of half-value layer using radiochromic film density.

PubMed

Gotanda, T; Katsuda, T; Gotanda, R; Tabuchi, A; Yamamoto, K; Kuwano, T; Yatake, H; Takeda, Y

2009-03-01

The effective energy of diagnostic X-rays is important for quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). However, the half-value layer (HVL), which is necessary to evaluate the effective energy, is not ubiquitously monitored because ionization-chamber dosimetry is time-consuming and complicated. To verify the applicability of GAFCHROMIC XR type R (GAF-R) film for HVL measurement as an alternative to monitoring with an ionization chamber, a single-strip method for measuring the HVL has been evaluated. Calibration curves of absorbed dose versus film density were generated using this single-strip method with GAF-R film, and the coefficient of determination (r2) of the straight-line approximation was evaluated. The HVLs (effective energies) estimated using the GAF-R film and an ionization chamber were compared. The coefficient of determination (r2) of the straight-line approximation obtained with the GAF-R film was more than 0.99. The effective energies (HVLs) evaluated using the GAF-R film and the ionization chamber were 43.25 keV (5.10 mm) and 39.86 keV (4.45 mm), respectively. The difference in the effective energies determined by the two methods was thus 8.5%. These results suggest that GAF-R might be used to evaluate the effective energy from the film-density growth without the need for ionization-chamber measurements.

Noise and range considerations for close-range radar sensing of life signs underwater.

PubMed

Hafner, Noah; Lubecke, Victor

2011-01-01

Close-range underwater sensing of motion-based life signs can be performed with low power Doppler radar and ultrasound techniques. Corresponding noise and range performance trade-offs are examined here, with regard to choice of frequency and technology. The frequency range examined includes part of the UHF and microwave spectrum. Underwater detection of motion by radar in freshwater and saltwater are demonstrated. Radar measurements exhibited reduced susceptibility to noise as compared to ultrasound. While higher frequency radar exhibited better signal to noise ratio, propagation was superior for lower frequencies. Radar detection of motion through saltwater was also demonstrated at restricted ranges (1-2 cm) with low power transmission (10 dBm). The results facilitate the establishment of guidelines for optimal choice in technology for the underwater measurement motion-based life signs, with respect to trade offs involving range and noise.

EUV lithography for 22nm half pitch and beyond: exploring resolution, LWR, and sensitivity tradeoffs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putna, E. Steve; Younkin, Todd R.; Caudillo, Roman; Chandhok, Manish

2010-04-01

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) denotes Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as a leading technology option for realizing the 22nm half pitch node and beyond. Readiness of EUV materials is currently one high risk area according to recent assessments made at the 2009 EUVL Symposium. The main development issue regarding EUV resist has been how to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, high resolution, and low line width roughness (LWR). This paper describes the strategy and current status of EUV resist development at Intel Corporation. Data collected utilizing Intel's Micro-Exposure Tool (MET) is presented in order to examine the feasibility of establishing a resist process that simultaneously exhibits <=22nm half-pitch (HP) L/S resolution at <= 12.5mJ/cm2 with <= 4nm LWR.

Preserving half-metallic surface states in Cr O2 : Insights into surface reconstruction rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Bei; Shi, X. Q.; Chen, L.; Tong, S. Y.

2018-04-01

The issue of whether the half-metallic (HM) nature of Cr O2 could be retained at its surface has been a standing problem under debate for a few decades, but until now is still controversial. Here, based on the density functional theory calculations we show, in startling contrast to the previous theoretical understandings, that the surfaces of Cr O2 favorably exhibit a half-metallic-semiconducting (SmC) transition driven by means of a surface electronic reconstruction largely attributed to the participation of the unexpected local charge carriers (LCCs), which convert the HM double exchange surface state into a SmC superexchange state and in turn, stabilize the surface as well. On the basis of the LCCs model, a new insight into the surface reconstruction rules is attained. Our novel finding not only provided an evident interpretation for the widely observed SmC character of Cr O2 surface, but also offered a novel means to improve the HM surface states for a variety of applications in spintronics and superconductors, and promote the experimental realization of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in half-metal based systems.

Witnessing Each Other: An Intersubjective Stance for Exhibitions Relating to Substance Use and Abuse.

PubMed

Hennes, Tom

2015-01-01

Most exhibitions are conceived to convey information the experts making the exhibition believe other people need or want. But the notion that the intended exhibition public will cooperate with the exhibition organizers. intent disregards the reasons people come to exhibitions and the way they use them. While the author contends that an exhibition cannot use facts to convince someone to abstain from substances they crave, exhibitions can nonetheless make a difference in lives complicated by substance use by providing representation for voices that are rarely heard and building empathy between witness and witnessed. The purpose of such an endeavor is not to change attitudes or behaviors toward a pre-determined outcome, but to facilitate a witnessing of others. The uniquely intersubjective medium of exhibition can thus succeed in this field by opening the potential of mutual, humanizing recognition among people with varied life experience of substance use and abuse.

Developing Interactive Exhibits with Scientists: Three Example Collaborations from the Life Sciences Collection at the Exploratorium.

PubMed

King, Denise; Ma, Joyce; Armendariz, Angela; Yu, Kristina

2018-04-25

Science museums have made a concerted effort to work with researchers to incorporate current scientific findings and practices into informal learning opportunities for museum visitors. Many of these efforts have focused on creating opportunities and support for researchers to interact face-to-face with the public through, for example, speaker series, community forums, and engineering competitions. However, there are other means by which practicing scientists can find a voice on the museum floor - through the design and development of exhibits. Here we describe how researchers and museum professionals have worked together to create innovative exhibit experiences for an interactive science museum. For each example: scientist as (1) data providers, (2) advisors, and (3) co-developers, we highlight essential components for a successful partnership and pitfalls to avoid when collaborating on museum exhibits. Not many museums prototype and build their own exhibits like the Exploratorium. In those cases, there may be similar opportunities in more mediated offerings such as public demonstrations or lectures or in other formats that allow for direct interactions between scientists and visitors.We believe there are many opportunities for researchers to share natural phenomena, to advise on exhibit development and interpretation, to provide much needed materials, and to otherwise incorporate authentic research into the learning experiences at museums, no matter what the format.

Measuring double-electron capture with liquid xenon experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mei, D.-M.; Marshall, I.; Wei, W.-Z.; Zhang, C.

2014-01-01

We investigate the possibilities of observing the decay mode for 124Xe in which two electrons are captured, two neutrinos are emitted, and the final daughter nucleus is in its ground state, using dark matter experiments with liquid xenon. The first upper limit of the decay half-life is calculated to be 1.66 × 1021 years at a 90% confidence level (C.L.) obtained with the published background data from the XENON100 experiment. Employing a known background model from the large underground xenon (LUX) experiment, we predict that the detection of double-electron capture of 124Xe to the ground state of 124Te with LUX will have approximately 115 events, assuming a half-life of 2.9 × 1021 years. We conclude that measuring 124Xe 2ν double-electron capture to the ground state of 124Te can be performed more precisely with the proposed LUX-Zeplin (LZ) experiment.

A tetraethylene glycol coat gives gold nanoparticles long in vivo half-lives with minimal increase in size

PubMed Central

Willett, Julian DS; Lawrence, Marlon G; Wilder, Jennifer C; Smithies, Oliver

2017-01-01

In this study, we describe the experiments determining whether coating gold nanoparticles with tetraethylene glycol (TEG) provides pharmacologically relevant advantages, such as increased serum half-life and resistance to protein adsorption. Monodisperse TEG-coated, NaBH4-reduced gold nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic size comparable to albumin were synthesized by reducing gold chloride with NaBH4 under alkaline conditions in the presence of TEG-SH. The particles were characterized by gel electrophoresis, column chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles were subsequently injected intravenously into mice, and their half-lives and final destinations were determined via photometric analysis, light microscopy (LM), and transmission electron microscopy. The TEG particles had a long half-life (~400 minutes) that was not influenced by splenectomy. After 500 minutes of injection, TEG particles were found in kidney proximal tubule cell vesicles and in spleen red and white pulp. The particles induced apoptosis in the spleen red pulp but not in white pulp or the kidney. Some of the TEG particles appeared to have undergone ligand exchange reactions that increased their charge. The TEG particles were shown to be resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption, as judged by gel electrophoresis and column chromatography. These results demonstrate that naturally monodisperse, small-sized gold nanoparticles coated with TEG have long in vivo plasma half-lives, are minimally toxic, and are resistant to protein adsorption. This suggests that a TEG coating should be considered as an alternative to a polyethylene glycol coating, which is polydisperse and of much larger size. PMID:28408825

The central pattern generator underlying swimming in Dendronotus iris: a simple half-center network oscillator with a twist.

PubMed

Sakurai, Akira; Katz, Paul S

2016-10-01

The nudibranch mollusc, Dendronotus iris, swims by rhythmically flexing its body from left to right. We identified a bilaterally represented interneuron, Si3, that provides strong excitatory drive to the previously identified Si2, forming a half-center oscillator, which functions as the central pattern generator (CPG) underlying swimming. As with Si2, Si3 inhibited its contralateral counterpart and exhibited rhythmic bursts in left-right alternation during the swim motor pattern. Si3 burst almost synchronously with the contralateral Si2 and was coactive with the efferent impulse activity in the contralateral body wall nerve. Perturbation of bursting in either Si3 or Si2 by current injection halted or phase-shifted the swim motor pattern, suggesting that they are both critical CPG members. Neither Si2 nor Si3 exhibited endogenous bursting properties when activated alone; activation of all four neurons was necessary to initiate and maintain the swim motor pattern. Si3 made a strong excitatory synapse onto the contralateral Si2 to which it is also electrically coupled. When Si3 was firing tonically but not exhibiting bursting, artificial enhancement of the Si3-to-Si2 synapse using dynamic clamp caused all four neurons to burst. In contrast, negation of the Si3-to-Si2 synapse by dynamic clamp blocked ongoing swim motor patterns. Together, these results suggest that the Dendronotus swim CPG is organized as a "twisted" half-center oscillator in which each "half" is composed of two excitatory-coupled neurons from both sides of the brain, each of which inhibits its contralateral counterpart. Consisting of only four neurons, this is perhaps the simplest known network oscillator for locomotion. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

A Child's Garden of Books: Children's Literature Featured in Library Exhibition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamolinara, Guy

1998-01-01

Describes an exhibition at the Library of Congress called "From Sea to Shining Sea: An American Sampler" that contains a sampling of children's books that are representative of American life and show how children's literature has evolved over the centuries. Illustrations from several of the books are included. (LRW)

Measuring quality of life among people living with HIV: a systematic review of reviews.

PubMed

Cooper, Vanessa; Clatworthy, Jane; Harding, Richard; Whetham, Jennifer

2017-11-15

A systematic review of reviews was conducted to identify and appraise brief measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) that have been used in peer-reviewed research with people living with HIV. The review was conducted in two stages: 1) search of electronic databases to identify systematic reviews of tools used to measure HRQoL in adults living with HIV, published since the year 2000; 2) selection of HRQol scales from those identified in the reviews. Inclusion criteria included scales that could be self-administered in 10 min or less, covering at least 3 domains of quality of life (physical function, social/role function and mental/emotional function). For generic scales, inclusion criteria included the availability of normative data while for HIV-specific scales, patient input into the development of the scale was required. Ten reviews met the inclusion criteria. Nine generic scales met the inclusion criteria: the EuroQol five dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D); Health Utilities Index; McGill Quality of Life questionnaire; Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Short Form (SF)-12; SF-36; World Health Organisation Quality of Life (WHOQOL- BREF), Questions of Life Satisfaction (FLZM) and SF-20. Available psychometric data supported the EQ-5D and SF-36. Seven HIV-specific scales met the inclusion criteria: the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG)-21; HIV-QL-31; MOS-HIV; Multidimensional Quality of Life Questionnaire for Persons with HIV/AIDS (MQOL-HIV), PROQOL-HIV, Symptom Quality of Life Adherence (HIV-SQUAD) and the WHOQOL-HIV BREF. Of the HIV -specific measures, the MOS-HIV was considered to have the most well-established psychometric properties, however limitations identified in the reviews included insufficient input from people living with HIV in the development of the scale, cross-cultural relevance and continued applicability. Two relatively new measures, the WHOQOL-HIV BREF and PROQOL-HIV, were considered to have promising psychometric properties and may have

Edentulism and dental prostheses in the elderly: impact on quality of life measured with EuroQol--visual analog scale (EQ-VAS).

PubMed

Cano-Gutiérrez, Carlos; Borda, Miguel G; Arciniegas, Antonio J; Borda, Claudia X

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to measure the impact of edentulism and dental prostheses on quality of life (QOL) in older adults in Bogota, Colombia. Edentulism is a frequent condition in older adults and has great impact on their QOL. No epidemiological data are currently available on edentulism among older adults in Colombia. Data were obtained from the SABE-Bogota study, a cross-sectional study conducted in 2012, and used to analyze the EQ-VAS (Visual Analog Scale) from the EuroQol instrument to measure the perception of quality of life (QOL) in relation to edentulism. The study included 2,000 individuals over 60 years old. The Spearman-Rho correlation was used to analyze the correlation between EQ-VAS and edentulism. Chi-Square, ANOVA and t-test were used to study the differences in EQ-VAS scores between edentulous and healthy subjects. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Of the 2000 respondents, 98.3% were edentulous, 73.0% reported half or more missing teeth, 76.9% used dental prostheses and 23.7% had related eating problems. Older age, lower social class and lower education were related to edentulism. Individuals with fewer teeth and dental prostheses had lower EQ-VAS scores (p<0.05) and dental prosthesis did not improve EQ-VAS scores (p=0.22). Edentulism also showed a significant negative correlation with EQ-VAS scores (rho= -0.102, p<0.01). In summary, EQ-VAS is a useful tool for measuring the perception of QOL in dental health scenarios. Edentulism significantly affects QOL in older adults and the use of dental prosthesis does not improve the perception of QOL.

Idea density measured in late life predicts subsequent cognitive trajectories: implications for the measurement of cognitive reserve.

PubMed

Farias, Sarah Tomaszewski; Chand, Vineeta; Bonnici, Lisa; Baynes, Kathleen; Harvey, Danielle; Mungas, Dan; Simon, Christa; Reed, Bruce

2012-11-01

The Nun Study showed that lower linguistic ability in young adulthood, measured by idea density (ID), increased the risk of dementia in late life. The present study examined whether ID measured in late life continues to predict the trajectory of cognitive change. ID was measured in 81 older adults who were followed longitudinally for an average of 4.3 years. Changes in global cognition and 4 specific neuropsychological domains (episodic memory, semantic memory, spatial abilities, and executive function) were examined as outcomes. Separate random effects models tested the effect of ID on longitudinal change in outcomes, adjusted for age and education. Lower ID was associated with greater subsequent decline in global cognition, semantic memory, episodic memory, and spatial abilities. When analysis was restricted to only participants without dementia at the time ID was collected, results were similar. Linguistic ability in young adulthood, as measured by ID, has been previously proposed as an index of neurocognitive development and/or cognitive reserve. The present study provides evidence that even when ID is measured in old age, it continues to be associated with subsequent cognitive decline and as such may continue to provide a marker of cognitive reserve.

Adaptation and Validation of the Voice-Related Quality of Life Measure Into Polish.

PubMed

Sielska-Badurek, Ewelina; Rzepakowska, Anna; Sobol, Maria; Osuch-Wójcikiewicz, Ewa; Niemczyk, Kazimierz

2016-11-01

The purpose of the study was to translate and adapt the original V-RQOL (Voice-Related Quality of Life) instrument into Polish and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the V-RQOL Measure such as internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity in different groups of dysphonic patients. A total of 214 patients with voice disorders were assessed using the V-RQOL Measure, the Voice Handicap Index, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life, short version. The Polish version of the V-RQOL Measure showed strong internal consistency with the Cronbach alpha coefficient: 0.92 for the total score, 0.90 for the social-emotional domain, and 0.86 for the physical functioning domain, and a good test-retest reliability (r-Spearman correlation coefficient: r = 0.8852 for the total score of the V-RQOL Measure). Construct validity was demonstrated with a strong correlation to the Voice Handicap Index (r = -0.843, P = 0.000*) and a weak positive, statistically significant correlation between the V-RQOL-physical functioning domain, V-RQOL-social-emotional domain, and the Q1, Q2, and Domain 1-Domain 4 of the World Health Organization Quality of Life, short version (0.2 < r < 0.4). The Polish version of the V-RQOL Measure is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate the patient's perception of his or her own voice disorders and the impact it can have on the patient's life. The V-RQOL Measure is easy to perform in clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the environmental parameters that determine aerobic biodegradation half-lives of pesticides in soil with a multivariable approach.

PubMed

Wang, Yuxin; Lai, Adelene; Latino, Diogo; Fenner, Kathrin; Helbling, Damian E

2018-06-14

Aerobic biodegradation half-lives (half-lives) are key parameters used to evaluate pesticide persistence in soil. However, half-life estimates for individual pesticides often span several orders of magnitude, reflecting the impact that various environmental or experimental parameters have on half-lives in soil. In this work, we collected literature-reported half-lives for eleven pesticides along with associated metadata describing the environmental or experimental conditions under which they were derived. We then developed a multivariable framework to discover relationships between the half-lives and associated metadata. We first compared data for the herbicide atrazine collected from 95 laboratory and 65 field studies. We discovered that atrazine application history and soil texture were the parameters that have the largest influence on the observed half-lives in both types of studies. We then extended the analysis to include ten additional pesticides with data collected exclusively from laboratory studies. We found that, when data were available, pesticide application history and biomass concentrations were always positively associated with half-lives. The relevance of other parameters varied among the pesticides, but in some cases the variability could be explained by the physicochemical properties of the pesticides. For example, we found that the relative significance of the organic carbon content of soil for determining half-lives depends on the relative solubility of the pesticide. Altogether, our analyses highlight the reciprocal influence of both environmental parameters and intrinsic physicochemical properties for determining half-lives in soil. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

IYA 2009 in Second Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauthier, Adrienne J.; Gay, P. L.; New Media Working Group

2008-05-01

The New Media Group is working to create an IYA 2009 presence in the 3-dimensional multi-user virtual world called Second Life (SL). Current installations, development plans, and collaboration initiatives will be discussed. The first wave of development will bring real-life (RL) IYA 2009 events and exhibits to the residents of Second Life. Informational kiosks with IYA 2009 freebie avatar clothing will be placed in a variety of science-related places and other high traffic locations in SL. The IYA 2009 cornerstone project "From Earth to the Universe” is planned to be a portable exhibit in SL that can reside in temporary locations and be unveiled for special events. Interactive exhibits for "Years of Astronomy Timeline", "Galileo's Telescope", and "Dark Sky Awareness” will also be under design. Live events such as public lectures, coffee talks, and a web-streamed opening ceremonies SL party are also in the works. These are our ideas, now we want yours! Our ultimate plan is to bring together all those nationally and internationally interested in brainstorming, creating, and developing content, exhibits, and activities in Second Life for IYA 2009. Sharing resources, sponsorship, and land space will help us all succeed in bringing astronomy to the public in 2009 and beyond.

Heating rate measurements over 30 deg and 40 deg (half angle) blunt cones in air and helium in the Langley expansion tube facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)