The unity of the fundamental interactions

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

Zichichi, A.

1983-01-01

This book offers a collection of authoritative papers which provides the reader with a plenary survey of some of the latest developments in the field of high-energy interactions. The contributing physicists offer a comprehensive review of recent significant findings from both theoretical and experimental studies in high-energy interactions. Topics include the end of the high-energy frontier, monopoles, numerical studies of gauge field theories, expectations for the next generation of experiments, unified models, cosmology, supersymmetry, neutrino physics at Fermilab, heavy flavor production in the highest-energy (pp) interactions, b-quark physics, hadron production in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation, the search for new particlesmore » and electroweak interference effects in e/sup +/e/sup -/ interactions, CP violation, and high-energy soft (pp) interactions. Includes essays by Edward Teller and P.A.M. Dirac on their lives as physicists, and one by E.P. Wigner on ''the glorious days of physics.''« less

Sexual Interaction in Nonclinical Couples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woody, Jane D.; D'Souza, Henry J.

1997-01-01

Reports on the sexual functioning and interaction of 58 nonclinical heterosexual couples as measured by the Sexual Interaction System Scale (SISS). On all five SISS factors, the nonclinical sample scored significantly better than persons in therapy for sexual dysfunction; they also reported satisfactory relationship adjustment and high levels of…

Dissecting genotype × environment interactions and trait correlations present in the Pee Dee cotton germplasm collection following seventy years of plant breeding

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genotype × environment interactions and trait correlations significantly impact efforts to develop high yield, high quality, and environmentally stable Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars. Knowledge of both can and should be used to design optimal breeding programs and effective selectio...

Evidence that COMT genotype and proline interact on negative-symptom outcomes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Clelland, C L; Drouet, V; Rilett, K C; Smeed, J A; Nadrich, R H; Rajparia, A; Read, L L; Clelland, J D

2016-09-13

Elevated peripheral proline is associated with psychiatric disorders, and there is evidence that proline is a neuromodulator. The proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) gene, which encodes the enzyme that catalyzes proline catabolism, maps to human chromosome 22q11.2, a region conferring risk of schizophrenia. In the Prodh-null mouse, an interaction between elevated peripheral proline and another 22q11.2 gene, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), on neurotransmission and behavior has been reported. We explored the relationship between fasting plasma proline levels and COMT Val(158)Met genotype on symptoms (positive, negative and total) in schizophrenia patients. In an exploratory study we also examined symptom change in patients with bipolar disorder. There was a significant interaction between peripheral proline and COMT on negative symptoms in schizophrenia (P<0.0001, n=95). In COMT Val/Val patients, high proline was associated with low Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptom (SANS) scores. In contrast, high proline was associated with high SANS scores in patients carrying a Met allele. The relationship between proline and COMT also appears to modify negative symptoms across psychiatric illness. In bipolar disorder, a significant interaction was also observed on negative-symptom change (P=0.007, n=43). Negative symptoms are intractable and largely unaddressed by current medications. These data indicate a significant interaction between peripheral proline and COMT genotype, influencing negative symptoms in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. That high proline has converse effects on symptoms by COMT genotype, may have implications for therapeutic decisions.

Organizational Justice and Physiological Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Japanese Employees: a Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Eguchi, Hisashi; Miyaki, Koichi; Tsutsumi, Akizumi

2015-12-01

Growing evidence has shown that lack of organizational justice (i.e., procedural justice and interactional justice) is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) while biological mechanisms underlying this association have not yet been fully clarified. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the cross-sectional association of organizational justice with physiological CHD risk factors (i.e., blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, and triglyceride) in Japanese employees. Overall, 3598 male and 901 female employees from two manufacturing companies in Japan completed self-administered questionnaires measuring organizational justice, demographic characteristics, and lifestyle factors. They completed health checkup, which included blood pressure and serum lipid measurements. Multiple logistic regression analyses and trend tests were conducted. Among male employees, multiple logistic regression analyses and trend tests showed significant associations of low procedural justice and low interactional justice with high triglyceride (defined as 150 mg/dL or greater) after adjusting for demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. Among female employees, trend tests showed significant dose-response relationship between low interactional justice and high LDL cholesterol (defined as 140 mg/dL or greater) while multiple logistic regression analysis showed only marginally significant or insignificant odds ratio of high LDL cholesterol among the low interactional justice group. Neither procedural justice nor interactional justice was associated with blood pressure or HDL cholesterol. Organizational justice may be an important psychosocial factor associated with increased triglyceride at least among Japanese male employees.

Impact of A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), an interactive, multimedia smoking prevention and cessation curriculum for culturally diverse high-school students.

PubMed

Prokhorov, Alexander V; Kelder, Steven H; Shegog, Ross; Murray, Nancy; Peters, Ronald; Agurcia-Parker, Carolyn; Cinciripini, Paul M; de Moor, Carl; Conroy, Jennifer L; Hudmon, Karen Suchanek; Ford, Kentya H; Marani, Salma

2008-09-01

Few studies have examined the long-term efficacy of computer-based smoking prevention and cessation programs. We analyzed the long-term impact of A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), a theoretically sound computer-based smoking prevention and cessation curriculum for high school students. Sixteen predominantly minority, inner-city high schools were randomly assigned to receive the ASPIRE curriculum or standard care (receipt of the National Cancer Institute's Clearing the Air self-help booklet). A total of 1160 students, 1098 of whom were nonsmokers and 62 smokers at baseline, were included. At 18-month follow-up, among baseline nonsmokers, smoking initiation rates were significantly lower in the ASPIRE condition (1.9% vs. 5.8%, p < .05). Students receiving ASPIRE also demonstrated significantly higher decisional balance against smoking and decreased temptations to smoke. Differences between groups in self-efficacy and resistance skills were not significant. There was a nonsignificant trend toward improved smoking cessation with ASPIRE, but low recruitment of smokers precluded conclusions with respect to cessation. ASPIRE demonstrated the potential for an interactive multimedia program to promote smoking prevention. Further studies are required to determine ASPIRE's effects on cessation.

Energy coupling in short pulse laser solid interactions and its impact for space debris removal.

PubMed

Neely, David; Allott, Ric; Bingham, Bob; Collier, John; Greenhalgh, Justin; Michaelis, Max; Phillips, Jonathan; Phipps, Claude R; McKenna, Paul

2014-11-01

Significant advances have been made over the last decade to improve the performance, efficiency, and contrast of high peak and average power laser systems, driven by their use in a wide variety of fields, from the industrial to the scientific. As the contrast of the lasers has improved, interactions with contrasts of 10¹² are now routinely undertaken. At such high contrasts, there is negligible preplasma formation and the ionized surface layer created by subpicosecond-duration pulses typically forms a highly reflective "plasma mirror" capable of reflecting between 70% and 90% of the incident energy. Although such interactions are of significant interest for applications such as harmonic source production and to enable the underlying physics to be studied, their low absorption can limit their usefulness for applications such as space debris removal.

Increased iron level in phytase-supplemented diets reduces performance and nutrient utilisation in broiler chickens.

PubMed

Akter, Marjina; Iji, P A; Graham, H

2017-08-01

1. The effect of different levels of dietary iron on phytase activity and its subsequent effect on broiler performance were investigated in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement. A total of 360 day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were distributed to 6 experimental diets, formulated with three levels of Fe (60, 80 and 100 mg/kg) and two levels of phytase (0 and 500 FTU/kg). 2. Phytase supplemented to mid-Fe diets increased feed consumption more than the non-supplemented diet at d 24. From hatch to d 35, Fe × phytase interaction significantly influenced the feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The high-Fe diet supplemented with phytase significantly reduced FI and BWG of broilers than those supplemented with low- or mid-Fe diets. The overall FCR was significantly better in birds fed on the mid-Fe diets with phytase supplementation. 3. A significant improvement in ileal digestibility of N, P, Mg and Fe was observed in birds feed diets containing 60 mg Fe/kg, with significant interaction between Fe and phytase. 4. Phytase improved the bone breaking strength when supplemented to low- or mid-Fe diets, compared to the non-supplemented diets. There was a significant Fe × phytase interaction effect. Tibia Fe content was higher in birds fed on phytase-free diets with high Fe but the reverse was the case when phytase was added and their interaction was significant. High dietary Fe significantly increased the accumulation of Fe in liver. 5. Phytase improved Ca-Mg-ATPase, Ca-ATPase and Mg-ATPase activities in jejunum when supplemented to the diet containing 80 mg Fe/kg. 6. This study indicates that high (100 mg/kg) dietary Fe inhibited phytase efficacy and subsequently reduced the overall performance and nutrient utilisation of broilers.

Curriculum for Junior High School Students: Dairy Food Consumption Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pobocik, Rebecca S.; Haar, Christine M.; Dawson, Erin E.; Coleman, Priscilla; Bakies, Karen

2009-01-01

A nutrition education module for a family and consumer sciences curriculum was developed and evaluated with junior high school students (n = 63) using a quasi-experimental design. The multivariate interaction between time of measurement and intervention was significant, F (2, 50) = 8.68, p = 0.001.The univariate interaction between pre and post…

Chemical ecology of insect-plant interactions: ecological significance of plant secondary metabolites.

PubMed

Nishida, Ritsuo

2014-01-01

Plants produce a diverse array of secondary metabolites as chemical barriers against herbivores. Many phytophagous insects are highly adapted to these allelochemicals and use such unique substances as the specific host-finding cues, defensive substances of their own, and even as sex pheromones or their precursors by selectively sensing, incorporating, and/or processing these phytochemicals. Insects also serve as pollinators often effectively guided by specific floral fragrances. This review demonstrates the ecological significance of such plant secondary metabolites in the highly diverse interactions between insects and plants.

Social curiosity and interpersonal perception: a judge x trait interaction.

PubMed

Hartung, Freda-Marie; Renner, Britta

2011-06-01

The present study examined the impact of social curiosity on the utilization of social information and the accuracy of personality judgments. In total, 182 individuals who never met each other before were asked to interact for 10 minutes and afterwards to evaluate the personality (Big Five) of their interaction partner. High socially curious judges were more accurate in evaluating the degree of Extraversion and Openness of their interaction partners. Interestingly, high and low curious judges differed significantly in the utilization of verbal and nonverbal cues displayed by their interaction partner. Specifically, high socially curious judges more often used valid cues for inferring Extraversion and Openness. No differences in interpersonal accuracy and cue utilization were found for Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. The results suggest that high socially curious individuals are more accurate in judging visible traits and that this higher accuracy is grounded in a more comprehensive utilization of valid cues.

A test of an interactive model of binge eating among undergraduate men.

PubMed

Minnich, Allison M; Gordon, Kathryn H; Holm-Denoma, Jill M; Troop-Gordon, Wendy

2014-12-01

Past research has shown that a combination of high perfectionism, high body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem is predictive of binge eating in college women (Bardone-Cone et al., 2006). In the current study, we examined whether this triple interaction model is applicable to men. Male undergraduate college students from a large Midwestern university (n=302) completed self-report measures online at two different time points, a minimum of eight weeks apart. Analyses revealed a significant interaction between the three risk factors, such that high perfectionism, high body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem at Time 1 were associated with higher levels of Time 2 binge eating symptoms. The triple interaction model did not predict Time 2 anxiety or depressive symptoms, which suggests model specificity. These findings offer a greater understanding of the interactive nature of risk factors in predicting binge eating symptoms among men. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Refining the Candidate Environment: Interpersonal Stress, the Serotonin Transporter Polymorphism, and Gene-Environment Interactions in Major Depression.

PubMed

Vrshek-Schallhorn, Suzanne; Mineka, Susan; Zinbarg, Richard E; Craske, Michelle G; Griffith, James W; Sutton, Jonathan; Redei, Eva E; Wolitzky-Taylor, Kate; Hammen, Constance; Adam, Emma K

2014-05-01

Meta-analytic evidence supports a gene-environment (G×E) interaction between life stress and the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) on depression, but few studies have examined factors that influence detection of this effect, despite years of inconsistent results. We propose that the "candidate environment" (akin to a candidate gene) is key. Theory and evidence implicate major stressful life events (SLEs)-particularly major interpersonal SLEs-as well as chronic family stress. Participants ( N = 400) from the Youth Emotion Project (which began with 627 high school juniors oversampled for high neuroticism) completed up to five annual diagnostic and life stress interviews and provided DNA samples. A significant G×E effect for major SLEs and S -carrier genotype was accounted for significantly by major interpersonal SLEs but not significantly by major non-interpersonal SLEs. S -carrier genotype and chronic family stress also significantly interacted. Identifying such candidate environments may facilitate future G×E research in depression and psychopathology more broadly.

On wind-wave-current interactions during the Shoaling Waves Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fei W.; Drennan, William M.; Haus, Brian K.; Graber, Hans C.

2009-01-01

This paper presents a case study of wind-wave-current interaction during the Shoaling Waves Experiment (SHOWEX). Surface current fields off Duck, North Carolina, were measured by a high-frequency Ocean Surface Current Radar (OSCR). Wind, wind stress, and directional wave data were obtained from several Air Sea Interaction Spar (ASIS) buoys moored in the OSCR scanning domain. At several times during the experiment, significant coastal currents entered the experimental area. High horizontal shears at the current edge resulted in the waves at the peak of wind-sea spectra (but not those in the higher-frequency equilibrium range) being shifted away from the mean wind direction. This led to a significant turning of the wind stress vector away from the mean wind direction. The interactions presented here have important applications in radar remote sensing and are discussed in the context of recent radar imaging models of the ocean surface.

Adherence to drug-drug interaction alerts in high-risk patients: a trial of context-enhanced alerting.

PubMed

Duke, Jon D; Li, Xiaochun; Dexter, Paul

2013-05-01

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerting is an important form of clinical decision support, yet physicians often fail to attend to critical DDI warnings due to alert fatigue. We previously described a model for highlighting patients at high risk of a DDI by enhancing alerts with relevant laboratory data. We sought to evaluate the effect of this model on alert adherence in high-risk patients. A 6-month randomized controlled trial involving 1029 outpatient physicians was performed. The target interactions were all DDIs known to cause hyperkalemia. Alerts in the intervention group were enhanced with the patient's most recent potassium and creatinine levels. The control group received unmodified alerts. High -risk patients were those with baseline potassium >5.0 mEq/l and/or creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dl (132 μmol/l). We found no significant difference in alert adherence in high-risk patients between the intervention group (15.3%) and the control group (16.8%) (p=0.71). Adherence in normal risk patients was significantly lower in the intervention group (14.6%) than in the control group (18.6%) (p<0.01). In neither group did physicians increase adherence in patients at high risk. Physicians adhere poorly to hyperkalemia-associated DDI alerts even in patients with risk factors for a clinically significant interaction, and the display of relevant laboratory data in these alerts did not improve adherence levels in the outpatient setting. Further research is necessary to determine optimal strategies for conveying patient-specific DDI risk.

Evaluating display fidelity and interaction fidelity in a virtual reality game.

PubMed

McMahan, Ryan P; Bowman, Doug A; Zielinski, David J; Brady, Rachael B

2012-04-01

In recent years, consumers have witnessed a technological revolution that has delivered more-realistic experiences in their own homes through high-definition, stereoscopic televisions and natural, gesture-based video game consoles. Although these experiences are more realistic, offering higher levels of fidelity, it is not clear how the increased display and interaction aspects of fidelity impact the user experience. Since immersive virtual reality (VR) allows us to achieve very high levels of fidelity, we designed and conducted a study that used a six-sided CAVE to evaluate display fidelity and interaction fidelity independently, at extremely high and low levels, for a VR first-person shooter (FPS) game. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the effects of fidelity on the user in a complex, performance-intensive context. The results of our study indicate that both display and interaction fidelity significantly affect strategy and performance, as well as subjective judgments of presence, engagement, and usability. In particular, performance results were strongly in favor of two conditions: low-display, low-interaction fidelity (representative of traditional FPS games) and high-display, high-interaction fidelity (similar to the real world).

High Job Demands, Still Engaged and Not Burned Out? The Role of Job Crafting.

PubMed

Hakanen, Jari J; Seppälä, Piia; Peeters, Maria C W

2017-08-01

Traditionally, employee well-being has been considered as resulting from decent working conditions arranged by the organization. Much less is known about whether employees themselves can make self-initiated changes to their work, i.e., craft their jobs, in order to stay well, even in highly demanding work situations. The aim of this study was to use the job demands-resources (JD-R model) to investigate whether job crafting buffers the negative impacts of four types of job demands (workload, emotional dissonance, work contents, and physical demands) on burnout and work engagement. A questionnaire study was designed to examine the buffering role of job crafting among 470 Finnish dentists. All in all, 11 out of 16 possible interaction effects of job demands and job crafting on employee well-being were significant. Job crafting particularly buffered the negative effects of job demands on burnout (7/8 significant interactions) and to a somewhat lesser extent also on work engagement (4/8 significant interactions). Applying job crafting techniques appeared to be particularly effective in mitigating the negative effects of quantitative workload (4/4 significant interactions). By demonstrating that job crafting can also buffer the negative impacts of high job demands on employee well-being, this study contributed to the JD-R model as it suggests that job crafting may even be possible under high work demands, and not only in resourceful jobs, as most previous studies have indicated. In addition to the top-down initiatives for improving employee well-being, bottom-up approaches such as job crafting may also be efficient in preventing burnout and enhancing work engagement.

Challenging the FDA black box warning for high aspirin dose with ticagrelor in patients with diabetes.

PubMed

DiNicolantonio, James J; Serebruany, Victor L

2013-03-01

Ticagrelor, a novel reversible antiplatelet agent, has a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warning to avoid maintenance doses of aspirin (ASA) >100 mg/daily. This restriction is based on the hypothesis that ASA doses >100 mg somehow decreased ticagrelor's benefit in the Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) U.S. cohort. However, these data are highly postrandomized, come from a very small subgroup in PLATO (57% of patients in the U.S. site), and make no biological sense. Moreover, the ticagrelor-ASA interaction was not significant by any multivariate Cox regression analyses. The Complete Response Review for ticagrelor indicates that for U.S. PLATO patients, an ASA dose >300 mg was not a significant interaction for vascular outcomes. In the ticagrelor-ASA >300 mg cohort, all-cause and vascular mortality were not significantly increased (hazard ratio [HR] 1.27 [95% CI 0.84-1.93], P = 0.262 and 1.39 [0.87-2.2], P = 0.170), respectively. Furthermore, for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), 30-day all-cause mortality, and 30-day vascular mortality, the strongest interaction is the diabetes-ASA interaction. That is, patients who had diabetes had significantly fewer MACEs through study end (0.49 [0.34-0.63], P < 0.0001), significantly less 30-day all-cause mortality (0.33 [0.20-0.56], P < 0.0001), and significantly less 30-day vascular mortality (0.35 [0.22-0.55], P < 0.0001), respectively, when given high-dose (300-325 mg) ASA, regardless of treatment (clopidogrel or ticagrelor) assignment. The black box warning for the use of maintenance ASA doses >100 mg with ticagrelor is inappropriate for patients with diabetes and not evidence based.

On the Importance of Polar Interactions for Complexes Containing Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

PubMed Central

Wong, Eric T. C.; Na, Dokyun; Gsponer, Jörg

2013-01-01

There is a growing recognition for the importance of proteins with large intrinsically disordered (ID) segments in cell signaling and regulation. ID segments in these proteins often harbor regions that mediate molecular recognition. Coupled folding and binding of the recognition regions has been proposed to confer high specificity to interactions involving ID segments. However, researchers recently questioned the origin of the interaction specificity of ID proteins because of the overrepresentation of hydrophobic residues in their interaction interfaces. Here, we focused on the role of polar and charged residues in interactions mediated by ID segments. Making use of the extended nature of most ID segments when in complex with globular proteins, we first identified large numbers of complexes between globular proteins and ID segments by using radius-of-gyration-based selection criteria. Consistent with previous studies, we found the interfaces of these complexes to be enriched in hydrophobic residues, and that these residues contribute significantly to the stability of the interaction interface. However, our analyses also show that polar interactions play a larger role in these complexes than in structured protein complexes. Computational alanine scanning and salt-bridge analysis indicate that interfaces in ID complexes are highly complementary with respect to electrostatics, more so than interfaces of globular proteins. Follow-up calculations of the electrostatic contributions to the free energy of binding uncovered significantly stronger Coulombic interactions in complexes harbouring ID segments than in structured protein complexes. However, they are counter-balanced by even higher polar-desolvation penalties. We propose that polar interactions are a key contributing factor to the observed high specificity of ID segment-mediated interactions. PMID:23990768

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Moderates the Relation between Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality and Adolescents' Social Adjustment.

PubMed

Van der Graaff, Jolien; Meeus, Wim; de Wied, Minet; van Boxtel, Anton; van Lier, Pol; Branje, Susan

2016-02-01

This 2-wave longitudinal study aimed (1) to investigate whether high resting RSA predicted adolescents' lower externalizing behavior and higher empathic concern, and (2) to address the potential moderating role of resting RSA in the association between parent-adolescent relationship quality and adolescents' externalizing behavior and empathic concern. In a sample of 379 adolescents (212 boys, 167 girls), resting RSA was assessed during a laboratory session, and adolescents reported on parental support, negative interaction with parents, empathic concern and externalizing behavior during a home visit. We found no support for high resting RSA predicting low externalizing behavior or high empathic concern. However, in line with our hypotheses, we did find several instances of RSA functioning as a moderator, although the interaction patterns varied. First, negative interaction with parents was a negative predictor of externalizing behavior for girls low in resting RSA, whereas the association was non-significant for girls with high RSA. Second, higher negative interaction with parents predicted lower empathic concern for boys high in resting RSA, whereas the association was reversed for boys with low resting RSA. Third, parental support was a positive predictor of empathic concern for girls high in resting RSA, whereas the association was non-significant for girls low in resting RSA. The findings suggest that adolescents with different levels of resting RSA respond differentially to relationship quality with parents.

Identifying high risk medications causing potential drug-drug interactions in outpatients: A prescription database study based on an online surveillance system.

PubMed

Toivo, T M; Mikkola, J A V; Laine, K; Airaksinen, M

2016-01-01

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are a significant cause for adverse drug events (ADEs). DDIs are often predictable and preventable, but their prevention and management require systematic service development. Most DDI studies focus on interaction rates in hospitalized patients. Less is known of DDIs in outpatients, particularly how community pharmacists could contribute to DDI management by applying their surveillance systems for identifying high-risk medications. The study was related to the implementation of the first online DDI surveillance system in Finnish community pharmacies. The goal was to demonstrate how community pharmacies can utilize their prospective surveillance system 1) for identifying high risk medications causing potential DDIs in outpatients, 2) for collaborative service development with local physicians, and 3) for academic risk management research purposes. All DDI alerts given by the online surveillance system were collected during a one-month period in 16 out of 17 University Pharmacy outlets in Finland, covering approximately 10% of the national outpatient prescription volume. The surveillance system was based on the FASS database, which categorizes DDIs into four classes (A-D) according to their clinical significance. Potential drug-drug DDIs were analyzed for 276,891 dispensed community pharmacy prescriptions. Potential DDIs were associated with 10.8%, or 31,110 of these prescriptions. Clinically significant interaction alerts categorized as FASS classes D (most severe, should be avoided) and C (clinically significant but controllable) were associated with 0.5% and 7.0% of the prescriptions, respectively. Methotrexate and warfarin had the highest risk of causing potentially serious (class D) interactions. These interaction alerts were most frequently between methotrexate and NSAIDs and warfarin and NSAIDs. In general, NSAIDs were the most commonly interacting drugs in this study. This study demonstrates that community pharmacies can actively contribute to DDI risk management and systematically use their surveillance systems for identifying patients having clinically significant DDIs. The findings also indicate that the majority of potentially serious interactions in outpatients involve a limited number of drugs, particularly NSAIDs, warfarin and methotrexate. Further research should focus on community pharmacists' involvement in DDI risk management in collaboration with local health care providers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential job facilitation benefits of "water cooler" conversations: the importance of social interactions in the workplace.

PubMed

Lin, Iris Y; Kwantes, Catherine T

2015-01-01

This study looked at the extent to which personality and cultural factors predicted participants' perceptions of the importance private interactions played in the workplace. The 134 participants read a vignette (where a new employee socially interacted at low or high levels with co-workers) and completed the Big Five Inventory, Social Axioms Survey, and questions concerning expected workplace experiences. Results indicated employees who engaged in high levels of private interaction with co-workers were expected to be better liked, to receive better performance evaluations, were more likely to receive co-worker assistance, and were thought to be more likely chosen for future projects. However, the personality and social axiom variables studied did not significantly interact with social interaction to influence expectations of workplace outcomes.

Evidence for Merger-driven Growth in Luminous, High- z, Obscured AGNs in the CANDELS/COSMOS Field

DOE PAGES

Donley, J. L.; Kartaltepe, J.; Kocevski, D.; ...

2018-01-23

While major mergers have long been proposed as a driver of both active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and themore » $${M}_{\\mathrm{BH}}\\mbox{--}{\\sigma }_{\\mathrm{bulge}}$$ relation, studies of moderate to high-redshift Seyfert-luminosity AGN hosts have found little evidence for enhanced rates of interactions. However, both theory and observation suggest that while these AGNs may be fueled by stochastic accretion and secular processes, high-luminosity, high-redshift, and heavily obscured AGNs are the AGNs most likely to be merger-driven. To better sample this population of AGNs, we turn to infrared selection in the CANDELS/COSMOS field. Compared to their lower-luminosity and less obscured X-ray-only counterparts, IR-only AGNs (luminous, heavily obscured AGNs) are more likely to be classified as either irregular ($${50}_{-12}^{+12} \\% $$ versus $${9}_{-2}^{+5} \\% $$) or asymmetric ($${69}_{-13}^{+9} \\% $$ versus $${17}_{-4}^{+6} \\% $$) and are less likely to have a spheroidal component ($${31}_{-9}^{+13} \\% $$ versus $${77}_{-6}^{+4} \\% $$). Furthermore, IR-only AGNs are also significantly more likely than X-ray-only AGNs ($${75}_{-13}^{+8} \\% $$ versus $${31}_{-6}^{+6} \\% $$) to be classified either as interacting or merging in a way that significantly disturbs the host galaxy or as disturbed, though not clearly interacting or merging, which potentially represents the late stages of a major merger. Finally, this suggests that while major mergers may not contribute significantly to the fueling of Seyfert-luminosity AGNs, interactions appear to play a more dominant role in the triggering and fueling of high-luminosity heavily obscured AGNs.« less

Mobilization versus manipulations versus sustain apophyseal natural glide techniques and interaction with psychological factors for patients with chronic neck pain: randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Lopez-Lopez, A; Alonso Perez, J L; González Gutierez, J L; La Touche, R; Lerma Lara, S; Izquierdo, H; Fernández-Carnero, J

2015-04-01

Three different types of manual therapy techniques for patients with neck pain and relationship with psychological factors has not been evaluated. To compare the effectiveness high velocity and low amplitude (HVLA) manipulation vs. posteroanterior mobilization (PA mob) vs. sustain appophyseal natural glide (SNAG) in the management of patients with neck pain and to evaluate the interaction with psychological factors. Randomized clinical trial. Primary Health Care Center. Patients with history of chronic neck pain over the last 3 months were recruited. Patients were randomly assigned to receive treatment with HVLA (N.=15), with PA mob (N.=16) or with SNAG (N.=17). One session was applied. Pain intensity of neck pain, pressure pain threshold over processus spinosus of C2 (PPT_C2) and cervical range of motion (CROM) were measured pre- and post-intervention. Pain catastrophizing, depression, anxiety and kinesiophobia were assessed in baseline. ANOVAs were performed, with main effects, two-way (treatment x time) and three-way interactions (treatment x psychological variable x time) were examined. Fourthy-eight patients (mean±SD age, 36.5±8.7 years; 87.5% female). A significant interaction treatment x time was observed for VAS-rest in HVLA and AP mob groups (P<0.05). With more pain relief to HVLA and AP mob groups than SNAG groups but all groups improve the same in CROM. Also, a significant three-way treatment x anxiety x time interaction for VAS in Flexion/Extension was identified (P<0.01), and a trend toward significance was observed for the three way treatment x anxiety x time interaction, with respect to CROM in Lateral-Flexion movement (P<0.05). The results suggest that an HVLA and PA mob groups relieved pain at rest more than SNAG in patients with Neck pain. Among psychological factors, only trait anxiety seems interact with Manual therapy, mainly high anxiety conditions interact with the Mobilization and SNAG effects but under low anxiety conditions interact with the HVLA effects. Significant mean differences can be observed both in VAS in Flexion/Extension and in CROM in lateral-flexion movement when using mobilization under high anxiety conditions The findings provide preliminary evidence to support that three different techniques have similar immediate effects over neck pain and while under high anxiety levels a better outcome is expected after mobilization intervention, under low anxiety levels a better prognosis is expected after manipulation and SNAG intervention.

Patient empowerment interacts with health literacy to associate with subsequent self-management behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes: A prospective study in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Ruey-Hsia; Hsu, Hui-Chun; Lee, Yau-Jiunn; Shin, Shyi-Jang; Lin, Kun-Der; An, Ling-Wang

2016-10-01

To examine association of interactions between patient empowerment (PE) and health literacy with 1-year-later self-management behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). A prospective design was employed in this study. Overall, 395 patients with T2DM completed self-reported questionnaires at baseline and 1year later. A hierarchical multiple regression was used to identify the association of interactions between PE and health literacy at baseline with the 1-year-later self-management behaviors. Interactions between PE and communicative and critical health literacy (CCHL) at baseline significantly associated with the 1-year-later global self-management behaviors in patients with T2DM. Among the participants who exhibited high PE at baseline, the scores of 1-year-later global self-management behaviors of the participants with a high CCHL at baseline were significantly higher than those with a low CCHL at baseline. Nevertheless, among the participants who exhibited low PE at baseline, no significant differences were identified in the 1-year-later global self-management behaviors between the participants with high vs. low CCHL at baseline. PE may improve self-management behaviors in patients with high CCHL, but may prove useless in patients with low CCHL. Healthcare providers should ensure that patients with T2DM have adequate CCHL prior to empowering them. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Donley, J. L.; Kartaltepe, J.; Kocevski, D.

While major mergers have long been proposed as a driver of both active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and themore » $${M}_{\\mathrm{BH}}\\mbox{--}{\\sigma }_{\\mathrm{bulge}}$$ relation, studies of moderate to high-redshift Seyfert-luminosity AGN hosts have found little evidence for enhanced rates of interactions. However, both theory and observation suggest that while these AGNs may be fueled by stochastic accretion and secular processes, high-luminosity, high-redshift, and heavily obscured AGNs are the AGNs most likely to be merger-driven. To better sample this population of AGNs, we turn to infrared selection in the CANDELS/COSMOS field. Compared to their lower-luminosity and less obscured X-ray-only counterparts, IR-only AGNs (luminous, heavily obscured AGNs) are more likely to be classified as either irregular ($${50}_{-12}^{+12} \\% $$ versus $${9}_{-2}^{+5} \\% $$) or asymmetric ($${69}_{-13}^{+9} \\% $$ versus $${17}_{-4}^{+6} \\% $$) and are less likely to have a spheroidal component ($${31}_{-9}^{+13} \\% $$ versus $${77}_{-6}^{+4} \\% $$). Furthermore, IR-only AGNs are also significantly more likely than X-ray-only AGNs ($${75}_{-13}^{+8} \\% $$ versus $${31}_{-6}^{+6} \\% $$) to be classified either as interacting or merging in a way that significantly disturbs the host galaxy or as disturbed, though not clearly interacting or merging, which potentially represents the late stages of a major merger. Finally, this suggests that while major mergers may not contribute significantly to the fueling of Seyfert-luminosity AGNs, interactions appear to play a more dominant role in the triggering and fueling of high-luminosity heavily obscured AGNs.« less

The specific social costs of expressive negative symptoms in schizophrenia: reduced smiling predicts interactional outcome.

PubMed

Riehle, M; Mehl, S; Lincoln, T M

2018-04-17

We tested whether people with schizophrenia and prominent expressive negative symptoms (ENS) show reduced facial expressions in face-to-face social interactions and whether this expressive reduction explains negative social evaluations of these persons. We compared participants with schizophrenia with high ENS (n = 18) with participants with schizophrenia with low ENS (n = 30) and with healthy controls (n = 39). Participants engaged in an affiliative role-play that was coded for the frequency of positive and negative facial expression and rated for social performance skills and willingness for future interactions with the respective role-play partner. Participants with schizophrenia with high ENS showed significantly fewer positive facial expressions than those with low ENS and controls and were also rated significantly lower on social performance skills and willingness for future interactions. Participants with schizophrenia with low ENS did not differ from controls on these measures. The group difference in willingness for future interactions was significantly and independently mediated by the reduced positive facial expressions and social performance skills. Reduced facial expressiveness in schizophrenia is specifically related to ENS and has negative social consequences. These findings highlight the need to develop aetiological models and targeted interventions for ENS and its social consequences. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Molecular Dynamics of Hot Dense Plasmas: New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graziani, Frank

2011-10-01

We describe the status of a new time-dependent simulation capability for hot dense plasmas. The backbone of this multi-institutional computational and experimental effort--the Cimarron Project--is the massively parallel molecular dynamics (MD) code ``ddcMD''. The project's focus is material conditions such as exist in inertial confinement fusion experiments, and in many stellar interiors: high temperatures, high densities, significant electromagnetic fields, mixtures of high- and low- Zelements, and non-Maxwellian particle distributions. Of particular importance is our ability to incorporate into this classical MD code key atomic, radiative, and nuclear processes, so that their interacting effects under non-ideal plasma conditions can be investigated. This talk summarizes progress in computational methodology, discusses strengths and weaknesses of quantum statistical potentials as effective interactions for MD, explains the model used for quantum events possibly occurring in a collision and highlights some significant results obtained to date. We describe the status of a new time-dependent simulation capability for hot dense plasmas. The backbone of this multi-institutional computational and experimental effort--the Cimarron Project--is the massively parallel molecular dynamics (MD) code ``ddcMD''. The project's focus is material conditions such as exist in inertial confinement fusion experiments, and in many stellar interiors: high temperatures, high densities, significant electromagnetic fields, mixtures of high- and low- Zelements, and non-Maxwellian particle distributions. Of particular importance is our ability to incorporate into this classical MD code key atomic, radiative, and nuclear processes, so that their interacting effects under non-ideal plasma conditions can be investigated. This talk summarizes progress in computational methodology, discusses strengths and weaknesses of quantum statistical potentials as effective interactions for MD, explains the model used for quantum events possibly occurring in a collision and highlights some significant results obtained to date. This work is performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Systematic analysis of Ca2+ homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on chemical-genetic interaction profiles

PubMed Central

Ghanegolmohammadi, Farzan; Yoshida, Mitsunori; Ohnuki, Shinsuke; Sukegawa, Yuko; Okada, Hiroki; Obara, Keisuke; Kihara, Akio; Suzuki, Kuninori; Kojima, Tetsuya; Yachie, Nozomu; Hirata, Dai; Ohya, Yoshikazu

2017-01-01

We investigated the global landscape of Ca2+ homeostasis in budding yeast based on high-dimensional chemical-genetic interaction profiles. The morphological responses of 62 Ca2+-sensitive (cls) mutants were quantitatively analyzed with the image processing program CalMorph after exposure to a high concentration of Ca2+. After a generalized linear model was applied, an analysis of covariance model was used to detect significant Ca2+–cls interactions. We found that high-dimensional, morphological Ca2+–cls interactions were mixed with positive (86%) and negative (14%) chemical-genetic interactions, whereas one-dimensional fitness Ca2+–cls interactions were all negative in principle. Clustering analysis with the interaction profiles revealed nine distinct gene groups, six of which were functionally associated. In addition, characterization of Ca2+–cls interactions revealed that morphology-based negative interactions are unique signatures of sensitized cellular processes and pathways. Principal component analysis was used to discriminate between suppression and enhancement of the Ca2+-sensitive phenotypes triggered by inactivation of calcineurin, a Ca2+-dependent phosphatase. Finally, similarity of the interaction profiles was used to reveal a connected network among the Ca2+ homeostasis units acting in different cellular compartments. Our analyses of high-dimensional chemical-genetic interaction profiles provide novel insights into the intracellular network of yeast Ca2+ homeostasis. PMID:28566553

Social interactions in virtual reality exposure therapy: A proof-of-concept pilot study.

PubMed

Morina, Nexhmedin; Brinkman, Willem-Paul; Hartanto, Dwi; Kampmann, Isabel L; Emmelkamp, Paul M G

2015-01-01

Research on virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has demonstrated good treatment efficacy with regards to several anxiety disorders. Yet, there is lack of knowledge about the value of integrating interaction between clients and virtual humans in VRET. Such interaction might prove effective in treating psychological complaints that involve social interactions, such as social anxiety. A VRET system specifically designed to expose clients with social anxiety disorder to anxiety provoking social situations was applied to 16 and 18 individuals with high and low levels of social anxiety, respectively. Participants engaged in two exposure sessions in several free speech dialogues with virtual humans while being monitored by a therapist. Participants with high levels of social anxiety reported significantly lower levels of social anxiety three months after exposure to two virtual reality interaction sessions than before treatment (p < 0.01). In the group with low levels of social anxiety, no significant change of social anxiety was reported between pre-treatment and follow-up. Additionally, participants in both groups reported higher self-efficacy three months after treatment than before treatment (ps ≤ 0.001). These findings indicate that virtual reality technology that incorporates social interactions may be successfully applied for therapeutic purposes.

Interaction effects of metals and salinity on biodegradation of a complex hydrocarbon waste.

PubMed

Amatya, Prasanna L; Hettiaratchi, Joseph Patrick A; Joshi, Ramesh C

2006-02-01

The presence of high levels of salts because of produced brine water disposal at flare pits and the presence of metals at sufficient concentrations to impact microbial activity are of concern to bioremediation of flare pit waste in the upstream oil and gas industry. Two slurry-phase biotreatment experiments based on three-level factorial statistical experimental design were conducted with a flare pit waste. The experiments separately studied the primary effect of cadmium [Cd(II)] and interaction effect between Cd(II) and salinity and the primary effect of zinc [Zn(II)] and interaction effect between Zn(II) and salinity on hydrocarbon biodegradation. The results showed 42-52.5% hydrocarbon removal in slurries spiked with Cd and 47-62.5% in the slurries spiked with Zn. The analysis of variance showed that the primary effects of Cd and Cd-salinity interaction were statistically significant on hydrocarbon degradation. The primary effects of Zn and the Zn-salinity interaction were statistically insignificant, whereas the quadratic effect of Zn was highly significant on hydrocarbon degradation. The study on effects of metallic chloro-complexes showed that the total aqueous concentration of Cd or Zn does not give a reliable indication of overall toxicity to the microbial activity in the presence of high salinity levels.

Dimensions of Temperament and Depressive Symptoms: Replicating a Three-Way Interaction

PubMed Central

Vasey, Michael W.; Harbaugh, Casaundra N.; Lonigan, Chistopher J.; Phillips, Beth M.; Hankin, Benjamin L.; Willem, Lore; Bijttebier, Patricia

2014-01-01

High negative emotionality (NE), low positive emotionality (PE), and low self-regulatory capacity (i.e., effortful control or EC) are related to depressive symptoms and furthermore, may moderate one another’s relations to such symptoms. Indeed, preliminary evidence suggests they may operate in a three-way interaction (Dinovo & Vasey, 2011), but the replicability of that finding remains unknown. Therefore, we tested this NExPExEC interaction in association with depressive symptoms in 5 independent samples. This interaction was significant in 4 of the 5 samples and a combined sample and approached significance in the fifth sample. In contrast, the NExPExEC interaction was unrelated to general anxious symptoms and thus may be specific to symptoms of depression. Implications, directions for future research, and limitations are discussed. PMID:24493906

Learning Analytics for Networked Learning Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joksimovic, Srecko; Hatala, Marek; Gaševic, Dragan

2014-01-01

Teaching and learning in networked settings has attracted significant attention recently. The central topic of networked learning research is human-human and human-information interactions occurring within a networked learning environment. The nature of these interactions is highly complex and usually requires a multi-dimensional approach to…

In need of each other: the moderator of task interdependence between LMX variability and justice.

PubMed

Han, Helen Guohong; Bai, Yuntao

2014-09-01

This study examined how leader-member exchange differentiation could affect nurses' perception of organisational justice as well as the moderating effect of task interdependence on this link. Teams are essential to the health-care industry. However, the perception of injustice may lead to a high level of nurse turnover. Data was collected from 187 nurses distributed in eight units in a mid-western hospital in the USA. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the cross-level interaction of leader-member exchange variability and task interdependence on individual-level perceptions of justice. Leader-member exchange variability was significantly related to distributive justice and interactional justice but not significantly related to procedural justice. The interaction term was significantly related to interpersonal justice, but not to procedural justice or distributive justice. This study showed that if leaders demonstrated a variation in treatment of different subordinates, nurses could perceive this as unfair regarding distribution and interaction; when the group was highly task interdependent, this kind of perception of 'unfairness,' particularly regarding interpersonal treatment, became even more salient. Preferential and inconsistent treatment by them within the work group could introduce nurses' perceptions of unfair treatment. It is of crucial importance to provide training for supervisors on how to display relatively consistent behaviour towards nurses, particularly when the teams are highly task interdependent. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interactive Multimedia Training in Osteoporosis Prevention of Female High School Students: An Interventional Study.

PubMed

Zarshenas, Ladan; Keshavarz, Tala; Momennasab, Marzieh; Zarifsanaiey, Nahid

2017-08-01

Given the limitations of traditional teaching methods in the learning process of adolescents, this study was designed to investigate the effects of osteoporosis prevention training through interactive multimedia method on the degree of knowledge and self-efficacy of female high school students. In this interventional study which was conducted in 2016 in Fars province, Iran, 120 high school students were selected through proportional stratified sampling from schools and different classes at first, second, third, and pre-university grades. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, each containing 60 students. Educational interventions for the test group included an interactive multimedia CD, and for the control group was an educational booklet. Before and one month after the intervention the students' level of knowledge and self-efficacy was measured. The spss 19 statistical software was used, and descriptive and analytical tests were performed to analyze the data. Results showed a significant difference in self-efficacy scores after the intervention (P=0.012) with the test group obtained a higher self-efficacy score than the control group. Also, a significant increase was observed in the knowledge score of both groups after the training (P<0.001), but the knowledge score between the two groups was not statistically significant (P=0.38) after the intervention. The use of new training methods like interactive multimedia CD for public education, particular adolescents about health and hygiene is recommended.

Large-Scale Interaction Effects Reveal Missing Heritability in Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-11

polymorphisms (SNPs) reached genome-wide significance. In contrast, when SNPs were selected in groups ( containing up to thousands each) and the collective...the underlying genetic factors has been challen- ging because of high polygenicity, necessitating large sample sizes in meta-analyses.4 Possible ways...partners simultaneously considered beyond SNP pairs by using the regularized inference of high -dimensional interactions within large SNP groups. Over

PV modules for ground testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The main objective was to design and build a minimum of three photovoltaic test panels for plasma interaction experiments. These experiments are intended to provide data on the interactions between high-voltage solar arrays and the space plasma environment. Data gathered will significantly contribute to the development of design criteria for the space station solar arrays. Electrical isolation between the solar cell strings and the module mounting plate is required for high-voltage bias.

Understanding and modulating opalescence and viscosity in a monoclonal antibody formulation

PubMed Central

Salinas, Branden A; Sathish, Hasige A; Bishop, Steven M; Harn, Nick; Carpenter, John F; Randolph, Theodore W

2014-01-01

Opalescence and high viscosities can pose challenges for high concentration formulation of antibodies. Both phenomena result from protein-protein intermolecular interactions that can be modulated with solution ionic strength. We studied a therapeutic monoclonal antibody that exhibits high viscosity in solutions at low ionic strength (~20 centipoise (cP) at 90 mg/mL and 23°C) and significant opalescence at isotonic ionic strength (approximately 100 nephelometric turbidity units at 90 mg/mL and 23°C). The intermolecular interactions responsible for these effects were characterized using membrane osmometry, static light scattering and zeta potential measurements. The net protein-protein interactions were repulsive at low ionic strength (~4 mM) and attractive at isotonic ionic strengths. The high viscosities are attributed to electroviscous forces at low ionic strength and the significant opalescence at isotonic ionic strength is correlated with attractive antibody interactions. Furthermore there appears to be a connection to critical phenomena and it is suggested that the extent of opalescence is dependent on the proximity to the critical point. We demonstrate that by balancing the repulsive and attractive forces via intermediate ionic strengths and by increasing the mAb concentration above the apparent critical concentration both opalescence and viscosity can be simultaneously minimized. PMID:19475558

Femtosecond dynamics of energetic electrons in high intensity laser-matter interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompili, R.; Anania, M. P.; Bisesto, F.; Botton, M.; Castellano, M.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Curcio, A.; Ferrario, M.; Galletti, M.; Henis, Z.; Petrarca, M.; Schleifer, E.; Zigler, A.

2016-10-01

Highly energetic electrons are generated at the early phases of the interaction of short-pulse high-intensity lasers with solid targets. These escaping particles are identified as the essential core of picosecond-scale phenomena such as laser-based acceleration, surface manipulation, generation of intense magnetic fields and electromagnetic pulses. Increasing the number of the escaping electrons facilitate the late time processes in all cases. Up to now only indirect evidences of these important forerunners have been recorded, thus no detailed study of the governing mechanisms was possible. Here we report, for the first time, direct time-dependent measurements of energetic electrons ejected from solid targets by the interaction with a short-pulse high-intensity laser. We measured electron bunches up to 7 nanocoulombs charge, picosecond duration and 12 megaelectronvolts energy. Our ’snapshots’ capture their evolution with an unprecedented temporal resolution, demonstrat- ing a significant boost in charge and energy of escaping electrons when increasing the geometrical target curvature. These results pave the way toward significant improvement in laser acceleration of ions using shaped targets allowing the future development of small scale laser-ion accelerators.

Mother-child interactions in depressed children and children at high risk and low risk for future depression.

PubMed

Dietz, Laura J; Birmaher, Boris; Williamson, Douglas E; Silk, Jennifer S; Dahl, Ronald E; Axelson, David A; Ehmann, Mary; Ryan, Neal D

2008-05-01

To compare mother-child interactions and parenting styles in families of children with major depressive disorder, youths at high risk for depression, and healthy controls. Currently depressed (n = 43), high-risk (n = 28), and healthy control (n = 41) youths and their mothers engaged in a standardized videotaped problem-solving interaction. Measures of affect and behavior for both mothers and children were obtained, in addition to global measures of parenting. Depressed children demonstrated more negativity and less positivity in dyadic interactions than did children at high risk and control children. Mothers of depressed children were more disengaged than control mothers. Exploratory repeated-measures analyses in a subgroup of depressed children (n = 16) suggested mother-child interactions do not significantly change when children recover from depression. Children at high risk demonstrated less positivity in dyadic interactions than did controls. Mothers with a history of major depressive disorder and mothers with higher current depressive symptoms demonstrated patterns of disengagement and low control in interactions with children. Mother-child interactions in depressed youths are marked by maternal disengagement and low child positivity that may not improve when children recover. The bidirectional effects of maternal disengagement and low levels of child positivity may precede onset of major depressive disorder in children and serve as risk factors for recurrent depression in youths.

The interplay of stress and mowing disturbance for the intensity and importance of plant interactions in dry calcareous grasslands.

PubMed

Maalouf, Jean-Paul; Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann; Marchand, Lilian; Touzard, Blaise; Michalet, Richard

2012-09-01

There is still debate regarding the direction and strength of plant interactions under intermediate to high levels of stress. Furthermore, little is known on how disturbance may interact with physical stress in unproductive environments, although recent theory and models have shown that this interplay may induce a collapse of plant interactions and diversity. The few studies assessing such questions have considered the intensity of biotic interactions but not their importance, although this latter concept has been shown to be very useful for understanding the role of interactions in plant communities. The objective of this study was to assess the interplay between stress and disturbance for plant interactions in dry calcareous grasslands. A field experiment was set up in the Dordogne, southern France, where the importance and intensity of biotic interactions undergone by four species were measured along a water stress gradient, and with and without mowing disturbance. The importance and intensity of interactions varied in a very similar way along treatments. Under undisturbed conditions, plant interactions switched from competition to neutral with increasing water stress for three of the four species, whereas the fourth species was not subject to any significant biotic interaction along the gradient. Responses to disturbance were more species-specific; for two species, competition disappeared with mowing in the wettest conditions, whereas for the two other species, competition switched to facilitation with mowing. Finally, there were no significant interactions for any species in the disturbed and driest conditions. At very high levels of stress, plant performances become too weak to allow either competition or facilitation and disturbance may accelerate the collapse of interactions in dry conditions. The results suggest that the importance and direction of interactions are more likely to be positively related in stressful environments.

Discovering the nature of the star-planet interaction at WASP-12b

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, Jonathan

2013-10-01

In 2010, COS produced a tantalising hint of a significant discovery: the magnetic field of an exoplanet. The ingress of the transiting 'hot-Jupiter' exoplanet WASP-12b apparently occurred earlier in the NUV than in the optical, and two hypotheses have been put forward as explanations. One is that this manifests dense shocked material in a magnetosheath formed in the supersonic stellar wind upstream of the planet's thus-revealed magnetic field, while the other is that this is caused in the absence of a planetary magnetic field by material overflowing the planet's Roche lobe at the L1 point. However, the previous observation, which was not designed to observe this phenomenon, is beset by scattered, sparse data and we do not yet understand the nature of the star-planet interaction. It is thus crucial that we now observe WASP-12b in a program specifically designed to unambiguously detect the early ingress, significantly improve the NUV lightcurve, and answer the question:* What is the nature of the star-planet interaction at WASP-12?No other observatory is capable of making these observations, and this proposal is highly accordant with the purpose of the Cycle 21 UV initiative. Execution in Cycle 21 is also highly desirable since the results will provide input to the LOFAR exoplanet program, which will focus on planets thought to exhibit star-planet interactions. By following a fortuitously obtained pointer, this proposal presents low risk-high impact observations, since the characterisation of star-exoplanet interactions and possibly the first detection of an exoplanetary magnetic field would be of huge scientific significance.

Genotype-environment interaction and stability in ten-year height growth of Norway spruce Clones (Picea abies Karst.).

Treesearch

J.B. St. Clair; J. Kleinschmit

1986-01-01

Norway spruce cuttings of 40 clones were tested on seven contrasting sites in northern Germany. Analysis of variance for ten-year height growth indicate a highly significant clone x site interaction. This interaction may be reduced by selection of stable clones. Several measures of stability were calculated and discussed. Characterization of sites by the method of...

Warfarin-drug interactions: An emphasis on influence of polypharmacy and high doses of amoxicillin/clavulanate.

PubMed

Abdel-Aziz, Mahmoud I; Ali, Mostafa A Sayed; Hassan, Ayman K M; Elfaham, Tahani H

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of polypharmacy and high doses of amoxicillin/clavulanate on warfarin response in hospitalized patients. This was a prospective cross-sectional observational study on 120 patients from July 2013 to January 2014. Potentially interacting drugs were classified according to their tendency of increasing international normalized ratio (INR) or bleeding risk. The 87.5% of patients prescribed high-dose amoxicillin/clavulanate (10-12 g daily) compared with 28.9% of patients prescribed a normal dose (up to 3.6 g daily) had INR values ≥ 4 during the hospital stay (P ≤ .001). Increased number of potentially interacting drugs that are known to increase INR was a significant predictor of having INR values ≥ 4 (OR, 2.5; 95%CI, 1.3-4.7), and increased number of potentially interacting drugs that are known to increase bleeding risk was a significant predictor of experiencing bleeding episodes (OR, 3.1; 95%CI, 1.3-7.3). High doses of amoxicillin/clavulanate were associated with a higher risk of over-anticoagulation when combined with warfarin than were normal doses. Increased risk of having INR ≥ 4 and bleeding events was associated with increased numbers of potentially interacting drugs prescribed, indicating that polypharmacy is a problem of concern. Frequent monitoring of warfarin therapy along with patients' medications is necessary to avoid complications. © 2015, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Interaction between parental psychosis and risk factors during pregnancy and birth for schizophrenia - the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort study.

PubMed

Keskinen, E; Miettunen, J; Koivumaa-Honkanen, H; Mäki, P; Isohanni, M; Jääskeläinen, E

2013-04-01

Our aim was to investigate the association between parental psychosis and potential risk factors for schizophrenia and their interaction. We evaluated whether the factors during pregnancy and birth have a different effect among subjects with and without a history of parental psychosis and whether parental psychosis may even explain their effects on the risk of schizophrenia. The sample comprised 10,526 individuals from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. A total of 150 (1.4%) cohort members had schizophrenia by the age of 44 years, of them 18 (12.0%) had a parent with a history of psychosis. In non-psychotic cohort members, this figure was 495 (4.8%). In the parental psychosis group, significant early biological risk factors for schizophrenia included high birth weight (hazard ratio, HR 11.4; 95% confidence interval 3.3-39.7) and length (HR 4.1; 1.3-12.5), high birth weight in relation to gestational age (HR 3.2; 1.1-9.0), and high maternal age (HR 2.6.; 1.0-6.7). High birth weight and length and high maternal education had a significant interaction with parental psychosis. The presence of any biological risk factor increased the risk of schizophrenia significantly only among the parental psychosis group (HR 4.0; 1.5-10.5), whereas the presence of any psychosocial risk factor had no interaction with parental psychosis. Parental psychosis can act as an effect modifier on early risk factors for schizophrenia. Evaluation of the mechanisms behind the risk factors should, therefore, include consideration of the parental history of psychosis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative functional characterization of conserved molecular interactions in the active site of mannitol 2-dehydrogenase

PubMed Central

Lucas, James E; Siegel, Justin B

2015-01-01

Enzyme active site residues are often highly conserved, indicating a significant role in function. In this study we quantitate the functional contribution for all conserved molecular interactions occurring within a Michaelis complex for mannitol 2-dehydrogenase derived from Pseudomonas fluorescens (pfMDH). Through systematic mutagenesis of active site residues, we reveal that the molecular interactions in pfMDH mediated by highly conserved residues not directly involved in reaction chemistry can be as important to catalysis as those directly involved in the reaction chemistry. This quantitative analysis of the molecular interactions within the pfMDH active site provides direct insight into the functional role of each molecular interaction, several of which were unexpected based on canonical sequence conservation and structural analyses. PMID:25752240

Mapping of Chikungunya Virus Interactions with Host Proteins Identified nsP2 as a Highly Connected Viral Component

PubMed Central

Bouraï, Mehdi; Lucas-Hourani, Marianne; Gad, Hans Henrik; Drosten, Christian; Jacob, Yves; Tafforeau, Lionel; Cassonnet, Patricia; Jones, Louis M.; Judith, Delphine; Couderc, Thérèse; Lecuit, Marc; André, Patrice; Kümmerer, Beate Mareike; Lotteau, Vincent; Desprès, Philippe; Vidalain, Pierre-Olivier

2012-01-01

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that has been responsible for an epidemic outbreak of unprecedented magnitude in recent years. Since then, significant efforts have been made to better understand the biology of this virus, but we still have poor knowledge of CHIKV interactions with host cell components at the molecular level. Here we describe the extensive use of high-throughput yeast two-hybrid (HT-Y2H) assays to characterize interactions between CHIKV and human proteins. A total of 22 high-confidence interactions, which essentially involved the viral nonstructural protein nsP2, were identified and further validated in protein complementation assay (PCA). These results were integrated to a larger network obtained by extensive mining of the literature for reports on alphavirus-host interactions. To investigate the role of cellular proteins interacting with nsP2, gene silencing experiments were performed in cells infected by a recombinant CHIKV expressing Renilla luciferase as a reporter. Collected data showed that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP-K) and ubiquilin 4 (UBQLN4) participate in CHIKV replication in vitro. In addition, we showed that CHIKV nsP2 induces a cellular shutoff, as previously reported for other Old World alphaviruses, and determined that among binding partners identified by yeast two-hybrid methods, the tetratricopeptide repeat protein 7B (TTC7B) plays a significant role in this activity. Altogether, this report provides the first interaction map between CHIKV and human proteins and describes new host cell proteins involved in the replication cycle of this virus. PMID:22258240

The interaction between a HSP-70 gene variant with dietary calories in determining serum markers of inflammation and cardiovascular risk.

PubMed

Mehramiz, Mehrane; Hassanian, Seyed Mahdi; Mardan-Nik, Maryam; Pasdar, Alireza; Jamialahmadi, Khadijeh; Fiuji, Hamid; Moetamani-Ahmadi, Mehrdad; Parizadeh, Seyed Mohammad Reza; Moohebati, Mohsen; Heidari-Bakavoli, Alireza; Ebrahimi, Mahmoud; Ferns, Gordon A; Ghayour-Mobarhan, Majid; Avan, Amir

2017-10-24

The high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) globally is attributable to an interaction between environmental and genetic factors. Gene × diet interaction studies aim to explore how a modifiable factor interacts with genetic predispositions. Here we have explored the interaction of a heat shock protein (HSP70) gene polymorphism (+1267A > G) with dietary intake and their possible association with serum C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, that is a major component of CVD risk. HSP70 genotype was determined using a TaqMan real time PCR based method.Dietary intake was assessed using a dietary questionnaire. Serum high sensitivity (Hs) CRP and other cardiovascular risk factors were assessed by routine methods. This included coronary angioplasty to determine the presence of coronary artery stenosis. There were significant differences between serum lipid profile and Hs-CRP across the genotypes for Hsp70. The carriers of G allele had higher serum hs-CRP concentrations, compared with the AA homozygotes, with the wild genotype. Interaction analysis showed the association was modulated by total energy intake; the interaction of high energy intake with GG genotype: RERI = 0.77, AP = 0.26, S = 1.6. We have found a significant association between the +1267A > G variant of the HSP70 gene with cardiovascular risk factors and serum hs-CRP concentrations. It is possible that a low energy diet could ameliorate the unfavorable effects of G allele of HSP70. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Gene-by-Psychosocial Factor Interactions Influence Diastolic Blood Pressure in European and African Ancestry Populations: Meta-Analysis of Four Cohort Studies.

PubMed

Smith, Jennifer A; Zhao, Wei; Yasutake, Kalyn; August, Carmella; Ratliff, Scott M; Faul, Jessica D; Boerwinkle, Eric; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Diez Roux, Ana V; Gao, Yan; Griswold, Michael E; Heiss, Gerardo; Kardia, Sharon L R; Morrison, Alanna C; Musani, Solomon K; Mwasongwe, Stanford; North, Kari E; Rose, Kathryn M; Sims, Mario; Sun, Yan V; Weir, David R; Needham, Belinda L

2017-12-18

Inter-individual variability in blood pressure (BP) is influenced by both genetic and non-genetic factors including socioeconomic and psychosocial stressors. A deeper understanding of the gene-by-socioeconomic/psychosocial factor interactions on BP may help to identify individuals that are genetically susceptible to high BP in specific social contexts. In this study, we used a genomic region-based method for longitudinal analysis, Longitudinal Gene-Environment-Wide Interaction Studies (LGEWIS), to evaluate the effects of interactions between known socioeconomic/psychosocial and genetic risk factors on systolic and diastolic BP in four large epidemiologic cohorts of European and/or African ancestry. After correction for multiple testing, two interactions were significantly associated with diastolic BP. In European ancestry participants, outward/trait anger score had a significant interaction with the C10orf107 genomic region ( p = 0.0019). In African ancestry participants, depressive symptom score had a significant interaction with the HFE genomic region ( p = 0.0048). This study provides a foundation for using genomic region-based longitudinal analysis to identify subgroups of the population that may be at greater risk of elevated BP due to the combined influence of genetic and socioeconomic/psychosocial risk factors.

Semantic effects in naming perceptual identification but not in delayed naming: implications for models and tasks.

PubMed

Wurm, Lee H; Seaman, Sean R

2008-03-01

Previous research has demonstrated that the subjective danger and usefulness of words affect lexical decision times. Usually, an interaction is found: Increasing danger predicts faster reaction times (RTs) for words low on usefulness, but increasing danger predicts slower RTs for words high on usefulness. The authors show the same interaction with immediate auditory naming. The interaction disappeared with a delayed auditory naming control experiment, suggesting that it has a perceptual basis. In an attempt to separate input (signal to ear) from output (brain to muscle) processes in word recognition, the authors ran 2 auditory perceptual identification experiments. The interaction was again significant, but performance was best for words high on both danger and usefulness. This suggests that initial demonstrations of the interaction were reflecting an output approach/withdraw response conflict induced by stimuli that are both dangerous and useful. The interaction cannot be characterized as a tradeoff of speed versus accuracy.

The interaction between the iron-responsive element binding protein and its cognate RNA is highly dependent upon both RNA sequence and structure.

PubMed

Jaffrey, S R; Haile, D J; Klausner, R D; Harford, J B

1993-09-25

To assess the influence of RNA sequence/structure on the interaction RNAs with the iron-responsive element binding protein (IRE-BP), twenty eight altered RNAs were tested as competitors for an RNA corresponding to the ferritin H chain IRE. All changes in the loop of the predicted IRE hairpin and in the unpaired cytosine residue characteristically found in IRE stems significantly decreased the apparent affinity of the RNA for the IRE-BP. Similarly, alteration in the spacing and/or orientation of the loop and the unpaired cytosine of the stem by either increasing or decreasing the number of base pairs separating them significantly reduced efficacy as a competitor. It is inferred that the IRE-BP forms multiple contacts with its cognate RNA, and that these contacts, acting in concert, provide the basis for the high affinity of this interaction.

Can Mindful Parenting Be Observed? Relations between Observational Ratings of Mother-Youth Interactions and Mothers’ Self-Report Mindful Parenting

PubMed Central

Duncan, Larissa G.; Coatsworth, J. Douglas; Gayles, Jochebed G.; Geier, Mary H.; Greenberg, Mark T.

2015-01-01

Research on mindful parenting, an extension of mindfulness to the interpersonal domain of parent-child relationships, has been limited by its reliance on self-report assessment. The current study is the first to examine whether observational indices of parent-youth interactions differentiate between high and low levels of self-reported mindful parenting. The Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (IFIRS) were used to code interactions between mothers and their 7th grade youth. Mothers drawn from the top and bottom quartiles (n = 375) of a larger distribution of self-reported interpersonal mindfulness in parenting (N = 804) represented clearly defined high and low mindful parenting groups. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to analyze how well six composite IFIRS observational rating variables (e.g., parental warmth, consistent discipline) discriminated between high and low self-reports of mindful parenting. DFA results were cross-validated, with statistically significant canonical correlations found for both subsamples (p < .05). Subsequent independent samples t-tests revealed that group means were significantly different on all six IFIRS composite ratings. Confirmation of the relations between self-report mindful parenting and the observational ratings was also provided through hierarchical regression analyses conducted with a continuous predictor of mindful parenting using the full sample. Thus, the present study provides preliminary evidence for a link between self-reported mindful parenting and observed interactions between parents and youth. PMID:25844494

Polarization of Λ hyperons produced inclusively in v p andbar v p charged current interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, G. T.; Kennedy, B. W.; O'Neale, S. W.; Böckmann, K.; Gebel, W.; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Nellen, B.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Grant, A.; Klein, H.; Morrison, D. R. O.; Schmid, P.; Wachsmuth, H.; Barnham, K. W. J.; Clayton, E. F.; Miller, D. B.; Mobayyen, M. M.; Villalobos-Baillie, O.; Aderholz, M.; Deck, L.; Schmitz, N.; Settles, R.; Wernhard, K. L.; Wittek, W.; Corrigan, G.; Myatt, G.; Radojicic, D.; Saitta, B.; Wells, J.

1985-03-01

Lambda hyperons from v p andbar v p charged current interactions have been analysed for polarization. A significant polarization is observed for Λ particles in the quasi-elastic region for both types of interactions. Part of this polarization is due to the decay of highly polarized Σ(1385) resonances. The results are compared with simple predictions of the quark parton model.

Factors associated with social interaction anxiety among Chinese adolescents.

PubMed

Peng, Z W; Lam, L T; Jin, J

2011-12-01

To investigate potential risk factors for social anxiety, particularly social interaction anxiety among the Chinese adolescents. A cross-sectional health survey was conducted in Guangzhou city of the Guangdong Province where high school students aged 13 to 18 years were recruited. The sample was selected from all high schools in the city using a 2-stage random cluster sampling technique. Social interaction anxiety was assessed using the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. Information collected in the survey included: demographics, self-perception on school performance, relationship with teachers and peers, satisfaction with self-image, achievements, and parenting style of the mother. The parent-child relationship, specifically the relationship between respondents and their mothers, was assessed using the mother attachment subscale of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The multiple linear regression technique was applied to investigate associations between selected potential risk factors and social interaction anxiety, with adjustments for cluster sampling. Lower family income, lower self-esteem, and hostility were significantly associated with social interaction anxiety among adolescents. Variables identified as risk factors of anxiety disorder in the literature, such as gender, were not associated with social interaction anxiety in this sample. These results were consistent with those of other studies conducted mainly in the United States and Europe. Regarding non-significant results related to gender, they need viewing in the context of parenting styles of Chinese mothers.

Using Multitouch Collaboration Technology to Enhance Social Interaction of Children with High-Functioning Autism.

PubMed

Gal, Eynat; Lamash, Liron; Bauminger-Zviely, Nirit; Zancanaro, Massimo; Weiss, Patrice L Tamar

2016-01-01

Children with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD) have major difficulties in social communication skills, which may impact their performance and participation in everyday life. The goal of this study was to examine whether the StoryTable, an intervention paradigm based on a collaborative narrative, multitouch tabletop interface, enhanced social interaction for children with HFASD, and to determine whether the acquired abilities were transferred to behaviors during other tasks. Fourteen boys with HFASD, aged 7-12 years, participated in a 3-week, 11-session intervention. Social interactions during two nonintervention tasks were videotaped at three points in time, one prior to the intervention (pre), a second immediately following the intervention (post) and a third three weeks after the intervention (follow-up). The video-recorded files were coded using the Friendship Observation Scale to ascertain the frequencies of positive and negative social interactions and collaborative play. Differences in these behaviors were tested for significance using nonparametric statistical tests. There were significantly higher rates of positive social interactions and collaborative play, and lower rates of negative social interactions following the intervention suggesting generalization of the social skills learned during the intervention. Improvement was maintained when tested three weeks later. These findings provide support for the use of collaborative technology-based interventions within educational settings to enhance social interaction of children with HFASD.

Work demands are related to mental health problems for older engine room officers.

PubMed

Rydstedt, Leif W; Lundh, Monica

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to analyse the main and interaction effects of age and psychosocial work demands on mental wellbeing in a sample (N = 685; age M = 47 years) of engine room officers in the Swedish merchant fleet. As expected, work demands were highly related to general mental health as well as to perceived stress, while the main effect of age only related significantly to perceived stress. The interaction effects between high work demands and high age significantly explained the variance of general mental health as well as perceived stress. The results can be understood as a consequence of the rapid technological and organisational development in the shipping industry and suggest that it ought be of high priority to provide older employees with work-related resources to support their long-term work performance as well as their health and wellbeing.

diffHic: a Bioconductor package to detect differential genomic interactions in Hi-C data.

PubMed

Lun, Aaron T L; Smyth, Gordon K

2015-08-19

Chromatin conformation capture with high-throughput sequencing (Hi-C) is a technique that measures the in vivo intensity of interactions between all pairs of loci in the genome. Most conventional analyses of Hi-C data focus on the detection of statistically significant interactions. However, an alternative strategy involves identifying significant changes in the interaction intensity (i.e., differential interactions) between two or more biological conditions. This is more statistically rigorous and may provide more biologically relevant results. Here, we present the diffHic software package for the detection of differential interactions from Hi-C data. diffHic provides methods for read pair alignment and processing, counting into bin pairs, filtering out low-abundance events and normalization of trended or CNV-driven biases. It uses the statistical framework of the edgeR package to model biological variability and to test for significant differences between conditions. Several options for the visualization of results are also included. The use of diffHic is demonstrated with real Hi-C data sets. Performance against existing methods is also evaluated with simulated data. On real data, diffHic is able to successfully detect interactions with significant differences in intensity between biological conditions. It also compares favourably to existing software tools on simulated data sets. These results suggest that diffHic is a viable approach for differential analyses of Hi-C data.

Use of high-throughput mass spectrometry to elucidate host pathogen interactions in Salmonella

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

Rodland, Karin D.; Adkins, Joshua N.; Ansong, Charles

Capabilities in mass spectrometry are evolving rapidly, with recent improvements in sensitivity, data analysis, and most important, from the standpoint of this review, much higher throughput allowing analysis of many samples in a single day. This short review describes how these improvements in mass spectrometry can be used to dissect host-pathogen interactions using Salmonella as a model system. This approach enabled direct identification of the majority of annotated Salmonella proteins, quantitation of expression changes under various in vitro growth conditions, and new insights into virulence and expression of Salmonella proteins within host cell cells. One of the most significant findingsmore » is that a very high percentage of the all annotated genes (>20%) in Salmonella are regulated post-transcriptionally. In addition, new and unexpected interactions have been identified for several Salmonella virulence regulators that involve protein-protein interactions, suggesting additional functions of these regulators in coordinating virulence expression. Overall high throughput mass spectrometry provides a new view of pathogen-host interactions emphasizing the protein products and defining how protein interactions determine the outcome of infection.« less

Sex differences in the combined effect of chronic stress with impaired vascular endothelium functioning and the development of early atherosclerosis: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The syndrome of vital exhaustion (VE), characterized by fatigue and irritability, may contribute to an increased risk of atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to explore sex differences in the interactions of VE with endothelial dysfunction and VE with reduced carotid elasticity, the important contributors to the development of early atherosclerosis, on preclinical atherosclerosis. Methods The participants were 1002 women and 719 men aged 24-39 examined in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. Vital exhaustion was measured using the Maastricht Questionnaire. Preclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), endothelial function was measured by brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), and arterial elasticity by carotid artery compliance (CAC) using ultrasound techniques. Results We found a significant CAC x VE interaction for IMT only for the men. Our results imply that high VE level significantly related to high IMT levels among the men with low CAC, but not among the women with low CAC or among the women or men with high CAC. No significant FMD x VE interactions for IMT for the women or men were found. Conclusions High VE may exert an effect on IMT for men with impaired arterial elasticity. The results suggest that high vitally exhausted men with reduced arterial elasticity are at increased risk of atherosclerosis in early life and imply men's decreased stress coping in relation to stressful psychological coronary risk factors. PMID:20624297

Spatial resolution study and power calibration of the high-k scattering system on NSTX.

PubMed

Lee, W; Park, H K; Cho, M H; Namkung, W; Smith, D R; Domier, C W; Luhmann, N C

2008-10-01

NSTX high-k scattering system has been extensively utilized in studying the microturbulence and coherent waves. An absolute calibration of the scattering system was performed employing a new millimeter-wave source and calibrated attenuators. One of the key parameters essential for the calibration of the multichannel scattering system is the interaction length. This interaction length is significantly different from the conventional one due to the curvature and magnetic shear effect.

Specular Reflectivity and Hot-Electron Generation in High-Contrast Relativistic Laser-Plasma Interactions

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

Kemp, Gregory Elijah

2013-01-01

Ultra-intense laser (> 1018 W/cm2) interactions with matter are capable of producing relativistic electrons which have a variety of applications in state-of-the-art scientific and medical research conducted at universities and national laboratories across the world. Control of various aspects of these hot-electron distributions is highly desired to optimize a particular outcome. Hot-electron generation in low-contrast interactions, where significant amounts of under-dense pre-plasma are present, can be plagued by highly non-linear relativistic laser-plasma instabilities and quasi-static magnetic field generation, often resulting in less than desirable and predictable electron source characteristics. High-contrast interactions offer more controlled interactions but often at the costmore » of overall lower coupling and increased sensitivity to initial target conditions. An experiment studying the differences in hot-electron generation between high and low-contrast pulse interactions with solid density targets was performed on the Titan laser platform at the Jupiter Laser Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA. To date, these hot-electrons generated in the laboratory are not directly observable at the source of the interaction. Instead, indirect studies are performed using state-of-the-art simulations, constrained by the various experimental measurements. These measurements, more-often-than-not, rely on secondary processes generated by the transport of these electrons through the solid density materials which can susceptible to a variety instabilities and target material/geometry effects. Although often neglected in these types of studies, the specularly reflected light can provide invaluable insight as it is directly influenced by the interaction. In this thesis, I address the use of (personally obtained) experimental specular reflectivity measurements to indirectly study hot-electron generation in the context of high-contrast, relativistic laser-plasma interactions.« less

Selenium- or vitamin E-related gene variants, interaction with supplementation, and risk of high-grade prostate cancer in SELECT

PubMed Central

Chan, June M.; Darke, Amy K.; Penney, Kathryn L.; Tangen, Catherine M.; Goodman, Phyllis J.; Lee, Gwo-Shu Mary; Sun, Tong; Peisch, Sam; Tinianow, Alex M.; Rae, James M.; Klein, Eric A.; Thompson, Ian M.

2016-01-01

Background Epidemiological studies and secondary analyses of randomized trials supported the hypothesis that selenium and vitamin E lower prostate cancer risk. However, the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) showed no benefit of either supplement. Genetic variants involved in selenium or vitamin E metabolism or transport may underlie the complex associations of selenium and vitamin E. Methods We undertook a case-cohort study of SELECT participants randomized to placebo, selenium or vitamin E. The subcohort included 1,434 men; our primary outcome was high-grade prostate cancer (N=278 cases, Gleason 7 or higher cancer). We used weighted Cox regression to examine the association between SNPs and high-grade prostate cancer risk. To assess effect modification, we created interaction terms between randomization arm and genotype and calculated log likelihood statistics. Results We noted statistically significant (p<0.05) interactions between selenium assignment, SNPs in CAT, SOD2, PRDX6, SOD3, and TXNRD2 and high-grade prostate cancer risk. Statistically significant SNPs that modified the association of vitamin E assignment and high-grade prostate cancer included SEC14L2, SOD1, and TTPA. In the placebo arm, several SNPs, hypothesized to interact with supplement assignment and risk of high-grade prostate cancer, were also directly associated with outcome. Conclusion Variants in selenium and vitamin E metabolism/transport genes may influence risk of overall and high-grade prostate cancer, and may modify an individual man’s response to vitamin E or selenium supplementation with regards to these risks. Impact The effect of selenium or vitamin E supplementation on high-grade prostate cancer risk may vary by genotype. PMID:27197287

Characterization of DNA-protein interactions using high-throughput sequencing data from pulldown experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreland, Blythe; Oman, Kenji; Curfman, John; Yan, Pearlly; Bundschuh, Ralf

Methyl-binding domain (MBD) protein pulldown experiments have been a valuable tool in measuring the levels of methylated CpG dinucleotides. Due to the frequent use of this technique, high-throughput sequencing data sets are available that allow a detailed quantitative characterization of the underlying interaction between methylated DNA and MBD proteins. Analyzing such data sets, we first found that two such proteins cannot bind closer to each other than 2 bp, consistent with structural models of the DNA-protein interaction. Second, the large amount of sequencing data allowed us to find rather weak but nevertheless clearly statistically significant sequence preferences for several bases around the required CpG. These results demonstrate that pulldown sequencing is a high-precision tool in characterizing DNA-protein interactions. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-1410172.

3D model for Cancerous Inhibitor of Protein Phosphatase 2A armadillo domain unveils highly conserved protein-protein interaction characteristics.

PubMed

Dahlström, Käthe M; Salminen, Tiina A

2015-12-07

Cancerous Inhibitor of Protein Phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) is a human oncoprotein, which exerts its cancer-promoting function through interaction with other proteins, for example Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and MYC. The lack of structural information for CIP2A significantly prevents the design of anti-cancer therapeutics targeting this protein. In an attempt to counteract this fact, we modeled the three-dimensional structure of the N-terminal domain (CIP2A-ArmRP), analyzed key areas and amino acids, and coupled the results to the existing literature. The model reliably shows a stable armadillo repeat fold with a positively charged groove. The fact that this conserved groove highly likely binds peptides is corroborated by the presence of a conserved polar ladder, which is essential for the proper peptide-binding mode of armadillo repeat proteins and, according to our results, several known CIP2A interaction partners appropriately possess an ArmRP-binding consensus motif. Moreover, we show that Arg229Gln, which has been linked to the development of cancer, causes a significant change in charge and surface properties of CIP2A-ArmRP. In conclusion, our results reveal that CIP2A-ArmRP shares the typical fold, protein-protein interaction site and interaction patterns with other natural armadillo proteins and that, presumably, several interaction partners bind into the central groove of the modeled CIP2A-ArmRP. By providing essential structural characteristics of CIP2A, the present study significantly increases our knowledge on how CIP2A interacts with other proteins in cancer progression and how to develop new therapeutics targeting CIP2A. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Modifying effect of cigarette smoking on the association of organizational justice with serious psychological distress in Japanese employees: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Eguchi, Hisashi; Tsutsumi, Akizumi

2016-08-01

We examined the modifying effect of cigarette smoking (i.e., smokers vs. non-smokers) on the association of organizational justice (i.e., procedural justice and interactional justice) with serious psychological distress (SPD) in Japanese employees. Overall, 2838 participants from two factories of a manufacturing company in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising the scales on organizational justice (Organizational Justice Questionnaire), smoking status, psychological distress (K6 scale), demographic and occupational characteristics (i.e., gender, age, education, family size, history of depression, chronic physical conditions, occupation, and work form), and other health-related behaviors (i.e., drinking habit and physical activity). Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. In a series of analyses, interaction term of procedural justice or interactional justice with smoking status was included in the model. After adjusting for demographic and occupational characteristics as well as other health-related behaviors, low procedural justice and low interactional justice were significantly associated with SPD (defined as K6 ≥ 13). Furthermore, marginally significant interaction effect of procedural justice with smoking status was observed. Specifically, the association of low procedural justice with SPD was greater among smokers [prevalence odds ratio 7.13 (95 % confidence interval 3.25-15.7) for low vs. high procedural justice subgroup] than among non-smokers [prevalence odds ratio 2.34 (95 % confidence interval 1.52-3.60) for low vs. high procedural justice subgroup]. On the other hand, interaction effect of interactional justice with smoking status was not significant. Cigarette smoking seems to have a harmful effect on the association of the lack of procedural justice with SPD in Japanese employees.

Some aspects of the scientific significance of high energy gamma ray astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fichtel, Carl E.

1991-01-01

The attraction of high energy gamma-ray astronomy lies in this radiation relating directly to those processes in astrophysical situations which deviate most from thermo-dynamic equilibrium. Some examples of these phenomena which are known to or expected to emit gamma rays are cosmic rays as they interact in intergalactic space, the high energy particles in the magnetic fields of neutron stars, the death of a black hole, the explosion and residual of a supernova, lumps of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, energetic solar particles interacting near the sun, and very high energy particles in the extreme conditions associated with active galaxies. Although the intensities are known to be low as seen near the earth, a partially compensating characteristic is that the very penetrating nature of high energy gamma rays increases the probability that they can escape from their origin and reach the solar system.

High Fidelity Virtual Environments: Does Shader Quality or Higher Polygon Count Models Increase Presence and Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, Scott

This research study investigated the effects of high fidelity graphics on both learning and presence, or the "sense of being there," inside a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Four versions of a VLE on the subject of the element mercury were created, each with a different combination of high and low fidelity polygon models and high and low fidelity shaders. A total of 76 college age (18+ years of age) participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. The participants interacted with the VLE and then completed several posttest measures on learning, presence, and attitudes towards the VLE experience. Demographic information was also collected, including age, computer gameplay experience, number of virtual environments interacted with, gender and time spent in this virtual environment. The data was analyzed as a 2 x 2 between subjects ANOVA. The main effects of shader fidelity and polygon fidelity were both non-significant for both learning and all presence subscales inside the VLE. In addition, there was no significant interaction between shader fidelity and model fidelity. However, there were two significant results on the supplementary variables. First, gender was found to have a significant main effect on all the presence subscales. Females reported higher average levels of presence than their male counterparts. Second, gameplay hours, or the number of hours a participant played computer games per week, also had a significant main effect on participant score on the learning measure. The participants who reported playing 15+ hours of computer games per week, the highest amount of time in the variable, had the highest score as a group on the mercury learning measure while those participants that played 1-5 hours per week had the lowest scores.

A Case for Authoring Multi-Touch Interactive Open Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Michael S.

2016-01-01

As textbook prices continue to skyrocket, open educational resources (OER) offer a significant way to deliver high quality content to students in higher education. The pressing issue is whether these OER are engaging, relevant, and accurate. Authoring multi-touch interactive resources that are delivered to students as open-access may not only…

The Interaction between Speed Camera Enforcement and Speed-Related Mass Media Publicity in Victoria, Australia

PubMed Central

Cameron, M. H.; Newstead, S. V.; Diamantopoulou, K.; Oxley, P.

2003-01-01

The objective was to measure the presence of any interaction between the effect of mobile covert speed camera enforcement and the effect of intensive mass media road safety publicity with speed-related themes. During 1999, the Victoria Police varied the levels of speed camera activity substantially in four Melbourne police districts according to a systematic plan. Camera hours were increased or reduced by 50% or 100% in respective districts for a month at a time, during months when speed-related publicity was present and during months when it was absent. Monthly frequencies of casualty crashes, and their severe injury outcome, in each district during 1996–2000 were analysed to test the effects of the enforcement, publicity and their interaction. Reductions in crash frequency were associated monotonically with increasing levels of speed camera ticketing, and there was a statistically significant 41% reduction in fatal crash outcome associated with very high camera activity. High publicity awareness was associated with 12% reduction in crash frequency. The interaction between the enforcement and publicity was not statistically significant. PMID:12941230

Genotype x environment interaction and its implication in identification of common bean populations with high calcium content.

PubMed

Fernandes, S B; Abreu, A F B; Ramalho, M A P

2016-06-24

The common bean is a food with high mineral content. Of the various types of beans cultivated in Brazil, carioca type beans are the most consumed. The aim of this study was to identify promising common bean populations with an emphasis toward the selection of carioca type bean lines with high calcium content. We also aimed to verify whether and how the crop season and the genotype (parental line and hybrid populations) x crop season interaction affect calcium content. A group of 3 lines of good agronomic characteristics were crossed with a group of 4 lines with high calcium content in a 3 x 4 partial diallel design. Great variability was identified among both the parental lines and the hybrid populations derived from the diallel crosses among the parental lines. We found significant interactions between crop season and both parental line and hybrid population. In the diallel analysis, only the general combining ability was significant, explaining 89.4% of the sum of squares. The RP-1, CNF05, and Safira lines exhibited the greatest calcium contents and a positive GCA. RP-1 is a line that presents high calcium content, in addition to having carioca type beans and an upright plant with high yield. To further increase the calcium content of the RP-1 line, we suggest crossing it with the CNF05 and Safira lines. Although there was a hybrid population x crop season interaction, it was possible to identify populations that performed best in terms of calcium content in both crop seasons.

Diet quality, inflammation, and the ankle brachial index in adults with or without cardiometabolic conditions.

PubMed

Mattei, Josiemer; Sotres-Alvarez, Daniela; Gellman, Marc; Castañeda, Sheila F; Hu, Frank B; Tucker, Katherine L; Siega-Riz, Anna Maria; Kaplan, Robert C

2018-08-01

Diet quality may influence non-traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors - namely, C-reactive protein (CRP) and the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Pre-existing traditional cardiometabolic conditions may confound this association. We aimed to determine whether diet quality was associated with high-risk CRP or ABI, independently from traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. Baseline data were analyzed from US-Hispanics/Latinos aged 18-74 y without previously-diagnosed CVD participating in the population-based Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos cohort. Included were 14,623 participants with CRP data, and 7892 participants (≥45 y) with ABI data. Diet quality was measured with the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). Nearly 35% of Hispanics/Latinos had high-risk CRP concentration and 6.3% had high-risk ABI (peripheral artery disease (PAD): 4.2%; arterial stiffness: 2.1%). After adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity, the odds (95% confidence interval) of having high-risk ABI were 37% (5, 44%) lower per 10-unit increase in AHEI (p = 0.018). The association was marginally significant for PAD (0.77 (0.58, 1.00); p = 0.05), and non-significant for arterial stiffness (p = 0.16). Each 10-unit increase in AHEI was associated with 21% (10, 30%) lower odds of high-risk CRP (p = 0.0002) after similar adjustments. There were no significant interactions between AHEI and age, sex, ethnicity, smoking, or pre-existing cardiometabolic conditions for associations with ABI. The association between AHEI and high-risk CRP was stronger for those with diabetes (p-interaction < 0.0001), obesity (p-interaction = 0.005), or ages 45-74 y (p-interaction = 0.011). Higher diet quality is associated with lower inflammation and less adverse ABI among Hispanics/Latinos, independently from traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Single-photon nonlinearities in the propagation of focused beams through dense atomic clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yidan; Gorshkov, Alexey; Gullans, Michael

2017-04-01

We theoretically study single-photon nonlinearities realized when a highly focused Gaussian beam passes through a dense atomic cloud. In this system, strong dipole-dipole interactions arise between closely spaced atoms and significantly affect light propagation. We find that the highly focused Gaussian beam can be treated as an effective one-dimensional waveguide, which simplifies the calculation of photon transmission and correlation functions. The formalism we develop is also applicable to the case where additional atom-atom interactions, such as interactions between Rydberg atoms, are involved. This work was supported by the ARL, NSF PFC at the JQI, AFOSR, NSF PIF, ARO, and AFOSR MURI.

Impact of an interactive anti-speeding threat appeal: how much threat is too much?

PubMed

Panić, Katarina; Cauberghe, Verolien; De Pelsmacker, Patrick

2011-05-01

This study investigates the impact of an interactive television public-service announcement (PSA) containing an anti-speeding threat appeal on feelings of telepresence and behavioral intention. In a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design with 213 participants, the level of threat evoked by a traditional PSA, by the interactive part of the PSA (dedicated advertising location or DAL) and by the preceding program context are manipulated to be either low or high. The results support the assumptions of the Extended Parallel Processing Model with regard to the effect of the level of perceived threat and perceived efficacy in an interactive media environment, and the important role of telepresence as a processing variable. The results of the three-way interaction effect of threat evoked by the program, the PSA and the DAL on telepresence show that when the threat levels of the program and the PSA are both either low or high, exposure to the threatening information in the DAL does not generate a significantly higher feeling of telepresence. However, when a low-threat program is followed by a high-threat PSA, the threat level of the DAL has a positive effect on telepresence. The same trend is found with a high-threat program and a low-threat PSA, although the effect of the threat evoked by the DAL on telepresence is not significant at conventional levels. Finally, there is a positive effect of telepresence on the behavioral intention to reduce speeding, which is partly mediated by the viewer's perceived efficacy to follow the recommended behavior.

Effect of the interaction between oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs53576) and stressful life events on aggression in Chinese Han adolescents.

PubMed

Shao, Di; Zhang, Hui-Hui; Long, Zhou-Ting; Li, Jie; Bai, Hua-Yu; Li, Jing-Jing; Cao, Feng-Lin

2018-06-04

Accumulating evidence suggests that stressful life events are associated with increased risk for aggressive behavior in adolescents; however, aggressive reactions to life stressors exhibit large individual differences. The present study sought to examine whether the interaction between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP [rs53576]) within the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and stressful life events is related to aggression in Chinese Han adolescents. A total of 197 Chinese Han adolescents (14-17 years of age) were included in this study. Aggression was assessed using the 12-item short version of Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Stressful life events during the past 12 months were assessed using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist. Genomic DNA was extracted from saliva and buccal cells from each individual. Multivariate analysis of variance yielded a significant interaction between OXTR rs53576 SNP and life stress (F = 2.449, p = 0.043, partial η2 = 0.051) and of sex × SNP × life stress (F = 3.144, p = 0.016, partial η2 = 0.064). High life stress during the past 12 months was associated with high levels of physical aggression and hostility in OXTR rs53576 homozygous AA adolescents but not in G-carrier adolescents. In boys, homozygous AA individuals in the high life stress group reported significantly higher levels of physical aggression than participants in the other three groups; the interaction, however, was not significant in girls. This study, which analyzed a specific gene-environment interaction, demonstrated that AA OXTR rs53576 homozygosity may correlate with higher levels of aggression under high life stress conditions with a sample of healthy Chinese Han adolescents. These findings promote the etiological understanding of adolescent aggression, highlighting the complex effect of stressful life events on aggression, and adding evidence supporting the relationship between the oxytocin system and aggressive behavior in adolescents. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reading Touch Screen Storybooks with Mothers Negatively Affects 7-Year-Old Readers’ Comprehension but Enriches Emotional Engagement

PubMed Central

Ross, Kirsty M.; Pye, Rachel E.; Randell, Jordan

2016-01-01

Touch screen storybooks turn reading into an interactive multimedia experience, with hotspot-activated animations, sound effects, and games. Positive and negative effects of reading multimedia stories have been reported, but the underlying mechanisms which explain how children’s learning is affected remain uncertain. The present study examined the effect of storybook format (touch screen and print) on story comprehension, and considered how level of touch screen interactivity (high and low) and shared reading behaviors (cognitive and emotional scaffolding, emotional engagement) might contribute to comprehension. Seven-year-olds (n = 22) were observed reading one touch screen storybook and one print storybook with their mothers. Story comprehension was inferior for the touch screen storybooks compared to the print formats. Touch screen interactivity level had no significant effect on comprehension but did affect shared reading behaviors. The mother–child dyads spent less time talking about the story in the highly interactive touch screen condition, despite longer shared reading sessions because of touch screen interactions. Positive emotional engagement was greater for children and mothers in the highly interactive touch screen condition, due to additional positive emotions expressed during touch screen interactions. Negative emotional engagement was greater for children when reading and talking about the story in the highly interactive condition, and some mothers demonstrated negative emotional engagement with the touch screen activities. The less interactive touch screen storybook had little effect on shared reading behaviors, but mothers controlling behaviors were more frequent. Storybook format had no effect on the frequency of mothers’ cognitive scaffolding behaviors (comprehension questions, word help). Relationships between comprehension and shared reading behaviors were examined for each storybook, and although length of the shared reading session and controlling behaviors had significant effects on comprehension, the mechanisms driving comprehension were not fully explained by the data. The potential for touch screen storybooks to contribute to cognitive overload in 7-year-old developing readers is discussed, as is the complex relationship between cognitive and emotional scaffolding behaviors, emotional engagement, and comprehension. Sample characteristics and methodological limitations are also discussed to help inform future research. PMID:27899903

Whistlers, Helicons, Lower Hybrid Waves: the Physics of RF Wave Absorption Without Cyclotron Resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinsker, R. I.

2014-10-01

In hot magnetized plasmas, two types of linear collisionless absorption processes are used to heat and drive noninductive current: absorption at ion or electron cyclotron resonances and their harmonics, and absorption by Landau damping and the transit-time-magnetic-pumping (TTMP) interactions. This tutorial discusses the latter process, i.e., parallel interactions between rf waves and electrons in which cyclotron resonance is not involved. Electron damping by the parallel interactions can be important in the ICRF, particularly in the higher harmonic region where competing ion cyclotron damping is weak, as well as in the Lower Hybrid Range of Frequencies (LHRF), which is in the neighborhood of the geometric mean of the ion and electron cyclotron frequencies. On the other hand, absorption by parallel processes is not significant in conventional ECRF schemes. Parallel interactions are especially important for the realization of high current drive efficiency with rf waves, and an application of particular recent interest is current drive with the whistler or helicon wave at high to very high (i.e., the LHRF) ion cyclotron harmonics. The scaling of absorption by parallel interactions with wave frequency is examined and the advantages and disadvantages of fast (helicons/whistlers) and slow (lower hybrid) waves in the LHRF in the context of reactor-grade tokamak plasmas are compared. In this frequency range, both wave modes can propagate in a significant fraction of the discharge volume; the ways in which the two waves can interact with each other are considered. The use of parallel interactions to heat and drive current in practice will be illustrated with examples from past experiments; also looking forward, this tutorial will provide an overview of potential applications in tokamak reactors. Supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Combining multiple positive training sets to generate confidence scores for protein-protein interactions.

PubMed

Yu, Jingkai; Finley, Russell L

2009-01-01

High-throughput experimental and computational methods are generating a wealth of protein-protein interaction data for a variety of organisms. However, data produced by current state-of-the-art methods include many false positives, which can hinder the analyses needed to derive biological insights. One way to address this problem is to assign confidence scores that reflect the reliability and biological significance of each interaction. Most previously described scoring methods use a set of likely true positives to train a model to score all interactions in a dataset. A single positive training set, however, may be biased and not representative of true interaction space. We demonstrate a method to score protein interactions by utilizing multiple independent sets of training positives to reduce the potential bias inherent in using a single training set. We used a set of benchmark yeast protein interactions to show that our approach outperforms other scoring methods. Our approach can also score interactions across data types, which makes it more widely applicable than many previously proposed methods. We applied the method to protein interaction data from both Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens. Independent evaluations show that the resulting confidence scores accurately reflect the biological significance of the interactions.

Dynamic train-track interaction at high vehicle speeds—Modelling of wheelset dynamics and wheel rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torstensson, P. T.; Nielsen, J. C. O.; Baeza, L.

2011-10-01

Vertical dynamic train-track interaction at high vehicle speeds is investigated in a frequency range from about 20 Hz to 2.5 kHz. The inertial effects due to wheel rotation are accounted for in the vehicle model by implementing a structural dynamics model of a rotating wheelset. Calculated wheel-rail contact forces using the flexible, rotating wheelset model are compared with contact forces based on rigid, non-rotating models. For a validation of the train-track interaction model, calculated contact forces are compared with contact forces measured using an instrumented wheelset. When the system is excited at a frequency where two different wheelset mode shapes, due to the wheel rotation, have coinciding resonance frequencies, significant differences are found in the contact forces calculated with the rotating and non-rotating wheelset models. Further, the use of a flexible, rotating wheelset model is recommended for load cases leading to large magnitude contact force components in the high-frequency range (above 1.5 kHz). In particular, the influence of the radial wheel eigenmodes with two or three nodal diameters is significant.

Targeting of Repeated Sequences Unique to a Gene Results in Significant Increases in Antisense Oligonucleotide Potency

PubMed Central

Vickers, Timothy A.; Freier, Susan M.; Bui, Huynh-Hoa; Watt, Andrew; Crooke, Stanley T.

2014-01-01

A new strategy for identifying potent RNase H-dependent antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) is presented. Our analysis of the human transcriptome revealed that a significant proportion of genes contain unique repeated sequences of 16 or more nucleotides in length. Activities of ASOs targeting these repeated sites in several representative genes were compared to those of ASOs targeting unique single sites in the same transcript. Antisense activity at repeated sites was also evaluated in a highly controlled minigene system. Targeting both native and minigene repeat sites resulted in significant increases in potency as compared to targeting of non-repeated sites. The increased potency at these sites is a result of increased frequency of ASO/RNA interactions which, in turn, increases the probability of a productive interaction between the ASO/RNA heteroduplex and human RNase H1 in the cell. These results suggest a new, highly efficient strategy for rapid identification of highly potent ASOs. PMID:25334092

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering and Neutron Spin Echo Characterization of Monoclonal Antibody Self-Associations at High Concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yearley, Eric; Zarraga, Isidro (Dan); Godfrin, Paul (Doug); Perevozchikova, Tatiana; Wagner, Norman; Liu, Yun

2013-03-01

Concentrated therapeutic protein formulations offer numerous delivery and stability challenges. In particular, it has been found that several therapeutic proteins exhibit a large increase in viscosity as a function of concentration that may be dependent on the protein-protein interactions. Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) investigations have been performed to probe the protein-protein interactions and diffusive properties of highly concentrated MAbs. The SANS data demonstrate that the inter-particle interactions for a highly viscous MAb at high concentrations (MAb1) are highly attractive, anisotropic and change significantly with concentration while the viscosity and interactions do not differ considerably for MAb2. The NSE results furthermore indicate that MAb1 and MAb2 have strong concentration dependencies of dynamics at high Q that are correlated to the translational motion of the proteins. Finally, it has also been revealed that the individual MAb1 proteins form small clusters at high concentrations in contrast to the MAb2 proteins, which are well-dispersed. It is proposed that the formation of these clusters is the primary cause of the dramatic increase in viscosity of MAb1 in crowded or concentrated environments.

Peculiarities of biological action of hadrons of space radiation.

PubMed

Akoev, I G; Yurov, S S

1975-01-01

Biological investigations in space enable one to make a significant contribution on high-energy hadrons to biological effects under the influence of factors of space flights. Physical and molecular principles of the action of high-energy hadrons are analysed. Genetic and somatic hadron effects produced by the secondary radiation from 70 GeV protons have been studied experimentally. The high biological effectiveness of hadrons, great variability in biological effects, and specifically of their action, are associated with strong interactions of high-energy hadrons. These are the probability of nuclear interaction with any atom nucleus, generation of a great number of secondary particles (among them, probably, highly effective multicharged and heavy nuclei, antiprotons, pi(-)-mesons), and the spatial distribution of secondary particles as a narrow cone with extremely high density of particles in its first part. The secondary radiation generated by high- and superhigh-energy hadrons upon their interaction with the spaceship is likely to be the greatest hazard of radiation to the crew during space flights.

Beliefs about cybersex and Internet-mediated sex of Latino men who have Internet sex with men: relationships with sexual practices in cybersex and in real life.

PubMed

Ross, M W; Rosser, B R S; Stanton, J

2004-11-01

Cybersex (engaging in sexual self-stimulation while online with another person) and meeting partners for sex are commonly reported among men who have Internet sex with men (MISM). We studied 1,026 Latino MISM in the US and constructed a scale to measure beliefs about cybersex. Respondents were recruited to an online Internet study and compensated for their effort. Factor analysis indicated that there were three dimensions: (1) liking cybersex: perceived anonymity and safety of cybersex; (2) potential for greater IRL interaction in seeking partners on the Internet; and (3) a dimension of negative beliefs about Internet contacts which was not psychometrically stable. Safety referred to physical and HIV-related safety. We formed two scales to describe the first two dimensions. Respondents who were high on the 'liking cybersex: perceived anonymity and safety' scale were more likely than low scorers to use chat-rooms and webcams. They were also more likely than low scorers to have had cybersex and phone sex before meeting. Those who were high on the 'IRL interaction' scale were more likely than low scorers to use e-mail, bulletin boards and paid websites. However, there was significantly less disclosure about HIV status and discussion about safer sex by those higher on the 'IRL interaction scale', and when sex in real life did occur, those higher on the 'IRL interaction' scale were more likely to have receptive oral or anal sex, whereas those high on the 'liking cybersex: perceived anonymity/safety' scale were less likely to have insertive sex or be drunk/high. MISM scoring high on the 'IRL interaction' scale were significantly more likely than low scorers to prefer to meet partners on the Internet. We discuss the implications of the Internet for MSM and for sexual IRL interactions in the Internet age.

Genetic and Dynamic Analyses of Murine Peak Bone Density

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-10-01

DAMD17-96-1-6309 differences, the location of bone regulatory genes with strong and modifier effects , the mode of inheritance for each gene, the...estimate the cortical cross-sectional area, most likely due to partial volume effects . Thus, the high density bone area was consistently estimated to be...significant or highly significant linkage with BMD; b) 9 Beamer, WG DAMD17-96-1-6309 none of the loci exhibited significant interaction effects by ANOVA

Factorial effects of salinity, dietary carbohydrate and moult cycle on digestive carbohydrases and hexokinases in Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931).

PubMed

Gaxiola, Gabriela; Cuzon, Gerard; García, Tomás; Taboada, Gabriel; Brito, Roberto; Chimal, María Eugenia; Paredes, Adriana; Soto, Luis; Rosas, Carlos; van Wormhoudt, Alain

2005-01-01

Litopenaeus vannamei were reared in close cycle over seven generations and tested for their capacity to digest starch and to metabolise glucose at different stages of the moulting cycle. After acclimation with 42.3% of carbohydrates (HCBH) or 2.3% carbohydrates (LCBH) diets and at high salinity (40 g kg(-1)) or low salinity (15 g kg(-1)), shrimp were sampled and hepatopancreas (HP) were stored. Total soluble protein in HP was affected by the interaction between salinity and moult stages (p<0.05). Specific activity of alpha-amylase ranged from 44 to 241 U mg protein(-1) and a significant interaction between salinity and moult stages was observed (p<0.05), resulting in highest values at stage C for low salinity (mean value 196.4 U mg protein(-1)), and at D0 in high salinity (mean value 175.7 U mg protein(-1)). Specific activity of alpha-glucosidase ranged between 0.09 and 0.63 U mg protein(-1), an interaction between dietary CBH and salinity was observed for the alpha-glucosidase (p<0.05) and highest mean value was found in low salinity-LCBH diet treatment (0.329 U mg protein(-1)). Hexokinase specific activity (range 9-113 mU mg protein(-1)) showed no significant differences when measured at 5 mM glucose (p>0.05). Total hexokinase specific activity (range 17-215 mU mg protein(-1)) showed a significant interaction between dietary CBH and salinity (p<0.05) with highest value (mean value 78.5 mU mg protein(-1)) found in HCBH-high salinity treatment, whereas in the other treatments the activity was not significantly different (mean value 35.93 mU mg protein(-1)). A synergistic effect of dietary CBH, salinity and moult stages over hexokinase IV-like specific activity was also observed (p<0.05). As result of this interaction, the highest value (135.5+/-81 mU mg protein(-1)) was observed in HCBH, high salinity at D0 moult stage. Digestive enzymes activity is enhanced in the presence of high starch diet (HCBH) and hexokinase can be induced at certain moulting stages under the influence of blood glucose level. Perspectives are opened to add more carbohydrates in a growing diet, exemplifying the potential approach for less-polluting feed.

A Penalized Robust Method for Identifying Gene-Environment Interactions

PubMed Central

Shi, Xingjie; Liu, Jin; Huang, Jian; Zhou, Yong; Xie, Yang; Ma, Shuangge

2015-01-01

In high-throughput studies, an important objective is to identify gene-environment interactions associated with disease outcomes and phenotypes. Many commonly adopted methods assume specific parametric or semiparametric models, which may be subject to model mis-specification. In addition, they usually use significance level as the criterion for selecting important interactions. In this study, we adopt the rank-based estimation, which is much less sensitive to model specification than some of the existing methods and includes several commonly encountered data and models as special cases. Penalization is adopted for the identification of gene-environment interactions. It achieves simultaneous estimation and identification and does not rely on significance level. For computation feasibility, a smoothed rank estimation is further proposed. Simulation shows that under certain scenarios, for example with contaminated or heavy-tailed data, the proposed method can significantly outperform the existing alternatives with more accurate identification. We analyze a lung cancer prognosis study with gene expression measurements under the AFT (accelerated failure time) model. The proposed method identifies interactions different from those using the alternatives. Some of the identified genes have important implications. PMID:24616063

High flux, narrow bandwidth compton light sources via extended laser-electron interactions

DOEpatents

Barty, V P

2015-01-13

New configurations of lasers and electron beams efficiently and robustly produce high flux beams of bright, tunable, polarized quasi-monoenergetic x-rays and gamma-rays via laser-Compton scattering. Specifically, the use of long-duration, pulsed lasers and closely-spaced, low-charge and low emittance bunches of electron beams increase the spectral flux of the Compton-scattered x-rays and gamma rays, increase efficiency of the laser-electron interaction and significantly reduce the overall complexity of Compton based light sources.

Substituent Effects on the Self-Assembly/Coassembly and Hydrogelation of Phenylalanine Derivatives.

PubMed

Liyanage, Wathsala; Nilsson, Bradley L

2016-01-26

Supramolecular hydrogels derived from the self-assembly of organic molecules have been exploited for applications ranging from drug delivery to tissue engineering. The relationship between the structure of the assembly motif and the emergent properties of the resulting materials is often poorly understood, impeding rational approaches for the creation of next-generation materials. Aromatic π-π interactions play a significant role in the self-assembly of many supramolecular hydrogelators, but the exact nature of these interactions lacks definition. Conventional models that describe π-π interactions rely on quadrupolar electrostatic interactions between neighboring aryl groups in the π-system. However, recent experimental and computational studies reveal the potential importance of local dipolar interactions between elements of neighboring aromatic rings in stabilizing π-π interactions. Herein, we examine the nature of π-π interactions in the self- and coassembly of Fmoc-Phe-derived hydrogelators by systematically varying the electron-donating or electron-withdrawing nature of the side chain benzyl substituents and correlating these effects to the emergent assembly and gelation properties of the systems. These studies indicate a significant role for stabilizing dipolar interactions between neighboring benzyl groups in the assembled materials. Additional evidence for specific dipolar interactions is provided by high-resolution crystal structures obtained from dynamic transition of gel fibrils to crystals for several of the self-assembled/coassembled Fmoc-Phe derivatives. In addition to electronic effects, steric properties also have a significant effect on the interaction between neighboring benzyl groups in these assembled systems. These findings provide significant insight into the structure-function relationship for Fmoc-Phe-derived hydrogelators and give cues for the design of next-generation materials with desired emergent properties.

Shape and size variation on the wing of Drosophila mediopunctata: influence of chromosome inversions and genotype-environment interaction.

PubMed

Hatadani, Luciane Mendes; Klaczko, Louis Bernard

2008-07-01

The second chromosome of Drosophila mediopunctata is highly polymorphic for inversions. Previous work reported a significant interaction between these inversions and collecting date on wing size, suggesting the presence of genotype-environment interaction. We performed experiments in the laboratory to test for the joint effects of temperature and chromosome inversions on size and shape of the wing in D. mediopunctata. Size was measured as the centroid size, and shape was analyzed using the generalized least squares Procrustes superimposition followed by discriminant analysis and canonical variates analysis of partial warps and uniform components scores. Our findings show that wing size and shape are influenced by temperature, sex, and karyotype. We also found evidence suggestive of an interaction between the effects of karyotype and temperature on wing shape, indicating the existence of genotype-environment interaction for this trait in D. mediopunctata. In addition, the association between wing size and chromosome inversions is in agreement with previous results indicating that these inversions might be accumulating alleles adapted to different temperatures. However, no significant interaction between temperature and karyotype for size was found--in spite of the significant presence of temperature-genotype (cross) interaction. We suggest that other ecological factors--such as larval crowding--or seasonal variation of genetic content within inversions may explain the previous results.

Saturated fat consumption and the Theory of Planned Behaviour: exploring additive and interactive effects of habit strength.

PubMed

de Bruijn, Gert-Jan; Kroeze, Willemieke; Oenema, Anke; Brug, Johannes

2008-09-01

The additive and interactive effects of habit strength in the explanation of saturated fat intake were explored within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Cross-sectional data were gathered in a Dutch adult sample (n=764) using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses. Results showed that habit strength was a significant correlate of fat intake (beta=-0.11) and significantly increased the amount of explained variance in fat intake (R(2-change)=0.01). Furthermore, based on a significant interaction effect (beta=0.11), simple slope analyses revealed that intention was a significant correlate of fat intake for low levels (beta=-0.29) and medium levels (beta=-0.19) of habit strength, but a weaker and non-significant correlate for high levels (beta=-0.07) of habit strength. Higher habit strength may thus make limiting fat intake a non-intentional behaviour. Implications for information and motivation-based interventions are discussed.

The interplay of stress and mowing disturbance for the intensity and importance of plant interactions in dry calcareous grasslands

PubMed Central

Maalouf, Jean-Paul; Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann; Marchand, Lilian; Touzard, Blaise; Michalet, Richard

2012-01-01

Background and Aims There is still debate regarding the direction and strength of plant interactions under intermediate to high levels of stress. Furthermore, little is known on how disturbance may interact with physical stress in unproductive environments, although recent theory and models have shown that this interplay may induce a collapse of plant interactions and diversity. The few studies assessing such questions have considered the intensity of biotic interactions but not their importance, although this latter concept has been shown to be very useful for understanding the role of interactions in plant communities. The objective of this study was to assess the interplay between stress and disturbance for plant interactions in dry calcareous grasslands. Methods A field experiment was set up in the Dordogne, southern France, where the importance and intensity of biotic interactions undergone by four species were measured along a water stress gradient, and with and without mowing disturbance. Key Results The importance and intensity of interactions varied in a very similar way along treatments. Under undisturbed conditions, plant interactions switched from competition to neutral with increasing water stress for three of the four species, whereas the fourth species was not subject to any significant biotic interaction along the gradient. Responses to disturbance were more species-specific; for two species, competition disappeared with mowing in the wettest conditions, whereas for the two other species, competition switched to facilitation with mowing. Finally, there were no significant interactions for any species in the disturbed and driest conditions. Conclusions At very high levels of stress, plant performances become too weak to allow either competition or facilitation and disturbance may accelerate the collapse of interactions in dry conditions. The results suggest that the importance and direction of interactions are more likely to be positively related in stressful environments. PMID:22782241

Exploring longitudinal course and treatment-baseline severity interactions in secondary outcomes of smoking cessation treatment in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Luo, Sean X; Wall, Melanie; Covey, Lirio; Hu, Mei-Chen; Scodes, Jennifer M; Levin, Frances R; Nunes, Edward V; Winhusen, Theresa

2018-01-25

A double blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial (NCT00253747) evaluating osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) for smoking-cessation revealed a significant interaction effect in which participants with higher baseline ADHD severity had better abstinence outcomes with OROS-MPH while participants with lower baseline ADHD severity had worse outcomes. This current report examines secondary outcomes that might bear on the mechanism for this differential treatment effect. Longitudinal analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of OROS-MPH on three secondary outcomes (ADHD symptom severity, nicotine craving, and withdrawal) in the total sample (N = 255, 56% Male), and in the high (N = 134) and low (N = 121) baseline ADHD severity groups. OROS-MPH significantly improved ADHD symptoms and nicotine withdrawal symptoms in the total sample, and exploratory analyses showed that in both higher and lower baseline severity groups, OROS-MPH statistically significantly improved these two outcomes. No effect on craving overall was detected, though exploratory analyses showed statistically significantly decreased craving in the high ADHD severity participants on OROS-MPH. No treatment by ADHD baseline severity interaction was detected for the outcomes. Methylphenidate improved secondary outcomes during smoking cessation independent of baseline ADHD severity, with no evident treatment-baseline severity interaction. Our results suggest divergent responses to smoking cessation treatment in the higher and lower severity groups cannot be explained by concordant divergence in craving, withdrawal and ADHD symptom severity, and alternative hypotheses may need to be identified.

Robust and Comprehensive Analysis of 20 Osteoporosis Candidate Genes by Very High-Density Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Screen Among 405 White Nuclear Families Identified Significant Association and Gene–Gene Interaction

PubMed Central

Xiong, Dong-Hai; Shen, Hui; Zhao, Lan-Juan; Xiao, Peng; Yang, Tie-Lin; Guo, Yan; Wang, Wei; Guo, Yan-Fang; Liu, Yong-Jun; Recker, Robert R; Deng, Hong-Wen

2007-01-01

Many “novel” osteoporosis candidate genes have been proposed in recent years. To advance our knowledge of their roles in osteoporosis, we screened 20 such genes using a set of high-density SNPs in a large family-based study. Our efforts led to the prioritization of those osteoporosis genes and the detection of gene–gene interactions. Introduction We performed large-scale family-based association analyses of 20 novel osteoporosis candidate genes using 277 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the quantitative trait BMD variation and the qualitative trait osteoporosis (OP) at three clinically important skeletal sites: spine, hip, and ultradistal radius (UD). Materials and Methods One thousand eight hundred seventy-three subjects from 405 white nuclear families were genotyped and analyzed with an average density of one SNP per 4 kb across the 20 genes. We conducted association analyses by SNP- and haplotype-based family-based association test (FBAT) and performed gene–gene interaction analyses using multianalytic approaches such as multifactor-dimensionality reduction (MDR) and conditional logistic regression. Results and Conclusions We detected four genes (DBP, LRP5, CYP17, and RANK) that showed highly suggestive associations (10,000-permutation derived empirical global p ≤ 0.01) with spine BMD/OP; four genes (CYP19, RANK, RANKL, and CYP17) highly suggestive for hip BMD/OP; and four genes (CYP19, BMP2, RANK, and TNFR2) highly suggestive for UD BMD/OP. The associations between BMP2 with UD BMD and those between RANK with OP at the spine, hip, and UD also met the experiment-wide stringent criterion (empirical global p ≤ 0.0007). Sex-stratified analyses further showed that some of the significant associations in the total sample were driven by either male or female subjects. In addition, we identified and validated a two-locus gene–gene interaction model involving GCR and ESR2, for which prior biological evidence exists. Our results suggested the prioritization of osteoporosis candidate genes from among the many proposed in recent years and revealed the significant gene–gene interaction effects influencing osteoporosis risk. PMID:17002564

Evaluating interactions of forest conservation policies on avoided deforestation.

PubMed

Robalino, Juan; Sandoval, Catalina; Barton, David N; Chacon, Adriana; Pfaff, Alexander

2015-01-01

We estimate the effects on deforestation that have resulted from policy interactions between parks and payments and between park buffers and payments in Costa Rica between 2000 and 2005. We show that the characteristics of the areas where protected and unprotected lands are located differ significantly. Additionally, we find that land characteristics of each of the policies and of the places where they interact also differ significantly. To adequately estimate the effects of the policies and their interactions, we use matching methods. Matching is implemented not only to define adequate control groups, as in previous research, but also to define those groups of locations under the influence of policies that are comparable to each other. We find that it is more effective to locate parks and payments away from each other, rather than in the same location or near each other. The high levels of enforcement inside both parks and lands with payments, and the presence of conservation spillovers that reduce deforestation near parks, significantly reduce the potential impact of combining these two policies.

Effects of potato and lotus leaf extract intake on body composition and blood lipid concentration

PubMed Central

Lee, Keuneil; Kim, Jongkyu; Lee, Namju; Park, Sok; Cho, Hyunchul; Chun, Yoonseok

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of potato and lotus leaf extract intake on body composition, abdominal fat, and blood lipid concentration in female university students. [Methods] A total of 19 female university students participated in this 8-week study, and they were randomly assigned into 2 groups; potato and lotus leaf extract (skinny-line) administered group (SKG, n =9) and placebo group (PG, n = 10). The main results of the present study are presented below. [Results] 1) Body mass index, and percent body fat and abdominal fat in students of the SKG showed a decreasing tendency without significant interaction, 2) total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) in students of the SKG showed an averagely decreasing tendency and there was a significant interaction of TC only, 3) high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) in students of the SKG showed an increasing tendency without significant interaction, and 4) Z-score of fatness testing interaction in group × repetition did not show a significant interaction; however, there was a significant interaction of TC in group × repetition. Based on these results, 8-week intake of potato and lotus leaf extract had a positive effect of lowering TC. On the other hand, it had no significant effect on other types of lipids and percent body fat changes. [Conclusion] There was a positive tendency of blood lipids in students of the SKG and it seems that potato and lotus leaf extract intake might prevent obesity and improve obesity related syndromes. PMID:25960952

Uneven reductions in high school students' alcohol use from 2007 to 2012 by age, sex, and socioeconomic strata.

PubMed

Jackson, Nicki; Denny, Simon; Sheridan, Janie; Fleming, Terry; Clark, Terryann; Peiris-John, Roshini; Ameratunga, Shanthi

2017-01-01

Many Western countries have reported declines in adolescent alcohol use. This study examined changes in adolescent alcohol use in New Zealand between 2007 and 2012 and explored variations across sociodemographic strata. Data from 2 nationally representative, cross-sectional high school surveys conducted in 2007 (n = 7709) and 2012 (n = 7266) were examined. Changes in the prevalence of drinking in the past 4 weeks were examined among the total sample, as well as the frequency of drinking in the past 4 weeks and typical drinking-occasion quantity among drinkers. Only students residing in urban areas were included. Variation in changes was investigated across 4 demographic groups characterized by age (<16 years, ≥16 years) and sex. Interactions with household- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic position (SEP) identified any differential changes between socioeconomic strata. From 2007 to 2012, significantly fewer students consumed alcohol in the past 4 weeks. Interaction analyses demonstrated that, among young females (<16 years), declines were significantly greater among those of high household SEP when compared with those of low household SEP. Among drinkers, reductions in the frequency of drinking were found among all demographic groups and SEP strata. Interaction analyses revealed that only young males (<16 years) showed significantly reduced typical drinking-occasion quantities. Among young females, significant interactions revealed a shift towards increasing typical drinking-occasion quantities among those of low household and neighborhood SEP, whereas their more advantaged counterparts showed no significant change over time. Fewer drinking occasions characterized the major declines in adolescent drinking between 2007 and 2012. Whereas young males showed reductions in the typical quantity consumed, young females of low household and neighborhood SEP progressed towards higher typical quantities. To address the uneven distribution of alcohol-related harm and improve the targeting of harm reduction initiatives, it remains imperative to examine changes in both the overall shift and shape of the distribution curve.

Towards interactive narrative medicine.

PubMed

Cavazza, Marc; Charles, Fred

2013-01-01

Interactive Storytelling technologies have attracted significant interest in the field of simulation and serious gaming for their potential to provide a principled approach to improve user engagement in training scenarios. In this paper, we explore the use of Interactive Storytelling to support Narrative Medicine as a reflective practice. We describe a workflow for the generation of virtual narratives from high-level descriptions of patients' experiences as perceived by physicians, which can help to objectivize such perceptions and support various forms of analysis.

An Investigation of the Interaction Effects of Acute Self-Esteem and Perceived Competence on Conformity.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-22

a demonstration of the interaction effects of acute self - esteem and perceived competence. Acute self - esteem manipulations (high, low or no) were...On the basis of previous research on conformity it was predicted that subjects who were subjected to acute self - esteem manipulations and perceived...role in conformity. The main effect of self - esteem and the interaction of self - esteem and perceived competence did not prove significant. Results were

Investigating the Added Value of Interactivity and Serious Gaming for Educational TV

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellotti, F.; Berta, R.; De Gloria, A.; Ozolina, A.

2011-01-01

TV is a medium with high penetration rates and has been suited to deliver informal education in several aspects since years. Thus, interactive TV may play a significant role in the current Life-Long Learning challenges, provided that meaningful applications are implemented. In this research work, we have explored the added value of interactivity…

Gold Glyconanoparticles as Water-Soluble Polyvalent Models To Study Carbohydrate Interactions.

PubMed

de la Fuente, Jesús M; Barrientos, Africa G; Rojas, Teresa C; Rojo, Javier; Cañada, Javier; Fernández, Asunción; Penadés, Soledad

2001-06-18

Glycosphingolipid clustering and interactions at the cell membrane can be modeled by gold glyconanoparticles prepared with biologically significant oligosaccharides. Such water-soluble gold glyconanoparticles with highly polyvalent carbohydrate displays (see picture, gray hemisphere: gold nanoparticle) have been obtained by a simple and versatile strategy. © 2001 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, Fed. Rep. of Germany.

Tangential blowing for control of strong normal shock - Boundary layer interactions on inlet ramps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwendemann, M. F.; Sanders, B. W.

1982-01-01

The use of tangential blowing from a row of holes in an aft facing step is found to provide good control of the ramp boundary layer, normal shock interaction on a fixed geometry inlet over a wide range of inlet mass flow ratios. Ramp Mach numbers of 1.36 and 1.96 are investigated. The blowing geometry is found to have a significant effect on system performance at the highest Mach number. The use of high-temperature air in the blowing system, however, has only a slight effect on performance. The required blowing rates are significantly high for the most severe test conditions. In addition, the required blowing coefficient is found to be proportional to the normal shock pressure rise.

Fluid dynamic mechanisms and interactions within separated flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutton, J. C.; Addy, A. L.

1990-02-01

The significant results of a joint research effort investigating the fundamental fluid dynamic mechanisms and interactions within high-speed separated flows are presented in detail. The results have obtained through analytical and numerical approaches, but with primary emphasis on experimental investigations of missile and projectile base flow-related configurations. The objectives of the research program focus on understanding the component mechanisms and interactions which establish and maintain high-speed separated flow regions. The analytical and numerical efforts have centered on unsteady plume-wall interactions in rocket launch tubes and on predictions of the effects of base bleed on transonic and supersonic base flowfields. The experimental efforts have considered the development and use of a state-of-the-art two component laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) system for experiments with planar, two-dimensional, small-scale models in supersonic flows. The LDV experiments have yielded high quality, well documented mean and turbulence velocity data for a variety of high-speed separated flows including initial shear layer development, recompression/reattachment processes for two supersonic shear layers, oblique shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions in a compression corner, and two-stream, supersonic, near-wake flow behind a finite-thickness base.

Fireworks Algorithm with Enhanced Fireworks Interaction.

PubMed

Zhang, Bei; Zheng, Yu-Jun; Zhang, Min-Xia; Chen, Sheng-Yong

2017-01-01

As a relatively new metaheuristic in swarm intelligence, fireworks algorithm (FWA) has exhibited promising performance on a wide range of optimization problems. This paper aims to improve FWA by enhancing fireworks interaction in three aspects: 1) Developing a new Gaussian mutation operator to make sparks learn from more exemplars; 2) Integrating the regular explosion operator of FWA with the migration operator of biogeography-based optimization (BBO) to increase information sharing; 3) Adopting a new population selection strategy that enables high-quality solutions to have high probabilities of entering the next generation without incurring high computational cost. The combination of the three strategies can significantly enhance fireworks interaction and thus improve solution diversity and suppress premature convergence. Numerical experiments on the CEC 2015 single-objective optimization test problems show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The application to a high-speed train scheduling problem also demonstrates its feasibility in real-world optimization problems.

Demystifying the Complexities of Gravity Wave Dynamics in the Middle Atmosphere: a Roadmap to Improved Weather Forecasts through High-Fidelity Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mixa, T.; Fritts, D. C.; Bossert, K.; Laughman, B.; Wang, L.; Lund, T.; Kantha, L. H.

2017-12-01

Gravity waves play a profound role in the mixing of the atmosphere, transporting vast amounts of momentum and energy among different altitudes as they propagate vertically. Above 60km in the middle atmosphere, high wave amplitudes enable a series of complex, nonlinear interactions with the background environment that produce highly-localized wind and temperature variations which alter the layering structure of the atmosphere. These small-scale interactions account for a significant portion of energy transport in the middle atmosphere, but they are difficult to characterize, occurring at spatial scales that are both challenging to observe with ground instruments and prohibitively small to include in weather forecasting models. Using high fidelity numerical simulations, these nuanced wave interactions are analyzed to better our understanding of these dynamics and improve the accuracy of long-term weather forecasting.

Who took the "x" out of expectancy-value theory? A psychological mystery, a substantive-methodological synergy, and a cross-national generalization.

PubMed

Nagengast, Benjamin; Marsh, Herbert W; Scalas, L Francesca; Xu, Man K; Hau, Kit-Tai; Trautwein, Ulrich

2011-08-01

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a dominant theory of human motivation. Historically, the Expectancy × Value interaction, in which motivation is high only if both expectancy and value are high, was central to EVT. However, the Expectancy × Value interaction mysteriously disappeared from published research more than 25 years ago. Using large representative samples of 15-year-olds (N = 398,750) from 57 diverse countries, we attempted to solve this mystery by testing Expectancy × Value interactions using latent-variable models with interactions. Expectancy (science self-concept), value (enjoyment of science), and the Expectancy × Value interaction all had statistically significant positive effects on both engagement in science activities and intentions of pursuing scientific careers; these results were similar for the total sample and for nearly all of the 57 countries considered separately. This study, apparently the strongest cross-national test of EVT ever undertaken, supports the generalizability of EVT predictions--including the "lost" Expectancy × Value interaction.

Multifactor-Dimensionality Reduction Reveals High-Order Interactions among Estrogen-Metabolism Genes in Sporadic Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

Ritchie, Marylyn D.; Hahn, Lance W.; Roodi, Nady; Bailey, L. Renee; Dupont, William D.; Parl, Fritz F.; Moore, Jason H.

2001-01-01

One of the greatest challenges facing human geneticists is the identification and characterization of susceptibility genes for common complex multifactorial human diseases. This challenge is partly due to the limitations of parametric-statistical methods for detection of gene effects that are dependent solely or partially on interactions with other genes and with environmental exposures. We introduce multifactor-dimensionality reduction (MDR) as a method for reducing the dimensionality of multilocus information, to improve the identification of polymorphism combinations associated with disease risk. The MDR method is nonparametric (i.e., no hypothesis about the value of a statistical parameter is made), is model-free (i.e., it assumes no particular inheritance model), and is directly applicable to case-control and discordant-sib-pair studies. Using simulated case-control data, we demonstrate that MDR has reasonable power to identify interactions among two or more loci in relatively small samples. When it was applied to a sporadic breast cancer case-control data set, in the absence of any statistically significant independent main effects, MDR identified a statistically significant high-order interaction among four polymorphisms from three different estrogen-metabolism genes. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a four-locus interaction associated with a common complex multifactorial disease. PMID:11404819

Differential susceptibility in longitudinal models of gene-environment interaction for adolescent depression.

PubMed

Li, James J; Berk, Michele S; Lee, Steve S

2013-11-01

Although family support reliably predicts the development of adolescent depression and suicidal behaviors, relatively little is known about the interplay of family support with potential genetic factors. We tested the association of the 44 base pair polymorphism in the serotonin transporter linked promoter region gene (5-HTTLPR), family support (i.e., cohesion, communication, and warmth), and their interaction with self-reported depression symptoms and risk for suicide in 1,030 Caucasian adolescents and young adults from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. High-quality family support predicted fewer symptoms of depression and reduced risk for suicidality. There was also a significant interaction between 5-HTTLPR and family support for boys and a marginally significant interaction for girls. Among boys with poor family support, youth with at least one short allele had more symptoms of depression and a higher risk for suicide attempts relative to boys homozygous for the long allele. However, in the presence of high family support, boys with the short allele had the fewest depression symptoms (but not suicide attempts). Results suggest that the short allele may increase reactivity to both negative and positive family influences in the development of depression. We discuss the potential role of interactive exchanges between family support and offspring genotype in the development of adolescent depression and suicidal behaviors.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Genetic Background Roles within a Web-Based Nutritional Intervention: The Food4Me Study.

PubMed

San-Cristobal, Rodrigo; Navas-Carretero, Santiago; Livingstone, Katherine M; Celis-Morales, Carlos; Macready, Anna L; Fallaize, Rosalind; O'Donovan, Clare B; Lambrinou, Christina P; Moschonis, George; Marsaux, Cyril F M; Manios, Yannis; Jarosz, Miroslaw; Daniel, Hannelore; Gibney, Eileen R; Brennan, Lorraine; Drevon, Christian A; Gundersen, Thomas E; Gibney, Mike; Saris, Wim H M; Lovegrove, Julie A; Grimaldi, Keith; Parnell, Laurence D; Bouwman, Jildau; Van Ommen, Ben; Mathers, John C; Martinez, J Alfredo

2017-10-11

Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) adherence has been proven to produce numerous health benefits. In addition, nutrigenetic studies have explained some individual variations in the response to specific dietary patterns. The present research aimed to explore associations and potential interactions between MedDiet adherence and genetic background throughout the Food4Me web-based nutritional intervention. Dietary, anthropometrical and biochemical data from volunteers of the Food4Me study were collected at baseline and after 6 months. Several genetic variants related to metabolic risk features were also analysed. A Genetic Risk Score (GRS) was derived from risk alleles and a Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), based on validated food intake data, was estimated. At baseline, there were no interactions between GRS and MDS categories for metabolic traits. Linear mixed model repeated measures analyses showed a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol in participants with a low GRS after a 6-month period, compared to those with a high GRS. Meanwhile, a high baseline MDS was associated with greater decreases in Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference and glucose. There also was a significant interaction between GRS and the MedDiet after the follow-up period. Among subjects with a high GRS, those with a high MDS evidenced a highly significant reduction in total carotenoids, while among those with a low GRS, there was no difference associated with MDS levels. These results suggest that a higher MedDiet adherence induces beneficial effects on metabolic outcomes, which can be affected by the genetic background in some specific markers.

Influence of the Interaction Between Graphite and Polar Surfaces of ZnO on the Formation of Schottky Contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yatskiv, R.; Grym, J.

2018-03-01

We show that the interaction between graphite and polar surfaces of ZnO affects electrical properties of graphite/ZnO Schottky junctions. A strong interaction of the Zn-face with the graphite contact causes interface imperfections and results in the formation of laterally inhomogeneous Schottky contacts. On the contrary, high quality Schottky junctions form on the O-face, where the interaction is significantly weaker. Charge transport through the O-face ZnO/graphite junctions is well described by the thermionic emission model in both forward and reverse directions. We further demonstrate that the parameters of the graphite/ZnO Schottky diodes can be significantly improved when a thin layer of ZnO2 forms at the interface between graphite and ZnO after hydrogen peroxide surface treatment.

The behaviour of young children with social communication disorders during dyadic interaction with peers.

PubMed

Murphy, Suzanne M; Faulkner, Dorothy M; Farley, Laura R

2014-02-01

Children with social communication disorders are known to experience more problematic peer relations than typically-developing children. However, detailed observation of their behaviour and communication during interaction with peers has not previously been undertaken. Micro-analytic observational methods were used to analyse the audio-taped interaction of children (N = 112) selected from mainstream schools (ages 5-6 years-old) on a computerised dyadic collaborative task. Comparisons were made between children with average-to-high- and low-pragmatic language skill as measured by the Test of Pragmatic Skills. Dyads were composed of an average-to-high-skilled child plus a low-skilled child (32 dyads), or of two average-to-high-skilled children (24 dyads). Consistently with their pragmatic language scores, low-skilled children were more likely to ignore other children's questions and requests than were average-to-high-skilled children. When average-to-high-skilled children worked with low-skilled children, as opposed to with other average-to-high-skilled children, they showed some sensitivity and adaptation to these children's difficulties; they used significantly more directives, clarification and provided more information. However, there was a cost in terms of the emotional tone of these interactions; when working with low-skilled children, the average-to-high-skilled children expressed considerably more negative feelings towards their partners than with another average-to-high-skilled child. In conclusion, observation of the interaction of average-to-high- and low-skilled children suggests promise for peer-assisted interventions and specifies which communicative behaviours could be targeted. However, care should be taken to manage the affective climate of these interactions for the benefit of all children involved.

Tuning calcite morphology and growth acceleration by a rational design of highly stable protein-mimetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chun-Long; Qi, Jiahui; Tao, Jinhui; Zuckermann, Ronald N.; Deyoreo, James J.

2014-09-01

In nature, proteins play a significant role in biomineral formation. One of the ultimate goals of bioinspired materials science is to develop highly stable synthetic molecules that mimic the function of these natural proteins by controlling crystal formation. Here, we demonstrate that both the morphology and the degree of acceleration or inhibition observed during growth of calcite in the presence of peptoids can be rationally tuned by balancing the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, with hydrophobic interactions playing the dominant role. While either strong electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions inhibit growth and reduces expression of the {104} faces, correlations between peptoid-crystal binding energies and observed changes in calcite growth indicate moderate electrostatic interactions allow peptoids to weakly adsorb while moderate hydrophobic interactions cause disruption of surface-adsorbed water layers, leading to growth acceleration with retained expression of the {104} faces. This study provides fundamental principles for designing peptoids as crystallization promoters, and offers a straightforward screening method based on macroscopic crystal morphology. Because peptoids are sequence-specific, highly stable, and easily synthesized, peptoid-enhanced crystallization offers a broad range of potential applications.

Tuning calcite morphology and growth acceleration by a rational design of highly stable protein-mimetics

PubMed Central

Chen, Chun-Long; Qi, Jiahui; Tao, Jinhui; Zuckermann, Ronald N.; DeYoreo, James J.

2014-01-01

In nature, proteins play a significant role in biomineral formation. One of the ultimate goals of bioinspired materials science is to develop highly stable synthetic molecules that mimic the function of these natural proteins by controlling crystal formation. Here, we demonstrate that both the morphology and the degree of acceleration or inhibition observed during growth of calcite in the presence of peptoids can be rationally tuned by balancing the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, with hydrophobic interactions playing the dominant role. While either strong electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions inhibit growth and reduces expression of the {104} faces, correlations between peptoid-crystal binding energies and observed changes in calcite growth indicate moderate electrostatic interactions allow peptoids to weakly adsorb while moderate hydrophobic interactions cause disruption of surface-adsorbed water layers, leading to growth acceleration with retained expression of the {104} faces. This study provides fundamental principles for designing peptoids as crystallization promoters, and offers a straightforward screening method based on macroscopic crystal morphology. Because peptoids are sequence-specific, highly stable, and easily synthesized, peptoid-enhanced crystallization offers a broad range of potential applications. PMID:25189418

Genetic and environmental (physical fitness and sedentary activity) interaction effects on cardiometabolic risk factors in Mexican American children and adolescents.

PubMed

Arya, Rector; Farook, Vidya S; Fowler, Sharon P; Puppala, Sobha; Chittoor, Geetha; Resendez, Roy G; Mummidi, Srinivas; Vanamala, Jairam; Almasy, Laura; Curran, Joanne E; Comuzzie, Anthony G; Lehman, Donna M; Jenkinson, Christopher P; Lynch, Jane L; DeFronzo, Ralph A; Blangero, John; Hale, Daniel E; Duggirala, Ravindranath; Diego, Vincent P

2018-06-01

Knowledge on genetic and environmental (G × E) interaction effects on cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) in children is limited.  The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of G × E interaction effects on CMRFs in Mexican American (MA) children (n = 617, ages 6-17 years). The environments examined were sedentary activity (SA), assessed by recalls from "yesterday" (SAy) and "usually" (SAu) and physical fitness (PF) assessed by Harvard PF scores (HPFS). CMRF data included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass (FM), fasting insulin (FI), homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, and number of metabolic syndrome components (MSC). We examined potential G × E interaction in the phenotypic expression of CMRFs using variance component models and likelihood-based statistical inference. Significant G × SA interactions were identified for six CMRFs: BMI, WC, FI, HOMA-IR, MSC, and HDL, and significant G × HPFS interactions were observed for four CMRFs: BMI, WC, FM, and HOMA-IR. However, after correcting for multiple hypothesis testing, only WC × SAy, FM × SAy, and FI × SAu interactions became marginally significant. After correcting for multiple testing, most of CMRFs exhibited significant G × E interactions (Reduced G × E model vs. Constrained model). These findings provide evidence that genetic factors interact with SA and PF to influence variation in CMRFs, and underscore the need for better understanding of these relationships to develop strategies and interventions to effectively reduce or prevent cardiometabolic risk in children. © 2018 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

The separate and interactive effects of drinking motives and social anxiety symptoms in predicting drinking outcomes.

PubMed

Clerkin, Elise M; Barnett, Nancy

2012-05-01

Our goal was to test the separate and interactive effects of drinking motives and social anxiety symptoms in predicting drinking-related consumption and problems. Participants (N=730; 59.7% female) were undergraduate college students who completed measures of social anxiety symptoms, drinking motives, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems. Greater social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with less alcohol consumption, and there was some evidence that greater social anxiety symptoms were also associated with greater alcohol-relevant problems. Significant interactions between social anxiety and motives indicated that a) alcohol use was most pronounced for individuals high in enhancement motives and low in social anxiety symptoms; and b) among participants low in coping motives, drinking problems were greater for individuals high (vs. low) in social anxiety symptoms. More fully identifying the individual difference factors that link social anxiety symptoms with drinking outcomes is important for informing prevention and intervention approaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Separate and Interactive Effects of Drinking Motives and Social Anxiety Symptoms in Predicting Drinking Outcomes

PubMed Central

Clerkin, Elise M.; Barnett, Nancy

2012-01-01

PURPOSE Our goal was to test the separate and interactive effects of drinking motives and social anxiety symptoms in predicting drinking-related consumption and problems. METHODS Participants (N=730; 59.7% Female) were undergraduate college students who completed measures of social anxiety symptoms, drinking motives, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems. RESULTS Greater social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with less alcohol consumption, and there was some evidence that greater social anxiety symptoms were also associated with greater alcohol-relevant problems. Significant interactions between social anxiety and motives indicated that a) alcohol use was most pronounced for individuals high in enhancement motives and low in social anxiety symptoms; and b) among participants low in coping motives, drinking problems were greater for individuals high (vs. low) in social anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS More fully identifying the individual difference factors that link social anxiety symptoms with drinking outcomes is important for informing prevention and intervention approaches. PMID:22365887

Compensatory Effort Parallels Midbrain Deactivation during Mental Fatigue: An fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Nakagawa, Seishu; Sugiura, Motoaki; Akitsuki, Yuko; Hosseini, S. M. Hadi; Kotozaki, Yuka; Miyauchi, Carlos Makoto; Yomogida, Yukihito; Yokoyama, Ryoichi; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Kawashima, Ryuta

2013-01-01

Fatigue reflects the functioning of our physiological negative feedback system, which prevents us from overworking. When fatigued, however, we often try to suppress this system in an effort to compensate for the resulting deterioration in performance. Previous studies have suggested that the effect of fatigue on neurovascular demand may be influenced by this compensatory effort. The primary goal of the present study was to isolate the effect of compensatory effort on neurovascular demand. Healthy male volunteers participated in a series of visual and auditory divided attention tasks that steadily increased fatigue levels for 2 hours. Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed during the first and last quarter of the study (Pre and Post sessions, respectively). Tasks with low and high attentional load (Low and High conditions, respectively) were administrated in alternating blocks. We assumed that compensatory effort would be greater under the High-attentional-load condition compared with the Low-load condition. The difference was assessed during the two sessions. The effect of compensatory effort on neurovascular demand was evaluated by examining the interaction between load (High vs. Low) and time (Pre vs. Post). Significant fatigue-induced deactivation (i.e., Pre>Post) was observed in the frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal cortices, in the cerebellum, and in the midbrain in both the High and Low conditions. The interaction was significantly greater in the High than in the Low condition in the midbrain. Neither significant fatigue-induced activation (i.e., Pre[PreE– PostE]) may reflect suppression of the negative feedback system that normally triggers recuperative rest to maintain homeostasis. PMID:23457592

Interactions of calcium and fulvic acid at the goethite-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Li Ping; Koopal, Luuk K.; Hiemstra, Tjisse; Meeussen, Johannes C. L.; Van Riemsdijk, Willem H.

2005-01-01

Interactions of calcium and fulvic acid (Strichen ) with the surface of goethite were studied with batch and titration experiments. The mutual influence of the interactions on the adsorption of fulvic acid, calcium ions and protons were examined. Adsorption of the fulvic acid to goethite decreased with increase in pH (pH range 3-11). Addition of Ca (1.0 mM) at intermediate and high pH significantly enhanced the adsorption of fulvic acid. Compared to the adsorption to pure goethite, the presence of fulvic acid enhanced the adsorption of Ca significantly. In comparison to the simple linear sum of Ca bound to fulvic acid and goethite, the interactions between goethite and fulvic acid led to a reduced adsorption of Ca at low pH and an enhanced adsorption at high pH. With the adsorption of fulvic acid, protons were released at low pH and coadsorbed at high pH. When Ca was added, fewer protons were released at low pH and fewer coadsorbed at high pH. The experimental results can be adequately described using a surface complexation model, the Ligand and Charge Distribution (LCD) model, in which the CD-MUSIC model for ion adsorption to mineral oxides and the NICA model for ion binding to humics are integrated. In the model calculations, adequate descriptions of the ternary system data (Ca-fulvic acid-goethite) were obtained with parameters derived from three binary systems (fulvic acid-goethite, Ca-goethite and Ca-fulvic acid) without further adjustment. The model calculations suggest that the interactions between Ca and fulvic acid at the surface of goethite are mainly due to the electrostatic effects.

The Quality of Work and Youth Mental Health.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortimer, Jeylan T.; Harley, Carolyn; Staff, Jeremy

2002-01-01

Data from the Youth Development Study on adolescents who worked in high school were used to examine mental health, work stress, and work/school interactions. The quality of high school work experiences had significant consequences for mental states during high school, but had little effect on long-term mental health. (Contains 70 references.) (SK)

Anisotropic interaction rules in circular motions of pigeon flocks: An empirical study based on sparse Bayesian learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Duxin; Xu, Bowen; Zhu, Tao; Zhou, Tao; Zhang, Hai-Tao

2017-08-01

Coordination shall be deemed to the result of interindividual interaction among natural gregarious animal groups. However, revealing the underlying interaction rules and decision-making strategies governing highly coordinated motion in bird flocks is still a long-standing challenge. Based on analysis of high spatial-temporal resolution GPS data of three pigeon flocks, we extract the hidden interaction principle by using a newly emerging machine learning method, namely the sparse Bayesian learning. It is observed that the interaction probability has an inflection point at pairwise distance of 3-4 m closer than the average maximum interindividual distance, after which it decays strictly with rising pairwise metric distances. Significantly, the density of spatial neighbor distribution is strongly anisotropic, with an evident lack of interactions along individual velocity. Thus, it is found that in small-sized bird flocks, individuals reciprocally cooperate with a variational number of neighbors in metric space and tend to interact with closer time-varying neighbors, rather than interacting with a fixed number of topological ones. Finally, extensive numerical investigation is conducted to verify both the revealed interaction and decision-making principle during circular flights of pigeon flocks.

Can a four-dimensional model of occupational commitment help to explain intent to leave the emergency medical service occupation?

PubMed

Blau, Gary; Chapman, Susan; Pred, Robert S; Lopez, Andrea

2009-01-01

Using a sample of 854 emergency medical service (EMS) respondents, this study supported a four-dimension model of occupational commitment, comprised of affective, normative, accumulated costs, and limited alternatives. When personal and job-related variables were controlled, general job satisfaction emerged as a negative correlate of intent to leave. Controlling for personal, job-related, and job satisfaction variables, affective and limited alternatives commitment were each significant negative correlates. There were small but significant interactive effects among the commitment dimensions in accounting for additional intent to leave variance, including a four-way interaction. "High" versus "low" cumulative commitment subgroups were created by selecting respondents who were equal to or above ("high") versus below ("low") the median on each of the four occupational commitment dimensions. A t-test indicated that low cumulative commitment EMS respondents were more likely to intend to leave than high cumulative commitment EMS respondents.

Interaction of Extracellular Domain 2 of the Human Retina-specific ATP-binding Cassette Transporter (ABCA4) with All-trans-retinal*

PubMed Central

Biswas-Fiss, Esther E.; Kurpad, Deepa S.; Joshi, Kinjalben; Biswas, Subhasis B.

2010-01-01

The retina-specific ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, ABCA4, is essential for transport of all-trans-retinal from the rod outer segment discs in the retina and is associated with a broad range of inherited retinal diseases, including Stargardt disease, autosomal recessive cone rod dystrophy, and fundus flavimaculatus. A unique feature of the ABCA subfamily of ABC transporters is the presence of highly conserved, long extracellular loops or domains (ECDs) with unknown function. The high degree of sequence conservation and mapped disease-associated mutations in these domains suggests an important physiological significance. Conformational analysis using CD spectroscopy of purified, recombinant ECD2 protein demonstrated that it has an ordered and stable structure composed of 27 ± 3% α-helix, 20 ± 3% β-pleated sheet, and 53 ± 3% coil. Significant conformational changes were observed in disease-associated mutant proteins. Using intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence emission spectrum of ECD2 polypeptide and fluorescence anisotropy, we have demonstrated that this domain specifically interacts with all-trans-retinal. Furthermore, the retinal interaction appeared preferential for the all-trans-isomer and was directly measurable through fluorescence anisotropy analysis. Our results demonstrate that the three macular degeneration-associated mutations lead to significant changes in the secondary structure of the ECD2 domain of ABCA4, as well as in its interaction with all-trans-retinal. PMID:20404325

Interaction Effects of Acute Kidney Injury, Acute Respiratory Failure, and Sepsis on 30-Day Postoperative Mortality in Patients Undergoing High-Risk Intraabdominal General Surgical Procedures.

PubMed

Kim, Minjae; Brady, Joanne E; Li, Guohua

2015-12-01

Acute kidney injury (AKI), acute respiratory failure, and sepsis are distinct but related pathophysiologic processes. We hypothesized that these 3 processes may interact to synergistically increase the risk of short-term perioperative mortality in patients undergoing high-risk intraabdominal general surgery procedures. We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study of data (2005-2011) from the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, a high-quality surgical outcomes data set. High-risk procedures were those with a risk of AKI, acute respiratory failure, or sepsis greater than the average risk in all intraabdominal general surgery procedures. The effects of AKI, acute respiratory failure, and sepsis on 30-day mortality were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Additive interactions were assessed with the relative excess risk due to interaction. Of 217,994 patients, AKI, acute respiratory failure, and sepsis developed in 1.3%, 3.7%, and 6.8%, respectively. The 30-day mortality risk with sepsis, acute respiratory failure, and AKI were 11.4%, 24.1%, and 25.1%, respectively, compared with 0.85% without these complications. The adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for a single complication (versus no complication) on mortality were 7.24 (6.46-8.11), 10.8 (8.56-13.6), and 14.2 (12.8-15.7) for sepsis, AKI, and acute respiratory failure, respectively. For 2 complications, the adjusted hazard ratios were 30.8 (28.0-33.9), 42.6 (34.3-52.9), and 65.2 (53.9-78.8) for acute respiratory failure/sepsis, AKI/sepsis, and acute respiratory failure/AKI, respectively. Finally, the adjusted hazard ratio for all 3 complications was 105 (92.8-118). Positive additive interactions, indicating synergism, were found for each combination of 2 complications. The relative excess risk due to interaction for all 3 complications was not statistically significant. In high-risk general surgery patients, the development of AKI, acute respiratory failure, or sepsis is independently associated with an increase in 30-day mortality. In addition, the development of 2 complications shows significant positive additive interactions to further increase the risk of mortality. Our findings suggest that interactions between these 3 perioperative complications increase the risk of mortality more than would be expected by the independent effects of each complication alone.

Assessment of the significance of patent-derived information for the early identification of compound-target interaction hypotheses.

PubMed

Senger, Stefan

2017-04-21

Patents are an important source of information for effective decision making in drug discovery. Encouragingly, freely accessible patent-chemistry databases are now in the public domain. However, at present there is still a wide gap between relatively low coverage-high quality manually-curated data sources and high coverage data sources that use text mining and automated extraction of chemical structures. To secure much needed funding for further research and an improved infrastructure, hard evidence is required to demonstrate the significance of patent-derived information in drug discovery. Surprisingly little such evidence has been reported so far. To address this, the present study attempts to quantify the relevance of patents for formulating and substantiating hypotheses for compound-target interactions. A manually-curated set of 130 compound-target interaction pairs annotated with what are considered to be the earliest patent and publication has been produced. The analysis of this set revealed that in stark contrast to what has been reported for novel chemical structures, only about 10% of the compound-target interaction pairs could be found in publications in the scientific literature within one year of being reported in patents. The average delay across all interaction pairs is close to 4 years. In an attempt to benchmark current capabilities, it was also examined how much of the benefit of using patent-derived information can be retained when a bioannotated version of SureChEMBL is used as secondary source for the patent literature. Encouragingly, this approach found the patents in the annotated set for 72% of the compound-target interaction pairs. Similarly, the effect of using the bioactivity database ChEMBL as secondary source for the scientific literature was studied. Here, the publications from the annotated set were only found for 46% of the compound-target interaction pairs. Patent-derived information is a significant enabler for formulating compound-target interaction hypotheses even in cases where the respective interaction is later reported in the scientific literature. The findings of this study clearly highlight the significance of future investments in the development and provision of databases and tools that will allow scientists to search patent information in a comprehensive, reliable, and efficient manner.

Secondhand Smoke Enhances Lung Cancer Risk in Male Smokers: An Interaction.

PubMed

Li, Wentao; Tse, Lap Ah; Au, Joseph S K; Wang, Feng; Qiu, Hong; Yu, Ignatius Tak-Sun

2016-11-01

Previous studies revealed that some indoor air pollutants and fine particle matter can interact with active smoking, enhancing lung cancer risk in smokers. Secondhand smoke (SHS), with remarkable differences from active smoking, contributes significantly to indoor air pollution and generates a considerable amount of fine particle matter, may cause a similar interaction with active smoking. Information on lifetime SHS along with active smoking and other confirmed or suspected risk factors for lung cancer was collected in this case-referent study. Odds ratios and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of smoking status in different levels of SHS were evaluated. Potential multiplicative and additive interactions were explored. Compared with never-smokers without SHS, current smokers who were exposed to a high level of SHS demonstrated the highest odds ratio (15.13, 95% CI: 8.60, 26.65), almost doubles the effect in the current smokers without SHS. Significant additive interactions between current smoking and high level of SHS were observed for all lung cancers (synergy index = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.24) and the squamous carcinoma subgroup. High level of SHS exposure greatly enhanced lung cancer risk among current smokers, consistent with an additive interaction; while this interaction was predominant for the squamous carcinoma. The results provide new evidence to the rationale of promoting global smoking cessation. Some indoor air pollutants can interact with active smoking, yielding a synergistic effect on inducing lung cancer. SHS, with noticeable differences from active smoking, is a major source of indoor air pollution. However, little has been known about the effect of SHS in smokers and whether there is a similar interaction between SHS and active smoking. In this study, we evaluated their separate and joint effects and indeed found a more than additive interaction between them. This finding suggests a potential problem of gathering smoking aggravating by venue restriction policies and re-advocates policy efforts on smoking cessation. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Modification of Occupational Exposures on Bladder Cancer Risk by Common Genetic Polymorphisms.

PubMed

Figueroa, Jonine D; Koutros, Stella; Colt, Joanne S; Kogevinas, Manolis; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Real, Francisco X; Friesen, Melissa C; Baris, Dalsu; Stewart, Patricia; Schwenn, Molly; Johnson, Alison; Karagas, Margaret R; Armenti, Karla R; Moore, Lee E; Schned, Alan; Lenz, Petra; Prokunina-Olsson, Ludmila; Banday, A Rouf; Paquin, Ashley; Ylaya, Kris; Chung, Joon-Yong; Hewitt, Stephen M; Nickerson, Michael L; Tardón, Adonina; Serra, Consol; Carrato, Alfredo; García-Closas, Reina; Lloreta, Josep; Malats, Núria; Fraumeni, Joseph F; Chanock, Stephen J; Chatterjee, Nilanjan; Rothman, Nathaniel; Silverman, Debra T

2015-11-01

Few studies have demonstrated gene/environment interactions in cancer research. Using data on high-risk occupations for 2258 case patients and 2410 control patients from two bladder cancer studies, we observed that three of 16 known or candidate bladder cancer susceptibility variants displayed statistically significant and consistent evidence of additive interactions; specifically, the GSTM1 deletion polymorphism (P interaction ≤ .001), rs11892031 (UGT1A, P interaction = .01), and rs798766 (TMEM129-TACC3-FGFR3, P interaction = .03). There was limited evidence for multiplicative interactions. When we examined detailed data on a prevalent occupational exposure associated with increased bladder cancer risk, straight metalworking fluids, we also observed statistically significant additive interaction for rs798766 (TMEM129-TACC3-FGFR3, P interaction = .02), with the interaction more apparent in patients with tumors positive for FGFR3 expression. All statistical tests were two-sided. The interaction we observed for rs798766 (TMEM129-TACC3-FGFR3) with specific exposure to straight metalworking fluids illustrates the value of integrating germline genetic variation, environmental exposures, and tumor marker data to provide insight into the mechanisms of bladder carcinogenesis. Published by Oxford University Press 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Sociodemographic and Substance Use Disorder Determinants of HIV Sexual Risk Behavior in Men and Women in Outpatient Drug Treatment in the NIDA National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network.

PubMed

Kidd, Jeremy D; Tross, Susan; Pavlicova, Martina; Hu, Mei-Chen; Campbell, Aimee N C; Nunes, Edward V

2017-06-07

Sexual risk behavior is now the primary vector of HIV transmission among substance users in the United States with gender as a crucial moderator of risk behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in factors (age, race/ethnicity, education) that predict main-partner unprotected sexual occasions (USO) using the unique platform of two parallel NIDA National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network gender-specific safer sex intervention trials. Baseline assessments of male (N = 430) and female (N = 377) participants included demographic characteristics; past 3-month sexual activity; and a diagnostic assessment for alcohol, cocaine/stimulant, and opioid use disorders. Using mixed effects generalized linear modeling of the main outcome USO, two-way interactions of gender with age, race/ethnicity, and education were evaluated and adjusted by alcohol, cocaine/stimulant, or opioid use disorder. When adjusted for alcohol use disorder, the interaction of education and gender was significant. For men, a high school or greater education was significantly associated with more USO compared to men with less than high school. For women, greater than high school education was significantly associated with less USO compared to women with a high school education. None of the other interactions were significant when adjusted for cocaine/stimulant or opioid use disorder. Conclusions/Importance: This study demonstrates gender differences in the relationship of education, alcohol use disorder, and main-partner USO in individuals in substance abuse treatment. This underscores the importance of considering demographic and substance use factors in HIV sexual risk behavior and in crafting prevention messages for this population.

Influence of surface chemistry of carbon materials on their interactions with inorganic nitrogen contaminants in soil and water.

PubMed

Sumaraj; Padhye, Lokesh P

2017-10-01

Inorganic nitrogen contaminants (INC) (NH 4 + , NO 3 - , NO 2 - , NH 3 , NO, NO 2 , and N 2 O) pose a growing risk to the environment, and their remediation methods are highly sought after. Application of carbon materials (CM), such as biochar and activated carbon, to remediate INC from agricultural fields and wastewater treatment plants has gained a significant interest since past few years. Understanding the role of surface chemistry of CM in adsorption of various INC is highly critical to increase adsorption efficiency as well as to assess the long term impact of using these highly recalcitrant CM for remediation of INC. Critical reviews of adsorption studies related to INC have revealed that carbon surface chemistry (surface functional groups, pH, Eh, elemental composition, and mineral content) has significant influence on adsorption of INC. Compared to basic functional groups, oxygen containing surface functional groups have been found to be more influential for adsorption of INC. However, basic sites on carbon materials still play an important role in chemisorption of anionic INC. Apart from surface functional groups, pH, Eh and pH zpc of CM and elemental and mineral composition of its surface are important properties capable of altering INC interactions with CM. This review summarizes our current understanding of INC interactions with CM's surface through the known chemisorption mechanisms: electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, electron donor-acceptor mechanism, hydrophobic and hydrophilic interaction, chemisorption aided by minerals, and interactions influenced by pH and elemental composition. Change in surface chemistry of CM in soil during aging is also discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Near-field electromagnetic holography for high-resolution analysis of network interactions in neuronal tissue

PubMed Central

Kjeldsen, Henrik D.; Kaiser, Marcus; Whittington, Miles A.

2015-01-01

Background Brain function is dependent upon the concerted, dynamical interactions between a great many neurons distributed over many cortical subregions. Current methods of quantifying such interactions are limited by consideration only of single direct or indirect measures of a subsample of all neuronal population activity. New method Here we present a new derivation of the electromagnetic analogy to near-field acoustic holography allowing high-resolution, vectored estimates of interactions between sources of electromagnetic activity that significantly improves this situation. In vitro voltage potential recordings were used to estimate pseudo-electromagnetic energy flow vector fields, current and energy source densities and energy dissipation in reconstruction planes at depth into the neural tissue parallel to the recording plane of the microelectrode array. Results The properties of the reconstructed near-field estimate allowed both the utilization of super-resolution techniques to increase the imaging resolution beyond that of the microelectrode array, and facilitated a novel approach to estimating causal relationships between activity in neocortical subregions. Comparison with existing methods The holographic nature of the reconstruction method allowed significantly better estimation of the fine spatiotemporal detail of neuronal population activity, compared with interpolation alone, beyond the spatial resolution of the electrode arrays used. Pseudo-energy flow vector mapping was possible with high temporal precision, allowing a near-realtime estimate of causal interaction dynamics. Conclusions Basic near-field electromagnetic holography provides a powerful means to increase spatial resolution from electrode array data with careful choice of spatial filters and distance to reconstruction plane. More detailed approaches may provide the ability to volumetrically reconstruct activity patterns on neuronal tissue, but the ability to extract vectored data with the method presented already permits the study of dynamic causal interactions without bias from any prior assumptions on anatomical connectivity. PMID:26026581

Near-field electromagnetic holography for high-resolution analysis of network interactions in neuronal tissue.

PubMed

Kjeldsen, Henrik D; Kaiser, Marcus; Whittington, Miles A

2015-09-30

Brain function is dependent upon the concerted, dynamical interactions between a great many neurons distributed over many cortical subregions. Current methods of quantifying such interactions are limited by consideration only of single direct or indirect measures of a subsample of all neuronal population activity. Here we present a new derivation of the electromagnetic analogy to near-field acoustic holography allowing high-resolution, vectored estimates of interactions between sources of electromagnetic activity that significantly improves this situation. In vitro voltage potential recordings were used to estimate pseudo-electromagnetic energy flow vector fields, current and energy source densities and energy dissipation in reconstruction planes at depth into the neural tissue parallel to the recording plane of the microelectrode array. The properties of the reconstructed near-field estimate allowed both the utilization of super-resolution techniques to increase the imaging resolution beyond that of the microelectrode array, and facilitated a novel approach to estimating causal relationships between activity in neocortical subregions. The holographic nature of the reconstruction method allowed significantly better estimation of the fine spatiotemporal detail of neuronal population activity, compared with interpolation alone, beyond the spatial resolution of the electrode arrays used. Pseudo-energy flow vector mapping was possible with high temporal precision, allowing a near-realtime estimate of causal interaction dynamics. Basic near-field electromagnetic holography provides a powerful means to increase spatial resolution from electrode array data with careful choice of spatial filters and distance to reconstruction plane. More detailed approaches may provide the ability to volumetrically reconstruct activity patterns on neuronal tissue, but the ability to extract vectored data with the method presented already permits the study of dynamic causal interactions without bias from any prior assumptions on anatomical connectivity. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alcohol produces distinct hepatic lipidome and eicosanoid signature in lean and obese[S

PubMed Central

Puri, Puneet; Xu, Jun; Vihervaara, Terhi; Katainen, Riikka; Ekroos, Kim; Daita, Kalyani; Min, Hae-Ki; Joyce, Andrew; Mirshahi, Faridoddin; Tsukamoto, Hidekazu; Sanyal, Arun J.

2016-01-01

Alcohol- and obesity-related liver diseases often coexist. The hepatic lipidomics due to alcohol and obesity interaction is unknown. We characterized the hepatic lipidome due to 1) alcohol consumption in lean and obese mice and 2) obesity and alcohol interactions. In the French-Tsukamoto mouse model, intragastric alcohol or isocaloric dextrose were fed with either chow (lean) or high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (obese). Four groups (lean, lean alcohol, obese, and obese alcohol) were studied. MS was performed for hepatic lipidomics, and data were analyzed. Alcohol significantly increased hepatic cholesteryl esters and diacyl­glycerol in lean and obese but was more pronounced in obese. Alcohol produced contrasting changes in hepatic phospholipids with significant enrichment in lean mice versus significant decrease in obese mice, except phosphatidylglycerol, which was increased in both lean and obese alcohol groups. Most lysophospholipids were increased in lean alcohol and obese mice without alcohol use only. Prostaglandin E2; 5-, 8-, and 11-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids; and 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids were considerably increased in obese mice with alcohol use. Alcohol consumption produced distinct changes in lean and obese with profound effects of obesity and alcohol interaction on proinflammatory and oxidative stress-related eicosanoids. PMID:27020313

Research in interactive scene analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tenenbaum, J. M.; Barrow, H. G.; Weyl, S. A.

1976-01-01

Cooperative (man-machine) scene analysis techniques were developed whereby humans can provide a computer with guidance when completely automated processing is infeasible. An interactive approach promises significant near-term payoffs in analyzing various types of high volume satellite imagery, as well as vehicle-based imagery used in robot planetary exploration. This report summarizes the work accomplished over the duration of the project and describes in detail three major accomplishments: (1) the interactive design of texture classifiers; (2) a new approach for integrating the segmentation and interpretation phases of scene analysis; and (3) the application of interactive scene analysis techniques to cartography.

Interactive Dynamic Volume Illumination with Refraction and Caustics.

PubMed

Magnus, Jens G; Bruckner, Stefan

2018-01-01

In recent years, significant progress has been made in developing high-quality interactive methods for realistic volume illumination. However, refraction - despite being an important aspect of light propagation in participating media - has so far only received little attention. In this paper, we present a novel approach for refractive volume illumination including caustics capable of interactive frame rates. By interleaving light and viewing ray propagation, our technique avoids memory-intensive storage of illumination information and does not require any precomputation. It is fully dynamic and all parameters such as light position and transfer function can be modified interactively without a performance penalty.

Microdesigning of Lightweight/High Strength Ceramic Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-31

Continue on reverse if necessary and identiy by block number) FIELD GROUP SUB- GROUP Ceramics, Composite Materials, Colloidal Processing Iii 19. ABSTRACT...to identify key processing parameters that affect the microstructure of the composite material. The second section describes experimental results in...results of the significant theoretical effort made in our group . Theoretical models of particle-particle interaction, particle-polymer interaction

"I Was Born Full Deaf." Written Language Outcomes after 1 Year of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolbers, Kimberly A.; Dostal, Hannah M.; Bowers, Lisa M.

2012-01-01

Nonstandard grammatical forms are often present in the writing of deaf students that are rarely, if ever, seen in the writing of hearing students. With the implementation of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) in previous studies, students have demonstrated significant gains in high-level writing skills (e.g., text structure) but…

Regulation of energy metabolism during social interactions in rainbow trout: a role for AMP-activated protein kinase.

PubMed

Gilmour, K M; Craig, P M; Dhillon, R S; Lau, G Y; Richards, J G

2017-11-01

Rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) confined in pairs form social hierarchies in which subordinate fish typically experience fasting and high circulating cortisol levels, resulting in low growth rates. The present study investigated the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in mediating metabolic adjustments associated with social status in rainbow trout. After 3 days of social interaction, liver AMPK activity was significantly higher in subordinate than dominant or sham (fish handled in the same fashion as paired fish but held individually) trout. Elevated liver AMPK activity in subordinate fish likely reflected a significantly higher ratio of phosphorylated AMPK (phospho-AMPK) to total AMPK protein, which was accompanied by significantly higher AMPKα 1 relative mRNA abundance. Liver ATP and creatine phosphate concentrations in subordinate fish also were elevated, perhaps as a result of AMPK activity. Sham fish that were fasted for 3 days exhibited effects parallel to those of subordinate fish, suggesting that low food intake was an important trigger of elevated AMPK activity in subordinate fish. Effects on white muscle appeared to be influenced by the physical activity associated with social interaction. Overall, muscle AMPK activity was significantly higher in dominant and subordinate than sham fish. The ratio of phospho-AMPK to total AMPK protein in muscle was highest in subordinate fish, while muscle AMPKα 1 relative mRNA abundance was elevated by social dominance. Muscle ATP and creatine phosphate concentrations were high in dominant and subordinate fish at 6 h of interaction and decreased significantly thereafter. Collectively, the findings of the present study support a role for AMPK in mediating liver and white muscle metabolic adjustments associated with social hierarchy formation in rainbow trout. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Effect of high fluoride and high fat on serum lipid levels and oxidative stress in rabbits.

PubMed

Sun, Liyan; Gao, Yanhui; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Hui; Sun, Dianjun

2014-11-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of high fluoride and high fat on triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), lipid peroxide (LPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabbits. A factorial experimental design was used, with two factors (fluoride and fat) and three levels. Seventy-two male rabbits were randomly assigned into nine groups according to initial weight and serum lipid levels. The rabbits were fed with basic feed, moderate fat feed or high fat feed and drank tap water, fluoridated water at levels of 50 and 100mgfluorion/L freely. Biological materials were collected after 5 months, and serum lipid, T-AOC, LPO, and MDA levels were then measured. Using these data, the separate and interactive effects of high fluoride and high fat were analyzed. High fluoride and high fat both increased serum levels of TC, HDL-C and LDL-C significantly (P<0.05), and there was also a synergistic effect between high fluoride and high fat (P<0.05). High fluoride and high fat had different effects on TG levels: high fat significantly increased TG levels (P<0.01) whereas high fluoride had nothing to do with TG levels (P>0.05). High fat significantly elevated LPO and MDA levels and lowered T-AOC levels in serum (P<0.05). Similarly, high fluoride significantly increased LPO and MDA levels in serum (P<0.05). However, there was no interactive effect between high fat and high fluoride on these indexes. In summary, high fluoride and high fat increased serum TC and LDL-C levels individually and synergistically, and this would cause and aggravate hypercholesterolemia in rabbits. At the same time, high fluoride and high fat both made the accumulation of product of oxidative stress in experimental animals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biological Sensitivity to Context: The Interactive Effects of Stress Reactivity and Family Adversity on Socio-Emotional Behavior and School Readiness

PubMed Central

Obradović, Jelena; Bush, Nicole R.; Stamperdahl, Juliet; Adler, Nancy E.; Boyce, W. Thomas

2009-01-01

This study examined the direct and interactive effects of stress reactivity and family adversity on socio-emotional and cognitive development in 338 five-to-six-year-old children. Neurobiological stress reactivity was measured as respiratory sinus arrhythmia and salivary cortisol responses to social, cognitive, sensory, and emotional challenges. Adaptation was assessed using child, parent, and teacher reports of externalizing symptoms, prosocial behaviors, school engagement, and academic competence. Results revealed significant interactions between reactivity and adversity. High stress reactivity was associated with more maladaptive outcomes in the context of high adversity but with better adaption in the context of low adversity. The findings corroborate a reconceptualization of stress reactivity as biological sensitivity to context by showing that high reactivity can both hinder and promote adaptive functioning. PMID:20331667

Pediatric trainees' engagement in the online nutrition curriculum: preliminary results.

PubMed

Lewis, Kadriye O; Frank, Graeme R; Nagel, Rollin; Turner, Teri L; Ferrell, Cynthia L; Sangvai, Shilpa G; Donthi, Rajesh; Mahan, John D

2014-09-16

The Pediatric Nutrition Series (PNS) consists of ten online, interactive modules and supplementary educational materials that have utilized web-based multimedia technologies to offer nutrition education for pediatric trainees and practicing physicians. The purpose of the study was to evaluate pediatric trainees' engagement, knowledge acquisition, and satisfaction with nutrition modules delivered online in interactive and non-interactive formats. From December 2010 through August 2011, pediatric trainees from seventy-three (73) different U.S. programs completed online nutrition modules designed to develop residents' knowledge of counseling around and management of nutritional issues in children. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in comparing interactive versus non-interactive modules. Pretest/posttest and module evaluations measured knowledge acquisition and satisfaction. Three hundred and twenty-two (322) pediatric trainees completed one or more of six modules for a total of four hundred and forty-two (442) accessions. All trainees who completed at least one module were included in the study. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures (pre/posttest by interactive/non-interactive format) indicated significant knowledge gains from pretest to posttest (p < 0.002 for all six modules). Comparisons between interactive and non-interactive formats for Module 1 (N = 85 interactive, N = 95 non-interactive) and Module 5 (N = 5 interactive, N = 16 non-interactive) indicated a parallel improvement from the pretest to posttest, with the interactive format significantly higher than the non-interactive modules (p < .05). Both qualitative and quantitative data from module evaluations demonstrated that satisfaction with modules was high. However, there were lower ratings for whether learning objectives were met with Module 6 (p < 0.03) and lecturer rating (p < 0.004) compared to Module 1. Qualitative data also showed that completion of the interactive modules resulted in higher resident satisfaction. This initial assessment of the PNS modules shows that technology-mediated delivery of a nutrition curriculum in residency programs has great potential for providing rich learning environments for trainees while maintaining a high level of participant satisfaction.

Internet addiction based on personality characteristics of high school students in kerman, iran.

PubMed

Zamani, Bibi Eshrat; Abedini, Yasamin; Kheradmand, Ali

2011-01-01

The new phenomenon of Internet addiction among teenagers and young adults is one of the modern addictions in industrial and post-industrial societies. The purpose of this research was to predict the Internet addiction based on the personality characteristics of high school students in Kerman. This research was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population included 538 male and female students in the second grade of high school in Kerman during 2010. The subjects were randomly selected by multistage clustering. Data was collected by two questionnaires including the five-factor Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the Internet dependency questionnaire. The data was analyzed using ANOVA test and multivariable regression analysis. The findings showed a significant relationship between the personality trait of emotional stability and academic fields, i.e. students with higher emotional stability experience less negative emotions when confronting with problems. Therefore, it is less likely for them to alleviate the negative emotions by the extreme and obsessed usage of the Internet. In addition, it appears that the students with high extroversion scores prefer social, face to face interactions with other people to interaction with the virtual world. Conversely, more introvert students avoid interactions with other people due to their shyness. Thus, they communicate with the virtual world more. Three personality traits of loyalty, emotional stability, and extroversion are the most significant predictors of Internet addiction in high school students.

Preliminary disposal limits, plume interaction factors, and final disposal limits

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

Flach, G.

In the 2008 E-Area Performance Assessment (PA), each final disposal limit was constructed as the product of a preliminary disposal limit and a plume interaction factor. The following mathematical development demonstrates that performance objectives are generally expected to be satisfied with high confidence under practical PA scenarios using this method. However, radionuclides that experience significant decay between a disposal unit and the 100-meter boundary, such as H-3 and Sr-90, can challenge performance objectives, depending on the disposed-of waste composition, facility geometry, and the significance of the plume interaction factor. Pros and cons of analyzing single disposal units or multiple disposalmore » units as a group in the preliminary disposal limits analysis are also identified.« less

Genetic Variations of Circulating Adiponectin Levels Modulate Changes in Appetite in Response to Weight-Loss Diets.

PubMed

Ma, Wenjie; Huang, Tao; Heianza, Yoriko; Wang, Tiange; Sun, Dianjianyi; Tong, Jenny; Williamson, Donald A; Bray, George A; Sacks, Frank M; Qi, Lu

2017-01-01

Adiponectin plays key roles in regulating appetite and food intake. To investigate interactions between the genetic risk score (GRS) for adiponectin levels and weight-loss diets varying in macronutrient intake on long-term changes in appetite and adiponectin levels. A GRS was calculated based on 5 adiponectin-associated variants in 692 overweight adults from the 2-year Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies trial. Repeated measurements of plasma adiponectin levels and appetite-related traits, including cravings, fullness, prospective consumption, and hunger. Dietary fat showed nominally significant interactions with the adiponectin GRS on changes in appetite score and prospective consumption from baseline to 6 months (P for interaction = 0.014 and 0.017, respectively) after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, baseline body mass index, and baseline respective outcome values. The GRS for lower adiponectin levels was associated with a greater decrease in appetite (P < 0.001) and prospective consumption (P = 0.008) among participants consuming a high-fat diet, whereas no significant associations were observed in the low-fat group. Additionally, a significant interaction was observed between the GRS and dietary fat on 6-month changes in adiponectin levels (P for interaction = 0.021). The lower GRS was associated with a greater increase in adiponectin in the low-fat group (P = 0.02), but it was not associated with adiponectin changes in the high-fat group (P = 0.31). Our findings suggest that individuals with varying genetic architecture of circulating adiponectin may respond divergently in appetite and adiponectin levels to weight-loss diets varying in fat intake. Copyright © 2017 by the Endocrine Society

The direct detection of boosted dark matter at high energies and PeV events at IceCube

DOE PAGES

Bhattacharya, A.; Gandhi, R.; Gupta, A.

2015-03-13

We study the possibility of detecting dark matter directly via a small but energetic component that is allowed within present-day constraints. Drawing closely upon the fact that neutral current neutrino nucleon interactions are indistinguishable from DM-nucleon interactions at low energies, we extend this feature to high energies for a small, non-thermal but highly energetic population of DM particle χ, created via the decay of a significantly more massive and long-lived non-thermal relic Φ, which forms the bulk of DM. If χ interacts with nucleons, its cross-section, like the neutrino-nucleus coherent cross-section, can rise sharply with energy leading to deep inelasticmore » scattering, similar to neutral current neutrino-nucleon interactions at high energies. Thus, its direct detection may be possible via cascades in very large neutrino detectors. As a specific example, we apply this notion to the recently reported three ultra-high energy PeV cascade events clustered around 1 – 2 PeV at IceCube (IC). We discuss the features which may help discriminate this scenario from one in which only astrophysical neutrinos constitute the event sample in detectors like IC.« less

Factors associated with high-quality/low-cost hospital performance.

PubMed

Jiang, H Joanna; Friedman, Bernard; Begun, James W

2006-01-01

This study explores organizational and market characteristics associated with superior hospital performance in both quality and cost of care, using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases for ten states in 1997 and 2001. After controlling for a variety of patient factors, we found that for-profit ownership, hospital competition, and the number of HMOs were positively associated with the likelihood of attaining high-quality/low-cost performance. Furthermore, we examined interactions between organizational and market characteristics and identified a number of significant interactions. For example, the positive likelihood associated with for-profit hospitals diminished in markets with high HMO penetration.

Interactive Tools for Measuring Visual Scanning Performance and Reaction Time

PubMed Central

Seeanner, Julia; Hennessy, Sarah; Manganelli, Joseph; Crisler, Matthew; Rosopa, Patrick; Jenkins, Casey; Anderson, Michael; Drouin, Nathalie; Belle, Leah; Truesdail, Constance; Tanner, Stephanie

2017-01-01

Occupational therapists are constantly searching for engaging, high-technology interactive tasks that provide immediate feedback to evaluate and train clients with visual scanning deficits. This study examined the relationship between two tools: the VISION COACH™ interactive light board and the Functional Object Detection© (FOD) Advanced driving simulator scenario. Fifty-four healthy drivers, ages 21–66 yr, were divided into three age groups. Participants performed braking response and visual target (E) detection tasks of the FOD Advanced driving scenario, followed by two sets of three trials using the VISION COACH Full Field 60 task. Results showed no significant effect of age on FOD Advanced performance but a significant effect of age on VISION COACH performance. Correlations showed that participants’ performance on both braking and E detection tasks were significantly positively correlated with performance on the VISION COACH (.37 < r < .40, p < .01). These tools provide new options for therapists. PMID:28218598

Mental health indicator interaction in predicting substance abuse treatment outcomes in nevada.

PubMed

Greenfield, Lawrence; Wolf-Branigin, Michael

2009-01-01

Indicators of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems routinely collected at treatment admission in 19 State substance abuse treatment systems include a dual diagnosis and a State mental health (cognitive impairment) agency referral. These indicators have yet to be compared as predictors of treatment outcomes. 1. Compare both indices as outcomes predictors individually and interactively. 2. Assess relationship of both indices to other client risk factors, e.g., physical/sexual abuse. Client admission and discharge records from the Nevada substance abuse treatment program, spanning 1995-2001 were reviewed (n = 17,591). Logistic regression analyses predicted treatment completion with significant improvement (33%) and treatment readmission following discharge (21%). Using Cox regression, the number of days from discharge to treatment readmission was predicted. Examined as predictors were two mental health indicators and their interaction with other admission and treatment variables controlled. Neither mental health indicator alone significantly predicted any of the three outcomes; however, the interaction between the two indicators significantly predicted each outcome (p < .05). Having both indices was highly associated with physical/sexual abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, out of labor force and prior treatment. Indicator interactions may help improve substance abuse treatment outcomes prediction.

Communication during sex among female bonobos: effects of dominance, solicitation and audience

PubMed Central

Clay, Zanna; Zuberbühler, Klaus

2012-01-01

Bonobo females frequently form close bonds, which give them social power over other group members. One potential mechanism to facilitate female bonding is the performance of sexual interactions. Using naturalistic observations and experiments, we found various patterns that determined female-female sexual interactions. First, while low-ranked females interacted with all females, sexual interactions between high-ranked females were rare. Second, during genital contacts, females sometimes produced ‘copulation calls’, which were significantly affected by the rank of the caller and partner, as well as the solicitation direction. Third, there was a significant effect of the alpha female as a bystander, while variables relating to physical experience had no effects. Overall, results highlight the importance of sexual interactions for bonobo female social relations. Copulation calls are an important tool during this process, suggesting that they have become ritualised, beyond their reproductive function, to serve as broader social signals in flexible and potentially strategic ways. PMID:22389761

Utilizing the Wikidata system to improve the quality of medical content in Wikipedia in diverse languages: a pilot study.

PubMed

Pfundner, Alexander; Schönberg, Tobias; Horn, John; Boyce, Richard D; Samwald, Matthias

2015-05-05

Wikipedia is an important source of medical information for both patients and medical professionals. Given its wide reach, improving the quality, completeness, and accessibility of medical information on Wikipedia could have a positive impact on global health. We created a prototypical implementation of an automated system for keeping drug-drug interaction (DDI) information in Wikipedia up to date with current evidence about clinically significant drug interactions. Our work is based on Wikidata, a novel, graph-based database backend of Wikipedia currently in development. We set up an automated process for integrating data from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) high priority DDI list into Wikidata. We set up exemplary implementations demonstrating how the DDI data we introduced into Wikidata could be displayed in Wikipedia articles in diverse languages. Finally, we conducted a pilot analysis to explore if adding the ONC high priority data would substantially enhance the information currently available on Wikipedia. We derived 1150 unique interactions from the ONC high priority list. Integration of the potential DDI data from Wikidata into Wikipedia articles proved to be straightforward and yielded useful results. We found that even though the majority of current English Wikipedia articles about pharmaceuticals contained sections detailing contraindications, only a small fraction of articles explicitly mentioned interaction partners from the ONC high priority list. For 91.30% (1050/1150) of the interaction pairs we tested, none of the 2 articles corresponding to the interacting substances explicitly mentioned the interaction partner. For 7.21% (83/1150) of the pairs, only 1 of the 2 associated Wikipedia articles mentioned the interaction partner; for only 1.48% (17/1150) of the pairs, both articles contained explicit mentions of the interaction partner. Our prototype demonstrated that automated updating of medical content in Wikipedia through Wikidata is a viable option, albeit further refinements and community-wide consensus building are required before integration into public Wikipedia is possible. A long-term endeavor to improve the medical information in Wikipedia through structured data representation and automated workflows might lead to a significant improvement of the quality of medical information in one of the world's most popular Web resources.

Utilizing the Wikidata System to Improve the Quality of Medical Content in Wikipedia in Diverse Languages: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Pfundner, Alexander; Schönberg, Tobias; Horn, John; Boyce, Richard D

2015-01-01

Background Wikipedia is an important source of medical information for both patients and medical professionals. Given its wide reach, improving the quality, completeness, and accessibility of medical information on Wikipedia could have a positive impact on global health. Objective We created a prototypical implementation of an automated system for keeping drug-drug interaction (DDI) information in Wikipedia up to date with current evidence about clinically significant drug interactions. Our work is based on Wikidata, a novel, graph-based database backend of Wikipedia currently in development. Methods We set up an automated process for integrating data from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) high priority DDI list into Wikidata. We set up exemplary implementations demonstrating how the DDI data we introduced into Wikidata could be displayed in Wikipedia articles in diverse languages. Finally, we conducted a pilot analysis to explore if adding the ONC high priority data would substantially enhance the information currently available on Wikipedia. Results We derived 1150 unique interactions from the ONC high priority list. Integration of the potential DDI data from Wikidata into Wikipedia articles proved to be straightforward and yielded useful results. We found that even though the majority of current English Wikipedia articles about pharmaceuticals contained sections detailing contraindications, only a small fraction of articles explicitly mentioned interaction partners from the ONC high priority list. For 91.30% (1050/1150) of the interaction pairs we tested, none of the 2 articles corresponding to the interacting substances explicitly mentioned the interaction partner. For 7.21% (83/1150) of the pairs, only 1 of the 2 associated Wikipedia articles mentioned the interaction partner; for only 1.48% (17/1150) of the pairs, both articles contained explicit mentions of the interaction partner. Conclusions Our prototype demonstrated that automated updating of medical content in Wikipedia through Wikidata is a viable option, albeit further refinements and community-wide consensus building are required before integration into public Wikipedia is possible. A long-term endeavor to improve the medical information in Wikipedia through structured data representation and automated workflows might lead to a significant improvement of the quality of medical information in one of the world’s most popular Web resources. PMID:25944105

Maternal prenatal smoking, parental antisocial behavior, and early childhood physical aggression.

PubMed

Huijbregts, Stephan C J; Séguin, Jean R; Zoccolillo, Mark; Boivin, Michel; Tremblay, Richard E

2008-01-01

This study investigated joint effects of maternal prenatal smoking and parental history of antisocial behavior on physical aggression between ages 17 and 42 months in a population sample of children born in Québec (N = 1,745). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant main effects of maternal prenatal smoking and a significant interaction between maternal prenatal smoking and mother's history of antisocial behavior in the prediction of children's probability to display high and rising physical aggression. The interaction indicated that the effects of heavy smoking during pregnancy (> or =10 cigarettes/day) were greater when the mother also had a serious history of antisocial behavior. The effects remained significant after the introduction of control variables (e.g., hostile-reactive parenting, family functioning, parental separation/divorce, family income, and maternal education). Another significant interaction not accounted for by control variables was observed for maternal prenatal smoking and family income, indicating more serious effects of maternal prenatal smoking under relatively low-income, conditions. Both interactions indicate critical adversities that, in combination with maternal prenatal smoking, have supra-additive effects on (the development of) physical aggression during early childhood. These findings may have implications for the selection of intervention targets and strategies.

Biomolecular interactions modulate macromolecular structure and dynamics in atomistic model of a bacterial cytoplasm.

PubMed

Yu, Isseki; Mori, Takaharu; Ando, Tadashi; Harada, Ryuhei; Jung, Jaewoon; Sugita, Yuji; Feig, Michael

2016-11-01

Biological macromolecules function in highly crowded cellular environments. The structure and dynamics of proteins and nucleic acids are well characterized in vitro, but in vivo crowding effects remain unclear. Using molecular dynamics simulations of a comprehensive atomistic model cytoplasm we found that protein-protein interactions may destabilize native protein structures, whereas metabolite interactions may induce more compact states due to electrostatic screening. Protein-protein interactions also resulted in significant variations in reduced macromolecular diffusion under crowded conditions, while metabolites exhibited significant two-dimensional surface diffusion and altered protein-ligand binding that may reduce the effective concentration of metabolites and ligands in vivo. Metabolic enzymes showed weak non-specific association in cellular environments attributed to solvation and entropic effects. These effects are expected to have broad implications for the in vivo functioning of biomolecules. This work is a first step towards physically realistic in silico whole-cell models that connect molecular with cellular biology.

The role of charged surface residues in the binding ability of small hubs in protein-protein interaction networks

PubMed Central

Patil, Ashwini; Nakamura, Haruki

2007-01-01

Hubs are highly connected proteins in a protein-protein interaction network. Previous work has implicated disordered domains and high surface charge as the properties significant in the ability of hubs to bind multiple proteins. While conformational flexibility of disordered domains plays an important role in the binding ability of large hubs, high surface charge is the dominant property in small hubs. In this study, we further investigate the role of the high surface charge in the binding ability of small hubs in the absence of disordered domains. Using multipole expansion, we find that the charges are highly distributed over the hub surfaces. Residue enrichment studies show that the charged residues in hubs are more prevalent on the exposed surface, with the exception of Arg, which is predominantly found at the interface, as compared to non-hubs. This suggests that the charged residues act primarily from the exposed surface rather than the interface to affect the binding ability of small hubs. They do this through (i) enhanced intra-molecular electrostatic interactions to lower the desolvation penalty, (ii) indirect long – range intermolecular interactions with charged residues on the partner proteins for better complementarity and electrostatic steering, and (iii) increased solubility for enhanced diffusion-controlled rate of binding. Along with Arg, we also find a high prevalence of polar residues Tyr, Gln and His and the hydrophobic residue Met at the interfaces of hubs, all of which have the ability to form multiple types of interactions, indicating that the interfaces of hubs are optimized to participate in multiple interactions. PMID:27857564

The role of charged surface residues in the binding ability of small hubs in protein-protein interaction networks.

PubMed

Patil, Ashwini; Nakamura, Haruki

2007-01-01

Hubs are highly connected proteins in a protein-protein interaction network. Previous work has implicated disordered domains and high surface charge as the properties significant in the ability of hubs to bind multiple proteins. While conformational flexibility of disordered domains plays an important role in the binding ability of large hubs, high surface charge is the dominant property in small hubs. In this study, we further investigate the role of the high surface charge in the binding ability of small hubs in the absence of disordered domains. Using multipole expansion, we find that the charges are highly distributed over the hub surfaces. Residue enrichment studies show that the charged residues in hubs are more prevalent on the exposed surface, with the exception of Arg, which is predominantly found at the interface, as compared to non-hubs. This suggests that the charged residues act primarily from the exposed surface rather than the interface to affect the binding ability of small hubs. They do this through (i) enhanced intra-molecular electrostatic interactions to lower the desolvation penalty, (ii) indirect long - range intermolecular interactions with charged residues on the partner proteins for better complementarity and electrostatic steering, and (iii) increased solubility for enhanced diffusion-controlled rate of binding. Along with Arg, we also find a high prevalence of polar residues Tyr, Gln and His and the hydrophobic residue Met at the interfaces of hubs, all of which have the ability to form multiple types of interactions, indicating that the interfaces of hubs are optimized to participate in multiple interactions.

Interaction effect of work excitement and work frustration on the professional commitment of nurses in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Yuan-Ping; Wang, Hsiu-Hung; Huang, Shan; Wang, Huang-I

2014-03-01

The current shortage of professional nurses in Taiwan both undermines hospital quality of care and raises hospitals' human resource management costs. Few studies have concurrently investigated the interaction effect between professional commitment and, respectively, the positive and negative work attitudes of nurses. Results of this investigation may help improve strategies designed to raise nurse retention rates. This study used the interaction effects of work excitement and work frustration to assess their influence on the professional commitment of nurses. This study was conducted at one hospital in southern Taiwan and used a cross-sectional design with self-administrated questionnaires. Seven hundred thirty-five nurses completed and submitted valid questionnaires (valid response rate: 68.5%). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the reliability and validity of the three measurement models of work excitement, work frustration, and professional commitment. Correlation and hierarchical regression analysis verified the direct and interaction effects with the correlations among the three measured variables. Work frustration was higher than work excitement among participants (M = 2.72, SD = 0.71 vs. M = 2.26, SD = 0.62). The mean participant score for professional commitment was 2.72 (SD = 0.45) on a 4-point Likert scale. There was a significant and positive correlation between work excitement and professional commitment and a significant and negative correlation between work frustration and professional commitment. High work frustration had a negative effect on professional commitment, whereas high work excitement had a higher positive effect on professional commitment. The two-way interaction between work excitement and frustration was statistically significant in explaining the effects of professional commitment (p < .01). Nurses often work in conditions that are highly frustrating. Although work excitement has been shown as having a greater influence on professional commitment when nurses experienced the dual work affects simultaneously, work frustration significantly reduces the professional commitment effect of nurses. This study suggests that managers should not only construct a positive and exciting work environment but also work to mitigate the causes of work frustration to promote professional commitment and retention among nurses.

Disturbance and density-dependent processes (competition and facilitation) influence the fine-scale genetic structure of a tree species' population.

PubMed

Fajardo, Alex; Torres-Díaz, Cristian; Till-Bottraud, Irène

2016-01-01

Disturbances, dispersal and biotic interactions are three major drivers of the spatial distribution of genotypes within populations, the last of which has been less studied than the other two. This study aimed to determine the role of competition and facilitation in the degree of conspecific genetic relatedness of nearby individuals of tree populations. It was expected that competition among conspecifics will lead to low relatedness, while facilitation will lead to high relatedness (selection for high relatedness within clusters). The stand structure and spatial genetic structure (SGS) of trees were examined within old-growth and second-growth forests (including multi-stemmed trees at the edge of forests) of Nothofagus pumilio following large-scale fires in Patagonia, Chile. Genetic spatial autocorrelations were computed on a spatially explicit sampling of the forests using five microsatellite loci. As biotic plant interactions occur among immediate neighbours, mean nearest neighbour distance (MNND) among trees was computed as a threshold for distinguishing the effects of disturbances and biotic interactions. All forests exhibited a significant SGS for distances greater than the MNND. The old-growth forest genetic and stand structure indicated gap recolonization from nearby trees (significantly related trees at distances between 4 and 10 m). At distances smaller than the MNND, trees of the second-growth interior forest showed significantly lower relatedness, suggesting a fading of the recolonization structure by competition, whereas the second-growth edge forest showed a positive and highly significant relatedness among trees (higher among stems of a cluster than among stems of different clusters), resulting from facilitation. Biotic interactions are shown to influence the genetic composition of a tree population. However, facilitation can only persist if individuals are related. Thus, the genetic composition in turn influences what type of biotic interactions will take place among immediate neighbours in post-disturbance forests. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Moderating role of self-efficacy on the associations of social support with depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Liu, Li; Xu, Neili; Wang, Lie

2017-01-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is significantly associated with depression and anxiety. Social support and self-efficacy are the coping resources of psychological distress. However, little research is available on the interaction of social support and self-efficacy in RA patients. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and to examine whether or not self-efficacy moderates the associations of social support with depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese RA patients. A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in northeast of China from December 2014 to January 2016. A total of 297 RA patients completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and General Self-Efficacy Scale. The associations of social support, self-efficacy and social support × self-efficacy interaction with depressive and anxiety symptoms were examined by hierarchical regression analysis. If the interaction was statistically significant, simple slope analysis was conducted. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 58.2%, while 47.5% RA patients had anxiety symptoms. Social support and social support × self-efficacy interaction were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Social support, self-efficacy and their interaction were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. The association between social support and depressive symptoms was gradually reduced in the low (1 standard deviation [SD] below the mean, B =-0.614, β =-0.876, P <0.001), mean ( B =-0.395, β =-0.563, P <0.001) and high (1 SD above the mean, B =-0.176, β =-0.251, P =0.002) groups of self-efficacy. For anxiety symptoms, the association was also gradually reduced in the low ( B =-0.527, β =-0.774, P <0.001), mean ( B =-0.288, β =-423, P <0.001) and high ( B =-0.049, β =-0.071, P =0.447) groups of self-efficacy. There was a high prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese RA patients. Self-efficacy could attenuate the associations of social support with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Adequate social support and self-efficacy intervention should be provided to alleviate psychological distress.

Light and noise pollution interact to disrupt interspecific interactions.

PubMed

McMahon, Taegan A; Rohr, Jason R; Bernal, Ximena E

2017-05-01

Studies on the consequences of urbanization often examine the effects of light, noise, and heat pollution independently on isolated species providing a limited understanding of how these combined stressors affect species interactions. Here, we investigate how these factors interact to affect parasitic frog-biting midges (Corethrella spp.) and their túngara frog (Engystomops pustulosus) hosts. A survey of túngara frog calling sites revealed that frog abundance was not significantly correlated with urbanization, light, noise, or temperature. In contrast, frog-biting midges were sensitive to light pollution and noise pollution. Increased light intensity significantly reduced midge abundance at low noise levels. At high noise intensity, there were no midges regardless of light level. Two field experiments controlling light and noise levels to examine attraction of the midges to their host and their feeding behavior confirmed the causality of these field patterns. These findings demonstrate that both light and noise pollution disrupt this host-parasite interaction and highlight the importance of considering interactions among species and types of pollutants to accurately assess the impacts of urbanization on ecological communities. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

A High Intake of Saturated Fatty Acids Strengthens the Association between the Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene and BMI123

PubMed Central

Corella, Dolores; Arnett, Donna K.; Tucker, Katherine L.; Kabagambe, Edmond K.; Tsai, Michael; Parnell, Laurence D.; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Lee, Yu-Chi; Warodomwichit, Daruneewan; Hopkins, Paul N.; Ordovas, Jose M.

2011-01-01

Evidence that physical activity (PA) modulates the association between the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) and BMI is emerging; however, information about dietary factors modulating this association is scarce. We investigated whether fat and carbohydrate intake modified the association of FTO gene variation with BMI in two populations, including participants in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study (n = 1069) and in the Boston Puerto Rican Health (BPRHS) study (n = 1094). We assessed energy, nutrient intake, and PA using validated questionnaires. Genetic variability at the FTO locus was characterized by polymorphisms rs9939609 (in the GOLDN) and rs1121980 (in the GOLDN and BPRHS). We found significant interactions between PA and FTO on BMI in the GOLDN but not in the BPRHS. We found a significant interaction between SFA intake and FTO on BMI, which was stronger than that of total fat and was present in both populations (P-interaction = 0.007 in the GOLDN and P-interaction = 0.014 in BPRHS for categorical; and P-interaction = 0.028 in the GOLDN and P-interaction = 0.041 in BPRHS for continuous SFA). Thus, homozygous participants for the FTO-risk allele had a higher mean BMI than the other genotypes only when they had a high-SFA intake (above the population mean: 29.7 ± 0.7 vs. 28.1 ± 0.5 kg/m2; P = 0.037 in the GOLDN and 33.6. ± 0.8 vs. 31.2 ± 0.4 kg/m2; P = 0.006 in BPRHS). No associations with BMI were found at lower SFA intakes. We found no significant interactions with carbohydrate intake. In conclusion, SFA intake modulates the association between FTO and BMI in American populations. PMID:22049296

Clinicopathologic significance of minichromosome maintenance protein 2 and Tat-interacting protein 30 expression in benign and malignant lesions of the gallbladder.

PubMed

Liu, Dong-cai; Yang, Zhu-lin

2011-11-01

Gallbladder cancers are aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis and high mortality rate. To find specific biological markers for early diagnosis and prognosis and to develop possible alternative treatment strategies, we examined minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (MCM2) and Tat-interacting protein 30 (TIP30) expression in 108 gallbladder adenocarcinomas, 15 gallbladder polyps, 35 chronic cholecystitis tissues, and 46 peritumoral tissues using immunohistochemistry. Expression of MCM2 was significantly higher in adenocarcinomas than in peritumoral tissues (χ² = 8.41; P < .01), adenomatous polyps (χ² = 6.81; P < .01), and chronic cholecystitis (χ² = 21.00; P < .01). In contrast, Tat-interacting protein 30 expression was significantly less in adenocarcinomas than in peritumoral tissues (χ² = 13.26; P < .01), adenomatous polyps (χ² = 4.76; P < .05), and chronic cholecystitis (χ² = 18.93; P < .01). The benign lesions in gallbladder epithelium with positive MCM2 or negative Tat-interacting protein 30 expression showed moderate to severe atypical hyperplasia. Expression of MCM2 and absence of Tat-interacting protein 30 were significantly associated with poor differentiation, large tumor mass, lymph node metastasis, and invasion of adenocarcinoma. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that either elevated MCM2 (P = .006) or lowered Tat-interacting protein 30 (P = .006) expression was closely associated with shorter overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that expression of MCM2 (P = .007) or nonexpression of Tat-interacting protein 30 (P = .009) was an independent predictor of a poor prognosis in adenocarcinoma. Our results suggest that overexpression of MCM2 or loss of expression of Tat-interacting protein 30 is closely related to carcinogenesis, progression, biological behavior, and prognosis of gallbladder adenocarcinoma. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Immunochip Analyses of Epistasis in Rheumatoid Arthritis Confirm Multiple Interactions within MHC and Suggest Novel Non-MHC Epistatic Signals.

PubMed

Wei, Wen-Hua; Loh, Chia-Yin; Worthington, Jane; Eyre, Stephen

2016-05-01

Studying statistical gene-gene interactions (epistasis) has been limited by the difficulties in performance, both statistically and computationally, in large enough sample numbers to gain sufficient power. Three large Immunochip datasets from cohort samples recruited in the United Kingdom, United States, and Sweden with European ancestry were used to examine epistasis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A full pairwise search was conducted in the UK cohort using a high-throughput tool and the resultant significant epistatic signals were tested for replication in the United States and Swedish cohorts. A forward selection approach was applied to remove redundant signals, while conditioning on the preidentified additive effects. We detected abundant genome-wide significant (p < 1.0e-13) epistatic signals, all within the MHC region. These signals were reduced substantially, but a proportion remained significant (p < 1.0e-03) in conditional tests. We identified 11 independent epistatic interactions across the entire MHC, each explaining on average 0.12% of the phenotypic variance, nearly all replicated in both replication cohorts. We also identified non-MHC epistatic interactions between RA susceptible loci LOC100506023 and IRF5 with Immunochip-wide significance (p < 1.1e-08) and between 2 neighboring single-nucleotide polymorphism near PTPN22 that were in low linkage disequilibrium with independent interaction (p < 1.0e-05). Both non-MHC epistatic interactions were statistically replicated with a similar interaction pattern in the US cohort only. There are multiple but relatively weak interactions independent of the additive effects in RA and a larger sample number is required to confidently assign additional non-MHC epistasis.

Mother-Infant and Extra-Dyadic Interactions with a New Social Partner: Developmental Trajectories of Early Social Abilities during Play.

PubMed

Fadda, Roberta; Lucarelli, Loredana

2017-01-01

Mother-infant interactions during feeding and play are pivotal experiences in the development of infants' early social abilities (Stern, 1985, 1995; Biringen, 2000). Stern indicated distinctive characteristics of mother-infant interactions, respectively, during feeding and play, suggesting to evaluate both to better describe the complexity of such early affective and social experiences (Stern, 1996). Moreover, during the first years of life, infants acquire cognitive and social skills that allow them to interact with new social partners in extra-dyadic interactions. However, the relations between mother-child interactions and infants' social skills in extra-dyadic interactions are still unknown. We investigated longitudinally the relations between mother-child interactions during feeding and play and child's pre-verbal communicative abilities in extra-dyadic interactions during play. 20 dyads were evaluated at T 1 (infants aged between 9-22 months) and 6 months later, at T 2 . The interdyadic differences in mother-infant interactions during feeding and play were evaluated, respectively, with the "Feeding Scale" (Chatoor et al., 1997) and with the "Play Scale" (Chatoor, 2006) and the socio-communicative abilities of children with a new social partner during play were evaluated with the "Early Social Communication Scales" (Mundy et al., 2003). We distinguished the dyads into two categories: dyads with functional interactions (high dyadic reciprocity, low dyadic conflict) and dyads with dysfunctional interactions (lower dyadic reciprocity, higher dyadic conflict). At T 1 , infants belonging to dyads with dysfunctional interactions were significantly lower in "Initiating Joint Attention" and in "Responding to Joint Attention" in interaction with a new social partner compared to the infants belonging to dyads with functional interactions. At T 2 , infants belonging to dyads with dysfunctional interactions were significantly lower in "Initiating Social Interactions" with a new social partner compared to the infants belonging to dyads with functional interactions. There were significant correlations between the quality of mother-infant interactions during feeding and infants' social abilities in interaction with a stranger both at T 1 and at T 2 . This study showed a stable relation over time between mother-child interactions and child's social communicative skills in extra-dyadic interactions.

Interactive influences of neighborhood and individual socioeconomic status on alcohol consumption and problems.

PubMed

Mulia, Nina; Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J

2012-01-01

To assess cross-level interactions between neighborhood and individual socioeconomic status (SES) on alcohol consumption and problems, and investigate three possible explanations for such interactions, including the double jeopardy, status inconsistency and relative deprivation hypotheses. Data from the 2000 and 2005 US National Alcohol Surveys were linked to the 2000 US Census to define respondent census tracts as disadvantaged, middle-class and advantaged. Risk drinking (consumption exceeding national guidelines), monthly drunkenness and alcohol problems were examined among low-, middle- and high-SES past-year drinkers (n = 8728). Gender-stratified, multiple logistic regression models were employed, and for outcomes with a significant omnibus F-test, linear contrasts were used to interpret interactions. Cross-level SES interactions observed for men indicated that residence in advantaged neighborhoods was associated with markedly elevated odds of risk drinking and drunkenness for low-SES men. Linear contrasts further revealed a nearly 5-fold increased risk for alcohol problems among these men, relative to middle-SES and high-SES men also living in advantaged neighborhoods. Among women, neighborhood disadvantage was related to increased risk for alcohol problems, but there were no significant SES interactions. These findings did not support theories of double jeopardy and status inconsistency. Consistent with the relative deprivation hypothesis, findings highlight alcohol-related health risks among low-SES men living in affluent neighborhoods. Future research should assess whether this pattern extends to other health risk behaviors, investigate causal mechanisms and consider how gender may influence these.

Elite sport is not an additional source of distress for adolescents with high stress levels.

PubMed

Gerber, Markus; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Pühse, Uwe; Brand, Serge

2011-04-01

This study examined whether participation in elite sport interacts with stress in decreasing or increasing symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents, and further, whether the interplay between participation in high-performance sport and stress is related to the perceived quality of sleep. 434 adolescents (278 girls, 156 boys; age: M = 17.2 yr.) from 15 "Swiss Olympic Sport Classes" and 9 conventional classes answered a questionnaire and completed a 7-day sleep log. Analyses of covariance showed that heightened stress was related to more depressive symptoms and higher scores for trait-anxiety. Moreover, those classified as having poor sleep by a median split cutoff reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. No significant (multivariate) main effects were found for high-performance sport athletes. Similarly, no significant two- or three-way interaction effects were found. These results caution against exaggerated expectations concerning sport participation as a stress buffer. Nevertheless, participation in high-performance sport was not found to be an additional source of distress for adolescents who reported high stress levels despite prior research that has pointed toward such a relationship.

Developmental changes in perceptions of attractiveness: a role of experience?

PubMed

Cooper, Philip A; Geldart, Sybil S; Mondloch, Catherine J; Maurer, Daphne

2006-09-01

In three experiments, we traced the development of the adult pattern of judgments of attractiveness for faces that have been altered to have internal features in low, average, or high positions. Twelve-year-olds and adults demonstrated identical patterns of results: they rated faces with features in an average location as significantly more attractive than faces with either low or high features. Although both 4-year-olds and 9-year-olds rated faces with high features as least attractive, unlike adults and 12-year-olds, they rated faces with low and average features as equally attractive. Three-year-olds with high levels of peer interaction, but not those with low levels of peer interaction, chose faces with low features as significantly more attractive than those with high-placed features, possibly as a result of their increased experience with the proportions of the faces of peers. Overall, the pattern of results is consistent with the hypothesis that experience influences perceptions of attractiveness, with the proportions of the faces participants see in their everyday lives influencing their perceptions of attractiveness.

Logistic regression analysis of factors associated with avascular necrosis of the femoral head following femoral neck fractures in middle-aged and elderly patients.

PubMed

Ai, Zi-Sheng; Gao, You-Shui; Sun, Yuan; Liu, Yue; Zhang, Chang-Qing; Jiang, Cheng-Hua

2013-03-01

Risk factors for femoral neck fracture-induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head have not been elucidated clearly in middle-aged and elderly patients. Moreover, the high incidence of screw removal in China and its effect on the fate of the involved femoral head require statistical methods to reflect their intrinsic relationship. Ninety-nine patients older than 45 years with femoral neck fracture were treated by internal fixation between May 1999 and April 2004. Descriptive analysis, interaction analysis between associated factors, single factor logistic regression, multivariate logistic regression, and detailed interaction analysis were employed to explore potential relationships among associated factors. Avascular necrosis of the femoral head was found in 15 cases (15.2 %). Age × the status of implants (removal vs. maintenance) and gender × the timing of reduction were interactive according to two-factor interactive analysis. Age, the displacement of fractures, the quality of reduction, and the status of implants were found to be significant factors in single factor logistic regression analysis. Age, age × the status of implants, and the quality of reduction were found to be significant factors in multivariate logistic regression analysis. In fine interaction analysis after multivariate logistic regression analysis, implant removal was the most important risk factor for avascular necrosis in 56-to-85-year-old patients, with a risk ratio of 26.00 (95 % CI = 3.076-219.747). The middle-aged and elderly have less incidence of avascular necrosis of the femoral head following femoral neck fractures treated by cannulated screws. The removal of cannulated screws can induce a significantly high incidence of avascular necrosis of the femoral head in elderly patients, while a high-quality reduction is helpful to reduce avascular necrosis.

Neuropeptide Y genotype, central obesity, and abdominal fat distribution: the POUNDS LOST trial.

PubMed

Lin, Xiaochen; Qi, Qibin; Zheng, Yan; Huang, Tao; Lathrop, Mark; Zelenika, Diana; Bray, George A; Sacks, Frank M; Liang, Liming; Qi, Lu

2015-08-01

Neuropeptide Y is a key peptide affecting adiposity and has been related to obesity risk. However, little is known about the role of NPY variations in diet-induced change in adiposity. The objective was to examine the effects of NPY variant rs16147 on central obesity and abdominal fat distribution in response to dietary interventions. We genotyped a functional NPY variant rs16147 among 723 participants in the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies trial. Changes in waist circumference (WC), total abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from baseline to 6 and 24 mo were evaluated with respect to the rs16147 genotypes. Genotype-dietary fat interaction was also examined. The rs16147 C allele was associated with a greater reduction in WC at 6 mo (P < 0.001). In addition, the genotypes showed a statistically significant interaction with dietary fat in relation to WC and SAT (P-interaction = 0.01 and 0.04): the association was stronger in individuals with high-fat intake than in those with low-fat intake. At 24 mo, the association remained statistically significant for WC in the high-fat diet group (P = 0.02), although the gene-dietary fat interaction became nonsignificant (P = 0.30). In addition, we found statistically significant genotype-dietary fat interaction on the change in total abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and SAT at 24 mo (P = 0.01, 0.05, and 0.04): the rs16147 T allele appeared to associate with more adverse change in the abdominal fat deposition in the high-fat diet group than in the low-fat diet group. Our data indicate that the NPY rs16147 genotypes affect the change in abdominal adiposity in response to dietary interventions, and the effects of the rs16147 single-nucleotide polymorphism on central obesity and abdominal fat distribution were modified by dietary fat. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Genotype by energy expenditure interaction with metabolic syndrome traits: the Portuguese healthy family study.

PubMed

Santos, Daniel M V; Katzmarzyk, Peter T; Diego, Vincent P; Souza, Michele C; Chaves, Raquel N; Blangero, John; Maia, José A R

2013-01-01

Moderate-to-high levels of physical activity are established as preventive factors in metabolic syndrome development. However, there is variability in the phenotypic expression of metabolic syndrome under distinct physical activity conditions. In the present study we applied a Genotype X Environment interaction method to examine the presence of GxEE interaction in the phenotypic expression of metabolic syndrome. A total of 958 subjects, from 294 families of The Portuguese Healthy Family study, were included in the analysis. Total daily energy expenditure was assessed using a 3 day physical activity diary. Six metabolic syndrome related traits, including waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, glucose, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides, were measured and adjusted for age and sex. GxEE examination was performed on SOLAR 4.3.1. All metabolic syndrome indicators were significantly heritable. The GxEE interaction model fitted the data better than the polygenic model (p<0.001) for waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides. For waist circumference, glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides, the significant GxEE interaction was due to rejection of the variance homogeneity hypothesis. For waist circumference and glucose, GxEE was also significant by the rejection of the genetic correlation hypothesis. The results showed that metabolic syndrome traits expression is significantly influenced by the interaction established between total daily energy expenditure and genotypes. Physical activity may be considered an environmental variable that promotes metabolic differences between individuals that are distinctively active.

Pentavalent neptunyl ([OΞNpΞO] +) cation–cation interactions in aqueous/polar organic mixed-solvent media

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

Burn, Adam G.; Martin, Leigh R.; Nash, Kenneth L.

Bonding interactions between polyvalent cations and oxo-anions are well known and characterized by predictably favorable Gibbs energies in solution-phase coordination chemistry. In contrast, interactions between ions of like charge are generally expected to be repulsive and strongly influenced by cation solvation. An exception to this instinctive rule is found in the existence of complexes resulting from interactions of pentavalent actinyl cations ([O≡An≡O] +) with selected polyvalent cations. Such cation–cation complexes have been known to exist since the 1960s, when they were first reported by Sullivan and co-workers. The weak actinyl cation–cation complex, resulting from a bonding interaction between a pentavalentmore » linear dioxo actinyl cation donor and hexavalent actinyl or trivalent/tetravalent metal cation acceptor, has been most commonly seen in media in which water activities are reduced, principally highly-salted aqueous media. Such interactions of pentavalent actinides are of relevance in ongoing research that focuses on advanced nuclear fuel processing systems based on the upper oxidation states of americium. This investigation focuses on exploring the thermodynamic stability of complexes between selected highly-charged metal cations (Al 3+, Sc 3+, Cr 3+, Fe 3+, In 3+ and UO 2+ 2) and the pentavalent neptunyl cation (NpO + 2, whose coordination chemistry is similar to that of AmO + 2 while exhibiting significantly greater oxidation state stability) in aqueous–polar organic mixed-solvents. As a result, the Gibbs energies for the cation–cation complexation reactions are correlated with general features of electrostatic bonding models; the NpO + 2 • Cr 3+ complex exhibits unexpectedly strong interactions that may indicate significant covalency in the cation–cation bonding interaction.« less

Pentavalent neptunyl ([OΞNpΞO] +) cation–cation interactions in aqueous/polar organic mixed-solvent media

DOE PAGES

Burn, Adam G.; Martin, Leigh R.; Nash, Kenneth L.

2017-06-17

Bonding interactions between polyvalent cations and oxo-anions are well known and characterized by predictably favorable Gibbs energies in solution-phase coordination chemistry. In contrast, interactions between ions of like charge are generally expected to be repulsive and strongly influenced by cation solvation. An exception to this instinctive rule is found in the existence of complexes resulting from interactions of pentavalent actinyl cations ([O≡An≡O] +) with selected polyvalent cations. Such cation–cation complexes have been known to exist since the 1960s, when they were first reported by Sullivan and co-workers. The weak actinyl cation–cation complex, resulting from a bonding interaction between a pentavalentmore » linear dioxo actinyl cation donor and hexavalent actinyl or trivalent/tetravalent metal cation acceptor, has been most commonly seen in media in which water activities are reduced, principally highly-salted aqueous media. Such interactions of pentavalent actinides are of relevance in ongoing research that focuses on advanced nuclear fuel processing systems based on the upper oxidation states of americium. This investigation focuses on exploring the thermodynamic stability of complexes between selected highly-charged metal cations (Al 3+, Sc 3+, Cr 3+, Fe 3+, In 3+ and UO 2+ 2) and the pentavalent neptunyl cation (NpO + 2, whose coordination chemistry is similar to that of AmO + 2 while exhibiting significantly greater oxidation state stability) in aqueous–polar organic mixed-solvents. As a result, the Gibbs energies for the cation–cation complexation reactions are correlated with general features of electrostatic bonding models; the NpO + 2 • Cr 3+ complex exhibits unexpectedly strong interactions that may indicate significant covalency in the cation–cation bonding interaction.« less

A survey of Canadian websites providing information about female urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Farrell, Karen D; Robinson, Lynne M; Baydock, Sandra A; Farrell, Scott A; Irving, Linda E; O'Connell, Colleen M

2006-08-01

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent health issue that has significant detrimental effects on quality of life. The Internet offers a unique vehicle for incontinent women to access information that could facilitate conservative self-help therapy. An evaluation of Canadian websites offering female UI information was conducted to determine their quality and readability. We evaluated websites using published general quality criteria for health sites and a quality assessment tool compiled by the authors for specific UI information derived from published, peer-reviewed clinical practice guidelines. Three health care professionals reviewed sites for quality, Canadian content, and interactivity. The readability of health information was also evaluated. Fifty-six Canadian sites (18 professional, 22 organizational, 16 commercial) were evaluated. Significant agreement was found among the raters' evaluations on all measures. For all sites, the mean scores were general quality, 9/14; specific UI quality, 30/122; reading ease, 37/100; grade level, 10.9. The median score for Canadian content was high, but for interactivity it was low. The only significant difference between site types was for general quality (F [2,165]=3.38, P=0.036). Post hoc Tukey's tests showed a significant difference between organizational and commercial sites, with organizational sites having higher general quality. Canadian websites providing female UI information have moderately high general quality, low specific UI information quality, minimal interactivity, and more than minimal Canadian content. The reading level of most sites is too high for average consumers. A webliography of the best sites has been developed to guide patients.

Social support and conscientiousness in hemodialysis adherence.

PubMed

Moran, P J; Christensen, A J; Lawton, W J

1997-01-01

Previous conclusions regarding the role of social support in hemodialysis adherence are inconsistent, suggesting that other factors may moderate this relationship. Using the Five-Factor Model of Personality, we examined the hypothesis that conscientiousness would interact with social support in predicting fluid-intake and medication adherence in a sample of 56 chronic hemodialysis patients. Hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for demographic, clinical, and other personality variables) revealed a significant interaction between social support and conscientiousness. However, inconsistent with prediction, high support among patients with low conscientiousness was associated with poorer fluid-intake adherence, while support had little effect on fluid-intake adherence among high conscientiousness patients. No main or interactive effects were found for support or conscientiousness on a measure of medication adherence.

MOTHER-INFANT INTERACTION IMPROVES WITH A DEVELOPMENTAL INTERVENTION FOR MOTHER-PRETERM INFANT DYADS

PubMed Central

White-Traut, Rosemary; Norr, Kathleen F.; Fabiyi, Camille; Rankin, Kristin M.; Li, Zhyouing; Liu, Li

2013-01-01

While premature infants have a high need for positive interactions, both infants and their mothers are challenged by the infant‘s biological immaturity. This randomized clinical trial of 198 premature infants born at 29–34 weeks gestation and their mothers examined the impact of the H-HOPE (Hospital to Home: Optimizing the Infant’s Environment) intervention on mother-premature infant interaction patterns at 6-weeks corrected age (CA). Mothers had at least 2 social environmental risk factors such as minority status or less than high school education. Mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to the H-HOPE intervention group or an attention Control group. H-HOPE is an integrated intervention that included (1) twice-daily infant stimulation using the ATVV (auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular-rocking stimulation) and (2) four maternal participatory guidance sessions plus two telephone calls by a nurse-community advocate team. Mother-infant interaction was assessed at 6-weeks CA using the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training–Feeding Scale (NCAST, 76 items) and the Dyadic Mutuality Code (DMC, 6-item contingency scale during a 5-minute play session). NCAST and DMC scores for the Control and H-HOPE groups were compared using t-tests, chi-square tests and multivariable analysis. Compared with the Control group (n = 76), the H-HOPE group (n = 66) had higher overall NCAST scores and higher maternal Social-Emotional Growth Fostering Subscale scores. The H-HOPE group also had significantly higher scores for the overall infant subscale and the Infant Clarity of Cues Subscale (p < 0.05). H-HOPE dyads were also more likely to have high responsiveness during play as measured by the DMC (67.6% versus 58.1% of controls). After adjustment for significant maternal and infant characteristics, H-HOPE dyads had marginally higher scores during feeding on overall mother-infant interaction (β = 2.03, p = .06) and significantly higher scores on the infant subscale (β = 0.75, p = .05) when compared to controls. In the adjusted analysis, H-HOPE dyads had increased odds of high versus low mutual responsiveness during play (OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 0.97, 5.80). Intervening with both mother and infant is a promising approach to help premature infants achieve the social interaction patterns essential for optimal development. PMID:23962543

Mother-infant interaction improves with a developmental intervention for mother-preterm infant dyads.

PubMed

White-Traut, Rosemary; Norr, Kathleen F; Fabiyi, Camille; Rankin, Kristin M; Li, Zhyouing; Liu, Li

2013-12-01

While premature infants have a high need for positive interactions, both infants and their mothers are challenged by the infant's biological immaturity. This randomized clinical trial of 198 premature infants born at 29-34 weeks gestation and their mothers examined the impact of the H-HOPE (Hospital to Home: Optimizing the Infant's Environment) intervention on mother-premature infant interaction patterns at 6-weeks corrected age (CA). Mothers had at least 2 social environmental risk factors such as minority status or less than high school education. Mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to the H-HOPE intervention group or an attention control group. H-HOPE is an integrated intervention that included (1) twice-daily infant stimulation using the ATVV (auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular-rocking stimulation) and (2) four maternal participatory guidance sessions plus two telephone calls by a nurse-community advocate team. Mother-infant interaction was assessed at 6-weeks CA using the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training-Feeding Scale (NCAST, 76 items) and the Dyadic Mutuality Code (DMC, 6-item contingency scale during a 5-min play session). NCAST and DMC scores for the Control and H-HOPE groups were compared using t-tests, chi-square tests and multivariable analysis. Compared with the Control group (n = 76), the H-HOPE group (n = 66) had higher overall NCAST scores and higher maternal Social-Emotional Growth Fostering Subscale scores. The H-HOPE group also had significantly higher scores for the overall infant subscale and the Infant Clarity of Cues Subscale (p < 0.05). H-HOPE dyads were also more likely to have high responsiveness during play as measured by the DMC (67.6% versus 58.1% of controls). After adjustment for significant maternal and infant characteristics, H-HOPE dyads had marginally higher scores during feeding on overall mother-infant interaction (β = 2.03, p = 0.06) and significantly higher scores on the infant subscale (β = 0.75, p = 0.05) when compared to controls. In the adjusted analysis, H-HOPE dyads had increased odds of high versus low mutual responsiveness during play (OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 0.97, 5.80). Intervening with both mother and infant is a promising approach to help premature infants achieve the social interaction patterns essential for optimal development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The interactive association of dietary diversity scores and breast-feeding status with weight and length in Filipino infants aged 6-24 months.

PubMed

Wright, Melecia J; Bentley, Margaret E; Mendez, Michelle A; Adair, Linda S

2015-07-01

To assess how breast-feeding and dietary diversity relate to infant length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) and weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ). Breast-feeding, dietary and anthropometric data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey were analysed using sex-stratified fixed-effects longitudinal regression models. A dietary diversity score (DDS) based on seven food groups was classified as low (<4) or high (≥ 4). The complementary feeding patterns were: (i) non-breast-fed with low DDS (referent); (ii) breast-fed with low DDS; (iii) non-breast-fed with high DDS; and (iv) breast-fed with high DDS (optimal). Interactions between age, energy intake and complementary feeding patterns were included. Philippines. Infants (n 2822) measured bimonthly from 6 to 24 months. Breast-feeding (regardless of DDS) was significantly associated with higher LAZ (until 24 months) and WAZ (until 20 months). For example, at 6 months, breast-fed boys with low DDS were 0.246 (95% CI 0.191, 0.302) sd longer and 0.523 (95% CI 0.451, 0.594) sd heavier than the referent group. There was no significant difference in size between breast-fed infants with high v. low DDS. Similarly, high DDS conferred no advantage in LAZ or WAZ among non-breast-fed infants. There were modest correlations between the 7-point DDS and nutrient intakes but these correlations were substantially attenuated after energy adjustment. We elucidated several interactions between sex, age, energy intake and complementary feeding patterns. These results demonstrate the importance of prolonged breast-feeding up to 24 months. The DDS provided qualitative information on infant diets but did not confer a significant advantage in LAZ or WAZ.

Physical inactivity interacts with an endothelial lipase polymorphism to modulate high density lipoprotein cholesterol in the GOLDN study

PubMed Central

Smith, Caren E.; Arnett, Donna K.; Tsai, Michael Y.; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Parnell, Laurence D.; Shen, Jian; Laclaustra, Martin; Junyent, Mireia; Ordovás, José M.

2009-01-01

Background Plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration is highly heritable but is also modifiable by environmental factors including physical activity. HDL-C response to exercise varies among individuals, and this variability may be associated with genetic polymorphisms in the key regulators of HDL metabolism including endothelial lipase (LIPG). Methods We examined associations between variants LIPG T111I (rs2000813) and LIPG i24582 (rs6507931), HDL and television viewing/computer use (“screen time”) as a marker for physical inactivity in a population with high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Subjects consisted of 539 White men and 584 women (mean ± S.D., 49 ± 16 years) participating in the GOLDN study. Results We did not observe an association with either LIPG SNP or HDL independently of screen time. In multi-adjusted linear regression models, HDL interacted significantly with screen time as a continuous variable in LIPG i24582 subjects with TT genotype (P < 0.05). By dichotomizing screen time into high and low levels, we found significant genotype-associated differences in HDL in women but not men. When screen time was ≥2.6 h/day, the concentrations of total HDL-C, large HDL, large low density lipoprotein (LDL) were lower, the concentration of small LDL was higher and HDL and LDL particle sizes were smaller in subjects with LIPG i24582 TT compared to CT and CC subjects (P < 0.05). Conclusions We found a significant gene-physical inactivity interaction for HDL and some LDL measures for the LIPG i24582 polymorphism. Higher levels of physical activity may be protective for HDL-C concentrations and low activity detrimental in LIPG i24582 TT individuals, especially in women. PMID:19380136

Physical inactivity interacts with an endothelial lipase polymorphism to modulate high density lipoprotein cholesterol in the GOLDN study.

PubMed

Smith, Caren E; Arnett, Donna K; Tsai, Michael Y; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Parnell, Laurence D; Shen, Jian; Laclaustra, Martin; Junyent, Mireia; Ordovás, José M

2009-10-01

Plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration is highly heritable but is also modifiable by environmental factors including physical activity. HDL-C response to exercise varies among individuals, and this variability may be associated with genetic polymorphisms in the key regulators of HDL metabolism including endothelial lipase (LIPG). We examined associations between variants LIPG T111I (rs2000813) and LIPG i24582 (rs6507931), HDL and television viewing/computer use ("screen time") as a marker for physical inactivity in a population with high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Subjects consisted of 539 White men and 584 women (mean+/-S.D., 49+/-16 years) participating in the GOLDN study. We did not observe an association with either LIPG SNP or HDL independently of screen time. In multi-adjusted linear regression models, HDL interacted significantly with screen time as a continuous variable in LIPG i24582 subjects with TT genotype (P<0.05). By dichotomizing screen time into high and low levels, we found significant genotype-associated differences in HDL in women but not men. When screen time was >or=2.6h/day, the concentrations of total HDL-C, large HDL, large low density lipoprotein (LDL) were lower, the concentration of small LDL was higher and HDL and LDL particle sizes were smaller in subjects with LIPG i24582 TT compared to CT and CC subjects (P<0.05). We found a significant gene-physical inactivity interaction for HDL and some LDL measures for the LIPG i24582 polymorphism. Higher levels of physical activity may be protective for HDL-C concentrations and low activity detrimental in LIPG i24582 TT individuals, especially in women.

Effects of radiation reaction in the interaction between cluster media and high intensity lasers in the radiation dominant regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwata, Natsumi; Nagatomo, Hideo; Fukuda, Yuji; Matsui, Ryutaro; Kishimoto, Yasuaki

2016-06-01

Interaction between media composed of clusters and high intensity lasers in the radiation dominant regime, i.e., intensity of 10 22 - 23 W / cm 2 , is studied based on the particle-in-cell simulation that includes the radiation reaction. By introducing target materials that have the same total mass but different internal structures, i.e., uniform plasma and cluster media with different cluster radii, we investigate the effect of the internal structure on the interaction dynamics, high energy radiation emission, and its reaction. Intense radiation emission is found in the cluster media where electrons exhibit non-ballistic motions suffering from strong accelerations by both the penetrated laser field and charge separation field of clusters. As a result, the clustered structure increases the energy conversion into high energy radiations significantly at the expense of the conversion into particles, while the total absorption rate into radiation and particles remains unchanged from the absorption rate into particles in the case without radiation reaction. The maximum ion energy achieved in the interaction with cluster media is found to be decreased through the radiation reaction to electrons into the same level with that achieved in the interaction with the uniform plasma. The clustered structure thus enhances high energy radiation emission rather than the ion acceleration in the considered intensity regime.

Evaluating Interactions of Forest Conservation Policies on Avoided Deforestation

PubMed Central

Robalino, Juan; Sandoval, Catalina; Barton, David N.; Chacon, Adriana; Pfaff, Alexander

2015-01-01

We estimate the effects on deforestation that have resulted from policy interactions between parks and payments and between park buffers and payments in Costa Rica between 2000 and 2005. We show that the characteristics of the areas where protected and unprotected lands are located differ significantly. Additionally, we find that land characteristics of each of the policies and of the places where they interact also differ significantly. To adequately estimate the effects of the policies and their interactions, we use matching methods. Matching is implemented not only to define adequate control groups, as in previous research, but also to define those groups of locations under the influence of policies that are comparable to each other. We find that it is more effective to locate parks and payments away from each other, rather than in the same location or near each other. The high levels of enforcement inside both parks and lands with payments, and the presence of conservation spillovers that reduce deforestation near parks, significantly reduce the potential impact of combining these two policies. PMID:25909323

Ecology of dark matter haloes - II. Effects of interactions on the alignment of halo pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

L'Huillier, Benjamin; Park, Changbom; Kim, Juhan

2017-04-01

We use the Horizon Run 4 cosmological N-body simulation to study the effects of distant and close interactions on the alignments of the shapes, spins and orbits of targets haloes with their neighbours, and their dependence on the local density environment and neighbour separation. Interacting targets have a significantly lower spin and higher sphericity and oblateness than all targets. Interacting pairs initially have antiparallel spins, but the spins develop parallel alignment as time goes on. Neighbours tend to evolve in the plane of rotation of the target, and in the direction of the major axis of prolate haloes. Moreover, interactions are preferentially radial, while pairs with non-radial orbits are preferentially prograde. The alignment signals are stronger at high mass and for close separations, and independent of the large-scale density. Positive alignment signals are found at redshifts up to 4, and increase with decreasing redshifts. Moreover, the orbits tend to become prograde at low redshift, while no alignment is found at high redshift (z = 4).

Independent associations of insulin resistance with high whole-body intermuscular and low leg subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution in obese HIV-infected women123

PubMed Central

Albu, Jeanine B; Kenya, Sonjia; He, Qing; Wainwright, Marsha; Berk, Evan S; Heshka, Stanley; Kotler, Donald P; Engelson, Ellen S

2009-01-01

Background Obesity and insulin resistance are growing problems in HIV-positive (HIV+) women receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Objective The objective was to determine the contribution of adipose tissue (AT) enlargement and distribution to the presence of insulin resistance in obese HIV+ women. Design Whole-body intermuscular AT (IMAT), visceral AT (VAT), subcutaneous AT (SAT), and SAT distribution (leg versus upper body) were measured by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. Insulin sensitivity (SI) was measured with an intravenous glucose tolerance test in obese HIV+ women recruited because of their desire to lose weight (n = 17) and in obese healthy controls (n = 32). Results The HIV+ women had relatively less whole-body SAT and more VAT and IMAT than did the controls (P < 0.05 for all). A significant interaction by HIV status was observed for the relation of total SAT with SI (P < 0.001 for the regression’s slope interactions after adjustment for age, height, and weight). However, relations of IMAT, VAT, and SAT distribution (leg SAT as a percentage of total SAT; leg SAT%) with SI did not differ significantly between groups. For both groups combined, the best model predicting a low SI included significant contributions by both high IMAT and low leg SAT%, independent of age, height, and weight, and no interaction between groups was observed (overall r2 = 0.44, P = 0.0003). Conclusion In obese HIV+ women, high whole-body IMAT and low leg SAT% distribution are independently associated with insulin resistance. PMID:17616768

Genetic Variability, Genotype × Environment Interaction, Correlation, and GGE Biplot Analysis for Grain Iron and Zinc Concentration and Other Agronomic Traits in RIL Population of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)

PubMed Central

Phuke, Rahul M.; Anuradha, Kotla; Radhika, Kommineni; Jabeen, Farzana; Anuradha, Ghanta; Ramesh, Thatikunta; Hariprasanna, K.; Mehtre, Shivaji P.; Deshpande, Santosh P.; Anil, Gaddameedi; Das, Roma R.; Rathore, Abhishek; Hash, Tom; Reddy, Belum V. S.; Kumar, Are Ashok

2017-01-01

The low grain iron and zinc densities are well documented problems in food crops, affecting crop nutritional quality especially in cereals. Sorghum is a major source of energy and micronutrients for majority of population in Africa and central India. Understanding genetic variation, genotype × environment interaction and association between these traits is critical for development of improved cultivars with high iron and zinc. A total of 336 sorghum RILs (Recombinant Inbred Lines) were evaluated for grain iron and zinc concentration along with other agronomic traits for 2 years at three locations. The results showed that large variability exists in RIL population for both micronutrients (Iron = 10.8 to 76.4 mg kg−1 and Zinc = 10.2 to 58.7 mg kg−1, across environments) and agronomic traits. Genotype × environment interaction for both micronutrients (iron and zinc) was highly significant. GGE biplots comparison for grain iron and zinc showed greater variation across environments. The results also showed that G × E was substantial for grain iron and zinc, hence wider testing needed for taking care of G × E interaction to breed micronutrient rich sorghum lines. Iron and zinc concentration showed high significant positive correlation (across environment = 0.79; p < 0.01) indicating possibility of simultaneous effective selection for both the traits. The RIL population showed good variability and high heritabilities (>0.60, in individual environments) for Fe and Zn and other traits studied indicating its suitability to map QTL for iron and zinc. PMID:28529518

Student and Teacher Perceptions of Their Middle and High Schools' Sense of Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulte, Laura E.; Shanahan, Steven; Anderson, Thomas D.; Sides, James

2003-01-01

Investigates sense of community at Midwestern school district's middle and high schools. Finds, for example, that regardless of school level, teachers rated "teacher to student" interactions and relationships significantly more positively than did students. Recommends schools' sense of community be enhanced by integrating opportunities for…

Poultry farm hygiene: microbiological quality assessment of drinking water used in layer chickens managed under the battery cage and deep litter systems at three poultry farms in southwestern Nigeria.

PubMed

Folorunso, O R; Kayode, Sule; Onibon, V O

2014-01-01

Water troughs from deep litter and caged chicken water troughs (drinkers) fixed to each of the different 3-tier cages containing layer chickens in Farms A, B and C were subjected to a 7-day study which involved the monitoring of poultry farm hygiene. Drinkers were washed before filling with water on Day 1. For Days 3, 5 and 7 water was served without prior washing. The occurrence and characterization of the bacteria isolates were investigated and data obtained were analyzed and compared. For the bacterial count on Day 1, for layer chickens on cage system, no significant differences (p > 0.05) among the farms and between the farms tier interactions. On Day 3, no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the parameters. On Day 5, there was significant difference (p<0.05) among the farms and on Day 7, there was high significant difference (p < 0.01) among the farms. On Days 5 and 7, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) among the tiers nor between the interactions of the farms and tiers. The bacterial count in water troughs of layer chickens in deep litter system, on Day 1, had no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the farms, water troughs and their interactions. On Day 3, no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the parameters. On Days 5 and 7, there were significant difference (p<0.05) and a high significant difference (p < 0.01) between the farms respectively. On Days 5 and 7, no significant differences between the water troughs and between the interaction of the farms and the water troughs. Farm A isolates contained Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermis, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus salivarius and Corynebacterium sp. Farm B had Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermis, Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium sp., Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis and Klebsiella sp. while for Farm C, apart from the prevalent bacteria isolates obtained in Farms A and B, additional 2 bacterial isolates, Lactobacillus salivarius and Pseudomonas aeuriginosa were found. In conclusion, water troughs when cleaned on daily basis carry minimum bacterial load. Those left for 3, 5 and 7 days uncleaned had progressively high bacterial loads, suggesting that the flock of birds and the consumers of the eggs and meat from the chickens are at risk of bacterial infection unless strict farm hygiene is ensured through regular monitoring.

The cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance impacts police-civilian interaction.

PubMed

Giebels, Ellen; Oostinga, Miriam S D; Taylor, Paul J; Curtis, Joanna L

2017-02-01

This research examines how the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance-a person's (in)tolerance for uncertain or unknown situations-impacts communication alignment in crisis negotiations. We hypothesized that perpetrators high on uncertainty avoidance would respond better to negotiators who use formal language and legitimize their position with reference to law, procedures, and moral codes. Data were transcriptions of 53 negotiations from a Dutch-German police training initiative, where police negotiators interacted with a high (German) and low (Dutch) uncertainty-avoidant mock perpetrator. Consistent with accounts of cross-cultural interaction, negotiators tended to achieve more alignment in within-culture interactions compared to cross-cultural interactions. Moreover, German negotiators, who scored higher on uncertainty avoidance than the Dutch negotiators, were found to use more legitimizing messages and more formal language than their Dutch counterparts. Critically, irrespective of the negotiators cultural background, the use of these behaviors was a significant moderator of the degree to which negotiator and perpetrator aligned their communicative frames: Using legitimizing and formal language helped with German perpetrators but had no effect on Dutch perpetrators. Our findings show the effects of cultural background on communication alignment and demonstrate the benefits of using more formal language and messages that emphasize law and regulations when interacting with perpetrators high on uncertainty avoidance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Aggregation state and magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles controlled by an optimized silica coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, Nicolás; Moya, C.; Tartaj, P.; Labarta, A.; Batlle, X.

2017-01-01

The control of magnetic interactions is becoming essential to expand/improve the applicability of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). Here, we show that an optimized microemulsion method can be used to obtain homogenous silica coatings on even single magnetic nuclei of highly crystalline Fe3-xO4 NPs (7 and 16 nm) derived from a high-temperature method. We show that the thickness of this coating is controlled almost at will allowing much higher average separation among particles as compared to the oleic acid coating present on pristine NPs. Magnetic susceptibility studies show that the thickness of the silica coating allows the control of magnetic interactions. Specifically, as this effect is better displayed for the smallest particles, we show that dipole-dipole interparticle interactions can be tuned progressively for the 7 nm NPs, from almost non-interacting to strongly interacting particles at room temperature. The quantitative analysis of the magnetic properties unambiguously suggests that dipolar interactions significantly broaden the effective distribution of energy barriers by spreading the distribution of activation magnetic volumes.

Effects of high sound speed confiners on ANFO detonations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyanda, Charles; Jackson, Scott; Short, Mark

2011-06-01

The interaction between high explosive (HE) detonations and high sound speed confiners, where the confiner sound speed exceeds the HE's detonation speed, has not been thoroughly studied. The subsonic nature of the flow in the confiner allows stress waves to travel ahead of the main detonation front and influence the upstream HE state. The interaction between the detonation wave and the confiner is also no longer a local interaction, so that the confiner thickness now plays a significant role in the detonation dynamics. We report here on larger scale experiments in which a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) is detonated in aluminium confiners with varying charge diameter and confiner thickness. The results of these large-scale experiments are compared with previous large-scale ANFO experiments in cardboard, as well as smaller-scale aluminium confined ANFO experiments, to characterize the effects of confiner thickness.

Gene-environment interaction study for BMI reveals interactions between genetic factors and physical activity, alcohol consumption and socioeconomic status

PubMed Central

Karlsson, Torgny; Ek, Weronica E.

2017-01-01

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genetic loci to be associated with body mass index (BMI) and risk of obesity. Genetic effects can differ between individuals depending on lifestyle or environmental factors due to gene-environment interactions. In this study, we examine gene-environment interactions in 362,496 unrelated participants with Caucasian ancestry from the UK Biobank resource. A total of 94 BMI-associated SNPs, selected from a previous GWAS on BMI, were used to construct weighted genetic scores for BMI (GSBMI). Linear regression modeling was used to estimate the effect of gene-environment interactions on BMI for 131 lifestyle factors related to: dietary habits, smoking and alcohol consumption, physical activity, socioeconomic status, mental health, sleeping patterns, as well as female-specific factors such as menopause and childbirth. In total, 15 lifestyle factors were observed to interact with GSBMI, of which alcohol intake frequency, usual walking pace, and Townsend deprivation index, a measure of socioeconomic status, were all highly significant (p = 1.45*10−29, p = 3.83*10−26, p = 4.66*10−11, respectively). Interestingly, the frequency of alcohol consumption, rather than the total weekly amount resulted in a significant interaction. The FTO locus was the strongest single locus interacting with any of the lifestyle factors. However, 13 significant interactions were also observed after omitting the FTO locus from the genetic score. Our analyses indicate that many lifestyle factors modify the genetic effects on BMI with some groups of individuals having more than double the effect of the genetic score. However, the underlying causal mechanisms of gene-environmental interactions are difficult to deduce from cross-sectional data alone and controlled experiments are required to fully characterise the causal factors. PMID:28873402

Interactive effects of a bacterial parasite and the insecticide carbaryl to life-history and physiology of two Daphnia magna clones differing in carbaryl sensitivity.

PubMed

De Coninck, Dieter I M; De Schamphelaere, Karel A C; Jansen, Mieke; De Meester, Luc; Janssen, Colin R

2013-04-15

Natural and chemical stressors occur simultaneously in the aquatic environment. Their combined effects on biota are usually difficult to predict from their individual effects due to interactions between the different stressors. Several recent studies have suggested that synergistic effects of multiple stressors on organisms may be more common at high compared to low overall levels of stress. In this study, we used a three-way full factorial design to investigate whether interactive effects between a natural stressor, the bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa, and a chemical stressor, the insecticide carbaryl, were different between two genetically distinct clones of Daphnia magna that strongly differ in their sensitivity to carbaryl. Interactive effects on various life-history and physiological endpoints were assessed as significant deviations from the reference Independent Action (IA) model, which was implemented by testing the significance of the two-way carbaryl×parasite interaction term in two-way ANOVA's on log-transformed observational data for each clone separately. Interactive effects (and thus significant deviations from IA) were detected in both the carbaryl-sensitive clone (on survival, early reproduction and growth) and in the non-sensitive clone (on growth, electron transport activity and prophenoloxidase activity). No interactions were found for maturation rate, filtration rate, and energy reserve fractions (carbohydrate, protein, lipid). Furthermore, only antagonistic interactions were detected in the non-sensitive clone, while only synergistic interactions were observed in the carbaryl sensitive clone. Our data clearly show that there are genetically determined differences in the interactive effects following combined exposure to carbaryl and Pasteuria in D. magna. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Opalescence in monoclonal antibody solutions and its correlation with intermolecular interactions in dilute and concentrated solutions.

PubMed

Raut, Ashlesha S; Kalonia, Devendra S

2015-04-01

Opalescence indicates physical instability of a formulation because of the presence of aggregates or liquid-liquid phase separation in solution and has been reported for monoclonal antibody (mAb) formulations. Increased solution opalescence can be attributed to attractive protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Techniques including light scattering, AUC, or membrane osmometry are routinely employed to measure PPIs in dilute solutions, whereas opalescence is seen at relatively higher concentrations, where both long- and short-range forces contribute to overall PPIs. The mAb molecule studied here shows a unique property of high opalescence because of liquid-liquid phase separation. In this study, opalescence measurements are correlated to PPIs measured in diluted and concentrated solutions using light scattering (kD ) and high-frequency rheology (G'), respectively. Charges on the molecules were calculated using zeta potential measurements. Results indicate that high opalescence and phase separation are a result of the attractive interactions in solution; however, the presence of attractive interactions do not always imply phase separation. Temperature dependence of opalescence suggests that thermodynamic contribution to opalescence is significant and Tcloud can be utilized as a potential tool to assess attractive interactions in solution. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Neighborhood Disorder, Social Support, and Outcomes Among Violence-Exposed African American Women.

PubMed

Pickover, Alison M; Bhimji, Jabeene; Sun, Shufang; Evans, Anna; Allbaugh, Lucy J; Dunn, Sarah E; Kaslow, Nadine J

2018-06-01

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women, particularly those living in poverty who have multiple marginalized identities, is a significant public health issue. IPV is associated with numerous mental health concerns including depression, hopelessness, and suicidal behavior. The present study examined the ecological determinants of these mental health outcomes in a high-risk sample of 67 low-income, African American women survivors of IPV. Based on an ecological framework that conceptualizes individuals as nested in multiple, interactive systems, we examined, longitudinally, the main and interactive effects of self-reported neighborhood disorder and social support from family members and friends on participants' mental health (i.e., self-reported depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and suicide intent). In multiple regression analyses, neighborhood disorder interacted with social support from family members to predict depressive symptoms and hopelessness over time. Neighborhood disorder also interacted with social support from friends to predict hopelessness and suicide intent over time. High levels of social support buffered against the dangerous effects of neighborhood disorder on depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and suicide intent; at low levels of social support, there was no significant association between neighborhood disorder and those mental health outcomes. Neighborhood disorder and social support did not yield significant main effects. These findings underscore the importance of interventions that target individuals, families, and communities (e.g., community empowerment programs). Group interventions may also be important for low-income, African American women survivors of IPV, as they can help survivors establish and strengthen relationships and social support.

Influence of soil pathogens on early regeneration success of tropical trees varies between forest edge and interior.

PubMed

Krishnadas, Meghna; Comita, Liza S

2018-01-01

Soil fungi are key mediators of negative density-dependent mortality in seeds and seedlings, and the ability to withstand pathogens in the shaded understory of closed-canopy forests could reinforce light gradient partitioning by tree species. For four species of tropical rainforest trees-two shade-tolerant and two shade-intolerant-we conducted a field experiment to examine the interactive effects of fungal pathogens, light, and seed density on germination and early seedling establishment. In a fully factorial design, seeds were sown into 1 m 2 plots containing soil collected from underneath conspecific adult trees, with plots assigned to forest edge (high light) or shaded understory, high or low density, and fungicide or no fungicide application. We monitored total seed germination and final seedling survival over 15 weeks. Shade-intolerant species were strongly constrained by light; their seedlings survived only at the edge. Fungicide application significantly improved seedling emergence and/or survival for three of the four focal species. There were no significant interactions between fungicide and seed density, suggesting that pathogen spread with increased aggregation of seeds and seedlings did not contribute to pathogen-mediated mortality. Two species experienced significant edge-fungicide interactions, but fungicide effects in edge vs. interior forest varied with species and recruitment stage. Our results suggest that changes to plant-pathogen interactions could affect plant recruitment in human-impacted forests subject to fragmentation and edge-effects.

Solar neutrino interactions with the double- β decay nuclei Se 82 ,   Mo 100 , and Nd 150

DOE PAGES

Ejiri, Hiro; Elliott, Steven Ray

2017-05-02

Solar neutrinos interact within double-beta decay (ββ) detectors and contribute to backgrounds for ββ experiments. Background contributions due to solar neutrino interactions with ββ nuclei of 82Se, 100Mo, and 150Nd are evaluated. They are shown to be significant for future high-sensitivity ββ experiments that may search for Majorana neutrino masses in the inverted-hierarchy mass region. In conclusion, the impact of solar neutrino backgrounds and their reduction are discussed for future ββ experiments.

Ramifying feedback networks, cross-scale interactions, and emergent quasi individuals in Conway's game of Life.

PubMed

Gotts, Nicholas M

2009-01-01

Small patterns of state 1 cells on an infinite, otherwise empty array of Conway's game of Life can produce sets of growing structures resembling in significant ways a population of spatially situated individuals in a nonuniform, highly structured environment. Ramifying feedback networks and cross-scale interactions play a central role in the emergence and subsequent dynamics of the quasi population. The implications are discussed: It is proposed that analogous networks and interactions may have been precursors to natural selection in the real world.

The physiological response of two green calcifying algae from the Great Barrier Reef towards high dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC and DOC) availability.

PubMed

Meyer, Friedrich Wilhelm; Vogel, Nikolas; Teichberg, Mirta; Uthicke, Sven; Wild, Christian

2015-01-01

Increasing dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations associated with ocean acidification can affect marine calcifiers, but local factors, such as high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations through sewage and algal blooms, may interact with this global factor. For calcifying green algae of the genus Halimeda, a key tropical carbonate producer that often occurs in coral reefs, no studies on these interactions have been reported. These data are however urgently needed to understand future carbonate production. Thus, we investigated the independent and combined effects of DIC (pCO2 402 μatm/ pHtot 8.0 and 996 μatm/ pHtot 7.7) and DOC (added as glucose in 0 and 294 μmol L-1) on growth, calcification and photosynthesis of H. macroloba and H. opuntia from the Great Barrier Reef in an incubation experiment over 16 days. High DIC concentrations significantly reduced dark calcification of H. opuntia by 130 % and led to net dissolution, but did not affect H. macroloba. High DOC concentrations significantly reduced daily oxygen production of H. opuntia and H. macroloba by 78 % and 43 %, respectively, and significantly reduced dark calcification of H. opuntia by 70%. Combined high DIC and DOC did not show any interactive effects for both algae, but revealed additive effects for H. opuntia where the combination of both factors reduced dark calcification by 162 % compared to controls. Such species-specific differences in treatment responses indicate H. opuntia is more susceptible to a combination of high DIC and DOC than H. macroloba. From an ecological perspective, results further suggest a reduction of primary production for Halimeda-dominated benthic reef communities under high DOC concentrations and additional decreases of carbonate accretion under elevated DIC concentrations, where H. opuntia dominates the benthic community. This may reduce biogenic carbonate sedimentation rates and hence the buffering capacity against further ocean acidification.

Modulated method for efficient, narrow-bandwidth, laser Compton X-ray and gamma-ray sources

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

Barty, Christopher P. J.

A method of x-ray and gamma-ray generation via laser Compton scattering uses the interaction of a specially-formatted, highly modulated, long duration, laser pulse with a high-frequency train of high-brightness electron bunches to both create narrow bandwidth x-ray and gamma-ray sources and significantly increase the laser to Compton photon conversion efficiency.

Method for efficient, narrow-bandwidth, laser compton x-ray and gamma-ray sources

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

Barty, Christopher P. J.

A method of x-ray and gamma-ray generation via laser Compton scattering uses the interaction of a specially-formatted, highly modulated, long duration, laser pulse with a high-frequency train of high-brightness electron bunches to both create narrow bandwidth x-ray and gamma-ray sources and significantly increase the laser to Compton photon conversion efficiency.

Identification of Modules in Protein-Protein Interaction Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erten, Sinan; Koyutürk, Mehmet

In biological systems, most processes are carried out through orchestration of multiple interacting molecules. These interactions are often abstracted using network models. A key feature of cellular networks is their modularity, which contributes significantly to the robustness, as well as adaptability of biological systems. Therefore, modularization of cellular networks is likely to be useful in obtaining insights into the working principles of cellular systems, as well as building tractable models of cellular organization and dynamics. A common, high-throughput source of data on molecular interactions is in the form of physical interactions between proteins, which are organized into protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. This chapter provides an overview on identification and analysis of functional modules in PPI networks, which has been an active area of research in the last decade.

Size-exclusion chromatography system for macromolecular interaction analysis

DOEpatents

Stevens, Fred J.

1988-01-01

A low pressure, microcomputer controlled system employing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) allows for precise analysis of the interaction of two reversibly associating macromolecules such as proteins. Since a macromolecular complex migrates faster than its components during size-exclusion chromatography, the difference between the elution profile of a mixture of two macromolecules and the summation of the elution profiles of the two components provides a quantifiable indication of the degree of molecular interaction. This delta profile is used to qualitatively reveal the presence or absence of significant interaction or to rank the relative degree of interaction in comparing samples and, in combination with a computer simulation, is further used to quantify the magnitude of the interaction in an arrangement wherein a microcomputer is coupled to analytical instrumentation in a novel manner.

Genetic Variations of Circulating Adiponectin Levels Modulate Changes in Appetite in Response to Weight-Loss Diets

PubMed Central

Ma, Wenjie; Huang, Tao; Heianza, Yoriko; Wang, Tiange; Sun, Dianjianyi; Tong, Jenny; Williamson, Donald A.; Bray, George A.; Sacks, Frank M.

2017-01-01

Context: Adiponectin plays key roles in regulating appetite and food intake. Objective: To investigate interactions between the genetic risk score (GRS) for adiponectin levels and weight-loss diets varying in macronutrient intake on long-term changes in appetite and adiponectin levels. Design, Setting, and Participants: A GRS was calculated based on 5 adiponectin-associated variants in 692 overweight adults from the 2-year Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies trial. Main Outcome Measures: Repeated measurements of plasma adiponectin levels and appetite-related traits, including cravings, fullness, prospective consumption, and hunger. Results: Dietary fat showed nominally significant interactions with the adiponectin GRS on changes in appetite score and prospective consumption from baseline to 6 months (P for interaction = 0.014 and 0.017, respectively) after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, baseline body mass index, and baseline respective outcome values. The GRS for lower adiponectin levels was associated with a greater decrease in appetite (P < 0.001) and prospective consumption (P = 0.008) among participants consuming a high-fat diet, whereas no significant associations were observed in the low-fat group. Additionally, a significant interaction was observed between the GRS and dietary fat on 6-month changes in adiponectin levels (P for interaction = 0.021). The lower GRS was associated with a greater increase in adiponectin in the low-fat group (P = 0.02), but it was not associated with adiponectin changes in the high-fat group (P = 0.31). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that individuals with varying genetic architecture of circulating adiponectin may respond divergently in appetite and adiponectin levels to weight-loss diets varying in fat intake. PMID:27841942

Genetic and environmental risks for high blood pressure among African American mothers and daughters.

PubMed

Taylor, Jacquelyn Y; Maddox, Rosanna; Wu, Chun Yi

2009-07-01

To determine the relationship between genetic and environmental lifestyle factors (physical activity and sodium) on blood pressure (BP) among African-American women. In this cross-sectional study involving 108 African-American mothers and daughters from a Midwestern area, investigators obtained BP measurements, information on minutes of physical activity, amount of sodium intake, and buccal swab saliva samples. Of the 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the sodium bicarbonate cotransporter gene (SLC4A5), rs8179526 had a statistically significant interaction with cytosine/thymine (C/T) genotype by sodium status on systolic BP (SBP; p=.0077). For gene x physical activity interaction, 2 significant interactions (cytosine/adenine [C/A] genotype by physical activity and adenine/adenine [A/A] genotype by physical activity, p=.0107 and p=.0171, respectively) on SBP and 1 on diastolic BP (DBP; A/A genotype by physical activity, p=.0233) were found on rs1017783. Two significant guanine/adenine [G/A] genotype by physical activity interactions were found on rs6731545 for SBP and DBP (p=.0160 and p=.0492, respectively). A gene x environmental interaction with rs8179526 has a protective effect on SBP in African-American women with high sodium intake. Participants with C/T genotype of rs8179526 who consumed greater than 2,300 mg of sodium had lower SBP than those who consumed less than recommended. Women with thymine/thymine (T/T) genotype of rs8179526 who consumed greater than 2,300 mg had lower SBP than those who consumed less. Awareness of both the protective and deleterious properties of rs8179526 in African-American women may one day assist in determining appropriate treatment plans.

Interaction between the FTO gene, body mass index and depression: meta-analysis of 13701 individuals†

PubMed Central

Rivera, Margarita; Locke, Adam E.; Corre, Tanguy; Czamara, Darina; Wolf, Christiane; Ching-Lopez, Ana; Milaneschi, Yuri; Kloiber, Stefan; Cohen-Woods, Sara; Rucker, James; Aitchison, Katherine J.; Bergmann, Sven; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Craddock, Nick; Gill, Michael; Holsboer, Florian; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Korszun, Ania; Kutalik, Zoltan; Lucae, Susanne; Maier, Wolfgang; Mors, Ole; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Owen, Michael J.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.; Preisig, Martin; Rice, John; Rietschel, Marcella; Tozzi, Federica; Uher, Rudolf; Vollenweider, Peter; Waeber, Gerard; Willemsen, Gonneke; Craig, Ian W.; Farmer, Anne E.; Lewis, Cathryn M.; Breen, Gerome; McGuffin, Peter

2017-01-01

Background Depression and obesity are highly prevalent, and major impacts on public health frequently co-occur. Recently, we reported that having depression moderates the effect of the FTO gene, suggesting its implication in the association between depression and obesity. Aims To confirm these findings by investigating the FTO polymorphism rs9939609 in new cohorts, and subsequently in a meta-analysis. Method The sample consists of 6902 individuals with depression and 6799 controls from three replication cohorts and two original discovery cohorts. Linear regression models were performed to test for association between rs9939609 and body mass index (BMI), and for the interaction between rs9939609 and depression status for an effect on BMI. Fixed and random effects meta-analyses were performed using METASOFT. Results In the replication cohorts, we observed a significant interaction between FTO, BMI and depression with fixed effects meta-analysis (β = 0.12, P = 2.7 × 10−4) and with the Han/Eskin random effects method (P = 1.4 × 10−7) but not with traditional random effects (β = 0.1, P = 0.35). When combined with the discovery cohorts, random effects meta-analysis also supports the interaction (β = 0.12, P = 0.027) being highly significant based on the Han/Eskin model (P = 6.9 × 10−8). On average, carriers of the risk allele who have depression have a 2.2% higher BMI for each risk allele, over and above the main effect of FTO. Conclusions This meta-analysis provides additional support for a significant interaction between FTO, depression and BMI, indicating that depression increases the effect of FTO on BMI. The findings provide a useful starting point in understanding the biological mechanism involved in the association between obesity and depression. PMID:28642257

High altitude cognitive performance and COPD interaction

PubMed Central

Kourtidou-Papadeli, C; Papadelis, C; Koutsonikolas, D; Boutzioukas, S; Styliadis, C; Guiba-Tziampiri, O

2008-01-01

Introduction: Thousands of people work and perform everyday in high altitude environment, either as pilots, or shift workers, or mountaineers. The problem is that most of the accidents in this environment have been attributed to human error. The objective of this study was to assess complex cognitive performance as it interacts with respiratory insufficiency at altitudes of 8000 feet and identify the potential effect of hypoxia on safe performance. Methods: Twenty subjects participated in the study, divided in two groups: Group I with mild asymptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and Group II with normal respiratory function. Altitude was simulated at 8000 ft. using gas mixtures. Results: Individuals with mild COPD experienced notable hypoxemia with significant performance decrements and increased number of errors at cabin altitude, compared to normal subjects, whereas their blood pressure significantly increased. PMID:19048098

Body condition and stage of seasonal anestrus interact to determine the ovulatory response after male biostimulation in anovulatory Criollo × Nubian goats.

PubMed

Vera-Avila, Hector R; Urrutia-Morales, Jorge; Espinosa-Martinez, Mario A; Gamez-Vazquez, Hector G; Jimenez-Severiano, Hector; Villagomez-Amezcua, Eugenio

2017-06-01

The effect of goat nutritional condition on the response to biostimulation with sexually active males during different stages of anestrus was determined. Fifty-eight Criollo × Nubian females on high and low body mass index (BMI) diets were used. Each BMI group was divided into two for biostimulation with sexually active males during May (mid-anestrus) or July (transition period). Ovulatory responses to biostimulation were characterized from serum progesterone, as well as the delay for response (first and second ovulations followed by a normal length luteal phase, O-WNLP). The percentage of goats showing one O-WNLP was greater in the high BMI group than in the low BMI group and greater during the transition period than in the mid-anestrus. However, the interaction between factors revealed that the difference between BMI groups was only significant in the transition period and the difference between stages was only significant in goats with high BMI. Occurrence of a second O-WNLP tended to be greater in the high BMI group than in the low BMI group. Response delay was shorter in the transition period than in mid-anestrus. In conclusion, female nutritional status interacting with the stage of anestrus determined the ovulatory response to male biostimulation in crossbred Criollo goats. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Exploring the interaction between Salvia miltiorrhiza and human serum albumin: Insights from herb-drug interaction reports, computational analysis and experimental studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Xin; Ai, Ni; Xu, Donghang; Fan, Xiaohui

2016-05-01

Human serum albumin (HSA) binding is one of important pharmacokinetic properties of drug, which is closely related to in vivo distribution and may ultimately influence its clinical efficacy. Compared to conventional drug, limited information on this transportation process is available for medicinal herbs, which significantly hampers our understanding on their pharmacological effects, particularly when herbs and drug are co-administrated as polytherapy to the ailment. Several lines of evidence suggest the existence of Salvia miltiorrhiza-Warfarin interaction. Since Warfarin is highly HSA bound in the plasma with selectivity to site I, it is critical to evaluate the possibility of HSA-related herb-drug interaction. Herein an integrated approach was employed to analyze the binding of chemicals identified in S. miltiorrhiza to HSA. Molecular docking simulations revealed filtering criteria for HSA site I compounds that include docking score and key molecular determinants for binding. For eight representative ingredients from the herb, their affinity and specificity to HSA site I was measured and confirmed fluorometrically, which helps to improve the knowledge of interaction mechanisms between this herb and HSA. Our results indicated that several compounds in S. miltiorrhiza were capable of decreasing the binding constant of Warfarin to HSA site I significantly, which may increase free drug concentration in vivo, contributing to the herb-drug interaction observed clinically. Furthermore, the significance of HSA mediated herb-drug interactions was further implied by manual mining on the published literatures on S. miltiorrhiza.

Analytical and experimental investigation of rubbing interaction in labyrinth seals for a liquid hydrogen fuel pump. [space shuttle main engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolan, F. X.; Kennedy, F. E.; Schulson, E. M.

1984-01-01

Cracking of the titanium knife edges on the labyrinth seals of the liquid hydrogen fuel pump in the Space Shuttle main engine is considered. Finite element analysis of the thermal response of the knife edge in sliding contact with the wear ring surface shows that interfacial temperatures can be quite high and they are significantly influenced by the thermal conductivity of the surfaces in rubbing contact. Thermal shock experiments on a test specimen similar to the knife edge geometry demonstrate that cracking of the titanium alloy is possible in a situation involving repeated thermal cycles over a wide temperature range, as might be realized during a rub in the liquid hydrogen fuel pump. High-speed rub interaction tests were conducted using a representative knife edge and seal geometry over a broad range of interaction rates and alternate materials were experimentally evaluated. Plasma-sprayed aluminum-graphite was found to be significantly better than presently used aluminum alloy seals from the standpoint of rub performance. Ion nitriding the titanium alloy knife-edges also improved rub performance compared to the untreated baseline.

Preliminary study of the interactions caused by crossing shock waves and a turbulent boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ketchum, A. C.; Bogdonoff, S. M.; Fernando, E. M.; Batcho, P. F.

1989-01-01

The subject research, the first phase of an extended study of the interaction of crossing shock waves with a turbulent boundary layer, has revealed the complexity of the resulting flow. Detailed surface visualization and mean wall static pressure distributions show little resemblance to the inviscid flow approximation, and the exploratory high frequency measurements show that the flow downstream of the theoretical inviscid shock crossing position has a significant unsteady characteristic. Further developments of the (unsteady) high frequency measurements are required to fully characterize the unsteadiness and the requirements to include this component in flowfield modeling.

Interactions between Nitrogen and Silicon in Rice and Their Effects on Resistance toward the Brown Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

PubMed Central

Wu, Xiaoying; Yu, Yaoguang; Baerson, Scott R.; Song, Yuanyuan; Liang, Guohua; Ding, Chaohui; Niu, Jinbo; Pan, Zhiqiang; Zeng, Rensen

2017-01-01

Nitrogen (N) and silicon (Si) are two important nutritional elements required for plant growth, and both impact host plant resistance toward insect herbivores. The interaction between the two elements may therefore play a significant role in determining host plant resistance. We investigated this interaction in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its effect on resistance to the herbivore brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (BPH). Our results indicate that high-level (5.76 mM) N fertilization reduced Si accumulation in rice leaves, and furthermore, this decrease was likely due to decreased expression of Si transporters OsLsi1 and OsLsi2. Conversely, reduced N accumulation was observed at high N fertilization levels when Si was exogenously provided, and this was associated with down-regulation of OsAMT1;1 and OsGS1;1, which are involved in ammonium uptake and assimilation, respectively. Under lower N fertilization levels (0.72 and/or 1.44 mM), Si amendment resulted in increased OsNRT1:1, OsGS2, OsFd-GOGAT, OsNADH-GOGAT2, and OsGDH2 expression. Additionally, bioassays revealed that high N fertilization level significantly decreased rice resistance to BPH, and the opposite effect was observed when Si was provided. These results provide additional insight into the antagonistic interaction between Si and N accumulation in rice, and the effects on plant growth and susceptibility to herbivores. PMID:28167952

Internet Addiction Based on Personality Characteristics of High School Students in Kerman, Iran

PubMed Central

Zamani, Bibi Eshrat; Abedini, Yasamin; Kheradmand, Ali

2011-01-01

Background The new phenomenon of Internet addiction among teenagers and young adults is one of the modern addictions in industrial and post-industrial societies. The purpose of this research was to predict the Internet addiction based on the personality characteristics of high school students in Kerman. Methods This research was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population included 538 male and female students in the second grade of high school in Kerman during 2010. The subjects were randomly selected by multistage clustering. Data was collected by two questionnaires including the five-factor Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the Internet dependency questionnaire. The data was analyzed using ANOVA test and multivariable regression analysis. Findings The findings showed a significant relationship between the personality trait of emotional stability and academic fields, i.e. students with higher emotional stability experience less negative emotions when confronting with problems. Therefore, it is less likely for them to alleviate the negative emotions by the extreme and obsessed usage of the Internet. In addition, it appears that the students with high extroversion scores prefer social, face to face interactions with other people to interaction with the virtual world. Conversely, more introvert students avoid interactions with other people due to their shyness. Thus, they communicate with the virtual world more. Conclusion Three personality traits of loyalty, emotional stability, and extroversion are the most significant predictors of Internet addiction in high school students. PMID:24494121

The effects of teacher anxiety and modeling on the acquisition of a science teaching skill and concomitant student performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koran, John J., Jr.; Koran, Mary Lou

In a study designed to explore the effects of teacher anxiety and modeling on acquisition of a science teaching skill and concomitant student performance, 69 preservice secondary teachers and 295 eighth grade students were randomly assigned to microteaching sessions. Prior to microteaching, teachers were given an anxiety test, then randomly assigned to one of three treatments; a transcript model, a protocol model, or a control condition. Subsequently both teacher and student performance was assessed using written and behavioral measures. Analysis of variance indicated that subjects in the two modeling treatments significantly exceeded performance of control group subjects on all measures of the dependent variable, with the protocol model being generally superior to the transcript model. The differential effects of the modeling treatments were further reflected in student performance. Regression analysis of aptitude-treatment interactions indicated that teacher anxiety scores interacted significantly with instructional treatments, with high anxiety teachers performing best in the protocol modeling treatment. Again, this interaction was reflected in student performance, where students taught by highly anxious teachers performed significantly better when their teachers had received the protocol model. These results were discussed in terms of teacher concerns and a memory model of the effects of anxiety on performance.

Alcohol produces distinct hepatic lipidome and eicosanoid signature in lean and obese.

PubMed

Puri, Puneet; Xu, Jun; Vihervaara, Terhi; Katainen, Riikka; Ekroos, Kim; Daita, Kalyani; Min, Hae-Ki; Joyce, Andrew; Mirshahi, Faridoddin; Tsukamoto, Hidekazu; Sanyal, Arun J

2016-06-01

Alcohol- and obesity-related liver diseases often coexist. The hepatic lipidomics due to alcohol and obesity interaction is unknown. We characterized the hepatic lipidome due to 1) alcohol consumption in lean and obese mice and 2) obesity and alcohol interactions. In the French-Tsukamoto mouse model, intragastric alcohol or isocaloric dextrose were fed with either chow (lean) or high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (obese). Four groups (lean, lean alcohol, obese, and obese alcohol) were studied. MS was performed for hepatic lipidomics, and data were analyzed. Alcohol significantly increased hepatic cholesteryl esters and diacyl-glycerol in lean and obese but was more pronounced in obese. Alcohol produced contrasting changes in hepatic phospholipids with significant enrichment in lean mice versus significant decrease in obese mice, except phosphatidylglycerol, which was increased in both lean and obese alcohol groups. Most lysophospholipids were increased in lean alcohol and obese mice without alcohol use only. Prostaglandin E2; 5-, 8-, and 11-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids; and 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids were considerably increased in obese mice with alcohol use. Alcohol consumption produced distinct changes in lean and obese with profound effects of obesity and alcohol interaction on proinflammatory and oxidative stress-related eicosanoids. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Changes in divergence-free grid turbulence interacting with a weak spherical shock wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitamura, T.; Nagata, K.; Sakai, Y.; Sasoh, A.; Ito, Y.

2017-06-01

The characteristics of divergence-free grid turbulence interacting with a weak spherical shock wave with a Mach number of 1.05 are experimentally investigated. Turbulence-generating grids are used to generate nearly isotropic, divergence-free turbulence. The turbulent Reynolds number based on the Taylor microscale R eλ and the turbulent Mach number Mt are 49 ≤R eλ≤159 and 0.709 × 1 0-3≤Mt≤2.803 ×1 0-3, respectively. A spherical shock wave is generated by a diaphragmless shock tube. The instantaneous streamwise velocity before and after the interaction is measured by a hot wire probe. The results show that the root-mean-square value of streamwise velocity fluctuations (r.m.s velocity) increases and the streamwise integral length scale decreases after the interaction. The changes in the r.m.s velocity become small with the increase in R eλ and Mt for the same strength of the shock wave. This tendency is similar to that of the streamwise integral length scale. The continuous wavelet analysis shows that high intensity appears mainly in the low-frequency region and positive and negative wavelet coefficients appear periodically in time before the interaction, whereas such high intensity appears in both the low- and high-frequency regions after the interaction. The spectral analysis reveals that the energy at high wavenumbers increases after the interaction. The change in turbulence after the interaction is explained from the viewpoint of the initial turbulent Mach number. It is suggested that the change is more significant for initial divergence-free turbulence than for curl-free turbulence.

Sex-specific genotype-by-environment interactions for cuticular hydrocarbon expression in decorated crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus: implications for the evolution of signal reliability.

PubMed

Weddle, C B; Mitchell, C; Bay, S K; Sakaluk, S K; Hunt, J

2012-10-01

Phenotypic traits that convey information about individual identity or quality are important in animal social interactions, and the degree to which such traits are influenced by environmental variation can have profound effects on the reliability of these cues. Using inbred genetic lines of the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, we manipulated diet quality to test how the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles of males and females respond across two different nutritional rearing environments. There were significant differences between lines in the CHC profiles of females, but the effect of diet was not quite statistically significant. There was no significant genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI), suggesting that environmental effects on phenotypic variation in female CHCs are independent of genotype. There was, however, a significant effect of GEI for males, with changes in both signal quantity and content, suggesting that environmental effects on phenotypic expression of male CHCs are dependent on genotype. The differential response of male and female CHC expression to variation in the nutritional environment suggests that these chemical cues may be under sex-specific selection for signal reliability. Female CHCs show the characteristics of reliable cues of identity: high genetic variability, low condition dependence and a high degree of genetic determination. This supports earlier work showing that female CHCs are used in self-recognition to identify previous mates and facilitate polyandry. In contrast, male CHCs show the characteristics of reliable cues of quality: condition dependence and a relatively higher degree of environmental determination. This suggests that male CHCs are likely to function as cues of underlying quality during mate choice and/or male dominance interactions. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2012 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Interactive relations of type 2 diabetes and abdominal obesity to cognitive impairment: A cross-sectional study in rural area of Xi'an in China.

PubMed

Li, Yanbo; Shang, Suhang; Fei, Yulang; Chen, Chen; Jiang, Yu; Dang, Liangjun; Liu, Jie; Ma, Louyan; Wei, Meng; Qu, Qiumin

2018-01-01

Type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are frequently comorbid, have been associated with cognitive impairment. We aim to examine the potential modulating effect between obesity and diabetes on cognitive impairment. We recruited 865 adults (aged ≥55years) lived in a village of Xi'an in China from October 2014 to March 2015. All participants underwent biomedical and neuropsychological assessment. Relations of diabetes and abdominal obesity to cognitive impairment were examined in multiple regression models. A total of 155 participants (17.9%) presented with the diagnosis of cognitive impairment. Diabetes or obesity alone wasn't significantly associated with cognitive impairment. Interaction analysis showed a significant interaction between abdominal obesity and diabetes on cognitive impairment. Stratified multivariate analysis revealed that the association between diabetes and cognitive impairment was positive in participants with abdominal obesity (OR 2.436, 95% CI 1.345-4.411, p=0.003, in diabetics with high WC, and OR 2.348, 95% CI 1.373-4.014, p=0.002, in diabetics with high WHR), but negative in those without abdominal obesity. Type 2 diabetes interacts with abdominal obesity to be associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment by more than two times. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Approach for describing spatial dynamics of quantum light-matter interaction in dispersive dissipative media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zyablovsky, A. A.; Andrianov, E. S.; Nechepurenko, I. A.; Dorofeenko, A. V.; Pukhov, A. A.; Vinogradov, A. P.

2017-05-01

Solving the challenging problem of the amplification and generation of an electromagnetic field in nanostructures enables us to implement many properties of the electromagnetic field at the nanoscale in practical applications. A first-principles quantum-mechanical consideration of such a problem is sufficiently restricted by the exponentially large number of degrees of freedom and does not allow the electromagnetic-field dynamics to be described if it involves a high number of interacting atoms and modes of the electromagnetic field. Conversely, the classical description of electromagnetic fields is incorrect at the nanoscale due to the high level of quantum fluctuations connected to high dissipation and noise levels. In this paper, we develop a framework with a significantly reduced number of degrees of freedom, which describes the quantum spatial dynamics of electromagnetic fields interacting with atoms. As an example, we consider the interaction between atoms placed in a metallic subwavelength groove and demonstrate that a spontaneously excited electromagnetic pulse propagates with the group velocity. The developed approach may be exploited to describe nonuniform amplification and propagation of electromagnetic fields in arbitrary dispersive dissipative systems.

The Effects of Parental Acculturation and Parenting Practices on the Substance Use of Mexican-Heritage Adolescents from Southwestern Mexican Neighborhoods

PubMed Central

MARSIGLIA, FLAVIO F.; NAGOSHI, JULIE L.; PARSAI, MONICA; CASTRO, FELIPE GONZÁLEZ

2014-01-01

A sample of 189 Mexican-heritage seventh grade adolescents reported their substance use, while one of the child’s parents reported parent’s acculturation and communication, involvement, and positive parenting with his or her child. Higher levels of parental acculturation predicted greater marijuana use, whereas parent communication predicted lower cigarette and marijuana use among girls. A significant parent acculturation by parent communication interaction for cigarette use was due to parent communication being highly negatively associated with marijuana use for high acculturated parents, with attenuated effects for low acculturated parents. A significant child gender by parent acculturation by parent positive parenting interaction was found. For girls, positive parenting had a stronger association with lower cigarette use for high acculturated parents. For boys, positive parenting had a stronger association with reduced cigarette use for low acculturated parents. Discussion focuses on how acculturation and gender impact family processes among Mexican-heritage adolescents. PMID:25176121

Effects of number of ply, compression temperature, pressure and time on mechanical properties of prepreg kenaf-polypropilene composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomo, H. S. S.; Ujianto, O.; Rizal, R.; Pratama, Y.

2017-07-01

Composite material thermoplastic was prepared from polypropilen granule as matrix, kenaf fiber as reinforcement and grafted polypropylene copolymer maleic anhydride as coupling agent. Composite products were produced as sandwich structures using compression molding. This research aimed to observe the influence of number of ply, temperature, pressure, and compression time using factorial design. Effects of variables on tensile and flexural strength were analyzed. Experimental results showed that tensile and flexural strength were influenced by degradation, fiber compaction, and matrix - fiber interaction mechanisms. Flexural strength was significantly affected by number of ply and its interaction to another process parameters (temperature, pressure, and compression time), but no significant effect of process parameters on tensile strength. The highest tensile strength (62.0 MPa) was produced at 3 ply, 210 °C, 50 Bar, and 3 min compression time (low, high, high, low), while the highest flexural strength (80.3 MPa) was produced at 3 ply, 190 °C, 50 Bar, and 3 min compression time (low, low, high, low).

Specular reflectivity and hot-electron generation in high-contrast relativistic laser-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, Gregory Elijah

Ultra-intense laser (> 1018 W/cm2) interactions with matter are capable of producing relativistic electrons which have a variety of applications in state-of-the-art scientific and medical research conducted at universities and national laboratories across the world. Control of various aspects of these hot-electron distributions is highly desired to optimize a particular outcome. Hot-electron generation in low-contrast interactions, where significant amounts of under-dense pre-plasma are present, can be plagued by highly non-linear relativistic laser-plasma instabilities and quasi-static magnetic field generation, often resulting in less than desirable and predictable electron source characteristics. High-contrast interactions offer more controlled interactions but often at the cost of overall lower coupling and increased sensitivity to initial target conditions. An experiment studying the differences in hot-electron generation between high and low-contrast pulse interactions with solid density targets was performed on the Titan laser platform at the Jupiter Laser Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA. To date, these hot-electrons generated in the laboratory are not directly observable at the source of the interaction. Instead, indirect studies are performed using state-of-the-art simulations, constrained by the various experimental measurements. These measurements, more-often-than-not, rely on secondary processes generated by the transport of these electrons through the solid density materials which can susceptible to a variety instabilities and target material/geometry effects. Although often neglected in these types of studies, the specularly reflected light can provide invaluable insight as it is directly influenced by the interaction. In this thesis, I address the use of (personally obtained) experimental specular reflectivity measurements to indirectly study hot-electron generation in the context of high-contrast, relativistic laser-plasma interactions. Spatial, temporal and spectral properties of the incident and specular pulses, both near and far away from the interaction region where experimental measurements are obtained, are used to benchmark simulations designed to infer dominant hot-electron acceleration mechanisms and their corresponding energy/angular distributions. To handle this highly coupled interaction, I employed particle-in-cell modeling using a wide variety of algorithms (verified to be numerically stable and consistent with analytic expressions) and physical models (validated by experimental results) to reasonably model the interaction's sweeping range of plasma densities, temporal and spatial scales, electromagnetic wave propagation and its interaction with solid density matter. Due to the fluctuations in the experimental conditions and limited computational resources, only a limited number of full-scale simulations were performed under typical experimental conditions to infer the relevant physical phenomena in the interactions. I show the usefulness of the often overlooked specular reflectivity measurements in constraining both high and low-contrast simulations, as well as limitations of their experimental interpretations. Using these experimental measurements to reasonably constrain the simulation results, I discuss the sensitivity of relativistic electron generation in ultra-intense laser plasma interactions to initial target conditions and the dynamic evolution of the interaction region.

Modeling Membrane Deformations and Lipid Demixing upon Protein-Membrane Interaction: The BAR Dimer Adsorption

PubMed Central

Khelashvili, George; Harries, Daniel; Weinstein, Harel

2009-01-01

We use a self-consistent mean-field theory, designed to investigate membrane reshaping and lipid demixing upon interaction with proteins, to explore BAR domains interacting with large patches of lipid membranes of heterogeneous compositions. The computational model includes contributions to the system free energy from electrostatic interactions and elastic energies of the membrane, as well as salt and lipid mixing entropies. The results from our simulation of a single adsorbing Amphiphysin BAR dimer indicate that it is capable of stabilizing a significantly curved membrane. However, we predict that such deformations will occur only for membrane patches that have the inherent propensity for high curvature, reflected in the tendency to create local distortions that closely match the curvature of the BAR dimer itself. Such favorable preconditioning for BAR-membrane interaction may be the result of perturbations such as local lipid demixing induced by the interaction, or of a prior insertion of the BAR domain's amphiphatic N-helix. From our simulations it appears that local segregation of charged lipids under the influence of the BAR dimer cannot produce high enough asymmetry between bilayer leaflets to induce significant bending. In the absence of additional energy contributions that favor membrane asymmetry, the membrane will remain nearly flat upon single BAR dimer adsorption, relative to the undulation expected from thermal fluctuations. Thus, we conclude that the N-helix insertions have a critical mechanistic role in the local perturbation and curving of the membrane, which is then stabilized by the electrostatic interaction with the BAR dimer. We discuss how these results can be used to estimate the tendency of BARs to bend membranes in terms of a spatially nonisotropic spontaneous curvature. PMID:19751667

A numerical study of fundamental shock noise mechanisms. Ph.D. Thesis - Cornell Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meadows, Kristine R.

1995-01-01

The results of this thesis demonstrate that direct numerical simulation can predict sound generation in unsteady aerodynamic flows containing shock waves. Shock waves can be significant sources of sound in high speed jet flows, on helicopter blades, and in supersonic combustion inlets. Direct computation of sound permits the prediction of noise levels in the preliminary design stage and can be used as a tool to focus experimental studies, thereby reducing cost and increasing the probability of a successfully quiet product in less time. This thesis reveals and investigates two mechanisms fundamental to sound generation by shocked flows: shock motion and shock deformation. Shock motion is modeled by the interaction of a sound wave with a shock. During the interaction, the shock wave begins to move and the sound pressure is amplified as the wave passes through the shock. The numerical approach presented in this thesis is validated by the comparison of results obtained in a quasi-one dimensional simulation with linear theory. Analysis of the perturbation energy demonstrated for the first time that acoustic energy is generated by the interaction. Shock deformation is investigated by the numerical simulation of a ring vortex interacting with a shock. This interaction models the passage of turbulent structures through the shock wave. The simulation demonstrates that both acoustic waves and contact surfaces are generated downstream during the interaction. Analysis demonstrates that the acoustic wave spreads cylindrically, that the sound intensity is highly directional, and that the sound pressure level increases significantly with increasing shock strength. The effect of shock strength on sound pressure level is consistent with experimental observations of shock noise, indicating that the interaction of a ring vortex with a shock wave correctly models a dominant mechanism of shock noise generation.

A high-resolution human contact network for infectious disease transmission

PubMed Central

Salathé, Marcel; Kazandjieva, Maria; Lee, Jung Woo; Levis, Philip; Feldman, Marcus W.; Jones, James H.

2010-01-01

The most frequent infectious diseases in humans—and those with the highest potential for rapid pandemic spread—are usually transmitted via droplets during close proximity interactions (CPIs). Despite the importance of this transmission route, very little is known about the dynamic patterns of CPIs. Using wireless sensor network technology, we obtained high-resolution data of CPIs during a typical day at an American high school, permitting the reconstruction of the social network relevant for infectious disease transmission. At 94% coverage, we collected 762,868 CPIs at a maximal distance of 3 m among 788 individuals. The data revealed a high-density network with typical small-world properties and a relatively homogeneous distribution of both interaction time and interaction partners among subjects. Computer simulations of the spread of an influenza-like disease on the weighted contact graph are in good agreement with absentee data during the most recent influenza season. Analysis of targeted immunization strategies suggested that contact network data are required to design strategies that are significantly more effective than random immunization. Immunization strategies based on contact network data were most effective at high vaccination coverage. PMID:21149721

Differential emotional processing in concrete and abstract words.

PubMed

Yao, Bo; Keitel, Anne; Bruce, Gillian; Scott, Graham G; O'Donnell, Patrick J; Sereno, Sara C

2018-02-12

Emotion (positive and negative) words are typically recognized faster than neutral words. Recent research suggests that emotional valence, while often treated as a unitary semantic property, may be differentially represented in concrete and abstract words. Studies that have explicitly examined the interaction of emotion and concreteness, however, have demonstrated inconsistent patterns of results. Moreover, these findings may be limited as certain key lexical variables (e.g., familiarity, age of acquisition) were not taken into account. We investigated the emotion-concreteness interaction in a large-scale, highly controlled lexical decision experiment. A 3 (Emotion: negative, neutral, positive) × 2 (Concreteness: abstract, concrete) design was used, with 45 items per condition and 127 participants. We found a significant interaction between emotion and concreteness. Although positive and negative valenced words were recognized faster than neutral words, this emotion advantage was significantly larger in concrete than in abstract words. We explored potential contributions of participant alexithymia level and item imageability to this interactive pattern. We found that only word imageability significantly modulated the emotion-concreteness interaction. While both concrete and abstract emotion words are advantageously processed relative to comparable neutral words, the mechanisms of this facilitation are paradoxically more dependent on imageability in abstract words. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding climate-hydrologic-human interactions to guide groundwater model development for Southern High Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Ogallala aquifer is the only reliable source of water in the southern High Plains (SHP) region of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Groundwater availability has fostered a strong agricultural economy that has a significant impact on global food security. Groundwater models that not only capture ...

There Is an "I" in TEAM: Narcissism and Social Loafing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodman, Tim; Roberts, Ross; Hardy, Lew; Callow, Nichola; Rogers, Catherine H.

2011-01-01

We investigated narcissism as a moderator of social loafing on a physical performance task. High and low narcissistic individuals twice performed a cycling task in same-sex teams of three: once when identifiability was low; and once when identifiability was high. A significant interaction between narcissism and identifiability was revealed, F(1,…

Adolescent Gender Differences in Alcohol Problem Behaviors and the Social Contexts of Drinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treiman, Katherine A.; Beck, Kenneth H.

1996-01-01

This study of over 1300 high school students examined gender differences in the social context of drinking associated with 4 alcohol problem behaviors (high intensity drinking, binge drinking, driving while intoxicated, and riding with an intoxicated driver). Student surveys revealed significant multivariate interaction effects between gender and…

Fire-severity effects on plant-fungal interactions after a novel tundra wildfire disturbance: implications for arctic shrub and tree migration

Treesearch

Rebecca E. Hewitt; Teresa N. Hollingsworth; F. Stuart Chapin III; D. Lee Taylor

2016-01-01

Background: Vegetation change in high latitude tundra ecosystems is expected to accelerate due to increased wildfire activity. High-severity fires increase the availability of mineral soil seedbeds, which facilitates recruitment, yet fire also alters soil microbial composition, which could significantly impact seedling establishment.

Experimental studies of transpiration cooling with shock interaction in hypersonic flow, part B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holden, Michael S.

1994-01-01

This report describes the result of experimental studies conducted to examine the effects of the impingement of an oblique shock on the flowfield and surface characteristics of a transpiration-cooled wall in turbulent hypersonic flow. The principal objective of this work was to determine whether the interaction between the oblique shock and the low-momentum region of the transpiration-cooled boundary layer created a highly distorted flowfield and resulted in a significant reduction in the cooling effectiveness of the transpiration-cooled surface. As a part of this program, we also sought to determine the effectiveness of transpiration cooling with nitrogen and helium injectants for a wide range of blowing rates under constant-pressure conditions in the absence of shock interaction. This experimental program was conducted in the Calspan 48-Inch Shock Tunnel at nominal Mach numbers of 6 and 8, for a Reynolds number of 7.5 x 10(exp 6). For these test conditions, we obtained fully turbulent boundary layers upstream of the interaction regions over the transpiration-cooled segment of the flat plate. The experimental program was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, we examined the effects of mass-addition level and coolant properties on the cooling effectiveness of transpiration-cooled surfaces in the absence of shock interaction. In the second phase of the program, we examined the effects of oblique shock impingement on the flowfield and surface characteristics of a transpiration-cooled surface. The studies were conducted for a range of shock strengths with nitrogen and helium coolants to examine how the distribution of heat transfer and pressure and the characteristics of the flowfield in the interaction region varied with shock strength and the level of mass addition from the transpiration-cooled section of the model. The effects of the distribution of the blowing rate along the interaction regions were also examined for a range of blowing rates through the transpiration-cooled panels. The regions of shockwave/boundary layer interaction examined in these studies were induced by oblique shocks generated with a sharp, flat plate, inclined to the freestream at angles of 5 degrees, 7.5 degrees, and 10 degrees. It was found that, in the absence of an incident shock, transpiration cooling was a very effective method for reducing both the heat transfer and the skin friction loads on the surface. The helium coolant was found to be significantly more effective than nitrogen, because of its low molecular weight and high specific heat. The studies of shock-wave/transpiration-cooled surface interaction demonstrated that the interaction region between the incident shock and the low-momentum transpiration-cooled boundary layer did not result in a significant increase in the size of attached or separated interaction regions, and did not result in significant flowfield distortions above the interaction region. The increase in heating downstream of the shock-impingement point could easily be reduced to the values without shock impingement by a relatively small increase in the transpiration cooling in this region. Surprisingly, this increase in cooling rate did not result in a significant increase in size of the region ahead of the incident shock or create a significantly enlarged interaction region with a resultant increase in the distortion level in the inviscid flow. Thus, transpiration cooling appears to be a very effective technique to cool the internal surfaces of scramjet engines, where shocks in the engine would induce large local increases in wall heating and create viscous/inviscid interactions that could significantly disturb the smooth flow through the combustor. However, if hydrogen is used as the coolant, burning upstream of shock impingement might result in localized hot spots. Clearly, further research is needed in this area.

Stomach cancer in 67 Chinese counties: evidence of interaction between salt consumption and helicobacter pylori infection.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoqin; Terry, Paul; Yan, Hong

2008-01-01

To examine the interaction between salt-intake and helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in the development of stomach cancer in an ecological study of 67 Chinese rural counties. Stomach cancer mortality data of 67 counties were derived from a national survey conducted in China between 1986 and 1988. Information regarding the prevalence of H. pylori infection and urinary sodium excretion were collected from the same individuals during a subsequent dietary survey in 1989. In these 67 counties, H. pylori prevalence and urinary sodium were correlated with stomach cancer mortality, with r=0.31 (p=0.01) and r=0.28 (p=0.03), respectively. After stratification, the significant correlation between H. pylori prevalence and stomach cancer mortality only existed in counties with high levels (> or =5.0 mg/mg creatinine/12-hour) of urinary sodium (r=0.5; p=0.002). Similarly, the significant correlation between urinary sodium and stomach cancer mortality was only presented in counties with high (> or =71.6%) H. pylori prevalence (r=0.4; p=0.017). Multivariate regression analysis showed results consistent with the correlation analysis. These findings suggest that there may be an interaction between high salt consumption and H .pylori infection in the development of stomach cancer. Corroborating data from epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies are needed.

Structural and thermodynamic consequences of burial of an artificial ion pair in the hydrophobic interior of a protein.

PubMed

Robinson, Aaron C; Castañeda, Carlos A; Schlessman, Jamie L; García-Moreno, E Bertrand

2014-08-12

An artificial charge pair buried in the hydrophobic core of staphylococcal nuclease was engineered by making the V23E and L36K substitutions. Buried individually, Glu-23 and Lys-36 both titrate with pKa values near 7. When buried together their pKa values appear to be normal. The ionizable moieties of the buried Glu-Lys pair are 2.6 Å apart. The interaction between them at pH 7 is worth 5 kcal/mol. Despite this strong interaction, the buried Glu-Lys pair destabilizes the protein significantly because the apparent Coulomb interaction is sufficient to offset the dehydration of only one of the two buried charges. Save for minor reorganization of dipoles and water penetration consistent with the relatively high dielectric constant reported by the buried ion pair, there is no evidence that the presence of two charges in the hydrophobic interior of the protein induces any significant structural reorganization. The successful engineering of an artificial ion pair in a highly hydrophobic environment suggests that buried Glu-Lys pairs in dehydrated environments can be charged and that it is possible to engineer charge clusters that loosely resemble catalytic sites in a scaffold protein with high thermodynamic stability, without the need for specialized structural adaptations.

Structural and thermodynamic consequences of burial of an artificial ion pair in the hydrophobic interior of a protein

PubMed Central

Robinson, Aaron C.; Castañeda, Carlos A.; Schlessman, Jamie L.; García-Moreno E., Bertrand

2014-01-01

An artificial charge pair buried in the hydrophobic core of staphylococcal nuclease was engineered by making the V23E and L36K substitutions. Buried individually, Glu-23 and Lys-36 both titrate with pKa values near 7. When buried together their pKa values appear to be normal. The ionizable moieties of the buried Glu–Lys pair are 2.6 Å apart. The interaction between them at pH 7 is worth 5 kcal/mol. Despite this strong interaction, the buried Glu–Lys pair destabilizes the protein significantly because the apparent Coulomb interaction is sufficient to offset the dehydration of only one of the two buried charges. Save for minor reorganization of dipoles and water penetration consistent with the relatively high dielectric constant reported by the buried ion pair, there is no evidence that the presence of two charges in the hydrophobic interior of the protein induces any significant structural reorganization. The successful engineering of an artificial ion pair in a highly hydrophobic environment suggests that buried Glu–Lys pairs in dehydrated environments can be charged and that it is possible to engineer charge clusters that loosely resemble catalytic sites in a scaffold protein with high thermodynamic stability, without the need for specialized structural adaptations. PMID:25074910

Potential interactions among linguistic, autonomic, and motor factors in speech.

PubMed

Kleinow, Jennifer; Smith, Anne

2006-05-01

Though anecdotal reports link certain speech disorders to increases in autonomic arousal, few studies have described the relationship between arousal and speech processes. Additionally, it is unclear how increases in arousal may interact with other cognitive-linguistic processes to affect speech motor control. In this experiment we examine potential interactions between autonomic arousal, linguistic processing, and speech motor coordination in adults and children. Autonomic responses (heart rate, finger pulse volume, tonic skin conductance, and phasic skin conductance) were recorded simultaneously with upper and lower lip movements during speech. The lip aperture variability (LA variability index) across multiple repetitions of sentences that varied in length and syntactic complexity was calculated under low- and high-arousal conditions. High arousal conditions were elicited by performance of the Stroop color word task. Children had significantly higher lip aperture variability index values across all speaking tasks, indicating more variable speech motor coordination. Increases in syntactic complexity and utterance length were associated with increases in speech motor coordination variability in both speaker groups. There was a significant effect of Stroop task, which produced increases in autonomic arousal and increased speech motor variability in both adults and children. These results provide novel evidence that high arousal levels can influence speech motor control in both adults and children. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pharmacokinetic interaction of enrofloxacin/trimethoprim combination following single-dose intraperitoneal and oral administration in rats.

PubMed

Choi, Myung-Jin; Yohannes, Sileshi Belew; Lee, Seung-Jin; Damte, Dereje; Kim, Jong-Choon; Suh, Joo-Won; Park, Seung-Chun

2014-03-01

The pharmacokinetic interaction of enrofloxacin and trimethoprim was evaluated after single-dose intraperitoneal or oral co-administration in rats. Plasma concentrations of the two drugs were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Following intraperitoneal combination, a significant (P < 0.05) increase in mean values of plasma half-life (t 1/2) and maximum plasma concentration (C max) was observed for enrofloxacin and trimethoprim, respectively. There was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in mean values of area under the plasma drug concentration versus time from time zero to infinity (AUC0-∞) and C max between combined oral doses (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg) of both antibacterial drugs. Also, after oral conjugation a significant difference in mean values of MRT0-∞ was observed between lower (10 mg/kg) and higher (100 mg/kg) doses of both drugs. A significant increase in pharmacokinetic parameters of both drugs in combined intraperitoneal and oral doses indicated pharmacokinetic interaction of enrofloxacin and trimethoprim. Further study is recommended in other species of animals.

Effect of a high protein diet and/or resistance exercise on the preservation of fat free mass during weight loss in overweight and obese older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Verreijen, Amely M; Engberink, Mariëlle F; Memelink, Robert G; van der Plas, Suzanne E; Visser, Marjolein; Weijs, Peter J M

2017-02-06

Intentional weight loss in obese older adults is a risk factor for accelerated muscle mass loss. We investigated whether a high protein diet and/or resistance exercise preserves fat free mass (FFM) during weight loss in overweight and obese older adults. We included 100 overweight and obese adults (55-80 year) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 2 × 2 factorial design and intention-to-treat analysis. During a 10-week weight loss program all subjects followed a hypocaloric diet. Subjects were randomly allocated to either a high protein (1.3 g/kg body weight) or normal protein diet (0.8 g/kg), with or without a resistance exercise program 3 times/week. FFM was assessed by air displacement plethysmography. At baseline, mean (±SD) BMI was 32 ± 4 kg/m 2 . During intervention, protein intake was 1.13 ± 0.35 g/kg in the high protein groups vs. 0.98 ± 0.29 in the normal protein groups, which reflects a 16.3 ± 5.2 g/d higher protein intake in the high protein groups. Both high protein diet and exercise did not significantly affect change in body weight, FFM and fat mass (FM). No significant protein*exercise interaction effect was observed for FFM. However, within-group analysis showed that high protein in combination with exercise significantly increased FFM (+0.6 ± 1.3 kg, p = 0.011). A high protein diet, though lower than targeted, did not significantly affect changes in FFM during modest weight loss in older overweight and obese adults. There was no significant interaction between the high protein diet and resistance exercise for change in FFM. However, only the group with the combined intervention of high protein diet and resistance exercise significantly increased in FFM. Dutch Trial Register, number NTR4556, date 05-01-2014.

Illuminating the dual-hormone hypothesis: About chronic dominance and the interaction of cortisol and testosterone.

PubMed

Pfattheicher, Stefan

2017-01-01

The dual-hormone hypothesis suggests that testosterone is positively associated with status-seeking tendencies such as aggression and dominance, particularly in individuals with low levels of cortisol. Although recent research supports the dual-hormone hypothesis, its boundary conditions under which the dual-hormone interaction is likely to emerge are not clearly understood. In the present study (N = 153), the dual-hormone hypothesis was empirically tested in the context of an economic game that included a decision whether to dominate another individual. We also examined whether the dual-hormone interaction is more likely to be found in individuals who are chronically prone to dominance tendencies. Results revealed a significant testosterone × cortisol interaction in line with the dual-hormone hypothesis. Additionally, the testosterone × cortisol interaction was only significant in individuals with a high level of chronic dominance. Overall, the present work suggests that chronic personality tendencies should be taken into account in order to explore (the boundary conditions) of hormone-behavior associations. Aggr. Behav. 43:85-92, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Role of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate in the pharmacokinetic interaction between nadolol and green tea in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Abe, Osamu; Ono, Tomoyuki; Sato, Hideyuki; Müller, Fabian; Ogata, Hiroshi; Miura, Itaru; Shikama, Yayoi; Yabe, Hirooki; Onoue, Satomi; Fromm, Martin F; Kimura, Junko; Misaka, Shingen

2018-06-01

The aim of the present study is to investigate a possible role of a single dose of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major catechin in green tea, for the pharmacokinetic interaction between green tea and nadolol in humans. In a randomized three-phase crossover study, 13 healthy volunteers received single doses of 30 mg nadolol orally with water (control), or an aqueous solution of EGCG-concentrated green tea extract (GTE) at low or high dose. Plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of nadolol were determined up to 48 h. In addition, blood pressure and pulse rate were monitored. In vitro transport kinetic experiments were performed using human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)1A2 to evaluate the inhibitory effect of EGCG on OATP1A2-mediated substrate transport. Single coadministration of low and high dose GTE significantly reduced the plasma concentrations of nadolol. The geometric mean ratios with 90% CI for area under the plasma concentration-time curves from 0 to infinity of nadolol were 0.72 (0.56-0.87) for the low and 0.60 (0.51-0.69) for the high dose. There were no significant differences in T max , elimination half-life, and renal clearance between GTE and water phases. No significant changes were observed for blood pressure and pulse rate between phases. EGCG competitively inhibited OATP1A2-mediated uptake of sulphobromophthalein and nadolol with K i values of 21.6 and 19.4 μM, respectively. EGCG is suggested to be a key contributor to the interaction of green tea with nadolol. Moreover, even a single coadministration of green tea may significantly affect nadolol pharmacokinetics.

Network topologies and convergent aetiologies arising from deletions and duplications observed in individuals with autism.

PubMed

Noh, Hyun Ji; Ponting, Chris P; Boulding, Hannah C; Meader, Stephen; Betancur, Catalina; Buxbaum, Joseph D; Pinto, Dalila; Marshall, Christian R; Lionel, Anath C; Scherer, Stephen W; Webber, Caleb

2013-06-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are highly heritable and characterised by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviours. Considering four sets of de novo copy number variants (CNVs) identified in 181 individuals with autism and exploiting mouse functional genomics and known protein-protein interactions, we identified a large and significantly interconnected interaction network. This network contains 187 genes affected by CNVs drawn from 45% of the patients we considered and 22 genes previously implicated in ASD, of which 192 form a single interconnected cluster. On average, those patients with copy number changed genes from this network possess changes in 3 network genes, suggesting that epistasis mediated through the network is extensive. Correspondingly, genes that are highly connected within the network, and thus whose copy number change is predicted by the network to be more phenotypically consequential, are significantly enriched among patients that possess only a single ASD-associated network copy number changed gene (p = 0.002). Strikingly, deleted or disrupted genes from the network are significantly enriched in GO-annotated positive regulators (2.3-fold enrichment, corrected p = 2×10(-5)), whereas duplicated genes are significantly enriched in GO-annotated negative regulators (2.2-fold enrichment, corrected p = 0.005). The direction of copy change is highly informative in the context of the network, providing the means through which perturbations arising from distinct deletions or duplications can yield a common outcome. These findings reveal an extensive ASD-associated molecular network, whose topology indicates ASD-relevant mutational deleteriousness and that mechanistically details how convergent aetiologies can result extensively from CNVs affecting pathways causally implicated in ASD.

Insights into the fold organization of TIM barrel from interaction energy based structure networks.

PubMed

Vijayabaskar, M S; Vishveshwara, Saraswathi

2012-01-01

There are many well-known examples of proteins with low sequence similarity, adopting the same structural fold. This aspect of sequence-structure relationship has been extensively studied both experimentally and theoretically, however with limited success. Most of the studies consider remote homology or "sequence conservation" as the basis for their understanding. Recently "interaction energy" based network formalism (Protein Energy Networks (PENs)) was developed to understand the determinants of protein structures. In this paper we have used these PENs to investigate the common non-covalent interactions and their collective features which stabilize the TIM barrel fold. We have also developed a method of aligning PENs in order to understand the spatial conservation of interactions in the fold. We have identified key common interactions responsible for the conservation of the TIM fold, despite high sequence dissimilarity. For instance, the central beta barrel of the TIM fold is stabilized by long-range high energy electrostatic interactions and low-energy contiguous vdW interactions in certain families. The other interfaces like the helix-sheet or the helix-helix seem to be devoid of any high energy conserved interactions. Conserved interactions in the loop regions around the catalytic site of the TIM fold have also been identified, pointing out their significance in both structural and functional evolution. Based on these investigations, we have developed a novel network based phylogenetic analysis for remote homologues, which can perform better than sequence based phylogeny. Such an analysis is more meaningful from both structural and functional evolutionary perspective. We believe that the information obtained through the "interaction conservation" viewpoint and the subsequently developed method of structure network alignment, can shed new light in the fields of fold organization and de novo computational protein design.

Hierarchical Interactions Model for Predicting Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Conversion

PubMed Central

Li, Han; Liu, Yashu; Gong, Pinghua; Zhang, Changshui; Ye, Jieping

2014-01-01

Identifying patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) who are likely to convert to dementia has recently attracted increasing attention in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. An accurate prediction of conversion from MCI to AD can aid clinicians to initiate treatments at early stage and monitor their effectiveness. However, existing prediction systems based on the original biosignatures are not satisfactory. In this paper, we propose to fit the prediction models using pairwise biosignature interactions, thus capturing higher-order relationship among biosignatures. Specifically, we employ hierarchical constraints and sparsity regularization to prune the high-dimensional input features. Based on the significant biosignatures and underlying interactions identified, we build classifiers to predict the conversion probability based on the selected features. We further analyze the underlying interaction effects of different biosignatures based on the so-called stable expectation scores. We have used 293 MCI subjects from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database that have MRI measurements at the baseline to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Our proposed method achieves better classification performance than state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, we discover several significant interactions predictive of MCI-to-AD conversion. These results shed light on improving the prediction performance using interaction features. PMID:24416143

Spectroscopy and Chemistry of Cold Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Takamasa

2012-06-01

Molecules at low temperatures are expected to behave quite differently from those at high temperatures because pronounced quantum effects emerge from thermal averages. Even at 10 K, a significant enhancement of reaction cross section is expected due to tunneling and resonance effects. Chemistry at this temperature is very important in order to understand chemical reactions in interstellar molecular clouds. At temperatures lower than 1 K, collisions and intermolecular interactions become qualitatively different from those at high temperatures because of the large thermal de Broglie wavelength of molecules. Collisions at these temperatures must be treated as the interference of molecular matter waves, but not as hard sphere collisions. A Bose-Einstein condensate is a significant state of matter as a result of coherent matter wave interaction. Especially, dense para-H_2 molecules are predicted to become a condensate even around 1 K. A convenient method to investigate molecules around 1 K is to dope molecules in cold matrices. Among various matrices, quantum hosts such as solid para-H_2 and superfluid He nano-droplets have been proven to be an excellent host for high-resolution spectroscopy. Rovibrational motion of molecules in these quantum hosts is well quantized on account of the weak interactions and the softness of quantum environment. The linewidths of infrared spectra of molecules in the quantum hosts are extremely narrow compared with those in other matrices. The sharp linewidths allow us to resolve fine spectral structures originated in subtle interactions between guest and host molecules. In this talk, I will describe how the splitting and lineshape of high-resolution spectra of molecules in quantum hosts give us new information on the static and dynamical interactions of molecules in quantum medium. The topics include dynamical response of superfluid environment upon rotational excitation, and possible superfluid phase of para-H_2 clusters. I will also describe our current efforts to make free cold molecules for the study of cold chemistry.

Interaction between physical activity, PITX1 rs647161 genetic polymorphism and colorectal cancer risk in a Korean population: a case-control study

PubMed Central

Gunathilake, Madhawa Neranjan; Lee, Jeonghee; Cho, Young Ae; Oh, Jae Hwan; Chang, Hee Jin; Sohn, Dae Kyung; Shin, Aesun; Kim, Jeongseon

2018-01-01

This study assessed the interaction between physical activity and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk based on a polymorphism in the paired-like homeodomain 1 (PITX1) gene in Koreans. In total, 923 cases and 1,846 controls were enrolled at the National Cancer Center, Korea. Subjects who did regular exercise showed a significantly reduced risk of CRC than those did not exercise regularly (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.30–0.45). Subjects in the highest tertile of metabolic equivalents of task (MET)-minutes per week showed a significantly lower risk of CRC (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.48–0.79, p-trend < 0.001). In the dominant model, minor allele carriers showed a significantly higher risk of CRC than subjects homozygous for the major allele (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.18–1.80). The PITX1 genetic variant showed significant interactions with regular exercise and CRC risk (p-interaction = 0.018) and colon cancer risk (p-interaction = 0.029) among all subjects. Subjects who carried at least one minor allele and did not regularly exercise showed a greater risk of CRC (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.37–2.41). Subjects who were homozygous for the major allele with high physical activity showed a significantly reduced risk of CRC (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.38–0.82). Thus, individuals with PITX1 genetic variants can have benefit from physical activity regarding prevention of CRC risk in a Korean population. PMID:29484135

Factors affecting the viscosity in high concentration solutions of different monoclonal antibodies.

PubMed

Yadav, Sandeep; Shire, Steven J; Kalonia, Devendra S

2010-12-01

The viscosity profiles of four different IgG(1) molecules were studied as a function of concentration at pH 6.0. At high concentrations, MAb-H and -A showed significantly higher viscosities as compared to MAb-G and -E. Zeta Potential (ξ) measurements showed that all the IgG(1) molecules carried a net positive charge at this pH. MAb-G showed the highest positive zeta potential followed by MAb-E, -H, and -A. A consistent interpretation of the impact of net charge on viscosity for these MAbs is not possible, suggesting that electroviscous effects cannot explain the differences in viscosity. Values of k(D) (dynamic light scattering) indicated that the intermolecular interactions were repulsive for MAb-E and -G; and attractive for MAb-H and -A. Solution storage modulus (G') in high concentration solutions was consistent with attractive intermolecular interactions for MAb-H and -A, and repulsive interactions for MAb-G and -E. Effect of salt addition on solution G' and k(D) indicated that the interactions were primarily electrostatic in nature. The concentration dependent viscosity data were analyzed using a modified Ross and Minton equation. The analysis explicitly differentiates between the effect of molecular shape, size, self-crowding, and electrostatic intermolecular interactions in governing high concentration viscosity behavior. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Electrostatic Forces as Dominant Interactions Between Proteins and Polyanions: an ESI MS Study of Fibroblast Growth Factor Binding to Heparin Oligomers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minsky, Burcu Baykal; Dubin, Paul L.; Kaltashov, Igor A.

2017-04-01

The interactions between fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors (FGFRs) are facilitated by heparan sulfate (HS) and heparin (Hp), highly sulfated biological polyelectrolytes. The molecular basis of FGF interactions with these polyelectrolytes is highly complex due to the structural heterogeneity of HS/Hp, and many details still remain elusive, especially the significance of charge density and minimal chain length of HS/Hp in growth factor recognition and multimerization. In this work, we use electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) to investigate the association of relatively homogeneous oligoheparins (octamer, dp8, and decamer, dp10) with acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1). This growth factor forms 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 protein/heparinoid complexes with both dp8 and dp10, and the fraction of bound protein is highly dependent on protein/heparinoid molar ratio. Multimeric complexes are preferentially formed on the highly sulfated Hp oligomers. Although a variety of oligomers appear to be binding-competent, there is a strong correlation between the affinity and the overall level of sulfation (the highest charge density polyanions binding FGF most strongly via multivalent interactions). These results show that the interactions between FGF-1 and Hp oligomers are primarily directed by electrostatics, and also demonstrate the power of ESI MS as a tool to study multiple binding equilibria between proteins and structurally heterogeneous polyanions.

Perceived effectiveness of fear appeals in AIDS education: relationship to ethnicity, gender, age, and group membership.

PubMed

Rhodes, F; Wolitski, R J

1990-01-01

A study was conducted with 261 community residents, college students, and intravenous drug users to investigate perceived effectiveness of fear appeals in AIDS education posters. Experimental posters with high-fear pictures portraying severe consequences of AIDS and low-fear posters that were neutral regarding disease severity were evaluated in terms of their perceived effectiveness in motivating people to use condoms. Posters also contained written messages communicating high and low levels of personal vulnerability and response efficacy. High-severity/fear posters were rated as significantly more effective than low-severity/fear posters (p less than .0001), but response efficacy and personal vulnerability were significant only in interaction with other variables (p less than .01). Age, gender, ethnicity, and group membership did not, in general, influence rated effectiveness. However, group membership and age were significant as interactions with severity/fear level and response efficacy, respectively (p less than .01). Subjects showed no differential preference for posters portraying individuals whose ethnicity was the same as their own. Findings confirmed previous research supporting the effectiveness of fear appeals and suggest that fear-oriented appeals may be effective in promoting changes in community norms and motivating individuals to adopt AIDS risk-reduction strategies.

Bacterial predator–prey dynamics in microscale patchy landscapes

PubMed Central

Rotem, Or; Jurkevitch, Edouard; Dekker, Cees

2016-01-01

Soil is a microenvironment with a fragmented (patchy) spatial structure in which many bacterial species interact. Here, we explore the interaction between the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and its prey Escherichia coli in microfabricated landscapes. We ask how fragmentation influences the prey dynamics at the microscale and compare two landscape geometries: a patchy landscape and a continuous landscape. By following the dynamics of prey populations with high spatial and temporal resolution for many generations, we found that the variation in predation rates was twice as large in the patchy landscape and the dynamics was correlated over shorter length scales. We also found that while the prey population in the continuous landscape was almost entirely driven to extinction, a significant part of the prey population in the fragmented landscape persisted over time. We observed significant surface-associated growth, especially in the fragmented landscape and we surmise that this sub-population is more resistant to predation. Our results thus show that microscale fragmentation can significantly influence bacterial interactions. PMID:26865299

Interactive Tools for Measuring Visual Scanning Performance and Reaction Time.

PubMed

Brooks, Johnell; Seeanner, Julia; Hennessy, Sarah; Manganelli, Joseph; Crisler, Matthew; Rosopa, Patrick; Jenkins, Casey; Anderson, Michael; Drouin, Nathalie; Belle, Leah; Truesdail, Constance; Tanner, Stephanie

Occupational therapists are constantly searching for engaging, high-technology interactive tasks that provide immediate feedback to evaluate and train clients with visual scanning deficits. This study examined the relationship between two tools: the VISION COACH™ interactive light board and the Functional Object Detection © (FOD) Advanced driving simulator scenario. Fifty-four healthy drivers, ages 21-66 yr, were divided into three age groups. Participants performed braking response and visual target (E) detection tasks of the FOD Advanced driving scenario, followed by two sets of three trials using the VISION COACH Full Field 60 task. Results showed no significant effect of age on FOD Advanced performance but a significant effect of age on VISION COACH performance. Correlations showed that participants' performance on both braking and E detection tasks were significantly positively correlated with performance on the VISION COACH (.37 < r < .40, p < .01). These tools provide new options for therapists. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Genetic sensitivity to emotional cues, racial discrimination and depressive symptoms among African–American adolescent females

PubMed Central

Sales, Jessica M.; Brown, Jennifer L.; Swartzendruber, Andrea L.; Smearman, Erica L.; Brody, Gene H.; DiClemente, Ralph

2015-01-01

Psychosocial stress, including stress resulting from racial discrimination (RD), has been associated with elevated depressive symptoms. However, individuals vary in their reactivity to stress, with some variability resulting from genetic differences. Specifically, genetic variation within the linked promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) is related to heightened reactivity to emotional environmental cues. Likewise, variations within this region may interact with stressful life events (e.g., discrimination) to influence depressive symptoms, but this has not been empirically examined in prior studies. The objective of this study was to examine whether variation in the 5-HTTLPR gene interacts with RD to predict depressive symptoms among a sample of African–American adolescent females. Participants were 304 African–American adolescent females enrolled in a sexually transmitted disease prevention trial. Participants completed a baseline survey assessing psychosocial factors including RD (low vs. high) and depressive symptomatology (low vs. high) and provided a saliva sample for genotyping the risk polymorphism 5-HTTLPR (s allele present vs. not present). In a logistic regression model adjusting for psychosocial correlates of depressive symptoms, an interaction between RD and 5-HTTLPR group was significantly associated with depressive symptomatology (AOR = 3.79, 95% CI: 1.20–11.98, p = 0.02). Follow-up tests found that high RD was significantly associated with greater odds of high depressive symptoms only for participants with the s allele. RD and 5-HTTLPR status interact to differentially impact depressive symptoms among African–American adolescent females. Efforts to decrease depression among minority youth should include interventions which address RD and strengthen factors (e.g., coping, emotion regulation, building support systems) which protect youth from the psychological costs of discrimination. PMID:26157407

Providing Access to Academic Content for High-School Students with Significant Intellectual Disability through Interactive Videos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evmenova, Anya S.; Graff, Heidi J.; Behrmann, Michael M.

2017-01-01

There has been a slight increase in the number of studies focused on the strategies used to introduce content-based instruction to students with moderate/severe disability. However, interventions for students with significant intellectual disability (ID) are lacking adapted materials to make instruction available in all major academic areas…

Investigation of migrant-polymer interaction in pharmaceutical packaging material using the linear interaction energy algorithm.

PubMed

Feenstra, Peter; Brunsteiner, Michael; Khinast, Johannes

2014-10-01

The interaction between drug products and polymeric packaging materials is an important topic in the pharmaceutical industry and often associated with high costs because of the required elaborative interaction studies. Therefore, a theoretical prediction of such interactions would be beneficial. Often, material parameters such as the octanol water partition coefficient are used to predict the partitioning of migrant molecules between a solvent and a polymeric packaging material. Here, we present the investigation of the partitioning of various migrant molecules between polymers and solvents using molecular dynamics simulations for the calculation of interaction energies. Our results show that the use of a model for the interaction between the migrant and the polymer at atomistic detail can yield significantly better results when predicting the polymer solvent partitioning than a model based on the octanol water partition coefficient. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Molecular dynamics approaches to the design and synthesis of PCB targeting molecularly imprinted polymers: interference to monomer-template interactions in imprinting of 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene.

PubMed

Cleland, Dougal; Olsson, Gustaf D; Karlsson, Björn C G; Nicholls, Ian A; McCluskey, Adam

2014-02-07

The interactions between each component of the pre-polymerisation mixtures used in the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) specific for 1,2,3,4,5-pentachlorobenzene (1) and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (2) were examined in four molecular dynamics simulations. These simulations revealed that the relative frequency of functional monomer-template (FM-T) interactions was consistent with results obtained by the synthesis and evaluation of the actual MIPs. The higher frequency of 1 interaction with trimethylstyrene (TMS; 54.7%) than 1 interaction with pentafluorostyrene (PFS; 44.7%) correlated with a higher imprinting factor (IF) of 2.1 vs. 1.7 for each functional monomer respectively. The higher frequency of PFS interactions with 2 (29.6%) than TMS interactions with 2 (1.9%) also correlated well with the observed differences in IF (3.7) of 2 MIPs imprinted using PFS as the FM than the IF (2.8) of 2 MIPs imprinted using TMS as the FM. The TMS-1 interaction dominated the molecular simulation due to high interaction energies, but the weaker TMS-2 resulted in low interaction maintenance, and thus lower IF values. Examination of the other pre-polymerisation mixture components revealed that the low levels of TMS-2 interaction was, in part, due to interference caused by the cross linker (CL) ethyleneglycol dimethylacrylate (EGDMA) interactions with TMS. The main reason was, however, attributed to MeOH interactions with TMS in both a hydrogen bond and perpendicular configuration. This positioned a MeOH directly above the π-orbital of all TMS for an average of 63.8% of MD2 creating significant interference to π-π stacking interactions between 2 and TMS. These findings are consistent with the deviation from the 'normal' molecularly imprinted polymer synthesis ratio of 1 : 4 : 20 (T : FM : CL) of 20 : 1 : 29 and 15 : 6 : 29 observed with 2 and TMS and PFS respectively. Our molecular dynamics simulations correctly predicted the high level of interference from other MIP synthesis components. The effect on PFS-1 interaction by MeOH was significantly lower and thus this system was not adversely affected.

APOA2, Dietary Fat and Body Mass Index: Replication of a Gene-Diet Interaction in Three Independent Populations

PubMed Central

Corella, Dolores; Peloso, Gina; Arnett, Donna K.; Demissie, Serkalem; Cupples, L Adrienne; Tucker, Katherine; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Parnell, Laurence D.; Coltell, Oscar; Lee, Yu-Chi; Ordovas, Jose M.

2010-01-01

Background Nutrigenetics studies the role of genetic variation on interactions between diet and health aimed at providing more personalized dietary advice. However, replication has been very low. Our aim was to study the interaction between a functional APOA2 polymorphism, food intake and body mass index (BMI) in independent populations to replicate findings and to increase their evidence level. Methods Cross-sectional, follow-up (20 years) and case-control analyses were undertaken in three independent populations. We analyzed gene-diet interactions between the APOA2 -265T>C polymorphism and saturated fat (SATFAT) intake on BMI and obesity in 3,462 subjects from three American populations: Framingham (1,454 Whites), GOLDN (1,078 Whites) and Boston-Puerto Rican studies (930 Hispanics of Caribbean origin). Results Prevalence of CC subjects ranged from 11-15%. We identified statistically significant interactions between the APOA2 -265T>C and SATFAT on BMI in all three populations. Thus, the magnitude of the difference in BMI between the CC and TT+TC subjects differed by SATFAT. A mean increase of 6.2% BMI (ranging from 4.3%-7.9%; P<0.05), was observed between genotypes with high (>=22g/d), but not with low SATFAT intake in all studies. Likewise, the CC genotype was significantly associated with higher obesity prevalence in all populations only in the high-SATFAT stratum. Meta-analysis estimations of obesity for CC compared with TT+TC subjects were: OR=1.84, 95%CI:1.38-2.47; P<0.0001 in the high-SATFAT stratum, but no association was detected in the low-SATFAT stratum (OR=0.81, 95%CI:0.59-1.11;P=0.181). Conclusions For the first time, a gene-diet interaction influencing BMI and obesity has been strongly and consistently replicated in three independent populations. PMID:19901143

Biomolecular interactions modulate macromolecular structure and dynamics in atomistic model of a bacterial cytoplasm

PubMed Central

Yu, Isseki; Mori, Takaharu; Ando, Tadashi; Harada, Ryuhei; Jung, Jaewoon; Sugita, Yuji; Feig, Michael

2016-01-01

Biological macromolecules function in highly crowded cellular environments. The structure and dynamics of proteins and nucleic acids are well characterized in vitro, but in vivo crowding effects remain unclear. Using molecular dynamics simulations of a comprehensive atomistic model cytoplasm we found that protein-protein interactions may destabilize native protein structures, whereas metabolite interactions may induce more compact states due to electrostatic screening. Protein-protein interactions also resulted in significant variations in reduced macromolecular diffusion under crowded conditions, while metabolites exhibited significant two-dimensional surface diffusion and altered protein-ligand binding that may reduce the effective concentration of metabolites and ligands in vivo. Metabolic enzymes showed weak non-specific association in cellular environments attributed to solvation and entropic effects. These effects are expected to have broad implications for the in vivo functioning of biomolecules. This work is a first step towards physically realistic in silico whole-cell models that connect molecular with cellular biology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19274.001 PMID:27801646

New Angles on Standard Force Fields: Toward a General Approach for Treating Atomic-Level Anisotropy

DOE PAGES

Van Vleet, Mary J.; Misquitta, Alston J.; Schmidt, J. R.

2017-12-21

Nearly all standard force fields employ the “sum-of-spheres” approximation, which models intermolecular interactions purely in terms of interatomic distances. Nonetheless, atoms in molecules can have significantly nonspherical shapes, leading to interatomic interaction energies with strong orientation dependencies. Neglecting this “atomic-level anisotropy” can lead to significant errors in predicting interaction energies. Herein, we propose a simple, transferable, and computationally efficient model (MASTIFF) whereby atomic-level orientation dependence can be incorporated into ab initio intermolecular force fields. MASTIFF includes anisotropic exchange-repulsion, charge penetration, and dispersion effects, in conjunction with a standard treatment of anisotropic long-range (multipolar) electrostatics. To validate our approach, we benchmarkmore » MASTIFF against various sum-of-spheres models over a large library of intermolecular interactions between small organic molecules. MASTIFF achieves quantitative accuracy, with respect to both high-level electronic structure theory and experiment, thus showing promise as a basis for “next-generation” force field development.« less

Interaction of fructose with other medium components to affect bioproduction of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manikan, Vidyah; Kalil, Mohd. Sahaid; Shuib, Shuwahida; Hamid, Aidil Abdul

2018-04-01

Thraustochytrids are a group of marine fungus-like microheterotrophs of which some can accumulate considerable amounts of the high valued omega-3 oil, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In this study, a local thraustochytrid isolate, Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1, was cultivated in a medium containing fructose as the major carbon source. The effects of this carbon source in interaction with yeast extract, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and sea salt were studied using a software-based two level full factorial design. Results showed that fructose as a single factor, has significant positive effect on the volumetric DHA content of SW1. Similarly, its interaction with yeast extract has profound positive effect. However, interactions of fructose with MSG and sea salt were significant negative effects. These results indicate that manipulation of the concentration of fructose in the culture medium may serve as a simple and useful strategy to help achieve preferred amount of DHA.

Prediction of allosteric sites and mediating interactions through bond-to-bond propensities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amor, B. R. C.; Schaub, M. T.; Yaliraki, S. N.; Barahona, M.

2016-08-01

Allostery is a fundamental mechanism of biological regulation, in which binding of a molecule at a distant location affects the active site of a protein. Allosteric sites provide targets to fine-tune protein activity, yet we lack computational methodologies to predict them. Here we present an efficient graph-theoretical framework to reveal allosteric interactions (atoms and communication pathways strongly coupled to the active site) without a priori information of their location. Using an atomistic graph with energy-weighted covalent and weak bonds, we define a bond-to-bond propensity quantifying the non-local effect of instantaneous bond fluctuations propagating through the protein. Significant interactions are then identified using quantile regression. We exemplify our method with three biologically important proteins: caspase-1, CheY, and h-Ras, correctly predicting key allosteric interactions, whose significance is additionally confirmed against a reference set of 100 proteins. The almost-linear scaling of our method renders it suitable for high-throughput searches for candidate allosteric sites.

Prediction of allosteric sites and mediating interactions through bond-to-bond propensities

PubMed Central

Amor, B. R. C.; Schaub, M. T.; Yaliraki, S. N.; Barahona, M.

2016-01-01

Allostery is a fundamental mechanism of biological regulation, in which binding of a molecule at a distant location affects the active site of a protein. Allosteric sites provide targets to fine-tune protein activity, yet we lack computational methodologies to predict them. Here we present an efficient graph-theoretical framework to reveal allosteric interactions (atoms and communication pathways strongly coupled to the active site) without a priori information of their location. Using an atomistic graph with energy-weighted covalent and weak bonds, we define a bond-to-bond propensity quantifying the non-local effect of instantaneous bond fluctuations propagating through the protein. Significant interactions are then identified using quantile regression. We exemplify our method with three biologically important proteins: caspase-1, CheY, and h-Ras, correctly predicting key allosteric interactions, whose significance is additionally confirmed against a reference set of 100 proteins. The almost-linear scaling of our method renders it suitable for high-throughput searches for candidate allosteric sites. PMID:27561351

New Angles on Standard Force Fields: Toward a General Approach for Treating Atomic-Level Anisotropy

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

Van Vleet, Mary J.; Misquitta, Alston J.; Schmidt, J. R.

Nearly all standard force fields employ the “sum-of-spheres” approximation, which models intermolecular interactions purely in terms of interatomic distances. Nonetheless, atoms in molecules can have significantly nonspherical shapes, leading to interatomic interaction energies with strong orientation dependencies. Neglecting this “atomic-level anisotropy” can lead to significant errors in predicting interaction energies. Herein, we propose a simple, transferable, and computationally efficient model (MASTIFF) whereby atomic-level orientation dependence can be incorporated into ab initio intermolecular force fields. MASTIFF includes anisotropic exchange-repulsion, charge penetration, and dispersion effects, in conjunction with a standard treatment of anisotropic long-range (multipolar) electrostatics. To validate our approach, we benchmarkmore » MASTIFF against various sum-of-spheres models over a large library of intermolecular interactions between small organic molecules. MASTIFF achieves quantitative accuracy, with respect to both high-level electronic structure theory and experiment, thus showing promise as a basis for “next-generation” force field development.« less

Tollmien-Schlichting/vortex interactions in compressible boundary layer flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blackaby, Nicholas D.

1993-01-01

The weakly nonlinear interaction of oblique Tollmien-Schlichting waves and longitudinal vortices in compressible, high Reynolds number, boundary-layer flow over a flat plate is considered for all ranges of the Mach number. The interaction equations comprise of equations for the vortex which is indirectly forced by the waves via a boundary condition, whereas a vortex term appears in the amplitude equation for the wave pressure. The downstream solution properties of interaction equations are found to depend on the sign of an interaction coefficient. Compressibility is found to have a significant effect on the interaction properties; principally through its impact on the waves and their governing mechanism, the triple-deck structure. It is found that, in general, the flow quantities will grow slowly with increasing downstream co-ordinate; i.e. in general, solutions do not terminate in abrupt, finite-distance 'break-ups'.

Signatures of Pleiotropy, Economy and Convergent Evolution in a Domain-Resolved Map of Human–Virus Protein–Protein Interaction Networks

PubMed Central

Garamszegi, Sara; Franzosa, Eric A.; Xia, Yu

2013-01-01

A central challenge in host-pathogen systems biology is the elucidation of general, systems-level principles that distinguish host-pathogen interactions from within-host interactions. Current analyses of host-pathogen and within-host protein-protein interaction networks are largely limited by their resolution, treating proteins as nodes and interactions as edges. Here, we construct a domain-resolved map of human-virus and within-human protein-protein interaction networks by annotating protein interactions with high-coverage, high-accuracy, domain-centric interaction mechanisms: (1) domain-domain interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a domain in a second protein, and (2) domain-motif interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a short, linear peptide motif in a second protein. Analysis of these domain-resolved networks reveals, for the first time, significant mechanistic differences between virus-human and within-human interactions at the resolution of single domains. While human proteins tend to compete with each other for domain binding sites by means of sequence similarity, viral proteins tend to compete with human proteins for domain binding sites in the absence of sequence similarity. Independent of their previously established preference for targeting human protein hubs, viral proteins also preferentially target human proteins containing linear motif-binding domains. Compared to human proteins, viral proteins participate in more domain-motif interactions, target more unique linear motif-binding domains per residue, and contain more unique linear motifs per residue. Together, these results suggest that viruses surmount genome size constraints by convergently evolving multiple short linear motifs in order to effectively mimic, hijack, and manipulate complex host processes for their survival. Our domain-resolved analyses reveal unique signatures of pleiotropy, economy, and convergent evolution in viral-host interactions that are otherwise hidden in the traditional binary network, highlighting the power and necessity of high-resolution approaches in host-pathogen systems biology. PMID:24339775

Neuroticism modulates the effects of intranasal vasopressin treatment on the neural response to positive and negative social interactions.

PubMed

Feng, Chunliang; DeMarco, Ashley C; Haroon, Ebrahim; Rilling, James K

2015-07-01

Neuroticism is a fundamental personality trait associated with proneness to feel negative affect. Here we ask how Neuroticism influences the neural response to positive and negative social interactions and how Neuroticism modulates the effect of intranasal oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) on the neural response to social interactions. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 153 male participants were randomized to receive 24 IU intranasal OT, 20 IU AVP or placebo. Afterwards, they were imaged with fMRI while playing an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma Game. On a different day, subjects completed the NEO personality inventory to measure Neuroticism. Neuroticism was positively correlated with the neural response to negative social interactions in the anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex and with the neural response to positive social interactions in the insula, indicating that Neuroticism modulates neuropsychological processing of both negative and positive social interactions. Neuroticism did not modulate the effect of intranasal OT treatment on the neural response to either positive or negative social interactions. On the other hand, AVP treatment significantly interacted with Neuroticism to modulate the BOLD response to both positive and negative social interactions. Specifically, AVP increased anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex and lateral temporal lobe responses to negative social interactions to a greater extent in participants scoring high rather than low on Neuroticism. AVP also increased the insula response to positive social interactions to a greater extent in participants scoring high rather than low on Neuroticism. These results imply that AVP may increase emotion regulation in response to negative social interactions and the salience of positive social interactions to a greater extent in individuals high compared to low in Neuroticism. The current findings urge caution against uniform clinical application of nonapeptides and suggest that their efficacy may vary as a function of personality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Signatures of pleiotropy, economy and convergent evolution in a domain-resolved map of human-virus protein-protein interaction networks.

PubMed

Garamszegi, Sara; Franzosa, Eric A; Xia, Yu

2013-01-01

A central challenge in host-pathogen systems biology is the elucidation of general, systems-level principles that distinguish host-pathogen interactions from within-host interactions. Current analyses of host-pathogen and within-host protein-protein interaction networks are largely limited by their resolution, treating proteins as nodes and interactions as edges. Here, we construct a domain-resolved map of human-virus and within-human protein-protein interaction networks by annotating protein interactions with high-coverage, high-accuracy, domain-centric interaction mechanisms: (1) domain-domain interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a domain in a second protein, and (2) domain-motif interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a short, linear peptide motif in a second protein. Analysis of these domain-resolved networks reveals, for the first time, significant mechanistic differences between virus-human and within-human interactions at the resolution of single domains. While human proteins tend to compete with each other for domain binding sites by means of sequence similarity, viral proteins tend to compete with human proteins for domain binding sites in the absence of sequence similarity. Independent of their previously established preference for targeting human protein hubs, viral proteins also preferentially target human proteins containing linear motif-binding domains. Compared to human proteins, viral proteins participate in more domain-motif interactions, target more unique linear motif-binding domains per residue, and contain more unique linear motifs per residue. Together, these results suggest that viruses surmount genome size constraints by convergently evolving multiple short linear motifs in order to effectively mimic, hijack, and manipulate complex host processes for their survival. Our domain-resolved analyses reveal unique signatures of pleiotropy, economy, and convergent evolution in viral-host interactions that are otherwise hidden in the traditional binary network, highlighting the power and necessity of high-resolution approaches in host-pathogen systems biology.

Assorted interactions of amino acids prevailing in aqueous vitamin C solutions probed by physicochemical and ab-initio contrivances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Koyeli; Roy, Milan Chandra; Rajbanshi, Biplab; Roy, Mahendra Nath

2017-11-01

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of molecular interaction prevailing in tyrosine and tryptophan in aqueous solution of vitamin C have been probed by thermophysical properties. The apparent molar volume (ϕV), viscosity B-coefficient, molal refraction (RM) of tyrosine and tryptophan have been studied in aqueous vitamin C solutions at diverse temperatures via Masson equation which deduced solute-solvent and solute-solute interactions, respectively. Spectroscopic study along with physicochemical and computational techniques provides lots of interesting and highly significant insights of the model biological systems. The overall results established strong solute-solvent interactions between studied amino acids and vitamin C mixture in the ternary solutions.

Easy methods to study the smart energetic TNT/CL-20 co-crystal.

PubMed

Li, Huarong; Shu, Yuanjie; Gao, Shijie; Chen, Ling; Ma, Qing; Ju, Xuehai

2013-11-01

2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) is a high-energy nitramine explosive with high mechanical sensitivity. 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is insensitive but by no means a high performance explosive. To reveal the significant importance and smart-material functionality of the energetic-energetic co-crystals, the stability, mechanical and explosive properties TNT/CL-20 co-crystal, TNT crystal and CL-20 crystal were studied. Non-hydrogen bonded non-covalent interactions govern the structures of energetic-energetic co-crystals. However, it is very difficult to accurately calculate the non-covalent intermolecular interaction energies. In this paper, the local conformation and the intricate non-covalent interactions were effectively mapped and analyzed from the electron density (ρ) and its derivatives. The results show that the two components TNT and CL-20 are connected mainly by nitro-aromatic interactions, and nitro-nitro interactions. The steric interactions in TNT/CL-20 could not be confronted with the attractive interactions. Moreover, the scatter graph of TNT crystal reveals the reason why TNT is brittle. The detailed electrostatic potential analysis predicted that the detonation velocities (D) and impact sensitivity for the compounds both increase in the sequence of CL-20 > TNT/CL-20 co-crystal > TNT. Additionally, TNT/CL-20 co-crystal has better malleability than its pure components. This demonstrates the capacity and the feasibility of realizing explosive smart materials by co-crystallization, even if strong hydrogen bonding schemes are generally lacking in energetic materials.

High-throughput profiling of nanoparticle-protein interactions by fluorescamine labeling.

PubMed

Ashby, Jonathan; Duan, Yaokai; Ligans, Erik; Tamsi, Michael; Zhong, Wenwan

2015-02-17

A rapid, high throughput fluorescence assay was designed to screen interactions between proteins and nanoparticles. The assay employs fluorescamine, a primary-amine specific fluorogenic dye, to label proteins. Because fluorescamine could specifically target the surface amines on proteins, a conformational change of the protein upon interaction with nanoparticles will result in a change in fluorescence. In the present study, the assay was applied to test the interactions between a selection of proteins and nanoparticles made of polystyrene, silica, or iron oxide. The particles were also different in their hydrodynamic diameter, synthesis procedure, or surface modification. Significant labeling differences were detected when the same protein incubated with different particles. Principal component analysis (PCA) on the collected fluorescence profiles revealed clear grouping effects of the particles based on their properties. The results prove that fluorescamine labeling is capable of detecting protein-nanoparticle interactions, and the resulting fluorescence profile is sensitive to differences in nanoparticle's physical properties. The assay can be carried out in a high-throughput manner, and is rapid with low operation cost. Thus, it is well suited for evaluating interactions between a larger number of proteins and nanoparticles. Such assessment can help to improve our understanding on the molecular basis that governs the biological behaviors of nanomaterials. It will also be useful for initial examination of the bioactivity and reproducibility of nanomaterials employed in biomedical fields.

Does high optimism protect against the inter-generational transmission of high BMI? The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

PubMed

Serlachius, Anna; Pulkki-Råback, Laura; Juonala, Markus; Sabin, Matthew; Lehtimäki, Terho; Raitakari, Olli; Elovainio, Marko

2017-09-01

The transmission of overweight from one generation to the next is well established, however little is known about what psychosocial factors may protect against this familial risk. The aim of this study was to examine whether optimism plays a role in the intergenerational transmission of obesity. Our sample included 1043 participants from the prospective Cardiovascular Risk in Young FINNS Study. Optimism was measured in early adulthood (2001) when the cohort was aged 24-39years. BMI was measured in 2001 (baseline) and 2012 when they were aged 35-50years. Parental BMI was measured in 1980. Hierarchical linear regression and logistic regression were used to examine the association between optimism and future BMI/obesity, and whether an interaction existed between optimism and parental BMI when predicting BMI/obesity 11years later. High optimism in young adulthood demonstrated a negative relationship with high BMI in mid-adulthood, but only in women (β=-0.127, p=0.001). The optimism×maternal BMI interaction term was a significant predictor of future BMI in women (β=-0.588, p=0.036). The logistic regression results confirmed that high optimism predicted reduced obesity in women (OR=0.68, 95% CI, 0.55-0.86), however the optimism × maternal obesity interaction term was not a significant predictor (OR=0.50, 95% CI, 0.10-2.48). Our findings supported our hypothesis that high optimism mitigated the intergenerational transmission of high BMI, but only in women. These findings also provided evidence that positive psychosocial factors such as optimism are associated with long-term protective effects on BMI in women. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Buffering effects of job resources on the association of overtime work hours with psychological distress in Japanese white-collar workers.

PubMed

Hino, Ayako; Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Tsuno, Kanami; Tomioka, Kimiko; Nakanishi, Mayuko; Mafune, Kosuke; Hiro, Hisanori

2015-07-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the buffering effects of job resources, utilizing the job demands-control (or demand-control-support) and effort-reward imbalance models (i.e., job control, workplace social support, and extrinsic reward), on the association of overtime work hours with psychological distress in Japanese employees. A total of 1,198 participants (valid response rate = 93.7 %) from five branches of a manufacturing company in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising the scales assessing job resources, psychological distress, and demographic characteristics. We obtained the information on working hours in the most recent month from the personnel records of the surveyed company. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. In a series of analyses, interaction term of overtime work hours with each job resource was included in the model. Significant interaction effect of overtime work hours with job control was observed. Among the low job control group, the long overtime (80 h or more) subgroup had a significantly higher prevalence odds ratio of psychological distress compared to the short overtime (44 h or less) subgroup. No significant association of overtime work hours with psychological distress was found among the high job control group. On the other hand, there was no significant interaction effect of overtime work hours with workplace social support or extrinsic reward. The present findings suggest that high job control has an effect on reducing psychological distress in relation to overtime work hours in Japanese employees.

Perceived Exercise Benefits and Barriers of Non-Exercising Female University Students in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Lovell, Geoff P; Ansari, Walid El; Parker, John K

2010-01-01

Many individuals do not engage in sufficient physical activity due to low perceived benefits and high perceived barriers to exercise. Given the increasing incidence of obesity and obesity related health disorders, this topic requires further exploration. We used the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to assess perceived benefit and barrier intensities to exercise in 200 non-exercising female university students (mean age 19.3 years, SD = 1.06) in the UK. Although our participants were selected because they self reported themselves to be non-exercising, however they reported significantly higher perceived benefits from exercise than perceived barriers to exercise [t(199) = 6.18, p < 0.001], and their perceived benefit/barrier ratio was 1.33. The greatest perceived benefit from exercise was physical performance followed by the benefits of psychological outlook, preventive health, life enhancement, and then social interaction. Physical performance was rated significantly higher than all other benefits. Psychological outlook and preventive health were not rated significantly different, although both were significantly higher than life enhancement and social interaction. Life enhancement was also rated significantly higher than social interaction. The greatest perceived barrier to exercise was physical exertion, which was rated significantly higher than time expenditure, exercise milieu, and family discouragement barriers. Implications from this investigation for the design of physical activity programmes include the importance, for females, of a perception of high benefit/barrier ratio that could be conducive to participation in exercise. Applied interventions need to assist female students to ‘disengage’ from or overcome any perceived ‘unpleasantness’ of physical exertion during physical activity (decrease their perceived barriers), and to further highlight the multiple health and other benefits of regular exercising (increase their perceived benefits). PMID:20617003

Perceived exercise benefits and barriers of non-exercising female university students in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Lovell, Geoff P; El Ansari, Walid; Parker, John K

2010-03-01

Many individuals do not engage in sufficient physical activity due to low perceived benefits and high perceived barriers to exercise. Given the increasing incidence of obesity and obesity related health disorders, this topic requires further exploration. We used the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to assess perceived benefit and barrier intensities to exercise in 200 non-exercising female university students (mean age 19.3 years, SD = 1.06) in the UK. Although our participants were selected because they self reported themselves to be non-exercising, however they reported significantly higher perceived benefits from exercise than perceived barriers to exercise [t(199) = 6.18, p < 0.001], and their perceived benefit/barrier ratio was 1.33. The greatest perceived benefit from exercise was physical performance followed by the benefits of psychological outlook, preventive health, life enhancement, and then social interaction. Physical performance was rated significantly higher than all other benefits. Psychological outlook and preventive health were not rated significantly different, although both were significantly higher than life enhancement and social interaction. Life enhancement was also rated significantly higher than social interaction. The greatest perceived barrier to exercise was physical exertion, which was rated significantly higher than time expenditure, exercise milieu, and family discouragement barriers. Implications from this investigation for the design of physical activity programmes include the importance, for females, of a perception of high benefit/barrier ratio that could be conducive to participation in exercise. Applied interventions need to assist female students to 'disengage' from or overcome any perceived 'unpleasantness' of physical exertion during physical activity (decrease their perceived barriers), and to further highlight the multiple health and other benefits of regular exercising (increase their perceived benefits).

Spouse criticism and hostility during marital interaction: effects on pain intensity and behaviors among individuals with chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Burns, John W; Post, Kristina M; Smith, David A; Porter, Laura S; Buvanendran, Asokumar; Fras, Anne Marie; Keefe, Francis J

2017-10-30

Individuals with chronic pain may experience negative responses from spouse, family, and friends. Responses such as overt criticism and hostility may be associated with worsening pain and function for chronic pain sufferers. We used a laboratory procedure to evaluate whether variability in spouse criticism/hostility exhibited toward chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients during a conflictual discussion predicted variability in patient pain and function during a subsequent pain-induction task. Chronic low back pain patients (n = 71) and their spouses (n = 71) participated in a 10-minute discussion followed by the patient undergoing a 10-minute structured pain behavior task (SPBT). Spouse criticism/hostility perceived by patients and patient Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI) scores correlated significantly and positively with pain intensity during the SPBT, whereas perceived spouse hostility, patient BDI scores, and spouse trait hostility correlated significantly and positively with observed pain behaviors during the SPBT. Spouse criticism/hostility coded by raters from video recordings interacted significantly with patient BDI scores, such that observed spouse criticism/hostility was related significantly and positively with pain behaviors only for patients with high BDI scores. Patient sex interacted significantly with observed spouse criticism/hostility, such that observed spouse criticism/hostility was related significantly and positively with pain behaviors only for female patients. Results support the hypothesis that spouse criticism and hostility-actually expressed or perceived-may worsen CLBP patient symptoms. Further, women patients and patients high in depressive symptoms appeared most vulnerable to spouse criticism/hostility. Thus, negative marital communication patterns may be appropriate targets for intervention, especially among these 2 at risk groups.

Proton pump inhibitors and potential interactions with clopidogrel: an update.

PubMed

Gerson, Lauren B

2013-06-01

Clopidogrel, an antiplatelet agent, is increasingly prescribed for patients with recent stroke, myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, and/or patients post-coronary stent insertion to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events. Since clopidogrel can increase the risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, co-administration of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been recommended, particularly in patients at high risk. In 2009, the FDA issued warnings about potential interactions between clopidogrel and PPIs, given the fact that both drugs are metabolized via the cytochrome P450 pathway. Prior studies have demonstrated significant reduction in platelet inhibition when PPI therapy is administered to subjects on clopidogrel therapy. Two meta-analyses were published in 2010 and 2011, the first suggesting association of PPIs with adverse cardiovascular events when observational studies were examined, but noting that the results were limited by the presence of significant heterogeneity. The second meta-analysis did not find a significant increase in the risk of adverse primary events (which included all cause mortality, cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke), and concluded that analysis of the data from two randomized controlled trials yielded a risk difference of zero. An updated literature search was performed to assess clinical studies describing interactions between PPIs and clopidogrel published from 2011-2012. The majority of these studies did not show significant interactions when primary cardiac outcomes were considered. More importantly, the newer data demonstrated that PPI usage independently was a risk factor for adverse CV outcomes, since most PPI users were older patients who were more likely to have concomitant co-morbid conditions. Two updated reviews also concluded that the presence of confounding factors likely explained differences in results between studies, and that there were no significant differences in effects on clopidogrel between individual proton pump inhibitors. Overall, clinicians can assure their patients that combination therapy is safe when indicated in a patient at high risk of GI bleeding, but they should also stop PPI therapy if it is not clinically indicated.

Moral Hypocrisy on the Basis of Construal Level: To Be a Utilitarian Personal Decision Maker or to Be a Moral Advisor?

PubMed Central

Xiao, Wei; Wu, Qing; Yang, Qun; Zhou, Liang; Jiang, Yuan; Zhang, Jiaxi; Miao, Danmin; Peng, Jiaxi

2015-01-01

Background People encounter various moral issues that involve making decisions for others by giving advice. Objective This study investigated the characteristics of providing suggestions for oneself versus providing suggestions for others in ethical decision-making and the differences between them based on Construal Level Theory (CLT). Methods A total of 768 undergraduate students from three universities in China were randomly assigned to eight groups on the basis of a grid of two Construal Levels (self or others) by two different numbers of people saved (5 people or 15 people) by two problem situations (trolley problem vs. footbridge problem). The investigation examined participants’ decisions to opt to take action or refrain from action that would have the consequence of saving more people. Results The main effects of Construal Level (F1, 752 = 6.46, p = .011), saving number (F1, 752 = 35.81, p < .001), and problem situation type (F1, 752 = 330.55, p < .001) were all significant. The interaction of the problem situation and saving number (F1, 752 = 1.01, p = .31), and social distance and saving number (F1, 752 = 0.85, p = .36), and interaction of the three independent factors (F1, 752 = 0.47, p = .49) were not significant. However, the interaction of social distance and problem situation (F1, 752 = 9.46, p = .002) was significant. Results indicated the participants utilized a component of utilitarian reasoning in the decision-making, and their behaviors appeared more utilitarian at low Construal Levels (CLs) compared to high. Conclusion CLs, saving numbers, and problem situation significantly affected moral decision-making and exhibited significant interaction. Making decisions for oneself (low-construal) rather than giving advice to others (high-construal) was one important factor that determined whether the people were utilitarian or not. Utilitarian considerations are more relevant in impersonal dilemmas. PMID:25689521

The interaction between apolipoprotein B insertion/deletion polymorphism and macronutrient intake on lipid profile and serum leptin and ghrelin levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

PubMed

Rafiee, Masoumeh; Sotoudeh, Gity; Djalali, Mahmoud; Alvandi, Ehsan; Eshraghian, Mohammadreza; Javadi, Fatemeh; Doostan, Farideh; Koohdani, Fariba

2018-01-27

We aimed to study whether macronutrient intake could modify the association between ApoB Ins/Del and lipid profile, and serum leptin and ghrelin in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. In this study, 700 T2DM patients were recruited. Anthropometric, biochemical and molecular data were collected, and Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The interactions were tested using ANCOVA. Del-allele carriers with high-MUFA and carbohydrate (≥ 12 and ≥ 54% of energy, respectively) had significantly higher TG (P = 0.04) and LDL-C (P = 0.02) compared to Ins/Ins homozygotes, and these were not significant in subjects with low-MUFA and -carbohydrate (< 12 and < 54%, respectively). A significant interaction was observed between ApoB Ins/Del and diet on TG in both unadjusted (P = 0.03) and adjusted models (model 2 and 3, P = 0.04 and P = 0.04, respectively), and on LDL-C only in adjusted models (model 2 and 3, P = 0.03 and P = 0.029, respectively). Besides, Del-allele carriers with protein, SFA, MUFA and n-3PUFA of ≥ 14, 9, 12 and 0.6%, respectively, had a significant increase in their serum leptin than Ins/Ins homozygotes (P < 0.05). However, these associations were not significant between the two genetic groups in subjects with low intakes of protein, SFA, MUFA and n-3PUFA. Moreover, Del-allele carriers with low carbohydrate (< 54%) had significantly higher leptin and ghrelin than Ins/Ins homozygotes (P < 0.05), however, in high-carbohydrate group, leptin and ghrelin were not significantly lower. These findings indicate that the interaction between ApoB Ins/Del and dietary intake of MUFA, SFA, n-3PUFA, carbohydrate and protein could modulate the serum levels of TG, LDL-C, leptin and ghrelin in T2DM patients.

Changes in water extractable organic matter during incubation of forest floor material in the presence of quartz, goethite and gibbsite surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heckman, Katherine; Vazquez-Ortega, Angelica; Gao, Xiaodong; Chorover, Jon; Rasmussen, Craig

2011-08-01

The release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from forest floor material constitutes a significant flux of C to the mineral soil in temperate forest ecosystems, with estimates on the order of 120-500 kg C ha -1 year -1. Interaction of DOM with minerals and metals results in sorptive fractionation and stabilization of OM within the soil profile. Iron and aluminum oxides, in particular, have a significant effect on the quantity and quality of DOM transported through forest soils due to their high surface area and the toxic effects of dissolved aluminum on microbial communities. We directly examined these interactions by incubating forest floor material, including native microbiota, for 154 days in the presence of (1) goethite (α-FeOOH), (2) gibbsite (γ-Al(OH) 3), and (3) quartz (α-SiO 2) sand (as a control). Changes in molecular and thermal properties of water extractable organic matter (WEOM, as a proxy for DOM) were evaluated. WEOM was harvested on days 5, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, and 154, and examined by thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (DRIFT) spectroscopy. Results indicated significant differences in WEOM quality among treatments, though the way in which oxide surfaces influenced WEOM properties did not seem to change significantly with increasing incubation time. Dissolved organic C concentrations were significantly lower in WEOM from the oxide treatments in comparison to the control treatment. Incubation with goethite produced WEOM with mid-to-high-range thermal lability that was depleted in both protein and fatty acids relative to the control. The average enthalpy of WEOM from the goethite treatment was significantly higher than either the gibbsite or control treatment, suggesting that interaction with goethite surfaces increases the energy content of WEOM. Incubation with gibbsite produced WEOM rich in thermally recalcitrant and carboxyl-rich compounds in comparison to the control treatment. These data indicate that interaction of WEOM with oxide surfaces significantly influences the composition of WEOM and that oxides play an important role in determining the biogeochemistry of forest soil DOM.

Interactions of polyphenols with carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.

PubMed

Jakobek, Lidija

2015-05-15

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites in plants, investigated intensively because of their potential positive effects on human health. Their bioavailability and mechanism of positive effects have been studied, in vitro and in vivo. Lately, a high number of studies takes into account the interactions of polyphenols with compounds present in foods, like carbohydrates, proteins or lipids, because these food constituents can have significant effects on the activity of phenolic compounds. This paper reviews the interactions between phenolic compounds and lipids, carbohydrates and proteins and their impact on polyphenol activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When environmental factors become stressors: interactive effects of vermetid gastropods and sedimentation on corals.

PubMed

Zill, Julie A; Gil, Michael A; Osenberg, Craig W

2017-03-01

Environmental stressors often interact, but most studies of multiple stressors have focused on combinations of abiotic stressors. Here we examined the potential interaction between a biotic stressor, the vermetid snail Ceraesignum maximum , and an abiotic stressor, high sedimentation, on the growth of reef-building corals. In a field experiment, we subjected juvenile massive Porites corals to four treatments: (i) neither stressor, (ii) sedimentation, (iii) vermetids or (iv) both stressors. Unexpectedly, we found no effect of either stressor in isolation, but a significant decrease in coral growth in the presence of both stressors. Additionally, seven times more sediment remained on corals in the presence (versus absence) of vermetids, likely owing to adhesion of sediments to corals via vermetid mucus. Thus, vermetid snails and high sedimentation can interact to drive deleterious effects on reef-building corals. More generally, our study illustrates that environmental factors can combine to have negative interactive effects even when individual effects are not detectable. Such 'ecological surprises' may be easily overlooked, leading to environmental degradation that cannot be anticipated through the study of isolated factors. © 2017 The Author(s).

MATERNAL INTERACTION QUALITY MODERATES EFFECTS OF PRENATAL MATERNAL EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS ON GIRLS' INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS.

PubMed

Endendijk, Joyce J; De Bruijn, Anouk T C E; Van Bakel, Hedwig J A; Wijnen, Hennie A A; Pop, Victor J M; Van Baar, Anneloes L

2017-09-01

The role of mother-infant interaction quality is studied in the relation between prenatal maternal emotional symptoms and child behavioral problems. Healthy pregnant, Dutch women (N = 96, M = 31.6, SD = 3.3) were allocated to the "exposed group" (n = 46), consisting of mothers with high levels of prenatal feelings of anxiety and depression, or the "low-exposed group" (n = 50), consisting of mothers with normal levels of depressive or anxious symptoms during pregnancy. When the children (49 girls, 47 boys) were 23 to 60 months of age (M = 39.0, SD = 9.6), parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (T.M. Achenbach & L.A. Rescorla, ), and mother-child interaction quality during a home visit was rated using the Emotional Availability Scales. There were no differences in mother-child interaction quality between the prenatally exposed and low-exposed groups. Girls exposed to high prenatal emotional symptoms showed more internalizing problems, if maternal interaction quality was less optimal. No significant effects were found for boys. © 2017 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Moderating role of self-efficacy on the associations of social support with depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis

PubMed Central

Liu, Li; Xu, Neili; Wang, Lie

2017-01-01

Purpose Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is significantly associated with depression and anxiety. Social support and self-efficacy are the coping resources of psychological distress. However, little research is available on the interaction of social support and self-efficacy in RA patients. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and to examine whether or not self-efficacy moderates the associations of social support with depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese RA patients. Methods A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in northeast of China from December 2014 to January 2016. A total of 297 RA patients completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and General Self-Efficacy Scale. The associations of social support, self-efficacy and social support × self-efficacy interaction with depressive and anxiety symptoms were examined by hierarchical regression analysis. If the interaction was statistically significant, simple slope analysis was conducted. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 58.2%, while 47.5% RA patients had anxiety symptoms. Social support and social support × self-efficacy interaction were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Social support, self-efficacy and their interaction were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. The association between social support and depressive symptoms was gradually reduced in the low (1 standard deviation [SD] below the mean, B=−0.614, β=−0.876, P<0.001), mean (B=−0.395, β=−0.563, P<0.001) and high (1 SD above the mean, B=−0.176, β=−0.251, P=0.002) groups of self-efficacy. For anxiety symptoms, the association was also gradually reduced in the low (B=−0.527, β=−0.774, P<0.001), mean (B=−0.288, β=−423, P<0.001) and high (B=−0.049, β=−0.071, P=0.447) groups of self-efficacy. Conclusion There was a high prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese RA patients. Self-efficacy could attenuate the associations of social support with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Adequate social support and self-efficacy intervention should be provided to alleviate psychological distress. PMID:28860771

Short-time windowed covariance: A metric for identifying non-stationary, event-related covariant cortical sites

PubMed Central

Blakely, Timothy; Ojemann, Jeffrey G.; Rao, Rajesh P.N.

2014-01-01

Background Electrocorticography (ECoG) signals can provide high spatio-temporal resolution and high signal to noise ratio recordings of local neural activity from the surface of the brain. Previous studies have shown that broad-band, spatially focal, high-frequency increases in ECoG signals are highly correlated with movement and other cognitive tasks and can be volitionally modulated. However, significant additional information may be present in inter-electrode interactions, but adding additional higher order inter-electrode interactions can be impractical from a computational aspect, if not impossible. New method In this paper we present a new method of calculating high frequency interactions between electrodes called Short-Time Windowed Covariance (STWC) that builds on mathematical techniques currently used in neural signal analysis, along with an implementation that accelerates the algorithm by orders of magnitude by leveraging commodity, off-the-shelf graphics processing unit (GPU) hardware. Results Using the hardware-accelerated implementation of STWC, we identify many types of event-related inter-electrode interactions from human ECoG recordings on global and local scales that have not been identified by previous methods. Unique temporal patterns are observed for digit flexion in both low- (10 mm spacing) and high-resolution (3 mm spacing) electrode arrays. Comparison with existing methods Covariance is a commonly used metric for identifying correlated signals, but the standard covariance calculations do not allow for temporally varying covariance. In contrast STWC allows and identifies event-driven changes in covariance without identifying spurious noise correlations. Conclusions: STWC can be used to identify event-related neural interactions whose high computational load is well suited to GPU capabilities. PMID:24211499

Intrapersonal self-transcendence, meaning-in-life and nurse-patient interaction: powerful assets for quality of life in cognitively intact nursing-home patients.

PubMed

Haugan, Gørill; Moksnes, Unni Karin; Løhre, Audhild

2016-12-01

Spirituality has demonstrated a significant impact on quality of life in nursing-home patients. Likewise, as essential aspects of spirituality, hope, self-transcendence, and meaning are found to be vital resources to nursing-home patients' global well-being. Further, nurse-patient interaction has demonstrated a powerful influence on patient's hope, self-transcendence, and meaning-in-life, as well as on anxiety and depression. The present study investigated the associations of hope, self-transcendence, meaning, and perceived nurse-patient interaction with quality of life. In a cross-sectional design, a sample of 202 cognitively intact nursing-home patients in Mid-Norway responded to the Herth Hope Index, the Self-Transcendence scale, the Purpose-in-Life test, the Nurse-Patient Interaction scale, and a one-item overall measure on quality of life. Using SPSS ordinal regression, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted with quality of life as dependent variable. Controlling for gender, age, and residential time, all the scales were significantly related to quality of life in the bivariate analyses. Intrapersonal self-transcendence showed an exceptional position presenting a very high odds ratio in the bivariate analysis, and also the strongest association with quality of life in multivariate analyses. Meaning and nurse-patient interaction also showed independent and significant associations with quality of life. The associations found encourage the idea that intrapersonal self-transcendence, meaning-in-life, and nurse-patient interaction are powerful health-promoting factors that significantly influence on nursing-home patients' quality of life. Therefore, pedagogical approaches for advancing caregivers' presence and confidence in health-promoting interaction should be upgraded and matured. Proper educational programs for developing interacting skills including assessing and supporting patients' intrapersonal self-transcendence and meaning-in-life should be utilised and their effectiveness evaluated. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Deciphering the Dynamic Interaction Profile of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein by NMR Exchange Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Delaforge, Elise; Kragelj, Jaka; Tengo, Laura; Palencia, Andrés; Milles, Sigrid; Bouvignies, Guillaume; Salvi, Nicola; Blackledge, Martin; Jensen, Malene Ringkjøbing

2018-01-24

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) display a large number of interaction modes including folding-upon-binding, binding without major structural transitions, or binding through highly dynamic, so-called fuzzy, complexes. The vast majority of experimental information about IDP binding modes have been inferred from crystal structures of proteins in complex with short peptides of IDPs. However, crystal structures provide a mainly static view of the complexes and do not give information about the conformational dynamics experienced by the IDP in the bound state. Knowledge of the dynamics of IDP complexes is of fundamental importance to understand how IDPs engage in highly specific interactions without concomitantly high binding affinity. Here, we combine rotating-frame R 1ρ , Carr-Purcell-Meiboom Gill relaxation dispersion as well as chemical exchange saturation transfer to decipher the dynamic interaction profile of an IDP in complex with its partner. We apply the approach to the dynamic signaling complex formed between the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38α and the intrinsically disordered regulatory domain of the MAPK kinase MKK4. Our study demonstrates that MKK4 employs a subtle combination of interaction modes in order to bind to p38α, leading to a complex displaying significantly different dynamics across the bound regions.

Interactions for pollinator visitation and their consequences for reproduction in a plant community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hegland, Stein Joar; Totland, Ørjan

2012-08-01

Competition and facilitation in species interactions attract much attention in ecology, but their relative importance has seldom been evaluated in a community context. We assessed competitive and facilitative interactions for pollinator visitation among co-flowering species in a plant community, investigated the subsequent consequences for plant reproduction, and investigated whether effects could be trait-based. We removed the flowers of two species attractive to pollinators, in two separate experiments and assessed the effects on pollinator visitation rates and components of reproductive success in 11 co-flowering focal herb species. Overall, most focal species appear not to interact with the removal species with respect to pollinator visitation and subsequent reproduction (neutral interactions). Three focal species in the community had significantly higher reproductive responses (fruit production and seed weight) in the presence of the attractive removal species (facilitative interactions), but species interaction effects were less pronounced in species' flower visitation rates. A community-wide meta-analysis demonstrated that the two experiments did not have a significant effect on either facilitation or competition, and that there was no overall correlation between effect sizes for visitation and reproduction. Based on species-specific responses, it seems likely that floral traits such as similar flower colors contribute to interspecific facilitation of pollinator visitation and, in particular, that high pollinator dependence for plant reproduction, and associated pollen limitation, may contribute to subsequent interaction effects on reproduction in the focal species.

[Role of food interaction pharmacokinetic studies in drug development. Food interaction studies of theophylline and nifedipine retard and buspirone tablets].

PubMed

Drabant, S; Klebovich, I; Gachályi, B; Renczes, G; Farsang, C

1998-09-01

Due to several mechanism, meals may modify the pharmacokinetics of drug products, thereby eliciting to clinically significant food interaction. Food interactions with the drug substance and with the drug formulation should be distinguished. Food interaction of different drug products containing the same active ingredient can be various depending on the pharmaceutical formulation technology. Particularly, in the case of modified release products, the food/formulation interaction can play an important role in the development of food interaction. Well known example, that bioavailability of theophylline can be influenced in different way (either increased, decreased or unchanged) by concomitant intake of food in the case of different sustained release products. The role and methods of food interaction studies in the different kinds of drug development (new chemical entity, modified release products, generics) are reviewed. Prediction of food effect response on the basis of the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic characteristics of the drug molecule or formulations is discussed. The results of three food interaction studies carried out the products of EGIS Pharmaceuticals Ltd. are also reviewed. The pharmacokinetic parameters of theophyllin 400 mg retard tablet were practically the same in both fasting condition and administration after consumption of a high fat containing standard breakfast. The ingestion of a high fat containing breakfast, increased the AUC of nifedipine from 259.0 +/- 101.2 ng h/ml to 326.7 +/- 122.5 ng h/ml and Cmax from 34.5 +/- 15.9 ng/ml to 74.3 +/- 23.9 ng/ml in case of nifedipine 20 mg retard tablet, in agreement with the data of literature. The statistical evaluation indicated significant differences between the pharmacokinetic parameters in the case of two administrations (before and after meal). The effect of a high fat containing breakfast for a generic version of buspiron 10 mg tablet and the bioequivalence after food consumption were studied in a single-dose, three-way (test and reference products administered after consumption of standard breakfast, as well as test product in fasting condition), cross-over, food effect bioequivalence study. According to the results, the test product--which, in a former study proved to be bioequivalent with the reference product in fasting state--is bioequivalent with the reference product under feeding conditions and the food intake influenced the pharmacokinetics of the test tablets.

Combining Readers Theater, Story Mapping and Video Self-Modeling Interventions to Improve Narrative Reading Comprehension in Children with High-Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schatz, Rochelle B.

2017-01-01

Individuals with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFA) demonstrate atypical development resulting in significant deficits in the areas of perspective-taking and observational learning. These deficits lead to challenges in social interactions and academic performance. In particular, children with HFA tend to struggle with comprehending…

High School Predictors of College Persistence: The Significance of Engagement and Teacher Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sciarra, Daniel T.; Seirup, Holly J.; Sposato, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

This study investigated factors from high school that might predict college persistence. The sample consisted of 7,271 participants in three waves of data collection (2002, 2004 and 2006) who participated in the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS; U.S. Department of Education, 2008). A multinomial logistic regression mode was employed to…

Effect of simultaneous variation in temperature and ammonia concentration on percent fertilization and hatching in Crassostrea ariakensis.

PubMed

Hui, Wang; Jiahui, Liu; Hongshuai, Yang; Jin, Liu; Zhigang, Liu

2014-04-01

The combined effects of temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent fertilization and percent hatching in Crassostrea ariakensis were examined under laboratory conditions using the central composite design and response surface methodology. The results indicated: (1) The linear effects of temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent fertilization were significant (P<0.05), and the quadratic effects were highly significant (P<0.01). The interactive effect between temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent fertilization was not significant (P>0.05). (2) The linear effect of temperature on the percent hatching was highly significant (P<0.01), and that of ammonia concentration was nonsignificant (P>0.05). The quadratic effects of temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent hatching were highly significant (P<0.01). The interaction on the percent hatching was not significant (P>0.05). Temperature was more important than ammonia in influencing the fertilization and hatching in C. ariakensis. (3) The model equations of the percent fertilization and hatching towards temperature and ammonia concentration were established, with the coefficients of determination R(2)=99.4% and 99.76%, respectively. Through the lack-of-fit test, these models were of great adequacy. The predictive coefficients of determination for the two model equations were as high as 94.6% and 98.03%, respectively, showing that they could be used for practical projection. (4) Via the statistical simultaneous optimization technique, the optimal factor level combination, i.e., 25°C/0.038mgmL(-1), was derived, at which the greatest percent fertilization 95.25% and hatching 83.26% was achieved, with the desirability being 97.81%. Our results may provide advantageous guidelines for the successful reproduction of C. ariakensis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cabri 3D - assisted collaborative learning to enhance junior high school students’ spatial ability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muntazhimah; Miatun, A.

2018-01-01

The main purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the enhancement of spatial ability of junior high school students who learned through Cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning. The methodology of this study was the nonequivalent group that was conducted to students of the eighth grade in a junior high school as a population. Samples consisted one class of the experimental group who studied with Cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning and one class as a control group who got regular learning activity. The instrument used in this study was a spatial ability test. Analyzing normalized gain of students’ spatial ability based on mathemathical prior knowledge (MPK) and its interactions was tested by two-way ANOVA at a significance level of 5% then continued with using Post Hoc Scheffe test. The research results showed that there was significant difference in enhancement of the spatial ability between students who learnt with Cabri 3D assisted collaborative learning and students who got regular learning, there was significant difference in enhancement of the spatial ability between students who learnt with cabri 3D assisted collaborative learning and students who got regular learning in terms of MPK and there is no significant interaction between learning (Cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning and regular learning) with students’ MPK (high, medium, and low) toward the enhancement of students’ spatial abilities. From the above findings, it can be seen that cabri-3D assisted collaborative learning could enhance spatial ability of junior high school students.

Cloud computing for detecting high-order genome-wide epistatic interaction via dynamic clustering.

PubMed

Guo, Xuan; Meng, Yu; Yu, Ning; Pan, Yi

2014-04-10

Taking the advantage of high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping technology, large genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been considered to hold promise for unravelling complex relationships between genotype and phenotype. At present, traditional single-locus-based methods are insufficient to detect interactions consisting of multiple-locus, which are broadly existing in complex traits. In addition, statistic tests for high order epistatic interactions with more than 2 SNPs propose computational and analytical challenges because the computation increases exponentially as the cardinality of SNPs combinations gets larger. In this paper, we provide a simple, fast and powerful method using dynamic clustering and cloud computing to detect genome-wide multi-locus epistatic interactions. We have constructed systematic experiments to compare powers performance against some recently proposed algorithms, including TEAM, SNPRuler, EDCF and BOOST. Furthermore, we have applied our method on two real GWAS datasets, Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) datasets, where we find some novel potential disease-related genetic factors which are not shown up in detections of 2-loci epistatic interactions. Experimental results on simulated data demonstrate that our method is more powerful than some recently proposed methods on both two- and three-locus disease models. Our method has discovered many novel high-order associations that are significantly enriched in cases from two real GWAS datasets. Moreover, the running time of the cloud implementation for our method on AMD dataset and RA dataset are roughly 2 hours and 50 hours on a cluster with forty small virtual machines for detecting two-locus interactions, respectively. Therefore, we believe that our method is suitable and effective for the full-scale analysis of multiple-locus epistatic interactions in GWAS.

Cloud computing for detecting high-order genome-wide epistatic interaction via dynamic clustering

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Backgroud Taking the advan tage of high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping technology, large genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been considered to hold promise for unravelling complex relationships between genotype and phenotype. At present, traditional single-locus-based methods are insufficient to detect interactions consisting of multiple-locus, which are broadly existing in complex traits. In addition, statistic tests for high order epistatic interactions with more than 2 SNPs propose computational and analytical challenges because the computation increases exponentially as the cardinality of SNPs combinations gets larger. Results In this paper, we provide a simple, fast and powerful method using dynamic clustering and cloud computing to detect genome-wide multi-locus epistatic interactions. We have constructed systematic experiments to compare powers performance against some recently proposed algorithms, including TEAM, SNPRuler, EDCF and BOOST. Furthermore, we have applied our method on two real GWAS datasets, Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) datasets, where we find some novel potential disease-related genetic factors which are not shown up in detections of 2-loci epistatic interactions. Conclusions Experimental results on simulated data demonstrate that our method is more powerful than some recently proposed methods on both two- and three-locus disease models. Our method has discovered many novel high-order associations that are significantly enriched in cases from two real GWAS datasets. Moreover, the running time of the cloud implementation for our method on AMD dataset and RA dataset are roughly 2 hours and 50 hours on a cluster with forty small virtual machines for detecting two-locus interactions, respectively. Therefore, we believe that our method is suitable and effective for the full-scale analysis of multiple-locus epistatic interactions in GWAS. PMID:24717145

Biospecific protein immobilization for rapid analysis of weak protein interactions using self-interaction nanoparticle spectroscopy.

PubMed

Bengali, Aditya N; Tessier, Peter M

2009-10-01

"Reversible" protein interactions govern diverse biological behavior ranging from intracellular transport and toxic protein aggregation to protein crystallization and inactivation of protein therapeutics. Much less is known about weak protein interactions than their stronger counterparts since they are difficult to characterize, especially in a parallel format (in contrast to a sequential format) necessary for high-throughput screening. We have recently introduced a highly efficient approach of characterizing protein self-association, namely self-interaction nanoparticle spectroscopy (SINS; Tessier et al., 2008; J Am Chem Soc 130:3106-3112). This approach exploits the separation-dependent optical properties of gold nanoparticles to detect weak self-interactions between proteins immobilized on nanoparticles. A limitation of our previous work is that differences in the sequence and structure of proteins can lead to significant differences in their affinity to adsorb to nanoparticle surfaces, which complicates analysis of the corresponding protein self-association behavior. In this work we demonstrate a highly specific approach for coating nanoparticles with proteins using biotin-avidin interactions to generate protein-nanoparticle conjugates that report protein self-interactions through changes in their optical properties. Using lysozyme as a model protein that is refractory to characterization by conventional SINS, we demonstrate that surface Plasmon wavelengths for gold-avidin-lysozyme conjugates over a range of solution conditions (i.e., pH and ionic strength) are well correlated with lysozyme osmotic second virial coefficient measurements. Since SINS requires orders of magnitude less protein and time than conventional methods (e.g., static light scattering), we envision this approach will find application in large screens of protein self-association aimed at either preventing (e.g., protein aggregation) or promoting (e.g., protein crystallization) these interactions. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The impact of real-time, Internet experiments versus interactive, asynchronous replays of experiments on high school students science concepts and attitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubasko, Dennis S., Jr.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students' learning experiences were similar or different with an interactive, live connection via the Internet in real-time to an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) versus a stored replay of AFM experiments. Did the two treatments influence students' attitudes towards the learning experience? Are there differences in students' understandings of viruses and science investigations? In addition, this study investigated treatment effects on students' understandings of the nature of science. The present study drew upon the research that examined students' attitudes toward science, students' views of the nature of science, instructional technology in education, and prior research on the nanoManipulator. Specific efforts have been made to address reform efforts in science education throughout the literature review. Eighty-five high school biology students participated in the nanoManipulator experience (44 males, 41 females, 64 Euro-American, 16 African-American, and 5 of other ethnicities). Two high school classes were randomly selected and administered the interactive, real-time treatment. Two different high school classes were randomly selected and administered the limited-interaction, experimental replay treatment. The intervention occurred over a one-week period. Qualitative and quantitative measures were used to examine the differences between two treatment conditions. Experiential, affective, cognitive, and the nature of science domains were assessed. Findings show that the questions and statements made in synchronous time by the live treatment group were significantly different than students' questions and statements in asynchronous communication. Students in the replay treatment made more statements about what they learned or knew about the experience than did students in the live experience. Students in both groups showed significant gains in understanding viruses (particularly viral dimensionality and shape). Students' attitudes towards learning about science concepts weren't different from one group to the other, but all students changed their views independent of treatment condition. Across treatment groups students performed similarly on all assessment instruments used to measure the nature of science domain. Furthermore, there were no significant differences, pre-test to post-test between groups or due to interaction. These findings show that students' investigations using the Internet and stored replay experiences can assist science educators in providing student with more inquiry-based experiences.

Topology of RNA–protein nucleobase–amino acid π–π interactions and comparison to analogous DNA–protein π–π contacts

PubMed Central

Wilson, Katie A.; Holland, Devany J.; Wetmore, Stacey D.

2016-01-01

The present work analyzed 120 high-resolution X-ray crystal structures and identified 335 RNA–protein π-interactions (154 nonredundant) between a nucleobase and aromatic (W, H, F, or Y) or acyclic (R, E, or D) π-containing amino acid. Each contact was critically analyzed (including using a visual inspection protocol) to determine the most prevalent composition, structure, and strength of π-interactions at RNA–protein interfaces. These contacts most commonly involve F and U, with U:F interactions comprising one-fifth of the total number of contacts found. Furthermore, the RNA and protein π-systems adopt many different relative orientations, although there is a preference for more parallel (stacked) arrangements. Due to the variation in structure, the strength of the intermolecular forces between the RNA and protein components (as determined from accurate quantum chemical calculations) exhibits a significant range, with most of the contacts providing significant stability to the associated RNA–protein complex (up to −65 kJ mol−1). Comparison to the analogous DNA–protein π-interactions emphasizes differences in RNA– and DNA–protein π-interactions at the molecular level, including the greater abundance of RNA contacts and the involvement of different nucleobase/amino acid residues. Overall, our results provide a clearer picture of the molecular basis of nucleic acid–protein binding and underscore the important role of these contacts in biology, including the significant contribution of π–π interactions to the stability of nucleic acid–protein complexes. Nevertheless, more work is still needed in this area in order to further appreciate the properties and roles of RNA nucleobase–amino acid π-interactions in nature. PMID:26979279

The Impact of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for High-Grade Gliomas by Histology in the United States Population

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

Rusthoven, Chad G., E-mail: Chad.Rusthoven@ucdenver.edu; Carlson, Julie A.; Waxweiler, Timothy V.

Purpose: To compare the survival impact of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (RT) for malignant gliomas of glioblastoma (GBM), anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), and mixed anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA) histology. Methods and Materials: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried from 1998 to 2007 for patients aged ≥18 years with high-grade gliomas managed with upfront surgical resection, treated with and without adjuvant RT. Results: The primary analysis totaled 14,461 patients, with 12,115 cases of GBM (83.8%), 1312 AA (9.1%), 718 AO (4.9%), and 316 AOA (2.2%). On univariate analyses, adjuvant RT was associated with significantly improved overallmore » survival (OS) for GBMs (2-year OS, 17% vs 7%, p<.001), AAs (5-year OS, 38% vs 24%, p<.001), and AOAs (5-year OS, 55% vs 44%, p=.026). No significant differences in OS were observed for AOs (5-year OS, with RT 50% vs 56% without RT, p=.277). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards models accounting for extent of resection, age, sex, race, year, marital status, and tumor registry, RT was associated with significantly improved OS for both GBMs (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.50-0.55; P<.001) and AAs (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.48-0.68; P<.001) but only a trend toward improved OS for AOAs (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.45-1.09; P=.110). Due to the observation of nonproportional hazards, Cox regressions were not performed for AOs. A significant interaction was observed between the survival impact of RT and histology overall (interaction P<.001) and in a model limited to the anaplastic (WHO grade 3) histologies. (interaction P=.024), characterizing histology as a significant predictive factor for the impact of RT. Subgroup analyses demonstrated greater hazard reductions with RT among patients older than median age for both GBMs and AAs (all interaction P≤.001). No significant interactions were observed between RT and extent of resection. Identical patterns of significance were observed for cause-specific survival and OS across analyses. Conclusions: In this large population-based cohort, glioma histology represented a significant predictor for the survival impact of RT. Adjuvant RT was associated with improved survival for AAs, with benefits comparable to those observed for GBMs over the same 10-year interval. No survival advantage was observed with adjuvant RT for AOs.« less

A decision tree-based combination of ezrin-interacting proteins to estimate the prognostic risk of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

He, Jian-Zhong; Wu, Zhi-Yong; Wang, Shao-Hong; Ji, Xia; Yang, Cui-Xia; Xu, Xiu-E; Liao, Lian-Di; Wu, Jian-Yi; Li, En-Min; Zhang, Kai; Xu, Li-Yan

2017-08-01

Our previous studies have highlighted the importance of ezrin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here our objective was to explore the clinical significance of ezrin-interacting proteins, which would provide a theoretical basis for understanding the function of ezrin and potential therapeutic targets for ESCC. We used affinity purification and mass spectrometry to identify PDIA3, CNPY2, and STMN1 as potential ezrin-interacting proteins. Confocal microscopy and coimmunoprecipitation analysis further confirmed the colocalization and interaction of ezrin with PDIA3, CNPY2, and STMN1. Tissue microarray data of ESCC samples (n=263) showed that the 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were significantly lower for the CNPY2 (OS, P=.003; DFS, P=.011) and STMN1 (OS, P=.010; DFS, P=.002) high-expression groups compared with the low-expression groups. By contrast, overexpression of PDIA3 was significantly correlated with favorable survival (OS, P<.001; DFS, P=.001). Cox regression demonstrated the prognostic value of PDIA3, CNPY2, and STMN1 in ESCC. Furthermore, decision tree analysis revealed that the resulting classifier of both ezrin and its interacting proteins could be used to better predict OS and DFS of patients with ESCC. In conclusion, a signature of ezrin-interacting proteins accurately predicts ESCC patient survival or tumor recurrence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physicians' perceptions of physician-nurse interactions and information needs in China.

PubMed

Wen, Dong; Guan, Pengcheng; Zhang, Xingting; Lei, Jianbo

2018-01-01

Good communication between physicians and nurses is important for the understanding of disease status and treatment feedback; however, certain issues in Chinese hospitals could lead to suboptimal physician-nurse communication in clinical work. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. Questionnaires were sent to clinical physicians in three top tertiary Grade-A teaching hospitals in China and six hundred and seventeen physicians participated in the survey. (1) Common physician-nurse interactions were shift-change reports and provisional reports when needed, and interactions expected by physicians included face-to-face reports and communication via a phone or mobile device. (2) Most respondents believed that the need for information in physician-nurse interactions was high, information was moderately accurate and timely, and feedback regarding interaction time and satisfaction indicated that they were only average and required improvement. (3) Information needs in physician-nurse interactions differed significantly according to hospital category, role, workplace, and educational background (p < .05). There was a considerable need for information within physician-nurse interactions, and the level of satisfaction with the information obtained was average; requirements for the improvement of communication differed between physicians and nurses because of differences in their characteristics. Currently, the use of information technology in physician-nurse communication was less common but was highly expected by physicians.

Gamma rays from clumpy wind-jet interactions in high-mass microquasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Cita, V. M.; del Palacio, S.; Bosch-Ramon, V.; Paredes-Fortuny, X.; Romero, G. E.; Khangulyan, D.

2017-07-01

Context. The stellar winds of the massive stars in high-mass microquasars are thought to be inhomogeneous. The interaction of these inhomogeneities, or clumps, with the jets of these objects may be a major factor in gamma-ray production. Aims: Our goal is to characterize a typical scenario of clump-jet interaction, and calculate the contribution of these interactions to the gamma-ray emission from these systems. Methods: We use axisymmetric, relativistic hydrodynamical simulations to model the emitting flow in a typical clump-jet interaction. Using the simulation results we perform a numerical calculation of the high-energy emission from one of these interactions. The radiative calculations are performed for relativistic electrons locally accelerated at the jet shock, and the synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation spectra are computed for different stages of the shocked clump evolution. We also explore different parameter values, such as viewing angle and magnetic field strength. The results derived from one clump-jet interaction are generalized phenomenologically to multiple interactions under different wind models, estimating the clump-jet interaction rates, and the resulting luminosities in the GeV range. Results: If particles are efficiently accelerated in clump-jet interactions, the apparent gamma-ray luminosity through inverse Compton scattering with the stellar photons can be significant even for rather strong magnetic fields and thus efficient synchrotron cooling. Moreover, despite the standing nature or slow motion of the jet shocks for most of the interaction stage, Doppler boosting in the postshock flow is relevant even for mildly relativistic jets. Conclusions: For clump-to-average wind density contrasts greater than or equal to ten, clump-jet interactions could be bright enough to match the observed GeV luminosity in Cyg X-1 and Cyg X-3 when a jet is present in these sources, with required non-thermal-to-total available power fractions greater than 0.01 and 0.1, respectively.

Elliptic flow from Coulomb interaction and low density elastic scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yuliang; Li, Qingfeng; Wang, Fuqiang

2018-04-01

In high energy heavy ion collisions and interacting cold atom systems, large elliptic flow anisotropies have been observed. For the large opacity (ρ σ L ˜103 ) of the latter hydrodynamics is a natural consequence, but for the small opacity (ρ σ L ˜1 ) of the former the hydrodynamic description is questionable. To shed light onto the situation, we simulate the expansion of a low density argon ion (or atom) system, initially trapped in an elliptical region, under the Coulomb interaction (or elastic scattering). Significant elliptic anisotropy is found in both cases, and the anisotropy depends on the initial spatial eccentricity and the density of the system. The results may provide insights into the physics of anisotropic flow in high energy heavy ion collisions and its role in the study of quantum chromodynamics.

Influence of functionalized silicones on hair fiber-fiber interactions and on the relationship with the macroscopic behavior of hair assembly.

PubMed

Dussaud, Anne; Fieschi-Corso, Lara

2009-01-01

It is well established that silicones alter hair surface properties and that silicones have a significant impact on the macroscopic behavior of hair assembly, such as visual appearance, combing performance and manageability of the hair. In order to fine-tune the chemistry of functionlized silicones for specific consumer benefits and hair types, we investigated the influence of silicones on hair fiber-fiber interactions and their correlation to hair volume. The incline plane fiber loop method, implemented with a high-precision motorized rotary stage, was used to quantify the fiber-fiber interactions. Low load static friction was studied as a function of polymer molecular weight, dose and chemical architecture. This information was related to the macroscopic behavior of hair assembly, using virgin curly hair in high humidity.

Solar array module plasma interactions experiment (SAMPIE) - Science and technology objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hillard, G. B.; Ferguson, Dale C.

1993-01-01

The solar array module plasma interactions experiment (SAMPIE) is an approved NASA flight experiment manifested for Shuttle deployment in early 1994. The SAMPIE experiment is designed to investigate the interaction of high voltage space power systems with ionospheric plasma. To study the behavior of solar cells, a number of solar cell coupons (representing design technologies of current interest) will be biased to high voltages to measure both arcing and current collection. Various theories of arc suppression will be tested by including several specially modified cell coupons. Finally, SAMPIE will include experiments to study the basic nature of arcing and current collection. This paper describes the rationale for a space flight experiment, the measurements to be made, and the significance of the expected results. A future paper will present a detailed discussion of the engineering design.

Tumor-stroma interactions a trademark for metastasis.

PubMed

Morales, Monica; Planet, Evarist; Arnal-Estape, Anna; Pavlovic, Milica; Tarragona, Maria; Gomis, Roger R

2011-10-01

We aimed to unravel genes that are significantly associated with metastasis in order to identify functions that support disseminated disease. We identify genes associated with metastasis and verify its clinical correlations using publicly available primary tumor expression profile data sets. We used facilities in R and Bioconductor (GSEA). Specific data structures and functions were imported. Our results show that genes associated with metastasis in primary tumor enriched for pathways associated with immune infiltration or cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. As an example, we focus on the enrichment of TGFBR2 and TGF|X A set of communication tools capital for tumor-stroma interactions that define metastasis to the lung and support bone colonization. We showed that tumor-stroma communication through cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway is selected in primary tumors with high risk of relapse. High levels of these factors support systemic instigation of the far metastatic nest as well as local metastatic-specific functions that provide solid ground for metastatic development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modification of the Interfacial Interaction between Carbon Fiber and Epoxy with Carbon Hybrid Materials

PubMed Central

Yu, Kejing; Wang, Menglei; Wu, Junqing; Qian, Kun; Sun, Jie; Lu, Xuefeng

2016-01-01

The mechanical properties of the hybrid materials and epoxy and carbon fiber (CF) composites were improved significantly as compared to the CF composites made from unmodified epoxy. The reasons could be attributed to the strong interfacial interaction between the CF and the epoxy composites for the existence of carbon nanomaterials. The microstructure and dispersion of carbon nanomaterials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and optical microscopy (OM). The results showed that the dispersion of the hybrid materials in the polymer was superior to other carbon nanomaterials. The high viscosity and shear stress characterized by a rheometer and the high interfacial friction and damping behavior characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) indicated that the strong interfacial interaction was greatly improved between fibers and epoxy composites. Remarkably, the tensile tests presented that the CF composites with hybrid materials and epoxy composites have a better reinforcing and toughening effect on CF, which further verified the strong interfacial interaction between epoxy and CF for special structural hybrid materials. PMID:28335217

PyMercury: Interactive Python for the Mercury Monte Carlo Particle Transport Code

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

Iandola, F N; O'Brien, M J; Procassini, R J

2010-11-29

Monte Carlo particle transport applications are often written in low-level languages (C/C++) for optimal performance on clusters and supercomputers. However, this development approach often sacrifices straightforward usability and testing in the interest of fast application performance. To improve usability, some high-performance computing applications employ mixed-language programming with high-level and low-level languages. In this study, we consider the benefits of incorporating an interactive Python interface into a Monte Carlo application. With PyMercury, a new Python extension to the Mercury general-purpose Monte Carlo particle transport code, we improve application usability without diminishing performance. In two case studies, we illustrate how PyMercury improvesmore » usability and simplifies testing and validation in a Monte Carlo application. In short, PyMercury demonstrates the value of interactive Python for Monte Carlo particle transport applications. In the future, we expect interactive Python to play an increasingly significant role in Monte Carlo usage and testing.« less

PeV neutrinos from intergalactic interactions of cosmic rays emitted by active galactic nuclei.

PubMed

Kalashev, Oleg E; Kusenko, Alexander; Essey, Warren

2013-07-26

The observed very high energy spectra of distant blazars are well described by secondary gamma rays produced in line-of-sight interactions of cosmic rays with background photons. In the absence of the cosmic-ray contribution, one would not expect to observe very hard spectra from distant sources, but the cosmic ray interactions generate very high energy gamma rays relatively close to the observer, and they are not attenuated significantly. The same interactions of cosmic rays are expected to produce a flux of neutrinos with energies peaked around 1 PeV. We show that the diffuse isotropic neutrino background from many distant sources can be consistent with the neutrino events recently detected by the IceCube experiment. We also find that the flux from any individual nearby source is insufficient to account for these events. The narrow spectrum around 1 PeV implies that some active galactic nuclei can accelerate protons to EeV energies.

Interactions among micronutrient deficiencies and undernutrition in the Philippines.

PubMed

Florentino, R F; Tanchoco, C C; Rodriguez, M P; Cruz, A J; Molano, W L

1996-09-01

Data gathered from the 1987 National Nutrition Survey in the Philippines provided the opportunity to study the interactions among micronutrient deficiencies and undernutrition in different age groups as basis for program targeting. A randomly selected set of 50% of the households (3,200) covered by the national survey served as source of subjects. Results showed that there was a greater proportion of anemia among the undernourished (as judged by weight for age in children and weight for height in adults) (66.0%) than among the adequately nourished (54.6%) (P < 0.01). However, the observed differences in the proportion of serum vitamin A deficiency and of goiter among the undernourished compared to the adequately nourished were not significant. Also not significant were the observed higher prevalence of anemia among subjects with acceptable serum vitamin A levels for both adequately nourished and undernourished, and the higher prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among the non-anemics. Again there were no significant differences in the prevalence of anemia among goitrous and non-goitrous subjects, as well as the prevalence of goiter among anemic and non-anemic subjects. Neither were there significant differences in the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among goitrous and non-goitrous subjects, but there were significant differences in the prevalence of goiter among vitamin A deficient and non-vitamin A deficient subjects among the 7-14 years old and among pregnant and lactating women. The study concludes that at the national level, there is apparently an interaction between anemia and protein-energy undernutrition and possibly also between goiter and vitamin A deficiency in the high-risk age groups, but between anemia on the one hand and goiter and vitamin A deficiency in the other, perhaps because of clustering in the latter conditions not found in anemia and general undernutrition. These findings may be useful in targeting communities with high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies by using prevalence of underweight and goiter as indicators for high prevalence of anemia and vitamin A deficiency, respectively.

Neuropeptide Y genotype, central obesity, and abdominal fat distribution: the POUNDS LOST trial1,2

PubMed Central

Lin, Xiaochen; Qi, Qibin; Zheng, Yan; Huang, Tao; Lathrop, Mark; Zelenika, Diana; Bray, George A; Sacks, Frank M; Liang, Liming; Qi, Lu

2015-01-01

Background: Neuropeptide Y is a key peptide affecting adiposity and has been related to obesity risk. However, little is known about the role of NPY variations in diet-induced change in adiposity. Objective: The objective was to examine the effects of NPY variant rs16147 on central obesity and abdominal fat distribution in response to dietary interventions. Design: We genotyped a functional NPY variant rs16147 among 723 participants in the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies trial. Changes in waist circumference (WC), total abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from baseline to 6 and 24 mo were evaluated with respect to the rs16147 genotypes. Genotype–dietary fat interaction was also examined. Results: The rs16147 C allele was associated with a greater reduction in WC at 6 mo (P < 0.001). In addition, the genotypes showed a statistically significant interaction with dietary fat in relation to WC and SAT (P-interaction = 0.01 and 0.04): the association was stronger in individuals with high-fat intake than in those with low-fat intake. At 24 mo, the association remained statistically significant for WC in the high-fat diet group (P = 0.02), although the gene–dietary fat interaction became nonsignificant (P = 0.30). In addition, we found statistically significant genotype–dietary fat interaction on the change in total abdominal adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and SAT at 24 mo (P = 0.01, 0.05, and 0.04): the rs16147 T allele appeared to associate with more adverse change in the abdominal fat deposition in the high-fat diet group than in the low-fat diet group. Conclusion: Our data indicate that the NPY rs16147 genotypes affect the change in abdominal adiposity in response to dietary interventions, and the effects of the rs16147 single-nucleotide polymorphism on central obesity and abdominal fat distribution were modified by dietary fat. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00072995. PMID:26156739

HIGH SHEAR GRANULATION PROCESS: ASSESSING IMPACT OF FORMULATION VARIABLES ON GRANULES AND TABLETS CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH DRUG LOADING FORMULATION USING DESIGN OF EXPERIMENT METHODOLOGY.

PubMed

Fayed, Mohamed H; Abdel-Rahman, Sayed I; Alanazi, Fars K; Ahmed, Mahrous O; Tawfeek, Hesham M; Ali, Bahaa E

2017-03-01

High shear wet granulation is a significant component procedure in the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of two independent formulation variables; polyvinypyrrolidone (PVP) as a binder (X,) and croscarmellose sodium (CCS) as a disintegrant (X2) on the crit- ical quality attributes of acetaminophen granules and their corresponding tablets using design of experiment (DoE) approach. A two factor, three level (32) full factorial design has been applied; each variable was investi- gated at three levels to characterize their strength and interaction. The dried granules have been analyzed for their density, granule size and flowability. Additionally, the produced tablets have been investigated for: break- ing force, friability, disintegration time and t. of drug dissolution. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the two variables had a significant impact (p < 0.05) on granules and tablets characteristics, while only the binder concentration influenced the tablets friability. Furthermore, significant interactions (p < 0.05) between the two variables, for granules and tablets attributes, were also found. However, variables interaction showed minimal effect for granules flowability as well as tablets friability. Desirability function was carried out to opti- mize the variables under study to obtain product within the USP limit. It was found that the higher desirability (0.985) could be obtained at the medium level of PVP and low level of CCS. Ultimately, this study supplies the formulator with beneficial tools in selecting the proper level of binder and disintegrant to attain product with desired characteristics.

Change in organizational justice and job performance in Japanese employees: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Nakagawa, Yuko; Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Tsuno, Kanami; Tomioka, Kimiko; Nakanishi, Mayuko; Mafune, Kosuke; Hiro, Hisanori

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of one-year change in organizational justice (i.e., procedural justice and interactional justice) with job performance in Japanese employees. This study surveyed 425 men and 683 women from a manufacturing company in Japan. Self-administered questionnaires, including the Organizational Justice Questionnaire (OJQ), the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (WHO-HPQ) and the scales on demographic characteristics, were administered at baseline (August 2009). At one-year follow-up (August 2010), the OJQ and WHO-HPQ were used again to assess organizational justice and job performance. The change in organizational justice was measured by dichotomizing each OJQ subscale score by median at baseline and follow-up, and the participants were classified into four groups (i.e., stable low, adverse change, favorable change and stable high). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed. After adjusting for demographic and occupational characteristics and job performance at baseline, the groups classified based on the change in procedural justice differed significantly in job performance at follow-up (ANCOVA: F [3, 1097]=4.35, p<0.01). Multiple comparisons revealed that the stable high procedural justice group had significantly higher job performance at follow-up compared with the stable low procedural justice group. The groups classified based on change in interactional justice did not differ significantly in job performance at follow-up (p>0.05). The present findings suggest that keeping the level of procedural justice high predicts higher levels of job performance, whereas the psychosocial factor of interactional justice is not so important for predicting job performance.

Relationship of ethnicity and CD4 Count with glucose metabolism among HIV patients on Highly-Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background HIV patients on HAART are prone to metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, lipodystrophy and diabetes. This study purports to investigate the relationship of ethnicity and CD4+ T cell count attained after stable highly-active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) with glucose metabolism in hyperrtriglyceridemic HIV patients without a history of diabetes. Methods Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, endocrinologic, energy expenditure and metabolic measures were obtained in 199 multiethnic, healthy but hypertriglyceridemic HIV-infected patients [46% Hispanic, 17% African-American, 37% Non-Hispanic White (NHW)] on stable HAART without a history of diabetes. The relationship of glucose and insulin responses to ethnicity, CD4 strata (low (<300/cc) or moderate-to-high (≥ 300/cc)), and their interaction was determined. Results African-Americans had significantly greater impairment of glucose tolerance (P < 0.05) and HbA1c levels (P < .001) than either Hispanics or NHWs. In multivariate models, after adjusting for confounders (age, sex, HIV/HAART duration, smoking, obesity, glucose, insulin and lipids), African-Americans and Hispanics had significantly higher HbA1c and 2-hour glucose levels than NHW’s. Demonstrating a significant interaction between ethnicity and CD4 count (P = 0.023), African Americans with CD4 <300/cc and Hispanics with CD4 ≥300/cc had the most impaired glucose response following oral glucose challenge. Conclusions Among hypertriglyceridemic HIV patients on HAART, African-Americans and Hispanics are at increased risk of developing diabetes. Ethnicity also interacts with CD4+ T cell count attained on stable HAART to affect post-challenge glycemic response. PMID:23607267

Problem solving moderates the effects of life event stress and chronic stress on suicidal behaviors in adolescence.

PubMed

Grover, Kelly E; Green, Kelly L; Pettit, Jeremy W; Monteith, Lindsey L; Garza, Monica J; Venta, Amanda

2009-12-01

The present study examined the unique and interactive effects of stress and problem-solving skills on suicidal behaviors among 102 inpatient adolescents. As expected, life event stress and chronic stress each significantly predicted suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Problem solving significantly predicted suicidal ideation, but not suicide attempt. Problem solving moderated the associations between life event stress and suicidal behaviors, as well as between chronic stress and suicidal ideation, but not chronic stress and suicide attempt. At high levels of stress, adolescents with poor problem-solving skills experienced elevated suicidal ideation and were at greater risk of making a nonfatal suicide attempt. The interactive effects decreased to non-significance after controlling for depressive symptoms and hopelessness. Clinical implications are discussed.

Rapid and sensitive MRM-based mass spectrometry approach for systematically exploring ganglioside-protein interactions.

PubMed

Tian, Ruijun; Jin, Jing; Taylor, Lorne; Larsen, Brett; Quaggin, Susan E; Pawson, Tony

2013-04-01

Gangliosides are ubiquitous components of cell membranes. Their interactions with bacterial toxins and membrane-associated proteins (e.g. receptor tyrosine kinases) have important roles in the regulation of multiple cellular functions. Currently, an effective approach for measuring ganglioside-protein interactions especially in a large-scale fashion is largely missing. To this end, we report a facile MS-based approach to explore gangliosides extracted from cells and measure their interactions with protein of interest globally. We optimized a two-step protocol for extracting total gangliosides from cells within 2 h. Easy-to-use magnetic beads conjugated with a protein of interest were used to capture interacting gangliosides. To measure ganglioside-protein interaction on a global scale, we applied a high-sensitive LC-MS system, containing hydrophilic interaction LC separation and multiple reaction monitoring-based MS for ganglioside detection. Sensitivity for ganglioside GM1 is below 100 pg, and the whole analysis can be done in 20 min with isocratic elution. To measure ganglioside interactions with soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (sFlt1), we extracted and readily detected 36 species of gangliosides from perivascular retinal pigment epithelium cells across eight different classes. Twenty-three ganglioside species have significant interactions with sFlt1 as compared with IgG control based on p value cutoff <0.05. These results show that the described method provides a rapid and high-sensitive approach for systematically measuring ganglioside-protein interactions. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quantitative analysis of intermolecular interactions in orthorhombic rubrene

DOE PAGES

Hathwar, Venkatesha R.; Sist, Mattia; Jørgensen, Mads R. V.; ...

2015-08-14

Rubrene is one of the most studied organic semiconductors to date due to its high charge carrier mobility which makes it a potentially applicable compound in modern electronic devices. Previous electronic device characterizations and first principles theoretical calculations assigned the semiconducting properties of rubrene to the presence of a large overlap of the extended π-conjugated core between molecules. We present here the electron density distribution in rubrene at 20 K and at 100 K obtained using a combination of high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction data. The topology of the electron density and energies of intermolecular interactions are studied quantitatively. Specifically,more » the presence of C π...C πinteractions between neighbouring tetracene backbones of the rubrene molecules is experimentally confirmed from a topological analysis of the electron density, Non-Covalent Interaction (NCI) analysis and the calculated interaction energy of molecular dimers. A significant contribution to the lattice energy of the crystal is provided by H—H interactions. The electron density features of H—H bonding, and the interaction energy of molecular dimers connected by H—H interaction clearly demonstrate an importance of these weak interactions in the stabilization of the crystal structure. Finally, the quantitative nature of the intermolecular interactions is virtually unchanged between 20 K and 100 K suggesting that any changes in carrier transport at these low temperatures would have a different origin. The obtained experimental results are further supported by theoretical calculations.« less

A Norwegian prospective study of preterm mother–infant interactions at 6 and 18 months and the impact of maternal mental health problems, pregnancy and birth complications

PubMed Central

Misund, Aud R; Bråten, Stein; Nerdrum, Per; Pripp, Are Hugo; Diseth, Trond H

2016-01-01

Objective Pregnancy, birth and health complications, maternal mental health problems following preterm birth and their possible impact on early mother–infant interaction at 6 and 18 months corrected age (CA) were explored. Predictors of mother–infant interaction at 18 months CA were identified. Design and methods This prospective longitudinal and observational study included 33 preterm mother–infant (<33 gestational age (GA)) interactions at 6 and 18 months CA from a socioeconomic low-risk, middle-class sample. The Parent–Child Early Relational Assessment (PCERA) scale was used to assess the mother–infant interaction. Results ‘Bleeding in pregnancy’ predicted lower quality in preterm mother–infant interaction in 6 PCERA scales, while high ‘maternal trait anxiety’ predicted higher interactional quality in 2 PCERA scales and ‘family size’ predicted lower interactional quality in 1 PCERA scale at 18 months CA. Mothers with symptoms of post-traumatic stress reactions, general psychological distress and anxiety at 2 weeks postpartum (PP) showed significantly better outcome than mothers without symptoms in 6 PCERA subscales at 6 months CA and 2 PCERA subscales at 18 months CA. Conclusions Our study detected a correspondence between early pregnancy complications and lower quality of preterm mother–infant interaction, and an association between high levels of maternal mental health problems and better quality in preterm mother–infant interaction. PMID:27147380

Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition (NIMI) Differentially Suppresses Head and Thigh Movements during Screenic Engagement: Dependence on Interaction

PubMed Central

Witchel, Harry J.; Santos, Carlos P.; Ackah, James K.; Westling, Carina E. I.; Chockalingam, Nachiappan

2016-01-01

Background: Estimating engagement levels from postural micromovements has been summarized by some researchers as: increased proximity to the screen is a marker for engagement, while increased postural movement is a signal for disengagement or negative affect. However, these findings are inconclusive: the movement hypothesis challenges other findings of dyadic interaction in humans, and experiments on the positional hypothesis diverge from it. Hypotheses: (1) Under controlled conditions, adding a relevant visual stimulus to an auditory stimulus will preferentially result in Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition (NIMI) of the head. (2) When instrumental movements are eliminated and computer-interaction rate is held constant, for two identically-structured stimuli, cognitive engagement (i.e., interest) will result in measurable NIMI of the body generally. Methods: Twenty-seven healthy participants were seated in front of a computer monitor and speakers. Discrete 3-min stimuli were presented with interactions mediated via a handheld trackball without any keyboard, to minimize instrumental movements of the participant's body. Music videos and audio-only music were used to test hypothesis (1). Time-sensitive, highly interactive stimuli were used to test hypothesis (2). Subjective responses were assessed via visual analog scales. The computer users' movements were quantified using video motion tracking from the lateral aspect. Repeated measures ANOVAs with Tukey post hoc comparisons were performed. Results: For two equivalently-engaging music videos, eliminating the visual content elicited significantly increased non-instrumental movements of the head (while also decreasing subjective engagement); a highly engaging user-selected piece of favorite music led to further increased non-instrumental movement. For two comparable reading tasks, the more engaging reading significantly inhibited (42%) movement of the head and thigh; however, when a highly engaging video game was compared to the boring reading, even though the reading task and the game had similar levels of interaction (trackball clicks), only thigh movement was significantly inhibited, not head movement. Conclusions: NIMI can be elicited by adding a relevant visual accompaniment to an audio-only stimulus or by making a stimulus cognitively engaging. However, these results presume that all other factors are held constant, because total movement rates can be affected by cognitive engagement, instrumental movements, visual requirements, and the time-sensitivity of the stimulus. PMID:26941666

Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition (NIMI) Differentially Suppresses Head and Thigh Movements during Screenic Engagement: Dependence on Interaction.

PubMed

Witchel, Harry J; Santos, Carlos P; Ackah, James K; Westling, Carina E I; Chockalingam, Nachiappan

2016-01-01

Estimating engagement levels from postural micromovements has been summarized by some researchers as: increased proximity to the screen is a marker for engagement, while increased postural movement is a signal for disengagement or negative affect. However, these findings are inconclusive: the movement hypothesis challenges other findings of dyadic interaction in humans, and experiments on the positional hypothesis diverge from it. (1) Under controlled conditions, adding a relevant visual stimulus to an auditory stimulus will preferentially result in Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition (NIMI) of the head. (2) When instrumental movements are eliminated and computer-interaction rate is held constant, for two identically-structured stimuli, cognitive engagement (i.e., interest) will result in measurable NIMI of the body generally. Twenty-seven healthy participants were seated in front of a computer monitor and speakers. Discrete 3-min stimuli were presented with interactions mediated via a handheld trackball without any keyboard, to minimize instrumental movements of the participant's body. Music videos and audio-only music were used to test hypothesis (1). Time-sensitive, highly interactive stimuli were used to test hypothesis (2). Subjective responses were assessed via visual analog scales. The computer users' movements were quantified using video motion tracking from the lateral aspect. Repeated measures ANOVAs with Tukey post hoc comparisons were performed. For two equivalently-engaging music videos, eliminating the visual content elicited significantly increased non-instrumental movements of the head (while also decreasing subjective engagement); a highly engaging user-selected piece of favorite music led to further increased non-instrumental movement. For two comparable reading tasks, the more engaging reading significantly inhibited (42%) movement of the head and thigh; however, when a highly engaging video game was compared to the boring reading, even though the reading task and the game had similar levels of interaction (trackball clicks), only thigh movement was significantly inhibited, not head movement. NIMI can be elicited by adding a relevant visual accompaniment to an audio-only stimulus or by making a stimulus cognitively engaging. However, these results presume that all other factors are held constant, because total movement rates can be affected by cognitive engagement, instrumental movements, visual requirements, and the time-sensitivity of the stimulus.

Effects of Job Burnout and Emotional Labor on Objective Structured Clinical Examination Performance Among Interns and Residents in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Chen-Yu; Chen, Jen-De; Wang, Chih-Hung; Wang, Jong-Yi; Tai, Chih-Jaan; Hsieh, Tsu-Yi; Chen, Der-Yuan

2017-01-01

Medical education faces challenges concerning job burnout and emotional labor among junior physicians, which poses a potential threat to the quality of medical care. Although studies have investigated job burnout and emotional labor among physicians, empirical research on the association between job burnout, emotional labor, and clinical performance is lacking. This study investigated the effects of job burnout and emotional labor on clinical performance by using the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scores of interns and residents. Specifically, this cross-sectional study utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Emotional Labor Questionnaire as measurement instruments. A total of 225 interns and residents in central Taiwan answered structured questionnaires before beginning their OSCE. The major statistical analysis method employed was logistic regression. After adjustment for covariates, first-year residents were less likely than other residents to obtain high OSCE scores. The odds of high OSCE performance among interns and residents with high interaction component scores in emotional labor were significantly higher than those with low interaction scores. A high score in the interaction dimension of emotional labor was associated with strong clinical performance. The findings suggest that interventions which motivate positive attitudes and increase interpersonal interaction skills among physicians should receive higher priority.

Meeting No Resistance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buzdin, Alexander; Varlamov, Andrey

1991-01-01

Describes the history and the development of the field of superconductivity. Identifies the significant interaction of electrons to form Cooper pairs. Presents background theory, describes approaches, and discusses problems encountered in the search for better high temperature superconducting materials. Provides technological applications of…

Tree survivorship in an oak-hickory forest in southeast Missouri, USA under a long-term regime of annual and periodic controlled burning

Treesearch

Julie A. Huddle; Stephen G. Pallardy

1995-01-01

Fire significantly altered survivorship in southeastern Missouri forests burned at annual and four-year (periodic) intervals since 1949 and 1951. In the ANOVA model tested, treatment, species, pretreatment diameter and the interaction between species and pretreatment diameter were highly significantly related to survivorship. Overall survivorship and survivorship of...

Infant attachment disorganization and moderation pathways to level and change in externalizing behavior during preschool ages.

PubMed

Wang, Feihong; Willoughby, Michael; Mills-Koonce, Roger; Cox, Martha J

2016-12-01

This research examined the child, parent, and family conditions under which attachment disorganization was related to both level and change in externalizing behavior during preschool among a community sample. Using the ordinary least squares regression, we found that attachment disorganization at 12 months significantly predicted children's externalizing behavior at 36 months and this prediction was not contingent on any other factors tested. For predicting changes in externalizing behavior from 36 to 60 months, we found a significant main effect of family cumulative risk and an interaction effect between attachment disorganization at 12 months and maternal sensitivity at 24 months. Specifically, high disorganization was related to a significant decrease in externalizing behavior from 36 to 60 months when maternal sensitivity at 24 months was high. Our main-effect findings replicated the significant effect of attachment disorganization and cumulative risk on externalizing behavior with preschool-aged children. Our interaction finding provided support for understanding the parenting conditions under which infant attachment disorganization may be related to change in externalizing behavior during preschool ages. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Soil Bacterial Diversity Is Associated with Human Population Density in Urban Greenspaces.

PubMed

Wang, Haitao; Cheng, Minying; Dsouza, Melissa; Weisenhorn, Pamela; Zheng, Tianling; Gilbert, Jack A

2018-05-01

Urban greenspaces provide extensive ecosystem services, including pollutant remediation, water management, carbon maintenance, and nutrient cycling. However, while the urban soil microbiota underpin these services, we still have limited understanding of the factors that influence their distribution. We characterized soil bacterial communities from turf-grasses associated with urban parks, streets, and residential sites across a major urban environment, including a gradient of human population density. Bacterial diversity was significantly positively correlated with the population density; and species diversity was greater in park and street soils, compared to residential soils. Population density and greenspace type also led to significant differences in the microbial community composition that was also significantly correlated with soil pH, moisture, and texture. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that microbial guilds in urban soils were well correlated. Abundant soil microbes in high density population areas had fewer interactions, while abundant bacteria in high moisture soils had more interactions. These results indicate the significant influence of changes in urban demographics and land-use on soil microbial communities. As urbanization is rapidly growing across the planet, it is important to improve our understanding of the consequences of urban zoning on the soil microbiota.

Effects of Spatial Patch Arrangement and Scale of Covarying Resources on Growth and Intraspecific Competition of a Clonal Plant

PubMed Central

Wang, Yong-Jian; Shi, Xue-Ping; Meng, Xue-Feng; Wu, Xiao-Jing; Luo, Fang-Li; Yu, Fei-Hai

2016-01-01

Spatial heterogeneity in two co-variable resources such as light and water availability is common and can affect the growth of clonal plants. Several studies have tested effects of spatial heterogeneity in the supply of a single resource on competitive interactions of plants, but none has examined those of heterogeneous distribution of two co-variable resources. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew one (without intraspecific competition) or nine isolated ramets (with competition) of a rhizomatous herb Iris japonica under a homogeneous environment and four heterogeneous environments differing in patch arrangement (reciprocal and parallel patchiness of light and soil water) and patch scale (large and small patches of light and water). Intraspecific competition significantly decreased the growth of I. japonica, but at the whole container level there were no significant interaction effects of competition by spatial heterogeneity or significant effect of heterogeneity on competitive intensity. Irrespective of competition, the growth of I. japonica in the high and the low water patches did not differ significantly in the homogeneous treatments, but it was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the heterogeneous treatments with large patches. For the heterogeneous treatments with small patches, the growth of I. japonica was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the presence of competition, but such an effect was not significant in the absence of competition. Furthermore, patch arrangement and patch scale significantly affected competitive intensity at the patch level. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity in light and water supply can alter intraspecific competition at the patch level and such effects depend on patch arrangement and patch scale. PMID:27375630

Effects of Spatial Patch Arrangement and Scale of Covarying Resources on Growth and Intraspecific Competition of a Clonal Plant.

PubMed

Wang, Yong-Jian; Shi, Xue-Ping; Meng, Xue-Feng; Wu, Xiao-Jing; Luo, Fang-Li; Yu, Fei-Hai

2016-01-01

Spatial heterogeneity in two co-variable resources such as light and water availability is common and can affect the growth of clonal plants. Several studies have tested effects of spatial heterogeneity in the supply of a single resource on competitive interactions of plants, but none has examined those of heterogeneous distribution of two co-variable resources. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew one (without intraspecific competition) or nine isolated ramets (with competition) of a rhizomatous herb Iris japonica under a homogeneous environment and four heterogeneous environments differing in patch arrangement (reciprocal and parallel patchiness of light and soil water) and patch scale (large and small patches of light and water). Intraspecific competition significantly decreased the growth of I. japonica, but at the whole container level there were no significant interaction effects of competition by spatial heterogeneity or significant effect of heterogeneity on competitive intensity. Irrespective of competition, the growth of I. japonica in the high and the low water patches did not differ significantly in the homogeneous treatments, but it was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the heterogeneous treatments with large patches. For the heterogeneous treatments with small patches, the growth of I. japonica was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the presence of competition, but such an effect was not significant in the absence of competition. Furthermore, patch arrangement and patch scale significantly affected competitive intensity at the patch level. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity in light and water supply can alter intraspecific competition at the patch level and such effects depend on patch arrangement and patch scale.

Exploiting the Proteome to Improve the Genome-Wide Genetic Analysis of Epistasis in Common Human Diseases

PubMed Central

Pattin, Kristine A.; Moore, Jason H.

2009-01-01

One of the central goals of human genetics is the identification of loci with alleles or genotypes that confer increased susceptibility. The availability of dense maps of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) along with high-throughput genotyping technologies has set the stage for routine genome-wide association studies that are expected to significantly improve our ability to identify susceptibility loci. Before this promise can be realized, there are some significant challenges that need to be addressed. We address here the challenge of detecting epistasis or gene-gene interactions in genome-wide association studies. Discovering epistatic interactions in high dimensional datasets remains a challenge due to the computational complexity resulting from the analysis of all possible combinations of SNPs. One potential way to overcome the computational burden of a genome-wide epistasis analysis would be to devise a logical way to prioritize the many SNPs in a dataset so that the data may be analyzed more efficiently and yet still retain important biological information. One of the strongest demonstrations of the functional relationship between genes is protein-protein interaction. Thus, it is plausible that the expert knowledge extracted from protein interaction databases may allow for a more efficient analysis of genome-wide studies as well as facilitate the biological interpretation of the data. In this review we will discuss the challenges of detecting epistasis in genome-wide genetic studies and the means by which we propose to apply expert knowledge extracted from protein interaction databases to facilitate this process. We explore some of the fundamentals of protein interactions and the databases that are publicly available. PMID:18551320

Bayesian parameter estimation of a k-ε model for accurate jet-in-crossflow simulations

DOE PAGES

Ray, Jaideep; Lefantzi, Sophia; Arunajatesan, Srinivasan; ...

2016-05-31

Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes models are not very accurate for high-Reynolds-number compressible jet-in-crossflow interactions. The inaccuracy arises from the use of inappropriate model parameters and model-form errors in the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model. In this study, the hypothesis is pursued that Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes predictions can be significantly improved by using parameters inferred from experimental measurements of a supersonic jet interacting with a transonic crossflow.

Differential Susceptibility and the Early Development of Aggression: Interactive Effects of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Environmental Quality

PubMed Central

Eisenberg, Nancy; Sulik, Michael J.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Edwards, Alison; Eggum, Natalie D.; Liew, Jeffrey; Sallquist, Julie; Popp, Tierney K.; Smith, Cynthia L.; Hart, Daniel

2012-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to predict the development of aggressive behavior from young children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and environmental quality. In a longitudinal sample of 213 children, baseline RSA, RSA suppression in response to a film of crying babies, and a composite measure of environmental quality (incorporating socioeconomic status and marital adjustment) were measured, and parent-reported aggression was assessed from 18 to 54 months of age. Predictions based on biological sensitivity-to-context/differential susceptibility and diathesis-stress models, as well as potential moderation by child sex, were examined. The interaction of baseline RSA with environmental quality predicted the development (slope) and 54-month intercept of mothers’ reports of aggression. For girls only, the interaction between baseline RSA and environmental quality predicted the 18-month intercept of fathers’ reports. In general, significant negative relations between RSA and aggression were found primarily at high levels of environmental quality. In addition, we found a significant Sex × RSA interaction predicting the slope and 54-month intercept of fathers’ reports of aggression, such that RSA was negatively related to aggression for boys but not for girls. Contrary to predictions, no significant main effects or interactions were found for RSA suppression. The results provide mixed but not full support for differential susceptibility theory and provide little support for the diathesis-stress model. PMID:22182294

Optimizing Noble Gas-Water Interactions via Monte Carlo Simulations.

PubMed

Warr, Oliver; Ballentine, Chris J; Mu, Junju; Masters, Andrew

2015-11-12

In this work we present optimized noble gas-water Lennard-Jones 6-12 pair potentials for each noble gas. Given the significantly different atomic nature of water and the noble gases, the standard Lorentz-Berthelot mixing rules produce inaccurate unlike molecular interactions between these two species. Consequently, we find simulated Henry's coefficients deviate significantly from their experimental counterparts for the investigated thermodynamic range (293-353 K at 1 and 10 atm), due to a poor unlike potential well term (εij). Where εij is too high or low, so too is the strength of the resultant noble gas-water interaction. This observed inadequacy in using the Lorentz-Berthelot mixing rules is countered in this work by scaling εij for helium, neon, argon, and krypton by factors of 0.91, 0.8, 1.1, and 1.05, respectively, to reach a much improved agreement with experimental Henry's coefficients. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the xenon εij term, coupled with the reasonable agreement of the initial values, no scaling factor is applied for this noble gas. These resulting optimized pair potentials also accurately predict partitioning within a CO2-H2O binary phase system as well as diffusion coefficients in ambient water. This further supports the quality of these interaction potentials. Consequently, they can now form a well-grounded basis for the future molecular modeling of multiphase geological systems.

The Double Meaning of Online Social Space: Three-Way Interactions Among Social Anxiety, Online Social Behavior, and Offline Social Behavior.

PubMed

Koo, Hoon Jung; Woo, Sungbum; Yang, Eunjoo; Kwon, Jung Hye

2015-09-01

The present study aimed to investigate how online and offline social behavior interact with each other ultimately to affect the well-being of socially anxious adolescents. Based on previous studies, it was assumed that there might be three-way interactive effects among online social behavior, offline social behavior, and social anxiety regarding the relationship with well-being. To measure social anxiety, online and offline social behavior, and mental well-being, self-report questionnaires such as the Korean-Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, Korean version of the Relational Maintenance Behavior Questionnaire, and Korean version of Mental Health Continuum Short Form were administered to 656 Korean adolescents. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the three-way interaction of online social behavior, offline social behavior, and social anxiety was indeed significant. First, online social behavior was associated with lower well-being of adolescents with higher social anxiety under conditions of low engagement in offline social behavior. In contrast, a higher level of online social behavior predicted greater well-being for individuals with high social anxiety under conditions of more engagement in offline social behavior. Second, online social behavior was not significantly related to well-being in youths with low social anxiety under conditions of both high and low engagement in offline social behavior. Implications and limitations of this study were discussed.

The Use of Interactive Media Ispring Suite 8 Supported by Google SketchUp to Improve Students’ Geometry Skills Based on Hoffer’s Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurwijayanti, A.; Budiyono; Fitriana, L.

2018-04-01

The basic Geometry skills are needed by the students to solve the geometrical tasks in daily life. There are five aspects of the Geometry ability based on the Hoffer’s theory. They are visual, verbal, drawing, logical, and application. These are the abilities that the students in junior high school level need to master. The purpose of this study is to find out and describe the effectiveness of the interactive media supported by Google SketchUp to improve the students’ basic Geometry skills based on Hoffer’s theory. The subject in this research is 30 students from class 9E in Junior High School of Mojogedang 1, Karanganyar regency. This study uses a pre-test and post-test experiment and analyzed with the t-test hypothesis with the significant level of 5%. The result of this study can be seen from the diffeence average score between the pre-test and post-test, which shows a significance difference. It means that through the interactive media supported by Google SketchUp, the students’ five basic abilities are improved. Therefore, it can be concluded that the interactive media supported by Google SketchUp is potential and can be used to help the students in improving their basic Geometry skills based on Hoffer’s theory.

Altered interactions of tryptophan metabolites in first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Yao, JK; Dougherty, GG; Reddy, RD; Keshavan, MS; Montrose, DM; Matson, WR; Rozen, S; Krishnan, RR; McEvoy, J; Kaddurah-Daouk, R

2010-01-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by complex and dynamically interacting perturbations in multiple neurochemical systems. In the past, evidence for these alterations has been collected piecemeal, limiting our understanding of the interactions among relevant biological systems. Earlier, both hyper- and hyposerotonemia were variously associated with the longitudinal course of schizophrenia, suggesting a disturbance in the central serotonin (5-hydroxytrypt-amine (5-HT)) function. Using a targeted electrochemistry-based metabolomics platform, we compared metabolic signatures consisting of 13 plasma tryptophan (Trp) metabolites simultaneously between first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia (FENNS, n = 25) and healthy controls (HC, n = 30). We also compared these metabolites between FENNS at baseline (BL) and 4 weeks (4w) after antipsychotic treatment. N-acetylserotonin was increased in FENNS-BL compared with HC (P = 0.0077, which remained nearly significant after Bonferroni correction). N-acetylserotonin/Trp and melatonin (Mel)/serotonin ratios were higher, and Mel/N-acetylserotonin ratio was lower in FENNS-BL (all P-values < 0.0029), but not after treatment, compared with HC volunteers. All three groups had highly significant correlations between Trp and its metabolites, Mel, kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine and tryptamine. However, in the HC, but in neither of the FENNS groups, serotonin was highly correlated with Trp, Mel, kynurenine or tryptamine, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) was highly correlated with Trp, Mel, kynurenine or 3-hydroxykynurenine. A significant difference between HC and FENNS-BL was further shown only for the Trp–5HIAA correlation. Thus, some metabolite interactions within the Trp pathway seem to be altered in the FENNS-BL patients. Conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin by serotonin N-acetyltransferase may be upregulated in FENNS patients, possibly related to the observed alteration in Trp–5HIAA correlation. Considering N-acetylserotonin as a potent antioxidant, such increases in N-acetylserotonin might be a compensatory response to increased oxidative stress, implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. PMID:19401681

Patient, tumour and treatment factors affect complication rates in soft tissue sarcoma flap reconstruction in a synergistic manner.

PubMed

Slump, J; Ferguson, P C; Wunder, J S; Griffin, A M; Hoekstra, H J; Liu, X; Hofer, S O P; O'Neill, A C

2017-06-01

Flap reconstruction plays an essential role in the management of soft tissue sarcoma, facilitating wide resection while maximizing preservation of function. The addition of reconstruction increases the complexity of the surgery and identification of patients who are at high risk for post-operative complications is an important part of the preoperative assessment. This study examines predictors of complications in these patients. 294 patients undergoing flap reconstruction following sarcoma resection were evaluated. Data on patient, tumour and treatment variables as well as post-operative complications were collected. Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of complications. Analysis of synergistic interaction between key patient and tumour risk factors was subsequently performed. A history of cerebrovascular events or cardiac disease were found to be the strongest independent predictors of post-operative complications (OR 14.84, p = 0.003 and OR 5.71, p = 0.001, respectively). Further strong independent tumour and treatment-related predictors were high grade tumours (OR 1.91, p = 0.038) and the need for additional reconstructive procedures (OR 2.78, p = 0.001). Obesity had significant synergistic interaction with tumour resection diameter (RERI 1.1, SI 1.99, p = 0.02) and high tumour grade (RERI 0.86, SI 1.5, p = 0.01). Comorbidities showed significant synergistic interaction with large tumour resections (RERI 0.91, SI 1.83, p = 0.02). Patient, tumour and treatment-related variables contribute to complications following flap reconstruction of sarcoma defects. This study highlights the importance of considering the combined effect of multiple risk factors when evaluating and counselling patients as significant synergistic interaction between variables can further increase the risk of complications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Comparison of some dispersion-corrected and traditional functionals with CCSD(T) and MP2 ab initio methods: Dispersion, induction, and basis set superposition error

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Dipankar; Marianski, Mateusz; Maitra, Neepa T.; Dannenberg, J. J.

2012-10-01

We compare dispersion and induction interactions for noble gas dimers and for Ne, methane, and 2-butyne with HF and LiF using a variety of functionals (including some specifically parameterized to evaluate dispersion interactions) with ab initio methods including CCSD(T) and MP2. We see that inductive interactions tend to enhance dispersion and may be accompanied by charge-transfer. We show that the functionals do not generally follow the expected trends in interaction energies, basis set superposition errors (BSSE), and interaction distances as a function of basis set size. The functionals parameterized to treat dispersion interactions often overestimate these interactions, sometimes by quite a lot, when compared to higher level calculations. Which functionals work best depends upon the examples chosen. The B3LYP and X3LYP functionals, which do not describe pure dispersion interactions, appear to describe dispersion mixed with induction about as accurately as those parametrized to treat dispersion. We observed significant differences in high-level wavefunction calculations in a basis set larger than those used to generate the structures in many of the databases. We discuss the implications for highly parameterized functionals based on these databases, as well as the use of simple potential energy for fitting the parameters rather than experimentally determinable thermodynamic state functions that involve consideration of vibrational states.

Comparison of some dispersion-corrected and traditional functionals with CCSD(T) and MP2 ab initio methods: dispersion, induction, and basis set superposition error.

PubMed

Roy, Dipankar; Marianski, Mateusz; Maitra, Neepa T; Dannenberg, J J

2012-10-07

We compare dispersion and induction interactions for noble gas dimers and for Ne, methane, and 2-butyne with HF and LiF using a variety of functionals (including some specifically parameterized to evaluate dispersion interactions) with ab initio methods including CCSD(T) and MP2. We see that inductive interactions tend to enhance dispersion and may be accompanied by charge-transfer. We show that the functionals do not generally follow the expected trends in interaction energies, basis set superposition errors (BSSE), and interaction distances as a function of basis set size. The functionals parameterized to treat dispersion interactions often overestimate these interactions, sometimes by quite a lot, when compared to higher level calculations. Which functionals work best depends upon the examples chosen. The B3LYP and X3LYP functionals, which do not describe pure dispersion interactions, appear to describe dispersion mixed with induction about as accurately as those parametrized to treat dispersion. We observed significant differences in high-level wavefunction calculations in a basis set larger than those used to generate the structures in many of the databases. We discuss the implications for highly parameterized functionals based on these databases, as well as the use of simple potential energy for fitting the parameters rather than experimentally determinable thermodynamic state functions that involve consideration of vibrational states.

Comparison of some dispersion-corrected and traditional functionals with CCSD(T) and MP2 ab initio methods: Dispersion, induction, and basis set superposition error

PubMed Central

Roy, Dipankar; Marianski, Mateusz; Maitra, Neepa T.; Dannenberg, J. J.

2012-01-01

We compare dispersion and induction interactions for noble gas dimers and for Ne, methane, and 2-butyne with HF and LiF using a variety of functionals (including some specifically parameterized to evaluate dispersion interactions) with ab initio methods including CCSD(T) and MP2. We see that inductive interactions tend to enhance dispersion and may be accompanied by charge-transfer. We show that the functionals do not generally follow the expected trends in interaction energies, basis set superposition errors (BSSE), and interaction distances as a function of basis set size. The functionals parameterized to treat dispersion interactions often overestimate these interactions, sometimes by quite a lot, when compared to higher level calculations. Which functionals work best depends upon the examples chosen. The B3LYP and X3LYP functionals, which do not describe pure dispersion interactions, appear to describe dispersion mixed with induction about as accurately as those parametrized to treat dispersion. We observed significant differences in high-level wavefunction calculations in a basis set larger than those used to generate the structures in many of the databases. We discuss the implications for highly parameterized functionals based on these databases, as well as the use of simple potential energy for fitting the parameters rather than experimentally determinable thermodynamic state functions that involve consideration of vibrational states. PMID:23039587

Topology and weights in a protein domain interaction network--a novel way to predict protein interactions.

PubMed

Wuchty, Stefan

2006-05-23

While the analysis of unweighted biological webs as diverse as genetic, protein and metabolic networks allowed spectacular insights in the inner workings of a cell, biological networks are not only determined by their static grid of links. In fact, we expect that the heterogeneity in the utilization of connections has a major impact on the organization of cellular activities as well. We consider a web of interactions between protein domains of the Protein Family database (PFAM), which are weighted by a probability score. We apply metrics that combine the static layout and the weights of the underlying interactions. We observe that unweighted measures as well as their weighted counterparts largely share the same trends in the underlying domain interaction network. However, we only find weak signals that weights and the static grid of interactions are connected entities. Therefore assuming that a protein interaction is governed by a single domain interaction, we observe strong and significant correlations of the highest scoring domain interaction and the confidence of protein interactions in the underlying interactions of yeast and fly. Modeling an interaction between proteins if we find a high scoring protein domain interaction we obtain 1, 428 protein interactions among 361 proteins in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Assessing their quality by a logistic regression method we observe that increasing confidence of predicted interactions is accompanied by high scoring domain interactions and elevated levels of functional similarity and evolutionary conservation. Our results indicate that probability scores are randomly distributed, allowing to treat static grid and weights of domain interactions as separate entities. In particular, these finding confirms earlier observations that a protein interaction is a matter of a single interaction event on domain level. As an immediate application, we show a simple way to predict potential protein interactions by utilizing expectation scores of single domain interactions.

The interactive association of dietary diversity scores and breast-feeding status with weight and length in Filipino infants aged 6–24 months

PubMed Central

Wright, Melecia J; Bentley, Margaret E; Mendez, Michelle A; Adair, Linda S

2016-01-01

Objective To assess how breast-feeding and dietary diversity relate to infant length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) and weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ). Design Breast-feeding, dietary and anthropometric data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey were analysed using sex-stratified fixed-effects longitudinal regression models. A dietary diversity score (DDS) based on seven food groups was classified as low (<4) or high (≥4). The complementary feeding patterns were: (i) non-breast-fed with low DDS (referent); (ii) breast-fed with low DDS; (iii) non-breast-fed with high DDS; and (iv) breast-fed with high DDS (optimal). Interactions between age, energy intake and complementary feeding patterns were included. Setting Philippines. Subjects Infants (n 2822) measured bimonthly from 6 to 24 months. Results Breast-feeding (regardless of DDS) was significantly associated with higher LAZ (until 24 months) and WAZ (until 20 months). For example, at 6 months, breast-fed boys with low DDS were 0·246 (95 % CI 0·191, 0·302) SD longer and 0·523 (95 % CI 0·451, 0·594) SD heavier than the referent group. There was no significant difference in size between breast-fed infants with high v. low DDS. Similarly, high DDS conferred no advantage in LAZ or WAZ among non-breast- fed infants. There were modest correlations between the 7-point DDS and nutrient intakes but these correlations were substantially attenuated after energy adjustment. We elucidated several interactions between sex, age, energy intake and complementary feeding patterns. Conclusions These results demonstrate the importance of prolonged breast-feeding up to 24 months. The DDS provided qualitative information on infant diets but did not confer a significant advantage in LAZ or WAZ. PMID:25728248

A generic framework for internet-based interactive applications of high-resolution 3-D medical image data.

PubMed

Liu, Danzhou; Hua, Kien A; Sugaya, Kiminobu

2008-09-01

With the advances in medical imaging devices, large volumes of high-resolution 3-D medical image data have been produced. These high-resolution 3-D data are very large in size, and severely stress storage systems and networks. Most existing Internet-based 3-D medical image interactive applications therefore deal with only low- or medium-resolution image data. While it is possible to download the whole 3-D high-resolution image data from the server and perform the image visualization and analysis at the client site, such an alternative is infeasible when the high-resolution data are very large, and many users concurrently access the server. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for Internet-based interactive applications of high-resolution 3-D medical image data. Specifically, we first partition the whole 3-D data into buckets, remove the duplicate buckets, and then, compress each bucket separately. We also propose an index structure for these buckets to efficiently support typical queries such as 3-D slicer and region of interest, and only the relevant buckets are transmitted instead of the whole high-resolution 3-D medical image data. Furthermore, in order to better support concurrent accesses and to improve the average response time, we also propose techniques for efficient query processing, incremental transmission, and client sharing. Our experimental study in simulated and realistic environments indicates that the proposed framework can significantly reduce storage and communication requirements, and can enable real-time interaction with remote high-resolution 3-D medical image data for many concurrent users.

Individual Differences in Social Anxiety Affect the Salience of Errors in Social Contexts

PubMed Central

Barker, Tyson V.; Troller-Renfree, Sonya; Pine, Daniel S.; Fox, Nathan A.

2015-01-01

The error-related negativity (ERN) is an event-related potential that occurs approximately 50 ms after an erroneous response. The magnitude of the ERN is influenced by contextual factors, such as when errors are made during social evaluation. The ERN is also influenced by individual differences in anxiety, and it is elevated amongst anxious individuals. However, little research has examined how individual differences in anxiety interact with contextual factors to impact the ERN. Social anxiety involves fear and apprehension of social evaluation. The current study explored how individual differences in social anxiety interact with social contexts to modulate the ERN. The ERN was measured in 43 young adults characterized as either high or low in social anxiety while they completed a flanker task in two contexts: alone and during social evaluation. Results revealed a significant interaction between social anxiety and context, such that the ERN was enhanced in a social relative to a non-social context only among high socially anxious individuals. Furthermore, the degree of such enhancement significantly correlated with individual differences in social anxiety. These findings demonstrate that social anxiety is characterized by enhanced neural activity to errors in social evaluative contexts. PMID:25967929

Functional traits determine formation of mutualism and predation interactions in seed-rodent dispersal system of a subtropical forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Gang; Zhang, Zhibin

2014-02-01

Network structure in plant-animal systems has been widely investigated but the roles of functional traits of plants and animals in formation of mutualism and predation interactions and community structure are still not fully understood. In this study, we quantitatively assessed interaction strength of mutualism and predation between 5 tree species and 7 rodent species by using semi-natural enclosures in a subtropical forest in southwest China. Seeds with high handling-time and nutrition traits (for both rat and mouse species) or high tannin trait (for mouse species) show high mutualism but low predation with rodents; while seeds with low handling-time and low nutrition traits show high predation but low mutualism with rodents. Large-sized rat species are more linked to seeds with high handling-time and high nutrition traits, while small-sized mouse species are more connected with seeds with low handling-time, low nutrition value and high tannin traits. Anti-predation seed traits tend to increase chance of mutualism instead of reducing predation by rodents, suggesting formation of mutualism may be connected with that of predation. Our study demonstrates that seed and animal traits play significant roles in the formation of mutualism and predation and network structure of the seed-rodent dispersal system.

Smart Swarms of Bacteria-Inspired Agents with Performance Adaptable Interactions

PubMed Central

Shklarsh, Adi; Ariel, Gil; Schneidman, Elad; Ben-Jacob, Eshel

2011-01-01

Collective navigation and swarming have been studied in animal groups, such as fish schools, bird flocks, bacteria, and slime molds. Computer modeling has shown that collective behavior of simple agents can result from simple interactions between the agents, which include short range repulsion, intermediate range alignment, and long range attraction. Here we study collective navigation of bacteria-inspired smart agents in complex terrains, with adaptive interactions that depend on performance. More specifically, each agent adjusts its interactions with the other agents according to its local environment – by decreasing the peers' influence while navigating in a beneficial direction, and increasing it otherwise. We show that inclusion of such performance dependent adaptable interactions significantly improves the collective swarming performance, leading to highly efficient navigation, especially in complex terrains. Notably, to afford such adaptable interactions, each modeled agent requires only simple computational capabilities with short-term memory, which can easily be implemented in simple swarming robots. PMID:21980274

Search for exotic spin-dependent interactions with a spin-exchange relaxation-free magnetometer

DOE PAGES

Chu, Pinghan; Kim, Young Jin; Savukov, Igor Mykhaylovich

2016-08-15

We propose a novel experimental approach to explore exotic spin-dependent interactions using a spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer, the most sensitive noncryogenic magnetic-field sensor. This approach studies the interactions between optically polarized electron spins located inside a vapor cell of the SERF magnetometer and unpolarized or polarized particles of external solid-state objects. The coupling of spin-dependent interactions to the polarized electron spins of the magnetometer induces the tilt of the electron spins, which can be detected with high sensitivity by a probe laser beam similarly as an external magnetic field. Lastly, we estimate that by moving unpolarized or polarized objects nextmore » to the SERF Rb vapor cell, the experimental limit to the spin-dependent interactions can be significantly improved over existing experiments, and new limits on the coupling strengths can be set in the interaction range below 10 –2 m.« less

Smart swarms of bacteria-inspired agents with performance adaptable interactions.

PubMed

Shklarsh, Adi; Ariel, Gil; Schneidman, Elad; Ben-Jacob, Eshel

2011-09-01

Collective navigation and swarming have been studied in animal groups, such as fish schools, bird flocks, bacteria, and slime molds. Computer modeling has shown that collective behavior of simple agents can result from simple interactions between the agents, which include short range repulsion, intermediate range alignment, and long range attraction. Here we study collective navigation of bacteria-inspired smart agents in complex terrains, with adaptive interactions that depend on performance. More specifically, each agent adjusts its interactions with the other agents according to its local environment--by decreasing the peers' influence while navigating in a beneficial direction, and increasing it otherwise. We show that inclusion of such performance dependent adaptable interactions significantly improves the collective swarming performance, leading to highly efficient navigation, especially in complex terrains. Notably, to afford such adaptable interactions, each modeled agent requires only simple computational capabilities with short-term memory, which can easily be implemented in simple swarming robots.

Nanoscale light–matter interactions in atomic cladding waveguides

PubMed Central

Stern, Liron; Desiatov, Boris; Goykhman, Ilya; Levy, Uriel

2013-01-01

Alkali vapours, such as rubidium, are being used extensively in several important fields of research such as slow and stored light nonlinear optics quantum computation, atomic clocks and magnetometers. Recently, there is a growing effort towards miniaturizing traditional centimetre-size vapour cells. Owing to the significant reduction in device dimensions, light–matter interactions are greatly enhanced, enabling new functionalities due to the low power threshold needed for nonlinear interactions. Here, taking advantage of the mature platform of silicon photonics, we construct an efficient and flexible platform for tailored light–vapour interactions on a chip. Specifically, we demonstrate light–matter interactions in an atomic cladding waveguide, consisting of a silicon nitride nano-waveguide core with a rubidium vapour cladding. We observe the efficient interaction of the electromagnetic guided mode with the rubidium cladding and show that due to the high confinement of the optical mode, the rubidium absorption saturates at powers in the nanowatt regime. PMID:23462991

Organizational justice and mental health: a multi-level test of justice interactions.

PubMed

Fischer, Ronald; Abubakar, Amina; Arasa, Josephine Nyaboke

2014-04-01

We examine main and interaction effects of organizational justice at the individual and the organizational levels on general health in a Kenyan sample. We theoretically differentiate between two different interaction patterns of justice effects: buffering mechanisms based on trust versus intensifying explanations of justice interactions that involve psychological contract violations. Using a two-level hierarchical linear model with responses from 427 employees in 29 organizations, only interpersonal justice at level 1 demonstrated a significant main effect. Interactions between distributive and interpersonal justice at both the individual and the collective levels were found. The intensifying hypothesis was supported: the relationship between distributive justice and mental health problems was strongest when interpersonal justice was high. This contrasts with buffering patterns described in Western samples. We argue that justice interaction patterns shift depending on the economic conditions and sociocultural characteristics of employees studied. © 2013 International Union of Psychological Science.

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) Q192R genotypes and their interaction with smoking strongly increase atherogenicity and the Framingham risk score.

PubMed

Souza-Nogueira, Andre de; Camargo, Alissana Ester; Remondi, Felipe Assan; Paoliello, Monica Maria Bastos; Richter, Rebecca J; Furlong, Clement E; Barbosa, Decio Sabbatini; Maes, Michael; Moreira, Estefania Gastaldello

2016-10-01

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) polymorphisms are associated with an increased susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. PON1 Q192R polymorphism (rs662) partially determine PON1 hydrolytic activity and protect against oxidation of LDL and HDL. This study aimed to delineate the association of PON1 status (functional 192 genotype and plasma activity levels) and atherogenicity in urbans residents aged 40 years or more. Anthropometric data, lipid profiles, the atherogenic index of the plasma (AIP) and Framingham score risk were measured. Three kinetic assays were conducted to assay PON1 status using phenylacetate and 4-(chloromethyl)phenyl acetate as substrates. Smoking per se did not significantly impact the AIP but the interaction PON1 genotype by smoking significantly increased the AIP. In subjects with the RR genotype smoking increased the AIP index from (estimated mean ± SEM) -0.038 ± 0.039 to 0.224 ± 0.094. The QR genotype increased the Framingham risk index by around 1.3 points. Smoking by RR genotype carriers significantly increased the Framingham risk score (17.23 ± 2.04) as compared to smoking (13.00 ± 1.06) and non-smoking (7.79 ± 0.70) by QQ+QR genotype carriers. The interaction RR genotype by smoking was a more important predictor (odds ratio = 7.90) of an increased Framingham risk score (> 20) than smoking per se (odds ratio = 2.73). The interaction smoking by RR genotype carriers significantly increased triglycerides and lowered HDL cholesterol. Smoking per se has no (AIP) or a mild (Framingham risk score) effect on atherogenicity, while the interaction smoking by PON1 RR genotype has a clinically highly significant impact on atherogenicity.

Socioeconomic factors and effect of evidence-based patient information about primary prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus--are there interactions?

PubMed

Genz, Jutta; Haastert, Burkhard; Müller, Hardy; Verheyen, Frank; Cole, Dennis; Rathmann, Wolfgang; Nowotny, Bettina; Roden, Michael; Giani, Guido; Ohmann, Christian; Icks, Andrea

2014-08-18

Having shown in a recent randomized controlled trial that evidence-based patient information (EBPI) significantly increased knowledge on primary prevention of diabetes compared to standard patient information, we now investigated interaction between socioeconomic status (SES) and the effect of an EBPI. 1,120 visitors (aged 40-70 years, without known diabetes) to the "Techniker Krankenkasse" and the "German Diabetes Center" websites were randomized. The intervention group received a newly developed on-line EBPI, the control group standard on-line information. The primary outcome measure was knowledge, classified as "good/average/poor". We analyzed associations of knowledge with socioeconomic variables (education, vocational training, employment, subjective social status) combined with intervention effect including interactions, adjusted for possible confounding by knowledge before intervention, self-reported blood glucose measurements, blood pressure, blood lipid levels, age and gender. Logistic regression models were fitted to the subpopulation (n = 647) with complete values in these variables.Education (high vs. low) was significantly associated with knowledge (good vs. average/poor); however, there was no significant interaction between education and intervention. After adjustment, the other socioeconomic variables were not significantly associated with knowledge. Socioeconomic variables did not significantly change the effect of the intervention. There was a tendency towards a lower effect where lower educated individuals were concerned. Possibly the power was too low to detect interaction effects. Larger studies using SES-specific designs are needed to clarify the effect of SES. We suggest considering the socioeconomic status when evaluating a decision aid, e.g. an EBPI, to ensure its effectiveness not only in higher socioeconomic groups. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN22060616 (Date assigned: 12 September 2008).

3D nitrogen-doped graphene/β-cyclodextrin: host-guest interactions for electrochemical sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jilun; Leng, Xuanye; Xiao, Yao; Hu, Chengguo; Fu, Lei

2015-07-01

Host-guest interactions, especially those between cyclodextrins (CDs, including α-, β- and γ-CD) and various guest molecules, exhibit a very high supramolecular recognition ability. Thus, they have received considerable attention in different fields. These specific interactions between host and guest molecules are promising for biosensing and clinical detection. However, there is a lack of an ideal electrode substrate for CDs to increase their performance in electrochemical sensing. Herein, we propose a new 3D nitrogen-doped graphene (3D-NG) based electrochemical sensor, taking advantage of the superior sensitivity of host-guest interactions. Our 3D-NG was fabricated by a template-directed chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method, and it showed a large specific surface area, a high capacity for biomolecules and a high electron transfer efficiency. Thus, for the first time, we took 3D-NG as an electrode substrate for β-CD to establish a new type of biosensor. Using dopamine (DA) and acetaminophen (APAP) as representative guest molecules, our 3D-NG/β-CD biosensor shows extremely high sensitivities (5468.6 μA mM-1 cm-2 and 2419.2 μA mM-1 cm-2, respectively), which are significantly higher than those reported in most previous studies. The stable adsorption of β-CD on 3D-NG indicates potential applications in clinical detection and medical testing.Host-guest interactions, especially those between cyclodextrins (CDs, including α-, β- and γ-CD) and various guest molecules, exhibit a very high supramolecular recognition ability. Thus, they have received considerable attention in different fields. These specific interactions between host and guest molecules are promising for biosensing and clinical detection. However, there is a lack of an ideal electrode substrate for CDs to increase their performance in electrochemical sensing. Herein, we propose a new 3D nitrogen-doped graphene (3D-NG) based electrochemical sensor, taking advantage of the superior sensitivity of host-guest interactions. Our 3D-NG was fabricated by a template-directed chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method, and it showed a large specific surface area, a high capacity for biomolecules and a high electron transfer efficiency. Thus, for the first time, we took 3D-NG as an electrode substrate for β-CD to establish a new type of biosensor. Using dopamine (DA) and acetaminophen (APAP) as representative guest molecules, our 3D-NG/β-CD biosensor shows extremely high sensitivities (5468.6 μA mM-1 cm-2 and 2419.2 μA mM-1 cm-2, respectively), which are significantly higher than those reported in most previous studies. The stable adsorption of β-CD on 3D-NG indicates potential applications in clinical detection and medical testing. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The procedure for preparing the sensor, wide survey XPS, XRD patterns, the effect of scan rate, more CV data on the stability and selectivity, and a comparison with previous studies. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03109e

Effects of religion and type of religious internalization on the mental health of Iranian adolescents.

PubMed

Mazidi, Mohammad; Ostovar, Soghra

2006-08-01

This study was designed to assess the effects of religion and two types of religious internalization on the mental health of Iranian adolescents. High school students (82 Moslem and 37 Christian) were selected randomly from four high schools in Shiraz and completed the Religious Self-regulation Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire. Analysis showed that main effects of types of religious internalization measured on four subscales of the General Health Questionnaire were significant. Religion was significantly associated only with somatic symptoms. For other scales no main effects of religion, types of religious internalization, or their interactions were significant.

Surface-Atmosphere Moisture Interactions in the Frozen Ground Regions of Eurasia.

PubMed

Ford, Trent W; Frauenfeld, Oliver W

2016-01-18

Climate models simulate an intensifying Arctic hydrologic cycle in response to climatic warming, however the role of surface-atmosphere interactions from degrading frozen ground is unclear in these projections. Using Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) data in high-latitude Eurasia, we examine long-term variability in surface-atmosphere coupling as represented by the statistical relationship between surface evaporative fraction (EF) and afternoon precipitation. Changes in EF, precipitation, and their statistical association are then related to underlying permafrost type and snow cover. Results indicate significant positive trends in July EF in the Central Siberian Plateau, corresponding to significant increases in afternoon precipitation. The positive trends are only significant over continuous permafrost, with non-significant or negative EF and precipitation trends over isolated, sporadic, and discontinuous permafrost areas. Concurrently, increasing EF and subsequent precipitation are found to coincide with significant trends in May and June snowmelt, which potentially provides the moisture source for the observed enhanced latent heating and moisture recycling in the region. As climate change causes continuous permafrost to transition to discontinuous, discontinuous to sporadic, sporadic to isolated, and isolated permafrost disappears, this will also alter patterns of atmospheric convection, moisture recycling, and hence the hydrologic cycle in high-latitude land areas.

Coupling Influences SMM Properties for Pure 4 f Systems.

PubMed

Zhang, Xuejing; Liu, Shuang; Vieru, Veacheslav; Xu, Na; Gao, Chen; Wang, Bing-Wu; Shi, Wei; Chibotaru, Liviu F; Gao, Song; Cheng, Peng; Powell, Annie K

2018-04-20

Increasing both the energy barrier for magnetization reversal and the coercive field of the hysteresis loop are significant challenges in the field of single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Coordination geometries of lanthanide ions and magnetic interactions between lanthanide ions are both important for guiding the magnetic behavior of SMMs. We report a high energy barrier of 657 K (457 cm -1 ) in a diamagnetic-ion-diluted lanthanide chain compound with a constrained bisphenoid symmetry (D 2d ); this energy barrier is substantially higher than the barrier of 567 K (394 cm -1 ) of the non-diluted chain compound with intrachain ferromagnetic interactions. Although intrachain magnetic interaction lowers the energy barrier for magnetization reversal, it can greatly enhance the coercive fields and zero-field remanence of the hysteresis loops, which is crucial for the rational design of high-performance SMMs. Factors related to the coordination sphere of the lanthanide center, which govern the high magnetic relaxation barriers through the second excited Kramer's doublets and the magnetic interactions that affect the hysteresis loops, were revealed through ab initio calculations. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A meta-analysis of outcomes from the use of computer-simulated experiments in science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lejeune, John Van

The purpose of this study was to synthesize the findings from existing research on the effects of computer simulated experiments on students in science education. Results from 40 reports were integrated by the process of meta-analysis to examine the effect of computer-simulated experiments and interactive videodisc simulations on student achievement and attitudes. Findings indicated significant positive differences in both low-level and high-level achievement of students who use computer-simulated experiments and interactive videodisc simulations as compared to students who used more traditional learning activities. No significant differences in retention, student attitudes toward the subject, or toward the educational method were found. Based on the findings of this study, computer-simulated experiments and interactive videodisc simulations should be used to enhance students' learning in science, especially in cases where the use of traditional laboratory activities are expensive, dangerous, or impractical.

The interactive effect of paternal problem drinking and maternal problem drinking on adolescent internalizing problems.

PubMed

Ohannessian, Christine McCauley

2015-11-01

This study examined the effects of both paternal problem drinking and maternal problem drinking on adolescent internalizing problems (depression and anxiety symptomatology). Surveys were administered to 566 10th and 11th grade students from the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in the spring of 2007 and again in the spring of 2008. Although significant main effects were not observed, significant interactions were found between paternal problem drinking and maternal problem drinking for internalizing problems, especially for boys. In general, these interactions indicated that when paternal problem drinking was high, depression symptomatology and anxiety symptomatology were lower if maternal problem drinking was low. Findings from this study highlight the need to consider both paternal and maternal problem drinking when examining the effects that parental problem drinking may have on adolescent adjustment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory simulation reveals significant impacts of ocean acidification on microbial community composition and host-pathogen interactions between the blood clam and Vibrio harveyi.

PubMed

Zha, Shanjie; Liu, Saixi; Su, Wenhao; Shi, Wei; Xiao, Guoqiang; Yan, Maocang; Liu, Guangxu

2017-12-01

It has been suggested that climate change may promote the outbreaks of diseases in the sea through altering the host susceptibility, the pathogen virulence, and the host-pathogen interaction. However, the impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on the pathogen components of bacterial community and the host-pathogen interaction of marine bivalves are still poorly understood. Therefore, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and host-pathogen interaction analysis between blood clam (Tegillarca granosa) and Vibrio harveyi were conducted in the present study to gain a better understanding of the ecological impacts of ocean acidification. The results obtained revealed a significant impact of ocean acidification on the composition of microbial community at laboratory scale. Notably, the abundance of Vibrio, a major group of pathogens to many marine organisms, was significantly increased under ocean acidification condition. In addition, the survival rate and haemolytic activity of V. harveyi were significantly higher in the presence of haemolymph of OA treated T. granosa, indicating a compromised immunity of the clam and enhanced virulence of V. harveyi under future ocean acidification scenarios. Conclusively, the results obtained in this study suggest that future ocean acidification may increase the risk of Vibrio pathogen infection for marine bivalve species, such as blood clams. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying the interacting roles of stressors in driving the global loss of canopy-forming to mat-forming algae in marine ecosystems.

PubMed

Strain, Elisabeth M A; Thomson, Russell J; Micheli, Fiorenza; Mancuso, Francesco P; Airoldi, Laura

2014-11-01

Identifying the type and strength of interactions between local anthropogenic and other stressors can help to set achievable management targets for degraded marine ecosystems and support their resilience by identifying local actions. We undertook a meta-analysis, using data from 118 studies to test the hypothesis that ongoing global declines in the dominant habitat along temperate rocky coastlines, forests of canopy-forming algae and/or their replacement by mat-forming algae are driven by the nonadditive interactions between local anthropogenic stressors that can be addressed through management actions (fishing, heavy metal pollution, nutrient enrichment and high sediment loads) and other stressors (presence of competitors or grazers, removal of canopy algae, limiting or excessive light, low or high salinity, increasing temperature, high wave exposure and high UV or CO2 ), not as easily amenable to management actions. In general, the cumulative effects of local anthropogenic and other stressors had negative effects on the growth and survival of canopy-forming algae. Conversely, the growth or survival of mat-forming algae was either unaffected or significantly enhanced by the same pairs of stressors. Contrary to our predictions, the majority of interactions between stressors were additive. There were however synergistic interactions between nutrient enrichment and heavy metals, the presence of competitors, low light and increasing temperature, leading to amplified negative effects on canopy-forming algae. There were also synergistic interactions between nutrient enrichment and increasing CO2 and temperature leading to amplified positive effects on mat-forming algae. Our review of the current literature shows that management of nutrient levels, rather than fishing, heavy metal pollution or high sediment loads, would provide the greatest opportunity for preventing the shift from canopy to mat-forming algae, particularly in enclosed bays or estuaries because of the higher prevalence of synergistic interactions between nutrient enrichment with other local and global stressors, and as such it should be prioritized. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Association between level of exposure to death and dying and professional quality of life among palliative care workers.

PubMed

Samson, Tali; Shvartzman, Pesach

2017-06-23

Exposure to the death and dying of others is an anxiety-provoking condition that can contribute to psychological stress. However, the results of empirical studies that evaluated work-related outcomes among physicians and nurses with repeated exposure to dying patients are not consistent. Our aim was to evaluate whether a high level of exposure to death and dying (LED) can increase the risk for poor professional quality of life (ProQoL) in most healthcare workers, but it can also improve ProQoL in a subset of healthcare workers with specific characteristics. We employed a cross-sectional survey designed to better understand the role of LED as a predictor of ProQoL among healthcare workers. Comparison of physicians and nurses with high LED (home-based palliative care units) with a matched group of physicians and nurses with low LED (primary care units) and evaluation of possible interaction effects among LED, death anxiety (DA), and engagement as predictors of ProQoL. The final sample included 110 questionnaires from the high-LED group (response rate = 39%) and 131 from the low-LED (response rate = 24%) group. Workers with high LED reported an increased level of compassion satisfaction (CS) and low to moderate levels of burnout (BU) and secondary traumatic stress (STS), with no significant differences with respect to other healthcare providers. Although levels of CS, STS, and BU did not differ between groups, a univariate MANOVA revealed that the interaction effect of LED × Engagement reduced levels of CS and that the interaction effect of LED × DA increased STS among workers with high LED. LED was significantly correlated with ProQoL among healthcare workers with high LED due to the reported interaction effect. These findings imply, for the first time, that there is a possible correlation between engagement and the risk for poor ProQoL among workers with high LED. Further research is essential to gain a better understanding of this issue.

Vitamin D supplementation affects serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, insulin resistance, and biomarkers of oxidative stress in pregnant women.

PubMed

Asemi, Zatollah; Samimi, Mansooreh; Tabassi, Zohreh; Shakeri, Hossein; Esmaillzadeh, Ahmad

2013-09-01

Unfavorable metabolic profiles and oxidative stress in pregnancy are associated with several complications. This study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), metabolic profiles, and biomarkers of oxidative stress in healthy pregnant women. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in 48 pregnant women aged 18-40 y old at 25 wk of gestation. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 400 IU/d cholecalciferol supplements (n = 24) or placebo (n = 24) for 9 wk. Fasting blood samples were taken at study baseline and after 9 wk of intervention to quantify serum concentrations of hs-CRP, lipid concentrations, insulin, and biomarkers of oxidative stress. After 9 wk of intervention, the increases in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and calcium concentrations were greater in the vitamin D group (+3.7 μg/L and +0.20 mg/dL, respectively) than in the placebo group (-1.2 μg/L and -0.12 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.001 for both). Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in serum hs-CRP (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -1.41 vs. +1.50 μg/mL; P-interaction = 0.01) and insulin concentrations (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -1.0 vs. +2.6 μIU/mL; P-interaction = 0.04) and a significant increase in the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index score (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: +0.02 vs. -0.02; P-interaction = 0.006), plasma total antioxidant capacity (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: +152 vs. -20 mmol/L; P-interaction = 0.002), and total glutathione concentrations (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: +205 vs. -32 μmol/L; P-interaction = 0.02) compared with placebo. Intake of vitamin D supplements led to a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -0.65 vs. -0.12 mmol/L; P-interaction = 0.01), systolic blood pressure (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -0.2 vs. +5.5 mm Hg; P-interaction = 0.01), and diastolic blood pressure (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -0.4 vs. +3.1 mm Hg; P-interaction = 0.01) compared with placebo. In conclusion, vitamin D supplementation for 9 wk among pregnant women has beneficial effects on metabolic status.

Pre-irradiation testing and analysis to support the LWRS Hybrid SiC-CMC-Zircaloy-04 unfueled rodlet irradiation

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

Isabella J van Rooyen

2012-09-01

Nuclear fuel performance is a significant driver of nuclear power plant operational performance, safety, economics and waste disposal requirements. The Advanced Light Water Reactor (LWR) Nuclear Fuel Development Pathway focuses on improving the scientific knowledge basis to enable the development of high-performance, high burn-up fuels with improved safety and cladding integrity and improved nuclear fuel cycle economics. To achieve significant improvements, fundamental changes are required in the areas of nuclear fuel composition, cladding integrity, and fuel/cladding interaction.

Pre-irradiation testing and analysis to support the LWRS Hybrid SiC-CMC-Zircaloy-04 unfueled rodlet irradiation

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

Isabella J van Rooyen

2013-01-01

Nuclear fuel performance is a significant driver of nuclear power plant operational performance, safety, economics and waste disposal requirements. The Advanced Light Water Reactor (LWR) Nuclear Fuel Development Pathway focuses on improving the scientific knowledge basis to enable the development of high-performance, high burn-up fuels with improved safety and cladding integrity and improved nuclear fuel cycle economics. To achieve significant improvements, fundamental changes are required in the areas of nuclear fuel composition, cladding integrity, and fuel/cladding interaction.

AGT M235T Genotype/Anxiety Interaction and Gender in the HyperGEN Study

PubMed Central

Knox, Sarah S.; Guo, Xinxin; Zhang, Yuqing; Weidner, G.; Williams, Scott; Ellison, R. Curtis

2010-01-01

Background Both anxiety and elevated heart rate (HR) have been implicated in the development of hypertension. The HyperGen cohort, consisting of siblings with severe and mild hypertension, an age-matched random sample of persons from the same base populations, and unmedicated adult offspring of the hypertensive siblings (N = 1,002 men and 987 women), was analyzed for an association of the angiotenisinogen AGTM235T genotype (TT, MT, MM) with an endophenotype, heart rate (HR) in high and low anxious groups. Methodology The interaction of AGTM genotype with anxiety, which has been independently associated with hypertension, was investigated adjusting for age, hypertension status, smoking, alcohol consumption, beta blocker medication, body mass index, physical activity and hours of television viewing (sedentary life style). Principal Findings Although there was no main effect of genotype on HR in men or women, high anxious men with the TT genotype had high HR, whereas high anxious men with the MM genotype had low HR. In women, HR was inversely associated with anxiety but there was no interaction with genotype. Conclusion/Significance The results suggest that high anxiety in men with the TT genotype may increase risk for hypertension whereas the MM genotype may be protective in high anxious men. This type of gene x environment interaction may be one reason why genome wide association studies sometimes fail to replicate. The locus may be important only in combination with certain environmental factors. PMID:20967221

High rate of adaptation of mammalian proteins that interact with Plasmodium and related parasites

PubMed Central

Telis, Natalie; Petrov, Dmitri A.

2017-01-01

Plasmodium parasites, along with their Piroplasm relatives, have caused malaria-like illnesses in terrestrial mammals for millions of years. Several Plasmodium-protective alleles have recently evolved in human populations, but little is known about host adaptation to blood parasites over deeper evolutionary timescales. In this work, we analyze mammalian adaptation in ~500 Plasmodium- or Piroplasm- interacting proteins (PPIPs) manually curated from the scientific literature. We show that (i) PPIPs are enriched for both immune functions and pleiotropy with other pathogens, and (ii) the rate of adaptation across mammals is significantly elevated in PPIPs, compared to carefully matched control proteins. PPIPs with high pathogen pleiotropy show the strongest signatures of adaptation, but this pattern is fully explained by their immune enrichment. Several pieces of evidence suggest that blood parasites specifically have imposed selection on PPIPs. First, even non-immune PPIPs that lack interactions with other pathogens have adapted at twice the rate of matched controls. Second, PPIP adaptation is linked to high expression in the liver, a critical organ in the parasite life cycle. Finally, our detailed investigation of alpha-spectrin, a major red blood cell membrane protein, shows that domains with particularly high rates of adaptation are those known to interact specifically with P. falciparum. Overall, we show that host proteins that interact with Plasmodium and Piroplasm parasites have experienced elevated rates of adaptation across mammals, and provide evidence that some of this adaptation has likely been driven by blood parasites. PMID:28957326

Interaction between physical and psychosocial work risk factors for low back symptoms and its consequences amongst Indonesian coal mining workers.

PubMed

Widanarko, Baiduri; Legg, Stephen; Devereux, Jason; Stevenson, Mark

2015-01-01

This study assessed the interaction between physical and psychosocial factors for low back symptoms (LBS) and its consequences (reduced activities and absenteeism) in a developing country. A sample of 1294 Indonesian coal mining workers reported occupational exposures, LBS and its consequences using a self-administered questionnaire. Respondents were placed into one of four combination exposure groups: high physical and high psychosocial (HPhyHPsy); high physical and low psychosocial (HPhyLPsy); low physical and high psychosocial (LPhyHPsy), and; low physical and low psychosocial (LPhyLPsy). The attributable proportion due to interaction between physical and psychosocial factors was examined. Individuals in the HPhyHPsy group were most likely to report LBS (OR 5.42, 95% CI 3.30-8.89), reduced activities (OR 4.89, 95% CI 3.09-7.74), and absenteeism (OR 4.96, 95% CI 3.05-8.06). Interactions between physical and psychosocial factors were present for LBS, reduced activities, and absenteeism; although for LBS and absenteeism the interactions were not significant. Current smokers were more likely to report LBS consequences. Permanent employment and night shift work increased the odds of LBS and its consequences. We conclude that interventions aimed at reducing LBS and its consequences should address both physical and psychosocial factors, with a focus on smokers, permanent employment and night shift work. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Cascaded interactions between Raman induced solitons and dispersive waves in photonic crystal fibers at the advanced stage of supercontinuum generation.

PubMed

Driben, Rodislav; Mitschke, Fedor; Zhavoronkov, Nickolai

2010-12-06

The complex mechanism of multiple interactions between solitary and dispersive waves at the advanced stage of supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber is studied in experiment and numerical simulations. Injection of high power negatively chirped pulses near zero dispersion frequency results in an effective soliton fission process with multiple interactions between red shifted Raman solitons and dispersive waves. These interactions may result in relative acceleration of solitons with further collisions between them of quasi-elastic or quasi-plastic kinds. In the spectral domain these processes result in enhancement of certain wavelength regions within the spectrum or development of a new significant band at the long wavelength side of the spectrum.

Quark contact interactions at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazzocchi, F.; De Sanctis, U.; Fabbrichesi, M.; Tonero, A.

2012-06-01

Quark contact interactions are an important signal of new physics. We introduce a model in which the presence of a symmetry protects these new interactions from giving large corrections in flavor changing processes at low energies. This minimal model provides the basic set of operators which must be considered to contribute to the high-energy processes. To discuss their experimental signature in jet pairs produced in proton-proton collisions, we simplify the number of possible operators down to two. We show (for a representative integrated luminosity of 200pb-1 at s=7TeV) how the presence of two operators significantly modifies the bound on the characteristic energy scale of the contact interactions, which is obtained by keeping a single operator.

Ultra-high polarity ceramics induced extrinsic high permittivity of polymers contributing to high permittivity of 2-2 series composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yefeng; Zhang, Jianxiong; Hu, Jianbing; Peng, Cheng; He, Renqi

2018-01-01

Induced polarization at interface has been confirmed to have significant impact on the dielectric properties of 2-2 series composites bearing Si-based semi-conductor sheet and polymer layer. By compositing, the significantly elevated high permittivity in Si-based semi-conductor sheet should be responsible for the obtained high permittivity in composites. In that case, interface interaction could include two aspects namely a strong electrostatic force from high polarity polymeric layer and a newborn high polarity induced in Si-based ceramic sheet. In this work, this class of interface induced polarization was successfully extended into another 2-2 series composite system made up of ultra-high polarity ceramic sheet and high polarity polymer layer. By compositing, the greatly improved high permittivity in high polarity polymer layer was confirmed to strongly contribute to the high permittivity achieved in composites. In this case, interface interaction should consist of a rather large electrostatic force from ultra-high polarity ceramic sheet with ionic crystal structure and an enhanced high polarity induced in polymer layer based on a large polarizability of high polarity covalent dipoles in polymer. The dielectric and conductive properties of four designed 2-2 series composites and their components have been detailedly investigated. Increasing of polymer inborn polarity would lead to a significant elevating of polymer overall polarity in composite. Decline of inherent polarities in two components would result in a mild improving of polymer total polarity in composite. Introducing of non-polarity polymeric layer would give rise to a hardly unaltered polymer overall polarity in composite. The best 2-2 composite could possess a permittivity of ˜463 at 100 Hz 25.7 times of the original permittivity of polymer in it. This work might offer a facile route for achieving the promising composite dielectrics by constructing the 2-2 series samples from two high polarity components.

Association and interaction of myopia with SNP markers rs13382811 and rs6469937 at ZFHX1B and SNTB1 in Han Chinese and European populations.

PubMed

Li, Jiali; Jiao, Xiaodong; Zhang, Qingjiong; Hejtmancik, J Fielding

2017-01-01

Previously, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified rs13382811 (near ZFHX1B) and rs6469937 (near SNTB1) to be associated with high myopia. The present study evaluates the association of these two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with moderate to high myopia in two Chinese cohorts and two cohorts of European populations. Two Chinese university student cohorts, including one with 300 unrelated subjects with high myopia and 308 emmetropic controls from Guangzhou and a second with 96 unrelated individuals with moderate to high myopia and 96 emmetropic controls of Chaoshanese origin in Guangzhou, were enrolled in this study. Two SNPs, rs6469937 and rs13382811, were selected for genotyping based on their reported associations with severe myopia. The SNPs were genotyped via DNA sequencing. In addition, association analysis of both SNPs was performed using genotype data from the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) involving a total of 2,423 samples in two independent cohorts of European-derived populations, as follows: Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg (KORA) and TwinsUK. The allelic and genotypic distribution among cases and controls were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the SNP-SNP interaction. Fisher's exact test was used for two-SNP comparisons. In the Guangzhou cohort, SNP rs13382811 near ZFHX1B showed significant association with high myopia ( p allelic = 0.0001, p genotypic = 4.07 × 10 -5 ), with the minor T allele showing an increased risk of high myopia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-2.20). SNP rs6469937 near SNTB1 showed nominal evidence of association ( p allelic = 0.0085, p genotypic = 0.0166), which did not withstand correction for multiple testing. No significant association was detected in the smaller Chaoshan cohort alone. The association of SNPs rs13382811 and rs6469937 remained significant when both Han Chinese cohorts were combined ( p allelic = 0.0033 and 0.0016, respectively), and it was also significant under the genotypic test ( p genotypic = 0.0036 and 0.0053, respectively). When both SNPs were considered together under a recessive model, their significance increased ( p = 8.37 × 10 -4 ), as did their effect (OR = 4.09, 95%CI = 1.7-9.8). The association between either of these two SNPs alone and myopia did not replicate significantly in the combined cohorts of European descent, providing only suggestive results ( p allelic = 0.0088 for rs13382811 and p allelic = 0.0319 for rs6469937). However, the effects of the combined SNPs showed significant association ( p = 8.2 × 10 -4 ; OR = 1.56, 95%CI = 1.2-2.0). While the risk for myopia increased with risk alleles from both SNPs, the increase was additive rather representing a multiplicative interaction in both populations. Our study confirms that the two susceptibility loci ZFHX1B and SNTB1 are associated with moderate to high myopia in a Han Chinese population, as well as in a European population, when both SNPs are combined. These results confirm previous reports of their associations, extend these observations to a European population, and suggest that additional interactive and possibly population-specific genetic or environmental factors may affect their contribution to myopia.

Auditory Learning Using a Portable Real-Time Vocoder: Preliminary Findings

PubMed Central

Pisoni, David B.

2015-01-01

Purpose Although traditional study of auditory training has been in controlled laboratory settings, interest has been increasing in more interactive options. The authors examine whether such interactive training can result in short-term perceptual learning, and the range of perceptual skills it impacts. Method Experiments 1 (N = 37) and 2 (N = 21) used pre- and posttest measures of speech and nonspeech recognition to find evidence of learning (within subject) and to compare the effects of 3 kinds of training (between subject) on the perceptual abilities of adults with normal hearing listening to simulations of cochlear implant processing. Subjects were given interactive, standard lab-based, or control training experience for 1 hr between the pre- and posttest tasks (unique sets across Experiments 1 & 2). Results Subjects receiving interactive training showed significant learning on sentence recognition in quiet task (Experiment 1), outperforming controls but not lab-trained subjects following training. Training groups did not differ significantly on any other task, even those directly involved in the interactive training experience. Conclusions Interactive training has the potential to produce learning in 1 domain (sentence recognition in quiet), but the particulars of the present training method (short duration, high complexity) may have limited benefits to this single criterion task. PMID:25674884

CrosstalkNet: A Visualization Tool for Differential Co-expression Networks and Communities.

PubMed

Manem, Venkata; Adam, George Alexandru; Gruosso, Tina; Gigoux, Mathieu; Bertos, Nicholas; Park, Morag; Haibe-Kains, Benjamin

2018-04-15

Variations in physiological conditions can rewire molecular interactions between biological compartments, which can yield novel insights into gain or loss of interactions specific to perturbations of interest. Networks are a promising tool to elucidate intercellular interactions, yet exploration of these large-scale networks remains a challenge due to their high dimensionality. To retrieve and mine interactions, we developed CrosstalkNet, a user friendly, web-based network visualization tool that provides a statistical framework to infer condition-specific interactions coupled with a community detection algorithm for bipartite graphs to identify significantly dense subnetworks. As a case study, we used CrosstalkNet to mine a set of 54 and 22 gene-expression profiles from breast tumor and normal samples, respectively, with epithelial and stromal compartments extracted via laser microdissection. We show how CrosstalkNet can be used to explore large-scale co-expression networks and to obtain insights into the biological processes that govern cross-talk between different tumor compartments. Significance: This web application enables researchers to mine complex networks and to decipher novel biological processes in tumor epithelial-stroma cross-talk as well as in other studies of intercompartmental interactions. Cancer Res; 78(8); 2140-3. ©2018 AACR . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

Differences in Interaction Patterns of Families with First or Second Grade Sons Rated High or Low in Classroom Adjustment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Pierre, Susan; And Others

This study attempts to determine whether families with a son rated by his teacher as either "high" or "low" on classroom adjustment (behavior indicative of social maturity and achievement motivation) could be differentiated on the basis of their communicative patterns. It was questioned if significant differences existed in the amount of positive…

Mathematics understanding and anxiety in collaborative teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansari, B. I.; Wahyu, N.

2017-12-01

This study aims to examine students’ mathematical understanding and anxiety using collaborative teaching. The sample consists of 51 students in the 7th-grade of MTs N Jeureula, one of the Islamic public junior high schools in Jeureula, Aceh, Indonesia. A test of mathematics understanding was administered to the students twice during the period of two months. The result suggests that there is a significant increase in mathematical understanding in the pre-test and post-test. We categorized the students into the high, intermediate, and low level of prior mathematics knowledge. In the high-level prior knowledge, there is no difference of mathematical understanding between the experiment and control group. Meanwhile, in the intermediate and low level of prior knowledge, there is a significant difference of mathematical understanding between the experiment and control group. The mathematics anxiety is at an intermediate level in the experiment class and at a high level in the control group. There is no interaction between the learning model and the students’ prior knowledge towards the mathematical understanding, but there are interactions towards the mathematics anxiety. It indicates that the collaborative teaching model and the students’ prior knowledge do not simultaneously impacts on the mathematics understanding but the mathematics anxiety.

Cortical theta wanes for language.

PubMed

Hermes, Dora; Miller, Kai J; Vansteensel, Mariska J; Edwards, Erik; Ferrier, Cyrille H; Bleichner, Martin G; van Rijen, Peter C; Aarnoutse, Erik J; Ramsey, Nick F

2014-01-15

The role of low frequency oscillations in language areas is not yet understood. Using ECoG in six human subjects, we studied whether different language regions show prominent power changes in a specific rhythm, in similar manner as the alpha rhythm shows the most prominent power changes in visual areas. Broca's area and temporal language areas were localized in individual subjects using fMRI. In these areas, the theta rhythm showed the most pronounced power changes and theta power decreased significantly during verb generation. To better understand the role of this language-related theta decrease, we then studied the interaction between low frequencies and local neuronal activity reflected in high frequencies. Amplitude-amplitude correlations showed that theta power correlated negatively with high frequency activity, specifically across verb generation trials. Phase-amplitude coupling showed that during control trials, high frequency power was coupled to theta phase, but this coupling decreased significantly during verb generation trials. These results suggest a dynamic interaction between the neuronal mechanisms underlying the theta rhythm and local neuronal activity in language areas. As visual areas show a pronounced alpha rhythm that may reflect pulsed inhibition, language regions show a pronounced theta rhythm with highly similar features. © 2013.

A Prospective Examination of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior Among Psychiatric Adolescent Inpatients

PubMed Central

Czyz, Ewa K.; Berona, Johnny; King, Cheryl A.

2016-01-01

The challenge of identifying suicide risk in adolescents, and particularly among high-risk subgroups such as adolescent inpatients, calls for further study of models of suicidal behavior that could meaningfully aid in the prediction of risk. This study examined how well the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior (IPTS)—with its constructs of thwarted belongingness (TB), perceived burdensomeness (PB), and an acquired capability (AC) for lethal self-injury—predicts suicide attempts among adolescents (N = 376) 3 and 12 months after hospitalization. The three-way interaction between PB, TB, and AC, defined as a history of multiple suicide attempts, was not significant. However, there were significant 2-way interaction effects, which varied by sex: girls with low AC and increasing TB, and boys with high AC and increasing PB, were more likely to attempt suicide at 3 months. Only high AC predicted 12-month attempts. Results suggest gender-specific associations between theory components and attempts. The time-limited effects of these associations point to TB and PB being dynamic and modifiable in high-risk populations, whereas the effects of AC are more lasting. The study also fills an important gap in existing research by examining IPTS prospectively. PMID:25263410

A Prospective Examination of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior Among Psychiatric Adolescent Inpatients

PubMed Central

Czyz, Ewa K.; Berona, Johnny; King, Cheryl A.

2016-01-01

The challenge of identifying suicide risk in adolescents, and particularly among high-risk subgroups such as adolescent inpatients, calls for further study of models of suicidal behavior that could meaningfully aid in the prediction of risk. This study examined how well the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior (IPTS)—with its constructs of thwarted belongingness (TB), perceived burdensomeness (PB), and an acquired capability (AC) for lethal self-injury—predicts suicide attempts among adolescents (N = 376) 3 and 12 months after hospitalization. The three-way interaction between PB, TB, and AC, defined as a history of multiple suicide attempts, was not significant. However, there were significant 2-way interaction effects, which varied by sex: girls with low AC and increasing TB, and boys with high AC and increasing PB, were more likely to attempt suicide at 3 months. Only high AC predicted 12-month attempts. Results suggest gender-specific associations between theory components and attempts. The time-limited effects of these associations point to TB and PB being dynamic and modifiable in high-risk populations, whereas the effects of AC are more lasting. The study also fills an important gap in existing research by examining IPTS prospectively. PMID:26872965

Modelling the interactions between Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in fish-burgers: use of the lag-exponential model and of a combined interaction index.

PubMed

Speranza, B; Bevilacqua, A; Mastromatteo, M; Sinigaglia, M; Corbo, M R

2010-08-01

The objective of the current study was to examine the interactions between Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in coculture studies on fish-burgers packed in air and under different modified atmospheres (30 : 40 : 30 O(2) : CO(2) : N(2), 5 : 95 O(2) : CO(2) and 50 : 50 O(2) : CO(2)), throughout the storage at 8 degrees C. The lag-exponential model was applied to describe the microbial growth. To give a quantitative measure of the occurring microbial interactions, two simple parameters were developed: the combined interaction index (CII) and the partial interaction index (PII). Under air, the interaction was significant (P < 0.05) only within the exponential growth phase (CII, 1.72), whereas under the modified atmospheres, the interactions were highly significant (P < 0.001) and occurred both in the exponential and in the stationary phase (CII ranged from 0.33 to 1.18). PII values for E. coli O157:H7 were lower than those calculated for Ps. putida. The interactions occurring into the system affected both E. coli O157:H7 and pseudomonads subpopulations. The packaging atmosphere resulted in a key element. The article provides some useful information on the interactions occurring between E. coli O157:H7 and Ps. putida on fish-burgers. The proposed index describes successfully the competitive growth of both micro-organisms, giving also a quantitative measure of a qualitative phenomenon.

Potential Drug-Drug Interactions among Patients prescriptions collected from Medicine Out-patient Setting.

PubMed

Farooqui, Riffat; Hoor, Talea; Karim, Nasim; Muneer, Mehtab

2018-01-01

To identify and evaluate the frequency, severity, mechanism and common pairs of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in prescriptions by consultants in medicine outpatient department. This cross sectional descriptive study was done by Pharmacology department of Bahria University Medical & Dental College (BUMDC) in medicine outpatient department (OPD) of a private hospital in Karachi from December 2015 to January 2016. A total of 220 prescriptions written by consultants were collected. Medications given with patient's diagnosis were recorded. Drugs were analyzed for interactions by utilizing Medscape drug interaction checker, drugs.com checker and stockley`s drug interactions index. Two hundred eleven prescriptions were selected while remaining were excluded from the study because of unavailability of the prescribed drugs in the drug interaction checkers. In 211 prescriptions, two common diagnoses were diabetes mellitus (28.43%) and hypertension (27.96%). A total of 978 medications were given. Mean number of medications per prescription was 4.6. A total of 369 drug-drug interactions were identified in 211 prescriptions (175%). They were serious 4.33%, significant 66.12% and minor 29.53%. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions were 37.94% and 51.21% respectively while 10.84% had unknown mechanism. Number wise common pairs of DDIs were Omeprazole-Losartan (S), Gabapentine- Acetaminophen (M), Losartan-Diclofenac (S). The frequency of DDIs is found to be too high in prescriptions of consultants from medicine OPD of a private hospital in Karachi. Significant drug-drug interactions were more and mostly caused by Pharmacodynamic mechanism. Number wise evaluation showed three common pairs of drugs involved in interactions.

Potential Drug-Drug Interactions among Patients prescriptions collected from Medicine Out-patient Setting

PubMed Central

Farooqui, Riffat; Hoor, Talea; Karim, Nasim; Muneer, Mehtab

2018-01-01

Objective: To identify and evaluate the frequency, severity, mechanism and common pairs of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in prescriptions by consultants in medicine outpatient department. Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was done by Pharmacology department of Bahria University Medical & Dental College (BUMDC) in medicine outpatient department (OPD) of a private hospital in Karachi from December 2015 to January 2016. A total of 220 prescriptions written by consultants were collected. Medications given with patient's diagnosis were recorded. Drugs were analyzed for interactions by utilizing Medscape drug interaction checker, drugs.com checker and stockley`s drug interactions index. Two hundred eleven prescriptions were selected while remaining were excluded from the study because of unavailability of the prescribed drugs in the drug interaction checkers. Results: In 211 prescriptions, two common diagnoses were diabetes mellitus (28.43%) and hypertension (27.96%). A total of 978 medications were given. Mean number of medications per prescription was 4.6. A total of 369 drug-drug interactions were identified in 211 prescriptions (175%). They were serious 4.33%, significant 66.12% and minor 29.53%. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions were 37.94% and 51.21% respectively while 10.84% had unknown mechanism. Number wise common pairs of DDIs were Omeprazole-Losartan (S), Gabapentine- Acetaminophen (M), Losartan-Diclofenac (S). Conclusion: The frequency of DDIs is found to be too high in prescriptions of consultants from medicine OPD of a private hospital in Karachi. Significant drug-drug interactions were more and mostly caused by Pharmacodynamic mechanism. Number wise evaluation showed three common pairs of drugs involved in interactions. PMID:29643896

Computational and Experimental Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis of a High-Lift Wing with a Slat-Cove Filler for Noise Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholten, William D.; Patterson, Ryan D.; Hartl, Darren J.; Strganac, Thomas W.; Chapelon, Quentin H. C.; Turner, Travis

2017-01-01

Airframe noise is a significant component of overall noise produced by transport aircraft during landing and approach (low speed maneuvers). A significant source for this noise is the cove of the leading-edge slat. The slat-cove filler (SCF) has been shown to be effective at mitigating slat noise. The objective of this work is to understand the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) behavior of a superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) SCF in flow using both computational and physical models of a high-lift wing. Initial understanding of flow around the SCF and wing is obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis at various angles of attack. A framework compatible with an SMA constitutive model (implemented as a user material subroutine) is used to perform FSI analysis for multiple flow and configuration cases. A scaled physical model of the high-lift wing is constructed and tested in the Texas A&M 3 ft-by-4-foot wind tunnel. Initial validation of both CFD and FSI analysis is conducted by comparing lift, drag and pressure distributions with experimental results.

Free software to analyse the clinical relevance of drug interactions with antiretroviral agents (SIMARV®) in patients with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Giraldo, N A; Amariles, P; Monsalve, M; Faus, M J

Highly active antiretroviral therapy has extended the expected lifespan of patients with HIV/AIDS. However, the therapeutic benefits of some drugs used simultaneously with highly active antiretroviral therapy may be adversely affected by drug interactions. The goal was to design and develop a free software to facilitate analysis, assessment, and clinical decision making according to the clinical relevance of drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS. A comprehensive Medline/PubMed database search of drug interactions was performed. Articles that recognized any drug interactions in HIV disease were selected. The publications accessed were limited to human studies in English or Spanish, with full texts retrieved. Drug interactions were analyzed, assessed, and grouped into four levels of clinical relevance according to gravity and probability. Software to systematize the information regarding drug interactions and their clinical relevance was designed and developed. Overall, 952 different references were retrieved and 446 selected; in addition, 67 articles were selected from the citation lists of identified articles. A total of 2119 pairs of drug interactions were identified; of this group, 2006 (94.7%) were drug-drug interactions, 1982 (93.5%) had an identified pharmacokinetic mechanism, and 1409 (66.5%) were mediated by enzyme inhibition. In terms of clinical relevance, 1285 (60.6%) drug interactions were clinically significant in patients with HIV (levels 1 and 2). With this information, a software program that facilitates identification and assessment of the clinical relevance of antiretroviral drug interactions (SIMARV ® ) was developed. A free software package with information on 2119 pairs of antiretroviral drug interactions was designed and developed that could facilitate analysis, assessment, and clinical decision making according to the clinical relevance of drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

APOA2 -256T>C polymorphism interacts with saturated fatty acids intake to affect anthropometric and hormonal variables in type 2 diabetic patients.

PubMed

Basiri, Marjan Ghane; Sotoudeh, Gity; Alvandi, Ehsan; Djalali, Mahmood; Eshraghian, Mohammad Reza; Noorshahi, Neda; Koohdani, Fariba

2015-05-01

Recent studies have established the interaction between APOA2 -256T>C polymorphism and dietary saturated fatty acids intake in relation to obesity on healthy individuals. In the current study, we investigate the effects of this interaction on anthropometric variables and serum levels of leptin and ghrelin in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this cross-sectional study, 737 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (290 males and 447 females) were recruited from diabetes clinics in Tehran. The usual dietary intake of all participants during the last year was obtained by validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. APOA2 genotyping was performed by real-time PCR on genomic DNA. No significant relation was obtained by univariate analysis between anthropometric variables and APOA2 genotypes. However, after adjusting for age, gender, physical activity and total energy intake, we identified a significant interaction between APOA2-saturated fatty acids intake and body mass index (BMI). After adjusting for potential confounders, serum levels of ghrelin in CC genotype patients were significantly higher than T allele carriers (p = 0.03), whereas the case with leptin did not reveal a significant difference. The result of this study confirmed the interaction between APOA2 -256T>C polymorphism and SFAs intake with BMI in type 2 diabetic patients. In fact, homozygous patients for the C allele with high saturated fatty acids intake had higher BMI. The APOA2 -256T>C polymorphism was associated with elevated levels of serum ghrelin.

Housing Shortages in Urban Regions: Aggressive Interactions at Tree Hollows in Forest Remnants

PubMed Central

Davis, Adrian; Major, Richard E.; Taylor, Charlotte E.

2013-01-01

Urbanisation typically results in a reduction of hollow-bearing trees and an increase in the density of particularly species, potentially resulting in an increased level of competition as cavity-nesting species compete for a limited resource. To improve understanding of hollow usage between urban cavity-nesting species in Australia, particularly parrots, we investigated how the hollow-using assemblage, visitation rate, diversity and number of interactions varied between hollows within urban remnant forest and continuous forest. Motion-activated video cameras were installed, via roped access to the canopy, and hollow usage was monitored at 61 hollows over a two-year period. Tree hollows within urban remnants had a significantly different assemblage of visitors to those in continuous forest as well as a higher rate of visitation than hollows within continuous forest, with the rainbow lorikeet making significantly more visitations than any other taxa. Hollows within urban remnants were characterised by significantly higher usage rates and significantly more aggressive interactions than hollows within continuous forest, with parrots responsible for almost all interactions. Within urban remnants, high rates of hollow visitation and both interspecific and intraspecific interactions observed at tree hollows suggest the number of available optimal hollows may be limiting. Understanding the usage of urban remnant hollows by wildlife, as well as the role of parrots as a potential flagship for the conservation of tree-hollows, is vital to prevent a decrease in the diversity of urban fauna, particularly as other less competitive species risk being outcompeted by abundant native species. PMID:23555657

Slide-and-exchange mechanism for rapid and selective transport through the nuclear pore complex.

PubMed

Raveh, Barak; Karp, Jerome M; Sparks, Samuel; Dutta, Kaushik; Rout, Michael P; Sali, Andrej; Cowburn, David

2016-05-03

Nucleocytoplasmic transport is mediated by the interaction of transport factors (TFs) with disordered phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeats that fill the central channel of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). However, the mechanism by which TFs rapidly diffuse through multiple FG repeats without compromising NPC selectivity is not yet fully understood. In this study, we build on our recent NMR investigations showing that FG repeats are highly dynamic, flexible, and rapidly exchanging among TF interaction sites. We use unbiased long timescale all-atom simulations on the Anton supercomputer, combined with extensive enhanced sampling simulations and NMR experiments, to characterize the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of FG repeats and their interaction with a model transport factor. Both the simulations and experimental data indicate that FG repeats are highly dynamic random coils, lack intrachain interactions, and exhibit significant entropically driven resistance to spatial confinement. We show that the FG motifs reversibly slide in and out of multiple TF interaction sites, transitioning rapidly between a strongly interacting state and a weakly interacting state, rather than undergoing a much slower transition between strongly interacting and completely noninteracting (unbound) states. In the weakly interacting state, FG motifs can be more easily displaced by other competing FG motifs, providing a simple mechanism for rapid exchange of TF/FG motif contacts during transport. This slide-and-exchange mechanism highlights the direct role of the disorder within FG repeats in nucleocytoplasmic transport, and resolves the apparent conflict between the selectivity and speed of transport.

Spectroscopic investigation of the spectroscopic signatures of 2,4-DNT and 2,6-DNT: their interactions with sand particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco, Alejandro; Mina, Nairmen; Castro, Miguel E.; Castillo-Chara, Jairo; Hernandez-Rivera, Samuel P.

2004-09-01

Raman Spectroscopy is a well established tool for vibrational spectroscopy analysis. Interactions of explosives with different substrates can be measured by using quantitative vibrational signal shift information of scattered Raman light associated with these interactions. A vibrational spectroscopic study has been carried out on 2,4-DNT and 2,6-DNT crystals. Raman Microscopy spectrometers equipped with 514 nm and 785 nm laser excitation lines were used. The samples were recrystallized on different solvents (water, methanol and acetonitrile) and allowed to interact with soil samples. The interaction with sand and soil samples doped with the nitroaromatic compounds showed significant shifts in its peaks. The above information was used to detect DNT in soil using Raman Microscopy. These results will make possible the development of highly sensitive sensors for detection of explosives materials.

High autistic trait individuals do not modulate gaze behaviour in response to social presence but look away more when actively engaged in an interaction.

PubMed

von dem Hagen, Elisabeth A H; Bright, Naomi

2017-02-01

Autism is characterised by difficulties in social functioning, notably in interactions with other people. Yet, most studies addressing social difficulties have used static images or, at best, videos of social stimuli, with no scope for real interaction. Here, we study one crucial aspect of social interactions-gaze behaviour-in an interactive setting. First, typical individuals were shown videos of an experimenter and, by means of a deception procedure, were either led to believe that the experimenter was present via a live video-feed or was pre-recorded. Participants' eye movements revealed that when passively viewing an experimenter they believed to be "live," they looked less at that person than when they believed the experimenter video was pre-recorded. Interestingly, this reduction in viewing behaviour in response to the believed "live" presence of the experimenter was absent in individuals high in autistic traits, suggesting a relative insensitivity to social presence alone. When participants were asked to actively engage in a real-time interaction with the experimenter, however, high autistic trait individuals looked significantly less at the experimenter relative to low autistic trait individuals. The results reinforce findings of atypical gaze behaviour in individuals high in autistic traits, but suggest that active engagement in a social interaction may be important in eliciting reduced looking. We propose that difficulties with the spatio-temporal dynamics associated with real social interactions rather than underlying difficulties processing the social stimulus itself may drive these effects. The results underline the importance of developing ecologically valid methods to investigate social cognition. Autism Res 2017, 10: 359-368. © 2016 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research. © 2016 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.

Laser sustained discharge nozzle apparatus for the production of an intense beam of high kinetic energy atomic species

DOEpatents

Cross, Jon B.; Cremers, David A.

1988-01-01

Laser sustained discharge apparatus for the production of intense beams of high kinetic energy atomic species. A portion of the plasma resulting from a laser sustained continuous optical discharge which generates energetic atomic species from a gaseous source thereof is expanded through a nozzle into a region of low pressure. The expanded plasma contains a significant concentration of the high kinetic energy atomic species which may be used to investigate the interaction of surfaces therewith. In particular, O-atoms having velocities in excess of 3.5 km/s can be generated for the purpose of studying their interaction with materials in order to develop protective materials for spacecraft which are exposed to such energetic O-atoms during operation in low earth orbit.

Laser sustained discharge nozzle apparatus for the production of an intense beam of high kinetic energy atomic species

DOEpatents

Cross, J.B.; Cremers, D.A.

1986-01-10

Laser sustained discharge apparatus for the production of intense beams of high kinetic energy atomic species is described. A portion of the plasma resulting from a laser sustained continuous optical discharge which generates energetic atomic species from a gaseous source thereof is expanded through a nozzle into a region of low pressure. The expanded plasma contains a significant concentration of the high kinetic energy atomic species which may be used to investigate the interaction of surfaces therewith. In particular, O-atoms having velocities in excess of 3.5 km/s can be generated for the purpose of studying their interaction with materials in order to develop protective materials for spacecraft which are exposed to such energetic O-atoms during operation in low earth orbit.

The relation of LD and gender with emotional intelligence in college students.

PubMed

Reiff, H B; Hatzes, N M; Bramel, M H; Gibbon, T

2001-01-01

This study examined the relation of learning disabilities (LD) and gender with emotional intelligence in 128 college students. Fifty-four students with LD (32 men and 22 women) and 74 without LD (34 men and 40 women) attending two colleges and one university participated in the study. Emotional intelligence was assessed using the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i; BarOn,1997), a self-report instrument designed to measure interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, stress management, adaptability, and general mood. A 2-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to examine the main effects of LD and gender and the interaction of the two main effects on the five composites of the EQ-i. Students with LD had fewer credits and lower scholastic aptitude test (SAT) scores, high school grade point averages (GPAs), and college GPAs than students without LD; women students were older and had higher college GPAs than men students. Results of the MANOVA indicated significant main effects of both LD and gender; no significant interaction occurred. Post hoc univariate analyses of the five composites revealed significant differences between students with LD and students without LD on stress management and adaptability, significant differences between men and women students on interpersonal skills, and significant differences of the interaction of LD and gender on interpersonal skills.

Hierarchical Cluster Formation in Concentrated Monoclonal Antibody Formulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godfrin, P. Douglas; Zarzar, Jonathan; Zarraga, Isidro Dan; Porcar, Lionel; Falus, Peter; Wagner, Norman; Liu, Yun

Reversible cluster formation has been identified as an underlying cause of large solution viscosities observed in some concentrated monoclonal antibody (mAb) formulations. As high solution viscosity prevents the use of subcutaneous injection as a delivery method for some mAbs, a fundamental understanding of the interactions responsible for high viscosities in concentrated mAb solutions is of significant relevance to mAb applications in human health care as well as of intellectual interest. Here, we present a detailed investigation of a well-studied IgG1 based mAb to relate the short time dynamics and microstructure to significant viscosity changes over a range of pharmaceutically relevant physiochemical conditions. Using a combination of experimental techniques, it is found that upon adding Na2SO4, these antibodies dimerize in solution. Proteins form strongly bounded reversible dimers at dilute concentrations that, when concentrated, interact with each other to form loosely bounded, large, transient clusters. The combined effect of forming strongly bounded dimers and a large transient network is a significant increase in the solution viscosity. Strongly bounded, reversible dimers may exist in many IgG1 based mAb systems such that these results contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the physical mechanisms producing high viscosities in concentrated protein solutions.

When authenticity matters most: Physicians' regulation of emotional display and patient satisfaction.

PubMed

Yagil, Dana; Shnapper-Cohen, Moran

2016-10-01

The emotions expressed by physicians in medical encounters have significant impact on health outcomes and patient satisfaction. This study explored how physicians' regulation of displayed emotions affects patients' satisfaction, under low and high levels of patient distress and length of physician-patient acquaintance. Questionnaires were administered to 46 physicians and 230 of their patients (before and after the medical encounter) in outpatient clinics of two hospitals. Data were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling which takes the nested data structure into account. We found a significant interaction effect of physician regulation of displayed emotions and patient distress on satisfaction: When distress was high, physician regulation of emotions was negatively related to patient satisfaction. The results also show a significant interaction effect of physician regulation of displayed emotions and length of physician-patient acquaintance: With a longer acquaintance, physician regulation of emotions was negatively related to patient satisfaction. The effect of the physicians' emotional display on patient satisfaction depends on contextual factors, such as patient distress and length of physician-patient acquaintance, which affect patients' emotional needs and expectations. When patients have high emotional involvement in the encounter it is suggested that physicians consider presenting genuine emotions to patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Web Tool for Research in Nonlinear Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prikhod'ko, Nikolay V.; Abramovsky, Viktor A.; Abramovskaya, Natalia V.; Demichev, Andrey P.; Kryukov, Alexandr P.; Polyakov, Stanislav P.

2016-02-01

This paper presents a project of developing the web platform called WebNLO for computer modeling of nonlinear optics phenomena. We discuss a general scheme of the platform and a model for interaction between the platform modules. The platform is built as a set of interacting RESTful web services (SaaS approach). Users can interact with the platform through a web browser or command line interface. Such a resource has no analogues in the field of nonlinear optics and will be created for the first time therefore allowing researchers to access high-performance computing resources that will significantly reduce the cost of the research and development process.

The effects of heavy metals and their interactions with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the oxidative stress among coke-oven workers

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

Wang, Tian; Feng, Wei; Kuang, Dan

Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are predominate toxic constituents of particulate air pollution that may be related to the increased risk of cardiopulmonary events. We aim to investigate the effects of the toxic heavy metals (arsenic, As; cadmium, Cd; chromium, Cr; nickel, Ni; and lead, Pb), and their interactions with PAHs on oxidative stress among coke-oven workers. A total of 1333 male workers were recruited in this study. We determined their urinary levels of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, twelve PAH metabolites, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α (8-iso-PGF2α). Multivariate linear regression models were used to analyze the effects ofmore » these metals and their interactions with PAHs on 8-OHdG and 8-iso-PGF2α levels. It was found that only urinary As and Ni showed marginal or significant positive linear dose-dependent effects on 8-OHdG in this study population, especially among smokers (β=0.103, P=0.073 and β=0.110, P=0.002, respectively). After stratifying all participants by the quartiles of ΣOH-PAH, all five metals showed linear association with 8-OHdG in the highest quartile subgroup (Q4) of ΣOH-PAHs. However, these five urinary metals showed significantly consistent linear associations with 8-iso-PGF2α in all subjects and each stratum. Urinary ΣOH-PAHs can significant modify the effects of heavy metals on oxidative stress, while co-exposure to both high levels of ΣOH-PAHs and heavy metals render the workers with highest 8-OHdG and 8-iso-PGF2α (all P{sub interaction}≤0.005). This study showed evidence on the interaction effects of heavy metals and PAHs on increasing the oxidative stress, and these results warrant further investigation in more longitudinal studies. - Highlights: • Heavy metals and PAHs are predominate toxic constituents of particulate matters. • Urinary As and Ni showed linear dose-dependent effects on 8-OHdG and 8-iso-PGF2α. • PAHs significant interact with toxic metal in increasing 8-OHdG and 8-iso-PGF2α. • Co-exposure to high PAHs and toxic metals contribute to highest oxidative stress.« less

The effect of exercise intensity on postresistance exercise hypotension in trained men.

PubMed

Duncan, Michael J; Birch, Samantha L; Oxford, Samuel W

2014-06-01

The occurrence of postresistance exercise hypotension (PEH) after resistance exercise remains unknown. This study examined blood pressure and heart rate (HR) responses to an acute bout of low- and high-intensity resistance exercise, matched for total work, in trained males. Sixteen resistance-trained males (23.1 ± 5.9 years) performed an acute bout of low- (40% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) and high-intensity resistance exercise (80% 1RM), matched for total work, separated by 7 days and performed in a counterbalanced order. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and HR were assessed before exercise, after completion of each exercise resistance exercise (3 sets of back squat, bench press, and deadlift) and every 10 minutes after resistance exercise for a period of 60 minutes. Results indicated a significant intensity × time interaction for SBP (p = 0.034, partial η(2) = 0.122) and MAP (p = 0.047, partial η(2) = 0.116) whereby SBP and MAP at 50-minute recovery and 60-minute recovery were significantly lower after high-intensity exercise (p = 0.01 for SBP and p = 0.05 for MAP in both cases) compared with low-intensity exercise. There were no significant main effects or interactions in regard to DBP (all p > 0.05). Heart rate data indicated a significant main effect for time (F(9, 135) = 2.479, p = 0.0001, partial η(2) = 0.344). Post hoc multiple comparisons indicated that HR was significantly higher after squat, bench press, and deadlift exercise compared with resting HR and HR at 40-, 50-, and 60-minute recovery (all p = 0.03). The present findings suggest that an acute bout of high intensity, but not low intensity, resistance exercise using compound movements can promote PEH in trained men.

Structural insight into the binding interactions of modeled structure of Arabidopsis thaliana urease with urea: an in silico study.

PubMed

Yata, Vinod Kumar; Thapa, Arun; Mattaparthi, Venkata Satish Kumar

2015-01-01

Urease (EC 3.5.1.5., urea amidohydrolase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide. Urease is present to a greater abundance in plants and plays significant role related to nitrogen recycling from urea. But little is known about the structure and function of the urease derived from the Arabidopsis thaliana, the model system of choice for research in plant biology. In this study, a three-dimensional structural model of A. thaliana urease was constructed using computer-aided molecular modeling technique. The characteristic structural features of the modeled structure were then studied using atomistic molecular dynamics simulation. It was observed that the modeled structure was stable and regions between residues index (50-80, 500-700) to be significantly flexible. From the docking studies, we detected the possible binding interactions of modeled urease with urea. Ala399, Ile675, Thr398, and Thr679 residues of A. thaliana urease were observed to be significantly involved in binding with the substrate urea. We also compared the docking studies of ureases from other sources such as Canavalia ensiformis, Helicobacter pylori, and Bacillus pasteurii. In addition, we carried out mutation analysis to find the highly mutable amino acid residues of modeled A. thaliana urease. In this particular study, we observed Met485, Tyr510, Ser786, Val426, and Lys765 to be highly mutable amino acids. These results are significant for the mutagenesis analysis. As a whole, this study expounds the salient structural features as well the binding interactions of the modeled structure of A. thaliana urease.

Effect of self-interaction on the evolution of cooperation in complex topologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yu'e.; Zhang, Zhipeng; Chang, Shuhua

2017-09-01

Self-interaction, as a significant mechanism explaining the evolution of cooperation, has attracted great attention both theoretically and experimentally. In this text, we consider a new self-interaction mechanism in the two typical pairwise models including the prisoner's dilemma and the snowdrift games, where the cooperative agents will gain extra bonus for their selfless behavior. We find that under the mechanism the collective cooperation is elevated to a very high level especially after adopting the finite population analogue of replicator dynamics for evolution. The robustness of the new mechanism is tested for different complex topologies for the prisoner's dilemma game. All the presented results demonstrate that the enhancement effects are independent of the structure of the applied spatial networks and the potential evolutionary games, and thus showing a high degree of universality. Our conclusions might shed light on the understanding of the evolution of cooperation in the real world.

Large area emulsion chamber experiments for the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parnell, T. A.

1985-01-01

Emulsion-chamber experiments employing nuclear-track emulsions, etchable plastic detectors, metal plates, and X-ray films continue to demonstrate high productivity and potential in the study of cosmic-ray primaries and their interactions. Emulsions, with unsurpassed track-recording capability, provide an appropriate medium for the study of nucleus-nucleus interactions at high energy, which will likely produce observations of a phase change in nuclear matter. The many advantages of emulsion chambers (excellent multitrack recording capability, large geometry factor, low apparatus cost, simplicity of design and construction) are complemented by the major advantages of the Space Shuttle as an experiment carrier. A Shuttle experiment which could make a significant advance in both cosmic-ray primary and nucleus-nucleus interaction studies is described. Such an experiment would serve as a guide for use of emulsions during the Space Station era. Some practical factors that must be considered in planning a Shuttle exposure of emulsion chambers are discussed.

Physical processes in wheel-rail contact and its implications on vehicle-track interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Six, K.; Meierhofer, A.; Müller, G.; Dietmaier, P.

2015-05-01

Friction within the wheel-rail contact highly influences all aspects of vehicle-track interaction. Models describing this frictional behaviour are of high relevance, for example, for reliable predictions on drive train dynamics. It has been shown by experiments, that the friction at a certain position on rail is not describable by only one number for the coefficient of friction. Beside the contact conditions (existence of liquids, solid third bodies, etc.) the vehicle speed, normal loading and contact geometry are further influencing factors. State-of-the-art models are not able to account for this sufficiently. Thus, an Extended-Creep-Force-Model was developed taking into account effects from third body layers. This model is able to describe all considered effects. In this way, a significant improvement of the prediction quality with respect to all aspects of vehicle-track interaction is expected.

Pulse-shape discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils in a NaI(Tl) crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H. S.; Adhikari, G.; Adhikari, P.; Choi, S.; Hahn, I. S.; Jeon, E. J.; Joo, H. W.; Kang, W. G.; Kim, G. B.; Kim, H. J.; Kim, H. O.; Kim, K. W.; Kim, N. Y.; Kim, S. K.; Kim, Y. D.; Kim, Y. H.; Lee, J. H.; Lee, M. H.; Leonard, D. S.; Li, J.; Oh, S. Y.; Olsen, S. L.; Park, H. K.; Park, H. S.; Park, K. S.; Shim, J. H.; So, J. H.

2015-08-01

We report on the response of a high light-output NaI(Tl) crystal to nuclear recoils induced by neutrons from an Am-Be source and compare the results with the response to electron recoils produced by Compton-scattered 662 keV γ-rays from a 137Cs source. The measured pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) power of the NaI(Tl) crystal is found to be significantly improved because of the high light output of the NaI(Tl) detector. We quantify the PSD power with a quality factor and estimate the sensitivity to the interaction rate for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with nucleons, and the result is compared with the annual modulation amplitude observed by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. The sensitivity to spin-independent WIMP-nucleon interactions based on 100 kg·year of data from NaI detectors is estimated with simulated experiments, using the standard halo model.

A newly developed real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of Fusarium oxysporum and its use in compatible and incompatible interactions with grafted melon genotypes.

PubMed

Haegi, Anita; Catalano, Valentina; Luongo, Laura; Vitale, Salvatore; Scotton, Michele; Ficcadenti, Nadia; Belisario, Alessandra

2013-08-01

A reliable and species-specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was developed for detection of the complex soilborne anamorphic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The new primer pair, designed on the translation elongation factor 1-α gene with an amplicon of 142 bp, was highly specific to F. oxysporum without cross reactions with other Fusarium spp. The protocol was applied to grafted melon plants for the detection and quantification of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis, a devastating pathogen of this cucurbit. Grafting technologies are widely used in melon to confer resistance against new virulent races of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis, while maintaining the properties of valuable commercial varieties. However, the effects on the vascular pathogen colonization have not been fully investigated. Analyses were performed on 'Charentais-T' (susceptible) and 'Nad-1' (resistant) melon cultivars, both used either as rootstock and scion, and inoculated with F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis race 1 and race 1,2. Pathogen development was compared using qPCR and isolations from stem tissues. Early asymptomatic melon infections were detected with a quantification limit of 1 pg of fungal DNA. The qPCR protocol clearly showed that fungal development was highly affected by host-pathogen interaction (compatible or incompatible) and time (days postinoculation). The principal significant effect (P ≤ 0.01) on fungal development was due to the melon genotype used as rootstock, and this effect had a significant interaction with time and F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis race. In particular, the amount of race 1,2 DNA was significantly higher compared with that estimated for race 1 in the incompatible interaction at 18 days postinoculation. The two fungal races were always present in both the rootstock and scion of grafted plants in either the compatible or incompatible interaction.

Use of an Online Education Platform to Enhance Patients' Knowledge About Radiation in Diagnostic Imaging.

PubMed

Steele, Joseph R; Jones, A Kyle; Clarke, Ryan K; Shiao, Sue J; Wei, Wei; Shoemaker, Stowe; Parmar, Simrit

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to compare the impact of a digital interactive education platform and standard paper-based education on patients' knowledge regarding ionizing radiation. Beginning in January 2015, patients at a tertiary cancer center scheduled for diagnostic imaging procedures were randomized to receive information about ionizing radiation delivered through a web-based interactive education platform (interactive education group), the same information in document format (document education group), or no specialized education (control group). Patients who completed at least some education and control group patients were invited to complete a knowledge assessment; interactive education patients were invited to provide feedback about satisfaction with their experience. A total of 2,226 patients participated. Surveys were completed by 302 of 745 patients (40.5%) participating in interactive education, 488 of 993 (49.1%) participating in document education, and 363 of 488 (74.4%) in the control group. Patients in the interactive education group were significantly more likely to say that they knew the definition of ionizing radiation, outperformed the other groups in identifying which imaging examinations used ionizing radiation, were significantly more likely to identify from a list which imaging modality had the highest radiation dose, and tended to perform better when asked about the tissue effects of radiation in diagnostic imaging, although this difference was not significant. In the interactive education group, 84% of patients were satisfied with the experience, and 79% said that they would recommend the program. Complex information on a highly technical subject with personal implications for patients may be conveyed more effectively using electronic platforms, and this approach is well accepted. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of reward and punishment on task performance, mood and autonomic nervous function, and the interaction with personality.

PubMed

Sakuragi, Sokichi; Sugiyama, Yoshiki

2009-06-01

The effects of reward and punishment are different, and there are individual differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reward and punishment on task performance, mood, and autonomic nervous function, along with the interaction with personality. Twenty-one healthy female subjects volunteered for the experiment. The task performance was evaluated by required time and total errors while performing a Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. We assessed their personalities using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) questionnaire, and mood states by a profile of mood states. Autonomic nervous function was estimated by a spectral analysis of heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity, and blood pressure. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant interaction of condition x time course on mood and autonomic nervous activity, which would indicate a less stressed state under the rewarding condition, but revealed no significant interaction of condition x time course on the task performance. The interactions with personality were further analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA applying the clinical scales of MMPI as independent variables, and significant interactions of condition x time course x Pt (psychasthenia) on task performance, mood, and blood pressure, were revealed. That is, the high Pt group, whose members tend to be sensitive and prone to worry, showed gradual improvement of task performance under the punishing situation with slight increase in systolic blood pressure, while showed no improvement under the rewarding situation with fatigue sense attenuation. In contrast, the low Pt group, whose members tend to be adaptive and self-confident, showed gradual improvement under the rewarding situation. Therefore, we should carefully choose the strategy of reward or punishment, considering the interaction with personality as well as the context in which it is given.

Allelic interaction of F1 pollen sterility loci and abnormal chromosome behaviour caused pollen sterility in intersubspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids.

PubMed

He, J H; Shahid, M Q; Li, Y J; Guo, H B; Cheng, X A; Liu, X D; Lu, Y G

2011-08-01

The intersubspecific hybrids of autotetraploid rice has many features that increase rice yield, but lower seed set is a major hindrance in its utilization. Pollen sterility is one of the most important factors which cause intersubspecific hybrid sterility. The hybrids with greater variation in seed set were used to study how the F(1) pollen sterile loci (S-a, S-b, and S-c) interact with each other and how abnormal chromosome behaviour and allelic interaction of F(1) sterility loci affect pollen fertility and seed set of intersubspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids. The results showed that interaction between pollen sterility loci have significant effects on the pollen fertility of autotetraploid hybrids, and pollen fertility further decreased with an increase in the allelic interaction of F(1) pollen sterility loci. Abnormal ultra-structure and microtubule distribution patterns during pollen mother cell (PMC) meiosis were found in the hybrids with low pollen fertility in interphase and leptotene, suggesting that the effect-time of pollen sterility loci interaction was very early. There were highly significant differences in the number of quadrivalents and bivalents, and in chromosome configuration among all the hybrids, and quadrivalents decreased with an increase in the seed set of autotetraploid hybrids. Many different kinds of chromosomal abnormalities, such as chromosome straggling, chromosome lagging, asynchrony of chromosome disjunction, and tri-fission were found during the various developmental stages of PMC meiosis. All these abnormalities were significantly higher in sterile hybrids than in fertile hybrids, suggesting that pollen sterility gene interactions tend to increase the chromosomal abnormalities which cause the partial abortion of male gametes and leads to the decline in the seed set of the autotetraploid rice hybrids. © 2011 The Author(s).

Genome-Wide Interactions with Dairy Intake for Body Mass Index in Adults of European Descent

PubMed Central

Follis, Jack L.; Dashti, Hassan S.; Tanaka, Toshiko; Graff, Mariaelisa; Fretts, Amanda M.; Kilpeläinen, Tuomas O.; Wojczynski, Mary K.; Richardson, Kris; Nalls, Mike A.; Schulz, Christina-Alexandra; Liu, Yongmei; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C.; van Eekelen, Esther; Wang, Carol; de Vries, Paul S.; Mikkilä, Vera; Rohde, Rebecca; Psaty, Bruce M.; Hansen, Torben; Feitosa, Mary F.; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Houston, Denise K.; Ferruci, Luigi; Ericson, Ulrika; Wang, Zhe; de Mutsert, Renée; Oddy, Wendy H.; de Jonge, Ester A. L.; Seppälä, Ilkka; Justice, Anne E.; Lemaitre, Rozenn N.; Sørensen, Thorkild I. A.; Province, Michael A.; Parnell, Laurence D.; Garcia, Melissa E.; Bandinelli, Stefania; Orho-Melander, Marju; Rich, Stephen S.; Rosendaal, Frits R.; Pennell, Craig E.; Kiefte-de Jong, Jessica C.; Kähönen, Mika; Young, Kristin L.; Pedersen, Oluf; Aslibekyan, Stella; Rotter, Jerome I.; Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O.; Zillikens, M. Carola; Raitakari, Olli T.; North, Kari E.; Overvad, Kim; Arnett, Donna K.; Hofman, Albert; Lehtimäki, Terho; Tjønneland, Anne; Uitterlinden, André G.; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Franco, Oscar H.; German, J. Bruce; Siscovick, David S.; Cupples, L. Adrienne; Ordovás, José M.

2017-01-01

Scope Body weight responds variably to the intake of dairy foods. Genetic variation may contribute to inter-individual variability in associations between body weight and dairy consumption. Methods and results A genome-wide interaction study to discover genetic variants that account for variation in BMI in the context of low-fat, high-fat and total dairy intake in cross-sectional analysis was conducted. Data from nine discovery studies (up to 25 513 European descent individuals) were meta-analyzed. Twenty-six genetic variants reached the selected significance threshold (p-interaction<10−7), and six independent variants (LINC01512-rs7751666, PALM2/AKAP2-rs914359, ACTA2-rs1388, PPP1R12A-rs7961195, LINC00333-rs9635058, AC098847.1-rs1791355) were evaluated meta-analytically for replication of interaction in up to 17 675 individuals. Variant rs9635058 (128 kb 3′ of LINC00333) was replicated (p-interaction = 0.004). In the discovery cohorts, rs9635058 interacted with dairy (p-interaction = 7.36 × 10−8) such that each serving of low-fat dairy was associated with 0.225 kg m−2 lower BMI per each additional copy of the effect allele (A). A second genetic variant (ACTA2-rs1388) approached interaction replication significance for low-fat dairy exposure. Conclusion Body weight responses to dairy intake may be modified by genotype, in that greater dairy intake may protect a genetic subgroup from higher body weight. PMID:28941034

Dual antiplatelet therapy in stroke and ICAS: Subgroup analysis of CHANCE.

PubMed

Liu, Liping; Wong, Ka Sing Lawrence; Leng, Xinyi; Pu, Yuehua; Wang, Yilong; Jing, Jing; Zou, Xinying; Pan, Yuesong; Wang, Anxin; Meng, Xia; Wang, Chunxue; Zhao, Xingquan; Soo, Yannie; Johnston, S Claiborne; Wang, Yongjun

2015-09-29

AB OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate whether the efficacy and safety of clopidogrel plus aspirin vs aspirin alone were consistent between patients with and without intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS), in the Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients with Acute Non-disabling Cerebrovascular Events (CHANCE) trial. We assessed the interaction of the treatment effects of the 2 antiplatelet therapies among patients with and without ICAS, identified by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in CHANCE (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00979589). Overall, 1,089 patients with MRA images available in CHANCE were included in this subanalysis, 608 patients (55.8%) with ICAS and 481 (44.2%) without. Patients with ICAS had higher rates of recurrent stroke (12.5% vs 5.4%; p<0.0001) at 90 days than those without. But there was no statistically significant treatment by presence of ICAS interaction on either the primary outcome of any stroke (hazard ratio for clopidogrel plus aspirin vs aspirin alone: 0.79 [0.47-1.32] vs 1.12 [0.56-2.25]; interaction p=0.522) or the safety outcome of any bleeding event (interaction p=0.277). The results indicated higher rate of recurrent stroke in minor stroke or high-risk TIA patients with ICAS than in those without. However, there was no significant difference in the response to the 2 antiplatelet therapies between patients with and without ICAS in the CHANCE trial. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that for patients with acute minor stroke or TIA with and without ICAS identified by MRA, clopidogrel plus aspirin is not significantly different than aspirin alone in preventing recurrent stroke. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Investigating the Role of Large-Scale Domain Dynamics in Protein-Protein Interactions.

PubMed

Delaforge, Elise; Milles, Sigrid; Huang, Jie-Rong; Bouvier, Denis; Jensen, Malene Ringkjøbing; Sattler, Michael; Hart, Darren J; Blackledge, Martin

2016-01-01

Intrinsically disordered linkers provide multi-domain proteins with degrees of conformational freedom that are often essential for function. These highly dynamic assemblies represent a significant fraction of all proteomes, and deciphering the physical basis of their interactions represents a considerable challenge. Here we describe the difficulties associated with mapping the large-scale domain dynamics and describe two recent examples where solution state methods, in particular NMR spectroscopy, are used to investigate conformational exchange on very different timescales.

Investigating the Role of Large-Scale Domain Dynamics in Protein-Protein Interactions

PubMed Central

Delaforge, Elise; Milles, Sigrid; Huang, Jie-rong; Bouvier, Denis; Jensen, Malene Ringkjøbing; Sattler, Michael; Hart, Darren J.; Blackledge, Martin

2016-01-01

Intrinsically disordered linkers provide multi-domain proteins with degrees of conformational freedom that are often essential for function. These highly dynamic assemblies represent a significant fraction of all proteomes, and deciphering the physical basis of their interactions represents a considerable challenge. Here we describe the difficulties associated with mapping the large-scale domain dynamics and describe two recent examples where solution state methods, in particular NMR spectroscopy, are used to investigate conformational exchange on very different timescales. PMID:27679800

Network of Spaces and Interaction-Related Behaviors in Adult Intensive Care Units

PubMed Central

Rashid, Mahbub; Boyle, Diane K.; Crosser, Michael

2014-01-01

Using three spatial network measures of “space syntax”, this correlational study describes four interaction-related behaviors among three groups of users in relation to visibility and accessibility of spaces in four adult intensive care units (ICUs) of different size, geometry, and specialty. Systematic field observations of interaction-related behaviors show significant differences in spatial distribution of interaction-related behaviors in the ICUs. Despite differences in unit characteristics and interaction-related behaviors, the study finds that when nurses and physicians “interact while sitting” they prefer spaces that help maintain a high level of environmental awareness; that when nurses “walk” and “interact while walking” they avoid spaces with better global access and visibility; and that everyone in ICUs “walk” more in spaces with higher control over neighboring spaces. It is argued that such consistent behavioral patterns occur due to the structural similarities of spatial networks over and above the more general functional similarities of ICUs. PMID:25469838

Effective interactions and dynamics of small passive particles in an active bacterial medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semeraro, Enrico F.; Devos, Juliette M.; Narayanan, Theyencheri

2018-05-01

This article presents an investigation of the interparticle interactions and dynamics of submicron silica colloids suspended in a bath of motile Escherichia coli bacteria. The colloidal microstructure and dynamics were probed by ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering and multi-speckles x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, respectively. Both static and hydrodynamic interactions were obtained for different colloid volume fractions and bacteria concentrations as well as when the interparticle interaction potential was modified by the motility buffer. Results suggest that motile bacteria reduce the effective attractive interactions between passive colloids and enhance their dynamics at high colloid volume fractions. The enhanced dynamics under different static interparticle interactions can be rationalized in terms of an effective viscosity of the medium and unified by means of an empirical effective temperature of the system. While the influence of swimming bacteria on the colloid dynamics is significantly lower for small particles, the role of motility buffer on the static and dynamic interactions becomes more pronounced.

Interactions among aging, gender, and gonadectomy effects upon naloxone hypophagia in rats.

PubMed

Islam, A K; Beczkowska, I W; Bodnar, R J

1993-11-01

The present study examined the dose-dependent (0.25-5 mg/kg) effects of systemic naloxone upon deprivation-induced intake and high-fat intake as functions of age (4, 8, 14, and 20 months), gender, and gonadectomy in rats. Significant increases in body weight were observed as functions of age and gonadectomy. Whereas aging significantly reduced basal deprivation-induced intake, it generally failed to alter basal high-fat intake. Whereas age, gender, and gonadectomy failed to alter the decreases in deprivation-induced intake following low (0.25-2.5 mg/kg) naloxone doses, sham males displayed significantly greater age-related and gender-related inhibition following the 5 mg/kg dose of naloxone. Young gonadectomized rats displayed significant increases in naloxone's inhibition of deprivation-induced intake as well. More dramatic changes occurred in naloxone's inhibition of high-fat intake. Naloxone's potency increased in sham female rats as a function of age, and decreased in sham males and ovariectomized females as a function of age. Whereas sham males and ovariectomized females were most sensitive to naloxone's inhibition of high-fat intake at young ages, sham females were most sensitive at older ages. These data indicate that effects of age, gender, and gonadectomy upon naloxone-induced hypophagia dissociate as a function of the type of intake. Because selective opioid antagonist studies demonstrate that deprivation-induced intake is mediated by the mu1 receptor and high-fat intake is mediated by kappa and mu2 receptors, it is postulated that the differential effects of aging, gender, and gonadectomy variables upon opioid mediation of the two forms of intake may reflect their interaction with different opioid receptor subtypes.

Evaluation of potential interactions between mycophenolic acid derivatives and proton pump inhibitors.

PubMed

Gabardi, Steven; Olyaei, Ali

2012-01-01

To evaluate the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) complications in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, impact of the complications on transplant outcomes, and the potential interactions between mycophenolic acid (MPA) derivatives and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). An unrestricted literature search (1980-January 2012) was performed with MEDLINE and EMBASE using the following key words: drug-drug interaction, enteric-coated mycophenolic acid, GI complications, mycophenolate mofetil, solid organ transplant, and proton pump inhibitor, including individual agents within the class. Abstracts from scientific meetings were also evaluated. Additionally, reference citations from identified publications were reviewed. Relevant English-language, original research articles and review articles were evaluated if they focused on any of the topics identified in the search or included substantial content addressing GI complications in SOT recipients or drug interactions. GI complications are frequent among SOT recipients, with some studies showing prevalence rates as high as 70%. Transplant outcomes among renal transplant recipients are significantly impacted by GI complications, especially in patients requiring immunosuppressant dosage reductions or premature discontinuation. To this end, PPI use among patients receiving transplants is common. Recent data demonstrate that PPIs significantly reduce the overall exposure to MPA after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil. Similar studies show this interaction does not exist between PPIs and enteric-coated mycophenolic acid (EC-MPA). Unfortunately, most of the available data evaluating this interaction are pharmacokinetic analyses that do not investigate the clinical impact of this interaction. A significant interaction exists between PPIs and mycophenolate mofetil secondary to reduced dissolution of mycophenolate mofetil in higher pH environments. EC-MPA is not absorbed in the stomach; therefore, low intragastric acidity does not impact EC-MPA and bioavailability is maintained with this formulation during PPI coadministration. The clinical impact of this interaction is unknown, yet one can theorize that reduced exposure to MPA in SOT recipients can increase the risk of allograft rejection and/or failure.

The object of my aggression: Sexual objectification increases physical aggression toward women.

PubMed

Vasquez, Eduardo A; Ball, Louisa; Loughnan, Steve; Pina, Afroditi

2018-01-01

Objectification involves reducing someone to a sexual object, rather than seeing them as a full person. Despite numerous theoretical claims that people are more aggressive toward the objectified, and empirical evidence that objectification is linked to high willingness to aggress, rape proclivity, and aggressive attitudes, no research has examined a causal link between objectification and physical aggression, particularly in the context of provocation. In two experiments, we examined this predicted link. In Experiment 1, using a 2 (objectification: no/yes) × 2 (provocation: no/yes) factorial between-subjects design, we investigated the effects of objectification, induced via body focus during a face-to-face interaction, and provocation on physical aggression toward a female confederate. Our results revealed a significant main effect of provocation, a marginal main effect of objectification, and a significant interaction between these variables. In the absence of a provocation, focusing on a woman's body increased aggression toward her. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 using a video of a target woman instead of a face-to-face interaction. Again, our results showed a significant two-way interaction between objectification and provocation, wherein objectification increased aggression in the absence of provocation. Overall, this research indicates that objectification can lead to heightened physical aggression toward objectified women. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effect of thematic learning model, learning style, and reading ability on the students’ learning outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurlaela, L.; Samani, M.; Asto, I. G. P.; Wibawa, S. C.

2018-01-01

This study aims at gaining empirical findings of the effectiveness of thematic instructional model as compared to conventional instruction; and the potential capacity of thematic instructional model in accommodating different learning styles and reading abilities. This is an experimental research design with 140 elementary students as research subject. The data were collected by using achievement test, learning style questionnaire, and reading comprehension test, and analyzed by using Anava. The results indicate: there is a significant difference in achievement between students who use thematic instructional model and those using conventional model; a significant difference in achievement between students with visual learning style and those having auditorial learning style; a significant difference between students with high reading ability and those with low reading ability. Student’s achievement is influenced by the interaction between instructional model and student’s learning style. Student’s achievement is not influenced by the interaction between instructional model and student’s reading ability, the interaction between student’s learning style and student’s reading ability, and the interaction among instructional model, learning style and student’s reading ability. The conclusion is thematic instructional model was more effective than conventional instruction and thematic instructional model had a capacity in accommodating different learning styles and reading abilities.

Response surface methodology investigation into the interactions between arsenic and humic acid in water during the coagulation process.

PubMed

Watson, Malcolm Alexander; Tubić, Aleksandra; Agbaba, Jasmina; Nikić, Jasmina; Maletić, Snežana; Molnar Jazić, Jelena; Dalmacija, Božo

2016-07-15

Interactions between arsenic and natural organic matter (NOM) are key limiting factors during the optimisation of drinking water treatment when significant amounts of both must be removed. This work uses Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to investigate how they interact during their simultaneous removal by iron chloride coagulation, using humic acid (HA) as a model NOM substance. Using a three factor Box-Behnken experimental design, As and HA removals were modelled, as well as a combined removal response. ANOVA results showed the significance of the coagulant dose for all three responses. At high initial arsenic concentrations (200μg/l), As removal was significantly hindered by the presence of HA. In contrast, the HA removal response was found to be largely independent of the initial As concentration, with the optimum coagulant dose increasing at increasing HA concentrations. The combined response was similar to the HA removal response, and the interactions evident are most interesting in terms of optimising treatment processes during the preparation of drinking water, highlighting the importance of utilizing RSM for such investigations. The combined response model was successfully validated with two different groundwaters used for drinking water supply in the Republic of Serbia, showing excellent agreement under similar experimental conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Remote sensor digital image data analysis using the General Electric Image 100 analysis system (a study of analysis speed, cost, and performance)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcmurtry, G. J.; Petersen, G. W. (Principal Investigator)

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. It was found that the high speed man machine interaction capability is a distinct advantage of the image 100; however, the small size of the digital computer in the system is a definite limitation. The system can be highly useful in an analysis mode in which it complements a large general purpose computer. The image 100 was found to be extremely valuable in the analysis of aircraft MSS data where the spatial resolution begins to approach photographic quality and the analyst can exercise interpretation judgements and readily interact with the machine.

High-Multiplicity Lead-Lead Interactions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deines-Jones, P.; Cherry, M. L.; Dabrowska, A.; Holynski, R.; Jones, W. V.; Kolganova, E. D.; Kudzia, D.; Nilsen, B. S.; Olszewski, A.; Pozharova, E. A.;

Nature of the abnormal band gap narrowing in highly crystalline Zn1-xCoxO nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Xiaoqing; Li, Liping; Li, Guangshe

2006-03-01

Highly crystalline Zn1-xCoxO nanorods were prepared using a hydrothermal method. With increasing Co2+ dopant concentration, the lattice volume enlarged considerably, which is associated with the enhanced repulsive interactions of defect dipole moments on the wall surfaces. This lattice modification produced a significant decrease in band gap energies with its magnitude that followed the relationship, ΔEg=ΔE0•(e-x/B-1), where x and B are Co2+ dopant concentration and a constant, respectively. The abnormal band gap energies were indicated to originate from the sp-d exchange interactions that are proportional to the square of lattice volume.

Multichannel-Hadamard calibration of high-order adaptive optics systems.

PubMed

Guo, Youming; Rao, Changhui; Bao, Hua; Zhang, Ang; Zhang, Xuejun; Wei, Kai

2014-06-02

we present a novel technique of calibrating the interaction matrix for high-order adaptive optics systems, called the multichannel-Hadamard method. In this method, the deformable mirror actuators are firstly divided into a series of channels according to their coupling relationship, and then the voltage-oriented Hadamard method is applied to these channels. Taking the 595-element adaptive optics system as an example, the procedure is described in detail. The optimal channel dividing is discussed and tested by numerical simulation. The proposed method is also compared with the voltage-oriented Hadamard only method and the multichannel only method by experiments. Results show that the multichannel-Hadamard method can produce significant improvement on interaction matrix measurement.

Weak Interactions Govern the Viscosity of Concentrated Antibody Solutions: High-Throughput Analysis Using the Diffusion Interaction Parameter

PubMed Central

Connolly, Brian D.; Petry, Chris; Yadav, Sandeep; Demeule, Barthélemy; Ciaccio, Natalie; Moore, Jamie M.R.; Shire, Steven J.; Gokarn, Yatin R.

2012-01-01

Weak protein-protein interactions are thought to modulate the viscoelastic properties of concentrated antibody solutions. Predicting the viscoelastic behavior of concentrated antibodies from their dilute solution behavior is of significant interest and remains a challenge. Here, we show that the diffusion interaction parameter (kD), a component of the osmotic second virial coefficient (B2) that is amenable to high-throughput measurement in dilute solutions, correlates well with the viscosity of concentrated monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions. We measured the kD of 29 different mAbs (IgG1 and IgG4) in four different solvent conditions (low and high ion normality) and found a linear dependence between kD and the exponential coefficient that describes the viscosity concentration profiles (|R| ≥ 0.9). Through experimentally measured effective charge measurements, under low ion normality where the electroviscous effect can dominate, we show that the mAb solution viscosity is poorly correlated with the mAb net charge (|R| ≤ 0.6). With this large data set, our results provide compelling evidence in support of weak intermolecular interactions, in contrast to the notion that the electroviscous effect is important in governing the viscoelastic behavior of concentrated mAb solutions. Our approach is particularly applicable as a screening tool for selecting mAbs with desirable viscosity properties early during lead candidate selection. PMID:22828333

Pathway-based discovery of genetic interactions in breast cancer

PubMed Central

Xu, Zack Z.; Boone, Charles; Lange, Carol A.

2017-01-01

Breast cancer is the second largest cause of cancer death among U.S. women and the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genetic variants associated with susceptibility to breast cancer, but these still explain less than half of the estimated genetic contribution to the disease. Combinations of variants (i.e. genetic interactions) may play an important role in breast cancer susceptibility. However, due to a lack of statistical power, the current tests for genetic interactions from GWAS data mainly leverage prior knowledge to focus on small sets of genes or SNPs that are known to have an association with breast cancer. Thus, many genetic interactions, particularly among novel variants, remain understudied. Reverse-genetic interaction screens in model organisms have shown that genetic interactions frequently cluster into highly structured motifs, where members of the same pathway share similar patterns of genetic interactions. Based on this key observation, we recently developed a method called BridGE to search for such structured motifs in genetic networks derived from GWAS studies and identify pathway-level genetic interactions in human populations. We applied BridGE to six independent breast cancer cohorts and identified significant pathway-level interactions in five cohorts. Joint analysis across all five cohorts revealed a high confidence consensus set of genetic interactions with support in multiple cohorts. The discovered interactions implicated the glutathione conjugation, vitamin D receptor, purine metabolism, mitotic prometaphase, and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways as major modifiers of breast cancer risk. Notably, while many of the pathways identified by BridGE show clear relevance to breast cancer, variants in these pathways had not been previously discovered by traditional single variant association tests, or single pathway enrichment analysis that does not consider SNP-SNP interactions. PMID:28957314

Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island salt marshes: experimental evaluation of the interactions between an invasive crab and resident ecosystem engineers

PubMed Central

Fournier, Alexa M.; Furman, Bradley T.; Carroll, John M.

2014-01-01

The invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, has recently been observed occupying salt marshes, a novel environment for this crab species. As it invades this new habitat, it is likely to interact with a number of important salt marsh species. To understand the potential effects of H. sanguineus on this ecosystem, interactions between this invasive crab and important salt marsh ecosystem engineers were examined. Laboratory experiments demonstrated competition for burrows between H. sanguineus and the native fiddler crab, Uca pugilator. Results indicate that H. sanguineus is able to displace an established fiddler crab from its burrow. Feeding experiments revealed that the presence of H. sanguineus has a significantly negative impact on the number as well as the biomass of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) consumed by the green crab, Carcinus maenas, although this only occurred at high predator densities. In addition, when both crabs foraged together, there was a significant shift in the size of mussels consumed. These interactions suggests that H. sanguineus may have long-term impacts and wide-ranging negative effects on the saltmarsh ecosystem. PMID:25071995

Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island salt marshes: experimental evaluation of the interactions between an invasive crab and resident ecosystem engineers.

PubMed

Peterson, Bradley J; Fournier, Alexa M; Furman, Bradley T; Carroll, John M

2014-01-01

The invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, has recently been observed occupying salt marshes, a novel environment for this crab species. As it invades this new habitat, it is likely to interact with a number of important salt marsh species. To understand the potential effects of H. sanguineus on this ecosystem, interactions between this invasive crab and important salt marsh ecosystem engineers were examined. Laboratory experiments demonstrated competition for burrows between H. sanguineus and the native fiddler crab, Uca pugilator. Results indicate that H. sanguineus is able to displace an established fiddler crab from its burrow. Feeding experiments revealed that the presence of H. sanguineus has a significantly negative impact on the number as well as the biomass of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) consumed by the green crab, Carcinus maenas, although this only occurred at high predator densities. In addition, when both crabs foraged together, there was a significant shift in the size of mussels consumed. These interactions suggests that H. sanguineus may have long-term impacts and wide-ranging negative effects on the saltmarsh ecosystem.

The Community Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittenburg, Rebecca; Miller, Brant G.; Rust, Cindy; Esler, Jamie; Kreider, Rusti; Boylan, Ryan; Squires, Audrey

2015-01-01

In a regional gathering called the Youth Water Summit, high school students present projects that respond to the driving question behind their science curriculum: "How can you address a significant water resource challenge in your community's watershed?" Students exhibit scientific posters, interactive presentations, films, art projects,…

Concrete mixtures that incorporate inclusions to reduce the sound generated in Portland cement concrete pavements

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

Tire-pavement interaction noise is one of the significant environmental problem in highly populated urban areas situated near busy highways. Traditionally, this problem was reduced through the use of sound barriers ; but this method has limitations. ...

Mental and physical distress is modulated by a polymorphism in the 5-HT transporter gene interacting with social stressors and chronic disease burden.

PubMed

Grabe, H J; Lange, M; Wolff, B; Völzke, H; Lucht, M; Freyberger, H J; John, U; Cascorbi, I

2005-02-01

Previous studies have yielded conflicting results as to the putative role of the functional polymorphism of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) in the etiology of anxiety-related traits and depressive disorders. Recently, a significant gene-environment interaction was found between life stressors, the short allele of the SLC6A4 polymorphism and depression. The aim of the present study was to investigate if such a gene-environment interaction could be replicated within a different population with a different risk structure. A total of 1005 subjects from a general population sample (Study of Health in Pomerania) were genotyped. Mental and physical distress were assessed on 38 items of the modified complaint scale (BL-38). The interaction between the SLC6A4 genotype, social stressors and chronic diseases with regard to the BL-38 score was evaluated by ANOVA. There was no independent association of genotype with mental and physical distress. However, significant interactions between genotype, unemployment and chronic diseases (F = 6.6; df = 3, 671; P < 0.001) were found in females but not in males. The genotype explained 2% of the total variance of the BL-38 score and 9.1% of the explained variance. The results partly confirm previous findings of a significant gene-environment interaction of the short allele, indicating a higher mental vulnerability to social stressors and chronic diseases. The relevance of this finding is sustained by the fact that the sample characteristics and the risk structure were highly different from previous studies.

The Environmental Dependence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Bird Population

PubMed Central

Szulkin, Marta; Sheldon, Ben C.

2007-01-01

Background Inbreeding depression occurs when the offspring produced as a result of matings between relatives show reduced fitness, and is generally understood as a consequence of the elevated expression of deleterious recessive alleles. How inbreeding depression varies across environments is of importance for the evolution of inbreeding avoidance behaviour, and for understanding extinction risks in small populations. However, inbreeding-by-environment (I×E) interactions have rarely been investigated in wild populations. Methodology/Principal Findings We analysed 41 years of breeding events from a wild great tit (Parus major) population and used 11 measures of the environment to categorise environments as relatively good or poor, testing whether these measures influenced inbreeding depression. Although inbreeding always, and environmental quality often, significantly affected reproductive success, there was little evidence for statistically significant I×E interactions at the level of individual analyses. However, point estimates of the effect of the environment on inbreeding depression were sometimes considerable, and we show that variation in the magnitude of the I×E interaction across environments is consistent with the expectation that this interaction is more marked across environmental axes with a closer link to overall fitness, with the environmental dependence of inbreeding depression being elevated under such conditions. Hence, our analyses provide evidence for an environmental dependence of the inbreeding×environment interaction: effectively an I×E×E. Conclusions/Significance Overall, our analyses suggest that I×E interactions may be substantial in wild populations, when measured across relevant environmental contrasts, although their detection for single traits may require very large samples, or high rates of inbreeding. PMID:17925875

Binding Rate Constants Reveal Distinct Features of Disordered Protein Domains.

PubMed

Dogan, Jakob; Jonasson, Josefin; Andersson, Eva; Jemth, Per

2015-08-04

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are abundant in the proteome and involved in key cellular functions. However, experimental data about the binding kinetics of IDPs as a function of different environmental conditions are scarce. We have performed an extensive characterization of the ionic strength dependence of the interaction between the molten globular nuclear co-activator binding domain (NCBD) of CREB binding protein and five different protein ligands, including the intrinsically disordered activation domain of p160 transcriptional co-activators (SRC1, TIF2, ACTR), the p53 transactivation domain, and the folded pointed domain (PNT) of transcription factor ETS-2. Direct comparisons of the binding rate constants under identical conditions show that the association rate constant, kon, for interactions between NCBD and disordered protein domains is high at low salt concentrations (90-350 × 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) at 4 °C) but is reduced significantly (10-30-fold) with an increasing ionic strength and reaches a plateau around physiological ionic strength. In contrast, the kon for the interaction between NCBD and the folded PNT domain is only 7 × 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) (4 °C and low salt) and displays weak ionic strength dependence, which could reflect a distinctly different association that relies less on electrostatic interactions. Furthermore, the basal rate constant (in the absence of electrostatic interactions) is high for the NCBD interactions, exceeding those typically observed for folded proteins. One likely interpretation is that disordered proteins have a large number of possible collisions leading to a productive on-pathway encounter complex, while folded proteins are more restricted in terms of orientation. Our results highlight the importance of electrostatic interactions in binding involving IDPs and emphasize the significance of including ionic strength as a factor in studies that compare the binding properties of IDPs to those of ordered proteins.

Better quality of mother-child interaction at 4 years of age decreases emotional overeating in IUGR girls.

PubMed

Escobar, R S; O'Donnell, K A; Colalillo, S; Pawlby, S; Steiner, M; Meaney, M J; Levitan, R D; Silveira, P P

2014-10-01

While most "fetal programming" area focused on metabolic disease, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is also associated with a preference for less healthy food. Post-natal factors such as strained maternal-child interactions are equally related to obesogenic eating behaviors. We investigated if IUGR and the quality of the mother/child relationship affect emotional overeating in children. Participants were 196 children from a prospective birth cohort (the MAVAN project). As part of the protocol at 4 years of age, mothers completed the Children Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and mother-child interactions were scored during a structured task. A GLM adjusted for BMI examined the interaction between the "Atmosphere" score (ATM) task, sex and IUGR on the emotional over-eating domain of the CEBQ. There was a significant interaction of BWR vs. sex vs. ATM (P = .02), with no effects of IUGR, sex or ATM. The model was significant for girls with low ATM scores (B = -2.035, P = .014), but not for girls with high (P = 0.94) or boys with high (P = .27) or low (P = .19) ATM scores. Only in IUGR girls, 48 months emotional over-eating correlated with BMI at that age (r = 0.560, P = 0.013) and predicted BMI in the subsequent years (r = 0.654, P = 0.006 at 60 months and r = 0.750, P = 0.005 at 72 months). IUGR and exposure to a negative emotional atmosphere during maternal-child interactions predicted emotional overeating in girls but not in boys. The quality of mother-infant interaction may be an important target for interventions to prevent emotional overeating and overweight in early development, particularly in girls with a history of IUGR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autonomic cardiovascular modulation in masters and young cyclists following high-intensity interval training.

PubMed

Borges, Nattai R; Reaburn, Peter R; Doering, Thomas M; Argus, Christos K; Driller, Matthew W

2017-04-01

This study aimed at examining the autonomic cardiovascular modulation in well-trained masters and young cyclists following high-intensity interval training (HIT). Nine masters (age 55.6 ± 5.0 years) and eight young cyclists (age 25.9 ± 3.0 years) completed a HIT protocol of 6 x 30 sec at 175% of peak power output, with 4.5-min' rest between efforts. Immediately following HIT, heart rate and R-R intervals were monitored for 30-min during passive supine recovery. Autonomic modulation was examined by i) heart rate recovery in the first 60-sec of recovery (HRR 60 ); ii) the time constant of the 30-min heart rate recovery curve (HRRτ); iii) the time course of the root mean square for successive 30-sec R-R interval (RMSSD 30 ); and iv) time and frequency domain analyses of subsequent 5-min R-R interval segments. No significant between-group differences were observed for HRR 60 (P = 0.096) or HRR τ (P = 0.617). However, a significant interaction effect was found for RMSSD 30 (P = 0.021), with the master cyclists showing higher RMSSD 30 values following HIT. Similar results were observed in the time and frequency domain analyses with significant interaction effects found for the natural logarithm of the RMSSD (P = 0.008), normalised low-frequency power (P = 0.016) and natural logarithm of high-frequency power (P = 0.012). Following high-intensity interval training, master cyclists demonstrated greater post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation compared to young cyclists, indicating that physical training at older ages has significant effects on autonomic function.

A Norwegian prospective study of preterm mother-infant interactions at 6 and 18 months and the impact of maternal mental health problems, pregnancy and birth complications.

PubMed

Misund, Aud R; Bråten, Stein; Nerdrum, Per; Pripp, Are Hugo; Diseth, Trond H

2016-05-04

Pregnancy, birth and health complications, maternal mental health problems following preterm birth and their possible impact on early mother-infant interaction at 6 and 18 months corrected age (CA) were explored. Predictors of mother-infant interaction at 18 months CA were identified. This prospective longitudinal and observational study included 33 preterm mother-infant (<33 gestational age (GA)) interactions at 6 and 18 months CA from a socioeconomic low-risk, middle-class sample. The Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment (PCERA) scale was used to assess the mother-infant interaction. 'Bleeding in pregnancy' predicted lower quality in preterm mother-infant interaction in 6 PCERA scales, while high 'maternal trait anxiety' predicted higher interactional quality in 2 PCERA scales and 'family size' predicted lower interactional quality in 1 PCERA scale at 18 months CA. Mothers with symptoms of post-traumatic stress reactions, general psychological distress and anxiety at 2 weeks postpartum (PP) showed significantly better outcome than mothers without symptoms in 6 PCERA subscales at 6 months CA and 2 PCERA subscales at 18 months CA. Our study detected a correspondence between early pregnancy complications and lower quality of preterm mother-infant interaction, and an association between high levels of maternal mental health problems and better quality in preterm mother-infant interaction. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Gene-Gene and Gene-Environment Interactions in Ulcerative Colitis

PubMed Central

Wang, Ming-Hsi; Fiocchi, Claudio; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Ripke, Stephan; Kamboh, M. Ilyas; Rebert, Nancy; Duerr, Richard H.; Achkar, Jean-Paul

2014-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified at least 133 ulcerative colitis (UC) associated loci. The role of genetic factors in clinical practice is not clearly defined. The relevance of genetic variants to disease pathogenesis is still uncertain because of not characterized gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. We examined the predictive value of combining the 133 UC risk loci with genetic interactions in an ongoing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) GWAS. The Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium (WTCCC) IBD GWAS was used as a replication cohort. We applied logic regression (LR), a novel adaptive regression methodology, to search for high order interactions. Exploratory genotype correlations with UC sub-phenotypes (extent of disease, need of surgery, age of onset, extra-intestinal manifestations and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)) were conducted. The combination of 133 UC loci yielded good UC risk predictability (area under the curve [AUC] of 0.86). A higher cumulative allele score predicted higher UC risk. Through LR, several lines of evidence for genetic interactions were identified and successfully replicated in the WTCCC cohort. The genetic interactions combined with the gene-smoking interaction significantly improved predictability in the model (AUC, from 0.86 to 0.89, P=3.26E-05). Explained UC variance increased from 37% to 42% after adding the interaction terms. A within case analysis found suggested genetic association with PSC. Our study demonstrates that the LR methodology allows the identification and replication of high order genetic interactions in UC GWAS datasets. UC risk can be predicted by a 133 loci and improved by adding gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. PMID:24241240

The influence of the guided constructivist instructional model on attitudes toward secondary-level physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallal, Kamel Salim

The effect of guided constructivism (bridging analogies) and expository instructional methods on the attitudes of students toward physics was investigated. A nonrandomize nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group quasi- experimental design was employed. The sample consisted of 127 eleventh-grade and twelfth-grade students from five selected classes from two private high schools in Beirut, Lebanon. Two intact classes were assigned to the control group and three classes to the experimental group. The experimental group was exposed to the bridging analogies instructional method, and the control group was taught using the traditional expository method. A Likert-type instrument, the Physics Attitude Index, was used to measure attitudes on four dimensions. The 40-item Physics Attitude Index (PAI) is a questionnaire using a five response scale. Performance in the assigned topics in physics, cognitive developmental levels, and gender were used as covariants and to examine interaction effects. The experimental groups had significantly higher means than the control groups on all criterion variables. A significant interaction was found between groups and performance levels in the following cases: (a) criterion variable of attitude toward physics; (b) views toward physics learning; and (c) enjoyment of physics. This result indicated that the low performing students among the experimental group had greater gain in attitude toward physics than the high performing students in same group. On the other hand, no interaction occurred between treatment groups and gender, which shows that in this study gender has no significant effect on attitude toward physics. Significant interactions between the treatment groups and cognitive levels were found on the criterion variable of beliefs about physics as a process of learning and enjoyment of physics. In both cases, the difference between the group means were widely different among students at the concrete and transitional levels, but narrowly different among students at the formal level.

PPARγ2 C1431T genotype increases metabolic syndrome risk in young men with low cardiorespiratory fitness.

PubMed

Sanada, Kiyoshi; Iemitsu, Motoyuki; Murakami, Haruka; Tabata, Izumi; Yamamoto, Kenta; Gando, Yuko; Suzuki, Katsuhiko; Higuchi, Mitsuru; Miyachi, Motohiko

2011-02-11

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ2) genotypes are related to obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS). A low level of cardiorespiratory fitness is also a strong determining factor in the development of MetS. This cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the influence of the interaction between the PPARγ2 genotype and cardiorespiratory fitness on the risk of MetS. Healthy Japanese men (n = 211) and women (n = 505) participated in this study. All subjects were divided into 8 groups according to sex, fitness level (high and low fitness groups), and age (younger, age < 40 yr; middle-aged/older, age ≥ 40 yr). The PPARγ2 genotypes (Pro12Ala and C1431T) were analyzed by real-time PCR with Taq-Man probes. Two-way ANCOVA with adjustment for age as a covariate indicated that fitness and the CC genotype of C1431T in the PPARγ2 gene interacted to produce a significant effect on MetS risk in younger men and that the risk of MetS in the CC genotype group with low cardiorespiratory fitness was significantly higher than that in the corresponding CT+TT genotypes or in the high fitness groups. There was no significant interaction between fitness and genotype in determining MetS risk in middle-aged/older men or in women in any group. With regard to the Pro12Ala genotype of the PPARγ2 gene, there were no significant differences in fitness or genotype effects nor were there any interactions between measurement variables. We concluded that the CC genotype of C1431T in the PPARγ2 gene together with low cardiorespiratory fitness may increase the risk of MetS in younger men (age < 40 yr), even with adjustment for age.

Loss of functionally unique species may gradually undermine ecosystems

PubMed Central

O'Gorman, Eoin J.; Yearsley, Jon M.; Crowe, Tasman P.; Emmerson, Mark C.; Jacob, Ute; Petchey, Owen L.

2011-01-01

Functionally unique species contribute to the functional diversity of natural systems, often enhancing ecosystem functioning. An abundance of weakly interacting species increases stability in natural systems, suggesting that loss of weakly linked species may reduce stability. Any link between the functional uniqueness of a species and the strength of its interactions in a food web could therefore have simultaneous effects on ecosystem functioning and stability. Here, we analyse patterns in 213 real food webs and show that highly unique species consistently tend to have the weakest mean interaction strength per unit biomass in the system. This relationship is not a simple consequence of the interdependence of both measures on body size and appears to be driven by the empirical pattern of size structuring in aquatic systems and the trophic position of each species in the web. Food web resolution also has an important effect, with aggregation of species into higher taxonomic groups producing a much weaker relationship. Food webs with fewer unique and less weakly interacting species also show significantly greater variability in their levels of primary production. Thus, the loss of highly unique, weakly interacting species may eventually lead to dramatic state changes and unpredictable levels of ecosystem functioning. PMID:21106593

Arachidonic acid metabolites in normal and autoimmune mice do not influence lymphocyte-high endothelial venule interactions.

PubMed

Manolios, N; Bakiera, B; Geczy, C L; Schrieber, L

1991-02-01

In peripheral lymphoid organs the number of lymphocytes and the proportion of functional lymphocyte subsets are regulated by multiple factors including the control of lymphocyte migration by selective lymphocyte-high endothelial venule (HEV) interactions. In this study, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels from normal and autoimmune mouse lymph node cells were measured. The contribution of eicosanoids to lymphocyte-HEV interactions in normal (CBA/T6) and autoimmune (MRL/n) mice was examined. There was no association between PGE2 production in normal or autoimmune mice and the age of onset of disease activity in the latter strains. Arachidonic acid metabolites, in particular PGE2 and leukotriene B4 (LTB4), did not have any effects on lymphocyte-HEV binding. Likewise, lymphocytes treated in vivo and/or in vitro with arachidonic acid metabolite inhibitors (acetyl salicylic acid, indomethacin, BW755C) did not alter lymphocyte-HEV binding interactions in both normal and autoimmune mice. No clinical significance could be attributed to lymph node PGE2 production and the age of onset of autoimmune disease. In summary, these findings cast doubt on the role of arachidonic acid metabolites in lymphocyte-HEV binding interactions.

Proteome-wide Prediction of Self-interacting Proteins Based on Multiple Properties*

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhongyang; Guo, Feifei; Zhang, Jiyang; Wang, Jian; Lu, Liang; Li, Dong; He, Fuchu

2013-01-01

Self-interacting proteins, whose two or more copies can interact with each other, play important roles in cellular functions and the evolution of protein interaction networks (PINs). Knowing whether a protein can self-interact can contribute to and sometimes is crucial for the elucidation of its functions. Previous related research has mainly focused on the structures and functions of specific self-interacting proteins, whereas knowledge on their overall properties is limited. Meanwhile, the two current most common high throughput protein interaction assays have limited ability to detect self-interactions because of biological artifacts and design limitations, whereas the bioinformatic prediction method of self-interacting proteins is lacking. This study aims to systematically study and predict self-interacting proteins from an overall perspective. We find that compared with other proteins the self-interacting proteins in the structural aspect contain more domains; in the evolutionary aspect they tend to be conserved and ancient; in the functional aspect they are significantly enriched with enzyme genes, housekeeping genes, and drug targets, and in the topological aspect tend to occupy important positions in PINs. Furthermore, based on these features, after feature selection, we use logistic regression to integrate six representative features, including Gene Ontology term, domain, paralogous interactor, enzyme, model organism self-interacting protein, and betweenness centrality in the PIN, to develop a proteome-wide prediction model of self-interacting proteins. Using 5-fold cross-validation and an independent test, this model shows good performance. Finally, the prediction model is developed into a user-friendly web service SLIPPER (SeLf-Interacting Protein PrEdictoR). Users may submit a list of proteins, and then SLIPPER will return the probability_scores measuring their possibility to be self-interacting proteins and various related annotation information. This work helps us understand the role self-interacting proteins play in cellular functions from an overall perspective, and the constructed prediction model may contribute to the high throughput finding of self-interacting proteins and provide clues for elucidating their functions. PMID:23422585

Current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors.

PubMed

Cesario, R; Amicucci, L; Cardinali, A; Castaldo, C; Marinucci, M; Panaccione, L; Santini, F; Tudisco, O; Apicella, M L; Calabrò, G; Cianfarani, C; Frigione, D; Galli, A; Mazzitelli, G; Mazzotta, C; Pericoli, V; Schettini, G; Tuccillo, A A

2010-08-10

Progress in thermonuclear fusion energy research based on deuterium plasmas magnetically confined in toroidal tokamak devices requires the development of efficient current drive methods. Previous experiments have shown that plasma current can be driven effectively by externally launched radio frequency power coupled to lower hybrid plasma waves. However, at the high plasma densities required for fusion power plants, the coupled radio frequency power does not penetrate into the plasma core, possibly because of strong wave interactions with the plasma edge. Here we show experiments performed on FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) based on theoretical predictions that nonlinear interactions diminish when the peripheral plasma electron temperature is high, allowing significant wave penetration at high density. The results show that the coupled radio frequency power can penetrate into high-density plasmas due to weaker plasma edge effects, thus extending the effective range of lower hybrid current drive towards the domain relevant for fusion reactors.

Association between the APOA2 promoter polymorphism and body weight in Mediterranean and Asian populations: replication of a gene-saturated fat interaction.

PubMed

Corella, D; Tai, E S; Sorlí, J V; Chew, S K; Coltell, O; Sotos-Prieto, M; García-Rios, A; Estruch, R; Ordovas, J M

2011-05-01

The APOA2 gene has been associated with obesity and insulin resistance (IR) in animal and human studies with controversial results. We have reported an APOA2-saturated fat interaction determining body mass index (BMI) and obesity in American populations. This work aims to extend our findings to European and Asian populations. Cross-sectional study in 4602 subjects from two independent populations: a high-cardiovascular risk Mediterranean population (n = 907 men and women; aged 67 ± 6 years) and a multiethnic Asian population (n = 2506 Chinese, n = 605 Malays and n = 494 Asian Indians; aged 39 ± 12 years) participating in a Singapore National Health Survey. Anthropometric, clinical, biochemical, lifestyle and dietary variables were determined. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was used in Asians. We analyzed gene-diet interactions between the APOA2 -265T>C polymorphism and saturated fat intake (C polymorphism on body-weight-related measures was modulated by saturated fat in Mediterranean and Asian populations.

Association between the APOA2 promoter polymorphism and body-weight in Mediterranean and Asian populations. Replication of a gene-saturated fat interaction

PubMed Central

Corella, Dolores; Tai, E Shyong; Sorlí, Jose V; Kai Chew, Suok; Coltell, Oscar; Sotos-Prieto, Mercedes; García-Rios, Antonio; Estruch, Ramón; Ordovas, Jose M.

2010-01-01

Objective The APOA2 gene has been associated with obesity and insulin resistance (IR) in animal and human studies with controversial results. We have reported an APOA2-saturated fat interaction determining body mass index (BMI) and obesity in American populations. This work aims to extend our findings to European and Asian populations. Methods Cross-sectional study in 4602 subjects from 2 independent populations: A high cardiovascular risk Mediterranean population (n=907 men and women; aged 67+/−6 years) and a multiethnic Asian population (n=2506 Chinese, n=605 Malays and n=494 Asian Indians; aged 39+/−12 years), participating in a Singapore National Health Survey. Anthropometric, clinical, biochemical, lifestyle and dietary variables were determined. Homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) was used in Asians. We analyzed gene-diet interactions between the APOA2 −265T>C polymorphism and saturated fat intake (=22 g/d) on anthropometric measures and IR. Results Frequency of CC subjects differed among populations (1%–15%). We confirmed a recessive effect of the APOA2 polymorphism, and replicated the APOA2–saturated fat interaction on body-weight. In Mediterranean individuals, the CC genotype was associated with a 6.8% greater BMI in those consuming a high (P=0.018), but not a low (P=0.316) saturated fat diet. Likewise, the CC genotype was significantly associated with higher obesity prevalence in Chinese and Asian Indians only with a high-saturated fat intake (P=0.036). We also found a significant APOA2-saturated fat interaction in determining IR in Chinese and Asian Indians (P=0.026). Conclusion The influence of the APOA2 −265T>C polymorphism on body-weight-related measures was modulated by saturated fat in Mediterranean and Asian populations. PMID:20975728

Molecular dynamics simulations of highly crowded amino acid solutions: comparisons of eight different force field combinations with experiment and with each other

PubMed Central

Andrews, Casey T.

2013-01-01

Although it is now commonly accepted that the highly crowded conditions encountered inside biological cells have the potential to significantly alter the thermodynamic properties of biomolecules, it is not known to what extent the thermodynamics of fundamental types of interactions such as salt bridges and hydrophobic interactions are strengthened or weakened by high biomolecular concentrations. As one way of addressing this question we have performed a series of all-atom explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the effect of increasing solute concentration on the behavior of four types of zwitterionic amino acids in aqueous solution. We have simulated systems containing glycine, valine, phenylalanine or asparagine at concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 300 mg/ml. Each molecular system has been simulated for 1 μs in order to obtain statistically converged estimates of thermodynamic parameters, and each has been conducted with 8 different force fields and water models; the combined simulation time is 128 μs. The density, viscosity, and dielectric increments of the four amino acids calculated from the simulations have been compared to corresponding experimental measurements. While all of the force fields perform well at reproducing the density increments, discrepancies for the viscosity and dielectric increments raise questions both about the accuracy of the simulation force fields and, in certain cases, the experimental data. We also observe large differences between the various force fields' descriptions of the interaction thermodynamics of salt bridges and, surprisingly, these differences also lead to qualitatively different predictions of their dependences on solute concentration. For the aliphatic interactions of valine sidechains, fewer differences are observed between the force fields, but significant differences are again observed for aromatic interactions of phenylalanine sidechains. Taken together, the results highlight the potential power of using explicit-solvent simulation methods to understand behavior in concentrated systems but also hint at potential difficulties in using these methods to obtain consistent views of behavior in intracellular environments. PMID:24409104

Effect of spatial confinement on magnetic hyperthermia via dipolar interactions in Fe3O4 nanoparticles for biomedical applications

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

Sadat, M E; Patel, Ronak; Sookoor, Jason

2014-09-01

In this work, the effect of nanoparticle confinement on the magnetic relaxation of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NP) was investigated by measuring the hyperthermia heating behavior in high frequency alternating magnetic field. Three different Fe3O4 nanoparticle systems having distinct nanoparticle configurations were studied in terms of magnetic hyperthermia heating rate and DC magnetization. All magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) systems were constructed using equivalent ~10nm diameter NP that were structured differently in terms of configuration, physical confinement, and interparticle spacing. The spatial confinement was achieved by embedding the Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the matrices of the polystyrene spheres of 100 nm, while themore » unconfined was the free Fe3O4 nanoparticles well-dispersed in the liquid via PAA surface coating. Assuming the identical core MNPs in each system, the heating behavior was analyzed in terms of particle freedom (or confinement), interparticle spacing, and magnetic coupling (or dipole-dipole interaction). DC magnetization data were correlated to the heating behavior with different material properties. Analysis of DC magnetization measurements showed deviation from classical Langevin behavior near saturation due to dipole interaction modification of the MNPs resulting in a high magnetic anisotropy. It was found that the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of the unconfined nanoparticle systems were significantly higher than those of confined (the MNPs embedded in the polystyrene matrix). This increase of SAR was found to be attributable to high Néel relaxation rate and hysteresis loss of the unconfined MNPs. It was also found that the dipole-dipole interactions can significantly reduce the global magnetic response of the MNPs and thereby decrease the SAR of the nanoparticle systems.« less

A multi-environmental study of recent breeding progress on nitrogen use efficiency in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Cormier, Fabien; Faure, Sébastien; Dubreuil, Pierre; Heumez, Emmanuel; Beauchêne, Katia; Lafarge, Stéphane; Praud, Sébastien; Le Gouis, Jacques

2013-12-01

By comparing 195 varieties in eight trials, this study assesses nitrogen use efficiency improvement in high and low nitrogen conditions in European winter wheat over the last 25 years. In a context where European agriculture practices have to deal with environmental concerns and nitrogen (N) fertiliser cost, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has to be improved. This study assessed genetic progress in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) NUE. Two hundred and twenty-five European elite varieties were tested in four environments under two levels of N. Global genetic progress was assessed on additive genetic values and on genotype × N interaction, covering 25 years of European breeding. To avoid sampling bias, quality, precocity and plant height were added as covariates in the analyses when needed. Genotype × environment interactions were highly significant for all the traits studied to such an extent that no additive genetic effect was detected on N uptake. Genotype × N interactions were significant for yield, grain protein content (GPC), N concentration in straw, N utilisation, and NUE. Grain yield improvement (+0.45 % year(-1)) was independent of the N treatment. GPC was stable, thus grain nitrogen yield was improved (+0.39 % year(-1)). Genetic progress on N harvest index (+0.12 % year(-1)) and on N concentration in straw (-0.52 % year(-1)) possibly revealed improvement in N remobilisation. There has been an improvement of NUE additive genetic value (+0.33 % year(-1)) linked to better N utilisation (+0.20 % year(-1)). Improved yield stability was detected as a significant improvement of NUE in low compared to high N conditions. The application of these results to breeding programs is discussed.

Highly conserved type 1 pili promote enterotoxigenic E. coli pathogen-host interactions

PubMed Central

Rashu, Rasheduzzaman; Begum, Yasmin Ara; Ciorba, Matthew A.; Hultgren, Scott J.; Qadri, Firdausi

2017-01-01

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), defined by their elaboration of heat-labile (LT) and/or heat-stable (ST) enterotoxins, are a common cause of diarrheal illness in developing countries. Efficient delivery of these toxins requires ETEC to engage target host enterocytes. This engagement is accomplished using a variety of pathovar-specific and conserved E. coli adhesin molecules as well as plasmid encoded colonization factors. Some of these adhesins undergo significant transcriptional modulation as ETEC encounter intestinal epithelia, perhaps suggesting that they cooperatively facilitate interaction with the host. Among genes significantly upregulated on cell contact are those encoding type 1 pili. We therefore investigated the role played by these pili in facilitating ETEC adhesion, and toxin delivery to model intestinal epithelia. We demonstrate that type 1 pili, encoded in the E. coli core genome, play an essential role in ETEC virulence, acting in concert with plasmid-encoded pathovar specific colonization factor (CF) fimbriae to promote optimal bacterial adhesion to cultured intestinal epithelium (CIE) and to epithelial monolayers differentiated from human small intestinal stem cells. Type 1 pili are tipped with the FimH adhesin which recognizes mannose with stereochemical specificity. Thus, enhanced production of highly mannosylated proteins on intestinal epithelia promoted FimH-mediated ETEC adhesion, while conversely, interruption of FimH lectin-epithelial interactions with soluble mannose, anti-FimH antibodies or mutagenesis of fimH effectively blocked ETEC adhesion. Moreover, fimH mutants were significantly impaired in delivery of both heat-stable and heat-labile toxins to the target epithelial cells in vitro, and these mutants were substantially less virulent in rabbit ileal loop assays, a classical model of ETEC pathogenesis. Collectively, our data suggest that these highly conserved pili play an essential role in virulence of these diverse pathogens. PMID:28531220

HNF1A variant, energy-reduced diets and insulin resistance improvement during weight loss: The POUNDS Lost trial and DIRECT.

PubMed

Huang, Tao; Wang, Tiange; Heianza, Yoriko; Sun, Dianjianyi; Ivey, Kerry; Durst, Ronen; Schwarzfuchs, Dan; Stampfer, Meir J; Bray, George A; Sacks, Frank M; Shai, Iris; Qi, Lu

2018-06-01

To determine whether weight-loss diets varying in macronutrients modulate the genetic effect of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (HNF1A) rs7957197 on weight loss and improvement of insulin resistance. We analysed the interaction between HNF1A rs7957197 and weight-loss diets with regard to weight loss and insulin resistance improvement among 722 overweight/obese adults from a 2-year randomized weight-loss trial, the POUNDS Lost trial. The findings were replicated in another independent 2-year weight-loss trial, the Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT), in 280 overweight/obese adults. In the POUNDS Lost trial, we found that a high-fat diet significantly modified the genetic effect of HNF1A on weight loss and reduction in waist circumference (P for interaction = .006 and .005, respectively). Borderline significant interactions for fasting insulin and insulin resistance (P for interaction = .07 and .06, respectively) were observed. We replicated the results in DIRECT. Pooled results showed similar significant interactions with weight loss, waist circumference reduction, and improvement in fasting insulin and insulin resistance (P values for interaction = .001, .005, .02 and .03, respectively). Greater decreases in weight, waist circumference, fasting insulin level and insulin resistance were observed in participants with the T allele compared to those without the T allele in the high-fat diet group (P = .04, .03 and .01, respectively). Our replicable findings provide strong evidence that individuals with the HNF1A rs7957197 T allele might obtain more benefits in weight loss and improvement of insulin resistance by choosing a hypocaloric and high-fat diet. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Highly Dynamic Anion-Quadrupole Networks in Proteins.

PubMed

Kapoor, Karan; Duff, Michael R; Upadhyay, Amit; Bucci, Joel C; Saxton, Arnold M; Hinde, Robert J; Howell, Elizabeth E; Baudry, Jerome

2016-11-01

The dynamics of anion-quadrupole (or anion-π) interactions formed between negatively charged (Asp/Glu) and aromatic (Phe) side chains are for the first time computationally characterized in RmlC (Protein Data Bank entry 1EP0 ), a homodimeric epimerase. Empirical force field-based molecular dynamics simulations predict anion-quadrupole pairs and triplets (anion-anion-π and anion-π-π) are formed by the protein during the simulated trajectory, which suggests that the anion-quadrupole interactions may provide a significant contribution to the overall stability of the protein, with an average of -1.6 kcal/mol per pair. Some anion-π interactions are predicted to form during the trajectory, extending the number of anion-quadrupole interactions beyond those predicted from crystal structure analysis. At the same time, some anion-π pairs observed in the crystal structure exhibit marginal stability. Overall, most anion-π interactions alternate between an "on" state, with significantly stabilizing energies, and an "off" state, with marginal or null stabilizing energies. The way proteins possibly compensate for transient loss of anion-quadrupole interactions is characterized in the RmlC aspartate 84-phenylalanine 112 anion-quadrupole pair observed in the crystal structure. A double-mutant cycle analysis of the thermal stability suggests a possible loss of anion-π interactions compensated by variations of hydration of the residues and formation of compensating electrostatic interactions. These results suggest that near-planar anion-quadrupole pairs can exist, sometimes transiently, which may play a role in maintaining the structural stability and function of the protein, in an otherwise very dynamic interplay of a nonbonded interaction network as well as solvent effects.

Can Machines Think? Interaction and Perspective Taking with Robots Investigated via fMRI

PubMed Central

Krach, Sören; Hegel, Frank; Wrede, Britta; Sagerer, Gerhard; Binkofski, Ferdinand; Kircher, Tilo

2008-01-01

Background When our PC goes on strike again we tend to curse it as if it were a human being. Why and under which circumstances do we attribute human-like properties to machines? Although humans increasingly interact directly with machines it remains unclear whether humans implicitly attribute intentions to them and, if so, whether such interactions resemble human-human interactions on a neural level. In social cognitive neuroscience the ability to attribute intentions and desires to others is being referred to as having a Theory of Mind (ToM). With the present study we investigated whether an increase of human-likeness of interaction partners modulates the participants' ToM associated cortical activity. Methodology/Principal Findings By means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (subjects n = 20) we investigated cortical activity modulation during highly interactive human-robot game. Increasing degrees of human-likeness for the game partner were introduced by means of a computer partner, a functional robot, an anthropomorphic robot and a human partner. The classical iterated prisoner's dilemma game was applied as experimental task which allowed for an implicit detection of ToM associated cortical activity. During the experiment participants always played against a random sequence unknowingly to them. Irrespective of the surmised interaction partners' responses participants indicated having experienced more fun and competition in the interaction with increasing human-like features of their partners. Parametric modulation of the functional imaging data revealed a highly significant linear increase of cortical activity in the medial frontal cortex as well as in the right temporo-parietal junction in correspondence with the increase of human-likeness of the interaction partner (computer

Evidence for the involvement of genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in the etiology of autistic disorders on high-functioning level.

PubMed

Wermter, Anne-Kathrin; Kamp-Becker, Inge; Hesse, Philipp; Schulte-Körne, Gerd; Strauch, Konstantin; Remschmidt, Helmut

2010-03-05

An increasing number of animal studies advert to a substantial role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in the regulation of social attachment and affiliation. Furthermore, animal studies showed anxiety and stress-reduced effects of oxytocin. First human studies confirm these findings in animal studies and implicate a crucial role of oxytocin in human social attachment behavior and in social interactions. Thus, the oxytocin system might be involved in the impairment of social interaction and attachment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The human oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) represents a plausible candidate gene for the etiology of ASD. To analyze whether genetic variants in the OXTR gene are associated with ASD we performed family-based single-marker and haplotype association analyses with 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OXTR and its 5' region in 100 families with autistic disorders on high-functioning level (Asperger syndrome (AS), high-functioning autism (HFA), and atypical autism (AA)). Single-marker and haplotype association analyses revealed nominally significant associations of one single SNP and one haplotype with autism, respectively. Furthermore, employing a "reverse phenotyping" approach, patients carrying the haplotype associated with autism showed nominally significant impairments in comparison to noncarriers of the haplotype in items of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised algorithm describing aspects of social interaction and communication. In conclusion, our results implicate that genetic variation in the OXTR gene might be relevant in the etiology of autism on high-functioning level. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Evaluation outcomes of a sex education strategy in high schools of Pavia (Italy).

PubMed

Benni, Emanuela; Sacco, Sara; Bianchi, Leonardo; Carrara, Roberto; Zanini, Chiara; Comelli, Mario; Tenconi, Maria Teresa

2016-06-01

We aimed to provide process and effectiveness evaluations of a sex education intervention realized with interactive techniques in high schools of Pavia (Italy). Six public high schools, divided into 'treated' and 'control' units, voluntarily joined this mixed-methods study. Only second-year classes were enrolled: treated adolescents followed a sex education course, performed by trained 'near-peer educators' (undergraduate medical students) with interactive techniques. All adolescents compiled an anonymous effectiveness evaluation questionnaire at baseline (pre-test) and 3 months later (post-test). Sexual knowledge and reported behavioural changes were compared between the two groups through linear mixed-effects models. The process was assessed through a satisfaction questionnaire for treated students, monitoring cards for working group members and cards/diaries for educators. The final sample consisted of 547 treated and 355 control adolescents (mean age = 15.28 ± 0.61 years). Highly significant changes (p < 0.001) from pre-test to post-test, with strong improvements of treated adolescents, were evident for all knowledge items. No significant changes for behavioural items were reported. Process evaluation showed positive results in adolescents' satisfaction, highlighting the need for more youth gathering places. Working group members and educators generally provided positive evaluations, although difficult communication was perceived. The intervention was effective in improving adolescents' sexual knowledge. The present work highlighted that in Italy sex education in adolescence is still neglected: this could encourage misinformation and health-risk behaviour. Young people perceive the need for a serious health-promoting action in which they could play an active role, spreading educational messages with organized interactive methods. © The Author(s) 2015.

In vivo pharmacokinetic interaction by ethanolic extract of Gymnema sylvestre with CYP2C9 (Tolbutamide), CYP3A4 (Amlodipine) and CYP1A2 (Phenacetin) in rats.

PubMed

Vaghela, Madhuri; Sahu, Niteshkumar; Kharkar, Prashant; Pandita, Nancy

2017-12-25

Gymnema sylvestre (GS) is a medicinal herb used for diabetes mellitus (DM). Herbs are gaining popularity as medicines in DM for its safety purpose. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) interaction between allopathic drugs tolbutamide (TOLBU), amlodipine (AMLO), and phenacetin (PHENA) at low (L) and high (H) doses with ethanolic extract (EL) from GS. EL was extracted and subjected to TLC, total triterpenoid content (19.76 ± 0.02 W/W) and sterol content (0.1837 ± 0.0046 W/W) estimation followed by identification of phytoconstituents using HRLC-MS and GC-MS. PK interaction study with CYP2C9, CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 enzymes were assessed using TOLBU, AMLO and PHENA respectively to index cytochrome (CYP) mediated interaction in rats after concomitant administration of EL extract (400 mg/kg) from GS for 7 days. The rats were divided into four groups for each PK study where, group I and II were positive control for low and high dose of test drugs (CYP substrates) while group II and IV were orally administered EL. The PK study result of PHENA indicated that area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC 0-24 ) was significantly (P < 0.0001) increased by 1.4 (L) and 1.3-fold (H), plasma concentration (C max ) was significantly (P < 0.001) increased by 1.6 (L) and 1.4-fold (H). Whereas for TOLBU; clearance rate (CL) was significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased by 2.4 (L) and 2.3-fold (H), C max, was significantly (P < 0.001) decreased by 26.5% (L) and 50.4% (H) and AUC 0-24 was significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased by 59.8% (L) and 57.5% (H). Thus, EL is seen to be interacting with CYP1A2 by inhibiting its metabolic activity. HRLC-MS and GC-MS helped identify the presence of gymnemic acid (GA), triterpenoids and steroids in EL which could be the reason for PK interaction of CYP1A2 and CYP2C9. Also, in silico structure based site of metabolism study showed Fe accessibility and intrinsic activity for GA-IV, GA-VI, GA-VII and GA-X with CYP2C9. PK parameters of AMLO were not significantly affected by pre-treatment of EL. Thereby our findings indicate that co-administration of GS with drugs that are metabolized by CYP2C9 and CYP1A2 could lead to potential HDI. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Tribosupplementation with Lubricin in Prevention of Post-Traumatic Arthritis

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

utilizing anion exchange, hydroxyapatite and a hydrophobic exchange media resins achieves a high level of purity. Explants of bovine articular cartilage...progress report and results in a highly purified product (Fig 1). It consists of all flow through steps utilizing anion exchange, hydroxyapatite and...Control), and the interaction between these two experimental parameters for each region of cartilage. Anterior COFs indicated near significance

Fluorescence spectroscopy as a specific tool for the interaction study of two surfactants with natural and synthetic organic compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Aude-Valérie; Frochot, Céline; Bersillon, Jean-Luc

2016-04-01

Four different techniques were used to study the binding of cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and non-ionic nonylphenylethoxyl (NPE) surfactants to three synthetic organic components that mimic humic-like aggregates and to two natural aggregated humic substances (HS) extracted from aquatic suspended matter. The composition of synthetic organic components were chosen to be similar to high molecular weight highly processed terrigenous HS and low and high molecular weight less processed terrigenous (or aquatic terrigenous) HS. The natural HS were extracted under two different meteorological conditions (rainy and dry periods). No significant interaction between the non-ionic surfactant and any of the studied compounds was found. Concerning CTAB; pH, conductivity and turbidity measurements, along with fluorescence spectroscopy were combined to provide a better understanding of interactions between organic aggregates and the surfactant. The spectroscopic data show that a "highly processed terrigenous HS" fluorophore interacts in a different way with the cationic surfactant than an "aquatic terrigenous (or less processed terrigenous) HS" fluorophore does. Under similar conditions, some spectral changes in the fluorescence signal are correlated to changes in non-specific physical-chemical parameters (pH, turbidity, conductivity) for the organic compounds tested. The complexation mechanism is essentially governed by charge neutralization, which can be monitored specifically by the fluorescence of the organic moieties.

Tripartite ATP-independent Periplasmic (TRAP) Transporters Use an Arginine-mediated Selectivity Filter for High Affinity Substrate Binding*

PubMed Central

Fischer, Marcus; Hopkins, Adam P.; Severi, Emmanuele; Hawkhead, Judith; Bawdon, Daniel; Watts, Andrew G.; Hubbard, Roderick E.; Thomas, Gavin H.

2015-01-01

Tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporters are secondary transporters that have evolved an obligate dependence on a substrate-binding protein (SBP) to confer unidirectional transport. Different members of the DctP family of TRAP SBPs have binding sites that recognize a diverse range of organic acid ligands but appear to only share a common electrostatic interaction between a conserved arginine and a carboxylate group in the ligand. We investigated the significance of this interaction using the sialic acid-specific SBP, SiaP, from the Haemophilus influenzae virulence-related SiaPQM TRAP transporter. Using in vitro, in vivo, and structural methods applied to SiaP, we demonstrate that the coordination of the acidic ligand moiety of sialic acid by the conserved arginine (Arg-147) is essential for the function of the transporter as a high affinity scavenging system. However, at high substrate concentrations, the transporter can function in the absence of Arg-147 suggesting that this bi-molecular interaction is not involved in further stages of the transport cycle. As well as being required for high affinity binding, we also demonstrate that the Arg-147 is a strong selectivity filter for carboxylate-containing substrates in TRAP transporters by engineering the SBP to recognize a non-carboxylate-containing substrate, sialylamide, through water-mediated interactions. Together, these data provide biochemical and structural support that TRAP transporters function predominantly as high affinity transporters for carboxylate-containing substrates. PMID:26342690

Comparing High Definition Live Interactive and Store-and-Forward Consultations to In-Person Examinations.

PubMed

Marchell, Richard; Locatis, Craig; Burges, Gene; Maisiak, Richard; Liu, Wei-Li; Ackerman, Michael

2017-03-01

There is little teledermatology research directly comparing remote methods, even less research with two in-person dermatologist agreement providing a baseline for comparing remote methods, and no research using high definition video as a live interactive method. To compare in-person consultations with store-and-forward and live interactive methods, the latter having two levels of image quality. A controlled study was conducted where patients were examined in-person, by high definition video, and by store-and-forward methods. The order patients experienced methods and residents assigned methods rotated, although an attending always saw patients in-person. The type of high definition video employed, lower resolution compressed or higher resolution uncompressed, was alternated between clinics. Primary and differential diagnoses, biopsy recommendations, and diagnostic and biopsy confidence ratings were recorded. Concordance and confidence were significantly better for in-person versus remote methods and biopsy recommendations were lower. Store-and-forward and higher resolution uncompressed video results were similar and better than those for lower resolution compressed video. Dermatology residents took store-and-forward photos and their quality was likely superior to those normally taken in practice. There were variations in expertise between the attending and second and third year residents. The superiority of in-person consultations suggests the tendencies to order more biopsies or still see patients in-person are often justified in teledermatology and that high resolution uncompressed video can close the resolution gap between store-and-forward and live interactive methods.

Trends in aerospace structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, M. F.

1978-01-01

Recent developments indicate that there may soon be a revolution in aerospace structures. Increases in allowable operational stress levels, utilization of high-strength, high-toughness materials, and new structural concepts will highlight this advancement. Improved titanium and aluminum alloys and high-modulus, high-strength advanced composites, with higher specific properties than aluminum and high-strength nickel alloys, are expected to be the principal materials. Significant advances in computer technology will cause major changes in the preliminary design cycle and permit solutions of otherwise too-complex interactive structural problems and thus the development of vehicles and components of higher performance. The energy crisis will have an impact on material costs and choices and will spur the development of more weight-efficient structures. There will also be significant spinoffs of aerospace structures technology, particularly in composites and design/analysis software.

The interactive effects between high temperature and air pollution on mortality: A time-series analysis in Hefei, China.

PubMed

Qin, Rennie Xinrui; Xiao, Changchun; Zhu, Yibin; Li, Jing; Yang, Jun; Gu, Shaohua; Xia, Junrui; Su, Bin; Liu, Qiyong; Woodward, Alistair

2017-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that there may be an interaction between air pollution and heat on mortality, which is pertinent in the context of global climate change. We sought to examine this interaction in Hefei, a hot and polluted Chinese city. We conducted time-series analyses using daily mortality, air pollutant concentration (including particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10μm (PM 10 ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 )), and temperature data from 2008 to 2014. We applied quasi-Poisson regression models with natural cubic splines and examined the interactive effects using temperature-stratified models. Subgroup analyses were conducted by age, gender, and educational levels. We observed consistently stronger associations between air pollutants and mortality at high temperatures than at medium temperatures. These differences were statistically significant for the associations between PM 10 and non-accidental mortality and between all pollutants studied and respiratory mortality. Mean percentage increases in non-accidental mortality per 10μg/m 3 at high temperatures were 2.40% (95% confidence interval: 0.64 to 4.20) for PM 10 , 7.77% (0.60 to 15.00) for SO 2 , and 6.83% (-1.37 to 15.08) for NO 2 . The estimates for PM 10 were 3.40% (0.96 to 5.90) in females and 4.21% (1.44 to 7.05) in the illiterate, marking them as more vulnerable. No clear trend was identified by age. We observed an interaction between air pollutants and high temperature on mortality in Hefei, which was stronger in females and the illiterate. This may be due to differences in behaviours affecting personal exposure to high temperatures and has potential policy implications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrodynamic interaction of swimming organisms in an inertial regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gaojin; Ostace, Anca; Ardekani, Arezoo M.

2016-11-01

We numerically investigate the hydrodynamic interaction of swimming organisms at small to intermediate Reynolds number regimes, i.e., Re˜O (0.1 -100 ) , where inertial effects are important. The hydrodynamic interaction of swimming organisms in this regime is significantly different from the Stokes regime for microorganisms, as well as the high Reynolds number flows for fish and birds, which involves strong flow separation and detached vortex structures. Using an archetypal swimmer model, called a "squirmer," we find that the inertial effects change the contact time and dispersion dynamics of a pair of pusher swimmers, and trigger hydrodynamic attraction for two pullers. These results are potentially important in investigating predator-prey interactions, sexual reproduction, and the encounter rate of marine organisms such as copepods, ctenophora, and larvae.

Multifactor dimensionality reduction reveals a three-locus epistatic interaction associated with susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis.

PubMed

Collins, Ryan L; Hu, Ting; Wejse, Christian; Sirugo, Giorgio; Williams, Scott M; Moore, Jason H

2013-02-18

Identifying high-order genetics associations with non-additive (i.e. epistatic) effects in population-based studies of common human diseases is a computational challenge. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) is a machine learning method that was designed specifically for this problem. The goal of the present study was to apply MDR to mining high-order epistatic interactions in a population-based genetic study of tuberculosis (TB). The study used a previously published data set consisting of 19 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 321 pulmonary TB cases and 347 healthy controls from Guniea-Bissau in Africa. The ReliefF algorithm was applied first to generate a smaller set of the five most informative SNPs. MDR with 10-fold cross-validation was then applied to look at all possible combinations of two, three, four and five SNPs. The MDR model with the best testing accuracy (TA) consisted of SNPs rs2305619, rs187084, and rs11465421 (TA = 0.588) in PTX3, TLR9 and DC-Sign, respectively. A general 1000-fold permutation test of the null hypothesis of no association confirmed the statistical significance of the model (p = 0.008). An additional 1000-fold permutation test designed specifically to test the linear null hypothesis that the association effects are only additive confirmed the presence of non-additive (i.e. nonlinear) or epistatic effects (p = 0.013). An independent information-gain measure corroborated these results with a third-order epistatic interaction that was stronger than any lower-order associations. We have identified statistically significant evidence for a three-way epistatic interaction that is associated with susceptibility to TB. This interaction is stronger than any previously described one-way or two-way associations. This study highlights the importance of using machine learning methods that are designed to embrace, rather than ignore, the complexity of common diseases such as TB. We recommend future studies of the genetics of TB take into account the possibility that high-order epistatic interactions might play an important role in disease susceptibility.

APOA2, dietary fat, and body mass index: replication of a gene-diet interaction in 3 independent populations.

PubMed

Corella, Dolores; Peloso, Gina; Arnett, Donna K; Demissie, Serkalem; Cupples, L Adrienne; Tucker, Katherine; Lai, Chao-Qiang; Parnell, Laurence D; Coltell, Oscar; Lee, Yu-Chi; Ordovas, Jose M

2009-11-09

Nutrigenetics studies the role of genetic variation on interactions between diet and health, aiming to provide more personalized dietary advice. However, replication has been low. Our aim was to study interaction among a functional APOA2 polymorphism, food intake, and body mass index (BMI) in independent populations to replicate findings and to increase their evidence level. Cross-sectional, follow-up (20 years), and case-control analyses were undertaken in 3 independent populations. We analyzed gene-diet interactions between the APOA2 -265T>C polymorphism and saturated fat intake on BMI and obesity in 3462 individuals from 3 populations in the United States: the Framingham Offspring Study (1454 whites), the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network Study (1078 whites), and Boston-Puerto Rican Centers on Population Health and Health Disparities Study (930 Hispanics of Caribbean origin). Prevalence of the CC genotype in study participants ranged from 10.5% to 16.2%. We identified statistically significant interactions between the APOA2 -265T>C and saturated fat regarding BMI in all 3 populations. Thus, the magnitude of the difference in BMI between the individuals with the CC and TT+TC genotypes differed by saturated fat. A mean increase in BMI of 6.2% (range, 4.3%-7.9%; P = .01) was observed between genotypes with high- (> or =22 g/d) but not with low- saturated fat intake in all studies. Likewise, the CC genotype was significantly associated with higher obesity prevalence in all populations only in the high-saturated fat stratum. Meta-analysis estimations of obesity for individuals with the CC genotype compared with the TT+TC genotype were an odds ratio of 1.84 (95% confidence interval, 1.38-2.47; P < .001) in the high-saturated fat stratum, but no association was detected in the low-saturated fat stratum (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.59-1.11; P = .18). For the first time to our knowledge, a gene-diet interaction influencing BMI and obesity has been strongly and consistently replicated in 3 independent populations.

The joint impact of smoking and exercise capacity on clinical outcomes among women with suspected myocardial ischemia: the WISE study.

PubMed

Linke, Sarah E; Rutledge, Thomas; Johnson, B Delia; Olson, Marian B; Bittner, Vera; Cornell, Carol E; Shaw, Leslee J; Eteiba, Wafia; Parashar, Susmita; Sheps, David S; Vido, Diane A; Mulukutla, Suresh; Bairey Merz, C Noel

2009-04-01

Although extensive research has been conducted on both smoking and low exercise capacity alone, few studies have examined the joint impact or interaction of these two risk factors. We examined the joint and interactive effects of smoking and self-reported exercise capacity on subsequent clinical events (heart failure, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, and cardiovascular-related mortality) among women with suspected myocardial ischemia. At baseline (1996-1999), 789 women completed angiographic testing of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity and provided self-report information about their smoking history and exercise capacity as well as demographic and other risk factor data. Incidence of clinical events among the women was tracked for a median of 5.9 years; this analysis was conducted in 2008. In an adjusted survival analysis, women with a positive smoking history and self-reported low exercise capacity had the greatest risk of experiencing a clinical event (HR = 7.7, 95% CI 2.3, 25.5), followed by women with a positive smoking history and self-reported high exercise capacity (HR = 6.9, 95% CI 2.0, 24.6) and those with a negative smoking history and self-reported low exercise capacity (HR = 4.9, 95% CI 1.5, 15.8), relative to women with a negative smoking history and self-reported high exercise capacity. Additional analyses revealed a significant interaction between smoking history and exercise capacity, such that (1) women with a positive smoking history did not experience an additional significantly greater risk due to low exercise capacity, unlike those with a negative smoking history, and (2) all women experienced a significantly greater risk due to a positive smoking history regardless of their exercise capacity. Among women with suspected myocardial ischemia, the combined protective health effects of self-reported high exercise capacity and a negative smoking history remained significant after controlling for preexisting CAD severity and other established risk factors. These findings highlight the importance of studying behavioral risk factors in combination.

NATURE OF CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ON BIOTIC DIVERSITY OF WETLAND VERTEBRATES

EPA Science Inventory

There is no longer any doubt that cumulative impacts have important effects on wetland vertebrates. he interactions of species diversity and community structure produce a complex pattern in which environmental impacts can play a highly significant role. ariety of examples shows h...

Electron Acceleration and Ionization Production in High-Power Heating Experiments at HAARP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishin, E. V.; Pedersen, T.

2012-12-01

Recent ionospheric modification experiments with the 3.6 MW transmitter at the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility in Alaska led to discovery of artificial ionization descending from the nominal interaction altitude in the background F-region ionosphere by ~60-80 km. Artificial ionization production is indicated by significant 427.8 nm emissions from the 1st negative band of N2+ and the appearance of transmitter-induced bottomside traces in ionosonde data during the periods of most intense optical emissions. However, the exact mechanisms producing the artificial plasmas remain to be determined. Yet the only existing theoretical models explain the development of artificial plasma as an ionizing wavefront moving downward due to ionization by electrons accelerated by HF-excited strong Langmuir turbulence (SLT) generated near the plasma resonance, where the pump frequency matches the plasma frequency. However, the observations suggest also the significance of interactions with upper hybrid and electron Bernstein waves near multiples of the electron gyrofrequency. We describe recent observations and discuss suitable acceleration mechanisms.

Long-Term Exposure to High Altitude Affects Conflict Control in the Conflict-Resolving Stage

PubMed Central

Wu, Jianhui; Wang, Baoxi; Guo, Shichun; Luo, Ping; Han, Buxin

2015-01-01

The neurocognitive basis of the effect of long-term high altitude exposure on conflict control is unclear. Event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a flanker task to investigate the influence of high altitude on conflict control in the high-altitude group (who had lived at high altitude for three years but were born at low altitude) and the low-altitude group (living in low altitude only). Although altitude effect was not significant at the behavioral level, ERPs showed cognitive conflict modulation. The interaction between group and trial type was significant: P3 amplitude was greater in the low-altitude group than in the high-altitude group in the incongruent trial. This result suggests that long-term exposure to high altitude affects conflict control in the conflict-resolving stage, and that attentional resources are decreased to resist the conflict control in the high-altitude group. PMID:26671280

Quantitative relations between interaction parameter, miscibility and function in organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Long; Hu, Huawei; Ghasemi, Masoud; Wang, Tonghui; Collins, Brian A.; Kim, Joo-Hyun; Jiang, Kui; Carpenter, Joshua H.; Li, Hong; Li, Zhengke; McAfee, Terry; Zhao, Jingbo; Chen, Xiankai; Lai, Joshua Lin Yuk; Ma, Tingxuan; Bredas, Jean-Luc; Yan, He; Ade, Harald

2018-03-01

Although it is known that molecular interactions govern morphology formation and purity of mixed domains of conjugated polymer donors and small-molecule acceptors, and thus largely control the achievable performance of organic solar cells, quantifying interaction-function relations has remained elusive. Here, we first determine the temperature-dependent effective amorphous-amorphous interaction parameter, χaa(T), by mapping out the phase diagram of a model amorphous polymer:fullerene material system. We then establish a quantitative `constant-kink-saturation' relation between χaa and the fill factor in organic solar cells that is verified in detail in a model system and delineated across numerous high- and low-performing materials systems, including fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors. Our experimental and computational data reveal that a high fill factor is obtained only when χaa is large enough to lead to strong phase separation. Our work outlines a basis for using various miscibility tests and future simulation methods that will significantly reduce or eliminate trial-and-error approaches to material synthesis and device fabrication of functional semiconducting blends and organic blends in general.

Enzyme Active Site Interactions by Raman/FTIR, NMR, and Ab Initio Calculations

PubMed Central

Deng, Hua

2017-01-01

Characterization of enzyme active site structure and interactions at high resolution is important for the understanding of the enzyme catalysis. Vibrational frequency and NMR chemical shift measurements of enzyme-bound ligands are often used for such purpose when X-ray structures are not available or when higher resolution active site structures are desired. This review is focused on how ab initio calculations may be integrated with vibrational and NMR chemical shift measurements to quantitatively determine high-resolution ligand structures (up to 0.001 Å for bond length and 0.01 Å for hydrogen bonding distance) and how interaction energies between bound ligand and its surroundings at the active site may be determined. Quantitative characterization of substrate ionic states, bond polarizations, tautomeric forms, conformational changes and its interactions with surroundings in enzyme complexes that mimic ground state or transition state can provide snapshots for visualizing the substrate structural evolution along enzyme-catalyzed reaction pathway. Our results have shown that the integration of spectroscopic studies with theoretical computation greatly enhances our ability to interpret experimental data and significantly increases the reliability of the theoretical analysis. PMID:24018325

Investigation of laser-tissue interaction in medicine by means of laser spectroscopic measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lademann, Juergen; Weigmann, Hans-Juergen

1995-01-01

Toxic and carcinogenic substances were produced during laser application in medicine for the cutting and evaporation of tissue. The laser smoke presents a danger potential for the medical staff and the patients. The laser tissue interaction process was investigated by means of laser spectroscopic measurements which give the possibility of measuring metastable molecular states directly as a prerequisite to understand and to influence fundamental laser tissue interaction processes in order to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals. Highly excited atomic and molecular states and free radicals (CN, OH, C2, CH, CH2) have been detected applying spontaneous and laser induced fluorescence methods. It was found that the formation of harmful substances in the laser plumes can be reduced significantly by optimization of the surrounding gas atmosphere. A high content of oxygen or water in the interaction zone has been found, in agreement with the results of classical and analytical methods, as a suitable way to decrease pollutant emission. The experimental methods and the principal results are applicable not only in laser medicine but in laser material treatment generally.

Relationship Quality and Alcohol-Related Social Reinforcement during Couples Interaction.

PubMed

Fairbairn, Catharine E; Testa, Maria

2016-01-01

Individuals who are unhappy in their intimate partnerships are at risk for developing alcohol problems. But little is known about the mechanisms underlying this link. One possibility is that couples with poor relationship quality gain more reinforcement from alcohol in certain contexts-a possibility that has never previously been empirically examined. In the current study, 304 individuals (152 couples) were assigned to receive alcohol (target BAC .08%) or a non-alcoholic beverage. They then engaged in a conflict-resolution interaction with their partners. Videotaped interactions were coded by trained observers. Results revealed a significant interaction between alcohol and relationship quality across multiple measures. Alcohol decreased negative behaviors, decreased negative reciprocity, and enhanced self-reported experience to a greater extent during interactions involving individuals reporting low relationship quality and had comparatively little effect among those reporting high relationship quality. Findings point to a potential mechanism underlying problem drinking among couples with poor relationship quality.

Predicting protein functions from redundancies in large-scale protein interaction networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Samanta, Manoj Pratim; Liang, Shoudan

2003-01-01

Interpreting data from large-scale protein interaction experiments has been a challenging task because of the widespread presence of random false positives. Here, we present a network-based statistical algorithm that overcomes this difficulty and allows us to derive functions of unannotated proteins from large-scale interaction data. Our algorithm uses the insight that if two proteins share significantly larger number of common interaction partners than random, they have close functional associations. Analysis of publicly available data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals >2,800 reliable functional associations, 29% of which involve at least one unannotated protein. By further analyzing these associations, we derive tentative functions for 81 unannotated proteins with high certainty. Our method is not overly sensitive to the false positives present in the data. Even after adding 50% randomly generated interactions to the measured data set, we are able to recover almost all (approximately 89%) of the original associations.

Interaction of a vortex and a premixed flame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferziger, Joel H.; Rutland, Christopher J.

1989-01-01

The interaction of a vortex structure and a premixed flame is studied. The presence of pressure gradients in the vortex and density gradients in the flame result in a complicated interaction. This interaction has been examined when the flame and vortex are fully coupled and in two special cases where they are decoupled: a frozen flame case and a frozen vortex case. In the frozen flame case the main effect of the flame on the vortex is through the barocline torque term. This has been modeled for high Damkoehler numbers. In the frozen vortex case the main effect, at moderate Damkoehler numbers, is to convect the flame around the vortex. At low Damkoehler numbers, depending on the length scales, pockets of unburned gas can form or the flame structure can be significantly changed. The two frozen cases provide a basis for understanding the full interaction.

Food-drug interactions: grapefruit juice.

PubMed

Diaconu, Camelia Harapu; Cuciureanu, Magdalena; Vlase, L; Cuciureanu, Rodica

2011-01-01

Food-drug interactions are increasingly recognized as important clinical events which may change significantly the bioavailability of oral administrated drugs. Grapefruit juice (GFJ) demonstrated multiple interactions with drugs leading to loss of the therapeutic effects or increased side-effects. GFJ decreases pre-systemic metabolism through a) competitive or mechanism-based inhibition of gut wall CYP3A4 isoenzymes and b) P-glycoprotein (P-gp), c) multidrug resistance protein-2 (MRP2) or d) organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP) inhibition. Although, GFJ presents high amounts of flavonoids (e.g. naringin, naringenin), furanocoumarins (e.g. 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin, bergamottin) are the main chemicals involved in the pharmacokinetic interactions. As compounds of GFJ show additive or synergistic effects, all the major furanocoumarins are necessary for the maximal inhibitory effect. Also, related citrus fruits (sweeties, pummelo and sour orange) or various plants containing furanocoumarins may present pharmacological interactions, yet to be discovered.

Thermodynamic parameters of the interaction of Urtica dioica agglutinin with N-acetylglucosamine and its oligomers.

PubMed

Lee, R T; Gabius, H J; Lee, Y C

1998-07-01

The interaction between Urtica dioica agglutinin (UDA) and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and its beta(1-4)-linked oligomers was studied by fluorescence titration and isothermal titration microcalorimetry. UDA possesses one significant binding site that can be measured calorimetrically. This site is composed of three subsites, each subsite accommodating one GlcNAc residue. The interaction is enthalpically driven, and the binding area of UDA is characterized by a deltaH of interaction for a given oligosaccharide considerably smaller than that of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), despite the fact that they both belong to a family of proteins composed entirely of hevein domains. Relatively high deltaCp values of the UDA-carbohydrate interactions and more favorable entropy term compared to WGA suggest that binding of the carbohydrate ligands by UDA has a higher hydrophobic component than that of WGA.

Promotion of cooperation by adaptive interaction: The role of heterogeneity in neighborhoods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Xu; Zhao, Xiaowei; Xia, Haoxiang

2018-07-01

Evolution of cooperation in prisoner's dilemma games has been studied extensively in the past decades. Recent studies have investigated the effect of adaptive interaction intensity on spatial prisoner's dilemma, showing that if individuals can adjust their interaction intensity with each opponent at the same extent, cooperation can be promoted in a proper scale. However, the previous studies about adaptive interaction willingness do not consider the heterogeneity of the opponents. In this paper, a simulative model is developed to examine whether and how the interactive diversity influences cooperation in the spatial prisoner's dilemma games, in which individuals consider the corresponding behavior of different opponents. The simulation results show that the proposed mechanism can effectively promote cooperation, and the average payoff of the system can significantly be improved by high interaction intensity between cooperators. In addition, we also show four kinds of different individuals to analyze the evolution progresses. The simulations show that cooperators on the boundary decrease their interaction willingness, which makes the boundary defectors lose their opportunity to participate in the interaction and be invaded by cooperators.

Child Abuse and Neglect, MAOA, and Mental Health Outcomes: A Prospective Examination

PubMed Central

Widom, Cathy Spatz; Brzustowicz, Linda M.

2012-01-01

Background Studies have examined the interaction of MAOA genotype with childhood maltreatment in relation to depressive symptomatology and alcohol abuse with conflicting findings. Both high and low activity allele combinations have been shown to be protective for maltreated children with direction of findings varying by study methodology and participant’s sex. Methods Participants in a prospective cohort design study involving court substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect and a matched comparison group were followed up into adulthood and interviewed (N = 802). Eighty-two percent consented to provide blood, 631 gave permission for DNA extraction and analyses, and 575 were included in the final sample. This sample included male, female, White, and Non-White (primarily Black) participants. Symptoms of dysthymia, major depression and alcohol abuse were assessed using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule-III-R. Results Significant three-way interactions, MAOA genotype by abuse by sex, predicted dysthymic symptoms. Low-activity MAOA genotype buffered against symptoms of dysthymia in physically abused and multiply maltreated women. Significant three-way interactions, MAOA genotype by sexual abuse by race, predicted all outcomes. Low-activity MAOA genotype buffered against symptoms of dysthymia, major depressive disorder and alcohol abuse for sexually abused White participants. The high-activity genotype was protective in the Non-White sexually abused group. Conclusions This prospective study provides evidence that MAOA interacts with child maltreatment to predict mental health outcomes. Reasons for sex differences and race findings are discussed. PMID:22030358

Impact of short range hydrophobic interactions and long range electrostatic forces on the aggregation kinetics of a monoclonal antibody and a dual-variable domain immunoglobulin at low and high concentrations.

PubMed

Kumar, Vineet; Dixit, Nitin; Zhou, Liqiang Lisa; Fraunhofer, Wolfgang

2011-12-12

The purpose of this work was to determine the nature of long and short-range forces governing protein aggregation kinetics at low and high concentrations for a monoclonal antibody (IgG1) and a dual-variable-domain immunoglobulin (DVD-Ig). Protein-protein interactions (PPI) were studied under dilute conditions by utilizing the methods of static (B(22)) and dynamic light scattering (k(D)). PPI in solutions containing minimal ionic strengths were characterized to get detailed insights into the impact of ionic strength on aggregation. Microcalorimetry and susceptibility to denature at air-liquid interface were used to assess the tertiary structure and quiescent stability studies were conducted to study aggregation characteristics. Results for IgG1 showed that electrostatic interactions governed protein aggregation kinetics both under dilute and concentrated conditions (i.e., 5 mg/mL and 150 mg/mL). For DVD-Ig molecules, on the other hand, although electrostatic interactions governed protein aggregation under dilute conditions, hydrophobic forces clearly determined the kinetics at high concentrations. This manuscript shows for the first time that short-range hydrophobic interactions can outweigh electrostatic forces and play an important role in determining protein aggregation at high concentrations. Additionally, results show that although higher-order virial coefficients become significant under low ionic strength conditions, removal of added charges may be used to enhance the aggregation stability of dilute protein formulations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Shock Acceleration of Solar Energetic Protons: The First 10 Minutes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, Chee K.; Reames, Donald V.

2008-01-01

Proton acceleration at a parallel coronal shock is modeled with self-consistent Alfven wave excitation and shock transmission. 18 - 50 keV seed protons at 0.1% of plasma proton density are accelerated in 10 minutes to a power-law intensity spectrum rolling over at 300 MeV by a 2500km s-1 shock traveling outward from 3.5 solar radius, for typical coronal conditions and low ambient wave intensities. Interaction of high-energy protons of large pitch-angles with Alfven waves amplified by low-energy protons of small pitch angles is key to rapid acceleration. Shock acceleration is not significantly retarded by sunward streaming protons interacting with downstream waves. There is no significant second-order Fermi acceleration.

Cryptochrome, Phytochrome, and Anthocyanin Production

PubMed Central

Mancinelli, Alberto L.; Rossi, Federica; Moroni, Anna

1991-01-01

Anthocyanin production in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings exposed to prolonged irradiations was studied under conditions that allowed discrimination, within certain limits, between the contribution of cryptochrome and phytochrome in the photoregulation of the response. The results of the study provide confirming evidence for the involvement of cryptochrome and direct evidence for a significant contribution of cryptochrome to the fluence rate dependence of the response to blue. The results provide some preliminary, direct indication for an interaction between cryptochrome and phytochrome in the photoregulation of anthocyanin production in seedlings exposed to the prolonged irradiations required for a high level of expression of the response. The type and degree of interaction between the two photoreceptors vary significantly, depending on the species and experimental conditions. PMID:16668301

Assortative and dissortative priorities for game interaction and strategy adaptation significantly bolster network reciprocity in the prisoner’s dilemma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanimoto, Jun

2014-05-01

In 2 × 2 prisoner’s dilemma games, network reciprocity is one mechanism for adding social viscosity, which leads to cooperative equilibrium. Here we show that combining the process for selecting a gaming partner with the process for selecting an adaptation partner significantly enhances cooperation, even though such selection processes require additional costs to collect further information concerning which neighbor should be chosen. Based on elaborate investigations of the dynamics generated by our model, we find that high levels of cooperation result from two kinds of behavior: cooperators tend to interact with cooperators to prevent being exploited by defectors and defectors tend to choose cooperators to exploit despite the possibility that some defectors convert to cooperators.

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D and α-actinin-3 R577X genotypes with metabolic syndrome risk factors in Korean children.

PubMed

Kim, Kijin; Ahn, Nayoung; Park, Jusik; Koh, Jinho; Jung, Suryun; Kim, Sanghyun; Moon, Sangbok

2016-09-01

This study analysed the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome through the interaction between ACTN3 and ACE gene polymorphism in Korean children. The subjects of the study consisted of elementary school students (n=788, age 10.10±0.07 yr). The anthropometric parameters, blood lipid profiles, and metabolic markers were compared among groups of the ACE I/D or the ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms. The subjects with the DD genotype showed significantly higher systolic blood pressure than the subjects with the II and ID genotype of the ACE gene polymorphism. XX genotype had significantly lower waist-hip ratio than those with RR genotype of the ACTN3 gene polymorphism. Also, the subjects with XX genotype exhibited significantly higher blood HDL cholesterol level than those with RR or RX genotype. The interaction of ACTN3 and ACE gene polymorphism in subjects having both ACE DD and ACTN3 RR genotypes demonstrated a significantly higher metabolic syndrome score than any other groups. The children having both ACTN3 RR or RX genotype and ACE DD genotype showed high systolic blood pressure and low blood HDL cholesterol level, which may be considered a high-risk in metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Systems Biology Reveals NS4B-Cyclophilin A Interaction: A New Target to Inhibit YFV Replication.

PubMed

Vidotto, Alessandra; Morais, Ana T S; Ribeiro, Milene R; Pacca, Carolina C; Terzian, Ana C B; Gil, Laura H V G; Mohana-Borges, Ronaldo; Gallay, Philippe; Nogueira, Mauricio L

2017-04-07

Yellow fever virus (YFV) replication is highly dependent on host cell factors. YFV NS4B is reported to be involved in viral replication and immune evasion. Here interactions between NS4B and human proteins were determined using a GST pull-down assay and analyzed using 1-DE and LC-MS/MS. We present a total of 207 proteins confirmed using Scaffold 3 Software. Cyclophilin A (CypA), a protein that has been shown to be necessary for the positive regulation of flavivirus replication, was identified as a possible NS4B partner. 59 proteins were found to be significantly increased when compared with a negative control, and CypA exhibited the greatest difference, with a 22-fold change. Fisher's exact test was significant for 58 proteins, and the p value of CypA was the most significant (0.000000019). The Ingenuity Systems software identified 16 pathways, and this analysis indicated sirolimus, an mTOR pathway inhibitor, as a potential inhibitor of CypA. Immunofluorescence and viral plaque assays showed a significant reduction in YFV replication using sirolimus and cyclosporine A (CsA) as inhibitors. Furthermore, YFV replication was strongly inhibited in cells treated with both inhibitors using reporter BHK-21-rep-YFV17D-LucNeoIres cells. Taken together, these data suggest that CypA-NS4B interaction regulates YFV replication. Finally, we present the first evidence that YFV inhibition may depend on NS4B-CypA interaction.

Effects of age and brightness contrast on perception of the Wundt-Hering illusion.

PubMed

Astor-Stetson, E; Purnell, T G

1990-10-01

Susceptibility to the Wundt-Hering illusion was studied as a function of age and contrast. Preschoolers, third-graders and college students were shown light-grey, medium-grey, and black Wundt-Hering figures on white ground. Pre-schoolers were most susceptible to the illusion, differing from third graders in the medium and high contrast conditions and from college students in all contrast conditions. Low contrast figures resulted in significantly less distortion than did high contrast figures for the preschoolers. The significant interaction of age and contrast effects highlights the importance of a developmental approach to the study of illusions.

Visualizing Active Enzyme Complexes Using a Photoreactive Inhibitor for Proximity Ligation – Application on γ-Secretase

PubMed Central

Schedin-Weiss, Sophia; Inoue, Mitsuhiro; Teranishi, Yasuhiro; Yamamoto, Natsuko Goto; Karlström, Helena; Winblad, Bengt; Tjernberg, Lars O.

2013-01-01

Here, we present a highly sensitive method to study protein-protein interactions and subcellular location selectively for active multicomponent enzymes. We apply the method on γ-secretase, the enzyme complex that catalyzes the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate amyloid β-peptide (Aβ), the major causative agent in Alzheimer disease (AD). The novel assay is based on proximity ligation, which can be used to study protein interactions in situ with very high sensitivity. In traditional proximity ligation assay (PLA), primary antibody recognition is typically accompanied by oligonucleotide-conjugated secondary antibodies as detection probes. Here, we first performed PLA experiments using antibodies against the γ-secretase components presenilin 1 (PS1), containing the catalytic site residues, and nicastrin, suggested to be involved in substrate recognition. To selectively study the interactions of active γ-secretase, we replaced one of the primary antibodies with a photoreactive γ-secretase inhibitor containing a PEG linker and a biotin group (GTB), and used oligonucleotide-conjugated streptavidin as a probe. Interestingly, significantly fewer interactions were detected with the latter, novel, assay, which is a reasonable finding considering that a substantial portion of PS1 is inactive. In addition, the PLA signals were located more peripherally when GTB was used instead of a PS1 antibody, suggesting that γ-secretase matures distal from the perinuclear ER region. This novel technique thus enables highly sensitive protein interaction studies, determines the subcellular location of the interactions, and differentiates between active and inactive γ-secretase in intact cells. We suggest that similar PLA assays using enzyme inhibitors could be useful also for other enzyme interaction studies. PMID:23717518

SELMAP - SELEX affinity landscape MAPping of transcription factor binding sites using integrated microfluidics

PubMed Central

Chen, Dana; Orenstein, Yaron; Golodnitsky, Rada; Pellach, Michal; Avrahami, Dorit; Wachtel, Chaim; Ovadia-Shochat, Avital; Shir-Shapira, Hila; Kedmi, Adi; Juven-Gershon, Tamar; Shamir, Ron; Gerber, Doron

2016-01-01

Transcription factors (TFs) alter gene expression in response to changes in the environment through sequence-specific interactions with the DNA. These interactions are best portrayed as a landscape of TF binding affinities. Current methods to study sequence-specific binding preferences suffer from limited dynamic range, sequence bias, lack of specificity and limited throughput. We have developed a microfluidic-based device for SELEX Affinity Landscape MAPping (SELMAP) of TF binding, which allows high-throughput measurement of 16 proteins in parallel. We used it to measure the relative affinities of Pho4, AtERF2 and Btd full-length proteins to millions of different DNA binding sites, and detected both high and low-affinity interactions in equilibrium conditions, generating a comprehensive landscape of the relative TF affinities to all possible DNA 6-mers, and even DNA10-mers with increased sequencing depth. Low quantities of both the TFs and DNA oligomers were sufficient for obtaining high-quality results, significantly reducing experimental costs. SELMAP allows in-depth screening of hundreds of TFs, and provides a means for better understanding of the regulatory processes that govern gene expression. PMID:27628341

Repressive coping and self-reports of parenting.

PubMed

Myers, L B; Brewin, C R; Winter, D A

1999-03-01

To investigate whether women who possess a repressive coping style (repressors) self-report more positive judgments of their childhood on questionnaire and repertory grid measures compared with non-repressors. Repressors (low anxiety-high defensiveness) were compared with a composite group of non-repressors, containing some low anxious (low anxiety-low defensiveness), some high anxious (high anxiety-low defensiveness), some defensive high anxious (high anxiety-high defensiveness) and some non-extreme scorers. Participants completed the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; Parker, Tupling & Brown, 1979) and a 10 x 10 repertory grid, Self-Identification Form. On the PBI, repressors scored significantly higher than non-repressors on paternal care and significantly lower on paternal overprotection. There were no group differences for maternal measures. On the repertory grid, repressors compared with non-repressors perceived (a) themselves as significantly closer to their father, a woman they like, and their ideal partner, and significantly further from a woman they dislike, and a man they dislike; and (b) their father as significantly closer to a woman they like, a partner/person they admire, and an ideal partner. In addition, repressors were significantly tighter on construing than non-repressors. The results supported the hypothesis that repressors would rate their interactions with their fathers more positively than non-repressors when allowed to do so on self-report measures.

Timing and Duration of Drug Exposure Affects Outcomes of a Drug-Nutrient Interaction During Ontogeny.

PubMed

Ling, Binbing; Aziz, Caroline; Wojnarowicz, Chris; Olkowski, Andrew; Alcorn, Jane

2010-10-14

Significant drug-nutrient interactions are possible when drugs and nutrients share the same absorption and disposition mechanisms. During postnatal development, the outcomes of drug-nutrient interactions may change with postnatal age since these processes undergo ontogenesis through the postnatal period. Our study investigated the dependence of a significant drug-nutrient interaction (cefepime-carnitine) on the timing and duration of drug exposure relative to postnatal age. Rat pups were administered cefepime (5 mg/kg) twice daily subcutaneously according to different dosing schedules (postnatal day 1-4, 1-8, 8-11, 8-20, or 1-20). Cefepime significantly reduced serum and heart L-carnitine levels in postnatal day 1-4, 1-8 and 8-11 groups and caused severe degenerative changes in ventricular myocardium in these groups. Cefepime also altered the ontogeny of several key L-carnitine homeostasis pathways. The qualitative and quantitative changes in levels of hepatic γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase mRNA and activity, hepatic trimethyllysine hydroxlase mRNA, intestinal organic cation/carnitine transporter (Octn) mRNA, and renal Octn2 mRNA depended on when during postnatal development the cefepime exposure occurred and duration of exposure. Despite lower levels of heart L-carnitine in earlier postnatal groups, levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase mRNA and activity, heart Octn2 mRNA and ATP levels in all treatment groups remained unchanged with cefepime exposure. However, changes in other high energy phosphate substrates were noted and reductions in the phosphocreatine/ATP ratio were found in rat pups with normal serum L-carnitine levels. In summary, our data suggest a significant drug-nutrient transport interaction in developing neonates, the nature of which depends on the timing and duration of exposure relative to postnatal age.

Timing and Duration of Drug Exposure Affects Outcomes of a Drug-Nutrient Interaction During Ontogeny

PubMed Central

Ling, Binbing; Aziz, Caroline; Wojnarowicz, Chris; Olkowski, Andrew; Alcorn, Jane

2010-01-01

Significant drug-nutrient interactions are possible when drugs and nutrients share the same absorption and disposition mechanisms. During postnatal development, the outcomes of drug-nutrient interactions may change with postnatal age since these processes undergo ontogenesis through the postnatal period. Our study investigated the dependence of a significant drug-nutrient interaction (cefepime-carnitine) on the timing and duration of drug exposure relative to postnatal age. Rat pups were administered cefepime (5 mg/kg) twice daily subcutaneously according to different dosing schedules (postnatal day 1-4, 1-8, 8-11, 8-20, or 1-20). Cefepime significantly reduced serum and heart L-carnitine levels in postnatal day 1-4, 1-8 and 8-11 groups and caused severe degenerative changes in ventricular myocardium in these groups. Cefepime also altered the ontogeny of several key L-carnitine homeostasis pathways. The qualitative and quantitative changes in levels of hepatic γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase mRNA and activity, hepatic trimethyllysine hydroxlase mRNA, intestinal organic cation/carnitine transporter (Octn) mRNA, and renal Octn2 mRNA depended on when during postnatal development the cefepime exposure occurred and duration of exposure. Despite lower levels of heart L-carnitine in earlier postnatal groups, levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase mRNA and activity, heart Octn2 mRNA and ATP levels in all treatment groups remained unchanged with cefepime exposure. However, changes in other high energy phosphate substrates were noted and reductions in the phosphocreatine/ATP ratio were found in rat pups with normal serum L-carnitine levels. In summary, our data suggest a significant drug-nutrient transport interaction in developing neonates, the nature of which depends on the timing and duration of exposure relative to postnatal age. PMID:27721360

Experimental Simulation of Solar Wind Interactions with Magnetic Dipole Fields above Insulating Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munsat, Tobin; Deca, Jan; Han, Jia; Horanyi, Mihaly; Wang, Xu; Werner, Greg; Yeo, Li Hsia; Fuentes, Dominic

2017-10-01

Magnetic anomalies on the surfaces of airless bodies such as the Moon interact with the solar wind, resulting in both magnetic and electrostatic deflection of the charged particles and thus localized surface charging. This interaction is studied in the Colorado Solar Wind Experiment with large-cross-section ( 300 cm2) high-energy flowing plasmas (100-800 eV beam ions) that are incident upon a magnetic dipole embedded under various insulating surfaces. Measured 2D plasma potential profiles indicate that in the dipole lobe regions, the surfaces are charged to high positive potentials due to the collection of unmagnetized ions, while the electrons are magnetically shielded. At low ion beam energies, the surface potential follows the beam energy in eV. However, at high energies, the surface potentials in the electron-shielded regions are significantly lower than the beam energies. A series of studies indicate that secondary electrons are likely to play a dominant role in determining the surface potential. Early results will also be presented from a second experiment, in which a strong permanent magnet with large dipole moment (0.55 T, 275 A*m2) is inserted into the flowing plasma beam to replicate aspects of the solar wind interaction with the earth's magnetic field. This work is supported by the NASA SSERVI program.

Study of nonlinear interaction between bunched beam and intermediate cavities in a relativistic klystron amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Y.; Xu, Z.; Li, Z. H.; Tang, C. X.

2012-07-01

In intermediate cavities of a relativistic klystron amplifier (RKA) driven by intense relativistic electron beam, the equivalent circuit model, which is widely adopted to investigate the interaction between bunched beam and the intermediate cavity in a conventional klystron design, is invalid due to the high gap voltage and the nonlinear beam loading in a RKA. According to Maxwell equations and Lorentz equation, the self-consistent equations for beam-wave interaction in the intermediate cavity are introduced to study the nonlinear interaction between bunched beam and the intermediate cavity in a RKA. Based on the equations, the effects of modulation depth and modulation frequency of the beam on the gap voltage amplitude and its phase are obtained. It is shown that the gap voltage is significantly lower than that estimated by the equivalent circuit model when the beam modulation is high. And the bandwidth becomes wider as the beam modulation depth increases. An S-band high gain relativistic klystron amplifier is designed based on the result. And the corresponding experiment is carried out on the linear transformer driver accelerator. The peak output power has achieved 1.2 GW with an efficiency of 28.6% and a gain of 46 dB in the corresponding experiment.

Selective breeding for susceptibility to myopia reveals a gene-environment interaction.

PubMed

Chen, Yen-Po; Hocking, Paul M; Wang, Ling; Povazay, Boris; Prashar, Ankush; To, Chi-Ho; Erichsen, Jonathan T; Feldkaemper, Marita; Hofer, Bernd; Drexler, Wolfgang; Schaeffel, Frank; Guggenheim, Jeremy A

2011-06-08

Purpose. To test whether the interanimal variability in susceptibility to visually induced myopia is genetically determined. Methods. Monocular deprivation of sharp vision (DSV) was induced in outbred White Leghorn chicks aged 4 days. After 4 days' DSV, myopia susceptibility was quantified by the relative changes in axial length and refraction. Chicks in the extreme tails of the distribution of susceptibility to DSV were kept and paired for breeding (high- and low-susceptibility lines). A second round of selection was then performed. The third generation of chicks, derived from the selected parents, was assessed after either monocular DSV (4 or 10 days) or lens wear. Results. After two rounds of selective breeding, the chicks from the high-susceptibility line developed approximately twice as much myopia in response to 4 days' DSV as did those from the low-susceptibility line (P < 0.001). All ocular component dimensions differed significantly (P < 0.001) between the two selected lines, both before treatment and in the responses of the treated eye. When DSV was conducted for 10 days, the relative changes in axial length and refractive error were still significantly different between the high and low lines (P < 0.001). The chicks bred for high or low susceptibility to DSV also showed significantly different responses to minus lens wear, but not to plus lens wear. Additive genetic effects explained ∼50% of the interanimal variability in response to DSV. Conclusions. Genes and environment interact to shape refractive development in chicks.

Cultivar evaluation and essential test locations identification for sugarcane breeding in China.

PubMed

Luo, Jun; Pan, Yong-Bao; Xu, Liping; Zhang, Hua; Yuan, Zhaonian; Deng, Zuhu; Chen, Rukai; Que, Youxiong

2014-01-01

The discrepancies across test sites and years, along with the interaction between cultivar and environment, make it difficult to accurately evaluate the differences of the sugarcane cultivars. Using a genotype main effect plus genotype-environment interaction (GGE) Biplot software, the yield performance data of seven sugarcane cultivars in the 8th Chinese National Sugarcane Regional Tests were analyzed to identify cultivars recommended for commercial release. Fn38 produced a high and stable sugar yield. Gn02-70 had the lowest cane yield with high stability. Yz06-407 was a high cane yield cultivar with poor stability in sugar yield. Yz05-51 and Lc03-1137 had an unstable cane yield but relatively high sugar yield. Fn39 produced stable high sugar yield with low and unstable cane production. Significantly different sugar and cane yields were observed across seasons due to strong cultivar-environment interactions. Three areas, Guangxi Chongzuo, Guangxi Baise, and Guangxi Hechi, showed better representativeness of cane yield and sugar content than the other four areas. On the other hand, the areas Guangxi Chongzuo, Yunnan Lincang, and Yunnan Baoshan showed strong discrimination ability, while the areas Guangxi Hechi and Guangxi Liuzhou showed poor discrimination ability. This study provides a reference for cultivar evaluation and essential test locations identification for sugarcane breeding in China.

Cultivar Evaluation and Essential Test Locations Identification for Sugarcane Breeding in China

PubMed Central

Luo, Jun; Xu, Liping; Zhang, Hua; Yuan, Zhaonian; Deng, Zuhu; Chen, Rukai

2014-01-01

The discrepancies across test sites and years, along with the interaction between cultivar and environment, make it difficult to accurately evaluate the differences of the sugarcane cultivars. Using a genotype main effect plus genotype-environment interaction (GGE) Biplot software, the yield performance data of seven sugarcane cultivars in the 8th Chinese National Sugarcane Regional Tests were analyzed to identify cultivars recommended for commercial release. Fn38 produced a high and stable sugar yield. Gn02-70 had the lowest cane yield with high stability. Yz06-407 was a high cane yield cultivar with poor stability in sugar yield. Yz05-51 and Lc03-1137 had an unstable cane yield but relatively high sugar yield. Fn39 produced stable high sugar yield with low and unstable cane production. Significantly different sugar and cane yields were observed across seasons due to strong cultivar-environment interactions. Three areas, Guangxi Chongzuo, Guangxi Baise, and Guangxi Hechi, showed better representativeness of cane yield and sugar content than the other four areas. On the other hand, the areas Guangxi Chongzuo, Yunnan Lincang, and Yunnan Baoshan showed strong discrimination ability, while the areas Guangxi Hechi and Guangxi Liuzhou showed poor discrimination ability. This study provides a reference for cultivar evaluation and essential test locations identification for sugarcane breeding in China. PMID:24982939

Fluid-structure Interaction Modeling of Aneurysmal Conditions with High and Normal Blood Pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torii, Ryo; Oshima, Marie; Kobayashi, Toshio; Takagi, Kiyoshi; Tezduyar, Tayfun E.

2006-09-01

Hemodynamic factors like the wall shear stress play an important role in cardiovascular diseases. To investigate the influence of hemodynamic factors in blood vessels, the authors have developed a numerical fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis technique. The objective is to use numerical simulation as an effective tool to predict phenomena in a living human body. We applied the technique to a patient-specific arterial model, and with that we showed the effect of wall deformation on the WSS distribution. In this paper, we compute the interaction between the blood flow and the arterial wall for a patient-specific cerebral aneurysm with various hemodynamic conditions, such as hypertension. We particularly focus on the effects of hypertensive blood pressure on the interaction and the WSS, because hypertension is reported to be a risk factor in rupture of aneurysms. We also aim to show the possibility of FSI computations with hemodynamic conditions representing those risk factors in cardiovascular disease. The simulations show that the transient behavior of the interaction under hypertensive blood pressure is significantly different from the interaction under normal blood pressure. The transient behavior of the blood-flow velocity, and the resulting WSS and the mechanical stress in the aneurysmal wall, are significantly affected by hypertension. The results imply that hypertension affects the growth of an aneurysm and the damage in arterial tissues.

Tabulation as a high-resolution alternative to coarse-graining protein interactions: Initial application to virus capsid subunits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiriti, Justin; Zuckerman, Daniel M.

2015-12-01

Traditional coarse-graining based on a reduced number of interaction sites often entails a significant sacrifice of chemical accuracy. As an alternative, we present a method for simulating large systems composed of interacting macromolecules using an energy tabulation strategy previously devised for small rigid molecules or molecular fragments [S. Lettieri and D. M. Zuckerman, J. Comput. Chem. 33, 268-275 (2012); J. Spiriti and D. M. Zuckerman, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 10, 5161-5177 (2014)]. We treat proteins as rigid and construct distance and orientation-dependent tables of the interaction energy between them. Arbitrarily detailed interactions may be incorporated into the tables, but as a proof-of-principle, we tabulate a simple α-carbon Gō-like model for interactions between dimeric subunits of the hepatitis B viral capsid. This model is significantly more structurally realistic than previous models used in capsid assembly studies. We are able to increase the speed of Monte Carlo simulations by a factor of up to 6700 compared to simulations without tables, with only minimal further loss in accuracy. To obtain further enhancement of sampling, we combine tabulation with the weighted ensemble (WE) method, in which multiple parallel simulations are occasionally replicated or pruned in order to sample targeted regions of a reaction coordinate space. In the initial study reported here, WE is able to yield pathways of the final ˜25% of the assembly process.