Shape, form, function and Leishmania pathogenicity: from textbook descriptions to biological understanding

PubMed Central

Gull, Keith

2017-01-01

The shape and form of protozoan parasites are inextricably linked to their pathogenicity. The evolutionary pressure associated with establishing and maintaining an infection and transmission to vector or host has shaped parasite morphology. However, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ morphological solution to these different pressures, and parasites exhibit a range of different morphologies, reflecting the diversity of their complex life cycles. In this review, we will focus on the shape and form of Leishmania spp., a group of very successful protozoan parasites that cause a range of diseases from self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis to visceral leishmaniasis, which is fatal if left untreated. PMID:28903998

Serotonin-related pathways and developmental plasticity: relevance for psychiatric disorders

PubMed Central

Dayer, Alexandre

2014-01-01

Risk for adult psychiatric disorders is partially determined by early-life alterations occurring during neural circuit formation and maturation. In this perspective, recent data show that the serotonin system regulates key cellular processes involved in the construction of cortical circuits. Translational data for rodents indicate that early-life serotonin dysregulation leads to a wide range of behavioral alterations, ranging from stress-related phenotypes to social deficits. Studies in humans have revealed that serotonin-related genetic variants interact with early-life stress to regulate stress-induced cortisol responsiveness and activate the neural circuits involved in mood and anxiety disorders. Emerging data demonstrate that early-life adversity induces epigenetic modifications in serotonin-related genes. Finally, recent findings reveal that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can reinstate juvenile-like forms of neural plasticity, thus allowing the erasure of long-lasting fear memories. These approaches are providing new insights on the biological mechanisms and clinical application of antidepressants. PMID:24733969

Neglecting Neglect: Some Thoughts about Children Who Have Lacked Good Input, and Are "Undrawn" and "Unenjoyed"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Music, Graham

2009-01-01

This paper looks at emotional neglect in the early years of life, and postulates some probable long-term sequelae of such neglect. It argues that there is a continuum of neglect; ranging from the severest form, as seen in institutional orphanages, to milder variations. A range of theoretical and research traditions, including developmental…

Science at a Variety of Scientific Regions at Titan Using Aerial Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauken, M. T.; Hall, J. L.; Matthies, L.; Malaska, M.; Cutts, J. A.; Tokumaru, P.; Goldman, B.; De Jong, M.

2017-02-01

Titan has an abundant supply of organic species and could harbor exotic forms of life. Aerial platforms are ideal for performing reconnaissance and in situ analysis. We describe a range of vehicles in development for exploring Titan.

Scientific objectives of human exploration of Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, M.H.

1996-01-01

While human exploration of Mars is unlikely to be undertaken for science reasons alone, science will be the main beneficiary. A wide range of science problems can be addressed at Mars. The planet formed in a different part of the solar system from the Earth and retains clues concerning compositional and environmental conditions in that part of the solar system when the planets formed. Mars has had a long and complex history that has involved almost as wide a range of processes as occurred on Earth. Elucidation of this history will require a comprehensive program of field mapping, geophysical sounding, in situ analyses, and return of samples to Earth that are representative of the planet's diversity. The origin and evolution of the Mars' atmosphere are very different from the Earth's, Mars having experienced major secular and cyclical changes in climate. Clues as to precisely how the atmosphere has evolved are embedded in its present chemistry, possibly in surface sinks of former atmosphere-forming volatiles, and in the various products of interaction between the atmosphere and surface. The present atmosphere also provides a means of testing general circulation models applicable to all planets. Although life is unlikely to be still extant on Mars, life may have started early in the planet's history. A major goal of any future exploration will, therefore, be to search for evidence of indigenous life.

Growth of ten regional races of ponderosa pine in six plantations.

Treesearch

Thornton T. Munger

1947-01-01

Ponderosa pine occurs over a wide range--from the Great Plains to the Pacific and from British Columbia to Mexico. Within this range there is great variation in the form and life habits of this tree. It has been long recognized that "regional races" or strains are present. Some of these regional races have been recognized by some botanists as varieties, such...

Recent and historical range shifts of two canopy-forming seaweeds in North Spain and the link with trends in sea surface temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Linney; Viejo, Rosa M.; Martínez, Brezo; deCastro, Maite; Gómez-Gesteira, Moncho; Gallardo, Tomás

2013-08-01

Geographical range shifts of two canopy-forming seaweeds, Himanthalia elongata (L.) S.F. Gray and Fucus serratus L. were investigated at their southern range boundary in Northern Spain from the end of nineteenth century to 2009. Given the good dispersal abilities of H. elongata and its short life-span, we hypothesize that this species will track environmental changes at a faster rate than the perennial and short-distance disperser F. serratus. Our results show a continuous and drastic westward retraction of H. elongata, which has nowadays virtually vanished in Northern Spain, whereas F. serratus is still found in the westernmost area. Despite this, the first species is still relatively abundant in the Iberian Peninsula, whereas the presence of the latter is scattered and reduced. Overall, range shifts fit with the warming trend in sea surface temperature (SST), whereas it is unlikely that increases in grazing pressure or coastal pollution have driven the observed changes, particularly the rapid trend in recent years. Differences in species traits are linked to range dynamics. The higher persistence of F. serratus at eastern shores may thus be related to its longer life span and its greater thermal tolerance. The presence of sporadic populations of H. elongata outside the zone of continuous distribution can be attributed to long-distance dispersal events during cold pulses. Relict populations in isolated and estuarine locations were left behind in the contracting range margins, particularly for F. serratus. In Northern Spain, the westward retreat of large canopy-forming algae seems to be a general phenomenon, involving other species such as kelps. Therefore, an evident reorganization of coastal assemblages is expected, though the temporal extent of changes and the consequences for ecosystem services need to be evaluated.

Function and disability in late life: comparison of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument to the Short-Form-36 and the London Handicap Scale.

PubMed

Dubuc, Nicole; Haley, Stephen; Ni, Pengsheng; Kooyoomjian, Jill; Jette, Alan

2004-03-18

We evaluated the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument's (LLFDI) concurrent validity, comprehensiveness and precision by comparing it with the Short-Form-36 physical functioning (PF-10) and the London Handicap Scale (LHS). We administered the LLFDI, PF-10 and LHS to 75 community-dwelling adults (> 60 years of age). We used Pearson correlation coefficients to examine concurrent validity and Rasch analysis to compare the item hierarchies, content ranges and precision of the PF-10 and LLFDI function domains, and the LHS and the LLFDI disability domains. LLFDI Function (lower extremity scales) and PF-10 scores were highly correlated (r = 0.74 - 0.86, p > 0.001); moderate correlations were found between the LHS and the LLFDI Disability limitation (r = 0.66, p < 0.0001) and Disability frequency (r = 0.47, p < 0.001) scores. The LLFDI had a wider range of content coverage, less ceiling effects and better relative precision across the spectrum of function and disability than the PF-10 and the LHS. The LHS had slightly more content range and precision in the lower end of the disability scale than the LLFDI. The LLFDI is a more comprehensive and precise instrument compared to the PF-10 and LHS for assessing function and disability in community-dwelling older adults.

MACHINING ELIMINATION THROUGH APPLICATION OF THREAD FORMING FASTENERS IN NET SHAPED CAST HOLES

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

Cleaver, Ryan J; Cleaver, Todd H; Talbott, Richard

The ultimate objective of this work was to eliminate approximately 30% of the machining performed in typical automotive engine and transmission plants by using thread forming fasteners in as-cast holes of aluminum and magnesium cast components. The primary issues at the source of engineers reluctance to implementing thread forming fasteners in lightweight castings are: * Little proof of consistency of clamp load vs. input torque in either aluminum or magnesium castings. * No known data to understand the effect on consistency of clamp load as casting dies wear. The clamp load consistency concern is founded in the fact that amore » portion of the input torque used to create clamp load is also used to create threads. The torque used for thread forming may not be consistent due to variations in casting material, hole size and shape due to tooling wear and process variation (thermal and mechanical). There is little data available to understand the magnitude of this concern or to form the basis of potential solutions if the range of clamp load variation is very high (> +/- 30%). The range of variation that can be expected in as-cast hole size and shape over the full life cycle of a high pressure die casting die was established in previous work completed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, (PNNL). This established range of variation was captured in a set of 12 cast bosses by designing core pins at the size and draft angles identified in the sited previous work. The cast bosses were cut into nuts that could be used in the Ford Fastener Laboratory test-cell to measure clamp load when a thread forming fastener was driven into a cast nut. There were two sets of experiments run. First, a series of cast aluminum nuts were made reflecting the range of shape and size variations to be expected over the life cycle of a die casting die. Taptite thread forming fasteners, (a widely used thread forming fastener suitable for aluminum applications), were driven into the various cored, as-cast nuts at a constant input torque and resulting clamp loads were recorded continuously. The clamp load data was used to determine the range of clamp loads to be expected. The bolts were driven to failure. The clamp load corresponding to the target input of 18.5 Nm was recorded for each fastener. In a like fashion, a second set of experiments were run with cast magnesium nuts and ALtracs thread forming fasteners, (a widely used thread forming fastener suitable for magnesium applications). Again all clamp loads were recorded and analyzed similarly to the Taptites in aluminum cast nuts. Results from previous work performed on the same test cell for a Battelle project using standard M8 bolts into standard M8 nuts were included as a comparator for a standard bolt and nut application. The results for the thread forming fasteners in aluminum cast holes were well within industry expectations of +/- 30% for out of the box and robustness range testing. The results for the dry and lubed extreme conditions were only slightly higher than industry expectations at +/- 35.6%. However, when compared to the actual Battelle results (+/- 40%) for a standard bolt and nut the tread forming fasteners performed slightly better. The results for the thread forming fasteners in magnesium cast holes were all well within industry expectations of +/- 30% for all three conditions. The robustness range (.05mm larger and smaller holes than the expected wear pattern of a die casting die at full life cycle) results also fell within the industry expectations for standard threaded fasteners. These results were very encouraging. It was concluded that this work showed that clamp load variation with thread forming fasteners is consistent with industry expectations for standard steel bolts and nuts at +/- 30%. There does not appear to be any significant increase in clamp load variation due to the application of thread forming fasteners in as-cast holes of aluminum or magnesium over the effective life of a die casting mold. The fully implemented potential benefit of thread forming fasteners in as-cast holes of aluminum and magnesium is estimated to be 6 trillion Btu per year for North America. Economic benefit is estimated to be nearly $800 million per year. Environmental benefits and quality improvements will also result from full implementation of this technology.« less

Spatial Selection and Local Adaptation Jointly Shape Life-History Evolution during Range Expansion.

PubMed

Van Petegem, Katrien H P; Boeye, Jeroen; Stoks, Robby; Bonte, Dries

2016-11-01

In the context of climate change and species invasions, range shifts increasingly gain attention because the rates at which they occur in the Anthropocene induce rapid changes in biological assemblages. During range shifts, species experience multiple selection pressures. For poleward expansions in particular, it is difficult to interpret observed evolutionary dynamics because of the joint action of evolutionary processes related to spatial selection and to adaptation toward local climatic conditions. To disentangle the effects of these two processes, we integrated stochastic modeling and data from a common garden experiment, using the spider mite Tetranychus urticae as a model species. By linking the empirical data with those derived form a highly parameterized individual-based model, we infer that both spatial selection and local adaptation contributed to the observed latitudinal life-history divergence. Spatial selection best described variation in dispersal behavior, while variation in development was best explained by adaptation to the local climate. Divergence in life-history traits in species shifting poleward could consequently be jointly determined by contemporary evolutionary dynamics resulting from adaptation to the environmental gradient and from spatial selection. The integration of modeling with common garden experiments provides a powerful tool to study the contribution of these evolutionary processes on life-history evolution during range expansion.

Poly-victimization among girls in the justice system: trajectories of risk and associations to juvenile offending.

PubMed

DeHart, Dana D; Moran, Robert

2015-03-01

Life History Calendars and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire were used to collect data from 100 delinquent girls to (a) examine range and co-occurrence of different types of violence over the life span, (b) examine independent and cumulative trajectories of risk for varied types of victimization, and (c) examine the relationship of victimization to girls' offending. Risk trajectories demonstrate critical risk periods for different forms of violence exposure. Cox regression was used to examine the predictive value of different forms of violence exposure for the onset of delinquent and criminal behavior. Findings illuminate the need for programs addressing substance use and alternative coping mechanisms. © The Author(s) 2015.

Fatigue life prediction in bending from axial fatigue information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manson, S. S.; Muralidharan, U.

1982-01-01

Bending fatigue in the low cyclic life range differs from axial fatigue due to the plastic flow which alters the linear stress-strain relation normally used to determine the nominal stresses. An approach is presented to take into account the plastic flow in calculating nominal bending stress (S sub bending) based on true surface stress. These functions are derived in closed form for rectangular and circular cross sections. The nominal bending stress and the axial fatigue stress are plotted as a function of life (N sub S) and these curves are shown for several materials of engineering interest.

Potential targets in the search for extraterrestrial life.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, H. P.

1972-01-01

Discussion of the potential for increasing understanding of the origins of terrestrial life by examination of other planets. If living organisms should be found on another planet, they could only have been transported from an inhabited planet or originated independently. The fundamental chemical and structural attributes of terrestrial organisms are so remarkably uniform that any living forms outside the terrestrial blueprint would almost certainly be regarded as alien organisms. It has been shown experimentally by various investigators that life can exist in an extremely wide range of temperatures and pressures. The presence of an atmosphere appears to be necessary.

Life and light: exotic photosynthesis in binary and multiple-star systems.

PubMed

O'Malley-James, J T; Raven, J A; Cockell, C S; Greaves, J S

2012-02-01

The potential for Earth-like planets within binary/multiple-star systems to host photosynthetic life was evaluated by modeling the levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) such planets receive. Combinations of M and G stars in (i) close-binary systems; (ii) wide-binary systems, and (iii) three-star systems were investigated, and a range of stable radiation environments were found to be possible. These environmental conditions allow for the possibility of familiar, but also more exotic, forms of photosynthetic life, such as IR photosynthesizers and organisms that are specialized for specific spectral niches.

Are viruses alive? The replicator paradigm sheds decisive light on an old but misguided question

PubMed Central

Koonin, Eugene V.; Starokadomskyy, Petro

2016-01-01

The question whether or not “viruses are alive” has caused considerable debate over many years. Yet, the question is effectively without substance because the answer depends entirely on the definition of life or the state of “being alive” that is bound to be arbitrary. In contrast, the status of viruses among biological entities is readily defined within the replicator paradigm. All biological replicators form a continuum along the selfishness-cooperativity axis, from the completely selfish to fully cooperative forms. Within this range, typical, lytic viruses represent the selfish extreme whereas temperate viruses and various mobile elements occupy positions closer to the middle of the range. Selfish replicators not only belong to the biological realm but are intrinsic to any evolving system of replicators. No such system can evolve without the emergence of parasites, and moreover, parasites drive the evolution of biological complexity at multiple levels. The history of life is a story of parasite-host coevolution that includes both the incessant arms race and various forms of cooperation. All organisms are communities of interacting, coevolving replicators of different classes. A complete theory of replicator coevolution remains to be developed, but it appears likely that not only the differentiation between selfish and cooperative replicators but the emergence of the entire range of replication strategies, from selfish to cooperative, is intrinsic to biological evolution. PMID:26965225

Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories: Thamnic descriptions, Volume 1

Treesearch

John K. Francis

2004-01-01

A discussion of the general characteristics of shrubs as a life form and their distribution within the United States is followed by 311 short monographs containing general descriptions, ranges, ecology, reproductive habits, growth and management, and benefits to humans, animals, and the environment.

Treating Tics and Tourette's Disorder in School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sulkowski, Michael L.; McGuire, Joseph F.; Tesoro, Andrew

2016-01-01

Children with Tourette's Disorder (TD) and other forms of tic disorders display a range of academic and psychosocial impairments that place them at risk for experiencing long-term negative life outcomes. Fortunately, effective treatments and interventions such as habit reversal training (HRT) have been developed and implemented in clinical…

Origins of life: a comparison of theories and application to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, W. L.; McKay, C. P.

1996-01-01

The field of study that deals with the origins of life does not have a consensus for a theory of life's origin. An analysis of the range of theories offered shows that they share some common features that may be reliable predictors when considering the possible origins of life on another planet. The fundamental datum dealing with the origins of life is that life appeared early in the history of the Earth, probably before 3.5 Ga and possibly before 3.8 Ga. What might be called the standard theory (the Oparin-Haldane theory) posits the production of organic molecules on the early Earth followed by chemical reactions that produced increased organic complexity leading eventually to organic life capable of reproduction, mutation, and selection using organic material as nutrients. A distinct class of other theories (panspermia theories) suggests that life was carried to Earth from elsewhere--these theories receive some support from recent work on planetary impact processes. Other alternatives to the standard model suggest that life arose as an inorganic (clay) form and/or that the initial energy source was not organic material but chemical energy or sunlight. We find that the entire range of current theories suggests that liquid water is the quintessential environmental criterion for both the origin and sustenance of life. It is therefore of interest that during the time that life appeared on Earth we have evidence for liquid water present on the surface of Mars.

The Genetic Architecture Underlying the Evolution of a Rare Piscivorous Life History Form in Brown Trout after Secondary Contact and Strong Introgression.

PubMed

Jacobs, Arne; Hughes, Martin R; Robinson, Paige C; Adams, Colin E; Elmer, Kathryn R

2018-05-31

Identifying the genetic basis underlying phenotypic divergence and reproductive isolation is a longstanding problem in evolutionary biology. Genetic signals of adaptation and reproductive isolation are often confounded by a wide range of factors, such as variation in demographic history or genomic features. Brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) in the Loch Maree catchment, Scotland, exhibit reproductively isolated divergent life history morphs, including a rare piscivorous (ferox) life history form displaying larger body size, greater longevity and delayed maturation compared to sympatric benthivorous brown trout. Using a dataset of 16,066 SNPs, we analyzed the evolutionary history and genetic architecture underlying this divergence. We found that ferox trout and benthivorous brown trout most likely evolved after recent secondary contact of two distinct glacial lineages, and identified 33 genomic outlier windows across the genome, of which several have most likely formed through selection. We further identified twelve candidate genes and biological pathways related to growth, development and immune response potentially underpinning the observed phenotypic differences. The identification of clear genomic signals divergent between life history phenotypes and potentially linked to reproductive isolation, through size assortative mating, as well as the identification of the underlying demographic history, highlights the power of genomic studies of young species pairs for understanding the factors shaping genetic differentiation.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Filipino version of Kidney Disease Quality of Life--Short Form (KDQOL-SF version 1.3).

PubMed

Bataclan, Rommel P; Dial, Ma Antonietta D

2009-10-01

Chronic kidney disease is the 10th leading cause of death among Filipinos. Those with chronic kidney disease are exposed to stressors which effect their daily lives. Therefore, assessment of health-related quality of life is important in these patients. The objective of the present study was to translate the Kidney Disease Quality of Life--Short Form version 1.3 (KDQOL-SF ver. 1.3) into Filipino and measure its validity and reliability. Translation and cultural adaptation began with two translations into Filipino, with reconciliation of the forward translators. Pretesting with 10 renal patients, review by experts (nephrologist, translator and dialysis nurse) and back-translation was also done. The final questionnaire was administered to 80 patients with chronic renal disease undergoing haemodialysis for at least 3 months, who could understand Filipino, and were without life-threatening or terminal conditions at the time of the test. A convenience sample of 30 patients from the group had a repeat test 10-14 days after to determine test-retest reliability. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient and internal consistency reliability was measured by determining the Cronbach's alpha value. Validity was measured using Pearson's correlation between the overall health rating scale and the items from the questionnaire. All of the items showed good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.40), ranging from 0.58 (social interaction) to 0.98 (role--emotional). Internal consistency reliability values were acceptable, with Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.60 (cognitive function) to 0.80 (physical functioning and role--physical). Regarding construct validity, overall health rating in kidney disease-targeted scales was significantly correlated with symptoms/problems, effects of kidney disease and burden of kidney disease. All items in the SF 36 scales had significant correlation with overall health rating (P < 0.05) except for role--emotional. The Filipino version of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life--Short Form can be used to evaluate the health-related quality of life of Filipinos with chronic renal disease on haemodialysis.

Relativism in Feyerabend's later writings.

PubMed

Kusch, Martin

2016-06-01

This paper reconstructs, and distinguishes between, Feyerabend's different forms of relativism in his later writings. Science in a Free Society remains close to familiar forms of relativism, while, at the same time, developing an original but under-argued form of political relativism, and rejecting "conversion" models of cultural exchange. Farewell to Reason moves away from common renderings of relativism, and develops a range of different new forms. Central here are links between relativism, skepticism and infallibilism. In the last six years of his life, Feyerabend often criticizes a peculiar radical form of relativism that arguably no-one has ever proposed or defended. In the same context, Feyerabend sketches an "ontological" form of relativism. It combines "Kantian humility", metaphysical pluralism and constructivism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

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

Sensing marine biomolecules: smell, taste, and the evolutionary transition from aquatic to terrestrial life

PubMed Central

Mollo, Ernesto; Fontana, Angelo; Roussis, Vassilios; Polese, Gianluca; Amodeo, Pietro; Ghiselin, Michael T.

2014-01-01

The usual definition of smell and taste as distance and contact forms of chemoreception, respectively, has resulted in the belief that, during the shift from aquatic to terrestrial life, odorant receptors (ORs) were selected mainly to recognize airborne hydrophobic ligands, instead of the hydrophilic molecules involved in marine remote-sensing. This post-adaptive evolutionary scenario, however, neglects the fact that marine organisms 1) produce and detect a wide range of small hydrophobic and volatile molecules, especially terpenoids, and 2) contain genes coding for ORs that are able to bind those compounds. These apparent anomalies can be resolved by adopting an alternative, pre-adaptive scenario. Before becoming airborne on land, small molecules, almost insoluble in water, already played a key role in aquatic communication, but acting in “contact” forms of olfaction that did not require major molecular innovations to become effective at a distance in air. Rather, when air was “invaded” by volatile marine terpenoids, an expansion of the spatial range of olfaction was an incidental consequence rather than an adaptation. PMID:25360437

Associations between Macrophyte Life Forms and Environmental and Morphometric Factors in a Large Sub-tropical Floodplain

PubMed Central

Schneider, Berenice; Cunha, Eduardo R.; Marchese, Mercedes; Thomaz, Sidinei M.

2018-01-01

Macrophyte assemblages are composed of species with different life forms and various ecological functions. Our aim was to investigate the potential environmental determinants of changes in the biomass of individual life forms and of the composition of the macrophyte assemblage in terms of life forms diversity. We sampled 23 waterbodies at low and high water levels in the Middle Paraná River floodplain. Macrophyte biomass samples were collected and classified in terms of life forms. We performed a redundancy analysis using the biomass of the various life forms to assess the importance of environmental variables to the composition of macrophyte life forms. Linear regressions were applied to investigate the environmental determinants of the biomasses of individual life forms. The degree of connectivity and the combination of depth, hydrology and nitrate were the main determinants of the composition in terms of life forms. The biomass of each individual life form was explained by different combinations of environmental variables, but the connectivity was the most important one. Our study shows that groups of species with similar life forms respond to environmental factors in particular ways, which might alter the biomass composition of life forms. Given that the ecosystem functioning depends on the functional characteristics of local communities, our findings about the relation between environmental changes and the community composition in terms of life forms (or functional composition) can be a helpful tool for predicting changes on ecosystem processes (such as nutrient cycling) against possible future scenarios. PMID:29515608

A morphogram for silica-witherite biomorphs and its application to microfossil identification in the early earth rock record.

PubMed

Rouillard, J; García-Ruiz, J-M; Gong, J; van Zuilen, M A

2018-05-01

Archean hydrothermal environments formed a likely site for the origin and early evolution of life. These are also the settings, however, were complex abiologic structures can form. Low-temperature serpentinization of ultramafic crust can generate alkaline, silica-saturated fluids in which carbonate-silica crystalline aggregates with life-like morphologies can self-assemble. These "biomorphs" could have adsorbed hydrocarbons from Fischer-Tropsch type synthesis processes, leading to metamorphosed structures that resemble carbonaceous microfossils. Although this abiogenic process has been extensively cited in the literature and has generated important controversy, so far only one specific biomorph type with a filamentous shape has been discussed for the interpretation of Archean microfossils. It is therefore critical to precisely determine the full distribution in morphology and size of these biomorphs, and to study the range of plausible geochemical conditions under which these microstructures can form. Here, a set of witherite-silica biomorph synthesis experiments in silica-saturated solutions is presented, for a range of pH values (from 9 to 11.5) and barium ion concentrations (from 0.6 to 40 mmol/L BaCl 2 ). Under these varying conditions, a wide range of life-like structures is found, from fractal dendrites to complex shapes with continuous curvature. The size, spatial concentration, and morphology of the biomorphs are strongly controlled by environmental parameters, among which pH is the most important. This potentially limits the diversity of environments in which the growth of biomorphs could have occurred on Early Earth. Given the variety of the observed biomorph morphologies, our results show that the morphology of an individual microstructure is a poor criterion for biogenicity. However, biomorphs may be distinguished from actual populations of cellular microfossils by their wide, unimodal size distribution. Biomorphs grown by diffusion in silica gel can be differentiated by their continuous gradient in size, spatial density, and morphology along the direction of diffusion. © 2018 The Authors. Geobiology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Euthanasia - an attempt to organize issue].

PubMed

Kirmes, Tomasz; Wilk, Mateusz; Chowaniec, Czesław

This article is an attempt to complete and holistically discuss problem of euthanasia, especially its ethical and legal aspects, comparing to Polish law. The subject of euthanasia arouse interest of the society because it touches one of the most important aspects of life, which is the death. Even bigger emotions are aroused amongst physicians. They are forced to put on the line the life as biggest value on the one side and autonomy of human being on the other. It also touches the empathy for suffering. The euthanasia was divided into three forms: active euthanasia, passive euthanasia and assisted suicide. Any form of euthanasia is illegal in Poland according to both the Penal Code and Code of Medical Ethics. Range of possible penal consequences perpetrator is very wide from waiver of punishment to life imprisonment and it comes from different penal qualification of the euthanasia. Qualification of the euthanasia is based on terms of intent of perpetrator's act, request of patient, strong empathy for suffering if the patient and decision based on up-to-date medical knowledge. It is valuable to mention "do-not-resuscitate" DNR procedure, which in case of medical futility is legally accepted in Poland, but in other form may be qualified as passive euthanasia.

What Is Life? What Was Life? What Will Life Be?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deamer, D.

Our laboratory is exploring self-assembly processes and polymerization reactions of organic compounds in natural geothermal environments and related laboratory simulations. Although the physical environment that fostered primitive cellular life is still largely unconstrained, we can be reasonably confident that liquid water was required, together with a source of organic compounds and energy to drive polymerization reactions. There must also have been a process by which the compounds were sufficiently concentrated to undergo physical and chemical interactions. In earlier work we observed that macromolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins are readily encapsulated in membranous boundaries during wet-dry cycles such as those that would occur at the edges of geothermal springs or tide pools. The resulting structures are referred to as protocells, in that they exhibit certain properties of living cells and are models of the kinds of encapsulated macromolecular systems that would have led toward the first forms of cellular life. However, the assembly of protocells is markedly inhibited by conditions associated with extreme environments: High temperature, high salt concentrations, and low pH ranges. From a biophysical perspective, it follows that the most plausible planetary environment for the origin of cellular life would be an aqueous phase at moderate temperature ranges and low ionic strength, having a pH value near neutrality and divalent cations at submillimolar concentrations. This suggestion is in marked contrast to the view that life most likely began in a geothermal or marine environment, perhaps even the extreme environment of a hydrothermal vent. A more plausible site for the origin of cellular life would be fresh water pools maintained by rain falling on volcanic land masses resembling present-day Hawaii and Iceland. After the first cellular life was able to establish itself in a relatively benign environment, it would rapidly begin to adapt through Darwinian selection to more rigorous environments, including the extreme temperatures, salt concentrations and pH ranges that we now associate with the limits of life on the Earth.

Microbial Extremophiles for Earth and Beyond: Pushing the Boundaries with Synthetic Biology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothschild, Lynn J.

2017-01-01

All organisms live in a multi-dimensional physical and chemical niche space. Discoveries in the 20th century enormously expanded the range of what was considered "habitable." However, the current diversity of life on Earth begs the question of what terrestrial life - or indeed, another life form - would be capable of. With the needs of both modern laboratory science and the burgeoning field of biotechnology, as well as our deeply held desire to answer the question "are we alone in the universe?, we are exploiting the tools of synthetic biology to probe the question of whether we can create "synthetic extremophiles" or, as our lab has dubbed them, "Hell Cells."

The structure and evolution of plankton communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longhurst, Alan R.

New understanding of the circulation of ancient oceans is not yet matched by progress in our understanding of their pelagic ecology, though it was the planktonic ecosystems that generated our offshore oil and gas reserves. Can we assume that present-day models of ecosystem function are also valid for ancient seas? This question is addressed by a study of over 4000 plankton samples to derive a comprehensive, global description of zooplankton community structure in modern oceans: this shows that copepods form only 50% of the biomass of all plankton, ranging from 70% in polar to 35% in tropical seas. Comparable figures are derived from 14 other taxonomic categories of zooplankton. For trophic groupings, the data indicate globally: geletinous predators - 14%; gelatinous herbivores - 4%; raptorial predators - 33%; macrofiltering herbivores - 20%; macrofiltering omnivores - 25%; and detritivores - 3%. A simple, idealized model for the modern pelagic ecosystem is derived from these percentages which indicates that metazooplankton are not the most important consumers of pico- and nano-plankton production which itself probably constitutes 90% of primary production in warm oceans. This model is then compared with candidate life-forms available in Palaeozoic and Mesozoic oceans to determine to what extent it is also valid for ancient ecosystems: it is concluded that it is probably unnecessary to postulate models fundamentally differing from it in order to accommodate the life-forms, both protozoic and metazoic, known to have populated ancient seas. Remarkably few life-forms have existed which cannot be paralleled in the modern ocean, which contains remarkably few life-forms which cannot be paralleled in the Palaeozoic ocean. As a first assumption, then, it is reasonable to assume that energy pathways were similar in ancient oceans to those we study today.

Sleep Problems and Life Satisfaction as Predictors of Health in Men with Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies.

PubMed

Fjermestad, Krister W; Stokke, Simen

2018-01-01

More knowledge is needed about men with sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCA). We present self-reported data from 53 men with SCA (M age = 36.8 years, SD = 12.3, range 19-67). The Health Survey-Short Form (SF-36) measured eight health domains (physical functioning, role-physical, role-emotional, vitality, emotional health, social functioning, pain, general health). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index measured sleep problems. The Personal Wellbeing Index measured satisfaction with eight life domains. Compared to norms, SCA reported poorer health (mean d = -0.80) and more sleep problems (mean d = -0.85). Differences between SCA and norms on personal well-being were small, except lower health satisfaction in SCA (d = -1.06). Seven of eight regression models predicting the SF-36 domains from life satisfaction and sleep problems were significant (explained variance 12.2% to 46.2%), except physical functioning (ns). Clinical assessment/intervention for a broad range of health and sleep problems is indicated for men with SCA.

Comments on Nancy Snow, "Generativity and Flourishing"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamtekar, Rachana

2015-01-01

In her rich and wide-ranging paper, Nancy Snow argues that there is a virtue of generativity--an other-regarding desire to invest one's substance in forms of life and work that will outlive the self (p. 10). By "virtue" Snow means not just a desirable or praiseworthy quality of a person, but more precisely, as Aristotle defined it, a…

Contact Calls: Twitter as a Dialogic Social and Linguistic Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillen, Julia; Merchant, Guy

2013-01-01

The rapid adoption of new forms of digital communication is now attracting the attention of researchers from a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences. In the landscape of social media, the microblogging application Twitter has rapidly become an accepted feature of everyday life with a broad appeal. This paper, from a dual autoethnography…

Indexing of exoplanets in search for potential habitability: application to Mars-like worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashyap Jagadeesh, Madhu; Gudennavar, Shivappa B.; Doshi, Urmi; Safonova, Margarita

2017-08-01

Study of exoplanets is one of the main goals of present research in planetary sciences and astrobiology. Analysis of huge planetary data from space missions such as CoRoT and Kepler is directed ultimately at finding a planet similar to Earth—the Earth's twin, and answering the question of potential exo-habitability. The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) is a first step in this quest, ranging from 1 (Earth) to 0 (totally dissimilar to Earth). It was defined for the four physical parameters of a planet: radius, density, escape velocity and surface temperature. The ESI is further sub-divided into interior ESI (geometrical mean of radius and density) and surface ESI (geometrical mean of escape velocity and surface temperature). The challenge here is to determine which exoplanet parameter(s) is important in finding this similarity; how exactly the individual parameters entering the interior ESI and surface ESI are contributing to the global ESI. Since the surface temperature entering surface ESI is a non-observable quantity, it is difficult to determine its value. Using the known data for the Solar System objects, we established the calibration relation between surface and equilibrium temperatures to devise an effective way to estimate the value of the surface temperature of exoplanets. ESI is a first step in determining potential exo-habitability that may not be very similar to a terrestrial life. A new approach, called Mars Similarity Index (MSI), is introduced to identify planets that may be habitable to the extreme forms of life. MSI is defined in the range between 1 (present Mars) and 0 (dissimilar to present Mars) and uses the same physical parameters as ESI. We are interested in Mars-like planets to search for planets that may host the extreme life forms, such as the ones living in extreme environments on Earth; for example, methane on Mars may be a product of the methane-specific extremophile life form metabolism.

Establishment of design criteria for acceptable failure modes and fail safe considerations for the space shuttle structural system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westrup, R. W.

1972-01-01

Investigations of fatigue life, and safe-life and fail-safe design concepts as applied to space shuttle structure are summarized. The results are evaluated to select recommended structural design criteria to provide assurance that premature failure due to propagation of undetected crack-like defects will not occur during shuttle operational service. The space shuttle booster, GDC configuration B-9U, is selected as the reference vehicle. Structural elements used as basis of detail analyses include wing spar caps, vertical stabilizer skins, crew compartment skin, orbiter support frame, and propellant tank shell structure. Fatigue life analyses of structural elements are performed to define potential problem areas and establish upper limits of operating stresses. Flaw growth analyses are summarized in parametric form over a range of initial flaw types and sizes, operating stresses and service life requirements. Service life of 100 to 500 missions is considered.

The search for life on Europa: limiting environmental factors, potential habitats, and Earth analogues.

PubMed

Marion, Giles M; Fritsen, Christian H; Eicken, Hajo; Payne, Meredith C

2003-01-01

The putative ocean of Europa has focused considerable attention on the potential habitats for life on Europa. By generally clement Earth standards, these Europan habitats are likely to be extreme environments. The objectives of this paper were to examine: (1) the limits for biological activity on Earth with respect to temperature, salinity, acidity, desiccation, radiation, pressure, and time; (2) potential habitats for life on Europa; and (3) Earth analogues and their limitations for Europa. Based on empirical evidence, the limits for biological activity on Earth are: (1) the temperature range is from 253 to 394 K; (2) the salinity range is a(H2O) = 0.6-1.0; (3) the desiccation range is from 60% to 100% relative humidity; (4) the acidity range is from pH 0 to 13; (5) microbes such as Deinococcus are roughly 4,000 times more resistant to ionizing radiation than humans; (6) the range for hydrostatic pressure is from 0 to 1,100 bars; and (7) the maximum time for organisms to survive in the dormant state may be as long as 250 million years. The potential habitats for life on Europa are the ice layer, the brine ocean, and the seafloor environment. The dual stresses of lethal radiation and low temperatures on or near the icy surface of Europa preclude the possibility of biological activity anywhere near the surface. Only at the base of the ice layer could one expect to find the suitable temperatures and liquid water that are necessary for life. An ice layer turnover time of 10 million years is probably rapid enough for preserving in the surface ice layers dormant life forms originating from the ocean. Model simulations demonstrate that hypothetical oceans could exist on Europa that are too cold for biological activity (T < 253 K). These simulations also demonstrate that salinities are high, which would restrict life to extreme halophiles. An acidic ocean (if present) could also potentially limit life. Pressure, per se, is unlikely to directly limit life on Europa. But indirectly, pressure plays an important role in controlling the chemical environments for life. Deep ocean basins such as the Mariana Trench are good analogues for the cold, high-pressure ocean of Europa. Many of the best terrestrial analogues for potential Europan habitats are in the Arctic and Antarctica. The six factors likely to be most important in defining the environments for life on Europa and the focus for future work are liquid water, energy, nutrients, low temperatures, salinity, and high pressures.

Terrestrial Biomarkers for Early Life on Earth as Analogs for Possible Martian Life Forms: Examples of Minerally Replaced Bacteria and Biofilms From the 3.5 - 3.3-Ga Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westall, F.; McKay, D. S.; Gibson, E. K.; deWit, M. J.; Dann, J.; Gerneke, D.; deRonde, C. E. J.

1998-01-01

The search for extraterrestrial life and especially martian life hinges on a variety of methods used to identify vestiges of what we could recognize as life, including chemical signatures, morphological fossils, and biogenic precipitates. Although the possibility of extant life on Mars (subsurface) is being considered, most exploration efforts may be directed toward the search for fossil life. Geomorphological evidence points to a warmer and wetter Mars early on in its history, a scenario that encourages comparison with the early Earth. For this reason, study of the early terrestrial life forms and environment in which they lived may provide clues as to how to search for extinct martian life. As a contribution to the early Archean database of terrestrial microfossils, we present new data on morphological fossils from the 3.5-3.3-Ga Barberton greenstone belt (BGB), South Africa. This study underlines the variety of fossil types already present in some of the oldest, best-preserved terrestrial sediments, ranging from minerally replaced bacteria and bacteria molds of vaRious morphologies (coccoid, coccobacillus, bacillus) to minerally replaced biofilm. Biofilm or extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) is produced by bacteria and appears to be more readily fossilisable than bacteria themselves. The BGB fossils occur in shallow water to subaerial sediments interbedded with volcanic lavas, the whole being deposited on oceanic crust. Penecontemporaneous silicification of sediments and volcanics resulted in the chertification of the rocks, which were later subjected to low-grade metamorphism (lower greenschist).

Quality of Life in Individuals with Erythematotelangiectatic and Papulopustular Rosacea: Findings From a Web-based Survey.

PubMed

Zeichner, Joshua A; Eichenfield, Lawrence F; Feldman, Steven R; Kasteler, J Scott; Ferrusi, Ilia L

2018-02-01

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of rosacea on self-perception, emotional, social, and overall well-being and quality of life in individuals with erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) and papulopustular rosacea (PPR). DESIGN: We distributed a cross-sectional email invitation for participants in the United States to fill out a web-based survey. PARTICIPANTS: We included adults who reported having previously received a diagnosis of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea or papulopustular rosacea. MEASUREMENTS: Questionnaires measured the psychosocial aspects of rosacea, including the Satisfaction With Appearance Scale and modified Satisfaction With Appearance Scale questionnaires, Impact Assessment for Rosacea Facial Redness, Rosacea-Specific Quality-of-Life questionnaire, and RAND 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. The Impact Assessment for Rosacea Facial Bumps or Pimples was administered to the papulopustular rosacea cohort. RESULTS: Six hundred participants enrolled and completed the survey, with most rating their rosacea as mild or moderate (ETR: 95.6%; PPR: 93.7%). In the erythematotelangiectatic rosacea and papulopustular rosacea cohorts, respectively, 45 and 53 percent disagreed/strongly disagreed that they were satisfied with their appearance due to rosacea; 42 and 27 percent agreed/strongly agreed that they "worry how people will react when they see my rosacea"; and 43 and 59 percent agreed/strongly agreed that they feel their rosacea is unattractive to others. Rosacea-Specific Quality-of-Life total and domain scores indicated negative impact of rosacea for both cohorts. Both cohorts reported worse 36-item Short Form Health Survey overall and domain scores than population norms in the United States. CONCLUSION: Rosacea had wide-ranging, negative effects on self-perceptions and emotional, social, and overall well-being as well as rosacea-specific quality of life. Overall, both erythematotelangiectatic rosacea and papulopustular rosacea cohorts reported a substantial negative impact of rosacea on quality of life on a range of instruments.

Global climate and the distribution of plant biomes.

PubMed

Woodward, F I; Lomas, M R; Kelly, C K

2004-10-29

Biomes are areas of vegetation that are characterized by the same life-form. Traditional definitions of biomes have also included either geographical or climatic descriptors. This approach describes a wide range of biomes that can be correlated with characteristic climatic conditions, or climatic envelopes. The application of remote sensing technology to the frequent observation of biomes has led to a move away from the often subjective definition of biomes to one that is objective. Carefully characterized observations of life-form, by satellite, have been used to reconsider biome classification and their climatic envelopes. Five major tree biomes can be recognized by satellites based on leaf longevity and morphology: needleleaf evergreen, broadleaf evergreen, needleleaf deciduous, broadleaf cold deciduous and broadleaf drought deciduous. Observations indicate that broadleaf drought deciduous vegetation grades substantially into broadleaf evergreen vegetation. The needleleaf deciduous biome occurs in the world's coldest climates, where summer drought and therefore a drought deciduous biome are absent. Traditional biome definitions are quite static, implying no change in their life-form composition with time, within their particular climatic envelopes. However, this is not the case where there has been global ingress of grasslands and croplands into forested vegetation. The global spread of grasses, a new super-biome, was probably initiated 30-45 Myr ago by an increase in global aridity, and was driven by the natural spread of the disturbances of fire and animal grazing. These disturbances have been further extended over the Holocene era by human activities that have increased the land areas available for domestic animal grazing and for growing crops. The current situation is that grasses now occur in most, if not all biomes, and in many areas they dominate and define the biome. Croplands are also increasing, defining a new and relatively recent component to the grassland super-biome. In the case of both grassland and croplands, various forms of disturbance, particularly frequent disturbance, lead to continued range extensions of the biomes.

The Role of Extraterrestrial Materials in the Origin of Life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandford, Scott A.

2016-01-01

It has been well established for some time now that C-rich organic materials are relatively common in a number of environments in space. This is known through the telescopic detection of these materials using spectroscopy techniques in the infrared and sub-millimeter wavelength ranges and through the identification of organics in extraterrestrial materials. Extraterrestrial materials in which organics have been found include collected meteorites and interplanetary dust particles, and samples returned by NASA spacecraft from comets. These organics are produced by a variety of astrochemical processes. Despite their abiotic origins, these organic materials of are considerable interest to astrobiology for several reasons. First, organic materials of any composition are important as a means of delivering the elements C, H, O, and N to the surfaces of newly formed planets, and these elements are likely critical to the origin and subsequent evolution of life (certainly for life as we know it). In addition, it is clear that at least a portion of the organics found in space are in the form of molecules that play important roles in modern biology - for example, molecules like amino acids, amphiphiles, quinones, etc. Thus, the delivery of extraterrestrial organics to planetary surfaces brings not only bulk C, H, O, and N, but also molecular complexity in forms that are potentially useful for the origin and early evolution of life. This suggests that the production and delivery of cosmic organic compounds may have played key roles in the origin of life on Earth and, by extension, on other planets in the universe.

Comparing the environmental footprints of home-care and personal-hygiene products: the relevance of different life-cycle phases.

PubMed

Koehler, Annette; Wildbolz, Caroline

2009-11-15

An in-depth life-cycle assessment of nine home-care and personal-hygiene products was conducted to determine the ecological relevance of different life-cycle phases and compare the environmental profiles of products serving equal applications. Using detailed data from industry and consumer-behavior studies a broad range of environmental impacts were analyzed to identify the main drivers in each life-cycle stage and potentials for improving the environmental footprints. Although chemical production significantly adds to environmental burdens, substantial impacts are caused in the consumer-use phase. As such, this research provides recommendations for product development, supply chain management, product policies, and consumer use. To reduce environmental burdens products should, for instance, be produced in concentrated form, while consumers should apply correct product dosages and low water temperatures during product application.

Research and Application of Marine Microbial Enzymes: Status and Prospects

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chen; Kim, Se-Kwon

2010-01-01

Over billions of years, the ocean has been regarded as the origin of life on Earth. The ocean includes the largest range of habitats, hosting the most life-forms. Competition amongst microorganisms for space and nutrients in the marine environment is a powerful selective force, which has led to evolution. The evolution prompted the marine microorganisms to generate multifarious enzyme systems to adapt to the complicated marine environments. Therefore, marine microbial enzymes can offer novel biocatalysts with extraordinary properties. This review deals with the research and development work investigating the occurrence and bioprocessing of marine microbial enzymes. PMID:20631875

Validation of the Polish version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care in patients with advanced cancer.

PubMed

Leppert, Wojciech; Majkowicz, Mikolaj

2013-05-01

Limited data exist on the validation of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care in advanced cancer patients. To adapt the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care to the Polish clinical setting and to evaluate its psychometric properties in advanced cancer patients. Two quality-of-life measurements were performed at baseline and after 7 days. The concurrent validity of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care was established by the Pearson correlation coefficients with the modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, the Karnofsky Performance Status and the Brief Pain Inventory - Short Form. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the Spearman correlation coefficients of the baseline and of the second measurement of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care items. A total of 160 consecutive patients in one academic palliative medicine centre were included. A total of 129 patients completed the study. The concurrent validity revealed significant correlations of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care pain scale with the Brief Pain Inventory - Short Form, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care symptom items with the modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care functional scales with the Karnofsky Performance Status scores. High Cronbach's alpha and standardised Cronbach's alpha values were found in the case of both functional (range: 0.830-0.925; 0.830-0.932) and symptom scales (range: 0.784-0.940; 0.794-0.941) of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care, respectively. The Spearman correlation coefficients between the first and the second measurements were significant (p < 0.0001) for all European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care items. Polish version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care is a valid and reliable tool recommended for quality-of-life assessment and monitoring in advanced cancer patients.

The possibility of life on Mars during a water-rich past

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckay, C. P.; Mancinelli, R. L.; Stoker, C. R.; Wharton, R. A., Jr.

1992-01-01

Geomorphological evidence for past liquid water on Mars implies an early, warmer, epoch. In this review we compare this early warm environment to the first Gyr of Earth's history, the time within which we know life originated. We consider the key question about early Mars from the biological standpoint. How long was liquid water present? The range of answers encompasses the time interval for the origin of life on Earth. We use studies of early life on Earth as a guide, albeit a limited one, to the possible forms of evidence for past life on Mars. Presumptive evidence for microbial life on early Earth are stromatolites, layered deposits produced by microorganisms binding and trapping sediment. A search for fossils might be fruitful at sites on Mars that contained standing bodies of water over long periods of time. The ice-covered lakes of the dry valleys of Antarctica may provide analogs to the ultimate lakes on Mars as the surface pressure fell with a concomitant decrease in surface temperatures.

S-Layer Protein Self-Assembly

PubMed Central

Pum, Dietmar; Toca-Herrera, Jose Luis; Sleytr, Uwe B.

2013-01-01

Crystalline S(urface)-layers are the most commonly observed cell surface structures in prokaryotic organisms (bacteria and archaea). S-layers are highly porous protein meshworks with unit cell sizes in the range of 3 to 30 nm, and thicknesses of ~10 nm. One of the key features of S-layer proteins is their intrinsic capability to form self-assembled mono- or double layers in solution, and at interfaces. Basic research on S-layer proteins laid foundation to make use of the unique self-assembly properties of native and, in particular, genetically functionalized S-layer protein lattices, in a broad range of applications in the life and non-life sciences. This contribution briefly summarizes the knowledge about structure, genetics, chemistry, morphogenesis, and function of S-layer proteins and pays particular attention to the self-assembly in solution, and at differently functionalized solid supports. PMID:23354479

Cycle life test of secondary spacecraft cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harkness, J. D.

1980-01-01

The results of the life cycling program on rechargeable calls are reported. Information on required data, the use of which the data will be put, application details, including orbital description, charge control methods, load rquirements, etc., are given. Cycle tests were performed on 660 sealed, nickel cadmium cells. The cells consisted of seven sample classifications ranging form 3.0 to 20 amp. hours. Nickel cadmium, silver cadmium, and silver zinc sealed cells, excluding synchronous orbit and accelerated test packs were added. The capacities of the nickel cadmium cells, the silver cadmium and the silver zinc cells differed in range of amp hrs. The cells were cylced under different load, charge control, and temperature conditions. All cell packs are recharged by use of a pack voltage limit. All charging is constant current until the voltage limit is reached.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Quality of Life following DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction.

PubMed

Hunsinger, Vincent; Hivelin, Mikael; Derder, Mohamed; Klein, Delphine; Velten, Michel; Lantieri, Laurent

2016-05-01

Sequelae resulting from breast cancer negatively impact patients' quality of life. Although the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap has become a standard for autologous breast reconstruction, there are limited data regarding long-term quality of life. The authors studied patients' quality of life more than 5 years after DIEP flap breast reconstruction and compare it with two French reference samples. A cross-sectional study of quality of life was performed in women who underwent DIEP flap breast reconstruction between 1995 and 2007 using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Health Survey (Short Form-36). The first reference sample included subjects from the French general population (n = 3308), and the second included cancer survivors who underwent mastectomy with (n = 70) or without (n = 135) breast reconstruction. One hundred eleven respondents were analyzed among 186 eligible women. The mean follow-up period after reconstruction was 8.6 years (range, 5 to 15 years). There were no statistically significant differences in the quality of life between women from 45 to 64 years old who underwent DIEP flap breast reconstruction and from the French general population. Five of the eight Short Form-36 dimensions were significantly better in the DIEP flap breast reconstruction group in the 65- to 74-year-old cohort. In addition, quality of life of our study population was significantly higher than that of women who underwent mastectomy with or without any type of breast reconstruction. These results indicate that DIEP flap breast reconstruction allows patients with breast cancer to maintain a good postoperative quality of life comparable to that of the general population. Therapeutic, III.

Fast–slow continuum and reproductive strategies structure plant life-history variation worldwide

PubMed Central

Salguero-Gómez, Roberto; Jones, Owen R.; Jongejans, Eelke; Blomberg, Simon P.; Hodgson, David J.; Mbeau-Ache, Cyril; Zuidema, Pieter A.; de Kroon, Hans; Buckley, Yvonne M.

2016-01-01

The identification of patterns in life-history strategies across the tree of life is essential to our prediction of population persistence, extinction, and diversification. Plants exhibit a wide range of patterns of longevity, growth, and reproduction, but the general determinants of this enormous variation in life history are poorly understood. We use demographic data from 418 plant species in the wild, from annual herbs to supercentennial trees, to examine how growth form, habitat, and phylogenetic relationships structure plant life histories and to develop a framework to predict population performance. We show that 55% of the variation in plant life-history strategies is adequately characterized using two independent axes: the fast–slow continuum, including fast-growing, short-lived plant species at one end and slow-growing, long-lived species at the other, and a reproductive strategy axis, with highly reproductive, iteroparous species at one extreme and poorly reproductive, semelparous plants with frequent shrinkage at the other. Our findings remain consistent across major habitats and are minimally affected by plant growth form and phylogenetic ancestry, suggesting that the relative independence of the fast–slow and reproduction strategy axes is general in the plant kingdom. Our findings have similarities with how life-history strategies are structured in mammals, birds, and reptiles. The position of plant species populations in the 2D space produced by both axes predicts their rate of recovery from disturbances and population growth rate. This life-history framework may complement trait-based frameworks on leaf and wood economics; together these frameworks may allow prediction of responses of plants to anthropogenic disturbances and changing environments. PMID:26699477

Fast-slow continuum and reproductive strategies structure plant life-history variation worldwide.

PubMed

Salguero-Gómez, Roberto; Jones, Owen R; Jongejans, Eelke; Blomberg, Simon P; Hodgson, David J; Mbeau-Ache, Cyril; Zuidema, Pieter A; de Kroon, Hans; Buckley, Yvonne M

2016-01-05

The identification of patterns in life-history strategies across the tree of life is essential to our prediction of population persistence, extinction, and diversification. Plants exhibit a wide range of patterns of longevity, growth, and reproduction, but the general determinants of this enormous variation in life history are poorly understood. We use demographic data from 418 plant species in the wild, from annual herbs to supercentennial trees, to examine how growth form, habitat, and phylogenetic relationships structure plant life histories and to develop a framework to predict population performance. We show that 55% of the variation in plant life-history strategies is adequately characterized using two independent axes: the fast-slow continuum, including fast-growing, short-lived plant species at one end and slow-growing, long-lived species at the other, and a reproductive strategy axis, with highly reproductive, iteroparous species at one extreme and poorly reproductive, semelparous plants with frequent shrinkage at the other. Our findings remain consistent across major habitats and are minimally affected by plant growth form and phylogenetic ancestry, suggesting that the relative independence of the fast-slow and reproduction strategy axes is general in the plant kingdom. Our findings have similarities with how life-history strategies are structured in mammals, birds, and reptiles. The position of plant species populations in the 2D space produced by both axes predicts their rate of recovery from disturbances and population growth rate. This life-history framework may complement trait-based frameworks on leaf and wood economics; together these frameworks may allow prediction of responses of plants to anthropogenic disturbances and changing environments.

Evolution of critical day length for diapause induction enables range expansion of Diorhabda carinulata, a biological control agent against tamarisk (Tamarix spp.)

PubMed Central

Bean, Dan W; Dalin, Peter; Dudley, Tom L

2012-01-01

In classical weed biological control, small collections of arthropods are made from one or a few sites in the native range of the target plant and are introduced to suppress the plant where it has become invasive, often across a wide geographic range. Ecological mismatches in the new range are likely, and success using the biocontrol agent may depend on postrelease evolution of beneficial life history traits. In this study, we measure the evolution of critical day length for diapause induction (day length at which 50% of the population enters dormancy), in a beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) introduced into North America from China to control an exotic shrub, Tamarix spp. Beetle populations were sampled from four sites in North America 7 years after introduction, and critical day length was shown to have declined, forming a cline over a latitudinal gradient At one field site, decreased critical day length was correlated with 16 additional days of reproductive activity, resulting in a closer match between beetle life history and the phenology of Tamarix. These findings indicate an enhanced efficacy and an increasingly wider range for D. carinulata in Tamarix control. PMID:22949926

How well can spectroscopy predict leaf morphological traits in the seasonal neotropical savannas?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streher, A. S.; McGill, B.; Morellato, P.; Silva, T. S. F.

2017-12-01

Variations in foliar morphological traits, quantified as leaf mass per area (LMA, g m-2) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC, g g-1), correspond to a tradeoff between investments in leaf construction costs and leaf life span. Leaf spectroscopy, the acquisition of reflected radiation along contiguous narrow spectral bands from leaves, has shown the potential to link leaf optical properties with a range of foliar traits. However, our knowledge is still limited on how well leaf traits from plants with different life forms and deciduousness strategies can be predicted from spectroscopy. To understand the relationships between leaf traits and optical properties, we investigated: 1) What are the spectral regions associated with leaf morphological traits? 2) How generalizable an optical trait model is across different life forms and leaf strategies? Five locations across cerrado and campo rupestre vegetation in Brazil were sampled during the growing season in 2017. Triplicate mature sun leaves were harvested from plants encompassing different life forms (grasses, perennial herbs, shrubs and trees), comprising 1650 individuals growing over a wide range of environmental conditions. For each individual, we determined LDMC and LMA, and took 30 spectral leaf measurements from 400 to 2500nm, using a spectrometer. We used the Random Forests (RF) algorithm to predict both morphological traits from leaf reflectance, and performed feature selection with a backward stepwise method, progressively removing variables with small importance at each iteration. Model performance was evaluated by using 10-fold cross-validation. LDMC values ranged from 0.12 to 0.67 g g-1, while LMA varied between 41.78 and 562 g m-2. The spectral bands that best explained trait variation were found within the SWIR, around 1397 nm for LDMC, and 2279 nm for LMA. Our general model explained 55.28% of LDMC variance and 55.64% of LMA variation, and the mean RMSE for the predicted values were 0.004 g g-1 and 36.99 g m-2, respectively. RF provided a consistent selection of spectral bands related to biophysical traits. This study highlighted the potential for estimation of key foliar traits from spectral information, while further efforts are necessary to disentangle the optical properties from a larger suite of vegetation types worldwide.

Why Am I Remembering This Now? Predicting the Occurrence of Involuntary (Spontaneous) Episodic Memories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berntsen, Dorthe; Staugaard, Soren Rislov; Sorensen, Louise Maria Torp

2013-01-01

Involuntary episodic memories are memories of events that come to mind spontaneously, that is, with no preceding retrieval attempts. They are common in daily life and observed in a range of clinical disorders in the form of negative, intrusive recollections or flashbacks. However, little is known about their underlying mechanisms. Here we report a…

What questionnaires to use when measuring quality of life in sacral tumor patients: the updated sacral tumor survey.

PubMed

van Wulfften Palthe, Olivier D R; Janssen, Stein J; Wunder, Jay S; Ferguson, Peter C; Wei, Guo; Rose, Peter S; Yaszemski, Micheal J; Sim, Franklin H; Boland, Patrick J; Healey, John H; Hornicek, Francis J; Schwab, Joseph H

2017-05-01

Patient-reported outcomes are becoming increasingly important when investigating results of patient and disease management. In sacral tumor, the symptoms of patients can vary substantially; therefore, no single questionnaire can adequately account for the full spectrum of symptoms and disability. The purpose of this study is to analyze redundancy within the current sacral tumor survey and make a recommendation for an updated version based on the results and patient and expert opinions. A survey study from a tertiary care orthopedic oncology referral center was used. The patient sample included 70 patients with sacral tumors (78% chordoma). The following 10 questionnaires included in the current sacral tumor survey were evaluated: the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Item short form, PROMIS Pain Intensity short form, PROMIS Pain Interference short form, PROMIS Neuro-QOL v1.0 Lower Extremity Function short form, PROMIS v1.0 Anxiety short form, the PROMIS v1.0 Depression short form, the International Continence Society Male short form, the Modified Obstruction-Defecation Syndrome questionnaire, the PROMIS Sexual Function Profile v1.0, and the Stoma Quality of Life tool. We performed an exploratory factor analysis to calculate the possible underlying latent traits. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to measure to what extent the questionnaires converged. We hypothesized the existence of six domains based on current literature: mental health, physical health, pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, sexual function, and urinary incontinence. To assess content validity, we surveyed 32 patients, 9 orthopedic oncologists, 1 medical oncologist, 1 radiation oncologist, and 1 orthopedic oncology nurse practitioner with experience in treating sacral tumor patients on the relevance of the domains. Reliability as measured by Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.65 to 0.96. Coverage measured by floor and ceiling effects ranged from 0% to 52% and from 0% to 30%, respectively. Explanatory factor analysis identified three traits to which the questionnaires that were expected to measure a similar construct correlated the most: mental health, physical function, and pain. Content validity index demonstrated low disagreement among patients (range: 0.10-0.18) and high agreement among physicians (range: 0.91-1.0) on the relevance of the proposed domains. Social health was identified by 50% of the commenting patients as an important yet missing domain. The current sacral tumor survey is incomplete and time-consuming, and not all surveys are appropriate for the sacral tumor population. Our recommended survey contains less than half the questions and includes the newly recognized social health domain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Studies on a haemolymph lectin isolated from Rhodnius prolixus and its interaction with Trypanosoma rangeli.

PubMed

Mello, C B; Nigam, Y; Garcia, E S; Azambuja, P; Newton, R P; Ratcliffe, N A

1999-04-01

We demonstrated that in Rhodnius prolixus haemocyte monolayers, both Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli are capable of inducing haemocyte/parasite clump formation. We also purified, by one-step affinity chromatography, a haemolymph galactoside-binding lectin from R. prolixus which we believe could play an important role in the development of T. rangeli in the haemocoel of the insect vector. This lectin markedly enhanced the activation of clump formation by T. rangeli in R. prolixus haemocyte monolayers, with an increase in clump size and haemocyte aggregation. The haemolymph lectin also significantly affected the motilitity and survival of T. rangeli culture short forms, but not the long forms, when they were incubated in vitro. This molecule is also one of the few described in insects with agglutination activity independent of calcium ions. The partial N-terminal amino acid sequence of this lectin demonstrated similarity to a bacterial xylulose kinase and in preliminary experiments the purified haemolymph lectin phosphorylated a tyrosine kinase substrate in a dose-dependent manner. The possible role of this haemolymph lectin in the life cycle of T. rangeli is discussed. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Sodium-sulfur technology evaluation at Argonne National Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulcahey, T. P.; Tummillo, A. F.; Hogrefe, R. L.; Christianson, C. C.; Biwer, R.; Webster, C. E.; Lee, J.; Miller, J. F.; Marr, J. J.; Smaga, J. A.

The Analysis and Diagnostics Laboratory (ADL) at Argonne National Laboratory has completed evaluation of the Ford Aerospace and Communication Corp. (FACC) technology in the form of four load-levelling (LL) cells, five electric vehicle (EV) cells, and a sub-battery of 89 series connected EV cells. The ADL also has initiated evaluation of the Chloride Silent Power Limited (CSPL) sodium-sulfur (PB) battery technology in the form of 8 individual cells. The evaluation of the FACC-LL cells consisted of an abbreviated performance characterization followed by life-cycle tests on two individual cells and life-cycle tests only on the two other individual cells. The evaluation indicated that the technology was improving, but long-term (life) reliability was not yet adequate for utility applications. The cells exhibited individual cycle lives ranging from 659 to over 1366 cycles, which is equivalent to 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 years in utility use. It was also found that full-cell capacity could only be maintained by applying a special charge regime, regularly or periodically, that consisted of a constant-current followed by a constant-voltage.

The psychosocial benefits of secondary hydroxyapatite orbital implant insertion and prosthesis wearing for patients with anophthalmia.

PubMed

Wang, Junming; Zhang, Hong; Chen, Wei; Li, Guigang

2012-01-01

Anophthalmia is associated with a range of psychosocial difficulties and hydroxyapatite orbital implant insertion and prosthesis wearing is the predominant rehabilitation therapy for anophthalmia. However, few articles have compared preoperative and postoperative psychosocial outcomes using standardized questionnaires. This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial benefits of hydroxyapatite orbital implant insertion and prosthesis wearing in this patient population. In all, 36 participants were tested preoperatively and 6-months postoperatively using standardized measures of anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), social anxiety and social avoidance (Derriford Appearance Scale-Short Form), and quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Short Form). Before treatment, levels of depression were comparable with population norms; however, levels of general anxiety were slightly raised, levels of social anxiety, social avoidance, and quality of life were significantly poorer than population norms. Treatment resulted in significant improvement in psychosocial adjustment with improvements in all study variables for the participant group as a whole. Hydroxyapatite orbital implant insertion and prosthesis wearing offers significant improvements in psychological and physical functioning for patients with anophthalmia.

77 FR 38582 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Domestic Client Life-Cycle Multi-Purpose Forms

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-28

... Request; Domestic Client Life-Cycle Multi-Purpose Forms AGENCY: International Trade Administration. ACTION... life-cycle with CS. CS is mandated by Congress to help U.S. organizations, particularly small and... Client Life-cycle Multi-Purpose Forms, previously titled Export Information Services Order Forms, are...

Wealth Transmission and Inequality Among Hunter-Gatherers

PubMed Central

Hill, Kim; Marlowe, Frank; Nolin, David; Wiessner, Polly; Gurven, Michael; Bowles, Samuel; Mulder, Monique Borgerhoff; Hertz, Tom; Bell, Adrian

2010-01-01

We report quantitative estimates of intergenerational transmission and population-wide inequality for wealth measures in a set of hunter-gatherer populations. Wealth is defined broadly as factors that contribute to individual or household well-being, ranging from embodied forms such as weight and hunting success to material forms such household goods, as well as relational wealth in exchange partners. Intergenerational wealth transmission is low to moderate in these populations, but is still expected to have measurable influence on an individual’s life chances. Wealth inequality (measured with Gini coefficients) is moderate for most wealth types, matching what qualitative ethnographic research has generally indicated (if not the stereotype of hunter-gatherers as extreme egalitarians). We discuss some plausible mechanisms for these patterns, and suggest ways in which future research could resolve questions about the role of wealth in hunter-gatherer social and economic life. PMID:21151711

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

PubMed Central

Grover, Anita; Benet, Leslie Z.

2013-01-01

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

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of yoruba version of the short-form 36 health survey.

PubMed

Mbada, Chidozie Emmanuel; Adeogun, Gafar Atanda; Ogunlana, Michael Opeoluwa; Adedoyin, Rufus Adesoji; Akinsulore, Adesanmi; Awotidebe, Taofeek Oluwole; Idowu, Opeyemi Ayodiipo; Olaoye, Olumide Ayoola

2015-09-14

The Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) is a valid quality of life tool often employed to determine the impact of medical intervention and the outcome of health care services. However, the SF-36 is culturally sensitive which necessitates its adaptation and translation into different languages. This study was conducted to cross-culturally adapt the SF-36 into Yoruba language and determine its reliability and validity. Based on the International Quality of Life Assessment project guidelines, a sequence of translation, test of item-scale correlation, and validation was implemented for the translation of the Yoruba version of the SF-36. Following pilot testing, the English and the Yoruba versions of the SF-36 were administered to a random sample of 1087 apparently healthy individuals to test validity and 249 respondents completed the Yoruba SF-36 again after two weeks to test reliability. Data was analyzed using Pearson's product moment correlation analysis, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, multi trait scaling analysis and Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) at p < 0.05. The concurrent validity scores for scales and domains ranges between 0.749 and 0.902 with the highest and lowest scores in the General Health (0.902) and Bodily Pain (0.749) scale. Scale-level descriptive result showed that all scale and domain scores had negative skewness ranging from -2.08 to -0.98. The mean scores for each scales ranges between 83.2 and 88.8. The domain scores for Physical Health Component and Mental Health Component were 85.6 ± 13.7 and 85.9 ± 15.4 respectively. The convergent validity was satisfactory, ranging from 0.421 to 0.907. Discriminant validity was also satisfactory except for item '1'. The ICC for the test-retest reliability of the Yoruba SF-36 ranges between 0.636 and 0.843 for scales; and 0.783 and 0.851 for domains. The data quality, concurrent and discriminant validity, reliability and internal consistency of the Yoruba version of the SF-36 are adequate and it is recommended for measuring health-related quality of life among Yoruba population.

Acclimation of bloom-forming and perennial seaweeds to elevated pCO2 conserved across levels of environmental complexity.

PubMed

Xu, Dong; Schaum, Charlotte-Elisa; Lin, Fan; Sun, Ke; Munroe, James R; Zhang, Xiao W; Fan, Xiao; Teng, Lin H; Wang, Yi T; Zhuang, Zhi M; Ye, Naihao

2017-11-01

Macroalgae contribute approximately 15% of the primary productivity in coastal marine ecosystems, fix up to 27.4 Tg of carbon per year, and provide important structural components for life in coastal waters. Despite this ecological and commercial importance, direct measurements and comparisons of the short-term responses to elevated pCO 2 in seaweeds with different life-history strategies are scarce. Here, we cultured several seaweed species (bloom forming/nonbloom forming/perennial/annual) in the laboratory, in tanks in an indoor mesocosm facility, and in coastal mesocosms under pCO 2 levels ranging from 400 to 2,000 μatm. We find that, across all scales of the experimental setup, ephemeral species of the genus Ulva increase their photosynthesis and growth rates in response to elevated pCO 2 the most, whereas longer-lived perennial species show a smaller increase or a decrease. These differences in short-term growth and photosynthesis rates are likely to give bloom-forming green seaweeds a competitive advantage in mixed communities, and our results thus suggest that coastal seaweed assemblages in eutrophic waters may undergo an initial shift toward communities dominated by bloom-forming, short-lived seaweeds. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Intermediate Temperature Fluids Life Tests - Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarau, Calin; Sarraf, David B.; Locci, Ivan E.; Anderson, William G.

2008-01-01

There are a number of different applications that could use heat pipes or loop heat pipes (LHPs) in the intermediate temperature range of 450 to 750 K, including space nuclear power system radiators, and high temperature electronics cooling. Potential working fluids include organic fluids, elements, and halides, with halides being the least understood, with only a few life tests conducted. Potential envelope materials for halide working fluids include pure aluminum, aluminum alloys, commercially pure (CP) titanium, titanium alloys, and corrosion resistant superalloys. Life tests were conducted with three halides (AlBr3, SbBr3, and TiCl4) and water in three different envelopes: two aluminum alloys (Al-5052, Al-6061) and Cp-2 titanium. The AlBr3 attacked the grain boundaries in the aluminum envelopes, and formed TiAl compounds in the titanium. The SbBr3 was incompatible with the only envelope material that it was tested with, Al-6061. TiCl4 and water were both compatible with CP2-titanium. A theoretical model was developed that uses electromotive force differences to predict the compatibility of halide working fluids with envelope materials. This theory predicts that iron, nickel, and molybdenum are good envelope materials, while aluminum and titanium halides are good working fluids. The model is in good agreement with results form previous life tests, as well as the current life tests.

Low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue behavior of Ni-based alloy 230 at 850 C

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

Chen, Xiang; Yang, Zhiqing; Sokolov, Mikhail A

Strain-controlled low cycle fatigue (LCF) and creep-fatigue testing of Ni-based alloy 230 were carried out at 850 C. The material creep-fatigue life decreased compared with its low cycle fatigue life at the same total strain range. Longer hold time at peak tensile strain further reduced the material creep-fatigue life. Based on the electron backscatter diffraction, a novel material deformation characterization method was applied, which revealed that in low cycle fatigue testing as the total strain range increased, the deformation was segregated to grain boundaries since the test temperature was higher than the material equicohesive temperature and grain boundaries became weakermore » regions compared with grains. Creep-fatigue tests enhanced the localized deformation, resulting in material interior intergranular cracking, and accelerated material damage. Precipitation in alloy 230 helped slip dispersion, favorable for fatigue property, but grain boundary cellular precipitates formed after material exposure to the elevated temperature had a deleterious effect on the material low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue property.« less

Towards Prognostics of Electrolytic Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Celaya, Jose R.; Kulkarni, Chetan; Biswas, Gautam; Goegel, Kai

2011-01-01

A remaining useful life prediction algorithm and degradation model for electrolytic capacitors is presented. Electrolytic capacitors are used in several applications ranging from power supplies on critical avionics equipment to power drivers for electro-mechanical actuators. These devices are known for their low reliability and given their criticality in electronics subsystems they are a good candidate for component level prognostics and health management research. Prognostics provides a way to assess remaining useful life of a capacitor based on its current state of health and its anticipated future usage and operational conditions. In particular, experimental results of an accelerated aging test under electrical stresses are presented. The capacitors used in this test form the basis for a remaining life prediction algorithm where a model of the degradation process is suggested. This preliminary remaining life prediction algorithm serves as a demonstration of how prognostics methodologies could be used for electrolytic capacitors.

A Survey of Fastening Techniques for Shipbuilding

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-09-01

many alloys ranging from aluminum to titanium, and with several types of corrosion-preventive coatings or electrodepositions that can be applied to... effective returns. The quest for increased customer acceptance emerged in one form as extended- life airframe warranties ( fatigue -rated structure). These... Aluminum Characteristics alloy Shear and tension rated NAS1436-42 Steel alloy Fatigue rated NAS1456-62 Titanium alloy , Fluid-tight bolts and collars

[Anomalous Properties of Water and Aqueous Solutions at Low Temperatures].

PubMed

Matsumoto, Masakazu

2015-01-01

Water has many anomalous properties below the room temperature. The temperature range overlaps with that of the Earth's atmosphere and also with that natural life forms favor. We review the origin of the anomalous properties of water and aqueous solutions in association with the hypothetical second critical point and liquid-liquid phase separation of water hidden in the supercooled state of liquid water.

[The evaluation of the quality of life in the patients presenting with various forms of chronic otitis media].

PubMed

Kosyakov, S Ya; Minavnina, Yu V; Gunenkov, A V

Chronic otitis media (COM) is a widespread pathological condition that affects up to 2% of the general population. Certain forms of this disease markedly deteriorate the quality of life of the patients which makes them overestimate the severity of harm to their health status and can be a cause of inflated expectations as regards the results of the planned surgical treatment. The linking element between the patient's expectations and the outcomes of the surgical intervention may be the recently developed questionnaires for the evaluation of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). One of them, the COMQ-12 questionnaire, was devised to estimate the subjective reports by the patients concerning the deterioration of their quality of life attributable to chronic otitis media. The objective of the present study was to characterize the value of the 5-point Russian-language version of COMQ-12 for the evaluation of each of its 12 items concerning various aspects of health based on the personal opinions of the patients suffering from chronic otitis media The study included 108 patients 49 of whom were men and 59 women (45% and 55% respectively) at the age varying from 16 to 84 years. The COMQ-12 scores, according to the reports of individual patients, ranged from 4 to 43 of the 60 ones possible. The average score was 19.4 (SD=8.3). The overall median COMQ-12 score was 20, and the mode scored 14. The Cronbach-alpha index was equal to 0.860. The Russian-language version of the COMQ-12 questionnaire provides a reliable tool for the estimation of the quality of life in the patients presenting with various forms of chronic otitis media.

Toward more environmentally resistant gas turbines: Progress in NASA-Lewis programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowell, C. E.; Grisaffe, S. J.; Levine, S. R.

1976-01-01

A wide range of programs are being conducted for improving the environmental resistance to oxidation and hot corrosion of gas turbine and power system materials. They range from fundamental efforts to delineate attack mechanisms, allow attack modeling and permit life prediction, to more applied efforts to develop potentially more resistant alloys and coatings. Oxidation life prediction efforts have resulted in a computer program which provides an initial method for predicting long time metal loss using short time oxidation data by means of a paralinear attack model. Efforts in alloy development have centered on oxide-dispersion strengthened alloys based on the Ni-Cr-Al system. Compositions have been identified which are compromises between oxidation and thermal fatigue resistance. Fundamental studies of hot corrosion mechanisms include thermodynamic studies of sodium sulfate formation during turbine combustion. Information concerning species formed during the vaporization of Na2SO4 has been developed using high temperature mass spectrometry.

The Distinction of Hot Herbal Compress, Hot Compress, and Topical Diclofenac as Myofascial Pain Syndrome Treatment.

PubMed

Boonruab, Jurairat; Nimpitakpong, Netraya; Damjuti, Watchara

2018-01-01

This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the distinctness after treatment among hot herbal compress, hot compress, and topical diclofenac. The registrants were equally divided into groups and received the different treatments including hot herbal compress, hot compress, and topical diclofenac group, which served as the control group. After treatment courses, Visual Analog Scale and 36-Item Short Form Health survey were, respectively, used to establish the level of pain intensity and quality of life. In addition, cervical range of motion and pressure pain threshold were also examined to identify the motional effects. All treatments showed significantly decreased level of pain intensity and increased cervical range of motion, while the intervention groups exhibited extraordinary capability compared with the topical diclofenac group in pressure pain threshold and quality of life. In summary, hot herbal compress holds promise to be an efficacious treatment parallel to hot compress and topical diclofenac.

Social support network and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients.

PubMed

Costa, David Castro; Sá, Maria José; Calheiros, José Manuel

2017-05-01

To analyse the relationship between the social support network (SSN) and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The sample comprised 150 consecutive MS patients attending our MS clinic. To assess the socio-demographic data, a specifically designed questionnaire was applied. The HRQOL dimensions were measured with the Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire-SF36 and the SSN with the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Spearman's correlation was used to compare the magnitude of the relationship between the SSN and HRQOL. The mean patient age was 41.7 years (± 10.4; range: 18-70 yr); the mean Expanded Disability Status Score was 2.5 (±2.4; range: 0-9). There was a statistically significant correlation between the structure of the SSN and the HRQOL. The composition of the SSN, social group membership and participation in voluntary work have an important role in the HRQOL of patients with MS.

Resource recovery from end-of-life tyres in Greece: a field survey, state-of-art and trends.

PubMed

Karagiannidis, A; Kasampalis, T

2010-06-01

Lack of consistent and available information for the entire tyre industry has often hindered adequate understanding of current and future issues that need to be addressed for improving the sustainable end-of-life tyre management. The aim of this paper is to review related best available technologies and techniques for Greece, ranging from simple mechanical processing, up to complex multistep, mechanochemical and/or thermal treatment. End-of-life tyre management guidelines in the form of a manual for supporting future entrepreneurs in this field are also discussed. Extensive data mining, classification and inventorying was performed, both in the field via questionnaires and in the literature, for the purpose of accurately determining Hellenic conditions, in order to pinpoint encountered problems, propose interventions and determine new entrepreneurship opportunities.

Medical and surgical treatment of tremors.

PubMed

Schneider, Susanne A; Deuschl, Günther

2015-02-01

Tremor is a hyperkinetic movement disorder characterized by rhythmic oscillations of one or more body parts. Disease severity ranges from mild to severe with various degrees of impact on quality of life. Essential tremor and parkinsonian tremor are the most common etiologic subtypes. Treatment may be challenging; although several drugs are available, response may be unsatisfactory. For some tremor forms, controlled data are scarce or completely missing and treatment is often based on anecdotal evidence. In this article, we review the current literature on tremor treatment, with a focus on common forms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shelf life studies of common hazardous materials: An innovative approach to pollution prevention

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

Farmanian, P.A.

1995-12-31

Hazardous chemical systems, ranging in form from simple materials to compounded products and complex natural mixtures, constitute an important asset in the Navy`s daily operations. These materials include but are not limited to paints, solvents, soaps, resins, adhesives, pesticides, printing materials, petroleum products, and photographic chemicals. The short-lived availability of hazardous materials that are suspected of or known to degrade over time imposes a unique burden on the Navy`s procurement and hazardous waste disposal systems. Hazardous Materials whose shelf life`s have expired are processed for disposal as hazardous wastes. In addition, these expired hazardous materials must be replaced with newmore » materials. Many shelf life codes are based solely on the recommendations of suppliers and are not critically subjected to scientific study. The important goal of this project is to conduct a comprehensive study of the degradation of a given hazardous material to determine the true shelf life.« less

Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on the Early Life Stages of Dicentrarchus labrax.

PubMed

Debusschere, Elisabeth; De Coensel, Bert; Vandendriessche, Sofie; Botteldooren, Dick; Hostens, Kris; Vincx, Magda; Degraer, Steven

2016-01-01

Anthropogenically generated underwater noise in the marine environment is ubiquitous, comprising both intense impulse and continuous noise. The installation of offshore wind farms across the North Sea has triggered a range of ecological questions regarding the impact of anthropogenically produced underwater noise on marine wildlife. Our interest is on the impact on the "passive drifters," i.e., the early life stages of fish that form the basis of fish populations and are an important prey for pelagic predators. This study deals with the impact of pile driving and operational noise generated at offshore wind farms on Dicentrarchus labrax (sea bass) larvae.

Measurement of Quality of Life III. From the IQOL Theory to the Global, Generic SEQOL Questionnaire

PubMed Central

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

2003-01-01

The Danish Quality of Life Survey is based on the philosophy of life known as the integrative quality-of-life (IQOL) theory. It consists of eight different quality-of-life concepts, ranging from the superficially subjective via the deeply existential to the superficially objective (well being, satisfaction with life, happiness, meaning in life, biological order, realizing life potential, fulfillment of needs, and objective factors [ability of functioning and fulfilling societal norms]).This paper presents the work underlying the formulation of the theories of a good life and how these theories came to be expressed in a comprehensive, multidimensional, generic questionnaire for the evaluation of the global quality of life — SEQOL (self-evaluation of quality of life) — presented in full length in this paper. The instruments and theories on which the Quality of Life Survey was based are constantly being updated. It is an on-going process due to aspects such as human development, language, and culture. We arrived at eight rating scales for the quality of life that, guided by the IQOL theory, were combined into a global and generic quality-of-life rating scale. This was simplified to the validated QOL5 with only five questions, made for use in clinical databases. Unfortunately, the depth of human existence is to some extent lost in QOL5.We continue to aim towards greater simplicity, precision, and depth in the questions in order to explore the depths of human existence. We have not yet found a final form that enables us to fully rate the quality of life in practice. We hope that the several hundred questions we found necessary to adequately implement the theories of the Quality of Life Survey can be replaced by far fewer; ideally, only eight questions representing the eight component theories. These eight ideal questions have not yet been evaluated, and therefore they should not form the basis of a survey. However, the perspective is clear. If eight simple questions can accurately rate the quality of life as well as its depth, we have found an instrument of immense practical scope. PMID:14570988

Vitalism and the resistance to experimentation on life in the eighteenth century.

PubMed

Wolfe, Charles T

2013-01-01

There is a familiar opposition between a 'Scientific Revolution' ethos and practice of experimentation, including experimentation on life, and a 'vitalist' reaction to this outlook. The former is often allied with different forms of mechanism - if all of Nature obeys mechanical laws, including living bodies, 'iatromechanism' should encounter no obstructions in investigating the particularities of animal-machines - or with more chimiatric theories of life and matter, as in the 'Oxford Physiologists'. The latter reaction also comes in different, perhaps irreducibly heterogeneous forms, ranging from metaphysical and ethical objections to the destruction of life, as in Margaret Cavendish, to more epistemological objections against the usage of instruments, the 'anatomical' outlook and experimentation, e.g. in Locke and Sydenham. But I will mainly focus on a third anti-interventionist argument, which I call 'vitalist' since it is often articulated in the writings of the so-called Montpellier Vitalists, including their medical articles for the Encyclopédie. The vitalist argument against experimentation on life is subtly different from the metaphysical, ethical and epistemological arguments, although at times it may borrow from any of them. It expresses a Hippocratic sensibility - understood as an artifact of early modernity, not as some atemporal trait of medical thought - in which Life resists the experimenter, or conversely, for the experimenter to grasp something about Life, it will have to be without torturing or radically intervening in it. I suggest that this view does not have to imply that Nature is something mysterious or sacred; nor does the vitalist have to attack experimentation on life in the name of some 'vital force' - which makes it less surprising to find a vivisectionist like Claude Bernard sounding so close to the vitalists.

Shift in cytotype frequency and niche space in the invasive plant Centaurea maculosa.

PubMed

Treier, Urs A; Broennimann, Olivier; Normand, Signe; Guisan, Antoine; Schaffner, Urs; Steinger, Thomas; Müller-Schärer, Heinz

2009-05-01

Polyploidy is often assumed to increase the spread and thus the success of alien plant species, but few empirical studies exist. We tested this hypothesis with Centaurea maculosa Lam., a species native to Europe and introduced into North America approximately 120 years ago where it became highly invasive. We analyzed the ploidy level of more than 2000 plants from 93 native and 48 invasive C. maculosa populations and found a pronounced shift in the relative frequency of diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. In Europe diploid populations occur in higher frequencies than tetraploids and only four populations had both cytotypes, while in North America diploid plants were found in only one mixed population and thus tetraploids clearly dominated. Our results showed a pronounced shift in the climatic niche between tetraploid populations in the native and introduced range toward drier climate in North America and a similar albeit smaller shift between diploids and tetraploids in the native range. The field data indicate that diploids have a predominately monocarpic life cycle, while tetraploids are often polycarpic. Additionally, the polycarpic life-form seems to be more prevalent among tetraploids in the introduced range than among tetraploids in the native range. Our study suggests that both ploidy types of C. maculosa were introduced into North America, but tetraploids became the dominant cytotype with invasion. We suggest that the invasive success of C. maculosa is partly due to preadaptation of the tetraploid cytotype in Europe to drier climate and possibly further adaptation to these conditions in the introduced range. The potential for earlier and longer seed production associated with the polycarpic life cycle constitutes an additional factor that may have led to the dominance of tetraploids over diploids in the introduced range.

Tools used for evaluation of Brazilian children's quality of life

PubMed Central

Souza, João Gabriel S.; Pamponet, Marcela Antunes; Souza, Tamirys Caroline S.; Pereira, Alessandra Ribeiro; Souza, Andrey George S.; Martins, Andréa Maria E. de B. L.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To review the available tools to evaluate children's quality of life validated for Brazilian language and culture. DATA SOURCES: Search of scientific articles in Medline, Lilacs and SciELO databases using the combination of descriptors "quality of life", "child" and "questionnaires" in Portuguese and English. DATA SYNTHESIS: Among the tools designed to assess children's quality of life validated for the Brazilian language and culture, the Auto questionnaire Qualité de Vie Enfant Imagé (AUQEI), the Child Health Questionnaire - Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF50), the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL(tm)) version 4.0 and the Kidscreen-52 are highlighted. Some tools do not include all range of ages and some lack domains that are currently considered relevant in the context of childhood, such as bullying. Moreover, due to the cultural diversity of Brazil, it may be necessary to adapt some instruments or to validate other tools. CONCLUSIONS: There are validated instruments to evaluate children's quality of life in Brazil. However, the validation or the adaptation of other international tools have to be considered in order to overcome current deficiencies. PMID:25119761

Prebiological evolution and the physics of the origin of life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delaye, Luis; Lazcano, Antonio

2005-03-01

The basic tenet of the heterotrophic theory of the origin of life is that the maintenance and reproduction of the first living systems depended primarily on prebiotically synthesized organic molecules. It is unlikely that any single mechanism can account for the wide range of organic compounds that may have accumulated on the primitive Earth, suggesting that the prebiotic soup was formed by contributions from endogenous syntheses in reducing environments, metal sulphide-mediated synthesis in deep-sea vents, and exogenous sources such as comets, meteorites and interplanetary dust. The wide range of experimental conditions under which amino acids and nucleobases can be synthesized suggests that the abiotic syntheses of these monomers did not take place under a narrow range defined by highly selective reaction conditions, but rather under a wide variety of settings. The robustness of this type of chemistry is supported by the occurrence of most of these biochemical compounds in the Murchison meteorite. These results lend strong credence to the hypothesis that the emergence of life was the outcome of a long, but not necessarily slow, evolutionary processes. The origin of life may be best understood in terms of the dynamics and evolution of sets of chemical replicating entities. Whether such entities were enclosed within membranes is not yet clear, but given the prebiotic availability of amphiphilic compounds this may have well been the case. This scheme is not at odds with the theoretical models of self-organized emerging systems, but what is known of biology suggest that the essential traits of living systems could have not emerged in the absence of genetic material able to store, express and, upon replication, transmit to its progeny information capable of undergoing evolutionary change. How such genetic polymer first evolved is a central issue in origin-of-life studies.

Prebiological evolution and the physics of the origin of life.

PubMed

Delaye, Luis; Lazcano, Antonio

2005-03-01

The basic tenet of the heterotrophic theory of the origin of life is that the maintenance and reproduction of the first living systems depended primarily on prebiotically synthesized organic molecules. It is unlikely that any single mechanism can account for the wide range of organic compounds that may have accumulated on the primitive Earth, suggesting that the prebiotic soup was formed by contributions from endogenous syntheses in reducing environments, metal sulphide-mediated synthesis in deep-sea vents, and exogenous sources such as comets, meteorites and interplanetary dust. The wide range of experimental conditions under which amino acids and nucleobases can be synthesized suggests that the abiotic syntheses of these monomers did not take place under a narrow range defined by highly selective reaction conditions, but rather under a wide variety of settings. The robustness of this type of chemistry is supported by the occurrence of most of these biochemical compounds in the Murchison meteorite. These results lend strong credence to the hypothesis that the emergence of life was the outcome of a long, but not necessarily slow, evolutionary processes. The origin of life may be best understood in terms of the dynamics and evolution of sets of chemical replicating entities. Whether such entities were enclosed within membranes is not yet clear, but given the prebiotic availability of amphiphilic compounds this may have well been the case. This scheme is not at odds with the theoretical models of self-organized emerging systems, but what is known of biology suggest that the essential traits of living systems could have not emerged in the absence of genetic material able to store, express and, upon replication, transmit to its progeny information capable of undergoing evolutionary change. How such genetic polymer first evolved is a central issue in origin-of-life studies.

Development of quality of life instrument for urban poor in the northeast of Thailand.

PubMed

Surit, Phrutthinun; Laohasiriwong, Wongsa; Sanchaisuriya, Pattara; Schelp, Frank Perter

2008-09-01

Measuring the quality of life is important for evaluation and prediction of life and social care needs. To evaluate Quality of Life (QOL) in an urban poor population in northeast of Thailand, the Urban Poor Quality of Life (UPQOL) instrument was developed To develop an initial instrument to measure urban poor QOL. The development was started with literature review and investigated in urban poor communities. The results were transformed into the items required to build a structured questionnaire. Five hundred twenty three subjects, representatives of urban poor, were selected to test this instrument. Descriptive statistics described feature of items and the samples, exploratory factor analysis conducted the items score, and confirmatory factor analysis conducted the construct validity. The result found that the UPQOL instrument consisted of nine domains (education, income and employment, environment, health, infrastructure, security and safety, shelter and housing, civil society and political, and human rights domains) with egien value rank from 1.5 to 4.2 and 61 items with the factor loading rank from 0.41 to 0.82. The internal consistency was 0.92. The correlation between items to domain ranged from 0.30 to 0.72 and domains to overall QOL ranged from 0.27 to 0.84. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the structure fit all domains well. Domains and overall structure were good with CFI (> 0.95). The internal consistency value ranged from 0.73-0.93. UPQOL scores were able to discriminate groups of subjects with differences levels of QOL. The UPQOL instrument is conceptually valid. The results support good validity and reliability. It forms the basis for future testing and application in other settings.

Evaluation of Quality of Life, Functioning, Disability, and Work/School Productivity Following Treatment with an Extended-Release Hydrocodone Tablet Formulated with Abuse-Deterrence Technology: A 12-month Open-label Study in Patients with Chronic Pain.

PubMed

Hale, Martin E; Zimmerman, Thomas R; Ma, Yuju; Malamut, Richard

2017-02-01

This phase 3 study evaluated quality of life, functioning, and productivity after treatment with extended-release (ER) hydrocodone formulated with CIMA ® Abuse-Deterrence Technology platform. Patients with chronic pain were rolled over from a 12-week placebo-controlled hydrocodone ER study or were newly enrolled. Hydrocodone ER doses were titrated (15 to 90 mg every 12 hours) to an analgesic dose, and patients received up to 52 weeks of open-label treatment. Assessments included Clinician Assessment of Patient Function (CAPF), Patient Assessment of Function (PAF), Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire-Short Form (HPQ-SF). Of 330 enrolled patients, 291 composed the full analysis population. By week 4, ≥ 50% of patients showed improvement from baseline in all 5 CAPF domains (general activities, walking, work/daily living, relationships, and enjoyment of life) and 6 of 7 PAF domains (work attendance, work performance, walking, exercise, socializing, and enjoying life). Mean decreases from baseline of 2 to 3 points were noted for BPI-SF pain interference questions from week 4 through endpoint. Mean improvements from baseline to endpoint in SF-36 subscales ranged from 3.3 to 22.3, and SDS scores improved from moderate (4.8 to 5.1) to mild (2.5 to 2.8) disruptions in work/school, social life, and family life. At endpoint, mean HPQ-SF absolute absenteeism scores decreased from 13.6 to 10.0 hours lost/month and absolute presenteeism scores improved from 67.0 to 77.1. Patients receiving hydrocodone ER showed early numeric improvements in functioning that continued throughout this 12-month study. © 2016 World Institute of Pain.

Ecological stability during the LGM and the mid-Holocene in the Alpine Steppes of Tibet?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miehe, Georg; Miehe, Sabine; Bach, Kerstin; Kluge, Jürgen; Wesche, Karsten; Yongping, Yang; Jianquan, Liu

2011-09-01

Arid and Alpine ecosystems are known for extreme environmental changes during the Late Quaternary. We hypothesize that the world's largest Alpine arid ecosystem however, the Alpine Steppes of the Tibetan highlands, remained ecologically stable during the LGM and the mid-Holocene. This hypothesis is tested by distributional range of plant species, plant life forms and rate of endemism. The set of character species has a precipitation gradient between 50 and 350 mm/a, testifying for resilience to precipitation changes. 83% of the species have a wider vertical range than 1000 m used as a proxy for resilience to temperature changes. 30% of the species are endemic with 10 endemic genera, including plate-shaped cushions as a unique plant life form. These findings are in line with palaeo-ecological proxies (δ 18O, pollen) allowing the assumption that Alpine Steppes persisted during the LGM with 3 to 4 K lower summer temperatures. During the mid-Holocene, forests could have replaced Alpine Steppes in the upper catchments of the Huang He, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Yarlung Zhangbo, but not in the interior basins of the north-western highlands, because the basins were then flooded, suppressing forests and supporting the environmental stability of this arid Alpine grassland biome.

76 FR 36583 - Submission for Review: Life Insurance Election, Standard Form 2817

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-22

... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: Life Insurance Election, Standard Form 2817... agencies the opportunity to comment on a revised information collection request (ICR) 3206-0230, Life... of the life insurance). Clearance of this form for use by active Federal employees is not required...

What Questionnaires To Use When Measuring Quality Of Life In Sacral Tumor Patients? The Updated Sacral Tumor Survey

PubMed Central

van Wulfften Palthe, Olivier D.R.; Janssen, Stein J.; Wunder, Jay S.; Ferguson, Peter C.; Wei, Guo; Rose, Peter. S.; Yaszemski, Micheal J.; Sim, Franklin H.; Boland, Patrick J.; Healey, John H.; Hornicek, Francis J.; Schwab, Joseph H.

2017-01-01

Background context Patient reported outcomes are becoming increasingly important when investigating results of patient and disease management. In sacral tumor patients symptoms can vary substantially, therefore no single questionnaire can adequately account for the full spectrum of symptoms and disability. Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze redundancy within the current sacral tumor survey and make a recommendation for an updated version based on the results and patient and expert opinions. Study design/setting A survey study from a tertiary care orthopaedic oncology referral center was used for this study. Patient sample The patient sample included 70 patients with sacral tumors (78% chordoma). Outcome measures The following ten questionnaires included in the current sacral tumor survey were evaluated: the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Item short form, PROMIS Pain Intensity short form, PROMIS Pain Interference short form, PROMIS Neuro-QOL v1.0 Lower Extremity Function short form, PROMIS v1.0 Anxiety short form, the PROMIS v1.0 Depression short form, the International Continence Society (ICS) Male short form, the Modified Obstruction-Defecation Syndrome (MODS) questionnaire, the PROMIS Sexual Function Profile v1.0, and The Stoma Quality Of Life tool. Methods We performed an exploratory factor analysis to calculate possible underlying latent traits. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to measure to what extent the questionnaires converged. We hypothesized the existence of six domains based on current literature: mental health, physical health, pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, sexual function, and urinary incontinence. To assess content validity, we surveyed 32 patients, nine orthopaedic oncologists, one medical oncologist, one radiation oncologist, and an orthopaedic oncology nurse practitioner with experience in treating sacral tumor patients on the relevance of the domains. Results Reliability as measured by Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.65 to 0.96. Coverage measured by floor and ceiling effects ranged from 0 to 52% and from 0 to 30%, respectively. Explanatory factor analysis identified three traits to which the questionnaires that were expected to measure a similar construct correlated the most; mental health, physical function, and pain. Content validity index demonstrated low disagreement among patients (range: 0.10 to 0.18) and high agreement among physicians (range: 0.91 to 1.0) on the relevance of the proposed domains. Social health was identified by 50% of the commenting patients as an important yet missing domain. Conclusions The current sacral tumor survey is incomplete, time consuming, and not all surveys are appropriate for the sacral tumor population. Our recommended survey contains less than half the questions and includes the newly recognized domain social health. PMID:27856381

Biomarkers in Carbonate Thermal Springs: Implications for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, C. C.; Kivett, S. J.; McKay, D. S.

1998-01-01

Evidence of possible relict biogenic activity has been reported in carbonate inclusions within martian meteorite ALH 84001. The initial evidence included ovoid and elongated forms 50 - 500 nanometers in length, morphologically similar to but significantly smaller than many terrestrial microbes. More recently, thin structures resembling the remains of organic biofilms have been reported in the same meteorite. Carbonates have also been discussed in the context of Mars sample return missions. Thermal spring deposits have often been cited as prime locations for exobiological exploration. By analogy to Earth, specialized microbes may have existed in the heated, mineralized waters, and precipitates of carbonate and/or silica from these waters may have trapped and preserved evidence of life. Since the geological interactions that produce thermal springs can be recognized in orbital imagery, directed searches for microfossils in such deposits are deemed possible. We are engaged in a study of the signatures produced by contemporary biogenic activity (biomarkers) in carbonate thermal springs. We are examining the microbes that live in such environments and the preservation of microbial forms, biofilms, and petrographic fabrics indicative of life in thermal spring mineral deposits. This work is part of a much more extensive study to refine the appropriate tools, techniques, and approaches to seek evidence of life in a range of planetary samples. A deeper understanding of biological signatures will prepare us for the detailed search for life on Mars and eventually on other planets. Overall. the study of biomarkers in rocks and soils will provide insight into the evolution of life because such signatures are a record of how life interacts with its environment, how it adapts to changing conditions, and how life can influence geology and climate.

Health-related quality of life before and after bariatric surgery in adolescents.

PubMed

Loux, Tara J; Haricharan, Ramanath N; Clements, Ronald H; Kolotkin, Ronette L; Bledsoe, Samuel E; Haynes, Beverly; Leath, Teresa; Harmon, Carroll M

2008-07-01

Recent data reaffirm decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL) in obese adults and children. Health-related quality of life is markedly improved after bariatric surgery in adults. Little HRQL data are available in adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery. Sixteen patients (14-20 years old) underwent gastric bypass. Thirteen patients completed a general HRQL measure (Short Form 36 [SF-36]) before surgery. Of these, 9 completed the SF-36 again at various follow-up times, as well as a measure of weight-related quality of life (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite). Three patients completed postsurgical forms only. Data were analyzed using t test and analysis of variance. Results are reported as mean +/- SD. Mean age and body mass index at operation were 18.5 +/- 1.7 years and 54 +/- 7.6 kg/m(2). Postoperatively, patients lost an average of 66% +/- 29% excess weight over a mean follow-up of 17 +/- 12 (range, 1-39) months. Mean preoperative SF-36 physical component score was 34.7 +/- 10 and mental component score was 40.6 +/- 13.5 (adult population mean = 50.0 +/- 10 for each). At last follow-up, mean physical component score had increased to 55.5 +/- 5, and mental component score, to 55.2 +/- 8.6 (P < .0001). Adolescent Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite scores after surgery did not differ from means for normal weight adults (93% +/- 7% vs 96% +/- 7%, P = .15). Health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults undergoing bariatric surgery improves dramatically in early follow-up. Long-term data are needed to definitively study this surgical therapy for obesity in adolescents.

Similarity of nannobacterial lifeforms in cultures, in the human body, in minerals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folk, R.

Nearly a dozen labs world-wide have succeeded in culturing minute organisms in the 50-200 nm size range, so the characterization of nannobacteria as some form of "life" is no longer arguable. Within the human body, they are found in blood, kidney stones, dental plaque, arterial disease and cataracts as shown by the Kajander group in Finland, and by our work with Mayo Clinic (e.g. Folk et al., 2001 GSA abs.). Nannobacteria can be concentrated in waters from hot springs, lakes, rivers and the sea. Their charged cell walls attract ions thus triggering precipitation of such varied authigenic minerals as aragonite, calcite, dolomite and siderite; sulfur, pyrite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite; phosphates; chalcedony quartz; and smectite, illite, kaolinite, chlorite and palygorskite clay. So it should be no surprise that on Mars, with reactive FeMg minerals, subsurface (and once surface) water, and internal heat, nannobacteria would be able to thrive both in vein-fill carbonates (McKay et al, 1996) and on the altered surfaces of unstable pyroxenes (Folk and Taylor, in press Met. &Plan. S i., 2002). Striking identities of sizes, shapes, and colonial affinitiesc are found between Martian nannobacteria and those in clays from Sicily and elsewhere (Folk and Lynch, 1997 SPIE). Extraterrestrial forms range from spheroids and ovoids of 30-80 nm, to worm- and caterpillar-shaped objects (40 X 150 nm) and chains of 40 nm beads. Even in the Allende carbonaceous chondrite, groups of 40- 150 nm bodies resembly earthly Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are found (Folk and Lynch 1998 SPIE). The highly-matured nature of the kerogen-like carbon in Allende demonstrates that it is not the result of earthly contamination; furthermore Allende contains clay minerals which demand the former presence of some water, a requirement for biology.The only objection to the claimed discovery of extraterrestrial life in the form of nannobacteria is the Old Testament view that God created life only on Earth and nowhere else.

Dynamic and diverse sugar signaling

PubMed Central

Li, Lei; Sheen, Jen

2016-01-01

Sugars fuel life and exert numerous regulatory actions that are fundamental to all life forms. There are two principal mechanisms underlie sugar “perception and signal transduction” in biological systems. Direct sensing and signaling is triggered via sugar-binding sensors with a broad range of affinity and specificity, whereas sugar-derived bioenergetic molecules and metabolites modulate signaling proteins and indirectly relay sugar signals. This review discusses the emerging sugar signals and potential sugar sensors discovered in plant systems. The findings leading to informative understanding of physiological regulation by sugars are considered and assessed. Comparative transcriptome analyses highlight the primary and dynamic sugar responses and reveal the convergent and specific regulators of key biological processes in the sugar-signaling network. PMID:27423125

Psychometrics of the Short Form 36 Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Quality of Life Scale for Drug Addicts (QOL-DAv2.0) in Chinese mainland patients with methadone maintenance treatment.

PubMed

Zhou, Kaina; Zhuang, Guihua; Zhang, Hongmei; Liang, Peifeng; Yin, Juan; Kou, Lingling; Hao, Mengmeng; You, Lijuan

2013-01-01

To test psychometrics of the Short Form 36 Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Quality of Life Scale for Drug Addicts (QOL-DAv2.0) in Chinese mainland patients with methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). A total of 1,212 patients were recruited from two MMT clinics in Xi'an, China. Reliability was estimated with Cronbach's α and intra-class correlation (ICC). Convergent and discriminant validity was assessed using multitrait-multimethod correlation matrix. Sensitivity was measured with ANOVA and relative efficiency. Responsiveness was evaluated by pre-post paired-samples t-test and standardized response mean based on the patients' health status changes following 6-month period. Cronbach's α of the SF-36v2 physical and mental summary components were 0.80 and 0.86 (eight scales range 0.73-0.92) and the QOL-DAv2.0 was 0.96 (four scales range: 0.80-0.93). ICC of the SF-36v2 two components were 0.86 and 0.85 (eight scales range: 0.72-0.87) and the QOL-DAv2.0 was 0.94 (four scales range: 0.88-0.92). Convergent validity was lower between the two instruments (γ <0.70) while discriminant validity was acceptable within each instrument. Sensitivity was satisfied in self-evaluated health status (both instruments) and average daily methadone dose (SF-36v2 physical functioning and vitality scales; QOL-DAv2.0 except psychology scale). Responsiveness was acceptable in the improved health status change (SF-36v2 except vitality scale; QOL-DAv2.0 except psychology and symptoms scales) and deteriorated health status change (SF-36v2 except vitality, social functioning and mental health scales; QOL-DAv2.0 except society scale). The SF-36v2 and the QOL-DAv2.0 are valid tools and can be used independently or complementary according to different emphases of health-related quality of life evaluation in patients with MMT.

Psychometrics of the Short Form 36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Quality of Life Scale for Drug Addicts (QOL-DAv2.0) in Chinese Mainland Patients with Methadone Maintenance Treatment

PubMed Central

Zhou, Kaina; Zhuang, Guihua; Zhang, Hongmei; Liang, Peifeng; Yin, Juan; Kou, Lingling; Hao, Mengmeng; You, Lijuan

2013-01-01

Objective To test psychometrics of the Short Form 36 Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Quality of Life Scale for Drug Addicts (QOL-DAv2.0) in Chinese mainland patients with methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Methods A total of 1,212 patients were recruited from two MMT clinics in Xi’an, China. Reliability was estimated with Cronbach’s α and intra-class correlation (ICC). Convergent and discriminant validity was assessed using multitrait-multimethod correlation matrix. Sensitivity was measured with ANOVA and relative efficiency. Responsiveness was evaluated by pre-post paired-samples t-test and standardized response mean based on the patients’ health status changes following 6-month period. Results Cronbach’s α of the SF-36v2 physical and mental summary components were 0.80 and 0.86 (eight scales range 0.73–0.92) and the QOL-DAv2.0 was 0.96 (four scales range: 0.80–0.93). ICC of the SF-36v2 two components were 0.86 and 0.85 (eight scales range: 0.72–0.87) and the QOL-DAv2.0 was 0.94 (four scales range: 0.88–0.92). Convergent validity was lower between the two instruments (γ <0.70) while discriminant validity was acceptable within each instrument. Sensitivity was satisfied in self-evaluated health status (both instruments) and average daily methadone dose (SF-36v2 physical functioning and vitality scales; QOL-DAv2.0 except psychology scale). Responsiveness was acceptable in the improved health status change (SF-36v2 except vitality scale; QOL-DAv2.0 except psychology and symptoms scales) and deteriorated health status change (SF-36v2 except vitality, social functioning and mental health scales; QOL-DAv2.0 except society scale). Conclusions The SF-36v2 and the QOL-DAv2.0 are valid tools and can be used independently or complementary according to different emphases of health-related quality of life evaluation in patients with MMT. PMID:24278188

Evidence of panmixia between sympatric life history forms of coastal cutthroat trout in two lower Columbia River tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Baumsteiger, Jason; Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Hudson, J. Michael; Ardren, William R.

2010-01-01

Coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii exhibit resident and migratory life history strategies that often occur sympatrically, but the relationship between these forms within a population is poorly characterized. Through use of passive integrated transponder technology, migratory and resident coastal cutthroat trout were identified in two lower Columbia River tributaries (Abernathy Creek and the Chinook River) separated by more than 80 km. Genetic data from 17 highly variable microsatellite loci were used to ascertain the genetic population structure of these life history forms within and between streams. No distinct genetic separation was observed between the life history forms within a stream, as assessed by four different statistical approaches: permutation tests based on the genetic differentiation index F ST, principal components analysis of individuals, analysis of molecular variance, and contingency tests of allele frequency heterogeneity. Genetic differences were an order of magnitude higher between stream samples (F ST > 0.03) than between life history forms within a stream (F ST < 0.003). The contingency test detected allele frequency differences between migratory and resident life history forms in Abernathy Creek (P = 0.001), but this result was influenced more by age-class structure than by reproductive isolation between life history forms. Results are consistent with a single, randomly mating population in each stream producing both migratory and resident life history forms. These data suggest that individual life history strategy in coastal cutthroat trout is predominantly determined by phenotypic plasticity rather than genotype.

Impact of body size, nutrition and socioeconomic position in early life on the epigenome: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Maddock, Jane; Wulaningsih, Wahyu; Hardy, Rebecca

2017-07-05

Body size, nutrition and socioeconomic position (SEP) in early life have been associated with a range of later life health outcomes. Epigenetic regulation is one mechanism through which these early life factors may impact later life health. The aim of this review protocol is to outline procedures to document the influence of body size, nutrition and SEP in early life on the epigenome. MEDLINE, Embase and BIOSIS will be systematically searched using pre-defined keywords. Additional studies will be identified through manual searching of reference lists. Two independent researchers will assess the eligibility and quality of each study, with disagreements being resolved through discussion or a third reviewer. Studies will be included if they have epigenetic markers measured either at the same time as, or after, the early life exposure and, have a measure of body size, nutrition or SEP in early life (up to 12 years), are in the English language and are from a sample of community-dwelling participants. This protocol will be used to collate the evidence for the effect of early life factors on the epigenome. Findings will form a component of a wider research study examining epigenetic responses to exposures in early life and over the life course and its impact on healthy ageing using data from population-based cohort studies. PROSPERO CRD42016050193.

Agreement Between Responses From Community-Dwelling Persons With Stroke and Their Proxies on the NIH Neurological Quality of Life (Neuro-QoL) Short Forms.

PubMed

Kozlowski, Allan J; Singh, Ritika; Victorson, David; Miskovic, Ana; Lai, Jin-Shei; Harvey, Richard L; Cella, David; Heinemann, Allen W

2015-11-01

To examine agreement between patient and proxy responses on the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) instruments after stroke. Cross-sectional observational substudy of the longitudinal, multisite, multicondition Neuro-QoL validation study. In-person, interview-guided, patient-reported outcomes. Convenience sample of dyads (N=86) of community-dwelling persons with stroke and their proxy respondents. Not applicable. Dyads concurrently completed short forms of 8 or 9 items for the 13 Neuro-QoL adult domains using the patient-proxy perspective. Agreement was examined at the scale-level with difference scores, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), effect size statistics, and Bland-Altman plots, and at the item-level with kappa coefficients. We found no mean differences between patients and proxies on the Applied Cognition-General Concerns, Depression, Satisfaction With Social Roles and Activities, Stigma, and Upper Extremity Function (Fine Motor, activities of daily living) short forms. Patients rated themselves more favorably on the Applied Cognition-Executive Function, Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, Lower Extremity Function (Mobility), Positive Affect and Well-Being, Anxiety, Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol, and Fatigue short forms. The largest mean patient-proxy difference observed was 3 T-score points on the Lower Extremity Function (Mobility). ICCs ranged from .34 to .59. However, limits of agreement showed dyad differences exceeding ±20 T-score points, and item-level agreement ranged from not significant to weighted kappa=.34. Proxy responses on Neuro-QoL short forms can complement responses of moderate- to high-functioning community-dwelling persons with stroke and augment group-level analyses, but do not substitute for individual patient ratings. Validation is needed for other stroke populations. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Hydroelectric Power Plants (hpp) on Agro-Life at Rural Land Regulation in Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onursal Denli, G.; Denli, H. H.; Seker, D. Z.; Bitik, E.; Cetin, S.

2014-12-01

Turkey is one of the self-sufficient in foodstuffs and globally ranks as 7th significant agricultural exporter in the world. Main trading partners are the European Union, the United States and the Middle East. As known, agricultural production is dependent on factors including efficient and effective use of all inputs ranging from those natural resources as in land and water to well-trained human resources as labour at the production. The socio-economic aspects of this sector take several forms ranging from the incomes of the primary producers. Rural land regulation is a necessity for rural areas and is regarded as a useful instrument for improving farmer's incomes and life standards. The irrigation system, established during the rural regulation/land consolidation period of large-scale farming, is insufficiently adjusted to the new land tenure structures. The government is especially in the process of water management with hydroelectric power plants. This process produces energy that is required but effects negatively the rivers and agricultural, environmental, climatic conditions. Rivers are vessels of the nature. Free flowing rivers give life to all nature. Most of the studies indicate that Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPP) affects the surface and ground-water management, natural life, agricultural productivity, socio-economic situation at agricultural regions and agro-life related with immigration. This study emphasizes the effect of Hydroelectric Power Plants which are used in transformation of water as a renewable natural resource into electricity power from the perspective of environmental policies and rural regulation.

Search for extraterrestrial life using chiral molecules: mandelate racemase as a test case.

PubMed

Thaler, Tracey L; Gibbs, Phillip R; Trebino, Rick P; Bommarius, Andreas S

2006-12-01

We have investigated an enzymatic racemization reaction as a marker for extraterrestrial life, which resulted in a change in optical rotation of a mandelic acid over time, as measured by polarimetry. Mandelate racemase was active in aqueous buffer in a temperature range between 0 degrees C and 70 degrees C and also in concentrated ammonium salt solutions and water-in-oil microemulsions in a temperature range between -30 degrees C and 60-70 degrees C; however, the enzyme was not active in several organic cryosolvents. Thus, we have demonstrated that concentrated ammonium salt solutions and water-in-oil microemulsions, both of which are able to form on extraterrestrial planets and moons in the presence of liquid water, are suitable media for enzyme reactions at subzero temperatures. Kinetic data for the mandelate racemase reaction obtained by polarimetry, while reproducible and internally consistent, differed significantly from several sets of data obtained previously by other methods such as chromatography and hydrogen-deuterium exchange. However, we conclude that reactions yielding a polarimetric signal, such as the racemizations employed in this work, are suitable mechanisms by which to utilize a change in chirality over time as a tool to detect signs of life.

Intraspecific lineage divergence and its association with reproductive trait change during species range expansion in central Eurasian wild wheat Aegilops tauschii Coss. (Poaceae).

PubMed

Matsuoka, Yoshihiro; Takumi, Shigeo; Kawahara, Taihachi

2015-09-30

How species ranges form in landscapes is a matter of long-standing evolutionary interest. However, little is known about how natural phenotypic variations of ecologically important traits contribute to species range expansion. In this study, we examined the phylogeographic patterns of phenotypic changes in life history (seed production) and phenological (flowering time) traits during the range expansion of Aegilops tauschii Coss. from the Transcaucasus and Middle East to central Asia. Our comparative analyses of the patterns of natural variations for those traits and their association with the intraspecific lineage structure showed that (1) the eastward expansion to Asia was driven by an intraspecific sublineage (named TauL1b), (2) high seed production ability likely had an important role at the initial dispersal stage of TauL1b's expansion to Asia, and (3) the phenological change to early flowering phenotypes was one of the key adaptation events for TauL1b to further expand its range in Asia. This study provides for the first time a broad picture of the process of Ae. tauschii's eastward range expansion in which life history and phenological traits may have had respective roles in its dispersal and adaptation in Asia. The clear association of seed production and flowering time patterns with the intraspecific lineage divergence found in this study invites further genetic research to bring the mechanistic understanding of the changes in these key functional traits during range expansion within reach.

Life histories of microalgal species causing harmful blooms: Haploids, diploids and the relevance of benthic stages.

PubMed

Figueroa, Rosa Isabel; Estrada, Marta; Garcés, Esther

2018-03-01

In coastal and offshore waters, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) currently threaten the well-being of coastal countries. These events, which can be localized or involve wide-ranging areas, pose risks to human health, marine ecosystems, and economic resources, such as tourism, fisheries, and aquaculture. Dynamics of HABs vary from one site to another, depending on the hydrographic and ecological conditions. The challenge in investigating HABs is that they are caused by organisms from multiple algal classes, each with its own unique features, including different life histories. The complete algal life cycle has been determined in <1% of the described species, although elucidation of the life cycles of bloom-forming species is essential in developing preventative measures. The knowledge obtained thus far has confirmed the complexity of the algal life cycle, which is composed of discrete life stages whose morphology, ecological niche (plankton/benthos), function, and lifespan vary. The factors that trigger transitions between the different stages in nature are mostly unknown, but it is clear that an understanding of this process provides the key to effectively forecasting bloom recurrence, maintenance, and decline. Planktonic stages constitute an ephemeral phase of the life cycle of most species whereas resistant, benthic stages enable a species to withstand adverse conditions for prolonged periods, thus providing dormant reservoirs for eventual blooms and facilitating organismal dispersal. Here we review current knowledge of the life cycle strategies of major groups of HAB producers in marine and brackish waters. Rather than providing a comprehensive discussion, the objective was to highlight several of the research milestones that have changed our understanding of the plasticity and frequency of the different life cycle stages as well as the transitions between them. We also discuss the relevance of benthic and planktonic forms and their implications for HAB dynamics. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Possible and False Biomarkers from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Max P.

2004-01-01

The Search for life in the Solar System is one of NASA's main goals for the coming decade. We may never observe alien life directly; we or our robotic craft may always be removed from it by many years, or meters of crust. If we do find evidence of Life elsewhere in the Solar System it will probably be in form of chemical biomarkers, quintessentially biological molecules that indicate the presence of micro-organisms. What molecules would be truly indicative of alien life? Chlorophyll fragments, which are often used by geochemists are probably far too specific. Simpler molecules, such as fatty acids, amino acids and nucleo-bases might seem to be biomarkers, but they can form non-biotically in space. Alkyl substituted aromatics in ALH 84001 have been invoked as biomarkers, but they are not strong evidence in and of themselves. Understanding the range of nonbiological organic molecules which could act as false biomarkers in space is a prerequisite for any reasonable search for true biomarkers on other worlds. When simple organics arrive at the surface of a body like Europa, either from below or from space, how long do they survive and what do they make? How can we distinguish these from real biomarkers? In this talk I will present some ideas about what might be useful qualities to consider in a potential biomarker, and will ask for advice from the attendant geochemists.

Extremophiles and the search for extraterrestrial life.

PubMed

Cavicchioli, Ricardo

2002-01-01

Extremophiles thrive in ice, boiling water, acid, the water core of nuclear reactors, salt crystals, and toxic waste and in a range of other extreme habitats that were previously thought to be inhospitable for life. Extremophiles include representatives of all three domains (Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya); however, the majority are microorganisms, and a high proportion of these are Archaea. Knowledge of extremophile habitats is expanding the number and types of extraterrestrial locations that may be targeted for exploration. In addition, contemporary biological studies are being fueled by the increasing availability of genome sequences and associated functional studies of extremophiles. This is leading to the identification of new biomarkers, an accurate assessment of cellular evolution, insight into the ability of microorganisms to survive in meteorites and during periods of global extinction, and knowledge of how to process and examine environmental samples to detect viable life forms. This paper evaluates extremophiles and extreme environments in the context of astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Stone-Ice Bodies as Possible Incubators of a Primary Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busarev, V. V.

2014-10-01

Widespread in the interstellar medium three-atomic molecules of HCN and H2O and derivative formamid (NH2COH) are the basis for the origin of life. It is shown that irradiation of formamid by protons in the presence of terrestrial mineral and meteoritic catalysts in conditions compatible with terrestrial leads to simultaneous synthesis of a wide range of compounds (amino acids, heterocycles, alcohols, amides, sugars, etc.) having potential to develop as genetics (based on RNA and DNA), and metabolism underlying terrestrial life forms [1, 2]. However, the intended path of extraterrestrial origin of life in the open interstellar medium could not reach its logical end. The subsequent stages of the assumed biological synthesis needed protection from the harsh cosmic factors and presence of liquid water, catalysts, etc. (e.g., [3]). Such conditions could be realized only on planetary bodies and/or in their interiors. On the basis of observations and calculations, the author sug! gested that the objects were in the early Solar system. Such could be stone-ice bodies.

The biological universe: the twentieth-century extraterrestrial life debate and the limits of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dick, Steven J.

Throughout the twentieth century, from the furor over Percival Lowell's claim of canals on Mars to the sophisticated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, otherworldly life has often intrigued and occasionally consumed science and the public. Does `biological law' reign throughout the universe? Are there other histories, religions, and philosophies outside of those on Earth? Do extraterrestrial minds ponder the mysteries of the universe? The attempts toanswer these often asked questions form one of the most interesting chapters in the history of science and culture, and The Biological Universe is the first book to provide a rich and colorful history of those attempts during the twentieth century. Covering a broad range of topics, including the search for life in the solar system, the origins of life, UFOs, and aliens in science fiction, Steven J. Dick shows how the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence is a world view of its own, a `biophysical cosmology' that seeks confirmation no less than physical views of the universe.

The biological universe. The twentieth century extraterrestrial life debate and the limits of science.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dick, S. J.

Throughout the twentieth century, from the furor over Percival Lowell's claim of canals on Mars to the sophisticated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, otherworldly life has often intrigued and occasionally consumed science and the public. Does 'biological law' reign throughout the universe? Are there other histories, religions, and philosophies outside of those on Earth? Do extraterrestrial minds ponder the mysteries of the universe? The attempts to answer these often asked questions form one of the most interesting chapters in the history of science and culture, and this is the first book to provide a rich and colorful history of those attempts during the twentieth century. Covering a broad range of topics, including the search for life in the solar system, the origins of life, UFOs, and aliens in science fiction, the author shows how the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence is a world view of its own, a 'biophysical cosmology' that seeks confirmation no less than physical views of the universe.

Developing a scale for quality of life in pediatric oncology patients aged 7-12--children and parent forms.

PubMed

Kudubes, Asli Akdeniz; Bektas, Murat

2015-01-01

This study was planned in an attempt to develop a scale for the quality of life in pediatric oncology patients aged 7-12, with child and parents forms. In collecting the study data, we used the Child and Parent Information Form, Visual Quality of Life Scale, Scale for Quality of Life Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 7-12 and the Scale for the Quality of Life in Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 7-12 for Parents. We also used Pearson correlation analysis, the Cronbach alpha coefficient, factor analysis and ROC analysis for the study data. In this study, the total Cronbach alpha value of the parent form was 0.96, the total factor load being 0.54-0.90 and the total variance explained was 82.5%. The cutoff point of the parent form was 93 points. The total Cronbach alpha value for the child form was 0.96, with a total factor load of 0.55-0.91 and the total variance being explained was 78.3%. The cutoff point of the child form was 65 points. This study suggests that the Scale for Quality of Life in Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 7-12 Child and Parents Forms are valid and reliable instruments in assessing the quality of life of children.

Psychometric properties of the existence subscale of the purpose in life questionnaire for Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Law, Ben M F

2012-01-01

The current study aims to test the psychometric properties of the Existence Subscale of the Purpose in Life Questionnaire (EPIL) for early adolescence. The Purpose in Life Questionnaire (PIL), originally created by Craumbaugh and Maholick, is a 20-item scale measuring different dimensions of life purposes. The current study selected seven items representative of the existence dimension to form another scale, the EPIL. The analysis was based on 2842 early adolescents, ranging from 11 to 14 years old. Principal axis factoring found one factor, with 60% variance being explained. Cronbach's alpha for the EPIL was 0.89, which was high. The factor structure was stable across genders. Criterion-related validity was determined when the scale was used to differentiate volunteers and nonvolunteers. Construct validity was found when the scale was associated with life satisfaction. The results give support to the fact that the EPIL could be used alone to measure the psychological well-being of early adolescents and the appropriateness of the EPIL in adolescent research.

Procrastination, Distress and Life Satisfaction across the Age Range - A German Representative Community Study.

PubMed

Beutel, Manfred E; Klein, Eva M; Aufenanger, Stefan; Brähler, Elmar; Dreier, Michael; Müller, Kai W; Quiring, Oliver; Reinecke, Leonard; Schmutzer, Gabriele; Stark, Birgit; Wölfling, Klaus

2016-01-01

Addressing the lack of population-based data the purpose of this representative study was to assess procrastination and its associations with distress and life satisfaction across the life span. A representative German community sample (1,350 women; 1,177 men) between the ages of 14 and 95 years was examined by the short form of the General Procrastination Scale (GPS-K; 1) and standardized scales of perceived stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue and life satisfaction. As hypothesized, procrastination was highest in the youngest cohort (14-29 years). Only in the youngest and most procrastinating cohort (aged 14 to 29 years), men procrastinated more than women. As we had further hypothesized, procrastination was consistently associated with higher stress, more depression, anxiety, fatigue and reduced satisfaction across life domains, especially regarding work and income. Associations were also found with lack of a partnership and unemployment. Findings are discussed with regard to potential developmental and cohort effects. While procrastination appears to be a pervasive indicator for maladjustment, longitudinal analyses in high-risk samples (e.g. late adolescence, unemployment) are needed to identify means and mechanisms of procrastinating.

Evaluation of quality of life and description of the sociodemographic state in adolescent and young adult patients with phenylketonuria (PKU).

PubMed

Simon, Eva; Schwarz, Martin; Roos, Judith; Dragano, Nico; Geraedts, Max; Siegrist, Johannes; Kamp, Gudrun; Wendel, Udo

2008-03-26

Normal intellectual and personal development can be expected in early-diagnosed and treated PKU patients. Aim of the study was to analyse quality of life and social status, which are important parameters for an overall estimation of success of treatment apart from intellectual outcome in adult PKU patients. 67 patients completed a questionnaire on quality of life and social status. Data was compared to the German census on an age matched control collective. Quality of life measured with the Profile of Quality of Life in the Chronically Ill (PLC) revealed mean values for capacity of performance in the patient group in the same range as in the control collective. The analysis of the social state of PKU patients revealed a tendency towards lower or delayed autonomy, and a low rate of forming normal adult relationships in which to have children. Schooling and professional career corresponded approximately to the control collective. Though every chronic disorder must be regarded as restraining, it shows that PKU does not preclude healthy emotional adjustment when the disease is diagnosed early and treated well.

Validity of the Neurology Quality-of-Life (Neuro-QoL) measurement system in adult epilepsy.

PubMed

Victorson, David; Cavazos, Jose E; Holmes, Gregory L; Reder, Anthony T; Wojna, Valerie; Nowinski, Cindy; Miller, Deborah; Buono, Sarah; Mueller, Allison; Moy, Claudia; Cella, David

2014-02-01

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that results in recurring seizures and can have a significant adverse effect on health-related quality of life (HRQL). The Neuro-QoL measurement initiative is an NINDS-funded system of patient-reported outcome measures for neurology clinical research, which was designed to provide a precise and standardized way to measure HRQL in epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Using mixed-method and item response theory-based approaches, we developed generic item banks and targeted scales for adults and children with major neurological disorders. This paper provides empirical results from a clinical validation study with a sample of adults diagnosed with epilepsy. One hundred twenty-one people diagnosed with epilepsy participated, the majority of which were male (62%) and Caucasian (95%), with a mean age of 47.3 (SD=16.9). Baseline assessments included Neuro-QoL short forms and general and external validity measures. The Neuro-QoL short forms that are not typically found in other epilepsy-specific HRQL instruments include Stigma, Sleep Disturbance, Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol, and Positive Affect and Well-Being. Neurology Quality-of-Life short forms demonstrated adequate reliability (internal consistency range=.86-.96; test-retest range=.57-.89). Pearson correlations (p<.01) between Neuro-QoL forms of emotional distress (anxiety, depression, stigma) and the QOLIE-31 Emotional Well-Being subscale were in the moderate-to-strong range (r's=.66, .71 and .53, respectively), as were relations with the PROMIS Global Mental Health subscale (r's=.59, .74 and .52, respectively). Moderate correlations were observed between Neuro-QoL Social Role Performance and Satisfaction and the QOLIE-31 Social Function (r's=.58 and .52, respectively). In measuring aspects of physical function, the Neuro-QoL Mobility and Upper Extremity forms demonstrated moderate associations with the PROMIS Global Physical Function subscale (r's=.60 and .61, respectively). Neuro-QoL measures of perceived cognitive function (executive function and general concerns) produced moderate-to-strong correlations with the QOLIE-31 Cognition subscale (r's=.65 and .75, respectively) and moderate relations with the Liverpool Adverse Events Profile (r's=.51 and .69, respectively). Finally, the Neuro-QoL Fatigue measure demonstrated moderate associations with the QOLIE-31 Energy/Fatigue subscale (r=-.65), Liverpool Adverse Events Profile (r=.69), and the Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (r=.50). Five Neuro-QoL short forms demonstrated statistically significant responsiveness to change at 5-7months, including Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Depression, Positive Affect and Well-Being, and Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol. Overall, Neuro-QoL instruments showed good evidence for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and responsiveness to change over several months. These results support the validity of Neuro-QoL to measure HRQL in adults with epilepsy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Testing a new form to document 'Goals-of-Care' discussions regarding plans for end-of-life care for patients in an Australian emergency department.

PubMed

Mills, Amber C; Levinson, Michele; Dunlop, William A; Cheong, Edward; Cowan, Timothy; Hanning, Jennifer; O'Callaghan, Erin; Walker, Katherine J

2018-04-16

There is limited literature to inform the content and format of Goals-of-Care forms, for use by doctors when they are undertaking these important conversations. This was a prospective, qualitative and quantitative study evaluating the utility of a new 'Goals-of-Care' form to doctors in a private, tertiary ED, used from December 2016 to February 2017 at Cabrini, Melbourne. A Goals-of-Care form was designed, incorporating medical aims of therapy and patient values and preferences. Doctors wishing to complete a Not-for-CPR form were also supplied with the trial Goals-of-Care form. Form use, content and patient progress were followed. Doctors completing a form were invited to interview. Forms were used in 3% of attendances, 120 forms were taken for use and 108 were analysed. The median patient age was 91, 81% were Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) positive and patients had a 48% 6-month mortality. A total of 34 doctors completed the forms, 16 were interviewed (two ED trainees, 11 senior ED doctors and three others). Theme saturation was only achieved for the senior doctors interviewed. Having a Goals-of-Care form was valued by 88% of doctors. The frequency of section use was: Aims-of-Care 91%; Quality-of-Life 75% (the term was polarising); Functional Impairments 35%; and Outcomes of Value 29%. Opinions regarding the ideal content and format varied. Some doctors liked free-text space and others tick-boxes. The median duration of the conversation and documentation was 10 min (interquartile range 6-20 min). Having a Goals-of-Care form in emergency medicine is supported; the ideal contents of the form was not determined. © 2018 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Perinatal depression and child development: exploring the economic consequences from a South London cohort.

PubMed

Bauer, A; Pawlby, S; Plant, D T; King, D; Pariante, C M; Knapp, M

2015-01-01

Depression in mothers during pregnancy and in the postnatal period has been recognized to have wide-ranging adverse impacts on offspring. Our study examines some of the outcomes and long-term economic implications experienced by offspring who have been exposed to perinatal depression. We analysed the effects of perinatal depression on child development outcomes of children at ages 11 and 16 years from the community-based South London Child Development Study. Economic consequences were attached to those outcomes through simple decision-analytic techniques, building on evidence from studies of epidemiology, health-related quality of life, public sector costs and employment. The economic analysis takes a life-course perspective from the viewpoints of the public sector, individual and society. Additional risks that children exposed to perinatal depression develop emotional, behavioural or cognitive problems ranged from 5% to 21%. In addition, there was a high risk (24%) that children would have special educational needs. We present results in the form of cost consequences attached to adverse child outcomes. For each child exposed to perinatal depression, public sector costs exceeded £3030, costs due to reduced earnings were £1400 and health-related quality of life loss was valued at £3760. Action to prevent or treat mothers' depression during pregnancy and after birth is likely to reduce public sector costs, increase earnings and improve quality of life for children who were exposed to the condition.

Viability criteria for steelhead of the south-central and southern California coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boughton, David A.; Adams, Peter B.; Anderson, Eric; Fusaro, Craig; Keller, Edward A.; Kelley, Elsie; Lentsch, Leo; Nielsen, Jennifer L.; Perry, Katie; Regan, Helen; Smith, Jerry; Swift, Camm C.; Thompson, Lisa; Watson, Fred

2007-01-01

Recovery planning for threatened and endangered steelhead requires measurable, objective criteria for determining an acceptably low risk of extinction. Here we propose viability criteria for two levels of biological organization: individual populations, and groups of populations within the SouthCentral/Southern California Coast Steelhead Recovery Planning Domain. For populations, we adapt criteria commonly used by the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) for identifying at-risk species. For groups of populations we implement a diversity-based “representation and redundancy rule,” in which diversity includes both life-history diversity and biogeographic groupings of populations. The resulting criteria have the potential for straightforward assessment of the risks posed by evolutionary, demographic, environmental, and catastrophic factors; and are designed to use data that are readily collected. However, our prescriptive approach led to one criterion whose threshold could not yet be specified due to inadequate data, and others in which the simplicity of the criteria may render them inefficient for populations with stable run sizes or stable life-history polymorphisms. Both of these problems could likely be solved by directed programs of research and monitoring aimed at developing more efficient (but equally risk-averse) “performance-based criteria.” Of particular utility would be data on the natural fluctuations of populations, research into the stabilizing influence of life-history polymorphisms, and research on the implications of drought, wildfires, and fluvial sediment regimes. Research on estuarine habitat could also yield useful information on the generality and reliability of its role as nursery habitat. Currently, risk assessment at the population level is not possible due to data deficiency, highlighting the need to implement a comprehensive effort to monitor run sizes, anadromous fractions, spawner densities and perhaps marine survival. Assessment at the group level indicates a priority for securing inland populations in the southern Coast Ranges and Transverse Ranges, and a need to maintain not just the fluvial-anadromous life-history form, but also lagoon-anadromous and freshwater-resident forms in each population.

Depression correlates with quality of life in people with epilepsy independent of the measures used.

PubMed

Agrawal, Niruj; Bird, Jacob S; von Oertzen, Tim J; Cock, Hannah; Mitchell, Alex J; Mula, Marco

2016-09-01

A number of studies have suggested that depressed mood is one of the most important predictors of quality of life (QoL) in patients with epilepsy. However, the QoL measure used in previous studies was limited to the Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE) scales. It could be questioned whether correlation of QOLIE with measures of depression is influenced by the properties of the instruments used rather than being a valid effect. By using visual analogue scales, the current study aimed to clarify whether depression and QoL are truly correlated in patients with epilepsy. Data from a sample of 261 outpatients with epilepsy attending the Epilepsy Clinics of the Atkinson Morley Outpatient Department, St George's Hospital in London, were analyzed. Patients were screened using the European Quality-of-Life scale (EQ-5D-3L) which includes an overall visual analogue score (EQ-VAS), the Emotional Thermometer (ET7), the Beck Depression inventory-II (BDI-II), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), and the Major Depression inventory (MDI). Depression was found to significantly correlate with EQ-VAS score with r coefficient ranging from 0.42 to 0.51 and r(2) coefficients ranging between 0.18 and 0.26. In addition, we identified patients who were depressed according to DSM-IV criteria (MD) and those with atypical forms of depression (AD). The EQ-5D-3L scores in these subjects compared with those without depression (ND) showed a different impact of AD and MD on QoL. The relationship between depression and QoL in people with epilepsy has been demonstrated to be a robust and valid effect, not a result of potential bias of the specific measures used. However, the strength of the association is influenced by the individual instrument. Atypical or subsyndromic forms of depression are as relevant as DSM-based depression in terms of impact on QoL. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing Item Response Theory-Based Short Forms to Measure the Social Impact of Burn Injuries.

PubMed

Marino, Molly E; Dore, Emily C; Ni, Pengsheng; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Acton, Amy; Jette, Alan M; Kazis, Lewis E

2018-03-01

To develop self-reported short forms for the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile. Short forms based on the item parameters of discrimination and average difficulty. A support network for burn survivors, peer support networks, social media, and mailings. Burn survivors (N=601) older than 18 years. Not applicable. The LIBRE Profile. Ten-item short forms were developed to cover the 6 LIBRE Profile scales: Relationships with Family & Friends, Social Interactions, Social Activities, Work & Employment, Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Relationships. Ceiling effects were ≤15% for all scales; floor effects were <1% for all scales. The marginal reliability of the short forms ranged from .85 to .89. The LIBRE Profile-Short Forms demonstrated credible psychometric properties. The short form version provides a viable alternative to administering the LIBRE Profile when resources do not allow computer or Internet access. The full item bank, computerized adaptive test, and short forms are all scored along the same metric, and therefore scores are comparable regardless of the mode of administration. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Life Testing and Diagnostics of a Planar Out-of-Core Thermionic Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thayer, Kevin L.; Ramalingam, Mysore L.; Young, Timothy J.; Lamp, Thomas R.

1994-07-01

This paper details the design and performance of an automated computer data acquisition system for a planar, out-of-core thermionic converter with CVD rhenium electrodes. The output characteristics of this converter have been mapped for emitter temperatures ranging from approximately 1700K to 2000K, and life testing of the converter is presently being performed at the design point of operation. An automated data acquisition system has been constructed to facilitate the collection of current density versus output voltage (J-V) and temperature data from the converter throughout the life test. This system minimizes the amount of human interaction necessary during the lifetest to measure and archive the data and present it in a usable form. The task was accomplished using a Macintosh Ilcx computer, two multiple-purpose interface boards, a digital oscilloscope, a sweep generator, and National Instrument's LabVIEW application software package.

26 CFR 12.4 - Election of Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System (ADR).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2011-04-01 2010-04-01 true Election of Class Life Asset Depreciation Range... Election of Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System (ADR). (a) Elections filed before February 1, 1972... election will be treated as an election under the Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System (ADR) as...

26 CFR 12.4 - Election of Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System (ADR).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Election of Class Life Asset Depreciation Range... Election of Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System (ADR). (a) Elections filed before February 1, 1972... election will be treated as an election under the Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System (ADR) as...

Application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) to patients with cataract.

PubMed

Gholami, Ali; Araghi, Mahmood Tavakoli; Shamsabadi, Fatemeh; Bayat, Mahdiye; Dabirkhani, Fatemeh; Moradpour, Farhad; Mansori, Kamyar; Moradi, Yousef; Rajabi, Abdolhalim

2016-01-01

Cataract is a prevalent disease in the elderly, and negatively influences patients' quality of life. This study was conducted to study the application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) to patients with cataract. In this cross-sectional study, 300 patients with cataract were studied in Neyshabur, Iran from July to October 2014. The Iranian version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to measure their quality of life. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Pearson's correlation coefficient, the paired t-test, the independent t-test, and a linear regression model were used to analyze the data in SPSS version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The mean age of the participants was 68.11±11.98 years, and most were female (53%). The overall observed Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the WHOQOL-BREF was 0.889, ranging from 0.714 to 0.810 in its four domains. The total mean score of the respondents on the WHOQOL-BREF was 13.19. The highest and lowest mean scores were observed in the social relationship domain (14.11) and the physical health domain (12.29), respectively. A backward multiple linear regression model found that duration of disease and marital status were associated with total WHOQOL scores, while age, duration of disease, marital status, and income level were associated with domains one through four, respectively (p<0.05). The reliability analysis conducted in this study indicated that the WHOQOL-BREF scale exhibited an acceptable degree of internal consistency in the measurement of the quality of life of patients with cataract. It was also found that the patients with cataract who were surveyed reported a relatively moderate quality of life.

Isotopic and elemental chemistry of sedimentary pyrite: A combined analytical and statistical approach to a novel planetary biosignature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueroa, M. C.; Gregory, D. D.; Lyons, T. W.; Williford, K. H.

2017-12-01

Life processes affect trace element abundances in pyrite such that sedimentary and hydrothermal pyrite have significantly different trace element signatures. Thus, we propose that these biogeochemical data could be used to identify pyrite that formed biogenetically either early in our planet's history or on other planets, particularly Mars. The potential for this approach is elevated because pyrite is common in diverse sedimentary settings, and its trace element content can be preserved despite secondary overprints up to greenschist facies, thus minimizing the concerns about remobilization that can plague traditional whole rock studies. We are also including in-situ sulfur isotope analysis to further refine our understanding of the complex signatures of ancient pyrite. Sulfur isotope data can point straightforwardly to the involvement of life, because pyrite in sediments is inextricably linked to bacterial sulfate reduction and its diagnostic isotopic expressions. In addition to analyzing pyrite of known biological origin formed in the modern and ancient oceans under a range of conditions, we are building a data set for pyrite formed by hydrothermal and metamorphic processes to minimize the risk of false positives in life detection. We have used Random Forests (RF), a machine learning statistical technique with proven efficiency for classifying large geological datasets, to classify pyrite into biotic and abiotic end members. Coupling the trace element and sulfur isotope data from our analyses with a large existing dataset from diverse settings has yielded 4500 analyses with 18 different variables. Our initial results reveal the promise of the RF approach, correctly identifying biogenic pyrite 97 percent of the time. We will continue to couple new in-situ S-isotope and trace element analyses of biogenic pyrite grains from modern and ancient environments, using cutting-edge microanalytical techniques, with new data from high temperature settings. Our ultimately goal is a refined search tool with straightforward application in the search for early life on Earth and distant life recorded in meteorites, returned samples, and in situ measurements.

Flexural fatigue life prediction of closed hat-section using materially nonlinear axial fatigue characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Razzaq, Zia

1989-01-01

Straight or curved hat-section members are often used as structural stiffeners in aircraft. For instance, they are employed as stiffeners for the dorsal skin as well as in the aerial refueling adjacent area structure in F-106 aircraft. The flanges of the hat-section are connected to the aircraft skin. Thus, the portion of the skin closing the hat-section interacts with the section itself when resisting the stresses due to service loads. The flexural fatigue life of such a closed section is estimated using materially nonlinear axial fatigue characteristics. It should be recognized that when a structural shape is subjected to bending, the fatigue life at the neutral axis is infinity since the normal stresses are zero at that location. Conversely, the fatigue life at the extreme fibers where the normal bending stresses are maximum can be expected to be finite. Thus, different fatigue life estimates can be visualized at various distances from the neural axis. The problem becomes compounded further when significant portions away from the neutral axis are stressed into plastic range. A theoretical analysis of the closed hat-section subjected to flexural cyclic loading is first conducted. The axial fatigue characteristics together with the related axial fatigue life formula and its inverted form given by Manson and Muralidharan are adopted for an aluminum alloy used in aircraft construction. A closed-form expression for predicting the flexural fatigue life is then derived for the closed hat-section including materially nonlinear action. A computer program is written to conduct a study of the variables such as the thicknesses of the hat-section and the skin, and the type of alloy used. The study has provided a fundamental understanding of the flexural fatigue life characteristics of a practical structural component used in aircraft when materially nonlinear action is present.

75 FR 49025 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1120-L

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-12

... Form 1120-L, U.S. Life Insurance Company Income Tax Return. DATES: Written comments should be received....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: U.S. Life Insurance Company Income Tax Return. OMB Number: 1545-0128. Form Number: 1120-L. Abstract: Life insurance companies are required to file an annual...

Ice photochemistry as a source of amino acids and other organic molecules in meteorites, and implications for the origin of life and the search for life in the Solar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Max

2005-01-01

The tons of extraterrestrial organic material that come to the Earth every day probably helped to made the Earth habitable, and possibly played a role in the origin of life. At the astrochemistry lab (http://www.astrochem.orq) we investigate the formation and distribution of organic molecules in space and consider the impact such molecules may have on the habitability of planets and the search for life in the Solar System. The organic compounds in meteorites include amino acids, aromatics of various sorts including purine and pyrimidine bases, and fatty acids that form bi-layer vesicles. The origin of many of these species remains mysterious, but in recent years we and others have performed experiments that suggest low temperature radiation chemistry could account for the presence and deuterium enrichment of many of these molecules. . I will present our laboratory experiments that show the viability of low temperature radiation chemistry as a source of organic molecules such as;amino acids (Nature, 2002, 416, 401-403), amphiphiles (Astrobiology, 2003, 2, 371, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 2001, 98, 815), quinones (Science, 1999, 283, 1135) and other functionalized aromatic compounds (Meteoritics, 2001, 36, 351 ; Astrophysical Journal., 2003, 582, L25), some of which were invoked as potential biomarkers in the Alan Hills 84001 Martian meteorite. Understanding how components of proteins and DNA could form in sterile space environments is also of relevance to our search for life elsewhere in the Solar System, the great task now ahead of NASA. If we find evidence of Life elsewhere in the Solar System it will probably be in form of chemical biomarkers, quintessentially biological molecules that indicate the presence of micro-organisms. While most people think of molecules such as amino acids, and nucleo-bases as good candidate biomarkers, these molecules are produced non-biotically in space and are expected to be present on the surface of other planets even in the absence of Life. Understanding the range of non-biological organic molecules which could act as false biomarkers in space is a prerequisite for any reasonable search for Life on other worlds.

Stature of sub-arctic birch in relation to growth rate, lifespan and tree form.

PubMed

Jónsson, Thorbergur Hjalti

2004-11-01

Sub-arctic mountain birch Betula pubescens var. pumila communities in the North Atlantic region are of variable stature, ranging from prostrate scrubs to forests with trees up to 12 m high. Four hypotheses were tested, relating growth and population characteristics of sub-arctic birch woodland and scrub to tree stature; i.e. the variable stature of birch woods is due to differences in (1) the mean growth rate; (2) the age-related patterns of growth rate; (3) the life expectancy of stems; or (4) the tree form. A stratified random sample of 300 birch trees was drawn from the total population of indigenous birch woodlands and scrub in Iceland, yielding 286 valid sample genets. The population was divided into three sub-populations with dominant trees 0-2, 2-4 and 4-12 m tall, referred to as birch scrub, birch scrub-woodland and birch forest, respectively. Trees in the scrub population were of more contorted growth form than birch in the scrub-woodland and forest populations. Mean growth rates, mean age and median life expectancies increased significantly with sub-population of greater tree stature. At the population level, annual increment and longevity of birch stems was apparently interrelated as the stems in vigorously growing birch sub-populations had a longer life expectancy than those of slower growth. However, no difference was observed between sub-populations in age-related patterns of extension growth rate. The results were consistent with hypotheses (1), (3) and (4), but hypothesis (2) was rejected. Hence, mountain birch of more vigorous growth attains a greater stature than birch of lesser increment due to faster extension growth rate and a longer lifespan. In addition, the more contorted stem form of scrub populations contributes to their low stature.

Quantification provides a conceptual basis for convergent evolution.

PubMed

Speed, Michael P; Arbuckle, Kevin

2017-05-01

While much of evolutionary biology attempts to explain the processes of diversification, there is an important place for the study of phenotypic similarity across life forms. When similar phenotypes evolve independently in different lineages this is referred to as convergent evolution. Although long recognised, evolutionary convergence is receiving a resurgence of interest. This is in part because new genomic data sets allow detailed and tractable analysis of the genetic underpinnings of convergent phenotypes, and in part because of renewed recognition that convergence may reflect limitations in the diversification of life. In this review we propose that although convergent evolution itself does not require a new evolutionary framework, none the less there is room to generate a more systematic approach which will enable evaluation of the importance of convergent phenotypes in limiting the diversity of life's forms. We therefore propose that quantification of the frequency and strength of convergence, rather than simply identifying cases of convergence, should be considered central to its systematic comprehension. We provide a non-technical review of existing methods that could be used to measure evolutionary convergence, bringing together a wide range of methods. We then argue that quantification also requires clear specification of the level at which the phenotype is being considered, and argue that the most constrained examples of convergence show similarity both in function and in several layers of underlying form. Finally, we argue that the most important and impressive examples of convergence are those that pertain, in form and function, across a wide diversity of selective contexts as these persist in the likely presence of different selection pressures within the environment. © 2016 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Life Attitude Schedule (LAS-C) in a sample of Taiwanese adolescents.

PubMed

Chang, Hsiu-Ju; Wu, Chiung-Jane; Chen, Tzen Wen; Cheng, Andrew Tai Ann; Lin, Kuan-Chia; Rong, Jiin-Ru; Lee, Hsin-Chien

2011-05-01

Although prior research has proposed that several risk factors are conceptually and positively related to suicidal behavior, researchers have also suggested that suicide may be multifaceted. The Life Attitude Schedule (LAS) measures a broad range of suicide-related behaviors, including life-enhancing and life-threatening behaviors. This study aimed to translate the LAS into Chinese and evaluate the psychometric properties of the new version (LAS-C). A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used. Data were collected from high schools in the city of Taipei in northern Taiwan. A convenience sample of 1492 high school students was recruited from five high schools in Taipei. We used the Multi-Health Systems (MHS) translation policy to guide the translation process. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency (represented by Cronbach's α coefficients) and test-retest (represented by intraclass correlation). Validity was demonstrated by content, convergent, divergent, concurrent, and contrast group comparison. Confirmatory factor analysis was further used to examine the theoretical model and to support construct validity. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the whole scale of the LAS-C and its subscales ranged from 0.70 to 0.91. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.76 to 0.89 on the whole scale and its subscales, and were all statistically significant, at least at the p<0.05 level, indicating good stability over a three-week period. Validity was supported by a Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.99, convergent, divergent, current, and contrast group comparison validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the theoretical model, further providing solid evidence of construct validity. The LAS-C has proper psychometric properties. Future studies must be conducted to shorten the items to form a briefer version. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

World Health Organization quality of life instrument-brief and Short Form-36 in patients with coronary artery disease: do they measure similar quality of life concepts?

PubMed

Cruz, Luciane Nascimento; Camey, Suzi Alves; Fleck, Marcelo Pio; Polanczyk, Carisi Anne

2009-10-01

This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL)-brief and SF-36 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Considering that depression is known to be associated with bad outcomes in CAD and it is highly associated with poor Quality of Life (QOL), we tested the correlation between WHOQOL and SF-36 and an instrument to screen depressive symptoms. It is a cross-sectional survey conducted in 103 patients with documented CAD. QOL was measured through WHOQOL-brief and SF-36 and depressive symptoms were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). To evaluate convergent validity, the correlations between both QOL assessment instruments were examined; discriminant validity was assessed through BDI and QOL instruments correlations. Coefficient Cronbach's alpha was used to test reliability. Percentages of floor and ceiling effects were higher in SF-36 scores than the WHOQOL-brief ones. Although WHOQOL-brief showed a maximum of 1% of floor effect and 9% of ceiling effect, SF-36 presented 40 and 32%, respectively. Internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.65 to 0.85 for the WHOQOL-brief and 0.57 to 0.89 for the SF-36. Correlations between subscales of WHOQOL-brief and BDI ranged from -0.74 to -0.61 and correlations between subscales of SF-36 and BDI ranged from -0.68 to -0.26. SF-36 and WHOQOL-brief seem to be valid and consistent QOL measures in patients with CAD. Researchers should define the aims of their studies before choosing which instrument to use, because they appear to measure different constructs of QOL.

Historic Cosmology Identity and Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nebergall, K.

The role of the soul and spirit in the composition of human endeavour generally takes the form of motivational poster catch phrases or third-hand quotes. If the spirit equals the life of a creature, and one of the signs of life is locomotion, are humans not obliged by something even deeper than our humanity to explore the universe? This paper examines the roots and perspectives of our worldviews on identity, exploration, and the limitations and capacities of humanity. It will equip the reader to discuss the nature of exploration with audiences across a wide range of worldviews. Current cultures, regardless of religion or politics, are looped into a series of nihilistic patterns that must be broken by rediscovering our nature as living beings, and our obligations as human beings.

Quality of life after adenotonsillectomy for SDB in children.

PubMed

Mitchell, Ron B; Kelly, James

2005-10-01

To evaluate the relationship between quality of life and the relative severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and to compare changes in quality of life after adenotonsillectomy in children with similar demographics but with either obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or with milder forms of SDB. All study participants underwent polysomnography to document the severity of SDB. The effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy for the relief of SDB was evaluated by using the OSA-18 quality of life survey (OSA-18). Preoperative and postoperative OSA-18 scores for each group of children (OSAS and mild SDB) were compared by using a repeated measures ANOVA. Changes between the 2 groups were compared by using an analysis of covariance with the preoperative score as a covariate. The study population included 61 children, 43 with OSAS and 18 with mild SDB. The demographics in the 2 groups were similar. The mean apnea-hypopnea index for children with OSAS was 21 (range, 5-46), and for children with mild SDB, it was 3 (range 0-4.9). The total OSA-18 score and the scores for all domains showed significant improvement after surgery for both groups of children (P < .001). A comparison of mean difference in total and domain scores for the 2 groups of children was not significant. Preoperative values for the OSA-18 total and domain scores are high in children with either OSAS or mild SDB. Both groups of children show a dramatic improvement in quality of life after adenotonsillectomy and the degree of improvement is similar. Fortunately, surgical therapy with adenotonsillectomy is associated with marked improvement in quality of life for children with either OSAS or mild SDB.

ABOUT EXOBIOLOGY: THE CASE FOR DWARF K STARS

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

Cuntz, M.; Guinan, E. F., E-mail: cuntz@uta.edu, E-mail: edward.guinan@villanova.edu

2016-08-10

One of the most fundamental topics of exobiology concerns the identification of stars with environments consistent with life. Although it is believed that most types of main-sequence stars might be able to support life, particularly extremophiles, special requirements appear to be necessary for the development and sustainability of advanced life forms. From our study, orange main-sequence stars, ranging from spectral type late-G to mid-K (with a maximum at early K), are most promising. Our analysis considers a variety of aspects, including (1) the frequency of the various types of stars, (2) the speed of stellar evolution in their lifetimes, (3)more » the size of the stellar climatological habitable zones (CLI-HZs), (4) the strengths and persistence of their magnetic-dynamo-generated X-ray–UV emissions, and (5) the frequency and severity of flares, including superflares; both (4) and (5) greatly reduce the suitability of red dwarfs to host life-bearing planets. The various phenomena show pronounced dependencies on the stellar key parameters such as effective temperature and mass, permitting the assessment of the astrobiological significance of various types of stars. Thus, we developed a “Habitable-Planetary-Real-Estate Parameter” (HabPREP) that provides a measure for stars that are most suitable for planets with life. Early K stars are found to have the highest HabPREP values, indicating that they may be “Goldilocks” stars for life-hosting planets. Red dwarfs are numerous, with long lifetimes, but their narrow CLI-HZs and hazards from magnetic activity make them less suitable for hosting exolife. Moreover, we provide X-ray–far-UV irradiances for G0 V–M5 V stars over a wide range of ages.« less

About Exobiology: The Case for Dwarf K Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuntz, M.; Guinan, E. F.

2016-08-01

One of the most fundamental topics of exobiology concerns the identification of stars with environments consistent with life. Although it is believed that most types of main-sequence stars might be able to support life, particularly extremophiles, special requirements appear to be necessary for the development and sustainability of advanced life forms. From our study, orange main-sequence stars, ranging from spectral type late-G to mid-K (with a maximum at early K), are most promising. Our analysis considers a variety of aspects, including (1) the frequency of the various types of stars, (2) the speed of stellar evolution in their lifetimes, (3) the size of the stellar climatological habitable zones (CLI-HZs), (4) the strengths and persistence of their magnetic-dynamo-generated X-ray-UV emissions, and (5) the frequency and severity of flares, including superflares; both (4) and (5) greatly reduce the suitability of red dwarfs to host life-bearing planets. The various phenomena show pronounced dependencies on the stellar key parameters such as effective temperature and mass, permitting the assessment of the astrobiological significance of various types of stars. Thus, we developed a “Habitable-Planetary-Real-Estate Parameter” (HabPREP) that provides a measure for stars that are most suitable for planets with life. Early K stars are found to have the highest HabPREP values, indicating that they may be “Goldilocks” stars for life-hosting planets. Red dwarfs are numerous, with long lifetimes, but their narrow CLI-HZs and hazards from magnetic activity make them less suitable for hosting exolife. Moreover, we provide X-ray-far-UV irradiances for G0 V-M5 V stars over a wide range of ages.

FY 1996 solid waste integrated life-cycle forecast characteristics summary. Volumes 1 and 2

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

Templeton, K.J.

1996-05-23

For the past six years, a waste volume forecast has been collected annually from onsite and offsite generators that currently ship or are planning to ship solid waste to the Westinghouse Hanford Company`s Central Waste Complex (CWC). This document provides a description of the physical waste forms, hazardous waste constituents, and radionuclides of the waste expected to be shipped to the CWC from 1996 through the remaining life cycle of the Hanford Site (assumed to extend to 2070). In previous years, forecast data has been reported for a 30-year time period; however, the life-cycle approach was adopted this year tomore » maintain consistency with FY 1996 Multi-Year Program Plans. This document is a companion report to two previous reports: the more detailed report on waste volumes, WHC-EP-0900, FY1996 Solid Waste Integrated Life-Cycle Forecast Volume Summary and the report on expected containers, WHC-EP-0903, FY1996 Solid Waste Integrated Life-Cycle Forecast Container Summary. All three documents are based on data gathered during the FY 1995 data call and verified as of January, 1996. These documents are intended to be used in conjunction with other solid waste planning documents as references for short and long-term planning of the WHC Solid Waste Disposal Division`s treatment, storage, and disposal activities over the next several decades. This document focuses on two main characteristics: the physical waste forms and hazardous waste constituents of low-level mixed waste (LLMW) and transuranic waste (both non-mixed and mixed) (TRU(M)). The major generators for each waste category and waste characteristic are also discussed. The characteristics of low-level waste (LLW) are described in Appendix A. In addition, information on radionuclides present in the waste is provided in Appendix B. The FY 1996 forecast data indicate that about 100,900 cubic meters of LLMW and TRU(M) waste is expected to be received at the CWC over the remaining life cycle of the site. Based on ranges provided by the waste generators, this baseline volume could fluctuate between a minimum of about 59,720 cubic meters and a maximum of about 152,170 cubic meters. The range is primarily due to uncertainties associated with the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) program, including uncertainties regarding retrieval of long-length equipment, scheduling, and tank retrieval technologies.« less

Study of generic quality of life in patients operated on for post-prostatectomy incontinence.

PubMed

Holm, Henriette Veiby; Fosså, Sophie D; Hedlund, Hans; Dahl, Alv A

2013-09-01

The relationship between urological and psychosocial variables, and generic quality of life in patients operated on for post-prostatectomy incontinence has hardly been studied, and our aim was to investigate this relationship. Patients who had an artificial urinary sphincter AMS800 (n = 100) implanted between January 2002 and June 2010 were invited to complete a mailed questionnaire covering demographic data including work ability, urinary and sexual function, anxiety/depression, and generic quality of life. Poor quality of life was defined as a score <40 on either the physical or the mental Short Form 12 summary scales. Of 85 compliant patients, 30 (35%) reported poor generic quality of life and 55 (65%) reported better quality of life at a median follow-up time of 26 months (range 6-104 months). The poor quality of life group showed significantly more overall urinary and sexual problems, and more men had undergone surgical revisions compared with the better quality of life group. Levels of anxiety and depression were significantly higher, and work ability was lower in the poor quality of life group. In multivariate logistic regression models, increased level of depression and impaired work ability, inability to reach orgasm, and not recommending the operation remained significantly associated with poor quality of life. Poor generic quality of life after surgery for post-prostatectomy incontinence is more strongly associated with reduced work ability and depression rather than urinary and sexual problems. © 2013 The Japanese Urological Association.

UFOs: What to Do?

DTIC Science & Technology

1968-11-01

of the existence of other highly developed life forms. To begin with, the observable universe -- that is, the distance to which we can observe luminous...been around long enough that life forms as developed as our own could exist. Implicit in further dis- cussion are the assumptions that: 1. Planets... life will exist; 3. Our own history of past evolution and development is neither slow nor fast, but average and tyoical for life forms. (Ours is the

Plant/life form considerations in the rangeland hydrology and erosion model (RHEM)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Resilience of rangeland to erosion has largely been attributed to adequate plant cover; however, plant life/growth form, and individual species presence can have a dramatic effect on hydrologic and erosion dynamics on rangelands. Plant life/growth form refers to genetic tendency of a plant to grow i...

76 FR 24571 - Proposed Information Collection (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Inquiry); Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-02

... (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Inquiry); Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration... maintain Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance accounts. DATES: Written comments and recommendations on the... use of other forms of information technology. Title: Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Inquiry, VA Form...

77 FR 22069 - Proposed Information Collection (Notice of Lapse-Government Life Insurance); Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-12

... of Lapse--Government Life Insurance); Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration... determine claimants' eligibility to reinstate lapsed Government Life Insurance policy. DATES: Written.... Notice of Lapse--Government Life Insurance, VA Form 29-389. b. Application for Reinstatement, VA Form 29...

Influence of pH on EPR spectra of radical adducts with a new spin trap 1,2,2,5,5-pentamethyl-3-imidazoline 3-oxide

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

Skubnevskaya, G.I.; Dul'tseva, G.G.; Shchukin, G.I.

1987-08-10

1,2,2,5,5-Pentamethyl-3-imidazoline 3-oxide is an effective spin trap for short-lived free radicals, forming spin adducts with life time of > 10 min. Protonation of the amine N atom of imidazoline is manifested in the EPR spectra of the spin adducts, which makes it possible to measure pH in the range of 2.5 to 4.

Hemoglobin-based Oxygen Carrier (HBOC-201) and Escalating Doses of Recombinant Factor VIla (rFVIIa) as a Novel Pre-hospital Resuscitation Fluid in a Swine Model of Severe Uncontrolled Hemorrhage

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

challenge [ 16]. Trauma-associated co- agulopathy is attributed to the dilutional effect of fluid resus- citation and transfusion, hypothermia, acidosis ...alongside with correcting acidosis and hypothermia [ 18]. These steps, however, often fail to control life-threatening bleeding in trauma [ 19...ispurified,filtered,stroma-freeandheat-treated bovine hemoglobin that is polymerized by gluteraldehyde- crosslinking to form polymers ranging from 130-500

76 FR 56504 - Proposed Information Collection (Claim for Disability Insurance Benefits, Government Life...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-13

... for Disability Insurance Benefits, Government Life Insurance) Activity: Comment Request. AGENCY... for Disability Insurance Benefits, Government Life Insurance, VA Form 29-357. OMB Control Number: 2900... VA Form 29-357 to file a claim for disability insurance on National Service Life Insurance and United...

77 FR 38766 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; International Client Life-Cycle Multi-Purpose...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-29

... Request; International Client Life-Cycle Multi-Purpose Forms AGENCY: International Trade Administration... aspects of an international organization's life-cycle with CS. CS is mandated by Congress to help U.S... trade events to U.S. organizations. The International Client Life-cycle Multi-Purpose Forms, previously...

76 FR 71624 - Agency Information Collection (Claim for Disability Insurance Benefits, Government Life Insurance...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-18

... for Disability Insurance Benefits, Government Life Insurance) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY... INFORMATION: Title: Claim for Disability Insurance Benefits, Government Life Insurance, VA Form 29-357. OMB...: Policyholders complete VA Form 29-357 to file a claim for disability insurance on National Service Life...

Development of the life impact burn recovery evaluation (LIBRE) profile: assessing burn survivors' social participation.

PubMed

Kazis, Lewis E; Marino, Molly; Ni, Pengsheng; Soley Bori, Marina; Amaya, Flor; Dore, Emily; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeff C; Shie, Vivian; Acton, Amy; Jette, Alan M

2017-10-01

Measuring the impact burn injuries have on social participation is integral to understanding and improving survivors' quality of life, yet there are no existing instruments that comprehensively measure the social participation of burn survivors. This project aimed to develop the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Profile (LIBRE), a patient-reported multidimensional assessment for understanding the social participation after burn injuries. 192 questions representing multiple social participation areas were administered to a convenience sample of 601 burn survivors. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to identify the underlying structure of the data. Using item response theory methods, a Graded Response Model was applied for each identified sub-domain. The resultant multidimensional LIBRE Profile can be administered via Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) or fixed short forms. The study sample included 54.7% women with a mean age of 44.6 (SD 15.9) years. The average time since burn injury was 15.4 years (0-74 years) and the average total body surface area burned was 40% (1-97%). The CFA indicated acceptable fit statistics (CFI range 0.913-0.977, TLI range 0.904-0.974, RMSEA range 0.06-0.096). The six unidimensional scales were named: relationships with family and friends, social interactions, social activities, work and employment, romantic relationships, and sexual relationships. The marginal reliability of the full item bank and CATs ranged from 0.84 to 0.93, with ceiling effects less than 15% for all scales. The LIBRE Profile is a promising new measure of social participation following a burn injury that enables burn survivors and their care providers to measure social participation.

Extrasolar Planets: Towards Comparative Planetology beyond the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, A. H.

2012-09-01

Today Scenario planet logy is a very important concept because now days the scientific research finding new and new planets and our work's range becoming too long. In the previous study shows about 10-12 years the research of planet logy now has changed . Few years ago we was talking about Sun planet, Earth planet , Moon ,Mars Jupiter & Venus etc. included but now the time has totally changed the recent studies showed that mono lakes California find the arsenic food use by micro organism that show that our study is very tiny as compare to planet long areas .We have very well known that arsenic is the toxic agent's and the toxic agent's present in the lakes and micro organism developing and life going on it's a unbelievable point for us but nature always play a magical games. In few years ago Aliens was the story no one believe the Aliens origin but now the aliens showed catch by our space craft and shuttle and every one believe that Aliens origin but at the moment's I would like to mention one point's that we have too more work required because our planet logy has a vast field. Most of the time our scientific mission shows that this planet found liquid oxygen ,this planet found hydrogen .I would like to clear that point's that all planet logy depend in to the chemical and these chemical gave the indication of the life but we are not abele to developed the adaptation according to the micro organism . Planet logy compare before study shows that Sun it's a combination of the various gases combination surrounded in a round form and now the central Sun Planets ,moons ,comets and asteroids In other word we can say that Or Sun has a wide range of the physical and Chemical properties in the after the development we can say that all chemical and physical property engaged with a certain environment and form a various contains like asteroids, moon, Comets etc. Few studies shows that other planet life affected to the out living planet .We can assure with the example the life of earth affected by Sun ,Moon because these planet life conjugated relation with the planet life's. Can we realistically expect to identify all the pieces of this celestial puzzle and thereby decipher the full mosaic of our planetary origins? The answer, we think, is yes. Each planet contributes knowledge that widens our appreciation for planetary environment much as diverse stars add to our understanding of the stellar life cycle.

Planet logy : Towards Comparative Planet logy beyond the Solar Earth System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, A. H.

2011-10-01

Today Scenario planet logy is a very important concept because now days the scientific research finding new and new planets and our work's range becoming too long. In the previous study shows about 10-12 years the research of planet logy now has changed . Few years ago we was talking about Sun planet, Earth planet , Moon ,Mars Jupiter & Venus etc. included but now the time has totally changed the recent studies showed that mono lakes California find the arsenic food use by micro organism that show that our study is very tiny as compare to planet long areas .We have very well known that arsenic is the toxic agent's and the toxic agent's present in the lakes and micro organism developing and life going on it's a unbelievable point for us but nature always play a magical games. In few years ago Aliens was the story no one believe the Aliens origin but now the aliens showed catch by our space craft and shuttle and every one believe that Aliens origin but at the moment's I would like to mention one point's that we have too more work required because our planet logy has a vast field. Most of the time our scientific mission shows that this planet found liquid oxygen ,this planet found hydrogen .I would like to clear that point's that all planet logy depend in to the chemical and these chemical gave the indication of the life but we are not abele to developed the adaptation according to the micro organism . Planet logy compare before study shows that Sun it's a combination of the various gases combination surrounded in a round form and now the central Sun Planets ,moons ,comets and asteroids In other word we can say that Or Sun has a wide range of the physical and Chemical properties in the after the development we can say that all chemical and physical property engaged with a certain environment and form a various contains like asteroids, moon, Comets etc. Few studies shows that other planet life affected to the out living planet .We can assure with the example the life of earth affected by Sun ,Moon because these planet life conjugated relation with the planet life's. Can we realistically expect to identify all the pieces of this celestial puzzle and thereby decipher the full mosaic of our planetary origins? The answer, we think, is yes. Each planet contributes knowledge that widens our appreciation for planetary environment much as diverse stars add to our understanding of the stellar life cycle.

The RNA World: Life Before DNA and Protein

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joyce, Gerald F.

1993-01-01

All of the life that is known, all organisms that exist on Earth today or are known to have existed on Earth in the past, are of the same life form: a life form based on DNA and protein. It does not necessarily have to be that way. Why not have two competing life forms on this planet? Why not have biology as we know it and some other biology that occupies its own distinct niche? Yet that is not how evolution has played out. From microbes living on the surface of antarctic ice to tube worms lying near the deep-sea hydrothermal vents, all known organisms on this planet are of the same biology. Looking at the single known biology on Earth, it is clear that this biology could not have simply sprung forth from the primordial soup. The biological system that is the basis for all known. life is far too complicated to have arisen spontaneously. This brings us to the notion that something else something simpler, must have preceded life based on DNA and protein. One suggestion that has gained considerable acceptance over the past decade is that DNA and protein-based life was preceded by RNA-based life in a period referred to as the 'RNA world'. Even an RNA-based life form would have been fairly complicated - not as complicated as our own DNA- and protein-based life form - but far too complicated, according to prevailing scientific thinking, to have arisen spontaneously from the primordial soup. Thus, it has been argued that something else must have preceded RNA-based life, or even that there was a succession of life forms leading from the primordial soup to RNA-based life. The experimental evidence to support this conjecture is not strong because, after all, the origin of life was a historical event that left no direct physical record. However, based on indirect evidence in both the geological record and the phylogenetic record of evolutionary history on earth, it is possible to reconstruct a rough picture of what life was like before DNA and protein.

Health-related quality of life after laparoscopic Heller myotomy and Dor fundoplication for achalasia.

PubMed

Asti, Emanuele; Sironi, Andrea; Lovece, Andrea; Bonavina, Giulia; Fanelli, Melania; Bonitta, Gianluca; Bonavina, Luigi

2017-04-01

In addition to symptom scores, a person's perception of health and quality of life assessment is an important indicator of quality of treatment and can provide an efficient index to compare different therapeutic modalities in chronic disease states. Only a few studies have investigated quality of life comprehensively in patients with achalasia, and therefore the controversy regarding the best treatment algorithm continues. The primary study outcome was pre- and postoperative quality of life in patients with achalasia undergoing laparoscopic Heller myotomy and Dor fundoplication. The study is a retrospective, observational cohort. The hospital registry and the updated research database were reviewed to identify all patients who were treated for achalasia between 2010 and 2015. Patients were eligible for the study if they had a minimum 1-year follow-up and had pre-and postoperative Eckardt, Short Form-36, and Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease Health-Related Quality of Life scores. Patients with previous operative and/or endoscopic treatments for achalasia were excluded. One-hundred and eighteen patients were identified. The median follow-up was 40 months (interquartile range 27). The proportion of patients with Eckardt stage II-III decreased from 94.9-13% (P < .001). The mean Eckardt score decreased from 6.9 ± 1.9 to 1.7 ± 1.2 (P < .001); the mean Short Form-36 scores significantly increased in all 8 domains; the mean Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease Health-Related Quality of Life score decreased from 13.9 ± 5.7 to 5.5 ± 5.4 (P < .001). Finally, 88% (confidence interval 81-93) of patients were satisfied regarding their present condition. Quality of life assessed with generic and disease-specific validated instruments significantly improved after laparoscopic Heller myotomy combined with Dor fundoplication. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lessons from Red Data Books: Plant Vulnerability Increases with Floral Complexity

PubMed Central

Stefanaki, Anastasia; Kantsa, Aphrodite; Tscheulin, Thomas; Charitonidou, Martha; Petanidou, Theodora

2015-01-01

The architectural complexity of flower structures (hereafter referred to as floral complexity) may be linked to pollination by specialized pollinators that can increase the probability of successful seed set. As plant—pollinator systems become fragile, a loss of such specialized pollinators could presumably result in an increased likelihood of pollination failure. This is an issue likely to be particularly evident in plants that are currently rare. Using a novel index describing floral complexity we explored whether this aspect of the structure of flowers could be used to predict vulnerability of plant species to extinction. To do this we defined plant vulnerability using the Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece, a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. We also tested whether other intrinsic (e.g. life form, asexual reproduction) or extrinsic (e.g. habitat, altitude, range-restrictedness) factors could affect plant vulnerability. We found that plants with high floral complexity scores were significantly more likely to be vulnerable to extinction. Among all the floral complexity components only floral symmetry was found to have a significant effect, with radial-flower plants appearing to be less vulnerable. Life form was also a predictor of vulnerability, with woody perennial plants having significantly lower risk of extinction. Among the extrinsic factors, both habitat and maximum range were significantly associated with plant vulnerability (coastal plants and narrow-ranged plants are more likely to face higher risk). Although extrinsic and in particular anthropogenic factors determine plant extinction risk, intrinsic traits can indicate a plant’s proneness to vulnerability. This raises the potential threat of declining global pollinator diversity interacting with floral complexity to increase the vulnerability of individual plant species. There is potential scope for using plant—pollinator specializations to identify plant species particularly at risk and so target conservation efforts towards them. PMID:26390402

Lessons from Red Data Books: Plant Vulnerability Increases with Floral Complexity.

PubMed

Stefanaki, Anastasia; Kantsa, Aphrodite; Tscheulin, Thomas; Charitonidou, Martha; Petanidou, Theodora

2015-01-01

The architectural complexity of flower structures (hereafter referred to as floral complexity) may be linked to pollination by specialized pollinators that can increase the probability of successful seed set. As plant-pollinator systems become fragile, a loss of such specialized pollinators could presumably result in an increased likelihood of pollination failure. This is an issue likely to be particularly evident in plants that are currently rare. Using a novel index describing floral complexity we explored whether this aspect of the structure of flowers could be used to predict vulnerability of plant species to extinction. To do this we defined plant vulnerability using the Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece, a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. We also tested whether other intrinsic (e.g. life form, asexual reproduction) or extrinsic (e.g. habitat, altitude, range-restrictedness) factors could affect plant vulnerability. We found that plants with high floral complexity scores were significantly more likely to be vulnerable to extinction. Among all the floral complexity components only floral symmetry was found to have a significant effect, with radial-flower plants appearing to be less vulnerable. Life form was also a predictor of vulnerability, with woody perennial plants having significantly lower risk of extinction. Among the extrinsic factors, both habitat and maximum range were significantly associated with plant vulnerability (coastal plants and narrow-ranged plants are more likely to face higher risk). Although extrinsic and in particular anthropogenic factors determine plant extinction risk, intrinsic traits can indicate a plant's proneness to vulnerability. This raises the potential threat of declining global pollinator diversity interacting with floral complexity to increase the vulnerability of individual plant species. There is potential scope for using plant-pollinator specializations to identify plant species particularly at risk and so target conservation efforts towards them.

Demographic characteristics and health-related quality of life of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis: The VACAP study.

PubMed

Daudén, E; Pujol, R M; Sánchez-Carazo, J L; Toribio, J; Vanaclocha, F; Puig, L; Yébenes, M; Sabater, E; Casado, M A; Caloto, M T; Aragón, B

2013-11-01

Psoriasis is associated with a deterioration in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of affected patients. The aim of this study was to assess the HRQoL of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. A prospective observational study (the VACAP Study) was carried out in 123 centers in Spain with 1217 patients. Patients were evaluated at baseline (visit 1 [V1]) and again four months later (visit 2 [V2]). The severity of psoriasis was determined using the following indices: (i) Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) (score range 0-72, higher score indicates more severe disease), (ii) the body surface area (BSA) affected, and (iii) the Physicians Global Assessment (PGA) (range 1-7, higher score indicates more severe disease). Four questionnaires were used for the assessment of the HRQoL: (i) the Short-Form 36 quality-of-life questionnaire (SF-36) (score range 0-100, higher score indicates better HRQoL); (ii) Euroqol (EQ-5D) (range from 1 to 3, lower score indicates better HRQoL); (iii) Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) (ranges 0-30; from best to worst HRQoL); and (iv) Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) (ranges 0-45; higher score indicates better HRQoL). The mean (SD) age of the patients was 45.11 (13.92) years at V1. The mean age at the onset of psoriasis was 26.08 (14.19) years. The majority of patients were female (61%) and were employed (68%). The mean PASI score was 13.24 (9.50) at V1 and 5.07 (6.03) at V2 (P<.001). Scores from the generic HRQoL questionnaires (EQ-5D, SF-36) showed significant improvement between visits in all dimensions measured (P<.001). The disease-specific questionnaires also revealed overall improvements in quality of life over time: the DLQI mean total score was 8.97 (7.28) at V1 and 4.76 (5.72) at V2 (P<.001), and the PDI mean total score was 9.24 (8.76) V1 and 4.88 (6.65) at V2 (P<.001). Multivariate analysis using PDI as the dependent variable showed that the principal factors related to HRQoL were severity of psoriasis as measured by PASI (P<.001), and gender (P=.048). The principal factor related to HRQoL in patients with psoriasis is the severity of the disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

A Model-based Prognostics Methodology for Electrolytic Capacitors Based on Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Celaya, Jose; Kulkarni, Chetan; Biswas, Gautam; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

2011-01-01

A remaining useful life prediction methodology for electrolytic capacitors is presented. This methodology is based on the Kalman filter framework and an empirical degradation model. Electrolytic capacitors are used in several applications ranging from power supplies on critical avionics equipment to power drivers for electro-mechanical actuators. These devices are known for their comparatively low reliability and given their criticality in electronics subsystems they are a good candidate for component level prognostics and health management. Prognostics provides a way to assess remaining useful life of a capacitor based on its current state of health and its anticipated future usage and operational conditions. We present here also, experimental results of an accelerated aging test under electrical stresses. The data obtained in this test form the basis for a remaining life prediction algorithm where a model of the degradation process is suggested. This preliminary remaining life prediction algorithm serves as a demonstration of how prognostics methodologies could be used for electrolytic capacitors. In addition, the use degradation progression data from accelerated aging, provides an avenue for validation of applications of the Kalman filter based prognostics methods typically used for remaining useful life predictions in other applications.

Towards A Model-Based Prognostics Methodology for Electrolytic Capacitors: A Case Study Based on Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Celaya, Jose R.; Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Biswas, Gautam; Goebel, Kai

2012-01-01

A remaining useful life prediction methodology for electrolytic capacitors is presented. This methodology is based on the Kalman filter framework and an empirical degradation model. Electrolytic capacitors are used in several applications ranging from power supplies on critical avionics equipment to power drivers for electro-mechanical actuators. These devices are known for their comparatively low reliability and given their criticality in electronics subsystems they are a good candidate for component level prognostics and health management. Prognostics provides a way to assess remaining useful life of a capacitor based on its current state of health and its anticipated future usage and operational conditions. We present here also, experimental results of an accelerated aging test under electrical stresses. The data obtained in this test form the basis for a remaining life prediction algorithm where a model of the degradation process is suggested. This preliminary remaining life prediction algorithm serves as a demonstration of how prognostics methodologies could be used for electrolytic capacitors. In addition, the use degradation progression data from accelerated aging, provides an avenue for validation of applications of the Kalman filter based prognostics methods typically used for remaining useful life predictions in other applications.

Ionizing radiation and life.

PubMed

Dartnell, Lewis R

2011-01-01

Ionizing radiation is a ubiquitous feature of the Cosmos, from exogenous cosmic rays (CR) to the intrinsic mineral radioactivity of a habitable world, and its influences on the emergence and persistence of life are wide-ranging and profound. Much attention has already been focused on the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation on organisms and the complex molecules of life, but ionizing radiation also performs many crucial functions in the generation of habitable planetary environments and the origins of life. This review surveys the role of CR and mineral radioactivity in star formation, generation of biogenic elements, and the synthesis of organic molecules and driving of prebiotic chemistry. Another major theme is the multiple layers of shielding of planetary surfaces from the flux of cosmic radiation and the various effects on a biosphere of violent but rare astrophysical events such as supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. The influences of CR can also be duplicitous, such as limiting the survival of surface life on Mars while potentially supporting a subsurface biosphere in the ocean of Europa. This review highlights the common thread that ionizing radiation forms between the disparate component disciplines of astrobiology. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Procrastination, Distress and Life Satisfaction across the Age Range – A German Representative Community Study

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Addressing the lack of population-based data the purpose of this representative study was to assess procrastination and its associations with distress and life satisfaction across the life span. A representative German community sample (1,350 women; 1,177 men) between the ages of 14 and 95 years was examined by the short form of the General Procrastination Scale (GPS-K; 1) and standardized scales of perceived stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue and life satisfaction. As hypothesized, procrastination was highest in the youngest cohort (14–29 years). Only in the youngest and most procrastinating cohort (aged 14 to 29 years), men procrastinated more than women. As we had further hypothesized, procrastination was consistently associated with higher stress, more depression, anxiety, fatigue and reduced satisfaction across life domains, especially regarding work and income. Associations were also found with lack of a partnership and unemployment. Findings are discussed with regard to potential developmental and cohort effects. While procrastination appears to be a pervasive indicator for maladjustment, longitudinal analyses in high-risk samples (e.g. late adolescence, unemployment) are needed to identify means and mechanisms of procrastinating. PMID:26871572

Exobiology and SETI from the lunar farside

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarter, Jill C.; Rummel, John

1990-01-01

Within the Life Sciences Division of NASA, the Exobiology Program seeks to understand the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe. There are two feasible methods of searching for life beyond the earth. The first is to return to Mars and systematically explore its surface and subsurface with instrumentation capable of identifying extinct as well as extant life. The second is to search for advanced forms of life in other planetary systems that have developed a technology capable of modifying their environment in ways that make it detectable across the vast interstellar distances. The Exobiology Program is currently pursuing both of these options. If NASA's SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) Microwave Observing Project of the 1990s fails to detect evidence of radio signals generated by an extraterrestrial technology, what might be the next step? The establishment of a permanent lunar base early in the next century may enable the construction of large aperture radio telescopes that can extend both the sensitivity and the frequency range of SETI observations. A lunar base may also provide the opportunity for construction of optical and IR telescopes intended for the direct detection of extrasolar planetary systems.

The evolution of myiasis in humans and other animals in the Old and New Worlds (part II): biological and life-history studies.

PubMed

Stevens, Jamie R; Wallman, James F; Otranto, Domenico; Wall, Richard; Pape, Thomas

2006-04-01

Myiasis, which is the dipteran parasitism of living vertebrates, occurs in several forms - ranging from benign to fatal, opportunistic to obligate - and seems to have evolved through two distinct routes: saprophagous and sanguinivorous. However, the convergent evolution of morphological and life-history traits seems to have had a major role in confusing the overall picture of how myiasis evolved and this simplistic division is further complicated by the existence of both ectoparasitic and endoparasitic species of myiasis-causing Diptera, the evolutionary affinities of which remain to be resolved. As discussed in part I of this review, if we are to elucidate how the different forms of parasitism arose, it is essential to separate the evolution of the various groups of myiasis-causing flies from the evolution of the myiasis habit per se. Accordingly, whereas we focused on recent landmark phylogenetics studies in part I, we use this framework to analyse relevant biochemical, immunological, behavioural, biogeographical and fossil evidence to elucidate the evolution of myiasis in part II.

Magmatic Intrusions and a Hydrothermal Origin for Fluvial Valleys on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gulick, Virginia C

1998-01-01

Numerical models of Martian hydrothermal systems demonstrate that systems associated with magmatic intrusions greater than several hundred cubic kilometers can provide sufficient groundwater outflow to form the observed fluvial valleys, if subsurface permeability exceeds about 1.0 darcy. Groundwater outflow increases with increasing intrusion volume and subsurface permeability and is relatively insensitive to intrusion depth and subsurface porosity within the range considered here. Hydrothermally-derived fluids can melt through 1 to 2 km thick ice-rich permafrost layers in several thousand years. Hydrothermal systems thus provide a viable alternative to rainfall for providing surface water for valley formation. This mechanism can form fluvial valleys not only during the postulated early warm, wet climatic epoch, but also during more recent epochs when atmospheric conditions did not favor atmospheric cycling of water. The clustered distribution of the valley networks on a given geologic surface or terrain unit of Mars may also be more compatible with localized, hydrothermally-driven groundwater outflow than regional rainfall. Hydrothermal centers on Mars may have provided appropriate environments for the initiation of life or final oases for the long-term persistence of life.

Morphological Heterogeneity and Attachment of Phaeobacter inhibens.

PubMed

Segev, Einat; Tellez, Adèle; Vlamakis, Hera; Kolter, Roberto

2015-01-01

The Roseobacter clade is a key group of bacteria in the ocean exhibiting diverse metabolic repertoires and a wide range of symbiotic life-styles. Many Roseobacters possess remarkable capabilities of attachment to both biotic and abiotic surfaces. When attached to each other, these bacteria form multi-cellular structures called rosettes. Phaeobacter inhibens, a well-studied Roseobacter, exhibits various cell sizes and morphologies that are either associated with rosettes or occur as single cells. Here we describe the distribution of P. inhibens morphologies and rosettes within a population. We detect an N-acetylglucosamine-containing polysaccharide on the poles of some cells and at the center of all rosettes. We demonstrate that rosettes are formed by the attachment of individual cells at the polysaccharide-containing pole rather than by cell division. Finally, we show that P. inhibens attachment to abiotic surfaces is hindered by the presence of DNA from itself, but not from other bacteria. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that cell adhesiveness is likely to play a significant role in the life cycle of P. inhibens as well as other Roseobacters.

Morphological Heterogeneity and Attachment of Phaeobacter inhibens

PubMed Central

Segev, Einat; Tellez, Adèle; Vlamakis, Hera; Kolter, Roberto

2015-01-01

The Roseobacter clade is a key group of bacteria in the ocean exhibiting diverse metabolic repertoires and a wide range of symbiotic life-styles. Many Roseobacters possess remarkable capabilities of attachment to both biotic and abiotic surfaces. When attached to each other, these bacteria form multi-cellular structures called rosettes. Phaeobacter inhibens, a well-studied Roseobacter, exhibits various cell sizes and morphologies that are either associated with rosettes or occur as single cells. Here we describe the distribution of P. inhibens morphologies and rosettes within a population. We detect an N-acetylglucosamine-containing polysaccharide on the poles of some cells and at the center of all rosettes. We demonstrate that rosettes are formed by the attachment of individual cells at the polysaccharide-containing pole rather than by cell division. Finally, we show that P. inhibens attachment to abiotic surfaces is hindered by the presence of DNA from itself, but not from other bacteria. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that cell adhesiveness is likely to play a significant role in the life cycle of P. inhibens as well as other Roseobacters. PMID:26560130

Uncertainty Quantification in Remaining Useful Life of Aerospace Components using State Space Models and Inverse FORM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sankararaman, Shankar; Goebel, Kai

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the use of the inverse first-order reliability method (inverse- FORM) to quantify the uncertainty in the remaining useful life (RUL) of aerospace components. The prediction of remaining useful life is an integral part of system health prognosis, and directly helps in online health monitoring and decision-making. However, the prediction of remaining useful life is affected by several sources of uncertainty, and therefore it is necessary to quantify the uncertainty in the remaining useful life prediction. While system parameter uncertainty and physical variability can be easily included in inverse-FORM, this paper extends the methodology to include: (1) future loading uncertainty, (2) process noise; and (3) uncertainty in the state estimate. The inverse-FORM method has been used in this paper to (1) quickly obtain probability bounds on the remaining useful life prediction; and (2) calculate the entire probability distribution of remaining useful life prediction, and the results are verified against Monte Carlo sampling. The proposed methodology is illustrated using a numerical example.

Linkages between life history type and migration pathways in freshwater and marine environments for Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Rishi; Quinn, Thomas P.

2012-05-01

Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, are commonly categorized as ocean-type (migrating to the ocean in their first year of life) or stream-type (migrating after a full year in freshwater). These two forms have been hypothesized to display different ocean migration pathways; the former are hypothesized to migrate primarily on the continental shelf whereas the latter are hypothesized to migrate off the shelf to the open ocean. These differences in migration patterns have important implications for management, as fishing mortality rates are strongly influenced by ocean migration. Ocean-type Chinook salmon predominate in coastal rivers in the southern part of the species' range, whereas stream-type predominate in the interior and northerly rivers. This latitudinal gradient has confounded previous efforts to test the hypothesis regarding ocean migration pathways. To address this problem, we used a pair-wise design based on coded wire tagging data to compare the marine distributions of stream- and ocean-type Chinook salmon from a suite of rivers producing both forms. Both forms of Chinook salmon from the lower Columbia River, Oregon coast, lower Fraser River, and northern British Columbia rivers followed similar migration paths, contradicting the hypothesis. In contrast, recoveries of tagged Chinook salmon from the upper Columbia River, Snake River, and the upper Fraser River revealed migration patterns consistent with the hypothesis. These findings have important implications for our understanding of these life history types, and also for the conservation and management of declining, threatened, or endangered stream-type Chinook salmon populations in the US and Canada.

Reliability and validity of an adapted Arabic version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22r Questionnaire.

PubMed

Haidar, Rachid K; Kassak, Kassem; Masrouha, Karim; Ibrahim, Kamal; Mhaidli, Hani

2015-09-01

Cross-sectional validation and reliability assessment study of Arabic version of Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22r) Questionnaire. To develop and validate the Arabic version of the SRS-22r questionnaire. The diagnosis and treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis may influence patient quality of life. SRS-22r is an internationally validated questionnaire used to assess function/activity, pain, self-image, and mental health of patients with scoliosis. It has been translated into several languages but not into Arabic language. Therefore, a valid health-related quality-of-life outcome questionnaire for patients with spinal deformity is still lacking in Arabic language. The English version of SRS-22r questionnaire was translated, back-translated, and culturally adapted to Arabic language. Then, 81 patients with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis were allocated randomly into either the reliability testing group (group 1) or the validity testing group (group 2). Group 1 patients completed Arabic version of SRS-22r questionnaire twice with 1-week interval in-between. Cronbach α and intraclass correlation coefficient were measured to determine internal consistency and temporal reliability. Group 2 patients completed the Arabic version of SRS-22r questionnaire and the previously validated Arabic version of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (Short Form-36) questionnaire concurrently, and Pearson correlation coefficient was obtained to assess validity. Content analysis, internal consistency reliability, test/retest reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient range: 0.82-0.90), and test of concurrent validity showed satisfactory results. Function/activity and satisfaction with management domains had a lower Cronbach α (0.58 and 0.44, respectively, vs. 0.71-0.85 range for others). Self-image/appearance and satisfaction with management had a lower correlation with domains of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. An Arabic version of the SRS-22r questionnaire has been developed and validated. This questionnaire will aid health care workers and researchers in evaluation of patient perception of the deformity, satisfaction with treatment, and quality of life in Arabic-speaking populations. 3.

Reproductive efficiency and shade avoidance plasticity under simulated competition.

PubMed

Fazlioglu, Fatih; Al-Namazi, Ali; Bonser, Stephen P

2016-07-01

Plant strategy and life-history theories make different predictions about reproductive efficiency under competition. While strategy theory suggests under intense competition iteroparous perennial plants delay reproduction and semelparous annuals reproduce quickly, life-history theory predicts both annual and perennial plants increase resource allocation to reproduction under intense competition. We tested (1) how simulated competition influences reproductive efficiency and competitive ability (CA) of different plant life histories and growth forms; (2) whether life history or growth form is associated with CA; (3) whether shade avoidance plasticity is connected to reproductive efficiency under simulated competition. We examined plastic responses of 11 herbaceous species representing different life histories and growth forms to simulated competition (spectral shade). We found that both annual and perennial plants invested more to reproduction under simulated competition in accordance with life-history theory predictions. There was no significant difference between competitive abilities of different life histories, but across growth forms, erect species expressed greater CA (in terms of leaf number) than other growth forms. We also found that shade avoidance plasticity can increase the reproductive efficiency by capitalizing on the early life resource acquisition and conversion of these resources into reproduction. Therefore, we suggest that a reassessment of the interpretation of shade avoidance plasticity is necessary by revealing its role in reproduction, not only in competition of plants.

Determinants of impaired quality of life in patients with fibrous dysplasia.

PubMed

Majoor, Bas C J; Andela, Cornelie D; Bruggemann, Jens; van de Sande, Michiel A J; Kaptein, Ad A; Hamdy, Neveen A T; Dijkstra, P D Sander; Appelman-Dijkstra, Natasha M

2017-04-27

Fibrous dysplasia is a rare bone disorder, commonly associated with pain, deformity and fractures, which may significantly impact on quality of life. In this study we evaluate quality of life in patients with fibrous dysplasia using the Short Form-36 and the Brief Pain Inventory questionnaires. Data were compared with those of the general Dutch population. Out of 138 patients from a cohort of 255 patients with fibrous dysplasia that were sent questionnaires assessing quality of life and pain, the response rate was 70.3%, with 97 patients, predominantly female (65%), completing the questionnaires. Monostotic fibrous dysplasia was predominant (n = 62, 64%). Fibrous dysplasia patients had significantly lower quality of life outcome scores than the general Dutch population for all tested domains of the Short Form-36 except for the "Mental health" and the "Role emotional" domains. More severe forms of fibrous dysplasia, had the more severe Short-Form-36 quality of life outcomes, but there was no significant difference in Brief Pain Inventory domains between different subtypes of fibrous dysplasia. Quality of life was lower in patients with higher disease burden, as reflected by high skeletal burden scores (p = 0.003) and high levels of P1NP (p = 0.002). We demonstrate impairments in all domains of quality of life, except for 'Mental health' and 'Role emotional' domains, across the wide spectrum of fibrous dysplasia including its milder forms. We identified high skeletal burden scores, reflecting disease severity, as the most consistent predictor of impaired quality of life. Our findings hold significant clinical implications as they draw attention to the clinically unmet need to address quality of life issues in the management of patients with all subtypes of fibrous dysplasia, including its milder forms.

Validity of the Spanish 8-item short-form generic health-related quality-of-life questionnaire in surgical patients: a population-based study.

PubMed

Vallès, Jordi; Guilera, Magda; Briones, Zahara; Gomar, Carmen; Canet, Jaume; Alonso, Jordi

2010-05-01

Health-related quality of life is usually reported for specific rather than heterogeneous populations such as those treated in routine anesthesia practice. The 8-item short-form generic health-related quality-of-life questionnaire (SF-8) is a candidate instrument for this setting. The authors evaluated the feasibility, reliability, validity, and responsiveness to change of the Spanish version of SF-8 in a population-based surgical cohort. Recruiting patients from a large population-based study of risk factors for pulmonary complications, before surgery, the authors administered the 1-week recall SF-8 to 2,991 patients undergoing nonobstetric elective or emergency surgery in 59 hospitals, each of which collected data on seven randomly assigned days in 2006. The SF-8 was administered again 3 months later. Reliability was evaluated using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and validity by comparing physical and mental component summary SF-8 scores with clinical variables. Responsiveness after surgery was evaluated using the standardized response mean. Cronbach alpha for the overall test was 0.92. Physical and mental component summary scores and all individual scores were lower (worse quality of life) in women (P < 0. 01) and decreased with age (P < 0.01). Preoperative scores were lower for those in worse clinical condition (higher body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class, or surgical risk scores), with preoperative respiratory symptoms, and in emergency situations (P < 0.01). The standardized response mean ranged from 0.1 to 0.5. The SF-8 is a feasible, reliable, valid, and responsive instrument for assessing health-related quality of life in a broad-spectrum surgical population.

Collective oscillations and coupled modes in confined microfluidic droplet arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiller, Ulf D.; Fleury, Jean-Baptiste; Seemann, Ralf; Gompper, Gerhard

Microfluidic droplets have a wide range of applications ranging from analytic assays in cellular biology to controlled mixing in chemical engineering. Ensembles of microfluidic droplets are interesting model systems for non-equilibrium many-body phenomena. When flowing in a microchannel, trains of droplets can form microfluidic crystals whose dynamics are governed by long-range hydrodynamic interactions and boundary effects. In this contribution, excitation mechanisms for collective waves in dense and confined microfluidic droplet arrays are investigated by experiments and computer simulations. We demonstrate that distinct modes can be excited by creating specific `defect' patterns in flowing droplet trains. While longitudinal modes exhibit a short-lived cascade of pairs of laterally displacing droplets, transversely excited modes form propagating waves that behave like microfluidic phonons. We show that the confinement induces a coupling between longitudinal and transverse modes. We also investigate the life time of the collective oscillations and discuss possible mechanisms for the onset of instabilities. Our results demonstrate that microfluidic phonons can exhibit effects beyond the linear theory, which can be studied particularly well in dense and confined systems. This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Grant No. SE 1118/4.

New levothyroxine formulation meeting 95-105% specification over the whole shelf-life: results from two pharmacokinetic trials.

PubMed

Gottwald-Hostalek, Ulrike; Uhl, Wolfgang; Wolna, Peter; Kahaly, George J

2017-02-01

Small levothyroxine (L-T4) dose changes can lead to significant clinical effects. To ensure thyroid hormone levels are safely maintained, authorities are increasingly adopting stricter potency specifications for L-T4, the most stringent of these being 95-105% of the labeled dose over the whole shelf-life. Levothyroxine sodium (Euthyrox, Eutirox, Lévothyrox ) has been reformulated, and two studies performed, to ensure bioequivalence to the currently marketed formulation and dosage form proportionality of the new formulation. The bioequivalence study was an open-label, randomized, single-dose, two-period, two-sequence crossover comparing the highest dosage strengths of the currently marketed and the new L-T4 formulation at a total dose of 600 μg. The dosage form proportionality study was an open-label, randomized, three-period, six-sequence crossover, comparing 50 μg, 100 μg, and 200 μg L-T4 tablets, at a total dose of 600 μg. Blood samples were taken at predefined time intervals. Primary outcomes were area under the curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (C max ) of thyroxine (T4) in plasma. In the bioequivalence study, comparing the T4 profiles for the new and current formulation of L-T4, the geometric least square mean ratio of the baseline-adjusted AUC 0-72,adj was 99.3% (90% confidence interval [CI]: 95.6-103.2) and the C max,adj was 101.7% (90% CI: 98.8-104.6). Bioequivalence was established if the 90% CI lay within the predefined 0.9-1.11 limits. In the dosage form proportionality study, pairwise comparisons ranged from 99.3% to 104.8%, and all 95% CIs were within the predefined CI range (0.8-1.25): the three dose strengths were dosage form proportional. The new formulation of L-T4 meets the most stringent potency specification guidelines, and has been demonstrated to be bioequivalent to the current formulation and to show dosage form proportionality. The new formulation will enable patients to receive a dose fine tuned to their medical needs, contributing to improved safety in the use of L-T4.

Learning from regeneration research organisms: The circuitous road to scar free wound healing

PubMed Central

Erickson, Jami R.; Echeverri, Karen

2018-01-01

The skin is the largest organ in the body and plays multiple essential roles ranging from regulating temperature, preventing infection and ultimately defining who we are physically. It is a highly dynamic organ that constantly replaces the outermost cells throughout life. However, when faced with a major injury, human skin cannot restore a significant lesion to its original functionality, instead a reparative scar is formed. In contrast to this, many other species have the unique ability to regenerate full thickness skin without formation of scar tissue. Here we review recent advances in the field that shed light on how the skin cells in regenerative species react to injury to prevent scar formation versus scar forming humans. PMID:29179946

26 CFR 1.401(a)-11 - Qualified joint and survivor annuities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... must be at least the actuarial equivalent of the normal form of life annuity or, if greater, of any... 411(e)(2), which is a part of a plan providing for the payment of benefits in any form of a life... paragraph (c)(1) of this section has been made, life annuity benefits will be paid in a form having the...

Ghost illness in a north Indian village.

PubMed

Freed, R S; Freed, S A

1990-01-01

The substantial number of ghost possessions that came to our attention during fieldwork in a North Indian village in 1977-78 led to a thorough study of ghost beliefs as part of a holistic study of village life. Ghosts are not phantoms floating on the periphery of village life, the concern only of children and the credulous. Rather, the study shows that ghosts are linked with basic Hindu beliefs, village lore, ancient curing practices and theories, the diagnosis of illness and treatment of disease, individual stress and anxiety, and family, lineage, and village histories. Ghost possession, a subsidiary and dramatic form of ghost illness, is behavior in which the ghost speaks from its victim who undergoes a range of alternate states. Unpredictable events and heightened personal stress generally precede episodes of ghost possession. Cases of ghost illness and ghost possession include children and adults of both sexes and a range of ages. Our data contradict the village stereotype that only women suffer from ghost possession. Villagers have recourse to both traditional remedies and Western biomedicine to treat ghost illness.

77 FR 38396 - Agency Information Collection (Notice of Lapse-Government Life Insurance) Activities Under OMB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-27

... of Lapse--Government Life Insurance) Activities Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits...--Government Life Insurance, VA Form 29-389. b. Application for Reinstatement, VA Form 29-389-1. OMB Control...-389 and 29-389-1 are used to inform claimants that their government life insurance has lapsed or will...

A Model for Assessing the Clinical and Economic Benefits of Bone-forming Agents for Reducing Fractures in Postmenopausal Women at High, Near-term Risk of Osteoporotic Fracture.

PubMed

O'Hanlon, Claire E; Parthan, Anju; Kruse, Morgan; Cartier, Shannon; Stollenwerk, Bjorn; Jiang, Yawen; Caloyeras, John P; Crittenden, Daria B; Barron, Richard

2017-07-01

The goal of this study was to assess and compare the potential clinical and economic value of emerging bone-forming agents using the only currently available agent, teriparatide, as a reference case in patients at high, near-term (imminent, 1- to 2-year) risk of osteoporotic fractures, extending to a lifetime horizon with sequenced antiresorptive agents for maintenance treatment. Analyses were performed by using a Markov cohort model accounting for time-specific fracture protection effects of bone-forming agents followed by antiresorptive treatment with denosumab. The alternative bone-forming agent profiles were defined by using assumptions regarding the onset and total magnitude of protection against fractures with teriparatide. The model cohort comprised 70-year-old female patients with T scores below -2.5 and a previous vertebral fracture. Outcomes included clinical fractures, direct costs, and quality-adjusted life years. The simulated treatment strategies were compared by calculating their incremental "value" (net monetary benefit). Improvements in the onset and magnitude of fracture protection (vs the teriparatide reference case) produced a net monetary benefit of $17,000,000 per 10,000 treated patients during the (1.5-year) bone-forming agent treatment period and $80,000,000 over a lifetime horizon that included 3.5 years of maintenance treatment with denosumab. Incorporating time-specific fracture effects in the Markov cohort model allowed for estimation of a range of cost savings, quality-adjusted life years gained, and clinical fractures avoided at different levels of fracture protection onset and magnitude. Results provide a first estimate of the potential "value" new bone-forming agents (romosozumab and abaloparatide) may confer relative to teriparatide. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enceladus Icy Jet Analyzer (ENIJA) : Search for life with a high resolution TOF-MS for in situ characterization of high dust density regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srama, R.; Postberg, F.; Henkel, H.; Klopfer, T.; Li, Y.; Simolka, J.; Bugiel, S.; Kempf, S.; Hillier, J.; Khawaja, N.; Trieloff, M.; Abel, B.; Moragas-Klostermeyer, G.; Strack, H.; Schmidt, J.; Soja, R.; Sternovsky, Z.; Spohn, T.

2015-10-01

ENIJA was developed to search for the prebiotic molecules and biogenic key compounds like amino acids in the plumes of Saturn's moon Enceladus. ENIJA records time-of-flight mass spectra in the range between 1 and 2000 u produced by high-velocity impacts of individual grains onto a metal target. The spectrometer has a measurement mode for cations or anions formed upon impact, with concurrent determination of the mass of the detected grains. Detection of elemental and molecular species over such a wide mass range permits clear characterization of particle chemistry, simultaneously covering individual ions like H+, C-, Oand complex organics with masses of many hundred u. ENIJA is sensitive to water ice, minerals, metals, organic particles, and mixtures of these components. The instrument is based on the principle of impact ionization and optimized for the analysis of high dust fluxes and number densities as typically occur during Enceladus plume crossings or in cometary comae. The mass resolution is m/dm > 970 for typical plume particles in the size range 0.01 to 100 μm. The instrument mass and peak power is 3.5 kg and 14.2 W, respectively. The instrument is part of the model payload for the mission "Enceladus Life Finder" (ELF).

Comparing Effectiveness of Treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder in Communal Mental Health Care: The Oulu BPD Study.

PubMed

Leppänen, V; Hakko, H; Sintonen, H; Lindeman, S

2016-02-01

The implementation of effective psychotherapies in community mental health care is challenging. This study aimed to create a well-structured and easily applicable treatment model for patients with severe borderline personality disorder (BPD). We integrated a schema therapy based psycho-educational group into an available individual therapy. Two groups were formed: (1) community treatment by experts (CTBE) patients (n = 24) receiving new treatment and (2) treatment as usual (TAU) patients (n = 47). Changes in symptoms were measured by Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index-IV interview and quality of life by the 15D health-related quality of life questionnaire. After 1 year the CTBE patients showed a significant reduction in a wider range of BPD symptoms and better quality of life than TAU patients. The results of this study are encouraging. A well-structured treatment model was successfully implemented into community mental health care with improved patient adherence to treatment and superior treatment outcomes compared to TAU patients.

LifeSat engineering in-house vehicle design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adkins, A.; Badhwar, G.; Bryant, L.; Caram, J.; Conley, G.; Crull, T.; Cuthbert, P.; Darcy, E.; Delaune, P.; Edeen, M.

1992-01-01

The LifeSat program was initiated to research the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on living organisms. The effects of long-term human exposure to free-space radiation fields over a range of gravitational environments has long been recognized as one of the primary design uncertainties for human space exploration. A critical design issue in the radiation biology requirements was the lack of definition of the minimum radiation absorbed dosage required to produce statistically meaningful data. The Phase A study produced a spacecraft conceptual design resembling a Discoverer configuration with a total weight of approximately 2800 pounds that would carry a 525-pound payload module (45 inches in diameter and 36 inches long) and support up to 12 rodents and a general biology module supporting lower life forms for an on-orbit duration of up to 60 days. The phase B conceptual designs focused on gravitational biology requirements and only briefly addressed the design impacts of the shift toward radiobiological science that occurred during the latter half of the Phase B studies.

Bayesian Framework Approach for Prognostic Studies in Electrolytic Capacitor under Thermal Overstress Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Celaya, Jose R.; Goebel, Kai; Biswas, Gautam

2012-01-01

Electrolytic capacitors are used in several applications ranging from power supplies for safety critical avionics equipment to power drivers for electro-mechanical actuator. Past experiences show that capacitors tend to degrade and fail faster when subjected to high electrical or thermal stress conditions during operations. This makes them good candidates for prognostics and health management. Model-based prognostics captures system knowledge in the form of physics-based models of components in order to obtain accurate predictions of end of life based on their current state of heal th and their anticipated future use and operational conditions. The focus of this paper is on deriving first principles degradation models for thermal stress conditions and implementing Bayesian framework for making remaining useful life predictions. Data collected from simultaneous experiments are used to validate the models. Our overall goal is to derive accurate models of capacitor degradation, and use them to remaining useful life in DC-DC converters.

Mokken scaling of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS).

PubMed

Thompson, David R; Watson, Roger

2011-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the hierarchical and cumulative nature of the 35 items of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS), a disease-specific health-related quality of life measure. Data from 668 participants who completed the MIDAS were analysed using the Mokken Scaling Procedure, which is a computer program that searches polychotomous data for hierarchical and cumulative scales on the basis of a range of diagnostic criteria. Fourteen MIDAS items were retained in a Mokken scale and these items included physical activity, insecurity, emotional reaction and dependency items but excluded items related to diet, medication or side-effects. Item difficulty, in item response theory terms, ran from physical activity items (low difficulty) to insecurity, suggesting that the most severe quality of life effect of myocardial infarction is loneliness and isolation. Items from the MIDAS form a strong and reliable Mokken scale, which provides new insight into the relationship between items in the MIDAS and the measurement of quality of life after myocardial infarction. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Properties of the welded joints of manganese steel made by low-frequency pulsed arc welding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saraev, Yu. N.; Bezborodov, V. P.; Gladovskii, S. V.; Golikov, N. I.

2017-04-01

The structure, the mechanical properties, the impact toughness, and the fracture mechanisms of the welded joints made of steel 09G2S plates by direct current welding and pulsed arc welding with a modulated arc current in the frequency range 0.25-5.0 Hz are studied. The application of low-frequency pulsed arc welding allowed us to form welded joints with a fine-grained structure in the weld metal and the heat-affected zone and to achieve a higher impact toughness and a longer cyclic fatigue life as compared to the welded joints fabricated by direct current welding. The achieved effect manifests itself over the entire testing range from 20 to-60°C.

Seafloor Fluid Flow and the Search for Extant Life: Escaping Earthly Prejudices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

German, C. R.

2018-05-01

Despite decades of experience, ocean scientists on Earth continue to discover novel forms of seafloor fluid flow with the potential to host novel forms of life. Ocean Science can inform the search for life beyond Earth but should not dictate it.

Parametric scaling from species to growth-form diversity: an interesting analogy with multifractal functions.

PubMed

Ricotta, Carlo; Pacini, Alessandra; Avena, Giancarlo

2002-01-01

We propose a measure of divergence from species to life-form diversity aimed at summarizing the ecological similarity among different plant communities without losing information on traditional taxonomic diversity. First, species and life-form relative abundances within a given plant community are determined. Next, using Rényi's generalized entropy, the diversity profiles of the analyzed community are computed both from species and life-form relative abundances. Finally, the speed of decrease from species to life-form diversity is obtained by combining the outcome of both profiles. Interestingly, the proposed measure shows some formal analogies with multifractal functions developed in statistical physics for the analysis of spatial patterns. As an application for demonstration, a small data set from a plant community sampled in the archaeological site of Paestum (southern Italy) is used.

Outcome and Life Satisfaction of Adults with Myelomeningocele

PubMed Central

Cope, Heidi; McMahon, Kelly; Heise, Elizabeth; Eubanks, Sonja; Garrett, Melanie; Gregory, Simon; Ashley-Koch, Allison

2013-01-01

Background Myelomeningocele (MMC) commonly causes impairments in body structure and functions as well as cognitive disabilities that can have an adverse effect on adult life. Improved medical care has resulted in increased numbers of individuals with MMC surviving to adulthood, however little is known about the impact of MMC on the lives of adults age 25 years or older. Objective To gain a better understanding of outcomes in education, employment, relationships, reproduction and life satisfaction of adults with MMC. Methods A primarily quantitative multiple-choice questionnaire designed to capture outcomes in education, employment, relationships and reproduction, along with a previously validated life satisfaction checklist (LiSat-11), was completed by adults with MMC. Relationships between demographic variables, outcomes and life satisfaction were determined using cross tabulation analysis, logistic regression and linear regression. Results Ninety adults with MMC, age 25 to 85 years (median age 32), reported a diverse range of outcomes in education, employment, relationships and reproduction. The most consistent variable associated with difficulty attaining adult milestones was hydrocephalus, the presence of which reduced the likelihood of living independently (p=<0.001), having a partner (p=0.003) and reproducing (p=<0.001), but did not contribute to reduced life satisfaction. Conclusions Adults with MMC, especially those without hydrocephalus, can obtain gainful employment, live independently, form partner relationships and have children, and these achievements contribute to life satisfaction. While MMC does not affect overall reported life satisfaction for adults, attention should be paid to specific domains with less reported satisfaction. PMID:23769483

Validation of modified forms of the PedsQL generic core scales and cancer module scales for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer or a blood disorder.

PubMed

Ewing, Jane E; King, Madeleine T; Smith, Narelle F

2009-03-01

To validate two health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, the PedsQL Generic Core and Cancer Module adolescent forms (13-18 years), after modification for 16-25-year-old adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer or a blood disorder. AYA patients and nominated proxies were recruited from three Sydney hospitals. Modified forms were administered by telephone or in clinics/wards. Analyses included correlations, factor analysis, and analysis of variance of known-groups (defined by the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale). Eighty-eight patients and 79 proxies completed questionnaires. Factor structures consistent with those of the unmodified forms confirmed construct validity. Cronbach's alpha ranged 0.81-0.98. Inter-scale correlations were as hypothesized, confirming discriminant validity. Statistically significant differences between groups with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms (P < 0.05) confirmed clinical validity. These modified forms provide reliable and valid measures of HRQOL in AYA with cancer or a blood disorder, suitable for clinical trials, research, and practice.

Life's Late Digital Revolution and Why It Matters for the Study of the Origins of Life.

PubMed

Baum, David A; Lehman, Niles

2017-08-25

The information contained in life exists in two forms, analog and digital. Analog information is manifest mainly in the differing concentrations of chemicals that get passed from generation to generation and can vary from cell to cell. Digital information is encoded in linear polymers such as DNA and RNA, whose side chains come in discrete chemical forms. Here, we argue that the analog form of information preceded the digital. Acceptance of this dichotomy, and this progression, can help direct future studies on how life originated and initially complexified on the primordial Earth, as well as expected trajectories for other, independent origins of complex life.

Epistemological issues in the study of microbial life: alternative terran biospheres?

PubMed

Cleland, Carol E

2007-12-01

The assumption that all life on Earth today shares the same basic molecular architecture and biochemistry is part of the paradigm of modern biology. This paper argues that there is little theoretical or empirical support for this widely held assumption. Scientists know that life could have been at least modestly different at the molecular level and it is clear that alternative molecular building blocks for life were available on the early Earth. If the emergence of life is, like other natural phenomena, highly probable given the right chemical and physical conditions then it seems likely that the early Earth hosted multiple origins of life, some of which produced chemical variations on life as we know it. While these points are often conceded, it is nevertheless maintained that any primitive alternatives to familiar life would have been eliminated long ago, either amalgamated into a single form of life through lateral gene transfer (LGT) or alternatively out-competed by our putatively more evolutionarily robust form of life. Besides, the argument continues, if such life forms still existed, we surely would have encountered telling signs of them by now. These arguments do not hold up well under close scrutiny. They reflect a host of assumptions that are grounded in our experience with large multicellular organisms and, most importantly, do not apply to microbial forms of life, which cannot be easily studied without the aid of sophisticated technologies. Significantly, the most powerful molecular biology techniques available-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rRNA genes augmented by metagenomic analysis-could not detect such microbes if they existed. Given the profound philosophical and scientific importance that such a discovery would represent, a dedicated search for 'shadow microbes' (heretofore unrecognized 'alien' forms of terran microbial life) seems in order. The best place to start such a search is with puzzling (anomalous) phenomena, such as desert varnish, that resist classification as 'biological' or 'nonbiological'.

Identifying early Earth microfossils in unsilicified sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javaux, Emmanuelle J.; Asael, Dan; Bekker, Andrey; Debaille, Vinciane; Derenne, Sylvie; Hofmann, Axel; Mattielli, Nadine; Poulton, Simon

2013-04-01

The search for life on the early Earth or beyond Earth requires the definition of biosignatures, or "indices of life". These traditionally include fossil molecules, isotopic fractionations, biosedimentary structures and morphological fossils interpreted as remnants of life preserved in rocks. This research focuses on traces of life preserved in unsilicified siliciclastic sediments. Indeed, these deposits preserve well sedimentary structures indicative of past aqueous environments and organic matter, including the original organic walls of microscopic organisms. They also do not form in hydrothermal conditions which may be source of abiotic organics. At our knowledge, the only reported occurrence of microfossils preserved in unsilicified Archean sediments is a population of large organic-walled vesicles discovered in shales and siltstones of the 3.2 Ga Moodies Group, South Africa. (Javaux et al, Nature 2010). These have been interpreted as microfossils based on petrographic and geochemical evidence for their endogenicity and syngeneity, their carbonaceous composition, cellular morphology and ultrastructure, occurrence in populations, taphonomic features of soft wall deformation, and the geological context plausible for life, as well as lack of abiotic explanation falsifying a biological origin. Demonstrating that carbonaceous objects from Archaean rocks are truly old and truly biological is the subject of considerable debate. Abiotic processes are known to produce organics and isotopic signatures similar to life. Spheroidal pseudofossils may form as self-assembling vesicles from abiotic CM, e.g. in prebiotic chemistry experiments (Shoztak et al, 2001), from meteoritic lipids (Deamer et al, 2006), or hydrothermal fluids (Akashi et al, 1996); by artifact of maceration; by migration of abiotic or biotic CM along microfractures (VanZuilen et al, 2007) or along mineral casts (Brasier et al, 2005), or around silica spheres formed in silica-saturated water (Jones and Renaut, 2007) or inside gaz bubbles (Brasier et al, 2009; Bengston et al., 2010); or as mobile hydrocarbon microspheres (Wanger et al, 2012). However, these processes cannot explain the formation of large recalcitrant (acid-resistant) hollow vesicles flattened in 2D parallel to bedding, with structurally preserved organic walls, and occurring in shallow-water shales. They do not occur in the right geological conditions, or do not produce the right taphonomy nor structurally preserved morphology; or the right chemistry (acid resistant kerogen, not bitumen); or the right size range and unimodal size distribution. Therefore the carbonaceous microstructures are interpreted as organic-walled microfossils of unknown biological origin (the definition of acritarchs, which may of prokaryotic or eukaryotic origin). In our study, ultrastructural analyzes by transmission electron microscopy provided a crucial test to evidence that large organic-walled vesicles from the 3.2 Ga Moodies Group were true microfossils and not just large kerogen particles (Javaux et al, 2010). This discovery showed that fine-grained siliciclastic window is an interesting target, not only for the proterozoic record, but also for archean paleobiology. Such study also suggests that aqueous fine-grained silicilastic or clay deposits from the Noachian on Mars should be high priority astrobiological targets. To improve the Archean record, siliciclastic sedimentary rocks from new cores recovered through the ICDP Barberton "peering into the cradle of life" will be investigated for discovering and characterizing traces of life (organics, microfossils, microbial mat structures) and their paleohabitat and preservation conditions. Analytical approaches will include in situ study by petrography, organics extraction, optical and electronic microscopy, Raman and FTIR microspectroscopy, pyrolysis, datings, stable isotope analyzes, and a range of redox proxies, in collaboration with partners from the ICDP Barberton project, the ERC ELiTE project, and the Belspo IAP PLANET TOPERS project.

Validity of the Neurology Quality of Life (Neuro-QoL) Measurement System in Adult Epilepsy

PubMed Central

Victorson, David; Cavazos, Jose E.; Holmes, Gregory L.; Reder, Anthony T.; Wojna, Valerie; Nowinski, Cindy; Miller, Deborah; Buono, Sarah; Mueller, Allison; Moy, Claudia; Cella, David

2014-01-01

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that results in recurring seizures and can have a significant adverse effect on health related quality of life (HRQL). Neuro-QoL is an NINDS-funded system of patient reported outcome measures for neurology clinical research, which was designed to provide a precise and standardized way to measure HRQL in epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Using mixed-methods and item response theory-based approaches, we developed generic item banks and targeted scales for adults and children with major neurological disorders. This paper provides empirical results from a clinical validation study with a sample of adults diagnosed with epilepsy. One hundred twenty one people diagnosed with epilepsy participated, of which the majority were male (62%), Caucasian (95%), with a mean age of 47.3 (SD=16.9). Baseline assessments included Neuro-QoL short forms and general and external validity measures. Neuro-QoL short forms that are not typically found in other epilepsy-specific HRQL instruments include Stigma, Sleep Disturbance, Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol and Positive Affect & Well-being. Neuro-QoL short forms demonstrated adequate reliability (internal consistency range = .86–.96; test-retest range = .57–.89). Pearson correlations (p<.01) between Neuro-QoL forms of emotional distress (Anxiety, Depression, Stigma) and the QOLIE-31 Emotional Well-being Subscale were in the moderate to strong range (r’s = .66, .71 & .53, respectively), as were relations with the PROMIS Global Mental Health subscale (r’s = .59, .74 & .52, respectively). Moderate correlations were observed between Neuro-QoL Social Role Performance and Satisfaction and the QOLIE-31 Social Function (r’s = .58 & .52, respectively). In measuring aspects of physical function, the Neuro-QoL Mobility and Upper Extremity forms demonstrated moderate associations with the PROMIS Global Physical Function Subscale (r’s = .60 & .61, respectively). Neuro-QoL measures of perceived cognitive function (executive function and general concerns) produced moderate to strong correlations with the QOLIE-31 Cognition subscale (r’s = .65 & .75, respectively) and moderate relations with the Liverpool Adverse Events scale (r’s = .51 & .69, respectively). Finally, the Neuro-QoL Fatigue measure demonstrated moderate associations with the QOLIE-31 Energy/Fatigue subscale (r=−.65), Liverpool Adverse Events Scale (r=.69) and the Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (r=.50). Five Neuro-QoL short forms demonstrated statistically significant responsiveness to change at 5–7 months, including Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Depression, Positive Affect & Well-being, and Emotional and Behavioral Dyscontrol. Overall, Neuro-QoL instruments showed good evidence for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and responsiveness to change over several months. These results support the validity of Neuro-QoL to measure HRQL in adults with epilepsy. PMID:24361767

BioDiversity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, E. O., Ed.; Peter, Frances M., Ed.

The diversity of life forms is one of the greatest wonders of the planet earth. The biosphere is an intricate tapestry of interwoven life forms. This book offers an overall view of this biological diversity and carries an urgent warning about the rapid alteration and destruction of the environments that have fostered the diversity of life forms…

Differences in the health-related quality of life, affective status, and personality between irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease patients.

PubMed

Tkalcić, Mladenka; Hauser, Goran; Stimac, Davor

2010-07-01

To investigate differences in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), number of stressful life events, affective status, and some personality characteristics between patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as well as their possible role in disease activity. Fifty-six IBS outpatients, age range 25-75 years (mean = 48.64; SD = 13.04) and 43 outpatients with IBD, age range 19-74 years (mean = 42.90; SD = 15.44), participated in this study. Patients filled out the following questionnaires: Short-Form 36 Health Survey, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger's Trait-Anxiety Inventory, Big Five Inventory, and Stressful Life Events Questionnaire. There were significant differences in the physical component (F = 10.80, P<0.001) of the general HRQoL as well as in anxiety (F = 7.23, P<0.01) and neuroticism (F = 8.90, P<0.01) between patients with IBS and IBD. IBS patients showed a significantly higher level of anxiety and neuroticism and better physical aspects of general HRQoL compared with IBD patients. The results of standard regression analyses indicated that a significant predictor (beta = -0.44, P<0.01) for the perceived disease activity in IBS was neuroticism as a personality trait. The results of this study show that the patients with IBS are more prone to the effect of psychosocial variables on gastrointestinal symptoms compared with patients with organic gastrointestinal diseases such as IBD. IBS patients experienced a higher level of anxiety and expressed a higher level of neuroticism as a personality trait compared with IBD patients.

The Origin of Universal Scaling in Biology from Molecules & Cells to Whales and Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Geoffrey

2002-03-01

Life is the most complex physical system in the Universe manifesting an extraordinary diversity of form and function over an enormous scale ranging from the largest animals and plants to the smallest microbes. Yet, many of its most fundamental and complex phenomena scale with size in a surprisingly simple fashion. For example, metabolic rate (the power needed to sustain life) scales as the 3/4-power of mass over 27 orders of magnitude ranging from molecular and intra-cellular levels up through the smallest unicellular organisms to the largest animals and plants. Similarly, time-scales (such as lifespan and heart-rate) and sizes (such as the radius of a tree trunk or the density of mitochondria) change with size with exponents which are typically simple powers of 1/4. The phenomenology of these "laws" will be reviewed and a quantitative unified theory presented that explains their origin, including that of the universal 1/4-power. It is based on the fundamental observation that, regardless of size, almost all life is sustained, and ultimately constrained, by space-filling, fractal-like hierarchical branching networks which are optimised by the forces of natural selection. Integrated descriptions of the cardiovascular, respiratory and plant vascular systems will be presented as explicit examples. It will be shown how scaling universality can be related to an effective additional fourth spatial dimension of life. Extensions to growth, aging and mortality, ecosystems and the nature of evolution, including thermodynamic considerations and the concept of a universal molecular clock, will be discussed.

Phytoecological evaluation with detail floristic appraisal of the vegetation arround Malam Jabba, Swat, Pakistan

PubMed Central

Rashid, Abdur; Swati, Mohammad Farooq; Sher, Hassan; Al-Yemeni, Mohammad N

2011-01-01

Objective To determine the present status of plant communities and their possible association with the habitat in Malam Jabba, Swat, Pakistan. Methods A study on the phytoecology was conducted in various ecologically important sites of Malam Jabba, Swat, Pakistan from 2002 to 2004. The altitude of these sites ranged from 1 200 m to 3 200 m. Quadrat method was used for evaluation of plants communities and the data on these attributes was converted to relative values. The plant communities were named after 3 leading species with highest importance values. Biological spectrum of the flora based on the life form was prepared by following Raunkiar's life form classes. Results The floristic composition and structure of the study area were found to be 200 species belonging to 75 families. Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae were important families in the study area. The biological spectrum showed that therophytic and hemicrytophytic life form and micro-nonophyllous leaf sizes were dominant in the area. The air and soil temperatures were decreasing with increasing elevation. Both the air and soil temperatures were relatively higher in south slopes than on the northeast slopes. The vegetation analysis of the area indicated eleven plant communities around the area. The present vegetation is the relics of moist temperate coniferous forest in the area. The communities reflect highly deteriorated conditions. Both the structure and composition of the surrounding vegetation were associated with the types of habitats. Conclusions The conservation of the remaining populations of the reported communities will be best achieved by proper time of sustainable harvesting. It is only possible with the participation of local communities. PMID:23569814

Relationship between seed bank expression, adult longevity and aridity in species of Chaetanthera (Asteraceae) in central Chile.

PubMed

Arroyo, M T K; Chacon, P; Cavieres, L A

2006-09-01

Broad surveys have detected inverse relationships between seed and adult longevity and between seed size and adult longevity. However, low and unpredictable precipitation is also associated with seed bank (SB) expression in semi-arid and arid areas. The relationship between adult longevity, SB formation, seed mass and aridity is examined in annual and perennial herbs of Chaetanthera (Asteraceae) from the Chilean Mediterranean-type climate and winter-rainfall desert areas over a precipitation range of one order of magnitude. Seeds of 18 species and subtaxa (32 populations) were buried in field locations, and exhumed after two successive germination periods. Seeds not germinating in the field were tested in a growth chamber, and remnant intact seed tested for viability. Seed banks were classed as transient or persistent. The effect of life form, species, population and burial time on persistent SB size was assessed with factorial ANOVA. Persistent seed bank size was compared with the Martonne aridity index (shown to be a surrogate for inter-annual variation in precipitation) and seed size using linear regression. ANCOVA assessed the effect of life-form on SB size with aridity as covariate. Three species had a transient SB and 15 a persistent SB. ANOVA revealed a significant effect of life-form on SB size with annuals having larger SB size and greater capacity to form a persistent SB than perennials. Significant inter-population variation in SB size was found in 64% of cases. Seed mass was negatively correlated with persistent SB size. Persistent seed bank size was significantly correlated with the Martonne aridity index in the perennial and annual species, with species from more arid areas having larger persistent SBs. However, when aridity was considered as a covariate, ANCOVA revealed no significant differences between the annual and perennial herbs. Persistent seed bank size in Chaetanthera appears to reflect environmental selection rather than any trade-off with adult longevity.

Stature of Sub-arctic Birch in Relation to Growth Rate, Lifespan and Tree Form

PubMed Central

JÓNSSON, THORBERGUR HJALTI

2004-01-01

• Background and Aims Sub-arctic mountain birch Betula pubescens var. pumila communities in the North Atlantic region are of variable stature, ranging from prostrate scrubs to forests with trees up to 12 m high. Four hypotheses were tested, relating growth and population characteristics of sub-arctic birch woodland and scrub to tree stature; i.e. the variable stature of birch woods is due to differences in (1) the mean growth rate; (2) the age-related patterns of growth rate; (3) the life expectancy of stems; or (4) the tree form. • Methods A stratified random sample of 300 birch trees was drawn from the total population of indigenous birch woodlands and scrub in Iceland, yielding 286 valid sample genets. The population was divided into three sub-populations with dominant trees 0–2, 2–4 and 4–12 m tall, referred to as birch scrub, birch scrub-woodland and birch forest, respectively. • Key Results Trees in the scrub population were of more contorted growth form than birch in the scrub-woodland and forest populations. Mean growth rates, mean age and median life expectancies increased significantly with sub-population of greater tree stature. At the population level, annual increment and longevity of birch stems was apparently interrelated as the stems in vigorously growing birch sub-populations had a longer life expectancy than those of slower growth. However, no difference was observed between sub-populations in age-related patterns of extension growth rate. • Conclusions The results were consistent with hypotheses (1), (3) and (4), but hypothesis (2) was rejected. Hence, mountain birch of more vigorous growth attains a greater stature than birch of lesser increment due to faster extension growth rate and a longer lifespan. In addition, the more contorted stem form of scrub populations contributes to their low stature. PMID:15374837

Validation and reliability of the Turkish Utian Quality-of-Life Scale in postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Abay, Halime; Kaplan, Sena

2016-04-01

There are a limited number of menopause-specific quality-of-life scales for the Turkish population. This study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish Utian Quality-of-Life Scale in postmenopausal women. The study group was comprised of 250 postmenopausal women who applied to a training and research hospital's menopause clinic in Turkey. A survey form and the Turkish Utian quality-of-Life Scale were used to collect data, and the Turkish version of Short Form-36 was used to evaluate reliability with an equivalent form. Language-validity, content-validity, and construct-validity methods were used to assess the validity of the scale, and Cronbach's α coefficient calculation and the equivalent-form reliability methods were used to assess the reliability of the scale. The Turkish Utian Quality-of-Life Scale was determined to be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the quality of life of postmenopausal women. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates that the instrument fits well with 23 items and a four-factor model. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the quality-of-life domains were as follows: 0.88 overall, 0.79 health, 0.78 emotional, 0.76 sexual, and 0.75 occupational. Reliability of the instrument was confirmed through significant correlations between scores on the Turkish version of the Utian Quality-of-Life Scale and the Turkish version of the Short Form-36 (r = 0.745, P < 0.001). This research emphasizes that the Turkish Utian Quality-of-Life Scale is reliable and valid in postmenopausal women-it is a useful instrument for measuring quality of life during menopause.

Relicts and models of the RNA world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehto, Kirsi; Karetnikov, Alexey

2005-01-01

It is widely believed that the current DNA-RNA-protein-based life forms have evolved from preceding RNA-protein-based life forms, and these again, from mere RNA replicons. By rationale, it can be assumed that the early RNA replicons were fully heterotrophic in terms of obtaining all their building blocks from their environment. In the absence of protein catalysts, their essential life functions had to be mediated by simple functional structures and mechanisms, such as RNA secondary structures, RNA-RNA interactions and RNA-mediated catalysis, and possibly by catalytic minerals or clays. The central role of RNA catalysts in early life forms is supported by the fact that several catalytic RNAs still perform central biological functions in current life forms, and at least some of these may be derived as molecular relicts from the early RNA-based life. The RNA-catalysed metabolic reactions and molecular fossils are more conserved in the eukaryotic life forms than in the prokaryotes, suggesting that the linear eukaryote genomes may more closely resemble the structure and function of the early RNA replicons, than what do the circular prokaryote genomes. Present-day RNA viruses and viroids utilize ultimately simple life strategies, which may be similar to those used by the early RNA replicons. Thus, molecular and functional properties of viruses and viroids may be considered as examples or models of the structures and replication mechanisms, which might have been used for the replication of the early biopolymers.

Astrobiology: The Case for Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.

2003-01-01

The scientific discipline of astrobiology addresses one of the most fundamental unanswered questions of science: are we alone? Is there life elsewhere in the universe, or is life unique to Earth? The field of astrobiology includes the study of the chemical precursors for life in the solar system; it also includes the search for both presently existing life and fossil signs of previously existing life elsewhere in our own solar system, as well as the search for life outside the solar system. Two of the promising environments within the solar system being currently considered are the surface of the planet Mars, and the hypothesized oceans underneath the ice covering the moon Europa. Both of these environments differ in several key ways from the environments where life is found on Earth; the Mars environment in most places too cold and at too low pressure for liquid water to be stable, and the sub-ice environment of Europa lacking an abundance of free energy in the form of sunlight. The only place in the solar system where we know that life exists today is the Earth. To look for life elsewhere in the solar system, one promising search strategy would be to find and study the environment in the solar system with conditions that are most similar to the environmental conditions where life thrives on the Earth. Specifically, we would like to study a location in the solar system with atmospheric pressure near one bar; temperature in the range where water is liquid, 0 to 100 C; abundant solar energy; and with the primary materials required for life, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, present. Other than the surface of the Earth, the only other place where these conditions exist is the atmosphere of Venus, at an altitude of about fifty kilometers above the surface.

Mental health and life satisfaction of individuals with spinal cord injury and their partners 5 years after discharge from first inpatient rehabilitation.

PubMed

Scholten, Eline W M; Tromp, Maria E H; Hillebregt, Chantal F; de Groot, Sonja; Ketelaar, Marjolijn; Visser-Meily, Johanna M A; Post, Marcel W M

2018-06-01

Cross-sectional study. To describe and compare mental health and life satisfaction between individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their partners 5 years after discharge from first inpatient rehabilitation; and to examine if injury severity moderates the association between individuals' with SCI and their partners' mental health and life satisfaction. Dutch community. Sixty-five individuals with SCI and their partners completed a self-report questionnaire. Main outcome measures were the mental health subscale of the Short-Form Health Survey and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. Levels of mental health and life satisfaction of individuals with SCI and partners were similar, with median scores of 76 and 4.8 versus 76 and 4.6, respectively. Moderate to strong correlations between individuals with SCI and their partners were found for the mental health (r S  = 0.35) and life satisfaction scores (r S  = 0.51). These associations were generally stronger in the subgroup of individuals with less severe SCI. Associations between scores on separate life domains ranged from negligible (0.05) to moderate (0.53). Individuals with SCI and their partners were least satisfied with their 'sexual life'. Compared with their partners, individuals with SCI were significantly more satisfied in the domains 'leisure situation', 'partnership relation' and 'family life', and less satisfied in 'self-care ability'. This study showed similarities but also differences in mental health and life satisfaction between individuals with SCI and their partners. In clinical practice, attention on mental health and life satisfaction should, therefore, focus on different domains for individuals with SCI and partners.

Psychometric evaluation of the impact of weight on quality of life-lite questionnaire (IWQOL-lite) in a community sample.

PubMed

Kolotkin, Ronette L; Crosby, Ross D

2002-03-01

The short form of impact of weight on quality of life (IWQOL)-Lite is a 31-item, self-report, obesity-specific measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) that consists of a total score and scores on each of five scales--physical function, self-esteem, sexual life, public distress, and work--and that exhibits strong psychometric properties. This study was undertaken in order to assess test-retest reliability and discriminant validity in a heterogeneous sample of individuals not in treatment. Individuals were recruited from the community to complete questionnaires that included the IWQOL-Lite, SF-36, Rosenberg self-esteem (RSE) scale, Marlowe-Crowne social desirability scale, global ratings of quality of life, and sexual functioning and public distress ratings. Persons currently enrolled in weight loss programs or with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 were dropped from the analyses, leaving 341 females and 153 males for analysis, with an average BMI of 27.4. For test-retest reliability, 112 participants completed the IWQOL-Lite again. ANOVA revealed significant main effects for BMI for all IWQOL-Lite scales and total score. Females showed greater impairment than males on all scales except public distress. Internal consistency ranged from 0.816 to 0.944 for IWQOL-Lite scales and was 0.958 for total score. Test-retest reliability ranged from 0.814 to 0.877 for scales and was 0.937 for total score. Internal consistency and test-retest results for overweight/obese subjects were similar to those obtained for the total sample. There was strong evidence for convergent and discriminant validity of the IWQOL-Lite in overweight/obese subjects. As in previous studies conducted on treatment-seeking obese persons, the IWQOL-Lite appears to be a reliable and valid measure of obesity-specific quality of life in overweight/obese persons not seeking treatment.

The essence of life.

PubMed

Ma, Wentao

2016-09-26

Although biology has achieved great successes in recent years, we have not got a clear idea on "what is life?" Actually, as explained here, the main reason for this situation is that there are two completely distinct aspects for "life", which are usually talked about together. Indeed, in respect to these two aspects: Darwinian evolution and self-sustaining, we must split the concept of life correspondingly, for example, by defining "life form" and "living entity", separately. For life's implementation (related to the two aspects) in nature, three mechanisms are crucial: the replication of DNA/RNA-like polymers by residue-pairing, the sequence-dependent folding of RNA/protein-like polymers engendering special functions, and the assembly of phospholipid-like amphiphiles forming vesicles. The notion "information" is significant for us to comprehend life phenomenon: the life form of a living entity can just be defined by its genetic information; Darwinian evolution is essentially an evolution of such information, transferred across generations. The in-depth analysis concerning the essence of life would improve our cognition in the whole field of biology, and may have a direct influence on its subfields like the origin of life, artificial life and astrobiology. This article was reviewed by Anthony Poole and Thomas Dandekar.

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

PubMed

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

2015-09-01

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

Predicting what extra-terrestrials will be like: and preparing for the worst.

PubMed

Morris, Simon Conway

2011-02-13

It is difficult to imagine evolution in alien biospheres operating in any manner other than Darwinian. Yet, it is also widely assumed that alien life-forms will be just that: strange, un-nerving and probably repulsive. There are two reasons for this view. First, it is assumed that the range of habitable environments available to extra-terrestrial life is far wider than on Earth. I suggest, however, that terrestrial life is close to the physical and chemical limits of life anywhere. Second, it is a neo-Darwinian orthodoxy that evolution lacks predictability; imagining what extra-terrestrial life would look like in any detail is a futile exercise. To the contrary, I suggest that the outcomes of evolution are remarkably predictable. This, however, leads us to consider two opposites, both of which should make our blood run cold. The first, and actually extremely unlikely, is that alien biospheres will be strikingly similar to our terrestrial equivalent and that in such biospheres intelligence will inevitably emerge. The reasons for this revolve around the ubiquity of evolutionary convergence, the determinate structure of the Tree of Life and molecular inherency. But if something like a human is an inevitability, why do I also claim that the first possibility is 'extremely unlikely'? Simply because the other possibility is actually the correct answer. Paradoxically, we and our biosphere are completely alone. So which is worse? Meeting ourselves or meeting nobody?

Learning from regeneration research organisms: The circuitous road to scar free wound healing.

PubMed

Erickson, Jami R; Echeverri, Karen

2018-01-15

The skin is the largest organ in the body and plays multiple essential roles ranging from regulating temperature, preventing infection and ultimately defining who we are physically. It is a highly dynamic organ that constantly replaces the outermost cells throughout life. However, when faced with a major injury, human skin cannot restore a significant lesion to its original functionality, instead a reparative scar is formed. In contrast to this, many other species have the unique ability to regenerate full thickness skin without formation of scar tissue. Here we review recent advances in the field that shed light on how the skin cells in regenerative species react to injury to prevent scar formation versus scar forming humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NOAA Workforce Management Office

Science.gov Websites

Request Forms Military Service Deposit Information NOAA Forms OPM Forms Performance Management Request Home Careers at NOAA Search Criteria Click to Search WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT OFFICE NATIONAL OCEANIC Federal Employees Health (FEHB) Life (FEGLI) Life Insurance and Active Duty Information Long Term Care

Simulation of spallation life of metals in relation to operating stresses in the nanosecond loading time range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarov, P. V.; Bakeev, R. A.

2015-10-01

Spall fracture of materials is still the only means for investigation of the material life and mechanisms of its fracture in the micro-, nano-, and picosecond time ranges of tensile loading. The phenomenological model based on the concepts of multiscale fracture of materials as nonlinear dynamic systems is shown to satisfactorily describe their life in the given range. The model is employed for the calculation of spallation life.

From Caterpillar to Butterfly: A Window for Looking into Students' Ideas about Life Cycle and Life Forms of Insects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cinici, Ayhan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was a qualitative analysis of high school students' ideas about life cycle and life forms of the butterfly. For this purpose, open-ended questions and drawing methods were applied to 194 high school students from the ninth to eleventh grades and 14 to 16 years of age in Erzurum, Turkey. Students' drawings were categorised…

Effects of Altering Levothyroxine (L-T4) Doses on Quality of Life, Mood, and Cognition in L-T4 Treated Subjects.

PubMed

Samuels, Mary H; Kolobova, Irina; Niederhausen, Meike; Janowsky, Jeri S; Schuff, Kathryn G

2018-05-01

The brain is a critical target organ for thyroid hormone, but it is unclear whether variations in thyroid function within and near the reference range affect quality of life, mood, or cognition. A total of 138 subjects with levothyroxine (L-T4)-treated hypothyroidism and normal thyrotropin (TSH) levels underwent measures of quality of life (36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Underactive Thyroid-Dependent Quality of Life Questionnaire), mood (Profile of Mood States, Affective Lability Scale), and cognition (executive function, memory). They were then randomly assigned to receive an unchanged, higher, or lower L-T4 dose in double-blind fashion, targeting one of three TSH ranges (0.34 to 2.50, 2.51 to 5.60, or 5.61 to 12.0 mU/L). Doses were adjusted every 6 weeks based on TSH levels. Baseline measures were reassessed at 6 months. At the end of the study, by intention to treat, mean L-T4 doses were 1.50 ± 0.07, 1.32 ± 0.07, and 0.78 ± 0.08 μg/kg (P < 0.001), and mean TSH levels were 1.85 ± 0.25, 3.93 ± 0.38, and 9.49 ± 0.80 mU/L (P < 0.001), respectively, in the three arms. There were minor differences in a few outcomes between the three arms, which were no longer significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Subjects could not ascertain how their L-T4 doses had been adjusted (P = 0.55) but preferred L-T4 doses they perceived to be higher (P < 0.001). Altering L-T4 doses in hypothyroid subjects to vary TSH levels in and near the reference range does not affect quality of life, mood, or cognition. L-T4-treated subjects prefer perceived higher L-T4 doses despite a lack of objective benefit. Adjusting L-T4 doses in hypothyroid patients based on symptoms in these areas may not result in significant clinical improvement.

Discovery of extra-terrestrial life: assessment by scales of its importance and associated risks.

PubMed

Almár, Iván; Race, Margaret S

2011-02-13

The Rio Scale accepted by the SETI Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics in 2002 is intended for use in evaluating the impact on society of any announcement regarding the discovery of evidence of extra-terrestrial (ET) intelligence. The Rio Scale is mathematically defined using three parameters (class of phenomenon, type of discovery and distance) and a δ factor, the assumed credibility of a claim. This paper proposes a new scale applicable to announcements alleging evidence of ET life within or outside our Solar System. The London Scale for astrobiology has mathematical structure and logic similar to the Rio Scale, and uses four parameters (life form, nature of phenomenon, type of discovery and distance) as well as a credibility factor δ to calculate a London Scale index (LSI) with values ranging from 0 to 10. The level of risk or biohazard associated with a purported discovery is evaluated independently of the LSI value and may be ranked in four categories. The combined information is intended to provide a scalar assessment of the scientific importance, validity and potential risks associated with putative evidence of ET life discovered on Earth, on nearby bodies in the Solar System or in our Galaxy.

Hong Kong men with low incomes have worse health-related quality of life as judged by SF-36 scores.

PubMed

Ko, G T C; Wai, H P S; Tsang, P C C; Chan, H C K

2006-10-01

To analyse the association between income and health-related quality of life using the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) Chinese version in Hong Kong Chinese working population. Cross-sectional observation study. A commercial company in Hong Kong. All clerical and administrative staff of a commercial company was invited to participate; 876 of the 1003 staff agreed. The subjects were categorised into three income groups according to monthly income in Hong Kong dollars (low, < or =10,000; middle, >10,000-25,000; high, >25,000). The mean age of the 288 men and 588 women was 34.9 (standard deviation, 7.9; median, 34.0; range, 18-71) years. SF-36 scores on health-related quality of life. The distribution of income was 30% in high-, 54.8% in middle-, and 15.2% in low-income groups. Women had similar SF-36 scores among different income groups. In men, for most variables there was a significant positive linear correlation between income and SF-36 scores. Low income is associated with a worse health-related quality of life in Hong Kong Chinese men.

Stability of model membranes in extreme environments.

PubMed

Namani, Trishool; Deamer, David W

2008-08-01

The first forms of cellular life required a source of amphiphilic compounds capable of assembling into stable boundary structures. Membranes composed of fatty acids have been proposed as model systems of primitive membranes, but their bilayer structure is stable only within a narrow pH range and low ionic strength. They are particularly sensitive to aggregating effects of divalent cations (Mg+2, Ca+2, Fe+2) that would be present in Archaean sea water. Here we report that mixtures of alkyl amines and fatty acids form vesicles at strongly basic and acidic pH ranges which are resistant to the effects of divalent cations up to 0.1 M. Vesicles formed by mixtures of decylamine and decanoic acid (1:1 mole ratio) are relatively permeable to pyranine, a fluorescent anionic dye, but permeability could be reduced by adding 2 mol% of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon such as pyrene. Permeability to the dye was also reduced by increasing the chain length of the amphiphiles. For instance, 1:1 mole ratio mixtures of dodecylamine and dodecanoic acid were able to retain pyranine dye during and following gel filtration. We conclude that primitive cell membranes were likely to be composed of mixtures of amphiphilic and hydrophobic molecules that manifested increased stability over pure fatty acid membranes.

Quality of life among dermatology patients: a systematic review of investigations using qualitative methods.

PubMed

Singh, Sanminder; Ehsani-Chimeh, Nazanin; Kornmehl, Heather; Armstrong, April W

2017-07-13

Quality of life may be assessed using quantitative or qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are commonly used in research settings; however, they may fail to capture the full range of patient experiences and impact on quality of life. Qualitative methods may be used to address this limitation. In this systematic review, we aim to synthesize data from articles utilizing qualitative methods to assess quality of life in dermatology patients. We performed a systematic review search using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases. The search was conducted using the following search criteria: ("Dermatology" [MeSH]) AND ("Quality of Life" [MeSH]), AND ("Qualitative Research" [MeSH]), searching literature spanning from January 1, 1946- October 5, 2016. The systematic review of 15 articles included 533 dermatology patients. Patients expressed frustration over the unpredictability of disease symptoms and having to compensate for the subsequent limitations by altering their daily routines. Patients also reported profound helplessness due to chronic skin disease and social isolation in an effort to hide their disease. Patients noted the patient-provider relationship as a source of support and information exchange, with the goal to form easy to use treatment plans that met both physician and patient expectations. Qualitative assessment of patient quality of life can provide new insights into the patient experience and the impact of their skin disease. Qualitative methodology may capture meaningful information that may be overlooked by quantitative methods, and it should be included in quality of life research.

Evaluation of social anxiety, self-esteem, life quality in adolescents with acne vulgaris.

PubMed

Unal, Dilek; Emiroğlu, Nazan; Cengiz, Fatma Pelin

2016-08-05

Acne vulgaris is a visible skin disease commonly seen in adolescence. As it affects the appearance, it is likely to bring stress to the adolescent's life regarding sensitivity about their appearance. The aim of the study was to investigate the social anxiety level, acne-specific life quality, and self-esteem among adolescents with acne vulgaris. In addition, we evaluated the relationship between these parameters, clinical severity, and sociodemographic data. One hundred and two adolescents with acne vulgaris, aged 12-17 years without any psychiatric or medical comorbidity were recruited. The control group consisted of 83 adolescents in the same age range, who had neither psychiatric disease nor acne. Sociodemographic form (SDF), Capa Social Phobia Scale for Children and Adolescents (CSPSCA), and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES) were applied to both groups. Additionally, the severity of acne was determined with Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), and life quality of the patients was evaluated with Acne Quality of Life Scale (AQOL). There was no significant difference in social anxiety levels and self-esteem between the study and control groups. Life quality impairment and high social anxiety levels, as well as low self-esteem, were found to be associated regardless of the clinical severity. Clinicians should be aware of the psychiatric comorbidities when treating adolescents with acne vulgaris. Especially, low self-esteem and life quality impairment should warn clinicians to predict high social anxiety levels in adolescent acne patients.

Force-dependent melting of supercoiled DNA at thermophilic temperatures.

PubMed

Galburt, E A; Tomko, E J; Stump, W T; Ruiz Manzano, A

2014-01-01

Local DNA opening plays an important role in DNA metabolism as the double-helix must be melted before the information contained within may be accessed. Cells finely tune the torsional state of their genomes to strike a balance between stability and accessibility. For example, while mesophilic life forms maintain negatively superhelical genomes, thermophilic life forms use unique mechanisms to maintain relaxed or even positively supercoiled genomes. Here, we use a single-molecule magnetic tweezers approach to quantify the force-dependent equilibrium between DNA melting and supercoiling at high temperatures populated by Thermophiles. We show that negatively supercoiled DNA denatures at 0.5 pN lower tension at thermophilic vs. mesophilic temperatures. This work demonstrates the ability to monitor DNA supercoiling at high temperature and opens the possibility to perform magnetic tweezers assays on thermophilic systems. The data allow for an estimation of the relative energies of base-pairing and DNA bending as a function of temperature and support speculation as to different general mechanisms of DNA opening in different environments. Lastly, our results imply that average in vivo DNA tensions range between 0.3 and 1.1 pN. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hard-Earned Wisdom: Exploratory Processing of Difficult Life Experience Is Positively Associated with Wisdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weststrate, Nic M.; Glück, Judith

2017-01-01

Laypersons and experts believe that wisdom is cultivated through a diverse range of positive and negative life experiences. Yet, not all individuals with life experience are wise. We propose that one possible determinant of growth in wisdom from life experience is self-reflection. In a life span sample of adults (N = 94) ranging from 26 to 92…

High early life mortality in free-ranging dogs is largely influenced by humans

PubMed Central

Paul, Manabi; Sen Majumder, Sreejani; Sau, Shubhra; Nandi, Anjan K.; Bhadra, Anindita

2016-01-01

Free-ranging dogs are a ubiquitous part of human habitations in many developing countries, leading a life of scavengers dependent on human wastes for survival. The effective management of free-ranging dogs calls for understanding of their population dynamics. Life expectancy at birth and early life mortality are important factors that shape life-histories of mammals. We carried out a five year-long census based study in seven locations of West Bengal, India, to understand the pattern of population growth and factors affecting early life mortality in free-ranging dogs. We observed high rates of mortality, with only ~19% of the 364 pups from 95 observed litters surviving till the reproductive age; 63% of total mortality being human influenced. While living near people increases resource availability for dogs, it also has deep adverse impacts on their population growth, making the dog-human relationship on streets highly complex. PMID:26804633

Mars Human Exploration Objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Briggs, Geoff

1998-01-01

This paper reviews the objectives and other considerations of Human exploration of Mars. The objectives of human exploration of Mars are: (1) to learn how Mars is similar to, and different from, Earth; (2) to explore possible life, past and present; (3) to discover what Mars is like now from the perspective of Geoscience and geologic history; and (4) how did Mars form and how did its formation differ from Earth. Considerations of human Martian exploration involve: (1) having a capable base laboratory; (2) having long range transportation; (3) having operational autonomy of the crew, and the requirement of the crew to possess a range of new cognitive processes along with easy communications with terrestrial colleagues; and finally (4) creating the human habitat along with human factors which involve more than just survivability.

Mid-term shoulder functional and quality of life outcomes after shoulder replacement in obese patients.

PubMed

Vincent, Heather K; Struk, Aimee M; Reed, Austin; Wright, Thomas W

2016-01-01

Shoulder pain and loss of function are directly associated with obesity. We hypothesized that significant interactions would exist between total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and obesity status on functional and quality of life (QOL) outcomes over the long term. Clinical and QOL outcomes (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Evaluation form, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Rating scale, Medical Outcomes Short Form 12 (SF-12), range of motion (ROM), and strength) were longitudinally compared in patients with low and high body mass index (BMI) after a TSA or a RSA. Prospectively collected data of patients with a TSA or RSA were reviewed (N = 310). Preoperative, 2-year, and final follow-up visits were included (range 3-17 years; mean 5.0 ± 2.5 years). Patient data were stratified for analysis using BMI. Morbidly obese patients had worse preoperative functional scores and QOL compared to the other groups. There were no significant interactions of BMI group by surgery type for any of the outcome variables except for active external rotation ROM. Morbidly obese patients attained lower SF-12 scores compared to the remaining groups at each time point. Both TSA and RSA can be expected to impart positive functional outcomes in patients irrespective of BMI. Morbidly obese patients do not attain the same gains in Medical Outcomes SF-12 scores as the non-morbidly obese patients. The lower improvements in active external ROM may be due to morphological limitations of excessive adiposity. This is a level II study.

Phases of polymer systems in solution studied via molecular dynamics

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

Anderson, Joshua Allen

2009-05-01

Polymers are amazingly versatile molecules with a tremendous range of applications. Our lives would be very different without them. There would be no multitudes of plastic encased electronic gizmos, no latex paint on the walls and no rubber tires, just to name a few of the many commonplace polymer materials. In fact, life as we know it wouldn’t exist without polymers as two of the most essential types of molecules central to cellular life, Proteins and DNA, are both polymers! [1] With their wide range of application to a variety of uses, polymers are still a very active field inmore » basic research. Of particular current interest is the idea of combining polymers with inorganic particles to form novel composite materials. [2] As computers are becoming faster, they are becoming all the more powerful tools for modeling and simulating real systems. With recent advances in computing on graphics processing units (GPUs) [3–7], questions can now be answered via simulation that could not even be asked before. This thesis focuses on the use of computer simulations to model novel polymerinorganic composite systems in order to predict what possible phases can form and under what conditions. The goal is to provide some direction for future experiments and to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental physics involved. Along the way, there are some interesting and essential side-tracks in the areas of equilibrating complicated phases and accelerating the available computer power with GPU computing, both of which are necessary steps to enable the study of polymer nanocomposites.« less

Patient-Reported Outcomes, Quality of Life, and Satisfaction Rates in Young Patients Aged 50 Years or Younger After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Goh, Graham Seow-Hng; Liow, Ming Han Lincoln; Bin Abd Razak, Hamid Rahmatullah; Tay, Darren Keng-Jin; Lo, Ngai-Nung; Yeo, Seng-Jin

2017-02-01

Recent studies have shown a discrepancy between traditional functional outcomes and patient satisfaction, with some reporting less than 85% satisfaction in older patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). As native knee biomechanics are not completely replicated, the resulting functional limitations may cause dissatisfaction in higher-demand individuals. Few studies have recorded patient-reported outcomes, health-related quality of life scores, and patient satisfaction in a young population undergoing TKA. One hundred thirty-six primary TKAs were performed in 114 patients aged 50 years or younger (mean age, 47.0 years; range, 30-50 years) at a single institution. The main diagnoses were osteoarthritis (85%) and rheumatoid arthritis (10%). The range of motion, Knee Society Score, Oxford Knee Score, and Physical and Mental Component Scores of Short Form-36 increased significantly (P < .001). At 2 years, 85.3% of patients had good/excellent knee scores, 71.3% had good/excellent function scores, 94.9% met the minimal clinically important difference for the Oxford Knee Score, and 84.6% met the minimal clinically important difference for the Physical Component Score. We found that 88.8% of patients were satisfied with their surgeries, whereas 86.8% had their expectations fulfilled. Survivorship using revision as an end point was 97.8% at a mean of 7 years (range, 3-16 years). Patients aged 50 years or younger undergoing TKA can experience significant improvements in their quality of life, have their expectations met, and be satisfied with their surgeries, at rates similar to those of non-age-restricted populations. Surgeons should inform them of these benefits and the potential risk of revision surgery in the future, albeit increasingly shown to be low. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of balneotherapy on chronic shoulder pain. A randomized, controlled, single-blind follow-up trial. A pilot study.

PubMed

Tefner, Ildikó Katalin; Kovács, Csaba; Gaál, Ramóna; Koroknai, András; Horváth, Remény; Badruddin, Rakib Mohammed; Borbély, Ildikó; Nagy, Katalin; Bender, Tamás

2015-06-01

The effects of balneotherapy on chronic shoulder pain were studied. In this single-blind, randomized, follow-up study involving 46 patients with chronic shoulder pain, one group of patients received physiotherapy--exercise and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation--and the other group received balneotherapy in addition to physiotherapy for 4 weeks on 15 occasions. The following parameters were recorded before treatment (at week 0) and after treatment (at weeks 4, 7, and 13): Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) and EuroQuol-5D (EQ-5D) quality of life questionnaires, pain at rest and on movement on the visual analog scale (VAS), and active and passive range of motion. The SPADI pain, function, and total scores and the VAS scores at rest and on movement significantly improved in both groups after treatments. A greater improvement was observed in the balneotherapy group compared to the control group; regarding some parameters (VAS score on movement and SPADI function score at visit 2; VAS score at rest at visits 3 and 4), the difference between the groups was significant. The improvement of SF-36 and EQ-5D quality of life scores and the active range of motion was more pronounced in the balneotherapy group, the difference between the groups was not significant, except for EQ-5D at visit 2. Improvement of passive range of motion was not significant. Balneotherapy may have a beneficial effect on the clinical parameters and quality of life of patients with chronic shoulder pain. The number of patients should be increased.

Surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in octogenarians is justified.

PubMed

Tang, Gilbert H L; Malekan, Ramin; Yu, Cindy J; Kai, Masashi; Lansman, Steven L; Spielvogel, David

2013-03-01

Surgery in octogenarians with acute type A aortic dissection is commonly avoided or denied because of the high surgical morbidity and mortality reported in elderly patients. We sought to compare clinical and quality of life outcomes between octogenarians and those aged less than 80 years who underwent surgical repair at New York Medical College. A total of 101 cases of acute type A aortic dissection repair between July 2005 and December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed, comparing 21 octogenarians with 80 concurrent patients aged less than 80 years. All patients underwent corrective surgery (ascending/hemiarch replacement in 71; Bentall in 22; David procedure in 2; Wheat procedure in 4; total arch replacement in 2) using deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. During follow-up, the RAND 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire was used to assess quality of life. Octogenarians (average, 85 years; range, 80-91 years) were compared with the younger group (average, 60 years; range, 30-79 years). The 2 groups had similar preoperative characteristics, but the younger group experienced more malperfusion (40% vs 9%, P = .002), were more likely to have undergone a Bentall procedure (26% vs 5%, P = .04), and had longer circulatory arrest times (20 ± 7 minutes vs 16 ± 9 minutes, P = .03). The overall hospital mortality was 9% (9/101). Among octogenarians, there were no hospital deaths, no late deaths during follow-up (mean, 17 months; range, 1-59 months), and emotional health scores were better than those of the younger patients (P = .04). Surgery for acute type A aortic dissection should be offered to octogenarians because excellent surgical and quality of life outcomes can be achieved even in this elderly population. Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stereological study of developing glomerular forms during human fetal kidney development.

PubMed

Dakovic Bjelakovic, Marija; Vlajkovic, Slobodan; Petrovic, Aleksandar; Bjelakovic, Marko; Antic, Milorad

2018-05-01

Human fetal kidney development is a complex and stepwise process. The number, shape, size and distribution of glomeruli provide important information on kidney organization. The aim of this study was to quantify glomerular developing forms during human fetal kidney development using stereological methods. Kidney tissue specimens of 40 human fetuses with gestational ages ranging from 9 to 40 weeks were analyzed. Specimens were divided into eight groups based on gestational age, each corresponding to 1 lunar month. Stereological methods were used at the light microscopy level to estimate volume, surface and numerical density of the glomerular developing forms. During gestation, nephrogenesis continually advanced, and the number of nephrons increased. Volume, surface and numerical densities of vesicular forms and S-shaped bodies decreased gradually in parallel with gradual increases in estimated stereological parameters for vascularized glomeruli. Volume density and surface density of vascularized glomeruli increased gradually during fetal kidney development, and numerical density increased until the seventh lunar month. A relative decrease in vascularized glomeruli per unit volume of cortex occurred during the last 3 lunar months. Nephrogenesis began to taper off by 32 weeks and was completed by 36 weeks of gestation. The last sample in which we observed vesicles was from a fetus aged 32 weeks, and the last sample with S-shaped bodies was from a fetus aged 36 weeks. The present study is one of few quantitative studies conducted on human kidney development. Knowledge of normal human kidney morphogenesis during development could be important for future medical practice. Events occurring during fetal life may have significant consequences later in life.

Periodontitis, Microbiomes and their Role in Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Pritchard, Anna B.; Crean, StJohn; Olsen, Ingar; Singhrao, Sim K.

2017-01-01

As far back as the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, microbial infections were responsible for vast numbers of deaths. The trend reversed with the introduction of antibiotics coinciding with longer life. Increased life expectancy however, accompanied the emergence of age related chronic inflammatory states including the sporadic form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Taken together, the true challenge of retaining health into later years of life now appears to lie in delaying and/or preventing the progression of chronic inflammatory diseases, through identifying and influencing modifiable risk factors. Diverse pathogens, including periodontal bacteria have been associated with AD brains. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) hallmark protein of AD may be a consequence of infection, called upon due to its antimicrobial properties. Up to this moment in time, a lack of understanding and knowledge of a microbiome associated with AD brain has ensured that the role pathogens may play in this neurodegenerative disease remains unresolved. The oral microbiome embraces a range of diverse bacterial phylotypes, which especially in vulnerable individuals, will excite and perpetuate a range of inflammatory conditions, to a wide range of extra-oral body tissues and organs specific to their developing pathophysiology, including the brain. This offers the tantalizing opportunity that by controlling the oral-specific microbiome; clinicians may treat or prevent a range of chronic inflammatory diseases orally. Evolution has equipped the human host to combat infection/disease by providing an immune system, but Porphyromonas gingivalis and selective spirochetes, have developed immune avoidance strategies threatening the host-microbe homeostasis. It is clear from longitudinal monitoring of patients that chronic periodontitis contributes to declining cognition. The aim here is to discuss the contribution from opportunistic pathogens of the periodontal microbiome, and highlight the challenges, the host faces, when dealing with unresolvable oral infections that may lead to clinical manifestations that are characteristic for AD. PMID:29114218

Neuro-QOL

PubMed Central

Lai, J.-S.; Nowinski, C.J.; Victorson, D.; Peterman, A.; Miller, D.; Bethoux, F.; Heinemann, A.; Rubin, S.; Cavazos, J.E.; Reder, A.T.; Sufit, R.; Simuni, T.; Holmes, G.L.; Siderowf, A.; Wojna, V.; Bode, R.; McKinney, N.; Podrabsky, T.; Wortman, K.; Choi, S.; Gershon, R.; Rothrock, N.; Moy, C.

2012-01-01

Objective: To address the need for brief, reliable, valid, and standardized quality of life (QOL) assessment applicable across neurologic conditions. Methods: Drawing from larger calibrated item banks, we developed short measures (8–9 items each) of 13 different QOL domains across physical, mental, and social health and evaluated their validity and reliability. Three samples were utilized during short form development: general population (Internet-based, n = 2,113); clinical panel (Internet-based, n = 553); and clinical outpatient (clinic-based, n = 581). All short forms are expressed as T scores with a mean of 50 and SD of 10. Results: Internal consistency (Cronbach α) of the 13 short forms ranged from 0.85 to 0.97. Correlations between short form and full-length item bank scores ranged from 0.88 to 0.99 (0.82–0.96 after removing common items from banks). Online respondents were asked whether they had any of 19 different chronic health conditions, and whether or not those reported conditions interfered with ability to function normally. All short forms, across physical, mental, and social health, were able to separate people who reported no health condition from those who reported 1–2 or 3 or more. In addition, scores on all 13 domains were worse for people who acknowledged being limited by the health conditions they reported, compared to those who reported conditions but were not limited by them. Conclusion: These 13 brief measures of self-reported QOL are reliable and show preliminary evidence of concurrent validity inasmuch as they differentiate people based upon number of reported health conditions and whether those reported conditions impede normal function. PMID:22573626

A novel molybdenum disulfide nanosheet self-assembled flower-like monolithic sorbent for solid-phase extraction with high efficiency and long service life.

PubMed

Ran, Fanpeng; Liu, Hongmei; Wang, Xiaoqi; Guo, Yong

2017-07-21

A novel material consisting of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanosheet that self-assemble into flower-like microspheres which aggregate to form a monolithic matrix with a micro or nano-scaled mesopore structure was successfully synthesized and used as an efficient sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) due to its large specific adsorption area and good stability. The extraction properties of the as-prepared sorbent were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography with variable wavelength detection (HPLC-VWD) by analyzing four flavonoids (apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol). Under optimal conditions, the LODs and LOQs were found to be in the ranges of 0.1-0.25 and 0.4-0.5μgL -1 , respectively, and wide linear ranges were obtained with correlation coefficients (R) ranging from 0.9991 to 0.9996. Compared with commercial C18 and Alumina-N sorbents, the as-prepared sorbent showed high extraction efficiency at different concentrations of flavonoids. After 100 uses, the extraction ability of the self-assembled MoS 2 nanosheet monolithic sorbent had no evident decline, denoting a long service life. Finally, the SPE-HPLC-VWD method using the as-prepared sorbent was applied to flavonoid analysis in beverage samples with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Where else might be life in the Solar system?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidmachenko, A. P.; Steklov, A. F.

2017-05-01

We know that there is life on Earth. But some bacteria live in nearly boiling liquid of an extinct volcano, which is saturated by acids, alkalis and salts in various combinations. The main problem of the modern theory of the origin of life is the emergence from the initial chaotic mixture of chemical elements and simple compounds of polymer systems that can to organize themselves, and their subsequent evolution. The main forms of life on Earth are organisms of cellular structure. Exceptions are viruses, that are non-cellular life forms. If we find somewhere life in the Solar system, most likely, it will be microscopic cells. The most likely candidates for this honorable role are: Jupiter's moon Io, Jupiter's moon Europa, Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus, Neptune's satellite Triton; on the surface of Pluto also found two cryovolcanoes, spacecraft "Dawn" discovered the vast reserves of water on dwarf planet Ceres; also, on its surface was found a large cryovolcano. The most likely candidate for the presence of life is Mars. These bodies are possible objects in the Solar system, where one can search for life of different forms.

76 FR 12417 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8925

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-07

..., Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8925, Report of Employer-Owned Life Insurance Contracts. DATES: Written comments should be received on... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Report of Employer-Owned Life Insurance Contracts. OMB Number: 1545-2089. Form...

Nitrogen Cycling and Bacterial Diversity in Hot and Cold Desert Stream Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeglin, L. H.; Vesbach, C. D.; Dahm, C. N.; Barrett, J. E.; Gooseff, M. N.

2006-12-01

Desert environments offer harsh conditions for life. By definition, water is an extremely limiting resource in any desert. Also, the range of temperatures with which desert life must cope is extreme. Finally, essential nutrients like nitrogen (N) are available in very low amounts relative to temperate environments. Thus, desert organisms are subject to severe stresses like desiccation, temperature stress and starvation. Here, we review the N biogeochemistry of two desert stream systems: the Onyx River, Wright Valley, Victoria Land, Antarctica and the Rio Salado, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA. Annually, the Antarctic system receives <100 mm precipitation and is subject to mean temperature ranges of -30 to -15 C. The Rio Salado, in the northern Chihuahuan desert, receives an average of 250 mm precipitation per year and experiences average temperatures from 1.5 to 25 C. The most important sources and sinks of the major forms of N at these sites are contrasted and biogeochemical processes controlling these pools discussed. Nutrient gradients and bacterial diversity patterns in the parafluvial zone of these streams are used to illustrate relationships between biological diversity, environmental stress and N biogeochemistry in the hot and cold desert systems.

Seabirds drive plant species turnover on small Mediterranean islands at the expense of native taxa.

PubMed

Vidal, E; Médail, F; Tatoni, T; Bonnet, V

2000-02-01

The analysis of long-term floristic changes was conducted on nine west-Mediterranean limestone islands (size range: 2-95 ha) which have recently undergone a severe demographic explosion in their yellow-legged gull Larus cachinnans colonies. A comparison of past and present plant inventories was used to quantify extinction-colonization events, both from a classical biogeographical perspective (per island approach) and a metapopulational perspective (per species approach). In the first approach, floristic turnover intensity was negatively related to island area and positively to gull nesting density, but was independent of island isolation. In the second, species turnover rate was compared with a set of plant species life history traits (dispersal mode, Grime CSR strategy, growth form, biogeographical type). Plants which exhibited the highest turnover rate were primarily ruderal, annual, wind-dispersed species with a wide geographic range. The severe disturbance induced by seabird activities has tended to select and favour some adapted plant species groups at the expense of indigenous island taxa. The relationships between specific turnover intensity and plant life history traits justify using the metapopulation approach and point to the importance of interspecific variations in extinction-colonization patterns.

The Ostomy Adjustment Scale: translation into Norwegian language with validation and reliability testing.

PubMed

Indrebø, Kirsten Lerum; Andersen, John Roger; Natvig, Gerd Karin

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Ostomy Adjustment Scale to a Norwegian version and to assess its construct validity and 2 components of its reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability). One hundred fifty-eight of 217 patients (73%) with a colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy participated in the study. Slightly more than half (56%) were men. Their mean age was 64 years (range, 26-91 years). All respondents had undergone ostomy surgery at least 3 months before participation in the study. The Ostomy Adjustment Scale was translated into Norwegian according to standard procedures for forward and backward translation. The questionnaire was sent to the participants via regular post. The Cronbach alpha and test-retest were computed to assess reliability. Construct validity was evaluated via correlations between each item and score sums; correlations were used to analyze relationships between the Ostomy Adjustment Scale and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, the Quality of Life Scale, the Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The Cronbach alpha was 0.93, and test-retest reliability r was 0.69. The average correlation quotient item to sum score was 0.49 (range, 0.31-0.73). Results showed moderate negative correlations between the Ostomy Adjustment Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (-0.37 and -0.40), and moderate positive correlations between the Ostomy Adjustment Scale and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, the Quality of Life Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (0.30-0.45) with the exception of the pain domain in the Short Form 36 (0.28). Regression analysis showed linear associations between the Ostomy Adjustment Scale and sociodemographic and clinical variables with the exception of education. The Norwegian language version of the Ostomy Adjustment Scale was found to possess construct validity, along with internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The instrument is sensitive for sociodemographic and clinical variables pertinent to persons with urostomies, colostomies, and ileostomies.

Modulation of flagellum attachment zone protein FLAM3 and regulation of the cell shape in Trypanosoma brucei life cycle transitions

PubMed Central

Sunter, Jack D.; Benz, Corinna; Andre, Jane; Whipple, Sarah; McKean, Paul G.; Gull, Keith; Ginger, Michael L.; Lukeš, Julius

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT The cell shape of Trypanosoma brucei is influenced by flagellum-to-cell-body attachment through a specialised structure – the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). T. brucei exhibits numerous morphological forms during its life cycle and, at each stage, the FAZ length varies. We have analysed FLAM3, a large protein that localises to the FAZ region within the old and new flagellum. Ablation of FLAM3 expression causes a reduction in FAZ length; however, this has remarkably different consequences in the tsetse procyclic form versus the mammalian bloodstream form. In procyclic form cells FLAM3 RNAi results in the transition to an epimastigote-like shape, whereas in bloodstream form cells a severe cytokinesis defect associated with flagellum detachment is observed. Moreover, we demonstrate that the amount of FLAM3 and its localisation is dependent on ClpGM6 expression and vice versa. This evidence demonstrates that FAZ is a key regulator of trypanosome shape, with experimental perturbations being life cycle form dependent. An evolutionary cell biology explanation suggests that these differences are a reflection of the division process, the cytoskeleton and intrinsic structural plasticity of particular life cycle forms. PMID:26148511

An On-line Technology Information System (OTIS) for Advanced Life Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levri, Julie A.; Boulanger, Richard; Hogan, John A.; Rodriquez, Luis

2003-01-01

OTIS is an on-line communication platform designed for smooth flow of technology information between advanced life support (ALS) technology developers, researchers, system analysts, and managers. With pathways for efficient transfer of information, several improvements in the ALS Program will result. With OTIS, it will be possible to provide programmatic information for technology developers and researchers, technical information for analysts, and managerial decision support. OTIS is a platform that enables the effective research, development, and delivery of complex systems for life support. An electronic data collection form has been developed for the solid waste element, drafted by the Solid Waste Working Group. Forms for other elements (air revitalization, water recovery, food processing, biomass production and thermal control) will also be developed, based on lessons learned from the development of the solid waste form. All forms will be developed by consultation with other working groups, comprised of experts in the area of interest. Forms will be converted to an on-line data collection interface that technology developers will use to transfer information into OTIS. Funded technology developers will log in to OTIS annually to complete the element- specific forms for their technology. The type and amount of information requested expands as the technology readiness level (TRL) increases. The completed forms will feed into a regularly updated and maintained database that will store technology information and allow for database searching. To ensure confidentiality of proprietary information, security permissions will be customized for each user. Principal investigators of a project will be able to designate certain data as proprietary and only technical monitors of a task, ALS Management, and the principal investigator will have the ability to view this information. The typical OTIS user will be able to read all non-proprietary information about all projects.Interaction with the database will occur over encrypted connections, and data will be stored on the server in an encrypted form. Implementation of OTIS will initiate a community-accessible repository of technology development information. With OTIS, ALS element leads and managers will be able to carry out informed technology selection for programmatic decisions. OTIS will also allow analysts to make accurate evaluations of technology options. Additionally, the range and specificity of information solicited will help educate technology developers of program needs. With augmentation, OTIS reporting is capable of replacing the current fiscal year-end reporting process. Overall, the system will enable more informed R&TD decisions and more rapid attainment of ALS Program goals.

Methodology for Life Testing of Refractory Metal/Sodium Heat Pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, James J.; Reid, Robert S.

2006-01-01

The focus of this work was to establish an approach to generate carefully controlled data that can conclusively establish heat pipe operating life with material-fluid combinations capable of extended operation. To accomplish this goal acceleration is required to compress 10 years of operational life into 3 years of laboratory testing through a combination of increased temperature and mass fluence. Specific test series have been identi3ed, based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications, to investigate long term corrosion rates. The refractory metal selected for demonstration purposes is a Molybdenum-44.5%Rhenium alloy formed by powder metallurgy. The heat pipe makes use of an annular crescent wick design formed by hot isostatic pressing of Molybdenum-Rhenium wire mesh. The heat pipes are filled using vacuum distillation and purity sampling is considered. Testing of these units is round-the-clock with 6-month destructive and non-destructive inspection intervals to identify the onset and level of corrosion. Non-contact techniques are employed for providing power to the evaporator (radio frequency induction heating at I to 5 kW per unit) and calorimetry at the condenser (static gas gap coupled water cooled calorimeter). The planned operating temperature range would extend from 1123 to 1323 K. Accomplishments prior to project cancellation included successful demonstration of the heat pipe wick fabrication technique, establishment of all engineering designs, baselined operational test requirements and procurement/assembly of supporting test hardware systems.

Mitochondrial carrier family inventory of Trypanosoma brucei brucei: Identification, expression and subcellular localisation.

PubMed

Colasante, Claudia; Peña Diaz, P; Clayton, Christine; Voncken, Frank

2009-10-01

The mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) is a group of structurally conserved proteins that mediate the transport of a wide range of metabolic intermediates across the mitochondrial inner membrane. In this paper, an overview of the mitochondrial carrier proteins (MCPs) of the early-branching kinetoplastid parasite Trypanosoma brucei brucei is presented. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction gave insight into the evolution and conservation of the 24 identified TbMCPs; for most of these, putative transport functions could be predicted. Comparison of the kinetoplastid MCP inventory to those previously reported for other eukaryotes revealed remarkable deviations: T. b. brucei lacks genes encoding some prototypical MCF members, such as the citrate carrier and uncoupling proteins. The in vivo expression of the identified TbMCPs in the two replicating life-cycle forms of T. b. brucei, the bloodstream-form and procyclic-form, was quantitatively assessed at the mRNA level by Northern blot analysis. Immunolocalisation studies confirmed that majority of the 24 identified TbMCPs is found in the mitochondrion of procyclic-form T. b. brucei.

Bit by Bit: The Darwinian Basis of Life

PubMed Central

Joyce, Gerald F.

2012-01-01

All known examples of life belong to the same biology, but there is increasing enthusiasm among astronomers, astrobiologists, and synthetic biologists that other forms of life may soon be discovered or synthesized. This enthusiasm should be tempered by the fact that the probability for life to originate is not known. As a guiding principle in parsing potential examples of alternative life, one should ask: How many heritable “bits” of information are involved, and where did they come from? A genetic system that contains more bits than the number that were required to initiate its operation might reasonably be considered a new form of life. PMID:22589698

The Evolution of Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stebbins, G. Ledyard

1973-01-01

Describes the basic logic behind the modern view of evolution theory. Despite gaps in fossil records, evidence is indicative of the origin of life from nonliving molecules and evolution of higher forms of life from simpler forms. (PS)

Astrobiological Research on Tardigrades: Implications for Extraterrestrial Life Forms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horikawa, D. D.

2013-11-01

Tardigrades have been considered as a model for astrobiological studies based on their tolerance to extreme environments. Future research on tardigrades might provide important insight into the possibilities of existence of multicellular life forms.

Water-based oligochitosan and nanowhisker chitosan as potential food preservatives for shelf-life extension of minced pork.

PubMed

Chantarasataporn, Patomporn; Tepkasikul, Preenapha; Kingcha, Yutthana; Yoksan, Rangrong; Pichyangkura, Rath; Visessanguan, Wonnop; Chirachanchai, Suwabun

2014-09-15

Water-based chitosans in the forms of oligochitosan (OligoCS) and nanowhisker chitosan (CSWK) are proposed as a novel food preservative based on a minced pork model study. The high surface area with a positive charge over the neutral pH range (pH 5-8) of OligoCS and CSWK lead to an inhibition against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative microbes (Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7). In the minced pork model, OligoCS effectively performs a food preservative for shelf-life extension as clarified from the retardation of microbial growth, biogenic amine formation and lipid oxidation during the storage. OligoCS maintains almost all myosin heavy chain protein degradation as observed in the electrophoresis. The present work points out that water-based chitosan with its unique morphology not only significantly inhibits antimicrobial activity but also maintains the meat quality with an extension of shelf-life, and thus has the potential to be used as a food preservative. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shift Work and Shift Work Sleep Disorder: Clinical and Organizational Perspectives.

PubMed

Wickwire, Emerson M; Geiger-Brown, Jeanne; Scharf, Steven M; Drake, Christopher L

2017-05-01

Throughout the industrialized world, nearly one in five employees works some form of nontraditional shift. Such shift work is associated with numerous negative health consequences, ranging from cognitive complaints to cancer, as well as diminished quality of life. Furthermore, a substantial percentage of shift workers develop shift work disorder, a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness, insomnia, or both as a result of shift work. In addition to adverse health consequences and diminished quality of life at the individual level, shift work disorder incurs significant costs to employers through diminished workplace performance and increased accidents and errors. Nonetheless, shift work will remain a vital component of the modern economy. This article reviews seminal and recent literature regarding shift work, with an eye toward real-world application in clinical and organizational settings. Copyright © 2016 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Oxidation and Protection of Gamma Titanium Aluminides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brady, Michael P.; Brindley, William J.; Smialek, James L.; Locci, Ivan E.

1996-01-01

The excellent density-specific properties of the gamma class of titanium aluminides make them attractive for intermediate-temperature (600-850 C) aerospace applications. The oxidation and embrittlement resistance of these alloys is superior to that of the alpha(sub 2) and orthorhombic classes of titanium aluminides. However, since gamma alloys form an intermixed Al2O3/TiO2 scale in air rather than the desired continuous Al2O3 scale, oxidation resistance is inadequate at the high end of this temperature range (i.e., greater than 750-800 C). For applications at such temperatures, an oxidation-resistant coating will be needed; however, a major drawback of the oxidation-resistant coatings currently available is severe degradation in fatigue life by the coating. A new class of oxidation-resistant coatings based in the Ti-Al-Cr system offers the potential for improved fatigue life.

Distraction and mind-wandering under load.

PubMed

Forster, Sophie

2013-01-01

Attention research over the last several decades has provided rich insights into the determinants of distraction, including distractor characteristics, task features, and individual differences. Load Theory represented a particularly important breakthrough, highlighting the critical role of the level and nature of task-load in determining both the efficiency of distractor rejection and the stage of processing at which this occurs. However, until recently studies of distraction were restricted to those measuring rather specific forms of distraction by external stimuli which I argue that, although intended to be irrelevant, were in fact task-relevant. In daily life, attention may be distracted by a wide range of stimuli, which may often be entirely unrelated to any task being performed, and may include not only external stimuli but also internally generated stimuli such as task-unrelated thoughts. This review outlines recent research examining these more general, entirely task-irrelevant, forms of distraction within the framework of Load Theory. I discuss the relation between different forms of distraction, and the universality of load effects across different distractor types and individuals.

Adhesives and method for making the same

DOEpatents

Dorsey, George F.

1991-01-01

A thermosetting mixture for use as an adhesive, as well as other applications, that is substantially nonmutagenic. This mixture is based upon a thermosetting resin selected from polyurethane and epoxy resins, using an improved curing agent that does not contain mutagenic components. Specifically, the curing agent is a multi-mixture of substituted alkylanilines produced by an improved process. These alkylanilines are formed by condensation of at least two 2,6-dialkylanilines with a formaldehyde in an acid solution. Upon purification, at least three aromatic diamines are formed that are used for the curing agent with the polyurethane and epoxy resisn. Pot life, green strength and ultimate strength are comparable to adhesives of the prior art that contain mutagenic constituents. Although several dianilines are described, the preferred curing agents are formed using 2,6-diethylaniline (DEA) and 2,6-diisopropylaniline (DIPA), where the mole % of DEA and DIPA is 38-48 and 62-52, respectively. Curing agents within the preferred range have been designated as "Asilamine 4852" and "Asilamine 4555".

Crisis Communication in Public Health Emergencies: The Limits of 'Legal Control' and the Risks for Harmful Outcomes in a Digital Age.

PubMed

Quinn, Paul

2018-02-06

Communication by public authorities during a crisis situation is an essential and indispensable part of any response to a situation that may threaten both life and property. In the online connected world possibilities for such communication have grown further, in particular with the opportunity that social media presents. As a consequence, communication strategies have become a key plank of responses to crises ranging from epidemics to terrorism to natural disaster. Such strategies involve a range of innovative practices on social media. Whilst being able to bring about positive effects, they can also bring about a range of harmful unintended side effects. This include economic harms produced by incorrect information and a range of social harms that can be fuelled by myths and rumours, worsening negative phenomena such as stigmatisation and discrimination. Given the potential for such harms, one might expect that affected or potentially affected individuals would be able to challenge such measures before courts or administrative tribunals. As this paper demonstrates however this is not the case. More often than not seemingly applicable legal approaches are unlikely to be able to engage such methods. This is often because such measures represent activities that are purely expressive in nature and therefore not capable of imposing any binding legal or corporeal changes on individuals. Whilst some forms of soft law may pose requirements for public officials involved in such activities (e.g. codes of conduct or of professional ethics), they are not likely to offer potentially harmed individuals the chance to to challenge particular communication strategies before courts or legal tribunals. The result is that public authorities largely have a free reign to communicate how they wish and do not have to have to comply with a range of requirements (e.g. relating to form and substantive) content) that would in general apply to most forms of official administrative act.

Progress in the Use of Rapid Molecular Techniques to Detect Life Forms in Soil: Implications for Interplanetary Astrobiology Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warmflash, D.; Larios-Sanz, M.; Fox, G. E.; McKay, D. S.

2002-01-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of two promising technologies, we have applied Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) as well as probes that target the 16S rRNA molecule to search for life in terrestrial soil samples, known to contain numerous life forms. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Spectrum analysis of radar life signal in the three kinds of theoretical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, X. F.; Ma, J. F.; Wang, D.

2017-02-01

In the single frequency continuous wave radar life detection system, based on the Doppler effect, the theory model of radar life signal is expressed by the real function, and there is a phenomenon that can't be confirmed by the experiment. When the phase generated by the distance between the measured object and the radar measuring head is л of integer times, the main frequency spectrum of life signal (respiration and heartbeat) is not existed in radar life signal. If this phase is л/2 of odd times, the main frequency spectrum of breath and heartbeat frequency is the strongest. In this paper, we use the Doppler effect as the basic theory, using three different mathematical expressions——real function, complex exponential function and Bessel's function expansion form. They are used to establish the theoretical model of radar life signal. Simulation analysis revealed that the Bessel expansion form theoretical model solve the problem of real function form. Compared with the theoretical model of the complex exponential function, the derived spectral line is greatly reduced in the theoretical model of Bessel expansion form, which is more consistent with the actual situation.

Antidepressants differentially related to 1,25-(OH)₂ vitamin D₃ and 25-(OH) vitamin D₃ in late-life depression.

PubMed

Oude Voshaar, R C; Derks, W J; Comijs, H C; Schoevers, R A; de Borst, M H; Marijnissen, R M

2014-04-15

A low plasma 25-OH vitamin D3 level is a universal risk factor for a wide range of diseases and has also been implicated in late-life depression. It is currently unknown whether the biologically active form of vitamin D, that is, 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3, is also decreased in late-life depression, or whether vitamin D levels correlate with specific depression characteristics. We determined plasma 25-OH vitamin D3, 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 and parathormone levels in 355 depressed older persons and 124 non-depressed comparison subjects (age 60 years). Psychopathology was established with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1, together with potential confounders and depression characteristics (severity, symptom profile, age of onset, recurrence, chronicity and antidepressant drug use). Adjusted for confounders, depressed patients had significantly lower levels of 25-OH vitamin D33 (Cohen's d =0.28 (95% confidence interval: 0.07-0.49), P=0.033) as well as 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 (Cohen's d =0.48 (95% confidence interval: 0.27-0.70), P<0.001) than comparison subjects. Of all depression characteristics tested, only the use of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) was significantly correlated with lower 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 levels (Cohen's d =0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.53-1.19), P<0.001), but not its often measured precursor 25-OH vitamin D3. As vitamin D levels were significantly lower after adjustment for confounders, vitamin D might have an aetiological role in late-life depression. Differences between depressed and non-depressed subjects were largest for the biologically active form of vitamin D. The differential impact of TCAs on 25-OH vitamin D3 and 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 levels suggests modulation of 1-α-hydroxylase and/or 24-hydroxylase, which may in turn have clinical implications for biological ageing mechanisms in late-life depression.

Kinesiophobia and Its Association With Health-Related Quality of Life Across Injury Locations.

PubMed

Goldberg, Penny; Zeppieri, Giorgio; Bialosky, Joel; Bocchino, Charlotte; van den Boogaard, Jon; Tillman, Susan; Chmielewski, Terese L

2018-01-01

To compare baseline kinesiophobia levels and their association with health-related quality of life across injury locations. Retrospective cross-sectional study. Single, large outpatient physical therapy clinic within an academic medical center. Patients (N=1233) who underwent an initial evaluation for a diagnosis related to musculoskeletal pain and completed the 11-item version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) and the Medical Outcomes Study 8-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-8) questionnaires within 7 days of their first visit were eligible for inclusion. Three hundred eighty patients were excluded because of missing data or because they were younger than 18 years. A total of 853 patients (mean age, 43.55y; range, 18-94y) were included. Not applicable. Comparison of baseline kinesiophobia levels and their association with health-related quality of life across injury locations in an outpatient physical therapy setting. Separate analysis of variance models compared TSK-11 scores based on involved body region, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine the association between TSK-11 scores and the SF-8 subscales at each body region. TSK-11 scores did not differ by body region (range, 23.9-26.1). Weak to moderate negative correlations existed between kinesiophobia and the SF-8 subscales. Kinesiophobia levels appear elevated and negatively associated with health-related quality of life at initial physical therapy evaluation regardless of injury location. These findings suggest that physical therapists in outpatient orthopedic settings should implement routine kinesiophobia assessment and provide stratified care based on kinesiophobia levels across musculoskeletal conditions. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Life impact of ankle fractures: qualitative analysis of patient and clinician experiences.

PubMed

McPhail, Steven M; Dunstan, Joel; Canning, Julie; Haines, Terry P

2012-11-21

Ankle fractures are one of the more commonly occurring forms of trauma managed by orthopaedic teams worldwide. The impacts of these injuries are not restricted to pain and disability caused at the time of the incident, but may also result in long term physical, psychological, and social consequences. There are currently no ankle fracture specific patient-reported outcome measures with a robust content foundation. This investigation aimed to develop a thematic conceptual framework of life impacts following ankle fracture from the experiences of people who have suffered ankle fractures as well as the health professionals who treat them. A qualitative investigation was undertaken using in-depth semi-structured interviews with people (n=12) who had previously sustained an ankle fracture (patients) and health professionals (n=6) that treat people with ankle fractures. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Each phrase was individually coded and grouped in categories and aligned under emerging themes by two independent researchers. Saturation occurred after 10 in-depth patient interviews. Time since injury for patients ranged from 6 weeks to more than 2 years. Experience of health professionals ranged from 1 year to 16 years working with people with ankle fractures. Health professionals included an Orthopaedic surgeon (1), physiotherapists (3), a podiatrist (1) and an occupational therapist (1). The emerging framework derived from patient data included eight themes (Physical, Psychological, Daily Living, Social, Occupational and Domestic, Financial, Aesthetic and Medication Taking). Health professional responses did not reveal any additional themes, but tended to focus on physical and occupational themes. The nature of life impact following ankle fractures can extend beyond short term pain and discomfort into many areas of life. The findings from this research have provided an empirically derived framework from which a condition-specific patient-reported outcome measure can be developed.

Bedform dynamics in a large sand-bedded river using multibeam echo sounding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, C. M.; Jacobson, R. B.; Erwin, S.; Eric, A. B.; DeLonay, A. J.

2014-12-01

High-resolution repeat multibeam Echo Sounder (MBES) surveys of the Lower Missouri River in Missouri, USA demonstrate sand bedform movement at a variety of scales over a range of discharges. Understanding dune transport rates and the temporal and spatial variability in sizes across the channel has implications for how sediment transport measurements are made and for understanding the dynamics of habitats utilized by benthic organisms over a range of life stages. Nearly 800 miles of the Lower Missouri River has been altered through channelization and bank stabilization that began in the early 1900's for navigation purposes. Channelization of the Lower Missouri River has created a self-scouring navigation channel with large dunes that migrate downstream over a wide range of discharges. Until the use of MBES surveys on the Missouri River the spatial variability of dune forms in the Missouri River navigation channel was poorly understood. MBES surveys allow for visualization of a range of sand bedforms and repeat measurements demonstrate that dunes are moving over a wide range of discharges on the river. Understanding the spatial variability of dunes and dune movement across the channel and in different channel settings (bends, channel cross-overs, near channel structures) will inform emerging methods in sediment transport measurement that use bedform differencing calculations and provide context for physical bedload sediment sampling on large sand-bedded rivers. Multiple benthic fish species of interest including the endangered pallid sturgeon utilize Missouri River dune fields and adjacent regions for migration, feeding, spawning, early development and dispersal. Surveys using MBES and other hydroacoustic tools provide fisheries biologists with broad new insights into the functionality of bedforms as habitat for critical life stages of large river fish species in the Missouri River, and similar sand-bedded systems.

Piezo2 in Cutaneous and Proprioceptive Mechanotransduction in Vertebratesa

PubMed Central

Anderson, E.O.; Schneider, E.R.; Bagriantsev, S.N.

2017-01-01

Mechanosensitivity is a fundamental physiological capacity, which pertains to all life forms. Progress has been made with regard to understanding mechanosensitivity in bacteria, flies, and worms. In vertebrates, however, the molecular identity of mechanotransducers in somatic and neuronal cells has only started to appear. The Piezo family of mechanogated ion channels marks a pivotal milestone in understanding mechanosensitivity. Piezo1 and Piezo2 have now been shown to participate in a number of processes, ranging from arterial modeling to sensing muscle stretch. In this review, we focus on Piezo2 and its role in mediating mechanosensation and proprioception in vertebrates. PMID:28728817

Life Sciences MIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittman, R. A.; Marks, V.

1983-01-01

Management Information System, MIS, provides Life Sciences Projects Division at Johnson Space Center with automated system for project managment. MIS utilizes Tektronix 4027 color graphics display terminal and form-fillout capability. User interface with MIS data base is through series of forms.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Form to Brazil.

PubMed

Mayoral, Vania F S; Fukushima, Fernanda B; Rodrigues, Aniela M; Carvalho, Raissa P; Carvalho, Larissa P; Pinheiro, Leandro A F V; Polegato, Bertha F; Minicucci, Marcos F; Bassett, Rick; Moss, Alvin H; Steinberg, Karl E; Vidal, Edison I O

2018-06-01

The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) paradigm is considered one of the most important strategies to respect patients' values at the end of life in the United States. The cross-cultural adaptation of POLST entailed several methodological considerations, which may be informative for international researchers who may also consider bringing POLST to their countries as a means to promote care at the end of life that is consistent with patients' preferences. To report the methods and outcome of the cross-cultural adaptation of the POLST form to Brazil. Cross-cultural adaptation study. Twenty physicians and 10 patients at a university hospital participated in the pilot tests. The cross-cultural adaptation process included choosing which existing POLST form(s) to use as a source, deciding the intended reading level, which healthcare professionals should be allowed to sign the form, and consultation with attorneys, bioethicists, and members of the National POLST Paradigm Task Force. Pilot tests occurred in two stages using different approaches. First, 20 physicians were trained about POLST and asked for any unclear aspects related to the form. Second, trained investigators completed POLST forms after engaging in advance care planning conversations with 10 hospitalized patients or patients' surrogates. This report provides a basis for future cross-cultural adaptations of POLST to other countries. The authors hope such new adaptations will broaden the possibilities of research using POLST and also may promote wider provision of care at the end of life that is consistent with patients' preferences.

Correlations of Life Form, Pollination Mode and Sexual System in Aquatic Angiosperms

PubMed Central

Du, Zhi-Yuan; Wang, Qing-Feng

2014-01-01

Aquatic plants are phylogenetically well dispersed across the angiosperms. Reproductive and other life-history traits of aquatic angiosperms are closely associated with specific growth forms. Hydrophilous pollination exhibits notable examples of convergent evolution in angiosperm reproductive structures, and hydrophiles exhibit great diversity in sexual system. In this study, we reconstructed ancestral characters of aquatic lineages based on the phylogeny of aquatic angiosperms. Our aim is to find the correlations of life form, pollination mode and sexual system in aquatic angiosperms. Hydrophily is the adaptive evolution of completely submersed angiosperms to aquatic habitats. Hydroautogamy and maleflower-ephydrophily are the transitional stages from anemophily and entomophily to hydrophily. True hydrophily occurs in 18 submersed angiosperm genera, which is associated with an unusually high incidence of unisexual flowers. All marine angiosperms are submersed, hydrophilous species. This study would help us understand the evolution of hydrophilous pollination and its correlations with life form and sexual system. PMID:25525810

Cardiomyopathy in a male patient with neutropenia and growth delay.

PubMed

Folsi, Veronica; Miglietti, Nunzia; Lombardi, Annamaria; Boccacci, Sara; Utyatnikova, Tatiana; Donati, Chiara; Squassabia, Livia; Gazzola, Laura; Bosio, Ilaria; Borghi, Adele; Grassi, Veronica; Notarangelo, Lucia D; Plebani, Alessandro

2014-05-12

Neutropenia encompasses a family of neutropenic disorders, both permanent and intermittent, ranging from severe (<500 neutrophils/mm(3)) to mild (500-1500 neutrophils/mm(3)), which may also affect other organ systems such as the pancreas, central nervous system, heart, muscle and skin. Neutropenia can lead to life-threatening pyogenic infections whose severity is roughly inversely proportional to the circulating neutrophil counts.When neutropenia is detected, an attempt should be made to establish the etiology, and to distinguish acquired forms (the most frequent, including post viral neutropenia and autoimmune neutropenia) and congenital forms (rare disorders) that may be either isolated or part of a complex rare genetic disease. We report on a male patient initially diagnosed with isolated neutropenia who later turned out to be affected with Barth syndrome, a rare complex inherited disorder.

Cardiomyopathy in a male patient with neutropenia and growth delay

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Neutropenia encompasses a family of neutropenic disorders, both permanent and intermittent, ranging from severe (<500 neutrophils/mm3) to mild (500–1500 neutrophils/mm3), which may also affect other organ systems such as the pancreas, central nervous system, heart, muscle and skin. Neutropenia can lead to life-threatening pyogenic infections whose severity is roughly inversely proportional to the circulating neutrophil counts. When neutropenia is detected, an attempt should be made to establish the etiology, and to distinguish acquired forms (the most frequent, including post viral neutropenia and autoimmune neutropenia) and congenital forms (rare disorders) that may be either isolated or part of a complex rare genetic disease. We report on a male patient initially diagnosed with isolated neutropenia who later turned out to be affected with Barth syndrome, a rare complex inherited disorder. PMID:24887148

On the applicability of dialetheism and philosophy of identity to the definition of life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolb, Vera M.

2010-04-01

We have found that the principles of dialetheism, which state that some contradictions (typically at the limits of a system) may be true, and which amply demonstrate the limits of thought and conception, can be valuable in sorting out and clarifying some astrobiological problems that impede our ability to define life. The examples include the classification of viruses as alive or not alive, and the description of the transition zone for the abiotic-to-biotic transition. Dialetheism gives us the philosophical tool to state that the viruses may be both alive and not alive, and that chemical systems may exist that are both abiotic and biotic. We have extracted some philosophical principles of the identity and have applied them to the identity of living organisms and their life forms. The first and most important idea is that we should define an individual organism via its numerical identity. For each organism its identity will be in relation to itself. As the organism undergoes various changes during its development, and as it transitions from one to the next of its life forms, one can observe numerous qualitative differences between these life forms. Although the life forms change and the organism is in a flux, what remains constant is the numerical identity of the organism. If the organism reproduces, for example by a fission mode, then the daughter cells will have their own numerical identity. We can state that the life of an organism is a sum of all its life forms over the period of time of the existence of the organism. Reproduction, particularly by fission, represents an identity dilemma, but it can be resolved by Gallois' occasional identities theory.

Clinical and ocular motor analysis of the infantile nystagmus syndrome in the first 6 months of life.

PubMed

Hertle, R W; Maldanado, V K; Maybodi, M; Yang, D

2002-06-01

The infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) usually begins in infancy and may or may not be associated with visual sensory system abnormalities. Little is known about its specific waveforms in the first 6 months of life or their relation to the developing visual system. This study identifies the clinical and ocular motility characteristics of the INS and establishes the range of waveforms present in the first 6 months of life. 27 infants with involuntary ocular oscillations typical of INS are included in this analysis. They were evaluated both clinically and with motility recordings. Eye movement analysis was performed off line from computer analysis of digitised data. Variables analysed included age, sex, vision, ocular abnormalities, head position, and null zone, neutral zone characteristics, symmetry, conjugacy, waveforms, frequencies, and foveation times. Ages ranged from 3 to 6.5 months (average 4.9 months). 15 patients (56%) had abnormal vision for age, nine (33%) had strabismus, five (19%) had an anomalous head posture, 13 (48%) had oculographic null and neutral positions, nine (33%) had binocular asymmetry, and only two showed consistent dysconjugacy. Average binocular frequency was 3.3 Hz, monocular frequency 6.6 Hz. Average foveation periods were longer and more "jerk" wave forms were observed in those patients with normal vision. Common clinical characteristics and eye movement waveforms of INS begin in the first few months of infancy and waveform analysis at this time may help with both diagnosis and visual status.

Active stiffness and strength in people with unilateral anterior shoulder instability: a bilateral comparison.

PubMed

Olds, Margie; McNair, Peter; Nordez, Antoine; Cornu, Christophe

2011-01-01

Active muscle stiffness might protect the unstable shoulder from recurrent dislocation. To compare strength and active stiffness in participants with unilateral anterior shoulder instability and to examine the relationship between active stiffness and functional ability. Cross-sectional study. University research laboratory. Participants included 16 males (age range, 16-40 years; height = 179.4 ± 6.1 cm; mass = 79.1 ± 6.8 kg) with 2 or more episodes of unilateral traumatic anterior shoulder instability. Active stiffness and maximal voluntary strength were measured bilaterally in participants. In addition, quality of life, function, and perceived instability were measured using the Western Ontario Stability Index, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form, and Single Alpha Numeric Evaluation, respectively. We found less horizontal adduction strength (t(15) = -4.092, P = .001) and less stiffness at 30% (t(14) = -3.796, P = .002) and 50% (t(12) = -2.341, P = .04) maximal voluntary strength in the unstable than stable shoulder. Active stiffness was not correlated with quality of life, function, or perceived instability (r range, 0.0-0.25; P > .05). The observed reduction in stiffness in the unstable shoulder warrants inclusion of exercises in the rehabilitation program to protect the joint from perturbations that might lead to dislocation. The lack of association between active stiffness and quality of life, function, or perceived instability might indicate that stiffness plays a less direct role in shoulder stability.

Gynecologic symptoms and sexual function in female kidney allograft recipients.

PubMed

Karayalcin, R; Genc, V; Oztuna, D; Huseynova, N; Ersoz, S

2010-09-01

There is little information in the literature about changing menstrual patterns, sexuality, and fertility after kidney transplantation. The purpose of this study was to describe gynecologic symptoms, menstrual characteristics, sexual functions, details of pregnancies and gynecologic care before and after women underwent renal transplantation. A detailed Turkish questionnaire was prepared for gynecologic evaluation. Fifty women of reproductive age who underwent renal transplantation took part in this study. The questionnaires were filled out at the time of the postoperative follow-up. The mean age and body mass index of all study participants at the time of interview was 33.9 years (range, 18-52) and 23.5 kg/m(2) (range, 16.5-33.3), respectively. There were no differences between bleeding between periods, heavy period, painful period, and period duration before and after transplantation. Eight women left active working life after grafting on their own accord. Thirteen women ceased sexual activity after transplantation. None of the women reported pregnancy after grafting. A total of 98% of women reported that they were never instructed about regular gynecologic care. We found that restrictions in the lives of women with transplanted kidneys included ceasing sexual activity and leaving active working life and that these were due to fear of possible organ damage. Women with transplanted kidneys must be informed about posttransplant sex life and the requirement for regular examinations by a gynecologist. Hence, close collaborations should be formed between patients, primary care physicians, and gynecologists. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality of life in chemical warfare survivors with ophthalmologic injuries: the first results form Iran Chemical Warfare Victims Health Assessment Study

PubMed Central

Mousavi, Batool; Soroush, Mohammad Reza; Montazeri, Ali

2009-01-01

Background Iraq used chemical weapons extensively against the Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988). The aim of this study was to assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in people who had ophthalmologic complications due to the sulfur mustard gas exposure during the war. Methods The Veterans and Martyrs Affair Foundation (VMAF) database indicated that there were 196 patients with severe ophthalmologic complications due to chemical weapons exposure. Of these, those who gave consent (n = 147) entered into the study. Quality of life was measured using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and scores were compared to those of the general public. In addition logistic regression analysis was performed to indicate variables that contribute to physical and mental health related quality of life. Results The mean age of the patients was 44.8 (SD = 8.7) ranging from 21 to 75 years. About one-third of the cases (n= 50) reported exposure to chemical weapons more than once. The mean exposure duration to sulfur mustard gas was 21.6 years (SD = 1.2). The lowest scores on the SF-36 subscales were found to be: the role physical and the general health. Quality of life in chemical warfare victims who had ophthalmologic problems was significantly lower than the general public (P < 0.001). The results obtained from logistic regression analysis indicated that those who did not participate in sport activities suffer from a poorer physical health (OR = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.36 to 6.30, P = 0.006). The analysis also showed that poor mental health was associated with longer time since exposure (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.04 to 2.39, P = 0.03) and lower education (OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.21 to 7.56, P = 0.01). Conclusion The study findings suggest that chemical warfare victims with ophthalmologic complications suffer from poor health related quality of life. It seems that the need for provision of health and support for this population is urgent. In addition, further research is necessary to measure health related quality of life in victims with different types of disabilities in order to support and enhance quality of life among this population. PMID:19152700

Quality of life in chemical warfare survivors with ophthalmologic injuries: the first results form Iran Chemical Warfare Victims Health Assessment Study.

PubMed

Mousavi, Batool; Soroush, Mohammad Reza; Montazeri, Ali

2009-01-19

Iraq used chemical weapons extensively against the Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988). The aim of this study was to assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in people who had ophthalmologic complications due to the sulfur mustard gas exposure during the war. The Veterans and Martyrs Affair Foundation (VMAF) database indicated that there were 196 patients with severe ophthalmologic complications due to chemical weapons exposure. Of these, those who gave consent (n = 147) entered into the study. Quality of life was measured using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and scores were compared to those of the general public. In addition logistic regression analysis was performed to indicate variables that contribute to physical and mental health related quality of life. The mean age of the patients was 44.8 (SD = 8.7) ranging from 21 to 75 years. About one-third of the cases (n= 50) reported exposure to chemical weapons more than once. The mean exposure duration to sulfur mustard gas was 21.6 years (SD = 1.2). The lowest scores on the SF-36 subscales were found to be: the role physical and the general health. Quality of life in chemical warfare victims who had ophthalmologic problems was significantly lower than the general public (P < 0.001). The results obtained from logistic regression analysis indicated that those who did not participate in sport activities suffer from a poorer physical health (OR = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.36 to 6.30, P = 0.006). The analysis also showed that poor mental health was associated with longer time since exposure (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.04 to 2.39, P = 0.03) and lower education (OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.21 to 7.56, P = 0.01). The study findings suggest that chemical warfare victims with ophthalmologic complications suffer from poor health related quality of life. It seems that the need for provision of health and support for this population is urgent. In addition, further research is necessary to measure health related quality of life in victims with different types of disabilities in order to support and enhance quality of life among this population.

Life on Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potashko, Oleksandr

Volcanoes engender life on heavenly bodies; they are pacemakers of life. All planets during their period of formation pass through volcanism hence - all planets and their satellites pass through the life. Tracks of life If we want to find tracks of life - most promising places are places with volcanic activity, current or past. In the case of just-in-time volcanic activity we have 100% probability to find a life. Therefore the most perspective “search for life” are Enceladus, Io and comets, further would be Venus, Jupiter’s satellites, Saturn’s satellites and first of all - Titan. Titan has atmosphere. It might be result of high volcanic activity - from one side, from other side atmosphere is a necessary condition development life from procaryota to eucaryota. Existence of a planet means that all its elements after hydrogen formed just there inside a planet. The forming of the elements leads to the formation of mineral and organic substances and further to the organic life. Development of the life depends upon many factors, e.g. the distance from star/s. The intensity of the processes of the element formation is inversely to the distance from the star. Therefore we may suppose that the intensity of the life in Mercury was very high. Hence we may detect tracks of life in Mercury, particularly near volcanoes. The distance from the star is only one parameter and now Titan looks very active - mainly due to interior reason. Its atmosphere compounds are analogous to comet tail compounds. Their collation may lead to interesting result as progress occurs at one of them. Volcanic activity is as a source of life origin as well a reason for a death of life. It depends upon the thickness of planet crust. In the case of small thickness of a crust the probability is high that volcanoes may destroy a life on a planet - like Noachian deluge. Destroying of the life under volcano influences doesn’t lead to full dead. As result we would have periodic Noachian deluge or nuclear winter. These events are known as extinctions or ice ages. The crust of a planet of the Earth group is formed at the outer edge of the body. The planets after asteroid belt like Jupiter or Saturn probably form their “crusts” in the centre of the body. Due to we may see internal kitchen of element forming in detail. This processes lead to the organic life, which we may detect at the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto. But their satellites look like earth planet group - with outer crust. Huygens considered that God's wisdom and providence is clearest in the creation of life, and Earth holds no privileged position in the heavens that life must be universal. “Huygens” helps find life on Titan

Life-space mobility in Parkinson's disease: Associations with motor and non-motor symptoms.

PubMed

Rantakokko, Merja; Iwarsson, Susanne; Slaug, Björn; Nilsson, Maria H

2018-04-10

To describe life-space mobility and explore associations of motor and non-motor symptoms with life-space mobility in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). 164 community-dwelling persons with PD (mean age 71.6 years, 64.6% men) received a postal survey and a subsequent home visit. Motor assessments included perceived walking difficulties (Walk-12G), mobility (Timed Up and Go test), motor symptoms (UPDRS-III) and freezing of gait (item 3, FOG-Qsa). Non-motor symptoms included depressive symptoms (GDS-15), pain, fatigue (NHP-EN) and global cognition (MoCA). Life-space mobility was assessed with the life-space assessment (LSA). Calculations included composite score (range 0-120; higher indicating better life-space mobility), independent life-space (range 0-5), assisted life-space (range 0-5), and maximal life-space (range 0-5). Associations were analyzed with linear regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and PD severity (Hoehn and Yahr). Mean life-space mobility score was 72.3 (SD 28.8). Almost all participants (90 %) reached the highest life-space level (beyond town). Half of these reached this level independently, while one-third were unable to move outside their bedroom without assistive devices or personal help. When adjusted for confounders, depressive symptoms, pain, and perceived walking difficulties was negatively associated with life-space mobility. In the multivariable model, only perceived walking difficulties was associated with life-space mobility. Our findings indicate that perceived walking difficulties should be targeted to maintain or improve life-space mobility in people with PD. Depressive symptoms and pain may also merit consideration. More research is needed to elucidate the role of environmental and personal factors for life-space mobility in PD.

Water as a matrix for life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pohorille, Andrew; Pratt, Lawrence

2006-01-01

"Follow the water" is the canonical strategy in searching for life in the universe. Conventionally, discussion of this topic is focused on how solvent supports organic chemistry sufficiently rich to seed life. Perhaps more importantly, solvent must promote self-organization of organic matter into functional structures capable of responding to environmental changes. This process is based on non-covalent interactions. They are constantly formed and broken in response to internal and external stimuli. This requires that their strength must be properly tuned. If they were too weak, the system would exhibit undesired, uncontrolled response to natural fluctuations of physical and chemical parameters. If they were too strong kinetics of biological processes would be slow and energetics costly. Non-covalent interactions are strongly mediated by the solvent. Specifically, high dielectric solvents for life are needed for solubility of polar species and flexibility of biological structures stabilized by electrostatic interactions. Water exhibits a remarkable trait that it promotes solvophobic interactions between non-polar species, which are responsible for self-organization phenomena such as the formation of cellular boundary structures, and protein folding and aggregation. Unusual temperature dependence of hydrophobic interactions - they often become stronger as temperature increases - is a consequence of the temperature insensitivity of properties of the liquid water. This contributes to the existence of robust life over a wide temperature range. Water is not the only liquid with favorable properties for supporting life. Other pure liquids or their mixtures that have high dielectric constants and simultaneously support some level of self-organization will be discussed.

Quality of life, use of topical medications and socio-economic data in hand eczema: a Swedish nationwide survey.

PubMed

Bingefors, Kerstin; Lindberg, Magnus; Isacson, Dag

2011-06-01

Hand eczema is common and has an adverse impact on the lives of patients. There is a need for population-based surveys on the pharmacoepidemiological aspects, quality of life and impact of socioeconomic factors in hand eczema. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate these factors. A questionnaire-based nationwide survey of health was performed, including questions on hand eczema, use of pharmaceuticals and socioeconomic factors. Quality of life was estimated with the generic instrument Short Form 36 (SF-36). The questionnaire was sent to 7,985 persons (age range 18-84 years), response rate 61.1% (n = 4,875). The 1-year prevalence of hand eczema in the study population was 7.5%. In this group, quality of life was lower. All dimensions of SF-36 were affected, most markedly general health and those dimensions reporting on mental health. In the group with self-reported hand eczema, 51% reported using topical pharmaceuticals. Hand eczema was more common among women (9.1%, n = 2,630) than among men (5.6%, n = 2,245) and in the age group below 65 years (8.5%, n = 3,274) compared with those aged 65 years and over (4.3%, n = 1,151). This survey clearly demonstrates the impact of hand eczema on several dimensions of life and also highlights age, gender and socioeconomic differences.

Isothermal fatigue mechanisms in Ti-based metal matrix composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Bhaskar S.; Newaz, Golam M.

1993-01-01

Stress-controlled isothermal fatigue experiments were performed at room temperature (RT) and 548 C (in argon) on (0)8 SCS6/Ti 15-3 metal matrix composites (MMC's) with 15 and 41 volume percent SCS6 (SiC) fibers. The primary objectives were to evaluate the mechanical responses, and to obtain a clear understanding of the damage mechanisms leading to failure of the MMC's. The mechanical data indicated that strain ranges attained fairly constant values in the stress-controlled experiments at both RT and 538 C, and remained so for more than 85 percent of life. The fatigue data for MMC's with different volume fraction fibers showed that MMC life was controlled by the imposed strain range rather than the stress range. At RT, and at low and intermediate strain ranges, the dominant fatigue mechanism was matrix fatigue, and this was confirmed metallurgically from fractographic evidence as well as from observations of channel type dislocation structures in the matrix of fatigued MMC specimens. Reaction-zone cracks acted as important crack initiating sites at RT, with their role being to facilitate slip band formation and consequent matrix crack initiation through classical fatigue mechanisms. MMC life agreed with matrix life at the lower strain ranges, but was smaller than matrix life at higher strain ranges. Unlike the case of monotonic deformation, debonding damage was another major damage mechanism during fatigue at RT, and it increased for higher strain ranges. At high strain ranges at RT, fractography and metallography showed an absence of matrix cracks, but long lengths of debonds in the outer layers of the SCS6 fibers. Such debonding and consequent rubbing during fatigue is believed to have caused fiber damage and their failure at high strain ranges. Thus, whereas life was matrix dominated at low and intermediate strain ranges, it was fiber dominated at high strain ranges. At 538 C, the mean stain constantly increased (ratchetting) with the number of cycles. At high strain ranges, such ratchetting led to overload failure of the fibers, and debonding of the type at RT was very small. At intermediate strain ranges, fractography showed large areas of matrix cracks. However, in spite of this matrix dominated mechanism, the MMC life at elevated temperatures was significantly less than the matrix fatigue life at all strain ranges. The reason for this difference is still unclear, although metallographic and fractographic evidences suggest that internal crack initiation sites at Mo-ribbons and reaction-zone cracks may have played a critical role, with the former tending to dominate.

Chiral Determination of Amino Acids Using X-Ray Diffraction of Thin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dragoi, D.; Kulleck, J.; Kanik, I.; Beegle, L. W.

2003-01-01

The astrobiological search for life, both extinct and extant, on other solar system bodies will take place via several planned lander missions to Mars Europa and Titan. The detection and identification of organic molecules that have been associated with life is a major technical challenge. Terrestrial life utilizes organic molecules, such as amino acids, as its basic building block. Amino acids can be synthesized by natural processes as is demonstrated by their detection in meteoritic material. In this process, the organic molecules are produced roughly in a even mixture of D and L forms. Biological process, however, can utilize almost uniquely one form or the other. In terrestrial biology, only the L-amino acids is common in biological processes. If signature of life existed elsewhere in the D form it then be concluded that life had evolutionary beginning on that body. Detection of an enantiomeric excess of L over D would also be a powerful sign that life had existed on that body at one time.

The human early-life exposome (HELIX): project rationale and design.

PubMed

Vrijheid, Martine; Slama, Rémy; Robinson, Oliver; Chatzi, Leda; Coen, Muireann; van den Hazel, Peter; Thomsen, Cathrine; Wright, John; Athersuch, Toby J; Avellana, Narcis; Basagaña, Xavier; Brochot, Celine; Bucchini, Luca; Bustamante, Mariona; Carracedo, Angel; Casas, Maribel; Estivill, Xavier; Fairley, Lesley; van Gent, Diana; Gonzalez, Juan R; Granum, Berit; Gražulevičienė, Regina; Gutzkow, Kristine B; Julvez, Jordi; Keun, Hector C; Kogevinas, Manolis; McEachan, Rosemary R C; Meltzer, Helle Margrete; Sabidó, Eduard; Schwarze, Per E; Siroux, Valérie; Sunyer, Jordi; Want, Elizabeth J; Zeman, Florence; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J

2014-06-01

Developmental periods in early life may be particularly vulnerable to impacts of environmental exposures. Human research on this topic has generally focused on single exposure-health effect relationships. The "exposome" concept encompasses the totality of exposures from conception onward, complementing the genome. The Human Early-Life Exposome (HELIX) project is a new collaborative research project that aims to implement novel exposure assessment and biomarker methods to characterize early-life exposure to multiple environmental factors and associate these with omics biomarkers and child health outcomes, thus characterizing the "early-life exposome." Here we describe the general design of the project. In six existing birth cohort studies in Europe, HELIX will estimate prenatal and postnatal exposure to a broad range of chemical and physical exposures. Exposure models will be developed for the full cohorts totaling 32,000 mother-child pairs, and biomarkers will be measured in a subset of 1,200 mother-child pairs. Nested repeat-sampling panel studies (n = 150) will collect data on biomarker variability, use smartphones to assess mobility and physical activity, and perform personal exposure monitoring. Omics techniques will determine molecular profiles (metabolome, proteome, transcriptome, epigenome) associated with exposures. Statistical methods for multiple exposures will provide exposure-response estimates for fetal and child growth, obesity, neurodevelopment, and respiratory outcomes. A health impact assessment exercise will evaluate risks and benefits of combined exposures. HELIX is one of the first attempts to describe the early-life exposome of European populations and unravel its relation to omics markers and health in childhood. As proof of concept, it will form an important first step toward the life-course exposome.

Holism and life manifestations: molecular and space-time biology.

PubMed

Krecek, J

2010-01-01

Appeals of philosophers to look for new concepts in sciences are being met with a weak response. Limited attention is paid to the relation between synthetic and analytic approach in solving problems of biology. An attempt is presented to open a discussion on a possible role of holism. The term "life manifestations" is used in accordance with phenomenology. Multicellular creatures maintain milieu intérieur to keep an aqueous milieu intracellulair in order to transform the energy of nutrients into the form utilizable for driving cellular life manifestations. Milieu intérieur enables to integrate this kind of manifestations into life manifestations of the whole multicellular creatures. The integration depends on a uniqueness and uniformity of the genome of cells, on their mutual recognition and adherence. The processes of ontogenetic development represent the natural mode of integration of cellular life manifestations. Functional systems of multicellular creatures are being established by organization of integrable cells using a wide range of developmental processes. Starting from the zygote division the new being displays all properties of a whole creature, although its life manifestations vary. Therefore, the whole organism is not only more than its parts, as supposed by holism, but also more than developmental stages of its life manifestations. Implicitly, the units of whole multicellular creature are rather molecular and developmental events than the cells per se. Holism, taking in mind the existence of molecular and space-time biology, could become a guide in looking for a new mode of the combination of analytical and synthetic reasoning in biology.

The Sun and Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk

2012-01-01

Thus the Sun forms the basis for life on Earth via the black body radiation it emits. The Sun also emits mass in the form of the solar wind and the coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Mass emission also occurs in the form of solar energetic particles (SEPs), which happens during CMEs and solar flares. Both the mass and electromagnetic energy output of the Sun vary over a wide range of time scales, thus introducing disturbances on the space environment that extends from the Sun through the entire heliosphere including the magnetospheres and ionospheres of planets and moons of the solar system. Although our habitat is located in the neutral atmosphere of Earth, we are intimately connected to the non-neutral space environment starting from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere and to the vast interplanetary space. The variability of the solar mass emissions results in the interaction between the solar wind plasma and the magnetospheric plasma leading to huge disturbances in the geospace. The Sun ionizes our atmosphere and creates the ionosphere. The ionosphere can be severely disturbed by the transient energy input from solar flares and the solar wind during geomagnetic storms. The complex interplay between Earth's magnetic field and the solar magnetic field carried by the solar wind presents varying conditions that are both beneficial and hazardous to life on earth. This seminar presents some of the key aspects of this Sun-Earth connection that we have learned since the birth of space science as a scientific discipline some half a century ago.

78 FR 17417 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-21

... Collection Request Title: Organ and Tissue Donor and Recipient Life Stories Form (OMB No. 0915-xxxx)--NEW... donation. Among the most visited pages on organdonor.gov are the donor and recipient life stories which in... voluntarily submit their stories to DoT via a standardized online form. The online form will be posted on...

The evolution and distribution of life in the Precambrian eon-global perspective and the Indian record.

PubMed

Sharma, M; Shukla, Y

2009-11-01

The discovery of Precambrian microfossils in 1954 opened a new vista of investigations in the field of evolution of life. Although the Precambrian encompasses 87% of the earth's history, the pace of organismal evolution was quite slow. The life forms as categorised today in the three principal domains viz. the Bacteria, the Archaea and the Eucarya evolved during this period. In this paper, we review the advancements made in the Precambrian palaeontology and its contribution in understanding the evolution of life forms on earth. These studies have enriched the data base on the Precambrian life. Most of the direct evidence includes fossil prokaryotes, protists, advanced algal fossils, acritarchs, and the indirect evidence is represented by the stromatolites, trace fossils and geochemical fossils signatures. The Precambrian fossils are preserved in the form of compressions, impressions, and permineralized and biomineralized remains.

Acoustic-assisted fluidic hourglasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guimaraes, Tamara; Marin, Alvaro; Kaehler, Christian J.; Barnkob, Rune

2017-11-01

Microfluidic devices are prone to get clogged when suspensions are forced through narrow passages. Such clogging events occur when particles form arches that block the channel. In this work we study the clogging probabilities in a microfluidic hourglass when subject to ultrasound. We measure the clogging probabilities for certain ranges of sound amplitudes and particle-to-neck size ratios in which clogging events are more likely to occur. The ultrasound induces acoustic radiation forces on the suspended particles, leading to particle migration perpendicular to the channel flow direction. The transverse particle rearrangement can significantly reduce the clogging probability by decreasing the chances of arching in the narrowing of the passage. We show that by choosing proper sound actuation conditions, the method is reliable, non-intrusive, preventive, and allows to increase the life of fluidic devices (microfluidic or larger) with particles in a wide range of sizes.

Quadrant photodetector sensitivity.

PubMed

Manojlović, Lazo M

2011-07-10

A quantitative theoretical analysis of the quadrant photodetector (QPD) sensitivity in position measurement is presented. The Gaussian light spot irradiance distribution on the QPD surface was assumed to meet most of the real-life applications of this sensor. As the result of the mathematical treatment of the problem, we obtained, in a closed form, the sensitivity function versus the ratio of the light spot 1/e radius and the QPD radius. The obtained result is valid for the full range of the ratios. To check the influence of the finite light spot radius on the interaxis cross talk and linearity, we also performed a mathematical analysis to quantitatively measure these types of errors. An optimal range of the ratio of light spot radius and QPD radius has been found to simultaneously achieve low interaxis cross talk and high linearity of the sensor. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Assessing hidden species diversity in the coral Pocillopora damicornis from Eastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt-Roach, S.; Lundgren, P.; Miller, K. J.; Gerlach, G.; Noreen, A. M. E.; Andreakis, N.

2013-03-01

The incredible range of morphological plasticity present in scleractinian corals has confused the taxonomy of the group, prompting the introduction of "ecomorphs" to explain the observed correlation between local environmental conditions and phenotypic variation. Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) represents one of the best known examples of eco-phenotypic variation in scleractinian corals with a variety of forms and reproductive strategies reported across its global distribution range. Here, we reconstruct genealogical relationships of P. damicornis colonies collected from thirteen locations along the East Australian coast to examine the relationship between genetic and phenotypic diversity in this species. Haplotype networks computed from two mitochondrial DNA regions (CR, ORF) indicate that the range of morphotypes observed within this taxon fall into at least five genetically distinct mitochondrial lineages. Nuclear (HSP70, ITS2) haplowebs on the other hand recover sharp genetic discontinuities among three of the morphological groups. We conclude that P. damicornis from Eastern Australia constitutes a cryptic species complex. The misinterpretation of taxonomical units within P. damicornis may well explain its perceived variation in the ecology, biology and life history across its range.

Genetic Relationship of Productive Life, Production and Type Traits of Korean Holsteins at Early Lactations

PubMed Central

Wasana, Nidarshani; Cho, GwangHyun; Park, SuBong; Kim, SiDong; Choi, JaeGwan; Park, ByungHo; Park, ChanHyuk; Do, ChangHee

2015-01-01

The present study was performed to study the genetic relationship of productive life with production and type traits of Korean Holsteins at first three lactations. The data for the analysis from 56,054, 28,997, and 11,816 animals of first, second and third parity cows which were born from 2006 to 2011 were collected by Dairy Cattle Improvement Center, National Agricultural Co-operative Federation. Milk, protein and fat yields adjusted for 305 days and average somatic cell score considered as production traits and analyzed type traits were stature, strength, body depth, dairy form, rump angle, rump width, rear leg side view, foot angle, front attachment placement, rear attachment height, rear attachment width, udder cleft, udder depth, front teat placement and front teat length. A multi trait genetic analysis was performed using Wombat program with restricted maximum likelihood animal model composed of fixed effect of birth year, farm and the random effect of animal and random residual effect according to the traits. Heritability estimates of productive life were between 0.06 and 0.13. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between production and productive life traits ranged from 0.35 to 0.04 for milk, 0.16 to 0.05 for protein and 0.18 to 0.02 f 15-0034 (2nd) 150520 or fat. Somatic cells score showed a negative genetic and phenotypic correlation with productive life and also udder type traits, indicating that the selection for higher udder traits will likely to improve resistance to mastitis and persistence in the herd. Among all dairy form type traits, udder characters such as udder cleft showed a significant relationship with productive life. However, a specific change of heritabilities or correlations were not observed with the change of parity. Moreover, further studies are needed to further confirm the significance of the above traits and the effect of parity on above relationships in order to minimize both voluntary and involuntary culling rates while improving herd health and maintaining high yielding dairy cows. PMID:26194223

Genetic Relationship of Productive Life, Production and Type Traits of Korean Holsteins at Early Lactations.

PubMed

Wasana, Nidarshani; Cho, GwangHyun; Park, SuBong; Kim, SiDong; Choi, JaeGwan; Park, ByungHo; Park, ChanHyuk; Do, ChangHee

2015-09-01

The present study was performed to study the genetic relationship of productive life with production and type traits of Korean Holsteins at first three lactations. The data for the analysis from 56,054, 28,997, and 11,816 animals of first, second and third parity cows which were born from 2006 to 2011 were collected by Dairy Cattle Improvement Center, National Agricultural Co-operative Federation. Milk, protein and fat yields adjusted for 305 days and average somatic cell score considered as production traits and analyzed type traits were stature, strength, body depth, dairy form, rump angle, rump width, rear leg side view, foot angle, front attachment placement, rear attachment height, rear attachment width, udder cleft, udder depth, front teat placement and front teat length. A multi trait genetic analysis was performed using Wombat program with restricted maximum likelihood animal model composed of fixed effect of birth year, farm and the random effect of animal and random residual effect according to the traits. Heritability estimates of productive life were between 0.06 and 0.13. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between production and productive life traits ranged from 0.35 to 0.04 for milk, 0.16 to 0.05 for protein and 0.18 to 0.02 f 15-0034 (2nd) 150520 or fat. Somatic cells score showed a negative genetic and phenotypic correlation with productive life and also udder type traits, indicating that the selection for higher udder traits will likely to improve resistance to mastitis and persistence in the herd. Among all dairy form type traits, udder characters such as udder cleft showed a significant relationship with productive life. However, a specific change of heritabilities or correlations were not observed with the change of parity. Moreover, further studies are needed to further confirm the significance of the above traits and the effect of parity on above relationships in order to minimize both voluntary and involuntary culling rates while improving herd health and maintaining high yielding dairy cows.

Relation of Body Size on Ecological Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, A.; Ngo, A.; Heim, N.; Payne, J.

2016-12-01

Body size in the manner of total biovolume is a useful metric for determining the way an organism interacts with its environment. Body sizes of an organism determines behavior and its life mode, the way an organism lives and survives defined by motility, depth of habitat, and feeding mode. To build on that, we hypothesize that the body size of organisms determines the amount of unique life modes an organism is capable of utilizing. the We categorized the ecological life modes of marine organisms in the phyla Arthropoda, Mollusca, Chordata, and Brachiopoda. After organizing body sizes into bins of 10,000 mm3 per x-value through R, a trend displaying a decrease in the amount of unique life modes per body size bin is visible with increasing size. Chordates however do not display as consistent of a trend as do the rest of the phyla. We hypothesize that this could be because most chordates have a backbone allowing more variation in life modes and behaviors which in turn are capable sustain larger body sizes. A boxplot regarding the range of unique life modes for all body sizes for all phyla also shows that a majority of life mode ranges range from the median size organisms from data collected to the smallest. Which means that with all of the unique life modes that were taken into consideration, the possible body sizes they ranged into were mostly into smaller organisms as there was a majority in life modes that did not range into the realm of larger body size organisms that were greater than the median sizes of the organisms.

Successive range expansion promotes diversity and accelerates evolution in spatially structured microbial populations.

PubMed

Goldschmidt, Felix; Regoes, Roland R; Johnson, David R

2017-09-01

Successive range expansions occur within all domains of life, where one population expands first (primary expansion) and one or more secondary populations then follow (secondary expansion). In general, genetic drift reduces diversity during range expansion. However, it is not clear whether the same effect applies during successive range expansion, mainly because the secondary population must expand into space occupied by the primary population. Here we used an experimental microbial model system to show that, in contrast to primary range expansion, successive range expansion promotes local population diversity. Because of mechanical constraints imposed by the presence of the primary population, the secondary population forms fractal-like dendritic structures. This divides the advancing secondary population into many small sub-populations and promotes intermixing between the primary and secondary populations. We further developed a mathematical model to simulate the formation of dendritic structures in the secondary population during succession. By introducing mutations in the primary or dendritic secondary populations, we found that mutations are more likely to accumulate in the dendritic secondary populations. Our results thus show that successive range expansion can promote intermixing over the short term and increase genetic diversity over the long term. Our results therefore have potentially important implications for predicting the ecological processes and evolutionary trajectories of microbial communities.

Limits in the evolution of biological form: a theoretical morphologic perspective.

PubMed

McGhee, George R

2015-12-06

Limits in the evolution of biological form can be empirically demonstrated by using theoretical morphospace analyses, and actual analytic examples are given for univalved ammonoid shell form, bivalved brachiopod shell form and helical bryozoan colony form. Limits in the evolution of form in these animal groups can be shown to be due to functional and developmental constraints on possible evolutionary trajectories in morphospace. Future evolutionary-limit research is needed to analyse the possible existence of temporal constraint in the evolution of biological form on Earth, and in the search for the possible existence of functional alien life forms on Titan and Triton that are developmentally impossible for Earth life.

If technological intelligent extraterrestrials exist, what biological traits are de rigueur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, E. R.

2018-05-01

If extraterrestrials exist in the depths of cosmic space, and are capable of interstellar communications, even space flight, there is no requirement that they be humanoid in form. However, certain humanoid capabilities would be advantageous for tool fashioning and critical to operating space craft as well as functioning under the disparate extreme conditions under which they may be forced to operate. They would have to be "gas breathing". The reasonable assumption that life based upon the same elements as Earth life requiring water stems from the unique properties of water that no other similar low molecular weight nonmetal hydride offers. Only water offers the diversity of chemical properties and reactivity, including the existence of the three common physical states within a limited temperature range of service to life, avoiding the issues presented by any alternatives. They must, like us, possess a large, abstract-thinking brain, and probably possess at least all the fundamental senses that humankind possess. They would also be carbon-based life, using oxygen as the electron sink of their biochemistry for the reasons considered. They most likely are homeothermic as us, though they may not necessarily be mammalian as we are. Their biochemistry could differ some from ours, perhaps presenting contact hazards for both species as discussed.

Integrating life-cycle environmental and economic assessment with transportation and land use planning.

PubMed

Chester, Mikhail V; Nahlik, Matthew J; Fraser, Andrew M; Kimball, Mindy A; Garikapati, Venu M

2013-01-01

The environmental outcomes of urban form changes should couple life-cycle and behavioral assessment methods to better understand urban sustainability policy outcomes. Using Phoenix, Arizona light rail as a case study, an integrated transportation and land use life-cycle assessment (ITLU-LCA) framework is developed to assess the changes to energy consumption and air emissions from transit-oriented neighborhood designs. Residential travel, commercial travel, and building energy use are included and the framework integrates household behavior change assessment to explore the environmental and economic outcomes of policies that affect infrastructure. The results show that upfront environmental and economic investments are needed (through more energy-intense building materials for high-density structures) to produce long run benefits in reduced building energy use and automobile travel. The annualized life-cycle benefits of transit-oriented developments in Phoenix can range from 1.7 to 230 Gg CO2e depending on the aggressiveness of residential density. Midpoint impact stressors for respiratory effects and photochemical smog formation are also assessed and can be reduced by 1.2-170 Mg PM10e and 41-5200 Mg O3e annually. These benefits will come at an additional construction cost of up to $410 million resulting in a cost of avoided CO2e at $16-29 and household cost savings.

Modern approaches to the treatment of human infertility through assisted reproduction.

PubMed

Fernández Pelegrina, R; Kessler, A G; Rawlins, R G

1991-08-01

Medical statistics from the United States show approximately 15 percent of all couples of reproductive age are unable to conceive naturally. In recent years, the numbers of couples with reproductive problems has increased, principally due to changes in life style and delayed childbearing. Only 13 years after the birth of the first "test tube baby", advances in the field of human reproduction have created a wide range of alternatives to help infertile couples conceive a healthy infant. Together, these techniques are called Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and include: in vitro fertilization (IVF), intratubal transfer of gametes (GIFT), intratubal transfer of zygotes (ZIFT), tubal transfer of preimplantation embryos (TET), gamete or embryo donation, cryopreservtion, and micromanipulation. The application of these techniques is presented here. While much remains to be learned, the ability to fertilize ova in vitro and sustain early embryonic life outside the body is now a reality. Contrary to the idea that these techniques create life in vitro, they simply remove barriers caused by different forms of infertility which impede the creation of life. More than 30,000 infants have now been produced world-wide through ART. In the future, new developments in the field of assisted reproduction promise to bring new hope to the growing numbers of infertile couples around the world.

Testosterone and reproductive effort in male primates

PubMed Central

Muller, Martin N.

2016-01-01

Considerable evidence suggests that the steroid hormone testosterone mediates major life-history trade-offs in vertebrates, promoting mating effort at the expense of parenting effort or survival. Observations from a range of wild primates support the “Challenge Hypothesis,” which posits that variation in male testosterone is more closely associated with aggressive mating competition than with reproductive physiology. In both seasonally and non-seasonally breeding species, males increase testosterone production primarily when competing for fecund females. In species where males compete to maintain long-term access to females, testosterone increases when males are threatened with losing access to females, rather than during mating periods. And when male status is linked to mating success, and dependent on aggression, high-ranking males normally maintain higher testosterone levels than subordinates, particularly when dominance hierarchies are unstable. Trade-offs between parenting effort and mating effort appear to be weak in most primates, because direct investment in the form of infant transport and provisioning is rare. Instead, infant protection is the primary form of paternal investment in the order. Testosterone does not inhibit this form of investment, which relies on male aggression. Testosterone has a wide range of effects in primates that plausibly function to support male competitive behavior. These include psychological effects related to dominance striving, analgesic effects, and effects on the development and maintenance of the armaments and adornments that males employ in mating competition. PMID:27616559

Testosterone and reproductive effort in male primates.

PubMed

Muller, Martin N

2017-05-01

Considerable evidence suggests that the steroid hormone testosterone mediates major life-history trade-offs in vertebrates, promoting mating effort at the expense of parenting effort or survival. Observations from a range of wild primates support the "Challenge Hypothesis," which posits that variation in male testosterone is more closely associated with aggressive mating competition than with reproductive physiology. In both seasonally and non-seasonally breeding species, males increase testosterone production primarily when competing for fecund females. In species where males compete to maintain long-term access to females, testosterone increases when males are threatened with losing access to females, rather than during mating periods. And when male status is linked to mating success, and dependent on aggression, high-ranking males normally maintain higher testosterone levels than subordinates, particularly when dominance hierarchies are unstable. Trade-offs between parenting effort and mating effort appear to be weak in most primates, because direct investment in the form of infant transport and provisioning is rare. Instead, infant protection is the primary form of paternal investment in the order. Testosterone does not inhibit this form of investment, which relies on male aggression. Testosterone has a wide range of effects in primates that plausibly function to support male competitive behavior. These include psychological effects related to dominance striving, analgesic effects, and effects on the development and maintenance of the armaments and adornments that males employ in mating competition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Satisfied Are Patients with Arthroscopic Bankart Repair? A 2-Year Follow-up on Quality-of-Life Outcome.

PubMed

Saier, Tim; Plath, Johannes E; Waibel, Sabrina; Minzlaff, Philipp; Feucht, Matthias J; Herschbach, Peter; Imhoff, Andreas B; Braun, Sepp

2017-10-01

To report general life and health satisfaction after arthroscopic Bankart repair in patients with post-traumatic recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability and to investigate postoperative time lost to return to work at 2-year follow-up. Between 2011 and 2013 patients treated with arthroscopic Bankart repair in the beach chair position for acute shoulder instability were included in this study. Questions on Life Satisfaction Modules (FLZ M ) and the Short Form 12 (SF-12) were used as quality-of-life outcome scales. Oxford Instability Score (OIS), Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH), and self-reported American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) shoulder index were used as functional outcome scales. Return to work (months) was monitored and analyzed depending on physical workload. Data were assessed the day before surgery and prospectively monitored until 24 months postoperatively. Quality-of-life outcome was correlated with functional shoulder outcome and compared with normative age-adjusted data. Paired t-test, Wilcoxon test, Mann-Whitney U-Test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. Fifty-three patients were prospectively included. The mean age at surgery was 29.4 years. Satisfaction with general life and satisfaction with health (FLZ M ) as well as physical component scale (SF-12) improved significantly to values above normative data within 6 to 12 months after surgery (each P < .001). OIS, QuickDASH, and ASES improved significantly from baseline until 24 months after surgery (each P < .001). For ASES, improvement above minimal clinically important difference was shown. There was a positive correlation between quality of life and functional outcome scores (P < .05; rho, 0.3-0.4). Mean time to return to work was 2 months (range, 0-10; standard deviation, 1.9), with significantly longer time intervals observed in patients with heavy physical workload (3.1 months; range, 0 to 10; standard deviation, 2.4; P = .002). Following arthroscopic Bankart repair, quality of life was impaired during early course after surgery and increased significantly above preoperative levels within 6 to 12 months after the procedure. A steady state of excellent quality-of-life and functional outcomes was noted after 12 months of follow-up. Quality-of-life outcome scales correlated significantly with the functional outcome. Heavy physical workload must be considered as a risk factor for prolonged time lost to return to work. Level III, prospective noncomparative therapeutic case series. Copyright © 2017 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Life: Origin and evolution on Earth--How can we escape?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markert, Clement L.; Krikorian, Abraham D.

1993-01-01

Exploitation of gene regulation rather than the creation of new genes has been predominantly responsible for the evolutionary advances in animals and plants that are widely recognized today. Until very recently it was not possible to examine life in the absence of gravity. We can now imagine forms of life in the universe adapting to circumstances different from those found on Earth. Our own life forms would surely become different in time if they were transferred to other planets with different conditions, including much lower or higher gravity.

17 CFR 274.302 - Form N-27I-1, notice of right of withdrawal and refund for variable life insurance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... of withdrawal and refund for variable life insurance contractholders required pursuant to Rule 6e-2... for Exemptions § 274.302 Form N-27I-1, notice of right of withdrawal and refund for variable life insurance contractholders required pursuant to Rule 6e-2 (§ 270.6e-2 of this chapter). [41 FR 47032, Oct. 27...

Factors associated with generic health-related quality of life in adult asthma patients in Germany: Cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Böhmer, Merle M; Brandl, Magdalena; Brandstetter, Susanne; Finger, Tamara; Fischer, Wiebke; Pfeifer, Michael; Apfelbacher, Christian

2017-04-01

Given a 9% lifetime prevalence of asthma in Germany and the impairment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) that goes along with it, it is important to understand parameters affecting HRQOL in asthma patients. Objective of this study was therefore to determine factors associated with generic HRQOL in asthma patients. Data for cross-sectional analyses were obtained from the baseline of an ongoing cohort study. physician-diagnosed asthma; age ≥18 years; disease duration ≥3 months; no acute psychiatric/neurological disease; sufficient knowledge of German. HRQOL was assessed by the Short Form 12 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-12), which comprises a physical (PCS-12) and a mental component (MCS-12). Information on a broad range of parameters potentially influencing HRQOL was collected by examining the patients' medical records and via a self-administered questionnaire. Those parameters were of socio-demographic, disease-specific, treatment-related or psychosocial nature. We conducted multivariable linear regression analyses to assess determinants of HRQOL. In total, 196 asthma patients participated in the study (mean age: 48 years (range: 18-90); 60.2% females). In multivariable analysis, PCS-12 was negatively associated with older age, being female, insufficient disease control, higher number of medications in tablet form and reporting symptoms of depression. MCS-12 was negatively associated with being female, living alone, insufficient disease control, and reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression. Focusing on disease control and screening for depression and anxiety may be promising approaches to improve HRQOL in adult asthma patients. If a patient shows alarming symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, the patient should then be referred for psychiatric treatment.

Liver transplantation in children with Alagille syndrome--a study of twelve cases.

PubMed

Cardona, J; Houssin, D; Gauthier, F; Devictor, D; Losay, J; Hadchouel, M; Bernard, O

1995-08-27

Cholestasis associated with Alagille syndrome may, in a few cases, be extremely severe and result in major impairment in the quality of life during early childhood and end up in cirrhosis eventually. We report the results of liver transplantation in 12 children with a severe hepatic form of Alagille syndrome. All children presented with cholestatic jaundice from birth, peculiar facies, stenosis of the peripheral pulmonary artery, and posterior embryotoxon; butterfly-like vertebrae were present in 9 children. At the time of transplantation (mean age 7 years 10 months) refractory pruritus was present in 9 children, xanthoma in 11, and height and weight retardation in 11. Total serum bilirubin ranged from 116 to 322 mumol/L and total serum cholesterol from 3.5 to 29 mmol/L. Systolic right ventricular pressure was moderately raised (36 to 48 mmHg) in 5 children; mean creatinine clearance was 99 ml/min/1.73 m2. Histologic examination of the removed livers showed cirrhosis, severe annular fibrosis, and moderate portal fibrosis in 4 children each. Follow-up in the 11 survivors has ranged from 14 months to 5 1/2 years. All lead normal lives. Pruritus and xanthomas disappeared. Increase in height was observed in 8 of the 10 survivors who had growth retardation prior to transplantation. School level is normal in 4 (median age at LT: 5 yr 9 mo) and below normal in 6 (median age at OLT: 9 yr 9 mo). Liver function tests are normal in 10 children. Mean creatinine clearance is 101 ml/min/1.73 m2. These results indicate that the quality of life can be considerably improved after liver transplantation in children with a severe hepatic form of Alagille syndrome and suggest that it could be carried out before these children attend elementary school.

Health Related Quality of Life after ECT for depression: A study exploring the role of different electrode-placements and pulse-widths.

PubMed

Gálvez, Verònica; Li, Adrienne; Oxley, Cristal; Waite, Susan; De Felice, Nick; Hadzi-Pavlovic, Dusan; Kumar, Divya; Page, Andrew C; Hooke, Geoff; Loo, Colleen K

2016-12-01

Prior research has shown large improvements in HRQOL after a course of ECT for depression. However, the effect of different types of ECT on HRQOL outcomes has not been explored. This is important due to the considerable range of ECT treatment modalities that currently exist in clinical practice. HRQOL data from 355 depressed patients in three Australian clinical hospitals, who received ECT given with a range of treatment modalities (combinations of pulse-width and electrode-placement), were analysed. HRQOL was measured at baseline and after ECT, using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF). The association between type of ECT and HRQOL after ECT was examined by regression analysis, controlling for variables that may affect HRQOL outcomes. There was a significant increase in HRQOL scores after ECT (p<0.0001; t=-23.4). The magnitude of change was large (54% increase, Cohen's d=1.43). Multiple regression analysis yielded a significant model (P<0.001, R 2 =0.18). Baseline HRQOL score (t=4.83; p<0.0001), age (t=2.75, p<0.01) and type of ECT received [Right Unilateral brief vs Bitemporal Ultrabrief (t=-2.99; p<0.01) and Right Unilateral brief vs Bifrontal Ultrabrief (t=-2.70; p<0.01)] were significant predictors of HRQOL after the ECT course. Data was collected naturalistically from clinical services, thus ECT modality was not randomly assigned. Site could have confounded results. An acute course of ECT for depression produced statistically and clinically significant improvements in HRQOL. ECT treatment modality can substantially impact HRQOL outcomes, with the possibility of bilateral ultrabrief forms of ECT being less beneficial. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How rare is complex life in the Milky Way?

PubMed

Bounama, Christine; von Bloh, Werner; Franck, Siegfried

2007-10-01

An integrated Earth system model was applied to calculate the number of habitable Earth-analog planets that are likely to have developed primitive (unicellular) and complex (multicellular) life in extrasolar planetary systems. The model is based on the global carbon cycle mediated by life and driven by increasing stellar luminosity and plate tectonics. We assumed that the hypothetical primitive and complex life forms differed in their temperature limits and CO(2) tolerances. Though complex life would be more vulnerable to environmental stress, its presence would amplify weathering processes on a terrestrial planet. The model allowed us to calculate the average number of Earth-analog planets that may harbor such life by using the formation rate of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way as well as the size of a habitable zone that could support primitive and complex life forms. The number of planets predicted to bear complex life was found to be approximately 2 orders of magnitude lower than the number predicted for primitive life forms. Our model predicted a maximum abundance of such planets around 1.8 Ga ago and allowed us to calculate the average distance between potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way. If the model predictions are accurate, the future missions DARWIN (up to a probability of 65%) and TPF (up to 20%) are likely to detect at least one planet with a biosphere composed of complex life.

76 FR 40451 - Agency Information Collection (Application for Ordinary Life Insurance) Activity Under OMB Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-08

... (Application for Ordinary Life Insurance) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration... for Ordinary Life Insurance, Replacement Insurance for Modified Life Reduced at Age 65, National Service Life Insurance, VA Form 29-8485. b. Application for Ordinary Life Insurance, Replacement Insurance...

Biosignatures in modern sulfates: texture, composition and depositional environments of gypsum deposits at Guerrero Negro, Baja, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, M. B.; Des Marais, D. J.; Jahnke, L. L.; Turk, K.; Kubo, M.

2007-12-01

Gypsum (CaSO4·H2O) is an important phase in biogeochemistry and sedimentology as a mineral sink for sulfur, a paleoclimatic indicator, and an endolithic niche for phototrophic and chemotrophic bacteria. Sulfate deposits are also important targets of exploration for evidence of habitable environments and life on Mars. Gypsum deposits from a range of sedimentary environments at the Guerrero Negro crystallizer ponds and sabkha settings were investigated for microscale structure and composition to differentiate fabrics formed under microbial influence from those formed under abiogenic conditions. Sub-sedimentary gypsum forms in sabkha environments as mm to cm scale selenite discs (termed bird beak gypsum; Warren, 2006) and selenite disc aggregates. Selenite discs and other sub-sedimentary gypsum are characterized by a sinuous axial microtexture and poikilitically enclosed detrital particles. Sub-aqueous gypsum forms as cements, granules (termed gypsooids), and massive botryoidal crusts that line the sediment water interface and margins of managed crystallizer ponds and natural anchialine pools. Sub-aqueous gypsum exhibits a wide range of textures and mineral/biofilm associations that include amorphous to euhedral, tabular, needle and lensoidal morphologies. Elemental sulfur forms rinds on prismatic, growth aligned gypsum twins and reticulate magnesian carbonate is interspersed with both twinned crystals and rosette aggregates in stratified sub-aqueous environments. Intracrystalline biofilms and cell material was observed in association with nearly all sub-aqueous morphologies but only scarce evidence has been found for intercrystalline microbial communities. Columnar microbial communities living in anchialine pools were found to host precipitation of mm scale gypsum granules in their EPS matrix. Fine scale gypsum textures are unlikely to persist through diagenetic alteration, but understanding their primary associations with sulfur and carbonates is necessary for interpreting sulfates or their replacement phases in the ancient record.

Surgical outcomes after total pancreatectomy and islet cell autotransplantation in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Wilson, Gregory C; Sutton, Jeffrey M; Salehi, Marzieh; Schmulewitz, Nathan; Smith, Milton T; Kucera, Stephen; Choe, Kyuran A; Brunner, John E; Abbott, Daniel E; Sussman, Jeffrey J; Ahmad, Syed A

2013-10-01

This study aims to review surgical outcomes of pediatric patients undergoing total pancreatectomy with islet cell autotransplantation (TP/IAT) for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP). All pediatric patients (≤18 years old) undergoing TP/IAT over a 10-year period (December 2002-June 2012) were identified for inclusion in a single-center, observational cohort study. Retrospective chart review was performed to identify pertinent preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative data, including narcotic usage, insulin requirements, etiology of pancreatitis, previous operative interventions, operative times, islet cell yields, duration of hospital stay, and overall quality of life. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 health questionnaire. Fourteen pediatric patients underwent TP/IAT for the treatment of CP at the University of Cincinnati with a mean age of 15.9 years (range, 14-18) and a mean body mass index of 21.8 kg/m(2) (range, 14-37). Of the patients, 50% (n = 7) were male and 29% had undergone previous pancreatic operations (1 each of Whipple, Puestow, Frey, and Berne procedures). Etiology of pancreatitis was idiopathic for 57% (n = 8); the remainder had identified genetic mutations predisposing to pancreatitis (CFTR, n = 4; SPINK1, n = 1; PRSS1, n = 1). Mean operative time was 532 minutes (range, 360-674) with an average hospital duration of stay of 16 days (range, 7-37). Islet cell isolation resulted in mean islet cell equivalents (IEQ) of 500,443 in patients without previous pancreatic surgery versus 413,671 IEQ in patients with prior pancreatic surgery (P = .12). Median patient follow-up was 9 months from surgery (range, 1-78). Preoperatively, patients required on average 32.7 morphine equivalent mg per day (MEQ), which improved to 13.9 MEQ at most recent follow-up. Eleven patients (79%) were narcotic independent. None of the patients were diabetic preoperatively. All of the patients were discharged after the operation with scheduled insulin requirements (mean, 17 U/d). This requirement decreased to a mean of 10.1 U/d at most recent follow-up visit. Four patients (29%) progressed to insulin independence. All patients in this series achieved stable glycemic control postoperatively and there was no incidence of "brittle" diabetes. Quality-of-life surveys showed improvement in all tested modules. This study represents one of the largest series examining TP/IAT in the pediatric population. Pediatric patients benefitted from TP/IAT with a decrease in postoperative narcotic requirements, stable glycemic control, and improved quality of life. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantifying biological integrity of California sage scrub communities using plant life-form cover.

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

Hamada, Y.; Stow, D. A.; Franklin, J.

2010-01-01

The California sage scrub (CSS) community type in California's Mediterranean-type ecosystems supports a large number of rare, threatened, and endangered species, and is critically degraded and endangered. Monitoring ecological variables that provide information about community integrity is vital to conserving these biologically diverse communities. Fractional cover of true shrub, subshrub, herbaceous vegetation, and bare ground should fill information gaps between generalized vegetation type maps and detailed field-based plot measurements of species composition and provide an effective means for quantifying CSS community integrity. Remote sensing is the only tool available for estimating spatially comprehensive fractional cover over large extent, and fractionalmore » cover of plant life-form types is one of the measures of vegetation state that is most amenable to remote sensing. The use of remote sensing does not eliminate the need for either field surveying or vegetation type mapping; rather it will likely require a combination of approaches to reliably estimate life-form cover and to provide comprehensive information for communities. According to our review and synthesis, life-form fractional cover has strong potential for providing ecologically meaningful intermediate-scale information, which is unattainable from vegetation type maps and species-level field measurements. Thus, we strongly recommend incorporating fractional cover of true shrub, subshrub, herb, and bare ground in CSS community monitoring methods. Estimating life-form cover at a 25 m x 25 m spatial scale using remote sensing would be an appropriate approach for initial implementation. Investigation of remote sensing techniques and an appropriate spatial scale; collaboration of resource managers, biologists, and remote sensing specialists, and refinement of protocols are essential for integrating life-form fractional cover mapping into strategies for sustainable long-term CSS community management.« less

Validating Neuro-QoL short forms and targeted scales with people who have multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Miller, Deborah M; Bethoux, Francois; Victorson, David; Nowinski, Cindy J; Buono, Sarah; Lai, Jin-Shei; Wortman, Katy; Burns, James L; Moy, Claudia; Cella, David

2016-05-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease of the central nervous system with dramatic variations in the combination and severity of symptoms it can produce. The lack of reliable disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures for use in clinical trials prompted the development of the Neurology Quality of Life (Neuro-QOL) instrument, which includes 13 scales that assess physical, emotional, cognitive, and social domains, for use in a variety of neurological illnesses. The objective of this research paper is to conduct an initial assessment of the reliability and validation of the Neuro-QOL short forms (SFs) in MS. We assessed reliability, concurrent validity, known groups validity, and responsiveness between cross-sectional and longitudinal data in 161 recruited MS patients. Internal consistency was high for all measures (α = 0.81-0.95) and ICCs were within the acceptable range (0.76-0.91); concurrent and known groups validity were highest with the Global HRQL question. Longitudinal assessment was limited by the lack of disease progression in the group. The Neuro-QOL SFs demonstrate good internal consistency, test-re-test reliability, and concurrent and known groups validity in this MS population, supporting the validity of Neuro-QOL in adults with MS. © The Author(s), 2015.

Oviposition, Life Cycle, and Longevity of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex rugosus rugosus.

PubMed

Verza, Sandra S; Mussury, Rosilda M; Camargo, Roberto S; Andrade, Ana Paula P; Forti, Luiz C

2017-08-04

Studies related to the demography of individual members from ant colonies have received little attention, although they are the basis to understanding the population dynamics of colonies. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the queen oviposition rate and the duration of the life cycle and longevity of Acromyrmex rugosus rugosus workers. To determine the oviposition rate, queens from three colonies were individually placed in plastic containers, and the eggs laid were quantified over a 96 h period. The development of the immature forms was observed every 24 h, with which the duration of each stage of development was determined. To verify the longevity of workers, the newly emerged adults were marked and daily observations were made. According to the results, there is variation in the development time of immature forms within the colony itself and between colonies. In addition, the number of eggs deposited was also inconstant in the three colonies, ranging from 5 to 119 eggs per day, while the longevity of workers varied from 3 to 7 months. Occasionally, it was found that the workers feed on the eggs produced by the queen; besides, there was a disappearance of larvae and pupae during the research, indicating a possibility of the practice of cannibalism in this species.

Assessing biological invasions in European Seas: Biological traits of the most widespread non-indigenous species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardeccia, Alice; Marchini, Agnese; Occhipinti-Ambrogi, Anna; Galil, Bella; Gollasch, Stephan; Minchin, Dan; Narščius, Aleksas; Olenin, Sergej; Ojaveer, Henn

2018-02-01

The biological traits of the sixty-eight most widespread multicellular non-indigenous species (MWNIS) in European Seas: Baltic Sea, Western European Margin of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea were examined. Data for nine biological traits was analyzed, and a total of 41 separate categories were used to describe the biological and ecological functions of these NIS. Our findings show that high dispersal ability, high reproductive rate and ecological generalization are the biological traits commonly associated with MWNIS. The functional groups that describe most of the 68 MWNIS are: photoautotrophic, zoobenthic (both sessile and motile) and nektonic predatory species. However, these 'most widespread' species comprise a wide range of taxa and biological trait profiles; thereby a clear "identikit of a perfect invader" for marine and brackish environments is difficult to define. Some traits, for example: "life form", "feeding method" and "mobility", feature multiple behaviours and strategies. Even species introduced by a single pathway, e.g. vessels, feature diverse biological trait profiles. MWNIS likely to impact community organization, structure and diversity are often associated with brackish environments. For many traits ("life form", "sociability", "reproductive type", "reproductive frequency", "haploid and diploid dispersal" and "mobility"), the categories mostly expressed by the impact-causing MWNIS do not differ substantially from the whole set of MWNIS.

Algal blooms in the spread and persistence of cholera.

PubMed

Epstein, P R

1993-01-01

Cholera has been long associated with the seasonality of coastal algal blooms off Bangladesh. Using fluorescent antibody (FA) techniques, microbiologists have now identified a viable, non-cultivable form of Vibrio cholerae in a wide range of marine life, including cyanobacteria (Anabaena variabilis), diatoms (Skeletonema costatum), phaeophytes (Ascophyllum nodosum), in copepod molts, and in freshwater vascular aquatic plants (water hyacinths and duckweed). In unfavourable conditions V. cholerae assumes spore-like forms; with proper nutrients, pH and temperature, it reverts to a readily transmissible and infectious state. Nitrates and phosphates in sewage and fertilizers cause eutrophication, and scientists report an increase in intensity, duration and shifts in the biodiversity of algal blooms in many coastal, brackish and fresh waters worldwide. V. cholerae has been isolated from phyto- and zooplankton in marine and fresh waters near Lima, Peru. V. cholera 01, biotype El Tor, serotype Inaba, may have arrived in the Americas in the bilge of a Chinese freighter. There, in the abundant coastal sea life along the Latin American Pacific coast, nourished by the Humboldt current and eutrophication, it found a reservoir for surviving unfavourable conditions. It is hypothesized that the algae and Vibrio populations grew exponentially; consumed by fish, mollusks and crustacea, a heavy 'inoculum' of carriers infected with V. cholerae was generated and transported into multiple coastal communities.

Ice Radiation Chemistry as a Source of Potential False Biomarkers on the Surface of Europa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Max P.; Sandford, Scott A.; Allamandola, Louis J.

2004-01-01

If we find evidence of Life elsewhere in the Solar System it will probably be in form of chemical biomarkers, quintessentially biological molecules that indicate the presence of micro-organisms. While molecules such as amino acids and nucleo-bases might seem to be biomarkers, and alkyl substituted aromatics have been invoked as such, they are not necessarily. These molecules are present in some meteorites and are expected to be present on the surface of other planets even in the absence of life. Understanding the range of non-biological organic molecules which could act as false biomarkers in space is a prerequisite for any reasonable search for true biomarkers on other worlds. Our experiments have shown that some organic molecules in meteorites that appear biological in nature are formed by energetic processing of extraterrestrial ices can account for amino acids, quinones and other functionalized aromatic compounds. In the past, such molecules have been proposed as biomarkers. For example, alkylated aromatics were invoked as biomarkers in the Alan Hills 84001 'Martian meteorite.' When simple organics arrive at the surface of a body like Europa, either from below or from space, how long do they survive and what do they make? How can we distinguish these from real biomarkers?

Implementation of a Novel Electronic Health Record-Embedded Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment System.

PubMed

Zive, Dana M; Cook, Jennifer; Yang, Charissa; Sibell, David; Tolle, Susan W; Lieberman, Michael

2016-11-01

In April 2015, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) deployed a web-based, electronic medical record-embedded application created by third party vendor Vynca Inc. to allow real-time education, and completion of Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST). Forms are automatically linked to the Epic Systems™ electronic health record (EHR) patient header and submitted to a state Registry, improving efficiency, accuracy, and rapid access to and retrieval of these important medical orders. POLST Forms, implemented in Oregon in 1992, are standardized portable medical orders used to document patient treatment goals for end-of-life care. In 2009, Oregon developed the first POLST-only statewide registry with a legislative mandate requiring POLST form signers to register the form unless the patient opts out. The Registry offers 24/7 emergency access to POLST Forms for Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Departments, and Acute Care Units. Because POLST is intended for those nearing end of life, immediate access to these forms at the time of an emergency is critical. Delays in registering a POLST Form may result in unwanted treatment if the paper form is not immediately available. An electronic POLST Form completion system (ePOLST) was implemented to support direct Registry submission. Other benefits of the system include single-sign-on, transmission of HL7 data for patient demographics and other relevant information, elimination of potential errors in form completion using internalized logic, built-in real-time video and text-based education materials for both patients and health care professionals, and mobile linkage for signature capture.

A Review of Ideas Concerning Life Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gindilis, L. M.

2014-10-01

Since the times of Antiquity the and for a long time the idea of self-origination of life was the dominant one. It reappeared again after microorganisms were discovered (XVII century). The possibility of abiogenesis at microbial level was discussed for more than a century. Pateur demonstrated that spontaneous origination of microorganisms in sterile broth was due to those same microorganisms transported by dust particles. Thus proving that every form of life originates from the parental life form. So the question arises: how did the first microorganisms appear on the Earth. There are three possible versions: 1) accidental origination of a viable form; 2) primal organisms were transported to the Earth from outer space; 3) they were formed on the Earth in the process of prebiotic chemical evolution. We discuss the problems of prebiotic evolution from simple monomers up to living cells. An important item of nowadays conceptions of life origination is the hypothesis of the ancient world of RNA as possible precursor of life on Earth. The discovery in carbonaceous chondrites of traces of bacterial life evidences the existence of life in the Solar System even before the formation of the Earth. The idea of life as brought to the Earth out of Cosmos originated under the impression of self-origination hypothesis downfall. It went through several stages (Helmholtz, W. Thompson, XIX century; Arrhenius, early XX century; Hoyle and Wickramasinghe, second half of XX century) and presently evokes constantly growing interest. The panspermia theory does not solve the problem of origination of life, only moves it onto other planets. According to V.A. Mazur, the probability of accidental formation of RNA molecule is negligible not only on the Earth, but in the whole Universe over all the time span of its existence. But it is practically equal to unit in the domain formed at the inflation stage of the evolution of the Universe. A.D.Panov considered panspermia in the Galaxy at the level of prebiotic evolution products. The quantitative model he has brought forward increases life origination probability by many orders of magnitude in comparison with any isolated planet. In this model the life to originates simultaneously on all the planets with proper conditions on the same molecular basis, one and the same genetic code and the same chirality.

Premenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections have lower quality of life.

PubMed

Ennis, Siobhan S; Guo, Huifang; Raman, Lata; Tambyah, Paul A; Chen, Swaine L; Tiong, Ho Yee

2018-05-22

To examine the impact on quality of life of recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection among premenopausal Singaporean women, and to determine the risk factors for lower quality of life among these patients. A total of 85 patients with recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection who were referred to the Urology Department at the National University Hospital, Singapore, were prospectively recruited over a 3-year period to complete the validated Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1. In addition, demographic and clinical details including symptomology and medical history were analyzed for factors impacting quality of life. Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 results were compared with published population norms. After adjusting for age, gender and race, recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection patients had significantly lower quality of life on seven out of eight Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 domains when compared with age-, gender- and race-adjusted population norms for Singapore. Among those with recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection, those who also reported caffeine consumption had significantly lower Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 scores than those who did not. Those who reported chronic constipation also had consistently lower Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 scores across all domains. Recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection has a negative impact on the quality of life of premenopausal, otherwise healthy women. Recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection patients who also have chronic constipation or consume caffeine have lower quality of life than those who do not. More studies are required to understand the relationships between these common problems and risk factors. © 2018 The Japanese Urological Association.

Reproductive biology and seasonality of the Indo-Australasian mysid Mesopodopsis orientalis (Crustacea: Mysida) in a tropical mangrove estuary, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanamura, Yukio; Siow, Ryon; Chee, Phaik-Ean

2008-04-01

A year-round survey of the tropical shallow-water mysid Mesopodopsis orientalis (Tattersall, 1908) (Crustacea, Mysidacea) was conducted in the Merbok mangrove estuary, northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. The mysid formed dense aggregations at the river's edge close to the mangrove forest during the daytime, but very few were captured elsewhere in the estuary system. The sampled population was found in a wide range of salinities from 16 to 32, demonstrating broad euryhalinity, and the number of the catch at the littoral zone ranged from 11.8 to 2273 ind m -2. The overall annual mean was 709.2 ind m -2. Females predominated over males in the entire population, and brooding females were present at every monthly sample, indicating that reproduction is continuous year round. The clutch size positively correlated with female body length. The diameter of eggs (Stage I embryos) was unaffected by the seasonality and independent of the maternal size within an observed size range. The life history pattern of the estuarine population of M. orientalis showed close similarity to that of the coastal counterpart. However, the former was found to produce fewer but larger eggs, and the specimens in this population were larger than those in the coastal population at the embryo, juvenile, and adult stages. This evidence indicates that the life history features of the estuarine population would differ to some degree from those of the coastal counterpart.

Bleach vs. Bacteria

MedlinePlus

... Inside Life Science > Bleach vs. Bacteria Inside Life Science View All Articles | Inside Life Science Home Page Bleach vs. Bacteria By Sharon Reynolds ... For Proteins, Form Shapes Function This Inside Life Science article also appears on LiveScience . Learn about related ...

Pre-Ediacaran to Ediacaran Radiation in the Vindhyan Supergroup, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, P.

2009-04-01

The Vindhyan Supergroup is globally acknowledged amongst the best repositories of the Proterozoic life evidences. Fossils of the Vindhyan Supergroup exhibit extensive diversity and variable biologic affinities represented by: bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, acritarchs, metaphytes and metazoans (including members of the Ediacaran Fauna). The size of fossils ranges from less than a micron to almost a meter. As the Ediacaran fauna has already been recorded from the uppermost Vindhyans that is from the Bhander Group, strata lying beneath and above the Ediacaran fossil bearing horizons, exhibit presence of a vast range of fossils (both micro and mega fossils) inclining towards variable biologic affinities stated earlier. Besides identified fossils, a number of peculiar morphologies (due to deviation of morphologies from conventional structures), present in various stratigraphic horizons of the entire Vindhyan Supergroup, have also been observed. It is very difficult to identify and decide biologic affinities of these peculiar morphologies or bizarre fossil forms. In thin sections of Lower Vindhyan cherts (of Semri Group), microfossils resembling, a Volvox colony like structure and a vase- shaped body without an opening, Lichen- like or fungal forms in which a sac encompassing a coiled filament may possibly indicate a symbiotic relationship are unique. Megascopic branching and associated Grypania like structure is another form preserved as an impression on a micritic limestone slab. A very unusual and interesting fossil is a transparent disc of about one mm in diameter, composed of numerous chromosome-like structures or the appendages of an unidentified mesoscopic insect- like organism. In Upper Vindhyans, microscopic unidentified forms (in thin sections of chert) include acritarchs and acanthomorphs of variable morphologies and a dividing cell like structure interpreted as rhodophycean form or a cleaving embryo of an animal affinity. Among the carbonaceous fossils, peculiar morphologies are branched filaments that have attached sporangia-like vesicles, Chuaria-like body comprising cluster of very small sized spheroids resemble with scale like structure; a chrysophycean alga or a multicellular tissue of a metaphyte. Another carbonaceous fossil represents a possible metazoan exhibiting an elongate body and a mid-gut like structure or a voucheriacean alga. Although the biologic affinities of these forms can be a matter of debate, their biogenic nature is almost undoubted. The presence of such forms in the Vindhyans, well exhibits pre-Ediacaran - Ediacaran radiation, advancement in morphology and a gradual evolution of life during the Palaeoproterozoic- Neoproterozoic period that is the time of Vindhyan deposition. In addition, presence of large- sized acritarchs, especially the presence of an age marker acanthomorph; Trachystrichosphaera sp. in Bhander Group (Uppermost Vindhyans) also suggests Vendian as an upper age limit of the Vindhyan Supergroup (which is also supported by the presence of Ediacaran fauna from the uppermost Vindhyans.

Geological and Chemical Factors that Impacted the Biological Utilization of Cobalt in the Archean Eon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Eli K.; Hao, Jihua; Prabhu, Anirudh; Zhong, Hao; Jelen, Ben I.; Meyer, Mike; Hazen, Robert M.; Falkowski, Paul G.

2018-03-01

The geosphere and biosphere coevolved and influenced Earth's biological and mineralogical diversity. Changing redox conditions influenced the availability of different transition metals, which are essential components in the active sites of oxidoreductases, proteins that catalyze electron transfer reactions across the tree of life. Despite its relatively low abundance in the environment, cobalt (Co) is a unique metal in biology due to its importance to a wide range of organisms as the metal center of vitamin B12 (aka cobalamin, Cbl). Cbl is vital to multiple methyltransferase enzymes involved in energetically favorable metabolic pathways. It is unclear how Co availability is linked to mineral evolution and weathering processes. Here we examine important biological functions of Co, as well as chemical and geological factors that may have influenced the utilization of Co early in the evolution of life. Only 66 natural minerals are known to contain Co as an essential element. However, Co is incorporated as a minor element in abundant rock-forming minerals, potentially representing a reliable source of Co as a trace element in marine systems due to weathering processes. We developed a mineral weathering model that indicates that dissolved Co was potentially more bioavailable in the Archean ocean under low S conditions than it is today. Mineral weathering, redox chemistry, Co complexation with nitrogen-containing organics, and hydrothermal environments were crucial in the incorporation of Co in primitive metabolic pathways. These chemical and geological characteristics of Co can inform the biological utilization of other trace metals in early forms of life.

The Effects of Perchlorates on the Permafrost Methanogens: Implication for Autotrophic Life on Mars.

PubMed

Shcherbakova, Viktoria; Oshurkova, Viktoria; Yoshimura, Yoshitaka

2015-09-09

The terrestrial permafrost represents a range of possible cryogenic extraterrestrial ecosystems on Earth-like planets without obvious surface ice, such as Mars. The autotrophic and chemolithotrophic psychrotolerant methanogens are more likely than aerobes to function as a model for life forms that may exist in frozen subsurface environments on Mars, which has no free oxygen, inaccessible organic matter, and extremely low amounts of unfrozen water. Our research on the genesis of methane, its content and distribution in permafrost horizons of different ages and origin demonstrated the presence of methane in permanently frozen fine-grained sediments. Earlier, we isolated and described four strains of methanogenic archaea of Methanobacterium and Methanosarcina genera from samples of Pliocene and Holocene permafrost from Eastern Siberia. In this paper we study the effect of sodium and magnesium perchlorates on growth of permafrost and nonpermafrost methanogens, and present evidence that permafrost hydogenotrophic methanogens are more resistant to the chaotropic agent found in Martian soil. In this paper we study the effect of sodium and magnesium perchlorates on the growth of permafrost and nonpermafrost methanogens, and present evidence that permafrost hydogenotrophic methanogens are more resistant to the chaotropic agent found in Martian soil. Furthermore, as shown in the studies strain M2(T) M. arcticum, probably can use perchlorate anion as an electron acceptor in anaerobic methane oxidation. Earth's subzero subsurface environments are the best approximation of environments on Mars, which is most likely to harbor methanogens; thus, a biochemical understanding of these pathways is expected to provide a basis for designing experiments to detect autotrophic methane-producing life forms on Mars.

Structural mechanism of JH delivery in hemolymph by JHBP of silkworm, Bombyx mori

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Rintaro; Fujimoto, Zui; Shiotsuki, Takahiro; Tsuchiya, Wataru; Momma, Mitsuru; Tase, Akira; Miyazawa, Mitsuhiro; Yamazaki, Toshimasa

2011-01-01

Juvenile hormone (JH) plays crucial roles in many aspects of the insect life. All the JH actions are initiated by transport of JH in the hemolymph as a complex with JH-binding protein (JHBP) to target tissues. Here, we report structural mechanism of JH delivery by JHBP based upon the crystal and solution structures of apo and JH-bound JHBP. In solution, apo-JHBP exists in equilibrium of multiple conformations with different orientations of the gate helix for the hormone-binding pocket ranging from closed to open forms. JH-binding to the gate-open form results in the fully closed JHBP-JH complex structure where the bound JH is completely buried inside the protein. JH-bound JHBP opens the gate helix to release the bound hormone likely by sensing the less polar environment at the membrane surface of target cells. This is the first report that provides structural insight into JH signaling. PMID:22355650

Translocation of threatened plants as a conservation measure in China.

PubMed

Liu, Hong; Ren, Hai; Liu, Qiang; Wen, XiangYing; Maunder, Michael; Gao, JiangYun

2015-12-01

We assessed the current status of plant conservation translocation efforts in China, a topic poorly reported in recent scientific literature. We identified 222 conservation translocation cases involving 154 species, of these 87 were Chinese endemic species and 101 (78%) were listed as threatened on the Chinese Species Red List. We categorized the life form of each species and, when possible, determined for each case the translocation type, propagule source, propagule type, and survival and reproductive parameters. A surprisingly large proportion (26%) of the conservation translocations in China were conservation introductions, largely implemented in response to large-scale habitat destruction caused by the Three-Gorge Dam and another hydropower project. Documentation and management of the translocations varied greatly. Less than half the cases had plant survival records. Statistical analyses showed that survival percentages were significantly correlated with plant life form and the type of planting materials. Thirty percent of the cases had records on whether or not individuals flowered or fruited. Results of information theoretic model selection indicated that plant life form, translocation type, propagule type, propagule source, and time since planting significantly influenced the likelihood of flowering and fruiting on the project level. We suggest that the scientific-based application of species conservation translocations should be promoted as part of a commitment to species recovery management. In addition, we recommend that the common practice of within and out of range introductions in nature reserves to be regulated more carefully due to its potential ecological risks. We recommend the establishment of a national office and database to coordinate conservation translocations in China. Our review effort is timely considering the need for a comprehensive national guideline for the newly announced nation-wide conservation program on species with extremely small populations, which is expected to stimulate conservation translocations for many species in the near future. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

Prebiotic organic synthesis under hydrothermal conditions: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simoneit, Bernd R. T.

Organic compounds which are obviously synthesized from inorganic precursors (e.g., CO) by hydrothermal activity are currently a research topic in prebiotic chemistry leading to the origin of life. However, such de novo products would be overwhelmed in present Earth environments, by an excess of thermal alteration (pyrolysis) products formed from contemporary life (e.g., hydrocarbons, alkanoic acids, etc.). Thus, organic syntheses must be demonstrated and distinguished from organic matter alteration initially in the laboratory and then in the field. Organic synthesis under hydrothermal conditions is theoretically possible and various established industrial processes are used to synthesize organic compounds from inorganic substrates with the aid of catalysts. A set of Strecker-type synthesis experiments has been carried out under hydrothermal conditions (150 °C), producing various amino acids. The formation of lipid compounds during an aqueous organic synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch-type) reaction was reported, using solutions of oxalic acid (also formic acid) as the carbon and hydrogen sources, and heating at discrete temperatures (50° intervals) from 100 to 400 °C. The maximum lipid yield, especially for oxygenated compounds was in the window of 150-250 °C. The compounds range from C6 to >C33, including n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkyl formates, n-alkanones, and n-alkanes, all with no carbon number preferences. These lipid compounds, especially the acids, can form lipid bilayers or micelles, potential precursors for membranes. Reductive condensation (i.e., dehydration) reactions also occur under simulated hydrothermal conditions and form amide, nitrile and ester bonds. The chemistry and kinetics of the condensation reactions are under further study and have the potential for oligomerization of acid-amides in aqueous medium. Abiotic organic compounds are not biomarkers per se because they do not originate from biosynthesis. Thus, they should be regarded as a distinctly separate group, termed prebiotic or synthetic organic compounds, in explorations for evidence of life.

Prebiotic Organic Synthesis under Hydrothermal Conditions - An Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simoneit, B.

Organic compounds which are obviously synthesized from inorganic precursors (e.g., CO) by hydrothermal activity are currently a research topic in prebiotic chemistry leading to the origin of life. However, such de novo products would be overwhelmed in present Earth environments, by an excess of thermal alteration (pyrolysis) products formed from contemporary life (e.g., hydrocarbons, alkanoic acids, etc.). Thus, organic syntheses must be demonstrated and distinguished from organic matter alteration initially in the laboratory and then in the field. Organic synthesis under hydrothermal conditions is theoretically possible and various established industrial processes are used to synthesize organic compounds from inorganic substrates with the aid of catalysts. A set of Strecker-type synthesis experiments has been carried out under hydrothermal conditions (150°C), producing various amino acids. The formation of lipid compounds during an aqueous organic synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch-type) reaction was reported, using solutions of oxalic acid (also formic acid) as the carbon and hydrogen sources, and heating at discrete temperatures (50° intervals) from 100- 400°C. The maximum lipid yield, especially for oxygenated compounds was in the window of 150-250°C. The compounds range from C6 to >C3 3 , including n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkyl formates, n-alkanones, and n-alkanes, all with no carbon number preferences. These lipid compounds, especially the acids, can form lipid bilayers or micelles, potential precursors for membranes. Reductive condensation (i.e., dehydration) reactions also occur under simulated hydrothermal conditions and form amide, nitrile and ester bonds. The chemistry and kinetics of the condensation reactions are under further study and have the potential for oligomerization of acid-amides in aqueous medium. Abiotic organic compounds are not biomarkers per se because they do not originate from biosynthesis. Thus, they should be regarded as a distinctly separate group, termed prebiotic or synthetic organic compounds, in explorations for evidence of life.

What Teachers Should Know about the Evolution-Intentional Design Debate on the Origin of Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brekke, Stewart E.

This paper discusses the beginning of life on Earth, the formation of life forms, evolution, and the origin of life. The paper suggests that how life first appeared on earth is not known and may never be known. (YDS)

Sagan Lecture: Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Squyres, S.

2005-12-01

In January of 2004, twin robotic explorers named Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars. Expected to last for 90 days, the two rovers have now been exploring the martian surface for more than a year and a half. Their objective is to search for evidence of past water on Mars, and to determine if Mars ever had conditions that would have been suitable for life. Spirit landed in Gusev Crater, a large impact crater in the southern highlands of Mars. Finding only basaltic lava on the crater floor, Spirit drove almost three kilometers to the base of the Columbia Hills, a small mountain range to the east of the landing site. There Spirit has ascended Husband Hill, the highest summit in the range, and has found strong evidence that the rocks there were modified long ago by water. Opportunity landed on Meridiani Planum, a smooth plateau near the martian equator, coming to rest in a small impact feature named Eagle Crater. Within Eagle Crater, Opportunity found compelling evidence for long-ago water on Mars. This evidence included 'blueberries': small concretions rich in hematite that precipitated from liquid water. It also included rocks that are made largely of sulfate salts, deposited when water evaporated away, and rocks that preserve ancient ripples that formed billions of years ago as water flowed over sand on Mars. The conditions long ago at Eagle Crater may have been suitable for some simple forms of life. Whether life could have developed there, however, is a much more difficult question. After leaving Eagle Crater, Opportunity drove eastward to Endurance Crater, a much larger crater that allowed access to deeper and older rocks which also proved to be blueberry-laden sulfate-rich sediments. Since leaving Endurance Crater, Opportunity has explored southward, driving more than five kilometers across the martian surface. The talk will provide an up-to-date summary of the mission of Spirit and Opportunity, from their initial conception through their launch, landing, and operations on the surface of Mars.

Insights into the extremotolerance of Acinetobacter radioresistens 50v1, a gram-negative bacterium isolated from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

PubMed

McCoy, K B; Derecho, I; Wong, T; Tran, H M; Huynh, T D; La Duc, M T; Venkateswaran, K; Mogul, R

2012-09-01

The microbiology of the spacecraft assembly process is of paramount importance to planetary exploration, as the biological contamination that can result from remote-enabled spacecraft carries the potential to impact both life-detection experiments and extraterrestrial evolution. Accordingly, insights into the mechanisms and range of extremotolerance of Acinetobacter radioresistens 50v1, a Gram-negative bacterium isolated from the surface of the preflight Mars Odyssey orbiter, were gained by using a combination of microbiological, enzymatic, and proteomic methods. In summary, A. radioresistens 50v1 displayed a remarkable range of survival against hydrogen peroxide and the sequential exposures of desiccation, vapor and plasma phase hydrogen peroxide, and ultraviolet irradiation. The survival is among the highest reported for non-spore-forming and Gram-negative bacteria and is based upon contributions from the enzyme-based degradation of H(2)O(2) (catalase and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase), energy management (ATP synthase and alcohol dehydrogenase), and modulation of the membrane composition. Together, the biochemical and survival features of A. radioresistens 50v1 support a potential persistence on Mars (given an unintended or planned surface landing of the Mars Odyssey orbiter), which in turn may compromise the scientific integrity of future life-detection missions.

Preservation and fermentation: past, present and future.

PubMed

Ross, R Paul; Morgan, S; Hill, C

2002-11-15

Preservation of food and beverages resulting from fermentation has been an effective form of extending the shelf-life of foods for millennia. Traditionally, foods were preserved through naturally occurring fermentations, however, modern large scale production generally now exploits the use of defined strain starter systems to ensure consistency and quality in the final product. This review will mainly focus on the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for food improvement, given their extensive application in a wide range of fermented foods. These microorganisms can produce a wide variety of antagonistic primary and secondary metabolites including organic acids, diacetyl, CO2 and even antibiotics such as reuterocyclin produced by Lactobacillus reuteri. In addition, members of the group can also produce a wide range of bacteriocins, some of which have activity against food pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium botulinum. Indeed, the bacteriocin nisin has been used as an effective biopreservative in some dairy products for decades, while a number of more recently discovered bacteriocins, such as lacticin 3147, demonstrate increasing potential in a number of food applications. Both of these lactococcal bacteriocins belong to the lantibiotic family of posttranslationally modified bacteriocins that contain lanthionine, beta-methyllanthionine and dehydrated amino acids. The exploitation of such naturally produced antagonists holds tremendous potential for extension of shelf-life and improvement of safety of a variety of foods.

Relationships among range of motion, functional mobility, and quality of life in children and adolescents after limb-sparing surgery for lower-extremity sarcoma.

PubMed

Marchese, Victoria G; Spearing, Elena; Callaway, Lulie; Rai, Shesh N; Zhang, Lijun; Hinds, Pamela S; Carlson, Claire A; Neel, Michael D; Rao, Bhaskar N; Ginsberg, Jill

2006-01-01

The study was designed to examine relationships between range of motion (ROM), functional mobility, and quality of life (QL) in patients with lower-extremity sarcoma (LES) after limb-sparing surgery Sixty-eight patients with LES (age, 10-26 years) participated. The patients performed hip flexion, hip extension, knee flexion, and knee extension, Timed Up and Down Stairs (TUDS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), nine-minute run-walk (9-min), and completed the QL measure, Short-Form-36 version two (SF-36v2). Significant correlations (p < 0.01) were found between hip extension and SF-36v2 physical component scale (PCS; r = 0.33), TUDS (r = -0.32), TUG (r = -0.33); hip flexion and TUDS (r = -0.31), TUG (r = -0.39), 9-min (r = 0.44); knee flexion and TUDS (r = -0.52), TUG (r = -0.40), 9-min (r = 0.37); SF-36v2 PCS and TUDS (r = -0.56), TUG (r = -0.51), 9-min (r = 0.60). ROM correlates with functional mobility and QL in patients with LES after limb-sparing surgery. ROM exercises are important component of a physical therapy program for children and adolescents with LES.

Alexander F. Chamberlain: a life's work.

PubMed

Berkman, Julia M

2005-01-01

This article examines the life and work of Alexander Francis Chamberlain. Though he has received little attention since the early 1900s, the importance of this scholar should not be underestimated. Chamberlain made notable contributions to the body of knowledge in anthropology-a discipline that, at the time, was a combination of anthropological and psychological inquiry. His early work began with investigations into the cultures and languages of two Indian tribes indigenous to Canada and the northern United States and, within a few decades, positioned Chamberlain as the leading scholar in this domain. Beyond his ethnographic insights, Chamberlain queried the development of the child and wrote on the subject of childhood in world folklore. He concerned himself with a scope of worthwhile subjects ranging from linguistics to women's suffrage. No topic was out of range as all forms of human study addressed the need for seeing each group as a contributing force to humanity at large. Chamberlain emphasized that no single racial, ethnic, or religious group should be singled out as inherently superior to another, a belief far ahead of his time. This article is an attempt at drawing a picture of a man whose scholarly achievements and strength of character are captured in the depth and breadth of his writing.

A cost-utility analysis of psychoanalysis versus psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

PubMed

Berghout, Caspar C; Zevalkink, Jolien; Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona

2010-01-01

Despite the considerable and growing body of research about the clinical effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic treatment, relatively little attention has been paid to economic evaluations, particularly with reference to the broader range of societal effects. In this cost-utility study, we examined the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of psychoanalysis versus psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Incremental costs and effects were estimated by means of cross-sectional measurements in a cohort design (psychoanalysis, n = 78; psychoanalytic psychotherapy, n = 104). Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were estimated for each treatment strategy using the SF-6D. Total costs were calculated from a societal perspective (treatment costs plus other societal costs) and discounted at 4 percent. Psychoanalysis was more costly than psychoanalytic psychotherapy, but also more effective from a health-related quality of life perspective. The ICER--that is, the extra costs to gain one additional QALY by delivering psychoanalysis instead of psychoanalytic psychotherapy--was estimated at 52,384 euros per QALY gained. Our findings show that the cost-utility ratio of psychoanalysis relative to psychoanalytic psychotherapy is within an acceptable range. More research is needed to find out whether cost-utility ratios vary with different types of patients. We also encourage cost-utility analyses comparing psychoanalytic treatment to other forms of (long-term) treatment.

Health-related quality of life in fibromyalgia and refractory angina pectoris: a comparison between two chronic non-malignant pain disorders.

PubMed

Andréll, Paulin; Schultz, Tomas; Mannerkorpi, Kaisa; Nordeman, Lena; Börjesson, Mats; Mannheimer, Clas

2014-04-01

To compare health-related quality of life in 2 different populations with chronic pain: patients with fibromyalgia and patients with refractory angina pectoris. Previous separate studies have indicated that these patient groups report different impacts of pain on health-related quality of life. The Short-Form 36 was used to assess health- related quality of life. In order to adjust for age and gender differences between the groups, both patient groups were compared with age- and gender-matched normative controls. The difference in health-related quality of life between the 2 patient groups was assessed by transforming the Short-Form 36 subscale scores to a z-score. The patients with fibromyalgia (n = 203) reported poorer health-related quality of life in all the subscale scores of Short-Form 36 (p < 0.05-0.0001) than the patients with refractory angina (n = 146) when both groups were compared with their corresponding normal population (z-score). Patients with fibromyalgia experience greater impairment in health-related quality of life compared with the normal population than do patients with refractory angina pectoris, despite the fact that the latter have a potentially life-threatening disease. The great impairment in health- related quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia should be taken into consideration when planning rehabilitation.

What Possible Life Forms Could Exist on Other Planets: A Historical Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raulin Cerceau, Florence

2010-04-01

Speculations on living beings existing on other planets are found in many written works since the Frenchman Bernard de Fontenelle spoke to the Marquise about the inhabitants of the solar system in his Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes (1686). It was an entertainment used to teach astronomy more than real considerations about the habitability of our solar system, but it opened the way to some reflections about the possible life forms on other planets. The nineteenth century took up this idea again in a context of planetary studies showing the similarities as well as the differences of the celestial bodies orbiting our Sun. Astronomers attempted to look deeper into the problem of habitability such as Richard Proctor or Camille Flammarion, also well-known for their fine talent in popular writings. While the Martian canals controversy was reaching its height, they imagined how the living forms dwelling in other planets could be. Nowadays, no complex exo-life is expected to have evolved in our solar system. However, the famous exobiologist Carl Sagan and later other scientists, formulated audacious ideas about other forms of life in the light of recent discoveries in planetology. Through these few examples, this paper underlines the originality of each author’s suggestions and the evolution and contrast of ideas about the possible life forms in the universe.

What possible life forms could exist on other planets: a historical overview.

PubMed

Raulin Cerceau, Florence

2010-04-01

Speculations on living beings existing on other planets are found in many written works since the Frenchman Bernard de Fontenelle spoke to the Marquise about the inhabitants of the solar system in his Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes (1686). It was an entertainment used to teach astronomy more than real considerations about the habitability of our solar system, but it opened the way to some reflections about the possible life forms on other planets. The nineteenth century took up this idea again in a context of planetary studies showing the similarities as well as the differences of the celestial bodies orbiting our Sun. Astronomers attempted to look deeper into the problem of habitability such as Richard Proctor or Camille Flammarion, also well-known for their fine talent in popular writings. While the Martian canals controversy was reaching its height, they imagined how the living forms dwelling in other planets could be. Nowadays, no complex exo-life is expected to have evolved in our solar system. However, the famous exobiologist Carl Sagan and later other scientists, formulated audacious ideas about other forms of life in the light of recent discoveries in planetology. Through these few examples, this paper underlines the originality of each author's suggestions and the evolution and contrast of ideas about the possible life forms in the universe.

The maximum growth rate of life on Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corkrey, Ross; McMeekin, Tom A.; Bowman, John P.; Olley, June; Ratkowsky, David

2018-01-01

Life on Earth spans a range of temperatures and exhibits biological growth rates that are temperature dependent. While the observation that growth rates are temperature dependent is well known, we have recently shown that the statistical distribution of specific growth rates for life on Earth is a function of temperature (Corkrey et al., 2016). The maximum rates of growth of all life have a distinct limit, even when grown under optimal conditions, and which vary predictably with temperature. We term this distribution of growth rates the biokinetic spectrum for temperature (BKST). The BKST possibly arises from a trade-off between catalytic activity and stability of enzymes involved in a rate-limiting Master Reaction System (MRS) within the cell. We develop a method to extrapolate quantile curves for the BKST to obtain the posterior probability of the maximum rate of growth of any form of life on Earth. The maximum rate curve conforms to the observed data except below 0°C and above 100°C where the predicted value may be positively biased. The deviation below 0°C may arise from the bulk properties of water, while the degradation of biomolecules may be important above 100°C. The BKST has potential application in astrobiology by providing an estimate of the maximum possible growth rate attainable by terrestrial life and perhaps life elsewhere. We suggest that the area under the maximum growth rate curve and the peak rate may be useful characteristics in considerations of habitability. The BKST can serve as a diagnostic for unusual life, such as second biogenesis or non-terrestrial life. Since the MRS must have been heavily conserved the BKST may contain evolutionary relics. The BKST can serve as a signature summarizing the nature of life in environments beyond Earth, or to characterize species arising from a second biogenesis on Earth.

Organic Analysis in the Miller Range 090657 CR2 Chondrite: Part 2 Amino Acid Analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burton, A. S.; Cao, T.; Nakamura-Messenger, K.; Berger, E. L.; Messenger, S.; Clemett, S. J.; Aponte, J. C.; Elsila, J. E.

2016-01-01

Primitive carbonaceous chondrites contain a wide variety of organic material, ranging from soluble discrete molecules to insoluble, unstructured kerogen-like components, as well as structured nano-globules of macromolecular carbon. The relationship between the soluble organic molecules, macromolecular organic material, and host minerals are poorly understood. Due to the differences in extractability of soluble and insoluble organic materials, the analysis methods for each differ and are often performed independently. The combination of soluble and insoluble analyses, when performed concurrently, can provide a wider understanding of spatial distribution, and elemental, structural and isotopic composition of organic material in primitive meteorites. Using macroscale extraction and analysis techniques in combination with in situ microscale observation, we have been studying both insoluble and soluble organic material in the primitive CR2 chondrite Miller Range (MIL) 090657. In accompanying abstracts (Cao et al. and Messenger et al.) we discuss insoluble organic material in the samples. By performing the consortium studies, we aim to improve our understanding of the relationship between the meteorite minerals and the soluble and insoluble organic phases and to delineate which species formed within the meteorite and those that formed in nebular or presolar environments. In this abstract, we present the results of amino acid analyses of MIL 090657 by ultra performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry. Amino acids are of interest because they are essential to life on Earth, and because they are present in sufficient structural, enantiomeric and isotopic diversity to allow insights into early solar system chemical processes. Furthermore, these are among the most isotopically anomalous species, yet at least some fraction are thought to have formed by aqueously-mediated processes during parent body alteration.

Cultural aspects of SETI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Billingham, John

1991-01-01

The paper presents a broad range of issues that raise important questions about the search for exterrestrial life forms or intelligence. The history of the concept of plurality of inhabited worlds is reviewed, and disciplinary areas are cited that are considered crucial for SETI. Such issues involve analogs of the discovery of ETI, immediate responses to such detections, and the significance of journalistic and media response. The responses of religion is also considered, and it is suggested that humankind respond to the discovery of ETI with a single voice and message. The issues discussed demonstrate the need for explicit protocols that would be followed after any discovery of the types discussed.

[Icterus of the newborn caused by indirect bilirubin--recent progress].

PubMed

Hervei, Sarolta

2004-06-13

Recently a big shift has taken place in the judgment and treatment of jaundice in newborn, caused by increased unconjugated bilirubin level. New techniques evolved for assessing the prognosis of developing jaundice. An important major discovery is the antioxidant effect of bilirubin. We have a broader range of knowledge concerning the mechanism of bilirubin toxicity and for judging the chance of developing kernicterus. The prevention techniques do not stop at prohibiting anti-D immunisation but go on to preventing hydrops foetalis, the life-threatening form of haemolytic disease. There are data about the complications of phototherapy and EPO treatment for prolonged anaemia.

Visceroptosis of the Bowel in the Hypermobility type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Presentation of a Rare Manifestation and Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Reinstein, Eyal; Pimentel, Mark; Pariani, Mitchel; Nemec, Stephen; Sokol, Thomas; Rimoin, David L

2012-01-01

Gastrointestinal complications are common in patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, affecting up to 50% of individuals depending on the subtype. The spectrum of gastrointestinal manifestations is broad and ranges from life threatening spontaneous perforation of the visceral organs to a more benign functional symptoms. Here we describe the clinical and radiographic manifestations of visceroptosis of the bowel, a rare complication of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that is characterized by prolapse of abdominal organs below their natural position. We further review the literature on gastrointestinal complications in the different forms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. PMID:22781752

Fungal photobiology: visible light as a signal for stress, space and time

PubMed Central

Fuller, Kevin K.; Loros, Jennifer J.; Dunlap, Jay C.

2014-01-01

Visible light is an important source of energy and information for much of life on this planet. Though fungi are neither photosynthetic nor capable of observing adjacent objects, it is estimated that the majority of fungal species display some form of light response, ranging from developmental decision making to metabolic reprogramming to pathogenesis. As such, advances in our understanding of fungal photobiology will likely reach the broad fields impacted by these organisms, including agriculture, industry and medicine. In this review, we will first describe the mechanisms by which fungi sense light and then discuss the selective advantages likely imparted by their ability to do so. PMID:25323429

The use of radiation for the study of material of cultural heritage significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creagh, D. C.; Otieno-Alego, V.

2004-01-01

For the indigenous people of Northern Australia the expression of their experience of life, their "dreaming", is in the form of painting, usually on the bark stripped from trees growing in their tribal lands. These are often works of great beauty and the major collecting institutions in Australia and elsewhere have significant holdings of Aboriginal bark paintings. A wide range of analytical techniques (optical microscopy, FTIR microscopy, Raman microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction) has been used in a project to determine how best to conserve Aboriginal bark paintings.

Life's origin: the cosmic, planetary and biological processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scattergood, T.; Des Marais, D.; Jahnke, L.

1987-01-01

From elements formed in interstellar furnaces to humans peering back at the stars, the evolution of life has been a long, intricate and perhaps inevitable process. Life as we know it requires a planet orbiting a star at just the right distance so that water can exist in liquid form. It needs a rich supply of chemicals and energy sources. On Earth, the combination of chemistry and energy generated molecules that evolved ways of replicating themselves and of passing information from one generation to the next. Thus, the thread of life began. This chart traces the thread, maintained by DNA molecules for much of its history, as it weaves its way through the primitive oceans, gaining strength and diversity along the way. Organisms eventually moved onto the land, where advanced forms, including humans, ultimately arose. Finally, assisted by a technology of its own making, life has reached back out into space to understand its own origins, to expand into new realms, and to seek other living threads in the cosmos.

Quality of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Forms Completed in Nursing Homes

PubMed Central

Bressette, Matthew; Enguidanos, Susan

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: The physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) form allows seriously ill individuals to express their preferences for end-of-life treatments. Despite increased POLST use, little is known about the quality of completed forms. Objective: We examined the quality of POLST forms prepared for nursing home residents, including whether they had required signatures and clinically consistent care preferences. Design: We conducted a chart review of POLST forms for a sample of nursing home residents in California. Setting/Sample: We completed POLST audits for 938 residents in 13 nursing homes in Los Angeles. Measures: We recorded whether POLST forms were signed by both the patient (or proxy) and the physician, and whether the patient's treatment choices regarding resuscitation and medical intervention were consistent, as required by the California form. Results: Overall, 69.6% of audited POLST forms had at least one indicator of poor quality. Most lacked a required signature (15.8% lacked a physician signature and 17.4% lacked a patient/proxy signature) and 5.6% had conflicting treatment preferences. Conclusion: We found 30.4% of POLST forms for nursing home residents were not complete or documented clinically contradictory treatment preferences. Improvement in the quality of POLST forms is needed. PMID:27841953

Baseline leisure time activity and cognition more than two decades later.

PubMed

Kåreholt, Ingemar; Lennartsson, Carin; Gatz, Margaret; Parker, Marti G

2011-01-01

Many studies of the relation between factors earlier in life and late-life cognition have a short follow-up time, often less than 10 years. Since cognitive decline can be present up to 20 years prior to dementia it is difficult to distinguish the direction of the relationships without a long follow-up. We analyzed the association between different types of leisure time activity at baseline and cognition more than 20 years later. A wide range of activities was included-political, mental, socio-cultural, social, physical, and organizational activities. Baseline studies were random Swedish samples aged 46-75 years (mean 57.4) (n=1643) interviewed in 1968 or 1981. Activities were measured at baseline. Cognition was measured with items from the Mini-Mental State Examination in 1992, 2002, or 2004. There was a significant association between later cognition and earlier political, mental, and socio-cultural activities controlling for age, age-square, sex, follow-up-time, mobility problems, symptoms of mental distress, employment status, education, adult and childhood socioeconomic status, income, smoking, and drinking. Physical activities had a significant association with cognition only among women. Organizational activities were not significant when controlling for all covariates. Social activities had no significant association. Including all covariates and all leisure activities simultaneously, only mid-life political and mental activities remained significantly related to later life cognition. These findings add support to the theory that various forms of engagement in mid-life can have a protective effect with respect to cognition in later life. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Measuring health-related quality of life in young adolescents: reliability and validity in the Norwegian version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL) generic core scales.

PubMed

Reinfjell, Trude; Diseth, Trond H; Veenstra, Marijke; Vikan, Arne

2006-09-14

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) studies concerning children and adolescents are a growing field of research. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is considered as a promising HRQOL instrument with the availability of age appropriate versions and parallel forms for both child and parents. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian translation of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 generic core scale in a sample of healthy young adolescents. A cross-sectional study of 425 healthy young adolescents and 237 of their caregivers participating as a proxy. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and by exploring the intercorrelations between and among the four PedsQL subscales for adolescents and their parents. All the self-report scales and proxy-report scales showed satisfactory reliability with Cronbach's alpha varying between 0.77 and 0.88. Factor analysis showed results comparable with the original version, except for the Physical Health scale. On average, monotrait-multimethod correlations were higher than multitrait-multimethod correlations. Sex differences were noted on the emotional functioning subscale, girls reported lower HRQOL than boys. The Norwegian PedsQL is a valid and reliable generic pediatric health-related Quality of Life measurement that can be recommended for self-reports and proxy-reports for children in the age groups ranging from 13-15 years.

Major evolutionary transitions in individuality

PubMed Central

West, Stuart A.; Fisher, Roberta M.; Gardner, Andy; Kiers, E. Toby

2015-01-01

The evolution of life on earth has been driven by a small number of major evolutionary transitions. These transitions have been characterized by individuals that could previously replicate independently, cooperating to form a new, more complex life form. For example, archaea and eubacteria formed eukaryotic cells, and cells formed multicellular organisms. However, not all cooperative groups are en route to major transitions. How can we explain why major evolutionary transitions have or haven’t taken place on different branches of the tree of life? We break down major transitions into two steps: the formation of a cooperative group and the transformation of that group into an integrated entity. We show how these steps require cooperation, division of labor, communication, mutual dependence, and negligible within-group conflict. We find that certain ecological conditions and the ways in which groups form have played recurrent roles in driving multiple transitions. In contrast, we find that other factors have played relatively minor roles at many key points, such as within-group kin discrimination and mechanisms to actively repress competition. More generally, by identifying the small number of factors that have driven major transitions, we provide a simpler and more unified description of how life on earth has evolved. PMID:25964342

Origin and evolution of life on terrestrial planets.

PubMed

Brack, A; Horneck, G; Cockell, C S; Bérces, A; Belisheva, N K; Eiroa, Carlos; Henning, Thomas; Herbst, Tom; Kaltenegger, Lisa; Léger, Alain; Liseau, Réne; Lammer, Helmut; Selsis, Franck; Beichman, Charles; Danchi, William; Fridlund, Malcolm; Lunine, Jonathan; Paresce, Francesco; Penny, Alan; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Röttgering, Huub; Schneider, Jean; Stam, Daphne; Tinetti, Giovanna; White, Glenn J

2010-01-01

The ultimate goal of terrestrial planet-finding missions is not only to discover terrestrial exoplanets inside the habitable zone (HZ) of their host stars but also to address the major question as to whether life may have evolved on a habitable Earth-like exoplanet outside our Solar System. We note that the chemical evolution that finally led to the origin of life on Earth must be studied if we hope to understand the principles of how life might evolve on other terrestrial planets in the Universe. This is not just an anthropocentric point of view: the basic ingredients of terrestrial life, that is, reduced carbon-based molecules and liquid H(2)O, have very specific properties. We discuss the origin of life from the chemical evolution of its precursors to the earliest life-forms and the biological implications of the stellar radiation and energetic particle environments. Likewise, the study of the biological evolution that has generated the various life-forms on Earth provides clues toward the understanding of the interconnectedness of life with its environment.

Search for and investigation of extraterrestrial forms of life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubin, A. B.

1975-01-01

Correct combinations of remote, analytic, and functional methods and measuring devices for detecting extraterrestrial life are elaborated. Considered are techniques and instruments available both on earth and aboard spacecraft and artificial planetary satellites. Emphasis is placed on the abiogenetic synthesis of organic compounds formed in photosynthesis on Mars.

The Antarctic cold desert and the search for traces of life on Mars.

PubMed

Friedmann, E I

1986-01-01

The cryptoendolithic microorganisms that live inside rocks in the frigid Ross Desert of Antarctica can serve as a terrestrial model for what may have happened to life forms on Mars when the planet became dry and cold. Trace fossils of microbial rock colonization exist in Antarctica, and similar structures could have formed on Mars. In some respects, such trace fossils could be an easier target for life-detection systems than fossils of cellular structures.

The Antarctic cold desert and the search for traces of life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedmann, E. I.

1986-01-01

The cryptoendolithic microoganisms that live inside rocks in the frigid Ross Desert of Antarctica can serve as a terrestrial model for what may have happened to life forms on Mars when the planet became dry and cold. Trace fossils of microbial rock colonization exist in Antarctica, and similar structures could have formed on Mars. In some respects, such trace fossils could be an easier target for life-detection systems than fossils of cellular structures.

Congenital neutropenia: diagnosis, molecular bases and patient management.

PubMed

Donadieu, Jean; Fenneteau, Odile; Beaupain, Blandine; Mahlaoui, Nizar; Chantelot, Christine Bellanné

2011-05-19

The term congenital neutropenia encompasses a family of neutropenic disorders, both permanent and intermittent, severe (<0.5 G/l) or mild (between 0.5-1.5 G/l), which may also affect other organ systems such as the pancreas, central nervous system, heart, muscle and skin. Neutropenia can lead to life-threatening pyogenic infections, acute gingivostomatitis and chronic parodontal disease, and each successive infection may leave permanent sequelae. The risk of infection is roughly inversely proportional to the circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophil count and is particularly high at counts below 0.2 G/l.When neutropenia is detected, an attempt should be made to establish the etiology, distinguishing between acquired forms (the most frequent, including post viral neutropenia and auto immune neutropenia) and congenital forms that may either be isolated or part of a complex genetic disease.Except for ethnic neutropenia, which is a frequent but mild congenital form, probably with polygenic inheritance, all other forms of congenital neutropenia are extremely rare and have monogenic inheritance, which may be X-linked or autosomal, recessive or dominant.About half the forms of congenital neutropenia with no extra-hematopoietic manifestations and normal adaptive immunity are due to neutrophil elastase (ELANE) mutations. Some patients have severe permanent neutropenia and frequent infections early in life, while others have mild intermittent neutropenia.Congenital neutropenia may also be associated with a wide range of organ dysfunctions, as for example in Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (associated with pancreatic insufficiency) and glycogen storage disease type Ib (associated with a glycogen storage syndrome). So far, the molecular bases of 12 neutropenic disorders have been identified.Treatment of severe chronic neutropenia should focus on prevention of infections. It includes antimicrobial prophylaxis, generally with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and also granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). G-CSF has considerably improved these patients' outlook. It is usually well tolerated, but potential adverse effects include thrombocytopenia, glomerulonephritis, vasculitis and osteoporosis. Long-term treatment with G-CSF, especially at high doses, augments the spontaneous risk of leukemia in patients with congenital neutropenia.

Noise and range considerations for close-range radar sensing of life signs underwater.

PubMed

Hafner, Noah; Lubecke, Victor

2011-01-01

Close-range underwater sensing of motion-based life signs can be performed with low power Doppler radar and ultrasound techniques. Corresponding noise and range performance trade-offs are examined here, with regard to choice of frequency and technology. The frequency range examined includes part of the UHF and microwave spectrum. Underwater detection of motion by radar in freshwater and saltwater are demonstrated. Radar measurements exhibited reduced susceptibility to noise as compared to ultrasound. While higher frequency radar exhibited better signal to noise ratio, propagation was superior for lower frequencies. Radar detection of motion through saltwater was also demonstrated at restricted ranges (1-2 cm) with low power transmission (10 dBm). The results facilitate the establishment of guidelines for optimal choice in technology for the underwater measurement motion-based life signs, with respect to trade offs involving range and noise.

Cosmic rays and terrestrial life: A brief review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atri, Dimitra; Melott, Adrian L.

2014-01-01

“The investigation into the possible effects of cosmic rays on living organisms will also offer great interest.” - Victor F. Hess, Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1936 High-energy radiation bursts are commonplace in our Universe. From nearby solar flares to distant gamma ray bursts, a variety of physical processes accelerate charged particles to a wide range of energies, which subsequently reach the Earth. Such particles contribute to a number of physical processes occurring in the Earth system. A large fraction of the energy of charged particles gets deposited in the atmosphere, ionizing it, causing changes in its chemistry and affecting the global electric circuit. Remaining secondary particles contribute to the background dose of cosmic rays on the surface and parts of the subsurface region. Life has evolved over the past ∼3 billion years in presence of this background radiation, which itself has varied considerably during the period [1-3]. As demonstrated by the Miller-Urey experiment, lightning plays a very important role in the formation of complex organic molecules, which are the building blocks of more complex structures forming life. There is growing evidence of increase in the lightning rate with increasing flux of charged particles. Is there a connection between enhanced rate of cosmic rays and the origin of life? Cosmic ray secondaries are also known to damage DNA and cause mutations, leading to cancer and other diseases. It is now possible to compute radiation doses from secondary particles, in particular muons and neutrons. Have the variations in cosmic ray flux affected the evolution of life on earth? We describe the mechanisms of cosmic rays affecting terrestrial life and review the potential implications of the variation of high-energy astrophysical radiation on the history of life on earth.

Life-history traits predict perennial species response to fire in a desert ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shryock, Daniel F.; DeFalco, Lesley A.; Esque, Todd C.

2014-01-01

The Mojave Desert of North America has become fire-prone in recent decades due to invasive annual grasses that fuel wildfires following years of high rainfall. Perennial species are poorly adapted to fire in this system, and post-fire shifts in species composition have been substantial but variable across community types. To generalize across a range of conditions, we investigated whether simple life-history traits could predict how species responded to fire. Further, we classified species into plant functional types (PFTs) based on combinations of life-history traits and evaluated whether these groups exhibited a consistent fire-response. Six life-history traits varied significantly between burned and unburned areas in short (up to 4 years) or long-term (up to 52 years) post-fire datasets, including growth form, lifespan, seed size, seed dispersal, height, and leaf longevity. Forbs and grasses consistently increased in abundance after fire, while cacti were reduced and woody species exhibited a variable response. Woody species were classified into three PFTs based on combinations of life-history traits. Species in Group 1 increased in abundance after fire and were characterized by short lifespans, small, wind-dispersed seeds, low height, and deciduous leaves. Species in Group 2 were reduced by fire and distinguished from Group 1 by longer lifespans and evergreen leaves. Group 3 species, which also decreased after fire, were characterized by long lifespans, large non-wind dispersed seeds, and taller heights. Our results show that PFTs based on life-history traits can reliably predict the responses of most species to fire in the Mojave Desert. Dominant, long-lived species of this region possess a combination of traits limiting their ability to recover, presenting a clear example of how a novel disturbance regime may shift selective environmental pressures to favor alternative life-history strategies.

Acid mine drainage

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bigham, Jerry M.; Cravotta, Charles A.

2016-01-01

Acid mine drainage (AMD) consists of metal-laden solutions produced by the oxidative dissolution of iron sulfide minerals exposed to air, moisture, and acidophilic microbes during the mining of coal and metal deposits. The pH of AMD is usually in the range of 2–6, but mine-impacted waters at circumneutral pH (5–8) are also common. Mine drainage usually contains elevated concentrations of sulfate, iron, aluminum, and other potentially toxic metals leached from rock that hydrolyze and coprecipitate to form rust-colored encrustations or sediments. When AMD is discharged into surface waters or groundwaters, degradation of water quality, injury to aquatic life, and corrosion or encrustation of engineered structures can occur for substantial distances. Prevention and remediation strategies should consider the biogeochemical complexity of the system, the longevity of AMD pollution, the predictive power of geochemical modeling, and the full range of available field technologies for problem mitigation.

Social organization in deer: Implications for localized management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, William F.; Mathews, Nancy E.; Underwood, H. Brian; Sage, Richard W.; Behrend, Donald F.

1991-11-01

Populations of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) inhabiting many state and national parks and suburban areas have grown to the point that they conflict with human activities. Conflicts range from destruction of vegetation through browsing to public perception that diseases carried by deer pose threats to human health. Traditional modes of hunting to control populations are inappropriate in many of these areas because of intense human development and activity. This article explores an alternative approach for population reduction based on deer social organization. Female white-tailed deer are highly philopatric and female offspring remain near their dams for life. This suggests that a population expands slowly as a series of overlapping home ranges in a form analogous to the petals on a rose. Incorporating the rose petal concept into a model of population growth shows that removal of deer by family unit can potentially alleviate conflicts in localized areas for as many as 10 15 yr.

Distinct lateral inhibitory circuits drive parallel processing of sensory information in the mammalian olfactory bulb

PubMed Central

Geramita, Matthew A; Burton, Shawn D; Urban, Nathan N

2016-01-01

Splitting sensory information into parallel pathways is a common strategy in sensory systems. Yet, how circuits in these parallel pathways are composed to maintain or even enhance the encoding of specific stimulus features is poorly understood. Here, we have investigated the parallel pathways formed by mitral and tufted cells of the olfactory system in mice and characterized the emergence of feature selectivity in these cell types via distinct lateral inhibitory circuits. We find differences in activity-dependent lateral inhibition between mitral and tufted cells that likely reflect newly described differences in the activation of deep and superficial granule cells. Simulations show that these circuit-level differences allow mitral and tufted cells to best discriminate odors in separate concentration ranges, indicating that segregating information about different ranges of stimulus intensity may be an important function of these parallel sensory pathways. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16039.001 PMID:27351103

Seasonal life history trade-offs in two leafwing butterflies: Delaying reproductive development increases life expectancy.

PubMed

McElderry, Robert M

2016-04-01

Surviving inhospitable periods or seasons may greatly affect fitness. Evidence of this exists in the prevalence of dormant stages in the life cycles of most insects. Here I focused on butterflies with distinct seasonal morphological types (not a genetic polymorphism) in which one morphological type, or form, delays reproduction until favorable conditions return, while the other form develops in an environment that favors direct reproduction. For two butterflies, Anaea aidea and A. andria, I tested the hypothesis that the development of each seasonal form involves a differential allocation of resources to survival at eclosion. I assayed differences in adult longevity among summer and winter forms in either a warm, active environment or a cool, calm environment. Winter form adults lived 40 times longer than summer form but only in calm, cool conditions. The magnitude of this difference provided compelling evidence that the winter form body plan and metabolic strategy (i.e. resource conservatism) favor long term survival. This research suggests that winter form adults maintain lowered metabolic rate, a common feature of diapause, to conserve resources and delay senescence while overwintering. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality of life after gamma knife radiosurgery treatment in patients with a vestibular schwannoma: the patient’s perspective

PubMed Central

van Haren, Anniek E. P.; Mulder, Jef J. S.; Hanssens, Patrick E. J.; van Overbeeke, Jacobus J.; Cremers, Cor W. R. J.; Graamans, Kees

2009-01-01

This study evaluates the impact of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with a sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS). This study pertains to 108 VS patients who had GKRS in the years 2003 through 2007. Two different QOL questionnaires were used: medical outcome study short form 36 (SF36) and Glasgow benefit inventory (GBI). Radiosurgery was performed using a Leksell 4C gamma knife. The results of the QOL questionnaires in relation to prospectively and retrospectively gathered data of the VS patients treated by GKRS. Eventually, 97 patients could be included in the study. Their mean tumor size was 17 mm (range 6–39 mm); the mean maximum dose on the tumor was 19.9 Gy (range 16–25.5 Gy) and the mean marginal dose on the tumor was 11.1 (range 9.3–12.5 Gy). SF36 scores showed results comparable to those for a normal Dutch population. GBI showed a marginal decline in QOL. No correlation was found between QOL and gender, age, tumor size, or radiation dose. Increased audiovestibular symptoms after GKRS were correlated with a decreased GBI score, and decreased symptoms were correlated with a higher QOL post-GKRS. In this study shows that GKRS for VS has little impact on the general QOL of the VS patient. However, there is a wide range in individual QOL results. Individual QOL was influenced by the audiovestibular symptoms. No predictive patient, tumor, or treatment factors for QOL outcome after GKRS could be determined. Comparison with microsurgery is difficult because of intra group variability. PMID:19894058

Gastric Ulcer Hemorrhage - a Potential Life-Threatening Complication of Intragastric Balloon Treatment of Obesity.

PubMed

Mojkowska, Aleksandra; Gazdzinski, Stefan; Fraczek, Mariusz; Wyleżoł, Mariusz

2017-01-01

Some morbidly obese patients do not qualify for bariatric surgery due to general health contraindications. Intragastric balloon treatment might be a therapeutic option in the above-mentioned cases. It can prime super-obese patients with end-stage disease for bariatric surgery. As a neoadjuvant therapy before surgery, it leads to a downstage of the disease by preliminary weight reduction, to an improvement in general health and, in summary, to a reduction of the perioperative risk. It is generally considered to be a safe method. However, due to the wide range of possible complications and unusual symptoms after intragastric balloon treatment, an interdisciplinary, instead of only a surgical or endoscopic, treatment and follow-up might be recommended in these patients. We here describe a potential life-threatening complication in the form of gastric bleeding as a consequence of intragastric balloon treatment and simultaneous aspirin taking and Helicobacter pylori infection. There have been reports of some complications of intragastric balloon treatment. However, to the best of our knowledge there were no reports concerning life-threatening hemorrhage from gastric ulcer. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Imitative and Direct Learning as Interacting Factors in Life History Evolution.

PubMed

Bullinaria, John A

2017-01-01

The idea that lifetime learning can have a significant effect on life history evolution has recently been explored using a series of artificial life simulations. These involved populations of competing individuals evolving by natural selection to learn to perform well on simplified abstract tasks, with the learning consisting of identifying regularities in their environment. In reality, there is more to learning than that type of direct individual experience, because it often includes a substantial degree of social learning that involves various forms of imitation of what other individuals have learned before them. This article rectifies that omission by incorporating memes and imitative learning into revised versions of the previous approach. To do this reliably requires formulating and testing a general framework for meme-based simulations that will enable more complete investigations of learning as a factor in any life history evolution scenarios. It does that by simulating imitative information transfer in terms of memes being passed between individuals, and developing a process for merging that information with the (possibly inconsistent) information acquired by direct experience, leading to a consistent overall body of learning. The proposed framework is tested on a range of learning variations and a representative set of life history factors to confirm the robustness of the approach. The simulations presented illustrate the types of interactions and tradeoffs that can emerge, and indicate the kinds of species-specific models that could be developed with this approach in the future.

The nature and dynamics of world religions: a life-history approach.

PubMed

Baumard, Nicolas; Chevallier, Coralie

2015-11-07

In contrast with tribal and archaic religions, world religions are characterized by a unique emphasis on extended prosociality, restricted sociosexuality, delayed gratification and the belief that these specific behaviours are sanctioned by some kind of supernatural justice. Here, we draw on recent advances in life history theory to explain this pattern of seemingly unrelated features. Life history theory examines how organisms adaptively allocate resources in the face of trade-offs between different life-goals (e.g. growth versus reproduction, exploitation versus exploration). In particular, recent studies have shown that individuals, including humans, adjust their life strategy to the environment through phenotypic plasticity: in a harsh environment, organisms tend to adopt a 'fast' strategy, pursuing smaller but more certain benefits, while in more affluent environments, organisms tend to develop a 'slow' strategy, aiming for larger but less certain benefits. Reviewing a range of recent research, we show that world religions are associated with a form of 'slow' strategy. This framework explains both the promotion of 'slow' behaviours such as altruism, self-regulation and monogamy in modern world religions, and the condemnation of 'fast' behaviours such as selfishness, conspicuous sexuality and materialism. This ecological approach also explains the diffusion pattern of world religions: why they emerged late in human history (500-300 BCE), why they are currently in decline in the most affluent societies and why they persist in some places despite this overall decline. © 2015 The Author(s).

The nature and dynamics of world religions: a life-history approach

PubMed Central

Baumard, Nicolas; Chevallier, Coralie

2015-01-01

In contrast with tribal and archaic religions, world religions are characterized by a unique emphasis on extended prosociality, restricted sociosexuality, delayed gratification and the belief that these specific behaviours are sanctioned by some kind of supernatural justice. Here, we draw on recent advances in life history theory to explain this pattern of seemingly unrelated features. Life history theory examines how organisms adaptively allocate resources in the face of trade-offs between different life-goals (e.g. growth versus reproduction, exploitation versus exploration). In particular, recent studies have shown that individuals, including humans, adjust their life strategy to the environment through phenotypic plasticity: in a harsh environment, organisms tend to adopt a ‘fast' strategy, pursuing smaller but more certain benefits, while in more affluent environments, organisms tend to develop a ‘slow' strategy, aiming for larger but less certain benefits. Reviewing a range of recent research, we show that world religions are associated with a form of ‘slow' strategy. This framework explains both the promotion of ‘slow' behaviours such as altruism, self-regulation and monogamy in modern world religions, and the condemnation of ‘fast' behaviours such as selfishness, conspicuous sexuality and materialism. This ecological approach also explains the diffusion pattern of world religions: why they emerged late in human history (500–300 BCE), why they are currently in decline in the most affluent societies and why they persist in some places despite this overall decline. PMID:26511055

Alternative Life Styles for Extraterrestrial Chemists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benner, S.

2002-12-01

Life is no more (and no less) than a special type of organic chemistry, one that combines a frequently encountered property of organic molecules (the ability to undergo spontaneous chemical transformation) with an uncommon property (the ability to direct the synthesis of self-copies) in a way that allows new molecular features arising through spontaneous transformation to themselves be copied. Any chemical system having this combination will undergo natural selection, evolving in structure to replicate faster through more efficient use of molecular resources and energy. Axiomatically, life cannot exist in an environment at thermodynamic equilibrium. If it were, by the second law of thermodynamics, no net chemical transformation would be possible. Beyond this constraint, it is difficult to define environmental conditions or chemical structures necessary for life. Water is certainly not required for a chemical system to copy itself; in the laboratory, non-aqueous environments appear to support this behavior better. Chemical transformations that might support energy and chemical metabolisms are known in environments as acidic as the aerosols in the atmosphere of Venus, or as basic as the atmosphere of Jupiter. Laboratory experiments with analogs of the nucleic acids, proteins, sugars, and lipids show that the particular molecular structures found in terrean life need not be universal, even those life in water near neutral pH. Indeed, while both water and biological macromolecules are commonly regarded as essential for terrean-like life, water destroys terrean biological macromolecules. These chemical realities create a complex decision environment as NASA attempts to design instrumentation carried by missions, select places in the solar system to send them, and chose laboratory studies on Earth to provide their scientific support. This talk will review a hierarchy of chemical possibilities and constraints that start with the chemistry of terrean life, and takes steps towards weird life. We shall consider alternative amino acid building blocks for proteins, alternative building blocks for nucleic acids, alternative structural features of genetic and catalytic molecules, alternative nucleophile-electrophile pairs to support metabolism, non-polar reaction modes that might support metabolism, non-terrean pH (< 0, > 14) and solvent environments for life, extreme temperature ranges (especially sub zero Celsius) low temperature ranges, alternative thermodynamic design for metabolic pathways, alternative dimensionalities of genetic and catalytic molecules, and approaches for isolating life other than conventional cell structures. Each of these discussions will combine experimental and theoretical information. The first involves organic chemical synthesis that creates new forms of chemical matter to ask "What if?" and "Why not?" questions. The second draws on a century of literature in physical organic chemistry to formulate general constraints on the structure and transformation of organic matter to provide constraints on possible Darwinian chemistries in the galaxy.

"Omne Vivum Ex Vivo"? A Study of Middle School Students' Explanations of the Seemingly Sudden Appearance of Some Life Forms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vijapurkar, Jyotsna; Konde, Pooja

2014-01-01

This study examined explanations given by a sample of middle school students in India (175 students, grade 8, average age of 12.3 years), of the seemingly sudden appearance of some life forms observed in their day-to-day experience. It uncovered a variety of interesting ideas including, but not limited to, pre-Pasteur notions of some forms of life…

Getting What You Expect? Future Self-Views Predict the Valence of Life Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voss, Peggy; Kornadt, Anna E.; Rothermund, Klaus

2017-01-01

Views on aging have been shown to predict the occurrence of events related to physical health in previous studies. Extending these findings, we investigated the relation between aging-related future self-views and life events in a longitudinal study across a range of different life domains. Participants (N = 593, age range 30-80 years at…

78 FR 36829 - Proposed Information Collection (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity: Comment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-19

... (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... to decline Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance. DATES: Written comments and recommendations on the... use of other forms of information technology. Title: Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement, VA...

Distraction and Mind-Wandering Under Load

PubMed Central

Forster, Sophie

2013-01-01

Attention research over the last several decades has provided rich insights into the determinants of distraction, including distractor characteristics, task features, and individual differences. Load Theory represented a particularly important breakthrough, highlighting the critical role of the level and nature of task-load in determining both the efficiency of distractor rejection and the stage of processing at which this occurs. However, until recently studies of distraction were restricted to those measuring rather specific forms of distraction by external stimuli which I argue that, although intended to be irrelevant, were in fact task-relevant. In daily life, attention may be distracted by a wide range of stimuli, which may often be entirely unrelated to any task being performed, and may include not only external stimuli but also internally generated stimuli such as task-unrelated thoughts. This review outlines recent research examining these more general, entirely task-irrelevant, forms of distraction within the framework of Load Theory. I discuss the relation between different forms of distraction, and the universality of load effects across different distractor types and individuals. PMID:23734138

Radionuclides, radiotracers and radiopharmaceuticals for in vivo diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiebe, Leonard I.

Radioactive tracers for in vivo clinical diagnosis fall within a narrow, strictly-defined set of specifications in respect of their physical properties, chemical and biochemical characteristics, and (approved) medical applications. The type of radioactive decay and physical half-life of the radionuclide are immutable properties which, along with the demands of production and supply, limit the choice of radionuclides used in medicine to only a small fraction of those known to exist. In use, the biochemical and physiological properties of a radiotracer are dictated by the chemical form of the radionuclide. This chemical form may range from elemental, molecular or ionic, to complex compounds formed by coordinate or covalent bonding of the radionuclide to either simple organic or inorganic molecules, or complex macromolecules. Few of the radiotracers which are tested in model systems ever become radiopharmaceuticals in the strictest sense. Radionuclides, radiotracers and radiopharmaceuticals in use are reviewed. Drug legislation and regulations concerning drug manufacture, as well as hospital ethical constraints and legislation concerning unsealed sources of radiation must all be satisfied in order to translate a radiopharmaceutical from the laboratory to clinical use.

Carbonate precipitation under bulk acidic conditions as a potential biosignature for searching life on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Remolar, David C.; Preston, Louisa J.; Sánchez-Román, Mónica; Izawa, Matthew R. M.; Huang, L.; Southam, Gordon; Banerjee, Neil R.; Osinski, Gordon R.; Flemming, Roberta; Gómez-Ortíz, David; Prieto Ballesteros, Olga; Rodríguez, Nuria; Amils, Ricardo; Darby Dyar, M.

2012-10-01

Recent observations of carbonate minerals in ancient Martian rocks have been interpreted as evidence for the former presence of circumneutral solutions optimal for carbonate precipitation. Sampling from surface and subsurface regions of the low-pH system of Río Tinto has shown, unexpectedly, that carbonates can form under diverse macroscopic physicochemical conditions ranging from very low to neutral pH (1.5-7.0). A multi-technique approach demonstrates that carbonate minerals are closely associated with microbial activity. Carbonates occur in the form of micron-size carbonate precipitates under bacterial biofilms, mineralization of subsurface colonies, and possible biogenic microstructures including globules, platelets and dumbbell morphologies. We propose that carbonate precipitation in the low-pH environment of Río Tinto is a process enabled by microbially-mediated neutralization driven by the reduction of ferric iron coupled to the oxidation of biomolecules in microbially-maintained circumneutral oases, where the local pH (at the scale of cells or cell colonies) can be much different than in the macroscopic environment. Acidic conditions were likely predominant in vast regions of Mars over the last four billion years of planetary evolution. Ancient Martian microbial life inhabiting low-pH environments could have precipitated carbonates similar to those observed at Río Tinto. Preservation of carbonates at Río Tinto over geologically significant timescales suggests that similarly-formed carbonate minerals could also be preserved on Mars. Such carbonates could soon be observed by the Mars Science Laboratory, and by future missions to the red planet.

Behavioural Risk Factors in Mid-Life Associated with Successful Ageing, Disability, Dementia and Frailty in Later Life: A Rapid Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Lafortune, Louise; Martin, Steven; Kelly, Sarah; Kuhn, Isla; Remes, Olivia; Cowan, Andy; Brayne, Carol

2016-01-01

Background Smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and low levels of physical activity significantly contribute to the burden of illness in developed countries. Whilst the links between specific and multiple risk behaviours and individual chronic conditions are well documented, the impact of these behaviours in mid-life across a range of later life outcomes has yet to be comprehensively assessed. This review aimed to provide an overview of behavioural risk factors in mid-life that are associated with successful ageing and the primary prevention or delay of disability, dementia, frailty and non-communicable chronic conditions. Methods A literature search was conducted to identify cohort studies published in English since 2000 up to Dec 2014. Multivariate analyses and a minimum follow-up of five years were required for inclusion. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and papers independently. Studies were assessed for quality. Evidence was synthesised by mid-life behavioural risk for a range of late life outcomes. Findings This search located 10,338 individual references, of which 164 are included in this review. Follow-up data ranged from five years to 36 years. Outcomes include dementia, frailty, disability and cardiovascular disease. There is consistent evidence of beneficial associations between mid-life physical activity, healthy ageing and disease outcomes. Across all populations studied there is consistent evidence that mid-life smoking has a detrimental effect on health. Evidence specific to alcohol consumption was mixed. Limited, but supportive, evidence was available relating specifically to mid-life diet, leisure and social activities or health inequalities. Conclusions There is consistent evidence of associations between mid-life behaviours and a range of late life outcomes. The promotion of physical activity, healthy diet and smoking cessation in all mid-life populations should be encouraged for successful ageing and the prevention of disability and chronic disease. PMID:26845035

Searching for Life on Early Mars: Lessons from the Pilbara

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, J. D. A.; Stoker, C. R.

2016-01-01

Stromatolites in the Pilbara region of Western Australia constitute the earliest outcrop-scale evidence of life on Earth (Figure 1). The stromatolites in the 3.4 Ga Strelley Pool Formation (SPF) provide an important analog for searching for fossil evidence of early life on Mars, as Noachian aged sediments on Mars were formed under similar environmental conditions. Stromatolites represent possibly the best evidence that could be collected by a rover because they form recognizable macroscopic structures and are often associated with chemical and microscopic evidence.

Chemistry between the stars.

PubMed

Irvine, W M

1987-01-01

Life--as we know it--is a chemical process, based on water and carbon compounds. Complex organic molecules are made primarily from the biogenic elements--carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur--that formed deep within massive ancient stars. How did these elements travel from their stellar birthplaces across time and space to make up the life-form that is reading these words? In this article, we'll take a look at the chemical processes that set the stage for the origin of life.

The Stars of Heaven

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pickover, Clifford A.

2004-05-01

Do a little armchair space travel, rub elbows with alien life forms, and stretch your mind to the furthest corners of our uncharted universe. With this astonishing guidebook, you don't have to be an astronomer to explore the mysteries of stars and their profound meaning for human existence. Clifford A. Pickover tackles a range of topics from stellar evolution to the fundamental reasons why the universe permits life to flourish. He alternates sections that explain the mysteries of the cosmos with sections that dramatize mind-expanding concepts through a fictional dialog between futuristic humans and their alien peers (who embark on a journey beyond the reader's wildest imagination). This highly accessible and entertaining approach turns an intimidating subject into a scientific game open to all dreamers. Told in Pickover's inimitable blend of fascinating state-of-the-art science and whimsical science fiction, and packed with numerous diagrams and illustrations, The Stars of Heaven unfolds a world of paradox and mystery, one that will intrigue anyone who has ever pondered the night sky with wonder.

Content of Advance Directives for Individuals with Advanced Dementia

PubMed Central

Black, Betty S.; Phillips, Hilary; Fahrendorf, Sarah Richardson; Schwartz, Jack; Angelino, Andrew F.; Anderson, Danielle; Rabins, Peter V.

2010-01-01

Objectives To examine how people with end-stage dementia have conveyed their wishes for end-of-life care in advance directives. Methods The documents of 123 residents of three Maryland nursing homes, all with end-stage dementia, were reviewed. Results More years of education and White race were significantly associated with having an advance directive. With the exceptions of comfort care and pain treatment, advance directives were used primarily to restrict, not request, many forms of care at the end-of-life. Decisions about care for end-stage conditions such as Alzheimer's dementia are less often addressed in these documents than for terminal conditions and persistent vegetative state. Discussion In order for advance directives to better reflect a person's wishes, discussions with individuals and families about advance directives should include a range of care issues in the settings of terminal illness, persistent vegetative state or end-stage illness. These documents should be reviewed periodically to make certain they convey accurately the person's treatment preferences. PMID:18625761

The Metamorphosis of Amphibian Toxicogenomics

PubMed Central

Helbing, Caren C.

2012-01-01

Amphibians are important vertebrates in toxicology often representing both aquatic and terrestrial forms within the life history of the same species. Of the thousands of species, only two have substantial genomics resources: the recently published genome of the Pipid, Xenopus (Silurana) tropicalis, and transcript information (and ongoing genome sequencing project) of Xenopus laevis. However, many more species representative of regional ecological niches and life strategies are used in toxicology worldwide. Since Xenopus species diverged from the most populous frog family, the Ranidae, ~200 million years ago, there are notable differences between them and the even more distant Caudates (salamanders) and Caecilians. These differences include genome size, gene composition, and extent of polyploidization. Application of toxicogenomics to amphibians requires the mobilization of resources and expertise to develop de novo sequence assemblies and analysis strategies for a broader range of amphibian species. The present mini-review will present the advances in toxicogenomics as pertains to amphibians with particular emphasis upon the development and use of genomic techniques (inclusive of transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) and the challenges inherent therein. PMID:22435070

Coping strategies in episodic and chronic tension-type headache.

PubMed

Rollnik, J D; Karst, M; Fink, M; Dengler, R

2001-03-01

To study the importance of coping with illness strategies in tension-type headache (TTH). The pathophysiology of TTH is complex, and coping with illness strategies might contribute to the transformation to a chronic form. We examined 89 subjects (mean age, 45.6 +/- 14.8 years; range, 18 to 72 years) with episodic (n = 37) and chronic (n = 52) TTH. Patients were required to fill in a Freiburg Questionnaire of Coping with Illness (FQCI), a von Zerssen Depression Scale, quality-of-life questionnaires, and a headache home diary (over 4 weeks). In addition, pressure pain thresholds (temporal muscles) and total tenderness scores were obtained. Patients with chronic TTH exhibited poorer quality-of-life measures, slightly more depressive symptoms, and significantly stronger avoidance behavior and endurance strategies on FQCI scales F4 and F5 (P< .05). There was no difference between episodic and chronic TTH with respect to measures of muscle tenderness or pain thresholds. We conclude that disadvantageous coping with illness strategies might contribute to a transformation to chronic TTH.

Development of extraterrestrial intelligence and physical laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troitskij, V. S.

This paper considers the restrictions imposed by physical laws on the development of life and intelligence in the form of extraterrestrial civilizations. For this purpose intelligence is defined as the community of intelligent beings, joined by the exchange of mass, energy and information both between themselves and with the external medium. Due to the limitation of the velocity of exchange of information and, in particular, mass and energy exchange, the dimensions of the intelligence cannot exceed some light days, i.e. they are limited by the habitable zone about their star. It is shown that the energy consumption should not exceed the energy output of their star for the sake of preserving the cosmic near-star zone of life from energetic pollution. With the above restrictions of the energy product it takes millions of years to create an omnidirectional beacon-transmitter signals from which would be received by the contemporary antennas in all our Galaxy. It is realistic to create an omnidirectional beacon operating in the range of no more than 100-1000 light years.

Montmorillonite-catalysed formation of RNA oligomers: the possible role of catalysis in the origins of life

PubMed Central

Ferris, James P

2006-01-01

Large deposits of montmorillonite are present on the Earth today and it is believed to have been present at the time of the origin of life and has recently been detected on Mars. It is formed by aqueous weathering of volcanic ash. It catalyses the formation of oligomers of RNA that contain monomer units from 2 to 30–50. Oligomers of this length are formed because this catalyst controls the structure of the oligomers formed and does not generate all possible isomers. Evidence of sequence-, regio- and homochiral selectivity in these oligomers has been obtained. Postulates on the role of selective versus specific catalysts on the origins of life are discussed. An introduction to the origin of life is given with an emphasis on reaction conditions based on the recent data obtained from zircons 4.0–4.5 Ga. PMID:17008218

What forms of life could have arisen in the ancient conditions of Mars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidmachenko, A. P.

2017-05-01

The first geological era of Mars - Phyllocyanic - began about 4.5 billion years ago and continued 500-700 million years. Then Mars was similar to the ancient Earth with dense atmosphere and water on the surface. That is he planet was once much more suitable for the existence of life. Then appeared simple forms of life on Earth, and we believe, that the same could happen on Mars. But it is likely that if once life appeared on Mars, it did not disappear without a trace. It could move from the surface of the planet to its interior, to be conserved there in relict fossils, and possibly, survived there in some very simple forms, that then covered by powerful soil emissions. Therefore, its traces should search under the ground in those layers of sedimentary rocks that are refers to the first Phyllocyanic geological epoch.

Effect of the Contents in Advance Directives on Individuals' Decision-Making.

PubMed

Park, Jae Yoon; Lim, Chi-Yeon; Puurveen, Gloria; Kim, Do Yeun; Lee, Jae Hang; Do, Han Ho; Kim, Kyung Soo; Yoo, Kyung Don; Kim, Hyo Jin; Kim, Yunmi; Shin, Sung Joon

2018-01-01

Completing an advance directive offers individuals the opportunity to make informed choices about end-of-life care. However, these decisions could be influenced in different ways depending on how the information is presented. We randomly presented 185 participants with four distinct types of advance directive: neutrally framed (as reference), negatively framed, religiously framed, and a combination. Participants were asked which interventions they would like to receive at the end of life. Between 60% and 70% of participants responded "accept the special interventions" on the reference form. However, the majority (70%-90%) chose "refuse the interventions" on the negative form. With respect to the religious form, 70% to 80% chose "not decided yet." Participants who refused special life-sustaining treatments were older, female, and with better prior knowledge about advance directives. Our findings imply that the specific content of advance directives could affect decision-making with regard to various interventions for end-of-life care.

26 CFR 514.8 - Release of excess tax withheld at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...) and derived from a domestic corporation by a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien..., and life annuities. (i) If a taxpayer furnishes to the withholding agent a Form 1001A-F, properly... after January 1, 1957, from royalties, private pensions, and life annuities in respect of which the form...

26 CFR 514.8 - Release of excess tax withheld at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...) and derived from a domestic corporation by a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien..., and life annuities. (i) If a taxpayer furnishes to the withholding agent a Form 1001A-F, properly... after January 1, 1957, from royalties, private pensions, and life annuities in respect of which the form...

26 CFR 514.8 - Release of excess tax withheld at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...) and derived from a domestic corporation by a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien..., and life annuities. (i) If a taxpayer furnishes to the withholding agent a Form 1001A-F, properly... after January 1, 1957, from royalties, private pensions, and life annuities in respect of which the form...

26 CFR 514.8 - Release of excess tax withheld at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) and derived from a domestic corporation by a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien..., and life annuities. (i) If a taxpayer furnishes to the withholding agent a Form 1001A-F, properly... after January 1, 1957, from royalties, private pensions, and life annuities in respect of which the form...

A Reassessment of the Relationship between GDP and Life Satisfaction

PubMed Central

Proto, Eugenio; Rustichini, Aldo

2013-01-01

The scientific debate on the relation between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and self reported indices of life satisfaction is still open. In a well-known finding, Easterlin reported no significant relationship between happiness and aggregate income in time-series analysis. However, life satisfaction appears to be strictly monotonically increasing with income when one studies this relation at a point in time across nations. Here, we analyze the relation between per capita GDP and life satisfaction without imposing a functional form and eliminating potentially confounding country-specific factors. We show that this relation clearly increases in country with a per capita GDP below 15,000 USD (2005 in Purchasing Power Parity), then it flattens for richer countries. The probability of reporting the highest level of life satisfaction is more than 12% lower in the poor countries with a per capita GDP below 5,600 USD than in the counties with a per capita GDP of about 15,000 USD. In countries with an income above 17,000 USD the probability of reporting the highest level of life satisfaction changes within a range of 2% maximum. Interestingly enough, life satisfaction seems to peak at around 30,000 USD and then slightly but significantly decline among the richest countries. These results suggest an explanation of the Easterlin paradox: life satisfaction increases with GDP in poor country, but this relation is approximately flat in richer countries. We explain this relation with aspiration levels. We assume that a gap between aspiration and realized income is negatively perceived; and aspirations to higher income increase with income. These facts together have a negative effect on life satisfaction, opposite to the positive direct effect of the income. The net effect is ambiguous. We predict a higher negative effect in individuals with higher sensitivity to losses (measured by their neuroticism score) and provide econometric support of this explanation. PMID:24312179

A reassessment of the relationship between GDP and life satisfaction.

PubMed

Proto, Eugenio; Rustichini, Aldo

2013-01-01

The scientific debate on the relation between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and self reported indices of life satisfaction is still open. In a well-known finding, Easterlin reported no significant relationship between happiness and aggregate income in time-series analysis. However, life satisfaction appears to be strictly monotonically increasing with income when one studies this relation at a point in time across nations. Here, we analyze the relation between per capita GDP and life satisfaction without imposing a functional form and eliminating potentially confounding country-specific factors. We show that this relation clearly increases in country with a per capita GDP below 15,000 USD (2005 in Purchasing Power Parity), then it flattens for richer countries. The probability of reporting the highest level of life satisfaction is more than 12% lower in the poor countries with a per capita GDP below 5,600 USD than in the counties with a per capita GDP of about 15,000 USD. In countries with an income above 17,000 USD the probability of reporting the highest level of life satisfaction changes within a range of 2% maximum. Interestingly enough, life satisfaction seems to peak at around 30,000 USD and then slightly but significantly decline among the richest countries. These results suggest an explanation of the Easterlin paradox: life satisfaction increases with GDP in poor country, but this relation is approximately flat in richer countries. We explain this relation with aspiration levels. We assume that a gap between aspiration and realized income is negatively perceived; and aspirations to higher income increase with income. These facts together have a negative effect on life satisfaction, opposite to the positive direct effect of the income. The net effect is ambiguous. We predict a higher negative effect in individuals with higher sensitivity to losses (measured by their neuroticism score) and provide econometric support of this explanation.

75 FR 68040 - Proposed Information Collection (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity: Comment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-04

... (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... to decline Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance. DATES: Written comments and recommendations on the... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance...

Long-term efficacy and safety of blonanserin in patients with first-episode schizophrenia: a 1-year open-label trial.

PubMed

Ninomiya, Yuriko; Miyamoto, Seiya; Tenjin, Tomomi; Ogino, Shin; Miyake, Nobumi; Kaneda, Yasuhiro; Sumiyoshi, Tomiki; Yamaguchi, Noboru

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of blonanserin, a second-generation antipsychotic drug developed in Japan, in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Twenty-three antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode schizophrenia were treated within an open-label, 1-year, prospective trial of blonanserin (2-24 mg/day). Clinical evaluations were conducted at baseline and 2, 6, and 12 months after the start of treatment. The main outcome measures were changes in subjective well-being and subjective quality of life, as assessed by the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic treatment scale Short form-Japanese version and the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale-Japanese version, respectively. Secondary outcome measures included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia-Japanese version, laboratory tests, bodyweight, and extrapyramidal symptoms. Fourteen patients (60.9%) remained on the study at 1 year. In the intention-to-treat analysis, significant improvements were observed in several subscales on the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic treatment scale Short form-Japanese version, the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale-Japanese version, and the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia-Japanese version, and in all factor scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Improvement in depressive symptoms with blonanserin treatment was positively correlated with improvements in subjective well-being and subjective quality of life, as well as verbal memory. No significant changes were noted for any safety measure during the 1-year study period. Blonanserin was well tolerated and effective for the treatment of first-episode schizophrenia in terms of subjective wellness, cognition, and a wide range of pathological symptoms. Further large-scale studies are warranted to confirm our findings. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

The effects of exposure to violence and victimization across life domains on adolescent substance use.

PubMed

Wright, Emily M; Fagan, Abigail A; Pinchevsky, Gillian M

2013-11-01

This study uses longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to examine the effects of exposure to school violence, community violence, child abuse, and parental intimate partner violence (IPV) on youths' subsequent alcohol and marijuana use. We also examine the cumulative effects of being exposed to violence across these domains. Longitudinal data were obtained from 1,655 adolescents and their primary caregivers participating in the PHDCN. The effects of adolescents' exposure to various forms of violence across different life domains were examined relative to adolescents' frequency of alcohol and marijuana use three years later. Multivariate statistical models were employed to control for a range of child, parent, and family risk factors. Exposure to violence in a one-year period increased the frequency of substance use three years later, though the specific relationships between victimization and use varied for alcohol and marijuana use. Community violence and child abuse, but not school violence or exposure to IPV, were predictive of future marijuana use. None of the independent measures of exposure to violence significantly predicted future alcohol use. Finally, the accumulation of exposure to violence across life domains was detrimental to both future alcohol and marijuana use. The findings support prior research indicating that exposure to multiple forms of violence, across multiple domains of life, negatively impacts adolescent outcomes, including substance use. The findings also suggest that the context in which exposure to violence occurs should be considered in future research, since the more domains in which youth are exposed to violence, the fewer "safe havens" they have available. Finally, a better understanding of the types of violence youth encounter and the contexts in which these experiences occur can help inform intervention efforts aimed at reducing victimization and its negative consequences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Exposure to Violence and Victimization across Life Domains on Adolescent Substance Use

PubMed Central

Wright, Emily M.; Fagan, Abigail A.; Pinchevsky, Gillian M.

2013-01-01

Objective This study uses longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to examine the effects of exposure to school violence, community violence, child abuse, and parental intimate partner violence (IPV) on youths’ subsequent alcohol and marijuana use. We also examine the cumulative effects of being exposed to violence across these domains. Methods Longitudinal data were obtained from 1,655 adolescents and their primary caregivers participating in the PHDCN. The effects of adolescents’ exposure to various forms of violence across different life domains were examined relative to adolescents’ frequency of alcohol and marijuana use three years later. Multivariate statistical models were employed to control for a range of child, parent, and family risk factors. Results Exposure to violence in a one-year period increased the frequency of substance use three years later, though the specific relationships between victimization and use varied for alcohol and marijuana use. Community violence and child abuse, but not school violence or exposure to IPV, were predictive of future marijuana use. None of the independent measures of exposure to violence significantly predicted future alcohol use. Finally, the accumulation of exposure to violence across life domains was detrimental to both future alcohol and marijuana use. Conclusion The findings support prior research indicating that exposure to multiple forms of violence, across multiple domains of life, negatively impacts adolescent outcomes, including substance use. The findings also suggest that the context in which exposure to violence occurs should be considered in future research, since the more domains in which youth are exposed to violence, the fewer “safe havens” they have available. Finally, a better understanding of the types of violence youth encounter and the contexts in which these experiences occur can help inform intervention efforts aimed at reducing victimization and its negative consequences. PMID:23743232

Wet, Carbonaceous Asteroids: Altering Minerals, Changing Amino Acids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G. J.

2011-04-01

Many carbonaceous chondrites contain alteration products from water-rock interactions at low temperature and organic compounds. A fascinating fact known for decades is the presence in some of them of an assortment of organic compounds, including amino acids, sometimes called the building blocks of life. Murchison and other CM carbonaceous chondrites contain hundreds of amino acids. Early measurements indicated that the amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites had equal proportions of L- and D-structures, a situation called racemic. This was in sharp contrast to life on Earth, which heavily favors L- forms. However, beginning in 1997, John Cronin and Sandra Pizzarello (Arizona State University) found L- excesses in isovaline and several other amino acids in the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite. In 2009, Daniel Glavin and Jason Dworkin (Astrobiology Analytical Lab, Goddard Space Flight Center) reported the first independent confirmation of L-isovaline excesses in Murchison using a different analytical technique than employed by Cronin and Pizzarello. Inspired by this work, Daniel Glavin, Michael Callahan, Jason Dworkin, and Jamie Elsila (Astrobiology Analytical Lab, Goddard Space Flight Center), have done an extensive study of the abundance and symmetry of amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites that experienced a range of alteration by water in their parent asteroids. The results show that amino acids are more abundant in the less altered meteorites, implying that aqueous processing changes the mix of amino acids. They also confirmed the enrichment in L-structures of some amino acids, especially isovaline, confirming earlier work. The authors suggest that aqueously-altered planetesimals might have seeded the early Earth with nonracemic amino acids, perhaps explaining why life from microorganisms to people use only L- forms to make proteins. The initial imbalance caused by non-biologic processes in wet asteroids might have been amplified by life on Earth. Alternatively, the same processes that produced the L-amino acid excesses in carbonaceous asteroids also operated on the early Earth.

Microfossils and biomolecules in carbonaceous meteorites: possibility of life in water-bearing asteroids and comets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoover, Richard B.

2014-09-01

It is well established that carbonaceous meteorites contain water, carbon, biogenic elements and a host of organic chemicals and biomolecules. Several independent lines of evidence indicate that the parent bodies of the CI1 and CM2 carbonaceous meteorites are most probably the C-type asteroids or cometary nuclei. Several of the protein amino acids detected in the meteorites exhibit chirality and have an excess of the L-enantiomer -- such as in the amino acids present in the proteins of all known life forms on Earth. Isotopic studies have established that the amino acids and nucleobases in the CI1 and CM2 carbonaceous meteorites are both indigenous and extraterrestrial. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy studies carried out by researchers during the past half century have revealed the presence of complex biogenic microstructures embedded in the rock-matrix of many of carbonaceous meteorites similar to extinct life-forms known as acritarchs and hystrichospheres. Carbonaceous meteorites also contain a wide variety of large filaments that exhibit the complex morphologies and correct size ranges of known genera and species of photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria and diatoms. However, EDAX investigations have shown that these carbon-rich filaments typically have nitrogen content below the level of detection (<0.5% atomic) of the instrument. EDAX studies of living and dead terrestrial biological materials have shown that nitrogen can be detected in ancient mummies and tissue, hair and teeth of Pleistocene Mammoths. Hence, the absence of detectable nitrogen in the filaments provides direct evidence that they do not represent recent biological contaminants that invaded these meteorite stones after they were observed to fall to Earth. The spectral and fluorescence properties of pigments found in several species of terrestrial cyanobacteria which are similar to some microfossils found in carbonaceous meteorites may provide valuable clues to help search for evidence for biomolecules and life on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, asteroids and comets.

Hypotheses on the appearance of life on Earth (review).

PubMed

Dose, K

1986-01-01

It is generally accepted within the natural sciences that life emerged on Earth by a kind of proto-Darwinian evolution from molecular assemblies that were predominantly formed from the various constituents of the primitive atmosphere and hydrosphere. Evolutionary stages under discussion are: the self-organization of spontaneously formed biomolecules into early precursors of life (protobionts), their stepwise evolution via (postulated) protocells to (postulated) progenotes and the Darwinian evolution from progenotes to the three kingdoms of contemporary organisms (archaebacteria, eubacteria and eukaryotes). Considerable discrepancies between scientists have arisen because all evolutionary stages from prebiotic molecules to progenotes are entirely hypothetical and so are the postulated environmental conditions. We can only theorize that all those environmental conditions that allow the existence of the various forms of contemporary life might have allowed also the development of their precursors. Because of all these difficulties the hypothesis that life came to our planet from a remote place of our universe (panspermia) has been revived. But experimental evidence only supports the view that spores can--under favorable circumstances--survive a relatively short journey within our solar system (interplanetary transfer of life). It is extremely unlikely that spores can survive a journey of hundreds or thousands of years through interstellar space.

Quality of life and self-esteem in patients submitted to surgical treatment of skin carcinomas: long-term results.

PubMed

Maciel, Paula Curitiba; Veiga-Filho, Joel; Carvalho, Marcelo Prado; Fonseca, Fernando Elias Martins; Ferreira, Lydia Masako; Veiga, Daniela Francescato

2014-01-01

Cancer is a multifactorial disease and skin carcinomas are the most common type of cancer. Assessing quality of life and self-esteem outcomes in skin cancer patients is important because these are indicators of the results of the treatment, translating how patients face their lives and their personal relationships. To assess the late impact of the surgical treatment of head and/or neck skin carcinomas on quality of life and self-esteem of the patients. Fifty patients with head or neck skin carcinomas were enrolled. Their age ranged between 30 and 75 years, 27 were men and 23 were women. Patients were assessed with regard to quality of life and self-esteem, preoperatively and five years postoperatively. Validated instruments were used: the MOS 36-item Short-form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Rosenberg Self-esteem/EPM-UNIFESP Scale. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the statistical analysis. Twenty-two patients completed the five-year follow-up, 54.5% women and 45.5% men. Compared to the preoperative assessment, patients had an improvement in mental health (p=0.011) and in self-esteem (p=0.002). There was no statistical difference with regard to the other domains of the SF-36. Patients submitted to surgical treatment of skin carcinoma improved mental health and self-esteem in the late postsurgical testing.

Hidden Voices: Disabled Women's Experiences of Violence and Support Over the Life Course.

PubMed

Shah, Sonali; Tsitsou, Lito; Woodin, Sarah

2016-09-01

Violence against women is a worldwide social and human rights problem that cuts across cultural, geographic, religious, social, and economic boundaries. It affects women in countries around the world, regardless of class, religion, disability, age, or sexual identity. International evidence shows that approximately three in five women experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner. However, across the globe, women and girls with impairments or life-limiting illnesses are more susceptible to different forms of violence across a range of environments and by different perpetrators including professionals and family members as well as partners. However, they are likely to be seriously disadvantaged in gaining information and support to escape the abusive relationships. This article stems from the United Kingdom part of a comparative study with three other countries (Austria, Germany, and Iceland) funded by the European Commission (EC; 2013-2015). It presents preliminary findings, generated from life history interviews, about disabled women's experiences of violence and access to support (both formal and informal) over their life course and their aspirations for the prevention of violence in the future. The article includes examples of impairment-specific violence that non-disabled women do not experience. By bringing the voices of disabled women into the public domain, the article will facilitate a historically marginalized group to contribute to the debate about disability, violence, and support. © The Author(s) 2016.

Health care economic analyses and value-based medicine.

PubMed

Brown, Melissa M; Brown, Gary C; Sharma, Sanjay; Landy, Jennifer

2003-01-01

Health care economic analyses are becoming increasingly important in the evaluation of health care interventions, including many within ophthalmology. Encompassed with the realm of health care economic studies are cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-minimization analysis, and cost-utility analysis. Cost-utility analysis is the most sophisticated form of economic analysis and typically incorporates utility values. Utility values measure the preference for a health state and range from 0.0 (death) to 1.0 (perfect health). When the change in utility measures conferred by a health care intervention is multiplied by the duration of the benefit, the number of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained from the intervention is ascertained. This methodology incorporates both the improvement in quality of life and/or length of life, or the value, occurring as a result of the intervention. This improvement in value can then be amalgamated with discounted costs to yield expenditures per quality-adjusted life-year ($/QALY) gained. $/QALY gained is a measure that allows a comparison of the patient-perceived value of virtually all health care interventions for the dollars expended. A review of the literature on health care economic analyses, with particular emphasis on cost-utility analysis, is included in the present review. It is anticipated that cost-utility analysis will play a major role in health care within the coming decade.

Quality of life and self-esteem in patients submitted to surgical treatment of skin carcinomas: long-term results*

PubMed Central

Maciel, Paula Curitiba; Veiga-Filho, Joel; de Carvalho, Marcelo Prado; Fonseca, Fernando Elias Martins; Ferreira, Lydia Masako; Veiga, Daniela Francescato

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Cancer is a multifactorial disease and skin carcinomas are the most common type of cancer. Assessing quality of life and self-esteem outcomes in skin cancer patients is important because these are indicators of the results of the treatment, translating how patients face their lives and their personal relationships. OBJECTIVE To assess the late impact of the surgical treatment of head and/or neck skin carcinomas on quality of life and self-esteem of the patients. METHODS Fifty patients with head or neck skin carcinomas were enrolled. Their age ranged between 30 and 75 years, 27 were men and 23 were women. Patients were assessed with regard to quality of life and self-esteem, preoperatively and five years postoperatively. Validated instruments were used: the MOS 36-item Short-form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Rosenberg Self-esteem/EPM-UNIFESP Scale. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS Twenty-two patients completed the five-year follow-up, 54.5% women and 45.5% men. Compared to the preoperative assessment, patients had an improvement in mental health (p=0.011) and in self-esteem (p=0.002). There was no statistical difference with regard to the other domains of the SF-36. CONCLUSION Patients submitted to surgical treatment of skin carcinoma improved mental health and self-esteem in the late postsurgical testing. PMID:25054746

Fundamental resource dis/advantages, youth health and adult educational outcomes.

PubMed

Elman, Cheryl; Wray, Linda A; Xi, Juan

2014-01-01

Recent studies find lasting effects of poor youth health on educational attainment but use young samples and narrow life course windows of observation to explore outcomes. We apply a life course framework to three sets of Health and Retirement Study birth cohorts to examine early health status effects on education and skills attainment measured late in life. The older cohorts that we study were the earliest recipients of U.S. policies promoting continuing education through the GI Bill, community college expansions and new credentials such as the GED. We examine a wide range of outcomes but focus on GEDs, postsecondary school entry and adult human capital as job-related training. We find that older U.S. cohorts had considerable exposure to these forms of attainment and that the effects of youth health on them vary by outcome: health selection and ascription group effects are weak or fade, respectively, in outcomes associated with delayed or adult attainment. However, poorer health and social disadvantage in youth and barriers associated with ascription carry forward to limit attainment of key credentials such as diplomas and college degrees. We find that the human capital - health gradient is dynamic and that narrow windows of observation in existing studies miss much of it. National context also matters for studying health-education linkages over the life course. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dependence of Microelastic-plastic Nonlinearity of Martensitic Stainless Steel on Fatigue Damage Accumulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cantrell, John H.

2006-01-01

Self-organized substructural arrangements of dislocations formed in wavy slip metals during cyclic stress-induced fatigue produce substantial changes in the material microelastic-plastic nonlinearity, a quantitative measure of which is the nonlinearity parameter Beta extracted from acoustic harmonic generation measurements. The contributions to Beta from the substructural evolution of dislocations and crack growth for fatigued martensitic 410Cb stainless steel are calculated from the Cantrell model as a function of percent full fatigue life to fracture. A wave interaction factor f(sub WI) is introduced into the model to account experimentally for the relative volume of material fatigue damage included in the volume of material swept out by an interrogating acoustic wave. For cyclic stress-controlled loading at 551 MPa and f(sub WI) = 0.013 the model predicts a monotonic increase in Beta from dislocation substructures of almost 100 percent from the virgin state to roughly 95 percent full life. Negligible contributions from cracks are predicted in this range of fatigue life. However, over the last five percent of fatigue life the model predicts a rapid monotonic increase of Beta by several thousand percent that is dominated by crack growth. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimental measurements of 410Cb stainless steel samples fatigued in uniaxial, stress-controlled cyclic loading at 551 MPa from zero to full tensile load with a measured f(sub WI) of 0.013.

Mineralogy of Surface Serpentinite Outcrops in the Coast Range Ophiolite: Implications for the Deep Biosphere and Astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mccann, A. R.; Cardace, D.; Carnevale, D.; Ehlmann, B. L.

2011-12-01

California contains a number of ultramafic (Fe- and Mg rich) rock bodies, including the Coast Range Ophiolite, a block of oceanic crust and upper mantle tectonically emplaced onto land. These ultramafic rocks are primarily composed of olivine and pyroxene, both of which are stable at the high temperatures and pressures in the deep subsurface where they crystallize but become unstable at low temperature and low pressure conditions near the surface. They are highly reduced rocks, creating chemical disequilibria, which can theoretically provide energy to chemoautotrophic organisms. Serpentinization (serpentine-forming) reactions between the rocks and water produce hydrogen molecules, which can be metabolized by diverse organisms. Earth and Mars have shown evidence of similar early geologic histories, possibly with widespread reducing habitable environments (Schulte et al., 2006). Recent data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) have shown serpentine-bearing outcrops near Nili Fossae (21 N, 282 W) and elsewhere in Mars' cratered highlands. Serpentine-bearing outcrops are rare, but their presence confirms that such systems involving the aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks were active in the past (specifically during the Noachian epoch (older than ~3.7 billion years), possibly producing aqueous habitats suitable for chemoautotrophic life (Ehlmann et al., 2010). Remotely sensed data cannot confirm whether there is active serpentinization on Mars, however exposed, presently serpentinizing ultramafics in terrestrial ophiolites such as those of the California Coast Range provide points of comparison for similar Martian rocks. Volume expansion during serpentinization fractures the host rock, exposing new reaction surfaces, allowing further serpentinization. If subsurface liquid water is present on Mars, serpentinization may still be occurring. We will provide x-ray diffraction and petrographic data for surface serpentinites from the Coast Range Ophiolite, along with aerial-view maps, which will be compared with imagery and data for recently confirmed serpentinite exposures in the Nili Fossae region of the Martian surface. A summary table of terrestrial microbes (and their metabolisms) detected in serpentinite groundwaters will be provided, to add specificity to candidate subterranean life forms on Mars, be they active presently or in the planet's history. Ehlmann et al. 2010. GRL 37:1-5 Schulte et al. 2006. Astrobiology 6(2):364-376

Oxidative stress, redox stress or redox success?

PubMed

Gutteridge, John M C; Halliwell, Barry

2018-05-09

The first life forms evolved in a highly reducing environment. This reduced state is still carried by cells today, which makes the concept of "reductive stress" somewhat redundant. When oxygen became abundant on the Earth, due to the evolution of photosynthesis, life forms had to adapt or become extinct. Living organisms did adapt, proliferated and an explosion of new life forms resulted, using reactive oxygen species (ROS) to drive their evolution. Adaptation to oxygen and its reduction intermediates necessitated the simultaneous evolution of select antioxidant defences, carefully regulated to allow ROS to perform their major roles. Clearly this "oxidative stress" did not cause a major problem to the evolution of complex life forms. Why not? Iron and oxygen share a close relationship in aerobic evolution. Iron is used in proteins to transport oxygen, promote electron transfers, and catalyse chemical reactions. In all of these functions, iron is carefully sequestered within proteins and restricted from reacting with ROS, this sequestration being one of our major antioxidant defences. Iron was abundant to life forms before the appearance of oxygen. However, oxygen caused its oxidative precipitation from solution and thereby decreased its bioavailability and thus the risk of iron-dependent oxidative damage. Micro-organisms had to adapt and develop strategies involving siderophores to acquire iron from the environment and eventually their host. This battle for iron between bacteria and animal hosts continues today, and is a much greater daily threat to our survival than "oxidative stress" and "redox stress". Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Patterns of Leaf Biochemical and Structural Properties of Cerrado Life Forms: Implications for Remote Sensing

PubMed Central

Ball, Aaron; Sanchez-Azofeifa, Arturo; Portillo-Quintero, Carlos; Rivard, Benoit; Castro-Contreras, Saulo; Fernandes, Geraldo

2015-01-01

Aim The general goal of this study is to investigate and analyze patterns of ecophysiological leaf traits and spectral response among life forms (trees, shrubs and lianas) in the Cerrado ecosystem. In this study, we first tested whether life forms are discriminated through leaf level functional traits. We then explored the correlation between leaf-level plant functional traits and spectral reflectance. Location Serra do Cipo National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods Six ecophysiological leaf traits were selected to best characterize differences between life forms in the woody plant community of the Cerrado. Results were compared to spectral vegetation indices to determine if plant groups provide means to separate leaf spectral responses. Results Values obtained from leaf traits were similar to results reported from other tropical dry sites. Trees and shrubs significantly differed from lianas in terms of the percentage of leaf water content and Specific Leaf Area. Spectral indices were insufficient to capture the differences of these key traits between groups, though indices were still adequately correlated to overall trait variation. Conclusion The importance of life forms as biochemical and structurally distinctive groups is a significant finding for future remote sensing studies of vegetation, especially in arid and semi-arid environments. The traits we found as indicative of these groups (SLA and water content) are good candidates for spectral characterization. Future studies need to use the full wavelength (400 nm–2500 nm) in order to capture the potential response of these traits. The ecological linkage to water balance and life strategies encourages these traits as starting points for modeling plant communities using hyperspectral remote sensing. PMID:25692675

A review of Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) life history in its ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) have caused and have the potential to cause great ecological damage as invasive species in North America, parts of the European Union, Scandinavian countries, and the United Kingdom. The objectives of this review are to define the Ruffe's native and non-native range, examine the life history requirements of Ruffe, explore the Ruffe life cycle, and differentiate between the life stages. We compare Ruffe in their native range to Ruffe in their non-native range to determine if there are any differences in habitat, size, age, genotype, or migratory patterns in the winter. Literature from both the native and non-native ranges of Ruffe, with a particular emphasis on rare translated literature, is used. Ruffe have variability and plasticity in their chemical, physical, biological, and habitat requirements in their native and non-native ranges. Adult Ruffe have a suite of characteristics that make them adaptable to novel environments, including age and size at maturity, maximum age and length (and/ or weight), reproduction type, genotype, feeding habits, seasonal movements, and spawning movements. There is variability among these characteristics seen between the Ruffe's native, non-native North American, and European non-native populations. Based on the Ruffe's variable life history strategies and their recent range expansion, all of the Great Lakes and many other regions in the U.K., Europe, and Scandinavian countries could be vulnerable t

Economics, health-related quality of life, and cost-effectiveness methods for the TACTICS (Treat Angina With Aggrastat [tirofiban

PubMed

Weintraub, W S; Culler, S D; Kosinski, A; Becker, E R; Mahoney, E; Burnette, J; Spertus, J A; Feeny, D; Cohen, D J; Krumholz, H; Ellis, S G; Demopoulos, L; Robertson, D; Boccuzzi, S J; Barr, E; Cannon, C P

1999-02-01

Concern over escalating health care costs has led to increasing focus on economics and assessment of outcome measures for expensive forms of therapy. This is being investigated in the Treat Angina With Aggrastat [tirofiban] and Determine Cost of Therapy with Invasive or Conservative Strategy (TACTICS)-TIMI 18 trial, a randomized trial comparing outcome of patients with unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction treated with tirofiban and then randomized to an invasive versus a conservative strategy. Hospital and professional costs initially and over 6 months, including outpatient costs, will be assessed. Hospital costs will be determined for patients in the United States from the UB92 formulation of the hospital bill, with costs derived from charges using departmental cost to charge ratios. Professional costs will be determined by accounting for professional services and then converted to resource units using the Resource Based Relative Value Scale and then to costs using the Medicare conversion factor. Follow-up resource consumption, including medications, testing and office visits, will be carefully measured with a Patient Economic Form, and converted to costs from the Medicare fee schedule. Health-related quality of life will be assessed with a specific instrument, the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, and a general instrument, the Health Utilities Index at baseline, 1, and 6 months. The Health Utilities Index will also be used to construct a utility. By knowing utility and survival, quality-adjusted life years will be determined. These measures will permit the performance of a cost-effectiveness analysis, with the cost-effectiveness of the invasive strategy defined and the difference in cost between the invasive and conservative strategies divided by the difference in quality-adjusted life years. The economic and health-related quality of life aspects of TACTICS-TIMI 18 are an integral part of the study design and will provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of invasive versus conservative management strategies on a broad range of outcomes after hospitalization for unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction.

Stellar age spreads in clusters as imprints of cluster-parent clump densities

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

Parmentier, G.; Grebel, E. K.; Pfalzner, S.

2014-08-20

It has recently been suggested that high-density star clusters have stellar age distributions much narrower than that of the Orion Nebula Cluster, indicating a possible trend of narrower age distributions for denser clusters. We show this effect to likely arise from star formation being faster in gas with a higher density. We model the star formation history of molecular clumps in equilibrium by associating a star formation efficiency per free-fall time, ε{sub ff}, to their volume density profile. We focus on the case of isothermal spheres and we obtain the evolution with time of their star formation rate. Our modelmore » predicts a steady decline of the star formation rate, which we quantify with its half-life time, namely, the time needed for the star formation rate to drop to half its initial value. Given the uncertainties affecting the star formation efficiency per free-fall time, we consider two distinct values: ε{sub ff} = 0.1 and ε{sub ff} = 0.01. When ε{sub ff} = 0.1, the half-life time is of the order of the clump free-fall time, τ{sub ff}. As a result, the age distributions of stars formed in high-density clumps have smaller full-widths at half-maximum than those of stars formed in low-density clumps. When the star formation efficiency per free-fall time is 0.01, the half-life time is 10 times longer, i.e., 10 clump free-fall times. We explore what happens if the duration of star formation is shorter than 10τ{sub ff}, that is, if the half-life time of the star formation rate cannot be defined. There, we build on the invariance of the shape of the young cluster mass function to show that an anti-correlation between the clump density and the duration of star formation is expected. We therefore conclude that, regardless of whether the duration of star formation is longer than the star formation rate half-life time, denser molecular clumps yield narrower star age distributions in clusters. Published densities and stellar age spreads of young clusters and star-forming regions actually suggest that the timescale for star formation is of order 1-4τ{sub ff}. We also discuss how the age bin size and uncertainties in stellar ages affect our results. We conclude that there is no need to invoke the existence of multiple cluster formation mechanisms to explain the observed range of stellar age spreads in clusters.« less

Translabyrinthine surgery for disabling vertigo in vestibular schwannoma patients.

PubMed

Godefroy, W P; Hastan, D; van der Mey, A G L

2007-06-01

To determine the impact of translabyrinthine surgery on the quality of life in vestibular schwannoma patients with rotatory vertigo. Prospective study in 18 vestibular schwannoma patients. The study was conducted in a multispecialty tertiary care clinic. All 18 patients had a unilateral intracanalicular vestibular schwannoma, without serviceable hearing in the affected ear and severely handicapped by attacks of rotatory vertigo and constant dizziness. Despite an initial conservative treatment, extensive vestibular rehabilitation exercises, translabyrinthine surgery was performed because of the disabling character of the vertigo, which considerably continued to affect the patients' quality of life. Preoperative and postoperative quality of life using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (Short Form-36) scores and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scores. A total of 17 patients (94%) completed the questionnaire preoperatively and 3 and 12 months postoperatively. All Short Form-36 scales of the studied patients scored significantly lower when compared with the healthy Dutch control sample (P < 0.05). There was a significant improvement of DHI total scores and Short Form-36 scales on physical and social functioning, role-physical functioning, role-emotional functioning, mental health and general health at 12 months after surgery when compared with preoperative scores (P < 0.05). Vestibular schwannoma patients with disabling vertigo, experience significant reduced quality of life when compared with a healthy Dutch population. Translabyrinthine tumour removal significantly improved the patients' quality of life. Surgical treatment should be considered in patients with small- or medium-sized tumours and persisting disabling vertigo resulting in a poor quality of life.

Searching for life in the Universe: unconventional methods for an unconventional problem.

PubMed

Nealson, K H; Tsapin, A; Storrie-Lombardi, M

2002-12-01

The search for life, on and off our planet, can be done by conventional methods with which we are all familiar. These methods are sensitive and specific, and are often capable of detecting even single cells. However, if the search broadens to include life that may be different (even subtly different) in composition, the methods and even the approach must be altered. Here we discuss the development of what we call non-earthcentric life detection--detecting life with methods that could detect life no matter what its form or composition. To develop these methods, we simply ask, can we define life in terms of its general properties and particularly those that can be measured and quantified? Taking such an approach we can search for life using physics and chemistry to ask questions about structure, chemical composition, thermodynamics, and kinetics. Structural complexity can be searched for using computer algorithms that recognize complex structures. Once identified, these structures can be examined for a variety of chemical traits, including elemental composition, chirality, and complex chemistry. A second approach involves defining our environment in terms of energy sources (i.e., reductants), and oxidants (e.g. what is available to eat and breathe), and then looking for areas in which such phenomena are inexplicably out of chemical equilibrium. These disequilibria, when found, can then be examined in detail for the presence of the structural and chemical complexity that presumably characterizes any living systems. By this approach, we move the search for life to one that should facilitate the detection of any earthly life it encountered, as well as any non-conventional life forms that have structure, complex chemistry, and live via some form of redox chemistry.

Mental and physical health-related quality of life in obese patients before and after bariatric surgery: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Magallares, Alejandro; Schomerus, Georg

2015-01-01

In this meta-analysis, we review studies that compare mental and physical health-related quality of life measured with the Short-Form 36 of obese patients before and after bariatric surgery with a follow-up measure until one year. Twenty-one studies were selected to conduct the meta-analysis about the relationship between quality of life in obesity before (2680 subjects) and after (2251 subjects) bariatric surgery. Results reveal that obese patients scored less in the mental health component of the Short-Form 36 before bariatric surgery than after (d = -9.00). The same pattern could be observed in the case of the physical health component of the Short-Form 36 (d = -22.84). The results show the strong improvement that obese patients experience in both mental and physical components of the Short-Form 36 after receiving bariatric surgery.

Experiments of the Essential Amino Acids at high temperature and high pressure using DAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubo, K.; Okamoto, K.

2017-12-01

Amino acids are organic compounds that form the fundamental part of life. Proteins are formed by peptide binding and polymerization of amino acids. Amino acids are polymerized in the ridge hydrothermal field, formed proteins, and might be evolved into life. Experimental studies on the polymerization of amino acids in hydrothermal environments have been conducted. However, they were hydrothermal experiments and after the experiments. All run products (amid-acids) were observed at ambient condition. Few in-situ observations of amino acids were done in experiments in hydrothermal condition. In order to perform in-situ observation of the polymerization of amino acids, we have conducted the DAC experiments. Amino acids were filled in the DAC, pressures were applied, then heated to high temperature with Raman analysis. In preliminary experiment using glycine, polymerization forming diglycine, were completed. Investigation amino acids polymerization under hydrothermal condition would shed light for new view of early life science.

Effect of cooling rate during hot stamping on low cyclic fatigue of boron steel sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suh, Chang Hee; Jang, Won Seok; Oh, Sang Kyun; Lee, Rac Gyu; Jung, Yun-Chul; Kim, Young Suk

2012-08-01

Boron steel is widely used throughout the automobile industry due to its high tensile strength and hardenability. When boron steel is used for body parts, only high strength is required for crashworthiness. However, when boron steel is used for chassis parts, a high fatigue life is needed. The microstructure of boron steel is mainly affected by the cooling rate during hot stamping. Therefore, this study investigated the low cyclic fatigue life according to the cooling rate. The fatigue life increased at a low strain amplitude when the cooling rate was fast. However, at a high strain amplitude, the fatigue life decreased, due to the low ductility and fracture toughness of the martensite formed by rapid cooling. Martensite formed by a fast cooling rate shows excellent fatigue life at a low total strain amplitude; however, a multiphase microstructure formed by a slow cooling rate is recommended if the parts experience high and low total strain amplitudes alternately. In addition, the cooling rate has little effect on the distribution of solute boron and boron precipitations, so it is expected that boron rarely affects low cyclic fatigue.

Clever mothers balance time and effort in parental care: a study on free-ranging dogs

PubMed Central

Sau, Shubhra

2017-01-01

Mammalian offspring require parental care, at least in the form of nursing during their early development. While mothers need to invest considerable time and energy in ensuring the survival of their current offspring, they also need to optimize their investment in one batch of offspring in order to ensure future reproduction and hence lifetime reproductive success. Free-ranging dogs live in small social groups, mate promiscuously and lack the cooperative breeding biology of other group-living canids. They face high early-life mortality, which in turn reduces fitness benefits of the mother from a batch of pups. We carried out a field-based study on free-ranging dogs in India to understand the nature of maternal care. Our analysis reveals that mothers reduce investment in energy-intensive active care and increase passive care as the pups grow older, thereby keeping overall levels of care more or less constant over pup age. Using the patterns of mother–pup interactions, we define the different phases of maternal care behaviour. PMID:28280555

Relationship between overweight and health-related quality of life in secondary school children in Fiji: results from a cross-sectional population-based study.

PubMed

Petersen, S; Moodie, M; Mavoa, H; Waqa, G; Goundar, R; Swinburn, B

2014-04-01

To investigate the relationship between excess weight (overweight and obesity) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of secondary school children in Fiji, by gender, age and ethnicity. The study comprised 8947 children from forms 3-6 (age 12-18 years) in 18 secondary schools on Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured height and weight, and weight status was classified according to the International Obesity Task Force recommendations. HRQoL was measured by the self-report version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. HRQoL was similar in children with obesity and normal weight. Generally, this was replicated when analyzed separately by gender and ethnicity, but age stratification revealed disparities. In 12-14-year-old children, obesity was associated with better HRQoL, owing to better social and school functioning and well-being, and in 15-18-year olds with poorer HRQoL, owing to worse physical, emotional and social functioning and well-being (Cohen's d 0.2-0.3). Children with a BMI in the overweight range also reported a slightly lower HRQoL than children with a BMI in the normal weight range, but although statistically significant, the size of this difference was trivial (Cohen's d <0.2). The results suggest that, overall there is no meaningful negative association between excess weight and HRQoL in secondary school children in Fiji. This is in contradiction to the negative relationship between excess weight and HRQoL shown in studies from other countries and cultures. The assumption that a large body size is associated with a lower quality of life cannot be held universally. Although a generally low HRQoL among children in Fiji may be masking or overriding the potential effect of excess weight on HRQoL, socio-economic and/or socio-cultural factors, may help to explain these relationships.

Life Test Approach for Refractory Metal/Sodium Heat Pipes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, James J.; Reid, Robert S.

2006-01-01

Heat pipe life tests described in the literature have seldom been conducted on a systematic basis. Typically one or more heat pipes are built and tested for an extended period at a single temperature with simple condenser loading. The objective of this work was to establish an approach to generate carefully controlled data that can conclusively establish heat pipe operating life with material-fluid combinations capable of extended operation. Approximately 10 years of operational life might be compressed into 3 years of laboratory testing through a combination of increased temperature and mass fluence. To accomplish this goal test series have been identified, based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications, to investigate long term corrosion rates. The heat pipes selected for demonstration purposes are fabricated from a Molybdenum-44.5%Rhenium refractory metal alloy and include an internal crescent annular wick design formed by hot isostatic pressing. A processing methodology has been devised that incorporates vacuum distillation filling with an integrated purity sampling technique for the sodium working fluid. Energy is supplied by radio frequency induction coils coupled to the heat pipe evaporator with an input range of 1 to 5 kW per unit while a static gas gap coupled water calorimeter provides condenser cooling for heat pipe temperatures ranging from 1123 to 1323 K. The test chamber's atmosphere would require active purification to maintain low oxygen concentrations at an operating pressure of approximately 75 torr. The test is designed to operate round-the-clock with 6-month non-destructive inspection intervals to identify the onset and level of corrosion. At longer intervals specific heat pipes are destructively evaluated to verify the non-destructive observations. Accomplishments prior to project cancellation included successful demonstration of the heat pipe wick fabrication technique, establishment of all engineering designs, baselined operational test requirements and procurement/assembly of supporting test hardware systems.

Predictors of health-related quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. A cross-sectional study in Norway.

PubMed

Michalsen, Vilde Lehne; Vandvik, Per Olav; Farup, Per G

2015-07-30

Reduced quality of life (QoL) is often the main problem for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study aimed at finding predictors of reduced physical and mental quality of life (QoL) accessible for intervention. Consecutive patients with IBS (according to the Rome II criteria) visiting a general practitioner were included in a prospective cohort study and followed up for 6-9 months. At the last visit, information about sociodemographic characteristics, abdominal complaints, QoL and a range of physical and mental comorbidities were collected. Physical and mental QoL were measured with the generic QoL instrument Short Form-12 Physical Component Score (SF-12 PCS) and Short Form-12 Mental Component Score (SF-12 MCS) respectively. The normal scores are 50. This cross-sectional study used data from the last visit. Out of 208 patients included in the cohort study, 149 (female/male: 105/44) with a mean age of 52 years (SD 15.3) were available for the analyses. Physical and mental QoL were reduced, the mean SF-12 PCS and SF-12 MCS scores were 38.4 (SD 11.9) and 45.0 (SD 11.3) respectively. The main independent predictors of low SF-12 PCS and SF-12 MCS were subjective health complaints and organic diseases, and affective disorders respectively. The severity of IBS symptoms was of minor clinical importance. To help patients with IBS and reduced QoL, treatment should focus on QoL and not on relief of IBS symptoms. The different causes of reduced physical and mental QoL make an individually directed treatment necessary.

Quality of life in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: correlation between QUALEFFO 41 and SF-36.

PubMed

de Oliveira Ferreira, Néville; Arthuso, Michael; da Silva, Raimunda; Pedro, Adriana Orcesi; Pinto Neto, Aarão Mendes; Costa-Paiva, Lucia

2009-01-20

To evaluate quality of life (QoL) in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, correlating the QUALEFFO 41 with the short-form health survey 36 (SF-36) and evaluated some factors that can influenced the QoL of women with osteoporosis. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 220 postmenopausal women (ages ranging from 55 to 80 years). Of the total number, 110 women had osteoporosis and 110 women did not have osteoporosis and these women were age-matched (+/-3 years). Two questionnaires were administered to all subjects for evaluation of QoL: the quality of life questionnaire of the European foundation for Osteoporosis 41 (QUALEFFO 41) and the short-form health survey 36 (SF-36). For data analysis, a significance level of 5% was set (p<0.05). Clinical characteristics between the groups were similar, with statistically significant differences only in body mass index (BMI), race, school education, age at menopause and use of hormone therapy (HT) (p<0.001). Women with osteoporosis had a worse QoL both in the QUALEFFO 41 and in the SF-36, in all domains studied. Data was adjusted for BMI, race, school education and use of HT (p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between all domains in the QUALEFFO 41 questionnaire and their corresponding domains in the SF-36 (p<0.001). The only factors related to worse QoL were BMI>25 and sedentary lifestyle. In contrast, paid work was associated with a better QoL (CI=95%). Women with osteoporosis had an impaired QoL, especially relating to the physical, psychological and social aspects. The factors associated with QoL were obesity, sedentary lifestyle and paid work.

The Effects of Perchlorates on the Permafrost Methanogens: Implication for Autotrophic Life on Mars

PubMed Central

Shcherbakova, Viktoria; Oshurkova, Viktoria; Yoshimura, Yoshitaka

2015-01-01

The terrestrial permafrost represents a range of possible cryogenic extraterrestrial ecosystems on Earth-like planets without obvious surface ice, such as Mars. The autotrophic and chemolithotrophic psychrotolerant methanogens are more likely than aerobes to function as a model for life forms that may exist in frozen subsurface environments on Mars, which has no free oxygen, inaccessible organic matter, and extremely low amounts of unfrozen water. Our research on the genesis of methane, its content and distribution in permafrost horizons of different ages and origin demonstrated the presence of methane in permanently frozen fine-grained sediments. Earlier, we isolated and described four strains of methanogenic archaea of Methanobacterium and Methanosarcina genera from samples of Pliocene and Holocene permafrost from Eastern Siberia. In this paper we study the effect of sodium and magnesium perchlorates on growth of permafrost and nonpermafrost methanogens, and present evidence that permafrost hydogenotrophic methanogens are more resistant to the chaotropic agent found in Martian soil. In this paper we study the effect of sodium and magnesium perchlorates on the growth of permafrost and nonpermafrost methanogens, and present evidence that permafrost hydogenotrophic methanogens are more resistant to the chaotropic agent found in Martian soil. Furthermore, as shown in the studies strain M2T M. arcticum, probably can use perchlorate anion as an electron acceptor in anaerobic methane oxidation. Earth’s subzero subsurface environments are the best approximation of environments on Mars, which is most likely to harbor methanogens; thus, a biochemical understanding of these pathways is expected to provide a basis for designing experiments to detect autotrophic methane-producing life forms on Mars. PMID:27682103

Impact of treatment on health-related quality of life in patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

PubMed

Lopez-Escamez, Jose A; Gamiz, Maria J; Fernandez-Perez, Antonio; Gomez-Fiñana, Manuel; Sanchez-Canet, Isabel

2003-07-01

To determine the impact of the particle repositioning maneuver on posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo-related quality of life using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory Short Form. Prospective, consecutive new cases of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Ambulatory, primary referral hospital. Forty individuals with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo were investigated. The diagnosis was made on the basis of the history of recurrent sudden crisis of vertigo and positional-induced nystagmus during the Dix-Hallpike test. All patients were treated by a single particle repositioning maneuver, and relapses were investigated at Days 7 and 30 posttreatment. Percentage of patients with negative Dix-Hallpike test after treatment, scores obtained on the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and Dizziness Handicap Inventory Short Form before and 30 days after treatment. DHT was found negative in 76% (28 of 37) individuals at 30 days. The eight scales of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey had a good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha > 0.7) in patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The average standardized score for each 36-Item Short Form Health Survey scale was compared with the reference population normative data, showing differences with norms for all scales, except for Vitality. After particle repositioning maneuver, patients scored closer to norms, and Social Function and Mental Health scores were significantly higher than the scores obtained before the particle repositioning maneuver (p < 0.05). Dizziness Handicap Inventory Short Form total score significantly decreased from 18.05 +/- 9.91 (mean +/- standard deviation) at the first day to 9.54 +/- 9.94 at 30 days (p < 0.001). All 36-Item Short Form Health Survey scale scores were correlated significantly with Dizziness Handicap Inventory Short Form total scores at 30 days after treatment. Posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo has a significant impact on health-related quality of life, and patients experienced a decrease in quality of life as compared with norms. The particle repositioning maneuver improves health-related quality of life in posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Associations between adult attachment and: oral health-related quality of life, oral health behaviour, and self-rated oral health.

PubMed

Meredith, Pamela; Strong, Jenny; Ford, Pauline; Branjerdporn, Grace

2016-02-01

Although adult attachment theory has been revealed as a useful theoretical framework for understanding a range of health parameters, the associations between adult attachment patterns and a range of oral health parameters have not yet been examined. The aim of this study was to examine potential associations between attachment insecurity and: (1) oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), (2) oral health behaviours, and (3) self-rated oral health. In association with this aim, sample characteristics were compared with normative data. The sample in this cross-sectional study was comprised of 265 healthy adults, recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected on attachment patterns (Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short Form, ECR-S), OHRQoL (Oral Health Impact Profile-14, OHIP-14), oral health behaviours (modified Dental Neglect Scale, m-DNS), and self-rated oral health (one-item global rating of oral health). Multivariate regression models were performed. Both dimensions of attachment insecurity were associated with lowered use of favourable dental visiting behaviours, as well as decreased OHRQoL for both overall well-being and specific aspects of OHRQoL. Attachment avoidance was linked with diminished self-rated oral health. This study supports the potential value of an adult attachment framework for understanding a range of oral health parameters. The assessment of a client's attachment pattern may assist in the identification of people who are at risk of diminished OHRQoL, less adaptive dental visiting behaviours, or poorer oral health. Further research in this field may inform ways in which attachment approaches can enhance oral health-related interventions.

Contextualizing the Self: The Emergence of a Biographical Understanding in Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habermas, Tilmann; Hatiboglu, Nese

2014-01-01

In adolescence, remembering the personal past and understanding what kind of person one is intertwine to form a story of one's life as the most extant, informative, and flexible form of self-representation. In adolescence, the striving for self-coherence translates into a quest for global coherence of the life story. We suggest that…

Nutrient Foraging Traits in 10 Co-occurring Plant Species of Contrasting Life Forms

Treesearch

Juliet C. Einsmann; Robert H. Jones; Mou Pu; Robert J. Mitchell

1999-01-01

1 Responses to spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients were tested in 10 plant species that differ in life form and successional status, but which co-occur in the South Carolina coastal plain. The morphological responses of the root system were tested by assessing scale (represented by root mass and root length densities), precision (preferential...

75 FR 68038 - Agency Information Collection (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity Under OMB Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-04

... Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration... . Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900- 0212.'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Veterans Mortgage Life... currently approved collection. Abstract: Veterans complete VA Form 29-8636 to decline Veterans Mortgage Life...

78 FR 58611 - Agency Information Collection (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity Under OMB Review

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2013-09-24

... Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration... INFORMATION: Title: Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Statement, VA Form 29-8636. OMB Control Number: 2900-0212...-8636 to decline Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) or to provide information upon which the...

Development and psychometric evaluation of a health-related quality of life instrument for individuals with adult-onset hearing loss.

PubMed

Stika, Carren J; Hays, Ron D

2015-07-01

Self-reports of 'hearing handicap' are available, but a comprehensive measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for individuals with adult-onset hearing loss (AOHL) does not exist. Our objective was to develop and evaluate a multidimensional HRQOL instrument for individuals with AOHL. The Impact of Hearing Loss Inventory Tool (IHEAR-IT) was developed using results of focus groups, a literature review, advisory expert panel input, and cognitive interviews. The 73-item field-test instrument was completed by 409 adults (22-91 years old) with varying degrees of AOHL and from different areas of the USA. Multitrait scaling analysis supported four multi-item scales and five individual items. Internal consistency reliabilities ranged from 0.93 to 0.96 for the scales. Construct validity was supported by correlations between the IHEAR-IT scales and scores on the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, version 2.0 (SF-36v2) mental composite summary (r = 0.32-0.64) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly/Adults (HHIE/HHIA) (r ≥ -0.70). The field test provides initial support for the reliability and construct validity of the IHEAR-IT for evaluating HRQOL of individuals with AOHL. Further research is needed to evaluate the responsiveness to change of the IHEAR-IT scales and identify items for a short-form.

Changes in epiphyte communities as the shrub, Acer circinatum, develops and ages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruchty, A.M.; Rosso, A.L.

2001-01-01

The Pacific Northwest tall shrub Acer circinatum (vine maple) can host diverse and abundant epiphyte communities. A chronosequence approach revealed that these communities gradually shift in composition as the shrub progresses through its life cycle. Different epiphytic life forms occupy different spatial and temporal niches on shrub stems. These life forms generally shift upwards along the shrub stem as the stem ages and develops, in accordance with the similar gradient hypothesis. We postulate the following sequence of events. An initial wave of colonization occurs as new substrate is laid down. Over time, superior competitors gradually engulf and overgrow competitively inferior primary colonizers. Concurrently, shrub stem microclimate changes as shrub stems grow, age, and layer, causing the processes of competition and colonization to shift in favor of different epiphytic life forms during different life stages of the shrub stem. We define four separate shrub stem life stages: life classes 1a??4 describe, respectively, young upright a??whipsa??; vigorous, upright, mature stems; declining stems beginning to bend towards the forest floor; and horizontal, decadent stems. As space on the shrub stem is filled through growth and colonization, interspecific competition intensifies. Successful competitors persist and spread, while poor competitors are increasingly restricted to the stem tips, where interspecific competition is less intense. In these forests, Usnea, green-algal foliose lichens, and moss tufts excel as the primary colonizers and become common on the outer portions of shrub stems over time, as long as the overstory is not too dense. Moss mats are also good primary colonizers, but excel as secondary colonizers, often coming to dominate decadent shrub stems. Although all life forms can be primary colonizers, the remaining forms (cyanolichens, liverworts, and Antitrichia curtipendula) are effective secondary colonizers. Liverworts are also effective competitors, but less so than the moss mats on the most decadent stems. Cyanolichens appear to benefit from the aging and decline of shrub stems. The ability of vine maple to continually generate new young stems through basal sprouting and layering make it a varied and dynamic substrate for epiphytes. Such shrubs may act as epiphyte dispersal agents, with the potential to affect epiphyte continuity within forest stands that have experienced large disturbances.

Laboratory insights into the detection of surface biosignatures by remote-sensing techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poch, O.; Pommerol, A.; Jost, B.; Roditi, I.; Frey, J.; Thomas, N.

2014-03-01

With the progress of direct imaging techniques, it will be possible in the short or long-term future to retrieve more efficiently the information on the physical properties of the light reflected by rocky exoplanets (Traub et al., 2010). The search for visible-infrared absorption bands of peculiar gases (O2, CH4 etc.) in this light could give clues for the presence of life (Kaltenegger and Selsis, 2007). Even more uplifting would be the direct detection of life itself, on the surface of an exoplanet. Considering this latter possibility, what is the potential of optical remote-sensing methods to detect surface biosignatures? Reflected light from the surface of the Earth exhibits a strong surface biosignature in the form of an abrupt change of reflectance between the visible and infrared range of the spectrum (Seager et al., 2005). This spectral feature called "vegetation red-edge" is possibly the consequence of biological evolution selecting the right chemical structures enabling the plants to absorb the visible energy, while preventing them from overheating by reflecting more efficiently the infrared. Such red-edge is also found in primitive photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria, that colonized the surface of the Earth ocean and continents billions of years before multicellular plants (Knacke, 2003). If life ever arose on an Earth-like exoplanet, one could hypothesize that some form of its surface-life evolves into similar photo-active organisms, also exhibiting a red-edge. In this paper, we will present our plan and preliminary results of a laboratory study aiming at precising the potentiality of remote sensing techniques in detecting such surface biosignatures. Using equipment that has been developed in our team for surface photometry studies (Pommerol 2011, Jost 2013, Pommerol 2013), we will investigate the reflectance spectra and bidirectional reflectance function of soils containing bacteria such as cyanobacteria, in various environmental conditions. We will also present our plan to incorporate polarization measurements, and particularly circular polarization, because it can be a marker of homochirality, which is supposed to be a universal property of life. Finally, the analyses of both biotic and abiotic materials will help to assess if (or in which peculiar conditions) remote sensing techniques can discriminate between false positive and strong biomarkers. Ultimately, these laboratory data can serve as reference data to guide and interpret future observations, paving the way for the detection of life on distant exoplanets.

The 50Ah NiH2 cell life test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jamin, Thierry; Puig, Olivier

1992-01-01

Information is given in viewgraph form for the 50 AhNiH2 cell life test results. Information is given on pressure vessel design, electrochemical/stack design, cell electrical characteristics, and cell life test results.

Health-Related Quality of Life of Former Lead Workers in Brazil.

PubMed

Teixeira, Martha Carvalho Pereira; Carvalho, Fernando Martins; Lins, Liliane

2015-11-03

Little is known about the health-related quality of life of former lead workers. Using the Short-Form 36 Questionnaire (SF-36), a cross-section design study evaluated the health-related quality of life of 186 former workers of a lead smelter that operated in Santo Amaro da Purificação, Brazil, from 1960 to 1993, when it closed down. The smelter had very poor occupational and environmental hygiene standards. The health-related quality of life of former lead workers was low, compared to population-based and other nosological groups from Brazil. Former lead workers who indicated metal poisoning, difficulty getting another job and who could not get another job after dismissal by the smelter presented poorer health-related quality of life. Former lead workers with poor health-related quality of life form part of the huge occupational liability left by the Santo Amaro lead smelter.

Extended Aging Theories for Predictions of Safe Operational Life of Critical Airborne Structural Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Chen, Tony

2006-01-01

The previously developed Ko closed-form aging theory has been reformulated into a more compact mathematical form for easier application. A new equivalent loading theory and empirical loading theories have also been developed and incorporated into the revised Ko aging theory for the prediction of a safe operational life of airborne failure-critical structural components. The new set of aging and loading theories were applied to predict the safe number of flights for the B-52B aircraft to carry a launch vehicle, the structural life of critical components consumed by load excursion to proof load value, and the ground-sitting life of B-52B pylon failure-critical structural components. A special life prediction method was developed for the preflight predictions of operational life of failure-critical structural components of the B-52H pylon system, for which no flight data are available.

Capacity fade of LiAlyNi1-x-yCoxO2 cathode for lithium-ion batteries during accelerated calendar and cycle life tests (surface analysis of LiAlyNi1-x-yCoxO2 cathode after cycle tests in restricted depth of discharge ranges)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shoichiro; Kinoshita, Masahiro; Hosokawa, Takashi; Morigaki, Kenichi; Nakura, Kensuke

2014-07-01

Cycle performance at 60 °C for a Li Al0.10Ni0.76Co0.14O2 (NCA) cathode/graphite cell was greatly improved when a DOD range in charge-discharge cycling (ΔDOD) was restricted. The deterioration mechanism was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy-loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS). Only after the cycle test in the ΔDOD of 0-100%, many micro-cracks were generated in the inter-surface between the primary particles which aggregated to form the secondary particles, and a NiO-like resistance layer with Fm3m rock salt structure was formed on each primary particle which was contact with other primary particles and electrolyte. It can be concluded that the lack of contact between the primary particles with the micro-crack generation and the formation of the new resistance layer are responsible for the capacity fading and the rise in impedance during charge-discharge cycle in the wide ΔDOD.

Biofilm formation and potential for iron cycling in serpentinization-influenced groundwater of the Zambales and Coast Range ophiolites.

PubMed

Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Casar, Caitlin P; Simon, Alexander G; Cardace, Dawn; Schrenk, Matthew O; Arcilla, Carlo A

2018-05-01

Terrestrial serpentinizing systems harbor microbial subsurface life. Passive or active microbially mediated iron transformations at alkaline conditions in deep biosphere serpentinizing ecosystems are understudied. We explore these processes in the Zambales (Philippines) and Coast Range (CA, USA) ophiolites, and associated surface ecosystems by probing the relevance of samples acquired at the surface to in situ, subsurface ecosystems, and the nature of microbe-mineral associations in the subsurface. In this pilot study, we use microcosm experiments and batch culturing directed at iron redox transformations to confirm thermodynamically based predictions that iron transformations may be important in subsurface serpentinizing ecosystems. Biofilms formed on rock cores from the Zambales ophiolite on surface and in-pit associations, confirming that organisms from serpentinizing systems can form biofilms in subsurface environments. Analysis by XPS and FTIR confirmed that enrichment culturing utilizing ferric iron growth substrates produced reduced, magnetic solids containing siderite, spinels, and FeO minerals. Microcosms and enrichment cultures supported organisms whose near relatives participate in iron redox transformations. Further, a potential 'principal' microbial community common to solid samples in serpentinizing systems was identified. These results indicate collectively that iron redox transformations should be more thoroughly and universally considered when assessing the function of terrestrial subsurface ecosystems driven by serpentinization.

Thermodynamics of water-solid interactions in crystalline and amorphous pharmaceutical materials.

PubMed

Sacchetti, Mark

2014-09-01

Pharmaceutical materials, crystalline and amorphous, sorb water from the atmosphere, which affects critical factors in the development of drugs, such as the selection of drug substance crystal form, compatibility with excipients, dosage form selection, packaging, and product shelf-life. It is common practice to quantify the amount of water that a material sorbs at a given relative humidity (RH), but the results alone provide minimal to no physicochemical insight into water-solid interactions, without which pharmaceutical scientists cannot develop an understanding of their materials, so as to anticipate and circumvent potential problems. This research was conducted to advance the science of pharmaceutical materials by examining the thermodynamics of solids with sorbed water. The compounds studied include nonhygroscopic drugs, a channel hydrate drug, a stoichiometric hydrate excipient, and an amorphous excipient. The water sorption isotherms were measured over a range of temperature to extract the partial molar enthalpy and entropy of sorbed water as well as the same quantities for some of the solids. It was found that water-solid interactions spanned a range of energy and entropy as a function of RH, which was unique to the solid, and which could be valuable in identifying batch-to-batch differences and effects of processing in material performance. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Sequestration of zinc from zinc oxide nanoparticles and life cycle effects in the sediment dweller amphipod Corophium volutator.

PubMed

Fabrega, Julia; Tantra, Ratna; Amer, Aisha; Stolpe, Bjorn; Tomkins, Jordan; Fry, Tony; Lead, Jamie R; Tyler, Charles R; Galloway, Tamara S

2012-01-17

We studied the effects of ZnO nanoparticles [ZnO NPs, primary particle size 35 ± 10 nm (circular diameter, TEM)], bulk [160 ± 81 nm (circular diameter, TEM)], and Zn ions (from ZnCl(2)) on mortality, growth, and reproductive endpoints in the sediment dwelling marine amphipod Corophium volutator over a complete lifecycle (100 days). ZnO NPs were characterized by size, aggregation, morphology, dissolution, and surface properties. ZnO NPs underwent aggregation and partial dissolution in the seawater exposure medium, resulting in a size distribution that ranged in size from discrete nanoparticles to the largest aggregate of several micrometers. Exposure via water to all forms of zinc in the range of 0.2-1.0 mg L(-1) delayed growth and affected the reproductive outcome of the exposed populations. STEM-EDX analysis was used to characterize insoluble zinc precipitates (sphaerites) of high sulfur content, which accumulated in the hepatopancreas following exposures. The elemental composition of the sphaerites did not differ for ZnO NP, Zn(2+), and bulk ZnO exposed organisms. These results provide an illustration of the comparable toxicity of Zn in bulk, soluble, and nanoscale forms on critical lifecycle parameters in a sediment dwelling organism.

Analysis of College Students' Ideas about Geologic Time: Questionnaires and Interviews From Four Institutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, S. W.; Libarkin, J. C.; Beilfuss, M.; Dahl, J.; Boone, W. J.

2002-05-01

Approximately 300 questionnaires and 50 interviews were conducted with introductory and non-science major college students from four institutions: a small elite private school, two large state schools, and one small public liberal arts college. Students were probed on a variety of topics about the Earth system, including geologic time. A number of widely held preconceptions were uncovered on all four campuses, although scientific ideas appeared with greater frequency at the single private institution. Predominate non-scientific preconceptions included: 1) "Instantaneous" creation, wherein the Earth is formed with a modern-day surface appearance, although not necessarily including life. This idea is traced to religious ideas in about half of the cases. 2) Life existed when the Earth first formed. Approximately 40-70 percent of public students and 30 percent of private students believed life existed "when the Earth was formed". This life takes a variety of forms, including simple or single-celled life, water-born life, and life essentially identical to modern. 3) Experiential preconceptions. A variety of ideas possibly garnered from books, secondary school curriculum, film, and TV were prevalent. For instance, a number of ideas about the appearance of the Earth at formation are derivative of scientific ideas, such as the idea that a supercontinent (Pangea) existed, the Earth as covered with water or ice, and that algae were present at Earth's formation. Student interviews also revealed difficulty in extrapolating scientific concepts into a future context. For example, several students correctly showed the movement of continents from the past to present, but showed no change in position when queried about the appearance of the Earth's surface well into the future.

The Life Cycle Stages of Pneumocystis murina Have Opposing Effects on the Immune Response to This Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen

PubMed Central

Evans, Heather M.; Bryant, Grady L.

2016-01-01

The cell wall β-glucans of Pneumocystis cysts have been shown to stimulate immune responses in lung epithelial cells, dendritic cells, and alveolar macrophages. Little is known about how the trophic life forms, which do not have a fungal cell wall, interact with these innate immune cells. Here we report differences in the responses of both neonatal and adult mice to the trophic and cystic life cycle stages of Pneumocystis murina. The adult and neonatal immune responses to infection with Pneumocystis murina trophic forms were less robust than the responses to infection with a physiologically normal mixture of cysts and trophic forms. Cysts promoted the recruitment of nonresident innate immune cells and T and B cells into the lungs. Cysts, but not trophic forms, stimulated increased concentrations of the cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-γ) in the alveolar spaces and an increase in the percentage of CD4+ T cells that produce IFN-γ. In vitro, bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) stimulated with cysts produced the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-6. In contrast, trophic forms suppressed antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells, as well as the β-glucan-, lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by BMDCs. The negative effects of trophic forms were not due to ligation of mannose receptor. Our results indicate that optimal innate and adaptive immune responses to Pneumocystis species are dependent on stimulation with the cyst life cycle stage. Conversely, trophic forms suppress β-glucan-induced proinflammatory responses in vitro, suggesting that the trophic forms dampen cyst-induced inflammation in vivo. PMID:27572330

Life prediction of turbine components: On-going studies at the NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spera, D. A.; Grisaffe, S. J.

1973-01-01

An overview is presented of the many studies at NASA-Lewis that form the turbine component life prediction program. This program has three phases: (1) development of life prediction methods for major failure modes through materials studies, (2) evaluation and improvement of these methods through a variety of burner rig studies on simulated components in research engines and advanced rigs. These three phases form a cooperative, interdisciplinary program. A bibliography of Lewis publications on fatigue, oxidation and coatings, and turbine engine alloys is included.

Impact of oral mucosa lesions on the quality of life related to oral health. An etiopathogenic study.

PubMed

Villanueva-Vilchis, María-del-Carmen; López-Ríos, Patricia; García, Ixchel-Maya; Gaitán-Cepeda, Luis-Alberto

2016-03-01

To assess the impact of oral mucosa lesions on quality of life related to oral health (QLROH) and additionally to establish whether the etiopathogenicy of oral lesion is associated to the degree of QLROH impact. In this cross-sectional study performed on a non-probability sample of 247 consecutively patients attending the oral medicine and pathology clinic the Spanish version of Oral Health Impact Profile-49 questionnaire (OHIP-49-mx) was applied. Responses were recorded on Likert-type scale whose values ranged from 0 (never) to 4 (always). Values greater than the 50 percentile (median) were considered as indicative of poor quality of life. All patients were orally examined and diagnosed. In accordance to their etiopathogenicy 6 study groups were formed: 4 corresponded to MIND classification for diseases (Metabolic, Inflammatory, Neoplastic, and Development groups), with ≥2 diseases and no-lesion group. To identify possible differences of OHIP-49 values between study groups an ANOVA (one factor) parametric and a chi square tests were performed (SPSS®20.0). The OHIP-49-mx values were higher than the 50 percentile (established at 39) in metabolic, inflammatory, development, and ≥2 diseases groups, suggesting that this type of oral lesions negatively impact the quality of life. ≥2 diseasesgroup followed by metabolic and inflammatory diseases group (p 0.001) depicted worst quality of life. Functional limitation (p 0.003), pain, physical inability (p 0.001) and psychological disabilities dimensions exhibited greater values in all groups. Injured oral mucosa negatively impacts quality of life, specifically functional limitation, physical inability and psychological disabilities could lead to social isolation.To our knowledge, this is the first time that an association between QLROH and the etiopathogenicy of oral mucosal diseases is established.

Development of depression and deterioration in quality of life in German dental medical students in preclinical semesters.

PubMed

Burger, P H M; Neumann, C; Ropohl, A; Paulsen, F; Scholz, M

2016-11-01

Early intervention to counter mental disorders during the course of studies in dentistry is indicated in view of the pronounced prevalence of burnout in this student collective. To assess the proportion of students in whom these risk states can be quantified in measurable parameters for concrete mental disorders, we conducted surveys among students of dental medicine during the first 2.5 years of their studies. We surveyed a total of 163 students of dental medicine in their first 5 semesters of study. Standardized, validated psychological questionnaires on depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory; BDI-II) and mental and physical quality of life (Short Form Survey; SF-12) were used in the survey, with per-semester participant quotas of around 90%. Regarding depression, the students were within the range of the normal populace at the beginning of the 1st semester. Symptoms of depression then became more pronounced with every succeeding semester. In the fifth semester, the average levels determined were equivalent to a depression with a clinical treatment indication. Hardly any change was registered for physical wellbeing in the quality of life questionnaire. The mental sum scores, however, reflected dramatic downturns in quality of life. Highly significant correlations between the parameters described here - depressivity and mental quality of life - were observed in all semesters. The participating students begin their course of studies at the level of the average populace for the symptoms surveyed, then develop, on average, a clinically manifest depression after 2.5 years. The personal experience of a deterioration of mental quality of life appears to be crucial in the phenomena observed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Adolescents’ expectations for the future predict health behaviors in early adulthood

PubMed Central

McDade, Thomas W.; Chyu, Laura; Duncan, Greg J.; Hoyt, Lindsay T.; Doane, Leah D.; Adam, Emma K.

2011-01-01

Health-related behaviors in adolescence establish trajectories of risk for obesity and chronic degenerative diseases, and they represent an important pathway through which socio-economic environments shape patterns of morbidity and mortality. Most behaviors that promote health involve making choices that may not pay off until the future, but the factors that predict an individual's investment in future health are not known. In this paper we consider whether expectations for the future in two domains relevant to adolescents in the U.S.—perceived chances of living to middle age and perceived chances of attending college—are associated with an individual's engagement in behaviors that protect health in the long run. We focus on adolescence as an important life stage during which habits formed may shape trajectories of disease risk later in life. We use data from a large, nationally representative sample of American youth (the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health) to predict levels of physical activity, fast food consumption, and cigarette smoking in young adulthood in relation to perceived life chances in adolescence, controlling for baseline health behaviors and a wide range of potentially confounding factors. We found that adolescents who rated their chances of attending college more highly exercised more frequently and smoked fewer cigarettes in young adulthood. Adolescents with higher expectations of living to age 35 smoked fewer cigarettes as young adults. Parental education was a significant predictor of perceived life chances, as well as health behaviors, but for each outcome the effects of perceived life chances were independent of, and often stronger than, parental education. Perceived life chances in adolescence may therefore play an important role in establishing individual trajectories of health, and in contributing to social gradients in population health. PMID:21764487

The Organizational Climate in Collegiate Athletics: An Athletic Trainer's Perspective.

PubMed

Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Eason, Christianne M

2018-01-01

  An organizational climate is largely based on an employee's perceptions of the working conditions in which he or she engages regularly. A multifaceted concept, the organizational climate is often formed by perceptions of employee welfare, rewards, and support. Achieving work-life balance is also a part of the climate.   To learn collegiate athletic trainers' perceptions of organizational climate and specifically how it may pertain to their work-life balance.   Phenomenologic study.   Collegiate practice setting.   Thirty athletic trainers working in the collegiate athletics setting took part in 1-on-1 phone interviews. The participants were 30.5 (interquartile range [IQR] = 7.75) years old and had been certified for 7 (IQR = 5) years and at their current position for 4 (IQR = 3) years.   Participants completed a phone interview that followed a semistructured framework. All transcribed interviews were analyzed using a phenomenologic approach. Researcher triangulation, expert review, and data saturation were used to establish credibility.   Athletic trainers working in the collegiate athletics setting who had positive perceptions of their work-life balance described their organizational climate as family friendly. Our participants' supervisors allowed for autonomy related to work scheduling, which provided opportunities for work-life balance. These athletic trainers believed that they worked in a climate that was collegial, which was helpful for work-life balance. In addition, the importance of placing family first was part of the climate.   The perceptions of our participants revealed a climate of family friendliness, supervisor support, and collegiality among staff members, which facilitated the positive climate for work-life balance. The mindset embraced the importance of family and recognized that work did not always have to supersede personal priorities.

Suicidal Ideation, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, And Life Satisfaction Of Medical, Engineering, And Social Sciences Students.

PubMed

Naseem, Sabahat; Munaf, Seema

2017-01-01

Pursuing higher education is not an easy task as it requires hard work, dedication, and motivation. Although there are many rewards involved in growing up academically, nevertheless, it contains a few hazards too. For instance, suicidal ideation is associated with presence of depression, anxiety, and stress with low level of satisfaction with life in students finding difficulty in handling educational demands of higher education. Therefore, the present study focused on the query that whether there is any difference or not among medical, engineering, and social sciences students of city of Karachi, Pakistan in the level of suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction. Using comparative group design, total 300 students (150 males and 150 females) with age range of 19-26 were selected from faculties of medical, engineering, and social sciences of different universities of Karachi, Pakistan, through purposive sampling. Respondent Profile Form, The Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered to assess suicidal ideation; depression, anxiety, stress; and life satisfaction, respectively, of the students. Scores were analysed through ANOVA and Post Hoc (Tukey's HSD) test using SPSS. Social sciences and engineering students were significantly higher on depression, anxiety, and stress than medical students [F (2, 297) =8.701, p=.000] whereas insignificant differences in the level of suicidal ideation [F (2, 297) =1.914, p=.149] and life satisfaction [F (2, 297) = .726, p = .485] among these students were found. With the help of these findings, it would be easier to counsel students of different disciplines in time on the lines of suggested preventive measures.

Adolescents' expectations for the future predict health behaviors in early adulthood.

PubMed

McDade, Thomas W; Chyu, Laura; Duncan, Greg J; Hoyt, Lindsay T; Doane, Leah D; Adam, Emma K

2011-08-01

Health-related behaviors in adolescence establish trajectories of risk for obesity and chronic degenerative diseases, and they represent an important pathway through which socio-economic environments shape patterns of morbidity and mortality. Most behaviors that promote health involve making choices that may not pay off until the future, but the factors that predict an individual's investment in future health are not known. In this paper we consider whether expectations for the future in two domains relevant to adolescents in the U.S.-perceived chances of living to middle age and perceived chances of attending college-are associated with an individual's engagement in behaviors that protect health in the long run. We focus on adolescence as an important life stage during which habits formed may shape trajectories of disease risk later in life. We use data from a large, nationally representative sample of American youth (the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health) to predict levels of physical activity, fast food consumption, and cigarette smoking in young adulthood in relation to perceived life chances in adolescence, controlling for baseline health behaviors and a wide range of potentially confounding factors. We found that adolescents who rated their chances of attending college more highly exercised more frequently and smoked fewer cigarettes in young adulthood. Adolescents with higher expectations of living to age 35 smoked fewer cigarettes as young adults. Parental education was a significant predictor of perceived life chances, as well as health behaviors, but for each outcome the effects of perceived life chances were independent of, and often stronger than, parental education. Perceived life chances in adolescence may therefore play an important role in establishing individual trajectories of health, and in contributing to social gradients in population health. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Choice of Hemodialysis Access in Older Adults: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

PubMed

Hall, Rasheeda K; Myers, Evan R; Rosas, Sylvia E; O'Hare, Ann M; Colón-Emeric, Cathleen S

2017-06-07

Although arteriovenous fistulas have been found to be the most cost-effective form of hemodialysis access, the relative benefits of placing an arteriovenous fistula versus an arteriovenous graft seem to be least certain for older adults and when placed preemptively. However, older adults' life expectancy is heterogeneous, and most patients do not undergo permanent access creation until after dialysis initiation. We evaluated cost-effectiveness of arteriovenous fistula placement after dialysis initiation in older adults as a function of age and life expectancy. Using a hypothetical cohort of patients on incident hemodialysis with central venous catheters, we constructed Markov models of three treatment options: ( 1 ) arteriovenous fistula placement, ( 2 ) arteriovenous graft placement, or ( 3 ) continued catheter use. Costs, utilities, and transitional probabilities were derived from existing literature. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed by age group (65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and 85-89 years old) and quartile of life expectancy. Costs, quality-adjusted life-months, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were evaluated for up to 5 years. The arteriovenous fistula option was cost effective compared with continued catheter use for all age and life expectancy groups, except for 85-89 year olds in the lowest life expectancy quartile. The arteriovenous fistula option was more cost effective than the arteriovenous graft option for all quartiles of life expectancy among the 65- to 69-year-old age group. For older age groups, differences in cost-effectiveness between the strategies were attenuated, and the arteriovenous fistula option tended to only be cost effective in patients with life expectancy >2 years. For groups for which the arteriovenous fistula option was not cost saving, the cost to gain one quality-adjusted life-month ranged from $2294 to $14,042. Among older adults, the cost-effectiveness of an arteriovenous fistula placed within the first month of dialysis diminishes with increasing age and lower life expectancy and is not the most cost-effective option for those with the most limited life expectancy. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Cosmic Explosions, Life in the Universe, and the Cosmological Constant.

PubMed

Piran, Tsvi; Jimenez, Raul; Cuesta, Antonio J; Simpson, Fergus; Verde, Licia

2016-02-26

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are copious sources of gamma rays whose interaction with a planetary atmosphere can pose a threat to complex life. Using recent determinations of their rate and probability of causing massive extinction, we explore what types of universes are most likely to harbor advanced forms of life. We use cosmological N-body simulations to determine at what time and for what value of the cosmological constant (Λ) the chances of life being unaffected by cosmic explosions are maximized. Life survival to GRBs favors Lambda-dominated universes. Within a cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant, the likelihood of life survival to GRBs is governed by the value of Λ and the age of the Universe. We find that we seem to live in a favorable point in this parameter space that minimizes the exposure to cosmic explosions, yet maximizes the number of main sequence (hydrogen-burning) stars around which advanced life forms can exist.

Cosmic Explosions, Life in the Universe, and the Cosmological Constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piran, Tsvi; Jimenez, Raul; Cuesta, Antonio J.; Simpson, Fergus; Verde, Licia

2016-02-01

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are copious sources of gamma rays whose interaction with a planetary atmosphere can pose a threat to complex life. Using recent determinations of their rate and probability of causing massive extinction, we explore what types of universes are most likely to harbor advanced forms of life. We use cosmological N -body simulations to determine at what time and for what value of the cosmological constant (Λ ) the chances of life being unaffected by cosmic explosions are maximized. Life survival to GRBs favors Lambda-dominated universes. Within a cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant, the likelihood of life survival to GRBs is governed by the value of Λ and the age of the Universe. We find that we seem to live in a favorable point in this parameter space that minimizes the exposure to cosmic explosions, yet maximizes the number of main sequence (hydrogen-burning) stars around which advanced life forms can exist.

Searching for Extant Life on Mars - The ATP-Firefly LuciferinLuciferase Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obousy, R. K.; Tziolas, A. C.; Kaltsas, K.; Sims, M. R.; Grant, W. D.

We have investigated the use of the ATP-Firefly Luciferin/Luciferase (FFL) enzymic photoluminescent reaction as a possible means of detecting extant life in the Martian environment. Experiments carried out by the authors illustrate the capacity of the method to successfully detect extant forms of life on Mars assuming ATP is an intrinsic part of the biochemistry of such life-forms. A photodiode based apparatus, built to test the assumptions and applicability of the ATP-Firefly Luciferase/Luciferin technique to an exobiologically inclined mission to Mars, revealed the adequate resolution and reproducibility of the methodology plus areas of improvement. Also detailed are extraction, delivery and analysis system concepts, proposed for future Mars missions.

Patient-Reported Esthetic and Functional Outcomes of Primary Total Laparoscopic Intestinal Vaginoplasty in Transgender Women With Penoscrotal Hypoplasia.

PubMed

Bouman, Mark-Bram; van der Sluis, Wouter B; van Woudenberg Hamstra, Leonora E; Buncamper, Marlon E; Kreukels, Baudewijntje P C; Meijerink, Wilhelmus J H J; Mullender, Margriet G

2016-09-01

Puberty-suppressing hormonal treatment may result in penoscrotal hypoplasia in transgender women, making standard penile inversion vaginoplasty not feasible. For these patients, intestinal vaginoplasty is a surgical alternative, but knowledge on patient-reported postoperative outcomes and quality of life is lacking. To assess patient-reported functional and esthetic outcomes, quality of life, satisfaction, and sexual well-being after primary total laparoscopic intestinal vaginoplasty in transgender women. A survey study was performed on transgender women who underwent primary total laparoscopic intestinal vaginoplasty with at least 1 year of clinical follow-up. Thirty-one transgender women completed the questionnaires (median age at time of surgery = 19.1 years, range = 18.3-45.0) after a median clinical follow-up of 2.2 years (range = 0.8-7.5). Consenting women were asked to complete a combined questionnaire of the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, Cantril's Ladder of Life Scale, the Female Sexual Function Index, the Female Genital Self-Imaging Scale, the Amsterdam Hyperactive Pelvic Floor Scale-Women, and a questionnaire addressing postoperative satisfaction. Patient-reported functional and esthetic outcomes and postoperative quality of life. Patients graded their life satisfaction a median of 8.0 (range = 4.0-10.0) on Cantril's Ladder of Life Scale. Patients scored a mean total score of 27.7 ± 5.8 on the Satisfaction With Life Scale, which indicated high satisfaction with life, and a mean total score of 5.6 ± 1.4 on the Subjective Happiness Scale. Functionality was graded a median score of 8.0 of 10 (range = 1.0-10.0) and esthetics a score of 8.0 out of 10 (range = 3.0-10.0). The mean Female Sexual Function Index total score of sexually active transgender women was 26.0 ± 6.8. This group of relatively young transgender women reported satisfactory functional and esthetic results of the neovagina and a good quality of life, despite low Female Sexual Function Index scores. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality of Life Assessment for Physical Activity and Health Promotion: Further Psychometrics and Comparison of Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gill, Diane L.; Reifsteck, Erin J.; Adams, Melanie M.; Shang, Ya-Ting

2015-01-01

Despite the clear relationship between physical activity and quality of life, few sound, relevant quality of life measures exist. Gill and colleagues developed a 32-item quality of life survey, and provided initial psychometric evidence. This study further examined that quality of life survey in comparison with the widely used short form (SF-36)…

Space station wardroom habitability and equipment study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nixon, David; Miller, Christopher; Fauquet, Regis

1989-01-01

Experimental designs in life-size mock-up form for the wardroom facility for the Space Station Habitability Module are explored and developed. In Phase 1, three preliminary concepts for the wardroom configuration are fabricated and evaluated. In Phase 2, the results of Phase 1 are combined with a specific range of program design requirements to provide the design criteria for the fabrication of an innovative medium-fidelity mock-up of a wardrobe configuration. The study also focuses on the design and preliminary prototyping of selected equipment items including crew exercise compartments, a meal/meeting table and a portable workstation. Design criteria and requirements are discussed and documented. Preliminary and final mock-ups and equipment prototypes are described and illustrated.

Diversity of Holocene life forms in fossil glacier ice

PubMed Central

Willerslev, Eske; Hansen, Anders J.; Christensen, Bent; Steffensen, Jørgen Peder; Arctander, Peter

1999-01-01

Studies of biotic remains of polar ice caps have been limited to morphological identification of plant pollen and spores. By using sensitive molecular techniques, we now demonstrate a much greater range of detectable organisms; from 2000- and 4000-year-old ice-core samples, we obtained and characterized 120 clones that represent at least 57 distinct taxa and reveal a diversity of fungi, plants, algae, and protists. The organisms derive from distant sources as well as from the local arctic environment. Our results suggest that additional taxa may soon be readily identified, providing a plank for future studies of deep ice cores and yielding valuable information about ancient communities and their change over time. PMID:10393940

Quantifying space use of breeders and floaters of a long-lived species using individual movement data.

PubMed

Penteriani, Vincenzo; del Mar Delgado, Maria; Campioni, Letizia

2015-06-01

To date, animal movement studies have mostly analysed the movement behaviours of individuals at specific times of their lives, but we lack detailed information on how individual movements may be affected by the various and different changes that individuals experience throughout their life (e.g. life history phases, experience, age). Here, we attempt to identify differences in home range and movement behaviour between two different statuses, disperser vs. breeder, of a long-lived species (the eagle owl Bubo bubo). Information on home range and movement behaviour between different stages of an individual life are crucial for species conservation and management, as well as for basic knowledge on space use and rhythm of activity. Does the transition from an exploratory stage to moving within more familiar surroundings call for changes in the movement behaviour? We observed notable differences during the two stages of the owls' lives, with individuals having different home range behaviours and rhythms of activity depending on their social status. Significant differences in home range behaviour between the sexes began only with the acquisition of a breeding site. Breeders showed larger home ranges than dispersing individuals, although nightly variation of home ranges size was higher for dispersers than for breeders. Finally, dispersers were active throughout the night, whereas breeders displayed a less active movement phase at both the beginning and end of the night. Our results demonstrate it is important to consider individual variations in space use and movement behaviour due to the different life history phases that they attain during their lifetime. The knowledge of the different needs of a species across life stages may represent an important tool for species conservation because each phase of an individual life may need different requirements.

Quantifying space use of breeders and floaters of a long-lived species using individual movement data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penteriani, Vincenzo; del Mar Delgado, Maria; Campioni, Letizia

2015-06-01

To date, animal movement studies have mostly analysed the movement behaviours of individuals at specific times of their lives, but we lack detailed information on how individual movements may be affected by the various and different changes that individuals experience throughout their life (e.g. life history phases, experience, age). Here, we attempt to identify differences in home range and movement behaviour between two different statuses, disperser vs. breeder, of a long-lived species (the eagle owl Bubo bubo). Information on home range and movement behaviour between different stages of an individual life are crucial for species conservation and management, as well as for basic knowledge on space use and rhythm of activity. Does the transition from an exploratory stage to moving within more familiar surroundings call for changes in the movement behaviour? We observed notable differences during the two stages of the owls' lives, with individuals having different home range behaviours and rhythms of activity depending on their social status. Significant differences in home range behaviour between the sexes began only with the acquisition of a breeding site. Breeders showed larger home ranges than dispersing individuals, although nightly variation of home ranges size was higher for dispersers than for breeders. Finally, dispersers were active throughout the night, whereas breeders displayed a less active movement phase at both the beginning and end of the night. Our results demonstrate it is important to consider individual variations in space use and movement behaviour due to the different life history phases that they attain during their lifetime. The knowledge of the different needs of a species across life stages may represent an important tool for species conservation because each phase of an individual life may need different requirements.

Impact of oral mucosa lesions on the quality of life related to oral health. An etiopathogenic study

PubMed Central

Villanueva-Vilchis, María-del-Carmen; López-Ríos, Patricia; García, Ixchel-Maya

2016-01-01

Background To assess the impact of oral mucosa lesions on quality of life related to oral health (QLROH) and additionally to establish whether the etiopathogenicy of oral lesion is associated to the degree of QLROH impact. Material and Methods In this cross-sectional study performed on a non-probability sample of 247 consecutively patients attending the oral medicine and pathology clinic the Spanish version of Oral Health Impact Profile-49 questionnaire (OHIP-49-mx) was applied. Responses were recorded on Likert-type scale whose values ranged from 0 (never) to 4 (always). Values greater than the 50 percentile (median) were considered as indicative of poor quality of life. All patients were orally examined and diagnosed. In accordance to their etiopathogenicy 6 study groups were formed: 4 corresponded to MIND classification for diseases (Metabolic, Inflammatory, Neoplastic, and Development groups), with ≥2 diseases and no-lesion group. To identify possible differences of OHIP-49 values between study groups an ANOVA (one factor) parametric and a chi square tests were performed (SPSS®20.0). Results The OHIP-49-mx values were higher than the 50 percentile (established at 39) in metabolic, inflammatory, development, and ≥2 diseases groups, suggesting that this type of oral lesions negatively impact the quality of life. ≥2 diseasesgroup followed by metabolic and inflammatory diseases group (p 0.001) depicted worst quality of life. Functional limitation (p 0.003), pain, physical inability (p 0.001) and psychological disabilities dimensions exhibited greater values in all groups. Conclusions Injured oral mucosa negatively impacts quality of life, specifically functional limitation, physical inability and psychological disabilities could lead to social isolation.To our knowledge, this is the first time that an association between QLROH and the etiopathogenicy of oral mucosal diseases is established. Key words:Quality of life, quality of life related to oral health, oral mucosa lesions, etiopathogenicy, MIND classification. PMID:26827060

78 FR 53014 - Agency Information Collection (Claim for One Sum Payment (Government Life Insurance)) Activities...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-27

... for One Sum Payment (Government Life Insurance)) Activities Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits....'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Titles: a. Claim for One Sum Payment (Government Life Insurance), VA Form 29-4125. [[Page 53015

Following a New Path Along the Search for Life in the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colonna, Thomas E.; Thomas, Desencia E.

2000-05-01

Imagined by several generations of science fiction authors as smooth-talking aliens envious of our blue-water world, extraterrestrial life on Earth's planetary siblings may take the form of bacteria or other microbial life.

The Adaptability of Life on Earth and the Diversity of Planetary Habitats.

PubMed

Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Airo, Alessandro; Schirmack, Janosch

2017-01-01

The evolutionary adaptability of life to extreme environments is astounding given that all life on Earth is based on the same fundamental biochemistry. The range of some physicochemical parameters on Earth exceeds the ability of life to adapt, but stays within the limits of life for other parameters. Certain environmental conditions such as low water availability in hyperarid deserts on Earth seem to be close to the limit of biological activity. A much wider range of environmental parameters is observed on planetary bodies within our Solar System such as Mars or Titan, and presumably even larger outside of our Solar System. Here we review the adaptability of life as we know it, especially regarding temperature, pressure, and water activity. We use then this knowledge to outline the range of possible habitable environments for alien planets and moons and distinguish between a variety of planetary environment types. Some of these types are present in our Solar System, others are hypothetical. Our schematic categorization of alien habitats is limited to life as we know it, particularly regarding to the use of solvent (water) and energy source (light and chemical compounds).

The Adaptability of Life on Earth and the Diversity of Planetary Habitats

PubMed Central

Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Airo, Alessandro; Schirmack, Janosch

2017-01-01

The evolutionary adaptability of life to extreme environments is astounding given that all life on Earth is based on the same fundamental biochemistry. The range of some physicochemical parameters on Earth exceeds the ability of life to adapt, but stays within the limits of life for other parameters. Certain environmental conditions such as low water availability in hyperarid deserts on Earth seem to be close to the limit of biological activity. A much wider range of environmental parameters is observed on planetary bodies within our Solar System such as Mars or Titan, and presumably even larger outside of our Solar System. Here we review the adaptability of life as we know it, especially regarding temperature, pressure, and water activity. We use then this knowledge to outline the range of possible habitable environments for alien planets and moons and distinguish between a variety of planetary environment types. Some of these types are present in our Solar System, others are hypothetical. Our schematic categorization of alien habitats is limited to life as we know it, particularly regarding to the use of solvent (water) and energy source (light and chemical compounds). PMID:29085352

Acute and chronic sensitivity to copper of a promising ecotoxicological model species, the annual killifish Nothobranchius furzeri.

PubMed

Philippe, Charlotte; Grégoir, Arnout F; Janssens, Lizanne; Pinceel, Tom; De Boeck, Gudrun; Brendonck, Luc

2017-10-01

Nothobranchius furzeri is a promising model for ecotoxicological research due to the species' short life cycle and the production of drought-resistant eggs. Although the species is an emerging vertebrate fish model for several fundamental as well as applied research domains, its potential for ecotoxicological research has not yet been tested. The aim of this study was to characterise the acute and chronic sensitivity of this species to copper as compared to other model organisms. Effects of both acute and chronic copper exposure were tested on survival, life history and physiological traits. We report a 24h-LC 50 of 53.93µg Cu/L, which is situated within the sensitivity range of other model species such as Brook Trout, Fathead Minnow and Rainbow Trout. Moreover, in the full life cycle exposure, we show that an exposure concentration of 10.27µg/L did not cause acute adverse effects (96h), but did cause mortality after prolonged exposure (3-4 weeks). Also chronic, sublethal effects were observed, such as a reduction in growth rate, delayed maturation and postponed reproduction. Based on our results, we define the NOEC at 6.68µg Cu/L, making N. furzeri more sensitive to copper as compared to Brook Trout and Fathead Minnow. We found stimulatory effects on peak fecundity at subinhibitory levels of copper concentrations (hormesis). Finally, we found indications for detoxifying and copper-excreting mechanisms, demonstrating the ability of the fish to cope with this essential metal, even when exposed to stressful amounts. The successful application of current ecotoxicological protocols on N. furzeri and its sensitivity range comparable to that of other model organisms forms the basis to exploit this species in further ecotoxicological practices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Urinary Incontinence During Pregnancy.

PubMed

Balik, Gülşah; Güven, Emine Seda G; Tekin, Yeşim B; Şentürk, Şenol; Kağitci, Mehmet; Üstüner, Işık; Mete Ural, Ülkü; Şahin, Figen K

2016-05-01

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can frequently be seen in pregnant women. Pregnancy and delivery have been considered as risk factors in the occurrence of pelvic floor dysfunction and determinants of LUTS. The main associated risk factor is parity. In the present study, we aim to determine the frequency of LUTS and urinary incontinence (UI) during pregnancy and the associated risk factors. This prospective study was carried out in a total of 250 women during their 28- and 40-gestational week checks. The Urinary Distress Inventory-6, the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7, and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form were used to determine LUTS and its effect on quality of life. The mean age and gestational age of the participants were 29.41 ± 5.70 year (range 18-44) and 35.45 ± 2.98 weeks (range 28-40), respectively. The prevalence of LUTS was 81.6%. The prevalence of UI during pregnancy was 37.2%. Stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence and mixed urinary incontinence were diagnosed as 15.6, 4.8 and 16.8%, respectively. We found that advanced age, smoking and multiparity were risk factors associated with incontinence. Incontinence reduced pregnant women's quality of life. Lower urinary tract symptoms are commonly seen among pregnant women and these symptoms negatively affect the quality of life of pregnant women. Advanced age, smoking and multiparity were risk factors associated with urinary incontinence and LUTS. Obstetricians should be on the lookout for individual urological problems in pregnancy. Resolving any urological issues and cessation of smoking for the affected individuals will help alleviate the problem. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Adaptation and validation of the Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life (OAKHQOL) questionnaire for use in patients with osteoarthritis in Spain.

PubMed

Gonzalez Sáenz de Tejada, Marta; Escobar, Antonio; Herdman, Michael; Herrera, Carmen; García, Lidia; Sarasqueta, Cristina

2011-12-01

This study aims to adapt and validate the Spanish version of the Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life (OAKHQOL) questionnaire. The OAKHQOL was adapted into Spanish using a forward-backward translation methodology. The Spanish version was then validated in a prospective, mixed-design study of 759 patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients completed the OAKHQOL, Short Form 36 (SF-36), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and the EQ-5D. The internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Convergent validity was assessed by examining correlations between the OAKHQOL and other patient-reported instruments; known groups' validity was assessed by determining the capacity of the OAKHQOL to discriminate between patients with different levels of disease severity measured using the Lequesne Index. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for all OAKHQOL domains in 409 stable patients with OA. Responsiveness was evaluated by calculating effect sizes among 129 patients undergoing hip or knee replacement. Cronbach's alpha for the five domains of the OAKHQOL ranged from 0.60 to 0.93 while ICCs ranged from 0.75 to 0.81 for all domains except the two social domains. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed between patients with different degrees of disease severity on all domains except "social support". The instrument showed convergent validity among hypothesized domains (p < 0.001). Results of the study supported that the Spanish version OAKHQOL questionnaire was a valid instrument to measure health-related quality of life in patients with OA of the lower limb.

Bootstrapping of Life through Holonomy and Self-modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazansky, Alexander B.

2010-11-01

Life on the Earth demonstrate not only adaptive, cognitive, particularly, anticipatory properties, but also active, transformative function to its local and global environment. As V. Vernadsky stated, life is a powerful geological force. Charles Darwin realized that too. In his last work [1] he proved, that earthworms through their vital activity in geological time scale are able to form and support contemporary structure of soil on the whole planet. Locally, through so-called process of niche construction [2] organisms virtually modifies abiotic and biotic factors of natural selection and thereby insert feedback loop in evolutionary process. Stigmergy [3] is one more form of indirect interaction of organisms via the environment by signs, left in local environment or just by performing working activity in swarms, leading to self-organization and coordination of actions in the process of refuges construction. In organization of life we can separate active, rigid, organism-like, autopoietic-like systems or less rigid, sympoietic, socio-biological type systems [4]. Nevertheless, all forms of life systems demonstrate so-called bootstrapping, or spontaneous process of self-organizing emergence. This process is feasible thanks to self-modification, and holonomy in their organization, or total reflexivity. Analysis of the role of indirect interactions in bootstrapping, made in this paper, is aimed at revealing relationships between concepts and making step to forming new systemic model of organization and evolution of special dual pair, biota and biosphere.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Associated Factors of Frontline Railway Workers: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the Ankang Area, Shaanxi Province, China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaona; Chen, Gang; Xu, Feng; Zhou, Kaina; Zhuang, Guihua

2016-01-01

After validation of the widely used health-related quality of life (HRQOL) generic measure, the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2), we investigated the HRQOL and associated factors of frontline railway workers in China. Ground workers, conductors, and train drivers were selected from Ankang Precinct by using a stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 784 frontline railway workers participated in the survey. The reliability and validity of SF-36v2 was satisfactory. The physical component summary (PCS) scores of three subgroups attained the average range for the USA general population, whereas the mental component summary (MCS) scores were well below the range. Most domains scored below the norm, except for the physical functioning (PF) domain. Among three subgroups, train drivers reported significantly lower scores on MCS and six health domains (excluding PF and bodily pain (BP)). After controlled confounders, conductors had significantly higher PCS and MCS scores than ground workers. There is heterogeneity on risk factors among three subgroups, but having long or irregular working schedules was negatively associated with HRQOL in all subgroups. SF-36v2 is a reliable and valid HRQOL measurement in railway workers in China. The frontline railway workers’ physical health was comparative to American norms, whilst mental health was relatively worse. Long or irregular working schedules were the most important factors. PMID:27916919

Improvements in psychosocial functioning and health-related quality of life following exercise augmentation in patients with treatment response but non-remitted major depressive disorder: Results from the TREAD study

PubMed Central

Greer, Tracy L.; Trombello, Joseph M.; Rethorst, Chad D.; Carmody, Thomas J.; Jha, Manish K.; Liao, Allen; Grannemann, Bruce D.; Chambliss, Heather O.; Church, Timothy S.; Trivedi, Madhukar H.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Functional impairments often remain despite symptomatic improvement with antidepressant treatment, supporting the need for novel treatment approaches. The present study examined the extent to which exercise augmentation improved several domains of psychosocial functioning and quality of life among depressed participants. METHODS Data were collected from 122 partial responders to antidepressant medication. Participants were randomized to either high (16 kilocalories per kilogram of weight per week [KKW]) or low dose (4KKW) exercise. Participants completed a combination of supervised and home-based exercise for 12 weeks. The Short-Form Health Survey, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Social Adjustment Scale, the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were collected at 6 and 12 weeks. Participants with data for at least one of the two follow-up time points (n=106) were analyzed using a linear mixed model to assess change from baseline within groups and the difference between groups for each psychosocial outcome measure. All analyses controlled for covariates, including baseline depressive symptomatology. RESULTS Participants experienced significant improvements in functioning across tested domains, and generally fell within a healthy range of functioning on all measures at Weeks 6 and 12. While no differences were found between exercise groups, improvements were observed across a variety of psychosocial and quality-of-life domains, even in the low exercise dose group. CONCLUSIONS These findings support exercise augmentation of antidepressant treatment as a viable intervention for treatment-resistant depression to improve function in addition to symptoms. PMID:27164293

A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial Examining the Effects of Green Tea Extract on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity and Quality of Life.

PubMed

Shamekhi, Z; Amani, R; Habibagahi, Z; Namjoyan, F; Ghadiri, Ata; Saki Malehi, A

2017-07-01

Antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory benefit of green tea (Camellia sinensis) in autoimmune disease has been proven in recent studies. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of green tea on disease activity and quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. A randomized controlled trial on subjects with lupus was conducted, and 68 patients in the age range of 39.1 ± 10.3 years and body mass index of 25.7 ± 5.21 kg/m 2 completed the 12-week study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (1000 mg green tea extract, two capsules/day) and control (1000 mg of starch, two capsules/day). Main outcome measure, systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity, was assessed by the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index at the first and after 3 months of intervention. In addition, patient's quality of life was evaluated by short form of quality-of-life questionnaire at baseline and after 3 months. Green tea extract supplementation significantly reduced disease activity in lupus patients (p < 0.004); in addition, it significantly increased the vitality (p < 0.006) and general health (p < 0.01). This study showed that daily consumption of green tea extracts for 12 weeks improves the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity as well as some aspects of quality of life. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Noninvasive ventilation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: effects on sleep quality and quality of life.

PubMed

Vandoorne, Eva; Vrijsen, Bart; Belge, Catharina; Testelmans, Dries; Buyse, Bertien

2016-12-01

Little is known about the effects of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) on sleep quality in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We aim to evaluate the long-term effects of NIV on sleep quality and quality of life in patients with ALS. In this prospective observational study, 13 ALS patients were followed for one year after initiating NIV. We evaluated sleep quality, quality of life and functional status with several questionnaires: Epworth sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI), Short Form 36 Health Questionnaire (SF-36), McGill Quality of Life questionnaire (McGillQoL) and revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale scores (ALSFRS-R). Median and interquartile range (IQR) at the start of NIV was 59 (53-65) years. The ALSFRS-R at start was 30 (24-37) (median, IQR), with three patients having severe bulbar impairment (ALSFRS-R-bulbar ≤ 9). The P a CO 2 at start of NIV treatment was 48 (43-52) mmHg (median, IQR). During the one-year follow-up period, a significant decrease in the ALSFRS-R was observed. The impact of NIV in a short term (1 month) revealed a statistically significant decrease in ESS, decrease in total PSQI and of four PSQI subscales and improvement of almost all subscales of the McGill questionnaire. Long-term analyses (9 months to 1 year) revealed that amelioration in ESS and total PSQI was sustained. We conclude that accurately titrated NIV in ALS patients can stabilize sleep quality and quality of life for at least one year, despite significant disease progression.

Assessing oral health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: a systematic review and standardized comparison of available instruments.

PubMed

Zaror, Carlos; Pardo, Yolanda; Espinoza-Espinoza, Gerardo; Pont, Àngels; Muñoz-Millán, Patricia; Martínez-Zapata, María José; Vilagut, Gemma; Forero, Carlos G; Garin, Olatz; Alonso, Jordi; Ferrer, Montse

2018-03-22

To obtain a systematic and standardized evaluation of the current evidence on development process, metric properties, and administration issues of oral health-related quality of life instruments available for children and adolescents. A systematic search until October 2016 was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, SciELO, and Cochrane databases. Articles with information regarding the development process, metric properties, and administration issues of pediatric instruments measuring oral health-related quality of life were eligible for inclusion. Two researchers independently evaluated each instrument applying the Evaluating Measures of Patient-Reported Outcomes (EMPRO) tool. An overall and seven attribute-specific EMPRO scores were calculated (range 0-100, worst to best): measurement model, reliability, validity, responsiveness, interpretability, burden, and alternative forms. We identified 18 instruments evaluated in 132 articles. From five instruments designed for preschoolers, the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) obtained the highest overall EMPRO score (82.2). Of nine identified for schoolchildren and adolescents, the best rated instrument was the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (82.1). Among the four instruments developed for any age, the Family Impact Scale (FIS) obtained the highest scores (80.3). The evidence supports the use of the ECOHIS for preschoolers, while the age is a key factor when choosing among the four recommended instruments for schoolchildren and adolescents. Instruments for specific conditions, symptoms, or treatments need further research on metric properties. Our results facilitate decision-making on the correct oral health-related quality of life instrument selection for any certain study purpose and population during the childhood and adolescence life cycle.

A brief instrument to measure health-related quality of life in patients with bone metastasis: validation of the German version of Bone Metastases Quality-of-Life-10 (BOMET-QoL-10).

PubMed

Marschner, Norbert; Wilke, Jochen; Reschke, Daniel; Kaiser, Florian; Schmoor, Claudia; Grugel, Renate; Boller, Emil

2018-06-06

This prospective, epidemiologic study was designed to translate the original Spanish Bone Metastases Quality-of-Life-10 (BOMET-QoL-10) questionnaire and undertake a validation of the translated German version of BOMET-QoL-10 in Germany to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with bone metastases (BM). The translation process included forward and backward translations, and a linguistic validation. Patients aged ≥18 years with histological confirmation of cancer, diagnosed with BM, life expectancy ≥6 months, and fluency in German were eligible for this study (enrolled consecutively in 33 outpatient centers in Germany). Patients were given the German version of BOMET-QoL-10 together with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BM22 questionnaires at inclusion, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after inclusion. A debriefing questionnaire was administered at inclusion to determine patient acceptability and understanding. Data include 364 patients with BM (median age: 68 years; female sex: 71.7%). The BOMET-QoL-10 is brief and clear (median completion time: 5 minutes; >90% of patients completed the questionnaire without assistance). The BOMET-QoL-10 forms only one overall scale. All 10 items showed a substantial correlation with the first factor (factor loading, range: 0.58 - 0.86). BOMET-QoL-10 exhibits high internal consistency and reproducibility (Cronbach's alpha: 0.91; intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.76). BOMET-QoL-10 showed significant correlations (range: 0.69 - 0.79) both with EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BM22 within the functioning (physical, social, interference) and symptom (fatigue, pain) scales, displayed significant sensitivity to change in EORTC QLQ-BM22 scores, and proved potential ability to detect change in HRQoL in patients with different disease status. There was a high proportion of females in our study which might represent a limitation. The German version of BOMET-QoL-10 is a valid, reliable, brief and clear instrument able to measure HRQoL in patients with BM.

75 FR 45692 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request, Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-03

... past. Applicants use Form SSA-3369 to provide detailed information about jobs held prior to becoming... respondents response (hours) hours SSA-3369 (Paper form) 1,090,346 1 1 1,090,346 EDCS 3369 607,122 1 1 607,122... Collection method respondents response (minutes) Burden (hours) Life claims (paper) 8,052 1 12 1,610 Life...

76 FR 40451 - Agency Information Collection (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance-Change of Address Statement...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-08

... Mortgage Life Insurance-- Change of Address Statement) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... Mortgage Life Insurance--Change of Address Statement, VA Form 29-0563. OMB Control Number: 2900-0503. Type... Mortgage Life Insurance when an address change for the veteran is received. VA uses the data collected to...

77 FR 325 - Proposed Information Collection (Certification of Change or Correction of Name, Government Life...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-04

... (Certification of Change or Correction of Name, Government Life Insurance); Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans... of Name, Government Life Insurance, VA Form 29-586. OMB Control Number: 2900-0679. Type of Review... change or correction to their name on Government Life Insurance policies. Affected Public: Individuals or...

Intelligent Life Out There: Are We Alone?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blai, Boris, Jr.

For the past two decades, increasing numbers of scientists have been optimistic about finding other intelligent life forms in our galaxy. On the other hand, as knowledge has grown regarding how life developed on earth, a scientific counterrevolution has evolved. Simply stated, it questions the inevitability of widespread life within our galaxy,…

Controlled release liquid dosage formulation

DOEpatents

Benton, Ben F.; Gardner, David L.

1989-01-01

A liquid dual coated dosage formulation sustained release pharmaceutic having substantial shelf life prior to ingestion is disclosed. A dual coating is applied over controlled release cores to form dosage forms and the coatings comprise fats melting at less than approximately 101.degree. F. overcoated with cellulose acetate phthalate or zein. The dual coated dosage forms are dispersed in a sugar based acidic liquid carrier such as high fructose corn syrup and display a shelf life of up to approximately at least 45 days while still retaining their release profiles following ingestion. Cellulose acetate phthalate coated dosage form cores can in addition be dispersed in aqueous liquids of pH <5.

Who cares about Mid-Ocean Ridge Earthquakes? And Why?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolstoy, M.

2004-12-01

Every day the surface of our planet is being slowly ripped apart by the forces of plate tectonics. Much of this activity occurs underwater and goes unnoticed except for by a few marine seismologists who avidly follow the creaks and groans of the ocean floor in an attempt to understand the spreading and formation of oceanic crust. Are marine seismologists really the only ones that care? As it turns out, deep beneath the ocean surface, earthquakes play a fundamental role in a myriad of activity centered on mid-ocean ridges where new crust forms and breaks on a regular basis. This activity takes the form of exotic geological structures hosting roasting hot fluids and bizarre chemosynthetic life forms. One of the fundamental drivers for this other world on the seafloor is earthquakes. Earthquakes provide cracks that allow seawater to penetrate the rocks, heat up, and resurface as hydrothermal vent fluids, thus providing chemicals to feed a thriving biological community. Earthquakes can cause pressure changes along cracks that can fundamentally alter fluid flow rates and paths. Thus earthquakes can both cut off existing communities from their nutrient source and provide new oases on the seafloor around which life can thrive. This poster will present some of the fundamental physical principals of how earthquakes can impact fluid flow, and hence life on the seafloor. Using these other-wordly landscapes and alien-like life forms to woe the unsuspecting passerby, we will sneak geophysics into the picture and tell the story of why earthquakes are so fundamental to life on the seafloor, and perhaps life elsewhere in the universe.

Foregrounding Sociomaterial Practice in Our Understanding of Affordances: The Skilled Intentionality Framework.

PubMed

van Dijk, Ludger; Rietveld, Erik

2016-01-01

Social coordination and affordance perception always take part in concrete situations in real life. Nonetheless, the different fields of ecological psychology studying these phenomena do not seem to make this situated nature an object of study. To integrate both fields and extend the reach of the ecological approach, we introduce the Skilled Intentionality Framework that situates both social coordination and affordance perception within the human form of life and its rich landscape of affordances. We argue that in the human form of life the social and the material are intertwined and best understood as sociomateriality. Taking the form of life as our starting point foregrounds sociomateriality in each perspective we take on engaging with affordances. Using ethnographical examples we show how sociomateriality shows up from three different perspectives we take on affordances in a real-life situation. One perspective shows us a landscape of affordances that the sociomaterial environment offers. Zooming in on this landscape to the perspective of a local observer, we can focus on an individual coordinating with affordances offered by things and other people situated in this landscape. Finally, viewed from within this unfolding activity, we arrive at the person's lived perspective: a field of relevant affordances solicits activity. The Skilled Intentionality Framework offers a way of integrating social coordination and affordance theory by drawing attention to these complementary perspectives. We end by showing a real-life example from the practice of architecture that suggests how this situated view that foregrounds sociomateriality can extend the scope of ecological psychology to forms of so-called "higher" cognition.

Foregrounding Sociomaterial Practice in Our Understanding of Affordances: The Skilled Intentionality Framework

PubMed Central

van Dijk, Ludger; Rietveld, Erik

2017-01-01

Social coordination and affordance perception always take part in concrete situations in real life. Nonetheless, the different fields of ecological psychology studying these phenomena do not seem to make this situated nature an object of study. To integrate both fields and extend the reach of the ecological approach, we introduce the Skilled Intentionality Framework that situates both social coordination and affordance perception within the human form of life and its rich landscape of affordances. We argue that in the human form of life the social and the material are intertwined and best understood as sociomateriality. Taking the form of life as our starting point foregrounds sociomateriality in each perspective we take on engaging with affordances. Using ethnographical examples we show how sociomateriality shows up from three different perspectives we take on affordances in a real-life situation. One perspective shows us a landscape of affordances that the sociomaterial environment offers. Zooming in on this landscape to the perspective of a local observer, we can focus on an individual coordinating with affordances offered by things and other people situated in this landscape. Finally, viewed from within this unfolding activity, we arrive at the person’s lived perspective: a field of relevant affordances solicits activity. The Skilled Intentionality Framework offers a way of integrating social coordination and affordance theory by drawing attention to these complementary perspectives. We end by showing a real-life example from the practice of architecture that suggests how this situated view that foregrounds sociomateriality can extend the scope of ecological psychology to forms of so-called “higher” cognition. PMID:28119638

From water to life: from Phoenix to EXOMARS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giorgio, V.

Latest news: there definitely is water on Mars. NASA issued the announcement following measurements performed by the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft on samples gathered from the planet's surface. Such a discovery confirms what the scientific community has long posited: some kind of life form could have developed on Mars, and may still be there; a kind of life form that was undoubtedly able to adapt to the Red Planet's harshest environmental conditions. However, scientists won't stop here: quite the contrary, they intend to keep going. The next step is to find evidence of that life, traces of its past or current existence. That is the task that was assigned to EXOMARS European Mission, whose main purpose is carrying out research into Exobiology, that is to say research into the origin, evolution and spreading of life across the universe.

Life extending control: An interdisciplinary engineering thrust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lorenzo, Carl F.; Merrill, Walter C.

1991-01-01

The concept of Life Extending Control (LEC) is introduced. Possible extensions to the cyclic damage prediction approach are presented based on the identification of a model from elementary forms. Several candidate elementary forms are presented. These extensions will result in a continuous or differential form of the damage prediction model. Two possible approaches to the LEC based on the existing cyclic damage prediction method, the measured variables LEC and the estimated variables LEC, are defined. Here, damage estimates or measurements would be used directly in the LEC. A simple hydraulic actuator driven position control system example is used to illustrate the main ideas behind LEC. Results from a simple hydraulic actuator example demonstrate that overall system performance (dynamic plus life) can be maximized by accounting for component damage in the control design.

The Neck Disability Index (NDI) and its correlation with quality of life and mental health measures among patients with single-level cervical disc disease scheduled for surgery.

PubMed

Sundseth, J; Kolstad, F; Johnsen, L G; Pripp, A H; Nygaard, O P; Andresen, H; Fredriksli, O A; Myrseth, E; Züchner, M; Zwart, J A

2015-10-01

The Neck Disability Index (NDI) is widely used as a self-rated disability score in patients with cervical radiculopathy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the NDI score correlated with other assessments of quality of life and mental health in a specific group of patients with single-level cervical disc disease and corresponding radiculopathy. One hundred thirty-six patients were included in a prospective, randomized controlled clinical multicenter study on one-level anterior cervical discectomy with arthroplasty (ACDA) versus one-level anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF). The preoperative data were obtained at hospital admission 1 to 3 days prior to surgery. The NDI score was used as the dependent variable and correlation as well as regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship with the short form-36, EuroQol-5Dimension-3 level and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The mean age at inclusion was 44.1 years (SD ±7.0, range 26-59 years), of which 46.3 % were male. Mean NDI score was 48.6 (SD = 12.3, minimum 30 and maximum 88). Simple linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between NDI and the EuroQol-5Dimension-3 level [R = -0.64, 95 % confidence interval (CI) -30.1- -19.8, p < 0.001] and to a lesser extent between NDI and the short form-36 physical component summary [R = -0.49, 95 % CI (-1.10- -0.58), p < 0.001] and the short form-36 mental component summary [R = -0.25, 95 % CI (-0.47- -0-09), p = 0.004]. Regarding NDI and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, a significant correlation for depression was found [R = 0.26, 95 % CI (0.21-1.73), p = 0.01]. Multiple linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant and the strongest correlation between NDI and the independent variables in the following order: EuroQol-5Dimension-3 level [R = -0.64, 95 % CI (-23.5- -7.9), p <0.001], short form-36 physical component summary [R = -0.41, 95 % CI (-0.93- -0.23), p = 0.001] and short form-36 mental component summary [R = -0.36, 95 % CI (-0.53- -0.15), p = 0.001]. The results from the present study show that the NDI correlated significantly with a different quality of life and mental health measures among patients with single-level cervical disc disease and corresponding radiculopathy.

Studies of Places on Our Home Ground Where We Find Life That Might Be Like Places Life Could Be On Other Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blank, J. G.

2015-12-01

I am interested in looking for strange places where we might find life. Not life like you and me, but tiny life, smaller than our eyes can see. Sometimes, this tiny life leaves marks on rocks or in water that is living there now or that it once lived there long ago. This can be very interesting - it means that we might be able to know that some kind of life lived long ago even if it's not living now. It might also mean that we can find marks of life far far away from our home, on other worlds. One day people will go to other worlds to look for life. We hope to find it or marks that it was once there. I am going to talk about two places I study. In one, rocks are forming in plain daylight, in water that is only as deep as your knee (or maybe less). They should not be there. It seems very possible that the tiny life helps them form there. I study these rocks and ways that tiny life might help the rocks form. Rocks usually last a lot longer than tiny life, so they are an example of a mark that could last for a long long time and be a sign that life was once around there, long after the tiny life died. I will also talk about tiny life that lives under ground in the dark in places big enough that you and I can walk to. By this I mean that there is a trail that leads under ground with enough space for people to enter and study. Of course, we need light to see there, so we bring man made light with us. This tiny life gets food to live from water and rock, not from the sun. The tiny life also makes new rocks, usually easy to see because they are different colors from the other rocks. Again, this is a mark of life, and I am interested in how the marks from tiny life are made, how long they might last, and how many different kinds of marks I can find.

Supportive care needs of Mexican adult cancer patients: validation of the Mexican version of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Questionnaire (SCNS-SFM).

PubMed

Doubova, Svetlana V; Aguirre-Hernandez, Rebeca; Gutiérrez-de la Barrera, Marcos; Infante-Castañeda, Claudia; Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo

2015-09-01

The purpose of this study is to validate the Mexican version of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs survey (SCNS-SFM). A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to December 2013 at the Oncology Hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Mexico City. The study included 825 subsequent cancer patients >20 years of age with all forms of solid cancer. Patients had prior surgical removal of histologically confirmed cancer and attended outpatient consultations. Validation of SCNS-SFM included the following: (1) content validity through a group of experts; (2) construct validity through an exploratory factor analysis based on the polychoric correlation matrix; (3) internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha; (4) convergent validity between SCNS-SFM and quality of life, anxiety, and depression scales by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficient; (5) discriminative validity through analysis of MANOVAs; and (6) test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient calculations. SCNS-SFM has 33 items with five factors accounting for 59 % of total variance. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.78 to 0.90 among factors. SCNS-SFM has good convergent validity compared with quality of life and depression and anxiety scales and good discriminative validity, revealing great information, psychological support, and physical daily living needs for women, patients <60 years, and high physical daily living needs for those with <1 year since cancer diagnosis, with advanced disease stages and current chemo- or radiotherapy. Intraclass correlation coefficient between SCNS-SFM measurements was 0.9. SCNS-SFM has acceptable psychometric properties and is suitable to evaluate supportive care needs of cancer patients.

Microbial Life in Soil - Linking Biophysical Models with Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Or, Dani; Tecon, Robin; Ebrahimi, Ali; Kleyer, Hannah; Ilie, Olga; Wang, Gang

2015-04-01

Microbial life in soil occurs within fragmented aquatic habitats formed in complex pore spaces where motility is restricted to short hydration windows (e.g., following rainfall). The limited range of self-dispersion and physical confinement promote spatial association among trophically interdepended microbial species. Competition and preferences for different nutrient resources and byproducts and their diffusion require high level of spatial organization to sustain the functioning of multispecies communities. We report mechanistic modeling studies of competing multispecies microbial communities grown on hydrated surfaces and within artificial soil aggregates (represented by 3-D pore network). Results show how trophic dependencies and cell-level interactions within patchy diffusion fields promote spatial self-organization of motile microbial cells. The spontaneously forming patterns of segregated, yet coexisting species were robust to spatial heterogeneities and to temporal perturbations (hydration dynamics), and respond primarily to the type of trophic dependencies. Such spatially self-organized consortia may reflect ecological templates that optimize substrate utilization and could form the basic architecture for more permanent surface-attached microbial colonies. Hydration dynamics affect structure and spatial arrangement of aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities and their biogeochemical functions. Experiments with well-characterized artificial soil microbial assemblies grown on porous surfaces provide access to community dynamics during wetting and drying cycles detected through genetic fingerprinting. Experiments for visual observations of spatial associations of tagged bacterial species with known trophic dependencies on model porous surfaces are underway. Biophysical modeling provide a means for predicting hydration-mediated critical separation distances for activation of spatial self-organization. The study provides new modeling and observational tools that enable new mechanistic insights into how differences in substrate affinities among microbial species and soil micro-hydrological conditions may give rise to a remarkable spatial and functional order in an extremely heterogeneous soil microbial world

The development of PROQOL-HIV: an international instrument to assess the health-related quality of life of persons living with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Duracinsky, Martin; Herrmann, Susan; Berzins, Baiba; Armstrong, Andrew R; Kohli, Rewa; Le Coeur, Sophie; Diouf, Assane; Fournier, Isabelle; Schechter, Mauro; Chassany, Olivier

2012-04-15

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome in HIV/AIDS infection and treatment. However, most existing HIV-HRQL instruments miss important issues (eg, sleeping problems, lipodystrophy). They were developed before highly active antiretroviral therapy (pre-HAART), and in a single language. We sought to develop a contemporary HIV-HRQL instrument (PROQOL-HIV) in multiple languages that accounts for HAART treatment and side effects. This article details the 3-stage content validation phase of PROQOL-HIV. In stage 1, we developed a conceptual model of HIV-HRQL and questionnaire item bank from thematic analysis of 152 patient interviews conducted simultaneously across 9 countries. In stage 2, pilot items were selected by an expert panel to form the pilot instrument. Stage 3 involved linguistic validation and harmonization of selected items to form an equivalent instrument in 9 target languages. Analysis of 3375 pages of interview text revealed 11 underlying themes: general health perception, social relationships, emotions, energy/fatigue, sleep, cognitive functioning, physical and daily activity, coping, future, symptoms, and treatment. Seven issues new to HIV-HRQL measurement were subsumed by these themes: infection fears, future concerns, satisfaction with care, self-esteem problems, sleep problems, work disruption, and treatment issues. Of the 442 theme-related items banked, 70 items met the retention criteria and formed the pilot PROQOL-HIV instrument. HIV patients across 11 countries attributed a wide range of physical, mental, and social issues to their condition, many of which were not measured by existing HIV-HRQL instruments. The pilot PROQOL-HIV instrument captures these issues, is sensitive to sociocultural context, disease stage, and HAART.

Methylmercury is the predominant form of mercury in bird eggs: a synthesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ackerman, Joshua T.; Herzog, Mark P.; Schwarzbach, Steven E.

2013-01-01

Bird eggs are commonly used in mercury monitoring programs to assess methylmercury contamination and toxicity to birds. However, only 6% of >200 studies investigating mercury in bird eggs have actually measured methylmercury concentrations in eggs. Instead, studies typically measure total mercury in eggs (both organic and inorganic forms of mercury), with the explicit assumption that total mercury concentrations in eggs are a reliable proxy for methylmercury concentrations in eggs. This assumption is rarely tested, but has important implications for assessing risk of mercury to birds. We conducted a detailed assessment of this assumption by (1) collecting original data to examine the relationship between total and methylmercury in eggs of two species, and (2) reviewing the published literature on mercury concentrations in bird eggs to examine whether the percentage of total mercury in the methylmercury form differed among species. Within American avocets (Recurvirostra americana) and Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri), methylmercury concentrations were highly correlated (R2 = 0.99) with total mercury concentrations in individual eggs (range: 0.03–7.33 μg/g fww), and the regression slope (log scale) was not different from one (m = 0.992). The mean percentage of total mercury in the methylmercury form in eggs was 97% for American avocets (n = 30 eggs), 96% for Forster’s terns (n = 30 eggs), and 96% among all 22 species of birds (n = 30 estimates of species means). The percentage of total mercury in the methylmercury form ranged from 63% to 116% among individual eggs and 82% to 111% among species means, but this variation was not related to total mercury concentrations in eggs, foraging guild, nor to a species life history strategy as characterized along the precocial to altricial spectrum. Our results support the use of total mercury concentrations to estimate methylmercury concentrations in bird eggs.

Psychometric properties of the Swedish PedsQL, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 generic core scales.

PubMed

Petersen, Solveig; Hägglöf, Bruno; Stenlund, Hans; Bergström, Erik

2009-09-01

To study the psychometric performance of the Swedish version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 generic core scales in a general child population in Sweden. PedsQL forms were distributed to 2403 schoolchildren and 888 parents in two different school settings. Reliability and validity was studied for self-reports and proxy reports, full forms and short forms. Confirmatory factor analysis tested the factor structure and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis tested measurement invariance between boys and girls. Test-retest reliability was demonstrated for all scales and internal consistency reliability was shown with alpha value exceeding 0.70 for all scales but one (self-report short form: social functioning). Child-parent agreement was low to moderate. The four-factor structure of the PedsQL and factorial invariance across sex subgroups were confirmed for the self-report forms and for the proxy short form, while model fit indices suggested improvement of several proxy full-form scales. The Swedish PedsQL 4.0 generic core scales are a reliable and valid tool for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment in Swedish child populations. The proxy full form, however, should be used with caution. The study also support continued use of the PedsQL as a four-factor model, capable of revealing meaningful HRQoL differences between boys and girls.

Sigmund Freud: pioneer in energy healing.

PubMed

Edwards, Stephen D; Edwards, David J

2010-02-01

Energy healing is a popular contemporary term for forms of healing that facilitate a natural healing process through harmonizing, rebalancing, and releasing energy flow disturbed or blocked by disease and illness. Biographical evidence indicates that Freud used physical, suggestive, and radiant forms of energy healing, and that his personal life, metapsychology, and psychoanalysis were founded on dynamic, energetic experiences and conceptualizations. Analysis of Freud's life and work leads to the conclusion that in experience, theory, and practice, Freud typified the traditional role of therapist and was a pioneer in modern forms of energy healing.

Ontogenetic changes in helminth membrane function.

PubMed

Arme, C

1988-01-01

During their life-cycle many parasites experience a wide range of environments including free living and those provided by a variety of intermediate and final hosts. The nutritional requirements of parasites are met by physiological processes adapted to exploit the physicochemical characteristics provided by different hosts. In helminth parasites these adaptations are frequently expressed on the tegumentary surface. As an example of adaptations within the Trematoda, the control of monosaccharide transport in Proterometra sp. is described. Environmental sodium, although not directly involved in the uptake process, nevertheless regulates the expression of transport capabilities. In the Cestoda, the uptake of monosaccharides and amino acids is described for Hymenolepis diminuta. The metacestode of this tapeworm inhabits the blood system of an arthropod, and the adult the gut of a mammal. There are quantitative and qualitative differences in the amino acids and monosaccharides in these two environments and these are reflected in the transport mechanisms exhibited by the two forms of the life-cycle. In Echinococcus granulosus the transfer of amino acids, sugars and macromolecules across the membranes of hydatid cysts and protoscoleces is described. The major difference between these two stages in the life-cycle relates to the ability of hydatid cysts to absorb macromolecules, whereas protoscoleces are impermeable to these compounds. The potential for future work is emphasized.

Burning mouth syndrome and oral health-related quality of life: is there a change over time?

PubMed

Ni Riordain, R; Moloney, E; O'Sullivan, K; McCreary, C

2010-10-01

The symptoms associated with burning mouth syndrome can be quite varied and can interfere with the every day lives of patients. Management of the condition can be challenging for clinicians. To determine the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) implications of BMS on patients over a period of time whilst undergoing treatment and to evaluate whether treatment interventions had a positive effect on OHRQOL. Thirty-two individuals (26 females, 6 males, mean age 61 years, range 38-83 years) were enrolled in this study. Individuals were interviewed using Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFMPQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), at weeks 0, 8 and 16. Scores from all outcome measures used decreased over the 16 weeks of the study. Statistically significant differences were found between time points for VAS pain scores (P < 0.001), HADS depression scores (P = 0.029), SFMPQ sensory pain scores (P < 0.01) and total scores for OHIP-14 (P < 0.05). Burning mouth syndrome has a negative impact on OHRQOL; however, individually tailored management of the condition can result in an improvement in patient-reported outcome measures including quality of life.

Creep-rupture behavior of 6 candidate stirling engine iron-base superalloys in high pressure hydrogen. Volume 1: Air creep-rupture behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhattacharyya, S.

1982-01-01

Four wrought alloys (A-286, IN 800H, N-155, and 19-9DL) and two cast alloys (CRM-6D and XF-818) were tested to determine their creep-rupture behavior. The wrought alloys were used in the form of sheets of 0.89 mm (0.035 in.) average thickness. The cast alloy specimens were investment cast and machined to 6.35 mm (0.250 in.) gage diameter. All specimens were tested to rupture in air at different times up to 3000 h over the temperature range of 650 C to 925 C (1200 F to 1700 F). Rupture life, minimum creep rate, and time to 1% creep strain were statistically analyzed as a function of stress at different temperatures. Temperature-compensated analysis was also performed to obtain the activation energies for rupture life, time to 1% creep strain, and the minimum creep rate. Microstructural and fracture analyses were also performed. Based on statistical analyses, estimates were made for stress levels at different temperatures to obtain 3500 h rupture life and time to 1% creep strain. Test results are to be compared with similar data being obtained for these alloys under 15 MPa (2175 psi) hydrogen.

Determination of CA-41, I-129 and OS-187 in the Rochester tandem accelerator and some applications of these isotopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fehn, U.; Elmore, D.; Gove, H. E.; Kubik, P.; Teng, R.; Tubbs, L.

1986-01-01

The measurement of Ca-41 and I-129 utilizing the Rochester Tanden Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (TAMS) is discussed. Ca-41, having a half-life of 100,000 yrs., is of potential use for the dating of ground water as well as of bones in the age range between 50,000 and 1 million yrs. A major problem for the measurement of Ca-41 with TAMS is the fact that calcium does not readily form negative atomic ions. It does, however, form negative molecular ions. The production of CaO ions from compounds such as CaO and CaCO3 and from free Ca molecules sprayed with oxygen gas was studied. A project to utilize I-129 as a tracer for hydrothermal convection in sediment-covered oceanic crust is also briefly described. Finally, plans to use the Os-187/Os-186 ratio for the determination of extraterrestrial material in the Ries crater in Germany are summarized.

OAST Space Theme Workshop. Volume 3: Working group summary. 3: Sensors (E-3). A. Statement. B. Technology needs (form 1). C. Priority assessment (form 2). D. Additional assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Developments required to support the space power, SETI, solar system exploration and global services programs are identified. Instrumentation and calibration sensors (rather than scientific) are needed for the space power system. Highly sophisticated receivers for narrowband detection of microwave sensors and sensors for automated stellar cataloging to provide a mapping data base for SETI are needed. Various phases of solar system exploration require large area solid state imaging arrays from UV to IR; a long focal plane telescope; high energy particle detectors; advanced spectrometers; a gravitometer; and atmospheric distanalyzer; sensors for penetrometers; in-situ sensors for surface chemical analysis, life detection, spectroscopic and microscopic analyses of surface soils, and for meteorological measurements. Active and passive multiapplication sensors, advanced multispectral scanners with improved resolution in the UV and IR ranges, and laser techniques for advanced probing and oceanographic characterization will enhance for global services.

Maternal programming of defensive responses through sustained effects on gene expression.

PubMed

Zhang, Tie-Yuan; Bagot, Rose; Parent, Carine; Nesbitt, Cathy; Bredy, Timothy W; Caldji, Christian; Fish, Eric; Anisman, Hymie; Szyf, Moshe; Meaney, Michael J

2006-07-01

There are profound maternal effects on individual differences in defensive responses and reproductive strategies in species ranging literally from plants to insects to birds. Maternal effects commonly reflect the quality of the environment and are most likely mediated by the quality of the maternal provision (egg, propagule, etc.), which in turn determines growth rates and adult phenotype. In this paper we review data from the rat that suggest comparable forms of maternal effects on defensive responses stress, which are mediated by the effects of variations in maternal behavior on gene expression. Under conditions of environmental adversity maternal effects enhance the capacity for defensive responses in the offspring. In mammals, these effects appear to 'program' emotional, cognitive and endocrine systems towards increased sensitivity to adversity. In environments with an increased level of adversity, such effects can be considered adaptive, enhancing the probability of offspring survival to sexual maturity; the cost is that of an increased risk for multiple forms of pathology in later life.

UV-light-driven prebiotic synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonfio, Claudia; Valer, Luca; Scintilla, Simone; Shah, Sachin; Evans, David J.; Jin, Lin; Szostak, Jack W.; Sasselov, Dimitar D.; Sutherland, John D.; Mansy, Sheref S.

2017-12-01

Iron-sulfur clusters are ancient cofactors that play a fundamental role in metabolism and may have impacted the prebiotic chemistry that led to life. However, it is unclear whether iron-sulfur clusters could have been synthesized on prebiotic Earth. Dissolved iron on early Earth was predominantly in the reduced ferrous state, but ferrous ions alone cannot form polynuclear iron-sulfur clusters. Similarly, free sulfide may not have been readily available. Here we show that UV light drives the synthesis of [2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters through the photooxidation of ferrous ions and the photolysis of organic thiols. Iron-sulfur clusters coordinate to and are stabilized by a wide range of cysteine-containing peptides and the assembly of iron-sulfur cluster-peptide complexes can take place within model protocells in a process that parallels extant pathways. Our experiments suggest that iron-sulfur clusters may have formed easily on early Earth, facilitating the emergence of an iron-sulfur-cluster-dependent metabolism.

Study of interaction in silica glass via model potential approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Sarita; Rani, Pooja

2016-05-01

Silica is one of the most commonly encountered substances in daily life and in electronics industry. Crystalline SiO2 (in several forms: quartz, cristobalite, tridymite) is an important constituent of many minerals and gemstones, both in pure form and mixed with related oxides. Cohesive energy of amorphous SiO2 has been investigated via intermolecular potentials i.e weak Van der Waals interaction and Morse type short-range interaction. We suggest a simple atom-atom based Van der Waals as well as Morse potential to find cohesive energy of glass. It has been found that the study of silica structure using two different model potentials is significantly different. Van der Waals potential is too weak (P.E =0.142eV/molecule) to describe the interaction between silica molecules. Morse potential is a strong potential, earlier given for intramolecular bonding, but if applied for intermolecular bonding, it gives a value of P.E (=-21.92eV/molecule) to appropriately describe the structure of silica.

Solar Flare Dynamic Microwave Imaging with EOVSA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gary, D. E.; Chen, B.; Nita, G. M.; Fleishman, G. D.; Yu, S.; White, S. M.; Hurford, G. J.; McTiernan, J. M.

2017-12-01

The Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) is both an expansion of our existing solar array and serves as a prototype for a much larger future project, the Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR). EOVSA is now complete, and is producing daily imaging of the full solar disk, including active regions and solar radio bursts at hundreds of frequencies in the range 2.8-18 GHz. We present highlights of the 1-s-cadence dynamic imaging spectroscropy of radio bursts we have obtained to date, along with deeper analysis of multi-wavelength observations and modeling of a well-observed burst. These observations are revealing the full life-cycle of the trapped population of high-energy electrons, from their initial acceleration and subsequent energy-evolution to their eventual decay through escape and thermalization. All of our data are being made available for download in both quick-look image form and in the form of the community-standard CASA measurement sets for subsequent imaging and analysis.

Determinants of quality of life in Brazilian patients with myasthenia gravis.

PubMed

Mourão, Aline Mansueto; Gomez, Rodrigo Santiago; Barbosa, Luiz Sergio Mageste; Freitas, Denise da Silva; Comini-Frota, Elizabeth Regina; Kummer, Arthur; Lemos, Stella Maris Aguiar; Teixeira, Antonio Lucio

2016-07-01

The aims of the current study were 1) to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Brazilian version of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale and 2) to investigate the quality of life of Brazilian patients with myasthenia gravis and its determinants. This cross-sectional study included 69 patients with myasthenia gravis who underwent neurological evaluation and completed questionnaires regarding quality of life (the 36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study and the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale), anxiety and depressive symptoms. The Brazilian version of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale showed high internal consistency and good concurrent validity with the 36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study and its subscales. Determinants of quality of life in Brazilian patients with myasthenia gravis included the current status of myasthenia gravis as assessed by the Myasthenia Gravis Composite, the current prednisone dose and the levels of anxiety and depression. The Brazilian version of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale is a valid instrument. Symptom severity, prednisone dosage and anxiety and depression levels impact the quality of life of patients with myasthenia gravis.

Determinants of quality of life in Brazilian patients with myasthenia gravis

PubMed Central

Mourão, Aline Mansueto; Gomez, Rodrigo Santiago; Barbosa, Luiz Sergio Mageste; da Silva Freitas, Denise; Comini-Frota, Elizabeth Regina; Kummer, Arthur; Lemos, Stella Maris Aguiar; Teixeira, Antonio Lucio

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the current study were 1) to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Brazilian version of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale and 2) to investigate the quality of life of Brazilian patients with myasthenia gravis and its determinants. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 69 patients with myasthenia gravis who underwent neurological evaluation and completed questionnaires regarding quality of life (the 36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study and the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale), anxiety and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The Brazilian version of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale showed high internal consistency and good concurrent validity with the 36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study and its subscales. Determinants of quality of life in Brazilian patients with myasthenia gravis included the current status of myasthenia gravis as assessed by the Myasthenia Gravis Composite, the current prednisone dose and the levels of anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life Scale is a valid instrument. Symptom severity, prednisone dosage and anxiety and depression levels impact the quality of life of patients with myasthenia gravis. PMID:27464292