Sample records for major processes involved

  1. Trials and tribulations: how we established a major incident database.

    PubMed

    Hardy, S E J; Fattah, S

    2017-01-25

    We describe the process of setting up a database of major incident reports and its potential future application. A template for reporting on major incidents was developed using a consensus-based process involving a team of experts in the field. A website was set up as a platform from which to launch the template and as a database of submitted reports. This paper describes the processes involved in setting up a major incident reporting database. It describes how specific difficulties have been overcome and anticipates challenges for the future. We have successfully set up a major incident database, the main purpose of which is to have a repository of standardised major incident reports that can be analysed and compared in order to learn from them.

  2. Silicon production process evaluations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Chemical engineering analyses involving the preliminary process design of a plant (1,000 metric tons/year capacity) to produce silicon via the technology under consideration were accomplished. Major activities in the chemical engineering analyses included base case conditions, reaction chemistry, process flowsheet, material balance, energy balance, property data, equipment design, major equipment list, production labor and forward for economic analysis. The process design package provided detailed data for raw materials, utilities, major process equipment and production labor requirements necessary for polysilicon production in each process.

  3. The Direct Loan Demonstration Program: An Analysis of the Legislative Process Involving Federal Student Loan Policy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormick, Joe Lew

    This study examined major stakeholders' perceptions of their involvement and role in the legislative process surrounding the introduction, deliberation, and ultimate passage of the Direct Loan Demonstration Program (DLDP), a federal pilot student loan program. Data analysis was based on a detailed description of the legislative process surrounding…

  4. Visual and Auditory Input in Second-Language Speech Processing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardison, Debra M.

    2010-01-01

    The majority of studies in second-language (L2) speech processing have involved unimodal (i.e., auditory) input; however, in many instances, speech communication involves both visual and auditory sources of information. Some researchers have argued that multimodal speech is the primary mode of speech perception (e.g., Rosenblum 2005). Research on…

  5. Concurrent Engineering Teams. Volume 2: Annotated Bibliography

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-11-01

    publishles. They normally embody restilts of major projects which (a) have a direct bearing am decisionse affecting major program , III) addrnss...D., "What Processes do You Own? How are They Doing?," Program Manager, Journal of the Defense Systems Management College, September-October 1989, pp...216. The key ingredient to any successful TQM program is top management commitment and involvement. The early top management involvement reflects

  6. Orbital transfer vehicle concept definition and system analysis study. Volume 4, Appendix A: Space station accommodations. Revision 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Randall, Roger M.

    1987-01-01

    Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) processing at the space station is divided into two major categories: OTV processing and assembly operations, and support operations. These categories are further subdivided into major functional areas to allow development of detailed OTV processing procedures and timelines. These procedures and timelines are used to derive the specific space station accommodations necessary to support OTV activities. The overall objective is to limit impact on OTV processing requirements on space station operations, involvement of crew, and associated crew training and skill requirements. The operational concept maximizes use of automated and robotic systems to perform all required OTV servicing and maintenance tasks. Only potentially critical activities would require direct crew involvement or supervision. EVA operations are considered to be strictly contingency back-up to failure of the automated and robotic systems, with the exception of the initial assembly of Space-Based OTV accommodations at the space station, which will require manned involvement.

  7. Major system acquisitions process (A-109)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saric, C.

    1991-01-01

    The Major System examined is a combination of elements (hardware, software, facilities, and services) that function together to produce capabilities required to fulfill a mission need. The system acquisition process is a sequence of activities beginning with documentation of mission need and ending with introduction of major system into operational use or otherwise successful achievement of program objectives. It is concluded that the A-109 process makes sense and provides a systematic, integrated management approach along with appropriate management level involvement and innovative and 'best ideas' from private sector in satisfying mission needs.

  8. Research on Globalization and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spring, Joel

    2008-01-01

    Research on globalization and education involves the study of intertwined worldwide discourses, processes, and institutions affecting local educational practices and policies. The four major theoretical perspectives concerning globalization and education are world culture, world systems, postcolonial, and culturalist. The major global educational…

  9. Galileo spacecraft integration - International cooperation on a planetary mission in the Shuttle era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spehalski, R. J.

    1983-01-01

    The Galileo mission is designed to greatly expand scientific knowledge of Jupiter and its system. The retropropulsion module (RPM) as a major functional element of the Galileo spacecraft is described. The major mission and spacecraft requirements on the RPM are presented. Complexities of the integration process due to the international interface are identified. Challenges associated with integration with new launch vehicles, the Shuttle and upper stage, and their relationships to the RPM are discussed. The results of the integration process involving mission and propulsion performance, reliability, mechanical and thermal interfaces, and safety are described. Finally, considerations and recommendations for future missions involving international cooperation are given.

  10. Trial Courts in the Judicial Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKnight, R. Neal

    1981-01-01

    Describes a college course which examines the organizational and behavioral characteristics of trial courts in the American judicial process. A major course objective is to help students understand the trial court process as a political process by showing how trial court organizations are involved in the allocation of social values. (RM)

  11. Clinician and Writer: Their Crucible of Involvement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ewald, Helen Rothschild

    Clinical report writing involves two interlinking processes--creation and communication. There are six stages of clinical inference that find parallels in generative writing stages: possessing a postulate system, constructing the major premise, observing for occurrences, instantiating (classifying) the occurrences, reaching a referential product,…

  12. "We Are in This Together": Common Group Identity Predicts Majority Members' Active Acculturation Efforts to Integrate Immigrants.

    PubMed

    Kunst, Jonas R; Thomsen, Lotte; Sam, David L; Berry, John W

    2015-10-01

    Although integration involves a process of mutual accommodation, the role of majority groups is often downplayed to passive tolerance, leaving immigrants with the sole responsibility for active integration. However, we show that common group identity can actively involve majority members in this process across five studies. Study 1 showed that common identity positively predicted support of integration efforts; Studies 2 and 3 extended these findings, showing that it also predicted real behavior such as monetary donations and volunteering. A decrease in modern racism mediated the relations across these studies, and Studies 4 and 5 further demonstrated that it indeed mediated these effects over and above acculturation expectations and color-blindness, which somewhat compromised integration efforts. Moreover, the last two studies also demonstrated that common, but not dual, groups motivated integration efforts. Common identity appears crucial for securing majorities' altruistic efforts to integrate immigrants and, thus, for achieving functional multiculturalism. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  13. Process Feasibility Study in Support of Silicon Material, Task 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, K. Y.; Hansen, K. C.; Yaws, C. L.

    1979-01-01

    During this reporting period, major activies were devoted to process system properties, chemical engineering and economic analyses. Analyses of process system properties was continued for materials involved in the alternate processes under consideration for solar cell grade silicon. The following property data are reported for silicon tetrafluoride: critical constants, vapor pressure, heat of varporization, heat capacity, density, surface tension, viscosity, thermal conductivity, heat of formation and Gibb's free energy of formation. Chemical engineering analysis of the BCL process was continued with primary efforts being devoted to the preliminary process design. Status and progress are reported for base case conditions; process flow diagram; reaction chemistry; material and energy balances; and major process equipment design.

  14. Human Listening: Processes and Behavior.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weaver, Carl H.

    This book is divided into three conceptual areas: a general presentation of listening behavior and its place in the communication process, the major social and psychological processes involved in the selection and cognition of aurally received data, and remedial measures for both the speaker and the auditor. "Listening behavior: an overview"…

  15. The political solidarity model of social change: dynamics of self-categorization in intergroup power relations.

    PubMed

    Subasic, Emina; Reynolds, Katherine J; Turner, John C

    2008-11-01

    Social and political change involves a challenge to the status quo in intergroup power relations. Traditionally, the social psychology of social change has focused on disadvantaged minority groups collectively challenging the decisions, actions, and policies of those in positions of established authority. In contrast, this article presents a political solidarity model of social change that explores the process by which members of the majority challenge the authority in solidarity with the minority. It is argued that political solidarity as a social change process involves a contest between the authority and the minority over the meaning of a shared (higher order) identity with the majority. When identity ceases to be shared with the authority and becomes shared with the minority, majority challenge to authority in solidarity with the minority becomes possible. The model's contributions to existing social psychological approaches to social change are also discussed.

  16. State involvement in and use of LANDSAT technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tessar, P. A.

    1981-01-01

    The background of state involvement in LANDSAT systems planning and the status of state LANDSAT use are reviewed. Major recommendations on data continuity; frequency and pattern of observation; state representation in program management; pointable sensors for a fully operational system; data processing systems; data pricing; data copyright; data archival; and technology transfer are highlighted. Plans of the government regarding the LANDSAT system are reflected in the FY-1982 budget process are examined.

  17. GOMA 6.0 :

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

    Schunk, Peter Randall; Rao, Rekha Ranjana; Chen, Ken S

    Goma 6.0 is a finite element program which excels in analyses of multiphysical processes, particularly those involving the major branches of mechanics (viz. fluid/solid mechanics, energy transport and chemical species transport). Goma is based on a full-Newton-coupled algorithm which allows for simultaneous solution of the governing principles, making the code ideally suited for problems involving closely coupled bulk mechanics and interfacial phenomena. Example applications include, but are not limited to, coating and polymer processing flows, super-alloy processing, welding/soldering, electrochemical processes, and solid-network or solution film drying. This document serves as a users guide and reference.

  18. A Process Approach to Public Speaking: The Use of Exercises and Games.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berryman, Cynthia L.

    The use of exercises and games in teaching the process of public speaking provides a novel and effective approach for teacher and student. This paper justifies a process orientation to public-speaking instruction and offers practical exercises, games, and activities for teaching the major rhetorical aspects involved in the process of public…

  19. Students' Perceptions of Parental and Teacher Academic Involvement: Consequences on Achievement Goals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Regner, Isabelle; Loose, Florence; Dumas, Florence

    2009-01-01

    The present study examined whether students' perceptions of two major facets of parental and teacher academic involvement (i.e., academic support and academic monitoring), contribute to the process of students' achievement goals adoption. French junior high-school students completed two questionnaires assessing first their perceptions of parental…

  20. Cortico-basal ganglia networks subserving goal-directed behavior mediated by conditional visuo-goal association

    PubMed Central

    Hoshi, Eiji

    2013-01-01

    Action is often executed according to information provided by a visual signal. As this type of behavior integrates two distinct neural representations, perception and action, it has been thought that identification of the neural mechanisms underlying this process will yield deeper insights into the principles underpinning goal-directed behavior. Based on a framework derived from conditional visuomotor association, prior studies have identified neural mechanisms in the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), and basal ganglia (BG). However, applications resting solely on this conceptualization encounter problems related to generalization and flexibility, essential processes in executive function, because the association mode involves a direct one-to-one mapping of each visual signal onto a particular action. To overcome this problem, we extend this conceptualization and postulate a more general framework, conditional visuo-goal association. According to this new framework, the visual signal identifies an abstract behavioral goal, and an action is subsequently selected and executed to meet this goal. Neuronal activity recorded from the four key areas of the brains of monkeys performing a task involving conditional visuo-goal association revealed three major mechanisms underlying this process. First, visual-object signals are represented primarily in the vlPFC and BG. Second, all four areas are involved in initially determining the goals based on the visual signals, with the PMd and dlPFC playing major roles in maintaining the salience of the goals. Third, the cortical areas play major roles in specifying action, whereas the role of the BG in this process is restrictive. These new lines of evidence reveal that the four areas involved in conditional visuomotor association contribute to goal-directed behavior mediated by conditional visuo-goal association in an area-dependent manner. PMID:24155692

  1. Interrelationships among Librarians, Engineers, and Publishers in the Publication Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Eugene B.

    This paper advocates the involvement of librarians in the publishing process and examines the mechanics of that process. Concerns of librarians, engineers, and publishers are delineated, with examples taken from the internal and external dissemination of technical information by a major U.S. government research agency and various large industrial…

  2. 32 CFR 989.16 - Environmental impact statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.16 Environmental impact statement. (a) Certain...) Development of major new weapons systems (at decision points that involve demonstration, validation...

  3. 32 CFR 989.16 - Environmental impact statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.16 Environmental impact statement. (a) Certain...) Development of major new weapons systems (at decision points that involve demonstration, validation...

  4. 32 CFR 989.16 - Environmental impact statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.16 Environmental impact statement. (a) Certain...) Development of major new weapons systems (at decision points that involve demonstration, validation...

  5. 32 CFR 989.16 - Environmental impact statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.16 Environmental impact statement. (a) Certain...) Development of major new weapons systems (at decision points that involve demonstration, validation...

  6. No Longer a Teacher Monologue--Involving EFL Writing Learners in Teachers' Assessment and Feedback Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Shu-Chen

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the design of learning-oriented formative assessments in an EFL writing course that involved learners in regularly responding to teacher feedback. Following major assessment and feedback frameworks developed recently, these formative assessments were explicated in three aspects: the scheduling of learning and assessment…

  7. 7 CFR 372.8 - Major planning and decision points and public involvement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... addressed in the environmental impact statement process. (1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement will be published in the Federal Register as soon as it is determined that a proposed major Federal action has the potential to affect significantly the quality of the human environment. The...

  8. 7 CFR 372.8 - Major planning and decision points and public involvement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... addressed in the environmental impact statement process. (1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement will be published in the Federal Register as soon as it is determined that a proposed major Federal action has the potential to affect significantly the quality of the human environment. The...

  9. The planning and control of NASA programs and resources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The major management systems used to plan and control NASA programs and resources are described as well as their integration to form the agency's general management approach in carrying out its mission. Documents containing more detailed descriptions of the processes and techniques involved in the agency's major management systems are listed.

  10. Major Transcriptome Reprogramming Underlies Floral Mimicry Induced by the Rust Fungus Puccinia monoica in Boechera stricta

    PubMed Central

    Haugen, Riston H.; Saunders, Diane G. O.; Leonelli, Lauriebeth; MacLean, Dan; Hogenhout, Saskia A.; Kamoun, Sophien

    2013-01-01

    Pucciniamonoica is a spectacular plant parasitic rust fungus that triggers the formation of flower-like structures (pseudoflowers) in its Brassicaceae host plant Boechera stricta . Pseudoflowers mimic in shape, color, nectar and scent co-occurring and unrelated flowers such as buttercups. They act to attract insects thereby aiding spore dispersal and sexual reproduction of the rust fungus. Although much ecological research has been performed on P . monoica -induced pseudoflowers, this system has yet to be investigated at the molecular or genomic level. To date, the molecular alterations underlying the development of pseudoflowers and the genes involved have not been described. To address this, we performed gene expression profiling to reveal 256 plant biological processes that are significantly altered in pseudoflowers. Among these biological processes, plant genes involved in cell fate specification, regulation of transcription, reproduction, floral organ development, anthocyanin (major floral pigments) and terpenoid biosynthesis (major floral volatile compounds) were down-regulated in pseudoflowers. In contrast, plant genes involved in shoot, cotyledon and leaf development, carbohydrate transport, wax biosynthesis, cutin transport and L-phenylalanine metabolism (pathway that results in phenylethanol and phenylacetaldehyde volatile production) were up-regulated. These findings point to an extensive reprogramming of host genes by the rust pathogen to induce floral mimicry. We also highlight 31 differentially regulated plant genes that are enriched in the biological processes mentioned above, and are potentially involved in the formation of pseudoflowers. This work illustrates the complex perturbations induced by rust pathogens in their host plants, and provides a starting point for understanding the molecular mechanisms of pathogen-induced floral mimicry. PMID:24069397

  11. Major transcriptome reprogramming underlies floral mimicry induced by the rust fungus Puccinia monoica in Boechera stricta.

    PubMed

    Cano, Liliana M; Raffaele, Sylvain; Haugen, Riston H; Saunders, Diane G O; Leonelli, Lauriebeth; MacLean, Dan; Hogenhout, Saskia A; Kamoun, Sophien

    2013-01-01

    Pucciniamonoica is a spectacular plant parasitic rust fungus that triggers the formation of flower-like structures (pseudoflowers) in its Brassicaceae host plant Boecherastricta. Pseudoflowers mimic in shape, color, nectar and scent co-occurring and unrelated flowers such as buttercups. They act to attract insects thereby aiding spore dispersal and sexual reproduction of the rust fungus. Although much ecological research has been performed on P. monoica-induced pseudoflowers, this system has yet to be investigated at the molecular or genomic level. To date, the molecular alterations underlying the development of pseudoflowers and the genes involved have not been described. To address this, we performed gene expression profiling to reveal 256 plant biological processes that are significantly altered in pseudoflowers. Among these biological processes, plant genes involved in cell fate specification, regulation of transcription, reproduction, floral organ development, anthocyanin (major floral pigments) and terpenoid biosynthesis (major floral volatile compounds) were down-regulated in pseudoflowers. In contrast, plant genes involved in shoot, cotyledon and leaf development, carbohydrate transport, wax biosynthesis, cutin transport and L-phenylalanine metabolism (pathway that results in phenylethanol and phenylacetaldehyde volatile production) were up-regulated. These findings point to an extensive reprogramming of host genes by the rust pathogen to induce floral mimicry. We also highlight 31 differentially regulated plant genes that are enriched in the biological processes mentioned above, and are potentially involved in the formation of pseudoflowers. This work illustrates the complex perturbations induced by rust pathogens in their host plants, and provides a starting point for understanding the molecular mechanisms of pathogen-induced floral mimicry.

  12. Making the audience a key participant in the science communication process.

    PubMed

    Rogers, C L

    2000-10-01

    The public communication of science and technology has become increasingly important over the last several decades. However, understanding the audience that receives this information remains the weak link in the science communication process. This essay provides a brief review of some of the issues involved, discusses results from an audience-based study, and suggests some strategies that both scientists and journalists can use to modify media coverage in ways that can help audiences better understand major public issues that involve science and technology.

  13. OPERATOR BURDEN IN METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

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

    Elliott, Amy M; Love, Lonnie J

    2016-01-01

    Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging manufacturing process that creates usable machine parts via layer-by-layer joining of a stock material. With this layer-wise approach, high-performance geometries can be created which are impossible with traditional manufacturing methods. Metal AM technology has the potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing burden of developing custom hardware; however, a major consideration in choosing a metal AM system is the required amount of operator involvement (i.e., operator burden) in the manufacturing process. The operator burden not only determines the amount of operator training and specialization required but also the usability of the system in a facility.more » As operators of several metal AM processes, the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Labs is uniquely poised to provide insight into requirements for operator involvement in each of the three major metal AM processes. The paper covers an overview of each of the three metal AM technologies, focusing on the burden on the operator to complete the build cycle, process the part for final use, and reset the AM equipment for future builds.« less

  14. Epigenetic regulation and chromatin remodeling in learning and memory.

    PubMed

    Kim, Somi; Kaang, Bong-Kiun

    2017-01-13

    Understanding the underlying mechanisms of memory formation and maintenance has been a major goal in the field of neuroscience. Memory formation and maintenance are tightly controlled complex processes. Among the various processes occurring at different levels, gene expression regulation is especially crucial for proper memory processing, as some genes need to be activated while some genes must be suppressed. Epigenetic regulation of the genome involves processes such as DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications. These processes edit genomic properties or the interactions between the genome and histone cores. They then induce structural changes in the chromatin and lead to transcriptional changes of different genes. Recent studies have focused on the concept of chromatin remodeling, which consists of 3D structural changes in chromatin in relation to gene regulation, and is an important process in learning and memory. In this review, we will introduce three major epigenetic processes involved in memory regulation: DNA methylation, histone methylation and histone acetylation. We will also discuss general mechanisms of long-term memory storage and relate the epigenetic control of learning and memory to chromatin remodeling. Finally, we will discuss how epigenetic mechanisms can contribute to the pathologies of neurological disorders and cause memory-related symptoms.

  15. Process feasibility study in support of silicon material task 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yaws, C. L.; Li, K. Y.; Hopper, J. R.; Fang, C. S.; Hansen, K. C.

    1981-01-01

    Results for process system properties, chemical engineering and economic analyses of the new technologies and processes being developed for the production of lower cost silicon for solar cells are presented. Analyses of process system properties are important for chemical materials involved in the several processes under consideration for semiconductor and solar cell grade silicon production. Major physical, thermodynamic and transport property data are reported for silicon source and processing chemical materials.

  16. Beyond Word Processing: Rhetorical Invention with Computers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strickland, James

    In the area of composition, computer assisted instruction (CAI) must move beyond the limited concerns of the current-traditional rhetoric to address the larger issues of writing, become process-centered, and involve active writing rather than answering multiple-choice questions. Researchers cite four major types of interactive CAI, the last of…

  17. Converting the H. W. Wilson Company Indexes to an Automated System: A Functional Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Regazzi, John J.

    1984-01-01

    Description of the computerized information system that supports the editorial and manufacturing processes involved in creation of Wilson's subject indexes and catalogs includes the major subsystems--online data entry, batch input processing, validation and release, file generation and database management, online and offline retrieval, publication…

  18. INPROF--Promoting Teamwork Processes and Interprofessional Collaboration in Emergency Work (2010-2012)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collin, Kaija; Paloniemi, Susanna; Herranen, Sanna

    2015-01-01

    This paper summarises the findings of a research project on interprofessional collaboration in the emergency unit of a major Finnish hospital. The findings are discussed through a broad conceptual framework which involves work process knowledge and interprofessional collaboration. The project, carried out from 2010-2012, investigated different…

  19. Classification of processes involved in sharing individual participant data from clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Ohmann, Christian; Canham, Steve; Banzi, Rita; Kuchinke, Wolfgang; Battaglia, Serena

    2018-01-01

    Background: In recent years, a cultural change in the handling of data from research has resulted in the strong promotion of a culture of openness and increased sharing of data. In the area of clinical trials, sharing of individual participant data involves a complex set of processes and the interaction of many actors and actions. Individual services/tools to support data sharing are available, but what is missing is a detailed, structured and comprehensive list of processes/subprocesses involved and tools/services needed. Methods : Principles and recommendations from a published data sharing consensus document are analysed in detail by a small expert group. Processes/subprocesses involved in data sharing are identified and linked to actors and possible services/tools. Definitions are adapted from the business process model and notation (BPMN) and applied in the analysis. Results: A detailed and comprehensive list of individual processes/subprocesses involved in data sharing, structured according to 9 main processes, is provided. Possible tools/services to support these processes/subprocesses are identified and grouped according to major type of support. Conclusions: The list of individual processes/subprocesses and tools/services identified is a first step towards development of a generic framework or architecture for sharing of data from clinical trials. Such a framework is strongly needed to give an overview of how various actors, research processes and services could form an interoperable system for data sharing.

  20. Classification of processes involved in sharing individual participant data from clinical trials

    PubMed Central

    Ohmann, Christian; Canham, Steve; Banzi, Rita; Kuchinke, Wolfgang; Battaglia, Serena

    2018-01-01

    Background: In recent years, a cultural change in the handling of data from research has resulted in the strong promotion of a culture of openness and increased sharing of data. In the area of clinical trials, sharing of individual participant data involves a complex set of processes and the interaction of many actors and actions. Individual services/tools to support data sharing are available, but what is missing is a detailed, structured and comprehensive list of processes/subprocesses involved and tools/services needed. Methods: Principles and recommendations from a published data sharing consensus document are analysed in detail by a small expert group. Processes/subprocesses involved in data sharing are identified and linked to actors and possible services/tools. Definitions are adapted from the business process model and notation (BPMN) and applied in the analysis. Results: A detailed and comprehensive list of individual processes/subprocesses involved in data sharing, structured according to 9 main processes, is provided. Possible tools/services to support these processes/subprocesses are identified and grouped according to major type of support. Conclusions: The list of individual processes/subprocesses and tools/services identified is a first step towards development of a generic framework or architecture for sharing of data from clinical trials. Such a framework is strongly needed to give an overview of how various actors, research processes and services could form an interoperable system for data sharing. PMID:29623192

  1. Structural design/margin assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ryan, R. S.

    1993-01-01

    Determining structural design inputs and the structural margins following design completion is one of the major activities in space exploration. The end result is a statement of these margins as stability, safety factors on ultimate and yield stresses, fracture limits (fracture control), fatigue lifetime, reuse criteria, operational criteria and procedures, stability factors, deflections, clearance, handling criteria, etc. The process is normally called a load cycle and is time consuming, very complex, and involves much more than structures. The key to successful structural design is the proper implementation of the process. It depends on many factors: leadership and management of the process, adequate analysis and testing tools, data basing, communications, people skills, and training. This process and the various factors involved are discussed.

  2. After the Doors Opened: Asking "Why" at a New Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evenbeck, Scott; Merians, Linda E.

    2016-01-01

    This chapter describes some of the major principles, practices, and processes involved in designing and founding a new community college dedicated to improving student outcomes by doing things differently.

  3. Molecular evolution of the major chemosensory gene families in insects.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Gracia, A; Vieira, F G; Rozas, J

    2009-09-01

    Chemoreception is a crucial biological process that is essential for the survival of animals. In insects, olfaction allows the organism to recognise volatile cues that allow the detection of food, predators and mates, whereas the sense of taste commonly allows the discrimination of soluble stimulants that elicit feeding behaviours and can also initiate innate sexual and reproductive responses. The most important proteins involved in the recognition of chemical cues comprise moderately sized multigene families. These families include odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs), which are involved in peripheral olfactory processing, and the chemoreceptor superfamily formed by the olfactory receptor (OR) and gustatory receptor (GR) families. Here, we review some recent evolutionary genomic studies of chemosensory gene families using the data from fully sequenced insect genomes, especially from the 12 newly available Drosophila genomes. Overall, the results clearly support the birth-and-death model as the major mechanism of evolution in these gene families. Namely, new members arise by tandem gene duplication, progressively diverge in sequence and function, and can eventually be lost from the genome by a deletion or pseudogenisation event. Adaptive changes fostered by environmental shifts are also observed in the evolution of chemosensory families in insects and likely involve reproductive, ecological or behavioural traits. Consequently, the current size of these gene families is mainly a result of random gene gain and loss events. This dynamic process may represent a major source of genetic variation, providing opportunities for FUTURE specific adaptations.

  4. Vocational Choice: A Decision Making Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sauermann, Henry

    2005-01-01

    We propose a model of vocational choice that can be used for analyzing and guiding the decision processes underlying career and job choices. Our model is based on research in behavioral decision making (BDM), in particular the choice goals framework developed by Bettman, Luce, and Payne (1998). The basic model involves two major processes. First,…

  5. Developing a Competency-Based Curriculum for a Dental Hygiene Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeWald, Janice P.; McCann, Ann L.

    1999-01-01

    Describes the three-step process used to develop a competency-based curriculum at the Caruth School of Dental Hygiene (Texas A&M University). The process involved development of a competency document (detailing three domains, nine major competencies, and 54 supporting competencies), an evaluation plan, and a curriculum inventory which defined…

  6. A tree hurts, too

    Treesearch

    Northeastern Forest Experiment Station

    1973-01-01

    This booklet outlines what happens most of the time as decay develops in a living tree. The drawings are designed to give an accurate general presentation of the decay process by focusing only on the major portions of an extremely complex process that involves the interactions among microorganisms, environmental factors, and the tree. The better we understand these...

  7. Understanding Bullying through the Eyes of Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pister, Rebecca

    2014-01-01

    As reports of bullying continue to make headlines, the push to understand the processes behind bullying behaviors continues to rise. While a great deal of research has been conducted to better understand the processes behind and the outcomes of bullying, the majority of these studies are quantitative in nature and very few involve qualitative…

  8. Information Processing and Risk Perception: An Adaptation of the Heuristic-Systematic Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trumbo, Craig W.

    2002-01-01

    Describes heuristic-systematic information-processing model and risk perception--the two major conceptual areas of the analysis. Discusses the proposed model, describing the context of the data collections (public health communication involving cancer epidemiology) and providing the results of a set of three replications using the proposed model.…

  9. Mental health recovery: lived experience of consumers, carers and nurses.

    PubMed

    Jacob, Sini; Munro, Ian; Taylor, Beverley Joan

    2015-01-01

    Background Mental health recovery is a prominent topic of discussion in the global mental health settings. The concept of mental health recovery brought about a major shift in the traditional philosophical views of many mental health systems. Aim The purpose of this article is to outline the results of a qualitative study on mental health recovery, which involved mental health consumers, carers and mental health nurses from an Area Mental Health Service in Victoria, Australia. This paper is Part One of the results that explored the meaning of recovery. Methods The study used van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology to analyse the data. Findings Themes suggested that the cohort had varying views on recovery that were similar and dissimilar. The similar views were categorised under two processes involving the self, an internal process and an external process. These two processes involved reclaiming various aspects of oneself, living life, cure or absence of symptoms and contribution to community. The dissimilar views involved returning to pre-illness state and recovery was impossible. Conclusion This study highlights the need for placing importance on the person's sense of self in the recovery process.

  10. Mental health recovery: Lived experience of consumers, carers and nurses.

    PubMed

    Jacob, Sini; Munro, Ian; Taylor, Beverley Joan

    2014-09-06

    Abstract Background Mental health recovery is a prominent topic of discussion in the global mental health settings. The concept of mental health recovery brought about a major shift in the traditional philosophical views of many mental health systems. Aim The purpose of this article is to outline the results of a qualitative study on mental health recovery, which involved mental health consumers, carers and mental health nurses from an Area Mental Health Service in Victoria, Australia. This paper is part one of the results that explored the meaning of recovery. Methods The study used van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology to analyse the data. Findings Themes suggested that the cohort had varying views on recovery that were similar and dissimilar. The similar views were categorised under two processes involving the self, an internal process and an external process. These two processes involved reclaiming various aspects of oneself, living life, cure or absence of symptoms and contribution to community. The dissimilar views involved returning to pre-illness state and recovery was impossible. Conclusion This study highlights the need for placing importance to the person's sense of self in the recovery process.

  11. What does productivity really mean? Towards an integrative paradigm in the search for biodiversity-productivity relationships

    Treesearch

    Liangjun Hu; Qinfeng Guo

    2013-01-01

    How species diversity relates to productivity remains a major debate. To date, however, the underlying mechanisms that regulate the ecological processes involved are still poorly understood. Three major issues persist in early efforts at resolution. First, in the context that productivity drives species diversity, how the pathways operate is poorly-explained. Second,...

  12. Musical chords and emotion: major and minor triads are processed for emotion.

    PubMed

    Bakker, David Radford; Martin, Frances Heritage

    2015-03-01

    Musical chords are arguably the smallest building blocks of music that retain emotional information. Major chords are generally perceived as positive- and minor chords as negative-sounding, but there has been debate concerning how early these emotional connotations may be processed. To investigate this, emotional facial stimuli and musical chord stimuli were simultaneously presented to participants, and facilitation of processing was measured via event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes. Decreased amplitudes of the P1 and N2 ERP components have been found to index the facilitation of early processing. If simultaneously presented musical chords and facial stimuli are perceived at early stages as belonging to the same emotional category, then early processing should be facilitated for these congruent pairs, and ERP amplitudes should therefore be decreased as compared to the incongruent pairs. ERPs were recorded from 30 musically naive participants as they viewed happy, sad, and neutral faces presented simultaneously with a major or minor chord. When faces and chords were presented that contained congruent emotional information (happy-major or sad-minor), processing was facilitated, as indexed by decreased N2 ERP amplitudes. This suggests that musical chords do possess emotional connotations that can be processed as early as 200 ms in naive listeners. The early stages of processing that are involved suggest that major and minor chords have deeply connected emotional meanings, rather than superficially attributed ones, indicating that minor triads possess negative emotional connotations and major triads possess positive emotional connotations.

  13. Minor and major health: a Nietzschean reading.

    PubMed

    Biato, Emília Carvalho Leitão; Costa, Luciano Bedin da; Monteiro, Silas Borges

    2017-03-01

    This paper aims to discuss the concept of health, understood as multiple and plural. We use Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical thought as an analytical tool, allowing us to reach a typology involving minor and major health. While the first is normative and sustained by an ideal of healing, the second is an expanding strength, a condition constantly achieved. If minor health follows a preset life moralization script, major health relates to the expanded living being, which affirms its creative nature and transcends established rules. The notion of major health embraces the overcoming of imperative models rooted in biomedicine-based practices and approaches to health collective actions. Nevertheless, on the one hand, if this movement extends the co-participatory nature between staff and users of the health system, on the other hand, it lacks more radical actions to break with the moral nature of health-disease processes. Not refusing life's own vicissitudes, major health understands the need to incorporate pain and suffering involved in individuation movements.

  14. The Effects of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia on Anger Reactivity and Persistence in Major Depression

    PubMed Central

    Ellis, Alissa J.; Shumake, Jason; Beevers, Christopher G.

    2016-01-01

    The experience of anger during a depressive episode has recently been identified as a poor prognostic indicator of illness course. Given the clinical implications of anger in major depressive disorder (MDD), understanding the mechanisms involved in anger reactivity and persistence is critical for improved intervention. Biological processes involved in emotion regulation during stress, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may play a role in maintaining negative moods. Clinically depressed (MDD) (n=49) and non-depressed (non-MDD) (n=50) individuals were challenged with a stressful computer task shown to increase anger, while RSA (high frequency range 0.15–0.4 Hz) was collected. RSA predicted future anger, but was unrelated to current anger. That is, across participants, low baseline RSA predicted anger reactivity during the task, and in depressed individuals, those with low RSA during the task had a greater likelihood of anger persistence during a recovery period. These results suggest that low RSA may be a psychophysiological process involved in anger regulation in depression. Low RSA may contribute to sustained illness course by diminishing the repair of angry moods. PMID:27401801

  15. Shuttle/payload communications and data systems interface analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huth, G. K.

    1980-01-01

    The payload/orbiter functional command signal flow and telemetry signal flow are discussed. Functional descriptions of the various orbiter communication/avionic equipment involved in processing a command to a payload either from the ground through the orbiter by the payload specialist on the orbiter are included. Functional descriptions of the various orbiter communication/avionic equipment involved in processing telemetry data by the orbiter and transmitting the processed data to the ground are presented. The results of the attached payload/orbiter single processing and data handling system evaluation are described. The causes of the majority of attached payload/orbiter interface problems are delineated. A refined set of required flux density values for a detached payload to communicate with the orbiter is presented.

  16. The Acquisition of Consonant Feature Sequences: Harmony, Metathesis, and Deletion Patterns in Phonological Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gerlach, Sharon Ruth

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation examines three processes affecting consonants in child speech: harmony (long-distance assimilation) involving major place features as in "coat" [kouk]; long-distance metathesis as in "cup" [p[wedge]k]; and initial consonant deletion as in "fish" [is]. These processes are unattested in adult phonology, leading to proposals for…

  17. An Investigation of Rater Cognition in the Assessment of Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crisp, Victoria

    2012-01-01

    In the United Kingdom, the majority of national assessments involve human raters. The processes by which raters determine the scores to award are central to the assessment process and affect the extent to which valid inferences can be made from assessment outcomes. Thus, understanding rater cognition has become a growing area of research in the…

  18. Assessing Implementation of a Performance Pay Plan for Teachers: Strategies, Findings and Implications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Gene E.; Caffarella, Edward; Bartlett, Ellen

    This paper reports how one school district has successfully implemented a major innovation, the Performance Pay Plan (PPP) for Teachers, and how they have collaborated with change process researchers to assess implementation. The paper emphasizes: the community-wide process of involvement and trust building used by the district to launch and…

  19. Evaluation of Oral Production Learning Outcomes for Higher Education in Spain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierce, Joana; Robisco, Maria del Mar

    2010-01-01

    Higher education institutions across Europe are currently involved in a major process of reforming and restructuring as part of the Bologna process which stresses the role of competences and outcomes in curriculum design. This paper reports on the findings of a research project whose purpose was to assess the clarity and the appropriate…

  20. Pocket Pal: A Graphic Arts Digest for Printers and Advertising Production Managers. Tenth Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1970

    In this digest of information about printing a brief survey of the history of printing precedes detailed explanations of the processes and the materials involved in printing. The four major printing processes--letterpress, gravure, offset lithography, and screen--are explained. Steps in preparing art and copy for printing, including selection of…

  1. Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide calibration for pavement rehabilitation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-01-01

    The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is in the process of implementing the recently introduced AASHTO : Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for new pavement sections. The majority of pavement work : conducted by ODOT involve...

  2. Regulation of brain reward by the endocannabinoid system: a critical review of behavioral studies in animals.

    PubMed

    Vlachou, S; Panagis, G

    2014-01-01

    The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of physiological processes, including a crucial involvement in brain reward systems and the regulation of motivational processes. Behavioral studies have shown that cannabinoid reward may involve the same brain circuits and similar brain mechanisms with other drugs of abuse, such as nicotine, cocaine, alcohol and heroin, as well as natural rewards, such as food, water and sucrose, although the conditions under which cannabinoids exert their rewarding effects may be more limited. The purpose of the present review is to briefly describe and evaluate the behavioral and pharmacological research concerning the major components of the endocannabinoid system and reward processes. Special emphasis is placed on data received from four procedures used to test the effects of the endocannabinoid system on brain reward in animals; namely, the intracranial self-stimulation paradigm, the self-administration procedure, the conditioned place preference procedure and the drug-discrimination procedure. The effects of cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor agonists, antagonists and endocannabinoid modulators in these procedures are examined. Further, the involvement of CB1 and CB2 receptors, as well the fatty acid amid hydrolase (FAAH) enzyme in reward processes is investigated through presentation of respective genetic ablation studies in mice. We suggest that the endocannabinoid system plays a major role in modulating motivation and reward processes. Further research will provide us with a better understanding of these processes and, thus, could lead to the development of potential therapeutic compounds for the treatment of reward-related disorders.

  3. Temporary stages and motivational variables: Two complementary perspectives in the help-seeking process for mental disorders.

    PubMed

    Del Valle Del Valle, Gema; Carrió, Carmen; Belloch, Amparo

    2017-10-09

    Help-seeking for mental disorders is a complex process, which includes different temporary stages, and in which the motivational variables play an especially relevant role. However, there is a lack of instruments to evaluate in depth both the temporary and motivational variables involved in the help-seeking process. This study aims to analyse in detail these two sets of variables, using a specific instrument designed for the purpose, to gain a better understanding of the process of treatment seeking. A total of 152 patients seeking treatment in mental health outpatient clinics of the NHS were individually interviewed: 71 had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, 21 had Agoraphobia, 18 had Major Depressive Disorder), 20 had Anorexia Nervosa, and 22 had Cocaine Dependence. The patients completed a structured interview assessing the help-seeking process. Disorder severity and quality of life was also assessed. The patients with agoraphobia and with major depression took significantly less time in recognising their mental health symptoms. Similarly, patients with major depression were faster in seeking professional help. Motivational variables were grouped in 3 sets: motivators for seeking treatment, related to the negative impact of symptoms on mood and to loss of control over symptoms; motivators for delaying treatment, related to minimisation of the disorder; and stigma-associated variables. The results support the importance of considering the different motivational variables involved in the several stages of the help-seeking process. The interview designed to that end has shown its usefulness in this endeavour. Copyright © 2017 SEP y SEPB. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  4. SU-E-T-635: Process Mapping of Eye Plaque Brachytherapy

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

    Huynh, J; Kim, Y

    Purpose: To apply a risk-based assessment and analysis technique (AAPM TG 100) to eye plaque brachytherapy treatment of ocular melanoma. Methods: The role and responsibility of personnel involved in the eye plaque brachytherapy is defined for retinal specialist, radiation oncologist, nurse and medical physicist. The entire procedure was examined carefully. First, major processes were identified and then details for each major process were followed. Results: Seventy-one total potential modes were identified. Eight major processes (corresponding detailed number of modes) are patient consultation (2 modes), pretreatment tumor localization (11), treatment planning (13), seed ordering and calibration (10), eye plaque assembly (10),more » implantation (11), removal (11), and deconstruction (3), respectively. Half of the total modes (36 modes) are related to physicist while physicist is not involved in processes such as during the actual procedure of suturing and removing the plaque. Conclusion: Not only can failure modes arise from physicist-related procedures such as treatment planning and source activity calibration, but it can also exist in more clinical procedures by other medical staff. The improvement of the accurate communication for non-physicist-related clinical procedures could potentially be an approach to prevent human errors. More rigorous physics double check would reduce the error for physicist-related procedures. Eventually, based on this detailed process map, failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) will identify top tiers of modes by ranking all possible modes with risk priority number (RPN). For those high risk modes, fault tree analysis (FTA) will provide possible preventive action plans.« less

  5. Transcriptome and Small RNA Deep Sequencing Reveals Deregulation of miRNA Biogenesis in Human Glioma

    PubMed Central

    Moore, Lynette M.; Kivinen, Virpi; Liu, Yuexin; Annala, Matti; Cogdell, David; Liu, Xiuping; Liu, Chang-Gong; Sawaya, Raymond; Yli-Harja, Olli; Shmulevich, Ilya; Fuller, Gregory N.; Zhang, Wei; Nykter, Matti

    2013-01-01

    Altered expression of oncogenic and tumor-suppressing microRNAs (miRNAs) is widely associated with tumorigenesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying these alterations are poorly understood. We sought to shed light on the deregulation of miRNA biogenesis promoting the aberrant miRNA expression profiles identified in these tumors. Using sequencing technology to perform both whole-transcriptome and small RNA sequencing of glioma patient samples, we examined precursor and mature miRNAs to directly evaluate the miRNA maturation process, and interrogated expression profiles for genes involved in the major steps of miRNA biogenesis. We found that ratios of mature to precursor forms of a large number of miRNAs increased with the progression from normal brain to low-grade and then to high-grade gliomas. The expression levels of genes involved in each of the three major steps of miRNA biogenesis (nuclear processing, nucleo-cytoplasmic transport, and cytoplasmic processing) were systematically altered in glioma tissues. Survival analysis of an independent data set demonstrated that the alteration of genes involved in miRNA maturation correlates with survival in glioma patients. Direct quantification of miRNA maturation with deep sequencing demonstrated that deregulation of the miRNA biogenesis pathway is a hallmark for glioma genesis and progression. PMID:23007860

  6. Remarks on the Acceptance of Proofs: The Case of Some Recently Tackled Major Theorems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neubrand, Michael

    1989-01-01

    Lists five criteria in the acceptance of mathematical theorems, such as understanding, significance, compatibility, reputation, and convincing argument. Concludes that social and language factors are involved in the process of the acceptance. (YP)

  7. Development of uniform standards for allowable lane closure : final report, September 2008.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-09-01

    Procedures for determining allowable lane closure hours to perform maintenance, construction, resurfacing, regional permit and major access permit work on the state highway system were evaluated. The current process involves the collection of traffic...

  8. An analysis of hospital capital planning and financing in three European countries: Using the principal-agent approach to identify the potential for economic problems.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Ceri R; McKee, Martin

    2011-02-01

    To explore differences in national approaches to hospital capital planning and financing in three European countries and to understand the roles and positions of the actors involved. Case studies of major new hospital developments were undertaken in each of the study countries (France, Sweden and England), based on a review of documents related to each development and the national framework within which they took place, as well as interviews with key informants. The principal-agent model was used, focusing on identification of differing utilities and information asymmetries. There are substantial differences between countries, for example in relation to the role of the hospital in its own redevelopment, the organisational distance between actors, the institutional level at which decision rights for major investments are exercised, and how principals control the agents. These differences have implications for the processes involved and the nature of economic and health care problems that can arise. There is evidence of, and opportunity for economic problems in all systems but these seems to be greater in France and England where the hospital leads the process, where there is limited involvement by the regional bodies, and informational differences appear greater. We conclude that hospital planning processes should be informed by an explicit understanding of the powerful groups involved and their divergent preferences and utilities. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Ocean Biological Pump Sensitivities and Implications for Climate Change Impacts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Romanou, Anastasia

    2013-01-01

    The ocean is one of the principal reservoirs of CO2, a greenhouse gas, and therefore plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate. Currently, the ocean sequesters about a third of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, mitigating the human impact on climate. At the same time, the deeper ocean represents the largest carbon pool in the Earth System and processes that describe the transfer of carbon from the surface of the ocean to depth are intimately linked to the effectiveness of carbon sequestration.The ocean biological pump (OBP), which involves several biogeochemical processes, is a major pathway for transfer of carbon from the surface mixed layer into the ocean interior. About 75 of the carbon vertical gradient is due to the carbon pump with only 25 attributed to the solubility pump. However, the relative importance and role of the two pumps is poorly constrained. OBP is further divided to the organic carbon pump (soft tissue pump) and the carbonate pump, with the former exporting about 10 times more carbon than the latter through processes like remineralization.Major uncertainties about OBP, and hence in the carbon uptake and sequestration, stem from uncertainties in processes involved in OBP such as particulate organicinorganic carbon sinkingsettling, remineralization, microbial degradation of DOC and uptakegrowth rate changes of the ocean biology. The deep ocean is a major sink of atmospheric CO2 in scales of hundreds to thousands of years, but how the export efficiency (i.e. the fraction of total carbon fixation at the surface that is transported at depth) is affected by climate change remains largely undetermined. These processes affect the ocean chemistry (alkalinity, pH, DIC, particulate and dissolved organic carbon) as well as the ecology (biodiversity, functional groups and their interactions) in the ocean. It is important to have a rigorous, quantitative understanding of the uncertainties involved in the observational measurements, the models and the projections of future changes.

  10. Transcriptome analysis of symptomatic and recovered leaves of geminivirus-infected pepper (Capsicum annuum)

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Geminiviruses are a large and important family of plant viruses that infect a wide range of crops throughout the world. The Begomovirus genus contains species that are transmitted by whiteflies and are distributed worldwide causing disease on an array of horticultural crops. Symptom remission, in which newly developed leaves of systemically infected plants exhibit a reduction in symptom severity (recovery), has been observed on pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants infected with Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV). Previous studies have shown that transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanisms are involved in the reduction of viral nucleic acid concentration in recovered tissue. In this study, we employed deep transcriptome sequencing methods to assess transcriptional variation in healthy (mock), symptomatic, and recovered pepper leaves following PepGMV infection. Results Differential expression analyses of the pepper leaf transcriptome from symptomatic and recovered stages revealed a total of 309 differentially expressed genes between healthy (mock) and symptomatic or recovered tissues. Computational prediction of differential expression was validated using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR confirming the robustness of our bioinformatic methods. Within the set of differentially expressed genes associated with the recovery process were genes involved in defense responses including pathogenesis-related proteins, reactive oxygen species, systemic acquired resistance, jasmonic acid biosynthesis, and ethylene signaling. No major differences were found when compared the differentially expressed genes in symptomatic and recovered tissues. On the other hand, a set of genes with novel roles in defense responses was identified including genes involved in histone modification. This latter result suggested that post-transcriptional and transcriptional gene silencing may be one of the major mechanisms involved in the recovery process. Genes orthologous to the C. annuum proteins involved in the pepper-PepGMV recovery response were identified in both Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum tuberosum suggesting conservation of components of the viral recovery response in the Solanaceae. Conclusion These data provide a valuable source of information for improving our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms by which pepper leaves become symptomless following infection with geminiviruses. The identification of orthologs for the majority of genes differentially expressed in recovered tissues in two major solanaceous crop species provides the basis for future comparative analyses of the viral recovery process across related taxa. PMID:23185982

  11. Transcriptome analysis of symptomatic and recovered leaves of geminivirus-infected pepper (Capsicum annuum).

    PubMed

    Góngora-Castillo, Elsa; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Trejo-Saavedra, Diana L; Rivera-Bustamante, Rafael F

    2012-11-27

    Geminiviruses are a large and important family of plant viruses that infect a wide range of crops throughout the world. The Begomovirus genus contains species that are transmitted by whiteflies and are distributed worldwide causing disease on an array of horticultural crops. Symptom remission, in which newly developed leaves of systemically infected plants exhibit a reduction in symptom severity (recovery), has been observed on pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants infected with Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV). Previous studies have shown that transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanisms are involved in the reduction of viral nucleic acid concentration in recovered tissue. In this study, we employed deep transcriptome sequencing methods to assess transcriptional variation in healthy (mock), symptomatic, and recovered pepper leaves following PepGMV infection. Differential expression analyses of the pepper leaf transcriptome from symptomatic and recovered stages revealed a total of 309 differentially expressed genes between healthy (mock) and symptomatic or recovered tissues. Computational prediction of differential expression was validated using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR confirming the robustness of our bioinformatic methods. Within the set of differentially expressed genes associated with the recovery process were genes involved in defense responses including pathogenesis-related proteins, reactive oxygen species, systemic acquired resistance, jasmonic acid biosynthesis, and ethylene signaling. No major differences were found when compared the differentially expressed genes in symptomatic and recovered tissues. On the other hand, a set of genes with novel roles in defense responses was identified including genes involved in histone modification. This latter result suggested that post-transcriptional and transcriptional gene silencing may be one of the major mechanisms involved in the recovery process. Genes orthologous to the C. annuum proteins involved in the pepper-PepGMV recovery response were identified in both Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum tuberosum suggesting conservation of components of the viral recovery response in the Solanaceae. These data provide a valuable source of information for improving our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms by which pepper leaves become symptomless following infection with geminiviruses. The identification of orthologs for the majority of genes differentially expressed in recovered tissues in two major solanaceous crop species provides the basis for future comparative analyses of the viral recovery process across related taxa.

  12. Non-Formal Education and the Rural Poor. Report of Conference and Workshop (East Lansing, Michigan, September 26-29, 1976--Conference, September 29-October 2, 1976--Workshop).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niehoff, Richard O., Ed.

    Focusing on the theme of nonformal education as a method of involving rural people in developmental processes designated to help improve social and economic well-being, this report on the second international conference/workshop on nonformal education presents major concepts and methods involved in development work with the rural poor via case…

  13. Role of RNase Y in Clostridium perfringens mRNA Decay and Processing.

    PubMed

    Obana, Nozomu; Nakamura, Kouji; Nomura, Nobuhiko

    2017-01-15

    RNase Y is a major endoribonuclease that plays a crucial role in mRNA degradation and processing. We study the role of RNase Y in the Gram-positive anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens, which until now has not been well understood. Our study implies an important role for RNase Y-mediated RNA degradation and processing in virulence gene expression and the physiological development of the organism. We began by constructing an RNase Y conditional knockdown strain in order to observe the importance of RNase Y on growth and virulence. Our resulting transcriptome analysis shows that RNase Y affects the expression of many genes, including toxin-producing genes. We provide data to show that RNase Y depletion repressed several toxin genes in C. perfringens and involved the virR-virS two-component system. We also observe evidence that RNase Y is indispensable for processing and stabilizing the transcripts of colA (encoding a major toxin collagenase) and pilA2 (encoding a major pilin component of the type IV pili). Posttranscriptional regulation of colA is known to be mediated by cleavage in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), and we observe that RNase Y depletion diminishes colA 5'UTR processing. We show that RNase Y is also involved in the posttranscriptional stabilization of pilA2 mRNA, which is thought to be important for host cell adherence and biofilm formation. RNases have important roles in RNA degradation and turnover in all organisms. C. perfringens is a Gram-positive anaerobic spore-forming bacterial pathogen that produces numerous extracellular enzymes and toxins, and it is linked to digestive disorders and disease. A highly conserved endoribonuclease, RNase Y, affects the expression of hundreds of genes, including toxin genes, and studying these effects is useful for understanding C. perfringens specifically and RNases generally. Moreover, RNase Y is involved in processing specific transcripts, and we observed that this processing in C. perfringens results in the stabilization of mRNAs encoding a toxin and bacterial extracellular apparatus pili. Our study shows that RNase activity is associated with gene expression, helping to determine the growth, proliferation, and virulence of C. perfringens. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.

  14. Research and Theory on Predecision Processes.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-11-30

    probl -sm detection process.........,.,......3.2 A problem detection taxonomy..*.......................,......3.6 Examples of the taxonomy gained from...large, and can be managed . A hierarchical tree structure is also necessary for distinguishing minor variations of ideas from major variations. Second...construct a scenario that involves forming a company to manufacture and market widgets. Widgets catch on, and soon every household has one, and the

  15. Alternative Assessment in Engineering Language Education: The Case of the Technical University of Madrid

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierce, Joana; Duran, Pilar; Ubeda, Paloma

    2011-01-01

    Engineering institutions across Europe are currently involved in a major process of reform and restructuring as a part of the Bologna Process, which stresses the role of competencies and outcomes in curriculum design. In the field of languages, the Council of Europe has developed the CEFR (Common European Framework of References) for languages,…

  16. Bicultural Socialization Project: A Group Process Approach to Bilingual Instruction - Title VII. Final Report, 1970-71.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Jean M.

    This final report relates to student socialization through a bilingual (Spanish/English), bicultural program involving 6 second grades in 3 schools of Phoenix, Arizona, for the 1970-71 school year. As reported, the major objective of the program was to develop and implement a group process approach to bilingual education; in addition, classroom…

  17. Mentoring Novice Teachers: Motives, Process, and Outcomes from the Mentor's Point of View

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iancu-Haddad, Debbie; Oplatka, Izhar

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present the major motives leading senior teachers to be involved in a mentoring process of newly appointed teachers and its benefits for the mentor teacher. Based on semi-structured interviews with 12 experienced teachers who participated in a university-based mentoring program in Israel, the current study found a…

  18. Structural Motifs Involved in Ubiquitin-Mediated Processing of the NF-κB Precursor p105: Roles of the Glycine-Rich Region and a Downstream Ubiquitination Domain

    PubMed Central

    Orian, Amir; Schwartz, Alan L.; Israël, Alain; Whiteside, Simon; Kahana, Chaim; Ciechanover, Aaron

    1999-01-01

    The ubiquitin proteolytic system plays a major role in a variety of basic cellular processes. In the majority of these processes, the target proteins are completely degraded. In one exceptional case, generation of the p50 subunit of the transcriptional regulator NF-κB, the precursor protein p105 is processed in a limited manner: the N-terminal domain yields the p50 subunit, whereas the C-terminal domain is degraded. The identity of the mechanisms involved in this unique process have remained elusive. It has been shown that a Gly-rich region (GRR) at the C-terminal domain of p50 is an important processing signal. Here we show that the GRR does not interfere with conjugation of ubiquitin to p105 but probably does interfere with the processing of the ubiquitin-tagged precursor by the 26S proteasome. Structural analysis reveals that a short sequence containing a few Gly residues and a single essential Ala is sufficient to generate p50. Mechanistically, the presence of the GRR appears to stop further degradation of p50 and to stabilize the molecule. It appears that the localization of the GRR within p105 plays an important role in directing processing: transfer of the GRR within p105 or insertion of the GRR into homologous or heterologous proteins is not sufficient to promote processing in most cases, which is probably due to the requirement for an additional specific ubiquitination and/or recognition domain(s). Indeed, we have shown that amino acid residues 441 to 454 are important for processing. In particular, both Lys 441 and Lys 442 appear to serve as major ubiquitination targets, while residues 446 to 454 are independently important for processing and may serve as the ubiquitin ligase recognition motif. PMID:10207090

  19. [Clinical and etiopathogenetic role of plasminogen and metaloproteinase systems in the tumor growth. Pericellular proteolysis of extracellular matrix and tumor growth].

    PubMed

    Cosić, Sanda Jelisavac; Kovac, Zdenko

    2011-01-01

    Pericellular proteolysis is a cascade process involved in degradation of extracellular matrix. This process is included in various physiological and pathological processes. Pericellullar proteolysis has major functions like degradation of tissue stroma and weakening of intercellular connections but it also has a function in the synthesis of bioactive molecules (cytokines, growth factors and inhibitory factors). Plasminogen system is involved in fibrinolysis and starts metalloproteinase activation. Activity of proteolytic molecules is controlled by the rate of zymogenic activation, half-life of molecules, and action of inhibitory molecules. Inhibition is achieved through direct binding of inhibitor and enzyme and takes a few steps. Pericellular proteolysis is involved in tumor invasion and metastasis, inflammatory reaction, degenerative diseases and other diseases. Pathophysiological regulation of pericellular proteolysis in mentioned diseases contributes to clinical properties of diseases and has diagnostic and therapeutic importance.

  20. Role of Passive Diffusion, Transporters, and Membrane Trafficking-Mediated Processes in Cellular Drug Transport.

    PubMed

    Cocucci, E; Kim, J Y; Bai, Y; Pabla, N

    2017-01-01

    Intracellular drug accumulation is thought to be dictated by two major processes, passive diffusion through the lipid membrane or membrane transporters. The relative role played by these distinct processes remains actively debated. Moreover, the role of membrane-trafficking in drug transport remains underappreciated and unexplored. Here we discuss the distinct processes involved in cellular drug distribution and propose that better experimental models are required to elucidate the differential contributions of various processes in intracellular drug accumulation. © 2016 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  1. A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATION. (REVISION 1): VOLUME I. MODELING AND PROGRAMMING

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report briefly describes the fundamental mechanisms and limiting factors involved in the electrostatic precipitation process. It discusses theories and procedures used in the computer model to describe the physical mechanisms, and generally describes the major operations perf...

  2. Speed-accuracy trade-off in skilled typewriting: decomposing the contributions of hierarchical control loops.

    PubMed

    Yamaguchi, Motonori; Crump, Matthew J C; Logan, Gordon D

    2013-06-01

    Typing performance involves hierarchically structured control systems: At the higher level, an outer loop generates a word or a series of words to be typed; at the lower level, an inner loop activates the keystrokes comprising the word in parallel and executes them in the correct order. The present experiments examined contributions of the outer- and inner-loop processes to the control of speed and accuracy in typewriting. Experiments 1 and 2 involved discontinuous typing of single words, and Experiments 3 and 4 involved continuous typing of paragraphs. Across experiments, typists were able to trade speed for accuracy but were unable to type at rates faster than 100 ms/keystroke, implying limits to the flexibility of the underlying processes. The analyses of the component latencies and errors indicated that the majority of the trade-offs were due to inner-loop processing. The contribution of outer-loop processing to the trade-offs was small, but it resulted in large costs in error rate. Implications for strategic control of automatic processes are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Lifespan-regulating genes in C. elegans

    PubMed Central

    Uno, Masaharu; Nishida, Eisuke

    2016-01-01

    The molecular mechanisms underlying the aging process have garnered much attention in recent decades because aging is the most significant risk factor for many chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. Until recently, the aging process was not considered to be an actively regulated process; therefore, discovering that the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway is a lifespan-regulating genetic pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans was a major breakthrough that changed our understanding of the aging process. Currently, it is thought that animal lifespans are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The genes involved in lifespan regulation are often associated with major signaling pathways that link the rate of aging to environmental factors. Although many of the major mechanisms governing the aging process have been identified from studies in short-lived model organisms such as yeasts, worms and flies, the same mechanisms are frequently observed in mammals, indicating that the genes and signaling pathways that regulate lifespan are highly conserved among different species. This review summarizes the lifespan-regulating genes, with a specific focus on studies in C. elegans. PMID:28721266

  4. Inclusive Political Settlements: New Insights from Yemen’s National Dialogue

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-01

    1990s, negotiated settlements have become important vehicles to renegotiate the social contract of countries. More recently, negotiation processes...inclusive negotiation format, involving large segments of civil society, politicians, and experts, and are usually convened in order to negotiate major...practice of inclusive negotiations . We then describe briefly the context and process of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference (NDC), including the

  5. Studying the relationship between dreaming and sleep-dependent memory processes: methodological challenges.

    PubMed

    Schredl, Michael

    2013-12-01

    The hypothesis that dreaming is involved in off-line memory processing is difficult to test because major methodological issues have to be addressed, such as dream recall and the effect of remembered dreams on memory. It would be fruitful--in addition to studying the ancient art of memory (AAOM) in a scanner--to study the dreams of persons who use AAOM regularly.

  6. CONFERENCE ON SYSTEMS APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION IN THE OPEN-DOOR COLLEGE (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, JULY 18-20, 1966).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    JOHNSON, BYRON LAMAR

    THE SYSTEMS APPROACH TO INSTRUCTION INVOLVES A CAREFUL SPECIFICATION OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES IN BEHAVIORAL AND MEASURABLE FORM, FOLLOWED BY A SUCCESSION OF EVALUATION-REVISION CYCLES IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS, UNTIL NEW STUDENTS EXPOSED TO THE PROCESS ACHIEVE THE DESIRED OBJECTIVES. SEVEN MAJOR PAPERS WERE PRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE--(1) THE…

  7. The effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia on anger reactivity and persistence in major depression.

    PubMed

    Ellis, Alissa J; Shumake, Jason; Beevers, Christopher G

    2016-10-01

    The experience of anger during a depressive episode has recently been identified as a poor prognostic indicator of illness course. Given the clinical implications of anger in major depressive disorder (MDD), understanding the mechanisms involved in anger reactivity and persistence is critical for improved intervention. Biological processes involved in emotion regulation during stress, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may play a role in maintaining negative moods. Clinically depressed (MDD; n = 49) and nondepressed (non-MDD; n = 50) individuals were challenged with a stressful computer task shown to increase anger, while RSA (high frequency range 0.15-0.4 Hz) was collected. RSA predicted future anger, but was unrelated to current anger. That is, across participants, low baseline RSA predicted anger reactivity during the task, and in depressed individuals, those with low RSA during the task had a greater likelihood of anger persistence during a recovery period. These results suggest that low RSA may be a psychophysiological process involved in anger regulation in depression. Low RSA may contribute to sustained illness course by diminishing the repair of angry moods. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  8. Assessment of critical-fluid extractions in the process industries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    The potential for critical-fluid extraction as a separation process for improving the productive use of energy in the process industries is assessed. Critical-fluid extraction involves the use of fluids, normally gaseous at ambient conditions, as extraction solvents at temperatures and pressures around the critical point. Equilibrium and kinetic properties in this regime are very favorable for solvent applications, and generally allow major reductions in the energy requirements for separating and purifying chemical component of a mixture.

  9. Differences in influence patterns between groups predicting the adoption of a solar disinfection technology for drinking water in Bolivia.

    PubMed

    Moser, Stephanie; Mosler, Hans-Joachim

    2008-08-01

    The lack of safe drinking water is one of the major problems faced by developing countries. The consequences of contaminated water are diseases such as diarrhea, one of the main causes of infant mortality. Because of its simplicity, solar water-disinfection technology provides a good way of treating water at the household level. Despite its obvious advantages and considerable promotional activities, this innovation has had rather a slow uptake. We conducted a field survey in which 644 households in Bolivia were interviewed in order to gain insights on motivations that resulted in adopting the technology. The aim was to examine possible differences in the predictors for adopting this technology during the diffusion process using the theory of innovation diffusion. Our findings indicate that early adoption was predicted by increased involvement in the topic of drinking water and that adoption in the middle of the diffusion process was predicted by increased involvement by opinion leaders and by recognition of a majority who supported the technology. Finally, late adoption was predicted by recognition that a majority had already adopted. Suggestions for future promotional strategies are outlined.

  10. Analysis of complex decisionmaking processes. [with application to jet engine development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hill, J. D.; Ollila, R. G.

    1978-01-01

    The analysis of corporate decisionmaking processes related to major system developments is unusually difficult because of the number of decisionmakers involved in the process and the long development cycle. A method for analyzing such decision processes is developed and illustrated through its application to the analysis of the commercial jet engine development process. The method uses interaction matrices as the key tool for structuring the problem, recording data, and analyzing the data to establish the rank order of the major factors affecting development decisions. In the example, the use of interaction matrices permitted analysts to collect and analyze approximately 50 factors that influenced decisions during the four phases of the development cycle, and to determine the key influencers of decisions at each development phase. The results of this study indicate that the cost of new technology installed on an aircraft is the prime concern of the engine manufacturer.

  11. A cluster randomised controlled trial and process evaluation of a training programme for mental health professionals to enhance user involvement in care planning in service users with severe mental health issues (EQUIP): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Bower, Peter; Roberts, Chris; O'Leary, Neil; Callaghan, Patrick; Bee, Penny; Fraser, Claire; Gibbons, Chris; Olleveant, Nicola; Rogers, Anne; Davies, Linda; Drake, Richard; Sanders, Caroline; Meade, Oonagh; Grundy, Andrew; Walker, Lauren; Cree, Lindsey; Berzins, Kathryn; Brooks, Helen; Beatty, Susan; Cahoon, Patrick; Rolfe, Anita; Lovell, Karina

    2015-08-13

    Involving service users in planning their care is at the centre of policy initiatives to improve mental health care quality in England. Whilst users value care planning and want to be more involved in their own care, there is substantial empirical evidence that the majority of users are not fully involved in the care planning process. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of training for mental health professionals in improving user involvement with the care planning processes. This is a cluster randomised controlled trial of community mental health teams in NHS Trusts in England allocated either to a training intervention to improve user and carer involvement in care planning or control (no training and care planning as usual). We will evaluate the effectiveness of the training intervention using a mixed design, including a 'cluster cohort' sample, a 'cluster cross-sectional' sample and process evaluation. Service users will be recruited from the caseloads of care co-ordinators. The primary outcome will be change in self-reported involvement in care planning as measured by the validated Health Care Climate Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include involvement in care planning, satisfaction with services, medication side-effects, recovery and hope, mental health symptoms, alliance/engagement, well-being and quality of life. Cost- effectiveness will also be measured. A process evaluation informed by implementation theory will be undertaken to assess the extent to which the training was implemented and to gauge sustainability beyond the time-frame of the trial. It is hoped that the trial will generate data to inform mental health care policy and practice on care planning. ISRCTN16488358 (14 May 2014).

  12. Evaluation of the scientific underpinnings for identifying estrogenic chemicals in non-mammalian taxa using mammalian test systems

    EPA Science Inventory

    A major challenge in chemical risk assessment is extrapolation of toxicity data from tested to untested species. Successful cross-species extrapolation involves understanding similarities and differences in toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic processes among species. Herein we consi...

  13. A Model for Implementing a Career Education System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, T. Antoinette

    The model for career education implementation defines three major functions which constitute the essential elements in the implementation process: planning, implementation, and evaluation. Emphasis is placed on the interrelatedness of implementation to both planning and evaluation of career education. The 11 subsystems involved in implementing…

  14. Speciation, photosensitivity, and reactions of transition metal ions in atmospheric droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weschler, C. J.; Mandich, M. L.; Graedel, T. E.

    1986-04-01

    Dissolved transition metal ions (TMI) are common constituents of atmospheric droplets. They are known to catalyze sulfur oxidation in droplets and are suspected of being involved in other chemical processes as well. We have reviewed the relevant equilibrium constants and chemical reactions of the major TMI (iron, manganese, copper, and nickel), their ability to form complexes in aqueous solution, and their potential involvement in photochemical processes in atmospheric droplets. Among the results are the following: (1) The major Fe(III) species in atmospheric water droplets are [Fe(OH)(H2O)5]2+, [Fe(OH)2(H2O)4]+, and [Fe(SO3)(H2O)5]+; the partitioning among these complexes is a function of pH. In contrast, Cu(II), Mn(II), and Ni(II) exist almost entirely in the droplets as hexaquo complexes. (2) Within the tropospheric solar spectrum, some of the complexes of Fe(III) have large absorption cross-sections. In this work we report cross-section data for several of the complexes. Absorption of solar photons by such complexes is generally followed by cleavage, which in the same process reduces the iron (III) atom and produces a reactive free radical. This mechanism has the potential to be a significant and heretofore unappreciated source of free radicals in atmospheric droplets. (3) TMI participate in redox reactions with H2O2 and its associated species HO2· and O2-. These reactions furnish the potential for catalytic cycles involving TMI in atmospheric droplets under a variety of illumination and acidity conditions. (4) A number of organic processes in atmospheric droplets may involve TMI. Among these processes are the production and destruction of alkylhydroperoxides, the chemical chains linking RO2· radicals to stable alcohols and acids, and the oxidation of aliphatic aldehydes to organic acids.

  15. Data processing has major impact on the outcome of quantitative label-free LC-MS analysis.

    PubMed

    Chawade, Aakash; Sandin, Marianne; Teleman, Johan; Malmström, Johan; Levander, Fredrik

    2015-02-06

    High-throughput multiplexed protein quantification using mass spectrometry is steadily increasing in popularity, with the two major techniques being data-dependent acquisition (DDA) and targeted acquisition using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). However, both techniques involve extensive data processing, which can be performed by a multitude of different software solutions. Analysis of quantitative LC-MS/MS data is mainly performed in three major steps: processing of raw data, normalization, and statistical analysis. To evaluate the impact of data processing steps, we developed two new benchmark data sets, one each for DDA and SRM, with samples consisting of a long-range dilution series of synthetic peptides spiked in a total cell protein digest. The generated data were processed by eight different software workflows and three postprocessing steps. The results show that the choice of the raw data processing software and the postprocessing steps play an important role in the final outcome. Also, the linear dynamic range of the DDA data could be extended by an order of magnitude through feature alignment and a charge state merging algorithm proposed here. Furthermore, the benchmark data sets are made publicly available for further benchmarking and software developments.

  16. Experimental studies of ionospheric irregularities and related plasma processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, Kay D.

    1992-01-01

    Utah State University (USU) continued its program of measuring and interpreting electron density and its variations in a variety of ionospheric conditions with the Experimental Studies of Ionospheric Irregularities and Related Plasma Processes program. The program represented a nearly ten year effort to provide key measurements of electron density and its fluctuations using sounding rockets. The program also involved the joint interpretation of the results in terms of ionospheric processes. A complete campaign summary and a brief description of the major rocket campaigns are also included.

  17. Flight and Operational Medicine Clinic (FOMC) Task Process Mapping

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-03-01

    technicians, nurses, and physician assistants to accomplish the majority of the tasks; physician level tasks are few and primarily involve application of...condition 31, 37, 81? Complete evaluation Present 469 within 5 days of positive pregnancy test Is condition duty/fitness? NO End Process YES Send to ...info to Health IT Ancillary exam module provides requirements/ sends info to Health IT (Audiology, Optometry, Dental , Mental Health) Operational

  18. A critical role of temporoparietal junction in the integration of top-down and bottom-up attentional control

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Qiong; Chang, Chi-Fu; Xi, Sisi; Huang, I-Wen; Liu, Zuxiang; Juan, Chi-Hung; Wu, Yanhong; Fan, Jin

    2015-01-01

    Information processing can be biased toward behaviorally relevant and salient stimuli by top-down (goal-directed) and bottom-up (stimulus-driven) attentional control processes. However, the neural basis underlying the integration of these processes is not well understood. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in humans to examine the brain mechanisms underlying the interaction between these two processes. We manipulated the cognitive load involved in top-down processing and stimulus surprise involved in bottom-up processing in a factorial design by combining a majority function task and an oddball paradigm. We found that high cognitive load and high surprise level were associated with prolonged reaction time compared to low cognitive load and low surprise level, with a synergistic interaction effect which was accompanied by a greater deactivation of bilateral temporoparietal junction (TPJ). In addition, the TPJ displayed negative functional connectivity with right middle occipital gyrus involved in bottom-up processing (modulated by the interaction effect) and the right frontal eye field (FEF) involved in top-down control. The enhanced negative functional connectivity between the TPJ and right FEF was accompanied by a larger behavioral interaction effect across subjects. Application of cathodal tDCS over the right TPJ eliminated the interaction effect. These results suggest that the TPJ plays a critical role in processing bottom-up information for top-down control of attention. PMID:26308973

  19. Evaluation of nurse engagement in evidence-based practice.

    PubMed

    Davidson, Judy E; Brown, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this project was to explore nurses' willingness to question and change practice. Nurses were invited to report practice improvement opportunities, and participants were supported through the process of a practice change. The project leader engaged to the extent desired by the participant. Meetings proceeded until the participant no longer wished to continue, progress was blocked, or practice was changed. Evaluation of the evidence-based practice change process occurred. Fifteen nurses reported 23 practice improvement opportunities. The majority (12 of 15) preferred to have the project leader review the evidence. Fourteen projects changed practice; 4 were presented at conferences. Multiple barriers were identified throughout the process and included loss of momentum, the proposed change involved other disciplines, and low level or controversial evidence. Practice issues were linked to quality metrics, cost of care, patient satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and patient safety. Active engagement by nurse leaders was needed for a practice change to occur. Participants identified important problems previously unknown to hospital administrators. The majority of nurses preferred involvement in practice change based on clinical problem solving when supported by others to provide literature review and manage the process through committees. Recommendations include supporting a culture that encourages employees to report practice improvement opportunities and provide resources to assist in navigating the identified practice change.

  20. 7 CFR 372.8 - Major planning and decision points and public involvement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... significant impact. (3) Notification of the availability of environmental assessments and findings of no... AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT... addressed in the environmental impact statement process. (1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental...

  1. 7 CFR 372.8 - Major planning and decision points and public involvement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... significant impact. (3) Notification of the availability of environmental assessments and findings of no... AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT... addressed in the environmental impact statement process. (1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental...

  2. 7 CFR 372.8 - Major planning and decision points and public involvement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... significant impact. (3) Notification of the availability of environmental assessments and findings of no... AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT... addressed in the environmental impact statement process. (1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental...

  3. Applications of Maple To Algebraic Cryptography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sigmon, Neil P.

    1997-01-01

    Demonstrates the use of technology to enhance the appreciation of applications involving abstract algebra. The symbolic manipulator Maple can perform computations required for a linear cryptosystem. One major benefit of this process is that students can encipher and decipher messages using a linear cryptosystem without becoming confused and…

  4. Understanding the visual resource

    Treesearch

    Floyd L. Newby

    1971-01-01

    Understanding our visual resources involves a complex interweaving of motivation and cognitive recesses; but, more important, it requires that we understand and can identify those characteristics of a landscape that influence the image formation process. From research conducted in Florida, three major variables were identified that appear to have significant effect...

  5. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of shrimp hemocytes in response to acute hepatopancreas necrosis disease (AHPND) causing Vibrio parahemolyticus infection.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Zhihong; Wang, Fan; Aweya, Jude Juventus; Li, Ruiwei; Yao, Defu; Zhong, Mingqi; Li, Shengkang; Zhang, Yueling

    2018-03-01

    The recent emergence of acute hepatopancreas necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimps has posed a major challenge in the shrimp aquaculture industry. The Pir toxin proteins carried by some strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus are believed to play essential roles in the pathogenesis of AHPND. However, few studies have so far explored how the host immune system responds to these bacteria. In this study, AHPND V. parahaemolyticus (with Pir) and non-AHPND V. parahaemolyticus (without Pir) were injected into two groups of shrimps, and the hemocytes collected for comparative transcriptomic analyses. A total of 1064 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, of which 910 were up-regulated and 154 were down-regulated. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that many DEGs were involved in a number of biological processes such as cellular process, metabolic process and single-organism process in the AHPND V. parahaemolyticus injected group than the non-AHPND V. parahaemolyticus injected group. Among these, major metabolic processes such as carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism were further identified as the major responsive gene groups. We observed that genes involved in cell growth and anti-apoptosis including src, iap2, cas2, cytochrome P450, gst and cytochromecoxidase were strongly activated in the AHPND V. parahaemolyticus group than in the non-AHPND V. parahaemolyticus group. Collectively, our results unveiled that shrimp hemocytes respond to AHPND related strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection at the transcriptional level, which is useful in furthering our understanding of AHPND. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Pathogenic Leptospira interrogans Exoproteins Are Primarily Involved in Heterotrophic Processes

    PubMed Central

    Eshghi, Azad; Pappalardo, Elisa; Hester, Svenja; Thomas, Benjamin; Pretre, Gabriela

    2015-01-01

    Leptospirosis is a life-threatening and emerging zoonotic disease with a worldwide annual occurrence of more than 1 million cases. Leptospirosis is caused by spirochetes belonging to the genus Leptospira. The mechanisms of disease manifestation in the host remain elusive, and the roles of leptospiral exoproteins in these processes have yet to be determined. Our aim in this study was to assess the composition and quantity of exoproteins of pathogenic Leptospira interrogans and to construe how these proteins contribute to disease pathogenesis. Label-free quantitative mass spectrometry of proteins obtained from Leptospira spirochetes cultured in vitro under conditions mimicking infection identified 325 exoproteins. The majority of these proteins are conserved in the nonpathogenic species Leptospira biflexa, and proteins involved in metabolism and energy-generating functions were overrepresented and displayed the highest relative abundance in culture supernatants. Conversely, proteins of unknown function, which represent the majority of pathogen-specific proteins (presumably involved in virulence mechanisms), were underrepresented. Characterization of various L. interrogans exoprotein mutants in the animal infection model revealed host mortality rates similar to those of hosts infected with wild-type L. interrogans. Collectively, these results indicate that pathogenic Leptospira exoproteins primarily function in heterotrophic processes (the processes by which organisms utilize organic substances as nutrient sources) to maintain the saprophytic lifestyle rather than the virulence of the bacteria. The underrepresentation of proteins homologous to known virulence factors, such as toxins and effectors in the exoproteome, also suggests that disease manifesting from Leptospira infection is likely caused by a combination of the primary and potentially moonlight functioning of exoproteins. PMID:25987703

  7. Malodorous volatile organic sulfur compounds: Sources, sinks and significance in inland waters.

    PubMed

    Watson, Susan B; Jüttner, Friedrich

    2017-03-01

    Volatile Organic Sulfur Compounds (VOSCs) are instrumental in global S-cycling and greenhouse gas production. VOSCs occur across a diversity of inland waters, and with widespread eutrophication and climate change, are increasingly linked with malodours in organic-rich waterbodies and drinking-water supplies. Compared with marine systems, the role of VOSCs in biogeochemical processes is far less well characterized for inland waters, and often involves different physicochemical and biological processes. This review provides an updated synthesis of VOSCs in inland waters, focusing on compounds known to cause malodours. We examine the major limnological and biochemical processes involved in the formation and degradation of alkylthiols, dialkylsulfides, dialkylpolysulfides, and other organosulfur compounds under different oxygen, salinity and mixing regimes, and key phototropic and heterotrophic microbial producers and degraders (bacteria, cyanobacteria, and algae) in these environs. The data show VOSC levels which vary significantly, sometimes far exceeding human odor thresholds, generated by a diversity of biota, biochemical pathways, enzymes and precursors. We also draw attention to major issues in sampling and analytical artifacts which bias and preclude comparisons among studies, and highlight significant knowledge gaps that need addressing with careful, appropriate methods to provide a more robust understanding of the potential effects of continued global development.

  8. Quantifying electron transfer reactions in biological systems: what interactions play the major role?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sjulstok, Emil; Olsen, Jógvan Magnus Haugaard; Solov'Yov, Ilia A.

    2015-12-01

    Various biological processes involve the conversion of energy into forms that are usable for chemical transformations and are quantum mechanical in nature. Such processes involve light absorption, excited electronic states formation, excitation energy transfer, electrons and protons tunnelling which for example occur in photosynthesis, cellular respiration, DNA repair, and possibly magnetic field sensing. Quantum biology uses computation to model biological interactions in light of quantum mechanical effects and has primarily developed over the past decade as a result of convergence between quantum physics and biology. In this paper we consider electron transfer in biological processes, from a theoretical view-point; namely in terms of quantum mechanical and semi-classical models. We systematically characterize the interactions between the moving electron and its biological environment to deduce the driving force for the electron transfer reaction and to establish those interactions that play the major role in propelling the electron. The suggested approach is seen as a general recipe to treat electron transfer events in biological systems computationally, and we utilize it to describe specifically the electron transfer reactions in Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochrome-a signaling photoreceptor protein that became attractive recently due to its possible function as a biological magnetoreceptor.

  9. Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and MicroRNAs in Lung Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Pécuchet, Nicolas; Imbeaud, Sandrine; Pallier, Karine; Didelot, Audrey; Roussel, Hélène; Gibault, Laure; Fabre, Elizabeth; Le Pimpec-Barthes, Françoise; Laurent-Puig, Pierre; Blons, Hélène

    2017-01-01

    Despite major advances, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the major cause of cancer-related death in developed countries. Metastasis and drug resistance are the main factors contributing to relapse and death. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex molecular and cellular process involved in tissue remodelling that was extensively studied as an actor of tumour progression, metastasis and drug resistance in many cancer types and in lung cancers. Here we described with an emphasis on NSCLC how the changes in signalling pathways, transcription factors expression or microRNAs that occur in cancer promote EMT. Understanding the biology of EMT will help to define reversing process and treatment strategies. We will see that this complex mechanism is related to inflammation, cell mobility and stem cell features and that it is a dynamic process. The existence of intermediate phenotypes and tumour heterogeneity may be debated in the literature concerning EMT markers, EMT signatures and clinical consequences in NSCLC. However, given the role of EMT in metastasis and in drug resistance the development of EMT inhibitors is an interesting approach to counteract tumour progression and drug resistance. This review describes EMT involvement in cancer with an emphasis on NSCLC and microRNA regulation. PMID:28771186

  10. Self-regenerating column chromatography

    DOEpatents

    Park, Woo K.

    1995-05-30

    The present invention provides a process for treating both cations and anions by using a self-regenerating, multi-ionic exchange resin column system which requires no separate regeneration steps. The process involves alternating ion-exchange chromatography for cations and anions in a multi-ionic exchange column packed with a mixture of cation and anion exchange resins. The multi-ionic mixed-charge resin column works as a multi-function column, capable of independently processing either cationic or anionic exchange, or simultaneously processing both cationic and anionic exchanges. The major advantage offered by the alternating multi-function ion exchange process is the self-regeneration of the resins.

  11. Neurophysiological mechanisms involved in language learning in adults

    PubMed Central

    Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Cunillera, Toni; Mestres-Missé, Anna; de Diego-Balaguer, Ruth

    2009-01-01

    Little is known about the brain mechanisms involved in word learning during infancy and in second language acquisition and about the way these new words become stable representations that sustain language processing. In several studies we have adopted the human simulation perspective, studying the effects of brain-lesions and combining different neuroimaging techniques such as event-related potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging in order to examine the language learning (LL) process. In the present article, we review this evidence focusing on how different brain signatures relate to (i) the extraction of words from speech, (ii) the discovery of their embedded grammatical structure, and (iii) how meaning derived from verbal contexts can inform us about the cognitive mechanisms underlying the learning process. We compile these findings and frame them into an integrative neurophysiological model that tries to delineate the major neural networks that might be involved in the initial stages of LL. Finally, we propose that LL simulations can help us to understand natural language processing and how the recovery from language disorders in infants and adults can be accomplished. PMID:19933142

  12. Cell-cell adhesion in the cnidaria: insights into the evolution of tissue morphogenesis.

    PubMed

    Magie, Craig R; Martindale, Mark Q

    2008-06-01

    Cell adhesion is a major aspect of cell biology and one of the fundamental processes involved in the development of a multicellular animal. Adhesive mechanisms, both cell-cell and between cell and extracellular matrix, are intimately involved in assembling cells into the three-dimensional structures of tissues and organs. The modulation of adhesive complexes could therefore be seen as a central component in the molecular control of morphogenesis, translating information encoded within the genome into organismal form. The availability of whole genomes from early-branching metazoa such as cnidarians is providing important insights into the evolution of adhesive processes by allowing for the easy identification of the genes involved in adhesion in these organisms. Discovery of the molecular nature of cell adhesion in the early-branching groups, coupled with comparisons across the metazoa, is revealing the ways evolution has tinkered with this vital cellular process in the generation of the myriad forms seen across the animal kingdom.

  13. Research Universities, Technology Transfer, and Job Creation: What Infrastructure, For What Training?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brodhag, Christian

    2013-01-01

    Technology transfer and innovation are considered major drivers of sustainable development; they place knowledge and its dissemination in society at the heart of the development process. This article considers the role of research universities, and how they can interact with key actors and institutions involved in "innovation…

  14. An Interdisciplinary Course Involving Science and the Humanities. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Love, Robert W.; Olson, Frederick S.

    The project described in this report focused on the development of an interdisciplinary course incorporating physics and literature at Shoreline Community College. Part 1 provides an overview of the project and summarizes major questions and problems confronted in the process of curriculum development, including the relationship between science…

  15. Reward-Related Decision-Making in Pediatric Major Depressive Disorder: An fMRI Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forbes, Erika E.; Christopher May, J.; Siegle, Greg J.; Ladouceur, Cecile D.; Ryan, Neal D.; Carter, Cameron S.; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David A.; Dahl, Ronald E.

    2006-01-01

    Background: Although reward processing is considered an important part of affective functioning, few studies have investigated reward-related decisions or responses in young people with affective disorders. Depression is postulated to involve decreased activity in reward-related affective systems. Methods: Using functional magnetic resonance…

  16. Projecting Program Cost Over an Adequate Time Horizon.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spencer, Milton

    Planning Programming Budgeting Systems involve the introduction of three major operational concepts. First, the development of an analytical capability to examine in depth both agency objectives and the various programs to meet these objectives. Second, the formation of a five-year planning and programming process combined with a sophisticated…

  17. Applying Cluster Analysis to Physics Education Research Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Springuel, R. Padraic

    2010-01-01

    One major thrust of Physics Education Research (PER) is the identification of student ideas about specific physics concepts, both correct ideas and those that differ from the expert consensus. Typically the research process of eliciting the spectrum of student ideas involves the administration of specially designed questions to students. One major…

  18. Planning for Interagency Cooperation in Rural Development. CARD Report 45.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, David L.; Glick, Edward L.

    With a major emphasis on cooperative planning in rural development, three elements of development process were identified: (1) integration of units involved, occurring when several organizations contribute to a larger collective effort; (2) decentralized planning and local initiative, occurring when planning initiative is at the local level; (3)…

  19. If Anything Can Go Wrong, Maybe It Will.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wager, Jane C.; Rayner, Gail T.

    Thirty personnel involved in various stages of the Training Extension Course (TEC) design, development, and distribution process were interviewed by telephone to determine the major problems perceived within each stage of the program, which provides validated extension training wherever U.S. soldiers are stationed. Those interviewed included TEC…

  20. Sail Training as Education: More than Mere Adventure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCulloch, K.; McLaughlin, P.; Allison, P.; Edwards, V.; Tett, L.

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes the process and findings of a multinational study of the characteristics of sail training for young people. The study used a structured qualitative method and involved "indigenous practitioner-researchers" who collected the majority of the data. Our findings show that participation provides an opportunity for…

  1. Understanding, Developing, and Writing Effective IEPs: A Step-by-Step Guide for Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierangelo, Roger; Giuliani, George A.

    2007-01-01

    Creating and evaluating Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities is a major responsibility for teachers and school leaders, yet the process involves legal components not always understood by educators. In "Understanding, Developing, and Writing Effective IEPs," legal and special education experts Roger…

  2. Home-School Relationships: A School Management Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stringer, Patricia; Hourani, Rida Blaik

    2013-01-01

    Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the process of initiating major education reform designed to improve schools. Parental involvement in support of student learning ranks high on the reform agenda. This study explores managerial aspects of implementing home-school relationships in seven primary Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools in…

  3. Standing Waves and Inquiry Using Water Droplets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinclair, Dina; Vondracek, Mark

    2015-01-01

    Most high school and introductory college physics classes study simple harmonic motion and various wave phenomena. With the majority of states adopting the Next Generation Science Standards and pushing students to explore the scientific process for themselves, there is a growing demand for hands-on inquiry activities that involve and develop more…

  4. Epigenetic Mechanisms Impacting Aging: A Focus on Histone Levels and Telomeres

    PubMed Central

    Song, Shufei

    2018-01-01

    Aging and age-related diseases pose some of the most significant and difficult challenges to modern society as well as to the scientific and medical communities. Biological aging is a complex, and, under normal circumstances, seemingly irreversible collection of processes that involves numerous underlying mechanisms. Among these, chromatin-based processes have emerged as major regulators of cellular and organismal aging. These include DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome positioning, and telomere regulation, including how these are influenced by environmental factors such as diet. Here we focus on two interconnected categories of chromatin-based mechanisms impacting aging: those involving changes in the levels of histones or in the functions of telomeres. PMID:29642537

  5. Linear feature extraction from radar imagery: SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research), phase 2, option 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milgram, David L.; Kahn, Philip; Conner, Gary D.; Lawton, Daryl T.

    1988-12-01

    The goal of this effort is to develop and demonstrate prototype processing capabilities for a knowledge-based system to automatically extract and analyze features from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. This effort constitutes Phase 2 funding through the Defense Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program. Previous work examined the feasibility of and technology issues involved in the development of an automated linear feature extraction system. This final report documents this examination and the technologies involved in automating this image understanding task. In particular, it reports on a major software delivery containing an image processing algorithmic base, a perceptual structures manipulation package, a preliminary hypothesis management framework and an enhanced user interface.

  6. A study of lagoonal and estuarine processes in the area of Merritt Island encompassing the space center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    A study was conducted to determine the marine biology and dynamic oceanographic properties of the Indian River in Florida. One of the major areas of concentration involved the compilation of a taxonomic list of marine animals in the river. An important conclusion of the study is that diversity of the benthic community is substantially higher than expected. The effect of major climatic factors on the diversity and structure of the benthic community is analyzed.

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

    Carruth, R.C.; Sotos, W.G.

    As the nation`s nuclear power plants age, the need to consider upgrading of their electronic protection and control systems becomes more urgent. Hardware obsolescence and mechanical wear out resulting from frequent calibration and surveillance play a major role in defining their useful life. At Cook Nuclear Plant, a decision was made to replace a major portion of the plant`s protection and control systems with newer technology. This paper describes the engineering processes involved in this successful upgrade and explains the basis for many decisions made while performing the digital upgrade.

  8. Challenges in building intelligent systems for space mission operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartman, Wayne

    1991-01-01

    The purpose here is to provide a top-level look at the stewardship functions performed in space operations, and to identify the major issues and challenges that must be addressed to build intelligent systems that can realistically support operations functions. The focus is on decision support activities involving monitoring, state assessment, goal generation, plan generation, and plan execution. The bottom line is that problem solving in the space operations domain is a very complex process. A variety of knowledge constructs, representations, and reasoning processes are necessary to support effective human problem solving. Emulating these kinds of capabilities in intelligent systems offers major technical challenges that the artificial intelligence community is only beginning to address.

  9. The endocannabinoid system and emotional processing: a pharmacological fMRI study with ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

    PubMed

    Bossong, Matthijs G; van Hell, Hendrika H; Jager, Gerry; Kahn, René S; Ramsey, Nick F; Jansma, J Martijn

    2013-12-01

    Various psychiatric disorders such as major depression are associated with abnormalities in emotional processing. Evidence indicating involvement of the endocannabinoid system in emotional processing, and thus potentially in related abnormalities, is increasing. In the present study, we examined the role of the endocannabinoid system in processing of stimuli with a positive and negative emotional content in healthy volunteers. A pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted with a placebo-controlled, cross-over design, investigating effects of the endocannabinoid agonist ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on brain function related to emotional processing in 11 healthy subjects. Performance and brain activity during matching of stimuli with a negative ('fearful faces') or a positive content ('happy faces') were assessed after placebo and THC administration. After THC administration, performance accuracy was decreased for stimuli with a negative but not for stimuli with a positive emotional content. Our task activated a network of brain regions including amygdala, orbital frontal gyrus, hippocampus, parietal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, and regions in the occipital cortex. THC interacted with emotional content, as activity in this network was reduced for negative content, while activity for positive content was increased. These results indicate that THC administration reduces the negative bias in emotional processing. This adds human evidence to support the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system is involved in modulation of emotional processing. Our findings also suggest a possible role for the endocannabinoid system in abnormal emotional processing, and may thus be relevant for psychiatric disorders such as major depression. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

  10. Nuclear Waste: Defense Waste Processing Facility-Cost, Schedule, and Technical Issues.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-17

    gallons of high-level radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the savannah major facility involved Is the Defense Waste Processing Facility ( DwPF ...As a result of concerns about potential problems with the DWPF and delays in its scheduled start-up, the Chairman of the Environment, Energy, and...Natural Resources Subcommittee, House Committee on Government Operations, asked GAO to review the status of the DWPF and other facilities. This report

  11. Family involvement for breast cancer decision making among Chinese-American women.

    PubMed

    Lee, Shiuyu Katie C; Knobf, M Tish

    2016-12-01

    To describe family involvement in decision making for primary treatment in Chinese-American women with early-stage breast cancer. Qualitative data were collected in 2003 from semi-structured questions in interviews with a sample of Chinese-American (ChA) women with breast cancer, who were recruited from the metropolitan New York area. Responses to the questions were written in Chinese immediately during the interview and read back to the subject for accuracy and validation. Content analysis was used to inductively code and analyze the data to generate themes. The participants consisted of 123 ChA women with early stage breast cancer with a mean age of 48.7 years (±9.3) and who had lived in the United States a median of 13.6 years. Support and Caring was the major theme that described family involvement in the breast cancer decision-making process. Gathering Information, Being There, Navigating the Health Care System, Maintaining Family Life and Making the Decision described the aspects of family support in the process. The majority of women described the treatment decision making as a collaborative supportive process with the family, but limited English fluency, strong opinions, lack of a shared perspective, distant living proximity and competing work responsibilities of family members were stressful for the women and perceived as non-supportive. Family involvement in health care decision making is culturally embedded in Asian populations. Culturally sensitive patient and family consultation strategies are needed to assist informed treatment decision making in Chinese-American women diagnosed with breast cancer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Network pharmacology-based identification of key pharmacological pathways of Yin-Huang-Qing-Fei capsule acting on chronic bronchitis.

    PubMed

    Yu, Guohua; Zhang, Yanqiong; Ren, Weiqiong; Dong, Ling; Li, Junfang; Geng, Ya; Zhang, Yi; Li, Defeng; Xu, Haiyu; Yang, Hongjun

    2017-01-01

    For decades in China, the Yin-Huang-Qing-Fei capsule (YHQFC) has been widely used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, with good curative effects. Owing to the complexity of traditional Chinese herbal formulas, the pharmacological mechanism of YHQFC remains unclear. To address this problem, a network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed in this study. At first, the putative target profile of YHQFC was predicted using MedChem Studio, based on structural and functional similarities of all available YHQFC components to the known drugs obtained from the DrugBank database. Then, an interaction network was constructed using links between putative YHQFC targets and known therapeutic targets of chronic bronchitis. Following the calculation of four topological features (degree, betweenness, closeness, and coreness) of each node in the network, 475 major putative targets of YHQFC and their topological importance were identified. In addition, a pathway enrichment analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database indicated that the major putative targets of YHQFC are significantly associated with various pathways involved in anti-inflammation processes, immune responses, and pathological changes caused by asthma. More interestingly, eight major putative targets of YHQFC (interleukin [IL]-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, FCER1G, CCL11, and EPX) were demonstrated to be associated with the inflammatory process that occurs during the progression of asthma. Finally, a molecular docking simulation was performed and the results exhibited that 17 pairs of chemical components and candidate YHQFC targets involved in asthma pathway had strong binding efficiencies. In conclusion, this network pharmacology-based investigation revealed that YHQFC may attenuate the inflammatory reaction of chronic bronchitis by regulating its candidate targets, which may be implicated in the major pathological processes of the asthma pathway.

  13. Network pharmacology-based identification of key pharmacological pathways of Yin–Huang–Qing–Fei capsule acting on chronic bronchitis

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Guohua; Zhang, Yanqiong; Ren, Weiqiong; Dong, Ling; Li, Junfang; Geng, Ya; Zhang, Yi; Li, Defeng; Xu, Haiyu; Yang, Hongjun

    2017-01-01

    For decades in China, the Yin–Huang–Qing–Fei capsule (YHQFC) has been widely used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, with good curative effects. Owing to the complexity of traditional Chinese herbal formulas, the pharmacological mechanism of YHQFC remains unclear. To address this problem, a network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed in this study. At first, the putative target profile of YHQFC was predicted using MedChem Studio, based on structural and functional similarities of all available YHQFC components to the known drugs obtained from the DrugBank database. Then, an interaction network was constructed using links between putative YHQFC targets and known therapeutic targets of chronic bronchitis. Following the calculation of four topological features (degree, betweenness, closeness, and coreness) of each node in the network, 475 major putative targets of YHQFC and their topological importance were identified. In addition, a pathway enrichment analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database indicated that the major putative targets of YHQFC are significantly associated with various pathways involved in anti-inflammation processes, immune responses, and pathological changes caused by asthma. More interestingly, eight major putative targets of YHQFC (interleukin [IL]-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, FCER1G, CCL11, and EPX) were demonstrated to be associated with the inflammatory process that occurs during the progression of asthma. Finally, a molecular docking simulation was performed and the results exhibited that 17 pairs of chemical components and candidate YHQFC targets involved in asthma pathway had strong binding efficiencies. In conclusion, this network pharmacology-based investigation revealed that YHQFC may attenuate the inflammatory reaction of chronic bronchitis by regulating its candidate targets, which may be implicated in the major pathological processes of the asthma pathway. PMID:28053519

  14. Involvement of Activated Oxygen in Nitrate-Induced Senescence of Pea Root Nodules.

    PubMed Central

    Escuredo, P. R.; Minchin, F. R.; Gogorcena, Y.; Iturbe-Ormaetxe, I.; Klucas, R. V.; Becana, M.

    1996-01-01

    The effect of short-term nitrate application (10 mM, 0-4 d) on nitrogenase (N2ase) activity, antioxidant defenses, and related parameters was investigated in pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Frilene) nodules. The response of nodules to nitrate comprised two stages. In the first stage (0-2 d), there were major decreases in N2ase activity and N2ase-linked respiration and concomitant increases in carbon cost of N2ase and oxygen diffusion resistance of nodules. There was no apparent oxidative damage, and the decline in N2ase activity was, to a certain extent, reversible. The second stage (>2 d) was typical of a senescent, essentially irreversible process. It was characterized by moderate increases in oxidized proteins and catalytic Fe and by major decreases in antioxidant enzymes and metabolites. The restriction in oxygen supply to bacteroids may explain the initial decline in N2ase activity. The decrease in antioxidant protection is not involved in this process and is not specifically caused by nitrate, since it also occurs with drought stress. However, comparison of nitrate- and drought-induced senescence shows an important difference: there is no lipid degradation or lipid peroxide accumulation with nitrate, indicating that lipid peroxidation is not necessarily involved in nodule senescence. PMID:12226252

  15. Mechanism of Ethane Destruction in Dielectric Barrier Discharge in Air: Detailed Elementary Reaction Model and Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krasnoperov, Lev; Modenese, Camila; Krishtopa, Larisa

    2006-10-01

    Free radical destruction mechanism was extended by inclusion of reactions of excited and ionic species. The mechanism consists of 935 reactions of 85 neutral species, 9 excited states and 38 ions. The reactions include 9 initiation processes in streamers, 66 processes involving excited states and 83 reactions involving ions. The reactant, the final products as well as the major intermediates of the destruction of ethane in air in corona discharge were identified and quantified Carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), formaldehyde (H2CO), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), methanol (CH3OH), ethanol (C2H5OH), formic acid (HCOOH), acetic acid (CH3COOH), methyl nitrate (CH3ONO2) and ethyl nitrate (C2H5ONO2) were identified among the major destruction products. The destruction efficiency predicted by the mechanism is in good agreement with the experiment, the major contribution is being due to the ionization transfer reactions. Reactions of excited species play but only a minor role. The product spectrum is consistent with the subsequent low temperature free radical reactions complicated by the presence of ozone and nitrogen oxides. The generic reaction mechanism for other organic as well as inorganic compounds is discussed.

  16. A scheme to calculate higher-order homogenization as applied to micro-acoustic boundary value problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vagh, Hardik A.; Baghai-Wadji, Alireza

    2008-12-01

    Current technological challenges in materials science and high-tech device industry require the solution of boundary value problems (BVPs) involving regions of various scales, e.g. multiple thin layers, fibre-reinforced composites, and nano/micro pores. In most cases straightforward application of standard variational techniques to BVPs of practical relevance necessarily leads to unsatisfactorily ill-conditioned analytical and/or numerical results. To remedy the computational challenges associated with sub-sectional heterogeneities various sophisticated homogenization techniques need to be employed. Homogenization refers to the systematic process of smoothing out the sub-structural heterogeneities, leading to the determination of effective constitutive coefficients. Ordinarily, homogenization involves a sophisticated averaging and asymptotic order analysis to obtain solutions. In the majority of the cases only zero-order terms are constructed due to the complexity of the processes involved. In this paper we propose a constructive scheme for obtaining homogenized solutions involving higher order terms, and thus, guaranteeing higher accuracy and greater robustness of the numerical results. We present

  17. "Coding" and "Decoding": hypothesis for the regulatory mechanism involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xu; Wang, Fengshan; Sheng, Juzheng

    2016-06-16

    Heparan sulfate (HS) is widely distributed in mammalian tissues in the form of HS proteoglycans, which play essential roles in various physiological and pathological processes. In contrast to the template-guided processes involved in the synthesis of DNA and proteins, HS biosynthesis is not believed to involve a template. However, it appears that the final structure of HS chains was strictly regulated. Herein, we report research based hypothesis that two major steps, namely "coding" and "decoding" steps, are involved in the biosynthesis of HS, which strictly regulate its chemical structure and biological activity. The "coding" process in this context is based on the distribution of sulfate moieties on the amino groups of the glucosamine residues in the HS chains. The sulfation of these amine groups is catalyzed by N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase, which has four isozymes. The composition and distribution of sulfate groups and iduronic acid residues on the glycan chains of HS are determined by several other modification enzymes, which can recognize these coding sequences (i.e., the "decoding" process). The degree and pattern of the sulfation and epimerization in the HS chains determines the extent of their interactions with several different protein factors, which further influences their biological activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Biomineralization in foraminifera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nooijer, L. D.; Toyofuku, T.; Bijma, J.; Reichart, G. J.

    2015-12-01

    Foraminifera are popular tools in paleoceanography since incorporation of minor/ major elements and fractionation of stable isotopes into their carbonate shells depend on environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, salinity, pH). Their shell chemistry is markedly different from that of inorganically precipitated CaCO3, reflecting that calcification is a process under strong biological control. The cellular components responsible for calcification are only partly identified in foraminifera and include the involvement of organic templates, trans-membrane ion transporters and selective ion removal. Recent results suggest that transmembrane exchange of H+ for Ca2+ is directly responsible for calcification. The resulting high pH inside and lowered pH outside the foraminifer results in an efficient CO2 'trap' after which carbon dioxide is converted to carbonate prior to calcification. Amongst others, this explains how some foraminifera are able to calcify in undersaturated seawater and may explain their moderate response to ocean acidification. Minor and trace metals incorporated into test carbonate reflect the processes involved in biomineralization and can thus be used to unravel the different factors and processes involved. Still, a more detailed understanding of the processes involved in foraminiferal calcification is needed to explain observed (inter-species) differences in partition coefficients for the incorporation of minor and trace metals and isotopic fractionation.

  19. Failure modes and effects analysis for ocular brachytherapy.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yongsook C; Kim, Yongbok; Huynh, Jason Wei-Yeong; Hamilton, Russell J

    The aim of the study was to identify potential failure modes (FMs) having a high risk and to improve our current quality management (QM) program in Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) ocular brachytherapy by undertaking a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and a fault tree analysis (FTA). Process mapping and FMEA were performed for COMS ocular brachytherapy. For all FMs identified in FMEA, risk priority numbers (RPNs) were determined by assigning and multiplying occurrence, severity, and lack of detectability values, each ranging from 1 to 10. FTA was performed for the major process that had the highest ranked FM. Twelve major processes, 121 sub-process steps, 188 potential FMs, and 209 possible causes were identified. For 188 FMs, RPN scores ranged from 1.0 to 236.1. The plaque assembly process had the highest ranked FM. The majority of FMs were attributable to human failure (85.6%), and medical physicist-related failures were the most numerous (58.9% of all causes). After FMEA, additional QM methods were included for the top 10 FMs and 6 FMs with severity values > 9.0. As a result, for these 16 FMs and the 5 major processes involved, quality control steps were increased from 8 (50%) to 15 (93.8%), and major processes having quality assurance steps were increased from 2 to 4. To reduce high risk in current clinical practice, we proposed QM methods. They mainly include a check or verification of procedures/steps and the use of checklists for both ophthalmology and radiation oncology staff, and intraoperative ultrasound-guided plaque positioning for ophthalmology staff. Copyright © 2017 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Transcriptional sequencing and analysis of major genes involved in the adventitious root formation of mango cotyledon segments.

    PubMed

    Li, Yun-He; Zhang, Hong-Na; Wu, Qing-Song; Muday, Gloria K

    2017-06-01

    A total of 74,745 unigenes were generated and 1975 DEGs were identified. Candidate genes that may be involved in the adventitious root formation of mango cotyledon segment were revealed. Adventitious root formation is a crucial step in plant vegetative propagation, but the molecular mechanism of adventitious root formation remains unclear. Adventitious roots formed only at the proximal cut surface (PCS) of mango cotyledon segments, whereas no roots were formed on the opposite, distal cut surface (DCS). To identify the transcript abundance changes linked to adventitious root development, RNA was isolated from PCS and DCS at 0, 4 and 7 days after culture, respectively. Illumina sequencing of libraries generated from these samples yielded 62.36 Gb high-quality reads that were assembled into 74,745 unigenes with an average sequence length of 807 base pairs, and 33,252 of the assembled unigenes at least had homologs in one of the public databases. Comparative analysis of these transcriptome databases revealed that between the different time points at PCS there were 1966 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), while there were only 51 DEGs for the PCS vs. DCS when time-matched samples were compared. Of these DEGs, 1636 were assigned to gene ontology (GO) classes, the majority of that was involved in cellular processes, metabolic processes and single-organism processes. Candidate genes that may be involved in the adventitious root formation of mango cotyledon segment are predicted to encode polar auxin transport carriers, auxin-regulated proteins, cell wall remodeling enzymes and ethylene-related proteins. In order to validate RNA-sequencing results, we further analyzed the expression profiles of 20 genes by quantitative real-time PCR. This study expands the transcriptome information for Mangifera indica and identifies candidate genes involved in adventitious root formation in cotyledon segments of mango.

  1. Safety cases for medical devices and health information technology: involving health-care organisations in the assurance of safety.

    PubMed

    Sujan, Mark A; Koornneef, Floor; Chozos, Nick; Pozzi, Simone; Kelly, Tim

    2013-09-01

    In the United Kingdom, there are more than 9000 reports of adverse events involving medical devices annually. The regulatory processes in Europe and in the United States have been challenged as to their ability to protect patients effectively from unreasonable risk and harm. Two of the major shortcomings of current practice include the lack of transparency in the safety certification process and the lack of involvement of service providers. We reviewed recent international standardisation activities in this area, and we reviewed regulatory practices in other safety-critical industries. The review showed that the use of safety cases is an accepted practice in UK safety-critical industries, but at present, there is little awareness of this concept in health care. Safety cases have the potential to provide greater transparency and confidence in safety certification and to act as a communication tool between manufacturers, service providers, regulators and patients.

  2. Guidelines for Implementing Change: A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masekela, Belinda; Nienaber, Rita

    To attain and sustain a competitive advantage organizations are continually faced with the need to change their structures, processes and technologies. Converting to new technology and implementing a new information management system in an organization results in inevitable changes in organizational procedures impacting on the people involved. A major problem encountered during this process is resistance to change, which may contribute to total failure of this system. Change management is the process that can be used to negate this impact and assist employees in transitioning to a new way of doing things.

  3. The TryPIKinome of five human pathogenic trypanosomatids: Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania major, Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum--new tools for designing specific inhibitors.

    PubMed

    Bahia, Diana; Oliveira, Luciana Márcia; Lima, Fabio Mitsuo; Oliveira, Priscila; Silveira, José Franco da; Mortara, Renato Arruda; Ruiz, Jerônimo Conceição

    2009-12-18

    Phosphatidylinositol (PI) kinases are at the heart of one of the major pathways of intracellular signal transduction. Herein, we present the first report on a survey made by similarity searches against the five human pathogenic trypanosomatids Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania major, Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum genomes available to date for phosphatidylinositol- and related-kinases (TryPIKs). In addition to generating a panel called "The TryPIKinome", we propose a model of signaling pathways for these TryPIKs. The involvement of TryPIKs in fundamental pathways, such as intracellular signal transduction and host invasion processes, makes the study of TryPIKs an important area for further inquiry. New subtype-specific inhibitors are expected to work on individual members of the PIK family and, therefore, can presumably neutralize trypanosomatid invasion processes.

  4. New technologies for solar energy silicon - Cost analysis of dichlorosilane process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yaws, C. L.; Li, K.-Y.; Chu, T. C. T.; Fang, C. S.; Lutwack, R.; Briglio, A., Jr.

    1981-01-01

    A reduction in the cost of silicon for solar cells is an important objective in a project concerned with the reduction of the cost of electricity produced with solar cells. The cost goal for the silicon material is about $14 per kg (1980 dollars). The process which is currently employed to produce semiconductor grade silicon from trichlorosilane is not suited for meeting this cost goal. Other processes for producing silicon are, therefore, being investigated. A description is presented of results obtained for the DCS process which involves the production of dichlorosilane as a silicon source material for solar energy silicon. Major benefits of dichlorosilane as a silicon source material include faster reaction rates for chemical vapor deposition of silicon. The DCS process involves the reaction 2SiHCl3 yields reversibly SiH2Cl2 + SiCl4. The results of a cost analysis indicate a total product cost without profit of $1.29/kg of SiH2Cl2.

  5. Neural Networks Involved in Adolescent Reward Processing: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Studies

    PubMed Central

    Silverman, Merav H.; Jedd, Kelly; Luciana, Monica

    2015-01-01

    Behavioral responses to, and the neural processing of, rewards change dramatically during adolescence and may contribute to observed increases in risk-taking during this developmental period. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies suggest differences between adolescents and adults in neural activation during reward processing, but findings are contradictory, and effects have been found in non-predicted directions. The current study uses an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach for quantitative meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies to: 1) confirm the network of brain regions involved in adolescents’ reward processing, 2) identify regions involved in specific stages (anticipation, outcome) and valence (positive, negative) of reward processing, and 3) identify differences in activation likelihood between adolescent and adult reward-related brain activation. Results reveal a subcortical network of brain regions involved in adolescent reward processing similar to that found in adults with major hubs including the ventral and dorsal striatum, insula, and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Contrast analyses find that adolescents exhibit greater likelihood of activation in the insula while processing anticipation relative to outcome and greater likelihood of activation in the putamen and amygdala during outcome relative to anticipation. While processing positive compared to negative valence, adolescents show increased likelihood for activation in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and ventral striatum. Contrasting adolescent reward processing with the existing ALE of adult reward processing (Liu et al., 2011) reveals increased likelihood for activation in limbic, frontolimbic, and striatal regions in adolescents compared with adults. Unlike adolescents, adults also activate executive control regions of the frontal and parietal lobes. These findings support hypothesized elevations in motivated activity during adolescence. PMID:26254587

  6. Automated Circulation Systems in Libraries Serving the Blind and Physically Handicapped: A Reference Guide for Planning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wanger, Judith; And Others

    Designed to facilitate communications in future automation projects between library and data processing personnel, especially those projects involving the use of automated systems in the service of disabled patrons, this guide identifies and describes a master set of major circulation system requirements and design considerations, and illustrates…

  7. A Change of Administration: A Significant Organizational Life Event.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stine, Deborah E.

    The case study presented in this paper illustrates how the succession process for principals is similar to that described by Gabarro in his study of corporate succession. Leader succession involves five major stages: (1) taking hold; (2) immersion; (3) reshaping; (4) consolidation; and (5) refinement. Success most frequently occurs in conjunction…

  8. Retroactive maintains cuticle integrity by promoting the trafficking of Knickkopf into the procuticle of Tribolium castaneum

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Molting, or the replacement of the old exoskeleton with a new cuticle, is a complex developmental process that all insects must undergo to maintain growth. Our work has uncovered a major pathway involved in cuticular chitin maintenance wherein accumulation of the Tribolium castaneum knickkopf protei...

  9. Hierarchical filters determine community assembly of urban species pools

    Treesearch

    Myla F.J. Aronson; Charles H. Nilon; Christopher A. Lepczyk; Tommy S. Parker; Paige S. Warren; Sarel S. Cilliers; Mark A. Goddard; Amy K. Hahs; Cecilia Herzog; Madhusudan Katti; Frank A. La Sorte; Nicholas S.G. Williams; Wayne  Zipperer

    2016-01-01

    The majority of humanity now lives in cities or towns, with this proportion expected to continue increasing for the foreseeable future. As novel ecosystems, urban areas offer an ideal opportunity to examine multi-scalar processes involved in community assembly as well as the role of human activities in modulating environmental drivers of biodiversity. Although...

  10. Lifelong Learning and the Information Society.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boucouvalas, Marcie

    Society is currently in the process of shifting its central focus from the production and distribution of material goods to the production and distribution of information. Indeed, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that the majority of people are now involved in occupations that center around information rather than around industry.…

  11. The Anaphase Promoting Complex Is Required for Memory Function in Mice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuczera, Tanja; Stilling, Roman Manuel; Hsia, Hung-En; Bahari-Javan, Sanaz; Irniger, Stefan; Nasmyth, Kim; Sananbenesi, Farahnaz; Fischer, Andre

    2011-01-01

    Learning and memory processes critically involve the orchestrated regulation of de novo protein synthesis. On the other hand it has become clear that regulated protein degradation also plays a major role in neuronal plasticity and learning behavior. One of the key pathways mediating protein degradation is proteosomal protein destruction. The…

  12. Physical Attractiveness: Interactive Effects of Counselor and Client on Counseling Processes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vargas, Alice M.; Borkowski, John G.

    1983-01-01

    Assessed how the physical attractiveness of counselors and clients interacted to build rapport in two experiments involving college students (N=128 and N=64). Results showed the counselor's physical attractiveness had a major impact on her perceived effectiveness and the client's expectation of success irrespective of the client's attractiveness…

  13. Members of the Dof transcription factor family in Triticum aestivum are associated with light-mediated gene regulation.

    PubMed

    Shaw, Lindsay M; McIntyre, C Lynne; Gresshoff, Peter M; Xue, Gang-Ping

    2009-11-01

    DNA binding with One Finger (Dof) protein is a plant-specific transcription factor implicated in the regulation of many important plant-specific processes, including photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. This study has identified 31 Dof genes (TaDof) in bread wheat through extensive analysis of current nucleotide databases. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the TaDof family can be divided into four clades. Expression analysis of the TaDof family across all major organs using quantitative RT-PCR and searches of the wheat genome array database revealed that the majority of TaDof members were predominately expressed in vegetative organs. A large number of TaDof members were down-regulated by drought and/or were responsive to the light and dark cycle. Further expression analysis revealed that light up-regulated TaDof members were highly correlated in expression with a number of genes that are involved in photosynthesis or sucrose transport. These data suggest that the TaDof family may have an important role in light-mediated gene regulation, including involvement in the photosynthetic process.

  14. Large-Scale Network Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-analysis of Resting-State Functional Connectivity.

    PubMed

    Kaiser, Roselinde H; Andrews-Hanna, Jessica R; Wager, Tor D; Pizzagalli, Diego A

    2015-06-01

    Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been linked to imbalanced communication among large-scale brain networks, as reflected by abnormal resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC). However, given variable methods and results across studies, identifying consistent patterns of network dysfunction in MDD has been elusive. To investigate network dysfunction in MDD through a meta-analysis of rsFC studies. Seed-based voxelwise rsFC studies comparing individuals with MDD with healthy controls (published before June 30, 2014) were retrieved from electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE) and authors contacted for additional data. Twenty-seven seed-based voxel-wise rsFC data sets from 25 publications (556 individuals with MDD and 518 healthy controls) were included in the meta-analysis. Coordinates of seed regions of interest and between-group effects were extracted. Seeds were categorized into seed-networks by their location within a priori functional networks. Multilevel kernel density analysis of between-group effects identified brain systems in which MDD was associated with hyperconnectivity (increased positive or reduced negative connectivity) or hypoconnectivity (increased negative or reduced positive connectivity) with each seed-network. Major depressive disorder was characterized by hypoconnectivity within the frontoparietal network, a set of regions involved in cognitive control of attention and emotion regulation, and hypoconnectivity between frontoparietal systems and parietal regions of the dorsal attention network involved in attending to the external environment. Major depressive disorder was also associated with hyperconnectivity within the default network, a network believed to support internally oriented and self-referential thought, and hyperconnectivity between frontoparietal control systems and regions of the default network. Finally, the MDD groups exhibited hypoconnectivity between neural systems involved in processing emotion or salience and midline cortical regions that may mediate top-down regulation of such functions. Reduced connectivity within frontoparietal control systems and imbalanced connectivity between control systems and networks involved in internal or external attention may reflect depressive biases toward internal thoughts at the cost of engaging with the external world. Meanwhile, altered connectivity between neural systems involved in cognitive control and those that support salience or emotion processing may relate to deficits regulating mood. These findings provide an empirical foundation for a neurocognitive model in which network dysfunction underlies core cognitive and affective abnormalities in depression.

  15. Linear feature extraction from radar imagery: SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) phase 2, option 1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Conner, Gary D.; Milgram, David L.; Lawton, Daryl T.; McConnell, Christopher C.

    1988-04-01

    The goal of this effort is to develop and demonstrate prototype processing capabilities for a knowledge-based system to automatically extract and analyze linear features from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. This effort constitutes Phase 2 funding through the Defense Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program. Previous work examined the feasibility of the technology issues involved in the development of an automatedlinear feature extraction system. This Option 1 Final Report documents this examination and the technologies involved in automating this image understanding task. In particular, it reports on a major software delivery containing an image processing algorithmic base, a perceptual structures manipulation package, a preliminary hypothesis management framework and an enhanced user interface.

  16. Trends in biotechnological production of fuel ethanol from different feedstocks.

    PubMed

    Sánchez, Oscar J; Cardona, Carlos A

    2008-09-01

    Present work deals with the biotechnological production of fuel ethanol from different raw materials. The different technologies for producing fuel ethanol from sucrose-containing feedstocks (mainly sugar cane), starchy materials and lignocellulosic biomass are described along with the major research trends for improving them. The complexity of the biomass processing is recognized through the analysis of the different stages involved in the conversion of lignocellulosic complex into fermentable sugars. The features of fermentation processes for the three groups of studied feedstocks are discussed. Comparative indexes for the three major types of feedstocks for fuel ethanol production are presented. Finally, some concluding considerations on current research and future tendencies in the production of fuel ethanol regarding the pretreatment and biological conversion of the feedstocks are presented.

  17. Increased Amplitude of Thalamocortical Low-Frequency Oscillations in Patients with Migraine

    PubMed Central

    Wilcox, Sophie L.; Veggeberg, Rosanna; Noseda, Rodrigo; Burstein, Rami; Borsook, David; Becerra, Lino

    2016-01-01

    For many years, neurobiological theories have emphasized the importance of neuronal oscillations in the emergence of brain function. At the same time, clinical studies have shown that disturbances or irregularities in brain rhythms may relate to various common neurological conditions, including migraine. Increasing evidence suggests that the CNS plays a fundamental role in the predisposition to develop different forms of headache. Here, we present human imaging data that strongly support the presence of abnormal low-frequency oscillations (LFOs) in thalamocortical networks of patients in the interictal phase of migraine. Our results show that the main source of arrhythmic activity was localized to the higher-order thalamic relays of the medial dorsal nucleus. In addition, spontaneous LFOs in the thalamus were selectively associated with the headache attack frequency, meaning that the varying amplitude of dysrhythmia could predispose patients to recurrent attacks. Rhythmic cortical feedback to the thalamus is a major factor in the amplification of thalamocortical oscillations, making it a strong candidate for influencing neuronal excitability. We further speculate that the intrinsic dynamics of thalamocortical network oscillations are crucial for early sensory processing and therefore could underlie important pathophysiological processes involved in multisensory integration. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In many cases, migraine attacks are thought to begin centrally. A major obstacle to studying intrinsic brain activity has been the identification of the precise anatomical structures and functional networks that are involved in migraine. Here, we present imaging data that strongly support the presence of abnormal low-frequency oscillations in thalamocortical networks of patients in the interictal phase of migraine. This arrhythmic activity was localized to the higher-order thalamic relays of the medial dorsal nucleus and was selectively associated with headache attack frequency. Rhythmic cortical feedback to the thalamus is a major factor in the amplification of thalamocortical oscillations, making it a strong candidate for influencing neuronal excitability and higher-level processes involved in multisensory integration. PMID:27466345

  18. Chemomics-based marker compounds mining and mimetic processing for exploring chemical mechanisms in traditional processing of herbal medicines, a continuous study on Rehmanniae Radix.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Li; Xu, Jin-Di; Zhou, Shan-Shan; Shen, Hong; Mao, Qian; Kong, Ming; Zou, Ye-Ting; Xu, Ya-Yun; Xu, Jun; Li, Song-Lin

    2017-12-29

    Exploring processing chemistry, in particular the chemical transformation mechanisms involved, is a key step to elucidate the scientific basis in traditional processing of herbal medicines. Previously, taking Rehmanniae Radix (RR) as a case study, the holistic chemome (secondary metabolome and glycome) difference between raw and processed RR was revealed by integrating hyphenated chromatographic techniques-based targeted glycomics and untargeted metabolomics. Nevertheless, the complex chemical transformation mechanisms underpinning the holistic chemome variation in RR processing remain to be extensively clarified. As a continuous study, here a novel strategy by combining chemomics-based marker compounds mining and mimetic processing is proposed for further exploring the chemical mechanisms involved in herbal processing. First, the differential marker compounds between raw and processed herbs were rapidly discovered by untargeted chemomics-based mining approach through multivariate statistical analysis of the chemome data obtained by integrated metabolomics and glycomics analysis. Second, the marker compounds were mimetically processed under the simulated physicochemical conditions as in the herb processing, and the final reaction products were chemically characterized by targeted chemomics-based mining approach. Third, the main chemical transformation mechanisms involved were clarified by linking up the original marker compounds and their mimetic processing products. Using this strategy, a set of differential marker compounds including saccharides, glycosides and furfurals in raw and processed RR was rapidly found, and the major chemical mechanisms involved in RR processing were elucidated as stepwise transformations of saccharides (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and monosaccharides) and glycosides (iridoid glycosides and phenethylalcohol glycosides) into furfurals (glycosylated/non-glycosylated hydroxymethylfurfurals) by deglycosylation and/or dehydration. The research deliverables indicated that the proposed strategy could advance the understanding of RR processing chemistry, and therefore may be considered a promising approach for delving into the scientific basis in traditional processing of herbal medicines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. South African critical care nurses' views on end-of-life decision-making and practices.

    PubMed

    Langley, Gayle; Schmollgruber, Shelley; Fulbrook, Paul; Albarran, John W; Latour, Jos M

    2014-01-01

    Care of patients at the end-of-life (EOL) may be influenced by the experiences, attitudes and beliefs of nurses involved in their direct care. To investigate South African critical care nurses' experiences and perceptions of EOL care. Cross-sectional survey. South African critical care nurses completed a modified version of the 'VENICE' survey tool. Data were collected concerning: attitudes towards EOL care; involvement in EOL decision-making; and beliefs about EOL practices. Of 149 surveys distributed, 100 were returned (response rate 67%). Seventy-six percent stated that they had had direct involvement in EOL care of patients, but a minority (29%) had participated in EOL decision-making processes. Whilst most nurses (86%) were committed to family involvement in EOL decisions, less than two thirds (62%) reported this as routine practice. When withdrawing treatment, around half (54%) of the respondents indicated they would decrease the inspired oxygen level to room air, and the majority (84%) recommended giving effective pain relief. Continued nutritional support (84%) and hydration (85%) were advocated, with most nurses (62%) indicating that they were against keeping patients deeply sedated. Most respondents (68%) felt patients should remain in intensive care at the end of life, with the majority (72%) supporting open-visiting, no restriction on number of family members visiting (70%), and the practising of religious or traditional cultural EOL rituals (93%). The involvement of Johannesburg critical nurses in EOL care discussions and decisions is infrequent despite their participation in care delivery and definite views about the process. Use of formal guidelines and education is recommended to increase the nurses' involvement in and their confidence in participating in EOL decisions. Educators, managers, senior nurses and other members of the multi-disciplinary team should collaborate to enable critical care nurses to become more involved in EOL care. © 2013 The Authors. Nursing in Critical Care © 2013 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

  20. Composite chronicles: A study of the lessons learned in the development, production, and service of composite structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vosteen, Louis F.; Hadcock, Richard N.

    1994-01-01

    A study of past composite aircraft structures programs was conducted to determine the lessons learned during the programs. The study focused on finding major underlying principles and practices that experience showed have significant effects on the development process and should be recognized and understood by those responsible for using of composites. Published information on programs was reviewed and interviews were conducted with personnel associated with current and past major development programs. In all, interviews were conducted with about 56 people representing 32 organizations. Most of the people interviewed have been involved in the engineering and manufacturing development of composites for the past 20 to 25 years. Although composites technology has made great advances over the past 30 years, the effective application of composites to aircraft is still a complex problem that requires experienced personnel with special knowledge. All disciplines involved in the development process must work together in real time to minimize risk and assure total product quality and performance at acceptable costs. The most successful programs have made effective use of integrated, collocated, concurrent engineering teams, and most often used well-planned, systematic development efforts wherein the design and manufacturing processes are validated in a step-by-step or 'building block' approach. Such approaches reduce program risk and are cost effective.

  1. Making quantitative morphological variation from basic developmental processes: where are we? The case of the Drosophila wing

    PubMed Central

    Alexis, Matamoro-Vidal; Isaac, Salazar-Ciudad; David, Houle

    2015-01-01

    One of the aims of evolutionary developmental biology is to discover the developmental origins of morphological variation. The discipline has mainly focused on qualitative morphological differences (e.g., presence or absence of a structure) between species. Studies addressing subtle, quantitative variation are less common. The Drosophila wing is a model for the study of development and evolution, making it suitable to investigate the developmental mechanisms underlying the subtle quantitative morphological variation observed in nature. Previous reviews have focused on the processes involved in wing differentiation, patterning and growth. Here, we investigate what is known about how the wing achieves its final shape, and what variation in development is capable of generating the variation in wing shape observed in nature. Three major developmental stages need to be considered: larval development, pupariation, and pupal development. The major cellular processes involved in the determination of tissue size and shape are cell proliferation, cell death, oriented cell division and oriented cell intercalation. We review how variation in temporal and spatial distribution of growth and transcription factors affects these cellular mechanisms, which in turn affects wing shape. We then discuss which aspects of the wing morphological variation are predictable on the basis of these mechanisms. PMID:25619644

  2. Headquarters summary reports

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    The status is summarized of the NASA sponsored involvement in high speed civil transport research and technology, including major cooperative efforts. That involvement is currently focussed on the High Speed Research Program. The program goals are an acceptable level of ozone depletion or sonic boom, the definition of which is a regulatory and political process. The HSRP goal is to provide technical bases for acceptability criteria. Community noise is currently regulated, and it seems clear that HSCT aircraft will have to comply with at least the spirit of the current subsonic constraint, FAR 36, Stage 3.

  3. Fourth National Aeronautics and Space Administration Weather and Climate Program Science Review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kreins, E. R. (Editor)

    1979-01-01

    The NASA Weather and Climate Program has two major thrusts. The first involves the development of experimental and prototype operational satellite systems, sensors, and space facilities for monitoring and understanding the atmosphere. The second thrust involves basic scientific investigation aimed at studying the physical and chemical processes which control weather and climate. This fourth science review concentrated on the scientific research rather than the hardware development aspect of the program. These proceedings contain 65 papers covering the three general areas: severe storms and local weather research, global weather, and climate.

  4. Internalization, Trafficking, Intracellular Processing and Actions of Antibody-Drug Conjugates.

    PubMed

    Xu, Shi

    2015-11-01

    This review discusses the molecular mechanism involved in the targeting and delivery of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the new class of biopharmaceuticals mainly designed for targeted cancer therapy. this review goes over major progress in preclinical and clinical studies of ADCs, in the past 5 years. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ADCs involve multiple mechanisms, including internalization of ADCs by target cells, intracellular trafficking, release of conjugated drugs, and payload. These mechanisms actually jointly determine the efficacy of ADCs. Therefore, the optimization of ADCs should take them as necessary rationales.

  5. Pharmacology of Ischemia-Reperfusion. Translational Research Considerations.

    PubMed

    Prieto-Moure, Beatriz; Lloris-Carsí, José M; Barrios-Pitarque, Carlos; Toledo-Pereyra, Luis-H; Lajara-Romance, José María; Berda-Antolí, M; Lloris-Cejalvo, J M; Cejalvo-Lapeña, Dolores

    2016-08-01

    Ischemia-reperfusion (IRI) is a complex physiopathological mechanism involving a large number of metabolic processes that can eventually lead to cell apoptosis and ultimately tissue necrosis. Treatment approaches intended to reduce or palliate the effects of IRI are varied, and are aimed basically at: inhibiting cell apoptosis and the complement system in the inflammatory process deriving from IRI, modulating calcium levels, maintaining mitochondrial membrane integrity, reducing the oxidative effects of IRI and levels of inflammatory cytokines, or minimizing the action of macrophages, neutrophils, and other cell types. This study involved an extensive, up-to-date review of the bibliography on the currently most widely used active products in the treatment and prevention of IRI, and their mechanisms of action, in an aim to obtain an overview of current and potential future treatments for this pathological process. The importance of IRI is clearly reflected by the large number of studies published year after year, and by the variety of pathophysiological processes involved in this major vascular problem. A quick study of the evolution of IRI-related publications in PubMed shows that in a single month in 2014, 263 articles were published, compared to 806 articles in the entire 1990.

  6. From actors to authors: a first account about the involvement of patients in the informed consent governance of a major Italian translational research hospital.

    PubMed

    Casati, Sara; Monti, Paolo; Bonino, Ferruccio

    2010-01-01

    From 2007 to 2009 Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, one of the major public research hospitals in Italy, has invested on a participatory action to promote a good practice of informed consent. The project focused on the improvement and innovation of informed consent considered as a participated act through the involvement of all the actors at stake. The main purpose was to improve the informative practices through the participatory innovation of institutional and organizational elements as conditions of possibility. Therefore the project has pursued the involvement of managers, healthcare professionals, patients and their associations in the institutional governance of informed consent. The involvement of citizens and patients within the whole process meant to put them in charge not just as actors or final evaluators of a good practice, but as co-authors in defining standards, tools and conditions for a good practice. Several actions were taken, including a phase of analysis which involved 20 patients from 8 Associations, a phase of innovation and education where 113 patients and citizens worked together with clinicians from 53 Units in deliberative laboratories, the institution of a multidisciplinary committee inclusive of representatives from 6 associations of patients.The project has produced different outcomes: new institutional guidelines adopted by the hospital; the renewal of consent forms and procedures as part of an explicit shared informative process; an increased implementation of institutional standards of good informative practice; the measure and communication of the outcomes of care and their bench-marking; bottom-up building of paths of validation; the creation of participatory electronic tools; an innovative education on the field for patients and clinicians.

  7. Getting from A to IRB: developing an institutional review board at a historically black university.

    PubMed

    Howard, Daniel L; Boyd, Carlton L; Nelson, Daniel K; Godley, Paul

    2010-03-01

    Shaw University, the oldest historically black college or university in the southern USA, recently partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a major research institution in North Carolina, to further develop Shaw's research infrastructure. One aim of the partnership involved establishing a human research ethics committee and an accompanying administrative structure and research ethics education program. This paper describes the process of developing an entire human research protection program de novo through collaboration with and mentoring by the members of the human research protection program at a nearby major research institution. This paper provides a detailed description of the aims, procedures, accomplishments, and challenges involved in such a project, which may serve as a useful model for other primarily teaching institutions wishing to develop research infrastructure and ethical capacity.

  8. Getting From A to IRB: Developing an Institutional Review Board at a Historically Black University

    PubMed Central

    Howard, Daniel L.; Boyd, Carlton L.; Nelson, Daniel K.; Godley, Paul

    2011-01-01

    Shaw University, the oldest historically black college or university in the southern USA, recently partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a major research institution in North Carolina, to further develop Shaw’s research infrastructure. One aim of the partnership involved establishing a human research ethics committee and an accompanying administrative structure and research ethics education program. This paper describes the process of developing an entire human research protection program de novo through collaboration with and mentoring by the members of the human research protection program at a nearby major research institution. This paper provides a detailed description of the aims, procedures, accomplishments, and challenges involved in such a project, which may serve as a useful model for other primarily teaching institutions wishing to develop research infrastructure and ethical capacity. PMID:20235865

  9. Multi-compartmental modeling of SORLA’s influence on amyloidogenic processing in Alzheimer’s disease

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Proteolytic breakdown of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by secretases is a complex cellular process that results in formation of neurotoxic Aβ peptides, causative of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Processing involves monomeric and dimeric forms of APP that traffic through distinct cellular compartments where the various secretases reside. Amyloidogenic processing is also influenced by modifiers such as sorting receptor-related protein (SORLA), an inhibitor of APP breakdown and major AD risk factor. Results In this study, we developed a multi-compartment model to simulate the complexity of APP processing in neurons and to accurately describe the effects of SORLA on these processes. Based on dose–response data, our study concludes that SORLA specifically impairs processing of APP dimers, the preferred secretase substrate. In addition, SORLA alters the dynamic behavior of β-secretase, the enzyme responsible for the initial step in the amyloidogenic processing cascade. Conclusions Our multi-compartment model represents a major conceptual advance over single-compartment models previously used to simulate APP processing; and it identified APP dimers and β-secretase as the two distinct targets of the inhibitory action of SORLA in Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:22727043

  10. GH indirectly enhances the regeneration of transgenic zebrafish fins through IGF2a and IGF2b.

    PubMed

    Nornberg, Bruna Félix; Almeida, Daniela Volcan; Figueiredo, Márcio Azevedo; Marins, Luis Fernando

    2016-10-01

    The somatotropic axis, composed essentially of the growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), is the main regulator of somatic growth in vertebrates. However, these protein hormones are also involved in various other major physiological processes. Although the importance of IGFs in mechanisms involving tissue regeneration has already been established, little is known regarding the direct effects of GH in these processes. In this study, we used a transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) model, which overexpresses GH from the beta-actin constitutive promoter. The regenerative ability of the caudal fin was assessed after repeated amputations, as well as the expression of genes related to the GH/IGF axis. The results revealed that GH overexpression increased the regenerated area of the caudal fin in transgenic fish after the second amputation. Transgenic fish also presented a decrease in gene expression of the GH receptor (ghrb), in opposition to the increased expression of the IGF1 receptors (igf1ra and igf1rb). These results suggest that transgenic fish have a higher sensitivity to IGFs than to GH during fin regeneration. With respect to the different IGFs produced locally, a decrease in igf1a expression and a significant increase in both igf2a and igf2b expression was observed, suggesting that igf1a is not directly involved in fin regeneration. Overall, the results revealed that excess GH enhances fin regeneration in zebrafish through igf2a and igf2b expression, acting indirectly on this major physiological process.

  11. Redesigning care at the Flinders Medical Centre: clinical process redesign using "lean thinking".

    PubMed

    Ben-Tovim, David I; Bassham, Jane E; Bennett, Denise M; Dougherty, Melissa L; Martin, Margaret A; O'Neill, Susan J; Sincock, Jackie L; Szwarcbord, Michael G

    2008-03-17

    *The Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) Redesigning Care program began in November 2003; it is a hospital-wide process improvement program applying an approach called "lean thinking" (developed in the manufacturing sector) to health care. *To date, the FMC has involved hundreds of staff from all areas of the hospital in a wide variety of process redesign activities. *The initial focus of the program was on improving the flow of patients through the emergency department, but the program quickly spread to involve the redesign of managing medical and surgical patients throughout the hospital, and to improving major support services. *The program has fallen into three main phases, each of which is described in this article: "getting the knowledge"; "stabilising high-volume flows"; and "standardising and sustaining". *Results to date show that the Redesigning Care program has enabled the hospital to provide safer and more accessible care during a period of growth in demand.

  12. Guide to resource conservation and cost savings opportunities in the soap, detergents and related products sector

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

    NONE

    1998-10-01

    This guide was prepared to help those involved in the manufacturing of soap, detergent, and related products to identify potential process improvements that will reduce production costs and conserve resources. The guide offers a series of generic process descriptions and checklists of improvement opportunities specific to each of five major processes used in the industry: Soap production, surfactant production, solid cake product formulation, liquid product formulation, and granulated powdered product formulation. The checklists identify thermal, electrical, environmental, water use, and low- or no-cost measures that can be implemented, as well as retrofit technology options. A variety of new technologies thatmore » may exhibit future potential are also described. Appendices include a glossary, background information on the Ontario soap/detergent industry, and description of the four major categories of ingredients used in the industry.« less

  13. Users' manual for the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process software (including the New Jersey Assessment Tools)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Henriksen, James A.; Heasley, John; Kennen, Jonathan G.; Nieswand, Steven

    2006-01-01

    Applying the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process involves four steps: (1) a hydrologic classification of relatively unmodified streams in a geographic area using long-term gage records and 171 ecologically relevant indices; (2) the identification of statistically significant, nonredundant, hydroecologically relevant indices associated with the five major flow components for each stream class; and (3) the development of a stream-classification tool and a hydrologic assessment tool. Four computer software tools have been developed.

  14. Human life support during interplanetary travel and domicile. VI - Generic modular flow schematic for hybrid physical/chemical-biological life support systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ganapathi, Gani B.; Seshan, P. K.; Ferrall, Joseph; Rohatgi, Naresh

    1992-01-01

    An extension is proposed for the NASA Space Exploration Initiative's Generic Modular Flow Schematics for physical/chemical life support systems which involves the addition of biological processes. The new system architecture includes plant, microbial, and animal habitat, as well as the human habitat subsystem. Major Feedstock Production and Food Preparation and Packaging components have also been incorporated. Inedible plant, aquaculture, microbial, and animal solids are processed for recycling.

  15. Earth observation archive activities at DRA Farnborough

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palmer, M. D.; Williams, J. M.

    1993-01-01

    Space Sector, Defence Research Agency (DRA), Farnborough have been actively involved in the acquisition and processing of Earth Observation data for over 15 years. During that time an archive of over 20,000 items has been built up. This paper describes the major archive activities, including: operation and maintenance of the main DRA Archive, the development of a prototype Optical Disc Archive System (ODAS), the catalog systems in use at DRA, the UK Processing and Archive Facility for ERS-1 data, and future plans for archiving activities.

  16. Electroslag Processing for Marine Application. Summary Report on a Workshop Held in Annapolis, Maryland on 5-6 March 1985.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-03-01

    the ESC process technology to private industry. The task emphasizes four major areas: (1) advancement of ESC technology , (2) preparation of castings (by...to advance the technology . This can possibly be best accomplished by industry or by industry in cooperation with one or more Government agencies... Technology ( CANMET ) has been involved with electroslag casting for the past 4 years. Recently this equipment has been modified to produce thin-wall hollow

  17. Reasons for family involvement in elective surgical decision-making in Taiwan: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Lin, Mei-Ling; Huang, Chuen-Teng; Chen, Ching-Huey

    2017-07-01

    To inquire into the reasons for family involvement in adult patients' surgical decision-making processes from the point of view of the patients' family. Making a patient the centre of medical decision-making is essential for respecting individual's autonomy. However, in a Chinese society, family members are often deeply involved in a patient's medical decision-making. Although family involvement has long been viewed as an aspect of the Chinese culture, empirical evidence of the reasons for family involvement in medical decision-making has been lacking. A qualitative study. In order to record and examine reasons for family involvement in adult patients' surgical decision-making, 12 different family members of 12 elective surgery patients were interviewed for collecting and analysing data. Three major reasons for family involvement emerged from the data analyses: (1) to share responsibility; (2) to ensure the correctness of medical information; and (3) to safeguard the patient's well-being. These findings also reveal that culture is not the only reason for family involvement. Making decision to undergo a surgery is a tough and stressful process for a patient. Family may provide the patient with timely psychological support to assist the patient to communicate with his or her physician(s) and other medical personnel to ensure their rights. It is also found that due to the imbalanced doctor-patient power relationship, a patient may be unable, unwilling to, or even dare not, tell the whole truth about his or her illness or feelings to the medical personnel. Thus, a patient would expect his or her family to undertake such a mission during the informed consent and decision-making processes. The results of this study may provide medical professionals with relevant insights into family involvement in adult patients' surgical decision-making. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. [Home automation for elderly people in the process of losing their autonomy].

    PubMed

    Muller, Philippe

    2012-01-01

    The safety of elderly people, particularly dependent at night, is a major factor in preventingthem from remaining in their own home. An experiment in Corrèze using domotics and advanced remote assistance services and involving around one hundred elderly people living at home, took place from summer 2009 to autumn 2010.

  19. Policy Development for Research Grants, and Contracts Administration in the Small College or University.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lyons, Paul R.

    Some of the major administrative factors that will require attention by small colleges and universities as they develop policy and general procedures for the administration of research, grants, and contracts are considered. Management of research, grants, and contracts is a process that involves the review and approval of proposals; project…

  20. Disturbance in forest ecosystems caused by pathogens and insects

    Treesearch

    Philip M. Wargo; Philip M. Wargo

    1995-01-01

    Pathogens and insects are major driving forces of processes in forested ecosystems. Disturbances caused by them are as intimately involved in ecosystem dynamics as the more sudden and obvious abiotic disturbances, for example, those caused by wind or fire. However, because pathogens and insects are selective and may affect only one or several related species of...

  1. Summative and Formative Evaluations, National Skill Standards Project. Prepared for the National Grocers Association.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamm, Michael S.

    In 1993-1996, the Grocers Research and Educational Foundation of the National Grocers Association developed entry-level skill standards for the food marketing industry. A coalition formed early in the project directed the skill standard development process and solicited input from major organizations involved in the industry. The validity of the…

  2. Ten steps for managing organizational change.

    PubMed

    Bolton, L B; Aydin, C; Popolow, G; Ramseyer, J

    1992-06-01

    Managing interdepartmental relations in healthcare organizations is a major challenge for nursing administrators. The authors describe the implementation process of an organization-wide change effort involving individuals from departments throughout the medical center. These strategies can serve as a model to guide effective planning in other institutions embarking on change projects, resulting in smoother and more effective implementation of interdepartmental change.

  3. Are We Committed to Change Through Citizen Participation?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCullough, K. Owen

    Two major concerns of American life are searching for community and determining the extent to which the citizenry of a community ought to be involved in the decision-making process. While they may disagree on how much citizen participation is desirable, almost every scholar of urban life believes that citizen participation is a good and viable…

  4. Students' Readiness for E-Learning: A Case Study of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tuntirojanawong, Suttiwan

    2013-01-01

    The process of e-learning is the operations that involve humans, computers, the Internet, and instructional material, and that produces the outputs to learners and the organization. The purposes of this research were (1) to study students' readiness for e-learning of graduate students majoring in educational administration, School of Educational…

  5. Isolation, expression analysis and functional characterization of the first anti-diuretic hormone receptor in insects

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Diuresis following blood-gorging in Rhodnius prolixus is the major process leading to the transmission of Chagas' disease. We have cloned the cDNA of the first receptor known to be involved in an antidiuretic strategy in insects; a strategy that prevents diuresis. This receptor belongs to the insect...

  6. Oxidation of anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene by laccases from Trametes versicolor

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

    Collins, P.J.; Dobson, A.D.W.; Kotterman, M.J.J.

    1996-12-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particularly benzene homologs, are highly toxic organic pollutants. One of the three major groups of extracellular oxidative enzymes involved in the white rot fungal lignin degradative process are laccases. This study presents evidence indicating that laccase has a role in PAH oxidation by white rot fungi. 36 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

  7. An Evaluation-Driven Design Approach to Develop Learning Environments Based on Full-Body Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malinverni, Laura; Schaper, Marie-Monique; Pares, Narcís

    2016-01-01

    The development of learning environments based on full-body interaction has become an increasingly important field of research in recent years. However, the design and evaluation strategies currently used present some significant limitations. Two major shortcomings are: the inadequate involvement of children in the design process and a lack of…

  8. Informing public health policy through deliberative public engagement: perceived impact on participants and citizen-government relations.

    PubMed

    Molster, Caron; Potts, Ayla; McNamara, Beverley; Youngs, Leanne; Maxwell, Susannah; Dawkins, Hugh; O'Leary, Peter

    2013-09-01

    Deliberative public engagement has been proposed for policy development, where issues are complex and there are diverse public perspectives and low awareness of competing issues. Scholars suggest a range of potential outcomes for citizens and government agencies from involvement in such processes. Few studies have examined outcomes from the perspective of citizen participants in deliberative processes. To examine participant perceptions of their involvement in and outcomes of a deliberative engagement exercise. A case study using semistructured interviews was conducted with participants following a deliberative forum on biobanking. From their involvement in the deliberative exercise, participants described transformations in their knowledge and beliefs about the policy issues. They reported being more informed to the extent of having confidence to educate others and effectively contribute to public policy development. They had developed greater trust in government policymakers who they believed would take reasonable account of their recommendations. We conclude that the participants were satisfied with the outcomes of the deliberative public engagement process and viewed it as an effective means of citizen involvement in public policy development. Particularly for citizens who participate in deliberative processes, such processes may promote active citizenship, empower citizens to undertake representative and educative roles, and improve relations between citizens and government agencies. Actions taken by policymakers subsequent to the deliberative exercise, whereby the majority of citizen recommendations were incorporated in the policy developed, may have contributed to participants holding sustained levels of trust in the commissioning government agency.

  9. Physician practice participation in accountable care organizations: the emergence of the unicorn.

    PubMed

    Shortell, Stephen M; McClellan, Sean R; Ramsay, Patricia P; Casalino, Lawrence P; Ryan, Andrew M; Copeland, Kennon R

    2014-10-01

    To provide the first nationally based information on physician practice involvement in ACOs. Primary data from the third National Survey of Physician Organizations (January 2012-May 2013). We conducted a 40-minute phone survey in a sample of physician practices. A nationally representative sample of practices was surveyed in order to provide estimates of organizational characteristics, care management processes, ACO participation, and related variables for four major chronic illnesses. We evaluated the associations between ACO participation, organizational characteristics, and a 25-point index of patient-centered medical home processes. We found that 23.7 percent of physician practices (n = 280) reported joining an ACO; 15.7 percent (n = 186) were planning to become involved within the next 12 months and 60.6 percent (n = 717) reported no involvement and no plans to become involved. Larger practices, those receiving patients from an IPA and/or PHO, those that were physician-owned versus hospital/health system-owned, those located in New England, and those with greater patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care management processes were more likely to have joined an ACO. Physician practices that are currently participating in ACOs appear to be relatively large, or to be members of an IPA or PHO, are less likely to be hospital-owned and are more likely to use more care management processes than nonparticipating practices. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  10. The loss of SMG1 causes defects in quality control pathways in Physcomitrella patens

    PubMed Central

    Lang, Daniel; Zimmer, Andreas D; Causier, Barry

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is important for RNA quality control and gene regulation in eukaryotes. NMD targets aberrant transcripts for decay and also directly influences the abundance of non-aberrant transcripts. In animals, the SMG1 kinase plays an essential role in NMD by phosphorylating the core NMD factor UPF1. Despite SMG1 being ubiquitous throughout the plant kingdom, little is known about its function, probably because SMG1 is atypically absent from the genome of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. By combining our previously established SMG1 knockout in moss with transcriptome-wide analysis, we reveal the range of processes involving SMG1 in plants. Machine learning assisted analysis suggests that 32% of multi-isoform genes produce NMD-targeted transcripts and that splice junctions downstream of a stop codon act as the major determinant of NMD targeting. Furthermore, we suggest that SMG1 is involved in other quality control pathways, affecting DNA repair and the unfolded protein response, in addition to its role in mRNA quality control. Consistent with this, smg1 plants have increased susceptibility to DNA damage, but increased tolerance to unfolded protein inducing agents. The potential involvement of SMG1 in RNA, DNA and protein quality control has major implications for the study of these processes in plants. PMID:29596649

  11. An integrative process model of leadership: examining loci, mechanisms, and event cycles.

    PubMed

    Eberly, Marion B; Johnson, Michael D; Hernandez, Morela; Avolio, Bruce J

    2013-09-01

    Utilizing the locus (source) and mechanism (transmission) of leadership framework (Hernandez, Eberly, Avolio, & Johnson, 2011), we propose and examine the application of an integrative process model of leadership to help determine the psychological interactive processes that constitute leadership. In particular, we identify the various dynamics involved in generating leadership processes by modeling how the loci and mechanisms interact through a series of leadership event cycles. We discuss the major implications of this model for advancing an integrative understanding of what constitutes leadership and its current and future impact on the field of psychological theory, research, and practice. © 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  12. Evidence for bilateral involvement in idiom comprehension: An fMRI study.

    PubMed

    Zempleni, Monika-Zita; Haverkort, Marco; Renken, Remco; A Stowe, Laurie

    2007-02-01

    The goal of the current study was to identify the neural substrate of idiom comprehension using fMRI. Idioms are familiar, fixed expressions whose meaning is not dependent on the literal interpretation of the component words. We presented literally plausible idioms in a sentence forcing a figurative or a literal interpretation and contrasted them with sentences containing idioms for which no literal interpretation was available and with unambiguously literal sentences. The major finding of the current study is that figurative comprehension in the case of both ambiguous and unambiguous idioms is supported by bilateral inferior frontal gyri and left middle temporal gyrus. The right middle temporal gyrus is also involved, but seems to exclusively process the ambiguous idioms. Therefore, our data suggest a bilateral neural network underlying figurative comprehension, as opposed to the exclusive participation of the right hemisphere. The data also provide evidence against proposed models of idiom comprehension in which literal processing is by-passed, since figurative processing demanded more resources than literal processing in the language network.

  13. Gingival involvement in oral paracoccidioidomycosis.

    PubMed

    Silva, Cléverson O; Almeida, Aroldo Dos Santos; Pereira, Alessandro Antônio Costa; Sallum, Antônio Wilson; Hanemann, João Adolfo Costa; Tatakis, Dimitris N

    2007-07-01

    Paracoccidioidomycosis, a deep mycosis endemic in parts of Latin America, often presents with oral lesions involving the gingiva. Nevertheless, the periodontal literature is devoid of references to oral paracoccidioidomycosis. The purpose of this study was to characterize the gingival involvement in oral paracoccidioidomycosis and to contrast clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of the disease. Differential diagnosis and management of oral paracoccidioidomycosis were reviewed. From January 1995 to October 2006, the files of the Oral Pathology Laboratory, School of Dentistry, Alfenas Federal University, were reviewed to identify cases referred because of a clinical diagnosis of oral paracoccidioidomycosis. Data collected included patient demographics (age, gender, race, and occupation), clinical information (oral lesion location), and histopathologic diagnosis. Forty-six cases were identified, and 34 were histopathologically confirmed as paracoccidioidomycosis. Of the remaining 12 cases, one-half were diagnosed as either carcinoma or dysplastic leukoplakia. Of the 34 confirmed paracoccidioidomycosis cases, 45% presented with multiple site involvement, whereas the gingiva/alveolar process was the most prevalent site overall (52%). The gingiva/alveolar process was the most prevalent site in both multiple and single site cases. The majority of patients were men (88%), white (75%), and in their fourth decade of life (47%). Statistical analysis revealed that patients with gingival/alveolar process involvement were demographically indistinguishable from those without. Oral paracoccidioidomycosis has a strong predilection for the gingiva, whereas patients with gingival lesions do not differ from patients lacking such involvement. Early diagnosis of gingival/oral lesions may prevent life-threatening complications of this mycosis.

  14. The willingness and actual situation of Chinese cancer patients and their family members participating in medical decision-making.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jie; Yang, Dan; Deng, Yaotiao; Wang, Ying; Deng, Lei; Luo, Xinmei; Zhong, Wuning; Liu, Jie; Wang, Yuqing; Jiang, Yu

    2015-12-01

    In China, not only patients and physicians are involved in medical decision-making (MDM) but also the patients' family members. The objective is to investigate the willingness and actual situation of cancer patients and their family members participating in the MDM process. In this cross-sectional study, questionnaires were administered to 247 pairs of cancer inpatients and their relatives. Information regarding participants' willingness and actual experience during the decision-making process was documented. Eligible participants were cancer inpatients or their relatives, 18 years of age or older, and informed of the cancer diagnosis. All the patients should have received chemotherapy. The effective response rate was 72.9% (180/247). Over half of the patients (53.3%) and family members (57.8%) were willing to be part of the MDM process. In contrast, only 35.0% of patients and 46.1% of family members actually experienced this process (p = 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). Fewer family members (42.2%) than patients (53.3%) believed that patients should be involved in the MDM process (p < 0.001). Patients who were the head of their family (odds ratio 2.577, 95% CI 1.198-5.556, p = 0.015) experienced more involvement in MDM. Although more than half of Chinese cancer patients and family members wanted to be part of MDM, the actual participation was below their expectation. Majority of family members do not want the patients to be involved in the process of MDM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Peroxisomes in parasitic protists.

    PubMed

    Gabaldón, Toni; Ginger, Michael L; Michels, Paul A M

    Representatives of all major lineages of eukaryotes contain peroxisomes with similar morphology and mode of biogenesis, indicating a monophyletic origin of the organelles within the common ancestor of all eukaryotes. Peroxisomes originated from the endoplasmic reticulum, but despite a common origin and shared morphological features, peroxisomes from different organisms show a remarkable diversity of enzyme content and the metabolic processes present can vary dependent on nutritional or developmental conditions. A common characteristic and probable evolutionary driver for the origin of the organelle is an involvement in lipid metabolism, notably H 2 O 2 -dependent fatty-acid oxidation. Subsequent evolution of the organelle in different lineages involved multiple acquisitions of metabolic processes-often involving retargeting enzymes from other cell compartments-and losses. Information about peroxisomes in protists is still scarce, but available evidence, including new bioinformatics data reported here, indicate striking diversity amongst free-living and parasitic protists from different phylogenetic supergroups. Peroxisomes in only some protists show major involvement in H 2 O 2 -dependent metabolism, as in peroxisomes of mammalian, plant and fungal cells. Compartmentalization of glycolytic and gluconeogenic enzymes inside peroxisomes is characteristic of kinetoplastids and diplonemids, where the organelles are hence called glycosomes, whereas several other excavate parasites (Giardia, Trichomonas) have lost peroxisomes. Amongst alveolates and amoebozoans patterns of peroxisome loss are more complicated. Often, a link is apparent between the niches occupied by the parasitic protists, nutrient availability, and the absence of the organelles or their presence with a specific enzymatic content. In trypanosomatids, essentiality of peroxisomes may be considered for use in anti-parasite drug discovery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Getting beyond technical rationality in developing health behavior programs with youth.

    PubMed

    Perry, Cheryl L

    2004-01-01

    To explore 2 major components of health behavior research, etiologic research and action research. To argue that action research is both an artistic as well as scientific process. Review of the development process of effective health behavior programs with youth. Review of literature on art as part of the scientific process, especially in the field of education. Intervention programs that included explicitly creative components demonstrated success in reducing alcohol use and increasing healthful eating and activity patterns. Health behavior researchers might involve art and creativity in action research to enhance program retention and outcomes.

  17. The growth receptors and their role in wound healing.

    PubMed

    Rolfe, Kerstin J; Grobbelaar, Adriaan O

    2010-11-01

    Abnormal wound healing is a major problem in healthcare today, with both scarring and chronic wounds affecting large numbers of individuals worldwide. Wound healing is a complex process involving several variables, including growth factors and their receptors. Chronic wounds fail to complete the wound healing process, while scarring is considered to be an overzealous wound healing process. Growth factor receptors and their ligands are being investigated to assess their potential in the development of therapeutic strategies to improve wound healing. This review discusses potential therapeutics for manipulating growth factors and their corresponding receptors for the treatment of abnormal wound healing.

  18. Pharmacological Findings on the Biochemical Bases of Memory Processes: A General View

    PubMed Central

    Izquierdo, Iván; Cammarota, Martín; Medina, Jorge H.; Bevilaqua, Lia R. M.

    2004-01-01

    We have advanced considerably in the past 2 to 3 years in understanding the molecular mechanisms of consolidation, retrieval, and extinction of memories, particularly of fear memory. This advance was mainly due to pharmacological studies in many laboratories using localized brain injections of molecularly specific substances. One area in which significant advances have been made is in understanding that many different brain structures are involved in different memories, and that often several brain regions are involved in processing the same memory. These regions can cooperate or compete with each other, depending on circumstances that are beginning to be identified quite clearly. Another aspect in which major advances were made was retrieval and post-retrieval events, especially extinction, pointing to new therapeutic approaches to fearmotivated mental disorders. PMID:15656267

  19. Organization of cis-acting regulatory elements in osmotic- and cold-stress-responsive promoters.

    PubMed

    Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuko; Shinozaki, Kazuo

    2005-02-01

    cis-Acting regulatory elements are important molecular switches involved in the transcriptional regulation of a dynamic network of gene activities controlling various biological processes, including abiotic stress responses, hormone responses and developmental processes. In particular, understanding regulatory gene networks in stress response cascades depends on successful functional analyses of cis-acting elements. The ever-improving accuracy of transcriptome expression profiling has led to the identification of various combinations of cis-acting elements in the promoter regions of stress-inducible genes involved in stress and hormone responses. Here we discuss major cis-acting elements, such as the ABA-responsive element (ABRE) and the dehydration-responsive element/C-repeat (DRE/CRT), that are a vital part of ABA-dependent and ABA-independent gene expression in osmotic and cold stress responses.

  20. Regulation of feeding behavior in Drosophila through the interplay of gustation, physiology and neuromodulation.

    PubMed

    Bhumika; Singh, Arvind Kumar

    2018-06-01

    One of the most fundamental behaviors in all the organisms, in order to achieve a satiated state and internal energy homeostasis is feeding. The action of feeding in any being whether be it any vertebrate or an invertebrate involves the perception of the external environment along with the gamut of decision making processes to eat or to not eat. The feeding decision along with chemosensation through gustation and olfaction leads to intake of food with proper nutrient balance along with avoidance of bitter and toxic substances. The progressions in the understanding of the complexity of feeding behavior involving gustation, neuronal and physiological processes have been achieved through the use of unparalleled model organism Drosophila melanogaster . Here, in this review, we aim to discuss the studies about the taste perception of major macronutrients in Drosophila through gustatory receptors as well as how the involvement of neuropeptides and neuromodulators in feeding behavior modulate the plasticity in feeding decisions. This review also summarizes the involvement of insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway in nutrient sensing and how the interaction of Drosophila insulin-like peptides with neuromodulators regulate feeding decision process. The review provides an integrative approach towards a balanced metabolic state in Drosophila through the interplay of physiology, gustatory perception and neuromodulation.

  1. A qualitative study of DRG coding practice in hospitals under the Thai Universal Coverage scheme.

    PubMed

    Pongpirul, Krit; Walker, Damian G; Winch, Peter J; Robinson, Courtland

    2011-04-08

    In the Thai Universal Coverage health insurance scheme, hospital providers are paid for their inpatient care using Diagnosis Related Group-based retrospective payment, for which quality of the diagnosis and procedure codes is crucial. However, there has been limited understandings on which health care professions are involved and how the diagnosis and procedure coding is actually done within hospital settings. The objective of this study is to detail hospital coding structure and process, and to describe the roles of key hospital staff, and other related internal dynamics in Thai hospitals that affect quality of data submitted for inpatient care reimbursement. Research involved qualitative semi-structured interview with 43 participants at 10 hospitals chosen to represent a range of hospital sizes (small/medium/large), location (urban/rural), and type (public/private). Hospital Coding Practice has structural and process components. While the structural component includes human resources, hospital committee, and information technology infrastructure, the process component comprises all activities from patient discharge to submission of the diagnosis and procedure codes. At least eight health care professional disciplines are involved in the coding process which comprises seven major steps, each of which involves different hospital staff: 1) Discharge Summarization, 2) Completeness Checking, 3) Diagnosis and Procedure Coding, 4) Code Checking, 5) Relative Weight Challenging, 6) Coding Report, and 7) Internal Audit. The hospital coding practice can be affected by at least five main factors: 1) Internal Dynamics, 2) Management Context, 3) Financial Dependency, 4) Resource and Capacity, and 5) External Factors. Hospital coding practice comprises both structural and process components, involves many health care professional disciplines, and is greatly varied across hospitals as a result of five main factors.

  2. A qualitative study of DRG coding practice in hospitals under the Thai Universal Coverage Scheme

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background In the Thai Universal Coverage health insurance scheme, hospital providers are paid for their inpatient care using Diagnosis Related Group-based retrospective payment, for which quality of the diagnosis and procedure codes is crucial. However, there has been limited understandings on which health care professions are involved and how the diagnosis and procedure coding is actually done within hospital settings. The objective of this study is to detail hospital coding structure and process, and to describe the roles of key hospital staff, and other related internal dynamics in Thai hospitals that affect quality of data submitted for inpatient care reimbursement. Methods Research involved qualitative semi-structured interview with 43 participants at 10 hospitals chosen to represent a range of hospital sizes (small/medium/large), location (urban/rural), and type (public/private). Results Hospital Coding Practice has structural and process components. While the structural component includes human resources, hospital committee, and information technology infrastructure, the process component comprises all activities from patient discharge to submission of the diagnosis and procedure codes. At least eight health care professional disciplines are involved in the coding process which comprises seven major steps, each of which involves different hospital staff: 1) Discharge Summarization, 2) Completeness Checking, 3) Diagnosis and Procedure Coding, 4) Code Checking, 5) Relative Weight Challenging, 6) Coding Report, and 7) Internal Audit. The hospital coding practice can be affected by at least five main factors: 1) Internal Dynamics, 2) Management Context, 3) Financial Dependency, 4) Resource and Capacity, and 5) External Factors. Conclusions Hospital coding practice comprises both structural and process components, involves many health care professional disciplines, and is greatly varied across hospitals as a result of five main factors. PMID:21477310

  3. Exploring the process of capacity-building among community-based health promotion workers in Alberta, Canada.

    PubMed

    Montemurro, Genevieve R; Raine, Kim D; Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Mayan, Maria

    2014-09-01

    Community capacity-building is a central element to health promotion. While capacity-building features, domains and relationships to program sustainability have been well examined, information on the process of capacity-building as experienced by practitioners is needed. This study examined this process as experienced by coordinators working within a community-based chronic disease prevention project implemented in four communities in Alberta (Canada) from 2005-2010 using a case study approach with a mixed-method design. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, a focus group and program documents tracking coordinator activity. Qualitative analysis followed the constant comparative method using open, axial and selective coding. Quantitative data were analyzed for frequency of major activity distribution. Capacity-building process involves distinct stages of networking, information exchange, partnering, prioritizing, planning/implementing and supporting/ sustaining. Stages are incremental though not always linear. Contextual factors exert a great influence on the process. Implications for research, practice and policy are discussed. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Use of headspace gas chromatographic/FTIR for the monitoring of volatiles in commercial brand coffees

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Compton, Senja V.; Compton, David A.

    1989-12-01

    Recently, the area of food analysis and product safety has become of major concern to consumers. Therefore, companies involved in the quality assurance of theirproducts have been encouraged to perform extensive analyses to guarantee safety and satisfaction. One of the largest consumer products in the beverage marketplace is coffee. Much emphasis has been placed upon the safety of the decaffeination processes used by various manufacturers; these involve extraction of the caffeine by a solvent system that may be aqueous or organic, and is sometimes,super-critical. Additionally, aroma (fragrance) of brewing coffee has been found to be of major concern to the individual by the marketing departments of the coffee companies. The heads ace analysis of coffees can be used to discover the species retained after the decaffeination of coffee, as well as to distinguish the volatile species released upon treatment of the coffee at boiling water temperatures.

  5. Review of computational fluid dynamics applications in biotechnology processes.

    PubMed

    Sharma, C; Malhotra, D; Rathore, A S

    2011-01-01

    Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is well established as a tool of choice for solving problems that involve one or more of the following phenomena: flow of fluids, heat transfer,mass transfer, and chemical reaction. Unit operations that are commonly utilized in biotechnology processes are often complex and as such would greatly benefit from application of CFD. The thirst for deeper process and product understanding that has arisen out of initiatives such as quality by design provides further impetus toward usefulness of CFD for problems that may otherwise require extensive experimentation. Not surprisingly, there has been increasing interest in applying CFD toward a variety of applications in biotechnology processing in the last decade. In this article, we will review applications in the major unit operations involved with processing of biotechnology products. These include fermentation,centrifugation, chromatography, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, and freeze drying. We feel that the future applications of CFD in biotechnology processing will focus on establishing CFD as a tool of choice for providing process understanding that can be then used to guide more efficient and effective experimentation. This article puts special emphasis on the work done in the last 10 years. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

  6. Role of ischaemic preconditioning in liver regeneration following major liver resection and transplantation

    PubMed Central

    Gomez, D; Homer-Vanniasinkam, S; Graham, AM; Prasad, KR

    2007-01-01

    Liver ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) is known to protect the liver from the detrimental effects of ischaemic-reperfusion injury (IRI), which contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality following major liver surgery. Recent studies have focused on the role of IPC in liver regeneration, the precise mechanism of which are not completely understood. This review discusses the current understanding of the mechanism of liver regeneration and the role of IPC in this setting. Relevant articles were reviewed from the published literature using the Medline database. The search was performed using the keywords “liver”, “ischaemic reperfusion”, “ischaemic preconditioning”, “regeneration”, “hepatectomy” and “transplantation”. The underlying mechanism of liver regeneration is a complex process involving the interaction of cytokines, growth factors and the metabolic demand of the liver. IPC, through various mediators, promotes liver regeneration by up-regulating growth-promoting factors and suppresses growth-inhibiting factors as well as damaging stresses. The increased understanding of the cellular mechanisms involved in IPC will enable the development of alternative treatment modalities aimed at promoting liver regeneration following major liver resection and transplantation. PMID:17278187

  7. A methodology for overall consequence modeling in chemical industry.

    PubMed

    Arunraj, N S; Maiti, J

    2009-09-30

    Risk assessment in chemical process industry is a very important issue for safeguarding human and the ecosystem from damages caused to them. Consequence assessment is an integral part of risk assessment. However, the commonly used consequence estimation methods involve time-consuming complex mathematical models and simple assimilation of losses without considering all the consequence factors. This lead to the deterioration of quality of estimated risk value. So, the consequence modeling has to be performed in detail considering all major losses with optimal time to improve the decisive value of risk. The losses can be broadly categorized into production loss, assets loss, human health and safety loss, and environment loss. In this paper, a conceptual framework is developed to assess the overall consequence considering all the important components of major losses. Secondly, a methodology is developed for the calculation of all the major losses, which are normalized to yield the overall consequence. Finally, as an illustration, the proposed methodology is applied to a case study plant involving benzene extraction. The case study result using the proposed consequence assessment scheme is compared with that from the existing methodologies.

  8. Report of the White House Conference on Youth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White House Conference on Youth, Washington, DC.

    The proposals reported here evolved out of the conference held in Estes Park, Colorado April 18-22, 1971 to find new approaches to ten major issues, and new ways for youth between the ages of 14 and 24 to become more involved in the decision-making processes of the social and political institutions of the United States. 918 youth delegates were…

  9. TACCDAS Testbed Human Factors Evaluation Methodology,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-03-01

    3 TEST METHOD Development of performance criteria................... 8 Test participant identification ...................... 8 Control of...major milestones involved in the evaluation process leading up to the evaluation of the complete testbed in the field are identified. Test methods and...inevitably will be different in several ways from the intended system as foreseen by the system designers. The system users provide insights into these

  10. Enhancing early detection of exotic pests in agricultural and forest ecosystems using an urban-gradient framework

    Treesearch

    Manuel Colunga-Garcia; Roger A. Magarey; Robert A. Haack; Stuart H. Gage; Jiaquo Qi

    2010-01-01

    Urban areas are hubs of international transport and therefore are major gateways for exotic pests. Applying an urban gradient to analyze this pathway could provide insight into the ecological processes involved in human-mediated invasions. We defined an urban gradient for agricultural and forest ecosystems in the contiguous United States to (1) assess whether...

  11. Transition to the space shuttle operations era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    The tasks involved in the Space Shuttle Development Program are discussed. The ten major characteristics of an operational Shuttle are described, as well as the changes occurring in Shuttle processing, on-line operations, operations engineering, and support operations. A summary is given of tasks and goals that are being pursued in the effort to create a cost effective and efficient system.

  12. Identification of Giftedness in Preschoolers: Are Parents' Perceptions Related to Home Environment Factors and Cognitive Assessments?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Nina; Gonzalez, Virginia

    This paper discusses the results of a study that explored the influence of two major external factors on children's potential giftedness before the identification process is initiated. The study involved 13 children (ages 4-6) and investigated parental perceptions of the influence of internal and/or external factors on their child's cognitive…

  13. Born for a Noble Cause?--A Case Study on Fanconi Anemia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elwess, Nancy L.; Butterfield, Savanna R.; Charles, Amanda; DeVeaugh, Maxine C.; Lu, Gloria J.; Shafqat, Hira; Watts, Andrew

    2005-01-01

    The fictional case study presented here is not based on one case, but is actually based on several cases. College students enrolled in a bioethics course for non-majors wrote it. The case entails the thought processes and decision-making involved in order to save one child suffering from a genetic disorder by producing another child, a "designer…

  14. Planning Library Interiors: The Selection of Furnishings for the 21st Century. Revised Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Carol R.

    For many librarians, the selection of furniture for a new building or the major refurbishing of an existing facility is a once-in-a-lifetime task. The furniture selection process now involves much more than considering what products are available. The acquisition of furniture and shelving includes the following steps: look at the existing library…

  15. The Wicked Problem of Embedding Academic Literacies: Exploring Rhizomatic Ways of Working through an Adaptive Leadership Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benzie, Helen Joy; Pryce, Alison; Smith, Keith

    2017-01-01

    Embedding academic literacies in higher education courses has been a major focus of the work of learning advisers. A number of studies present the results of embedding in specific courses without discussing the processes of negotiation or the different people involved. This paper is about embedding academic literacies in the Business faculty as…

  16. Challenges to Developmental Regulation across the Life Course: What Are They and Which Individual Differences Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heckhausen, Jutta; Wrosch, Carsten

    2016-01-01

    We discuss the major processes involved in individuals' motivation and self-regulation of goal striving throughout the life course. While much is regulated based on the biological and societal scaffolding of lifespan development, certain challenges for motivation and self-regulation are more substantial and need to be managed by the individual,…

  17. The Role of Community and School Groups in School Desegregation: Strategies for Crisis and Change.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patton, Richard H.; Laue, James H.

    This manual was designed for community and school groups to aid them in clarifying their goals and selecting strategies for resolving issues related to school desegregation. After a brief review of the law, Part 1 reviews the major issues involved in the school desegregation process: quality education, white flight, middle-class minority flight,…

  18. Introducing a Mentor into a Children's Composition Project: Reflections on a Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Locke, Millie; Locke, Terry

    2012-01-01

    This article reports on a case study where a professional musician was assigned to a primary school as mentor in a project where 14 primary-aged children, with their teacher's direction, were involved in the composition of a piece of music that would act as prologue to the school's major production. The researchers were interested in aspects of…

  19. Changes in Microbial Nitrogen Across a 100-Year Chronosequence of Upland Hardwood Forests

    Treesearch

    Travis W. Idol; Phillip E. Pope; Felix, Jr. Ponder

    2002-01-01

    Soil microorganisms mediate many of the major processes involved in soil N cycling. Also, they are strong competitors with plants for available soil N. Thus, changes in microbial N because of forest harvesting may have significant impacts on N availability and overall forest N cycling. A chronosequence of upland hardwood forest stands in southern Indiana, USA, ranging...

  20. Pre-Service Teachers in PE Involved in an Organizational Critical Incident: Emotions, Appraisal and Coping Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vandercleyen, François; Boudreau, Pierre; Carlier, Ghislain; Delens, Cécile

    2014-01-01

    Background: Emotions play a major role in the learning of pre-service teachers. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on emotion in the context of physical education (PE), especially during the practicum. Lazarus's model and its concepts of appraisal and coping is a salient theoretical framework for understanding the emotional process.…

  1. Directory of Early Childhood Care and Education Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. First Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

    The care and education of children is a primary task of all societies, and the role of parents, families, and communities is essential in this process. This directory describes the major activities of 218 non-governmental and governmental organizations, based in 38 Latin American and Caribbean countries, involved in early childhood care and…

  2. The Evolution of a Coding Schema in a Paced Program of Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winters, Charlene A.; Cudney, Shirley; Sullivan, Therese

    2010-01-01

    A major task involved in the management, analysis, and integration of qualitative data is the development of a coding schema to facilitate the analytic process. Described in this paper is the evolution of a coding schema that was used in the analysis of qualitative data generated from online forums of middle-aged women with chronic conditions who…

  3. CFD in design - A government perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kutler, Paul; Gross, Anthony R.

    1989-01-01

    Some of the research programs involving the use of CFD in the aerodynamic design process at government laboratories around the United States are presented. Technology transfer issues and future directions in the discipline or CFD are addressed. The major challengers in the aerosciences as well as other disciplines that will require high-performance computing resources such as massively parallel computers are examined.

  4. Omics analysis of mouse brain models of human diseases.

    PubMed

    Paban, Véronique; Loriod, Béatrice; Villard, Claude; Buee, Luc; Blum, David; Pietropaolo, Susanna; Cho, Yoon H; Gory-Faure, Sylvie; Mansour, Elodie; Gharbi, Ali; Alescio-Lautier, Béatrice

    2017-02-05

    The identification of common gene/protein profiles related to brain alterations, if they exist, may indicate the convergence of the pathogenic mechanisms driving brain disorders. Six genetically engineered mouse lines modelling neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders were considered. Omics approaches, including transcriptomic and proteomic methods, were used. The gene/protein lists were used for inter-disease comparisons and further functional and network investigations. When the inter-disease comparison was performed using the gene symbol identifiers, the number of genes/proteins involved in multiple diseases decreased rapidly. Thus, no genes/proteins were shared by all 6 mouse models. Only one gene/protein (Gfap) was shared among 4 disorders, providing strong evidence that a common molecular signature does not exist among brain diseases. The inter-disease comparison of functional processes showed the involvement of a few major biological processes indicating that brain diseases of diverse aetiologies might utilize common biological pathways in the nervous system, without necessarily involving similar molecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Acute and Chronic Regulation of Aldosterone Production

    PubMed Central

    Hattangady, Namita; Olala, Lawrence; Bollag, Wendy B.; Rainey, William E.

    2011-01-01

    Aldosterone is the major mineralocorticoid synthesized by the adrenal. Secretion of aldosterone is regulated tightly by the adrenocortical glomerulosa cells due to the selective expression of CYP11B2 in the outermost zone, the zona glomerulosa. Aldosterone is largely responsible for regulation of systemic blood pressure through the absorption of electrolytes and water under the regulation of certain specific agonists. Angiotensin II (Ang II), potassium (K+) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) are the main physiological agonists which regulate aldosterone secretion. The mechanisms involved in this process may be regulated minutes after a stimulus (acutely) through increased expression and phosphorylation of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, over hours to days (chronically) by increased expression of the enzymes involved in the synthesis of aldosterone, particularly aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2). Imbalance in any of these processes may lead to several aldosterone excess disorders. In this review we attempt to summarize the key molecular events involved in and specifically attributed to the acute and chronic phases of aldosterone secretion. PMID:21839803

  6. Lysosomal enzymes and their receptors in invertebrates: an evolutionary perspective.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Nadimpalli Siva; Bhamidimarri, Poorna M

    2015-01-01

    Lysosomal biogenesis is an important process in eukaryotic cells to maintain cellular homeostasis. The key components that are involved in the biogenesis such as the lysosomal enzymes, their modifications and the mannose 6-phosphate receptors have been well studied and their evolutionary conservation across mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrates is clearly established. Invertebrate lysosomal biogenesis pathway on the other hand is not well studied. Although, details on mannose 6-phosphate receptors and enzymes involved in lysosomal enzyme modifications were reported earlier, a clear cut pathway has not been established. Recent research on the invertebrate species involving biogenesis of lysosomal enzymes suggests a possible conserved pathway in invertebrates. This review presents certain observations based on these processes that include biochemical, immunological and functional studies. Major conclusions include conservation of MPR-dependent pathway in higher invertebrates and recent evidence suggests that MPR-independent pathway might have been more prominent among lower invertebrates. The possible components of MPR-independent pathway that may play a role in lysosomal enzyme targeting are also discussed here.

  7. Synthesis of Lipidated Proteins.

    PubMed

    Mejuch, Tom; Waldmann, Herbert

    2016-08-17

    Protein lipidation is one of the major post-translational modifications (PTM) of proteins. The attachment of the lipid moiety frequently determines the localization and the function of the lipoproteins. Lipidated proteins participate in many essential biological processes in eukaryotic cells, including vesicular trafficking, signal transduction, and regulation of the immune response. Malfunction of these cellular processes usually leads to various diseases such as cancer. Understanding the mechanism of cellular signaling and identifying the protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions in which the lipoproteins are involved is a crucial task. To achieve these goals, fully functional lipidated proteins are required. However, access to lipoproteins by means of standard expression is often rather limited. Therefore, semisynthetic methods, involving the synthesis of lipidated peptides and their subsequent chemoselective ligation to yield full-length lipoproteins, were developed. In this Review we summarize the commonly used methods for lipoprotein synthesis and the development of the corresponding chemoselective ligation techniques. Several key studies involving full-length semisynthetic lipidated Ras, Rheb, and LC3 proteins are presented.

  8. Low dose morphine adjuvant therapy for enhanced efficacy of antipsychotic drug action: potential involvement of endogenous morphine in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Stefano, George B; Králíčková, Milena; Ptacek, Radek; Kuzelova, Hana; Esch, Tobias; Kream, Richard M

    2012-07-01

    Major thematic threads linking extensive preclinical and clinical efforts have established a working mechanistic scheme whereby atypical antipsychotic drugs ameliorate negative DSM IV diagnostic criteria by effecting relatively potent blockade of serotonin (5-HT)(2A) receptors coupled with weaker antagonism of dopamine D(2) receptors in frontal cortical areas. These contentions are more or less supported by in vitro binding experiments employing cloned receptors on cultured cells, although significant functional involvement of 5-HT(2C) receptors has also been proposed. It is interesting that a key statistical analysis indicates a major shift in usage back to typical antipsychotic agents for management of schizophrenia from 1995-2008, whereas off-label usage of atypical antipsychotic agents was markedly increased or expanded for bipolar affective disorder. Importantly, meta-analyses generally did not support efficacy differences between the other atypical antipsychotics compared with the older typical agents. A critical examination of putative functional linkages of morphine and its type-selective mu opioid receptor to higher order cortical regulation of cognitive processes may provide novel insights into human behavioral processes that are severely impaired in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

  9. Neural correlates of rumination in adolescents with remitted major depressive disorder and healthy controls.

    PubMed

    Burkhouse, Katie L; Jacobs, Rachel H; Peters, Amy T; Ajilore, Olu; Watkins, Edward R; Langenecker, Scott A

    2017-04-01

    The aim of the present study was to use fMRI to examine the neural correlates of engaging in rumination among a sample of remitted depressed adolescents, a population at high risk for future depressive relapse. A rumination induction task was used to assess differences in the patterns of neural activation during rumination versus a distraction condition among 26 adolescents in remission from major depressive disorder (rMDD) and in 15 healthy control adolescents. Self-report depression and rumination, as well as clinician-rated depression, were also assessed among all participants. All of the participants recruited regions in the default mode network (DMN), including the posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobe, and medial temporal gyrus, during rumination. Increased activation in these regions during rumination was correlated with increased self-report rumination and symptoms of depression across all participants. Adolescents with rMDD also exhibited greater activation in regions involved in visual, somatosensory, and emotion processing than did healthy peers. The present findings suggest that during ruminative thought, adolescents with rMDD are characterized by increased recruitment of regions within the DMN and in areas involved in visual, somatosensory, and emotion processing.

  10. Can prevention eliminate caries?

    PubMed

    O'Mullane, D

    1995-07-01

    There are four main factors involved in the carious process: at-risk tooth structure, plaque flora, fermentable carbohydrates, and time. Based on our knowledge of the carious process, four main preventive strategies have been developed over the years, namely, fluorides, fissure sealing, dietary choice, and plaque control. Fluorides are having a major impact on smooth-surface caries; hence, strategies combining fluorides and fissure sealing are very effective. However, use of fissure sealing is still problematic. Changing dietary practices with a view to reducing dental caries seems to be having little impact on a global scale. Plaque control, as practiced routinely by the majority of people, is not sufficient to result in caries reductions. Deprivation and poverty are strongly associated with high caries levels. Although the preventive strategies currently available are likely to result in lower caries levels for many, for logistical reasons and because of factors associated with deprivation and poverty, caries is likely to remain a major public health problem in most communities for the foreseeable future.

  11. AGPase: its role in crop productivity with emphasis on heat tolerance in cereals.

    PubMed

    Saripalli, Gautam; Gupta, Pushpendra Kumar

    2015-10-01

    AGPase, a key enzyme of starch biosynthetic pathway, has a significant role in crop productivity. Thermotolerant variants of AGPase in cereals may be used for developing cultivars, which may enhance productivity under heat stress. Improvement of crop productivity has always been the major goal of plant breeders to meet the global demand for food. However, crop productivity itself is influenced in a large measure by a number of abiotic stresses including heat, which causes major losses in crop productivity. In cereals, crop productivity in terms of grain yield mainly depends upon the seed starch content so that starch biosynthesis and the enzymes involved in this process have been a major area of investigation for plant physiologists and plant breeders alike. Considerable work has been done on AGPase and its role in crop productivity, particularly under heat stress, because this enzyme is one of the major enzymes, which catalyses the rate-limiting first committed key enzymatic step of starch biosynthesis. Keeping the above in view, this review focuses on the basic features of AGPase including its structure, regulatory mechanisms involving allosteric regulators, its sub-cellular localization and its genetics. Major emphasis, however, has been laid on the genetics of AGPases and its manipulation for developing high yielding cultivars that will have comparable productivity under heat stress. Some important thermotolerant variants of AGPase, which mainly involve specific amino acid substitutions, have been highlighted, and the prospects of using these thermotolerant variants of AGPase in developing cultivars for heat prone areas have been discussed. The review also includes a brief account on transgenics for AGPase, which have been developed for basic studies and crop improvement.

  12. Ionic Liquids in Biomass Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Suzie Su Yin; Macfarlane, Douglas R.

    Ionic liquids have been studied for their special solvent properties in a wide range of processes, including reactions involving carbohydrates such as cellulose and glucose. Biomass is a widely available and renewable resource that is likely to become an economically viable source of starting materials for chemical and fuel production, especially with the price of petroleum set to increase as supplies are diminished. Biopolymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin may be converted to useful products, either by direct functionalisation of the polymers or depolymerisation to monomers, followed by microbial or chemical conversion to useful chemicals. Major barriers to the effective conversion of biomass currently include the high crystallinity of cellulose, high reactivity of carbohydrates and lignin, insolubility of cellulose in conventional solvents, as well as heterogeneity in the native lignocellulosic materials and in lignin itself. This combination of factors often results in highly heterogeneous depolymerisation products, which make efficient separation difficult. Thus the extraction, depolymerisation and conversion of biopolymers will require novel reaction systems in order to be both economically attractive and environmentally benign. The solubility of biopolymers in ionic liquids is a major advantage of their use, allowing homogeneous reaction conditions, and this has stimulated a growing research effort in this field. This review examines current research involving the use of ionic liquids in biomass reactions, with perspectives on how it relates to green chemistry, economic viability, and conventional biomass processes.

  13. SU-E-T-191: PITSTOP: Process Improvement Techniques, Software Tools, and Operating Principles for a Quality Initiative Discovery Framework.

    PubMed

    Siochi, R

    2012-06-01

    To develop a quality initiative discovery framework using process improvement techniques, software tools and operating principles. Process deviations are entered into a radiotherapy incident reporting database. Supervisors use an in-house Event Analysis System (EASy) to discuss incidents with staff. Major incidents are analyzed with an in-house Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). A meta-Analysis is performed using association, text mining, key word clustering, and differential frequency analysis. A key operating principle encourages the creation of forcing functions via rapid application development. 504 events have been logged this past year. The results for the key word analysis indicate that the root cause for the top ranked key words was miscommunication. This was also the root cause found from association analysis, where 24% of the time that an event involved a physician it also involved a nurse. Differential frequency analysis revealed that sharp peaks at week 27 were followed by 3 major incidents, two of which were dose related. The peak was largely due to the front desk which caused distractions in other areas. The analysis led to many PI projects but there is still a major systematic issue with the use of forms. The solution we identified is to implement Smart Forms to perform error checking and interlocking. Our first initiative replaced our daily QA checklist with a form that uses custom validation routines, preventing therapists from proceeding with treatments until out of tolerance conditions are corrected. PITSTOP has increased the number of quality initiatives in our department, and we have discovered or confirmed common underlying causes of a variety of seemingly unrelated errors. It has motivated the replacement of all forms with smart forms. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  14. Restoration using Azolla imbricata increases nitrogen functional bacterial groups and genes in soil.

    PubMed

    Lu, Xiao-Ming; Lu, Peng-Zhen; Yang, Ke

    2017-05-01

    Microbial groups are major factors that influence soil function. Currently, there is a lack of studies on microbial functional groups. Although soil microorganisms play an important role in the nitrogen cycle, systematic studies of the effects of environmental factors on microbial populations in relation to key metabolic processes in the nitrogen cycle are seldom reported. In this study, we conducted a systematic analysis of the changes in nitrogen functional groups in mandarin orange garden soil treated with Azolla imbricata. The structures of the major functional bacterial groups and the functional gene abundances involved in key processes of the soil nitrogen cycle were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. The results indicated that returning A. imbricata had an important influence on the composition of soil nitrogen functional bacterial communities. Treatment with A. imbricata increased the diversity of the nitrogen functional bacteria. The abundances of nitrogen functional genes were significantly higher in the treated soil compared with the control soil. Both the diversity of the major nitrogen functional bacteria (nifH bacteria, nirK bacteria, and narG bacteria) and the abundances of nitrogen functional genes in the soil showed significant positive correlations with the soil pH, the organic carbon content, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and NH 4 + -N and NO 3 - -N contents. Treatment with 12.5 kg fresh A. imbricata per mandarin orange tree was effective to improve the quality of the mandarin orange garden soil. This study analyzed the mechanism of the changes in functional bacterial groups and genes involved in key metabolic processes of the nitrogen cycle in soil treated by A. imbricata.

  15. Is Cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) a Major Component of the Mechanism Responsible for Microvascular Remodeling in the Brain?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LaManna, Joseph C.; Sun, Xiaoyan; Ivy, Andre D.; Ward, Nicole L.

    We have used a relatively simple model of hypoxia that triggers adaptive structural changes in the cerebral microvasculature to study the process of physiological angiogenesis. This model can be used to obtain mechanistic data for the processes that probably underlie the dynamic structural changes that occur in learning and the control of oxygen availability to the neurovascular unit. These mechanisms are broadly involved in a wide variety of pathophysiological processes. This is the vascular component to CNS functional plasticity, supporting learning and adaptation. The angiogenic process may wane with age, contributing to the decreasing ability to survive metabolic stress and the diminution of neuronal plasticity.

  16. Forensic molecular pathology: its impacts on routine work, education and training.

    PubMed

    Maeda, Hitoshi; Ishikawa, Takaki; Michiue, Tomomi

    2014-03-01

    The major role of forensic pathology is the investigation of human death in relevance to social risk management to determine the cause and process of death, especially in violent and unexpected sudden deaths, which involve social and medicolegal issues of ultimate, personal and public concerns. In addition to the identification of victims and biological materials, forensic molecular pathology contributes to general explanation of the human death process and assessment of individual death on the basis of biological molecular evidence, visualizing dynamic functional changes involved in the dying process that cannot be detected by morphology (pathophysiological or molecular biological vital reactions); the genetic background (genomics), dynamics of gene expression (up-/down-regulation: transcriptomics) and vital phenomena, involving activated biological mediators and degenerative products (proteomics) as well as metabolic deterioration (metabolomics), are detected by DNA analysis, relative quantification of mRNA transcripts using real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), and immunohisto-/immunocytochemistry combined with biochemistry, respectively. Thus, forensic molecular pathology involves the application of omic medical sciences to investigate the genetic basis, and cause and process of death at the biological molecular level in the context of forensic pathology, that is, 'advanced molecular autopsy'. These procedures can be incorporated into routine death investigations as well as guidance, education and training programs in forensic pathology for 'dynamic assessment of the cause and process of death' on the basis of autopsy and laboratory data. Postmortem human data can also contribute to understanding patients' critical conditions in clinical management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Fate of Trace Metals in Anaerobic Digestion.

    PubMed

    Fermoso, F G; van Hullebusch, E D; Guibaud, G; Collins, G; Svensson, B H; Carliell-Marquet, C; Vink, J P M; Esposito, G; Frunzo, L

    2015-01-01

    A challenging, and largely uncharted, area of research in the field of anaerobic digestion science and technology is in understanding the roles of trace metals in enabling biogas production. This is a major knowledge gap and a multifaceted problem involving metal chemistry; physical interactions of metal and solids; microbiology; and technology optimization. Moreover, the fate of trace metals, and the chemical speciation and transport of trace metals in environments--often agricultural lands receiving discharge waters from anaerobic digestion processes--simultaneously represents challenges for environmental protection and opportunities to close process loops in anaerobic digestion.

  18. A survey of Applied Psychological Services' models of the human operator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Siegel, A. I.; Wolf, J. J.

    1979-01-01

    A historical perspective is presented in terms of the major features and status of two families of computer simulation models in which the human operator plays the primary role. Both task oriented and message oriented models are included. Two other recent efforts are summarized which deal with visual information processing. They involve not whole model development but a family of subroutines customized to add the human aspects to existing models. A global diagram of the generalized model development/validation process is presented and related to 15 criteria for model evaluation.

  19. Physician Practice Participation in Accountable Care Organizations: The Emergence of the Unicorn

    PubMed Central

    Shortell, Stephen M; McClellan, Sean R; Ramsay, Patricia P; Casalino, Lawrence P; Ryan, Andrew M; Copeland, Kennon R

    2014-01-01

    Objective To provide the first nationally based information on physician practice involvement in ACOs. Data Sources/Study Setting Primary data from the third National Survey of Physician Organizations (January 2012–May 2013). Study Design We conducted a 40-minute phone survey in a sample of physician practices. A nationally representative sample of practices was surveyed in order to provide estimates of organizational characteristics, care management processes, ACO participation, and related variables for four major chronic illnesses. Data Collection/Extraction Methods We evaluated the associations between ACO participation, organizational characteristics, and a 25-point index of patient-centered medical home processes. Principal Findings We found that 23.7 percent of physician practices (n = 280) reported joining an ACO; 15.7 percent (n = 186) were planning to become involved within the next 12 months and 60.6 percent (n = 717) reported no involvement and no plans to become involved. Larger practices, those receiving patients from an IPA and/or PHO, those that were physician-owned versus hospital/health system-owned, those located in New England, and those with greater patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care management processes were more likely to have joined an ACO. Conclusions Physician practices that are currently participating in ACOs appear to be relatively large, or to be members of an IPA or PHO, are less likely to be hospital-owned and are more likely to use more care management processes than nonparticipating practices. PMID:24628449

  20. Family members' involvement in elder care provision in nursing homes and their considerations about financial compensation: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Habjanič, Ana; Pajnkihar, Majda

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to establish how family members are involved in elder care provision in nursing homes; this included research into their feelings about potentially extending their involvement to obtain financial benefits as compensation for high accommodation costs. Family members remain involved in the caring process after their relatives have been admitted to an institution. On average, accommodation costs in nursing homes in Slovenia have risen above the residents' retirement pension, and families must supplement the difference. Because of this, familial involvement should be linked to reduced accommodation costs. This research employed a non-experimental, descriptive study design through unstructured interviews. Participants included fifty family members (n=50) who visit their relatives in nursing homes. Data were collected in 2010 at five nursing homes in Slovenia and processed by means of conventional content analysis. The major themes that emerged from the content analysis, describing family involvement, were as follows: visiting and making oneself useful, delivery of items for personal use, hands-on care, physical therapy and organization of nursing home activities. Family members showed some interest in receiving financial compensation for their involvement. The proposed financial compensation may be a delicate and morally questionable matter but would involve fairness and transparency, while enabling easier organization of elder care provision. Eventually, nursing home residents' well-being could be improved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Stakeholders in nursing education: their role and involvement.

    PubMed

    Virgolesi, M; Marchetti, A; Piredda, M; Pulimeno, A M L; Rocco, G; Stievano, A; De Marinis, M G

    2014-01-01

    In literature, there is evidence that all stakeholders need to be involved in the curricula building process to make sure that health professionals are "educated" to meet the stakeholders' "demands". In Italy, the involvement of stakeholders in the definition of university curricula is ratified by various regulations. To describe the major experiences of stakeholder involvement in nursing education, identify the main stakeholders for nursing education, and the processes in which they are involved. The search strategy included an electronic exploration of the relevant databases. The search terms were: Stakeholders, Curriculum, Nursing Education combined with Boolean operators. The references of the retrieved articles were hand searched for additional related studies. Most of the studies identified were from the United Kingdom, Australia, and the USA. In Italy, no relevant studies were found. The most frequently identified stakeholders were: students, clinicians, educators, nurse managers. They were mainly involved during profound changes in the curricula and the implementation of new educational approaches. Stakeholders are mostly involved in countries with a private funding system for universities. Such funding systems have probably developed in the academia a greater propensity to involve stakeholders, to provide recognition of success when starting new programs, and are perceived more as marketing research. This seems contrary to the spirit of the Italian and European regulatory interventions, which instead, provide a structured commitment to consolidating and expanding the collaboration among universities, users, and the world of labor. This latter collaboration should facilitate internship activities, lifelong learning, and employability of the newly-graduated professionals.

  2. Food processors requirements met by radiation processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durante, Raymond W.

    2002-03-01

    Processing food using irradiation provides significant advantages to food producers by destroying harmful pathogens and extending shelf life without any detectable physical or chemical changes. It is expected that through increased public education, food irradiation will emerge as a viable commercial industry. Food production in most countries involves state of the art manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and shipping techniques that provides maximum efficiency and profit. In the United States, food sales are extremely competitive and profit margins small. Most food producers have heavily invested in equipment and are hesitant to modify their equipment. Meat and poultry producers in particular utilize sophisticated production machinery that processes enormous volumes of product on a continuous basis. It is incumbent on the food irradiation equipment suppliers to develop equipment that can easily merge with existing processes without requiring major changes to either the final food product or the process utilized to produce that product. Before a food producer can include irradiation as part of their food production process, they must be certain the available equipment meets their needs. This paper will examine several major requirements of food processors that will most likely have to be provided by the supplier of the irradiation equipment.

  3. Root morphogenic pathways in Eucalyptus grandis are modified by the activity of protein arginine methyltransferases.

    PubMed

    Plett, Krista L; Raposo, Anita E; Bullivant, Stephen; Anderson, Ian C; Piller, Sabine C; Plett, Jonathan M

    2017-03-09

    Methylation of proteins at arginine residues, catalysed by members of the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family, is crucial for the regulation of gene transcription and for protein function in eukaryotic organisms. Inhibition of the activity of PRMTs in annual model plants has demonstrated wide-ranging involvement of PRMTs in key plant developmental processes, however, PRMTs have not been characterised or studied in long-lived tree species. Taking advantage of the recently available genome for Eucalyptus grandis, we demonstrate that most of the major plant PRMTs are conserved in E. grandis as compared to annual plants and that they are expressed in all major plant tissues. Proteomic and transcriptomic analysis in roots suggest that the PRMTs of E. grandis control a number of regulatory proteins and genes related to signalling during cellular/root growth and morphogenesis. We demonstrate here, using chemical inhibition of methylation and transgenic approaches, that plant type I PRMTs are necessary for normal root growth and branching in E. grandis. We further show that EgPRMT1 has a key role in root hair initiation and elongation and is involved in the methylation of β-tubulin, a key protein in cytoskeleton formation. Together, our data demonstrate that PRMTs encoded by E. grandis methylate a number of key proteins and alter the transcription of a variety of genes involved in developmental processes. Appropriate levels of expression of type I PRMTs are necessary for the proper growth and development of E. grandis roots.

  4. TQM: the essential concepts.

    PubMed

    Chambers, D W

    1998-01-01

    This is an introduction to the major concepts in total quality management, a loose collection of management approaches that focus on continuous improvement of processes, guided by routine data collection and adjustment of the processes. Customer focus and involvement of all members of an organization are also characteristics commonly found in TQM. The seventy-five-year history of the movement is sketched from its beginning in statistical work on quality assurance through the many improvements and redefinitions added by American and Japanese thinkers. Essential concepts covered include: control cycles, focus on the process rather than the defects, the GEAR model, importance of the customer, upstream quality, just-in-time, kaizen, and service quality.

  5. Turn-taking in Human Communication--Origins and Implications for Language Processing.

    PubMed

    Levinson, Stephen C

    2016-01-01

    Most language usage is interactive, involving rapid turn-taking. The turn-taking system has a number of striking properties: turns are short and responses are remarkably rapid, but turns are of varying length and often of very complex construction such that the underlying cognitive processing is highly compressed. Although neglected in cognitive science, the system has deep implications for language processing and acquisition that are only now becoming clear. Appearing earlier in ontogeny than linguistic competence, it is also found across all the major primate clades. This suggests a possible phylogenetic continuity, which may provide key insights into language evolution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A Systems Approach towards an Intelligent and Self-Controlling Platform for Integrated Continuous Reaction Sequences**

    PubMed Central

    Ingham, Richard J; Battilocchio, Claudio; Fitzpatrick, Daniel E; Sliwinski, Eric; Hawkins, Joel M; Ley, Steven V

    2015-01-01

    Performing reactions in flow can offer major advantages over batch methods. However, laboratory flow chemistry processes are currently often limited to single steps or short sequences due to the complexity involved with operating a multi-step process. Using new modular components for downstream processing, coupled with control technologies, more advanced multi-step flow sequences can be realized. These tools are applied to the synthesis of 2-aminoadamantane-2-carboxylic acid. A system comprising three chemistry steps and three workup steps was developed, having sufficient autonomy and self-regulation to be managed by a single operator. PMID:25377747

  7. Ecological adaptation of diverse honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations.

    PubMed

    Parker, Robert; Melathopoulos, Andony P; White, Rick; Pernal, Stephen F; Guarna, M Marta; Foster, Leonard J

    2010-06-15

    Honey bees are complex eusocial insects that provide a critical contribution to human agricultural food production. Their natural migration has selected for traits that increase fitness within geographical areas, but in parallel their domestication has selected for traits that enhance productivity and survival under local conditions. Elucidating the biochemical mechanisms of these local adaptive processes is a key goal of evolutionary biology. Proteomics provides tools unique among the major 'omics disciplines for identifying the mechanisms employed by an organism in adapting to environmental challenges. Through proteome profiling of adult honey bee midgut from geographically dispersed, domesticated populations combined with multiple parallel statistical treatments, the data presented here suggest some of the major cellular processes involved in adapting to different climates. These findings provide insight into the molecular underpinnings that may confer an advantage to honey bee populations. Significantly, the major energy-producing pathways of the mitochondria, the organelle most closely involved in heat production, were consistently higher in bees that had adapted to colder climates. In opposition, up-regulation of protein metabolism capacity, from biosynthesis to degradation, had been selected for in bees from warmer climates. Overall, our results present a proteomic interpretation of expression polymorphisms between honey bee ecotypes and provide insight into molecular aspects of local adaptation or selection with consequences for honey bee management and breeding. The implications of our findings extend beyond apiculture as they underscore the need to consider the interdependence of animal populations and their agro-ecological context.

  8. Using Human Factors Methods to Design a New Interface for an Electronic Medical Record

    PubMed Central

    Saleem, Jason J.; Patterson, Emily S.; Militello, Laura; Asch, Steven M.; Doebbeling, Bradley N.; Render, Marta L.

    2007-01-01

    The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a leader in development and use of electronic patient records and clinical decision support. The VHA is currently reengineering a somewhat dated platform for its Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). This process affords a unique opportunity to implement major changes to the current design and function of the system. We report on two human factors studies designed to provide input and guidance during this reengineering process. One study involved a card sort to better understand how providers tend to cognitively organize clinical data, and how that understanding can help guide interface design. The other involved a simulation to assess the impact of redesign modifications on computerized clinical reminders, a form of clinical decision support in the CPRS, on the learnability of the system for first-time users. PMID:18693914

  9. Spectral reflectance properties (0.4-2.5 μm) of secondary Fe-oxide, Fe-hydroxide, and Fe-sulphate-hydrate minerals associated with sulphide-bearing mine wastes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Crowley, J.K.; Williams, D.E.; Hammarstrom, J.M.; Piatak, N.; Chou, I.-Ming; Mars, J.C.

    2003-01-01

    Diffuse reflectance spectra of 15 mineral species commonly associated with sulphide-bearing mine wastes show diagnostic absorption bands related to electronic processes involving ferric and/or ferrous iron, and to vibrational processes involving water and hydroxyl. Many of these absorption bands are relatively broad and overlapping; however, spectral analysis methods, including continuum removal and derivative analysis, permit most of the minerals to be distinguished. Key spectral differences between the minerals are illustrated in a series of plots showing major absorption band centres and other spectral feature positions. Because secondary iron minerals are sensitive indicators of pH, Eh, relative humidity, and other environmental conditions, spectral mapping of mineral distributions promises to have important application to mine waste remediation studies.

  10. Tubal telocytes: factor infertility reason?

    PubMed

    Aleksandrovych, Veronika; Sajewicz, Marek; Walocha, Jerzy A; Gil, Krzysztof

    Infertility is actually widespread pathological condition, which affected one in every four couples in developing countries. Approximately one third of all cases are connected with tubal factor infertility, o en accompanies by endometriosis, acute salpingitis, urogenital infections etc. The newly identified telocytes (TCs) have multiple potential bio-functions and might participate in the fertility problems. They influence on structural and functional integrity of oviduct tissue. Despite recent discovery, TCs involvement in the majority of physiological and pathological processes is still unclear and require significant increasing of deep observations and data analysis. Focusing on female reproductive system help better understands the main reasons of infertility, while evaluation of TCs impact on Fallopian tube and uterus contractility might be a key point of its correction. The article summarizes the main features of telocytes in Fallopian tubes, emphasizing their involvement in pathophysiological processes and tubal factor infertility.

  11. A requirements engineering approach for improving the quality of diabetes education websites.

    PubMed

    Shabestari, Omid; Roudsari, Abdul

    2011-01-01

    Diabetes Mellitus is a major chronic disease with multi-organ involvement and high-cost complications. Although it has been proved that structured education can control the risk of developing these complications, there is big room for improvement in the educational services for these patients. e-learning can be a good solution to fill this gap. Most of the current e-learning solutions for diabetes were designed by computer experts and healthcare professionals but the patients, as end-users of these systems, haven't been deeply involved in the design process. Considering the expectations of the patients, this article investigates a requirement engineering process comparing the level of importance given to different attributes of the e-learning by patients and healthcare professionals. The results of this comparison can be used for improving the currently developed online diabetes education systems.

  12. Dilemmas and challenges for the shelter sector: lessons learned from the Sphere revision process.

    PubMed

    Saunders, Graham

    2004-06-01

    Key dilemmas and challenges for those involved in the shelter sector are described, based on issues that emerged from the extensive global consultative process undertaken to inform the revision of the Sphere handbook. The range of perspectives on the major themes is presented, with suggestions as to how these issues could be progressed. Themes include the poor definition of the sector and the lack of a consistent approach among the leading shelter actors; the absence of a common terminology; the conflict between "temporary" versus "durable" solutions; the disconnect between technical advisers and the field; the need for greater recognition of local coping strategies and the local context; the involvement of recipients and host governments in policy development; the need for better "how-to" guidance; and the limited incorporation of the emerging themes of livelihoods etc. to date.

  13. The stem cell laboratory: design, equipment, and oversight.

    PubMed

    Wesselschmidt, Robin L; Schwartz, Philip H

    2011-01-01

    This chapter describes some of the major issues to be considered when setting up a laboratory for the culture of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). The process of establishing a hPSC laboratory can be divided into two equally important parts. One is completely administrative and includes developing protocols, seeking approval, and establishing reporting processes and documentation. The other part of establishing a hPSC laboratory involves the physical plant and includes design, equipment and personnel. Proper planning of laboratory operations and proper design of the physical layout of the stem cell laboratory so that meets the scope of planned operations is a major undertaking, but the time spent upfront will pay long-term returns in operational efficiency and effectiveness. A well-planned, organized, and properly equipped laboratory supports research activities by increasing efficiency and reducing lost time and wasted resources.

  14. The role of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus structural and non-structural proteins in virus pathogenesis.

    PubMed

    Music, Nedzad; Gagnon, Carl A

    2010-12-01

    Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an economically devastating viral disease affecting the swine industry worldwide. The etiological agent, PRRS virus (PRRSV), possesses a RNA viral genome with nine open reading frames (ORFs). The ORF1a and ORF1b replicase-associated genes encode the polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab, respectively. The pp1a is processed in nine non-structural proteins (nsps): nsp1α, nsp1β, and nsp2 to nsp8. Proteolytic cleavage of pp1ab generates products nsp9 to nsp12. The proteolytic pp1a cleavage products process and cleave pp1a and pp1ab into nsp products. The nsp9 to nsp12 are involved in virus genome transcription and replication. The 3' end of the viral genome encodes four minor and three major structural proteins. The GP(2a), GP₃ and GP₄ (encoded by ORF2a, 3 and 4), are glycosylated membrane associated minor structural proteins. The fourth minor structural protein, the E protein (encoded by ORF2b), is an unglycosylated membrane associated protein. The viral envelope contains two major structural proteins: a glycosylated major envelope protein GP₅ (encoded by ORF5) and an unglycosylated membrane M protein (encoded by ORF6). The third major structural protein is the nucleocapsid N protein (encoded by ORF7). All PRRSV non-structural and structural proteins are essential for virus replication, and PRRSV infectivity is relatively intolerant to subtle changes within the structural proteins. PRRSV virulence is multigenic and resides in both the non-structural and structural viral proteins. This review discusses the molecular characteristics, biological and immunological functions of the PRRSV structural and nsps and their involvement in the virus pathogenesis.

  15. The endocannabinoid system in brain reward processes.

    PubMed

    Solinas, M; Goldberg, S R; Piomelli, D

    2008-05-01

    Food, drugs and brain stimulation can serve as strong rewarding stimuli and are all believed to activate common brain circuits that evolved in mammals to favour fitness and survival. For decades, endogenous dopaminergic and opioid systems have been considered the most important systems in mediating brain reward processes. Recent evidence suggests that the endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system also has an important role in signalling of rewarding events. First, CB(1) receptors are found in brain areas involved in reward processes, such as the dopaminergic mesolimbic system. Second, activation of CB(1) receptors by plant-derived, synthetic or endogenous CB(1) receptor agonists stimulates dopaminergic neurotransmission, produces rewarding effects and increases rewarding effects of abused drugs and food. Third, pharmacological or genetic blockade of CB(1) receptors prevents activation of dopaminergic neurotransmission by several addictive drugs and reduces rewarding effects of food and these drugs. Fourth, brain levels of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol are altered by activation of reward processes. However, the intrinsic activity of the endocannabinoid system does not appear to play a facilitatory role in brain stimulation reward and some evidence suggests it may even oppose it. The influence of the endocannabinoid system on brain reward processes may depend on the degree of activation of the different brain areas involved and might represent a mechanism for fine-tuning dopaminergic activity. Although involvement of the various components of the endocannabinoid system may differ depending on the type of rewarding event investigated, this system appears to play a major role in modulating reward processes.

  16. One perspective on stakeholder involvement at Hanford.

    PubMed

    Martin, Todd

    2011-11-01

    The Hanford nuclear site in Washington State had a major role in the production of nuclear weapons materials during the Manhattan Project in World War II and during the Cold War that followed. The production of weapons-grade radionuclides produced a large amount of radioactive byproducts that have been stored since the mid-1900s at the Hanford Site. These by-product radionuclides have leaked from containment facilities into the groundwater, contaminated buildings used for radionuclide processing, and also contaminated the nuclear reactors used to produce weapons-grade uranium and plutonium. This issue has been a major concern to Hanford stakeholders for several decades, and the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Washington State Department of Ecology established a Tri-Party Agreement in 1989, at which time Hanford ceased production of nuclear weapons materials and began a major effort to clean up and remediate the Hanford Site's contaminated groundwater, soil, and facilities. This paper describes the concerns of stakeholders in the production of nuclear weapons, the secrecy of Hanford operations, and the potential impacts to public health and the environment from the unintended releases of weapons-grade materials and by-products associated with their production at the Hanford Site. It also describes the involvement of public stakeholders in the development and oversight by the Hanford Advisory Board of the steps that have been taken in cleanup activities at the Hanford Site that began as a major effort about two decades ago. The importance of involvement of the general public and public interest organizations in developing and implementing the Hanford cleanup strategy are described in detail.

  17. Out-of-School English Language Use by Newcomer English Learners from Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Catherine E.

    2017-01-01

    This study reports the major findings of an in-depth survey and interview with a group of students and parents who recently immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. The study was conducted to identify how they engage in out-of-school English language use and to what extent parents and teachers are involved and supportive in the process. All the…

  18. Case Studies in the Field of Marketing Education: Learner Impact, Case Performance, and Cost Efficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spais, George S.

    2005-01-01

    The major objective of this study is to identify a methodology that will help educators in marketing to efficiently manage the design, impact, and cost of case studies. It is my intention is to examine the impact of case study characteristics in relation to the degree of learner involvement in the learning process. The author proposes that…

  19. Processing of Mixed Oxide Superconductors

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-07-01

    rapid changes world wide a major research centre on high Tc superconductors was awarded to Cambridge which involved moving the work and people to a...reports and paper is in the appendices. Separation Ceramic superconductors tend to be mixtures of phases, especially when first discovered. It would...properties of the superconducting state will in principle allow superconducting material to be levitated from the non superconductor and several designs

  20. The Radio Play's the Thing: Teaching Text and Performance through Soundscripting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Michael W.

    The technique of Soundscripting, the addition of sound cues and sound effects to the canonical pages of any play, is flexible enough to be done at no cost or with all the advantages of modern media. In class, the use of Shakespearean radio dramas or comedies can be effective. The long-term process in class involves four major steps and may take…

  1. A Workshop on Family Impact Analysis for the Research Forum of the White House Conference on Families.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hubbell, Ruth

    Family impact analyses are focused on one basic question: What will a given law, policy or practice do to families? There are two major activities in the process of analyzing family impact that has been developed by participants in the Family Impact Seminar: the first involves figuring out exactly how a law, policy, or system under study actually…

  2. Solar Terrestrial programs: A five year plan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stern, D. P.

    1978-01-01

    Major projects to be initiated in the 1980-1985 period, designed to study the Sun, the heliosphere, Earth's magnetosphere, and the upper atmosphere involve the use of spacelab as well as free flying spacecraft. Current and recent investigations in these areas are reviewed and the guiding principles followed in planning future missions are examined. The implementation strategy, the planning process, and supporting research and technology are discussed.

  3. Process feasibility study in support of silicon material task 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, K. Y.; Hansen, K. C.; Yaws, C. L.

    1978-01-01

    Process system properties are analyzed for materials involved in the alternate processes under consideration for solar cell grade silicon. The following property data are reported for trichlorosilane: critical constants, vapor pressure, heat of vaporization, gas heat capacity, liquid heat capacity, density, surface tension, viscosity, thermal conductivity, heat of formation, and Gibb's free energy of formation. Work continued on the measurement of gas viscosity values of silicon source materials. Gas phase viscosity values for silicon tetrafluoride between 40 C and 200 C were experimentally determined. Major efforts were expended on completion of the preliminary economic analysis of the silane process. Cost, sensitivity and profitability analysis results are presented based on a preliminary process design of a plant to produce 1,000 metric tons/year of silicon by the revised process.

  4. A qualitative exploration of the informed consent process in hematopoietic cell transplantation clinical research and opportunities for improvement.

    PubMed

    Raj, M; Choi, S W; Platt, J

    2017-02-01

    Informed consent (IC) struggles to meet the ethical principles it strives to embody in the context of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Patients often participate in multiple clinical trials making it difficult to effectively inform the participants and fulfill complex regulations. The recent Notice of Proposed Rule Making would make major changes to federal requirements, providing a timely opportunity to evaluate existing practice. Twenty health care professionals within a Midwest Academic Medical Center involved in obtaining IC in the HCT clinic or involved in patient care during or after the IC process were interviewed to understand: (1) how they approached the IC process; (2) how they described a 'successful' IC process; and (3) opportunities for innovation. Narrative and discourse analyses of interviews indicate that providers understand IC to be a collaborative process requiring engagement and participation of providers, patients and caregivers. 'Markers of success' were identified including cognitive, affective and procedural markers focusing on patient understanding and comfort with the decision to participate. Opportunities for innovating the process included use of decision aids and tablet-based technology, and better use of patient portals. Our findings suggest specific interventions for the IC process that could support the process of consent for providers, patients and caregivers.

  5. Do service users with intellectual disabilities want to be involved in the risk management process? A thematic analysis.

    PubMed

    Kilcommons, Aoiffe M; Withers, Paul; Moreno-Lopez, Águeda

    2012-09-01

    Involving ID service users in risk decision making necessitates consideration of an individual's ability to assess the implications and associated risks and thus make an informed choice. This calls for research on service users' awareness and understanding of risk management (RM). Thirteen people in a residential ID service who were reviewed under the risk management process (RMP) participated in the research. Thematic analysis explored participants' knowledge and understanding of risk management to establish ability to make informed choice. Two main meta-themes (lack of awareness about RM and awareness about RM) and four meta-themes (extent of RM awareness, locus of control, compliance and empowerment) emerged. Nine of 13 participants demonstrated some knowledge and awareness of RM and wanted to contribute to the RMP, despite not being consulted about or given the opportunity to be involved in RM. The majority of service users in this sample had some awareness of the purpose of RM and could make partially informed decisions about whether they would like to be involved in the RMP. The findings highlight the need for professionals to actively attempt to involve ID service users in the management of their own risk. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. Altered striatal activation predicting real-world positive affect in adolescent major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Forbes, Erika E; Hariri, Ahmad R; Martin, Samantha L; Silk, Jennifer S; Moyles, Donna L; Fisher, Patrick M; Brown, Sarah M; Ryan, Neal D; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David A; Dahl, Ronald E

    2009-01-01

    Alterations in reward-related brain function and phenomenological aspects of positive affect are increasingly examined in the development of major depressive disorder. The authors tested differences in reward-related brain function in healthy and depressed adolescents, and the authors examined direct links between reward-related brain function and positive mood that occurred in real-world contexts. Fifteen adolescents with major depressive disorder and 28 adolescents with no history of psychiatric disorder, ages 8-17 years, completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging guessing task involving monetary reward. Participants also reported their subjective positive affect in natural environments during a 4-day cell-phone-based ecological momentary assessment. Adolescents with major depressive disorder exhibited less striatal response than healthy comparison adolescents during reward anticipation and reward outcome, but more response in dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortex. Diminished activation in a caudate region associated with this depression group difference was correlated with lower subjective positive affect in natural environments, particularly within the depressed group. Results support models of altered reward processing and related positive affect in young people with major depressive disorder and indicate that depressed adolescents' brain response to monetary reward is related to their affective experience in natural environments. Additionally, these results suggest that reward-processing paradigms capture brain function relevant to real-world positive affect.

  7. Assessment of wastewater treatment alternatives for small communities: An analytic network process approach.

    PubMed

    Molinos-Senante, María; Gómez, Trinidad; Caballero, Rafael; Hernández-Sancho, Francesc; Sala-Garrido, Ramón

    2015-11-01

    The selection of the most appropriate wastewater treatment (WWT) technology is a complex problem since many alternatives are available and many criteria are involved in the decision-making process. To deal with this challenge, the analytic network process (ANP) is applied for the first time to rank a set of seven WWT technology set-ups for secondary treatment in small communities. A major advantage of ANP is that it incorporates interdependent relationships between elements. Results illustrated that extensive technologies, constructed wetlands and pond systems are the most preferred alternatives by WWT experts. The sensitivity analysis performed verified that the ranking of WWT alternatives is very stable since constructed wetlands are almost always placed in the first position. This paper showed that ANP analysis is suitable to deal with complex decision-making problems, such as the selection of the most appropriate WWT system contributing to better understand the multiple interdependences among elements involved in the assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Community‐Academic Partnerships: A Systematic Review of the State of the Literature and Recommendations for Future Research

    PubMed Central

    MEZA, ROSEMARY D.; BRIKHO, BRIGITTE; NAAF, MEGHAN; ESTABILLO, JASPER A.; GOMEZ, EMILY D.; VEJNOSKA, SARAH F.; DUFEK, SARAH; STAHMER, AUBYN C.; AARONS, GREGORY A.

    2016-01-01

    Policy Points: Communities, funding agencies, and institutions are increasingly involving community stakeholders as partners in research, to provide firsthand knowledge and insight.Based on our systematic review of major literature databases, we recommend using a single term, community‐academic partnership (CAP), and a conceptual definition to unite multiple research disciplines and strengthen the field.Interpersonal and operational factors that facilitate or hinder the collaborative process have been consistently identified, including “trust among partners” and “respect among partners” (facilitating interpersonal factors) and “excessive time commitment” (hindering operational factor).Once CAP processes and characteristics are better understood, the effectiveness of collaborative partner involvement can be tested. Context Communities, funding agencies, and institutions are increasingly involving community stakeholders as partners in research. Community stakeholders can provide firsthand knowledge and insight, thereby increasing research relevance and feasibility. Despite the greater emphasis and use of community‐academic partnerships (CAP) across multiple disciplines, definitions of partnerships and methodologies vary greatly, and no systematic reviews consolidating this literature have been published. The purpose of this article, then, is to facilitate the continued growth of this field by examining the characteristics of CAPs and the current state of the science, identifying the facilitating and hindering influences on the collaborative process, and developing a common term and conceptual definition for use across disciplines. Methods Our systematic search of 6 major literature databases generated 1,332 unique articles, 50 of which met our criteria for inclusion and provided data on 54 unique CAPs. We then analyzed studies to describe CAP characteristics and to identify the terms and methods used, as well as the common influences on the CAP process and distal outcomes. Findings CAP research spans disciplines, involves a variety of community stakeholders, and focuses on a large range of study topics. CAP research articles, however, rarely report characteristics such as membership numbers or duration. Most studies involved case studies using qualitative methods to collect data on the collaborative process. Although various terms were used to describe collaborative partnerships, few studies provided conceptual definitions. Twenty‐three facilitating and hindering factors influencing the CAP collaboration process emerged from the literature. Outcomes from the CAPs most often included developing or refining tangible products. Conclusions Based on our systematic review, we recommend using a single term, community‐academic partnership, as well as a conceptual definition to unite multiple research disciplines. In addition, CAP characteristics and methods should be reported more systematically to advance the field (eg, to develop CAP evaluation tools). We have identified the most common influences that facilitate and hinder CAPs, which in turn should guide their development and sustainment. PMID:26994713

  9. Homogenous Nucleation and Crystal Growth in a Model Liquid from Direct Energy Landscape Sampling Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walter, Nathan; Zhang, Yang

    Nucleation and crystal growth are understood to be activated processes involving the crossing of free-energy barriers. Attempts to capture the entire crystallization process over long timescales with molecular dynamic simulations have met major obstacles because of molecular dynamics' temporal constraints. Herein, we circumvent this temporal limitation by using a brutal-force, metadynamics-like, adaptive basin-climbing algorithm and directly sample the free-energy landscape of a model liquid Argon. The algorithm biases the system to evolve from an amorphous liquid like structure towards an FCC crystal through inherent structure, and then traces back the energy barriers. Consequently, the sampled timescale is macroscopically long. We observe that the formation of a crystal involves two processes, each with a unique temperature-dependent energy barrier. One barrier corresponds to the crystal nucleus formation; the other barrier corresponds to the crystal growth. We find the two processes dominate in different temperature regimes. Compared to other computation techniques, our method requires no assumptions about the shape or chemical potential of the critical crystal nucleus. The success of this method is encouraging for studying the crystallization of more complex

  10. Processes involved in the development of latent fingerprints using the cyanoacrylate fuming method.

    PubMed

    Lewis, L A; Smithwick, R W; Devault, G L; Bolinger, B; Lewis, S A

    2001-03-01

    Chemical processes involved in the development of latent fingerprints using the cyanoacrylate fuming method have been studied. Two major types of latent prints have been investigated-clean and oily prints. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used as a tool for determining the morphology of the polymer developed separately on clean and oily prints after cyanoacrylate fuming. A correlation between the chemical composition of an aged latent fingerprint, prior to development, and the quality of a developed fingerprint has been observed in the morphology. The moisture in the print prior to fuming has been found to be more important than the moisture in the air during fuming for the development of a useful latent print. In addition, the amount of time required to develop a high quality latent print has been found to be within 2 min. The cyanoacrylate polymerization process is extremely rapid. When heat is used to accelerate the fuming process, typically a period of 2 min is required to develop the print. The optimum development time depends upon the concentration of cyanoacrylate vapors within the enclosure.

  11. Proteomics of vitamin B12 processing.

    PubMed

    Hannibal, Luciana; DiBello, Patricia M; Jacobsen, Donald W

    2013-03-01

    The causes of cobalamin (B12, Cbl) deficiency are multifactorial. Whether nutritional due to poor dietary intake, or functional due to impairments in absorption or intracellular processing and trafficking events, the major symptoms of Cbl deficiency include megaloblastic anemia, neurological deterioration and in extreme cases, failure to thrive and death. The common biomarkers of Cbl deficiency (hyperhomocysteinemia and methylmalonic acidemia) are extremely valuable diagnostic indicators of the condition, but little is known about the changes that occur at the protein level. A mechanistic explanation bridging the physiological changes associated with functional B12 deficiency with its intracellular processers and carriers is lacking. In this article, we will cover the effects of B12 deficiency in a cblC-disrupted background (also referred to as MMACHC) as a model of functional Cbl deficiency. As will be shown, major protein changes involve the cytoskeleton, the neurological system as well as signaling and detoxification pathways. Supplementation of cultured MMACHC-mutant cells with hydroxocobalamin (HOCbl) failed to restore these variants to the normal phenotype, suggesting that a defective Cbl processing pathway produces irreversible changes at the protein level.

  12. Involving people with learning disabilities in nurse education: towards an inclusive approach.

    PubMed

    Bollard, Martin; Lahiff, John; Parkes, Neville

    2012-02-01

    There is limited evidence that explores how to effectively include people with learning disabilities in nurse education in the U.K. The majority of reported work relates to mental health nursing and social work training (Morgan and Jones, 2009). This paper specifically reports on the processes and activities undertaken by the authors with people with learning disabilities in the development of a new BSc learning disability nursing programme, a specific branch of nursing in the U.K. In doing so, findings and discussion from two separate projects involving students and people with learning disabilities will be integrated into the paper. EPICURE (Engagement, Processing, Interpretation, Critique, Usefulness, Relevance and Ethics (Stige et al. 2009) is adopted as a qualitative framework throughout the paper to evaluate the reported work that took place between September 2006 and October 2010. Suggestions are therefore made regarding the benefits and challenges of striving towards an inclusive approach to user involvement in nurse education, with particular reference to learning disability. The work presented in the paper demonstrates how through careful involvement of this population, deeper learning opportunities for all nursing students can be created. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The Experience of Older People in the Shared Decision-Making Process in Advanced Kidney Care.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Nicola; Jenkins, Karen; McManus, Breeda; Gracey, Brian

    2016-01-01

    Introduction . This qualitative descriptive study was designed to understand the experiences of older people (>70 years) when making a decision about renal replacement therapy. This was a coproduced study, whereby patients and carers were involved in all aspects of the research process. Methods . A Patient and Carer Group undertook volunteer and research training. The group developed the interview questions and interviewed 29 people who had commenced dialysis or made a decision not to have dialysis. Interview data were transcribed and analysed, and common themes were identified. Results . 22 men and 7 women (mean age 77.4 yrs) from two hospitals were interviewed. 18 had chosen haemodialysis, 6 peritoneal dialysis, and 5 supportive care. The majority of patients were involved in the dialysis decision. Most were satisfied with the amount of information that they received, although some identified that the quality of the information could be improved, especially how daily living can be affected by dialysis. Conclusion . Our findings show that overall older patients were involved in the dialysis decision along with their families. Our approach is innovative because it is the first time that patients and carers have been involved in a coproduced study about shared decision-making.

  14. Insights into the Molecular Events That Regulate Heat-Induced Chilling Tolerance in Citrus Fruits.

    PubMed

    Lafuente, María T; Establés-Ortíz, Beatriz; González-Candelas, Luis

    2017-01-01

    Low non-freezing temperature may cause chilling injury (CI), which is responsible for external quality deterioration in many chilling-sensitive horticultural crops. Exposure of chilling-sensitive citrus cultivars to non-lethal high-temperature conditioning may increase their chilling tolerance. Very little information is available about the molecular events involved in such tolerance. In this work, the molecular events associated with the low temperature tolerance induced by heating Fortune mandarin, which is very sensitive to chilling, for 3 days at 37°C prior to cold storage is presented. A transcriptomic analysis reveals that heat-conditioning has an important impact favoring the repression of genes in cold-stored fruit, and that long-term heat-induced chilling tolerance is an active process that requires activation of transcription factors involved in transcription initiation and of the WRKY family. The analysis also shows that chilling favors degradation processes, which affect lipids and proteins, and that the protective effect of the heat-conditioning treatment is more likely to be related to the repression of the genes involved in lipid degradation than to the modification of fatty acids unsaturation, which affects membrane permeability. Another major factor associated with the beneficial effect of the heat treatment on reducing CI is the regulation of stress-related proteins. Many of the genes that encoded such proteins are involved in secondary metabolism and in oxidative stress-related processes.

  15. Cathepsin B-Deficient Mice Resolve Leishmania major Inflammation Faster in a T Cell-Dependent Manner

    PubMed Central

    Mériaux, Véronique; Khan, Erin M.; Borde, Chloé; Ciulean, Ioana S.; Fitting, Catherine; Manoury, Bénédicte; Cavaillon, Jean-Marc; Doyen, Noëlle

    2016-01-01

    A critical role for intracellular TLR9 has been described in recognition and host resistance to Leishmania parasites. As TLR9 requires endolysosomal proteolytic cleavage to achieve signaling functionality, we investigated the contribution of different proteases like asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) or cysteine protease cathepsins B (CatB), L (CatL) and S (CatS) to host resistance during Leishmania major (L. major) infection in C57BL/6 (WT) mice and whether they would impact on TLR9 signaling. Unlike TLR9-/-, which are more susceptible to infection, AEP-/-, CatL-/- and CatS-/- mice are as resistant to L. major infection as WT mice, suggesting that these proteases are not individually involved in TLR9 processing. Interestingly, we observed that CatB-/- mice resolve L. major lesions significantly faster than WT mice, however we did not find evidence for an involvement of CatB on either TLR9-dependent or independent cytokine responses of dendritic cells and macrophages or in the innate immune response to L. major infection. We also found no difference in antigen presenting capacity. We observed a more precocious development of T helper 1 responses accompanied by a faster decline of inflammation, resulting in resolution of footpad inflammation, reduced IFNγ levels and decreased parasite burden. Adoptive transfer experiments into alymphoid RAG2-/-γc-/- mice allowed us to identify CD3+ T cells as responsible for the immune advantage of CatB-/- mice towards L. major. In vitro data confirmed the T cell intrinsic differences between CatB-/- mice and WT. Our study brings forth a yet unappreciated role for CatB in regulating T cell responses during L. major infection. PMID:27182703

  16. Early dialogue with health technology assessment bodies: a European perspective.

    PubMed

    Cuche, Matthieu; Beckerman, Rachel; Chowdhury, Cyrus A; van Weelden, Marije A

    2014-12-01

    Evidence requirements may differ across HTA bodies, and so pharmaceutical companies must plan to synergize their evidence generation strategy, across global regulatory and HTA bodies. Until recently, companies had no official platform to discuss the clinical development of a drug with HTA bodies; however, this is changing. To achieve broad usage in the EU, products must achieve both regulatory and reimbursement approval, the latter of which is based on HTA appraisal in many markets. The objective of this study is to present and evaluate the different options available for early HTA consultation (during drug development/Phase III) in the major European markets from the industry perspective. An exploratory (nonsystematic) literature review was performed to identify the European markets offering early HTA consultations, and each process was analyzed using a set of predefined metrics that are relevant to industry (the ability to consult with the regulatory body in parallel, consultation fees, length of consultation meeting, language of consultation meeting, maximum number of pharmaceutical company employees attending, procedural timelines, nature of data for which consultative advice can be sought, the output of the process, and the ability to involve external experts). Four different types of early HTA consultation processes were identified across the major European HTA markets. The nature of these processes varied in terms of the types and number of questions that can be addressed, the length of the meeting, the reporting output, and the ability to involve external experts. The availability of various options for early HTA consultation may help to avoid a mismatch between the evidence generated by means of a product's clinical development program, and the evidence expected by HTA bodies and payers, which can facilitate the pricing and reimbursement process upon a product's market authorization.

  17. An integrative review of pursing policy and political competence.

    PubMed

    Benton, D C; Al Maaitah, R; Gharaibeh, M

    2017-03-01

    For several decades, there have been repeated calls for nurses to become more involved in policy and political processes. The purpose of this article is to conduct an integrative review to identify and assess the current state of the science relating to supporting the pursuit of greater involvement by the nursing profession in policy and political processes. Standard integrative review procedures were used to identify studies that examined how policy competence could be achieved. A comparative thematic approach to synthesis was used. Both published and grey literature written in English between January 1965 and January 2015 were identified via a structured search of CINAHL, SCOPUS, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Forty-five primary studies were identified with literature from North America dominating, but contributions from low- and middle-income countries have recently started to feature. Studies tended to focus on the immediate impact of didactic and action learning-based approaches. The majority of articles were descriptive survey designs utilizing small convenience samples. Many programmes of education have focused on developing an understanding of legislative policy and political processes, but the development of policy and political competencies at team and institutional levels has been ignored. Existing research have looked at the short-term effects of educational programmes. At this time, there are conflicting reports on the impact of variables such as gender and educational preparation on policy and political competence. There is an urgent need to address these major gaps if nurses at all levels are to play a full role in shaping policy and political process. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

  18. Treatment decision-making among breast cancer patients in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Nies, Yong Hui; Islahudin, Farida; Chong, Wei Wen; Abdullah, Norlia; Ismail, Fuad; Ahmad Bustamam, Ros Suzanna; Wong, Yoke Fui; Saladina, J J; Mohamed Shah, Noraida

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated breast cancer patients' involvement level in the treatment decision-making process and the concordance between patients' and physician's perspectives in decision-making. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving physicians and newly diagnosed breast cancer patients from three public/teaching hospitals in Malaysia. The Control Preference Scale (CPS) was administered to patients and physicians, and the Krantz Health Opinion Survey (KHOS) was completed by the patients alone. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between sociodemographic characteristics, the patients' involvement in treatment decision-making, and patients' preference for behavioral involvement and information related to their disease. The majority of patients preferred to share decision-making with their physicians (47.5%), while the second largest group preferred being passive (42.6%) and a small number preferred being active (9.8%). However, the physicians perceived that the majority of patients preferred active decision-making (56.9%), followed by those who desired shared decision-making (32.8%), and those who preferred passive decision-making (10.3%). The overall concordance was 26.5% (54 of 204 patient-physician dyads). The median of preference for information score and behavioral involvement score was 4 (interquartile range [IQR] =3-5) and 2 (IQR =2-3), respectively. In univariate analysis, the ethnicity and educational qualification of patients were significantly associated with the patients' preferred role in the process of treatment decision-making and the patients' preference for information seeking ( p >0.05). However, only educational qualification ( p =0.004) was significantly associated with patients' preference for information seeking in multivariate analysis. Physicians failed to understand patients' perspectives and preferences in treatment decision-making. The concordance between physicians' perception and patients' perception was quite low as the physicians perceived that more than half of the patients were active in treatment decision-making. In actuality, more than half of patients perceived that they shared decision-making with their physicians.

  19. Neuroanatomy and Physiology of Brain Dysfunction in Sepsis.

    PubMed

    Mazeraud, Aurelien; Pascal, Quentin; Verdonk, Franck; Heming, Nicholas; Chrétien, Fabrice; Sharshar, Tarek

    2016-06-01

    Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), a complication of sepsis, is often complicated by acute and long-term brain dysfunction. SAE is associated with electroencephalogram pattern changes and abnormal neuroimaging findings. The major processes involved are neuroinflammation, circulatory dysfunction, and excitotoxicity. Neuroinflammation and microcirculatory alterations are diffuse, whereas excitotoxicity might occur in more specific structures involved in the response to stress and the control of vital functions. A dysfunction of the brainstem, amygdala, and hippocampus might account for the increased mortality, psychological disorders, and cognitive impairment. This review summarizes clinical and paraclinical features of SAE and describes its mechanisms at cellular and structural levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Understanding Resolvin Signaling Pathways to Improve Oral Health

    PubMed Central

    Keinan, David; Leigh, Noel J.; Nelson, Joel W.; De Oleo, Laura; Baker, Olga J.

    2013-01-01

    The discovery of resolvins has been a major breakthrough for understanding the processes involved in resolution of inflammation. Resolvins belong to a family of novel lipid mediators that possess dual anti-inflammatory and pro-resolution actions. Specifically, they protect healthy tissue during immune-inflammatory responses to infection or injury, thereby aiding inflammation resolution and promoting tissue healing. One of the major concerns in modern medicine is the management and treatment of oral diseases, as they are related to systemic outcomes impacting the quality of life of many patients. This review summarizes known signaling pathways utilized by resolvins to regulate inflammatory responses associated with the oral cavity. PMID:23528855

  1. In Situ Trace Element Analysis of an Allende Type B1 CAI: EK-459-5-1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jeffcoat, C. R.; Kerekgyarto, A.; Lapen, T. J.; Andreasen, R.; Righter, M.; Ross, D. K.

    2014-01-01

    Variations in refractory major and trace element composition of calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) provide constraints on physical and chemical conditions and processes in the earliest stages of the Solar System. Previous work indicates that CAIs have experienced complex histories involving, in many cases, multiple episodes of condensation, evaporation, and partial melting. We have analyzed major and trace element abundances in two core to rim transects of the melilite mantle as well as interior major phases of a Type B1 CAI (EK-459-5-1) from Allende by electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to investigate the behavior of key trace elements with a primary focus on the REEs Tm and Yb.

  2. Capital financing in prospective payment.

    PubMed

    Oszustowicz, R J; Dreachslin, J L

    1984-03-01

    In the era of prospective payment, arranging financing for hospital capital projects is expected to become even more complicated than under cost-based reimbursement systems. This article outlines the information needed for a bond issue in the prospective payment environment, defines the roles and duties of several external persons and organizations involved with planning a major capital financing, and provides an overview of the entire process. This article assumes for illustrative purposes that a tax-exempt bond issue is going to be used to finance a facility expansion. This method was chosen since over 70% of all major capital financing for hospitals use the tax-exempt bond as the principal vehicle for attracting the necessary debt to finance a major construction project. The tax-exempt bond issue also requires the most detail in documentation and legal provisions.

  3. NASA Processes and Requirements for Conducting Human-in-the-Loop Closed Chamber Tests

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barta, Daniel J.; Montz, Michael E.

    2004-01-01

    NASA has specific processes and requirements that must be followed for tests involving human subjects to be conducted in a safe and effective manner. There are five distinct phases of test operations. Phase one, the test request phase, consists of those activities related to initiating, processing, reviewing, and evaluating the test request. Phase two, the test preparation phase consists of those activities related to planning, coordinating, documenting, and building up the test. Phase three, the test readiness phase consists of those activities related to verifying and reviewing the planned test operations. Phase four, the test activity phase, consists of all pretest operations, functional checkouts, emergency drills, and test operations. Phase five, the post test activity phase, consists of those activities performed once the test is completed, including briefings, documentation of anomalies, data reduction and archiving, and reporting. Project management processes must be followed for facility modifications and major test buildup, which include six phases: initiation and assessment, requirements evaluation, preliminary design, detailed design, use readiness review (URR) and acceptance. Compliance with requirements for safety and quality assurance are documented throughout the test buildup and test operation processes. Tests involving human subjects must be reviewed by the applicable Institutional Review Board (IRB).

  4. Diurnal rhythmicity in biological processes involved in bioavailability of functional food factors.

    PubMed

    Tsurusaki, Takashi; Sakakibara, Hiroyuki; Aoshima, Yoshiki; Yamazaki, Shunsuke; Sakono, Masanobu; Shimoi, Kayoko

    2013-05-01

    In the past few decades, many types of functional factors have been identified in dietary foods; for example, flavonoids are major groups widely distributed in the plant kingdom. However, the absorption rates of the functional food factors are usually low, and many of these are difficult to be absorbed in the intact forms because of metabolization by biological processes during absorption. To gain adequate beneficial effects, it is therefore mandatory to know whether functional food factors are absorbed in sufficient quantity, and then reach target organs while maintaining beneficial effects. These are the reasons why the bioavailability of functional food factors has been well investigated using rodent models. Recently, many of the biological processes have been reported to follow diurnal rhythms recurring every 24 h. Therefore, absorption and metabolism of functional food factors influenced by the biological processes may vary with time of day. Consequently, the evaluation of the bioavailability of functional food factors using rodent models should take into consideration the timing of consumption. In this review, we provide a perspective overview of the diurnal rhythm of biological processes involved in the bioavailability of functional food factors, particularly flavonoids.

  5. Role of Reward Sensitivity and Processing in Major Depressive and Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

    PubMed Central

    Alloy, Lauren B.; Olino, Thomas; Freed, Rachel D.; Nusslock, Robin

    2016-01-01

    Since Costello’s (1972) seminal Behavior Therapy article on loss of reinforcers or reinforcer effectiveness in depression, the role of reward sensitivity and processing in both depression and bipolar disorder has become a central area of investigation. In this article, we review the evidence for a model of reward sensitivity in mood disorders, with unipolar depression characterized by reward hyposensitivity and bipolar disorders by reward hypersensitivity. We address whether aberrant reward sensitivity and processing are correlates of, mood-independent traits of, vulnerabilities for, and/or predictors of the course of depression and bipolar spectrum disorders, covering evidence from self-report, behavioral, neurophysiological, and neural levels of analysis. We conclude that substantial evidence documents that blunted reward sensitivity and processing are involved in unipolar depression and heightened reward sensitivity and processing are characteristic of hypomania/mania. We further conclude that aberrant reward sensitivity has a trait component, but more research is needed to clearly demonstrate that reward hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity are vulnerabilities for depression and bipolar disorder, respectively. Moreover, additional research is needed to determine whether bipolar depression is similar to unipolar depression and characterized by reward hyposensitivity, or whether like bipolar hypomania/mania, it involves reward hypersensitivity. PMID:27816074

  6. Circadian Phenotype Composition is a Major Predictor of Diurnal Physical Performance in Teams.

    PubMed

    Facer-Childs, Elise; Brandstaetter, Roland

    2015-01-01

    Team performance is a complex phenomenon involving numerous influencing factors including physiology, psychology, and management. Biological rhythms and the impact of circadian phenotype have not been studied for their contribution to this array of factors so far despite our knowledge of the circadian regulation of key physiological processes involved in physical and mental performance. This study involved 216 individuals from 12 different teams who were categorized into circadian phenotypes using the novel RBUB chronometric test. The composition of circadian phenotypes within each team was used to model predicted daily team performance profiles based on physical performance tests. Our results show that the composition of circadian phenotypes within teams is variable and unpredictable. Predicted physical peak performance ranged from 1:52 to 8:59 p.m. with performance levels fluctuating by up to 14.88% over the course of the day. The major predictor for peak performance time in the course of a day in a team is the occurrence of late circadian phenotypes. We conclude that circadian phenotype is a performance indicator in teams that allows new insight and a better understanding of team performance variation in the course of a day as often observed in different groupings of individuals.

  7. Circadian Phenotype Composition is a Major Predictor of Diurnal Physical Performance in Teams

    PubMed Central

    Facer-Childs, Elise; Brandstaetter, Roland

    2015-01-01

    Team performance is a complex phenomenon involving numerous influencing factors including physiology, psychology, and management. Biological rhythms and the impact of circadian phenotype have not been studied for their contribution to this array of factors so far despite our knowledge of the circadian regulation of key physiological processes involved in physical and mental performance. This study involved 216 individuals from 12 different teams who were categorized into circadian phenotypes using the novel RBUB chronometric test. The composition of circadian phenotypes within each team was used to model predicted daily team performance profiles based on physical performance tests. Our results show that the composition of circadian phenotypes within teams is variable and unpredictable. Predicted physical peak performance ranged from 1:52 to 8:59 p.m. with performance levels fluctuating by up to 14.88% over the course of the day. The major predictor for peak performance time in the course of a day in a team is the occurrence of late circadian phenotypes. We conclude that circadian phenotype is a performance indicator in teams that allows new insight and a better understanding of team performance variation in the course of a day as often observed in different groupings of individuals. PMID:26483754

  8. Direct Mouse Trauma/Burn Model of Heterotopic Ossification

    PubMed Central

    Peterson, Jonathan R.; Agarwal, Shailesh; Brownley, R. Cameron; Loder, Shawn J.; Ranganathan, Kavitha; Cederna, Paul S.; Mishina, Yuji; Wang, Stewart C.; Levi, Benjamin

    2015-01-01

    Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of bone outside of the skeleton which forms following major trauma, burn injuries, and orthopaedic surgical procedures. The majority of animal models used to study HO rely on the application of exogenous substances, such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), exogenous cell constructs, or genetic mutations in BMP signaling. While these models are useful they do not accurately reproduce the inflammatory states that cause the majority of cases of HO. Here we describe a burn/tenotomy model in mice that reliably produces focused HO. This protocol involves creating a 30% total body surface area partial thickness contact burn on the dorsal skin as well as division of the Achilles tendon at its midpoint. Relying solely on traumatic injury to induce HO at a predictable location allows for time-course study of endochondral heterotopic bone formation from intrinsic physiologic processes and environment only. This method could prove instrumental in understanding the inflammatory and osteogenic pathways involved in trauma-induced HO. Furthermore, because HO develops in a predictable location and time-course in this model, it allows for research to improve early imaging strategies and treatment modalities to prevent HO formation. PMID:26274052

  9. Fiscal Year 2010 U.S. Government Financial Statements: Federal Government Continues To Face Financial Management And Long-Term Fiscal Challenges

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-09

    effective oversight of federal government programs and policies. Over the years, certain material weaknesses in internal control over...ineffective process for preparing the consolidated financial statements. In addition to the material weaknesses underlying these major impediments, GAO...noted material weaknesses involving billions of dollars in improper payments, information security, and tax collection activities. With regard to the

  10. Microsystems: from technologies to products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryser, Peter

    2003-10-01

    In this paper, we outline the process leading from technologies to successful products in the MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) and MST (Microsystems Technology) field. The development of new products involves a lot of factors, such as mature technologies, interdisciplinary team, identifying the right business potential and long term oriented investors. The paper summarizes a survey of different technologies and point out that packaging, test and calibration are still major shortcomings for the concerned industries.

  11. ‘Mom—I don’t want to hear it’: Brain response to maternal praise and criticism in adolescents with major depressive disorder

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Kyung Hwa; Elliott, Rosalind D.; Hooley, Jill M.; Dahl, Ronald E.; Barber, Anita; Siegle, Greg J.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Recent research has implicated altered neural response to interpersonal feedback as an important factor in adolescent depression, with existing studies focusing on responses to feedback from virtual peers. We investigated whether depressed adolescents differed from healthy youth in neural response to social evaluative feedback from mothers. During neuroimaging, twenty adolescents in a current episode of major depressive disorder (MDD) and 28 healthy controls listened to previously recorded audio clips of their own mothers’ praise, criticism and neutral comments. Whole-brain voxelwise analyses revealed that MDD youth, unlike controls, exhibited increased neural response to critical relative to neutral clips in the parahippocampal gyrus, an area involved in episodic memory encoding and retrieval. Depressed adolescents also showed a blunted response to maternal praise clips relative to neutral clips in the parahippocampal gyrus, as well as areas involved in reward and self-referential processing (i.e. ventromedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, and thalamus/caudate). Findings suggest that maternal criticism may be more strongly encoded or more strongly activated during memory retrieval related to previous autobiographical instances of negative feedback from mothers in depressed youth compared to healthy youth. Furthermore, depressed adolescents may fail to process the reward value and self-relevance of maternal praise. PMID:28338795

  12. Modification of Ca isotope and trace metal composition of the major matrices involved in shell formation of Mytilus edulis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heinemann, Agnes; Fietzke, Jan; Eisenhauer, Anton; Zumholz, Karsten

    2008-01-01

    In this study we present the first combined investigation into the composition of the major matrices involved in calcification processes (surrounding water, extrapallial fluid, aragonite, and calcite) of Mytilus edulis with respect to their calcium isotope (δ44/40Ca) and elemental compositions (Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca). Our aim was to examine the suitability of Mytilus edulis as a proxy archive and to contribute to the understanding of the process of biomineralization. Mytilus edulis specimens were live collected from the Schwentine Estuary, Kiel Fjord, and North Sea (Sylt). δ44/40Ca was determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) accompanied by measurements of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The elemental and isotopic compositions of the investigated matrices showed systematic offsets. The carbonates are strongly depleted in their magnesium and strontium concentrations and fractionated toward lighter calcium isotope compositions relative to the surrounding Schwentine Estuary water. The opposite is observed for the extrapallial fluid (EPF). Our findings extend the results of previous studies reporting a strong biological control and the interaction of different environmental conditions influencing biomineralization. Future studies should focus on the temporal development of the interrelation between the different matrices.

  13. 'Mom-I don't want to hear it': Brain response to maternal praise and criticism in adolescents with major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Silk, Jennifer S; Lee, Kyung Hwa; Elliott, Rosalind D; Hooley, Jill M; Dahl, Ronald E; Barber, Anita; Siegle, Greg J

    2017-05-01

    Recent research has implicated altered neural response to interpersonal feedback as an important factor in adolescent depression, with existing studies focusing on responses to feedback from virtual peers. We investigated whether depressed adolescents differed from healthy youth in neural response to social evaluative feedback from mothers. During neuroimaging, twenty adolescents in a current episode of major depressive disorder (MDD) and 28 healthy controls listened to previously recorded audio clips of their own mothers' praise, criticism and neutral comments. Whole-brain voxelwise analyses revealed that MDD youth, unlike controls, exhibited increased neural response to critical relative to neutral clips in the parahippocampal gyrus, an area involved in episodic memory encoding and retrieval. Depressed adolescents also showed a blunted response to maternal praise clips relative to neutral clips in the parahippocampal gyrus, as well as areas involved in reward and self-referential processing (i.e. ventromedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, and thalamus/caudate). Findings suggest that maternal criticism may be more strongly encoded or more strongly activated during memory retrieval related to previous autobiographical instances of negative feedback from mothers in depressed youth compared to healthy youth. Furthermore, depressed adolescents may fail to process the reward value and self-relevance of maternal praise. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

  14. Integration of Biosynthesis and Long-Distance Transport Establish Organ-Specific Glucosinolate Profiles in Vegetative Arabidopsis[W

    PubMed Central

    Andersen, Tonni Grube; Nour-Eldin, Hussam Hassan; Fuller, Victoria Louise; Olsen, Carl Erik; Burow, Meike; Halkier, Barbara Ann

    2013-01-01

    Although it is essential for plant survival to synthesize and transport defense compounds, little is known about the coordination of these processes. Here, we investigate the above- and belowground source-sink relationship of the defense compounds glucosinolates in vegetative Arabidopsis thaliana. In vivo feeding experiments demonstrate that the glucosinolate transporters1 and 2 (GTR1 and GTR2), which are essential for accumulation of glucosinolates in seeds, are likely to also be involved in bidirectional distribution of glucosinolates between the roots and rosettes, indicating phloem and xylem as their transport pathways. Grafting of wild-type, biosynthetic, and transport mutants show that both the rosette and roots are able to synthesize aliphatic and indole glucosinolates. While rosettes constitute the major source and storage site for short-chained aliphatic glucosinolates, long-chained aliphatic glucosinolates are synthesized both in roots and rosettes with roots as the major storage site. Our grafting experiments thus indicate that in vegetative Arabidopsis, GTR1 and GTR2 are involved in bidirectional long-distance transport of aliphatic but not indole glucosinolates. Our data further suggest that the distinct rosette and root glucosinolate profiles in Arabidopsis are shaped by long-distance transport and spatially separated biosynthesis, suggesting that integration of these processes is critical for plant fitness in complex natural environments. PMID:23995084

  15. A critical analysis of the implementation of service user involvement in primary care research and health service development using normalization process theory.

    PubMed

    Tierney, Edel; McEvoy, Rachel; O'Reilly-de Brún, Mary; de Brún, Tomas; Okonkwo, Ekaterina; Rooney, Michelle; Dowrick, Chris; Rogers, Anne; MacFarlane, Anne

    2016-06-01

    There have been recent important advances in conceptualizing and operationalizing involvement in health research and health-care service development. However, problems persist in the field that impact on the scope for meaningful involvement to become a routine - normalized - way of working in primary care. In this review, we focus on current practice to critically interrogate factors known to be relevant for normalization - definition, enrolment, enactment and appraisal. Ours was a multidisciplinary, interagency team, with community representation. We searched EBSCO host for papers from 2007 to 2011 and engaged in an iterative, reflexive approach to sampling, appraising and analysing the literature following the principles of a critical interpretive synthesis approach and using Normalization Process Theory. Twenty-six papers were chosen from 289 papers, as a purposeful sample of work that is reported as service user involvement in the field. Few papers provided a clear working definition of service user involvement. The dominant identified rationale for enrolling service users in primary care projects was linked with policy imperatives for co-governance and emancipatory ideals. The majority of methodologies employed were standard health services research methods that do not qualify as research with service users. This indicates a lack of congruence between the stated aims and methods. Most studies only reported positive outcomes, raising questions about the balance or completeness of the published appraisals. To improve normalization of meaningful involvement in primary care, it is necessary to encourage explicit reporting of definitions, methodological innovation to enhance co-governance and dissemination of research processes and findings. © 2014 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Solid waste recycling in Rajshahi city of Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Bari, Q Hamidul; Hassan, K Mahbub; Haque, M Ehsanul

    2012-11-01

    Efficient recycling of solid wastes is now a global concern for a sustainable and environmentally sound management. In this study, traditional recycling pattern of solid waste was investigated in Rajshahi municipality which is the fourth largest city of Bangladesh. A questionnaire survey had been carried out in various recycle shops during April 2010 to January 2011. There were 140 recycle shops and most of them were located in the vicinity of Stadium market in Rajshahi. About 1906 people were found to be involved in recycling activities of the city. The major fraction of recycled wastes were sent to capital city Dhaka for further manufacture of different new products. Only a small amount of wastes, specially plastics, were processed in local recycle factories to produce small washing pots and bottle caps. Everyday, an estimated 28.13 tons of recycled solid wastes were handled in Rajshahi city area. This recycled portion accounted for 8.25% of the daily total generated wastes (341 ton d(-1)), 54.6% of total recyclable wastes (51.49 ton d(-1)) and 68.29% of readily recyclable wastes (41.19 ton d(-1)). Major recycled materials were found to be iron, glass, plastic, and papers. Only five factories were involved in preliminary processing of recyclable wastes. Collecting and processing secondary materials, manufacturing recycled-content products, and then buying recycled products created a circle or loop that ensured the overall success of recycling and generated a host of financial, environmental, and social returns. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Imbalance in subregional connectivity of the right temporoparietal junction in major depression.

    PubMed

    Poeppl, Timm B; Müller, Veronika I; Hoffstaedter, Felix; Bzdok, Danilo; Laird, Angela R; Fox, Peter T; Langguth, Berthold; Rupprecht, Rainer; Sorg, Christian; Riedl, Valentin; Goya-Maldonado, Roberto; Gruber, Oliver; Eickhoff, Simon B

    2016-08-01

    Major depressive disorder (MDD) involves impairment in cognitive and interpersonal functioning. The right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ) is a key brain region subserving cognitive-attentional and social processes. Yet, findings on the involvement of the RTPJ in the pathophysiology of MDD have so far been controversial. Recent connectivity-based parcellation data revealed a topofunctional dualism within the RTPJ, linking its anterior and posterior part (aRTPJ/pRTPJ) to antagonistic brain networks for attentional and social processing, respectively. Comparing functional resting-state connectivity of the aRTPJ and pRTPJ in 72 MDD patients and 76 well-matched healthy controls, we found a seed (aRTPJ/pRTPJ) × diagnosis (MDD/controls) interaction in functional connectivity for eight regions. Employing meta-data from a large-scale neuroimaging database, functional characterization of these regions exhibiting differentially altered connectivity with the aRTPJ/pRTPJ revealed associations with cognitive (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, parahippocampus) and behavioral (posterior medial frontal cortex) control, visuospatial processing (dorsal visual cortex), reward (subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex), as well as memory retrieval and social cognition (precuneus). These findings suggest that an imbalance in connectivity of subregions, rather than disturbed connectivity of the RTPJ as a whole, characterizes the connectional disruption of the RTPJ in MDD. This imbalance may account for key symptoms of MDD in cognitive, emotional, and social domains. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2931-2942, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. History of a prolific family: the Hes/Hey-related genes of the annelid Platynereis.

    PubMed

    Gazave, Eve; Guillou, Aurélien; Balavoine, Guillaume

    2014-01-01

    The Hes superfamily or Hes/Hey-related genes encompass a variety of metazoan-specific bHLH genes, with somewhat fuzzy phylogenetic relationships. Hes superfamily members are involved in a variety of major developmental mechanisms in metazoans, notably in neurogenesis and segmentation processes, in which they often act as direct effector genes of the Notch signaling pathway. We have investigated the molecular and functional evolution of the Hes superfamily in metazoans using the lophotrochozoan Platynereis dumerilii as model. Our phylogenetic analyses of more than 200 Metazoan Hes/Hey-related genes revealed the presence of five families, three of them (Hes, Hey and Helt) being pan-metazoan. Those families were likely composed of a unique representative in the last common metazoan ancestor. The evolution of the Hes family was shaped by many independent lineage specific tandem duplication events. The expression patterns of 13 of the 15 Hes/Hey-related genes in Platynereis indicate a broad functional diversification. Nevertheless, a majority of these genes are involved in two crucial developmental processes in annelids: neurogenesis and segmentation, resembling functions highlighted in other animal models. Combining phylogenetic and expression data, our study suggests an unusual evolutionary history for the Hes superfamily. An ancestral multifunctional annelid Hes gene may have undergone multiples rounds of duplication-degeneration-complementation processes in the lineage leading to Platynereis, each gene copies ensuring their maintenance in the genome by subfunctionalisation. Similar but independent waves of duplications are at the origin of the multiplicity of Hes genes in other metazoan lineages.

  19. Neuro-transmitters in the central nervous system & their implication in learning and memory processes.

    PubMed

    Reis, Helton J; Guatimosim, Cristina; Paquet, Maryse; Santos, Magda; Ribeiro, Fabíola M; Kummer, Arthur; Schenatto, Grace; Salgado, João V; Vieira, Luciene B; Teixeira, Antônio L; Palotás, András

    2009-01-01

    This review article gives an overview of a number of central neuro-transmitters, which are essential for integrating many functions in the central nervous system (CNS), such as learning, memory, sleep cycle, body movement, hormone regulation and many others. Neurons use neuro-transmitters to communicate, and a great variety of molecules are known to fit the criteria to be classified as such. A process shared by all neuro-transmitters is their release by excocytosis, and we give an outline of the molecular events and protein complexes involved in this mechanism. Synthesis, transport, inactivation, and cellular signaling can be very diverse when different neuro-transmitters are compared, and these processes are described separately for each neuro-transmitter system. Here we focus on the most well known neuro-transmitters: acetyl-choline, catechol-amines (dopamine and nor-adrenalin), indole-amine (serotonin), glutamate, and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA). Glutamate is the major excitatory neuro-transmitter in the brain and its actions are counter-balanced by GABA, which is the major inhibitory substance in the CNS. A balance of neuronal transmission between these two neuro-transmitters is essential to normal brain function. Acetyl-choline, serotonin and catechol-amines have a more modulatory function in the brain, being involved in many neuronal circuits. Apart from summarizing the current knowledge about the synthesis, release and receptor signaling of these transmitters, some disease states due to alteration of their normal neuro-transmission are also described.

  20. Implementation Process of a Canadian Community-based Nurse Mentorship Intervention in HIV Care

    PubMed Central

    Caine, Vera; Mill, Judy; O’Brien, Kelly; Solomon, Patricia; Worthington, Catherine; Dykeman, Margaret; Gahagan, Jacqueline; Maina, Geoffrey; De Padua, Anthony; Arneson, Cheryl; Rogers, Tim; Chaw-Kant, Jean

    2016-01-01

    We describe salient individual and organizational factors that influenced engagement of registered nurses in a 12-month clinical mentorship intervention on HIV care in Canada. The intervention included 48 nurses and 8 people living with HIV (PLWH) who were involved in group-based and one-on-one informal mentorship informed by transformative learning theory. We evaluated the process of implementing the mentorship intervention using qualitative content analysis. The inclusion of PLWH as mentors, the opportunities for reciprocal learning, and the long-term commitment of individual nurses and partner organizations in HIV care were major strengths. Challenges included the need for multiple ethical approvals, the lack of organizational support at some clinical sites, and the time commitment required by participants. We recommend that clinical mentorship interventions in HIV care consider organizational support, adhere to the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS principles, and explore questions of professional obligations. PMID:26644019

  1. Mesenchymal stem cells in cardiac regeneration: a detailed progress report of the last 6 years (2010-2015).

    PubMed

    Singh, Aastha; Singh, Abhishek; Sen, Dwaipayan

    2016-06-04

    Mesenchymal stem cells have been used for cardiovascular regenerative therapy for decades. These cells have been established as one of the potential therapeutic agents, following several tests in animal models and clinical trials. In the process, various sources of mesenchymal stem cells have been identified which help in cardiac regeneration by either revitalizing the cardiac stem cells or revascularizing the arteries and veins of the heart. Although mesenchymal cell therapy has achieved considerable admiration, some challenges still remain that need to be overcome in order to establish it as a successful technique. This in-depth review is an attempt to summarize the major sources of mesenchymal stem cells involved in myocardial regeneration, the significant mechanisms involved in the process with a focus on studies (human and animal) conducted in the last 6 years and the challenges that remain to be addressed.

  2. Market-Based Approaches to Managing Science Return from Planetary Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wessen, Randii R.; Porter, David; Hanson, Robin

    1996-01-01

    A research plan is described for the design and testing of a method for the planning and negotiation of science observations. The research plan is presented in relation to the fact that the current method, which involves a hierarchical process of science working groups, is unsuitable for the planning of the Cassini mission. The research plan involves the market-based approach in which participants are allocated budgets of scheduling points. The points are used to provide an intensity of preference for the observations being scheduled. In this way, the schedulers do not have to limit themselves to solving major conflicts, but try to maximize the number of scheduling points that result in a conflict-free timeline. Incentives are provided for the participants by the fixed budget concerning their tradeoff decisions. A degree of feedback is provided in the process so that the schedulers may rebid based on the current timeline.

  3. Bioremediation and detoxification of industrial wastes by earthworms: Vermicompost as powerful crop nutrient in sustainable agriculture.

    PubMed

    Bhat, Sartaj Ahmad; Singh, Sharanpreet; Singh, Jaswinder; Kumar, Sunil; Bhawana; Vig, Adarsh Pal

    2018-03-01

    Vermicompost is the final product of the vermicomposting process involving the collective action of earthworms and microbes. During this process, the waste is converted into useful manure by reducing the harmful effects of waste. Toxicity of industrial wastes is evaluated by plant bioassays viz. Allium cepa and Vicia faba test. These bioassays are sensitive and cost-effective for the monitoring of environmental contamination. The valorization potential of earthworms and their ability to detoxify heavy metals in industrial wastes is because of their strong metabolic system and involvement of earthworm gut microbes and chloragocyte cells. Most of the studies reported that the vermicompost produced from organic wastes contains higher amounts of humic substances, which plays a major role in growth of plants. The present article discusses the detoxification of industrial wastes by earthworms and the role of final vermicompost in plant growth and development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Inept media trials of clinical trials

    PubMed Central

    Ramamurthy, N. V.

    2012-01-01

    The Indian media in general, with the exception of a few domain expert journalists, have failed to comprehend the complexities involved in the clinical trial process. In the run up to the deadline-based coverage of a story, a majority of them fall short in conveying the right perspective to readers, but nevertheless they have been successful in sensationalizing an event in this arena. Possibly by unintended misrepresentation, or mostly out of ignorance of the nuances involved in the clinical trials process, the media has done more harm than good, and got away with it. On the other side, the industry has been reluctant to engage with the media in a meaningful dialog for too long now. It bears not only the consequences of damage to its professional reputation following such reportage, but also the repercussions of unnecessary clampdowns by the regulators. Science journalism in India has yet to rise as a profession. PMID:22701819

  5. The Stem Cell Laboratory: Design, Equipment, and Oversight

    PubMed Central

    Wesselschmidt, Robin L.; Schwartz, Philip H.

    2013-01-01

    This chapter describes some of the major issues to be considered when setting up a laboratory for the culture of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). The process of establishing a hPSC laboratory can be divided into two equally important parts. One is completely administrative and includes developing protocols, seeking approval, and establishing reporting processes and documentation. The other part of establishing a hPSC laboratory involves the physical plant and includes design, equipment and personnel. Proper planning of laboratory operations and proper design of the physical layout of the stem cell laboratory so that meets the scope of planned operations is a major undertaking, but the time spent upfront will pay long-term returns in operational efficiency and effectiveness. A well-planned, organized, and properly equipped laboratory supports research activities by increasing efficiency and reducing lost time and wasted resources. PMID:21822863

  6. Oceans of opportunity or rough seas? What does the future hold for developments in European marine policy?

    PubMed

    Potts, Tavis; O'Higgins, Tim; Hastings, Emily

    2012-12-13

    The management of European seas is undergoing a process of major reform. In the past, oceans and coastal policy has traditionally evolved in a fragmented and uncoordinated manner, developed by different sector-based agencies and arms of government with competing aims and objectives. Recently, the call for integrated and ecosystem-based approaches has driven the conceptualization of a new approach. At the scale of Europe through the Integrated Maritime Policy and Marine Strategy Framework Directive and in national jurisdictions such as the Marine and Coastal Access Act in the United Kingdom, ecosystem-based planning is becoming the norm. There are major challenges to this process and this paper explores, in particular, the opportunities inherent in building truly integrated approaches that cross different sectors of activity, integrate across scales, incorporate public involvement and build a sense of oceans citizenship.

  7. RNA-Seq analysis reveals new evidence for inflammation-related changes in aged kidney

    PubMed Central

    Park, Daeui; Kim, Byoung-Chul; Kim, Chul-Hong; Choi, Yeon Ja; Jeong, Hyoung Oh; Kim, Mi Eun; Lee, Jun Sik; Park, Min Hi; Chung, Ki Wung; Kim, Dae Hyun; Lee, Jaewon; Im, Dong-Soon; Yoon, Seokjoo; Lee, Sunghoon; Yu, Byung Pal; Bhak, Jong; Chung, Hae Young

    2016-01-01

    Age-related dysregulated inflammation plays an essential role as a major risk factor underlying the pathophysiological aging process. To better understand how inflammatory processes are related to aging at the molecular level, we sequenced the transcriptome of young and aged rat kidney using RNA-Seq to detect known genes, novel genes, and alternative splicing events that are differentially expressed. By comparing young (6 months of age) and old (25 months of age) rats, we detected 722 up-regulated genes and 111 down-regulated genes. In the aged rats, we found 32 novel genes and 107 alternatively spliced genes. Notably, 6.6% of the up-regulated genes were related to inflammation (P < 2.2 × 10−16, Fisher exact t-test); 15.6% were novel genes with functional protein domains (P = 1.4 × 10−5); and 6.5% were genes showing alternative splicing events (P = 3.3 × 10−4). Based on the results of pathway analysis, we detected the involvement of inflammation-related pathways such as cytokines (P = 4.4 × 10−16), which were found up-regulated in the aged rats. Furthermore, an up-regulated inflammatory gene analysis identified the involvement of transcription factors, such as STAT4, EGR1, and FOSL1, which regulate cancer as well as inflammation in aging processes. Thus, RNA changes in these pathways support their involvement in the pro-inflammatory status during aging. We propose that whole RNA-Seq is a useful tool to identify novel genes and alternative splicing events by documenting broadly implicated inflammation-related genes involved in aging processes. PMID:27153548

  8. Emotional Speech Perception Unfolding in Time: The Role of the Basal Ganglia

    PubMed Central

    Paulmann, Silke; Ott, Derek V. M.; Kotz, Sonja A.

    2011-01-01

    The basal ganglia (BG) have repeatedly been linked to emotional speech processing in studies involving patients with neurodegenerative and structural changes of the BG. However, the majority of previous studies did not consider that (i) emotional speech processing entails multiple processing steps, and the possibility that (ii) the BG may engage in one rather than the other of these processing steps. In the present study we investigate three different stages of emotional speech processing (emotional salience detection, meaning-related processing, and identification) in the same patient group to verify whether lesions to the BG affect these stages in a qualitatively different manner. Specifically, we explore early implicit emotional speech processing (probe verification) in an ERP experiment followed by an explicit behavioral emotional recognition task. In both experiments, participants listened to emotional sentences expressing one of four emotions (anger, fear, disgust, happiness) or neutral sentences. In line with previous evidence patients and healthy controls show differentiation of emotional and neutral sentences in the P200 component (emotional salience detection) and a following negative-going brain wave (meaning-related processing). However, the behavioral recognition (identification stage) of emotional sentences was impaired in BG patients, but not in healthy controls. The current data provide further support that the BG are involved in late, explicit rather than early emotional speech processing stages. PMID:21437277

  9. Advances in roll to roll processing of optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watts, Michael P. C.

    2008-02-01

    Today, there are a number of successful commercial applications that utilize roll to roll processing and almost all involve optics; unpatterned film, patterned film, and devices on film. The largest applications today are in holograms, and brightness enhancement film (BEF) for LCD. Solar cells are rapidly growing. These are mostly made in large captive facilities with their own proprietary equipment, materials and pattern generation capability. World wide roll to roll volume is > 100M meters2 year -1, and generates sales of > $5B. The vast majority of the sales are in BEF film by 3M.

  10. Study of spin-scan imaging for outer planets missions. [imaging techniques for Jupiter orbiter missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Russell, E. E.; Chandos, R. A.; Kodak, J. C.; Pellicori, S. F.; Tomasko, M. G.

    1974-01-01

    The constraints that are imposed on the Outer Planet Missions (OPM) imager design are of critical importance. Imager system modeling analyses define important parameters and systematic means for trade-offs applied to specific Jupiter orbiter missions. Possible image sequence plans for Jupiter missions are discussed in detail. Considered is a series of orbits that allow repeated near encounters with three of the Jovian satellites. The data handling involved in the image processing is discussed, and it is shown that only minimal processing is required for the majority of images for a Jupiter orbiter mission.

  11. Declarative Business Process Modelling and the Generation of ERP Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schultz-Møller, Nicholas Poul; Hølmer, Christian; Hansen, Michael R.

    We present an approach to the construction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, which is based on the Resources, Events and Agents (REA) ontology. This framework deals with processes involving exchange and flow of resources in a declarative, graphically-based manner describing what the major entities are rather than how they engage in computations. We show how to develop a domain-specific language on the basis of REA, and a tool which automatically can generate running web-applications. A main contribution is a proof-of-concept showing that business-domain experts can generate their own applications without worrying about implementation details.

  12. Factors Affecting the Corporate Decision-Making Process of Air Transport Manufacturers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ollila, R. G.; Hill, J. D.; Noton, B. R.; Duffy, M. A.; Epstein, M. M.

    1976-01-01

    Fuel economy is a pivotal question influencing the future sale and utilization of commercial aircraft. The NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) Program Office has a program intended to accelerate the readiness of advanced technologies for energy efficient aircraft. Because the decision to develop a new airframe or engine is a major financial hazard for manufacturers, it is important to know what factors influence the decision making process. A method is described for identifying and ranking individuals and organizations involved at each stage of commercial air transport development, and the barriers that must be overcome in adopting new technologies.

  13. The involvement of the cysteine proteases of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae in excystment.

    PubMed

    Li, Shunyu; Chung, Young-Bae; Chung, Byung-Suk; Choi, Min-Ho; Yu, Jae-Ran; Hong, Sung-Tae

    2004-05-01

    The effects of trypsin, bile, trypsin-bile, pepsin, dithiothreitol (DTT) and metacercarial excretory-secretory product (ESP) on the in vitro excystment of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae were investigated. The majority of metacercariae excysted immediately in trypsin-bile in PBS solution, a process which was complete after 30 min of incubation. When incubated in metacercarial ESP in PBS, excystment was potentiated in the presence of 5 mM DTT, but was inhibited dose-dependently by a cysteine protease inhibitor, iodoacetic acid. Two active protease bands of 28 and 40 kDa were identified in the ESP of metacercariae by gelatin substrate SDS-PAGE. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the larvae in solutions of DTT and ESP migrated through a small hole on the metacercarial wall, whereas larvae were liberated by entire wall disruption in trypsin solution. These results suggest that trypsin is a major extrinsic factor of the rapid excystment of C. sinensis metacercariae, and that endogenous cysteine proteases are also involved in metacercarial excystment. Copyright 2004 Springer-Verlag

  14. Virus maturation: dynamics and mechanism of a stabilizing structural transition that leads to infectivity.

    PubMed

    Steven, Alasdair C; Heymann, J Bernard; Cheng, Naiqian; Trus, Benes L; Conway, James F

    2005-04-01

    For many viruses, the final stage of assembly involves structural transitions that convert an innocuous precursor particle into an infectious agent. This process -- maturation -- is controlled by proteases that trigger large-scale conformational changes. In this context, protease inhibitor antiviral drugs act by blocking maturation. Recent work has succeeded in determining the folds of representative examples of the five major proteins -- major capsid protein, scaffolding protein, portal, protease and accessory protein -- that are typically involved in capsid assembly. These data provide a framework for detailed mechanistic investigations and elucidation of mutations that affect assembly in various ways. The nature of the conformational change has been elucidated: it entails rigid-body rotations and translations of the arrayed subunits that transfer the interactions between them to different molecular surfaces, accompanied by refolding and redeployment of local motifs. Moreover, it has been possible to visualize maturation at the submolecular level in movies based on time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy.

  15. Atomic Processes in X-ray Photoionized Gas

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kallman, Timothy

    2005-01-01

    It has long been known that photoionization and photoabsorption play a dominant role in determining the state of gas in nebulae surrounding hot stars and in active galaxies. Recent observations of X-ray spectra demonstrate that these processes are also dominant in highly ionized gas near compact objects, and also affect the transmission of X-rays from the majority of astronomical sources. This has led to new insights into the understanding of what is going on in these sources. It has also pointed out the need for a better atomic cross sections for photoionization and absorption, notably for processes involving inner shells. In this talk I will discuss these issues, what is known and where more work is needed.

  16. Solving a layout design problem by analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tuzkaya, Umut R.; Eser, Arzum; Argon, Goner

    2004-02-01

    Today, growing amounts of waste due to fast consumption rate of products started an irreversible environmental pollution and damage. A considerable part of this waste is caused by packaging material. With the realization of this fact, various waste policies have taken important steps. Here we considered a firm, where waste Aluminum constitutes majority of raw materials for this fir0m. In order to achieve a profitable recycling process, plant layout should be well designed. In this study, we propose a two-step approach involving Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to solve facility layout design problems. A case example is considered to demonstrate the results achieved.

  17. Solder extrusion pressure bonding process and bonded products produced thereby

    DOEpatents

    Beavis, L.C.; Karnowsky, M.M.; Yost, F.G.

    1992-06-16

    Disclosed is a process for production of soldered joints which are highly reliable and capable of surviving 10,000 thermal cycles between about [minus]40 C and 110 C. Process involves interposing a thin layer of a metal solder composition between the metal surfaces of members to be bonded and applying heat and up to about 1000 psi compression pressure to the superposed members, in the presence of a reducing atmosphere, to extrude the major amount of the solder composition, contaminants including fluxing gases and air, from between the members being bonded, to form a very thin, strong intermetallic bonding layer having a thermal expansion tolerant with that of the bonded members.

  18. Prefrontal Cortex and Drug Abuse Vulnerability: Translation to Prevention and Treatment Interventions

    PubMed Central

    Perry, Jennifer L.; Joseph, Jane E.; Jiang, Yang; Zimmerman, Rick S.; Kelly, Thomas H.; Darna, Mahesh; Huettl, Peter; Dwoskin, Linda P.; Bardo, Michael T.

    2010-01-01

    Vulnerability to drug abuse is related to both reward seeking and impulsivity, two constructs thought to have a biological basis in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). This review addresses similarities and differences in neuroanatomy, neurochemistry and behavior associated with PFC function in rodents and primates. Emphasis is placed on monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitter systems located in anatomically distinct subregions: medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC); lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC); anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). While there are complex interconnections and overlapping functions among these regions, each is thought to be involved in various functions related to health-related risk behaviors and drug abuse vulnerability. Among the various functions implicated, evidence suggests that mPFC is involved in reward processing, attention and drug reinstatement; lPFC is involved in decision-making, behavioral inhibition and attentional gating; ACC is involved in attention, emotional processing and self-monitoring; and OFC is involved in behavioral inhibition, signaling of expected outcomes and reward/punishment sensitivity. Individual differences factors (e.g., age and sex) influence functioning of these regions, which, in turn, impacts drug abuse vulnerability. Implications for the development of drug abuse prevention and treatment strategies aimed at engaging PFC inhibitory processes that may reduce risk-related behaviors are discussed, including the design of effective public service announcements, cognitive exercises, physical activity, direct current stimulation, feedback control training and pharmacotherapies. A major challenge in drug abuse prevention and treatment rests with improving intervention strategies aimed at strengthening PFC inhibitory systems among at-risk individuals. PMID:20837060

  19. Quantitative proteomic changes during post myocardial infarction remodeling reveals altered cardiac metabolism and Desmin aggregation in the infarct region.

    PubMed

    Datta, Kaberi; Basak, Trayambak; Varshney, Swati; Sengupta, Shantanu; Sarkar, Sagartirtha

    2017-01-30

    Myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of cardiac dysfunction, failure and sudden death. Post infarction cardiac remodeling presents a poor prognosis, with 30%-45% of patients developing heart failure, in a period of 5-25years. Oxidative stress has been labelled as the primary causative factor for cardiac damage during infarction, however, the impact it may have during the process of post infarction remodeling has not been well probed. In this study, we have implemented iTRAQ proteomics to catalogue proteins and functional processes, participating both temporally (early and late phases) and spatially (infarct and remote zones), during post myocardial infarction remodeling of the heart as functions of the differential oxidative stress manifest during the remodeling process. Cardiac metabolism was the dominant network to be affected during infarction and the remodeling time points considered in this study. A distinctive expression pattern of cytoskeletal proteins was also observed with increased remodeling time points. Further, it was found that the cytoskeletal protein Desmin, aggregated in the infarct zone during the remodeling process, mediated by the protease Calpain1. Taken together, all of these data in conjunction may lay the foundation to understand the effects of oxidative stress on the remodeling process and elaborate the mechanism behind the compromised cardiac function observed during post myocardial infarction remodeling. Oxidative stress is the major driving force for cardiac damage during myocardial infarction. However, the impact of oxidative stress on the process of post MI remodeling in conducting the heart towards functional failure has not been well explored. In this study, a spatial and temporal approach was taken to elaborate the major proteins and cellular processes involved in post MI remodeling. Based on level/ intensity of ROS, spatially, infarct and noninfarct zones were chosen for analysis while on the temporal scale, early (30days) and late time points (120days) post MI were included in the study. This design enabled us to delineate the differential protein expression on a spectrum of maximum oxidative stress at infarct zone during MI to minimum oxidative stress at noninfarct zone during late time point post MI. The proteome profiles for each of the study groups when comparatively analysed gave a holistic idea about the dominant cellular processes involved in post MI remodeling such as cardiac metabolism, both for short term and long term remodeling as well as unique processes such as Desmin mediated cytoskeletal remodeling of the infarcted myocardium that are involved in the compromise of cardiac function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Off the beaten path: drug addiction and the pontine laterodorsal tegmentum.

    PubMed

    Kohlmeier, Kristi A

    2013-01-01

    Drug addiction is a multileveled behavior controlled by interactions among many diverse neuronal groups involving several neurotransmitter systems. The involvement of brainstem-sourced, cholinergic neurotransmission in the development of addiction and in the persistent physiological processes that drive this maladaptive behavior has not been widely investigated. The major cholinergic input to neurons in the midbrain which are instrumental in assessment of reward and assignment of salience to stimuli, including drugs of abuse, sources from acetylcholine- (ACh-) containing pontine neurons of the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT). Excitatory LDT input, likely cholinergic, is critical in allowing behaviorally relevant neuronal firing patterns within midbrain reward circuitry. Via this control, the LDT is positioned to be importantly involved in development of compulsive, addictive patterns of behavior. The goal of this review is to present the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral evidence suggesting a role of the LDT in the neurobiology underlying addiction to drugs of abuse. Although focus is directed on the evidence supporting a vital participation of the cholinergic neurons of the LDT, data indicating a contribution of noncholinergic LDT neurons to processes underlying addiction are also reviewed. While sparse, available information of actions of drugs of abuse on LDT cells and the output of these neurons as well as their influence on addiction-related behavior are also presented. Taken together, data from studies presented in this review strongly support the position that the LDT is a major player in the neurobiology of drug addiction. Accordingly, the LDT may serve as a future treatment target for efficacious pharmaceutical combat of drug addiction.

  1. Off the Beaten Path: Drug Addiction and the Pontine Laterodorsal Tegmentum

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Drug addiction is a multileveled behavior controlled by interactions among many diverse neuronal groups involving several neurotransmitter systems. The involvement of brainstem-sourced, cholinergic neurotransmission in the development of addiction and in the persistent physiological processes that drive this maladaptive behavior has not been widely investigated. The major cholinergic input to neurons in the midbrain which are instrumental in assessment of reward and assignment of salience to stimuli, including drugs of abuse, sources from acetylcholine- (ACh-) containing pontine neurons of the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT). Excitatory LDT input, likely cholinergic, is critical in allowing behaviorally relevant neuronal firing patterns within midbrain reward circuitry. Via this control, the LDT is positioned to be importantly involved in development of compulsive, addictive patterns of behavior. The goal of this review is to present the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral evidence suggesting a role of the LDT in the neurobiology underlying addiction to drugs of abuse. Although focus is directed on the evidence supporting a vital participation of the cholinergic neurons of the LDT, data indicating a contribution of noncholinergic LDT neurons to processes underlying addiction are also reviewed. While sparse, available information of actions of drugs of abuse on LDT cells and the output of these neurons as well as their influence on addiction-related behavior are also presented. Taken together, data from studies presented in this review strongly support the position that the LDT is a major player in the neurobiology of drug addiction. Accordingly, the LDT may serve as a future treatment target for efficacious pharmaceutical combat of drug addiction. PMID:24959564

  2. Photophysical and photochemical insights into the photodegradation of sulfapyridine in water: A joint experimental and theoretical study.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Heming; Wei, Xiaoxuan; Song, Xuedan; Shah, Shaheen; Chen, Jingwen; Liu, Jianhui; Hao, Ce; Chen, Zhongfang

    2018-01-01

    For organic pollutants, photodegradation, as a major abiotic elimination process and of great importance to the environmental fate and risk, involves rather complicated physical and chemical processes of excited molecules. Herein, we systematically studied the photophysical and photochemical processes of a widely used antibiotic, namely sulfapyridine. By means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, we examined the rate constants and the competition of both photophysical and photochemical processes, elucidated the photochemical reaction mechanism, calculated reaction quantum yield (Φ) based on both photophysical and photochemical processes, and subsequently estimated the photodegradation rate constant. We further conducted photolysis experiments to measure the photodegradation rate constant of sulfapyridine. Our computations showed that sulfapyridine at the lowest excited singlet state (S 1 ) mainly undergoes internal conversion to its ground state, and is difficult to transfer to the lowest excited triplet states (T 1 ) via intersystem crossing (ISC) and emit fluorescence. In T 1 state, compared with phosphorescence emission and ISC, chemical reaction is much easier to initiate. Encouragingly, the theoretically predicted photodegradation rate constant is close to the experimentally observed value, indicating that quantum chemistry computation is powerful enough to study photodegradation involving ultra-fast photophysical and photochemical processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Motivational Processes Underlying Substance Abuse Disorder.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Paul J; King, Christopher P; Ferrario, Carrie R

    2016-01-01

    Drug addiction is a syndrome of dysregulated motivation, evidenced by intense drug craving and compulsive drug-seeking behavior. In the search for 'common neurobiological substrates of addiction to different classes of drugs, behavioral neuroscientists have attempted to determine the neural basis for a number of motivational concepts and describe how they are changed by repeated drug use. Here, we describe these concepts and summarize previous work describing three major neural systems that play distinct roles in different conceptual aspects of motivation: (1) a nigrostriatal system that is involved in two forms of instrumental learning, (2) a ventral striatal system that is involved in Pavlovian incentive motivation and negative reinforcement, and (3) frontal cortical areas that regulate decision making and motivational processes. Within striatal systems, drug addiction can involve a transition from goal-oriented, incentive processes to automatic, habit-based responding. In the cortex, weak inhibitory control is a predisposing factor to, as well as a consequence of, repeated drug intake. However, these transitions are not absolute, and addiction can occur without a transition to habit-based responding, occurring as a result of the overvaluation of drug outcomes and hypersensitivity to incentive properties of drug-associated cues. Finally, we point out that addiction is not monolithic and can depend not only on individual differences between addicts, but also on the neurochernical action of specific drug classes.

  4. Woods Hole Image Processing System Software implementation; using NetCDF as a software interface for image processing

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Paskevich, Valerie F.

    1992-01-01

    The Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology has been involved in the collection, processing and digital mosaicking of high, medium and low-resolution side-scan sonar data during the past 6 years. In the past, processing and digital mosaicking has been accomplished with a dedicated, shore-based computer system. With the need to process sidescan data in the field with increased power and reduced cost of major workstations, a need to have an image processing package on a UNIX based computer system which could be utilized in the field as well as be more generally available to Branch personnel was identified. This report describes the initial development of that package referred to as the Woods Hole Image Processing System (WHIPS). The software was developed using the Unidata NetCDF software interface to allow data to be more readily portable between different computer operating systems.

  5. Preliminary System Analysis of In Situ Resource Utilization for Mars Human Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rapp, Donald; Andringa, Jason; Easter, Robert; Smith, Jeffrey H .; Wilson, Thomas; Clark, D. Larry; Payne, Kevin

    2005-01-01

    We carried out a system analysis of processes for utilization of Mars resources to support human exploration of Mars by production of propellants from indigenous resources. Seven ISRU processes were analyzed to determine mass. power and propellant storage volume requirements. The major elements of each process include C02 acquisition, chemical conversion, and storage of propellants. Based on a figure of merit (the ratio of the mass of propellants that must be brought from Earth in a non-ISRU mission to the mass of the ISRU system. tanks and feedstocks that must be brought from Earth for a ISRU mission) the most attractive process (by far); is one where indigenous Mars water is accessible and this is processed via Sabatier/Electrolysis to methane and oxygen. These processes are technically relatively mature. Other processes with positive leverage involve reverse water gas shift and solid oxide electrolysis.

  6. [Quality of sleep and selective attention in university students: descriptive cross-sectional study].

    PubMed

    Fontana, Silvia Alicia; Raimondi, Waldina; Rizzo, María Laura

    2014-09-05

    Sleep quality not only refers to sleeping well at night, but also includes appropriate daytime functioning. Poor quality of sleep can affect a variety of attention processes. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the relationship between the perceived quality of sleep and selective focus in a group of college students. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a group of 52 Argentinian college students of the Universidad Adventista del Plata. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Continuous Performance Test and the Trail Making Test were applied. The main results indicate that students sleep an average of 6.48 hours. Generally half of the population tested had a good quality of sleep. However, the dispersion seen in some components demonstrates the heterogeneity of the sample in these variables. It was observed that the evaluated attention processes yielded different levels of alteration in the total sample: major variability in the process of process and in the divided-attention processes were detected. A lower percentage of alteration was observed in the process of attention support. Poor quality of sleep has more impact in the sub processes with greater participation of corticocortical circuits (selective and divided attention) and greater involvement of the prefrontal cortex. Fewer difficulties were found in the attention-support processes that rely on subcortical regions and have less frontal involvement.

  7. Parental Involvement and Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders: Perspectives from Residents in Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Marcon, Tamara Davidson; Girz, Laura; Stillar, Amanda; Tessier, Carole; Lafrance, Adele

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Best practice guidelines encourage the involvement of parents in the assessment and treatment of child/adolescent eating disorders (ED). This study investigated medical residents’ perspectives regarding parental involvement as well as their expectations for future practice in the assessment and treatment of ED. Method Five hundred and eighty-four medical residents from 17 Canadian residency programs specializing in family medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry completed a web-based survey. Questions pertained to assessment and treatment practices for child/adolescent ED. Analyses included ANOVAs, paired t-tests, and, for residents who endorsed family involvement (N = 444), qualitative content analysis. Results Overall, residents reported that they “mostly” agreed with the involvement of family in the assessment and treatment of ED. Residents’ endorsement of family involvement in both domains increased according to the extent of ED training received. Four major themes emerged from the content analysis of family involvement and included recommendations in line with evidence-based models and unspecified, passive involvement in the assessment and recovery process. Conclusions Many residents endorse family involvement in both assessment and treatment; however, understanding of the nature of such involvement is often vague. Training in evidence-based protocols is necessary for residents planning to engage in multi-disciplinary assessment, referral, and/or treatment in their future practice. PMID:28747930

  8. Process and domain specificity in regions engaged for face processing: an fMRI study of perceptual differentiation.

    PubMed

    Collins, Heather R; Zhu, Xun; Bhatt, Ramesh S; Clark, Jonathan D; Joseph, Jane E

    2012-12-01

    The degree to which face-specific brain regions are specialized for different kinds of perceptual processing is debated. This study parametrically varied demands on featural, first-order configural, or second-order configural processing of faces and houses in a perceptual matching task to determine the extent to which the process of perceptual differentiation was selective for faces regardless of processing type (domain-specific account), specialized for specific types of perceptual processing regardless of category (process-specific account), engaged in category-optimized processing (i.e., configural face processing or featural house processing), or reflected generalized perceptual differentiation (i.e., differentiation that crosses category and processing type boundaries). ROIs were identified in a separate localizer run or with a similarity regressor in the face-matching runs. The predominant principle accounting for fMRI signal modulation in most regions was generalized perceptual differentiation. Nearly all regions showed perceptual differentiation for both faces and houses for more than one processing type, even if the region was identified as face-preferential in the localizer run. Consistent with process specificity, some regions showed perceptual differentiation for first-order processing of faces and houses (right fusiform face area and occipito-temporal cortex and right lateral occipital complex), but not for featural or second-order processing. Somewhat consistent with domain specificity, the right inferior frontal gyrus showed perceptual differentiation only for faces in the featural matching task. The present findings demonstrate that the majority of regions involved in perceptual differentiation of faces are also involved in differentiation of other visually homogenous categories.

  9. Process- and Domain-Specificity in Regions Engaged for Face Processing: An fMRI Study of Perceptual Differentiation

    PubMed Central

    Collins, Heather R.; Zhu, Xun; Bhatt, Ramesh S.; Clark, Jonathan D.; Joseph, Jane E.

    2015-01-01

    The degree to which face-specific brain regions are specialized for different kinds of perceptual processing is debated. The present study parametrically varied demands on featural, first-order configural or second-order configural processing of faces and houses in a perceptual matching task to determine the extent to which the process of perceptual differentiation was selective for faces regardless of processing type (domain-specific account), specialized for specific types of perceptual processing regardless of category (process-specific account), engaged in category-optimized processing (i.e., configural face processing or featural house processing) or reflected generalized perceptual differentiation (i.e. differentiation that crosses category and processing type boundaries). Regions of interest were identified in a separate localizer run or with a similarity regressor in the face-matching runs. The predominant principle accounting for fMRI signal modulation in most regions was generalized perceptual differentiation. Nearly all regions showed perceptual differentiation for both faces and houses for more than one processing type, even if the region was identified as face-preferential in the localizer run. Consistent with process-specificity, some regions showed perceptual differentiation for first-order processing of faces and houses (right fusiform face area and occipito-temporal cortex, and right lateral occipital complex), but not for featural or second-order processing. Somewhat consistent with domain-specificity, the right inferior frontal gyrus showed perceptual differentiation only for faces in the featural matching task. The present findings demonstrate that the majority of regions involved in perceptual differentiation of faces are also involved in differentiation of other visually homogenous categories. PMID:22849402

  10. Psychiatric aspects of chronic organic brain syndrome.

    PubMed

    Peterson, G C

    1976-11-01

    In chronic organic brain syndrome, or dementia, the patient generally retreats to simple, familiar situations and resists involvement in others. The symptoms represent both organic deficits due to brain damage and psychologic reactions to the deficits. Some causes are treatable. Because of progressive change in the total behavior of the patient, major rearrangement of life-style is often necessary. The physician should guide both patient and family in this process. Medication may also be helpful.

  11. Inventory of nanotechnology companies in Mexico

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Appelbaum, Richard; Zayago Lau, Edgar; Foladori, Guillermo; Parker, Rachel; Vazquez, Laura Liliana Villa; Belmont, Eduardo Robles; Figueroa, Edgar Ramón Arteaga

    2016-02-01

    This study presents an inventory of 139 nanotechnology companies in Mexico, identifying their geographic distribution, economic sector classification, and position in the nanotechnology value chain. We find that the principal economic sector of nanotechnology-engaged firms involves the manufacture of chemical products, which largely serve as means of production (primary or intermediate materials; instruments and equipment) for industrial processes. The methodology used in this analysis could be replicated in other countries without major modifications.

  12. Sampling and position effects in the Electronically Steered Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Katzberg, Stephen J.

    1993-01-01

    A simple engineering level model of the Electronically Steered Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR) is developed that allows an identification of the major effects of the sampling process involved with this technique. It is shown that the ESTAR approach is sensitive to aliasing and has a highly non-uniform sensitivity profile. It is further shown that the ESTAR approach is strongly sensitive to position displacements of the low-density sampling antenna elements.

  13. Interactions among conifer terpenoids and bark beetles across multiple levels of scale: An attempt to understand links between population patterns and physiological processes

    Treesearch

    Kenneth F. Raffa; Briah H. Aukema; Nadir Erbilgin; Kier D. Klepzig; Kimberly F. Wallin

    2005-01-01

    A major challenge confronting ecologists involves scaling up and down across various levels of biological organization. The ability to conduct such scaling is important, because there is often a gap between the level at which information is most needed or best described versus the level at which it is most reliably generated or best explained. Many patterns are most...

  14. ARMY DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT CENTER: A DEMONSTRATION FOR THE NOMINATIVE COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR POSITION

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-16

    simulations, tests, and interviews) in a standardized process. The integrated results of these different assessments provide an indication of what ...is a deliberate approach to thinking about a situation and what to do. It involves thinking broadly, deeply, and into the future. Broad—seeing/making... what leaders can do and their potential to be successful in senior strategic roles. LDAC activities were divided into three segments, which are

  15. Implementation of dictionary pair learning algorithm for image quality improvement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vimala, C.; Aruna Priya, P.

    2018-04-01

    This paper proposes an image denoising on dictionary pair learning algorithm. Visual information is transmitted in the form of digital images is becoming a major method of communication in the modern age, but the image obtained after transmissions is often corrupted with noise. The received image needs processing before it can be used in applications. Image denoising involves the manipulation of the image data to produce a visually high quality image.

  16. Transcriptional mutagenesis: causes and involvement in tumor development

    PubMed Central

    Brégeon, Damien; Doetsch, Paul W.

    2013-01-01

    The majority of normal cells in a human do not multiply continuously but are quiescent and devote most of their energy to gene transcription. When DNA damages in the transcribed strand of an active gene are bypassed by an RNA polymerase, they can miscode at the damaged site and produce mutant transcripts. This process known as transcriptional mutagenesis can lead to the production of mutant proteins that could be important in tumor development. PMID:21346784

  17. A Study on Low-Cost Case Hardening of Mild and Alloy Steels Utilizing Cassava Leaf Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gordon, Renee Erica

    Conventional case hardening processes have major drawbacks in being expensive and hazardous to perform. A novel cyaniding technique has been developed to case harden steel which involves the use of cassava leaf. Cassava is ideal for use in this process as it contains varying degrees of cyanogenic glucoside (15-1000 mg of HCN per kg of cassava). The entire hardening process involves direct thermal decomposition of the HCN, which produced C and N gas that then diffused into the steel creating a hardened surface. Pulverized cassava leaf was involved in the pack-cyaniding of AISI 1018 and Nitralloy 135 within three varying process atmospheres. The use of barium carbonate (BaCO3) as an energizer was employed at the high temperature regime while barium chloride (BaCl2) was utilized at low temperatures. Vickers microhardness testing, microstructural characterization, and diffraction techniques were utilized for analysis. While no improvement was observed at low temperatures, processing within the high temperature regime showed significant hardening. The addition of BaCO3 to pulverized cassava leaf accelerated the hardening process by substantially increasing the resident surface microhardness while generating a shallow case layer distance. Diffusion theory was used to identify changes experienced with the variation in parameters. The presence of barium carbonate during processing decreased the diffusivity of hardening agents. This manifested in a very large, initial mass transfer of diffusing species localized in the case region followed by a minimum of any further increase in case depths, even as treatment time intervals were increased. The level of influence each parameter delivered was assessed using stepwise regression analysis and a unified model was constructed.

  18. Sulfur metabolism in Escherichia coli and related bacteria: facts and fiction.

    PubMed

    Sekowska, A; Kung, H F; Danchin, A

    2000-04-01

    Living organisms are composed of macromolecules made of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. Much work has been devoted to the metabolism of the first five elements, but much remains to be understood about sulfur metabolism. We review here the situation in Escherichia coli and related bacteria, where more than one hundred genes involved in sulfur metabolism have already been discovered in this organism. Examination of the genome suggests that many more will be found, especially genes involved in regulation, scavenging of sulfur containing molecules and synthesis of coenzymes or prosthetic groups. Furthermore, the involvement of methionine as the universal start of proteins as well as that of its derivative S-adenosylmethionine in a vast variety of cell processes argue in favour of a major importance of sulfur metabolism in all organisms.

  19. Cause and Prevention of Explosions Involving DC Casting of Aluminum Sheet Ingot

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richter, Ray T.; Ekenes, J. Martin

    The casting of aluminum alloy sheet ingot and T-bar presents the potential for some of the most volatile situations that can occur in DC (direct chill) and EMC (Electromagnetic) casting processes. Aluminum Association explosion incident data from over 300 explosions spanning a twenty-year period were reviewed and analyzed looking for common factors and repetitive reasons for explosions. Analysis of explosions occurring during the three stages of sheet ingot casting, `start of cast', `steady state' and `end of cast', were examined and prioritized. Case studies illustrate the need for understanding both technical and non-technical factors contributing to explosions involving molten metal. This paper identifies the major causes of explosions involving DC casting of aluminum alloy sheet ingot and makes recommendations for how to prevent the recurrence of such events and minimize the risk of injury.

  20. The structure of tubulin-binding cofactor A from Leishmania major infers a mode of association during the early stages of microtubule assembly

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

    Barrack, Keri L.; Fyfe, Paul K.; Hunter, William N., E-mail: w.n.hunter@dundee.ac.uk

    The structure of a tubulin-binding cofactor from L. major is reported and compared with yeast, plant and human orthologues. Tubulin-binding cofactor A (TBCA) participates in microtubule formation, a key process in eukaryotic biology to create the cytoskeleton. There is little information on how TBCA might interact with β-tubulin en route to microtubule biogenesis. To address this, the protozoan Leishmania major was targeted as a model system. The crystal structure of TBCA and comparisons with three orthologous proteins are presented. The presence of conserved features infers that electrostatic interactions that are likely to involve the C-terminal tail of β-tubulin are keymore » to association. This study provides a reagent and template to support further work in this area.« less

  1. Teaching laboratory neuroscience at bowdoin: the laboratory instructor perspective.

    PubMed

    Hauptman, Stephen; Curtis, Nancy

    2009-01-01

    Bowdoin College is a small liberal arts college that offers a comprehensive Neuroscience major. The laboratory experience is an integral part of the major, and many students progress through three stages. A core course offers a survey of concepts and techniques. Four upper-level courses function to give students more intensive laboratory research experience in neurophysiology, molecular neurobiology, social behavior, and learning and memory. Finally, many majors choose to work in the individual research labs of the Neuroscience faculty. We, as laboratory instructors, are vital to the process, and are actively involved in all aspects of the lab-based courses. We provide student instruction in state of the art techniques in neuroscience research. By sharing laboratory teaching responsibilities with course professors, we help to prepare students for careers in laboratory neuroscience and also support and facilitate faculty research programs.

  2. Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

    PubMed Central

    Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K.; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S.

    2018-01-01

    Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the problems associated with the conventional processes. The mechanisms of reaction pathways, selectivity and efficiency of end-products obtained using greener processes such as ozonolysis, photocatalysis, oxidative catalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, as applied to depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass are summarized with deliberation on future prospects of biorefineries with greener pretreatment processes in the context of the life cycle assessment. PMID:29755972

  3. Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals.

    PubMed

    Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S

    2018-01-01

    Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the problems associated with the conventional processes. The mechanisms of reaction pathways, selectivity and efficiency of end-products obtained using greener processes such as ozonolysis, photocatalysis, oxidative catalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, as applied to depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass are summarized with deliberation on future prospects of biorefineries with greener pretreatment processes in the context of the life cycle assessment.

  4. Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K.; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S.

    2018-04-01

    Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the problems associated with the conventional processes. The mechanisms of reaction pathways, selectivity and efficiency of end-products obtained using greener processes such as ozonolysis, photocatalysis, oxidative catalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, as applied to depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass are summarized with deliberation on future prospects of biorefineries with greener pretreatment processes in the context of the life cycle assessment.

  5. Semi-empirical quantum evaluation of peptide - MHC class II binding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González, Ronald; Suárez, Carlos F.; Bohórquez, Hugo J.; Patarroyo, Manuel A.; Patarroyo, Manuel E.

    2017-01-01

    Peptide presentation by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a key process for triggering a specific immune response. Studying peptide-MHC (pMHC) binding from a structural-based approach has potential for reducing the costs of investigation into vaccine development. This study involved using two semi-empirical quantum chemistry methods (PM7 and FMO-DFTB) for computing the binding energies of peptides bonded to HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR2. We found that key stabilising water molecules involved in the peptide binding mechanism were required for finding high correlation with IC50 experimental values. Our proposal is computationally non-intensive, and is a reliable alternative for studying pMHC binding interactions.

  6. Orbital construction support equipment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1977-01-01

    Approximately 200 separate construction steps were defined for the three solar power satellite (SPS) concepts. Detailed construction scenarios were developed which describe the specific tasks to be accomplished, and identify general equipment requirements. The scenarios were used to perform a functional analysis, which resulted in the definition of 100 distinct SPS elements. These elements are the components, parts, subsystems, or assemblies upon which construction activities take place. The major SPS elements for each configuration are shown. For those elements, 300 functional requirements were identified in seven generic processes. Cumulatively, these processes encompass all functions required during SPS construction/assembly. Individually each process is defined such that it includes a specific type of activity. Each SPS element may involve activities relating to any or all of the generic processes. The processes are listed, and examples of the requirements defined for a typical element are given.

  7. RNAi screen in Drosophila larvae identifies histone deacetylase 3 as a positive regulator of the hsp70 heat shock gene expression during heat shock.

    PubMed

    Achary, Bhavana G; Campbell, Katie M; Co, Ivy S; Gilmour, David S

    2014-05-01

    The transcription regulation of the Drosophila hsp70 gene is a complex process that involves the regulation of multiple steps, including the establishment of paused Pol II and release of Pol II into elongation upon heat shock activation. While the major players involved in the regulation of gene expression have been studied in detail, additional factors involved in this process continue to be discovered. To identify factors involved in hsp70 expression, we developed a screen that capitalizes on a visual assessment of heat shock activation using a hsp70-beta galactosidase reporter and publicly available RNAi fly lines to deplete candidate proteins. We validated the screen by showing that the depletion of HSF, CycT, Cdk9, Nurf 301, or ELL prevented the full induction of hsp70 by heat shock. Our screen also identified the histone deacetylase HDAC3 and its associated protein SMRTER as positive regulators of hsp70 activation. Additionally, we show that HDAC3 and SMRTER contribute to hsp70 gene expression at a step subsequent to HSF-mediated activation and release of the paused Pol II that resides at the promoter prior to heat shock induction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. The Experience of Older People in the Shared Decision-Making Process in Advanced Kidney Care

    PubMed Central

    Jenkins, Karen; McManus, Breeda; Gracey, Brian

    2016-01-01

    Introduction. This qualitative descriptive study was designed to understand the experiences of older people (>70 years) when making a decision about renal replacement therapy. This was a coproduced study, whereby patients and carers were involved in all aspects of the research process. Methods. A Patient and Carer Group undertook volunteer and research training. The group developed the interview questions and interviewed 29 people who had commenced dialysis or made a decision not to have dialysis. Interview data were transcribed and analysed, and common themes were identified. Results. 22 men and 7 women (mean age 77.4 yrs) from two hospitals were interviewed. 18 had chosen haemodialysis, 6 peritoneal dialysis, and 5 supportive care. The majority of patients were involved in the dialysis decision. Most were satisfied with the amount of information that they received, although some identified that the quality of the information could be improved, especially how daily living can be affected by dialysis. Conclusion. Our findings show that overall older patients were involved in the dialysis decision along with their families. Our approach is innovative because it is the first time that patients and carers have been involved in a coproduced study about shared decision-making. PMID:27990438

  9. Targeting Iron Homeostasis in Acute Kidney Injury

    PubMed Central

    Walker, Vyvyca J.; Agarwal, Anupam

    2017-01-01

    Summary Iron is an essential metal involved in several major cellular processes required to maintain life. Because of iron’s ability to cause oxidative damage, its transport, metabolism, and storage is strictly controlled in the body, especially in the small intestine, liver, and kidney. Iron plays a major role in acute kidney injury and has been a target for therapeutic intervention. However, the therapies that have been effective in animal models of acute kidney injury have not been successful in human beings. Targeting iron trafficking via ferritin, ferroportin, or hepcidin may offer new insights. This review focuses on the biology of iron, particularly in the kidney, and its implications in acute kidney injury. PMID:27085736

  10. Motivation related to work: A century of progress.

    PubMed

    Kanfer, Ruth; Frese, Michael; Johnson, Russell E

    2017-03-01

    Work motivation is a topic of crucial importance to the success of organizations and societies and the well-being of individuals. We organize the work motivation literature over the last century using a meta-framework that clusters theories, findings, and advances in the field according to their primary focus on (a) motives, traits, and motivation orientations (content); (b) features of the job, work role, and broader environment (context); or (c) the mechanisms and processes involved in choice and striving (process). Our integrative review reveals major achievements in the field, including more precise mapping of the psychological inputs and operations involved in motivation and broadened conceptions of the work environment. Cross-cutting trends over the last century include the primacy of goals, the importance of goal striving processes, and a more nuanced conceptualization of work motivation as a dynamic, goal-directed, resource allocation process that unfolds over the related variables of time, experience, and place. Across the field, advances in methodology and measurement have improved the match between theory and research. Ten promising directions for future research are described and field experiments are suggested as a useful means of bridging the research-practice gap. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. New procedures of ergonomics design in a large oil company.

    PubMed

    Alhadeff, Cynthia Mossé; Silva, Rosana Fernandes da; Reis, Márcia Sales dos

    2012-01-01

    This study presents the challenge involved in the negotiation and construction of a standard process in a major petroleum company that has the purpose of guiding the implementation of ergonomic studies in the development of projects, systemising the implementation of ergonomics design. The standard was created by a multi-disciplinary working group consisting of specialists in ergonomics, who work in a number of different areas of the company. The objective was to guide "how to" undertake ergonomics in all projects, taking into consideration the development of the ergonomic appraisals of work. It also established that all the process, in each project phase, should be accompanied by a specialist in ergonomics. This process as an innovation in the conception of projects in this company, signals a change of culture, and, for this reason requires broad dissemination throughout the several company leadership levels, and training of professionals in projects of ergonomics design. An implementation plan was also prepared and approved by the corporate governance, complementing the proposed challenge. In this way, this major oil company will implement new procedures of ergonomics design to promote health, safety, and wellbeing of the workforce, besides improving the performance and reliability of its systems and processes.

  12. Factors promoting a successful return to work: from an employer and employee perspective.

    PubMed

    Jakobsen, Klara; Lillefjell, Monica

    2014-01-01

    Efforts have been made to explain the inability to return to work (RTW) due to employees' chronic musculoskeletal pain. Knowledge of factors facilitating the RTW process is however still limited. Based on the experiences of employees and employers, this study aims to identify factors promoting a successful return process for persons with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The findings from interviews, involving six employees with musculoskeletal pain, and five employers with various work experience, were analysed by Giorgi's phenomenological analysis through four stages. The major themes underlying the employees' comments for a successful RTW were identifying and mobilizing their personal resources, adapting a balanced daily life, and requiring a positive dialogue with family and their employer, while the employers underlined the need for a helpful adjustment at work and how they wanted to become more involved in the rehabilitation process. In conclusion our findings underline the need for extended collaboration between the employees, employer, and rehabilitation staff, and should encourage occupational therapists to direct even more of their expertise towards the situation at the workplace.

  13. Component-Level Electronic-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) System Architecture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oeftering, Richard C.; Bradish, Martin A.; Juergens, Jeffrey R.; Lewis, Michael J.; Vrnak, Daniel R.

    2011-01-01

    This document captures the system architecture for a Component-Level Electronic-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) capability needed for electronics maintenance and repair of the Constellation Program (CxP). CLEAR is intended to improve flight system supportability and reduce the mass of spares required to maintain the electronics of human rated spacecraft on long duration missions. By necessity it allows the crew to make repairs that would otherwise be performed by Earth based repair depots. Because of practical knowledge and skill limitations of small spaceflight crews they must be augmented by Earth based support crews and automated repair equipment. This system architecture covers the complete system from ground-user to flight hardware and flight crew and defines an Earth segment and a Space segment. The Earth Segment involves database management, operational planning, and remote equipment programming and validation processes. The Space Segment involves the automated diagnostic, test and repair equipment required for a complete repair process. This document defines three major subsystems including, tele-operations that links the flight hardware to ground support, highly reconfigurable diagnostics and test instruments, and a CLEAR Repair Apparatus that automates the physical repair process.

  14. Abnormalities of peptide metabolism in Alzheimer disease.

    PubMed

    Panchal, Maï; Rholam, Mohamed; Brakch, Noureddine

    2004-10-01

    The steady-state level of peptide hormones represents a balance between their biosynthesis and proteolytic processing by convertases and their catabolism by proteolytic enzymes. Low levels of neuropeptide Y, somatostatin and corticotropin-releasing factor, described in Alzheimer disease (AD), were related to a defect in proteolytic processing of their protein precursors. In contrast the abundance of beta-amyloid peptides, the major protein constituents of senile plaques is likely related to inefficient catabolism. Therefore, attention is mainly focused on convertases that generate active peptides and counter-regulatory proteases that are involved in their catabolism. Some well-described proteases such as NEP are thought to be involved in beta-amyloid catabolism. The search of other possible candidates represents a primary effort in the field. A variety of vascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and arteriosclerosis suggest that the functional vascular defect contributes to AD pathology. It has also been described that beta-amyloid peptides potentiate endothelin-1 induced vasoconstriction. In this review, we will critically evaluate evidence relating proteases implicated in amyloid protein precursor proteolytic processing and beta-amyloid catabolism.

  15. The anaerobic digestion process

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

    Rivard, C.J.; Boone, D.R.

    1996-01-01

    The microbial process of converting organic matter into methane and carbon dioxide is so complex that anaerobic digesters have long been treated as {open_quotes}black boxes.{close_quotes} Research into this process during the past few decades has gradually unraveled this complexity, but many questions remain. The major biochemical reactions for forming methane by methanogens are largely understood, and evolutionary studies indicate that these microbes are as different from bacteria as they are from plants and animals. In anaerobic digesters, methanogens are at the terminus of a metabolic web, in which the reactions of myriads of other microbes produce a very limited rangemore » of compounds - mainly acetate, hydrogen, and formate - on which the methanogens grow and from which they form methane. {open_quotes}Interspecies hydrogen-transfer{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}interspecies formate-transfer{close_quotes} are major mechanisms by which methanogens obtain their substrates and by which volatile fatty acids are degraded. Present understanding of these reactions and other complex interactions among the bacteria involved in anaerobic digestion is only now to the point where anaerobic digesters need no longer be treated as black boxes.« less

  16. Genomic polymorphism, recombination, and linkage disequilibrium in human major histocompatibility complex-encoded antigen-processing genes.

    PubMed Central

    van Endert, P M; Lopez, M T; Patel, S D; Monaco, J J; McDevitt, H O

    1992-01-01

    Recently, two subunits of a large cytosolic protease and two putative peptide transporter proteins were found to be encoded by genes within the class II region of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). These genes have been suggested to be involved in the processing of antigenic proteins for presentation by MHC class I molecules. Because of the high degree of polymorphism in MHC genes, and previous evidence for both functional and polypeptide sequence polymorphism in the proteins encoded by the antigen-processing genes, we tested DNA from 27 consanguineous human cell lines for genomic polymorphism by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. These studies demonstrate a strong linkage disequilibrium between TAP1 and LMP2 RFLPs. Moreover, RFLPs, as well as a polymorphic stop codon in the telomeric TAP2 gene, appear to be in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DR alleles and RFLPs in the HLA-DO gene. A high rate of recombination, however, seems to occur in the center of the complex, between the TAP1 and TAP2 genes. Images PMID:1360671

  17. Control of metallic corrosion through microbiological route.

    PubMed

    Maruthamuthu, S; Ponmariappan, S; Mohanan, S; Palaniswamy, N; Palaniappan, R; Rengaswamy, N S

    2003-09-01

    Involvement of biofilm or microorganisms in corrosion processes is widely acknowledged. Although majority of the studies on microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) have concentrated on aerobic/anaerobic bacteria. There are numerous aerobic bacteria, which could hinder the corrosion process. The microbiologically produced exopolymers provide the structural frame work for the biofilm. These polymers combine with dissolved metal ions and form organometallic complexes. Generally heterotrophic bacteria contribute to three major processes: (i) synthesis of polymers (ii) accumulation of reserve materials like poly-beta-hydroxy butrate (iii) production of high molecular weight extracellular polysaccharides. Poly-beta-hydroxy butyrate is a polymer of D(-)beta-hydroxy butrate and has a molecular weight between 60,000 and 2,50,000. Some extracellular polymers also have higher molecular weights. It seems that higher molecular weight polymer acts as biocoating. In the present review, role of biochemistry on corrosion inhibition and possibilities of corrosion inhibition by various microbes are discussed. The role of bacteria on current demand during cathodic protection is also debated. In addition, some of the significant contributions made by CECRI in this promising area are highlighted.

  18. The Immortal Senescence.

    PubMed

    Bianchi-Smiraglia, Anna; Lipchick, Brittany C; Nikiforov, Mikhail A

    2017-01-01

    Activation of oncogenic signaling paradoxically results in the permanent withdrawal from cell cycle and induction of senescence (oncogene-induced senescence (OIS)). OIS is a fail-safe mechanism used by the cells to prevent uncontrolled tumor growth, and, as such, it is considered as the first barrier against cancer. In order to progress, tumor cells thus need to first overcome the senescent phenotype. Despite the increasing attention gained by OIS in the past 20 years, this field is still rather young due to continuous emergence of novel pathways and processes involved in OIS. Among the many factors contributing to incomplete understanding of OIS are the lack of unequivocal markers for senescence and the complexity of the phenotypes revealed by senescent cells in vivo and in vitro. OIS has been shown to play major roles at both the cellular and organismal levels in biological processes ranging from embryonic development to barrier to cancer progression. Here we will briefly outline major advances in methodologies that are being utilized for induction, identification, and characterization of molecular processes in cells undergoing oncogene-induced senescence. The full description of such methodologies is provided in the corresponding chapters of the book.

  19. What pharmacological interventions indicate concerning the role of the perirhinal cortex in recognition memory

    PubMed Central

    Brown, M.W.; Barker, G.R.I.; Aggleton, J.P.; Warburton, E.C.

    2012-01-01

    Findings of pharmacological studies that have investigated the involvement of specific regions of the brain in recognition memory are reviewed. The particular emphasis of the review concerns what such studies indicate concerning the role of the perirhinal cortex in recognition memory. Most of the studies involve rats and most have investigated recognition memory for objects. Pharmacological studies provide a large body of evidence supporting the essential role of the perirhinal cortex in the acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of object recognition memory. Such studies provide increasingly detailed evidence concerning both the neurotransmitter systems and the underlying intracellular mechanisms involved in recognition memory processes. They have provided evidence in support of synaptic weakening as a major synaptic plastic process within perirhinal cortex underlying object recognition memory. They have also supplied confirmatory evidence that that there is more than one synaptic plastic process involved. The demonstrated necessity to long-term recognition memory of intracellular signalling mechanisms related to synaptic modification within perirhinal cortex establishes a central role for the region in the information storage underlying such memory. Perirhinal cortex is thereby established as an information storage site rather than solely a processing station. Pharmacological studies have also supplied new evidence concerning the detailed roles of other regions, including the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex in different types of recognition memory tasks that include a spatial or temporal component. In so doing, they have also further defined the contribution of perirhinal cortex to such tasks. To date it appears that the contribution of perirhinal cortex to associative and temporal order memory reflects that in simple object recognition memory, namely that perirhinal cortex provides information concerning objects and their prior occurrence (novelty/familiarity). PMID:22841990

  20. Hemispheric involvement in the processing of Chinese idioms: An fMRI study.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jie; Li, Ping; Fang, Xiaoping; Shu, Hua; Liu, Youyi; Chen, Lang

    2016-07-01

    Although the left hemisphere is believed to handle major language functions, the role of the right hemisphere in language comprehension remains controversial. Recently researchers have investigated hemispheric language processing with figurative language materials (e.g., metaphors, jokes, and idioms). The current study capitalizes on the pervasiveness and distinct features of Chinese idioms to examine the brain mechanism of figurative language processing. Native Chinese speakers performed a non-semantic task while reading opaque idioms, transparent idioms, and non-idiomatic literal phrases. Whole-brain analyses indicated strong activations for all three conditions in an overlapping brain network that includes the bilateral inferior/middle frontal gyrus and the temporo-parietal and occipital-temporal regions. The two idiom conditions elicited additional activations in the right superior parietal lobule and right precuneus. Item-based modulation analyses further demonstrated that activation amplitudes in the right angular gyrus, right superior parietal lobule and right precuneus, as well as left inferior temporo-occipital cortex, are negatively correlated with the semantic transparency of the idioms. These results suggest that both hemispheres are involved in idiom processing but they play different roles. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of theories of figurative language processing and hemispheric functions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Athletic Trainers' Attitudes Toward Drug Screening of Intercollegiate Athletes

    PubMed Central

    Starkey, Chad; Abdenour, Thomas E.; Finnane, David

    1994-01-01

    Since the inception of NCAA-mandated drug screening in 1986, college athletic trainers have found themselves involved at various levels in institutional drug-screening programs. Several legal, moral, and ethical questions have been raised regarding the drug screening of college athletes, and studies have been conducted to rate athletes' attitudes toward this practice. We examined the responses of certified athletic trainers employed in college settings to ascertain their attitudes toward the drug screening of athletes in general, and, specifically, how they view their role in this process. Surveys were distributed to 500 college athletic trainers randomly selected from the membership database maintained by the National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc (Dallas, TX). The results of this survey indicate that the majority of athletic trainers feel that their association with the drug-screening process places them in the dual role of police and counselor, but that this relationship does not negatively affect their rapport with their athletes. Opinions regarding the drug-screening process and the importance of education in deterring drug use are somewhat dependent upon the athletic trainer's involvement in the drug-screening process. Athletic trainers possess a stronger desire to serve as resource persons who organize substance abuse education programs rather than serving as administrators of the sampling process. PMID:16558274

  2. Criteria for identifying the molecular basis of the engram (CaMKII, PKMzeta).

    PubMed

    Lisman, John

    2017-11-29

    The engram refers to the molecular changes by which a memory is stored in the brain. Substantial evidence suggests that memory involves learning-dependent changes at synapses, a process termed long-term potentiation (LTP). Thus, understanding the storages process that underlies LTP may provide insight into how the engram is stored. LTP involves induction, maintenance (storage), and expression sub-processes; special tests are required to specifically reveal properties of the storage process. The strongest of these is the Erasure test in which a transiently applied agent that attacks a putative storage molecule may lead to persistent erasure of previously induced LTP/memory. Two major hypotheses have been proposed for LTP/memory storage: the CaMKII and PKM-zeta hypotheses. After discussing the tests that can be used to identify the engram (Necessity test, Saturation/Occlusion test, Erasure test), the status of these hypotheses is evaluated, based on the literature on LTP and memory-guided behavior. Review of the literature indicates that all three tests noted above support the CaMKII hypothesis when done at both the LTP level and at the behavioral level. Taken together, the results strongly suggest that the engram is stored by an LTP process in which CaMKII is a critical memory storage molecule.

  3. Processing of the precursor of protamine P2 in mouse. Peptide mapping and N-terminal sequence analysis of intermediates.

    PubMed Central

    Carré-Eusèbe, D; Lederer, F; Lê, K H; Elsevier, S M

    1991-01-01

    Protamine P2, the major basic chromosomal protein of mouse spermatozoa, is synthesized as a precursor almost twice as long as the mature protein, its extra length arising from an N-terminal extension of 44 amino acid residues. This precursor is integrated into chromatin of spermatids, and the extension is processed during chromatin condensation in the haploid cells. We have studied processing in the mouse and have identified two intermediates generated by proteolytic cleavage of the precursor. H.p.l.c. separated protamine P2 from four other spermatid proteins, including the precursor and three proteins known to possess physiological characteristics expected of processing intermediates. Peptide mapping indicated that all of these proteins were structurally similar. Two major proteins were further purified by PAGE, transferred to poly(vinylidene difluoride) membranes and submitted to automated N-terminal sequence analysis. Both sequences were found within the deduced sequence of the precursor extension. The N-terminus of the larger intermediate, PP2C, was Gly-12, whereas the N-terminus of the smaller, PP2D, was His-21. Both processing sites involved a peptide bond in which the carbonyl function was contributed by an acidic amino acid. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 3. Fig. 4. PMID:1854346

  4. Development of the GPM Observatory Thermal Vacuum Test Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, Kan; Peabody, Hume

    2012-01-01

    A software-based thermal modeling process was documented for generating the thermal panel settings necessary to simulate worst-case on-orbit flight environments in an observatory-level thermal vacuum test setup. The method for creating such a thermal model involved four major steps: (1) determining the major thermal zones for test as indicated by the major dissipating components on the spacecraft, then mapping the major heat flows between these components; (2) finding the flight equivalent sink temperatures for these test thermal zones; (3) determining the thermal test ground support equipment (GSE) design and initial thermal panel settings based on the equivalent sink temperatures; and (4) adjusting the panel settings in the test model to match heat flows and temperatures with the flight model. The observatory test thermal model developed from this process allows quick predictions of the performance of the thermal vacuum test design. In this work, the method described above was applied to the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core observatory spacecraft, a joint project between NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) which is currently being integrated at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for launch in Early 2014. From preliminary results, the thermal test model generated from this process shows that the heat flows and temperatures match fairly well with the flight thermal model, indicating that the test model can simulate fairly accurately the conditions on-orbit. However, further analysis is needed to determine the best test configuration possible to validate the GPM thermal design before the start of environmental testing later this year. Also, while this analysis method has been applied solely to GPM, it should be emphasized that the same process can be applied to any mission to develop an effective test setup and panel settings which accurately simulate on-orbit thermal environments.

  5. Relationship between cardiac vagal activity and mood congruent memory bias in major depression.

    PubMed

    Garcia, Ronald G; Valenza, Gaetano; Tomaz, Carlos A; Barbieri, Riccardo

    2016-01-15

    Previous studies suggest that autonomic reactivity during encoding of emotional information could modulate the neural processes mediating mood-congruent memory. In this study, we use a point-process model to determine dynamic autonomic tone in response to negative emotions and its influence on long-term memory of major depressed subjects. Forty-eight patients with major depression and 48 healthy controls were randomly assigned to either neutral or emotionally arousing audiovisual stimuli. An adaptive point-process algorithm was applied to compute instantaneous estimates of the spectral components of heart rate variability [Low frequency (LF), 0.04-0.15 Hz; High frequency (HF), 0.15-0.4 Hz]. Three days later subjects were submitted to a recall test. A significant increase in HF power was observed in depressed subjects in response to the emotionally arousing stimulus (p=0.03). The results of a multivariate analysis revealed that the HF power during the emotional segment of the stimulus was independently associated with the score of the recall test in depressed subjects, after adjusting for age, gender and educational level (Coef. 0.003, 95%CI, 0.0009-0.005, p=0.008). These results could only be interpreted as responses to elicitation of specific negative emotions, the relationship between HF changes and encoding/recall of positive stimuli should be further examined. Alterations on parasympathetic response to emotion are involved in the mood-congruent cognitive bias observed in major depression. These findings are clinically relevant because it could constitute the mechanism by which depressed patients maintain maladaptive patterns of negative information processing that trigger and sustain depressed mood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. The Situation-Specific Theory of Heart Failure Self-Care: Revised and Updated.

    PubMed

    Riegel, Barbara; Dickson, Victoria Vaughan; Faulkner, Kenneth M

    2016-01-01

    Since the situation-specific theory of heart failure (HF) self-care was published in 2008, we have learned much about how and why patients with HF take care of themselves. This knowledge was used to revise and update the theory. The purpose of this article was to describe the revised, updated situation-specific theory of HF self-care. Three major revisions were made to the existing theory: (1) a new theoretical concept reflecting the process of symptom perception was added; (2) each self-care process now involves both autonomous and consultative elements; and (3) a closer link between the self-care processes and the naturalistic decision-making process is described. In the revised theory, HF self-care is defined as a naturalistic decision-making process with person, problem, and environmental factors that influence the everyday decisions made by patients and the self-care actions taken. The first self-care process, maintenance, captures those behaviors typically referred to as treatment adherence. The second self-care process, symptom perception, involves body listening, monitoring signs, as well as recognition, interpretation, and labeling of symptoms. The third self-care process, management, is the response to symptoms when they occur. A total of 5 assumptions and 8 testable propositions are specified in this revised theory. Prior research illustrates that all 3 self-care processes (ie, maintenance, symptom perception, and management) are integral to self-care. Further research is greatly needed to identify how best to help patients become experts in HF self-care.

  7. Patterns of conservation and change in honey bee developmental genes

    PubMed Central

    Dearden, Peter K.; Wilson, Megan J.; Sablan, Lisha; Osborne, Peter W.; Havler, Melanie; McNaughton, Euan; Kimura, Kiyoshi; Milshina, Natalia V.; Hasselmann, Martin; Gempe, Tanja; Schioett, Morten; Brown, Susan J.; Elsik, Christine G.; Holland, Peter W.H.; Kadowaki, Tatsuhiko; Beye, Martin

    2006-01-01

    The current insect genome sequencing projects provide an opportunity to extend studies of the evolution of developmental genes and pathways in insects. In this paper we examine the conservation and divergence of genes and developmental processes between Drosophila and the honey bee; two holometabolous insects whose lineages separated ∼300 million years ago, by comparing the presence or absence of 308 Drosophila developmental genes in the honey bee. Through examination of the presence or absence of genes involved in conserved pathways (cell signaling, axis formation, segmentation and homeobox transcription factors), we find that the vast majority of genes are conserved. Some genes involved in these processes are, however, missing in the honey bee. We have also examined the orthology of Drosophila genes involved in processes that differ between the honey bee and Drosophila. Many of these genes are preserved in the honey bee despite the process in which they act in Drosophila being different or absent in the honey bee. Many of the missing genes in both situations appear to have arisen recently in the Drosophila lineage, have single known functions in Drosophila, and act early in developmental pathways, while those that are preserved have pleiotropic functions. An evolutionary interpretation of these data is that either genes with multiple functions in a common ancestor are more likely to be preserved in both insect lineages, or genes that are preserved throughout evolution are more likely to co-opt additional functions. PMID:17065607

  8. Role, perspective and knowledge of Iranian critical care nurses about breaking bad news.

    PubMed

    Imanipour, Masoomeh; Karim, Zahra; Bahrani, Naser

    2016-05-01

    Given the issue of caring critically ill patients, nurses are involved in the process of breaking bad news in critical care units, while little research has been conducted on this challenging issue. The purpose of this study was to determine the role, perspective and knowledge of Iranian critical care nurses regarding breaking bad news. This descriptive study was conducted on a sample of 160 nurses working in critical care units of hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Stratified and quota sampling methods were used. The data collection tool was a four-part questionnaire with validity and reliability confirmed via content validity and test-retest, respectively. The study showed that most critical care nurses were involved in breaking bad news, with different roles. The majority of participants (91.2%) had a positive attitude towards involvement of nurses in breaking bad news. In this study, 78.8% of nurses had moderate knowledge about how to break bad news, and only a few had good level of knowledge (16.2%). According to the findings, while critical care nurses took different roles in the process of breaking bad news and they had positive attitude towards participation in this process, yet their knowledge about this process was inadequate. Thus, designing educational programmes to enhance critical care nurses' knowledge and skills in this area seems necessary. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. [Consumer involvement in the Disease Management Guideline for Asthma--a background report].

    PubMed

    Senger, Sylvia; Lelgemann, Monika; Kopp, Ina

    2006-01-01

    In the past clinical guidelines were mainly developed by experts and in everyday clinical practice almost exclusively used by clinical experts, while issues that were relevant from the patients' (consumers') point of view tended to be neglected. But then, the majority of patient information has not been perceptibly connected to clinical guidelines. Connecting the development of clinical guidelines with the development of patient information publications would make good sense for both products, though. On the one hand, evidence-based treatment guidelines could be made available to the actual target group of the clinical care process--i.e. the patients or consumers--and on the other hand, patient experiences and competencies (social evidence) might inform the production of guidelines. Such a procedure demands the cooperation of clinical experts and patients. So far there are no generally accepted methods in Germany for the practical implementation of consumer involvement on both the organizational and content level with the aim of involving patients in the development process of guidelines as well as the production of the respective patient information versions. Such a methodology shall be established as part of the National Program for Disease Management Guidelines. For the first time in this program, patient involvement is being exercised within the scope of the National Disease Management Guideline for Asthma (NDM Asthma). Here, patients are involved in the NDM development process by providing the opportunity to comment on the consented guideline draft and to participate in the translation of the NDM Asthma into a patient version. The present paper is a background report describing the current state of work and indicating consequences for some future developments.

  10. PDA survey of quality risk management practices in the pharmaceutical, devices, & biotechnology industries.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Ruhi; Baseman, Harold; Ferreira, Jorge; Genova, Thomas; Harclerode, William; Hartman, Jeffery; Kim, Samuel; Londeree, Nanette; Long, Michael; Miele, William; Ramjit, Timothy; Raschiatore, Marlene; Tomonto, Charles

    2008-01-01

    In July 2006 the Parenteral Drug Association's Risk Management Task Force for Aseptic Processes, conducted an electronic survey of PDA members to determine current industry practices regarding implementation of Quality Risk Management in their organizations. This electronic survey was open and publicly available via the PDA website and targeted professionals in our industry who are involved in initiating, implementing, or reviewing risk management programs or decisions in their organizations. One hundred twenty-nine members participated and their demographics are presented in the sidebar "Correspondents Profile". Among the major findings are: *The "Aseptic Processing/Filling" operation is the functional area identified as having the greatest need for risk assessment and quality risk management. *The most widely used methodology in industry to identify risk is Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). This tool was most widely applied in assessing change control and for adverse event, complaint, or failure investigations. *Despite the fact that personnel training was identified as the strategy most used for controlling/minimizing risk, the largest contributors to sterility failure in operations are still "Personnel". *Most companies still rely on "Manufacturing Controls" to mitigate risk and deemed the utilization of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) least important in this aspect. *A majority of correspondents verified that they did not periodically assess their risk management programs. *A majority of the correspondents desired to see case studies or examples of risk analysis implementation (as applicable to aseptic processing) in future PDA technical reports on risk management.

  11. Isolation and characterization of chitin and chitosan from marine origin.

    PubMed

    Nwe, Nitar; Furuike, Tetsuya; Tamura, Hiroshi

    2014-01-01

    Nowadays, chitin and chitosan are produced from the shells of crabs and shrimps, and bone plate of squid in laboratory to industrial scale. Production of chitosan involved deproteinization, demineralization, and deacetylation. The characteristics of chitin and chitosan mainly depend on production processes and conditions. The characteristics of these biopolymers such as appearance of polymer, turbidity of polymer solution, degree of deacetylation, and molecular weight are of major importance on applications of these polymers. This chapter addresses the production processes and conditions to produce chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharide and methods for characterization of chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharide. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Solder extrusion pressure bonding process and bonded products produced thereby

    DOEpatents

    Beavis, Leonard C.; Karnowsky, Maurice M.; Yost, Frederick G.

    1992-01-01

    Production of soldered joints which are highly reliable and capable of surviving 10,000 thermal cycles between about -40.degree. C. and 110.degree. C. Process involves interposing a thin layer of a metal solder composition between the metal surfaces of members to be bonded and applying heat and up to about 1000 psi compression pressure to the superposed members, in the presence of a reducing atmosphere, to extrude the major amount of the solder composition, contaminants including fluxing gases and air, from between the members being bonded, to form a very thin, strong intermetallic bonding layer having a thermal expansion tolerant with that of the bonded members.

  13. Results from the International Heliophysical Year (IHY)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davila, Joseph M.

    2010-01-01

    The International Heliophysical Year (IHY) involved the effort of thousands of scientists from over 70 countries, ended in February 2009. The major objectives of the IHY included over 60 collaborative studies of universal physical processes in the solar system, the deployment of arrays of small instruments to observe heliophysical processes, a unique program of educational and public outreach, and the preservation of the history of the IGY, during a two year period. A follow on effort, the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) is designed to build on the momentum developed during the IHY to develop the capability to observe, understand, and predict space weather phenomena.

  14. Solder extrusion pressure bonding process and bonded products produced thereby

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beavis, L. C.; Karnowsky, M. M.; Yost, F. G.

    1990-04-01

    The production of soldered joints are highly reliable and capable of surviving 10,000 thermal cycles between about -40 and 110 C. The process involves interposing a thin layer of a metal solder composition between the metal surfaces of members to be bonded and applying heat up to about 1000 psi compression pressure to the superposed members, in the presence of a reducing atmosphere, to extrude the major amount of the solder composition, contaminants including fluxing gases and air, from between the members being bonded, to form a very thin, strong intermetallic bonding layer having a thermal expansion tolerant with that of the bonded members.

  15. Inventories of Delaware's coastal vegetation and land-use utilizing digital processing of ERTS-1 imagery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Klemas, V. (Principal Investigator); Bartlett, D.; Rogers, R.; Reed, L.

    1974-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Analysis of ERTS-1 color composite images using analogy processing equipment confirmed that all the major wetlands plant species were distinguishable at ERTS-1 scale. Furthermore, human alterations of the coastal zone were easily recognized since such alterations typically involve removal of vegetative cover resulting in a change of spectral signature. The superior spectral resolution of the CCTs as compared with single band or composite imagery has indeed provided good discrimination through digital analysis of the CCTs with the added advantage of rapid production of thematic maps and data.

  16. Development and Current Status of Skull-Image Superimposition - Methodology and Instrumentation.

    PubMed

    Lan, Y

    1992-12-01

    This article presents a review of the literature and an evaluation on the development and application of skull-image superimposition technology - both instrumentation and methodology - contributed by a number of scholars since 1935. Along with a comparison of the methodologies involved in the two superimposition techniques - photographic and video - the author characterized the techniques in action and the recent advances in computer image superimposition processing technology. The major disadvantage of conventional approaches is its relying on subjective interpretation. Through painstaking comparison and analysis, computer image processing technology can make more conclusive identifications by direct testing and evaluating the various programmed indices. Copyright © 1992 Central Police University.

  17. History of a prolific family: the Hes/Hey-related genes of the annelid Platynereis

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background The Hes superfamily or Hes/Hey-related genes encompass a variety of metazoan-specific bHLH genes, with somewhat fuzzy phylogenetic relationships. Hes superfamily members are involved in a variety of major developmental mechanisms in metazoans, notably in neurogenesis and segmentation processes, in which they often act as direct effector genes of the Notch signaling pathway. Results We have investigated the molecular and functional evolution of the Hes superfamily in metazoans using the lophotrochozoan Platynereis dumerilii as model. Our phylogenetic analyses of more than 200 Metazoan Hes/Hey-related genes revealed the presence of five families, three of them (Hes, Hey and Helt) being pan-metazoan. Those families were likely composed of a unique representative in the last common metazoan ancestor. The evolution of the Hes family was shaped by many independent lineage specific tandem duplication events. The expression patterns of 13 of the 15 Hes/Hey-related genes in Platynereis indicate a broad functional diversification. Nevertheless, a majority of these genes are involved in two crucial developmental processes in annelids: neurogenesis and segmentation, resembling functions highlighted in other animal models. Conclusions Combining phylogenetic and expression data, our study suggests an unusual evolutionary history for the Hes superfamily. An ancestral multifunctional annelid Hes gene may have undergone multiples rounds of duplication-degeneration-complementation processes in the lineage leading to Platynereis, each gene copies ensuring their maintenance in the genome by subfunctionalisation. Similar but independent waves of duplications are at the origin of the multiplicity of Hes genes in other metazoan lineages. PMID:25250171

  18. Ephrin-A1/EphA4-mediated adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells.

    PubMed

    Jellinghaus, Stefanie; Poitz, David M; Ende, Georg; Augstein, Antje; Weinert, Sönke; Stütz, Beryl; Braun-Dullaeus, Rüdiger C; Pasquale, Elena B; Strasser, Ruth H

    2013-10-01

    The Eph receptors represent the largest family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Both Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands are cell-surface proteins, and they typically mediate cell-to-cell communication by interacting at sites of intercellular contact. The major aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of EphA4-ephrin-A1 interaction in monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells, as this process is a crucial step during the initiation and progression of the atherosclerotic plaque. Immunohistochemical analysis of human atherosclerotic plaques revealed expression of EphA4 receptor and ephrin-A1 ligand in major cell types within the plaque. Short-time stimulation of endothelial cells with the soluble ligand ephrin-A1 leads to a fourfold increase in adhesion of human monocytes to endothelial cells. In addition, ephrin-A1 further increases monocyte adhesion to already inflamed endothelial cells. EphrinA1 mediates its effect on monocyte adhesion via the activated receptor EphA4. This ephrinA1/EphA4 induced process involves the activation of the Rho signaling pathway and does not require active transcription. Rho activation downstream of EphA4 leads to increased polymerization of actin filaments in endothelial cells. This process was shown to be crucial for the proadhesive effect of ephrin-A1. The results of the present study show that ephrin-A1-induced EphA4 forward signaling promotes monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells via activation of RhoA and subsequent stress-fiber formation by a non-transcriptional mechanism. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Cholesterol metabolism and transport in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Martins, Ian J; Berger, Tamar; Sharman, Matthew J; Verdile, Giuseppe; Fuller, Stephanie J; Martins, Ralph N

    2009-12-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide. Apart from age, the major risk factor identified so far for the sporadic form of AD is possession of the epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE), which is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Other apolipoproteins known to play an important role in CAD such as apolipoprotein B are now gaining attention for their role in AD as well. AD and CAD share other risk factors, such as altered cholesterol levels, particularly high levels of low density lipoproteins together with low levels of high density lipoproteins. Statins--drugs that have been used to lower cholesterol levels in CAD, have been shown to protect against AD, although the protective mechanism(s) involved are still under debate. Enzymatic production of the beta amyloid peptide, the peptide thought to play a major role in AD pathogenesis, is affected by membrane cholesterol levels. In addition, polymorphisms in several proteins and enzymes involved in cholesterol and lipoprotein transport and metabolism have been linked to risk of AD. Taken together, these findings provide strong evidence that changes in cholesterol metabolism are intimately involved in AD pathogenic processes. This paper reviews cholesterol metabolism and transport, as well as those aspects of cholesterol metabolism that have been linked with AD.

  20. Oxidases and Peroxidases in Cardiovascular and Lung Disease: New Concepts in Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling

    PubMed Central

    Ghouleh, Imad Al; Khoo, Nicholas K.H.; Knaus, Ulla G.; Griendling, Kathy K.; Touyz, Rhian M.; Thannickal, Victor J.; Barchowsky, Aaron; Nauseef, William M.; Kelley, Eric E.; Bauer, Phillip M.; Darley-Usmar, Victor; Shiva, Sruti; Cifuentes-Pagano, Eugenia; Freeman, Bruce A.; Gladwin, Mark T.; Pagano, Patrick J.

    2011-01-01

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in numerous physiological and pathophysiological responses. Increasing evidence implicates ROS as signaling molecules involved in the propagation of cellular pathways. The NADPH oxidase (Nox) family of enzymes is a major source of ROS in the cell and has been related to the progression of many diseases and even in environmental toxicity. The complexity of this family’s effects on cellular processes stems from the fact that there are 7 members, each with unique tissue distribution, cellular localization and expression. Nox proteins also differ in activation mechanisms and the major ROS detected as their product. To add to this complexity, mounting evidence suggests that other cellular oxidases or their products may be involved in Nox regulation. The overall redox and metabolic status of the cell, specifically the mitochondria, also has implications on ROS signaling. Signaling of such molecules as electrophillic fatty acids has impact on many redox sensitive pathologies, and thus, as anti-inflammatory molecules, contributes to the complexity of ROS regulation. The following review is based on the proceedings of a recent international Oxidase Signaling Symposium at the University of Pittsburgh’s Vascular Medicine Institute and Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, and encompasses further interaction and discussion among the presenters. PMID:21722728

  1. Early Growth Response 1 (Egr-1) Regulates N-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptor (NMDAR)-dependent Transcription of PSD-95 and α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole Propionic Acid Receptor (AMPAR) Trafficking in Hippocampal Primary Neurons*

    PubMed Central

    Qin, Xike; Jiang, Yongjun; Tse, Yiu Chung; Wang, Yunling; Wong, Tak Pan; Paudel, Hemant K.

    2015-01-01

    The N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) controls synaptic plasticity and memory function and is one of the major inducers of transcription factor Egr-1 in the hippocampus. However, how Egr-1 mediates the NMDAR signal in neurons has remained unclear. Here, we show that the hippocampus of mice lacking Egr-1 displays electrophysiology properties and ultrastructure that are similar to mice overexpressing PSD-95, a major scaffolding protein of postsynaptic density involved in synapse formation, synaptic plasticity, and synaptic targeting of AMPA receptors (AMPARs), which mediate the vast majority of excitatory transmission in the CNS. We demonstrate that Egr-1 is a transcription repressor of the PSD-95 gene and is recruited to the PSD-95 promoter in response to NMDAR activation. Knockdown of Egr-1 in rat hippocampal primary neurons blocks NMDAR-induced PSD-95 down-regulation and AMPAR endocytosis. Likewise, overexpression of Egr-1 in rat hippocampal primary neurons causes reduction in PSD-95 protein level and promotes AMPAR endocytosis. Our data indicate that Egr-1 is involved in NMDAR-mediated PSD-95 down-regulation and AMPAR endocytosis, a process important in the expression of long term depression. PMID:26475861

  2. GSFC VLBI Analysis Center Annual Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gordon, David; Ma, Chopo; MacMillan, Dan

    1999-01-01

    The GSFC VLBI group, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, is a part of the NASA Space Geodesy Program. Since its inception in the mid 1970's, this group has been involved with and been a leader in most aspects of geodetic and astrometric VLBI. Current major activities include coordination of the international geodetic observing program; coordination and analysis of the CORE program; VLBI technique development; and all types of data processing, analysis, and research activities.

  3. PHYSIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF SIPHONOPHORES FROM DEEP SCATTERING LAYERS.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    Effects of siphonophores on sound propagation in the sea were studied by determining the size of gas bubbles they contain and produce, and the times...volumes, and rates involved in these processes. Major findings were: (1) gases contained in fresh siphonophore floats are generally close to...constants for siphonophore floats are close to those for chitin; (4) calculated energy requirements for countering hydrostatic pressures indicate that float refilling times are probably no more than a few hours. (Author)

  4. Proceeding of US Army Corps of Engineers Workshop on Sediment Oxygen Demand Held in Providence, Rhode Island on 21-22 August 1990.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-01

    part, the composition , structure, and mechanisms for formation of the geopolymers is generally not understood (Henrichs, submitted). A possible scheme...unknown. A major process appears to be the incorpora- tion of organic compounds by refractory geopolymers or humic substances. However, for the most... geopolymers (Ertel and Hedges 1983; Rubinsztain et al. 1984; Taguchi and Sampei 1986). Alternative pathways of geopolymerization could involve alteration

  5. Evaluation of generic types of drilling fluid using a risk-based analytic hierarchy process.

    PubMed

    Sadiq, Rehan; Husain, Tahir; Veitch, Brian; Bose, Neil

    2003-12-01

    The composition of drilling muds is based on a mixture of clays and additives in a base fluid. There are three generic categories of base fluid--water, oil, and synthetic. Water-based fluids (WBFs) are relatively environmentally benign, but drilling performance is better with oil-based fluids (OBFs). The oil and gas industry developed synthetic-based fluids (SBFs), such as vegetable esters, olefins, ethers, and others, which provide drilling performance comparable to OBFs, but with lower environmental and occupational health effects. The primary objective of this paper is to present a methodology to guide decision-making in the selection and evaluation of three generic types of drilling fluids using a risk-based analytic hierarchy process (AHP). In this paper a comparison of drilling fluids is made considering various activities involved in the life cycle of drilling fluids. This paper evaluates OBFs, WBFs, and SBFs based on four major impacts--operations, resources, economics, and liabilities. Four major activities--drilling, discharging offshore, loading and transporting, and disposing onshore--cause the operational impacts. Each activity involves risks related to occupational injuries (safety), general public health, environmental impact, and energy use. A multicriteria analysis strategy was used for the selection and evaluation of drilling fluids using a risk-based AHP. A four-level hierarchical structure is developed to determine the final relative scores, and the SBFs are found to be the best option.

  6. Molecular Insights Into Development and Virulence Determinants of Aspergilli: A Proteomic Perspective

    PubMed Central

    Shankar, Jata; Tiwari, Shraddha; Shishodia, Sonia K.; Gangwar, Manali; Hoda, Shanu; Thakur, Raman; Vijayaraghavan, Pooja

    2018-01-01

    Aspergillus species are the major cause of health concern worldwide in immunocompromised individuals. Opportunistic Aspergilli cause invasive to allergic aspergillosis, whereas non-infectious Aspergilli have contributed to understand the biology of eukaryotic organisms and serve as a model organism. Morphotypes of Aspergilli such as conidia or mycelia/hyphae helped them to survive in favorable or unfavorable environmental conditions. These morphotypes contribute to virulence, pathogenicity and invasion into hosts by excreting proteins, enzymes or toxins. Morphological transition of Aspergillus species has been a critical step to infect host or to colonize on food products. Thus, we reviewed proteins from Aspergilli to understand the biological processes, biochemical, and cellular pathways that are involved in transition and morphogenesis. We majorly analyzed proteomic studies on A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. terreus, and A. niger to gain insight into mechanisms involved in the transition from conidia to mycelia along with the role of secondary metabolites. Proteome analysis of morphotypes of Aspergilli provided information on key biological pathways required to exit conidial dormancy, consortia of virulent factors and mycotoxins during the transition. The application of proteomic approaches has uncovered the biological processes during development as well as intermediates of secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathway. We listed key proteins/ enzymes or toxins at different morphological types of Aspergillus that could be applicable in discovery of novel therapeutic targets or metabolite based diagnostic markers. PMID:29896454

  7. Molecular Insights Into Development and Virulence Determinants of Aspergilli: A Proteomic Perspective.

    PubMed

    Shankar, Jata; Tiwari, Shraddha; Shishodia, Sonia K; Gangwar, Manali; Hoda, Shanu; Thakur, Raman; Vijayaraghavan, Pooja

    2018-01-01

    Aspergillus species are the major cause of health concern worldwide in immunocompromised individuals. Opportunistic Aspergilli cause invasive to allergic aspergillosis, whereas non-infectious Aspergilli have contributed to understand the biology of eukaryotic organisms and serve as a model organism. Morphotypes of Aspergilli such as conidia or mycelia/hyphae helped them to survive in favorable or unfavorable environmental conditions. These morphotypes contribute to virulence, pathogenicity and invasion into hosts by excreting proteins, enzymes or toxins. Morphological transition of Aspergillus species has been a critical step to infect host or to colonize on food products. Thus, we reviewed proteins from Aspergilli to understand the biological processes, biochemical, and cellular pathways that are involved in transition and morphogenesis. We majorly analyzed proteomic studies on A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. terreus , and A. niger to gain insight into mechanisms involved in the transition from conidia to mycelia along with the role of secondary metabolites. Proteome analysis of morphotypes of Aspergilli provided information on key biological pathways required to exit conidial dormancy, consortia of virulent factors and mycotoxins during the transition. The application of proteomic approaches has uncovered the biological processes during development as well as intermediates of secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathway. We listed key proteins/ enzymes or toxins at different morphological types of Aspergillus that could be applicable in discovery of novel therapeutic targets or metabolite based diagnostic markers.

  8. Gene and Metabolite Regulatory Network Analysis of Early Developing Fruit Tissues Highlights New Candidate Genes for the Control of Tomato Fruit Composition and Development1[C][W][OA

    PubMed Central

    Mounet, Fabien; Moing, Annick; Garcia, Virginie; Petit, Johann; Maucourt, Michael; Deborde, Catherine; Bernillon, Stéphane; Le Gall, Gwénaëlle; Colquhoun, Ian; Defernez, Marianne; Giraudel, Jean-Luc; Rolin, Dominique; Rothan, Christophe; Lemaire-Chamley, Martine

    2009-01-01

    Variations in early fruit development and composition may have major impacts on the taste and the overall quality of ripe tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit. To get insights into the networks involved in these coordinated processes and to identify key regulatory genes, we explored the transcriptional and metabolic changes in expanding tomato fruit tissues using multivariate analysis and gene-metabolite correlation networks. To this end, we demonstrated and took advantage of the existence of clear structural and compositional differences between expanding mesocarp and locular tissue during fruit development (12–35 d postanthesis). Transcriptome and metabolome analyses were carried out with tomato microarrays and analytical methods including proton nuclear magnetic resonance and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. Pairwise comparisons of metabolite contents and gene expression profiles detected up to 37 direct gene-metabolite correlations involving regulatory genes (e.g. the correlations between glutamine, bZIP, and MYB transcription factors). Correlation network analyses revealed the existence of major hub genes correlated with 10 or more regulatory transcripts and embedded in a large regulatory network. This approach proved to be a valuable strategy for identifying specific subsets of genes implicated in key processes of fruit development and metabolism, which are therefore potential targets for genetic improvement of tomato fruit quality. PMID:19144766

  9. Broad spectrum detoxification: the major longevity assurance process regulated by insulin/IGF-1 signaling?

    PubMed

    Gems, David; McElwee, Joshua J

    2005-03-01

    Our recent survey of genes regulated by insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) in Caenorhabditis elegans suggests a role for a number of gene classes in longevity assurance. Based on these findings, we propose a model for the biochemistry of longevity assurance and ageing, which is as follows. Ageing results from molecular damage from highly diverse endobiotic toxins. These are stochastic by-products of diverse metabolic processes, of which reactive oxygen species (ROS) are likely to be only one component. Our microarray analysis suggests a major role in longevity assurance of the phase 1, phase 2 detoxification system involving cytochrome P450 (CYP), short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes. Unlike superoxide and hydrogen peroxide detoxification, this system is energetically costly, and requires the excretion from the cell of its products. Given such costs, its activity may be selected against, as predicted by the disposable soma theory. CYP and UGT enzymes target lipophilic molecular species; insufficient activity of this system is consistent with age-pigment (lipofuscin) accumulation during ageing. We suggest that IIS-regulated longevity assurance involves: (a) energetically costly detoxification and excretion of molecular rubbish, and (b) conservation of existing proteins via molecular chaperones. Given the emphasis in this theory on investment in cellular waste disposal, and on protein conservation, we have dubbed it the green theory.

  10. Identification of Odor-Processing Genes in the Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis

    PubMed Central

    Mamidala, Praveen; Wijeratne, Asela J.; Wijeratne, Saranga; Poland, Therese; Qazi, Sohail S.; Doucet, Daniel; Cusson, Michel; Beliveau, Catherine; Mittapalli, Omprakash

    2013-01-01

    Background Insects rely on olfaction to locate food, mates, and suitable oviposition sites for successful completion of their life cycle. Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer) is a serious invasive insect pest that has killed tens of millions of North American ash (Fraxinus spp) trees and threatens the very existence of the genus Fraxinus. Adult A. planipennis are attracted to host volatiles and conspecifics; however, to date no molecular knowledge exists on olfaction in A. planipennis. Hence, we undertook an antennae-specific transcriptomic study to identify the repertoire of odor processing genes involved in A. planipennis olfaction. Methodology and Principal Findings We acquired 139,085 Roche/454 GS FLX transcriptomic reads that were assembled into 30,615 high quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs), including 3,249 isotigs and 27,366 non-isotigs (contigs and singletons). Intriguingly, the majority of the A. planipennis antennal transcripts (59.72%) did not show similarity with sequences deposited in the non-redundant database of GenBank, potentially representing novel genes. Functional annotation and KEGG analysis revealed pathways associated with signaling and detoxification. Several odor processing genes (9 odorant binding proteins, 2 odorant receptors, 1 sensory neuron membrane protein and 134 odorant/xenobiotic degradation enzymes, including cytochrome P450s, glutathione-S-transferases; esterases, etc.) putatively involved in olfaction processes were identified. Quantitative PCR of candidate genes in male and female A. planipennis in different developmental stages revealed developmental- and sex-biased expression patterns. Conclusions and Significance The antennal ESTs derived from A. planipennis constitute a rich molecular resource for the identification of genes potentially involved in the olfaction process of A. planipennis. These findings should help in understanding the processing of antennally-active compounds (e.g. 7-epi-sesquithujene) previously identified in this serious invasive pest. PMID:23424668

  11. Identification of odor-processing genes in the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis.

    PubMed

    Mamidala, Praveen; Wijeratne, Asela J; Wijeratne, Saranga; Poland, Therese; Qazi, Sohail S; Doucet, Daniel; Cusson, Michel; Beliveau, Catherine; Mittapalli, Omprakash

    2013-01-01

    Insects rely on olfaction to locate food, mates, and suitable oviposition sites for successful completion of their life cycle. Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer) is a serious invasive insect pest that has killed tens of millions of North American ash (Fraxinus spp) trees and threatens the very existence of the genus Fraxinus. Adult A. planipennis are attracted to host volatiles and conspecifics; however, to date no molecular knowledge exists on olfaction in A. planipennis. Hence, we undertook an antennae-specific transcriptomic study to identify the repertoire of odor processing genes involved in A. planipennis olfaction. We acquired 139,085 Roche/454 GS FLX transcriptomic reads that were assembled into 30,615 high quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs), including 3,249 isotigs and 27,366 non-isotigs (contigs and singletons). Intriguingly, the majority of the A. planipennis antennal transcripts (59.72%) did not show similarity with sequences deposited in the non-redundant database of GenBank, potentially representing novel genes. Functional annotation and KEGG analysis revealed pathways associated with signaling and detoxification. Several odor processing genes (9 odorant binding proteins, 2 odorant receptors, 1 sensory neuron membrane protein and 134 odorant/xenobiotic degradation enzymes, including cytochrome P450s, glutathione-S-transferases; esterases, etc.) putatively involved in olfaction processes were identified. Quantitative PCR of candidate genes in male and female A. planipennis in different developmental stages revealed developmental- and sex-biased expression patterns. The antennal ESTs derived from A. planipennis constitute a rich molecular resource for the identification of genes potentially involved in the olfaction process of A. planipennis. These findings should help in understanding the processing of antennally-active compounds (e.g. 7-epi-sesquithujene) previously identified in this serious invasive pest.

  12. Final Report - "Foaming and Antifoaming and Gas Entrainment in Radioactive Waste Pretreatment and Immobilization Processes"

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

    Wasan, Darsh T.

    2007-10-09

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) and Hanford site are in the process of stabilizing millions of gallons of radioactive waste slurries remaining from production of nuclear materials for the Department of Energy (DOE). The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at SRS is currently vitrifying the waste in borosilicate glass, while the facilities at the Hanford site are in the construction phase. Both processes utilize slurry-fed joule-heated melters to vitrify the waste slurries. The DWPF has experienced difficulty during operations. The cause of the operational problems has been attributed to foaming, gas entrainment and the rheological properties of the process slurries.more » The rheological properties of the waste slurries limit the total solids content that can be processed by the remote equipment during the pretreatment and meter feed processes. Highly viscous material can lead to air entrainment during agitation and difficulties with pump operations. Excessive foaming in waste evaporators can cause carryover of radionuclides and non-radioactive waste to the condensate system. Experimental and theoretical investigations of the surface phenomena, suspension rheology and bubble generation of interactions that lead to foaming and air entrainment problems in the DOE High Level and Low Activity Radioactive Waste separation and immobilization processes were pursued under this project. The first major task accomplished in the grant proposal involved development of a theoretical model of the phenomenon of foaming in a three-phase gas-liquid-solid slurry system. This work was presented in a recently completed Ph.D. thesis (9). The second major task involved the investigation of the inter-particle interaction and microstructure formation in a model slurry by the batch sedimentation method. Both experiments and modeling studies were carried out. The results were presented in a recently completed Ph.D. thesis. The third task involved the use of laser confocal microscopy to study the effectiveness of three slurry rheology modifiers. An effective modifier was identified which resulted in lowering the yield stress of the waste simulant. Therefore, the results of this research have led to the basic understanding of the foaming/antifoaming mechanism in waste slurries as well as identification of a rheology modifier, which enhances the processing throughput, and accelerates the DOE mission. The objectives of this research effort were to develop a fundamental understanding of the physico-chemical mechanisms that produced foaming and air entrainment in the DOE High Level (HLW) and Low Activity (LAW) radioactive waste separation and immobilization processes, and to develop and test advanced antifoam/defoaming/rheology modifier agents. Antifoams/rheology modifiers developed from this research ere tested using non-radioactive simulants of the radioactive wastes obtained from Hanford and the Savannah River Site (SRS).« less

  13. Biomarker investigations related to pathophysiological pathways in schizophrenia and psychosis

    PubMed Central

    Chana, Gursharan; Bousman, Chad A.; Money, Tammie T.; Gibbons, Andrew; Gillett, Piers; Dean, Brian; Everall, Ian P.

    2013-01-01

    Post-mortem brain investigations of schizophrenia have generated swathes of data in the last few decades implicating candidate genes and protein. However, the relation of these findings to peripheral biomarker indicators and symptomatology remain to be elucidated. While biomarkers for disease do not have to be involved with underlying pathophysiology and may be largely indicative of diagnosis or prognosis, the ideal may be a biomarker that is involved in underlying disease processes and which is therefore more likely to change with progression of the illness as well as potentially being more responsive to treatment. One of the main difficulties in conducting biomarker investigations for major psychiatric disorders is the relative inconsistency in clinical diagnoses between disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia. This has led some researchers to investigate biomarkers associated with core symptoms of these disorders, such as psychosis. The aim of this review is to evaluate the contribution of post-mortem brain investigations to elucidating the pathophysiology pathways involved in schizophrenia and psychosis, with an emphasis on major neurotransmitter systems that have been implicated. This data will then be compared to functional neuroimaging findings as well as findings from blood based gene expression investigations in schizophrenia in order to highlight the relative overlap in pathological processes between these different modalities used to elucidate pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In addition we will cover some recent and exciting findings demonstrating microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation in both the blood and the brain in patients with schizophrenia. These changes are pertinent to the topic due to their known role in post-transcriptional modification of gene expression with the potential to contribute or underlie gene expression changes observed in schizophrenia. Finally, we will discuss how post-mortem studies may aid future biomarker investigations. PMID:23805071

  14. Transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic switches and surface remodeling as key processes for stage transition in Trypanosoma cruzi

    PubMed Central

    Greif, Gonzalo; Rodriguez, Matias; Alvarez-Valin, Fernando

    2017-01-01

    American trypanosomiasis is a chronic and endemic disease which affects millions of people. Trypanosoma cruzi, its causative agent, has a life cycle that involves complex morphological and functional transitions, as well as a variety of environmental conditions. This requires a tight regulation of gene expression, which is achieved mainly by post-transcriptional regulation. In this work we conducted an RNAseq analysis of the three major life cycle stages of T. cruzi: amastigotes, epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. This analysis allowed us to delineate specific transcriptomic profiling for each stage, and also to identify those biological processes of major relevance in each state. Stage specific expression profiling evidenced the plasticity of T. cruzi to adapt quickly to different conditions, with particular focus on membrane remodeling and metabolic shifts along the life cycle. Epimastigotes, which replicate in the gut of insect vectors, showed higher expression of genes related to energy metabolism, mainly Krebs cycle, respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation related genes, and anabolism related genes associated to nucleotide and steroid biosynthesis; also, a general down-regulation of surface glycoprotein coding genes was seen at this stage. Trypomastigotes, living extracellularly in the bloodstream of mammals, express a plethora of surface proteins and signaling genes involved in invasion and evasion of immune response. Amastigotes mostly express membrane transporters and genes involved in regulation of cell cycle, and also express a specific subset of surface glycoprotein coding genes. In addition, these results allowed us to improve the annotation of the Dm28c genome, identifying new ORFs and set the stage for construction of networks of co-expression, which can give clues about coded proteins of unknown functions. PMID:28286708

  15. Nuclear phosphoproteome analysis of 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation reveals system-wide phosphorylation of transcriptional regulators.

    PubMed

    Rabiee, Atefeh; Schwämmle, Veit; Sidoli, Simone; Dai, Jie; Rogowska-Wrzesinska, Adelina; Mandrup, Susanne; Jensen, Ole N

    2017-03-01

    Adipocytes (fat cells) are important endocrine and metabolic cells critical for systemic insulin sensitivity. Both adipose excess and insufficiency are associated with adverse metabolic function. Adipogenesis is the process whereby preadipocyte precursor cells differentiate into lipid-laden mature adipocytes. This process is driven by a network of transcriptional regulators (TRs). We hypothesized that protein PTMs, in particular phosphorylation, play a major role in activating and propagating signals within TR networks upon induction of adipogenesis by extracellular stimulus. We applied MS-based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics to monitor the alteration of nuclear proteins during the early stages (4 h) of preadipocyte differentiation. We identified a total of 4072 proteins including 2434 phosphorylated proteins, a majority of which were assigned as regulators of gene expression. Our results demonstrate that adipogenic stimuli increase the nuclear abundance and/or the phosphorylation levels of proteins involved in gene expression, cell organization, and oxidation-reduction pathways. Furthermore, proteins acting as negative modulators involved in negative regulation of gene expression, insulin stimulated glucose uptake, and cytoskeletal organization showed a decrease in their nuclear abundance and/or phosphorylation levels during the first 4 h of adipogenesis. Among 288 identified TRs, 49 were regulated within 4 h of adipogenic stimulation including several known and many novel potential adipogenic regulators. We created a kinase-substrate database for 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by investigating the relationship between protein kinases and protein phosphorylation sites identified in our dataset. A majority of the putative protein kinases belong to the cyclin-dependent kinase family and the mitogen-activated protein kinase family including P38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinases, suggesting that these kinases act as orchestrators of early adipogenesis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. C Terminus of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Major Capsid Protein VP2 Is Involved in Definition of the T Number for Capsid Assembly

    PubMed Central

    Castón, José R.; Martínez-Torrecuadrada, Jorge L.; Maraver, Antonio; Lombardo, Eleuterio; Rodríguez, José F.; Casal, J. Ignacio; Carrascosa, José L.

    2001-01-01

    Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), a member of the Birnaviridae family, is a double-stranded RNA virus. The IBDV capsid is formed by two major structural proteins, VP2 and VP3, which assemble to form a T=13 markedly nonspherical capsid. During viral infection, VP2 is initially synthesized as a precursor, called VPX, whose C end is proteolytically processed to the mature form during capsid assembly. We have computed three-dimensional maps of IBDV capsid and virus-like particles built up by VP2 alone by using electron cryomicroscopy and image-processing techniques. The IBDV single-shelled capsid is characterized by the presence of 260 protruding trimers on the outer surface. Five classes of trimers can be distinguished according to their different local environments. When VP2 is expressed alone in insect cells, dodecahedral particles form spontaneously; these may be assembled into larger, fragile icosahedral capsids built up by 12 dodecahedral capsids. Each dodecahedral capsid is an empty T=1 shell composed of 20 trimeric clusters of VP2. Structural comparison between IBDV capsids and capsids consisting of VP2 alone allowed the determination of the major capsid protein locations and the interactions between them. Whereas VP2 forms the outer protruding trimers, VP3 is found as trimers on the inner surface and may be responsible for stabilizing functions. Since elimination of the C-terminal region of VPX is correlated with the assembly of T=1 capsids, this domain might be involved (either alone or in cooperation with VP3) in the induction of different conformations of VP2 during capsid morphogenesis. PMID:11602723

  17. Interaction between human mature adipocytes and lymphocytes induces T-cell proliferation.

    PubMed

    Poloni, Antonella; Maurizi, Giulia; Ciarlantini, Marco; Medici, Martina; Mattiucci, Domenico; Mancini, Stefania; Maurizi, Angela; Falconi, Massimo; Olivieri, Attilio; Leoni, Pietro

    2015-09-01

    Adipose tissue is a critical organ that plays a major role in energy balance regulation and the immune response through intricate signals. We report on the inter-relation between mature adipocytes and lymphocytes in terms of adipocyte-derived T-cell chemo-attractants and adipocyte metabolic effects on lymphocytes. During the culture time, mature adipocytes changed their structural and functional properties into de-differentiated cells. Isolated mature adipocytes expressed significantly higher levels of CIITA, major histocompatibility complex II (human leukocyte antigen [HLA]-DR) and costimulatory signal molecule CD80 compared with adipocytes after the de-differentiation process. Moreover, human leukocyte antigen-G, which may prevent the immune responses of mesenchymal stromal cells, was expressed at lower level in mature adipocytes compared with de-differentiated adipocytes. In line with these molecular data, functional results showed different immunoregulatory properties between adipocytes before and after the de-differentiation process. Mature adipocytes stimulated the proliferation of total lymphocytes and immunoselected cell populations CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ in a direct contact-dependent way that involved the major histocompatibility complex I and II pathways. Moreover, adipocytes secreted potential chemo-attractant factors, but data showed that adipocyte-derived culture medium was not sufficient to activate lymphocyte proliferation, suggesting that a direct contact between adipocytes and immune cells was needed. However, specific mature adipocyte cytokines enhanced lymphocyte proliferation in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. In conclusion, cross-talk occurs between adipocytes and lymphocytes within adipose tissue involving T-cell chemo-attraction by mature adipocytes. Our findings, together with current observations in the field, provide a rationale to identify adipocyte-lymphocyte cross-talk that instigates adipose inflammation. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. The role of chemical processes and brittle deformation during shear zone formation and its potential geophysical implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goncalves, Philippe; Leydier, Thomas; Mahan, Kevin; Albaric, Julie; Trap, Pierre; Marquer, Didier

    2017-04-01

    Ductile shear zones in the middle and lower continental crust are the locus of interactions between mechanical and chemical processes. Chemical processes encompass metamorphic reactions, fluid-rock interactions, fluid flow and chemical mass-transfer. Studying these processes at the grain scale, and even the atom scale, on exposed inactive shear zones can give insights into large-scale geodynamics phenomena (e.g. crustal growth and mountain building through the reconstruction of P-T-t-D-Ɛ evolutionary paths. However, other major issues in earth sciences can be tackled through these studies as well. For instance, the mechanism of fluid flow and mass transfer in the deep crust where permeability should be small and transient is still largely debated. Studying exhumed inactive shear zones can also help to interpret several new geophysical observations like (1) the origin of tremor and very low frequency earthquakes observed in the ductile middle and lower crust, (2) mechanisms for generating slow slip events and (3) the physical origin of puzzling crustal anisotropy observed in major active crustal shear zones. In this contribution, we present a collection of data (deformation, petrology, geochemistry, microtexture) obtained on various shear zones from the Alps that were active within the viscous regime (T > 450°C). Our observations show that the development of a shear zone, from its nucleation to its growth and propagation, is not only governed by ductile deformation coeval with reactions but also involves brittle deformation. Although brittle deformation is a very short-lived phenomenon, our petrological and textural observations show that brittle failure is also associated with fluid flow, mass transfer, metasomatic reactions and recrystallization. We speculate that the fluids and the associated mineralogical changes involved during this brittle failure in the ductile crust might play a role in earthquake / tremor triggering below the brittle - ductile transition. Furthermore, the occurrence of micro-fracturing in the ductile crust must have an influence on elastic wave propagation. While in the upper crust, fractures are believed to be the primary contributor to seismic anisotropy, at high pressure, the intrinsic rock Vp and Vs velocities are largely a function of the shape and crystallographic preferred orientation of minerals. However, if microfracturing is involved during ductile deformation, it may have a stronger influence on seismic properties (velocity and anisotropy) than the SPO and CPO of the main mineral phases, particularly if the microfractures are preferentially oriented. Thus, in major active ductile shear zones, like the Main Himalayan Thrust, the speculated transient but pervasive micro-fracturing during ongoing ductile deformation should be considered when interpreting seismic anisotropy. Finding evidences for brittle deformation, and associated fluid flow, in the ductile crust is a major challenge because many of these textural and mineralogical features tend to be obliterated by the pro-eminent ductile deformation. However, in order to fully understand the causes of some of these geophysical observations, the chemical and physical characterization of exhumed "fossil" ductile shear zones remains essential.

  19. Interaction between Paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia and the coagulation system: involvement of fibrinogen

    PubMed Central

    Tamayo, Diana; Hernández, Orville; Muñoz-Cadavid, Cesar; Cano, Luz Elena; González, Angel

    2013-01-01

    The infectious process starts with an initial contact between pathogen and host. We have previously demonstrated that Paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia interact with plasma proteins including fibrinogen, which is considered the major component of the coagulation system. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro capacity of P. brasiliensis conidia to aggregate with plasma proteins and compounds involved in the coagulation system. We assessed the aggregation of P. brasiliensis conidia after incubation with human serum or plasma in the presence or absence of anticoagulants, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, metabolic and protein inhibitors, monosaccharides and other compounds. Additionally, prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times were determined after the interaction of P. brasiliensis conidia with human plasma. ECM proteins, monosaccharides and human plasma significantly induced P. brasiliensis conidial aggregation; however, anticoagulants and metabolic and protein inhibitors diminished the aggregation process. The extrinsic coagulation pathway was not affected by the interaction between P. brasiliensis conidia and plasma proteins, while the intrinsic pathway was markedly altered. These results indicate that P. brasiliensis conidia interact with proteins involved in the coagulation system. This interaction may play an important role in the initial inflammatory response, as well as fungal disease progression caused by P. brasiliensis dissemination. PMID:23827999

  20. Induction of Senescence and Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Tomato in Response to Monoterpene

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Vinay; Kumar, Anil; Irfan, Mohammad; Chakraborty, Niranjan; Chakraborty, Subhra; Datta, Asis

    2013-01-01

    Monoterpenes, which are among the major components of plant essential oils, are known for their ecological roles as well for pharmaceutical properties. Geraniol, an acyclic monoterpene induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis/senescence in various cancer cells and plants; however, the genes involved in the process and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment of tomato plants with geraniol results in induction of senescence due to a substantial alteration in transcriptome. We have identified several geraniol-responsive protein encoding genes in tomato using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach. These genes comprise of various components of signal transduction, cellular metabolism, reactive oxygen species (ROS), ethylene signalling, apoptosis and DNA damage response. Upregulation of NADPH oxidase and antioxidant genes, and increase in ROS level after geraniol treatment point towards the involvement of ROS in geraniol-mediated senescence. The delayed onset of seedling death and induced expression of geraniol-responsive genes in geraniol-treated ethylene receptor mutant (Nr) suggest that geraniol-mediated senescence involves both ethylene dependent and independent pathways. Moreover, expression analysis during tomato ripening revealed that geraniol-responsive genes are also associated with the natural organ senescence process. PMID:24098759

  1. Asbestos Ban in Italy: A Major Milestone, Not the Final Cut

    PubMed Central

    Marsili, Daniela; Bruno, Caterina; Marinaccio, Alessandro; Zona, Amerigo; Comba, Pietro

    2017-01-01

    Background and history: Italy was the main asbestos producer and one of the greatest consumers in 20th century Europe until the asbestos ban was introduced in 1992. Asbestos exposure affected the population in a wide range of working environments, namely mining and marketing of asbestos, asbestos cement production, shipyards and textile industries. This also determined a widespread environmental asbestos exposure affecting the surrounding communities. Methods: To investigate the drivers and difficulties of the process leading to the asbestos ban and its subsequent implementation, we focused on stakeholder involvement, environmental health policies, capacity building and communication. Results: In the past three decades, stakeholder involvement has been instrumental in advancing the industrial asbestos replacement process, prevention and remediation interventions. Furthermore, involvement also contributed to the integration of environmental and health policies at national, regional and local levels, including capacity building and communication. In a global public health perspective, international scientific cooperation has been established with countries using and producing asbestos. Discussion and Conclusions: Key factors and lessons learnt in Italy from both successful and ineffective asbestos policies are described to support the relevant stakeholders in countries still using asbestos contributing to the termination of its use. PMID:29137208

  2. Asbestos Ban in Italy: A Major Milestone, Not the Final Cut.

    PubMed

    Marsili, Daniela; Angelini, Alessia; Bruno, Caterina; Corfiati, Marisa; Marinaccio, Alessandro; Silvestri, Stefano; Zona, Amerigo; Comba, Pietro

    2017-11-13

    Background and history: Italy was the main asbestos producer and one of the greatest consumers in 20th century Europe until the asbestos ban was introduced in 1992. Asbestos exposure affected the population in a wide range of working environments, namely mining and marketing of asbestos, asbestos cement production, shipyards and textile industries. This also determined a widespread environmental asbestos exposure affecting the surrounding communities. Methods: To investigate the drivers and difficulties of the process leading to the asbestos ban and its subsequent implementation, we focused on stakeholder involvement, environmental health policies, capacity building and communication. Results: In the past three decades, stakeholder involvement has been instrumental in advancing the industrial asbestos replacement process, prevention and remediation interventions. Furthermore, involvement also contributed to the integration of environmental and health policies at national, regional and local levels, including capacity building and communication. In a global public health perspective, international scientific cooperation has been established with countries using and producing asbestos. Discussion and Conclusions: Key factors and lessons learnt in Italy from both successful and ineffective asbestos policies are described to support the relevant stakeholders in countries still using asbestos contributing to the termination of its use.

  3. A review of craniofacial disorders caused by spliceosomal defects.

    PubMed

    Lehalle, D; Wieczorek, D; Zechi-Ceide, R M; Passos-Bueno, M R; Lyonnet, S; Amiel, J; Gordon, C T

    2015-11-01

    The spliceosome is a large ribonucleoprotein complex that removes introns from pre-mRNA transcripts. Mutations in EFTUD2, encoding a component of the major spliceosome, have recently been identified as the cause of mandibulofacial dysostosis, Guion-Almeida type (MFDGA), characterized by mandibulofacial dysostosis, microcephaly, external ear malformations and intellectual disability. Mutations in several other genes involved in spliceosomal function or linked aspects of mRNA processing have also recently been identified in human disorders with specific craniofacial malformations: SF3B4 in Nager syndrome, an acrofacial dysostosis (AFD); SNRPB in cerebrocostomandibular syndrome, characterized by Robin sequence and rib defects; EIF4A3 in the AFD Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome, characterized by Robin sequence, median mandibular cleft and limb defects; and TXNL4A in Burn-McKeown syndrome, involving specific craniofacial dysmorphisms. Here, we review phenotypic and molecular aspects of these syndromes. Given the apparent sensitivity of craniofacial development to defects in mRNA processing, it is possible that mutations in other proteins involved in spliceosomal function will emerge in the future as causative for related human disorders. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Autism: reduced connectivity between cortical areas involved in face expression, theory of mind, and the sense of self.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Wei; Rolls, Edmund T; Gu, Huaguang; Zhang, Jie; Feng, Jianfeng

    2015-05-01

    Whole-brain voxel-based unbiased resting state functional connectivity was analysed in 418 subjects with autism and 509 matched typically developing individuals. We identified a key system in the middle temporal gyrus/superior temporal sulcus region that has reduced cortical functional connectivity (and increased with the medial thalamus), which is implicated in face expression processing involved in social behaviour. This system has reduced functional connectivity with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is implicated in emotion and social communication. The middle temporal gyrus system is also implicated in theory of mind processing. We also identified in autism a second key system in the precuneus/superior parietal lobule region with reduced functional connectivity, which is implicated in spatial functions including of oneself, and of the spatial environment. It is proposed that these two types of functionality, face expression-related, and of one's self and the environment, are important components of the computations involved in theory of mind, whether of oneself or of others, and that reduced connectivity within and between these regions may make a major contribution to the symptoms of autism. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

  5. Assessment of processes controlling the regional distribution of fluoride and arsenic in groundwater of the Pampeano Aquifer in the Del Azul Creek basin (Argentina)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zabala, M. E.; Manzano, M.; Vives, L.

    2016-10-01

    Groundwater in the upper 50 m of the Pampeano Aquifer in the Del Azul Creek basin (Argentina) has F and As contents above the WHO safe drinking levels. This basin is situated to the SE of the Chaco-Pampean plain, in Buenos Aires Province. The Pampeano Aquifer is a major water source for all uses. The aim of the study is to assess the primary processes controlling the regional distribution of F and As in the most exploited part of the aquifer. The study involved sampling for chemical and isotopic analyses, interpretation of data with different methods (diagrams, bivariate analyses, mineral saturation states, Principal Component Analysis) and deduction of leading processes. Information about aquifer mineralogy and hydrogeochemical processes involved in F and As solubilization in the aquifer has been taken from previous works of the same and other authors. Groundwater salinity increases to the NE, in the direction of the regional groundwater flow. Chemical types evolve from Ca/Mg-HCO3 in the upper part of the basin, to Na-HCO3 in the middle part and to Na-ClSO4 and Na-Cl in the lower part. The regional distribution of F is controlled by hydrogeochemical processes. The distribution of As is controlled by two types of processes dominating in different areas: hydrogeochemical controls prevail in the low to moderately mineralized groundwater of the middle and lower parts of the basin; hydrogeological controls lead to the NE of the lower basin and beyond it. In the last zone there are abundant lagoons and seasonal flooding is frequent, making evapoconcentration an important process for groundwater mineralization. The main hydrogeochemical processes involved in both F and As distribution are cation exchange, with Na release and Ca uptake, carbonate dissolution and pH increase. Arsenic release induced by redox processes may play to the NE, but its results would be masked by the effect of evaporation.

  6. Transfer students in STEM majors at a Midwestern University: Academic and social involvement factors that influence student success

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lopez, Carlos

    There is soon-to-be a shortage of qualified U.S. workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As a result, many science-related jobs are being filled by technically-skilled foreign workers. If the U.S wants to maintain its global economic leadership, then it must ensure a continuous growth of highly-trained individuals in STEM disciplines. Therefore, American institutions of higher education, including community colleges, must identify potential factors that contribute to the lack of interest in STEM majors, as well as the low rate of success of students who enter STEM majors but struggle to finish their degrees. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of community college transfer students who are pursuing bachelor degrees in STEM majors at Iowa State University (ISU). What were their transfer experiences and what influenced their academic success in STEM. Participants were encouraged to share their transfer experiences while at the community college as well as their experiences on the ISU campus. They were also asked about their level of academic involvement, their relationships with faculty, and their participation in peer group activities prior to and after transferring. The research design included both quantitative and qualitative components, which provided an in-depth look at the experiences of STEM non-engineering and engineering students. Quantitative data include students' background characteristics, demographic information, and college activities at the community college and ISU. Qualitative data were used to illuminate students' overall transfer experience and their successful journey in STEM fields. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methods allowed a better understanding of the strategies students put into practice once they transfer from a community college to a four-year institution in pursuit of a STEM bachelor's degree. The results of this study suggest that there is an association among the background characteristics, community college experiences, university experiences, and the overall adjustment and cumulative GPA of transfer students from STEM non-engineering and engineering majors. In addition, students reported how their early experiences in science and mathematics inspired them to pursue a career in STEM. Even though students chose to go into STEM areas at the community college and university level due to prior interest, the role of academic advisors and faculty were crucial to the adjustment process. Thus, it is vital for academic advisors and faculty to assist students in researching the transfer process to four-year institutions because students need to understand why this is essential to their academic and social adjustment process. The results indicate that it is important to encourage students to interact inside and outside the classroom with other students and instructors. Also, students should become more involved in academic and social groups since these are important factors in enhancing their academic and social adjustment.

  7. The Contribution of the Parietal Lobes to Speaking and Writing

    PubMed Central

    Wise, Richard J. S.

    2010-01-01

    The left parietal lobe has been proposed as a major language area. However, parietal cortical function is more usually considered in terms of the control of actions, contributing both to attention and cross-modal integration of external and reafferent sensory cues. We used positron emission tomography to study normal subjects while they overtly generated narratives, both spoken and written. The purpose was to identify the parietal contribution to the modality-specific sensorimotor control of communication, separate from amodal linguistic and memory processes involved in generating a narrative. The majority of left and right parietal activity was associated with the execution of writing under visual and somatosensory control irrespective of whether the output was a narrative or repetitive reproduction of a single grapheme. In contrast, action-related parietal activity during speech production was confined to primary somatosensory cortex. The only parietal area with a pattern of activity compatible with an amodal central role in communication was the ventral part of the left angular gyrus (AG). The results of this study indicate that the cognitive processing of language within the parietal lobe is confined to the AG and that the major contribution of parietal cortex to communication is in the sensorimotor control of writing. PMID:19531538

  8. Structural Maturation of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase—A Metamorphic Solution to Genomic Instability

    PubMed Central

    London, Robert E.

    2016-01-01

    Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT)—a critical enzyme of the viral life cycle—undergoes a complex maturation process, required so that a pair of p66 precursor proteins can develop conformationally along different pathways, one evolving to form active polymerase and ribonuclease H (RH) domains, while the second forms a non-functional polymerase and a proteolyzed RH domain. These parallel maturation pathways rely on the structural ambiguity of a metamorphic polymerase domain, for which the sequence–structure relationship is not unique. Recent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies utilizing selective labeling techniques, and structural characterization of the p66 monomer precursor have provided important insights into the details of this maturation pathway, revealing many aspects of the three major steps involved: (1) domain rearrangement; (2) dimerization; and (3) subunit-selective RH domain proteolysis. This review summarizes the major structural changes that occur during the maturation process. We also highlight how mutations, often viewed within the context of the mature RT heterodimer, can exert a major influence on maturation and dimerization. It is further suggested that several steps in the RT maturation pathway may provide attractive targets for drug development. PMID:27690082

  9. Systems analysis of shoot apical meristem growth and development: integrating hormonal and mechanical signaling.

    PubMed

    Murray, James A H; Jones, Angharad; Godin, Christophe; Traas, Jan

    2012-10-01

    The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a small population of stem cells that continuously generates organs and tissues. This review covers our current understanding of organ initiation by the SAM in Arabidopsis thaliana. Meristem function and maintenance involves two major hormones, cytokinins and auxins. Cytokinins appear to play a major role in meristem maintenance and in controlling meristematic properties, such as cell proliferation. Self-organizing transport processes, which are still only partially understood, lead to the patterned accumulation of auxin at particular positions, where organs will grow out. A major downstream target of auxin-mediated growth regulation is the cell wall, which is a determinant for both growth rates and growth distribution, but feedbacks with metabolism and the synthetic capacity of the cytoplasm are crucial as well. Recent work has also pointed at a potential role of mechanical signals in growth coordination, but the precise mechanisms at work remain to be elucidated.

  10. Bayesian assurance and sample size determination in the process validation life-cycle.

    PubMed

    Faya, Paul; Seaman, John W; Stamey, James D

    2017-01-01

    Validation of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes is a regulatory requirement and plays a key role in the assurance of drug quality, safety, and efficacy. The FDA guidance on process validation recommends a life-cycle approach which involves process design, qualification, and verification. The European Medicines Agency makes similar recommendations. The main purpose of process validation is to establish scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering a quality product. A major challenge faced by manufacturers is the determination of the number of batches to be used for the qualification stage. In this article, we present a Bayesian assurance and sample size determination approach where prior process knowledge and data are used to determine the number of batches. An example is presented in which potency uniformity data is evaluated using a process capability metric. By using the posterior predictive distribution, we simulate qualification data and make a decision on the number of batches required for a desired level of assurance.

  11. Major vascular resections in retroperitoneal sarcoma.

    PubMed

    Tzanis, Dimitri; Bouhadiba, Toufik; Gaignard, Elodie; Bonvalot, Sylvie

    2018-01-01

    Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) frequently involve major vessels, which either originate from them or secondarily encase or invade them. In this field, major vascular resections result in increased morbidity. However, survival does not seem to be affected by the need for vascular resection or by this higher morbidity. This paper aims to provide descriptions of the surgical strategy and outcomes for retroperitoneal sarcomas involving major vessels. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Understanding r-process Nucleosynthesis through Nuclear Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Surman, Rebecca

    2018-06-01

    The electromagnetic counterpart of the GW170817 neutron star merger provided the first direct evidence of the astrophysical formation of nuclei via rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis. Full understanding of this event from first principles and its role in galactic chemical evolution requires progress in a number of areas. One key area is nuclear physics. A neutron star merger r-process involves thousands of exotic nuclear species, the majority of which have never been studied in the laboratory. Here we will discuss r-process nuclear data needs and how nuclear physics uncertainties influence our interpretation of observed abundance patterns and kilonova signals. We will explore the promise of experimental campaigns at rare isotope beam facilities to reduce these uncertainties, and describe recent efforts to directly connect nuclear data to astrophysical environments via the ‘reverse-engineering’ of unknown nuclear properties from the r-process abundance pattern.

  13. Processes regulating nitric oxide emissions from soils.

    PubMed

    Pilegaard, Kim

    2013-07-05

    Nitric oxide (NO) is a reactive gas that plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry by influencing the production and destruction of ozone and thereby the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. NO also contributes by its oxidation products to the formation of acid rain. The major sources of NO in the atmosphere are anthropogenic emissions (from combustion of fossil fuels) and biogenic emission from soils. NO is both produced and consumed in soils as a result of biotic and abiotic processes. The main processes involved are microbial nitrification and denitrification, and chemodenitrification. Thus, the net result is complex and dependent on several factors such as nitrogen availability, organic matter content, oxygen status, soil moisture, pH and temperature. This paper reviews recent knowledge on processes forming NO in soils and the factors controlling its emission to the atmosphere. Schemes for simulating these processes are described, and the results are discussed with the purpose of scaling up to global emission.

  14. Host-specific induction of Escherichia coli fitness genes during human urinary tract infection

    PubMed Central

    Subashchandrabose, Sargurunathan; Hazen, Tracy H.; Brumbaugh, Ariel R.; Himpsl, Stephanie D.; Smith, Sara N.; Ernst, Robert D.; Rasko, David A.; Mobley, Harry L. T.

    2014-01-01

    Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the predominant etiological agent of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI), manifested by inflammation of the urinary bladder, in humans and is a major global public health concern. Molecular pathogenesis of UPEC has been primarily examined using murine models of UTI. Translational research to develop novel therapeutics against this major pathogen, which is becoming increasingly antibiotic resistant, requires a thorough understanding of mechanisms involved in pathogenesis during human UTIs. Total RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and comparative transcriptional analysis of UTI samples to the UPEC isolates cultured in human urine and laboratory medium were used to identify novel fitness genes that were specifically expressed during human infection. Evidence for UPEC genes involved in ion transport, including copper efflux, nickel and potassium import systems, as key fitness factors in uropathogenesis were generated using an experimental model of UTI. Translational application of this study was investigated by targeting Cus, a bacterial copper efflux system. Copper supplementation in drinking water reduces E. coli colonization in the urinary bladder of mice. Additionally, our results suggest that anaerobic processes in UPEC are involved in promoting fitness during UTI in humans. In summary, RNA-seq was used to establish the transcriptional signature in UPEC during naturally occurring, community acquired UTI in women and multiple novel fitness genes used by UPEC during human infection were identified. The repertoire of UPEC genes involved in UTI presented here will facilitate further translational studies to develop innovative strategies against UTI caused by UPEC. PMID:25489107

  15. Change in nomenclature for the immunologic synapse from Troxis Necrosis to trogocytosis.

    PubMed

    French, Samuel W

    2017-10-01

    The immunologic synapse mechanism of liver necrosis was termed Troxis Necrosis meaning "nibbling". (Wang MX et al. and French SW. Exp Mol Pathol 2001, 71: 137-146). This mechanism of liver injury was first named "Piecemeal Necrosis" by Hans Popper. It is involved in autoimmune hepatitis, HCV, HBV, primary biliary cirrhosis and steatohepatitis. This process involves the T cell receptor (TCR) which binds to the hepatocyte antigen presenting major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the hepatocytic plasma membrane which quickly leads to the removal of the complex from the liver and uptake by the CD4 lymphocyte. This process is performed by the immunologic synapse now called trogocytosis meaning "gnaw" (Martinez-Martin N et al., Immunity 2011, 35: 208-222 and Dustin ML, Cancer Immunol Res 2014, 2: 1023-1033). The repeated episodes of uptake of the hepatocyte bite by bite causes the hepatocyte to slowly disappear like the Cheshire cat. This immunological synapse process is also involved in drug hepatitis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, type I diabetes, autoimmune adrenalitis, autoimmune gastritis and cancer therapy. Treatment of Alzheimer's disease is also now being studied with PD-L1 antibody as used in the treatment of cancer allowing recruitment of disease modifying leukocytes to the sites of brain pathology (Schwartz M. Science 2017, 357: 254-255). Acknowledgement: Supported by a Grant from NIAAAUO1-021898. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  16. Translating weight loss into agency: Men's experiences 5 years after bariatric surgery

    PubMed Central

    Natvik, Eli; Gjengedal, Eva; Moltu, Christian; Råheim, Målfrid

    2015-01-01

    Fewer men than women with severe obesity undergo bariatric surgery for weight loss, and knowledge about men's situation after surgery, beyond medical status, is lacking. Our aim was to explore men's experiences with life after bariatric surgery from a long-term perspective. We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 men, aged 28–60 years, between 5 and 7 years after surgery. The analysis was inspired by Giorgi's phenomenological method. We found that agency was pivotal for how the men understood themselves and their lives after surgery. Weight loss meant regaining opportunities for living and acting in unrestricted and independent daily lives, yet surgery remained a radical treatment with complex consequences. Turning to surgery had involved conceptualizing their own body size as illness, which the men had resisted doing for years. After surgery, the rapid and major weight loss and the feelings of being exhausted, weak, and helpless were intertwined. The profound intensity of the weight loss process took the men by surprise. Embodying weight loss and change involved an inevitable renegotiating of experiences connected to the large body. Having bariatric surgery was a long-term process that seemed unfinished 5 years after surgery. Restrictions and insecurity connected to health and illness persist, despite successful weight loss and embodied change. Bariatric surgery initiated a complex and long-lasting life-changing process, involving both increased capacity for agency and illness-like experiences. PMID:26066518

  17. Applying meta-pathway analyses through metagenomics to identify the functional properties of the major bacterial communities of a single spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation process sample.

    PubMed

    Illeghems, Koen; Weckx, Stefan; De Vuyst, Luc

    2015-09-01

    A high-resolution functional metagenomic analysis of a representative single sample of a Brazilian spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation process was carried out to gain insight into its bacterial community functioning. By reconstruction of microbial meta-pathways based on metagenomic data, the current knowledge about the metabolic capabilities of bacterial members involved in the cocoa bean fermentation ecosystem was extended. Functional meta-pathway analysis revealed the distribution of the metabolic pathways between the bacterial members involved. The metabolic capabilities of the lactic acid bacteria present were most associated with the heterolactic fermentation and citrate assimilation pathways. The role of Enterobacteriaceae in the conversion of substrates was shown through the use of the mixed-acid fermentation and methylglyoxal detoxification pathways. Furthermore, several other potential functional roles for Enterobacteriaceae were indicated, such as pectinolysis and citrate assimilation. Concerning acetic acid bacteria, metabolic pathways were partially reconstructed, in particular those related to responses toward stress, explaining their metabolic activities during cocoa bean fermentation processes. Further, the in-depth metagenomic analysis unveiled functionalities involved in bacterial competitiveness, such as the occurrence of CRISPRs and potential bacteriocin production. Finally, comparative analysis of the metagenomic data with bacterial genomes of cocoa bean fermentation isolates revealed the applicability of the selected strains as functional starter cultures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Preface: Special Topic on Atomic and Molecular Layer Processing: Deposition, Patterning, and Etching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Engstrom, James R.; Kummel, Andrew C.

    2017-02-01

    Thin film processing technologies that promise atomic and molecular scale control have received increasing interest in the past several years, as traditional methods for fabrication begin to reach their fundamental limits. Many of these technologies involve at their heart phenomena occurring at or near surfaces, including adsorption, gas-surface reactions, diffusion, desorption, and re-organization of near-surface layers. Moreover many of these phenomena involve not just reactions occurring under conditions of local thermodynamic equilibrium but also the action of energetic species including electrons, ions, and hyperthermal neutrals. There is a rich landscape of atomic and molecular scale interactions occurring in these systems that is still not well understood. In this Special Topic Issue of The Journal of Chemical Physics, we have collected recent representative examples of work that is directed at unraveling the mechanistic details concerning atomic and molecular layer processing, which will provide an important framework from which these fields can continue to develop. These studies range from the application of theory and computation to these systems to the use of powerful experimental probes, such as X-ray synchrotron radiation, probe microscopies, and photoelectron and infrared spectroscopies. The work presented here helps in identifying some of the major challenges and direct future activities in this exciting area of research involving atomic and molecular layer manipulation and fabrication.

  19. Preface: Special Topic on Atomic and Molecular Layer Processing: Deposition, Patterning, and Etching.

    PubMed

    Engstrom, James R; Kummel, Andrew C

    2017-02-07

    Thin film processing technologies that promise atomic and molecular scale control have received increasing interest in the past several years, as traditional methods for fabrication begin to reach their fundamental limits. Many of these technologies involve at their heart phenomena occurring at or near surfaces, including adsorption, gas-surface reactions, diffusion, desorption, and re-organization of near-surface layers. Moreover many of these phenomena involve not just reactions occurring under conditions of local thermodynamic equilibrium but also the action of energetic species including electrons, ions, and hyperthermal neutrals. There is a rich landscape of atomic and molecular scale interactions occurring in these systems that is still not well understood. In this Special Topic Issue of The Journal of Chemical Physics, we have collected recent representative examples of work that is directed at unraveling the mechanistic details concerning atomic and molecular layer processing, which will provide an important framework from which these fields can continue to develop. These studies range from the application of theory and computation to these systems to the use of powerful experimental probes, such as X-ray synchrotron radiation, probe microscopies, and photoelectron and infrared spectroscopies. The work presented here helps in identifying some of the major challenges and direct future activities in this exciting area of research involving atomic and molecular layer manipulation and fabrication.

  20. Motivational Processes Underlying Substance Abuse Disorder

    PubMed Central

    King, Christopher P.; Ferrario, Carrie R.

    2016-01-01

    Drug addiction is a syndrome of dysregulated motivation, evidenced by intense drug craving and compulsive drug-seeking behavior. In the search for common neurobiological substrates of addiction to different classes of drugs, behavioral neuroscientists have attempted to determine the neural basis for a number of motivational concepts and describe how they are changed by repeated drug use. Here, we describe these concepts and summarize previous work describing three major neural systems that play distinct roles in different conceptual aspects of motivation: (1) a nigrostriatal system that is involved in two forms of instrumental learning, (2) a ventral striatal system that is involved in Pavlovian incentive motivation and negative reinforcement, and (3) frontal cortical areas that regulate decision making and motivational processes. Within striatal systems, drug addiction can involve a transition from goal-oriented, incentive processes to automatic, habit-based responding. In the cortex, weak inhibitory control is a predisposing factor to, as well as a consequence of, repeated drug intake. However, these transitions are not absolute, and addiction can occur without a transition to habit-based responding, occurring as a result of the overvaluation of drug outcomes and hypersensitivity to incentive properties of drug-associated cues. Finally, we point out that addiction is not monolithic and can depend not only on individual differences between addicts, but also on the neurochemical action of specific drug classes. PMID:26475159

  1. Toward the reconstitution of synthetic cell motility

    PubMed Central

    Siton-Mendelson, Orit; Bernheim-Groswasser, Anne

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Cellular motility is a fundamental process essential for embryonic development, wound healing, immune responses, and tissues development. Cells are mostly moving by crawling on external, or inside, substrates which can differ in their surface composition, geometry, and dimensionality. Cells can adopt different migration phenotypes, e.g., bleb-based and protrusion-based, depending on myosin contractility, surface adhesion, and cell confinement. In the few past decades, research on cell motility has focused on uncovering the major molecular players and their order of events. Despite major progresses, our ability to infer on the collective behavior from the molecular properties remains a major challenge, especially because cell migration integrates numerous chemical and mechanical processes that are coupled via feedbacks that span over large range of time and length scales. For this reason, reconstituted model systems were developed. These systems allow for full control of the molecular constituents and various system parameters, thereby providing insight into their individual roles and functions. In this review we describe the various reconstituted model systems that were developed in the past decades. Because of the multiple steps involved in cell motility and the complexity of the overall process, most of the model systems focus on very specific aspects of the individual steps of cell motility. Here we describe the main advancement in cell motility reconstitution and discuss the main challenges toward the realization of a synthetic motile cell. PMID:27019160

  2. Accumulation of Citrulline by Microbial Arginine Metabolism during Alcoholic Fermentation of Soy Sauce.

    PubMed

    Fang, Fang; Zhang, Jiran; Zhou, Jingwen; Zhou, Zhaohui; Li, Tieqiao; Lu, Liling; Zeng, Weizhu; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

    2018-03-07

    Citrulline, the major precursor of ethyl carbamate in soy sauce, is an intermediate catabolite of arginine produced by bacteria present in soy sauce moromi mash. Pediococcus acidilactici is responsible for the formation of citrulline during the lactic acid fermentation process of soy sauce. However, citrulline accumulation during the alcoholic fermentation process and the corresponding bacteria involved have not been identified. Salt-tolerant, arginine-utilizing bacteria were isolated from moromi mash during the alcoholic fermentation process. Under normal cultivation conditions, arginine utilization by these strains did not contribute to citrulline accumulation. However, the conversion of arginine to citrulline by these bacteria increased when cultivated during the alcoholic fermentation process. Additionally, the ethanol-enhanced solubility of free fatty acids in moromi mash stimulated the accumulation of citrulline. Staphylococcus exhibited the highest capability in the conversion of arginine to citrulline.

  3. A community perspective on the role of fathers during pregnancy: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Defining male involvement during pregnancy is essential for the development of future research and appropriate interventions to optimize services aiming to improve birth outcomes. Study Aim: To define male involvement during pregnancy and obtain community-based recommendations for interventions to improve male involvement during pregnancy. Methods We conducted focus groups with mothers and fathers from the National Healthy Start Association program in order to obtain detailed descriptions of male involvement activities, benefits, barriers, and proposed solutions for increasing male involvement during pregnancy. The majority of participants were African American parents. Results The involved “male” was identified as either the biological father, or, the current male partner of the pregnant woman. Both men and women described the ideal, involved father or male partner as present, accessible, available, understanding, willing to learn about the pregnancy process and eager to provide emotional, physical and financial support to the woman carrying the child. Women emphasized a sense of “togetherness” during the pregnancy. Suggestions included creating male-targeted prenatal programs, enhancing current interventions targeting females, and increasing healthcare providers’ awareness of the importance of men’s involvement during pregnancy. Conclusions Individual, family, community, societal and policy factors play a role in barring or diminishing the involvement of fathers during pregnancy. Future research and interventions should target these factors and their interaction in order to increase fathers’ involvement and thereby improve pregnancy outcomes. PMID:23497131

  4. A qualitative study of the perspectives of key stakeholders on the delivery of clinical academic training in the East Midlands.

    PubMed

    Green, Ruth H; Evans, Val; MacLeod, Sheona; Barratt, Jonathan

    2018-02-01

    Major changes in the design and delivery of clinical academic training in the United Kingdom have occurred yet there has been little exploration of the perceptions of integrated clinic academic trainees or educators. We obtained the views of a range of key stakeholders involved in clinical academic training in the East Midlands. A qualitative study with inductive iterative thematic content analysis of findings from trainee surveys and facilitated focus groups. The East Midlands School of Clinical Academic Training. Integrated Clinical Academic Trainees, clinical and academic educators involved in clinical academic training. The experience, opinions and beliefs of key stakeholders about barriers and enablers in the delivery of clinical academic training. We identified key themes many shared by both trainees and educators. These highlighted issues in the systems and process of the integrated academic pathways, career pathways, supervision and support, the assessment process and the balance between clinical and academic training. Our findings help inform the future development of integrated academic training programmes.

  5. Neutrophil Extracellular Traps: Formation and Involvement in Disease Progression.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Sanni; Gupta, Ena; Kaushik, Sanket; Jyoti, Anupam

    2018-06-01

    Neutrophils are the forerunner in innate immunity by defending the host organisms against infectious pathogens. During such process, neutrophils reach the site of inflammation/infection and eliminate the pathogens by phagocytosis as well as by forming the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs trap and eradicate a number of microbes including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses. NETs consist of DNA which is decorated with histones and granular proteins such as neutrophil elastase (NE), gelatinase, myeloperoxidase. NETosis (a process of NETs formation) is also involved in many inflammatory and autoimmune disorders with a major contribution to acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, cystic fibrosis, periodontitis. Hyper NETosis or ineffective clearance of NETs would likely increase the risk of auto-antibody generation against NETs components and contribution in auto-inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this review is intended to highlight the molecular mechanisms of NETosis and its antimicrobial effect. Furthermore, a current status of NETosis in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders has been reviewed for better understanding.

  6. Cellular and molecular interactions of mesenchymal stem cells in innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Spaggiari, Grazia Maria; Moretta, Lorenzo

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) have attracted major attention for their possible clinical applications. In addition to their tissue regenerative capacity, they display immune-modulatory properties for which they have been used in the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease and autoimmune diseases. Various studies have analyzed the inhibitory effect exerted by MSC on cells belonging to acquired or to innate immunity. In this context, MSC have been shown to inhibit proliferation and function of natural killer (NK) cells and to hinder the generation of dendritic cells and macrophages, thus interfering with inflammatory processes and with the generation of type I immune responses. In addition, MSC promote the differentiation of regulatory cells and participate in the regeneration of tissues damaged as a consequence of the inflammatory process. Different molecular mechanisms are involved in the immunosuppressive effect. Further investigation on the biology of MSC and on the regulatory events involved in their functional activities can help to optimize their use in clinical practice.

  7. The role of HBV-induced autophagy in HBV replication and HBV related-HCC.

    PubMed

    Xie, Mingjie; Yang, Zhenggang; Liu, Yanning; Zheng, Min

    2018-04-27

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is infecting about 364 million people around the world. It can cause various diseases, such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the present anti-viral treatment in clinics is limited; studies for new therapies are highly desired. Autophagy is a crucial and major catabolic process in the maintenance of normal intracellular homeostasis in host cells. Host cells use this unique process to degrade and recycle long-lived proteins, damaged organelles, and various pathogens for keeping the normal physiological functions. Recently, published studies indicated that HBV can induce autophagy in host cells; this autophagic response is involved in viral replication and pathogenesis. Several viral proteins, such as surface and X proteins, are assumed to be responsible for inducing autophagy in HBV infection. This review briefly summarizes some important mechanisms involved in HBV-induced autophagy and provides a novel perspective on therapies of HBV infection and HBV-related HCC. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Implementation Process of a Canadian Community-based Nurse Mentorship Intervention in HIV Care.

    PubMed

    Caine, Vera; Mill, Judy; O'Brien, Kelly; Solomon, Patricia; Worthington, Catherine; Dykeman, Margaret; Gahagan, Jacqueline; Maina, Geoffrey; De Padua, Anthony; Arneson, Cheryl; Rogers, Tim; Chaw-Kant, Jean

    2016-01-01

    We describe salient individual and organizational factors that influenced engagement of registered nurses in a 12-month clinical mentorship intervention on HIV care in Canada. The intervention included 48 nurses and 8 people living with HIV (PLWH) who were involved in group-based and one-on-one informal mentorship informed by transformative learning theory. We evaluated the process of implementing the mentorship intervention using qualitative content analysis. The inclusion of PLWH as mentors, the opportunities for reciprocal learning, and the long-term commitment of individual nurses and partner organizations in HIV care were major strengths. Challenges included the need for multiple ethical approvals, the lack of organizational support at some clinical sites, and the time commitment required by participants. We recommend that clinical mentorship interventions in HIV care consider organizational support, adhere to the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS principles, and explore questions of professional obligations. Copyright © 2016 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. The Flynn effect and memory function.

    PubMed

    Baxendale, Sallie

    2010-08-01

    The Flynn effect refers to the steady increase in IQ that appears to date back at least to the inception of modern-day IQ tests. This study examined the possible Flynn effects on clinical memory tests involving the learning and recall of verbal and nonverbal material. Comparisons of the age-related norms on the list learning and design learning tasks from the Adult Memory and Information Processing Battery (AMIPB), published in 1985, and its successor, the BIRT (Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust) Memory and Information Processing Battery (BMIPB) published in 2007, indicate that there is a significant Flynn effect on tests of memory function. This effect appears to be material specific with statistically significant improvements in all scores on tests involving the learning and recall of visual material in every age range evident over a 22-year period. Verbal memory abilities appear to be relatively stable with no significant differences between the scores in the majority of age ranges. The ramifications for the clinical interpretation of these tests are discussed.

  10. Technological advances and applications of hydrolytic enzymes for valorization of lignocellulosic biomass.

    PubMed

    Manisha; Yadav, Sudesh Kumar

    2017-12-01

    Hydrolytic enzymes are indispensable tools in the production of various foodstuffs, drugs, and consumables owing to their applications in almost every industrial process nowadays. One of the foremost areas of interest involving the use of hydrolytic enzymes is in the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into value added products. However, limitations of the processes due to inadequate enzyme activity and stability with a narrow range of pH and temperature optima often limit their effective usage. The innovative technologies, involving manipulation of enzyme activity and stability through mutagenesis, genetic engineering and metagenomics lead to a major leap in all the fields using hydrolytic enzymes. This article provides recent advancement towards the isolation and use of microbes for lignocellulosic biomass utilisation, microbes producing the hydrolytic enzymes, the modern age technologies used to manipulate and enhance the hydrolytic enzyme activity and the applications of such enzymes in value added products development from lignocellulosic biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. [Constitutional narrowing of the cervical spinal canal. Radiological and clinical findings].

    PubMed

    Ritter, G; Rittmeyer, K; Hopf, H C

    1975-02-21

    A constitutional narrowing of the cervical spinal canal was seen in 31 patients with neurological disorders. The ratio of the inner diameter of the spinal canal to the diameter of the vertebral body was smaller than 1 (normal greater than 1). Clinical signs were observed from 45 years upwards where reactivedegenerative changes cause additional narrowing. The majority of patients were male, predominantly heavy manual labourers. There is often a trauma preceding. On myelography multilocular deformations of the spinal subarachnoid space and nerve roots are seen. On the mechanical narrowing of the spinal canal a vascular factor supervenes, caused by exostoses, intervertebral disc protrusions, and fibrosing processes. Clinically a chronic progressive spinal transection syndrome (cervical myelopathy) dominates besides a multilocular root involvement. Posterior column sensibility is predominantly lost. Pain in the extemities and the cervical column is an early symptom. Non-specific CSF changes occur frequently. In case of root involvement the electromyogram is pathological. The prognosis is bad. Operation can only remove reactive processes but not the constitutional anomaly.

  12. Retinoic acid regulates several genes in bile acid and lipid metabolism via upregulation of small heterodimer partner in hepatocytes.

    PubMed

    Mamoon, Abulkhair; Subauste, Angela; Subauste, Maria C; Subauste, Jose

    2014-10-25

    Retinoic acid (RA) affects multiple aspects of development, embryogenesis and cell differentiation processes. The liver is a major organ that stores RA suggesting that retinoids play an important role in the function of hepatocytes. In our previous studies, we have demonstrated the involvement of small heterodimer partner (SHP) in RA-induced signaling in a non-transformed hepatic cell line AML 12. In the present study, we have identified several critical genes in lipid homeostasis (Apoa1, Apoa2 and ApoF) that are repressed by RA-treatment in a SHP dependent manner, in vitro and also in vivo with the use of the SHP null mice. In a similar manner, RA also represses several critical genes involved in bile acid metabolism (Cyp7a1, Cyp8b1, Mdr2, Bsep, Baat and Ntcp) via upregulation of SHP. Collectively our data suggest that SHP plays a major role in RA-induced potential changes in pathophysiology of metabolic disorders in the liver. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  13. Metatranscriptomic analysis of a high-sulfide aquatic spring reveals insights into sulfur cycling and unexpected aerobic metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Elshahed, Mostafa S.; Najar, Fares Z.; Krumholz, Lee R.

    2015-01-01

    Zodletone spring is a sulfide-rich spring in southwestern Oklahoma characterized by shallow, microoxic, light-exposed spring water overlaying anoxic sediments. Previously, culture-independent 16S rRNA gene based diversity surveys have revealed that Zodletone spring source sediments harbor a highly diverse microbial community, with multiple lineages putatively involved in various sulfur-cycling processes. Here, we conducted a metatranscriptomic survey of microbial populations in Zodletone spring source sediments to characterize the relative prevalence and importance of putative phototrophic, chemolithotrophic, and heterotrophic microorganisms in the sulfur cycle, the identity of lineages actively involved in various sulfur cycling processes, and the interaction between sulfur cycling and other geochemical processes at the spring source. Sediment samples at the spring’s source were taken at three different times within a 24-h period for geochemical analyses and RNA sequencing. In depth mining of datasets for sulfur cycling transcripts revealed major sulfur cycling pathways and taxa involved, including an unexpected potential role of Actinobacteria in sulfide oxidation and thiosulfate transformation. Surprisingly, transcripts coding for the cyanobacterial Photosystem II D1 protein, methane monooxygenase, and terminal cytochrome oxidases were encountered, indicating that genes for oxygen production and aerobic modes of metabolism are actively being transcribed, despite below-detectable levels (<1 µM) of oxygen in source sediment. Results highlight transcripts involved in sulfur, methane, and oxygen cycles, propose that oxygenic photosynthesis could support aerobic methane and sulfide oxidation in anoxic sediments exposed to sunlight, and provide a viewpoint of microbial metabolic lifestyles under conditions similar to those seen during late Archaean and Proterozoic eons. PMID:26417542

  14. Metatranscriptomic analysis of a high-sulfide aquatic spring reveals insights into sulfur cycling and unexpected aerobic metabolism.

    PubMed

    Spain, Anne M; Elshahed, Mostafa S; Najar, Fares Z; Krumholz, Lee R

    2015-01-01

    Zodletone spring is a sulfide-rich spring in southwestern Oklahoma characterized by shallow, microoxic, light-exposed spring water overlaying anoxic sediments. Previously, culture-independent 16S rRNA gene based diversity surveys have revealed that Zodletone spring source sediments harbor a highly diverse microbial community, with multiple lineages putatively involved in various sulfur-cycling processes. Here, we conducted a metatranscriptomic survey of microbial populations in Zodletone spring source sediments to characterize the relative prevalence and importance of putative phototrophic, chemolithotrophic, and heterotrophic microorganisms in the sulfur cycle, the identity of lineages actively involved in various sulfur cycling processes, and the interaction between sulfur cycling and other geochemical processes at the spring source. Sediment samples at the spring's source were taken at three different times within a 24-h period for geochemical analyses and RNA sequencing. In depth mining of datasets for sulfur cycling transcripts revealed major sulfur cycling pathways and taxa involved, including an unexpected potential role of Actinobacteria in sulfide oxidation and thiosulfate transformation. Surprisingly, transcripts coding for the cyanobacterial Photosystem II D1 protein, methane monooxygenase, and terminal cytochrome oxidases were encountered, indicating that genes for oxygen production and aerobic modes of metabolism are actively being transcribed, despite below-detectable levels (<1 µM) of oxygen in source sediment. Results highlight transcripts involved in sulfur, methane, and oxygen cycles, propose that oxygenic photosynthesis could support aerobic methane and sulfide oxidation in anoxic sediments exposed to sunlight, and provide a viewpoint of microbial metabolic lifestyles under conditions similar to those seen during late Archaean and Proterozoic eons.

  15. Innovation in health policy: responding to the health society.

    PubMed

    Kickbusch, Ilona

    2007-01-01

    The 21st century health society is characterized by 2 major social processes: the expansion of the territory of health and the expansion of the reflexivity of health. The boundaries of what we call the are becoming increasingly fluid and health has become integral to how we live our everyday life. Health itself has become a major economic and social driving force in society. This shifts the pressure for policy innovation from a focus on the existing health system to a reorganization of how we approach health in 21st century societies. The dynamics of the health society challenge the way we conceptualize and locate health in the policy arena, the mechanisms through which we conduct health policy and they redefine who should be involved in the policy process. This concern is beginning to be addressed within government through joined up government approaches, beyond government through making health everybody's business and beyond nation states as a new interface between domestic and foreign policy.

  16. The effects of maintaining temperature in annealing heat treatment for an FSWed 6061-T6 Al alloy.

    PubMed

    Lee, Seung-Jun; Han, Min-Su; Kim, Seong-Jong

    2013-08-01

    The technological development of all kinds of lightweight transportation devices including vehicles, aircraft, ships, etc. has progressed markedly with the demand for energy saving and environmental protection. Aluminum alloy is in the spotlight as it is a suitable environmentally friendly material. However, deformation is a major problem during the welding process because aluminum alloy has a large thermal expansion coefficient. In addition, it is known that its corrosion resistance is excellent; nevertheless, in practice, considerable corrosion is generated and this is a major problem. To solve this problem, the friction stir welding (FSW) technology is applied extensively at various industrial fields as a new welding technique. This method involves a process in which materials are joined by frictional heat and physical force. Therefore, we evaluated improvements in mechanical properties and corrosion resistance through annealing heat treatment after FSW. The electrochemical experiment did not show a significant difference. However, the microstructure observation showed defectless, fine crystal particles, indicating excellent properties at 200-225°C.

  17. A Systematic Analysis of Candidate Genes Associated with Nicotine Addiction

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Meng; Li, Xia; Fan, Rui; Liu, Xinhua; Wang, Ju

    2015-01-01

    Nicotine, as the major psychoactive component of tobacco, has broad physiological effects within the central nervous system, but our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying its neuronal effects remains incomplete. In this study, we performed a systematic analysis on a set of nicotine addiction-related genes to explore their characteristics at network levels. We found that NAGenes tended to have a more moderate degree and weaker clustering coefficient and to be less central in the network compared to alcohol addiction-related genes or cancer genes. Further, clustering of these genes resulted in six clusters with themes in synaptic transmission, signal transduction, metabolic process, and apoptosis, which provided an intuitional view on the major molecular functions of the genes. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis revealed that neurodevelopment, neurotransmission activity, and metabolism related biological processes were involved in nicotine addiction. In summary, by analyzing the overall characteristics of the nicotine addiction related genes, this study provided valuable information for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction. PMID:26097843

  18. Nematode sperm maturation triggered by protease involves sperm-secreted serine protease inhibitor (Serpin)

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Yanmei; Sun, Wei; Zhang, Pan; Chi, Hao; Zhang, Mei-Jun; Song, Chun-Qing; Ma, Xuan; Shang, Yunlong; Wang, Bin; Hu, Youqiao; Hao, Zhiqi; Hühmer, Andreas F.; Meng, Fanxia; L'Hernault, Steven W.; He, Si-Min; Dong, Meng-Qiu; Miao, Long

    2012-01-01

    Spermiogenesis is a series of poorly understood morphological, physiological and biochemical processes that occur during the transition of immotile spermatids into motile, fertilization-competent spermatozoa. Here, we identified a Serpin (serine protease inhibitor) family protein (As_SRP-1) that is secreted from spermatids during nematode Ascaris suum spermiogenesis (also called sperm activation) and we showed that As_SRP-1 has two major functions. First, As_SRP-1 functions in cis to support major sperm protein (MSP)-based cytoskeletal assembly in the spermatid that releases it, thereby facilitating sperm motility acquisition. Second, As_SRP-1 released from an activated sperm inhibits, in trans, the activation of surrounding spermatids by inhibiting vas deferens-derived As_TRY-5, a trypsin-like serine protease necessary for sperm activation. Because vesicular exocytosis is necessary to create fertilization-competent sperm in many animal species, components released during this process might be more important modulators of the physiology and behavior of surrounding sperm than was previously appreciated. PMID:22307610

  19. Bimetallic catalysis for C–C and C–X coupling reactions

    PubMed Central

    Pye, Dominic R.

    2017-01-01

    Bimetallic catalysis represents an alternative paradigm for coupling chemistry that complements the more traditional single-site catalysis approach. In this perspective, recent advances in bimetallic systems for catalytic C–C and C–X coupling reactions are reviewed. Behavior which complements that of established single-site catalysts is highlighted. Two major reaction classes are covered. First, generation of catalytic amounts of organometallic species of e.g. Cu, Au, or Ni capable of transmetallation to a Pd co-catalyst (or other traditional cross-coupling catalyst) has allowed important new C–C coupling technologies to emerge. Second, catalytic transformations involving binuclear bond-breaking and/or bond-forming steps, in some cases involving metal–metal bonds, represent a frontier area for C–C and C–X coupling processes.

  20. Bacterial signaling ecology and potential applications during aquatic biofilm construction.

    PubMed

    Vega, Leticia M; Alvarez, Pedro J; McLean, Robert J C

    2014-07-01

    In their natural environment, bacteria and other microorganisms typically grow as surface-adherent biofilm communities. Cell signal processes, including quorum signaling, are now recognized as being intimately involved in the development and function of biofilms. In contrast to their planktonic (unattached) counterparts, bacteria within biofilms are notoriously resistant to many traditional antimicrobial agents and so represent a major challenge in industry and medicine. Although biofilms impact many human activities, they actually represent an ancient mode of bacterial growth as shown in the fossil record. Consequently, many aquatic organisms have evolved strategies involving signal manipulation to control or co-exist with biofilms. Here, we review the chemical ecology of biofilms and propose mechanisms whereby signal manipulation can be used to promote or control biofilms.

  1. Missions to the sun and to the earth. [planning of NASA Solar Terrestrial Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Timothy, A. F.

    1978-01-01

    The program outlined in the present paper represents an optimized plan of solar terrestrial physics. It is constrained only in the sense that it involves not more than one new major mission per year for the Solar Terrestrial Division during the 1980-1985 period. However, the flight activity proposed, if accepted by the Agency and by Congress, would involve a growth in the existing Solar Terrestrial budget by more than a factor of 2. Thus, the program may be considered as somewhat optimistic when viewed in the broader context of the NASA goals and budget. The Agency's integrated FY 1980 Five Year Plan will show how many missions proposed will survive this planning process.

  2. Clinical writing and the documentary construction of schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Barrett, R J

    1988-09-01

    Psychiatric practice involves writing as much as it involves talking. This study examines the interpretive processes of reading, writing and interviewing which are central to the clinical interaction. It is part of a broader ethnographic study of an Australian psychiatric hospital (which specializes in the treatment of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia). The paper examines two major types of written assessment of patients--the admission assessment and the 'complete work-up.' Writing is analyzed as performance, thereby focusing on the transformations that are effected in patients, their perceptions of their schizophrenia, and their total identity. One crucial transformation is from 'person suffering from schizophrenia' to 'schizophrenic.' The paper aims to show that as much as psychiatry is a 'talking cure' it is also a 'writing cure.'

  3. Procedural Challenges In International Collaborative Research

    PubMed Central

    Loo, Kek Khee

    2009-01-01

    There is tremendous promise for a rewarding experience in an international research project due to the collaboration, mutual learning and cultural bridging that intrinsically occur. However, knowledge of the procedural requirements for international research is not widely disseminated to investigators who may not have been involved in the administration of a federal grant with a foreign component. The purpose of this article is to highlight the major challenges in administrative, procedural and equipment management aspects of grant implementation when federal funding is involved in international collaborative research. It is hoped that awareness of these difficulties and demystification of the process for future investigators can minimize the potential encumbrances in a rewarding journey towards realizing the scientific goals in an international collaborative research project. PMID:19574522

  4. IL-1β directly suppress ghrelin mRNA expression in ghrelin-producing cells.

    PubMed

    Bando, Mika; Iwakura, Hiroshi; Ueda, Yoko; Ariyasu, Hiroyuki; Inaba, Hidefumi; Furukawa, Yasushi; Furuta, Hiroto; Nishi, Masahiro; Akamizu, Takashi

    2017-05-15

    In animal models, ghrelin production is suppressed by LPS administration. To elucidate the detailed molecular mechanisms involved in the phenomenon, we investigated the effects of LPS and LPS-inducible cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, on the expression of ghrelin in the ghrelin-producing cell line MGN3-1. These cells expressed IL-1R, and IL-1β significantly suppressed ghrelin mRNA levels. The suppressive effects of IL-1β were attenuated by knockdown of IKKβ, suggesting the involvement of the NF-κB pathway. These results suggested that IL-1β is a major regulator of ghrelin expression during inflammatory processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Chronic Pain: Content Validation of Nursing Diagnosis in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

    PubMed

    Zeleníková, Renáta; Maniaková, Lenka

    2015-10-01

    The main purpose of the study was to validate the defining characteristics and related factors of the nursing diagnosis "chronic pain" in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This is a descriptive study. The validation process involved was based on Fehring's Diagnostic Content Validity Model. Three defining characteristics (reports pain, altered ability to continue previous activities, and depression) were classified as major by Slovak nurses, and one defining characteristic (reports pain) was classified as major by Czech nurses. The results of the study provide guidance in devising strategies of pain assessment and can aid in the formulation of accurate nursing diagnoses. The defining characteristic "reports pain" is important for arriving at the nursing diagnosis "chronic pain." © 2014 NANDA International, Inc.

  6. Content validation of the nursing diagnosis acute pain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

    PubMed

    Zeleníková, Renáta; Žiaková, Katarína; Čáp, Juraj; Jarošová, Darja

    2014-10-01

    The main purpose of the study was to validate the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis acute pain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is a descriptive study. The validation process involved was based on Fehring's diagnostic content validity model. Four defining characteristics were classified as major by Slovak nurses and eight defining characteristics were classified as major by Czech nurses. Validation of the nursing diagnosis acute pain in the Czech and Slovak sociocultural context has shown that nurses prioritize characteristics that are behavioral in nature as well as patients' verbal reports of pain. Verbal reports of pain and behavioral indicators are important for arriving at the nursing diagnosis acute pain. © 2014 NANDA International, Inc.

  7. Autophagy-Inflammasome Interplay in Heart Failure: A Systematic Review on Basics, Pathways, and Therapeutic Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Chiu, Bonnie; Jantuan, Eugeniu; Shen, Fan; Chiu, Brian; Sergi, Consolato

    2017-05-01

    Aging of the population contributes to the increasing prevalence of heart failure. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process aiming to degrade both long-lived proteins and damaged or excessive cyto-organelles via the lysosomal-mediated pathway. Although autophagy is involved in the normal homeostasis of cardiovascular cells, upregulation of autophagy and its abnormal modulation by inflammation may lead to cardiovascular functional decline and heart failure. Despite major improvements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, heart failure remains one of the major diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Here, we review the cardiovascular autophagy and its interplay with inflammation which may lead to heart failure exploring some potential treatment options. © 2017 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.

  8. Neural mechanisms of reinforcement learning in unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Rothkirch, Marcus; Tonn, Jonas; Köhler, Stephan; Sterzer, Philipp

    2017-04-01

    According to current concepts, major depressive disorder is strongly related to dysfunctional neural processing of motivational information, entailing impairments in reinforcement learning. While computational modelling can reveal the precise nature of neural learning signals, it has not been used to study learning-related neural dysfunctions in unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder so far. We thus aimed at comparing the neural coding of reward and punishment prediction errors, representing indicators of neural learning-related processes, between unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder and healthy participants. To this end, a group of unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder (n = 28) and a group of age- and sex-matched healthy control participants (n = 30) completed an instrumental learning task involving monetary gains and losses during functional magnetic resonance imaging. The two groups did not differ in their learning performance. Patients and control participants showed the same level of prediction error-related activity in the ventral striatum and the anterior insula. In contrast, neural coding of reward prediction errors in the medial orbitofrontal cortex was reduced in patients. Moreover, neural reward prediction error signals in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum showed negative correlations with anhedonia severity. Using a standard instrumental learning paradigm we found no evidence for an overall impairment of reinforcement learning in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder. Importantly, however, the attenuated neural coding of reward in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and the relation between anhedonia and reduced reward prediction error-signalling in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum likely reflect an impairment in experiencing pleasure from rewarding events as a key mechanism of anhedonia in major depressive disorder. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Estimating the costs of human space exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mandell, Humboldt C., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    The plan for NASA's new exploration initiative has the following strategic themes: (1) incremental, logical evolutionary development; (2) economic viability; and (3) excellence in management. The cost estimation process is involved with all of these themes and they are completely dependent upon the engineering cost estimator for success. The purpose is to articulate the issues associated with beginning this major new government initiative, to show how NASA intends to resolve them, and finally to demonstrate the vital importance of a leadership role by the cost estimation community.

  10. Coercion to Compliance, Or How Great Expectations in Washington Are Actually Realized at the Local Level, This Being the Saga of School Desegregation in the South as Told by Two Sympathetic Observers--Lessons on Getting Things Done.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodgers, Harrell R., Jr.; Bullock, Charles S., III

    This volume is a study of individual behavior manifested in the desegregation process of 31 Georgia school districts from 1965 to 1974. Major objectives of the study are to glean insight into the variables that determine whether school officials involved would comply with the law and to assess the impact of Federal desegregation guidelines. The…

  11. Rolling-Element Bearings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hamrock, B. J.; Anderson, W. J.

    1983-01-01

    Rolling element bearings are a precision, yet simple, machine element of great utility. A brief history of rolling element bearings is reviewed and the type of rolling element bearings, their geometry and kinematics, as well as the materials they are made from and the manufacturing processes they involve are described. Unloaded and unlubricated rolling element bearings, loaded but unlubricated rolling element bearings and loaded and lubricated rolling element bearings are considered. The recognition and understanding of elastohydrodynamic lubrication covered, represents one of the major development in rolling element bearings.

  12. Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XII: The Work System, Testing, and Clinical Reasoning.

    PubMed

    Harolds, Jay A

    2016-07-01

    Donabedian felt the 3 major components affecting quality were process, structure, and outcome. Later investigators often substitute the word "structure" for a broader concept called the "work system." One component of the latter is the people involved, and for diagnosis, this often is best done with a diagnostic team. The work system in diagnosis has many obstacles to achieve optimum performance. There are also important problems with how tests are ordered and interpreted and clinical reasoning and biases.

  13. Islet organogenesis, angiogenesis and innervation.

    PubMed

    Cerf, Marlon E

    2011-11-01

    The pancreas is characterized by a major component, an exocrine and ductal system involved in digestion, and a minor component, the endocrine islets represented by islet micro-organs that tightly regulate glucose homoeostasis. Pancreatic organogenesis is strictly co-ordinated by transcription factors that are expressed sequentially to yield functional islets capable of maintaining glucose homoeostasis. Angiogenesis and innervation complete islet development, equipping islets to respond to metabolic demands. Proper regulation of this triad of processes during development is critical for establishing functional islets.

  14. NASA's future plans for lunar astronomy and astrophysics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stachnik, Robert V.; Kaplan, Michael S.

    1994-01-01

    An expanding scientific interest in astronomical observations from the Moon has led the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a two-part strategy for lunar-astrophysics planning. The strategy emphasizes a systematic review process involving both the external scientific community and internal NASA engineering teams, coupled with the rigorous exclusion of projects inappropriate to lunar emplacement. Five major candidate lunar-astronomy projects are described, together with a modest derivative of one of them that could be implemented early in the establishment of a lunar base.

  15. SEEDS: A Celebration of Science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Melton, Bob

    1991-01-01

    The major goal of the project of Space Exposed Experiment Developed for Students (SEEDS) was to stimulate interest in science through the active involvement of all participants. Youthful investigators utilized the basic and integrated science process skills as they conducted the research necessary to complete the data reports used in the compilation of this document. Participants described many unique activities designed to promote critical thinking and problem solving. Seeds made a significant impact toward enhancing the teaching, learning, and enjoyment of science for students worldwide.

  16. Interfacing laboratory instruments to multiuser, virtual memory computers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Generazio, Edward R.; Stang, David B.; Roth, Don J.

    1989-01-01

    Incentives, problems and solutions associated with interfacing laboratory equipment with multiuser, virtual memory computers are presented. The major difficulty concerns how to utilize these computers effectively in a medium sized research group. This entails optimization of hardware interconnections and software to facilitate multiple instrument control, data acquisition and processing. The architecture of the system that was devised, and associated programming and subroutines are described. An example program involving computer controlled hardware for ultrasonic scan imaging is provided to illustrate the operational features.

  17. Mechanistic study of the biomimetic synthesis of flavonolignan diastereoisomers in milk thistle.

    PubMed

    Althagafy, Hanan S; Meza-Aviña, Maria Elena; Oberlies, Nicholas H; Croatt, Mitchell P

    2013-08-02

    The mechanism for the biomimetic synthesis of flavonolignan diastereoisomers in milk thistle is proposed to proceed by single-electron oxidation of coniferyl alcohol, subsequent reaction with one of the oxygen atoms of taxifolin's catechol moiety, and finally, further oxidation to form four of the major components of silymarin: silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, and isosilybin B. This mechanism is significantly different from a previously proposed process that involves the coupling of two independently formed radicals.

  18. Studies of volatiles and organic materials in early terrestrial and present-day outer solar system environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, Carl; Thompson, W. Reid; Chyba, Christopher F.; Khare, B. N.

    1991-01-01

    A review and partial summary of projects within several areas of research generally involving the origin, distribution, chemistry, and spectral/dielectric properties of volatiles and organic materials in the outer solar system and early terrestrial environments are presented. The major topics covered include: (1) impact delivery of volatiles and organic compounds to the early terrestrial planets; (2) optical constants measurements; (3) spectral classification, chemical processes, and distribution of materials; and (4) radar properties of ice, hydrocarbons, and organic heteropolymers.

  19. Addition of CF3 across unsaturated moieties: a powerful functionalization tool

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    In the last few years, the efficient introduction of trifluoromethyl groups in organic molecules has become a major research focus. This review highlights the recent developments enabling the incorporation of CF3 groups across unsaturated moieties, preferentially alkenes, and the mechanistic scenarios governing these transformations. We have specially focused on methods involving the simultaneous formation of C–CF3 and C–C or C–heteroatom bonds by formal addition reactions across π-systems, as such difunctionalization processes hold valuable synthetic potential. PMID:24789472

  20. Rate Kinetics and Molecular Dynamics of the Structural Transitions in Amyloidogenic Proteins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Steckmann, Timothy M.

    Amyloid fibril aggregation is associated with several horrific diseases such as Alzheimer's, Creutzfeld-Jacob, diabetes, Parkinson's and others. The process of amyloid aggregation involves forming myriad different metastable intermediate aggregates. Amyloid fibrils are composed of proteins that originate in an innocuous alpha-helix or random-coil structure. The alpha-helices convert their structure to beta-strands that aggregate into beta-sheets, and then into protofibrils, and ultimately into fully formed amyloid fibrils. On the basis of experimental data, I have developed a mathematical model for the kinetics of the reaction pathways and determined rate parameters for peptide secondary structural conversion and aggregation during the entire fibrillogenesis process from random coil to fibrils, including the molecular species that accelerate the conversions. The specific steps of the model and the rate constants that are determined by fitting to experimental data provide insight on the molecular species involved in the fibril formation process. To better understand the molecular basis of the protein structural transitions and aggregation, I report on molecular dynamics (MD) computational studies on the formation of amyloid protofibrillar structures in the small model protein ccbeta, which undergoes many of the structural transitions of the larger, naturally occurring amyloid forming proteins. Two different structural transition processes involving hydrogen bonds are observed for aggregation into fibrils: the breaking of intrachain hydrogen bonds to allow beta-hairpin proteins to straighten, and the subsequent formation of interchain hydrogen bonds during aggregation into amyloid fibrils. For my MD simulations, I found that the temperature dependence of these two different structural transition processes results in the existence of a temperature window that the ccbeta protein experiences during the process of forming protofibrillar structures. Both the mathematical modeling of the kinetics and the MD simulations show that molecular structural heterogeneity is a major factor in the process. The MD simulations also show that intrachain and interchain hydrogen bonds breaking and forming is strongly correlated to the process of amyloid formation.

  1. Near miss and minor occupational injury: Does it share a common causal pathway with major injury?

    PubMed

    Alamgir, Hasanat; Yu, Shicheng; Gorman, Erin; Ngan, Karen; Guzman, Jaime

    2009-01-01

    An essential assumption of injury prevention programs is the common cause hypothesis that the causal pathways of near misses and minor injuries are similar to those of major injuries. The rates of near miss, minor injury and major injury of all reported incidents and musculoskeletal incidents (MSIs) were calculated for three health regions using information from a surveillance database and productive hours from payroll data. The relative distribution of individual causes and activities involved in near miss, minor injury and major injury were then compared. For all reported incidents, there were significant differences in the relative distribution of causes for near miss, minor, and major injury. However, the relative distribution of causes and activities involved in minor and major MSIs were similar. The top causes and activities involved were the same across near miss, minor, and major injury. Finding from this study support the use of near miss and minor injury data as potential outcome measures for injury prevention programs. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  2. Progress in nanoscale dry processes for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio features: How can we control critical dimension uniformity at the bottom?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishikawa, Kenji; Karahashi, Kazuhiro; Ishijima, Tatsuo; Cho, Sung Il; Elliott, Simon; Hausmann, Dennis; Mocuta, Dan; Wilson, Aaron; Kinoshita, Keizo

    2018-06-01

    In this review, we discuss the progress of emerging dry processes for nanoscale fabrication of high-aspect-ratio features, including emerging design technology for manufacturability. Experts in the fields of plasma processing have contributed to addressing the increasingly challenging demands of nanoscale deposition and etching technologies for high-aspect-ratio features. The discussion of our atomic-scale understanding of physicochemical reactions involving ion bombardment and neutral transport presents the major challenges shared across the plasma science and technology community. Focus is placed on advances in fabrication technology that control surface reactions on three-dimensional features, as well as state-of-the-art techniques used in semiconductor manufacturing with a brief summary of future challenges.

  3. Plant Functional Traits: Soil and Ecosystem Services.

    PubMed

    Faucon, Michel-Pierre; Houben, David; Lambers, Hans

    2017-05-01

    Decline of ecosystem services has triggered numerous studies aiming at developing more sustainable agricultural management practices. Some agricultural practices may improve soil properties by expanding plant biodiversity. However, sustainable management of agroecosystems should be performed from a functional plant trait perspective. Advances in functional ecology, especially plant functional trait effects on ecosystem processes and services, provide pivotal knowledge for ecological intensification of agriculture; this approach acknowledges that a crop field is an agroecosystem whose ecological processes influence soil properties. We highlight the links between plant functional traits and soil properties in relation to four major ecosystem processes involved in vital ecosystem services: food production, crop protection, climate change mitigation, and soil and water conservation, aiming towards ecological intensification of sustainable agricultural and soil management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. The role of plant hormones during grafting.

    PubMed

    Nanda, Amrit K; Melnyk, Charles W

    2018-01-01

    For millennia, people have cut and joined different plant tissues together through a process known as grafting. By creating a chimeric organism, desirable properties from two plants combine to enhance disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, vigour or facilitate the asexual propagation of plants. In addition, grafting has been extremely informative in science for studying and identifying the long-distance movement of molecules. Despite its increasing use in horticulture and science, how plants undertake the process of grafting remains elusive. Here, we discuss specifically the role of eight major plant hormones during the wound healing and vascular formation process, two phenomena involved in grafting. We furthermore present the roles of these hormones during graft formation and highlight knowledge gaps and future areas of interest for the field of grafting biology.

  5. Conservation and Variability of Meiosis Across the Eukaryotes.

    PubMed

    Loidl, Josef

    2016-11-23

    Comparisons among a variety of eukaryotes have revealed considerable variability in the structures and processes involved in their meiosis. Nevertheless, conventional forms of meiosis occur in all major groups of eukaryotes, including early-branching protists. This finding confirms that meiosis originated in the common ancestor of all eukaryotes and suggests that primordial meiosis may have had many characteristics in common with conventional extant meiosis. However, it is possible that the synaptonemal complex and the delicate crossover control related to its presence were later acquisitions. Later still, modifications to meiotic processes occurred within different groups of eukaryotes. Better knowledge on the spectrum of derived and uncommon forms of meiosis will improve our understanding of many still mysterious aspects of the meiotic process and help to explain the evolutionary basis of functional adaptations to the meiotic program.

  6. Yogic exercises and health--a psycho-neuro immunological approach.

    PubMed

    Kulkarni, D D; Bera, T K

    2009-01-01

    Relaxation potential of yogic exercises seems to play a vital role in establishing psycho-physical health in reversing the psycho-immunology of emotions under stress based on breath and body awareness. However, mechanism of yogic exercises for restoring health and fitness components operating through psycho-neuro-immunological pathways is unknown. Therefore, a hybrid model of human information processing-psycho-neuroendocrine (HIP-PNE) network has been proposed to reveal the importance of yogic information processing. This study focuses on two major pathways of information processing involving cortical and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) interactions with a deep reach molecular action on cellular, neuro-humoral and immune system in reversing stress mediated diseases. Further, the proposed HIP-PNE model has ample of experimental potential for objective evaluation of yogic view of health and fitness.

  7. Thermal Spray Maps: Material Genomics of Processing Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ang, Andrew Siao Ming; Sanpo, Noppakun; Sesso, Mitchell L.; Kim, Sun Yung; Berndt, Christopher C.

    2013-10-01

    There is currently no method whereby material properties of thermal spray coatings may be predicted from fundamental processing inputs such as temperature-velocity correlations. The first step in such an important understanding would involve establishing a foundation that consolidates the thermal spray literature so that known relationships could be documented and any trends identified. This paper presents a method to classify and reorder thermal spray data so that relationships and correlations between competing processes and materials can be identified. Extensive data mining of published experimental work was performed to create thermal spray property-performance maps, known as "TS maps" in this work. Six TS maps will be presented. The maps are based on coating characteristics of major importance; i.e., porosity, microhardness, adhesion strength, and the elastic modulus of thermal spray coatings.

  8. Experimental quantum annealing: case study involving the graph isomorphism problem.

    PubMed

    Zick, Kenneth M; Shehab, Omar; French, Matthew

    2015-06-08

    Quantum annealing is a proposed combinatorial optimization technique meant to exploit quantum mechanical effects such as tunneling and entanglement. Real-world quantum annealing-based solvers require a combination of annealing and classical pre- and post-processing; at this early stage, little is known about how to partition and optimize the processing. This article presents an experimental case study of quantum annealing and some of the factors involved in real-world solvers, using a 504-qubit D-Wave Two machine and the graph isomorphism problem. To illustrate the role of classical pre-processing, a compact Hamiltonian is presented that enables a reduced Ising model for each problem instance. On random N-vertex graphs, the median number of variables is reduced from N(2) to fewer than N log2 N and solvable graph sizes increase from N = 5 to N = 13. Additionally, error correction via classical post-processing majority voting is evaluated. While the solution times are not competitive with classical approaches to graph isomorphism, the enhanced solver ultimately classified correctly every problem that was mapped to the processor and demonstrated clear advantages over the baseline approach. The results shed some light on the nature of real-world quantum annealing and the associated hybrid classical-quantum solvers.

  9. Experimental quantum annealing: case study involving the graph isomorphism problem

    PubMed Central

    Zick, Kenneth M.; Shehab, Omar; French, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    Quantum annealing is a proposed combinatorial optimization technique meant to exploit quantum mechanical effects such as tunneling and entanglement. Real-world quantum annealing-based solvers require a combination of annealing and classical pre- and post-processing; at this early stage, little is known about how to partition and optimize the processing. This article presents an experimental case study of quantum annealing and some of the factors involved in real-world solvers, using a 504-qubit D-Wave Two machine and the graph isomorphism problem. To illustrate the role of classical pre-processing, a compact Hamiltonian is presented that enables a reduced Ising model for each problem instance. On random N-vertex graphs, the median number of variables is reduced from N2 to fewer than N log2 N and solvable graph sizes increase from N = 5 to N = 13. Additionally, error correction via classical post-processing majority voting is evaluated. While the solution times are not competitive with classical approaches to graph isomorphism, the enhanced solver ultimately classified correctly every problem that was mapped to the processor and demonstrated clear advantages over the baseline approach. The results shed some light on the nature of real-world quantum annealing and the associated hybrid classical-quantum solvers. PMID:26053973

  10. Review. Neurobiological mechanisms for opponent motivational processes in addiction.

    PubMed

    Koob, George F; Le Moal, Michel

    2008-10-12

    The conceptualization of drug addiction as a compulsive disorder with excessive drug intake and loss of control over intake requires motivational mechanisms. Opponent process as a motivational theory for the negative reinforcement of drug dependence has long required a neurobiological explanation. Key neurochemical elements involved in reward and stress within basal forebrain structures involving the ventral striatum and extended amygdala are hypothesized to be dysregulated in addiction to convey the opponent motivational processes that drive dependence. Specific neurochemical elements in these structures include not only decreases in reward neurotransmission such as dopamine and opioid peptides in the ventral striatum, but also recruitment of brain stress systems such as corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline and dynorphin in the extended amygdala. Acute withdrawal from all major drugs of abuse produces increases in reward thresholds, anxiety-like responses and extracellular levels of CRF in the central nucleus of the amygdala. CRF receptor antagonists block excessive drug intake produced by dependence. A brain stress response system is hypothesized to be activated by acute excessive drug intake, to be sensitized during repeated withdrawal, to persist into protracted abstinence and to contribute to stress-induced relapse. The combination of loss of reward function and recruitment of brain stress systems provides a powerful neurochemical basis for the long hypothesized opponent motivational processes responsible for the negative reinforcement driving addiction.

  11. RPA homologs and ssDNA processing during meiotic recombination.

    PubMed

    Ribeiro, Jonathan; Abby, Emilie; Livera, Gabriel; Martini, Emmanuelle

    2016-06-01

    Meiotic homologous recombination is a specialized process that involves homologous chromosome pairing and strand exchange to guarantee proper chromosome segregation and genetic diversity. The formation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) during meiotic recombination differs from those during mitotic recombination in that the homologous chromosome rather than the sister chromatid is the preferred repair template. The processing of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) formed on intermediate recombination structures is central to driving the specific outcomes of DSB repair during meiosis. Replication protein A (RPA) is the main ssDNA-binding protein complex involved in DNA metabolism. However, the existence of RPA orthologs in plants and the recent discovery of meiosis specific with OB domains (MEIOB), a widely conserved meiosis-specific RPA1 paralog, strongly suggest that multiple RPA complexes evolved and specialized to subdivide their roles during DNA metabolism. Here we review ssDNA formation and maturation during mitotic and meiotic recombination underlying the meiotic specific features. We describe and discuss the existence and properties of MEIOB and multiple RPA subunits in plants and highlight how they can provide meiosis-specific fates to ssDNA processing during homologous recombination. Understanding the functions of these RPA homologs and how they interact with the canonical RPA subunits is of major interest in the fields of meiosis and DNA repair.

  12. Methanogenic Hydrocarbon Degradation: Evidence from Field and Laboratory Studies.

    PubMed

    Jiménez, Núria; Richnow, Hans H; Vogt, Carsten; Treude, Tina; Krüger, Martin

    2016-01-01

    Microbial transformation of hydrocarbons to methane is an environmentally relevant process taking place in a wide variety of electron acceptor-depleted habitats, from oil reservoirs and coal deposits to contaminated groundwater and deep sediments. Methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation is considered to be a major process in reservoir degradation and one of the main processes responsible for the formation of heavy oil deposits and oil sands. In the absence of external electron acceptors such as oxygen, nitrate, sulfate or Fe(III), fermentation and methanogenesis become the dominant microbial metabolisms. The major end product under these conditions is methane, and the only electron acceptor necessary to sustain the intermediate steps in this process is CO2, which is itself a net product of the overall reaction. We are summarizing the state of the art and recent advances in methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation research. Both the key microbial groups involved as well as metabolic pathways are described, and we discuss the novel insights into methanogenic hydrocarbon-degrading populations studied in laboratory as well as environmental systems enabled by novel cultivation-based and molecular approaches. Their possible implications on energy resources, bioremediation of contaminated sites, deep-biosphere research, and consequences for atmospheric composition and ultimately climate change are also addressed. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. Analysis of the embryo proteome of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) seeds reveals a distinct class of proteins regulating dormancy release.

    PubMed

    Pawłowski, Tomasz Andrzej; Staszak, Aleksandra Maria

    2016-05-20

    Acer pseudoplatanus seeds are characterized by a deep physiological embryo dormancy that requires a few weeks of cold stratification in order to promote germination. Understanding the function of proteins and their related metabolic pathways, in conjunction with the plant hormones implicated in the breaking of seed dormancy, would expand our knowledge pertaining to this process. In this study, a proteomic approach was used to analyze the changes occurring in seeds in response to cold stratification, which leads to dormancy release. In addition, the involvement of abscisic (ABA) and gibberellic acids (GA) was also examined. Fifty-three proteins showing significant changes were identified by mass spectrometry. An effect of ABA on protein variation was observed at the beginning of stratification, while the influence of GA on protein abundance was observed during the middle phase of stratification. The majority of proteins associated with dormancy breaking in the presence of only water, and also ABA or GA, were classified as being involved in metabolism and genetic information processing. For metabolic-related proteins, the effect of ABA on protein abundance was stimulatory for half of the proteins and inhibitory for half of the proteins. On the other hand, the effect on genetic information processing related proteins was stimulatory. GA was found to upregulate both metabolic-related and genetic information processing-related proteins. While seed dormancy breaking depends on proteins involved in a variety of processes, proteins associated with methionine metabolism (adenosine kinase, methionine synthase) and glycine-rich RNA binding proteins appear to be of particular importance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Perceived involvement and preferences in shared decision-making among patients with hypertension.

    PubMed

    Mah, Hui Chin; Muthupalaniappen, Leelavathi; Chong, Wei Wen

    2016-06-01

    Shared decision-making (SDM) is an important component of patient-centred care. However, there is limited information on its implementation in Malaysia, particularly in chronic diseases such as hypertension. The objective of this study was to examine perceived involvement and role preferences of patients with hypertension in treatment decision-making. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 210 patients with hypertension in a teaching hospital in Malaysia. The majority of respondents agreed that their doctor recognized that a decision needs to be made (89.5%) and informed them that different options are available (77.1%). However, respondents' perceived level of involvement in other aspects of treatment decision-making process was low, including in the selection of treatment and in reaching an agreement with their doctor on how to proceed with treatment. In terms of preferred decision-making roles, 51.4% of respondents preferred a collaborative role with their physicians, 44.8% preferred a passive role while only 1.9% preferred an active role. Age and educational level were found to be significantly related to patient preferences for involvement in SDM. Younger patients (<60 years) and those with higher educational level preferred SDM over passive decision-making (ρ < 0.01). Encouragement from health care providers was perceived as a major motivating factor for SDM among patients with hypertension, with 91% of respondents agreeing that this would motivate their participation in SDM. Preferences for involvement in decision-making among patients with hypertension are varied, and influenced by age and educational level. Physicians have a key role in encouraging patients to participate in SDM. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection Subverts Carbohydrate Metabolic Pathways in the Tick Vector, Ixodes scapularis.

    PubMed

    Cabezas-Cruz, Alejandro; Alberdi, Pilar; Valdés, James J; Villar, Margarita; de la Fuente, José

    2017-01-01

    The obligate intracellular pathogen, Anaplasma phagocytophilum , is the causative agent of human, equine, and canine granulocytic anaplasmosis and tick-borne fever (TBF) in ruminants. A. phagocytophilum has become an emerging tick-borne pathogen in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia, with increasing numbers of infected people and animals every year. It has been recognized that intracellular pathogens manipulate host cell metabolic pathways to increase infection and transmission in both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. However, our current knowledge on how A. phagocytophilum affect these processes in the tick vector, Ixodes scapularis is limited. In this study, a genome-wide search for components of major carbohydrate metabolic pathways was performed in I. scapularis ticks for which the genome was recently published. The enzymes involved in the seven major carbohydrate metabolic pathways glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate, tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), glyceroneogenesis, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and β-oxidation were identified. Then, the available transcriptomics and proteomics data was used to characterize the mRNA and protein levels of I. scapularis major carbohydrate metabolic pathway components in response to A. phagocytophilum infection of tick tissues and cultured cells. The results showed that major carbohydrate metabolic pathways are conserved in ticks. A. phagocytophilum infection inhibits gluconeogenesis and mitochondrial metabolism, but increases the expression of glycolytic genes. A model was proposed to explain how A. phagocytophilum could simultaneously control tick cell glucose metabolism and cytoskeleton organization, which may be achieved in part by up-regulating and stabilizing hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha in a hypoxia-independent manner. The present work provides a more comprehensive view of the major carbohydrate metabolic pathways involved in the response to A. phagocytophilum infection in ticks, and provides the basis for further studies to develop novel strategies for the control of granulocytic anaplasmosis.

  16. Recent development on sustainable biodiesel production using sewage sludge.

    PubMed

    Srivastava, Neha; Srivastava, Manish; Gupta, Vijai Kumar; Manikanta, Ambepu; Mishra, Kajal; Singh, Shipra; Singh, Sangram; Ramteke, P W; Mishra, P K

    2018-05-01

    Biodiesel as a renewable energy is an important alternative to biofuels in current scenario to explore green energy sources. It is well known that the major cost involved in biodiesel production technology is dependent upon the used feedstock. This review presents an overview of biodiesel production using municipal sewage sludge as a cost-effective substrate. Municipal sewage sludge which possesses high lipid content with zero cost availability can meet the characteristics of a potential feedstock to produce biodiesel. Different types of substrates based processes to produce biodiesel have been also explored in brief. In addition, limitations of the existing process technology for biodiesel production with sustainable solutions have been also discussed.

  17. [Aging and blood pressure].

    PubMed

    Mendes, Romeu; Themudo Barata, J L

    2008-01-01

    High blood pressure is a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases and has a high prevalence in the older individuals becoming in a risk factor associated with high cardiovascular mortality and morbidity among these population. This study has the objective to analyze the changes in the cardiovascular system inherent to the aging process, that provoke the increase of blood pressure levels with the advance of age and that can origin hypertension. With the aging process, changes in the anatomy and cardiovascular physiology occur, even in the absence of illness. High blood pressure is characterized as a systemic condition that involves the presence of structural changes of the arteries and the myocardium, associated to an endotelial and baroreceptors dysfunction.

  18. Management of Acute Exacerbation of Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Emergency Department.

    PubMed

    Suau, Salvador J; DeBlieux, Peter M C

    2016-02-01

    Acute asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are the most common respiratory diseases requiring emergent medical evaluation and treatment. Asthma and COPD are chronic, debilitating disease processes that have been differentiated traditionally by the presence or absence of reversible airflow obstruction. Asthma and COPD exacerbations impose an enormous economic burden on the US health care budget. In daily clinical practice, it is difficult to differentiate these 2 obstructive processes based on their symptoms, and on their nearly identical acute treatment strategies; major differences are important when discussing anatomic sites involved, long-term prognosis, and the nature of inflammatory markers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Value engineering awareness study for sustainable construction in Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    U, Fathoni; M, Zakaria C.; O, Rohayu C.

    2013-06-01

    Construction process has often been described as a highly complex process because of the number of disciplines involved during the conceptual, design and construction stage. With the emergence of latest technology and concern for environment, increasing attention in construction industry is given on sustainability. Balance in quality and sustainability has become a major challenge to the construction industry. This paper presents a study that has conducted to determine the acceptance and application of Value Engineering (VE) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) in Malaysia construction industry. A set of questionnaire have distributed to different practitioners in construction industry and the result has reflect the fact that the application of VE and LCCA are still very low.

  20. Quality of Radiotherapy Reporting in Randomized Controlled Trials of Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A Systematic Review

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

    Bekelman, Justin E.; Yahalom, Joachim

    2009-02-01

    Purpose: Standards for the reporting of radiotherapy details in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. Although radiotherapy (RT) is an important component of curative therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we postulated that RT reporting may be inadequate in Phase III HL and NHL trials. Methods and Materials: We searched PubMed and the Cochrane registry for reports of RCTs involving RT and either HL or NHL published between 1998 and 2007. We screened 133 titles and abstracts to identify relevant studies. We included a total of 61 reports. We assessed these reports for the presence of sixmore » quality measures: target volume, radiation dose, fractionation, radiation prescription, quality assurance (QA) process use, and adherence to QA (i.e., reporting of major or minor deviations). Results: Of 61 reports, 23 (38%) described the target volume. Of the 42 reports involving involved-field RT alone, only 8 (19%) adequately described the target volume. The radiation dose and fractionation was described in most reports (54 reports [89%] and 39 reports [64%], respectively). Thirteen reports specified the RT prescription point (21%). Only 12 reports (20%) described using a RT QA process, and 7 reports (11%) described adherence to the QA process. Conclusion: Reporting of RT in HL and NHL RCTs is deficient. Because the interpretation, replication, and application of RCT results depend on adequate description and QA of therapeutic interventions, consensus standards for RT reporting should be developed and integrated into the peer-review process.« less

  1. Experience of gastric cancer survivors and their spouses in Korea: secondary analysis.

    PubMed

    Yi, Myungsun; Kahn, David

    2004-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of gastric cancer couples in Korea and to generate a substantive theory integrating the experiences of gastric cancer survivors and their spouses as a whole. The specific aims of this study were to explore major problems gastric cancer couples faced and how they resolved these problems, focusing on inter-relational dynamics within the couples and on similarities and differences between the couples. This was a secondary analysis study using grounded theory techniques. The study used the data of 11 married couples which was collected from in-depth interviews from two primary studies. The unit of analysis was dyads of gastric cancer survivors and their spouses. The basic social psychological process that emerged from the analysis was "taking charge of their health." Major categories involved in this process were identified as 1) adjusting to new diets, 2) reinforcing physical strength, 3) seeking information, 4) strengthening Ki, 5) lowering life-expectations, and 6) going their separate ways. These six categories represent major strategies in overcoming critical problems that occurred in day-to-day experiences. In terms of the process, the first five categories characterize the earlier stage of the process of "taking charge of their health," while "going their separate ways" indicates the later stage and also the beginning of their separate ways: "pursuing spiritual life" for the survivors, and "preparing for the future" for the spouses. The results of this study will help design family care for the people with gastric cancer by providing in-depth understanding and insight on the lives of gastric cancer couples.

  2. Application of quality by design principles to the development and technology transfer of a major process improvement for the manufacture of a recombinant protein.

    PubMed

    Looby, Mairead; Ibarra, Neysi; Pierce, James J; Buckley, Kevin; O'Donovan, Eimear; Heenan, Mary; Moran, Enda; Farid, Suzanne S; Baganz, Frank

    2011-01-01

    This study describes the application of quality by design (QbD) principles to the development and implementation of a major manufacturing process improvement for a commercially distributed therapeutic protein produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell culture. The intent of this article is to focus on QbD concepts, and provide guidance and understanding on how the various components combine together to deliver a robust process in keeping with the principles of QbD. A fed-batch production culture and a virus inactivation step are described as representative examples of upstream and downstream unit operations that were characterized. A systematic approach incorporating QbD principles was applied to both unit operations, involving risk assessment of potential process failure points, small-scale model qualification, design and execution of experiments, definition of operating parameter ranges and process validation acceptance criteria followed by manufacturing-scale implementation and process validation. Statistical experimental designs were applied to the execution of process characterization studies evaluating the impact of operating parameters on product quality attributes and process performance parameters. Data from process characterization experiments were used to define the proven acceptable range and classification of operating parameters for each unit operation. Analysis of variance and Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to assess the appropriateness of process design spaces. Successful implementation and validation of the process in the manufacturing facility and the subsequent manufacture of hundreds of batches of this therapeutic protein verifies the approaches taken as a suitable model for the development, scale-up and operation of any biopharmaceutical manufacturing process. Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

  3. "My Child has Cerebral Palsy": Parental Involvement and Children's School Engagement.

    PubMed

    Pereira, Armanda; Moreira, Tânia; Lopes, Sílvia; Nunes, Ana R; Magalhães, Paula; Fuentes, Sonia; Reoyo, Natalia; Núñez, José C; Rosário, Pedro

    2016-01-01

    Engaged students tend to show school-committed behaviors (e.g., attend classes, get involved with the learning process), high achievement, and sense of belonging. However, students with disabilities are prone to show a lack of engagement with school due to the specific difficulties they have to handle. In fact, children with disabilities are likely to show poor participation in school when compared with children without disabilities. This poor involvement is related to their low autonomy to participate in the school activities, which, in turn, results in low school engagement. Parents play a crucial role in their children's education. Parental involvement in school activities promotes autonomous behaviors and, consequently, school engagement. In fact, extant literature has shown close relationships between parental involvement, school engagement, and academic performance. Yet, parental involvement in school activities of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) has received little direct attention from researchers. These children tend to display lower participation due to the motor, or cognitive, impairments that compromise their autonomy, and have a high likelihood to develop learning disabilities, with special incidences in reading and arithmetic. Therefore, our aim is twofold, to understand the parental styles; and how the perceived parental involvement in school activities is related to their children school engagement. Hence, 19 interviews were conducted with one of the parents of 19 children with CP. These interviews explored the school routines of children and the perceived involvement of parents in those routines. Additionally, children filled out a questionnaire on school engagement. Results show that the majority of the parents were clustered in the Autonomy Allowance and Acceptance and Support parental style, and the majority of their children were perceived as autonomous. Moreover, about a half of the children reported a high level of school engagement. Finally, neither children's autonomous behaviors reported by parents, nor parental style, seem to be related with the children's level of school engagement. Rehabilitation centers and schools could consider training parents/caregivers focusing on their educational needs, promotion of reflections on the usefulness of applying autonomy promotion strategies with their child, and foster their involvement.

  4. “My Child has Cerebral Palsy”: Parental Involvement and Children’s School Engagement

    PubMed Central

    Pereira, Armanda; Moreira, Tânia; Lopes, Sílvia; Nunes, Ana R.; Magalhães, Paula; Fuentes, Sonia; Reoyo, Natalia; Núñez, José C.; Rosário, Pedro

    2016-01-01

    Engaged students tend to show school-committed behaviors (e.g., attend classes, get involved with the learning process), high achievement, and sense of belonging. However, students with disabilities are prone to show a lack of engagement with school due to the specific difficulties they have to handle. In fact, children with disabilities are likely to show poor participation in school when compared with children without disabilities. This poor involvement is related to their low autonomy to participate in the school activities, which, in turn, results in low school engagement. Parents play a crucial role in their children’s education. Parental involvement in school activities promotes autonomous behaviors and, consequently, school engagement. In fact, extant literature has shown close relationships between parental involvement, school engagement, and academic performance. Yet, parental involvement in school activities of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) has received little direct attention from researchers. These children tend to display lower participation due to the motor, or cognitive, impairments that compromise their autonomy, and have a high likelihood to develop learning disabilities, with special incidences in reading and arithmetic. Therefore, our aim is twofold, to understand the parental styles; and how the perceived parental involvement in school activities is related to their children school engagement. Hence, 19 interviews were conducted with one of the parents of 19 children with CP. These interviews explored the school routines of children and the perceived involvement of parents in those routines. Additionally, children filled out a questionnaire on school engagement. Results show that the majority of the parents were clustered in the Autonomy Allowance and Acceptance and Support parental style, and the majority of their children were perceived as autonomous. Moreover, about a half of the children reported a high level of school engagement. Finally, neither children’s autonomous behaviors reported by parents, nor parental style, seem to be related with the children’s level of school engagement. Rehabilitation centers and schools could consider training parents/caregivers focusing on their educational needs, promotion of reflections on the usefulness of applying autonomy promotion strategies with their child, and foster their involvement. PMID:27891110

  5. Evaluation of parallel milliliter-scale stirred-tank bioreactors for the study of biphasic whole-cell biocatalysis with ionic liquids.

    PubMed

    Dennewald, Danielle; Hortsch, Ralf; Weuster-Botz, Dirk

    2012-01-01

    As clear structure-activity relationships are still rare for ionic liquids, preliminary experiments are necessary for the process development of biphasic whole-cell processes involving these solvents. To reduce the time investment and the material costs, the process development of such biphasic reaction systems would profit from a small-scale high-throughput platform. Exemplarily, the reduction of 2-octanone to (R)-2-octanol by a recombinant Escherichia coli in a biphasic ionic liquid/water system was studied in a miniaturized stirred-tank bioreactor system allowing the parallel operation of up to 48 reactors at the mL-scale. The results were compared to those obtained in a 20-fold larger stirred-tank reactor. The maximum local energy dissipation was evaluated at the larger scale and compared to the data available for the small-scale reactors, to verify if similar mass transfer could be obtained at both scales. Thereafter, the reaction kinetics and final conversions reached in different reactions setups were analysed. The results were in good agreement between both scales for varying ionic liquids and for ionic liquid volume fractions up to 40%. The parallel bioreactor system can thus be used for the process development of the majority of biphasic reaction systems involving ionic liquids, reducing the time and resource investment during the process development of this type of applications. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Cryptococcus neoformans Mediator Protein Ssn8 Negatively Regulates Diverse Physiological Processes and Is Required for Virulence

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Lin-Ing; Lin, Yu-Sheng; Liu, Kung-Hung; Jong, Ambrose Y.; Shen, Wei-Chiang

    2011-01-01

    Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitously distributed human pathogen. It is also a model system for studying fungal virulence, physiology and differentiation. Light is known to inhibit sexual development via the evolutionarily conserved white collar proteins in C. neoformans. To dissect molecular mechanisms regulating this process, we have identified the SSN8 gene whose mutation suppresses the light-dependent CWC1 overexpression phenotype. Characterization of sex-related phenotypes revealed that Ssn8 functions as a negative regulator in both heterothallic a-α mating and same-sex mating processes. In addition, Ssn8 is involved in the suppression of other physiological processes including invasive growth, and production of capsule and melanin. Interestingly, Ssn8 is also required for the maintenance of cell wall integrity and virulence. Our gene expression studies confirmed that deletion of SSN8 results in de-repression of genes involved in sexual development and melanization. Epistatic and yeast two hybrid studies suggest that C. neoformans Ssn8 plays critical roles downstream of the Cpk1 MAPK cascade and Ste12 and possibly resides at one of the major branches downstream of the Cwc complex in the light-mediated sexual development pathway. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that the conserved Mediator protein Ssn8 functions as a global regulator which negatively regulates diverse physiological and developmental processes and is required for virulence in C. neoformans. PMID:21559476

  7. Infection of orthopedic implants with emphasis on bacterial adhesion process and techniques used in studying bacterial-material interactions

    PubMed Central

    Ribeiro, Marta; Monteiro, Fernando J.; Ferraz, Maria P.

    2012-01-01

    Staphylococcus comprises up to two-thirds of all pathogens in orthopedic implant infections and they are the principal causative agents of two major types of infection affecting bone: septic arthritis and osteomyelitis, which involve the inflammatory destruction of joint and bone. Bacterial adhesion is the first and most important step in implant infection. It is a complex process influenced by environmental factors, bacterial properties, material surface properties and by the presence of serum or tissue proteins. Properties of the substrate, such as chemical composition of the material, surface charge, hydrophobicity, surface roughness and the presence of specific proteins at the surface, are all thought to be important in the initial cell attachment process. The biofilm mode of growth of infecting bacteria on an implant surface protects the organisms from the host immune system and antibiotic therapy. The research for novel therapeutic strategies is incited by the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This work will provide an overview of the mechanisms and factors involved in bacterial adhesion, the techniques that are currently being used studying bacterial-material interactions as well as provide insight into future directions in the field. PMID:23507884

  8. Keeping Control: The Role of Senescence and Development in Plant Pathogenesis and Defense

    PubMed Central

    Häffner, Eva; Konietzki, Sandra; Diederichsen, Elke

    2015-01-01

    Many plant pathogens show interactions with host development. Pathogens may modify plant development according to their nutritional demands. Conversely, plant development influences pathogen growth. Biotrophic pathogens often delay senescence to keep host cells alive, and resistance is achieved by senescence-like processes in the host. Necrotrophic pathogens promote senescence in the host, and preventing early senescence is a resistance strategy of plants. For hemibiotrophic pathogens both patterns may apply. Most signaling pathways are involved in both developmental and defense reactions. Increasing knowledge about the molecular components allows to distinguish signaling branches, cross-talk and regulatory nodes that may influence the outcome of an infection. In this review, recent reports on major molecular players and their role in senescence and in pathogen response are reviewed. Examples of pathosystems with strong developmental implications illustrate the molecular basis of selected control strategies. A study of gene expression in the interaction between the hemibiotrophic vascular pathogen Verticillium longisporum and its cruciferous hosts shows processes that are fine-tuned to counteract early senescence and to achieve resistance. The complexity of the processes involved reflects the complex genetic control of quantitative disease resistance, and understanding the relationship between disease, development and resistance will support resistance breeding. PMID:27135337

  9. Re-187 Os-187 Isotopic and Highly Siderophile Element Systematics of Group IVB Irons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Honesto, J.; McDonough, W. F.; Walker, R. J.; McCoy, T. J.; Ash, R. D.

    2005-01-01

    Study of the magmatic iron meteorite groups permits constraints to be placed on the chemical and isotopic composition of parent bodies, and the timing of, and crystal-liquid fractionation processes involved in the crystallization of asteroidal cores. Here we examine Re-Os isotopic and trace elemental systematics of group IVB irons. Compared to most irons, the irons comprising this group are enriched in some of the most refractory siderophile elements, yet highly-depleted in most volatile siderophile elements. These characteristics have been attributed to processes such as high temperature condensation of precursor materials and oxidation in the parent body. Most recently it has been suggested that both processes may be involved in the chemical complexity of the group. Here, high precision isotopic and highly siderophile element (HSE) concentrations are used to further examine these possible origins, and the crystallization history of the group. In addition, we have begun to assess the possibility of relating certain ungrouped irons with major groups via multi-element, trace element modeling. In a companion abstract, the isotopic and trace element systematics of the ungrouped iron Tishomingo are compared with the IVB irons.

  10. Pediatric neurology: the diagnostic process.

    PubMed

    Neville, Brian G R

    2013-01-01

    Pediatric neurology comprises a very large of number of conditions exhibiting symptoms and signs in several functional domains arising from damage and dysfunction to the developing nervous system. The diagnostic process involves ensuring that data from all possible domains are sought including those that are unaffected. The subsequent analysis involves fitting these data into patterns of classical natural history and rigorous investigation of the aspects that do not appear to fit. There may be a pattern of illness that is immediately recognized or something that is a fairly close fit. However, the aim is to develop a pathogenic sequence for the condition particularly so that conditions that have been lumped together for convenience are separated into distinct disease entities. The major presentations of pediatric neurology of fixed central motor impairments (the cerebral palsies), the epilepsies, and the progressive degenerative diseases are in the process of being split into such pathogenic sequences so that definitive treatments and possible primary prevention can be added to aims of simple diagnostic recognition. Much of this is at an early stage and pediatric neurology is still a young and fast developing specialty. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Polyphenols in foods are more complex than often thought.

    PubMed

    Cheynier, Véronique

    2005-01-01

    Dietary polyphenols show a great diversity of structures, ranging from rather simple molecules (monomers and oligomers) to polymers. Higher-molecular-weight structures (with molecular weights of > 500) are usually designated as tannins, which refers to their ability to interact with proteins. Among them, condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) are particularly important because of their wide distribution in plants and their contributions to major food qualities. All phenolic compounds are highly unstable and rapidly transformed into various reaction products when the plant cells are damaged (for instance, during food processing), thus adding to the complexity of dietary polyphenol composition. The polyphenol composition of plant-derived foods and beverages depends on that of the raw material used but also on the extraction process and subsequent biochemical and chemical reactions of plant polyphenols. The occurrence of specific tannin-like compounds (ie, thearubigins and theaflavins) arising from enzymatic oxidation is well documented in black tea. Various chemical reactions involving anthocyanins and/or flavanols have been demonstrated to occur during red wine aging. Current knowledge regarding the reaction mechanisms involved in some of these processes and the structures of the resulting products is reviewed. Their effects on organoleptic and nutritional quality are also discussed.

  12. Midgut transcriptome response to a Cry toxin in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae).

    PubMed

    Lei, Yanyuan; Zhu, Xun; Xie, Wen; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Guo, Zhaojiang; Xu, Baoyun; Li, Xianchun; Zhou, Xuguo; Zhang, Youjun

    2014-01-01

    To investigate the response of Plutella xylostella transcriptome in defending against a Bt toxin, high-throughput RNA-sequencing was carried out to examine Cry1Ac-susceptible and -resistant strains. The comparative analysis indentified over 2900 differentially expressed unigenes (DEUs) between these two strains. Gene Ontology analysis placed these unigenes primarily into cell, cell part, organelle, binding, catalytic, cellular process, metabolic process, and response to stimulus categories. Based on pathway analyses, DEUs were enriched in oxidoreductase activity and membrane lipid metabolic processes, and they were also significantly enriched in pathways related to the metabolic and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Most of the unigenes involved in the metabolic pathway were up-regulated in resistant strains. Within the ABC transporter pathway, majority of the down-regulated unigenes belong to ABCC2 and ABCC10, respectively, while up-regulated unigenes were mainly categorized as ABCG2. Furthermore, two aminopeptidases, and four cadherins encoding genes were significantly elevated as well. This study provides a transcriptome foundation for the identification and functional characterization of genes involved in the Bt resistance in an agriculturally important insect pest, P. xylostella. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Study of weld quality real-time monitoring system for auto-body assembly

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Jun; Li, Yong-Bing; Chen, Guan-Long

    2005-12-01

    Resistance spot welding (RSW) is widely used for the auto-body assembly in automotive industry. But RSW suffers from a major problem of inconsistent quality from weld to weld. The major problem is the complexity of the basic process that may involve material coatings, electrode force, electrode wear, fit up, etc. Therefore weld quality assurance is still a big challenge and goal. Electrode displacement has proved to be a particularly useful signal which correlates well with weld quality. This paper introduces a novel auto-body spot weld quality monitoring system which uses electrode displacement as the quality parameter. This system chooses the latest laser displacement sensor with high resolution to measure the real-time electrode displacement. It solves the interference problem of sensor mounting by designing special fixture, and can be successfully applied on the portable welding machine. It is capable of evaluating weld quality and making diagnosis of process variations such as surface asperities, shunting, worn electrode and weld expansion with real-time electrode displacement. As proved by application in the workshop, the monitoring system has good stability and reliability, and is qualified for monitoring weld quality in process.

  14. Spatial and temporal variation of nutrients in groundwater and associated processes in the coastal zone of the Pearl River Delta, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, J.

    2017-12-01

    Rapid urbanization has occurred in the Pearl River Delta since 1980s, resulting in tremendous accumulation of population and material in an area of around 1.1x104 km2. Massive nutrients were released to the coastal zone either via the Pearl River or the aquifer, and effects of these nutrients on ecosystem and drinking water supply are a big public concern. Field campaigns to collect groundwater samples were implemented in rainy (April- September) and dry seasons (October - March) during the period of 2005-2016, and samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, multiple isotopes, N2O and microbiological DNA. Seasonal and spatial pattern of nutrients from the recharge to the discharge zone in two case study areas were identified and compared regarding relevant N transformation processes. Main sources of nutrients in groundwater and major mechanisms, e.g. denitrification, nitrification and etc., involved in these processes were raised by integrating microbiological, isotopic and geochemical evidences. Driven forces of the change in nutrients in the past 10 years were investigated based on statistical data, and total nutrient load in groundwater in the delta was estimated.

  15. A machine-learned analysis of human gene polymorphisms modulating persisting pain points at major roles of neuroimmune processes.

    PubMed

    Kringel, Dario; Lippmann, Catharina; Parnham, Michael J; Kalso, Eija; Ultsch, Alfred; Lötsch, Jörn

    2018-06-19

    Human genetic research has implicated functional variants of more than one hundred genes in the modulation of persisting pain. Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques may combine this knowledge with results of genetic research gathered in any context, which permits the identification of the key biological processes involved in chronic sensitization to pain. Based on published evidence, a set of 110 genes carrying variants reported to be associated with modulation of the clinical phenotype of persisting pain in eight different clinical settings was submitted to unsupervised machine-learning aimed at functional clustering. Subsequently, a mathematically supported subset of genes, comprising those most consistently involved in persisting pain, was analyzed by means of computational functional genomics in the Gene Ontology knowledgebase. Clustering of genes with evidence for a modulation of persisting pain elucidated a functionally heterogeneous set. The situation cleared when the focus was narrowed to a genetic modulation consistently observed throughout several clinical settings. On this basis, two groups of biological processes, the immune system and nitric oxide signaling, emerged as major players in sensitization to persisting pain, which is biologically highly plausible and in agreement with other lines of pain research. The present computational functional genomics-based approach provided a computational systems-biology perspective on chronic sensitization to pain. Human genetic control of persisting pain points to the immune system as a source of potential future targets for drugs directed against persisting pain. Contemporary machine-learned methods provide innovative approaches to knowledge discovery from previous evidence. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  16. Handling and reporting of transperineal template prostate biopsy in Europe: a web-based survey by the European Network of Uropathology (ENUP).

    PubMed

    Kammerer-Jacquet, Solene-Florence; Compérat, Eva; Egevad, Lars; Hes, Ondra; Oxley, Jon; Varma, Murali; Kristiansen, Glen; Berney, Daniel M

    2018-04-01

    Transperineal template prostate biopsies (TTPB) are performed for assessments after unexpected negative transrectal ultrasound biopsies (TRUSB), correlation with imaging findings and during active surveillance. The impact of TTPBs on pathology has not been analysed. The European Network of Uropathology (ENUP) distributed a survey on TTPB, including how specimens were received, processed and analysed. Two hundred forty-four replies were received from 22 countries with TTPBs seen by 68.4% of the responders (n = 167). Biopsies were received in more than 12 pots in 35.2%. The number of cores embedded per cassette varied between 1 (39.5%) and 3 or more (39.5%). Three levels were cut in 48.3%, between 2 and 3 serial sections in 57.2% and unstained spare sections in 45.1%. No statistical difference was observed with TRUSB management. The number of positive cores was always reported and the majority gave extent per core (82.3%), per region (67.1%) and greatest involvement per core (69.4%). Total involvement in the whole series and continuous/discontinuous infiltrates were reported in 42.2 and 45.4%, respectively. The majority (79.4%) reported Gleason score in each site or core, and 59.6% gave an overall score. A minority (28.5%) provided a map or a diagram. For 19%, TTPB had adversely affected laboratory workload with only 27% managing to negotiate extra costs. Most laboratories process samples thoroughly and report TTPB similarly to TRUSB. Although TTPB have caused considerable extra work, it remains uncosted in most centres. Guidance is needed for workload impact and minimum standards of processing if TTPB work continues to increase.

  17. Lactic acid bacteria involved in cocoa beans fermentation from Ivory Coast: Species diversity and citrate lyase production.

    PubMed

    Ouattara, Hadja D; Ouattara, Honoré G; Droux, Michel; Reverchon, Sylvie; Nasser, William; Niamke, Sébastien L

    2017-09-01

    Microbial fermentation is an indispensable process for high quality chocolate from cocoa bean raw material. lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are among the major microorganisms responsible for cocoa fermentation but their exact role remains to be elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the diversity of LAB in six cocoa producing regions of Ivory Coast. Ribosomal 16S gene sequence analysis showed that Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides are the dominant LAB species in these six regions. In addition, other species were identified as the minor microbial population, namely Lactobacillus curieae, Enterococcus faecium, Fructobacillus pseudoficulneus, Lactobacillus casei, Weissella paramesenteroides and Weissella cibaria. However, in each region, the LAB microbial population was composed of a restricted number of species (maximum 5 species), which varied between the different regions. LAB implication in the breakdown of citric acid was investigated as a fundamental property for a successful cocoa fermentation process. High citrate lyase producer strains were characterized by rapid citric acid consumption, as revealed by a 4-fold decrease in citric acid concentration in the growth medium within 12h, concomitant with an increase in acetic acid and lactic acid concentration. The production of citrate lyase was strongly dependent on environmental conditions, with optimum production at acidic pH (pH<5), and moderate temperature (30-40°C), which corresponds to conditions prevailing in the early stage of natural cocoa fermentation. This study reveals that one of the major roles of LAB in the cocoa fermentation process involves the breakdown of citric acid during the early stage of cocoa fermentation through the activity of citrate lyase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Military fathers' perspectives on involvement.

    PubMed

    Willerton, Elaine; Schwarz, Rona L; Wadsworth, Shelley M Macdermid; Oglesby, Mary Schultheis

    2011-08-01

    Military fathers endure repeated separations from their children. In this qualitative study we describe military fathers' range of involvement with their children, paying special attention to the implications of deployment separation and reintegration. We discuss father involvement using three overlapping major domains of functioning: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Additionally, we consider how types of father involvement differ vis-à-vis child age. Data were gathered via focus groups conducted with 71 fathers at 14 U.S. military installations. Descriptions of involvement were rich and varied. Involvement with children was a major concern for fathers, despite or perhaps because of the challenges of military careers. We discuss factors that help explain variations in involvement and offer insights about the conceptualization of father involvement for occupations requiring prolonged absences from home.

  19. p53 on the crossroad between regeneration and cancer.

    PubMed

    Charni, Meital; Aloni-Grinstein, Ronit; Molchadsky, Alina; Rotter, Varda

    2017-01-01

    Regeneration and tumorigenesis share common molecular pathways, nevertheless the outcome of regeneration is life, whereas tumorigenesis leads to death. Although the process of regeneration is strictly controlled, malignant transformation is unrestrained. In this review, we discuss the involvement of TP53, the major tumor-suppressor gene, in the regeneration process. We point to the role of p53 as coordinator assuring that regeneration will not shift to carcinogenesis. The fluctuation in p53 activity during the regeneration process permits a tight control. On one hand, its inhibition at the initial stages allows massive proliferation, on the other its induction at advanced steps of regeneration is essential for preservation of robustness and fidelity of the regeneration process. A better understanding of the role of p53 in regulation of regeneration may open new opportunities for implementation of TP53-based therapies, currently available for cancer patients, in regenerative medicine.

  20. TQM in a test environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chambers, Gary D.; King, Elizabeth A.; Oleson, Keith

    1992-01-01

    In response to the changing aerospace economic climate, Martin Marietta Astronautics Group (MMAG) has adopted a Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy to maintain a competitive edge. TQM emphasizes continuous improvement of processes, motivation to improve from within, cross-functional involvement, people empowerment, customer satisfaction, and modern process control techniques. The four major initiatives of TQM are Product Excellence, Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II), People Empowerment, and Subcontract Management. The Defense Space and Communications (DS&C) Test Lab's definition and implementation of the MRP II and people empowerment initiatives within TQM are discussed. The application of MRP II to environmental test planning and operations processes required a new and innovative approach. In an 18 month span, the test labs implemented MRP II and people empowerment and achieved a Class 'A' operational status. This resulted in numerous benefits, both tangible and intangible, including significant cost savings and improved quality of life. A detailed description of the implementation process and results are addressed.

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