Secondary structure propensity and chirality of the amyloidophilic peptide p5 and its analogues impacts ligand binding - In vitro characterization

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

Wall, Jonathan S.; Williams, Angela; Wooliver, Craig

Here, polybasic helical peptides, such as peptide p5, bind human amyloid extracts and synthetic amyloid fibrils. When radio labeled, peptide p5 has been shown to specifically bind amyloid in vivo thereby allowing imaging of the disease. Structural requirements for heparin and amyloid binding have been studied using analogues of p5 that modify helicity and chirality.

Secondary structure propensity and chirality of the amyloidophilic peptide p5 and its analogues impacts ligand binding - In vitro characterization

DOE PAGES

Wall, Jonathan S.; Williams, Angela; Wooliver, Craig; ...

2016-08-11

Here, polybasic helical peptides, such as peptide p5, bind human amyloid extracts and synthetic amyloid fibrils. When radio labeled, peptide p5 has been shown to specifically bind amyloid in vivo thereby allowing imaging of the disease. Structural requirements for heparin and amyloid binding have been studied using analogues of p5 that modify helicity and chirality.

Nε-Fatty acylation of Rho GTPases by a MARTX toxin effector.

PubMed

Zhou, Yan; Huang, Chunfeng; Yin, Li; Wan, Muyang; Wang, Xiaofei; Li, Lin; Liu, Yanhua; Wang, Zhao; Fu, Panhan; Zhang, Ni; Chen, She; Liu, Xiaoyun; Shao, Feng; Zhu, Yongqun

2017-10-27

The multifunctional autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (MARTX) toxins are a family of large toxins that are extensively distributed in bacterial pathogens. MARTX toxins are autocatalytically cleaved to multiple effector domains, which are released into host cells to modulate the host signaling pathways. The Rho guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) inactivation domain (RID), a conserved effector domain of MARTX toxins, is implicated in cell rounding by disrupting the host actin cytoskeleton. We found that the RID is an N ε -fatty acyltransferase that covalently modifies the lysine residues in the C-terminal polybasic region of Rho GTPases. The resulting fatty acylation inhibited Rho GTPases and disrupted Rho GTPase-mediated signaling in the host. Thus, RID can mediate the lysine N ε -fatty acylation of mammalian proteins and represents a family of toxins that harbor N-fatty acyltransferase activities in bacterial pathogens. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

A Highly Organized Structure Mediating Nuclear Localization of a Myb2 Transcription Factor in the Protozoan Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis ▿ †

PubMed Central

Chu, Chien-Hsin; Chang, Lung-Chun; Hsu, Hong-Ming; Wei, Shu-Yi; Liu, Hsing-Wei; Lee, Yu; Kuo, Chung-Chi; Indra, Dharmu; Chen, Chinpan; Ong, Shiou-Jeng; Tai, Jung-Hsiang

2011-01-01

Nuclear proteins usually contain specific peptide sequences, referred to as nuclear localization signals (NLSs), for nuclear import. These signals remain unexplored in the protozoan pathogen, Trichomonas vaginalis. The nuclear import of a Myb2 transcription factor was studied here using immunodetection of a hemagglutinin-tagged Myb2 overexpressed in the parasite. The tagged Myb2 was localized to the nucleus as punctate signals. With mutations of its polybasic sequences, 48KKQK51 and 61KR62, Myb2 was localized to the nucleus, but the signal was diffusive. When fused to a C-terminal non-nuclear protein, the Myb2 sequence spanning amino acid (aa) residues 48 to 143, which is embedded within the R2R3 DNA-binding domain (aa 40 to 156), was essential and sufficient for efficient nuclear import of a bacterial tetracycline repressor (TetR), and yet the transport efficiency was reduced with an additional fusion of a firefly luciferase to TetR, while classical NLSs from the simian virus 40 T-antigen had no function in this assay system. Myb2 nuclear import and DNA-binding activity were substantially perturbed with mutation of a conserved isoleucine (I74) in helix 2 to proline that altered secondary structure and ternary folding of the R2R3 domain. Disruption of DNA-binding activity alone by point mutation of a lysine residue, K51, preceding the structural domain had little effect on Myb2 nuclear localization, suggesting that nuclear translocation of Myb2, which requires an ordered structural domain, is independent of its DNA binding activity. These findings provide useful information for testing whether myriad Mybs in the parasite use a common module to regulate nuclear import. PMID:22021237

The phosphatidic acid-binding, polybasic domain is responsible for the differences in the phosphoregulation of lipins 1 and 3.

PubMed

Boroda, Salome; Takkellapati, Sankeerth; Lawrence, Robert T; Entwisle, Samuel W; Pearson, Jennifer M; Granade, Mitchell E; Mullins, Garrett R; Eaton, James M; Villén, Judit; Harris, Thurl E

2017-12-15

Lipins 1, 2, and 3 are Mg 2+ -dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatases and catalyze the penultimate step of triacylglycerol synthesis. We have previously investigated the biochemistry of lipins 1 and 2 and shown that di-anionic phosphatidic acid (PA) augments their activity and lipid binding and that lipin 1 activity is negatively regulated by phosphorylation. In the present study, we show that phosphorylation does not affect the catalytic activity of lipin 3 or its ability to associate with PA in vitro The lipin proteins each contain a conserved polybasic domain (PBD) composed of nine lysine and arginine residues located between the conserved N- and C-terminal domains. In lipin 1, the PBD is the site of PA binding and sensing of the PA electrostatic charge. The specific arrangement and number of the lysines and arginines of the PBD vary among the lipins. We show that the different PBDs of lipins 1 and 3 are responsible for the presence of phosphoregulation on the former but not the latter enzyme. To do so, we generated lipin 1 that contained the PBD of lipin 3 and vice versa. The lipin 1 enzyme with the lipin 3 PBD lost its ability to be regulated by phosphorylation but remained downstream of phosphorylation by mammalian target of rapamycin. Conversely, the presence of the lipin 1 PBD in lipin 3 subjected the enzyme to negative intramolecular control by phosphorylation. These results indicate a mechanism for the observed differences in lipin phosphoregulation in vitro . © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Voltage-induced swelling and deswelling of weak polybase brushes.

PubMed

Weir, Michael P; Heriot, Sasha Y; Martin, Simon J; Parnell, Andrew J; Holt, Stephen A; Webster, John R P; Jones, Richard A L

2011-09-06

We have investigated a novel method of remotely switching the conformation of a weak polybase brush using an applied voltage. Surface-grafted polyelectrolyte brushes exhibit rich responsive behavior and show great promise as "smart surfaces", but existing switching methods involve physically or chemically changing the solution in contact with the brush. In this study, high grafting density poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) brushes were grown from silicon surfaces using atom transfer radical polymerization. Optical ellipsometry and neutron reflectivity were used to measure changes in the profiles of the brushes in response to DC voltages applied between the brush substrate and a parallel electrode some distance away in the surrounding liquid (water or D(2)O). Positive voltages were shown to cause swelling, while negative voltages in some cases caused deswelling. Neutron reflectometry experiments were carried out on the INTER reflectometer (ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK) allowing time-resolved measurements of polymer brush structure. The PDMAEMA brushes were shown to have a polymer volume fraction profile described by a Gaussian-terminated parabola both in the equilibrium and in the partially swollen states. At very high positive voltages (in this study, positive bias means positive voltage to the brush-bearing substrate), the brush chains were shown to be stretched to an extent comparable to their contour length, before being physically removed from the interface. Voltage-induced swelling was shown to exhibit a wider range of brush swelling states in comparison to pH switching, with the additional advantages that the stimulus is remotely controlled and may be fully automated. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Mucin Binding Reduces Colistin Antimicrobial Activity.

PubMed

Huang, Johnny X; Blaskovich, Mark A T; Pelingon, Ruby; Ramu, Soumya; Kavanagh, Angela; Elliott, Alysha G; Butler, Mark S; Montgomery, A Bruce; Cooper, Matthew A

2015-10-01

Colistin has found increasing use in treating drug-resistant bacterial lung infections, but potential interactions with pulmonary biomolecules have not been investigated. We postulated that colistin, like aminoglycoside antibiotics, may bind to secretory mucin in sputum or epithelial mucin that lines airways, reducing free drug levels. To test this hypothesis, we measured binding of colistin and other antibiotics to porcine mucin, a family of densely glycosylated proteins used as a surrogate for human sputum and airway mucin. Antibiotics were incubated in dialysis tubing with or without mucin, and concentrations of unbound antibiotics able to penetrate the dialysis tubing were measured over time using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The percentage of antibiotic measured in the dialysate after 4 h in the presence of mucin, relative to the amount without mucin, was 15% for colistin, 16% for polymyxin B, 19% for tobramycin, 52% for ciprofloxacin, and 78% for daptomycin. Antibiotics with the strongest mucin binding had an overall polybasic positive charge, whereas those with comparatively little binding were less basic. When comparing MICs measured with or without added mucin, colistin and polymyxin B showed >100-fold increases in MICs for multiple Gram-negative bacteria. Preclinical evaluation of mucin binding should become a standard procedure when considering the potential pulmonary use of new or existing antibiotics, particularly those with a polybasic overall charge. In the airways, mucin binding may reduce the antibacterial efficacy of inhaled or intravenously administered colistin, and the presence of sub-MIC effective antibiotic concentrations could result in the development of antibiotic resistance. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Suicide and general elections in Austria: do preceding regional suicide rate differentials foreshadow subsequent voting behavior swings?

PubMed

Voracek, Martin; Formann, Anton K; Fülöp, Gerhard; Sonneck, Gernot

2003-05-01

Suicide-epidemiological research on short-term effects of elections on national/regional suicide and parasuicide incidence has yielded contradictory evidence. Reversing the cause-effect relationship of this line of research we investigated whether preceding regional suicide rates are related to subsequent election results. For Austria's 121 districts, we regressed averaged standardized suicide rates for the preceding period (1988-1994) on political parties' subsequent electoral gains/losses (1999-to-1995) while controlling for a set of 12 domain-relevant psychosocial/economic indices. Stepwise weighted multiple regression led to a significant model. The 1999-to-1995 electoral gains/losses of two opposition parties, together with the population variation caused by migration balance and by births/deaths balance, accounted for a substantial part (30%) of the variability in preceding district-level suicide rates. Various other social indices failed to contribute further substantial increments to this model. This finding suggests that variations in preceding regional suicide incidence might be mirrored in subsequent changes in voting behavior. A speculative post hoc explanation for the finding is offered: on a community level, suicide's aftermath might produce socially and politically alienated survivors of suicide who co-shape swings towards opposition parties in subsequent general elections. The finding calls for more research on suicide's long-term aftermath. Within-country replicability and cross-national generalizability await further investigation. At present, the factor/mechanism accounting for this finding is neither well-established nor has been directly tested.

Climatic conditions preceding historically great fires in the North Central Region.

Treesearch

Donald A. Haines; Rodney W. Sando

1969-01-01

This paper examines the importance of various climatic variables before seven well-known fires of the past. Also, the 1871 synoptic weather pattern preceding the Chicago-Peshtigo-Michigan fire disaster is examined in detail.

Intermittently-visual Tracking Experiments Reveal the Roles of Error-correction and Predictive Mechanisms in the Human Visual-motor Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Yoshikatsu; Tamura, Yurie; Sase, Kazuya; Sugawara, Ken; Sawada, Yasuji

Prediction mechanism is necessary for human visual motion to compensate a delay of sensory-motor system. In a previous study, “proactive control” was discussed as one example of predictive function of human beings, in which motion of hands preceded the virtual moving target in visual tracking experiments. To study the roles of the positional-error correction mechanism and the prediction mechanism, we carried out an intermittently-visual tracking experiment where a circular orbit is segmented into the target-visible regions and the target-invisible regions. Main results found in this research were following. A rhythmic component appeared in the tracer velocity when the target velocity was relatively high. The period of the rhythm in the brain obtained from environmental stimuli is shortened more than 10%. The shortening of the period of rhythm in the brain accelerates the hand motion as soon as the visual information is cut-off, and causes the precedence of hand motion to the target motion. Although the precedence of the hand in the blind region is reset by the environmental information when the target enters the visible region, the hand motion precedes the target in average when the predictive mechanism dominates the error-corrective mechanism.

Prediction of human errors by maladaptive changes in event-related brain networks.

PubMed

Eichele, Tom; Debener, Stefan; Calhoun, Vince D; Specht, Karsten; Engel, Andreas K; Hugdahl, Kenneth; von Cramon, D Yves; Ullsperger, Markus

2008-04-22

Humans engaged in monotonous tasks are susceptible to occasional errors that may lead to serious consequences, but little is known about brain activity patterns preceding errors. Using functional MRI and applying independent component analysis followed by deconvolution of hemodynamic responses, we studied error preceding brain activity on a trial-by-trial basis. We found a set of brain regions in which the temporal evolution of activation predicted performance errors. These maladaptive brain activity changes started to evolve approximately 30 sec before the error. In particular, a coincident decrease of deactivation in default mode regions of the brain, together with a decline of activation in regions associated with maintaining task effort, raised the probability of future errors. Our findings provide insights into the brain network dynamics preceding human performance errors and suggest that monitoring of the identified precursor states may help in avoiding human errors in critical real-world situations.

Prediction of human errors by maladaptive changes in event-related brain networks

PubMed Central

Eichele, Tom; Debener, Stefan; Calhoun, Vince D.; Specht, Karsten; Engel, Andreas K.; Hugdahl, Kenneth; von Cramon, D. Yves; Ullsperger, Markus

2008-01-01

Humans engaged in monotonous tasks are susceptible to occasional errors that may lead to serious consequences, but little is known about brain activity patterns preceding errors. Using functional MRI and applying independent component analysis followed by deconvolution of hemodynamic responses, we studied error preceding brain activity on a trial-by-trial basis. We found a set of brain regions in which the temporal evolution of activation predicted performance errors. These maladaptive brain activity changes started to evolve ≈30 sec before the error. In particular, a coincident decrease of deactivation in default mode regions of the brain, together with a decline of activation in regions associated with maintaining task effort, raised the probability of future errors. Our findings provide insights into the brain network dynamics preceding human performance errors and suggest that monitoring of the identified precursor states may help in avoiding human errors in critical real-world situations. PMID:18427123

Palmitoylation targets AKAP79 protein to lipid rafts and promotes its regulation of calcium-sensitive adenylyl cyclase type 8.

PubMed

Delint-Ramirez, Ilse; Willoughby, Debbie; Hammond, Gerald R V; Hammond, Gerald V R; Ayling, Laura J; Cooper, Dermot M F

2011-09-23

PKA anchoring proteins (AKAPs) optimize the efficiency of cAMP signaling by clustering interacting partners. Recently, AKAP79 has been reported to directly bind to adenylyl cyclase type 8 (AC8) and to regulate its responsiveness to store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE). Although AKAP79 is well targeted to the plasma membrane via phospholipid associations with three N-terminal polybasic regions, recent studies suggest that AKAP79 also has the potential to be palmitoylated, which may specifically allow it to target the lipid rafts where AC8 resides and is regulated by SOCE. In this study, we have addressed the role of palmitoylation of AKAP79 using a combination of pharmacological, mutagenesis, and cell biological approaches. We reveal that AKAP79 is palmitoylated via two cysteines in its N-terminal region. This palmitoylation plays a key role in targeting the AKAP to lipid rafts in HEK-293 cells. Mutation of the two critical cysteines results in exclusion of AKAP79 from lipid rafts and alterations in its membrane diffusion behavior. This is accompanied by a loss of the ability of AKAP79 to regulate SOCE-dependent AC8 activity in intact cells and decreased PKA-dependent phosphorylation of raft proteins, including AC8. We conclude that palmitoylation plays a key role in the targeting and action of AKAP79. This novel property of AKAP79 adds an unexpected regulatory and targeting option for AKAPs, which may be exploited in the cellular context.

Rac1 and Rac3 have opposing functions in cell adhesion and differentiation of neuronal cells.

PubMed

Hajdo-Milasinović, Amra; Ellenbroek, Saskia I J; van Es, Saskia; van der Vaart, Babet; Collard, John G

2007-02-15

Rac1 and Rac3 are highly homologous members of the Rho small GTPase family. Rac1 is ubiquitously expressed and regulates cell adhesion, migration and differentiation in various cell types. Rac3 is primarily expressed in brain and may therefore have a specific function in neuronal cells. We found that depletion of Rac1 by short interference RNA leads to decreased cell-matrix adhesions and cell rounding in neuronal N1E-115 cells. By contrast, depletion of Rac3 induces stronger cell adhesions and dramatically increases the outgrowth of neurite-like protrusions, suggesting opposite functions for Rac1 and Rac3 in neuronal cells. Consistent with this, overexpression of Rac1 induces cell spreading, whereas overexpression of Rac3 results in a contractile round morphology. Rac1 is mainly found at the plasma membrane, whereas Rac3 is predominantly localized in the perinuclear region. Residues 185-187, present in the variable polybasic rich region at the carboxyl terminus are responsible for the difference in phenotype induced by Rac1 and Rac3 as well as for their different intracellular localization. The Rac1-opposing function of Rac3 is not mediated by or dependent on components of the RhoA signaling pathway. It rather seems that Rac3 exerts its function through negatively affecting integrin-mediated cell-matrix adhesions. Together, our data reveal that Rac3 opposes Rac1 in the regulation of cell adhesion and differentiation of neuronal cells.

Arf6 guanine-nucleotide exchange factor, cytohesin-2, interacts with actinin-1 to regulate neurite extension.

PubMed

Torii, Tomohiro; Miyamoto, Yuki; Nakamura, Kazuaki; Maeda, Masahiro; Yamauchi, Junji; Tanoue, Akito

2012-09-01

Proper regulation of morphological changes in neuronal cells is essential for their differentiation. Complex signaling mechanisms mediate a variety of morphological changes such as formation of neurites. It is well established that a number of small GTPases control neurite behavior before the connection with the target tissue. However, their regulatory mechanisms remain to be fully understood. Here, we show that the Arf6 guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), cytohesin-2 (CYTH2), interacts with the cytoskeletal protein actinin-1 (ACTN1) and regulates neurite extension in N1E-115 cells used as the model. Knockdown of ACTN1, as well as that of CYTH2, in cells inhibits cellular Arf6 activity and neurite extension. The C-terminal polybasic region of CYTH2 participates in interacting directly with the EFh2 domain of ACTN1. Expression of CYTH2 mutant deficient of the EFh2 domain in cells also inhibits Arf6 activation and neurite extension. Furthermore, FRET analysis detects that the respective interactive region peptides, tagged with cell-permeable short peptides, greatly decrease Arf6 activation at growth cones in a time-dependent manner. Collectively, the signaling through CYTH2 and ACTN1 properly regulates neurite extension in N1E-115 cells, demonstrating the unexpected interaction of CYTH2 and ACTN1 in the regulation of cellular Arf6 activity involved in neurite extension. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ionic protein-lipid interaction at the plasma membrane: what can the charge do?

PubMed

Li, Lunyi; Shi, Xiaoshan; Guo, Xingdong; Li, Hua; Xu, Chenqi

2014-03-01

Phospholipids are the major components of cell membranes, but they have functional roles beyond forming lipid bilayers. In particular, acidic phospholipids form microdomains in the plasma membrane and can ionically interact with proteins via polybasic sequences, which can have functional consequences for the protein. The list of proteins regulated by ionic protein-lipid interaction has been quickly expanding, and now includes membrane proteins, cytoplasmic soluble proteins, and viral proteins. Here we review how acidic phospholipids in the plasma membrane regulate protein structure and function via ionic interactions, and how Ca(2+) regulates ionic protein-lipid interactions via direct and indirect mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Specific Amyloid Binding of Polybasic Peptides In Vivo Is Retained by β-Sheet Conformers but Lost in the Disrupted Coil and All D-Amino Acid Variants.

PubMed

Wall, Jonathan S; Williams, Angela; Richey, Tina; Stuckey, Alan; Wooliver, Craig; Christopher Scott, J; Donnell, Robert; Martin, Emily B; Kennel, Stephen J

2017-10-01

The heparin-reactive, helical peptide p5 is an effective amyloid imaging agent in mice with systemic amyloidosis. Analogs of p5 with modified secondary structure characteristics exhibited altered binding to heparin, synthetic amyloid fibrils, and amyloid extracts in vitro. Herein, we further study the effects of peptide helicity and chirality on specific amyloid binding using a mouse model of systemic inflammation-associated (AA) amyloidosis. Peptides with disrupted helical structure [p5 (coil) and p5 (Pro3) ], with an extended sheet conformation [p5 (sheet) ] or an all-D enantiomer [p5 (D) ], were chemically synthesized, radioiodinated, and their biodistribution studied in WT mice as well as transgenic animals with severe systemic AA amyloidosis. Peptide binding was assessed qualitatively by using small animal single-photon emission computed tomography/x-ray computed tomography imaging and microautoradiography and quantitatively using tissue counting. Peptides with reduced helical propensity, p5 (coil) and p5 (Pro3) , exhibited significantly reduced binding to AA amyloid-laden organs. In contrast, peptide p5 (D) was retained by non-amyloid-related ligands in the liver and kidneys of both WT and AA mice, but it also bound AA amyloid in the spleen. The p5 (sheet) peptide specifically bound AA amyloid in vivo and was not retained by healthy tissues in WT animals. Modification of amyloid-targeting peptides using D-amino acids should be performed cautiously due to the introduction of unexpected secondary pharmacologic effects. Peptides that adopt a helical structure, to align charged amino acid side chains along one face, exhibit specific reactivity with amyloid; however, polybasic peptides with a propensity for β-sheet conformation are also amyloid-reactive and may yield a novel class of amyloid-targeting agents for imaging and therapy.

The neural substrates of driving at a safe distance: a functional MRI study.

PubMed

Uchiyama, Yuji; Ebe, Kazutoshi; Kozato, Akio; Okada, Tomohisa; Sadato, Norihiro

2003-12-11

An important driving skill is the ability to maintain a safe distance from a preceding car. To determine the neural substrates of this skill we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging of simulated driving in 21 subjects. Subjects used a joystick to adjust their own driving speed in order to maintain a constant distance from a preceding car traveling at varying speeds. The task activated multiple brain regions. Activation of the cerebellum may reflect visual feedback during smooth tracking of the preceding car. Co-activation of the basal ganglia, thalamus and premotor cortex is related to movement selection. Activation of a premotor-parietal network is related to visuo-motor co-ordination. Task performance was negatively correlated with anterior cingulate activity, consistent with the role of this region in error detection and response selection.

Determinants of stillbirth among women deliveries at Amhara region, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Lakew, Demeke; Tesfaye, Dereje; Mekonnen, Haile

2017-11-13

Stillbirth is one of general medical issues that could contribute significantly to creating nations like Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and related factors of stillbirth among deliveries at Amhara region, Ethiopia. The study used the Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) data collected from 2555 eligible Amhara region women in 2014. Bi-variable and multi-variable binary logistic regression analysis was used. The prevalence of stillbirth outcomes became 85 per 1000 (total live birth). Besides, majority of women did not attend any formal education and had no antenatal care follow up. Women whose age at first birth below 18 years were 1859(72.8%) and the mean preceding birth interval were 33.6 months. Even women who attended primary and above education were about 50% and they were less likely to have had stillbirth outcomes than those who had no education (AOR: 0.505, 95% CI 0.311-0.820) and women having higher household wealth index were less likely to have had stillbirth outcomes as it is compared to the reference category. Moreover, women having preceding birth interval above 36 months were about 89% of less likely to end up stillbirth outcomes as compared to women having preceding birth interval below 24 months (AOR: 0.109, 95% CI 0.071-8.0.168). It could be inferred that a stillbirth result is one of the general medical issues in Amhara Region. Among different factors considered in this study, age, age at first birth, wealth index, birth order number and preceding birth interval in months were found to be significantly associated factors for stillbirth. Therefore, more awareness of early birth, widening birth interval, enhancing maternal care (for aged women) and early birth order number could be recommended.

Lung Metabolic Activation as an Early Biomarker of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Local Gene Expression Heterogeneity

PubMed Central

Wellman, Tyler J.; de Prost, Nicolas; Tucci, Mauro; Winkler, Tilo; Baron, Rebecca M.; Filipczak, Piotr; Raby, Benjamin; Chu, Jen-hwa; Harris, R. Scott; Musch, Guido; dos Reis Falcao, Luiz F.; Capelozzi, Vera; Venegas, Jose; Melo, Marcos F. Vidal

2016-01-01

Background The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an inflammatory condition comprising diffuse lung edema and alveolar damage. ARDS frequently results from regional injury mechanisms. However, it is unknown whether detectable inflammation precedes lung edema and opacification, and whether topographically differential gene expression consistent with heterogeneous injury occurs in early ARDS. We aimed to determine the temporal relationship between pulmonary metabolic activation and density in a large animal model of early ARDS, and to assess gene expression in differentially activated regions. Methods We produced ARDS in sheep with intravenous LPS (10ng/kg/h) and mechanical ventilation for 20h. Using positron emission tomography, we assessed regional cellular metabolic activation with 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose, perfusion and ventilation with 13NN-saline, and aeration using transmission scans. Species-specific micro-array technology was used to assess regional gene expression. Results Metabolic activation preceded detectable increases in lung density (as required for clinical diagnosis) and correlated with subsequent histological injury, suggesting its predictive value for severity of disease progression. Local time-courses of metabolic activation varied, with highly perfused and less aerated dependent lung regions activated earlier than non-dependent regions. These regions of distinct metabolic trajectories demonstrated differential gene expression for known and potential novel candidates for ARDS pathogenesis. Conclusions Heterogeneous lung metabolic activation precedes increases in lung density in the development of ARDS due to endotoxemia and mechanical ventilation. Local differential gene expression occurs in these early stages and reveals molecular pathways relevant to ARDS biology and of potential use as treatment targets. PMID:27611185

Rga6 is a fission yeast Rho GAP involved in Cdc42 regulation of polarized growth

PubMed Central

Revilla-Guarinos, M. T.; Martín-García, Rebeca; Villar-Tajadura, M. Antonia; Estravís, Miguel; Coll, Pedro M.; Pérez, Pilar

2016-01-01

Active Cdc42 is essential for the establishment of polarized growth. This GTPase is negatively regulated by the GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), which are important for the spatial specificity of Cdc42 function. Rga4 is the only GAP described as negative regulator of fission yeast Cdc42. We report here that Rga6, another fission yeast Cdc42 GAP, shares some functions with Rga4. Cells lacking Rga6 are viable but slightly shorter and broader than wild type, and cells lacking Rga6 and Rga4 simultaneously are rounded. In these cells, active Cdc42 is observed all around the membrane. These additive effects indicate that both GAPs collaborate in the spatial regulation of active Cdc42. Rga6 localizes to the plasma membrane, forming clusters different from those formed by Rga4. A polybasic region at the Rga6 C-terminus is responsible for its membrane localization. Rga6-GFP fluorescence decreases considerably at the growing tips, and this decrease is dependent on the actin cables. Of note, in the absence of Rga6, the amplitude of active Cdc42 oscillations at the tips decreases, and less GTP-Cdc42 accumulates at the new end of the cells. We propose that Rga6 collaborates with Rga4 to spatially restrict active Cdc42 at the cell tips and maintain cell dimensions. PMID:26960792

Every day I'm rufflin': Calcium sensing and actin dynamics in the growth factor-independent membrane ruffling of professional phagocytes.

PubMed

Schlam, Daniel; Canton, Johnathan

2017-04-03

Professional phagocytes continuously extend dynamic, actin-driven membrane protrusions. These protrusions, often referred to as membrane ruffles, serve a critical role in the essential phagocyte processes of macropinocytosis and phagocytosis. Small GTPases, such as RAC1/2, spatially and temporally regulate membrane ruffle formation. We have recently shown that extracellular calcium regulates the elaboration of membrane ruffles primarily through the synthesis of phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) at the plasma membrane. RAC1/2 guanine nucleotide exchange factors harbouring polybasic stretches are recruited by PtdOH to sites of ruffle formation. Here we discuss our findings and offer perspectives on how the regulation of dynamic actin structures at the plasma membrane by small GTPases is a critical component of phagocyte function.

Arctic sea ice, Eurasia snow, and extreme winter haze in China.

PubMed

Zou, Yufei; Wang, Yuhang; Zhang, Yuzhong; Koo, Ja-Ho

2017-03-01

The East China Plains (ECP) region experienced the worst haze pollution on record for January in 2013. We show that the unprecedented haze event is due to the extremely poor ventilation conditions, which had not been seen in the preceding three decades. Statistical analysis suggests that the extremely poor ventilation conditions are linked to Arctic sea ice loss in the preceding autumn and extensive boreal snowfall in the earlier winter. We identify the regional circulation mode that leads to extremely poor ventilation over the ECP region. Climate model simulations indicate that boreal cryospheric forcing enhances the regional circulation mode of poor ventilation in the ECP region and provides conducive conditions for extreme haze such as that of 2013. Consequently, extreme haze events in winter will likely occur at a higher frequency in China as a result of the changing boreal cryosphere, posing difficult challenges for winter haze mitigation but providing a strong incentive for greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Arctic sea ice, Eurasia snow, and extreme winter haze in China

PubMed Central

Zou, Yufei; Wang, Yuhang; Zhang, Yuzhong; Koo, Ja-Ho

2017-01-01

The East China Plains (ECP) region experienced the worst haze pollution on record for January in 2013. We show that the unprecedented haze event is due to the extremely poor ventilation conditions, which had not been seen in the preceding three decades. Statistical analysis suggests that the extremely poor ventilation conditions are linked to Arctic sea ice loss in the preceding autumn and extensive boreal snowfall in the earlier winter. We identify the regional circulation mode that leads to extremely poor ventilation over the ECP region. Climate model simulations indicate that boreal cryospheric forcing enhances the regional circulation mode of poor ventilation in the ECP region and provides conducive conditions for extreme haze such as that of 2013. Consequently, extreme haze events in winter will likely occur at a higher frequency in China as a result of the changing boreal cryosphere, posing difficult challenges for winter haze mitigation but providing a strong incentive for greenhouse gas emission reduction. PMID:28345056

Site-specific binding of a water molecule to the sulfa drugs sulfamethoxazole and sulfisoxazole: a laser-desorption isomer-specific UV and IR study.

PubMed

Uhlemann, Thomas; Seidel, Sebastian; Müller, Christian W

2018-03-07

To determine the preferred water molecule binding sites of the polybasic sulfa drugs sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and sulfisoxazole (SIX), we have studied their monomers and monohydrated complexes through laser-desorption conformer-specific UV and IR spectroscopy. Both the SMX and SIX monomer adopt a single conformer in the molecular beam. On the basis of their conformer-specific IR spectra in the NH stretch region, these conformers were assigned to the SMX and SIX global minimum structures, both exhibiting a staggered sulfonamide group and an intramolecular C-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]S hydrogen bond. The SMX-H 2 O and SIX-H 2 O complexes each adopt a single isomer in the molecular beam. Their isomeric structures were determined based on their isomer-specific IR spectra in the NH/OH stretch region. Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules analysis of the calculated electron densities revealed that in the SMX-H 2 O complex the water molecule donates an O-HN hydrogen bond to the heterocycle nitrogen atom and accepts an N-HO hydrogen bond from the sulfonamide NH group. In the SIX-H 2 O complex, however, the water molecule does not bind to the heterocycle but instead donates an O-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]S hydrogen bond to the sulfonamide group and accepts an N-HO hydrogen bond from the sulfonamide NH group. Both water complexes are additionally stabilized by a C ph -HOH 2 hydrogen bond. Interacting Quantum Atoms analysis suggests that all intermolecular hydrogen bonds are dominated by the short-range exchange-correlation contribution.

Pathotyping and Phylogenetic Characterization of Newcastle Disease Viruses Isolated in Peru: Defining Two Novel Subgenotypes Within Genotype XII.

PubMed

Chumbe, Ana; Izquierdo-Lara, Ray; Tataje, Luis; Gonzalez, Rosa; Cribillero, Giovana; González, Armando E; Fernández-Díaz, Manolo; Icochea, Eliana

2017-03-01

Infections of poultry with virulent strains of avian paramyxovirus 1 (APMV-1), also known as Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs), cause Newcastle disease (ND). This highly contagious disease affects poultry and many other species of birds worldwide. In countries where the disease is prevalent, constant monitoring and characterization of isolates causing outbreaks are necessary. In this study, we report the results of pathogenicity testing and phylogenetic analyses of seven NDVs isolated from several regions of Peru between 2004 and 2015. Six viruses had intracerebral pathogenicity indices (ICPIs) of between 1.75 and 1.88, corresponding to a velogenic pathotype. The remaining virus had an ICPI of 0.00, corresponding to a lentogenic pathotype. These results were consistent with amino acid sequences at the fusion protein (F) cleavage site. All velogenic isolates had the polybasic amino acid sequence 112 RRQKR↓F 117 at the F cleavage site. Phylogenetic analyses of complete F gene sequences showed that all isolates are classified in class II of APMV-1. The velogenic viruses are classified in genotype XII, while the lentogenic virus is classified in genotype II, closely related to the LaSota vaccine strain. Moreover, tree topology, bootstrap values, and genetic distances observed within genotype XII resulted in the identification of novel subgenotypes XIIa (in South America) and XIIb (in China) and possibly two clades within genotype XIIa. All velogenic Peruvian viruses belonged to subgenotype XIIa. Overall, our results confirm the presence of genotype XII in Peru and suggest that it is the prevalent genotype currently circulating in our country. The phylogenetic characterization of these isolates helps to characterize the evolution of NDV and may help with the development of vaccines specific to our regional necessities.

Comparative safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of several anti-H5N1 influenza experimental vaccines in a mouse and chicken models (Testing of killed and live H5 vaccine).

PubMed

Gambaryan, Alexandra S; Lomakina, Natalia F; Boravleva, Elizaveta Y; Kropotkina, Ekaterina A; Mashin, Vadim V; Krasilnikov, Igor V; Klimov, Alexander I; Rudenko, Larisa G

2012-05-01

Parallel testing of inactivated (split and whole virion) and live vaccine was conducted to compare the immunogenicity and protective efficacy against homologous and heterosubtypic challenge by H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Four experimental live vaccines based on two H5N1 influenza virus strains were tested; two of them had hemagglutinin (HA) of A/Vietnam/1203/04 strain lacking the polybasic HA cleavage site, and two others had hemagglutinins from attenuated H5N1 virus A/Chicken/Kurgan/3/05, with amino acid substitutions of Asp54/Asn and Lys222/Thr in HA1 and Val48/Ile and Lys131/Thr in HA2 while maintaining the polybasic HA cleavage site. The neuraminidase and non-glycoprotein genes of the experimental live vaccines were from H2N2 cold-adapted master strain A/Leningrad/134/17/57 (VN-Len and Ku-Len) or from the apathogenic H6N2 virus A/Gull/Moscow/3100/2006 (VN-Gull and Ku-Gull). Inactivated H5N1 and H1N1 and live H1N1 vaccine were used for comparison. All vaccines were applied in a single dose. Safety, immunogenicity, and protectivity against the challenge with HPAI H5N1 virus A/Chicken/Kurgan/3/05 were estimated. All experimental live H5 vaccines tested were apathogenic as determined by weight loss and conferred more than 90% protection against lethal challenge with A/Chicken/Kurgan/3/05 infection. Inactivated H1N1 vaccine in mice offered no protection against challenge with H5N1 virus, while live cold-adapted H1N1 vaccine reduced the mortality near to zero level. The high yield, safety, and protectivity of VN-Len and Ku-Len made them promising strains for the production of inactivated and live vaccines against H5N1 viruses. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Gamma oscillations precede interictal epileptiform spikes in the seizure onset zone

PubMed Central

Ren, Liankun; Kucewicz, Michal T.; Cimbalnik, Jan; Matsumoto, Joseph Y.; Brinkmann, Benjamin H.; Hu, Wei; Marsh, W. Richard; Meyer, Fredric B.; Stead, S. Matthew

2015-01-01

Objective: To investigate the generation, spectral characteristics, and potential clinical significance of brain activity preceding interictal epileptiform spike discharges (IEDs) recorded with intracranial EEG. Methods: Seventeen adult patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy were implanted with intracranial electrodes as part of their evaluation for epilepsy surgery. IEDs detected on clinical macro- and research microelectrodes were analyzed using time-frequency spectral analysis. Results: Gamma frequency oscillations (30–100 Hz) often preceded IEDs in spatially confined brain areas. The gamma-IEDs were consistently observed 35 to 190 milliseconds before the epileptiform spike waveforms on individual macro- and microelectrodes. The gamma oscillations associated with IEDs had longer duration (p < 0.001) and slightly higher frequency (p = 0.045) when recorded on microelectrodes compared with clinical macroelectrodes. Although gamma-IEDs comprised only a subset of IEDs, they were strongly associated with electrodes in the seizure onset zone (SOZ) compared with the surrounding brain regions (p = 0.004), in sharp contrast to IEDs without preceding gamma oscillations that were often also detected outside of the SOZ. Similar to prior studies, isolated pathologic high-frequency oscillations in the gamma (30–100 Hz) and higher (100–600 Hz) frequency range, not associated with an IED, were also found to be associated with SOZ. Conclusions: The occurrence of locally generated gamma oscillations preceding IEDs suggests a mechanistic role for gamma in pathologic network activity generating IEDs. The results show a strong association between SOZ and gamma-IEDs. The potential clinical application of gamma-IEDs for mapping pathologic brain regions is intriguing, but will require future prospective studies. PMID:25589669

The Necessity and Possibility of Powerful "Regional" Knowledge: Curriculum Change and Renewal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clegg, Sue

2016-01-01

The paper argues that powerful regional knowledge is necessary and possible and that there are historical precedents supporting these claims. Regional knowledge is being used in a double sense: the first Bernsteinian, the second in relation to knowledge generated outside the academy. Both are important if the debate is not to be confined solely to…

Spatially distinct effects of preceding precipitation on heat stress over Eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Q.; Liu, X.; Zhang, X.; Groisman, P. Y.; Sun, S.; Lu, H.; Li, Z.

2017-12-01

In many terrestrial regions, higher than usual surface temperatures are associated with (or even are induced by) surface moisture deficits. When in the warm season temperatures become anomalously high, their extreme values affect human beings causing heat stress. Besides increased temperature, rising humidity may also have substantial implications for human body thermal comfort. However, effects of surface moisture on heat stress, when considering both temperature and humidity, are less known. In this study, the relationship between the number of hot days in July as indicated by the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and preceding 3-month precipitation was assessed over Eastern China. It is found that the probability of occurrence of the above-the-average number of hot days exceeds 0.7 after preceding precipitation deficit in northeastern China, but is less than 0.3 in southeastern China. Generally, over Eastern China, precipitation in preceding months is negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with specific humidity in July. The combined effects generate a spatially distinct pattern: precipitation deficits in preceding months enhance heat stress in northeastern China while in southern China these deficits are associated with reduction of heat stress. In the south, abundant preceding precipitation tends to increase atmospheric humidity that is instrumental for increase of heat stress. These results contribute predictive information about the probability of mid-summer heat stress in Eastern China a few weeks ahead of its occurrence.

Neurological evidence linguistic processes precede perceptual simulation in conceptual processing.

PubMed

Louwerse, Max; Hutchinson, Sterling

2012-01-01

There is increasing evidence from response time experiments that language statistics and perceptual simulations both play a role in conceptual processing. In an EEG experiment we compared neural activity in cortical regions commonly associated with linguistic processing and visual perceptual processing to determine to what extent symbolic and embodied accounts of cognition applied. Participants were asked to determine the semantic relationship of word pairs (e.g., sky - ground) or to determine their iconic relationship (i.e., if the presentation of the pair matched their expected physical relationship). A linguistic bias was found toward the semantic judgment task and a perceptual bias was found toward the iconicity judgment task. More importantly, conceptual processing involved activation in brain regions associated with both linguistic and perceptual processes. When comparing the relative activation of linguistic cortical regions with perceptual cortical regions, the effect sizes for linguistic cortical regions were larger than those for the perceptual cortical regions early in a trial with the reverse being true later in a trial. These results map upon findings from other experimental literature and provide further evidence that processing of concept words relies both on language statistics and on perceptual simulations, whereby linguistic processes precede perceptual simulation processes.

Neurological Evidence Linguistic Processes Precede Perceptual Simulation in Conceptual Processing

PubMed Central

Louwerse, Max; Hutchinson, Sterling

2012-01-01

There is increasing evidence from response time experiments that language statistics and perceptual simulations both play a role in conceptual processing. In an EEG experiment we compared neural activity in cortical regions commonly associated with linguistic processing and visual perceptual processing to determine to what extent symbolic and embodied accounts of cognition applied. Participants were asked to determine the semantic relationship of word pairs (e.g., sky – ground) or to determine their iconic relationship (i.e., if the presentation of the pair matched their expected physical relationship). A linguistic bias was found toward the semantic judgment task and a perceptual bias was found toward the iconicity judgment task. More importantly, conceptual processing involved activation in brain regions associated with both linguistic and perceptual processes. When comparing the relative activation of linguistic cortical regions with perceptual cortical regions, the effect sizes for linguistic cortical regions were larger than those for the perceptual cortical regions early in a trial with the reverse being true later in a trial. These results map upon findings from other experimental literature and provide further evidence that processing of concept words relies both on language statistics and on perceptual simulations, whereby linguistic processes precede perceptual simulation processes. PMID:23133427

Cross-scale dynamics of a regional urban system through time

EPA Science Inventory

In this work, we conducted an analysis of a regional urban system (southeastern United States) that has been the subject of research in the series of papers reviewed in the preceding sections. We used a U.S. census dataset incorporating the urbanized area (UA) definition. A UA co...

Complex coacervates as a foundation for synthetic underwater adhesives

PubMed Central

Stewart, Russell J.; Wang, Ching Shuen; Shao, Hui

2011-01-01

Complex coacervation was proposed to play a role in the formation of the underwater bioadhesive of the Sandcastle worm (Phragmatopoma californica) based on the polyacidic and polybasic nature of the glue proteins and the balance of opposite charges at physiological pH. Morphological studies of the secretory system suggested the natural process does not involve complex coacervation as commonly defined. The distinction may not be important because electrostatic interactions likely play an important role in formation of the sandcastle glue. Complex coacervation has also been invoked in the formation of adhesive underwater silk fibers of caddisfly larvae and the adhesive plaques of mussels. A process similar to complex coacervation, that is, condensation and dehydration of biopolyelectrolytes through electrostatic associations, seems plausible for the caddisfly silk. This much is clear, the sandcastle glue complex coacervation model provided a valuable blueprint for the synthesis of a biomimetic, waterborne, underwater adhesive with demonstrated potential for repair of wet tissue. PMID:21081223

Making the Link. Coordinating Economic Development and Employment and Training. State Governments. Regional Councils. Local Economic Development Agencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Alliance of Business, Inc., Washington, DC.

This document consists of three closely related reports, dealing with "State Governments", "Regional Councils", and "Local Econcomic Development Agencies", respectively, together with a fourth document, a preceding overview. These documents draw from results of a project to identify successful approaches to coordinating economic development and…

Spatially distinct effects of preceding precipitation on heat stress over eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xingcai; Tang, Qiuhong; Zhang, Xuejun; Groisman, Pavel; Sun, Siao; Lu, Hui; Li, Zhe

2017-11-01

In many terrestrial regions, higher than usual surface temperatures are associated with (or are even induced by) surface moisture deficits. When in the warm season temperatures become anomalously high, their extreme values affect human beings causing heat stress. Besides increased temperature, rising humidity may also have substantial implications for bodily thermal comfort. However, the effects of surface moisture on heat stress, when considering both temperature and humidity, are less known. In this study, the relationship between the number of hot days in July as indicated by the wet-bulb globe temperature and the preceding three months of precipitation was assessed over eastern China. It is found that the probability of occurrence of above the average number of hot days exceeds 0.7 after a preceding precipitation deficit in northeastern China, but is less than 0.3 in southeastern China. Generally, over eastern China, the precipitation in the preceding months is negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with specific humidity in July. The combined effects generate a spatially distinct pattern: precipitation deficits in preceding months enhance heat stress in northeastern China while in southern China these deficits are associated with reduction of heat stress. In the south, abundant preceding precipitation tends to increase atmospheric humidity that is instrumental for the increase of heat stress. These results contribute predictive information about the probability of mid-summer heat stress in eastern China a few weeks ahead of its occurrence.

Characteristics and generation of secondary jets and secondary gigantic jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Li-Jou; Huang, Sung-Ming; Chou, Jung-Kung; Kuo, Cheng-Ling; Chen, Alfred B.; Su, Han-Tzong; Hsu, Rue-Rou; Frey, Harald U.; Takahashi, Yukihiro; Lee, Lou-Chuang

2012-06-01

Secondary transient luminous events (TLEs) recorded by the ISUAL-FORMOSAT2 mission can either be secondary jets or secondary gigantic jets (GJs), depending on their terminal altitudes. The secondary jets emerge from the cloud top beneath the preceding sprites and extend upward to the base of the sprites at ˜50 km. The secondary jets likely are negative electric discharges with vertically straight luminous columns, morphologically resembling the trailing jet of the type-I GJs. The number of luminous columns in a secondary jet seems to be affected by the size of the effective capacitor plate formed near the base of the preceding sprites and the charge distribution left behind by the sprite-inducing positive cloud-to-ground discharges. The secondary GJs originate from the cloud top under the shielding area of the preceding sprites, and develop upward to reach the lower ionosphere at ˜90 km. The observed morphology of the secondary GJs can either be the curvy shifted secondary GJs extending outside the region occupied by the preceding sprites or the straight pop-through secondary GJs developing through the center of the preceding circular sprites. A key factor in determining the terminal height of the secondary TLEs appears to be the local ionosphere boundary height that established by the preceding sprites. The abundance and the distribution of the negative charge in the thundercloud following the sprite-inducing positive cloud-to-ground discharges may play important role in the generation of the secondary TLEs.

Comparative safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of several anti‐H5N1 influenza experimental vaccines in a mouse and chicken models (Testing of killed and live H5 vaccine)

PubMed Central

Gambaryan, Alexandra S.; Lomakina, Natalia F.; Boravleva, Elizaveta Y.; Kropotkina, Ekaterina A.; Mashin, Vadim V.; Krasilnikov, Igor V.; Klimov, Alexander I.; Rudenko, Larisa G.

2011-01-01

Please cite this paper as: Gambaryan et al. (2011) Comparative safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of several anti‐H5N1 influenza experimental vaccines in a mouse and chicken models. Parallel testing of killed and live H5 vaccine. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(3), 188–195. Objective  Parallel testing of inactivated (split and whole virion) and live vaccine was conducted to compare the immunogenicity and protective efficacy against homologous and heterosubtypic challenge by H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Method  Four experimental live vaccines based on two H5N1 influenza virus strains were tested; two of them had hemagglutinin (HA) of A/Vietnam/1203/04 strain lacking the polybasic HA cleavage site, and two others had hemagglutinins from attenuated H5N1 virus A/Chicken/Kurgan/3/05, with amino acid substitutions of Asp54/Asn and Lys222/Thr in HA1 and Val48/Ile and Lys131/Thr in HA2 while maintaining the polybasic HA cleavage site. The neuraminidase and non‐glycoprotein genes of the experimental live vaccines were from H2N2 cold‐adapted master strain A/Leningrad/134/17/57 (VN‐Len and Ku‐Len) or from the apathogenic H6N2 virus A/Gull/Moscow/3100/2006 (VN‐Gull and Ku‐Gull). Inactivated H5N1 and H1N1 and live H1N1 vaccine were used for comparison. All vaccines were applied in a single dose. Safety, immunogenicity, and protectivity against the challenge with HPAI H5N1 virus A/Chicken/Kurgan/3/05 were estimated. Results  All experimental live H5 vaccines tested were apathogenic as determined by weight loss and conferred more than 90% protection against lethal challenge with A/Chicken/Kurgan/3/05 infection. Inactivated H1N1 vaccine in mice offered no protection against challenge with H5N1 virus, while live cold‐adapted H1N1 vaccine reduced the mortality near to zero level. Conclusions  The high yield, safety, and protectivity of VN‐Len and Ku‐Len made them promising strains for the production of inactivated and live vaccines against H5N1 viruses. PMID:21951678

[Epidemiological situation in the region of Lombardy of reportable infectious deseases (1973). Comparison with the preceding years (1971 and 1972)].

PubMed

Besozzi, C; Buratta, A; Carreri, V

1974-01-01

The AA. acting as members of Regional Health Assessor in Lombardy, have exposed the data of infectious diseases declared in comparison with the data of other Regions and also with data of the single provinces. Useful indications shall be offered to the operators of public health and also to the responsible persons of the local Administrations.

Adult Re-Entry Students: Experiences Preceding Entry into a Rural Appalachian Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genco, Jessica T.

2007-01-01

Mountain Empire Community College (MECC)'s service region covers the extreme southwestern corner of Virginia and includes four counties and one city: Dickenson, Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties, and the city of Norton. With a service region population of 93,000 residents, MECC currently serves over 5,000 students annually (Mountain Empire Community…

Your Divided Attention, Please! The Maintenance of Multiple Attentional Control Sets over Distinct Regions in Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adamo, Maha; Pun, Carson; Pratt, Jay; Ferber, Susanne

2008-01-01

When non-informative peripheral cues precede a target defined by a specific feature, cues that share the critical feature will capture attention while cues that do not will be effectively ignored. We tested whether different attentional control sets can be simultaneously maintained over distinct regions of space. Participants were instructed to…

36 CFR 1234.20 - What rules apply if there is a conflict between NARA standards and other regulatory standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... regional building codes, the following rules of precedence apply: (1) Between differing levels of fire... cannot be reconciled with a requirement of this part, the local or regional code applies. (b) If any of... require documentation of the mandatory nature of the conflicting code and the inability to reconcile that...

36 CFR 1234.20 - What rules apply if there is a conflict between NARA standards and other regulatory standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... regional building codes, the following rules of precedence apply: (1) Between differing levels of fire... cannot be reconciled with a requirement of this part, the local or regional code applies. (b) If any of... require documentation of the mandatory nature of the conflicting code and the inability to reconcile that...

36 CFR 1234.20 - What rules apply if there is a conflict between NARA standards and other regulatory standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... regional building codes, the following rules of precedence apply: (1) Between differing levels of fire... cannot be reconciled with a requirement of this part, the local or regional code applies. (b) If any of... require documentation of the mandatory nature of the conflicting code and the inability to reconcile that...

36 CFR § 1234.20 - What rules apply if there is a conflict between NARA standards and other regulatory standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... regional building codes, the following rules of precedence apply: (1) Between differing levels of fire... cannot be reconciled with a requirement of this part, the local or regional code applies. (b) If any of... require documentation of the mandatory nature of the conflicting code and the inability to reconcile that...

FORESHOCK AND ATERSHOCK SEQUENCES OF SOME LARGE EARTHQUAKES IN THE REGION OF GREECE,

DTIC Science & Technology

or more foreshocks of magnitude larger than 3.8 occurred in forty per cent of the cases. The probability for an earthquake to be preceded by a large... foreshock not much smaller than the main shock is 10%. It is shown that some properties of the earth’s material in the aftershock region can be

Late onset neurodegeneration in the Cln3-/- mouse model of juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis is preceded by low level glial activation.

PubMed

Pontikis, Charlie C; Cella, Claire V; Parihar, Nisha; Lim, Ming J; Chakrabarti, Shubhodeep; Mitchison, Hannah M; Mobley, William C; Rezaie, Payam; Pearce, David A; Cooper, Jonathan D

2004-10-15

Mouse models of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) exhibit many features of the human disorder, with widespread regional atrophy and significant loss of GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus and neocortex. Reactive gliosis is a characteristic of all forms of NCL, but it is unclear whether glial activation precedes or is triggered by neuronal loss. To explore this issue we undertook detailed morphological characterization of the Cln3 null mutant (Cln3(-/-)) mouse model of juvenile NCL (JNCL) that revealed a delayed onset neurodegenerative phenotype with no significant regional atrophy, but with widespread loss of hippocampal interneurons that was first evident at 14 months of age. Quantitative image analysis demonstrated upregulation of markers of astrocytic and microglial activation in presymptomatic Cln3(-/-) mice at 5 months of age, many months before significant neuronal loss occurs. These data provide evidence for subtle glial responses early in JNCL pathogenesis.

Statistical Analysis of Factors Affecting Child Mortality in Pakistan.

PubMed

Ahmed, Zoya; Kamal, Asifa; Kamal, Asma

2016-06-01

Child mortality is a composite indicator reflecting economic, social, environmental, healthcare services, and their delivery situation in a country. Globally, Pakistan has the third highest burden of fetal, maternal, and child mortality. Factors affecting child mortality in Pakistan are investigated by using Binary Logistic Regression Analysis. Region, education of mother, birth order, preceding birth interval (the period between the previous child birth and the index child birth), size of child at birth, and breastfeeding and family size were found to be significantly important with child mortality in Pakistan. Child mortality decreased as level of mother's education, preceding birth interval, size of child at birth, and family size increased. Child mortality was found to be significantly higher in Balochistan as compared to other regions. Child mortality was low for low birth orders. Child survival was significantly higher for children who were breastfed as compared to those who were not.

ON THE OBSERVATION AND SIMULATION OF SOLAR CORONAL TWIN JETS

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

Liu, Jiajia; Wang, Yuming; Zhang, Quanhao

We present the first observation, analysis, and modeling of solar coronal twin jets, which occurred after a preceding jet. Detailed analysis on the kinetics of the preceding jet reveals its blowout-jet nature, which resembles the one studied in Liu et al. However, the erupting process and kinetics of the twin jets appear to be different from the preceding one. Lacking detailed information on the magnetic fields in the twin jet region, we instead use a numerical simulation using a three-dimensional (3D) MHD model as described in Fang et al., and find that in the simulation a pair of twin jetsmore » form due to reconnection between the ambient open fields and a highly twisted sigmoidal magnetic flux, which is the outcome of the further evolution of the magnetic fields following the preceding blowout jet. Based on the similarity between the synthesized and observed emission, we propose this mechanism as a possible explanation for the observed twin jets. Combining our observation and simulation, we suggest that with continuous energy transport from the subsurface convection zone into the corona, solar coronal twin jets could be generated in the same fashion addressed above.« less

Synaptotagmin 1 causes phosphatidyl inositol lipid-dependent actin remodeling in cultured non-neuronal and neuronal cells

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

Johnsson, Anna-Karin; Karlsson, Roger, E-mail: roger.karlsson@wgi.su.se

2012-01-15

Here we demonstrate that a dramatic actin polymerizing activity caused by ectopic expression of the synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin 1 that results in extensive filopodia formation is due to the presence of a lysine rich sequence motif immediately at the cytoplasmic side of the transmembrane domain of the protein. This polybasic sequence interacts with anionic phospholipids in vitro, and, consequently, the actin remodeling caused by this sequence is interfered with by expression of a phosphatidyl inositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2)-targeted phosphatase, suggesting that it intervenes with the function of PIP2-binding actin control proteins. The activity drastically alters the behavior of a rangemore » of cultured cells including the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y and primary cortical mouse neurons, and, since the sequence is conserved also in synaptotagmin 2, it may reflect an important fine-tuning role for these two proteins during synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release.« less

Monomer volume fraction profiles in pH responsive planar polyelectrolyte brushes

DOE PAGES

Mahalik, Jyoti P.; Yang, Yubo; Deodhar, Chaitra V.; ...

2016-03-06

Spatial dependencies of monomer volume fraction profiles of pH responsive polyelectrolyte brushes were investigated using field theories and neutron reflectivity experiments. In particular, planar polyelectrolyte brushes in good solvent were studied and direct comparisons between predictions of the theories and experimental measurements are presented. The comparisons between the theories and the experimental data reveal that solvent entropy and ion-pairs resulting from adsorption of counterions from the added salt play key roles in affecting the monomer distribution and must be taken into account in modeling polyelectrolyte brushes. Furthermore, the utility of this physics-based approach based on these theories for the predictionmore » and interpretation of neutron reflectivity profiles in the context of pH responsive planar polyelectrolyte brushes such as polybasic poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and polyacidic poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brushes is demonstrated. The approach provides a quantitative way of estimating molecular weights of the polymers polymerized using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization.« less

Construction and heterologous expression of a truncated Haemagglutinin (HA) protein from the avian influenza virus H5N1 in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Chee Wei, T; Nurul Wahida, A G; Shaharum, S

2014-12-01

Malaysia first reported H5N1 poultry case in 2004 and subsequently outbreak in poultry population in 2007. Here, a recombinant gene encoding of peptide epitopes, consisting fragments of HA1, HA2 and a polybasic cleavage site of H5N1 strain Malaysia, was amplified and cloned into pET-47b(+) bacterial expression vector. DNA sequencing and alignment analysis confirmed that the gene had no alteration and in-frame to the vector. Then, His-tagged truncated HA protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) under 1 mM IPTG induction. The protein expression was optimized under a time-course induction study and further purified using Ni-NTA agarose under reducing condition. Migration size of protein was detected at 15 kDa by Western blot using anti-His tag monoclonal antibody and demonstrated no discrepancy compared to its calculated molecular weight.

Human Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus, China.

PubMed

Ke, Changwen; Mok, Chris Ka Pun; Zhu, Wenfei; Zhou, Haibo; He, Jianfeng; Guan, Wenda; Wu, Jie; Song, Wenjun; Wang, Dayan; Liu, Jiexiong; Lin, Qinhan; Chu, Daniel Ka Wing; Yang, Lei; Zhong, Nanshan; Yang, Zifeng; Shu, Yuelong; Peiris, Joseph Sriyal Malik

2017-07-01

The recent increase in zoonotic avian influenza A(H7N9) disease in China is a cause of public health concern. Most of the A(H7N9) viruses previously reported have been of low pathogenicity. We report the fatal case of a patient in China who was infected with an A(H7N9) virus having a polybasic amino acid sequence at its hemagglutinin cleavage site (PEVPKRKRTAR/GL), a sequence suggestive of high pathogenicity in birds. Its neuraminidase also had R292K, an amino acid change known to be associated with neuraminidase inhibitor resistance. Both of these molecular features might have contributed to the patient's adverse clinical outcome. The patient had a history of exposure to sick and dying poultry, and his close contacts had no evidence of A(H7N9) disease, suggesting human-to-human transmission did not occur. Enhanced surveillance is needed to determine whether this highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H7N9) virus will continue to spread.

Specific β-Turns Precede PPIIL Structures Binding to Allele-Specific HLA-DRβ1* PBRs in Fully-Protective Malaria Vaccine Components

PubMed Central

Bermudez, Adriana; Alba, Martha P.; Vanegas, Magnolia; Patarroyo, Manuel A.; Patarroyo, Manuel E.

2018-01-01

The 3D structural analysis of 62 peptides derived from highly pathogenic Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite proteins involved in host cell invasion led to finding a striking association between particular β-turn types located in the N-terminal peripheral flanking residue region (preceding the polyproline II left-handed structures fitting into the HLA-DRβ* allele family) and modified immune protection-inducing protein structure induced long-lasting protective immunity. This is the first time association between two different secondary structures associated with a specific immunological function has been described: full, long-lasting protective immunity. PMID:29682500

Specific β-Turns Precede PPIIL Structures Binding to Allele-Specific HLA-DRβ1* PBRs in Fully-Protective Malaria Vaccine Components.

PubMed

Bermudez, Adriana; Alba, Martha P; Vanegas, Magnolia; Patarroyo, Manuel A; Patarroyo, Manuel E

2018-01-01

The 3D structural analysis of 62 peptides derived from highly pathogenic Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite proteins involved in host cell invasion led to finding a striking association between particular β-turn types located in the N-terminal peripheral flanking residue region (preceding the polyproline II left-handed structures fitting into the HLA-DRβ * allele family) and modified i mmune protection-inducing protein structure induced long-lasting protective immunity. This is the first time association between two different secondary structures associated with a specific immunological function has been described: full, long-lasting protective immunity.

Specific β-turns precede PPIIL structures binding to allele-specific HLA-DRβ1* PBRs in fully-protective malaria vaccine components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bermudez, Adriana; Alba, Martha P.; Vanegas, Magnolia; Patarroyo, Manuel A.; Patarroyo, Manuel E.

2018-04-01

The 3D structural analysis of 62 peptides derived from highly pathogenic Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite proteins involved in host cell invasion led to finding a striking association between particular β-turn types located in the N-terminal peripheral flanking residue region (preceding the polyproline II left-handed structures fitting into the HLA-DRβ* allele family) and modified immune protection-inducing protein structure induced long-lasting protective immunity. This is the first time association between two different secondary structures associated with a specific immunological function has been described: full, long-lasting protective immunity.

Regional variation in thyroid cancer incidence in Belgium is associated with variation in thyroid imaging and thyroid disease management.

PubMed

Van den Bruel, Annick; Francart, Julie; Dubois, Cecile; Adam, Marielle; Vlayen, Joan; De Schutter, Harlinde; Stordeur, Sabine; Decallonne, Brigitte

2013-10-01

Increased thyroid cancer incidence is at least partially attributed to increased detection and shows considerable regional variation. We investigated whether regional variation in cancer incidence was associated with variations in thyroid disease management. We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study that involved linking data from the Belgian Health Insurance database and the Belgian Cancer Registry to compare thyroid-related procedures between regions with high and low cancer incidence. Primary outcome measures were rates of TSH testing, imaging, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), and thyroid surgery. Secondary study outcomes were proportions of subjects with thyrotoxicosis and nodular disease treated with surgery, of subjects treated with surgery preceded by FNAC or with synchronous lymph node dissection, and of thyroid cancer diagnosis after surgery. The rate of TSH testing was similar, but the rate of imaging was lower in the low incidence region. The rate of FNAC was similar, whereas the rate of surgery was lower in the low incidence region (34 [95% CI 33; 35 ] vs 80 [95% CI 79; 81 ] per 100,000 person years in the high incidence region; P < .05). In the low incidence region compared to the high incidence region, surgery represented a less chosen therapy for euthyroid nodular disease patients (47% [95% CI 46; 48] vs 69% [95% CI 68; 70]; P < .05), proportionally more surgery was preceded by FNAC, more cancer was diagnosed after total thyroidectomy, and thyroid cancer patients had more preoperative FNAC and synchronous lymph node dissection. Regional variation in thyroid cancer incidence, most marked for low-risk disease, is associated with different usage of thyroid imaging and surgery, supporting variable detection as a key determinant in geographic variation.

On the Dynamics of Austral Heat Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Risbey, James S.; O'Kane, Terence J.; Monselesan, Didier P.; Franzke, Christian L. E.; Horenko, Illia

2018-01-01

This work examines summer heat wave events in four different regions of Australia (southwest, central, southeast, and northeast) to assess similarities and differences in the circulations that precede, accompany, and follow the heat wave events. A series of circulation composites are constructed for days from 10 days prior to 5 days following onset of each heat wave event. The composites of geopotential height anomalies and wave activity flux vectors show that heat waves in southwest and southeast Australia are preceded by coherent wave train structures in the Indian Ocean region, accompanied by blocking in the Australian region (as an amplified node of the wave train structure), and followed by coherent responses of wave train patterns in the Pacific and South America regions. The heat wave blocking high is maintained by convergence of wave activity in a well-defined wave channel. The concentration of wave activity in the block is aided by the formation of a subtropical jet branch and wave barrier on the equatorward side of the block. Heat waves in central and northeast Australia show similar wave train life cycle responses, but with a proximate ridge in the midtroposphere and a trough in the nearby waveguide region. Heat waves in Australia can be viewed as an element of successive expression of the planetary waveguide modes in the Southern Hemisphere and serve as signifiers of organized, active phases of these modes.

Phylogenetic and Pathotypic Characterization of Newcastle Disease Viruses Circulating in West Africa and Efficacy of a Current Vaccine

PubMed Central

Samuel, Arthur; Nayak, Baibaswata; Paldurai, Anandan; Xiao, Sa; Aplogan, Gilbert L.; Awoume, Kodzo A.; Webby, Richard J.; Ducatez, Mariette F.; Collins, Peter L.

2013-01-01

Newcastle disease (ND) is a deadly avian disease worldwide. In Africa, ND is enzootic and causes large economic losses, but little is known about the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains circulating in African countries. In this study, 27 NDV isolates collected from apparently healthy chickens in live-bird markets of the West African countries Benin and Togo in 2009 were characterized. All isolates had polybasic fusion (F)-protein cleavage sites and were shown to be highly virulent in standard pathogenicity assays. Infection of 2-week-old chickens with two of the isolates resulted in 100% mortality within 4 days. Phylogenetic analysis of the 27 isolates based on a partial F-protein gene sequence identified three clusters: one containing all the isolates from Togo and one from Benin (cluster 2), one containing most isolates from Benin (cluster 3), and an outlier isolate from Benin (cluster 1). All the three clusters are related to genotype VII strains of NDV. In addition, the cluster of viruses from Togo contained a recently identified 6-nucleotide insert between the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and large polymerase (L) genes in a complete genome of an NDV isolate from this geographical region. Multiple strains that include this novel element suggest local emergence of a new genome length class. These results reveal genetic diversity within and among local NDV populations in Africa. Sequence analysis showed that the F and HN proteins of six West African isolates share 83.2 to 86.6% and 86.5 to 87.9% identities, respectively, with vaccine strain LaSota, indicative of considerable diversity. A vaccine efficacy study showed that the LaSota vaccine protected birds from morbidity and mortality but did not prevent shedding of West African challenge viruses. PMID:23254128

The origin of morphological asymmetries in bipolar active regions. [magnetic field in solar convective envelope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fan, Y.; Fisher, G. H.; Deluca, E. E.

1993-01-01

A series of 3D numerical simulations was carried out to examine the dynamical evolution of emerging flux loops in the solar convective envelope. The innermost portions of the loops are anchored beneath the base of the convective zone by the subadiabatic temperature gradient of the underlying overshoot region. It is found that, as the emerging loops approach the photosphere, the magnetic field strength of the leading side of each rising loop is about twice as large as that of the following side at the same depth. The evacuation of plasma out of the leading side of the rising loop results in an enhanced magnetic field strength there compared with the following side. It is argued that this result provides a natural explanation for the fact that the preceding (leading) polarity tends to have a less organized and more fragmented appearance, and that the preceding spots tend to be larger in area and fewer in number, and have a longer lifetime than the following spots.

An Empirical Approach to Analysis of Similarities between Software Failure Regions

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

cycle costs after the soft- ware has been marketed (Alberts, 1976). 1 Unfortunately, extensive software testing is frequently necessary in spite of...incidence is primarily syntactic. This mixing of semantic and syntactic forms in the same analysis could lead to some distortion, especially since the...of formulae to improve readability or to indicate precedence of operations. * All defintions within ’Condition I’ of a failure region are assumed to

Nameless, New Haven, and Nicholls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurland, Jordan E.

2008-01-01

This article presents three recent American Association of University Professors (AAUP) cases that involved the dismissal of a senior non-tenure-track member of the faculty. The most recent case resulted in the investigating committee's report on Nicholls State University, a regional public institution in Louisiana. Preceding Nicholls was an…

Linking highway improvements to changes in land use with quasi-experimental research design : a better forecasting tool for transportation decision-making.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-01

An important issue for future improvement and extensions of highways will be the ability of projects to sustain challenges to Environmental Impact Statements based upon forecasts of regional growth. A legal precedent for such challenges was establish...

Faculty Perceptions of Strategic Visioning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcus, Laurence R.; Smith, Richard

This report presents an examination of the use of a participative model in the strategic planning process at a publicly-supported, comprehensive institution in the middle Atlantic region of the United States. Specific attention is given to the process of developing the vision statement, an undertaking of approximately 15 months preceding Board of…

Glass diffusion source for constraining BSF region of a solar cell

DOEpatents

Lesk, I.A.; Pryor, R.A.; Coleman, M.G.

1982-08-27

The present invention is directed to a method of fabricating a solar cell comprising simultaneous diffusion of the p and n dopant materials into the solar cell substrate. The simultaneous diffusion process is preceded by deposition of a capping layer impervious to doping by thermal diffusion processes.

Summary and future directions

Treesearch

Janaki R.R. Alavalapati; D. Evan Mercer

2004-01-01

This chapter summarizes the main results from the preceding chapters, identifies gaps, and provides direction for fbture economics research on agroforestry systems. Although a common theme throughout the 1990s was that economic research on agroforestry continued to lag the advances made in the bio-physical sciences, the wide range of systems, regions, and techniques...

Cooking Up World History: Multicultural Recipes and Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marden, Patricia C.; Barchers, Suzanne I.

This interdisciplinary resource presents 140 recipes from 22 countries and regions around the world. Research questions connect culture and food to history. Cooking safety tips are given. Brief discussions about the role of food in culture precede recipes from: (1) Africa; (2) Australia; (3) Canada; (4) China; (5) Commonwealth of Independent…

[12th Annual] Maintenance & Operations Cost Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deriso, Jerald L.; Lane, C. Jerome

1983-01-01

Comparisons are shown between budgeted maintenance and operations costs for 1982-83 and the preceding two years' actual costs. Also provided is a summary of a 10-year comparison of net current expenditures per student, compared with maintenance and operations costs per student. Data are presented for 10 geographical regions. (MLF)

13th Annual Maintenance & Operations Cost Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deriso, Jerald L.

1984-01-01

Comparisons are drawn between budgeted maintenance and operations costs for 1983-84 and the preceding 2 years' actual costs. Also provided is a summary of a 10-year comparison of net current expenditures per student, compared with maintenance and operations costs per student. Data are presented for 10 geographical regions. (MLF)

INDICATORS OF CHANGE IN MID-ATLANTIC WATERSHEDS, AND CONSEQUENCES IN UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY

EPA Science Inventory

The rate of change of atmospheric temperature in the Northern Hemisphere in the past century relative to the preceding millennium strongly suggests that we are in a period of rapid global climate change. The mid-Atlantic region is quite sensitive to larger-scale climate variation...

Observational evidence for the relationship between spring soil moisture and June rainfall over the Indian region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KanthaRao, B.; Rakesh, V.

2018-05-01

Understanding the relationship between gradually varying soil moisture (SM) conditions and monsoon rainfall anomalies is crucial for seasonal prediction. Though it is an important issue, very few studies in the past attempted to diagnose the linkages between the antecedent SM and Indian summer monsoon rainfall. This study examined the relationship between spring (April-May) SM and June rainfall using observed data during the period 1979-2010. The Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analyses showed that the spring SM plays a significant role in June rainfall over the Central India (CI), South India (SI), and North East India (NEI) regions. The composite anomaly of the spring SM and June rainfall showed that excess (deficit) June rainfall over the CI was preceded by wet (dry) spring SM. The anomalies in surface-specific humidity, air temperature, and surface radiation fluxes also supported the existence of a positive SM-precipitation feedback over the CI. On the contrary, excess (deficit) June rainfall over the SI and NEI region were preceded by dry (wet) spring SM. The abnormal wet (dry) SM over the SI and NEI decreased (increased) the 2-m air temperature and increased (decreased) the surface pressure compared to the surrounding oceans which resulted in less (more) moisture transport from oceans to land (negative SM-precipitation feedback over the Indian monsoon region).

EEG Functional Connectivity Prior to Sleepwalking: Evidence of Interplay Between Sleep and Wakefulness

PubMed Central

Desjardins, Marie-Ève; Carrier, Julie; Lina, Jean-Marc; Fortin, Maxime; Gosselin, Nadia; Montplaisir, Jacques

2017-01-01

Abstract Study Objectives: Although sleepwalking (somnambulism) affects up to 4% of adults, its pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Sleepwalking can be preceded by fluctuations in slow-wave sleep EEG signals, but the significance of these pre-episode changes remains unknown and methods based on EEG functional connectivity have yet to be used to better comprehend the disorder. Methods: We investigated the sleep EEG of 27 adult sleepwalkers (mean age: 29 ± 7.6 years) who experienced a somnambulistic episode during slow-wave sleep. The 20-second segment of sleep EEG immediately preceding each patient’s episode was compared with the 20-second segment occurring 2 minutes prior to episode onset. Results: Results from spectral analyses revealed increased delta and theta spectral power in the 20 seconds preceding the episodes’ onset as compared to the 20 seconds occurring 2 minutes before the episodes. The imaginary part of the coherence immediately prior to episode onset revealed (1) decreased delta EEG functional connectivity in parietal and occipital regions, (2) increased alpha connectivity over a fronto-parietal network, and (3) increased beta connectivity involving symmetric inter-hemispheric networks implicating frontotemporal, parietal and occipital areas. Conclusions: Taken together, these modifications in EEG functional connectivity suggest that somnambulistic episodes are preceded by brain processes characterized by the co-existence of arousal and deep sleep. PMID:28204773

ON THE ROTATION OF SUNSPOTS AND THEIR MAGNETIC POLARITY

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

Zheng, Jianchuan; Yang, Zhiliang; Guo, Kaiming

2016-07-20

The rotation of sunspots of 2 yr in two different solar cycles is studied with the data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Michelson Doppler Imager instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observataory . We choose the α sunspot groups and the relatively large and stable sunspots of complex active regions in our sample. In the year of 2003, the α sunspot groups and the preceding sunspots tend to rotate counterclockwise and have positive magnetic polarity in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the magnetic polarity and rotational tendency ofmore » the α sunspot groups and the preceding sunspots are opposite to the northern hemisphere. The average rotational speed of these sunspots in 2003 is about 0.°65 hr{sup 1}. From 2014 January to 2015 February, the α sunspot groups and the preceding sunspots tend to rotate clockwise and have negative magnetic polarity in the northern hemisphere. The patterns of rotation and magnetic polarity of the southern hemisphere are also opposite to those of the northern hemisphere. The average rotational speed of these sunspots in 2014/2015 is about 1.°49 hr{sup 1}. The rotation of the relatively large and stable preceding sunspots and that of the α sunspot groups located in the same hemisphere have opposite rotational direction in 2003 and 2014/2015.« less

Human Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus, China

PubMed Central

Ke, Changwen; Mok, Chris Ka Pun; Zhu, Wenfei; Zhou, Haibo; He, Jianfeng; Guan, Wenda; Wu, Jie; Song, Wenjun; Wang, Dayan; Liu, Jiexiong; Lin, Qinhan; Chu, Daniel Ka Wing; Yang, Lei; Zhong, Nanshan; Peiris, Joseph Sriyal Malik

2017-01-01

The recent increase in zoonotic avian influenza A(H7N9) disease in China is a cause of public health concern. Most of the A(H7N9) viruses previously reported have been of low pathogenicity. We report the fatal case of a patient in China who was infected with an A(H7N9) virus having a polybasic amino acid sequence at its hemagglutinin cleavage site (PEVPKRKRTAR/GL), a sequence suggestive of high pathogenicity in birds. Its neuraminidase also had R292K, an amino acid change known to be associated with neuraminidase inhibitor resistance. Both of these molecular features might have contributed to the patient’s adverse clinical outcome. The patient had a history of exposure to sick and dying poultry, and his close contacts had no evidence of A(H7N9) disease, suggesting human-to-human transmission did not occur. Enhanced surveillance is needed to determine whether this highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H7N9) virus will continue to spread. PMID:28580899

Revisiting structure-property relationship of pH-responsive polymers for drug delivery applications.

PubMed

Bazban-Shotorbani, Salime; Hasani-Sadrabadi, Mohammad Mahdi; Karkhaneh, Akbar; Serpooshan, Vahid; Jacob, Karl I; Moshaverinia, Alireza; Mahmoudi, Morteza

2017-05-10

pH-responsive polymers contain ionic functional groups as pendants in their structure. The total number of charged groups on polymer chains determines the overall response of the system to changes in the external pH. This article reviews various pH-responsive polymers classified as polyacids (e.g., carboxylic acid based polymers, sulfonamides, anionic polysaccharides, and anionic polypeptides) and polybases (e.g., polyamines, pyridine and imidazole containing polymers, cationic polysaccharides, and cationic polypeptides). We correlate the pH variations in the body at the organ level (e.g., gastrointestinal tract and vaginal environment), tissue level (e.g., cancerous and inflamed tissues), and cellular level (e.g., sub-cellular organelles), with the intrinsic properties of pH-responsive polymers. This knowledge could help to select more effective ('smart') polymeric systems based on the biological target. Considering the pH differences in the body, various drug delivery systems can be designed by utilizing smart biopolymeric compounds with the required pH-sensitivity. We also review the pharmaceutical application of pH-responsive polymeric carriers including hydrogels, polymer-drug conjugates, micelles, dendrimers, and polymersomes. © 2016.

Poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-based, pH-responsive, copolymeric mixed micelles for targeting anticancer drug control release.

PubMed

Chen, Quan; Li, Siheng; Feng, Zixiong; Wang, Meng; Cai, Chengzhi; Wang, Jufang; Zhang, Lijuan

2017-01-01

We have demonstrated a novel drug delivery system to improve the selectivity of the current chemotherapy by pH-responsive, polymeric micelle carriers. The micelle carriers were prepared by the self-assembly of copolymers containing the polybasic poly(2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) block. The mixed copolymers exhibited a comparatively low critical micelle concentration (CMC; 1.95-5.25 mg/L). The resultant mixed micelles were found to be <100 nm and were used to encapsulate the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) with pretty good drug-loading content (24%) and entrapment efficiency (55%). Most importantly, the micelle carrier exhibited a pH-dependent conformational conversion and promoted the DOX release at the tumorous pH. Our in vitro studies demonstrated the comparable level of DOX-loaded mixed micelle delivery into tumor cells with the free DOX (80% of the tumor cells were killed after 48 h incubation). The DOX-loaded mixed micelles were effective to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells after prolonged incubation. Overall, the pH-responsive mixed micelle system provided desirable potential in the controlled release of anticancer therapeutics.

Evolutionary plasticity of plasma membrane interaction in DREPP family proteins.

PubMed

Vosolsobě, Stanislav; Petrášek, Jan; Schwarzerová, Kateřina

2017-05-01

The plant-specific DREPP protein family comprises proteins that were shown to regulate the actin and microtubular cytoskeleton in a calcium-dependent manner. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that DREPPs first appeared in ferns and that DREPPs have a rapid and plastic evolutionary history in plants. Arabidopsis DREPP paralogues called AtMDP25/PCaP1 and AtMAP18/PCaP2 are N-myristoylated, which has been reported as a key factor in plasma membrane localization. Here we show that N-myristoylation is neither conserved nor ancestral for the DREPP family. Instead, by using confocal microscopy and a new method for quantitative evaluation of protein membrane localization, we show that DREPPs rely on two mechanisms ensuring their plasma membrane localization. These include N-myristoylation and electrostatic interaction of a polybasic amino acid cluster. We propose that various plasma membrane association mechanisms resulting from the evolutionary plasticity of DREPPs are important for refining plasma membrane interaction of these signalling proteins under various conditions and in various cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AMPK and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Signaling Regulates K-Ras Plasma Membrane Interactions via Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase 2

PubMed Central

Cho, Kwang-jin; Casteel, Darren E.; Prakash, Priyanka; Tan, Lingxiao; van der Hoeven, Dharini; Salim, Angela A.; Kim, Choel; Capon, Robert J.; Lacey, Ernest; Cunha, Shane R.; Gorfe, Alemayehu A.

2016-01-01

K-Ras must localize to the plasma membrane and be arrayed in nanoclusters for biological activity. We show here that K-Ras is a substrate for cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinases (PKGs). In intact cells, activated PKG2 selectively colocalizes with K-Ras on the plasma membrane and phosphorylates K-Ras at Ser181 in the C-terminal polybasic domain. K-Ras phosphorylation by PKG2 is triggered by activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and requires endothelial nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylyl cyclase. Phosphorylated K-Ras reorganizes into distinct nanoclusters that retune the signal output. Phosphorylation acutely enhances K-Ras plasma membrane affinity, but phosphorylated K-Ras is progressively lost from the plasma membrane via endocytic recycling. Concordantly, chronic pharmacological activation of AMPK → PKG2 signaling with mitochondrial inhibitors, nitric oxide, or sildenafil inhibits proliferation of K-Ras-positive non-small cell lung cancer cells. The study shows that K-Ras is a target of a metabolic stress-signaling pathway that can be leveraged to inhibit oncogenic K-Ras function. PMID:27697864

A combination in-ovo vaccine for avian influenza virus and Newcastle disease virus.

PubMed

Steel, John; Burmakina, Svetlana V; Thomas, Colleen; Spackman, Erica; García-Sastre, Adolfo; Swayne, David E; Palese, Peter

2008-01-24

The protection of poultry from H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) can be achieved through vaccination, as part of a broader disease control strategy. We have previously generated a recombinant influenza virus expressing, (i) an H5 hemagglutinin protein, modified by the removal of the polybasic cleavage peptide and (ii) the ectodomain of the NDV hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein in the place of the ectodomain of influenza neuraminidase (Park MS, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2006;103(21):8203-8). Here we show this virus is attenuated in primary normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cell culture, and demonstrate protection of C57BL/6 mice from lethal challenge with an H5 HA-containing influenza virus through immunisation with the recombinant virus. In addition, in-ovo vaccination of 18-day-old embryonated chicken eggs provided 90% and 80% protection against highly stringent lethal challenge by NDV and H5N1 virus, respectively. We propose that this virus has potential as a safe in-ovo live, attenuated, bivalent avian influenza and Newcastle disease virus vaccine.

A PP2A-B55 recognition signal controls substrate dephosphorylation kinetics during mitotic exit

PubMed Central

Cundell, Michael J.; Holder, James

2016-01-01

PP2A-B55 is one of the major phosphatases regulating cell division. Despite its importance for temporal control during mitotic exit, how B55 substrates are recognized and differentially dephosphorylated is unclear. Using phosphoproteomics combined with kinetic modeling to extract B55-dependent rate constants, we have systematically identified B55 substrates and assigned their temporal order in mitotic exit. These substrates share a bipartite polybasic recognition determinant (BPR) flanking a Cdk1 phosphorylation site. Experiments and modeling show that dephosphorylation rate is encoded into B55 substrates, including its inhibitor ENSA, by cooperative action of basic residues within the BPR. A complementary acidic surface on B55 decodes this signal, supporting a cooperative electrostatic mechanism for substrate selection. A further level of specificity is encoded into B55 substrates because B55 displays selectivity for phosphothreonine. These simple biochemical properties, combined with feedback control of B55 activity by the phosphoserine-containing substrate/inhibitor ENSA, can help explain the temporal sequence of events during exit from mitosis. PMID:27551054

[Epidemic of bacillary dysentery in the Rwanda refugee camps of the Goma region (Zaire, North Kivu) in August 1994].

PubMed

Milleliri, J M; Soares, J L; Signoret, J; Bechen, R; Lamarque, D; Boutin, J P; Coué, J C; Niel, L; Merouze, F; Rey, J L

1995-09-01

The authors describe the extension of an outbreak of bacillary dysentery among the Rwandese populations seeking refuge in the region of Goma, Zaire in august 1994. Analysis of the epidemiological surveillance data and of the bacteriological laboratory results of the Bioforce, show that this epidemic was probably facilitated by the preceding cholera outbreak. In such circumstances, rapid sterilization of the virus reservoir, by short course treatments, might be beneficial in limiting the extension of the epidemic.

Employment and Economic Issues of Low-Income Women: Report of a Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Women's Bureau (DOL), Washington, DC.

A series of consultations between low-income women and representatives of local and State service agencies in the Department of Labor's ten regions was undertaken to examine the needs, issues, and circumstances that affect the employment opportunities of low-income women. Each central consultation was preceded by several smaller meetings, attended…

Is There a Latin American Model of the University?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernasconi, Andres

2008-01-01

Recently, Latin America has seen the advent of research activities to meet the call for research that long preceded them and of the full-time research faculty who engage in them. These developments have taken place as the region partakes in contemporary worldwide trends that have affected universities elsewhere: the consequences of the increased…

INDICATORS OF CHANGE IN THE MID-ATLANTIC WATERSHEDS AND CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE IN UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY

EPA Science Inventory

The rate of change in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric temperature in the past century relative to the preceding millennium strongly suggests that we are in a period of rapid global climate change. The mid-Atlantic region is quite sensitive to larger scale climate variation, which...

Plasma Drift Rates During and Preceding Equatorial Spread F Inferred by the HF Doppler Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, E. S.; Hilton, A. J.; Chartier, A.

2017-12-01

The quiet time afternoon and evening equatorial and low-latitude ionosphere is characterized by increasing vertical drift and sharpening plasma density gradient in the lower F region. This combination of effects leads to the plasma instability cascade known imprecisely as "equatorial spread F." In this work, we utilize a simple transequatorial HF Doppler observation to infer the vertical and horizontal plasma drifts preceding and during spread-F conditions. The data exhibit three behavior regimes indicative of three different processes: The first is a slow vertical drift that may be due to either increasing vertical plasma drifts or recombination of the bottomside. The second is an explosive spread Doppler signature (indicating relative velocities of 600 m/s or more) that is associated with the initiation of the spread-F depletions. Finally, the third is a structure that represents a changing HF propagation channel as radio rays propagate through the regions of depleted-but still unstable-plasma. Observations of the March 2016 Pacific total solar eclipse will also be included as a test case for the effects of vertical drifts versus recombination.

The effect of emotionally valenced eye region images on visuocortical processing of surprised faces.

PubMed

Li, Shuaixia; Li, Ping; Wang, Wei; Zhu, Xiangru; Luo, Wenbo

2018-05-01

In this study, we presented pictorial representations of happy, neutral, and fearful expressions projected in the eye regions to determine whether the eye region alone is sufficient to produce a context effect. Participants were asked to judge the valence of surprised faces that had been preceded by a picture of an eye region. Behavioral results showed that affective ratings of surprised faces were context dependent. Prime-related ERPs with presentation of happy eyes elicited a larger P1 than those for neutral and fearful eyes, likely due to the recognition advantage provided by a happy expression. Target-related ERPs showed that surprised faces in the context of fearful and happy eyes elicited dramatically larger C1 than those in the neutral context, which reflected the modulation by predictions during the earliest stages of face processing. There were larger N170 with neutral and fearful eye contexts compared to the happy context, suggesting faces were being integrated with contextual threat information. The P3 component exhibited enhanced brain activity in response to faces preceded by happy and fearful eyes compared with neutral eyes, indicating motivated attention processing may be involved at this stage. Altogether, these results indicate for the first time that the influence of isolated eye regions on the perception of surprised faces involves preferential processing at the early stages and elaborate processing at the late stages. Moreover, higher cognitive processes such as predictions and attention can modulate face processing from the earliest stages in a top-down manner. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Thalamic deactivation at sleep onset precedes that of the cerebral cortex in humans

PubMed Central

Magnin, Michel; Rey, Marc; Bastuji, Hélène; Guillemant, Philippe; Mauguière, François; Garcia-Larrea, Luis

2010-01-01

Thalamic and cortical activities are assumed to be time-locked throughout all vigilance states. Using simultaneous intracortical and intrathalamic recordings, we demonstrate here that the thalamic deactivation occurring at sleep onset most often precedes that of the cortex by several minutes, whereas reactivation of both structures during awakening is synchronized. Delays between thalamus and cortex deactivations can vary from one subject to another when a similar cortical region is considered. In addition, heterogeneity in activity levels throughout the cortical mantle is larger than previously thought during the descent into sleep. Thus, asynchronous thalamo-cortical deactivation while falling asleep probably explains the production of hypnagogic hallucinations by a still-activated cortex and the common self-overestimation of the time needed to fall asleep. PMID:20142493

Comparative cost analysis of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation for musculoskeletal diseases in Germany.

PubMed

Zeidler, J; Mittendorf, T; Vahldiek, G; Zeidler, H; Merkesdal, S

2008-10-01

To examine the costs of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for musculoskeletal disorders from the perspective of a major statutory health insurance fund in Germany. A nation-wide database from a major health insurance fund in Germany was used to evaluate all rehabilitation cases in 2005. In addition, to all direct cost domains of the rehabilitation itself, costs incurred in the preceding and the following year for hospital treatment, drugs and physical therapy were analysed. A cost-cost analysis in different institutional settings was chosen for the cost comparison of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. To minimize the influence of possible confounders, a statistical control system was implemented. After a preceding hospital stay, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation results in mean costs of euro2047 and euro1111, respectively. If the rehabilitation was not preceded by a directly related hospital treatment, mean costs for inpatient (outpatient) rehabilitation were euro2067 (euro1310). No systematic differences could be found between inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation evaluating costs for hospital treatment, drugs or physical therapy in the year preceding and the year directly following the rehabilitation. Assuming comparable medical outcomes, outpatient rehabilitation seems to be a superior alternative compared with inpatient rehabilitation from an economic perspective. Hence, from the perspective of the statutory health insurance, fostering a higher market share of outpatient rehabilitation may add to a better allocation of overall health care resources. For this, regional differences in rehabilitation infrastructure have to be taken into account.

EEG Functional Connectivity Prior to Sleepwalking: Evidence of Interplay Between Sleep and Wakefulness.

PubMed

Desjardins, Marie-Ève; Carrier, Julie; Lina, Jean-Marc; Fortin, Maxime; Gosselin, Nadia; Montplaisir, Jacques; Zadra, Antonio

2017-04-01

Although sleepwalking (somnambulism) affects up to 4% of adults, its pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Sleepwalking can be preceded by fluctuations in slow-wave sleep EEG signals, but the significance of these pre-episode changes remains unknown and methods based on EEG functional connectivity have yet to be used to better comprehend the disorder. We investigated the sleep EEG of 27 adult sleepwalkers (mean age: 29 ± 7.6 years) who experienced a somnambulistic episode during slow-wave sleep. The 20-second segment of sleep EEG immediately preceding each patient's episode was compared with the 20-second segment occurring 2 minutes prior to episode onset. Results from spectral analyses revealed increased delta and theta spectral power in the 20 seconds preceding the episodes' onset as compared to the 20 seconds occurring 2 minutes before the episodes. The imaginary part of the coherence immediately prior to episode onset revealed (1) decreased delta EEG functional connectivity in parietal and occipital regions, (2) increased alpha connectivity over a fronto-parietal network, and (3) increased beta connectivity involving symmetric inter-hemispheric networks implicating frontotemporal, parietal and occipital areas. Taken together, these modifications in EEG functional connectivity suggest that somnambulistic episodes are preceded by brain processes characterized by the co-existence of arousal and deep sleep. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Proceedings of the fourth Lake States forest tree improvement conference

Treesearch

Lake States Forest Experiment Station

1960-01-01

The Lake States Forest Experiment Station is glad to facilitate the work of the Lake States Forest Tree Improvement Committee in encouraging and coordinating forest genetics activities in this region. We are happy, therefore, to publish this Proceedings of the Fourth Lake States Forest Tree Improvement Conference, as we did for the preceding three conferences in 1953,...

Mechanical Dyssynchrony Precedes QRS Widening in ATP‐Sensitive K+ Channel–Deficient Dilated Cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Yamada, Satsuki; Arrell, D. Kent; Kane, Garvan C.; Nelson, Timothy J.; Perez‐Terzic, Carmen M.; Behfar, Atta; Purushothaman, Saranya; Prinzen, Frits W.; Auricchio, Angelo; Terzic, Andre

2013-01-01

Background Contractile discordance exacerbates cardiac dysfunction, aggravating heart failure outcome. Dissecting the genesis of mechanical dyssynchrony would enable an early diagnosis before advanced disease. Methods and Results High‐resolution speckle‐tracking echocardiography was applied in a knockout murine surrogate of adult‐onset human cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in cardioprotective ATP‐sensitive K+ (KATP) channels. Preceding the established criteria of cardiac dyssynchrony, multiparametric speckle‐based strain resolved nascent erosion of dysfunctional regions within cardiomyopathic ventricles of the KATP channel–null mutant exposed to hemodynamic stress. Not observed in wild‐type counterparts, intraventricular disparity in wall motion, validated by the degree, direction, and delay of myocardial speckle patterns, unmasked the disease substrate from asymptomatic to overt heart failure. Mechanical dyssynchrony preceded widening of the QRS complex and exercise intolerance and progressed into global myocardial discoordination and decompensated cardiac pump function, precipitating a low output syndrome. Conclusions The present study, with the use of high‐resolution imaging, prospectively resolved the origin and extent of intraventricular motion disparity in a KATP channel–knockout model of dilated cardiomyopathy. Mechanical dyssynchrony established as an early marker of cardiomyopathic disease offers novel insight into the pathodynamics of dyssynchronous heart failure. PMID:24308936

Nutrient environment of red tide- infested waters off south-west coast of India.

PubMed

Joseph, Thresiamma; Shaiju, P; Laluraj, C M; Balachandran, K K; Nair, M; George, Rejomon; Nair, K K C; Sahayak, Satish; Prabhakaran, M P

2008-08-01

The bloom-infested waters along the southwest coast of India were assessed to bring about the probable cause related to the excessive algal production. Low nitrate and silicate concentrations were concomitant with slightly higher levels of phosphate. The silicate depletion in the bloom area is possibly an indication of community succession (diatom to dinoflagellate), since it was completely utilized by the preceding diatom blooms. The dinoflagellates in this region could have been advected from the northern regions where it was noticed during the previous months.

Reward processing in the value-driven attention network: reward signals tracking cue identity and location.

PubMed

Anderson, Brian A

2017-03-01

Through associative reward learning, arbitrary cues acquire the ability to automatically capture visual attention. Previous studies have examined the neural correlates of value-driven attentional orienting, revealing elevated activity within a network of brain regions encompassing the visual corticostriatal loop [caudate tail, lateral occipital complex (LOC) and early visual cortex] and intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Such attentional priority signals raise a broader question concerning how visual signals are combined with reward signals during learning to create a representation that is sensitive to the confluence of the two. This study examines reward signals during the cued reward training phase commonly used to generate value-driven attentional biases. High, compared with low, reward feedback preferentially activated the value-driven attention network, in addition to regions typically implicated in reward processing. Further examination of these reward signals within the visual system revealed information about the identity of the preceding cue in the caudate tail and LOC, and information about the location of the preceding cue in IPS, while early visual cortex represented both location and identity. The results reveal teaching signals within the value-driven attention network during associative reward learning, and further suggest functional specialization within different regions of this network during the acquisition of an integrated representation of stimulus value. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The correlation of Skylab L-band brightness temperatures with antecedent precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcfarland, M. J.

1975-01-01

The S194 L-band radiometer flown on the Skylab mission measured terrestrial radiation at the microwave wavelength of 21.4 cm. The terrain emissivity at this wavelength is strongly dependent on the soil moisture content, which can be inferred from antecedent precipitation. For the Skylab data acquisition pass from the Oklahoma panhandle to southeastern Texas on 11 June 1973, the S194 brightness temperatures are highly correlated with antecedent precipitation from the preceding eleven day period, but very little correlation was apparent for the preceding five day period. The correlation coefficient between the averaged antecedent precipitation index values and the corresponding S194 brightness temperatures between 230 K and 270 K, the region of apparent response to soil moisture in the data, was -0.97. The equation of the linear least squares line is given.

The changing market for hardwood plywood stock panels.

Treesearch

Gary R. Lindell

1972-01-01

The major end product for hardwood plywood (usually birch) stock panels in 1970 was kitchen cabinets. About 1/3 of the volume was shipped to the Pacific region. Over 1/3 of the responses by wholesalers indicated that stock panel sales had declined over the preceding 3 years, chiefly because of the inroads being made by plastic covered particleboard panels. The...

Spatial and temporal variations of aerosols around Beijing in summer 2006: 2. Local and column aerosol optical properties

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

Matsui, Hitoshi; Koike, Makoto; Kondo, Yutaka

Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-chem model calculations were conducted to study aerosol optical properties around Beijing, China, during the Campaign of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region 2006 (CAREBeijing-2006) period. In this paper, we interpret aerosol optical properties in terms of aerosol mass concentrations and their chemical compositions by linking model calculations with measurements. In general, model calculations reproduced observed features of spatial and temporal variations of various surface and column aerosol optical parameters in and around Beijing. Spatial and temporal variations of aerosol absorption, scattering, and extinction coefficient corresponded well to those of elemental carbon (primary aerosol),more » sulfate (secondary aerosol), and the total aerosol mass concentration, respectively. These results show that spatial and temporal variations of the absorption coefficient are controlled by local emissions (within 100 km around Beijing during the preceding 24 h), while those of the scattering coefficient are controlled by regional-scale emissions (within 500 km around Beijing during the preceding 3 days) under synoptic-scale meteorological conditions, as discussed in our previous study of aerosol mass concentration. Vertical profiles of aerosol extinction revealed that the contribution of secondary aerosols and their water uptake increased with altitude within the planetary boundary layer, leading to a considerable increase in column aerosol optical depth (AOD) around Beijing. These effects are the main factors causing differences in regional and temporal variations between particulate matter (PM) mass concentration at the surface and column AOD over a wide region in the northern part of the Great North China Plain.« less

The association between preceding drought occurrence and heat waves in the Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russo, Ana; Gouveia, Célia M.; Ramos, Alexandre M.; Páscoa, Patricia; Trigo, Ricardo M.

2017-04-01

A large number of weather driven extreme events has occurred worldwide in the last decade, namely in Europe that has been struck by record breaking extreme events with unprecedented socio-economic impacts, including the mega-heatwaves of 2003 in Europe and 2010 in Russia, and the large droughts in southwestern Europe in 2005 and 2012. The last IPCC report on extreme events points that a changing climate can lead to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration, and timing of weather and climate extremes. These, combined with larger exposure, can result in unprecedented risk to humans and ecosystems. In this context it is becoming increasingly relevant to improve the early identification and predictability of such events, as they negatively affect several socio-economic activities. Moreover, recent diagnostic and modelling experiments have confirmed that hot extremes are often preceded by surface moisture deficits in some regions throughout the world. In this study we analyze if the occurrence of hot extreme months is enhanced by the occurrence of preceding drought events throughout the Mediterranean area. In order to achieve this purpose, the number of hot days in the regions' hottest month will be associated with a drought indicator. The evolution and characterization of drought was analyzed using both the Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), as obtained from CRU TS3.23 database for the period 1950-2014. We have used both SPI and SPEI for different time scales between 3 and 9 months with a spatial resolution of 0.5°. The number of hot days and nights per month (NHD and NHN) was determined using the ECAD-EOBS daily dataset for the same period and spatial resolution (dataset v14). The NHD and NHN were computed, respectively, as the number of days with a maximum or minimum temperature exceeding the 90th percentile. Results show that the most frequent hottest months for the Mediterranean region occur in July and August. Moreover, the magnitude of correlations between detrended NHD/NHN and the preceding 6- and 9-month SPEI/SPI are usually dimmer than for the 3 month time-scale. Most regions exhibit significantly negative correlations, i.e. high (low) NHD/NHN following negative (positive) SPEI/SPI values, and thus a potential for NHD/NHN early warning. Finally, correlations between the NHD/NHN with SPI and SPEI differ, with SPEI characterized by slightly higher values observed mainly for the 3-months time-scale. Acknowledgments: This work was partially supported by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal) under project IMDROFLOOD (WaterJPI/0004/2014). Ana Russo thanks FCT for granted support (SFRH/BPD/99757/2014). A. M. Ramos was also supported by a FCT postdoctoral grant (FCT/DFRH/ SFRH/BPD/84328/2012).

Figure-ground organization and object recognition processes: an interactive account.

PubMed

Vecera, S P; O'Reilly, R C

1998-04-01

Traditional bottom-up models of visual processing assume that figure-ground organization precedes object recognition. This assumption seems logically necessary: How can object recognition occur before a region is labeled as figure? However, some behavioral studies find that familiar regions are more likely to be labeled figure than less familiar regions, a problematic finding for bottom-up models. An interactive account is proposed in which figure-ground processes receive top-down input from object representations in a hierarchical system. A graded, interactive computational model is presented that accounts for behavioral results in which familiarity effects are found. The interactive model offers an alternative conception of visual processing to bottom-up models.

A Combination in-ovo Vaccine for Avian Influenza Virus and Newcastle Disease Virus

PubMed Central

Steel, John; Burmakina, Svetlana V.; Thomas, Colleen; Spackman, Erica; García-Sastre, Adolfo; Swayne, David E.; Palese, Peter

2008-01-01

The protection of poultry from H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) can be achieved through vaccination, as part of a broader disease control strategy. We have previously generated a recombinant influenza virus expressing; (i) an H5 hemagglutinin protein, modified by the removal of the polybasic cleavage peptide and (ii) the ectodomain of the NDV hemagglutinin – neuraminidase (HN) protein in the place of the ectodomain of influenza neuraminidase (Park, M.S., et al., 2006. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103 (21), 8203–8208). Here we show this virus is attenuated in primary normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cell culture, and demonstrate protection of C57BL/6 mice from lethal challenge with an H5 HA-containing influenza virus through immunisation with the recombinant virus. In addition, in-ovo vaccination of 18-day-old embryonated chicken eggs provided 90% and 80% protection against highly stringent lethal challenge by NDV and H5N1 virus respectively. We propose that this virus has potential as a safe in-ovo live, attenuated, bivalent avian influenza and Newcastle disease virus vaccine. PMID:18093698

47 CFR 213.5 - Precedence designators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Precedence designators. 213.5 Section 213.5 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.5 Precedence designators. (a) The following precedence...

47 CFR 213.5 - Precedence designators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Precedence designators. 213.5 Section 213.5 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.5 Precedence designators. (a) The following precedence...

47 CFR 213.5 - Precedence designators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Precedence designators. 213.5 Section 213.5 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.5 Precedence designators. (a) The following precedence...

47 CFR 213.5 - Precedence designators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Precedence designators. 213.5 Section 213.5 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.5 Precedence designators. (a) The following precedence...

47 CFR 213.5 - Precedence designators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Precedence designators. 213.5 Section 213.5 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.5 Precedence designators. (a) The following precedence...

Ethers and esters derived from apocynin avoid the interaction between p47phox and p22phox subunits of NADPH oxidase: evaluation in vitro and in silico.

PubMed

Macías-Pérez, Martha Edith; Martínez-Ramos, Federico; Padilla-Martínez, Itzia Irene; Correa-Basurto, José; Kispert, Lowell; Mendieta-Wejebe, Jessica Elena; Rosales-Hernández, Martha Cecilia

2013-08-02

NOX (NADPH oxidase) plays an important role during several pathologies because it produces the superoxide anion (O2•-), which reacts with NO (nitric oxide), diminishing its vasodilator effect. Although different isoforms of NOX are expressed in ECs (endothelial cells) of blood vessels, the NOX2 isoform has been considered the principal therapeutic target for vascular diseases because it can be up-regulated by inhibiting the interaction between its p47phox (cytosolic protein) and p22phox (transmembrane protein) subunits. In this research, two ethers, 4-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenoxy)-acetic acid (1) and 4-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenoxy)-butyric acid (2) and two esters, pentanedioic acid mono-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenyl) ester (3) and heptanedioic acid mono-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenyl) ester (4), which are apocynin derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as NOX inhibitors by quantifying O2•- production using EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) measurements. In addition, the antioxidant activity of apocynin and its derivatives were determined. A docking study was used to identify the interactions between the NOX2's p47phox subunit and apocynin or its derivatives. The results showed that all of the compounds exhibit inhibitory activity on NOX, being 4 the best derivative. However, neither apocynin nor its derivatives were free radical scavengers. On the other hand, the in silico studies demonstrated that the apocynin and its derivatives were recognized by the polybasic SH3A and SH3B domains, which are regions of p47phox that interact with p22phox. Therefore this experimental and theoretical study suggests that compound 4 could prevent the formation of the complex between p47phox and p22phox without needing to be activated by MPO (myeloperoxidase), this being an advantage over apocynin.

Toward the evolutionary genomics of gametophytic divergence: patterns of transmission ratio distortion in monkeyflower (Mimulus) hybrids reveal a complex genetic basis for conspecific pollen precedence.

PubMed

Fishman, Lila; Aagaard, Jan; Tuthill, John C

2008-12-01

Conspecific pollen precedence (CPP) is a major component of reproductive isolation between many flowering plant taxa and may reveal mechanisms of gametophytic evolution within species, but little is known about the genetic basis and evolutionary history of CPP. We systematically investigated the genetic architecture of CPP using patterns of transmission ratio distortion (TRD) in F2 and backcross hybrids between closely related species of Mimulus (Phrymaceae) with divergent mating systems. We found that CPP in Mimulus hybrids was polygenic and was the majority source of interspecific TRD genome-wide, with at least eight genomic regions contributing to the transmission advantage of M. guttatus pollen grains on M. guttatus styles. In aggregate, these male-specific transmission ratio distorting loci (TRDLs) were more than sufficient to account for the 100% precedence of pure M. guttatus pollen over M. nasutus pollen in mixed pollinations of M. guttatus. All but one of these pollen TRDLs were style-dependent; that is, we observed pollen TRD in F(1) and/or M. guttatus styles, but not in M. nasutus styles. These findings suggest that species-specific differences in pollen tube performance accumulate gradually and may have been driven by coevolution between pollen and style in the predominantly outcrossing M. guttatus.

Hydriding process

DOEpatents

Raymond, J.W.; Taketani, H.

1973-12-01

BS>A method is described for hydriding a body of a Group IV-B metal, preferably zirconium, to produce a crack-free metal-hydride bedy of high hydrogen content by cooling the body at the beta to beta + delta boundary, without further addition of hydrogen, to precipitate a fine-grained delta-phase metal hydride in the beta + delta phase region and then resuming the hydriding, preferably preceded by a reheating step. (Official Gazette)

Effect of adhesive applied to the tooth-wood interface on metal-plate connections loaded in tension

Treesearch

Leslie H. Groom

1991-01-01

The structural behavior of metal-plate connections (MPCs) is affected not only by the isolated properties of the adjoining wood members and metal plate but also by the interfacial region between individual teeth and the surrounding wood. This study looked at maintaining a good interface by applying an epoxy adhesive to metal-plate teeth immediately preceding joint...

Learning to Weave the Threads of Honor: Understanding the Value of Female Schooling in Southern Morocco

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naji, Myriem

2012-01-01

This article is concerned with the role of formal education in the upward social mobility of women in the Sirwa, a marginal Berber region of southern Morocco where carpets are produced by women, and marketed by men. To explore why girls' education in weaving takes precedence over formal education, the article considers the place of women's…

Sense transcription through the S region is essential for immunoglobulin class switch recombination

PubMed Central

Haddad, Dania; Oruc, Zéliha; Puget, Nadine; Laviolette-Malirat, Nathalie; Philippe, Magali; Carrion, Claire; Le Bert, Marc; Khamlichi, Ahmed Amine

2011-01-01

Class switch recombination (CSR) occurs between highly repetitive sequences called switch (S) regions and is initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). CSR is preceded by a bidirectional transcription of S regions but the relative importance of sense and antisense transcription for CSR in vivo is unknown. We generated three mouse lines in which we attempted a premature termination of transcriptional elongation by inserting bidirectional transcription terminators upstream of Sμ, upstream of Sγ3 or downstream of Sγ3 sequences. The data show, at least for Sγ3, that sense transcriptional elongation across S region is absolutely required for CSR whereas its antisense counterpart is largely dispensable, strongly suggesting that sense transcription is sufficient for AID targeting to both DNA strands. PMID:21378751

Seismic evolution of the 1989-1990 eruption sequence of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Power, J.A.; Lahr, J.C.; Page, R.A.; Chouet, B.A.; Stephens, C.D.; Harlow, D.H.; Murray, T.L.; Davies, J.N.

1994-01-01

Redoubt Volcano in south-central Alaska erupted between December 1989 and June 1990 in a sequence of events characterized by large tephra eruptions, pyroclastic flows, lahars and debris flows, and episodes of dome growth. The eruption was monitored by a network of five to nine seismic stations located 1 to 22 km from the summit crater. Notable features of the eruption seismicity include : (1) small long-period events beginning in September 1989 which increased slowly in number during November and early December; (2) an intense swarm of long-period events which preceded the initial eruptions on December 14 by 23 hours; (3) shallow swarms (0 to 3 km) of volcano-tectonic events following each eruption on December 15; (4) a persistent cluster of deep (6 to 10 km) volcano-tectonic earthquakes initiated by the eruptions on December 15, which continued throughout and beyond the eruption; (5) an intense swarm of long-period events which preceded the eruptions on January 2; and (6) nine additional intervals of increased long-period seismicity each of which preceded a tephra eruption. Hypocenters of volcano-tectonic earthquakes suggest the presence of a magma source region at 6-10 km depth. Earthquakes at these depths were initiated by the tephra eruptions on December 15 and likely represent the readjustment of stresses in the country rock associated with the removal of magma from these depths. The locations and time-history of these earthquakes coupled with the eruptive behavior of the volcano suggest this region was the source of most of the erupted material during the 1989-1990 eruption. This source region appears to be connected to the surface by a narrow pipe-like conduit as inferred from the hypocenters of volcano-tectonic earthquakes. Concentrations of shallow volcano-tectonic earthquakes followed each of the tephra eruptions on December 15; these shocks may represent stress readjustment in the wall rock related to the removal of magma and volatiles at these depths. This shallow zone was the source area of the majority of long-period seismicity through the remainder of the eruption. The long-period seismicity likely reflects the pressurization of the shallow portions of the magmatic system. ?? 1994.

The influence of tectonic inheritance on crustal extension style following failed subduction of continental crust: applications to metamorphic core complexes in Papua New Guinea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biemiller, J.; Ellis, S. M.; Little, T.; Mizera, M.; Wallace, L. M.; Lavier, L.

2017-12-01

The structural, mechanical and geometric evolution of rifted continental crust depends on the lithospheric conditions in the region prior to the onset of extension. In areas where tectonic activity preceded rift initiation, structural and physical properties of the previous tectonic regime may be inherited by the rift and influence its development. Many continental rifts form and exhume metamorphic core complexes (MCCs), coherent exposures of deep crustal rocks which typically surface as arched or domed structures. MCCs are exhumed in regions where the faulted upper crust is displaced laterally from upwelling ductile material along a weak detachment fault. Some MCCs form during extensional inversion of a subduction thrust following failed subduction of continental crust, but the degree to which lithospheric conditions inherited from the preceding subduction phase control the extensional style in these systems remains unclear. For example, the Dayman Dome in Southeastern Papua New Guinea exposes prehnite-pumpellyite to greenschist facies rocks in a smooth 3 km-high dome exhumed with at least 24 km of slip along one main detachment normal fault, the Mai'iu Fault, which dips 21° at the surface. The extension driving this exhumation is associated with the cessation of northward subduction of Australian continental crust beneath the oceanic lithosphere of the Woodlark Plate. We use geodynamic models to explore the effect of pre-existing crustal structures inherited from the preceding subduction phase on the style of rifting. We show that different geometries and strengths of inherited subduction shear zones predict three distinct modes of subsequent rift development: 1) symmetric rifting by newly formed high-angle normal faults; 2) asymmetric rifting along a weak low-angle detachment fault extending from the surface to the brittle-ductile transition; and 3) extension along a rolling-hinge structure which exhumes deep crustal rocks in coherent rounded exposures. We propose the latter mode as an exhumation model for Dayman Dome and compare the model predictions to regional geophysical and geological evidence. Our models find that tectonically inherited subduction structures may strongly control subsequent extension style when the subduction thrust is weak and well-oriented for reactivation.

Integral method for the calculation of Hawking radiation in dispersive media. II. Asymmetric asymptotics.

PubMed

Robertson, Scott

2014-11-01

Analog gravity experiments make feasible the realization of black hole space-times in a laboratory setting and the observational verification of Hawking radiation. Since such analog systems are typically dominated by dispersion, efficient techniques for calculating the predicted Hawking spectrum in the presence of strong dispersion are required. In the preceding paper, an integral method in Fourier space is proposed for stationary 1+1-dimensional backgrounds which are asymptotically symmetric. Here, this method is generalized to backgrounds which are different in the asymptotic regions to the left and right of the scattering region.

Blood-brain barrier hyperpermeability precedes demyelination in the cuprizone model.

PubMed

Berghoff, Stefan A; Düking, Tim; Spieth, Lena; Winchenbach, Jan; Stumpf, Sina K; Gerndt, Nina; Kusch, Kathrin; Ruhwedel, Torben; Möbius, Wiebke; Saher, Gesine

2017-12-01

In neuroinflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis, the physiological function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is perturbed, particularly in demyelinating lesions and supposedly secondary to acute demyelinating pathology. Using the toxic non-inflammatory cuprizone model of demyelination, we demonstrate, however, that the onset of persistent BBB impairment precedes demyelination. In addition to a direct effect of cuprizone on endothelial cells, a plethora of inflammatory mediators, which are mainly of astroglial origin during the initial disease phase, likely contribute to the destabilization of endothelial barrier function in vivo. Our study reveals that, at different time points of pathology and in different CNS regions, the level of gliosis correlates with the extent of BBB hyperpermeability and edema. Furthermore, in mutant mice with abolished type 3 CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR3) signaling, inflammatory responses are dampened and BBB dysfunction ameliorated. Together, these data have implications for understanding the role of BBB permeability in the pathogenesis of demyelinating disease.

Perturbation and Stability Analysis of the Multi-Anticipative Intelligent Driver Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xi-Qun; Xie, Wei-Jun; Shi, Jing; Shi, Qi-Xin

This paper discusses three kinds of IDM car-following models that consider both the multi-anticipative behaviors and the reaction delays of drivers. Here, the multi-anticipation comes from two ways: (1) the driver is capable of evaluating the dynamics of several preceding vehicles, and (2) the autonomous vehicles can obtain the velocity and distance information of several preceding vehicles via inter-vehicle communications. In this paper, we study the stability of homogeneous traffic flow. The linear stability analysis indicates that the stable region will generally be enlarged by the multi-anticipative behaviors and reduced by the reaction delays. The temporal amplification and the spatial divergence of velocities for local perturbation are also studied, where the results further prove this conclusion. Simulation results also show that the multi-anticipative behaviors near the bottleneck will lead to a quicker backwards propagation of oscillations.

Chromatin looping and eRNA transcription precede the transcriptional activation of gene in the β-globin locus

PubMed Central

Kim, Yea Woon; Lee, Sungkung; Yun, Jangmi; Kim, AeRi

2015-01-01

Enhancers are closely positioned with actively transcribed target genes by chromatin looping. Non-coding RNAs are often transcribed on active enhancers, referred to as eRNAs (enhancer RNAs). To explore the kinetics of enhancer–promoter looping and eRNA transcription during transcriptional activation, we induced the β-globin locus by chemical treatment and analysed cross-linking frequency between the β-globin gene and locus control region (LCR) and the amount of eRNAs transcribed on the LCR in a time course manner. The cross-linking frequency was increased after chemical induction but before the transcriptional activation of gene in the β-globin locus. Transcription of eRNAs was increased in concomitant with the increase in cross-linking frequency. These results show that chromatin looping and eRNA transcription precedes the transcriptional activation of gene. Concomitant occurrence of the two events suggests functional relationship between them. PMID:25588787

Phytoplankton Modeling with an Imaging FlowCytobot: More Than Just HABs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henrichs, D.; Campbell, L.

2016-02-01

An 8-year time series of hourly phytoplankton community abundance has been collected using an Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) deployed at Port Aransas, Texas. While primarily used for early warning of harmful algal blooms (HABs), the IFCB captures images of all phytoplankton cells (10-100 μm) and permits the study of community structure and changes over time. By combining abundance estimates from the IFCB with a spatially explicit individual-based model, potential regions of origin for several species have been identified. Environmental data from a variety of sources (buoys, models, ship transects) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico have been examined to identify which physical factors are most important for bloom formation in phytoplankton along the coast of Texas. The present study focuses on a dinoflagellate species, Prorocentrum texanum, which appears at Port Aransas, TX at approximately the same time period (Feb - Mar) every year and the co-occurring community. Individual-based modeling results indicate blooms of P. texanum originate near the coast of Louisiana and are advected toward Port Aransas by downcoast currents. Cross correlation analyses produced significant negative correlations between P. texanum abundance and coastal currents (1 month preceding), water temperature (2 months preceding), salinity (2 months preceding) and a positive correlation with Prorocentrum minimum abundance (1 month preceding). The exact timing of P. texanum bloom appearance varies from year to year and the high temporal resolution (hourly) of cell counts from the IFCB has permitted a more detailed study of the environmental factors involved in bloom formation. Future work will incorporate the high temporal resolution cell counts and environmental factors to develop predictive models for bloom formation.

Gender Disparities in Osteoarthritis-Related Health Care Utilization Before Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Bawa, Harpreet S; Weick, Jack W; Dirschl, Douglas R

2016-10-01

Women older than 50 years have higher prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and experience greater functional disability than men. No studies have examined large populations to identify knee OA-related health care utilization differences. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate gender differences in the utilization of OA-related health care resources in the 12 months preceding total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefit databases were reviewed from 2005 to 2012. Subjects were included if they underwent TKA, had associated diagnosis of lower leg OA, and were continuously in the database for 12 months preceding TKA. Patient-specific OA-related health care utilization was identified. Multivariate logistic regression analysis controlling for age, region, and Charlson Comorbidity Index was performed to isolate the influence of gender. A total of 244,059 patients with a mean age of 64.8 years consisting of 61.2% women were included. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted odds ratios showed that when compared to men, women were 30%, 20%, 31%, 18%, 19%, 29%, and 39%, more likely to receive a narcotic analgesic, nonnarcotic analgesics, corticosteroid injection, hyaluronic acid injection, knee magnetic resonance imaging, a physical therapy evaluation, and occupational therapy evaluation in the 12 months preceding TKA, respectively. Women have a significantly higher utilization of knee OA-related health care in the 12 months preceding TKA. Although the precise cause for this discrepancy in care cannot be determined from this study, it highlights a potential bias in management of advanced knee OA and directions for further investigation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Why does cervical cancer occur in a state-of-the-art screening program?

PubMed

Castle, Philip E; Kinney, Walter K; Cheung, Li C; Gage, Julia C; Fetterman, Barbara; Poitras, Nancy E; Lorey, Thomas S; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Befano, Brian; Schussler, John; Katki, Hormuzd A; Schiffman, Mark

2017-09-01

The goal of cervical screening is to detect and treat precancers before some become cancer. We wanted to understand why, despite state-of-the-art methods, cervical cancers occured in relationship to programmatic performance at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), where >1,000,000 women aged ≥30years have undergone cervical cancer screening by triennial HPV and cytology cotesting since 2003. We reviewed clinical histories preceding cervical cancer diagnoses to assign "causes" of cancer. We calculated surrogate measures of programmatic effectiveness (precancers/(precancers and cancers)) and diagnostic yield (precancers and cancers per 1000 cotests), overall and by age at cotest (30-39, 40-49, and ≥50years). Cancer was rare and found mainly in a localized (treatable) stage. Of 623 cervical cancers with at least one preceding or concurrent cotest, 360 (57.8%) were judged to be prevalent (diagnosed at a localized stage within one year or regional/distant stage within two years of the first cotest). Non-compliance with recommended screening and management preceded 9.0% of all cancers. False-negative cotests/sampling errors (HPV and cytology negative), false-negative histologic diagnoses, and treatment failures preceded 11.2%, 9.0%, and 4.3%, respectively, of all cancers. There was significant heterogeneity in the causes of cancer by histologic category (p<0.001 for all; p=0.002 excluding prevalent cases). Programmatic effectiveness (95.3%) and diagnostic yield were greater for squamous cell versus adenocarcinoma histology (p<0.0001) and both decreased with older ages (p trend <0.0001). A state-of-the-art intensive screening program results in very few cervical cancers, most of which are detected early by screening. Screening may become less efficient at older ages. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aeolian and fluviolacustrine landforms and prehistoric human occupation on a tectonically influenced floodplain margin, the Méma, central Mali

Treesearch

B. Makaske; E. De Vries; J. A. Tainter; R. J. McIntosh

2007-01-01

The Méma is a semi-arid region in central Mali with a rich archaeological heritage indicating the former existence of large urban settlements. The archaeological data suggest millennia of occupation history of the Méma preceding relatively sudden abandonment by the 14th or 15th century AD. Population numbers have remained low since then and today...

The X-ray corona and the photospheric magnetic field.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krieger, A. S.; Vaiana, G. S.; Van Speybroeck, L. P.

1971-01-01

Soft X-ray photographs of the solar corona have been obtained on four flights of a rocket-borne grazing incidence telescope having a resolution of a few arc sec. The configuration of the X-ray emitting structures in the corona has been compared to the magnetic field distribution measured by photospheric longitudinal magnetograms. The X-ray structures trace the three-dimensional configuration of the magnetic field through the lower corona. Active regions in the corona take the form of tubular structures connecting regions of opposite magnetic polarity within the same or adjacent chromospheric active regions. Higher, larger structures link widely separated active regions into complexes of activity covering substantial fractions of the disk. The complexes are separated by areas of low average field in the photosphere. Interconnections across the solar equator appear to originate over areas of preceding polarity.

Multifractal characterization of Vesuvio lava-flow margins and its implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luongo, G.; Mazzarella, A.; Di Donna, G.

2000-09-01

The digitized lava-flow margins of well-defined extended eruptions occurring at Vesuvio in 1760, 1794, 1861, 1906, 1929 and 1944 are found to follow fractal behaviours inside a scaling region enclosed between 50 and 400 m. Although the invariance region is well respected, the fractal dimension D varies from one lava flow to another: the more irregular the lava-flow margin, the larger the value of D. The ascertained dependence of D on the duration of premonitory activity, preceding the emission of lavas, might provide some insight into the inner volcanic processes before the eruption and into the dynamical processes operating during flow emplacement.

Gamma-Ray Bursts: An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fishman, Gerald J.

1995-01-01

A history and overview of the observed properties of gamma-ray bursts are presented. The phenomenon of gamma-ray bursts is without precedent in astronomy, having no observed property that would be a direct indicator of their distance and no counterpart object in another wavelength region. Their brief, random appearance only in the gamma-ray region has made their study difficult. The observed time profiles, spectral properties, and durations of gamma-ray bursts cover a wide range. All proposed models for their origin must be considered speculative. It is humbling to think that even after 25 years since their discovery, the distance scale of gamma-ray bursts is still very much debatable.

The Formation of CIRs at Stream-Stream Interfaces and Resultant Geomagnetic Activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, I. G.

2005-01-01

Corotating interaction regions (CIRs) are regions of compressed plasma formed at the leading edges of corotating high-speed solar wind streams originating in coronal holes as they interact with the preceding slow solar wind. Although particularly prominent features of the solar wind during the declining and minimum phases of the 11-year solar cycle, they may also be present at times of higher solar activity. We describe how CIRs are formed, and their geomagnetic effects, which principally result from brief southward interplanetary magnetic field excursions associated with Alfven waves. Seasonal and long-term variations in these effects are briefly discussed.

Variations of Sea Surface Temperature, Wind Stress, and Rainfall over the Tropical Atlantic and South America.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobre, Paulo; Srukla, J.

1996-10-01

Empirical orthogonal functions (E0Fs) and composite analyses are used to investigate the development of sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly patterns over the tropical Atlantic. The evolution of large-scale rainfall anomaly patterns over the equatorial Atlantic and South America are also investigated. 71e EOF analyses revealed that a pattern of anomalous SST and wind stress asymmetric relative to the equator is the dominant mode of interannual and longer variability over the tropical Atlantic. The most important findings of this study are as follows.Atmospheric circulation anomalies precede the development of basinwide anomalous SST patterns over the tropical Atlantic. Anomalous SST originate off the African coast simultaneously with atmospheric circulation anomalies and expand westward afterward. The time lag between wind stress relaxation (strengthening) and maximum SST warming (cooling) is about two months.Anomalous atmospheric circulation patterns over northern tropical Atlantic are phase locked to the seasonal cycle. Composite fields of SLP and wind stress over northern tropical Atlantic can be distinguished from random only within a few months preceding the March-May (MAM) season. Observational evidence is presented to show that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the Pacific influences atmospheric circulation and SST anomalies over northern tropical Atlantic through atmospheric teleconnection patterns into higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.The well-known droughts over northeastern Brazil (Nordeste) are a local manifestation of a much larger-scale rainfall anomaly pattern encompassing the whole equatorial Atlantic and Amazon region. Negative rainfall anomalies to the south of the equator during MAM, which is the rainy season for the Nordeste region, are related to an early withdrawal of the intertropical convergence zone toward the warm SST anomalies over the northern tropical Atlantic. Also, it is shown that precipitation anomalies over southern and northern parts of the Nordeste are out of phase: drought years over the northern Nordeste are commonly preceded by wetter years over the southern Nordeste, and vice versa.

Long-term history and immediate preceding state affect EEG slow wave characteristics at NREM sleep onset in C57BL/6 mice.

PubMed

Cui, N; Mckillop, L E; Fisher, S P; Oliver, P L; Vyazovskiy, V V

2014-01-01

The dynamics of cortical activity across the 24-h day and at vigilance state transitions is regulated by an interaction between global subcortical neuromodulatory influences and local shifts in network synchrony and excitability. To address the role of long-term and immediate preceding history in local and global cortical dynamics, we investigated cortical EEG recorded from both frontal and occipital regions during an undisturbed 24-h recording in mice. As expected, at the beginning of the light period, under physiologically increased sleep pressure, EEG slow waves were more frequent and had higher amplitude and slopes, compared to the rest of the light period. Within discrete NREM sleep episodes, the incidence, amplitude and slopes of individual slow waves increased progressively after episode onset in both derivations by approximately 10-30%. Interestingly, at the beginning of NREM sleep episodes slow waves in the frontal and occipital derivations frequently occurred in isolation, as quantified by longer latencies between consecutive slow waves in the two regions. Notably, slow waves during the initial period of NREM sleep following REM sleep episodes were significantly less frequent, lower in amplitude and exhibited shallower slopes, compared to those that occurred in NREM episodes after prolonged waking. Moreover, the latencies between consecutive frontal and occipital NREM slow waves were substantially longer when they occurred directly after REM sleep compared to following consolidated wakefulness. Overall these data reveal a complex picture, where both time of day and preceding state contribute to the characteristics and dynamics of slow waves within NREM sleep. These findings suggest that NREM sleep initiates in a more "local" fashion when it occurs following REM sleep episodes as opposed to sustained waking bouts. While the mechanisms and functional significance of such a re-setting of brain state after individual REM sleep episodes remains to be investigated, we suggest that it may be an essential feature of physiological sleep regulation.

Historical land cover changes in the Great Lakes Region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, K.L.; Davis, M.B.; Stearns, F.; Guntenspergen, G.; Walker, K.; Sisk, Thomas D.

1999-01-01

Two different methods of reconstructing historical vegetation change, drawing on General Land Office (GLO) surveys and fossil pollen deposits, are demonstrated by using data from the Great Lakes region. Both types of data are incorporated into landscape-scale analyses and presented through geographic information systems. Results from the two methods reinforce each other and allow reconstructions of past landscapes at different time scales. Changes to forests of the Great Lakes region during the last 150 years were far greater than the changes recorded over the preceding 1,000 years. Over the last 150 years, the total amount of forested land in the Great Lakes region declined by over 40%, and much of the remaining forest was converted to early successional forest types as a result of extensive logging. These results demonstrate the utility of using GLO survey data in conjunction with other data sources to reconstruct a generalized 'presettlement' condition and assess changes in landcover.

Possible deep fault slip preceding the 2004 Parkfield earthquake, inferred from detailed observations of tectonic tremor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shelly, David R.

2009-01-01

Earthquake predictability depends, in part, on the degree to which sudden slip is preceded by slow aseismic slip. Recently, observations of deep tremor have enabled inferences of deep slow slip even when detection by other means is not possible, but these data are limited to certain areas and mostly the last decade. The region near Parkfield, California, provides a unique convergence of several years of high-quality tremor data bracketing a moderate earthquake, the 2004 magnitude 6.0 event. Here, I present detailed observations of tectonic tremor from mid-2001 through 2008 that indicate deep fault slip both before and after the Parkfield earthquake that cannot be detected with surface geodetic instruments. While there is no obvious short-term precursor, I find unidirectional tremor migration accompanied by elevated tremor rates in the 3 months prior to the earthquake, which suggests accelerated creep on the fault ∼16 km beneath the eventual earthquake hypocenter.

Unpacking the neural associations of emotion and judgment in emotion-congruent judgment

PubMed Central

Beer, Jennifer S.

2012-01-01

The current study takes a new approach to understand the neural systems that support emotion-congruent judgment. The bulk of previous neural research has inferred emotional influences on judgment from disadvantageous judgments or non-random individual differences. The current study manipulated the influence of emotional information on judgments of stimuli that were equivocally composed of positive and negative attributes. Emotion-congruent processing was operationalized in two ways: neural activation significantly associated with primes that lead to emotionally congruent judgments and neural activation significantly associated with judgments that were preceded by emotionally congruent primes. Distinct regions of medial orbitofrontal cortex were associated with these patterns of emotion-congruent processing. Judgments that were incongruent with preceding primes were associated with dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and lateral orbitofrontal cortex activity. The current study demonstrates a new approach to investigate the neural systems associated with emotion-congruent judgment. The findings suggest that medial OFC may support attentional processes that underlie emotion-congruent judgment. PMID:21511825

The correlation of Skylab L-band brightness temperatures with antecedent precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcfarland, M. J.

1975-01-01

The S194 L-band radiometer flown on the Skylab mission measured terrestrial radiation at the microwave wavelength of 21.4 cm. The terrain emissivity at this wavelength is strongly dependent on the soil moisture content, which can be inferred from antecedent precipitation. For the Skylab data acquisition pass from the Oklahoma panhandle to southeastern Texas on 11 June 1973, the S194 brightness temperatures are highly correlated with antecedent precipitation from the preceding eleven day period, but very little correlation was apparent for the preceding five day period. The correlation coefficient between the averaged antecedent precipitation index values and the corresponding S194 brightness temperatures between 230 K and 270 K, the region of apparent response to soil moisture in the data, was -0.97. The equation of the linear least squares line fitted to the data was: API (cm) = 31.99 -0.114 TB (K), where API is the antecedent precipitation index and TB is the S194 brightness temperature.

22 CFR 42.68 - Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... principal applicant precedes them. 42.68 Section 42.68 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE VISAS VISAS... Visas § 42.68 Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them. (a) Preliminary determination of visa eligibility. If a principal applicant proposes to precede the family to the...

22 CFR 42.68 - Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... principal applicant precedes them. 42.68 Section 42.68 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE VISAS VISAS... Visas § 42.68 Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them. (a) Preliminary determination of visa eligibility. If a principal applicant proposes to precede the family to the...

22 CFR 42.68 - Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... principal applicant precedes them. 42.68 Section 42.68 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE VISAS VISAS... Visas § 42.68 Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them. (a) Preliminary determination of visa eligibility. If a principal applicant proposes to precede the family to the...

22 CFR 42.68 - Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... principal applicant precedes them. 42.68 Section 42.68 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE VISAS VISAS... Visas § 42.68 Informal evaluation of family members if principal applicant precedes them. (a) Preliminary determination of visa eligibility. If a principal applicant proposes to precede the family to the...

Preceding Vehicle Detection and Tracking Adaptive to Illumination Variation in Night Traffic Scenes Based on Relevance Analysis

PubMed Central

Guo, Junbin; Wang, Jianqiang; Guo, Xiaosong; Yu, Chuanqiang; Sun, Xiaoyan

2014-01-01

Preceding vehicle detection and tracking at nighttime are challenging problems due to the disturbance of other extraneous illuminant sources coexisting with the vehicle lights. To improve the detection accuracy and robustness of vehicle detection, a novel method for vehicle detection and tracking at nighttime is proposed in this paper. The characteristics of taillights in the gray level are applied to determine the lower boundary of the threshold for taillights segmentation, and the optimal threshold for taillight segmentation is calculated using the OTSU algorithm between the lower boundary and the highest grayscale of the region of interest. The candidate taillight pairs are extracted based on the similarity between left and right taillights, and the non-vehicle taillight pairs are removed based on the relevance analysis of vehicle location between frames. To reduce the false negative rate of vehicle detection, a vehicle tracking method based on taillights estimation is applied. The taillight spot candidate is sought in the region predicted by Kalman filtering, and the disturbed taillight is estimated based on the symmetry and location of the other taillight of the same vehicle. Vehicle tracking is completed after estimating its location according to the two taillight spots. The results of experiments on a vehicle platform indicate that the proposed method could detect vehicles quickly, correctly and robustly in the actual traffic environments with illumination variation. PMID:25195855

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex mediates the interaction between moral and aesthetic valuation: a TMS study on the beauty-is-good stereotype.

PubMed

Ferrari, Chiara; Nadal, Marcos; Schiavi, Susanna; Vecchi, Tomaso; Cela-Conde, Camilo J; Cattaneo, Zaira

2017-05-01

Attractive individuals are perceived as possessing more positive personal traits than unattractive individuals. This reliance on aesthetic features to infer moral character suggests a close link between aesthetic and moral valuation. Here we aimed to investigate the neural underpinnings of the interaction between aesthetic and moral valuation by combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with a priming paradigm designed to assess the Beauty-is-Good stereotype. Participants evaluated the trustworthiness of a series of faces (targets), each of which was preceded by an adjective describing desirable, undesirable, or neutral aesthetic qualities (primes). TMS was applied between prime and target to interfere with activity in two regions known to be involved in aesthetic and moral valuation: the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC, a core region in social cognition) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC, critical in decision making). Our results showed that when TMS was applied over vertex (control) and over the dlPFC, participants judged faces as more trustworthy when preceded by positive than by negative aesthetic primes (as also shown in two behavioral experiments). However, when TMS was applied over the dmPFC, primes had no effect on trustworthiness judgments. A second Experiment corroborated this finding. Our results suggest that mPFC plays a causal role linking moral and aesthetic valuation. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Eyeblink Conditioning in Healthy Adults: A Positron Emission Tomography Study

PubMed Central

Andreasen, Nancy C.; Liu, Dawei; Freeman, John H.; Boles Ponto, Laura L.; O’Leary, Daniel S.

2013-01-01

Eyeblink conditioning is a paradigm commonly used to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying motor learning. It involves the paired presentation of a toneconditioning stimulus which precedes and co-terminates with an airpuff unconditioned stimulus. Following repeated paired presentations a conditioned eyeblink develops which precedes the airpuff. This type of learning has been intensively studied and the cerebellum is known to be essential in both humans and animals. The study presented here was designed to investigate the role of the cerebellum during eyeblink conditioning in humans using positron emission tomography (PET). The sample includes 20 subjects (10 male and 10 female) with an average age of 29.2 years. PET imaging was used to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes occurring during the first, second, and third blocks of conditioning. In addition, stimuli-specific rCBF to unpaired tones and airpuffs (“pseudoconditioning”) was used as a baseline level that was subtracted from each block. Conditioning was performed using three, 15-trial blocks of classical eyeblink conditioning with the last five trials in each block imaged. As expected, subjects quickly acquired conditioned responses. A comparison between the conditioning tasks and the baseline task revealed that during learning there was activation of the cerebellum and recruitment of several higher cortical regions. Specifically, large peaks were noted in cerebellar lobules IV/V, the frontal lobes, and cingulate gyri. PMID:22430943

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex mediates the interaction between moral and aesthetic valuation: a TMS study on the beauty-is-good stereotype

PubMed Central

Ferrari, Chiara; Nadal, Marcos; Schiavi, Susanna; Vecchi, Tomaso; Cela-Conde, Camilo J.

2017-01-01

Abstract Attractive individuals are perceived as possessing more positive personal traits than unattractive individuals. This reliance on aesthetic features to infer moral character suggests a close link between aesthetic and moral valuation. Here we aimed to investigate the neural underpinnings of the interaction between aesthetic and moral valuation by combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with a priming paradigm designed to assess the Beauty-is-Good stereotype. Participants evaluated the trustworthiness of a series of faces (targets), each of which was preceded by an adjective describing desirable, undesirable, or neutral aesthetic qualities (primes). TMS was applied between prime and target to interfere with activity in two regions known to be involved in aesthetic and moral valuation: the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC, a core region in social cognition) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC, critical in decision making). Our results showed that when TMS was applied over vertex (control) and over the dlPFC, participants judged faces as more trustworthy when preceded by positive than by negative aesthetic primes (as also shown in two behavioral experiments). However, when TMS was applied over the dmPFC, primes had no effect on trustworthiness judgments. A second Experiment corroborated this finding. Our results suggest that mPFC plays a causal role linking moral and aesthetic valuation. PMID:28158864

Preceding vehicle detection and tracking adaptive to illumination variation in night traffic scenes based on relevance analysis.

PubMed

Guo, Junbin; Wang, Jianqiang; Guo, Xiaosong; Yu, Chuanqiang; Sun, Xiaoyan

2014-08-19

Preceding vehicle detection and tracking at nighttime are challenging problems due to the disturbance of other extraneous illuminant sources coexisting with the vehicle lights. To improve the detection accuracy and robustness of vehicle detection, a novel method for vehicle detection and tracking at nighttime is proposed in this paper. The characteristics of taillights in the gray level are applied to determine the lower boundary of the threshold for taillights segmentation, and the optimal threshold for taillight segmentation is calculated using the OTSU algorithm between the lower boundary and the highest grayscale of the region of interest. The candidate taillight pairs are extracted based on the similarity between left and right taillights, and the non-vehicle taillight pairs are removed based on the relevance analysis of vehicle location between frames. To reduce the false negative rate of vehicle detection, a vehicle tracking method based on taillights estimation is applied. The taillight spot candidate is sought in the region predicted by Kalman filtering, and the disturbed taillight is estimated based on the symmetry and location of the other taillight of the same vehicle. Vehicle tracking is completed after estimating its location according to the two taillight spots. The results of experiments on a vehicle platform indicate that the proposed method could detect vehicles quickly, correctly and robustly in the actual traffic environments with illumination variation.

Revisiting Precede-Proceed: A Leading Model for Ecological and Ethical Health Promotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Christine M.

2016-01-01

Background: The Precede-Proceed model has provided moral and practical guidance for the fields of health education and health promotion since Lawrence Green first developed Precede in 1974 and Green and Kreuter added Proceed in 1991. Precede-Proceed today remains the most comprehensive and one of the most used approaches to promoting health.…

Decision Preceding Negativity in the Iowa Gambling Task: An ERP study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bianchin, Marta; Angrilli, Alessandro

2011-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate the slow negative potential (termed Decision Preceding Negativity, DPN, from the family of the Readiness Potential) which precedes a willed risky decision. To this end, evoked potentials preceding and following an economic choice were measured in a sample of 16 male students during the Iowa Gambling Task…

Characterization of the intergenic RNA profile at abdominal-A and Abdominal-B in the Drosophila bithorax complex

PubMed Central

Bae, Esther; Calhoun, Vincent C.; Levine, Michael; Lewis, Edward B.; Drewell, Robert A.

2002-01-01

The correct spatial expression of two Drosophila bithorax complex (BX-C) genes, abdominal-A (abdA) and Abdominal-B (AbdB), is dependent on the 100-kb intergenic infraabdominal (iab) region. The iab region is known to contain a number of different domains (iab2 through iab8) that harbor cis-regulatory elements responsible for directing expression of abdA and AbdB in the second through eighth abdominal segments. Here, we use in situ hybridization to perform high-resolution mapping of the transcriptional activity in the iab control regions. We show that transcription of the control regions themselves is abundant and precedes activation of the abdA and AbdB genes. As with the homeotic genes of the BX-C, the transcription patterns of the RNAs from the iab control regions demonstrate colinearity with the sequence of the iab regions along the chromosome and the domains in the embryo under the control of the specific iab regions. These observations suggest that the intergenic RNAs may play a role in initiating cis regulation at the BX-C early in development. PMID:12481037

Transequatorial loops interconnecting McMath regions 12472 and 12474

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svestka, Z.; Krieger, A. S.; Chase, R. C.; Howard, R.

1977-01-01

The paper reviews the life history of one transequatorial loop in a system observed in soft X-rays for at least 1.5 days and which interconnected a newly born active region with an old region. The birth of the selected loop is discussed along with properties of the interconnected active regions, sharpening and brightening of the loop, decay of the loop system, and physical relations between the interconnected regions. It is concluded that: (1) the loop was most probably born via reconnection of magnetic-field lines extending from the two active regions toward the equator, which occurred later than 33 hr after the younger region was born; (2) the fully developed interconnection was composed of several loops, all of which appeared to be rooted in a spotless magnetic hill of preceding northern polarity but were spread over two separate spotty regions of southern polarity in the magnetically complex new region; (3) the loop electron temperature increased from 2.1 million to 3.1 million K in one to three hours when the loop system brightened; and (4) the loops became twisted during the brightening, possibly due to their rise in the corona while remaining rooted in moving magnetic features in the younger region.

A numerical study of candidate transverse fuel injector configurations in the Langley scramjet engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. P.

1980-01-01

A computer program has been developed that numerically solves the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes and species equations near one or more transverse hydrogen fuel injectors in a scramjet engine. The program currently computes the turbulent mixing and reaction of hydrogen fuel and air, and allows the study of separated regions of the flow immediately preceding and following the injectors. The complex shock-expansion structure produced by the injectors in this region of the engine can also be represented. Results are presented that describe the flow field near two opposing transverse fuel injectors and two opposing staged (multiple) injectors, and comparisons between the two configurations are made to assess their mixing and flameholding qualities.

Reconciling the influence of task-set switching and motor inhibition processes on stop signal after-effects.

PubMed

Anguera, Joaquin A; Lyman, Kyle; Zanto, Theodore P; Bollinger, Jacob; Gazzaley, Adam

2013-01-01

Executive response functions can be affected by preceding events, even if they are no longer associated with the current task at hand. For example, studies utilizing the stop signal task have reported slower response times to "GO" stimuli when the preceding trial involved the presentation of a "STOP" signal. However, the neural mechanisms that underlie this behavioral after-effect are unclear. To address this, behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) measures were examined in 18 young adults (18-30 years) on "GO" trials following a previously "Successful Inhibition" trial (pSI), a previously "Failed Inhibition" trial (pFI), and a previous "GO" trial (pGO). Like previous research, slower response times were observed during both pSI and pFI trials (i.e., "GO" trials that were preceded by a successful and unsuccessful inhibition trial, respectively) compared to pGO trials (i.e., "GO" trials that were preceded by another "GO" trial). Interestingly, response time slowing was greater during pSI trials compared to pFI trials, suggesting executive control is influenced by both task set switching and persisting motor inhibition processes. Follow-up behavioral analyses indicated that these effects resulted from between-trial control adjustments rather than repetition priming effects. Analyses of inter-electrode coherence (IEC) and inter-trial coherence (ITC) indicated that both pSI and pFI trials showed greater phase synchrony during the inter-trial interval compared to pGO trials. Unlike the IEC findings, differential ITC was present within the beta and alpha frequency bands in line with the observed behavior (pSI > pFI > pGO), suggestive of more consistent phase synchrony involving motor inhibition processes during the ITI at a regional level. These findings suggest that between-trial control adjustments involved with task-set switching and motor inhibition processes influence subsequent performance, providing new insights into the dynamic nature of executive control.

Cerebral blood flow and freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Imamura, K; Okayasu, N; Nagatsu, T

2012-09-01

We investigated the relationship between freezing of gait (FOG) severity in Parkinson's disease (PD) and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and evaluated the effect of selegiline therapy. We evaluated 54 patients with PD (FOG positive: 21 patients, and FOG negative: 33 patients) with N-isopropyl-p-[I-123] iodoamphetamine ((123) I-IMP) SPECT and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Beck Depression Inventory. [Correction added on 18 April 2012, after online publication: In the preceding statement, 55 instead of 54 patients with PD were evaluated, and FOG negative consisted of 34 instead of 33 patients] Furthermore, we examined rCBF in FOG-negative patients treated with levodopa with or without selegiline. Z-values of bilateral Brodmann areas (BA) 10 and 11 and left BA32 showed significant increases in the FOG-positive group compared with the FOG-negative group. [Correction added on 18 April 2012, after online publication: In the preceding statement, Z-values was changed to Z-scores] There were significantly positive correlations between Z-values of these areas and FOG score, especially on both sides of BA11. [Correction added on 18 April 2012, after online publication: In the preceding statement, Z-values was changed to Z-scores] An increase in Z-values in bilateral BA10 and 11 and left BA32 in the levodopa-selegiline treatment group after 1 year was significantly inhibited compared with the levodopa treatment group. [Correction added on 18 April 2012, after online publication: In the preceding statement, left BA32 was changed to right BA32, and Z-values was changed to Z-scores] There was a close relationship between FOG severity in PD and an increase in rCBF in BA 10, 11 and 32. Furthermore, selegiline's FOG prevention effect may be related to maintaining rCBF in these same areas. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Multi objective decision making in hybrid energy system design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merino, Gabriel Guillermo

The design of grid-connected photovoltaic wind generator system supplying a farmstead in Nebraska has been undertaken in this dissertation. The design process took into account competing criteria that motivate the use of different sources of energy for electric generation. The criteria considered were 'Financial', 'Environmental', and 'User/System compatibility'. A distance based multi-objective decision making methodology was developed to rank design alternatives. The method is based upon a precedence order imposed upon the design objectives and a distance metric describing the performance of each alternative. This methodology advances previous work by combining ambiguous information about the alternatives with a decision-maker imposed precedence order in the objectives. Design alternatives, defined by the photovoltaic array and wind generator installed capacities, were analyzed using the multi-objective decision making approach. The performance of the design alternatives was determined by simulating the system using hourly data for an electric load for a farmstead and hourly averages of solar irradiation, temperature and wind speed from eight wind-solar energy monitoring sites in Nebraska. The spatial variability of the solar energy resource within the region was assessed by determining semivariogram models to krige hourly and daily solar radiation data. No significant difference was found in the predicted performance of the system when using kriged solar radiation data, with the models generated vs. using actual data. The spatial variability of the combined wind and solar energy resources was included in the design analysis by using fuzzy numbers and arithmetic. The best alternative was dependent upon the precedence order assumed for the main criteria. Alternatives with no PV array or wind generator dominated when the 'Financial' criteria preceded the others. In contrast, alternatives with a nil component of PV array but a high wind generator component, dominated when the 'Environment' objective or the 'User/System compatibility' objectives were more important than the 'Financial' objectives and they also dominated when the three criteria were considered equally important.

Can monaural temporal masking explain the ongoing precedence effect?

PubMed

Freyman, Richard L; Morse-Fortier, Charlotte; Griffin, Amanda M; Zurek, Patrick M

2018-02-01

The precedence effect for transient sounds has been proposed to be based primarily on monaural processes, manifested by asymmetric temporal masking. This study explored the potential for monaural explanations with longer ("ongoing") sounds exhibiting the precedence effect. Transient stimuli were single lead-lag noise burst pairs; ongoing stimuli were trains of 63 burst pairs. Unlike with transients, monaural masking data for ongoing sounds showed no advantage for the lead, and are inconsistent with asymmetric audibility as an explanation for ongoing precedence. This result, along with supplementary measurements of interaural time discrimination, suggests different explanations for transient and ongoing precedence.

Time-lag of the earthquake energy release between three seismic regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsapanos, Theodoros M.; Liritzis, Ioannis

1992-06-01

Three complete data sets of strong earthquakes ( M≥5.5), which occurred in the seismic regions of Chile, Mexico and Kamchatka during the time period 1899 1985, have been used to test the existence of a time-lag in the seismic energy release between these regions. These data sets were cross-correlated in order to determine whether any pair of the sets are correlated. For this purpose statistical tests, such as the T-test, the Fisher's transformation and probability distribution have been applied to determine the significance of the obtained correlation coefficients. The results show that the time-lag between Chile and Kamchatka is -2, which means that Kamchatka precedes Chile by 2 years, with a correlation coefficient significant at 99.80% level, a weak correlation between Kamchatka-Mexico and noncorrelation for Mexico-Chile.

Sequence and features of the tryptophan operon of Vibrio parahemolyticus.

PubMed

Crawford, I P; Han, C Y; Silverman, M

1991-01-01

The nucleotide sequence of the trp operon of the marine enteric bacterium Vibrio parahemolyticus is presented. The gene order E, G, D, C(F), B, A is identical to that of other enterics. The structural genes of the operon are preceded by a long leader region encoding a 41-residue peptide containing five tryptophan residues. The organization of the leader region suggests that transcription of the operon is subject to attenuation control. The promoter-operator region of the V. parahemolyticus trp operon is almost identical to the corresponding promoter-operator of E. coli. The similarities suggest that promoter strength and operator function are identical in the two species, and that transcription initiation is regulated by repression. The operon appears to lack the internal promoter within trpD that is common in terrestrial enteric species.

Connectivity precedes function in the development of the visual word form area.

PubMed

Saygin, Zeynep M; Osher, David E; Norton, Elizabeth S; Youssoufian, Deanna A; Beach, Sara D; Feather, Jenelle; Gaab, Nadine; Gabrieli, John D E; Kanwisher, Nancy

2016-09-01

What determines the cortical location at which a given functionally specific region will arise in development? We tested the hypothesis that functionally specific regions develop in their characteristic locations because of pre-existing differences in the extrinsic connectivity of that region to the rest of the brain. We exploited the visual word form area (VWFA) as a test case, scanning children with diffusion and functional imaging at age 5, before they learned to read, and at age 8, after they learned to read. We found the VWFA developed functionally in this interval and that its location in a particular child at age 8 could be predicted from that child's connectivity fingerprints (but not functional responses) at age 5. These results suggest that early connectivity instructs the functional development of the VWFA, possibly reflecting a general mechanism of cortical development.

Observation and Modeling of Chromospheric Evaporation in a Coronal Loop Related to Active Region Transient Brightening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, G. R.; Sarkar, Aveek; Tripathi, Durgesh

2018-04-01

Using the observations recorded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer and X-Ray Telescope both on board Hinode, we present evidence of chromospheric evaporation in a coronal loop after the occurrence of two active region transient brightenings (ARTBs) at the two footpoints. The chromospheric evaporation started nearly simultaneously in all of the three hot channels of AIA 131, 94, and 335 Å and was observed to be temperature dependent, being fastest in the highest temperature channel. The whole loop became fully brightened following the ARTBs after ≈25 s in 131 Å, ≈40 s in 94 Å, and ≈6.5 minutes in 335 Å. The differential emission measurements at the two footpoints (i.e., of two ARTBs) and at the loop top suggest that the plasma attained a maximum temperature of ∼10 MK at all these locations. The spectroscopic observations from IRIS revealed the presence of redshifted emission of ∼20 km s‑1 in cooler lines like C II and Si IV during the ARTBs that was cotemporal with the evaporation flow at the footpoint of the loop. During the ARTBs, the line width of C II and Si IV increased nearly by a factor of two during the peak emission. Moreover, enhancement in the line width preceded that in the Doppler shift, which again preceded enhancement in the intensity. The observed results were qualitatively reproduced by 1D hydrodynamic simulations, where energy was deposited at both of the footpoints of a monolithic coronal loop that mimicked the ARTBs identified in the observations.

Integrating the effects of latitude and altitude on the spatial differentiation of plant community diversity in a mountainous ecosystem in China

PubMed Central

Xu, Manhou; Ma, Li; Jia, Yanyan; Liu, Min

2017-01-01

Varying patterns of plant community diversity along geographical gradients are a significant topic in biodiversity research. Here, to explore the integrated effects of latitude and altitude on the plant community diversity in a mountainous ecosystem, we set Guancen Mountain in the northern section, Guandi Mountain in the middle section, and Wulu Mountain in the southern section of the Lvliang Mountains as study areas, and the plant community diversity (basal diameter and height of tree and species diversity indices of shrub and herb) was measured horizontally at different latitude gradients and vertically at different altitude gradients in late July 2015. The results showed that (1) the trees were taller and wider at the middle latitude and higher altitude with a stronger spatial heterogeneity in the structures along the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. The evergreen tree growth preceded that of the deciduous trees in the higher latitude and lower altitude regions, whereas the deciduous tree growth preceded that of the evergreen trees in the middle latitude and higher altitude regions. (2) Shrubs and herbs tended to grow well in the lower latitude and middle-lower altitude regions. The shrubs had a larger species diversity at lower latitude and lower altitude, but the species diversity of the herbs was not sensitive to the influences of the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. With the latitude and altitude increasing, perennial herbs tended to grow well at higher latitude and higher altitude, while annual herbs tended to thrive at the middle latitude and lower altitude. In conclusion, environmental deviations caused by latitudinal and altitudinal gradients had great influences on the spatial distributions of the plant community diversity in the Lvliang Mountains. PMID:28323909

Analysis of the effect of repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming point on electroencephalograms.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Fu, Lingdi; Geng, Yuehua; Zhai, Xiang; Liu, Yanhua

2014-03-01

Here, we administered repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to healthy people at the left Guangming (GB37) and a mock point, and calculated the sample entropy of electroencephalo-gram signals using nonlinear dynamics. Additionally, we compared electroencephalogram sample entropy of signals in response to visual stimulation before, during, and after repeated-pulse tran-scranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming. Results showed that electroencephalogram sample entropy at left (F3) and right (FP2) frontal electrodes were significantly different depending on where the magnetic stimulation was administered. Additionally, compared with the mock point, electroencephalogram sample entropy was higher after stimulating the Guangming point. When visual stimulation at Guangming was given before repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimula-tion, significant differences in sample entropy were found at five electrodes (C3, Cz, C4, P3, T8) in parietal cortex, the central gyrus, and the right temporal region compared with when it was given after repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, indicating that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at Guangming can affect visual function. Analysis of electroencephalogram revealed that when visual stimulation preceded repeated pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, sample entropy values were higher at the C3, C4, and P3 electrodes and lower at the Cz and T8 electrodes than visual stimulation followed preceded repeated pulse transcranial magnetic stimula-tion. The findings indicate that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming evokes different patterns of electroencephalogram signals than repeated-pulse transcranial mag-netic stimulation at other nearby points on the body surface, and that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming is associated with changes in the complexity of visually evoked electroencephalogram signals in parietal regions, central gyrus, and temporal regions.

Integrating the effects of latitude and altitude on the spatial differentiation of plant community diversity in a mountainous ecosystem in China.

PubMed

Xu, Manhou; Ma, Li; Jia, Yanyan; Liu, Min

2017-01-01

Varying patterns of plant community diversity along geographical gradients are a significant topic in biodiversity research. Here, to explore the integrated effects of latitude and altitude on the plant community diversity in a mountainous ecosystem, we set Guancen Mountain in the northern section, Guandi Mountain in the middle section, and Wulu Mountain in the southern section of the Lvliang Mountains as study areas, and the plant community diversity (basal diameter and height of tree and species diversity indices of shrub and herb) was measured horizontally at different latitude gradients and vertically at different altitude gradients in late July 2015. The results showed that (1) the trees were taller and wider at the middle latitude and higher altitude with a stronger spatial heterogeneity in the structures along the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. The evergreen tree growth preceded that of the deciduous trees in the higher latitude and lower altitude regions, whereas the deciduous tree growth preceded that of the evergreen trees in the middle latitude and higher altitude regions. (2) Shrubs and herbs tended to grow well in the lower latitude and middle-lower altitude regions. The shrubs had a larger species diversity at lower latitude and lower altitude, but the species diversity of the herbs was not sensitive to the influences of the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. With the latitude and altitude increasing, perennial herbs tended to grow well at higher latitude and higher altitude, while annual herbs tended to thrive at the middle latitude and lower altitude. In conclusion, environmental deviations caused by latitudinal and altitudinal gradients had great influences on the spatial distributions of the plant community diversity in the Lvliang Mountains.

An fMRI investigation of analogical mapping in metaphor comprehension: the influence of context and individual cognitive capacities on processing demands.

PubMed

Prat, Chantel S; Mason, Robert A; Just, Marcel Adam

2012-03-01

This study used fMRI to investigate the neural correlates of analogical mapping during metaphor comprehension, with a focus on dynamic configuration of neural networks with changing processing demands and individual abilities. Participants with varying vocabulary sizes and working memory capacities read 3-sentence passages ending in nominal critical utterances of the form "X is a Y." Processing demands were manipulated by varying preceding contexts. Three figurative conditions manipulated difficulty by varying the extent to which preceding contexts mentioned relevant semantic features for relating the vehicle and topic of the critical utterance to one another. In the easy condition, supporting information was mentioned. In the neutral condition, no relevant information was mentioned. In the most difficult condition, opposite features were mentioned, resulting in an ironic interpretation of the critical utterance. A fourth, literal condition included context that supported a literal interpretation of the critical utterance. Activation in lateral and medial frontal regions increased with increasing contextual difficulty. Lower vocabulary readers also had greater activation across conditions in the right inferior frontal gyrus. In addition, volumetric analyses showed increased right temporo-parietal junction and superior medial frontal activation for all figurative conditions over the literal condition. The results from this experiment imply that the cortical regions are dynamically recruited in language comprehension as a function of the processing demands of a task. Individual differences in cognitive capacities were also associated with differences in recruitment and modulation of working memory and executive function regions, highlighting the overlapping computations in metaphor comprehension and general thinking and reasoning. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

The Local Dinucleotide Preference of APOBEC3G Can Be Altered from 5′-CC to 5′-TC by a Single Amino Acid Substitution

PubMed Central

Rathore, Anurag; Carpenter, Michael A; Demir, Özlem; Ikeda, Terumasa; Li, Ming; Shaban, Nadine; Law, Emily K.; Anokhin, Dmitry; Brown, William L.; Amaro, Rommie E.; Harris, Reuben S.

2013-01-01

APOBEC3A and APOBEC3G are DNA cytosine deaminases with biological functions in foreign DNA and retrovirus restriction, respectively. APOBEC3A has an intrinsic preference for cytosine preceded by thymine (5′-TC) in single-stranded DNA substrates, whereas APOBEC3G prefers the target cytosine to be preceded by another cytosine (5′-CC). To determine the amino acids responsible for these strong dinucleotide preferences, we analyzed a series of chimeras in which putative DNA binding loop regions of APOBEC3G were replaced with the corresponding regions from APOBEC3A. Loop 3 replacement enhanced APOBEC3G catalytic activity but did not alter its intrinsic 5′-CC dinucleotide substrate preference. Loop 7 replacement caused APOBEC3G to become APOBEC3A-like and strongly prefer 5′-TC substrates. Simultaneous loop 3/7 replacement resulted in a hyperactive APOBEC3G variant that also preferred 5′-TC dinucleotides. Single amino acid exchanges revealed D317 as a critical determinant of dinucleotide substrate specificity. Multi-copy explicitly solvated all-atom molecular dynamics simulations suggested a model in which D317 acts as a helix-capping residue by constraining the mobility of loop 7, forming a novel binding pocket that favorably accommodates cytosine. All catalytically active APOBEC3G variants, regardless of dinucleotide preference, retained HIV-1 restriction activity. These data support a model in which the loop 7 region governs the selection of local dinucleotide substrates for deamination but is unlikely to be part of the higher level targeting mechanisms that direct these enzymes to biological substrates such as HIV-1 cDNA. PMID:23938202

Simultaneous measurements of magnetotail dynamics by IMP spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fairfield, D. H.; Lepping, R. P.; Hones, E. W., Jr.; Bame, S. J.; Asbridge, J. R.

1980-01-01

Changes in tail energy density during substorms in the magnetotail are given. In addition to plasma sheet thinnings seen prior to substorm onsets, a gradual decrease in plasma beta was detected in the deep tail which precedes onset and the more prominent plasma disappearance that typically accompanies it. The frequency of thinnings and the regions over which they occurred indicate that drastic changes in plasma sheet thickness are common features of substorms which occur at all locations across the tail.

Zimbabwe: 2008 Elections and Implications for U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-26

region.඀ President Mwanawasa reportedly suffered a stroke on the eve of the AU Summit in Sharm el- Sheikh and passed away on August 19, 2008. Since...stakeholders once the results are announced.59 At the June 29- July 1 AU Summit in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, Botswana’s Vice President joined leaders from...Zimbabwe, and he called on AU leaders not to allow Mugabe to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit. The African Union has some precedent for intervening

Metropolitan Spokane Region Water Resources Study. Appendix J. Water Quality Simulation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-01-01

Calibration and Poduction Runs, 606.4-1 to 606,.4-,102 A detailed index for eaoh task section precedes the respective section text. - 5- -., ~5 , 5, -𔃿.-- .55...before the mixing of Hangman Creek. Station 6. on the Hangman Creek, is located apprcximately 200 feet upstream of its confluence with the Spokane...in terms of the entire reach length considered as a mixed body of uniform quality. Therefore, the selection of reaches is also 606.1-8 tied to the

An Upstream Truncation of the furA-katG Operon Confers High-Level Isoniazid Resistance in a Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolate with No Known Resistance-Associated Mutations

PubMed Central

Yam, Wing Cheong; Zhang, Ying; Kao, Richard Y. T.

2014-01-01

Although the major causes of isoniazid (INH) resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis are confined to structural mutations in katG and promoter mutations in the mabA-inhA operon, a significant proportion of INH-resistant strains have unknown resistance mechanisms. Recently, we identified a high-level INH-resistant M. tuberculosis clinical isolate, GB005, with no known resistance-associated mutations. A comprehensive study was performed to investigate the molecular basis of drug resistance in this strain. Although no mutations were found throughout the katG and furA-katG intergenic region, the katG expression and the catalase activity were greatly diminished compared to those in H37Rv (P < 0.01). Northern blotting revealed that the katG transcript from the isolate was smaller than that of H37Rv. Sequencing analysis of furA and upstream genes discovered a 7.2-kb truncation extended from the 96th base preceding the initiation codon of katG. Complementation of the M. tuberculosis Δ(furA-katG) strain with katG and different portions of the truncated region identified a 134-bp upstream fragment of furA that was essential for full catalase activity and INH susceptibility in M. tuberculosis. The promoter activity of this fragment was also shown to be stronger than that of the furA-katG intergenic region (P < 0.01). Collectively, these findings demonstrate that deletion of the 134-bp furA upstream fragment is responsible for the reduction in katG expression, resulting in INH resistance in GB005. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that deletion of the upstream region preceding the furA-katG operon causes high-level INH resistance in a clinical isolate of M. tuberculosis. PMID:25092698

Aberrant Intrinsic Activity and Connectivity in Cognitively Normal Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Harrington, Deborah L; Shen, Qian; Castillo, Gabriel N; Filoteo, J Vincent; Litvan, Irene; Takahashi, Colleen; French, Chelsea

2017-01-01

Disturbances in intrinsic activity during resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but have largely been studied in a priori defined subnetworks. The cognitive significance of abnormal intrinsic activity is also poorly understood, as are abnormalities that precede the onset of mild cognitive impairment. To address these limitations, we leveraged three different analytic approaches to identify disturbances in rsfMRI metrics in 31 cognitively normal PD patients (PD-CN) and 30 healthy adults. Subjects were screened for mild cognitive impairment using the Movement Disorders Society Task Force Level II criteria. Whole-brain data-driven analytic approaches first analyzed the amplitude of low-frequency intrinsic fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measure of local connectivity amongst functionally similar regions. We then examined if regional disturbances in these metrics altered functional connectivity with other brain regions. We also investigated if abnormal rsfMRI metrics in PD-CN were related to brain atrophy and executive, visual organization, and episodic memory functioning. The results revealed abnormally increased and decreased ALFF and ReHo in PD-CN patients within the default mode network (posterior cingulate, inferior parietal cortex, parahippocampus, entorhinal cortex), sensorimotor cortex (primary motor, pre/post-central gyrus), basal ganglia (putamen, caudate), and posterior cerebellar lobule VII, which mediates cognition. For default mode network regions, we also observed a compound profile of altered ALFF and ReHo. Most regional disturbances in ALFF and ReHo were associated with strengthened long-range interactions in PD-CN, notably with regions in different networks. Stronger long-range functional connectivity in PD-CN was also partly expanded to connections that were outside the networks of the control group. Abnormally increased activity and functional connectivity appeared to have a pathological, rather than compensatory influence on cognitive abilities tested in this study. Receiver operating curve analyses demonstrated excellent sensitivity (≥90%) of rsfMRI variables in distinguishing patients from controls, but poor accuracy for brain volume and cognitive variables. Altogether these results provide new insights into the topology, cognitive relevance, and sensitivity of aberrant intrinsic activity and connectivity that precedes clinically significant cognitive impairment. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine if these neurocognitive associations presage the development of future mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

An improved car-following model with two preceding cars' average speed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Shao-Wei; Shi, Zhong-Ke

2015-01-01

To better describe cooperative car-following behaviors under intelligent transportation circumstances and increase roadway traffic mobility, the data of three successive following cars at a signalized intersection of Jinan in China were obtained and employed to explore the linkage between two preceding cars' average speed and car-following behaviors. The results indicate that two preceding cars' average velocity has significant effects on the following car's motion. Then an improved car-following model considering two preceding cars' average velocity was proposed and calibrated based on full velocity difference model and some numerical simulations were carried out to study how two preceding cars' average speed affected the starting process and the traffic flow evolution process with an initial small disturbance, the results indicate that the improved car-following model can qualitatively describe the impacts of two preceding cars' average velocity on traffic flow and that taking two preceding cars' average velocity into account in designing the control strategy for the cooperative adaptive cruise control system can improve the stability of traffic flow, suppress the appearance of traffic jams and increase the capacity of signalized intersections.

A framework for comparing structural and functional measures of glaucomatous damage

PubMed Central

Hood, Donald C.; Kardon, Randy H.

2007-01-01

While it is often said that structural damage due to glaucoma precedes functional damage, it is not always clear what this statement means. This review has two purposes: first, to show that a simple linear relationship describes the data relating a particular functional test (standard automated perimetry (SAP)) to a particular structural test (optical coherence tomography (OCT)); and, second, to propose a general framework for relating structural and functional damage, and for evaluating if one precedes the other. The specific functional and structural tests employed are described in Section 2. To compare SAP sensitivity loss to loss of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) requires a map that relates local field regions to local regions of the optic disc as described in Section 3. When RNFL thickness in the superior and inferior arcuate sectors of the disc are plotted against SAP sensitivity loss (dB units) in the corresponding arcuate regions of the visual field, RNFL thickness becomes asymptotic for sensitivity losses greater than about 10 dB. These data are well described by a simple linear model presented in Section 4. The model assumes that the RNFL thickness measured with OCT has two components. One component is the axons of the retinal ganglion cells and the other, the residual, is everything else (e.g. glial cells, blood vessels). The axon portion is assumed to decrease in a linear fashion with losses in SAP sensitivity (in linear units); the residual portion is assumed to remain constant. Based upon severe SAP losses in anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION), the residual RNFL thickness in the arcuate regions is, on average, about one-third of the premorbid (normal) thickness of that region. The model also predicts that, to a first approximation, SAP sensitivity in control subjects does not depend upon RNFL thickness. The data (Section 6) are, in general, consistent with this prediction showing a very weak correlation between RNFL thickness and SAP sensitivity. In Section 7, the model is used to estimate the proportion of patients showing statistical abnormalities (worse than the 5th percentile) on the OCT RNFL test before they show abnormalities on the 24-2 SAP field test. Ignoring measurement error, the patients with a relatively thick RNFL, when healthy, will be more likely to show significant SAP sensitivity loss before statistically significant OCT RNFL loss, while the reverse will be true for those who start with an average or a relatively thin RNFL when healthy. Thus, it is important to understand the implications of the wide variation in RNFL thickness among control subjects. Section 8 describes two of the factors contributing to this variation, variations in the position of blood vessels and variations in the mapping of field regions to disc sectors. Finally, in Sections 7 and 9, the findings are related to the general debate in the literature about the relationship between structural and functional glaucomatous damage and a framework is proposed for understanding what is meant by the question, ‘Does structural damage precede functional damage in glaucoma?’ An emphasis is placed upon the need to distinguish between “statistical” and “relational” meanings of this question. PMID:17889587

Vector magnetic field evolution, energy storage, and associated photospheric velocity shear within a flare-productive active region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krall, K. R.; Smith, J. B., Jr.; Hagyard, M. J.; West, E. A.; Cummings, N. P.

1982-01-01

Sheared photospheric velocity fields inferred from spot motions for April 5-7, 1980, are compared with both transverse magnetic field orientation changes and with the region's flare history. Rapid spot motions and high inferred velocity shear coincide with increased field alignment along the longitudinal neutral line and with increased flare activity, while a later decrease in velocity shear precedes a more relaxed magnetic configuration and decrease in flare activity. It is estimated that magnetic reconfiguration produced by the relative velocities of the spots could cause storage of about 10 to the 32nd erg/day, while flares occurring during this time expended no more than about 10 to the 31st erg/day.

The experiments of Ramón M. Termeyer SJ on the electric eel in the River Plate region (c. 1760) and other early accounts of Electrophorus electricus.

PubMed

de Asúa, Miguel

2008-01-01

This paper focuses on Ramón M. Termeyer SJ (1737-1814?), a naturalist who experimented with the electric eel in the River Plate region during the 1760s. After going through an enumeration of the chroniclers that since the sixteenth century noticed the benumbing discharge of Electrophorus electricus, the article summarizes the work that immediately preceded Termeyer's and considers as a term of comparison the experiments on the electric eel performed by Bertrand Bajon (fl. 1751-1778) in the French Guyanne. It ends by discussing the meaning of Termeyer's 1781 and 1810 articles in the light of contemporary ideas of animal electricity.

Grasping the nettle: A bacterial invasin that targets immunoglobulin variable domains.

PubMed

Barlow, Paul

2018-06-01

In a new paper, the protein InvD from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis , a zoonotic pathogen, is shown to assist late-stage invasion of intestinal epithelia. Remarkably, InvD acts by binding the Fab region of IgG or IgA. It straddles adjacent light-chain and heavy-chain variable domains, but its binding is different from that of antigens in that complementarity-determining regions do not participate. Structure determination revealed that its Fab-interacting domain adopts an immunoglobulin-like fold, fused to the preceding immunoglobulin-like domain and carried on a long stalk anchored to the bacterial outer membrane. Possible roles of this unusual host-pathogen interaction include avoidance of clearance from the intestine by secretory IgA. © 2018 Barlow.

Method of forming thermally stable high-resistivity regions in n-type indium phosphide by oxygen implantation

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

Thompson, P.E.; Dietrich, H.B.

1985-12-12

Objects of this invention are: to form high-temperature stable isolation regions in InP; to provide InP wafers that allow greater flexibility in the design and fabrication of discrete devices; to provide new and improved InP semiconductor devices in n-type InP; to provide high-resisitivity isolation regions in InP; to extend the usefulness of damage-induced isolation in n-type InP by making possible processes in which the isolation implantation precedes the alloying of ohmic contacts; and to provide n-type InP substrates without unwanted conductive layers. The above and other object are realized by an InP wafer comprising a S.I. InP substrate; a n-typemore » InP active layer disposed on the substrate; and oxygen ion implanted isolation regions disposed in the active layer. The S.I. InP dopant may comprise either Fe or Cr.« less

The chloroplast tRNALys(UUU) gene from mustard (Sinapis alba) contains a class II intron potentially coding for a maturase-related polypeptide.

PubMed

Neuhaus, H; Link, G

1987-01-01

The trnK gene endocing the tRNALys(UUU) has been located on mustard (Sinapis alba) chloroplast DNA, 263 bp upstream of the psbA gene on the same strand. The nucleotide sequence of the trnK gene and its flanking regions as well as the putative transcription start and termination sites are shown. The 5' end of the transcript lies 121 bp upstream of the 5' tRNA coding region and is preceded by procaryotic-type "-10" and "-35" sequence elements, while the 3' end maps 2.77 kb downstream to a DNA region with possible stemloop secondary structure. The anticodon loop of the tRNALys is interrupted by a 2,574 bp intron containing a long open reading frame, which codes for 524 amino acids. Based on conserved stem and loop structures, this intron has characteristic features of a class II intron. A region near the carboxyl terminus of the derived polypeptide appears structurally related to maturases.

Antecedent descriptions change brain reactivity to emotional stimuli: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of an extrinsic and incidental reappraisal strategy.

PubMed

Mocaiber, I; Sanchez, T A; Pereira, M G; Erthal, F S; Joffily, M; Araujo, D B; Volchan, E; de Oliveira, L

2011-10-13

In the present study we investigated whether individuals would take advantage of an extrinsic and incidental reappraisal strategy by giving them precedent descriptions to attenuate the emotional impact of unpleasant pictures. In fact, precedent descriptions have successfully promoted down-regulation of electrocortical activity and physiological responses to unpleasant pictures. However, the neuronal substrate underlying this effect remains unclear. Particularly, we investigated whether amygdala and insula responses, brain regions consistently implicated in emotional processing, would be modulated by this strategy. To achieve this, highly unpleasant pictures were shown in two contexts in which a prior description presented them as taken from movie scenes (fictitious) or real scenes. Results showed that the fictitious condition was characterized by down-regulation of amygdala and insula responses. Thus, the present study provides new evidence on reappraisal strategies to down-regulate emotional reactions and suggest that amygdala and insula responses to emotional stimuli are adaptive and highly flexible. Copyright © 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"He's the Number One Thing in My World": Application of the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model to Explore Child Car Seat Use in a Regional Community in New South Wales.

PubMed

Hunter, Kate; Keay, Lisa; Clapham, Kathleen; Brown, Julie; Bilston, Lynne E; Lyford, Marilyn; Gilbert, Celeste; Ivers, Rebecca Q

2017-10-10

We explored the factors influencing the use of age-appropriate car seats in a community with a high proportion of Aboriginal families in regional New South Wales. We conducted a survey and three focus groups with parents of children aged 3-5 years enrolled at three early learning centres on the Australian south-east coast. Survey data were triangulated with qualitative data from focus groups and analysed using the PRECEDE-PROCEED conceptual framework. Of the 133 eligible families, 97 (73%) parents completed the survey including 31% of parents who reported their children were Aboriginal. Use of age-appropriate car seats was reported by 80 (83%) of the participants, and awareness of the child car seat legislation was high (91/97, 94%). Children aged 2-3 years were less likely reported to be restrained in an age-appropriate car seat than were older children aged 4-5 years (60% versus 95%: χ² = 19.14, p < 0.001). Focus group participants highlighted how important their child's safety was to them, spoke of the influence grandparents had on their use of child car seats and voiced mixed views on the value of authorised child car seat fitters. Future programs should include access to affordable car seats and target community members as well as parents with clear, consistent messages highlighting the safety benefits of using age-appropriate car seats.

WAITING TIMES OF QUASI-HOMOLOGOUS CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS FROM SUPER ACTIVE REGIONS

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

Wang Yuming; Liu Lijuan; Shen Chenglong

Why and how do some active regions (ARs) frequently produce coronal mass ejections (CMEs)? These are key questions for deepening our understanding of the mechanisms and processes of energy accumulation and sudden release in ARs and for improving our space weather prediction capability. Although some case studies have been performed, these questions are still far from fully answered. These issues are now being addressed statistically through an investigation of the waiting times of quasi-homologous CMEs from super ARs in solar cycle 23. It is found that the waiting times of quasi-homologous CMEs have a two-component distribution with a separation atmore » about 18 hr. The first component is a Gaussian-like distribution with a peak at about 7 hr, which indicates a tight physical connection between these quasi-homologous CMEs. The likelihood of two or more occurrences of CMEs faster than 1200 km s{sup -1} from the same AR within 18 hr is about 20%. Furthermore, the correlation analysis among CME waiting times, CME speeds, and CME occurrence rates reveals that these quantities are independent of each other, suggesting that the perturbation by preceding CMEs rather than free energy input is the direct cause of quasi-homologous CMEs. The peak waiting time of 7 hr probably characterizes the timescale of the growth of the instabilities triggered by preceding CMEs. This study uncovers some clues from a statistical perspective for us to understand quasi-homologous CMEs as well as CME-rich ARs.« less

“He’s the Number One Thing in My World”: Application of the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model to Explore Child Car Seat Use in a Regional Community in New South Wales

PubMed Central

Hunter, Kate; Keay, Lisa; Clapham, Kathleen; Brown, Julie; Lyford, Marilyn; Gilbert, Celeste; Ivers, Rebecca Q.

2017-01-01

We explored the factors influencing the use of age-appropriate car seats in a community with a high proportion of Aboriginal families in regional New South Wales. We conducted a survey and three focus groups with parents of children aged 3–5 years enrolled at three early learning centres on the Australian south-east coast. Survey data were triangulated with qualitative data from focus groups and analysed using the PRECEDE-PROCEED conceptual framework. Of the 133 eligible families, 97 (73%) parents completed the survey including 31% of parents who reported their children were Aboriginal. Use of age-appropriate car seats was reported by 80 (83%) of the participants, and awareness of the child car seat legislation was high (91/97, 94%). Children aged 2–3 years were less likely reported to be restrained in an age-appropriate car seat than were older children aged 4–5 years (60% versus 95%: χ2 = 19.14, p < 0.001). Focus group participants highlighted how important their child’s safety was to them, spoke of the influence grandparents had on their use of child car seats and voiced mixed views on the value of authorised child car seat fitters. Future programs should include access to affordable car seats and target community members as well as parents with clear, consistent messages highlighting the safety benefits of using age-appropriate car seats. PMID:28994725

Total electron content anomalies associated with global VEI4 + volcanic eruptions during 2002-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wang; Guo, Jinyun; Yue, Jianping; Shen, Yi; Yang, Yang

2016-10-01

In previous studies, little attention has been paid to the total electron content (TEC) anomalies preceding the volcanic eruption. We analyze the coupling relationship between volcanic eruption and TEC anomalies, and discuss the spatial distribution of TEC anomalies associated with volcanic geographical location. We utilize the global ionosphere map (GIM) data from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) to analyze TEC variations before the global volcanic eruptions indicated by VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) 4 + from 2002 to 2015 with the sliding interquartile range method. The results indicate the occurrence rate of TEC anomalies before great volcanic eruptions is related with the volcanic type and geographical position. The occurrence rate of TEC anomalies before stratovolcano and caldera eruptions is higher than that before shield and pyroclastic shield eruptions, and the occurrence rate of TEC anomalies has a descending trend from low latitudes to high latitudes. The TEC anomalies before the volcanic eruptions in low-mid latitudes are within the volcanic affected areas, but do not coincide with the volcanic foci. The corresponding TEC anomalies could be observed in the conjugated region, and all the TEC anomalies in the volcanic affected areas are usually close to bounds of equatorial anomaly zones. However, the TEC anomalies preceding these eruptions in high latitudes usually surround the volcano, and no TEC anomalies appear in the conjugated region. These conclusions have potential applications to the prediction of great volcanic eruptions in the future.

The Influence of Infant Feeding Practices on Infant Mortality in Southern Africa.

PubMed

Motsa, Lungile F; Ibisomi, Latifat; Odimegwu, Clifford

2016-10-01

Objective To examine the adjusted and unadjusted effects of infant feeding practices on infant mortality in Southern Africa. Methods A merged dataset from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys for Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe was analysed using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model. A total number of 13,218 infants born in 5 years preceding all the surveys with information on infant feeding practices constituted the study population. Infant mortality was the outcome variable and infant feeding practices categorised into; no breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding were the main explanatory variables. Maternal demographic and socio-economic characteristics and infants' bio-demographic characteristics were also studied. Results Although, exclusive breastfeeding was quite low (12 %), exclusively breastfed infants exhibited a 97 % lower risk of dying during infancy compared to infants not breastfed in the region. Variations existed by country in the levels and patterns of both infant mortality and infant feeding practices. Mother's country, highest level of education and marital status; child's sex, birth weight and preceding birth interval were the significant predictors of infant mortality in Southern Africa. Conclusions Any form of breastfeeding whether exclusive or partial breastfeeding greatly reduces the risk of infant mortality with the greatest mortality reduction effect observed among exclusively breastfed infants in Southern Africa. To reduce the upsurge of infant mortality, there is the need to step up the effectiveness of child nutrition programmes that promote breastfeeding and put emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding of infants in the region.

Best practices in tobacco control in the South-East Asia Region.

PubMed

Zolty, B C; Sinha, P K; Sinha, D N

2012-01-01

The tobacco epidemic is an increasing threat to public health with the tobacco burden particularly high in WHO's South-East Asia Region (SEAR). The Region has many obstacles to tobacco control, but despite these challenges, significant progress has been made in many countries. Although much work still needs to be done, SEAR countries have nevertheless implemented strong and often innovative tobacco control measures that can be classified as "best practices," with some setting global precedents. The best practice measures implemented in SEAR include bans on gutka, reducing tobacco imagery in movies, and warning about the dangers of tobacco. In a time of scarce resources, countries in SEAR and elsewhere must ensure that the most effective and cost-efficient measures are implemented. It is hoped that countries can learn from these examples and as appropriate, adapt these measures to their own specific cultural, social and political realities.

Characterization of increased persistence and intensity of precipitation in the northeastern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guilbert, Justin; Betts, Alan K.; Rizzo, Donna M.; Beckage, Brian; Bomblies, Arne

2015-03-01

We present evidence of increasing persistence in daily precipitation in the northeastern United States that suggests that global circulation changes are affecting regional precipitation patterns. Meteorological data from 222 stations in 10 northeastern states are analyzed using Markov chain parameter estimates to demonstrate that a significant mode of precipitation variability is the persistence of precipitation events. We find that the largest region-wide trend in wet persistence (i.e., the probability of precipitation in 1 day and given precipitation in the preceding day) occurs in June (+0.9% probability per decade over all stations). We also find that the study region is experiencing an increase in the magnitude of high-intensity precipitation events. The largest increases in the 95th percentile of daily precipitation occurred in April with a trend of +0.7 mm/d/decade. We discuss the implications of the observed precipitation signals for watershed hydrology and flood risk.

Incidence and seroprevalence of tularaemia in Finland, 1995 to 2013: regional epidemics with cyclic pattern.

PubMed

Rossow, H; Ollgren, J; Hytonen, J; Rissanen, H; Huitu, O; Henttonen, H; Kuusi, M; Vapalahti, O

2015-08-20

We studied the incidence of reported tularaemia by year and region and the prevalence of antibodies against Francisella tularensis in the adult general population in Finland. Moreover, we assessed the correlation between vole population cycles and human tularaemia outbreaks. The seroprevalence study made use of serum samples from a nationwide population-based health survey (Health 2000). The samples of 1,045 randomly selected persons, representative for the Finnish population in each region, were screened with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of IgG antibodies against F. tularensis, and positive results were further confirmed by immunoblotting. A serological response to F. tularensis was found in 2% (95% confidence interval: 1.1–3.5) of the population. Incidence and seroprevalence were highest in the same areas, and vole population peaks clearly preceded tularaemia outbreaks one year later.

Regional stratigraphy and geologic history of Mare Crisium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Head, J. W., III; Adams, J. B.; Mccord, T. B.; Pieters, C.; Zisk, S.

1978-01-01

Remote sensing and Luna 24 sample data are used to develop a summary of the regional stratigraphy and geologic history of Mare Crisium. Laboratory spectra of Luna 24 samples, telescopic reflectance spectra in the 0.3 to 1.1 micron range and orbital X-ray data have identified three major basalt groups in the region. Group I soil is derived from iron- and magnesium-rich titaniferous basalts and was apparently emplaced over the majority of the basin, however is presently exposed as a shelf in the southwest part. Group II soils, derived from very low titanium ferrobasalts, were emplaced in two stages subsequent to Group I emplacement and now appear as part of the outer shelf and topographic annulus. Subsidence of the basin interior preceded and continued after the emplacement of the third basalt group, a soil derived from a low titanium ferrobasalt. The Luna 24 site is found to be within a patch of Group II material.

Preceding diagnoses to young adult bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in a nationwide study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The aim of this comparative study was to investigate the type and frequency of diagnoses preceding adult bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ). Methods A follow-back study of all preceding diagnoses in all patients aged 21–34 years with a primary, first time diagnosis of BD (N = 784) or SZ (N = 1667) in 2008 to 2010. Data were taken from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register (DPCRR) including ICD-10 and ICD-8 diagnoses. Results The numbers of patients with any preceding diagnoses amounted to 69.3% in BD and 76.6% in SZ with affective disorders (excluding BD) being the most frequent preceding diagnosis (46.6 vs. 28.0%), followed by psychoses (PSY) other than SZ (14.2 vs. 41.5%, p < .001), and substance use disorders (SUD) (16.1 vs. 26.9%, p < .001). Reactions to severe stress were equally frequent in both samples (26.3 vs. 26.6%) as were personality disorders (21.8 vs. 22.4%) and ADHD (4.2 vs. 3.5%), whereas rates of conduct disorders (1.7 vs. 3.1%) were rather low in both samples. Very few of the preceding diagnoses had their onset in childhood and adolescence. Overall patients with SZ had a minor but statistically significant earlier onset of any psychiatric disorder compared to BD (mean age: 23.3 vs. 22.5, p < .001). Regression analyses indicated that BD was associated with an increased risk of having experienced preceding affective disorders and ADHD, while SZ was associated with an increased risk of preceding substance use disorders, psychosis, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. Conclusions Specific developmental trajectories of preceding disorders were delineated for BD and SZ with affective disorders being more specific for BD and both SUD and PSY more specific to SZ. There are different patterns of vulnerability in terms of preceding diagnosis in young adults with BD and SZ. PMID:24359146

8 CFR 103.10 - Precedent decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Precedent decisions. 103.10 Section 103.10 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS IMMIGRATION BENEFITS; BIOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS; AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS Applying for Benefits, Surety Bonds, Fees § 103.10 Precedent...

8 CFR 103.10 - Precedent decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Precedent decisions. 103.10 Section 103.10 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS IMMIGRATION BENEFITS; BIOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS; AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS Applying for Benefits, Surety Bonds, Fees § 103.10 Precedent...

8 CFR 103.10 - Precedent decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Precedent decisions. 103.10 Section 103.10 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS IMMIGRATION BENEFITS; BIOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS; AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS Applying for Benefits, Surety Bonds, Fees § 103.10 Precedent...

Is manipulation of color effective in study of the global precedence effect?

PubMed

Vidal-López, Joaquín; Romera-Vivancos, Juan Antonio

2009-04-01

This article evaluates the use of color manipulation in studying the effect of global precedence and the possible involvement of the magnocellular processing system. The analysis shows variations of color used in three studies produced changes on the global precedence effect, but findings based on this technique present some methodological problems and have little theoretical support from the magnocellular processing-system perspective. For this reason, more research is required to develop knowledge about the origin of these variations in global precedence.

Anticipatory activation in the amygdala and anterior cingulate in generalized anxiety disorder and prediction of treatment response.

PubMed

Nitschke, Jack B; Sarinopoulos, Issidoros; Oathes, Desmond J; Johnstone, Tom; Whalen, Paul J; Davidson, Richard J; Kalin, Ned H

2009-03-01

The anticipation of adverse outcomes, or worry, is a cardinal symptom of generalized anxiety disorder. Prior work with healthy subjects has shown that anticipating aversive events recruits a network of brain regions, including the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. This study tested whether patients with generalized anxiety disorder have alterations in anticipatory amygdala function and whether anticipatory activity in the anterior cingulate cortex predicts treatment response. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed with 14 generalized anxiety disorder patients and 12 healthy comparison subjects matched for age, sex, and education. The event-related fMRI paradigm was composed of one warning cue that preceded aversive pictures and a second cue that preceded neutral pictures. Following the fMRI session, patients received 8 weeks of treatment with extended-release venlafaxine. Patients with generalized anxiety disorder showed greater anticipatory activity than healthy comparison subjects in the bilateral dorsal amygdala preceding both aversive and neutral pictures. Building on prior reports of pretreatment anterior cingulate cortex activity predicting treatment response, anticipatory activity in that area was associated with clinical outcome 8 weeks later following treatment with venlafaxine. Higher levels of pretreatment anterior cingulate cortex activity in anticipation of both aversive and neutral pictures were associated with greater reductions in anxiety and worry symptoms. These findings of heightened and indiscriminate amygdala responses to anticipatory signals in generalized anxiety disorder and of anterior cingulate cortex associations with treatment response provide neurobiological support for the role of anticipatory processes in the pathophysiology of generalized anxiety disorder.

The prestimulus default mode network state predicts cognitive task performance levels on a mental rotation task.

PubMed

Kamp, Tabea; Sorger, Bettina; Benjamins, Caroline; Hausfeld, Lars; Goebel, Rainer

2018-06-22

Linking individual task performance to preceding, regional brain activation is an ongoing goal of neuroscientific research. Recently, it could be shown that the activation and connectivity within large-scale brain networks prior to task onset influence performance levels. More specifically, prestimulus default mode network (DMN) effects have been linked to performance levels in sensory near-threshold tasks, as well as cognitive tasks. However, it still remains uncertain how the DMN state preceding cognitive tasks affects performance levels when the period between task trials is long and flexible, allowing participants to engage in different cognitive states. We here investigated whether the prestimulus activation and within-network connectivity of the DMN are predictive of the correctness and speed of task performance levels on a cognitive (match-to-sample) mental rotation task, employing a sparse event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design. We found that prestimulus activation in the DMN predicted the speed of correct trials, with a higher amplitude preceding correct fast response trials compared to correct slow response trials. Moreover, we found higher connectivity within the DMN before incorrect trials compared to correct trials. These results indicate that pre-existing activation and connectivity states within the DMN influence task performance on cognitive tasks, both effecting the correctness and speed of task execution. The findings support existing theories and empirical work on relating mind-wandering and cognitive task performance to the DMN and expand these by establishing a relationship between the prestimulus DMN state and the speed of cognitive task performance. © 2018 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dissociable neural effects of stimulus valence and preceding context during the inhibition of responses to emotional faces.

PubMed

Schulz, Kurt P; Clerkin, Suzanne M; Halperin, Jeffrey M; Newcorn, Jeffrey H; Tang, Cheuk Y; Fan, Jin

2009-09-01

Socially appropriate behavior requires the concurrent inhibition of actions that are inappropriate in the context. This self-regulatory function requires an interaction of inhibitory and emotional processes that recruits brain regions beyond those engaged by either processes alone. In this study, we isolated brain activity associated with response inhibition and emotional processing in 24 healthy adults using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a go/no-go task that independently manipulated the context preceding no-go trials (ie, number of go trials) and the valence (ie, happy, sad, and neutral) of the face stimuli used as trial cues. Parallel quadratic trends were seen in correct inhibitions on no-go trials preceded by increasing numbers of go trials and associated activation for correct no-go trials in inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis, pars triangularis, and pars orbitalis, temporoparietal junction, superior parietal lobule, and temporal sensory association cortices. Conversely, the comparison of happy versus neutral faces and sad versus neutral faces revealed valence-dependent activation in the amygdala, anterior insula cortex, and posterior midcingulate cortex. Further, an interaction between inhibition and emotion was seen in valence-dependent variations in the quadratic trend in no-go activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus and left posterior insula cortex. These results suggest that the inhibition of response to emotional cues involves the interaction of partly dissociable limbic and frontoparietal networks that encode emotional cues and use these cues to exert inhibitory control over the motor, attention, and sensory functions needed to perform the task, respectively. 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Anticipatory Activation in the Amygdala and Anterior Cingulate in Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Prediction of Treatment Response

PubMed Central

Nitschke, Jack B.; Sarinopoulos, Issidoros; Oathes, Desmond J.; Johnstone, Tom; Whalen, Paul J.; Davidson, Richard J.; Kalin, Ned H.

2009-01-01

Objective The anticipation of adverse outcomes, or worry, is a cardinal symptom of generalized anxiety disorder. Prior work with healthy subjects has shown that anticipating aversive events recruits a network of brain regions, including the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. This study tested whether patients with generalized anxiety disorder have alterations in anticipatory amygdala function and whether anticipatory activity in the anterior cingulate cortex predicts treatment response. Method Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed with 14 generalized anxiety disorder patients and 12 healthy comparison subjects matched for age, sex, and education. The event-related fMRI paradigm was composed of one warning cue that preceded aversive pictures and a second cue that preceded neutral pictures. Following the fMRI session, patients received 8 weeks of treatment with extended-release venlafaxine. Results Patients with generalized anxiety disorder showed greater anticipatory activity than healthy comparison subjects in the bilateral dorsal amygdala preceding both aversive and neutral pictures. Building on prior reports of pretreatment anterior cingulate cortex activity predicting treatment response, anticipatory activity in that area was associated with clinical outcome 8 weeks later following treatment with venlafaxine. Higher levels of pretreatment anterior cingulate cortex activity in anticipation of both aversive and neutral pictures were associated with greater reductions in anxiety and worry symptoms. Conclusions These findings of heightened and indiscriminate amygdala responses to anticipatory signals in generalized anxiety disorder and of anterior cingulate cortex associations with treatment response provide neurobiological support for the role of anticipatory processes in the pathophysiology of generalized anxiety disorder. PMID:19122007

Comparative evaluation of p5+14 with SAP and peptide p5 by dual-energy SPECT imaging of mice with AA amyloidosis.

PubMed

Martin, Emily B; Williams, Angela; Richey, Tina; Stuckey, Alan; Heidel, R Eric; Kennel, Stephen J; Wall, Jonathan S

2016-03-03

Amyloidosis is a protein-misfolding disorder characterized by the extracellular deposition of amyloid, a complex matrix composed of protein fibrils, hyper-sulphated glycosaminoglycans and serum amyloid P component (SAP). Accumulation of amyloid in visceral organs results in the destruction of tissue architecture leading to organ dysfunction and failure. Early differential diagnosis and disease monitoring are critical for improving patient outcomes; thus, whole body amyloid imaging would be beneficial in this regard. Non-invasive molecular imaging of systemic amyloid is performed in Europe by using iodine-123-labelled SAP; however, this tracer is not available in the US. Therefore, we evaluated synthetic, poly-basic peptides, designated p5 and p5+14, as alternative radiotracers for detecting systemic amyloidosis. Herein, we perform a comparative effectiveness evaluation of radiolabelled peptide p5+14 with p5 and SAP, in amyloid-laden mice, using dual-energy SPECT imaging and tissue biodistribution measurements. All three radiotracers selectively bound amyloid in vivo; however, p5+14 was significantly more effective as compared to p5 in certain organs. Moreover, SAP bound principally to hepatosplenic amyloid, whereas p5+14 was broadly distributed in numerous amyloid-laden anatomic sites, including the spleen, liver, pancreas, intestines and heart. These data support clinical validation of p5+14 as an amyloid radiotracer for patients in the US.

Kickoff to Conflict: A Sequence Analysis of Intra-State Conflict-Preceding Event Structures

PubMed Central

D'Orazio, Vito; Yonamine, James E.

2015-01-01

While many studies have suggested or assumed that the periods preceding the onset of intra-state conflict are similar across time and space, few have empirically tested this proposition. Using the Integrated Crisis Early Warning System's domestic event data in Asia from 1998–2010, we subject this proposition to empirical analysis. We code the similarity of government-rebel interactions in sequences preceding the onset of intra-state conflict to those preceding further periods of peace using three different metrics: Euclidean, Levenshtein, and mutual information. These scores are then used as predictors in a bivariate logistic regression to forecast whether we are likely to observe conflict in neither, one, or both of the states. We find that our model accurately classifies cases where both sequences precede peace, but struggles to distinguish between cases in which one sequence escalates to conflict and where both sequences escalate to conflict. These findings empirically suggest that generalizable patterns exist between event sequences that precede peace. PMID:25951105

Systematization of the Introduction of IPV and Switch from tOPV to bOPV in the Americas

PubMed Central

Thrush, Elizabeth; Jauregui, Barbara

2017-01-01

Abstract The synchronized introduction of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and the switch from trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) to bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) has constituted an effort without precedents, and with astonishing results. Within the established time frame, all countries in our region managed to carry out the decision, planning, and introduction of this vaccine and subsequent switch to their national immunization schedules. The purpose of this article is to systematize the process of IPV introduction and switch in Latin America and the Caribbean, which constitutes an important piece in the documentation of the polio legacy in the Americas. Regional level as well as country perspectives and viewpoints are described. Analyzing and summarizing the lessons learned from the introduction of IPV and the switch from tOPV to bOPV can be useful for the introduction of new vaccines in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) region and in other regions of the world, and to help our own region successfully carry out another synchronized vaccine introduction in the future, if necessary. PMID:28838161

8 CFR 103.3 - Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions... POWERS AND DUTIES; AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS § 103.3 Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions. (a) Denials and appeals—(1) General—(i) Denial of application or petition. When a Service officer denies an...

8 CFR 1103.3 - Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... types of cases may be appealed. Decisions under the appellate jurisdiction of the Board of Immigration... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions... JUSTICE IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS APPEALS, RECORDS, AND FEES § 1103.3 Denials, appeals, and precedent...

34 CFR 608.31 - How does the Secretary determine the amount of a grant?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... institution during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. Number of Pell Grant recipients at all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. (2... year. Number of graduates of all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding...

34 CFR 608.31 - How does the Secretary determine the amount of a grant?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... institution during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. Number of Pell Grant recipients at all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. (2... year. Number of graduates of all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding...

34 CFR 608.31 - How does the Secretary determine the amount of a grant?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... institution during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. Number of Pell Grant recipients at all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. (2... year. Number of graduates of all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding...

34 CFR 608.31 - How does the Secretary determine the amount of a grant?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... institution during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. Number of Pell Grant recipients at all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding that fiscal year. (2... year. Number of graduates of all applicant institutions during the school year immediately preceding...

10 CFR 501.10 - Order of precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Order of precedence. 501.10 Section 501.10 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND SANCTIONS General Provisions § 501.10 Order of precedence. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this...

10 CFR 501.10 - Order of precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Order of precedence. 501.10 Section 501.10 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND SANCTIONS General Provisions § 501.10 Order of precedence. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this...

10 CFR 501.10 - Order of precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Order of precedence. 501.10 Section 501.10 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND SANCTIONS General Provisions § 501.10 Order of precedence. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this...

Precedent approach to the formation of programs for cyclic objects control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulakov, S. M.; Trofimov, V. B.; Dobrynin, A. S.; Taraborina, E. N.

2018-05-01

The idea and procedure for formalizing the precedent method of formation of complex control solutions (complex control programs) is discussed with respect to technological or organizational objects, the operation of which is organized cyclically. A typical functional structure of the system of precedent control by complex technological unit is developed, including a subsystem of retrospective optimization of actually implemented control programs. As an example, the problem of constructing replaceable planograms for the operation of the link of a heading-and-winning machine on the basis of precedents is considered.

GONAF - the borehole Geophysical Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault in the eastern Sea of Marmara

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohnhoff, Marco; Dresen, Georg; Ceken, Ulubey; Tuba Kadirioglu, Filiz; Feyiz Kartal, Recai; Kilic, Tugbay; Nurlu, Murat; Yanik, Kenan; Acarel, Digdem; Bulut, Fatih; Ito, Hisao; Johnson, Wade; Malin, Peter Eric; Mencin, Dave

2017-05-01

The Marmara section of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) runs under water and is located less than 20 km from the 15-million-person population center of Istanbul in its eastern portion. Based on historical seismicity data, recurrence times forecast an impending magnitude M>7 earthquake for this region. The permanent GONAF (Geophysical Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault) has been installed around this section to help capture the seismic and strain activity preceding, during, and after such an anticipated event.

Inflectional instabilities in the wall region of bounded turbulent shear flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swearingen, Jerry D.; Blackwelder, Ron F.; Spalart, Philippe R.

1987-01-01

The primary thrust of this research was to identify one or more mechanisms responsible for strong turbulence production events in the wall region of bounded turbulent shear flows. Based upon previous work in a transitional boundary layer, it seemed highly probable that the production events were preceded by an inflectional velocity profile which formed on the interface between the low-speed streak and the surrounding fluid. In bounded transitional flows, this unstable profile developed velocity fluctuations in the streamwise direction and in the direction perpendicular to the sheared surface. The rapid growth of these instabilities leads to a breakdown and production of turbulence. Since bounded turbulent flows have many of the same characteristics, they may also experience a similar type of breakdown and turbulence production mechanism.

Events at the turn of the Eocene and Oligocene in the Central Eurasia Region (middle latitudes)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhmetiev, M. A.; Gavrilov, Yu. O.; Zaporozhets, N. I.

2017-03-01

The Eocene and Oligocene transition sections (Priabonian-Rupelian) of the Aral-Turgai, West Siberian, Volga-Don, and Crimea-Caucasus regions have been studied in detail [1], and the global biospheric crisis events have been estimated at the turn of the Eocene and Oligocene. In spite of the idea of the gradual regression in the Priabonian with drainage of the inner sea basins, it has been established that shallowing of the sea was preceded by repeated transgression that continued for 1 Ma with warming up and humidification of the climate. The final regressive phase (130-200 ka) was accompanied by frequent eustatic and climatic fluctuations, reconstruction of the isotopic and geochemical background, and also the recurrence at the boundary between layers in certain continuous sections.

Premonitory urges and tics in Tourette syndrome: computational mechanisms and neural correlates.

PubMed

Conceição, Vasco A; Dias, Ângelo; Farinha, Ana C; Maia, Tiago V

2017-10-01

Tourette syndrome is characterized by open motor behaviors - tics - but another crucial aspect of the disorder is the presence of premonitory urges: uncomfortable sensations that typically precede tics and are temporarily alleviated by tics. We review the evidence implicating the somatosensory cortices and the insula in premonitory urges and the motor cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop in tics. We consider how these regions interact during tic execution, suggesting that the insula plays an important role as a nexus linking the sensory and emotional character of premonitory urges with their translation into tics. We also consider how these regions interact during tic learning, integrating the neural evidence with a computational perspective on how premonitory-urge alleviation reinforces tics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 80.170 - Volumetric additive reconciliation (VAR), equipment calibration, and recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., the preceding twelve months of VAR formula records plus the preceding two months of VAR supporting... request, the preceding two months of VAR formula records and VAR supporting documentation. (3) Facilities... accurately and separately measured, either through the use of a separate storage tank, a separate meter, or...

40 CFR 80.170 - Volumetric additive reconciliation (VAR), equipment calibration, and recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., the preceding twelve months of VAR formula records plus the preceding two months of VAR supporting... request, the preceding two months of VAR formula records and VAR supporting documentation. (3) Facilities... accurately and separately measured, either through the use of a separate storage tank, a separate meter, or...

40 CFR 80.170 - Volumetric additive reconciliation (VAR), equipment calibration, and recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., the preceding twelve months of VAR formula records plus the preceding two months of VAR supporting... request, the preceding two months of VAR formula records and VAR supporting documentation. (3) Facilities... accurately and separately measured, either through the use of a separate storage tank, a separate meter, or...

40 CFR 80.170 - Volumetric additive reconciliation (VAR), equipment calibration, and recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., the preceding twelve months of VAR formula records plus the preceding two months of VAR supporting... request, the preceding two months of VAR formula records and VAR supporting documentation. (3) Facilities... accurately and separately measured, either through the use of a separate storage tank, a separate meter, or...

40 CFR 80.170 - Volumetric additive reconciliation (VAR), equipment calibration, and recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., the preceding twelve months of VAR formula records plus the preceding two months of VAR supporting... request, the preceding two months of VAR formula records and VAR supporting documentation. (3) Facilities... accurately and separately measured, either through the use of a separate storage tank, a separate meter, or...

Perspective-Free Pragmatics: Broken Precedents and the Recovery-from-Preemption Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kronmuller, Edmundo; Barr, Dale J.

2007-01-01

When speakers refer to the same referent multiple times in a conversation, they tend to follow established patterns of usage, known as "conversational precedents." Research has found that listeners expect speakers to follow precedents, and that this expectation guides their search for referents (Barr, D. J., & Keysar, B. (2002). "Anchoring…

26 CFR 25.2504-1 - Taxable gifts for preceding calendar periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Taxable gifts for preceding calendar periods... (CONTINUED) ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES GIFT TAX; GIFTS MADE AFTER DECEMBER 31, 1954 Determination of Tax Liability § 25.2504-1 Taxable gifts for preceding calendar periods. (a) In order to determine the correct gift...

An improved car-following model with multiple preceding cars' velocity fluctuation feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Lantian; Zhao, Xiangmo; Yu, Shaowei; Li, Xiuhai; Shi, Zhongke

2017-04-01

In order to explore and evaluate the effects of velocity variation trend of multiple preceding cars used in the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) strategy on the dynamic characteristic, fuel economy and emission of the corresponding traffic flow, we conduct a study as follows: firstly, with the real-time car-following (CF) data, the close relationship between multiple preceding cars' velocity fluctuation feedback and the host car's behaviors is explored, the evaluation results clearly show that multiple preceding cars' velocity fluctuation with different time window-width are highly correlated to the host car's acceleration/deceleration. Then, a microscopic traffic flow model is proposed to evaluate the effects of multiple preceding cars' velocity fluctuation feedback in the CACC strategy on the traffic flow evolution process. Finally, numerical simulations on fuel economy and exhaust emission of the traffic flow are also implemented by utilizing VT-micro model. Simulation results prove that considering multiple preceding cars' velocity fluctuation feedback in the control strategy of the CACC system can improve roadway traffic mobility, fuel economy and exhaust emission performance.

Emotion strengthens high priority memory traces but weakens low priority memory traces

PubMed Central

Sakaki, Michiko; Fryer, Kellie; Mather, Mara

2014-01-01

When encountering emotional events, memory for those events is typically enhanced. But it has been unclear how emotionally arousing events influence memory for preceding information. Does emotional arousal induce retrograde amnesia or retrograde enhancement? The current study revealed that this depends on the top-down goal relevance of the preceding information. Across three studies, we found that emotional arousal induced by one image facilitated memory for the preceding neutral item when people prioritized that neutral item. In contrast, an emotional image impaired memory for the preceding neutral item when people did not prioritize that neutral item. Emotional arousal elicited by negative and positive pictures both showed this pattern of enhancing or impairing memory for the preceding stimulus depending on its priority. These results indicate that emotional arousal amplifies the effects of top-down priority in memory formation. PMID:24311478

[Prevalence of intimate partner violence and its impact on women's mental health in rural western China: a study of a county in Ningxia].

PubMed

Gao, Yan-qiu; Jacka, Tamara

2012-06-18

To understand the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its impact on women's mental health in rural western China. Using the revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and a questionnaire designed by the authors, a sample of 1 577 women was surveyed in a county in Ningxia. In the study, 24.6% of the women reported had suffered psychological aggression in the preceding year, with the prevalence rates of minor and severe psychological aggression being 23.9% and 7.0% respectively; 5.5% of the women had suffered physical assault in the preceding year, with the rates of minor and severe physical assault being 4.4% and 4.1% respectively. And 1.1% of the women reported had suffered sexual coercion in the preceding year; 2.2% of the women reported received physical injuries as a result of IPV in the preceding year, with the rates of minor and severe physical injury being 2.1% and 1.0% respectively. The lifetime prevalence of psychological aggression, physical assault, and sexual coercion was 30%, 16.3%, and 1.8% respectively. Among the women, 6.4% reported had been physically injured by IPV during their lifetime. Three aspects of women's mental health were considered: mental health symptoms in the preceding month, suicidal ideation in the preceding year and self-reported mental health in the preceding year. Linear regression and Logistic regression showed that, when age, family income and whether or not the woman's husband was a migrant worker was taken in to account, IPV remained an important factor influencing women's mental health, with those who had suffered physical aggression or physical assault reporting more mental health symptoms in the preceding month. The women who had suffered psychological aggression in the preceding year were 3.98 times more likely to have had suicidal thoughts in the preceding year and 1.67 times more likely to report poor mental health than those who had not suffered psychological aggression. The women who had suffered physical assault in the preceding year were 4.72 times more likely to have had suicidal thoughts in the preceding year and 4.57 times more likely to report poor mental health than those who had not suffered physical assault. The study also revealed that elderly women and those with very low family incomes were at high risk of having mental health problems. Domestic violence poses a severe threat to women's physical and mental health. In future, effective measures must be taken to reduce the prevalence of all forms of IPV in rural areas, so as to protect women and improve their quality of life.

Surveillance for Health Care Access and Health Services Use, Adults Aged 18-64 Years - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2014.

PubMed

Okoro, Catherine A; Zhao, Guixiang; Fox, Jared B; Eke, Paul I; Greenlund, Kurt J; Town, Machell

2017-02-24

As a result of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, millions of U.S. adults attained health insurance coverage. However, millions of adults remain uninsured or underinsured. Compared with adults without barriers to health care, adults who lack health insurance coverage, have coverage gaps, or skip or delay care because of limited personal finances might face increased risk for poor physical and mental health and premature mortality. 2014. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing, state-based, landline- and cellular-telephone survey of noninstitutionalized adults aged ≥18 years residing in the United States. Data are collected from states, the District of Columbia, and participating U.S. territories on health risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, health care access, and use of clinical preventive services (CPS). An optional Health Care Access module was included in the 2014 BRFSS. This report summarizes 2014 BRFSS data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia on health care access and use of selected CPS recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices among working-aged adults (aged 18-64 years), by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region, and federal poverty level (FPL). This report also provides analysis of primary type of health insurance coverage at the time of interview, continuity of health insurance coverage during the preceding 12 months, and other health care access measures (i.e., unmet health care need because of cost, unmet prescription need because of cost, medical debt [medical bills being paid off over time], number of health care visits during the preceding year, and satisfaction with received health care) from 43 states that included questions from the optional BRFSS Health Care Access module. In 2014, health insurance coverage and other health care access measures varied substantially by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region (i.e., states categorized geographically into nine regions), and FPL category. The following proportions refer to the range of estimated prevalence for health insurance and other health care access measures by examined geographical unit (unless otherwise specified), as reported by respondents. Among adults with health insurance coverage, the range was 70.8%-94.5% for states, 78.8%-94.5% for Medicaid expansion states, 70.8%-89.1% for nonexpansion states, 73.3%-91.0% for expanded geographic regions, and 64.2%-95.8% for FPL categories. Among adults who had a usual source of health care, the range was 57.2%-86.6% for states, 57.2%-86.6% for Medicaid expansion states, 61.8%-83.9% for nonexpansion states, 64.4%-83.6% for expanded geographic regions, and 61.0%-81.6% for FPL categories. Among adults who received a routine checkup, the range was 52.1%-75.5% for states, 56.0%-75.5% for Medicaid expansion states, 52.1%-71.1% for nonexpansion states, 56.8%-70.2% for expanded geographic regions, and 59.9%-69.2% for FPL categories. Among adults who had unmet health care need because of cost, the range was 8.0%-23.1% for states, 8.0%-21.9% for Medicaid expansion states, 11.9%-23.1% for nonexpansion states, 11.6%-20.3% for expanded geographic regions, and 5.3%-32.9% for FPL categories. Estimated prevalence of cancer screenings, influenza vaccination, and having ever been tested for human immunodeficiency virus also varied by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region, and FPL category. The prevalence of insurance coverage varied by approximately 25 percentage points among racial/ethnic groups (range: 63.9% among Hispanics to 88.4% among non-Hispanic Asians) and by approximately 32 percentage points by FPL category (range: 64.2% among adults with household income <100% of FPL to 95.8% among adults with household income >400% of FPL). The prevalence of unmet health care need because of cost varied by nearly 14 percentage points among racial/ethnic groups (range: 11.3% among non-Hispanic Asians to 25.0% among Hispanics), by approximately 17 percentage points among adults with and without disabilities (30.8% versus 13.7%), and by approximately 28 percentage points by FPL category (range: 5.3% among adults with household income >400% of FPL to 32.9% among adults with household income <100% of FPL). Among the 43 states that included questions from the optional module, a majority of adults reported private health insurance coverage (63.4%), followed by public health plan coverage (19.4%) and no primary source of insurance (17.1%). Financial barriers to health care (unmet health care need because of cost, unmet prescribed medication need because of cost, and medical bills being paid off over time [medical debt]) were typically lower among adults in Medicaid expansion states than those in nonexpansion states regardless of source of insurance. Approximately 75.6% of adults reported being continuously insured during the preceding 12 months, 12.9% reported a gap in coverage, and 11.5% reported being uninsured during the preceding 12 months. The largest proportion of adults reported ≥3 visits to a health care professional during the preceding 12 months (47.3%), followed by 1-2 visits (37.1%), and no health care visits (15.6%). Adults in expansion and nonexpansion states reported similar levels of satisfaction with received health care by primary source of health insurance coverage and by continuity of health insurance coverage during the preceding 12 months. This report presents for the first time estimates of population-based health care access and use of CPS among adults aged 18-64 years. The findings in this report indicate substantial variations in health insurance coverage; other health care access measures; and use of CPS by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region, and FPL category. In 2014, health insurance coverage, having a usual source of care, having a routine checkup, and not experiencing unmet health care need because of cost were higher among adults living below the poverty level (i.e., household income <100% of FPL) in states that expanded Medicaid than in states that did not. Similarly, estimates of breast and cervical cancer screening and influenza vaccination were higher among adults living below the poverty level in states that expanded Medicaid than in states that did not. These disparities might be due to larger differences to begin with, decreased disparities in Medicaid expansion states versus nonexpansion states, or increased disparities in nonexpansion states. BRFSS data from 2014 can be used as a baseline by which to assess and monitor changes that might occur after 2014 resulting from programs and policies designed to increase access to health care, reduce health disparities, and improve the health of the adult population. Post-2014 changes in health care access, such as source of health insurance coverage, attainment and continuity of coverage, financial barriers, preventive care services, and health outcomes, can be monitored using these baseline estimates.

General contrast effects in speech perception: effect of preceding liquid on stop consonant identification.

PubMed

Lotto, A J; Kluender, K R

1998-05-01

When members of a series of synthesized stop consonants varying acoustically in F3 characteristics and varying perceptually from /da/ to /ga/ are preceded by /al/, subjects report hearing more /ga/ syllables relative to when each member is preceded by /ar/ (Mann, 1980). It has been suggested that this result demonstrates the existence of a mechanism that compensates for coarticulation via tacit knowledge of articulatory dynamics and constraints, or through perceptual recovery of vocal-tract dynamics. The present study was designed to assess the degree to which these perceptual effects are specific to qualities of human articulatory sources. In three experiments, series of consonant-vowel (CV) stimuli varying in F3-onset frequency (/da/-/ga/) were preceded by speech versions or nonspeech analogues of /al/ and /ar/. The effect of liquid identity on stop consonant labeling remained when the preceding VC was produced by a female speaker and the CV syllable was modeled after a male speaker's productions. Labeling boundaries also shifted when the CV was preceded by a sine wave glide modeled after F3 characteristics of /al/ and /ar/. Identifications shifted even when the preceding sine wave was of constant frequency equal to the offset frequency of F3 from a natural production. These results suggest an explanation in terms of general auditory processes as opposed to recovery of or knowledge of specific articulatory dynamics.

Interaction between regional and magma-induced stresses and their impact on volcano-tectonic seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vargas-Bracamontes, D. M.; Neuberg, J. W.

2012-10-01

Recent seismological observations have reported volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes with fault-plane solutions exhibiting a change of ~ 90° in their pressure axes relative to the regional stress field. Interestingly, they are recorded mainly during periods preceding eruptive activity and coexisting with those VTs showing a regional trend. This study explains the occurrence of such trends in VT seismicity and discusses the possible patterns of earthquake locations related to the interaction of regional and magma-induced stresses caused by pressurization or depressurization of magmatic sources. Our analysis shows that in the presence of a dominant regional stress field, faulting will occur on faults whose associated slip direction is close to or in agreement with the background regional stress. Failure on faults with an opposite slip direction is unlikely to occur. As magma pressure starts counter-acting the regional stresses, the likelihood of faults to slip in either a regional or opposite sense of slip relative to regional maximum compression increases, allowing the co-existence of possible failure with both slip tendencies, however the spatial distribution of possible faulting differs. As the pressure is progressively increased, the stress patterns gradually approach those corresponding to the absence of a regional stress field. The presented modeling results have implications for volcanic monitoring routines aiming to detect changes in stress patterns. They will ultimately help to improve the correct interpretation of volcano-tectonic seismicity.

26 CFR 25.2504-2 - Determination of gifts for preceding calendar periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Determination of gifts for preceding calendar... (CONTINUED) ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES GIFT TAX; GIFTS MADE AFTER DECEMBER 31, 1954 Determination of Tax Liability § 25.2504-2 Determination of gifts for preceding calendar periods. (a) Gifts made before August 6, 1997...

Factors Affecting the Geo-effectiveness of Shocks and Sheaths at 1 AU

PubMed Central

Lugaz, N.; Farrugia, C. J.; Winslow, R. M.; Al-Haddad, N.; Kilpua, E. K. J.; Riley, P.

2018-01-01

We identify all fast-mode forward shocks, whose sheath regions resulted in a moderate (56 cases) or intense (38 cases) geomagnetic storm during 18.5 years from January 1997 to June 2015. We study their main properties, interplanetary causes and geo-effects. We find that half (49/94) such shocks are associated with interacting coronal mass ejections (CMEs), as they are either shocks propagating into a preceding CME (35 cases) or a shock propagating into the sheath region of a preceding shock (14 cases). About half (22/45) of the shocks driven by isolated transients and which have geo-effective sheaths compress pre-existing southward Bz. Most of the remaining sheaths appear to have planar structures with southward magnetic fields, including some with planar structures consistent with field line draping ahead of the magnetic ejecta. A typical (median) geo-effective shock-sheath structure drives a geomagnetic storm with peak Dst of −88 nT, pushes the subsolar magnetopause location to 6.3 RE, i.e. below geosynchronous orbit and is associated with substorms with a peak AL-index of −1350 nT. There are some important differences between sheaths associated with CME-CME interaction (stronger storms) and those associated with isolated CMEs (stronger compression of the magnetosphere). We detail six case studies of different types of geo-effective shock-sheaths, as well as two events for which there was no geomagnetic storm but other magnetospheric effects. Finally, we discuss our results in terms of space weather forecasting, and potential effects on Earth’s radiation belts. PMID:29629250

Factors Affecting the Geo-effectiveness of Shocks and Sheaths at 1 AU.

PubMed

Lugaz, N; Farrugia, C J; Winslow, R M; Al-Haddad, N; Kilpua, E K J; Riley, P

2016-11-01

We identify all fast-mode forward shocks, whose sheath regions resulted in a moderate (56 cases) or intense (38 cases) geomagnetic storm during 18.5 years from January 1997 to June 2015. We study their main properties, interplanetary causes and geo-effects. We find that half (49/94) such shocks are associated with interacting coronal mass ejections (CMEs), as they are either shocks propagating into a preceding CME (35 cases) or a shock propagating into the sheath region of a preceding shock (14 cases). About half (22/45) of the shocks driven by isolated transients and which have geo-effective sheaths compress pre-existing southward B z . Most of the remaining sheaths appear to have planar structures with southward magnetic fields, including some with planar structures consistent with field line draping ahead of the magnetic ejecta. A typical (median) geo-effective shock-sheath structure drives a geomagnetic storm with peak Dst of -88 nT, pushes the subsolar magnetopause location to 6.3 R E , i.e. below geosynchronous orbit and is associated with substorms with a peak AL-index of -1350 nT. There are some important differences between sheaths associated with CME-CME interaction (stronger storms) and those associated with isolated CMEs (stronger compression of the magnetosphere). We detail six case studies of different types of geo-effective shock-sheaths, as well as two events for which there was no geomagnetic storm but other magnetospheric effects. Finally, we discuss our results in terms of space weather forecasting, and potential effects on Earth's radiation belts.

Survival of patients with chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms and new primary cancers: a population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Frederiksen, Henrik; Farkas, Dóra Körmendiné; Christiansen, Christian Fynbo; Larsen, Thomas Stauffer; Hasselbalch, Hans Carl; Stentoft, Jesper; Sørensen, Henrik Toft

2015-07-01

Patients with chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms are at increased risk of new solid or haematological cancers, but how prognosis is affected in patients with preceding myeloproliferative neoplasms is unclear. We used data from population-based medical databases in Denmark from 1980 to 2011 to compare survival between cancer patients with and without a preceding diagnosis of myeloproliferative neoplasm, matched for age, sex, year of diagnosis, and type of cancer. We assessed outcomes by cancer stage and comorbidities. Data were available for 1246 patients with a history of myeloproliferative neoplasms and we matched 5155 patients without a history of myeloproliferative neoplasm for comparison. Among patients with new localised solid cancers, 5-year survival was 49.8% (95% CI 39.1-59.6) for patients with preceding essential thrombocythaemia, 47·9% (42·1-53·4) for those with preceding polycythaemia vera, and 48.0% (34.1-60.7) for those with preceding chronic myeloid leukaemia. The values were 72.4% (68.4-76.0), 63.9% (61.5-66.2), and 74.3% (68.2-79.4), respectively, in matched patients without preceding myeloproliferative neoplasms. The risk of death among patients with a solid tumour and preceding myeloproliferative neoplasm was 1.21-2.28 times higher than in patients without myeloproliferative neoplasms. Excess mortality risk was observed irrespective of whether new cancers were diagnosed within 5 years or 5 years or more after myeloproliferative neoplasm. Preceding myeloproliferative neoplasm is a predictor for poor outlook in patients who develop new primary cancers. Lundbeck and Novo Nordisk Foundation Programme for Clinical Research Infrastructure, Danish Cancer Society, and Aarhus University Research Foundation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emotion strengthens high-priority memory traces but weakens low-priority memory traces.

PubMed

Sakaki, Michiko; Fryer, Kellie; Mather, Mara

2014-02-01

When people encounter emotional events, their memory for those events is typically enhanced. But it has been unclear how emotionally arousing events influence memory for preceding information. Does emotional arousal induce retrograde amnesia or retrograde enhancement? The current study revealed that this depends on the top-down goal relevance of the preceding information. Across three studies, we found that emotional arousal induced by one image facilitated memory for the preceding neutral item when people prioritized that neutral item. In contrast, an emotionally arousing image impaired memory for the preceding neutral item when people did not prioritize that neutral item. Emotional arousal elicited by both negative and positive pictures showed this pattern of enhancing or impairing memory for the preceding stimulus depending on its priority. These results indicate that emotional arousal amplifies the effects of top-down priority in memory formation.

Prevalence of asthma in children and adolescents in a city in the Brazilian Amazon region.

PubMed

Rosa, Antonia Maria; Ignotti, Eliane; Hacon, Sandra de Souza; Castro, Hermano Albuquerque de

2009-01-01

To analyze the prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in students of two distinct age brackets residing in the city of Tangará da Serra, Brazil. Cross-sectional, population-based study of the prevalence of asthma in children from 6 to 7 years of age and adolescents from 13 to 14, using the standardized International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, phase 1 questionnaire, validated for use in Brazil. Students who responded affirmatively to question 2 (presence of wheezing in the preceding 12 months) were classified as suffering from asthma. The study comprised 3,362 students, of whom 1,634 (48.6%) were children and 1,728 (51.4%) were adolescents. Of the 1,634 children, 816 (49.9%) were male, and 818 (50.1%) were female. Of the 1,728 adolescents, 773 (45.0%) were male, and 955 (55.0%) were female. The prevalence of asthma among the children was 25.2%, whereas that among the adolescents was 15.9% (chi2 = 8.34; p = 0.00). The children presented higher prevalences of the following symptoms of asthma than did the adolescents: wheezing ever (54.3%), nocturnal dry cough (43.9%), wheezing in the preceding 12 months (25.2%), and from 1 to 3 attacks of wheezing in the preceding 12 months (19.1%). There were no differences between the two groups regarding physician-diagnosed asthma (approximately 4.5%). There were no statistical differences regarding the prevalence of asthma by gender in the two groups. Tangará da Serra has a high prevalence of asthma in children and adolescents, and this result is compatible with other studies carried out in Brazil and Latin America using the same methodology.

Effect of ultrasonography surveillance in patients with liver cancer: a population-based longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Chiang, Jui-Kun; Chih-Wen, Lin; Kao, Yee-Hsin

2017-01-01

Objective Liver cancer is a growing global public health problem. Ultrasonography is an imaging tool widely used for the early diagnosis of liver cancer. However, the effect of ultrasonography surveillance (US) on the survival of patients with liver cancer is unknown. Therefore, this study examined the association between survival and US frequency during the 2 years preceding patients’ liver cancer diagnosis. Methods This population-based longitudinal study was conducted in Taiwan, a region with high liver cancer incidence, by using the National Health Insurance Research Database. We compared survival between patients who received US three times or more (≥3 group) and less than three times (<3 group) during the 2 years preceding their liver cancer diagnosis, and identified the predictors for the ≥3 group. Results This study enrolled 4621 patients with liver cancer who had died between 1997 and 2010. The median survival rate was higher in the ≥3 group (1.42 years) than in the <3 group (0.51 years). Five-year survival probability was also significantly higher in the ≥3 group (14.4%) than in the <3 group (7.7%). The multivariate logistic regression results showed that the three most common positive predictors for receiving three or more US sessions were indications of viral hepatitis, gallbladder diseases and kidney–urinary–bladder diseases; the most common negative predictors for receiving three or more US sessions were male sex and indications of abdominal pain. Conclusion Patients with liver cancer who received US three times or more during the 2 years preceding their liver cancer diagnosis exhibited a higher 5-year survival probability. PMID:28645973

The LCO/Gemini-South campaign for Deep Impact target Comet 9P/Tempel 1: Temporally resolved wide-field narrowband imaging results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lederer, S. M.; Osip, D. J.; Thomas-Osip, J. E.; DeBuizer, J. M.; Mondragon, L. A.; Schweiger, D. L.; Viehweg, J.; SB Collaboration

2005-08-01

An extensive observing campaign to monitor Comet 9P/Tempel 1 will be conducted from 20 June to 19 July, 2005 at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. These observations will precede and follow the impact of the Deep Impact projectile, which is likely to create a crater on the nucleus that will act as a fresh active area on the surface of the comet. Discreet nucleus active areas, believed to be the source of coma gas and dust jets, will likely result in changing morphology in the coma. We present the initial results of the wide-field narrowband visible imaging of the comet. Data will be taken with the 2.5m DuPont telescope from 27 June - 9 July, following the comet from 4 rotations prior to impact, to 4 rotations after impact using the narrowband Hale-Bopp filters, including CN, C2, and two continuum filters. These data will allow an accurate determination of the rotation state of the embedded nucleus immediately preceding the impact event as well as a measure of any changes to the rotation state due to the impact. In addition, modeling of these data will provide the total dust and gas production rates from the unaltered nucleus compared to the enhanced dust and gas emission from the newly created active region and freely sublimating pieces of mantle material ejected into the coma by the impactor. We will monitor temporal changes (on hours and days time-scales) in the morphology of both the gas and refractory components. We will use coma morphology studies to estimate the dust and gas outflow velocities and infer the presence of discreet nucleus source regions (pre- and post-impact). Of particular interest is the study of the gas-to-dust ratio and the ratio of the minor carbon species emitted from the newly created active region relative to the pre-impact coma environment.

A T-DNA gene required for agropine biosynthesis by transformed plants is functionally and evolutionarily related to a Ti plasmid gene required for catabolism of agropine by Agrobacterium strains.

PubMed Central

Hong, S B; Hwang, I; Dessaux, Y; Guyon, P; Kim, K S; Farrand, S K

1997-01-01

The mechanisms that ensure that Ti plasmid T-DNA genes encoding proteins involved in the biosynthesis of opines in crown gall tumors are always matched by Ti plasmid genes conferring the ability to catabolize that set of opines on the inducing Agrobacterium strains are unknown. The pathway for the biosynthesis of the opine agropine is thought to require an enzyme, mannopine cyclase, coded for by the ags gene located in the T(R) region of octopine-type Ti plasmids. Extracts prepared from agropine-type tumors contained an activity that cyclized mannopine to agropine. Tumor cells containing a T region in which ags was mutated lacked this activity and did not contain agropine. Expression of ags from the lac promoter conferred mannopine-lactonizing activity on Escherichia coli. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains harboring an octopine-type Ti plasmid exhibit a similar activity which is not coded for by ags. Analysis of the DNA sequence of the gene encoding this activity, called agcA, showed it to be about 60% identical to T-DNA ags genes. Relatedness decreased abruptly in the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the genes. ags is preceded by a promoter that functions only in the plant. Expression analysis showed that agcA also is preceded by its own promoter, which is active in the bacterium. Translation of agcA yielded a protein of about 45 kDa, consistent with the size predicted from the DNA sequence. Antibodies raised against the agcA product cross-reacted with the anabolic enzyme. These results indicate that the agropine system arose by a duplication of a progenitor gene, one copy of which became associated with the T-DNA and the other copy of which remained associated with the bacterium. PMID:9244272

Drought and Snow: Analysis of Drivers, Processes and Impacts of Streamflow Droughts in Snow-Dominated Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Loon, Anne; Laaha, Gregor; Van Lanen, Henny; Parajka, Juraj; Fleig, Anne; Ploum, Stefan

2016-04-01

Around the world, drought events with severe socio-economic impacts seem to have a link with winter snowpack. That is the case for the current California drought, but analysing historical archives and drought impact databases for the US and Europe we found many impacts that can be attributed to snowpack anomalies. Agriculture and electricity production (hydropower) were found to be the sectors that are most affected by drought related to snow. In this study, we investigated the processes underlying hydrological drought in snow-dominated regions. We found that drought drivers are different in different regions. In Norway, more than 90% of spring streamflow droughts were preceded by below-average winter precipitation, while both winter air temperature and spring weather were indifferent. In Austria, however, spring streamflow droughts could only be explained by a combination of factors. For most events, winter and spring air temperatures were above average (70% and 65% of events, respectively), and winter and spring precipitation was below average (75% and 80%). Because snow storage results from complex interactions between precipitation and temperature and these variables vary strongly with altitude, snow-related drought drivers have a large spatial variability. The weather input is subsequently modified by land properties. Multiple linear regression between drought severity variables and a large number of catchment characteristics for 44 catchments in Austria showed that storage influences both drought duration and deficit volume. The seasonal storage of water in snow and glaciers was found to be a statistically important variable explaining streamflow drought deficit. Our drought impact analysis in Europe also showed that 40% of the selected drought impacts was caused by a combination of snow-related and other drought types. For example, the combination of a winter drought with a preceding or subsequent summer drought was reported to have a large effect on reservoir levels and, consequently, on drinking water and electricity production. Snow storage therefore, is an important factor to consider in drought monitoring, prediction and management.

Drought and Snow: Analysis of Drivers, Processes and Impacts of Streamflow Droughts in Snow-Dominated Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Loon, A.; Laaha, G.; Van Lanen, H.; Parajka, J.; Fleig, A. K.; Ploum, S.

2015-12-01

Around the world, drought events with severe socio-economic impacts seem to have a link with winter snowpack. That is the case for the current California drought, but analysing historical archives and drought impact databases for the US and Europe we found many impacts that can be attributed to snowpack anomalies. Agriculture and electricity production (hydropower) were found to be the sectors that are most affected by drought related to snow. In this study, we investigated the processes underlying hydrological drought in snow-dominated regions. We found that drought drivers are different in different regions. In Norway, more than 90% of spring streamflow droughts were preceded by below-average winter precipitation, while both winter air temperature and spring weather were indifferent. In Austria, however, spring streamflow droughts could only be explained by a combination of factors. For most events, winter and spring air temperatures were above average (70% and 65% of events, respectively), and winter and spring precipitation was below average (75% and 80%). Because snow storage results from complex interactions between precipitation and temperature and these variables vary strongly with altitude, snow-related drought drivers have a large spatial variability. The weather input is subsequently modified by land properties. Multiple linear regression between drought severity variables and a large number of catchment characteristics for 44 catchments in Austria showed that storage influences both drought duration and deficit volume. The seasonal storage of water in snow and glaciers was found to be a statistically important variable explaining streamflow drought deficit. Our drought impact analysis in Europe also showed that 40% of the selected drought impacts was caused by a combination of snow-related and other drought types. For example, the combination of a winter drought with a preceding or subsequent summer drought was reported to have a large effect on reservoir levels and, consequently, on drinking water and electricity production. Snow storage therefore, is an important factor to consider in drought monitoring, prediction and management.

On the relationship between boreal forest browning and tree mortality: insights from Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, B. M.; Goetz, S. J.

2015-12-01

Long-term satellite measurements of vegetation productivity in high-latitude environments have revealed profound and widespread responses to climate warming. Although warmer and longer summers are causing the Arctic to "green", many regions of boreal forest are showing the opposite response, particularly since the mid 1990s. This "browning" phenomenon was generally unexpected at the time of discovery, is not captured by global models, and may have profound consequences for the boreal biome. A number of studies have linked satellite-based browning trends to tree productivity through tree rings. However, our understanding of the environmental controls and ecosystem consequences of browning remains remarkably limited. Here we examine to what extent browning patterns are related to a fundamental demographic process: tree mortality. We focus on a long-term inventory database in Alaska to characterize mortality events and trends from 1994 to 2014. These patterns were related to vegetation productivity indices from MODIS and the AVHRR-based GIMMS3g data set. We explore three central hypotheses: (1) mortality events are likely to be preceded by 5-10 year browning trends ("press stress"), (2) mortality events are likely to be preceded by distinct pulses of low productivity ("pulse stress"), and (3) long-term trends in mortality are related to long-term browning. Within our study region, which encompasses eastern Alaskan from the Pacific coastal mountains up through the interior, we find strong evidence for the first two hypotheses. The third is weakly supported, which may be a consequence of the episodic nature of mortality in the region. However, preliminary analyses in the southern Canadian boreal reveal a markedly stronger relationship between long-term mortality and browning. Taken together, our study suggests a robust correlation between satellite-based metrics of productivity and forest demography; one that has consequences for forest composition, carbon stocks, and early signs of a biome shift in boreal forests.

Influence of Soils, Riparian Zones, and Hydrology on Nutrients, Herbicides, and Biological Relations in Midwestern Agricultural Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, S.

2001-12-01

Chemical, biological, and habitat conditions were characterized in 70 streams in the upper Mississippi River basin during August 1997, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The study was designed to evaluate algal and macroinvertebrate responses to high agricultural intensity in relation to nonpoint sources of nutrients and herbicides, characteristics of basin soils, wooded-riparian vegetation, and hydrology. Concentrations and forms of nutrients, herbicides and their metabolites, and seston constituents varied significantly with regional differences in soil properties, ground and surface water relations, density of riparian trees, and precedent rainfall-runoff conditions. Dissolved nitrate concentrations were relatively low in streams with high algal productivity; however, nitrate concentrations increased with basin water yield, which was associated with the regional distribution of rainfall during the month prior to the study. Stream productivity and respiration were positively correlated with seston (phytoplankton) chlorophyll concentrations, which were significantly larger in streams in areas with poorly drained soils and low riparian-tree density. Concentrations of dissolved phosphorus were low in streams where periphyton biomass was high. Periphyton biomass was relatively larger in streams with clear water and low abundance of macroinvertebrates that consume algae. Periphyton biomass decreased rapidly with modest increases in the abundance of scrapers such as snails and certain mayfly taxa. Differences in dissolved oxygen, organic carbon, stream velocity, and precedent hydrologic conditions explained much of the variance in macroinvertebrate community structure. The overall number of macroinvertebrate species and number of mayfly, caddisfly, and stonefly (EPT) taxa that are sensitive to organic enrichment were largest in streams with moderate periphyton biomass, in areas with moderately-well drained soils and high riparian-tree density. Regional differences in hydrologic processes can account for significant differences or gradients in chemical and biological conditions in streams that drain a relatively homogeneous landscape.

Lightning Channels of Cloud-to-Ground Flashes Neutralizing Multiple Charge Regions Inside Winter Thunderclouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akita, Manabu; Yoshida, Satoru; Nakamura, Yoshitaka; Morimoto, Takeshi; Ushio, Tomoo; Kawasaki, Zen-Ichiro; Wang, Daohong

Lightning Research Group of Osaka University (LRG-OU) has been developing and improving the VHF broadband digital interferometer (DITF) for thunderstorm observations. It enables us to locate the impulsive VHF radiation sources caused by lightning discharges with extremely high resolutions. As a result of the VHF observations during the 2007-2008 winter season in the Japan Sea coastal area, cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes that neutralize multiple charge regions inside thunderclouds are visualized by the VHF broadband DITF. The first flash is the positive CG flash that neutralizes multiple positive charge regions in a flash. The second flash is the bipolar lightning flash that neutralizes both positive and negative charge inside thunderclouds. In the case of bipolar lightning flashes, some tens millisecond after the return strokes, the subsequent negative breakdowns initiate from the proximities of the initiation points of the preceding negative stepped leaders. It was also found that the altitudes of negative charge regions are lower than 2km. The bipolar lightning flashes observed in this campaign neutralize positive charge after lowering the negative charge to the ground.

Gross rearrangements within the 5'-untranslated region of the picornaviral genomes.

PubMed

Pilipenko, E V; Blinov, V M; Agol, V I

1990-06-11

An analysis of reported nucleotide sequences revealed several cases of gross rearrangements in the 5'-untranslated region (5-UTR) of picornaviral genomes. A large (greater than 100 nt) duplication was discovered in a downstream region of poliovirus 5-UTR involved in the translational control. Properties of the poliovirus mutants with large deletions [Kuge and Nomoto (1987) J. Virol. 61, 1478-1487] show that a single copy of the appropriate repeating unit is compatible with a wild type phenotype of the virus. In contrast to poliovirus and another enterovirus genomes, human rhinovirus RNAs contain only a single copy of this repeating unit. Another similarly large repeat was found in an upstream segment of the bovine enterovirus 5-UTR. A comparison of the primary and secondary structures of cardio- and aphthovirus 5-UTRs demonstrated the existence of a large (ca. 250 nucleotides) insertion/deletion in a region preceding the poly(C) tract. The two latter rearrangements appear to involve elements of the viral genome replication machinery. Possible origin as well as evolutionary and functional implications of these structural peculiarities are discussed.

Remodeling of the neuromuscular junction precedes sarcopenia related alterations in myofibers.

PubMed

Deschenes, Michael R; Roby, Mackenzie A; Eason, Margaret K; Harris, M Brennan

2010-05-01

Several mechanisms contributing to the etiology of sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle size) have been postulated. One of these attributes the loss of muscle mass to a preceding age-related denervation of myofibers. The aim of this study was to determine if signs of denervation were apparent at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) before fiber atrophy, or fiber type conversion could be documented, and to reveal if a muscle's activity level impacts its sensitivity to age-related denervation. Plantaris and soleus muscles were obtained from young adult (10 months) and early aged (21 months) rats. Pre- and post-synaptic NMJ morphology was quantified with cytofluorescent staining of nerve terminal branches and endplate regions, respectively. Myofiber profiles (fiber size and fiber type composition) were assessed with histochemical procedures. Results show that in the lightly recruited plantaris, significant (P<0.05) signs of denervation were noted in aged rats, while the same muscles displayed no change in myofiber profile. In the heavily recruited soleus, however, there was little evidence of denervation, and again no alterations in myofiber profile. These results indicate that age-related denervation occurs before myofiber atrophy, and that high amounts of neuromuscular activity may delay the onset of age-related denervation and sarcopenia.

Centromere Pairing in Early Meiotic Prophase Requires Active Centromeres and Precedes Installation of the Synaptonemal Complex in Maize[W

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jing; Pawlowski, Wojciech P.; Han, Fangpu

2013-01-01

Pairing of homologous chromosomes in meiosis is critical for their segregation to daughter cells. In most eukaryotes, clustering of telomeres precedes and facilitates chromosome pairing. In several species, centromeres also form pairwise associations, known as coupling, before the onset of pairing. We found that, in maize (Zea mays), centromere association begins at the leptotene stage and occurs earlier than the formation of the telomere bouquet. We established that centromere pairing requires centromere activity and the sole presence of centromeric repeats is not sufficient for pairing. In several species, homologs of the ZIP1 protein, which forms the central element of the synaptonemal complex in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), play essential roles in centromere coupling. However, we found that the maize ZIP1 homolog ZYP1 installs in the centromeric regions of chromosomes after centromeres form associations. Instead, we found that maize STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE OF CHROMOSOMES6 homolog forms a central element of the synaptonemal complex, which is required for centromere associations. These data shed light on the poorly understood mechanism of centromere interactions and suggest that this mechanism may vary somewhat in different species. PMID:24143803

Centromere pairing in early meiotic prophase requires active centromeres and precedes installation of the synaptonemal complex in maize.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Pawlowski, Wojciech P; Han, Fangpu

2013-10-01

Pairing of homologous chromosomes in meiosis is critical for their segregation to daughter cells. In most eukaryotes, clustering of telomeres precedes and facilitates chromosome pairing. In several species, centromeres also form pairwise associations, known as coupling, before the onset of pairing. We found that, in maize (Zea mays), centromere association begins at the leptotene stage and occurs earlier than the formation of the telomere bouquet. We established that centromere pairing requires centromere activity and the sole presence of centromeric repeats is not sufficient for pairing. In several species, homologs of the ZIP1 protein, which forms the central element of the synaptonemal complex in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), play essential roles in centromere coupling. However, we found that the maize ZIP1 homolog ZYP1 installs in the centromeric regions of chromosomes after centromeres form associations. Instead, we found that maize structural maintenance of chromosomes6 homolog forms a central element of the synaptonemal complex, which is required for centromere associations. These data shed light on the poorly understood mechanism of centromere interactions and suggest that this mechanism may vary somewhat in different species.

Frictional-faulting model for harmonic tremor before Redoubt Volcano eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitrieva, Ksenia; Hotovec-Ellis, Alicia J.; Prejean, Stephanie; Dunham, Eric M.

2013-08-01

Seismic unrest, indicative of subsurface magma transport and pressure changes within fluid-filled cracks and conduits, often precedes volcanic eruptions. An intriguing form of volcano seismicity is harmonic tremor, that is, sustained vibrations in the range of 0.5-5Hz. Many source processes can generate harmonic tremor. Harmonic tremor in the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, has been linked to repeating earthquakes of magnitudes around 0.5-1.5 that occur a few kilometres beneath the vent. Before many explosions in that eruption, these small earthquakes occurred in such rapid succession--up to 30 events per second--that distinct seismic wave arrivals blurred into continuous, high-frequency tremor. Tremor abruptly ceased about 30 s before the explosions. Here we introduce a frictional-faulting model to evaluate the credibility and implications of this tremor mechanism. We find that the fault stressing rates rise to values ten orders of magnitude higher than in typical tectonic settings. At that point, inertial effects stabilize fault sliding and the earthquakes cease. Our model of the Redoubt Volcano observations implies that the onset of volcanic explosions is preceded by active deformation and extreme stressing within a localized region of the volcano conduit, at a depth of several kilometres.

New full velocity difference model considering the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference for car-following theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, You-Zhi; Zhang, Ning

2016-12-01

This paper proposes a new full velocity difference model considering the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference for car-following theory to investigate the effects of the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference on traffic flow instability when the driver reacts to the relative velocity. We obtain traffic flow instability condition and the calculation method of the unstable region headway range and the probability of traffic congestion caused by a small disturbance. The analysis shows that has important effects the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference on traffic flow instability: (1) traffic flow instability is independent of the absolute size of the driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient and depends on the ratio of the preceding vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient to the following vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient; (2) the smaller the ratio of the preceding vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient to the following vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient, the smaller traffic flow instability and vice versa. It provides some viable ideas to suppress traffic congestion.

Translation of the first upstream ORF in the hepatitis B virus pregenomic RNA modulates translation at the core and polymerase initiation codons

PubMed Central

Chen, Augustine; Kao, Y. F.; Brown, Chris M.

2005-01-01

The human hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a compact genome encoding four major overlapping coding regions: the core, polymerase, surface and X. The polymerase initiation codon is preceded by the partially overlapping core and four or more upstream initiation codons. There is evidence that several mechanisms are used to enable the synthesis of the polymerase protein, including leaky scanning and ribosome reinitiation. We have examined the first AUG in the pregenomic RNA, it precedes that of the core. It initiates an uncharacterized short upstream open reading frame (uORF), highly conserved in all HBV subtypes, we designated the C0 ORF. This arrangement suggested that expression of the core and polymerase may be affected by this uORF. Initiation at the C0 ORF was confirmed in reporter constructs in transfected cells. The C0 ORF had an inhibitory role in downstream expression from the core initiation site in HepG2 cells and in vitro, but also stimulated reinitiation at the polymerase start when in an optimal context. Our results indicate that the C0 ORF is a determinant in balancing the synthesis of the core and polymerase proteins. PMID:15731337

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

Chesny, D. L.; Oluseyi, H. M.; Orange, N. B.

Ubiquitous solar atmospheric coronal and transition region bright points (BPs) are compact features overlying strong concentrations of magnetic flux. Here, we utilize high-cadence observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory to provide the first observations of extreme ultraviolet quiet-Sun (QS) network BP activity associated with sigmoidal structuring. To our knowledge, this previously unresolved fine structure has never been associated with such small-scale QS events. This QS event precedes a bi-directional jet in a compact, low-energy, and low-temperature environment, where evidence is found in support of the typical fan-spine magnetic field topology. As in active regionsmore » and micro-sigmoids, the sigmoidal arcade is likely formed via tether-cutting reconnection and precedes peak intensity enhancements and eruptive activity. Our QS BP sigmoid provides a new class of small-scale structuring exhibiting self-organized criticality that highlights a multi-scaled self-similarity between large-scale, high-temperature coronal fields and the small-scale, lower-temperature QS network. Finally, our QS BP sigmoid elevates arguments for coronal heating contributions from cooler atmospheric layers, as this class of structure may provide evidence favoring mass, energy, and helicity injections into the heliosphere.« less

26 CFR 1.672(d)-1 - Power subject to condition precedent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Code, even though the exercise of the power is subject to a precedent giving of notice or takes effect... example, if a grantor creates a trust for the benefit of his son and retains a power to revoke which takes... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Power subject to condition precedent. 1.672(d)-1...

26 CFR 1.672(d)-1 - Power subject to condition precedent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the exercise of the power is subject to a precedent giving of notice or takes effect only after the... creates a trust for the benefit of his son and retains a power to revoke which takes effect only after the... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Power subject to condition precedent. 1.672(d)-1...

An improved car-following model accounting for the preceding car's taillight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Tang, Tie-Qiao; Yu, Shao-Wei

2018-02-01

During the deceleration process, the preceding car's taillight may have influences on its following car's driving behavior. In this paper, we propose an extended car-following model with consideration of the preceding car's taillight. Two typical situations are used to simulate each car's movement and study the effects of the preceding car's taillight on the driving behavior. Meanwhile, sensitivity analysis of the model parameter is in detail discussed. The numerical results show that the proposed model can improve the stability of traffic flow and the traffic safety can be enhanced without a decrease of efficiency especially when cars pass through a signalized intersection.

No evidence of conpopulation sperm precedence between allopatric populations of house mice.

PubMed

Firman, Renée C; Simmons, Leigh W

2014-01-01

Investigations into the evolution of reproductive barriers have traditionally focused on closely related species, and the prevalence of conspecific sperm precedence. The effectiveness of conspecific sperm precedence at limiting gene exchange between species suggests that gametic isolation is an important component of reproductive isolation. However, there is a paucity of tests for evidence of sperm precedence during the earlier stages of divergence, for example among isolated populations. Here, we sourced individuals from two allopatric populations of house mice (Mus domesticus) and performed competitive in vitro fertilisation assays to test for conpopulation sperm precedence specifically at the gametic level. We found that ova population origin did not influence the outcome of the sperm competitions, and thus provide no evidence of conpopulation or heteropopulation sperm precedence. Instead, we found that males from a population that had evolved under a high level of postcopulatory sexual selection consistently outcompeted males from a population that had evolved under a relatively lower level of postcopulatory sexual selection. We standardised the number of motile sperm of each competitor across the replicate assays. Our data therefore show that competitive fertilizing success was directly attributable to differences in sperm fertilizing competence.

Curbing gridlock: Peak-period fees to relieve traffic congestion. Volume 2. Commissioned papers. Special report

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

Not Available

1994-01-01

;Contents: Volume 2: Commissioned Papers: Congestion Trends in Metropolitan Areas; Alternative Methods for Measuring Congestion Levels; Potential of Congestion Pricing in the Metropolitan Washington Region; Transportation Pricing and Travel Behavior; Peak Pricing Strategies in Transportation, Utilities, and Telecommunications: Lessons for Road Pricing; Cashing Out Employer-Paid Parking: A Precedent for Congestion Pricing; The New York Region: First in Tolls, Last in Road Pricing; Pricing Urban Roadways: Administrative and Institutional Issues; Equity and Fairness Considerations of Congestion Pricing; The Politics of Congestion Pricing; Institutional and Political Challenges in Implementing Congestion Pricing: Case Study of the San Francisco Bay Area; How Congestion Pricingmore » Came to Be Proposed in the San Diego Region: A Case History; Urban Transportation Congestion Pricing: Effects on Urban Form; Congestion Pricing and Motor Vehicle Emissions: An Initial Review; Private Toll Roads: Acceptability of Congestion Pricing in Southern California; Potential of Next-Generation Technology; Electronic Toll Collection Systems; and Impacts of Congestion Pricing on Transit and Carpool Demand and Supply.« less

A new fractionation assay, based on the size of formaldehyde-crosslinked, mildly sheared chromatin, delineates the chromatin structure at promoter regions

PubMed Central

Ishihara, Satoru; Varma, Rajat; Schwartz, Ronald H.

2010-01-01

To explore the higher order structure of transcribable chromatin in vivo, its local configuration was assessed through the accessibility of the chromatin to crosslinking with formaldehyde. The application of crosslinked and mildly sheared chromatin to sedimentation velocity centrifugation followed by size-fractionation of the DNA enabled us to biochemically distinguish between chromatin with heavily versus sparsely crosslinkable structures. The separated fractions showed a good correlation with gene expression profiles. Genes with poor crosslinking around the promoter region were actively transcribed, while transcripts were hardly detected from genes with extensive crosslinking in their promoter regions. For the inducible gene, Il2, the distribution of the promoter shifted in the gradient following T-cell receptor stimulation, consistent with a change in structure at this locus during activation. The kinetics of this switch preceded the chromatin change observed in a DNase I accessibility assay. Thus, this new chromatin fractionation technique has revealed a change in chromatin structure that has not been previously characterized. PMID:20371521

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

Bosanac, Ivan; Yamazaki, Haruka; Matsu-ura, Toru

Binding of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP{sub 3}) to the amino-terminal region of IP{sub 3} receptor promotes Ca{sup 2+} release from the endoplasmic reticulum. Within the amino terminus, the first 220 residues directly preceding the IP{sub 3} binding core domain play a key role in IP{sub 3} binding suppression and regulatory protein interaction. Here we present a crystal structure of the suppressor domain of the mouse type 1 IP{sub 3} receptor at 1.8 {angstrom}. Displaying a shape akin to a hammer, the suppressor region contains a Head subdomain forming the {beta}-trefoil fold and an Arm subdomain possessing a helix-turn-helix structure. The conservedmore » region on the Head subdomain appeared to interact with the IP{sub 3} binding core domain and is in close proximity to the previously proposed binding sites of Homer, RACK1, calmodulin, and CaBP1. The present study sheds light onto the mechanism underlying the receptor's sensitivity to the ligand and its communication with cellular signaling proteins.« less

Magnetic properties of Co/Rh (001) multilayers studied by x-ray magnetic-circular dichroism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaz, M. A.; Mayo, E.; Lederman, D.; Hallin, E.; Sham, T. K.; O'brien, W. L.; Harp, G. R.

1998-11-01

The layer-averaged magnetic moments of Co and Rh have been measured in sputter deposited Co/Rh (001) multilayer thin films using the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The Rh moments were measured at both the L and M absorption edges, where we find that the Rh moment decreases as a function of increasing Rh layer thickness (tRh). The decline of the layer-averaged Rh moment is well described in terms of a simple dilution, implying that the Rh moment is confined to the interfacial region. We find that the Co moment remains largely unaffected, maintaining a bulklike value of 1.7μB in the region preceding the first antiferromagnetic coupling peak where tRh ranges from 0 to 4 Å. We also find, via application of the dichroism sum rules, that the ratio / for Co increases ~10% for this same region. Finally, we contrast the magnetic behavior of the Co/Rh (001) and Fe/Rh (001) multilayer systems.

Characterizing the Severe Turbulence Environments Associated With Commercial Aviation Accidents. Part 1; 44 Case Study Synoptic Observational Analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, Michael L.; Huffman, Allan W.; Lux, Kevin M.; Charney, Joseph J.; Riordan, Allan J.; Lin, Yuh-Lang; Proctor, Fred H. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A 44 case study analysis of the large-scale atmospheric structure associated with development of accident-producing aircraft turbulence is described. Categorization is a function of the accident location, altitude, time of year, time of day, and the turbulence category, which classifies disturbances. National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalyses data sets and satellite imagery are employed to diagnose synoptic scale predictor fields associated with the large-scale environment preceding severe turbulence. These analyses indicate a predominance of severe accident-producing turbulence within the entrance region of a jet stream at the synoptic scale. Typically, a flow curvature region is just upstream within the jet entrance region, convection is within 100 km of the accident, vertical motion is upward, absolute vorticity is low, vertical wind shear is increasing, and horizontal cold advection is substantial. The most consistent predictor is upstream flow curvature and nearby convection is the second most frequent predictor.

Helioseismology of pre-emerging active regions. III. Statistical analysis

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

Barnes, G.; Leka, K. D.; Braun, D. C.

The subsurface properties of active regions (ARs) prior to their appearance at the solar surface may shed light on the process of AR formation. Helioseismic holography has been applied to samples taken from two populations of regions on the Sun (pre-emergence and without emergence), each sample having over 100 members, that were selected to minimize systematic bias, as described in Paper I. Paper II showed that there are statistically significant signatures in the average helioseismic properties that precede the formation of an AR. This paper describes a more detailed analysis of the samples of pre-emergence regions and regions without emergencemore » based on discriminant analysis. The property that is best able to distinguish the populations is found to be the surface magnetic field, even a day before the emergence time. However, after accounting for the correlations between the surface field and the quantities derived from helioseismology, there is still evidence of a helioseismic precursor to AR emergence that is present for at least a day prior to emergence, although the analysis presented cannot definitively determine the subsurface properties prior to emergence due to the small sample sizes.« less

Contributions of Feature Binding During Encoding and Functional Connectivity of the Medial Temporal Lobe Structures to Episodic Memory Deficits Across the Prodromal and First-Episode Phases of Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Haut, Kristen M.; van Erp, Theo G. M.; Knowlton, Barbara; Bearden, Carrie E.; Subotnik, Kenneth; Ventura, Joseph; Nuechterlein, Keith H.; Cannon, Tyrone D.

2014-01-01

Patients with and at risk for psychosis may have difficulty using associative strategies to facilitate episodic memory encoding and recall. In parallel studies, patients with first-episode schizophrenia (n = 27) and high psychosis risk (n = 28) compared with control participants (n = 22 and n = 20, respectively) underwent functional MRI during a remember-know memory task. Psychophysiological interaction analyses, using medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures as regions of interest, were conducted to measure functional connectivity patterns supporting successful episodic memory. During encoding, patients with first-episode schizophrenia demonstrated reduced functional coupling between MTL regions and regions involved in stimulus representations, stimulus selection, and cognitive control. Relative to control participants and patients with high psychosis risk who did not convert to psychosis, patients with high psychosis risk who later converted to psychosis also demonstrated reduced connectivity between MTL regions and auditory-verbal and visual-association regions. These results suggest that episodic memory deficits in schizophrenia are related to inefficient recruitment of cortical connections involved in associative memory formation; such deficits precede the onset of psychosis among those individuals at high clinical risk. PMID:25750836

Contributions of Feature Binding During Encoding and Functional Connectivity of the Medial Temporal Lobe Structures to Episodic Memory Deficits Across the Prodromal and First-Episode Phases of Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Haut, Kristen M; van Erp, Theo G M; Knowlton, Barbara; Bearden, Carrie E; Subotnik, Kenneth; Ventura, Joseph; Nuechterlein, Keith H; Cannon, Tyrone D

2015-03-01

Patients with and at risk for psychosis may have difficulty using associative strategies to facilitate episodic memory encoding and recall. In parallel studies, patients with first-episode schizophrenia ( n = 27) and high psychosis risk ( n = 28) compared with control participants ( n = 22 and n = 20, respectively) underwent functional MRI during a remember-know memory task. Psychophysiological interaction analyses, using medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures as regions of interest, were conducted to measure functional connectivity patterns supporting successful episodic memory. During encoding, patients with first-episode schizophrenia demonstrated reduced functional coupling between MTL regions and regions involved in stimulus representations, stimulus selection, and cognitive control. Relative to control participants and patients with high psychosis risk who did not convert to psychosis, patients with high psychosis risk who later converted to psychosis also demonstrated reduced connectivity between MTL regions and auditory-verbal and visual-association regions. These results suggest that episodic memory deficits in schizophrenia are related to inefficient recruitment of cortical connections involved in associative memory formation; such deficits precede the onset of psychosis among those individuals at high clinical risk.

Systematization of the Introduction of IPV and Switch from tOPV to bOPV in the Americas.

PubMed

Pedreira, Cristina; Thrush, Elizabeth; Jauregui, Barbara

2017-07-01

The synchronized introduction of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and the switch from trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) to bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) has constituted an effort without precedents, and with astonishing results. Within the established time frame, all countries in our region managed to carry out the decision, planning, and introduction of this vaccine and subsequent switch to their national immunization schedules.The purpose of this article is to systematize the process of IPV introduction and switch in Latin America and the Caribbean, which constitutes an important piece in the documentation of the polio legacy in the Americas. Regional level as well as country perspectives and viewpoints are described. Analyzing and summarizing the lessons learned from the introduction of IPV and the switch from tOPV to bOPV can be useful for the introduction of new vaccines in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) region and in other regions of the world, and to help our own region successfully carry out another synchronized vaccine introduction in the future, if necessary. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Multiethnicity, pluralism, and migration in the south central Andes: An alternate path to state expansion.

PubMed

Goldstein, Paul S

2015-07-28

The south central Andes is known as a region of enduring multiethnic diversity, yet it is also the cradle of one the South America's first successful expansive-state societies. Social structures that encouraged the maintenance of separate identities among coexistent ethnic groups may explain this apparent contradiction. Although the early expansion of the Tiwanaku state (A.D. 600-1000) is often interpreted according to a centralized model derived from Old World precedents, recent archaeological research suggests a reappraisal of the socio-political organization of Tiwanaku civilization, both for the diversity of social entities within its core region and for the multiple agencies behind its wider program of agropastoral colonization. Tiwanaku's sociopolitical pluralism in both its homeland and colonies tempers some of archaeology's global assumptions about the predominant role of centralized institutions in archaic states.

Some characteristics of the local radio sources from the observations of the solar eclipse on the 7th of March 1970 in Cuba (in Russian)

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

Yurovskii, Yu.F.; Yurovskaya, L.I.

The analysis of the observational data received during solar eclipse on the 7th of March 1970 has shown that the sources of S-component at the wavelength 10 cm correspond to all sunspots. The maximum radio emlssion above unipolar sunspots do not show apparent displacement relative to the radius passing through the center of these sunspots. In complex groups the brightest part of radio source is displaced from the preceding sunspot to following smaller ones which are of the opposite polarity. Two sources of noise storm were found at wavelengih 1.37 m. The noise bursts regions didn't coincide on the diskmore » of Sun with the regions of continuum but were located just beside them. (auth)« less

Gene transfer from a parasitic flowering plant to a fern

PubMed Central

Davis, Charles C; Anderson, William R; Wurdack, Kenneth J

2005-01-01

The rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw.) is obligately mycotrophic and widely distributed across the northern hemisphere. Three mitochondrial gene regions place this species with other ferns in Ophioglossaceae, while two regions place it as a member of the largely parasitic angiosperm order Santalales (sandalwoods and mistletoes). These discordant phylogenetic placements suggest that part of the genome in B. virginianum was acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT), perhaps from root-parasitic Loranthaceae. These transgenes are restricted to B. virginianum and occur across the range of the species. Molecular and life-history traits indicate that the transfer preceded the global expansion of B. virginianum, and that the latter may have happened very rapidly. This is the first report of HGT from an angiosperm to a fern, through either direct parasitism or the mediation of interconnecting fungal symbionts. PMID:16191635

Paleoseismic Evidence for Recurrence of Earthquakes near Charleston, South Carolina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talwani, Pradeep; Cox, John

1985-07-01

A destructive earthquake that occurred in 1886 near Charleston, South Carolina, was associated with widespread liquefaction of shallow sand structures and their extravasation to the surface. Several seismically induced paleoliquefaction structures preserved within the shallow sediments in the meizoseismal area of the 1886 event were identified. Field evidence and radiocarbon dates suggest that at least two earthquakes of magnitudes greater than 6.2 preceded the 1886 event in the past 3000 to 3700 years. The evidence yielded an initial estimate of about 1500 to 1800 years for the maximum recurrence of destructive, intraplate earthquakes in the Charleston region.

Neural predictors of purchases

PubMed Central

Knutson, Brian; Rick, Scott; Wimmer, G. Elliott; Prelec, Drazen; Loewenstein, George

2007-01-01

Microeconomic theory maintains that purchases are driven by a combination of consumer preference and price. Using event-related FMRI, we investigated how people weigh these factors to make purchasing decisions. Consistent with neuroimaging evidence suggesting that distinct circuits anticipate gain and loss, product preference activated the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), while excessive prices activated the insula and deactivated the mesial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) prior to the purchase decision. Activity from each of these regions independently predicted immediately subsequent purchases above and beyond self-report variables. These findings suggest that activation of distinct neural circuits related to anticipatory affect precedes and supports consumers’ purchasing decisions. PMID:17196537

Beam-based measurement of the center of the new STAR pipe

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

Robert-Demolaize, G.

During the RHIC Shutdown preceding Run13 for polarized protons, various upgrades were brought to the STAR detector, one of which being the partial installation of the Forward GEM Tracker (FGT). This installation includes a new beam pipe at the center of the detector with an internal radius half the size of what the replaced pipe was, from 40 mm to 20 mm. The following reviews the results of a vertical aperture scans in the STAR interaction region performed at injection energy with both beams, and gives an estimate of the measured transverse offset of the new STAR pipe.

Molecular dynamics simulation of the enterostatin APGPR and VPDPR peptides in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trucco, Gabriella; Fornili, Sandro L.

2007-09-01

We report on structural and dynamic properties in water of all the isomers of both peptides related to the trans and cis conformations of the peptide bonds preceding the proline (Pro) residues. Free-energy calculations indicate that the isomers having the Pro closer to the N-terminus (Pro1) in trans and the Pro2 in cis conformations are the most populated. Furthermore, the backbone is more flexible for APGPR than for VPDPR, and its conformation is more stable in the hydrophilic C-terminal moiety than in the hydrophobic N-terminal region.

Nucleotide sequence of the gene determining plasmid-mediated citrate utilization.

PubMed Central

Ishiguro, N; Sato, G

1985-01-01

The citrate utilization determinant from transposon Tn3411 has been cloned and sequenced, and its polypeptide products have been characterized in minicell experiments. The nucleotide sequence was determined for a 2,047-base-pair BglII restriction endonuclease fragment that includes the citrate determinant. This region contains an open reading frame that would encode a 431-amino-acid very hydrophobic polypeptide and which is preceded by a reasonable ribosomal binding site. However, the single polypeptide found in minicell experiments had an apparent molecular weight of 35,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Images PMID:2999087

Accelerated Seismic Release and Related Aspects of Seismicity Patterns on Earthquake Faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben-Zion, Y.; Lyakhovsky, V.

2001-05-01

Observational studies indicate that large earthquakes are sometimes preceded by phases of accelerated seismic release (ASR) characterized by cumulative Benioff strain following a power law time-to-failure relation with a term (tf - t)m, where tf is the failure time of the large event and observed values of m are close to 0.3. We discuss properties of ASR and related aspects of seismicity patterns associated with several theoretical frameworks, with a focus on models of heterogeneous faults in continuum solids. Using stress and earthquake histories simulated by the model of Ben-Zion (1996) for a discrete fault with quenched heterogeneities in a 3D elastic half space, we show that large model earthquakes are associated with non-repeating cyclical establishment and destruction of long-range stress correlations, accompanied by non-stationary cumulative Benioff strain release. We then analyze results associated with a regional lithospheric model consisting of a seismogenic upper crust governed by the damage rheology of Lyakhovsky et al. (1997) over a viscoelastic substrate. We demonstrate analytically for a simplified 1D case that the employed damage rheology leads to a singular power law equation for strain proportional to (tf - t)-1/3, and a non-singular power law relation for cumulative Benioff strain proportional to (tf - t)1/3. A simple approximate generalization of the latter for regional cumulative Benioff strain is obtained by adding to the result a linear function of time representing a stationary background release. To go beyond the analytical expectations, we examine results generated by various realizations of the regional lithospheric model producing seismicity following the characteristic frequency-size statistics, Gutenberg-Richter power law distribution, and mode switching activity. We find that phases of ASR exist only when the seismicity preceding a given large event has broad frequency-size statistics. In such cases the simulated ASR phases can be fitted well by the singular analytical relation with m = -1/3, the non-singular equation with m = 0.2, and the generalized version of the latter including a linear term with m = 1/3. The obtained good fits with all three relations highlight the difficulty of deriving reliable information on functional forms and parameter values from such data sets. The activation process in the simulated ASR phases is found to be accommodated both by increasing rates of moderate events and increasing average event size, with the former starting a few years earlier than the latter. The lack of ASR in portions of the seismicity not having broad frequency-size statistics may explain why some large earthquakes are preceded by ASR and other are not.

Updating of Attentional and Premotor Allocation Resources as function of previous trial outcome

PubMed Central

Arjona, Antonio; Escudero, Miguel; Gómez, Carlos M.

2014-01-01

The neural bases of the inter-trial validity/invalidity sequential effects in a visuo-auditory modified version of the Central Cue Posner's Paradigm (CCPP) are analyzed by means of Early Directing Attention Negativity (EDAN), Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) and Lateralized Readiness Potential (LRP). ERPs results indicated an increase in CNV and LRP in trials preceded by valid trials compared to trials preceded by invalid trials. The CNV and LRP pattern would be highly related to the behavioral pattern of lower RTs and higher number of anticipations in trials preceded by valid with respect to trials preceded by invalid trials. This effect was not preceded by a modulation of the EDAN as a result of the previous trial condition. The results suggest that there is a trial-by-trial dynamic modulation of the attentional system as a function of the validity assigned to the cue, in which conditional probabilities between cue and target are continuously updated. PMID:24681570

White paper : the fourth amendment : implications for radiological and nuclear detection.

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

Levey, Brandon Seth

The need to improve the radiation detection architecture has given rise to increased concern over the potential of equipment or procedures to violate the Fourth Amendment. Protecting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution is a foremost value of every government agency. However, protecting U.S. residents and assets from potentially catastrophic threats is also a crucial role of government. In the absence of clear precedent, the fear of potentially violating rights could lead to the rejection of effective and reasonable means that could reduce risks, possibly savings lives and assets. The goal of this document is not to apply case lawmore » to determine what the precedent may be if it exists, but rather provide a detailed outline that defines searches and seizures, identifies what precedent exists and what precedent doesn't exist, and explore what the existing (and non-existing) precedent means for the use of radiation detection used inside the nation's borders.« less

Reconciling findings of emotion-induced memory enhancement and impairment of preceding items

PubMed Central

Knight, Marisa; Mather, Mara

2009-01-01

A large body of work reveals that people remember emotionally arousing information better than neutral information. However, previous research reveals contradictory effects of emotional events on memory for neutral events that precede or follow them: in some studies emotionally arousing items impair memory for immediately preceding or following items and in others arousing items enhance memory for preceding items. By demonstrating both emotion-induced enhancement and impairment, Experiments 1 and 2 clarified the conditions under which these effects are likely to occur. The results suggest that emotion-induced enhancement is most likely to occur for neutral items that: (1) precede (and so are poised to predict the onset of) emotionally arousing items, (2) have high attentional weights at encoding, and (3) are tested after a delay period of a week rather than within the same experiment session. In contrast, emotion-induced impairment is most likely to occur for neutral items near the onset of emotional arousal that are overshadowed by highly activated competing items during encoding. PMID:20001121

Emerging highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses in France during winter 2015/16: phylogenetic analyses and markers for zoonotic potential

PubMed Central

Briand, François-Xavier; Schmitz, Audrey; Ogor, Katell; Le Prioux, Aurélie; Guillou-Cloarec, Cécile; Guillemoto, Carole; Allée, Chantal; Le Bras, Marie-Odile; Hirchaud, Edouard; Quenault, Hélène; Touzain, Fabrice; Cherbonnel-Pansart, Martine; Lemaitre, Evelyne; Courtillon, Céline; Gares, Hélène; Daniel, Patrick; Fediaevsky, Alexandre; Massin, Pascale; Blanchard, Yannick; Eterradossi, Nicolas; van der Werf, Sylvie; Jestin, Véronique; Niqueux, Eric

2017-01-01

Several new highly pathogenic (HP) H5 avian influenza virus (AIV) have been detected in poultry farms from south-western France since November 2015, among which an HP H5N1. The zoonotic potential and origin of these AIVs immediately became matters of concern. One virus of each subtype H5N1 (150169a), H5N2 (150233) and H5N9 (150236) was characterised. All proved highly pathogenic for poultry as demonstrated molecularly by the presence of a polybasic cleavage site in their HA protein – with a sequence (HQRRKR/GLF) previously unknown among avian H5 HPAI viruses – or experimentally by the in vivo demonstration of an intravenous pathogenicity index of 2.9 for the H5N1 HP isolate. Phylogenetic analyses based on the full genomes obtained by NGS confirmed that the eight viral segments of the three isolates were all part of avian Eurasian phylogenetic lineage but differed from the Gs/Gd/1/96-like lineage. The study of the genetic characteristics at specific amino acid positions relevant for modulating the adaptation to and the virulence for mammals showed that presently, these viruses possess most molecular features characteristic of AIV and lack some major characteristics required for efficient respiratory transmission to or between humans. The three isolates are therefore predicted to have no significant pandemic potential. PMID:28277218

cAMP regulates DEP domain-mediated binding of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Epac1 to phosphatidic acid at the plasma membrane.

PubMed

Consonni, Sarah V; Gloerich, Martijn; Spanjaard, Emma; Bos, Johannes L

2012-03-06

Epac1 is a cAMP-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small G protein Rap. Upon cAMP binding, Epac1 undergoes a conformational change that results in its release from autoinhibition. In addition, cAMP induces the translocation of Epac1 from the cytosol to the plasma membrane. This relocalization of Epac1 is required for efficient activation of plasma membrane-located Rap and for cAMP-induced cell adhesion. This translocation requires the Dishevelled, Egl-10, Pleckstrin (DEP) domain, but the molecular entity that serves as the plasma membrane anchor and the possible mechanism of regulated binding remains elusive. Here we show that Epac1 binds directly to phosphatidic acid. Similar to the cAMP-induced Epac1 translocation, this binding is regulated by cAMP and requires the DEP domain. Furthermore, depletion of phosphatidic acid by inhibition of phospholipase D1 prevents cAMP-induced translocation of Epac1 as well as the subsequent activation of Rap at the plasma membrane. Finally, mutation of a single basic residue within a polybasic stretch of the DEP domain, which abolishes translocation, also prevents binding to phosphatidic acid. From these results we conclude that cAMP induces a conformational change in Epac1 that enables DEP domain-mediated binding to phosphatidic acid, resulting in the tethering of Epac1 at the plasma membrane and subsequent activation of Rap.

The plastidial 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway provides the isoprenyl moiety for protein geranylgeranylation in tobacco BY-2 cells.

PubMed

Gerber, Esther; Hemmerlin, Andréa; Hartmann, Michael; Heintz, Dimitri; Hartmann, Marie-Andrée; Mutterer, Jérôme; Rodríguez-Concepción, Manuel; Boronat, Albert; Van Dorsselaer, Alain; Rohmer, Michel; Crowell, Dring N; Bach, Thomas J

2009-01-01

Protein farnesylation and geranylgeranylation are important posttranslational modifications in eukaryotic cells. We visualized in transformed Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells the geranylgeranylation and plasma membrane localization of GFP-BD-CVIL, which consists of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the C-terminal polybasic domain (BD) and CVIL isoprenylation motif from the Oryza sativa calmodulin, CaM61. Treatment with fosmidomycin (Fos) or oxoclomazone (OC), inhibitors of the plastidial 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, caused mislocalization of the protein to the nucleus, whereas treatment with mevinolin, an inhibitor of the cytosolic mevalonate pathway, did not. The nuclear localization of GFP-BD-CVIL in the presence of MEP pathway inhibitors was completely reversed by all-trans-geranylgeraniol (GGol). Furthermore, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose (DX) reversed the effects of OC, but not Fos, consistent with the hypothesis that OC blocks 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthesis, whereas Fos inhibits its conversion to 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate. By contrast, GGol and DX did not rescue the nuclear mislocalization of GFP-BD-CVIL in the presence of a protein geranylgeranyltransferase type 1 inhibitor. Thus, the MEP pathway has an essential role in geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) biosynthesis and protein geranylgeranylation in BY-2 cells. GFP-BD-CVIL is a versatile tool for identifying pharmaceuticals and herbicides that interfere either with GGPP biosynthesis or with protein geranylgeranylation.

Emerging highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses in France during winter 2015/16: phylogenetic analyses and markers for zoonotic potential.

PubMed

Briand, François-Xavier; Schmitz, Audrey; Ogor, Katell; Le Prioux, Aurélie; Guillou-Cloarec, Cécile; Guillemoto, Carole; Allée, Chantal; Le Bras, Marie-Odile; Hirchaud, Edouard; Quenault, Hélène; Touzain, Fabrice; Cherbonnel-Pansart, Martine; Lemaitre, Evelyne; Courtillon, Céline; Gares, Hélène; Daniel, Patrick; Fediaevsky, Alexandre; Massin, Pascale; Blanchard, Yannick; Eterradossi, Nicolas; van der Werf, Sylvie; Jestin, Véronique; Niqueux, Eric

2017-03-02

Several new highly pathogenic (HP) H5 avian influenza virus (AIV) have been detected in poultry farms from south-western France since November 2015, among which an HP H5N1. The zoonotic potential and origin of these AIVs immediately became matters of concern. One virus of each subtype H5N1 (150169a), H5N2 (150233) and H5N9 (150236) was characterised. All proved highly pathogenic for poultry as demonstrated molecularly by the presence of a polybasic cleavage site in their HA protein - with a sequence (HQRRKR/GLF) previously unknown among avian H5 HPAI viruses - or experimentally by the in vivo demonstration of an intravenous pathogenicity index of 2.9 for the H5N1 HP isolate. Phylogenetic analyses based on the full genomes obtained by NGS confirmed that the eight viral segments of the three isolates were all part of avian Eurasian phylogenetic lineage but differed from the Gs/Gd/1/96-like lineage. The study of the genetic characteristics at specific amino acid positions relevant for modulating the adaptation to and the virulence for mammals showed that presently, these viruses possess most molecular features characteristic of AIV and lack some major characteristics required for efficient respiratory transmission to or between humans. The three isolates are therefore predicted to have no significant pandemic potential. This article is copyright of The Authors, 2017.

Interactions and Translational Dynamics of Phosphatidylinositol Bisphosphate (PIP2) Lipids in Asymmetric Lipid Bilayers.

PubMed

Shi, Xiaojun; Kohram, Maryam; Zhuang, Xiaodong; Smith, Adam W

2016-02-23

Phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) lipids are critical to many cell signaling pathways, in part by acting as molecular beacons that recruit peripheral membrane proteins to specific locations within the plasma membrane. Understanding the biophysics of PIP-protein interactions is critical to developing a chemically detailed model of cell communication. Resolving such interactions is challenging, even in model membrane systems, because of the difficulty in preparing PIP-containing membranes with high fluidity and integrity. Here we report on a simple, vesicle-based protocol for preparing asymmetric supported lipid bilayers in which fluorescent PIP lipid analogues are found only on the top leaflet of the supported membrane facing the bulk solution. With this asymmetric distribution of lipids between the leaflets, the fluorescent signal from the PIP lipid analogue reports directly on interactions between the peripheral molecules and the top leaflet of the membrane. Asymmetric PIP-containing bilayers are an ideal platform to investigate the interaction of PIP with peripheral membrane proteins using fluorescence-based imaging approaches. We demonstrate their usefulness here with a combined fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single particle tracking study of the interaction between PIP2 lipids and a polycationic polymer, quaternized polyvinylpyridine (QPVP). With this approach we are able to quantify the microscopic features of the mobility coupling between PIP2 lipids and polybasic QPVP. With single particle tracking we observe individual PIP2 lipids switch from Brownian to intermittent motion as they become transiently trapped by QPVP.

A mechanism regulating G protein-coupled receptor signaling that requires cycles of protein palmitoylation and depalmitoylation.

PubMed

Jia, Lixia; Chisari, Mariangela; Maktabi, Mohammad H; Sobieski, Courtney; Zhou, Hao; Konopko, Aaron M; Martin, Brent R; Mennerick, Steven J; Blumer, Kendall J

2014-02-28

Reversible attachment and removal of palmitate or other long-chain fatty acids on proteins has been hypothesized, like phosphorylation, to control diverse biological processes. Indeed, palmitate turnover regulates Ras trafficking and signaling. Beyond this example, however, the functions of palmitate turnover on specific proteins remain poorly understood. Here, we show that a mechanism regulating G protein-coupled receptor signaling in neuronal cells requires palmitate turnover. We used hexadecyl fluorophosphonate or palmostatin B to inhibit enzymes in the serine hydrolase family that depalmitoylate proteins, and we studied R7 regulator of G protein signaling (RGS)-binding protein (R7BP), a palmitoylated allosteric modulator of R7 RGS proteins that accelerate deactivation of Gi/o class G proteins. Depalmitoylation inhibition caused R7BP to redistribute from the plasma membrane to endomembrane compartments, dissociated R7BP-bound R7 RGS complexes from Gi/o-gated G protein-regulated inwardly rectifying K(+) (GIRK) channels and delayed GIRK channel closure. In contrast, targeting R7BP to the plasma membrane with a polybasic domain and an irreversibly attached lipid instead of palmitate rendered GIRK channel closure insensitive to depalmitoylation inhibitors. Palmitate turnover therefore is required for localizing R7BP to the plasma membrane and facilitating Gi/o deactivation by R7 RGS proteins on GIRK channels. Our findings broaden the scope of biological processes regulated by palmitate turnover on specific target proteins. Inhibiting R7BP depalmitoylation may provide a means of enhancing GIRK activity in neurological disorders.

Genetic characterization of H5N1 influenza A viruses isolated from zoo tigers in Thailand.

PubMed

Amonsin, Alongkorn; Payungporn, Sunchai; Theamboonlers, Apiradee; Thanawongnuwech, Roongroje; Suradhat, Sanipa; Pariyothorn, Nuananong; Tantilertcharoen, Rachod; Damrongwantanapokin, Sudarat; Buranathai, Chantanee; Chaisingh, Arunee; Songserm, Thaweesak; Poovorawan, Yong

2006-01-20

The H5N1 avian influenza virus outbreak among zoo tigers in mid-October 2004, with 45 animals dead, indicated that the avian influenza virus could cause lethal infection in a large mammalian species apart from humans. In this outbreak investigation, six H5N1 isolates were identified and two isolates (A/Tiger/Thailand/CU-T3/04 and A/Tiger/Thailand/CU-T7/04) were selected for whole genome analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of the 8 gene segments showed that the viruses clustered within the lineage of H5N1 avian isolates from Thailand and Vietnam. The hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the viruses displayed polybasic amino acids at the cleavage site, identical to those of the 2004 H5N1 isolates, which by definition are highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). In addition, sequence analyses revealed that the viruses isolated from tigers harbored few genetic changes compared with the viruses having infected chicken, humans, tigers and a leopard isolated from the early 2004 H5N1 outbreaks. Sequence analyses also showed that the tiger H5N1 isolated in October 2004 was more closely related to the chicken H5N1 isolated in July than that from January. Interestingly, all the 6 tiger H5N1 isolates contained a lysine substitution at position 627 of the PB2 protein similar to the human, but distinct from the original avian isolates.

Reassortant Eurasian Avian-Like Influenza A(H1N1) Virus from a Severely Ill Child, Hunan Province, China, 2015.

PubMed

Zhu, Wenfei; Zhang, Hong; Xiang, Xingyu; Zhong, Lili; Yang, Lei; Guo, Junfeng; Xie, Yiran; Li, Fangcai; Deng, Zhihong; Feng, Hong; Huang, Yiwei; Hu, Shixiong; Xu, Xin; Zou, Xiaohui; Li, Xiaodan; Bai, Tian; Chen, Yongkun; Li, Zi; Li, Junhua; Shu, Yuelong

2016-11-01

In 2015, a novel influenza A(H1N1) virus was isolated from a boy in China who had severe pneumonia. The virus was a genetic reassortant of Eurasian avian-like influenza A(H1N1) (EA-H1N1) virus. The hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and matrix genes of the reassortant virus were highly similar to genes in EA-H1N1 swine influenza viruses, the polybasic 1 and 2, polymerase acidic, and nucleoprotein genes originated from influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus, and the nonstructural protein gene derived from classical swine influenza A(H1N1) (CS H1N1) virus. In a mouse model, the reassortant virus, termed influenza A/Hunan/42443/2015(H1N1) virus, showed higher infectivity and virulence than another human EA-H1N1 isolate, influenza A/Jiangsu/1/2011(H1N1) virus. In the respiratory tract of mice, virus replication by influenza A/Hunan/42443/2015(H1N1) virus was substantially higher than that by influenza A/Jiangsu/1/2011(H1N1) virus. Human-to-human transmission of influenza A/Hunan/42443/2015(H1N1) virus has not been detected; however, given the circulation of novel EA-H1N1 viruses in pigs, enhanced surveillance should be instituted among swine and humans.

Reassortant Eurasian Avian-Like Influenza A(H1N1) Virus from a Severely Ill Child, Hunan Province, China, 2015

PubMed Central

Zhu, Wenfei; Zhang, Hong; Xiang, Xingyu; Zhong, Lili; Yang, Lei; Guo, Junfeng; Xie, Yiran; Li, Fangcai; Deng, Zhihong; Feng, Hong; Huang, Yiwei; Hu, Shixiong; Xu, Xin; Zou, Xiaohui; Li, Xiaodan; Bai, Tian; Chen, Yongkun; Li, Zi

2016-01-01

In 2015, a novel influenza A(H1N1) virus was isolated from a boy in China who had severe pneumonia. The virus was a genetic reassortant of Eurasian avian-like influenza A(H1N1) (EA-H1N1) virus. The hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and matrix genes of the reassortant virus were highly similar to genes in EA-H1N1 swine influenza viruses, the polybasic 1 and 2, polymerase acidic, and nucleoprotein genes originated from influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus, and the nonstructural protein gene derived from classical swine influenza A(H1N1) (CS H1N1) virus. In a mouse model, the reassortant virus, termed influenza A/Hunan/42443/2015(H1N1) virus, showed higher infectivity and virulence than another human EA-H1N1 isolate, influenza A/Jiangsu/1/2011(H1N1) virus. In the respiratory tract of mice, virus replication by influenza A/Hunan/42443/2015(H1N1) virus was substantially higher than that by influenza A/Jiangsu/1/2011(H1N1) virus. Human-to-human transmission of influenza A/Hunan/42443/2015(H1N1) virus has not been detected; however, given the circulation of novel EA-H1N1 viruses in pigs, enhanced surveillance should be instituted among swine and humans. PMID:27767007

Preparation and evaluation of sustained drug release from pluronic polyol rectal suppositories.

PubMed

Anderson, D; Amomo, M M

2001-01-01

Suppository dosage forms offer several advantages in drug delivery and can be compounded in a pharmacy setting for the needs of the individual patient. In this study, we have examined the use of Pluronic polyols in the development of sustained-release rectal suppository formulations. Solid and liquid Pluronic poyols (Pluronic L61, F68, L101, and F108) were combined in a weight ratio ranging from 80:20 (solid to liquid) to 70:30 to prepare the bases. The release behavior of a model drug, riboflavin, from the suppositories wee evaluated by means of the United Stated Pharmacopeia Basket Dissolution Method. When compared with the control Polybase suppository, which released 50% of the drug (t50) in about 7.23 minutes, Pluronic F68/L61 suppositories at an 80:20 weight ratio exhibited a t50 of 86.5 minutes (1.44 hours). Riboflavin release from suppositories made with Pluronic F108/L101 was even further delayed. The t50 of riboflavin from Pluronic F108/L101 suppositories at an 80:20 weight ratio, for instance, was 274.4 minutes (4.6 hours). The results of this study show that by choosing specific combinations of Pluronic polyols and weight ratios, compounding pharmacists can prepare sustained-release suppository formulations that can deliver drugs within minutes to hours. This flexibility of compounding sustained-release suppositories is beneficial, especially for the management of chronic pain in cancer patients.

Distance-dependent duplex DNA destabilization proximal to G-quadruplex/i-motif sequences

PubMed Central

König, Sebastian L. B.; Huppert, Julian L.; Sigel, Roland K. O.; Evans, Amanda C.

2013-01-01

G-quadruplexes and i-motifs are complementary examples of non-canonical nucleic acid substructure conformations. G-quadruplex thermodynamic stability has been extensively studied for a variety of base sequences, but the degree of duplex destabilization that adjacent quadruplex structure formation can cause has yet to be fully addressed. Stable in vivo formation of these alternative nucleic acid structures is likely to be highly dependent on whether sufficient spacing exists between neighbouring duplex- and quadruplex-/i-motif-forming regions to accommodate quadruplexes or i-motifs without disrupting duplex stability. Prediction of putative G-quadruplex-forming regions is likely to be assisted by further understanding of what distance (number of base pairs) is required for duplexes to remain stable as quadruplexes or i-motifs form. Using oligonucleotide constructs derived from precedented G-quadruplexes and i-motif-forming bcl-2 P1 promoter region, initial biophysical stability studies indicate that the formation of G-quadruplex and i-motif conformations do destabilize proximal duplex regions. The undermining effect that quadruplex formation can have on duplex stability is mitigated with increased distance from the duplex region: a spacing of five base pairs or more is sufficient to maintain duplex stability proximal to predicted quadruplex/i-motif-forming regions. PMID:23771141

Open Boundary Particle-in-Cell Simulation of Dipolarization Front Propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klimas, Alex; Hwang, Kyoung-Joo; Vinas, Adolfo F.; Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2014-01-01

First results are presented from an ongoing open boundary 2-1/2D particle-in-cell simulation study of dipolarization front (DF) propagation in Earth's magnetotail. At this stage, this study is focused on the compression, or pileup, region preceding the DF current sheet. We find that the earthward acceleration of the plasma in this region is in general agreement with a recent DF force balance model. A gyrophase bunched reflected ion population at the leading edge of the pileup region is reflected by a normal electric field in the pileup region itself, rather than through an interaction with the current sheet. We discuss plasma wave activity at the leading edge of the pileup region that may be driven by gradients, or by reflected ions, or both; the mode has not been identified. The waves oscillate near but above the ion cyclotron frequency with wavelength several ion inertial lengths. We show that the waves oscillate primarily in the perpendicular magnetic field components, do not propagate along the background magnetic field, are right handed elliptically (close to circularly) polarized, exist in a region of high electron and ion beta, and are stationary in the plasma frame moving earthward. We discuss the possibility that the waves are present in plasma sheet data, but have not, thus far, been discovered.

17 CFR 230.153a - Definition of “preceded by a prospectus” as used in section 5(b)(2) of the Act, in relation to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Definition of âpreceded by a... security holders. 230.153a Section 230.153a Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General § 230.153a Definition of “preceded...

17 CFR 230.153a - Definition of “preceded by a prospectus” as used in section 5(b)(2) of the Act, in relation to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Definition of âpreceded by a... security holders. 230.153a Section 230.153a Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General § 230.153a Definition of “preceded...

17 CFR 230.153a - Definition of “preceded by a prospectus” as used in section 5(b)(2) of the Act, in relation to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Definition of âpreceded by a... security holders. 230.153a Section 230.153a Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General § 230.153a Definition of “preceded...

17 CFR 230.153a - Definition of “preceded by a prospectus” as used in section 5(b)(2) of the Act, in relation to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Definition of âpreceded by a... security holders. 230.153a Section 230.153a Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General § 230.153a Definition of “preceded...

17 CFR 230.153a - Definition of “preceded by a prospectus” as used in section 5(b)(2) of the Act, in relation to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Definition of âpreceded by a... security holders. 230.153a Section 230.153a Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General § 230.153a Definition of “preceded...

Solar wind proton density increase that preceded Central Italy earthquakes occurred between 26 and 30 October 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cataldi, Gabriele; Cataldi, Daniele; Straser, Valentino

2017-04-01

Between 26 and 30 October 2016 in Central Italy were recorded two strong earthquakes: M6.1 occurred on October 26, 2016 at 19:18:08 UTC and M6.6 occurred on October 30, 2016 at 06:40:18 UTC. The authors of this study noted that the two earthquakes were preceded by an increase in the proton density of the interplanetary medium: a phenomenon observed since 2012 and has always preceded the seismic events of high intensity (M6+) occurring on a global scale. To obtain these results the authors have analyzed the conditions of Spaceweather "near Earth" and the characteristics of the Earth's geomagnetic field in the days and in the hours that preceded the two earthquakes. The data relating to the two earthquakes were provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The data on ion density used to realize the study are represented by: solar wind ion density variation detected by ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) Satellite, in orbit near the L1 Lagrange point, at 1.5 million of km from Earth, in direction of the Sun. The instrument used to perform the measurement of the solar wind ion density is the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) instrument, equipped on the ACE Satellite. To conduct the study, the authors have taken in consideration the variation of the solar wind protons density of three different energy fractions: differential proton flux 1060-1900 keV (p/cm^2-sec-ster-MeV); differential proton flux 761-1220 keV (p/cm^2-sec-ster-MeV); differential proton flux 310-580 keV (p/cm^2-sec-ster-MeV). In addition, the authors were analyzed the Earth's geomagnetic field variations through the geomagnetic data released by Tromsø Geomagnetic Observatory (TGO), Norway; Scoresbysund Geomagnetic Observatory (SCO), Greenland, Denmark; Dikson Geomagnetic Observatory (DIK), Russia and Pushkov Institute of terrestrial magnetism, ionosphere and radio wave propagation (IZMIRAN), Troitsk, Moscow Region. The results of the study, in agreement with what already ascertained by authors from 2012, have confirmed that the two strong Italian earthquakes were preceded by a clear increase of the solar wind proton density which subsequently generated perturbation of the Earth's geomagnetic field. The results of the studies that the three authors lead from 2012 represent a new scientific approach to predict potentially destructive earthquakes that occur on a global scale. This new seismic prediction method has proven reliable to predict a recovery of M6+ global seismic activity and in the future will represent the scientific substrate on which will be possible to develop seismic forecasting methods better than those actual.

17 CFR 240.11a1-1(T) - Transactions yielding priority, parity, and precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., parity, and precedence. 240.11a1-1(T) Section 240.11a1-1(T) Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES... (rule 11a-1) § 240.11a1-1(T) Transactions yielding priority, parity, and precedence. (a) A transaction... section 11(a)(1) of the Act or specified in 17 CFR 240.11a1-4(T) shall be deemed to be revenue derived...

17 CFR 240.11a1-1(T) - Transactions yielding priority, parity, and precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., parity, and precedence. 240.11a1-1(T) Section 240.11a1-1(T) Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES... (rule 11a-1) § 240.11a1-1(T) Transactions yielding priority, parity, and precedence. (a) A transaction... section 11(a)(1) of the Act or specified in 17 CFR 240.11a1-4(T) shall be deemed to be revenue derived...

Distribution Atlas of Proliferating Bone Marrow in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Measured by FLT-PET/CT Imaging, With Potential Applicability in Radiation Therapy Planning

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

Campbell, Belinda A., E-mail: Belinda.Campbell@petermac.org; Callahan, Jason; Bressel, Mathias

Purpose: Proliferating bone marrow is exquisitely sensitive to ionizing radiation. Knowledge of its distribution could improve radiation therapy planning to minimize unnecessary marrow exposure and avoid consequential prolonged myelosuppression. [18F]-Fluoro-3-deoxy-3-L-fluorothymidine (FLT)–positron emission tomography (PET) is a novel imaging modality that provides detailed quantitative images of proliferating tissues, including bone marrow. We used FLT-PET imaging in cancer patients to produce an atlas of marrow distribution with potential clinical utility. Methods and Materials: The FLT-PET and fused CT scans of eligible patients with non-small cell lung cancer (no distant metastases, no prior cytotoxic exposure, no hematologic disorders) were reviewed. The proportions of skeletalmore » FLT activity in 10 predefined bony regions were determined and compared according to age, sex, and recent smoking status. Results: Fifty-one patients were studied: 67% male; median age 68 (range, 31-87) years; 8% never smokers; 70% no smoking in the preceding 3 months. Significant differences in marrow distribution occurred between sex and age groups. No effect was detected from smoking in the preceding 3 months. Using the mean percentages of FLT uptake per body region, we created an atlas of the distribution of functional bone marrow in 4 subgroups defined by sex and age. Conclusions: This atlas has potential utility for estimating the distribution of active marrow in adult cancer patients to guide radiation therapy planning. However, because of interindividual variation it should be used with caution when radiation therapy risks ablating large proportions of active marrow; in such cases, individual FLT-PET scans may be required.« less

High Field fMRI Reveals Thalamocortical Integration of Segregated Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Mediodorsal and Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei

PubMed Central

Metzger, C. D.; Eckert, U.; Steiner, J.; Sartorius, A.; Buchmann, J. E.; Stadler, J.; Tempelmann, C.; Speck, O.; Bogerts, B.; Abler, B.; Walter, M.

2010-01-01

Thalamocortical loops, connecting functionally segregated, higher order cortical regions, and basal ganglia, have been proposed not only for well described motor and sensory regions, but also for limbic and prefrontal areas relevant for affective and cognitive processes. These functions are, however, more specific to humans, rendering most invasive neuroanatomical approaches impossible and interspecies translations difficult. In contrast, non-invasive imaging of functional neuroanatomy using fMRI allows for the development of elaborate task paradigms capable of testing the specific functionalities proposed for these circuits. Until recently, spatial resolution largely limited the anatomical definition of functional clusters at the level of distinct thalamic nuclei. Since their anatomical distinction seems crucial not only for the segregation of cognitive and limbic loops but also for the detection of their functional interaction during cognitive–emotional integration, we applied high resolution fMRI on 7 Tesla. Using an event-related design, we could isolate thalamic effects for preceding attention as well as experience of erotic stimuli. We could demonstrate specific thalamic effects of general emotional arousal in mediodorsal nucleus and effects specific to preceding attention and expectancy in intralaminar centromedian/parafascicular complex. These thalamic effects were paralleled by specific coactivations in the head of caudate nucleus as well as segregated portions of rostral or caudal cingulate cortex and anterior insula supporting distinct thalamo–striato–cortical loops. In addition to predescribed effects of sexual arousal in hypothalamus and ventral striatum, high resolution fMRI could extent this network to paraventricular thalamus encompassing laterodorsal and parataenial nuclei. We could lend evidence to segregated subcortical loops which integrate cognitive and emotional aspects of basic human behavior such as sexual processing. PMID:21088699

Spatial and temporal variations of aerosols around Beijing in summer 2006: Model evaluation and source apportionment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, H.; Koike, M.; Kondo, Y.; Takegawa, N.; Kita, K.; Miyazaki, Y.; Hu, M.; Chang, S.-Y.; Blake, D. R.; Fast, J. D.; Zaveri, R. A.; Streets, D. G.; Zhang, Q.; Zhu, T.

2009-01-01

Regional aerosol model calculations were made using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) and WRF-chem models to study spatial and temporal variations of aerosols around Beijing, China, in the summer of 2006, when the Campaigns of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region 2006 (CAREBeijing) intensive campaign was conducted. Model calculations captured temporal variations of primary (such as elemental carbon (EC)) and secondary (such as sulfate) aerosols observed in and around Beijing. The spatial distributions of aerosol optical depth observed by the MODIS satellite sensors were also reproduced over northeast China. Model calculations showed distinct differences in spatial distributions between primary and secondary aerosols in association with synoptic-scale meteorology. Secondary aerosols increased in air around Beijing on a scale of about 1000 × 1000 km2 under an anticyclonic pressure system. This air mass was transported northward from the high anthropogenic emission area extending south of Beijing with continuous photochemical production. Subsequent cold front passage brought clean air from the north, and polluted air around Beijing was swept to the south of Beijing. This cycle was repeated about once a week and was found to be responsible for observed enhancements/reductions of aerosols at the intensive measurement sites. In contrast to secondary aerosols, the spatial distributions of primary aerosols (EC) reflected those of emissions, resulting in only slight variability despite the changes in synoptic-scale meteorology. In accordance with these results, source apportionment simulations revealed that primary aerosols around Beijing were controlled by emissions within 100 km around Beijing within the preceding 24 h, while emissions as far as 500 km and within the preceding 3 days were found to affect secondary aerosols.

The three-dimensional angular widths of CMEs and their relations to the source regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, X.; Feng, X. S.

2017-12-01

The angular width of a coronal mass ejection (CME) is an important factor to determine whether the corresponding interplanetary CME (ICME) and its preceding shock will reach our Earth. However, very few studies are involved to study the decisive factors of the CME's angular width. In this study, we use the three-dimensional (3D) angular width of CMEs obtained from the Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) model based on observations of Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) to study the relations between the CME's 3D width and characteristics of the CME's source region. We find that for the CMEs produced by active regions (ARs), the CME width has some correlations with the AR's area and flux, but these correlations are not strong. The magnetic flux contained in the CME seems to come from only part of the AR's total flux. For the CMEs produced by flare regions, the correlations between the CME angular width and the flare region's area and flux are strong. The magnetic flux within those CMEs seems to totally (even not enough) come from the flare region. Our findings prefer to support that the CME's 3D angular width can be generally estimated based on observations of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) for its source region instead of the observations from coronagraphs onboard Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and STEREO.

Investigations of the preferred modes of north Pacific jet variability, their downstream impacts, and tropical and extratropical precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Kyle S.

Time extended EOF (TE-EOF) analysis is employed to examine the synoptic-scale evolution of the two leading modes of north Pacific jet stream variability, namely its zonal extension/retraction (TE-EOF 1) and the north/south shift of its exit region (TE-EOF 2). Composite analyses are constructed preceding and following peaks in the principal component associated with each of the two TE-EOFs, providing insight into the preferred evolutions of the north Pacific jet. Jet extension events are associated with an anomalous Gulf of Alaska cyclone, while jet retractions are associated with an anomalous ridge over the Aleutians. Similar but shifted upper level patterns are noted with the corresponding poleward/equatorward shifted jet phases, with the poleward (equatorward) shift of the jet exit region associated with anomalous low-level warmth (cold) over western North America. Such composites also suggest connections between certain phases of these leading modes of jet variability and deep convection in the tropics, a connection that has been challenging to physically diagnose in previous studies. The isentropic pressure depth measures the mass contained within an isentropic layer in a given grid column, enabling the tracking of mass exhausted by deep convection. The gradient of isentropic pressure depth is directly associated with the vertical geostrophic wind shear in that layer and thus provides a means to track the influence of convective mass flux on the evolution of the jet stream. A case study focused on the extreme North American warm episode of March 2012 demonstrates how positive pressure depth anomalies from a strong MJO event impact the jet stream over eastern Asia and drive a portion of the mid-latitude response that leads to the flow amplification and subsequent downstream warmth. This study demonstrates one way by which isentropic pressure depth can diagnose the impacts of tropical deep convection on the mid-latitude circulation. Using TE-EOFs, composites of isentropic pressure depth are constructed, to examine the evolution of pressure depth anomalies preceding each phase of the two leading modes of jet variability. In jet extension events, a large negative pressure depth anomaly in the 315-330 K isentropic layer and a positive pressure depth anomaly in the 340-355 K isentropic layer align north and south of the climatological jet exit region, respectively. A similar but opposite configuration is found in jet retraction events. During poleward shifted jet events, the configuration of pressure depth anomalies is comparable to that observed in jet extension events, but shifted poleward. Positive pressure depth anomalies in each set of events predominantly originate from either the Maritime Continent or East Asia and track along the climatological jet before impacting the exit region of the jet stream. Negative pressure depth anomalies have similar upstream origins before moving through the jet in a similar manner. These composite evolutions provide insight into the synoptic-scale evolutions that precede the preferred modes of jet variability, highlighting the influence of both mid-latitude weather systems and mass flux from tropical deep convection on North Pacific jet variability.

A global method for identifying dependences between helio-geophysical and biological series by filtering the precedents (outliers)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozheredov, V. A.; Breus, T. K.; Gurfinkel, Yu. I.; Matveeva, T. A.

2014-12-01

A new approach to finding the dependence between heliophysical and meteorological factors and physiological parameters is considered that is based on the preliminary filtering of precedents (outliers). The sought-after dependence is masked by extraneous influences which cannot be taken into account. Therefore, the typically calculated correlation between the external-influence ( x) and physiology ( y) parameters is extremely low and does not allow their interdependence to be conclusively proved. A robust method for removing the precedents (outliers) from the database is proposed that is based on the intelligent sorting of the polynomial curves of possible dependences y( x), followed by filtering out the precedents which are far away from y( x) and optimizing the coefficient of nonlinear correlation between the regular, i.e., remaining, precedents. This optimization problem is shown to be a search for a maximum in the absence of the concept of gradient and requires the use of a genetic algorithm based on the Gray code. The relationships between the various medical and biological parameters and characteristics of the space and terrestrial weather are obtained and verified using the cross-validation method. It is proven that, by filtering out no more than 20% of precedents, it is possible to obtain a nonlinear correlation coefficient of no less than 0.5. A juxtaposition of the proposed method for filtering precedents (outliers) and the least-square method (LSM) for determining the optimal polynomial using multiple independent tests (Monte Carlo method) of models, which are as close as possible to real dependences, has shown that the LSM determination loses much in comparison to the proposed method.

Temporal ordering of motivational quality and athlete burnout in elite sport.

PubMed

Lonsdale, Chris; Hodge, Ken

2011-05-01

Using self-determination theory as the theoretical framework, we conducted a longitudinal investigation of the relationships between motivation and athlete burnout. We tested four hypotheses: H0: low self-determination (SD) does not precede burnout, and burnout does not precede low SD; H1: low SD precedes burnout; H2: burnout precedes low SD; and H3: burnout and motivation have a reciprocal relationship. We used a two-wave design, with the follow-up assessment 4 months after baseline. Elite New Zealand athletes (n=119, mean age=24.74 yr (standard deviation=8.54 yr); 57.14% of whom were females) completed the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling of cross-lagged panel models was used to test the hypotheses. The relationship between motivation and burnout varied depending on the type of motivation assessed. Analyses related to overall levels of self-determined motivation, amotivation, and controlled forms of extrinsic motivation provided support for H1: low SD precedes burnout. When compared with external regulation, introjected regulation seemed to be a clearer antecedent of athlete burnout. Analyses related to the self-determined forms of extrinsic motivation provided support for H2: burnout precedes low SD. The only analyses in which the null hypothesis could not be rejected were those relating to intrinsic motivation. Finally, there was little support for a reciprocal effects model. Low levels of self-determination may lead to increases in athlete burnout, whereas athlete burnout may precede decrements in self-determined extrinsic motivation. Particular efforts could be made to help support the basic psychological needs of athletes with controlled forms of motivation, thereby leading to an internalization of motivation and decreased risk of burnout. © 2011 by the American College of Sports Medicine

The recognition of diagnosable psychiatric disorders in suicide cases' last medical contacts.

PubMed

Pan, Yi-Ju; Lee, Ming-Been; Chiang, Hung-Chi; Liao, Shih-Cheng

2009-01-01

The objective of this study is to examine physicians' awareness of diagnosable psychiatric disorders in suicide cases' last medical contacts (MCs). The contact rates and proportions of both psychiatric and somatic diagnoses in a national cohort of suicide subjects (N=3468) in Taiwan seeking psychiatric or nonpsychiatric medical services within 1 month and 1 year preceding death were examined. The overall rates of MCs were 72.6% within 1 month and 89.2% within 1 year preceding suicide. While around 99.9% of the suicide subjects who contacted psychiatrists within 1 month preceding death were diagnosed as having psychiatric disorders, only 19.7% of those visiting nonpsychiatric physicians had psychiatric diagnoses. Suicide subjects, however, frequently complained of somatic symptoms, for example, gastrointestinal discomfort, headache/dizziness and back problem during their contacts with nonpsychiatric physicians within 1 month preceding death. Despite the high rates of MCs preceding suicide, the majority of suicide subjects were not diagnosed. Emphasizing psychosomatic manifestations of psychiatric disorders in physician education programs may help enhance the awareness of psychiatric disorders/suicide risk in clinical settings.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Depression, and Physical Activity: Making the Neuroplastic Connection

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin that is vital to the survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons in key brain circuits involved in emotional and cognitive function. Convergent evidence indicates that neuroplastic mechanisms involving BDNF are deleteriously altered in major depressive disorder (MDD) and animal models of stress. Herein, clinical and preclinical evidence provided that stress-induced depressive pathology contributes to altered BDNF level and function in persons with MDD and, thereby, disruptions in neuroplasticity at the regional and circuit level. Conversely, effective therapeutics that mitigate depressive-related symptoms (e.g., antidepressants and physical activity) optimize BDNF in key brain regions, promote neuronal health and recovery of function in MDD-related circuits, and enhance pharmacotherapeutic response. A greater knowledge of the interrelationship between BDNF, depression, therapeutic mechanisms of action, and neuroplasticity is important as it necessarily precedes the derivation and deployment of more efficacious treatments. PMID:28928987

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Depression, and Physical Activity: Making the Neuroplastic Connection.

PubMed

Phillips, Cristy

2017-01-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin that is vital to the survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons in key brain circuits involved in emotional and cognitive function. Convergent evidence indicates that neuroplastic mechanisms involving BDNF are deleteriously altered in major depressive disorder (MDD) and animal models of stress. Herein, clinical and preclinical evidence provided that stress-induced depressive pathology contributes to altered BDNF level and function in persons with MDD and, thereby, disruptions in neuroplasticity at the regional and circuit level. Conversely, effective therapeutics that mitigate depressive-related symptoms (e.g., antidepressants and physical activity) optimize BDNF in key brain regions, promote neuronal health and recovery of function in MDD-related circuits, and enhance pharmacotherapeutic response. A greater knowledge of the interrelationship between BDNF, depression, therapeutic mechanisms of action, and neuroplasticity is important as it necessarily precedes the derivation and deployment of more efficacious treatments.

Solar cells with gallium phosphide/silicon heterojunction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darnon, Maxime; Varache, Renaud; Descazeaux, Médéric; Quinci, Thomas; Martin, Mickaël; Baron, Thierry; Muñoz, Delfina

2015-09-01

One of the limitations of current amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells is electrical and optical losses in the front transparent conductive oxide and amorphous silicon layers that limit the short circuit current. We propose to grow a thin (5 to 20 nm) crystalline Gallium Phosphide (GaP) by epitaxy on silicon to form a more transparent and more conducting emitter in place of the front amorphous silicon layers. We show that a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) is still necessary to laterally collect the current with thin GaP emitter. Larger contact resistance of GaP/TCO increases the series resistance compared to amorphous silicon. With the current process, losses in the IR region associated with silicon degradation during the surface preparation preceding GaP deposition counterbalance the gain from the UV region. A first cell efficiency of 9% has been obtained on ˜5×5 cm2 polished samples.

Segregation effects during solidification in weightless melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, C.

1973-01-01

Two types of melt segregation effects were studied: (1) evaporative segregation, or segregation due to surface evaporation; and (2) freezing segregation, or segregation due to liquid-solid phase transformation. These segregation effects are closely related. In fact, evaporative segregation always precedes freezing segregation to some degree and must often be studied prior to performing meaningful solidification experiments. This is particularly true since evaporation may cause the melt composition, at least at the critical surface regions or layers to be affected manyfold within seconds so that the surface region or layer melting point and other thermophysical properties, nucleation characteristics, base for undercooling, and critical velocity to avoid constitutional supercooling, may be completely unexpected. An important objective was, therefore, to develop the necessary normal evaporation equations for predicting the compositional changes within specified times at temperature and to correlate these equations with actual experimental data collected from the literature.

Multiethnicity, pluralism, and migration in the south central Andes: An alternate path to state expansion

PubMed Central

Goldstein, Paul S.

2015-01-01

The south central Andes is known as a region of enduring multiethnic diversity, yet it is also the cradle of one the South America’s first successful expansive-state societies. Social structures that encouraged the maintenance of separate identities among coexistent ethnic groups may explain this apparent contradiction. Although the early expansion of the Tiwanaku state (A.D. 600–1000) is often interpreted according to a centralized model derived from Old World precedents, recent archaeological research suggests a reappraisal of the socio-political organization of Tiwanaku civilization, both for the diversity of social entities within its core region and for the multiple agencies behind its wider program of agropastoral colonization. Tiwanaku’s sociopolitical pluralism in both its homeland and colonies tempers some of archaeology’s global assumptions about the predominant role of centralized institutions in archaic states. PMID:26195732

Rossby waves, extreme fronts, and wildfires in southeastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeder, Michael J.; Spengler, Thomas; Musgrave, Ruth

2015-03-01

The most catastrophic fires in recent history in southern Australia have been associated with extreme cold fronts. Here an extreme cold front is defined as one for which the maximum temperature at 2 m is at least 17°C lower on the day following the front. An anticyclone, which precedes the cold front, directs very dry northerlies or northwesterlies from the interior of the continent across the region. The passage of the cold front is followed by strong southerlies or southwesterlies. European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA-Interim Reanalyses show that this regional synoptic pattern common to all strong cold fronts, and hence severe fire conditions, is a consequence of propagating Rossby waves, which grow to large amplitude and eventually irreversibly overturn. The process of overturning produces the low-level anticyclone and dry conditions over southern Australia, while simultaneously producing an upper level trough and often precipitation in northeastern Australia.

Anomalies of the ozone and nitrogen dioxide contents in the stratosphere over Moscow region as a manifestation of the dynamics of the stratospheric polar vortex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruzdev, A. N.; Kropotkina, E. P.; Solomonov, S. V.; Elokhov, A. S.

2016-06-01

Measurements of the stratospheric contents of O3 and NO2 in the Moscow region were used to analyze the anomalies of these species related to the sudden stratospheric warming in the winter and the following deformation of the stratospheric circumpolar vortex in early February 2010 and the latitudinal displacement of the vortex towards the European sector in late March 2011 before the final warming in the spring. In the first case, an increase in the O3 and NO2 contents up to 85% and by two times, respectively, was recorded. In the second case, the O3 content decreased by one-fourth and the NO2 content dropped by two times as compared to the average values for the periods that preceded the beginning of the anomalies.

Winter-spring anomalies in stratospheric O3 and NO2 contents over the Moscow region in 2010 and 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruzdev, A. N.; Kropotkina, E. P.; Solomonov, S. V.; Elokhov, A. S.

2017-03-01

Using results of ground-based spectrometric measurements, we analyze the anomalies in the stratospheric contents of O3 and NO2 in the Moscow region related to the sudden stratospheric warming and associated distortion of the stratospheric circumpolar vortex in early February 2010 and to the latitudinal displacement of the vortex towards the European sector in late March 2011 before the final spring warming. In the former case, the O3 concentration increased up to 85% and the stratospheric column NO2 content increased twice; in the latter case, the O3 concentration decreased by a quarter and the NO2 content decreased twice in comparison with average values for the time periods preceding the onsets of the anomalies. Estimates of the statistical correlationship of the stratospheric O3 and NO2 contents with potential vorticity and geopotential have been obtained.

Solar burst precursors and energy build-up at microwave wavelengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, Kenneth R.; Wilson, Robert F.

1986-01-01

We summarize high-resolution microwave observations (VLA) of heating and magnetic triggering in coronal loops. Magnetic changes that precede solar eruptions on time scales of tens of minutes involve primarily emerging coronal loops and the interaction of two or more loops. Thermal cyclotron lines have been detected in coronal loops, suggesting the presence of hot current sheets that enhance emission from relatively thin layers of enhanced temperature and constant magnetic field. These current sheets may play a role in the excitation of solar bursts. A filament-associated source with a high brightness temperature and steep radiation spectrum occurs above a region of apparently weak photospheric field. This source might be attributed to currents that enhance coronal magnetic fields. Compact (phi=5 sec) transient sources with lifetimes of 30 to 60 minutes have also been detected in regions of apparently weak photospheric field. We conclude by comparing VLA observations of coronal loops with simultaneous SMM-XRP observations.

Solar burst precursors and energy build-up at microwave wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Kenneth R.; Wilson, Robert F.

We summarize high-resolution microwave observations (VLA) of heating and magnetic triggering in coronal loops. Magnetic changes that precede solar eruptions on time scales of tens of minutes involve primarily emerging coronal loops and the interaction of two or more loops. Thermal cyclotron lines have been detected in coronal loops, suggesting the presence of hot current sheets that enhance emission from relatively thin layers of enhanced temperature and constant magnetic field. These current sheets may play a role in the excitation of solar bursts. A filament-associated source with a high brightness temperature and steep radiation spectrum occurs above a region of apparently weak photospheric field. This source might be attributed to currents that enhance coronal magnetic fields. Compact (phi=5 sec) transient sources with lifetimes of 30 to 60 minutes have also been detected in regions of apparently weak photospheric field. We conclude by comparing VLA observations of coronal loops with simultaneous SMM-XRP observations.

The Latin American Biological Dosimetry Network (LBDNet).

PubMed

García, O; Di Giorgio, M; Radl, A; Taja, M R; Sapienza, C E; Deminge, M M; Fernández Rearte, J; Stuck Oliveira, M; Valdivia, P; Lamadrid, A I; González, J E; Romero, I; Mandina, T; Guerrero-Carbajal, C; ArceoMaldonado, C; Cortina Ramírez, G E; Espinoza, M; Martínez-López, W; Di Tomasso, M

2016-09-01

Biological Dosimetry is a necessary support for national radiation protection programmes and emergency response schemes. The Latin American Biological Dosimetry Network (LBDNet) was formally founded in 2007 to provide early biological dosimetry assistance in case of radiation emergencies in the Latin American Region. Here are presented the main topics considered in the foundational document of the network, which comprise: mission, partners, concept of operation, including the mechanism to request support for biological dosimetry assistance in the region, and the network capabilities. The process for network activation and the role of the coordinating laboratory during biological dosimetry emergency response is also presented. This information is preceded by historical remarks on biological dosimetry cooperation in Latin America. A summary of the main experimental and practical results already obtained by the LBDNet is also included. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Intra-seasonal NDVI change projections in semi-arid Africa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Funk, Christopher C.; Brown, Molly E.

2006-01-01

Early warning systems (EWS) tend to focus on the identification of slow onset disasters such famine and epidemic disease. Since hazardous environmental conditions often precede disastrous outcomes by many months, effective monitoring via satellite and in situ observations can successfully guide mitigation activities. Accurate short term forecasts of NDVI could increase lead times, making early warning earlier. This paper presents a simple empirical model for making 1 to 4 month NDVI projections. These statistical projections are based on parameterized satellite rainfall estimates (RFE) and relative humidity demand (RHD). A quasi-global, 1 month ahead, 1° study demonstrates reasonable accuracies in many semi-arid regions. In Africa, a 0.1° cross-validated skill assessment quantifies the technique's applicability at 1 to 4 month forecast intervals. These results suggest that useful projections can be made over many semi-arid, food insecure regions of Africa, with plausible extensions to drought prone areas of Asia, Australia and South America.

Lingering representations of stimuli influence recall organization

PubMed Central

Chan, Stephanie C.Y.; Applegate, Marissa C.; Morton, Neal W; Polyn, Sean M.; Norman, Kenneth A.

2017-01-01

Several prominent theories posit that information about recent experiences lingers in the brain and organizes memories for current experiences, by forming a temporal context that is linked to those memories at encoding. According to these theories, if the thoughts preceding an experience X resemble the thoughts preceding an experience Y, then X and Y should show an elevated probability of being recalled together. We tested this prediction by using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) of fMRI data to measure neural evidence for lingering processing of preceding stimuli. As predicted, memories encoded with similar lingering thoughts about the category of preceding stimuli were more likely to be recalled together. Our results demonstrate that the “fading embers” of previous stimuli help to organize recall, confirming a key prediction of computational models of episodic memory. PMID:28132858

Specific EEG frequencies at specific brain areas and performance.

PubMed

Fernández, T; Harmony, T; Silva-Pereyra, J; Fernández-Bouzas, A; Gersenowies, J; Galán, L; Carbonell, F; Marosi, E; Otero, G; Valdés, S I

2000-08-21

In this study it was shown that in adults, the frequency characteristics of EEG preceding stimuli that were followed by incorrect responses were different from the characteristics of EEG preceding stimuli that were followed by correct responses. In the recording during three different tasks that explore different neuronal networks, higher values of current preceding incorrect performance in those areas directly related to the task were found in frequencies within the delta (1.56 and 3.12 Hz) and beta bands (13.26, 14.04, 14.82, 15.6, 17.16 and 17.94 Hz), suggesting that these frequencies signal inhibition. Frequencies within the alpha band (9.36 and 12.48 Hz) showed greater energy preceding correct responses in task-specific areas, supporting previous results observed in children.

7 CFR 1218.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for...) Staff and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least on preceding year...

7 CFR 1218.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for...) Staff and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least on preceding year...

7 CFR 1218.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for...) Staff and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least on preceding year...

7 CFR 1218.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for...) Staff and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least on preceding year...

7 CFR 1218.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for...) Staff and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least on preceding year...

The role of germline promoters and I exons in cytokine-induced gene-specific class switch recombination.

PubMed

Dunnick, Wesley A; Shi, Jian; Holden, Victoria; Fontaine, Clinton; Collins, John T

2011-01-01

Germline transcription precedes class switch recombination (CSR). The promoter regions and I exons of these germline transcripts include binding sites for activation- and cytokine-induced transcription factors, and the promoter regions/I exons are essential for CSR. Therefore, it is a strong hypothesis that the promoter/I exons regions are responsible for much of cytokine-regulated, gene-specific CSR. We tested this hypothesis by swapping the germline promoter and I exons for the murine γ1 and γ2a H chain genes in a transgene of the entire H chain C-region locus. We found that the promoter/I exon for γ1 germline transcripts can direct robust IL-4-induced recombination to the γ2a gene. In contrast, the promoter/I exon for the γ2a germline transcripts works poorly in the context of the γ1 H chain gene, resulting in expression of γ1 H chains that is <1% the wild-type level. Nevertheless, the small amount of recombination to the chimeric γ1 gene is induced by IFN-γ. These results suggest that cytokine regulation of CSR, but not the magnitude of CSR, is regulated by the promoter/I exons.

Northern New Mexico regional airport market feasibility

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

Drake, R.H.; Williams, D.S.

1998-06-01

This report is about the market for airline travel in northern New Mexico. Interest in developing a northern New Mexico regional airport has periodically surfaced for a number of years. The New Mexico State Legislature passed a memorial during the 1998 Second Session calling for the conduct of a study to determine the feasibility of building a new regional airport in NNM. This report is a study of the passenger market feasibility of such an airport. In addition to commercial passenger market feasibility, there are other feasibility issues dealing with siting, environmental impact, noise, economic impact, intermodal transportation integration, region-widemore » transportation services, airport engineering requirements, and others. These other feasibility issues are not analyzed in any depth in this report although none were discovered to be show-stoppers as a by-product of the authors doing research on the passenger market itself. Preceding the need for a detailed study of these other issues is the determination of the basic market need for an airport with regular commercial airline service in the first place. This report is restricted to an in-depth look at the market for commercial passenger air service in NNM. 20 figs., 8 tabs.« less

Increased anterior cingulate cortex response precedes behavioural adaptation in anorexia nervosa

PubMed Central

Geisler, Daniel; Ritschel, Franziska; King, Joseph A.; Bernardoni, Fabio; Seidel, Maria; Boehm, Ilka; Runge, Franziska; Goschke, Thomas; Roessner, Veit; Smolka, Michael N.; Ehrlich, Stefan

2017-01-01

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are characterised by increased self-control, cognitive rigidity and impairments in set-shifting, but the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to elucidate the neural correlates of behavioural adaptation to changes in reward contingencies in young acutely ill AN patients. Thirty-six adolescent/young adult, non-chronic female AN patients and 36 age-matched healthy females completed a well-established probabilistic reversal learning task during fMRI. We analysed hemodynamic responses in empirically-defined regions of interest during positive feedback and negative feedback not followed/followed by behavioural adaptation and conducted functional connectivity analyses. Although overall task performance was comparable between groups, AN showed increased shifting after receiving negative feedback (lose-shift behaviour) and altered dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) responses as a function of feedback. Specifically, patients had increased dACC responses (which correlated with perfectionism) and task-related coupling with amygdala preceding behavioural adaption. Given the generally preserved task performance in young AN, elevated dACC responses specifically during behavioural adaption is suggestive of increased monitoring for the need to adjust performance strategies. Higher dACC-amygdala coupling and increased adaptation after negative feedback underlines this interpretation and could be related to intolerance of uncertainty which has been suggested for AN. PMID:28198813

Stimulus-driven changes in the direction of neural priming during visual word recognition.

PubMed

Pas, Maciej; Nakamura, Kimihiro; Sawamoto, Nobukatsu; Aso, Toshihiko; Fukuyama, Hidenao

2016-01-15

Visual object recognition is generally known to be facilitated when targets are preceded by the same or relevant stimuli. For written words, however, the beneficial effect of priming can be reversed when primes and targets share initial syllables (e.g., "boca" and "bono"). Using fMRI, the present study explored neuroanatomical correlates of this negative syllabic priming. In each trial, participants made semantic judgment about a centrally presented target, which was preceded by a masked prime flashed either to the left or right visual field. We observed that the inhibitory priming during reading was associated with a left-lateralized effect of repetition enhancement in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), rather than repetition suppression in the ventral visual region previously associated with facilitatory behavioral priming. We further performed a second fMRI experiment using a classical whole-word repetition priming paradigm with the same hemifield procedure and task instruction, and obtained well-known effects of repetition suppression in the left occipito-temporal cortex. These results therefore suggest that the left IFG constitutes a fast word processing system distinct from the posterior visual word-form system and that the directions of repetition effects can change with intrinsic properties of stimuli even when participants' cognitive and attentional states are kept constant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Health care capacity and allocations among South Africa's provinces: infrastructure-inequality traps after the end of apartheid.

PubMed

Stuckler, David; Basu, Sanjay; McKee, Martin

2011-01-01

We assessed the determinants of health care funding allocations among South Africa's provinces and their effects on health care from 1996 through 2007. We performed multivariate regression of funding allocation data against measures of disease burden and health system infrastructure by province. Disease burden was increasingly negatively correlated with funding allocations and explained less than one quarter of the variation in allocations among provinces. Nearly three quarters of the variation in allocations was explained by preexisting hospital infrastructure and health care workers. The density of private hospitals in the preceding year was associated with greater government allocations (b(private) = 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08, 0.15), but public hospital density in the preceding year was not (b(public) = 0.05; 95% CI = -0.02, 0.11). Greater allocations were associated with a higher number of doctors (b = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.34, 0.75) but fewer nurses (b = -0.37; 95% CI = -0.72,-0.25) in the same year. Regions with a greater capacity to spend funds received more funding and created more infrastructure than those with greater health needs. Historical infrastructure inequalities may have created an infrastructure-inequality trap, in which the distribution of funds to those with greater "absorptive capacity" exacerbates inequalities.

Application of sorting and next generation sequencing to study 5΄-UTR influence on translation efficiency in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Evfratov, Sergey A.; Osterman, Ilya A.; Komarova, Ekaterina S.; Pogorelskaya, Alexandra M.; Rubtsova, Maria P.; Zatsepin, Timofei S.; Semashko, Tatiana A.; Kostryukova, Elena S.; Mironov, Andrey A.; Burnaev, Evgeny; Krymova, Ekaterina; Gelfand, Mikhail S.; Govorun, Vadim M.; Bogdanov, Alexey A.; Dontsova, Olga A.

2017-01-01

Abstract Yield of protein per translated mRNA may vary by four orders of magnitude. Many studies analyzed the influence of mRNA features on the translation yield. However, a detailed understanding of how mRNA sequence determines its propensity to be translated is still missing. Here, we constructed a set of reporter plasmid libraries encoding CER fluorescent protein preceded by randomized 5΄ untranslated regions (5΄-UTR) and Red fluorescent protein (RFP) used as an internal control. Each library was transformed into Escherchia coli cells, separated by efficiency of CER mRNA translation by a cell sorter and subjected to next generation sequencing. We tested efficiency of translation of the CER gene preceded by each of 48 natural 5΄-UTR sequences and introduced random and designed mutations into natural and artificially selected 5΄-UTRs. Several distinct properties could be ascribed to a group of 5΄-UTRs most efficient in translation. In addition to known ones, several previously unrecognized features that contribute to the translation enhancement were found, such as low proportion of cytidine residues, multiple SD sequences and AG repeats. The latter could be identified as translation enhancer, albeit less efficient than SD sequence in several natural 5΄-UTRs. PMID:27899632

Cumulative activation during positive and negative events and state anxiety predicts subsequent inertia of amygdala reactivity

PubMed Central

Miendlarzewska, Ewa A.; Eryilmaz, Hamdi; Vuilleumier, Patrik

2015-01-01

Inertia, together with intensity and valence, is an important component of emotion. We tested whether positive and negative events generate lingering changes in subsequent brain responses to unrelated threat stimuli and investigated the impact of individual anxiety. We acquired fMRI data while participants watched positive or negative movie-clips and subsequently performed an unrelated task with fearful and neutral faces. We quantified changes in amygdala reactivity to fearful faces as a function of the valence of preceding movies and cumulative neural activity evoked during them. We demonstrate that amygdala responses to emotional movies spill over to subsequent processing of threat information in a valence-specific manner: negative movies enhance later amygdala activation whereas positive movies attenuate it. Critically, the magnitude of such changes is predicted by a measure of cumulative amygdala responses to the preceding positive or negative movies. These effects appear independent of overt attention, are regionally limited to amygdala, with no changes in functional connectivity. Finally, individuals with higher state anxiety displayed stronger modulation of amygdala reactivity by positive movies. These results suggest that intensity and valence of emotional events as well as anxiety levels promote local changes in amygdala sensitivity to threat, highlighting the importance of past experience in shaping future affective reactivity. PMID:24603023

Cortical Local Field Potential Power Is Associated with Behavioral Detection of Near-threshold Stimuli in the Rat Whisker System: Dissociation between Orbitofrontal and Somatosensory Cortices.

PubMed

Rickard, Rachel E; Young, Andrew M J; Gerdjikov, Todor V

2018-01-01

There is growing evidence that ongoing brain oscillations may represent a key regulator of attentional processes and as such may contribute to behavioral performance in psychophysical tasks. OFC appears to be involved in the top-down modulation of sensory processing; however, the specific contribution of ongoing OFC oscillations to perception has not been characterized. Here we used the rat whiskers as a model system to further characterize the relationship between cortical state and tactile detection. Head-fixed rats were trained to report the presence of a vibrotactile stimulus (frequency = 60 Hz, duration = 2 sec, deflection amplitude = 0.01-0.5 mm) applied to a single vibrissa. We calculated power spectra of local field potentials preceding the onset of near-threshold stimuli from microelectrodes chronically implanted in OFC and somatosensory cortex. We found a dissociation between slow oscillation power in the two regions in relation to detection probability: Higher OFC but not somatosensory delta power was associated with increased detection probability. Furthermore, coherence between OFC and barrel cortex was reduced preceding successful detection. Consistent with the role of OFC in attention, our results identify a cortical network whose activity is differentially modulated before successful tactile detection.

Frictional-faulting model for harmonic tremor before Redoubt Volcano eruptions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dmitrieva, Ksenia; Hotovec-Ellis, Alicia J.; Prejean, Stephanie G.; Dunham, Eric M.

2013-01-01

Seismic unrest, indicative of subsurface magma transport and pressure changes within fluid-filled cracks and conduits, often precedes volcanic eruptions. An intriguing form of volcano seismicity is harmonic tremor, that is, sustained vibrations in the range of 0.5–5 Hz. Many source processes can generate harmonic tremor. Harmonic tremor in the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, has been linked to repeating earthquakes of magnitudes around 0.5–1.5 that occur a few kilometres beneath the vent. Before many explosions in that eruption, these small earthquakes occurred in such rapid succession—up to 30 events per second—that distinct seismic wave arrivals blurred into continuous, high-frequency tremor. Tremor abruptly ceased about 30 s before the explosions. Here we introduce a frictional-faulting model to evaluate the credibility and implications of this tremor mechanism. We find that the fault stressing rates rise to values ten orders of magnitude higher than in typical tectonic settings. At that point, inertial effects stabilize fault sliding and the earthquakes cease. Our model of the Redoubt Volcano observations implies that the onset of volcanic explosions is preceded by active deformation and extreme stressing within a localized region of the volcano conduit, at a depth of several kilometres.

Inter-Hemispheric Coupling During Northern Polar Summer Periods of 2002-2010 using TIMED/SABER Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Richard A.; Feofilov, A. G.; Pesnell, W. D.; Kutepov, A. A.

2012-01-01

It has been found that for more than one polar summer season between 2002-2010, the northern polar mesospheric region near and above about 80 km was warmer than normal. The strongest warming effect of this type was observed to occur during northern summer 2002. Theoretical studies have implied that these "anomalies" were preceded by unusual dynamical processes in the southern hemisphere. We have analyzed temperature distributions measured by the SABER limb scanning infrared radiometer aboard the NASA TIMED satellite between 2002-2010 at altitudes from 15 to 110 km and for latitudes between 83 S to 83 N. We describe the approach to trace the inter-hemispheric temperature correlations demonstrating the global features that were unique for the "anomalous" northern polar summers. From our analysis of SABER data from 2002-2010, the anomalous heating for the northern mesopause region during northern summer was accompanied by stratospheric heating in the equatorial region. In the winter hemisphere it is accompanied by heating in the lower stratosphere and mesopause region, and cooling in the stratopause region. Also, all the elements of the temperature anomaly structure appear to develop and fade away nearly simultaneously, thereby suggesting either a global influence or a rapid exchange.

Neural dissociations between meaningful and mere inconsistency in impression updating

PubMed Central

Todorov, Alexander

2016-01-01

Recent neuroimaging work has identified a network of regions that work in concert to update impressions of other people, particularly in response to inconsistent behavior. However, the specific functional contributions of these regions to the updating process remain unclear. Using fMRI, we tested whether increases in activity triggered by inconsistent behavior reflect changes in the stored representations of other people in response to behavioral inconsistency, or merely a response to the inconsistency itself. Participants encountered a series of individuals whose behavior either changed in an attributionally meaningful fashion or was merely inconsistent with the immediately preceding behavior. We observed that left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were preferentially recruited in response to unexpected, immoral behavior, whereas a separate set of regions (including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and temporoparietal junction/inferior parietal lobule) was preferentially recruited in response to more mundane inconsistencies in behavior. These results shed light on the distributed systems supporting impression updating. Specifically, while many regions supporting updating may primarily respond to moment-to-moment changes in behavior, a subset of regions (e.g. vlPFC and IFG) may contribute to updating person representations in response to trait-relevant changes in behavior. PMID:27217118

Spatial structure and temporal development of a solar X-ray flare observed from Skylab on June 15, 1973

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pallavicini, R.; Vaiana, G. S.; Kahler, S. W.; Krieger, A. S.

1975-01-01

Morphological and quantitative analyses are presented of a 1B solar flare that was observed with high spatial and temporal resolution by the S-054 grazing-incidence X-ray telescope aboard Skylab. It is found that the flare had the configuration of a compact region with a characteristic size of the order of 30 arcsec at the intensity peak, the interior of the region appeared to be highly structured and to consist of temporally changing complex loop systems, brightening over an extended part of the active region preceded the flare onset, and the impulsive phase was marked by rapid brightening in the loop structures. The X-ray photographs also indicate that the X-ray emission was centered over the neutral line of the longitudinal magnetic field, loop systems formed at successively increasing heights during the decay phase, and different regions of the flare had distinctly different light curves. The flux profiles for the different regions are shown to suggest continued heating during the decay phase. It is concluded that flare models should be based on a multiplicity of volumes ordered in loops of successively larger scale lengths and heights rather than on a single point of energy release and deposition.

Regional differences in usage of antenatal care and safe delivery services in Indonesia: findings from a nationally representative survey.

PubMed

Tripathi, Vrijesh; Singh, Rajvir

2017-02-03

Indonesia has shown a nominal increase in antenatal care (ANC) coverage from 93% to 96% in the Indonesia Demographic Health Survey (IDHS)-2012. This is high but for a comprehensive assessment of maternal health coverage in Indonesia, safe delivery services need to be assessed in conjunction with ANC coverage. The study uses survey data from the IDHS-2012 that was conducted among women aged 15-49 years who gave birth during the past 3 years preceding the survey. Socioeconomic and demographic factors affecting ANC coverage and safe delivery services are analysed by segregating the data into 7 regions of Indonesia. Multivariate results show that besides wealth and education differentials, regional differences significantly affect the usage of ANC and safe delivery services across the 7 regions. Univariate analyses show that Sulawesi, Maluku and Western New Guinea islands are at a disadvantage in accessing ANC and safe delivery services. The study recommends that disaggregated regional targets be set in order to further reduce maternal mortality rates in Indonesia. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Geophysical variables and behavior: XXI. Geomagnetic variation as possible enhancement stimuli for UFO reports preceding earthtremors.

PubMed

Persinger, M A

1985-02-01

The contribution of geomagnetic variation to the occurrence of UFORs (reports of UFOs) within the New Madrid States during the 6-mo. increments before increases in the numbers of IV-V or less intensity earthquakes within the central USA was determined. Although statistically significant zero-order correlations existed between measures of earthquakes, UFORs and geomagnetic variability, the association between the latter two deteriorated markedly when their shared variance with earthquakes was held constant. These outcomes are compatible with the hypothesis that geomagnetic variability (or phenomena associated with it) may enhance UFORs but only if tectonic stress and strain are increasing within the region.

Stellar ultraviolet colors and interstellar extinction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peytremann, E.; Davis, R. J.

1972-01-01

A sample of celescope results is studied. Most of the sample stars belong to the Orion and Vela regions. Stars with visual excess E(B-V) less than 0.05 are selected in order to derive relationships of intrinsic color index versus spectral type. The resulting intrinsic color-color relations are compared with existing blanketed and unblanketed model calculations. Finally, the preceding intrinsic relations are utilized to derive some results on interstellar extinction. Owing to the rather large scatter in the celescope data, the Vela stars give the more significant results because their visible excess E(B-V) is, in general, larger than that for the Orion stars.

Asymmetric dee-voltage compensation of beam off-centering in the milan superconducting cyclotron

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

Milinkovic, Lj.; Fabrici, E.; Ostojic, R.

1985-10-01

An analysis of the effects of orbit off-centering on the beam extraction in the Milan superconducting cyclotron is made, and the sensitivity of axial beam loss and radial phase space distortions to beam off-centering determined for various acceleration conditions. We conclude that the first field harmonic compensation of beam off-centering is ineffective in the region of the operating diagram where the Walkinshaw resonance precedes the ..nu.. /SUB r/ =1 resonance. Asymmetric dee-voltage compensation is considered in these cases, and the domain of validity of the method determined. A semi-empirical relation for dee-voltage distribution is deduced, and the extraction efficiency discussed.

Dredging in the Spratly Islands: Gaining Land but Losing Reefs.

PubMed

Mora, Camilo; Caldwell, Iain R; Birkeland, Charles; McManus, John W

2016-03-01

Coral reefs on remote islands and atolls are less exposed to direct human stressors but are becoming increasingly vulnerable because of their development for geopolitical and military purposes. Here we document dredging and filling activities by countries in the South China Sea, where building new islands and channels on atolls is leading to considerable losses of, and perhaps irreversible damages to, unique coral reef ecosystems. Preventing similar damage across other reefs in the region necessitates the urgent development of cooperative management of disputed territories in the South China Sea. We suggest using the Antarctic Treaty as a positive precedent for such international cooperation.

Dredging in the Spratly Islands: Gaining Land but Losing Reefs

PubMed Central

Mora, Camilo; Caldwell, Iain R.; Birkeland, Charles; McManus, John W.

2016-01-01

Coral reefs on remote islands and atolls are less exposed to direct human stressors but are becoming increasingly vulnerable because of their development for geopolitical and military purposes. Here we document dredging and filling activities by countries in the South China Sea, where building new islands and channels on atolls is leading to considerable losses of, and perhaps irreversible damages to, unique coral reef ecosystems. Preventing similar damage across other reefs in the region necessitates the urgent development of cooperative management of disputed territories in the South China Sea. We suggest using the Antarctic Treaty as a positive precedent for such international cooperation. PMID:27031949

Variation in handshape and orientation in British Sign Language: The case of the ‘1’ hand configuration

PubMed Central

Fenlon, Jordan; Schembri, Adam; Rentelis, Ramas; Cormier, Kearsy

2013-01-01

This paper investigates phonological variation in British Sign Language (BSL) signs produced with a ‘1’ hand configuration in citation form. Multivariate analyses of 2084 tokens reveals that handshape variation in these signs is constrained by linguistic factors (e.g., the preceding and following phonological environment, grammatical category, indexicality, lexical frequency). The only significant social factor was region. For the subset of signs where orientation was also investigated, only grammatical function was important (the surrounding phonological environment and social factors were not significant). The implications for an understanding of pointing signs in signed languages are discussed. PMID:23805018

7 CFR 1209.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., or project; (ii) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data for at least one preceding... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year. Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1209.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., or project; (ii) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data for at least one preceding... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year. Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1209.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., or project; (ii) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data for at least one preceding... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year. Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1209.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., or project; (ii) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data for at least one preceding... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year. Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1209.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., or project; (ii) A summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data for at least one preceding... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year. Each budget shall...

A precipitation regionalization and regime for Iran based on multivariate analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raziei, Tayeb

2018-02-01

Monthly precipitation time series of 155 synoptic stations distributed over Iran, covering 1990-2014 time period, were used to identify areas with different precipitation time variability and regimes utilizing S-mode principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) preceded by T-mode PCA, respectively. Taking into account the maximum loading values of the rotated components, the first approach revealed five sub-regions characterized by different precipitation time variability, while the second method delineated eight sub-regions featured with different precipitation regimes. The sub-regions identified by the two used methods, although partly overlapping, are different considering their areal extent and complement each other as they are useful for different purposes and applications. Northwestern Iran and the Caspian Sea area were found as the two most distinctive Iranian precipitation sub-regions considering both time variability and precipitation regime since they were well captured with relatively identical areas by the two used approaches. However, the areal extents of the other three sub-regions identified by the first approach were not coincident with the coverage of their counterpart sub-regions defined by the second approach. Results suggest that the precipitation sub-region identified by the two methods would not be necessarily the same, as the first method which accounts for the variance of the data grouped stations with similar temporal variability while the second one which considers a fixed climatology defined by the average over the period 1990-2014 clusters stations having a similar march of monthly precipitation.

Large Scale Water Vapor Sources Relative to the October 2000 Piedmont Flood

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turato, Barbara; Reale, Oreste; Siccardi, Franco

2003-01-01

Very intense mesoscale or synoptic-scale rainfall events can occasionally be observed in the Mediterranean region without any deep cyclone developing over the areas affected by precipitation. In these perplexing cases the synoptic situation can superficially look similar to cases in which very little precipitation occurs. These situations could possibly baffle the operational weather forecasters. In this article, the major precipitation event that affected Piedmont (Italy) between 13 and 16 October 2000 is investigated. This is one of the cases in which no intense cyclone was observed within the Mediterranean region at any time, only a moderate system was present, and yet exceptional rainfall and flooding occurred. The emphasis of this study is on the moisture origin and transport. Moisture and energy balances are computed on different space- and time-scales, revealing that precipitation exceeds evaporation over an area inclusive of Piedmont and the northwestern Mediterranean region, on a time-scale encompassing the event and about two weeks preceding it. This is suggestive of an important moisture contribution originating from outside the region. A synoptic and dynamic analysis is then performed to outline the potential mechanisms that could have contributed to the large-scale moisture transport. The central part of the work uses a quasi-isentropic water-vapor back trajectory technique. The moisture sources obtained by this technique are compared with the results of the balances and with the synoptic situation, to unveil possible dynamic mechanisms and physical processes involved. It is found that moisture sources on a variety of atmospheric scales contribute to this event. First, an important contribution is caused by the extratropical remnants of former tropical storm Leslie. The large-scale environment related to this system allows a significant amount of moisture to be carried towards Europe. This happens on a time- scale of about 5-15 days preceding the Piedmont event. Second, water-vapor intrusions from the African Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone and evaporation from the eastern Atlantic contribute on the 2-5 day time-scale. The large-scale moist dynamics appears therefore to be one important factor enabling a moderate Mediterranean cyclone to produce heavy precipitation. Finally, local evaporation from the Mediterranean, water-vapor recycling, and orographically-induced low-level convergence enhance and concentrate the moisture over the area where heavy precipitation occurs. This happens on a 12-72 hour time-scale.

7 CFR 1206.40 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial...

7 CFR 1206.40 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial...

7 CFR 1206.40 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial...

7 CFR 1206.40 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial...

7 CFR 1206.40 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3... administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial...

32 CFR 724.115 - Next of kin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... precedence over natural parent); siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by... the civil law of descent of the deceased former member's state of domicile at time of death). ...

32 CFR 724.115 - Next of kin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... precedence over natural parent); siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by... the civil law of descent of the deceased former member's state of domicile at time of death). ...

32 CFR 724.115 - Next of kin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... precedence over natural parent); siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by... the civil law of descent of the deceased former member's state of domicile at time of death). ...

Lingering representations of stimuli influence recall organization.

PubMed

Chan, Stephanie C Y; Applegate, Marissa C; Morton, Neal W; Polyn, Sean M; Norman, Kenneth A

2017-03-01

Several prominent theories posit that information about recent experiences lingers in the brain and organizes memories for current experiences, by forming a temporal context that is linked to those memories at encoding. According to these theories, if the thoughts preceding an experience X resemble the thoughts preceding an experience Y, then X and Y should show an elevated probability of being recalled together. We tested this prediction by using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) of fMRI data to measure neural evidence for lingering processing of preceding stimuli. As predicted, memories encoded with similar lingering thoughts about the category of preceding stimuli were more likely to be recalled together. Our results demonstrate that the "fading embers" of previous stimuli help to organize recall, confirming a key prediction of computational models of episodic memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar Spectral Radiative Forcing During the Southern African Regional Science Initiative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilewskie, P.; Pommier, J.; Bergstrom, R.; Gore, W.; Howard, S.; Rabbette, M.; Schmid, B.; Hobbs, P. V.; Tsay, S. C.

2003-01-01

During the dry season component of the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI) in late winter 2000, the net solar spectral irradiance was measured at flight levels throughout biomass burning haze layers. From these measurements, the flux divergence, fractional absorption, instantaneous heating rate, and absorption efficiency were derived. Two cases are examined: on 24 August 2000 off the coast of Mozambique in the vicinity of Inhaca Island and on 6 September 2000 in a very thick continental haze layer over Mongu, Zambia. The measured absolute absorption was substantially higher for the case over Mongu where the measured midvisible optical depth exceeded unity. Instantaneous heating from aerosol absorption was 4 K d(sup -1) over Mongu, Zambia and 1.5 K d(sup -1) near Inhaca Island, Mozambique. However, the spectral absorption efficiency was nearly identical for both cases. Although the observations over Inhaca Island preceded the river of smoke from the southern African continent by nearly 2 weeks, the evidence here suggests a continental influence in the lower tropospheric aerosol far from source regions of burning.

Satellite observations of the ice cover of the Kuril Basin region of the Okhotsk Sea and its relation to the regional oceanography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wakatsuchi, Masaaki; Martin, Seelye

1990-01-01

For the period 1978-1982, this paper examines the nature of the sea ice which forms over the Kuril Basin of the Okhotsk Sea and describes the impact of this ice on the regional oceanography. The oceanographic behavior during the heavy ice season associated with the cold 1979 winter is compared with the behavior during the lighter ice years of 1980 and 1982. Examination of the oceanography in the Okhotsk and the adjacent Pacific shows that the early summer water column structure depends on the heat loss from the Okhotsk during the preceding ice season, the total amount of Okhotsk ice formation, and, specifically, the amount of the ice formation in the Kuril Basin. Following the 1979 ice season, the upper 200-300 m of the Kuril Basin waters were cooler, less saline, and richer in oxygen than for the other years. This modification appears to be a process local to the Kuril Basin, driven by eddy-induced mixing, local cooling, and ice melting.

A Region Tracking-Based Vehicle Detection Algorithm in Nighttime Traffic Scenes

PubMed Central

Wang, Jianqiang; Sun, Xiaoyan; Guo, Junbin

2013-01-01

The preceding vehicles detection technique in nighttime traffic scenes is an important part of the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). This paper proposes a region tracking-based vehicle detection algorithm via the image processing technique. First, the brightness of the taillights during nighttime is used as the typical feature, and we use the existing global detection algorithm to detect and pair the taillights. When the vehicle is detected, a time series analysis model is introduced to predict vehicle positions and the possible region (PR) of the vehicle in the next frame. Then, the vehicle is only detected in the PR. This could reduce the detection time and avoid the false pairing between the bright spots in the PR and the bright spots out of the PR. Additionally, we present a thresholds updating method to make the thresholds adaptive. Finally, experimental studies are provided to demonstrate the application and substantiate the superiority of the proposed algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm can simultaneously reduce both the false negative detection rate and the false positive detection rate.

Analysis of the regulatory region of the protease III (ptr) gene of Escherichia coli K-12.

PubMed

Claverie-Martin, F; Diaz-Torres, M R; Kushner, S R

1987-01-01

The ptr gene of Escherichia coli encodes protease III (Mr 110,000) and a 50-kDa polypeptide, both of which are found in the periplasmic space. The gene is physically located between the recC and recB loci on the E. coli chromosome. The nucleotide sequence of a 1167-bp EcoRV-ClaI fragment of chromosomal DNA containing the promoter region and 885 bp of the ptr coding sequence has been determined. S1 nuclease mapping analysis showed that the major 5' end of the ptr mRNA was localized 127 bp upstream from the ATG start codon. The open reading frame (ORF), preceded by a Shine-Dalgarno sequence, extends to the end of the sequenced DNA. Downstream from the -35 and -10 regions is a sequence that strongly fits the consensus sequence of known nitrogen-regulated promoters. A signal peptide of 23 amino acids residues is present at the N terminus of the derived amino acid sequence. The cleavage site as well as the ORF were confirmed by sequencing the N terminus of mature protease III.

Neural antecedents of social decision-making in a partner choice task.

PubMed

Cartmell, Samuel C D; Chun, Marvin M; Vickery, Timothy J

2014-11-01

Experiments in financial decision-making point to two complementary processes that encode prospective gain and loss preceding the choice to purchase consumer goods. These processes involve the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and the right anterior insula, respectively. The current experiment used functional MRI to investigate whether these regions served a similar function during an analogous social decision-making task without the influence of monetary outcomes. In this task, subjects chose partners based on face stimuli of varying attractiveness (operationalizing value) and ratings of compatibility with the participant (operationalizing likelihood of rejection). The NAcc responded to anticipated gain; the right anterior insula responded to compatibility, but not in a manner that suggests an analogy to anticipated cost. Logistic regression modeling demonstrated that both regions predicted subsequent choice above and beyond the influence of group attractiveness ratings or compatibility alone. Although the function of the insula may differ between tasks, these results suggest that financial and social decision-making recruit a similar network of brain regions. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Activity in Face-Responsive Brain Regions is Modulated by Invisible, Attended Faces: Evidence from Masked Priming

PubMed Central

Eger, Evelyn; Dolan, Raymond; Henson, Richard N.

2009-01-01

It is often assumed that neural activity in face-responsive regions of primate cortex correlates with conscious perception of faces. However, whether such activity occurs without awareness is still debated. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in conjunction with a novel masked face priming paradigm, we observed neural modulations that could not be attributed to perceptual awareness. More specifically, we found reduced activity in several classic face-processing regions, including the “fusiform face area,” “occipital face area,” and superior temporal sulcus, when a face was preceded by a briefly flashed image of the same face, relative to a different face, even when 2 images of the same face differed. Importantly, unlike most previous studies, which have minimized awareness by using conditions of inattention, the present results occurred when the stimuli (the primes) were attended. By contrast, when primes were perceived consciously, in a long-lag priming paradigm, we found repetition-related activity increases in additional frontal and parietal regions. These data not only demonstrate that fMRI activity in face-responsive regions can be modulated independently of perceptual awareness, but also document where such subliminal face-processing occurs (i.e., restricted to face-responsive regions of occipital and temporal cortex) and to what extent (i.e., independent of the specific image). PMID:18400791

Therapist activities preceding setbacks in the assimilation process.

PubMed

Gabalda, Isabel Caro; Stiles, William B; Pérez Ruiz, Sergio

2016-11-01

This study examined the therapist activities immediately preceding assimilation setbacks in the treatment of a good-outcome client treated with linguistic therapy of evaluation (LTE). Setbacks (N = 105) were defined as decreases of one or more assimilation stages from one passage to the next dealing with the same theme. The therapist activities immediately preceding those setbacks were classified using two kinds of codes: (a) therapist interventions and (b) positions the therapist took toward the client's internal voices. Preceding setbacks to early assimilation stages, where the problem was unformulated, the therapist was more often actively listening, and the setbacks were more often attributable to pushing a theme beyond the client's working zone. Preceding setbacks to later assimilation stages, where the problem was at least formulated, the therapist was more likely to be directing clients to consider alternatives, following the LTE agenda, and setbacks were more often attributable to the client following these directives shifting attention to less assimilated (but nevertheless formulated) aspects of the problem. At least in this case, setbacks followed systematically different therapist activities depending on the problem's stage of assimilation. Possible implications for the assimilation model's account of setbacks and for practice are discussed.

Metrical expectations from preceding prosody influence perception of lexical stress

PubMed Central

Brown, Meredith; Salverda, Anne Pier; Dilley, Laura C.; Tanenhaus, Michael K.

2015-01-01

Two visual-world experiments tested the hypothesis that expectations based on preceding prosody influence the perception of suprasegmental cues to lexical stress. The results demonstrate that listeners’ consideration of competing alternatives with different stress patterns (e.g., ‘jury/gi’raffe) can be influenced by the fundamental frequency and syllable timing patterns across material preceding a target word. When preceding stressed syllables distal to the target word shared pitch and timing characteristics with the first syllable of the target word, pictures of alternatives with primary lexical stress on the first syllable (e.g., jury) initially attracted more looks than alternatives with unstressed initial syllables (e.g., giraffe). This effect was modulated when preceding unstressed syllables had pitch and timing characteristics similar to the initial syllable of the target word, with more looks to alternatives with unstressed initial syllables (e.g., giraffe) than to those with stressed initial syllables (e.g., jury). These findings suggest that expectations about the acoustic realization of upcoming speech include information about metrical organization and lexical stress, and that these expectations constrain the initial interpretation of suprasegmental stress cues. These distal prosody effects implicate on-line probabilistic inferences about the sources of acoustic-phonetic variation during spoken-word recognition. PMID:25621583

7 CFR 1212.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3) A summary of proposed... comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget). (b) Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1212.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3) A summary of proposed... comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget). (b) Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1212.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3) A summary of proposed... comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget). (b) Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1212.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3) A summary of proposed... comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget). (b) Each budget shall...

7 CFR 1212.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... comparative data or at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget); (3) A summary of proposed... comparative data for at least one preceding year (except for the initial budget). (b) Each budget shall...

9 CFR 2.7 - Annual report by licensees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, by the licensee during the preceding..., exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year (calendar or...

9 CFR 2.7 - Annual report by licensees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, by the licensee during the preceding..., exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year (calendar or...

9 CFR 2.7 - Annual report by licensees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, by the licensee during the preceding..., exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year (calendar or...

9 CFR 2.7 - Annual report by licensees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, by the licensee during the preceding..., exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year (calendar or...

10 CFR 205.11 - Order of precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... precedence. (a) If there is any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this part and any other... prenotification and reporting and subpart J of part 212 of this chapter shall control with respect to accounting...

Effect of ultrasonography surveillance in patients with liver cancer: a population-based longitudinal study.

PubMed

Chiang, Jui-Kun; Chih-Wen, Lin; Kao, Yee-Hsin

2017-06-23

Liver cancer is a growing global public health problem. Ultrasonography is an imaging tool widely used for the early diagnosis of liver cancer. However, the effect of ultrasonography surveillance (US) on the survival of patients with liver cancer is unknown. Therefore, this study examined the association between survival and US frequency during the 2 years preceding patients' liver cancer diagnosis. This population-based longitudinal study was conducted in Taiwan, a region with high liver cancer incidence, by using the National Health Insurance Research Database. We compared survival between patients who received US three times or more (≥3 group) and less than three times (<3 group) during the 2 years preceding their liver cancer diagnosis, and identified the predictors for the ≥3 group. This study enrolled 4621 patients with liver cancer who had died between 1997 and 2010. The median survival rate was higher in the ≥3 group (1.42 years) than in the <3 group (0.51 years). Five-year survival probability was also significantly higher in the ≥3 group (14.4%) than in the <3 group (7.7%). The multivariate logistic regression results showed that the three most common positive predictors for receiving three or more US sessions were indications of viral hepatitis, gallbladder diseases and kidney-urinary-bladder diseases; the most common negative predictors for receiving three or more US sessions were male sex and indications of abdominal pain. Patients with liver cancer who received US three times or more during the 2 years preceding their liver cancer diagnosis exhibited a higher 5-year survival probability. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

What is Lethe hyrania (Kollar, 1844) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)?

PubMed

Lang, Song-Yun; Lamas, Gerardo

2016-02-02

Known for a long time as "Lethe insana [sic] (Kollar, 1844)" (e.g. Fruhstorfer, 1911; D'Abrera, 1985), Lethe hyrania (Kollar, 1844) is a common, sexually-dimorphic, satyrine butterfly, found in the Sino-Himalayan region. Kollar (1844) described simultaneously both Satyrus isana and S. hyrania, as separate but closely related species, from northwestern India. Kollar (1844) spelt the name of the former in two different ways, as isana in the text (pp. 448, 449, 585), and as jsana in the legend for plate 16. Westwood (1851) maintained isana and hyrania as separate species but transferred them to the genus Debis Doubleday, whereas both Butler (1868) and Kirby (1871) assigned them to the genus Lethe Hübner, synonymizing isana under L. rohria (Fabricius). Moore (1882) was the first author to regard isana and hyrania as conspecific, the former representing the female sex and the latter the male, though he misspelt isana as "isania". Acting as First Reviser, Article 24.2 of ICZN (1999), Moore (1882) gave precedence to hyrania, thus the valid name for the species is Lethe hyrania. Later, Marshall & Nicéville (1883), Nicéville (1886), Doherty (1886), Elwes (1888), and Moore (1892) followed Moore's (1882) opinion, though afterwards Mackinnon & Nicéville (1897) argued that isana had priority over hyrania, based on "page precedence", ignoring Moore's (1882) previous action. Bingham (1905) was the first author to introduce the incorrect subsequent spelling "insana" and, apparently following Mackinnon & Nicéville (1897), also gave precedence to "insana" over hyrania. Most subsequent authors followed Bingham's (1905) error, and used Lethe "insana" for this species (for instance, Fruhstorfer, 1911; Evans, 1923, 1927; Gaede, 1931; Talbot, [1949]; Lesse, 1957; D'Abrera, 1985, 1990; Bozano, 1999). Except for Bozano (1999), who listed both hyrania and "insana" as valid species, without further comment, the name hyrania has been forgotten for over a hundred years.

Integrating community-based health promotion programs and primary care: a mixed methods analysis of feasibility.

PubMed

Leppin, Aaron L; Schaepe, Karen; Egginton, Jason; Dick, Sara; Branda, Megan; Christiansen, Lori; Burow, Nicole M; Gaw, Charlene; Montori, Victor M

2018-01-31

Implementation of evidence-based programs (EBPs) for disease self-management and prevention is a policy priority. It is challenging to implement EBPs offered in community settings and to integrate them with healthcare. We sought to understand, categorize, and richly describe key challenges and opportunities related to integrating EBPs into routine primary care practice in the United States. As part of a parent, participatory action research project, we conducted a mixed methods evaluation guided by the PRECEDE implementation planning model in an 11-county region of Southeast Minnesota. Our community-partnered research team interviewed and surveyed 15 and 190 primary care clinicians and 15 and 88 non-clinician stakeholders, respectively. We coded interviews according to pre-defined PRECEDE factors and by participant type and searched for emerging themes. We then categorized survey items-before looking at participant responses-according to their ability to generate further evidence supporting the PRECEDE factors and emerging themes. We statistically summarized data within and across responder groups. When consistent, we merged these with qualitative insight. The themes we found, "Two Systems, Two Worlds," "Not My Job," and "Seeing is Believing," highlighted the disparate nature of prescribed activities that different stakeholders do to contribute to health. For instance, primary care clinicians felt pressured to focus on activities of diagnosis and treatment and did not imagine ways in which EBPs could contribute to either. Quantitative analyses supported aspects of all three themes, highlighting clinicians' limited trust in community-placed activities, and the need for tailored education and system and policy-level changes to support their integration with primary care. Primary care and community-based programs exist in disconnected worlds. Without urgent and intentional efforts to bridge well-care and sick-care, interventions that support people's efforts to be and stay well in their communities will remain outside of-if not at odds with-healthcare.

Temporal context processing within hippocampal subfields.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; Diana, Rachel A

2016-07-01

The episodic memory system can differentiate similar events based on the temporal information associated with the events. Temporal context, which is at least partially determined by the events that precede or follow the critical event, may be a cue to differentiate events. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG)/CA3 and CA1 subfields are sensitive to changes in temporal context and, if so, whether the subregions show a linear or threshold-like response to similar temporal contexts. Participants incidentally encoded a series of object picture triplets and 20 of them were included in final analyses. The third picture in each triplet was operationally defined as the target and the first two pictures served as temporal context for the target picture. Each target picture was presented twice with temporal context manipulated to be either repeated, high similarity, low similarity, or new on the second presentation. We extracted beta parameters for the repeated target as a function of the type of temporal context. We expected to see repetition suppression, a reduction in the beta values, in response to repetition of the target. If temporal context information is included in the representation of the target within a given region, this repetition suppression should be greater for target images that were preceded by their original context than for target images preceded by a new context. Neuroimaging results showed that CA1, but not DG/CA3, modifies the target's representation based on its temporal context. Right CA1 did not distinguish high similarity temporal context from repeated context but did distinguish low similarity temporal context from repeated context. These results indicate that CA1 is sensitive to temporal context and suggest that it does not differentiate between a substantially similar temporal context and an identical temporal context. In contrast, DG/CA3 does not appear to process temporal context as defined in the current experiment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An epidemiological investigation of an idiopathic myopathy in hunting dogs in New Zealand.

PubMed

Hunt, H; Cave, N J; Gartrell, B D; Cogger, N; Petersen, J A; Roe, W D

2018-07-01

To conduct an epidemiological investigation of an idiopathic myopathy, known as "Go Slow" (GSM), which was initially recognised in dogs used for pig hunting. A secondary aim was to describe the hunting activities, diet and health of dogs used for pig hunting in New Zealand. A retrospective cohort study was conducted between June 2014-June 2017. Cases of GSM in dogs were diagnosed by veterinarians using a combination of clinical history, physical examination findings, serum biochemistry and/or skeletal muscle histology. A telephone interview was conducted with the owner or primary veterinarian to provide information regarding the dog's diet and exercise over the 7 days preceding the onset of clinical signs. In August 2015, a separate online survey of owners of dogs used for pig hunting was conducted to characterise the normal hunting activities, diet and health of these dogs. A total of 86 cases of GSM were recruited, of which 58 (67%) were pig hunting dogs, 16 (19%) pet dogs and 12 (14%) working farm dogs. Cases were most commonly reported in the upper North Island, and 65 (76 (95% CI=67-85)%) were from the Northland region. Processed commercial dog food had been fed to 93 (95% CI=88-98)% of affected dogs. Ingestion of raw, frozen or cooked wild pig in the preceding week was reported for 76 (88 (95% CI=82-95)%) dogs with the myopathy. In the survey of owners of healthy pig hunting dogs, 203 eligible responses were received; pig hunting was reported to most commonly occur in Northland (20.2%), Waikato (22.3%) and Bay of Plenty (23.2%) regions. Commercial dog food was fed to 172 (85 (95% CI=80-90)%) of the dogs included in this survey, and 55 (27 (95% CI=20-33)%) had eaten wild pig in the preceding week. The most common reported health problem in pig hunting dogs was traumatic wounds. Cases of GSM were most commonly recognised in dogs used for pig hunting, but also occurred in pet and working farm dogs. The disease was most frequently reported in the upper North Island of New Zealand and ingestion of wild pig was a consistent feature in cases of this myopathy. To minimise the risk of dogs developing this myopathy, it would seem prudent to avoid feeding any tissues from wild pigs to dogs in areas where the disease is known to occur.

[Three cases of uterine cervix lymphoma. Two of them preceded by erroneous hystology reports, resulting in radical surgery with lymphnode desection. Third case--lethality of a 21 year old patient in the course of chemotherapy].

PubMed

Hristamian, A; Hristamian, V

2014-01-01

Three cases of primary uterine cervix lymphomas are presented. Two of the cases were preceded by erroneous histology reports. Subsequent radical surgery and post operative establishment of the correct diagnosis. Case 3--young patient with massive tumor under chemotherapy Lethal outcome in the chemotherapy course as a result of multiple PE, that preceded the planned operative intervention. A literature review of this extremely rare pathology is presented.

Storage of feature conjunctions in transient auditory memory.

PubMed

Gomes, H; Bernstein, R; Ritter, W; Vaughan, H G; Miller, J

1997-11-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether feature conjunctions are stored in transient auditory memory. The mismatch negativity (MMN), an event-related potential that is elicited by stimuli that differ from a series of preceding stimuli, was used in this endeavour. A tone that differed from the preceding series of stimuli in the conjunction of two of its features, both present in preceding stimuli but in different combinations, was found to elicit the MMN. The data are interpreted to indicate that information about the conjunction of features is stored in the memory.

Left Atrial Size and Function in a Canine Model of Chronic Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Goldberg, Adam; Kusunose, Kenya; Qamruddin, Salima; Rodriguez, L. Leonardo; Mazgalev, Todor N.; Griffin, Brian P.; Van Wagoner, David R.; Zhang, Youhua; Popović, Zoran B.

2016-01-01

Background Our aim was to assess how atrial fibrillation (AF) induction, chronicity, and RR interval irregularity affect left atrial (LA) function and size in the setting of underlying heart failure (HF), and to determine whether AF effects can be mitigated by vagal nerve stimulation (VNS). Methods HF was induced by 4-weeks of rapid ventricular pacing in 24 dogs. Subsequently, AF was induced and maintained by atrial pacing at 600 bpm. Dogs were randomized into control (n = 9) and VNS (n = 15) groups. In the VNS group, atrioventricular node fat pad stimulation (310 μs, 20 Hz, 3–7 mA) was delivered continuously for 6 months. LA volume and LA strain data were calculated from bi-weekly echocardiograms. Results RR intervals decreased with HF in both groups (p = 0.001), and decreased further during AF in control group (p = 0.014), with a non-significant increase in the VNS group during AF. LA size increased with HF (p<0.0001), with no additional increase during AF. LA strain decreased with HF (p = 0.025) and further decreased after induction of AF (p = 0.0001). LA strain decreased less (p = 0.001) in the VNS than in the control group. Beat-by-beat analysis showed a curvilinear increase of LA strain with longer preceding RR interval, (r = 0.45, p <0.0001) with LA strain 1.1% higher (p = 0.02) in the VNS-treated animals, independent of preceding RR interval duration. The curvilinear relationship between ratio of preceding and pre-preceding RR intervals, and subsequent LA strain was weaker, (r = 0.28, p = 0.001). However, VNS-treated animals again had higher LA strain (by 2.2%, p = 0.002) independently of the ratio of preceding and pre-preceding RR intervals. Conclusions In the underlying presence of pacing-induced HF, AF decreased LA strain, with little impact on LA size. LA strain depends on the preceding RR interval duration. PMID:26771573

What's in a dental practice-based research network? Characteristics of Northwest PRECEDENT dentists, their patients and office visits.

PubMed

DeRouen, Timothy A; Cunha-Cruz, Joana; Hilton, Thomas J; Ferracane, Jack; Berg, Joel; Zhou, Lingmei; Rothen, Marilynn

2010-07-01

The authors conducted a study to describe the general dentists, practices, patients and patient care patterns of the dental practice-based research network (PBRN) Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry (PRECEDENT). Northwest PRECEDENT is a dental PBRN of general and pediatric dentists and orthodontists from five U.S. states in the Northwest: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The authors collected data from general dentists in Northwest PRECEDENT (n = 101) regarding the diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases in a survey with a systematic random sample of patients (N = 1,943) visiting their practices. They also obtained demographic data from the general dentists and their patients. The authors found that 50 percent of the general dentists were 51 to 60 years of age, 14 percent were female and 76 percent were non-Hispanic white. More than one-half (55 percent) of the dentists had practiced dentistry for more than 20 years, 83 percent had private solo practices and 32 percent practiced in rural community settings. The majority (71 percent) of patients visiting the dental practices was in the age range of 18 to 64 years, 55 percent were female and 84 percent were non-Hispanic white. In terms of reasons for seeking dental care, 52 percent of patients overall visited the dentist for oral examinations, checkups, prophylaxis or caries-preventive treatment. In the preceding year, 85 percent of the patients had received prophylaxis, 49 percent restorative treatments, 34 percent caries-preventive treatments and 10 percent endodontic treatments. Northwest PRECEDENT general dentists are dispersed geographically and are racially and ethnically diverse, owing in part to efforts by network administrators and coordinators to enroll minority dentists and those who practice in rural areas. Estimates of characteristics of dentists and patients in Northwest PRECEDENT will be valuable in planning future studies of oral diseases and treatments.

Young infants’ perception of liquid coarticulatory influences on following stop consonants

PubMed Central

FOWLER, CAROL A.; BEST, CATHERINE T.; McROBERTS, GERALD W.

2009-01-01

Phonetic segments are coarticulated in speech. Accordingly, the articulatory and acoustic properties of the speech signal during the time frame traditionally identified with a given phoneme are highly context-sensitive. For example, due to carryover coarticulation, the front tongue-tip position for /l/ results in more fronted tongue-body contact for a /g/ preceded by /l/ than for a /g/ preceded by /r/. Perception by mature listeners shows a complementary sensitivity—when a synthetic /da/–/ga/ continuum is preceded by either /al/ or /ar/, adults hear more /g/s following /l/ rather than /r/. That is, some of the fronting information in the temporal domain of the stop is perceptually attributed to /l/ (Mann, 1980). We replicated this finding and extended it to a signal-detection test of discrimination with adults, using triads of disyllables. Three equidistant items from a /da/–/ga/ continuum were used preceded by /al/ and /ar/. In the identification test, adults had identified item ga5 as “ga,” and da1 as “da,” following both /al/ and /ar/, whereas they identified the crucial item d/ga3 predominantly as “ga” after /al/ but as “da” after /ar/. In the discrimination test, they discriminated d/ga3 from da1 preceded by /al/ but not /ar/; compatibly, they discriminated d/ga3 readily from ga5 preceded by /ar/ but poorly preceded by /al/. We obtained similar results with 4-month-old infants. Following habituation to either ald/ga3 or ard/ga3, infants heard either the corresponding ga5 or da1 disyllable. As predicted, the infants discriminated d/ga3 from da1 following /al/ but not /ar/; conversely, they discriminated d/ga3 from ga5 following /ar/ but not /al/. The results suggest that prelinguistic infants disentangle consonant-consonant coarticulatory influences in speech in an adult-like fashion. PMID:2270188

Hemodynamic deterioration precedes onset of ventricular tachyarrhythmia after Heartmate II implantation.

PubMed

Yaksh, Ameeta; Kik, Charles; Knops, Paul; Zwiers, Korinne; van Ettinger, Maarten J B; Manintveld, Olivier C; de Wijs, Marcel C J; van der Kemp, Peter; Bogers, Ad J J C; de Groot, Natasja M S

2016-07-08

Early postoperative ventricular tachyarrhythmia (PoVT) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation are common and associated with higher mortality-rates. At present, there is no data on initiation of these PoVT and the role of alterations in cardiac hemodynamics. A LVAD was implanted in a patient with end-stage heart failure due to a ischemic cardiomyopathy. Alterations in cardiac rhythm and hemodynamics preceding PoVT-episodes during the first five postoperative days were examined by using continuous recordings of cardiac rhythm and various hemodynamic parameters. All PoVT (N=120) were monomorphic, most often preceded by short-long-short-sequences or regular SR and initiated by ventricular runs. Prior to PoVT, mean arterial pressure decreased; heart rate and ST-segments deviations increased. PoVT are caused by different underlying electrophysiological mechanisms. Yet, they are all monomorphic and preceded by hemodynamic deterioration due to myocardial ischemia.

Global precedence effects account for individual differences in both face and object recognition performance.

PubMed

Gerlach, Christian; Starrfelt, Randi

2018-03-20

There has been an increase in studies adopting an individual difference approach to examine visual cognition and in particular in studies trying to relate face recognition performance with measures of holistic processing (the face composite effect and the part-whole effect). In the present study we examine whether global precedence effects, measured by means of non-face stimuli in Navon's paradigm, can also account for individual differences in face recognition and, if so, whether the effect is of similar magnitude for faces and objects. We find evidence that global precedence effects facilitate both face and object recognition, and to a similar extent. Our results suggest that both face and object recognition are characterized by a coarse-to-fine temporal dynamic, where global shape information is derived prior to local shape information, and that the efficiency of face and object recognition is related to the magnitude of the global precedence effect.

Click trains and the rate of information processing: does "speeding up" subjective time make other psychological processes run faster?

PubMed

Jones, Luke A; Allely, Clare S; Wearden, John H

2011-02-01

A series of experiments demonstrated that a 5-s train of clicks that have been shown in previous studies to increase the subjective duration of tones they precede (in a manner consistent with "speeding up" timing processes) could also have an effect on information-processing rate. Experiments used studies of simple and choice reaction time (Experiment 1), or mental arithmetic (Experiment 2). In general, preceding trials by clicks made response times significantly shorter than those for trials without clicks, but white noise had no effects on response times. Experiments 3 and 4 investigated the effects of clicks on performance on memory tasks, using variants of two classic experiments of cognitive psychology: Sperling's (1960) iconic memory task and Loftus, Johnson, and Shimamura's (1985) iconic masking task. In both experiments participants were able to recall or recognize significantly more information from stimuli preceded by clicks than those preceded by silence.

Infectivity of wild bird-origin avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 and vaccine effectiveness in chickens.

PubMed

Shabbir, Muhammad Zubair; Akhtar, Sameera; Tang, Yi; Yaqub, Tahir; Ahmad, Arfan; Mustafa, Ghulam; Alam, Muhammad Azhar; Santhakumar, Diwakar; Nair, Venugopal; Munir, Muhammad

2016-12-01

Newcastle disease virus, a prototype avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1), causes economically devastating disease in avian species around the world. Newcastle disease is enzootic in Pakistan and recurrent outbreaks are frequent in multiple avian species even after continuous and extensive use of vaccines. A number of APMV-1 and pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1 (PPMV-1) strains have been isolated and genetically characterized in recent years. However, the impact of recently characterized wild bird-origin APMVs in domestic poultry, and the potency of routinely used vaccines against these novel and genetically diverse viruses remain unknown. Here, we applied next-generation sequencing for unbiased complete genome characterization of APMV-1 and PPMV-1 strains isolated from clinically diseased peacocks (Pavocristatus) and pigeons (Columbalivia), respectively. Global phylodynamics and evolutionary analysis demonstrates Pigeon/MZS-UVAS-Pak/2014 is clustered into lineage 4 (or genotype VI) and Peacock/MZS-UVAS-Pak/2014 into lineage 5 (or genotype VII). The genomes of both isolates encoded for polybasic residues (112RRQKR↓F117) at the fusion protein cleavage motif along with a number of important substitutions in the surface glycoproteins compared with the vaccine strains. Clinicopathological and immunological investigations in domesticated chickens indicate that these isolates can potentially transmit between tested avian species, can cause systemic infections, and can induce antibodies that are unable to prevent virus shedding. Collectively, the data from these genomic and biological assessments highlight the potential of wild birds in transmitting APMVs to domesticated chickens. The study also demonstrates that the current vaccine regimens are incapable of providing complete protection against wild bird-origin APMVs and PPMVs.

A binding-site barrier affects imaging efficiency of high affinity amyloid-reactive peptide radiotracers in vivo.

PubMed

Wall, Jonathan S; Williams, Angela; Richey, Tina; Stuckey, Alan; Huang, Ying; Wooliver, Craig; Macy, Sallie; Heidel, Eric; Gupta, Neil; Lee, Angela; Rader, Brianna; Martin, Emily B; Kennel, Stephen J

2013-01-01

Amyloid is a complex pathology associated with a growing number of diseases including Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and myeloma. The distribution and extent of amyloid deposition in body organs establishes the prognosis and can define treatment options; therefore, determining the amyloid load by using non-invasive molecular imaging is clinically important. We have identified a heparin-binding peptide designated p5 that, when radioiodinated, was capable of selectively imaging systemic visceral AA amyloidosis in a murine model of the disease. The p5 peptide was posited to bind effectively to amyloid deposits, relative to similarly charged polybasic heparin-reactive peptides, because it adopted a polar α helix secondary structure. We have now synthesized a variant, p5R, in which the 8 lysine amino acids of p5 have been replaced with arginine residues predisposing the peptide toward the α helical conformation in an effort to enhance the reactivity of the peptide with the amyloid substrate. The p5R peptide had higher affinity for amyloid and visualized AA amyloid in mice by using SPECT/CT imaging; however, the microdistribution, as evidenced in micro-autoradiographs, was dramatically altered relative to the p5 peptide due to its increased affinity and a resultant "binding site barrier" effect. These data suggest that radioiodinated peptide p5R may be optimal for the in vivo detection of discreet, perivascular amyloid, as found in the brain and pancreatic vasculature, by using molecular imaging techniques; however, peptide p5, due to its increased penetration, may yield more quantitative imaging of expansive tissue amyloid deposits.

Changes in pupil diameter are correlated with the occurrence of pareidolias in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies.

PubMed

Suzuki, Yumi; Hirayama, Kazumi; Shimomura, Tatsuo; Uchiyama, Makoto; Fujii, Hiromi; Mori, Etsuro; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Iizuka, Osamu; Inoue, Ryusuke; Otsuki, Mika; Sakai, Shinya

2017-03-01

Pareidolias are visual illusions of meaningful objects, such as faces and animals, that arise from ambiguous forms embedded in visual scenes. Pareidolias and visual hallucinations have been suggested to have a common underlying neural mechanism in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The aim of the present study was to find an externally observable physiological indicator of pareidolias. Using a pareidolia test developed by Uchiyama and colleagues, we evoked pareidolias in patients with DLB and recorded the resultant changes in the diameters of their pupil. The time frequencies of changes in pupil diameters preceding pareidolic utterances and correct utterances by the patients, as well as correct utterances by healthy control participants, were analyzed by a fast Fourier transform program. The power at time frequencies of 0-0.46 Hz was found to be greatest preceding pareidolic utterances in patients with DLB, followed by that preceding correct utterances in control participants, followed by that preceding correct utterances in patients with DLB. When the changes in power preceding the utterance were greater than the median value of correct utterances by the control group, the frequency of pareidolic utterances was significantly greater than that of correct utterances and when the changes were the same as or lower than the median value, the frequency of correct utterances was significantly greater than that of pareidolic utterances. Greater changes in power preceding the utterance at time frequencies of 0-0.46 Hz may thus be an externally observable physiological indicator of the occurrence of pareidolias.

Changes in pupil diameter are correlated with the occurrence of pareidolias in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Yumi; Hirayama, Kazumi; Shimomura, Tatsuo; Uchiyama, Makoto; Fujii, Hiromi; Mori, Etsuro; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Iizuka, Osamu; Inoue, Ryusuke; Otsuki, Mika

2017-01-01

Pareidolias are visual illusions of meaningful objects, such as faces and animals, that arise from ambiguous forms embedded in visual scenes. Pareidolias and visual hallucinations have been suggested to have a common underlying neural mechanism in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The aim of the present study was to find an externally observable physiological indicator of pareidolias. Using a pareidolia test developed by Uchiyama and colleagues, we evoked pareidolias in patients with DLB and recorded the resultant changes in the diameters of their pupil. The time frequencies of changes in pupil diameters preceding pareidolic utterances and correct utterances by the patients, as well as correct utterances by healthy control participants, were analyzed by a fast Fourier transform program. The power at time frequencies of 0–0.46 Hz was found to be greatest preceding pareidolic utterances in patients with DLB, followed by that preceding correct utterances in control participants, followed by that preceding correct utterances in patients with DLB. When the changes in power preceding the utterance were greater than the median value of correct utterances by the control group, the frequency of pareidolic utterances was significantly greater than that of correct utterances and when the changes were the same as or lower than the median value, the frequency of correct utterances was significantly greater than that of pareidolic utterances. Greater changes in power preceding the utterance at time frequencies of 0–0.46 Hz may thus be an externally observable physiological indicator of the occurrence of pareidolias. PMID:28134631

Surveillance for Health Care Access and Health Services Use, Adults Aged 18–64 Years — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2014

PubMed Central

Okoro, Catherine A.; Zhao, Guixiang; Fox, Jared B.; Eke, Paul I.; Greenlund, Kurt J.; Town, Machell

2017-01-01

Problem/Condition As a result of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, millions of U.S. adults attained health insurance coverage. However, millions of adults remain uninsured or underinsured. Compared with adults without barriers to health care, adults who lack health insurance coverage, have coverage gaps, or skip or delay care because of limited personal finances might face increased risk for poor physical and mental health and premature mortality. Period Covered 2014. Description of System The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing, state-based, landline- and cellular-telephone survey of noninstitutionalized adults aged ≥18 years residing in the United States. Data are collected from states, the District of Columbia, and participating U.S. territories on health risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, health care access, and use of clinical preventive services (CPS). An optional Health Care Access module was included in the 2014 BRFSS. This report summarizes 2014 BRFSS data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia on health care access and use of selected CPS recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices among working-aged adults (aged 18–64 years), by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region, and federal poverty level (FPL). This report also provides analysis of primary type of health insurance coverage at the time of interview, continuity of health insurance coverage during the preceding 12 months, and other health care access measures (i.e., unmet health care need because of cost, unmet prescription need because of cost, medical debt [medical bills being paid off over time], number of health care visits during the preceding year, and satisfaction with received health care) from 43 states that included questions from the optional BRFSS Health Care Access module. Results In 2014, health insurance coverage and other health care access measures varied substantially by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region (i.e., states categorized geographically into nine regions), and FPL category. The following proportions refer to the range of estimated prevalence for health insurance and other health care access measures by examined geographical unit (unless otherwise specified), as reported by respondents. Among adults with health insurance coverage, the range was 70.8%–94.5% for states, 78.8%–94.5% for Medicaid expansion states, 70.8%–89.1% for nonexpansion states, 73.3%–91.0% for expanded geographic regions, and 64.2%–95.8% for FPL categories. Among adults who had a usual source of health care, the range was 57.2%–86.6% for states, 57.2%–86.6% for Medicaid expansion states, 61.8%–83.9% for nonexpansion states, 64.4%–83.6% for expanded geographic regions, and 61.0%–81.6% for FPL categories. Among adults who received a routine checkup, the range was 52.1%–75.5% for states, 56.0%–75.5% for Medicaid expansion states, 52.1%–71.1% for nonexpansion states, 56.8%–70.2% for expanded geographic regions, and 59.9%–69.2% for FPL categories. Among adults who had unmet health care need because of cost, the range was 8.0%–23.1% for states, 8.0%–21.9% for Medicaid expansion states, 11.9%–23.1% for nonexpansion states, 11.6%–20.3% for expanded geographic regions, and 5.3%–32.9% for FPL categories. Estimated prevalence of cancer screenings, influenza vaccination, and having ever been tested for human immunodeficiency virus also varied by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region, and FPL category. The prevalence of insurance coverage varied by approximately 25 percentage points among racial/ethnic groups (range: 63.9% among Hispanics to 88.4% among non-Hispanic Asians) and by approximately 32 percentage points by FPL category (range: 64.2% among adults with household income <100% of FPL to 95.8% among adults with household income >400% of FPL). The prevalence of unmet health care need because of cost varied by nearly 14 percentage points among racial/ethnic groups (range: 11.3% among non-Hispanic Asians to 25.0% among Hispanics), by approximately 17 percentage points among adults with and without disabilities (30.8% versus 13.7%), and by approximately 28 percentage points by FPL category (range: 5.3% among adults with household income >400% of FPL to 32.9% among adults with household income <100% of FPL). Among the 43 states that included questions from the optional module, a majority of adults reported private health insurance coverage (63.4%), followed by public health plan coverage (19.4%) and no primary source of insurance (17.1%). Financial barriers to health care (unmet health care need because of cost, unmet prescribed medication need because of cost, and medical bills being paid off over time [medical debt]) were typically lower among adults in Medicaid expansion states than those in nonexpansion states regardless of source of insurance. Approximately 75.6% of adults reported being continuously insured during the preceding 12 months, 12.9% reported a gap in coverage, and 11.5% reported being uninsured during the preceding 12 months. The largest proportion of adults reported ≥3 visits to a health care professional during the preceding 12 months (47.3%), followed by 1–2 visits (37.1%), and no health care visits (15.6%). Adults in expansion and nonexpansion states reported similar levels of satisfaction with received health care by primary source of health insurance coverage and by continuity of health insurance coverage during the preceding 12 months. Interpretation This report presents for the first time estimates of population-based health care access and use of CPS among adults aged 18–64 years. The findings in this report indicate substantial variations in health insurance coverage; other health care access measures; and use of CPS by state, state Medicaid expansion status, expanded geographic region, and FPL category. In 2014, health insurance coverage, having a usual source of care, having a routine checkup, and not experiencing unmet health care need because of cost were higher among adults living below the poverty level (i.e., household income <100% of FPL) in states that expanded Medicaid than in states that did not. Similarly, estimates of breast and cervical cancer screening and influenza vaccination were higher among adults living below the poverty level in states that expanded Medicaid than in states that did not. These disparities might be due to larger differences to begin with, decreased disparities in Medicaid expansion states versus nonexpansion states, or increased disparities in nonexpansion states. Public Health Action BRFSS data from 2014 can be used as a baseline by which to assess and monitor changes that might occur after 2014 resulting from programs and policies designed to increase access to health care, reduce health disparities, and improve the health of the adult population. Post-2014 changes in health care access, such as source of health insurance coverage, attainment and continuity of coverage, financial barriers, preventive care services, and health outcomes, can be monitored using these baseline estimates. PMID:28231239

Historical Uses of Meteoritic Metals as Precedent for Modern In-Situ Asteroid Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krispin, D.; Mardon, A. A.; Fawcett, B. G.

2016-08-01

The strain on earth's resources of metal and the metallic density of meteorites mean that in situ asteroid mining is advisable. This has precedent: Use of meteoritic metal dates back to ancient times.

17 CFR 210.3-02 - Consolidated statements of income and changes in financial positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... statements of income and cash flows for each of the three fiscal years preceding the date of the most recent... preceding fiscal year, statements of income and cash flows shall be provided. Such interim financial...

17 CFR 210.3-02 - Consolidated statements of income and changes in financial positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... statements of income and cash flows for each of the three fiscal years preceding the date of the most recent... preceding fiscal year, statements of income and cash flows shall be provided. Such interim financial...

17 CFR 210.3-02 - Consolidated statements of income and changes in financial positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... statements of income and cash flows for each of the three fiscal years preceding the date of the most recent... preceding fiscal year, statements of income and cash flows shall be provided. Such interim financial...

47 CFR 213.2 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Scope. 213.2 Section 213.2 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.2 Scope. The precedence system contained herein is...

47 CFR 213.0 - Authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Authority. 213.0 Section 213.0 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.0 Authority. (a) The voice and message precedence...

47 CFR 213.2 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Scope. 213.2 Section 213.2 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.2 Scope. The precedence system contained herein is...

47 CFR 213.2 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Scope. 213.2 Section 213.2 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.2 Scope. The precedence system contained herein is...

47 CFR 213.0 - Authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Authority. 213.0 Section 213.0 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.0 Authority. (a) The voice and message precedence...

47 CFR 213.2 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Scope. 213.2 Section 213.2 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.2 Scope. The precedence system contained herein is...

47 CFR 213.0 - Authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Authority. 213.0 Section 213.0 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.0 Authority. (a) The voice and message precedence...

47 CFR 213.0 - Authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Authority. 213.0 Section 213.0 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.0 Authority. (a) The voice and message precedence...

47 CFR 213.0 - Authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Authority. 213.0 Section 213.0 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.0 Authority. (a) The voice and message precedence...

47 CFR 213.2 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Scope. 213.2 Section 213.2 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.2 Scope. The precedence system contained herein is...

Diverticular colitis of the ascending colon preceding the onset of ulcerative colitis.

PubMed

Maeshiro, Tatsuji; Hokama, Akira; Kinjo, Tetsu; Fujita, Jiro

2014-06-30

We present a case of diverticular colitis of the ascending colon preceding the onset of ulcerative colitis. A 58-year-old man presented with positive faecal occult blood test. Colonoscopy disclosed diverticular colitis of the ascending colon. After a year's follow-up, typical ulcerative colitis developed and diverticular colitis improved. Diverticular colitis is a newly established disorder of chronic segmental mucosal inflammation affected by diverticular disease. There is increasing recognition of such cases with diverticular colitis preceding ulcerative colitis. There may be a possible pathogenic relationship between the two diseases. 2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Metrical expectations from preceding prosody influence perception of lexical stress.

PubMed

Brown, Meredith; Salverda, Anne Pier; Dilley, Laura C; Tanenhaus, Michael K

2015-04-01

Two visual-world experiments tested the hypothesis that expectations based on preceding prosody influence the perception of suprasegmental cues to lexical stress. The results demonstrate that listeners' consideration of competing alternatives with different stress patterns (e.g., 'jury/gi'raffe) can be influenced by the fundamental frequency and syllable timing patterns across material preceding a target word. When preceding stressed syllables distal to the target word shared pitch and timing characteristics with the first syllable of the target word, pictures of alternatives with primary lexical stress on the first syllable (e.g., jury) initially attracted more looks than alternatives with unstressed initial syllables (e.g., giraffe). This effect was modulated when preceding unstressed syllables had pitch and timing characteristics similar to the initial syllable of the target word, with more looks to alternatives with unstressed initial syllables (e.g., giraffe) than to those with stressed initial syllables (e.g., jury). These findings suggest that expectations about the acoustic realization of upcoming speech include information about metrical organization and lexical stress and that these expectations constrain the initial interpretation of suprasegmental stress cues. These distal prosody effects implicate online probabilistic inferences about the sources of acoustic-phonetic variation during spoken-word recognition. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Intentional forgetting reduces color-naming interference: evidence from item-method directed forgetting.

PubMed

Lee, Yuh-Shiow; Lee, Huang-Mou; Fawcett, Jonathan M

2013-01-01

In an item-method-directed forgetting task, Chinese words were presented individually, each followed by an instruction to remember or forget. Colored probe items were presented following each memory instruction requiring a speeded color-naming response. Half of the probe items were novel and unrelated to the preceding study item, whereas the remaining half of the probe items were a repetition of the preceding study item. Repeated probe items were either identical to the preceding study item (E1, E2), a phonetic reproduction of the preceding study item (E3), or perceptually matched to the preceding study item (E4). Color-naming interference was calculated by subtracting color-naming reaction times made in response to a string of meaningless symbols from that of the novel and repeated conditions. Across all experiments, participants recalled more to-be-remembered (TBR) than to-be-forgotten (TBF) study words. More importantly, Experiments 1 and 2 found that color-naming interference was reduced for repeated TBF words relative to repeated TBR words. Experiments 3 and 4 further found that this effect occurred at the perceptual rather than semantic level. These findings suggest that participants may bias processing resources away from the perceptual representation of to-be-forgotten information.

Regional cooperation in South Asia in the field of mental health.

PubMed

Trivedi, Jitendra K; Goel, Dishanter; Kallivayalil, Roy A; Isaac, Mohan; Shrestha, Dhruba M; Gambheera, Harish C

2007-02-01

The South Asian region accounts for around one fourth of the world population and one fifth of psychiatrically ill patients in the world. The region lacks mental health policies and infrastructure. Issues like community care, trained manpower, patient satisfaction and better legislation have been a focus of attention in recent years. As this region is fast developing, cooperation is needed in the field of mental health to keep pace with the other areas. Cooperation is needed to develop culturally acceptable forms of psychotherapy and new technologies for delivery of mental health services. Another area of potential cooperation is the development of a classification of mental disorders that is more informative in our setting. The development of a mental health programme and its inclusion at various levels of health care delivery has also gained precedence. As most of countries in the area have limited financial resources, the funds are to be used in the most cost-effective manner, and for this a greater collaboration amongst the countries is needed. New research needs to be undertaken in the area especially to meet the local requirements and to understand diseases in a regional perspective, but research cannot be fruitful if regional cooperation is lacking. To enhance the cooperation in mental health, world bodies like the WPA will need to come forward and bring all the countries at a common platform. The WPA has done commendable work in this regard and has always extended support to the regional bodies to uplift the mental health in this region.

Gene encoding a novel extracellular metalloprotease in Bacillus subtilis.

PubMed Central

Sloma, A; Rudolph, C F; Rufo, G A; Sullivan, B J; Theriault, K A; Ally, D; Pero, J

1990-01-01

The gene for a novel extracellular metalloprotease was cloned, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene (mpr) encodes a primary product of 313 amino acids that has little similarity to other known Bacillus proteases. The amino acid sequence of the mature protease was preceded by a signal sequence of approximately 34 amino acids and a pro sequence of 58 amino acids. Four cysteine residues were found in the deduced amino acid sequence of the mature protein, indicating the possible presence of disulfide bonds. The mpr gene mapped in the cysA-aroI region of the chromosome and was not required for growth or sporulation. Images FIG. 2 FIG. 7 PMID:2105291

COEXISTENCE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSVERSE CONDUCTIVITY IN Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3 O7-δ SINGLE CRYSTALS WITH DIFFERENT PRASEODYMIUM CONCENTRATIONS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vovk, R. V.; Vovk, N. R.; Goulatis, I. L.; Chroneos, A.

2013-10-01

In this paper, the influence of praseodymium doping on the conductivity across (transverse) the basal plane of high-temperature superconducting Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-δ single crystals is investigated. It is determined that an increase of praseodymium doping leads to increased localization effects and the implementation of a metal-insulator transition Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-δ, which always precedes the superconducting transition. The increase of the praseodymium concentration also leads to a significant displacement of the point of the metal-insulator transition to the low temperature region.

Application du processus de Markov sur les occurrences des précipitations journalières au Congo-Brazzaville

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samba, Gaston; Mpounza, Marcel

2005-11-01

This study deals with the daily precipitation occurrence during the rainy season in different locations in Congo-Brazzaville. The Markov-chain probability model has been used for defining probable dry and wet rainy sequences at each station, and transition probabilities between daily precipitations of two successive days. The main results are: in Congo, the dependence on the preceding day of the daily precipitations occurrence; the confirmation of two main climatic region (equatorial climate to the north and tropical wet to the south); the lack of coherence in the distribution of precipitations. To cite this article: G. Samba, M. Mpounza, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).

International migration, "middle classness" and the state.

PubMed

Grant, G S

1995-01-01

"This paper examines the issues of who is likely to migrate and why, and what happens when people migrate, by viewing the migratory process as a strategy formulated and implemented by networks of kin for culturally surviving the redefinitions of contemporary political systems within the context of the capitalist world economy. Specifically the argument presented is that people move across the juridical boundaries of contemporary nation-states as part of household strategies designed to maintain membership in a specific social stratum. For a substantial number this social stratum is a middle class. Self-identification with a social stratum, in other words, takes precedence over self-identification with, and commitments to, nation, region or ethnic group." excerpt

Gingival enlargement unveiling Crohn's disease - A report of a rarefied case.

PubMed

Malathi, Krishnamurthi; Muthukumaraswamy, Arunachalam; Rajula, MariaAntony PremBlaisie; Arjun, Singh

2017-01-01

This article highlights a peculiar case of Crohn's disease (CD) with the primary presenting symptom as localized gingival overgrowth in the anterior region of maxilla. The patient underwent surgical treatment with external bevel gingivectomy procedure. Follow-up after 6 months revealed no recurrence. A final diagnosis of CD was made, after following histopathological evaluation of the gingival biopsy and other special investigations. It is thus crucial to associate the localized granulomatous gingival overgrowth to systemic signs of CD. Intraoral occurrence preceding intestinal involvement is very rare in CD with an incidence of about 8%-9% of patients. Therefore, precise diagnosis, treatment planning, and timely management are vital to the overall health and welfare of patients.

Opportunity's Surroundings on Sol 1798 (Vertical)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,798th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's surface mission (Feb. 13, 2009). North is on top.

This view is presented as a vertical projection with geometric seam correction.

The rover had driven 111 meters (364 feet) southward on the preceding sol. Tracks from that drive recede northward in this view. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).

The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and lighter-toned bedrock.

Opportunity's Surroundings on Sol 1798 (Polar)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,798th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's surface mission (Feb. 13, 2009). North is on top.

This view is presented as a polar projection with geometric seam correction.

The rover had driven 111 meters (364 feet) southward on the preceding sol. Tracks from that drive recede northward in this view. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).

The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and lighter-toned bedrock.

Opportunity's Surroundings on Sol 1798

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,798th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's surface mission (Feb. 13, 2009). North is on top.

The rover had driven 111 meters (364 feet) southward on the preceding sol. Tracks from that drive recede northward in this view. For scale, the distance between the parallel wheel tracks is about 1 meter (about 40 inches).

The terrain in this portion of Mars' Meridiani Planum region includes dark-toned sand ripples and lighter-toned bedrock.

This view is presented as a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction.

Granulomatous slack skin. Histopathology diagnosis preceding clinical manifestations by 12 years.

PubMed

Goldsztajn, Karen O; Moritz Trope, Beatriz; Ribeiro Lenzi, Maria Elisa; Cuzzi, Tullia; Ramos-E-Silva, Marcia

2012-12-31

Granulomatous slack skin is a very rare subtype of T-cell cutaneous lymphoma, characterized by the slow development of cutaneous sagging, especially on flexural areas. Its behavior is indolent and the treatment, in the majority of cases, disappointing. We report a 54-year-old black patient with granulomatous slack skin, who at the beginning of the investigation showed intense xeroderma and generalized lymph node enlargement. The diagnosis was established based on histopathologic findings long before the disease's characteristic clinical presentation appeared. During the twelve years of follow-up, the clinical manifestation evolved to marked skin looseness, most predominant in flexural regions, illustrating the clinical hallmark of granulomatous slack skin, long after first histological abnormalities were observed.

Implementing an advance care planning program in German nursing homes: results of an inter-regionally controlled intervention trial.

PubMed

In der Schmitten, Jürgen; Lex, Katharina; Mellert, Christine; Rothärmel, Sonja; Wegscheider, Karl; Marckmann, Georg

2014-01-24

Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a systematic approach to ensure that effective advance directives (ADs) are developed and respected. We studied the effects of implementing a regional ACP program in Germany. In a prospective, inter-regionally controlled trial focusing on nursing homes (n/hs), we compared the number, relevance and validity of new ADs completed in the intervention region versus the control region. Intervention n/h residents and their families were offered professional facilitation including standardized documentation. Data from 136 residents of three intervention n/hs were compared with data from 439 residents of 10 control n/hs over a study period of 16.5 months. In the intervention region, 49 (36.0%) participating residents completed a new AD over the period of the study, compared to 18 (4.1%) in the control region; these ADs included 30 ADs by proxy in the intervention region versus 10 in the control region. Proxies were designated in 94.7% versus 50.0% of cases, the AD was signed by a physician in 93.9% versus 16.7%, and an emergency order was included in 98.0% versus 44.4%. Resuscitation status was addressed in 95.9% versus 38.9% of cases (p<0.01 for all of the differences mentioned above). In the intervention region, new ADs were preceded by an average of 2.5 facilitated conversations (range, 2–5) with a mean total duration of 100 minutes (range, 60–240 minutes). The implementation of an ACP program in German nursing homes led, much more frequently than previously reported, to the creation of advance directives with potential relevance to medical decision-making. Future research should assess the effect of such programs on clinical and structural outcomes.

Brain mechanisms of successful recognition through retrieval of semantic context

PubMed Central

Flegal, Kristin E.; Marín-Gutiérrez, Alejandro; Ragland, J. Daniel; Ranganath, Charan

2017-01-01

Episodic memory is associated with the encoding and retrieval of context information, and with a subjective sense of re-experiencing past events. The neural correlates of episodic retrieval have been extensively studied using fMRI, leading to the identification of a “general recollection network” including medial temporal, parietal, and prefrontal regions. However, in these studies, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of context retrieval from recollection. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine the extent to which the recruitment of regions in the recollection network is contingent on context reinstatement. Participants were scanned during a cued recognition test for target words from encoded sentences. Studied target words were preceded by either a cue word studied in the same sentence (thus congruent with encoding context), or a cue word studied in a different sentence (thus incongruent with encoding context). Converging fMRI results from independently-defined regions of interest and whole-brain analysis showed regional specificity in the recollection network. Activity in hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex was specifically increased during successful retrieval following congruent context cues, whereas parietal and prefrontal components of the general recollection network were associated with confident retrieval irrespective of contextual congruency. Our findings implicate medial temporal regions in the retrieval of semantic context, contributing to, but dissociable from, recollective experience. PMID:24564467

7 CFR 1214.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year, except for the... and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year, except...

7 CFR 1214.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year, except for the... and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year, except...

7 CFR 1214.50 - Budget and expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order Expenses and... summary of anticipated revenue, with comparative data or at least one preceding year, except for the... and administrative expense breakdowns, with comparative data for at least one preceding year, except...

47 CFR 213.7 - Policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Policies. 213.7 Section 213.7 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.7 Policies. (a) Calls and messages in each precedence...

47 CFR 213.7 - Policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Policies. 213.7 Section 213.7 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.7 Policies. (a) Calls and messages in each precedence...

47 CFR 213.7 - Policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Policies. 213.7 Section 213.7 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.7 Policies. (a) Calls and messages in each precedence...

47 CFR 213.7 - Policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Policies. 213.7 Section 213.7 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.7 Policies. (a) Calls and messages in each precedence...

47 CFR 213.7 - Policies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Policies. 213.7 Section 213.7 Telecommunication OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRECEDENCE SYSTEM § 213.7 Policies. (a) Calls and messages in each precedence...

Brain mechanisms of successful recognition through retrieval of semantic context.

PubMed

Flegal, Kristin E; Marín-Gutiérrez, Alejandro; Ragland, J Daniel; Ranganath, Charan

2014-08-01

Episodic memory is associated with the encoding and retrieval of context information and with a subjective sense of reexperiencing past events. The neural correlates of episodic retrieval have been extensively studied using fMRI, leading to the identification of a "general recollection network" including medial temporal, parietal, and prefrontal regions. However, in these studies, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of context retrieval from recollection. In this study, we used fMRI to determine the extent to which the recruitment of regions in the recollection network is contingent on context reinstatement. Participants were scanned during a cued recognition test for target words from encoded sentences. Studied target words were preceded by either a cue word studied in the same sentence (thus congruent with encoding context) or a cue word studied in a different sentence (thus incongruent with encoding context). Converging fMRI results from independently defined ROIs and whole-brain analysis showed regional specificity in the recollection network. Activity in hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex was specifically increased during successful retrieval following congruent context cues, whereas parietal and prefrontal components of the general recollection network were associated with confident retrieval irrespective of contextual congruency. Our findings implicate medial temporal regions in the retrieval of semantic context, contributing to, but dissociable from, recollective experience.

Coronal mass ejections and their sheath regions in interplanetary space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilpua, Emilia; Koskinen, Hannu E. J.; Pulkkinen, Tuija I.

2017-11-01

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are large-scale heliospheric transients that originate from the Sun. When an ICME is sufficiently faster than the preceding solar wind, a shock wave develops ahead of the ICME. The turbulent region between the shock and the ICME is called the sheath region. ICMEs and their sheaths and shocks are all interesting structures from the fundamental plasma physics viewpoint. They are also key drivers of space weather disturbances in the heliosphere and planetary environments. ICME-driven shock waves can accelerate charged particles to high energies. Sheaths and ICMEs drive practically all intense geospace storms at the Earth, and they can also affect dramatically the planetary radiation environments and atmospheres. This review focuses on the current understanding of observational signatures and properties of ICMEs and the associated sheath regions based on five decades of studies. In addition, we discuss modelling of ICMEs and many fundamental outstanding questions on their origin, evolution and effects, largely due to the limitations of single spacecraft observations of these macro-scale structures. We also present current understanding of space weather consequences of these large-scale solar wind structures, including effects at the other Solar System planets and exoplanets. We specially emphasize the different origin, properties and consequences of the sheaths and ICMEs.

Elucidating severe urban haze formation in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Song; Hu, Min; Zamora, Misti L.; Peng, Jianfei; Shang, Dongjie; Zheng, Jing; Du, Zhuofei; Wu, Zhijun; Shao, Min; Zeng, Limin; Molina, Mario J.; Zhang, Renyi

2014-12-01

As the world's second largest economy, China has experienced severe haze pollution, with fine particulate matter (PM) recently reaching unprecedentedly high levels across many cities, and an understanding of the PM formation mechanism is critical in the development of efficient mediation policies to minimize its regional to global impacts. We demonstrate a periodic cycle of PM episodes in Beijing that is governed by meteorological conditions and characterized by two distinct aerosol formation processes of nucleation and growth, but with a small contribution from primary emissions and regional transport of particles. Nucleation consistently precedes a polluted period, producing a high number concentration of nano-sized particles under clean conditions. Accumulation of the particle mass concentration exceeding several hundred micrograms per cubic meter is accompanied by a continuous size growth from the nucleation-mode particles over multiple days to yield numerous larger particles, distinctive from the aerosol formation typically observed in other regions worldwide. The particle compositions in Beijing, on the other hand, exhibit a similarity to those commonly measured in many global areas, consistent with the chemical constituents dominated by secondary aerosol formation. Our results highlight that regulatory controls of gaseous emissions for volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides from local transportation and sulfur dioxide from regional industrial sources represent the key steps to reduce the urban PM level in China.

The special role of item-context associations in the direct-access region of working memory.

PubMed

Campoy, Guillermo

2017-09-01

The three-embedded-component model of working memory (WM) distinguishes three representational states corresponding to three WM regions: activated long-term memory, direct-access region (DAR), and focus of attention. Recent neuroimaging research has revealed that access to the DAR is associated with enhanced hippocampal activity. Because the hippocampus mediates the encoding and retrieval of item-context associations, it has been suggested that this hippocampal activation is a consequence of the fact that item-context associations are particularly strong and accessible in the DAR. This study provides behavioral evidence for this view using an item-recognition task to assess the effect of non-intentional encoding and maintenance of item-location associations across WM regions. Five pictures of human faces were sequentially presented in different screen locations followed by a recognition probe. Visual cues immediately preceding the probe indicated the location thereof. When probe stimuli appeared in the same location that they had been presented within the memory set, the presentation of the cue was expected to elicit the activation of the corresponding WM representation through the just-established item-location association, resulting in faster recognition. Results showed this same-location effect, but only for items that, according to their serial position within the memory set, were held in the DAR.

Elucidating severe urban haze formation in China

PubMed Central

Guo, Song; Hu, Min; Zamora, Misti L.; Peng, Jianfei; Shang, Dongjie; Zheng, Jing; Du, Zhuofei; Wu, Zhijun; Shao, Min; Zeng, Limin; Molina, Mario J.; Zhang, Renyi

2014-01-01

As the world’s second largest economy, China has experienced severe haze pollution, with fine particulate matter (PM) recently reaching unprecedentedly high levels across many cities, and an understanding of the PM formation mechanism is critical in the development of efficient mediation policies to minimize its regional to global impacts. We demonstrate a periodic cycle of PM episodes in Beijing that is governed by meteorological conditions and characterized by two distinct aerosol formation processes of nucleation and growth, but with a small contribution from primary emissions and regional transport of particles. Nucleation consistently precedes a polluted period, producing a high number concentration of nano-sized particles under clean conditions. Accumulation of the particle mass concentration exceeding several hundred micrograms per cubic meter is accompanied by a continuous size growth from the nucleation-mode particles over multiple days to yield numerous larger particles, distinctive from the aerosol formation typically observed in other regions worldwide. The particle compositions in Beijing, on the other hand, exhibit a similarity to those commonly measured in many global areas, consistent with the chemical constituents dominated by secondary aerosol formation. Our results highlight that regulatory controls of gaseous emissions for volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides from local transportation and sulfur dioxide from regional industrial sources represent the key steps to reduce the urban PM level in China. PMID:25422462

A Statistical Reappraisal in the Relationship between Global and Greek Seismic Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liritzis, I.; Diagourtas, D.; Makropoulos, C.

1995-01-01

For the period 1917 1987, Greek seismic activity exhibits a very significant positive correlation to the preceding global activity with a time-lag of 15 years. It seems that all Greece and the two characteristic areas in which we have separated it (Greece without Arc, and the area of the Greek seismic Arc), follow the global seismic activity but with a time-shift of 15 years. Moreover, it seems to exist an intrinsic interaction mechanism between the Greek seismic arc and the rest of Greece, which may be deduced by their different behavior exhibited when they are correlated with the global activity, as well as from the correlation between themselves, where a very significant positive correlation has been found with a time-lag of 3 years, for Greece without arc preceding. A quasi-periodic term of 30-yrs is also observed in these detailed four seismic time-series. The cross-correlation analysis of seismic time-series, as shown, is served as a powerful tool to clarify the complicated space-time pattern of the world wide mosaic of tectonic plate motions. The implications of spring-block model of tectonic plates interaction is invoked, considering the earth's rotation rate changes as their triggering agent. Particular emphasis is given to the potential of such studies in earthquake prediction efforts from local or regional scales to a global scale and vice-versa.

The CUPCIG (CAM-Use in Primary Care in Germany) Study:Part I-Pain. Study Protocol of a Pilot-trial to Assess Feasibility, Acceptability and Perceived Effectiveness of CAM in Pain Disorders in Primary Care.

PubMed

Schencking, Martin; Sönnichsen, Andreas; Bassüner, Susanne; Redaelli, Marcus

2015-01-01

There is limited valid data available on CAM procedures for chronic joint and neuropathic pain in primary care in Germany. Indiviual CAM qualifications of the general practitioners (GPs) and the potential of cost reduction through CAM treatment are almost unknown. The aim of this pilot trial preceding the main study is to examine the survey mode, to estimate the response rate by GPs with or without an additional qualification for CAM, and to identify the status quo in therapeutic approaches for chronic pain disorders in primary care. This is a cross-sectional study with an ex post facto design among German GPs consisting of 2 parts: In a first step, a pilot trial precedes the main study targeting 200 GPs with and 200 GPs without additional qualification in CAM in a selected region. The results of the CUPCIG study comprise the distribution of pain types treated in primary care practices, the GPs' attitude toward complementary pain therapy, pharmacological or CAM treatment, the estimate of cost reduction through CAM treatment of pain, the application of diverse CAM procedures, and biographical data. The CUPCIG study serves to compile pain therapy approaches in primary care in Germany with respect to the individual CAM expertise of the GPs. © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Evidence for multiple metamorphic events in the Adirondack Mountains, N. Y

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

McLelland, J.; Lochhead, A.; Vyhnal, C.

1988-05-01

Field evidence consisting of: (1) rotated, foliated xenoliths, (2) country rock foliation truncated by isoclinally folded igneous intrusions bearing granulite facies assemblages document one, or more, early dynamothermal event(s) of regional scale and high grade. Early metamorphism resulted in pronounced linear and planar fabric throughout the Adirondacks and preceded the emplacement of the anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite-alaskite (AMCA) suite which contains xenoliths of the metamorphosed rocks. Olivine metagabbros, believed to be approximately contemporaneous with the AMCA-suite, also crosscut and contain xenoliths of, strongly foliated metasediments. These intrusive rocks caused contact metamorphism in the metasediments which locally exhibit both anatectite and restite assemblages. Subsequently,more » this already complex framework underwent three phases of folding, including an early recumbent isoclinical event, and was metamorphosed to granulite facies P,T conditions. The age of the early metamorphism cannot yet be narrowly constrained, but isotopic results suggest that it may be as young as approx. 1200 Ma or older than approx. 1420 Ma. U-Pb zircon ages indicate emplacement of the AMCA-(metagabbro)-suite in the interval 1160-1130 Ma and place the peak of granulite facies metamorphism between 1070-1025 Ma. The anorogenic character of the AMCA-suite, and the occurrence of metadiabase dike swarms within it, are further evidence of the separate nature of the metamorphic events that precede and postdate AMCA emplacement.« less

Health Care Capacity and Allocations Among South Africa's Provinces: Infrastructure–Inequality Traps After the End of Apartheid

PubMed Central

Basu, Sanjay; McKee, Martin

2011-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the determinants of health care funding allocations among South Africa's provinces and their effects on health care from 1996 through 2007. Methods. We performed multivariate regression of funding allocation data against measures of disease burden and health system infrastructure by province. Results. Disease burden was increasingly negatively correlated with funding allocations and explained less than one quarter of the variation in allocations among provinces. Nearly three quarters of the variation in allocations was explained by preexisting hospital infrastructure and health care workers. The density of private hospitals in the preceding year was associated with greater government allocations (bprivate = 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08, 0.15), but public hospital density in the preceding year was not (bpublic = 0.05; 95% CI = −0.02, 0.11). Greater allocations were associated with a higher number of doctors (b = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.34, 0.75) but fewer nurses (b = −0.37; 95% CI = −0.72,−0.25) in the same year. Conclusions. Regions with a greater capacity to spend funds received more funding and created more infrastructure than those with greater health needs. Historical infrastructure inequalities may have created an infrastructure–inequality trap, in which the distribution of funds to those with greater “absorptive capacity” exacerbates inequalities. PMID:21148716

Equatorial heat accumulation as a long-term trigger of permanent Antarctic ice sheets during the Cenozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremblin, Maxime; Hermoso, Michaël; Minoletti, Fabrice

2016-10-01

Growth of the first permanent Antarctic ice sheets at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT), ˜33.7 million years ago, indicates a major climate shift within long-term Cenozoic cooling. The driving mechanisms that set the stage for this glaciation event are not well constrained, however, owing to large uncertainties in temperature reconstructions during the Eocene, especially at lower latitudes. To address this deficiency, we used recent developments in coccolith biogeochemistry to reconstruct equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric pCO2 values from pelagic sequences preceding and spanning the EOT. We found significantly more variability in equatorial SSTs than previously reported, with pronounced cooling from the Early to Middle Eocene and subsequent warming during the Late Eocene. Thus, we show that the Antarctic glaciation at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary was preceded by a period of heat accumulation in the low latitudes, likely focused in a progressively contracting South Atlantic gyre, which contributed to cooling high-latitude austral regions. This prominent redistribution of heat corresponds to the emplacement of a strong meridional temperature gradient that typifies icehouse climate conditions. Our equatorial coccolith-derived geochemical record thus highlights an important period of global climatic and oceanic upheaval, which began 4 million years before the EOT and, superimposed on a long-term pCO2 decline, drove the Earth system toward a glacial tipping point in the Cenozoic.

Falls risk assessment outcomes and factors associated with falls for older Indigenous Australians.

PubMed

Hill, Keith D; Flicker, Leon; LoGiudice, Dina; Smith, Kate; Atkinson, David; Hyde, Zoë; Fenner, Stephen; Skeaf, Linda; Malay, Roslyn; Boyle, Eileen

2016-12-01

To describe the prevalence of falls and associated risk factors in older Indigenous Australians, and compare the accuracy of validated falls risk screening and assessment tools in this population in classifying fall status. Cross-sectional study of 289 Indigenous Australians aged ≥45 years from the Kimberley region of Western Australia who had a detailed assessment including self-reported falls in the past year (n=289), the adapted Elderly Falls Screening Tool (EFST; n=255), and the Falls Risk for Older People-Community (FROP-Com) screening tool (3 items, n=74) and FROP-Com falls assessment tool (n=74). 32% of participants had ≥1 fall in the preceding year, and 37.3% were classified high falls risk using the EFST (cut-off ≥2). In contrast, for the 74 participants assessed with the FROP-Com, only 14.9% were rated high risk, 35.8% moderate risk, and 49.3% low risk. The FROP-Com screen and assessment tools had the highest classification accuracy for identifying fallers in the preceding year (area under curve >0.85), with sensitivity/specificity highest for the FROP-Com assessment (cut-off ≥12), sensitivity=0.84 and specificity=0.73. Falls are common in older Indigenous Australians. The FROP-Com falls risk assessment tool appears useful in this population, and this research suggests changes that may improve its utility further. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

Equatorial heat accumulation as a long-term trigger of permanent Antarctic ice sheets during the Cenozoic.

PubMed

Tremblin, Maxime; Hermoso, Michaël; Minoletti, Fabrice

2016-10-18

Growth of the first permanent Antarctic ice sheets at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT), ∼33.7 million years ago, indicates a major climate shift within long-term Cenozoic cooling. The driving mechanisms that set the stage for this glaciation event are not well constrained, however, owing to large uncertainties in temperature reconstructions during the Eocene, especially at lower latitudes. To address this deficiency, we used recent developments in coccolith biogeochemistry to reconstruct equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric pCO 2 values from pelagic sequences preceding and spanning the EOT. We found significantly more variability in equatorial SSTs than previously reported, with pronounced cooling from the Early to Middle Eocene and subsequent warming during the Late Eocene. Thus, we show that the Antarctic glaciation at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary was preceded by a period of heat accumulation in the low latitudes, likely focused in a progressively contracting South Atlantic gyre, which contributed to cooling high-latitude austral regions. This prominent redistribution of heat corresponds to the emplacement of a strong meridional temperature gradient that typifies icehouse climate conditions. Our equatorial coccolith-derived geochemical record thus highlights an important period of global climatic and oceanic upheaval, which began 4 million years before the EOT and, superimposed on a long-term pCO 2 decline, drove the Earth system toward a glacial tipping point in the Cenozoic.

Equatorial heat accumulation as a long-term trigger of permanent Antarctic ice sheets during the Cenozoic

PubMed Central

Tremblin, Maxime; Minoletti, Fabrice

2016-01-01

Growth of the first permanent Antarctic ice sheets at the Eocene−Oligocene Transition (EOT), ∼33.7 million years ago, indicates a major climate shift within long-term Cenozoic cooling. The driving mechanisms that set the stage for this glaciation event are not well constrained, however, owing to large uncertainties in temperature reconstructions during the Eocene, especially at lower latitudes. To address this deficiency, we used recent developments in coccolith biogeochemistry to reconstruct equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric pCO2 values from pelagic sequences preceding and spanning the EOT. We found significantly more variability in equatorial SSTs than previously reported, with pronounced cooling from the Early to Middle Eocene and subsequent warming during the Late Eocene. Thus, we show that the Antarctic glaciation at the Eocene−Oligocene boundary was preceded by a period of heat accumulation in the low latitudes, likely focused in a progressively contracting South Atlantic gyre, which contributed to cooling high-latitude austral regions. This prominent redistribution of heat corresponds to the emplacement of a strong meridional temperature gradient that typifies icehouse climate conditions. Our equatorial coccolith-derived geochemical record thus highlights an important period of global climatic and oceanic upheaval, which began 4 million years before the EOT and, superimposed on a long-term pCO2 decline, drove the Earth system toward a glacial tipping point in the Cenozoic. PMID:27698116

Independent Emergence of the Cosmopolitan Asian Chikungunya Virus, Philippines 2012.

PubMed

Tan, Kim-Kee; Sy, Ava Kristy D; Tandoc, Amado O; Khoo, Jing-Jing; Sulaiman, Syuhaida; Chang, Li-Yen; AbuBakar, Sazaly

2015-07-23

Outbreaks involving the Asian genotype Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused over one million infections in the Americas recently. The outbreak was preceded by a major nationwide outbreak in the Philippines. We examined the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships of representative CHIKV isolates obtained from the 2012 Philippines outbreak with other CHIKV isolates collected globally. Asian CHIKV isolated from the Philippines, China, Micronesia and Caribbean regions were found closely related, herein denoted as Cosmopolitan Asian CHIKV (CACV). Three adaptive amino acid substitutions in nsP3 (D483N), E1 (P397L) and E3 (Q19R) were identified among CACV. Acquisition of the nsP3-483N mutation in Compostela Valley followed by E1-397L/E3-19R in Laguna preceded the nationwide spread in the Philippines. The China isolates possessed two of the amino acid substitutions, nsP3-D483N and E1-P397L whereas the Micronesian and Caribbean CHIKV inherited all the three amino acid substitutions. The unique amino acid substitutions observed among the isolates suggest multiple independent virus dissemination events. The possible biological importance of the specific genetic signatures associated with the rapid global of the virus is not known and warrant future in-depth study and epidemiological follow-up. Molecular evidence, however, supports the Philippines outbreak as the possible origin of the CACV.

Independent Emergence of the Cosmopolitan Asian Chikungunya Virus, Philippines 2012

PubMed Central

Tan, Kim-Kee; Sy, Ava Kristy D.; Tandoc, Amado O.; Khoo, Jing-Jing; Sulaiman, Syuhaida; Chang, Li-Yen; AbuBakar, Sazaly

2015-01-01

Outbreaks involving the Asian genotype Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused over one million infections in the Americas recently. The outbreak was preceded by a major nationwide outbreak in the Philippines. We examined the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships of representative CHIKV isolates obtained from the 2012 Philippines outbreak with other CHIKV isolates collected globally. Asian CHIKV isolated from the Philippines, China, Micronesia and Caribbean regions were found closely related, herein denoted as Cosmopolitan Asian CHIKV (CACV). Three adaptive amino acid substitutions in nsP3 (D483N), E1 (P397L) and E3 (Q19R) were identified among CACV. Acquisition of the nsP3-483N mutation in Compostela Valley followed by E1-397L/E3-19R in Laguna preceded the nationwide spread in the Philippines. The China isolates possessed two of the amino acid substitutions, nsP3-D483N and E1-P397L whereas the Micronesian and Caribbean CHIKV inherited all the three amino acid substitutions. The unique amino acid substitutions observed among the isolates suggest multiple independent virus dissemination events. The possible biological importance of the specific genetic signatures associated with the rapid global of the virus is not known and warrant future in-depth study and epidemiological follow-up. Molecular evidence, however, supports the Philippines outbreak as the possible origin of the CACV. PMID:26201250

The importance of family management, closeness with father and family structure in early adolescent alcohol use.

PubMed

Habib, Cherine; Santoro, Joseph; Kremer, Peter; Toumbourou, John; Leslie, Eva; Williams, Joanne

2010-10-01

To examine the importance of family management, family structure and father-adolescent relationships on early adolescent alcohol use. Cross-sectional data was collected across 30 randomly selected Australian communities stratified to represent a range of socio-economic and regional variation. Data were collected during school time from adolescents attending a broad range of schools. The sample consisted of a combined 8256 students (aged 10-14 years). Students completed a web-based survey as part of the Healthy Neighbourhoods project. Family management-which included practices such as parental monitoring and family rules about alcohol use-had the strongest and most consistent relationship with alcohol use in early adolescence. Adolescents reporting higher family management were less likely to have drunk alcohol in their life-time, less likely to drink alcohol in the preceding 30 days and less likely to have had an alcohol binge. Adolescents reporting emotionally close relationships with their fathers were less likely to have drunk alcohol in their life-time and less likely to have had an alcohol binge in the preceding fortnight. Findings indicate that family management practices may contribute to alcohol abstinence in adolescents. Furthermore, emotionally close father-adolescent relationships may also foster abstinence; however, fathers' drinking behaviours need to be considered. © 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Cumulative activation during positive and negative events and state anxiety predicts subsequent inertia of amygdala reactivity.

PubMed

Pichon, Swann; Miendlarzewska, Ewa A; Eryilmaz, Hamdi; Vuilleumier, Patrik

2015-02-01

Inertia, together with intensity and valence, is an important component of emotion. We tested whether positive and negative events generate lingering changes in subsequent brain responses to unrelated threat stimuli and investigated the impact of individual anxiety. We acquired fMRI data while participants watched positive or negative movie-clips and subsequently performed an unrelated task with fearful and neutral faces. We quantified changes in amygdala reactivity to fearful faces as a function of the valence of preceding movies and cumulative neural activity evoked during them. We demonstrate that amygdala responses to emotional movies spill over to subsequent processing of threat information in a valence-specific manner: negative movies enhance later amygdala activation whereas positive movies attenuate it. Critically, the magnitude of such changes is predicted by a measure of cumulative amygdala responses to the preceding positive or negative movies. These effects appear independent of overt attention, are regionally limited to amygdala, with no changes in functional connectivity. Finally, individuals with higher state anxiety displayed stronger modulation of amygdala reactivity by positive movies. These results suggest that intensity and valence of emotional events as well as anxiety levels promote local changes in amygdala sensitivity to threat, highlighting the importance of past experience in shaping future affective reactivity. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Slow Unlocking Processes Preceding the 2015 Mw 8.4 Illapel, Chile, Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Hui; Meng, Lingsen

2018-05-01

On 16 September 2015, the Mw 8.4 Illapel earthquake occurred in central Chile with no intense foreshock sequences documented in the regional earthquake catalog. Here we employ the matched-filter technique based on an enhanced template data set of previously catalogued events. We perform a continuous search over an 4-year period before the Illapel mainshock to recover the uncatalogued small events and repeating earthquakes. Repeating earthquakes are found both to the north and south of the mainshock rupture zone. To the south of the rupture zone, the seismicity and repeater-inferred aseismic slip progressively accelerate around the Illapel epicenter starting from 140 days before the mainshock. This may indicate an unlocking process involving the interplay of seismic and aseismic slip. The acceleration culminates in a M 5.3 event of low-angle thrust mechanism, which occurred 36 days before the Mw 8.4 mainshock. It is then followed by a relative quiescence in seismicity until the mainshock occurred. This quiescence might correspond to an intermediate period of stable slip before rupture initiation. In addition, to the north of the mainshock rupture area, the last aseismic-slip episode occurs within 175-95 days before the mainshock and accumulates the largest amount of slip in the observation period. The simultaneous occurrence of aseismic-slip transients over a large area is consistent with large-scale slow unlocking processes preceding the Illapel mainshock.

Sensitivity of tree ring growth to local and large-scale climate variability in a region of Southeastern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venegas-González, Alejandro; Chagas, Matheus Peres; Anholetto Júnior, Claudio Roberto; Alvares, Clayton Alcarde; Roig, Fidel Alejandro; Tomazello Filho, Mario

2016-01-01

We explored the relationship between tree growth in two tropical species and local and large-scale climate variability in Southeastern Brazil. Tree ring width chronologies of Tectona grandis (teak) and Pinus caribaea (Caribbean pine) trees were compared with local (Water Requirement Satisfaction Index—WRSI, Standardized Precipitation Index—SPI, and Palmer Drought Severity Index—PDSI) and large-scale climate indices that analyze the equatorial pacific sea surface temperature (Trans-Niño Index-TNI and Niño-3.4-N3.4) and atmospheric circulation variations in the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctic Oscillation-AAO). Teak trees showed positive correlation with three indices in the current summer and fall. A significant correlation between WRSI index and Caribbean pine was observed in the dry season preceding tree ring formation. The influence of large-scale climate patterns was observed only for TNI and AAO, where there was a radial growth reduction in months preceding the growing season with positive values of the TNI in teak trees and radial growth increase (decrease) during December (March) to February (May) of the previous (current) growing season with positive phase of the AAO in teak (Caribbean pine) trees. The development of a new dendroclimatological study in Southeastern Brazil sheds light to local and large-scale climate influence on tree growth in recent decades, contributing in future climate change studies.

Covariability of Climate and Streamflow in the Upper Rio Grande from Interannual to Interdecadal Timescales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pascolini-Campbell, M.; Seager, Richard; Pinson, Ariane; Cook, Benjamin I.

2017-01-01

Study region: The Upper Rio Grande (URG) flows from its headwaters in Colorado, U.S., and provides an important source of water to millions of people in the U.S. states of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and also Mexico. Study focus: We reassess the explanatory power of the relationship of sea surface temperatures (SST) on URG streamflow variability on interannual to interdecadal timescales. We find a significant amount of the variance of spring-summer URG streamflow cannot be fully explained by SST. New hydrological insights: We find that the interdecadal teleconnection between SST and streamflow is more clear than on interannual timescales. The highest ranked years tend to be clustered during positive phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). During the periods of decadal high flow (1900-1920, and 1979-1995), Pacific SST resembles a positive PDO pattern and the Atlantic a negative Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) pattern; an interbasin pattern shown in prior studies to be conducive to high precipitation and streamflow. To account for the part of streamflow variance not explained by SST, we analyze atmospheric Reanalysis data for the months preceding the highest spring-summer streamflow events. A variety of atmospheric configurations are found to precede the highest flow years through anomalous moisture convergence. This lack of consistency suggests that, on interannual timescales, weather and not climate can dominate the generation of high streamflow events.

Decreased akt activity is associated with activation of forkhead transcription factor after transient forebrain ischemia in gerbil hippocampus.

PubMed

Kawano, Takayuki; Morioka, Motohiro; Yano, Shigetoshi; Hamada, Jun-Ichiro; Ushio, Yukitaka; Miyamoto, Eishichi; Fukunaga, Kohji

2002-08-01

The authors recently reported that sodium orthovanadate rescues cells from delayed neuronal death in gerbil hippocampus after transient forebrain ischemia through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (Akt) pathway (Kawano et al., 2001). In the current study, they demonstrated that the activation of FKHR, a Forkhead transcription factor and a substrate for Akt, preceded delayed neuronal death in CA1 regions after transient forebrain ischemia. Adult Mongolian gerbils were subjected to 5-minute forebrain ischemia. Immunoblotting analysis with anti-phospho-FKHR antibody showed that phosphorylation of FKHR at serine-256 in the CA1 region decreased immediately after and 0.5 and 1 hour after reperfusion. The dephosphorylation of FKHR was correlated with the decreased Akt activity. Intracerebroventricular injection of orthovanadate 30 minutes before ischemia inhibited dephosphorylation of FKHR after reperfusion, and blocked delayed neuronal death in the CA1 region. Gel mobility shift analysis using nuclear extracts from the CA1 region prepared immediately after reperfusion revealed increases in DNA binding activity for the FKHR-responsive element on the Fas ligand promoter. The orthovanadate injection administered before ischemia inhibited its binding activity. Two days after reperfusion, expression of Fas ligand increased in the CA1 region and the orthovanadate injection inhibited this increased expression. These results suggest that the inactivation of Akt results in the activation of FKHR and, in turn, relates to the expression of Fas ligand in the CA1 region after transient forebrain ischemia.

Interventions for Challenging Behavior in Residential Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stancliffe, Roger J.; Lakin, K. Charlie; Hayden, Mary F.

1999-01-01

A study investigated the use of different interventions for 151 individuals with mental retardation in residential care: Individualized Habilitation Plan objectives concerning challenging behavior, one-to-one crisis intervention in the preceding 30 days, and behavior management professional services in the preceding 6 months. Externalized…

Influences of acute alcohol consumption, sexual precedence, and relationship motivation on women’s relationship and sex appraisals and unprotected sex intentions

PubMed Central

Jacques-Tiura, Angela J.; Norris, Jeanette; Kiekel, Preston A.; Davis, Kelly Cue; Zawacki, Tina; Morrison, Diane M.; George, William H.; Abdallah, Devon Alisa

2014-01-01

Guided by the cognitive mediation model of sexual decision making (Norris, Masters, & Zawacki, 2004. Cognitive mediation of women’s sexual decision making: The influence of alcohol, contextual factors, and background variables. Annual Review of Sex Research, 15, 258–296), we examined female social drinkers’ (N = 162) in-the-moment risky sexual decision making by testing how individual differences (relationship motivation) and situational factors (alcohol consumption and sexual precedence conditions) influenced cognitive appraisals and sexual outcomes in a hypothetical sexual scenario. In a path model, acute intoxication, sexual precedence, and relationship motivation interactively predicted primary relationship appraisals and independently predicted primary sex appraisals. Primary appraisals predicted secondary appraisals related to relationship and unprotected sex, which predicted unprotected sex intentions. Sexual precedence directly increased unprotected sex intentions. Findings support the cognitive mediation model and suggest that sexual risk reduction interventions should address alcohol, relationship, sexual, and cognitive factors. PMID:25755302

[Recent life events preceding suicide attempt by drug overdose].

PubMed

Kubiak, Małgorzata; Musikowska, Barbara; Sein Anand, Jacek

2013-01-01

Recent stressful life events (ASLE) are considered to be one of the factors precipitating suicidal behavior. They precede a suicide attempt in most cases and according to research occur more often during the month or week before the suicide attempt. Interpersonal events are most common. The article presents an analysis of ASLE timing and incidence of events from specific categories during the month preceding suicide attempt by drug overdose. 124 patients admitted to the hospital because of suicidal intoxication were included in the study. Data regarding ASLE were collected with the use of a structured interview. Majority of patients attempting suicide by drug overdose experience a stressful event during the month prior to the suicide attempt. Nearly 4 out of 10 study subjects experience a stressful event on the day of the attempt or on the preceding day. Most common events that occur during the month prior to the attempt and immediately before the attempt are interpersonal events and most of them are related to relationships with spouses or partners.

Improvement in perception of image sharpness through the addition of noise and its relationship with memory texture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Xiazi; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Aoki, Naokazu

2015-03-01

In a preceding study, we investigated the effects of image noise on the perception of image sharpness using white noise, and one- and two-dimensional single-frequency sinusoidal patterns as stimuli. This study extends our preceding study by evaluating natural color images, rather than black-and-white patterns. The results showed that the effect of noise in improving image sharpness perception is more evident in blurred images than in sharp images. This is consistent with the results of the preceding study. In another preceding study, we proposed "memory texture" to explain the preferred granularity of images, as a concept similar to "memory color" for preferred color reproduction. We observed individual differences in type of memory texture for each object, that is, white or 1/f noise. This study discusses the relationship between improvement of sharpness perception by adding noise, and the memory texture, following its individual differences. We found that memory texture is one of the elements that affect sharpness perception.

Precursory enhancement of EIA in the morning sector: Contribution from mid-latitude large earthquakes in the north-east Asian region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Kwangsun; Oyama, Koh-Ichiro; Bankov, Ludmil; Chen, Chia-Hung; Devi, Minakshi; Liu, Huixin; Liu, Jann-Yenq

2016-01-01

To investigate whether the link between seismic activity and EIA (equatorial ionization anomaly) enhancement is valid for mid-latitude seismic activity, DEMETER observations around seven large earthquakes in the north-east Asian region were fully analyzed (M ⩾ 6.8). In addition, statistical analysis was performed for 35 large earthquakes (M ⩾ 6.0) that occurred during the DEMETER observation period. The results suggest that mid-latitude earthquakes do contribute to EIA enhancement, represented as normalized equatorial Ne , and that ionospheric change precedes seismic events, as has been reported in previous studies. According to statistical studies, the normalized equatorial density enhancement is sensitive and proportional to both the magnitude and the hypocenter depth of an earthquake. The mechanisms that can explain the contribution of mid-latitude seismic activity to EIA variation are briefly discussed based on current explanations of the geochemical and ionospheric processes involved in lithosphere-ionosphere interaction.

Historical seismicity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dengler, L.

1992-01-01

The North Coast region of California in the vicinity of Cape Mendocino is one of the state's most seismically active areas, accounting for 25 percent of seismic energy release in California during the last 50 years. the region is located in a geologically dynamic are surrounding the Mendocino triple junction where three of the Earth's tectonic plates join together ( see preceding article by Sam Clarke). In the historic past the North Coast has been affected by earthquakes occurring on the San Andreas fault system to the south, the Mendocino fault to the southwest, and intraplate earthquakes within both the Gorda and North American plates. More than sixty of these earthquakes have caused damage since the mid-1800's. Recent studies indicate that California's North Coast is also at risk with respect to very large earthquakes (magnitude >8) originating along the Cascadia subduction zone. Although the subduction zone has not generated great earthquakes in historic time, paleoseismic evidence suggests that such earthquakes have been generated by the subduction zone in the recent prehistoric past. 

Collaborative Medical Engagement and Needs Assessment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Preliminary Report from Muanda

PubMed Central

Lesho, Emil; Okito, Edmond Amisi; Mann, Kelly; McCullough, Michael; Hesse, Elisabeth

2014-01-01

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second largest and fourth most populous country in Africa. More than two decades of ongoing conflicts have degraded its healthcare system. A broad range of tropical diseases, along with opportunities for collaborative medical engagements (CMEs), are prevalent. However, reports from such events in this country are sparse. In June 2013, a CME was conducted in the western town of Muanda. Twenty-two hours of didactic sessions were collaboratively presented, and 158 patients were collaboratively evaluated. Durable dental and respiratory equipment, infrastructure improvements, and training opportunities were the top needs identified by the providers. Whether the regional referral hospital received sustainable benefit remains under investigation. However, the approach and needs assessment described herein provide a framework for future engagements or assistance. This CME established a precedence of medical partnership in the region because it led to the largest multidisciplinary joint collaboration in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. PMID:24534813

Collaborative medical engagement and needs assessment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a preliminary report from Muanda.

PubMed

Lesho, Emil; Okito, Edmond Amisi; Mann, Kelly; McCullough, Michael; Hesse, Elisabeth

2014-04-01

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second largest and fourth most populous country in Africa. More than two decades of ongoing conflicts have degraded its healthcare system. A broad range of tropical diseases, along with opportunities for collaborative medical engagements (CMEs), are prevalent. However, reports from such events in this country are sparse. In June 2013, a CME was conducted in the western town of Muanda. Twenty-two hours of didactic sessions were collaboratively presented, and 158 patients were collaboratively evaluated. Durable dental and respiratory equipment, infrastructure improvements, and training opportunities were the top needs identified by the providers. Whether the regional referral hospital received sustainable benefit remains under investigation. However, the approach and needs assessment described herein provide a framework for future engagements or assistance. This CME established a precedence of medical partnership in the region because it led to the largest multidisciplinary joint collaboration in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Edge-assignment and figure-ground segmentation in short-term visual matching.

PubMed

Driver, J; Baylis, G C

1996-12-01

Eight experiments examined the role of edge-assignment in a contour matching task. Subjects judged whether the jagged vertical edge of a probe shape matched the jagged edge that divided two adjoining shapes in an immediately preceding figure-ground display. Segmentation factors biased assignment of this dividing edge toward a figural shape on just one of its sides. Subjects were faster and more accurate at matching when the probe edge had a corresponding assignment. The rapid emergence of this effect provides an on-line analog of the long-term memory advantage for figures over grounds which Rubin (1915/1958) reported. The present on-line advantage was found when figures were defined by relative contrast and size, or by symmetry, and could not be explained solely by the automatic drawing of attention toward the location of the figural region. However, deliberate attention to one region of an otherwise ambiguous figure-ground display did produce the advantage. We propose that one-sided assignment of dividing edges may be obligatory in vision.

Effects of cooperation between translating ribosome and RNA polymerase on termination efficiency of the Rho-independent terminator

PubMed Central

Li, Rui; Zhang, Qing; Li, Junbai; Shi, Hualin

2016-01-01

An experimental system was designed to measure in vivo termination efficiency (TE) of the Rho-independent terminator and position–function relations were quantified for the terminator tR2 in Escherichia coli. The terminator function was almost completely repressed when tR2 was located several base pairs downstream from the gene, and TE gradually increased to maximum values with the increasing distance between the gene and terminator. This TE–distance relation reflected a stochastic coupling of the ribosome and RNA polymerase (RNAP). Terminators located in the first 100 bp of the coding region can function efficiently. However, functional repression was observed when the terminator was located in the latter part of the coding region, and the degree of repression was determined by transcriptional and translational dynamics. These results may help to elucidate mechanisms of Rho-independent termination and reveal genomic locations of terminators and functions of the sequence that precedes terminators. These observations may have important applications in synthetic biology. PMID:26602687

Homologous Flare-CME Events and Their Metric Type II Radio Burst Association

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yashiro, S.; Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P.; Akiyama, S.; Uddin, W.; Srivastava, A. K.; Joshi, N. C.; Chandra, R.; Manoharan, P. K.; Mahalakshmi, K.;

Control of treatment size in cavitation-enhanced high-intensity focused ultrasound using radio-frequency echo signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomiyasu, Kentaro; Takagi, Ryo; Iwasaki, Ryosuke; Yoshizawa, Shin; Umemura, Shin-ichiro

2017-07-01

In high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, controlling the ultrasound dose at each focal target spot is important because it is a problem that the length of the coagulated region in front of the focal point deviates owing to the differences in absorption in each focal target spot and attenuation in the intervening tissues. In this study, the detected changes in the power spectra of HIFU echoes were used by controlling the HIFU duration in the “trigger HIFU” sequence with the aim to increase coagulation size through the enhancement of the ultrasonic heating by the cavitation induced by the preceding extremely high intensity short “trigger” pulse. The result shows that this method can be used to detect boiling bubbles and the following generated cavitation bubbles at their early stage. By automatically stopping HIFU exposure immediately after detecting the bubbles, overheating was prevented and the deviation of the length of the coagulated region was reduced.

Brain structural alterations associated with young women with subthreshold depression

PubMed Central

Li, Haijiang; Wei, Dongtao; Sun, Jiangzhou; Chen, Qunlin; Zhang, Qinglin; Qiu, Jiang

2015-01-01

Neuroanatomical abnormalities in patients with major depression disorder (MDD) have been attracted great research attention. However, the structural alterations associated with subthreshold depression (StD) remain unclear and, therefore, require further investigation. In this study, 42 young women with StD, and 30 matched non-depressed controls (NCs) were identified based on two-time Beck Depression Inventory scores. Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region of interest method were used to investigate altered gray matter volume (GMV) and white matter volume (WMV) among a non-clinical sample of young women with StD. VBM results indicated that young women with StD showed significantly decreased GMV in the right inferior parietal lobule than NCs; increased GMV in the amygdala, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus; and increased WMV in the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. Together, structural alterations in specific brain regions, which are known to be involved in the fronto-limbic circuits implicated in depression may precede the occurrence of depressive episodes and influence the development of MDD. PMID:25982857

Stream dynamics between 1 AU and 2 AU: A detailed comparison of observations and theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Pizzo, V.; Lazarus, A.; Gazis, P. R.

1984-01-01

A radial alignment of three solar wind stream structures observed by IMP-7 and -8 (at 1.0 AU) and Voyager 1 and 2 (in the range 1.4 to 1.8 AU) in late 1977 is presented. It is demonstrated that several important aspects of the observed dynamical evolution can be both qualitatively and quantitatively described with a single-fluid 2-D MHD numerical model of quasi-steady corotating flow, including accurate prediction of: (1) the formation of a corotating shock pair at 1.75 AU in the case of a simple, quasi-steady stream; (2) the coalescence of the thermodynamic and magnetic structures associated with the compression regions of two neighboring, interacting, corotating streams; and (3) the dynamical destruction of a small (i.e., low velocity-amplitude, short spatial-scale) stream by its overtaking of a slower moving, high-density region associated with a preceding transient flow. The evolution of these flow systems is discussed in terms of the concepts of filtering and entrainment.

Solar Coronal Jets Extending to High Altitudes Observed during the 2017 August 21 Total Eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanaoka, Yoichiro; Hasuo, Ryuichi; Hirose, Tsukasa; Ikeda, Akiko C.; Ishibashi, Tsutomu; Manago, Norihiro; Masuda, Yukio; Morita, Sakuhiro; Nakazawa, Jun; Ohgoe, Osamu; Sakai, Yoshiaki; Sasaki, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Koichi; Toi, Toshiyuki

2018-06-01

Coronal jets, which extend from the solar surface to beyond 2 R ⊙, were observed in the polar coronal hole regions during the total solar eclipse on 2017 August 21. In a time-series of white-light images of the corona spanning 70 minutes taken with our multi-site observations of this eclipse, six jets were found as narrow structures upwardly ejected with an apparent speed of about 450 km s‑1 in polar plumes. On the other hand, extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) images taken with the Atmospheric Image Assembly of the Solar Dynamics Observatory show that all of the eclipse jets were preceded by EUV jets. Conversely, all the EUV jets whose brightnesses are comparable to ordinary soft X-ray jets and that occurred in the polar regions near the eclipse period, were observed as eclipse jets. These results suggest that ordinary polar jets generally reach high altitudes and escape from the Sun as part of the solar wind.

Sociodemographic Determinants of Malaria among Under-Five Children in Ghana.

PubMed

Nyarko, Samuel Harrenson; Cobblah, Anastasia

2014-01-01

Background. Malaria is an entrenched global health challenge particularly in the sub-Saharan African countries. However, in Ghana, little is known about the determinants of malaria prevalence among under-five children. As such, this study sought to examine the sociodemographic factors that determine malaria among under-five children in Ghana. Methods. This paper used secondary data drawn from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Bivariate analysis and complementary log-log regression models were used to examine the determinants of malaria prevalence among under-five children in Ghana for the study period. Results. The results therefore revealed that region of residence, age of child, and ownership of mosquito net were the key predictors of malaria cases among under-five children in Ghana for the five-year period preceding the survey. Conclusion. It is therefore imperative that special education on prevention of malaria should be intensified by the National Malaria Control Programme in all the regions in order to reduce malaria prevalence particularly among under-five children in Ghana.

Solar Eruptive Flares: from Physical Understanding to Probabilistic Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgoulis, M. K.

2013-12-01

We describe a new, emerging physical picture of the triggering of major solar eruptions. First, we discuss and aim to interpret the single distinguishing feature of tight, shear-ridden magnetic polarity inversion lines (PILs) in solar active regions, where most of these eruptions occur. Then we analyze the repercussions of this feature, that acts to form increasingly helical pre-eruption structures. Eruptions, with the CME progenitor preceding the flare, tend to release parts of the accumulated magnetic free energy and helicity that are always much smaller than the respective budgets of the source active region. These eruption-related decreases, however, are not optimal for eruption forecasting - this role is claimed by physically intuitive proxy parameters that could show increased pre-eruption sensitivity at time scales practical for prediction. Concluding, we show how reconciling this new information - jointly enabled by the exceptional resolution and quality of Hinode and cadence of SDO data - can lead to advances in understanding that outline the current state-of-the-art of our eruption-forecasting capability.

Waves associated to COMPLEX EVENTS observed by STEREO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siu Tapia, A. L.; Blanco-Cano, X.; Kajdic, P.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, E.; Russell, C. T.; Jian, L. K.; Luhmann, J. G.

2012-12-01

Complex Events are formed by two or more large-scale solar wind structures which interact in space. Typical cases are interactions of: (i) a Magnetic Cloud/Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (MC/ICME) with another MC/ICME transient; and (ii) an ICME followed by a Stream Interaction Region (SIR). Complex Events are of importance for space weather studies and studying them can enhance our understanding of collisionless plasma physics. Some of these structures can produce or enhance southward magnetic fields, a key factor in geomagnetic storm generation. Using data from the STEREO mission during the years 2006-2011, we found 17 Complex Events preceded by a shock wave. We use magnetic field and plasma data to study the micro-scale structure of the shocks, and the waves associated to these shocks and within Complex Events structures. To determine wave characteristics we perform Power Spectra and Minimum Variance Analysis. We also use PLASTIC WAP protons data to study foreshock extensions and the relationship between Complex Regions and particle acceleration to suprathermal energies.

High-resolution radon monitoring and hydrodynamics at Mount Vesuvius

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cigolini, Corrado; Salierno, Francesco; Gervino, Gianpiero; Bergese, Paolo; Marino, Ciro; Russo, Massimo; Prati, Paolo; Ariola, Vincenzo; Bonetti, Roberto; Begnini, Stefania

A yearlong high-resolution radon survey has been carried on at Mount Vesuvius, starting in May 1998. Radon activities were acquired by exposing charcoal canisters and track-etch detectors. Sampling stations were deployed along two major summit faults and around the caldera bottom. Volcanically-related earthquakes, with MD ≥ 2.5, may be discriminated from regional seismic events since their cumulative radon anomalies are recorded from stations located along all the above structural features. On the contrary, radon anomalies correlated to regional earthquakes, with MD ≥ 4, are essentially recorded by the sampling sites located along the two summit faults (whose roots extend deeper into the Tertiary basement rocks that underlay the volcano). Radon migration to the surface is ruled by convection within a porous medium of relatively low porosity (ϕ ≈ 10-5), suggesting that fluid motion is strongly localised along fractures. It is suggested that fluid pressure build up, followed by fluid release and migration during incipient fracturing of the porous medium, precede the onset of volcanically-induced earthquakes.

Solar-burst precursors and energy buildup at microwave wavelengths

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

Lang, K.R.; Willson, R.F.

High-resolution microwave observations (VLA) of heating and magnetic triggering in coronal loops are summarized. Magnetic changes that precede solar eruptions on time scales of tens of minutes involve primarily emerging coronal loops and the interaction of two or more loops. Thermal cyclotron lines were detected in coronal loops, suggesting the presence of hot current sheets that enhance emission from relatively thin layers of enhanced temperature and constant magnetic field. These current sheets may play a role in the excitation of solar bursts. A filament-associated source with a high brightness temperature and steep radiation spectrum occurs above a region of apparentlymore » weak photospheric field. This source might be attributed to currents that enhance coronal magnetic fields. Compact (phi=5 sec) transient sources with lifetimes of 30 to 60 minutes were also detected in regions of apparently weak photospheric field. VLA observations of coronal loops are compared with simultaneous SMM-XRP observations in conclusion.« less

Measurement of the spectral absorption of liquid water in melting snow with an imaging spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Robert O.; Dozier, Jeff

1995-01-01

Melting of the snowpack is a critical parameter that drives aspects of the hydrology in regions of the earth where snow accumulates seasonally. New techniques for measurement of snow melt over regional scales offer the potential to improve monitoring and modeling of snow-driven hydrological processes. We present the results of measuring the spectral absorption of liquid water in a melting snowpack with the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). AVIRIS data were acquired over Mammoth Mountain, in east central California on 21 May 1994 at 18:35 UTC. The air temperature at 2926 m on Mammoth Mountain at site A was measured at 15-minute intervals during the day preceding the AVIRIS data acquisition. At this elevation, the air temperature did not drop below freezing the night of May 20 and had risen to 6 degrees Celsius by the time of the overflight on May 21. These temperature conditions support the presence of melting snow at the surface as the AVIRIS data were acquired.

Detecting cooperative sequences in the binding of RNA Polymerase-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glass, Kimberly; Rozenberg, Julian; Girvan, Michelle; Losert, Wolfgang; Ott, Ed; Vinson, Charles

2008-03-01

Regulation of the expression level of genes is a key biological process controlled largely by the 1000 base pair (bp) sequence preceding each gene (the promoter region). Within that region transcription factor binding sites (TFBS), 5-10 bp long sequences, act individually or cooperate together in the recruitment of, and therefore subsequent gene transcription by, RNA Polymerase-II (RNAP). We have measured the binding of RNAP to promoters on a genome-wide basis using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP-on-Chip) microarray assays. Using all 8-base pair long sequences as a test set, we have identified the DNA sequences that are enriched in promoters with high RNAP binding values. We are able to demonstrate that virtually all sequences enriched in such promoters contain a CpG dinucleotide, indicating that TFBS that contain the CpG dinucleotide are involved in RNAP binding to promoters. Further analysis shows that the presence of pairs of CpG containing sequences cooperate to enhance the binding of RNAP to the promoter.

Humans rather than climate the primary cause of Pleistocene megafaunal extinction in Australia

PubMed Central

van der Kaars, Sander; Miller, Gifford H.; Turney, Chris S. M.; Cook, Ellyn J.; Nürnberg, Dirk; Schönfeld, Joachim; Kershaw, A. Peter; Lehman, Scott J.

2017-01-01

Environmental histories that span the last full glacial cycle and are representative of regional change in Australia are scarce, hampering assessment of environmental change preceding and concurrent with human dispersal on the continent ca. 47,000 years ago. Here we present a continuous 150,000-year record offshore south-western Australia and identify the timing of two critical late Pleistocene events: wide-scale ecosystem change and regional megafaunal population collapse. We establish that substantial changes in vegetation and fire regime occurred ∼70,000 years ago under a climate much drier than today. We record high levels of the dung fungus Sporormiella, a proxy for herbivore biomass, from 150,000 to 45,000 years ago, then a marked decline indicating megafaunal population collapse, from 45,000 to 43,100 years ago, placing the extinctions within 4,000 years of human dispersal across Australia. These findings rule out climate change, and implicate humans, as the primary extinction cause. PMID:28106043

Humans rather than climate the primary cause of Pleistocene megafaunal extinction in Australia.

PubMed

van der Kaars, Sander; Miller, Gifford H; Turney, Chris S M; Cook, Ellyn J; Nürnberg, Dirk; Schönfeld, Joachim; Kershaw, A Peter; Lehman, Scott J

2017-01-20

Environmental histories that span the last full glacial cycle and are representative of regional change in Australia are scarce, hampering assessment of environmental change preceding and concurrent with human dispersal on the continent ca. 47,000 years ago. Here we present a continuous 150,000-year record offshore south-western Australia and identify the timing of two critical late Pleistocene events: wide-scale ecosystem change and regional megafaunal population collapse. We establish that substantial changes in vegetation and fire regime occurred ∼70,000 years ago under a climate much drier than today. We record high levels of the dung fungus Sporormiella, a proxy for herbivore biomass, from 150,000 to 45,000 years ago, then a marked decline indicating megafaunal population collapse, from 45,000 to 43,100 years ago, placing the extinctions within 4,000 years of human dispersal across Australia. These findings rule out climate change, and implicate humans, as the primary extinction cause.

Relationship Type and Sexual Precedence: Their Associations With Characteristics of Sexual Assault Perpetrators and Incidents

PubMed Central

Wegner, Rhiana; Pierce, Jennifer; Abbey, Antonia

2015-01-01

Although most sexual assaults are committed by men who know their victims, few researchers have considered how characteristics of perpetrators and incidents differ depending on the victim–perpetrator relationship. This study addresses this gap with a community sample of 204 men who reported committing a sexually aggressive act in an audio computer-assisted self-interview. 2 (Relationship Type: Committed vs. Casual) × 2 (Sexual Precedence: Yes vs. No) ANOVAs revealed significant main effects of relationship type and sexual precedence associated with individual difference and incident characteristics. These findings demonstrate the importance of developing theories and prevention programs tailored for different relationship contexts. PMID:25288595

Progress through precedent: Going where no helicopter simulator has gone before

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Richard J.

1992-01-01

Helicopter simulators have been approved by means of special exemption; there are no FAA standards for simulators used in training or airmen Certification checking. The fixed-wing industry provides a precedent which can be used for expediting implementation of helicopter simulators. The analysis in this paper is founded on the experience with that precedent and is driven by a clear definition of helicopter user needs for (1) improved training at lower cost, (2) more comprehensive emergency training at lower risk, (3) increased fidelity of transition and instrument training compared with low-cost aircraft alternatives, and (4) certification credit for improved simulator training.

Evidence that abnormal grain growth precedes fatigue crack initiation in nanocrystalline Ni-Fe

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

Furnish, Timothy A.; Bufford, Daniel C.; Ren, Fang

Prior studies on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of nanocrystalline metals have shown that fatigue fracture is associated with abnormal grain growth (AGG). However, those previous studies have been unable to determine if AGG precedes fatigue crack initiation, or vice-versa. The present study shows that AGG indeed occurs prior to crack formation in nanocrystalline Ni-Fe by using a recently developed synchrotron X-ray diffraction modality that has been adapted for in-situ analysis. The technique allows fatigue tests to be interrupted at the initial signs of the AGG process, and subsequent microscopy reveals the precursor damage state preceding crack initiation.

Representations of mechanical assembly sequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homem De Mello, Luiz S.; Sanderson, Arthur C.

1991-01-01

Five types of representations for assembly sequences are reviewed: the directed graph of feasible assembly sequences, the AND/OR graph of feasible assembly sequences, the set of establishment conditions, and two types of sets of precedence relationships. (precedence relationships between the establishment of one connection between parts and the establishment of another connection, and precedence relationships between the establishment of one connection and states of the assembly process). The mappings of one representation into the others are established. The correctness and completeness of these representations are established. The results presented are needed in the proof of correctness and completeness of algorithms for the generation of mechanical assembly sequences.

Evidence that abnormal grain growth precedes fatigue crack initiation in nanocrystalline Ni-Fe

DOE PAGES

Furnish, Timothy A.; Bufford, Daniel C.; Ren, Fang; ...

2018-09-06

Prior studies on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of nanocrystalline metals have shown that fatigue fracture is associated with abnormal grain growth (AGG). However, those previous studies have been unable to determine if AGG precedes fatigue crack initiation, or vice-versa. The present study shows that AGG indeed occurs prior to crack formation in nanocrystalline Ni-Fe by using a recently developed synchrotron X-ray diffraction modality that has been adapted for in-situ analysis. The technique allows fatigue tests to be interrupted at the initial signs of the AGG process, and subsequent microscopy reveals the precursor damage state preceding crack initiation.

Landscape, demographic and climatic associations with human West Nile virus occurrence regionally in 2012 in the United States of America.

PubMed

DeGroote, John P; Sugumaran, Ramanathan; Ecker, Mark

2014-11-01

After several years of low West Nile virus (WNV) occurrence in the United States of America (USA), 2012 witnessed large outbreaks in several parts of the country. In order to understand the outbreak dynamics, spatial clustering and landscape, demographic and climatic associations with WNV occurrence were investigated at a regional level in the USA. Previous research has demonstrated that there are a handful of prominent WNV mosquito vectors with varying ecological requirements responsible for WNV transmission in the USA. Published range maps of these important vectors were georeferenced and used to define eight functional ecological regions in the coterminous USA. The number of human WNV cases and human populations by county were attained in order to calculate a WNV rate for each county in 2012. Additionally, a binary value (high/low) was calculated for each county based on whether the county WNV rate was above or below the rate for the region it fell in. Global Moran's I and Anselin Local Moran's I statistics of spatial association were used per region to examine and visualize clustering of the WNV rate and the high/low rating. Spatial data on landscape, demographic and climatic variables were compiled and derived from a variety of sources and then investigated in relation to human WNV using both Spearman rho correlation coefficients and Poisson regression models. Findings demonstrated significant spatial clustering of WNV and substantial inter-regional differences in relationships between WNV occurrence and landscape, demographic and climatically related variables. The regional associations were consistent with the ecologies of the dominant vectors for those regions. The large outbreak in the Southeast region was preceded by higher than normal winter and spring precipitation followed by dry and hot conditions in the summer.

12 CFR 221.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... other corporation, business trust, association, or other similar organization that is an affiliate as... quotations are available, the closing sale price of the security on the preceding business day, as appearing... business on the preceding business day; or (iii) If the credit is used to finance the purchase of the...

12 CFR 221.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... company; and (iii) Any other corporation, business trust, association, or other similar organization that... the preceding business day, as appearing on any regularly published reporting or quotation service; or... of the security as of the close of business on the preceding business day; or (iii) If the credit is...

12 CFR 221.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... other corporation, business trust, association, or other similar organization that is an affiliate as... quotations are available, the closing sale price of the security on the preceding business day, as appearing... business on the preceding business day; or (iii) If the credit is used to finance the purchase of the...

48 CFR 1552.215-73 - General financial and organizational information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... update all outdated information on file. (a) Contractor's Name: (b) Address (If financial records are...: Auditor: (f)(1) Work Distribution for the Last Completed Fiscal Accounting Period: Sales: Government cost... immediately preceding last completed fiscal year. Total Sales for First Preceding Fiscal Year $____ Total...

48 CFR 1552.215-73 - General financial and organizational information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... update all outdated information on file. (a) Contractor's Name: (b) Address (If financial records are...: Auditor: (f)(1) Work Distribution for the Last Completed Fiscal Accounting Period: Sales: Government cost... immediately preceding last completed fiscal year. Total Sales for First Preceding Fiscal Year $____ Total...

48 CFR 1552.215-73 - General financial and organizational information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... update all outdated information on file. (a) Contractor's Name: (b) Address (If financial records are...: Auditor: (f)(1) Work Distribution for the Last Completed Fiscal Accounting Period: Sales: Government cost... immediately preceding last completed fiscal year. Total Sales for First Preceding Fiscal Year $____ Total...

48 CFR 1552.215-73 - General financial and organizational information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... update all outdated information on file. (a) Contractor's Name: (b) Address (If financial records are...: Auditor: (f)(1) Work Distribution for the Last Completed Fiscal Accounting Period: Sales: Government cost... immediately preceding last completed fiscal year. Total Sales for First Preceding Fiscal Year $____ Total...

32 CFR 300.2 - DLA FOIA regulatory precedence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false DLA FOIA regulatory precedence. 300.2 Section 300.2 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (CONTINUED) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM General...

Plasma radiofrequency preceded by pressure recording enhances success for treating sleep-related breathing disorders.

PubMed

Tvinnereim, Magne; Mitic, Svetislav; Hansen, Rolf K

2007-04-01

Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) that cannot be treated conservatively are commonly treated using uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, although success rates are generally less than 70%. The purpose of this study was to assess a plasma-mediated radiofrequency (RF)-based coblation assisted upper airway procedure (CAUP) to treat SRBD patients determined to have obstruction localized to the upper (mid)-pharyngeal region. Prospective case series (n = 40). Six patients had socially bothersome snoring, and 34 patients had mild to moderate sleep apnea (apnea/hypopnea index [AHI] <20), with the primary level of obstruction (>50%) within the upper pharyngeal region as determined using whole night recordings, including airway pressure fluctuation monitoring (ApneaGraph, MRA-Medical Ltd, Gloucestershire, UK). CAUP consisted of making a lateral palatal incision, ablating three upward channels on each side of the midline (fan-shaped) into the soft palate using a plasma mediated RF-based device (ArthroCare Corporation, Austin, TX), and performing a partial uvulectomy. Clinical outcomes included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), partner rating of snoring using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and night-time apnea and hypopnea events (AHI, hypopnea index [HI], apnea index [AI]). Patients were 28 to 68 (46 +/- 12) years old; 28 (70%) were male. Preoperatively, clinical assessment scores (median +/- interquartile range) were as follows: ESS (11.0 +/- 3.0), VAS (8.15 +/- 1.00), AHI (9.58 +/- 5.58), HI (9.00 +/- 5.29), AI (0.333 +/- 0.625). After CAUP, no postoperative scarring, fibrosis, or any other clinically significant side effects were observed. Postoperatively (9.1 +/- 1.5; 7-15 mo), ESS (4.0 +/- 1.0), VAS (2.70 +/- 1.38), AHI (3.75 +/- 2.92), HI (3.58 +/- 2.50), and AI (0.167 +/- 0.167) were significantly improved (P < .001). CAUP preceded by site-specific obstruction diagnosis using pressure recording is a well-tolerated outpatient treatment that is well suited for treating SRBD.