Self-Referential Information Alleviates Retrieval Inhibition of Directed Forgetting Effects—An ERP Evidence of Source Memory

PubMed Central

Mao, Xinrui; Wang, Yujuan; Wu, Yanhong; Guo, Chunyan

2017-01-01

Directed forgetting (DF) assists in preventing outdated information from interfering with cognitive processing. Previous studies pointed that self-referential items alleviated DF effects due to the elaboration of encoding processes. However, the retrieval mechanism of this phenomenon remains unknown. Based on the dual-process framework of recognition, the retrieval of self-referential information was involved in familiarity and recollection. Using source memory tasks combined with event-related potential (ERP) recording, our research investigated the retrieval processes of alleviative DF effects elicited by self-referential information. The FN400 (frontal negativity at 400 ms) is a frontal potential at 300–500 ms related to familiarity and the late positive complex (LPC) is a later parietal potential at 500–800 ms related to recollection. The FN400 effects of source memory suggested that familiarity processes were promoted by self-referential effects without the modulation of to-be-forgotten (TBF) instruction. The ERP results of DF effects were involved with LPCs of source memory, which indexed retrieval processing of recollection. The other-referential source memory of TBF instruction caused the absence of LPC effects, while the self-referential source memory of TBF instruction still elicited the significant LPC effects. Therefore, our neural findings suggested that self-referential processing improved both familiarity and recollection. Furthermore, the self-referential processing advantage which was caused by the autobiographical retrieval alleviated retrieval inhibition of DF, supporting that the self-referential source memory alleviated DF effects. PMID:29066962

The impact of emotion intensity on recognition memory: Valence polarity matters.

PubMed

Meng, Xianxin; Zhang, Ling; Liu, Wenwen; Ding, XinSheng; Li, Hong; Yang, Jiemin; Yuan, JiaJin

2017-06-01

Although the effects of emotion of different emotional intensity on memory have been investigated, it remain unclear whether the influence of emotional intensity on memory varies depending on the stimulus valence polarity (i.e., positive or negative). To address this, event-related potentials were recorded when subjects performed a continuous old/new discrimination task, for highly negative (HN), mildly negative (MN) and neutral pictures in the negative session; and for highly positive (HP), mildly positive (MP) and neutral pictures in the positive session. The results showed that relative to neutral stimuli, both HN and MN stimuli showed increased memory discrimination scores, and enhanced old/new effect in early FN400 (Frontal Negativity), but not late positive component (LPC) amplitudes. By contrast, relative to MP stimuli, HP and neutral stimuli showed increased memory discrimination scores and enhanced old/new effect in LPC but not FN400 amplitudes. Additionally, we observed a significant positive correlation between the memory discrimination score and the old/new effect in the amplitudes of the FN400 and LPC, respectively. These results indicate that both HN and MN stimuli were remembered better than neutral stimuli; whereas the recognition was worse for MP stimuli than Neutral and HP stimuli. In conclusion, in the present study, we observed that the effect of emotion intensity on memory depends on the stimulus valence polarity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Electrophysiological Correlates of Reading the Single- and Interactive-Mind

PubMed Central

Wang, Yi-Wen; Zheng, Yu-Wei; Lin, Chong-De; Wu, Jie; Shen, De-Li

2011-01-01

Understanding minds is the cognitive basis of successful social interaction. In everyday life, human mental activity often happens at the moment of social interaction among two or multiple persons instead of only one-person. Understanding the interactive mind of two- or multi-person is more complex and higher than understanding the single-person mind in the hierarchical structure of theory of mind. Understanding the interactive mind maybe differentiate from understanding the single mind. In order to examine the dissociative electrophysiological correlates of reading the single mind and reading the interactive mind, the 64 channels event-related potentials were recorded while 16 normal adults were observing three kinds of Chinese idioms depicted physical scenes, one-person with mental activity, and two- or multi-person with mental interaction. After the equivalent N400, in the 500- to 700-ms epoch, the mean amplitudes of late positive component (LPC) over frontal for reading the single mind and reading the interactive mind were significantly more positive than for physical representation, while there was no difference between the former two. In the 700- to 800-ms epoch, the mean amplitudes of LPC over frontal–central for reading the interactive mind were more positive than for reading the single mind and physical representation, while there was no difference between the latter two. The present study provides electrophysiological signature of the dissociations between reading the single mind and reading the interactive mind. PMID:21845178

Water Transport Properties of Roots and Root Cortical Cells in Proton- and Al-Stressed Maize Varieties.

PubMed Central

Gunse, B.; Poschenrieder, C.; Barcelo, J.

1997-01-01

Root and root cell pressure-probe techniques were used to investigate the possible relationship between Al- or H+-induced alterations of the hydraulic conductivity of root cells (LPc) and whole-root water conductivity (LPr) in maize (Zea mays L.) plants. To distinguish between H+ and Al effects two varieties that differ in H+ and Al tolerance were assayed. Based on root elongation rates after 24 h in nutrient solution of pH 6.0, pH 4.5, or pH 4.5 plus 50 [mu]M Al, the variety Adour 250 was found to be H+-sensitive and Al-tolerant, whereas the variety BR 201 F was found to be H+-tolerant but Al-sensitive. No Al-induced decrease of root pressure and root cell turgor was observed in Al-sensitive BR 201 F, indicating that Al toxicity did not cause a general breakdown of membrane integrity and that ion pumping to the stele was maintained. Al reduced LPc more than LPr in Al-sensitive BR 201 F. Proton toxicity in Adour 250 affected LPr more than LPc. In this Al-tolerant variety LPc was increased by Al. Nevertheless, this positive effect on LPc did not render higher LPr values. In conclusion, there were no direct relationships between Al- or H+-induced decreases of LPr and the effects on LPc. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the influence of H+ and Al on root and root cell water relations has been directly measured by pressure-probe techniques. PMID:12223628

Acyl Chain-Dependent Effect of Lysophosphatidylcholine on Endothelium-Dependent Vasorelaxation

PubMed Central

Rao, Shailaja P.; Riederer, Monika; Lechleitner, Margarete; Hermansson, Martin; Desoye, Gernot; Hallström, Seth; Graier, Wolfgang F.; Frank, Saša

2013-01-01

Previously we identified palmitoyl-, oleoyl-, linoleoyl-, and arachidonoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC 16:0, 18:1, 18:2 and 20:4) as the most prominent LPC species generated by endothelial lipase (EL). In the present study, we examined the impact of those LPC on acetylcholine (ACh)- induced vascular relaxation. All tested LPC attenuated ACh-induced relaxation, measured ex vivo, using mouse aortic rings and wire myography. The rank order of potency was as follows: 18:2>20:4>16:0>18:1. The attenuating effect of LPC 16:0 on relaxation was augmented by indomethacin-mediated cyclooxygenase (COX)-inhibition and CAY10441, a prostacyclin (PGI2)- receptor (IP) antagonist. Relaxation attenuated by LPC 20:4 and 18:2 was improved by indomethacin and SQ29548, a thromboxane A2 (TXA2)- receptor antagonist. The effect of LPC 20:4 could also be improved by TXA2- and PGI2-synthase inhibitors. As determined by EIA assays, the tested LPC promoted secretion of PGI2, TXA2, PGF2α, and PGE2, however, with markedly different potencies. LPC 16:0 was the most potent inducer of superoxide anion production by mouse aortic rings, followed by LPC 18:2, 20:4 and 18:1, respectively. The strong antioxidant tempol recovered relaxation impairment caused by LPC 18:2, 18:1 and 20:4, but not by LPC 16:0. The tested LPC attenuate ACh-induced relaxation through induction of proconstricting prostanoids and superoxide anions. The potency of attenuating relaxation and the relative contribution of underlying mechanisms are strongly related to LPC acyl-chain length and degree of saturation. PMID:23741477

LEADER AND MEMBER ATTITUDES TOWARD CO-WORKERS, INTERGROUP COMPETITION, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS AND ADJUSTMENT OF MILITARY SQUADS.

DTIC Science & Technology

greater esteem for the squad leader than did low LPC squads, (2) leader LPC and intergroup competition interacted to affect adjustment and task...This study investigated the joint effects of (1) the squad leader’s esteem for his least preferred co-worker (leader LPC), (2) the mean LPC of the...effectiveness in that squads with high LPC leaders were superior in the non-competitive condition, whereas squads with low LPC leaders were superior in the

Inner/Outer nuclear membrane fusion in nuclear pore assembly: biochemical demonstration and molecular analysis.

PubMed

Fichtman, Boris; Ramos, Corinne; Rasala, Beth; Harel, Amnon; Forbes, Douglass J

2010-12-01

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large proteinaceous channels embedded in double nuclear membranes, which carry out nucleocytoplasmic exchange. The mechanism of nuclear pore assembly involves a unique challenge, as it requires creation of a long-lived membrane-lined channel connecting the inner and outer nuclear membranes. This stabilized membrane channel has little evolutionary precedent. Here we mapped inner/outer nuclear membrane fusion in NPC assembly biochemically by using novel assembly intermediates and membrane fusion inhibitors. Incubation of a Xenopus in vitro nuclear assembly system at 14°C revealed an early pore intermediate where nucleoporin subunits POM121 and the Nup107-160 complex were organized in a punctate pattern on the inner nuclear membrane. With time, this intermediate progressed to diffusion channel formation and finally to complete nuclear pore assembly. Correct channel formation was blocked by the hemifusion inhibitor lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), but not if a complementary-shaped lipid, oleic acid (OA), was simultaneously added, as determined with a novel fluorescent dextran-quenching assay. Importantly, recruitment of the bulk of FG nucleoporins, characteristic of mature nuclear pores, was not observed before diffusion channel formation and was prevented by LPC or OA, but not by LPC+OA. These results map the crucial inner/outer nuclear membrane fusion event of NPC assembly downstream of POM121/Nup107-160 complex interaction and upstream or at the time of FG nucleoporin recruitment.

ERP Indicators of L2 Proficiency in Word-to-text Integration Processes.

PubMed

Yang, Chin Lung; Perfetti, Charles A; Tan, Li-Hai; Jiang, Ying

2018-06-04

Studies of bilingual proficiency have largely focused on word and sentence processing, whereas the text level has received relatively little attention. We examined on-line second language (L2) text comprehension in relation to L2 proficiency with ERPs recorded on critical words separated across a sentence boundary from their co-referential antecedents. The integration processes on the critical words were designed to reflect different levels of text representation: word-form, word-meaning, and situational levels (Kintsch, 1998). Across proficiency level, bilinguals showed biphasic N400/late positive component (LPC) effects related to word meaning integration (N400) and mental model updating (LPC) processes. More proficient bilinguals, compared with less proficient bilinguals, showed reduced amplitudes in both N400 and LPC when the integration depended on semantic and conceptual meanings. When the integration was based on word repetitions and inferences, both groups showed reduced N400 negativity while elevated LPC positivity. These effects reflect how memory mechanisms (processes and resources) support the tight coupling among word meaning, readers' memory of the text meaning and the referentially-specified meaning of the text. They further demonstrate the importance of L2 semantic and conceptual processing in modulating the L2 proficiency effect on L2 text integration processes. These results align with the assumption that word meaning processes are causal components in variations of comprehension ability for both monolinguals and bilinguals. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Differential effects of lysophosphatidylcholine and ACh on muscarinic K(+),non-selective cation and Ca(2+) currents in guinea-pig atrial cells.

PubMed

Li, Libing; Matsuoka, Isao; Sakamoto, Kazuho; Kimura, Junko

2016-06-08

We compared the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and acetylcholine (ACh) on IK(ACh), ICa and a non-selective cation current (INSC) in guinea-pig atrial myocytes to clarify whether LPC and ACh activate similar Gi/o-coupled effector systems.　IK(ACh), ICa and INSC were analyzed in single atrial myocytes by the whole cell patch-clamp.　LPC induced INSC in a concentration-dependent manner in atrial cells.　ACh activated IK(ACh), but failed to evoke INSC.　LPC also activated IK(ACh) but with significantly less potency than ACh.　The effects of both ligands on IK(ACh) were inhibited by intracellular loading of pre-activated PTX.　This treatment also inhibited LPC-induced INSC, indicating that IK(ACh) and INSC induced by LPC are both mediated by Gi/o.　LPC and ACh had similar potencies in inhibiting ICa, which was pre-augmented by forskolin, indicating that LPC and ACh activate similar amounts of α-subunits of Gi/o.　The different effects of LPC and ACh on IK(ACh) and INSC may suggest that LPC and ACh activate Gi/o having different types of βγ subunits, and that LPC-induced INSC may be mediated by βγ subunits of Gi/o, which are less effective in inducing IK(ACh).

Laser guide star pointing camera for ESO LGS Facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonaccini Calia, D.; Centrone, M.; Pedichini, F.; Ricciardi, A.; Cerruto, A.; Ambrosino, F.

2014-08-01

Every observatory using LGS-AO routinely has the experience of the long time needed to bring and acquire the laser guide star in the wavefront sensor field of view. This is mostly due to the difficulty of creating LGS pointing models, because of the opto-mechanical flexures and hysteresis in the launch and receiver telescope structures. The launch telescopes are normally sitting on the mechanical structure of the larger receiver telescope. The LGS acquisition time is even longer in case of multiple LGS systems. In this framework the optimization of the LGS systems absolute pointing accuracy is relevant to boost the time efficiency of both science and technical observations. In this paper we show the rationale, the design and the feasibility tests of a LGS Pointing Camera (LPC), which has been conceived for the VLT Adaptive Optics Facility 4LGSF project. The LPC would assist in pointing the four LGS, while the VLT is doing the initial active optics cycles to adjust its own optics on a natural star target, after a preset. The LPC allows minimizing the needed accuracy for LGS pointing model calibrations, while allowing to reach sub-arcsec LGS absolute pointing accuracy. This considerably reduces the LGS acquisition time and observations operation overheads. The LPC is a smart CCD camera, fed by a 150mm diameter aperture of a Maksutov telescope, mounted on the top ring of the VLT UT4, running Linux and acting as server for the client 4LGSF. The smart camera is able to recognize within few seconds the sky field using astrometric software, determining the stars and the LGS absolute positions. Upon request it returns the offsets to give to the LGS, to position them at the required sky coordinates. As byproduct goal, once calibrated the LPC can calculate upon request for each LGS, its return flux, its fwhm and the uplink beam scattering levels.

Effects of chlorogenic acid on intracellular calcium regulation in lysophosphatidylcholine-treated endothelial cells.

PubMed

Jung, Hye-Jin; Im, Seung-Soon; Song, Dae-Kyu; Bae, Jae-Hoon

2017-06-01

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is a major phospholipid component of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and is implicated in its atherogenic activity. This study investigated the effects of LPC on cell viability, intracellular calcium homeostasis, and the protective mechanisms of chlorogenic acid (CGA) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). LPC increased intracellular calcium ([Ca 2＋ ] i ) by releasing Ca 2＋ from intracellular stores and via Ca 2＋ influx through store-operated channels (SOCs). LPC also increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased cell viability. The mRNA expression of Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channel 1 was increased significantly by LPC treatment and suppressed by CGA. CGA inhibited LPC-induced Ca 2＋ influx and ROS generation, and restored cell viability. These results suggested that CGA inhibits SOC-mediated Ca 2＋ influx and ROS generation by attenuating TRPC1 expression in LPC-treated HUVECs. Therefore, CGA might protect endothelial cells against LPC injury, thereby inhibiting atherosclerosis. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(6): 323-328].

Effects of chlorogenic acid on intracellular calcium regulation in lysophosphatidylcholine-treated endothelial cells

PubMed Central

Jung, Hye-Jin; Im, Seung-Soon; Song, Dae-Kyu; Bae, Jae-Hoon

2017-01-01

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is a major phospholipid component of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and is implicated in its atherogenic activity. This study investigated the effects of LPC on cell viability, intracellular calcium homeostasis, and the protective mechanisms of chlorogenic acid (CGA) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). LPC increased intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) by releasing Ca2+ from intracellular stores and via Ca2+ influx through store-operated channels (SOCs). LPC also increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased cell viability. The mRNA expression of Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channel 1 was increased significantly by LPC treatment and suppressed by CGA. CGA inhibited LPC-induced Ca2+ influx and ROS generation, and restored cell viability. These results suggested that CGA inhibits SOC-mediated Ca2+ influx and ROS generation by attenuating TRPC1 expression in LPC-treated HUVECs. Therefore, CGA might protect endothelial cells against LPC injury, thereby inhibiting atherosclerosis. PMID:28088946

Cellular function of neuropathy target esterase in lysophosphatidylcholine action

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

Vose, Sarah C.; Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; Fujioka, Kazutoshi

2008-11-01

Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) plays critical roles in embryonic development and maintenance of peripheral axons. It is a secondary target of some organophosphorus toxicants including analogs of insecticides and chemical warfare agents. Although the mechanistic role of NTE in vivo is poorly defined, it is known to hydrolyze lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in vitro and may protect cell membranes from cytotoxic accumulation of LPC. To determine the cellular function of NTE, Neuro-2a and COS-7 cells were transfected with a full-length human NTE-containing plasmid yielding recombinant NTE (rNTE). We find the same inhibitor sensitivity and specificity profiles for rNTE assayed with LPC ormore » phenyl valerate (a standard NTE substrate) and that this correlation extends to the LPC hydrolases of human brain, lymphocytes and erythrocytes. All of these LPC hydrolases are therefore very similar to each other in respect to a conserved inhibitor binding site conformation. NTE is expressed in brain and lymphocytes and contributes to LPC hydrolase activities in these tissues. The enzyme or enzymes responsible for erythrocyte LPC hydrolase activity remain to be identified. We also show that rNTE protects Neuro-2a and COS-7 cells from exogenous LPC cytotoxicity. Expression of rNTE in Neuro-2a cells alters their phospholipid balance (analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with single ion monitoring) by lowering LPC-16:0 and LPC-18:0 and elevating glycerophosphocholine without a change in phosphatidylcholine-16:0/18:1 or 16:0/18:2. NTE therefore serves an important function in LPC homeostasis and action.« less

Selective Chemosensitization of Rb Mutant Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-07-01

MA). pLPC-12S coexpresses an E1A 12S cDNA with puromycin phosphotransferase (puro) and pWZL-12S coexpresses E1A with hygromycin phospho...expressing puromycin phosphotransferase (puro); LPC-12S, a 12S El A cDNA in LPC (McCurrach et al. 1997); LPC-12S.AN and LPC-12S.ACR2, El A mutants that...2, -3, conserved regions 1, 2, and 3; MEF, mouse embryonic fibroblast; puro, puromycin; hygro, hygromycin . To whom reprint requests should be

On the functional significance of retrieval mode: Task switching disrupts the recollection of conceptual stimulus information from episodic memory.

PubMed

Küper, Kristina

2018-01-01

Episodic memory retrieval is assumed to be associated with the tonic cognitive state of retrieval mode. Despite extensive research into the neurophysiological correlates of retrieval mode, as of yet, relatively little is known about its functional significance. The present event-related potential (ERP) study was aimed at examining the impact of retrieval mode on the specificity of memory content retrieved in the course of familiarity and recollection processes. In two experiments, participants performed a recognition memory inclusion task in which they had to distinguish identically repeated and re-colored versions of study items from new items. In Experiment 1, participants had to alternate between the episodic memory task and a semantic task requiring a natural/artificial decision. In Experiment 2, the two tasks were instead performed in separate blocks. ERPs locked to the preparatory cues in the test phases indicated that participants did not establish retrieval mode on switch trials in Experiment 1. In the absence of retrieval mode, neither type of studied item elicited ERP correlates of familiarity-based retrieval (FN400). Recollection-related late positive complex (LPC) old/new effects emerged only for identically repeated but not for conceptually identical but perceptually changed versions of study items. With blocked retrieval in Experiment 2, both types of old items instead elicited equivalent FN400 and LPC old/new effects. The LPC data indicate that retrieval mode may play an important role in the successful recollection of conceptual stimulus information. The FN400 results additionally suggest that task switching may have a detrimental effect on familiarity-based memory retrieval. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neural cascade of conflict processing: Not just time-on-task.

PubMed

McKay, Cameron C; van den Berg, Berry; Woldorff, Marty G

2017-02-01

In visual conflict tasks (e.g., Stroop or flanker), response times (RTs) are generally longer on incongruent trials relative to congruent ones. Two event-related-potential (ERP) components classically associated with the processing of stimulus conflict are the fronto-central, incongruency-related negativity (N inc ) and the posterior late-positive complex (LPC), which are derived from the ERP difference waves for incongruent minus congruent trials. It has been questioned, however, whether these effects, or other neural measures of incongruency (e.g., fMRI responses in the anterior cingulate), reflect true conflict processing, or whether such effects derive mainly from differential time-on-task. To address this question, we leveraged high-temporal-resolution ERP measures of brain activity during two behavioral tasks. The first task, a modified Erikson flanker paradigm (with congruent and incongruent trials), was used to evoke the classic RT and ERP effects associated with conflict. The second was a non-conflict control task in which, participants visually discriminated a single stimulus (with easy and hard discrimination conditions). Behaviorally, the parameters were titrated to yield similar RT effects of conflict and difficulty (27ms). Neurally, both within-task contrasts showed an initial fronto-central negative-polarity wave (N2-latency effect), but they then diverged. In the difficulty difference wave, the initial negativity led directly into the posterior LPC, whereas in the incongruency contrast the initial negativity was followed a by a second fronto-central negative peak (N inc ), which was then followed by a considerably longer-latency LPC. These results provide clear evidence that the longer processing for incongruent stimulus inputs do not just reflect time-on-task or difficulty, but include a true conflict-processing component. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural cascade of conflict processing: not just time-on-task

PubMed Central

McKay, Cameron C.; van den Berg, Berry; Woldorff, Marty G.

2017-01-01

In visual conflict tasks (e.g., Stroop or flanker), response times (RTs) are generally longer on incongruent trials relative to congruent ones. Two event-related-potential (ERP) components classically associated with the processing of stimulus conflict are the fronto-central, incongruency-related negativity (Ninc) and the posterior late-positive complex (LPC), which are derived from the ERP difference waves for incongruent minus congruent trials. It has been questioned, however, whether these effects, or other neural measures of incongruency (e.g., fMRI responses in the anterior cingulate), reflect true conflict processing, or whether such effects derive mainly from differential time-on-task. To address this question, we leveraged high-temporal-resolution ERP measures of brain activity during two behavioral tasks. The first task, a modified Erikson flanker paradigm (with congruent and incongruent trials), was used to evoke the classic RT and ERP effects associated with conflict. In the second, a non-conflict comparison condition, participants visually discriminated a single stimulus (with easy and hard discrimination conditions). Behaviorally, the parameters were titrated to yield similar RT effects of conflict and difficulty (27 ms). Neurally, both within-task contrasts showed an initial fronto-central negative-polarity wave (N2-latency effect), but they then diverged. In the difficulty difference wave, the initial negativity led directly into the posterior LPC, whereas in the incongruency contrast the initial negativity was followed a by a second fronto-central negative peak (Ninc), which was then followed by a considerably longer-latency LPC. These results provide clear evidence that the longer processing for incongruent stimulus inputs do not just reflect time-on-task or difficulty, but include a true conflict-processing component. PMID:28017818

Is the time course of lexical activation and competition in spoken word recognition affected by adult aging? An event-related potential (ERP) study.

PubMed

Hunter, Cynthia R

2016-10-01

Adult aging is associated with decreased accuracy for recognizing speech, particularly in noisy backgrounds and for high neighborhood density words, which sound similar to many other words. In the current study, the time course of neighborhood density effects in young and older adults was compared using event-related potentials (ERP) and behavioral responses in a lexical decision task for spoken words and nonwords presented either in quiet or in noise. Target items sounded similar either to many or to few other words (neighborhood density) but were balanced for the frequency of their component sounds (phonotactic probability). Behavioral effects of density were similar across age groups, but the event-related potential effects of density differed as a function of age group. For young adults, density modulated the amplitude of both the N400 and the later P300 or late positive complex (LPC). For older adults, density modulated only the amplitude of the P300/LPC. Thus, spreading activation to the semantics of lexical neighbors, indexed by the N400 density effect, appears to be reduced or delayed in adult aging. In contrast, effects of density on P300/LPC amplitude were present in both age groups, perhaps reflecting attentional allocation to items that resemble few words in the mental lexicon. The results constitute the first evidence that ERP effects of neighborhood density are affected by adult aging. The age difference may reflect either a unitary density effect that is delayed by approximately 150ms in older adults, or multiple processes that are differentially affected by aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adsorption-Coupled Diffusion of Gold Nanoclusters within a Large-Pore Protein Crystal Scaffold.

PubMed

Hartje, Luke F; Munsky, Brian; Ni, Thomas W; Ackerson, Christopher J; Snow, Christopher D

2017-08-17

Large-pore protein crystals (LPCs) are ordered biologically derived nanoporous materials exhibiting pore diameters greater than 8 nm. These substantial pores distinguish LPCs from typical nanoporous scaffolds, enabling engineered LPC materials to readily uptake, immobilize, and release macromolecular guests. In this study, macromolecular transport within an LPC environment was experimentally and computationally investigated by studying adsorption-coupled diffusion of Au 25 (glutathione) 18 nanoclusters within a cross-linked LPC scaffold via time-lapse confocal microscopy, bulk equilibrium adsorption, and hindered diffusion simulation. Equilibrium adsorption data is congruent with a Langmuir adsorption model, exhibiting strong binding behavior between nanoclusters and the scaffold. The standard Gibbs free energy of binding is equivalent to -37.2 kJ/mol, and the maximum binding capacity of 1.25 × 10 3 mg/g corresponds to approximately 29 nanoclusters per LPC unit cell. The hindered diffusion model showed good agreement with experimental data, revealing a pore diffusion coefficient of 3.7 × 10 -7 cm 2 /s under low nanocluster concentration. Furthermore, the model was sufficient to determine adsorption and desorption kinetic values for k a and k d equal to 13 cm 3 /mol·s and 1.7 × 10 -7 s -1 , respectively. At higher nanocluster concentrations, the simulated pore diffusion coefficient could be reduced by 3 orders of magnitude to 3.4 × 10 -10 cm 2 /s due to the effects of pore occlusion. This study demonstrates a strategy to analyze adsorption-coupled diffusion data to better understand complex transport of fluorescent macromolecules into LPCs. This approach fits the observable fluorescence data to the key molecular details and will benefit downstream efforts to engineer LPC-based nanoporous materials.

Selective influence of the menstrual cycle on perception of stimuli with reproductive significance: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Krug, R; Plihal, W; Fehm, H L; Born, J

2000-01-01

In this study, we examined changes in the event-related potential (ERP) to stimuli with and without reproductive significance occurring during the menstrual cycle. Eleven spontaneously cycling women were tested during three menstrual phases (menses, ovulatory phase, luteal phase) differing in plasma concentrations of gonadal hormones. ERPs were recorded while subjects were presented with slides showing pictures from four different stimulus categories (sexual stimuli, babies, people occupied with body care, ordinary people). Slides were presented randomly in the context of two tasks, requiring either affective processing (i.e., to judge the emotional content of a slide as positive, neutral, or negative) or structural processing (i.e., to estimate the number of parallel thin lines inserted in each picture). Menstrual phase primarily affected a late positive component (LPC) peaking 550-600 ms poststimulus. The effects were as follows: (i) During the ovulatory phase, amplitude of the LPC to sexual stimuli was larger than that evoked by the other stimulus categories. (ii) This relationship was not apparent during the other menstrual phases or (iii) during the ovulatory phase when the task required structural processing. The ovulatory increase in LPC positivity to sexual stimuli suggests a greater valence of these stimuli during a phase of increased sexual desire. The data indicate a specific effect of the menstrual cycle on the processing of sexual stimuli that increases with deeper emotional processing.

Enhanced incorporation of dietary DHA into lymph phospholipids by altering its molecular carrier

PubMed Central

Subbaiah, Papasani V.; Dammanahalli, Karigowda J.; Yang, Peng; Bi, Jian; O’Donnell, J. Michael

2016-01-01

Several previous studies indicated that for optimal uptake by the brain, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) should be present as phospholipid in the plasma. However most of dietary DHA is absorbed as triacylglycerol (TAG) because it is released as free fatty acid during digestion of either TAG-DHA (fish oil) or sn-2-DHA phospholipid (krill oil), and subsequently incorporated into TAG of chylomicrons. We tested the hypothesis that the absorption of DHA as phospholipid can be increased if it is present in the sn-1 position of dietary phospholipid or in lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), because it would escape the hydrolysis by pancreatic phospholipase A2. We infused micelle containing the DHA either as LPC or as free acid, into the duodenum of lymph cannulated rats, and analyzed the chylomicrons and HDL of the lymph for the DHA-containing lipids. The results show that while the total amount of DHA absorbed was comparable from the two types of micelle, the percentage of DHA recovered in lymph phospholipids was 5 times greater with LPC-DHA, compared to free DHA. Furthermore, the amount of DHA recovered in lymph HDL was increased by 2-fold when LPC-DHA micelle was infused. These results could potentially lead to a novel strategy to increase brain DHA levels through the diet. PMID:27178174

Integrated multi-omics analysis supports role of lysophosphatidylcholine and related glycerophospholipids in the Lotus japonicus-Glomus intraradices mycorrhizal symbiosis.

PubMed

Vijayakumar, Vinod; Liebisch, Gerhard; Buer, Benjamin; Xue, Li; Gerlach, Nina; Blau, Samira; Schmitz, Jessica; Bucher, Marcel

2016-02-01

Interaction of plant roots with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is a complex trait resulting in cooperative interactions among the two symbionts including bidirectional exchange of resources. To study arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis (AMS) trait variation in the model plant Lotus japonicus, we performed an integrated multi-omics analysis with a focus on plant and fungal phospholipid (PL) metabolism and biological significance of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). Our results support the role of LPC as a bioactive compound eliciting cellular and molecular response mechanisms in Lotus. Evidence is provided for large interspecific chemical diversity of LPC species among mycorrhizae with related AMF species. Lipid, gene expression and elemental profiling emphasize the Lotus-Glomus intraradices interaction as distinct from other arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) interactions. In G. intraradices, genes involved in fatty acid (FA) elongation and biosynthesis of unsaturated FAs were enhanced, while in Lotus, FA synthesis genes were up-regulated during AMS. Furthermore, FAS protein localization to mitochondria suggests FA biosynthesis and elongation may also occur in AMF. Our results suggest the existence of interspecific partitioning of PL resources for generation of LPC and novel candidate bioactive PLs in the Lotus-G. intraradices symbiosis. Moreover, the data advocate research with phylogenetically diverse Glomeromycota species for a broader understanding of the molecular underpinnings of AMS. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Connecting biobanks of large European cohorts (EU Project BBMRI-LPC)].

PubMed

Kuhn, Klaus A; Bild, Raffael; Anton, Gabriele; Schuffenhauer, Simone; Wichmann, H-Erich

2016-03-01

In addition to the Biobanking and BioMolecular resources Research Initiative (BBMRI), which is establishing a European research infrastructure for biobanks, a network for large European prospective cohorts (LPC) is being built to facilitate transnational research into important groups of diseases and health care. One instrument for this is the database "LPC Catalogue," which supports access to the biomaterials of the participating cohorts. To present the LPC Catalogue as a relevant tool for connecting European biobanks. In addition, the LPC Catalogue has been extended to establish compatibility with existing Minimum Information About Biobank data Sharing (MIABIS) and to allow for more detailed search requests. This article describes the LPC Catalogue, its organizational and technical structure, and the aforementioned extensions. The LPC Catalogue provides a structured overview of the participating LPCs. It offers various retrieval possibilities and a search function. To support more detailed search requests, a new module has been developed, called a "data cube". The provision of data by the cohorts is being supported by a "connector" component. The LPC Catalogue contains data on 22 cohorts and more than 3.8 million biosamples. At present, data on the biosamples of three cohorts have been acquired for the "cube," which is continuously being expanded. In the BBMRI-LPC, tendering for scientific projects using the data and samples of the participating cohorts is currently being carried out. In this context, several proposals have already been approved. The LPC Catalogue is supporting transnational access to biosamples. A comparison with existing solutions illustrates the relevance of its functionality.

The Effects of EPA, DHA, and Aspirin Ingestion on Plasma Lysophospholipids and Autotaxin

PubMed Central

Block, RC; Duff, R; Lawrence, P; Kakinami, L; Brenna, JT; Shearer, GC; Meednu, N; Mousa, S; Friedman, A; Harris, WS; Larson, Mark; Georas, S

2010-01-01

SUMMARY Lysophophatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) are potent lysolipid mediators increasingly linked with atherosclerosis and inflammation. A current model proposing that plasma LPA is produced when LPC is hydrolyzed by the enzyme autotaxin has not been rigorously investigated in human subjects. We conducted a clinical trial of eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid (EPA/DHA) and aspirin ingestion in normal volunteers. Fasting blood samples were drawn at baseline and after 4-week supplementation with EPA/DHA (3.4 g/d) with and without aspirin (650 mg). Plasma LPC and LPA species and autotaxin activity were measured. EPA-LPC and DHA-LPC concentrations increased significantly with EPA/DHA supplementation whereas EPA- and DHA-LPA did not. Autotaxin activity was unaffected by any treatment, and aspirin had no effect on any endpoint. Taken together, our data demonstrate that plasma LPC, but not LPA, species can be dynamically regulated by dietary supplementation, and argue against a simple model of LPA generation via LPC hydrolysis. PMID:20106646

True- and false-belief reasoning in children and adults: an event-related potential study of theory of mind.

PubMed

Meinhardt, Jörg; Sodian, Beate; Thoermer, Claudia; Döhnel, Katrin; Sommer, Monika

2011-01-01

The understanding that another person's belief can differ from reality and that behaviour is guided by beliefs and not by reality reflects an important cornerstone in the development of a Theory of Mind. The present event-related potential (ERP) study had two aims: first, to reveal ERPs that distinguish between false- and true-belief reasoning and second, to investigate the neural changes in the development of false- and true-belief reasoning from childhood to adulthood. True- and false-belief cartoon stories were presented to adults and 6-8-year-old children. Results revealed two waveforms that differentiated between the two conditions: a late positive complex (LPC) associated with the reorientation from external stimuli to internal mental representations and a late anterior slow wave (LSW) associated with stimulus-independent processing of internal mental representations, a process that might be centrally involved in the decoupling mechanism. Additionally, we found developmental effects at an ERP level. Children showed a more posterior localization of the LPC and a broader frontal distribution of the LSW. The results may reflect developmental progress in conceptualizing the mental domain and support the idea that the cortical mentalizing network continues to develop even after children are able to master false beliefs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Analytical Study of Prostate-Specific Antigen Dynamics.

PubMed

Esteban, Ernesto P; Deliz, Giovanni; Rivera-Rodriguez, Jaileen; Laureano, Stephanie M

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research is to carry out a quantitative study of prostate-specific antigen dynamics for patients with prostatic diseases, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and localized prostate cancer (LPC). The proposed PSA mathematical model was implemented using clinical data of 218 Japanese patients with histological proven BPH and 147 Japanese patients with LPC (stages T2a and T2b). For prostatic diseases (BPH and LPC) a nonlinear equation was obtained and solved in a close form to predict PSA progression with patients' age. The general solution describes PSA dynamics for patients with both diseases LPC and BPH. Particular solutions allow studying PSA dynamics for patients with BPH or LPC. Analytical solutions have been obtained and solved in a close form to develop nomograms for a better understanding of PSA dynamics in patients with BPH and LPC. This study may be useful to improve the diagnostic and prognosis of prostatic diseases.

The impact of human breast milk components on the infant metabolism

PubMed Central

Hellmuth, Christian; Uhl, Olaf; Demmelmair, Hans; Grunewald, Maria; Auricchio, Renata; Castillejo, Gemma; Korponay-Szabo, Ilma R.; Polanco, Isabel; Roca, María; Vriezinga, Sabine L.; Werkstetter, Katharina J.; Koletzko, Berthold; Mearin, M. Luisa

2018-01-01

Background & aims Breastfeeding is beneficial for mothers and infants. Underlying mechanisms and biochemical mediators thus need to be investigated to develop and support improved infant nutrition practices promoting the child health. We analysed the relation between maternal breast milk composition and infant metabolism. Methods 196 pairs of mothers and infants from a European research project (PreventCD) were studied. Maternal milk samples collected at month 1 and month 4 after birth were analysed for macronutrient classes, hormone, and fatty acid (FA) content. Phospholipids, acylcarnitines, and amino acids were measured in serum samples of 4-month old infants. Associations between milk components and infant metabolites were analysed with spearman correlation and linear mixed effect models (LME). P-values were corrected for multiple testing (PLME). Results Month 1 milk protein content was strongly associated with infant serum lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) 14:0 (PLME = 0.009). Month 1 milk insulin was associated to infant acetylcarnitine (PLME = 0.01). There were no associations between milk protein content and serum amino acids and milk total fat content and serum polar lipids. Middle- and odd-chain FA% in breast milk at both ages were significantly related to serum LPC and sphingomyelins (SM) species in infant serum (all PLME<0.05), while FA% 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 percentages were significantly associated to serum LPC 22:6 (PLME = 1.91×10−4/7.93×10−5) in milk only at month 4. Other polyunsaturated fatty acids and hormones in milk showed only weak associations with infant serum metabolites. Conclusions Infant serum LPC are influenced by breast milk FA composition and, intriguingly, milk protein content in early but not late lactation. LPC 14:0, previously found positively associated with obesity risk, was the serum metabolite which was the most strongly associated to milk protein content. Thus, LPC 14:0 might be a key metabolite not only reflecting milk protein intake in infants, but also relating high protein content in milk or infant formula to childhood obesity risk. PMID:29856767

Electrophysiological correlates of proactive interference in the 'Recent Probes' verbal working memory task.

PubMed

Zhang, John X; Wu, Renhua; Kong, Lingyue; Weng, Xuchu; Du, Yingchun

2010-06-01

Using event-related potentials (ERPs), the present study examined the temporal dynamics of proactive interference in working memory using a recent probes task. Participants memorized and retained a target set of four letters over a short retention interval. They then responded to a recognition probe by judging whether it was from the memory set. ERP waveforms elicited by positive probes compared to those from negative probes showed positive shifts in a fronto-central early N2 component and a parietal late positive component (LPC). The LPC was identified as the electrophysiological signature of proactive interference, as it differentiated between two types of negative probes defined based on whether they were recently encountered. These results indicate that the proactive interference we observed arises from a mismatch between familiarity and contextual information during recognition memory. When considered together with related studies in the literature, the results also suggest that there are different forms of proactive interference associated with different neural correlates. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Latex-protein complexes from an acute phase recombinant antigen of Toxoplasma gondii for the diagnosis of recently acquired toxoplasmosis.

PubMed

Peretti, Leandro E; Gonzalez, Verónica D G; Marcipar, Iván S; Gugliotta, Luis M

2014-08-01

The synthesis and characterization of latex-protein complexes (LPC), from the acute phase recombinant antigen P35 (P35Ag) of Toxoplasma gondii and "core-shell" carboxylated or polystyrene (PS) latexes (of different sizes and charge densities) are considered, with the aim of producing immunoagglutination reagents able to detect recently acquired toxoplasmosis. Physical adsorption (PA) and chemical coupling (CC) of P35Ag onto latex particles at different pH were investigated. Greater amounts of adsorbed protein were obtained on PS latexes than on carboxylated latexes, indicating that hydrophobic forces govern the interactions between the protein and the particle surface. In the CC experiments, the highest amount of bound protein was obtained at pH 6, near the isoelectric point of the protein (IP=6.27). At this pH, it decreased both the repulsion between particle surface and protein, and the repulsion between neighboring molecules. The LPC were characterized and the antigenicity of the P35Ag protein coupled on the particles surface was evaluated by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). Results from ELISA showed that the P35Ag coupled to the latex particles surface was not affected during the particles sensitization by PA and CC and the produced LPC were able to recognize specific anti-P35Ag antibodies present in the acute phase of the disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spectra-temporal patterns underlying mental addition: an ERP and ERD/ERS study.

PubMed

Ku, Yixuan; Hong, Bo; Gao, Xiaorong; Gao, Shangkai

2010-03-12

Functional neuroimaging data have shown that mental calculation involves fronto-parietal areas that are composed of different subsystems shared with other cognitive functions such as working memory and language. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis has also indicated sequential information changes during the calculation process. However, little is known about the dynamic properties of oscillatory networks in this process. In the present study, we applied both ERP and event-related (de-)synchronization (ERS/ERD) analyses to EEG data recorded from normal human subjects performing tasks for sequential visual/auditory mental addition. Results in the study indicate that the late positive components (LPCs) can be decomposed into two separate parts. The earlier element LPC1 (around 360ms) reflects the computing attribute and is more prominent in calculation tasks. The later element LPC2 (around 590ms) indicates an effect of number size and appears larger only in a more complex 2-digit addition task. The theta ERS and alpha ERD show modality-independent frontal and parietal differential patterns between the mental addition and control groups, and discrepancies are noted in the beta ERD between the 2-digit and 1-digit mental addition groups. The 2-digit addition (both visual and auditory) results in similar beta ERD patterns to the auditory control, which may indicate a reliance on auditory-related resources in mental arithmetic, especially with increasing task difficulty. These results coincide with the theory of simple calculation relying on the visuospatial process and complex calculation depending on the phonological process. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Logical Process Calculus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cleaveland, Rance; Luettgen, Gerald; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper presents the Logical Process Calculus (LPC), a formalism that supports heterogeneous system specifications containing both operational and declarative subspecifications. Syntactically, LPC extends Milner's Calculus of Communicating Systems with operators from the alternation-free linear-time mu-calculus (LT(mu)). Semantically, LPC is equipped with a behavioral preorder that generalizes Hennessy's and DeNicola's must-testing preorder as well as LT(mu's) satisfaction relation, while being compositional for all LPC operators. From a technical point of view, the new calculus is distinguished by the inclusion of: (1) both minimal and maximal fixed-point operators and (2) an unimple-mentability predicate on process terms, which tags inconsistent specifications. The utility of LPC is demonstrated by means of an example highlighting the benefits of heterogeneous system specification.

Genome-Wide Mapping of Furfural Tolerance Genes in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Glebes, Tirzah Y.; Sandoval, Nicholas R.; Reeder, Philippa J.; Schilling, Katherine D.; Zhang, Min; Gill, Ryan T.

2014-01-01

Advances in genomics have improved the ability to map complex genotype-to-phenotype relationships, like those required for engineering chemical tolerance. Here, we have applied the multiSCale Analysis of Library Enrichments (SCALEs; Lynch et al. (2007) Nat. Method.) approach to map, in parallel, the effect of increased dosage for >105 different fragments of the Escherichia coli genome onto furfural tolerance (furfural is a key toxin of lignocellulosic hydrolysate). Only 268 of >4,000 E. coli genes (∼6%) were enriched after growth selections in the presence of furfural. Several of the enriched genes were cloned and tested individually for their effect on furfural tolerance. Overexpression of thyA, lpcA, or groESL individually increased growth in the presence of furfural. Overexpression of lpcA, but not groESL or thyA, resulted in increased furfural reduction rate, a previously identified mechanism underlying furfural tolerance. We additionally show that plasmid-based expression of functional LpcA or GroESL is required to confer furfural tolerance. This study identifies new furfural tolerant genes, which can be applied in future strain design efforts focused on the production of fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic hydrolysate. PMID:24489935

Genome-wide mapping of furfural tolerance genes in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Glebes, Tirzah Y; Sandoval, Nicholas R; Reeder, Philippa J; Schilling, Katherine D; Zhang, Min; Gill, Ryan T

2014-01-01

Advances in genomics have improved the ability to map complex genotype-to-phenotype relationships, like those required for engineering chemical tolerance. Here, we have applied the multiSCale Analysis of Library Enrichments (SCALEs; Lynch et al. (2007) Nat. Method.) approach to map, in parallel, the effect of increased dosage for >10(5) different fragments of the Escherichia coli genome onto furfural tolerance (furfural is a key toxin of lignocellulosic hydrolysate). Only 268 of >4,000 E. coli genes (∼ 6%) were enriched after growth selections in the presence of furfural. Several of the enriched genes were cloned and tested individually for their effect on furfural tolerance. Overexpression of thyA, lpcA, or groESL individually increased growth in the presence of furfural. Overexpression of lpcA, but not groESL or thyA, resulted in increased furfural reduction rate, a previously identified mechanism underlying furfural tolerance. We additionally show that plasmid-based expression of functional LpcA or GroESL is required to confer furfural tolerance. This study identifies new furfural tolerant genes, which can be applied in future strain design efforts focused on the production of fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic hydrolysate.

On the Time Course of Accessing Meaning in a Second Language: An Electrophysiological and Behavioral Investigation of Translation Recognition

PubMed Central

Guo, Taomei; Misra, Maya; Tam, Joyce W.; Kroll, Judith F.

2012-01-01

In 2 experiments, relatively proficient Chinese–English bilinguals decided whether Chinese words were the correct translations of English words. Critical trials were those on which incorrect translations were related in lexical form or meaning to the correct translation. In Experiment 1, behavioral interference was revealed for both distractor types, but event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed a different time course for the 2 conditions. Semantic distractors elicited effects primarily on the N400 and late positive component (LPC), with a smaller N400 and a smaller LPC over the posterior scalp but a larger LPC over the anterior scalp relative to unrelated controls. In contrast, translation form distractors elicited a larger P200 and a larger LPC than did unrelated controls. To determine whether the translation form effects were enabled by the relatively long, 750-ms stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between words, a 2nd ERP experiment was conducted using a shorter, 300-ms, SOA. The behavioral results revealed interference for both types of distractors, but the ERPs again revealed different loci for the 2 effects. Taken together, the data suggest that proficient bilinguals activate 1st-language translations of words in the 2nd language after they have accessed the meaning of those words. The implications of this pattern for claims about the nature of cross-language activation when bilinguals read in 1 or both languages are discussed. PMID:22686844

Numerical processing efficiency improved in children using mental abacus: ERP evidence utilizing a numerical Stroop task

PubMed Central

Yao, Yuan; Du, Fenglei; Wang, Chunjie; Liu, Yuqiu; Weng, Jian; Chen, Feiyan

2015-01-01

This study examined whether long-term abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) training improved numerical processing efficiency and at what stage of information processing the effect appeard. Thirty-three children participated in the study and were randomly assigned to two groups at primary school entry, matched for age, gender and IQ. All children went through the same curriculum except that the abacus group received a 2-h/per week AMC training, while the control group did traditional numerical practice for a similar amount of time. After a 2-year training, they were tested with a numerical Stroop task. Electroencephalographic (EEG) and event related potential (ERP) recording techniques were used to monitor the temporal dynamics during the task. Children were required to determine the numerical magnitude (NC) (NC task) or the physical size (PC task) of two numbers presented simultaneously. In the NC task, the AMC group showed faster response times but similar accuracy compared to the control group. In the PC task, the two groups exhibited the same speed and accuracy. The saliency of numerical information relative to physical information was greater in AMC group. With regards to ERP results, the AMC group displayed congruity effects both in the earlier (N1) and later (N2 and LPC (late positive component) time domain, while the control group only displayed congruity effects for LPC. In the left parietal region, LPC amplitudes were larger for the AMC than the control group. Individual differences for LPC amplitudes over left parietal area showed a positive correlation with RTs in the NC task in both congruent and neutral conditions. After controlling for the N2 amplitude, this correlation also became significant in the incongruent condition. Our results suggest that AMC training can strengthen the relationship between symbolic representation and numerical magnitude so that numerical information processing becomes quicker and automatic in AMC children. PMID:26042012

β-Lapachone and Paclitaxel Combination Micelles with Improved Drug Encapsulation and Therapeutic Synergy as Novel Nanotherapeutics for NQO1-Targeted Cancer Therapy.

PubMed

Zhang, Ling; Chen, Zhen; Yang, Kuan; Liu, Chun; Gao, Jinming; Qian, Feng

2015-11-02

β-Lapachone (LPC) is a novel cytotoxic agent that is bioactivated by NADP(H): quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), an enzyme elevated in a variety of tumors, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer. Despite its unique mechanism of action, its clinical evaluation has been largely hindered by low water solubility, short blood half-life, and narrow therapeutic window. Although encapsulation into poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PEG-PLA) micelles could modestly improve its solubility and prolong its half-life, the extremely fast intrinsic crystallization tendency of LPC prevents drug loading higher than ∼2 wt %. The physical stability of the LPC-loaded micelles is also far from satisfactory for further development. In this study, we demonstrate that paclitaxel (PTX), a front-line drug for many cancers, can provide two functions when coencapsulated together with LPC in the PEG-PLA micelles; first, as a strong crystallization inhibitor for LPC, thus to significantly increase the LPC encapsulation efficiency in the micelle from 11.7 ± 2.4% to 100.7 ± 2.2%. The total drug loading efficiency of both PTX and LPC in the combination polymeric micelle reached 100.3 ± 3.0%, and the drug loading density reached 33.2 ± 1.0%. Second, the combination of LPC/PTX demonstrates strong synergistic cytotoxicity effect against the NQO1 overexpressing cancer cells, including A549 NSCLC cells, and several pancreatic cancer cells (combination index <1). In vitro drug release study showed that LPC was released faster than PTX either in phosphate-buffered saline (PH = 7.4) or in 1 M sodium salicylate, which agrees with the desired dosing sequence of the two drugs to exert synergistic pharmacologic effect at different cell checkpoints. The PEG-PLA micelles coloaded with LPC and PTX offer a novel nanotherapeutic, with high drug loading, sufficient physical stability, and biological synergy to increase drug delivery efficiency and optimize the therapeutic window for NOQ1-targeted therapy of cancer.

Electrophysiological Correlates of Infant Recognition Memory: The Late Positive Component (LPC).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Charles A.

A series of studies has investigated the possibility that human infants performing tasks exhibit something like the P300, a positive-going brain wave associated with task performance and the updating of working memory among adults. Findings indicate that, when infants have the opportunity to form a template against which to compare a previously…

THE EFFECT OF LEADERSHIP STYLE UPON PERFORMANCE AND ADJUSTMENT IN VOLUNTEER TEAMS OPERATING IN A STRESSFUL FOREIGN ENVIRONMENT.

DTIC Science & Technology

questionnaires and rating scales. Results showed that the task-oriented, low LPC leaders were more effective in the favorable and very unfavorable situations...was minimal, the task-oriented ( low LPC) leaders had groups which were relatively better adjusted than groups having relationship-oriented (high LPC

A pivotal role of BEX1 in liver progenitor cell expansion in mice.

PubMed

Gu, Yuting; Wei, Weiting; Cheng, Yiji; Wan, Bing; Ding, Xinyuan; Wang, Hui; Zhang, Yanyun; Jin, Min

2018-06-15

The activation and expansion of bipotent liver progenitor cells (LPCs) are indispensable for liver regeneration after severe or chronic liver injury. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating LPCs and LPC-mediated liver regeneration remain elusive. Hepatic brain-expressed X-linked 1 (BEX1) expression was evaluated using microarray screening, real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. LPC activation and liver injury were studied following a choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet in wild-type (WT) and Bex1 -/- mice. Proliferation, apoptosis, colony formation and hepatic differentiation were examined in LPCs from WT and Bex1 -/- mice. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma was detected in Bex1-deficient LPCs and mouse livers, and was silenced to analyse the expansion of LPCs from WT and Bex1 -/- mice. Hepatic BEX1 expression was increased during CDE diet-induced liver injury and was highly elevated primarily in LPCs. Bex1 -/- mice fed a CDE diet displayed impaired LPC expansion and liver regeneration. Bex1 deficiency inhibited LPC proliferation and enhanced LPC apoptosis in vitro. Additionally, Bex1 deficiency inhibited the colony formation of LPCs but had no effect on their hepatic differentiation. Mechanistically, BEX1 inhibited peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma to promote LPC expansion. Our findings indicate that BEX1 plays a pivotal role in LPC activation and expansion during liver regeneration, potentially providing novel targets for liver regeneration and chronic liver disease therapies.

OxLDL enhances L-type Ca2+ currents via lysophosphatidylcholine-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.

PubMed

Fearon, Ian M

2006-03-01

To examine the mechanisms underlying oxidised LDL- (oxLDL)-induced alterations in Ca(2+) currents, an effect which underlies altered vascular contractility and cardiac myocyte function. Ca(2+) currents (I(Ca)) were recorded by whole-cell patch-clamp in HEK293 cells expressing L-type Ca(2+) channel alpha(1C) subunits or isolated rat ventricular myocytes. oxLDL (but not native LDL) significantly enhanced recombinant I(Ca), an effect mimicked by 1 microM lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). LPC failed to enhance I(Ca) either in mitochondrial electron transport chain-depleted rho(0) cells, or in the presence of rotenone (1 microM), or MPP(+) (10 microM). The LPC response was similarly ablated by ascorbate (200 microM) or TROLOX (500 microM) and by the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, MitoQ (250 nM). In myocytes, enhancement of I(Ca) due to LPC was similarly abrogated with rotenone and MitoQ. These data suggest that LPC enhanced recombinant Ca(2+) currents due to increased mitochondrial ROS production. In support with this, LPC enhanced fluorescence in HEK293 cells and cardiac myocytes loaded with a ROS-sensitive mitochondrial dye, reduced mitotracker red. LPC up-regulates L-type Ca(2+) currents due to altered mitochondrial ROS production, an effect which mediates the response of the native I(Ca) in cardiac myocytes to oxLDL.

Interleukins-17 and 27 promote liver regeneration by sequentially inducing progenitor cell expansion and differentiation.

PubMed

Guillot, Adrien; Gasmi, Imène; Brouillet, Arthur; Ait-Ahmed, Yeni; Calderaro, Julien; Ruiz, Isaac; Gao, Bin; Lotersztajn, Sophie; Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel; Lafdil, Fouad

2018-03-01

Liver progenitor cells (LPCs)/ductular reactions (DRs) are associated with inflammation and implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases. However, how inflammation regulates LPCs/DRs remains largely unknown. Identification of inflammatory processes that involve LPC activation and expansion represent a key step in understanding the pathogenesis of liver diseases. In the current study, we found that diverse types of chronic liver diseases are associated with elevation of infiltrated interleukin (IL)-17-positive (+) cells and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) + LPCs, and both cell types colocalized and their numbers positively correlated with each other. The role of IL-17 in the induction of LPCs was examined in a mouse model fed a choline-deficient and ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet. Feeding of wild-type mice with the CDE diet markedly elevated CK19 + Ki67 + proliferating LPCs and hepatic inflammation. Disruption of the IL-17 gene or IL-27 receptor, alpha subunit (WSX-1) gene abolished CDE diet-induced LPC expansion and inflammation. In vitro treatment with IL-17 promoted proliferation of bipotential murine oval liver cells (a liver progenitor cell line) and markedly up-regulated IL-27 expression in macrophages. Treatment with IL-27 favored the differentiation of bipotential murine oval liver cells and freshly isolated LPCs into hepatocytes. Conclusion : The current data provide evidence for a collaborative role between IL-17 and IL-27 in promoting LPC expansion and differentiation, respectively, thereby contributing to liver regeneration. ( Hepatology Communications 2018;2:329-343).

Oral bioavailability enhancement of β-lapachone, a poorly soluble fast crystallizer, by cocrystal, amorphous solid dispersion, and crystalline solid dispersion.

PubMed

Liu, Chengyu; Liu, Zhengsheng; Chen, Yuejie; Chen, Zhen; Chen, Huijun; Pui, Yipshu; Qian, Feng

2018-03-01

The aim of this paper was to compare the in vitro dissolution and in vivo bioavailability of three solubility enhancement technologies for β-lapachone (LPC), a poorly water soluble compound with extremely high crystallization propensity. LPC cocrystal was prepared by co-grinding LPC with resorcinol. LPC crystalline and amorphous solid dispersions (CSD and ASD) were obtained by spray drying with Poloxamer 188 and HPMC-AS, respectively. The cocrystal structure was solved by single crystal x-ray diffraction. All formulations were characterized by WAXRD, DSC, POM and SEM. USP II and intrinsic dissolution studies were used to compare the in vitro dissolution of these formulations, and a crossover dog pharmacokinetic study was used to compare their in vivo bioavailability. An 1:1 LPC-resorcinol cocrystal with higher solubility and faster dissolution rate was obtained, yet it converted to LPC crystal rapidly in solution. LPC/HPMC-AS ASD was confirmed to be amorphous and uniform, while the crystal and crystallite sizes of LPC in CSD were found to be ∼1-3 μm and around 40 nm, respectively. These formulations performed similarly during USP II dissolution, while demonstrated dramatically different oral bioavailability of ∼32%, ∼5%, and ∼1% in dogs, for CSD, co-crystal, and ASD, respectively. CSD showed the fastest intrinsic dissolution rate among the three. The three formulations showed poor IVIVC which could be due to rapid and unpredictable crystallization kinetics. Considering all the reasons, we conclude that for molecules with extremely high crystallization tendency that cannot be inhibited by any pharmaceutical excipients, size-reduction technologies such as CSD could be advantageous for oral bioavailability enhancement in vivo than technologies only generating transient but not sustained supersaturation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transcriptional and metabolomic analysis of Ascophyllum nodosum mediated freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We have previously shown that lipophilic components (LPC) of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) improved freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the mechanism(s) of this induced freezing stress tolerance is largely unknown. Here, we investigated LPC induced changes in the transcriptome and metabolome of A. thaliana undergoing freezing stress. Results Gene expression studies revealed that the accumulation of proline was mediated by an increase in the expression of the proline synthesis genes P5CS1 and P5CS2 and a marginal reduction in the expression of the proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) gene. Moreover, LPC application significantly increased the concentration of total soluble sugars in the cytosol in response to freezing stress. Arabidopsis sfr4 mutant plants, defective in the accumulation of free sugars, treated with LPC, exhibited freezing sensitivity similar to that of untreated controls. The 1H NMR metabolite profile of LPC-treated Arabidopsis plants exposed to freezing stress revealed a spectrum dominated by chemical shifts (δ) representing soluble sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids and lipophilic components like fatty acids, as compared to control plants. Additionally, 2D NMR spectra suggested an increase in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids in LPC treated plants under freezing stress. These results were supported by global transcriptome analysis. Transcriptome analysis revealed that LPC treatment altered the expression of 1113 genes (5%) in comparison with untreated plants. A total of 463 genes (2%) were up regulated while 650 genes (3%) were down regulated. Conclusion Taken together, the results of the experiments presented in this paper provide evidence to support LPC mediated freezing tolerance enhancement through a combination of the priming of plants for the increased accumulation of osmoprotectants and alteration of cellular fatty acid composition. PMID:23171218

Subjective and Objective Evaluation of Pitch Extractors for LPC and Harmonic Deviations Vocoders.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-01

Neman Inc. significance of the voicing errors at unvoiced-voiced transitions (see Section 7.2), is to penalize the early and the late start of...8217- Report No. 5726 Bolt Beranek and Neman Inc. Objective PAL Measure LPC/Cler =/Clear LPC/Noise HDY Noise S- Bes Measures: S EDFL-C-EF -0.990 -0.991 -0.995

P/N In(Al) GaAs multijunction laser power converters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wojtczuk, Steven; Parados, Themis; Walker, Gilbert

1994-01-01

Eight In(AI)GaAs PN junctions grown epitaxially on the semi-insulating wafer were monolithically integrated in series to boost the approximately 0.4V photovoltage per typical In(Al)GaAs junction to over 3 volts for the 1 sq cm laser power converted (LPC) chip. Advantages of multijunction LCP designs include the need for less circuitry for power reconditioning and the potential for lower I(sup 2)R power loss. As an example, these LPC's have a responsivity of approximately 1 amp/watt. With a single junction LPC, 100 watts/sq cm incident power would lead to about 100 A/sq cm short-circuit current at approximately 0.4V open-cicuit voltage. One disadvantage is the large current would lead to a large I(sup 2)R loss which would lower the fill factor so that 40 watts/sq cm output would not be obtained. Another is that few circuits are designed to work at 0.4 volts, so DC-DC power conversion circuitry would be necessary to raise the voltage to a reasonable level. The multijunction LPC being developed in this program is a step toward solving these problems. In the above example, an eight-junction LPC would have eight times the voltage, approximately 3V, so that DC-DC power conversion may not be needed in many instances. In addition, the multijunction LPC would have 1/8 the current of a single-junction LPC, for only 1/64 the I(sup 2)R loss if the series resistance is the same. Working monolithic multijunction laser power converters (LPC's) were made in two different compositions of the In(x)Al(y)Ga(1-x-y)As semiconductor alloy, In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As (0.74 eV) and In(0.5)Al(0.1)Ga(0.4)As (0.87 eV). The final 0.8 sq cm LPC's had output voltages of about 3 volts and output currents up to about one-half amp. Maximum 1.3 micron power conversion efficiencies were approximately 22 percent. One key advantage of multijunction LPC's is that they have higher output voltages, so that less DC-DC power conversion circuitry is needed in applications.

Insights from event-related potentials into the temporal and hierarchical organization of the ventral and dorsal streams of the visual system in selective attention.

PubMed

Martín-Loeches, M; Hinojosa, J A; Rubia, F J

1999-11-01

The temporal and hierarchical relationships between the dorsal and the ventral streams in selective attention are known only in relation to the use of spatial location as the attentional cue mediated by the dorsal stream. To improve this state of affairs, event-related brain potentials were recorded while subjects attended simultaneously to motion direction (mediated by the dorsal stream) and to a property mediated by the ventral stream (color or shape). At about the same time, a selection positivity (SP) started for attention mediated by both streams. However, the SP for color and shape peaked about 60 ms later than motion SP. Subsequently, a selection negativity (SN) followed by a late positive component (LPC) were found simultaneously for attention mediated by both streams. A hierarchical relationship between the two streams was not observed, but neither SN nor LPC for one property was completely insensitive to the values of the other property.

Electrophysiological differences in the processing of affective information in words and pictures.

PubMed

Hinojosa, José A; Carretié, Luis; Valcárcel, María A; Méndez-Bértolo, Constantino; Pozo, Miguel A

2009-06-01

It is generally assumed that affective picture viewing is related to higher levels of physiological arousal than is the reading of emotional words. However, this assertion is based mainly on studies in which the processing of either words or pictures has been investigated under heterogenic conditions. Positive, negative, relaxing, neutral, and background (stimulus fragments) words and pictures were presented to subjects in two experiments under equivalent experimental conditions. In Experiment 1, neutral words elicited an enhanced late positive component (LPC) that was associated with an increased difficulty in discriminating neutral from background stimuli. In Experiment 2, high-arousing pictures elicited an enhanced early negativity and LPC that were related to a facilitated processing for these stimuli. Thus, it seems that under some circumstances, the processing of affective information captures attention only with more biologically relevant stimuli. Also, these data might be better interpreted on the basis of those models that postulate a different access to affective information for words and pictures.

ERP differences between processing of physical characteristics and personality attributes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Limited data from behavioral and brain-imaging studies indicate that personality traits and physical characteristics are processed differently by the brain. Additionally, electrophysiological results of studies comparing the processing of positive and negative words have produced mixed results. It is therefore not clear how physical and personality attributes with emotional valence (i.e., positive and negative valence) are processed. Thus, this study aimed to examine the neural activity associated with words describing personality traits and physical characteristics with positive or negative emotional valence using Event Related Potentials (ERPs). Methods A sample of 15 healthy adults (7 men, 8 women) participated in a computerized word categorization task. Participants were asked to categorize visual word stimuli as physical characteristics or personality traits, while ERPs were recorded synchronously. Results Behavioral reaction times to negative physical stimuli were shorter compared to negative personality words, however reaction times did not significantly differ for positive stimuli. Electrophysiological results showed that personality stimuli elicited larger P2 and LPC (Late Positive Component) amplitudes compared to physical stimuli, regardless of negative or positive valence. Moreover, negative as compared with positive stimuli elicited larger P2 and LPC amplitudes. Conclusion Personality and physical stimuli were processed differently regardless of positive or negative valence. These findings suggest that personality traits and physical characteristics are differentially classified and are associated with different motivational significance. PMID:22967478

An ERP-study of brand and no-name products.

PubMed

Thomas, Anika; Hammer, Anke; Beibst, Gabriele; Münte, Thomas F

2013-11-23

Brands create product personalities that are thought to affect consumer decisions. Here we assessed, using the Go/No-go Association Task (GNAT) from social psychology, whether brands as opposed to no-name products are associated with implicit positive attitudes. Healthy young German participants viewed series of photos of cosmetics and food items (half of them brands) intermixed with positive and negative words. In any given run, one category of goods (e.g., cosmetics) and one kind of words (e.g., positive) had to be responded to, whereas responses had to be withheld for the other categories. Event-related brain potentials were recorded during the task. Unexpectedly, there were no response-time differences between congruent (brand and positive words) and incongruent (brand and negative words) pairings but ERPs showed differences as a function of congruency in the 600-750 ms time-window hinting at the existence of implicit attitudes towards brand and no-name stimuli. This finding deserves further investigation in future studies. Moreover, the amplitude of the late positive component (LPC) was found to be enhanced for brand as opposed to no-name stimuli. Congruency effects suggest that ERPs are sensitive to implicit attitudes. Moreover, the results for the LPC imply that pictures of brand products are more arousing than those of no-name products, which may ultimately contribute to consumer decisions.

A comparative analysis of whispered and normally phonated speech using an LPC-10 vocoder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, J. B.; Mosko, J. D.

1985-12-01

The determination of the performance of an LPC-10 vocoder in the processing of adult male and female whispered and normally phonated connected speech was the focus of this study. The LPC-10 vocoder's analysis of whispered speech compared quite favorably with similar studies which used sound spectrographic processing techniques. Shifting from phonated speech to whispered speech caused a substantial increase in the phonomic formant frequencies and formant bandwidths for both male and female speakers. The data from this study showed no evidence that the LPC-10 vocoder's ability to process voices with pitch extremes and quality extremes was limited in any significant manner. A comparison of the unprocessed natural vowel waveforms and qualities with the synthesized vowel waveforms and qualities revealed almost imperceptible differences. An LPC-10 vocoder's ability to process linguistic and dialectical suprasegmental features such as intonation, rate and stress at low bit rates should be a critical issue of concern for future research.

Listen protect connect for traumatized schoolchildren: a pilot study of psychological first aid.

PubMed

Ramirez, Marizen; Harland, Karisa; Frederick, Maisha; Shepherd, Rhoda; Wong, Marleen; Cavanaugh, Joseph E

2013-01-01

Listen Protect Connect (LPC), a school-based program of Psychological First Aid delivered by non-mental health professionals, is intended to support trauma-exposed children. Our objective was to implement LPC in a school setting and assess the effectiveness of LPC on improving psychosocial outcomes associated with trauma. A pilot quasi-experiment was conducted with middle school children self-identified or referred to the school nurse as potentially exposed to stressful life experiences. LPC was provided to students by the school nurse, and questionnaires were administered at baseline, 2-, 4- and 8-weeks to assess life stressors, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, social support, and school connectedness. A total of 71 measurements were collected from 20 children in all. Although a small sample size, multiple measurements allowed for multivariable mixed effects models to analyze changes in the repeated outcomes over time. Students who received the intervention had reduced depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms from baseline throughout follow-up period. Total social support also increased significantly from baseline through 8-weeks, and school connectedness increased up to 4-weeks post-intervention. This study demonstrates the potential of LPC as a school-based intervention of Psychological First Aid. Future randomized trials of LPC are needed, however.

Metabolites involved in cellular communication among human cumulus-oocyte-complex and sperm during in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Gómez-Torres, María José; García, Eva María; Guerrero, Jaime; Medina, Sonia; Izquierdo-Rico, María José; Gil-Izquierdo, Ángel; Orduna, Jesús; Savirón, María; González-Brusi, Leopoldo; Ten, Jorge; Bernabeu, Rafael; Avilés, Manuel

2015-11-09

Fertilization is a key physiological process for the preservation of the species. Consequently, different mechanisms affecting the sperm and the oocyte have been developed to ensure a successful fertilization. Thus, sperm acrosome reaction is necessary for the egg coat penetration and sperm-oolema fusion. Several molecules are able to induce the sperm acrosome reaction; however, this process should be produced coordinately in time and in the space to allow the success of fertilization between gametes. The goal of this study was to analyze the metabolites secreted by cumulus-oocyte-complex (COC) to find out new components that could contribute to the induction of the human sperm acrosome reaction and other physiological processes at the time of gamete interaction and fertilization. For the metabolomic analysis, eighteen aliquots of medium were used in each group, containing: a) only COC before insemination and after 3 h of incubation; b) COC and capacitated spermatozoa after insemination and incubated for 16-20 hours; c) only capacitated sperm after 16-20 h in culture and d) only fertilization medium as control. Six patients undergoing assisted reproduction whose male partners provided normozoospermic samples were included in the study. Seventy-two COC were inseminated. The metabolites identified were monoacylglycerol (MAG), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and phytosphingosine (PHS). Analysis by PCR and in silico of the gene expression strongly suggests that the cumulus cells contribute to the formation of the PHS and LPC. LPC and PHS are secreted by cumulus cells during in vitro fertilization and they could be involved in the induction of human acrosome reaction (AR). The identification of new molecules with a paracrine effect on oocytes, cumulus cells and spermatozoa will provide a better understanding of gamete interaction.

Morphosyntax can modulate the N400 component: Event related potentials to gender-marked post-nominal adjectives

PubMed Central

Guajardo, Lourdes F.; Wicha, Nicole Y. Y.

2014-01-01

Event-related potential studies of grammatical gender agreement often report a left anterior negativity (LAN) when agreement violations occur. Some studies have shown that during sentence comprehension gender violations can also interact with semantic processing to modulate a negativity associated with processing meaning – the N400. Given that the LAN and N400 overlap in time, they are identified by their scalp distributions and purported functional roles. Critically, grammatical gender violations also elicit a right posterior positivity that can overlap temporally with and potentially affect the scalp distribution of the LAN/N400. We measured the effect of grammatical gender violations in the LAN/N400 window and late positive component (LPC) during comprehension of Spanish sentences. A post-nominal adjective could either make sense or not, and either agree or disagree in gender with the preceding noun. We observed a negativity to gender agreement violations in the LAN/N400 window (300–500 ms post stimulus onset) that was smaller than the semantic-congruity N400, but overlapped with it in time and distribution. The early portion of the LPC to gender violations was modulated by sentence constraint, occurring as early as 450ms in highly constraining sentences. A subadditive interaction occurred at the later portion of the LPC with equivalent effects for single and double violations (gender and semantics), reflecting a general stage of reprocessing. Overall, our data support models of language comprehension whereby both semantic and morphosyntactic information can affect processing at similar time points. PMID:24462934

Morphosyntax can modulate the N400 component: event related potentials to gender-marked post-nominal adjectives.

PubMed

Guajardo, Lourdes F; Wicha, Nicole Y Y

2014-05-01

Event-related potential studies of grammatical gender agreement often report a left anterior negativity (LAN) when agreement violations occur. Some studies have shown that during sentence comprehension gender violations can also interact with semantic processing to modulate a negativity associated with processing meaning - the N400. Given that the LAN and N400 overlap in time, they are identified by their scalp distributions and purported functional roles. Critically, grammatical gender violations also elicit a right posterior positivity that can overlap temporally and potentially affect the scalp distribution of the LAN/N400. We measured the effect of grammatical gender violations in the LAN/N400 window and late positive component (LPC) during comprehension of Spanish sentences. A post-nominal adjective could either make sense or not, and either agree or disagree in gender with the preceding noun. We observed a negativity to gender agreement violations in the LAN/N400 window (300-500ms post stimulus onset) that was smaller than the semantic-congruity N400, but overlapped with it in time and distribution. The early portion of the LPC to gender violations was modulated by sentence constraint, occurring as early as 450ms in highly constraining sentences. A subadditive interaction occurred at the later portion of the LPC with equivalent effects for single and double violations (gender and semantics), reflecting a general stage of reprocessing. Overall, our data support models of language comprehension whereby both semantic and morphosyntactic information can affect processing at similar time points. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reduced sensitivity of the N400 and late positive component to semantic congruity and word repetition in left temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Olichney, John M; Riggins, Brock R; Hillert, Dieter G; Nowacki, Ralph; Tecoma, Evelyn; Kutas, Marta; Iragui, Vicente J

2002-07-01

We studied 14 patients with well-characterized refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), 7 with right temporal lobe epilepsy (RTE) and 7 with left temporal lobe epilepsy (LTE), on a word repetition ERP experiment. Much prior literature supports the view that patients with left TLE are more likely to develop verbal memory deficits, often attributable to left hippocampal sclerosis. Our main objectives were to test if abnormalities of the N400 or Late Positive Component (LPC, P600) were associated with a left temporal seizure focus, or left temporal lobe dysfunction. A minimum of 19 channels of EEG/EOG data were collected while subjects performed a semantic categorization task. Auditory category statements were followed by a visual target word, which were 50% "congruous" (category exemplars) and 50% "incongruous" (non-category exemplars) with the preceding semantic context. These auditory-visual pairings were repeated pseudo-randomly at time intervals ranging from approximately 10-140 seconds later. The ERP data were submitted to repeated-measures ANOVAs, which showed the RTE group had generally normal effects of word repetition on the LPC and the N400. Also, the N400 component was larger to incongruous than congruous new words, as is normally the case. In contrast, the LTE group did not have statistically significant effects of either word repetition or congruity on their ERPs (N400 or LPC), suggesting that this ERP semantic categorization paradigm is sensitive to left temporal lobe dysfunction. Further studies are ongoing to determine if these ERP abnormalities predict hippocampal sclerosis on histopathology, or outcome after anterior temporal lobectomy.

Lysolecithin as a modifier of induced pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

PubMed

Arvidson, G; Josefsson, J O

1982-08-01

Lysolecithin was found to modify cation-induced pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus. It is shown here that lysolecithin (LPC) in the concentration range of 10(-15) to 10(-10) g/ml has the same effect on Na+ -induced pinocytosis as cAMP and a pinocytosis regulating factor (PRF) which is secreted by the amoeba. Thus, LPC activated Na+-induced pinocytosis in starved amoebae and decreased the sensitivity to the inducer in normal cells. Pinocytosis depressed by treatment with EGTA or dibucaine became normal upon addition of LPC to the inducer. These effects were also obtained with lysolecithin isolated from the amoeba. It is suggested that PRF and amoeba LPC may be closely related and that phospholipase activity of the amoeba may regulate its capacity for pinocytosis.

Examining ERP correlates of recognition memory: Evidence of accurate source recognition without recollection

PubMed Central

Addante, Richard, J.; Ranganath, Charan; Yonelinas, Andrew, P.

2012-01-01

Recollection is typically associated with high recognition confidence and accurate source memory. However, subjects sometimes make accurate source memory judgments even for items that are not confidently recognized, and it is not known whether these responses are based on recollection or some other memory process. In the current study, we measured event related potentials (ERPs) while subjects made item and source memory confidence judgments in order to determine whether recollection supported accurate source recognition responses for items that were not confidently recognized. In line with previous studies, we found that recognition memory was associated with two ERP effects: an early on-setting FN400 effect, and a later parietal old-new effect [Late Positive Component (LPC)], which have been associated with familiarity and recollection, respectively. The FN400 increased gradually with item recognition confidence, whereas the LPC was only observed for highly confident recognition responses. The LPC was also related to source accuracy, but only for items that had received a high confidence item recognition response; accurate source judgments to items that were less confidently recognized did not exhibit the typical ERP correlate of recollection or familiarity, but rather showed a late, broadly distributed negative ERP difference. The results indicate that accurate source judgments of episodic context can occur even when recollection fails. PMID:22548808

Tracking lexical consolidation with ERPs: Lexical and semantic-priming effects on N400 and LPC responses to newly-learned words.

PubMed

Bakker, Iske; Takashima, Atsuko; van Hell, Janet G; Janzen, Gabriele; McQueen, James M

2015-12-01

Novel words can be recalled immediately and after little exposure, but require a post-learning consolidation period to show word-like behaviour such as lexical competition. This pattern is thought to reflect a qualitative shift from episodic to lexical representations. However, several studies have reported immediate effects of meaningful novel words on semantic processing, suggesting that integration of novel word meanings may not require consolidation. The current study synthesises and extends these findings by showing a dissociation between lexical and semantic effects on the electrophysiological (N400, LPC) response to novel words. The difference in N400 amplitude between novel and existing words (a lexical effect) decreased significantly after a 24-h consolidation period, providing novel support for the hypothesis that offline consolidation aids lexicalisation. In contrast, novel words preceded by semantically related primes elicited a more positive LPC response (a semantic-priming effect) both before and after consolidation, indicating that certain semantic effects can be observed even when words have not been fully lexicalised. We propose that novel meanings immediately start to contribute to semantic processing, but that the underlying neural processes may shift from strategic to more automatic with consolidation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A UHPLC-TOF/MS method based metabonomic study of total ginsenosides effects on Alzheimer disease mouse model.

PubMed

Gong, Yingge; Liu, Ying; Zhou, Ling; Di, Xin; Li, Wei; Li, Qing; Bi, Kaishun

2015-11-10

A metabonomic method was established to find potential biomarkers and study the metabolism disturbance in Alzheimer disease animal model. Total ginsenosides, as potential agent in neuroprotection and anti-inflammation, was also studied to learn the regulation mechanism to plasma metabolites in model animals. In experiment, amyloid beta 1-42 was occupied to form Alzheimer disease animal model. After drug administration, animals were evaluated by Morris water maze behavior test and sacrificed. Plasma samples were then analyzed using UHPLC-TOF/MS method to determine the endogenous metabolites. Behavior test results revealed that the spatial learning and memory abilities were deficit in model mice, and total ginsenosides could improve cognition abilities in dose-dependent manners. Principal component analysis showed that model and sham were divided into two groups, which means the metabolic network of mice was disturbed after modeling. Accordingly, 19 biomarkers were found and identified. In model group, the levels of proline, valine, tryptophan, LPC (14:0), LPC (15:0), LPC (15:1), LPC (17:0), LPC (18:2), LPC (18:3) and LPC (20:4) were up-regulated, while the levels of acetylcarnitine, palmitoylcarnitine, vaccenylcarnitine, phytosphingosine, N-eicosanoylethanolamine, hexadecenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and octadecadienoic acid were down-regulated. The levels of these metabolites were recovered in different degrees after total ginsenosides administration. Combining with behavior study results, total ginsenosides could ameliorate both cognition symptoms and metabolic changes in model animals. This metabonomic approach provided a feasible way to understand the endogenous alterations of AD and to study the pharmacodynamic activity of novel agents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Schistosomal-derived lysophosphatidylcholine triggers M2 polarization of macrophages through PPARγ dependent mechanisms.

PubMed

Assunção, Leonardo Santos; Magalhães, Kelly G; Carneiro, Alan Brito; Molinaro, Raphael; Almeida, Patrícia E; Atella, Georgia C; Castro-Faria-Neto, Hugo C; Bozza, Patrícia T

2017-02-01

Mansonic schistosomiasis is a disease caused by the trematode Schistosoma mansoni, endemic to tropical countries. S. mansoni infection induces the formation of granulomas and potent polarization of Th2-type immune response. There is great interest in understanding the mechanisms used by this parasite that causes a modulation of the immune system. Recent studies from our group demonstrated that lipids of S. mansoni, including lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) have immunomodulatory activity. In the present study, our aim was to investigate the role of lipids derived from S. mansoni in the activation and polarization of macrophages and to characterize the mechanisms involved in this process. Peritoneal macrophages obtained from wild type C57BL/6mice or bone marrow derived macrophages were stimulated in vitro with lipids extracted from adult worms of S. mansoni. We demonstrated that total schistosomal-derived lipids as well as purified LPC induced alternatively activated macrophages/M2 profile observed by increased expression of arginase-1, mannose receptor, Chi3l3, TGFβ and production of IL-10 and PGE 2 24h after stimulation. The involvement of the nuclear receptor PPARγ in macrophage response against LPC was investigated. Through Western blot and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy we demonstrated that schistosomal-derived LPC induces increased expression of PPARγ in macrophages. The LPC-induced increased expression of arginase-1 were significantly inhibited by the PPAR-γ antagonist GW9662. Together, these results demonstrate an immunomodulatory role of schistosomal-derived LPC in activating macrophages to a profile of the type M2 through PPARγ-dependent mechanisms, indicating a novel pathway for macrophage polarization triggered by parasite-derived LPC with potential implications to disease pathogenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection decreases the efficacy of an attenuated classical swine fever virus (CSFV) vaccine

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The Lapinized Philippines Coronel (LPC) vaccine, an attenuated strain of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), is an important tool for the prevention and control of CSFV infection and is widely and routinely used in most CSF endemic areas, including Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PCV2 infection affects the efficacy of the LPC vaccine. Eighteen 6-week-old, cesarean-derived and colostrum-deprived (CDCD), crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to four groups. A total of 105.3 TCID50 of PCV2 was experimentally inoculated into pigs through both intranasal and intramuscular routes at 0 days post-inoculation (dpi) followed by LPC vaccination 12 days later. All the animals were challenged with wild-type CSFV (ALD stain) at 27 dpi and euthanized at 45 dpi. Following CSFV challenge, the LPC-vaccinated pigs pre-inoculated with PCV2 showed transient fever, viremia, and viral shedding in the saliva and feces. The number of IgM+, CD4+CD8-CD25+, CD4+CD8+CD25+, and CD4-CD8+CD25+ lymphocyte subsets and the level of neutralizing antibodies against CSFV were significantly higher in the animals with LPC vaccination alone than in the pigs with PCV2 inoculation/LPC vaccination. In addition, PCV2-derived inhibition of the CSFV-specific cell proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was demonstrated in an ex vivo experiment. These findings indicate that PCV2 infection decreases the efficacy of the LPC vaccine. This PCV2-derived interference may not only allow the invasion of wild-type CSFV in pig farms but also increases the difficulty of CSF prevention and control in CSF endemic areas. PMID:22129109

Dynamic Effects of Self-Relevance and Task on the Neural Processing of Emotional Words in Context

PubMed Central

Fields, Eric C.; Kuperberg, Gina R.

2016-01-01

We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the interactions between task, emotion, and contextual self-relevance on processing words in social vignettes. Participants read scenarios that were in either third person (other-relevant) or second person (self-relevant) and we recorded ERPs to a neutral, pleasant, or unpleasant critical word. In a previously reported study (Fields and Kuperberg, 2012) with these stimuli, participants were tasked with producing a third sentence continuing the scenario. We observed a larger LPC to emotional words than neutral words in both the self-relevant and other-relevant scenarios, but this effect was smaller in the self-relevant scenarios because the LPC was larger on the neutral words (i.e., a larger LPC to self-relevant than other-relevant neutral words). In the present work, participants simply answered comprehension questions that did not refer to the emotional aspects of the scenario. Here we observed quite a different pattern of interaction between self-relevance and emotion: the LPC was larger to emotional vs. neutral words in the self-relevant scenarios only, and there was no effect of self-relevance on neutral words. Taken together, these findings suggest that the LPC reflects a dynamic interaction between specific task demands, the emotional properties of a stimulus, and contextual self-relevance. We conclude by discussing implications and future directions for a functional theory of the emotional LPC. PMID:26793138

Effectiveness of an association of a cranberry dry extract, D-mannose, and the two microorganisms Lactobacillus plantarum LP01 and Lactobacillus paracasei LPC09 in women affected by cystitis: a pilot study.

PubMed

Vicariotto, Franco

2014-01-01

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infection in women. Most UTIs are acute uncomplicated cystitis caused by Escherichia coli (86%). This study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of an association of a cranberry dry extract, D-mannose, a gelling complex composed of the exopolysaccharides produced by Streptococcus thermophilus ST10 (DSM 25246) and tara gum, as well as the 2 microorganisms Lactobacillus plantarum LP01 (LMG P-21021) and Lactobacillus paracasei LPC09 (DSM 24243) in women affected by acute uncomplicated cystitis. Thirty-three premenopausal, nonpregnant women diagnosed with acute uncomplicated cystitis were enrolled in a pilot prospective study and completed the treatment protocol. Subjects were instructed to take 2 doses per day during the first month, and then to continue with 1 sachet per day until the sixtieth day. Nitrites and leukocyte esterase on urine dipstick testing were used as indicators of cystitis, with analysis performed at enrollment, after 30 and 60 days, and after 1 month of follow-up. Typical UTI symptoms, namely dysuria, frequent voiding of small volumes, urinary urgency, suprapubic pain, and gross hematuria were scored 0 to 3 and evaluated at each visit. Positive results for the presence of nitrites and leukocyte esterase were found in 14 and 20 subjects after 30 days and in 9 and 14 women after 60 days, respectively (P<0.001). At the end of the follow-up period, positive results for nitrites and leukocyte esterase were recorded in only 4 and 3 of 24 and 19 subjects (16.7%, P=0.103; 15.8%, P=0.325, respectively), with negative results after 60 days. Typical symptoms of cystitis, specifically dysuria, frequent voiding, urgency, and suprapubic pain were significantly improved as well. No significant differences were recorded in the incidence and severity of hematuria at any visit. The long-term ability of an association of cranberry, D-mannose, an innovative gelling complex, and the 2 microorganisms tested to significantly improve the uncomfortable symptoms reported by women with acute cystitis has been suggested.

Narrowband (LPC-10) Vocoder Performance under Combined Effects of Random Bit Errors and Jet Aircraft Cabin Noise.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

rAD-141 333 NRRROWRAND (LPC-iB) VOCODER PERFORMANCE UNDER COMBINED i/ EFFECTS OF RRNDOM.(U) ROME AIR DEVELOPMENT CENTER GRIFFISS RFB NY C P SMITH DEC...LPC-10) VOCODER In House. PERFORMANCE UNDER COMBINED EFFECTS June 82 - Sept. 83 OF RANDOM BIT ERRORS AND JET AIRCRAFT Z PERFORMING ORG REPO- NUMSEF...PAGE(Wh.n Does Eneerd) 20. (contd) Compartment, and NCA Compartment were alike in their effects on overall vocoder performance . Composite performance

An ERP-study of brand and no-name products

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Brands create product personalities that are thought to affect consumer decisions. Here we assessed, using the Go/No-go Association Task (GNAT) from social psychology, whether brands as opposed to no-name products are associated with implicit positive attitudes. Healthy young German participants viewed series of photos of cosmetics and food items (half of them brands) intermixed with positive and negative words. In any given run, one category of goods (e.g., cosmetics) and one kind of words (e.g., positive) had to be responded to, whereas responses had to be withheld for the other categories. Event-related brain potentials were recorded during the task. Results Unexpectedly, there were no response-time differences between congruent (brand and positive words) and incongruent (brand and negative words) pairings but ERPs showed differences as a function of congruency in the 600–750 ms time-window hinting at the existence of implicit attitudes towards brand and no-name stimuli. This finding deserves further investigation in future studies. Moreover, the amplitude of the late positive component (LPC) was found to be enhanced for brand as opposed to no-name stimuli. Conclusions Congruency effects suggest that ERPs are sensitive to implicit attitudes. Moreover, the results for the LPC imply that pictures of brand products are more arousing than those of no-name products, which may ultimately contribute to consumer decisions. PMID:24267403

JND measurements of the speech formants parameters and its implication in the LPC pole quantization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orgad, Yaakov

1988-08-01

The inherent sensitivity of auditory perception is explicitly used with the objective of designing an efficient speech encoder. Speech can be modelled by a filter representing the vocal tract shape that is driven by an excitation signal representing glottal air flow. This work concentrates on the filter encoding problem, assuming that excitation signal encoding is optimal. Linear predictive coding (LPC) techniques were used to model a short speech segment by an all-pole filter; each pole was directly related to the speech formants. Measurements were made of the auditory just noticeable difference (JND) corresponding to the natural speech formants, with the LPC filter poles as the best candidates to represent the speech spectral envelope. The JND is the maximum precision required in speech quantization; it was defined on the basis of the shift of one pole parameter of a single frame of a speech segment, necessary to induce subjective perception of the distortion, with .75 probability. The average JND in LPC filter poles in natural speech was found to increase with increasing pole bandwidth and, to a lesser extent, frequency. The JND measurements showed a large spread of the residuals around the average values, indicating that inter-formant coupling and, perhaps, other, not yet fully understood, factors were not taken into account at this stage of the research. A future treatment should consider these factors. The average JNDs obtained in this work were used to design pole quantization tables for speech coding and provided a better bit-rate than the standard quantizer of reflection coefficient; a 30-bits-per-frame pole quantizer yielded a speech quality similar to that obtained with a standard 41-bits-per-frame reflection coefficient quantizer. Owing to the complexity of the numerical root extraction system, the practical implementation of the pole quantization approach remains to be proved.

Trait-abundance relation in response to nutrient addition in a Tibetan alpine meadow: The importance of species trade-off in resource conservation and acquisition.

PubMed

Liu, Huiying; Li, Ying; Ren, Fei; Lin, Li; Zhu, Wenyan; He, Jin-Sheng; Niu, Kechang

2017-12-01

In competition-dominated communities, traits promoting resource conservation and competitive ability are expected to have an important influence on species relative abundance (SRA). Yet, few studies have tested the trait-abundance relations in the line of species trade-off in resource conservation versus acquisition, indicating by multiple traits coordination. We measured SRA and key functional traits involving leaf economic spectrum (SLA, specific leaf area; LDMC, leaf dry matter content; LCC, leaf carbon concentration; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration; Hs, mature height) for ten common species in all plots subjected to addition of nitrogen fertilizer (N), phosphorus fertilizer (P), or both of them (NP) in a Tibetan alpine meadow. We test whether SRA is positively related with traits promoting plant resource conservation, while negatively correlated with traits promoting plant growth and resource acquisition. We found that species were primarily differentiated along a trade-off axis involving traits promoting nutrient acquisition and fast growth (e.g., LPC and SLA) versus traits promoting resource conservation and competition ability (e.g., large LDMC). We further found that SRA was positively correlated with plant height, LDMC, and LCC, but negatively associated with SLA and leaf nutrient concentration irrespective of fertilization. A stronger positive height-SRA was found in NP-fertilized plots than in other plots, while negative correlations between SRA and SLA and LPC were found in N or P fertilized plots. The results indicate that species trade-off in nutrient acquisition and resource conservation was a key driver of SRA in competition-dominated communities following fertilization, with the linkage between SRA and traits depending on plant competition for specific soil nutrient and/or light availability. The results highlight the importance of competitive exclusion in plant community assembly following fertilization and suggest that abundant species in local communities become dominated at expense of growth while infrequent species hold an advantage in fast growth and dispersals to neighbor meta-communities.

The Neural Correlates Underlying Belief Reasoning for Self and for Others: Evidence from ERPs.

PubMed

Jiang, Qin; Wang, Qi; Li, Peng; Li, Hong

2016-01-01

Belief reasoning is typical mental state reasoning in theory of mind (ToM). Although previous studies have explored the neural bases of belief reasoning, the neural correlates of belief reasoning for self and for others are rarely addressed. The decoupling mechanism of distinguishing the mental state of others from one's own is essential for ToM processing. To address the electrophysiological bases underlying the decoupling mechanism, the present event-related potential study compared the time course of neural activities associated with belief reasoning for self and for others when the belief belonging to self was consistent or inconsistent with others. Results showed that during a 450-600 ms period, belief reasoning for self elicited a larger late positive component (LPC) than for others when beliefs were inconsistent with each other. The LPC divergence is assumed to reflect the categorization of agencies in ToM processes.

The Neural Correlates Underlying Belief Reasoning for Self and for Others: Evidence from ERPs

PubMed Central

Jiang, Qin; Wang, Qi; Li, Peng; Li, Hong

2016-01-01

Belief reasoning is typical mental state reasoning in theory of mind (ToM). Although previous studies have explored the neural bases of belief reasoning, the neural correlates of belief reasoning for self and for others are rarely addressed. The decoupling mechanism of distinguishing the mental state of others from one’s own is essential for ToM processing. To address the electrophysiological bases underlying the decoupling mechanism, the present event-related potential study compared the time course of neural activities associated with belief reasoning for self and for others when the belief belonging to self was consistent or inconsistent with others. Results showed that during a 450–600 ms period, belief reasoning for self elicited a larger late positive component (LPC) than for others when beliefs were inconsistent with each other. The LPC divergence is assumed to reflect the categorization of agencies in ToM processes. PMID:27757093

Molecular dietary analysis of two sympatric felids in the Mountains of Southwest China biodiversity hotspot and conservation implications

PubMed Central

Xiong, Mengyin; Wang, Dajun; Bu, Hongliang; Shao, Xinning; Zhang, Dan; Li, Sheng; Wang, Rongjiang; Yao, Meng

2017-01-01

Dietary information is lacking in most of small to mid-sized carnivores due to their elusive predatory behaviour and versatile feeding habits. The leopard cat (LPC; Prionailurus bengalensis) and the Asiatic golden cat (AGC; Catopuma temminckii) are two important yet increasingly endangered carnivore species in the temperate mountain forest ecosystem in Southwest China, a global biodiversity hotspot and a significant reservoir of China’s endemic species. We investigated the vertebrate prey of the two sympatric felids using faecal DNA and a next-generation sequencing (NGS)/metabarcoding approach. Forty vertebrate prey taxa were identified from 93 LPC and 10 AGC faecal samples; 37 taxa were found in the LPC diet, and 20 were detected in the AGC diet. Prey included 27 mammalian taxa, 11 birds, one lizard and one fish, with 73% (29/40) of the taxa assigned to the species level. Rodents and pikas were the most dominant LPC prey categories, whereas rodents, pheasant, fowl and ungulates were the main AGC prey. We also analysed the seasonal and altitudinal variations in the LPC diet. Our results provide the most comprehensive dietary data for these felids and valuable information for their conservation planning. PMID:28195150

Paralytic activity of lysophosphatidylcholine from saliva of the waterbug Belostoma anurum.

PubMed

Silva-Cardoso, Lívia; Caccin, Paola; Magnabosco, Anna; Patrón, Maria; Targino, Mariane; Fuly, André; Oliveira, Giselle A; Pereira, Marcos H; do Carmo, Maria das Graças T; Souza, Amanda S; Silva-Neto, Mário A C; Montecucco, Cesare; Atella, Georgia C

2010-10-01

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is a major bioactive lipid that is enzymatically generated by phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)). Previously, we showed that LPC is present in the saliva of the blood-sucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus and modulates cell-signaling pathways involved in vascular biology, which aids blood feeding. Here, we show that the saliva of the predator insect Belostoma anurum contains a large number of lipids with LPC accounting for 25% of the total phospholipids. A PLA(2) enzyme likely to be involved in LPC generation was characterized. The activity of this enzyme is 5-fold higher in Belostoma saliva than in other studied hemipterans, suggesting a close association with the predator feeding habits of this insect. Belostoma employs extra-oral digestion, which allows for ingestion of larger prey than itself, including small vertebrates such as amphibians and fish. Therefore, prey immobilization during digestion is essential, and we show here that Belostoma saliva and B. anurum saliva purified LPC have paralytic activity in zebrafish. This is the first evidence that lysophospholipids might play an important role in prey immobilization, in addition to contributing to blood feeding, and might have been an evolutionary acquisition that occurred long before the appearance of hematophagy in this animal group.

Modeling and optimization of phospholipase A₁-catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine using response surface methodology for lysophosphatidylcholine production.

PubMed

Lim, Chang Wan; Kim, Byung Hee; Kim, In-Hwan; Lee, Moon-Won

2015-01-01

Modeling the phospholipase A1 (PLA1 )-catalyzed partial hydrolysis of soy phosphatidylcholine (PC) in hexane for the production of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and optimizing the reaction conditions using response surface methodology were described. The reaction was performed with 4 g of PC in a stirred batch reactor using a commercial PLA1 (Lecitase Ultra) as the biocatalyst. The effects of temperature, reaction time, water content, and enzyme loading on LPC and glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC) content in the reaction products were elucidated using the models established. Optimal reaction conditions for maximizing the LPC content while suppressing acyl migration, which causes GPC formation, were as follows: temperature, 60°C; reaction time, 3 h; water content, 10% of PC; and enzyme loading, 1% of PC. When the reaction was conducted with 40 g of PC under these conditions, the reaction products contained 83.7 mol % LPC and were free of GPC. LPC had a higher total unsaturated fatty acid content than original PC had and was mainly composed of linoleic acid (78.0 mol % of the total fatty acids). © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Neural Indices of Semantic Processing in Early Childhood Distinguish Eventual Stuttering Persistence and Recovery.

PubMed

Kreidler, Kathryn; Hampton Wray, Amanda; Usler, Evan; Weber, Christine

2017-11-09

Maturation of neural processes for language may lag in some children who stutter (CWS), and event-related potentials (ERPs) distinguish CWS who have recovered from those who have persisted. The current study explores whether ERPs indexing semantic processing may distinguish children who will eventually persist in stuttering (CWS-ePersisted) from those who will recover from stuttering (CWS-eRecovered). Fifty-six 5-year-old children with normal receptive language listened to naturally spoken sentences in a story context. ERP components elicited for semantic processing (N400, late positive component [LPC]) were compared for CWS-ePersisted, CWS-eRecovered, and children who do not stutter (CWNS). The N400 elicited by semantic violations had a more focal scalp distribution (left lateralized and less anterior) in the CWS-eRecovered compared with CWS-ePersisted. Although the LPC elicited in CWS-eRecovered and CWNS did not differ, the LPC elicited in the CWS-ePersisted was smaller in amplitude compared with that in CWNS. ERPs elicited in 5-year-old CWS-eRecovered compared with CWS-ePersisted suggest that future recovery from stuttering may be associated with earlier maturation of semantic processes in the preschool years. Subtle differences in ERP indices offer a window into neural maturation processes for language and may help distinguish the course of stuttering development.

Identification of Licopyranocoumarin and Glycyrurol from Herbal Medicines as Neuroprotective Compounds for Parkinson's Disease

PubMed Central

Fujimaki, Takahiro; Saiki, Shinji; Tashiro, Etsu; Yamada, Daisuke; Kitagawa, Mitsuhiro; Hattori, Nobutaka; Imoto, Masaya

2014-01-01

In the course of screening for the anti-Parkinsonian drugs from a library of traditional herbal medicines, we found that the extracts of choi-joki-to and daio-kanzo-to protected cells from MPP+-induced cell death. Because choi-joki-to and daio-kanzo-to commonly contain the genus Glycyrrhiza, we isolated licopyranocoumarin (LPC) and glycyrurol (GCR) as potent neuroprotective principals from Glycyrrhiza. LPC and GCR markedly blocked MPP+-induced neuronal PC12D cell death and disappearance of mitochondrial membrane potential, which were mediated by JNK. LPC and GCR inhibited MPP+-induced JNK activation through the suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, thereby inhibiting MPP+-induced neuronal PC12D cell death. These results indicated that LPC and GCR derived from choi-joki-to and daio-kanzo-to would be promising drug leads for PD treatment in the future. PMID:24960051

Person perception precedes theory of mind: an event related potential analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Y W; Lin, C D; Yuan, B; Huang, L; Zhang, W X; Shen, D L

2010-09-29

Prior to developing an understanding of another person's mental state, an ability termed "theory of mind" (ToM), a perception of that person's appearance and actions is required. However the relationship between this "person perception" and ToM is unclear. To investigate the time course of ToM and person perception, event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded while 17 normal adults received three kinds of visual stimuli: cartoons involving people (person perception cartoons), cartoons involving people and also requiring ToM for comprehension (ToM cartoons), and scene cartoons. We hypothesized that the respective patterns of brain activation would be different under these three stimuli, at different stages in time. Our findings supported this proposal: the peak amplitudes of P200 for scene cartoons were significantly lower than for person perception or ToM cartoons, while there were no significant differences between the latter two for P200. During the 1000-1300 ms epoch, the mean amplitudes of the late positive components (LPC) for person perception were more positive than for scene representation, while the mean amplitudes of the LPC for ToM were more positive than for person perception. The present study provides preliminary evidence of the neural dynamic that underlies the dissociation between person perception and ToM. Copyright 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GPR55 agonist lysophosphatidylinositol and lysophosphatidylcholine inhibit endothelial cell hyperpolarization via GPR-independent suppression of Na+-Ca2+ exchanger and endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ refilling.

PubMed

Bondarenko, Alexander I; Montecucco, Fabrizio; Panasiuk, Olga; Sagach, Vadim; Sidoryak, Nataliya; Brandt, Karim J; Mach, François

2017-02-01

Lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) are lipid signaling molecules that induce endothelium-dependent vasodilation. In addition, LPC suppresses acetylcholine (Ach)-induced responses. We aimed to determine the influence of LPC and LPI on hyperpolarizing responses in vitro and in situ endothelial cells (EC) and identify the underlying mechanisms. Using patch-clamp method, we show that LPI and LPC inhibit EC hyperpolarization to histamine and suppress Na + /Ca 2+ exchanged (NCX) currents in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibition is non-mode-specific and unaffected by intracellular GDPβS infusion and tempol, a superoxide dismutase mimetic. In excised mouse aorta, LPI strongly inhibits the sustained and the peak endothelial hyperpolarization induced by Ach, but not by SKA-31, an opener of Ca 2+ -dependent K + channels of intermediate and small conductance. The hyperpolarizing responses to consecutive histamine applications are strongly reduced by NCX inhibition. In a Ca 2+ -re-addition protocol, bepridil, a NCX inhibitor, and KB-R7943, a blocker of reversed NCX, inhibit the hyperpolarizing responses to Ca 2+ -re-addition following Ca 2+ stores depletion. These finding indicate that LPC and LPI inhibit endothelial hyperpolarization to Ach and histamine independently of G-protein coupled receptors and superoxide anions. Reversed NCX is critical for ER Ca 2+ refilling in EC. The inhibition of NCX by LPI and LPC underlies diminished endothelium-dependent responses and endothelial dysfunction accompanied by increased levels of these lipids in the blood. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increased CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells alter the balance between Treg and Th17 cells in colitis mice.

PubMed

Ma, Ya-Hui; Zhang, Jie; Chen, Xue; Xie, You-Fu; Pang, Yan-Hua; Liu, Xin-Juan

2016-11-14

To investigate the role of regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets in the balance between Treg and T helper 17 (Th17) cells in various tissues from mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Treg cells, Treg cell subsets, Th17 cells, and CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + IL-17 + cells from the lamina propria of colon (LPC) and other ulcerative colitis (UC) mouse tissues were evaluated by flow cytometry. Forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3), interleukin 17A (IL-17A), and RORC mRNA levels were assessed by real-time PCR, while interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-17A levels were detected with a Cytometric Beads Array. In peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC), mesenteric lymph node (MLN), lamina propria of jejunum (LPJ) and LPC from UC mice, Treg cell numbers were increased ( P < 0.05), and FoxP3 and IL-10 mRNA levels were decreased. Th17 cell numbers were also increased in PBMC and LPC, as were IL-17A levels in PBMC, LPJ, and serum. The number of FrI subset cells (CD4 + CD45RA + FoxP3 low ) was increased in the spleen, MLN, LPJ, and LPC. FrII subset cells (CD4 + CD45RA - FoxP3 high ) were decreased among PBMC, MLN, LPJ, and LPC, but the number of FrIII cells (CD4 + CD45RA - FoxP3 low ) and CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + IL-17A + cells was increased. FoxP3 mRNA levels in CD4 + CD45RA - FoxP3 low cells decreased in PBMC, MLN, LPJ, and LPC in UC mice, while IL-17A and RORC mRNA increased. In UC mice the distribution of Treg, Th17 cells, CD4 + CD45RA - FoxP3 high , and CD4 + CD45RA - FoxP3 low cells was higher in LPC relative to other tissues. Increased numbers of CD4 + CD45RA - FoxP3 low cells may cause an imbalance between Treg and Th17 cells that is mainly localized to the LPC rather than secondary lymphoid tissues.

Increased CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells alter the balance between Treg and Th17 cells in colitis mice

PubMed Central

Ma, Ya-Hui; Zhang, Jie; Chen, Xue; Xie, You-Fu; Pang, Yan-Hua; Liu, Xin-Juan

2016-01-01

AIM To investigate the role of regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets in the balance between Treg and T helper 17 (Th17) cells in various tissues from mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. METHODS Treg cells, Treg cell subsets, Th17 cells, and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+IL-17+ cells from the lamina propria of colon (LPC) and other ulcerative colitis (UC) mouse tissues were evaluated by flow cytometry. Forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3), interleukin 17A (IL-17A), and RORC mRNA levels were assessed by real-time PCR, while interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-17A levels were detected with a Cytometric Beads Array. RESULTS In peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC), mesenteric lymph node (MLN), lamina propria of jejunum (LPJ) and LPC from UC mice, Treg cell numbers were increased (P < 0.05), and FoxP3 and IL-10 mRNA levels were decreased. Th17 cell numbers were also increased in PBMC and LPC, as were IL-17A levels in PBMC, LPJ, and serum. The number of FrI subset cells (CD4+CD45RA+FoxP3low) was increased in the spleen, MLN, LPJ, and LPC. FrII subset cells (CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3high) were decreased among PBMC, MLN, LPJ, and LPC, but the number of FrIII cells (CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low) and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+IL-17A+ cells was increased. FoxP3 mRNA levels in CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells decreased in PBMC, MLN, LPJ, and LPC in UC mice, while IL-17A and RORC mRNA increased. In UC mice the distribution of Treg, Th17 cells, CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3high, and CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells was higher in LPC relative to other tissues. CONCLUSION Increased numbers of CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells may cause an imbalance between Treg and Th17 cells that is mainly localized to the LPC rather than secondary lymphoid tissues. PMID:27895423

Successful Consecutive Expansion of Limbal Explants Using a Biosafe Culture Medium under Feeder Layer-Free Conditions.

PubMed

López-Paniagua, Marina; Nieto-Miguel, Teresa; de la Mata, Ana; Galindo, Sara; Herreras, José M; Corrales, Rosa M; Calonge, Margarita

2017-05-01

Transplantation of in vitro cultured limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) is a treatment widely used for LESC deficiency. However, the number of limbal tissue donors is limited, and protocols for LESC cultivation often include compounds and/or feeder layers that can induce side effects and/or increase the cost of the culture procedure. We investigated the feasibility of obtaining more than one limbal primary culture (LPC) from the same biopsy using a culture medium in which several potentially harmful compounds were replaced at the same time by biosafe supplements, allowing the LESC cultivation without feeder layers. We established feeder layer-free LPCs with three culture media: (1) a modified supplemental hormonal epithelial medium, containing potential harmful components (cholera toxin, dimethylsulfoxide, and fetal bovine serum [FBS]), (2) IOBA-FBS, a medium with FBS but with no other harmful supplements, and (3) IOBA-HS, similar to IOBA-FBS but with human serum instead of FBS. Additionally, the same limbal explant was consecutively cultured with IOBA-HS producing three cultures. LPCs were characterized by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and/or immunofluorescence. LPCs cultured with the three media under feeder layer-free conditions showed cuboidal cells and no significant differences in the percentage of positive cells for limbal (ABCG2, p63, and K14) and corneal (K3, K12) proteins. Except for ABCG2, the relative mRNA expression of the LESC markers was significantly higher when IOBA-FBS or IOBA-HS was used. LPC1 showed characteristics similar to LPC0, while LPC2 cell morphology became elongated and the expression of some LESC markers was diminished. IOBA-HS enables the culturing of up to two biosafe homologous LPCs from one limbal tissue under feeder layer-free conditions. The routine use of this culture medium could improve both the biosafety and the number of available LPCs for potential clinical transplantation, as well as decrease the expense of the culture procedure.

The composite water and solute transport of barley (Hordeum vulgare) roots: effect of suberized barriers

PubMed Central

Ranathunge, Kosala; Kim, Yangmin X.; Wassmann, Friedrich; Kreszies, Tino; Zeisler, Viktoria

2017-01-01

Abstract Background and Aims Roots have complex anatomical structures, and certain localized cell layers develop suberized apoplastic barriers. The size and tightness of these barriers depend on the growth conditions and on the age of the root. Such complex anatomical structures result in a composite water and solute transport in roots. Methods Development of apoplastic barriers along barley seminal roots was detected using various staining methods, and the suberin amounts in the apical and basal zones were analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectometry (GC-MS). The hydraulic conductivity of roots (Lpr) and of cortical cells (Lpc) was measured using root and cell pressure probes. Key Results When grown in hydroponics, barley roots did not form an exodermis, even at their basal zones. However, they developed an endodermis. Endodermal Casparian bands first appeared as ‘dots’ as early as at 20 mm from the apex, whereas a patchy suberin lamellae appeared at 60 mm. The endodermal suberin accounted for the total suberin of the roots. The absolute amount in the basal zone was significantly higher than in the apical zone, which was inversely proportional to the Lpr. Comparison of Lpr and Lpc suggested that cell to cell pathways dominate for water transport in roots. However, the calculation of Lpr from Lpc showed that at least 26 % of water transport occurs through the apoplast. Roots had different solute permeabilities (Psr) and reflection coefficients (σsr) for the solutes used. The σsr was below unity for the solutes, which have virtually zero permeability for semi-permeable membranes. Conclusions Suberized endodermis significantly reduces Lpr of seminal roots. The water and solute transport across barley roots is composite in nature and they do not behave like ideal osmometers. The composite transport model should be extended by adding components arranged in series (cortex, endodermis) in addition to the currently included components arranged in parallel (apoplastic, cell to cell pathways). PMID:28065927

Oxidized Lipids and Lysophosphatidylcholine Induce the Chemotaxis, Up-Regulate the Expression of CCR9 and CXCR4 and Abrogate the Release of IL-6 in Human Monocytes

PubMed Central

Rolin, Johannes; Vego, Heidi; Maghazachi, Azzam A.

2014-01-01

Lipids through regulation of chronic inflammation play key roles in the development of various diseases. Here, we report that a mixed population of human primary monocytes migrated towards LPC, as well as oxidized linoleic acid isoforms 9-S-HODE, 9-R-HODE and 13-R-HODE. Incubation with 9-R-HODE, 13-R-HODE and LPC resulted in increased expression of CXCR4, the receptor for SDF-1α/CXCL12, correlated with increased monocyte migration towards SDF-1α/CXCL12. Further, we report increased expression of CCR9, the receptor for TECK/CCL25, after stimulation with these lipids. Upon examining the migratory response towards TECK/CCL25, it was observed that an increase in CCR9 expression upon pre-treatment with 9-S-HODE, 9-R-HODE, 13-R-HODE and LPC resulted in increased migration of monocytes expressing CCR9. Only LPC but not any other lipid examined increased the influx of intracellular Ca2+ in monocytes. Finally, 9-S-HODE, 9-R-HODE, 13-R-HODE, or LPC inhibited the release of IL-6 from monocytes suggesting that these lipids may play important role in controlling inflammatory responses. PMID:25251539

Multicentre evaluation of a direct agglutination test prototype kit (DAT-LPC) for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

PubMed

Oliveira, E; Oliveira, D; Cardoso, F A; Barbosa, J R; Marcelino, A P; Dutra, T; Araujo, T; Fernandes, L; Duque, D; Rabello, A

2017-12-01

In this study, we assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of a previously developed direct agglutination test (DAT) using a freeze-dried antigen derived from Leishmania infantum promastigotes and composed in a prototype kit for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) diagnosis, named DAT-LPC. To evaluate DAT-LPC reproducibility, the kit was used to analyse 207 serum samples from VL patients and 80 serum samples from patients with other parasitic infections or healthy subjects in four laboratories from different public health institutions in Brazil. DAT-LPC showed sensitivity between 96·2 and 99·5% (P = 0·14), specificity ranging from 96·2 to 97·5% (P = 0·95), and diagnostic accuracy ranging from 96·5 to 99% (P = 0·34). The inter-laboratory reproducibility of qualitative results was classified as excellent (κ index: 0·94-0·97). The reproducibility of the end-titre results in relation to the reference laboratory, ranged from 31 to 85%. These results demonstrate an excellent performance of the DAT-LPC, and validate it for the diagnosis of VL that could replace the immunofluorescent antibody test as the routine diagnostic test in the Brazilian public health system.

FGF7 is a functional niche signal required for stimulation of adult liver progenitor cells that support liver regeneration

PubMed Central

Takase, Hinako M.; Itoh, Tohru; Ino, Seitaro; Wang, Ting; Koji, Takehiko; Akira, Shizuo; Takikawa, Yasuhiro; Miyajima, Atsushi

2013-01-01

The liver is a unique organ with a remarkably high potential to regenerate upon injuries. In severely damaged livers where hepatocyte proliferation is impaired, facultative liver progenitor cells (LPCs) proliferate and are assumed to contribute to regeneration. An expansion of LPCs is often observed in patients with various types of liver diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of LPC activation still remains largely unknown. Here we show that a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, FGF7, is a critical regulator of LPCs. Its expression was induced concomitantly with LPC response in the liver of mouse models as well as in the serum of patients with acute liver failure. Fgf7-deficient mice exhibited markedly depressed LPC expansion and higher mortality upon toxin-induced hepatic injury. Transgenic expression of FGF7 in vivo led to the induction of cells with characteristics of LPCs and ameliorated hepatic dysfunction. We revealed that Thy1+ mesenchymal cells produced FGF7 and appeared in close proximity to LPCs, implicating a role for those cells as the functional LPC niche in the regenerating liver. These findings provide new insights into the cellular and molecular basis for LPC regulation and identify FGF7 as a potential therapeutic target for liver diseases. PMID:23322300

Changes in Lipids and Inflammatory Markers after Consuming Diets High in Red Meat or Dairy for Four Weeks.

PubMed

Turner, Kirsty M; Keogh, Jennifer B; Meikle, Peter J; Clifton, Peter M

2017-08-17

There is a body of evidence linking inflammation, altered lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Our previous research found that insulin sensitivity decreased after a four-week diet high in dairy compared to a control diet and to one high in red meat. Our aim was to determine whether a relationship exists between changes in insulin sensitivity and inflammatory biomarkers, or with lipid species. Fasting Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α), Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor II (sTNF-RII), C-reactive protein (CRP), and lipids were measured at the end of each diet. TNF-α and the ratio TNF-α/sTNF-RII were not different between diets and TNF-α, sTNF-RII, or the ratio TNF-α/sTNF-RII showed no association with homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). A number of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) species differed between dairy and red meat and dairy and control diets, as did many phosphatidylcholine (PC) species and cholesteryl ester (CE) 14:0, CE15:0, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 14:0, and LPC15:0. None had a significant relationship ( p = 0.001 or better) with log homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), although LPC14:0 had the strongest relationship ( p = 0.004) and may be the main mediator of the effect of dairy on insulin sensitivity. LPC14:0 and the whole LPC class were correlated with CRP. The correlations between dietary change and the minor plasma phospholipids PI32:1 and PE32:1 are novel and may reflect significant changes in membrane composition. Inflammatory markers were not altered by changes in protein source while the correlation of LPC with CRP confirms a relationship between changes in lipid profile and inflammation.

Changes in Lipids and Inflammatory Markers after Consuming Diets High in Red Meat or Dairy for Four Weeks

PubMed Central

Turner, Kirsty M.; Keogh, Jennifer B.; Meikle, Peter J.; Clifton, Peter M.

2017-01-01

There is a body of evidence linking inflammation, altered lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Our previous research found that insulin sensitivity decreased after a four-week diet high in dairy compared to a control diet and to one high in red meat. Our aim was to determine whether a relationship exists between changes in insulin sensitivity and inflammatory biomarkers, or with lipid species. Fasting Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α), Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor II (sTNF-RII), C-reactive protein (CRP), and lipids were measured at the end of each diet. TNF-α and the ratio TNF-α/sTNF-RII were not different between diets and TNF-α, sTNF-RII, or the ratio TNF-α/sTNF-RII showed no association with homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). A number of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) species differed between dairy and red meat and dairy and control diets, as did many phosphatidylcholine (PC) species and cholesteryl ester (CE) 14:0, CE15:0, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 14:0, and LPC15:0. None had a significant relationship (p = 0.001 or better) with log homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), although LPC14:0 had the strongest relationship (p = 0.004) and may be the main mediator of the effect of dairy on insulin sensitivity. LPC14:0 and the whole LPC class were correlated with CRP. The correlations between dietary change and the minor plasma phospholipids PI32:1 and PE32:1 are novel and may reflect significant changes in membrane composition. Inflammatory markers were not altered by changes in protein source while the correlation of LPC with CRP confirms a relationship between changes in lipid profile and inflammation. PMID:28817063

Lysophosphatidylcholine up-regulates human endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene transactivity by c-Jun N-terminal kinase signalling pathway

PubMed Central

Xing, Feiyue; Liu, Jing; Mo, Yongyan; Liu, Zhifeng; Qin, Qinghe; Wang, Jingzhen; Fan, Zhenhua; Long, Yutian; Liu, Na; Zhao, Kesen; Jiang, Yong

2009-01-01

Human endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a pivotal role in maintaining blood pressure homeostasis and vascular integrity. It has recently been reported that mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are intimately implicated in expression of eNOS. However detailed mechanism mediated by them remains to be clarified. In this study, eNOS gene transactivity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells was up-regulated by stimulation of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). The stimulation of LPC highly activated both extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), with differences in the dynamic processes of activation between them. Unexpectedly, p38 MAPK could not be activated by the stimulation of LPC. The activation of JNK signalling pathway by overexpression of JNK or its upstream kinase active mutant up-regulated the transactivity of eNOS significantly, but the activation of p38 signalling pathway down-regulated it largely. The inhibition of either ERK1/2 or JNK signalling pathway by kinase-selective inhibitors could markedly block the induction of the transactivity by LPC. It was observed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay that LPC stimulated both SP1 and AP1 DNA binding activity to go up. Additionally using decoy oligonucleotides proved that SP1 was necessary for maintaining the basal or stimulated transactivity, whereas AP1 contributed mainly to the increase of the stimulated transactivity. These findings indicate that the up-regulation of the eNOS gene transactivity by LPC involves the enhancement of SP1 transcription factor by the activation of JNK and ERK1/2 signalling pathways and AP1 transcription factor by the activation of JNK signalling pathway. PMID:18624763

Classification of speech dysfluencies using LPC based parameterization techniques.

PubMed

Hariharan, M; Chee, Lim Sin; Ai, Ooi Chia; Yaacob, Sazali

2012-06-01

The goal of this paper is to discuss and compare three feature extraction methods: Linear Predictive Coefficients (LPC), Linear Prediction Cepstral Coefficients (LPCC) and Weighted Linear Prediction Cepstral Coefficients (WLPCC) for recognizing the stuttered events. Speech samples from the University College London Archive of Stuttered Speech (UCLASS) were used for our analysis. The stuttered events were identified through manual segmentation and were used for feature extraction. Two simple classifiers namely, k-nearest neighbour (kNN) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) were employed for speech dysfluencies classification. Conventional validation method was used for testing the reliability of the classifier results. The study on the effect of different frame length, percentage of overlapping, value of ã in a first order pre-emphasizer and different order p were discussed. The speech dysfluencies classification accuracy was found to be improved by applying statistical normalization before feature extraction. The experimental investigation elucidated LPC, LPCC and WLPCC features can be used for identifying the stuttered events and WLPCC features slightly outperforms LPCC features and LPC features.

Serum metabonomics study of anti-depressive effect of Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang on rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress.

PubMed

Xiong, Zhili; Yang, Jie; Huang, Yue; Zhang, Kuo; Bo, Yunhai; Lu, Xiumei; Su, Guangyue; Ma, Jie; Yang, Jingyu; Zhao, Longshan; Wu, Chunfu

2016-09-01

Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang (XCHT) has been proven to be effective for the clinical treatment of depression. However, the mechanisms of definite antidepressant-like effects and detailed metabolic biomarkers were still unclear in this prior study. Here, we have investigated the metabolic profiles and potential biomarkers in a chronic unpredictable mild stress model after treatment with XCHT. Metabonomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to profile the metabolic fingerprints of serum obtained from a rat model with chronic unpredictable mild stress with and without XCHT treatment. The model rats showed a significant decrease in sucrose preference and food consumption, and these depression-like symptoms were significantly improved by XCHT. Through principal component analysis (PCA), nine potential biomarkers of tryptophan, uric acid, phenylalanine, cholic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine (C18:0 LPC, C16:0 LPC, C16:1 LPC, C18:1 LPC, C20:4 LPC) were characterized as potential biomarkers involved the pathogenesis of depression. The therapeutic effect of XCHT on depression may involve in amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammation response. The present investigation highlights that metabonomics is a valuable tool for studying the essence of depression as well as evaluating the efficacy of the corresponding drug treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Querectin improves myelin repair of optic chiasm in lyolecithin-induced focal demyelination model.

PubMed

Naeimi, Reza; Baradaran, Saeideh; Ashrafpour, Manouchehr; Moghadamnia, Ali Akbar; Ghasemi-Kasman, Maryam

2018-05-01

Although the beneficial effects of quercetin on oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPCs) population has been evaluated in-vitro, there are few studies about the effects of quercetin on myelin repair in the context of demyelination. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of querectin on functional recovery and myelin repair of optic chiasm in lysolecithin (LPC)-induced demyelination model. Demyelination was induced by local injection of LPC 1% (2 μl) into rat optic chiasm. Querectin at doses 25 or 50 mg/kg was administrated daily by oral gavage for 7 or 14 days post LPC. Visual evoked potential (VEPs) recordings were used to assess the functional property of the optic pathway. Immunostaining and myelin staining were performed on brain sections 7 or 14 days post lesion. Electrophysiological data indicated that LPC injection increased the latency of VEPs waves and quercetin effectively reduced the delay of visual signals. The level of glial activation was alleviated in animals under treatment of quercetin compared to vehicle group. Furthermore, quercetin treatment decreased the extent of demyelination areas and increased the remyelination process following LPC injection. Overall, our findings indicate that quercetin could remarkably improve the functional recovery of the optic pathway by its protective effects on myelin sheath and attenuation of glial activation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

EFFECTS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF INTERPERSONAL AND TASK PERFORMANCE UPON LEADER PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR.

DTIC Science & Technology

officer. The results were consistent with the interpretation that high LPC leaders obtain self - esteem and adjustment through the interpersonal...aspects of the situation. However, the results were inconsistent with the interpretation that low LPC leaders obtain self - esteem from the intrinsic

Differences in Social Decision-Making between Proposers and Responders during the Ultimatum Game: An EEG Study.

PubMed

Horat, Sibylle K; Prévot, Anne; Richiardi, Jonas; Herrmann, François R; Favre, Grégoire; Merlo, Marco C G; Missonnier, Pascal

2017-01-01

The Ultimatum Game (UG) is a typical paradigm to investigate social decision-making. Although the behavior of humans in this task is already well established, the underlying brain processes remain poorly understood. Previous investigations using event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed three major components related to cognitive processes in participants engaged in the responder condition, the early ERP component P2, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and a late positive wave (late positive component, LPC). However, the comparison of the ERP waveforms between the responder and proposer conditions has never been studied. Therefore, to investigate condition-related electrophysiological changes, we applied the UG paradigm and compared parameters of the P2, LPC and FRN components in twenty healthy participants. For the responder condition, we found a significantly decreased amplitude and delayed latency for the P2 component, whereas the mean amplitudes of the LPC and FRN increased compared to the proposer condition. Additionally, the proposer condition elicited an early component consisting of a negative deflection around 190 ms, in the upward slope of the P2, probably as a result of early conflict-related processing. Using independent component analysis (ICA), we extracted one functional component time-locked to this deflection, and with source reconstruction (LAURA) we found the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as one of the underlying sources. Overall, our findings indicate that intensity and time-course of neuronal systems engaged in the decision-making processes diverge between both UG conditions, suggesting differential cognitive processes. Understanding the electrophysiological bases of decision-making and social interactions in controls could be useful to further detect which steps are impaired in psychiatric patients in their ability to attribute mental states (such as beliefs, intents, or desires) to oneself and others. This ability is called mentalizing (also known as theory of mind).

Are event-related potentials to dynamic facial expressions of emotion related to individual differences in the accuracy of processing facial expressions and identity?

PubMed

Recio, Guillermo; Wilhelm, Oliver; Sommer, Werner; Hildebrandt, Andrea

2017-04-01

Despite a wealth of knowledge about the neural mechanisms behind emotional facial expression processing, little is known about how they relate to individual differences in social cognition abilities. We studied individual differences in the event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by dynamic facial expressions. First, we assessed the latent structure of the ERPs, reflecting structural face processing in the N170, and the allocation of processing resources and reflexive attention to emotionally salient stimuli, in the early posterior negativity (EPN) and the late positive complex (LPC). Then we estimated brain-behavior relationships between the ERP factors and behavioral indicators of facial identity and emotion-processing abilities. Structural models revealed that the participants who formed faster structural representations of neutral faces (i.e., shorter N170 latencies) performed better at face perception (r = -.51) and memory (r = -.42). The N170 amplitude was not related to individual differences in face cognition or emotion processing. The latent EPN factor correlated with emotion perception (r = .47) and memory (r = .32), and also with face perception abilities (r = .41). Interestingly, the latent factor representing the difference in EPN amplitudes between the two neutral control conditions (chewing and blinking movements) also correlated with emotion perception (r = .51), highlighting the importance of tracking facial changes in the perception of emotional facial expressions. The LPC factor for negative expressions correlated with the memory for emotional facial expressions. The links revealed between the latency and strength of activations of brain systems and individual differences in processing socio-emotional information provide new insights into the brain mechanisms involved in social communication.

Expertise shapes domain-specific functional cerebral asymmetry during mental imagery: the case of culinary arts and music.

PubMed

Bensafi, Moustafa; Fournel, Arnaud; Joussain, Pauline; Poncelet, Johan; Przybylski, Lauranne; Rouby, Catherine; Tillmann, Barbara

2017-06-01

Mental imagery in experts has been documented in visual arts, music and dance. Here, we examined this issue in an understudied art domain, namely, culinary arts. Previous research investigating mental imagery in experts has reported either a stronger involvement of the right hemisphere or bilateral brain activation. The first aim of our study was to examine whether culinary arts also recruit such a hemispheric pattern specifically during odor mental imagery. In a second aim, we investigated whether expertise effects observed in a given sensory domain transfer to another modality. We combined psychophysics and neurophysiology to study mental imagery in cooks, musicians and controls. We collected response times and event-related potentials (ERP) while participants mentally compared the odor of fruits, the timbre of musical instruments and the size of fruits, musical instruments and manufactured objects. Cooks were faster in imagining fruit odors, and musicians were faster in imagining the timbre of musical instruments. These differences were not observed in control participants. This expertise effect was reflected in the ERP late positive complex (LPC): only experts showed symmetric bilateral activation, specifically when cooks imagined odors and when musicians imagined timbres. In contrast, the LPC was significantly greater in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere for non-expert participants in all conditions. These findings suggest that sensory expertise does not involve transfer of mental imagery ability across modalities and highlight for the first time that olfactory expertise in cooks induces a balance of activations between hemispheres as does musical expertise in musicians. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Isolation and identification of molecular species of phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine from jojoba seed meal (Simmondsia chinensis).

PubMed

Léon, Fabian; Van Boven, Maurits; de Witte, Peter; Busson, Roger; Cokelaere, Marnix

2004-03-10

A mixture of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) has been isolated by column chromatography from a jojoba meal (Simmondsia chinensis) extract. The molecular species of both classes could be separated and isolated by C18 reversed phase HPLC. The two major compounds were identified by 1D and 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR, by MS, and by GC-MS as 1-oleoyl-3-lysophosphatidylcholine and 1,2-dioleoyl-3-phosphatidylcholine. Eight other molecular species of LPC and four other molecular species of PC could be assigned by comparison of the mass spectra of the isolated compounds with the spectra of the two major compounds. Complete characterization of the individual molecular species was achieved by GC and GC-MS analysis of the fatty acyl composition from the isolated compounds. The PC/LPC proportion in the phospholipid mixture from three different samples is 1.6 +/- 0.1. LPC is considered to be an important bioactive compound; the results of this study suggest further research for the evaluation of potential health benefits of jojoba meal phospholipids.

Lysophosphatidylcholine synthesis by lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis.

PubMed

Yang, Guolong; Yang, Ruoxi; Hu, Jingbo

2015-01-01

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is amphiphilic substance, and possesses excellent physiological functions. In this study, LPC was prepared through ethanolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) in n-hexane or solvent free media catalyzed by Novozym 435 (from Candida antarctica), Lipozyme TLIM (from Thermomcyces lanuginosus) and Lipozyme RMIM (from Rhizomucor miehei). The results showed that three immobilized lipases from Candida Antarctica, Thermomcyces lanuginosus and Rhizomucor miehei could catalyze ethanolysis of PC efficiently. In n-hexane, the LPC conversions of ethanolysis of PC catalyzed by Novozyme 435, Lipozyme TLIM and Lipozyme RMIM could reach to 98.5 ± 1.6%, 94.6 ± 1.4% and 93.7 ± 1.8%, respectively. In solvent free media, the highest LPC conversions of ethanolysis of PC catalyzed by Novozyme 435, Lipozyme TL IM and Lipozyme RM IM were 97.7 ± 1.7%, 93.5 ± 1.2% and 93.8 ± 1.9%, respectively. The catalytic efficiencies of the three lipases were in the order of Novozyme 435 > Lipozyme TLIM > Lipozyme RMIM. Furthermore, their catalytic efficiencies in n-hexane were better than those in solvent free media.

Mast cells in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia support lymphoplasmacytic cell growth through CD154/CD40 signaling.

PubMed

Tournilhac, O; Santos, D D; Xu, L; Kutok, J; Tai, Y-T; Le Gouill, S; Catley, L; Hunter, Z; Branagan, A R; Boyce, J A; Munshi, N; Anderson, K C; Treon, S P

2006-08-01

Bone marrow (BM) mast cells (MC) are commonly found in association with lymphoplasmacytic cells (LPC) in patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM). We therefore sought to clarify the role of MC in WM. Co-culture of sublethally irradiated HMC-1 MC, KU812 basophilic cells, or autologous BM MC along with BM LPC from WM patients resulted in MC dose-dependent tumor colony formation and/or proliferation as assessed by 3H-thymidine uptake studies. Furthermore, by immunohistochemistry, multicolor flow cytometry and/or RT-PCR analysis, CD40 ligand (CD154), a potent inducer of B-cell expansion, was expressed on BM MC from 32 of 34 (94%), 11 of 13 (85%), and 7 of 9 (78%) patients, respectively. In contrast, MC from five healthy donors did not express CD154. By multicolor flow cytometry, CD154 was expressed on BM LPC from 35 of 38 (92%) patients and functionality was confirmed by CD154 and CD40 agonistic antibody stimulation, which induced proliferation, support survival and/or pERK phosphorylation of LPC. Moreover, MC induced expansion of LPC from 3 of 5 patients was blocked in a dose dependent manner by use of a CD154 blocking protein. These studies demonstrate that in WM, MC may support tumor cell expansion through constitutive CD154-CD40 signaling and therefore provide the framework for therapeutic targeting of MC and MC-WM cell interactions in WM.

Money well spent: a comparison of hospital operating margin for laparoscopic and open colectomies.

PubMed

Koopmann, M C; Harms, B A; Heise, C P

2007-10-01

Cost analysis after laparoscopic colectomy has been examined, although reports evaluating the effects of laparoscopy on hospital operating margin are lacking. We compared several cost/revenue measures, including hospital operating margin, between open and laparoscopic colectomies at an academic center. Our cost-accounting database was queried for laparoscopic partial (LPC) and total colectomies (LTC), and open partial (OPC) and total colectomies (OTC) to analyze net revenue, total costs, and total hospital operating margin over a 4-year period. Laparoscopic and open colectomy cases were compared, with mean operating margin as the primary outcome. From July, 2002 through May, 2006, 842 patients were included for analysis with 138 undergoing laparoscopic colectomy. Net revenue was higher in the LTC group compared with open (US dollars 30,300 vs US dollars 26,800 [P = .02]), and lower in the LPC group (US dollars 15,300 vs US dollars 21,300 open [P < .0001]). Total costs were reduced in both the LPC and LTC groups compared with open [US dollars 11,700 vs US dollars 17,600 [P < .0001] and US dollars 18,000 vs US dollars 19,400 [P = .0019], respectively). LPC resulted in a similar HOM (US dollars 3,602) compared with OPC (US dollars 3,647; P = .35). LTC resulted in a higher HOM (US dollars 12,300) compared with OTC (US dollars 7,400; P = .02). LTC generates a significantly higher hospital operating margin than an OTC, although the margins are similar for LPC and OPC.

Dietary choline and phospholipid supplementation enhanced docosahexaenoic acid enrichment in egg yolk of laying hens fed a 2% Schizochytrium powder-added diet.

PubMed

Wang, H; Zhang, H J; Wang, X C; Wu, S G; Wang, J; Xu, L; Qi, G H

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary phospholipid supplementation on laying hen performance, egg quality, and the fatty acid profile of egg yolks from hens fed a 2% Schizochytrium powder diet. Three-hundred-sixty 28-wk-old Hy-line W-36 laying hens were randomly allocated to one of the 5 dietary treatments, each treatment with 6 replicates of 12 birds each. All diets included 2% Schizochytrium powder (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], 137.09 mg/g). The control group was not supplemented with any additional phospholipids, whereas the other 4 experimental diets were supplemented with 1,000 mg/kg choline (CHO), 1,000 mg/kg monoethanolamine (MEA), 1,000 mg/kg lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), or 500 mg/kg LPC + 500 mg/kg MEA (LPC + MEA). The experimental diets were isocaloric (metabolizable energy, 11.15 MJ/kg) and isonitrogenous (crude protein, 16.60%). The feeding trial lasted 28 days. Laying hen performance and egg quality were not affected (P > 0.05) by the diets used. The monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) level was reduced in the LPC group at d 28 (P < 0.01), whereas the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) level was increased (P < 0.05). The omega-6 (n-6) PUFA level of the egg yolks in the LPC group had a trend to increase in comparison to the control (P = 0.07). The CHO and LPC groups had higher omega-3 (n-3) PUFA and DHA levels and lower n-6/n-3 ratios than the other groups at d 28 (P < 0.01). The DHA content in egg yolk reached a plateau after the laying hens consumed the experimental diets for 14 days, and higher yolk DHA contents were observed in the CHO and LPC groups as compared with the other groups at d 14. It was concluded that dietary choline supplementation for more than 14 d enhanced egg yolk enrichment with n-3 PUFA and DHA when laying hen diets were supplemented with 2% Schizochytrium powder. All the diets had no adverse effect on hen performance, egg quality, or egg components under the experimental condition. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

The time course of indirect moral judgment in gossip processing modulated by different agents.

PubMed

Peng, Xiaozhe; Jiao, Can; Cui, Fang; Chen, Qingfei; Li, Peng; Li, Hong

2017-10-01

Previous studies have investigated personal moral violations with different references (i.e., the protagonists in moral scenarios are the participants themselves or unknown other individuals). However, the roles of various agents in moral judgments have remained unclear. In the present study, ERPs were used to investigate moral judgments when the participants viewed gossip that described (im)moral behaviors committed by different agents (self, friend, celebrity). The results demonstrate that the P2 and late positive component (LPC) correspond to two successive processes of indirect moral judgment when individuals process gossip. Specifically, the P2 amplitude in the celebrity condition was more sensitive in distinguishing immoral behaviors from moral behaviors than that in the other two conditions, whereas the moral valence effect on the LPC was predominately driven by the self-reference. These findings expand our current understanding of moral judgments in a gossip evaluation task and demonstrate that the early processing of gossip depends on both the entertainment value of the agent and the salience of moral behaviors. Processing in the later stage reflects reactions to intensified affective stimuli, or reflects cognitive effort that was required to resolve the conflict between negative gossip about self and the self-positivity bias. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Fermilab Today

Science.gov Websites

Workshop at LPC 2014 - One West 2 p.m. Particle Astrophysics Seminar (NOTE LOCATION) - WH6NW Speaker: Chris at LPC 2014 - One West 3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break - WH2XO 4 p.m. Accelerator Physics and . Magnetrons don't normally allow this kind of control. One solution, Chase realized, is to apply a well-known

Emotion impairs extrinsic source memory--An ERP study.

PubMed

Mao, Xinrui; You, Yuqi; Li, Wen; Guo, Chunyan

2015-09-01

Substantial advancements in understanding emotional modulation of item memory notwithstanding, controversies remain as to how emotion influences source memory. Using an emotional extrinsic source memory paradigm combined with remember/know judgments and two key event-related potentials (ERPs)-the FN400 (a frontal potential at 300-500 ms related to familiarity) and the LPC (a later parietal potential at 500-700 ms related to recollection), our research investigated the impact of emotion on extrinsic source memory and the underlying processes. We varied a semantic prompt (either "people" or "scene") preceding a study item to manipulate the extrinsic source. Behavioral data indicated a significant effect of emotion on "remember" responses to extrinsic source details, suggesting impaired recollection-based source memory in emotional (both positive and negative) relative to neutral conditions. In parallel, differential FN400 and LPC amplitudes (correctly remembered - incorrectly remembered sources) revealed emotion-related interference, suggesting impaired familiarity and recollection memory of extrinsic sources associated with positive or negative items. These findings thus lend support to the notion of emotion-induced memory trade off: while enhancing memory of central items and intrinsic/integral source details, emotion nevertheless disrupts memory of peripheral contextual details, potentially impairing both familiarity and recollection. Importantly, that positive and negative items result in comparable memory impairment suggests that arousal (vs. affective valence) plays a critical role in modulating dynamic interactions among automatic and elaborate processes involved in memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Fees on Supervision of Licensed Professional Counselor Interns in Texas: A Mixed-Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stark, Marcella Dortch

2010-01-01

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of payment status on perceptions of Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Interns regarding aspects of the supervisory relationship. Method. Survey responses from 230 LPC Interns in Texas were collected using SurveyMonkey[TM] (2009) to examine how supervision fees influence: (a)…

Lysophospholipids stimulate prostate cancer cell migration via TRPV2 channel activation.

PubMed

Monet, Michaël; Gkika, Dimitra; Lehen'kyi, V'yacheslav; Pourtier, Albin; Vanden Abeele, Fabien; Bidaux, Gabriel; Juvin, Véronique; Rassendren, François; Humez, Sandrine; Prevarsakaya, Natalia

2009-03-01

The physiological role, the mechanisms of activation, as well as the endogenous regulators for the non-selective cationic channel TRPV2 are not known so far. In the present work we report that endogenous lysophospholipids such as lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) induce a calcium influx via TRPV2 channel. This activation is dependent on the length of the side-chain and the nature of the lysophospholipid head-group. TRPV2-mediated calcium uptake stimulated by LPC and LPI occurred via Gq/Go-protein and phosphatidylinositol-3,4 kinase (PI3,4K) signalling. We have shown that the mechanism of TRPV2 activation induced by LPC and LPI is due to the TRPV2 channel translocation to the plasma membrane. The activation of TRPV2 channel by LPC and LPI leads to an increase in the cell migration of the prostate cancer cell line PC3. We have demonstrated that TRPV2 is directly involved in both steady-state and lysophospholipid-stimulated cancer cell migration. Thus, for the first time, we have identified one of the natural regulators of TRPV2 channel, one of the mechanisms of TRPV2 activation and regulation, as well as its pathophysiological role in cancer.

Effect of olive oil phenolic compounds on the expression of blood pressure-related genes in healthy individuals.

PubMed

Martín-Peláez, Sandra; Castañer, Olga; Konstantinidou, Valentini; Subirana, Isaac; Muñoz-Aguayo, Daniel; Blanchart, Gemma; Gaixas, Sonia; de la Torre, Rafael; Farré, Magí; Sáez, Guillermo T; Nyyssönen, Kristina; Zunft, Hans Joachim; Covas, Maria Isabel; Fitó, Montse

2017-03-01

To investigate whether the ingestion of olive oil having different phenolic contents influences the expression of blood pressure-related genes, involved in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, in healthy humans. A randomized, double-blind, crossover human trial with 18 healthy subjects, who ingested 25 mL/day of olive oils (1) high (366 mg/kg, HPC) and (2) low (2.7 mg/kg, LPC) in phenolic compounds for 3 weeks, preceded by 2-week washout periods. Determination of selected blood pressure-related gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) by qPCR, blood pressure and systemic biomarkers. HPC decreased systolic blood pressure compared to pre-intervention values and to LPC, and maintained diastolic blood pressure values compared to LPC. HPC decreased ACE and NR1H2 gene expressions compared with pre-intervention values, and IL8RA gene expression compared with LPC. The introduction to the diet of an extra-virgin olive oil rich in phenolic compounds modulates the expression of some of the genes related to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. These changes could underlie the decrease in systolic blood pressure observed.

[Emotional Memory and Electrocortical Activity in Schizophrenia].

PubMed

Lavoie, Marc E; Champagne, Julie; Glaser, Emma; Mendrek, Adrianna

Context Abnormal emotion processing is frequent in schizophrenia and affects social and functional outcome. Past event-related potential (ERP) research investigating processing of affective stimuli in schizophrenia was done mainly with facial expressions and revealed impaired facial emotion recognition in patients relative to control subjects. Experimentations involving fMRI with this group of patients, showed alteration of limbic and frontal regions in response to emotional unpleasant images, compared to neutral stimuli during a memory task. Other studies have also noted an increase in brain activity when the activation of the stimuli was high compared to low arousal stimuli. This may indicate a different sensitivity threshold to emotional arousal and emotional valence involving frontal pathways in these patients. But very few studies attempted to separate the contributions of emotional valence and arousal within an episodic memory protocol with ERP, in that population.Goal The aim of the current research is to investigate brain electro-cortical activity in schizophrenia in response to emotional images during an episodic memory task.Method ERP components were analyzed in 16 schizophrenic and 17 control participants matched for age, sex and intelligence. ERPs were obtained from 56 EEG electrodes. The tasks consisted in a classical episodic memory task that presented 100 repeated old and 100 new photographic images divided into four categories (unpleasant-high arousal, unpleasant-low arousal, pleasant-high arousal and pleasant-low arousal) selected from the International Affective Picture System. The N200, P300 and late positive component (LPC) mean amplitude, were analyzed using repeated-measure analyses of variance (MANOVA).Results Patients with schizophrenia and control subjects gave comparable subjective evaluations of arousal and valence. However, the frontal N200 and the P300 both showed an interaction of the group x memory x valence x hemisphere (F [1.32]=8.36; p <.01). Thus, this complex interaction denotes an increase of the episodic memory effect in the right hemisphere in response to unpleasant stimuli, with schizophrenic patients. With respect to the control group, there is also an increase of this memory effect in the right hemisphere, but in response to pleasant stimuli. The schizophrenic patients presented a smaller LPC memory effect, especially at the frontal region. More specifically, the frontal LPC was reduced, and the clinical group was less reactive to the emotional arousal content, compared to the control group.Discussion Altogether, our results revealed that while the subjective evaluation of emotional pictures is equivalent across groups, cerebral differences are present in schizophrenic patients during emotional recognition. N200 and P300 results in the frontal region suggest impaired selective attention and episodic memory to unpleasant stimuli in patients, while later processes related to conscious recollection (parietal LPC) are not affected with patients affected with schizophrenia.Conclusion This finding provides further support for the notion of a possible discrepancy between the subjective experience and the physiological expression of emotions in schizophrenia patients. Those results could open the door to new clinical research investigations in psychiatry, particularly in the comprehension of a relationship between frontal cortex vulnerability and episodic memory often present in psychosis.

Switching of auditory attention in "cocktail-party" listening: ERP evidence of cueing effects in younger and older adults.

PubMed

Getzmann, Stephan; Jasny, Julian; Falkenstein, Michael

2017-02-01

Verbal communication in a "cocktail-party situation" is a major challenge for the auditory system. In particular, changes in target speaker usually result in declined speech perception. Here, we investigated whether speech cues indicating a subsequent change in target speaker reduce the costs of switching in younger and older adults. We employed event-related potential (ERP) measures and a speech perception task, in which sequences of short words were simultaneously presented by four speakers. Changes in target speaker were either unpredictable or semantically cued by a word within the target stream. Cued changes resulted in a less decreased performance than uncued changes in both age groups. The ERP analysis revealed shorter latencies in the change-related N400 and late positive complex (LPC) after cued changes, suggesting an acceleration in context updating and attention switching. Thus, both younger and older listeners used semantic cues to prepare changes in speaker setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ERP evidence for hemispheric asymmetries in abstract but not exemplar-specific repetition priming.

PubMed

Küper, Kristina; Liesefeld, Anna M; Zimmer, Hubert D

2015-12-01

Implicit memory retrieval is thought to be exemplar-specific in the right hemisphere (RH) but abstract in the left hemisphere (LH). Yet, conflicting behavioral priming results illustrate that the level at which asymmetries take effect is difficult to pinpoint. In the present divided visual field experiment, we tried to address this issue by analyzing ERPs in addition to behavioral measures. Participants made a natural/artificial decision on lateralized visual objects that were either new, identical repetitions, or different exemplars of studied items. Hemispheric asymmetries did not emerge in either behavioral or late positive complex (LPC) priming effects, but did affect the process of implicit memory retrieval proper as indexed by an early frontal negativity (N350/(F)N400). Whereas exemplar-specific N350/(F)N400 priming effects emerged irrespective of presentation side, abstract implicit memory retrieval of different exemplars was contingent on right visual field presentation and the ensuing initial stimulus processing by the LH. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

The impact of personal relevance on emotion processing: evidence from event-related potentials and pupillary responses

PubMed Central

Ruthmann, Katja; Schacht, Annekathrin

2017-01-01

Abstract Emotional stimuli attract attention and lead to increased activity in the visual cortex. The present study investigated the impact of personal relevance on emotion processing by presenting emotional words within sentences that referred to participants’ significant others or to unknown agents. In event-related potentials, personal relevance increased visual cortex activity within 100 ms after stimulus onset and the amplitudes of the Late Positive Complex (LPC). Moreover, personally relevant contexts gave rise to augmented pupillary responses and higher arousal ratings, suggesting a general boost of attention and arousal. Finally, personal relevance increased emotion-related ERP effects starting around 200 ms after word onset; effects for negative words compared to neutral words were prolonged in duration. Source localizations of these interactions revealed activations in prefrontal regions, in the visual cortex and in the fusiform gyrus. Taken together, these results demonstrate the high impact of personal relevance on reading in general and on emotion processing in particular. PMID:28541505

Two zebrafish G2A homologs activate multiple intracellular signaling pathways in acidic environment.

PubMed

Ichijo, Yuta; Mochimaru, Yuta; Azuma, Morio; Satou, Kazuhiro; Negishi, Jun; Nakakura, Takashi; Oshima, Natsuki; Mogi, Chihiro; Sato, Koichi; Matsuda, Kouhei; Okajima, Fumikazu; Tomura, Hideaki

2016-01-01

Human G2A is activated by various stimuli such as lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), 9-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (9-HODE), and protons. The receptor is coupled to multiple intracellular signaling pathways, including the Gs-protein/cAMP/CRE, G12/13-protein/Rho/SRE, and Gq-protein/phospholipase C/NFAT pathways. In the present study, we examined whether zebrafish G2A homologs (zG2A-a and zG2A-b) could respond to these stimuli and activate multiple intracellular signaling pathways. We also examined whether histidine residue and basic amino acid residue in the N-terminus of the homologs also play roles similar to those played by human G2A residues if the homologs sense protons. We found that the zG2A-a showed the high CRE, SRE, and NFAT activities, however, zG2A-b showed only the high SRE activity under a pH of 8.0. Extracellular acidification from pH 7.4 to 6.3 ameliorated these activities in zG2A-a-expressing cells. On the other hand, acidification ameliorated the SRE activity but not the CRE and NFAT activities in zG2A-b-expressing cells. LPC or 9-HODE did not modify any activity of either homolog. The substitution of histidine residue at the 174(th) position from the N-terminus of zG2A-a to asparagine residue attenuated proton-induced CRE and NFAT activities but not SRE activity. The substitution of arginine residue at the 32nd position from the N-terminus of zG2A-a to the alanine residue also attenuated its high and the proton-induced CRE and NFAT activities. On the contrary, the substitution did not attenuate SRE activity. The substitution of the arginine residue at the 10th position from the N-terminus of zG2A-b to the alanine residue also did not attenuate its high or the proton-induced SRE activity. These results indicate that zebrafish G2A homologs were activated by protons but not by LPC and 9-HODE, and the activation mechanisms of the homologs were similar to those of human G2A. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does conflict control occur without awareness? Evidence from an ERP study.

PubMed

Wang, Baoxi; Xiang, Ling; Li, Juan

2013-01-15

The relationship between conflict control and awareness has attracted extensive interest. Although researchers have investigated the relationship between response conflict and awareness, it still remains unclear whether stimulus conflict can occur outside of awareness. In addition, previous studies on the role of awareness in conflict control have ignored the fact that conflict control includes both conflict detection and resolution. A modified version of the flanker task was used to manipulate stimulus and response conflicts under both masked and unmasked conditions. The masked condition elicited a sequence of distinct event-related potential components that were also observed in the unmasked condition. N2 amplitudes presented the following pattern: incongruent-eligible>incongruent-ineligible>congruent, they did not show any difference under the masked and unmasked conditions, suggesting that detection of stimulus-related conflict revealed by the comparison between incongruent-ineligible and congruent trials, and response-related conflict revealed by the comparison between incongruent-eligible and incongruent-ineligible trials can occur in the absence of awareness, and unconscious conflict detection might involve the same neural network employed for conscious conflict detection. Late positive component (LPC) amplitudes also presented as incongruent-eligible>incongruent-ineligible>congruent at CPz and Pz, irrespective of conscious awareness. However, LPC amplitudes under the masked condition were markedly reduced compared to unmasked trials. These LPC findings suggest that stimulus- and response-related conflict resolution can occur in the absence of awareness; furthermore, unconscious conflict resolution might involve a weaker cognitive control network compared to conscious conflict resolution. These findings have important implications for the theories concerning the relationship between cognitive control and awareness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acyl-CoA:Lysophosphatidylethanolamine Acyltransferase Activity Regulates Growth of Arabidopsis1

PubMed Central

Jasieniecka-Gazarkiewicz, Katarzyna; Lager, Ida; Carlsson, Anders S.; Gutbrod, Katharina; Peisker, Helga; Dörmann, Peter; Stymne, Sten; Banaś, Antoni

2017-01-01

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) contains two enzymes (encoded by the At1g80950 and At2g45670 genes) preferentially acylating lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) with acyl-coenzyme A (CoA), designated LYSOPHOSPHATIDYLETHANOLAMINE ACYLTRANSFERASE1 (LPEAT1) and LPEAT2. The transfer DNA insertion mutant lpeat2 and the double mutant lpeat1 lpeat2 showed impaired growth, smaller leaves, shorter roots, less seed setting, and reduced lipid content per fresh weight in roots and seeds and large increases in LPE and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) contents in leaves. Microsomal preparations from leaves of these mutants showed around 70% decrease in acylation activity of LPE with 16:0-CoA compared with wild-type membranes, whereas the acylation with 18:1-CoA was much less affected, demonstrating that other lysophospholipid acyltransferases than the two LPEATs could acylate LPE. The above-mentioned effects were less pronounced in the single lpeat1 mutant. Overexpression of either LPEAT1 or LPEAT2 under the control of the 35S promotor led to morphological changes opposite to what was seen in the transfer DNA mutants. Acyl specificity studies showed that LPEAT1 utilized 16:0-CoA at the highest rate of 11 tested acyl-CoAs, whereas LPEAT2 utilized 20:0-CoA as the best acyl donor. Both LPEATs could acylate either sn position of ether analogs of LPC. The data show that the activities of LPEAT1 and LPEAT2 are, in a complementary way, involved in growth regulation in Arabidopsis. It is shown that LPEAT activity (especially LPEAT2) is essential for maintaining adequate levels of phosphatidylethanolamine, LPE, and LPC in the cells. PMID:28408542

On the interaction between sad mood and cognitive control: the effect of induced sadness on electrophysiological modulations underlying Stroop conflict processing.

PubMed

Nixon, Elena; Liddle, Peter F; Nixon, Neil L; Liotti, Mario

2013-03-01

The present study employed high-density ERPs to examine the effect of induced sad mood on the spatiotemporal correlates of conflict monitoring and resolution in a colour-word Stroop interference task. Neuroimaging evidence and dipole modelling implicates the involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regions in conflict-laden interference control. On the basis that these structures have been found to mediate emotion-cognition interactions in negative mood states, it was predicted that Stroop-related cognitive control, which relies heavily on anterior neural sources, would be affected by effective sad mood provocation. Healthy participants (N=14) were induced into transient sadness via use of autobiographical sad scripts, a well-validated mood induction technique (Liotti et al., 2000a, 2002). In accord with previous research, interference effects were shown at both baseline and sad states while Stroop conflict was associated with early (N450) and late (Late Positive Component; LPC) electrophysiological modulations at both states. Sad mood induction attenuated the N450 effect in line with our expectation that it would be susceptible to modulation by mood, given its purported anterior limbic source. The LPC effect was displayed at the typical posterior lateral sites but, as predicted, was not affected by sad mood. However, frontocentral LPC activity-presumably generated from an additional anterior limbic source-was affected at sad state, hinting a role in conflict monitoring. Although the neurophysiological underpinnings of interference control are yet to be clarified, this study provided further insight into emotion-cognition interactions as indexed by Stroop conflict-laden processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles ameliorate glial activation and improve myelin repair in lyolecithin-induced focal demyelination model of rat corpus callosum.

PubMed

Naeimi, Reza; Safarpour, Fatemeh; Hashemian, Mona; Tashakorian, Hamed; Ahmadian, Seyed Raheleh; Ashrafpour, Manouchehr; Ghasemi-Kasman, Maryam

2018-05-01

Curcumin has been introduced as effective anti-inflammatory agent in treatment of several inflammatory disorders. Despite the wide range pharmacological activities, clinical application of curcumin is restricted mainly due to the low water solubility of this substance. More recently, we could remarkably improve the aqueous solubility of curcumin by its encapsulation in chitosan-alginate-sodium tripolyphosphate nanoparticles (CS-ALG-STPP NPs). In this study, the anti-inflammatory and myelin protective effects of curcumin-loaded NPs were evaluated in lysolecithin (LPC)-induced focal demyelination model. Pharmacokinetic of curcumin was assessed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Local demyelination was induced by injection of LPC into corpus callosum of rats. Animals were pre-treated with intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of curcumin or curcumin-loaded NPs at dose of 12.5 mg/kg, 10 days prior to LPC injection and the injections were continued for 7 or 14 days post lesion. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunostaining against activated glial cells including astrocytes and microglia were carried out for assessment of inflammation level in lesion site. Myelin specific staining was performed to evaluate the effect of curcumin-loaded NPs on myelination of LPC receiving animals. HPLC results showed the higher plasma concentration of curcumin after administration of NPs. Histological evaluation demonstrated that, the extent of demyelination areas was reduced in animals under treatment of curcumin-loaded NPs. Furthermore, treatment with curcumin-loaded NPs effectively attenuated glial activation and inflammation in LPC-induced demyelination model compared to curcumin receiving animals. Overall; these findings indicate that treatment with curcumin-loaded NPs preserve myelinated axons through amelioration of glial activation and inflammation in demyelination context. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mfsd2a Is a Transporter for the Essential ω-3 Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) in Eye and Is Important for Photoreceptor Cell Development*

PubMed Central

Wong, Bernice H.; Chan, Jia Pei; Cazenave-Gassiot, Amaury; Poh, Rebecca W.; Foo, Juat Chin; Galam, Dwight L. A.; Ghosh, Sujoy; Nguyen, Long N.; Barathi, Veluchamy A.; Yeo, Sia W.; Luu, Chi D.; Wenk, Markus R.; Silver, David L.

2016-01-01

Eye photoreceptor membrane discs in outer rod segments are highly enriched in the visual pigment rhodopsin and the ω-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The eye acquires DHA from blood, but transporters for DHA uptake across the blood-retinal barrier or retinal pigment epithelium have not been identified. Mfsd2a is a newly described sodium-dependent lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) symporter expressed at the blood-brain barrier that transports LPCs containing DHA and other long-chain fatty acids. LPC transport via Mfsd2a has been shown to be necessary for human brain growth. Here we demonstrate that Mfsd2a is highly expressed in retinal pigment epithelium in embryonic eye, before the development of photoreceptors, and is the primary site of Mfsd2a expression in the eye. Eyes from whole body Mfsd2a-deficient (KO) mice, but not endothelium-specific Mfsd2a-deficient mice, were DHA-deficient and had significantly reduced LPC/DHA transport in vivo. Fluorescein angiography indicated normal blood-retinal barrier function. Histological and electron microscopic analysis indicated that Mfsd2a KO mice exhibited a specific reduction in outer rod segment length, disorganized outer rod segment discs, and mislocalization of and reduction in rhodopsin early in postnatal development without loss of photoreceptors. Minor photoreceptor cell loss occurred in adult Mfsd2a KO mice, but electroretinography indicated visual function was normal. The developing eyes of Mfsd2a KO mice had activated microglia and up-regulation of lipogenic and cholesterogenic genes, likely adaptations to loss of LPC transport. These findings identify LPC transport via Mfsd2a as an important pathway for DHA uptake in eye and for development of photoreceptor membrane discs. PMID:27008858

Distributed query plan generation using multiobjective genetic algorithm.

PubMed

Panicker, Shina; Kumar, T V Vijay

2014-01-01

A distributed query processing strategy, which is a key performance determinant in accessing distributed databases, aims to minimize the total query processing cost. One way to achieve this is by generating efficient distributed query plans that involve fewer sites for processing a query. In the case of distributed relational databases, the number of possible query plans increases exponentially with respect to the number of relations accessed by the query and the number of sites where these relations reside. Consequently, computing optimal distributed query plans becomes a complex problem. This distributed query plan generation (DQPG) problem has already been addressed using single objective genetic algorithm, where the objective is to minimize the total query processing cost comprising the local processing cost (LPC) and the site-to-site communication cost (CC). In this paper, this DQPG problem is formulated and solved as a biobjective optimization problem with the two objectives being minimize total LPC and minimize total CC. These objectives are simultaneously optimized using a multiobjective genetic algorithm NSGA-II. Experimental comparison of the proposed NSGA-II based DQPG algorithm with the single objective genetic algorithm shows that the former performs comparatively better and converges quickly towards optimal solutions for an observed crossover and mutation probability.

Distributed Query Plan Generation Using Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm

PubMed Central

Panicker, Shina; Vijay Kumar, T. V.

2014-01-01

A distributed query processing strategy, which is a key performance determinant in accessing distributed databases, aims to minimize the total query processing cost. One way to achieve this is by generating efficient distributed query plans that involve fewer sites for processing a query. In the case of distributed relational databases, the number of possible query plans increases exponentially with respect to the number of relations accessed by the query and the number of sites where these relations reside. Consequently, computing optimal distributed query plans becomes a complex problem. This distributed query plan generation (DQPG) problem has already been addressed using single objective genetic algorithm, where the objective is to minimize the total query processing cost comprising the local processing cost (LPC) and the site-to-site communication cost (CC). In this paper, this DQPG problem is formulated and solved as a biobjective optimization problem with the two objectives being minimize total LPC and minimize total CC. These objectives are simultaneously optimized using a multiobjective genetic algorithm NSGA-II. Experimental comparison of the proposed NSGA-II based DQPG algorithm with the single objective genetic algorithm shows that the former performs comparatively better and converges quickly towards optimal solutions for an observed crossover and mutation probability. PMID:24963513

A variable rate speech compressor for mobile applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeldener, S.; Kondoz, A. M.; Evans, B. G.

1990-01-01

One of the most promising speech coder at the bit rate of 9.6 to 4.8 kbits/s is CELP. Code Excited Linear Prediction (CELP) has been dominating 9.6 to 4.8 kbits/s region during the past 3 to 4 years. Its set back however, is its expensive implementation. As an alternative to CELP, the Base-Band CELP (CELP-BB) was developed which produced good quality speech comparable to CELP and a single chip implementable complexity as reported previously. Its robustness was also improved to tolerate errors up to 1.0 pct. and maintain intelligibility up to 5.0 pct. and more. Although, CELP-BB produces good quality speech at around 4.8 kbits/s, it has a fundamental problem when updating the pitch filter memory. A sub-optimal solution is proposed for this problem. Below 4.8 kbits/s, however, CELP-BB suffers from noticeable quantization noise as a result of the large vector dimensions used. Efficient representation of speech below 4.8 kbits/s is reported by introducing Sinusoidal Transform Coding (STC) to represent the LPC excitation which is called Sine Wave Excited LPC (SWELP). In this case, natural sounding good quality synthetic speech is obtained at around 2.4 kbits/s.

How doctors' communication style and race concordance influence African-Caribbean patients when disclosing depression.

PubMed

Adams, A; Realpe, A; Vail, L; Buckingham, C D; Erby, L H; Roter, D

2015-10-01

To determine the impact of doctors' communication style and doctor-patient race concordance on UK African-Caribbeans' comfort in disclosing depression. 160 African-Caribbean and 160 white British subjects, stratified by gender and history of depression, participated in simulated depression consultations with video-recorded doctors. Doctors were stratified by black or white race, gender and a high (HPC) or low patient-centred (LPC) communication style, giving a full 2×2×2 factorial design. Afterwards, participants rated aspects of doctors' communication style, their comfort in disclosing depression and treatment preferences Race concordance had no impact on African-Caribbeans' comfort in disclosing depression. However a HPC versus LPC communication style made them significantly more positive about their interactions with doctors (p=0.000), their overall comfort (p=0.003), their comfort in disclosing their emotional state (p=0.001), and about considering talking therapy (p=0.01); but less positive about considering antidepressant medication (p=0.01). Doctors' communication style was shown to be more important than patient race or race concordance in influencing African Caribbeans' depression consultation experiences. Changing doctors' communication style may help reduce disparities in depression care. Practitioners should cultivate a HPC style to make African-Caribbeans more comfortable when disclosing depression, so that it is less likely to be missed. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Properties and structure of a low-potential, penta-heme cytochrome c 552 from a thermophilic purple sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum.

PubMed

Chen, Jing-Hua; Yu, Long-Jiang; Boussac, Alain; Wang-Otomo, Zheng-Yu; Kuang, Tingyun; Shen, Jian-Ren

2018-04-24

The thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum possesses four main water-soluble redox proteins involved in the electron transfer behavior. Crystal structures have been reported for three of them: a high potential iron-sulfur protein, cytochrome c', and one of two low-potential cytochrome c 552 (which is a flavocytochrome c) have been determined. In this study, we purified another low-potential cytochrome c 552 (LPC), determined its N-terminal amino acid sequence and the whole gene sequence, characterized it with absorption and electron paramagnetic spectroscopy, and solved its high-resolution crystal structure. This novel cytochrome was found to contain five c-type hemes. The overall fold of LPC consists of two distinct domains, one is the five heme-containing domain and the other one is an Ig-like domain. This provides a representative example for the structures of multiheme cytochromes containing an odd number of hemes, although the structures of multiheme cytochromes with an even number of hemes are frequently seen in the PDB database. Comparison of the sequence and structure of LPC with other proteins in the databases revealed several characteristic features which may be important for its functioning. Based on the results obtained, we discuss the possible intracellular function of this LPC in Tch. tepidum.

Cisplatin encapsulated nanoparticle as a therapeutic agent for anticancer treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eka Putra, Gusti Ngurah Putu; Huang, Leaf; Hsu, Yih-Chih

2016-03-01

The knowledge of manipulating size of biomaterials encapsulated drug into nano-scale particles has been researched and developed in treating cancer. Cancer is the second worldwide cause of death, therefore it is critical to treat cancers challenging with therapeutic modality of various mechanisms. Our preliminary investigation has studied cisplatin encapsulated into lipid-based nanoparticle and examined the therapeutic effect on xenografted animal model. We used mice with tumor volume ranging from 195 to 214 mm3 and then few mice were grouped into three groups including: control (PBS), lipid platinum chloride (LPC) nanoparticles and CDDP (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) at dose of 3mg cisplatin /kg body weight. The effect of the treatment was observed for 12 days post-injection. It showed that LPC NPs demonstrated a better therapeutic effect compared to CDDP at same 3mg cisplatin/kg drug dose of tumor size reduction, 96.6% and 11.1% respectively. In addition, mouse body weight loss of LPC, CDDP and PBS treated group are 12.1%, 24.3% and 1.4%. It means that by compared to CDDP group, LPC group demonstrated less side effect as not much reduction of body weight have found. Our findings have shown to be a potential modality to further investigate as a feasible cancer therapy modality.

The Electrophysiological Signature of Remember-Know Is Confounded with Memory Strength and Cannot Be Interpreted as Evidence for Dual-process Theory of Recognition.

PubMed

Brezis, Noam; Bronfman, Zohar Z; Yovel, Galit; Goshen-Gottstein, Yonatan

2017-02-01

The quantity and nature of the processes underlying recognition memory remains an open question. A majority of behavioral, neuropsychological, and brain studies have suggested that recognition memory is supported by two dissociable processes: recollection and familiarity. It has been conversely argued, however, that recollection and familiarity map onto a single continuum of mnemonic strength and hence that recognition memory is mediated by a single process. Previous electrophysiological studies found marked dissociations between recollection and familiarity, which have been widely held as corroborating the dual-process account. However, it remains unknown whether a strength interpretation can likewise apply for these findings. Here we describe an ERP study, using a modified remember-know (RK) procedure, which allowed us to control for mnemonic strength. We find that ERPs of high and low mnemonic strength mimicked the electrophysiological distinction between R and K responses, in a lateral positive component (LPC), 500-1000 msec poststimulus onset. Critically, when contrasting strength with RK experience, by comparing weak R to strong K responses, the electrophysiological signal mapped onto strength, not onto subjective RK experience. Invoking the LPC as support for dual-process accounts may, therefore, be amiss.

Eyes with Suspicious Appearance of the Optic Disc and Normal Intraocular Pressure: Using Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics to Differentiate Those with and without Glaucoma.

PubMed

Dias, Diego T; Ushida, Michele; Sousa, Marina C; Dorairaj, Syril; Biteli, Luis G; Leite, Mauro T; Paranhos, Augusto; Prata, Tiago S

2016-01-01

Among all glaucoma suspects, eyes with optic nerve head features suspicious or suggestive of early glaucoma are probably those that offer the greatest challenge for clinicians. In contrast with the robust longitudinal data published on ocular hypertension, there is no specific management guideline for these patients. Therefore, evaluating eyes with suspicious optic disc appearance and normal intraocular pressure (IOP), we sought to investigate potential differences in clinical and epidemiological characteristics to differentiate those with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) from those with presumed large physiological optic disc cups (pLPC). In this observational case-control study, we consecutively enrolled individuals with pLPC and NTG. All eyes had vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR)≥0.6 and untreated IOP<21 mmHg. Glaucomatous eyes had reproducible visual field defects. Eyes with pLPC required normal visual fields and ≥30 months of follow-up with no evidence of glaucomatous neuropathy. Clinical and epidemiological parameters were compared between groups. Eighty-four individuals with pLPC and 40 NTG patients were included. Regarding our main results, NTG patients were significantly older and with a higher prevalence of Japanese descendants (p<0.01). Not only did pLPC eyes have smaller mean VCDR, but also larger optic discs (p≤0.04). There were no significant differences for gender, central corneal thickness, and spherical equivalent (p≥0.38). Significant odds ratios (OR) were found for race (OR = 2.42; for Japanese ancestry), age (OR = 1.05), VCDR (OR = 5.03), and disc size (OR = 0.04; p≤0.04). In conclusion, in patients with suspicious optic disc and normal IOP, those with older age, Japanese ancestry, smaller optic discs, and larger VCDR are more likely to have NTG, and therefore, deserve deeper investigation and closer monitoring.

Comparison of Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab, and Laser Photocoagulation in the Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Turkey.

PubMed

Gunay, Murat; Sukgen, Emine Alyamac; Celik, Gokhan; Kocluk, Yusuf

2017-03-01

To evaluate the efficacies and treatment outcomes following intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB), intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR), and laser photocoagulation (LPC) in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This was a retrospective interventional case series study including the data of 134 infants (264 eyes) who were treated with IVB, IVR, or LPC for ROP. The data were collected from two major ROP treatment centers in Turkey without any randomization or masking. Regression of ROP, recurrence profile, complications after each treatment modality, and indications for retreatment were evaluated. The main outcome measures included the total inactivation of ROP with anatomic and refractive outcomes at 1.5 years of adjusted age. There were 55 infants (41.1%) in the IVB group, 22 infants (16.4%) in the IVR group, and 57 infants (42.5%) in the LPC group. All but 3 infants (5.5%) in the IVB group and 11 infants (50%) in the IVR group showed recurrence to stage 1 and 2 ROP following IVB and IVR (p < 0.001). Retreatment was performed in three infants in both IVB and IVR groups (p = 0.098). At 1.5 years of adjusted age, all infants showed favorable anatomic outcome except one infant in the LPC group. No significant difference of the mean spherical equivalent (SE) was observed between the groups (p = 0.131). In Zone I ROP, laser treated infants had significantly higher rates of myopia and high myopia than IVB and IVR treated infants (p = 0.040 and p = 0.019, respectively). Both IVB and IVR treated infants had significantly better refractive outcomes in Zone I ROP as compared to LPC treated infants at 1.5 years of adjusted age. The higher rate of disease recurrence was associated with IVR. Gestational age (GA) and the zone of ROP were also predictive factors for recurrence of ROP in the study.

Mfsd2a Is a Transporter for the Essential ω-3 Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) in Eye and Is Important for Photoreceptor Cell Development.

PubMed

Wong, Bernice H; Chan, Jia Pei; Cazenave-Gassiot, Amaury; Poh, Rebecca W; Foo, Juat Chin; Galam, Dwight L A; Ghosh, Sujoy; Nguyen, Long N; Barathi, Veluchamy A; Yeo, Sia W; Luu, Chi D; Wenk, Markus R; Silver, David L

2016-05-13

Eye photoreceptor membrane discs in outer rod segments are highly enriched in the visual pigment rhodopsin and the ω-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The eye acquires DHA from blood, but transporters for DHA uptake across the blood-retinal barrier or retinal pigment epithelium have not been identified. Mfsd2a is a newly described sodium-dependent lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) symporter expressed at the blood-brain barrier that transports LPCs containing DHA and other long-chain fatty acids. LPC transport via Mfsd2a has been shown to be necessary for human brain growth. Here we demonstrate that Mfsd2a is highly expressed in retinal pigment epithelium in embryonic eye, before the development of photoreceptors, and is the primary site of Mfsd2a expression in the eye. Eyes from whole body Mfsd2a-deficient (KO) mice, but not endothelium-specific Mfsd2a-deficient mice, were DHA-deficient and had significantly reduced LPC/DHA transport in vivo Fluorescein angiography indicated normal blood-retinal barrier function. Histological and electron microscopic analysis indicated that Mfsd2a KO mice exhibited a specific reduction in outer rod segment length, disorganized outer rod segment discs, and mislocalization of and reduction in rhodopsin early in postnatal development without loss of photoreceptors. Minor photoreceptor cell loss occurred in adult Mfsd2a KO mice, but electroretinography indicated visual function was normal. The developing eyes of Mfsd2a KO mice had activated microglia and up-regulation of lipogenic and cholesterogenic genes, likely adaptations to loss of LPC transport. These findings identify LPC transport via Mfsd2a as an important pathway for DHA uptake in eye and for development of photoreceptor membrane discs. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Plasma lipidomics reveals potential prognostic signatures within a cohort of cystic fibrosis patients

PubMed Central

Ollero, Mario; Astarita, Giuseppe; Guerrera, Ida Chiara; Sermet-Gaudelus, Isabelle; Trudel, Stéphanie; Piomelli, Daniele; Edelman, Aleksander

2011-01-01

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with abnormal lipid metabolism. We have recently shown variations in plasma levels of several phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lysophopshatidylcholine (LPC) species related to disease severity in CF patients. Here our goal was to search for blood plasma lipid signatures characteristic of CF patients bearing the same mutation (F508del) and different phenotypes, and to study their correlation with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic infection, evaluated at the time of testing (t = 0) and three years later (t = 3). Samples from 44 F508del homozygotes were subjected to a lipidomic approach based on LC-ESI-MS. Twelve free fatty acids were positively correlated with FEV1 at t = 0 (n = 29). Four of them (C20:3n-9, C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3, and C22:6n-3) were also positively correlated with FEV1 three years later, along with PC(32:2) and PC(36:4) (n = 31). Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) was negatively correlated with FEV1 progression (n = 17). Chronically infected patients at t = 0 showed lower PC(32:2), PC(38:5), and C18:3n-3 and higher cholesterol, cholesterol esters, and triacylglycerols (TAG). Chronically infected patients at t = 3 showed significantly lower levels of LPC(18:0). These results suggest a potential prognostic value for some lipid signatures in, to our knowledge, the first longitudinal study aimed at identifying lipid biomarkers for CF. PMID:21335323

A review of lossless audio compression standards and algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muin, Fathiah Abdul; Gunawan, Teddy Surya; Kartiwi, Mira; Elsheikh, Elsheikh M. A.

2017-09-01

Over the years, lossless audio compression has gained popularity as researchers and businesses has become more aware of the need for better quality and higher storage demand. This paper will analyse various lossless audio coding algorithm and standards that are used and available in the market focusing on Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) specifically due to its popularity and robustness in audio compression, nevertheless other prediction methods are compared to verify this. Advanced representation of LPC such as LSP decomposition techniques are also discussed within this paper.

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

Ichijo, Yuta; Mochimaru, Yuta; Azuma, Morio

Human G2A is activated by various stimuli such as lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), 9-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (9-HODE), and protons. The receptor is coupled to multiple intracellular signaling pathways, including the G{sub s}-protein/cAMP/CRE, G{sub 12/13}-protein/Rho/SRE, and G{sub q}-protein/phospholipase C/NFAT pathways. In the present study, we examined whether zebrafish G2A homologs (zG2A-a and zG2A-b) could respond to these stimuli and activate multiple intracellular signaling pathways. We also examined whether histidine residue and basic amino acid residue in the N-terminus of the homologs also play roles similar to those played by human G2A residues if the homologs sense protons. We found that the zG2A-a showed themore » high CRE, SRE, and NFAT activities, however, zG2A-b showed only the high SRE activity under a pH of 8.0. Extracellular acidification from pH 7.4 to 6.3 ameliorated these activities in zG2A-a-expressing cells. On the other hand, acidification ameliorated the SRE activity but not the CRE and NFAT activities in zG2A-b-expressing cells. LPC or 9-HODE did not modify any activity of either homolog. The substitution of histidine residue at the 174{sup th} position from the N-terminus of zG2A-a to asparagine residue attenuated proton-induced CRE and NFAT activities but not SRE activity. The substitution of arginine residue at the 32nd position from the N-terminus of zG2A-a to the alanine residue also attenuated its high and the proton-induced CRE and NFAT activities. On the contrary, the substitution did not attenuate SRE activity. The substitution of the arginine residue at the 10th position from the N-terminus of zG2A-b to the alanine residue also did not attenuate its high or the proton-induced SRE activity. These results indicate that zebrafish G2A homologs were activated by protons but not by LPC and 9-HODE, and the activation mechanisms of the homologs were similar to those of human G2A. - Highlights: • Zebrafish two G2A homologs are proton-sensing receptors. • The signaling pathways activated by the homologs are different. • Histidine residues and basic amino acid residues critical for sensing protons are conserved.« less

Variable frame rate transmission - A review of methodology and application to narrow-band LPC speech coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. R.; Makhoul, J.; Schwartz, R. M.; Huggins, A. W. F.

1982-04-01

The variable frame rate (VFR) transmission methodology developed, implemented, and tested in the years 1973-1978 for efficiently transmitting linear predictive coding (LPC) vocoder parameters extracted from the input speech at a fixed frame rate is reviewed. With the VFR method, parameters are transmitted only when their values have changed sufficiently over the interval since their preceding transmission. Two distinct approaches to automatic implementation of the VFR method are discussed. The first bases the transmission decisions on comparisons between the parameter values of the present frame and the last transmitted frame. The second, which is based on a functional perceptual model of speech, compares the parameter values of all the frames that lie in the interval between the present frame and the last transmitted frame against a linear model of parameter variation over that interval. Also considered is the application of VFR transmission to the design of narrow-band LPC speech coders with average bit rates of 2000-2400 bts/s.

A 4.8 kbps code-excited linear predictive coder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tremain, Thomas E.; Campbell, Joseph P., Jr.; Welch, Vanoy C.

1988-01-01

A secure voice system STU-3 capable of providing end-to-end secure voice communications (1984) was developed. The terminal for the new system will be built around the standard LPC-10 voice processor algorithm. The performance of the present STU-3 processor is considered to be good, its response to nonspeech sounds such as whistles, coughs and impulse-like noises may not be completely acceptable. Speech in noisy environments also causes problems with the LPC-10 voice algorithm. In addition, there is always a demand for something better. It is hoped that LPC-10's 2.4 kbps voice performance will be complemented with a very high quality speech coder operating at a higher data rate. This new coder is one of a number of candidate algorithms being considered for an upgraded version of the STU-3 in late 1989. The problems of designing a code-excited linear predictive (CELP) coder to provide very high quality speech at a 4.8 kbps data rate that can be implemented on today's hardware are considered.

Lysophosphatidylcholine: A Novel Modulator of Trypanosoma cruzi Transmission

PubMed Central

Silva-Neto, Mário A. C.; Carneiro, Alan B.; Silva-Cardoso, Livia; Atella, Georgia C.

2012-01-01

Lysophosphatidylcholine is a bioactive lipid that regulates a large number of cellular processes and is especially present during the deposition and infiltration of inflammatory cells and deposition of atheromatous plaque. Such molecule is also present in saliva and feces of the hematophagous organism Rhodnius prolixus, a triatominae bug vector of Chagas disease. We have recently demonstrated that LPC is a modulator of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission. It acts as a powerful chemoattractant for inflammatory cells at the site of the insect bite, which will provide a concentrated population of cells available for parasite infection. Also, LPC increases macrophage intracellular calcium concentrations that ultimately enhance parasite invasion. Finally, LPC inhibits NO production by macrophages stimulated by live T. cruzi, and thus interferes with the immune system of the vertebrate host. In the present paper, we discuss the main signaling mechanisms that are likely used by such molecule and their eventual use as targets to block parasite transmission and the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. PMID:22132309

Plasma non-esterified docosahexaenoic acid is the major pool supplying the brain

PubMed Central

Chen, Chuck T.; Kitson, Alex P.; Hopperton, Kathryn E.; Domenichiello, Anthony F.; Trépanier, Marc-Olivier; Lin, Lauren E.; Ermini, Leonardo; Post, Martin; Thies, Frank; Bazinet, Richard P.

2015-01-01

Despite being critical for normal brain function, the pools that supply docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to the brain are not agreed upon. Using multiple kinetic models in free-living adult rats, we first demonstrate that DHA uptake from the plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) pool predicts brain uptake of DHA upon oral administration, which enters the plasma NEFA pool as well as multiple plasma esterified pools. The rate of DHA loss by the brain is similar to the uptake from the plasma NEFA pool. Furthermore, upon acute iv administration, although more radiolabeled lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-DHA enters the brain than NEFA-DHA, this is due to the longer plasma half-life and exposure to the brain. Direct comparison of the uptake rate of LPC-DHA and NEFA-DHA demonstrates that uptake of NEFA-DHA into the brain is 10-fold greater than LPC-DHA. In conclusion, plasma NEFA-DHA is the major plasma pool supplying the brain. PMID:26511533

Event-related brain responses to emotional words, pictures, and faces – a cross-domain comparison

PubMed Central

Bayer, Mareike; Schacht, Annekathrin

2014-01-01

Emotion effects in event-related brain potentials (ERPs) have previously been reported for a range of visual stimuli, including emotional words, pictures, and facial expressions. Still, little is known about the actual comparability of emotion effects across these stimulus classes. The present study aimed to fill this gap by investigating emotion effects in response to words, pictures, and facial expressions using a blocked within-subject design. Furthermore, ratings of stimulus arousal and valence were collected from an independent sample of participants. Modulations of early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive complex (LPC) were visible for all stimulus domains, but showed clear differences, particularly in valence processing. While emotion effects were limited to positive stimuli for words, they were predominant for negative stimuli in pictures and facial expressions. These findings corroborate the notion of a positivity offset for words and a negativity bias for pictures and facial expressions, which was assumed to be caused by generally lower arousal levels of written language. Interestingly, however, these assumed differences were not confirmed by arousal ratings. Instead, words were rated as overall more positive than pictures and facial expressions. Taken together, the present results point toward systematic differences in the processing of written words and pictorial stimuli of emotional content, not only in terms of a valence bias evident in ERPs, but also concerning their emotional evaluation captured by ratings of stimulus valence and arousal. PMID:25339927

Visually guided auditory attention in a dynamic "cocktail-party" speech perception task: ERP evidence for age-related differences.

PubMed

Getzmann, Stephan; Wascher, Edmund

2017-02-01

Speech understanding in the presence of concurring sound is a major challenge especially for older persons. In particular, conversational turn-takings usually result in switch costs, as indicated by declined speech perception after changes in the relevant target talker. Here, we investigated whether visual cues indicating the future position of a target talker may reduce the costs of switching in younger and older adults. We employed a speech perception task, in which sequences of short words were simultaneously presented by three talkers, and analysed behavioural measures and event-related potentials (ERPs). Informative cues resulted in increased performance after a spatial change in target talker compared to uninformative cues, not indicating the future target position. Especially the older participants benefited from knowing the future target position in advance, indicated by reduced response times after informative cues. The ERP analysis revealed an overall reduced N2, and a reduced P3b to changes in the target talker location in older participants, suggesting reduced inhibitory control and context updating. On the other hand, a pronounced frontal late positive complex (f-LPC) to the informative cues indicated increased allocation of attentional resources to changes in target talker in the older group, in line with the decline-compensation hypothesis. Thus, knowing where to listen has the potential to compensate for age-related decline in attentional switching in a highly variable cocktail-party environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pre-stimulus EEG oscillations correlate with perceptual alternation of speech forms.

PubMed

Barraza, Paulo; Jaume-Guazzini, Francisco; Rodríguez, Eugenio

2016-05-27

Speech perception is often seen as a passive process guided by physical stimulus properties. However, ongoing brain dynamics could influence the subsequent perceptual organization of the speech, to an as yet unknown extent. To elucidate this issue, we analyzed EEG oscillatory activity before and immediately after the repetitive auditory presentation of words inducing the so-called verbal transformation effect (VTE), or spontaneous alternation of meanings due to its rapid repetition. Subjects indicated whether the meaning of the bistable word changed or not. For the Reversal more than for the Stable condition, results show a pre-stimulus local alpha desynchronization (300-50ms), followed by an early post-stimulus increase of local beta synchrony (0-80ms), and then a late increase and decrease of local alpha (200-340ms) and beta (360-440ms) synchrony respectively. Additionally, the ERPs showed that reversal positivity (RP) and reversal negativity components (RN), along with a late positivity complex (LPC) correlate with switching between verbal forms. Our results show how the ongoing dynamics brain is actively involved in the perceptual organization of the speech, destabilizing verbal perceptual states, and facilitating the perceptual regrouping of the elements composing the linguistic auditory stimulus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single-trial event-related potentials to significant stimuli.

PubMed

Rushby, Jacqueline A; Barry, Robert J

2009-11-01

The stimulus-response pattern of the skin conductance response (SCR) was used as a model of the Orienting Reflex (OR) to assess the P1, N1, P2, N2 and late positive complex (LPC/P300) components of the ERP in a simple habituation paradigm, in which a single series of 12 innocuous tones were presented at a very long interstimulus interval (2 min). To maintain their waking state during this boring task, participants were instructed to alternately close or open their eyes to each stimulus. None of the baseline-to-peak ERP measures showed trials effects comparable with the marked habituation over trials shown by the SCRs. Principal Components Analysis was used to decompose the ERP, yielding factors identified as the N1, N2, P3a, P3b and Novelty P3 components. An additional factor represented later eye-movement activity. No trial effects were apparent for the N1, N2, P3a or P3b components. The Novelty P3 showed marked response decrement over trials. These results are discussed in relation to current conceptualisations of the OR.

Simplified lipid guidelines: Prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in primary care.

PubMed

Allan, G Michael; Lindblad, Adrienne J; Comeau, Ann; Coppola, John; Hudson, Brianne; Mannarino, Marco; McMinis, Cindy; Padwal, Raj; Schelstraete, Christine; Zarnke, Kelly; Garrison, Scott; Cotton, Candra; Korownyk, Christina; McCormack, James; Nickel, Sharon; Kolber, Michael R

2015-10-01

To develop clinical practice guidelines for a simplified approach to primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), concentrating on CVD risk estimation and lipid management for primary care clinicians and their teams; we sought increased contribution from primary care professionals with little or no conflict of interest and focused on the highest level of evidence available. Nine health professionals (4 family physicians, 2 internal medicine specialists, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 registered nurse, and 1 pharmacist) and 1 nonvoting member (pharmacist project manager) comprised the overarching Lipid Pathway Committee (LPC). Member selection was based on profession, practice setting, and location, and members disclosed any actual or potential conflicts of interest. The guideline process was iterative through online posting, detailed evidence review, and telephone and online meetings. The LPC identified 12 priority questions to be addressed. The Evidence Review Group answered these questions. After review of the answers, key recommendations were derived through consensus of the LPC. The guidelines were drafted, refined, and distributed to a group of clinicians (family physicians, other specialists, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners) and patients for feedback, then refined again and finalized by the LPC. Recommendations are provided on screening and testing, risk assessments, interventions, follow-up, and the role of acetylsalicylic acid in primary prevention. These simplified lipid guidelines provide practical recommendations for prevention and treatment of CVD for primary care practitioners. All recommendations are intended to assist with, not dictate, decision making in conjunction with patients. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Simplified lipid guidelines

PubMed Central

Allan, G. Michael; Lindblad, Adrienne J.; Comeau, Ann; Coppola, John; Hudson, Brianne; Mannarino, Marco; McMinis, Cindy; Padwal, Raj; Schelstraete, Christine; Zarnke, Kelly; Garrison, Scott; Cotton, Candra; Korownyk, Christina; McCormack, James; Nickel, Sharon; Kolber, Michael R.

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective To develop clinical practice guidelines for a simplified approach to primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), concentrating on CVD risk estimation and lipid management for primary care clinicians and their teams; we sought increased contribution from primary care professionals with little or no conflict of interest and focused on the highest level of evidence available. Methods Nine health professionals (4 family physicians, 2 internal medicine specialists, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 registered nurse, and 1 pharmacist) and 1 nonvoting member (pharmacist project manager) comprised the overarching Lipid Pathway Committee (LPC). Member selection was based on profession, practice setting, and location, and members disclosed any actual or potential conflicts of interest. The guideline process was iterative through online posting, detailed evidence review, and telephone and online meetings. The LPC identified 12 priority questions to be addressed. The Evidence Review Group answered these questions. After review of the answers, key recommendations were derived through consensus of the LPC. The guidelines were drafted, refined, and distributed to a group of clinicians (family physicians, other specialists, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners) and patients for feedback, then refined again and finalized by the LPC. Recommendations Recommendations are provided on screening and testing, risk assessments, interventions, follow-up, and the role of acetylsalicylic acid in primary prevention. Conclusion These simplified lipid guidelines provide practical recommendations for prevention and treatment of CVD for primary care practitioners. All recommendations are intended to assist with, not dictate, decision making in conjunction with patients. PMID:26472792

Temporospatial analysis of explicit and implicit processing of negative content during word comprehension.

PubMed

Hinojosa, J A; Albert, J; López-Martín, S; Carretié, L

2014-06-01

Although divergences between explicit and implicit processing of affective content during word comprehension have been reported, the underlying nature of those differences remains in dispute. Prior studies focused on either the timing or the spatial location of the effects. The present study examined the precise dynamics of the processing of negative words when attention is directed to affective content or to non-emotional properties by capitalizing on fine temporal resolution of the event-related potentials (ERPs) and recent advances in source localization. Tasks were used that required accessing knowledge about different semantic properties of negative and neutral words. In the direct task, participants' attention was directed towards emotional information. By contrast, subjects had to decide whether the words' referent could be touched or not in the indirect task. Regardless of being processed explicitly or implicitly, negative compared to neutral words were associated with more errors and greater key pressure responses. Electrophysiologically, affective processing was reflected in larger amplitudes to negative words in a late positive component (LPC) at the scalp level, and in increased activity in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) at the voxel level. Interestingly, an interaction between emotion and type of task was observed. Negative words were associated with more errors, larger anterior distributed LPC amplitudes and increased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in the direct compared to the indirect task. This LPC effect was modulated by the concreteness of the words. Finally, a task effect was found in a posterior negativity around 220ms, with enhanced amplitudes to words in the direct compared to the indirect task. The present results suggest that negative information contained in written language is processed irrespective of controlled attention is directed to it or not, but that this processing is reinforced in the former case. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IκB kinaseα/β control biliary homeostasis and hepatocarcinogenesis in mice by phosphorylating the cell-death mediator receptor-interacting protein kinase 1.

PubMed

Koppe, Christiane; Verheugd, Patricia; Gautheron, Jérémie; Reisinger, Florian; Kreggenwinkel, Karina; Roderburg, Christoph; Quagliata, Luca; Terracciano, Luigi; Gassler, Nikolaus; Tolba, René H; Boege, Yannick; Weber, Achim; Karin, Michael; Luedde, Mark; Neumann, Ulf P; Weiskirchen, Ralf; Tacke, Frank; Vucur, Mihael; Trautwein, Christian; Lüscher, Bernhard; Preisinger, Christian; Heikenwalder, Mathias; Luedde, Tom

2016-10-01

The IκB-Kinase (IKK) complex-consisting of the catalytic subunits, IKKα and IKKβ, as well as the regulatory subunit, NEMO-mediates activation of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway, but previous studies suggested the existence of NF-κB-independent functions of IKK subunits with potential impact on liver physiology and disease. Programmed cell death is a crucial factor in the progression of liver diseases, and receptor-interacting kinases (RIPKs) exerts strategic control over multiple pathways involved in regulating novel programmed cell-death pathways and inflammation. We hypothesized that RIPKs might be unrecognized targets of the catalytic IKK-complex subunits, thereby regulating hepatocarcinogenesis and cholestasis. In this present study, mice with specific genetic inhibition of catalytic IKK activity in liver parenchymal cells (LPCs; IKKα/β(LPC-KO) ) were intercrossed with RIPK1(LPC-KO) or RIPK3(-/-) mice to examine whether RIPK1 or RIPK3 might be downstream targets of IKKs. Moreover, we performed in vivo phospho-proteome analyses and in vitro kinase assays, mass spectrometry, and mutagenesis experiments. These analyses revealed that IKKα and IKKβ-in addition to their known function in NF-κB activation-directly phosphorylate RIPK1 at distinct regions of the protein, thereby regulating cell viability. Loss of this IKKα/β-dependent RIPK1 phosphorylation in LPCs inhibits compensatory proliferation of hepatocytes and intrahepatic biliary cells, thus impeding HCC development, but promoting biliary cell paucity and lethal cholestasis. IKK-complex subunits transmit a previously unrecognized signal through RIPK1, which is fundamental for the long-term consequences of chronic hepatic inflammation and might have potential implications for future pharmacological strategies against cholestatic liver disease and cancer. (Hepatology 2016;64:1217-1231). © 2016 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Age-related effects on perceptual and semantic encoding in memory.

PubMed

Kuo, M C C; Liu, K P Y; Ting, K H; Chan, C C H

2014-03-07

This study examined the age-related subsequent memory effect (SME) in perceptual and semantic encoding using event-related potentials (ERPs). Seventeen younger adults and 17 older adults studied a series of Chinese characters either perceptually (by inspecting orthographic components) or semantically (by determining whether the depicted object makes sounds). The two tasks had similar levels of difficulty. The participants made studied or unstudied judgments during the recognition phase. Younger adults performed better in both conditions, with significant SMEs detected in the time windows of P2, N3, P550, and late positive component (LPC). In the older group, SMEs were observed in the P2 and N3 latencies in both conditions but were only detected in the P550 in the semantic condition. Between-group analyses showed larger frontal and central SMEs in the younger sample in the LPC latency regardless of encoding type. Aging effect appears to be stronger on influencing perceptual than semantic encoding processes. The effects seem to be associated with a decline in updating and maintaining representations during perceptual encoding. The age-related decline in the encoding function may be due in part to changes in frontal lobe function. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Faces forming traces: neurophysiological correlates of learning naturally distinctive and caricatured faces.

PubMed

Schulz, Claudia; Kaufmann, Jürgen M; Kurt, Alexander; Schweinberger, Stefan R

2012-10-15

Distinctive faces are easier to learn and recognise than typical faces. We investigated effects of natural vs. artificial distinctiveness on performance and neural correlates of face learning. Spatial caricatures of initially non-distinctive faces were created such that their rated distinctiveness matched a set of naturally distinctive faces. During learning, we presented naturally distinctive, caricatured, and non-distinctive faces for later recognition among novel faces, using different images of the same identities at learning and test. For learned faces, an advantage in performance was observed for naturally distinctive and caricatured over non-distinctive faces, with larger benefits for naturally distinctive faces. Distinctive and caricatured faces elicited more negative occipitotemporal ERPs (P200, N250) and larger centroparietal positivity (LPC) during learning. At test, earliest distinctiveness effects were again seen in the P200. In line with recent research, N250 and LPC were larger for learned than for novel faces overall. Importantly, whereas left hemispheric N250 was increased for learned naturally distinctive faces, right hemispheric N250 responded particularly to caricatured novel faces. We conclude that natural distinctiveness induces benefits to face recognition beyond those induced by exaggeration of a face's idiosyncratic shape, and that the left hemisphere in particular may mediate recognition across different images. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ERP evidence for consumer evaluation of copycat brands.

PubMed

Shang, Qian; Pei, Guanxiong; Jin, Jia; Zhang, Wuke; Wang, Yuran; Wang, Xiaoyi

2018-01-01

Copycat brands mimic brand leaders to free ride on the latter's equity. However, little is known regarding if and how consumers confuse copycat as leading brand in purchasing. In this study, we applied a word-pair evaluation paradigm in which the first word was a brand name (copycat vs. normal brand both similar with a leading brand in category), followed by a product name (near vs. far from the leading brand's category). Behavioral results showed that, when the product is near the leader's category, the copycat strategy (CN) was more preferred compared to the normal brand (NN) but not different in the far product condition (CF and NF). Event-related potential (ERP) data provided further insight into the mechanism. The N400 amplitude elicited by the CN condition was significantly smaller than NN. However, when products are far from the leader's category, there was no significant difference in N400 amplitudes. For the late positive component (LPC), the CN gave rise to a larger amplitude than the CF. The N400 amplitude was suggested to reflect the categorization process, and the LPC demonstrated the recollection process in long-term memory. These findings imply that the copycat brand strategy is generally only effective when products are within the category of the leading brand, which offers important implications for marketing practices.

Glass and liquid phase diagram of a polyamorphic monatomic system.

PubMed

Reisman, Shaina; Giovambattista, Nicolas

2013-02-14

We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a monatomic system with Fermi-Jagla (FJ) pair potential interactions. This model system exhibits polyamorphism both in the liquid and glass state. The two liquids, low-density (LDL) and high-density liquid (HDL), are accessible in equilibrium MD simulations and can form two glasses, low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) solid, upon isobaric cooling. The FJ model exhibits many of the anomalous properties observed in water and other polyamorphic liquids and thus, it is an excellent model system to explore qualitatively the thermodynamic properties of such substances. The liquid phase behavior of the FJ model system has been previously characterized. In this work, we focus on the glass behavior of the FJ system. Specifically, we perform systematic isothermal compression and decompression simulations of LDA and HDA at different temperatures and determine "phase diagrams" for the glass state; these phase diagrams varying with the compression/decompression rate used. We obtain the LDA-to-HDA and HDA-to-LDA transition pressure loci, P(LDA-HDA)(T) and P(HDA-LDA)(T), respectively. In addition, the compression-induced amorphization line, at which the low-pressure crystal (LPC) transforms to HDA, P(LPC-HDA)(T), is determined. As originally proposed by Poole et al. [Phys. Rev. E 48, 4605 (1993)] simulations suggest that the P(LDA-HDA)(T) and P(HDA-LDA)(T) loci are extensions of the LDL-to-HDL and HDL-to-LDL spinodal lines into the glass domain. Interestingly, our simulations indicate that the P(LPC-HDA)(T) locus is an extension, into the glass domain, of the LPC metastability limit relative to the liquid. We discuss the effects of compression/decompression rates on the behavior of the P(LDA-HDA)(T), P(HDA-LDA)(T), P(LPC-HDA)(T) loci. The competition between glass polyamorphism and crystallization is also addressed. At our "fast rate," crystallization can be partially suppressed and the glass phase diagram can be related directly with the liquid phase diagram. However, at our "slow rate," crystallization cannot be prevented at intermediate temperatures, within the glass region. In these cases, multiple crystal-crystal transformations are found upon compression/decompression (polymorphism).

Assessment of lesser prairie-chicken lek density relative to landscape characteristics in Texas

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

Timmer, Jennifer; Butler, Matthew; Ballard, Warren

My 2.5-yr Master's project accomplished the objectives of estimating lesser prairie-chicken (LPC) lek density and abundance in the Texas occupied range and modeling anthropogenic and landscape features associated with lek density by flying helicopter lek surveys for 2 field seasons and employing a line-transect distance sampling method. This project was important for several reasons. Firstly, wildlife managers and biologists have traditionally monitored LPC populations with road-based surveys that may result in biased estimates and do not provide access to privately-owned or remote property. From my aerial surveys and distance sampling, I was able to provide accurate density and abundance estimates,more » as well as new leks and I detected LPCs outside the occupied range. Secondly, recent research has indicated that energy development has the potential to impact LPCs through avoidance of tall structures, increased mortality from raptors perching on transmission lines, disturbance to nesting hens, and habitat loss/fragmentation. Given the potential wind energy development in the Texas Panhandle, spatial models of current anthropogenic and vegetative features (such as transmission lines, roads, and percent native grassland) influencing lek density were needed. This information provided wildlife managers and wind energy developers in Texas with guidelines for how change in landscape features could impact LPCs. Lastly, LPC populations have faced range-wide declines over the last century and they are currently listed as a candidate species under the Endangered Species Act. I was able to provide timely information on LPC populations in Texas that will be used during the listing process.« less

Design of a robust baseband LPC coder for speech transmission over 9.6 kbit/s noisy channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. R.; Russell, W. H.; Higgins, A. L.

1982-04-01

This paper describes the design of a baseband Linear Predictive Coder (LPC) which transmits speech over 9.6 kbit/sec synchronous channels with random bit errors of up to 1%. Presented are the results of our investigation of a number of aspects of the baseband LPC coder with the goal of maximizing the quality of the transmitted speech. Important among these aspects are: bandwidth of the baseband, coding of the baseband residual, high-frequency regeneration, and error protection of important transmission parameters. The paper discusses these and other issues, presents the results of speech-quality tests conducted during the various stages of optimization, and describes the details of the optimized speech coder. This optimized speech coding algorithm has been implemented as a real-time full-duplex system on an array processor. Informal listening tests of the real-time coder have shown that the coder produces good speech quality in the absence of channel bit errors and introduces only a slight degradation in quality for channel bit error rates of up to 1%.

Spontaneous default mode network phase-locking moderates performance perceptions under stereotype threat

PubMed Central

Leitner, Jordan B.; Duran-Jordan, Kelly; Magerman, Adam B.; Schmader, Toni; Allen, John J. B.

2015-01-01

This study assessed whether individual differences in self-oriented neural processing were associated with performance perceptions of minority students under stereotype threat. Resting electroencephalographic activity recorded in white and minority participants was used to predict later estimates of task errors and self-doubt on a presumed measure of intelligence. We assessed spontaneous phase-locking between dipole sources in left lateral parietal cortex (LPC), precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (P/PCC), and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC); three regions of the default mode network (DMN) that are integral for self-oriented processing. Results revealed that minorities with greater LPC-P/PCC phase-locking in the theta band reported more accurate error estimations. All individuals experienced less self-doubt to the extent they exhibited greater LPC-MPFC phase-locking in the alpha band but this effect was driven by minorities. Minorities also reported more self-doubt to the extent they overestimated errors. Findings reveal novel neural moderators of stereotype threat effects on subjective experience. Spontaneous synchronization between DMN regions may play a role in anticipatory coping mechanisms that buffer individuals from stereotype threat. PMID:25398433

Video quality assessment using motion-compensated temporal filtering and manifold feature similarity

PubMed Central

Yu, Mei; Jiang, Gangyi; Shao, Feng; Peng, Zongju

2017-01-01

Well-performed Video quality assessment (VQA) method should be consistent with human visual systems for better prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose a VQA method using motion-compensated temporal filtering (MCTF) and manifold feature similarity. To be more specific, a group of frames (GoF) is first decomposed into a temporal high-pass component (HPC) and a temporal low-pass component (LPC) by MCTF. Following this, manifold feature learning (MFL) and phase congruency (PC) are used to predict the quality of temporal LPC and temporal HPC respectively. The quality measures of the LPC and the HPC are then combined as GoF quality. A temporal pooling strategy is subsequently used to integrate GoF qualities into an overall video quality. The proposed VQA method appropriately processes temporal information in video by MCTF and temporal pooling strategy, and simulate human visual perception by MFL. Experiments on publicly available video quality database showed that in comparison with several state-of-the-art VQA methods, the proposed VQA method achieves better consistency with subjective video quality and can predict video quality more accurately. PMID:28445489

The remote infrared remote control system based on LPC1114

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yingjie; Guo, Kai; Xu, Xinni; Sun, Dayu; Wang, Li

2018-05-01

In view of the shortcomings such as the short control distance of the traditional air conditioner remote controller on the market nowadays and combining with the current smart home new mode "Cloud+ Terminal" mode, a smart home system based on internet is designed and designed to be fully applied to the simple and reliable features of the LPC1114 chip. The controller is added with temperature control module, timing module and other modules. Through the actual test, it achieved remote control air conditioning, with reliability and stability and brought great convenience to people's lives.

Following the time course of face gender and expression processing: a task-dependent ERP study.

PubMed

Valdés-Conroy, Berenice; Aguado, Luis; Fernández-Cahill, María; Romero-Ferreiro, Verónica; Diéguez-Risco, Teresa

2014-05-01

The effects of task demands and the interaction between gender and expression in face perception were studied using event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants performed three different tasks with male and female faces that were emotionally inexpressive or that showed happy or angry expressions. In two of the tasks (gender and expression categorization) facial properties were task-relevant while in a third task (symbol discrimination) facial information was irrelevant. Effects of expression were observed on the visual P100 component under all task conditions, suggesting the operation of an automatic process that is not influenced by task demands. The earliest interaction between expression and gender was observed later in the face-sensitive N170 component. This component showed differential modulations by specific combinations of gender and expression (e.g., angry male vs. angry female faces). Main effects of expression and task were observed in a later occipito-temporal component peaking around 230 ms post-stimulus onset (EPN or early posterior negativity). Less positive amplitudes in the presence of angry faces and during performance of the gender and expression tasks were observed. Finally, task demands also modulated a positive component peaking around 400 ms (LPC, or late positive complex) that showed enhanced amplitude for the gender task. The pattern of results obtained here adds new evidence about the sequence of operations involved in face processing and the interaction of facial properties (gender and expression) in response to different task demands. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Altered activity of lysophospholipase D, which produces bioactive lysophosphatidic acid and choline, in serum from women with pathological pregnancy.

PubMed

Tokumura, A; Kume, T; Taira, S; Yasuda, K; Kanzaki, H

2009-05-01

Altered lipid metabolism is associated with human abnormal pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia and preterm labor, and potentially leads to fetus loss. A causative factor for the onset and progress of the systemic multifactorial syndromes associated with the pathological pregnancy is oxidized low-density lipoprotein, an active identity of which was postulated to be lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). We previously found that LPA is produced extracellularly by plasma lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD) activity of autotaxin, a tumor cell motility-stimulating protein. In this study, a convenient assay based on the choline released from endogenous substrate or exogenous lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was used for comparison of serum lysoPLD activity among patients with normal and abnormal pregnancy. The serum choline-producing activity was found to be mainly due to autotaxin, and dependent on its dilution rate. There was some association between low dilution dependency of serum lysoPLD activity toward an exogenous LPC and high lysoPLD activity toward endogenous substrates in cases of patients with preterm labor and pre-eclampsia. However, there was no difference in the serum level of LPC between women with normal pregnancy and those with pathological pregnancy. These results indicate that production of bioactive LPA by lysoPLD activity is elevated by an unknown mechanism that may be related to increased availability of endogenous substrates LPC, but not its concentration in human serum. If the level of LPA in blood circulation is elevated in the pathological pregnancies in vivo, it may play a role in induction and/or progression of systemic vascular dysfunction seen patients with preterm labor or pre-eclampsia.

Response of Korean pine’s functional traits to geography and climate

PubMed Central

Dong, Yichen

2017-01-01

This study analyzed the characteristics of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) functional trait responses to geographic and climatic factors in the eastern region of Northeast China (41°–48°N) and the linear relationships among Korean pine functional traits, to explore this species’ adaptability and ecological regulation strategies under different environmental conditions. Korean pine samples were collected from eight sites located at different latitudes, and the following factors were determined for each site: geographic factors—latitude, longitude, and altitude; temperature factors—mean annual temperature (MAT), growth season mean temperature (GST), and mean temperature of the coldest month (MTCM); and moisture factors—annual precipitation (AP), growth season precipitation (GSP), and potential evapotranspiration (PET). The Korean pine functional traits examined were specific leaf area (SLA), leaf thickness (LT), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific root length (SRL), leaf nitrogen content (LNC), leaf phosphorus content (LPC), root nitrogen content (RNC), and root phosphorus content (RPC). The results showed that Korean pine functional traits were significantly correlated to latitude, altitude, GST, MTCM, AP, GSP, and PET. Among the Korean pine functional traits, SLA showed significant linear relationships with LT, LDMC, LNC, LPC, and RPC, and LT showed significant linear relationships with LDMC, SRL, LNC, LPC, RNC, and RPC; the linear relationships between LNC, LPC, RNC, and RPC were also significant. In conclusion, Korean pine functional trait responses to latitude resulted in its adaptation to geographic and climatic factors. The main limiting factors were precipitation and evapotranspiration, followed by altitude, latitude, GST, and MTCM. The impacts of longitude and MAT were not obvious. Changes in precipitation and temperature were most responsible for the close correlation among Korean pine functional traits, reflecting its adaption to habitat variation. PMID:28886053

Expression and localization of sterile alpha motif domain containing 5 is associated with cell type and malignancy of biliary tree

PubMed Central

Harada, Kenichi; Inagaki, Fuyuki F.; Saijou, Eiko; Miura, Yasushi; Nakanuma, Yasuni; Miyajima, Atsushi

2017-01-01

Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is a type of relatively rare neoplasm in adenocarcinoma. The characteristics of CCs as well as biliary epithelial cells are heterogeneous at the different portion of the biliary tree. There are two candidate stem/progenitor cells of the biliary tree, i.e., biliary tree stem/progenitor cell (BTSC) at the peribiliary gland (PBG) of large bile ducts and liver stem/progenitor cell (LPC) at the canals of Hering of peripheral small bile duct. Although previous reports suggest that intrahepatic CC (ICC) can arise from such stem/progenitor cells, the characteristic difference between BTSC and LPC in pathological process needs further investigation, and the etiology of CC remains poorly understood. Here we show that Sterile alpha motif domain containing 5 (SAMD5) is exclusively expressed in PBGs of large bile ducts in normal mice. Using a mouse model of cholestatic liver disease, we demonstrated that SAMD5 expression was upregulated in the large bile duct at the hepatic hilum, the extrahepatic bile duct and PBGs, but not in proliferating intrahepatic ductules, suggesting that SAMD5 is expressed in BTSC but not LPC. Intriguingly, human ICCs and extrahepatic CCs exhibited striking nuclear localization of SAMD5 while the normal hilar large bile duct displayed slight-to-moderate expression in cytoplasm. In vitro experiments using siRNA for SAMD5 revealed that SAMD5 expression was associated with the cell cycle regulation of CC cell lines. Conclusion: SAMD5 is a novel marker for PBG but not LPC in mice. In humans, the expression and location of SAMD5 could become a promising diagnostic marker for the cell type as well as malignancy of bile ducts and CCs. PMID:28388653

Adenosine A2A receptor blockade attenuates spatial memory deficit and extent of demyelination areas in lyolecithin-induced demyelination model.

PubMed

Akbari, Atefeh; Khalili-Fomeshi, Mohsen; Ashrafpour, Manouchehr; Moghadamnia, Ali Akbar; Ghasemi-Kasman, Maryam

2018-05-03

In recent years, inactivation of A 2A adenosine receptors has been emerged as a novel strategy for treatment of several neurodegenerative diseases. Although numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of A 2A receptors blockade on spatial memory, the impacts of selective adenosine A 2A receptors on memory performance has not yet been examined in the context of demyelination. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of A 2A receptor antagonist SCH58261 on spatial memory and myelination in an experimental model of focal demyelination in rat fimbria. Demyelination was induced by local injection of lysolecithin (LPC) 1% (2 μl) into the hippocampus fimbria. SCH58261 (20 μg/0.5 μl or 40 μg/0.5 μl) was daily injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) for 10 days post LPC injection. The Morris water maze test was used to assess the spatial learning and memory on day 6 post lesion. Myelin staining and immunostaining against astrocytes/microglia were carried out 10 days post LPC injection. The administration of adenosine A 2A receptor antagonist prevented the spatial memory impairment in LPC receiving animals. Myelin staining revealed that application of SCH58261 reduces the extent of demyelination areas in the fimbria. Furthermore, the level of astrocytes and microglia activation was attenuated following administration of A 2A receptor antagonist. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that A 2A receptor blockade can improve the spatial memory and protect myelin sheath, which might be considered as a novel therapeutic approach for multiple sclerosis disease. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Dynamic impact of brief electrical nerve stimulation on the neural immune axis-polarization of macrophages toward a pro-repair phenotype in demyelinated peripheral nerve.

PubMed

McLean, Nikki A; Verge, Valerie M K

2016-09-01

Demyelinating peripheral nerves are infiltrated by cells of the monocyte lineage, including macrophages, which are highly plastic, existing on a continuum from pro-inflammatory M1 to pro-repair M2 phenotypic states. Whether one can therapeutically manipulate demyelinated peripheral nerves to promote a pro-repair M2 phenotype remains to be elucidated. We previously identified brief electrical nerve stimulation (ES) as therapeutically beneficial for remyelination, benefits which include accelerated clearance of macrophages, making us theorize that ES alters the local immune response. Thus, the impact of ES on the immune microenvironment in the zone of demyelination was examined. Adult male rat tibial nerves were focally demyelinated via 1% lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) injection. Five days later, half underwent 1 hour 20 Hz sciatic nerve ES proximal to the LPC injection site. ES had a remarkable and significant impact, shifting the macrophage phenotype from predominantly pro-inflammatory/M1 toward a predominantly pro-repair/M2 one, as evidenced by an increased incidence of expression of M2-associated phenotypic markers in identified macrophages and a decrease in M1-associated marker expression. This was discernible at 3 days post-ES (8 days post-LPC) and continued at the 5 day post-ES (10 days post-LPC) time point examined. ES also affected chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2; aka MCP-1) expression in a manner that correlated with increases and decreases in macrophage numbers observed in the demyelination zone. The data establish that briefly increasing neuronal activity favorably alters the immune microenvironment in demyelinated nerve, rapidly polarizing macrophages toward a pro-repair phenotype, a beneficial therapeutic concept that may extend to other pathologies. GLIA 2016;64:1546-1561. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Simulation of the Plasma Density Evolution during Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating at the T-10 Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dnestrovskij, Yu. N.; Vershkov, V. A.; Danilov, A. V.; Dnestrovskij, A. Yu.; Zenin, V. N.; Lysenko, S. E.; Melnikov, A. V.; Shelukhin, D. A.; Subbotin, G. F.; Cherkasov, S. V.

2018-01-01

In ohmically heated (OH) plasma with low recycling, an improved particle confinement (IPC) mode is established during gas puffing. However, after gas puffing is switched off, this mode is retained only for about 100 ms, after which an abrupt phase transition into the low particle confinement (LPC) mode occurs in the entire plasma cross section. During such a transition, energy transport due to heat conduction does not change. The phase transition in OH plasma is similar to the effect of density pump-out from the plasma core, which occurs after electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is switched on. Analysis of the measured plasma pressure profiles in the T-10 tokamak shows that, after gas puffing in the OH mode is switched off, the plasma pressure profile in the IPC stage becomes more peaked and, after the peakedness exceeds a certain critical value, the IPC-LPC transition occurs. Similar processes are also observed during ECH. If the pressure profile is insufficiently peaked during ECH, then the density pump-out effect comes into play only after the critical peakedness of the pressure profile is reached. In the plasma core, the density and pressure profiles are close to the corresponding canonical profiles. This allows one to derive an expression for the particle flux within the canonical profile model and formulate a criterion for the IPC-LPC transition. The time evolution of the plasma density profile during phase transitions was simulated for a number of T-10 shots with ECH and high recycling. The particle transport coefficients in the IPC and LPC phases, as well as the dependences of these coefficients on the ECH power, are determined.

Autotaxin activity increases locally following lung injury, but is not required for pulmonary lysophosphatidic acid production or fibrosis.

PubMed

Black, Katharine E; Berdyshev, Evgeny; Bain, Gretchen; Castelino, Flavia V; Shea, Barry S; Probst, Clemens K; Fontaine, Benjamin A; Bronova, Irina; Goulet, Lance; Lagares, David; Ahluwalia, Neil; Knipe, Rachel S; Natarajan, Viswanathan; Tager, Andrew M

2016-06-01

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is an important mediator of pulmonary fibrosis. In blood and multiple tumor types, autotaxin produces LPA from lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) via lysophospholipase D activity, but alternative enzymatic pathways also exist for LPA production. We examined the role of autotaxin (ATX) in pulmonary LPA production during fibrogenesis in a bleomycin mouse model. We found that bleomycin injury increases the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid levels of ATX protein 17-fold. However, the LPA and LPC species that increase in BAL of bleomycin-injured mice were discordant, inconsistent with a substrate-product relationship between LPC and LPA in pulmonary fibrosis. LPA species with longer chain polyunsaturated acyl groups predominated in BAL fluid after bleomycin injury, with 22:5 and 22:6 species accounting for 55 and 16% of the total, whereas the predominant BAL LPC species contained shorter chain, saturated acyl groups, with 16:0 and 18:0 species accounting for 56 and 14% of the total. Further, administration of the potent ATX inhibitor PAT-048 to bleomycin-challenged mice markedly decreased ATX activity systemically and in the lung, without effect on pulmonary LPA or fibrosis. Therefore, alternative ATX-independent pathways are likely responsible for local generation of LPA in the injured lung. These pathways will require identification to therapeutically target LPA production in pulmonary fibrosis.-Black, K. E., Berdyshev, E., Bain, G., Castelino, F. V., Shea, B. S., Probst, C. K., Fontaine, B. A., Bronova, I., Goulet, L., Lagares, D., Ahluwalia, N., Knipe, R. S., Natarajan, V., Tager, A. M. Autotaxin activity increases locally following lung injury, but is not required for pulmonary lysophosphatidic acid production or fibrosis. © FASEB.

Response of Korean pine's functional traits to geography and climate.

PubMed

Dong, Yichen; Liu, Yanhong

2017-01-01

This study analyzed the characteristics of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) functional trait responses to geographic and climatic factors in the eastern region of Northeast China (41°-48°N) and the linear relationships among Korean pine functional traits, to explore this species' adaptability and ecological regulation strategies under different environmental conditions. Korean pine samples were collected from eight sites located at different latitudes, and the following factors were determined for each site: geographic factors-latitude, longitude, and altitude; temperature factors-mean annual temperature (MAT), growth season mean temperature (GST), and mean temperature of the coldest month (MTCM); and moisture factors-annual precipitation (AP), growth season precipitation (GSP), and potential evapotranspiration (PET). The Korean pine functional traits examined were specific leaf area (SLA), leaf thickness (LT), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific root length (SRL), leaf nitrogen content (LNC), leaf phosphorus content (LPC), root nitrogen content (RNC), and root phosphorus content (RPC). The results showed that Korean pine functional traits were significantly correlated to latitude, altitude, GST, MTCM, AP, GSP, and PET. Among the Korean pine functional traits, SLA showed significant linear relationships with LT, LDMC, LNC, LPC, and RPC, and LT showed significant linear relationships with LDMC, SRL, LNC, LPC, RNC, and RPC; the linear relationships between LNC, LPC, RNC, and RPC were also significant. In conclusion, Korean pine functional trait responses to latitude resulted in its adaptation to geographic and climatic factors. The main limiting factors were precipitation and evapotranspiration, followed by altitude, latitude, GST, and MTCM. The impacts of longitude and MAT were not obvious. Changes in precipitation and temperature were most responsible for the close correlation among Korean pine functional traits, reflecting its adaption to habitat variation.

Usage of lidocaine-prilocaine cream in the treatment of postburn pain in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Kargi, Eksal; Tekerekoğlu, Bülent

2010-05-01

Facial burns are quite common among children. Many different wound-covers can be used for dressing burn wounds, which is usually painful for the patients. These covers can also be combined with local anesthetic creams. Lidocaine-prilocaine cream 5% (LPC) is commonly used as a topical anesthetic by physicians performing plastic surgery. In the present study, we investigated the effects of topical LPC on pain cessation in pediatric patients with face burn and compared results with a control group in which LPC was not used in the wound dressing. Thirty pediatric patients (average age 11.3, range 8-15) among those who admitted to our emergency service and plastic surgery outpatient clinic between 2003 and 2006 were included in this study. The patient's burned areas ranged between 1 and 5% percent of their total body surface. The need for analgesic medicine was recorded in the first, second and third 8-hour periods postburn in both groups, and pain level was evaluated at these time points using a verbal rating scale. There was a significant difference between the two groups with respect to values of the first and second 8-hour periods, while in the third 8-hour period, no significant difference was observed. We conclude that topical local anesthetics administered for 16 hours postburn significantly reduce the duration of pain after injury, which suggests a potential use in clinical practice in the treatment of children with face burn. While LPC was found to have an ameliorating effect in the first 16 hours, we recommend oral analgesic co-therapy support since it loses its efficacy in the last 8-hour period.

Response of three broccoli cultivars to salt stress, in relation to water status and expression of two leaf aquaporins.

PubMed

Muries, Beatriz; Carvajal, Micaela; Martínez-Ballesta, María Del Carmen

2013-05-01

The aim of this study was to compare differences in water relations in the leaves of three broccoli cultivars and differential induction of the expression of PIP2 aquaporin isoforms under salt stress. Although broccoli is known to be moderately tolerant to salinity, scarce information exists about the involvement of leaf aquaporins in its adaptation to salinity. Thus, leaf water relations, leaf cell hydraulic conductivity (Lpc), gas exchange parameters and the PIP2 expression pattern were determined for short- (15 h) and long- (15 days) term NaCl treatments. In the long term, the lower half-time of water exchange in the cells of cv. Naxos, compared with Parthenon and Chronos, and its increased PIP2 abundance may have contributed to its Lpc maintenance. This unmodified Lpc in cv. Naxos under prolonged salinity may have diluted NaCl in the leaves, as suggested by lower Na(+) concentrations in the leaf sap. By contrast, the increase in the half-time of water exchange and the lower PIP2 abundance in cvs. Chronos and Parthenon would have contributed to the reduced Lpc values. In cv. Parthenon, there were no differences between the ε values of control and salt-stressed plants; in consequence, cell turgor was enhanced. Also, the increases in BoPIP2;2 and BoPIP2;3 expression in cv. Chronos for the short-term NaCl treatment suggest that these isoforms are involved in osmotic regulation as downstream factors in this cultivar, in fact, in the short-term, Chronos had a significantly reduced osmotic potential and higher PIP2 isoforms expression.

Dissociable Effects of Valence and Arousal on Different Subtypes of Old/New Effect: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

PubMed Central

Xu, Huifang; Zhang, Qin; Li, Bingbing; Guo, Chunyan

2015-01-01

Here, we utilized the study-test paradigm combined with recognition confidence assessment and behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measurements to investigate the effects of valence and arousal on the different subtypes of the old-new effect. We also test the effect of valence and arousal at encoding stage to investigate the underlying mechanism of the effect of the two emotional dimension on different retrieval process. In order to test the effects of valence and arousal on old/new effect precisely, we used the “subject-oriented orthogonal design” which manipulated valence and arousal independently according to subjects’ verbal reporting to investigate the effects of valence and arousal on old/new effect respectively. Three subtypes of old/new effect were obtained in the test phase, which were FN400, LPC, and late positivity over right frontal. They are supposed to be associated with familiarity, recollection, and post-retrieval processes respectively according to previous studies. For the FN400 component, valence affected mid-frontal negativity from 350–500 ms. Pleasant items evoked an enhanced ERP old/new effect relative to unpleasant items. However, arousal only affected LPC amplitude from 500–800 ms. The old/new effect for high-arousal items was greater than for low-arousal items. Valence also affected the amplitude of a positive-going slow wave at right frontal sites from 800–1000 ms, possibly serving as an index of post-retrieval processing. At encoding stage, the valence and arousal also have dissociable effect on the frontal slow wave between 350–800 ms and the centro-parietal positivity in 500–800 ms. The pleasant items evoked a more positive frontal slow wave relative to unpleasant ones, and the high arousal items evoked a larger centro-parietal positivity relative to low arousal ones. These results suggest that valence and arousal may differentially impact these different memory processes: valence affects familiarity and post-retrieval processing, whereas arousal affects recollection. These effects may be due to the conceptual encoding strategies for pleasant information and sensory encoding strategies for high arousal information. PMID:26696862

Images of tactile intimacy in same-sex dyads elicit larger P2 and LPC amplitudes.

PubMed

Yang, Juan; Ding, Wei; Chen, Peifeng; Zhang, Qinglin

2008-08-22

There is considerable behavioral evidence suggesting that the tactile intimacy between same-sex dyads might be viewed negatively. However, there is no electrophysiological evidence. In order to address this issue, event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded when both male and female participants were asked to evaluate whether the behaviors in same-sex dyads were appropriate or not. Both participant groups responded faster when they evaluated intimate pictures showing two males. The female participants were more inclined to tolerate female same-sex intimate pictures than the male participants. The deflections of P2 (150-250 ms) and LPC (400-600 ms) were significantly amplified in the intimate condition than in the non-intimate one, indicating that same-sex intimate pictures elicited negative emotions in participants. The female intimate pictures elicited larger LPC (600-900 ms) than the male intimate pictures only in the case of the female participants, indicating that female participants might enjoy in same-sex interactions as the dyads shown in the picture, and greater processing resources were required in evaluating processes. Above all, behavioral and electrophysiological scalp data provided the evidence that the tactile intimacy between same-sex dyads was viewed negatively.

Development of a good-quality speech coder for transmission over noisy channels at 2.4 kb/s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. R.; Berouti, M.; Higgins, A.; Russell, W.

1982-03-01

This report describes the development, study, and experimental results of a 2.4 kb/s speech coder called harmonic deviations (HDV) vocoder, which transmits good-quality speech over noisy channels with bit-error rates of up to 1%. The HDV coder is based on the linear predictive coding (LPC) vocoder, and it transmits additional information over and above the data transmitted by the LPC vocoder, in the form of deviations between the speech spectrum and the LPC all-pole model spectrum at a selected set of frequencies. At the receiver, the spectral deviations are used to generate the excitation signal for the all-pole synthesis filter. The report describes and compares several methods for extracting the spectral deviations from the speech signal and for encoding them. To limit the bit-rate of the HDV coder to 2.4 kb/s the report discusses several methods including orthogonal transformation and minimum-mean-square-error scalar quantization of log area ratios, two-stage vector-scalar quantization, and variable frame rate transmission. The report also presents the results of speech-quality optimization of the HDV coder at 2.4 kb/s.

Mapping human temporal and parietal neuronal population activity and functional coupling during mathematical cognition

PubMed Central

Daitch, Amy L.; Foster, Brett L.; Schrouff, Jessica; Rangarajan, Vinitha; Kaşikçi, Itır; Gattas, Sandra; Parvizi, Josef

2016-01-01

Brain areas within the lateral parietal cortex (LPC) and ventral temporal cortex (VTC) have been shown to code for abstract quantity representations and for symbolic numerical representations, respectively. To explore the fast dynamics of activity within each region and the interaction between them, we used electrocorticography recordings from 16 neurosurgical subjects implanted with grids of electrodes over these two regions and tracked the activity within and between the regions as subjects performed three different numerical tasks. Although our results reconfirm the presence of math-selective hubs within the VTC and LPC, we report here a remarkable heterogeneity of neural responses within each region at both millimeter and millisecond scales. Moreover, we show that the heterogeneity of response profiles within each hub mirrors the distinct patterns of functional coupling between them. Our results support the existence of multiple bidirectional functional loops operating between discrete populations of neurons within the VTC and LPC during the visual processing of numerals and the performance of arithmetic functions. These findings reveal information about the dynamics of numerical processing in the brain and also provide insight into the fine-grained functional architecture and connectivity within the human brain. PMID:27821758

Efficiency limits of laser power converters for optical power transfer applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, J.; Jarvis, S.; Perren, M.; Sweeney, S. J.

2013-07-01

We have developed III-V-based high-efficiency laser power converters (LPCs), optimized specifically for converting monochromatic laser radiation at the eye-safe wavelength of 1.55 µm into electrical power. The applications of these photovoltaic cells include high-efficiency space-based and terrestrial laser power transfer and subsequent conversion to electrical power. In addition, these cells also find use in fibre-optic power delivery, remote powering of subcutaneous equipment and several other optical power delivery applications. The LPC design is based on lattice-matched InGaAsP/InP and incorporates elements for photon-recycling and contact design for efficient carrier extraction. Here we compare results from electro-optical design simulations with experimental results from prototype devices studied both in the lab and in field tests. We analyse wavelength and temperature dependence of the LPC characteristics. An experimental conversion efficiency of 44.6% [±1%] is obtained from the prototype devices under monochromatic illumination at 1.55 µm (illumination power density of 1 kW m-2) at room temperature. Further design optimization of our LPC is expected to scale the efficiency beyond 50% at 1 kW m-2.

Spontaneous default mode network phase-locking moderates performance perceptions under stereotype threat.

PubMed

Forbes, Chad E; Leitner, Jordan B; Duran-Jordan, Kelly; Magerman, Adam B; Schmader, Toni; Allen, John J B

2015-07-01

This study assessed whether individual differences in self-oriented neural processing were associated with performance perceptions of minority students under stereotype threat. Resting electroencephalographic activity recorded in white and minority participants was used to predict later estimates of task errors and self-doubt on a presumed measure of intelligence. We assessed spontaneous phase-locking between dipole sources in left lateral parietal cortex (LPC), precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (P/PCC), and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC); three regions of the default mode network (DMN) that are integral for self-oriented processing. Results revealed that minorities with greater LPC-P/PCC phase-locking in the theta band reported more accurate error estimations. All individuals experienced less self-doubt to the extent they exhibited greater LPC-MPFC phase-locking in the alpha band but this effect was driven by minorities. Minorities also reported more self-doubt to the extent they overestimated errors. Findings reveal novel neural moderators of stereotype threat effects on subjective experience. Spontaneous synchronization between DMN regions may play a role in anticipatory coping mechanisms that buffer individuals from stereotype threat. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Canonical and Novel Non-Canonical Cholinergic Agonists Inhibit ATP-Induced Release of Monocytic Interleukin-1β via Different Combinations of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunits α7, α9 and α10

PubMed Central

Zakrzewicz, Anna; Richter, Katrin; Agné, Alisa; Wilker, Sigrid; Siebers, Kathrin; Fink, Bijan; Krasteva-Christ, Gabriela; Althaus, Mike; Padberg, Winfried; Hone, Arik J.; McIntosh, J. Michael; Grau, Veronika

2017-01-01

Recently, we discovered a cholinergic mechanism that inhibits the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) by human monocytes via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) composed of α7, α9 and/or α10 subunits. Furthermore, we identified phosphocholine (PC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) as novel nicotinic agonists that elicit metabotropic activity at monocytic nAChR. Interestingly, PC does not provoke ion channel responses at conventional nAChRs composed of subunits α9 and α10. The purpose of this study is to determine the composition of nAChRs necessary for nicotinic signaling in monocytic cells and to test the hypothesis that common metabolites of phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and glycerophosphocholine (G-PC), function as nAChR agonists. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells from nAChR gene-deficient mice, we demonstrated that inhibition of ATP-dependent release of IL-1β by acetylcholine (ACh), nicotine and PC depends on subunits α7, α9 and α10. Using a panel of nAChR antagonists and siRNA technology, we confirmed the involvement of these subunits in the control of IL-1β release in the human monocytic cell line U937. Furthermore, we showed that LPC (C16:0) and G-PC efficiently inhibit ATP-dependent release of IL-1β. Of note, the inhibitory effects mediated by LPC and G-PC depend on nAChR subunits α9 and α10, but only to a small degree on α7. In Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing different combinations of human α7, α9 or α10 subunits, ACh induced canonical ion channel activity, whereas LPC, G-PC and PC did not. In conclusion, we demonstrate that canonical nicotinic agonists and PC elicit metabotropic nAChR activity in monocytes via interaction of nAChR subunits α7, α9 and α10. For the metabotropic signaling of LPC and G-PC, nAChR subunits α9 and α10 are needed, whereas α7 is virtually dispensable. Furthermore, molecules bearing a PC group in general seem to regulate immune functions without perturbing canonical ion channel functions of nAChR. PMID:28725182

Modeling the Deterioration of Engine and Low Pressure Compressor Performance During a Roll Back Event Due to Ice Accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veres, Joseph P.; Jorgenson, Philip, C. E.; Jones, Scott M.

2014-01-01

The main focus of this study is to apply a computational tool for the flow analysis of the engine that has been tested with ice crystal ingestion in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) of NASA Glenn Research Center. A data point was selected for analysis during which the engine experienced a full roll back event due to the ice accretion on the blades and flow path of the low pressure compressor. The computational tool consists of the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) engine system thermodynamic cycle code, and an Euler-based compressor flow analysis code, that has an ice particle melt estimation code with the capability of determining the rate of sublimation, melting, and evaporation through the compressor blade rows. Decreasing the performance characteristics of the low pressure compressor (LPC) within the NPSS cycle analysis resulted in matching the overall engine performance parameters measured during testing at data points in short time intervals through the progression of the roll back event. Detailed analysis of the fan-core and LPC with the compressor flow analysis code simulated the effects of ice accretion by increasing the aerodynamic blockage and pressure losses through the low pressure compressor until achieving a match with the NPSS cycle analysis results, at each scan. With the additional blockages and losses in the LPC, the compressor flow analysis code results were able to numerically reproduce the performance that was determined by the NPSS cycle analysis, which was in agreement with the PSL engine test data. The compressor flow analysis indicated that the blockage due to ice accretion in the LPC exit guide vane stators caused the exit guide vane (EGV) to be nearly choked, significantly reducing the air flow rate into the core. This caused the LPC to eventually be in stall due to increasing levels of diffusion in the rotors and high incidence angles in the inlet guide vane (IGV) and EGV stators. The flow analysis indicating compressor stall is substantiated by the video images of the IGV taken during the PSL test, which showed water on the surface of the IGV flowing upstream out of the engine, indicating flow reversal, which is characteristic of a stalled compressor.

The neural dynamics of stimulus and response conflict processing as a function of response complexity and task demands

PubMed Central

Donohue, Sarah E.; Appelbaum, Lawrence G.; McKay, Cameron C.; Woldorff, Marty G.

2016-01-01

Both stimulus and response conflict can disrupt behavior by slowing response times and decreasing accuracy. Although several neural activations have been associated with conflict processing, it is unclear how specific any of these are to the type of stimulus conflict or the amount of response conflict. Here, we recorded electrical brain activity, while manipulating the type of stimulus conflict in the task (spatial [Flanker] versus semantic [Stroop]) and the amount of response conflict (two versus four response choices). Behaviorally, responses were slower to incongruent versus congruent stimuli across all task and response types, along with overall slowing for higher response-mapping complexity. The earliest incongruency-related neural effect was a short-duration frontally-distributed negativity at ~200 ms that was only present in the Flanker spatial-conflict task. At longer latencies, the classic fronto-central incongruency-related negativity ‘Ninc’ was observed for all conditions, which was larger and ~100 ms longer in duration with more response options. Further, the onset of the motor-related lateralized readiness potential (LRP) was earlier for the two vs. four response sets, indicating that smaller response sets enabled faster motor-response preparation. The late positive complex (LPC) was present in all conditions except the two-response Stroop task, suggesting this late conflict-related activity is not specifically related to task type or response-mapping complexity. Importantly, across tasks and conditions, the LRP onset at or before the conflict-related Ninc, indicating that motor preparation is a rapid, automatic process that interacts with the conflict-detection processes after it has begun. Together, these data highlight how different conflict-related processes operate in parallel and depend on both the cognitive demands of the task and the number of response options. PMID:26827917

The neural dynamics of stimulus and response conflict processing as a function of response complexity and task demands.

PubMed

Donohue, Sarah E; Appelbaum, Lawrence G; McKay, Cameron C; Woldorff, Marty G

2016-04-01

Both stimulus and response conflict can disrupt behavior by slowing response times and decreasing accuracy. Although several neural activations have been associated with conflict processing, it is unclear how specific any of these are to the type of stimulus conflict or the amount of response conflict. Here, we recorded electrical brain activity, while manipulating the type of stimulus conflict in the task (spatial [Flanker] versus semantic [Stroop]) and the amount of response conflict (two versus four response choices). Behaviorally, responses were slower to incongruent versus congruent stimuli across all task and response types, along with overall slowing for higher response-mapping complexity. The earliest incongruency-related neural effect was a short-duration frontally-distributed negativity at ~200 ms that was only present in the Flanker spatial-conflict task. At longer latencies, the classic fronto-central incongruency-related negativity 'N(inc)' was observed for all conditions, but was larger and ~100 ms longer in duration with more response options. Further, the onset of the motor-related lateralized readiness potential (LRP) was earlier for the two vs. four response sets, indicating that smaller response sets enabled faster motor-response preparation. The late positive complex (LPC) was present in all conditions except the two-response Stroop task, suggesting this late conflict-related activity is not specifically related to task type or response-mapping complexity. Importantly, across tasks and conditions, the LRP onset at or before the conflict-related N(inc), indicating that motor preparation is a rapid, automatic process that interacts with the conflict-detection processes after it has begun. Together, these data highlight how different conflict-related processes operate in parallel and depend on both the cognitive demands of the task and the number of response options. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neurophysiologic and neurobehavioral evidence of beneficial effects of prenatal omega-3 fatty acid intake on memory function at school age.

PubMed

Boucher, Olivier; Burden, Matthew J; Muckle, Gina; Saint-Amour, Dave; Ayotte, Pierre; Dewailly, Eric; Nelson, Charles A; Jacobson, Sandra W; Jacobson, Joseph L

2011-05-01

The beneficial effects of prenatal and early postnatal intakes of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on cognitive development during infancy are well recognized. However, few studies have examined the extent to which these benefits continue to be evident in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine the relation of n-3 PUFAs and seafood-contaminant intake with memory function in school-age children from a fish-eating community. In a prospective, longitudinal study in Arctic Quebec, we assessed Inuit children (n = 154; mean age: 11.3 y) by using a continuous visual recognition task to measure 2 event-related potential components related to recognition memory processing: the FN400 and the late positive component (LPC). Children were also examined by using 2 well-established neurobehavioral assessments of memory: the Digit span forward from Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, 4th edition, and the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version. Repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed that children with higher cord plasma concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an important n-3 PUFA, had a shorter FN400 latency and a larger LPC amplitude; and higher plasma DHA concentrations at the time of testing were associated with increased FN400 amplitude. Cord DHA-related effects were observed regardless of seafood-contaminant amounts. Multiple regression analyses also showed positive associations between cord DHA concentrations and performance on neurobehavioral assessments of memory. To our knowledge, this study provides the first neurophysiologic and neurobehavioral evidence of long-term beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA intake in utero on memory function in school-age children.

Neurophysiologic and neurobehavioral evidence of beneficial effects of prenatal omega-3 fatty acid intake on memory function at school age123

PubMed Central

Boucher, Olivier; Burden, Matthew J; Muckle, Gina; Saint-Amour, Dave; Ayotte, Pierre; Dewailly, Eric; Nelson, Charles A; Jacobson, Sandra W

2011-01-01

Background: The beneficial effects of prenatal and early postnatal intakes of omega-3 (n−3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on cognitive development during infancy are well recognized. However, few studies have examined the extent to which these benefits continue to be evident in childhood. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relation of n−3 PUFAs and seafood-contaminant intake with memory function in school-age children from a fish-eating community. Design: In a prospective, longitudinal study in Arctic Quebec, we assessed Inuit children (n = 154; mean age: 11.3 y) by using a continuous visual recognition task to measure 2 event-related potential components related to recognition memory processing: the FN400 and the late positive component (LPC). Children were also examined by using 2 well-established neurobehavioral assessments of memory: the Digit span forward from Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, 4th edition, and the California Verbal Learning Test–Children's Version. Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed that children with higher cord plasma concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an important n−3 PUFA, had a shorter FN400 latency and a larger LPC amplitude; and higher plasma DHA concentrations at the time of testing were associated with increased FN400 amplitude. Cord DHA–related effects were observed regardless of seafood-contaminant amounts. Multiple regression analyses also showed positive associations between cord DHA concentrations and performance on neurobehavioral assessments of memory. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study provides the first neurophysiologic and neurobehavioral evidence of long-term beneficial effects of n−3 PUFA intake in utero on memory function in school-age children. PMID:21389181

Radiation-Induced Changes in Serum Lipidome of Head and Neck Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Jelonek, Karol; Pietrowska, Monika; Ros, Malgorzata; Zagdanski, Adam; Suchwalko, Agnieszka; Polanska, Joanna; Marczyk, Michal; Rutkowski, Tomasz; Skladowski, Krzysztof; Clench, Malcolm R.; Widlak, Piotr

2014-01-01

Cancer radiotherapy (RT) induces response of the whole patient’s body that could be detected at the blood level. We aimed to identify changes induced in serum lipidome during RT and characterize their association with doses and volumes of irradiated tissue. Sixty-six patients treated with conformal RT because of head and neck cancer were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected before, during and about one month after the end of RT. Lipid extracts were analyzed using MALDI-oa-ToF mass spectrometry in positive ionization mode. The major changes were observed when pre-treatment and within-treatment samples were compared. Levels of several identified phosphatidylcholines, including (PC34), (PC36) and (PC38) variants, and lysophosphatidylcholines, including (LPC16) and (LPC18) variants, were first significantly decreased and then increased in post-treatment samples. Intensities of changes were correlated with doses of radiation received by patients. Of note, such correlations were more frequent when low-to-medium doses of radiation delivered during conformal RT to large volumes of normal tissues were analyzed. Additionally, some radiation-induced changes in serum lipidome were associated with toxicity of the treatment. Obtained results indicated the involvement of choline-related signaling and potential biological importance of exposure to clinically low/medium doses of radiation in patient’s body response to radiation. PMID:24747595

ERP evidence for consumer evaluation of copycat brands

PubMed Central

Shang, Qian; Pei, Guanxiong; Jin, Jia; Zhang, Wuke; Wang, Yuran

2018-01-01

Copycat brands mimic brand leaders to free ride on the latter's equity. However, little is known regarding if and how consumers confuse copycat as leading brand in purchasing. In this study, we applied a word-pair evaluation paradigm in which the first word was a brand name (copycat vs. normal brand both similar with a leading brand in category), followed by a product name (near vs. far from the leading brand’s category). Behavioral results showed that, when the product is near the leader’s category, the copycat strategy (CN) was more preferred compared to the normal brand (NN) but not different in the far product condition (CF and NF). Event-related potential (ERP) data provided further insight into the mechanism. The N400 amplitude elicited by the CN condition was significantly smaller than NN. However, when products are far from the leader’s category, there was no significant difference in N400 amplitudes. For the late positive component (LPC), the CN gave rise to a larger amplitude than the CF. The N400 amplitude was suggested to reflect the categorization process, and the LPC demonstrated the recollection process in long-term memory. These findings imply that the copycat brand strategy is generally only effective when products are within the category of the leading brand, which offers important implications for marketing practices. PMID:29466469

The effects of supervised learning on event-related potential correlates of music-syntactic processing.

PubMed

Guo, Shuang; Koelsch, Stefan

2015-11-11

Humans process music even without conscious effort according to implicit knowledge about syntactic regularities. Whether such automatic and implicit processing is modulated by veridical knowledge has remained unknown in previous neurophysiological studies. This study investigates this issue by testing whether the acquisition of veridical knowledge of a music-syntactic irregularity (acquired through supervised learning) modulates early, partly automatic, music-syntactic processes (as reflected in the early right anterior negativity, ERAN), and/or late controlled processes (as reflected in the late positive component, LPC). Excerpts of piano sonatas with syntactically regular and less regular chords were presented repeatedly (10 times) to non-musicians and amateur musicians. Participants were informed by a cue as to whether the following excerpt contained a regular or less regular chord. Results showed that the repeated exposure to several presentations of regular and less regular excerpts did not influence the ERAN elicited by less regular chords. By contrast, amplitudes of the LPC (as well as of the P3a evoked by less regular chords) decreased systematically across learning trials. These results reveal that late controlled, but not early (partly automatic), neural mechanisms of music-syntactic processing are modulated by repeated exposure to a musical piece. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Prediction and Attention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The ERP correlates of self-knowledge: Are assessments of one's past, present, and future traits closer to semantic or episodic memory?

PubMed

Tanguay, Annick N; Benton, Lauren; Romio, Lorenza; Sievers, Carolin; Davidson, Patrick S R; Renoult, Louis

2018-02-01

Self-knowledge concerns one's own preferences and personality. It pertains to the self (similar to episodic memory), yet does not concern events. It is factual (like semantic memory), but also idiosyncratic. For these reasons, it is unclear where self-knowledge might fall on a continuum in relation to semantic and episodic memory. In this study, we aimed to compare the event-related potential (ERP) correlates of self-knowledge to those of semantic and episodic memory, using N400 and Late Positive Component (LPC) as proxies for semantic and episodic processing, respectively. We considered an additional factor: time perspective. Temporally distant selves have been suggested to be more semantic compared to the present self, but thinking about one's past and future selves may also engage episodic memory. Twenty-eight adults answered whether traits (e.g., persistent) were true of most people holding an occupation (e.g., soldiers; semantic memory condition), or true of themselves 5 years ago, in the present, or 5 years from now (past, present, and future self-knowledge conditions). The study ended with an episodic recognition memory task for previously seen traits. Present self-knowledge produced mean LPC amplitudes at posterior parietal sites that fell between semantic and episodic memory. Mean LPC amplitudes for past and future self-knowledge were greater than for semantic memory, and not significantly different from episodic memory. Mean N400 amplitudes for the self-knowledge conditions were smaller than for semantic memory at sagittal sites. However, this N400 effect was not separable from a preceding P200 effect at these same electrode sites. This P200 effect can be interpreted as reflecting the greater emotional salience of self as compared to general knowledge, which may have facilitated semantic processing. Overall, our findings are consistent with a distinction between knowledge of others and self-knowledge, but the closeness of self-knowledge's neural correlates to either semantic or episodic memory appears to depend to some extent on time perspective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Membrane-Bound Tomato Mosaic Virus Replication Proteins Participate in RNA Synthesis and Are Associated with Host Proteins in a Pattern Distinct from Those That Are Not Membrane Bound

PubMed Central

Nishikiori, Masaki; Dohi, Koji; Mori, Masashi; Meshi, Tetsuo; Naito, Satoshi; Ishikawa, Masayuki

2006-01-01

Extracts of vacuole-depleted, tomato mosaic virus (ToMV)-infected plant protoplasts contained an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that utilized an endogenous template to synthesize ToMV-related positive-strand RNAs in a pattern similar to that observed in vivo. Despite the fact that only minor fractions of the ToMV 130- and 180-kDa replication proteins were associated with membranes, the RdRp activity was exclusively associated with membranes. A genome-sized, negative-strand RNA template was associated with membranes and was resistant to micrococcal nuclease unless treated with detergents. Non-membrane-bound replication proteins did not exhibit RdRp activity, even in the presence of ToMV RNA. While the non-membrane-bound replication proteins remained soluble after treatment with Triton X-100, the same treatment made the membrane-bound replication proteins in a form that precipitated upon low-speed centrifugation. On the other hand, the detergent lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) efficiently solubilized the membrane-bound replication proteins. Upon LPC treatment, the endogenous template-dependent RdRp activity was reduced and exogenous ToMV RNA template-dependent RdRp activity appeared instead. This activity, as well as the viral 130-kDa protein and the host proteins Hsp70, eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A), TOM1, and TOM2A copurified with FLAG-tagged viral 180-kDa protein from LPC-solubilized membranes. In contrast, Hsp70 and only small amounts of the 130-kDa protein and eEF1A copurified with FLAG-tagged non-membrane-bound 180-kDa protein. These results suggest that the viral replication proteins are associated with the intracellular membranes harboring TOM1 and TOM2A and that this association is important for RdRp activity. Self-association of the viral replication proteins and their association with other host proteins may also be important for RdRp activity. PMID:16912296

Anterior segment biometry during accommodation imaged with ultra-long scan depth optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Du, Chixin; Shen, Meixiao; Li, Ming; Zhu, Dexi; Wang, Michael R.; Wang, Jianhua

2012-01-01

Purpose To measure by ultra-long scan depth optical coherence tomography (UL-OCT) dimensional changes in the anterior segment of human eyes during accommodation. Design Evaluation of diagnostic test or technology. Participants Forty-one right eyes of healthy subjects with a mean age of 34 years (range, 22–41 years) and a mean refraction of −2.5±2.6 diopters (D) were imaged in two repeated measurements at minimal and maximal accommodation. Methods A specially adapted designed UL-OCT instrument was used to image from the front surface of the cornea to the back surface of the crystalline lens. Custom software corrected the optical distortion of the images and yielded the biometric measurements. The coefficient of repeatability (COR) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated to evaluate the repeatability and reliability. Main Outcome Measures Anterior segment parameters and associated repeatability and reliability upon accommodation. The dimensional results included central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth and width (ACD, ACW), pupil diameter (PD), lens thickness (LT), anterior segment length (ASL=ACD+LT), lens central position (LCP=ACD+1/2LT) and horizontal radii of the lens anterior and posterior surface curvatures (LAC, LPC). Results Repeated measurements of each variable within each accommodative state did not differ significantly (P>0.05). The CORs and ICCs for CCT, ACW, ACD, LT, LCP, and ASL were excellent (1.2% to 3.59% and 0.998 to 0.877, respectively). They were higher for PD (18.90% to 21.63% and 0.880 to 0.874, respectively), and moderate for LAC and LPC (34.86% to 42.72% and 0.669 to 0.251, respectively) in the two accommodative states. Compared to minimal accommodation, PD, ACD, LAC, LPC, and LCP decreased and LT and ASL increased significantly at maximal accommodation (P<0.05), while CCT and ACW did not change (P>0.05). Conclusions UL-OCT measured changes in anterior segment dimensions during accommodation with good repeatability and reliability. During accommodation, the back surface of the lens became steeper as the lens moved forward. PMID:22902211

ERP index of the morphological family size effect during word recognition.

PubMed

Kwon, Youan; Nam, Kichun; Lee, Yoonhyoung

2012-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the N400 is affected by the semantic richness of associated neighboring word members or by the density of the orthographic syllable neighborhood. Another purpose of this study was to investigate the source of the different LPC in respect to the semantic richness. To do so, the density of the syllable neighborhood and the size of the morphological family of a word were orthogonally manipulated. ERPs from 24 participants were collected during a go/no-go semantic categorization task. The results showed that the N400 effect was mainly influenced by the density of the syllable neighborhood rather than by the morphological family size. The results also showed that words with a larger morphological family size generate significantly larger LPC than words with a smaller morphological family size. The present study did not support the assumption that the main source of the N400 effect is the semantic richness of the associated neighbors. The present results suggest that the N400 is more sensitive to the density of the syllable neighborhood and LPC is sensitive to the density of the semantic neighborhood reflected by the morphological family size. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of carrier doping on electrical properties of laser-induced liquid-phase-crystallized silicon thin films for solar cell application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umishio, Hiroshi; Matsui, Takuya; Sai, Hitoshi; Sakurai, Takeaki; Matsubara, Koji

2018-02-01

Large-grain-size (>1 mm) liquid-phase-crystallized silicon (LPC-Si) films with a wide range of carrier doping levels (1016-1018 cm-3 either of the n- or p-type) were prepared by irradiating amorphous silicon with a line-shaped 804 nm laser, and characterized for solar cell applications. The LPC-Si films show high electron and hole mobilities with maximum values of ˜800 and ˜200 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively, at a doping level of ˜(2-4) × 1016 cm-3, while their carrier lifetime monotonically increases with decreasing carrier doping level. A grain-boundary charge-trapping model provides good fits to the measured mobility-carrier density relations, indicating that the potential barrier at the grain boundaries limits the carrier transport in the lowly doped films. The open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density of test LPC-Si solar cells depend strongly on the doping level, peaking at (2-5) × 1016 cm-3. These results indicate that the solar cell performance is governed by the minority carrier diffusion length for the highly doped films, while it is limited by majority carrier transport as well as by device design for the lowly doped films.

The Association Between Home Palliative Care Services and Quality of End-of-Life Care Indicators in the Province of Québec.

PubMed

Gagnon, Bruno; Nadeau, Lyne; Scott, Susan; Dumont, Serge; MacDonald, Neil; Aubin, Michèle; Mayo, Nancy

2015-07-01

In Canada, governments have increased spending on home care to promote better end-of-life care. In the province of Québec, Canada, home palliative care (PC) services (HPCS) are provided by Public Local Community-Based Health Care Service providers (Centres Locaux de Services Communautaires [CLSC]) with universal coverage. Accordingly, there should be no regional variations of these services and their effect on quality of end-of-life PC (QEoLPC) indicators. To test if all the CLSCs provided the same level of HPCS to cancer patients in the province of Québec, Canada, and the association between level of HPCS and QEoLPC indicators. Characteristics of 52,316 decedents with cancer were extracted from administrative databases between 2003 and 2006. Two gender-specific "adjusted performance of CLSCs in delivering HPCS" models were created using gender-specific hierarchical regression adjusted for patient and CLSC neighborhood characteristics. Using the same approach, the strength of the association between the adjusted performance of CLSCs in delivering HPCS and the QEoLPC indicators was estimated. Overall, 27,255 (52.1%) decedents had at least one HPCS. Significant variations in the adjusted performance of CLSC in delivering HPCS were found. Higher performance led to a lower proportion of men having more than one emergency room visit during the last month of life (risk ratio [RR] 0.924; 95% CI 0.867-0.985), and for women, a higher proportion dying at home (RR 2.255; 95% CI 1.703-2.984) and spending less time in hospital (RR 0.765; 95% CI 0.692-0.845). Provision of HPCS remained limited in Québec, but when present, they were associated with improved QEoLPC indicators. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of a novel choline-specific glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase belonging to the nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase family.

PubMed

Sakagami, Hideki; Aoki, Junken; Natori, Yumiko; Nishikawa, Kiyotaka; Kakehi, Yoshiyuki; Natori, Yasuhiro; Arai, Hiroyuki

2005-06-17

Nucleotide pyrophosphatases/phosphodiesterases (NPPs) are ubiquitous membrane-associated or secreted ectoenzymes that release nucleoside 5'-monophosphate from a variety of nucleotides and nucleotide derivatives. The mammalian NPP family comprises seven members, but only three of these (NPP1-3) have been studied in some detail. Previously we showed that lysophospholipase D, which hydrolyzes lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) to produce lysophosphatidic acid, is identical to NPP2. More recently an uncharacterized novel NPP member (NPP7) was shown to have alkaline sphingomyelinase activity. These findings raised the possibility that other members of the NPP family act on phospholipids. Here we show that the sixth member of the NPP family, NPP6, is a choline-specific glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase. The sequence of NPP6 encodes a transmembrane protein containing an NPP domain with significant homology to NPP4, NPP5, and NPP7/alkaline sphingomyelinase. When expressed in HeLa cells, NPP6 was detected in both the cells and the cell culture medium as judged by Western blotting and by enzymatic activity. Recombinant NPP6 efficiently hydrolyzed the classical substrate for phospholipase C, p-nitrophenyl phosphorylcholine, but not the classical nucleotide phosphodiesterase substrate, p-nitrophenyl thymidine 5'-monophosphate. In addition, NPP6 hydrolyzed LPC to form monoacylglycerol and phosphorylcholine but not lysophosphatidic acid, showing it has a lysophospholipase C activity. NPP6 showed a preference for LPC with short (12:0 and 14:0) or polyunsaturated (18:2 and 20:4) fatty acids. It also hydrolyzed glycerophosphorylcholine and sphingosylphosphorylcholine efficiently. In mice, NPP6 mRNA was predominantly detected in kidney with a lesser expression in brain and heart, and in human it was detected in kidney and brain. The present results suggest that NPP6 has a specific role through the hydrolysis of polyunsaturated LPC, glycerophosphorylcholine, or sphingosylphosphorylcholine in these organs.

Free vibration analysis of linear particle chain impact damper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gharib, Mohamed; Ghani, Saud

2013-11-01

Impact dampers have gained much research interest over the past decades that resulted in several analytical and experimental studies being conducted in that area. The main emphasis of such research was on developing and enhancing these popular passive control devices with an objective of decreasing the three parameters of contact forces, accelerations, and noise levels. To that end, the authors of this paper have developed a novel impact damper, called the Linear Particle Chain (LPC) impact damper, which mainly consists of a linear chain of spherical balls of varying sizes. The LPC impact damper was designed utilizing the kinetic energy of the primary system through placing, in the chain arrangement, a small-sized ball between each two large-sized balls. The concept of the LPC impact damper revolves around causing the small-sized ball to collide multiple times with the larger ones upon exciting the primary system. This action is believed to lead to the dissipation of part of the kinetic energy at each collision with the large balls. This paper focuses on the outcome of studying the free vibration of a single degree freedom system that is equipped with the LPC impact damper. The proposed LPC impact damper is validated by means of comparing the responses of a single unit conventional impact damper with those resulting from the LPC impact damper. The results indicated that the latter is considerably more efficient than the former impact damper. In order to further investigate the LPC impact damper effective number of balls and efficient geometry when used in a specific available space in the primary system, a parametric study was conducted and its result is also explained herein. Single unit impact damper [14-16]. Multiunit impact damper [17,18]. Bean bag impact damper [19,20]. Particle/granular impact damper [21,23,22]. Resilient impact damper [24]. Buffered impact damper [25-27]. Multiunit impact damper consists of multiple masses instead of a single mass. This produces a smaller contact force for each mass while maintaining the same effect of the single unit impact damper. The analytical and experimental work showed that the multiunit impact damper is more functional than the conventional single unit impact damper in reducing noise and vibration [17]. The bean bag impact damper is considered as another form of multiunit impact damper. It consists of a flexible bag packed with small spherical particles (e.g. lead shots). The resilience of the damper can be varied by adjusting the tightness of the flexible bag. It is found that the bean bag impact damper is better than the conventional impact damper in vibration suppression, contact forces reductions, and noise attenuation [19]. The particle/granular impact damper consists of a cavity(s) filled with ceramic/metal particles or powders with small granule sizes. Better damping performances are achieved when using metal particles with high density (lead or tungsten steel) [23]. Other investigations recommended using multiple particle impact dampers that involve friction, impact and shear mechanisms to achieve optimal damping effect [22]. The resilient impact damper is similar to the conventional impact dampers. The only difference is that the deformation of the impact damper with the stops during the collision is taken into account [24]. The buffered impact damper is an extension of the resilient impact damper by adding a flexible buffer layer to the stops to absorb the energy of the moving mass. The experimental work shows that the buffer zone reduces the impact forces, avoids high acceleration and reduces the contact forces by absorbing more of the impact energy and increasing the contact time [25].

The effect of domain-general inhibition-related training on language switching: An ERP study.

PubMed

Liu, Huanhuan; Liang, Lijuan; Dunlap, Susan; Fan, Ning; Chen, Baoguo

2016-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that inhibitory control ability could be improved by training, and the Inhibitory Control (IC) Model implies that enhanced domain-general inhibition may elicit certain changes in language switch costs. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of domain-general inhibition training on performance in a language switching task, including which phase of domain-general inhibitory control benefits from training during an overt picture naming task in L1 and L2, using the event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Results showed that the language switch costs of bilinguals with high inhibitory control (high-IC) were symmetrical in both pretest and posttest, and those of bilinguals with low inhibitory control (low-IC) were asymmetrical in the pretest, but symmetrical in the posttest. Moreover, the high-IC group showed a larger LPC (late positive component) for L2 switch trials than for L1 trials in both pretest and posttest. In contrast, the low-IC group only exhibited a similar pattern of LPC in the posttest, but not in the pretest. These results indicate that inhibition training could increase the efficiency of language switching, and inhibitory control may play a key role during the lexical selection response phase. Overall, the present study is the first one to provide electrophysiological evidence for individual differences in the domain-general inhibition impact on language switching performance in low-proficient bilinguals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plasma lipidomics reveals potential lipid markers of major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Liu, Xinyu; Li, Jia; Zheng, Peng; Zhao, Xinjie; Zhou, Chanjuan; Hu, Chunxiu; Hou, Xiaoli; Wang, Haiyang; Xie, Peng; Xu, Guowang

2016-09-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a grave debilitating mental disease with a high incidence and severely impairs quality of life. Therefore, its physiopathological basis study and diagnostic biomarker discovery are extremely valuable. In this study, a non-targeted lipidomics strategy using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was performed to reveal differential lipids between MDD (n = 60) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 60). Validation of changed lipid species was performed in an independent batch including 75 MDD and 52 HC using the same lipidomic method. Pronouncedly changed lipid species in MDD were discovered, which mainly were lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-PE (PE O), 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-PC (PC O), sphingomyelin (SM), diacylglycerol (DG), and triacylglycerol (TG). Among these lipid species, LPC, LPE, PC, PE, PI, TG, etc. remarkably increased in MDD and showed pronounced positive relationships with depression severity, while 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-PE and SM with odd summed carbon number significantly decreased in MDD and demonstrated negative relationships with depression severity. A combinational lipid panel including LPE 20:4, PC 34:1, PI 40:4, SM 39:1, 2, and TG 44:2 was defined as potential diagnostic biomarker with a good sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing MDD from HCs. Our study brings insights into lipid metabolism disorder in MDD and provides a specific potential biomarker for MDD diagnose.

Comparison of formant detection methods used in speech processing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belean, Bogdan

2013-11-01

The paper describes time frequency representations of speech signal together with the formant significance in speech processing applications. Speech formants can be used in emotion recognition, sex discrimination or diagnosing different neurological diseases. Taking into account the various applications of formant detection in speech signal, two methods for detecting formants are presented. First, the poles resulted after a complex analysis of LPC coefficients are used for formants detection. The second approach uses the Kalman filter for formant prediction along the speech signal. Results are presented for both approaches on real life speech spectrograms. A comparison regarding the features of the proposed methods is also performed, in order to establish which method is more suitable in case of different speech processing applications.

Long-period comet impact risk mitigation with Earth-based laser arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qicheng; Lubin, Philip M.; Hughes, Gary B.

2017-09-01

Long-period comets (LPCs) frequently transit the inner solar system, and like near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), pose a continued risk of impact with Earth. Unlike NEAs, LPCs follow nearly parabolic trajectories and approach from the distant outer solar system where they cannot be observed. An LPC on an Earth-impact trajectory is unlikely to be discovered more than a few years in advance of its arrival, even with significant advancements in sky survey detection capabilities, likely leaving insufficient time to develop and deliver an interception mission to deflect the comet. However, recent proposals have called for the development of one or more large ˜ 1 km laser arrays placed on or near Earth primarily as a means for photon propulsion of low-mass spacecraft at delta-v above what would be feasible by traditional chemical or ion propulsion methods. Such a laser array can also be directed to target and heat a threatening comet, sublimating its ices and activating jets of dust and vapor which alter the comet's trajectory in a manner similar to rocket propulsion. Simulations of directed energy comet deflection were previously developed from astrometric models of nongravitational orbital perturbations from solar heating, an analogous process that has been observed in numerous comets. These simulations are used together with the distribution of known LPC trajectories to evaluate the effect of an operational Earth-based laser array on the LPC impact risk.

Ambient Ultrafine Particle Ingestion Alters Gut Microbiota in Association with Increased Atherogenic Lipid Metabolites

PubMed Central

Li, Rongsong; Yang, Jieping; Saffari, Arian; Jacobs, Jonathan; Baek, Kyung In; Hough, Greg; Larauche, Muriel H.; Ma, Jianguo; Jen, Nelson; Moussaoui, Nabila; Zhou, Bill; Kang, Hanul; Reddy, Srinivasa; Henning, Susanne M.; Campen, Matthew J.; Pisegna, Joseph; Li, Zhaoping; Fogelman, Alan M.; Sioutas, Constantinos; Navab, Mohamad; Hsiai, Tzung K.

2017-01-01

Ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure is associated with atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. Ultrafine particles (UFP, dp < 0.1–0.2 μm) are redox active components of PM. We hypothesized that orally ingested UFP promoted atherogenic lipid metabolites in both the intestine and plasma via altered gut microbiota composition. Low density lipoprotein receptor-null (Ldlr−/−) mice on a high-fat diet were orally administered with vehicle control or UFP (40 μg/mouse/day) for 3 days a week. After 10 weeks, UFP ingested mice developed macrophage and neutrophil infiltration in the intestinal villi, accompanied by elevated cholesterol but reduced coprostanol levels in the cecum, as well as elevated atherogenic lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC 18:1) and lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) in the intestine and plasma. At the phylum level, Principle Component Analysis revealed significant segregation of microbiota compositions which was validated by Beta diversity analysis. UFP-exposed mice developed increased abundance in Verrocomicrobia but decreased Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes as well as a reduced diversity in microbiome. Spearman’s analysis negatively correlated Actinobacteria with cecal cholesterol, intestinal and plasma LPC18:1, and Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria with plasma LPC 18:1. Thus, ultrafine particles ingestion alters gut microbiota composition, accompanied by increased atherogenic lipid metabolites. These findings implicate the gut-vascular axis in a atherosclerosis model. PMID:28211537

Hepatic transforming growth factor beta gives rise to tumor-initiating cells and promotes liver cancer development.

PubMed

Wu, Kun; Ding, Jin; Chen, Cheng; Sun, Wen; Ning, Bei-Fang; Wen, Wen; Huang, Lei; Han, Tao; Yang, Wen; Wang, Chao; Li, Zhong; Wu, Meng-Chao; Feng, Gen-Sheng; Xie, Wei-Fen; Wang, Hong-Yang

2012-12-01

Liver cirrhosis is a predominant risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanism underlying the progression from cirrhosis to HCC remains unclear. Herein we report the concurrent increase of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced rat hepatocarcinogenesis and cirrhotic livers of HCC patients. Using several experimental approaches, including 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PHx) and 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC)-elicited murine liver regeneration, we found that activation of LPCs in the absence of TGF-β induction was insufficient to trigger hepatocarcinogenesis. Moreover, a small fraction of LPCs was detected to coexpress tumor initiating cell (T-IC) markers during rat hepatocarcinogenesis and in human HCCs, and TGF-β levels were positively correlated with T-IC marker expression, which indicates a role of TGF-β in T-IC generation. Rat pluripotent LPC-like WB-F344 cells were exposed to low doses of TGF-β for 18 weeks imitating the enhanced TGF-β expression in cirrhotic liver. Interestingly, long-term treatment of TGF-β on WB-F344 cells impaired their LPC potential but granted them T-IC properties including expression of T-IC markers, increased self-renewal capacity, stronger chemoresistance, and tumorigenicity in NOD-SCID mice. Hyperactivation of Akt but not Notch, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was detected in TGF-β-treated WB-F344 cells. Introduction of the dominant-negative mutant of Akt significantly attenuated T-IC properties of those transformed WB-F344 cells, indicating Akt was required in TGF-β-mediated-generation of hepatic T-ICs. We further demonstrate that TGF-β-induced Akt activation and LPC transformation was mediated by microRNA-216a-modulated phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) suppression. Hepatoma-initiating cells may derive from hepatic progenitor cells exposed to chronic and constant TGF-β stimulation in cirrhotic liver, and pharmaceutical inhibition of microRNA-216a/PTEN/Akt signaling could be a novel strategy for HCC prevention and therapy targeting hepatic T-ICs. Copyright © 2012 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

UHPLC/Q-TOFMS-based metabolomics for the characterization of cold and hot properties of Chinese materia medica.

PubMed

Wang, Yang; Zhou, Shujun; Wang, Meng; Liu, Shuying; Hu, Yuanjia; He, Chengwei; Li, Peng; Wan, Jian-Bo

2016-02-17

The cold/hot property of Chinese materia medica (CMM) and the application of its corresponding knowledge in the diagnosis, differentiation and treatment of diseases have been considered to be the extremely important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As highly abstracted TCM theory, the cold/hot property of CMMs is still not fully understood and remains to be elucidated by systems biology approach. The cold and hot properties of CMM are mainly defined by the response of the body to a given CMM. Metabolomics is a promising systems biology method to profile entire endogenous metabolites and monitor their fluctuations related to an exogenous stimulus. Thus, a metabolomics approach was applied to characterize the cold and hot properties of CMMs. Mice were intragastrically administered three selected cold property CMMs (i.e., Rheum palmatum L., radix et rhizoma; Coptis chinensis Franch, rhizome and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, radix) and three hot property CMMs (i.e., Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl, cortex; Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma and Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth., fructus) once daily for one week. The comprehensive metabolome changes in the plasma of mice after treatment with cold or hot property CMMs were characterized by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS), and the potential biomarkers related to cold and hot properties of CMM were explored. Metabolites perturbation in plasma occurs after treatment with cold CMMs and hot CMMs in mice, and 15 and 16 differential biomarkers were identified to be associated with the cold and hot properties of CMMs, respectively. Among them, LPC (18:0), LPC (18:1), LPC (20:4) and LPC (20:5) showed decreased trends in the cold property CMM treated groups, but increased in the hot property CMM treated groups. There is a strong connection between the cold/hot property of CMMs and lysophosphatidylcholines metabolism. This study offers new insight into CMM properties and their clinical application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emplacement of the La Peña alkaline igneous complex, Mendoza, Argentina (33° S): Implications for the early Miocene tectonic regime in the retroarc of the Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagano, D. S.; Galliski, M. A.; Márquez-Zavalía, M. F.

2014-03-01

The La Peña alkaline complex (LPC) of Miocene age (18-19 Ma) lies on the eastern front of the Precordillera (32°41ʹ34ʺS, 68°59ʹ48″W, 1400-2900 m a.s.l.), 30 km northwest of Mendoza city, Argentina. It is a subcircular massif of 19 km2 and 5 km in diameter, intruded in the metasedimentary sequence of the Villavicencio Formation of Silurian-Devonian age. It is the result of integration of multiple pulses derived from one or more deep magma chambers, which form a suite of silicate rocks grouped into: a clinopyroxenite body, a central syenite facies with a large breccia zone at the contact with the clinopyroxenite, bodies of malignite, trachyte and syenite porphyry necks, and a system of radial and annular dikes of different compositions. Its subcircular geometry and dike system distribution are frequent features of intraplate plutons or plutons emplaced in post-orogenic settings. These morphostructural features characterize numerous alkaline complexes worldwide and denote the importance of magmatic pressures that cause doming with radial and annular fracturing, in a brittle country rock. However, in the LPC, the attitude of the internal fabric of plutonic and subvolcanic units and the preferential layout of dikes match the NW-SE extensional fractures widely distributed in the host rock. This feature indicates a strong tectonic control linked to the structure that facilitate space for emplacement, corresponding to the brittle shear zone parallel to the N-S stratigraphy of the country rock. Shearing produced a system of discontinuities, with a K fractal fracture pattern, given by the combination of Riedel (R), anti-Riedel (R‧), (P) and extensional (T) fracture systems, responsible for the control of melt migration by the opening of various fracture branches, but particularly through the NW-SE (T) fractures. Five different pulses would have ascent, (1) an initial one from which cumulate clinopyroxenite was formed, (2) a phase of mafic composition represented by dikes cross-cutting the clinopyroxenite, (3) a malignite facies that causes a small breccia in the clinopyroxenite, (4) a central syenite facies that develops breccias at the contact with the clinopyroxenite and, finally, (5) porphyry necks and a system of radial dikes intruding all units. At the moment of the emplacement different mechanisms would have acted, they summarized in: 1) opening of discontinuities synchronous to the magma circulation as the principal mechanism for formation of dikes and conduits; 2) stoping processes, that play an important role in the development of the breccia zone and enabling an efficient transference of material during the emplacement of the syenitic magma and 3) shear-related deformation (regional stress), affected the internal fabric of the facies, causing intracrystalline deformation and submagmatic flow, which is very evident in the central syenite intrusive. The kinematic analysis of shear planes allows proposing that emplacement of the LPC took place in a transtensive regime, which would have occurred in the back-arc of the Andes orogen, during a long period spanning from Miocene to the present, of the compressive deformation responsible, westward and at the same latitude, for the development of the Aconcagua fold and thrust belt.

Identification of bovine sperm acrosomal proteins that interact with a 32-kDa acrosomal matrix protein.

PubMed

Nagdas, Subir K; Smith, Linda; Medina-Ortiz, Ilza; Hernandez-Encarnacion, Luisa; Raychoudhury, Samir

2016-03-01

Mammalian fertilization is accomplished by the interaction between sperm and egg. Previous studies from this laboratory have identified a stable acrosomal matrix assembly from the bovine sperm acrosome termed the outer acrosomal membrane-matrix complex (OMC). This stable matrix assembly exhibits precise binding activity for acrosin and N-acetylglucosaminidase. A highly purified OMC fraction comprises three major (54, 50, and 45 kDa) and several minor (38-19 kDa) polypeptides. The set of minor polypeptides (38-19 kDa) termed "OMCrpf polypeptides" is selectively solubilized by high-pH extraction (pH 10.5), while the three major polypeptides (55, 50, and 45 kDa) remain insoluble. Proteomic identification of the OMC32 polypeptide (32 kDa polypeptide isolated from high-pH soluble fraction of OMC) yielded two peptides that matched the NCBI database sequence of acrosin-binding protein. Anti-OMC32 recognized an antigenically related family of polypeptides (OMCrpf polypeptides) in the 38-19-kDa range with isoelectric points ranging between 4.0 and 5.1. Other than glycohydrolases, OMC32 may also be complexed to other acrosomal proteins. The present study was undertaken to identify and localize the OMC32 binding polypeptides and to elucidate the potential role of the acrosomal protein complex in sperm function. OMC32 affinity chromatography of a detergent-soluble fraction of bovine cauda sperm acrosome followed by mass spectrometry-based identification of bound proteins identified acrosin, lactadherin, SPACA3, and IZUMO1. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis also demonstrated the interaction of OMC32 with acrosin, lactadherin, SPACA3, and IZUMO1. Our immunofluorescence studies revealed the presence of SPACA3 and lactadherin over the apical segment, whereas IZUMO1 is localized over the equatorial segment of Triton X-100 permeabilized cauda sperm. Immunoblot analysis showed that a significant portion of SPACA3 was released after the lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-induced acrosome reaction, whereas the IZUMO1 and lactadherin polypeptides remain associated to the particulate fraction. Almost entire population of bovine sperm IZUMO1 relocates to the equatorial segment during the LPC-induced acrosome reaction. We propose that the interaction of OMC32 matrix polypeptide with detergent-soluble acrosomal proteins regulates the release of hydrolases/other acrosomal protein(s) during the acrosome reaction.

Preliminary Study on Acoustic Detection of Faults Experienced by a High-Bypass Turbofan Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyle, Devin K.

2014-01-01

The vehicle integrated propulsion research (VIPR) effort conducted by NASA and several partners provided an unparalleled opportunity to test a relatively low TRL concept regarding the use of far field acoustics to identify faults occurring in a high bypass turbofan engine. Though VIPR Phase II ground based aircraft installed engine testing wherein a multitude of research sensors and methods were evaluated, an array of acoustic microphones was used to determine the viability of such an array to detect failures occurring in a commercially representative high bypass turbofan engine. The failures introduced during VIPR testing included commanding the engine's low pressure compressor (LPC) exit and high pressure compressor (HPC) 14th stage bleed values abruptly to their failsafe positions during steady state

Local Laplacian Coding From Theoretical Analysis of Local Coding Schemes for Locally Linear Classification.

PubMed

Pang, Junbiao; Qin, Lei; Zhang, Chunjie; Zhang, Weigang; Huang, Qingming; Yin, Baocai

2015-12-01

Local coordinate coding (LCC) is a framework to approximate a Lipschitz smooth function by combining linear functions into a nonlinear one. For locally linear classification, LCC requires a coding scheme that heavily determines the nonlinear approximation ability, posing two main challenges: 1) the locality making faraway anchors have smaller influences on current data and 2) the flexibility balancing well between the reconstruction of current data and the locality. In this paper, we address the problem from the theoretical analysis of the simplest local coding schemes, i.e., local Gaussian coding and local student coding, and propose local Laplacian coding (LPC) to achieve the locality and the flexibility. We apply LPC into locally linear classifiers to solve diverse classification tasks. The comparable or exceeded performances of state-of-the-art methods demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Impacts of high resolution data on traveler compliance levels in emergency evacuation simulations

DOE PAGES

Lu, Wei; Han, Lee D.; Liu, Cheng; ...

2016-05-05

In this article, we conducted a comparison study of evacuation assignment based on Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) and high resolution LandScan USA Population Cells (LPC) with detailed real world roads network. A platform for evacuation modeling built on high resolution population distribution data and activity-based microscopic traffic simulation was proposed. This platform can be extended to any cities in the world. The results indicated that evacuee compliance behavior affects evacuation efficiency with traditional TAZ assignment, but it did not significantly compromise the performance with high resolution LPC assignment. The TAZ assignment also underestimated the real travel time during evacuation. Thismore » suggests that high data resolution can improve the accuracy of traffic modeling and simulation. The evacuation manager should consider more diverse assignment during emergency evacuation to avoid congestions.« less

Mammary Adipose Tissue-derived Lysophospholipids Promote Estrogen Receptor-negative Mammary Epithelial Cell Proliferation

PubMed Central

Volden, Paul A.; Skor, Maxwell N.; Johnson, Marianna B.; Singh, Puneet; Patel, Feenalie N.; McClintock, Martha K.; Brady, Matthew J.; Conzen, Suzanne D.

2016-01-01

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), acting in an autocrine or paracrine fashion through G protein-coupled receptors, has been implicated in many physiological and pathological processes including cancer. LPA is converted to lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) by the secreted phospholipase, autotaxin (ATX). Although various cell types can produce ATX, adipocyte-derived ATX is believed to be the major source of circulating ATX and also to be the major regulator of plasma LPA. In addition to ATX, adipocytes secrete numerous other factors (adipokines); although several adipokines have been implicated in breast cancer biology, the contribution of mammary adipose tissue-derived LPC/ATX/LPA (LPA-axis) signaling to breast cancer is poorly understood. Using mammary fat-conditioned medium, we investigated the contribution of LPA signaling to mammary epithelial cancer cell biology and identified LPA signaling as a significant contributor to the oncogenic effects of the mammary adipose tissue secretome. To interrogate the role of mammary fat in the LPA-axis during breast cancer progression, we exposed mammary adipose tissue to secreted factors from estrogen receptor-negative mammary epithelial cell lines and monitored changes in the mammary fat pad LPA-axis. Our data indicate that bidirectional interactions between mammary cancer cells and mammary adipocytes alter the local LPA-axis and increase ATX expression in the mammary fat pad during breast cancer progression. Thus, the LPC/ATX/LPA axis may be a useful target for prevention in patients at risk of ER-negative breast cancer. PMID:26862086

A total pleural covering of absorbable cellulose mesh prevents pneumothorax recurrence in patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

PubMed

Mizobuchi, Teruaki; Kurihara, Masatoshi; Ebana, Hiroki; Yamanaka, Sumitaka; Kataoka, Hideyuki; Okamoto, Shouichi; Kobayashi, Etsuko; Kumasaka, Toshio; Seyama, Kuniaki

2018-05-15

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) is a recently recognized inherited multiple cystic lung disease causing recurrent pneumothoraces. Similarly to the lesions in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), the pulmonary cysts are innumerable and widely dispersed and cannot all be removed. We recently described a total pleural covering (TPC) that covers the entire visceral pleura with oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) mesh. TPC successfully prevented the recurrence of pneumothorax in LAM patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an ORC pleural covering on pneumothorax recurrence in BHDS patients. This retrospective study enrolled a total of 81 pneumothorax patients with the diagnosis of BHDS who underwent 90 covering surgeries from January 2010 to August 2017 at Tamagawa Hospital. During the first half of the study period, a lower pleural covering (LPC) which covered the affected area with ORC mesh was mainly used to treat 38 pneumothoraces. During the second half of the study period, TPC was primarily performed for 52 pneumothoraces. All the thoracoscopic surgeries were successfully performed without serious complications (≥ Clavien-Dindo grade III). The median follow-up periods after LPC/TPC were 66/34 months, respectively. Pneumothorax recurrence rates after LPC at 2.5/5/7.5 years postoperatively were 5.4/12/42%, respectively; none of the patients who had underwent TPC developed postoperative pneumothorax recurrence (P = 0.032). TPC might be an effective option for surgical treatment of intractable pneumothorax in patients with BHDS.

Chlamydia spp. development is differentially altered by treatment with the LpxC inhibitor LPC-011.

PubMed

Cram, Erik D; Rockey, Daniel D; Dolan, Brian P

2017-04-24

Chlamydia species are obligate intracellular bacteria that infect a broad range of mammalian hosts. Members of related genera are pathogens of a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate species. Despite the diversity of Chlamydia, all species contain an outer membrane lipooligosaccharide (LOS) that is comprised of a genus-conserved, and genus-defining, trisaccharide 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid Kdo region. Recent studies with lipopolysaccharide inhibitors demonstrate that LOS is important for the C. trachomatis developmental cycle during RB- > EB differentiation. Here, we explore the effects of one of these inhibitors, LPC-011, on the developmental cycle of five chlamydial species. Sensitivity to the drug varied in some of the species and was conserved between others. We observed that inhibition of LOS biosynthesis in some chlamydial species induced formation of aberrant reticulate bodies, while in other species, no change was observed to the reticulate body. However, loss of LOS production prevented completion of the chlamydial reproductive cycle in all species tested. In previous studies we found that C. trachomatis and C. caviae infection enhances MHC class I antigen presentation of a model self-peptide. We find that treatment with LPC-011 prevents enhanced host-peptide presentation induced by infection with all chlamydial-species tested. The data demonstrate that LOS synthesis is necessary for production of infectious progeny and inhibition of LOS synthesis induces aberrancy in certain chlamydial species, which has important implications for the use of LOS synthesis inhibitors as potential antibiotics.

40 CFR 227.27 - Limiting permissible con-cen-tra-tion (LPC).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... scientific literature or accepted by EPA as being reliable test organisms to determine the anticipated impact... for each type they represent, and that are documented in the scientific literature and accepted by EPA...

40 CFR 227.27 - Limiting permissible con-cen-tra-tion (LPC).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... scientific literature or accepted by EPA as being reliable test organisms to determine the anticipated impact... for each type they represent, and that are documented in the scientific literature and accepted by EPA...

Feedback control system based on a remote operated PID controller implemented using mbed NXP LPC1768 development board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pricop, Emil; Zamfir, Florin; Paraschiv, Nicolae

2015-11-01

Process control is a challenging research topic for both academia and industry for a long time. Controllers evolved from the classical SISO approach to modern fuzzy or neuro-fuzzy embedded devices with networking capabilities, however PID algorithms are still used in the most industrial control loops. In this paper, we focus on the implementation of a PID controller using mbed NXP LPC1768 development board. This board integrates a powerful ARM Cortex- M3 core and has networking capabilities. The implemented controller can be remotely operated by using an Internet connection and a standard Web browser. The main advantages of the proposed embedded system are customizability, easy operation and very low power consumption. The experimental results obtained by using a simulated process are analysed and shows that the implementation can be done with success in industrial applications.

Four-junction AlGaAs/GaAs laser power converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jie; Sun, Yurun; Zhao, Yongming; Yu, Shuzhen; Dong, Jianrong; Xue, Jiping; Xue, Chi; Wang, Jin; Lu, Yunqing; Ding, Yanwen

2018-04-01

Four-junction AlGaAs/GaAs laser power converters (LPCs) with n+-GaAs/p+-Al0.37Ga0.63As heterostructure tunnel junctions (TJs) have been designed and grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for converting the power of 808 nm lasers. A maximum conversion efficiency η c of 56.9% ± 4% is obtained for cells with an aperture of 3.14 mm2 at an input laser power of 0.2 W, while dropping to 43.3% at 1.5 W. Measured current–voltage (I–V) characteristics indicate that the performance of the LPC can be further improved by increasing the tunneling current density of TJs and optimizing the thicknesses of sub-cells to achieve current matching in LPC. Project financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61376065) and Zhongtian Technology Group Co. Ltd.

Evaluative conditioning of positive and negative valence affects P1 and N1 in verbal processing.

PubMed

Kuchinke, Lars; Fritsch, Nathalie; Müller, Christina J

2015-10-22

The present study examined the effect of contextual learning on the neural processing of previously meaningless pseudowords. During an evaluative conditioning session on 5 consecutive days, participants learned to associate 120 pseudowords with either positive, neutral or negative pictures. In a second session, participants were presented all conditioned pseudowords again together with 40 new pseudowords in a recognition memory task while their event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The behavioral data confirm successful learning of pseudoword valence. At the neural level, early modulations of the ERPs are visible at the P1 and the N1 components discriminating between positively and negatively conditioned pseudowords. Differences to new pseudowords were visible at later processing stages as indicated by modulations of the LPC. These results support a contextual learning hypothesis that is able to explain very early emotional ERP modulations in visual word recognition. Source localization indicates a role of medial-frontal brain regions as a likely origin of these early valence discrimination signals which are discussed to promote top-down signals to sensory processing. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Here, There, and Everywhere: The Ubiquitous Distribution of the Immunosignaling Molecule Lysophosphatidylcholine and Its Role on Chagas Disease

PubMed Central

Silva-Neto, Mário Alberto C.; Lopes, Angela H.; Atella, Georgia C.

2016-01-01

Chagas disease is a severe illness, which can lead to death if the patients are not promptly treated. The disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is mostly transmitted by a triatomine insect vector. There are 8–10 million people infected with T. cruzi in the world, but the transmission of such disease by bugs occurs only in the Americas, especially Latin America. Chronically infected patients will develop cardiac diseases (30%) and up digestive, neurological, or mixed disorders (10%). Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is the major phospholipid component of oxidized low-density lipoproteins associated with atherosclerosis-related tissue damage. Insect-derived LPC powerfully attracts inflammatory cells to the site of the insect bite, enhances parasite invasion, and inhibits the production of nitric oxide by T. cruzi-stimulated macrophages. The recognition of the ubiquitous presence of LPC on the vector saliva, its production by the parasite itself and its presence both on patient plasma and its role on diverse host × parasite interaction systems lead us to compare its distribution in nature with the title of the famous Beatles song “Here, There and Everywhere” recorded exactly 50 years ago in 1966. Here, we review the major findings pointing out the role of such molecule as an immunosignaling modulator of Chagas disease transmission. Also, we believe that future investigation of the connection of this ubiquity and the immune role of such molecule may lead in the future to novel methods to control parasite transmission, infection, and pathogenesis. PMID:26925065

Here, There, and Everywhere: The Ubiquitous Distribution of the Immunosignaling Molecule Lysophosphatidylcholine and Its Role on Chagas Disease.

PubMed

Silva-Neto, Mário Alberto C; Lopes, Angela H; Atella, Georgia C

2016-01-01

Chagas disease is a severe illness, which can lead to death if the patients are not promptly treated. The disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is mostly transmitted by a triatomine insect vector. There are 8-10 million people infected with T. cruzi in the world, but the transmission of such disease by bugs occurs only in the Americas, especially Latin America. Chronically infected patients will develop cardiac diseases (30%) and up digestive, neurological, or mixed disorders (10%). Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is the major phospholipid component of oxidized low-density lipoproteins associated with atherosclerosis-related tissue damage. Insect-derived LPC powerfully attracts inflammatory cells to the site of the insect bite, enhances parasite invasion, and inhibits the production of nitric oxide by T. cruzi-stimulated macrophages. The recognition of the ubiquitous presence of LPC on the vector saliva, its production by the parasite itself and its presence both on patient plasma and its role on diverse host × parasite interaction systems lead us to compare its distribution in nature with the title of the famous Beatles song "Here, There and Everywhere" recorded exactly 50 years ago in 1966. Here, we review the major findings pointing out the role of such molecule as an immunosignaling modulator of Chagas disease transmission. Also, we believe that future investigation of the connection of this ubiquity and the immune role of such molecule may lead in the future to novel methods to control parasite transmission, infection, and pathogenesis.

Discovery and Validation of Biomarkers to Guide Clinical Management of Pneumonia in African Children

PubMed Central

Huang, Honglei; Ideh, Readon C.; Gitau, Evelyn; Thézénas, Marie L.; Jallow, Muminatou; Ebruke, Bernard; Chimah, Osaretin; Oluwalana, Claire; Karanja, Henri; Mackenzie, Grant; Adegbola, Richard A.; Kwiatkowski, Dominic; Kessler, Benedikt M.; Berkley, James A.; Howie, Stephen R. C.; Casals-Pascual, Climent

2014-01-01

Background. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children globally. Clinical algorithms remain suboptimal for distinguishing severe pneumonia from other causes of respiratory distress such as malaria or distinguishing bacterial pneumonia and pneumonia from others causes, such as viruses. Molecular tools could improve diagnosis and management. Methods. We conducted a mass spectrometry–based proteomic study to identify and validate markers of severity in 390 Gambian children with pneumonia (n = 204) and age-, sex-, and neighborhood-matched controls (n = 186). Independent validation was conducted in 293 Kenyan children with respiratory distress (238 with pneumonia, 41 with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, and 14 with both). Predictive value was estimated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results. Lipocalin 2 (Lpc-2) was the best protein biomarker of severe pneumonia (AUC, 0.71 [95% confidence interval, .64–.79]) and highly predictive of bacteremia (78% [64%–92%]), pneumococcal bacteremia (84% [71%–98%]), and “probable bacterial etiology” (91% [84%–98%]). These results were validated in Kenyan children with severe malaria and respiratory distress who also met the World Health Organization definition of pneumonia. The combination of Lpc-2 and haptoglobin distinguished bacterial versus malaria origin of respiratory distress with high sensitivity and specificity in Gambian children (AUC, 99% [95% confidence interval, 99%–100%]) and Kenyan children (82% [74%–91%]). Conclusions. Lpc-2 and haptoglobin can help discriminate the etiology of clinically defined pneumonia and could be used to improve clinical management. These biomarkers should be further evaluated in prospective clinical studies. PMID:24696240

Treatment for stage 4A retinopathy of prematurity: laser and/or ranibizumab.

PubMed

Sukgen, Emine Alyamaç; Koçluk, Yusuf

2017-02-01

Stage 4A retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a critical phase where retinal detachment develops, but fovea is preserved. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of the first treatment choice (laser photocoagulation (LPC) or intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR)) applied in this critical phase on the prognosis of the disease. Records of patients diagnosed with stage 4A ROP and whose first treatment was applied in our clinic were evaluated retrospectively. All patients were referred to our clinic for the treatment of advanced ROP . While group 1 was composed of the patients who were administered LPC as first treatment, group 2 included patients where IVR was applied as first treatment. The patients in both groups were referred to surgical treatment in the presence of progression. The present study included a total of 31 eyes in 16 patients with stage 4A ROP. Eighteen eyes of nine patients in group 1 were first applied LPC, and 13 eyes of seven patients in group 2 were first applied intravitreal ranibizumab. While anatomic outcomes of ten eyes in both groups were favorable, eight eyes in group 1 and three eyes in group 2 displayed progression and were referred to vitreoretinal surgery. Laser and/or IVR treatment may be effective as a non-surgical treatment for stage 4A ROP. Especially stage 4A ROP until 6 clock hours can regress without surgical treatment. However, in stage 4A with involvement wider than 6 clock hours, non-surgical regression is difficult. Prospective controlled large series studies are necessary.

Comparative phosphoproteomics reveals components of host cell invasion and post-transcriptional regulation during Francisella infection

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

Nakayasu, Ernesto S.; Tempel, Rebecca; Cambronne, Xiaolu A.

2013-09-22

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium that causes the deadly disease tularemia. Most evidence suggests that Francisella is not well recognized by the innate immune system that normally leads to cytokine expression and cell death. In previous work, we identified new bacterial factors that were hyper-cytotoxic to macrophages. Four of the identified hyper-cytotoxic strains (lpcC, manB, manC and kdtA) had an impaired lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis and produced an exposed lipid A lacking the O-antigen. These mutants were not only hyper-cytotoxic but also were phagocytosed at much higher rates compared to the wild type parent strain. To elucidate the cellularmore » signaling underlying this enhanced phagocytosis and cell death, we performed a large-scale comparative phosphoproteomic analysis of cells infected with wild-type and delta-lpcC F. novicida. Our data suggest that not only actin but also intermediate filaments and microtubules are important for F. novicida entry into the host cells. In addition, we observed differential phosphorylation of tristetraprolin (TTP), a key component of the mRNA-degrading machinery that controls the expression of a variety of genes including many cytokines. Infection with the delta-lpcC mutant induced the hyper-phosphorylation and inhibition of TTP, leading to the production of cytokines such as IL-1beta and TNF-alpha which may kill the host cells by triggering apoptosis. Together, our data provide new insights for Francisella invasion and a post-transcriptional mechanism that prevents the expression of host immune response factors that controls infection by this pathogen.« less

Self-esteem modulates the time course of self-positivity bias in explicit self-evaluation.

PubMed

Zhang, Hua; Guan, Lili; Qi, Mingming; Yang, Juan

2013-01-01

Researchers have suggested that certain individuals may show a self-positivity bias, rating themselves as possessing more positive personality traits than others. Previous evidence has shown that people evaluate self-related information in such a way as to maintain or enhance self-esteem. However, whether self-esteem would modulate the time course of self-positivity bias in explicit self-evaluation has never been explored. In the present study, 21 participants completed the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and then completed a task where they were instructed to indicate to what extent positive/negative traits described themselves. Behavioral data showed that participants endorsed positive traits as higher in self-relevance compared to the negative traits. Further, participants' self-esteem levels were positively correlated with their self-positivity bias. Electrophysiological data revealed smaller N1 amplitude and larger late positive component (LPC) amplitude to stimuli consistent with the self-positivity bias (positive-high self-relevant stimuli) when compared to stimuli that were inconsistent with the self-positivity bias (positive-low self-relevant stimuli). Moreover, only in individuals with low self-esteem, the latency of P2 was more pronounced in processing stimuli that were consistent with the self-positivity bias (negative-low self-relevant stimuli) than to stimuli that were inconsistent with the self-positivity bias (positive-low self-relevant stimuli). Overall, the present study provides additional support for the view that low self-esteem as a personality variable would affect the early attentional processing.

Different metabolic profiles of K1 serotype and non-serotype K1 and K2 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in oral infection mice model.

PubMed

Chen, Nan; Wang, Lin-Lin; Xue, Juan; Ma, Xiang-Bo; Zhao, Sheng; Rong, Rui-Xue; Li, Hong-Quan; Ding, Liang; Zheng, Ming-Zhi; Chen, Ying-Ying; Duan, Fei; Shen, Yue-Liang

2014-10-01

K1 or K2 serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate caused clinical pyogenic liver abscess (KLA) infection is prevalent in many areas. It has been identified that K1 or K2 serotype K. pneumoniae isolates caused KLA infection in mice by oral inoculation. In our study, K1 serotype K. pneumoniae isolate Kp1002 with hypermucoviscosity (HV)-positive phenotype caused KLA infection in C57BL/6 mice by oral inoculation. Simultaneously, non-serotype K1 and K2 isolate Kp1014 with HV-negative phenotype failed to cause KLA infection in the same manner. It seems that gastrointestinal tract translocation is the pathway by which K1 or K2 serotype K. pneumoniae caused KLA infection. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to further analyze metabolic profile changes in mice with KLA infection. Data showed that after Kp1002 or Kp1014 oral inoculation, serum Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) levels significantly changed in mice. Some PC and LPC molecules showed changes both in the Kp1002 KLA group and the Kp1014 no-KLA group compared with the control group. The level of 18:1/18:2-PC significantly changed in the Kp1002 KLA group compared with the control group, but showed no change between the Kp1014 no-KLA group and the control group. The level of 18:1/18:2-PC might have been particularly affected by KLA infection caused by K1 serotype K. pneumoniae Kp1002. It may be a potential biomarker for KLA infection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Concreteness of Concepts on the Integration of Novel Words into the Semantic Network

PubMed Central

Ding, Jinfeng; Liu, Wenjuan; Yang, Yufang

2017-01-01

On the basis of previous studies revealing a processing advantage of concrete words over abstract words, the current study aimed to further explore the influence of concreteness on the integration of novel words into semantic memory with the event related potential (ERP) technique. In the experiment during the learning phase participants read two-sentence contexts and inferred the meaning of novel words. The novel words were two-character non-words in Chinese language. Their meaning was either a concrete or abstract known concept which could be inferred from the contexts. During the testing phase participants performed a lexical decision task in which the learned novel words served as primes for either their corresponding concepts, semantically related or unrelated targets. For the concrete novel words, the semantically related words belonged to the same semantic categories with their corresponding concepts. For the abstract novel words, the semantically related words were synonyms of their corresponding concepts. The unrelated targets were real words which were concrete or abstract for the concrete or abstract novel words respectively. The ERP results showed that the corresponding concepts and the semantically related words elicited smaller N400s than the unrelated words. The N400 effect was not modulated by the concreteness of the concepts. In addition, the concrete corresponding concepts elicited a smaller late positive component (LPC) than the concrete unrelated words. This LPC effect was absent for the abstract words. The results indicate that although both concrete and abstract novel words can be acquired and linked to their related words in the semantic network after a short learning phase, the concrete novel words are learned better. Our findings support the (extended) dual coding theory and broaden our understanding of adult word learning and changes in concept organization. PMID:29255440

The Influence of Concreteness of Concepts on the Integration of Novel Words into the Semantic Network.

PubMed

Ding, Jinfeng; Liu, Wenjuan; Yang, Yufang

2017-01-01

On the basis of previous studies revealing a processing advantage of concrete words over abstract words, the current study aimed to further explore the influence of concreteness on the integration of novel words into semantic memory with the event related potential (ERP) technique. In the experiment during the learning phase participants read two-sentence contexts and inferred the meaning of novel words. The novel words were two-character non-words in Chinese language. Their meaning was either a concrete or abstract known concept which could be inferred from the contexts. During the testing phase participants performed a lexical decision task in which the learned novel words served as primes for either their corresponding concepts, semantically related or unrelated targets. For the concrete novel words, the semantically related words belonged to the same semantic categories with their corresponding concepts. For the abstract novel words, the semantically related words were synonyms of their corresponding concepts. The unrelated targets were real words which were concrete or abstract for the concrete or abstract novel words respectively. The ERP results showed that the corresponding concepts and the semantically related words elicited smaller N400s than the unrelated words. The N400 effect was not modulated by the concreteness of the concepts. In addition, the concrete corresponding concepts elicited a smaller late positive component (LPC) than the concrete unrelated words. This LPC effect was absent for the abstract words. The results indicate that although both concrete and abstract novel words can be acquired and linked to their related words in the semantic network after a short learning phase, the concrete novel words are learned better. Our findings support the (extended) dual coding theory and broaden our understanding of adult word learning and changes in concept organization.

Potential Angiogenic Role of Platelet-Activating Factor in Human Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

Montrucchio, Giuseppe; Sapino, Anna; Bussolati, Benedetta; Ghisolfi, Gianpiero; Rizea-Savu, Simona; Silvestro, Luigi; Lupia, Enrico; Camussi, Giovanni

1998-01-01

This study investigated the presence of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in the lipid extracts of 18 primary breast carcinomas and 20 control breast tissues. The amount of PAF detected in breast carcinomas was significantly higher than in controls. The mass spectrometric analysis of PAF-bioactive lipid extract from breast carcinomas showed the presence of several molecular species of PAF, including C16-alkylPAF, C18-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), C16-LPC, lyso-PAF, and C16-acylPAF. The amount of bioactive PAF extracted from breast specimens significantly correlated with tumor vascularization revealed by the number of CD34- and CD31-positive cells. As C16-alkylPAF was previously shown to induce angiogenesis in vivo, we evaluated whether the thin layer chromatography-purified lipid extracts of breast specimens elicited neoangiogenesis in a murine model of subcutaneous Matrigel injection. The lipid extracts from specimens of breast carcinoma containing high levels of PAF bioactivity, but not from breast carcinomas containing low levels of PAF bioactivity or from normal breast tissue, induced a significant angiogenic response. This angiogenic response was significantly inhibited by the PAF receptor antagonist WEB 2170. T47D and MCF7 breast cancer cell lines, but not an immortalized nontumor breast cell line (MCF10), released PAF in the culture medium. A significant in vivo neoangiogenic response, inhibited by WEB 2170, was elicited by T47D and MCF7 but not by MCF10 culture medium. These results indicate that an increased concentration of PAF is present in tumors with high microvessel density and that PAF may account for the neoangiogenic activity induced in mice by the lipid extracts obtained from breast cancer. A contribution of PAF in the neovascularization of human breast cancer is suggested. PMID:9811351

Lipid Profile in Different Parts of Edible Jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum.

PubMed

Zhu, Si; Ye, Mengwei; Xu, Jilin; Guo, Chunyang; Zheng, Huakun; Hu, Jiabao; Chen, Juanjuan; Wang, Yajun; Xu, Shanliang; Yan, Xiaojun

2015-09-23

Jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum has been exploited commercially as a delicious food for a long time. Although the edible and medicinal values of R. esculentum have gained extensive attention, the effects of lipids on its nutritional value have rarely been reported. In the present of study, the lipid profile including lipid classes, fatty acyl compositions, and fatty acid (FA) positions in lipids from different parts (oral arms, umbrella, and mouth stalk) of R. esculentum was explored by ultraperformance liquid chromatography--electrospray ionization--quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS). More than 87 species from 10 major lipid classes including phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), phosphatidylserine (PS), ceramide (Cer), ceramide 2-aminoethylphosphonate (CAEP), and triacylglycerol (TAG) were separated and characterized. Semiquantification of individual lipid species in different parts of R. esculentum was also conducted. Results showed that glycerophospholipids (GPLs) enriched in highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) were the major compenents in all parts of R. esculentum, which accounted for 54-63% of total lipids (TLs). Considering the high level of GPLs and the FA compositions in GPLs, jellyfish R. esculentum might have great potential as a health-promoting food for humans and as a growth-promoting diet for some commercial fish and crustaceans. Meanwhile, LPC, LPE, and LPI showed high levels in oral arms when compared with umbrella and mouth stalk, which may be due to the high proportion of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in oral arms. Moreover, a high CAEP level was detected in oral arms, which may render cell membranes with resistance to chemical hydrolysis by PLA2. The relatively low TAG content could be associated with specific functions of oral arms.

Remaining Strength of Corroded Pipe Under Secondary (Biaxial) Loading

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-08-01

Corrosion metal-loss is one of the major damage mechanisms to transmission pipelines worldwide. Several methods have been developed for assessment of corrosion defects, such as ASME B31G, RSTRENG and LPC. These methods were derived based on experimen...

Principal's Experience and Teachers' Satisfaction in Lebanese Secondary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theodory, George C.

1981-01-01

Investigates Fiedler's contingency theory regarding the relationship between the years of experience of principals rated as high and low LPC (Least Preferred Coworker) and the satisfaction of teachers in their schools. Subjects were 93 principals and 627 secondary school teachers. (Author/CM)

Expression Pattern of HIF-1α and VEGF Supports Circumferential Application of Scatter Laser for Proliferative Sickle Retinopathy

PubMed Central

Rodrigues, Murilo; Kashiwabuchi, Fabiana; Deshpande, Monika; Jee, Kathleen; Goldberg, Morton F.; Lutty, Gerard; Semenza, Gregg L.; Montaner, Silvia; Sodhi, Akrit

2016-01-01

Purpose Retinal vascular occlusions in sickle cell anemia patients cause tissue ischemia and the release of angiogenic mediators that promote the development of retinal neovascularization, initiating proliferative sickle retinopathy (PSR). Laser photocoagulation (LPC) has emerged as the most common treatment for PSR. Nonetheless, only two randomized controlled clinical trials have evaluated the use of LPC for PSR, and both failed to definitively demonstrate efficacy of this approach. This may be due to a lack of knowledge regarding the appropriate location for placement of laser coagulations in PSR eyes. To help address this question, we examined the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in PSR eyes. Methods The expression pattern of HIF-1α and VEGF in PSR (n = 5) and control (n = 3) eyes was examined by immunohistochemistry in different retinal regions defined by the presence or absence of retinal vessels. Results Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and VEGF were expressed in the inner retina of 5/5 untreated PSR eyes adjacent to retinal neovascularization; expression of HIF-1α was not detected (and VEGF only lightly detected) in normal retinal and choroidal vasculature of 3/3 control eyes. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and VEGF were strongly expressed in retinal cells within avascular (nonperfused) retina, anterior to the boundary between perfused and nonperfused retina, as well as in posterior ischemic retina in the presence or absence of neovascular sea fans. Conclusions If the goal of LPC in PSR is to quench the expression of HIF-1–driven angiogenic mediators, our results support broad application of peripheral laser for its treatment. PMID:27951596

The time course of reading processes in children with and without dyslexia: an ERP study

PubMed Central

Hasko, Sandra; Groth, Katarina; Bruder, Jennifer; Bartling, Jürgen; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2013-01-01

The main diagnostic criterion for developmental dyslexia (DD) in transparent orthographies is a remarkable reading speed deficit, which is often accompanied by spelling difficulties. These deficits have been traced back to both deficits in orthographic and phonological processing. For a better understanding of the reading speed deficit in DD it is necessary to clarify which processing steps are degraded in children with DD during reading. In order to address this question the present study used EEG to investigate three reading related ERPs: the N170, N400 and LPC. Twenty-nine children without DD and 52 children with DD performed a phonological lexical decision (PLD)—task, which tapped both orthographic and phonological processing. Children were presented with words, pseudohomophones, pseudowords and false fonts and had to decide whether the presented stimulus sounded like an existing German word or not. Compared to control children, children with DD showed deficits in all the investigated ERPs. Firstly, a diminished mean area under the curve for the word material-false font contrasts in the time window of the N170 was observed, indicating a reduced degree of print sensitivity; secondly, N400 amplitudes, as suggested to reflect the access to the orthographic lexicon and grapheme-phoneme conversion, were attenuated; and lastly, phonological access as indexed by the LPC was degraded in children with DD. Processing differences dependent on the linguistic material in children without DD were observed only in the LPC, suggesting that similar reading processes were adopted independent of orthographic familiarity. The results of this study suggest that effective treatment should include both orthographic and phonological training. Furthermore, more longitudinal studies utilizing the same task and stimuli are needed to clarify how these processing steps and their time course change during reading development. PMID:24109444

Fear Conditioning Selectively Disrupts Noradrenergic Facilitation of GABAergic Inhibition in the Basolateral Amygdala

PubMed Central

Skelly, M. J.; Ariwodola, O. J.; Weiner, J. L.

2016-01-01

Inappropriate fear memory formation is symptomatic of many psychopathologies, and delineating the neurobiology of non-pathological fear learning may provide critical insight into treating these disorders. Fear memory formation is associated with decreased inhibitory signaling in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and disrupted noradrenergic signaling may contribute to this decrease. BLA noradrenergic neurotransmission has been implicated in fear memory formation, and distinct adrenoreceptor (AR) subtypes modulate excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in this region. For example, α1-ARs promote GABA release from local inhibitory interneurons, while β3-ARs potentiate neurotransmission at lateral paracapsular (LPC) GABAergic synapses. Conversely, β1/2-ARs amplify excitatory signaling at glutamatergic synapses in the BLA. As increased BLA excitability promotes fear memory formation, we hypothesized that fear learning shifts the balanced regional effects of noradrenergic signaling toward excitation. To test this hypothesis, we used the fear-potentiated startle paradigm in combination with whole cell patch clamp electrophysiology to examine the effects of AR activation on BLA synaptic transmission following fear conditioning in male Long-Evans rats. We first demonstrated that inhibitory neurotransmission is decreased at both local and LPC synapses following fear conditioning. We next measured noradrenergic facilitation of BLA inhibitory signaling at local and LPC synapses using α1- and β3-AR agonists (1μM A61603 and 10μM BRL37344), and found that the ability of these agents to facilitate inhibitory neurotransmission is disrupted following fear conditioning. Conversely, we found that fear learning does not disrupt noradrenergic modulation of glutamatergic signaling via a β1/2-AR agonist (1μM isoproterenol). Taken together, these studies suggest that fear learning increases BLA excitability by selectively disrupting the inhibitory effects of noradrenaline. PMID:27720769

Fear conditioning selectively disrupts noradrenergic facilitation of GABAergic inhibition in the basolateral amygdala.

PubMed

Skelly, M J; Ariwodola, O J; Weiner, J L

2017-02-01

Inappropriate fear memory formation is symptomatic of many psychopathologies, and delineating the neurobiology of non-pathological fear learning may provide critical insight into treating these disorders. Fear memory formation is associated with decreased inhibitory signaling in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and disrupted noradrenergic signaling may contribute to this decrease. BLA noradrenergic neurotransmission has been implicated in fear memory formation, and distinct adrenoreceptor (AR) subtypes modulate excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in this region. For example, α1-ARs promote GABA release from local inhibitory interneurons, while β3-ARs potentiate neurotransmission at lateral paracapsular (LPC) GABAergic synapses. Conversely, β1/2-ARs amplify excitatory signaling at glutamatergic synapses in the BLA. As increased BLA excitability promotes fear memory formation, we hypothesized that fear learning shifts the balanced regional effects of noradrenergic signaling toward excitation. To test this hypothesis, we used the fear-potentiated startle paradigm in combination with whole cell patch clamp electrophysiology to examine the effects of AR activation on BLA synaptic transmission following fear conditioning in male Long-Evans rats. We first demonstrated that inhibitory neurotransmission is decreased at both local and LPC synapses following fear conditioning. We next measured noradrenergic facilitation of BLA inhibitory signaling at local and LPC synapses using α1-and β3-AR agonists (1 μM A61603 and 10 μM BRL37344), and found that the ability of these agents to facilitate inhibitory neurotransmission is disrupted following fear conditioning. Conversely, we found that fear learning does not disrupt noradrenergic modulation of glutamatergic signaling via a β1/2-AR agonist (1 μM isoproterenol). Taken together, these studies suggest that fear learning increases BLA excitability by selectively disrupting the inhibitory effects of noradrenaline. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of a Health-Beneficial Food Emulsifier by Enzymatic Partial Hydrolysis of Phospholipids Obtained from the Head of Autumn Chum Salmon.

PubMed

Shah, A K M Azad; Nagao, Toshihiro; Kurihara, Hideyuki; Takahashi, Koretaro

2017-02-01

Phospholipids and their partial hydrolysates, namely lysophospholipids (LPLs), have been widely used in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products as highly efficient emulsifiers. This study was conducted to produce docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-esterified LPLs by enzymatic modification of phospholipids obtained from the head of autumn chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). The emulsifying properties of the obtained LPLs were also evaluated. Two different types of substrates of salmon head phospholipids were prepared via silica gel and cold acetone precipitation. Enzymatic partial hydrolysis was carried out using immobilized phospholipase A 1 (PLA 1 ) and Lipozyme RM IM. Results showed that the increase in DHA in the LPLs was much higher in the silica-separated phospholipids than in the acetone-precipitated phospholipids. When silica-separated phospholipids were used as the substrate, the DHA content of the LPLs increased from 23.1% to 40.6% and 42.6% after 8 h of partial hydrolysis with Lipozyme RM IM and immobilized PLA 1 , respectively. The yield of the LPLs was comparatively higher in the Lipozyme RM IM than in the immobilized PLA 1 hydrolysis reaction. The critical micelle concentration values of the LPLs and purified lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) were 100 mg/L and 5 mg/L, respectively. The surface tension values of the LPLs and LPC were reduced to 30.0 mN/m and 30.5 mN/m, respectively. The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of the LPLs and LPC were 6.0 and 9.4, respectively. Based on the emulsifying properties observed, we conclude that LPLs derived from the phospholipids of salmon head lipids could be used as a health-beneficial emulsifier in the food industry.

Fall Detection Using Smartphone Audio Features.

PubMed

Cheffena, Michael

2016-07-01

An automated fall detection system based on smartphone audio features is developed. The spectrogram, mel frequency cepstral coefficents (MFCCs), linear predictive coding (LPC), and matching pursuit (MP) features of different fall and no-fall sound events are extracted from experimental data. Based on the extracted audio features, four different machine learning classifiers: k-nearest neighbor classifier (k-NN), support vector machine (SVM), least squares method (LSM), and artificial neural network (ANN) are investigated for distinguishing between fall and no-fall events. For each audio feature, the performance of each classifier in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and computational complexity is evaluated. The best performance is achieved using spectrogram features with ANN classifier with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy all above 98%. The classifier also has acceptable computational requirement for training and testing. The system is applicable in home environments where the phone is placed in the vicinity of the user.

Lipopolysaccharide induces autotaxin expression in human monocytic THP-1 cells

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

Li Song; Zhang Junjie

2009-01-09

Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted enzyme with lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD) activity, which converts lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) into lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive phospholipid involved in numerous biological activities, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. In the present study, we found that bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a well-known initiator of the inflammatory response, induced ATX expression in monocytic THP-1 cells. The activation of PKR, JNK, and p38 MAPK was required for the ATX induction. The LPS-induced ATX in THP-1 cells was characterized as the {beta} isoform. In the presence of LPC, ATX could promote the migrations of THP-1 and Jurkat cells, which wasmore » inhibited by pertussis toxin (PTX), an inhibitor of Gi-mediated LPA receptor signaling. In summary, LPS induces ATX expression in THP-1 cells via a PKR, JNK and p38 MAPK-mediated mechanism, and the ATX induction is likely to enhance immune cell migration in proinflammatory response by regulating LPA levels in the microenvironment.« less

Chemical Utilization of Albizia lebbeck Leaves for Developing Protein Concentrates as a Dietary Supplement.

PubMed

Khan, Lutful Haque; Varshney, V K

2017-08-17

In search of nonconventional sources of protein to combat widespread malnutrition, the possibility of developing a protein concentrate as an alternative dietary supplement from abundantly available yet poorly valorized leaves of Albizia lebbeck (siris) was examined. A process for recovery of leaf protein concentrate (LPC) from these leaves was optimized and applied for isolation of LPCs from lower, middle, and upper canopies of the tree. The optimized conditions (leaves to water 1:9, coagulation at pH 4.0 using 1 N citric acid at 90°C for 11 minutes) afforded LPCs containing protein 37.15%, 37.57%, and 37.76% in 5.99%, 5.97%, and 6.07% yield, respectively. The proximate nutritional composition, pigments, minerals, in vitro digestibility, and antinutritional factors of these LPCs were determined. Analysis of variance of these data revealed no significant difference with respect to canopy. Use of Albizia lebbeck leaves for development of LPC as a food/feed supplement was revealed.

Active elimination of radio frequency interference for improved signal-to-noise ratio for in-situ NMR experiments in strong magnetic field gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, M.; Pardi, C. I.; Brown, T. W. C.; McDonald, P. J.

2018-02-01

Improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) systems may be achieved either by increasing the signal amplitude or by decreasing the noise. The noise has multiple origins - not all of which are strictly "noise": incoherent thermal noise originating in the probe and pre-amplifiers, probe ring down or acoustic noise and coherent externally broadcast radio frequency transmissions. The last cannot always be shielded in open access experiments. In this paper, we show that pulsed, low radio-frequency data communications are a significant source of broadcast interference. We explore two signal processing methods of de-noising short T2∗ NMR experiments corrupted by these communications: Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) and the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). Results are shown for numerical simulations and experiments conducted under controlled conditions with pseudo radio frequency interference. We show that both the LPC and DWT methods have merit.

Aging-associated oxidative stress inhibits liver progenitor cell activation in mice.

PubMed

Cheng, Yiji; Wang, Xue; Wang, Bei; Zhou, Hong; Dang, Shipeng; Shi, Yufang; Hao, Li; Luo, Qingquan; Jin, Min; Zhou, Qianjun; Zhang, Yanyun

2017-04-29

Recent studies have discovered aging-associated changes of adult stem cells in various tissues and organs, which potentially contribute to the organismal aging. However, aging-associated changes of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) remain elusive. Employing young (2-month-old) and old (24-month-old) mice, we found diverse novel alterations in LPC activation during aging. LPCs in young mice could be activated and proliferate upon liver injury, whereas the counterparts in old mice failed to respond and proliferate, leading to the impaired liver regeneration. Surprisingly, isolated LPCs from young and old mice did not exhibit significant difference in their clonogenic and proliferative capacity. Later, we uncovered that the decreased activation and proliferation of LPCs were due to excessive reactive oxygen species produced by neutrophils infiltrated into niche, which was resulted from chemokine production from activated hepatic stellate cells during aging. This study demonstrates aging-associated changes in LPC activation and reveals critical roles for the stem cell niche, including neutrophils and hepatic stellate cells, in the negative regulation of LPCs during aging.

Digital signal processing algorithms for automatic voice recognition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Botros, Nazeih M.

1987-01-01

The current digital signal analysis algorithms are investigated that are implemented in automatic voice recognition algorithms. Automatic voice recognition means, the capability of a computer to recognize and interact with verbal commands. The digital signal is focused on, rather than the linguistic, analysis of speech signal. Several digital signal processing algorithms are available for voice recognition. Some of these algorithms are: Linear Predictive Coding (LPC), Short-time Fourier Analysis, and Cepstrum Analysis. Among these algorithms, the LPC is the most widely used. This algorithm has short execution time and do not require large memory storage. However, it has several limitations due to the assumptions used to develop it. The other 2 algorithms are frequency domain algorithms with not many assumptions, but they are not widely implemented or investigated. However, with the recent advances in the digital technology, namely signal processors, these 2 frequency domain algorithms may be investigated in order to implement them in voice recognition. This research is concerned with real time, microprocessor based recognition algorithms.

A classification of marked hijaiyah letters' pronunciation using hidden Markov model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisesty, Untari N.; Mubarok, M. Syahrul; Adiwijaya

2017-08-01

Hijaiyah letters are the letters that arrange the words in Al Qur'an consisting of 28 letters. They symbolize the consonant sounds. On the other hand, the vowel sounds are symbolized by harokat/marks. Speech recognition system is a system used to process the sound signal to be data so that it can be recognized by computer. To build the system, some stages are needed i.e characteristics/feature extraction and classification. In this research, LPC and MFCC extraction method, K-Means Quantization vector and Hidden Markov Model classification are used. The data used are the 28 letters and 6 harakat with the total class of 168. After several are testing done, it can be concluded that the system can recognize the pronunciation pattern of marked hijaiyah letter very well in the training data with its highest accuracy of 96.1% using the feature of LPC extraction and 94% using the MFCC. Meanwhile, when testing system is used, the accuracy decreases up to 41%.

Modified linear predictive coding approach for moving target tracking by Doppler radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Yipeng; Lin, Xiaoyi; Sun, Ke-Hui; Xu, Xue-Mei; Liu, Xi-Yao

2016-07-01

Doppler radar is a cost-effective tool for moving target tracking, which can support a large range of civilian and military applications. A modified linear predictive coding (LPC) approach is proposed to increase the target localization accuracy of the Doppler radar. Based on the time-frequency analysis of the received echo, the proposed approach first real-time estimates the noise statistical parameters and constructs an adaptive filter to intelligently suppress the noise interference. Then, a linear predictive model is applied to extend the available data, which can help improve the resolution of the target localization result. Compared with the traditional LPC method, which empirically decides the extension data length, the proposed approach develops an error array to evaluate the prediction accuracy and thus, adjust the optimum extension data length intelligently. Finally, the prediction error array is superimposed with the predictor output to correct the prediction error. A series of experiments are conducted to illustrate the validity and performance of the proposed techniques.

Disturbance of semantic processing in temporal lobe epilepsy demonstrated with scalp ERPs.

PubMed

Miyamoto, T; Katayama, J I; Kohsaka, M; Koyama, T

2000-12-01

We investigated event-related potentials (N400, LPC and CNV) elicited in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients and control subjects from scalp electrodes, using a word-pair category matching paradigm. Each prime consisted of a Japanese noun (constructed from 2-4 characters of the Hiragana) followed by a Chinese character (Kanji) as the target, the latter representing one of five semantic categories. There were two equally probable target conditions: match or mismatch. Each target was preceded by a prime, either belonging to, or not belonging to, the same semantic category. The subjects were required to respond with a specified button press to the given target, according to the condition. We found RTs to be longer under the mismatch condition in both subject groups. The N400 amplitude was reduced in TLE subjects under both conditions, although LPC and CNV amplitudes showed no significant differences. These results suggest that scalp N400 is capable of demonstrating disturbance of semantic processing in TLE non-invasively. Copyright 2000 BEA Trading Ltd.

On the Death and Transfiguration of Leadership Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiedler, Fred E.

Empirical research shows that neither leadership training nor experience increases organizational performance. These disappointing results can be explained by the Contingency Model. This theory postulates that task motivated low esteem for the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) leaders perform best in very favorable and unfavorable situations while…

The effect of storage temperature and duration on the microbial quality of bulk tank milk.

PubMed

O'Connell, A; Ruegg, P L; Jordan, K; O'Brien, B; Gleeson, D

2016-05-01

The dairy industry in Ireland is currently undergoing a period of expansion and, as a result, it is anticipated that milk may be stored in bulk tanks on-farm for periods greater than 48 h. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of storage temperature and duration on microbial quality of bulk tank milk when fresh milk is added to the bulk tank twice daily. Bulk tank milk stored at 3 temperatures was sampled at 24-h intervals during storage periods of 0 to 96 h. Bulk tank milk samples were analyzed for total bacterial count (TBC), psychrotrophic bacterial count (PBC), laboratory pasteurization count (LPC), psychrotrophic-thermoduric bacterial count (PBC-LPC), proteolytic bacterial count, lipolytic bacterial count, presumptive Bacillus cereus, sulfite-reducing Clostridia (SRC), and SCC. The bulk tank milk temperature was set at each of 3 temperatures (2°C, 4°C, and 6°C) in each of 3 tanks on 2 occasions during two 6-wk periods. Period 1 was undertaken in August and September, when all cows were in mid lactation, and period 2 was undertaken in October and November, when all cows were in late lactation. None of the bulk tank bacterial counts except the proteolytic count were affected by lactation period. The proteolytic bacterial count was greater in period 2 than in period 1. The TBC and PBC of milk stored at 6°C increased as storage duration increased. The TBC did not increase with increasing storage duration when milk was stored at 2°C or 4°C but the PBC of milk stored at 4°C increased significantly between 0 and 96 h. The numbers of proteolytic and lipolytic bacteria, LPC, or PBC-LPC in bulk tank milk were not affected by temperature or duration of storage. Presumptive B. cereus were detected in 10% of all bulk tank milk samples taken over the two 6-wk periods, with similar proportions observed in both. In bulk tank milk samples, a greater incidence of SRC was observed in period 2 (20%) compared with period 1 (3%). Milk produced on-farm with minimal bacterial contamination can be successfully stored at 2°C and 4°C for up to 96h with little effect on its microbial quality. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hemispheric differences in the recruitment of semantic processing mechanisms

PubMed Central

Kandhadai, Padmapriya; Federmeier, Kara D.

2010-01-01

This study examined how the two cerebral hemispheres recruit semantic processing mechanisms by combining event-related potential measures and visual half-field methods in a word priming paradigm in which semantic strength and predictability were manipulated using lexically associated word pairs. Activation patterns on the Late Positive Complex (LPC), linked to controlled aspects of processing, showed that previously documented left hemisphere (LH) processing benefits for word pairs with a weak forward but strong backward association stem from the ability to appreciate meaning relations in an order-independent fashion and/or strategically reorder them. Whereas there is a LH benefit for such strategic processing during comprehension in passive tasks, the present study further showed that the RH is also able to make use of these mechanisms when explicit semantic judgments are required. In both hemispheres, N400 responses, linked to initial semantic activation, were largely graded by association strength, with more amplitude reduction for forward associates and strong, symmetrically associated pairs compared to backward associates and matched weak, symmetrically associated pairs. However, responses to moderately associated pairs were more facilitated after initial presentation to the LH than to the RH. This pattern converges with sentence processing findings that point to LH advantages for using context information to predict features of likely upcoming words. Together, the results suggest that an important basis for hemispheric asymmetries in language comprehension arises from when and how each uses top-down semantic mechanisms to shape initial semantic activation over time. PMID:20638397

40 CFR 227.27 - Limiting permissible con-cen-tra-tion (LPC).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... for initial mixing as provided in § 227.29, does not exceed applicable marine water quality criteria; or, when there are no applicable marine water quality criteria, (2) That concentration of waste or dredged material in the receiving water which, after allowance for initial mixing, as specified in § 227...

40 CFR 227.27 - Limiting permissible con-cen-tra-tion (LPC).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... for initial mixing as provided in § 227.29, does not exceed applicable marine water quality criteria; or, when there are no applicable marine water quality criteria, (2) That concentration of waste or dredged material in the receiving water which, after allowance for initial mixing, as specified in § 227...

78 FR 17079 - Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Turbofan Engines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-20

... Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Turbofan Engines AGENCY: Federal Aviation... certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) models Tay 620-15 and Tay 650-15 turbofan engines. This... Tay 620-15 and Tay 650-15 turbofan engines with a low-pressure compressor (LPC) rotor disc assembly...

77 FR 37917 - Draft Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances and Draft Environmental Assessment; Lesser...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-25

... Prairie Chicken, Oklahoma AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability...-chicken (LEPC) in 10 Oklahoma counties. If the LEPC becomes listed in the future, the Enhancement of... review on the Service Lesser Prairie Chicken Web site: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/LPC.html . The...

77 FR 74123 - Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Turbofan Engines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-13

... Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Turbofan Engines AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of... Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) models Tay 620-15 and Tay 650-15 turbofan engines. This... proposing this AD to prevent failure of the LPC rotor disc assembly, uncontained engine failure, and damage...

40 CFR 227.27 - Limiting permissible con-cen-tra-tion (LPC).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Limiting permissible con-cen-tra-tion... scientific literature or accepted by EPA as being reliable test organisms to determine the anticipated impact... for each type they represent, and that are documented in the scientific literature and accepted by EPA...

Aging-associated oxidative stress inhibits liver progenitor cell activation in mice

PubMed Central

Wang, Bei; Zhou, Hong; Dang, Shipeng; Shi, Yufang; Hao, Li; Luo, Qingquan; Jin, Min; Zhou, Qianjun; Zhang, Yanyun

2017-01-01

Recent studies have discovered aging-associated changes of adult stem cells in various tissues and organs, which potentially contribute to the organismal aging. However, aging-associated changes of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) remain elusive. Employing young (2-month-old) and old (24-month-old) mice, we found diverse novel alterations in LPC activation during aging. LPCs in young mice could be activated and proliferate upon liver injury, whereas the counterparts in old mice failed to respond and proliferate, leading to the impaired liver regeneration. Surprisingly, isolated LPCs from young and old mice did not exhibit significant difference in their clonogenic and proliferative capacity. Later, we uncovered that the decreased activation and proliferation of LPCs were due to excessive reactive oxygen species produced by neutrophils infiltrated into niche, which was resulted from chemokine production from activated hepatic stellate cells during aging. This study demonstrates aging-associated changes in LPC activation and reveals critical roles for the stem cell niche, including neutrophils and hepatic stellate cells, in the negative regulation of LPCs during aging. PMID:28458256

CMS Analysis School Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, S.; Shipsey, I.; Cavanaugh, R.; Bloom, K.; Chan, Kai-Feng; D'Hondt, J.; Klima, B.; Narain, M.; Palla, F.; Rolandi, G.; Schörner-Sadenius, T.

2014-06-01

To impart hands-on training in physics analysis, CMS experiment initiated the concept of CMS Data Analysis School (CMSDAS). It was born over three years ago at the LPC (LHC Physics Centre), Fermilab and is based on earlier workshops held at the LPC and CLEO Experiment. As CMS transitioned from construction to the data taking mode, the nature of earlier training also evolved to include more of analysis tools, software tutorials and physics analysis. This effort epitomized as CMSDAS has proven to be a key for the new and young physicists to jump start and contribute to the physics goals of CMS by looking for new physics with the collision data. With over 400 physicists trained in six CMSDAS around the globe, CMS is trying to engage the collaboration in its discovery potential and maximize physics output. As a bigger goal, CMS is striving to nurture and increase engagement of the myriad talents, in the development of physics, service, upgrade, education of those new to CMS and the career development of younger members. An extension of the concept to the dedicated software and hardware schools is also planned, keeping in mind the ensuing upgrade phase.

A partially inactivating mutation in the sodium-dependent lysophosphatidylcholine transporter MFSD2A causes a non-lethal microcephaly syndrome.

PubMed

Alakbarzade, Vafa; Hameed, Abdul; Quek, Debra Q Y; Chioza, Barry A; Baple, Emma L; Cazenave-Gassiot, Amaury; Nguyen, Long N; Wenk, Markus R; Ahmad, Arshia Q; Sreekantan-Nair, Ajith; Weedon, Michael N; Rich, Phil; Patton, Michael A; Warner, Thomas T; Silver, David L; Crosby, Andrew H

2015-07-01

The major pathway by which the brain obtains essential omega-3 fatty acids from the circulation is through a sodium-dependent lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) transporter (MFSD2A), expressed in the endothelium of the blood-brain barrier. Here we show that a homozygous mutation affecting a highly conserved MFSD2A residue (p.Ser339Leu) is associated with a progressive microcephaly syndrome characterized by intellectual disability, spasticity and absent speech. We show that the p.Ser339Leu alteration does not affect protein or cell surface expression but rather significantly reduces, although not completely abolishes, transporter activity. Notably, affected individuals displayed significantly increased plasma concentrations of LPCs containing mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains, indicative of reduced brain uptake, confirming the specificity of MFSD2A for LPCs having mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains. Together, these findings indicate an essential role for LPCs in human brain development and function and provide the first description of disease associated with aberrant brain LPC transport in humans.

All-electron quasiparticle self-consistent GW band structures for SrTiO 3 including lattice polarization corrections in different phases

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

Bhandari, Churna; van Schilfgaarde, Mark; Kotani, Takao

The electronic band structure of SrTiO3 is investigated in the all-electron quasiparticle self-consistent GW (QSGW) approximation. Unlike previous pseudopotential-based QSGW or single-shot G0W0 calculations, the gap is found to be significantly overestimated compared to experiment. After putting in a correction for the underestimate of the screening by the random phase approximation in terms of a 0.8Σ approach, the gap is still overestimated. The 0.8Σ approach is discussed and justified in terms of various recent literature results including electron-hole corrections. Adding a lattice polarization correction (LPC) in the q→0 limit for the screening of W, agreement with experiment is recovered. Themore » LPC is alternatively estimated using a polaron model. Here, we apply our approach to the cubic and tetragonal phases as well as a hypothetical layered postperovskite structure and find that the local density approximation (LDA) to GW gap correction is almost independent of structure.« less

All-electron quasiparticle self-consistent GW band structures for SrTiO 3 including lattice polarization corrections in different phases

DOE PAGES

Bhandari, Churna; van Schilfgaarde, Mark; Kotani, Takao; ...

2018-01-23

The electronic band structure of SrTiO3 is investigated in the all-electron quasiparticle self-consistent GW (QSGW) approximation. Unlike previous pseudopotential-based QSGW or single-shot G0W0 calculations, the gap is found to be significantly overestimated compared to experiment. After putting in a correction for the underestimate of the screening by the random phase approximation in terms of a 0.8Σ approach, the gap is still overestimated. The 0.8Σ approach is discussed and justified in terms of various recent literature results including electron-hole corrections. Adding a lattice polarization correction (LPC) in the q→0 limit for the screening of W, agreement with experiment is recovered. Themore » LPC is alternatively estimated using a polaron model. Here, we apply our approach to the cubic and tetragonal phases as well as a hypothetical layered postperovskite structure and find that the local density approximation (LDA) to GW gap correction is almost independent of structure.« less

Side-pumping combiner for high-power fiber laser based on tandem pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Yanran; Lei, Chengmin; Liu, Jun; Li, Ruixian; Liu, Le; Xiao, Hu; Chen, Zilun

2017-11-01

We investigate a (2+1)×1 side-pumping combiner numerically and experimentally for high-power fiber laser based on tandem pumping for the first time. The influence of taper ratio and launch mode on the 1018-nm pump coupling efficiency and the leakage power into the coating of the signal fiber (LPC) is analyzed numerically. A side-pumping combiner is developed successfully by tapered-fused splicing technique based on the numerical analysis, consisting of two pump fibers (220/242 μm, NA=0.22) and a signal fiber (40/400 μm, NA=0.06/0.46). The total 1018-nm pump efficiency of the combiner is 98.1%, and the signal light insertion loss is <3%. The results show that, compared with laser diodes pumping, the combiner appears to have a better LPC performance and power handling capability when using 1018-nm fiber as the pump light. Meanwhile, an all-fiber MOPA laser based on tandem pumping with 1080-nm output of 2533 W and the slope efficiency of 82.8% is achieved based on the home-made combiner.

Inactivating mutations in MFSD2A, required for omega-3 fatty acid transport in brain, cause a lethal microcephaly syndrome.

PubMed

Guemez-Gamboa, Alicia; Nguyen, Long N; Yang, Hongbo; Zaki, Maha S; Kara, Majdi; Ben-Omran, Tawfeg; Akizu, Naiara; Rosti, Rasim Ozgur; Rosti, Basak; Scott, Eric; Schroth, Jana; Copeland, Brett; Vaux, Keith K; Cazenave-Gassiot, Amaury; Quek, Debra Q Y; Wong, Bernice H; Tan, Bryan C; Wenk, Markus R; Gunel, Murat; Gabriel, Stacey; Chi, Neil C; Silver, David L; Gleeson, Joseph G

2015-07-01

Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) is the most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in brain, and, although it is considered essential, deficiency has not been linked to disease. Despite the large mass of DHA in phospholipids, the brain does not synthesize it. DHA is imported across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through the major facilitator superfamily domain-containing 2a (MFSD2A) protein. MFSD2A transports DHA as well as other fatty acids in the form of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). We identify two families displaying MFSD2A mutations in conserved residues. Affected individuals exhibited a lethal microcephaly syndrome linked to inadequate uptake of LPC lipids. The MFSD2A mutations impaired transport activity in a cell-based assay. Moreover, when expressed in mfsd2aa-morphant zebrafish, mutants failed to rescue microcephaly, BBB breakdown and lethality. Our results establish a link between transport of DHA and LPCs by MFSD2A and human brain growth and function, presenting the first evidence of monogenic disease related to transport of DHA in humans.

Sub-Chronic Neuropathological and Biochemical Changes in Mouse Visual System after Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Tzekov, Radouil; Dawson, Clint; Orlando, Megan; Mouzon, Benoit; Reed, Jon; Evans, James; Crynen, Gogce; Mullan, Michael; Crawford, Fiona

2016-01-01

Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (r-mTBI) results in neuropathological and biochemical consequences in the human visual system. Using a recently developed mouse model of r-mTBI, with control mice receiving repetitive anesthesia alone (r-sham) we assessed the effects on the retina and optic nerve using histology, immunohistochemistry, proteomic and lipidomic analyses at 3 weeks post injury. Retina tissue was used to determine retinal ganglion cell (RGC) number, while optic nerve tissue was examined for cellularity, myelin content, protein and lipid changes. Increased cellularity and areas of demyelination were clearly detectable in optic nerves in r-mTBI, but not in r-sham. These changes were accompanied by a ~25% decrease in the total number of Brn3a-positive RGCs. Proteomic analysis of the optic nerves demonstrated various changes consistent with a negative effect of r-mTBI on major cellular processes like depolymerization of microtubules, disassembly of filaments and loss of neurons, manifested by decrease of several proteins, including neurofilaments (NEFH, NEFM, NEFL), tubulin (TUBB2A, TUBA4A), microtubule-associated proteins (MAP1A, MAP1B), collagen (COL6A1, COL6A3) and increased expression of other proteins, including heat shock proteins (HSP90B1, HSPB1), APOE and cathepsin D. Lipidomic analysis showed quantitative changes in a number of phospholipid species, including a significant increase in the total amount of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), including the molecular species 16:0, a known demyelinating agent. The overall amount of some ether phospholipids, like ether LPC, ether phosphatidylcholine and ether lysophosphatidylethanolamine were also increased, while the majority of individual molecular species of ester phospholipids, like phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, were decreased. Results from the biochemical analysis correlate well with changes detected by histological and immunohistochemical methods and indicate the involvement of several important molecular pathways. This will allow future identification of therapeutic targets for improving the visual consequences of r-mTBI. PMID:27088355

Synthesis of ruthenium(II) complexes containing hydroxymethylphosphines and their catalytic activities for hydrogenation of supercritical carbon dioxide.

PubMed

Kayaki, Yoshihito; Shimokawatoko, Yoshiki; Ikariya, Takao

2007-07-09

Ligand substitution of RuCl2[P(C6H5)3]3 and Cp*RuCl(isoprene) (Cp*=1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) complexes with hydroxymethylphosphines was investigated to develop new catalyst systems for CO2 hydrogenation. A reaction of P(C6H5)2CH2OH with RuCl2[P(C6H5)3]3 in CH2Cl2 gave Ru(H)Cl(CO)[P(C6H5)2CH2OH]3 (1), which was characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic analysis. An isotope labeling experiment using P(C6H5)213CH2OH indicated that the carbonyl moiety in complex 1 originated from formaldehyde formed by degradation of the hydroxymethylphosphine. Elimination of formaldehyde from PCy2CH2OH (Cy=cyclohexyl) was also promoted by treatment of RuCl2[P(C6H5)3]3 in ethanol to give RuCl2(PHCy2)4 under mild conditions. On the other hand, the substitution reaction using Cp*RuCl(isoprene) with the hydroxymethylphosphine ligands proceeded smoothly with formation of Cp*RuCl(L)2 [2a-2c; L=P(C6H5)2CH2OH, PCy(CH2OH)2, and P(CH2OH)3] in good yields. The isolable hydroxymethylphosphine complexes 1 and 2 efficiently catalyzed the hydrogenative amidation of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) to N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF).

Impaired binding affinity of electronegative low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to the LDL receptor is related to nonesterified fatty acids and lysophosphatidylcholine content.

PubMed

Benítez, Sonia; Villegas, Virtudes; Bancells, Cristina; Jorba, Oscar; González-Sastre, Francesc; Ordóñez-Llanos, Jordi; Sánchez-Quesada, José Luis

2004-12-21

The binding characteristics of electropositive [LDL(+)] and electronegative LDL [LDL(-)] subfractions to the LDL receptor (LDLr) were studied. Saturation kinetic studies in cultured human fibroblasts demonstrated that LDL(-) from normolipemic (NL) and familial hypercholesterolemic (FH) subjects had lower binding affinity than their respective LDL(+) fractions (P < 0.05), as indicated by higher dissociation constant (K(D)) values. FH-LDL(+) also showed lower binding affinity (P < 0.05) than NL-LDL(+) (K(D), sorted from lower to higher affinity: NL-LDL(-), 33.0 +/- 24.4 nM; FH-LDL(-), 24.4 +/- 7.1 nM; FH-LDL(+), 16.6 +/- 7.0 nM; NL-LDL(+), 10.9 +/- 5.7 nM). These results were confirmed by binding displacement studies. The impaired affinity binding of LDL(-) could be attributed to altered secondary and tertiary structure of apolipoprotein B, but circular dichroism (CD) and tryptophan fluorescence (TrpF) studies revealed no structural differences between LDL(+) and LDL(-). To ascertain the role of increased nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) content in LDL(-), LDL(+) was enriched in NEFA or hydrolyzed with secretory phospholipase A(2). Modification of LDL gradually decreased the affinity to LDLr in parallel to the increasing content of NEFA and/or LPC. Modified LDLs with a NEFA content similar to that of LDL(-) displayed similar affinity. ApoB structure studies of modified LDLs by CD and TrpF showed no difference compared to LDL(+) or LDL(-). Our results indicate that NEFA loading or phospholipase A(2) lipolysis of LDL leads to changes that affect the affinity of LDL to LDLr with no major effect on apoB structure. Impaired affinity to the LDLr shown by LDL(-) is related to NEFA and/or LPC content rather than to structural differences in apolipoprotein B.

Internal validation of two new retrotransposons-based kits (InnoQuant® HY and InnoTyper® 21) at a forensic lab.

PubMed

Martins, Cátia; Ferreira, Paulo Miguel; Carvalho, Raquel; Costa, Sandra Cristina; Farinha, Carlos; Azevedo, Luísa; Amorim, António; Oliveira, Manuela

2018-02-01

Obtaining a genetic profile from pieces of evidence collected at a crime scene is the primary objective of forensic laboratories. New procedures, methods, kits, software or equipment must be carefully evaluated and validated before its implementation. The constant development of new methodologies for DNA testing leads to a steady process of validation, which consists of demonstrating that the technology is robust, reproducible, and reliable throughout a defined range of conditions. The present work aims to internally validate two new retrotransposon-based kits (InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21), under the working conditions of the Laboratório de Polícia Científica da Polícia Judiciária (LPC-PJ). For the internal validation of InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21 sensitivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and mixture tests and a concordance study between these new kits and those currently in use at LPC-PJ (Quantifiler ® Duo and GlobalFiler™) were performed. The results obtained for sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility tests demonstrated that both InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21 are robust, reproducible, and reliable. The results of the concordance studies demonstrate that InnoQuant ® HY produced quantification results in nearly 29% more than Quantifiler ® Duo (indicating that this new kit is more effective in challenging samples), while the differences observed between InnoTyper ® 21 and GlobalFiler™ are not significant. Therefore, the utility of InnoTyper ® 21 has been proven, especially by the successful amplification of a greater number of complete genetic profiles (27 vs. 21). The results herein presented allowed the internal validation of both InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21, and their implementation in the LPC-PJ laboratory routine for the treatment of challenging samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interrelationship of CB1R and OBR pathways in regulation of metabolic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses to food restriction and voluntary wheel running

PubMed Central

Diane, Abdoulaye; Vine, Donna F.; Russell, James C.; Heth, C. Donald; Proctor, Spencer D.

2014-01-01

We hypothesized the cannabinoid-1 receptor and leptin receptor (ObR) operate synergistically to modulate metabolic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses of animals exposed to a survival challenge (food restriction and wheel running). Obese-prone (OP) JCR:LA-cp rats, lacking functional ObR, and lean-prone (LP) JCR:LA-cp rats (intact ObR) were assigned to OP-C and LP-C (control) or CBR1-antagonized (SR141716, 10 mg/kg body wt in food) OP-A and LP-A groups. After 32 days, all rats were exposed to 1.5-h daily meals without the drug and 22.5-h voluntary wheel running, a survival challenge that normally culminates in activity-based anorexia (ABA). Rats were removed from the ABA protocol when body weight reached 75% of entry weight (starvation criterion) or after 14 days (survival criterion). LP-A rats starved faster (6.44 ± 0.24 days) than LP-C animals (8.00 ± 0.29 days); all OP rats survived the ABA challenge. LP-A rats lost weight faster than animals in all other groups (P < 0.001). Consistent with the starvation results, LP-A rats increased the rate of wheel running more rapidly than LP-C rats (P = 0.001), with no difference in hypothalamic and primary neural reward serotonin levels. In contrast, OP-A rats showed suppression of wheel running compared with the OP-C group (days 6–14 of ABA challenge, P < 0.001) and decreased hypothalamic and neural reward serotonin levels (P < 0.01). Thus there is an interrelationship between cannabinoid-1 receptor and ObR pathways in regulation of energy balance and physical activity. Effective clinical measures to prevent and treat a variety of disorders will require understanding of the mechanisms underlying these effects. PMID:24903921

Self-Concept and Response Variability as Predictors of Leadership Effectiveness in Cooperative Extension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dvorak, Charles F.

The research aimed at determining the extent to which two variables, self-concept and response variability, are related to one of the principal components of Fiedler's Contingency Model of leadership, the Esteem for the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) instrument. Sixty extension workers in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in New…

Vertical position of Chinese power words influences power judgments: Evidence from spatial compatibility task and event-related Potentials.

PubMed

Wu, Xiangci; Jia, Huibin; Wang, Enguo; Du, Chenguang; Wu, Xianghua; Dang, Caiping

2016-04-01

The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the influence of vertical position on power judgments. Participants were asked to identify whether a Chinese word represented a powerful or powerless group (e.g., "king" or "servant"), which was presented in the top or bottom of the screen. The behavioral analysis showed that judging the power of powerful words were significantly faster when they were presented at the top position, compared with when they were presented at the bottom position. The ERP analysis showed enhanced N1 amplitude for congruent trials (i.e., the powerful words in the top and the powerless words in the bottom of the screen) and larger P300 and LPC amplitude for incongruent trials (i.e., the powerful words in the bottom and the powerless words in the top of the screen). The present findings provide further electrophysiological evidence that thinking about power can automatically activate the underlying spatial up-down (verticality) image schema and that the influence of vertical position on the power judgments not only occurs at the early perceptual stage of power word processing, but also at the higher cognitive stage (i.e., allocation of attention resources, conflict solving and response selection). This study revealed the neural underpinnings of metaphor congruent effect which have great significance to our understanding of the abstract concept power. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

78 FR 59291 - Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co. KG Turbofan Engines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-26

..., Dahlewitz, 15827 Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany; phone: 49 0 33-7086-1200 (direct 1016); fax: 49 0 33-7086... effective date of this AD, the LPC fan blades: (A) Have less than 10,000 flight cycles since new (FCSN) or...) Have 10,000 or more FCSN or FCSLR, replace the blades within 2,000 flight cycles (FC). (ii) Thereafter...

ERP Index of the Morphological Family Size Effect during Word Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Youan; Nam, Kichun; Lee, Yoonhyoung

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the N400 is affected by the semantic richness of associated neighboring word members or by the density of the orthographic syllable neighborhood. Another purpose of this study was to investigate the source of the different LPC in respect to the semantic richness. To do so, the density of the…

Licensed Professional Counselor Interns' Level of Self-Efficacy Relating to Graduate Program of Study and Institution Type

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Matthew A.

2012-01-01

In the state of Texas, Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) work to provide mental- health services designed to meet the needs of those who are dealing with a variety of affective, cognitive, and behavioral issues. Multiple educational pathways are available for obtaining the LPC license, with primary distinctions being among the graduate…

Water Injection on Commercial Aircraft to Reduce Airport Nitrogen Oxides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daggett, David L.; Hendricks, Robert C.; Fucke, Lars; Eames, David J. H.

2010-01-01

The potential nitrogen oxide (NO(x) reductions, cost savings, and performance enhancements identified in these initial studies of waterinjection technology strongly suggest that it be further pursued. The potential for engine maintenance cost savings from this system should make it very attractive to airline operators and assure its implementation. Further system tradeoff studies and engine tests are needed to answer the optimal system design question. Namely, would a low-risk combustor injection system with 70- to 90-percent NO(x) reduction be preferable, or would a low-pressure compressor (LPC) misting system with only 50-percent NO(x) reduction but larger turbine inlet temperature reductions be preferable? The low-pressure compressor injection design and operability issues identified in the report need to be addressed because they might prevent implementation of the LPC type of water-misting system. If water-injection technology challenges are overcome, any of the systems studied would offer dramatic engine NO(x) reductions at the airport. Coupling this technology with future emissions-reduction technologies, such as fuel-cell auxiliary power units will allow the aviation sector to address the serious challenges of environmental stewardship, and NO(x) emissions will no longer be an issue at airports.

Autonomous target recognition using remotely sensed surface vibration measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geurts, James; Ruck, Dennis W.; Rogers, Steven K.; Oxley, Mark E.; Barr, Dallas N.

1993-09-01

The remotely measured surface vibration signatures of tactical military ground vehicles are investigated for use in target classification and identification friend or foe (IFF) systems. The use of remote surface vibration sensing by a laser radar reduces the effects of partial occlusion, concealment, and camouflage experienced by automatic target recognition systems using traditional imagery in a tactical battlefield environment. Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) efficiently represents the vibration signatures and nearest neighbor classifiers exploit the LPC feature set using a variety of distortion metrics. Nearest neighbor classifiers achieve an 88 percent classification rate in an eight class problem, representing a classification performance increase of thirty percent from previous efforts. A novel confidence figure of merit is implemented to attain a 100 percent classification rate with less than 60 percent rejection. The high classification rates are achieved on a target set which would pose significant problems to traditional image-based recognition systems. The targets are presented to the sensor in a variety of aspects and engine speeds at a range of 1 kilometer. The classification rates achieved demonstrate the benefits of using remote vibration measurement in a ground IFF system. The signature modeling and classification system can also be used to identify rotary and fixed-wing targets.

CMS Analysis School Model

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

Malik, S.; Shipsey, I.; Cavanaugh, R.

To impart hands-on training in physics analysis, CMS experiment initiated the concept of CMS Data Analysis School (CMSDAS). It was born over three years ago at the LPC (LHC Physics Centre), Fermilab and is based on earlier workshops held at the LPC and CLEO Experiment. As CMS transitioned from construction to the data taking mode, the nature of earlier training also evolved to include more of analysis tools, software tutorials and physics analysis. This effort epitomized as CMSDAS has proven to be a key for the new and young physicists to jump start and contribute to the physics goals ofmore » CMS by looking for new physics with the collision data. With over 400 physicists trained in six CMSDAS around the globe, CMS is trying to engage the collaboration in its discovery potential and maximize physics output. As a bigger goal, CMS is striving to nurture and increase engagement of the myriad talents, in the development of physics, service, upgrade, education of those new to CMS and the career development of younger members. An extension of the concept to the dedicated software and hardware schools is also planned, keeping in mind the ensuing upgrade phase.« less

The subliminal affective priming effects of faces displaying various levels of arousal: an ERP study.

PubMed

Li, Tian-Tian; Lu, Yong

2014-11-07

This study on the subliminal affective priming effects of faces displaying various levels of arousal employed event-related potentials (ERPs). The participants were asked to rate the arousal of ambiguous medium-arousing faces that were preceded by high- or low-arousing priming faces presented subliminally. The results revealed that the participants exhibited arousal-consistent variation in their arousal level ratings of the probe faces exclusively in the negative prime condition. Compared with high-arousing faces, the low-arousing faces tended to elicit greater late positive component (LPC, 450-660ms) and greater N400 (330-450ms) potentials. These findings support the following conclusions: (1) the effect of subliminal affective priming of faces can be detected in the affective arousal dimension; (2) valence may influence the subliminal affective priming effect of the arousal dimension of emotional stimuli; and (3) the subliminal affective priming effect of face arousal occurs when the prime stimulus affects late-stage processing of the probe. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

First high-statistics and high-resolution recoil-ion data from the WITCH retardation spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, P.; Breitenfeldt, M.; Porobić, T.; Wursten, E.; Ban, G.; Beck, M.; Couratin, C.; Fabian, X.; Fléchard, X.; Friedag, P.; Glück, F.; Herlert, A.; Knecht, A.; Kozlov, V. Y.; Liénard, E.; Soti, G.; Tandecki, M.; Traykov, E.; Van Gorp, S.; Weinheimer, Ch.; Zákoucký, D.; Severijns, N.

2016-07-01

The first high-statistics and high-resolution data set for the integrated recoil-ion energy spectrum following the β^+ decay of 35Ar has been collected with the WITCH retardation spectrometer located at CERN-ISOLDE. Over 25 million recoil-ion events were recorded on a large-area multichannel plate (MCP) detector with a time-stamp precision of 2ns and position resolution of 0.1mm due to the newly upgraded data acquisition based on the LPC Caen FASTER protocol. The number of recoil ions was measured for more than 15 different settings of the retardation potential, complemented by dedicated background and half-life measurements. Previously unidentified systematic effects, including an energy-dependent efficiency of the main MCP and a radiation-induced time-dependent background, have been identified and incorporated into the analysis. However, further understanding and treatment of the radiation-induced background requires additional dedicated measurements and remains the current limiting factor in extracting a beta-neutrino angular correlation coefficient for 35Ar decay using the WITCH spectrometer.

Application of Advanced Multi-Core Processor Technologies to Oceanographic Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

STM32 NXP LPC series No Proprietary Microchip PIC32/DSPIC No > 500 mW; < 5 W ARM Cortex TI OMAP TI Sitara Broadcom BCM2835 Varies FPGA...1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Application of Advanced Multi-Core Processor Technologies...state-of-the-art information processing architectures. OBJECTIVES Next-generation processor architectures (multi-core, multi-threaded) hold the

Competing risk analysis of mortality in prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy.

PubMed

Ruiz-Cerdá, J L; Soto-Poveda, A; Luján-Marco, S; Loras-Monfort, A; Trassierra-Villa, M; Rogel-Bertó, R; Boronat-Tormo, F

To determine the risk of cancer-specific mortality (CSM) versus the competing risk of mortality by other causes (MOC) in patients with localised prostate cancer (LPC) treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). An observational cohort study of 982 patients with LPC treated with RP selected from our department's PC registry database. A competing risk analysis was performed, calculating the probability of CSM in the presence of the competing risk of MOC. Cumulative incidence curves were constructed, and point estimates were performed at 5, 10 and 15 years. The analysis was stratified by age (≤65 vs. >65 years) and risk group: low (Gleason score ≤6 and pT2abc); intermediate (Gleason score of 7 and pT2abc) and high (Gleason score of 8-10 or pT3ab). With a median follow-up of 60 months, the overall probability of dying from PC was 3.5%, and the probability of dying from other causes was 9%. A competing effect for MOC was observed. The risk of MOC was almost 3 times greater than that of CSM. This effect remained for all risk groups, although its magnitude decreased progressively according to the risk group level. At 10 years, CSM was only 0%, 1% and 2% for the low, intermediate and high-risk groups, respectively, while the likelihood of MOC was 4%, 4% and 10%, respectively. The mortality risk was shown after 10years of follow-up and was higher for other causes not attributable to PC and for patients older than 65years. The benefit of RP might be overestimated, given that the risk of MOC is greater than that of CSM, regardless of the age group and risk group, especially after 10years of follow-up. The only parameter that varied was the magnitude of the CSM/MOC ratio. This information could help in choosing the active treatment for patients with LPC and short life expectancies. Copyright © 2016 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensional Imaging of Lipids and Metabolites in Tissues by Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

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

Lanekoff, Ingela T.; Burnum-Johnson, Kristin E.; Thomas, Mathew

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) imaging of tissue sections is a new frontier in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). Here we report on fast 3D imaging of lipids and metabolites associated with mouse uterine decidual cells and embryo at the implantation site on day 6 of pregnancy. 2D imaging of 16-20 serial tissue sections deposited on the same glass slide was performed using nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI) – an ambient ionization technique that enables sensitive localized analysis of analytes on surfaces without special sample pre-treatment. In this proof-of-principle study, nano-DESI was coupled to a high-resolution Q-Exactive instrument operated at high repetition ratemore » of >5 Hz with moderate mass resolution of 35,000 (m/Δm at m/z 200), which enabled acquisition of the entire 3D image with a spatial resolution of ~150 μm in less than 4.5 hours. The results demonstrate localization of acetylcholine in the primary decidual zone (PDZ) of the implantation site throughout the depth of the tissue examined, indicating an important role of this signaling molecule in decidualization. Choline and phosphocholine – metabolites associated with cell growth – are enhanced in the PDZ and abundant in other cellular regions of the implantation site. Very different 3D distributions were obtained for fatty acids (FA), oleic acid and linoleic acid (FA 18:1 and FA 18:2), differing only by one double bond. Localization of FA 18:2 in the PDZ indicates its important role in decidualization while FA 18:1 is distributed more evenly throughout the tissue. In contrast, several lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) observed in this study show donut-like distributions with localization around the PDZ. Complementary distributions with minimal overlap were observed for LPC 18:0 and FA 18:2 while the 3D image of the potential precursor phosphatidylcholine (PC 36:2) showed a significant overlap with both LPC 18:0 and FA 18:2.« less

Modeling of Highly Instrumented Honeywell Turbofan Engine Tested with Ice Crystal Ingestion in the NASA Propulsion System Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veres, Joseph P.; Jorgenson, Philip C. E.; Jones, Scott M.

2016-01-01

The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL), an altitude test facility at NASA Glenn Research Center, has been used to test a highly instrumented turbine engine at simulated altitude operating conditions. This is a continuation of the PSL testing that successfully duplicated the icing events that were experienced in a previous engine (serial LF01) during flight through ice crystal clouds, which was the first turbofan engine tested in PSL. This second model of the ALF502R-5A serial number LF11 is a highly instrumented version of the previous engine. The PSL facility provides a continuous cloud of ice crystals with controlled characteristics of size and concentration, which are ingested by the engine during operation at simulated altitudes. Several of the previous operating points tested in the LF01 engine were duplicated to confirm repeatability in LF11. The instrumentation included video cameras to visually illustrate the accretion of ice in the low pressure compressor (LPC) exit guide vane region in order to confirm the ice accretion, which was suspected during the testing of the LF01. Traditional instrumentation included static pressure taps in the low pressure compressor inner and outer flow path walls, as well as total pressure and temperature rakes in the low pressure compressor region. The test data was utilized to determine the losses and blockages due to accretion in the exit guide vane region of the LPC. Multiple data points were analyzed with the Honeywell Customer Deck. A full engine roll back point was modeled with the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) code. The mean line compressor flow analysis code with ice crystal modeling was utilized to estimate the parameters that indicate the risk of accretion, as well as to estimate the degree of blockage and losses caused by accretion during a full engine roll back point. The analysis provided additional validation of the icing risk parameters within the LPC, as well as the creation of models for estimating the rates of blockage growth and losses.

An ERP Study on Decisions between Attractive Females and Money

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qinglin

2012-01-01

To investigate the neural processes of decision-makings between attractive females and money, we recorded 18 male participants' brain event-related potentials (ERPs) when they performed a novel task of deciding between viewing an attractive female's fuzzy picture in clear and gaining a certain amount of money. Two types of attractive females were included: sexy females and beautiful females. Several new electrophysiological discoveries were obtained as following. First, the beautiful females vs. money task (task B) elicited a larger positive ERP deflection (P2) than the sexy females vs. money task (task S) between 290 and 340 ms, and this probably related to the perception matching process between a visual input and an internal representation or expectation. Second, task S evoked greater negative ERP waves (N2) than task B during the time window of 340–390 ms, and this might relate to response conflict and cognitive monitoring for impulsive tendency. Third, the ERP positivity in task S was larger than task B in the time interval of 550–1000 ms, reflecting that sexy female images may have higher decision value for males than beautiful female images. Fourth, compared with choosing to gain money, choosing to view an attractive female evoked a larger late positive component (LPC) during the same time window, possibly because attractive females are more direct and evolutionarily earlier rewards for males than money amounts. PMID:23077499

An ERP study on decisions between attractive females and money.

PubMed

Zeng, Jianmin; Wang, Yujiao; Zhang, Qinglin

2012-01-01

To investigate the neural processes of decision-makings between attractive females and money, we recorded 18 male participants' brain event-related potentials (ERPs) when they performed a novel task of deciding between viewing an attractive female's fuzzy picture in clear and gaining a certain amount of money. Two types of attractive females were included: sexy females and beautiful females. Several new electrophysiological discoveries were obtained as following. First, the beautiful females vs. money task (task B) elicited a larger positive ERP deflection (P2) than the sexy females vs. money task (task S) between 290 and 340 ms, and this probably related to the perception matching process between a visual input and an internal representation or expectation. Second, task S evoked greater negative ERP waves (N2) than task B during the time window of 340-390 ms, and this might relate to response conflict and cognitive monitoring for impulsive tendency. Third, the ERP positivity in task S was larger than task B in the time interval of 550-1000 ms, reflecting that sexy female images may have higher decision value for males than beautiful female images. Fourth, compared with choosing to gain money, choosing to view an attractive female evoked a larger late positive component (LPC) during the same time window, possibly because attractive females are more direct and evolutionarily earlier rewards for males than money amounts.

Mutual Influence of Reward Anticipation and Emotion on Brain Activity during Memory Retrieval.

PubMed

Yan, Chunping; Liu, Fang; Li, Yunyun; Zhang, Qin; Cui, Lixia

2017-01-01

Previous studies on the joint effect of reward motivation and emotion on memory retrieval have obtained inconsistent results. Furthermore, whether and how any such joint effect might vary over time remains unclear too. Accordingly, using the event-related potential (ERP) measurement of high temporal resolution, our study investigates the cognitive and brain mechanisms of monetary reward and emotion affecting the retrieval processes of episodic memory. Twenty undergraduate and graduate students participated in the research, and our study's behavioral results indicated that reward (relative to no reward) and negative emotion (relative to positive and neutral emotion) significantly improved recognition performance. The ERP results showed that there were significant interactions between monetary reward and emotion on memory retrieval, and the reward effects of positive, neutral, and negative memory occurred at varied intervals in mean amplitude. The reward effect of positive memory appeared relatively early, at 260-330 ms after the stimulus onset in the frontal-frontocentral area, at 260-500 ms in the centroparietal-parietal area and at 500-700 ms in the frontocentral area. However, the reward effects of neutral and negative memory occurred relatively later, and that of negative memory appeared at 500-700 ms in the frontocentral and centroparietal area and that of neutral memory was at 500-700 ms in the frontocentral and centroparietal-parietal area. Meanwhile, significant FN400 old/new effects were observed in the negative and rewarded positive items, and the old/new effects of negative items appeared earlier at FN400 than positive items. Also, significant late positive component (LPC) old/new effects were found in the positive, negative, and rewarded neutral items. These results suggest that, monetary reward and negative emotion significantly improved recognition performance, and there was a mutual influence between reward and emotion on brain activity during memory retrieval.

Lipidomic profile in three species of dinoflagellates (Amphidinium carterae, Cystodinium sp., and Peridinium aciculiferum) containing very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

PubMed

Řezanka, Tomáš; Lukavský, Jaromír; Nedbalová, Linda; Sigler, Karel

2017-07-01

This study describes the identification of very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFAs) in three strains of dinoflagellates (Amphidinium carterae, Cystodinium sp., and Peridinium aciculiferum). The strains were cultivated and their lipidomic profiles were obtained by high resolution mass spectrometry with the aid of positive and negative electrospray ionization (ESI) mode by Orbitrap apparatus. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC/ESI) was used to separate major lipid classes of the three genera of dinoflagellates by neutral loss scan showing the ion [M + H-28:8] + , where 28:8 was octacosaoctaenoic acid, and by precursor ion scanning of ions at m/z 407, which was an ion corresponding to the structure of acyl of 28:8 acid (C 27 H 39 COO - ). Based on these analyzes, it was found that out of more than a dozen lipid classes present in the total lipids, only two classes of neutral lipids, i.e. major triacylglycerols and minor diacylglycerols contain VLCPUFAs. In polar lipids, VLCPUFAs were identified only in phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidyl choline (PC) or in their lyso-forms (LPA and LPC). Further analysis of individual lipid classes by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) showed the presence of triacylglycerols (TAGs) containing VLCPUFAs, i.e. molecular species of the sn-28:7/28:8/28:8, sn-26:7/28:7/28:8, or sn-26:7/28:8/28:8 types. These TAGs are the longest and most unsaturated TAGs isolated from a natural source that have yet been synthesized. In the case of PA and PC, tandem MS identified sn-28:8/16:0-PA and sn-28:8/16:0-PC and the corresponding lyso-forms (28:8-LPC and 28:8-LPA). All these results indicate that TAGs containing VLCPUFAs are biosynthesized in dinoflagellates in the same manner as in higher eukaryotic organisms, which means that the PA, after conversion to DAG, serves as a precursor in the biosynthesis of other phospholipids, e.g. PC, and, after further acylation, also of TAG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emotional Availability Modulates Electrophysiological Correlates of Executive Functions in Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Schneider-Hassloff, Henriette; Zwönitzer, Annabel; Künster, Anne K.; Mayer, Carmen; Ziegenhain, Ute; Kiefer, Markus

2016-01-01

Executive functions (EFs) – a set of cognitive control abilities – mediate resilience to stress and are associated with academic achievement and health throughout life. They are crucially linked to prefrontal cortex function as well as to other cortical and subcortical brain functions, which are maturing throughout childhood at different rates. Recent behavioral research suggested that children’s EFs were related to parenting quality and child attachment security, but the neural correlates of these associations are unknown. With this study we tested in 4- to 6-year-old healthy children (N = 27) how emotional availability (EA) of the mother-child-interaction was associated with behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition (a core EF) in a Go/Nogo task, using event-related potential recordings (ERPs), and with behavioral performance in a Delay of Gratification (DoG) and a Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS). Our data showed that the Go/Nogo task modulated children’s ERP components resembling adult electrophysiological indices of response inhibition - the N2 and P3/LPC ERPs-, but the children’s N2 and P3/LPC ERPs showed longer latencies. Higher maternal autonomy-fostering behavior and greater child responsiveness were significantly associated with smaller children’s N2 Go/Nogo effects at fronto-central and parietal sites and with greater Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window at occipital sites, over and above children’s age and intelligence. Additionally, greater maternal sensitivity and a higher dyadic EA quality of the mother-child-interaction went along with greater occipital Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window, but this effect clearly diminished when we controlled for children’s age and intelligence. Higher maternal autonomy-support was also positively associated with better HTKS performance, and higher dyadic EA quality went along with higher HTKS and DoG scores. However, no significant associations were found between EA variables and the behavioral response inhibition measures of the Go/Nogo task. Our results suggest that parenting qualities modulate the functionality of neural circuits involved in response inhibition, an important component of EFs. This finding, thus, indicates that parent–child interactions shape the neurocognitive development underlying EFs. PMID:27445744

Emotional Availability Modulates Electrophysiological Correlates of Executive Functions in Preschool Children.

PubMed

Schneider-Hassloff, Henriette; Zwönitzer, Annabel; Künster, Anne K; Mayer, Carmen; Ziegenhain, Ute; Kiefer, Markus

2016-01-01

Executive functions (EFs) - a set of cognitive control abilities - mediate resilience to stress and are associated with academic achievement and health throughout life. They are crucially linked to prefrontal cortex function as well as to other cortical and subcortical brain functions, which are maturing throughout childhood at different rates. Recent behavioral research suggested that children's EFs were related to parenting quality and child attachment security, but the neural correlates of these associations are unknown. With this study we tested in 4- to 6-year-old healthy children (N = 27) how emotional availability (EA) of the mother-child-interaction was associated with behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition (a core EF) in a Go/Nogo task, using event-related potential recordings (ERPs), and with behavioral performance in a Delay of Gratification (DoG) and a Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS). Our data showed that the Go/Nogo task modulated children's ERP components resembling adult electrophysiological indices of response inhibition - the N2 and P3/LPC ERPs-, but the children's N2 and P3/LPC ERPs showed longer latencies. Higher maternal autonomy-fostering behavior and greater child responsiveness were significantly associated with smaller children's N2 Go/Nogo effects at fronto-central and parietal sites and with greater Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window at occipital sites, over and above children's age and intelligence. Additionally, greater maternal sensitivity and a higher dyadic EA quality of the mother-child-interaction went along with greater occipital Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window, but this effect clearly diminished when we controlled for children's age and intelligence. Higher maternal autonomy-support was also positively associated with better HTKS performance, and higher dyadic EA quality went along with higher HTKS and DoG scores. However, no significant associations were found between EA variables and the behavioral response inhibition measures of the Go/Nogo task. Our results suggest that parenting qualities modulate the functionality of neural circuits involved in response inhibition, an important component of EFs. This finding, thus, indicates that parent-child interactions shape the neurocognitive development underlying EFs.

Concealed semantic and episodic autobiographical memory electrified.

PubMed

Ganis, Giorgio; Schendan, Haline E

2012-01-01

Electrophysiology-based concealed information tests (CIT) try to determine whether somebody possesses concealed information about a crime-related item (probe) by comparing event-related potentials (ERPs) between this item and comparison items (irrelevants). Although the broader field is sometimes referred to as "memory detection," little attention has been paid to the precise type of underlying memory involved. This study begins addressing this issue by examining the key distinction between semantic and episodic memory in the autobiographical domain within a CIT paradigm. This study also addresses the issue of whether multiple repetitions of the items over the course of the session habituate the brain responses. Participants were tested in a 3-stimulus CIT with semantic autobiographical probes (their own date of birth) and episodic autobiographical probes (a secret date learned just before the study). Results dissociated these two memory conditions on several ERP components. Semantic probes elicited a smaller frontal N2 than episodic probes, consistent with the idea that the frontal N2 decreases with greater pre-existing knowledge about the item. Likewise, semantic probes elicited a smaller central N400 than episodic probes. Semantic probes also elicited a larger P3b than episodic probes because of their richer meaning. In contrast, episodic probes elicited a larger late positive complex (LPC) than semantic probes, because of the recent episodic memory associated with them. All these ERPs showed a difference between probes and irrelevants in both memory conditions, except for the N400, which showed a difference only in the semantic condition. Finally, although repetition affected the ERPs, it did not reduce the difference between probes and irrelevants. These findings show that the type of memory associated with a probe has both theoretical and practical importance for CIT research.

Concealed semantic and episodic autobiographical memory electrified

PubMed Central

Ganis, Giorgio; Schendan, Haline E.

2013-01-01

Electrophysiology-based concealed information tests (CIT) try to determine whether somebody possesses concealed information about a crime-related item (probe) by comparing event-related potentials (ERPs) between this item and comparison items (irrelevants). Although the broader field is sometimes referred to as “memory detection,” little attention has been paid to the precise type of underlying memory involved. This study begins addressing this issue by examining the key distinction between semantic and episodic memory in the autobiographical domain within a CIT paradigm. This study also addresses the issue of whether multiple repetitions of the items over the course of the session habituate the brain responses. Participants were tested in a 3-stimulus CIT with semantic autobiographical probes (their own date of birth) and episodic autobiographical probes (a secret date learned just before the study). Results dissociated these two memory conditions on several ERP components. Semantic probes elicited a smaller frontal N2 than episodic probes, consistent with the idea that the frontal N2 decreases with greater pre-existing knowledge about the item. Likewise, semantic probes elicited a smaller central N400 than episodic probes. Semantic probes also elicited a larger P3b than episodic probes because of their richer meaning. In contrast, episodic probes elicited a larger late positive complex (LPC) than semantic probes, because of the recent episodic memory associated with them. All these ERPs showed a difference between probes and irrelevants in both memory conditions, except for the N400, which showed a difference only in the semantic condition. Finally, although repetition affected the ERPs, it did not reduce the difference between probes and irrelevants. These findings show that the type of memory associated with a probe has both theoretical and practical importance for CIT research. PMID:23355816

Electrophysiological Correlates of Familiarity and Recollection in Associative Recognition: Contributions of Perceptual and Conceptual Processing to Unitization

PubMed Central

Li, Bingcan; Mao, Xinrui; Wang, Yujuan; Guo, Chunyan

2017-01-01

It is generally accepted that associative recognition memory is supported by recollection. In addition, recent research indicates that familiarity can support associative memory, especially when two items are unitized into a single item. Both perceptual and conceptual manipulations can be used to unitize items, but few studies have compared these two methods of unitization directly. In the present study, we investigated the effects of familiarity and recollection on successful retrieval of items that were unitized perceptually or conceptually. Participants were instructed to remember either a Chinese two-character compound or unrelated word-pairs, which were presented simultaneously or sequentially. Participants were then asked to recognize whether word-pairs were intact or rearranged. Event-related potential (ERP) recordings were performed during the recognition phase of the study. Two-character compounds were better discriminated than unrelated word-pairs and simultaneous presentation was found to elicit better discrimination than sequential presentation for unrelated word-pairs only. ERP recordings indicated that the early intact/rearranged effects (FN400), typically associated with familiarity, were elicited in compound word-pairs with both simultaneous and sequential presentation, and in simultaneously presented unrelated word-pairs, but not in sequentially presented unrelated word-pairs. In contrast, the late positive complex (LPC) effects associated with recollection were elicited in all four conditions. Together, these results indicate that while the engagement of familiarity in associative recognition is affected by both perceptual and conceptual unitization, conceptual unitization promotes a higher level of unitization (LOU). In addition, the engagement of recollection was not affected by unitized manipulations. It should be noted, however, that due to experimental design, the effects presented here may be due to semantic rather than episodic memory and future studies should take this into consideration when manipulating rearranged pairs. PMID:28400723

How Negative Social Bias Affects Memory for Faces: An Electrical Neuroimaging Study

PubMed Central

Proverbio, Alice Mado; La Mastra, Francesca; Zani, Alberto

2016-01-01

During social interactions, we make inferences about people’s personal characteristics based on their appearance. These inferences form a potential prejudice that can positively or negatively bias our interaction with them. Not much is known about the effects of negative bias on face perception and the ability to recognize people faces. This ability was investigated by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) from 128 sites in 16 volunteers. In the first session (encoding), they viewed 200 faces associated with a short fictional story that described anecdotal positive or negative characteristics about each person. In the second session (recognition), they underwent an old/new memory test, in which they had to distinguish 100 new faces from the previously shown faces. ERP data relative to the encoding phase showed a larger anterior negativity in response to negatively (vs. positively) biased faces, indicating an additional processing of faces with unpleasant social traits. In the recognition task, ERPs recorded in response to new faces elicited a larger FN400 than to old faces, and to positive than negative faces. Additionally, old faces elicited a larger Old-New parietal response than new faces, in the form of an enlarged late positive (LPC) component. An inverse solution SwLORETA (450–550 ms) indicated that remembering old faces was associated with the activation of right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), left medial temporal gyrus, and right fusiform gyrus. Only negatively connoted faces strongly activated the limbic and parahippocampal areas and the left SFG. A dissociation was found between familiarity (modulated by negative bias) and recollection (distinguishing old from new faces). PMID:27655327

Sex differences in memory of emotional images: a behavioral and electrophysiological investigation.

PubMed

Glaser, Emma; Mendrek, Adrianna; Germain, Martine; Lakis, Nadia; Lavoie, Marc E

2012-07-01

Current research suggests that emotional responses differ between men and women. Sex differences regarding emotional effects on memory have been recently studied through brain imaging techniques. However, the majority of investigations have often neglected to balance the variable of emotional intensity (arousal) across pleasant and unpleasant pictures. Additionally, men and women were often mixed or studied separately. The current study aims at comparing men and women's electrophysiological responses related to emotional memory of photographic material. These responses were measured using Event Related brain Potentials (ERP) in response to a task of episodic memory of emotional images. The frontal N200, the parietal P300 and the central LPC were compared in 17 men and 17 women matched for age, social economic status, education and intelligence. Behavioral results showed that, in men, reaction times were modulated by valence, whereas for women, reaction times were mainly modulated by arousal. Accuracy was affected by both emotional valence and arousal, but only in women. ERP analyses revealed that emotional valence influenced earlier time components (frontal N200 and parietal P300), whereas arousal influenced memory in the later time component (central LPC). Moreover, sex differences, mediated by valence and arousal, were found in ERP responses at different times in the processing stream. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deterministic composite nanophotonic lattices in large area for broadband applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xavier, Jolly; Probst, Jürgen; Becker, Christiane

2016-12-01

Exotic manipulation of the flow of photons in nanoengineered materials with an aperiodic distribution of nanostructures plays a key role in efficiency-enhanced broadband photonic and plasmonic technologies for spectrally tailorable integrated biosensing, nanostructured thin film solarcells, white light emitting diodes, novel plasmonic ensembles etc. Through a generic deterministic nanotechnological route here we show subwavelength-scale silicon (Si) nanostructures on nanoimprinted glass substrate in large area (4 cm2) with advanced functional features of aperiodic composite nanophotonic lattices. These nanophotonic aperiodic lattices have easily tailorable supercell tiles with well-defined and discrete lattice basis elements and they show rich Fourier spectra. The presented nanophotonic lattices are designed functionally akin to two-dimensional aperiodic composite lattices with unconventional flexibility- comprising periodic photonic crystals and/or in-plane photonic quasicrystals as pattern design subsystems. The fabricated composite lattice-structured Si nanostructures are comparatively analyzed with a range of nanophotonic structures with conventional lattice geometries of periodic, disordered random as well as in-plane quasicrystalline photonic lattices with comparable lattice parameters. As a proof of concept of compatibility with advanced bottom-up liquid phase crystallized (LPC) Si thin film fabrication, the experimental structural analysis is further extended to double-side-textured deterministic aperiodic lattice-structured 10 μm thick large area LPC Si film on nanoimprinted substrates.

How Semantic Radicals in Chinese characters Facilitate Hierarchical Category-Based Induction.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoxi; Ma, Xie; Tao, Yun; Tao, Yachen; Li, Hong

2018-04-03

Prior studies indicate that the semantic radical in Chinese characters contains category information that can support the independent retrieval of category information through the lexical network to the conceptual network. Inductive reasoning relies on category information; thus, semantic radicals may influence inductive reasoning. As most natural concepts are hierarchically structured in the human brain, this study examined how semantic radicals impact inductive reasoning for hierarchical concepts. The study used animal and plant nouns, organized in basic, superordinate, and subordinate levels; half had a semantic radical and half did not. Eighteen participants completed an inductive reasoning task. Behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) data were collected. The behavioural results showed that participants reacted faster and more accurately in the with-semantic-radical condition than in the without-semantic-radical condition. For the ERPs, differences between the conditions were found, and these differences lasted from the very early cognitive processing stage (i.e., the N1 time window) to the relatively late processing stages (i.e., the N400 and LPC time windows). Semantic radicals can help to distinguish the hierarchies earlier (in the N400 period) than characters without a semantic radical (in the LPC period). These results provide electrophysiological evidence that semantic radicals may improve sensitivity to distinguish between hierarchical concepts.

Talking about depression: an analogue study of physician gender and communication style on patient disclosures.

PubMed

Roter, Debra L; Erby, Lori H; Adams, Ann; Buckingham, Christopher D; Vail, Laura; Realpe, Alba; Larson, Susan; Hall, Judith A

2014-09-01

To disentangle the effects of physician gender and patient-centered communication style on patients' oral engagement in depression care. Physician gender, physician race and communication style (high patient-centered (HPC) and low patient-centered (LPC)) were manipulated and presented as videotaped actors within a computer simulated medical visit to assess effects on analogue patient (AP) verbal responsiveness and care ratings. 307 APs (56% female; 70% African American) were randomly assigned to conditions and instructed to verbally respond to depression-related questions and indicate willingness to continue care. Disclosures were coded using Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). Both male and female APs talked more overall and conveyed more psychosocial and emotional talk to HPC gender discordant doctors (all p<.05). APs were more willing to continue treatment with gender-discordant HPC physicians (p<.05). No effects were evident in the LPC condition. Findings highlight a role for physician gender when considering active patient engagement in patient-centered depression care. This pattern suggests that there may be largely under-appreciated and consequential effects associated with patient expectations in regard to physician gender that these differ by patient gender. High patient-centeredness increases active patient engagement in depression care especially in gender discordant dyads. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of liver progenitors in liver regeneration

PubMed Central

Best, Jan; Manka, Paul; Syn, Wing-Kin; Dollé, Laurent; van Grunsven, Leo A.

2015-01-01

During massive liver injury and hepatocyte loss, the intrinsic regenerative capacity of the liver by replication of resident hepatocytes is overwhelmed. Treatment of this condition depends on the cause of liver injury, though in many cases liver transplantation (LT) remains the only curative option. LT for end stage chronic and acute liver diseases is hampered by shortage of donor organs and requires immunosuppression. Hepatocyte transplantation is limited by yet unresolved technical difficulties. Since currently no treatment is available to facilitate liver regeneration directly, therapies involving the use of resident liver stem or progenitor cells (LPCs) or non-liver stem cells are coming to fore. LPCs are quiescent in the healthy liver, but may be activated under conditions where the regenerative capacity of mature hepatocytes is severely impaired. Non-liver stem cells include embryonic stem cells (ES cells) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In the first section, we aim to provide an overview of the role of putative cytokines, growth factors, mitogens and hormones in regulating LPC response and briefly discuss the prognostic value of the LPC response in clinical practice. In the latter section, we will highlight the role of other (non-liver) stem cells in transplantation and discuss advantages and disadvantages of ES cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), as well as MSCs. PMID:25713804

Curative Treatment of Severe Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections by a New Class of Antibiotics Targeting LpxC

PubMed Central

Lemaître, Nadine; Liang, Xiaofei; Najeeb, Javaria; Lee, Chul-Jin; Titecat, Marie; Leteurtre, Emmanuelle; Simonet, Michel; Toone, Eric J.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria pose serious threats to humankind. It has been suggested that an antibiotic targeting LpxC of the lipid A biosynthetic pathway in Gram-negative bacteria is a promising strategy for curing Gram-negative bacterial infections. However, experimental proof of this concept is lacking. Here, we describe our discovery and characterization of a biphenylacetylene-based inhibitor of LpxC, an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of the lipid A component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The compound LPC-069 has no known adverse effects in mice and is effective in vitro against a broad panel of Gram-negative clinical isolates, including several multiresistant and extremely drug-resistant strains involved in nosocomial infections. Furthermore, LPC-069 is curative in a murine model of one of the most severe human diseases, bubonic plague, which is caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis. Our results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of LpxC inhibitors as a new class of antibiotic against fatal infections caused by extremely virulent pathogens. The present findings also highlight the potential of LpxC inhibitors for clinical development as therapeutics for infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. PMID:28743813

Mitigating an increase of specific power consumption in a cryogenic air separation unit at reduced oxygen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singla, Rohit; Chowdhury, Kanchan

2017-02-01

Specific power consumed in a Linde double column air separation unit (ASU) increases as the quantity of oxygen produced at a given purity is decreased due to the changes of system requirement or market demand. As the plant operates in part load condition, the specific power consumption (SPC) increases as the total power consumption remains the same. In order to mitigate the increase of SPC at lower oxygen production, the operating pressure of high pressure column (HPC) can be lowered by extending the low pressure column (LPC) by a few trays and adding a second reboiler. As the duty of second reboiler in LPC is increased, the recovery of oxygen decreases with a lowering of the HPC pressure. This results in mitigation of the increase of SPC of the plant. A Medium pressure ASU with dual reboiler that produces pressurised gaseous and liquid products of oxygen and nitrogen is simulated in Aspen Hysys 8.6®, a commercial process simulator to determine SPC at varying oxygen production. The effects of reduced pressure of air feed into the cold box on the size of heat exchangers (HX) are analysed. Operation strategy to obtain various oxygen production rates at varying demand is also proposed.

Role of liver progenitors in liver regeneration.

PubMed

Best, Jan; Manka, Paul; Syn, Wing-Kin; Dollé, Laurent; van Grunsven, Leo A; Canbay, Ali

2015-02-01

During massive liver injury and hepatocyte loss, the intrinsic regenerative capacity of the liver by replication of resident hepatocytes is overwhelmed. Treatment of this condition depends on the cause of liver injury, though in many cases liver transplantation (LT) remains the only curative option. LT for end stage chronic and acute liver diseases is hampered by shortage of donor organs and requires immunosuppression. Hepatocyte transplantation is limited by yet unresolved technical difficulties. Since currently no treatment is available to facilitate liver regeneration directly, therapies involving the use of resident liver stem or progenitor cells (LPCs) or non-liver stem cells are coming to fore. LPCs are quiescent in the healthy liver, but may be activated under conditions where the regenerative capacity of mature hepatocytes is severely impaired. Non-liver stem cells include embryonic stem cells (ES cells) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In the first section, we aim to provide an overview of the role of putative cytokines, growth factors, mitogens and hormones in regulating LPC response and briefly discuss the prognostic value of the LPC response in clinical practice. In the latter section, we will highlight the role of other (non-liver) stem cells in transplantation and discuss advantages and disadvantages of ES cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), as well as MSCs.

Improved fatty acid analysis of conjugated linoleic acid rich egg yolk triacylglycerols and phospholipid species.

PubMed

Shinn, Sara; Liyanage, Rohana; Lay, Jack; Proctor, Andrew

2014-07-16

Reports from chicken conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) feeding trials are limited to yolk total fatty acid composition, which consistently described increased saturated fatty acids and decreased monounsaturated fatty acids. However, information on CLA triacylglycerol (TAG) and phospholipid (PL) species is limited. This study determined the fatty acid composition of total lipids in CLA-rich egg yolk produced with CLA-rich soy oil, relative to control yolks using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), determined TAG and PL fatty acid compositions by thin-layer chromatography-GC-FID (TLC-GC-FID), identified intact PL and TAG species by TLC-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (TLC-MALDI-MS), and determined the composition of TAG and PL species in CLA and control yolks by direct flow infusion electrospray ionization MS (DFI ESI-MS). In total, 2 lyso-phosphatidyl choline (LPC) species, 1 sphingomyelin species, 17 phosphatidyl choline species, 19 TAG species, and 9 phosphatidyl ethanolamine species were identified. Fifty percent of CLA was found in TAG, occurring predominantly in C52:5 and C52:4 TAG species. CLA-rich yolks contained significantly more LPC than did control eggs. Comprehensive lipid profiling may provide insight on relationships between lipid composition and the functional properties of CLA-rich eggs.

Deterministic composite nanophotonic lattices in large area for broadband applications

PubMed Central

Xavier, Jolly; Probst, Jürgen; Becker, Christiane

2016-01-01

Exotic manipulation of the flow of photons in nanoengineered materials with an aperiodic distribution of nanostructures plays a key role in efficiency-enhanced broadband photonic and plasmonic technologies for spectrally tailorable integrated biosensing, nanostructured thin film solarcells, white light emitting diodes, novel plasmonic ensembles etc. Through a generic deterministic nanotechnological route here we show subwavelength-scale silicon (Si) nanostructures on nanoimprinted glass substrate in large area (4 cm2) with advanced functional features of aperiodic composite nanophotonic lattices. These nanophotonic aperiodic lattices have easily tailorable supercell tiles with well-defined and discrete lattice basis elements and they show rich Fourier spectra. The presented nanophotonic lattices are designed functionally akin to two-dimensional aperiodic composite lattices with unconventional flexibility- comprising periodic photonic crystals and/or in-plane photonic quasicrystals as pattern design subsystems. The fabricated composite lattice-structured Si nanostructures are comparatively analyzed with a range of nanophotonic structures with conventional lattice geometries of periodic, disordered random as well as in-plane quasicrystalline photonic lattices with comparable lattice parameters. As a proof of concept of compatibility with advanced bottom-up liquid phase crystallized (LPC) Si thin film fabrication, the experimental structural analysis is further extended to double-side-textured deterministic aperiodic lattice-structured 10 μm thick large area LPC Si film on nanoimprinted substrates. PMID:27941869

Evacuee Compliance Behavior Analysis using High Resolution Demographic Information

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

Lu, Wei; Han, Lee; Liu, Cheng

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine whether evacuee compliance behavior with route assignments from different resolutions of demographic data would impact the evacuation performance. Most existing evacuation strategies assume that travelers will follow evacuation instructions, while in reality a certain percent of evacuees do not comply with prescribed instructions. In this paper, a comparison study of evacuation assignment based on Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) and high resolution LandScan USA Population Cells (LPC) were conducted for the detailed road network representing Alexandria, Virginia. A revised platform for evacuation modeling built on high resolution demographic data and activity-based microscopic trafficmore » simulation is proposed. The results indicate that evacuee compliance behavior affects evacuation efficiency with traditional TAZ assignment, but it does not significantly compromise the efficiency with high resolution LPC assignment. The TAZ assignment also underestimates the real travel time during evacuation, especially for high compliance simulations. This suggests that conventional evacuation studies based on TAZ assignment might not be effective at providing efficient guidance to evacuees. From the high resolution data perspective, traveler compliance behavior is an important factor but it does not impact the system performance significantly. The highlight of evacuee compliance behavior analysis should be emphasized on individual evacuee level route/shelter assignments, rather than the whole system performance.« less

Examination of Calcium Silicate Cements with Low-Viscosity Methyl Cellulose or Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Additive.

PubMed

Baba, Toshiaki; Tsujimoto, Yasuhisa

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the operability of calcium silicate cements (CSCs) such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) cement. The flow, working time, and setting time of CSCs with different compositions containing low-viscosity methyl cellulose (MC) or hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) additive were examined according to ISO 6876-2012; calcium ion release analysis was also conducted. MTA and low-heat Portland cement (LPC) including 20% fine particle zirconium oxide (ZO group), LPC including zirconium oxide and 2 wt% low-viscosity MC (MC group), and HPC (HPC group) were tested. MC and HPC groups exhibited significantly higher flow values and setting times than other groups ( p < 0.05). Additionally, flow values of these groups were higher than the ISO 6876-2012 reference values; furthermore, working times were over 10 min. Calcium ion release was retarded with ZO, MC, and HPC groups compared with MTA. The concentration of calcium ions was decreased by the addition of the MC or HPC group compared with the ZO group. When low-viscosity MC or HPC was added, the composition of CSCs changed, thus fulfilling the requirements for use as root canal sealer. Calcium ion release by CSCs was affected by changing the CSC composition via the addition of MC or HPC.

Examination of Calcium Silicate Cements with Low-Viscosity Methyl Cellulose or Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Additive

PubMed Central

Tsujimoto, Yasuhisa

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the operability of calcium silicate cements (CSCs) such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) cement. The flow, working time, and setting time of CSCs with different compositions containing low-viscosity methyl cellulose (MC) or hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) additive were examined according to ISO 6876-2012; calcium ion release analysis was also conducted. MTA and low-heat Portland cement (LPC) including 20% fine particle zirconium oxide (ZO group), LPC including zirconium oxide and 2 wt% low-viscosity MC (MC group), and HPC (HPC group) were tested. MC and HPC groups exhibited significantly higher flow values and setting times than other groups (p < 0.05). Additionally, flow values of these groups were higher than the ISO 6876-2012 reference values; furthermore, working times were over 10 min. Calcium ion release was retarded with ZO, MC, and HPC groups compared with MTA. The concentration of calcium ions was decreased by the addition of the MC or HPC group compared with the ZO group. When low-viscosity MC or HPC was added, the composition of CSCs changed, thus fulfilling the requirements for use as root canal sealer. Calcium ion release by CSCs was affected by changing the CSC composition via the addition of MC or HPC. PMID:27981048

Selective Chemosensitization of Rb Mutant Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-07-01

Cambridge, MA). pLPC-12S coexpresses an E1A 12S cDNA with puromycin phosphotransferase (puro) and pWZL-12S coexpresses E1A with hygromycin phospho...retinoblastoma; CR1, -2, -3, conserved regions 1, 2, and 3; MEF, mouse embryonic fibroblast; puro, puromycin; hygro, hygromycin . To whom reprint requests...ml hygromycin B (Boehringer Mannheim) to elim- inate uninfected cells. When two separate E1A mutants were coexpressed, they were introduced

An Adaptive Approach to a 2.4 kb/s LPC Speech Coding System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

laryngeal cancer ). Spectral estimation is at the foundation of speech analysis for all these goals and accurate AR model estimation in noise is...S ,5 mWnL NrinKt ) o ,-G p (d va Rmea.imn flU: 5() WOM Lu M(G)INUNM 40 4KeemS! MU= 1 UD M5) SIGHSM A SO= WAGe . M. (d) I U NS maIm ( IW vis MAMA

The suitability of different probiotic strains for the production of fruit-whey beverages.

PubMed

Sady, Marek; Najgebauer-Lejko, Dorota; Domagała, Jacek

2017-01-01

When designing new probiotic products, one of the most important aspects is the selection of bacterial strains with high survival rates in the matrix of the product concerned. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the potential of selected strains of probiotic bacteria for the production of fruit-whey beverages. Orange, apple and blackcurrant whey beverages were produced, and each was inoculated with one of the following probiotic strains: Bifidobacterium lactis HN019TM; Lactobacillus aci- dophilus NCFM®; Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37TM; Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001TM. The count of probiotic bacteria as well as pH and total acidity were evaluated at the 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day of storage. Beverages containing L. paracasei Lpc-37TM or L. rhamnosus HN001TM were characterized by a sig- nificantly higher average number of viable cells (7.02 or 7.05 log cfu/g, respectively) than products with lactis HN019TM or L. acidophilus NCFM® (6.43 or 6.37 log cfu/g, respectively). The use of L. paracasei Lpc-37 and L. rhamnosus HN001 strains in orange and apple drinks allows the recommended count for probiotic products, 106 cfu/g for 28 days of storage, to be exceeded. Survival of the B. lactis HN019 strain fulfills the above requirements only in the orange drink. The L. acidophilus NCFM® strain was found to be the least suitable for the production of beverages, as it did not reach 6 log cfu/g in any products after 28 days of stor- age. The highest average number of bacteria was found in the orange beverages (7.14 log cfu/g). In terms of bacteria viability, blackcurrant juice was the least suitable for the production of whey probiotic drinks, due to its high acidity. The results of the present study indicate that careful selection of the fruit juice component, especially in terms of its acidity, is key to designing successful probiotic fruit-whey beverages. Other factors which should be taken into account to ensure a sufficient number of live probiotic cells, i.e. their therapeutic level in fruit-whey drinks, are the choice of probiotic strain and determination of the maximal shelf life.

A comparative study of two approaches to analyse groundwater recharge, travel times and nitrate storage distribution at a regional scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turkeltaub, T.; Ascott, M.; Gooddy, D.; Jia, X.; Shao, M.; Binley, A. M.

2017-12-01

Understanding deep percolation, travel time processes and nitrate storage in the unsaturated zone at a regional scale is crucial for sustainable management of many groundwater systems. Recently, global hydrological models have been developed to quantify the water balance at such scales and beyond. However, the coarse spatial resolution of the global hydrological models can be a limiting factor when analysing regional processes. This study compares simulations of water flow and nitrate storage based on regional and global scale approaches. The first approach was applied over the Loess Plateau of China (LPC) to investigate the water fluxes and nitrate storage and travel time to the LPC groundwater system. Using raster maps of climate variables, land use data and soil parameters enabled us to determine fluxes by employing Richards' equation and the advection - dispersion equation. These calculations were conducted for each cell on the raster map in a multiple 1-D column approach. In the second approach, vadose zone travel times and nitrate storage were estimated by coupling groundwater recharge (PCR-GLOBWB) and nitrate leaching (IMAGE) models with estimates of water table depth and unsaturated zone porosity. The simulation results of the two methods indicate similar spatial groundwater recharge, nitrate storage and travel time distribution. Intensive recharge rates are located mainly at the south central and south west parts of the aquifer's outcrops. Particularly low recharge rates were simulated in the top central area of the outcrops. However, there are significant discrepancies between the simulated absolute recharge values, which might be related to the coarse scale that is used in the PCR-GLOBWB model, leading to smoothing of the recharge estimations. Both models indicated large nitrate inventories in the south central and south west parts of the aquifer's outcrops and the shortest travel times in the vadose zone are in the south central and east parts of the outcrops. Our results suggest that, for the LPC at least, global scale models might be useful for highlighting the locations with higher recharge rates potential and nitrate contamination risk. Global modelling simulations appear ideal as a primary step in recognizing locations which require investigations at the plot, field and local scales.

Developmental changes of nasal and oral calls in the goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa, a nonhuman mammal with a sexually dimorphic and descended larynx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efremova, Kseniya O.; Volodin, Ilya A.; Volodina, Elena V.; Frey, Roland; Lapshina, Ekaterina N.; Soldatova, Natalia V.

2011-11-01

In goitred gazelles ( Gazella subgutturosa), sexual dimorphism of larynx size and position is reminiscent of the case in humans, suggesting shared features of vocal ontogenesis in both species. This study investigates the ontogeny of nasal and oral calls in 23 (10 male and 13 female) individually identified goitred gazelles from shortly after birth up to adolescence. The fundamental frequency (f0) and formants were measured as the acoustic correlates of the developing sexual dimorphism. Settings for LPC analysis of formants were based on anatomical dissections of 5 specimens. Along ontogenesis, compared to females, male f0 was consistently lower both in oral and nasal calls and male formants were lower in oral calls, whereas the first two formants of nasal calls did not differ between sexes. In goitred gazelles, significant sex differences in f0 and formants appeared as early as the second week of life, while in humans they emerge only before puberty. This result suggests different pathways of vocal ontogenesis in the goitred gazelles and in humans.

Cognitive and affective control in a flanker word task: common and dissociable brain mechanisms.

PubMed

Alguacil, Sonia; Tudela, Pío; Ruz, María

2013-08-01

In the present study we compared the nature of cognitive and affective conflict modulations at different stages of information processing using electroencephalographic recordings. Participants performed a flanker task in which they had to focus on a central word target and indicate its semantic category (cognitive version) or its valence (affective version). Targets were flanked by congruent or incongruent words in both versions. Although tasks were equivalent at the behavioral level, event-related potentials (ERPs) showed common and dissociable cognitive and emotional conflict modulations. At early stages of information processing, both tasks generated parallel sequential conflict effects in the P1 and N170 potentials. Later, the N2 and the first part of the P3 wave were exclusively modulated by cognitive conflict, whereas the last section of the P3 deflection/Late Positive Component (LPC) was only involved in affective current conflict processing. Therefore, the whole data set suggests the existence of early common mechanisms that are equivalent for cognitive and affective materials and later task-specific conflict processing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sickle cell retinopathy: improving care with a multidisciplinary approach.

PubMed

Menaa, Farid; Khan, Barkat Ali; Uzair, Bushra; Menaa, Abder

2017-01-01

Sickle cell retinopathy (SCR) is the most representative ophthalmologic complication of sickle cell disease (SCD), a hemoglobinopathy affecting both adults and children. SCR presents a wide spectrum of manifestations and may even lead to irreversible vision loss if not properly diagnosed and treated at the earliest. Over the past decade, multidisciplinary research developments have focused upon systemic, genetic, and ocular risk factors of SCR, enabling the clinician to better diagnose and manage these patients. In addition, newer imaging and testing modalities, such as spectral domain-optical coherence tomography angiography, have resulted in the detection of subclinical retinopathy related to SCD. Innovative therapy includes intravitreal injection of an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (eg, Lucentis ® [ranibizumab] or Eylea ® [aflibercept]) which appears comparatively safe and efficient, and may be combined with laser photocoagulation (LPC) for proliferative SCR. The effect of LPC alone does not significantly lead to the regression of advanced SCR, although it helps in avoiding hemorrhage and sight loss. This comprehensive article is based on 10-years retrospective (2007-2017) studies. It aims to present advances and recommendations in SCR theranostics while pointing out the requirement of combinatorial approaches for better management of SCR patients. To reach this goal, we identified and analyzed randomized original and review articles, clinical trials, non-randomized intervention studies, and observational studies using specified keywords in various databases (eg, Medline, Embase, Cochrane, ClinicalTrials.gov).

Major Alterations of Phosphatidylcholine and Lysophosphotidylcholine Lipids in the Substantia Nigra Using an Early Stage Model of Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Farmer, Kyle; Smith, Catherine A.; Hayley, Shawn; Smith, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting the nigrostriatal pathway, where patients do not manifest motor symptoms until >50% of neurons are lost. Thus, it is of great importance to determine early neuronal changes that may contribute to disease progression. Recent attention has focused on lipids and their role in pro- and anti-apoptotic processes. However, information regarding the lipid alterations in animal models of PD is lacking. In this study, we utilized high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) and novel HPLC solvent methodology to profile phosphatidylcholines and sphingolipids within the substantia nigra. The ipsilateral substantia nigra pars compacta was collected from rats 21 days after an infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), or vehicle into the anterior dorsal striatum. We identified 115 lipid species from their mass/charge ratio using the LMAPS Lipid MS Predict Database. Of these, 19 lipid species (from phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphotidylcholine lipid classes) were significantly altered by 6-OHDA, with most being down-regulated. The two lipid species that were up-regulated were LPC (16:0) and LPC (18:1), which are important for neuroinflammatory signalling. These findings provide a first step in the characterization of lipid changes in early stages of PD-like pathology and could provide novel targets for early interventions in PD. PMID:26274953

Multiple cytokines are involved in the early events leading to the Alzheimer’s disease pathology

PubMed Central

Wilberding, Akiko; Morimoto, Kaori; Satoh, Haruhisa; Harano, Keiko; Harano, Teruo; Arita, Seizaburo; Tooyama, Ikuo; Konishi, Yoshihiro

2009-01-01

It is likely that neuroinflammation begins well before detectable cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) occurs. Clarifying the alterations occurring prior to the clinical manifestation of overt AD dementia may provide valuable insight into the early diagnosis and management of AD. Herein, to address the issue that neuroinflammation precedes development of AD pathology, we analyzed cytokine expression profiles of the brain, with focus on non-demented control patients with increasing AD pathology, referred to as high pathology control (HPC) cases, who provide an intermediate subset between AD and normal control cases referred to as low pathology control (LPC) cases. With a semi-quantitative analysis of cytokine mRNA, among 15 cytokines and their related molecules tested, we found the involvement of eight: interleukin-1(IL-1) receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), IL-1 converting enzyme (ICE), IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 during the development from LPC to HPC, while decreases in IL-1ra, IL-8, MCP-1 and TNFα, and an increase in TACE were implicated in the later development from HPC to AD. These findings indicate that neuroinflammation precedes the clinical manifestation of overt dementia, rather than being involved at the later stages of AD. PMID:22586434

Electrophysiological brain dynamics during the esthetic judgment of human bodies and faces.

PubMed

Muñoz, Francisco; Martín-Loeches, Manuel

2015-01-12

This experiment investigated how the esthetic judgment of human body and face modulates cognitive and affective processes. We hypothesized that judgments on ugliness and beauty would elicit separable event-related brain potentials (ERP) patterns, depending on the esthetic value of body and faces in both genders. In a pretest session, participants evaluated images in a range from very ugly to very beautiful, what generated three sets of beautiful, ugly and neutral faces and bodies. In the recording session, they performed a task consisting in a beautiful-neutral-ugly judgment. Cognitive and affective effects were observed on a differential pattern of ERP components (P200, P300 and LPC). Main findings revealed a P200 amplitude increase to ugly images, probably the result of a negativity bias in attentional processes. A P300 increase was found mostly to beautiful images, particularly to female bodies, consistent with the salience of these stimuli, particularly for stimulus categorization. LPC appeared significantly larger to both ugly and beautiful images, probably reflecting later, decision processes linked to keeping information in working memory. This finding was especially remarkable for ugly male faces. Our findings are discussed on the ground of evolutionary and adaptive value of esthetics in person evaluation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Hold Item. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of Men's Personality and Social Support on Treatment Decision-Making for Localized Prostate Cancer.

PubMed

Reamer, Elyse; Yang, Felix; Holmes-Rovner, Margaret; Liu, Joe; Xu, Jinping

2017-01-01

Optimal treatment for localized prostate cancer (LPC) is controversial. We assessed the effects of personality, specialists seen, and involvement of spouse, family, or friends on treatment decision/decision-making qualities. We surveyed a population-based sample of men ≤ 75 years with newly diagnosed LPC about treatment choice, reasons for the choice, decision-making difficulty, satisfaction, and regret. Of 160 men (71 black, 89 white), with a mean age of 61 (±7.3) years, 59% chose surgery, 31% chose radiation, and 10% chose active surveillance (AS)/watchful waiting (WW). Adjusting for age, race, comorbidity, tumor risk level, and treatment status, men who consulted friends during decision-making were more likely to choose curative treatment (radiation or surgery) than WW/AS (OR = 11.1, p < 0.01; 8.7, p < 0.01). Men who saw a radiation oncologist in addition to a urologist were more likely to choose radiation than surgery (OR = 6.0, p = 0.04). Men who consulted family or friends (OR = 2.6, p < 0.01; 3.7, p < 0.01) experienced greater decision-making difficulty. No personality traits (pessimism, optimism, or faith) were associated with treatment choice/decision-making quality measures. In addition to specialist seen, consulting friends increased men's likelihood of choosing curative treatment. Consulting family or friends increased decision-making difficulty.

Mutual Influence of Reward Anticipation and Emotion on Brain Activity during Memory Retrieval

PubMed Central

Yan, Chunping; Liu, Fang; Li, Yunyun; Zhang, Qin; Cui, Lixia

2017-01-01

Previous studies on the joint effect of reward motivation and emotion on memory retrieval have obtained inconsistent results. Furthermore, whether and how any such joint effect might vary over time remains unclear too. Accordingly, using the event-related potential (ERP) measurement of high temporal resolution, our study investigates the cognitive and brain mechanisms of monetary reward and emotion affecting the retrieval processes of episodic memory. Twenty undergraduate and graduate students participated in the research, and our study’s behavioral results indicated that reward (relative to no reward) and negative emotion (relative to positive and neutral emotion) significantly improved recognition performance. The ERP results showed that there were significant interactions between monetary reward and emotion on memory retrieval, and the reward effects of positive, neutral, and negative memory occurred at varied intervals in mean amplitude. The reward effect of positive memory appeared relatively early, at 260–330 ms after the stimulus onset in the frontal-frontocentral area, at 260–500 ms in the centroparietal-parietal area and at 500–700 ms in the frontocentral area. However, the reward effects of neutral and negative memory occurred relatively later, and that of negative memory appeared at 500–700 ms in the frontocentral and centroparietal area and that of neutral memory was at 500–700 ms in the frontocentral and centroparietal-parietal area. Meanwhile, significant FN400 old/new effects were observed in the negative and rewarded positive items, and the old/new effects of negative items appeared earlier at FN400 than positive items. Also, significant late positive component (LPC) old/new effects were found in the positive, negative, and rewarded neutral items. These results suggest that, monetary reward and negative emotion significantly improved recognition performance, and there was a mutual influence between reward and emotion on brain activity during memory retrieval. PMID:29118728

Improved Safety for Molecular Diagnosis of Classical Rabies Viruses by Use of a TaqMan Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR “Double Check” Strategy▿ †

PubMed Central

Hoffmann, B.; Freuling, C. M.; Wakeley, P. R.; Rasmussen, T. B.; Leech, S.; Fooks, A. R.; Beer, M.; Müller, T.

2010-01-01

To improve the diagnosis of classical rabies virus with molecular methods, a validated, ready-to-use, real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay was developed. In a first step, primers and 6-carboxyfluorescien-labeled TaqMan probes specific for rabies virus were selected from the consensus sequence of the nucleoprotein gene of 203 different rabies virus sequences derived from GenBank. The selected primer-probe combination was highly specific and sensitive. During validation using a sample set of rabies virus strains from the virus archives of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI; Germany), the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA; United Kingdom), and the DTU National Veterinary Institute (Lindholm, Denmark), covering the global diversity of rabies virus lineages, it was shown that both the newly developed assay and a previously described one had some detection failures. This was overcome by a combined assay that detected all samples as positive. In addition, the introduction of labeled positive controls (LPC) increased the diagnostic safety of the single as well as the combined assay. Based on the newly developed, alternative assay for the detection of rabies virus and the application of LPCs, an improved diagnostic sensitivity and reliability can be ascertained for postmortem and intra vitam real-time RT-PCR analyses in rabies reference laboratories. PMID:20739489

High-mobility group box 1 from reactive astrocytes enhances the accumulation of endothelial progenitor cells in damaged white matter.

PubMed

Hayakawa, Kazuhide; Miyamoto, Nobukazu; Seo, Ji Hae; Pham, Loc-Duyen D; Kim, Kyu-Won; Lo, Eng H; Arai, Ken

2013-04-01

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was initially described as a damage-associated-molecular-pattern (DAMP) mediator that worsens acute brain injury after stroke. But, recent findings suggest that HMGB1 can play a surprisingly beneficial role during stroke recovery by promoting endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function and vascular remodeling in cortical gray matter. Here, we ask whether HMGB1 may also influence EPC responses in white matter injury. The standard lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) injection model was used to induce focal demyelination in the corpus callosum of mice. Immunostaining showed that within the focal white matter lesions, HMGB1 was up-regulated in GFAP-positive reactive astrocytes, along with the accumulation of Flk1/CD34-double-positive EPCs that expressed pro-recovery mediators such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. Astrocyte-EPC signaling required the HMGB1 receptor RAGE as treatment with RAGE-neutralizing antibody significantly decreased EPC accumulation. Moreover, suppression of HMGB1 with siRNA in vivo significantly decreased EPC numbers in damaged white matter as well as proliferated endothelial cell numbers. Finally, in vitro cell culture systems confirmed that HMGB1 directly affected EPC function such as migration and tube formation. Taken together, our findings suggest that HMGB1 from reactive astrocytes may attract EPCs to promote recovery after white matter injury. © 2012 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Improved safety for molecular diagnosis of classical rabies viruses by use of a TaqMan real-time reverse transcription-PCR "double check" strategy.

PubMed

Hoffmann, B; Freuling, C M; Wakeley, P R; Rasmussen, T B; Leech, S; Fooks, A R; Beer, M; Müller, T

2010-11-01

To improve the diagnosis of classical rabies virus with molecular methods, a validated, ready-to-use, real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay was developed. In a first step, primers and 6-carboxyfluorescien-labeled TaqMan probes specific for rabies virus were selected from the consensus sequence of the nucleoprotein gene of 203 different rabies virus sequences derived from GenBank. The selected primer-probe combination was highly specific and sensitive. During validation using a sample set of rabies virus strains from the virus archives of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI; Germany), the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA; United Kingdom), and the DTU National Veterinary Institute (Lindholm, Denmark), covering the global diversity of rabies virus lineages, it was shown that both the newly developed assay and a previously described one had some detection failures. This was overcome by a combined assay that detected all samples as positive. In addition, the introduction of labeled positive controls (LPC) increased the diagnostic safety of the single as well as the combined assay. Based on the newly developed, alternative assay for the detection of rabies virus and the application of LPCs, an improved diagnostic sensitivity and reliability can be ascertained for postmortem and intra vitam real-time RT-PCR analyses in rabies reference laboratories.

Trait-Based Community Assembly along an Elevational Gradient in Subalpine Forests: Quantifying the Roles of Environmental Factors in Inter- and Intraspecific Variability.

PubMed

Luo, Ya-Huang; Liu, Jie; Tan, Shao-Lin; Cadotte, Marc William; Wang, Yue-Hua; Xu, Kun; Li, De-Zhu; Gao, Lian-Ming

2016-01-01

Understanding how communities respond to environmental variation is a central goal in ecology. Plant communities respond to environmental gradients via intraspecific and/or interspecific variation in plant functional traits. However, the relative contribution of these two responses to environmental factors remains poorly tested. We measured six functional traits (height, leaf thickness, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon concentration (LCC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) and leaf phosphorus concentration (LPC)) for 55 tree species occurring at five elevations across a 1200 m elevational gradient of subalpine forests in Yulong Mountain, Southwest China. We examined the relative contribution of interspecific and intraspecific traits variability based on community weighted mean trait values and functional diversity, and tested how different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes (climate and soil variables). Species turnover explained the largest amount of variation in leaf morphological traits (leaf thickness and SLA) across the elevational gradient. However, intraspecific variability explained a large amount of variation (49.3%-76.3%) in three other traits (height, LNC and LPC) despite high levels of species turnover. The detection of limiting similarity in community assembly was improved when accounting for both intraspecific and interspecific variability. Different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes, especially soil water content and climatic variables. Our results indicate that intraspecific variation is critical for understanding community assembly and evaluating community response to environmental change.

Remyelination after Lysophosphatidyl Choline-Induced Demyelination Is Stimulated by Bone Marrow Stromal Cell-Derived Oligoprogenitor Cell Transplantation.

PubMed

Nazm Bojnordi, M; Ghasemi, H H; Akbari, E

2015-01-01

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are a desirable cell source that may be useful for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases given their capacity to differentiate into various types of cells. The current study aimed to investigate whether oligoprogenitor cell (OPC)-derived BMSCs have therapeutic benefits in an animal model of local demyelination. BMSCs were transdifferentiated into OPCs using a defined culture medium supplemented with a combination of inducers. The differentiation capacity of the BMSCs was evaluated at the end of the induction phase by assessing the expression levels of the glial-specific markers oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 and O4 surface antigen. Local demyelination was induced in the corpus callosum of adult female rats via direct injection of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) followed by engraftment of BMSC-generated OPCs. The rats were divided into sham control, vehicle control, and cell-transplanted groups. The changes in the extent of demyelination and the robustness of the remyelination event were assessed using Luxol Fast Blue staining and immunohistochemical analysis 1 week after LPC injection and 2 weeks after cell transplantation. Consequently, transplantation of OPCs into the demyelinated corpus callosum model resulted in differentiation of the cells into mature oligodendrocytes that were immunopositive for myelin basic protein. Furthermore, OPC transplantation mitigated demyelination and augmented remyelination relative to controls. These findings suggest that BMSC-derived OPCs can be utilized in therapeutic approaches for the management of demyelination-associated diseases such as multiple sclerosis. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Caricature generalization benefits for faces learned with enhanced idiosyncratic shape or texture.

PubMed

Itz, Marlena L; Schweinberger, Stefan R; Kaufmann, Jürgen M

2017-02-01

Recent findings show benefits for learning and subsequent recognition of faces caricatured in shape or texture, but there is little evidence on whether this caricature learning advantage generalizes to recognition of veridical counterparts at test. Moreover, it has been reported that there is a relatively higher contribution of texture information, at the expense of shape information, for familiar compared to unfamiliar face recognition. The aim of this study was to examine whether veridical faces are recognized better when they were learned as caricatures compared to when they were learned as veridicals-what we call a caricature generalization benefit. Photorealistic facial stimuli derived from a 3-D camera system were caricatured selectively in either shape or texture by 50 %. Faces were learned across different images either as veridicals, shape caricatures, or texture caricatures. At test, all learned and novel faces were presented as previously unseen frontal veridicals, and participants performed an old-new task. We assessed accuracies, reaction times, and face-sensitive event-related potentials (ERPs). Faces learned as caricatures were recognized more accurately than faces learned as veridicals. At learning, N250 and LPC were largest for shape caricatures, suggesting encoding advantages of distinctive facial shape. At test, LPC was largest for faces that had been learned as texture caricatures, indicating the importance of texture for familiar face recognition. Overall, our findings demonstrate that caricature learning advantages can generalize to and, importantly, improve recognition of veridical versions of faces.

Trait-Based Community Assembly along an Elevational Gradient in Subalpine Forests: Quantifying the Roles of Environmental Factors in Inter- and Intraspecific Variability

PubMed Central

Luo, Ya-Huang; Liu, Jie; Tan, Shao-Lin; Cadotte, Marc William; Wang, Yue-Hua; Xu, Kun; Li, De-Zhu; Gao, Lian-Ming

2016-01-01

Understanding how communities respond to environmental variation is a central goal in ecology. Plant communities respond to environmental gradients via intraspecific and/or interspecific variation in plant functional traits. However, the relative contribution of these two responses to environmental factors remains poorly tested. We measured six functional traits (height, leaf thickness, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon concentration (LCC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) and leaf phosphorus concentration (LPC)) for 55 tree species occurring at five elevations across a 1200 m elevational gradient of subalpine forests in Yulong Mountain, Southwest China. We examined the relative contribution of interspecific and intraspecific traits variability based on community weighted mean trait values and functional diversity, and tested how different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes (climate and soil variables). Species turnover explained the largest amount of variation in leaf morphological traits (leaf thickness and SLA) across the elevational gradient. However, intraspecific variability explained a large amount of variation (49.3%–76.3%) in three other traits (height, LNC and LPC) despite high levels of species turnover. The detection of limiting similarity in community assembly was improved when accounting for both intraspecific and interspecific variability. Different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes, especially soil water content and climatic variables. Our results indicate that intraspecific variation is critical for understanding community assembly and evaluating community response to environmental change. PMID:27191402

DFMG attenuates the activation of macrophages induced by co‑culture with LPC‑injured HUVE‑12 cells via the TLR4/MyD88/NF‑κB signaling pathway.

PubMed

Cong, Li; Yang, Shuting; Zhang, Yong; Cao, Jianguo; Fu, Xiaohua

2018-05-01

7‑difluoromethoxy‑5,4'‑dimethoxy‑genistein (DFMG) is a novel active chemical entity, which modulates the function and signal transduction of endothelial cells and macrophages (MPs), and is essential in the prevention of atherosclerosis. In the present study, the activity and molecular mechanism of DFMG on MPs was investigated using a Transwell assay to construct a non‑contact co‑culture model. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVE‑12), which were incubated with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), were seeded in the upper chambers, whereas PMA‑induced MPs were grown in the lower chambers. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured using the corresponding assay kits. The proliferation and migration were assessed using 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2,5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide and wound healing assays, respectively. Foam cell formation was examined using oil red O staining and a total cholesterol assay. The protein expression levels of Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor (NF)‑κB p65 were detected by western immunoblotting. The secretion of interleukin (IL)‑1β was examined using an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay. It was found that LPC significantly increased the generation of ROS and the release of LDH in HUVE‑12 cells. The LPC‑injured HUVE‑12 cells activated MPs under co‑culture conditions and this process was inhibited by DFMG treatment. LPC upregulated the expression levels of TLR4, MyD88 and NF‑κB p65, and the secretion of IL‑1β in the supernatant of the co‑cultured HUVE‑12 cells and MPs. These effects were reversed by the application of DFMG. Furthermore, CLI‑095 and IL‑1Ra suppressed the activation of MPs that was induced by co‑culture with injured HUVE‑12 cells. These effects were further enhanced by co‑treatment with DFMG, and DFMG exhibited synergistic effects with a TLR4‑specific inhibitor. Take together, these findings revealed that DFMG attenuated the activation of MP induced by co‑culture with LPC‑injured HUVE‑12 cells. This process was mediated via inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/NF‑κB signaling pathway in HUVE‑12 cells.

Substantiation of the cogeneration turbine unit selection for reconstruction of power units with a T-250/300-23.5 turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valamin, A. E.; Kultyshev, A. Yu.; Shibaev, T. L.; Gol'dberg, A. A.; Sakhnin, Yu. A.; Stepanov, M. Yu.; Bilan, V. N.; Kadkina, I. V.

2016-11-01

The selection of a cogeneration steam turbine unit (STU) for the reconstruction of power units with a T-250/300-23.5 turbine is substantiated by the example of power unit no. 9 at the cogeneration power station no. 22 (TETs-22) of Mosenergo Company. Series T-250 steam turbines have been developed for combined heat and power generation. A total of 31 turbines were manufactured. By the end of 2015, the total operation time of prototype power units with the T-250/300-23.5 turbine exceeded 290000 hours. Considering the expiry of the service life, the decision was made that the reconstruction of the power unit at st. no. 9 of TETs-22 should be the first priority. The main issues that arose in developing this project—the customer's requirements and the request for the reconstruction, the view on certain problems of Ural Turbine Works (UTZ) as the manufacturer of the main power unit equipment, and the opinions of other project parties—are examined. The decisions were made with account taken of the experience in operation of all Series T-250 turbines and the results of long-term discussions of pressing problems at scientific and technical councils, meetings, and negotiations. For the new power unit, the following parameters have been set: a live steam pressure of 23.5 MPa and live steam/reheat temperature of 565/565°C. Considering that the boiler equipment will be upgraded, the live steam flow is increased up to 1030 t/h. The reconstruction activities involving the replacement of the existing turbine with a new one will yield a service life of 250000 hours for turbine parts exposed to a temperature of 450°C or higher and 200000 hours for pipeline components. Hence, the decision has been made to reuse the arrangement of the existing turbine: a four-cylinder turbine unit comprising a high-pressure cylinder (HPC), two intermediate pressure cylinders (IPC-1 & 2), and a low-pressure cylinder (LPC). The flow path in the new turbine will have active blading in LPC and IPC-1. The information is also presented on the use of the existing foundations, the fact that the overall dimensions of the turbine unit compartment are not changed, the selection of the new turbine type, and the solutions adopted on the basis of this information as to LPC blading, steam admission type, issues associated with thermal displacements, etc.

Your favorite number is special (to you): Evidence for item-level differences in retrieval of information from numerals.

PubMed

Dickson, Danielle S; Federmeier, Kara D

2018-05-22

Arabic numerals have come to be used for many purposes beyond representing a particular quantity (e.g., as a label for an athlete on their jersey), but it remains to be determined how this type of meaningfulness is accessed and utilized by readers. Motivated by previous work showing that item-level ratings of personal familiarity can influence traditional indices of memory retrieval, we recorded ERPs while participants read double-digit Arabic numerals (e.g., "65"), presented in a list, and rated whether or not each was familiar/personally meaningful. All numbers repeated after a few intervening trials. The effect of number repetition on the N400 was not impacted by subjective judgments of familiarity, suggesting that all numbers (personally meaningful or not) make initial contact with semantics, facilitating semantic access on second exposure. However, consistent with findings from prior studies of memory for letter strings and visual patterns, there was a late positivity (LPC) on second presentation, selective to numbers rated as familiar. This is the first electrophysiological evidence that readers can use Arabic numerals to guide explicit retrieval of non-numerical information. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chronic inflammation-elicited liver progenitor cell conversion to liver cancer stem cell with clinical significance.

PubMed

Li, Xiao-Feng; Chen, Cheng; Xiang, Dai-Min; Qu, Le; Sun, Wen; Lu, Xin-Yuan; Zhou, Teng-Fei; Chen, Shu-Zhen; Ning, Bei-Fang; Cheng, Zhuo; Xia, Ming-Yang; Shen, Wei-Feng; Yang, Wen; Wen, Wen; Lee, Terence Kin Wah; Cong, Wen-Ming; Wang, Hong-Yang; Ding, Jin

2017-12-01

The substantial heterogeneity and hierarchical organization in liver cancer support the theory of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs). However, the relationship between chronic hepatic inflammation and LCSC generation remains obscure. Here, we observed a close correlation between aggravated inflammation and liver progenitor cell (LPC) propagation in the cirrhotic liver of rats exposed to diethylnitrosamine. LPCs isolated from the rat cirrhotic liver initiated subcutaneous liver cancers in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice, suggesting the malignant transformation of LPCs toward LCSCs. Interestingly, depletion of Kupffer cells in vivo attenuated the LCSC properties of transformed LPCs and suppressed cytokeratin 19/Oval cell 6-positive tumor occurrence. Conversely, LPCs cocultured with macrophages exhibited enhanced LCSC properties. We further demonstrated that macrophage-secreted tumor necrosis factor-α triggered chromosomal instability in LPCs through the deregulation of ubiquitin D and checkpoint kinase 2 and enhanced the self-renewal of LPCs through the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1/Src/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway, which synergistically contributed to the conversion of LPCs to LCSCs. Clinical investigation revealed that cytokeratin 19/Oval cell 6-positive liver cancer patients displayed a worse prognosis and exhibited superior response to sorafenib treatment. Our results not only clarify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammation-mediated LCSC generation but also provide a molecular classification for the individualized treatment of liver cancer. (Hepatology 2017;66:1934-1951). © 2017 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Electrophysiological evidence of perceived sexual attractiveness for human female bodies varying in waist-to-hip ratio.

PubMed

Del Zotto, Marzia; Pegna, Alan J

2017-06-01

The dynamics of brain activation reflecting attractiveness in humans are unclear. Among the different features affecting attractiveness of the female body, the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is considered to be crucial. To date, however, no event-related potential (ERP) study has addressed the question of its associated pattern of brain activation. We carried out two different experiments: (a) a behavioural study, to judge the level of attractiveness of female realistic models depicting 4 different WHRs (0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9) with and without clothes; (b) an EEG paradigm, to record brain activity while participants (heterosexual men and women) viewed these same models. Behavioural results showed that WHRs of 0.7 were considered more attractive than the others. ERP analyses revealed a different pattern of activation for male and female viewers. The 0.7 ratio elicited greater positivity at the P1 level in male viewers but not females. Naked bodies increased the N190 in both groups and peaked earlier for the 0.7 ratio in the male viewers. Finally, the late positive component (LPC) was found to be greater in male than in female viewers and was globally more marked for naked bodies as well as WHRs of 0.7 in both groups of viewers. These results provide the first electrophysiological evidence of specific time periods linked to the processing of a body feature denoting attractiveness and therefore playing a role in mate choice.

Pleasant mood intensifies brain processing of cognitive control: ERP correlates.

PubMed

Yuan, Jiajin; Xu, Shuang; Yang, Jiemin; Liu, Qiang; Chen, Antao; Zhu, Liping; Chen, Jie; Li, Hong

2011-04-01

The present study investigated the impact of auditory-induced mood on brain processing of cognitive control using a Stroop color-word interference task. A total of 135 positive, negative, and neutral sounds (45 of each) were presented in separate blocks for a mood induction procedure, which was then followed by a Stroop color-word task in each trial. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded for color-word congruent, incongruent and neutral (color-word irrelevant) words and subjects named the printed colors of the words by pressing the appropriate key (irrespective of word meaning). Response latency was delayed during incongruent vs. neutral trials, and this cost did not interact significantly with mood states. ERP data showed prolonged peak latencies in the P200 component and more negative deflections in the Late Positive Component (LPC, 450-550 ms) during incongruent vs. neutral conditions, regardless of mood states. Moreover, the negative deflections (N450) in the 450-550 ms interval of the incongruent- neutral difference waves, which index cognitive control effect in brain potentials, was more pronounced in the pleasant, but not in the unpleasant, mood state when compared with the neutral mood state. These data suggest that, pleasant mood intensifies brain processing of cognitive control, in a situation requiring effective inhibition of task-irrelevant distracting information. In addition, N450 component serves as an affective marker, embodying not only cognitive control effect in the brain but also its interaction with mood states. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prospective evaluation of quality of life after interstitial brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer

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

Caffo, Orazio; Fellin, Gianni; Bolner, Andrea

2006-09-01

Purpose: Permanent interstitial brachytherapy (IB) has become an increasingly appealing therapeutic option for localized prostate cancer (LPC) among physicians and patients because it involves short hospitalization and treatment and its postulated low degree of toxicity may reduce its impact on the patients' quality of life (QoL). The aim of this prospective study was to assess the impact of IB on the QoL of patients with LPC. Methods and Materials: A validated self-completed questionnaire was administered to the patients before and after IB and then at yearly intervals. The items allowed the identification of seven subscales exploring physical well-being (PHY), physicalmore » autonomy (POW), psychological well-being (PSY), relational life (REL), urinary function (URI), rectal function (REC), and sexual function (SEX). Results: The assessment of the QoL of 147 patients treated between May 2000 and February 2005 revealed no relevant differences in the PHY scale scores 1 month after IB or later, and the same was true of the POW, PSY, and REL scales. Urinary function significantly worsened after IB and returned to pretreatment levels only after 3 years; the impact of the treatment on the URI scale was greater in the patients with good baseline urinary function than in those presenting more urinary symptoms before IB. Rectal and sexual functions were significantly worse only at the post-IB evaluation. Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm that the impact of IB on the patients' QoL is low despite its transient negative effects on some function, and extend existing knowledge concerning QoL after IB.« less

Synthesis of DHA/EPA-rich phosphatidylcholine by immobilized phospholipase A1: effect of water addition and vacuum condition.

PubMed

Li, Daoming; Qin, Xiaoli; Wang, Weifei; Li, Zhigang; Yang, Bo; Wang, Yonghua

2016-08-01

DHA/EPA-rich phosphatidylcholine (PC) was successfully synthesized by immobilized phospholipase A1 (PLA1)-catalyzed transesterification of PC and DHA/EPA-rich ethyl esters in a solvent-free system. Effects of reaction temperature, water addition and substrate mass ratio on the incorporation of DHA/EPA were evaluated using response surface methods (RSM). Water addition had most significant effect on the incorporation. Reaction temperature and substrate mass ratio, however, had no significant effect on the incorporation. The maximal incorporation was 19.09 % (24 h) under the following conditions: temperature 55.7 °C, water addition 1.1 wt % and substrate mass ratio (ethyl esters/PC) 6.8:1. Furthermore, effects of water addition (from 0 to 1.25 wt %) on DHA/EPA incorporation and the composition of products were further investigated. The immobilized PLA1 was more active when water addition was above 0.5 wt %. By monitoring the reaction processes with different water addition, a possible reaction scheme was proposed for transesterification of PC with DHA/EPA-rich ethyl esters. In summary, PC and sn2-lysophosphatidylocholine (LPC) were predominant in the mixtures at early stages of reaction, whereas sn1-LPC and glycerophosphocholine (GPC) predominant at later stages. The vacuum employed after 24 h significantly increased the incorporation of DHA/EPA and the composition of PC, and the highest incorporation (30.31 %) of DHA/EPA was obtained at 72 h and the yield of PC was 47.2 %.

Cellular model for induction of drip loss in meat.

PubMed

Lambert, I H; Nielsen, J H; Andersen, H J; Ørtenblad, N

2001-10-01

Drip loss from porcine muscle (M. longissimus dorsi) contained high concentrations of K(+) ( approximately 135 mM) and organic osmolytes, for example, taurine ( approximately 15 mM), as well as significant amounts of protein ( approximately 125 mg.mL(-1)). Thus, the drip reflects release of intramuscular components. To simulate events taking place at the time of slaughter and leading to release of osmolytes and subsequent formation of drip loss, C2C12 myotubes were exposed to anoxia and reduction in pH (from 7.4 to 6.0). Anoxia and acidification increased the cellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) at a rate of 22-32 nM.min(-)(1). The anoxia-induced increase in [Ca(2+)](i) was mainly due to influx via sarcolemmal Na(+) channels. As mammalian cells swell and release lysophospholipids during anoxia, C2C12 cells and primary porcine muscle cells were exposed to either hypotonic shock or lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and the release of taurine was followed. The swelling-induced taurine efflux was blocked in the presence of the anion channel blocker (DIDS), the 5-lipooxygenase inhibitors (ETH 615-139 and NDGA) but unaffected by the presence of vitamin E. In contrast, the LPC-induced taurine release was unaffected by DIDS but abolished by antioxidants (butylated hydroxytoluene and vitamin E). Thus, stress-induced taurine release from muscles may precede by two different mechanisms, one being 5-lipooxygenase dependent and the other involving generation of reactive oxygen species. A model for the cellular events, preceding formation of drip in meat, is presented.

Safety evaluation of HOWARU® Restore (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bl-04 and B. lactis Bi-07) for antibiotic resistance, genomic risk factors, and acute toxicity.

PubMed

Morovic, Wesley; Roper, Jason M; Smith, Amy B; Mukerji, Pushkor; Stahl, Buffy; Rae, Jessica Caverly; Ouwehand, Arthur C

2017-12-01

Although probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are generally considered safe by various regulatory agencies, safety properties, such as absence of transferable antibiotic resistance, must still be determined for each strain prior to market introduction as a probiotic. Safety requirements for probiotics vary regionally and evaluation methods are not standardized, therefore methodologies are often adopted from food ingredients or chemicals to assess microbial safety. Four individual probiotic strains, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM ® , Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37 ® , Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strains Bl-04 ® , and Bi-07 ® , and their combination (HOWARU ® Restore) were examined for antibiotic resistance by broth microdilution culture, toxin genes by PCR and genome mining, and acute oral toxicity in rats. Only B. lactis Bl-04 exhibited antibiotic resistance above a regulated threshold due to a tetW gene previously demonstrated to be non-transferable. Genomic mining did not reveal any bacterial toxin genes known to harm mammalian hosts in any of the strains. The rodent studies did not indicate any evidence of acute toxicity following a dose of 1.7-4.1 × 10 12  CFU/kg body weight. Considering a 100-fold safety margin, this corresponds to 1.2-2.8 × 10 12  CFU for a 70 kg human. Our findings demonstrate a comprehensive approach of in vitro, in silico, and in vivo safety testing for probiotics. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry revealed traces of dental problem associated with dental structure.

PubMed

Hirano, Hirokazu; Masaki, Noritaka; Hayasaka, Takahiro; Watanabe, Yoshiko; Masumoto, Kazuma; Nagata, Tetsuji; Katou, Fuminori; Setou, Mitsutoshi

2014-02-01

Periodontal disease is a serious dental problem because it does not heal naturally and leads to tooth loss. In periodontal disease, inflammation at periodontal tissue is thought as predominant, and its effect against tooth itself remains unclear. In this study, we applied matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to teeth for the first time. By comparing anatomical structure of tooth affected with periodontal disease with normal ones, we analyzed traces of the disease on tooth. We found signals characteristic of enamel, dentin, and dental pulp, respectively, in mass spectra obtained from normal teeth. Ion images reconstructed using these signals showed anatomical structures of the tooth clearly. Next, we performed IMS upon teeth of periodontal disease. Overall characteristic of the mass spectrum appeared similar to normal ones. However, ion images reconstructed using signals from the tooth of periodontal disease revealed loss of periodontal ligament visualized together with dental pulp in normal teeth. Moreover, ion image clearly depicted an accumulation of signal at m/z 496.3 at root surface. Such an accumulation that cannot be examined only from mass spectrum was revealed by utilization of IMS. Recent studies about inflammation revealed that the signal at m/z 496.3 reflects lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC). Infiltration of the signal is statistically significant, and its intensity profile exhibited the influence has reached deeply into the tooth. This suggests that influence of periodontal disease is not only inflammation of periodontal tissue but also infiltration of LPC to root surface, and therefore, anti-inflammatory treatment is required besides conventional treatments.

Deciphering the roles of Arabidopsis LPCAT and PAH in phosphatidylcholine homeostasis and pathway coordination for chloroplast lipid synthesis.

PubMed

Wang, Liping; Kazachkov, Michael; Shen, Wenyun; Bai, Mei; Wu, Hong; Zou, Jitao

2014-12-01

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a key intermediate in the metabolic network of glycerolipid biosynthesis. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) and phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAH) are two key enzymes of PC homeostasis. We report that LPCAT activity is markedly induced in the Arabidopsis pah mutant. The quadruple pah lpcat mutant, with dual defects in PAH and LPCAT, had a level of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) that was much higher than that in the lpcat mutants and a PC content that was higher than that in the pah mutant. Comparative molecular profile analysis of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and digalactosyldiacylglycerol revealed that both the pah and pah lpcat mutants had increased proportions of 34:6 from the prokaryotic pathway despite differing levels of LPCAT activity. We show that a decreased representation of the C16:0 C18:2 diacylglycerol moiety in PC was a shared feature of pah and pah lpcat, and that this change in PC metabolic profile correlated with the increased prokaryotic contribution to chloroplast lipid synthesis. We detected increased PC deacylation in the pah lpcat mutant that was attributable at least in part to the induced phospholipases. Increased LPC generation was also evident in the pah mutant, but the phospholipases were not induced, raising the possibility that PC deacylation is mediated by the reverse reaction of LPCAT. We discuss possible roles of LPCAT and PAH in PC turnover that impacts lipid pathway coordination for chloroplast lipid synthesis. © 2014 National Research Council Canada. The Plant Journal © 2014 Society For Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons.

Kidney tissue targeted metabolic profiling of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and the proposed therapeutic effects of Rhizoma Drynariae studied using UHPLC/MS/MS.

PubMed

Huang, Yue; Liu, Xinyu; Zhao, Longshan; Li, Famei; Xiong, Zhili

2014-06-01

Traditional Chinese medicine and modern science have indicated that there is a close relationship between bone and kidney. In light of this, this project was designed to study the metabolic profiling by UHPLC/MS/MS of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in kidney tissue and the possible therapeutic effects of Rhizoma Drynariae (RD), a classic traditional Chinese medicine, in improving the kidney function and strengthening bone. Twenty-one Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control group (rats before prednisolone inducing), a model group (prednisolone-induced group) and a treatment group (prednisolone-induced rats that were then administered RD ethanol extracts). By using pattern recognition analysis, a significant change in the metabolic profile of kidney tissue samples was observed in the model group and restoration of the profile was observed after the administration of RD ethanol extracts. Some significantly changed biomarkers related to osteoporosis such as sphingolipids (C16 dihydrosphingosine, C18 dihydrosphingosine, C18 phytosphingosine, C20 phytosphingosine), lysophosphatidycholines (C16:0 LPC, C18:0 LPC) and phenylalanine were identified. As a complement to the metabolic profiling of RD in plasma, these biomarkers suggest that kidney damage, cell cytotoxicity and apoptosis exist in osteoporosis rats, which is helpful in further understanding the underlying process of glucocorticoid-induced osetoporosis and the suggested therapeutic effects of RD. The method shows that tissue target metabonomics might provide a powerful tool to further understand the process of disease and the mechanism of therapeutic effect of Chinese medicines. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Distributed Data Acquisition System for the Sensor Network of the TAWARA_RTM Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontana, Cristiano Lino; Donati, Massimiliano; Cester, Davide; Fanucci, Luca; Iovene, Alessandro; Swiderski, Lukasz; Moretto, Sandra; Moszynski, Marek; Olejnik, Anna; Ruiu, Alessio; Stevanato, Luca; Batsch, Tadeusz; Tintori, Carlo; Lunardon, Marcello

This paper describes a distributed Data Acquisition System (DAQ) developed for the TAWARA_RTM project (TAp WAter RAdioactivity Real Time Monitor). The aim is detecting the presence of radioactive contaminants in drinking water; in order to prevent deliberate or accidental threats. Employing a set of detectors, it is possible to detect alpha, beta and gamma radiations, from emitters dissolved in water. The Sensor Network (SN) consists of several heterogeneous nodes controlled by a centralized server. The SN cyber-security is guaranteed in order to protect it from external intrusions and malicious acts. The nodes were installed in different locations, along the water treatment processes, in the waterworks plant supplying the aqueduct of Warsaw, Poland. Embedded computers control the simpler nodes, and are directly connected to the SN. Local-PCs (LPCs) control the more complex nodes that consist signal digitizers acquiring data from several detectors. The DAQ in the LPC is split in several processes communicating with sockets in a local sub-network. Each process is dedicated to a very simple task (e.g. data acquisition, data analysis, hydraulics management) in order to have a flexible and fault-tolerant system. The main SN and the local DAQ networks are separated by data routers to ensure the cyber-security.

Low photon-count tip-tilt sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saathof, Rudolf; Schitter, Georg

2016-07-01

Due to the low photon-count of dark areas of the universe, signal strength of tip-tilt sensor is low, limiting sky-coverage of reliable tip-tilt measurements. This paper presents the low photon-count tip-tilt (LPC-TT) sensor, which potentially achieves improved signal strength. Its optical design spatially samples and integrates the scene. This increases the probability that several individual sources coincide on a detector segment. Laboratory experiments show feasibility of spatial sampling and integration and the ability to measure tilt angles. By simulation an improvement of the SNR of 10 dB compared to conventional tip-tilt sensors is shown.

Detection of related substances in polyene phosphatidyl choline extracted from soybean and in its commercial capsule by comprehensive supercritical fluid chromatography with mass spectrometry compared with HPLC with evaporative light scattering detection.

PubMed

Jiang, Qikun; Liu, Wanjun; Li, Xiaoting; Zhang, Tianhong; Wang, Yongjun; Liu, Xiaohong

2016-01-01

Supercritical fluid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was used to comprehensively profile polyene phosphatidyl choline (PPC) extracted from soybean. We achieved an efficient chromatographic analysis using a BEH-2EP column (3 × 100 mm(2) , 1.7 μm) with a mobile phase consisting of CO2 and a cosolvent in gradient combination at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The cosolvent consisted of methanol, acetonitrile, and water (containing 10 mM ammonium acetate and 0.2% formic acid). The total single-run time was 7 min. We used this method to accurately detect ten different phospholipids (PLs) during extraction. The limits of quantification for phosphatidyl choline, lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidic acid (PA), sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl inositol (PI), cholesterol, cardiolipin, phosphatidyl serine, and phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) were 20.6, 19.52, 1.21, 2.38, 0.50, 2.28, 54.3, 0.60, 0.65, and 4.85 ng/mL, respectively. However, adopting the high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection method issued by the China Food and Drug Administration, only PA, LPC, PE, PI, and PPC could be analyzed accurately, and the limits of quantification were 33.89, 60.5, 30.3, 10.9, and 61.79 μg/mL, respectively. The total single-run time was at the least 20 min. Consequently, the supercritical fluid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was more suitable for the analysis of related PLs. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

NMR-NOE and MD simulation study on phospholipid membranes: dependence on membrane diameter and multiple time scale dynamics.

PubMed

Shintani, Megumi; Yoshida, Ken; Sakuraba, Shun; Nakahara, Masaru; Matubayasi, Nobuyuki

2011-07-28

Motional correlation times between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic terminal groups in lipid membranes are studied over a wide range of curvatures using the solution-state (1)H NMR-nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. To enable (1)H NMR-NOE measurements for large vesicles, the transient NOE method is combined with the spin-echo method, and is successfully applied to a micelle of 1-palmitoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (PaLPC) with diameter of 5 nm and to vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with diameters ranging from 30 to 800 nm. It is found that the NOE intensity increases with the diameter up to ∼100 nm, and the model membrane is considered planar on the molecular level beyond ∼100 nm. While the NOE between the hydrophilic terminal and hydrophobic terminal methyl groups is absent for the micelle, its intensity is comparable to that for the neighboring group for vesicles with larger diameters. The origin of NOE signals between distant sites is analyzed by MD simulations of PaLPC micelles and DPPC planar bilayers. The slow relaxation is shown to yield an observable NOE signal even for the hydrophilic and hydrophobic terminal sites. Since the information on distance and dynamics cannot be separated in the experimental NOE alone, the correlation time in large vesicles is determined by combining the experimental NOE intensity and MD-based distance distribution. For large vesicles, the correlation time is found to vary by 2 orders of magnitude over the proton sites. This study shows that NOE provides dynamic information on large vesicles when combined with MD, which provides structural information. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Dissociating the Electrophysiological Correlates between Item Retrieval and Associative Retrieval in Associative Recognition: From the Perspective of Directed Forgetting.

PubMed

Wang, Yujuan; Mao, Xinrui; Li, Bingbing; Wang, Wei; Guo, Chunyan

2016-01-01

Although many behavioral studies have reported associative memory was different from item memory, evidence coming from ERP researches has been in debate. In addition, directed forgetting effect for items has been fully discussed, but whether association between items can be directed-forgotten was unclear. The directed forgetting effect was important for dissociating the item retrieval and associative retrieval because of the one-to-one mapping relationship both between item retrieval and familiarity and between associative retrieval and recollection. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the dissociation between item retrieval and associative retrieval and test directed forgetting effect for associative information. Associative recognition paradigm combined with directed forgetting paradigm by ERP recording was employed. Old/rearranged effect in to-be-remembered condition, which was associated with associative memory, was significant at 500-800 ms (LPC) but not at 300-500 ms interval (FN400), indicating that item information was retrieved prior to associative information. The ERP wave calculated by subtracting the to-be-forgotten old pairs with "old" response from those with "rearranged" response, which reflected associative retrieval in the to-be-forgotten condition, was negative from 500 to 800 ms (reversed old/new effect), indicating that association between items can be directed-forgotten. Similar evidence was obtained by contrasting "rearranged" responses aimed to the to-be-forgotten old pairs with those aimed to the to-be-remembered rearranged pairs, which actually represented the complete failure of associative retrieval. Therefore, item retrieval and associative retrieval were indexed by FN400 and LPC respectively, with associative retrieval more inhibited than item retrieval.

Widespread GLI expression but limited canonical hedgehog signaling restricted to the ductular reaction in human chronic liver disease

PubMed Central

Tirnitz-Parker, Janina Elke Eleonore; Hamson, Elizabeth Jane; Warren, Alessandra; Maneck, Bharvi; Chen, Jinbiao; Patkunanathan, Bramilla; Boland, Jade; Cheng, Robert; Shackel, Nicholas Adam; Seth, Devanshi; Bowen, David Geoffrey; Martelotto, Luciano Gastón; Watkins, D. Neil; McCaughan, Geoffrey William

2017-01-01

Canonical Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vertebrate cells occurs following Smoothened activation/translocation into the primary cilia (Pc), followed by a GLI transcriptional response. Nonetheless, GLI activation can occur independently of the canonical Hh pathway. Using a murine model of liver injury, we previously identified the importance of canonical Hh signaling within the Pc+ liver progenitor cell (LPC) population and noted that SMO-independent, GLI-mediated signals were important in multiple Pc-ve GLI2+ intrahepatic populations. This study extends these observations to human liver tissue, and analyses the effect of GLI inhibition on LPC viability/gene expression. Human donor and cirrhotic liver tissue specimens were evaluated for SHH, GLI2 and Pc expression using immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR. Changes to viability and gene expression in LPCs in vitro were assessed following GLI inhibition. Identification of Pc (as a marker of canonical Hh signaling) in human cirrhosis was predominantly confined to the ductular reaction and LPCs. In contrast, GLI2 was expressed in multiple cell populations including Pc-ve endothelium, hepatocytes, and leukocytes. HSCs/myofibroblasts (>99%) expressed GLI2, with only 1.92% displaying Pc. In vitro GLI signals maintained proliferation/viability within LPCs and GLI inhibition affected the expression of genes related to stemness, hepatocyte/biliary differentiation and Hh/Wnt signaling. At least two mechanisms of GLI signaling (Pc/SMO-dependent and Pc/SMO-independent) mediate chronic liver disease pathogenesis. This may have significant ramifications for the choice of Hh inhibitor (anti-SMO or anti-GLI) suitable for clinical trials. We also postulate GLI delivers a pro-survival signal to LPCs whilst maintaining stemness. PMID:28187190

Widespread GLI expression but limited canonical hedgehog signaling restricted to the ductular reaction in human chronic liver disease.

PubMed

Grzelak, Candice Alexandra; Sigglekow, Nicholas David; Tirnitz-Parker, Janina Elke Eleonore; Hamson, Elizabeth Jane; Warren, Alessandra; Maneck, Bharvi; Chen, Jinbiao; Patkunanathan, Bramilla; Boland, Jade; Cheng, Robert; Shackel, Nicholas Adam; Seth, Devanshi; Bowen, David Geoffrey; Martelotto, Luciano Gastón; Watkins, D Neil; McCaughan, Geoffrey William

2017-01-01

Canonical Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vertebrate cells occurs following Smoothened activation/translocation into the primary cilia (Pc), followed by a GLI transcriptional response. Nonetheless, GLI activation can occur independently of the canonical Hh pathway. Using a murine model of liver injury, we previously identified the importance of canonical Hh signaling within the Pc+ liver progenitor cell (LPC) population and noted that SMO-independent, GLI-mediated signals were important in multiple Pc-ve GLI2+ intrahepatic populations. This study extends these observations to human liver tissue, and analyses the effect of GLI inhibition on LPC viability/gene expression. Human donor and cirrhotic liver tissue specimens were evaluated for SHH, GLI2 and Pc expression using immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR. Changes to viability and gene expression in LPCs in vitro were assessed following GLI inhibition. Identification of Pc (as a marker of canonical Hh signaling) in human cirrhosis was predominantly confined to the ductular reaction and LPCs. In contrast, GLI2 was expressed in multiple cell populations including Pc-ve endothelium, hepatocytes, and leukocytes. HSCs/myofibroblasts (>99%) expressed GLI2, with only 1.92% displaying Pc. In vitro GLI signals maintained proliferation/viability within LPCs and GLI inhibition affected the expression of genes related to stemness, hepatocyte/biliary differentiation and Hh/Wnt signaling. At least two mechanisms of GLI signaling (Pc/SMO-dependent and Pc/SMO-independent) mediate chronic liver disease pathogenesis. This may have significant ramifications for the choice of Hh inhibitor (anti-SMO or anti-GLI) suitable for clinical trials. We also postulate GLI delivers a pro-survival signal to LPCs whilst maintaining stemness.

The influence of repeated administration of poloxamer 407 on serum lipoproteins and protease activity in mouse liver and heart.

PubMed

Korolenko, Tatyana A; Tuzikov, Fedor V; Johnston, Thomas P; Tuzikova, Natalia A; Kisarova, Yana A; Zhanaeva, Svetlana Ya; Alexeenko, Tatyana V; Zhukova, Natalia A; Brak, Ivan V; Spiridonov, Victor K; Filjushina, Elena E; Cherkanova, Marina S; Monoszon, Anna A

2012-11-01

The effects of repeated administration of poloxamer 407 (P-407) on lipoprotein-cholesterol (LP-C) and lipoprotein-triglyceride (LP-TG) fractions and subfractions, as well as the effect on liver and heart proteases, were studied. Repeated administration of P-407 to male CBA mice resulted in a model of atherosclerosis with increased diastolic blood pressure; there was a drastic increase in total serum cholesterol and especially TG. A novel small-angle X-ray scattering method for the determination of the fractional and subfractional composition of LP-C and LP-TG was used. In chronically P-407-treated mice, P-407 significantly increased atherogenic low-density lipoprotein C (LDL-C) fractions, as well as intermediate-density lipoprotein C (IDL-C), and LDL₁₋₃-C subfractions, and very-low-density lipoprotein-C (VLDL-C) fractions, as well as VLDL₁₋₂-C and VLDL₃₋₅-C subfractions), to a lesser extent, the total anti-atherogenic high-density lipoprotein C (HDL-C) fraction, as well as HDL₂-C and HDL₃-C subfractions. Additionally, we demonstrated an increase in the serum chitotriosidase activity, without significant changes in serum matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity. Morphological changes observed in P-407-treated mice included atherosclerosis in the heart and storage syndrome in the liver macrophages. P-407 significantly increased the activity of cysteine, aspartate proteases, and MMPs in the heart, and only the activity of cathepsin B and MMPs in the liver of mice. Thus, repeated administration of P-407 to mice induced atherosclerosis secondary to sustained dyslipidemia and formation of foamy macrophages in liver, and also modulated the activity of heart and liver proteases.

Shear stress upregulates regeneration-related immediate early genes in liver progenitors in 3D ECM-like microenvironments.

PubMed

Nishii, Kenichiro; Brodin, Erik; Renshaw, Taylor; Weesner, Rachael; Moran, Emma; Soker, Shay; Sparks, Jessica L

2018-05-01

The role of fluid stresses in activating the hepatic stem/progenitor cell regenerative response is not well understood. This study hypothesized that immediate early genes (IEGs) with known links to liver regeneration will be upregulated in liver progenitor cells (LPCs) exposed to in vitro shear stresses on the order of those produced from elevated interstitial flow after partial hepatectomy. The objectives were: (1) to develop a shear flow chamber for application of fluid stress to LPCs in 3D culture; and (2) to determine the effects of fluid stress on IEG expression in LPCs. Two hours of shear stress exposure at ∼4 dyn/cm 2 was applied to LPCs embedded individually or as 3D spheroids within a hyaluronic acid/collagen I hydrogel. Results were compared against static controls. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the effect of experimental treatments on gene expression. Twenty-nine genes were analyzed, including IEGs and other genes linked to liver regeneration. Four IEGs (CFOS, IP10, MKP1, ALB) and three other regeneration-related genes (WNT, VEGF, EpCAM) were significantly upregulated in LPCs in response to fluid mechanical stress. LPCs maintained an early to intermediate stage of differentiation in spheroid culture in the absence of the hydrogel, and addition of the gel initiated cholangiocyte differentiation programs which were abrogated by the onset of flow. Collectively the flow-upregulated genes fit the pattern of an LPC-mediated proliferative/regenerative response. These results suggest that fluid stresses are potentially important regulators of the LPC-mediated regeneration response in liver. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ca2+ mobilization in the aortic endothelium in streptozotocin-induced diabetic and cholesterol-fed mice.

PubMed

Kamata, K; Nakajima, M

1998-04-01

1. Experiments were performed to compare Ca2+ mobilization in the aortic endothelium in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic and cholesterol-fed mice with that in age-matched controls. 2. The intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in the fura PE-3 loaded endothelium of aortic rings was dose-dependently increased by cumulative administration of acetylcholine (ACh). ACh caused a transient rise in [Ca2+]i in Ca2+-free medium. The ACh-induced increase in [Ca2+]i in normal or Ca2+-free medium was significantly weaker in both STZ-induced diabetic and cholesterol-fed mice. 3. The weaker [Ca2+]i response in Ca2+-containing medium in STZ-induced diabetic and cholesterol-fed mice was normalized by chronic administration of cholestyramine. 4. The increased low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels seen in both STZ-induced diabetic and cholesterol-fed mice were normalized by the same chronic administration of cholestyramine (300 mg kg(-1), p.o. daily for 10 weeks). Chronic administration of cholestyramine had no effect on the plasma glucose level. 5. Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) decreased the [Ca2+]i responses to ACh in the aortic endothelium from normal mice. 6. These results suggest that ACh increases both Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ release from storage in the aortic endothelium. The weaker [Ca2+]i influx seen in the endothelium of aortae from both STZ-induced diabetic and cholesterol-fed mice was improved by the chronic administration of cholestyramine, and we suggest that this improvement is due, at least in part, to a lowering of the plasma LDL level. It is further suggested that LPC may have an important influence over Ca2+ mobilization in the endothelium.

Measurement of phospholipids by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry: the determination of choline containing compounds in foods.

PubMed

Zhao, Yuan-Yuan; Xiong, Yeping; Curtis, Jonathan M

2011-08-12

A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC LC-MS/MS) method using multiple scan modes was developed to separate and quantify 11 compounds and lipid classes including acetylcholine (AcCho), betaine (Bet), choline (Cho), glycerophosphocholine (GPC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphocholine (PCho) and sphingomyelin (SM). This includes all of the major choline-containing compounds found in foods. The method offers advantages over other LC methods since HILIC chromatography is readily compatible with electrospray ionization and results in higher sensitivity and improved peak shapes. The LC-MS/MS method allows quantification of all choline-containing compounds in a single run. Tests of method suitability indicated linear ranges of approximately 0.25-25 μg/ml for PI and PE, 0.5-50 μg/ml for PC, 0.05-5 μg/ml for SM and LPC, 0.5-25 μg/ml for LPE, 0.02-5 μg/ml for Cho, and 0.08-8 μg/ml for Bet, respectively. Accuracies of 83-105% with precisions of 1.6-13.2% RSD were achieved for standards over a wide range of concentrations, demonstrating that this method will be suitable for food analysis. 8 polar lipid classes were found in a lipid extract of egg yolk and different species of the same class were differentiated based on their molecular weights and fragment ion information. PC and PE were found to be the most abundant lipid classes consisting of 71% and 18% of the total phospholipids in egg yolk. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Leaf habit and woodiness regulate different leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply.

PubMed

Ordoñez, Jenny C; van Bodegom, Peter M; Witte, Jan-Philip M; Bartholomeus, Ruud P; van Dobben, Han F; Aerts, Rien

2010-11-01

The large variation in the relationships between environmental factors and plant traits observed in natural communities exemplifies the alternative solutions that plants have developed in response to the same environmental limitations. Qualitative attributes, such as growth form, woodiness, and leaf habit can be used to approximate these alternative solutions. Here, we quantified the extent to which these attributes affect leaf trait values at a given resource supply level, using measured plant traits from 105 different species (254 observations) distributed across 50 sites in mesic to wet plant communities in The Netherlands. For each site, soil total N, soil total P, and water supply estimates were obtained by field measurements and modeling. Effects of growth forms, woodiness, and leaf habit on relations between leaf traits (SLA, specific leaf area; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; and LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration) vs. nutrient and water supply were quantified using maximum-likelihood methods and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The qualitative attributes explained 8-23% of the variance within sites in leaf traits vs. soil fertility relationships, and therefore they can potentially be used to make better predictions of global patterns of leaf traits in relation to nutrient supply. However, at a given soil fertility, the strength of the effect of each qualitative attribute was not the same for all leaf traits. These differences may imply a differential regulation of the leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply, in which SLA and LPC seem to be regulated in accordance to changes in plant size and architecture while LNC seems to be primarily regulated at the leaf level by factors related to leaf longevity.

Alteration of synaptic connectivity of oligodendrocyte precursor cells following demyelination

PubMed Central

Sahel, Aurélia; Ortiz, Fernando C.; Kerninon, Christophe; Maldonado, Paloma P.; Angulo, María Cecilia; Nait-Oumesmar, Brahim

2015-01-01

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are a major source of remyelinating oligodendrocytes in demyelinating diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). While OPCs are innervated by unmyelinated axons in the normal brain, the fate of such synaptic contacts after demyelination is still unclear. By combining electrophysiology and immunostainings in different transgenic mice expressing fluorescent reporters, we studied the synaptic innervation of OPCs in the model of lysolecithin (LPC)-induced demyelination of corpus callosum. Synaptic innervation of reactivated OPCs in the lesion was revealed by the presence of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic currents, VGluT1+ axon-OPC contacts in 3D confocal reconstructions and synaptic junctions observed by electron microscopy. Moreover, 3D confocal reconstructions of VGluT1 and NG2 immunolabeling showed the existence of glutamatergic axon-OPC contacts in post-mortem MS lesions. Interestingly, patch-clamp recordings in LPC-induced lesions demonstrated a drastic decrease in spontaneous synaptic activity of OPCs early after demyelination that was not caused by an impaired conduction of compound action potentials. A reduction in synaptic connectivity was confirmed by the lack of VGluT1+ axon-OPC contacts in virtually all rapidly proliferating OPCs stained with EdU (50-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine). At the end of the massive proliferation phase in lesions, the proportion of innervated OPCs rapidly recovers, although the frequency of spontaneous synaptic currents did not reach control levels. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that newly-generated OPCs do not receive synaptic inputs during their active proliferation after demyelination, but gain synapses during the remyelination process. Hence, glutamatergic synaptic inputs may contribute to inhibit OPC proliferation and might have a physiopathological relevance in demyelinating disorders. PMID:25852473

Lipidomics and H218O labeling techniques reveal increased remodeling of DHA-containing membrane phospholipids associated with abnormal locomotor responses in α-tocopherol deficient zebrafish (danio rerio) embryos

PubMed Central

McDougall, Melissa Q.; Choi, Jaewoo; Stevens, Jan F.; Truong, Lisa; Tanguay, Robert L.; Traber, Maret G.

2016-01-01

We hypothesized that vitamin E (α-tocopherol) is required by the developing embryonic brain to prevent depletion of highly polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6), the loss of which we predicted would underlie abnormal morphological and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, we fed adult 5D zebrafish (Danio rerio) defined diets without (E−) or with added α-tocopherol (E+, 500 mg RRR-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) for a minimum of 80 days, and then spawned them to obtain E− and E+ embryos. The E− compared with E+ embryos were 82% less responsive (p<0.01) to a light/dark stimulus at 96 h post-fertilization (hpf), demonstrating impaired locomotor behavior, even in the absence of gross morphological defects. Evaluation of phospholipid (PL) and lysophospholipid (lyso-PL) composition using untargeted lipidomics in E− compared with E+ embryos at 24, 48, 72, and 120 hpf showed that four PLs and three lyso-PLs containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), including lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC 22:6, required for transport of DHA into the brain, p<0.001), were at lower concentrations in E− at all time-points. Additionally, H218O labeling experiments revealed enhanced turnover of LPC 22:6 (p<0.001) and three other DHA-containing PLs in the E− compared with the E+ embryos, suggesting that increased membrane remodeling is a result of PL depletion. Together, these data indicate that α-tocopherol deficiency in the zebrafish embryo causes the specific depletion and increased turnover of DHA-containing PL and lyso-PLs, which may compromise DHA delivery to the brain and thereby contribute to the functional impairments observed in E− embryos. PMID:26774753

Concept of turbines for ultrasupercritical, supercritical, and subcritical steam conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhailov, V. E.; Khomenok, L. A.; Pichugin, I. I.; Kovalev, I. A.; Bozhko, V. V.; Vladimirskii, O. A.; Zaitsev, I. V.; Kachuriner, Yu. Ya.; Nosovitskii, I. A.; Orlik, V. G.

2017-11-01

The article describes the design features of condensing turbines for ultrasupercritical initial steam conditions (USSC) and large-capacity cogeneration turbines for super- and subcritical steam conditions having increased steam extractions for district heating purposes. For improving the efficiency and reliability indicators of USSC turbines, it is proposed to use forced cooling of the head high-temperature thermally stressed parts of the high- and intermediate-pressure rotors, reaction-type blades of the high-pressure cylinder (HPC) and at least the first stages of the intermediate-pressure cylinder (IPC), the double-wall HPC casing with narrow flanges of its horizontal joints, a rigid HPC rotor, an extended system of regenerative steam extractions without using extractions from the HPC flow path, and the low-pressure cylinder's inner casing moving in accordance with the IPC thermal expansions. For cogeneration turbines, it is proposed to shift the upper district heating extraction (or its significant part) to the feedwater pump turbine, which will make it possible to improve the turbine plant efficiency and arrange both district heating extractions in the IPC. In addition, in the case of using a disengaging coupling or precision conical bolts in the coupling, this solution will make it possible to disconnect the LPC in shifting the turbine to operate in the cogeneration mode. The article points out the need to intensify turbine development efforts with the use of modern methods for improving their efficiency and reliability involving, in particular, the use of relatively short 3D blades, last stages fitted with longer rotor blades, evaporation techniques for removing moisture in the last-stage diaphragm, and LPC rotor blades with radial grooves on their leading edges.

Retrofitting Cogeneration Power Stations under Conditions of Reduction or Abandonment of Steam Delivery for Process Needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubrovskii, V. G.; Zubov, A. P.; Koshelev, S. A.

2018-06-01

Presently, when the structure of energy consumption by industrial enterprises is being changed, many type PT turbine units operate with limitations imposed on their operating conditions, while type R backpressure turbines are often shut down for a long time or even removed from operation. Thus, the problem of using steam previously intended for process needs combined with the loading of the main equipment and additional generation of power and heat becomes urgent for many power stations. Three main ways for solving this problem are examined in this paper. Potential alternatives for retrofitting of cogeneration power stations (TETS) with types PT and R turbines are discussed. Each alternative solves a specific problem brought about by the actual operating conditions of a turbine at a specific TETs. The results of retrofitting of PT-80-130 turbines with an increase in the throughput capacity of the intermediate pressure cylinder (IPC) and R-50-130 turbines with installation of an additional low-pressure cylinder (LPC) are presented. The experience in operation of the retrofitted R-50-130 turbine with an unconventional arrangement where an additional LPC is installed upstream the high-pressure cylinder (HPC) rather than between the generator and HPC is also described. The experience in the upgrading of TETs with installation of bottom steam turbines driven by steam from a process steam extraction that is not demanded for is presented. Depending on the conditions at a specific TETs, a bottom steam turbine can be installed on a new foundation or in the compartment of a dismounted turbine with the use of serviceable auxiliary and heat-exchange equipment.

Inhibition of galectin-3 ameliorates the consequences of cardiac lipotoxicity in a rat model of diet-induced obesity.

PubMed

Marín-Royo, Gema; Gallardo, Isabel; Martínez-Martínez, Ernesto; Gutiérrez, Beatriz; Jurado-López, Raquel; López-Andrés, Natalia; Gutiérrez-Tenorio, Josué; Rial, Eduardo; Bartolomé, Marı A Visitación; Nieto, María Luisa; Cachofeiro, Victoria

2018-02-05

Obesity is accompanied by metabolic alterations characterized by insulin resistance and cardiac lipotoxicity. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) induces cardiac inflammation and fibrosis in the context of obesity; however, its role in the metabolic consequences of obesity is not totally established. We have investigated the potential role of Gal-3 in the cardiac metabolic disturbances associated with obesity. In addition, we have explored whether this participation is, at least partially, acting on mitochondrial damage. Gal-3 inhibition in rats that were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks with modified citrus pectin (MCP; 100 mg/kg/day) attenuated the increase in cardiac levels of total triglyceride (TG). MCP treatment also prevented the increase in cardiac protein levels of carnitine palmitoyl transferase IA, mitofusin 1, and mitochondrial complexes I and II, reactive oxygen species accumulation and decrease in those of complex V but did not affect the reduction in 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake observed in HFD rats. The exposure of cardiac myoblasts (H9c2) to palmitic acid increased the rate of respiration, mainly due to an increase in the proton leak, glycolysis, oxidative stress, β-oxidation and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Inhibition of Gal-3 activity was unable to affect these changes. Our findings indicate that Gal-3 inhibition attenuates some of the consequences of cardiac lipotoxicity induced by a HFD since it reduced TG and lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) levels. These reductions were accompanied by amelioration of the mitochondrial damage observed in HFD rats, although no improvement was observed regarding insulin resistance. These findings increase the interest for Gal-3 as a potential new target for therapeutic intervention to prevent obesity-associated cardiac lipotoxicity and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction . © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Inhibition of galectin-3 ameliorates the consequences of cardiac lipotoxicity in a rat model of diet-induced obesity

PubMed Central

Marín-Royo, Gema; Gallardo, Isabel; Martínez-Martínez, Ernesto; Gutiérrez, Beatriz; Jurado-López, Raquel; López-Andrés, Natalia; Gutiérrez-Tenorio, Josué; Rial, Eduardo; Bartolomé, María Visitación; Nieto, María Luisa

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Obesity is accompanied by metabolic alterations characterized by insulin resistance and cardiac lipotoxicity. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) induces cardiac inflammation and fibrosis in the context of obesity; however, its role in the metabolic consequences of obesity is not totally established. We have investigated the potential role of Gal-3 in the cardiac metabolic disturbances associated with obesity. In addition, we have explored whether this participation is, at least partially, acting on mitochondrial damage. Gal-3 inhibition in rats that were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks with modified citrus pectin (MCP; 100 mg/kg/day) attenuated the increase in cardiac levels of total triglyceride (TG). MCP treatment also prevented the increase in cardiac protein levels of carnitine palmitoyl transferase IA, mitofusin 1, and mitochondrial complexes I and II, reactive oxygen species accumulation and decrease in those of complex V but did not affect the reduction in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake observed in HFD rats. The exposure of cardiac myoblasts (H9c2) to palmitic acid increased the rate of respiration, mainly due to an increase in the proton leak, glycolysis, oxidative stress, β-oxidation and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Inhibition of Gal-3 activity was unable to affect these changes. Our findings indicate that Gal-3 inhibition attenuates some of the consequences of cardiac lipotoxicity induced by a HFD since it reduced TG and lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) levels. These reductions were accompanied by amelioration of the mitochondrial damage observed in HFD rats, although no improvement was observed regarding insulin resistance. These findings increase the interest for Gal-3 as a potential new target for therapeutic intervention to prevent obesity-associated cardiac lipotoxicity and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction. PMID:29361517

N450 and LPC Event-Related Potential Correlates of an Emotional Stroop Task with Words Differing in Valence and Emotional Origin

PubMed Central

Imbir, Kamil K.; Spustek, Tomasz; Duda, Joanna; Bernatowicz, Gabriela; Żygierewicz, Jarosław

2017-01-01

Affective meaning of verbal stimuli was found to influence cognitive control as expressed in the Emotional Stroop Task (EST). Behavioral studies have shown that factors such as valence, arousal, and emotional origin of reaction to stimuli associated with words can lead to lengthening of reaction latencies in EST. Moreover, electrophysiological studies have revealed that affective meaning altered amplitude of some components of evoked potentials recorded during EST, and that this alteration correlated with the performance in EST. The emotional origin was defined as processing based on automatic vs. reflective mechanisms, that underlines formation of emotional reactions to words. The aim of the current study was to investigate, within the framework of EST, correlates of processing of words differing in valence and origin levels, but matched in arousal, concreteness, frequency of appearance and length. We found no behavioral differences in response latencies. When controlling for origin, we found no effects of valence. We found the effect of origin on ERP in two time windows: 290–570 and 570–800 ms. The earlier effect can be attributed to cognitive control while the latter is rather the manifestation of explicit processing of words. In each case, reflective originated stimuli evoked more positive amplitudes compared to automatic originated words. PMID:28611717

The shopping brain: math anxiety modulates brain responses to buying decisions.

PubMed

Jones, William J; Childers, Terry L; Jiang, Yang

2012-01-01

Metacognitive theories propose that consumers track fluency feelings when buying, which may have biological underpinnings. We explored this using event-related potential (ERP) measures as twenty high-math anxiety (High MA) and nineteen low-math anxiety (Low MA) consumers made buying decisions for promoted (e.g., 15% discount) and non-promoted products. When evaluating prices, ERP correlates of higher perceptual and conceptual fluency were associated with buys, however only for High MA females under no promotions. In contrast, High MA females and Low MA males demonstrated greater FN400 amplitude, associated with enhanced conceptual processing, to prices of buys relative to non-buys under promotions. Concurrent late positive component (LPC) differences under no promotions suggest discrepant retrieval processes during price evaluations between consumer groups. When making decisions to buy or not, larger (smaller) P3, sensitive to outcome responses in the brain, was associated with buying for High MA females (Low MA females) under promotions, an effect also present for males under no promotions. Thus, P3 indexed decisions to buy differently between anxiety groups, but only for promoted items among females and for no promotions among males. Our findings indicate that perceptual and conceptual processes interact with anxiety and gender to modulate brain responses during consumer choices. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Programmable Ultrasonic Sensing System for Targeted Spraying in Orchards

PubMed Central

Stajnko, Denis; Berk, Peter; Lešnik, Mario; Jejčič, Viktor; Lakota, Miran; Štrancar, Andrej; Hočevar, Marko; Rakun, Jurij

2012-01-01

This research demonstrates the basic elements of a prototype automated orchard sprayer which delivers pesticide spray selectively with respect to the characteristics of the targets. The density of an apple tree canopy was detected by PROWAVE 400EP250 ultrasound sensors controlled by a Cypress PSOC CY8C29466 microcontroller. The ultrasound signal was processed with an embedded computer built around a LPC1343 microcontroller and fed in real time to electro-magnetic valves which open/close spraying nozzles in relation to the canopy structure. The analysis focuses on the detection of appropriate thresholds on 15 cm ultrasound bands, which correspond to maximal response to tree density, and this was selected for accurate spraying guidance. Evaluation of the system was performed in an apple orchard by detecting deposits of tartrazine dye (TD) on apple leaves. The employment of programmable microcontrollers and electro-magnetic valves decreased the amount of spray delivered by up to 48.15%. In contrast, the reduction of TD was only up to 37.7% at some positions within the tree crown and 65.1% in the gaps between trees. For all these reasons, this concept of precise orchard spraying can contribute to a reduction of costs and environmental pollution, while obtaining similar or even better leaf deposits. PMID:23202220

N450 and LPC Event-Related Potential Correlates of an Emotional Stroop Task with Words Differing in Valence and Emotional Origin.

PubMed

Imbir, Kamil K; Spustek, Tomasz; Duda, Joanna; Bernatowicz, Gabriela; Żygierewicz, Jarosław

2017-01-01

Affective meaning of verbal stimuli was found to influence cognitive control as expressed in the Emotional Stroop Task (EST). Behavioral studies have shown that factors such as valence, arousal, and emotional origin of reaction to stimuli associated with words can lead to lengthening of reaction latencies in EST. Moreover, electrophysiological studies have revealed that affective meaning altered amplitude of some components of evoked potentials recorded during EST, and that this alteration correlated with the performance in EST. The emotional origin was defined as processing based on automatic vs. reflective mechanisms, that underlines formation of emotional reactions to words. The aim of the current study was to investigate, within the framework of EST, correlates of processing of words differing in valence and origin levels, but matched in arousal, concreteness, frequency of appearance and length. We found no behavioral differences in response latencies. When controlling for origin, we found no effects of valence. We found the effect of origin on ERP in two time windows: 290-570 and 570-800 ms. The earlier effect can be attributed to cognitive control while the latter is rather the manifestation of explicit processing of words. In each case, reflective originated stimuli evoked more positive amplitudes compared to automatic originated words.

Implicit and explicit mechanisms of word learning in a narrative context: an event-related potential study

PubMed Central

Batterink, Laura; Neville, Helen

2011-01-01

The vast majority of word meanings are learned simply by extracting them from context, rather than by rote memorization or explicit instruction. Although this skill is remarkable, little is known about the brain mechanisms involved. In the present study, ERPs were recorded as participants read stories in which pseudowords were presented multiple times, embedded in consistent, meaningful contexts (referred to as meaning condition, M+) or inconsistent, meaningless contexts (M−). Word learning was then assessed implicitly using a lexical decision task and explicitly through recall and recognition tasks. Overall, during story reading, M− words elicited a larger N400 than M+ words, suggesting that participants were better able to semantically integrate M+ words than M− words throughout the story. In addition, M+ words whose meanings were subsequently correctly recognized and recalled elicited a more positive ERP in a later time-window compared to M+ words whose meanings were incorrectly remembered, consistent with the idea that the late positive component (LPC) is an index of encoding processes. In the lexical decision task, no behavioral or electrophysiological evidence for implicit priming was found for M+ words. In contrast, during the explicit recognition task, M+ words showed a robust N400 effect. The N400 effect was dependent upon recognition performance, such that only correctly recognized M+ words elicited an N400. This pattern of results provides evidence that the explicit representations of word meanings can develop rapidly, while implicit representations may require more extensive exposure or more time to emerge. PMID:21452941

[The efficacy of polychromatic visible and infrared radiation used for the postoperative immunological rehabilitation of patients with breast cancer].

PubMed

zhevago, N A; Samoĭlova, K A; Davydova, N I; Bychkova, N V; Glazanova, T V; Chubukina, Zh V; Buĭniakova, A I; Zimin, A A

2012-01-01

The immunological rehabilitation of the patients with oncological problems after the completion of standard anti-tumour therapy remains a topical problem in modern medicine. The up-to-date phototherapeutic methods find the increasingly wider application for the treatment of such patients including the use of monochromatic visible (VIS) and near infrared (nIR) radiation emitted from lasers and photodiodes. The objective of the present study was to substantiate the expediency of postoperative immune rehabilitation of the patients with breast cancer (BC) by means of irradiation of the body surface with polychromatic visible (pVIS) in combination with polychromatic infrared (pIR) light similar to the natural solar radiation without its minor UV component. The study included 19 patients with stage I--II BC at the mean age of 54.0 +/- 4.28 years having the infiltrative-ductal form of the tumour who had undergone mastectomy. These patients were randomly allocated to two groups, one given the standard course of postoperative rehabilitation (control), the other (study group) additionally treated with pVIS + pIR radiation applied to the lumbar-sacral region from days 1 to 7 after surgery. A Bioptron-2 phototherapeutic device, Switzerland, was used for the purpose (480-3400 nm, 40 mW/cm2, 12 J/cm2, with the light spot diameter of 15 cm). The modern standard immunological methods were employed. It was found that mastectomy induced changes of many characteristics of cellular and humoral immunity; many of them in different patients were oppositely directed. These changes were apparent within the first 7 days postoperatively. The course of phototherapy (PT) was shown to prevent the postoperative decrease in the counts of monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells, the total amount of CD3+ -T-lymphocytes (LPC), CD4+ -T-helpers, activated T-lymphocytes (CD3+ HLA-DR+ cells) and IgA levels as well as intracellular digestion rate of neutrophil-phagocyted bacteria. Moreover PT promoted faster normalization of postoperative leukocytosis and activation of cytotoxic CD8+ -T-LPC, reduced the elevated concentration of immune complexes in blood. Among the six tested cytokines, viz. IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-alpha, and IFN-gamma, only the latter two underwent significant elevation of their blood concentrations (IL-6 within 1 day) and IFN-gamma (within 7 days after mastectomy). The course of PT resulted in the decrease of their levels to the initial values. The follow-up of the treated patients during 4 years revealed neither recurrence of the disease nor the appearance of metastases.

Classification of intrinsic variables. IX - The Cepheid domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eggen, O. J.

1983-03-01

Intermediate band, Hβ and RI observations have been obtained throughout the cycle of variation for 135 high mass, long-period and short-period cepheids (LPC and SPC). This material, together with the observations previously discussed for some 100 ultrashort periods cepheids (USPC), is used to delineate the cepheid domain in the (β,[C1]) and (MBol,log Te) planes. The independently derived luminosity calibrations for bright giants and supergiants previously published are found to closely reproduce the luminosities derived from the Sandage-Tammann PL relation for most variables. The theoretical "fundamental blue edge," computed by Iben and Tuggle with Y = 0.38, closely represents the blue edge of the cepheid domain.

Real Time Implementation of an LPC Algorithm. Speech Signal Processing Research at CHI

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-05-01

SIGNAL PROCESSING HARDWARE 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2-1 2.2 TWO- CHANNEL AUDIO SIGNAL SYSTEM 2-2 2.3 MULTI- CHANNEL AUDIO SIGNAL SYSTEM 2-5 2.3.1... Channel Audio Signal System 2-30 I ii kv^i^ünt«.jfc*. ji .„* ,:-v*. ’.ii. *.. ...... — ■ -,,.,-c-» —ipponp ■^ TOHaBWgBpwiBWgPlpaiPWgW v.«.wN...Messages .... 1-55 1-13. Lost or Out of Order Message 1-56 2-1. Block Diagram of Two- Channel Audio Signal System . . 2-3 2-2. Block Diagram of Audio

Implementing LPC (Linear Predictive Coding) Algorithms in the Study of Speech Processing.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

DRAND(IX) DOUBLE PRECISION INTEGER IXAP.B15.B165XHI 5XALO.LEFTLO,FHIK DATA A/1&607D0/. B15/3276BD0/. Bl6 /65536D0/. P/2147483647D0/ XHI - IX/ B16 XHI...XHI -DMOD(XHI, IDO) XALO = (IX- XHI * B16 ) * A LEFTLO -XALO/1116 LEFTLO = LEFTLO - DMOD(LEFTLO. iDO)I FHI -XHI * A + LEFTLO K = FHI/B15 K = K - DMOD(K1...iDO) IX = (((XALO-LEFTL0*916)-P) +- (FHI-K*Bl5)* B16 )+K IF(IX.LT.O.DOe IX= X *FILENAME: GLOTI.FR DATE: 12: 2:83 TIME: 13:45:38 PAGE C C THIS SUBROUTINE

Remarks on the maximum luminosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardoso, Vitor; Ikeda, Taishi; Moore, Christopher J.; Yoo, Chul-Moon

2018-04-01

The quest for fundamental limitations on physical processes is old and venerable. Here, we investigate the maximum possible power, or luminosity, that any event can produce. We show, via full nonlinear simulations of Einstein's equations, that there exist initial conditions which give rise to arbitrarily large luminosities. However, the requirement that there is no past horizon in the spacetime seems to limit the luminosity to below the Planck value, LP=c5/G . Numerical relativity simulations of critical collapse yield the largest luminosities observed to date, ≈ 0.2 LP . We also present an analytic solution to the Einstein equations which seems to give an unboundedly large luminosity; this will guide future numerical efforts to investigate super-Planckian luminosities.

The neural evidence of the reflected appraisal process as a main path for learning about one's self-knowledge of personality.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaofan; Chen, Yu; Zhao, Yufang; Yang, Juan

2015-09-01

Self-knowledge has been defined as the accurate self-perceptions about how one typically thinks, feels, and behaves, and awareness of how those patterns are interpreted by others. Previous research has noted that the introspection and the reflected appraisal processes are two main avenues for learning about the self and that self-knowledge might be fully realized through the use of reflected appraisal from close others. However, due to the methodological difficulty in linking people's ratings on a trait to their behaviors, accuracy research using a behavioral criterion is quite limited. The current work examined the main source of learning about one's self-knowledge by investigating the time course of attention deployment both in the process of introspection and that of reflected appraisal. Twenty-five college students were first asked to rate their impressions of their classmates as well as a familiar other using personality-trait adjectives. Their electrophysiological data were then collected using the event-related potential (ERP) technology while they judged to which extent (1) an adjective can describe the self, (2) an adjective can describe a familiar other, (3) they agree with an adjective that their classmates believe can describe the self, and (4) they agree with an adjective that their classmates believe can describe a familiar other. Our electrophysiological data showed that classmates' positive evaluation of one's own trait elicited larger P2 than the positive self-evaluation of one's own trait. Further, classmates' negative evaluation of one's own trait elicited larger late positive component (LPC) than the negative self-evaluation of one's own trait. Results suggest that people allocate more attention to the process of reflected appraisal compared to the process of introspection, which further suggests that the reflected appraisal process might be the main source in learning about one's self-knowledge of personality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dissociating the effects of semantic grouping and rehearsal strategies on event-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Schleepen, T M J; Markus, C R; Jonkman, L M

2014-12-01

The application of elaborative encoding strategies during learning, such as grouping items on similar semantic categories, increases the likelihood of later recall. Previous studies have suggested that stimuli that encourage semantic grouping strategies had modulating effects on specific ERP components. However, these studies did not differentiate between ERP activation patterns evoked by elaborative working memory strategies like semantic grouping and more simple strategies like rote rehearsal. Identification of neurocognitive correlates underlying successful use of elaborative strategies is important to understand better why certain populations, like children or elderly people, have problems applying such strategies. To compare ERP activation during the application of elaborative versus more simple strategies subjects had to encode either four semantically related or unrelated pictures by respectively applying a semantic category grouping or a simple rehearsal strategy. Another goal was to investigate if maintenance of semantically grouped vs. ungrouped pictures modulated ERP-slow waves differently. At the behavioral level there was only a semantic grouping benefit in terms of faster responding on correct rejections (i.e. when the memory probe stimulus was not part of the memory set). At the neural level, during encoding semantic grouping only had a modest specific modulatory effect on a fronto-central Late Positive Component (LPC), emerging around 650 ms. Other ERP components (i.e. P200, N400 and a second Late Positive Component) that had been earlier related to semantic grouping encoding processes now showed stronger modulation by rehearsal than by semantic grouping. During maintenance semantic grouping had specific modulatory effects on left and right frontal slow wave activity. These results stress the importance of careful control of strategy use when investigating the neural correlates of elaborative encoding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of anticaricaturing vs. caricaturing and their neural correlates elucidate a role of shape for face learning.

PubMed

Schulz, Claudia; Kaufmann, Jürgen M; Walther, Lydia; Schweinberger, Stefan R

2012-08-01

To assess the role of shape information for unfamiliar face learning, we investigated effects of photorealistic spatial anticaricaturing and caricaturing on later face recognition. We assessed behavioural performance and event-related brain potential (ERP) correlates of recognition, using different images of anticaricatures, veridical faces, or caricatures at learning and test. Relative to veridical faces, recognition performance improved for caricatures, with performance decrements for anticaricatures in response times. During learning, an amplitude pattern with caricatures>veridicals=anticaricatures was seen for N170, left-hemispheric ERP negativity during the P200 and N250 time segments (200-380 ms), and for a late positive component (LPC, 430-830 ms), whereas P200 and N250 responses exhibited an additional difference between veridicals and anticaricatures over the right hemisphere. During recognition, larger amplitudes for caricatures again started in the N170, whereas the P200 and the right-hemispheric N250 exhibited a more graded pattern of amplitude effects (caricatures>veridicals>anticaricatures), a result which was specific to learned but not novel faces in the N250. Together, the results (i) emphasise the role of facial shape for visual encoding in the learning of previously unfamiliar faces and (ii) provide important information about the neuronal timing of the encoding advantage enjoyed by faces with distinctive shape. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMH 9907: Long-term outcomes of a randomized phase 3 study of short-term bicalutamide hormone therapy and dose-escalated external-beam radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer.

PubMed

McPartlin, Andrew J; Glicksman, Rachel; Pintilie, Melania; Tsuji, Debbie; Mok, Gary; Bayley, Andrew; Chung, Peter; Bristow, Robert G; Gospodarowicz, Mary K; Catton, Charles N; Milosevic, Michael; Warde, Padraig R

2016-08-15

The role of hormone therapy (HT) with dose-escalated external-beam radiotherapy (DE-EBRT) in the treatment of intermediate-risk prostate cancer (IRPC) remains controversial. The authors report the long-term outcome of a phase 3 study of DE-EBRT with or without HT for patients with localized prostate cancer (LPC). From 1999 to 2006, 252 of an intended 338 patients with LPC were randomized to receive DE-EBRT with or without 5 months of neoadjuvant and concurrent bicalutamide 150 mg once daily. The study was closed early because of contemporary concerns surrounding bicalutamide. The primary outcome was biochemical failure (BF) incidence, and the secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), local control (LC), and quality of life. The BF and OS rates were estimated using the cumulative incidence function and Kaplan-Meier methods and were compared using the Gray test and the log-rank test. Eleven patients were excluded from analysis. Characteristics were well balanced in each treatment arm. Ninety-five percent of patients had IRPC. The prescribed dose increased from 75.6 grays (Gy) in 42 fractions to 78 Gy in 39 fractions over the period. At a median follow-up of 9.1 years, 98 BFs occurred, with no significant effect of HT versus no HT on the BF rate (40% vs 47%; P = .32), the OS rate (82% vs 86%; P = .37), the LC rate (52% vs 48 %; P = .32) or quality of life, in the patients who completed the questionnaires. Dose escalation to 75.6 Gy versus >75.6 Gy reduced the BF rate by 26% (P = .004). For patients who predominantly have IRPC, the addition of HT to DE-EBRT did not significantly affect BF, OS, or LC. Bicalutamide appeared to be well tolerated. The conclusions from the study are limited by incomplete recruitment. Cancer 2016;122:2595-603. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Schwann cell-derived Apolipoprotein D controls the dynamics of post-injury myelin recognition and degradation

PubMed Central

García-Mateo, Nadia; Ganfornina, Maria D.; Montero, Olimpio; Gijón, Miguel A.; Murphy, Robert C.; Sanchez, Diego

2014-01-01

Management of lipids, particularly signaling lipids that control neuroinflammation, is crucial for the regeneration capability of a damaged nervous system. Knowledge of pro- and anti-inflammatory signals after nervous system injury is extensive, most of them being proteins acting through well-known receptors and intracellular cascades. However, the role of lipid binding extracellular proteins able to modify the fate of lipids released after injury is not well understood. Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) is an extracellular lipid binding protein of the Lipocalin family induced upon nervous system injury. Our previous study shows that axon regeneration is delayed without ApoD, and suggests its participation in early events during Wallerian degeneration. Here we demonstrate that ApoD is expressed by myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells and is induced early upon nerve injury. We show that ApoD, known to bind arachidonic acid (AA), also interacts with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in vitro. We use an in vivo model of nerve crush injury, a nerve explant injury model, and cultured macrophages exposed to purified myelin, to uncover that: (i) ApoD regulates denervated Schwann cell-macrophage signaling, dampening MCP1- and Tnf-dependent macrophage recruitment and activation upon injury; (ii) ApoD controls the over-expression of the phagocytosis activator Galectin-3 by infiltrated macrophages; (iii) ApoD controls the basal and injury-triggered levels of LPC and AA; (iv) ApoD modifies the dynamics of myelin-macrophage interaction, favoring the initiation of phagocytosis and promoting myelin degradation. Regulation of macrophage behavior by Schwann-derived ApoD is therefore a key mechanism conditioning nerve injury resolution. These results place ApoD as a lipid binding protein controlling the signals exchanged between glia, neurons and blood-borne cells during nerve recovery after injury, and open the possibility for a therapeutic use of ApoD as a regeneration-promoting agent. PMID:25426024

Genetic Characterization of a Sinorhizobium meliloti Chromosomal Region Involved in Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis

PubMed Central

Lagares, Antonio; Hozbor, Daniela F.; Niehaus, Karsten; Otero, Augusto J. L. Pich; Lorenzen, Jens; Arnold, Walter; Pühler, Alfred

2001-01-01

The genetic characterization of a 5.5-kb chromosomal region of Sinorhizobium meliloti 2011 that contains lpsB, a gene required for the normal development of symbiosis with Medicago spp., is presented. The nucleotide sequence of this DNA fragment revealed the presence of six genes: greA and lpsB, transcribed in the forward direction; and lpsE, lpsD, lpsC, and lrp, transcribed in the reverse direction. Except for lpsB, none of the lps genes were relevant for nodulation and nitrogen fixation. Analysis of the transcriptional organization of lpsB showed that greA and lpsB are part of separate transcriptional units, which is in agreement with the finding of a DNA stretch homologous to a “nonnitrogen” promoter consensus sequence between greA and lpsB. The opposite orientation of lpsB with respect to its first downstream coding sequence, lpsE, indicated that the altered LPS and the defective symbiosis of lpsB mutants are both consequences of a primary nonpolar defect in a single gene. Global sequence comparisons revealed that the greA-lpsB and lrp genes of S. meliloti have a genetic organization similar to that of their homologous loci in R. leguminosarum bv. viciae. In particular, high sequence similarity was found between the translation product of lpsB and a core-related biosynthetic mannosyltransferase of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae encoded by the lpcC gene. The functional relationship between these two genes was demonstrated in genetic complementation experiments in which the S. meliloti lpsB gene restored the wild-type LPS phenotype when introduced into lpcC mutants of R. leguminosarum. These results support the view that S. meliloti lpsB also encodes a mannosyltransferase that participates in the biosynthesis of the LPS core. Evidence is provided for the presence of other lpsB-homologous sequences in several members of the family Rhizobiaceae. PMID:11157937

Transduction of ferret airway epithelia using a pre-treatment and lentiviral gene vector.

PubMed

Cmielewski, Patricia; Farrow, Nigel; Donnelley, Martin; McIntyre, Chantelle; Penny-Dimri, Jahan; Kuchel, Tim; Parsons, David

2014-11-21

The safety and efficiency of gene therapies for cystic fibrosis (CF) need to be assessed in pre-clinical models. Using the normal ferret, this study sought to determine whether ferret airway epithelia could be transduced with a lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) pre-treatment followed by a VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-1 based lentiviral (LV) vector, in preparation for future studies in CF ferrets. Six normal ferrets (7 -8 weeks old) were treated with a 150 μL LPC pre-treatment, followed one hour later by a 500 μL LV vector dose containing the LacZ transgene. LacZ gene expression in the conducting airways and lung was assessed by X-gal staining after 7 days. The presence of transduction in the lung, as well as off-target transduction in the liver, spleen and gonads, were assessed by qPCR. The levels of LV vector p24 protein bio-distribution in blood sera were assessed by ELISA at 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. The dosing protocol was well tolerated. LacZ gene expression was observed en face in the trachea of all animals. Histology showed that ciliated and basal cells were transduced in the trachea, with rare LacZ transduced single cells noted in lung. p24 levels was not detectable in the sera of 5 of the 6 animals. The LacZ gene was not detected in the lung tissue and no off-target transduction was detected by qPCR. This study shows that ferret airway epithelia are transducible using our unique two-step pre-treatment and LV vector dosing protocol. We have identified a number of unusual anatomical factors that are likely to influence the level of transduction that can be achieved in ferret airways. The ability to transduce ferret airway epithelium is a promising step towards therapeutic LV-CFTR testing in a CF ferret model.

Orbitrap-based mass analyser for in-situ characterization of asteroids: ILMA, Ion Laser Mass Analyser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briois, C.; Cotti, H.; Thirkell, L.; Space Orbitrap Consortium[K. Aradj, French; Bouabdellah, A.; Boukrara, A.; Carrasco, N.; Chalumeau, G.; Chapelon, O.; Colin, F.; Coll, P.; Engrand, C.; Grand, N.; Kukui, A.; Lebreton, J.-P.; Pennanech, C.; Szopa, C.; Thissen, R.; Vuitton, V.; Zapf], P.; Makarov, A.

2014-07-01

Since about a decade the boundaries between comets and carbonaceous asteroids are fading [1,2]. No doubt that the Rosetta mission should bring a new wealth of data on the composition of comets. But as promising as it may look, the mass resolving power of the mass spectrometers onboard (so far the best on a space mission) will only be able to partially account for the diversity of chemical structures present. ILMA (Ion-Laser Mass Analyser) is a new generation high mass resolution LDI-MS (Laser Desorption-Ionization Mass Spectrometer) instrument concept using the Orbitrap technique, which has been developed in the frame of the two Marco Polo & Marco Polo-R proposals to the ESA Cosmic Vision program. Flagged by ESA as an instrument concept of interest for the mission in 2012, it has been under study for a few years in the frame of a Research and Technology (R&T) development programme between 5 French laboratories (LPC2E, IPAG, LATMOS, LISA, CSNSM) [3,4], partly funded by the French Space Agency (CNES). The work is undertaken in close collaboration with the Thermo Fisher Scientific Company, which commercialises Orbitrap-based laboratory instruments. The R&T activities are currently concentrating on the core elements of the Orbitrap analyser that are required to reach a sufficient maturity level for allowing design studies of future space instruments. A prototype is under development at LPC2E and a mass resolution (m/Δm FWHM) of 100,000 as been obtained at m/z = 150 for a background pressure of 10^{-8} mbar. ILMA would be a key instrument to measure the molecular, elemental and isotopic composition of objects such as carbonaceous asteroids, comets, or other bodies devoid of atmosphere such as the surface of an icy satellite, the Moon, or Mercury.

G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Gpr17 Expression in Two Multiple Sclerosis Remyelination Models.

PubMed

Nyamoya, Stella; Leopold, Patrizia; Becker, Birte; Beyer, Cordian; Hustadt, Fabian; Schmitz, Christoph; Michel, Anne; Kipp, Markus

2018-06-05

In multiple sclerosis patients, demyelination is prominent in both the white and gray matter. Chronic clinical deficits are known to result from acute or chronic injury to the myelin sheath and inadequate remyelination. The underlying molecular mechanisms of remyelination and its failure remain currently unclear. Recent studies have recognized G protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17) as an important regulator of oligodendrocyte development and remyelination. So far, the relevance of GPR17 for myelin repair was mainly tested in remyelinating white matter lesions. The relevance of GPR17 for gray matter remyelination as well as remyelination of chronic white matter lesions was not addressed so far. Here, we provide a detailed characterization of GPR17 expression during experimental de- and remyelination. Experimental lesions with robust and limited endogenous remyelination capacity were established by either acute or chronic cuprizone-induced demyelination. Furthermore, remyelinating lesions were induced by the focal injection of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) into the corpus callosum. GPR17 expression was analyzed by complementary techniques including immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and real-time PCR. In control animals, GPR17 + cells were evenly distributed in the corpus callosum and cortex and displayed a highly ramified morphology. Virtually all GPR17 + cells also expressed the oligodendrocyte-specific transcription factor OLIG2. After acute cuprizone-induced demyelination, robust endogenous remyelination was evident in the white matter corpus callosum but not in the gray matter cortex. Endogenous callosal remyelination was paralleled by a robust induction of GPR17 expression which was absent in the gray matter cortex. Higher numbers of GPR17 + cells were as well observed after LPC-induced focal white matter demyelination. In contrast, densities of GPR17 + cells were comparable to control animals after chronic cuprizone-induced demyelination indicating quiescence of this cell population. Our findings demonstrate that GPR17 expression induction correlates with acute demyelination and sufficient endogenous remyelination. This strengthens the view that manipulation of this receptor might be a therapeutic opportunity to support endogenous remyelination.

Phase Error Correction in Time-Averaged 3D Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cerebral Vasculature

PubMed Central

MacDonald, M. Ethan; Forkert, Nils D.; Pike, G. Bruce; Frayne, Richard

2016-01-01

Purpose Volume flow rate (VFR) measurements based on phase contrast (PC)-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging datasets have spatially varying bias due to eddy current induced phase errors. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of phase errors in time averaged PC-MR imaging of the cerebral vasculature and explore the effects of three common correction schemes (local bias correction (LBC), local polynomial correction (LPC), and whole brain polynomial correction (WBPC)). Methods Measurements of the eddy current induced phase error from a static phantom were first obtained. In thirty healthy human subjects, the methods were then assessed in background tissue to determine if local phase offsets could be removed. Finally, the techniques were used to correct VFR measurements in cerebral vessels and compared statistically. Results In the phantom, phase error was measured to be <2.1 ml/s per pixel and the bias was reduced with the correction schemes. In background tissue, the bias was significantly reduced, by 65.6% (LBC), 58.4% (LPC) and 47.7% (WBPC) (p < 0.001 across all schemes). Correction did not lead to significantly different VFR measurements in the vessels (p = 0.997). In the vessel measurements, the three correction schemes led to flow measurement differences of -0.04 ± 0.05 ml/s, 0.09 ± 0.16 ml/s, and -0.02 ± 0.06 ml/s. Although there was an improvement in background measurements with correction, there was no statistical difference between the three correction schemes (p = 0.242 in background and p = 0.738 in vessels). Conclusions While eddy current induced phase errors can vary between hardware and sequence configurations, our results showed that the impact is small in a typical brain PC-MR protocol and does not have a significant effect on VFR measurements in cerebral vessels. PMID:26910600

Airport take-off noise assessment aimed at identify responsible aircraft classes.

PubMed

Sanchez-Perez, Luis A; Sanchez-Fernandez, Luis P; Shaout, Adnan; Suarez-Guerra, Sergio

2016-01-15

Assessment of aircraft noise is an important task of nowadays airports in order to fight environmental noise pollution given the recent discoveries on the exposure negative effects on human health. Noise monitoring and estimation around airports mostly use aircraft noise signals only for computing statistical indicators and depends on additional data sources so as to determine required inputs such as the aircraft class responsible for noise pollution. In this sense, the noise monitoring and estimation systems have been tried to improve by creating methods for obtaining more information from aircraft noise signals, especially real-time aircraft class recognition. Consequently, this paper proposes a multilayer neural-fuzzy model for aircraft class recognition based on take-off noise signal segmentation. It uses a fuzzy inference system to build a final response for each class p based on the aggregation of K parallel neural networks outputs Op(k) with respect to Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) features extracted from K adjacent signal segments. Based on extensive experiments over two databases with real-time take-off noise measurements, the proposed model performs better than other methods in literature, particularly when aircraft classes are strongly correlated to each other. A new strictly cross-checked database is introduced including more complex classes and real-time take-off noise measurements from modern aircrafts. The new model is at least 5% more accurate with respect to previous database and successfully classifies 87% of measurements in the new database. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Medial Ventrothalamic Circuitry: Cells Implicated in a Bimodal Network

PubMed Central

Vega-Zuniga, Tomas; Trost, Dominik; Schicker, Katrin; Bogner, Eva M.; Luksch, Harald

2018-01-01

Previous avian thalamic studies have shown that the medial ventral thalamus is composed of several nuclei located close to the lateral wall of the third ventricle. Although the general connectivity is known, detailed morphology and connectivity pattern in some regions are still elusive. Here, using the intracellular filling technique in the chicken, we focused on two neural structures, namely, the retinorecipient neuropil of the n. geniculatus lateralis pars ventralis (GLv), and the adjacent n. intercalatus thalami (ICT). We found that the GLv-ne cells showed two different neuronal types: projection cells and horizontal interneurons. The projection cells showed variable morphologies and dendritic arborizations with axons that targeted the n. lentiformis mesencephali (LM), griseum tectale (GT), ICT, n. principalis precommissuralis (PPC), and optic tectum (TeO). The horizontal cells showed a widespread mediolateral neural process throughout the retinorecipient GLv-ne. The ICT cells, on the other hand, had multipolar somata with wide dendritic fields that extended toward the lamina interna of the GLv, and a projection pattern that targeted the n. laminaris precommissuralis (LPC). Together, these results elucidate the rich complexity of the connectivity pattern so far described between the GLv, ICT, pretectum, and tectum. Interestingly, the implication of some of these neural structures in visuomotor and somatosensory roles strongly suggests that the GLv and ICT are part of a bimodal circuit that may be involved in the generation/modulation of saccades, gaze control, and space perception. PMID:29479309

T-cell factor-4 and MHC upregulation in pigs receiving a live attenuated classical swine fever virus (CSFV) vaccine strain with interferon-gamma adjuvant.

PubMed

Fan, Y-H; Lin, Y-L; Hwang, Y-C; Yang, H-C; Chiu, H-C; Chiou, S-H; Jong, M-H; Chow, K-C; Lin, C-C

2016-10-01

The effect of co-administration of interferon (IFN)-γ in pigs undergoing vaccination with an attenuated strain (LPC) of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) was investigated. Unvaccinated pigs demonstrated pyrexia and died 7-9 days after challenge with virulent CSFV. Pigs receiving the attenuated vaccine remained healthy after virus challenge, except for mild, transient pyrexia, whereas pigs receiving IFN-γ simultaneously with the vaccine demonstrated normal body temperatures after virus challenge. Examination by nested RT-PCR revealed greater viral load in the spleens of the pigs vaccinated with the attenuated CSFV, compared with those that had additionally received IFN-γ. Expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and MHC class II molecules was upregulated in the spleens of the IFN-γ treated vaccinated pigs, demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Based on Western blot analysis, anti-CSFV IgG2 antibodies were elevated in vaccinated pigs by co-administration of IFN-γ (IFN-γ(Hi): P < 0.01; IFN-γ(Lo): P <0.05). By employing the suppression subtractive hybridization technique, RT-PCR, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry, T-cell factor-4 (Tcf-4) mRNA and protein expression were found to be upregulated in the spleens of vaccinated pigs that had received IFN-γ. This study suggests involvement of Tcf-4 in IFN-γ-mediated immune regulation following CSFV vaccination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Signal transudation pathways in parietal cells of the gastric mucosa in experimental stomach ulcer].

PubMed

Ostapchenko, L I; Drobins'ka, O V; Chaĭka, V O; Bohun, L I; Bohdanova, O V; Kot, L I; Haĭda, L M

2009-01-01

The goal of the presented work was the research of signal transduction mechanism in the rat gastric parietal cells under stomach ulcer conditions. In these cells activation of adenylate cyclase (increase of cAMP level and proteinkinase A activity) and phosphoinositide (increases [Ca2+]i; cGMP and phoshatidylinocitole levels; proteinkinase C, proteinkinase G, and calmodulin-dependent-proteinkinase activity) of signals pathway was shown. An increase of plasma membrane phospholipids (PC, PS, PE, PI, LPC) level was shown. Under conditions of influence of the stress factor the membran enzymes activity (H+, K+ -ATPase, 5'-AMPase, Na+, K+ -ATPase, Ca2+, Mg2+ -ATPase and H+, K+ -ATPase) was considerably increased. The intensification of lipid peroxidation processes in rats was demonstrated.

Noise normalization and windowing functions for VALIDAR in wind parameter estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Koch, Grady J.; Li, Zhiwen

2006-05-01

The wind parameter estimates from a state-of-the-art 2-μm coherent lidar system located at NASA Langley, Virginia, named VALIDAR (validation lidar), were compared after normalizing the noise by its estimated power spectra via the periodogram and the linear predictive coding (LPC) scheme. The power spectra and the Doppler shift estimates were the main parameter estimates for comparison. Different types of windowing functions were implemented in VALIDAR data processing algorithm and their impact on the wind parameter estimates was observed. Time and frequency independent windowing functions such as Rectangular, Hanning, and Kaiser-Bessel and time and frequency dependent apodized windowing function were compared. The briefing of current nonlinear algorithm development for Doppler shift correction subsequently follows.

Neutron scattering studies of molecular conformations in liquid crystal polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noirez, L.; Moussa, F.; Cotton, J. P.; Keller, P.; Pépy, G.

1991-03-01

A comblike liquid crystal polymer (LPC) is a polymer on which mesogenic molecules have been grafted. It exhibits a succession of liquid crystal phases. Usually the equilibrium conformation of an ordinary polymeric chain corresponds to a maximum entropy, i.e., to an isotropic spherical coil. How does the backbone of a LCP behave in the nematic and smectic field? Small-angle neutron scattering may answer this question. Such measurements are presented here on four different polymers as a function of temperature. An anisotropy of the backbone conformation is found in all these studied compounds, much more pronounced in the smectic phase than in the nematic phase: the backbone spreads more or less perpendicularly to its hanging cores. A comparison with existing theories and a discussion of these results is outlined.

Collision avoidance using neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugathan, Shilpa; Sowmya Shree, B. V.; Warrier, Mithila R.; Vidhyapathi, C. M.

2017-11-01

Now a days, accidents on roads are caused due to the negligence of drivers and pedestrians or due to unexpected obstacles that come into the vehicle’s path. In this paper, a model (robot) is developed to assist drivers for a smooth travel without accidents. It reacts to the real time obstacles on the four critical sides of the vehicle and takes necessary action. The sensor used for detecting the obstacle was an IR proximity sensor. A single layer perceptron neural network is used to train and test all possible combinations of sensors result by using Matlab (offline). A microcontroller (ARM Cortex-M3 LPC1768) is used to control the vehicle through the output data which is received from Matlab via serial communication. Hence, the vehicle becomes capable of reacting to any combination of real time obstacles.

A real-time LPC-based vocal tract area display for voice development.

PubMed

Rossiter, D; Howard, D M; Downes, M

1994-12-01

This article reports the design and implementation of a graphical display that presents an approximation to vocal tract area in real time for voiced vowel articulation. The acoustic signal is digitally sampled by the system. From these data a set of reflection coefficients is derived using linear predictive coding. A matrix of area coefficients is then determined that approximates the vocal tract area of the user. From this information a graphical display is then generated. The complete cycle of analysis and display is repeated at approximately 20 times/s. Synchronised audio and visual sequences can be recorded and used as dynamic targets for articulatory development. Use of the system is illustrated by diagrams of system output for spoken cardinal vowels and for vowels sung in a trained and untrained style.

Scalable Techniques for Large Scale Dynamic Channel Building

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-19

2pq + 3p q + 4p q + 3p q +2p q+p = l- 4p + Sp2-8p3 + 4p * = {\\-2pqf = Pe which is just what is expected. Note (14) Pne = (l~Pe) = 4p (l - 2p...q +4pq +8p q + lOp q +Sp q + 4p q+p = l-2p + 3p2-2p3+p4 = (l-pqf = Pc (17) which is just what is expected. Note Pnc = (l~pc) = p(2-3p + 2p2...p3) (18) By counting, multiplying, and adding as before 5 2 4 3 3 4 2 P(row 1 is not covered by row 2 or row 3) = 2pq + 5p q + dp q + 4p q

GENETIC BACKGROUND, GENDER, AGE, BODY TEMPERATURE, AND ARTERIAL BLOOD pH HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON MYOCARDIAL INFARCT SIZE IN THE MOUSE AND NEED TO BE CAREFULLY MEASURED AND/OR TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: RESULTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF DETERMINANTS OF INFARCT SIZE IN 1074 MICE

PubMed Central

Guo, Yiru; Flaherty, Michael P.; Wu, Wen-Jian; Tan, Wei; Zhu, Xiaoping; Li, Qianhong; Bolli, Roberto

2013-01-01

To determine whether the myocardial response to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury varies depending on genetic background, gender, age, body temperature, and arterial blood pH, we studied 1074 mice from 19 strains (including 129S6/SvEvTac (129S6), B6/129P2-Ptgs2tm1Unc, B6/129SvF2/J, B6/129/D2, B6/CBAF1, B6/DBA/1JNcr, BALB/c, BPH2/J, C57BL/6/J (B6/J), C3H/DBA, C3H/FB/FF, C3H/HeJ-Pde6brd1, FVB/N/J [FVB/N], FVB/B6, FVB/ICR and Crl:ICR/H [ICR]) and distributed them into 69 groups depending on strain and: (i) two phases of ischemic preconditioning (PC); (ii) coronary artery occlusion (O) time; (iii) gender; (iv) age; (v) blood transfusion; (vi) core body temperature; and (vii) arterial blood pH. Mice underwent O either without (non-preconditioned [naïve]) or with prior cyclic O/reperfusion (R) (PC stimulus) consisting of six 4-min O/4-min R cycles 10 min (early PC, EPC) or 24 h (late PC, LPC) prior to 30 or 45-min O and 24 h R. In B6/J and B6/129/D2 mice, almost the entire risk region was infarcted after a 60-min O. Of the naïve mouse hearts, B6/ecSODWT and FVB/N mice had infarct sizes significantly smaller than those of the other mice. All strains except FVB/N benefited from the cardioprotection afforded by the early phase of PC; in contrast, development of LPC was inconsistent amongst groups and was strain-dependent. Female gender (i) was associated with reduced infarct size in ICR mice, (ii) determined whether LPC developed in ICR mice, and (iii) limited the protection afforded by EPC in 129S6 mice. Importantly, mild hypothermia (1 °C decrease in core temperature) and mild acidosis (0.18 decrease in blood pH) resulted in a striking cardioprotective effect in ICR mice: 67.5% and 43.0% decrease in infarct size, respectively. Replacing blood losses with crystalloid fluids (instead of blood) during surgery also reduced infarct size. To our knowledge, this is the largest analysis of the determinants of infarct size in mice ever published. The results demonstrate that genetic background, gender, age (but not in ICR), body temperature and arterial blood pH have a major impact on infarct size, and thus need to be carefully measured and/or taken into account when designing a study of myocardial infarction in mice; failure to do so makes results uninterpretable. For example, core temperature and blood pH need to be measured, respiratory acidosis (or alkalosis) and hypothermia (or hyperthermia) must be avoided, and comparisons cannot be made between mouse strains or genders that exhibit different susceptibility to I/R injury (e.g., FVB/N male mice and ICR female mice are inherently protected against I/R injury). PMID:22864681

The Orbitrap mass analyzer as a space instrument for the understanding of prebiotic chemistry in the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuitton, Véronique; Briois, Christelle; Makarov, Alexander

Over the past decade, it has become apparent that organic molecules are widespread in our Solar System and beyond. The better understand of the prebiotic chemistry leading to their formation is a primary objective of many ongoing space missions. Cassini-Huygens revealed the existence of very large molecular structures in Titan's atmosphere as well as on its surface, in the form of dune deposits, but their exact nature remains elusive. One key science goal of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover is to assess the presence of organics on the red planet. Rosetta will characterize the elemental and isotopic composition of the gas and dust ejected from comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, while amino acids have been detected in meteorites. This search for complex organics relies heavily on mass spectrometry, which has the remarkable ability to analyze and quantify species from almost any type of sample (provided that the appropriate sampling and ionizing method is used). Because of the harsh constraints of the spatial environment, the mass resolution of the spectrometers onboard current space probes is quite limited compared to laboratory instruments, leading to significant limitations in the scientific return of the data collected. Therefore, future in situ solar system exploration missions would significantly benefit from instruments relying on High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS). Since 2009, 5 French laboratories (LPC2E, IPAG, LATMOS, LISA, CSNSM) involved in the chemical investigation of solar system bodies form a Consortium to develop HRMS for future space exploration, based on the use of the Orbitrap technology (C. Briois et al., 2014, to be submitted). The work is undertaken in close collaboration with the Thermo Fisher Scientific Company, which commercializes Orbitrap based laboratory instruments. The Orbitrap is an electrostatic mass analyzer, it is compact, lightweight, and can reach a good sensitivity and dynamic range. A prototype is under development at LPC2E and a mass resolution (m/Deltam FWHM) of 100,000 as been obtained at m/z = 150 for a background pressure of 10(-8) mbar, by laser desorption ionization from metals, minerals and organic species, either pure or in mixtures. Our R&T activities are currently focused on the core elements of the Orbitrap analyzer that are required to reach a sufficient maturity level for allowing design studies of future space instruments. We are indeed pursuing, within international collaborations, the definition of several instrument concepts based on the use of the Orbitrap on an orbiter, a hot air balloon or a lander. In this paper, we describe the principle of operation and the present performances of our prototype. We highlight the required steps to develop an Orbitrap-based space instrument that would meet the required performances to search for biomarkers on Mars, comets, asteroids and the satellites of the outer planets (Europa, Titan, Enceladus). Acknowledgment: This development is carried out in the framework of a Research and Technology (R&T) development program partly funded by the French Space Agency (CNES).

Curative Treatment of Severe Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections by a New Class of Antibiotics Targeting LpxC

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

Lemaître, Nadine; Liang, Xiaofei; Najeeb, Javaria

ABSTRACT The infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria pose serious threats to humankind. It has been suggested that an antibiotic targeting LpxC of the lipid A biosynthetic pathway in Gram-negative bacteria is a promising strategy for curing Gram-negative bacterial infections. However, experimental proof of this concept is lacking. Here, we describe our discovery and characterization of a biphenylacetylene-based inhibitor of LpxC, an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of the lipid A component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The compound LPC-069 has no known adverse effects in mice and is effectivein vitroagainst a broad panel of Gram-negative clinical isolates,more » including several multiresistant and extremely drug-resistant strains involved in nosocomial infections. Furthermore, LPC-069 is curative in a murine model of one of the most severe human diseases, bubonic plague, which is caused by the Gram-negative bacteriumYersinia pestis. Our results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of LpxC inhibitors as a new class of antibiotic against fatal infections caused by extremely virulent pathogens. The present findings also highlight the potential of LpxC inhibitors for clinical development as therapeutics for infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. IMPORTANCEThe rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance among Gram-negative bacilli highlights the urgent need for new antibiotics. Here, we describe a new class of antibiotics lacking cross-resistance with conventional antibiotics. The compounds inhibit LpxC, a key enzyme in the lipid A biosynthetic pathway in Gram-negative bacteria, and are activein vitroagainst a broad panel of clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacilli involved in nosocomial and community infections. The present study also constitutes the first demonstration of the curative treatment of bubonic plague by a novel, broad-spectrum antibiotic targeting LpxC. Hence, the data highlight the therapeutic potential of LpxC inhibitors against a wide variety of Gram-negative bacterial infections, including the most severe ones caused byY. pestisand by multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant carbapenemase-producing strains.« less

Curative Treatment of Severe Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections by a New Class of Antibiotics Targeting LpxC.

PubMed

Lemaître, Nadine; Liang, Xiaofei; Najeeb, Javaria; Lee, Chul-Jin; Titecat, Marie; Leteurtre, Emmanuelle; Simonet, Michel; Toone, Eric J; Zhou, Pei; Sebbane, Florent

2017-07-25

The infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria pose serious threats to humankind. It has been suggested that an antibiotic targeting LpxC of the lipid A biosynthetic pathway in Gram-negative bacteria is a promising strategy for curing Gram-negative bacterial infections. However, experimental proof of this concept is lacking. Here, we describe our discovery and characterization of a biphenylacetylene-based inhibitor of LpxC, an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of the lipid A component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The compound LPC-069 has no known adverse effects in mice and is effective in vitro against a broad panel of Gram-negative clinical isolates, including several multiresistant and extremely drug-resistant strains involved in nosocomial infections. Furthermore, LPC-069 is curative in a murine model of one of the most severe human diseases, bubonic plague, which is caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis Our results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of LpxC inhibitors as a new class of antibiotic against fatal infections caused by extremely virulent pathogens. The present findings also highlight the potential of LpxC inhibitors for clinical development as therapeutics for infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. IMPORTANCE The rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance among Gram-negative bacilli highlights the urgent need for new antibiotics. Here, we describe a new class of antibiotics lacking cross-resistance with conventional antibiotics. The compounds inhibit LpxC, a key enzyme in the lipid A biosynthetic pathway in Gram-negative bacteria, and are active in vitro against a broad panel of clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacilli involved in nosocomial and community infections. The present study also constitutes the first demonstration of the curative treatment of bubonic plague by a novel, broad-spectrum antibiotic targeting LpxC. Hence, the data highlight the therapeutic potential of LpxC inhibitors against a wide variety of Gram-negative bacterial infections, including the most severe ones caused by Y. pestis and by multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant carbapenemase-producing strains. Copyright © 2017 Lemaître et al.

Glass and liquid phase diagram of a polyamorphic monatomic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reisman, Shaina; Giovambattista, Nicolas

2013-02-01

We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a monatomic system with Fermi-Jagla (FJ) pair potential interactions. This model system exhibits polyamorphism both in the liquid and glass state. The two liquids, low-density (LDL) and high-density liquid (HDL), are accessible in equilibrium MD simulations and can form two glasses, low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) solid, upon isobaric cooling. The FJ model exhibits many of the anomalous properties observed in water and other polyamorphic liquids and thus, it is an excellent model system to explore qualitatively the thermodynamic properties of such substances. The liquid phase behavior of the FJ model system has been previously characterized. In this work, we focus on the glass behavior of the FJ system. Specifically, we perform systematic isothermal compression and decompression simulations of LDA and HDA at different temperatures and determine "phase diagrams" for the glass state; these phase diagrams varying with the compression/decompression rate used. We obtain the LDA-to-HDA and HDA-to-LDA transition pressure loci, PLDA-HDA(T) and PHDA-LDA(T), respectively. In addition, the compression-induced amorphization line, at which the low-pressure crystal (LPC) transforms to HDA, PLPC-HDA(T), is determined. As originally proposed by Poole et al. [Phys. Rev. E 48, 4605 (1993)], 10.1103/PhysRevE.48.4605 simulations suggest that the PLDA-HDA(T) and PHDA-LDA(T) loci are extensions of the LDL-to-HDL and HDL-to-LDL spinodal lines into the glass domain. Interestingly, our simulations indicate that the PLPC-HDA(T) locus is an extension, into the glass domain, of the LPC metastability limit relative to the liquid. We discuss the effects of compression/decompression rates on the behavior of the PLDA-HDA(T), PHDA-LDA(T), PLPC-HDA(T) loci. The competition between glass polyamorphism and crystallization is also addressed. At our "fast rate," crystallization can be partially suppressed and the glass phase diagram can be related directly with the liquid phase diagram. However, at our "slow rate," crystallization cannot be prevented at intermediate temperatures, within the glass region. In these cases, multiple crystal-crystal transformations are found upon compression/decompression (polymorphism).

Coach/player relationships in tennis.

PubMed

Prapavessis, H; Gordon, S

1991-09-01

The present study examined the variables that predict coach/athlete compatibility. Compatibility among a sample of 52 elite tennis coach/player dyads was assessed using a sport adapted version of Schutz's (1966) Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behaviour (FIRO-B), a sport adapted version of Fiedler's (1967) Least Preferred Co-worker scale (LPC), and Chelladurai and Saleh's (1980) Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS). Self-ratings of the quality of the interaction were obtained from both coach and athlete. Multiple-regression analyses using self-rating scores as the dependent measure were carried out to determine which variables best predicted the degree of compatibility. The sole inventory that significantly predicted compatibility was the LSS. More specifically, the discrepancy between the athlete's preferences and perceptions on the autocratic dimension was the best predictor. Implications for tennis coaches and recommendations for future research in this area are discussed.

Structure-Activity Relationships of Small Molecule Autotaxin Inhibitors with a Discrete Binding Mode.

PubMed

Miller, Lisa M; Keune, Willem-Jan; Castagna, Diana; Young, Louise C; Duffy, Emma L; Potjewyd, Frances; Salgado-Polo, Fernando; Engel García, Paloma; Semaan, Dima; Pritchard, John M; Perrakis, Anastassis; Macdonald, Simon J F; Jamieson, Craig; Watson, Allan J B

2017-01-26

Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) to the bioactive lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and choline. The ATX-LPA signaling pathway is implicated in cell survival, migration, and proliferation; thus, the inhibition of ATX is a recognized therapeutic target for a number of diseases including fibrotic diseases, cancer, and inflammation, among others. Many of the developed synthetic inhibitors for ATX have resembled the lipid chemotype of the native ligand; however, a small number of inhibitors have been described that deviate from this common scaffold. Herein, we report the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of a previously reported small molecule ATX inhibitor. We show through enzyme kinetics studies that analogues of this chemotype are noncompetitive inhibitors, and by using a crystal structure with ATX we confirm the discrete binding mode.

Design and Real-Time Implementation of a Baseband LPC Coder for Speech Transmission over 9600 BPS Noisy Channels. Volume II. Programming Listings.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

cwc N (w~ mm. IDmm m w. C. msite &C-ew %a~m MCI I Di . m1a.2 ,% v oa m.1] W.k1i . . 13.M mmm r, q.W.3.44. I&1242 %D2 1.J1 M.1. ItP a b nNM - f .M2 47 4...a a a a a.a a.a0 IBM a aa a11,11 a .0 a1 . U q M4 MS K IaI u C% A4 U u0 1. w4 . N MKV Ia IO1 U a,". 44 4 .4 N m N N N N N6 N N N (M M M M U M M M CD

Matching Heard and Seen Speech: An ERP Study of Audiovisual Word Recognition

PubMed Central

Kaganovich, Natalya; Schumaker, Jennifer; Rowland, Courtney

2016-01-01

Seeing articulatory gestures while listening to speech-in-noise (SIN) significantly improves speech understanding. However, the degree of this improvement varies greatly among individuals. We examined a relationship between two distinct stages of visual articulatory processing and the SIN accuracy by combining a cross-modal repetition priming task with ERP recordings. Participants first heard a word referring to a common object (e.g., pumpkin) and then decided whether the subsequently presented visual silent articulation matched the word they had just heard. Incongruent articulations elicited a significantly enhanced N400, indicative of a mismatch detection at the pre-lexical level. Congruent articulations elicited a significantly larger LPC, indexing articulatory word recognition. Only the N400 difference between incongruent and congruent trials was significantly correlated with individuals’ SIN accuracy improvement in the presence of the talker’s face. PMID:27155219

Underwater target classification using wavelet packets and neural networks.

PubMed

Azimi-Sadjadi, M R; Yao, D; Huang, Q; Dobeck, G J

2000-01-01

In this paper, a new subband-based classification scheme is developed for classifying underwater mines and mine-like targets from the acoustic backscattered signals. The system consists of a feature extractor using wavelet packets in conjunction with linear predictive coding (LPC), a feature selection scheme, and a backpropagation neural-network classifier. The data set used for this study consists of the backscattered signals from six different objects: two mine-like targets and four nontargets for several aspect angles. Simulation results on ten different noisy realizations and for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 12 dB are presented. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the classifier generated based on these results demonstrated excellent classification performance of the system. The generalization ability of the trained network was demonstrated by computing the error and classification rate statistics on a large data set. A multiaspect fusion scheme was also adopted in order to further improve the classification performance.

Lipid composition and emulsifying properties of canola lecithin from enzymatic degumming.

PubMed

Xie, Meizhen; Dunford, Nurhan Turgut

2017-03-01

This study investigated the polar lipid composition and emulsifying properties of canola lecithin from enzymatic degumming (CLED). Phospholipase A 1 was used for enzymatic degumming of crude canola oil to collect lecithin sample. Canola lecithin from water degumming (CLWD) was also collected and served as the control. The results showed that the contents of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (2.99%) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (6.59%) in CLED were significantly lower than that in CLWD (PE 15.55% and PC 21.93%); while the content of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (19.45%) in CLED was significantly higher than that in CLWD (3.27%). Unsaturated fatty acids accounted for a higher percentage of the total fatty acids in CLED than in CLWD. CLED promoted more stable o/w emulsions than CLWD. This study provides a better understanding of the chemical nature of CLED, and important information for utilization of CLED as o/w emulsifier. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of Mathematical Model for Pneumatic Tire-Soil Interaction in Layered Soils

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-11-01

HI SL E 7 Cli *1) 1XTN J (TFI, j)- - T11 1,J))14 71’ tL~f~iLO, 2 /LPC71F>0 oil -1 + C11 4 IJI .1 1_ 001 F[ A TAi I *JCOIIEITE INTERFACE [FFOIF 7DEPTH...RD4HF10 /LES02200 Oil BE = ALOCG IoS IRAMI /LES02TIJO/ 11 10G iAfMjJ2 I SLF I - TH =P/2 + ARM + 001 /LES0ri2q590 17 /LE`O22I J1 ns10I = PSI/QUW...LES0S780/ 09 W RITE TO 0EV (-ý LUV .GT. 2*ON-F >FALSE 0 F BD I /V1A FORMAT /LE1579t ’N IU/L0305690- 19 FALSE z K <K LU.L. ’Kz 22.10 00S0R7* 03 N

Colours’ Impact on Morality: Evidence from Event-related Potentials

PubMed Central

Gan, Tian; Fang, Wei; Ge, Liezhong

2016-01-01

Black and white have been shown to be representations of moral concepts. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether colours other than black and white have similar effects on words related to morality and to determine the time course of these effects. We presented moral and immoral words in three colours (red, green and blue) in a Moral Stroop task and used the event-related potential (ERP) technique to identify the temporal dynamics of the impact of colours on moral judgement. The behavioural results showed that it took longer for people to judge immoral words than moral words when the words were coloured green than when they were red or blue. The ERP results revealed the time course of these effects. Three stages were identified in the significant effects of P200, N300 and LPC. These findings suggest a metaphorical association between the colour green and moral information. PMID:28004749

A New Approach for the Treatment of Lateral Periodontal Cysts with an 810-nm Diode Laser.

PubMed

Isola, Gaetano; Matarese, Giovanni; Lo Giudice, Giuseppe; Briguglio, Francesco; Alibrandi, Angela; Crupi, Andrea; Cordasco, Giancarlo; Ramaglia, Luca

The aim of this study was to test whether the combination of diode laser therapy and surgical treatment for a lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) would result in greater clinical improvement compared with surgery alone. A total of 18 patients with LPCs were assessed for eligibility for this study. At baseline, each patient was randomly allocated to one of two regimens: diode laser plus surgery (test group) or traditional surgical treatment alone (control group). Healing parameters were assessed at 7 to 21 days to monitor short-term complications, and periodontal parameters were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months to evaluate long-term healing. The test group demonstrated highly significant differences in both the short-term and long-term parameters compared with the control group. This study showed that diode laser treatment results in a shorter wound-healing period and could be considered valuable for the surgical treatment of LPCs.

Electrophysiological correlates of looking at paintings and its association with art expertise.

PubMed

Pang, C Y; Nadal, M; Müller-Paul, J S; Rosenberg, R; Klein, C

2013-04-01

This study investigated the electrocortical correlates of art expertise, as defined by a newly developed, content-valid and internally consistent 23-item art expertise questionnaire in N=27 participants that varied in their degree of art expertise. Participants viewed each 50 paintings, filtering-distorted versions of these paintings and plain colour stimuli under free-viewing conditions whilst the EEG was recorded from 64 channels. Results revealed P3b-/LPC-like bilateral posterior event-related potentials (ERP) that were larger over the right hemisphere than over the left hemisphere. Art expertise correlated negatively with the amplitude of the ERP responses to paintings and control stimuli. We conclude that art expertise is associated with reduced ERP responses to visual stimuli in general that can be considered to reflect increased neural efficiency due to extensive practice in the contemplation of visual art. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactions between HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and the Downstream Template Strand in Stable Complexes with Primer-Template

PubMed Central

Rutvisuttinunt, Wiriya; Meyer, Peter R.; Scott, Walter A.

2008-01-01

Background Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) forms stable ternary complexes in which RT is bound tightly at fixed positions on the primer-template (P/T). We have probed downstream interactions between RT and the template strand in the complex containing the incoming dNTP (+1 dNTP•RT•P/T complex) and in the complex containing the pyrophosphate analog, foscarnet (foscarnet•RT•P/T complex). Methods and Results UV-induced cross-linking between RT and the DNA template strand was most efficient when a bromodeoxyuridine residue was placed in the +2 position (the first template position downstream from the incoming dNTP). Furthermore, formation of the +1 dNTP•RT•P/T complex on a biotin-containing template inhibited binding of streptavidin when biotin was in the +2 position on the template but not when the biotin was in the +3 position. Streptavidin pre-bound to a biotin residue in the template caused RT to stall two to three nucleotides upstream from the biotin residue. The downstream border of the complex formed by the stalled RT was mapped by digestion with exonuclease RecJF. UV-induced cross-linking of the complex formed by the pyrophosphate analog, foscarnet, with RT and P/T occurred preferentially with bromodeoxyuridine in the +1 position on the template in keeping with the location of RT one base upstream in the foscarnet•RT•P/T complex (i.e., in the pre-translocation position). Conclusions For +1 dNTP•RT•P/T and foscarnet•RT•P/T stable complexes, tight interactions were observed between RT and the first unpaired template nucleotide following the bound dNTP or the primer terminus, respectively. PMID:18974785

Conceptual Design of a Two Spool Compressor for the NASA Large Civil Tilt Rotor Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veres, Joseph P.; Thurman, Douglas R.

2010-01-01

This paper focuses on the conceptual design of a two spool compressor for the NASA Large Civil Tilt Rotor engine, which has a design-point pressure ratio goal of 30:1 and an inlet weight flow of 30.0 lbm/sec. The compressor notional design requirements of pressure ratio and low-pressure compressor (LPC) and high pressure ratio compressor (HPC) work split were based on a previous engine system study to meet the mission requirements of the NASA Subsonic Rotary Wing Projects Large Civil Tilt Rotor vehicle concept. Three mean line compressor design and flow analysis codes were utilized for the conceptual design of a two-spool compressor configuration. This study assesses the technical challenges of design for various compressor configuration options to meet the given engine cycle results. In the process of sizing, the technical challenges of the compressor became apparent as the aerodynamics were taken into consideration. Mechanical constraints were considered in the study such as maximum rotor tip speeds and conceptual sizing of rotor disks and shafts. The rotor clearance-to-span ratio in the last stage of the LPC is 1.5% and in the last stage of the HPC is 2.8%. Four different configurations to meet the HPC requirements were studied, ranging from a single stage centrifugal, two axi-centrifugals, and all axial stages. Challenges of the HPC design include the high temperature (1,560deg R) at the exit which could limit the maximum allowable peripheral tip speed for centrifugals, and is dependent on material selection. The mean line design also resulted in the definition of the flow path geometry of the axial and centrifugal compressor stages, rotor and stator vane angles, velocity components, and flow conditions at the leading and trailing edges of each blade row at the hub, mean and tip. A mean line compressor analysis code was used to estimate the compressor performance maps at off-design speeds and to determine the required variable geometry reset schedules of the inlet guide vane and variable stators that would result in the transonic stages being aerodynamically matched with high efficiency and acceptable stall margins based on user specified maximum levels of rotor diffusion factor and relative velocity ratio.

Electrophysiological Correlates of Emotional Source Memory in High-Trait-Anxiety Individuals

PubMed Central

Cui, Lixia; Shi, Guangyuan; He, Fan; Zhang, Qin; Oei, Tian P. S.; Guo, Chunyan

2016-01-01

The interaction between recognition memory and emotion has become a research hotspot in recent years. Dual process theory posits that familiarity and recollection are two separate processes contributing to recognition memory, but further experimental evidence is needed. The present study explored the emotional context effects on successful and unsuccessful source retrieval amongst 15 high-trait-anxiety college students by using event-related potentials (ERPs) measurement. During study, a happy, fearful, or neutral face picture first was displayed, then a Chinese word was superimposed centrally on the picture and subjects were asked to remember the word and the corresponding type of picture. During the test participants were instructed to press one of four buttons to indicate whether the displayed word was an old or new word. And then, for the old word, indicate whether it had been shown with a fearful, happy, or neutral face during the study. ERPs were generally more positive for remembered words than for new words and the ERP difference was termed as an old/new effect. It was found that, for successful source retrieval (it meant both the item and the source were remembered accurately) between 500 and 700 ms (corresponding to a late positive component, LPC), there were significant old/new effects in all contexts. However, for unsuccessful source retrieval (it meant the correct recognition of old items matched with incorrect source attribution), there were no significant old/new effects in happy and neutral contexts, though significant old/new effects were observed in the fearful context. Between 700 and 1200 ms (corresponding to a late slow wave, LSW), there were significant old/new effects for successful source retrieval in happy and neutral contexts. However, in the fearful context, the old/new effects were reversed, ERPs were more negative for successful source retrieval compared to correct rejections. Moreover, there were significant emotion effects for successful source retrieval at this time window. Further analysis showed ERPs of old items were more negative in fearful context than in neutral context. The results showed that early unsuccessful fearful source retrieval processes (related to familiarity) were enhanced, but late successful fearful source retrieval processes during source retrieval monitoring (related to recollection) were weakened. This provided preliminary evidence for the dual processing theory. PMID:27462288

ESI-MS of Cucurbituril Complexes Under Negative Polarity.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Maria A A; Mendes, Débora C; Ramamurthy, Vaidhyanathan; Da Silva, José P

2017-11-01

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is a powerful tool to study host-guest supramolecular interactions. ESI-MS can be used for detailed gas-phase reactivity studies, to clarify the structure, or simply to verify the formation of complexes. Depending on the structure of the host and of the guest, negative and/or positive ESI are used. Here we report the unexpected formation of host-guest complexes between cucurbit[n]urils (n = 7, 8, CB[n]) and amine, styryl pyridine, and styryl pyridine dimer cations, under negative ESI. Non-complexed CB[n] form double charged halide (Br - , Cl - , F - ) adducts. Under negative ESI, halide ions interact with CB[n] outer surface hydrogen atoms. One to one host-guest complexes (1:1) of CB[n] with positive charged guests were also observed as single and double charged ions under negative ESI. The positive charge of guests is neutralized by ion-pairing with halide anions. Depending on the number of positive charges guests retain in the gas phase, one or two additional halide ions are required for neutralization. Complexes 1:2 of CB[8] with styryl pyridines retain two halide ions in the gas phase, one per guest. Styryl pyridine dimers form 1:1 complexes possessing a single extra halide ion and therefore a single positive charge. Negative ESI is sensitive to small structural differences between complexes, distinguishing between 1:2 complexes of styryl pyridine-CB[8] and corresponding 1:1 complexes with the dimer. Negative ESI gives simpler spectra than positive ESI and allows the determination of guest charge state of CB[n] complexes in the gas phase. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Spatial and temporal features of superordinate semantic processing studied with fMRI and EEG.

PubMed

Costanzo, Michelle E; McArdle, Joseph J; Swett, Bruce; Nechaev, Vladimir; Kemeny, Stefan; Xu, Jiang; Braun, Allen R

2013-01-01

The relationships between the anatomical representation of semantic knowledge in the human brain and the timing of neurophysiological mechanisms involved in manipulating such information remain unclear. This is the case for superordinate semantic categorization-the extraction of general features shared by broad classes of exemplars (e.g., living vs. non-living semantic categories). We proposed that, because of the abstract nature of this information, input from diverse input modalities (visual or auditory, lexical or non-lexical) should converge and be processed in the same regions of the brain, at similar time scales during superordinate categorization-specifically in a network of heteromodal regions, and late in the course of the categorization process. In order to test this hypothesis, we utilized electroencephalography and event related potentials (EEG/ERP) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to characterize subjects' responses as they made superordinate categorical decisions (living vs. non-living) about objects presented as visual pictures or auditory words. Our results reveal that, consistent with our hypothesis, during the course of superordinate categorization, information provided by these diverse inputs appears to converge in both time and space: fMRI showed that heteromodal areas of the parietal and temporal cortices are active during categorization of both classes of stimuli. The ERP results suggest that superordinate categorization is reflected as a late positive component (LPC) with a parietal distribution and long latencies for both stimulus types. Within the areas and times in which modality independent responses were identified, some differences between living and non-living categories were observed, with a more widespread spatial extent and longer latency responses for categorization of non-living items.

Spatial and temporal features of superordinate semantic processing studied with fMRI and EEG

PubMed Central

Costanzo, Michelle E.; McArdle, Joseph J.; Swett, Bruce; Nechaev, Vladimir; Kemeny, Stefan; Xu, Jiang; Braun, Allen R.

2013-01-01

The relationships between the anatomical representation of semantic knowledge in the human brain and the timing of neurophysiological mechanisms involved in manipulating such information remain unclear. This is the case for superordinate semantic categorization—the extraction of general features shared by broad classes of exemplars (e.g., living vs. non-living semantic categories). We proposed that, because of the abstract nature of this information, input from diverse input modalities (visual or auditory, lexical or non-lexical) should converge and be processed in the same regions of the brain, at similar time scales during superordinate categorization—specifically in a network of heteromodal regions, and late in the course of the categorization process. In order to test this hypothesis, we utilized electroencephalography and event related potentials (EEG/ERP) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to characterize subjects' responses as they made superordinate categorical decisions (living vs. non-living) about objects presented as visual pictures or auditory words. Our results reveal that, consistent with our hypothesis, during the course of superordinate categorization, information provided by these diverse inputs appears to converge in both time and space: fMRI showed that heteromodal areas of the parietal and temporal cortices are active during categorization of both classes of stimuli. The ERP results suggest that superordinate categorization is reflected as a late positive component (LPC) with a parietal distribution and long latencies for both stimulus types. Within the areas and times in which modality independent responses were identified, some differences between living and non-living categories were observed, with a more widespread spatial extent and longer latency responses for categorization of non-living items. PMID:23847490

Controlling carbon-nanotube-phospholipid solubility by curvature-dependent self-assembly.

PubMed

Määttä, Jukka; Vierros, Sampsa; Sammalkorpi, Maria

2015-03-12

Control of aqueous dispersion is central in the processing and usage of nanoscale hydrophobic objects. However, selecting dispersive agents based on the size and form of the hydrophobic object and the role of coating morphology in dispersion efficiency remain important open questions. Here, the effect of the substrate and the dispersing molecule curvature, as well as, the influence of dispersant concentration on the adsorption morphology are examined by molecular simulations of graphene and carbon nanotube (CNT) substrates with phospholipids of varying curvature as the dispersing agents. Lipid spontaneous curvature is increased from close to zero (effectively cylindrical lipid) to highly positive (effectively conical lipid) by studying double tailed dipalmitoylphosphadidylcholine (DPPC) and single tailed lysophosphadidylcholine (LPC) which differ in the number of acyl chains but have identical headgroup. We find that lipids are good dispersion agents for both planar and curved nanoparticles and induce a dispersive barrier nonsize selectively. Differences in dispersion efficiency arise from lipid headgroup density and their extension from the hydrophobic substrate in the adsorption morphology. We map the packing morphology contributing factors and report that the aggregate morphologies depend on the competition of interactions rising from (1) hydrophobicity driven maximization of lipid-substrate contacts and lipid self-adhesion, (2) tail bending energy cost, (3) preferential alignment along the graphitic substrate principal axes, and (4) lipid headgroup preferential packing. Curved substrates adjust the morphology by changing the balance between the interaction strengths. Jointly, the findings show substrate curvature and dimensions are a way to tune lipid adsorption to desired, self-assembling patterns. Besides engineering dispersion efficiency, the findings could bear significance in designing materials with defined molecular scale, molecular coatings for orientation specific CNT assembly or lipid-based molecular masks and patterning on graphene.

Kinetic parameters of the GUINEVERE reference configuration in VENUS-F reactor obtained from a pile noise experiment using Rossi and Feynman methods

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

Geslot, Benoit; Pepino, Alexandra; Blaise, Patrick

A pile noise measurement campaign has been conducted by the CEA in the VENUS-F reactor (SCK-CEN, Mol Belgium) in April 2011 in the reference critical configuration of the GUINEVERE experimental program. The experimental setup made it possible to estimate the core kinetic parameters: the prompt neutron decay constant, the delayed neutron fraction and the generation time. A precise assessment of these constants is of prime importance. In particular, the effective delayed neutron fraction is used to normalize and compare calculated reactivities of different subcritical configurations, obtained by modifying either the core layout or the control rods position, with experimental onesmore » deduced from the analysis of measurements. This paper presents results obtained with a CEA-developed time stamping acquisition system. Data were analyzed using Rossi-α and Feynman-α methods. Results were normalized to reactor power using a calibrated fission chamber with a deposit of Np-237. Calculated factors were necessary to the analysis: the Diven factor was computed by the ENEA (Italy) and the power calibration factor by the CNRS/IN2P3/LPC Caen. Results deduced with both methods are consistent with respect to calculated quantities. Recommended values are given by the Rossi-α estimator, that was found to be the most robust. The neutron generation time was found equal to 0.438 ± 0.009 μs and the effective delayed neutron fraction is 765 ± 8 pcm. Discrepancies with the calculated value (722 pcm, calculation from ENEA) are satisfactory: -5.6% for the Rossi-α estimate and -2.7% for the Feynman-α estimate. (authors)« less

Point -of -care testing (POCT) in molecular diagnostics: Performance evaluation of GeneXpert HCV RNA test in diagnosing and monitoring of HCV infection.

PubMed

Gupta, Ekta; Agarwala, Pragya; Kumar, Guresh; Maiwall, Rakhi; Sarin, Shiv Kumar

2017-03-01

Molecular testing at the point-of-care may turn out to be game changer for HCV diagnosis and treatment monitoring, through increased sensitivity, reduced turnaround time, and ease of performance. One such assay GeneXpert ® has recently been released. Comparative analysis between performances of GeneXpert ® and Abbott HCV-RNA was done. 174 HCV infected patients were recruited and, one time plasma samples from 154 patients and repeated samples from 20 patients, obtained at specific treatment time-points (0, 4, 12 and 24) weeks were serially re-tested on Xpert ® . Genotype 3 was the commonest, seen in 80 (66%) of the cases, genotype 1 in 34 (28.3%), genotype 4 in 4 (3.3%) and genotypes 2 and 5 in 1 (0.8%) each. Median HCV RNA load was 4.69 log 10 (range: 0-6.98log 10 ) IU/ml. Overall a very good correlation was seen between the two assays (R 2 =0.985), concordance of the results between the assays was seen in 138 samples (89.6%). High and low positive standards were tested ten times on Xpert ® to evaluate the precision and the coefficient of variation was 0.01 for HPC and 0.07 for the LPC. Monitoring of patients on two different regimes of treatment, pegylated interferon plus ribavirin and sofosbuvir plus ribavirin was done by both the systems at baseline, 4, 12 and 24 weeks. Perfect correlation between the assays in the course of therapy at different treatment time- point in genotypes 3 and 1 was seen. The study demonstrates excellent performance of the Xpert ® HCV assay in viral load assessment and in treatment course monitoring consistency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neurophysiological evidence for a recollection impairment in amnesia patients that leaves familiarity intact

PubMed Central

Addante, Richard J.; Ranganath, Charan; Olichney, John; Yonelinas, Andrew P.

2012-01-01

In several previous behavioral studies, we have identified a group of amnestic patients that, behaviorally, appear to exhibit severe deficits in recollection with relative preservation of familiarity-based recognition. However, these studies have relied exclusively on behavioral measures, rather than direct measures of physiology. Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been used to identify putative neural correlates of familiarity- and recollection-based recognition memory, but little work has been done to determine the extent to which these ERP correlates are spared in patients with relatively specific memory disorders. ERP studies of recognition in healthy subjects have indicated that recollection and familiarity are related to a parietal old-new effect characterized as a late positive component (LPC) and an earlier mid-frontal old-new effect referred to as an ‘FN400’, respectively. Here, we sought to determine the extent to which the putative ERP correlates of recollection and familiarity are intact or impaired in these patients. We recorded ERPs in three amnestic patients and six age matched controls while they made item recognition and source recognition judgments. The current patients were able to discriminate between old and new items fairly well, but showed nearly chance-level performance at source recognition. Moreover, whereas control subjects exhibited ERP correlates of memory that have been linked to recollection and familiarity, the patients only exhibited the mid-frontal FN400 ERP effect related to familiarity-based recognition. The results show that recollection can be severely impaired in amnesia even when familiarity-related processing is relatively spared, and they also provide further evidence that ERPs can be used to distinguish between neural correlates of familiarity and recollection. PMID:22898646

Contralateral delay activity tracks object identity information in visual short term memory.

PubMed

Gao, Zaifeng; Xu, Xiaotian; Chen, Zhibo; Yin, Jun; Shen, Mowei; Shui, Rende

2011-08-11

Previous studies suggested that ERP component contralateral delay activity (CDA) tracks the number of objects containing identity information stored in visual short term memory (VSTM). Later MEG and fMRI studies implied that its neural source lays in superior IPS. However, since the memorized stimuli in previous studies were displayed in distinct spatial locations, hence possibly CDA tracks the object-location information instead. Moreover, a recent study implied the activation in superior IPS reflected the location load. The current research thus explored whether CDA tracks the object-location load or the object-identity load, and its neural sources. Participants were asked to remember one color, four identical colors or four distinct colors. The four-identical-color condition was the critical one because it contains the same amount of identity information as that of one color while the same amount of location information as that of four distinct colors. To ensure the participants indeed selected four colors in the four-identical-color condition, we also split the participants into two groups (low- vs. high-capacity), analyzed late positive component (LPC) in the prefrontal area, and collected participant's subjective-report. Our results revealed that most of the participants selected four identical colors. Moreover, regardless of capacity-group, there was no difference on CDA between one color and four identical colors yet both were lower than 4 distinct colors. Besides, the source of CDA was located in the superior parietal lobule, which is very close to the superior IPS. These results support the statement that CDA tracks the object identity information in VSTM. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cometary Defense with Directed Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q.; Lubin, P. M.; Hughes, G. B.

2016-12-01

Cometary impacts pose a long-term hazard to humans on Earth. Due to their comparative rarity, most planetary defense schemes neglect the comet threat, choosing instead to focus exclusively on mitigating asteroid impacts. Methods like kinetic impactors may be suitable for deflecting near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), both of which are characterized by low inclination orbits and short orbital periods which favor early detection—characteristics ideal for an interception mission. In contrast, Halley-type comets (HTCs) and long-period comets (LPCs) are often found in high inclination orbits rarely more than 2 yr prior to reaching Earth's orbit. Unless discovered and identified in a prior apparition—often centuries or millennia earlier, if ever—timely interception of a threatening HTC or LPC is improbable even with preparation, with missions demanding delta-v budgets often in excess of 30 km/s. Active comets, however, are already naturally perturbed from purely gravitational trajectories through solar-driven sublimation of volatiles. Further deflection may be achieved by supplementing the solar radiation with an artificial directed energy source such as by one or more laser arrays positioned on or near Earth. Simulations were developed with models derived from the known solar nongravitational perturbations of typical comets. Results suggest that a diffraction-limited 500 m array operating at 10 GW for 10 min/day may be sufficient to divert a typical active 500 m comet from an impact given 1 yr. A larger 1 km array operating at 100 GW for 100 s/day is similarly effective. Care must be taken to ensure the target remains intact throughout the deflection period due to comets' low compressive strength and resulting propensity for disintegration at high incident flux.

Positional cloning in mice and its use for molecular dissection of inflammatory arthritis.

PubMed

Abe, Koichiro; Yu, Philipp

2009-02-01

One of the upcoming next quests in the field of genetics might be molecular dissection of the genetic and environmental components of human complex diseases. In humans, however, there are certain experimental limitations for identification of a single component of the complex interactions by genetic analyses. Experimental animals offer simplified models for genetic and environmental interactions in human complex diseases. In particular, mice are the best mammalian models because of a long history and ample experience for genetic analyses. Forward genetics, which includes genetic screen and subsequent positional cloning of the causative genes, is a powerful strategy to dissect a complex phenomenon without preliminarily molecular knowledge of the process. In this review, first, we describe a general scheme of positional cloning in mice. Next, recent accomplishments on the patho-mechanisms of inflammatory arthritis by forward genetics approaches are introduced; Positional cloning effort for skg, Ali5, Ali18, cmo, and lupo mutants are provided as examples for the application to human complex diseases. As seen in the examples, the identification of genetic factors by positional cloning in the mouse have potential in solving molecular complexity of gene-environment interactions in human complex diseases.

Positive and negative ion mode ESI-MS and MS/MS for studying drug-DNA complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosu, Frédéric; Pirotte, Sophie; Pauw, Edwin De; Gabelica, Valérie

2006-07-01

We report systematic investigation of duplex DNA complexes with minor groove binders (Hoechsts 33258 and 33342, netropsin and DAPI) and intercalators (daunomycin, doxorubicin, actinomycin D, ethidium, cryptolepine, neocryptolepine, m-Amsacrine, proflavine, ellipticine and mitoxantrone) by ESI-MS and ESI-MS/MS in the negative ion mode and in the positive ion mode. The apparent solution phase equilibrium binding constants can be determined by measuring relative intensities in the ESI-MS spectrum. While negative ion mode gives reliable results, positive ion mode gives a systematic underestimation of the binding constants and even a complete suppression of the complexes for intercalators lacking functional groups capable of interacting in the grooves. In the second part of the paper we systematically compare MS/MS fragmentation channels and breakdown curves in the positive and the negative modes, and discuss the possible uses and caveats of MS/MS in drug-DNA complexes. In the negative mode, the drugs can be separated in three groups: (1) those that leave the complex with no net charge; (2) those that leave the complex with a negative charge; and (3) those that remain attached on the strands upon dissociation of the duplex due to their positive charge. In the positive ion mode, all complexes fragment via the loss of protonated drug. Information on the stabilization of the complex by drug-DNA noncovalent interactions can be obtained straightforwardly only in the case of neutral drug loss. In all other cases, proton affinity (in the positive ion mode), gas-phase basicity (in the negative ion mode) and coulombic repulsion are the major factors influencing the fragmentation channel and the dissociation kinetics.

Satisfying positivity requirement in the Beyond Complex Langevin approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyrzykowski, Adam; Ruba, Błażej Ruba

2018-03-01

The problem of finding a positive distribution, which corresponds to a given complex density, is studied. By the requirement that the moments of the positive distribution and of the complex density are equal, one can reduce the problem to solving the matching conditions. These conditions are a set of quadratic equations, thus Groebner basis method was used to find its solutions when it is restricted to a few lowest-order moments. For a Gaussian complex density, these approximate solutions are compared with the exact solution, that is known in this special case.

Positive feelings facilitate working memory and complex decision making among older adults.

PubMed

Carpenter, Stephanie M; Peters, Ellen; Västfjäll, Daniel; Isen, Alice M

2013-01-01

The impact of induced mild positive feelings on working memory and complex decision making among older adults (aged 63-85) was examined. Participants completed a computer administered card task in which participants could win money if they chose from "gain" decks and lose money if they chose from "loss" decks. Individuals in the positive-feeling condition chose better than neutral-feeling participants and earned more money overall. Participants in the positive-feeling condition also demonstrated improved working-memory capacity. These effects of positive-feeling induction have implications for affect theory, as well as, potentially, practical implications for people of all ages dealing with complex decisions.

Detection of laryngeal function using speech and electroglottographic data.

PubMed

Childers, D G; Bae, K S

1992-01-01

The purpose of this research was to develop quantitative measures for the assessment of laryngeal function using speech and electroglottographic (EGG) data. We developed two procedures for the detection of laryngeal pathology: 1) a spectral distortion measure using pitch synchronous and asynchronous methods with linear predictive coding (LPC) vectors and vector quantization (VQ) and 2) analysis of the EGG signal using time interval and amplitude difference measures. The VQ procedure was conjectured to offer the possibility of circumventing the need to estimate the glottal volume velocity wave-form by inverse filtering techniques. The EGG procedure was to evaluate data that was "nearly" a direct measure of vocal fold vibratory motion and thus was conjectured to offer the potential for providing an excellent assessment of laryngeal function. A threshold based procedure gave 75.9 and 69.0% probability of pathological detection using procedures 1) and 2), respectively, for 29 patients with pathological voices and 52 normal subjects. The false alarm probability was 9.6% for the normal subjects.

Lipidomics profiling of goat milk, soymilk and bovine milk by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Qiangqiang; Zhao, Yan; Zhu, Dan; Pang, Xiumei; Liu, Yue; Frew, Russell; Chen, Gang

2017-06-01

Lipids are very important for human health and milk is a rich dietary source of lipids. In this study, the lipid content in three types of milk (goat, soy and bovine) were determined by using UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry. A total of 13 classes of lipids (including Cer, SM, LPC, PC, PE, DG, TG, PA, PG, PI, PS, LPE, FA) were measured. Moreover, lipid profiles differed significantly between the different milk types. Soymilk is rich in phospholipids including PC, PE, PS, PG, while goat milk is rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCT), USFA, ω-6 FA and ω-3 FA, especially EPA and DHA. Furthermore, a PLS model was established for differentiation of milk types based on the lipid profiles. A total of 14 lipids were identified as biomarkers for differentiation of milk types, thus providing a basis for milk authentication and detection of adulteration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Connecting Restricted, High-Availability, or Low-Latency Resources to a Seamless Global Pool for CMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balcas, J.; Bockelman, B.; Hufnagel, D.; Hurtado Anampa, K.; Jayatilaka, B.; Khan, F.; Larson, K.; Letts, J.; Mascheroni, M.; Mohapatra, A.; Marra Da Silva, J.; Mason, D.; Perez-Calero Yzquierdo, A.; Piperov, S.; Tiradani, A.; Verguilov, V.; CMS Collaboration

2017-10-01

The connection of diverse and sometimes non-Grid enabled resource types to the CMS Global Pool, which is based on HTCondor and glideinWMS, has been a major goal of CMS. These resources range in type from a high-availability, low latency facility at CERN for urgent calibration studies, called the CAF, to a local user facility at the Fermilab LPC, allocation-based computing resources at NERSC and SDSC, opportunistic resources provided through the Open Science Grid, commercial clouds, and others, as well as access to opportunistic cycles on the CMS High Level Trigger farm. In addition, we have provided the capability to give priority to local users of beyond WLCG pledged resources at CMS sites. Many of the solutions employed to bring these diverse resource types into the Global Pool have common elements, while some are very specific to a particular project. This paper details some of the strategies and solutions used to access these resources through the Global Pool in a seamless manner.

Noise suppression methods for robust speech processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boll, S. F.; Ravindra, H.; Randall, G.; Armantrout, R.; Power, R.

1980-05-01

Robust speech processing in practical operating environments requires effective environmental and processor noise suppression. This report describes the technical findings and accomplishments during this reporting period for the research program funded to develop real time, compressed speech analysis synthesis algorithms whose performance in invariant under signal contamination. Fulfillment of this requirement is necessary to insure reliable secure compressed speech transmission within realistic military command and control environments. Overall contributions resulting from this research program include the understanding of how environmental noise degrades narrow band, coded speech, development of appropriate real time noise suppression algorithms, and development of speech parameter identification methods that consider signal contamination as a fundamental element in the estimation process. This report describes the current research and results in the areas of noise suppression using the dual input adaptive noise cancellation using the short time Fourier transform algorithms, articulation rate change techniques, and a description of an experiment which demonstrated that the spectral subtraction noise suppression algorithm can improve the intelligibility of 2400 bps, LPC 10 coded, helicopter speech by 10.6 point.

Influence of encoding focus and stereotypes on source monitoring event-related-potentials.

PubMed

Leynes, P Andrew; Nagovsky, Irina

2016-01-01

Source memory, memory for the origin of a memory, can be influenced by stereotypes and the information of focus during encoding processes. Participants studied words from two different speakers (male or female) using self-focus or other-focus encoding. Source judgments for the speaker׳s voice and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded during test. Self-focus encoding increased dependence on stereotype information and the Late Posterior Negativity (LPN). The results link the LPN with an increase in systematic decision processes such as consulting prior knowledge to support an episodic memory judgment. In addition, other-focus encoding increased conditional source judgments and resulted in weaker old/new recognition relative to the self-focus encoding. The putative correlate of recollection (LPC) was absent during this condition and this was taken as evidence that recollection of partial information supported source judgments. Collectively, the results suggest that other-focus encoding changes source monitoring processing by altering the weight of specific memory features. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nickel-catalyzed proton-deuterium exchange (HDX) procedures for glycosidic linkage analysis of complex carbohydrates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The structural analysis of complex carbohydrates typically requires the assignment of three parameters: monosaccharide composition, the position of glycosidic linkages between monosaccharides, and the position and nature of non-carbohydrate substituents. The glycosidic linkage positions are often de...

The influence of soy oligosaccharides on apparent and true ileal amino acid digestibilities and fecal consistency in growing pigs.

PubMed

Smiricky, M R; Grieshop, C M; Albin, D M; Wubben, J E; Gabert, V M; Fahey, G C

2002-09-01

Fourteen ileally cannulated pigs (BW = 35 +/- 2 kg) were randomly allotted to a replicated 7 x 7 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the influence of the soybean oligosaccharides (OS), raffinose and stachyose, on ileal nutrient digestibility and fecal consistency. Semipurified diets containing soy protein concentrate (SPC) or soybean meal (SBM) as the sole protein sources were fed. Soy solubles (SS), a by-product of SBM processing containing 3.5% raffinose and 11.5% stachyose, were used to increase dietary raffinose and stachyose concentrations. The seven dietary treatments were SPC, SPC + 9% SS, SBM, SBM + 9% SS, SBM + 18% SS, SBM + 24,000 U alpha-galactosidase enzyme preparation/kg diet, and a low-protein casein (LPC) diet used to calculate true digestibility. Diets, with the exception of the LPC diet, were formulated to contain 17% CP. All diets contained 0.5% chromic oxide as a marker for ileal digestibility determination. The experimental periods were divided into a 5-d diet adaptation followed by 2-d of ileal digesta collection. Diets and digesta were analyzed for DM, N, Cr, amino acids (AA), raffinose, and stachyose. Fecal consistency was determined on d 6 and 7 of each experimental period. The apparent and true ileal AA digestibilities were not different (P < 0.05) for the SPC and SBM control diets. When SS was added to the SPC diet, apparent and true N and AA digestibilities were depressed (P < 0.05) with the exception of Trp and Pro. The apparent and true ileal N and AA digestibilities were not different (P > 0.05) between the SBM control and SBM + 9% SS diets with the exception of Glu. There was a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in apparent and true DM, Val, Gly, and Tyr digestibilities when increasing levels of SS were added to the SBM diet. The addition of alpha-galactosidase did not improve apparent or true ileal N or AA digestibilities except for apparent and true Val and Tyr. Ileal raffinose digestibility was improved (P < 0.05) by addition of a-galactosidase, but was not affected by any other dietary treatment. Ileal stachyose digestibility was not affected (P > 0.58) by treatment. Fecal consistency likewise was not affected (P > 0.36) by dietary treatment. In conclusion, soy OS reduced nutrient digestibilities, but the reductions were small, ranging from approximately 1.1 to 7.4 percentage units. This suggests that other factors may be negatively impacting SBM digestibility.

A purely Lagrangian method for computing linearly-perturbed flows in spherical geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaouen, Stéphane

2007-07-01

In many physical applications, one wishes to control the development of multi-dimensional instabilities around a one-dimensional (1D) complex flow. For predicting the growth rates of these perturbations, a general numerical approach is viable which consists in solving simultaneously the one-dimensional equations and their linearized form for three-dimensional perturbations. In Clarisse et al. [J.-M. Clarisse, S. Jaouen, P.-A. Raviart, A Godunov-type method in Lagrangian coordinates for computing linearly-perturbed planar-symmetric flows of gas dynamics, J. Comp. Phys. 198 (2004) 80-105], a class of Godunov-type schemes for planar-symmetric flows of gas dynamics has been proposed. Pursuing this effort, we extend these results to spherically symmetric flows. A new method to derive the Lagrangian perturbation equations, based on the canonical form of systems of conservation laws with zero entropy flux [B. Després, Lagrangian systems of conservation laws. Invariance properties of Lagrangian systems of conservation laws, approximate Riemann solvers and the entropy condition, Numer. Math. 89 (2001) 99-134; B. Després, C. Mazeran, Lagrangian gas dynamics in two dimensions and Lagrangian systems, Arch. Rational Mech. Anal. 178 (2005) 327-372] is also described. It leads to many advantages. First of all, many physical problems we are interested in enter this formalism (gas dynamics, two-temperature plasma equations, ideal magnetohydrodynamics, etc.) whatever is the geometry. Secondly, a class of numerical entropic schemes is available for the basic flow [11]. Last, linearizing and devising numerical schemes for the perturbed flow is straightforward. The numerical capabilities of these methods are illustrated on three test cases of increasing difficulties and we show that - due to its simplicity and its low computational cost - the Linear Perturbations Code (LPC) is a powerful tool to understand and predict the development of hydrodynamic instabilities in the linear regime.

Probing the Interaction of Brain Fatty Acid Binding Protein (B-FABP) with Model Membranes

PubMed Central

Dyszy, Fábio; Pinto, Andressa P. A.; Araújo, Ana P. U.; Costa-Filho, Antonio J.

2013-01-01

Brain fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP) interacts with biological membranes and delivers polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) via a collisional mechanism. The binding of FAs in the protein and the interaction with membranes involve a motif called “portal region”, formed by two small α-helices, A1 and A2, connected by a loop. We used a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electron spin resonance to probe the changes in the protein and in the membrane model induced by their interaction. Spin labeled B-FABP mutants and lipidic spin probes incorporated into a membrane model confirmed that B-FABP interacts with micelles through the portal region and led to structural changes in the protein as well in the micelles. These changes were greater in the presence of LPG when compared to the LPC models. ESR spectra of B-FABP labeled mutants showed the presence of two groups of residues that responded to the presence of micelles in opposite ways. In the presence of lysophospholipids, group I of residues, whose side chains point outwards from the contact region between the helices, had their mobility decreased in an environment of lower polarity when compared to the same residues in solution. The second group, composed by residues with side chains situated at the interface between the α-helices, experienced an increase in mobility in the presence of the model membranes. These modifications in the ESR spectra of B-FABP mutants are compatible with a less ordered structure of the portal region inner residues (group II) that is likely to facilitate the delivery of FAs to target membranes. On the other hand, residues in group I and micelle components have their mobilities decreased probably as a result of the formation of a collisional complex. Our results bring new insights for the understanding of the gating and delivery mechanisms of FABPs. PMID:23555925

Effects of myelin or cell body brainstem lesions on 3-channel Lissajous' trajectories of feline auditory brainstem evoked potentials.

PubMed

Pratt, H; Zaaroor, M; Bleich, N; Starr, A

1991-06-01

Auditory brainstem evoked potentials (ABEP) were recorded from 16 awake cats to obtain 3-Channel Lissajous' Trajectories (3CLTs) using three orthogonal differential electrode configurations (nasion-midline nuchal ridge, left-right mastoids, vertex-midline under the mandible). Potentials, evoked by monaural 80 dBnHL (re, human threshold) clicks, were studied before, and up to 7 weeks after inducing neuronal lesions localized to the cochlear nucleus (CN) or the superior olivary complex (SOC), or myelin lesions localized to the fibers of the trapezoid body connecting these two structures. Neuronal lesions were induced by injection of kainic acid (KA), while myelin lesions were induced by injection of L-alpha-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). With CN neuronal lesions the major changes in 3CLT were in the time domain of 'b', 'c' and 'd' (components P2, P3 and P4 of single-channel ABEP). With SOC neuronal lesions the major changes were in 'c' and 'd' of 3CLT (P3 and P4 of ABEP). With trapezoid body lesions the major change was in 'c' (P3 of ABEP). The results are compatible with the peripheral generation of the first ABEP components (P1a and P1b). The second component (P2) is generated by ipsilateral CN neurones and their outputs. The third component (P3) is generated primarily by ipsilateral SOC neurones and their outputs, with the ipsilateral CN providing input. The The fourth component (P4) is generated bilaterally by the SOC neurones and their outputs, receiving their inputs from ipsilateral CN. The fifth ABEP component (P5) is generated by structures central to the SOCs and their immediate outputs. Neither focal neuronal nor myelin lesions were sufficient to produce obliteration of any component, consistent with a set of generators for each of the ABEP components, consisting of both cell bodies and their output fibers, that is distributed spatially in the brainstem.

Five chiral Cd(II) complexes with dual chiral components: Effect of positional isomerism, luminescence and SHG response

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

Cheng, Lin, E-mail: lcheng@seu.edu.cn; Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189; Wang, Jun

2015-01-15

Five chiral Cd(II) complexes with dual chiral components have been synthesized by using a series of (1R,2R)–N{sup 1},N{sup 2}-bis(pyridinylmethyl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine ligands with different N-positions of pyridyl rings and Cd(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra and second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurements confirmed that they are of structural chirality in the bulk samples. The luminescent properties indicated that they may have potential applications as optical materials. The formation of discrete mononuclear and binuclear complexes, and one-dimensional chains may be attributed to positional isomerism of the ligands. - Graphical abstract: Five chiral Cd(II) complexes with dual chiral components have been synthesized bymore » using a series of chiral ligands with different N-positions of pyridyl rings. - Highlights: • Five chiral Cd(II) complexes with dual chiral components have been synthesized. • CD spectra and SHG efficiency of the bulk samples have been measured. • The complexes display luminescent properties.« less

Processing of positive-causal and negative-causal coherence relations in primary school children and adults: a test of the cumulative cognitive complexity approach in German.

PubMed

Knoepke, Julia; Richter, Tobias; Isberner, Maj-Britt; Naumann, Johannes; Neeb, Yvonne; Weinert, Sabine

2017-03-01

Establishing local coherence relations is central to text comprehension. Positive-causal coherence relations link a cause and its consequence, whereas negative-causal coherence relations add a contrastive meaning (negation) to the causal link. According to the cumulative cognitive complexity approach, negative-causal coherence relations are cognitively more complex than positive-causal ones. Therefore, they require greater cognitive effort during text comprehension and are acquired later in language development. The present cross-sectional study tested these predictions for German primary school children from Grades 1 to 4 and adults in reading and listening comprehension. Accuracy data in a semantic verification task support the predictions of the cumulative cognitive complexity approach. Negative-causal coherence relations are cognitively more demanding than positive-causal ones. Moreover, our findings indicate that children's comprehension of negative-causal coherence relations continues to develop throughout the course of primary school. Findings are discussed with respect to the generalizability of the cumulative cognitive complexity approach to German.

Does Leisure Time as a Stress Coping Resource Increase Affective Complexity? Applying the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA).

PubMed

Qian, Xinyi Lisa; Yarnal, Careen M; Almeida, David M

2013-01-01

Affective complexity, a manifestation of psychological well-being, refers to the relative independence between positive and negative affect (PA, NA). According to the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA), stressful situations lead to highly inverse PA-NA relationship, reducing affective complexity. Meanwhile, positive events can sustain affective complexity by restoring PA-NA independence. Leisure, a type of positive events, has been identified as a coping resource. This study used the DMA to assess whether leisure time helps restore affective complexity on stressful days. We found that on days with more leisure time than usual, an individual experienced less negative PA-NA relationship after daily stressful events. The finding demonstrates the value of leisure time as a coping resource and the DMA's contribution to coping research.

Nice to know you: Positive emotions, self–other overlap, and complex understanding in the formation of a new relationship

PubMed Central

WAUGH, CHRISTIAN E.; FREDRICKSON, BARBARA L.

2007-01-01

Based on Fredrickson's ((1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319.; (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226) broaden-and-build theory and Aron and Aron's ((1986). Love as expansion of the self: Understanding attraction and satisfaction. New York: Hemisphere) self-expansion theory, it was hypothesized that positive emotions broaden people's feelings of self–other overlap in the beginning of a new relationship. In a prospective study of first-year college students, we found that, after 1 week in college, positive emotions predicted increased self–other overlap with new roommates, which in turn predicted a more complex understanding of the roommate. In addition, participants who experienced a high ratio of positive to negative emotions throughout the first month of college reported a greater increase in self–other overlap and complex understanding than participants with a low positivity ratio. Implications for the role of positive emotions in the formation of new relationships are discussed. PMID:21691460

Nice to know you: Positive emotions, self-other overlap, and complex understanding in the formation of a new relationship.

PubMed

Waugh, Christian E; Fredrickson, Barbara L

2006-04-01

Based on Fredrickson's ((1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300-319.; (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218-226) broaden-and-build theory and Aron and Aron's ((1986). Love as expansion of the self: Understanding attraction and satisfaction. New York: Hemisphere) self-expansion theory, it was hypothesized that positive emotions broaden people's feelings of self-other overlap in the beginning of a new relationship. In a prospective study of first-year college students, we found that, after 1 week in college, positive emotions predicted increased self-other overlap with new roommates, which in turn predicted a more complex understanding of the roommate. In addition, participants who experienced a high ratio of positive to negative emotions throughout the first month of college reported a greater increase in self-other overlap and complex understanding than participants with a low positivity ratio. Implications for the role of positive emotions in the formation of new relationships are discussed.

Indices of Complexity and Interpretation: Their Computation and Uses in Factor Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmann, Richard J.

In this methodological paper two indices are developed: a complexity index and an interpretation index. The complexity index is a positive number indicating on the average how many factors are used to explain each variable in a factor solution. The interpretation index will be positive ranging from zero to unity; unity representing a perfect…

Does the relationship between affect complexity and self-esteem differ in young-old and old-old participants?

PubMed

Bodner, Ehud; Palgi, Yuval; Kaveh, Dvir

2013-09-01

This study examines whether the relationship between positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) is more complex among old-old than among young-old participants and whether the independence and potential co-occurrence of both PA and NA (affect complexity) is related to higher self-esteem (SE) among older participants. A convenience sample of 311 participants was divided into 2 groups: young-old, aged 65-79 years (n = 212), and old-old, aged 80-93 years (n = 99), participants. PA and NA were measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and SE was measured by the Self-Esteem Questionnaire. The findings show that PA and NA are less strongly related and even positively related to each other among older people and that SE is higher among the young-old compared with the old-old participants. Finally, affect complexity is positively related to a higher degree of SE among the old-old participants. These findings may imply that the affect complexity is associated with buffering the noxious effect of deteriorating SE in old age. Future studies should examine further the intrapersonal relationship between affect complexity and SE in late life.

Representation of complex probabilities and complex Gibbs sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salcedo, Lorenzo Luis

2018-03-01

Complex weights appear in Physics which are beyond a straightforward importance sampling treatment, as required in Monte Carlo calculations. This is the wellknown sign problem. The complex Langevin approach amounts to effectively construct a positive distribution on the complexified manifold reproducing the expectation values of the observables through their analytical extension. Here we discuss the direct construction of such positive distributions paying attention to their localization on the complexified manifold. Explicit localized representations are obtained for complex probabilities defined on Abelian and non Abelian groups. The viability and performance of a complex version of the heat bath method, based on such representations, is analyzed.

Metal complexes of quinolone antibiotics and their applications: an update.

PubMed

Uivarosi, Valentina

2013-09-11

Quinolones are synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotics with good oral absorption and excellent bioavailability. Due to the chemical functions found on their nucleus (a carboxylic acid function at the 3-position, and in most cases a basic piperazinyl ring (or another N-heterocycle) at the 7-position, and a carbonyl oxygen atom at the 4-position) quinolones bind metal ions forming complexes in which they can act as bidentate, as unidentate and as bridging ligand, respectively. In the polymeric complexes in solid state, multiple modes of coordination are simultaneously possible. In strongly acidic conditions, quinolone molecules possessing a basic side nucleus are protonated and appear as cations in the ionic complexes. Interaction with metal ions has some important consequences for the solubility, pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of quinolones, and is also involved in the mechanism of action of these bactericidal agents. Many metal complexes with equal or enhanced antimicrobial activity compared to the parent quinolones were obtained. New strategies in the design of metal complexes of quinolones have led to compounds with anticancer activity. Analytical applications of complexation with metal ions were oriented toward two main directions: determination of quinolones based on complexation with metal ions or, reversely, determination of metal ions based on complexation with quinolones.

Does Leisure Time as a Stress Coping Resource Increase Affective Complexity? Applying the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA)

PubMed Central

Qian, Xinyi (Lisa); Yarnal, Careen M.; Almeida, David M.

2013-01-01

Affective complexity, a manifestation of psychological well-being, refers to the relative independence between positive and negative affect (PA, NA). According to the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA), stressful situations lead to highly inverse PA-NA relationship, reducing affective complexity. Meanwhile, positive events can sustain affective complexity by restoring PA-NA independence. Leisure, a type of positive events, has been identified as a coping resource. This study used the DMA to assess whether leisure time helps restore affective complexity on stressful days. We found that on days with more leisure time than usual, an individual experienced less negative PA-NA relationship after daily stressful events. The finding demonstrates the value of leisure time as a coping resource and the DMA’s contribution to coping research. PMID:24659826

Case of postural complex sleep apnea: Effect of gravitational forces

PubMed Central

Pawar, Kamender Singh; Goyal, Abhishek; Khurana, Alkesh; Kumar, Senthil; Sen, Amit Kumar

2017-01-01

We report a case of an elderly male with predominant obstructive sleep apnea and who developed or complex sleep apnea (CxSA) at the start of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration. This CxSA was more prominent in supine position, and he was not settling with either CPAP/bilevel positive airway pressure (PAP) in supine position. He finally settled with CPAP along with position therapy. This case highlights the importance of treating CxSA with basic PAP modes like CPAP along with positional therapy before switching to costlier therapies such as adaptive servo-ventilation. PMID:28671174

Symbolic dynamics of heart rate variability - a promising tool to investigate cardiac sympathovagal control in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

PubMed

Tonhajzerova, Ingrid; Farsky, Ivan; Mestanik, Michal; Visnovcova, Zuzana; Mestanikova, Andrea; Hrtanek, Igor; Ondrejka, Igor

2016-06-01

We aimed to evaluate complex cardiac sympathovagal control in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by using heart rate variability (HRV) nonlinear analysis - symbolic dynamics. We examined 29 boys with untreated ADHD and 25 healthy boys (age 8-13 years). ADHD symptoms were evaluated by ADHD-RS-IV scale. ECG was recorded in 3 positions: baseline supine position, orthostasis, and clinostasis. Symbolic dynamics indices were used for the assessment of complex cardiac sympathovagal regulation: normalised complexity index (NCI), normalised unpredictability index (NUPI), and pattern classification measures (0V%, 1V%, 2LV%, 2UV%). The results showed that HRV complexity was significantly reduced at rest (NUPI) and during standing position (NCI, NUPI) in ADHD group compared to controls. Cardiac-linked sympathetic index 0V% was significantly higher during all posture positions and cardiovagal index 2LV% was significantly lower to standing in boys suffering from ADHD. Importantly, ADHD symptom inattention positively correlated with 0V%, and negatively correlated with NCI, NUPI. Concluding, symbolic dynamics revealed impaired complex neurocardiac control characterised by potential cardiac beta-adrenergic overactivity and vagal deficiency at rest and to posture changes in boys suffering from ADHD that is correlated with inattention. We suggest that symbolic dynamics indices could represent promising cardiac biomarkers in ADHD.

Effects of breviscapine on amyloid beta 1-42 induced Alzheimer's disease mice: A HPLC-QTOF-MS based plasma metabonomics study.

PubMed

Xia, Hongjun; Wu, Lingling; Chu, Mengying; Feng, Huimin; Lu, Chunliang; Wang, Qinghe; He, Minghai; Ge, Xiaoqun

2017-07-01

Herba Erigerontis has long been used to cure apoplexy hemiplegia and precordial pain in China. In addition, the bioactivities of its total flavonoids-breviscapine included inhibiting amyloid beta (Aβ) fibril formation, antioxidation and metal chelating, which are beneficial to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hence, A HPLC-QTOF-MS based plasma metabonomics approach was applied to investigate the neuroprotective effects of breviscapine on intracerebroventricular injection of aggregated Aβ 1-42 induced AD mice for the first time in the study. Ten potential biomarkers were screened out by multivariate statistical analysis, eight of which were further identified as indoleacrylic acid, C16 sphinganine, LPE (22:6), sulfolithocholic acid, LPC (16:0), PA (22:1/0:0), taurodeoxycholic acid, and PC (0:0/18:0). According to their metabolic pathways, it was supposed that breviscapine ameliorated the learning and memory deficits of AD mice predominantly by regulating phospholipids metabolism, elevating serotonin level and lowering cholesterols content in vivo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soprano and source: A laryngographic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bateman, Laura Anne

2005-04-01

Popular music in the 21st century uses a particular singing quality for female voice that is quite different from the trained classical singing quality. Classical quality has been the subject of a vast body of research, whereas research that deals with non-classical qualities is limited. In order to learn more about these issues, the author chose to do research on singing qualities using a variety of standard voice quality tests. This paper looks at voice qualities found in various different styles of singing: Classical, Belt, Legit, R&B, Jazz, Country, and Pop. The data was elicited from a professional soprano and the voice qualities reflect industry standards. The data set for this paper is limited to samples using the vowel [i]. Laryngographic (LGG) data was generated simultaneously with the audio samples. This paper will focus on the results of the LGG analysis; however, an audio analysis was also performed using Spectrogram, LPC, and FFT. Data from the LGG is used to calculate the contact quotient, speed quotient, and ascending slope. The LGG waveform is also visually assessed. The LGG analysis gives insights into the source vibration for the different singing styles.

Neurophysiological indices of perceptual object priming in the absence of explicit recognition memory.

PubMed

Harris, Jill D; Cutmore, Tim R H; O'Gorman, John; Finnigan, Simon; Shum, David

2009-02-01

The aim of this study was to identify ERP correlates of perceptual object priming that are insensitive to factors affecting explicit, episodic memory. EEG was recorded from 21 participants while they performed a visual object recognition test on a combination of unstudied items and old items that were previously encountered during either a 'deep' or 'shallow' levels-of-processing (LOP) study task. The results demonstrated a midline P150 old/new effect which was sensitive only to objects' old/new status and not to the accuracy of recognition responses to old items, or to the LOP manipulation. Similar outcomes were observed for the subsequent P200 and N400 effects, the former of which had a parietal scalp maximum and the latter, a broadly distributed topography. In addition an LPC old/new effect typical of those reported in past ERP recognition studies was observed. These outcomes support the proposal that the P150 effect is reflective of perceptual object priming and moreover, provide novel evidence that this and the P200 effect are independent of explicit recognition memory process(es).

Emotion to emotion speech conversion in phoneme level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulut, Murtaza; Yildirim, Serdar; Busso, Carlos; Lee, Chul Min; Kazemzadeh, Ebrahim; Lee, Sungbok; Narayanan, Shrikanth

2004-10-01

Having an ability to synthesize emotional speech can make human-machine interaction more natural in spoken dialogue management. This study investigates the effectiveness of prosodic and spectral modification in phoneme level on emotion-to-emotion speech conversion. The prosody modification is performed with the TD-PSOLA algorithm (Moulines and Charpentier, 1990). We also transform the spectral envelopes of source phonemes to match those of target phonemes using LPC-based spectral transformation approach (Kain, 2001). Prosodic speech parameters (F0, duration, and energy) for target phonemes are estimated from the statistics obtained from the analysis of an emotional speech database of happy, angry, sad, and neutral utterances collected from actors. Listening experiments conducted with native American English speakers indicate that the modification of prosody only or spectrum only is not sufficient to elicit targeted emotions. The simultaneous modification of both prosody and spectrum results in higher acceptance rates of target emotions, suggesting that not only modeling speech prosody but also modeling spectral patterns that reflect underlying speech articulations are equally important to synthesize emotional speech with good quality. We are investigating suprasegmental level modifications for further improvement in speech quality and expressiveness.

GASP cloud- and particle-encounter statistics and their application to LPC aircraft studies. Volume 1: Analysis and conclusions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jasperson, W. H.; Nastrom, G. D.; Davis, R. E.; Holdeman, J. D.

1984-01-01

Summary studies are presented for the entire cloud observation archieve from the NASA Global Atmospheric Sampling Program (GASP). Studies are also presented for GASP particle concentration data gathered concurrently with the cloud observations. Cloud encounters are shown on about 15 percent of the data samples overall, but the probability of cloud encounter is shown to vary significantly with altitude, latitude, and distance from the tropopause. Several meteorological circulation features are apparent in the latitudinal distribution of cloud cover, and the cloud encounter statistics are shown to be consistent with the classical mid-latitude cyclone model. Observations of clouds spaced more closely than 90 minutes are shown to be statistically dependent. The statistics for cloud and particle encounter are utilized to estimate the frequency of cloud encounter on long range airline routes, and to assess the probability and extent of laminar flow loss due to cloud or particle encounter by aircraft utilizing laminar flow control (LFC). It is shown that the probability of extended cloud encounter is too low, of itself, to make LFC impractical.

Automatic voice recognition using traditional and artificial neural network approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Botros, Nazeih M.

1989-01-01

The main objective of this research is to develop an algorithm for isolated-word recognition. This research is focused on digital signal analysis rather than linguistic analysis of speech. Features extraction is carried out by applying a Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) algorithm with order of 10. Continuous-word and speaker independent recognition will be considered in future study after accomplishing this isolated word research. To examine the similarity between the reference and the training sets, two approaches are explored. The first is implementing traditional pattern recognition techniques where a dynamic time warping algorithm is applied to align the two sets and calculate the probability of matching by measuring the Euclidean distance between the two sets. The second is implementing a backpropagation artificial neural net model with three layers as the pattern classifier. The adaptation rule implemented in this network is the generalized least mean square (LMS) rule. The first approach has been accomplished. A vocabulary of 50 words was selected and tested. The accuracy of the algorithm was found to be around 85 percent. The second approach is in progress at the present time.

Improved partition equilibrium model for predicting analyte response in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Du, Lihong; White, Robert L

2009-02-01

A previously proposed partition equilibrium model for quantitative prediction of analyte response in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is modified to yield an improved linear relationship. Analyte mass spectrometer response is modeled by a competition mechanism between analyte and background electrolytes that is based on partition equilibrium considerations. The correlation between analyte response and solution composition is described by the linear model over a wide concentration range and the improved model is shown to be valid for a wide range of experimental conditions. The behavior of an analyte in a salt solution, which could not be explained by the original model, is correctly predicted. The ion suppression effects of 16:0 lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) on analyte signals are attributed to a combination of competition for excess charge and reduction of total charge due to surface tension effects. In contrast to the complicated mathematical forms that comprise the original model, the simplified model described here can more easily be employed to predict analyte mass spectrometer responses for solutions containing multiple components. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Emotional words facilitate lexical but not early visual processing.

PubMed

Trauer, Sophie M; Kotz, Sonja A; Müller, Matthias M

2015-12-12

Emotional scenes and faces have shown to capture and bind visual resources at early sensory processing stages, i.e. in early visual cortex. However, emotional words have led to mixed results. In the current study ERPs were assessed simultaneously with steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) to measure attention effects on early visual activity in emotional word processing. Neutral and negative words were flickered at 12.14 Hz whilst participants performed a Lexical Decision Task. Emotional word content did not modulate the 12.14 Hz SSVEP amplitude, neither did word lexicality. However, emotional words affected the ERP. Negative compared to neutral words as well as words compared to pseudowords lead to enhanced deflections in the P2 time range indicative of lexico-semantic access. The N400 was reduced for negative compared to neutral words and enhanced for pseudowords compared to words indicating facilitated semantic processing of emotional words. LPC amplitudes reflected word lexicality and thus the task-relevant response. In line with previous ERP and imaging evidence, the present results indicate that written emotional words are facilitated in processing only subsequent to visual analysis.

Detection of Independent Associations of Plasma Lipidomic Parameters with Insulin Sensitivity Indices Using Data Mining Methodology.

PubMed

Kopprasch, Steffi; Dheban, Srirangan; Schuhmann, Kai; Xu, Aimin; Schulte, Klaus-Martin; Simeonovic, Charmaine J; Schwarz, Peter E H; Bornstein, Stefan R; Shevchenko, Andrej; Graessler, Juergen

2016-01-01

Glucolipotoxicity is a major pathophysiological mechanism in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). We aimed to detect subtle changes in the circulating lipid profile by shotgun lipidomics analyses and to associate them with four different insulin sensitivity indices. The cross-sectional study comprised 90 men with a broad range of insulin sensitivity including normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 33), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, n = 32) and newly detected T2D (n = 25). Prior to oral glucose challenge plasma was obtained and quantitatively analyzed for 198 lipid molecular species from 13 different lipid classes including triacylglycerls (TAGs), phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen/ether (PC O-s), sphingomyelins (SMs), and lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs). To identify a lipidomic signature of individual insulin sensitivity we applied three data mining approaches, namely least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Random Forests (RF) for the following insulin sensitivity indices: homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), glucose insulin sensitivity index (GSI), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), and disposition index (DI). The LASSO procedure offers a high prediction accuracy and and an easier interpretability than SVR and RF. After LASSO selection, the plasma lipidome explained 3% (DI) to maximal 53% (HOMA-IR) variability of the sensitivity indexes. Among the lipid species with the highest positive LASSO regression coefficient were TAG 54:2 (HOMA-IR), PC O- 32:0 (GSI), and SM 40:3:1 (ISI). The highest negative regression coefficient was obtained for LPC 22:5 (HOMA-IR), TAG 51:1 (GSI), and TAG 58:6 (ISI). Although a substantial part of lipid molecular species showed a significant correlation with insulin sensitivity indices we were able to identify a limited number of lipid metabolites of particular importance based on the LASSO approach. These few selected lipids with the closest connection to sensitivity indices may help to further improve disease risk prediction and disease and therapy monitoring.

Positive and negative ion mode comparison for the determination of DNA/peptide noncovalent binding sites through the formation of "three-body" noncovalent fragment ions.

PubMed

Brahim, Bessem; Tabet, Jean-Claude; Alves, Sandra

2018-02-01

Gas-phase fragmentation of single strand DNA-peptide noncovalent complexes is investigated in positive and negative electrospray ionization modes.Collision-induced dissociation experiments, performed on the positively charged noncovalent complex precursor ions, have confirmed the trend previously observed in negative ion mode, i.e. a high stability of noncovalent complexes containing very basic peptidic residues (i.e. R > K) and acidic nucleotide units (i.e. Thy units), certainly incoming from the existence of salt bridge interactions. Independent of the ion polarity, stable noncovalent complex precursor ions were found to dissociate preferentially through covalent bond cleavages of the partners without disrupting noncovalent interactions. The resulting DNA fragment ions were found to be still noncovalently linked to the peptides. Additionally, the losses of an internal nucleic fragment producing "three-body" noncovalent fragment ions were also observed in both ion polarities, demonstrating the spectacular salt bridge interaction stability. The identical fragmentation patterns (regardless of the relative fragment ion abundances) observed in both polarities have shown a common location of salt bridge interaction certainly preserved from solution. Nonetheless, most abundant noncovalent fragment ions (and particularly three-body ones) are observed from positively charged noncovalent complexes. Therefore, we assume that, independent of the preexisting salt bridge interaction and zwitterion structures, multiple covalent bond cleavages from single-stranded DNA/peptide complexes rely on an excess of positive charges in both electrospray ionization ion polarities.

The diagnostic value of cytokeratins and carcinoembryonic antigen immunostaining in differentiating hepatocellular carcinomas from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas.

PubMed

Stroescu, Cezar; Herlea, Vlad; Dragnea, Adrian; Popescu, Irinel

2006-03-01

To study the differences between the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and peripheral type of cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) using cytokeratin (CK) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) expressions and assessing their accuracy on paraffin sections in the differential diagnosis. The following antibodies were analyzed: AB1 complex (anti CK9-CK20), AB2 complex (anti CK1-CK8), pCEA, and the monoclonal antibodies against cytokeratins CK7, CK8/18, CK17 and CK19. In the mmunohistochemical studies, 15 selected surgically resected liver tumors, 10 HCCs and 5 CHCs, with well established diagnosis (by morphological criteria) were included. Other markers, such as AFP si CA 19-9, were not available. No CHC, but 50% of HCCs were positive for CEA, presenting a canalicular staining pattern. For CK 7, all but one (which was focally positive), meaning 80% of CHCs were diffusely positive, whereas only two HCCs were positive. For CK 19, 80% of CHCs were diffusely positive, while all but two HCCs (a moderately and a poorly differentiated tumor) were negative. For CK 8/18, 70% of HCCs were diffusely positive, whereas only 20% of CHCs were positive. For CK 17, 60% of CHCs were positive, while all HCCs were negative. 80% of CHCs were positive for AB1 anti-CKs complex, whereas only 50% of HCCs were positive, and relating to AB2 anti-CKs complex, 50% of HCCs were diffusely positive and only 20% of CHCs. The immunohistochemical expression of CKs and CEA might be considered helpful in addition to other diagnostic criteria for the differential diagnosis of primary carcinomas of the liver, especially in difficult cases.

Functional Diversity of AAA+ Protease Complexes in Bacillus subtilis

PubMed Central

Elsholz, Alexander K. W.; Birk, Marlene S.; Charpentier, Emmanuelle; Turgay, Kürşad

2017-01-01

Here, we review the diverse roles and functions of AAA+ protease complexes in protein homeostasis, control of stress response and cellular development pathways by regulatory and general proteolysis in the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis. We discuss in detail the intricate involvement of AAA+ protein complexes in controlling sporulation, the heat shock response and the role of adaptor proteins in these processes. The investigation of these protein complexes and their adaptor proteins has revealed their relevance for Gram-positive pathogens and their potential as targets for new antibiotics. PMID:28748186

Functional Diversity of AAA+ Protease Complexes in Bacillus subtilis.

PubMed

Elsholz, Alexander K W; Birk, Marlene S; Charpentier, Emmanuelle; Turgay, Kürşad

2017-01-01

Here, we review the diverse roles and functions of AAA+ protease complexes in protein homeostasis, control of stress response and cellular development pathways by regulatory and general proteolysis in the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis . We discuss in detail the intricate involvement of AAA+ protein complexes in controlling sporulation, the heat shock response and the role of adaptor proteins in these processes. The investigation of these protein complexes and their adaptor proteins has revealed their relevance for Gram-positive pathogens and their potential as targets for new antibiotics.

Positioning matrix of economic efficiency and complexity: a case study in a university hospital.

PubMed

Ippolito, Adelaide; Viggiani, Vincenzo

2014-01-01

At the end of 2010, the Federico II University Hospital in Naples, Italy, initiated a series of discussions aimed at designing and applying a positioning matrix to its departments. This analysis was developed to create a tool able to extract meaningful information both to increase knowledge about individual departments and to inform the choices of general management during strategic planning. The name given to this tool was the positioning matrix of economic efficiency and complexity. In the matrix, the x-axis measures the ratio between revenues and costs, whereas the y-axis measures the index of complexity, thus showing "profitability" while bearing in mind the complexity of activities. By using the positioning matrix, it was possible to conduct a critical analysis of the characteristics of the Federico II University Hospital and to extract useful information for general management to use during strategic planning at the end of 2010 when defining medium-term objectives. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Semen cryopreservation and radical reduction capacity of seminal fluid in captive African lion (Panthera leo).

PubMed

Luther, I; Jakop, U; Lueders, I; Tordiffe, A; Franz, C; Schiller, J; Kotze, A; Müller, K

2017-02-01

Optimizing cryopreservation protocols for nondomestic felids contributes to the successful development of assisted reproduction techniques and genetic resource banking. In this study, we describe a simple cryopreservation procedure for African lion (Panthera leo) ejaculates, which was tested with different packaging options and different sperm numbers per dose. By applying urethral catheterization and electroejaculation, 17 ejaculates with greater than 20% motile and greater than 5% progressively motile sperm were collected. A lyophilized extender (a modified egg yolk-Tes-Tris-fructose-glycerol medium) was rehydrated and added in one step at ambient temperature (∼25 °C) to semen, which was prediluted in cell culture medium M199. After slow cooling of insulated samples to 15 °C in a refrigerator (4 °C), the samples were fast frozen over the surface of liquid nitrogen or in a dry shipper. Aliquots of 300 μL containing 20 × 10 6 sperm were frozen in cryovials and in 0.5-mL straws. Differences were observed in the total motility after thawing between vial (31.5 ± 14.1%) and straw freezing (20.1 ± 8.6%). However, the subpopulations of vital (22.7 ± 7.8% for vial and 19.8 ± 8.5% for straw) and progressively motile (10.0 ± 7.9% for vial and 10.0 ± 6.4% for straw) sperm after washing and 1 hour incubation at 38 °C were of similar magnitude, velocity, and linearity for both packaging options. After freezing of five ejaculates with 20, 60, and 100 × 10 6 sperm per dose, best results were achieved at the lowest concentration. In general, post-thaw results were highly variable (2.2% and 56.5% total motility) and not correlated to motility or morphology of the fresh semen. To further characterize semen quality, we assessed the protective potential of seminal fluid against oxidative stress, which might be challenged on freeze thawing. The capacity of seminal fluid to reduce radicals was measured in 10 semen samples by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and a spin-labeled fatty acid as a radical probe. Moreover, we determined the lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) as potential lipid oxidation products in the sperm and erythrocytes of the males. Individuals with a high radical reduction capacity in the seminal fluid and a low LPC content in their erythrocytes showed a better cryosurvival of sperm. This is a first indication that seminal fluid may affect the freezing potential of African lion ejaculates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chlamydia Hijacks ARF GTPases To Coordinate Microtubule Posttranslational Modifications and Golgi Complex Positioning

PubMed Central

Wesolowski, Jordan; Weber, Mary M.; Nawrotek, Agata; Dooley, Cheryl A.; Calderon, Mike; St. Croix, Claudette M.; Hackstadt, Ted; Cherfils, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis develops in a parasitic compartment called the inclusion. Posttranslationally modified microtubules encase the inclusion, controlling the positioning of Golgi complex fragments around the inclusion. The molecular mechanisms by which Chlamydia coopts the host cytoskeleton and the Golgi complex to sustain its infectious compartment are unknown. Here, using a genetically modified Chlamydia strain, we discovered that both posttranslationally modified microtubules and Golgi complex positioning around the inclusion are controlled by the chlamydial inclusion protein CT813/CTL0184/InaC and host ARF GTPases. CT813 recruits ARF1 and ARF4 to the inclusion membrane, where they induce posttranslationally modified microtubules. Similarly, both ARF isoforms are required for the repositioning of Golgi complex fragments around the inclusion. We demonstrate that CT813 directly recruits ARF GTPases on the inclusion membrane and plays a pivotal role in their activation. Together, these results reveal that Chlamydia uses CT813 to hijack ARF GTPases to couple posttranslationally modified microtubules and Golgi complex repositioning at the inclusion. PMID:28465429

The in situ force in the calcaneofibular ligament and the contribution of this ligament to ankle joint stability.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Takuma; Yamakawa, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kota; Kimura, Kei; Suzuki, Daisuke; Otsubo, Hidenori; Teramoto, Atsushi; Fujimiya, Mineko; Fujie, Hiromichi; Yamashita, Toshihiko

2016-12-01

Numerous biomechanical studies of the lateral ankle ligaments have been reported; however, the isolated function of the calcaneofibular ligament has not been clarified. We hypothesize that the calcaneofibular ligament would stabilize the ankle joint complex under multidirectional loading, and that the in situ force in the calcaneofibular ligament would change in each flexed position. Using seven fresh frozen cadaveric lower extremities, the motions and forces of the intact ankle under multidirectional loading were recorded using a 6-degree-of-freedom robotic system. On repeating these intact ankle joint complex motions after the calcaneofibular ligament transection, the in situ force in the calcaneofibular ligament and the contribution of the calcaneofibular ligament to ankle joint complex stability were calculated. Finally, the motions of the calcaneofibular ligament-transected ankle joint complex were recorded. Under an inversion load, significant increases of inversion angle were observed in all the flexed positions following calcaneofibular ligament transection, and the calcaneofibular ligament accounted for 50%-70% of ankle joint complex stability during inversion. The in situ forces in the calcaneofibular ligament under an anterior force, inversion moment, and external rotation moment were larger in the dorsiflexed position than in the plantarflexed position. The calcaneofibular ligament plays a role in stabilizing the ankle joint complex to multidirectional loads and the role differs with load directions. The in situ force of the calcaneofibular ligament is larger at the dorsiflexed position. This ligament provides the primary restraint to the inversion ankle stability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Precision and accuracy in smFRET based structural studies—A benchmark study of the Fast-Nano-Positioning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagy, Julia; Eilert, Tobias; Michaelis, Jens

2018-03-01

Modern hybrid structural analysis methods have opened new possibilities to analyze and resolve flexible protein complexes where conventional crystallographic methods have reached their limits. Here, the Fast-Nano-Positioning System (Fast-NPS), a Bayesian parameter estimation-based analysis method and software, is an interesting method since it allows for the localization of unknown fluorescent dye molecules attached to macromolecular complexes based on single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) measurements. However, the precision, accuracy, and reliability of structural models derived from results based on such complex calculation schemes are oftentimes difficult to evaluate. Therefore, we present two proof-of-principle benchmark studies where we use smFRET data to localize supposedly unknown positions on a DNA as well as on a protein-nucleic acid complex. Since we use complexes where structural information is available, we can compare Fast-NPS localization to the existing structural data. In particular, we compare different dye models and discuss how both accuracy and precision can be optimized.

Positive Disintegration as a Process of Symmetry Breaking.

PubMed

Laycraft, Krystyna

2017-04-01

This article presents an analysis of the positive disintegration as a process of symmetry breaking. Symmetry breaking plays a major role in self-organized patterns formation and correlates directly to increasing complexity and function specialization. According to Dabrowski, a creator of the Theory of Positive Disintegration, the change from lower to higher levels of human development requires a major restructuring of an individual's psychological makeup. Each level of human development is a relatively stable and coherent configuration of emotional-cognitive patterns called developmental dynamisms. Their main function is to restructure a mental structure by breaking the symmetry of a low level and bringing differentiation and then integration to higher levels. The positive disintegration is then the process of transitions from a lower level of high symmetry and low complexity to higher levels of low symmetry and high complexity of mental structure.

Complex motion of a vehicle through a series of signals controlled by power-law phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagatani, Takashi

2017-07-01

We study the dynamic motion of a vehicle moving through the series of traffic signals controlled by the position-dependent phase of power law. All signals are controlled by both cycle time and position-dependent phase. The dynamic model of the vehicular motion is described in terms of the nonlinear map. The vehicular motion varies in a complex manner by varying cycle time for various values of the power of the position-dependent phase. The vehicle displays the periodic motion with a long cycle for the integer power of the phase, while the vehicular motion exhibits the very complex behavior for the non-integer power of the phase.

Method for oxidizing alkanes using novel porphyrins synthesized from dipyrromethanes and aldehydes

DOEpatents

Wijesekera, Tilak; Lyons, James E.; Ellis, Jr., Paul E.

1999-01-01

The invention comprises a method for the oxidation of alkanes to alcohols and for decomposition of hydroperoxides to alcohols utilizing new compositions of matter, which are metal complexes of porphyrins. Preferred complexes have hydrogen, haloalkyl or haloaryl groups in meso positions, two of the opposed meso atoms or groups being hydrogen or haloaryl, and two of the opposed meso atoms or groups being hydrogen or haloalkyl, but not all four of the meso atoms or groups being hydrogen. Other preferred complexes are ones in which all four of the meso positions are substituted with haloalkyl groups and the beta positions are substituted with halogen atoms. A new method of synthesizing porphyrinogens is also disclosed.

Method for hydroperoxide decomposition using novel porphyrins synthesized from dipyrromethanes and aldehydes

DOEpatents

Wijesekera, T.; Lyons, J.E.; Ellis, P.E. Jr.

1998-03-03

The invention comprises a method for the oxidation of alkanes to alcohols and for decomposition of hydroperoxides to alcohols utilizing new compositions of matter, which are metal complexes of porphyrins. Preferred complexes have hydrogen, haloalkyl or haloaryl groups in meso positions, two of the opposed meso atoms or groups being hydrogen or haloaryl, and two of the opposed meso atoms or groups being hydrogen or haloalkyl, but not all four of the meso atoms or groups being hydrogen. Other preferred complexes are ones in which all four of the meso positions are substituted with haloalkyl groups and the beta positions are substituted with halogen atoms. A new method of synthesizing porphyrinogens is also disclosed.

Method for hydroperoxide decomposition using novel porphyrins synthesized from dipyrromethanes and aldehydes

DOEpatents

Wijesekera, Tilak; Lyons, James E.; Ellis, Jr., Paul E.

1998-01-01

The invention comprises a method for the oxidation of alkanes to alcohols and for decomposition of hydroperoxides to alcohols utilizing new compositions of matter, which are metal complexes of porphyrins. Preferred complexes have hydrogen, haloalkyl or haloaryl groups in meso positions, two of the opposed meso atoms or groups being hydrogen or haloaryl, and two of the opposed meso atoms or groups being hydrogen or haloalkyl, but not all four of the meso atoms or groups being hydrogen. Other preferred complexes are ones in which all four of the meso positions are substituted with haloalkyl groups and the beta positions are substituted with halogen atoms. A new method of synthesizing porphyrinogens is also disclosed.

Berlyne Revisited: Evidence for the Multifaceted Nature of Hedonic Tone in the Appreciation of Paintings and Music

PubMed Central

Marin, Manuela M.; Lampatz, Allegra; Wandl, Michaela; Leder, Helmut

2016-01-01

In his seminal book on esthetics, Berlyne (1971) posited an inverted-U relationship between complexity and hedonic tone in arts appreciation, however, converging evidence for his theory is still missing. The disregard of the multidimensionality of complexity may explain some of the divergent results. Here, we argue that definitions of hedonic tone are manifold and systematically examined whether the nature of the relationship between complexity and hedonic tone is determined by the specific measure of hedonic tone. In Experiment 1, we studied three picture categories with similar affective and semantic contents: 96 affective environmental scenes, which were also converted into 96 cartoons, and 96 representational paintings. Complexity varied along the dimension of elements. In a between-subjects design, each stimulus was presented for 5 s to 206 female participants. Subjective ratings of hedonic tone (either beauty, pleasantness or liking), arousal, complexity and familiarity were collected in three conditions per stimulus set. Complexity and arousal were positively associated in all conditions, with the strongest association observed for paintings. For environmental scenes and cartoons, there was no significant association between complexity and hedonic tone, and the three measures of hedonic tone were highly correlated (all rs > 0.85). As predicted, in paintings the measures of hedonic tone were less strongly correlated (all rs > 0.73), and when controlling for familiarity, the association with complexity was significantly positive for beauty (rs = 0.26), weakly negative for pleasantness (rs = -0.16) and not present for liking. Experiment 2 followed a similar approach and 77 female participants, all non-musicians, rated 92 musical excerpts (15 s) in three conditions of hedonic tone (either beauty, pleasantness or liking). Results indicated a strong relationship between complexity and arousal (all rs > 0.85). When controlling for familiarity effects, the relationship between complexity and beauty followed an inverted-U curve, whereas the relationship between complexity and pleasantness was negative (rs = -0.26) and the one between complexity and liking positive (rs = 0.29). We relate our results to Berlyne’s theory and the latest findings in neuroaesthetics, proposing that future studies need to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of hedonic tone in esthetic experiences of artforms. PMID:27867350

Culture and group-based emotions: could group-based emotions be dialectical?

PubMed

Lu, Minjie; Hamamura, Takeshi; Doosje, Bertjan; Suzuki, Satoko; Takemura, Kosuke

2017-08-01

Group-based emotions are experienced when individuals are engaged in emotion-provoking events that implicate the in-group. This research examines the complexity of group-based emotions, specifically a concurrence of positive and negative emotions, focusing on the role of dialecticism, or a set of folk beliefs prevalent in Asian cultures that views nature and objects as constantly changing, inherently contradictory, and fundamentally interconnected. Study 1 found that dialecticism is positively associated with the complexity of Chinese participants' group-based emotions after reading a scenario depicting a positive intergroup experience. Study 2 found that Chinese participants experienced more complex group-based emotions compared with Dutch participants in an intergroup situation and that this cultural difference was mediated by dialecticism. Study 3 manipulated dialecticism and confirmed its causal effect on complex group-based emotions. These studies also suggested the role of a balanced appraisal of an intergroup situation as a mediating factor.

Dynamic maintenance of asymmetric meiotic spindle position through Arp2/3 complex-driven cytoplasmic streaming in mouse oocytes

PubMed Central

Yi, Kexi; Unruh, Jay R.; Deng, Manqi; Slaughter, Brian D.; Rubinstein, Boris; Li, Rong

2012-01-01

Mature mammalian oocytes are poised for the completion of second polar body extrusion upon fertilization by positioning the metaphase spindle in close proximity to an actomyosin-rich cortical cap. Loss of this spindle position asymmetry is often associated with poor oocyte quality and infertility 1–3. Here, we report a novel role for the Arp2/3 actin nucleation complex in the maintenance of asymmetric spindle position in mature mouse oocytes. The Arp2/3 complex localizes to the cortical cap in a Ran GTPase-dependent manner and accounts for the nucleation of the majority of actin filaments in both the cortical cap and a cytoplasmic actin network. Inhibition of Arp2/3 complex activity or localization leads to rapid dissociation of the spindle from the cortex. High resolution live imaging and spatiotemporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS) analysis reveal that in normal oocytes actin filaments flow continuously away from the Arp2/3-rich cortex, generating a cytoplamic streaming that results in a net pushing force on the spindle toward the actomyosin cap. Arp2/3 inhibition not only diminishes this actin flow and cytoplamic streaming but also enables a reverse streaming driven by myosin-II-based cortical contraction, leading to spindle movement away from the cortex. We conclude that the Arp2/3 complex maintains asymmetric meiotic spindle position by generating an actin polymerization-driven cytoplamic streaming and by suppressing a counteracting force from myosin-II-based contractility. PMID:21874009

Formation kinetics and mechanism of metastable vacancy-dioxygen complex in neutron irradiated Czochralski silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Peng; Wang, Rong; Yu, Xuegong; Chen, Lin; Ma, Xiangyang; Yang, Deren

2017-07-01

We have quantitatively investigated the formation kinetics of metastable vacancy-dioxygen (VO2) complex in a structure of [VO + Oi], where a VO complex is trapped in a next-neighbor position to an interstitial oxygen atom (Oi). It is found that the VO annihilation is accompanied by the generation of metastable [VO + Oi] complex during annealing in the temperature range of 220-250 °C. The activation energy for [VO + Oi] generation appears at around 0.48 eV, which is much lower than the counterpart of stable VO2 complex. This indicates that the formation of [VO + Oi] complex originates from the reaction between VO and Oi. The ab initio calculations show that the formation energy of [VO + Oi] complex is larger than that of VO2 complex, which means that [VO + Oi] complex is thermodynamically unfavorable as compared to VO2 complex. However, the binding energy of [VO + Oi] complex is positive, indicating that [VO + Oi] complex is stable against decomposition of VO and Oi in silicon. It is believed that [VO + Oi] complex serves as the intermediate for VO to VO2 conversion.

A meta-analysis of crop pest and natural enemy response to landscape complexity.

PubMed

Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca; O'Rourke, Megan E; Blitzer, Eleanor J; Kremen, Claire

2011-09-01

Many studies in recent years have investigated the relationship between landscape complexity and pests, natural enemies and/or pest control. However, no quantitative synthesis of this literature beyond simple vote-count methods yet exists. We conducted a meta-analysis of 46 landscape-level studies, and found that natural enemies have a strong positive response to landscape complexity. Generalist enemies show consistent positive responses to landscape complexity across all scales measured, while specialist enemies respond more strongly to landscape complexity at smaller scales. Generalist enemy response to natural habitat also tends to occur at larger spatial scales than for specialist enemies, suggesting that land management strategies to enhance natural pest control should differ depending on whether the dominant enemies are generalists or specialists. The positive response of natural enemies does not necessarily translate into pest control, since pest abundances show no significant response to landscape complexity. Very few landscape-scale studies have estimated enemy impact on pest populations, however, limiting our understanding of the effects of landscape on pest control. We suggest focusing future research efforts on measuring population dynamics rather than static counts to better characterise the relationship between landscape complexity and pest control services from natural enemies. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

The effect of orthostasis on recurrence quantification analysis of heart rate and blood pressure dynamics.

PubMed

Javorka, M; Turianikova, Z; Tonhajzerova, I; Javorka, K; Baumert, M

2009-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of orthostatic challenge on recurrence plot based complexity measures of heart rate and blood pressure variability (HRV and BPV). HRV and BPV complexities were assessed in 28 healthy subjects over 15 min in the supine and standing positions. The complexity of HRV and BPV was assessed based on recurrence quantification analysis. HRV complexity was reduced along with the HRV magnitude after changing from the supine to the standing position. In contrast, the BPV magnitude increased and BPV complexity decreased upon standing. Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) of HRV and BPV is sensitive to orthostatic challenge and might therefore be suited to assess changes in autonomic neural outflow to the cardiovascular system.

The centromeric nucleosome-like CENP–T–W–S–X complex induces positive supercoils into DNA

PubMed Central

Takeuchi, Kozo; Nishino, Tatsuya; Mayanagi, Kouta; Horikoshi, Naoki; Osakabe, Akihisa; Tachiwana, Hiroaki; Hori, Tetsuya; Kurumizaka, Hitoshi; Fukagawa, Tatsuo

2014-01-01

The centromere is a specific genomic region upon which the kinetochore is formed to attach to spindle microtubules for faithful chromosome segregation. To distinguish this chromosomal region from other genomic loci, the centromere contains a specific chromatin structure including specialized nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant CENP–A. In addition to CENP–A nucleosomes, we have found that centromeres contain a nucleosome-like structure comprised of the histone-fold CENP–T–W–S–X complex. However, it is unclear how the CENP–T–W–S–X complex associates with centromere chromatin. Here, we demonstrate that the CENP–T–W–S–X complex binds preferentially to ∼100 bp of linker DNA rather than nucleosome-bound DNA. In addition, we find that the CENP–T–W–S–X complex primarily binds to DNA as a (CENP–T–W–S–X)2 structure. Interestingly, in contrast to canonical nucleosomes that negatively supercoil DNA, the CENP–T–W–S–X complex induces positive DNA supercoils. We found that the DNA-binding regions in CENP–T or CENP–W, but not CENP–S or CENP–X, are required for this positive supercoiling activity and the kinetochore targeting of the CENP–T–W–S–X complex. In summary, our work reveals the structural features and properties of the CENP–T–W–S–X complex for its localization to centromeres. PMID:24234442

Modeling and simulation for fewer-axis grinding of complex surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhengjian; Peng, Xiaoqiang; Song, Ci

2017-10-01

As the basis of fewer-axis grinding of complex surface, the grinding mathematical model is of great importance. A mathematical model of the grinding wheel was established, and then coordinate and normal vector of the wheel profile could be calculated. Through normal vector matching at the cutter contact point and the coordinate system transformation, the grinding mathematical model was established to work out the coordinate of the cutter location point. Based on the model, interference analysis was simulated to find out the right position and posture of workpiece for grinding. Then positioning errors of the workpiece including the translation positioning error and the rotation positioning error were analyzed respectively, and the main locating datum was obtained. According to the analysis results, the grinding tool path was planned and generated to grind the complex surface, and good form accuracy was obtained. The grinding mathematical model is simple, feasible and can be widely applied.

PF4/heparin-antibody complex induces monocyte tissue factor expression and release of tissue factor positive microparticles by activation of FcγRI

PubMed Central

Glover, Sam L.; Jonas, William; McEachron, Troy; Pawlinski, Rafal; Arepally, Gowthami M.; Key, Nigel S.; Mackman, Nigel

2012-01-01

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially devastating form of drug-induced thrombocytopenia that occurs in patients receiving heparin for prevention or treatment of thrombosis. Patients with HIT develop autoantibodies to the platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin complex, which is termed the HIT Ab complex. Despite a decrease in the platelet count, the most feared complication of HIT is thrombosis. The mechanism of thrombosis in HIT remains poorly understood. We investigated the effects of the HIT Ab complex on tissue factor (TF) expression and release of TF-positive microparticles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and monocytes. To model these effects ex vivo, we used a murine mAb specific for the PF4/heparin complex (KKO), as well as plasma from patients with HIT. We found that the HIT Ab complex induced TF expression in monocytes and the release of TF-positive microparticles. Further, we found that induction of TF is mediated via engagement of the FcγRI receptor and activation of the MEK1-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Our data suggest that monocyte TF may contribute to the development of thrombosis in patients with HIT. PMID:22394597

Stable centromere positioning in diverse sequence contexts of complex and satellite centromeres of maize and wild relatives.

PubMed

Gent, Jonathan I; Wang, Na; Dawe, R Kelly

2017-06-21

Paradoxically, centromeres are known both for their characteristic repeat sequences (satellite DNA) and for being epigenetically defined. Maize (Zea mays mays) is an attractive model for studying centromere positioning because many of its large (~2 Mb) centromeres are not dominated by satellite DNA. These centromeres, which we call complex centromeres, allow for both assembly into reference genomes and for mapping short reads from ChIP-seq with antibodies to centromeric histone H3 (cenH3). We found frequent complex centromeres in maize and its wild relatives Z. mays parviglumis, Z. mays mexicana, and particularly Z. mays huehuetenangensis. Analysis of individual plants reveals minor variation in the positions of complex centromeres among siblings. However, such positional shifts are stochastic and not heritable, consistent with prior findings that centromere positioning is stable at the population level. Centromeres are also stable in multiple F1 hybrid contexts. Analysis of repeats in Z. mays and other species (Zea diploperennis, Zea luxurians, and Tripsacum dactyloides) reveals tenfold differences in abundance of the major satellite CentC, but similar high levels of sequence polymorphism in individual CentC copies. Deviation from the CentC consensus has little or no effect on binding of cenH3. These data indicate that complex centromeres are neither a peculiarity of cultivation nor inbreeding in Z. mays. While extensive arrays of CentC may be the norm for other Zea and Tripsacum species, these data also reveal that a wide diversity of DNA sequences and multiple types of genetic elements in and near centromeres support centromere function and constrain centromere positions.

On State Complexes and Special Cube Complexes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Valerie J.

2009-01-01

This thesis presents the first steps toward a classification of non-positively curved cube complexes called state complexes. A "state complex" is a configuration space for a "reconfigurable system," i.e., an abstract system in which local movements occur in some discrete manner. Reconfigurable systems can be used to describe, for example,…

SU-E-T-325: The New Evaluation Method of the VMAT Plan Delivery Using Varian DynaLog Files and Modulation Complexity Score (MCS)

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

Tateoka, K; Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, JP; Fujimomo, K

2014-06-01

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the use of Varian DynaLog files to verify VMAT plans delivery and modulation complexity score (MCS) of VMAT. Methods: Delivery accuracy of machine performance was quantified by multileaf collimator (MLC) position errors, gantry angle errors and fluence delivery accuracy for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The relationship between machine performance and plan complexity were also investigated using the modulation complexity score (MCS). Plan and Actual MLC positions, gantry angles and delivered fraction of monitor units were extracted from Varian DynaLog files. These factors were taken from the record and verify systemmore » of MLC control file. Planned and delivered beam data were compared to determine leaf position errors and gantry angle errors. Analysis was also performed on planned and actual fluence maps reconstructed from those of the DynaLog files. This analysis was performed for all treatment fractions of 5 prostate VMAT plans. The analysis of DynaLog files have been carried out by in-house programming in Visual C++. Results: The root mean square of leaf position and gantry angle errors were about 0.12 and 0.15, respectively. The Gamma of planned and actual fluence maps at 3%/3 mm criterion was about 99.21. The gamma of the leaf position errors were not directly related to plan complexity as determined by the MCS. Therefore, the gamma of the gantry angle errors were directly related to plan complexity as determined by the MCS. Conclusion: This study shows Varian dynalog files for VMAT plan can be diagnosed delivery errors not possible with phantom based quality assurance. Furthermore, the MCS of VMAT plan can evaluate delivery accuracy for patients receiving of VMAT. Machine performance was found to be directly related to plan complexity but this is not the dominant determinant of delivery accuracy.« less

Use of immunochromatographic assay for rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from liquid culture

PubMed Central

Považan, Anika; Vukelić, Anka; Savković, Tijana; Kurucin, Tatjana

2012-01-01

A new, simple immunochromatographic assay for rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in liquid cultures has been developed. The principle of the assay is binding of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex specific antigen to the monoclonal antibody conjugated on the test strip. The aim of this study is evaluation of the performance of immunochromatographic assay in identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in primary positive liquid cultures of BacT/Alert automated system. A total of 159 primary positive liquid cultures were tested using the immunochromatographic assay (BD MGIT TBc ID) and the conventional subculture, followed by identification using biochemical tests. Of 159 positive liquid cultures, using the conventional method, Mycobacterium tuberculos is was identified in 119 (74.8%), nontuberculous mycobacteria were found in 4 (2.5%), 14 (8.8%) cultures were contaminated and 22 (13.8%) cultures were found to be negative. Using the immunochromatographic assay, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was detected in 118 (74.2%) liquid cultures, and 41 (25.8%) tests were negative. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the test were 98.3%; 97.5%; 99.15%; 95.12%, respectively. The value of kappa test was 0.950, and McNemar test was 1.00. The immunochromatographic assay is a simple and rapid test which represents a suitable alternative to the conventional subculture method for the primary identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in liquid cultures of BacT/Alert automated system. PMID:22364301

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

Wang, Yanli; Juranek, Stefan; Li, Haitao

Here we report on a 3.0 {angstrom} crystal structure of a ternary complex of wild-type Thermus thermophilus argonaute bound to a 5'-phosphorylated 21-nucleotide guide DNA and a 20-nucleotide target RNA containing cleavage-preventing mismatches at the 10-11 step. The seed segment (positions 2 to 8) adopts an A-helical-like Watson-Crick paired duplex, with both ends of the guide strand anchored in the complex. An arginine, inserted between guide-strand bases 10 and 11 in the binary complex, locking it in an inactive conformation, is released on ternary complex formation. The nucleic-acid-binding channel between the PAZ- and PIWI-containing lobes of argonaute widens on formationmore » of a more open ternary complex. The relationship of structure to function was established by determining cleavage activity of ternary complexes containing position-dependent base mismatch, bulge and 2'-O-methyl modifications. Consistent with the geometry of the ternary complex, bulges residing in the seed segments of the target, but not the guide strand, were better accommodated and their complexes were catalytically active.« less

Hydride-Meisenheimer Complex Formation and Protonation as Key Reactions of 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol Biodegradation by Rhodococcus erythropolis

PubMed Central

Rieger, Paul-Gerhard; Sinnwell, Volker; Preuß, Andrea; Francke, Wittko; Knackmuss, Hans-Joachim

1999-01-01

Biodegradation of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid) by Rhodococcus erythropolis HLPM-1 proceeds via initial hydrogenation of the aromatic ring system. Here we present evidence for the formation of a hydride-Meisenheimer complex (anionic ς-complex) of picric acid and its protonated form under physiological conditions. These complexes are key intermediates of denitration and productive microbial degradation of picric acid. For comparative spectroscopic identification of the hydride complex, it was necessary to synthesize this complex for the first time. Spectroscopic data revealed the initial addition of a hydride ion at position 3 of picric acid. This hydride complex readily picks up a proton at position 2, thus forming a reactive species for the elimination of nitrite. Cell extracts of R. erythropolis HLPM-1 transform the chemically synthesized hydride complex into 2,4-dinitrophenol. Picric acid is used as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source by R. erythropolis HLPM-1. PMID:9973345

Stabilization of non-productive conformations underpins rapid electron transfer to electron-transferring flavoprotein.

PubMed

Toogood, Helen S; van Thiel, Adam; Scrutton, Nigel S; Leys, David

2005-08-26

Crystal structures of protein complexes with electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) have revealed a dual protein-protein interface with one region serving as anchor while the ETF FAD domain samples available space within the complex. We show that mutation of the conserved Glu-165beta in human ETF leads to drastically modulated rates of interprotein electron transfer with both medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and dimethylglycine dehydrogenase. The crystal structure of free E165betaA ETF is essentially identical to that of wild-type ETF, but the crystal structure of the E165betaA ETF.medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase complex reveals clear electron density for the FAD domain in a position optimal for fast interprotein electron transfer. Based on our observations, we present a dynamic multistate model for conformational sampling that for the wild-type ETF. medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase complex involves random motion between three distinct positions for the ETF FAD domain. ETF Glu-165beta plays a key role in stabilizing positions incompatible with fast interprotein electron transfer, thus ensuring high rates of complex dissociation.

Utterance complexity and stuttering on function words in preschool-age children who stutter.

PubMed

Richels, Corrin; Buhr, Anthony; Conture, Edward; Ntourou, Katerina

2010-09-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the relation between utterance complexity and utterance position and the tendency to stutter on function words in preschool-age children who stutter (CWS). Two separate studies involving two different groups of participants (Study 1, n=30; Study 2, n=30) were conducted. Participants were preschool-age CWS between the age of 3, 0 and 5, 11 who engaged in 15-20min parent-child conversational interactions. From audio-video recordings of each interaction, every child utterance of each parent-child sample was transcribed. From these transcripts, for each participant, measures of language (e.g., length and complexity) and measures of stuttering (e.g., word type and utterance position) were obtained. Results of Study 1 indicated that children stuttered more frequently on function words, but that this tendency was not greater for complex than simple utterances. Results of Study 2, involving the assessment of utterance position and MLU quartile, indicated that that stuttering was more likely to occur with increasing sentence length, and that stuttering tended to occur at the utterance-initial position, the position where function words were also more likely to occur. Findings were taken to suggest that, although word-level influences cannot be discounted, utterance-level influences contribute to the loci of stuttering in preschool-age children, and may help account for developmental changes in the loci of stuttering. The reader will learn about and be able to: (a) describe the influence of word type (function versus content words), and grammatical complexity, on disfluent speech; (b) compare the effect of stuttering frequency based on the position of the word in the utterance; (c) discuss the contribution of utterance position on the frequency of stuttering on function words; and (d) explain possible reasons why preschoolers stutter more frequently on function words than content words.

Core lipid, surface lipid and apolipoprotein composition analysis of lipoprotein particles as a function of particle size in one workflow integrating asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

PubMed Central

Jones, Jeffery I.; Gardner, Michael S.; Schieltz, David M.; Parks, Bryan A.; Toth, Christopher A.; Rees, Jon C.; Andrews, Michael L.; Carter, Kayla; Lehtikoski, Antony K.; McWilliams, Lisa G.; Williamson, Yulanda M.; Bierbaum, Kevin P.; Pirkle, James L.; Barr, John R.

2018-01-01

Lipoproteins are complex molecular assemblies that are key participants in the intricate cascade of extracellular lipid metabolism with important consequences in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions and the development of cardiovascular disease. Multiplexed mass spectrometry (MS) techniques have substantially improved the ability to characterize the composition of lipoproteins. However, these advanced MS techniques are limited by traditional pre-analytical fractionation techniques that compromise the structural integrity of lipoprotein particles during separation from serum or plasma. In this work, we applied a highly effective and gentle hydrodynamic size based fractionation technique, asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), and integrated it into a comprehensive tandem mass spectrometry based workflow that was used for the measurement of apolipoproteins (apos A-I, A-II, A-IV, B, C-I, C-II, C-III and E), free cholesterol (FC), cholesterol esters (CE), triglycerides (TG), and phospholipids (PL) (phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingomyelin (SM), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)). Hydrodynamic size in each of 40 size fractions separated by AF4 was measured by dynamic light scattering. Measuring all major lipids and apolipoproteins in each size fraction and in the whole serum, using total of 0.1 ml, allowed the volumetric calculation of lipoprotein particle numbers and expression of composition in molar analyte per particle number ratios. Measurements in 110 serum samples showed substantive differences between size fractions of HDL and LDL. Lipoprotein composition within size fractions was expressed in molar ratios of analytes (A-I/A-II, C-II/C-I, C-II/C-III. E/C-III, FC/PL, SM/PL, PE/PL, and PI/PL), showing differences in sample categories with combinations of normal and high levels of Total-C and/or Total-TG. The agreement with previous studies indirectly validates the AF4-LC-MS/MS approach and demonstrates the potential of this workflow for characterization of lipoprotein composition in clinical studies using small volumes of archived frozen samples. PMID:29634782

Antibacterial, antibiofilm and antioxidant screening of copper(II)-complexes with some S-alkyl derivatives of thiosalicylic acid. Crystal structure of the binuclear copper(II)-complex with S-propyl derivative of thiosalicylic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bukonjić, Andriana M.; Tomović, Dušan Lj.; Nikolić, Miloš V.; Mijajlović, Marina Ž.; Jevtić, Verica V.; Ratković, Zoran R.; Novaković, Slađana B.; Bogdanović, Goran A.; Radojević, Ivana D.; Maksimović, Jovana Z.; Vasić, Sava M.; Čomić, Ljiljana R.; Trifunović, Srećko R.; Radić, Gordana P.

2017-01-01

The spectroscopically predicted structure of the obtained copper(II)-complex with S-propyl derivative of thiosalicylic acid was confirmed by X-ray structural study. The binuclear copper(II)-complex with S-propyl derivative of thiosalicylic acid crystallized in two polymorphic forms with main structural difference in the orientation of phenyl rings relative to corresponding carboxylate groups. The antibacterial activity was tested determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) by using microdilution method. The influence on bacterial biofilm formation was determined by tissue culture plate method. In general, the copper(II)-complexes manifested a selective and moderate activity. The most sensitive bacteria to the effects of Cu(II)-complexes was a clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For this bacteria MIC and biofilm inhibitory concentration (BIC) values for all tested complexes were in the range or better than the positive control, doxycycline. Also, for the established biofilm of clinical isolate Staphylococcus aureus, BIC values for the copper(II)-complex with S-ethyl derivative of thiosalicylic acid,[Cu2(S-et-thiosal)4(H2O)2] (C3) and copper(II)-complex with S-butyl derivative of thiosalicylic acid, [Cu2(S-bu-thiosal)4(H2O)2] (C5) were in range or better than the positive control. All the complexes acted better against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923) than Gram-negative bacteria (Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12453, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27855). The complexes showed weak antioxidative properties tested by two methods (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power assay).

Solving the Inverse-Square Problem with Complex Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauthier, N.

2005-01-01

The equation of motion for a mass that moves under the influence of a central, inverse-square force is formulated and solved as a problem in complex variables. To find the solution, the constancy of angular momentum is first established using complex variables. Next, the complex position coordinate and complex velocity of the particle are assumed…

Complex Recanalization of Chronic Total Occluison Supported by Minimal Extracorporeal Circulation in a Patient with an Aortic Valve Bioprothesis in Extraanatomic Position

PubMed Central

Jansen, Ruben; Bathgate, Brigitte; Bufe, Alexander

2018-01-01

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusion (CTO) still remains a major challenge in interventional cardiology. This case describes a complex PCI of the left main coronary artery and of a CTO of the right coronary artery using a minimal extracorporeal circulation system (MECC) in a patient with an aortic valve bioprothesis in extraanatomic position. It illustrates that complex recanalization strategies can be solved combining it with mechanical circulatory support technologies. PMID:29850264

Impact of terminal cleaning and disinfection on isolation of Acinetobacter baumannii complex from inanimate surfaces of hospital rooms by quantitative and qualitative methods.

PubMed

Manian, Farrin A; Griesnauer, Sandra; Senkel, Diane

2013-04-01

Quantitative broth cultures were obtained from hospital rooms newly vacated by patients positive for multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii complex (ABC) before and after terminal cleaning and disinfection. Of 10 ABC-positive precleaned room surfaces, 6 (60%) remained culture-positive after terminal cleaning and disinfection. Of a total of 16 room surfaces with detectable ABC by the quantitative method, 5 (31.2%; 95% confidence interval, 13.9%-55.8%) were also culture-positive by the qualitative technique. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Higher platelet reactivity and platelet-monocyte complex formation in Gram-positive sepsis compared to Gram-negative sepsis.

PubMed

Tunjungputri, Rahajeng N; van de Heijden, Wouter; Urbanus, Rolf T; de Groot, Philip G; van der Ven, Andre; de Mast, Quirijn

2017-09-01

Platelets may play a role in the high risk for vascular complications in Gram-positive sepsis. We compared the platelet reactivity of 15 patients with Gram-positive sepsis, 17 with Gram-negative sepsis and 20 healthy controls using a whole blood flow cytometry-based assay. Patients with Gram-positive sepsis had the highest median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of the platelet membrane expression of P-selectin upon stimulation with high dose adenosine diphosphate (ADP; P = 0.002 vs. Gram-negative and P = 0.005 vs. control groups) and cross-linked collagen-related peptide (CRP-XL; P = 0.02 vs. Gram-negative and P = 0.0001 vs. control groups). The Gram-positive group also demonstrated significantly higher ADP-induced fibrinogen binding (P = 0.001), as wll as platelet-monocyte complex formation (P = 0.02), compared to the Gram-negative group and had the highest plasma levels of platelet factor 4, β-thromboglobulin and soluble P-selectin. In contrast, thrombin-antithrombin complex and C-reactive protein levels were comparable in both patient groups. In conclusion, common Gram-positive pathogens induce platelet hyperreactivity, which may contribute to a higher risk for vascular complications.

Clinical relevance of voltage-gated potassium channel–complex antibodies in children.

PubMed

Hacohen, Yael; Singh, Rahul; Rossi, Meghan; Lang, Bethan; Hemingway, Cheryl; Lim, Ming; Vincent, Angela

2015-09-15

To assess the clinical and immunologic findings in children with voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies (Abs). Thirty-nine of 363 sera, referred from 2 pediatric centers from 2007 to 2013, had been reported positive (.100 pM) for VGKC-complex Abs. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively and the patients’ condition was independently classified as inflammatory (n 5 159) or noninflammatory (n 5 204). Positive sera (.100 pM) were tested/retested for the VGKC complex Ab–positive complex proteins LGI1 and CASPR2, screened for binding to live hippocampal neurons, and 12 high-titer sera (.400 pM) tested by radioimmunoassay for binding to VGKC Kv1 subunits with or without intracellular postsynaptic density proteins. VGKC-complex Abs were found in 39 children, including 20% of encephalopathies and 7.6% of other conditions (p 5 0.001). Thirty children had inflammatory conditions and 9 had noninflammatory etiologies but titers.400 pM (n512) were found only in inflammatory diseases (p , 0.0001). Four sera, including from 2 children with coexisting NMDA receptor Abs and one with Guillain-Barré syndrome and Abs to both LGI1 and CASPR2, bound to hippocampal neurons. None of the sera bound detectably to VGKC Kv1 subunits on live HEK cells, but 4 of 12 .400 pM sera immunoprecipitated VGKC Kv1 subunits, with or without postsynaptic densities, extracted from transfected cells. Positive VGKC-complex Abs cannot be taken to indicate a specific clinical syndrome in children, but appear to be a nonspecific biomarker of inflammatory neurologic diseases, particularly of encephalopathy. Some of the Abs may bind to intracellular epitopes on the VGKC subunits, or to the intracellular interacting proteins, but in many the targets remain undefined.

Clinical relevance of voltage-gated potassium channel–complex antibodies in children

PubMed Central

Hacohen, Yael; Singh, Rahul; Rossi, Meghan; Lang, Bethan; Hemingway, Cheryl; Lim, Ming

2015-01-01

Objective: To assess the clinical and immunologic findings in children with voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies (Abs). Methods: Thirty-nine of 363 sera, referred from 2 pediatric centers from 2007 to 2013, had been reported positive (>100 pM) for VGKC-complex Abs. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively and the patients' condition was independently classified as inflammatory (n = 159) or noninflammatory (n = 204). Positive sera (>100 pM) were tested/retested for the VGKC-complex Ab–positive complex proteins LGI1 and CASPR2, screened for binding to live hippocampal neurons, and 12 high-titer sera (>400 pM) tested by radioimmunoassay for binding to VGKC Kv1 subunits with or without intracellular postsynaptic density proteins. Results: VGKC-complex Abs were found in 39 children, including 20% of encephalopathies and 7.6% of other conditions (p = 0.001). Thirty children had inflammatory conditions and 9 had noninflammatory etiologies but titers >400 pM (n = 12) were found only in inflammatory diseases (p < 0.0001). Four sera, including from 2 children with coexisting NMDA receptor Abs and one with Guillain-Barré syndrome and Abs to both LGI1 and CASPR2, bound to hippocampal neurons. None of the sera bound detectably to VGKC Kv1 subunits on live HEK cells, but 4 of 12 >400 pM sera immunoprecipitated VGKC Kv1 subunits, with or without postsynaptic densities, extracted from transfected cells. Conclusion: Positive VGKC-complex Abs cannot be taken to indicate a specific clinical syndrome in children, but appear to be a nonspecific biomarker of inflammatory neurologic diseases, particularly of encephalopathy. Some of the Abs may bind to intracellular epitopes on the VGKC subunits, or to the intracellular interacting proteins, but in many the targets remain undefined. PMID:26296514

Application of the solid phase C1q and Raji cell radioimmune assays for the detection of circulating immune complexes in glomerulonephritis.

PubMed Central

Tung, K S; Woodroffe, A J; Ahlin, T D; Williams, R C; Wilson, C B

1978-01-01

The C1q solid phase and Raji cell radioimmune assays were used to determine the frequency of detectable circulating immune complexes in patients with glomerulonephritis. In this study, 46% of 56 patients with glomerulonephritis had evidence of circulating immune complexes. More important, circulating immune complexes were associated with some, but not other, types of glomerulonephritis. Thus, immune complexes were detected in lupus glomerulonephritis (9/9 patients), rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (5/6 patients), and acute nephritis (5/6 patients), but not in IgA-IgG glomerulonephritis (0/7 patients), or membranous glomerulonephritis (0/8 patients). The Raji cell radioimmune assay and the C1q solid phase radioimmune assay showed concordance of 79% in the detection of circulating immune complexes. Serial determinations, in general, showed either persistence of a negative or positive result of conversion of positive to negative. PMID:659639

Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Interactions between Facial Expressions and Gender Information in Face Perception.

PubMed

Liu, Chengwei; Liu, Ying; Iqbal, Zahida; Li, Wenhui; Lv, Bo; Jiang, Zhongqing

2017-01-01

To investigate the interaction between facial expressions and facial gender information during face perception, the present study matched the intensities of the two types of information in face images and then adopted the orthogonal condition of the Garner Paradigm to present the images to participants who were required to judge the gender and expression of the faces; the gender and expression presentations were varied orthogonally. Gender and expression processing displayed a mutual interaction. On the one hand, the judgment of angry expressions occurred faster when presented with male facial images; on the other hand, the classification of the female gender occurred faster when presented with a happy facial expression than when presented with an angry facial expression. According to the evoked-related potential results, the expression classification was influenced by gender during the face structural processing stage (as indexed by N170), which indicates the promotion or interference of facial gender with the coding of facial expression features. However, gender processing was affected by facial expressions in more stages, including the early (P1) and late (LPC) stages of perceptual processing, reflecting that emotional expression influences gender processing mainly by directing attention.

Speech enhancement using the modified phase-opponency model.

PubMed

Deshmukh, Om D; Espy-Wilson, Carol Y; Carney, Laurel H

2007-06-01

In this paper we present a model called the Modified Phase-Opponency (MPO) model for single-channel speech enhancement when the speech is corrupted by additive noise. The MPO model is based on the auditory PO model, proposed for detection of tones in noise. The PO model includes a physiologically realistic mechanism for processing the information in neural discharge times and exploits the frequency-dependent phase properties of the tuned filters in the auditory periphery by using a cross-auditory-nerve-fiber coincidence detection for extracting temporal cues. The MPO model alters the components of the PO model such that the basic functionality of the PO model is maintained but the properties of the model can be analyzed and modified independently. The MPO-based speech enhancement scheme does not need to estimate the noise characteristics nor does it assume that the noise satisfies any statistical model. The MPO technique leads to the lowest value of the LPC-based objective measures and the highest value of the perceptual evaluation of speech quality measure compared to other methods when the speech signals are corrupted by fluctuating noise. Combining the MPO speech enhancement technique with our aperiodicity, periodicity, and pitch detector further improves its performance.

Stereoselective bioaccumulation of chiral PCB 91 in earthworm and its metabolomic and lipidomic responses.

PubMed

He, Zeying; Wang, Yuehua; Zhang, Yanwei; Cheng, Haiyan; Liu, Xiaowei

2018-07-01

Stereoselective bioaccumulation, elimination, metabolomic and lipidomic responses of earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to chiral polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 91 in an earthworm-soil system were investigated. Preferential bioaccumulation of (-)-PCB 91 and elimination of (+)-PCB 91 were observed following 50 and 500 μg/kg dwt exposures. Enantiomer fraction (EF) values decreased over time during the uptake and elimination periods. Metabolomics and lipidomics techniques based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) revealed significant changes in 108 metabolites after earthworms exposure to (+)-, (-)-, and (±)-PCB 91, compared to control groups. Forty two of these metabolites were identified as amino acids, nucleosides, fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids, vitamins or others. Lysophospholipids including six lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC), six lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), eight lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) and five lysophosphatidylserine (LPS) were also differentially expressed between exposure and control groups. Alterations in the levels of metabolites and lipids indicated stereoselective effects of chiral PCB 91 on earthworm amino acid, energy, and nucleotide metabolism, neurodevelopment and gene expression. Overall, the effects of (+)-PCB 91 were more pronounced than that of (-)- and (±)-PCB 91. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phospholipid hydrolysis in a pharmaceutical emulsion assessed by physicochemical parameters and a new analytical method.

PubMed

Rabinovich-Guilatt, Laura; Dubernet, Catherine; Gaudin, Karen; Lambert, Gregory; Couvreur, Patrick; Chaminade, Pierre

2005-09-01

The aim of this work was to develop a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) for the separation and quantification of the major phospholipid (PL) and lysophospholipid (LPL) classes contained in a pharmaceutical phospholipid-based emulsion. In the established method, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), sphingomyeline (SM), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) were separated with a PVA-Sil stationary phase and a binary gradient from pure chloroform to methanol:water (94:6 v/v) at 3.4%/min. The ELSD detection was enhanced using 0.1% triethylamine and formic acid in each gradient mobile phases. Factors such as stationary phase and ELSD drift tube temperature were optimized, concluding in optimal temperatures of 25 degrees C for separation and 50 degrees C for evaporation. This HPLC-ELSD method was then applied to a PL-emulsion exposed to autoclaving and accelerated thermal conditions at 50 degrees C. Hydrolysis of PC and PE followed first-order kinetics, representing only 45% of the total lipid mass after 3 months. The chemical stability was correlated to commonly measured formulation physical and physico-chemical parameters such as droplet size, emulsion pH and zeta-potential.

Processing of Positive-Causal and Negative-Causal Coherence Relations in Primary School Children and Adults: A Test of the Cumulative Cognitive Complexity Approach in German

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knoepke, Julia; Richter, Tobias; Isberner, Maj-Britt; Naumann, Johannes; Neeb, Yvonne; Weinert, Sabine

2017-01-01

Establishing local coherence relations is central to text comprehension. Positive-causal coherence relations link a cause and its consequence, whereas negative-causal coherence relations add a contrastive meaning (negation) to the causal link. According to the cumulative cognitive complexity approach, negative-causal coherence relations are…

The role of positively charged amino acids and electrostatic interactions in the complex of U1A protein and U1 hairpin II RNA

PubMed Central

Law, Michael J.; Linde, Michael E.; Chambers, Eric J.; Oubridge, Chris; Katsamba, Phinikoula S.; Nilsson, Lennart; Haworth, Ian S.; Laird-Offringa, Ite A.

2006-01-01

Previous kinetic investigations of the N-terminal RNA recognition motif (RRM) domain of spliceosomal protein U1A, interacting with its RNA target U1 hairpin II, provided experimental evidence for a ‘lure and lock’ model of binding in which electrostatic interactions first guide the RNA to the protein, and close range interactions then lock the two molecules together. To further investigate the ‘lure’ step, here we examined the electrostatic roles of two sets of positively charged amino acids in U1A that do not make hydrogen bonds to the RNA: Lys20, Lys22 and Lys23 close to the RNA-binding site, and Arg7, Lys60 and Arg70, located on ‘top’ of the RRM domain, away from the RNA. Surface plasmon resonance-based kinetic studies, supplemented with salt dependence experiments and molecular dynamics simulation, indicate that Lys20 predominantly plays a role in association, while nearby residues Lys22 and Lys23 appear to be at least as important for complex stability. In contrast, kinetic analyses of residues away from the RNA indicate that they have a minimal effect on association and stability. Thus, well-positioned positively charged residues can be important for both initial complex formation and complex maintenance, illustrating the multiple roles of electrostatic interactions in protein–RNA complexes. PMID:16407334

DNA-binding and oxidative properties of cationic phthalocyanines and their dimeric complexes with anionic phthalocyanines covalently linked to oligonucleotides.

PubMed

Kuznetsova, A A; Lukyanets, E A; Solovyeva, L I; Knorre, D G; Fedorova, O S

2008-12-01

Design of chemically modified oligonucleotides for regulation of gene expression has attracted considerable attention over the past decades. One actively pursued approach involves antisense or antigene oligonucleotide constructs carrying reactive groups, many of these based on transition metal complexes. The complexes of Fe(II) and Co(II) with phthalocyanines are extremely good catalysts of oxidation of organic compounds with molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. The binding of positively charged Fe(II) and Co(II) phthalocyanines with single- and double-stranded DNA was investigated. It was shown that these phthalocyanines interact with nucleic acids through an outside binding mode. The site-directed modification of single-stranded DNA by O2 and H2O2 in the presence of dimeric complexes of negatively and positively charged Fe(II) and Co(II) phthalocyanines was investigated. These complexes were formed directly on single-stranded DNA through interaction between negatively charged phthalocyanine in conjugate and positively charged phthalocyanine in solution. The resulting oppositely charged phthalocyanine complexes showed significant increase of catalytic activity compared with monomeric forms of phthalocyanines Fe(II) and Co(II). These complexes catalyzed the DNA oxidation with high efficacy and led to direct DNA strand cleavage. It was determined that oxidation of DNA by molecular oxygen catalyzed by complex of Fe(II)-phthalocyanines proceeds with higher rate than in the case of Co(II)-phthalocyanines but the latter led to a greater extent of target DNA modification.

Positive Management Education: Creating Creative Minds, Passionate Hearts, and Kindred Spirits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakas, Fahri

2011-01-01

The goal of this article is to explore positive management education, a practice-based teaching and learning model centered on positive organizational scholarship. Six signs of transformation in organizations are presented: complexity, community, creativity, spirituality, flexibility, and positivity. A model for positive management education is…

Diimine triscarbonyl Re(I) of isomeric pyridyl-fulvene ligands: an electrochemical, spectroscopic, and computational investigation.

PubMed

Chartrand, Daniel; Castro Ruiz, Carlos A; Hanan, Garry S

2012-12-03

The synthesis and characterization of a novel family of positively charged fac-[Re(bpy)(CO)(3)(L)]PF(6) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) complexes are reported, where L is a pyridine functionalized in para or meta position with a fulvene moiety, namely, 4-fluoren-9-ylidenemethyl-pyridine (pFpy) and 3-fluoren-9-ylidenemethyl-pyridine (mFpy). The complexes were prepared in high yield (86%) by direct addition at room temperature of the corresponding pyridine to the tetrahydrofuran (THF) adduct fac-[Re(bpy)(CO)(3)(THF)][PF(6)] precursor. Both ligand and complex structures were fully characterized by a variety of techniques including X-ray crystallography. The complexes did not exhibit the expected triplet mixed metal-ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (MLLCT) emission, because of its deactivation by the non-emissive triplet excited state of fulvene. The absorption profile shows that the MLLCT is overshadowed by the fulvene centered π-π* transition of higher molar absorptivity as shown by time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. The position of the fulvene on the pyridyl ring has a large effect on this transition, the para position displaying a much higher absorption coefficient (21.3 × 10(3) M(-1) cm(-1)) at lower energy (364 nm) than the meta position (331 nm, 16.0 × 10(3) M(-1) cm(-1)).

Berlyne Revisited: Evidence for the Multifaceted Nature of Hedonic Tone in the Appreciation of Paintings and Music.

PubMed

Marin, Manuela M; Lampatz, Allegra; Wandl, Michaela; Leder, Helmut

2016-01-01

In his seminal book on esthetics, Berlyne (1971) posited an inverted-U relationship between complexity and hedonic tone in arts appreciation, however, converging evidence for his theory is still missing. The disregard of the multidimensionality of complexity may explain some of the divergent results. Here, we argue that definitions of hedonic tone are manifold and systematically examined whether the nature of the relationship between complexity and hedonic tone is determined by the specific measure of hedonic tone. In Experiment 1, we studied three picture categories with similar affective and semantic contents: 96 affective environmental scenes, which were also converted into 96 cartoons, and 96 representational paintings. Complexity varied along the dimension of elements. In a between-subjects design, each stimulus was presented for 5 s to 206 female participants. Subjective ratings of hedonic tone (either beauty, pleasantness or liking), arousal, complexity and familiarity were collected in three conditions per stimulus set. Complexity and arousal were positively associated in all conditions, with the strongest association observed for paintings. For environmental scenes and cartoons, there was no significant association between complexity and hedonic tone, and the three measures of hedonic tone were highly correlated (all r s > 0.85). As predicted, in paintings the measures of hedonic tone were less strongly correlated (all r s > 0.73), and when controlling for familiarity, the association with complexity was significantly positive for beauty ( r s = 0.26), weakly negative for pleasantness ( r s = -0.16) and not present for liking. Experiment 2 followed a similar approach and 77 female participants, all non-musicians, rated 92 musical excerpts (15 s) in three conditions of hedonic tone (either beauty, pleasantness or liking). Results indicated a strong relationship between complexity and arousal (all r s > 0.85). When controlling for familiarity effects, the relationship between complexity and beauty followed an inverted-U curve, whereas the relationship between complexity and pleasantness was negative ( r s = -0.26) and the one between complexity and liking positive ( r s = 0.29). We relate our results to Berlyne's theory and the latest findings in neuroaesthetics, proposing that future studies need to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of hedonic tone in esthetic experiences of artforms.

Characterization of Actinides Complexed to Nuclear Fuel Constituents Using ESI-MS.

PubMed

McDonald, Luther W; Campbell, James A; Vercouter, Thomas; Clark, Sue B

2016-03-01

Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was tested for its use in monitoring spent nuclear fuel (SNF) constituents including U, Pu, dibutyl phosphate (DBP), and tributyl phosphate (TBP). Both positive and negative ion modes were used to evaluate the speciation of U and Pu with TBP and DBP. Furthermore, apparent stability constants were determined for U complexed to TBP and DBP. In positive ion mode, TBP produced a strong signal with and without complexation to U or Pu, but, in negative ion mode, no TBP, U-TBP, or Pu-TBP complexes were observed. Apparent stability constants were determined for [UO2(NO3)2(TBP)2], [UO2(NO3)2(H2O)(TBP)2], and [UO2(NO3)2(TBP)3]. In contrast DBP, U-DBP, and Pu-DBP complexes were observed in both positive and negative ion modes. Apparent stability constants were determined for the species [UO2(DBP)], [UO2(DBP)3], and [UO2(DBP)4]. Analyzing mixtures of U or Pu with TBP and DBP yielded the formation of ternary complexes whose stoichiometry was directly related to the ratio of TBP to DBP. The ESI-MS protocols used in this study will further demonstrate the utility of ESI-MS and its applicability to process control monitoring in SNF reprocessing facilities.

Phase behavior and structure of stable complexes between a long polyanion and a branched polycation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mengarelli, Valentina; Zeghal, Mehdi; Auvray, Loïc; Clemens, Daniel

2011-08-01

The association between oppositely charged branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) and polymethacrylic acid (PMA) in the dilute regime is investigated using turbidimetric titration and electrophoretic mobility measurements. The complexation is controlled by tuning continuously the pH-sensitive charge of the polyacid in acidic solution. The formation of soluble and stable positively charged complexes is a cooperative process characterized by the existence of two regimes of weak and strong complexation. In the regime of weak complexation, a long PMA chain overcharged by several BPEI molecules forms a binary complex. As the charge of the polyacid increases, these binary complexes condense at a well defined charge ratio of the mixture to form large positively charged aggregates. The overcharging and the existence of two regimes of complexation are analyzed in the light of recent theories. The structure of the polyelectrolytes is investigated at higher polymer concentration by small angle neutron scattering. Binary complexes of finite size present an open structure where the polyacid chains connecting a small number of BPEI molecules have shrunk slightly. In the condensed complexes, BPEI molecules, wrapped by polyacid chains, form networks of stretched necklaces.