Problems Found in Using HEGIS Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christal, Melodie E.

Problems with finance data reported through the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) are reported. Less than one percent of institutions appear to have reported incorrect data for the fiscal year (FY) 1983 finance survey. One reporting problem concerns state appropriations that are radically different in previous years or that are…

Measuring Anxiety in Children: The Importance of Separate Mother and Father Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Mélou; Bodden, Denise H. M.; Muris, Peter; van Doorn, Marleen; Granic, Isabela

2017-01-01

Background: Previous research suggests that it is important to use parental reports when assessing children's anxiety, but it remains unclear to what extent there are differences between mothers' and fathers' scores and whether these potential differences have any repercussions for the psychometric properties of the scale being used. Objective:…

Determination of kinetic parameters for 123-I thyroid uptake in healthy Japanese

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusuhara, Hiroyuki; Maeda, Kazuya

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the kinetic parameters for iodide thyroid accumulation in Japanese today with previously reported values. We determined the thyroid uptake of 123-I at 24 hours after the oral administration in healthy male Japanese without any diet restriction. The mean value was 16.1±5.4%, which was similar or rather lower than those previously reported in Japan (1958-1972). Kinetic model analysis was conducted to obtain the clearance for thyroid uptake from the blood circulation. The thyroid uptake clearance of 123-I was 0.540±0.073 ml/min, which was almost similar to those reported previously. There is no obvious difference in the thyroid uptake for 24 hours, and kinetic parameters in healthy Japanese for these 50 years. The fraction of distributed to the thyroid gland is lower than the ICRP reference man, and such difference must be taken into consideration to estimate the radiation exposure upon Fukushima accident in Japan.

Cigarette smoking in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder: a report from the International College of Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS).

PubMed

Dell'Osso, Bernardo; Nicolini, Humberto; Lanzagorta, Nuria; Benatti, Beatrice; Spagnolin, Gregorio; Palazzo, M Carlotta; Marazziti, Donatella; Hollander, Eric; Fineberg, Naomi; Stein, Dan J; Pallanti, Stefano; Van Ameringen, Michael; Lochner, Christine; Hranov, Georgi; Karamustafalioglu, Oguz; Hranov, Luchezar; Zohar, Joseph; Denys, Damiaan; Altamura, A Carlo; Menchon, Jose M

2015-10-01

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) showed a lower prevalence of cigarette smoking compared to other psychiatric disorders in previous and recent reports. We assessed the prevalence and clinical correlates of the phenomenon in an international sample of 504 OCD patients recruited through the International College of Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) network. Cigarette smoking showed a cross-sectional prevalence of 24.4% in the sample, with significant differences across countries. Females were more represented among smoking patients (16% vs 7%; p<.001). Patients with comorbid Tourette's syndrome (p<.05) and tic disorder (p<.05) were also more represented among smoking subjects. Former smokers reported a higher number of suicide attempts (p<.05). We found a lower cross-sectional prevalence of smoking among OCD patients compared to findings from previous studies in patients with other psychiatric disorders but higher compared to previous and more recent OCD studies. Geographic differences were found and smoking was more common in females and comorbid Tourette's syndrome/tic disorder.

ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR AMONG RURAL THAI ADOLESCENTS REGARDING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE.

PubMed

Tangmunkongvorakul, Arunrat; Srithanaviboonchai, Kriengkrai; Guptarak, Marisa; Wichajarn, Monjun; Yungyuankul, Sawang; Khampan, Ratchaneekorn; Grimes, Deanna E; Grimes, Richard M

2014-11-01

Early initiation of sexual intercourse has been associated with negative consequences, such as higher rates of unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection. This study examined the attitudes and behavior of rural Thai adolescent students aged 16 to 20 years from northern Thailand regarding sexual intercourse. Differences between participants who previously had sexual intercourse and those who had not were explored. Those who had not previously had sexual intercourse were asked about the reasons why they had not had sex, their future plans for having sex and their dating experiences. More than 70% of participants stated they had not previously had sexual intercourse but one third of this group reported engaging in other sexual behavior. There were significant differences by gender, religion, ethnicity, and household income between those who had previously had sex and those who had not. Among those who had not previously had sexual intercourse, concern for their parents' feelings was the most common reason for delaying intercourse. About two-thirds of this group had plans not to have sexual intercourse until after marriage; nearly half of them reported currently having a boyfriend/girlfriend. Interventions aimed at delaying sexual intercourse should involve adolescents in their design and include their attitudes for delaying intercourse. Because of many gender differences seen in our study, interventions should be designed differently for males and females in rural northern Thailand.

Self-reported voice problems among three groups of professional singers.

PubMed

Phyland, D J; Oates, J; Greenwood, K M

1999-12-01

A vocal health questionnaire was administered to three groups of professional singers and a "friendship-matched" group of nonsingers in Melbourne, Australia. The responses of 79 opera, 57 musical theatre and 31 contemporary (excluding rock) singers and 86 nonsingers were analysed. The questionnaire solicited information regarding biographical data speaking and singing voice-use behaviours, and vocal health over the previous 12 months in terms of experiences of vocal impairment, vocal disability, and handicap. Significant differences between singers and nonsingers in the prevalence and nature of voice problems were reported. Of the singers, 44% reported one or more occurrences of a diagnosed vocal condition compared to 21% of nonsingers and 69% of singers experienced vocal disability compared to only 41% of nonsingers, over the previous 12 months. In contrast, no significant differences were found between the three different styles of singers in their experience of vocal impairment, disability or handicap.

Previous induced abortion among young women seeking abortion-related care in Kenya: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Kabiru, Caroline W; Ushie, Boniface A; Mutua, Michael M; Izugbara, Chimaraoke O

2016-05-14

Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of death among young women aged 10-24 years in sub-Saharan Africa. Although having multiple induced abortions may exacerbate the risk for poor health outcomes, there has been minimal research on young women in this region who have multiple induced abortions. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the prevalence and correlates of reporting a previous induced abortion among young females aged 12-24 years seeking abortion-related care in Kenya. We used data on 1,378 young women aged 12-24 years who presented for abortion-related care in 246 health facilities in a nationwide survey conducted in 2012. Socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive and clinical histories, and physical examination assessment data were collected from women during a one-month data collection period using an abortion case capture form. Nine percent (n = 98) of young women reported a previous induced abortion prior to the index pregnancy for which they were receiving care. Statistically significant differences by previous history of induced abortion were observed for area of residence, religion and occupation at bivariate level. Urban dwellers and unemployed/other young women were more likely to report a previous induced abortion. A greater proportion of young women reporting a previous induced abortion stated that they were using a contraceptive method at the time of the index pregnancy (47 %) compared with those reporting no previous induced abortion (23 %). Not surprisingly, a greater proportion of young women reporting a previous induced abortion (82 %) reported their index pregnancy as unintended (not wanted at all or mistimed) compared with women reporting no previous induced abortion (64 %). Our study results show that about one in every ten young women seeking abortion-related care in Kenya reports a previous induced abortion. Comprehensive post-abortion care services targeting young women are needed. In particular, post-abortion care service providers must ensure that young clients receive contraceptive counseling and effective pregnancy prevention methods before discharge from the health care facility to prevent unintended pregnancies that may result in subsequent induced abortions.

21 CFR 814.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., reports of adverse events, or new analyses of previously submitted data (e.g., meta-analyses) if the studies, events or analyses reveal risks of a different type or greater severity or frequency than... per year. (o) Newly acquired information means data, analyses, or other information not previously...

Regulation of positive and negative emotion: effects of sociocultural context

PubMed Central

Snyder, Sara A.; Heller, S. Megan; Lumian, Daniel S.; McRae, Kateri

2013-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that the use of emotion regulation strategies can vary by sociocultural context. In a previous study, we reported changes in the use of two different emotion regulation strategies at an annual alternative cultural event, Burning Man (McRae et al., 2011). In this sociocultural context, as compared to typically at home, participants reported less use of expressive suppression (a strategy generally associated with maladaptive outcomes), and greater use of cognitive reappraisal (a strategy generally associated with adaptive outcomes). What remained unclear was whether these changes in self-reported emotion regulation strategy use were characterized by changes in the regulation of positive emotion, negative emotion, or both. We addressed this issue in the current study by asking Burning Man participants separate questions about positive and negative emotion. Using multiple datasets, we replicated our previous findings, and found that the decreased use of suppression is primarily driven by reports of decreased suppression of positive emotion at Burning Man. By contrast, the increased use of reappraisal is not characterized by differential reappraisal of positive and negative emotion at Burning Man. Moreover, we observed novel individual differences in the magnitude of these effects. The contextual changes in self-reported suppression that we observe are strongest for men and younger participants. For those who had previously attended Burning Man, we observed lower levels of self-reported suppression in both sociocultural contexts: Burning Man and typically at home. These findings have implications for understanding the ways in which certain sociocultural contexts may decrease suppression, and possibly minimize its associated maladaptive effects. PMID:23840191

Color Perception in Pediatric Patient Room Design: American versus Korean Pediatric Patients.

PubMed

Phillip Park, Jin Gyu; Park, Changbae

2013-01-01

This study simultaneously addresses the issues of the scarcity of information about pediatric patient color preferences, conflicting findings about the impact of culture on color preferences, and limitations of previous research instruments. Effects of culture and gender on color preferences were investigated using American and Korean pediatric patients. Much of the existing research in environmental design has focused on environments for healthy children and adults, but those findings cannot be confidently applied to environments for pediatric patients. In previous studies, the impact of culture on color preferences has been suggested, though the effects appear to vary. Moreover, the results of previous studies were typically based on perceptions of small color chips, which are different from seeing a color on wall surfaces. Previous studies also failed to control for confounding variables such as color attributes and light sources. Instead of using color chips, this study used physical model simulation to investigate environmental color preferences in real contexts. Cultural difference was found in white. Other than white, no significant cultural difference was found. Gender differences were found across both of the groups. Korean pediatric patients showed significantly higher preference scores for white than Americans did. Other than white, both groups reported blue and green as their most preferred colors; white was the least preferred. Both groups reported similar gender effects. Overall, male patients reported significantly lower preference scores for red and purple than female patients did. These results can help healthcare providers and professionals better understand appropriate colors for pediatric populations. Evidence-based design, healing environment, patients, pediatric, satisfaction.

How can individual differences in autobiographical memory distributions of older adults be explained?

PubMed

Wolf, Tabea; Zimprich, Daniel

2016-10-01

The reminiscence bump phenomenon has frequently been reported for the recall of autobiographical memories. The present study complements previous research by examining individual differences in the distribution of word-cued autobiographical memories. More importantly, we introduce predictor variables that might account for individual differences in the mean (location) and the standard deviation (scale) of individual memory distributions. All variables were derived from different theoretical accounts for the reminiscence bump phenomenon. We used a mixed location-scale logitnormal model, to analyse the 4602 autobiographical memories reported by 118 older participants. Results show reliable individual differences in the location and the scale. After controlling for age and gender, individual proportions of first-time experiences and individual proportions of positive memories, as well as the ratings on Openness to new Experiences and Self-Concept Clarity accounted for 29% of individual differences in location and 42% of individual differences in scale of autobiographical memory distributions. Results dovetail with a life-story account for the reminiscence bump which integrates central components of previous accounts.

Meningitis Caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in HIV-Infected Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Mohd Nor, Fadzilah; Tan, Lian Huat; Na, Shi Ling; Ng, Kee Peng

2015-08-01

Rhodotorula species are increasingly being identified as a cause of fungal infection in the central nervous system, especially in patients with compromised immunity. The diagnosis could easily be missed due to low index of suspicion, as cryptococcus meningitis and cerebral toxoplasmosis are more common amongst immunocompromised hosts. To date, there are six cases of Rhodotorula-related meningitis reported, and three are associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection. In this report, a case of a Malaysian male with underlying human immunodeficiency virus infection who developed Rhodotorula mucilaginosa meningitis is presented. High-grade fever and severe headaches were the complaints presented in three previous case reports. India ink and nigrosin stainings were performed in the two previous reports and both revealed positive results. R. mucilaginosa were isolated from the culture of the patient's cerebrospinal fluid in all three previous reports. Predominant lymphocyte infiltration in the cerebrospinal fluid examination was documented in two reports. CD4 counts were above 100/µl in two previously published reports, while another report documented CD4 count as 56/µl. Amphotericin B and itraconazole are identified to be the first line of antifungal used and as the maintenance therapy, respectively. The possibility of relapse cannot be excluded as it was reported in the first report. It was also revealed that the current case has almost similar clinical presentation and therapeutic outcome as compared to the published reports, but some differences in diagnostic details were to be highlighted.

Childhood Sexual Abuse: Long-Term Effects on Psychological and Sexual Functioning in a Nonclinical and Nonstudent Sample of Adult Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwald, Evan; And Others

1990-01-01

Comparison of psychological and sexual functioning of 54 women sexually abused as children and 54 nonabused women found no differences in self-esteem, but abused women reported more symptoms of distress and psychological symptoms previously associated with sexual abuse. No differences in self-reported sexual satisfaction or dysfunction were found.…

What Types of Pornography Do People Find Arousing and Do They Cluster? Assessing Types and Categories of Pornography in a Large-Scale Online Sample.

PubMed

Hald, Gert Martin; Štulhofer, Aleksandar

2016-09-01

Previous research on exposure to different types of pornography has primarily relied on analyses of millions of search terms and histories or on user exposure patterns within a given time period rather than the self-reported frequency of consumption. Further, previous research has almost exclusively relied on theoretical or ad hoc overarching categorizations of different types of pornography, when investigating patterns of pornography exposure, rather than latent structure analyses of these exposure patterns. In contrast, using a large sample of 18- to 40-year-old heterosexual and nonheterosexual Croatian men and women, this study investigated the self-reported frequency of using 27 different types of pornography and statistically explored their latent structures. The results showed substantial differences in consumption patterns across gender and sexual orientation. However, latent structure analyses of the 27 different types of pornography assessed suggested that although several categories of consumption were gender and sexual orientation specific, common categories across the different types of pornography could be established. Based on this finding, a five-item scale was proposed to indicate the use of nonmainstream (paraphilic) pornographic content, as this type of pornography has often been targeted in previous research. To the best of our knowledge, no similar measurement tool has been proposed before.

A First Look at the 5Essentials in Illinois Schools. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klugman, Joshua; Gordon, Molly F.; Sebring, Penny Bender; Sporte, Susan E.

2015-01-01

In the first comprehensive analysis of Illinois' statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions, this report finds systematic differences among schools in the degree to which students and teachers report strength in the five essential supports. Previous University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (UChicago CCSR)…

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Individual Differences in Response to Stress in a Previously Validated Animal Model of PTSD

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Bronx Veterans Medical Research Foundation, Inc... Bronx , NY 10468-3904 REPORT DATE: April 2012 TYPE OF REPORT: Final PREPARED FOR: U.S. Army...WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER Bronx Veterans Medical Research

Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling of the February 2014 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Release

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

Nasstrom, John; Piggott, Tom; Simpson, Matthew

2015-07-22

This report presents the results of a simulation of the atmospheric dispersion and deposition of radioactivity released from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in New Mexico in February 2014. These simulations were made by the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and supersede NARAC simulation results published in a previous WIPP report (WIPP, 2014). The results presented in this report use additional, more detailed data from WIPP on the specific radionuclides released, radioactivity release amounts and release times. Compared to the previous NARAC simulations, the new simulation results in this report aremore » based on more detailed modeling of the winds, turbulence, and particle dry deposition. In addition, the initial plume rise from the exhaust vent was considered in the new simulations, but not in the previous NARAC simulations. The new model results show some small differences compared to previous results, but do not change the conclusions in the WIPP (2014) report. Presented are the data and assumptions used in these model simulations, as well as the model-predicted dose and deposition on and near the WIPP site. A comparison of predicted and measured radionuclide-specific air concentrations is also presented.« less

The role of dispositional traits in accounting for country and ethnic group differences on adjustment.

PubMed

Matsumoto, David; Nakagawa, Sanae; Estrada, Aaron

2009-02-01

Country and ethnic group differences on adjustment have been demonstrated numerous times, and the source of these differences has been typically interpreted as cultural. We report two studies in which country (Study 1) and ethnic group (Study 2) differences on depression, anxiety, optimism versus pessimism, well-being, and self-esteem are mediated by dispositional traits. These findings provide an alternative explanation for previously reported country and ethnic group differences on these variables and encourage researchers to consider multiple sources, including traits, in their models and studies.

Spatial forms and mental imagery.

PubMed

Price, Mark C

2009-01-01

Four studies investigated how general mental imagery might be involved in mediating the phenomenon of 'synaesthetic' spatial forms - i.e., the experience that sequences such as months or numbers have spatial locations. In Study 1, people with spatial forms scored higher than controls on visual imagery self-report scales. This is consistent with the suggestion that strong general imagery is at least a necessary condition to experience spatial forms. However self-reported spatial imagery did not differ between groups, suggesting either that the spatial nature of forms is mediated by special synaesthetic mechanisms, or that forms are depictive visual images rather than explicit spatial models. A methodological implication of Study 1 was that a general tendency for people with spatial forms to use imagery strategies might account for some of their previously-reported behavioural differences with control groups. This concern was supported by Studies 2-4. Normal participants were encouraged to visually image the months in various spatial layouts, and spatial associations for months were tested using left/right key presses to classify month names as belonging to the first or second half of the year (Studies 2-3) or as odd/even (Study 4). Reaction times showed month-SNARC (Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes) effects of similar magnitude to previously-reported data from spatial form participants (Price and Mentzoni, 2008). Additionally, reversing the spatial associations within instructed images was sufficient to reverse the direction of observed month-SNARC effects (i.e., positive vs negative slope), just as different spatial forms were previously shown to modulate the direction of effects (ibid.). Results challenge whether previously observed behavioural differences between spatial form and control groups need to be explained in terms of special synaesthetic mechanisms rather than intentional imagery strategies. It is argued that usually strong general imagery processes should complement synaesthetic mechanisms as possible explanations of spatial forms.

Individual Differences in Adolescent Health Symptoms: The Effects of Gender and Coping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, G.S.; Pritchard, M.E.; Revalee, B.

2005-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that adult men and women experience different types and severities of physical and psychological health symptoms. This study examined whether in the case of adolescents these reported gender differences in physical and psychological health symptoms could actually be the result of differences in coping styles. Five…

Upon Further Review: V. An Examination of Previous Lightcurve Analysis from the Palmer Divide Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, Brian D.

2011-01-01

Updated results are given for nine asteroids previously reported from the Palmer Divide Observatory (PDO). The original images were re-measured to obtain new data sets using the latest version of MPO Canopus photometry software, analysis tools, and revised techniques for linking multiple observing runs covering several days to several weeks. Results that were previously not reported or were moderately different were found for 1659 Punkajarju, 1719 Jens, 1987 Kaplan, 2105 Gudy, 2961 Katsurahama, 3285 Ruth Wolfe, 3447 Burckhalter, 7816 Hanoi, and (34817) 2000 SE116. This is one in a series of papers that will examine results obtained during the initial years of the asteroid lightcurve program at PDO.

Concentrations of the Allelochemical (+/-)-catechin IN Centaurea maculosa soils.

PubMed

Perry, Laura G; Thelen, Giles C; Ridenour, Wendy M; Callaway, Ragan M; Paschke, Mark W; Vivanco, Jorge M

2007-12-01

The phytotoxin (+/-)-catechin has been proposed to mediate invasion and autoinhibition by the Eurasian plant Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed). The importance of (+/-)-catechin to C. maculosa ecology depends in part on whether sufficient catechin concentrations occur at appropriate times and locations within C. maculosa soil to influence neighboring plants. Previous research on catechin in C. maculosa soils has yielded conflicting results, with some studies finding high soil catechin concentrations and other, more recent studies finding little or no catechin in field soils. Here, we report the most extensive study of soil catechin concentrations to date. We examined soil catechin concentrations in 402 samples from 11 C. maculosa sites in North America sampled in consecutive months over 1 yr, excluding winter months. One site was sampled on seven dates, another was sampled twice, and the remaining nine sites were each sampled once on a range of sampling dates. Methods used were similar to those with which we previously measured high soil catechin concentrations. We detected catechin only in the site that was sampled on seven dates and only on one sampling date in that site (May 16 2006), but in all samples collected on that date. The mean soil catechin concentration on that date was 0.65 +/- 0.45 (SD) mg g(-1), comparable to previously reported high concentrations. There are a number of possible explanations for the infrequency with which we detected soil catechin in this work compared to previous studies. Differences in results could reflect spatial and temporal variation in catechin exudation or degradation, as we examined different sites in a different year from most previous studies. Also, large quantities of catechin were detected in blanks for two sampling periods in the present study, leading us to discard those data. This contamination suggests that previous reports of high catechin concentrations that did not include blanks should be viewed with caution. Our results suggest that pure catechin is only rarely present in C. maculosa bulk soils. Thus, although catechin may play a role in C. maculosa invasion, the infrequency of soil catechin that we determined in this study suggests that we cannot be as certain of its role as previous reports of high soil catechin concentrations suggested.

Hemisphere Rule in Active Regions with Different Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Xiong, X.

2017-12-01

Magnetic twist in solar active regions has been found to have a hemispheric preferencein sign (hemisphere rule): negative in the northern hemisphere and positive in the southern.The strength of the preference reported in previous studies ranges greatly, from 58% to 82%.In this presentation, we will show an investigation that examines this hemispheric preference bystudying active regions in Solar Cycle 24 using the vector magnetic field data taken by the Helioseismicand Magnetic Imager (HMI). While in general the strength of the hemisphere preference is wellwithin the range reported by the previous studies, it differs substantially in different groupsof active regions that possess different properties in magnetic helicity: the group with theopposite signs of magnetic twist and writhe has a much stronger preference strength than thegroup with the same signs. This difference becomes even more significant in emerging activeregions. We place here a discussion on possible links between origin of magnetic twist, hemispherepreference, and emergence and evolution of active regions.

Geotextile strips as a reflective crack treatment for AC over AC : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-02-01

This report covers an experimental feature where a geotextile fabric was used in an attempt to retard reflective cracking over severe thermal cracks. the application evaluated here is different from previous geotextile use in Oregon. It is the first ...

Technical Review of SRS Dose Reconstrruction Methods Used By CDC

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

Simpkins, Ali, A

2005-07-20

At the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a subcontractor Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International, Inc.(ATL) issued a draft report estimating offsite dose as a result of Savannah River Site operations for the period 1954-1992 in support of Phase III of the SRS Dose Reconstruction Project. The doses reported by ATL differed than those previously estimated by Savannah River Site SRS dose modelers for a variety of reasons, but primarily because (1) ATL used different source terms, (2) ATL considered trespasser/poacher scenarios and (3) ATL did not consistently use site-specific parameters or correct usage parameters. Themore » receptors with the highest dose from atmospheric and liquid pathways were within about a factor of four greater than dose values previously reported by SRS. A complete set of technical comments have also been included.« less

Self-reported Rates of Interpersonal Conflict Vary as a Function of Questionnaire Format: Why Age-related Trends in Disagreement (and Other Events) May Not be What They Seem

PubMed Central

Dirghangi, Shrija; Laursen, Brett; Puder, Justin; Bjorklund, Dave; DeLay, Dawn

2014-01-01

Two studies examine whether self-reports of interpersonal conflict differ as a function of how the question is asked. In Study 1, 56 U.S. college students (M=20.7 years) completed different versions of a questionnaire, four times, at one week intervals. Participants reported more conflicts with the aid of memory prompts than without, an effect that was especially strong when questions focused on events from the previous day. In Study 2, 123 middle-school students (M=11.08 years) and 128 primary school students (M=8.2 years) from the same region completed one of two questionnaires describing conflict during the previous day. Children reported more conflicts with memory prompts than without. The effect was twice as strong for younger children than older children. The findings suggest that increases in reports of conflict across the transition into adolescence may be due to improvements in the ability to recall and recount events in the absence of memory cues. PMID:25086497

Direct measurement of additional Ar-H2O vibration-rotation-tunneling bands in the millimeter-submillimeter range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Luyao; Widicus Weaver, Susanna L.

2016-06-01

Three new weak bands of the Ar-H2O vibration-rotation-tunneling spectrum have been measured in the millimeter wavelength range. These bands were predicted from combination differences based on previously measured bands in the submillimeter region. Two previously reported submillimeter bands were also remeasured with higher frequency resolution. These new measurements allow us to obtain accurate information on the Coriolis interaction between the 101 and 110 states. Here we report these results and the associated improved molecular constants.

An Analysis of Transmission and Storage Gains from Sliding Checksum Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-11-01

analysed a protocol "rsync" for synchronising related files at different ends of a communications channel with a minimum of transmitted data. This report...Sliding Checksum Methods Executive Summary In a previous report we described, modelled and analysed a protocol "rsync" for synchronising related...collaborative writing of documentation and synchronisation of distributed databases in the situation where no one location is aware of the differences

Psychological Profile of Male and Female Animal Abusers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Rebecca L.; Fremouw, William; Schenk, Allison; Ragatz, Laurie L.

2012-01-01

This study had three purposes: to explore psychological characteristics of animal abusers (criminal thinking styles, empathy, and personality traits), to replicate previously reported results (past illegal actions, bullying behavior), and to examine potential gender differences. The self-reported animal abuser group was 29 college students who…

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

Thompson, J.M.; Yadav, S.

Waters from geysers, hot springs, and pools of Yellowstone National Park have been analyzed. We report 422 complete major ion analyses from 330 different locations of geysers, hot springs, and pools, collected from 1974 to 1978. Many of the analyses from Upper, Midway, Lower, and Norris Geyser Basin are recollections of features previously reported.

A new Aura virus isolate in Brazil shows segment duplication in the variable region of the nsP3 gene.

PubMed

Mosimann, Ana Luiza Pamplona; de Siqueira, Mirian Krystel; Ceole, Ligia Fernanda; Nunes Duarte Dos Santos, Claudia

2018-05-29

A new isolate of Aura virus serendipitously discovered as a cell culture contaminant is reported in this manuscript. Aura virus belongs to the family Togaviridae and is classified in the genus Alphavirus. There are only two reports of Aura virus isolation from mosquitoes in the scientific literature, and the existence of a vertebrate host is still unknown. The discovery of this new isolate was based on transmission electron microscopy and nucleic acid amplification through a non-specific RT-PCR amplification protocol followed by sequencing. Genetic analysis has shown that the new virus shares a high degree of identity with the previously described isolate (GenBank: AF126284.1). A major difference was observed in the nsP3 gene in which a 234-nucleotide duplication has been identified. Furthermore, a pronounced difference was observed in cell cultures compared to the data available for the previously described isolate. Cell permissiveness and phenotypic characteristics in C6/36, Vero and BHK-21 cells were found to differ from previous reports. This may be due to the genetic differences that have been observed. The genetic and biological characteristics of the new Aura virus isolate are suggestive of viral adaptation to the cell substrate. The development of a cDNA clone will lend a perspective and better understanding of these results as well as open avenues for its use as a biotechnological tool, as seen for other alphaviruses.

How are things adding up? Neural differences between arithmetic operations are due to general problem solving strategies.

PubMed

Tschentscher, Nadja; Hauk, Olaf

2014-05-15

A number of previous studies have interpreted differences in brain activation between arithmetic operation types (e.g. addition and multiplication) as evidence in favor of distinct cortical representations, processes or neural systems. It is still not clear how differences in general task complexity contribute to these neural differences. Here, we used a mental arithmetic paradigm to disentangle brain areas related to general problem solving from those involved in operation type specific processes (addition versus multiplication). We orthogonally varied operation type and complexity. Importantly, complexity was defined not only based on surface criteria (for example number size), but also on the basis of individual participants' strategy ratings, which were validated in a detailed behavioral analysis. We replicated previously reported operation type effects in our analyses based on surface criteria. However, these effects vanished when controlling for individual strategies. Instead, procedural strategies contrasted with memory retrieval reliably activated fronto-parietal and motor regions, while retrieval strategies activated parietal cortices. This challenges views that operation types rely on partially different neural systems, and suggests that previously reported differences between operation types may have emerged due to invalid measures of complexity. We conclude that mental arithmetic is a powerful paradigm to study brain networks of abstract problem solving, as long as individual participants' strategies are taken into account. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adding an alcohol-related risk score to an existing categorical risk classification for older adults: sensitivity to group differences.

PubMed

Wilson, Sandra R; Fink, Arlene; Verghese, Shinu; Beck, John C; Nguyen, Khue; Lavori, Philip

2007-03-01

To evaluate a new alcohol-related risk score for research use. Using data from a previously reported trial of a screening and education system for older adults (Computerized Alcohol-Related Problems Survey), secondary analyses were conducted comparing the ability of two different measures of risk to detect post-intervention group differences: the original categorical outcome measure and a new, finely grained quantitative risk score based on the same research-based risk factors. Three primary care group practices in southern California. Six hundred sixty-five patients aged 65 and older. A previously calculated, three-level categorical classification of alcohol-related risk and a newly developed quantitative risk score. Mean post-intervention risk scores differed between the three experimental conditions: usual care, patient report, and combined report (P<.001). The difference between the combined report and usual care was significant (P<.001) and directly proportional to baseline risk. The three-level risk classification did not reveal approximately 57.3% of the intervention effect detected by the risk score. The risk score also was sufficiently sensitive to detect the intervention effect within the subset of hypertensive patients (n=112; P=.001). As an outcome measure in intervention trials, the finely grained risk score is more sensitive than the trinary risk classification. The additional clinical value of the risk score relative to the categorical measure needs to be determined.

Previous Knee Injury and Health-Related Quality of Life in Collegiate Athletes.

PubMed

Lam, Kenneth C; Thomas, Steven St; Valier, Alison R Snyder; McLeod, Tamara C Valovich; Bay, R Curtis

2017-06-02

  Patient-rated outcome measures (PROMs) capture changes that are important and meaningful to patients, such as health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Although group differences in HRQOL have been reported, little is known about the effect of injury history on HRQOL in collegiate athletes.   To determine whether knee-specific function (International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form [IKDC]) and HRQOL (Short Form 12 [SF-12]) differs in collegiate athletes based on sex and the severity of a previous knee injury.   Cross-sectional study.   Athletic training facilities.   Healthy collegiate athletes (n = 263) were grouped based on self-report of a previous knee injury: severe (n = 47), mild (n = 40), and no (n = 176) knee injury.   Participants completed the IKDC and SF-12 during their preparticipation examinations.   Generalized linear models were used to assess interactions and main effects of all scores.   An interaction effect was observed for the SF-12 role physical subscale (P = .02), with men in the mild- and severe-injury groups reporting worse scores than men with no injury history. We noted a main effect for injury group for the IKDC total score (P < .001) and SF-12 physical functioning (P = .04) and role emotional (P = .04) subscales, with the severe-injury group reporting worse scores than the mild- and no-injury groups. No main effects of sex were reported (P > .05).   Despite returning to full participation, collegiate athletes who previously sustained severe knee injuries tended to report worse knee-specific function and less ability to complete activities due to physical health. In addition, individuals with a history of severe knee injury tended to report more emotional concerns than athletes with a history of mild or no knee injury. Region-specific PROMs may be more sensitive in detecting deficits than generic PROMs after return to full participation. Researchers should investigate the role of PROMs, particularly region-specific PROMs, as potential screening tools for clinical care.

The ugrizYJHK luminosity distributions and densities from the combined MGC, SDSS and UKIDSS LAS data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, David T.; Driver, Simon P.; Cameron, Ewan; Cross, Nicholas; Liske, Jochen; Robotham, Aaron

2010-05-01

We combine data from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue, Sloan Digital Sky Survey and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey Large Area Survey to produce ugrizYJHK luminosity functions and densities from within a common, low-redshift volume (z < 0.1, ~ 71000h-31 Mpc3 for L* systems) with 100 per cent spectroscopic completeness. In the optical the fitted Schechter functions are comparable in shape to those previously reported values but with higher normalizations (typically 0, 30, 20, 15, 5 per cent higher φ* values in u, g, r, i, z, respectively, over those reported by the SDSS team). We attribute these to differences in the redshift ranges probed, incompleteness and adopted normalization methods. In the near-IR (NIR) we find significantly different Schechter function parameters (mainly in the M* values) to those previously reported and attribute this to the improvement in the quality of the imaging data over previous studies. This is the first homogeneous measurement of the extragalactic luminosity density which fully samples both the optical and NIR regimes. Unlike previous compilations that have noted a discontinuity between the optical and NIR regimes our homogeneous data set shows a smooth cosmic spectral energy distribution (CSED). After correcting for dust attenuation we compare our CSED to the expected values based on recent constraints on the cosmic star formation history and the initial mass function.

Ethnic differences in medicinal plant use among University students: a cross-sectional survey of self-reported medicinal plant use at two Midwest Universities.

PubMed

Craft, Rachel; McClure, Katrina C; Corbett, Steven; Ferreira, Maria Pontes; Stiffarm, Ashley M; Kindscher, Kelly

2015-06-23

Numerous surveys of medicinal plant use among college students abound, but none compare use between students enrolled in two different Universities with significantly different ethnic compositions. The objective of this study is to compare medicinal plant use between two different ethnic college populations and explore differences between student medicinal plant users and non-users for comparison with previous research. Students (n = 721) at a large research university (n = 498) and a Pan-Tribal University for Native Americans (n = 233) completed surveys in October 2011 to assess past year medicinal plant use. The Mann-Whitney U test, Chi Square test, and General Linear Model were used to compare demographics and self-reported use of medicinal plants among students at both Universities and between past year users and non-users. Over 23% of university students surveyed reported past year medicinal plant use. Users were more likely to use commercial tobacco products and to report poorer health than non-users. While Native American student medicinal plant users reported significantly higher rates of commercial tobacco use, lower self-assessment of health, and less use of prescription medicine than non-Native users, no significant differences in prevalence of medicinal plant use were found between University student populations. Results are consistent with preexisting data showing higher rates of medicinal plant use among college students compared to the larger US population of adults and demonstrate previously documented health disparities in Native American populations compared to non-Native Americans.

The Repression-Sensitization Dimension in Relation to Impending Painful Stimulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scarpetti, William L.

1973-01-01

The study attempted to replicate previous findings of differences between self-report and physiological indices of disturbance in repressors and sensitizers placed in threatening situations. Results indicate that repressors admit to less anxiety on the self-report measure while producing more physiological reactivity to threat of shock. No such…

Occupational asthma due to polyethylene shrink wrapping (paper wrapper's asthma).

PubMed Central

Gannon, P F; Burge, P S; Benfield, G F

1992-01-01

Occupational asthma due to the pyrolysis products of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) produced by shrink wrapping processes has previously been reported. The first case of occupational asthma in a shrink wrap worker using a different plastic, polyethylene, is reported; the association was confirmed by specific bronchial provocation testing. PMID:1440477

Frontcountry encounter norms among three cultures

Treesearch

Jerry J. Vaske; Maureen P. Donnelly; Robert M. Doctor; James P. Petruzzi

1995-01-01

Existing normative studies have focused on backcountry encounter norms reported by North Americans. This study extends previous research by comparing encounter norms reported by three different cultures - North Americans, Europeans, and Japanese - in a frontcountry day use recreation area. Data were obtained from on-site surveys distributed at the Columbia Icefield in...

Evaluation of the growth of the bursa of fabricius in broilers reared under different light photoperiods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous studies have investigated the interaction of different light sources and light intensity. Studies are lacking concerning the effect of different light sources and photoperiods on broiler growth and health. The results reported here are a part of a larger study to evaluate the interaction of...

Calcium and Bone Homeostasis During 4-6 Months Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Scott M.; OBrien, K.; Wastney, M.; Morukov, B.; Larina, I.; Abrams, S.; Lane, H.; Nillen, J.; Davis-Street, J.; Paloski, W. H. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Bone and calcium homeostasis are altered by weightlessness. We previously reported calcium studies on three subjects from the first joint US/Russian mission to Mir. We report here data on an additional three male subjects, whose stays on Mir were 4 (n= 1) and 6 (n=2) mos. Data were collected before, during, and after the missions. Inflight studies were conducted at 2-3 mos. Endocrine and biochemical indices were measured, along with 3-wk calcium tracer studies. Percent differences are reported compared to preflight. Ionized calcium was unchanged (2.8 +/-2.1 %) during flight. Calcium absorption was variable inflight, but was decreased after landing. Vitamin D stores were decreased 35 +/-24% inflight, similar to previous reports. Serum PTH was decreased 59 +/-9% during flight (greater than we previously reported), while 1,25(OH)(sub 2)-Vitamin D was decreased in 2 of 3 subjects. Markers of bone resorption (e.g., crosslinks) were increased in all subjects. Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase was decreased (n=1) or unchanged (n=2), while osteocalcin was decreased 34 +/-23%. Previously presented data showed that inflight bone loss is associated with increased resorption and unchanged/decreased formation. The data reported here support these earlier findings. These studies will help to extend our understanding of space flight-induced bone loss, and of bone loss associated with diseases such as osteoporosis or paralysis.

Reporting Heterogeneity and Health Disparities Across Gender and Education Levels: Evidence From Four Countries.

PubMed

Molina, Teresa

2016-04-01

I use anchoring vignettes from Indonesia, the United States, England, and China to study the extent to which differences in self-reported health across gender and education levels can be explained by the use of different response thresholds. To determine whether statistically significant differences between groups remain after adjusting thresholds, I calculate standard errors for the simulated probabilities, largely ignored in previous literature. Accounting for reporting heterogeneity reduces the gender gap in many health domains across the four countries, but to varying degrees. Health disparities across education levels persist and even widen after equalizing thresholds across the two groups.

The influence of previous subject experience on interactions during peer instruction in an introductory physics course: A mixed methods analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vondruska, Judy A.

Over the past decade, peer instruction and the introduction of student response systems has provided a means of improving student engagement and achievement in large-lecture settings. While the nature of the student discourse occurring during peer instruction is less understood, existing studies have shown student ideas about the subject, extraneous cues, and confidence level appear to matter in the student-student discourse. Using a mixed methods research design, this study examined the influence of previous subject experience on peer instruction in an introductory, one-semester Survey of Physics course. Quantitative results indicated students in discussion pairs where both had previous subject experience were more likely to answer clicker question correctly both before and after peer discussion compared to student groups where neither partner had previous subject experience. Students in mixed discussion pairs were not statistically different in correct response rates from the other pairings. There was no statistically significant difference between the experience pairs on unit exam scores or the Peer Instruction Partner Survey. Although there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-MPEX and post-MPEX scores, there was no difference between the members of the various subject experience peer discussion pairs. The qualitative study, conducted after the quantitative study, helped to inform the quantitative results by exploring the nature of the peer interactions through survey questions and a series of focus groups discussions. While the majority of participants described a benefit to the use of clickers in the lecture, their experience with their discussion partners varied. Students with previous subject experience tended to describe peer instruction more positively than students who did not have previous subject experience, regardless of the experience level of their partner. They were also more likely to report favorable levels of comfort with the peer instruction experience. Students with no previous subject experience were more likely to describe a level of discomfort being assigned a stranger for a discussion partner and were more likely to report communication issues with their partner. Most group members, regardless of previous subject experience, related deeper discussions occurring when partners did not initially have the same answer to the clicker questions.

Sexual Orientation, Objective Height, and Self-Reported Height.

PubMed

Skorska, Malvina N; Bogaert, Anthony F

2017-01-01

Studies that have used mostly self-reported height have found that androphilic men and women are shorter than gynephilic men and women, respectively. This study examined whether an objective height difference exists or whether a psychosocial account (e.g., distortion of self-reports) may explain these putative height differences. A total of 863 participants, recruited at a Canadian university, the surrounding region, and through lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) events across Canada, self-reported their height and had their height measured. Androphilic men were shorter, on average, than gynephilic men. There was no objective height difference between gynephilic, ambiphilic, and androphilic women. Self-reported height, statistically controlling for objective height, was not related to sexual orientation. These findings are the first to show an objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. Also, the findings suggest that previous studies using self-reported height found part of a true objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. These findings have implications for existing biological theories of men's sexual orientation development.

AH-64 IHADSS aviator vision experiences in Operation Iraqi Freedom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiatt, Keith L.; Rash, Clarence E.; Harris, Eric S.; McGilberry, William H.

2004-09-01

Forty AH-64 Apache aviators representing a total of 8564 flight hours and 2260 combat hours during Operation Iraqi Freedom and its aftermath were surveyed for their visual experiences with the AH-64's monocular Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System (IHADSS) helmet-mounted display in a combat environment. A major objective of this study was to determine if the frequencies of reports of visual complaints and illusions reported in the previous studies, addressing mostly benign training environments, differ in the more stressful combat environments. The most frequently reported visual complaints, both while and after flying, were visual discomfort and headache, which is consistent with previous studies. Frequencies of complaints after flying in the current study were numerically lower for all complaint types, but differences from previous studies are statistically significant only for visual discomfort and disorientation (vertigo). With the exception of "brownout/whiteout," reports of degraded visual cues in the current study were numerically lower for all types, but statistically significant only for impaired depth perception, decreased field of view, and inadvertent instrumental meteorological conditions. This study also found statistically lower reports of all static and dynamic illusions (with one exception, disorientation). This important finding is attributed to the generally flat and featureless geography present in a large portion of the Iraqi theater and to the shift in the way that the aviators use the two disparate visual inputs presented by the IHADSS monocular design (i.e., greater use of both eyes as opposed to concentrating primarily on display imagery).

Gastric cancer arising from the remnant stomach after distal gastrectomy: a review.

PubMed

Takeno, Shinsuke; Hashimoto, Tatsuya; Maki, Kenji; Shibata, Ryosuke; Shiwaku, Hironari; Yamana, Ippei; Yamashita, Risako; Yamashita, Yuichi

2014-10-14

Gastric stump carcinoma was initially reported by Balfore in 1922, and many reports of this disease have since been published. We herein review previous reports of gastric stump carcinoma with respect to epidemiology, carcinogenesis, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, Epstein-Barr virus infection, clinicopathologic characteristics and endoscopic treatment. In particular, it is noteworthy that no prognostic differences are observed between gastric stump carcinoma and primary upper third gastric cancer. In addition, endoscopic submucosal dissection has recently been used to treat gastric stump carcinoma in the early stage. In contrast, many issues concerning gastric stump carcinoma remain to be clarified, including molecular biological characteristics and the carcinogenesis of H. pylori infection. We herein review the previous pertinent literature and summarize the characteristics of gastric stump carcinoma reported to date.

Pricing Medicare's diagnosis-related groups: Charges versus estimated costs

PubMed Central

Price, Kurt F.

1989-01-01

Hospital payments under Medicare's prospective payment system (PPS) are based on prices established for 474 diagnosis-related groups (DRG's). Previous analyses using 1981 data demonstrated that DRG prices based on charges alone were not that different from prices calculated from estimated costs. Data for 1986 were used in this study to show that the differences between the two sets of DRG prices are much larger than previously reported. If DRG prices were once again based on estimated costs instead of the current charge-based prices, payments would be significantly redistributed. PMID:10313356

Sex Differences in Response to Visual Sexual Stimuli: A Review

PubMed Central

Rupp, Heather A.; Wallen, Kim

2009-01-01

This article reviews what is currently known about how men and women respond to the presentation of visual sexual stimuli. While the assumption that men respond more to visual sexual stimuli is generally empirically supported, previous reports of sex differences are confounded by the variable content of the stimuli presented and measurement techniques. We propose that the cognitive processing stage of responding to sexual stimuli is the first stage in which sex differences occur. The divergence between men and women is proposed to occur at this time, reflected in differences in neural activation, and contribute to previously reported sex differences in downstream peripheral physiological responses and subjective reports of sexual arousal. Additionally, this review discusses factors that may contribute to the variability in sex differences observed in response to visual sexual stimuli. Factors include participant variables, such as hormonal state and socialized sexual attitudes, as well as variables specific to the content presented in the stimuli. Based on the literature reviewed, we conclude that content characteristics may differentially produce higher levels of sexual arousal in men and women. Specifically, men appear more influenced by the sex of the actors depicted in the stimuli while women’s response may differ with the context presented. Sexual motivation, perceived gender role expectations, and sexual attitudes are possible influences. These differences are of practical importance to future research on sexual arousal that aims to use experimental stimuli comparably appealing to men and women and also for general understanding of cognitive sex differences. PMID:17668311

Nuclear-spin-independent short-range three-body physics in ultracold atoms.

PubMed

Gross, Noam; Shotan, Zav; Kokkelmans, Servaas; Khaykovich, Lev

2010-09-03

We investigate three-body recombination loss across a Feshbach resonance in a gas of ultracold 7Li atoms prepared in the absolute ground state and perform a comparison with previously reported results of a different nuclear-spin state [N. Gross, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 163202 (2009)]. We extend the previously reported universality in three-body recombination loss across a Feshbach resonance to the absolute ground state. We show that the positions and widths of recombination minima and Efimov resonances are identical for both states which indicates that the short-range physics is nuclear-spin independent.

Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy for surface slope measurements: an examination of techniques

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

Hartman, J.S.; Gordon, R.L.; Lessor, D.L.

1981-08-01

Alternate measurement and data analysis procedures are discussed and compared for the application of reflective Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy for the determination of surface slopes. The discussion includes the interpretation of a previously reported iterative procedure using the results of a detailed optical model and the presentation of a new procedure based on measured image intensity extrema. Surface slope determinations from these procedures are presented and compared with results from a previously reported curve fit analysis of image intensity data. The accuracy and advantages of the different procedures are discussed.

The Melanopsin-Mediated Pupillary Light Response Is Not Changed in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

PubMed

Ba-Ali, Shakoor; Jensen, Rigmor Højland; Larsen, Line Sofie; Lund-Andersen, Henrik; Hamann, Steffen

2018-04-01

Previously, it has been reported that melanopsin-mediated pupillary light response (PLR), measured with pupillometry, is reduced in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), indicating the clinical utility of the tool in the diagnosis of IIH. In the current study, the authors aimed to measure the PLR in 13 treatment-naive patients with new-onset IIH and 13 healthy controls. In contrast to the previous report, which was based on patients with longstanding IIH ( n = 13), the authors found no significant difference in the melanopsin-mediated PLR ( p = 0.48).

Differences in aggressive behavior and DNA copy number variants between BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ substrains.

PubMed

Velez, Lady; Sokoloff, Greta; Miczek, Klaus A; Palmer, Abraham A; Dulawa, Stephanie C

2010-03-01

Some BALB/c substrains exhibit different levels of aggression. We compared aggression levels between male BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ substrains using the resident intruder paradigm. These substrains were also assessed in other tests of emotionality and information processing including the open field, forced swim, fear conditioning, and prepulse inhibition tests. We also evaluated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously reported between these BALB/c substrains. Finally, we compared BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice for genomic deletions or duplications, collectively termed copy number variants (CNVs), to identify candidate genes that might underlie the observed behavioral differences. BALB/cJ mice showed substantially higher aggression levels than BALB/cByJ mice; however, only minor differences in other behaviors were observed. None of the previously reported SNPs were verified. Eleven CNV regions were identified between the two BALB/c substrains. Our findings identify a robust difference in aggressive behavior between BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ substrains, which could be the result of the identified CNVs.

15 CFR 713.7 - Deadlines for submission of Schedule 2 declarations, reports, and amendments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... report on exports and imports of Schedule 2 chemicals by plant sites, trading companies, and other... different Schedule 2 chemicals, by a declared plant site during the previous calendar year); (d) Annual... Commerce and Foreign Trade (Continued) BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CHEMICAL...

15 CFR 713.7 - Deadlines for submission of Schedule 2 declarations, reports, and amendments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... report on exports and imports of Schedule 2 chemicals by plant sites, trading companies, and other... different Schedule 2 chemicals, by a declared plant site during the previous calendar year); (d) Annual... Commerce and Foreign Trade (Continued) BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CHEMICAL...

15 CFR 713.7 - Deadlines for submission of Schedule 2 declarations, reports, and amendments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... report on exports and imports of Schedule 2 chemicals by plant sites, trading companies, and other... different Schedule 2 chemicals, by a declared plant site during the previous calendar year); (d) Annual... Commerce and Foreign Trade (Continued) BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE CHEMICAL...

A case matched study examining the reliability of using ImPACT to assess effects of multiple concussions.

PubMed

Barker, Trevor; Russo, Stephen A; Barker, Gaytri; Rice, Mark A; Jeffrey, Mary G; Broderick, Gordon; Craddock, Travis J A

2017-04-28

Approximately 3.8 million sport and recreational concussions occur per year, creating a need for accurate diagnosis and management of concussions. Researchers and clinicians are exploring the potential dose-response cumulative effects of concussive injuries using computerized neuropsychological exams, however, results have been mixed and/or contradictory. This study starts with a large adolescent population and applies strict inclusion criteria to examine how previous mild traumatic brain injuries affect symptom reports and neurocognitive performance on the Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) computerized tool. After applying exclusion criteria and case matching, 204 male and 99 female participants remained. These participants were grouped according to sex and the number of previous self-reported concussions and examined for overall differences on symptoms reported and scores obtained on the ImPACT neurocognitive battery composites. In an effort to further reduce confounding factors due to the varying group sizes, participants were then case matched on age, sex, and body mass index and analyzed for differences on symptoms reported and scores obtained on the ImPACT neurocognitive battery composites. Case matched analysis demonstrated males with concussions experience significantly higher rates of dizziness (p = .027, η 2  = .035), fogginess (p = .038, η 2  = .032), memory problems (p = .003, η 2  = .055), and concentration problems (p = .009, η 2  = .046) than males with no reported previous concussions. No significant effects were found for females, although females reporting two concussions demonstrated a slight trend for experiencing higher numbers of symptoms than females reporting no previous concussions. The results suggest that male adolescent athletes reporting multiple concussions have lingering concussive symptoms well after the last concussive event; however, these symptoms were found to be conflicting and better explained by complainer versus complacent attitudes in the population examined. Our results conflict with a significant portion of the current literature that uses relatively lenient inclusion and exclusion criteria, providing evidence of the importance of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria and examination of confounding factors when assessing the effects of concussions.

Hypermnesia: a further examination of age differences between young and older adults.

PubMed

Otani, Hajime; Kato, Koichi; Von Glahn, Nicholas R; Nelson, Meghann E; Widner, Robert L; Goernert, Phillip N

2008-05-01

Previous studies that examined age differences in hypermnesia reported inconsistent results. The present experiment investigated whether the different study materials in these studies were responsible for the inconsistency. In particular, the present experiment examined whether the use of a video, as opposed to words and pictures, would eliminate previously reported age differences in hypermnesia. Fifteen college students and 15 older adults viewed a 3-minute video clip followed by two free-recall tests. The results indicated that older adults, as a whole, did not show hypermnesia. However, when older adults were divided into low and high memory groups based on test 1 performance, the high memory group showed hypermnesia whereas the low memory group did not show hypermnesia. The older adults in the low memory group were significantly older than the older adults in the high memory group - indicating that hypermnesia is inversely related to age in older adults. Reminiscence did not show an age-related difference in either the low or high memory group whereas inter-test forgetting did show an age difference in the low memory group. As expected, older adults showed greater inter-test forgetting than young adults in the low memory group. Findings from the present experiment suggest that video produces a pattern of results that is similar to the patterns obtained when words and pictures are used as study material. Thus, it appears that the nature of study material is not the source of inconsistency across the previous studies.

Self-reported rates of interpersonal conflict vary as a function of questionnaire format: why age-related trends in disagreement (and other events) may not be what they seem.

PubMed

Dirghangi, Shrija; Laursen, Brett; Puder, Justin; Bjorklund, David F; DeLay, Dawn

2014-10-01

Two studies examine whether self-reports of interpersonal conflict differ as a function of how the question is asked. In Study 1, 56 U.S. college students (M = 20.7 years) completed different versions of a questionnaire, four times, at one week intervals. Participants reported more conflicts with the aid of memory prompts than without, an effect that was especially strong when questions focused on events from the previous day. In Study 2, 123 middle-school students (M = 11.08 years) and 128 primary school students (M = 8.2 years) from the same region completed one of two questionnaires describing conflict during the previous day. Children reported more conflicts with memory prompts than without. The effect was twice as strong for younger children than older children. The findings suggest that increases in reports of conflict across the transition into adolescence may be due to improvements in the ability to recall and recount events in the absence of memory cues. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pictures and Words: Spanish and English Vocabulary in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branum-Martin, Lee; Mehta, Paras D.; Francis, David J.; Foorman, Barbara R.; Cirino, Paul T.; Miller, Jon F.; Iglesias, Aquiles

2009-01-01

The current study evaluated the relation between Spanish and English vocabulary. Whereas previously reported correlations have revealed strong differences among types of vocabulary measures used and the ages of the students tested, no prior study had used a multilevel model to control for classroom-level differences. The current study used…

Representational Task Formats and Problem Solving Strategies in Kinematics and Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Bashirah; Rebello, N. Sanjay

2012-01-01

Previous studies have reported that students employed different problem solving approaches when presented with the same task structured with different representations. In this study, we explored and compared students' strategies as they attempted tasks from two topical areas, kinematics and work. Our participants were 19 engineering students…

Can Reporting Heterogeneity Explain Differences in Depressive Symptoms across Europe?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kok, Renske; Avendano, Mauricio; d'Uva, Teresa Bago; Mackenbach, Johan

2012-01-01

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the developed world. Previous studies have shown varying depression prevalence rates between European countries, and also within countries, between socioeconomic groups. However, it is unclear whether these differences reflect true variations in prevalence or whether they are attributable to…

Geographic variation in sexual attraction of Spodoptera frugiperda corn- and rice-strain males to pheromone lures

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The corn- and rice-strains of Spodoptera frugiperda exhibit several genetic and behavioral differences and appear to be undergoing ecological speciation in sympatry. Previous studies reported conflicting results when investigating male attraction to pheromone lures in different regions, but this cou...

Prospective clinical observational study evaluating gender-associated differences of preoperative pain intensity.

PubMed

Tafelski, Sascha; Kerper, Léonie F; Salz, Anna-Lena; Spies, Claudia; Reuter, Eva; Nachtigall, Irit; Schäfer, Michael; Krannich, Alexander; Krampe, Henning

2016-07-01

Previous studies reported conflicting results concerning different pain perceptions of men and women. Recent research found higher pain levels in men after major surgery, contrasted by women after minor procedures. This trial investigates differences in self-reported preoperative pain intensity between genders before surgery.Patients were enrolled in 2011 and 2012 presenting for preoperative evaluation at the anesthesiological assessment clinic at Charité University hospital. Out of 5102 patients completing a computer-assisted self-assessment, 3042 surgical patients with any preoperative pain were included into this prospective observational clinical study. Preoperative pain intensity (0-100 VAS, visual analog scale) was evaluated integrating psychological cofactors into analysis.Women reported higher preoperative pain intensity than men with median VAS scores of 30 (25th-75th percentiles: 10-52) versus 21 (10-46) (P < 0.001). Adjusted multiple regression analysis showed that female gender remained statistically significantly associated with higher pain intensity (P < 0.001). Gender differences were consistent across several subgroups especially with varying patterns in elderly. Women scheduled for minor and moderate surgical procedures showed largest differences in overall pain compared to men.This large clinical study observed significantly higher preoperative pain intensity in female surgical patients. This gender difference was larger in the elderly potentially contradicting the current hypothesis of a primary sex-hormone derived effect. The observed variability in specific patient subgroups may help to explain heterogeneous findings of previous studies.

Racial differences in sexual prejudice and its correlates among heterosexual men.

PubMed

Daboin, Irene; Peterson, John L; Parrott, Dominic J

2015-04-01

Previous research has consistently found sexual prejudice to be a predictor of antigay aggression and has also revealed specific correlates and antecedents of sexual prejudice. However, extant literature reveals mixed findings about potential racial group differences in sexual prejudice, and few studies have examined racial differences in the correlates of sexual prejudice. The aims of this descriptive study were to determine whether there are (a) racial group differences in reports of sexual prejudice and (b) racial group differences in previously identified correlates of sexual prejudice. Participants were 195 heterosexual males, ages 18 to 30 (98 Blacks and 97 Whites), recruited from a large metropolitan city in the southeastern United States. Based on cultural differences in the influence of religion and in attitudes about male sexuality, it was hypothesized that Black participants would report higher sexual prejudice than White participants. Additionally, based on cultural differences in racial views on masculinity and in sociocultural experiences of male gender roles, it was hypothesized that Blacks would report greater endorsement of religious fundamentalism and the traditional male role norm of status than Whites. Results confirmed all of the hypothesized racial differences and revealed additional differences, including a differential effect of the traditional male role norm of status on sexual prejudice, which explains, at least in part, the racial differences found in sexual prejudice. These findings may reflect underlying cultural differences between Black and White males and may aid in the development of future efforts to reduce sexual prejudice and consequently antigay aggression toward sexual minorities. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Measurements of Flat-Flame Velocities of Diethyl Ether in Air

PubMed Central

Gillespie, Fiona; Metcalfe, Wayne K.; Dirrenberger, Patricia; Herbinet, Olivier; Glaude, Pierre-Alexandre; Battin-Leclerc, Frédérique; Curran, Henry J.

2013-01-01

This study presents new adiabatic laminar burning velocities of diethyl ether in air, measured on a flat-flame burner using the heat flux method. The experimental pressure was 1 atm and temperatures of the fresh gas mixture ranged from 298 to 398 K. Flame velocities were recorded at equivalence ratios from 0.55 to 1.60, for which stabilization of the flame was possible. The maximum laminar burning velocity was found at an equivalence ratio of 1.10 or 1.15 at different temperatures. These results are compared with experimental and computational data reported in the literature. The data reported in this study deviate significantly from previous experimental results and are well-predicted by a previously reported chemical kinetic mechanism. PMID:23710107

Congenital uni-leaflet mitral valve with severe stenosis: A case report with literature review.

PubMed

Zhang, Weixin; Wang, Yonghuai; Ma, Chunyan; Zhang, Zhiwei; Yang, Jun

2017-03-01

Numerical abnormalities of mitral leaflets is a special entity in congenital mitral malformations. Previously reported cases of uni-leaflet mitral valve were primarily related to absence or dysplasia of certain leaflets. We present a case here with mitral leaflets that were not divided into anterior and posterior as usual, but developed as an integral structure instead, which is different from previously documented cases of uni-leaflet mitral valves. Real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) provides a visual presentation of the abnormal mitral structure which was confirmed by surgical operation. To the best of our knowledge, this unusual form of uni-leaflet mitral valve has not been reported yet. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spectrum of mutations in a cohort of UK patients with ADA deficient SCID: Segregation of genotypes with specific ethnicities.

PubMed

Adams, Stuart P; Wilson, Melanie; Harb, Elissar; Fairbanks, Lynette; Xu-Bayford, Jinhua; Brown, Lucie; Kearney, Laura; Madkaikar, Manisha; Bobby Gaspar, H

2015-12-01

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) arises from a number of different genetic defects, one of the most common being mutations in the gene encoding adenosine deaminase (ADA). In the UK, ADA deficient SCID compromises approximately 20% of all known cases of SCID. We carried out a retrospective analysis of the ADA gene in 46 known ADA deficient SCID patients on whom DNA had been stored. Here, we report a high frequency of two previously reported mutations and provide a link between the mutations and patient ethnicity within our patient cohort. We also report on 9 novel mutations that have been previously unreported. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pain and alcohol consumption among older adults: findings from the World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health, Wave 1.

PubMed

Ahangari, Alebtekin; Stewart Williams, Jennifer; Myléus, Anna

2016-10-01

To investigate cross-sectional associations between self-reported recent pain and alcohol use/abstinence, and previous-day pain and previous-week alcohol consumption in adults aged 50 + in six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 (2007-2010) in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa is the data source. Prevalence of alcohol use/abstinence is reported by previous-day and previous-month pain. Multinomial logistic regressions (crude and adjusted for sex and country) tested associations between recent pain and alcohol use in the pooled multicountry sample. Across the six SAGE countries, about one-third of respondents reported alcohol use, being highest in Russia (74%) and lowest in India (16%). Holding the effects of sex and country constant, compared with abstainers, people with previous-day pain were more likely to be previous-day or other users. With regard to the quantity and frequency of alcohol use, people with previous-day pain were more likely to be non-heavy drinkers. Overall, we found that, in this population of older adults in six LMICs, recent pain was associated with moderate use of alcohol, although there were differences between countries. The findings provide a platform for country-specific research to better understand bi-directional associations between pain and alcohol in older adults. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Complement factor H polymorphisms in Japanese population with age-related macular degeneration.

PubMed

Okamoto, Haru; Umeda, Shinsuke; Obazawa, Minoru; Minami, Masayoshi; Noda, Toru; Mizota, Atsushi; Honda, Miki; Tanaka, Minoru; Koyama, Risa; Takagi, Ikue; Sakamoto, Yoshihiro; Saito, Yoshihiro; Miyake, Yozo; Iwata, Takeshi

2006-03-06

To study the frequency of five haplotypes previously reported in the complement factor H (CFH) gene for Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples taken from 96 Japanese AMD patients and 89 age-matched controls. All patients were diagnosed as having exudative (wet-type) AMD. The amplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of CFH exons 2, 9, and 13, and intron 6 were analyzed by temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE) and by direct sequencing. The haplotypes were identified, and their frequencies were calculated and compared with reported results. Five haplotypes were identified in the Japanese population including four already reported in the American population. The frequencies of these haplotypes were significantly different between Japanese and American in both control and case groups. The haplotype containing Y402H, which was previously reported to be associated with AMD, was only 4% in the control and case population, with a p value of 0.802. However, two other haplotypes were found as risk factors, which gave an increased likelihood of AMD of 1.9 and 2.5 fold (95% CI 1.12-3.69 and 1.42-6.38). One protective haplotype that decreased the likelihood of AMD by 1.6 fold (95% CI 0.26-0.67) was identified. The frequencies for five haplotypes previously identified were analyzed in a Japanese population with AMD. Four previously found haplotypes were identified and one additional haplotype was found. The frequencies of each haplotype were significantly different from that in found Americans affected with AMD. Two of the haplotypes were identified as risk factors and one was considered protective.

Tower cab metrics.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

This report is part of a continuing effort to develop human factors measures for different operational environments in the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Previous research at the William J. Hughes Technical Center R...

Self-reported empathy and neural activity during action imitation and observation in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Horan, William P.; Iacoboni, Marco; Cross, Katy A.; Korb, Alex; Lee, Junghee; Nori, Poorang; Quintana, Javier; Wynn, Jonathan K.; Green, Michael F.

2014-01-01

Introduction Although social cognitive impairments are key determinants of functional outcome in schizophrenia their neural bases are poorly understood. This study investigated neural activity during imitation and observation of finger movements and facial expressions in schizophrenia, and their correlates with self-reported empathy. Methods 23 schizophrenia outpatients and 23 healthy controls were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they imitated, executed, or simply observed finger movements and facial emotional expressions. Between-group activation differences, as well as relationships between activation and self-reported empathy, were evaluated. Results Both patients and controls similarly activated neural systems previously associated with these tasks. We found no significant between-group differences in task-related activations. There were, however, between-group differences in the correlation between self-reported empathy and right inferior frontal (pars opercularis) activity during observation of facial emotional expressions. As in previous studies, controls demonstrated a positive association between brain activity and empathy scores. In contrast, the pattern in the patient group reflected a negative association between brain activity and empathy. Conclusions Although patients with schizophrenia demonstrated largely normal patterns of neural activation across the finger movement and facial expression tasks, they reported decreased self perceived empathy and failed to show the typical relationship between neural activity and self-reported empathy seen in controls. These findings suggest that patients show a disjunction between automatic neural responses to low level social cues and higher level, integrative social cognitive processes involved in self-perceived empathy. PMID:25009771

Self-reported empathy and neural activity during action imitation and observation in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Horan, William P; Iacoboni, Marco; Cross, Katy A; Korb, Alex; Lee, Junghee; Nori, Poorang; Quintana, Javier; Wynn, Jonathan K; Green, Michael F

2014-01-01

Although social cognitive impairments are key determinants of functional outcome in schizophrenia their neural bases are poorly understood. This study investigated neural activity during imitation and observation of finger movements and facial expressions in schizophrenia, and their correlates with self-reported empathy. 23 schizophrenia outpatients and 23 healthy controls were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they imitated, executed, or simply observed finger movements and facial emotional expressions. Between-group activation differences, as well as relationships between activation and self-reported empathy, were evaluated. Both patients and controls similarly activated neural systems previously associated with these tasks. We found no significant between-group differences in task-related activations. There were, however, between-group differences in the correlation between self-reported empathy and right inferior frontal (pars opercularis) activity during observation of facial emotional expressions. As in previous studies, controls demonstrated a positive association between brain activity and empathy scores. In contrast, the pattern in the patient group reflected a negative association between brain activity and empathy. Although patients with schizophrenia demonstrated largely normal patterns of neural activation across the finger movement and facial expression tasks, they reported decreased self perceived empathy and failed to show the typical relationship between neural activity and self-reported empathy seen in controls. These findings suggest that patients show a disjunction between automatic neural responses to low level social cues and higher level, integrative social cognitive processes involved in self-perceived empathy.

Sleep complaints affecting school performance at different educational levels.

PubMed

Pagel, James F; Kwiatkowski, Carol F

2010-01-01

The clear association between reports of sleep disturbance and poor school performance has been documented for sleepy adolescents. This study extends that research to students outside the adolescent age grouping in an associated school setting (98 middle school students, 67 high school students, and 64 college students). Reported restless legs and periodic limb movements are significantly associated with lower GPA's in junior high students. Consistent with previous studies, daytime sleepiness was the sleep variable most likely to negatively affects high school students. Sleep onset and maintenance insomnia were the reported sleep variables significantly correlated with poorer school performance in college students. This study indicates that different sleep disorder variables negatively affect performance at different age and educational levels.

Third-order elastic constants of diamond determined from experimental data

DOE PAGES

Winey, J. M.; Hmiel, A.; Gupta, Y. M.

2016-06-01

The pressure derivatives of the second-order elastic constants (SOECs) of diamond were determined by analyzing previous sound velocity measurements under hydrostatic stress [McSkimin and Andreatch, J. Appl. Phys. 43, 294 (1972)]. Furthermore, our analysis corrects an error in the previously reported results.We present a complete and corrected set of third-order elastic constants (TOECs) using the corrected pressure derivatives, together with published data for the nonlinear elastic response of shock compressed diamond [Lang and Gupta, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 125502 (2011)] and it differs significantly from TOECs published previously.

Laser-fluorescence measurement of marine algae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Browell, E. V.

1980-01-01

Progress in remote sensing of algae by laser-induced fluorescence is subject of comprehensive report. Existing single-wavelength and four-wavelength systems are reviewed, and new expression for power received by airborne sensor is derived. Result differs by as much as factor of 10 from those previously reported. Detailed error analysis evluates factors affecting accuracy of laser-fluorosensor systems.

The Experience of Anger and Sadness in Everyday Problems Impacts Age Differences in Emotion Regulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanchard-Fields, Fredda; Coats, Abby Heckman

2008-01-01

The authors examined regulation of the discrete emotions anger and sadness in adolescents through older adults in the context of describing everyday problem situations. The results support previous work; in comparison to younger age groups, older adults reported that they experienced less anger and reported that they used more passive and fewer…

Assessment of "Teenage Diaries" for Teaching Concepts in Adolescent Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKee, Meredith L.; MacDonald, Pamelyn M.

2009-01-01

Student self-report measures have been reported in numerous studies to assert that the use of case studies in college psychology courses can help students to better understand the relevance of course topics; however, few studies have directly measured the impact of case studies on students' learning. The present study differs from previous studies…

Out of sight, but not out of mind? Greater reported pain in patients who spontaneously look away during venepuncture.

PubMed

Vijayan, R; Scott, G; Brownlie, W

2015-01-01

Various external factors can influence patients' experiences of noxious stimuli, but little is known of how patients' natural behaviour may be relevant. We ascertained how often patients spontaneously look or look away during venepuncture and associated reports of pain during a previously reported experimental randomized study. The study was conducted in the outpatient department of a U.K. district general hospital. Patients were randomized to hearing 'sharp scratch' or the verbal cue 'ready?' immediately before venepuncture. Whether patients looked or looked away during needle insertion was recorded. Patients were asked to rate their pain using a verbal numerical rating score (VNRS) and verbal response scale (VRS). One hundred ninety-two patients were included; mean age 51.7 years, 55% male. During needle insertion, 73% spontaneously looked away, whereas 27% looked. There was no significant difference in the proportion of these patients assigned to the 'sharp scratch' or 'ready?' groups, nor was there any difference in mean age or gender. For the group that looked, mean VNRS was 0.48 and VRS was 1.27, significantly less than the group that looked away (mean VNRS 0.94, p = 0.014; VRS 1.61, p = 0.002). As previously reported, pain ratings between 'sharp scratch' and 'ready?' groups were not significantly different. Almost three quarters of patients spontaneously look away during venepuncture, but their pain ratings are almost twice that of the quarter of patients who look. It is unclear why this may be, but previous experimental studies indicate that observing the body when a noxious stimulus is applied can have an analgesic effect. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

The relationship between lower extremity injury, low back pain, and hip muscle strength in male and female collegiate athletes.

PubMed

Nadler, S F; Malanga, G A; DePrince, M; Stitik, T P; Feinberg, J H

2000-04-01

To determine the relationship of previous lower extremity (LE) injury and/or low back pain (LBP) on hip abduction and extension strength. Cohort study of college athletes at time of preparticipation screening physical. An NCAA Division I college. Two hundred ten college athletes (140 males and 70 females) from an NCAA Division I school. Mean and maximal hip abduction and extension strengths were recorded using a specially designed dynamometer anchoring station. Previous injury to the LE or LBP in the past year was recorded via personal interview at the time of screening and verified by review of previous injury records. A significant difference in side-to-side symmetry of maximum hip extension strength was observed in female subjects who reported LE injury or LBP as compared to those who did not. Side-to-side difference in hip strength, however, did not differ between male athletes, regardless of reported LE injury or LBP status. Female athletes appear to have a differing response of the proximal hip musculature to LE injury or LBP, as compared with their male counterparts. Research is under way to further validate these findings. This study provides some reasoning to support the screening of hip strength during the preparticipation physical, as it may be important in the prevention of LE injury and LBP in collegiate athletes.

A new genus of long-legged flies displaying remarkable wing directional asymmetry

Treesearch

Justin B. Runyon; Richard L. Hurley

2004-01-01

A previously unknown group of flies is described whose males exhibit directional asymmetry, in that the left wing is larger than, and of a different shape from, the right wing. To our knowledge, wing asymmetry of this degree has not previously been reported in an animal capable of flight. Such consistent asymmetry must result from a left­right axis during development...

Can theories of visual representation help to explain asymmetries in amygdala function?

PubMed

McMenamin, Brenton W; Marsolek, Chad J

2013-06-01

Emotional processing differs between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and functional differences have been reported more specifically between the left and right amygdalae, subcortical structures heavily implicated in emotional processing. However, the empirical pattern of amygdalar asymmetries is inconsistent with extant theories of emotional asymmetries. Here we review this discrepancy, and we hypothesize that hemispheric differences in visual object processing help to explain the previously reported functional differences between the left and right amygdalae. The implication that perceptual factors play a large role in determining amygdalar asymmetries may help to explain amygdalar dysfunction in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Bayesian Face Recognition and Perceptual Narrowing in Face-Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balas, Benjamin

2012-01-01

During the first year of life, infants' face recognition abilities are subject to "perceptual narrowing", the end result of which is that observers lose the ability to distinguish previously discriminable faces (e.g. other-race faces) from one another. Perceptual narrowing has been reported for faces of different species and different races, in…

Railcar Roller Bearing Failure Progression Tests

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-04-01

This report describes the laboratory endurance test of six railcar roller bearings that had previously suffered physical damage or were otherwise degraded as a result of actual railroad service. Two different onboard impending bearing failure sensors...

The politics of insight

PubMed Central

Salvi, Carola; Cristofori, Irene; Grafman, Jordan; Beeman, Mark

2016-01-01

Previous studies showed that liberals and conservatives differ in cognitive style. Liberals are more flexible, and tolerant of complexity and novelty, whereas conservatives are more rigid, are more resistant to change, and prefer clear answers. We administered a set of compound remote associate problems, a task extensively used to differentiate problem-solving styles (via insight or analysis). Using this task, several researches have proven that self-reports, which differentiate between insight and analytic problem-solving, are reliable and are associated with two different neural circuits. In our research we found that participants self-identifying with distinct political orientations demonstrated differences in problem-solving strategy. Liberals solved significantly more problems via insight instead of in a step-by-step analytic fashion. Our findings extend previous observations that self-identified political orientations reflect differences in cognitive styles. More specifically, we show that type of political orientation is associated with problem-solving strategy. The data converge with previous neurobehavioural and cognitive studies indicating a link between cognitive style and the psychological mechanisms that mediate political beliefs. PMID:26810954

The politics of insight.

PubMed

Salvi, Carola; Cristofori, Irene; Grafman, Jordan; Beeman, Mark

2016-01-01

Previous studies showed that liberals and conservatives differ in cognitive style. Liberals are more flexible, and tolerant of complexity and novelty, whereas conservatives are more rigid, are more resistant to change, and prefer clear answers. We administered a set of compound remote associate problems, a task extensively used to differentiate problem-solving styles (via insight or analysis). Using this task, several researches have proven that self-reports, which differentiate between insight and analytic problem-solving, are reliable and are associated with two different neural circuits. In our research we found that participants self-identifying with distinct political orientations demonstrated differences in problem-solving strategy. Liberals solved significantly more problems via insight instead of in a step-by-step analytic fashion. Our findings extend previous observations that self-identified political orientations reflect differences in cognitive styles. More specifically, we show that type of political orientation is associated with problem-solving strategy. The data converge with previous neurobehavioural and cognitive studies indicating a link between cognitive style and the psychological mechanisms that mediate political beliefs.

Validity of injecting drug users' self report of hepatitis A, B, and C.

PubMed

Schlicting, Erin G; Johnson, Mark E; Brems, Christiane; Wells, Rebecca S; Fisher, Dennis G; Reynolds, Grace

2003-01-01

To test the validity of drug users self-reports of diseases associated with drug use, in this case hepatitis A, B, and C. Injecting drug users (n = 653) were recruited and asked whether they had been diagnosed previously with hepatitis A, B, and/or C. These self-report data were compared to total hepatitis A antibody, hepatitis B core antibody, and hepatitis C antibody seromarkers as a means of determining the validity of the self-reported information. Anchorage, Alaska. Criteria for inclusion included being at least 18-years old; testing positive on urinalysis for cocaine metabolites, amphetamine, or morphine; having visible signs of injection (track marks). Serological testing for hepatitis A, B, and C. Findings indicate high specificity, low sensitivity, and low kappa coefficients for all three self-report measures. Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in sensitivity associated with previous substance abuse treatment experience for hepatitis B self-report and with gender for hepatitis C self-report. Given the low sensitivity, the validity of drug users, self-reported information on hepatitis should be considered with caution.

A new NIST primary standardization of 18F.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, R; Zimmerman, B E; Bergeron, D E; Cessna, J C; Pibida, L; Moreira, D S

2014-02-01

A new primary standardization of (18)F by NIST is reported. The standard is based on live-timed beta-gamma anticoincidence counting with confirmatory measurements by three other methods: (i) liquid scintillation (LS) counting using CIEMAT/NIST (3)H efficiency tracing; (ii) triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) counting; and (iii) NaI integral counting and HPGe γ-ray spectrometry. The results are reported as calibration factors for NIST-maintained ionization chambers (including some "dose calibrators"). The LS-based methods reveal evidence for cocktail instability for one LS cocktail. Using an ionization chamber to link this work with previous NIST results, the new value differs from the previous reports by about 4%, but appears to be in good agreement with the key comparison reference value (KCRV) of 2005. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Investigating the anticipatory nature of pattern perception in sport.

PubMed

Gorman, Adam D; Abernethy, Bruce; Farrow, Damian

2011-07-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the anticipatory nature of pattern perception in sport by using static and moving basketball patterns across three different display types. Participants of differing skill levels were included in order to determine whether the effects would be moderated by the knowledge and experience of the observer in the same manner reported previously for simple images. The results from a pattern recognition task showed that both expert and recreational participants were more likely to anticipate the next likely state of a pattern when it was presented as a moving video, but only the experts appeared to have the depth of understanding required to elicit the same anticipatory encoding for patterns presented as schematic images. The results extend those reported in previous research and provide further evidence of an anticipatory encoding in pattern perception for images containing complex, interrelated patterns.

The relations between reading and spelling: an examination of subtypes of reading disability.

PubMed

Bar-Kochva, Irit; Amiel, Meirav

2016-07-01

Three groups of reading-disabled children were found in studies of English, German, and French: a group with a double deficit in reading and spelling, a group with a single spelling deficit, and a more rarely reported group presenting a single reading deficit. This study set out to examine whether these groups can be found in adults, readers and spellers of Hebrew, which differs from the previously studied orthographies in many aspects. To this end, Hebrew-speaking adults with or without reading disability were administered various literacy and literacy-related tests. Results confirm the existence of the same three groups. While all shared a phonological deficit, subtle differences in phonological decoding ability and in speed of processing distinguished between the groups. The study therefore suggests that the previously reported associations and dissociations between reading and spelling are not restricted to English, German, or French and may not be only developmental in nature.

Compliment Responses: Comparing American Learners of Japanese, Native Japanese Speakers, and American Native English Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatsumi, Naofumi

2012-01-01

Previous research shows that American learners of Japanese (AJs) tend to differ from native Japanese speakers in their compliment responses (CRs). Yokota (1986) and Shimizu (2009) have reported that AJs tend to respond more negatively than native Japanese speakers. It has also been reported that AJs' CRs tend to lack the use of avoidance or…

Genetic Variance in Homophobia: Evidence from Self- and Peer Reports.

PubMed

Zapko-Willmes, Alexandra; Kandler, Christian

2018-01-01

The present twin study combined self- and peer assessments of twins' general homophobia targeting gay men in order to replicate previous behavior genetic findings across different rater perspectives and to disentangle self-rater-specific variance from common variance in self- and peer-reported homophobia (i.e., rater-consistent variance). We hypothesized rater-consistent variance in homophobia to be attributable to genetic and nonshared environmental effects, and self-rater-specific variance to be partially accounted for by genetic influences. A sample of 869 twins and 1329 peer raters completed a seven item scale containing cognitive, affective, and discriminatory homophobic tendencies. After correction for age and sex differences, we found most of the genetic contributions (62%) and significant nonshared environmental contributions (16%) to individual differences in self-reports on homophobia to be also reflected in peer-reported homophobia. A significant genetic component, however, was self-report-specific (38%), suggesting that self-assessments alone produce inflated heritability estimates to some degree. Different explanations are discussed.

An assessment of the effects of serotonin 6 (5-HT6) receptor antagonists in rodent models of learning.

PubMed

Lindner, Mark D; Hodges, Donald B; Hogan, John B; Orie, Anitra F; Corsa, Jason A; Barten, Donna M; Polson, Craig; Robertson, Barbara J; Guss, Valerie L; Gillman, Kevin W; Starrett, John E; Gribkoff, Valentin K

2003-11-01

Antagonists of serotonin 6 (5-HT6) receptors have been reported to enhance cognition in animal models of learning, although this finding has not been universal. We have assessed the therapeutic potential of the specific 5-HT6 receptor antagonists 4-amino-N-(2,6-bis-methylamino-pyrimidin-4-yl)-benzenesulfonamide (Ro 04-6790) and 5-chloro-N-(4-methoxy-3-piperazin-1-yl-phenyl)-3-methyl-2-benzothiophenesulfonamide (SB-271046) in rodent models of cognitive function. Although mice express the 5-HT6 receptor and the function of this receptor has been investigated in mice, all reports of activity with 5-HT6 receptor antagonists have used rat models. In the present study, receptor binding revealed that the pharmacological properties of the mouse receptor are different from the rat and human receptor: Ro 04-6790 does not bind to the mouse 5-HT6 receptor, so all in vivo testing included in the present report was conducted in rats. We replicated previous reports that 5-HT6 receptor antagonists produce a stretching syndrome previously shown to be mediated through cholinergic mechanisms, but Ro 04-6790 and SB-271046 failed to attenuate scopolamine-induced deficits in a test of contextual fear conditioning. We also failed to replicate the significant effects reported previously in both an autoshaping task and in a version of the Morris water maze. The results of our experiments are not consistent with previous reports that suggested that 5-HT6 antagonists might have therapeutic potential for cognitive disorders.

Prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms among school-age adolescents: age and sex differences.

PubMed

Keeratisiroj, Orawan; Siritaratiwat, Wantana

2018-04-25

Non-specific musculoskeletal pain symptoms are common in adolescents and may differ between the sexes, and be related to age and daily activities. It is critical to examine the prevalence and frequency of symptoms in adolescent students who tend to have pain which interferes with their routine activities. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and frequency of self-reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms by age and sex, and we also examined the association of symptoms with routine activities of school-age adolescents by area of pain. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Thai students aged 10-19 years. All 2,750 students were asked to report previous 7-day and/or 12-month pain using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (Thai version) in 10 body areas. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age and sex was used to analyze the association between daily activity and musculoskeletal pain symptoms. A total of 76.1% (n=2,093) of students reported experiencing pain in the previous 7 days, 73.0% (n=2,007) reported in the previous 12-month period and 83.8% (n=2,304) reported pain in both 7-day and 12-month periods. The most common pain area was from a headache, with other areas being neck and shoulders, in that order, for both periods of time. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was especially higher in older groups and females. Participants reported frequency of pain as "sometimes in different areas" ranging from 78.4% to 88% and severity of pain at 3.82±2.06 out of 10 (95% CI 3.74-3.91). Routine daily activities associated with symptoms of headache, neck, shoulders, and ankles or feet pain were computer use (head, OR=2.22), school bag carrying (neck, OR=2.05), school bag carrying (shoulder, OR=3.09), and playing sports (ankle or foot, OR=2.68). The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms was high in both the previous 7-day and 12-month periods, especially in females and older adolescents, although most of them sometimes experienced pain. Computer use and school bag carrying were associated with headache, neck and shoulder pain, while playing sports was related to symptoms of the foot and ankle. The prevalence of pain was high, particularly in the older and female groups. Although they experienced mild symptoms sometimes, the related daily activities leading to these symptoms should be closely noticed.

Taxonomies in L1 and L2 Reading Strategies: A Critical Review of Issues Surrounding Strategy-Use Definitions and Classifications in Previous Think-Aloud Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkhaleefah, Tarek A.

2016-01-01

Considering the various classifications of L1 and L2 reading strategies in previous think-aloud studies, the present review aims to provide a comprehensive look into those various taxonomies reported in major L1 and L2 reading studies. The rationale for this review is not only to offer a comprehensive overview of the different classifications in…

Gender differences in facial imitation and verbally reported emotional contagion from spontaneous to emotionally regulated processing levels.

PubMed

Sonnby-Borgström, Marianne; Jönsson, Peter; Svensson, Owe

2008-04-01

Previous studies on gender differences in facial imitation and verbally reported emotional contagion have investigated emotional responses to pictures of facial expressions at supraliminal exposure times. The aim of the present study was to investigate how gender differences are related to different exposure times, representing information processing levels from subliminal (spontaneous) to supraliminal (emotionally regulated). Further, the study aimed at exploring correlations between verbally reported emotional contagion and facial responses for men and women. Masked pictures of angry, happy and sad facial expressions were presented to 102 participants (51 men) at exposure times from subliminal (23 ms) to clearly supraliminal (2500 ms). Myoelectric activity (EMG) from the corrugator and the zygomaticus was measured and the participants reported their hedonic tone (verbally reported emotional contagion) after stimulus exposures. The results showed an effect of exposure time on gender differences in facial responses as well as in verbally reported emotional contagion. Women amplified imitative responses towards happy vs. angry faces and verbally reported emotional contagion with prolonged exposure times, whereas men did not. No gender differences were detected at the subliminal or borderliminal exposure times, but at the supraliminal exposure gender differences were found in imitation as well as in verbally reported emotional contagion. Women showed correspondence between their facial responses and their verbally reported emotional contagion to a greater extent than men. The results were interpreted in terms of gender differences in emotion regulation, rather than as differences in biologically prepared emotional reactivity.

Association between pulmonary ureaplasma colonization and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants: updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lowe, John; Watkins, W John; Edwards, Martin O; Spiller, O Brad; Jacqz-Aigrain, Evelyne; Kotecha, Sarah J; Kotecha, Sailesh

2014-07-01

Previous meta-analyses have reported a significant association between pulmonary colonization with Ureaplasma and development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, because few studies reporting oxygen dependency at 36 weeks corrected gestation were previously available, we updated the systematic review and meta-analyses to evaluate the association between presence of pulmonary Ureaplasma and development of BPD. Five databases were searched for articles reporting the incidence of BPD at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (BPD36) and/or BPD at 28 days of life (BPD28) in Ureaplasma colonized and noncolonized groups. Pooled estimates were produced using random effects meta-analysis. Meta-regression was used to assess the influence of difference in gestational age between the Ureaplasma-positive and Ureaplasma-negative groups. The effects of potential sources of heterogeneity were also investigated. Of 39 studies included, 8 reported BPD36, 22 reported BPD28 and 9 reported both. The quality of studies was assessed as moderate to good. There was a significant association between Ureaplasma and development of BPD36 (odds ratio = 2.22; 95% confidence intervals: 1.42-3.47) and BPD28 (odds ratio = 3.04; 95% confidence intervals: 2.41-3.83). Sample size influenced the odds ratio, but no significant association was noted between BPD28 rates and difference in gestational age between Ureaplasma colonized and noncolonized infants (P = 0.96). Pulmonary colonization with Ureaplasma continues to be significantly associated with development of BPD in preterm infants at both 36 weeks postmenstrual age and at 28 days of life. This association at BPD28 persists regardless of difference in gestational age.

A Comparative Analysis of Students' Satisfaction with Teaching on STEM vs. Non-STEM Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawson, Chris

2012-01-01

Recent Higher Education Funding Council research echoes previous findings that student satisfaction scores differ between subject areas (HEFCE, 2011). However, there remains a paucity of research attempting to account for this, and these differences have only been reported for final-year student satisfaction. It is unclear at what stage during a…

Self-Esteem and Method Effects Associated with Negatively Worded Items: Investigating Factorial Invariance by Sex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiStefano, Christine; Motl, Robert W.

2009-01-01

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE) has been widely used in examinations of sex differences in global self-esteem. However, previous examinations of sex differences have not accounted for method effects associated with item wording, which have consistently been reported by researchers using the RSE. Accordingly, this study examined the…

Gender Differences in College Leisure Time Physical Activity: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Integrated Behavioral Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beville, Jill M.; Umstattd Meyer, M. Renée; Usdan, Stuart L.; Turner, Lori W.; Jackson, John C.; Lian, Brad E.

2014-01-01

Objective: National data consistently report that males participate in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) at higher rates than females. This study expanded previous research to examine gender differences in LTPA of college students using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by including 2 additional constructs, descriptive norm and…

Adolescent athletes with learning disability display atypical maturational trajectories on concussion baseline testing: Implications based on a Finnish sample.

PubMed

Peltonen, Kati; Vartiainen, Matti; Laitala-Leinonen, Tiina; Koskinen, Sanna; Luoto, Teemu; Pertab, Jon; Hokkanen, Laura

2018-05-21

Previous research has reported lower cognitive test scores on baseline testing in athletes reporting multiple previous concussions or a history of learning disability (LD). Age also has an important influence on cognitive performance. While these factors have been considered individually in previous studies, the present study is the first to explore the interaction of age, self-reported LD, and history of concussion on baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT®) in a nationwide study of adolescent athletes. ImPACT® was administered to 1823 Finnish male ice hockey players (aged 12-21 years old) prior to the 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 playing seasons. Linear regressions and simple slopes analyses were used for clarifying the impact of LD and previous concussion history on maturational trajectories. In comparison to typically developing athletes, athletes with LD had lower neurocognitive scores in all composites and differing maturational trajectory in verbal memory and visual motor speed. The number of previous concussions did not impair neurocognitive performance at baseline assessment. Application of standard age-based norms to adolescent athletes with a history of LD has the potential to negatively skew clinical decision-making. Separate reference values for LD athletes are warranted due to their unique developmental cognitive trajectories. The reference values for the Finnish participants in this study are presented.

Sex chromosome-specific regulation in the Drosophila male germline but little evidence for chromosomal dosage compensation or meiotic inactivation.

PubMed

Meiklejohn, Colin D; Landeen, Emily L; Cook, Jodi M; Kingan, Sarah B; Presgraves, Daven C

2011-08-01

The evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes (e.g., XY in males or ZW in females) has repeatedly elicited the evolution of two kinds of chromosome-specific regulation: dosage compensation--the equalization of X chromosome gene expression in males and females--and meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI)--the transcriptional silencing and heterochromatinization of the X during meiosis in the male (or Z in the female) germline. How the X chromosome is regulated in the Drosophila melanogaster male germline is unclear. Here we report three new findings concerning gene expression from the X in Drosophila testes. First, X chromosome-wide dosage compensation appears to be absent from most of the Drosophila male germline. Second, microarray analysis provides no evidence for X chromosome-specific inactivation during meiosis. Third, we confirm the previous discovery that the expression of transgene reporters driven by autosomal spermatogenesis-specific promoters is strongly reduced when inserted on the X chromosome versus the autosomes; but we show that this chromosomal difference in expression is established in premeiotic cells and persists in meiotic cells. The magnitude of the X-autosome difference in transgene expression cannot be explained by the absence of dosage compensation, suggesting that a previously unrecognized mechanism limits expression from the X during spermatogenesis in Drosophila. These findings help to resolve several previously conflicting reports and have implications for patterns of genome evolution and speciation in Drosophila.

Power Inversion in a Tapped Delay-Line Array.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-03-01

and identify by block number) This report discusses recent studies on adaptive arrays for theNavy ITACS system. The report considers the power inversion...this report we discuss recent studies on adaptive arrays for the Navy ITACS system. The goal of this research is to develop an adaptive antenna system...here is a continuation of earlier research on power inversion by Compton, Lee, and Schwegman [1,2,3,4]. This work differs from previous studies in that

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea.

PubMed

Koch, Michael; Kehop, Dickson Andrew; Kinminja, Boniface; Sabak, Malcolm; Wavimbukie, Graham; Barrows, Katherine M; Matainaho, Teatulohi K; Barrows, Louis R; Rai, Prem P

2015-11-14

Rapid modernization in the East Sepik (ES) Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is resulting in a decrease in individuals knowledgeable in medicinal plant use. Here we report a synthesis and comparison of traditional medicinal plant use from four ethnically distinct locations in the ES Province and furthermore compare them to two other previous reports of traditional plant use from different provinces of PNG. This manuscript is based on an annotated combination of four Traditional Medicines (TM) survey reports generated by University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) trainees. The surveys utilized a questionnaire titled "Information sheet on traditional herbal preparations and medicinal plants of PNG", administered in the context of the TM survey project which is supported by WHO, US NIH and PNG governmental health care initiatives and funding. Regional and transregional comparison of medicinal plant utilization was facilitated by using existing plant databases: the UPNG TM Database and the PNG Plant Database (PNG Plants) using Bayesian statistical analysis. Medicinal plant use between four distinct dialect study areas in the ES Province of PNG showed that only a small fraction of plants had shared use in each area, however usually utilizing different plant parts, being prepared differently and to treat different medical conditions. Several instances of previously unreported medicinal plants could be located. Medicinally under- and over-utilized plants were found both in the regional reports and in a transregional analysis, thus showing that these medicinal utilization frequencies differ between provinces. Documentation of consistent plant use argues for efficacy and is particularly important since established and effective herbal medicinal interventions are sorely needed in the rural areas of PNG, and unfortunately clinical validation for the same is often lacking. Despite the existence of a large corpus of medical annotation of plants for PNG, previously unknown medical uses of plants can be uncovered. Furthermore, comparisons of medicinal plant utilization is possible if databases are reformatted for consistencies that allow comparisons. A concerted effort in building easily comparable databases could dramatically facilitate ethnopharmacological analysis of the existing plant diversity.

Groin Problems in Male Soccer Players Are More Common Than Previously Reported.

PubMed

Harøy, Joar; Clarsen, Ben; Thorborg, Kristian; Hölmich, Per; Bahr, Roald; Andersen, Thor Einar

2017-05-01

The majority of surveillance studies in soccer have used a time-loss injury definition, and many groin problems result from overuse, leading to gradually increasing pain and/or reduced performance without necessarily causing an absence from soccer training or match play. Thus, the magnitude of groin problems in soccer has probably been underestimated in previous studies based on traditional injury surveillance methods. To investigate the prevalence of groin problems among soccer players of both sexes and among male soccer players at different levels of play through a new surveillance method developed to capture acute and overuse problems. Descriptive epidemiology study. We registered groin problems during a 6-week period of match congestion using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire. A total of 240 players from 15 teams across different levels of play and from both sexes were included, and they responded to the weekly questionnaire. We calculated the average weekly prevalence of all groin problems and substantial groin problems. Of the 240 players, 112 male players (59%) and 20 female players (45%) reported at least 1 episode of groin problems. The average weekly prevalence of any groin problem and substantial groin problem for all male players was 29% (range, 23%-32% across different levels) and 10% (7%-13%), respectively. Elite male players had an increased risk of experiencing groin problems (odds ratio: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.4, P = .03) compared with elite female players. There was no difference in the risk of experiencing groin problems among elite, subelite, and amateur male players. For substantial problems, there was no difference between elite male and elite female players or among levels of play for senior male soccer players. We found a high prevalence of groin problems among male soccer players during a period with match congestion. Time-loss definition as used in previous injury surveillance studies captured only one-third of the male groin problems registered with the new method. Elite male players had 3 times' higher risk of reporting groin problems as compared with elite female players, while playing level did not influence the risk of reporting a groin problem among males.

Experimental control of steady state photorefractive self-focusing in InP:Fe at infrared wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dan, C.; Wolfersberger, D.; Fressengeas, N.

2011-09-01

This paper reports an experimental study of the self-focusing process in iron doped indium phosphide at an 1.06 micron wavelength, identifying the influence of temperature, beam intensity and background illumination for two different iron dopings. We point out that the iron ionization ratio is at the origin of different qualitative behavior previously reported and we show that it is possible to reproduce the said behaviors in the same crystal by applying a uniform illumination, allowing their eventual control for dynamic wave-guiding.

Isolation and characterization of novel endogenous digitalis-like factors in the ovary of the giant toad, Bufo marinus.

PubMed

Matsukawa, M; Mukai, T; Akizawa, T; Miyatake, S; Yoshioka, M; Morris, J F; Butler, V P

1998-12-01

We have previously described the structures of four novel unconjugated bufadienolides in the ovary of the toad, Bufo marinus. In this study, we report the separation and characterization of three novel bufadienolide conjugates. These compounds were purified by HPLC, and their structures were determined to be 11alpha, 19-dihydroxytelocinobufagin-3-(12-hydroxydodecanoic acid) ester, 11alpha,19-dihydroxytelocinobufagin-3-(14-hydroxy-7-tetra decenoic acid) ester, and 11alpha, 19-dihydroxytelocinobufagin-3-(14-hydroxytetradecanoic acid) ester on the basis of NMR and MS data. Numerous dicarboxylic acid esters of bufadienolides have previously been described, but the three bufadienolide conjugates described in this report differ from previously described esters in that they contain hydroxylated monocarboxylic acids. The function of these three conjugates is not known but they are, like bufotoxins, potent inhibitors of Na+, K+-ATPase and may play a developmental role in the differentiation of toad oocytes.

Understanding the Potential Interethnic Difference in Rosuvastatin Pharmacokinetics.

PubMed

Benet, Leslie Z; Wu, Hsin-Fang

2017-09-01

Here we address the potential difference in rosuvastatin pharmacokinetics in Asians vs. whites. Our prospective study, reported in this issue, shows no ethnic difference when all subjects are wild-type for OATP1B1 and BCRP. We argue that although our study may be under powered to prove no ethnic difference, and that further confirmatory study is required, the virtual clinical study analysis, also reported in this issue, does not contradict the results of our prospective clinical study and that previous retrospective analysis of clinical studies does not include enough relevant subjects to conclude that wild-type OATP1B1 and BCRP do still demonstrate ethnic differences. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Why can't a man be more like a woman? Sex differences in Big Five personality traits across 55 cultures.

PubMed

Schmitt, David P; Realo, Anu; Voracek, Martin; Allik, Jüri

2008-01-01

Previous research suggested that sex differences in personality traits are larger in prosperous, healthy, and egalitarian cultures in which women have more opportunities equal with those of men. In this article, the authors report cross-cultural findings in which this unintuitive result was replicated across samples from 55 nations (N = 17,637). On responses to the Big Five Inventory, women reported higher levels of neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness than did men across most nations. These findings converge with previous studies in which different Big Five measures and more limited samples of nations were used. Overall, higher levels of human development--including long and healthy life, equal access to knowledge and education, and economic wealth--were the main nation-level predictors of larger sex differences in personality. Changes in men's personality traits appeared to be the primary cause of sex difference variation across cultures. It is proposed that heightened levels of sexual dimorphism result from personality traits of men and women being less constrained and more able to naturally diverge in developed nations. In less fortunate social and economic conditions, innate personality differences between men and women may be attenuated. Copyright 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

Cultural Differences in Professional Help Seeking: A Comparison of Japan and the U.S.

PubMed Central

Mojaverian, Taraneh; Hashimoto, Takeshi; Kim, Heejung S.

2013-01-01

Previous research has found cultural differences in the frequency of support seeking. Asians and Asian Americans report seeking support from their close others to deal with their stress less often compared to European Americans. Similarly, other research on professional help seeking has shown that Asians and Asian Americans are less likely than European Americans to seek professional psychological help. Previous studies link this difference to multitude of factors, such as cultural stigma and reliance on informal social networks. The present research examined another explanation for cultural differences in professional help seeking. We predicted that the observed cultural difference in professional help seeking is an extension of culture-specific interpersonal relationship patterns. In the present research, undergraduate students in Japan and the United States completed the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services, which measures professional help seeking propensity, psychological openness to acknowledging psychological problems, and indifference to the stigma of seeking professional help. The results showed that Japanese reported greater reluctance to seek professional help compared to Americans. Moreover, the relationship between culture and professional help seeking attitudes was partially mediated by use of social support seeking among close others. The implications of cultural differences in professional help seeking and the relationship between support seeking and professional help seeking are discussed. PMID:23426857

Role of strategies and prior exposure in mental rotation.

PubMed

Cherney, Isabelle D; Neff, Nicole L

2004-06-01

The purpose of these two studies was to examine sex differences in strategy use and the effect of prior exposure on the performance on Vandenberg and Kuse's 1978 Mental Rotation Test. A total of 152 participants completed the spatial task and self-reported their strategy use. Consistent with previous studies, men outperformed women. Strategy usage did not account for these differences, although guessing did. Previous exposure to the Mental Rotation Test, American College Test scores and frequent computer or video game play predicted performance on the test. These results suggest that prior exposure to spatial tasks may provide cues to improve participants' performance.

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS ON PUPIL ACHIEVEMENT OBSERVED DURING FIRST THREE YEARS OF THE PROJECT, SECONDARY MATHEMATICS EVALUATION PROJECT. INTERIM REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERICKSEN, GERALD L.; RYAN, JAMES J.

A REPORT IS GIVEN OF THE FIRST 3 YEARS OF A FIELD STUDY CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SEVERAL PROTOTYPE, SECONDARY MATHEMATICS PROGRAMS THAT WERE PRODUCED BY DIFFERENT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT GROUPS. MATHEMATICS TEACHERS WHO HAD NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH "MODERN" OR EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO MATHEMATICS TAUGHT A SELECTED…

Molecular Diagnosis of Human Taenia martis Eye Infection

PubMed Central

Koch, Till; Schoen, Christoph; Muntau, Birgit; Addo, Marylyn; Ostertag, Helmut; Wiechens, Burkhard; Tappe, Dennis

2016-01-01

Taenia martis, a tapeworm harbored in the intestine of mustelids, is a rarely encountered zoonotic cysticercosis pathogen. The larval stage closely resembles the Taenia solium cysticercus, but the natural host and thus the epidemiology of the disease is different. We here report a human eye infection diagnosed molecularly in a previously healthy female German patient. The case represents the third human infection described worldwide; the two previous cases were also European, involving eye and brain. PMID:26928837

"Experience Keeps a Dear School": the Effects of Ethnicity and Caregiving Experience on Hiring a Healthcare Advocate.

PubMed

Van Liew, Charles; Santoro, Maya; Kothari, Dhwani; Wooldridge, Jennalee; Cronan, Terry A

2016-12-01

In the present study, ethnic differences in evaluating the severity and associated needs of medical complications experienced by an elderly man and the likelihood of seeking professional assistance (i.e., hire a healthcare advocate [HCA]) to care for him, and for one's own family or parent should they become ill, as a function of previous caregiving experience, were investigated. The 974 participants were White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander. They read a hypothetical vignette about a 75-year-old man, Daryl, who was experiencing health problems. Participants were instructed to imagine that they were James, Daryl's son, and asked to indicate how severe his condition(s) were, how much medical assistance he would require, and how likely they would be to hire an HCA to assist him. They were also asked to report whether they previously had assisted a parent with activities of daily living (Assistance) and whether they would be likely to hire an HCA in the future if 1) a family member or 2) a parent, specifically, became ill. Two, 2 (Assistance) × 4 (Ethnicity) multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were performed to assess differential responses among individuals of different ethnicities as a function of previous caregiver experience. A priori interaction contrasts were examined to determine whether Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander participants differed on the outcomes from White participants as a function of previous caregiver experience. There were no significant differences between Black or Asian/Pacific Islander and White participants, but Hispanic participants assigned significantly higher severity and need for medical assistance ratings and were significantly more likely to indicate that they would seek assistance from an HCA with respect to the vignette and for their own parents in the future if they had provided caregiving to a parent in the past, whereas White participants were less likely to seek assistance from an HCA if they had provided caregiving in the past to a parent. Although ethnic differences in evaluations of Daryl's condition and in the reported likelihoods of hiring an HCA in various contexts as a function of previous caregiving experience were limited, there are important inter-cultural differences to recognize. It may be important in future research to assess ethnic differences in the expectations and experiences of caregiving.

Direct-location versus verbal report methods for measuring auditory distance perception in the far field.

PubMed

Etchemendy, Pablo E; Spiousas, Ignacio; Calcagno, Esteban R; Abregú, Ezequiel; Eguia, Manuel C; Vergara, Ramiro O

2018-06-01

In this study we evaluated whether a method of direct location is an appropriate response method for measuring auditory distance perception of far-field sound sources. We designed an experimental set-up that allows participants to indicate the distance at which they perceive the sound source by moving a visual marker. We termed this method Cross-Modal Direct Location (CMDL) since the response procedure involves the visual modality while the stimulus is presented through the auditory modality. Three experiments were conducted with sound sources located from 1 to 6 m. The first one compared the perceived distances obtained using either the CMDL device or verbal report (VR), which is the response method more frequently used for reporting auditory distance in the far field, and found differences on response compression and bias. In Experiment 2, participants reported visual distance estimates to the visual marker that were found highly accurate. Then, we asked the same group of participants to report VR estimates of auditory distance and found that the spatial visual information, obtained from the previous task, did not influence their reports. Finally, Experiment 3 compared the same responses that Experiment 1 but interleaving the methods, showing a weak, but complex, mutual influence. However, the estimates obtained with each method remained statistically different. Our results show that the auditory distance psychophysical functions obtained with the CMDL method are less susceptible to previously reported underestimation for distances over 2 m.

Beam Output Audit results within the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group network.

PubMed

Hurkmans, Coen W; Christiaens, Melissa; Collette, Sandra; Weber, Damien Charles

2016-12-15

Beam Output Auditing (BOA) is one key process of the EORTC radiation therapy quality assurance program. Here the results obtained between 2005 and 2014 are presented and compared to previous results.For all BOA reports the following parameters were scored: centre, country, date of audit, beam energies and treatment machines audited, auditing organisation, percentage of agreement between stated and measured dose.Four-hundred and sixty-one BOA reports were analyzed containing the results of 1790 photon and 1366 electron beams, delivered by 755 different treatment machines. The majority of beams (91.1%) were within the optimal limit of ≤ 3%. Only 13 beams (0.4%; n = 9 electrons; n = 4 photons), were out of the range of acceptance of ≤ 5%. Previous reviews reported a much higher percentage of 2.5% or more of the BOAs with >5% deviation.The majority of EORTC centres present beam output variations within the 3% tolerance cutoff value and only 0.4% of audited beams presented with variations of more than 5%. This is an important improvement compared to previous BOA results.

pH-dependent surface charging and points of zero charge. IV. Update and new approach.

PubMed

Kosmulski, Marek

2009-09-15

The recently published points of zero charge (PZC) and isoelectric points (IEPs) of various materials are compiled to update the previous compilation [M. Kosmulski, Surface Charging and Points of Zero Charge, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2009]. Unlike in previous compilations by the same author [Chemical Properties of Material Surfaces, Dekker, New York, 2001; J. Colloid Interface Sci. 253 (2002) 77; J. Colloid Interface Sci. 275 (2004) 214; J. Colloid Interface Sci. 298 (2006) 730], the materials are sorted not only by the chemical formula, but also by specific product, that is, by brand name (commercially available materials), and by recipe (home-synthesized materials). This new approach indicated that the relatively consistent PZC/IEP reported in the literature for materials having the same chemical formula are due to biased choice of specimens to be studied. Specimens which have PZC/IEP close to the "recommended" value are selected more often than other specimens (PZC/IEP not reported before or PZC/IEP reported, but different from the "recommended" value). Thus, the previously published PZC/IEP act as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Recombinant cathepsin E has no proteolytic activity at neutral pH.

PubMed

Zaidi, Nousheen; Herrmann, Timo; Voelter, Wolfgang; Kalbacher, Hubert

2007-08-17

Cathepsin E (CatE) is a major intracellular aspartic protease reported to be involved in cellular protein degradation and several pathological processes. Distinct cleavage specificities of CatE at neutral and acidic pH have been reported previously in studies using CatE purified from human gastric mucosa. Here, in contrast, we have analyzed the proteolytic activity of recombinant CatE at acidic and neutral pH using two separate approaches, RP-HPLC and FRET-based proteinase assays. Our data clearly indicate that recombinant CatE does not possess any proteolytic activity at all at neutral pH and was unable to cleave the peptides glucagon, neurotensin, and dynorphin A that were previously reported to be cleaved by CatE at neutral pH. Even in the presence of ATP, which is known to stabilize CatE, no proteolytic activity was observed. These discrepant results might be due to some contaminating factor present in the enzyme preparations used in previous studies or may reflect differences between recombinant CatE and the native enzyme.

EMS versus civilian transportation of severely injured patients

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-08-26

A previous report of 5782 trauma patients demonstrated higher mortality among those transported by EMS than among their non-EMS transported counterparts. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that the two groups differed in the injury-to-ho...

Morningness-Eveningness and Satisfaction with Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randler, Christoph

2008-01-01

Individual differences in diurnal preferences and circadian rhythms are viewed as an interesting dimension of human personality. Previous research has examined various psychological correlates of diurnal preference. Evening types reported psychological and psychosomatic disturbances more frequently and intensively than morning types and morning…

Anatomy of the sural nerve: cadaver study and literature review.

PubMed

Riedl, Otto; Frey, Manfred

2013-04-01

The sural nerve is commonly used as donor for nerve grafting. Contrary to its constant retromalleolar position, formation and course of the proximal sural nerve show great variability. The coexistence of different and deceptive terminologies contributes to the complexity, and reviewing the international literature is confusing. Because detailed anatomical knowledge is essential for efficient and safe sural nerve harvesting, this study aims to bring clarity. Previous sural nerve reports listed in the PubMed database and established anatomical textbooks were reviewed. Different terminologies were compared and adjusted. Anatomical details and variations were noted. Subtle prospective anatomical dissections and comparison with actual data followed. Two hundred twenty-one relevant reports were identified and worked up going back to the nineteenth century. Fourteen established German and English language anatomical textbooks were reviewed. Thirty lower limbs were dissected. In total, this study pools the information of more than 2500 sural nerves. This study covers all information about the sural nerve anatomy published internationally. The coexistence of different and confusing terminologies is pinpointed and adjusted to allow comparison of previous reports and to gain a coordinated data pool of more than 2500 investigated sural nerves. Detailed features are clearly described and summarized, findings from the authors' own prospective dissections complete these data, and the prior existing anatomical confusion is resolved. Finally, clinical implications are described.

ALK-positive large B-cell lymphoma: identification of EML4-ALK and a review of the literature focusing on the ALK immunohistochemical staining pattern.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Kana; Nakasone, Hideki; Togashi, Yuki; Sakata, Seiji; Tsuyama, Naoko; Baba, Satoko; Dobashi, Akito; Asaka, Reimi; Tsai, Chien-Chen; Chuang, Shih-Sung; Izutsu, Koji; Kanda, Yoshinobu; Takeuchi, Kengo

2016-04-01

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive large B-cell lymphoma (ALK+LBCL) is a rare, aggressive B-cell lymphoma with ALK fusion genes. Histopathologically, the ALK immunohistochemical staining pattern is suggestive of the fusion partner of ALK. Here, we examined an ALK+LBCL case showing a unique diffuse cytoplasmic ALK staining pattern and identified EML4-ALK, which has not previously been reported in ALK+LBCL. Furthermore, to clarify whether the prognosis differs depending on the staining pattern, we reviewed 112 previously reported cases, and analyzed immunohistochemical markers and clinical data stratified by the staining pattern. We found that ALK staining can be classified into a granular cytoplasmic staining (GCS) or a non-GCS patterns. Sixty-four adult cases for which both the ALK staining pattern and survival time were reported were further analyzed for survival trends. The non-GCS pattern was significantly associated with inferior overall survival (P = 0.031). This difference remained significant after adjusting for age and clinical stage (hazard ratio 5.08, 95 % CI 1.88-13.7, P = 0.0013). Given that the ALK immunohistochemical staining pattern is associated with the ALK fusion partner, the present results suggest that the prognosis for ALK+LBCL differs depending on the ALK fusion partner.

Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure, diabetes and endogenous hormones: a cross-sectional study in men previously employed at a capacitor manufacturing plant

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Studies have shown associations of diabetes and endogenous hormones with exposure to a wide variety of organochlorines. We have previously reported positive associations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and inverse associations of selected steroid hormones with diabetes in postmenopausal women previously employed in a capacitor manufacturing plant. Methods This paper examines associations of PCBs with diabetes and endogenous hormones in 63 men previously employed at the same plant who in 1996 underwent surveys of their exposure and medical history and collection of bloods and urine for measurements of PCBs, lipids, liver function, hematologic markers and endogenous hormones. Results PCB exposure was positively associated with diabetes and age and inversely associated with thyroid stimulating hormone and triiodothyronine-uptake. History of diabetes was significantly related to total PCBs and all PCB functional groupings, but not to quarters worked and job score, after control for potential confounders. None of the exposures were related to insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in non-diabetic men. Conclusions Associations of PCBs with specific endogenous hormones differ in some respects from previous findings in postmenopausal women employed at the capacitor plant. Results from this study, however, do confirm previous reports relating PCB exposure to diabetes and suggest that these associations are not mediated by measured endogenous hormones. PMID:22931295

Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure, diabetes and endogenous hormones: a cross-sectional study in men previously employed at a capacitor manufacturing plant.

PubMed

Persky, Victoria; Piorkowski, Julie; Turyk, Mary; Freels, Sally; Chatterton, Robert; Dimos, John; Bradlow, H Leon; Chary, Lin Kaatz; Burse, Virlyn; Unterman, Terry; Sepkovic, Daniel W; McCann, Kenneth

2012-08-29

Studies have shown associations of diabetes and endogenous hormones with exposure to a wide variety of organochlorines. We have previously reported positive associations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and inverse associations of selected steroid hormones with diabetes in postmenopausal women previously employed in a capacitor manufacturing plant. This paper examines associations of PCBs with diabetes and endogenous hormones in 63 men previously employed at the same plant who in 1996 underwent surveys of their exposure and medical history and collection of bloods and urine for measurements of PCBs, lipids, liver function, hematologic markers and endogenous hormones. PCB exposure was positively associated with diabetes and age and inversely associated with thyroid stimulating hormone and triiodothyronine-uptake. History of diabetes was significantly related to total PCBs and all PCB functional groupings, but not to quarters worked and job score, after control for potential confounders. None of the exposures were related to insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in non-diabetic men. Associations of PCBs with specific endogenous hormones differ in some respects from previous findings in postmenopausal women employed at the capacitor plant. Results from this study, however, do confirm previous reports relating PCB exposure to diabetes and suggest that these associations are not mediated by measured endogenous hormones.

Nursing student plans for the future after graduation: a multicentre study.

PubMed

Palese, A; Falomo, M; Brugnolli, A; Mecugni, D; Marognolli, O; Montalti, S; Tameni, A; Gonella, S; Dimonte, V

2017-03-01

When modelling the nursing workforce, estimations of the numbers and characteristics of new graduates over the forecast period are assumed on the basis of previous generations; however, new graduates may have different plans for their future than those documented previously in different socio-economical contexts. To explore (a) nursing student plans after graduation and factors influencing their plans, and (b) factors associated with the intention to emigrate. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to students attending their final third year of nursing education in seven universities in Italy in 2015. Nine hundred and twenty-three (90.4%) students participated. Four different plans after graduation emerged: about two-thirds reported an intention to look for a nursing job in Italy; the remaining reported (a) an intention to emigrate, looking for a nursing job abroad, (b) an intention to search for a nursing job in both Italy and abroad, and (c) while a few an intention to continue nursing education in Italy. Having previous experience abroad, the need to grow and be satisfied, trusting the target country and a desire to increase knowledge encouraged an intention to emigrate, whereas the desire to stay in a comfortable environment and nurture personal relationships prevented the desire to migrate. Nursing students may have different plans after graduation, and this should be considered when modelling the nursing workforce of the future. Policymakers should be aware of different plans after graduation to guide healthcare human resource strategies. Knowing these trajectories allows policymakers to estimate the appropriate nursing workforce, and also to act at both macro- and meso-levels, on work environments and opportunities for professional development, according to the different levels of expectations. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

Emotional Stroop interference for threatening words is related to reduced EEG δ-β coupling and low attentional control.

PubMed

Putman, Peter; Arias-Garcia, Elsa; Pantazi, Ioanna; van Schie, Charlotte

2012-05-01

Previously, electroencephalographic (EEG) delta-beta coupling (positive correlation between power in the fast beta and slow delta frequency bands) has been related to affective processing. For instance, differences in delta-beta coupling have been observed between people in a psychological stress condition and controls. We previously reported relationships between attentional threat processing and delta-beta coupling and individual differences in attentional control. The present study extended and replicated these findings in a large mixed gender sample (N=80). Results demonstrated that emotional Stroop task interference for threatening words was related to self-reported attentional inhibition capacity and frontal delta-beta coupling. There was no clear gender difference for delta-beta coupling (only a non-significant trend) and the relationship between delta-beta coupling and attentional threat-processing was not affected by gender. These results replicate and extend an earlier finding concerning delta-beta coupling and cognitive affect regulation and further clarify relationships between delta-beta coupling, attentional control, and threat-processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-reports of executive dysfunction in current ecstasy/polydrug Users.

PubMed

Hadjiefthyvoulou, Florentia; Fisk, John E; Montgomery, Catharine; Bridges, Nikola

2012-09-01

Ecstasy/polydrug users have exhibited deficits in executive functioning in laboratory tests. We sought to extend these findings by investigating the extent to which ecstasy/polydrug users manifest executive deficits in everyday life. Forty-two current ecstasy/polydrug users, 18 previous (abstinent for at least 6 months) ecstasy/polydrug users, and 50 non-users of ecstasy (including both non-users of any illicit drug and some cannabis-only users) completed the self-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) measure. Current ecstasy/polydrug users performed significantly worse than previous users and non-users on subscales measuring inhibition, self-monitoring, initiating action, working memory, planning, monitoring ongoing task performance, and organizational ability. Previous ecstasy/polydrug users did not differ significantly from non-users. In regression analyses, although the current frequency of ecstasy use accounted for statistically significant unique variance on 3 of the 9 BRIEF-A subscales, daily cigarette consumption was the main predictor in 6 of the subscales. Current ecstasy/polydrug users report more executive dysfunction than do previous users and non-users. This finding appears to relate to some aspect of ongoing ecstasy use and seems largely unrelated to the use of other illicit drugs. An unexpected finding was the association of current nicotine consumption with executive dysfunction.

Carolina bays of the Savannah River Plant

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

Schalles, J.F.; Sharitz, R.R.; Gibbons, J.W.

1989-01-01

Much of the research to date on the Carolina bays of the Savannah River Plant and elsewhere has focused on certain species or on environmental features. Different levels of detail exist for different groups of organisms and reflect the diverse interests of previous investigators. This report summarizes aspects of research to date and presents data from numerous studies. 70 refs., 14 figs., 12 tabs.

Conceptual Difficulties Experienced by Prospective Teachers in Electrochemistry: Half-Cell Potential, Cell Potential, and Chemical and Electrochemical Equilibrium in Galvanic Cells.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozkaya, Ali Riza

2002-01-01

A previous study of prospective teachers found that students from different countries and different levels of electrochemistry hold common misconceptions, indicating that concepts were presented to them poorly. Reports on how prospective teachers' scientifically incorrect ideas were used to form assertion-reason-type questions and how these…

The Four-Factor Model of Depressive Symptoms in Dementia Caregivers: A Structural Equation Model of Ethnic Differences

PubMed Central

Roth, David L.; Ackerman, Michelle L.; Okonkwo, Ozioma C.; Burgio, Louis D.

2008-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that 4 latent constructs (depressed affect, well-being, interpersonal problems, somatic symptoms) underlie the item responses on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. This instrument has been widely used in dementia caregiving research, but the fit of this multifactor model and the explanatory contributions of multifactor models have not been sufficiently examined for caregiving samples. The authors subjected CES-D data (N = 1,183) from the initial Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health Study to confirmatory factor analysis methods and found that the 4-factor model provided excellent fit to the observed data. Invariance analyses suggested only minimal item-loading differences across race subgroups and supported the validity of race comparisons on the latent factors. Significant race differences were found on 3 of the 4 latent factors both before and after controlling for demographic covariates. African Americans reported less depressed affect and better well-being than White caregivers, who reported better well-being and fewer interpersonal problems than Hispanic caregivers. These findings clarify and extend previous studies of race differences in depression among diverse samples of dementia caregivers. PMID:18808246

First Cytogenetic Profile of Omani Patients with de novo Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Comparison with data from Asia, Africa, Europe and North and South America.

PubMed

Udayakumar, Achandira M; Fawaz, Nagla; Pathare, Anil; Asraf, Shakila; Al-Huneini, Mohammed; Al-Farsi, Khalil; Al-Kindi, Salam; Al-Khabouri, Murtadha

2017-08-01

Clonal cytogenetic abnormalities have been reported among 30-80% of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); however, 20-70% of patients with MDS show a normal karyotype that may nevertheless harbour a cryptic genetic alteration. Earlier reports have suggested that the distribution of specific chromosomal aberrations varies among Western and Asian countries, with geographical and ethnic differences in the frequency of specific chromosomal aberrations. This article compared the cytogenetic data of 36 adult Omani patients with MDS to previously reported data from other populations. Differences were noted between the percentages of clonal aberrations and the median age of Omani subjects at presentation in comparison to individuals of different ethnicities and from various geographical locations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report to describe the cytogenetic data of patients with MDS from Oman.

The religiosity as social value hypothesis: A multi-method replication and extension across 65 countries and three levels of spatial aggregation.

PubMed

Gebauer, Jochen E; Sedikides, Constantine; Schönbrodt, Felix D; Bleidorn, Wiebke; Rentfrow, Peter J; Potter, Jeff; Gosling, Samuel D

2017-09-01

Are religious people psychologically better or worse adjusted than their nonreligious counterparts? Hundreds of studies have reported a positive relation between religiosity and psychological adjustment. Recently, however, a comparatively small number of cross-cultural studies has questioned this staple of religiosity research. The latter studies find that religious adjustment benefits are restricted to religious cultures. Gebauer, Sedikides, and Neberich (2012) suggested the religiosity as social value hypothesis (RASV) as one explanation for those cross-cultural differences. RASV states that, in religious cultures, religiosity possesses much social value, and, as such, religious people will feel particularly good about themselves. In secular cultures, however, religiosity possesses limited social value, and, as such, religious people will feel less good about themselves, if at all. Yet, previous evidence has been inconclusive regarding RASV and regarding cross-cultural differences in religious adjustment benefits more generally. To clarify matters, we conducted 3 replication studies. We examined the relation between religiosity and self-esteem (the most direct and appropriate adjustment indicator, according to RASV) in a self-report study across 65 countries (N = 2,195,301), an informant-report study across 36 countries (N = 560,264), and another self-report study across 1,932 urban areas from 243 federal states in 18 countries (N = 1,188,536). Moreover, we scrutinized our results against 7, previously untested, alternative explanations. Our results fully and firmly replicated and extended prior evidence for cross-cultural differences in religious adjustment benefits. These cross-cultural differences were best explained by RASV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Environmental effects on resistance gene expression in milk stage popcorn kernels and associations with mycotoxin production.

PubMed

Dowd, Patrick F; Johnson, Eric T

2015-05-01

Like other forms of maize, popcorn is subject to increased levels of contamination by a variety of different mycotoxins under stress conditions, although levels generally are less than dent maize under comparable stress. Gene array analysis was used to determine expression differences of disease resistance-associated genes in milk stage kernels from commercial popcorn fields over 3 years. Relatively lower expression of resistance gene types was noted in years with higher temperatures and lower rainfall, which was consistent with prior results for many previously identified resistance response-associated genes. The lower rates of expression occurred for genes such as chitinases, protease inhibitors, and peroxidases; enzymes involved in the synthesis of cell wall barriers and secondary metabolites; and regulatory proteins. However, expression of several specific resistance genes previously associated with mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin in dent maize, was not affected. Insect damage altered the spectrum of resistance gene expression differences compared to undamaged ears. Correlation analyses showed expression differences of some previously reported resistance genes that were highly associated with mycotoxin levels and included glucanases, protease inhibitors, peroxidases, and thionins.

Pharmacokinetics of Doxorubicin in Pregnant Women

PubMed Central

Ryu, Rachel J.; Eyal, Sara; Kaplan, Henry G.; Akbarzadeh, Arezoo; Hays, Karen; Puhl, Kristin; Easterling, Thomas R.; Berg, Stacey L.; Scorsone, Kathleen A.; Feldman, Eric M.; Umans, Jason G.; Miodovnik, Menachem; Hebert, Mary F.

2014-01-01

Purpose Our objective was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of doxorubicin during pregnancy compared to previously published data from non-pregnant subjects. Methods During mid- to late-pregnancy, serial blood and urine samples were collected over 72 hours from 7 women treated with doxorubicin for malignancies. PK parameters were estimated using noncompartmental techniques. Pregnancy parameters were compared to those previously reported non-pregnant subjects. Results During pregnancy, mean (± SD) doxorubicin PK parameters utilizing 72 hour sampling were: clearance (CL), 412 ± 80 mL/min/m2; steady-state volume of distribution (Vss), 1132 ± 476 L/m2; and terminal half-life (T1/2), 40.3 ± 8.9 hr. The BSA-adjusted CL was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) and T1/2 was not different compared to non-pregnant women. Truncating our data to 48 hours, PK parameters were: CL, 499 ± 116 ml/min/m2; Vss, 843 ± 391 L/m2; and T1/2, 24.8 ± 5.9 hr. The BSA-adjusted CL in pregnancy compared to non-pregnant data was significantly decreased in 2 of 3 non-pregnant studies (p < 0.05, < 0.05, NS). Vss and T1/2 were not significantly different. Conclusions In pregnant subjects, we observed significantly lower doxorubicin CL in our 72 hour and most of our 48 hour sampling comparisons with previously reported non-pregnant subjects. However, the parameters were within the range previously reported in smaller studies. At this time, we cannot recommend alternate dosage strategies for pregnant women. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of doxorubicin pharmacokinetic changes during pregnancy and optimize care for pregnant women. PMID:24531558

Refractory Access Disorders and the Organization of Concrete and Abstract Semantics: Do they Differ?

PubMed Central

Hamilton, A. Cris; Coslett, H. Branch

2010-01-01

Patients with “refractory semantic access deficits” demonstrate several unique features that make them important sources of insight into the organization of semantic representations. Here we attempt to replicate several novel findings from single-case studies reported in the literature. Patient UM– 103 displays the cardinal features of a “refractory semantic access deficit” and showed many of the same effects of semantic relatedness reported in the literature. However, when probing concrete and abstract words, this patient revealed very different patterns of performance compared to two previously reported patients. We discuss the implications of our data for models of semantic organization of abstract and concrete words. PMID:18569737

Social Support and Acculturative Stress among Korean International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ra, Young-An

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported that international students in the US experience unique difficulties and acculturative stress related to cultural differences, language barriers, academic pressure, and interpersonal relationships (Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992). Berry, Kim, Minde, and Mok (1987) defined this "acculturative stress" as…

Why drivers use cell phones and support legislation to restrict this practice : research brief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

Following previous research, drivers reported using cell phones : for benefits such as getting work done. The hypocrisy of using : cell phones while advocating restrictions appears to stem from : differences in the perceived safety risks of self vs. ...

Transhistorical variations in personality and their association with experiences of parental rearing.

PubMed

Lundberg, M; Perris, C; Schlette, P; Adolfsson, R

1999-10-01

A population sample comprised of 765 subjects (367 males and 398 females), in the age range of 15-81 years, completed the EMBU, a reliable questionnaire aimed at assessing experiences of parental rearing, and the TCI, a self-report questionnaire aimed at assessing dimensions of temperament and character. The study had three main aims: 1) to verify, on a larger scale, previous findings suggesting the occurrence of significant associations between experiences of parental rearing and aspects of temperament and character, 2) to assess possible variations in temperament and character in cohorts of subjects who have grown up in different historical epochs, and 3) to investigate to what extent transgenerational differences in parental rearing are detectable in different associations with various dimensions of personality. Several, albeit small, significant and meaningful associations between experiences of parental rearing and both temperament and character dimensions have been found, adding support to the robustness of previously reported results obtained in an independent smaller series. Also, several significant differences among subjects in different age groups have been found, both concerning temperament variables and character dimensions. Finally, the results show that associations between experiences of parental rearing and dimensions of temperament and character are most pronounced in subjects belonging to the youngest cohort and almost nil in the cohort comprising the oldest subjects.

Molecular Diagnosis of Human Taenia martis Eye Infection.

PubMed

Koch, Till; Schoen, Christoph; Muntau, Birgit; Addo, Marylyn; Ostertag, Helmut; Wiechens, Burkhard; Tappe, Dennis

2016-05-04

Taenia martis, a tapeworm harbored in the intestine of mustelids, is a rarely encountered zoonotic cysticercosis pathogen. The larval stage closely resembles the Taenia solium cysticercus, but the natural host and thus the epidemiology of the disease is different. We here report a human eye infection diagnosed molecularly in a previously healthy female German patient. The case represents the third human infection described worldwide; the two previous cases were also European, involving eye and brain. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

The Relation between Stress and Alcohol Use among Hispanic Adolescents

PubMed Central

Goldbach, Jeremy T.; Cardoso, Jodi Berger; Cervantes, Richard C.; Duan, Lei

2015-01-01

We explored the relation between eight domains of Hispanic stress and alcohol use and frequency of use in a sample of Hispanic adolescents between 11 and 19 years old (N = 901). Independent t-tests were used to compare means of domains of Hispanic stress between adolescents who reported alcohol use and those who reported no use. In addition, multinomial logistic regression was used to examine whether domains of Hispanic stress were related to alcohol use and whether the relation differed by gender and age. Multiple imputation was used to address missing data. In the analytic sample, 75.8% (n = 683) reported no use and 24.2% (n = 218) reported alcohol use during the previous 30 days. Higher mean Hispanic stress scores were observed among youths who reported alcohol use during the previous 30 days in five domains: acculturation gap, community and gang violence, family economic, discrimination, and family and drug-related stress. Increased community and gang violence, family and drug, and acculturative gap stress were found to be associated with some alcohol use categories beyond the effect of other domains. Few differences in the association between Hispanic stress and alcohol use by gender and age were observed. Study findings indicate that family and drug-related, community and gang violence, and acculturative gap stress domains are salient factors related to alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents, and their implications for prevention science are discussed. PMID:26551265

Genome-wide Scan of 29,141 African Americans Finds No Evidence of Directional Selection since Admixture

PubMed Central

Bhatia, Gaurav; Tandon, Arti; Patterson, Nick; Aldrich, Melinda C.; Ambrosone, Christine B.; Amos, Christopher; Bandera, Elisa V.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Bernstein, Leslie; Blot, William J.; Bock, Cathryn H.; Caporaso, Neil; Casey, Graham; Deming, Sandra L.; Diver, W. Ryan; Gapstur, Susan M.; Gillanders, Elizabeth M.; Harris, Curtis C.; Henderson, Brian E.; Ingles, Sue A.; Isaacs, William; De Jager, Phillip L.; John, Esther M.; Kittles, Rick A.; Larkin, Emma; McNeill, Lorna H.; Millikan, Robert C.; Murphy, Adam; Neslund-Dudas, Christine; Nyante, Sarah; Press, Michael F.; Rodriguez-Gil, Jorge L.; Rybicki, Benjamin A.; Schwartz, Ann G.; Signorello, Lisa B.; Spitz, Margaret; Strom, Sara S.; Tucker, Margaret A.; Wiencke, John K.; Witte, John S.; Wu, Xifeng; Yamamura, Yuko; Zanetti, Krista A.; Zheng, Wei; Ziegler, Regina G.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Haiman, Christopher A.; Reich, David; Price, Alkes L.

2014-01-01

The extent of recent selection in admixed populations is currently an unresolved question. We scanned the genomes of 29,141 African Americans and failed to find any genome-wide-significant deviations in local ancestry, indicating no evidence of selection influencing ancestry after admixture. A recent analysis of data from 1,890 African Americans reported that there was evidence of selection in African Americans after their ancestors left Africa, both before and after admixture. Selection after admixture was reported on the basis of deviations in local ancestry, and selection before admixture was reported on the basis of allele-frequency differences between African Americans and African populations. The local-ancestry deviations reported by the previous study did not replicate in our very large sample, and we show that such deviations were expected purely by chance, given the number of hypotheses tested. We further show that the previous study’s conclusion of selection in African Americans before admixture is also subject to doubt. This is because the FST statistics they used were inflated and because true signals of unusual allele-frequency differences between African Americans and African populations would be best explained by selection that occurred in Africa prior to migration to the Americas. PMID:25242497

A cross sectional study investigating weight management motivations, methods and perceived healthy eating and physical activity influences in women up to five years following childbirth.

PubMed

Vincze, Lisa; Rollo, Megan E; Hutchesson, Melinda J; Burrows, Tracy L; MacDonald-Wicks, Lesley; Blumfield, Michelle; Collins, Clare E

2017-06-01

to explore motivations for weight change, weight loss methods used and factors perceived to influence healthy eating and physical activity for weight management following childbirth, and to evaluate differences by socio-demographic, weight status and pregnancy characteristics. cross-sectional online survey completed from May to August 2013. Australian women (n=874, aged 32.8±4.5 years, pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index 25.6±5.7kg/m 2 ) aged 18-40 years who had given birth in the previous 5 years MEASUREMENTS: women self-reported socio-demographic, weight status and pregnancy characteristics. Those who reported being unhappy at their current weight ranked their most to least important reasons for wanting to change their weight from a list of nine options. Weight control methods used in the previous two years were reported from a list of 12 options. Perceived healthy eating and physical activity factors influencing weight management were assessed across 20 items using a five-point Likert scale. the most prevalent motivators reported for weight change were to improve health (26.1%) and lift mood (20.3%). Three-quarters (75.7%) of women reported having used at least one weight loss method in the previous two years. Time constraints due to family commitments, enjoyment of physical activity and healthy eating, motivation and cost were factors most commonly reported to influence weight management. Body mass index, parity, education, household income and time since last birth were related to motivations for weight change, weight loss methods used and/or factors perceived to influence weight management. weight management support provided by health professionals should consider women's expressed motivators and factors influencing weight management, along with differences in sociodemographic, pregnancy and weight status characteristics, in order to engage women at this life-stage and facilitate adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mixed Methods Survey of Zoonotic Disease Awareness and Practice among Animal and Human Healthcare Providers in Moshi, Tanzania

PubMed Central

Zhang, Helen L.; Mnzava, Kunda W.; Mitchell, Sarah T.; Melubo, Matayo L.; Kibona, Tito J.; Cleaveland, Sarah; Kazwala, Rudovick R.; Crump, John A.; Sharp, Joanne P.; Halliday, Jo E. B.

2016-01-01

Background Zoonoses are common causes of human and livestock illness in Tanzania. Previous studies have shown that brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever account for a large proportion of human febrile illness in northern Tanzania, yet they are infrequently diagnosed. We conducted this study to assess awareness and knowledge regarding selected zoonoses among healthcare providers in Moshi, Tanzania; to determine what diagnostic and treatment protocols are utilized; and obtain insights into contextual factors contributing to the apparent under-diagnosis of zoonoses. Methodology/Results We conducted a questionnaire about zoonoses knowledge, case reporting, and testing with 52 human health practitioners and 10 livestock health providers. Immediately following questionnaire administration, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 of these respondents, using the findings of a previous fever etiology study to prompt conversation. Sixty respondents (97%) had heard of brucellosis, 26 (42%) leptospirosis, and 20 (32%) Q fever. Animal sector respondents reported seeing cases of animal brucellosis (4), rabies (4), and anthrax (3) in the previous 12 months. Human sector respondents reported cases of human brucellosis (15, 29%), rabies (9, 18%) and anthrax (6, 12%). None reported leptospirosis or Q fever cases. Nineteen respondents were aware of a local diagnostic test for human brucellosis. Reports of tests for human leptospirosis or Q fever, or for any of the study pathogens in animals, were rare. Many respondents expressed awareness of malaria over-diagnosis and zoonoses under-diagnosis, and many identified low knowledge and testing capacity as reasons for zoonoses under-diagnosis. Conclusions This study revealed differences in knowledge of different zoonoses and low case report frequencies of brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever. There was a lack of known diagnostic services for leptospirosis and Q fever. These findings emphasize a need for improved diagnostic capacity alongside healthcare provider education and improved clinical guidelines for syndrome-based disease management to provoke diagnostic consideration of locally relevant zoonoses in the absence of laboratory confirmation. PMID:26943334

Relating SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference to precipitation and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration - A reappraisal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, C. J.

1992-01-01

The relations of Scanning Multi-channel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) 37 GHz polarization difference to precipitation and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are reviewed. Annual precipitation data, a surrogate for green leaf vegetation density, are compared with the coincident SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference from arid and semi-arid West Africa for 1982-85. The SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference was found to be poorly correlated with precipitation in arid and semi-arid zones, contrary to previous reports. Coincident SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference and atmospheric CO2 concentration data from July 1981 to June 1983 are also reviewed. Previously suggested relations of the SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference to atmospheric CO2 concentrations were found to be heavily biased by winter conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. The use of the SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference for determining green leaf vegetation density, net primary production, atmospheric CO2 draw-down and related processes is questioned.

Heat makes a difference in activity-based anorexia: a translational approach to treatment development in anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Cerrato, Maria; Carrera, Olaia; Vazquez, Reyes; Echevarría, Enrique; Gutierrez, Emilio

2012-01-01

To test the effect of raising ambient temperature (AT) on activity-based anorexia (ABA) and to extend to female rats previous findings reported in male animals. Two studies are reported in which female rats were submitted to food restriction and free access to an activity wheel either separately or in combination under changing (21-32 °C) or constant AT (21 °C). Warming ABA animals reversed running activity, preserved food-intake, and enabled female rats to recover from acute weight loss. Moreover, sedentary food-restricted warmed rats maintained a body weight equivalent to the levels of animals housed at standard AT in spite of 20% reduced food-intake. The replication on female rats corroborates the effect previously reported for males, which is indicative of the robust effect of AT in recovering rats from ABA. The findings reported here represent strong preclinical evidence in favor of heat supply as a useful adjunctive component for the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN). Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Wearable EEG via lossless compression.

PubMed

Dufort, Guillermo; Favaro, Federico; Lecumberry, Federico; Martin, Alvaro; Oliver, Juan P; Oreggioni, Julian; Ramirez, Ignacio; Seroussi, Gadiel; Steinfeld, Leonardo

2016-08-01

This work presents a wearable multi-channel EEG recording system featuring a lossless compression algorithm. The algorithm, based in a previously reported algorithm by the authors, exploits the existing temporal correlation between samples at different sampling times, and the spatial correlation between different electrodes across the scalp. The low-power platform is able to compress, by a factor between 2.3 and 3.6, up to 300sps from 64 channels with a power consumption of 176μW/ch. The performance of the algorithm compares favorably with the best compression rates reported up to date in the literature.

AGU journals increase in importance according to 2010 Impact Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Bill

2011-07-01

AGU journals continue to rank highly in many categories in the 2010 Journal Citation Report (JCR), which was released by Thomson Reuters on 28 June. JCR reports on several measures of journal usage, including a journal's Eigenfactor score, its Article Influence score, its Impact Factor, and its rank within a cohort of similar journals. According to the 2010 statistics, AGU again has outperformed its larger competitors. Four different AGU titles are ranked in the top three journals in six different cohorts. The Impact Factor of several AGU journals increased significantly over the previous year.

A novel germline POLE mutation causes an early onset cancer prone syndrome mimicking constitutional mismatch repair deficiency.

PubMed

Wimmer, Katharina; Beilken, Andreas; Nustede, Rainer; Ripperger, Tim; Lamottke, Britta; Ure, Benno; Steinmann, Diana; Reineke-Plaass, Tanja; Lehmann, Ulrich; Zschocke, Johannes; Valle, Laura; Fauth, Christine; Kratz, Christian P

2017-01-01

In a 14-year-old boy with polyposis and rectosigmoid carcinoma, we identified a novel POLE germline mutation, p.(Val411Leu), previously found as recurrent somatic mutation in 'ultramutated' sporadic cancers. This is the youngest reported cancer patient with polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis indicating that POLE mutation p.(Val411Leu) may confer a more severe phenotype than previously reported POLE and POLD1 germline mutations. The patient had multiple café-au-lait macules and a pilomatricoma mimicking the clinical phenotype of constitutional mismatch repair deficiency. We hypothesize that these skin features may be common to different types of constitutional DNA repair defects associated with polyposis and early-onset cancer.

Peer group socialization of homophobic attitudes and behavior during adolescence.

PubMed

Poteat, V Paul

2007-01-01

A social developmental framework was applied to test for the socialization of homophobic attitudes and behavior within adolescent peer groups (Grades 7-11; aged 12-17 years). Substantial similarity within and differences across groups were documented. Multilevel models identified a group socializing contextual effect, predicting homophobic attitudes and behavior of individuals within the group 8 months later, even after controlling for the predictive effect of individuals' own previously reported attitudes and behavior. Several group characteristics moderated the extent to which individuals' previously reported attitudes predicted later attitudes. Findings indicate the need to integrate the concurrent assessment of individual and social factors to inform the construction of more comprehensive models of how prejudiced attitudes and behaviors develop and are perpetuated.

Relevant incidental findings at abdominal multi-detector contrast-enhanced computed tomography: A collateral screening?

PubMed Central

Sconfienza, Luca Maria; Mauri, Giovanni; Muzzupappa, Claudia; Poloni, Alessandro; Bandirali, Michele; Esseridou, Anastassia; Tritella, Stefania; Secchi, Francesco; Di Leo, Giovanni; Sardanelli, Francesco

2015-01-01

AIM: To investigate the prevalence of relevant incidental findings (RIFs) detected during routine abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CeCT). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the reports of a consecutive series of abdominal CeCT studies performed between January and May 2013. For each report, patients’ age and sex, admission as inpatient or outpatient, clinical suspicion as indicated by the requesting physician, availability of a previous abdominal examination, and name of the reporting radiologist were recorded. Based on the clinical suspicion, the presence and features of any RIFs (if needing additional workup) was noted. RESULTS: One thousand forty abdominal CeCT were performed in 949 patients (528 males, mean age 66 ± 14 years). No significant difference was found between inpatients and outpatients age and sex distribution (P > 0.472). RIFs were found in 195/1040 (18.8%) CeCT [inpatients = 108/470 (23.0%); outpatients = 87/570 (15.2%); P = 0.002]. RIFs were found in 30/440 (6.8%) CeCT with a previous exam and in 165/600 (27.5%) without a previous exam (P < 0.001). Radiologists’ distribution between inpatients or outpatients was significantly different (P < 0.001). RIFs prevalence increased with aging, except for a peak in 40-49 year group. Most involved organs were kidneys, gallbladder, and lungs. CONCLUSION: A RIF is detected in 1/5 patients undergoing abdominal CeCT. Risk of overdiagnosis should be taken into account. PMID:26516432

The public's trust in scientific claims regarding offshore oil drilling.

PubMed

Carlisle, Juliet E; Feezell, Jessica T; Michaud, Kristy E H; Smith, Eric R A N; Smith, Leeanna

2010-09-01

Our study examines how individuals decide which scientific claims and experts to believe when faced with competing claims regarding a policy issue. Using an experiment in a public opinion survey, we test the source content and credibility hypotheses to assess how much confidence people have in reports about scientific studies of the safety of offshore oil drilling along the California coast. The results show that message content has a substantial impact. People tend to accept reports of scientific studies that support their values and prior beliefs, but not studies that contradict them. Previous studies have shown that core values influence message acceptance. We find that core values and prior beliefs have independent effects on message acceptance. We also find that the sources of the claims make little difference. Finally, the public leans toward believing reports that oil drilling is riskier than previously believed.

Impact of cranberry on Escherichia coli cellular surface characteristics

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

Johnson, Brandy J.; Lin Baochuan; Dinderman, Michael A.

2008-12-19

The anti-adhesive effects of cranberry have been attributed to both interactions of its components with the surface of bacterial cells and to inhibition of p-fimbriae expression. Previous reports also suggested that the presence of cranberry juice changed the Gram stain characteristics of Escherichia coli. Here, we show that the morphology of E. coli is changed when grown in the presence of juice or extract from Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry). Gene expression analysis indicates the down regulation of flagellar basal body rod and motor proteins. Consistent with this finding and previous reports, the SEM images indicate a decrease in the visible p-fimbriae.more » The iodine used in Gram-staining protocols was found to interact differently with the bacterial membrane when cells were cultured in spiked media. Slight alterations in the Gram stain protocol demonstrated that culturing in the presence of cranberry juice does not change the Gram stain characteristics contradicting other reports.« less

Hydride Transfer in DHFR by Transition Path Sampling, Kinetic Isotope Effects, and Heavy Enzyme Studies

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhen; Antoniou, Dimitri; Schwartz, Steven D.; Schramm, Vern L.

2016-01-01

Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (ecDHFR) is used to study fundamental principles of enzyme catalysis. It remains controversial whether fast protein motions are coupled to the hydride transfer catalyzed by ecDHFR. Previous studies with heavy ecDHFR proteins labeled with 13C, 15N, and nonexchangeable 2H reported enzyme mass-dependent hydride transfer kinetics for ecDHFR. Here, we report refined experimental and computational studies to establish that hydride transfer is independent of protein mass. Instead, we found the rate constant for substrate dissociation to be faster for heavy DHFR. Previously reported kinetic differences between light and heavy DHFRs likely arise from kinetic steps other than the chemical step. This study confirms that fast (femtosecond to picosecond) protein motions in ecDHFR are not coupled to hydride transfer and provides an integrative computational and experimental approach to resolve fast dynamics coupled to chemical steps in enzyme catalysis. PMID:26652185

The challenge of Parkinson's disease management in Africa.

PubMed

Dotchin, C L; Msuya, O; Walker, R W

2007-03-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is said to be less common in Africa than elsewhere in the world, but previous studies have been based on small numbers. Also, the differences may be due to the diagnostic criteria used, case finding methods and different population age structures. Developing countries have few facilities for chronic disease management and non-communicable diseases, although on the increase, tend to play second fiddle to malaria and HIV/AIDS. Previous reports suggest that, at least from anecdotal information, under-diagnosis of PD is common and long-term availability of medication, follow-up, patient education and multidisciplinary input is lacking. Published literature is scarce and there is a lack of recent information. We are currently conducting a door-to-door prevalence study in northern Tanzania in a population of 161,162. We have reviewed previous literature on PD in Africa and illustrate our personal experience of PD and its management in Africa with three cases.

Assessing transmission of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ haplotypes through seed potato

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conflicting data has previously been reported concerning the impact of zebra chip disease transmission through seed tubers. These discrepancies may be due to the experimental design of each study, whereby different pathogen haplotypes, insect vector haplotypes, and potato plant varieties were used....

Rural-Urban Differences in the Social Climate Surrounding Environmental Tobacco Smoke: A Report From the 2002 Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillen, Robert; Breen, Julie; Cosby, Arthur G.

2004-01-01

Although previous research has found smoking rates to be higher among residents of rural areas, few studies have investigated rural-urban differences in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Objective: This study contrasted the social climate surrounding ETS among Americans who resided in 5 levels of county urbanization. Design: Data were…

Engendered Responses to, and Interventions for, Shame in Dissociative Disorders: A Survey and Experimental Investigation.

PubMed

Dorahy, Martin J; Gorgas, Julia; Seager, Lenaire; Middleton, Warwick

2017-11-01

This study examined shame and responses to it in adult dissociative disorder (DD; n = 24) and comparison psychiatric (n = 14) samples. To investigate how helpful different therapeutic responses are after shame disclosures in therapy, participants heard two vignettes from "mock" patients disclosing a) shame and b) surprise. Participants rated the helpfulness of five potential responses. Interventions covered withdrawing from the affect (withdrawal focused) to feeling it (feeling focused), with other interventions on cognitions (cognitive focused), management strategies (management focused), and previous experiences (history focused). The DD sample reported higher characterological and bodily shame, and more shame avoidance and withdrawal. There was no difference across groups for intervention ratings. For shame, interventions focused on feelings, cognitions, or previous shame experiences were deemed most helpful, but this was qualified by experiencing dissociation while hearing the script, where the history intervention was reported less helpful. Exposure to shame while monitoring dissociation should accompany therapy for DDs.

Relative numerousness judgment and summation in young, middle-aged, and older adult orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii and Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus).

PubMed

Anderson, Ursula S; Stoinski, Tara S; Bloomsmith, Mollie A; Maple, Terry L

2007-02-01

The ability to select the larger of two quantities ranging from 1 to 5 (relative numerousness judgment [RNJ[) and the ability to select the larger of two pairs of quantities with each pair ranging from 1 to 8 (summation) were evaluated in young, middle-aged, and older adult orangutans (7 Pongo pygmaeus abelii and 2 Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus). Summation accuracy and RNJ were similar to those of previous reports in apes; however, the pattern of age-related differences with regard to these tasks was different from that previously reported in gorillas. Older orangutans were less accurate than the young and middle-aged for RNJ, and summation accuracy was equivalent among age groups. Evidence was found to suggest that the young and middle-aged based their selection of the largest quantity pair on both quantities within each pair during the summation task. These results show a relationship between subject age and the quantitative abilities of adult orangutans.

A unique case of magnet ingestion with respect to presentation and management.

PubMed

Yalçin, Sule; Karnak, Ibrahim; Ekinci, Saniye; Senocak, Mehmet Emin

2012-01-01

Magnet ingestion may lead to serious complications with delay in diagnosis and treatment. The forceful attraction between magnets, with gastric and/or intestinal wall entrapped between them, can cause injury through pressure necrosis. The radiological appearance of more than one magnet on X-ray can be easily misinterpreted as belonging to only one rod-like radiopaque foreign body, even if the magnets are located in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, thus delaying the management up to the onset of emergent surgical complications. A 17-month-old female with ingestion of a pair of magnets is presented, together with introduction of the clinical picture and therapeutic approach, which differed from the other previously reported cases. The ovoid shape of the magnets, their localization in the gastrointestinal tract (leading to entrapped gastric and intestinal wall between them), absence of any complication, and the therapeutic approach of endoscopic retrieval are the main distinguishing features of this case from those previously reported.

Anthropogenic antibiotic resistance genes mobilization to the polar regions.

PubMed

Hernández, Jorge; González-Acuña, Daniel

2016-01-01

Anthropogenic influences in the southern polar region have been rare, but lately microorganisms associated with humans have reached Antarctica, possibly from military bases, fishing boats, scientific expeditions, and/or ship-borne tourism. Studies of seawater in areas of human intervention and proximal to fresh penguin feces revealed the presence of Escherichia coli strains least resistant to antibiotics in penguins, whereas E. coli from seawater elsewhere showed resistance to one or more of the following antibiotics: ampicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin, and trim-sulfa. In seawater samples, bacteria were found carrying extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-type CTX-M genes in which multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) showed different sequence types (STs), previously reported in humans. In the Arctic, on the contrary, people have been present for a long time, and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) appears to be much more wide-spread than was previously reported. Studies of E coli from Arctic birds (Bering Strait) revealed reduced susceptibility to antibiotics, but one globally spreading clone of E. coli genotype O25b-ST131, carrying genes of ESBL-type CTX-M, was identified. In the few years between sample collections in the same area, differences in resistance pattern were observed, with E. coli from birds showing resistance to a maximum of five different antibiotics. Presence of resistance-type ESBLs (TEM, SHV, and CTX-M) in E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae was also confirmed by specified PCR methods. MLST revealed that those bacteria carried STs that connect them to previously described strains in humans. In conclusion, bacteria previously related to humans could be found in relatively pristine environments, and presently human-associated, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have reached a high global level of distribution that they are now found even in the polar regions.

High bacterial diversity in epilithic biofilms of oligotrophic mountain lakes.

PubMed

Bartrons, Mireia; Catalan, Jordi; Casamayor, Emilio O

2012-11-01

Benthic microbial biofilms attached to rocks (epilithic) are major sites of carbon cycling and can dominate ecosystem primary production in oligotrophic lakes. We studied the bacterial community composition of littoral epilithic biofilms in five connected oligotrophic high mountain lakes located at different altitudes by genetic fingerprinting and clone libraries of the 16S rRNA gene. Different intra-lake samples were analyzed, and consistent changes in community structure (chlorophyll a and organic matter contents, and bacterial community composition) were observed along the altitudinal gradient, particularly related with the location of the lake above or below the treeline. Epilithic biofilm genetic fingerprints were both more diverse among lakes than within lakes and significantly different between montane (below the tree line) and alpine lakes (above the tree line). The genetic richness in the epilithic biofilm was much higher than in the plankton of the same lacustrine area studied in previous works, with significantly idiosyncratic phylogenetic composition (specifically distinct from lake plankton or mountain soils). Data suggest the coexistence of aerobic, anaerobic, phototrophic, and chemotrophic microorganisms in the biofilm, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria being the most important bacterial taxa, followed by Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-, and Deltaproteobacteria, Chlorobi, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia. The degree of novelty was especially high for epilithic Bacteroidetes, and up to 50 % of the sequences formed monophyletic clusters distantly related to any previously reported sequence. More than 35 % of the total sequences matched at <95 % identity to any previously reported 16S rRNA gene, indicating that alpine epilithic biofilms are unexplored habitats that contain a substantial degree of novelty within a short geographical distance. Further research is needed to determine whether these communities are involved in more biogeochemical pathways than previously thought.

Effect of expansions in state Medicaid eligibility on access to care and the use of emergency department services for adult Medicaid enrollees.

PubMed

Ndumele, Chima D; Mor, Vincent; Allen, Susan; Burgess, James F; Trivedi, Amal N

2014-06-01

Medicaid enrollees typically report worse access to care than other insured populations. Expansions in Medicaid through less restrictive income eligibility requirements and the resulting influx of new enrollees may further erode access to care for those already enrolled in Medicaid. To assess the effect of previous Medicaid expansions on self-reported access to care and the use of emergency department services by Medicaid enrollees. Quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design among 1714 adult Medicaid enrollees in 10 states that expanded Medicaid between June 1, 2000, and October 1, 2009, and 5097 Medicaid enrollees in 14 bordering control states that did not expand Medicaid. Self-reported access to care and annualized emergency department use. Among states expanding their Medicaid program for adults, the mean income eligibility level increased from 82.6% to 144.2% of the federal poverty level. Income eligibility in matched control states remained constant at 77.1% of the federal poverty level. The proportion of adults reporting being enrolled in Medicaid increased from 7.2% to 8.8% in expansion states and from 6.1% to 6.4% in matched control states. In Medicaid program expansion states, the proportion of Medicaid enrollees reporting poor access to care declined from 8.5% before the expansion to 7.3% after the expansion. In matched control states, the proportion of Medicaid enrollees reporting poor access to care remained constant at 5.3%. The proportion of enrollees reporting any emergency department use decreased from 41.2% to 40.1% in expansion states and from 37.3% to 36.1% in matched control states. In the period following expansions, newly eligible enrollees reported poorer access to care than previously enrolled beneficiaries, although the overall difference between groups did not reach statistical significance. We found no evidence that expanding the number of individuals eligible for Medicaid coverage eroded perceived access to care or increased the use of emergency services among adult Medicaid enrollees.

Visual interaction in recently admitted and chronic long-stay schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Rutter, D R

1976-09-01

Several reports have suggested that schizophrenic patients engage in very little Looking and eye-contact. However, previous work, much of it methodologically unsatisfactory, has been based almost always on the clinical psychiatric interview, with the result that several important questions remain unanswered. In particular, we do not know how schizophrenic patients behave in free conversation, how their behaviour with another patient may differ from their behaviour with a psychiatrically normal partner, nor even whether they show individual consistency across encounters. The first study was designed to examine these questions, by observing recently admitted schizophrenic patients in two free dyadic conversations, one with a schizophrenic partner and one with a psychiatrically normal partner, and comparing them with three control groups: depressive patients; patients suffering from neurotic or personality disorders; and psychiatrically normal chest patients. The second study went on to test whether the early descriptions of gross abnormality may be more appropriate to chronic long-stay patients than to recently admitted patients, and the design consisted of a comparison between the two groups. The first study revealed a quite unexpected pattern of results. Consistently across their two encounters, schizophrenic subjects behaved similarly for the most part to all three control groups, normal and abnormal alike. Moreover, the few differences which did emerge conflicted sharply with previous findings, including the writer's, and were no more marked in patient-patient than patient-normal encounters. The second study revealed no differences between chronic long-stay and recently admitted schizophrenic patients. It is suggested that the differences in findings between the present two studies and previous reports are most likely to be attributable to differences in verbal content: schizophrenic patients show abnormalities of visual interaction when talking about personal matters, but behave quite normally when the topic is not of immediate personal relevance.

Innovative signal processing for Johnson Noise thermometry

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

Ezell, N. Dianne Bull; Britton, Jr, Charles L.; Roberts, Michael

This report summarizes the newly developed algorithm that subtracted the Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). The EMI performance is very important to this measurement because any interference in the form on pickup from external signal sources from such as fluorescent lighting ballasts, motors, etc. can skew the measurement. Two methods of removing EMI were developed and tested at various locations. This report also summarizes the testing performed at different facilities outside Oak Ridge National Laboratory using both EMI removal techniques. The first EMI removal technique reviewed in previous milestone reports and therefore this report will detail the second method.

Comparison of LEWICE and GlennICE in the SLD Regime

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.; Potapczuk, Mark G.; Levinson, Laurie H.

2008-01-01

A research project is underway at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to produce computer software that can accurately predict ice growth under any meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present results from two different computer programs. The first program, LEWICE version 3.2.2, has been reported on previously. The second program is GlennICE version 0.1. An extensive comparison of the results in a quantifiable manner against the database of ice shapes that have been generated in the GRC Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) has also been performed, including additional data taken to extend the database in the Super-cooled Large Drop (SLD) regime. This paper will show the differences in ice shape between LEWICE 3.2.2, GlennICE, and experimental data. This report will also provide a description of both programs. Comparisons are then made to recent additions to the SLD database and selected previous cases. Quantitative comparisons are shown for horn height, horn angle, icing limit, area, and leading edge thickness. The results show that the predicted results for both programs are within the accuracy limits of the experimental data for the majority of cases.

Sex Differences in Youth-Reported Depressive Symptomatology and Unwanted Internet Sexual Solicitation

PubMed Central

Leaf, Philip J; Diener-West, Marie

2004-01-01

Background As the number of youths using the Internet regularly increase, so too does the number of youths potentially vulnerable to negative experiences online. Clinicians, policy makers, and parents need to better understand the Internet and factors related to positive and negative experiences online. Objective Primarily to investigate the association between youth-reported depressive symptomatology and unwanted Internet sexual solicitation and secondarily to identify sex differences in related characteristics of affected youth. Methods Data from the Youth Internet Safety Survey were analyzed to investigate the association between reported depressive symptomatology and unwanted Internet sexual solicitation. The Youth Internet Safety Survey was a nationally-representative, cross-sectional telephone survey. Youth participants (N = 1501) were English speakers between the ages of 10 and 17 years who had accessed the Internet at least 6 times in the previous 6 months and had resided in the household for at least 2 weeks in the previous year. Eighty-two percent of contacted households agreed to participate. Each participant was asked to indicate whether any of the 9 symptoms of major depression defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) had been present within the previous month. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of reporting an unwanted sexual solicitation online for youths with mild or major depressive symptomatology versus no symptomatology. A parsimonious, multivariate model of significant youth characteristics was identified separately for males and females. Results Youths who report major depressive-like symptoms were 3.5 times more likely (odds ratio, 3.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.19-5.71) to also report an unwanted sexual solicitation online compared to youths with mild/no symptomatology. After adjusting for significant Internet and psychosocial characteristics, male Internet users who report major depressive-like symptomatology were 2.5 times more likely to also indicate an unwanted Internet solicitation (adjusted odds ratio, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.15-6.40); significant differences were not observed among otherwise-similar females. Further, among youths reporting an Internet solicitation (N = 283), youths with major depressive-like symptomatology were twice as likely to report feeling emotionally distressed by the incident compared to youths with mild/no symptomatology (odds ratio, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.03-5.02). Conclusions While the majority of youths report positive experiences online, some youths may be more vulnerable to negative experiences. Cross-sectional results indicate that the report of depressive symptomatology is significantly related to the concurrent report of an unwanted Internet sexual solicitation, especially for young males. Future research should focus on parsing out the temporality of events and identifying additional populations of vulnerable youths online. PMID:15111271

Imported dengue from 2013 Angola outbreak: Not just serotype 1 was detected.

PubMed

Abreu, Cândida; Silva-Pinto, André; Lazzara, Daniela; Sobrinho-Simões, Joana; Guimarães, João Tiago; Sarmento, António

2016-06-01

All the reports from Angola's 2013 dengue outbreak revealed serotype 1. However, previously dengue serotypes 1-4 have been reported in Africa and in 2014 serotype 4 was reported in Angola. To report dengue serotypes in patients returning from Angola during 2013 outbreak. Retrospective, cross-sectional study. We serotyped the dengue by an in house Polymerase Chain Reaction technique in randomly selected cases. From the 2013 Angola's dengue outbreak we treated 47 adult patients. None had history of past dengue. A combo kit test for dengue revealed positive NS1 antigen in 39 and IgM antibodies in 8. From 17 randomly patients tested by RNA Real Time-PCR, 11 were positive: 7 for DENV-1, 2 for DENV-2, 1 for DENV-3 (co-infected with DENV-1) and 1 for DENV-4. None had a complicated or fatal evolution. Unlike previous reports the 4 serotypes were detected, and this resulted in a different epidemiological situation, raising the risk of future outbreaks of severe dengue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Afterimage induced neural activity during emotional face perception.

PubMed

Cheal, Jenna L; Heisz, Jennifer J; Walsh, Jennifer A; Shedden, Judith M; Rutherford, M D

2014-02-26

The N170 response differs when positive versus negative facial expressions are viewed. This neural response could be associated with the perception of emotions, or some feature of the stimulus. We used an aftereffect paradigm to clarify. Consistent with previous reports of emotional aftereffects, a neutral face was more likely to be described as happy following a sad face adaptation, and more likely to be described as sad following a happy face adaptation. In addition, similar to previous observations with actual emotional faces, we found differences in the latency of the N170 elicited by the neutral face following sad versus happy face adaptation, demonstrating that the emotion-specific effect on the N170 emerges even when emotion expressions are perceptually different but physically identical. The re-entry of emotional information from other brain regions may be driving the emotional aftereffects and the N170 latency differences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Full-scale tank car rollover tests - survivability of top fittings and top fittings protective structures : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-01

Full-scale rollover crash tests were performed on three non-pressure tank carbodies to validate previous analytical work and : determine the effectiveness of two different types of protective structures in protecting the top fittings. The tests were ...

Longitudinal pavement joint performance : a field study of infrared heated and notched wedge joint construction.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

This report presents the findings of a field study in Maine, constructed during summer 2012 using : two different joint technologies and an infrared heater. MaineDOT has previously used an infrared : heater and notch-wedge apparatus to improve longit...

Developmental Regression in Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Sally J.

2004-01-01

The occurrence of developmental regression in autism is one of the more puzzling features of this disorder. Although several studies have documented the validity of parental reports of regression using home videos, accumulating data suggest that most children who demonstrate regression also demonstrated previous, subtle, developmental differences.…

Teaching Generation Me

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twenge, Jean M.

2013-01-01

Today's college students are significantly different from previous generations. On average, they are overconfident, have high expectations, report higher narcissism, are lower in creativity, are less interested in civic issues, and are less inclined to read long passages of text. They are highly confident of their abilities and received…

Higher Education-Business Interaction Survey. Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charles, David; Conway, Cheryl

A survey was conducted to study the interactions between higher education and business in the United Kingdom, updating previous surveys, and capturing the key outputs of such interactions, taking into account the institutions' differing missions, strategies, capacities, and expertise. Additional purposes were to quantify a baseline for the…

Leadership and Gender: An Australian Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collard, John L.

2001-01-01

Reports on a broad-scale leadership and gender study, based on research on 400 principals in Victoria, Australia, between 1996-99. Although findings confirm previous claims concerning significant differences in female and male leaders' perceptions and beliefs, they acknowledge the importance of organizational cultures, value systems, and same-sex…

Practical Effects of Classwide Mathematics Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanDerHeyden, Amanda M.; Codding, Robin S.

2015-01-01

The current article presents additional analyses of a classwide mathematics intervention, from a previously reported randomized controlled trial, to offer new information about the treatment and to demonstrate the utility of different types of effect sizes. Multilevel modeling was used to examine treatment effects by race, sex, socioeconomic…

Sex Differences in General Knowledge: Meta-Analysis and New Data on the Contribution of School-Related Moderators among High-School Students

PubMed Central

Tran, Ulrich S.; Hofer, Agnes A.; Voracek, Martin

2014-01-01

Research from various countries consistently reported an advantage of boys over girls in general knowledge and was also suggestive of some overall trends regarding specific domains of general knowledge that were speculated to stem from biologically differentiated interests. However, results were heterogeneous and, as of yet, had not been evaluated meta-analytically. Moreover, previous research drew on overly homogeneous high-school or undergraduate samples whose representativeness appears problematic; mostly, likely moderators, such as school type, student age or parental education, were also not directly investigated or controlled for. We provide a meta-analytical aggregation of available results regarding sex differences in general knowledge and present new data, investigating the psychometric properties of the General Knowledge Test (GKT), on which previous research primarily relied, and explored sex differences in a large and heterogeneous Austrian high-school student sample (N = 1088). The aggregated sex effect in general knowledge was of medium size in previous research, but differences in specific domains were heterogeneous across countries and only modest at best. Large sex differences in our data could be explained to a large part by school-related moderators (school type, school, student age, parental education) and selection processes. Boys had a remaining advantage over girls that was only small in size and that was consistent with the magnitude of sex differences in general intelligence. Analysis of the GKT yielded no evidence of biologically differentiated interests, but of a specific interest in the humanities among girls. In conclusion, previous research likely overestimated sex differences in general knowledge. PMID:25347190

Sex differences in general knowledge: meta-analysis and new data on the contribution of school-related moderators among high-school students.

PubMed

Tran, Ulrich S; Hofer, Agnes A; Voracek, Martin

2014-01-01

Research from various countries consistently reported an advantage of boys over girls in general knowledge and was also suggestive of some overall trends regarding specific domains of general knowledge that were speculated to stem from biologically differentiated interests. However, results were heterogeneous and, as of yet, had not been evaluated meta-analytically. Moreover, previous research drew on overly homogeneous high-school or undergraduate samples whose representativeness appears problematic; mostly, likely moderators, such as school type, student age or parental education, were also not directly investigated or controlled for. We provide a meta-analytical aggregation of available results regarding sex differences in general knowledge and present new data, investigating the psychometric properties of the General Knowledge Test (GKT), on which previous research primarily relied, and explored sex differences in a large and heterogeneous Austrian high-school student sample (N = 1088). The aggregated sex effect in general knowledge was of medium size in previous research, but differences in specific domains were heterogeneous across countries and only modest at best. Large sex differences in our data could be explained to a large part by school-related moderators (school type, school, student age, parental education) and selection processes. Boys had a remaining advantage over girls that was only small in size and that was consistent with the magnitude of sex differences in general intelligence. Analysis of the GKT yielded no evidence of biologically differentiated interests, but of a specific interest in the humanities among girls. In conclusion, previous research likely overestimated sex differences in general knowledge.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Multiple Sclerosis Confirms a Novel Locus at 5p13.1

PubMed Central

Sanna, Serena; Gayán, Javier; Urcelay, Elena; Zara, Ilenia; Pitzalis, Maristella; Cavanillas, María L.; Arroyo, Rafael; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Marrosu, Marisa; Fernández, Oscar; Leyva, Laura; Alcina, Antonio; Fedetz, Maria; Moreno-Rey, Concha; Velasco, Juan; Real, Luis M.; Ruiz-Peña, Juan Luis; Cucca, Francesco

2012-01-01

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common progressive and disabling neurological condition affecting young adults in the world today. From a genetic point of view, MS is a complex disorder resulting from the combination of genetic and non-genetic factors. We aimed to identify previously unidentified loci conducting a new GWAS of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in a sample of 296 MS cases and 801 controls from the Spanish population. Meta-analysis of our data in combination with previous GWAS was done. A total of 17 GWAS-significant SNPs, corresponding to three different loci were identified:HLA, IL2RA, and 5p13.1. All three have been previously reported as GWAS-significant. We confirmed our observation in 5p13.1 for rs9292777 using two additional independent Spanish samples to make a total of 4912 MS cases and 7498 controls (ORpooled = 0.84; 95%CI: 0.80–0.89; p = 1.36×10-9). This SNP differs from the one reported within this locus in a recent GWAS. Although it is unclear whether both signals are tapping the same genetic association, it seems clear that this locus plays an important role in the pathogenesis of MS. PMID:22570697

Preliminary Assessment of Turbomachinery Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazumder, Quamrul H.

2007-01-01

This report assesses different CFD codes developed and currently being used at Glenn Research Center to predict turbomachinery fluid flow and heat transfer behavior. This report will consider the following codes: APNASA, TURBO, GlennHT, H3D, and SWIFT. Each code will be described separately in the following section with their current modeling capabilities, level of validation, pre/post processing, and future development and validation requirements. This report addresses only previously published and validations of the codes. However, the codes have been further developed to extend the capabilities of the codes.

Complete and partial trisomy of different segments of chromosome 8: case reports and review.

PubMed

Fineman, R M; Ablow, R C; Breg, W R; Wing, S D; Rose, J S; Rothman, S L; Warpinski, J

1979-12-01

This report describes some of the clinical, chromosomal and radiological findings in three unrelated patients with trisomy 8 mosaicism syndrome (T8ms), two first cousins with trisomy 8q and a patient with trisomy 8p. On the basis of the phenotypic and cytogenetic findings seen in our six patients and those noted in previous reports, we concur with Riccardi & Crandall (1978) that most physical malformations seen in T8ms are associated with trisomy for the long arm of chromosome 8.

Flight Test Comparison of Different Adaptive Augmentations for Fault Tolerant Control Laws for a Modified F-15 Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burken, John J.; Hanson, Curtis E.; Lee, James A.; Kaneshige, John T.

2009-01-01

This report describes the improvements and enhancements to a neural network based approach for directly adapting to aerodynamic changes resulting from damage or failures. This research is a follow-on effort to flight tests performed on the NASA F-15 aircraft as part of the Intelligent Flight Control System research effort. Previous flight test results demonstrated the potential for performance improvement under destabilizing damage conditions. Little or no improvement was provided under simulated control surface failures, however, and the adaptive system was prone to pilot-induced oscillations. An improved controller was designed to reduce the occurrence of pilot-induced oscillations and increase robustness to failures in general. This report presents an analysis of the neural networks used in the previous flight test, the improved adaptive controller, and the baseline case with no adaptation. Flight test results demonstrate significant improvement in performance by using the new adaptive controller compared with the previous adaptive system and the baseline system for control surface failures.

Genetic diversity of the movement and coat protein genes of South American isolates of Prunus necrotic ringspot virus.

PubMed

Fiore, Nicola; Fajardo, Thor V M; Prodan, Simona; Herranz, María Carmen; Aparicio, Frederic; Montealegre, Jaime; Elena, Santiago F; Pallás, Vicente; Sánchez-Navarro, Jesús

2008-01-01

Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) is distributed worldwide, but no molecular data have been previously reported from South American isolates. The nucleotide sequences corresponding to the movement (MP) and coat (CP) proteins of 23 isolates of PNRSV from Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay, and from different Prunus species, have been obtained. Phylogenetic analysis performed with full-length MP and CP sequences from all the PNRSV isolates confirmed the clustering of the isolates into the previously reported PV32-I, PV96-II and PE5-III phylogroups. No association was found between specific sequences and host, geographic origin or symptomatology. Comparative analysis showed that both MP and CP have phylogroup-specific amino acids and all of the motifs previously characterized for both proteins. The study of the distribution of synonymous and nonsynonymous changes along both open reading frames revealed that most amino acid sites are under the effect of negative purifying selection.

Higher Drop in Speed during a Repeated Sprint Test in Soccer Players Reporting Former Hamstring Strain Injury

PubMed Central

Røksund, Ola D.; Kristoffersen, Morten; Bogen, Bård E.; Wisnes, Alexander; Engeseth, Merete S.; Nilsen, Ann-Kristin; Iversen, Vegard V.; Mæland, Silje; Gundersen, Hilde

2017-01-01

Aim: Hamstring strain injury is common in soccer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical capacity of players who have and have not suffered from hamstring strain injury in a sample of semi-professional and professional Norwegian soccer players in order to evaluate characteristics and to identify possible indications of insufficient rehabilitation. Method: Seventy-five semi-professional and professional soccer players (19 ± 3 years) playing at the second and third level in the Norwegian league participated in the study. All players answered a questionnaire, including one question about hamstring strain injury (yes/no) during the previous 2 years. They also performed a 40 m maximal sprint test, a repeated sprint test (8 × 20 m), a countermovement jump, a maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) test, strength tests and flexibility tests. Independent sample t-tests were used to evaluate differences in the physical capacity of the players who had suffered from hamstring strain injury and those who had not. Mixed between-within subject's analyses of variance was used to compare changes in speed during the repeated sprint test between groups. Results: Players who reported hamstring strain injury during the previous two years (16%) had a significantly higher drop in speed (0.07 vs. 0.02 s, p = 0.007) during the repeated sprint test, compared to players reporting no previous hamstring strain injury. In addition, there was a significant interaction (groups × time) (F = 3.22, p = 0.002), showing that speed in the two groups changed differently during the repeated sprint test. There were no significant differences in relations to age, weight, height, body fat, linear speed, countermovement jump height, leg strength, VO2max, or hamstring flexibility between the groups. Conclusion: Soccer players who reported hamstring strain injury during the previous 2 years showed significant higher drop in speed during the repeated sprint test compared to players with no hamstring strain injury. The maximal speed, leg strength, ability to produce maximal power, endurance capacity, and hamstring flexibility was similar for both groups. Thus, a repeated sprint test consisting of 8 × 20 m could be used as a field-based diagnostic tool to identify players in need of reconditioning programs to ensure complete post-injury rehabilitation. PMID:28190999

Gender differences in self-reported anxiety, depression, and somatization among ecstasy/MDMA polydrug users, alcohol/tobacco users, and nondrug users.

PubMed

Milani, Raffaella M; Parrott, Andy C; Turner, John J D; Fox, Helen C

2004-07-01

Previous research has found gender differences in both psychological and physiological responses to drugs. The present investigation explores gender variability in patterns of drug use in relation to self-reported depression, anxiety, and somatization. The current study confirms that heavy illegal drug users are represented by a preponderance of males than females. However, within each drug group category, females generally reported higher psychopathology scores than males. This was significant for all three subscales in the alcohol/tobacco group, for depression scores in the alcohol/tobacco, cannabis/alcohol, and light Ecstasy users group, and for depression scores for the alcohol group. Interestingly, in the male sample, drug users reported higher symptom ratings than nondrug users, whereas women's scores remained constant across drug groups. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.

Random sequential adsorption of cubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cieśla, Michał; Kubala, Piotr

2018-01-01

Random packings built of cubes are studied numerically using a random sequential adsorption algorithm. To compare the obtained results with previous reports, three different models of cube orientation sampling were used. Also, three different cube-cube intersection algorithms were tested to find the most efficient one. The study focuses on the mean saturated packing fraction as well as kinetics of packing growth. Microstructural properties of packings were analyzed using density autocorrelation function.

Effects of pilocarpine and cevimeline on Ca2+ mobilization in rat parotid acini and ducts.

PubMed

Ono, Kentaro; Inagaki, Tomohiro; Iida, Taichi; Hosokawa, Ryuji; Inenaga, Kiyotoshi

2009-01-01

Previous reports suggested that there is no significant difference in the binding affinity of pilocarpine and cevimeline on muscarinic receptors (1). However, in vivo studies from our laboratory suggested that pilocarpine-induced salivation from the parotid gland is greater than that induced by cevimeline in rats. Therefore, in the present study, sialogogue-induced intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization was investigated in isolated parotid gland cells in vitro. Pilocarpine and cevimeline increased the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration of parotid gland acinar and duct cells over 1 microM in a dose-dependent manner. Pilocarpine-induced responses were higher than cevimeline-induced responses. Ca(2+) responses to both agents were completely blocked by 1 microM 4-DAMP, an M3 muscarinic receptor antagonist. In the absence of extracellular Ca(2+), both sialogogues induced transient Ca(2+) increase in parotid gland acinar cells. These results suggest that the sialogogues stimulate some common routes via the Ca(2+) signaling in parotid gland acinar cells. We also report a significant difference of Ca(2+) responses in concentration between pilocarpine and cevimeline in parotid gland acinar cells. The different Ca(2+) responses between the sialogogues would explain the different saliva volumes from the parotid gland between them that we have observed in previous in vivo studies.

Love withdrawal predicts electrocortical responses to emotional faces with performance feedback: a follow-up and extension.

PubMed

Huffmeijer, Renske; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; Alink, Lenneke R A; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H

2014-06-02

Parental use of love withdrawal is thought to affect children's later psychological functioning because it creates a link between children's performance and relational consequences. In addition, recent studies have begun to show that experiences of love withdrawal also relate to the neural processing of socio-emotional information relevant to a performance-relational consequence link, and can moderate effects of oxytocin on social information processing and behavior. The current study follows-up on our previous results by attempting to confirm and extend previous findings indicating that experiences of maternal love withdrawal are related to electrocortical responses to emotional faces presented with performance feedback. More maternal love withdrawal was related to enhanced early processing of facial feedback stimuli (reflected in more positive VPP amplitudes, and confirming previous findings). However, attentional engagement with and processing of the stimuli at a later stage were diminished in those reporting higher maternal love withdrawal (reflected in less positive LPP amplitudes, and diverging from previous findings). Maternal love withdrawal affects the processing of emotional faces presented with performance feedback differently in different stages of neural processing.

Low-flow frequency and flow duration of selected South Carolina streams in the Broad River basin through March 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guimaraes, Wladmir B.; Feaster, Toby D.

2010-01-01

Of the 23 streamgaging stations for which recurrence interval computations were made, 14 had low-flow statistics that were published in previous U.S. Geological Survey reports. A comparison of the low-flow statistics for the minimum mean flow for a 7-consecutive-day period with a 10-year recurrence interval (7Q10) from this study with the most recently published values indicated that 8 of the 14 streamgaging stations had values that were within plus or minus 25 percent of the previous value. Ten of the 14 streamgaging stations had negative percent differences indicating the low-flow statistic had decreased since the previous study, and 4 streamgaging stations had positive percent differences indicating that the low-flow statistic had increased since the previous study. The low-flow statistics are influenced by length of record, hydrologic regime under which the record was collected, techniques used to do the analysis, and other changes, such as urbanization, diversions, and so on, that may have occurred in the basin.

Students' Different Understandings of Class Diagrams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boustedt, Jonas

2012-01-01

The software industry needs well-trained software designers and one important aspect of software design is the ability to model software designs visually and understand what visual models represent. However, previous research indicates that software design is a difficult task to many students. This article reports empirical findings from a…

Chiropractic Use by Urban and Rural Residents with Insurance Coverage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lind, Bonnie K.; Diehr, Paula K.; Grembowski, David E.; Lafferty, William E.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To describe the use of chiropractic care by urban and rural residents in Washington state with musculoskeletal diagnoses, all of whom have insurance coverage for this care. The analyses investigate whether restricting the analyses to insured individuals attenuates previously reported differences in the prevalence of chiropractic use…

Modeling Age-Related Differences in Immediate Memory Using SIMPLE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surprenant, Aimee M.; Neath, Ian; Brown, Gordon D. A.

2006-01-01

In the SIMPLE model (Scale Invariant Memory and Perceptual Learning), performance on memory tasks is determined by the locations of items in multidimensional space, and better performance is associated with having fewer close neighbors. Unlike most previous simulations with SIMPLE, the ones reported here used measured, rather than assumed,…

Intelligence and Complexity of the Averaged Evoked Potential: An Attentional Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Tim; And Others

1995-01-01

A study measuring average evoked potentials in 21 college students finds that intelligence test scores correlate significantly with the difference between string length in attended and nonattended conditions, a finding that suggests that previous inconsistencies in reporting string length-intelligence correlations may have resulted from confound…

Abnormal Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex Activation to Facial Expressions in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Amy S.; Reiss, Allan L.; Howe, Meghan E.; Kelley, Ryan G.; Singh, Manpreet K.; Adleman, Nancy E.; Karchemskiy, Asya; Chang, Kiki D.

2012-01-01

Objective: Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) have reported greater amygdala and less dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation to facial expressions compared to healthy controls. The current study investigates whether these differences are associated with the early or late…

Iatrogenic Buschke's disease (Michelin man syndrome)

PubMed

Ahmad, N; Lawrence, J R; Macdonald, J W

1988-02-01

Scleredema [corrected] adultorum as originally described by Buschke in 1900, is cutaneous thickening of unknown aetiology. Since then several cases have been reported which have illustrated different aspects of the disease but the exact aetiology, pathogenesis and prognosis remain uncertain. Disease of possible iatrogenic origin appears not to have been described previously.

Lymphocyte Gene Expression Characteristic of Immediate Airway Responses (IAR) and Methacholine (MCH) Hyperresponsiveness in Mice Sensitized and Challenged with Isocyanates

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to isocyanates has been associated with occupational airway diseases, including asthma. Previously we reported on respiratory and immune responses following dermal sensitization and intranasal challenge of BALB/c mice with 6 different isocyanates. The purpose of this st...

Reduced Orbitofrontal and Temporal Grey Matter in a Community Sample of Maltreated Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Brito, Stephane A.; Viding, Essi; Sebastian, Catherine L.; Kelly, Philip A.; Mechelli, Andrea; Maris, Helen; McCrory, Eamon J.

2013-01-01

Background: Childhood maltreatment is strongly associated with increased risk of psychiatric disorder. Previous neuroimaging studies have reported atypical neural structure in the orbitofrontal cortex, temporal lobe, amygdala, hippocampus and cerebellum in maltreated samples. It has been hypothesised that these structural differences may relate to…

PLASMA STEROID CONCENTRATIONS IN RELATION TO SIZE AND AGE IN JUVENILE ALLIGATORS FROM TWO FLORIDA LAKES.

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have reported a number of physiological differences among juvenile alligators from two well-studied populations (Lake Apopka and Lake Woodruff) in north central Florida. These studies obtained alligators of similar size from each lake under the assumption that th...

Hemoglobin J-Korat in Thais.

PubMed

Blackwell, R Q; Blackwell, B N; Huang, J T; Chien, L C; Samaharn, A; Thephusdin, C; Borvornsin, C

1965-12-17

Hemoglobin J(Korat), a "fast" hemoglobin with an anomaly in its beta chain different from the anomalies previously reported, was the major hemoglobin component in the blood of nine subjects among 1923 Thais from northeastern Thailand. After hemoglobin E, J(Korat) is the second most frequent of the anomalous hemoglobins among Thais.

Promising Properties and System Demonstration of an Environmentally Benign Yellow Smoke Formulation for Hand-Held Signals

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-18

differences between the current specification and this new baseline configuration: (1) The tube is now composed of cardboard instead of stainless steel ...version of this previously reported composition, one without fumed silica hereafter referred to as formulation A. This formulation consists of Solvent

Cost Sensitivity Analysis for Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Fuel: Evaluating the Effect of Economic Environment Parameters

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

Cumberland, Riley M.; Williams, Kent Alan; Jarrell, Joshua J.

This report evaluates how the economic environment (i.e., discount rate, inflation rate, escalation rate) can impact previously estimated differences in lifecycle costs between an integrated waste management system with an interim storage facility (ISF) and a similar system without an ISF.

What affects millennials' mobility? part II : the impact of residential location, individual preferences and lifestyles on young adults' travel behavior in California.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

Young adults (millennials, or members of Generation Y) are increasingly reported to have : different lifestyles and travel behavior from previous generations at the same stage in life. They : postpone the time at which they obtain a drive...

Foam Fractionation of Lycopene: An Undergraduate Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yan; Zhang, Mingjie; Hu, Yongliang

2010-01-01

A novel experiment for the extraction of lycopene from tomato paste by foam fractionation is described. Foam fractionation is a process for separating and concentrating chemicals by utilizing differences in their surface activities. Extraction of lycopene by foam fractionation is a new method that has not been previously reported in the…

46 CFR 162.018-8 - Procedure for approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Center, for re-approval. (c) Pre-approval tests. (1) Prior to approval of safety relief valves by the...) Reports of conducted tests on designs of safety relief valves different from those previously approved... approval of a new design or type of safety relief valve shall submit in quadruplicate detail drawings...

46 CFR 162.018-8 - Procedure for approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Center, for re-approval. (c) Pre-approval tests. (1) Prior to approval of safety relief valves by the...) Reports of conducted tests on designs of safety relief valves different from those previously approved... approval of a new design or type of safety relief valve shall submit in quadruplicate detail drawings...

46 CFR 162.018-8 - Procedure for approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Center, for re-approval. (c) Pre-approval tests. (1) Prior to approval of safety relief valves by the...) Reports of conducted tests on designs of safety relief valves different from those previously approved... approval of a new design or type of safety relief valve shall submit in quadruplicate detail drawings...

46 CFR 162.018-8 - Procedure for approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Center, for re-approval. (c) Pre-approval tests. (1) Prior to approval of safety relief valves by the...) Reports of conducted tests on designs of safety relief valves different from those previously approved... approval of a new design or type of safety relief valve shall submit in quadruplicate detail drawings...

46 CFR 162.018-8 - Procedure for approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Center, for re-approval. (c) Pre-approval tests. (1) Prior to approval of safety relief valves by the...) Reports of conducted tests on designs of safety relief valves different from those previously approved... approval of a new design or type of safety relief valve shall submit in quadruplicate detail drawings...

Assessing Cultural Orientation, Cultural Fit, and Help-Seeking Attitudes of Latina Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gloria, Alberta M.; Castellanos, Jeanett; Segura-Herrera, Theresa A.; Mayorga, Melissa

2010-01-01

This study assessed the influence of cultural orientation and cultural ft of 121 Latina undergraduates' help-seeking attitudes. Mexican and Anglo orientation, cultural congruity, and perceptions of the university environment did not predict help-seeking attitudes; however, differences emerged by class standing and self-reported previous counseling…

Taxonomic Proposal: Create sixteen new species in existing genera of the families Alphaflexiviridae and Betaflexiviridae

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A transparent and functional system for virus classification is essential to allow scientists to correctly identify and report on viruses detected in different hosts or locations without ambiguity. New research into relationships between previously characterized and newly-emerging viruses may requir...

Personality and Sociodemographic Variables as Sources of Variation in Environmental Perception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feimer, Nickolaus R.

This research paper examines the relationship between individual differences in environmental perception, and variables which may be important in predicting, if not explaining those variations. The analyses reported were based upon an environmental perception research study previously conducted at the University of California at Berkeley during…

3 new species in a proposed new genus Deltaflexivirus and new family Deltaflexiviridae in the order Tymovirales

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A transparent and functional system for virus classification is essential to allow scientists to correctly identify and report on viruses detected in different hosts or locations without ambiguity. New research into relationships between previously characterized and newly-emerging viruses may requir...

The Contribution of Mediator-Based Deficiencies to Age Differences in Associative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunlosky, John; Hertzog, Christopher; Powell-Moman, Amy

2005-01-01

Production, mediational, and utilization deficiencies, which describe how strategy use may contribute to developmental trends in episodic memory, have been intensively investigated. Using a mediator report-and-retrieval method, the authors present evidence concerning the degree to which 2 previously unexplored mediator-based deficits--retrieval…

First Aid for Orienteering in Scotland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Ian

1990-01-01

Compares injuries incurred by participants of Scottish six-day 1989 orienteering event, of 1990 Jan Kjellstrom memorial event, and previous events. Reports 2.21 injuries per 100 performances at 1989 event, and 1.42 injuries at Kjellstrom. Ankle sprains and cuts most common injuries. Injury differences described as season-related. Discusses…

Host specificity and phylogenetic relationships of chicken and turkey parvoviruses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous reports indicate that the newly discovered chicken parvoviruses (ChPV) and turkey parvoviruses (TuPV) are very similar to each other, yet they represent different species within a new genus of Parvoviridae. Currently, strain classification is based on the phylogenetic analysis of a 561 bas...

Producing Bilinguals through Immersion Education: Development of Metalinguistic Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bialystok, Ellen; Peets, Kathleen F.; Moreno, Sylvain

2014-01-01

This study examined metalinguistic awareness in children who were becoming bilingual in an immersion education program. The purpose was to determine at what point in emerging bilingualism the previously reported metalinguistic advantages appear and what types of metalinguistic tasks reveal these developmental differences. Participants were 124…

Graft union formation in Douglas-fir.

Treesearch

D.L. Copes

1969-01-01

Greenhouse-grown Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) graft unions were examined between 2 and 84 days after grafting. Room temperature was maintained at 60-70 F throughout the growing season. In most respects grafts of Douglas-fir followed development patterns previously reported for spruce and pine grafts, but specific differences...

Evaluating socioeconomic and racial differences in traffic-related metrics in the United States using a GIS approach

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have reported that lower-income and minority populations are more likely to live near major roads. This study quantifies associations between socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic variables, and traffic-related exposure metrics for the United States. Using geograph...

A study revealing the key aroma compounds of steamed bread made by Chinese traditional sourdough*

PubMed Central

Zhang, Guo-hua; Wu, Tao; Sadiq, Faizan A.; Yang, Huan-yi; Liu, Tong-jie; Ruan, Hui; He, Guo-qing

2016-01-01

Aroma of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) is one of the important parameters that determines the overall quality attributes and consumer acceptance. However, the aroma profile of CSB still remains poorly understood, mainly because of relying on only a single method for aroma extraction in previous studies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the volatile aroma compounds of five different samples of CSB using three different aroma extraction methods, namely solid-phase microextraction (SPME), simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE), and purge and trap (P&T). All samples showed a unique aroma profile, which could be attributed to their unique microbial consortia. (E)-2-Nonenal and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal were the most prevalent aromatic compounds revealed by SDE, which have not been reported previously, while ethanol and acetic acid proved to be the most dominant compounds by both SPME and P&T. Our approach of combining three different aroma extraction methods provided better insights into the aroma profile of CSB, which had remained largely unknown in previous studies. PMID:27704748

C Chondrite Clasts in H Chondrite Regolith Breccias: Something Different

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zolensky, M. E.; Fries, M.; Utas, J.; Chan, Q. H.-S.; Kebukawa, Y.; Steele, A.; Bodnar, R. J.; Ito, M.; Nakashima, D.; Greenwood, R.;

Brain activity in adults who stutter: Similarities across speaking tasks and correlations with stuttering frequency and speaking rate

PubMed Central

Ingham, Roger J.; Grafton, Scott T.; Bothe, Anne K.; Ingham, Janis C.

2012-01-01

Many differences in brain activity have been reported between persons who stutter (PWS) and typically fluent controls during oral reading tasks. An earlier meta-analysis of imaging studies identified stutter-related regions, but recent studies report less agreement with those regions. A PET study on adult dextral PWS (n = 18) and matched fluent controls (CONT, n = 12) is reported that used both oral reading and monologue tasks. After correcting for speech rate differences between the groups the task-activation differences were surprisingly small. For both analyses only some regions previously considered stutter-related were more activated in the PWS group than in the CONT group, and these were also activated during eyes-closed rest (ECR). In the PWS group, stuttering frequency was correlated with cortico-striatal-thalamic circuit activity in both speaking tasks. The neuroimaging findings for the PWS group, relative to the CONT group, appear consistent with neuroanatomic abnormalities being increasingly reported among PWS. PMID:22564749

Incident angle of saltating particles in wind-blown sand.

PubMed

Fu, Lin-Tao; Bo, Tian-Li; Gu, Hai-Hua; Zheng, Xiao-Jing

2013-01-01

Incident angle of saltating particles plays a very important role in aeolian events. In this paper, the incident angles of sand particles near the sand bed were measured in wind tunnel. It reveals that the incident angles range widely from 0° to 180° and thereby the means of angles are larger than published data. Surprisingly, it is found the proportion that angles of 5°-15° occupy is far below previous reports. The measuring height is probably the most important reason for the measurement differences between this study and previous investigations.

Consistency in adult reporting of adverse childhood experiences.

PubMed

Colman, I; Kingsbury, M; Garad, Y; Zeng, Y; Naicker, K; Patten, S; Jones, P B; Wild, T C; Thompson, A H

2016-02-01

Many studies have used retrospective reports to assess the long-term consequences of early life stress. However, current individual characteristics and experiences may bias the recall of these reports. In particular, depressed mood may increase the likelihood of recall of negative experiences. The aim of the study was to assess whether specific factors are associated with consistency in the reporting of childhood adverse experiences. The sample comprised 7466 adults from Canada's National Population Health Survey who had reported on seven childhood adverse experiences in 1994/1995 and 2006/2007. Logistic regression was used to explore differences between those who consistently reported adverse experiences and those whose reports were inconsistent. Among those retrospectively reporting on childhood traumatic experiences in 1994/1995 and 2006/2007, 39% were inconsistent in their reports of these experiences. The development of depression, increasing levels of psychological distress, as well as increasing work and chronic stress were associated with an increasing likelihood of reporting a childhood adverse experience in 2006/2007 that had not been previously reported. Increases in mastery were associated with reduced likelihood of new reporting of a childhood adverse experience in 2006/2007. The development of depression and increases in chronic stress and psychological distress were also associated with reduced likelihood of 'forgetting' a previously reported event. Concurrent mental health factors may influence the reporting of traumatic childhood experiences. Studies that use retrospective reporting to estimate associations between childhood adversity and adult outcomes associated with mental health may be biased.

Quantitative Computed Tomography (QCT) derived Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in finite element studies: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Knowles, Nikolas K; Reeves, Jacob M; Ferreira, Louis M

2016-12-01

Finite element modeling of human bone provides a powerful tool to evaluate a wide variety of outcomes in a highly repeatable and parametric manner. These models are most often derived from computed tomography data, with mechanical properties related to bone mineral density (BMD) from the x-ray energy attenuation provided from this data. To increase accuracy, many researchers report the use of quantitative computed tomography (QCT), in which a calibration phantom is used during image acquisition to improve the estimation of BMD. Since model accuracy is dependent on the methods used in the calculation of BMD and density-mechanical property relationships, it is important to use relationships developed for the same anatomical location and using the same scanner settings, as these may impact model accuracy. The purpose of this literature review is to report the relationships used in the conversion of QCT equivalent density measures to ash, apparent, and/or tissue densities in recent finite element (FE) studies used in common density-modulus relationships. For studies reporting experimental validation, the validation metrics and results are presented. Of the studies reviewed, 29% reported the use of a dipotassium phosphate (K 2 HPO 4 ) phantom, 47% a hydroxyapatite (HA) phantom, 13% did not report phantom type, 7% reported use of both K 2 HPO 4 and HA phantoms, and 4% alternate phantom types. Scanner type and/or settings were omitted or partially reported in 31% of studies. The majority of studies used densitometric and/or density-modulus relationships derived from different anatomical locations scanned in different scanners with different scanner settings. The methods used to derive various densitometric relationships are reported and recommendations are provided toward the standardization of reporting metrics. This review assessed the current state of QCT-based FE modeling with use of clinical scanners. It was found that previously developed densitometric relationships vary by anatomical location, scanner type and settings. Reporting of all parameters used when referring to previously developed relationships, or in the development of new relationships, may increase the accuracy and repeatability of future FE models.

Common themes and cell type specific variations of higher order chromatin arrangements in the mouse

PubMed Central

Mayer, Robert; Brero, Alessandro; von Hase, Johann; Schroeder, Timm; Cremer, Thomas; Dietzel, Steffen

2005-01-01

Background Similarities as well as differences in higher order chromatin arrangements of human cell types were previously reported. For an evolutionary comparison, we now studied the arrangements of chromosome territories and centromere regions in six mouse cell types (lymphocytes, embryonic stem cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, myoblasts and myotubes) with fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Both species evolved pronounced differences in karyotypes after their last common ancestors lived about 87 million years ago and thus seem particularly suited to elucidate common and cell type specific themes of higher order chromatin arrangements in mammals. Results All mouse cell types showed non-random correlations of radial chromosome territory positions with gene density as well as with chromosome size. The distribution of chromosome territories and pericentromeric heterochromatin changed during differentiation, leading to distinct cell type specific distribution patterns. We exclude a strict dependence of these differences on nuclear shape. Positional differences in mouse cell nuclei were less pronounced compared to human cell nuclei in agreement with smaller differences in chromosome size and gene density. Notably, the position of chromosome territories relative to each other was very variable. Conclusion Chromosome territory arrangements according to chromosome size and gene density provide common, evolutionary conserved themes in both, human and mouse cell types. Our findings are incompatible with a previously reported model of parental genome separation. PMID:16336643

Differences Between Rural and Urban Areas in Mortality Rates for the Leading Causes of Infant Death: United States, 2013-2015.

PubMed

Ely, Danielle M; Hoyert, Donna L

2018-02-01

The leading causes of infant death vary by age at death but were consistent from 2005 to 2015 (1-6). Previous research shows higher infant mortality rates in rural counties compared with urban counties and differences in cause of death for individuals aged 1 year and over by urbanization level (4,5,7,8). No research, however, has examined if mortality rates from the leading causes of infant death differ by urbanization level. This report describes the mortality rates for the five leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death in the United States across rural, small and medium urban, and large urban counties defined by maternal residence, as reported on the birth certificate for combined years 2013-2015. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

Consistent differences in individual reactions to drugs and dummies

PubMed Central

Joyce, C. R. B.

1959-01-01

The tendency of some individuals to report changes of physical and mental state after taking pharmacologically inert substances has been investigated experimentally. In a class of healthy medical students, those individuals who reported symptoms and those who did not made significantly different scores on a number of behavioural tests. The likely reactions of the members of a second class (containing none of the previous participants) to dummies were then predicted from their scores on the same tests, some of which were found to be much more efficient predictors than would have been expected by chance. Some implications for further research and for clinical medicine are discussed. PMID:14408028

Peeling skin syndrome.

PubMed

Ilknur, Turna; Demirtaşoğlu, Melda; Akarsu, Sevgi; Lebe, Banu; Güneş, Ali Tahsin; Ozkan, Sebnem

2006-01-01

Peeling skin syndrome is a rare disease characterized by widespread painless peeling of the skin. To date, several cases have been described with different clinical features called peeling skin syndrome. Previous reports describe two types (type A and type B) of peeling skin syndrome, both of which show generalized desquamation, sparing palms and soles. We report a 23-year old man who has been classified as neither type A nor type B, and whose history, clinical features and histopathological findings led to a diagnosis of peeling skin syndrome. In addition, the desquamation pattern in our patient was different from that of both types because our case's palms and soles were involved too.

Ternary phase equilibria in transition metal-boron-carbon-silicon systems. Part I. Related binary systems, Volume III. Systems Mo-B and W-B. Technical documentary report, 1 November 1964-1 June 1965

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

Rudy, E.; Windisch.

1965-07-01

On the basis of X-ray, melting point, metallographic, and differential thermoanalytical studies on molybdenum-boron and tungsten-boron alloys, constitution diagrams for both binary systems are presented. In the high temperature regions, the newly established phase diagrams differ significantly from previously reported systems. The results are discussed and compared with available literature data.

Genome-wide scan of 29,141 African Americans finds no evidence of directional selection since admixture.

PubMed

Bhatia, Gaurav; Tandon, Arti; Patterson, Nick; Aldrich, Melinda C; Ambrosone, Christine B; Amos, Christopher; Bandera, Elisa V; Berndt, Sonja I; Bernstein, Leslie; Blot, William J; Bock, Cathryn H; Caporaso, Neil; Casey, Graham; Deming, Sandra L; Diver, W Ryan; Gapstur, Susan M; Gillanders, Elizabeth M; Harris, Curtis C; Henderson, Brian E; Ingles, Sue A; Isaacs, William; De Jager, Phillip L; John, Esther M; Kittles, Rick A; Larkin, Emma; McNeill, Lorna H; Millikan, Robert C; Murphy, Adam; Neslund-Dudas, Christine; Nyante, Sarah; Press, Michael F; Rodriguez-Gil, Jorge L; Rybicki, Benjamin A; Schwartz, Ann G; Signorello, Lisa B; Spitz, Margaret; Strom, Sara S; Tucker, Margaret A; Wiencke, John K; Witte, John S; Wu, Xifeng; Yamamura, Yuko; Zanetti, Krista A; Zheng, Wei; Ziegler, Regina G; Chanock, Stephen J; Haiman, Christopher A; Reich, David; Price, Alkes L

2014-10-02

The extent of recent selection in admixed populations is currently an unresolved question. We scanned the genomes of 29,141 African Americans and failed to find any genome-wide-significant deviations in local ancestry, indicating no evidence of selection influencing ancestry after admixture. A recent analysis of data from 1,890 African Americans reported that there was evidence of selection in African Americans after their ancestors left Africa, both before and after admixture. Selection after admixture was reported on the basis of deviations in local ancestry, and selection before admixture was reported on the basis of allele-frequency differences between African Americans and African populations. The local-ancestry deviations reported by the previous study did not replicate in our very large sample, and we show that such deviations were expected purely by chance, given the number of hypotheses tested. We further show that the previous study's conclusion of selection in African Americans before admixture is also subject to doubt. This is because the FST statistics they used were inflated and because true signals of unusual allele-frequency differences between African Americans and African populations would be best explained by selection that occurred in Africa prior to migration to the Americas. Copyright © 2014 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction between FTO rs9939609 and the Native American-origin ABCA1 rs9282541 affects BMI in the admixed Mexican population.

PubMed

Villalobos-Comparán, Marisela; Antuna-Puente, Bárbara; Villarreal-Molina, María Teresa; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Velázquez-Cruz, Rafael; León-Mimila, Paola; Villamil-Ramírez, Hugo; González-Barrios, Juan Antonio; Merino-García, José Luis; Thompson-Bonilla, María Rocío; Jarquin, Diego; Sánchez-Hernández, Osvaldo Erik; Rodríguez-Arellano, Martha Eunice; Posadas-Romero, Carlos; Vargas-Alarcón, Gilberto; Campos-Pérez, Francisco; Quiterio, Manuel; Salmerón-Castro, Jorge; Carnevale, Alessandra; Romero-Hidalgo, Sandra

2017-05-02

The aim of this study was to explore whether interactions between FTO rs9939609 and ABCA1 rs9282541 affect BMI and waist circumference (WC), and could explain previously reported population differences in FTO-obesity and FTO-BMI associations in the Mexican and European populations. A total of 3938 adults and 636 school-aged children from Central Mexico were genotyped for both polymorphisms. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue biopsies from 22 class III obesity patients were analyzed for FTO and ABCA1 mRNA expression. Generalized linear models were used to test for associations and gene-gene interactions affecting BMI, WC and FTO expression. FTO and ABCA1 risk alleles were not individually associated with higher BMI or WC. However, in the absence of the ABCA1 risk allele, the FTO risk variant was significantly associated with higher BMI (P = 0.043) and marginally associated with higher WC (P = 0.067), as reported in Europeans. The gene-gene interaction affecting BMI and WC was statistically significant only in adults. FTO mRNA expression in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue according to ABCA1 genotype was consistent with these findings. This is the first report showing evidence of FTO and ABCA1 gene variant interactions affecting BMI, which may explain previously reported population differences. Further studies are needed to confirm this interaction.

Emotional Inertia is Associated with Lower Well-Being when Controlling for Differences in Emotional Context.

PubMed

Koval, Peter; Sütterlin, Stefan; Kuppens, Peter

2015-01-01

Previous studies have linked higher emotional inertia (i.e., a stronger autoregressive slope of emotions) with lower well-being. We aimed to replicate these findings, while extending upon previous research by addressing a number of unresolved issues and controlling for potential confounds. Specifically, we report results from two studies (Ns = 100 and 202) examining how emotional inertia, assessed in response to a standardized sequence of emotional stimuli in the lab, correlates with several measures of well-being. The current studies build on previous research by examining how inertia of both positive emotions (PE) and negative emotions (NE) relates to positive (e.g., life satisfaction) and negative (e.g., depressive symptoms) indicators of well-being, while controlling for between-person differences in the mean level and variability of emotions. Our findings replicated previous research and further revealed that (a) NE inertia was more strongly associated with lower well-being than PE inertia; (b) emotional inertia correlated more consistently with negative indicators (e.g., depressive symptoms) than positive indicators (e.g., life satisfaction) of well-being; and (c) these relationships were independent of individual differences in mean level and variability of emotions. We conclude, in line with recent findings, that higher emotional inertia, particularly of NE, may be an indicator of increased vulnerability to depression.

Emotional Inertia is Associated with Lower Well-Being when Controlling for Differences in Emotional Context

PubMed Central

Koval, Peter; Sütterlin, Stefan; Kuppens, Peter

2016-01-01

Previous studies have linked higher emotional inertia (i.e., a stronger autoregressive slope of emotions) with lower well-being. We aimed to replicate these findings, while extending upon previous research by addressing a number of unresolved issues and controlling for potential confounds. Specifically, we report results from two studies (Ns = 100 and 202) examining how emotional inertia, assessed in response to a standardized sequence of emotional stimuli in the lab, correlates with several measures of well-being. The current studies build on previous research by examining how inertia of both positive emotions (PE) and negative emotions (NE) relates to positive (e.g., life satisfaction) and negative (e.g., depressive symptoms) indicators of well-being, while controlling for between-person differences in the mean level and variability of emotions. Our findings replicated previous research and further revealed that (a) NE inertia was more strongly associated with lower well-being than PE inertia; (b) emotional inertia correlated more consistently with negative indicators (e.g., depressive symptoms) than positive indicators (e.g., life satisfaction) of well-being; and (c) these relationships were independent of individual differences in mean level and variability of emotions. We conclude, in line with recent findings, that higher emotional inertia, particularly of NE, may be an indicator of increased vulnerability to depression. PMID:26779099

Vaginal prolapse surgery with transvaginal mesh: results of the Austrian registry.

PubMed

Bjelic-Radisic, V; Aigmueller, T; Preyer, O; Ralph, G; Geiss, I; Müller, G; Riss, P; Klug, P; Konrad, M; Wagner, G; Medl, M; Umek, W; Lozano, P; Tamussino, K; Tammaa, A

2014-08-01

Several mesh repair systems for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were introduced into clinical practice with limited data on safety, complications or success rates, and impact on sexual function. The Austrian Urogynecology Working Group initiated a registry to assess the use of transvaginal mesh devices for POP repair. We looked at perioperative data, as well as outcomes at 3 and 12 months. Between 2006 and 2010 a total of 20 gynecology departments in Austria participated in the Transvaginal Mesh Registry. Case report forms were completed to gather data on operations, the postoperative course, and results at 3 and 12 months. A total of 726 transvaginal procedures with 10 different transvaginal kits were registered. Intra- and perioperative complications were reported in 6.8%. The most common complication was increased intraoperative bleeding (2.2%). Bladder and bowel perforation occurred in 6 (0.8%) and 2 (0.3%) cases. Mesh exposure was seen in 11% at 3 and in 12% at 12 months. 24 (10%) previously asymptomatic patients developed bowel symptoms by 1 year. De novo bladder symptoms were reported in 39 (10%) at 3 and in 26 (11%) at 12 months. Dyspareunia was reported by 7% and 10% of 265 and 181 sexually active patients at 3 and 12 months postoperatively respectively. The 6.8% rate of intra- and perioperative complications is in line with previous reports. Visceral injury was rare. The 12% rate of mesh exposure is consistent with previous series.

Predictors of sun protection behaviors and severe sunburn in an international online study.

PubMed

Bränström, Richard; Kasparian, Nadine A; Chang, Yu-mei; Affleck, Paul; Tibben, Aad; Aspinwall, Lisa G; Azizi, Esther; Baron-Epel, Orna; Battistuzzi, Linda; Bergman, Wilma; Bruno, William; Chan, May; Cuellar, Francisco; Debniak, Tadeusz; Pjanova, Dace; Ertmanski, Slawomir; Figl, Adina; Gonzalez, Melinda; Hayward, Nicholas K; Hocevar, Marko; Kanetsky, Peter A; Leachman, Sancy A; Heisele, Olita; Palmer, Jane; Peric, Barbara; Puig, Susana; Schadendorf, Dirk; Gruis, Nelleke A; Newton-Bishop, Julia; Brandberg, Yvonne

2010-09-01

The incidence of melanoma continues to increase in many countries, and primary prevention of melanoma includes avoidance of sunburn as well as adequate sun protection behavior. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of self-reported sun protection behaviors and sunburn in users of the Internet, and to identify the demographic, clinical, and attitudinal/motivational correlates of sun protection behaviors. Self-report data were gathered on behalf of the GenoMEL consortium using an online survey available in 10 different languages, and 8,178 individuals successfully completed at least 80% of survey items, with 73% of respondents from Europe, 12% from Australia, 7% from the United States, 2% from Israel, and 6% from other countries. Half of all respondents and 27% of those with a previous melanoma reported at least one severe sunburn during the previous 12 months. The strongest factors associated with sun protection behavior were perceived barriers to protection (beta = -0.44/beta = -0.37), and respondents who reported a positive attitude toward suntans were less likely to protect (beta = -0.16/beta = -0.14). Reported use of protective clothing and shade, as well as avoidance of midday sun exposure, were more strongly related to reduced risk of sunburn than sunscreen use. Despite widespread dissemination of public health messages about the importance of sun protection, a substantial proportion of this international sample, including respondents with a previous melanoma, reported inadequate sun protection behaviors resulting in severe sunburn. Future strategies to decrease sunburn should target the practical, social, and psychological barriers associated with nonuptake of sun protection. (c)2010 AACR.

Intimate partner violence and repeat induced abortion in Italy: A cross sectional study.

PubMed

Citernesi, Angela; Dubini, Valeria; Uglietti, Anna; Ricci, Elena; Cipriani, Sonia; Parazzini, Fabio

2015-01-01

To investigate the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on the risk of repeat induced abortion (RIA), we compared IPV history among women with and without previous induced abortion (IA). All consecutive women aged 18 years or more requiring IA in 12 Italian abortion clinics were eligible for inclusion in the study. They were asked to fill in an anonymous, self-developed questionnaire assessing sociodemographic data and their history of different types of violence and related risk factors. The analysis included 1030 women, 624 (60.6%) of whom reported a previous IA. Past or current IPV was reported by 19.3%: 7.0% reported sexual violence, 11.3% physical abuse and 12.1% psychological abuse. Past or current IPV was reported by 22.3% of women with RIA and 14.8% of those undergoing their first IA (adjusted odds ratio 1.57, 95% confidence interval 1.07-2.30; p = 0.02). When we considered sexual, psychological and physical abuse separately, we found that any kind of abuse was more frequent in women with RIA than in women with no previous IA. This study underlines the impact of IPV on the risk of RIA and suggests the need for screening for IPV among women requiring abortion, in order to identify women at risk of RIA and to improve their general and reproductive health.

User Manual for the NASA Glenn Ice Accretion Code LEWICE. Version 2.2.2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

2002-01-01

A research project is underway at NASA Glenn to produce a computer code which can accurately predict ice growth under a wide range of meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present a description of the code inputs and outputs from version 2.2.2 of this code, which is called LEWICE. This version differs from release 2.0 due to the addition of advanced thermal analysis capabilities for de-icing and anti-icing applications using electrothermal heaters or bleed air applications. An extensive effort was also undertaken to compare the results against the database of electrothermal results which have been generated in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) as was performed for the validation effort for version 2.0. This report will primarily describe the features of the software related to the use of the program. Appendix A of this report has been included to list some of the inner workings of the software or the physical models used. This information is also available in the form of several unpublished documents internal to NASA. This report is intended as a replacement for all previous user manuals of LEWICE. In addition to describing the changes and improvements made for this version, information from previous manuals may be duplicated so that the user will not need to consult previous manuals to use this code.

Individual differences influence two-digit number processing, but not their analog magnitude processing: a large-scale online study.

PubMed

Huber, Stefan; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Reips, Ulf-Dietrich; Soltanlou, Mojtaba

2017-12-23

Symbolic magnitude comparison is one of the most well-studied cognitive processes in research on numerical cognition. However, while the cognitive mechanisms of symbolic magnitude processing have been intensively studied, previous studies have paid less attention to individual differences influencing symbolic magnitude comparison. Employing a two-digit number comparison task in an online setting, we replicated previous effects, including the distance effect, the unit-decade compatibility effect, and the effect of cognitive control on the adaptation to filler items, in a large-scale study in 452 adults. Additionally, we observed that the most influential individual differences were participants' first language, time spent playing computer games and gender, followed by reported alcohol consumption, age and mathematical ability. Participants who used a first language with a left-to-right reading/writing direction were faster than those who read and wrote in the right-to-left direction. Reported playing time for computer games was correlated with faster reaction times. Female participants showed slower reaction times and a larger unit-decade compatibility effect than male participants. Participants who reported never consuming alcohol showed overall slower response times than others. Older participants were slower, but more accurate. Finally, higher grades in mathematics were associated with faster reaction times. We conclude that typical experiments on numerical cognition that employ a keyboard as an input device can also be run in an online setting. Moreover, while individual differences have no influence on domain-specific magnitude processing-apart from age, which increases the decade distance effect-they generally influence performance on a two-digit number comparison task.

Race and Gender Differences in One-Year Outcomes for Community-Dwelling Stroke Survivors with Family Caregivers

PubMed Central

Roth, David L.; Haley, William E.; Clay, Olivio J.; Perkins, Martinique; Grant, Joan S.; Rhodes, J. David; Wadley, Virginia G.; Kissela, Brett; Howard, George

2011-01-01

Background and Purpose Previous research has reported worse outcomes after stroke for women and for African Americans, but few prospective, population-based studies have systematically examined demographic differences on long-term stroke outcomes. Race and gender differences on one-year stroke outcomes were examined using an epidemiologically-derived sample of first-time stroke survivors from the national REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Methods Participants of REGARDS who reported a first-time stroke event during regular surveillance calls were interviewed by telephone and then completed an in-home evaluation approximately one year after the verified first-time stroke event (N = 112). A primary family caregiver was also enrolled and interviewed for each stroke survivor. Measures from the in-home evaluation included previously validated stroke outcomes assessments of neurological deficits, functional impairments, and patient-reported effects of stroke in multiple domains. Results African American stroke survivors were less likely to be living with their primary family caregivers than White participants. Analyses that controlled for age, education, and whether the stroke survivors lived with their primary family caregivers indicated that African Americans and women showed significantly greater deficits on multiple one-year outcome measures compared to Whites and men, respectively. Conclusions Among community-dwelling stroke survivors with family caregivers, women and African Americans are at heightened risk for poor long-term outcomes one year after first-time stroke events. Rehabilitation services and public health policies aimed at enhancing stroke recovery rates should address these disparities in post-stroke outcomes. PMID:21257820

Preputial Demodex species in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in eastern Tennessee.

PubMed

Lankton, Julia S; Chapman, Alycia; Ramsay, Edward C; Kania, Stephen A; Newkirk, Kimberly M

2013-03-01

The presence of preputial Demodex species in four captive, wild-caught big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in eastern Tennessee, USA, examined between 2008 and 2010 is reported. In three of four cases, there was associated folliculitis, dermatitis, or preputial adenitis. There were no clinical signs directly attributable to the mites, although penile prolapse was present in one case. Mites were retrieved from preputial skin samples of other archival big brown bats by potassium hydroxide digestion and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed 99.6% homology to Demodex canis, although morphologic differences distinguish the two species. Mites of this report differ in anatomic location from Demodex spp. previously reported in bats and represent a species unreported to public databases.

Sex differences in dreaming during short propofol sedation for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

PubMed

Xu, Guanghong; Liu, Xuesheng; Sheng, Qiying; Yu, Fengqiong; Wang, Kai

2013-10-02

Previous reports suggest that sex differences may exist in dreaming under anesthesia, but their results were inconclusive. The current study explored sex differences in the incidence and content of dreams during short propofol sedation for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and investigated whether sex differences or dream content affect patient satisfaction with sedation. A total of 200 patients (100 men and 100 women) undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy participated in this study. Patients were interviewed with the modified Brice questionnaire about the incidence and the content of dreams, and satisfaction with sedation was assessed. The results showed that the incidence of dreaming was significantly higher in men (31%) than in women (17%) (P=0.02), but recovery time was similar. In men, 45% (14/31) of dreamers reported positive emotional content and only 6% (2/31) reported negative emotional content. In contrast, in women, 18% (3/17) reported positive and 29% (5/17) reported negative content (P=0.04). Men reported dreams that were more vivid, meaningful, familiar, and memorable (P<0.01). No significant sex differences were observed in the emotional intensity of dreams, and emotional content did not influence patients' satisfaction. In sum, sex differences existed in dreaming during short propofol sedation despite similar recovery time and matching in terms of age. Men reported dreaming more frequently and had a higher incidence of recall for their dream narratives. In particular, men reported significantly more positive emotional content, less negative emotional content, and more meaningful content. Dreamer satisfaction with sedation was not influenced by sex or dream content.

Novel interstitial deletion of 10q24.3-25.1 associated with multiple congenital anomalies including lobar holoprosencephaly, cleft lip and palate, and hypoplastic kidneys.

PubMed

Peltekova, Iskra T; Hurteau-Millar, Julie; Armour, Christine M

2014-12-01

Chromosome 10q deletions are rare and phenotypically diverse. Such deletions differ in length and occur in numerous regions on the long arm of chromosome 10, accounting for the wide clinical variability. Commonly reported findings include dysmorphic facial features, microcephaly, developmental delay, and genitourinary abnormalities. Here, we report on a female patient with a novel interstitial 5.54 Mb deletion at 10q24.31-q25.1. This patient had findings in common with a previously reported patient with an overlapping deletion, including renal anomalies and an orofacial cleft, but also demonstrated lobar holoprosencephaly and a Dandy-Walker malformation, features which have not been previously reported with 10q deletions. An analysis of the region deleted in our patient showed numerous genes, such as KAZALD1, PAX2, SEMA4G, ACTRA1, INA, and FGF8, whose putative functions may have played a role in the phenotype seen in our patient. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

HIV testing among immigrant sexual and gender minority Latinos in a US region with little historical Latino presence.

PubMed

Gilbert, Paul A; Rhodes, Scott D

2013-11-01

Immigrant sexual and gender minority Latinos constitute a vulnerable subgroup about which little is known. We examined HIV testing among 190 such Latinos recruited via respondent-driven sampling in North Carolina, a state with little historical Latino presence but recent, rapid growth of this population. Sixty-eight percent reported an HIV test in the past year, and nearly half reported multiple HIV tests. Concern for their health was the most frequent reason for seeking an HIV test. Reasons not to get tested included fear of a positive test, previous HIV tests, worry that test results might be reported to the government, and concerns that others might treat the person differently if found to be HIV positive. In a multiple variable model, correlates of HIV testing included age, educational attainment, HIV stigma, comfort with sexual orientation, and previous STD diagnoses. Among participants reporting anal sex, consistent condom use was associated with HIV testing, suggesting that protective behaviors may co-occur. These findings may inform the development of more efficacious interventions to increase HIV testing among this subgroup.

HIV Testing Among Immigrant Sexual and Gender Minority Latinos in a US Region with Little Historical Latino Presence

PubMed Central

Rhodes, Scott D.

2013-01-01

Abstract Immigrant sexual and gender minority Latinos constitute a vulnerable subgroup about which little is known. We examined HIV testing among 190 such Latinos recruited via respondent-driven sampling in North Carolina, a state with little historical Latino presence but recent, rapid growth of this population. Sixty-eight percent reported an HIV test in the past year, and nearly half reported multiple HIV tests. Concern for their health was the most frequent reason for seeking an HIV test. Reasons not to get tested included fear of a positive test, previous HIV tests, worry that test results might be reported to the government, and concerns that others might treat the person differently if found to be HIV positive. In a multiple variable model, correlates of HIV testing included age, educational attainment, HIV stigma, comfort with sexual orientation, and previous STD diagnoses. Among participants reporting anal sex, consistent condom use was associated with HIV testing, suggesting that protective behaviors may co-occur. These findings may inform the development of more efficacious interventions to increase HIV testing among this subgroup. PMID:24138487

Information about ADRs explored by pharmacovigilance approaches: a qualitative review of studies on antibiotics, SSRIs and NSAIDs

PubMed Central

Aagaard, Lise; Hansen, Ebba Holme

2009-01-01

Background Despite surveillance efforts, unexpected and serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) repeatedly occur after marketing. The aim of this article is to analyse ADRs reported by available ADR signal detection approaches and to explore which information about new and unexpected ADRs these approaches have detected. Methods We selected three therapeutic cases for the review: antibiotics for systemic use, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAID) and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI). These groups are widely used and represent different therapeutic classes of medicines. The ADR studies were identified through literature search in Medline and Embase. The search was conducted in July 2007. For each therapeutic case, we analysed the time of publication, the strengths of the evidence of safety in the different approaches, reported ADRs and whether the studies have produced new information about ADRs compared to the information available at the time of marketing. Results 79 studies were eligible for inclusion in the analysis: 23 antibiotics studies, 35 NSAID studies, 20 SSRI studies. Studies were mainly published from the end of the 1990s and onwards. Although the drugs were launched in different decades, both analytical and observational approaches to ADR studies were similar for all three therapeutic cases: antibiotics, NSAIDs and SSRIs. The studies primarily dealt with analyses of ADRs of the type A and B and to a lesser extent C and D, cf. Rawlins' classification system. The therapeutic cases provided similar results with regard to detecting information about new ADRs despite different time periods and organs attacked. Approaches ranging higher in the evidence hierarchy provided information about risks of already known or expected ADRs, while information about new and previously unknown ADRs was only detected by case reports, the lowest ranking approach in the evidence hierarchy. Conclusion Although the medicines were launched in different decades, approaches to the ADR studies were similar for all three therapeutic cases: antibiotics, NSAIDs and SSRIs. Both descriptive and analytical designs were applied. Despite the fact that analytical studies rank higher in the evidence hierarchy, only the lower ranking descriptive case reports/spontaneous reports provided information about new and previously undetected ADRs. This review underscores the importance of systems for spontaneous reporting of ADRs. Therefore, spontaneous reporting should be encouraged further and the information in ADR databases should continuously be subjected to systematic analysis. PMID:19254390

Information about ADRs explored by pharmacovigilance approaches: a qualitative review of studies on antibiotics, SSRIs and NSAIDs.

PubMed

Aagaard, Lise; Hansen, Ebba Holme

2009-03-03

Despite surveillance efforts, unexpected and serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) repeatedly occur after marketing. The aim of this article is to analyse ADRs reported by available ADR signal detection approaches and to explore which information about new and unexpected ADRs these approaches have detected. We selected three therapeutic cases for the review: antibiotics for systemic use, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAID) and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI). These groups are widely used and represent different therapeutic classes of medicines. The ADR studies were identified through literature search in Medline and Embase. The search was conducted in July 2007. For each therapeutic case, we analysed the time of publication, the strengths of the evidence of safety in the different approaches, reported ADRs and whether the studies have produced new information about ADRs compared to the information available at the time of marketing. 79 studies were eligible for inclusion in the analysis: 23 antibiotics studies, 35 NSAID studies, 20 SSRI studies. Studies were mainly published from the end of the 1990s and onwards. Although the drugs were launched in different decades, both analytical and observational approaches to ADR studies were similar for all three therapeutic cases: antibiotics, NSAIDs and SSRIs. The studies primarily dealt with analyses of ADRs of the type A and B and to a lesser extent C and D, cf. Rawlins' classification system. The therapeutic cases provided similar results with regard to detecting information about new ADRs despite different time periods and organs attacked. Approaches ranging higher in the evidence hierarchy provided information about risks of already known or expected ADRs, while information about new and previously unknown ADRs was only detected by case reports, the lowest ranking approach in the evidence hierarchy. Although the medicines were launched in different decades, approaches to the ADR studies were similar for all three therapeutic cases: antibiotics, NSAIDs and SSRIs. Both descriptive and analytical designs were applied. Despite the fact that analytical studies rank higher in the evidence hierarchy, only the lower ranking descriptive case reports/spontaneous reports provided information about new and previously undetected ADRs. This review underscores the importance of systems for spontaneous reporting of ADRs. Therefore, spontaneous reporting should be encouraged further and the information in ADR databases should continuously be subjected to systematic analysis.

Clinical features of patients with Myasthenia gravis from the Henan province, China.

PubMed

Gao, Feng; Zhao, Xue; Zhang, Jing; Cui, Xinzheng; Zhang, Yingna; Li, Qianru; Liu, Pingping; Fang, Hua; Du, Ying; Zhang, Qingyong; Yang, Junhong; Zhang, Yunke

2016-05-01

Myasthenia gravis (MG) occurs globally, and many studies have indicated that there are regional differences in epidemiology, biomarkers, and prognosis of MG. A total of 478 patients with MG who visited hospitals in the Henan Province between January 2010 and February 2014 were included. Age, gender, age at onset, serum antibody, thymus pathology, treatment information, and Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) classification were assessed. Compared with previous reports from other areas, we found some differences in MG patients from Henan. The proportion of childhood MG in our study was lower than other reports of Oriental patients with MG. There seems to be an association between onset age, muscle involvement, and acetylcholine receptor antibody levels. Thymectomy improved the symptoms in 78.5% of thymectomy-treated patients. These differences are likely related to geographical, environmental, and ethnic differences. Understanding these differences will help us to define more specific treatment. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Novel ZnO-binding peptides obtained by the screening of a phage display peptide library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golec, Piotr; Karczewska-Golec, Joanna; Łoś, Marcin; Węgrzyn, Grzegorz

2012-11-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor compound with a potential for wide use in various applications, including biomaterials and biosensors, particularly as nanoparticles (the size range of ZnO nanoparticles is from 2 to 100 nm, with an average of about 35 nm). Here, we report isolation of novel ZnO-binding peptides, by screening of a phage display library. Interestingly, amino acid sequences of the ZnO-binding peptides reported in this paper and those described previously are significantly different. This suggests that there is a high variability in sequences of peptides which can bind particular inorganic molecules, indicating that different approaches may lead to discovery of different peptides of generally the same activity (e.g., binding of ZnO) but having various detailed properties, perhaps crucial under specific conditions of different applications.

Measurement of forces applied to handgrips and pedals for a sample population of Mexican males.

PubMed

Lara-Lopez, A; Aguilera-Cortes, L A; Barbosa-Castillo, F

1999-04-01

Equipment design requirements for newly industrializing nations often differ from those of highly industrialized nations. In order to develop a 'culturally relevant' technology in Mexico, this paper reports the results of a study, conducted in Guanajuato state, designed to measure the maximum static forces exerted on pulling handgrips and pedals by seated male subjects. The project included the design and construction of an adjustable measuring apparatus. Handgrip measurements were taken with left and right arms at five different elbow angles; pedal measurements with left and right legs at three different knee angles. The arm data indicate that the relationship between appendage angle and force is similar for these data and those previously reported for a US sample, although there are some significant differences in magnitude. Implications of these results for machinery design are discussed.

Fabrication of large area woodpile structure in polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Jaya Prakash; Dutta, Neilanjan; Yao, Peng; Sharkawy, Ahmed S.; Prather, Dennis W.

2009-02-01

A fabrication process of three-dimensional Woodpile photonic crystals based on multilayer photolithography from commercially available photo resist SU8 have been demonstrated. A 6-layer, 2 mm × 2mm woodpile has been fabricated. Different factors that influence the spin thickness on multiple resist application have been studied. The fabrication method used removes, the problem of intermixing, and is more repeatable and robust than the multilayer fabrication techniques for three dimensional photonic crystal structures that have been previously reported. Each layer is developed before next layer photo resist spin, instead of developing the whole structure in the final step as used in multilayer process. The desired thickness for each layer is achieved by the calibration of spin speed and use of different photo resist compositions. Deep UV exposure confinement has been the defining parameter in this process. Layer uniformity for every layer is independent of the previous developed layers and depends on the photo resist planarizing capability, spin parameters and baking conditions. The intermixing problem, which results from the previous layers left uncrossed linked photo resist, is completely removed in this process as the previous layers are fully developed, avoiding any intermixing between the newly spun and previous layers. Also this process gives the freedom to redo every spin any number of times without affecting the previously made structure, which is not possible in other multilayer process where intermediate developing is not performed.

Detecting fast, online reasoning processes in clinical decision making.

PubMed

Flores, Amanda; Cobos, Pedro L; López, Francisco J; Godoy, Antonio

2014-06-01

In an experiment that used the inconsistency paradigm, experienced clinical psychologists and psychology students performed a reading task using clinical reports and a diagnostic judgment task. The clinical reports provided information about the symptoms of hypothetical clients who had been previously diagnosed with a specific mental disorder. Reading times of inconsistent target sentences were slower than those of control sentences, demonstrating an inconsistency effect. The results also showed that experienced clinicians gave different weights to different symptoms according to their relevance when fluently reading the clinical reports provided, despite the fact that all the symptoms were of equal diagnostic value according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The diagnostic judgment task yielded a similar pattern of results. In contrast to previous findings, the results of the reading task may be taken as direct evidence of the intervention of reasoning processes that occur very early, rapidly, and online. We suggest that these processes are based on the representation of mental disorders and that these representations are particularly suited to fast retrieval from memory and to making inferences. They may also be related to the clinicians' causal reasoning. The implications of these results for clinician training are also discussed.

FURTHER CONSTRAINTS ON THE OPTICAL TRANSMISSION SPECTRUM OF HAT-P-1b

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

Montalto, M.; Santos, N. C.; Martins, J. H. C.

We report on novel observations of HAT-P-1 aimed at constraining the optical transmission spectrum of the atmosphere of its transiting hot-Jupiter exoplanet. Ground-based differential spectrophotometry was performed over two transit windows using the DOLORES spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Our measurements imply an average planet to star radius ratio equal to R{sub p}/R{sub *} = (0.1159 ± 0.0005). This result is consistent with the value obtained from recent near-infrared measurements of this object, but differs from previously reported optical measurements, being lower by around 4.4 exoplanet scale heights. Analyzing the data over five different spectral bins of ∼600 Åmore » wide, we observed a single peaked spectrum (3.7 σ level) with a blue cutoff corresponding to the blue edge of the broad absorption wing of sodium and an increased absorption in the region in-between 6180 and 7400 Å. We also infer that the width of the broad absorption wings due to alkali metals is likely narrower than the one implied by solar abundance clear atmospheric models. We interpret the result as evidence that HAT-P-1b has a partially clear atmosphere at optical wavelengths with a more modest contribution from an optical absorber than previously reported.« less

Sexting by High School Students.

PubMed

Strassberg, Donald S; Cann, Deanna; Velarde, Valerie

2017-08-01

In the last 8 years, several studies have documented that many adolescents acknowledge having exchanged sexually explicit cell phone pictures of themselves, a behavior termed sexting. Differences across studies in how sexting was defined, recruitment strategies, and cohort have resulted in sometimes significant differences in as basic a metric as what percentage of adolescents have sent, received, or forwarded such sexts. The psychosocial and even legal risks associated with sexting by minors are significantly serious that accurate estimates of its prevalence, including over time, are important to ascertain. In the present study, students (N = 656) from a single private high school were surveyed regarding their participation in sexting. Students at this same school were similarly surveyed four years earlier. In this second survey, reported rates of sending (males 15.8%; females 13.6%) and receiving (males 40.5%; females 30.6%) sexually explicit cell phone pictures (revealing genitals or buttocks of either sex or female breasts) were generally similar to those reported at the same school 4 years earlier. Rates of forwarding sexts (males 12.2%; females 7.6%) were much lower than those previously acknowledged at this school. Correlates of sexting in this study were similar to those reported previously. Overall, our findings suggest that sexting by adolescents (with the exception of forwarding) remains a fairly common behavior, despite its risks.

Further Constraints on the Optical Transmission Spectrum of HAT-P-1b

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montalto, M.; Iro, N.; Santos, N. C.; Desidera, S.; Martins, J. H. C.; Figueira, P.; Alonso, R.

2015-09-01

We report on novel observations of HAT-P-1 aimed at constraining the optical transmission spectrum of the atmosphere of its transiting hot-Jupiter exoplanet. Ground-based differential spectrophotometry was performed over two transit windows using the DOLORES spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Our measurements imply an average planet to star radius ratio equal to Rp/R* = (0.1159 ± 0.0005). This result is consistent with the value obtained from recent near-infrared measurements of this object, but differs from previously reported optical measurements, being lower by around 4.4 exoplanet scale heights. Analyzing the data over five different spectral bins of ∼600 Å wide, we observed a single peaked spectrum (3.7 σ level) with a blue cutoff corresponding to the blue edge of the broad absorption wing of sodium and an increased absorption in the region in-between 6180 and 7400 Å. We also infer that the width of the broad absorption wings due to alkali metals is likely narrower than the one implied by solar abundance clear atmospheric models. We interpret the result as evidence that HAT-P-1b has a partially clear atmosphere at optical wavelengths with a more modest contribution from an optical absorber than previously reported.

High correlations between MRI brain volume measurements based on NeuroQuant® and FreeSurfer.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; Tate, David F; Tokac, Umit; Seabaugh, John; Abildskov, Tracy J; Bigler, Erin D

2018-05-30

NeuroQuant ® (NQ) and FreeSurfer (FS) are commonly used computer-automated programs for measuring MRI brain volume. Previously they were reported to have high intermethod reliabilities but often large intermethod effect size differences. We hypothesized that linear transformations could be used to reduce the large effect sizes. This study was an extension of our previously reported study. We performed NQ and FS brain volume measurements on 60 subjects (including normal controls, patients with traumatic brain injury, and patients with Alzheimer's disease). We used two statistical approaches in parallel to develop methods for transforming FS volumes into NQ volumes: traditional linear regression, and Bayesian linear regression. For both methods, we used regression analyses to develop linear transformations of the FS volumes to make them more similar to the NQ volumes. The FS-to-NQ transformations based on traditional linear regression resulted in effect sizes which were small to moderate. The transformations based on Bayesian linear regression resulted in all effect sizes being trivially small. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a method for transforming FS to NQ data so as to achieve high reliability and low effect size differences. Machine learning methods like Bayesian regression may be more useful than traditional methods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mood disorders: A potential link between ghrelin and leptin on human body?

PubMed

Zarouna, Stalo; Wozniak, Greta; Papachristou, Anastasia Ioannis

2015-05-20

Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones associated with multiple physiological functions, especially energy balance. Leptin is an adipocyte-secreted hormone discovered in 1950 and ghrelin which was found in 1999, is a peptide hormone produced and secreted in the stomach. A number of previous studies showed that these hormones could be associated with different types of mood disorders. The results of previous studies, nevertheless, are confounded by diverse sample selection and different methodologies. A search for related articles in the PubMed database was attempted. The search covered studies, reports, reviews and editorials published in the last ten years. Older references served as auxiliary sources for comparison purposes. However, due to the different results of the studies, there is a need for more investigation in order to establish the exact biochemical mechanisms that are responsible for these diseases and ghrelin's and leptin's effects on mood.

Effect of Paper Color and Question Order on Exam Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tal, Ilanit R.; Akers, Katherine G.; Hodge, Gordon K.

2008-01-01

To deter cheating, teachers commonly use exams printed on differently colored paper or with varied question orders. Previous studies, however, reported that paper color and question order affect exam performance and suggested that teachers should adjust students' scores accordingly and discontinue the use of alternate exam forms. We conducted 2…

Executive Control in a Modified Antisaccade Task: Effects of Aging and Bilingualism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bialystok, Ellen; Craik, Fergus I. M.; Ryan, Jennifer

2006-01-01

Two studies are reported that assess differences associated with aging and bilingualism in an executive control task. Previous work has suggested that bilinguals have an advantage over monolinguals in nonlinguistic tasks involving executive control; the major purpose of the present article is to ascertain which aspects of control are sensitive…

Sex Differences in Object Location Memory: Some Further Methodological Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Peter; Neave, Nick; Hamilton, Colin; Gray, John M.

2006-01-01

Previously it has been reported that female performance on the recall of objects and their locations in a spatial array is superior to that of males. This may reflect underlying information-processing biases whereby males organize information in a self-referential manner while females adopt a more comprehensive approach. The known female advantage…

Systematic development of Phytophthora species-specific mitochondrial diagnostic markers for economically important members of the genus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The genus Phytophthora contains many invasive species to the USA that have the potential to cause significant damage to agriculture and native ecosystems. A genus and species-specific diagnostic assay was previously reported based on mitochondrial gene order differences that allowed for the systemat...

Comparing Measures of Voice Quality from Sustained Phonation and Continuous Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerratt, Bruce R.; Kreiman, Jody; Garellek, Marc

2016-01-01

Purpose: The question of what type of utterance--a sustained vowel or continuous speech--is best for voice quality analysis has been extensively studied but with equivocal results. This study examines whether previously reported differences derive from the articulatory and prosodic factors occurring in continuous speech versus sustained phonation.…

Student Engagement with Computer-Generated Feedback: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Zhe

2017-01-01

In order to benefit from feedback on their writing, students need to engage effectively with it. This article reports a case study on student engagement with computer-generated feedback, known as automated writing evaluation (AWE) feedback, in an EFL context. Differing from previous studies that explored commercially available AWE programs, this…

What Public Media Reveals about MOOCs: A Systematic Analysis of News Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovanovic, Vitomir; Joksimovic, Srecko; Gaševic, Dragan; Siemens, George; Hatala, Marek

2015-01-01

One of the striking differences between massive open online courses (MOOCs) and previous innovations in the education technology field is the unprecedented interest and involvement of the general public. As MOOCs address pressing problems in higher education and the broader educational practice, awareness of the general public debate around MOOCs…

Improvement of Allocentric Spatial Memory Resolution in Children from 2 to 4 Years of Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Farfalla Ribordy; Lavenex, Pierre; Lavenex, Pamela Banta

2015-01-01

Allocentric spatial memory, the memory for locations coded in relation to objects comprising our environment, is a fundamental component of episodic memory and is dependent on the integrity of the hippocampal formation in adulthood. Previous research from different laboratories reported that basic allocentric spatial memory abilities are reliably…

Influence of photoperiod duration and phloem disruption through scoring on growth, disease symptoms and bacterial titer in citrus graft-inoculated with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plants inoculated with the huanglongbing (HLB)-associated bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) are typically monitored for 8-10 months to identify differences in susceptibility between genotypes. A previous report indicated that continuous light accelerated development of HLB symptoms...

Reading Strategies and Approaches to Learning of Bilingual Primary School Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Zhenhui; Gu, Peter Yongqi; Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Hu, Guangwei

2007-01-01

The research reported here investigated primary school pupils' use of reading strategies. The study differed from most of the previous studies on reading strategies in that (1) the participants were young bilinguals in multicultural Singapore; (2) the data were examined within the Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) framework developed by John…

Gender Divergence in Academics' Representation and Research Productivity: A Nigerian Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opesade, Adeola Omobola; Famurewa, Kofoworola Folakemi; Igwe, Ebelechukwu Gloria

2017-01-01

Gender equity is increasingly seen as an indicator of development and global acceptance in networks of higher education. Despite this, gender divergence in research productivity of academics coupled with under-representation of women in science has been reported to beset female's scholarly activities. Previous studies provide differing results,…

Early Intervention Curricula and Subsequent Adolescent Social Development: A Longitudinal Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Kevin N.; Mills, Paulette E.; Jenkins, Joseph R.; Dale, Philip S.

2005-01-01

In a previous study of the differential effects of contrasting early intervention programs on later social behavior (Mills, Cole, Jenkins, & Dale, 2002), we found no differences in self-report of juvenile delinquency at age 15 for children enrolled in direct instruction and child-directed models. These results disconfirmed the conclusion of…

Facilitating a Faculty Learning Community: Determining Consensus Using Q Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramlo, Susan

2011-01-01

With plans to improve a Technical Report Writing course, writing faculty and engineering technology faculty formed a faculty learning community (FLC). Although discussions were often productive, it was often difficult to gauge consensus and differing views among the group members. In a previous study, Q methodology, a measure of subjectivity, was…

Haemophilus haemolyticus Isolates Causing Clinical Disease

PubMed Central

Wang, Xin; Briere, Elizabeth C.; Katz, Lee S.; Cohn, Amanda C.; Clark, Thomas A.; Messonnier, Nancy E.; Mayer, Leonard W.

2012-01-01

We report seven cases of Haemophilus haemolyticus invasive disease detected in the United States, which were previously misidentified as nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. All cases had different symptoms and presentations. Our study suggests that a testing scheme that includes reliable PCR assays and standard microbiological methods should be used in order to improve H. haemolyticus identification. PMID:22573587

The Impact of Childhood Reading on the Development of Environmental Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freestone, Margaret; O'Toole, John Mitchell

2016-01-01

Direct experiences of nature are becoming less common in our urbanised world and little research exists regarding the impact of less direct experiences, particularly how childhood reading relates to the development of pro-environmental values. This study differs from previous reports into the influence of books, as it concentrates on the potential…

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Relationship to Behavioral and Self-Rating Measures of Impulsivity and Self-Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mc Closkey, Michael S.; Look, Amy E.; Chen, Eunice Y.; Pajoumand, Golnaz; Berman, Mitchell E.

2012-01-01

Previous research using self-report measures has shown an association between nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI) and impulsive tendencies. However, self-injurers have not been shown to be different from comparison groups on laboratory tasks putatively assessing impulsive behavior. One explanation for these contradictory findings is that…

Personality, Coping Style and Well-Being of Parents Rearing Children with Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glidden, L. M.; Billings, F. J.; Jobe, B. M.

2006-01-01

Background: Parents with children with developmental disabilities (DD) encounter a variety of stressors associated with rearing their children and must develop effective coping mechanisms in order to adapt successfully to these challenges. Previous research has failed to establish the role of parental individual differences in the reported use of…

Haemophilus haemolyticus isolates causing clinical disease.

PubMed

Anderson, Raydel; Wang, Xin; Briere, Elizabeth C; Katz, Lee S; Cohn, Amanda C; Clark, Thomas A; Messonnier, Nancy E; Mayer, Leonard W

2012-07-01

We report seven cases of Haemophilus haemolyticus invasive disease detected in the United States, which were previously misidentified as nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. All cases had different symptoms and presentations. Our study suggests that a testing scheme that includes reliable PCR assays and standard microbiological methods should be used in order to improve H. haemolyticus identification.

Researching the Educational Benefits of Diversity. Research Report No. 2005-4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Emily J.

2005-01-01

There are many different ways to research the educational benefits of diversity. Most of the findings from the research in this field suggest that experiences with diversity in higher education result in significant benefits on learning and democracy outcomes. This paper offers several examples of previous studies, as well as recommendations and…

Regional Variation in Home Care Use in Manitoba

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Sandra; Shapiro, Evelyn; Roos, Noralou P.

2005-01-01

Previous studies report geographic variation in the use of home care services. In the province of Manitoba, home care is a core service that Manitoba's twelve regional health authorities (RHAs) are obligated to deliver. Manitoba's RHAs range from remote northern and rural southern regions to a major city, resulting in different challenges for…

Against the traffic: The first evidence for mitochondrial DNA transfer into the plastid genome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Transfer of DNA between different compartments of the plant cell, i.e. plastid, mitochondrion and nucleus, is a well-known phenomenon in plant evolution. Six directions of inter-compartmental DNA migration are possible in theory, however only four of them have been previously reported. These include...

Impact of different environmental stimuli on the release of 1-MCP from boron-MCP complexes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In our previous report, boron derivatives of methylene cyclopropane complexes (B-MCP) were developed to stabilize the gaseous 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene), a commercial plant growth regulator, for eventual release in open crop fields when under humid conditions or in contact with water. To meet the ...

Inhibitory Control in Childhood Stuttering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eggers, Kurt; De Nil, Luc F.; Van den Bergh, Bea R. H.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether previously reported parental questionnaire-based differences in inhibitory control (IC; Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2010) would be supported by direct measurement of IC using a computer task. Method: Participants were 30 children who stutter (CWS; mean age = 7;05 years) and 30…

Auditory Attentional Set-Shifting and Inhibition in Children Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eggers, Kurt; Jansson-Verkasalo, Eira

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether previously reported parental questionnaire-based differences in attentional shifting and inhibitory control (AS and IC; Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2010) would be supported by direct measurement of AS and IC using a computer task. Method: Participants were 16 Finnish children…

A New Method for Obtaining Russell-Saunders Terms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ying; Liu, Yue; Liu, Bihui

2011-01-01

A new method for obtaining Russell-Saunders terms of atomic configurations is reported. This new method is significantly different from, while at the same time complementary to, previously published methods for obtaining atomic terms. This novel procedure is elicited by the method used to determine the splitting of S, P, D terms in weak ligand…

Differential Gender Performance on the Major Field Test-Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka; Brown, F. William

2013-01-01

The Major Field Test in Business (MFT-B), a standardized assessment test of business knowledge among undergraduate business seniors, is widely used to measure student achievement. Many previous studies analyzing scores on the MFT-B report gender differences on the exam even after controlling for student's aptitude, general intellectual ability,…

Effects produced by single and repeated dosages of Fipronil on the EEG of Long Evans Rats

EPA Science Inventory

We have previously reported that various classes of pesticides have different effects on the non- stimulus driven EEG after acute treatment, including fipronil (25 or 50 mg/kg) (Lyke et a!., Toxicologist, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013). In this study, we compared the effects of single a...

Transethnic differences in GWAS signals: A simulation study.

PubMed

Zanetti, Daniela; Weale, Michael E

2018-05-07

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have allowed researchers to identify thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and other variants associated with particular complex traits. Previous studies have reported differences in the strength and even the direction of GWAS signals across different populations. These differences could be due to a combination of (1) lack of power, (2) allele frequency differences, (3) linkage disequilibrium (LD) differences, and (4) true differences in causal variant effect sizes. To determine whether properties (1)-(3) on their own might be sufficient to explain the patterns previously noted in strong GWAS signals, we simulated case-control data of European, Asian and African ancestry, applying realistic allele frequencies and LD from 1000 Genomes data but enforcing equal causal effect sizes across populations. Much of the observed differences in strong GWAS signals could indeed be accounted for by allele frequency and LD differences, enhanced by the Euro-centric SNP bias and lower SNP coverage found in older GWAS panels. While we cannot rule out a role for true transethnic effect size differences, our results suggest that strong causal effects may be largely shared among human populations, motivating the use of transethnic data for fine-mapping. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.

Acute injury of anterior cruciate ligament during karate training.

PubMed

Huang, Kuo-Chin; Hsu, Wei-Hsiu; Wang, Ting-Chung

2007-06-01

A 38-year-old black-belt karate practitioner presented with acute disabling injury of his knee after swift-withdrawal of a reverse-roundhouse-kick. Examination confirmed the diagnosis of grade III ACL tear. Although there are reports documenting injury rate in modern karate, no previous cases of karate-related ACL injuries have been reported. The trauma mechanism is different than ACL injuries during other non-contact and contact sports. The current case report indicates that ACL injury can occur without any contact of the lower limb as a result of dynamic muscular forces during karate training.

Amounts of artificial food dyes and added sugars in foods and sweets commonly consumed by children.

PubMed

Stevens, Laura J; Burgess, John R; Stochelski, Mateusz A; Kuczek, Thomas

2015-04-01

Artificial food colors (AFCs) are used to color many beverages, foods, and sweets in the United States and throughout the world. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the AFCs allowed in the diet to 9 different colors. The FDA certifies each batch of manufactured AFCs to guarantee purity and safety. The amount certified has risen from 12 mg/capita/d in 1950 to 62 mg/capita/d in 2010. Previously, we reported the amounts of AFCs in commonly consumed beverages. In this article, the amounts of AFCs in commonly consumed foods and sweets are reported. In addition, the amount of sugars in each product is included. Amounts of AFCs reported here along with the beverage data show that many children could be consuming far more dyes than previously thought. Clinical guidance is given to help caregivers avoid AFCs and reduce the amount of sugars in children's diets. © The Author(s) 2014.

Crystal Structure and Proteomics Analysis of Empty Virus-like Particles of Cowpea Mosaic Virus

PubMed Central

Huynh, Nhung T.; Hesketh, Emma L.; Saxena, Pooja; Meshcheriakova, Yulia; Ku, You-Chan; Hoang, Linh T.; Johnson, John E.; Ranson, Neil A.; Lomonossoff, George P.; Reddy, Vijay S.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Empty virus-like particles (eVLPs) of Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) are currently being utilized as reagents in various biomedical and nanotechnology applications. Here, we report the crystal structure of CPMV eVLPs determined using X-ray crystallography at 2.3 Å resolution and compare it with previously reported cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) of eVLPs and virion crystal structures. Although the X-ray and cryo-EM structures of eVLPs are mostly similar, there exist significant differences at the C terminus of the small (S) subunit. The intact C terminus of the S subunit plays a critical role in enabling the efficient assembly of CPMV virions and eVLPs, but undergoes proteolysis after particle formation. In addition, we report the results of mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis of coat protein subunits from CPMV eVLPs and virions that identify the C termini of S subunits undergo proteolytic cleavages at multiple sites instead of a single cleavage site as previously observed. PMID:27021160

Thwarted Belongingness Mediates the Relationship between Fear of Negative Evaluation and Suicidal Ideation.

PubMed

Chu, Carol; Buchman-Schmitt, Jennifer M; Moberg, Fallon; Joiner, Thomas E

2016-02-01

Fear of negative evaluation has been documented as a mechanism that explains variations in feelings of belongingness. According to the interpersonal theory of suicide (Joiner, 2005), feelings of thwarted belongingness, that one does not belong, can significantly increase desire and risk for suicide. We proposed that differences in thwarted belongingness may explain variations in suicidal ideation and behavior as a function of levels of fear of negative evaluation. This hypothesis was tested by examining self-reported fears of negative evaluation, thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation in 107 young adults, many who were explicitly targeted for recruitment due to a history of suicidal ideation and behavior (13.1% had thoughts about suicide without a previous attempt; 15.9% reported at least one previous attempt [max = 5 attempts]). Mediation analyses were conducted with suicidal ideation entered as the outcome variable. Results indicated that greater fears of negative evaluation were significantly and positively associated with levels of suicidal ideation. Differences in thwarted belongingness fully accounted for the relationship between fears of negative evaluation and suicidal ideation. We conclude with clinical implications and future directions.

Pituitary-adrenal hormones and testosterone across the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual syndrome and controls.

PubMed

Bloch, M; Schmidt, P J; Su, T P; Tobin, M B; Rubinow, D R

1998-06-15

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclic mood disorder, widely believed, yet not conclusively shown, to be of endocrine etiology. This study examines basal levels of several hormones reported, albeit inconsistently, to differ in women with PMS compared with controls. Subjects (10 PMS patients and 10 controls) had their blood drawn for one full menstrual cycle. Subjects' mood and behavioral symptoms were assessed by daily self-ratings and objective ratings. Plasma was assayed for total and free testosterone (T), beta-endorphin (beta-EP), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol. No differences were observed between the PMS and control groups for beta-EP, ACTH, or cortisol. PMS subjects had significantly lower total and free T plasma levels with a blunting of the normal periovulatory peak, a finding that may be epiphenomenal to age. This study does not confirm previous reports of abnormalities in plasma levels of either ACTH or beta-EP in women with PMS; it also fails to replicate a previous observation of high free T levels in women with PMS. These results are not supportive of a primary endocrine abnormality in PMS patients.

Shoulder pain -- a common problem in world-class badminton players.

PubMed

Fahlström, Martin; Yeap, Joo Seng; Alfredson, Håkan; Söderman, Kerstin

2006-06-01

Badminton is a sport that requires a lot of over-shoulder motion, with the shoulder in abduction/external rotation. This questionnaire study on 188 international top-level badminton players during the World Mixed Team Championships showed that previous or present shoulder pain on the dominant side was reported by 52% of the players. Previous shoulder pain was reported by 37% of the players and on-going shoulder pain by 20% of the players. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of shoulder pain between men and women. The majority of the shoulder pain had started gradually. The pain was usually associated with shoulder activity, and stiffness was a common, associated symptom. Furthermore, the shoulder pain was associated with consequences such as sleeping disturbances, changes in training and competition habits, and it also affected activities of daily living. The majority of the players had sought medical advice and had been given different kinds of treatment. The study showed that shoulder pain is a common and significant problem in world-class badminton players, and the consequences are most likely of importance for their training and playing capacity.

Risk factors for isolated sleep paralysis in an African American sample: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Ramsawh, Holly J; Raffa, Susan D; White, Kamila S; Barlow, David H

2008-12-01

Isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) is a temporary period of involuntary immobility that can occur at sleep onset or offset. It has previously been reported in association with both panic disorder (PD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study examined the association between ISP and several possible risk factors--anxiety sensitivity, trauma exposure, life stress, and paranormal beliefs--in a sample of African American participants with and without a history of ISP. Significant between-group differences were found for PD and PTSD diagnoses, anxiety sensitivity, life stress, and certain aspects of paranormal belief, with the ISP group being higher on all of these indices. No differences were found with regard to trauma exposure. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that PD, anxiety sensitivity, and life stress each contributed unique variance to ISP cognitive symptoms, whereas PTSD and paranormal beliefs did not. These results provide preliminary support for an association between ISP and anxiety sensitivity and corroborate previous reports of ISP's association with PD and life stress. The current trauma/PTSD findings are mixed, however, and warrant future research.

Variation of oxygen content in selected potassium fluorido-oxido-tantalate phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boča, Miroslav; Moncoĺ, Ján; Netriová, Zuzana; Velič, Dušan; Jerigová, Monika; Nunney, Tim S.; Baily, Christopher J.; Kubíková, Blanka; Šimko, František; Janderka, Pavel

2011-12-01

The compound K 3[TaO 4]•K 3[TaF 4O 2] crystallises in a tetragonal system (space group I-4) with cell parameters a = 6.2220(3) Å and c = 8.7625(34) Å, respectively. The crystal structure consists of two anions, [TaO 4] 3- and [TaF 4O 2] 3- and cations K +. The tantalum atoms lie in special positions and serve as centres of both anions, which are substitution disorders. XPS measurements confirmed the existence of different binding energies corresponding to the different bonds of Ta sbnd O and Ta sbnd F. Oxygen is bound more strongly in [TaF 4O 2] 3-. By combination of single crystal analysis, XRD, SIMS and XPS it was suggested that previously reported cubic phase K 3TaOF 6 is in fact K 3TaO 2F 4 and previously reported tetragonal phase K 3TaO 2F 4 is in fact K 3[TaO 4]•K 3[TaF 4O 2].

Case-mix adjustment of consumer reports about managed behavioral health care and health plans.

PubMed

Eselius, Laura L; Cleary, Paul D; Zaslavsky, Alan M; Huskamp, Haiden A; Busch, Susan H

2008-12-01

To develop a model for adjusting patients' reports of behavioral health care experiences on the Experience of Care and Health Outcomes (ECHO) survey to allow for fair comparisons across health plans. Survey responses from 4,068 individuals enrolled in 21 managed behavioral health plans who received behavioral health care within the previous year (response rate = 48 percent). Potential case-mix adjustors were evaluated by combining information about their predictive power and the amount of within- and between-plan variability. Changes in plan scores and rankings due to case-mix adjustment were quantified. The final case-mix adjustment model included self-reported mental health status, self-reported general health status, alcohol/drug treatment, age, education, and race/ethnicity. The impact of adjustment on plan report scores was modest, but large enough to change some plan rankings. Adjusting plan report scores on the ECHO survey for differences in patient characteristics had modest effects, but still may be important to maintain the credibility of patient reports as a quality metric. Differences between those with self-reported fair/poor health compared with those in excellent/very good health varied by plan, suggesting quality differences associated with health status and underscoring the importance of collecting quality information.

Influence of surfactant upon air entrainment hysteresis in curtain coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marston, J. O.; Hawkins, V.; Decent, S. P.; Simmons, M. J. H.

2009-03-01

The onset of air entrainment for curtain coating onto a pre-wetted substrate was studied experimentally in similar parameter regimes to commercial coating ( Re = ρ Q/μ = O(1), We = ρ Q u c /σ = O(10), Ca = μ U/σ = O(1)). Impingement speed and viscosity were previously shown to be critical parameters in correlating air entrainment data with three qualitatively different regimes of hydrodynamic assist identified (Marston et al. in Exp Fluids 42(3):483-488, 2007a). The interaction of the impinging curtain with the pre-existing film also led to a significant hysteretic effect throughout the flow rate-substrate speed parameter space. For the first time, results considering the influence of surfactants are presented in attempt to elucidate the relative importance of surface tension in this inertia-dominated system. The results show quantitative and qualitative differences to previous results with much more complex hysteretic behaviour which has only been reported previously for rough surfaces.

AIDS phobia: report of 4 cases.

PubMed

Ross, M W

1988-01-01

Psychological reactions to sexually transmissible disease (STD) infection are common, occurring in up to 85% of some patients with STDs: Hart has suggested that they are among the most common conditions encountered in venereology. Previous psychiatric disturbances in STD patients, however, are relatively uncommon and differ in both etiology and management from such psychological sequelae of STD infection, although both Catalan et al. and Fitzpatrick et al. report that in the United Kingdom, some 40% of STD clinic attenders had General Health Questionnaire scores indicating they were psychiatric cases.

H. pylori and Barrett's Esophagus: Implications for Populations and Practice.

PubMed

Howden, Colin W

2018-06-19

In this edition of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Wang and colleagues report the results of an analysis of six different case-control studies examining the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and Barrett's esophagus. They present a cogent argument that there is an inverse association between these two that is mediated via GERD. This is broadly consistent with previous reports. While further establishing this inverse association, the findings should not materially influence our routine clinical practice regarding GERD or H. pylori infection.

Fine structure of heliumlike ions and determination of the fine structure constant.

PubMed

Pachucki, Krzysztof; Yerokhin, Vladimir A

2010-02-19

We report a calculation of the fine-structure splitting in light heliumlike atoms, which accounts for all quantum electrodynamical effects up to order alpha{5} Ry. For the helium atom, we resolve the previously reported disagreement between theory and experiment and determine the fine-structure constant with an accuracy of 31 ppb. The calculational results are extensively checked by comparison with the experimental data for different nuclear charges and by evaluation of the hydrogenic limit of individual corrections.

The worst case scenario: Locomotor and collision demands of the longest periods of gameplay in professional rugby union

PubMed Central

Reardon, Cillian; Tobin, Daniel P.; Tierney, Peter; Delahunt, Eamonn

2017-01-01

A number of studies have used global positioning systems (GPS) to report on positional differences in the physical game demands of rugby union both on an average and singular bout basis. However, the ability of these studies to report quantitative data is limited by a lack of validation of certain aspects of measurement by GPS micro-technology. Furthermore no study has analyzed the positional physical demands of the longest bouts of ball-in-play time in rugby union. The aim of the present study is to compare the demands of the single longest period of ball-in-play, termed “worst case scenario” (WCS) between positional groups, which have previously been reported to have distinguishable game demands. The results of this study indicate that WCS periods follow a similar sporadic pattern as average demands but are played at a far higher pace than previously reported for average game demands with average meters per minute of 116.8 m. The positional differences in running and collision activity previously reported are perpetuated within WCS periods. Backs covered greater total distances than forwards (318 m vs 289 m), carried out more high-speed running (11.1 m·min-1 vs 5.5 m·min-1) and achieved higher maximum velocities (MaxVel). Outside Backs achieved the highest MaxVel values (6.84 m·sec-1). Tight Five and Back Row forwards underwent significantly more collisions than Inside Back and Outside Backs (0.73 & 0.89 collisions·min-1 vs 0.28 & 0.41 collisions·min-1 respectively). The results of the present study provide information on the positional physical requirements of performance in prolonged periods involving multiple high intensity bursts of effort. Although the current state of GPS micro-technology as a measurement tool does not permit reporting of collision intensity or acceleration data, the combined use of video and GPS provides valuable information to the practitioner. This can be used to match and replicate game demands in training. PMID:28510582

The worst case scenario: Locomotor and collision demands of the longest periods of gameplay in professional rugby union.

PubMed

Reardon, Cillian; Tobin, Daniel P; Tierney, Peter; Delahunt, Eamonn

2017-01-01

A number of studies have used global positioning systems (GPS) to report on positional differences in the physical game demands of rugby union both on an average and singular bout basis. However, the ability of these studies to report quantitative data is limited by a lack of validation of certain aspects of measurement by GPS micro-technology. Furthermore no study has analyzed the positional physical demands of the longest bouts of ball-in-play time in rugby union. The aim of the present study is to compare the demands of the single longest period of ball-in-play, termed "worst case scenario" (WCS) between positional groups, which have previously been reported to have distinguishable game demands. The results of this study indicate that WCS periods follow a similar sporadic pattern as average demands but are played at a far higher pace than previously reported for average game demands with average meters per minute of 116.8 m. The positional differences in running and collision activity previously reported are perpetuated within WCS periods. Backs covered greater total distances than forwards (318 m vs 289 m), carried out more high-speed running (11.1 m·min-1 vs 5.5 m·min-1) and achieved higher maximum velocities (MaxVel). Outside Backs achieved the highest MaxVel values (6.84 m·sec-1). Tight Five and Back Row forwards underwent significantly more collisions than Inside Back and Outside Backs (0.73 & 0.89 collisions·min-1 vs 0.28 & 0.41 collisions·min-1 respectively). The results of the present study provide information on the positional physical requirements of performance in prolonged periods involving multiple high intensity bursts of effort. Although the current state of GPS micro-technology as a measurement tool does not permit reporting of collision intensity or acceleration data, the combined use of video and GPS provides valuable information to the practitioner. This can be used to match and replicate game demands in training.

Thermodynamic characterization of tandem mismatches found in naturally occurring RNA

PubMed Central

Christiansen, Martha E.; Znosko, Brent M.

2009-01-01

Although all sequence symmetric tandem mismatches and some sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches have been thermodynamically characterized and a model has been proposed to predict the stability of previously unmeasured sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches [Christiansen,M.E. and Znosko,B.M. (2008) Biochemistry, 47, 4329–4336], experimental thermodynamic data for frequently occurring tandem mismatches is lacking. Since experimental data is preferred over a predictive model, the thermodynamic parameters for 25 frequently occurring tandem mismatches were determined. These new experimental values, on average, are 1.0 kcal/mol different from the values predicted for these mismatches using the previous model. The data for the sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches reported here were then combined with the data for 72 sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches that were published previously, and the parameters used to predict the thermodynamics of previously unmeasured sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches were updated. The average absolute difference between the measured values and the values predicted using these updated parameters is 0.5 kcal/mol. This updated model improves the prediction for tandem mismatches that were predicted rather poorly by the previous model. This new experimental data and updated predictive model allow for more accurate calculations of the free energy of RNA duplexes containing tandem mismatches, and, furthermore, should allow for improved prediction of secondary structure from sequence. PMID:19509311

The systemizing quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences.

PubMed Central

Baron-Cohen, Simon; Richler, Jennifer; Bisarya, Dheraj; Gurunathan, Nhishanth; Wheelwright, Sally

2003-01-01

Systemizing is the drive to analyse systems or construct systems. A recent model of psychological sex differences suggests that this is a major dimension in which the sexes differ, with males being more drawn to systemize than females. Currently, there are no self-report measures to assess this important dimension. A second major dimension of sex differences is empathizing (the drive to identify mental states and respond to these with an appropriate emotion). Previous studies find females score higher on empathy measures. We report a new self-report questionnaire, the Systemizing Quotient (SQ), for use with adults of normal intelligence. It contains 40 systemizing items and 20 control items. On each systemizing item, a person can score 2, 1 or 0, so the SQ has a maximum score of 80 and a minimum of zero. In Study 1, we measured the SQ of n = 278 adults (114 males, 164 females) from a general population, to test for predicted sex differences (male superiority) in systemizing. All subjects were also given the Empathy Quotient (EQ) to test if previous reports of female superiority would be replicated. In Study 2 we employed the SQ and the EQ with n = 47 adults (33 males, 14 females) with Asperger syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA), who are predicted to be either normal or superior at systemizing, but impaired at empathizing. Their scores were compared with n = 47 matched adults from the general population in Study 1. In Study 1, as predicted, normal adult males scored significantly higher than females on the SQ and significantly lower on the EQ. In Study 2, again as predicted, adults with AS/HFA scored significantly higher on the SQ than matched controls, and significantly lower on the EQ than matched controls. The SQ reveals both a sex difference in systemizing in the general population and an unusually strong drive to systemize in AS/HFA. These results are discussed in relation to two linked theories: the 'empathizing-systemizing' (E-S) theory of sex differences and the extreme male brain (EMB) theory of autism. PMID:12639333

Water exposure--challenging differences between occupations.

PubMed

Meding, Birgitta; Anveden Berglind, Ingegärd; Alderling, Magnus; Lindahl, Gunborg; Wrangsjö, Karin

2016-01-01

Few studies have compared water exposure between different occupations in the general population. To investigate and compare the extent of occupational water exposure, with a focus on service, healthcare and production occupations previously classified as involving a high risk for hand eczema. In two public health surveys (2006 and 2010), a validated question regarding occupational water exposure was answered by 18 342 and 15,736 gainfully employed individuals, respectively. Exposure for ≥ 0.5 h/day was reported by 17.5% and 16.3% (p = 0.020) for the respective years, and exposure for > 2 h/day by 7.8% and 7.7% (p = 0.73). Exposure in women was almost twice as high as in men for both years (p ≤ 0.001) and exposure levels (p < 0.001). Exposure for > 2 h/day was more common in high-risk occupations in service and healthcare than in non-high-risk occupations [prevalence proportion ratios of 16.7 (95%CI: 14.0-20.0) and 8.3 (95%CI: 6.9-9.9), respectively]. Exposure was highest in service occupations, where 44.6% reported exposure for > 2 h/day in 2010, and kitchen work, cleaning and hairdressing dominated. In healthcare, the corresponding figure was 22.0%. Challenging differences in water exposure between occupational groups were found, and extensive water exposure was reported in a number of occupations previously classified as involving a high risk for hand eczema. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Polydopamine-like Coatings as Payload Gatekeepers for Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Moreno-Villaécija, Miguel-Ángel; Sedó-Vegara, Josep; Guisasola, Eduardo; Baeza, Alejandro; Regí, María Vallet; Nador, Fabiana; Ruiz-Molina, Daniel

2018-03-07

We report the use of bis-catecholic polymers as candidates for obtaining effective, tunable gatekeeping coatings for mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) intended for drug release applications. In monomers, catechol rings act as adhesive moieties and reactive sites for polymerization, together with middle linkers which may be chosen to tune the physicochemical properties of the resulting coating. Stable and low-toxicity coatings (pNDGA and pBHZ) were prepared from two bis-catechols of different polarity (NDGA and BHZ) on MSN carriers previously loaded with rhodamine B (RhB) as a model payload, by means of a previously reported synthetic methodology and without any previous surface modification. Coating robustness and payload content were shown to depend significantly on the workup protocol. The release profiles in a model physiological PBS buffer of coated systems (RhB@MSN@pNDGA and RhB@MSN@pBHZ) showed marked differences in the "gatekeeping" behavior of each coating, which correlated qualitatively with the chemical nature of their respective linker moieties. While the uncoated system (RhB@MSN) lost its payload almost completely after 2 days, release from RhB@MSN@pNDGA was virtually negligible, likely due to the low polarity of the parent bis-catechol (NDGA). As opposed to these extremes, RhB@MSN@pBHZ presented the most promising behavior, showing an intermediate release of 50% of the payload in the same period of time.

Electrically detected crystal orientation dependent spin-Rabi beat oscillation of c-Si(111)/SiO2 interface states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Seoyoung; Lee, Sang-Yun; McCamey, Dane R.; Boehme, Christoph

2011-12-01

Electrically detected spin-Rabi beat oscillation of pairs of paramagnetic near interface states at the phosphorous doped (1016 cm-3) Si(111)/SiO2 interface is reported. Due to the g-factor anisotropy of the Pb center (a silicon surface dangling bond), one can tune intrapair Larmor frequency differences (Larmor separations) by orientation of the crystal with regard to an external magnetic field. Since Larmor separation governs the number of beating spin pairs, crystal orientation can control the beat current. This is used to identify spin states that are paired by mutual electronic transitions. The experiments confirm the presence of the previously reported 31P-Pb transition and provide direct experimental evidence of the previously hypothesized Pb-E' center (a near interface SiO2 bulk state) transition.

Calculating the Velocity in the Moss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Womebarger, Amy R.; Tripathi, Durgesh; Mason, Helen

2011-01-01

The velocity of the warm (1 MK) plasma in the footpoint of the hot coronal loops (commonly called moss) could help discriminate between different heating frequencies in the active region core. Strong velocities would indicated low-frequency heating, while velocities close to zero would indicate high-frequency heating. Previous results have found disparaging observations, with both strong velocities and velocities close to zero reported. Previous results are based on observations from Hinode/EIS. The wavelength arrays for EIS spectra are typically calculated by assuming quiet Sun velocities are zero. In this poster, we determine the velocity in the moss using observations with SoHO/SUMER. We rely on neutral or singly ionized spectral lines to determine accurately the wavelength array associated with the spectra. SUMER scanned the active region twice, so we also report the stability of the velocity.

Blood types of the native Americans of Oklahoma.

PubMed

Kasprisin, D O; Crow, M; McClintock, C; Lawson, J

1987-05-01

Large numbers of Indians from Oklahoma were screened for a variety of red cell antigens. Sufficient numbers of Cherokees, Creeks, and Choctaws were studied to calculate gene frequencies. These tribes originated in the Southeastern United States and were forcibly moved to Oklahoma. The Creeks and Choctaws have not been studied previously. A small number of Cherokees remained in North Carolina, and their blood types have been reported. The blood types of the Oklahoma Cherokees are quite similar to those observed there but one important difference was discovered. The data previously reported concerning the Eastern Cherokees revealed the absence of the Dia antigen. The present study found that the Oklahoma Cherokees do have the Dia antigen, although in a lower percentage than the other southeastern tribes. The Creeks and Choctaws share a linguistic heritage as well as having similar red cell phenotypes.

Epidemiology of headache in the Republic of San Marino.

PubMed Central

D'Alessandro, R; Benassi, G; Lenzi, P L; Gamberini, G; Sacquegna, T; De Carolis, P; Lugaresi, E

1988-01-01

An epidemiological survey on headache was performed in the Republic of San Marino, which is the smallest independent State in the world, located near the Adriatic Coast, within Italy. Among a random sample of 1500 inhabitants over 7 years of age the frequency of headache, severe headache and migraine in the previous year was 35.3%, 12.2%, 9.3% respectively for men, and 46.2%, 20.6%, 18% for women. The most common factors reported to provoke headache were emotional stress, physical strain, lack of sleep, particular foods or drinks and for women menstruation. Migraine patients differed from people without headache in that they had a higher consumption of coffee, more frequently reported bad sleep, allergic disease and previous appendectomy. Furthermore, migraine patients and severe headache sufferers had a higher diastolic blood pressure than non headache subjects. PMID:3258357

Gender differences in the effects of community violence on mental health outcomes in a sample of low-income youth receiving psychiatric care.

PubMed

Javdani, Shabnam; Abdul-Adil, Jaleel; Suarez, Liza; Nichols, Sara R; Farmer, A David

2014-06-01

Previous research suggests that community violence impacts mental health outcomes, but much of this research has not (a) distinguished between different types of community violence, (b) examined gender differences, and (c) focused on youth living in urban poverty. The current study addresses these questions. Participants were 306 youth (23 % girls) and one parent/guardian receiving outpatient psychiatric services for disruptive behavior disorders in a large urban city. Youth and parents reported on youth's experience of different types of community violence (being a direct victim, hearing reports, and witnessing violence), and whether violence was directed toward a stranger or familiar. Outcomes included youth externalizing, internalizing, and posttraumatic stress symptoms assessed via parent and youth reports. Being a direct victim of violence accords risk for all mental health outcomes similarly for both boys and girls. However, gender differences emerged with respect to indirect violence, such that girls who hear reports of violence against people they know are at increased risk for all assessed mental health outcomes, and girls who witness violence against familiars are at increased risk for externalizing mental health symptoms in particular. There are gender differences in violence-related mental health etiology, with implications for intervention assessment and design.

Shedding new light on rapidly resolving traumatic acute subdural hematomas.

PubMed

Brooke, Magdalene; Patel, Atul; Castro-Moure, Federico; Victorino, Gregory P

2017-11-01

Rapidly resolving acute subdural hematomas (RRASDHs) have been described in case reports and case series but are still poorly understood. We hypothesized that a cohort analysis would confirm previously reported predictors of RRASDH including coagulopathy, additional intracranial hemorrhage, and low-density band on imaging. We also hypothesized that rapid resolution would be associated with improved trauma outcomes. We reviewed all nonoperative acute subdural hematomas (ASDHs) treated at our center from 2011 to 2015. Inclusion criteria were ASDH on computed tomography (CT), admission Glasgow coma score >7, and repeat CT to evaluate ASDH change. RRASDH was defined as reduced hematoma thickness by 50% within 72 h. Clinical data, CT findings, and trauma end points were analyzed for the RRASDH and nonresolving groups. There were 154 ASDH patients included, with 29 cases of RRASDH. The RRASDH group had a lower rate of comorbidities than the nonresolving group (58.6% versus 78.4%, P = 0.03) and a lower rate of prehospital anticoagulation (7.7% versus 37.1%, P = 0.004). Previously reported predictors of RRASDH did not differ between the groups, nor did any clinical outcome measures. When compared with patients who experienced rapid growth (>50% increased width in 72 h), the RRASDH group had lower mortality (3.4% versus 23.5%, P = 0.04). To our knowledge, this is the largest review of RRASDHs. We identified two previously unrecognized factors that may predict resolution; however, previously reported predictors were not associated with resolution. We also found no relationship between RRASDHs and improved standard trauma outcomes, calling into question the clinical significance of RRASDH. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

College students and HIV/AIDS: a comparison of nontraditional and traditional student perspectives.

PubMed

Opt, Susan; Loffredo, Donald; Knowles, Laura; Fletcher, Claire

2007-01-01

The authors compared nontraditional college students' knowledge and perceptions of HIV/AIDS and sexual practices with previously reported results about traditional students. Nontraditional students completed an online survey with questions based on national HIV/AIDS surveys. Traditional students completed the same survey with paper and pencil. Overall, the authors found more similarities than differences between the 2 groups. The findings support previous research that suggests that although college students are knowledgeable about HIV and its risks, they express little personal concern about becoming infected. The authors also discuss how apparent differences between nontraditional and traditional students regarding personal concern about becoming infected, relationship status, and information sources may influence the development of effective prevention strategies geared toward nontraditional college students. Institutional leaders need to adapt to these differences, and researchers should undertake additional studies to clarify these differences so that college students may be more effectively educated about HIV/AIDS and encouraged to get tested.

Methane emission by adult ostriches (Struthio camelus).

PubMed

Frei, Samuel; Dittmann, Marie T; Reutlinger, Christoph; Ortmann, Sylvia; Hatt, Jean-Michel; Kreuzer, Michael; Clauss, Marcus

2015-02-01

Ostriches (Struthio camelus) are herbivorous birds with a digestive physiology that shares several similarities with that of herbivorous mammals. Previous reports, however, claimed a very low methane emission from ostriches, which would be clearly different from mammals. If this could be confirmed, ostrich meat would represent a very attractive alternative to ruminant-and generally mammalian-meat by representing a particularly low-emission agricultural form of production. We individually measured, by chamber respirometry, the amount of oxygen consumed as well as carbon dioxide and methane emitted from six adult ostriches (body mass 108.3±8.3 kg) during a 24-hour period when fed a pelleted lucerne diet. While oxygen consumption was in the range of values previously reported for ostriches, supporting the validity of our experimental setup, methane production was, at 17.5±3.2 L d(-1), much higher than previously reported for this species, and was of the magnitude expected for similar-sized, nonruminant mammalian herbivores. These results suggest that methane emission is similar between ostriches and nonruminant mammalian herbivores and that the environmental burden of these animals is comparable. The findings furthermore indicate that it appears justified to use currently available scaling equations for methane production of nonruminant mammals in paleo-reconstructions of methane production of herbivorous dinosaurs. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Pair-correlated stereodynamics for diatom-diatom rotational energy transfer: NO(A2Σ+) + N2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luxford, Thomas F. M.; Sharples, Thomas R.; McKendrick, Kenneth G.; Costen, Matthew. L.

2017-07-01

We have performed a crossed molecular beam velocity-map ion imaging study of state-to-state rotational energy transfer of NO(A2Σ+, v = 0, N = 0, j = 0.5) in collisions with N2 and have measured rotational angular momentum polarization dependent images of product NO(A) rotational levels N' = 3 and 5-11 for collisions at an average energy of 797 cm-1. We present an extension of our previously published [T. F. M. Luxford et al., J. Chem. Phys. 145, 174 304 (2016)] image analysis which includes the effect of rotational excitation of the unobserved collision partner and critically evaluate this methodology. We report differential cross sections and angle-resolved angular momentum alignment moments for NO(A) levels N' = 3 and 5-11 as a function of the rotational excitation of the coincident N2 partner. The scattering dynamics of NO(A) + N2 share similarities with those previously reported for NO(A) + Ne and Ar, although with detailed differences. We use comparison of the measurements reported here to the scattering of NO(A) with Ne, and the known NO(A)-Ne potential energy surface, to draw conclusions about the previously unknown NO(A)-N2 potential.

Piscine mycobacteriosis - Involvement of bacterial species and reflection in pathology.

PubMed

Keller, C; Wenker, C; Jermann, T; Hirschi, R; Schildger, B; Meier, R; Schmidt-Posthaus, H

2018-06-01

Piscine mycobacteriosis is a lethal disease with zoonotic potential, found worldwide in both fresh and marine fish. More than 20 strains of Mycobacterium spp. are known to persist in fish so far, but the pathogenicity is currently unknown for most of them. However, M. marinum is reported as one of the most pathogenic agents for fish and is involved in zoonotic cases. We examined 47 different cases from two zoological gardens, where fish tuberculosis was identified or previously suspected during the last ten years. We collected PCR and sequencing data, which were then compared to previously collected clinical data and pathology. The clinical signs caused by Mycobacterium spp. were similar in all the cases, except for cases infected by M. marinum, which lacked the presence of skin lesions. Lesions seen in histology caused by M. marinum tended to be more acute and severe compared lesions caused by other Mycobacterium spp. The majority of M. marinum cases have been reported within marine fish. In contrast to previous studies we detected this species to be the predominant bacteria present within freshwater fish. Interestingly, we detected M. holsaticum in one of the seawater systems used in this project, being the first report of this Mycobacterium species shown to be present in a fish.

Homozygous Mutation G539R in the Gene for P450 Oxidoreductase in a Family Previously Diagnosed as Having 17,20-Lyase Deficiency

PubMed Central

Hershkovitz, Eli; Parvari, Ruthi; Wudy, Stefan A.; Hartmann, Michaela F.; Gomes, Larissa G.; Loewental, Neta; Miller, Walter L.

2008-01-01

Context: Very few patients have been described with isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency who have had their mutations in P450c17 (17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase) proven by DNA sequencing and in vitro characterization of the mutations. Most patients with 17,20-lyase deficiency have mutations in the domain of P450c17 that interact with the electron-donating redox partner, P450 oxidoreductase (POR). Objective: Our objective was to clarify the genetic and functional basis of isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency in familial cases who were previously reported as having 17,20-lyase deficiency. Patients: Four undervirilized males of an extended Bedouin family were investigated. One of these has previously been reported to carry mutations in the CYP17A1 gene encoding P450c17 causing isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency. Methods: Serum hormones were evaluated before and after stimulation with ACTH. Urinary steroid metabolites were profiled by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Exons 1 and 8 of CYP17A1 previously reported to harbor mutations in one of these patients and all 15 coding exons of POR were sequenced. Results: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) urinary steroid profiling and serum steroid measurements showed combined deficiencies of 17,20-lyase and 21-hydroxylase. Sequencing of exons 1 and 8 of CYP17A1 in two different laboratories showed no mutations. Sequencing of POR showed that all four patients were homozygous for G539R, a previously studied mutation that retains 46% of normal capacity to support the 17α-hydroxylase activity but only 8% of the 17,20-lyase activity of P450c17. Conclusion: POR deficiency can masquerade clinically as isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency. PMID:18559916

Homozygous mutation G539R in the gene for P450 oxidoreductase in a family previously diagnosed as having 17,20-lyase deficiency.

PubMed

Hershkovitz, Eli; Parvari, Ruthi; Wudy, Stefan A; Hartmann, Michaela F; Gomes, Larissa G; Loewental, Neta; Miller, Walter L

2008-09-01

Very few patients have been described with isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency who have had their mutations in P450c17 (17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase) proven by DNA sequencing and in vitro characterization of the mutations. Most patients with 17,20-lyase deficiency have mutations in the domain of P450c17 that interact with the electron-donating redox partner, P450 oxidoreductase (POR). Our objective was to clarify the genetic and functional basis of isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency in familial cases who were previously reported as having 17,20-lyase deficiency. Four undervirilized males of an extended Bedouin family were investigated. One of these has previously been reported to carry mutations in the CYP17A1 gene encoding P450c17 causing isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency. Serum hormones were evaluated before and after stimulation with ACTH. Urinary steroid metabolites were profiled by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Exons 1 and 8 of CYP17A1 previously reported to harbor mutations in one of these patients and all 15 coding exons of POR were sequenced. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) urinary steroid profiling and serum steroid measurements showed combined deficiencies of 17,20-lyase and 21-hydroxylase. Sequencing of exons 1 and 8 of CYP17A1 in two different laboratories showed no mutations. Sequencing of POR showed that all four patients were homozygous for G539R, a previously studied mutation that retains 46% of normal capacity to support the 17alpha-hydroxylase activity but only 8% of the 17,20-lyase activity of P450c17. POR deficiency can masquerade clinically as isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency.

Structural difference rule for amorphous alloy formation by ion mixing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, B.-X.; Johnson, W. L.; Nicolet, M.A.; Lau, S. S.

1983-01-01

A rule is formulated which establishes a sufficient condition that an amorphous binary alloy will be formed by ion mixing of multilayered samples when the two constituent metals are of different crystalline structure, regardless of their atomic sizes and electronegativities. The rule is supported by the experimental results obtained on six selected binary metal systems, as well as by the previous data reported in the literature. The amorphization mechanism is discussed in terms of the competition between two different structures resulting in frustration of the crystallization process.

Improving Communication of Diagnostic Radiology Findings through Structured Reporting

PubMed Central

Panicek, David M.; Berk, Alexandra R.; Li, Yuelin; Hricak, Hedvig

2011-01-01

Purpose: To compare the content, clarity, and clinical usefulness of conventional (ie, free-form) and structured radiology reports of body computed tomographic (CT) scans, as evaluated by referring physicians, attending radiologists, and radiology fellows at a tertiary care cancer center. Materials and Methods: The institutional review board approved the study as a quality improvement initiative; no written consent was required. Three radiologists, three radiology fellows, three surgeons, and two medical oncologists evaluated 330 randomly selected conventional and structured radiology reports of body CT scans. For nonradiologists, reports were randomly selected from patients with diagnoses relevant to the physician’s area of specialization. Each physician read 15 reports in each format and rated both the content and clarity of each report from 1 (very dissatisfied or very confusing) to 10 (very satisfied or very clear). By using a previously published radiology report grading scale, physicians graded each report’s effectiveness in advancing the patient’s position on the clinical spectrum. Mixed-effects models were used to test differences between report types. Results: Mean content satisfaction ratings were 7.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.12, 8.16) for conventional reports and 8.33 (95% CI: 7.82, 8.86) for structured reports, and the difference was significant (P < .0001). Mean clarity satisfaction ratings were 7.45 (95% CI: 6.89, 8.02) for conventional reports and 8.25 (95% CI: 7.68, 8.82) for structured reports, and the difference was significant (P < .0001). Grade ratings did not differ significantly between conventional and structured reports. Conclusion: Referring clinicians and radiologists found that structured reports had better content and greater clarity than conventional reports. © RSNA, 2011 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11101913/-/DC1 PMID:21518775

Accelerometer-measured versus self-reported physical activity in college students: implications for research and practice.

PubMed

Downs, Andrew; Van Hoomissen, Jacqueline; Lafrenz, Andrew; Julka, Deana L

2014-01-01

To determine the level of moderate-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) assessed via self-report and accelerometer in the college population, and to examine intrapersonal and contextual variables associated with physical activity (PA). Participants were 77 college students at a university in the northwest sampled between January 2011 and December 2011. Participants completed a validated self-report measure of PA and measures of athletic identity and benefits and barriers to exercise. Participants' PA levels were assessed for 2 weeks via accelerometry. Participants' estimations of their time spent engaged in MVPA were significantly higher when measured via self-report versus accelerometry. Stronger athletic identity, perceived social benefits and barriers, and time-effort barriers were related to PA levels. Estimation of college students' level of PA may require interpretation of data from different measurement methods, as self-report and accelerometry generate different estimations of PA in college students who may be even less active than previously believed.

Self-reported headache in schoolchildren: parents underestimate their children's headaches.

PubMed

Lundqvist, Christofer; Clench-Aas, Jocelyne; Hofoss, Dag; Bartonova, Alena

2006-08-01

Most previous studies of childhood headache have used indirect parental/physician reports to estimate the prevalence of headache in children. To use direct information from children and to compare the results with data collected from parents. A cross-sectional questionnaire was sent to parents of 7-12-y-olds in Oslo, Norway. The questionnaire included retrospective reports by the parents of the presence of headache among their children during the past 6 mo. A panel study was subsequently done with daily diaries completed by the children over 6 wk. This was done at school. For 2126 children, both diary reports and parental reports were available. We found a 1-mo prevalence of self-reported headache of 57.6%. Parents, particularly fathers, reported lower headache prevalence than the children. The difference between parental reports and those of the children was larger when the child was a girl. There was a clear difference for the youngest children and parental underreporting for children with the most frequent headaches. Since indirect parental reports of child headache underestimated headache frequency compared to direct diary-based self-reports, we suggest more widespread use of diary registration of headaches in studies of child headache.

Differences Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Heterosexual Individuals, and those Who Reported an Other Identity on an Open-Ended Response on Levels of Social Anxiety

PubMed Central

Wadsworth, Lauren Page; Hayes-Skelton, Sarah A.

2015-01-01

Previous research suggests that individuals with a marginalized sexual orientation report higher levels of emotional distress (Cochran, 2001; Mayer, 2003), including higher prevalence of social anxiety (Gilman et al., 2001; Potoczniak, Aldea, & DeBlaere, 2007; Safren & Pantalone, 2006) than heterosexuals. The present study builds on previous research by examining results across sexual minority identities, including an additional write-in response option. One hundred eighty individuals participated in an online study in which they indicated their sexual orientation and completed measures of social anxiety. Results indicated that in a sample recruited in a liberal urban population, lesbian/gay, and heterosexual individuals rated similar levels of social anxiety across four Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale subscales (fear, avoidance, social, and performance; Liebowitz, 1987). Alternatively, individuals who identified as bisexual, or indicated a write-in sexual orientation rated significantly higher levels of social anxiety than the heterosexual, and lesbian/gay groups. Findings highlight the importance of offering a write-in sexual identity option, as well as looking at differences among group experiences across sexual minorities. Future studies should investigate potential group differences in social anxiety across sexual orientations in larger samples so that comparisons can be made among subgroups of the write-in response group, as well as investigate potential contributors to these group differences. PMID:26881266

Grey matter, an endophenotype for schizophrenia? A voxel-based morphometry study in siblings of patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

van der Velde, Jorien; Gromann, Paula M; Swart, Marte; de Haan, Lieuwe; Wiersma, Durk; Bruggeman, Richard; Krabbendam, Lydia; Aleman, André

2015-05-01

Grey matter, both volume and concentration, has been proposed as an endophenotype for schizophrenia given a number of reports of grey matter abnormalities in relatives of patients with schizophrenia. However, previous studies on grey matter abnormalities in relatives have produced inconsistent results. The aim of the present study was to examine grey matter differences between controls and siblings of patients with schizophrenia and to examine whether the age, genetic loading or subclinical psychotic symptoms of selected individuals could explain the previously reported inconsistencies. We compared the grey matter volume and grey matter concentration of healthy siblings of patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls matched for age, sex and education using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Furthermore, we selected subsamples based on age (< 30 yr), genetic loading and subclinical psychotic symptoms to examine whether this would lead to different results. We included 89 siblings and 69 controls in our study. The results showed that siblings and controls did not differ significantly on grey matter volume or concentration. Furthermore, specifically selecting participants based on age, genetic loading or subclinical psychotic symptoms did not alter these findings. The main limitation was that subdividing the sample resulted in smaller samples for the subanalyses. Furthermore, we used MRI data from 2 different scanner sites. These results indicate that grey matter measured through VBM might not be a suitable endophenotype for schizophrenia.

Screening for gonorrhea and syphilis in the gay baths--Denver, Colorado.

PubMed Central

Judson, F N; Miller, K G; Schaffnit, T R

1977-01-01

During 33 screening sessions in Denver gay steambaths, 48 of 419 (11.5 per cent) men were found to have asymptomatic gonorrhea and six (1.4 per cent) had early latent syphilis. Questionnaires were administered to 160 men who reported a mean of 7.9 different male sex contacts per month. Female sex contacts were also reported by 30 per cent. The respondents used the baths an average of 2.2 times per month, having an average of 2.7 different sex contacts per visit, 84 per cent of whom were not previously known to the respondent. Gay steambaths are productive locations for detecting asymptomatic gonorrhea and syphilis. PMID:888990

Methyl malondialdehyde is not suitable as an internal standard for malondialdehyde detection in urine after derivatisation with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine.

PubMed

Korchazhkina, Olga; Yang, Ying

2004-07-05

A previously described method of measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) in human urine after derivatisation with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) was tested for a possibility of using methyl malondialdehyde (MeMDA) as an internal standard. Despite structural similarity, those compounds were found to produce different yields of derivatisation under the same conditions depending on urine matrix. We conclude, that MeMDA is not suitable as an internal standard for the measurement of MDA in urine under previously reported conditions when DNPH is used as a deriviatising agent.

Incident Angle of Saltating Particles in Wind-Blown Sand

PubMed Central

Fu, Lin-Tao; Bo, Tian-Li; Gu, Hai-Hua; Zheng, Xiao-Jing

2013-01-01

Incident angle of saltating particles plays a very important role in aeolian events. In this paper, the incident angles of sand particles near the sand bed were measured in wind tunnel. It reveals that the incident angles range widely from 0° to 180° and thereby the means of angles are larger than published data. Surprisingly, it is found the proportion that angles of 5°–15° occupy is far below previous reports. The measuring height is probably the most important reason for the measurement differences between this study and previous investigations. PMID:23874470

Does mental health history explain gender disparities in insomnia symptoms among young adults?

PubMed

Hale, Lauren; Do, D Phuong; Basurto-Davila, Ricardo; Heron, Melonie; Finch, Brian K; Dubowitz, Tamara; Lurie, Nicole; Bird, Chloe E

2009-12-01

Insomnia is the most commonly reported sleep disorder, characterized by trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. Previous epidemiological data reveal that women are more likely than men to suffer from insomnia symptoms. We investigate the role that mental health history plays in explaining the gender disparity in insomnia symptoms. Using logistic regression, we analyze National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III interview and laboratory data, merged with data on sociodemographic characteristics of the residential census tract of respondents. Our sample includes 5469 young adults (ages 20-39) from 1429 census tracts. Consistent with previous research, we find that women are more likely to report insomnia symptoms compared to men (16.7% vs. 9.2%). However, in contrast to previous work, we show that the difference between women's and men's odds of insomnia becomes statistically insignificant after adjusting for history of mental health conditions (OR=1.08, p>.05). The gender disparity in insomnia symptoms may be driven by higher prevalence of affective disorders among women. This finding has implications for clinical treatment of both insomnia and depression, especially among women.

Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based vocal tract area functions obtained from the same speaker in 1994 and 2002

PubMed Central

Story, Brad H.

2008-01-01

A new set of area functions for vowels has been obtained with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) from the same speaker as that previously reported in 1996 [Story, Titze, & Hoffman, JASA, 100, 537–554 (1996)]. The new area functions were derived from image data collected in 2002, whereas the previously reported area functions were based on MR images obtained in 1994. When compared, the new area function sets indicated a tendency toward a constricted pharyngeal region and expanded oral cavity relative to the previous set. Based on calculated formant frequencies and sensitivity functions, these morphological differences were shown to have the primary acoustic effect of systematically shifting the second formant (F2) downward in frequency. Multiple instances of target vocal tract shapes from a specific speaker provide additional sampling of the possible area functions that may be produced during speech production. This may be of benefit for understanding intra-speaker variability in vowel production and for further development of speech synthesizers and speech models that utilize area function information. PMID:18177162

Comparing the validity of different sources of information on emergency department visits: a latent class analysis.

PubMed

Dendukuri, Nandini; McCusker, Jane; Bellavance, François; Cardin, Sylvie; Verdon, Josée; Karp, Igor; Belzile, Eric

2005-03-01

Emergency department (ED) use in Quebec may be measured from varied sources, eg, patient's self-reports, hospital medical charts, and provincial health insurance claims databases. Determining the relative validity of each source is complicated because none is a gold standard. We sought to compare the validity of different measures of ED use without arbitrarily assuming one is perfect. Data were obtained from a nursing liaison intervention study for frail seniors visiting EDs at 4 university-affiliated hospitals in Montreal. The number of ED visits during 2 consecutive follow-up periods of 1 and 4 months after baseline was obtained from patient interviews, from medical charts of participating hospitals, and from the provincial health insurance claims database. Latent class analysis was used to estimate the validity of each source. The impact of the following covariates on validity was evaluated: hospital visited, patient's demographic/clinical characteristics, risk of functional decline, nursing liaison intervention, duration of recall, previous ED use, and previous hospitalization. The patient's self-report was found to be the least accurate (sensitivity: 70%, specificity: 88%). Claims databases had the greatest validity, especially after defining claims made on consecutive days as part of the same ED visit (sensitivity: 98%, specificity: 98%). The validity of the medical chart was intermediate. Lower sensitivity (or under-reporting) on the self-report appeared to be associated with higher age, low comorbidity and shorter length of recall. The claims database is the most valid method of measuring ED use among seniors in Quebec compared with hospital medical charts and patient-reported use.

The effect of a perioperative ketamine infusion on the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain-a pilot study.

PubMed

Peyton, P J; Wu, C; Jacobson, T; Hogg, M; Zia, F; Leslie, K

2017-07-01

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a common and debilitating complication of major surgery. We undertook a pilot study at three hospitals to assess the feasibility of a proposed large multicentre placebo-controlled randomised trial of intravenous perioperative ketamine to reduce the incidence of CPSP. Ketamine, 0.5 mg/kg pre-incision, 0.25 mg/kg/hour intraoperatively and 0.1 mg/kg/hour for 24 hours, or placebo, was administered to 80 patients, recruited over a 15-month period, undergoing abdominal or thoracic surgery under general anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was CPSP in the area of the surgery reported at six-month telephone follow-up using a structured questionnaire. Fourteen patients (17.5%) reported CPSP (relative risk [95% confidence interval] if received ketamine 1.18 [0.70 to 1.98], P =0.56). Four patients in the treatment group and three in the control group reported ongoing analgesic use to treat CPSP and two patients in each group reported their worst pain in the previous 24 hours at ≥3/10 at six months. There were no significant differences in adverse event rates, quality of recovery scores, or cumulative morphine equivalents consumption in the first 72 hours. Numeric Rating Scale pain scores (median [interquartile range, IQR]) for average pain in the previous 24 hours among those patients reporting CPSP were 17.5 [0 to 40] /100 with no difference between treatment groups. A large (n=4,000 to 5,000) adequately powered multicentre trial is feasible using this population and methodology.

Serial dependence in the perception of attractiveness.

PubMed

Xia, Ye; Leib, Allison Yamanashi; Whitney, David

2016-12-01

The perception of attractiveness is essential for choices of food, object, and mate preference. Like perception of other visual features, perception of attractiveness is stable despite constant changes of image properties due to factors like occlusion, visual noise, and eye movements. Recent results demonstrate that perception of low-level stimulus features and even more complex attributes like human identity are biased towards recent percepts. This effect is often called serial dependence. Some recent studies have suggested that serial dependence also exists for perceived facial attractiveness, though there is also concern that the reported effects are due to response bias. Here we used an attractiveness-rating task to test the existence of serial dependence in perceived facial attractiveness. Our results demonstrate that perceived face attractiveness was pulled by the attractiveness level of facial images encountered up to 6 s prior. This effect was not due to response bias and did not rely on the previous motor response. This perceptual pull increased as the difference in attractiveness between previous and current stimuli increased. Our results reconcile previously conflicting findings and extend previous work, demonstrating that sequential dependence in perception operates across different levels of visual analysis, even at the highest levels of perceptual interpretation.

Saponin Profile of Wild Asparagus Species.

PubMed

Jaramillo-Carmona, Sara; Rodriguez-Arcos, Rocío; Jiménez-Araujo, Ana; López, Sergio; Gil, Juan; Moreno, Roberto; Guillén-Bejarano, Rafael

2017-03-01

The aim of this work was to study the saponin profiles from spears of different wild asparagus species in the context of its genetic diversity aside from geographical seed origin. They included Asparagus pseudoscaber Grecescu, Asparagus maritimus (L.) Mill., Asparagus brachiphyllus Turcz., Asparagus prostrates Dumort., and Asparagus officinalis L. The saponin analysis by LC-MS has shown that saponin profile from wild asparagus is similar to that previously described for triguero asparagus from Huétor-Tájar landrace (triguero HT), which had not ever been reported in the edible part of asparagus. All the samples, except A. officinalis, were characterized for having saponins distinct to protodioscin and the total saponin contents were 10-fold higher than those described for commercial hybrids of green asparagus. In particular, A. maritimus from different origins were rich in saponins previously found in triguero HT. These findings supported previous suggestion, based on genetic analysis, about A. maritimus being the origin of triguero HT. Multivariate statistics including principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were used to define both similarities and differences among samples. The results showed that the greatest variance of the tested wild asparagus could be attributed to differences in the concentration of particular saponins and this knowledge could be a tool for identifying similar species. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Elevated reporting of unprotected anal intercourse and injecting drug use but no difference in HIV prevalence among Indigenous Australian men who have sex with men compared with their Anglo-Australian peers.

PubMed

Lea, Toby; Costello, Michael; Mao, Limin; Prestage, Garrett; Zablotska, Iryna; Ward, James; Kaldor, John; de Wit, John; Holt, Martin

2013-05-01

Although half of the HIV notifications among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ('Indigenous Australians') are attributed to homosexual transmission, there has been little research examining sexual and drug use risk practices among Indigenous Australian men who have sex with men (MSM). Respondents were Indigenous Australian (n=1278) and Anglo-Australian men (n=24002) participating in the routine cross-sectional Gay Community Periodic Surveys conducted in Australia from 2007 to 2011. Sociodemographic characteristics, sexual risk practices, drug use, HIV testing and HIV status of Indigenous and Anglo-Australian men were compared and evaluated to discover whether Indigenous status was independently associated with HIV risk practices. Although an equivalent proportion of Indigenous and Anglo-Australian men reported being HIV-positive (9.6%), Indigenous MSM were more likely to report unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners in the previous 6 months (27.9% v. 21.5%; Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.49). Indigenous men were more likely than Anglo-Australian men to report use of several specific drugs and twice as likely to report injecting drug use in the previous 6 months (8.8% v. 4.5%; AOR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.11-1.86). Despite a higher proportion of Indigenous men reporting sexual and drug use practices that increase the risk of HIV transmission, there were no differences in the HIV status of Indigenous and Anglo-Australian men. However, the elevated rates of risk practices suggest that Indigenous MSM should remain a focus for HIV prevention, care and support.

A comparison of measured versus self-reported anthropometrics for assessing obesity in adults: a literature review.

PubMed

Maukonen, Mirkka; Männistö, Satu; Tolonen, Hanna

2018-03-01

Up-to-date information on the accuracy between different anthropometric data collection methods is vital for the reliability of anthropometric data. A previous review on this matter was conducted a decade ago. Our aim was to conduct a literature review on the accuracy of self-reported height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) against measured values for assessing obesity in adults. To obtain an overview of the present situation, we included studies published after the previous review. Differences according to sex, BMI groups, and continents were also assessed. Studies published between January 2006 and April 2017 were identified from a literature search on PubMed. Our search retrieved 62 publications on adult populations that showed a tendency for self-reported height to be overestimated and weight to be underestimated when compared with measured values. The findings were similar for both sexes. BMI derived from self-reported height and weight was underestimated; there was a clear tendency for underestimation of overweight (from 1.8%-points to 9.8%-points) and obesity (from 0.7%-points to 13.4%-points) prevalence by self-report. The bias was greater in overweight and obese participants than those of normal weight. Studies conducted in North America showed a greater bias, whereas the bias in Asian studies seemed to be lower than those from other continents. With globally rising obesity rates, accurate estimation of obesity is essential for effective public health policies to support obesity prevention. As self-report bias tends to be higher among overweight and obese individuals, measured anthropometrics provide a more reliable tool for assessing the prevalence of obesity.

The diversities of staphylococcal species, virulence and antibiotic resistance genes in the subclinical mastitis milk from a single Chinese cow herd.

PubMed

Xu, Jia; Tan, Xiao; Zhang, Xinyu; Xia, Xiaoli; Sun, Huaichang

2015-11-01

Staphylococci are the leading pathogens of bovine mastitis which is difficult to control. However, the published data on the prevalence of staphylococcal species, virulence and antibiotic resistance genes in bovine mastitis from China are limited. In this study, 104 out of 209 subclinical mastitis milk samples from a single Chinese dairy herd were cultured-positive for staphylococci (49.8%), which were further identified as coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) or coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). According to the partial tuf and/or 16S rRNA gene sequence, the 28 CPS isolates were confirmed to be Staphylococcus aureus (26.9%), and 76 CNS isolates were assigned to 13 different species (73.1%) with Staphylococcus arlettae, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus xylosus and Staphylococcus chromogenes as the dominant species. In the 28 S. aureus isolates, the most prevalent general virulence genes were coa, Ig and eno (100%), followed by hla (96.4%), hlb (92.9%), fib (92.9%), clfA (89.3%), clfB (85.7%) and nuc (85.7%). Both exotoxin and biofilm-associated genes were significantly less prevalent than the previously reported. Although 19 different virulence gene patterns were found, only one was dominant (32.1%). The prevalence of blaZ (82.1%) or mecA gene (35.7%) was much higher than the previously reported. In the 76 CNS isolates, the virulence genes were significantly less prevalent than that in the S. aureus isolates. Among the 4 main CNS species, S. chromogenes (n = 12) was the only species with high percentage (75%) of blaZ gene, while S. sciuri (n = 12) was the only species with the high percentage (66.7%) of mecA gene. The most of antibiotic resistance genes were present as multi-resistance genes, and the antibiotic resistances were attributed by different resistance genes between resistant S. aureus and CNS isolates. These data suggest that the prevalence of staphylococcal species, virulence and antibiotic resistance in the mastitis milk from the Chinese dairy herd are different from the previously reported, and that the herd- or farm-based diagnosis of staphylococcal bovine mastitis is required. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Seismic Events Apparently Associated with the 3 September 2017 DPRK Declared Nuclear Explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, W. R.; Dodge, D. A.; Ichinose, G.; Myers, S. C.; Ford, S. R.; Pitarka, A.; Pyle, M. L.; Pasyanos, M.; Matzel, E.; Rodgers, A. J.; Mellors, R. J.; Hauk, T. F.; Kroll, K.

2017-12-01

On September 3, 2017, an mb 6.3 seismic event was reported by the USGS in the vicinity of the DPRK nuclear test site at Punggye-ri. Shortly afterwards DPRK declared it had conducted a nuclear explosion. The seismic signals indicate this event is roughly an order of magnitude larger than the largest of the previous five DPRK declared nuclear tests. In addition to its size, this explosion was different from previous DPRK tests in being associated with a number of additional seismic events. Approximately eight and a half minutes after the explosion a seismic event reported as ML 4.0 by the USGS occurred. Regional waveform modeling indicated this event had a collapse mechanism (e.g. Ichinose et al., 2017, written communication). On September 23 and again on October 12, 2017, seismic events were reported near the DPRK test site by the USGS and the CTBTO (on 9/23/17 two events: USGS ML 3.6 and USGS ML 2.6; and on 10/12/17 one event: USGS mb(Lg) 2.9). Aftershocks following underground nuclear testing are expected, though at much lower magnitudes and rates than for comparably sized earthquakes. This difference in aftershock production has been proposed by Ford and Walter (2010), and others as a potential source-type discriminant. Seismic signals from the collapse of cavities formed by underground nuclear testing have also been previously observed. For example, the mb 5.7 nuclear test ATRISCO in Nevada in 1982 was followed twenty minutes later by a collapse with an mb of 4.0. Here we examine the seismic characteristics of nuclear tests, post-test collapses and post-test aftershocks from both the former Nevada test site and the DPRK test site to better understand the differences between these different source-type signals. In particular we look at discriminants such as P/S ratios, to see if there are unique characteristics to post-test collapses and aftershocks. Finally, we apply correlation methods to continuous data at regional stations to look for additional seismic signals that might have an apparent association with the DPRK nuclear testing, post-testing collapses and post-test induced seismicity.

Association of State Access Standards With Accessibility to Specialists for Medicaid Managed Care Enrollees.

PubMed

Ndumele, Chima D; Cohen, Michael S; Cleary, Paul D

2017-10-01

Medicaid recipients have consistently reported less timely access to specialists than patients with other types of coverage. By 2018, state Medicaid agencies will be required by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enact time and distance standards for managed care organizations to ensure an adequate supply of specialist physicians for enrollees; however, there have been no published studies of whether these policies have significant effects on access to specialty care. To compare ratings of access to specialists for adult Medicaid and commercial enrollees before and after the implementation of specialty access standards. We used Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey data to conduct a quasiexperimental difference-in-differences (DID) analysis of 20 163 nonelderly adult Medicaid managed care (MMC) enrollees and 54 465 commercially insured enrollees in 5 states adopting access standards, and 37 290 MMC enrollees in 5 matched states that previously adopted access standards. Reported access to specialty care in the previous 6 months. Seven thousand six hundred ninety-eight (69%) Medicaid enrollees and 28 423 (75%) commercial enrollees reported that it was always or usually easy to get an appointment with a specialist before the policy implementation (or at baseline) compared with 11 889 (67%) of Medicaid enrollees in states that had previously implemented access standards. Overall, there was no significant improvement in timely access to specialty services for MMC enrollees in the period following implementation of standard(s) (adjusted difference-in-differences, -1.2 percentage points; 95% CI, -2.7 to 0.1), nor was there any impact of access standards on insurance-based disparities in access (0.6 percentage points; 95% CI, -4.3 to 5.4). There was heterogeneity across states, with 1 state that implemented both time and distance standards demonstrating significant improvements in access and reductions in disparities. Specialty access standards did not lead to widespread improvements in access to specialist physicians. Meaningful improvements in access to specialty care for Medicaid recipients may require additional interventions.

Brief report: Response inhibition and processing speed in children with motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder.

PubMed

Bernardi, Marialivia; Leonard, Hayley C; Hill, Elisabeth L; Henry, Lucy A

2016-01-01

A previous study reported that children with poor motor skills, classified as having motor difficulties (MD) or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), produced more errors in a motor response inhibition task compared to typically developing (TD) children but did not differ in verbal inhibition errors. The present study investigated whether these groups differed in the length of time they took to respond in order to achieve these levels of accuracy, and whether any differences in response speed could be explained by generally slow information processing in children with poor motor skills. Timing data from the Verbal Inhibition Motor Inhibition test were analyzed to identify differences in performance between the groups on verbal and motor inhibition, as well as on processing speed measures from standardized batteries. Although children with MD and DCD produced more errors in the motor inhibition task than TD children, the current analyses found that they did not take longer to complete the task. Children with DCD were slower at inhibiting verbal responses than TD children, while the MD group seemed to perform at an intermediate level between the other groups in terms of verbal inhibition speed. Slow processing speed did not account for these group differences. Results extended previous research into response inhibition in children with poor motor skills by explicitly comparing motor and verbal responses, and suggesting that slow performance, even when accurate, may be attributable to an inefficient way of inhibiting responses, rather than slow information processing speed per se.

KSC 50-MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (DRWP) Operational Acceptance Test (OAT) Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbre, Robert E.

2015-01-01

This report documents analysis results of the Kennedy Space Center updated 50-MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (DRWP) Operational Acceptance Test (OAT). This test was designed to demonstrate that the new DRWP operates in a similar manner to the previous DRWP for use as a situational awareness asset for mission operations at the Eastern Range to identify rapid changes in the wind environment that weather balloons cannot depict. Data examination and two analyses showed that the updated DRWP meets the specifications in the OAT test plan and performs at least as well as the previous DRWP. Data examination verified that the DRWP provides complete profiles every five minutes from 1.8-19.5 km in vertical increments of 150 m. Analysis of 5,426 wind component reports from 49 concurrent DRWP and balloon profiles presented root mean square (RMS) wind component differences around 2.0 m/s. The DRWP's effective vertical resolution (EVR) was found to be 300 m for both the westerly and southerly wind component, which the best EVR possible given the DRWP's vertical sampling interval. A third analysis quantified the sensitivity to rejecting data that do not have adequate signal by assessing the number of first-guess propagations at each altitude. This report documents the data, quality control procedures, methodology, and results of each analysis. It also shows that analysis of the updated DRWP produced results that were at least as good as the previous DRWP with proper rationale. The report recommends acceptance of the updated DRWP for situational awareness usage as per the OAT's intent.

Predictors of Sun Protection Behaviours and Severe Sunburn inan International on-line study

PubMed Central

Bränström, Richard; Kasparian, Nadine A.; Chang, Yu-mei; Affleck, Paul; Tibben, Aad; Aspinwall, Lisa G.; Azizi, Esther; Baron-Epel, Orna; Battistuzzi, Linda; Bergman, Wilma; Bruno, William; Chan, May; Cuellar, Francisco; Dębniak, Tadeusz; Pjanova, Dace; Ertmański, Sƚawomir; Figl, Adina; Gonzalez, Melinda; Hayward, Nicholas K.; Hocevar, Marko; Kanetsky, Peter A.; Leachman, Sancy A.; Heisele, Olita; Palmer, Jane; Peric, Barbara; Puig, Susana; Schadendorf, Dirk; Gruis, Nelleke A.; Newton-Bishop, Julia; Brandberg, Yvonne

2013-01-01

Background The incidence of melanoma continues to increase in many countries, and primary prevention of melanoma includes avoidance of sunburn as well as adequate sun protection behaviour. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of self-reported sun protection behaviours and sunburn in users of the Internet, and to identify the demographic, clinical and attitudinal/motivational correlates of sun protection behaviours. Methods Self-report data were gathered on behalf of GenoMEL (www.genomel.org) using an online survey available in 10 different languages, and 8,178 individuals successfully completed at least 80% of survey items, with 73% of respondents from Europe, 12% from Australia, 7% from the USA, 2% from Israel, and 6% from other countries. Results Half of all respondents and 27% of those with a previous melanoma reported at least one severe sunburn during the previous 12 months. The strongest factors associated with sun protection behaviour were perceived barriers to protection (β=−0.44/β=−0.37), and respondents who reported a positive attitude towards suntans were less likely to protect (β=−0.16/β=−0.14). Reported use of protective clothing and shade, as well as avoidance of midday sun exposure, were more strongly related to reduced risk of sunburn than sunscreen use. Conclusions Despite widespread dissemination of public health messages about the importance of sun protection, a substantial proportion of this international sample, including respondents with a previous melanoma, reported inadequate sun protection behaviours resulting in severe sunburn. Impact Future strategies to decrease sunburn should target the practical, social and psychological barriers associated with non-uptake of sun protection. PMID:20643826

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

Malashkevich, Vladimir N.; Higgins, Chelsea D.; Almo, Steven C.

The coiled-coil is one of the most ubiquitous and well studied protein structural motifs. Significant effort has been devoted to dissecting subtle variations of the typical heptad repeat sequence pattern that can designate larger topological features such as relative α-helical orientation and oligomer size. Here in this paper we report the X-ray structure of a model coiled-coil peptide, HA2-Del-L2seM, which forms an unanticipated core antiparallel dimer with potential sites for discrete higher-order multimerization (trimer or tetramer). In the X-ray structure, a third, partially-ordered α-helix is weakly associated with the antiparallel dimer and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments indicate the peptide forms amore » well-defined tetramer in solution. The HA2-Del-L2seM sequence is closely related to a parent model peptide, HA2-Del, which we previously reported adopts a parallel trimer; HA2-Del-L2seM differs by only hydrophobic leucine to selenomethione mutations and thus this subtle difference is sufficient to switch both relative α-helical topology and number of α-helices participating in the coiled-coil. Comparison of the X-ray structures of HA2-Del-L2seM (reported here) with the HA2-Del parent (reported previously) reveals novel interactions involving the selenomethionine residues that promote antiparallel coiled-coil configuration and preclude parallel trimer formation. Finally, these novel atomic insights are instructive for understanding subtle features that can affect coiled-coil topology and provide additional information for design of antiparallel coiled-coils.« less

Resurgence of canine parvovirus 2a strain in the domestic dog population from Argentina.

PubMed

Calderón, Marina Gallo; Romanutti, Carina; Wilda, Maximiliano; D' Antuono, Alejandra; Keller, Leticia; Giacomodonato, Mónica N; Mattion, Nora; La Torre, José

2015-09-15

Ninety-three rectal swab samples were taken, from dogs suspected of canine parvovirus (CPV) infection and analyzed by PCR. A fragment of the VP2 gene, was amplified in 41 (44%) of them, resulting CPV positive samples. Sequencing analysis of these PCR products showed that 37 samples (90.2%) belonged to the CPV2c type, whereas four samples (9.8%) were identified as CPV2a, which has not been found since 2008. It was also found that 24 out of 37 CPV2c samples (65%), carried the mutation Thr440Ala, whereas this mutation was absent in the four CPV2a strains reported herein. Using phylogenetic analysis of the full length VP2 gene, which was amplified by PCR in six local samples, it was seen that CPV2a Argentine strains reported in this study, were genetically closer to a previous local CPV2a isolate (year 2003) and to a South African CPV2a strain, than to any of the recently reported Uruguayan CPV2a strains. The results obtained in this work, together with those reported previously in Uruguay strongly suggest that, in spite of the geographical proximity, wild type CPV strains undergo different evolutive pathways in each country, resulting in the prevalence of different strains in related dog populations. Further extensive epidemiological studies are needed in order to improve the understanding of CPV evolution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance Evaluation of Advanced Retrofit Roof Technologies Using Field-Test Data Phase Three Final Report, Volume 2

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

Biswas, Kaushik; Childs, Phillip W.; Atchley, Jerald Allen

2015-01-01

This article presents some miscellaneous data from two low-slope and two steep-slope experimental roofs. The low-slope roofs were designed to compare the performance of various roof coatings exposed to natural weatherization. The steep-slope roofs contained different combinations of phase change material, rigid insulation, low emittance surface and above-sheathing ventilation, with standing-seam metal panels on top. The steep-slope roofs were constructed on a series of adjacent attics separated at the gables using thick foam insulation. This article describes phase three (3) of a study that began in 2009 to evaluate the energy benefits of a sustainable re-roofing technology utilizing standing-seam metalmore » roofing panels combined with energy efficient features like above-sheathing-ventilation (ASV), phase change material (PCM) and rigid insulation board. The data from phases 1 and 2 have been previously published and reported [Kosny et al., 2011; Biswas et al., 2011; Biswas and Childs, 2012; Kosny et al., 2012]. Based on previous data analyses and discussions within the research group, additional test roofs were installed in May 2012, to test new configurations and further investigate different components of the dynamic insulation systems. Some experimental data from phase 3 testing from May 2012 to December 2013 and some EnergyPlus modeling results have been reported in volumes 1 and 3, respectively, of the final report [Biswas et al., 2014; Biswas and Bhandari, 2014].« less

Demographic variables, clinical aspects, and medicolegal implications in a population of patients with adjustment disorder.

PubMed

Anastasia, Annalisa; Colletti, Chiara; Cuoco, Valentina; Quartini, Adele; Urso, Stefania; Rinaldi, Raffaella; Bersani, Giuseppe

2016-01-01

Although adjustment disorder (AD) is considered as residual diagnosis and receives little attention in research, it plays an important role in clinical practice and also assumes an increasingly important role in the field of legal medicine, where the majority of diagnostic frameworks (eg, mobbing) often refer to AD. Our study aimed to look for specific stressor differences among demographic and clinical variables in a naturalistic setting of patients with AD. A restrospective statistical analysis of the data of patients diagnosed with AD from November 2009 to September 2012, identified via manual search from the archive of the outpatient setting at the University Unit of Psychiatry "A. Fiorini" Hospital, Terracina (Latina, Italy), was performed. The sample consisted of 93 patients (46 males and 47 females), aged between 26 and 85, with medium-high educational level who were mainly employed. In most cases (54.80%), a diagnosis of AD with mixed anxiety and depressed mood was made. In all, 72% of the sample reported a negative family history for psychiatric disorders. In 22.60%, a previous history of psychopathology, especially mood disorders (76.19%), was reported. The main stressors linked to the development of AD were represented by working problems (32.30%), family problems (23.70%), and/or somatic disease (22.60%) with significant differences with respect to age and sex. Half of the patients were subjected to a single first examination; 24.47% requested a copy of medical records. Confirming previous data from previous reports, our results suggest that AD may have a distinct profile in demographic and clinical terms. Increased scientific attention is hoped, particularly focused on addressing a better definition of diagnostic criteria, whose correctness and accuracy are critical, especially in situations with medicolegal implications.

Digging deeper into the Southern skies: a compact Milky Way companion discovered in first-year Dark Energy Survey data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luque, E.; Queiroz, A.; Santiago, B.; Pieres, A.; Balbinot, E.; Bechtol, K.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Neto, A. Fausti; da Costa, L. N.; Maia, M. A. G.; Yanny, B.; Abbott, T.; Allam, S.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Burke, D. L.; Rosell, A. Carnero; Kind, M. Carrasco; Carretero, J.; Cunha, C. E.; Desai, S.; Diehl, H. T.; Dietrich, J. P.; Eifler, T. F.; Finley, D. A.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; Gerdes, D. W.; Gruen, D.; Gutierrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Kuehn, K.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lahav, O.; Li, T. S.; March, M.; Marshall, J. L.; Martini, P.; Miquel, R.; Neilsen, E.; Nichol, R. C.; Nord, B.; Ogando, R.; Plazas, A. A.; Romer, A. K.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarle, G.; Thaler, J.; Tucker, D.; Walker, A. R.; Zhang, Y.

2016-05-01

We use the first-year Dark Energy Survey (DES) data down to previously unprobed photometric depths to search for stellar systems in the Galactic halo, therefore complementing the previous analysis of the same data carried out by our group earlier this year. Our search is based on a matched filter algorithm that produces stellar density maps consistent with stellar population models of various ages, metallicities, and distances over the survey area. The most conspicuous density peaks in these maps have been identified automatically and ranked according to their significance and recurrence for different input models. We report the discovery of one additional stellar system besides those previously found by several authors using the same first-year DES data. The object is compact, and consistent with being dominated by an old and metal-poor population. DES 1 is found at high significance and appears in the DES images as a compact concentration of faint blue point sources. Assuming different spatial profile parameterizations, the best-fitting heliocentric distance and total absolute magnitude in the range of 77.6-87.1 kpc and -3.00 ≲ MV ≲ -2.21, respectively. The half-light radius of this object, rh ˜ 10 pc and total luminosity are consistent with it being a low-mass halo cluster. It is also found to have a very elongated shape (ɛ ˜ 0.57). In addition, our deeper probe of DES first-year data confirms the recently reported satellite galaxy candidate Horologium II as a significant stellar overdensity. We also infer its structural properties and compare them to those reported in the literature.

Resounding failure to replicate links between developmental language disorder and cerebral lateralisation

PubMed Central

Bishop, Dorothy V.M.

2018-01-01

Background It has been suggested that failure to establish cerebral lateralisation may be related to developmental language disorder (DLD). There has been weak support for any link with handedness, but more consistent reports of associations with functional brain lateralisation for language. The consistency of lateralisation across different functions may also be important. We aimed to replicate previous findings of an association between DLD and reduced laterality on a quantitative measure of hand preference (reaching across the midline) and on language laterality assessed using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD). Methods From a sample of twin children aged from 6;0 to 11;11 years, we identified 107 cases of DLD and 156 typically-developing comparison cases for whom we had useable data from fTCD yielding a laterality index (LI) for language function during an animation description task. Handedness data were also available for these children. Results Indices of handedness and language laterality for this twin sample were similar to those previously reported for single-born children. There were no differences between the DLD and TD groups on measures of handedness or language lateralisation, or on a categorical measure of consistency of left hemisphere dominance. Contrary to prediction, there was a greater incidence of right lateralisation for language in the TD group (19.90%) than the DLD group (9.30%), confirming that atypical laterality is not inconsistent with typical language development. We also failed to replicate associations between language laterality and language test scores. Discussion and Conclusions Given the large sample studied here and the range of measures, we suggest that previous reports of atypical manual or language lateralisation in DLD may have been false positives. PMID:29333343

Demographic variables, clinical aspects, and medicolegal implications in a population of patients with adjustment disorder

PubMed Central

Anastasia, Annalisa; Colletti, Chiara; Cuoco, Valentina; Quartini, Adele; Urso, Stefania; Rinaldi, Raffaella; Bersani, Giuseppe

2016-01-01

Introduction Although adjustment disorder (AD) is considered as residual diagnosis and receives little attention in research, it plays an important role in clinical practice and also assumes an increasingly important role in the field of legal medicine, where the majority of diagnostic frameworks (eg, mobbing) often refer to AD. Our study aimed to look for specific stressor differences among demographic and clinical variables in a naturalistic setting of patients with AD. Methods A restrospective statistical analysis of the data of patients diagnosed with AD from November 2009 to September 2012, identified via manual search from the archive of the outpatient setting at the University Unit of Psychiatry “A. Fiorini” Hospital, Terracina (Latina, Italy), was performed. Results The sample consisted of 93 patients (46 males and 47 females), aged between 26 and 85, with medium–high educational level who were mainly employed. In most cases (54.80%), a diagnosis of AD with mixed anxiety and depressed mood was made. In all, 72% of the sample reported a negative family history for psychiatric disorders. In 22.60%, a previous history of psychopathology, especially mood disorders (76.19%), was reported. The main stressors linked to the development of AD were represented by working problems (32.30%), family problems (23.70%), and/or somatic disease (22.60%) with significant differences with respect to age and sex. Half of the patients were subjected to a single first examination; 24.47% requested a copy of medical records. Conclusion Confirming previous data from previous reports, our results suggest that AD may have a distinct profile in demographic and clinical terms. Increased scientific attention is hoped, particularly focused on addressing a better definition of diagnostic criteria, whose correctness and accuracy are critical, especially in situations with medicolegal implications. PMID:27099504

Uterine leiomyomata and fecundability in the Right from the Start study.

PubMed

Johnson, Gayle; MacLehose, Richard F; Baird, Donna D; Laughlin-Tommaso, Shannon K; Hartmann, Katherine E

2012-10-01

Previous research suggests the removal of uterine leiomyomata may improve ability to conceive. Most of this previous research was conducted in infertility clinics. We investigated the association between leiomyoma characteristics on time to pregnancy among women enrolled from the general population. We enrolled a cohort study of women in early pregnancy. Participants retrospectively reported their time to conception. Leiomyomata characteristics were determined by first-trimester ultrasound. We used discrete time hazard models to estimate the effects of uterine leiomyomata on time to pregnancy. In this population of 3000 women, 11% (324) with one or more leiomyomata, we found no association between leiomyomata presence, type, location, segment or size on time to pregnancy. These results suggest that leiomyomata have little effect on time to pregnancy in this cohort of women. The study excluded women who had been treated for infertility, and this may have resulted in underestimation of the association. However, differences between our study and previous studies in specialty clinics may be, in part, attributable to differences between our community-recruited population of women and women receiving fertility care, as well as difference in leiomyomata size or type in women having myomectomies to treat infertility.

Genomic copy number variations in three Southeast Asian populations.

PubMed

Ku, Chee-Seng; Pawitan, Yudi; Sim, Xueling; Ong, Rick T H; Seielstad, Mark; Lee, Edmund J D; Teo, Yik-Ying; Chia, Kee-Seng; Salim, Agus

2010-07-01

Research on the role of copy number variations (CNVs) in the genetic risk of diseases in Asian populations has been hampered by a relative lack of reference CNV maps for Asian populations outside the East Asians. In this article, we report the population characteristics of CNVs in Chinese, Malay, and Asian Indian populations in Singapore. Using the Illumina Human 1M Beadchip array, we identify 1,174 CNV loci in these populations that corroborated with findings when the same samples were typed on the Affymetrix 6.0 platform. We identify 441 novel loci not previously reported in the Database of Genomic Variations (DGV). We observe a considerable number of loci that span all three populations and were previously unreported, as well as population-specific loci that are quite common in the respective populations. From this we observe the distribution of CNVs in the Asian Indian population to be considerably different from the Chinese and Malay populations. About half of the deletion loci and three-quarters of duplication loci overlap UCSC genes. Tens of loci show population differentiation and overlap with genes previously known to be associated with genetic risk of diseases. One of these loci is the CYP2A6 deletion, previously linked to reduced susceptibility to lung cancer. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Health problems awareness during travel among faculty members of a large university in Latin America: preliminary report.

PubMed

Tome, Ana Cristina Nakamura; Canello, Thaís Brandi; Luna, Expedito José de Albuquerque; Andrade Junior, Heitor Franco de

2013-01-01

Health safety during trips is based on previous counseling, vaccination and prevention of infections, previous diseases or specific problems related to the destination. Our aim was to assess two aspects, incidence of health problems related to travel and the traveler's awareness of health safety. To this end we phone-interviewed faculty members of a large public University, randomly selected from humanities, engineering and health schools. Out of 520 attempts, we were able to contact 67 (12.9%) and 46 (68.6%) agreed to participate in the study. There was a large male proportion (37/44, 84.1%), mature adults mostly in their forties and fifties (32/44, 72.7%), all of them with higher education, as you would expect of faculty members. Most described themselves as being sedentary or as taking occasional exercise, with only 15.9% (7/44) taking regular exercise. Preexisting diseases were reported by 15 travelers. Most trips lasted usually one week or less. Duration of the travel was related to the destination, with (12h) or longer trips being taken by 68.2% (30/44) of travelers, and the others taking shorter (3h) domestic trips. Most travelling was made by air (41/44) and only 31.8% (14/44) of the trips were motivated by leisure. Field research trips were not reported. Specific health counseling previous to travel was reported only by two (4.5%). Twenty seven of them (61.4%) reported updated immunization, but 11/30 reported unchecked immunizations. 30% (9/30) reported travel without any health insurance coverage. As a whole group, 6 (13.6%) travelers reported at least one health problem attributed to the trip. All of them were males travelling abroad. Five presented respiratory infections, such as influenza and common cold, one neurological, one orthopedic, one social and one hypertension. There were no gender differences regarding age groups, destination, type of transport, previous health counseling, leisure travel motivation or pre-existing diseases. Interestingly, the two cases of previous health counseling were made by domestic travelers. Our data clearly shows that despite a significant number of travel related health problems, these highly educated faculty members, had a low awareness of those risks, and a significant number of travels are made without prior counseling or health insurance. A counseling program conducted by a tourism and health professional must be implemented for faculty members in order to increase the awareness of travel related health problems.

U.S. Service Member Deployment in Response to the Ebola Crisis: The Psychological Perspective.

PubMed

Sipos, Maurice L; Kim, Paul Y; Thomas, Stephen J; Adler, Amy B

2018-03-01

In the fall of 2014, the United States and other nations responded to the worst outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in history. As part of this effort, U.S. service members deployed to West Africa to support a spectrum of activities that did not involve direct patient care. Although previous studies identified the psychological impact of responding to an outbreak, these studies were limited to retrospective data, small sample sizes, and medical personnel. The goals of the present study were to (a) document the mental health and well-being of troops deploying in response to an infectious disease outbreak; (b) identify their stressors, attitudes toward deployment, and health risk concerns; and (c) understand the role of combat experience in adjusting to these types of missions. Study participants at both pre- and during deployment were active duty U.S. soldiers in a combat aviation battalion from a large U.S. military installation. U.S. soldiers were surveyed (n = 251) 3 wk before deploying to Liberia (October 2014) and surveyed again during their deployment (February 2015; n = 173). Participants were primarily male (86.1%), junior ranking (56.0%), and just over half had previous combat deployment experience (51.2%). Surveys were anonymous and not linked to one another over time. Overall rates of mental health problems were low (2.4% at pre-deployment and 5.8% during deployment), whereas sleep problems were reported by 4.9% at pre-deployment and 12% during deployment. At pre-deployment, top stressors focused on health threats; fewer stressors were reported during deployment. Soldiers were relatively less concerned about contracting Ebola than other more prevalent diseases. Soldiers with combat experience reported more somatic and sleep problems at pre-deployment than those without previous combat experience. There were no significant differences during deployment between those with and without previous combat experience. Overall, a small proportion of respondents reported significant rates of mental health problems. In contrast, sleep problems were reported by 12% during deployment. In terms of attitudes toward the mission, the vast majority reported that they knew what to do to protect themselves from disease and that they understood the potential risk involved. The study also confirmed previous findings that soldiers with previous combat experience had more somatic symptoms at pre-deployment than those without, although this distinction appeared limited to the pre-deployment phase. Results can be used to address anxiety by personnel during pre-deployment and to inform leadership preparing personnel to deploy in response to future infectious disease outbreaks.

Configural and scalar invariance of the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale in Egypt and Canada: Differential symptom emphasis across cultures and genders.

PubMed

Huang, Vivian; Beshai, Shadi; Korol, Stephanie; Nicholas Carleton, R

2017-04-01

Depression is a significant contributor of global disease burden. Previous studies have revealed cross-cultural and gender differences in the presentation of depressive symptoms. Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the present study examined differences in self-reported somatic, negative affective, and anhedonia symptoms of depression among Egyptian and Canadian university students. A total of 338 university students completed study questionnaires from two major universities in Egypt (n=152) and Canada (n=186). Symptom domains were calculated based on the 14-item model of the CES-D. We found significant culture by gender interactions of total CES-D scores, wherein Egyptian females reported higher scores compared to their Canadian and Egyptian male counterparts. Limitations include using analogue student samples and using only one self-report measure to examine different depressive symptom domains. Findings of this study provided support that males and females may differentially report depressive symptoms across cultures. Implications of these results are further discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding Sources of Self-Efficacy of Chinese Students Learning English in an American Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuo, Huifang; Wang, Chuang

2016-01-01

This qualitative study explores the sources of the self-efficacy development of five Chinese doctoral students' use of English as a second language in a southeastern university in the United Sates. Although individual differences were reported, common themes were also recognized. Consistent with the self-efficacy theory and previous studies in…

Development of Conceptual Learning and Development Assessment Series II: Cutting Tool. Technical Report No. 431. Reprinted December 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klausmeier, Herbert J.; And Others

The Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) Model suggests four successive levels of concept learning: (1) concrete--recognizing an object which has been encountered previously; (2) identity--recognizing a known object when it appears in a different spatial, time, or sensory perspective; (3) classificatory--generalizing that two items are alike…

Effects of fescue toxicosis induced by endophyte-infected tall fescue seed on forestomach epithelial gene expression in Angus steers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A previous report demonstrated that steers exposed to an endophyte-infected tall fescue seed extract had altered rumen epithelial blood flow and decreased ruminal flux of VFA. Thus, this study was conducted to determine whether there are differences in gene expression related to VFA absorption betwe...

Predictors of College Student Suicidal Ideation: Gender Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephenson, Hugh; Pena-Shaff, Judith; Quirk, Priscilla

2006-01-01

There is a need to identify students at risk for suicide. Predictors of suicidality were examined separately for men and women in a college health survey of 630 students. Women reported higher levels of suicidal ideation than men in the previous year. Separate regression analyses for men and women accounted for significant amounts of the variance…

Reinforcement and the Organization of Behavior in Golden Hamsters: Pavlovian Conditioning with Food and Shock Unconditioned Stimuli

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shettleworth, Sara J.

1978-01-01

There has been considerable interest lately in cases where instrumental conditionability appears to depend on the reinforcer used. Here the effects of Pavlovian conditioned stimuli (CSs)on golden hamster behaviors was observed. The intent was to see whether previously reported differences among the behaviors produced by food reinforcement and…

Effect of replacing dietary lucerne silage with birdsfoot trefoil silage containing different levels of condensed tannin on production of lactating dairy cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Extensive degradation of crude protein (CP) in ensiled legumes impairs N utilization when these silages are fed to dairy cattle. Previously, we reported that feeding birdsfoot trefoil (BFT; Lotus corniculatus) with elevated levels of condensed tannin (CT) reduced silage nonprotein N and was associat...

Gender Differences in the Relationships between Bullying at School and Unhealthy Eating and Shape-Related Attitudes and Behaviours

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrow, Claire V.; Fox, Claire L.

2011-01-01

Background: Previous research has found links between being a victim of bullying and reporting more unhealthy eating behaviours and cognitions, particularly in girls. However, little is known about the factors that might mediate these relationships. Aim: The present study compared the relationships between bullying, emotional adjustment,…

Effect of storage temperature on survival and recovery of thermal and extrusion injured Escherichia coli populations in whey protein concentrate and corn meal

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In a previous study, we reported viability loss of Escherichia coli populations in corn (CP) and whey protein products (WPP) extruded at different temperatures. However, information on the effect of storage temperatures on injured bacterial populations was not addressed. The objective of this study ...

Strategies for Dealing with Rogue Trustees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Banion, Terry

2009-01-01

In the two previous articles in this three-part series the author reported on the motivations and damage caused by rogue trustees. The articles are based on a study of 59 community college CEOs from 16 different states. In this final article the author addresses the strategies that presidents and their board chairs have used to curtail the…

Enriching Gender in Physics Education Research: A Binary Past and a Complex Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Traxler, Adrienne L.; Cid, Ximena C.; Blue, Jennifer; Barthelemy, Ramón

2016-01-01

In this article, we draw on previous reports from physics, science education, and women's studies to propose a more nuanced treatment of gender in physics education research (PER). A growing body of PER examines gender differences in participation, performance, and attitudes toward physics. We have three critiques of this work: (i) it does not…

Psychology Degree Beliefs and Stereotypes: Differences in the Perceptions of Majors and Non-Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinthaupt, Thomas M.; Hurst, Jennifer R.; Johnson, Quinn R.

2016-01-01

Very little research examines the beliefs and stereotypes students have about the discipline and major of psychology. Previous research has found that psychology majors report hearing a variety of such beliefs and stereotypes more often from their fellow students than from their family members. In the current study, psychology majors/minors and…

Gender Differences in Unilateral Spatial Neglect within 24 Hours of Ischemic Stroke

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinman, Jonathan T.; Gottesman, Rebecca F.; Davis, Cameron; Newhart, Melissa; Heidler-Gary, Jennifer; Hillis, Argye E.

2008-01-01

Hemispatial neglect is a common and disabling consequence of stroke. Previous reports examining the relationship between gender and the incidence of unilateral spatial neglect (USN) have included either a large numbers of patients with few neglect tests or small numbers of patients with multiple tests. To determine if USN was more common and/or…

Are Errors Differentiable from Deceptive Responses when Feigning Memory Impairment? An fMRI Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Tatia M. C.; Au, Ricky K. C.; Liu, Ho-Ling; Ting, K. H.; Huang, Chih-Mao; Chan, Chetwyn C. H.

2009-01-01

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that the neural activity associated with truthful recall, with false memory, and with feigned memory impairment are different from one another. Here, we report a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study that addressed an important but yet unanswered question: Is the neural activity associated…

Diagnosis Lost: Differences between Children Who Had and Who Currently Have an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumberg, Stephen J.; Zablotsky, Benjamin; Avila, Rosa M.; Colpe, Lisa J.; Pringle, Beverly A.; Kogan, Michael D.

2016-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder diagnoses sometimes change due to misdiagnosis, maturation, or treatment. This study uses a probability-based national survey--the Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services--to compare currently diagnosed (n = 1,420) and previously diagnosed (n = 187) children aged 6-17 years based on retrospective parental reports of…

Stereoscopic Perception of Women in Real and Virtual Environments: A Study towards Educational Neuroscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zacharis, Georgios S.; Mikropoulos, Tassos A.; Priovolou, Chryssi

2013-01-01

Previous studies report the involvement of specific brain activation in stereoscopic vision and the perception of depth information. This work presents the first comparative results of adult women on the effects of stereoscopic perception in three different static environments; a real, a two dimensional (2D) and a stereoscopic three dimensional…

FT-mid-IR spectroscopic investigation of fiber maturity and crystallinity at single boll level and a comparison with XRD approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In previous study, we have reported the development of simple algorithms for determining fiber maturity and crystallinity from Fourier transform (FT) -mid-infrared (IR) measurement. Due to its micro-sampling feature, we were able to assess the fiber maturity and crystallinity at different portions o...

Anaphoric Reference to Quantified Antecedents: An Event-Related Brain Potential Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filik, Ruth; Leuthold, Hartmut; Moxey, Linda M.; Sanford, Anthony J.

2011-01-01

We report an event-related brain potential (ERP) study examining how readers process sentences containing anaphoric reference to quantified antecedents. Previous studies indicate that positive (e.g. "many") and negative (e.g. "not many") quantifiers cause readers to focus on different sets of entities. For example in "Many of the fans attended the…

The Spanish of Ponce, Puerto Rico: A Phonetic, Phonological, and Intonational Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luna, Kenneth Vladimir

2010-01-01

This study investigates four aspects of Puerto Rican Spanish as represented in the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce: the behavior of coda /[alveolar flap]/, the behavior of /r/, the different realizations of coda /s/, and its intonational phonology. Previous studies on Puerto Rican Spanish report that coda /[alveolar flap]/ is normally realized as…

Racial, Ethnic, and Sex Differences in the Associations between Violence and Self-Reported Health among US High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bossarte, Robert M.; Swahn, Monica H.; Breiding, Matt

2009-01-01

Background: Involvement in interpersonal violence or suicidal behaviors can have a significant impact on an adolescent's physical health. Similarly, previous research has suggested that lived experiences, more than the presence or absence of physical ailments, can significantly influence self-assessed health status among adolescents. The purpose…

Voices in Education: Teacher Shortage--Myth or Reality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Linda E.; Mulvihill, Thalia M.

2016-01-01

It appears that a teacher shortage is on the rise in the nation's schools. This is not a new issue or concern; teacher shortages have occurred off and on for some time for a variety of reasons. But this particular shortage of qualified teachers does appear to be important and different than previously reported shortages ("The Washington…

Elijah Watt Sells Award: A Study of Previous Winners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Husted, Susan; Pinto, Joann; Romero, Silvia

2013-01-01

This paper reports the results of a survey of winners of the Elijah Watt Sells award. We ask them about the determinants of their success, which might be useful to other students preparing for the CPA exam. The winners graduated from different universities, not necessarily the ones ranked top, and almost all of them participated in a review…

Mapping Associations between Interests and Personality: Toward a Conceptual Understanding of Individual Differences in Vocational Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Brandon A.; Hansen, Jo-Ida C.

2004-01-01

This study tested the hypothesis that previously reported associations between personality traits and vocational interests can be accounted for by associations between lower order personality traits and interests. Personality traits were explored using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, I992b), which measures the…

Terahertz emission from ultrafast spin and charge currents at a Rashba interface

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

Zhang, Qi; Jungfleisch, Matthias B.; Zhang, Wei

2017-01-01

Abstract: We demonstrate the efficient single-cycle THz emission from a Rashba interface, i.e., Ag/Bi, in a spintronic heterostructure. Different from the previously reported inversed spin Hall effect mechanism in bulk systems, the observed ultrafast spin-to-charge conversion in a 2D Rashba interface is due to the inversed Rashba-Edelstein effect.

Profile of Florida's Children: The 1997 Statewide and County Update.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weitzel, S.; Shockley, C.; Goltry, K.

This KIDS COUNT report presents information on the status of Florida's children. This edition presents data in a format different from previous Florida Kids Count publications. In addition to the familiar format of individual county data on key indicators, users are provided with an overview of the state that allows for comparison among the 67…

Characterisation of geographically and temporally diverse Yersinia ruckeri isolates: evidence that UK and mainland European biotype 2 isolates represent different clonal groups

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There have been increased reports of outbreaks of Enteric Redmouth Disease (ERM) caused by Yersinia ruckeri in previously-vaccinated salmonids in Europe, with some of these outbreaks attributed to emergent non-motile, Tween 80 negative, biotype 2 isolates. To gain information about their likely orig...

A comparison of the male customers of female street prostitutes with national samples of men.

PubMed

Monto, Martin A; McRee, Nick

2005-10-01

Previous research on customers of prostitutes has relied on small samples and qualitative interviews. Conceptions of customers have tended toward either the "every man" perspective, which implies customers are no different than other men, or the "peculiar man" perspective, which implies customers are characterized by stark differences or psychological inadequacies. This study compares a large sample of men (N = 1672) arrested for trying to hire street prostitutes with nationally representative samples of men. Customers were less likely to be married, less likely to be happily married if married, and more likely to report being unhappy in general than men in the national samples. Customers also expressed greater sexual liberalism and reported thinking about sex, masturbating, and participating in other aspects of the sex industry more frequently than men in general. Most differences were small, indicating customers as a category differ from other men in degree rather than quality.

Screaming, Yelling, Whining and Crying: Categorical and intensity differences in Vocal Expressions of Anger and Sadness in Children's Tantrums

PubMed Central

Green, James A.; Whitney, Pamela G.; Potegal, Michael

2011-01-01

Young children's temper tantrums offer a unique window into the expression and regulation of strong emotions. Previous work, largely based on parental report, suggests that two emotions, anger and sadness, have different behavioral manifestations and different time courses within tantrums. Individual motor and vocal behaviors, reported by parents, have been interpreted as representing different levels of intensity within each emotion category. The present study used high fidelity audio recordings to capture the acoustic features of children's vocalizations during tantrums. Results indicated that perceptually categorized screaming, yelling, crying, whining, and fussing each have distinct acoustic features. Screaming and yelling form a group with similar acoustic features while crying, whining, and fussing form a second acoustically related group. Within these groups, screaming may reflect a higher intensity of anger than yelling while fussing, whining and crying may reflect an increasing intensity of sadness. PMID:21707157

Attachment patterns of Arabs and Jews in Israel--are we really so different?

PubMed

Lavy, Shiri; Azaiza, Faisal; Mikulincer, Mario

2012-01-01

Attachment orientations reflect internal representations of self, others, and relationships. Studies revealed meaningful cultural differences in attachment orientations, but few included Arab samples. to fill this gap, we compared attachment orientations of Jews and Arabs in Israel using valid measures. Israeli participants (292 Arabs and 206 Jews) described their attachment figures and completed the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire which measures anxious and avoidant attachment orientations in Arabic and Hebrew, respectively. Israeli Arabs reported higher attachment anxiety than Israeli Jews, but no difference was found in avoidance. Both groups reported that attachment figures were similar in gender and relationship type, and included romantic partners, relatives and friends. Findings should be considered cautiously due to sampling limitations. the results complement previous cross-cultural findings and Arabs-Jews differences in relationship-related norms/values. Higher attachment-anxiety scores observed among Israeli Arabs may be considered culturally normative with implications for the development of culturally competent interventions.

Sex differences in brain activation to emotional stimuli: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.

PubMed

Stevens, Jennifer S; Hamann, Stephan

2012-06-01

Substantial sex differences in emotional responses and perception have been reported in previous psychological and psychophysiological studies. For example, women have been found to respond more strongly to negative emotional stimuli, a sex difference that has been linked to an increased risk of depression and anxiety disorders. The extent to which such sex differences are reflected in corresponding differences in regional brain activation remains a largely unresolved issue, however, in part because relatively few neuroimaging studies have addressed this issue. Here, by conducting a quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies, we were able to substantially increase statistical power to detect sex differences relative to prior studies, by combining emotion studies which explicitly examined sex differences with the much larger number of studies that examined only women or men. We used an activation likelihood estimation approach to characterize sex differences in the likelihood of regional brain activation elicited by emotional stimuli relative to non-emotional stimuli. We examined sex differences separately for negative and positive emotions, in addition to examining all emotions combined. Sex differences varied markedly between negative and positive emotion studies. The majority of sex differences favoring women were observed for negative emotion, whereas the majority of the sex differences favoring men were observed for positive emotion. This valence-specificity was particularly evident for the amygdala. For negative emotion, women exhibited greater activation than men in the left amygdala, as well as in other regions including the left thalamus, hypothalamus, mammillary bodies, left caudate, and medial prefrontal cortex. In contrast, for positive emotion, men exhibited greater activation than women in the left amygdala, as well as greater activation in other regions including the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and right fusiform gyrus. These meta-analysis findings indicate that the amygdala, a key region for emotion processing, exhibits valence-dependent sex differences in activation to emotional stimuli. The greater left amygdala response to negative emotion for women accords with previous reports that women respond more strongly to negative emotional stimuli, as well as with hypothesized links between increased neurobiological reactivity to negative emotion and increased prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in women. The finding of greater left amygdala activation for positive emotional stimuli in men suggests that greater amygdala responses reported previously for men for specific types of positive stimuli may also extend to positive stimuli more generally. In summary, this study extends efforts to characterize sex differences in brain activation during emotion processing by providing the largest and most comprehensive quantitative meta-analysis to date, and for the first time examining sex differences as a function of positive vs. negative emotional valence. The current findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a potential factor modulating emotional processing and its underlying neural mechanisms, and more broadly, the need to consider individual differences in understanding the neurobiology of emotion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total hip arthroplasty after a previous pelvic osteotomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Shigemura, T; Yamamoto, Y; Murata, Y; Sato, T; Tsuchiya, R; Wada, Y

2018-06-01

There are several reports regarding total hip arthroplasty (THA) after a previous pelvic osteotomy (PO). However, to our knowledge, until now there has been no formal systematic review and meta-analysis published to summarize the clinical results of THA after a previous PO. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of results of THA after a previous PO. We focus on these questions as follows: does a previous PO affect the results of subsequent THA, such as clinical outcomes, operative time, operative blood loss, and radiological parameters. Using PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, we searched for relevant original papers. The pooling of data was performed using RevMan software (version 5.3, Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). A p-value<0.05 was judged as significant. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated for continuous data with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed based on I 2 using standard χ 2 test. When I 2 >50%, significant heterogeneity was assumed and a random-effects model was applied for the meta-analysis. A fixed-effects model was applied in the absence of significant heterogeneity. Eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that there was no significant difference in postoperative Merle D'Aubigne-Postel score (I 2 =0%, SMD=-0.15, 95% CI: -0.36 to 0.06, p=0.17), postoperative Harris hip score (I 2 =60%, SMD=-0.23, 95% CI: -0.50 to 0.05, p=0.10), operative time (I 2 =86%, SMD=0.37, 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.82, p=0.11), operative blood loss (I 2 =82%, SMD=0.23, 95% CI: -0.17 to 0.63, p=0.25), and cup abduction angle (I 2 =43%, SMD=-0.08, 95% CI: -0.25 to 0.09, p=0.38) between THA with and without a previous PO. However, cup anteversion angle of THA with a previous PO was significantly smaller than that of without a previous PO (I 2 =77%, SMD=-0.63, 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.13, p=0.01). Systematic review and meta-analysis of results of THA after a previous PO was performed. A previous PO did not affect the results of subsequent THA, except for cup anteversion. Because of the low quality evidence currently available, high-quality randomized controlled trials are required. Level III, meta-analysis of case-control studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Gender role expectations of pain: relationship to experimental pain perception

PubMed Central

Wise, Emily A.; Price, Donald D.; Myers, Cynthia D.; Heft, Marc W.; Robinson, Michael E.

2008-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an individual’s Gender Role Expectations of Pain (GREP) on experimental pain report. One hundred and forty-eight subjects (87 females and 61 males) subjects underwent thermal testing and were asked to report pain threshold, pain tolerance, VAS ratings of pain intensity and unpleasantness, and a computerized visual analogue scales (VAS) rating of pain intensity during the procedure. Subjects completed the GREP questionnaire to assess sex-related stereotypic attributions of pain sensitivity, pain endurance, and willingness to report pain. Consistent with previous research, significant sex differences emerged for measures of pain threshold, pain tolerance, and pain unpleasantness. After statistically controlling for age, GREP scores were significant predictors of threshold, tolerance, and pain unpleasantness, accounting for an additional 7, 11, and 21% of the variance, respectively. Sex remained a significant predictor of pain tolerance in hierarchical regression analyses after controlling for GREP scores. Results provide support for two competing but not mutually exclusive hypotheses related to the sex differences in experimental pain. Both psychosocial factors and first-order, biological sex differences remain as viable explanations for differences in experimental pain report between the sexes. It appears that GREP do play a part in determining an individual’s pain report and may be contributing to the sex differences in the laboratory setting. PMID:11973007

Different groups, different threats: a multi-threat approach to the experience of stereotype threats.

PubMed

Shapiro, Jenessa R

2011-04-01

Two studies demonstrated that different negatively stereotyped groups are at risk for distinct forms of stereotype threats. The Multi-Threat Framework articulates six distinct stereotype threats and the unique constellations of variables (e.g., group identification, stereotype endorsement) that elicit each stereotype threat. Previous research suggests that different negatively stereotyped groups systematically vary across these stereotype threat elicitors; a pilot study confirms these differences. Across two studies, groups that tend to elicit low stereotype endorsement (religion, race/ethnicity, congenital blindness) were less likely to report experiencing self-as-source stereotype threats (stereotype threats requiring stereotype endorsement) and groups that tend to elicit low group identification (mental illness, obesity, blindness later in life) were less likely to report experiencing group-as-target stereotype threats (stereotype threats requiring group identification). This research suggests that traditional models may overlook the experiences of stereotype threats within some groups and that interventions tailored to address differences between stereotype threats will be most effective.

Suicidal Imagery in a Previously Depressed Community Sample

PubMed Central

Crane, Catherine; Shah, Dhruvi; Barnhofer, Thorsten; Holmes, Emily A.

2015-01-01

This study sought to replicate previous findings of vivid suicide-related imagery in previously suicidal patients in a community sample of adults with a history of depression. Twenty-seven participants were interviewed regarding suicidal imagery. Seventeen participants reported prior suicidal ideation or behaviour in the clinical assessment, and the vast majority of these also reported experiencing suicide-related imagery when at their most depressed and despairing, in many cases in the form of flash-forwards to imagined future suicidal acts. Interestingly, five of the 10 participants who did not report suicidal ideation or behaviour in the clinical interview also described prominent imagery related to themes of death and suicide, but in several cases, these images were associated with meanings that seemed to act to reduce the likelihood of subsequent suicidal acts. Severity of prior suicidality was associated with lower levels of imagery-related distress and higher levels of imagery-related comfort. These findings support the idea that suicide-related imagery is an important component in the phenomenology of depression and despair and hint at potentially important differences in the meaning associated with such imagery between those individuals who report experiencing suicidal ideation or behaviour when depressed and those who do not. The findings are consistent with Joiner’s model of acquired capability for suicide through habituation to pain and fear of suicide and suggest that it may be useful to tackle such imagery directly in the treatment of suicidal patients. PMID:21254309

Parasitism in Pterois volitans (Scorpaenidae) from coastal waters of Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas.

PubMed

Ramos-Ascherl, Zullaylee; Williams, Ernest H; Bunkley-Williams, Lucy; Tuttle, Lillian J; Sikkel, Paul C; Hixon, Mark A

2015-02-01

Recently, Pterois volitans, a Pacific species of lionfish, invaded the Atlantic Ocean, likely via the aquarium trade. We examined for internal and external parasites 188 individuals from 8 municipalities of Puerto Rico collected during 2009-2012, 91 individuals from Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, collected during the summers of 2010 and 2011, and 47 individuals from Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas, collected during the summer of 2009. In total, 27 parasite taxa were found, including 3 previously reported species from lionfish, the digenean Lecithochirium floridense, the leech Trachelobdella lubrica, and an Excorallana sp. isopod. We also report another 24 previously unreported parasite taxa from lionfish, including digeneans, monogeneans, cestodes, nematodes, isopods, a copepod, and an acanthocephalan. Among these parasites, several were previously unreported at their respective geographic origins: We report 5 new locality records from Puerto Rico, 9 from Cayman Islands, 5 from the Bahamas, 5 from the Caribbean, and 3 from the subtropical western Atlantic region. Three parasites are reported to associate with a fish host for the first time. The parasite faunas of P. volitans among our 3 study sites were quite different; most of the species infecting lionfish were generalists and/or species that infect carnivorous fishes. Although our study did not assess the impact of parasites on the fitness of invasive lionfish, it provides an important early step. Our results provide valuable comparative data for future studies at these and other sites throughout the lionfish's invaded range.

Cross-sectional survey of Good Samaritan behaviour by physicians in North Carolina

PubMed Central

Garneau, William M; Harris, Dean M; Viera, Anthony J

2016-01-01

Objective To assess the responses of physicians to providing emergency medical assistance outside of routine clinical care. We assessed the percentage who reported previous Good Samaritan behaviour, their responses to hypothetical situations, their comfort providing specific interventions and the most likely reason they would not intervene. Setting Physicians residing in North Carolina. Participants Convenience sample of 1000 licensed physicians. Intervention Mailed survey. Design Cross-sectional study conducted May 2015 to September 2015. Main outcome and measures Willingness of physicians to act as Good Samaritans as determined by the last opportunity to intervene in an out-of-office emergency. Results The adjusted response rate was 26.1% (253/970 delivered). 4 out of 5 physicians reported previous opportunities to act as Good Samaritans. Approximately, 93% reported acting as a Good Samaritan during their last opportunity. There were no differences in this outcome between sexes, practice setting, specialty type or experience level. Doctors with greater perceived knowledge of Good Samaritan law were more likely to have intervened during a recent opportunity (p=0.02). The most commonly cited reason for potentially not intervening was that another health provider had taken charge. Conclusions We found the frequency of Good Samaritan behaviour among physicians to be much higher than reported in previous studies. Greater helping behaviour was exhibited by those who expressed more familiarity with Good Samaritan law. These findings suggest that physicians may respond to legal protections. PMID:26966061

iReport: a generalised Galaxy solution for integrated experimental reporting.

PubMed

Hiltemann, Saskia; Hoogstrate, Youri; der Spek, Peter van; Jenster, Guido; Stubbs, Andrew

2014-01-01

Galaxy offers a number of visualisation options with components, such as Trackster, Circster and Galaxy Charts, but currently lacks the ability to easily combine outputs from different tools into a single view or report. A number of tools produce HTML reports as output in order to combine the various output files from a single tool; however, this requires programming and knowledge of HTML, and the reports must be custom-made for each new tool. We have developed a generic and flexible reporting tool for Galaxy, iReport, that allows users to create interactive HTML reports directly from the Galaxy UI, with the ability to combine an arbitrary number of outputs from any number of different tools. Content can be organised into different tabs, and interactivity can be added to components. To demonstrate the capability of iReport we provide two publically available examples, the first is an iReport explaining about iReports, created for, and using content from the recent Galaxy Community Conference 2014. The second is a genetic report based on a trio analysis to determine candidate pathogenic variants which uses our previously developed Galaxy toolset for whole-genome NGS analysis, CGtag. These reports may be adapted for outputs from any sequencing platform and any results, such as omics data, non-high throughput results and clinical variables. iReport provides a secure, collaborative, and flexible web-based reporting system that is compatible with Galaxy (and non-Galaxy) generated content. We demonstrate its value with a real-life example of reporting genetic trio-analysis.

Measuring changes in lipid and blood glucose values in the health and wellness program of Prudential Financial, Inc.

PubMed

Short, Meghan E; Goetzel, Ron Z; Young, Jared S; Kowlessar, Niranjana M; Liss-Levinson, Rivka C; Tabrizi, Maryam J; Roemer, Enid Chung; Sabatelli, Adriano A; Winick, Keith; Montes, Myrtho; Crighton, K Andrew

2010-08-01

To determine the effect of health promotion programs of Prudential Financial, Inc on biometric measures of blood lipids and glucose. Using actual biometric and self-reported measures of blood lipids and glucose values for the employees of Prudential Financial, Inc, we examined 1) the extent to which self-reported lipid and blood glucose values correlate to laboratory data, 2) whether self-reported and measured lipid values differ for physically active and sedentary employees, and 3) whether participation in a disease management program affects employees' lipid measures. We found significant differences in self-reported and measured total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein values, although these differences and those for all lipid and blood glucose values were not clinically meaningful. Supporting previous clinical studies, high-density lipoprotein values were significantly higher for fitness center users compared with sedentary employees. Finally, disease management participants showed a significant reduction in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein during a 3-year period compared with nonparticipants. On average, the employees of Prudential Financial, Inc were aware of and accurately reported their lipid and blood glucose levels. Results from this study support the value of evaluating corporate health promotion programs, using measured biometric outcomes.

Advances in shock timing experiments on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robey, H. F.; Celliers, P. M.; Moody, J. D.; Sater, J.; Parham, T.; Kozioziemski, B.; Dylla-Spears, R.; Ross, J. S.; LePape, S.; Ralph, J. E.; Hohenberger, M.; Dewald, E. L.; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Kroll, J. J.; Yoxall, B. E.; Hamza, A. V.; Boehly, T. R.; Nikroo, A.; Landen, O. L.; Edwards, M. J.

2016-03-01

Recent advances in shock timing experiments and analysis techniques now enable shock measurements to be performed in cryogenic deuterium-tritium (DT) ice layered capsule implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Previous measurements of shock timing in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions were performed in surrogate targets, where the solid DT ice shell and central DT gas were replaced with a continuous liquid deuterium (D2) fill. These previous experiments pose two surrogacy issues: a material surrogacy due to the difference of species (D2 vs. DT) and densities of the materials used and a geometric surrogacy due to presence of an additional interface (ice/gas) previously absent in the liquid-filled targets. This report presents experimental data and a new analysis method for validating the assumptions underlying this surrogate technique.

Libet's experiment: Questioning the validity of measuring the urge to move.

PubMed

Dominik, Tomáš; Dostál, Daniel; Zielina, Martin; Šmahaj, Jan; Sedláčková, Zuzana; Procházka, Roman

2017-03-01

The time of subjectively registered urge to move (W) constituted the central point of most Libet-style experiments. It is therefore crucial to verify the W validity. Our experiment was based on the assumption that the W time is inferred, rather than introspectively perceived. We used the rotating spot method to gather the W reports together with the reports of the subjective timing of actual movement (M). The subjects were assigned the tasks in two different orders. When measured as first in the respective session, no significant difference between W and M values was found, which suggests that uninformed subjects tend to confuse W for M reports. Moreover, we found that W values measured after the M task were significantly earlier than W values measured before M. This phenomenon suggests that the apparent difference between W and M values is in fact caused by the subjects' previous experience with M measurements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between seasonal mood change and personality: more apparent than real?

PubMed

Jang, K L; Lam, R W; Livesley, W J; Vernon, P A

1997-06-01

A number of recent research reports have reported significant relationships between seasonal mood change (seasonality) and personality. However, some of the results are difficult to interpret because of inherent methodological problems, the most important of which is the use of samples drawn from the southern as opposed to the northern hemisphere, where the phenomenon of seasonality may be quite different. The present study examined the relationship between personality and seasonality in a sample from the northern hemisphere (minimum latitude = 49 degrees N). A total of 297 adults drawn from the general population (112 male and 185 female subjects) completed the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire, and the results obtained confirmed most of the previously reported relationships and showed that these are reliable across (i) different hemispheres, (ii) different measures of personality and (iii) clinical and general population samples. However, the impact of the relationship seems to be more apparent than real, with personality accounting for just under 15% of the total variance.

Drug use, travel and HIV risk.

PubMed

Lee, D; Bell, D C; Hinojosa, M

2002-08-01

A study was conducted to examine the travel experiences of a community sample of 160 drug users and 44 non-users recruited as part of a study of HIV risk. Of the sample, 47% (96/204) reported intercity travel in the previous ten years. Results showed that men were more likely to travel than women, Anglos more than minorities, and young persons more than old. When travellers testing HIV-seropositive (n = 13) were compared with seronegative travellers, HIV-positive travellers reported more sex while travelling than HIV-negative persons, but virtually all of the difference reported involved sex with condoms. There were no significant differences in sex risk behaviours while travelling between drug users and non-drug users, or in sex risk behaviors between drug injectors and non-injectors. Travellers had fewer injection partners while travelling than they had while at home. There was also a significant difference in number of sex partners with whom a condom was not used, with fewer sex partners while travelling.

Adolescent Perceptions of Conflict in Interdependent and Disengaged Friendships

PubMed Central

Shulman, Shmuel; Laursen, Brett

2009-01-01

Interdependent and disengaged friendships in a middle-class sample of suburban Israeli adolescents were examined for differences in reports of conflict behavior. A total of 194 (100 females, and 94 males) close, reciprocal friends participated in a joint problem-solving task used to categorize friendships. Interdependent friends balanced closeness and individuality by cooperating on the task, whereas disengaged friends emphasized individuality by working independently on the task. In separate interviews, these friends recounted their most important conflict from the previous week. Older adolescents (M = 17.4 years) reported more conflicts over private disrespect than did younger adolescents (M = 12.7 years), whereas younger adolescents reported more conflicts over public disrespect and undependability than did older adolescents. Differences between friendship types in conflict initiation, negative affect, and relationship impact were found among older adolescents but not younger adolescents; differences in conflict resolutions were found in both age groups. In contrast to disengaged friends, interdependent friends were better able to manage conflicts in a manner that emphasized relationship harmony over individual gain. PMID:20090925

Sexual dimorphism in the volume of song control nuclei in European starlings: assessment by a Nissl stain and autoradiography for muscarinic cholinergic receptors.

PubMed

Bernard, D J; Casto, J M; Ball, G F

1993-08-22

Previous studies have found that the volume of several song control nuclei is larger in male songbirds than in female songbirds. The degree of this volumetric sex difference within a given species appears to be systematically related to the degree of the behavioral sex difference. The largest volumetric differences have been reported in species in which the male sings and the female sings little, if at all, and the smallest sex differences in volume have been reported in species in which males and females both sing in nearly equal amounts. We compared the volume of three song control nuclei in male and female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), a species in which females are known to sing, though at a much lower rate than males. We investigated the volume of hyperstriatum ventrale, pars caudale, nucleus robustus archistriatalis, and area X of the lobus parolfactorius as defined with the use of a Nissl stain. In addition, we measured the volume of area X as defined by the density of muscarinic cholinergic receptors visualized by in vitro receptor autoradiographic methods. The volumes of all three of the song nuclei, as defined by Nissl staining, are significantly larger in males than in females. For area X, Nissl staining and receptor autoradiography indicate the same significant volumetric sex difference. The three nuclei are approximately one and one half to two times larger in males than in females, a degree of dimorphism that is intermediate to those reported for other species. Previous investigations of sex differences in the avian vocal control system have used only Nissl stains to define nuclear volumes. We demonstrate in this paper that receptor autoradiography can be used to assess dimorphisms in nuclear volume. Broad application of this approach to a number of neurotransmitter receptor systems will better characterize the dimorphisms in the song system, and therefore will provide greater insight into the neuroanatomical and neurochemical control of birdsong.

Correlating wine quality indicators to chemical and sensory measurements.

PubMed

Hopfer, Helene; Nelson, Jenny; Ebeler, Susan E; Heymann, Hildegarde

2015-05-12

Twenty-seven commercial Californian Cabernet Sauvignon wines of different quality categories were analyzed with sensory and chemical methods. Correlations between five quality proxies-points awarded during a wine competition, wine expert scores, retail price, vintage, and wine region-were correlated to sensory attributes, volatile compounds, and elemental composition. Wine quality is a multi-faceted construct, incorporating many different layers. Depending on the quality proxy studied, significant correlations between quality and attributes, volatiles and elements were found, some of them previously reported in the literature.

Experience with a tuberculosis antigen test in Rhodesia.

PubMed

Cookson, J B; Cruickshank, J G; Ellis, B P

1977-10-01

Experience with a new serological method for the diagnosis of tuberculosis is reported in a predominantly black population. We have found that in only 69% of 167 patients was there agreement between serology and the presence or absence of tuberculosis. Both false positive and false negative results were common. Of 47 healthy controls, 80% were positive. These results are less satisfactory than previous studies but differences in the reading of the results seems an unlikely explanation. Differences in the populations studied may be an important factor.

An evaluation of several methods for detecting alkali-carbonate reaction.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-01-01

Based on the review of previous Council reports, a strategy for the use and control of potentially reactive carbonate rocks is discussed in this report, which lists the previous reports in a bibliography. Specifically, this report discusses an evalua...

Ethnic differences in thermal pain responses: a comparison of South Asian and White British healthy males.

PubMed

Watson, Paul J; Latif, R Khalid; Rowbotham, David J

2005-11-01

The expression and report of pain is influenced by social environment and culture. Previous studies have suggested ethnically determined differences in report of pain threshold, intensity and affect. The influence of ethnic differences between White British and South Asians has remained unexplored. Twenty age-matched, male volunteers in each group underwent evaluation. Cold and warm perception and cold and heat threshold were assessed using an ascending method of limits. Magnitude estimation of pain unpleasantness and pain intensity were investigated with thermal stimuli of 46, 47, 48 and 49 degrees C. Subjects also completed a pain anxiety questionnaire. Data was analysed using t-test, Mann-Whitney and repeated measures analysis of variance as appropriate. There were no differences in cold and warm perception between the two groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups for heat pain threshold (P=0.006) and heat pain intensity demonstrated a significant effect for ethnicity (F=13.84, P=0.001). Although no group differences emerged for cold pain threshold and heat unpleasantness, South Asians demonstrated lower cold pain threshold and reported more unpleasantness at all temperatures but this was not statistically significant. Our study shows that ethnicity plays an important role in heat pain threshold and pain report, South Asian males demonstrated lower pain thresholds and higher pain report when compared with matched White British males. There were no differences in pain anxiety between the two groups and no correlations were identified between pain and pain anxiety Haemodynamic measures and anthropometry did not explain group differences.

The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program.

PubMed

Heckman, James J; Moon, Seong Hyeok; Pinto, Rodrigo; Savelyev, Peter A; Yavitz, Adam

2010-02-01

This paper estimates the rate of return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program, an early intervention program targeted toward disadvantaged African-American youth. Estimates of the rate of return to the Perry program are widely cited to support the claim of substantial economic benefits from preschool education programs. Previous studies of the rate of return to this program ignore the compromises that occurred in the randomization protocol. They do not report standard errors. The rates of return estimated in this paper account for these factors. We conduct an extensive analysis of sensitivity to alternative plausible assumptions. Estimated annual social rates of return generally fall between 7-10 percent, with most estimates substantially lower than those previously reported in the literature. However, returns are generally statistically significantly different from zero for both males and females and are above the historical return on equity. Estimated benefit-to-cost ratios support this conclusion.

New Cork-Based Materials and Applications.

PubMed

Gil, Luís

2015-02-10

This review work is an update of a previous work reporting the new cork based materials and new applications of cork based materials. Cork is a material which has been used for multiple applications. The most known uses of cork are in stoppers (natural and agglomerated cork) for alcoholic beverages, classic floor covering with composite cork tiles (made by the binding of cork particles with different binders), and thermal/acoustic/vibration insulation with expanded corkboard in buildings and some other industrial fields. Many recent developments have been made leading to new cork based materials. Most of these newly developed cork materials are not yet on the market, but they represent new possibilities for engineers, architects, designers and other professionals which must be known and considered, potentially leading to their industrialization. This paper is a review covering the last five years of innovative cork materials and applications also mentioning previous work not reported before.

Identification of novel mutations in Mexican patients with Aarskog-Scott syndrome.

PubMed

Pérez-Coria, Mariana; Lugo-Trampe, José J; Zamudio-Osuna, Michell; Rodríguez-Sánchez, Iram P; Lugo-Trampe, Angel; de la Fuente-Cortez, Beatriz; Campos-Acevedo, Luis D; Martínez-de-Villarreal, Laura E

2015-05-01

Aarskog-Scott syndrome (AAS), also known as faciogenital dysplasia (FGD, OMIM # 305400), is an X-linked disorder of recessive inheritance, characterized by short stature and facial, skeletal, and urogenital abnormalities. AAS is caused by mutations in the FGD1 gene (Xp11.22), with over 56 different mutations identified to date. We present the clinical and molecular analysis of four unrelated families of Mexican origin with an AAS phenotype, in whom FGD1 sequencing was performed. This analysis identified two stop mutations not previously reported in the literature: p.Gln664* and p.Glu380*. Phenotypically, every male patient met the clinical criteria of the syndrome, whereas discrepancies were found between phenotypes in female patients. Our results identify two novel mutations in FGD1, broadening the spectrum of reported mutations; and provide further delineation of the phenotypic variability previously described in AAS.

Identification of novel mutations in Mexican patients with Aarskog–Scott syndrome

PubMed Central

Pérez-Coria, Mariana; Lugo-Trampe, José J; Zamudio-Osuna, Michell; Rodríguez-Sánchez, Iram P; Lugo-Trampe, Angel; de la Fuente-Cortez, Beatriz; Campos-Acevedo, Luis D; Martínez-de-Villarreal, Laura E

2015-01-01

Aarskog–Scott syndrome (AAS), also known as faciogenital dysplasia (FGD, OMIM # 305400), is an X-linked disorder of recessive inheritance, characterized by short stature and facial, skeletal, and urogenital abnormalities. AAS is caused by mutations in the FGD1 gene (Xp11.22), with over 56 different mutations identified to date. We present the clinical and molecular analysis of four unrelated families of Mexican origin with an AAS phenotype, in whom FGD1 sequencing was performed. This analysis identified two stop mutations not previously reported in the literature: p.Gln664* and p.Glu380*. Phenotypically, every male patient met the clinical criteria of the syndrome, whereas discrepancies were found between phenotypes in female patients. Our results identify two novel mutations in FGD1, broadening the spectrum of reported mutations; and provide further delineation of the phenotypic variability previously described in AAS. PMID:26029706

Evidence for hubs in human functional brain networks

PubMed Central

Power, Jonathan D; Schlaggar, Bradley L; Lessov-Schlaggar, Christina N; Petersen, Steven E

2013-01-01

Summary Hubs integrate and distribute information in powerful ways due to the number and positioning of their contacts in a network. Several resting state functional connectivity MRI reports have implicated regions of the default mode system as brain hubs; we demonstrate that previous degree-based approaches to hub identification may have identified portions of large brain systems rather than critical nodes of brain networks. We utilize two methods to identify hub-like brain regions: 1) finding network nodes that participate in multiple sub-networks of the brain, and 2) finding spatial locations where several systems are represented within a small volume. These methods converge on a distributed set of regions that differ from previous reports on hubs. This work identifies regions that support multiple systems, leading to spatially constrained predictions about brain function that may be tested in terms of lesions, evoked responses, and dynamic patterns of activity. PMID:23972601

Kinase gene fusions in defined subsets of melanoma.

PubMed

Turner, Jacqueline; Couts, Kasey; Sheren, Jamie; Saichaemchan, Siriwimon; Ariyawutyakorn, Witthawat; Avolio, Izabela; Cabral, Ethan; Glogowska, Magdelena; Amato, Carol; Robinson, Steven; Hintzsche, Jennifer; Applegate, Allison; Seelenfreund, Eric; Gonzalez, Rita; Wells, Keith; Bagby, Stacey; Tentler, John; Tan, Aik-Choon; Wisell, Joshua; Varella-Garcia, Marileila; Robinson, William

2017-01-01

Genomic rearrangements resulting in activating kinase fusions have been increasingly described in a number of cancers including malignant melanoma, but their frequency in specific melanoma subtypes has not been reported. We used break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to identify genomic rearrangements in tissues from 59 patients with various types of malignant melanoma including acral lentiginous, mucosal, superficial spreading, and nodular. We identified four genomic rearrangements involving the genes BRAF, RET, and ROS1. Of these, three were confirmed by Immunohistochemistry (IHC) or sequencing and one was found to be an ARMC10-BRAF fusion that has not been previously reported in melanoma. These fusions occurred in different subtypes of melanoma but all in tumors lacking known driver mutations. Our data suggest gene fusions are more common than previously thought and should be further explored particularly in melanomas lacking known driver mutations. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New Cork-Based Materials and Applications

PubMed Central

Gil, Luís

2015-01-01

This review work is an update of a previous work reporting the new cork based materials and new applications of cork based materials. Cork is a material which has been used for multiple applications. The most known uses of cork are in stoppers (natural and agglomerated cork) for alcoholic beverages, classic floor covering with composite cork tiles (made by the binding of cork particles with different binders), and thermal/acoustic/vibration insulation with expanded corkboard in buildings and some other industrial fields. Many recent developments have been made leading to new cork based materials. Most of these newly developed cork materials are not yet on the market, but they represent new possibilities for engineers, architects, designers and other professionals which must be known and considered, potentially leading to their industrialization. This paper is a review covering the last five years of innovative cork materials and applications also mentioning previous work not reported before. PMID:28787962

A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation.

PubMed

Deci, E L; Koestner, R; Ryan, R M

1999-11-01

A meta-analysis of 128 studies examined the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. As predicted, engagement-contingent, completion-contingent, and performance-contingent rewards significantly undermined free-choice intrinsic motivation (d = -0.40, -0.36, and -0.28, respectively), as did all rewards, all tangible rewards, and all expected rewards. Engagement-contingent and completion-contingent rewards also significantly undermined self-reported interest (d = -0.15, and -0.17), as did all tangible rewards and all expected rewards. Positive feedback enhanced both free-choice behavior (d = 0.33) and self-reported interest (d = 0.31). Tangible rewards tended to be more detrimental for children than college students, and verbal rewards tended to be less enhancing for children than college students. The authors review 4 previous meta-analyses of this literature and detail how this study's methods, analyses, and results differed from the previous ones.

Scintillation efficiency measurement of Na recoils in NaI(Tl) below the DAMA/LIBRA energy threshold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jingke; Shields, Emily; Calaprice, Frank; Westerdale, Shawn; Froborg, Francis; Suerfu, Burkhant; Alexander, Thomas; Aprahamian, Ani; Back, Henning O.; Casarella, Clark; Fang, Xiao; Gupta, Yogesh K.; Ianni, Aldo; Lamere, Edward; Lippincott, W. Hugh; Liu, Qian; Lyons, Stephanie; Siegl, Kevin; Smith, Mallory; Tan, Wanpeng; Kolk, Bryant Vande

2015-07-01

The dark matter interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal depends on the NaI(Tl) scintillation efficiency of nuclear recoils. Previous measurements for Na recoils have large discrepancies, especially in the DAMA/LIBRA modulation energy region. We report a quenching effect measurement of Na recoils in NaI(Tl) from 3 to 52 keVnr, covering the whole DAMA/LIBRA energy region for dark matter-Na scattering interpretations. By using a low-energy, pulsed neutron beam, a double time-of-flight technique, and pulse-shape discrimination methods, we obtained the most accurate measurement of this kind for NaI(Tl) to date. The results differ significantly from the DAMA reported values at low energies but fall between the other previous measurements. We present the implications of the new quenching results for the dark matter interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal.

Investigation of anodic and chemical oxides grown on p-type InP with applications to surface passivation for n(+)-p solar cell fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faur, Maria; Faur, Mircea; Goradia, Manju; Goradia, Chandra; Jenkins, Phillip; Jayne, Douglas; Weinberg, Irving

1991-01-01

Most of the previously reported InP anodic oxides were grown on a n-type InP with applications to fabrication of MISFET structures and were described as a mixture of In2O3 and P2O5 stoichiometric compounds or nonstoichiometric phases which have properties similar to crystalline compounds In(OH)3, InPO4, and In(PO3)3. Details of the compositional change of the anodic oxides grown under different anodization conditions were previously reported. The use of P-rich oxides grown either by anodic or chemical oxidation are investigated for surface passivation of p-type InP and as a protective cap during junction formation by closed-ampoule sulfur diffusion. The investigation is based on but not limited to correlations between PL intensity and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) chemical composition data.

Scintillation efficiency measurement of Na recoils in NaI(Tl) below the DAMA/LIBRA energy threshold

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

Xu, Jingke; Shields, Emily; Calaprice, Frank

2015-07-01

The dark matter interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal depends on the NaI(Tl) scintillation efficiency of nuclear recoils. Previous measurements for Na recoils have large discrepancies, especially in the DAMA/LIBRA modulation energy region. We report a quenching effect measurement of Na recoils in NaI(Tl) from 3 to 52 keVnr, covering the whole DAMA/LIBRA energy region for dark matter-Na scattering interpretations. By using a low-energy, pulsed neutron beam, a double time-of-flight technique, and pulse-shape discrimination methods, we obtained the most accurate measurement of this kind for NaI(Tl) to date. The results differ significantly from the DAMA reported values at low energies butmore » fall between the other previous measurements. We present the implications of the new quenching results for the dark matter interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal.« less

Kinase Gene Fusions in Defined Subsets of Melanoma

PubMed Central

Turner, Jacqueline; Couts, Kasey; Sheren, Jamie; Saichaemchan, Siriwimon; Ariyawutyakorn, Witthawat; Avolio, Izabela; Cabral, Ethan; Glogowska, Magdelena; Amato, Carol; Robinson, Steven; Hintzsche, Jennifer; Applegate, Allison; Seelenfreund, Eric; Gonzalez, Rita; Wells, Keith; Bagby, Stacey; Tentler, John; Tan, Aik-Choon; Wisell, Joshua; Varella-Garcia, Marileila; Robinson, William

2017-01-01

Summary Genomic rearrangements resulting in activating kinase fusions have been increasingly described in a number of cancers including malignant melanoma, but their frequency in specific melanoma subtypes has not been reported. We used break-apart fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) to identify genomic rearrangements in tissues from 59 patients with various types of malignant melanoma including acral lentiginous, mucosal, superficial spreading, and nodular. We identified four genomic rearrangements involving the genes BRAF, RET, and ROS1. Of these, three were confirmed by IHC or sequencing and one was found to be an ARMC10-BRAF fusion that has not been previously reported in melanoma. These fusions occurred in different subtypes of melanoma but all in tumors lacking known driver mutations. Our data suggest gene fusions are more common than previously thought-and should be further explored particularly in melanomas lacking known driver mutations. PMID:27864876

The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program

PubMed Central

Heckman, James J.; Moon, Seong Hyeok; Pinto, Rodrigo; Savelyev, Peter A.; Yavitz, Adam

2010-01-01

This paper estimates the rate of return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program, an early intervention program targeted toward disadvantaged African-American youth. Estimates of the rate of return to the Perry program are widely cited to support the claim of substantial economic benefits from preschool education programs. Previous studies of the rate of return to this program ignore the compromises that occurred in the randomization protocol. They do not report standard errors. The rates of return estimated in this paper account for these factors. We conduct an extensive analysis of sensitivity to alternative plausible assumptions. Estimated annual social rates of return generally fall between 7–10 percent, with most estimates substantially lower than those previously reported in the literature. However, returns are generally statistically significantly different from zero for both males and females and are above the historical return on equity. Estimated benefit-to-cost ratios support this conclusion. PMID:21804653

Diazotrophic diversity in the Caribbean coral, Montastraea cavernosa.

PubMed

Olson, Nathan D; Lesser, Michael P

2013-12-01

Previous research on the Caribbean coral Montastraea cavernosa reported the presence of cyanobacterial endosymbionts and nitrogen fixation in orange, but not brown, colonies. We compared the diversity of nifH gene sequences between these two color morphs at three locations in the Caribbean and found that the nifH sequences recovered from M. cavernosa were consistent with previous studies on corals where members of both the α-proteobacteria and cyanobacteria were recovered. A number of nifH operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were significantly more abundant in the orange compared to the brown morphs, and one specific OTU (OTU 17), a cyanobacterial nifH sequence similar to others from corals and sponges and related to the cyanobacterial genus Cyanothece, was found in all orange morphs of M. cavernosa at all locations. The nifH diversity reported here, from a community perspective, was not significantly different between orange and brown morphs of M. cavernosa.

Unreported workers' compensation claims to the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Establishment factors.

PubMed

Wuellner, Sara E; Adams, Darrin A; Bonauto, David K

2016-04-01

Studies suggest employers underreport injuries to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII); less is known about reporting differences by establishment characteristics. We linked SOII data to Washington State workers' compensation claims data, using unemployment insurance data to improve linking accuracy. We used multivariable regression models to estimate incidence ratios (IR) of unreported workers' compensation claims for establishment characteristics. An estimated 70% of workers' compensation claims were reported in SOII. Claims among state and local government establishments were most likely to be reported. Compared to large manufacturing establishments, unreported claims were most common among small educational services establishments (IR = 2.47, 95%CI: 1.52-4.01) and large construction establishments (IR = 2.05, 95%CI: 1.77-2.37). Underreporting of workers' compensation claims to SOII varies by establishment characteristics, obscuring true differences in work injury incidence. Findings may differ from previous research due to differences in study methods. © 2016 The Authors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Preparation of narrow dispersity gold nanorods by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation and investigation of surface plasmon resonance.

PubMed

Runyon, J Ray; Goering, Adam; Yong, Ken-Tye; Williams, S Kim Ratanathanawongs

2013-01-15

The development of an asymmetrical field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF) method for separating gold nanorods (GNR) is reported. Collected fractions containing GNR subpopulations with aspect ratios, sizes, and shapes which are more narrowly dispersed than the original population were further characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This ability to obtain different sizes and shapes of nanoparticles enabled the evaluation of a new approach to estimating the retention time and hydrodynamic size of nanorods and the investigation of GNR optical properties at a previously unattainable level of detail. Experimental results demonstrate that the longitudinal surface plasmon absorption maximum of GNRs is correlated with the effective particle radius in addition to the aspect ratio. This may account for some of the variabilities reported in published empirical data from different research groups and supports reports of simulated absorption spectra of GNRs of different physical dimensions. The use of AsFlFFF with dual UV-vis detection to rapidly assess relative changes in GNR subpopulations was demonstrated for irregularly shaped gold nanoparticles formed at different synthesis temperatures.

Superoxide-responsive gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays.

PubMed

Xu, Junhuan; Tran, Thu; Padilla Marcia, Carmen S; Braun, David M; Goggin, Fiona L

2017-08-01

Superoxide (O 2 - ) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in response to numerous biotic and abiotic stresses. Different ROS have been reported to elicit different transcriptional responses in plants, and so ROS-responsive marker genes and promoter::reporter gene fusions have been proposed as indirect means of detecting ROS and discriminating among different species. However, further information about the specificity of transcriptional responses to O 2 - is needed in order to assess potential markers for this critical stress-responsive signaling molecule. Using qRT-PCR, the expression of 12 genes previously reported to be upregulated by O 2 - was measured in Arabidopsis thaliana plants exposed to elicitors of common stress-responsive ROS: methyl viologen (an inducer of O 2 - ), rose bengal (an inducer of singlet oxygen, 1 ΔO 2 ), and exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Surprisingly, Zinc-Finger Protein 12 (AtZAT12), which had previously been used as a reporter for H 2 O 2 , responded more strongly to O 2 - than to H 2 O 2 ; moreover, the expression of an AtZAT12 promoter-reporter fusion (AtZAT12::Luc) was enhanced by diethyldithiocarbamate, which inhibits dismutation of O 2 - to H 2 O 2 . These results suggest that AtZAT12 is transcriptionally upregulated in response to O 2 - , and that AtZAT12::Luc may be a useful biosensor for detecting O 2 - generation in vivo. In addition, transcripts encoding uncoupling proteins (AtUCPs) showed selectivity for O 2 - in Arabidopsis, and an AtUCP homolog upregulated by methyl viologen was also identified in maize (Zea mays L.), indicating that there are O 2 - -responsive members of this family in monocots. These results expand our limited knowledge of ROS-responsive gene expression in monocots, as well as O 2 - -selective responses in dicots. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

An Observational Study on Quantifying the Distance of Supercell-Boundary Interaction in the Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magee, Kathleen Marie

Several case studies and numerical simulations have confirmed that baroclinic boundaries provide enhanced horizontal and vertical vorticity, wind shear, helicity, and moisture that induce stronger updrafts, higher reflectivity, and stronger low-level rotation in supercells. However, the distance at which a boundary will provide such enhancement is less well-defined. Previous studies have identified distances ranging from 5 km to 200 km, and only focused on tornadogenesis rather than all forms of severe weather. To better aid short-term forecasts, the actual distances at which supercells produce severe weather in proximity to a boundary needs to be assessed. In this study, the distance between a large number of supercells and nearby surface boundaries (including warm fronts, stationary fronts, and outflow boundaries) is measured throughout the lifetime of each storm; the distance at which associated reports of large hail, strong winds, and tornadoes is also collected. Data is gathered from SPC storm reports, WPC surface analyses, ASOS archives, and NCDC radar archives. The Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) from Unidata is used to analyze the distance of the supercell from the boundary every twenty minutes. These distances are then used to interpolate the distance at which severe and significantly severe reports occurred; reports are grouped by severe type (tornado, hail, or wind), then by boundary type (warm front, stationary front, or outflow). Using these distributions, the range from the boundary at which each type of severe weather is produced is identified per boundary type to assist forecasters. Overall, the range at which tornadoes are more likely to be produced is generally closer to the boundary than hail and wind reports for all three boundary types, likely owing to the enhanced helicity present near a boundary. Statistical analyses are used to assess the sensitivity of report distributions to report type, boundary type, distance from the boundary, and boundary strength. The distance of different report types near the same boundary surprisingly did not test as statistically different, except for warm fronts; however, when comparing the distances of the same report type associated with different boundaries, statistically significant differences were found for different boundaries in which different report types are maximally produced. Temperature gradients are not as statistically different between boundaries, but the temperature gradient within the same boundary is statistically significant for the occurrence of tornadoes vs. hail. Additional analyses were conducted to complement the distributions of severe report distances. Previous research has demonstrated that the angle at which supercells interact with boundaries impacts tornado production; in the present dataset, supercells interacting at an angle less than 45° are not only more likely to produce tornadoes, but also more likely to produce significantly severe tornadoes. Additionally, other studies have suggested that the temperature gradient of a boundary is of minimal importance with regards to tornado production. Interestingly, the tornadoes in this study were associated with stronger temperature gradients than for hail or wind production, thus v implying that a stronger amount of baroclinically-generated horizontal vorticity is required for tornadogenesis, likely due to the enhanced low-level rotation.

Genomic organization and expression analysis of a farnesyl diphosphate synthase gene (FPPS2) in apples (Malus domestica Borkh.).

PubMed

Yuan, Kejun; Wang, Changjun; Xin, Li; Zhang, Anning; Ai, Chengxiang

2013-07-25

A farnesyl diphosphate synthase gene (FPPS2), which contains 11 introns and 12 exons, was isolated from the apple cultivar "White Winter Pearmain". When it was compared to our previously reported FPPS1, its each intron size was different, its each exon size was the same as that of FPPS1 gene, 30 nucleotide differences were found in its coding sequence. Based on these nucleotide differences, specific primers were designed to perform expression analysis; the results showed that it expressed in both fruit and leaf, its expression level was obviously lower than that of FPPS1 gene in fruit which was stored at 4°C for 5 weeks. This is the first report concerning two FPPS genes and their expression comparison in apples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Management of orthodontic emergencies in primary care - self-reported confidence of general dental practitioners.

PubMed

Popat, H; Thomas, K; Farnell, D J J

2016-07-08

Objective To determine general dental practitioners' (GDPs) confidence in managing orthodontic emergencies.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Primary dental care.Subjects and methods An online survey was distributed to dentists practicing in Wales. The survey collected basic demographic information and included descriptions of ten common orthodontic emergency scenarios.Main outcome measure Respondents' self-reported confidence in managing the orthodontic emergency scenarios on a 5-point Likert scale. Differences between the Likert responses and the demographic variables were investigated using chi-squared tests.Results The median number of orthodontic emergencies encountered by respondents over the previous six months was 1. Overall, the self-reported confidence of respondents was high with 7 of the 10 scenarios presented scoring a median of 4 indicating that GDPs were 'confident' in their management. Statistical analysis revealed that GDPs who saw more orthodontic emergencies in the previous six months were more confident when managing the presented scenarios. Other variables such as age, gender, geographic location of practice and number of years practising dentistry were not associated with self-reported confidence.Conclusions Despite GDPs encountering very few orthodontic emergencies in primary care, they appear to be confident in dealing with commonly arising orthodontic emergency situations.

Recessive variants of MuSK are associated with late onset CMS and predominant limb girdle weakness.

PubMed

Owen, David; Töpf, Ana; Preethish-Kumar, Veeramani; Lorenzoni, Paulo José; Vroling, Bas; Scola, Rosana Herminia; Dias-Tosta, Elza; Geraldo, Argemiro; Polavarapu, Kiran; Nashi, Saraswati; Cox, Daniel; Evangelista, Teresinha; Dawson, John; Thompson, Rachel; Senderek, Jan; Laurie, Steven; Beltran, Sergi; Gut, Marta; Gut, Ivo; Nalini, Atchayaram; Lochmüller, Hanns

2018-04-28

Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a heterogeneous disorder that causes fatigable muscle weakness. CMS has been associated with variants in the MuSK gene and, to date, 16 patients have been reported. MuSK-CMS patients present a different phenotypic pattern of limb girdle weakness. Here, we describe four additional patients and discuss the phenotypic and clinical relationship with those previously reported. Two novel damaging missense variants are described: c.1742T > A; p.I581N found in homozygosis, and c.1634T > C; p.L545P found in compound heterozygosis with p.R166*. The reported patients had predominant limb girdle weakness with symptom onset at 12, 17, 18, and 30 years of age, and the majority exhibited a good clinical response to Salbutamol therapy, but not to esterase inhibitors. Meta-analysis including previously reported variants revealed an increased likelihood of a severe, respiratory phenotype with null alleles. Missense variants exclusively affecting the kinase domain, but not the catalytic site, are associated with late onset. These data refine the phenotype associated with MuSK-related CMS. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Radionuclide demonstration of urinary extravasation with ureteral obstruction

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

Yeh, V.A.; Chiang, L.C.; Meade, R.C.

Two cases of urinary extravasation with ureteral obstruction demonstrated by the radionuclide studies are reported. The value of radionuclide studies in patients with renal transplantation has been reported previously, but studies in patients without transplantation have rarely been described in the literature. Ureteral obstruction may cause urinary extravasation, which may be demonstrated by radionuclide studies even when radiologic studies are inconclusive. In one case, urinary extravasation was detected in the sitting position but not in the supine position. Renal imaging should probably be performed not only with multiple projections but also in different positions.

Localization of inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli overproducing beta-lactamase or alkaline phosphatase.

PubMed Central

Georgiou, G; Telford, J N; Shuler, M L; Wilson, D B

1986-01-01

High-level synthesis of the periplasmic protein beta-lactamase in Escherichia coli caused the formation of insoluble protein precipitates called inclusion bodies. beta-Lactamase inclusion bodies differed from those reported previously in that they appeared to be localized in the periplasmic space, not in the cytoplasm. The inclusion bodies contained mature beta-lactamase and were solubilized more easily than has been reported for cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. In contrast, overproduction of the periplasmic protein alkaline phosphatase caused the formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies containing alkaline phosphatase precursor. Images PMID:3539017

Is perceived family dysfunction related to comorbid psychopathology? A study at an eating disorder day treatment program.

PubMed

Wisotsky, Willo; Dancyger, Ida; Fornari, Victor; Swencionis, Charles; Fisher, Martin; Schneider, Marcie; Wisotsky, William

2006-01-01

The role of the family in the development of eating disorders has been a predominant research focus. However, few studies of patients in an eating disorder (ED) day treatment program (DTP) have explored the relationship between self-reported family system functioning, self-reported comorbid psychopathology and current comorbid psychological symptom status. This study examined patients at presentation to an ED DTP, their self-reported perception of family functioning and the relationship with characteristics of their own comorbid psychopathology characteristics. Medical records of 51 day treatment female patients, ranging in age from 12 to 26 years, were examined by ED diagnosis and family type (using the FACES-II), and for significant differences on four self-report measures: SCL-90, EDI-2, BDI and TAS-20. Using MANOVA analyses and Bonferroni comparisons, significant differences on the self-report instruments for the entire sample and for the AN and BN patients were obtained when studying patients within different family types as defined by FACES-II. These data specific to DTP patients support previous findings for both IP and OP ED family studies. Overall, as family functioning was perceived to be more dysfunctional, the level of self-reported eating pathology and current comorbid psychological symptoms was also more severe.

LEWICE 2.2 Capabilities and Thermal Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

2002-01-01

A computational model of bleed air anti-icing and electrothermal de-icing have been added to the LEWICE 2.0 software by integrating the capabilities of two previous programs, ANTICE and LEWICE/ Thermal. This combined model has been released as LEWICE version 2.2. Several advancements have also been added to the previous capabilities of each module. This report will present the capabilities of the software package and provide results for both bleed air and electrothermal cases. A comprehensive validation effort has also been performed to compare the predictions to an existing electrothermal database. A quantitative comparison shows that for deicing cases, the average difference is 9.4 F (26%) compared to 3 F for the experimental data while for evaporative cases the average difference is 2 F (32%) compared to an experimental error of 4 F.

Ocular pulse amplitude after panretinal photocoagulation in normotensive eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Bozic, Marija M; Karadzic, Jelena B; Kovacevic, Igor M; Marjanovic, Ivan S

2017-06-26

To assess the effect of panretinal laser photocoagulation on ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in normotensive eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Prospectively, we performed unilateral argon laser panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in 30 patients with diabetes mellitus type II and previously untreated bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Before and 7 and 30 days after the treatment, OPA was measured using dynamic contour tonometer. Compared with the untreated contralateral eyes, laser photocoagulation led to a reduction of OPA. Ocular pulse amplitude did not significantly differ in photocoagulated eyes 7 days after the treatment, but there was a significant difference in OPA 30 days after the treatment. The decrease in OPA values was 15% 7 days after PRP and 40% 30 days after PRP. Ocular pulse amplitude reduction after PRP indirectly informs us about choriocapillary closure, already reported in previous studies.

Effect of body mass index on diabetogenesis factors at a fixed fasting plasma glucose level.

PubMed

Lin, Jiunn-Diann; Hsu, Chun-Hsien; Wu, Chung-Ze; Hsieh, An-Tsz; Hsieh, Chang-Hsun; Liang, Yao-Jen; Chen, Yen-Lin; Pei, Dee; Chang, Jin-Biou

2018-01-01

The present study evaluated the relative influence of body mass index (BMI) on insulin resistance (IR), first-phase insulin secretion (FPIS), second-phase insulin secretion (SPIS), and glucose effectiveness (GE) at a fixed fasting plasma glucose level in an older ethnic Chinese population. In total, 265 individuals aged 60 years with a fasting plasma glucose level of 5.56 mmol/L were enrolled. Participants had BMIs of 20.0-34.2 kg/m2. IR, FPIS, SPIS, and GE were estimated using our previously developed equations. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess the correlations between the four diabetogenesis factors and BMI. A general linear model was used to determine the differences in the percentage of change among the four factor slopes against BMI. Significant correlations were observed between BMI and FPIS, SPIS, IR, and GE in both women and men, which were higher than those reported previously. In men, BMI had the most profound effect on SPIS, followed by IR, FPIS, and GE, whereas in women, the order was slightly different: IR, followed by FPIS, SPIS, and GE. Significant differences were observed among all these slopes, except for the slopes between FPIS and SPIS in women (p = 0.856) and IR and FPIS in men (p = 0.258). The contribution of obesity to all diabetes factors, except GE, was higher than that reported previously. BMI had the most profound effect on insulin secretion in men and on IR in women in this 60-year-old cohort, suggesting that lifestyle modifications for obesity reduction in women remain the most important method for improving glucose metabolism and preventing future type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Mind wandering while reading easy and difficult texts.

PubMed

Feng, Shi; D'Mello, Sidney; Graesser, Arthur C

2013-06-01

Mind wandering is a phenomenon in which attention drifts away from the primary task to task-unrelated thoughts. Previous studies have used self-report methods to measure the frequency of mind wandering and its effects on task performance. Many of these studies have investigated mind wandering in simple perceptual and memory tasks, such as recognition memory, sustained attention, and choice reaction time tasks. Manipulations of task difficulty have revealed that mind wandering occurs more frequently in easy than in difficult conditions, but that it has a greater negative impact on performance in the difficult conditions. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between mind wandering and task difficulty in a high-level cognitive task, namely reading comprehension of standardized texts. We hypothesized that reading comprehension may yield a different relation between mind wandering and task difficulty than has been observed previously. Participants read easy or difficult versions of eight passages and then answered comprehension questions after reading each of the passages. Mind wandering was reported using the probe-caught method from several previous studies. In contrast to the previous results, but consistent with our hypothesis, mind wandering occurred more frequently when participants read difficult rather than easy texts. However, mind wandering had a more negative influence on comprehension for the difficult texts, which is consistent with the previous data. The results are interpreted from the perspectives of the executive-resources and control-failure theories of mind wandering, as well as with regard to situation models of text comprehension.

Ozone and temperature trends

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stolarski, Richard S.; Fioletov, Vitali; Bishop, Lane; Godin, Sophie; Bojkov, Rumen D.; Kirchhoff, Volker; Chanin, Marie-Lise; Zawodny, Joseph M.; Zerefos, Christos S.; Chu, William

1991-01-01

An update of the extensive reviews of the state of knowledge of measured ozone trends published in the Report of the International Ozone Trends Panel is presented. The update contains a review of progress since these reports, including reviewing of the ozone records, in most cases through March 1991. Also included are some new, unpublished reanalyses of these records including a complete reevaluation of 29 stations located in the former Soviet Union. The major new advance in knowledge of the measured ozone trend is the existence of independently calibrated satellite data records from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAG) instruments. These confirm many of the findings, originally derived from the Dobson record, concerning northern mid-latitude changes in ozone. We now have results from several instruments, whereas the previously reported changes were dependent on the calibration of a single instrument. This update will compare the ozone records from many different instruments to determine whether or not they provide a consistent picture of the ozone change that has occurred in the atmosphere. The update also briefly considers the problem of stratospheric temperature change. As in previous reports, this problem received significantly less attention, and the report is not nearly as complete. This area needs more attention in the future.

Infantile osteopetrosis and juvenile xanthogranuloma presenting together in a newborn: a case report and literature review.

PubMed

Almarzooqi, Saeeda; Reed, Suzanne; Fung, Bonita; Boué, Daniel R; Prasad, Vinay; Pietryga, Daniel

2011-01-01

Osteopetrosis (OP) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by increased bone density. Associations between OP and other clinical entities are rare but include muscular degeneration, Dandy-Walker syndrome, craniosynostosis, and poikiloderma. Infantile OP has also been diagnosed in a group of infants with neuronal storage disease. An association between OP and juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) has never been previously reported. Herein we present a case of an intermediate form of OP in a newborn who presented with hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia. Histologic evaluation of a bone marrow biopsy demonstrated abnormally thickened bony trabeculae. A liver biopsy demonstrated prominent expansion of portal areas by a histiocytic infiltrate expressing CD45, CD14, CD68, CD163, factor XIIIa, and fascin, while the biopsy was negative for S100 and CD1a. These findings were those associated with JXG. Genetic testing demonstrated a mutation involving the Pleckstrin homology domain-containing family M member 1 ( PLEKHM1 ) gene. A different mutation in this gene has been previously reported in one other patient with OP. Our case is the 2nd reported case with PLEKHM1 mutation in a patient with a mild form of OP. It also demonstrates the 1st reported occurrence of OP concomitantly with JXG.

Improving brightness and photostability of green and red fluorescent proteins for live cell imaging and FRET reporting.

PubMed

Bajar, Bryce T; Wang, Emily S; Lam, Amy J; Kim, Bongjae B; Jacobs, Conor L; Howe, Elizabeth S; Davidson, Michael W; Lin, Michael Z; Chu, Jun

2016-02-16

Many genetically encoded biosensors use Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to dynamically report biomolecular activities. While pairs of cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins (FPs) are most commonly used as FRET partner fluorophores, respectively, green and red FPs offer distinct advantages for FRET, such as greater spectral separation, less phototoxicity, and lower autofluorescence. We previously developed the green-red FRET pair Clover and mRuby2, which improves responsiveness in intramolecular FRET reporters with different designs. Here we report the engineering of brighter and more photostable variants, mClover3 and mRuby3. mClover3 improves photostability by 60% and mRuby3 by 200% over the previous generation of fluorophores. Notably, mRuby3 is also 35% brighter than mRuby2, making it both the brightest and most photostable monomeric red FP yet characterized. Furthermore, we developed a standardized methodology for assessing FP performance in mammalian cells as stand-alone markers and as FRET partners. We found that mClover3 or mRuby3 expression in mammalian cells provides the highest fluorescence signals of all jellyfish GFP or coral RFP derivatives, respectively. Finally, using mClover3 and mRuby3, we engineered an improved version of the CaMKIIα reporter Camuiα with a larger response amplitude.

Risk assessment of antibiotic residues in different water matrices in India: key issues and challenges.

PubMed

Mutiyar, Pravin K; Mittal, Atul K

2014-06-01

Global detection of antibiotic substances in water matrices has considerably increased in the recent past. However, in India research on this issue is limited or generalised in the literature. Risks associated with the presence of antibiotics in the environment can be quantified using a hazard quotient (HQ) approach. Here, HQs were developed using the measured environmental concentration (MEC) approach for antibiotic residues in Indian water matrices previously reported in the literature. In the present study, environmental risk assessment, using the HQ index [HQ = measured environmental concentration (MEC)/predicted no effect concentration (PNEC)] for different antibiotics, was performed according to the guidelines of European Medicine Evaluation Agency (EMEA). MEC and PNEC levels were obtained from the literature. PNEC values were also calculated from EC50 using a safety factor when no PNECs were reported in the literature. HQs were obtained for industrial effluents (HQ = 10(4)) that were greater than any previously reported values. Ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, seemed to present the greatest risk in India. The HQ indices for Indian water matrices were in the following order: industrial effluents > lake water > river water > hospital effluents > treated sewage ≃ groundwater. A very high HQ represents a potential environmental concern for aquatic environments in India and demands that immediate attention be devoted to regulating these compounds, especially in pharmaceutical industrial wastewater.

Identification of different ALK mutations in a pair of neuroblastoma cell lines established at diagnosis and relapse.

PubMed

Chen, Lindi; Humphreys, Angharad; Turnbull, Lisa; Bellini, Angela; Schleiermacher, Gudrun; Salwen, Helen; Cohn, Susan L; Bown, Nick; Tweddle, Deborah A

2016-12-27

Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) is a transmembrane receptor kinase that belongs to the insulin receptor superfamily and has previously been shown to play a role in cell proliferation, migration and invasion in neuroblastoma. Activating ALK mutations are reported in both hereditary and sporadic neuroblastoma tumours, and several ALK inhibitors are currently under clinical evaluation as novel treatments for neuroblastoma. Overall, mutations at codons F1174, R1275 and F1245 together account for ~85% of reported ALK mutations in neuroblastoma. NBLW and NBLW-R are paired cell lines originally derived from an infant with metastatic MYCN amplified Stage IVS (Evans Criteria) neuroblastoma, at diagnosis and relapse, respectively. Using both Sanger and targeted deep sequencing, this study describes the identification of distinct ALK mutations in these paired cell lines, including the rare R1275L mutation, which has not previously been reported in a neuroblastoma cell line. Analysis of the sensitivity of NBLW and NBLW-R cells to a panel of ALK inhibitors (TAE-684, Crizotinib, Alectinib and Lorlatinib) revealed differences between the paired cell lines, and overall NBLW-R cells with the F1174L mutation were more resistant to ALK inhibitor induced apoptosis compared with NBLW cells. This pair of cell lines represents a valuable pre-clinical model of clonal evolution of ALK mutations associated with neuroblastoma progression.

Functional brain activation differences in stuttering identified with a rapid fMRI sequence

PubMed Central

Kraft, Shelly Jo; Choo, Ai Leen; Sharma, Harish; Ambrose, Nicoline G.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether brain activity related to the presence of stuttering can be identified with rapid functional MRI (fMRI) sequences that involved overt and covert speech processing tasks. The long-term goal is to develop sensitive fMRI approaches with developmentally appropriate tasks to identify deviant speech motor and auditory brain activity in children who stutter closer to the age at which recovery from stuttering is documented. Rapid sequences may be preferred for individuals or populations who do not tolerate long scanning sessions. In this report, we document the application of a picture naming and phoneme monitoring task in three minute fMRI sequences with adults who stutter (AWS). If relevant brain differences are found in AWS with these approaches that conform to previous reports, then these approaches can be extended to younger populations. Pairwise contrasts of brain BOLD activity between AWS and normally fluent adults indicated the AWS showed higher BOLD activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), right temporal lobe and sensorimotor cortices during picture naming and and higher activity in the right IFG during phoneme monitoring. The right lateralized pattern of BOLD activity together with higher activity in sensorimotor cortices is consistent with previous reports, which indicates rapid fMRI sequences can be considered for investigating stuttering in younger participants. PMID:22133409

Guaranteed Time Observations Support for Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) on HST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaver, Edward

1998-01-01

We assemble this final grant report by combining our previously submitted progress reports with the last year's progress report. Section 2 is the progress report for the June 1, 1991 to Nov. 14, 1995 period. Section 4 is the progress report for the Nov. 14, 1996 to Dec. 31, 1996 period. Section 5 is the progress report for the Nov. 14 to Aug. 31, 1997 period. Section 6 is the new progress report for the Sept. 15, 1997 to Nov. 14, 1998 final period. Section 3 is a summary of our spare detector high voltage transient tests activity in 1992 in support of the renewed safe operation of the GHRS HST D1 detector. Note that we have left the format of each progress report the same as originally sent out. The slight differences in format presentation are thus intended.

Extensive Field Survey, Laboratory and Greenhouse Studies Reveal Complex Nature of Pseudomonas syringae-Associated Hazelnut Decline in Central Italy

PubMed Central

Lamichhane, Jay Ram; Bartoli, Claudia; Varvaro, Leonardo

2016-01-01

Pseudomonas avellanae (Pav) has been reported as the causal agent of bacterial decline and bacterial canker of hazelnut in Italy and Greece, respectively. Both hazelnut diseases were reported to be similar in terms of symptoms, severity and persistence. In this study, we found that both symptomatic and asymptomatic trees in the field were colonized by Pav. Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) analysis showed that Pav strains isolated during this study in Italy belong to the P. syringae phylogroup 1 and they are closely related to Pav strains previously isolated in Greece from hazelnut bacterial canker. On the other hand, strains isolated in earlier studies from hazelnut decline in Italy belong to both phylogroup 1 and 2 of P. syringae. Both phylogroup 1 strains of P. syringae from Greece and Italy are different than strains isolated in this study in terms of their capacity to excrete fluorescent pigments on different media. Despite the same plant genotype and cropping practices adopted, the incidence of hazelnut decline ranged from nearly 0 to 91% across our study sites. No disease developed on plants inoculated with Pav through wounding while leaf scar inoculations produced only mild disease symptoms. Based on our results and the previously reported correlation between pedo-climatic conditions and hazelnut decline, we conclude that hazelnut decline in central Italy could be incited by a combination of predisposing (adverse pedo-climatic conditions) and contributing factors (Pav). Because this is a true decline different from “bacterial canker” described in Greece, we refer to it as hazelnut decline (HD). PMID:26840951

Extensive Field Survey, Laboratory and Greenhouse Studies Reveal Complex Nature of Pseudomonas syringae-Associated Hazelnut Decline in Central Italy.

PubMed

Lamichhane, Jay Ram; Bartoli, Claudia; Varvaro, Leonardo

2016-01-01

Pseudomonas avellanae (Pav) has been reported as the causal agent of bacterial decline and bacterial canker of hazelnut in Italy and Greece, respectively. Both hazelnut diseases were reported to be similar in terms of symptoms, severity and persistence. In this study, we found that both symptomatic and asymptomatic trees in the field were colonized by Pav. Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) analysis showed that Pav strains isolated during this study in Italy belong to the P. syringae phylogroup 1 and they are closely related to Pav strains previously isolated in Greece from hazelnut bacterial canker. On the other hand, strains isolated in earlier studies from hazelnut decline in Italy belong to both phylogroup 1 and 2 of P. syringae. Both phylogroup 1 strains of P. syringae from Greece and Italy are different than strains isolated in this study in terms of their capacity to excrete fluorescent pigments on different media. Despite the same plant genotype and cropping practices adopted, the incidence of hazelnut decline ranged from nearly 0 to 91% across our study sites. No disease developed on plants inoculated with Pav through wounding while leaf scar inoculations produced only mild disease symptoms. Based on our results and the previously reported correlation between pedo-climatic conditions and hazelnut decline, we conclude that hazelnut decline in central Italy could be incited by a combination of predisposing (adverse pedo-climatic conditions) and contributing factors (Pav). Because this is a true decline different from "bacterial canker" described in Greece, we refer to it as hazelnut decline (HD).

Repertoire of Intensive Care Unit Pneumonia Microbiota

PubMed Central

Bousbia, Sabri; Papazian, Laurent; Saux, Pierre; Forel, Jean Marie; Auffray, Jean-Pierre; Martin, Claude; Raoult, Didier; La Scola, Bernard

2012-01-01

Despite the considerable number of studies reported to date, the causative agents of pneumonia are not completely identified. We comprehensively applied modern and traditional laboratory diagnostic techniques to identify microbiota in patients who were admitted to or developed pneumonia in intensive care units (ICUs). During a three-year period, we tested the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia, community-acquired pneumonia, non-ventilator ICU pneumonia and aspiration pneumonia, and compared the results with those from patients without pneumonia (controls). Samples were tested by amplification of 16S rDNA, 18S rDNA genes followed by cloning and sequencing and by PCR to target specific pathogens. We also included culture, amoeba co-culture, detection of antibodies to selected agents and urinary antigen tests. Based on molecular testing, we identified a wide repertoire of 160 bacterial species of which 73 have not been previously reported in pneumonia. Moreover, we found 37 putative new bacterial phylotypes with a 16S rDNA gene divergence ≥98% from known phylotypes. We also identified 24 fungal species of which 6 have not been previously reported in pneumonia and 7 viruses. Patients can present up to 16 different microorganisms in a single BAL (mean ± SD; 3.77±2.93). Some pathogens considered to be typical for ICU pneumonia such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus species can be detected as commonly in controls as in pneumonia patients which strikingly highlights the existence of a core pulmonary microbiota. Differences in the microbiota of different forms of pneumonia were documented. PMID:22389704

Sitagliptin on carotid intima-media thickness in type 2 diabetes patients receiving primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A subgroup analysis of the PROLOGUE study.

PubMed

Tanaka, Atsushi; Yoshida, Hisako; Nanasato, Mamoru; Oyama, Jun-Ichi; Ishizu, Tomoko; Ajioka, Masayoshi; Ishiki, Ryoji; Saito, Makoto; Shibata, Yoshisato; Kaku, Kohei; Maemura, Koji; Higashi, Yukihito; Inoue, Teruo; Murohara, Toyoaki; Node, Koichi

2018-05-19

Whether a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor can attenuate atherosclerosis is still controversial. Some clinical trials reported that DPP-4 inhibitors in diabetes patients without a previous history of cardiovascular (CV) events could reduce carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). However, in the PROLOGUE study, which enrolled diabetes patients both with and without previous CV events, sitagliptin failed to slow the progression of carotid IMT relative to conventional therapy. We hypothesized that the effect of DPP-4 inhibitors on carotid atherosclerosis might be different between the primary and secondary prevention groups. We performed a post hoc analysis of the PROLOGUE study and compared the effects of sitagliptin and conventional therapy on changes in carotid IMT in subgroups with or without previous CV events. No significant difference in the IMT changes between the treatment groups was found in the secondary prevention subgroup (sitagliptin, N = 102; conventional, 111). However, in the primary prevention subgroup (sitagliptin, 120; conventional, 109), we found significant inhibitory effects of sitagliptin on mean and max internal carotid artery IMT [estimated group difference: -0.096 mm (95% CI -0.175 to -0.018, p = 0.017) and -0.162 mm (95% CI -0.272 to -0.052, p = 0.004), respectively], although there was no significant difference in the common carotid artery IMT. Our data suggest that there is a favorable effect of DPP-4 inhibitor treatment on carotid atherosclerosis in diabetes patients without previous CV events. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Salary differences of male and female physician assistant educators.

PubMed

Coombs, Jennifer; Valentin, Virginia

2014-01-01

The Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) annual report has shown substantial salary differences between male and female physician assistant (PA) faculty. Despite this published difference between the salaries, very little research has been conducted on the subject. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a significant difference between male and female PA faculty salaries. The researchers set out to determine if these differences could be further distinguished by education level, rank, or position. In addition, any difference between the percentages of male and female faculty promoted to higher ranks and in leadership positions was also explored. Salary, gender, degree, rank, and position were obtained and deidentified from the 25th PAEA annual report. SPSS Version 20 was used to analyze the data. Statistical analysis included descriptive measures and an independent t test. Data from only those PA educators who reported full-time employment were used. The final analysis included 477 PA faculty salaries. Female PA educators showed statistically significant lower annual incomes than their male counterparts. The income disparity persisted when differentiated by education, rank, and position. Higher percentages of male PA faculty members were found in higher ranks and in leadership positions. This study confirms previous reports that female PA faculty earn less than their male counterparts. With increasing numbers of female PAs entering academia, the lack of women in leadership positions and the wage disparity are concerning.

Learning styles in otolaryngology fellowships.

PubMed

Varela, David A Diaz Voss; Malik, Mohammad U; Laeeq, Kulsoom; Pandian, Vinciya; Brown, David J; Weatherly, Robert A; Cummings, Charles W; Bhatti, Nasir I

2011-12-01

Previous studies have identified a predominant learning style in trainees from different specialties, more recently in otolaryngology residents. The purpose of our study was to determine a predominant learning style within otolaryngology fellowships and to identify any differences between otolaryngology fellows and residents. We conducted a survey of otolaryngology fellows at 25 otolaryngology fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. We emailed Kolb's Learning Style Index version 3.1 to 16 pediatric otolaryngology (PO) and 24 otology/neurotology (ON) fellows. This index is a widely used 12-item questionnaire. The participants answered each item in the questionnaire as it applied to their preferred learning style: accommodating, converging, diverging, or assimilating. Results were then analyzed and compared between each subspecialty and the previously reported preferred styles of otolaryngology residents. Ten PO and 20 ON fellows completed the survey, with an overall response rate of 75%. PO and ON fellows (60% of each group) preferred a learning style that was "balanced" across all four styles. For ON fellows, 35% preferred converging and 5% preferred accommodating styles. For PO fellows, converging and accommodating styles accounted for 20% each. It was previously reported that 74.4% of otolaryngology residents prefer either converging or accommodating styles. We believe that the fellowship training environment calls for fellows to use more than one learning style to become proficient physicians, hence the trend toward potentially developing a balanced style when at this level. Copyright © 2011 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.

Subtle hemorrhagic brain injury is associated with neurodevelopmental impairment in infants with repaired congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Soul, Janet S; Robertson, Richard L; Wypij, David; Bellinger, David C; Visconti, Karen J; du Plessis, Adré J; Kussman, Barry D; Scoppettuolo, Lisa A; Pigula, Frank; Jonas, Richard A; Newburger, Jane W

2009-08-01

Perioperative stroke and periventricular leukomalacia have been reported to occur commonly in infants with congenital heart disease. We aimed to determine the incidence and type of brain injury in infants undergoing 2-ventricle repair in infancy and to determine risk factors associated with such injury. Forty-eight infants enrolled in a trial comparing 2 different hematocrits during surgical repair of congenital heart disease underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans and neurodevelopmental testing at 1 year of age. Eighteen (38%) of our subjects had tiny foci of hemosiderin by susceptibility imaging, without evidence of abnormalities in corresponding regions on conventional magnetic resonance imaging sequences. Subjects with foci of hemosiderin had a significantly lower Psychomotor Developmental Index at 1 year of age (79.6 +/- 16.5, mean +/- standard deviation) compared with subjects without these foci (89.5 +/- 15.3; P = .04). Older age at surgery and diagnostic group were significantly associated with the presence of hemosiderin foci. Only 1 subject had a small stroke (2%), and 2 subjects had periventricular leukomalacia (4%). Foci of hemosiderin without radiologic evidence of ischemic brain injury are an abnormality associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome not previously described in magnetic resonance imaging studies of children with surgically repaired congenital heart disease. The association of hemosiderin foci with older age at surgery and cardiac diagnosis, and not with risk factors associated with brain injury, in previous studies suggests that the cause and pathogenesis of this abnormality are different from ischemic brain lesions reported previously.

Changing patterns of brain activation during maze learning.

PubMed

Van Horn, J D; Gold, J M; Esposito, G; Ostrem, J L; Mattay, V; Weinberger, D R; Berman, K F

1998-05-18

Recent research has found that patterns of brain activation involving the frontal cortex during novel task performance change dramatically following practice and repeat performance. Evidence for differential left vs. right frontal lobe activation, respectively, during episodic memory encoding and retrieval has also been reported. To examine these potentially related issues regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in 15 normal volunteers using positron emission tomography (PET) during the naive and practiced performance of a maze task paradigm. SPM analysis indicated a largely right-sided, frontal lobe activation during naive performance. Following training and practice, performance of the same maze task elicited a more posterior pattern of rCBF activation involving posterior cingulate and precuneus. The change in the pattern of rCBF activation between novel and practiced task conditions agrees with results found in previous studies using repeat task methodology, and indicates that the neural circuitry required for encoding novel task information differs from that required when the same task has become familiar and information is being recalled. The right-sided preponderance of activation during naive performance may relate to task novelty and the spatially-based nature of the stimuli, whereas posterior areas activated during repeat performance are those previously found to be associated with visuospatial memory recall. Activation of these areas, however, does not agree with previously reported findings of left-sided activation during verbal episodic memory encoding and right-sided activation during retrieval, suggesting different neural substrates for verbal and visuospatial processing within memory. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Characterization of vanadium ion uptake in sulfonated diels alder poly(phenylene) membranes

DOE PAGES

Lawton, Jamie; Jones, Amanda; Tang, Zhijiang; ...

2015-11-28

Sulfonated diels alder poly(phenylene) (SDAPP), alternative aromatic hydrocarbon membranes for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are characterized using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Membranes soaked in sulfuric acid and vanadyl sulfate are analyzed to determine the membrane environment in which the vanadyl ion (VO 2+) diffuses in the membranes. These results are compared to Nafion 117 membranes. In contrast to Nafion, the VO 2+ in SDAPP membranes exists in two different environments. The results of analysis of rotational diffusion determined from fits the EPR spectral lineshapes in comparison with previously reported permeation studies and measurements of partitioning functions reported here suggestmore » that the diffusion pathways in SDAPP are very different than in Nafion.« less

Brachinite-Like Clast in the Kaidun Meteorite: First Report of Primitive Achondrite Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higashi, K.; Hasegawa, H.; Mikouchi, T.; Zolensky, M. E.

2017-01-01

Kaidun is a brecciated meteorite containing many different types of meteorites. It is composed of carbonaceous, enstatite, ordinary and R chondrites with smaller amounts of basaltic achondrites, impact melt products and unknown [1, 2]. Because of the multiple components and high abundance of carbonaceous chondrites, the Kaidun parent body was probably a large C-type asteroid in order to have accumulated clasts of many unrelated asteroids, and thus Kaidun contains previously unknown materials[1]. It has been suggested that the Kaidun parent body trawled through different regions of the solar system [3], but the formation of Kaidun meteorite is still uncertain. In this abstract, we report the first discovery of a brachinite-like clast in Kaidun.

KARS-related diseases: progressive leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord calcifications as new phenotype and a review of literature.

PubMed

Ardissone, Anna; Tonduti, Davide; Legati, Andrea; Lamantea, Eleonora; Barone, Rita; Dorboz, Imen; Boespflug-Tanguy, Odile; Nebbia, Gabriella; Maggioni, Marco; Garavaglia, Barbara; Moroni, Isabella; Farina, Laura; Pichiecchio, Anna; Orcesi, Simona; Chiapparini, Luisa; Ghezzi, Daniele

2018-04-04

KARS encodes lysyl- transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase, which catalyzes the aminoacylation of tRNA-Lys in the cytoplasm and mitochondria. Eleven families/sporadic patients and 16 different mutations in KARS have been reported to date. The associated clinical phenotype is heterogeneous ranging from early onset encephalopathy to isolated peripheral neuropathy or nonsyndromic hearing impairment. Recently additional presentations including leukoencephalopathy as predominant cerebral involvement or cardiomyopathy, isolated or associated with muscular and cerebral involvement, have been reported. A progressive Leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord calcifications was previously described in a singleton patient and in two siblings, without the identification of the genetic cause. We reported here about a new severe phenotype associated with biallelic KARS mutations and sharing some common points with the other already reported phenotypes, but with a distinct clinical and neuroimaging picture. Review of KARS mutant patients published to date will be also discussed. Herein, we report the clinical, biochemical and molecular findings of 2 unreported Italian patients affected by developmental delay, acquired microcephaly, spastic tetraparesis, epilepsy, sensory-neural hypoacusia, visual impairment, microcytic hypochromic anaemia and signs of hepatic dysfunction. MRI pattern in our patients was characterized by progressive diffuse leukoencephalopathy and calcifications extending in cerebral, brainstem and cerebellar white matter, with spinal cord involvement. Genetic analysis performed on these 2 patients and in one subject previously described with similar MRI pattern revealed the presence of biallelic mutations in KARS in all 3 subjects. With our report we define the molecular basis of the previously described Leukoencephalopathy with Brainstem and Spinal cord Calcification widening the spectrum of KARS related disorders, particularly in childhood onset disease suggestive for mitochondrial impairment. The review of previous cases does not suggest a strict and univocal genotype/phenotype correlation for this highly heterogeneous entity. Moreover, our cases confirm the usefulness of search for common brain and spine MR imaging pattern and of broad genetic screening, in syndromes clinically resembling mitochondrial disorders in spite of normal biochemical assay.

Gender Differences in Use and Expectancies of E-Cigarettes: Online Survey Results

PubMed Central

Piñeiro, Bárbara; Correa, John B.; Simmons, Vani N.; Harrell, Paul T.; Menzie, Nicole S.; Unrod, Marina; Meltzer, Lauren R.; Brandon, Thomas H.

2015-01-01

Introduction Given the rapid increase in e-cigarette use, it is important to understand factors that may contribute to their initiation and maintenance. Because gender differences in tobacco use, product preferences, and expectancies are well established, similar gender differences may exist with e-cigarettes. The aim of this study was to identify gender differences among e-cigarette users in patterns of use, reasons for initiation and maintenance, and outcome expectancies regarding e-cigarettes. Methods Participants (N = 1815) completed an online survey from August through November, 2013. We assessed sociodemographics, smoking and e-cigarette history and use, and expectancies about e-cigarettes. Results We found gender differences in type of e-cigarette used, flavors used, nicotine dosage, source of information about e-cigarettes, place of purchase, and use of e-cigarettes where smoking is prohibited. In addition, males were more likely to report initiating e-cigarette use to quit smoking due to health concerns, whereas females were more likely to report initiation based on recommendations from family and friends. Males reported higher attributions for maintenance of e-cigarette use related to positive reinforcement (enjoyment), whereas females reported higher negative reinforcement attributions (stress reduction or mood management). Males reported more positive expectancies about e-cigarettes, including taste, social facilitation, and energy, whereas women rated e-cigarettes higher for weight control. Males also reported greater addiction-related e-cigarette expectancy than females. Conclusions Many of the gender differences with e-cigarettes parallel those previously found with traditional cigarette smoking. Although effect sizes associated with these differences were small, the results may help advance research and intervention development with respect to e-cigarette initiation, maintenance and cessation. PMID:26406973

Gender differences in use and expectancies of e-cigarettes: Online survey results.

PubMed

Piñeiro, Bárbara; Correa, John B; Simmons, Vani N; Harrell, Paul T; Menzie, Nicole S; Unrod, Marina; Meltzer, Lauren R; Brandon, Thomas H

2016-01-01

Given the rapid increase in e-cigarette use, it is important to understand factors that may contribute to their initiation and maintenance. Because gender differences in tobacco use, product preferences, and expectancies are well established, similar gender differences may exist with e-cigarettes. The aim of this study was to identify gender differences among e-cigarette users in patterns of use, reasons for initiation and maintenance, and outcome expectancies regarding e-cigarettes. Participants (N=1815) completed an online survey from August through November, 2013. We assessed sociodemographics, smoking and e-cigarette history and use, and expectancies about e-cigarettes. We found gender differences in type of e-cigarette used, flavors used, nicotine dosage, source of information about e-cigarettes, place of purchase, and use of e-cigarettes where smoking is prohibited. In addition, males were more likely to report initiating e-cigarette use to quit smoking due to health concerns, whereas females were more likely to report initiation based on recommendations from family and friends. Males reported higher attributions for maintenance of e-cigarette use related to positive reinforcement (enjoyment), whereas females reported higher negative reinforcement attributions (stress reduction or mood management). Males reported more positive expectancies about e-cigarettes, including taste, social facilitation, and energy, whereas women rated e-cigarettes higher for weight control. Males also reported greater addiction-related e-cigarette expectancy than females. Many of the gender differences with e-cigarettes parallel those previously found with traditional cigarette smoking. Although effect sizes associated with these differences were small, the results may help advance research and intervention development with respect to e-cigarette initiation, maintenance and cessation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stepping out of the caveman's shadow: nations' gender gap predicts degree of sex differentiation in mate preferences.

PubMed

Zentner, Marcel; Mitura, Klaudia

2012-10-01

An influential explanation for gender differences in mating strategies is that the sex-specific reproductive constraints faced by human ancestors shaped these differences. Other theorists have emphasized the role of societal factors, hypothesizing, for example, that gender differences in mate preferences should wane in gender-equal societies. However, findings have been ambiguous. Using recent data and a novel measure of gender equality, we revisited the role of gender parity in gender differentiation for mate preferences. In the first study, 3,177 participants from 10 nations with a gradually decreasing Global Gender Gap Index (GGI) provided online ratings of the desirability of mate attributes with reportedly evolutionary origins. In the second study, GGI scores were related to gender differences in mate preferences previously reported for 8,953 participants from 31 nations (Buss, 1989). Both studies show that gender differences in mate preferences with presumed evolutionary roots decline proportionally to increases in nations' gender parity.

Extending Research on "Conceptions of Teaching": Commonalities and Differences in Recent Investigations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Carlos

2011-01-01

There is a significant body of research on conceptions of teaching. However, newer studies have reported facets of teaching which did not emerge in previous research. This has lead to claims that there may be still much to learn about university teachers' conceptions of teaching. In this line, the present study is aimed at exploring, from a…

Understanding Thermal Transport in Graded, Layered and Hybrid Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

interfacial chemistries, including metallic and carbide layers, and; (iv) mimic the observed interface structure on a TDTR specimen by manipulating the...surface carbides , which were extracted from several different composites via acid dissolution of Cu, continued throughout the last 12 months of the...effort. The previously-reported electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) based techniques were employed to estimate the interfacial carbide layer thickness

Impact of estrus expression and conceptus presence on plasma and uterine glucose concentrations up until maternal recognition of pregnancy in beef cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Glucose is an essential component of uterine luminal fluid (ULF), it is a major energy source utilized by the conceptus for growth and development. Previously we reported increased concentrations of glucose in the ULF of cows that exhibited estrus, and observed differences in glucose transporter tr...

The Benefits and Costs of Head Start. Social Policy Report. Volume 21, Number 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludwig, Jens; Phillips, Deborah

2007-01-01

We review what is known about Head Start's impacts on children and argue that the program is likely to generate benefits to participants and society as a whole that are larger than program costs. Our conclusions differ from those in some previous reviews because we use a more appropriate standard to judge program effectiveness (benefit-cost…

On the Importance of Reliable Covariate Measurement in Selection Bias Adjustments Using Propensity Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steiner, Peter M.; Cook, Thomas D.; Shadish, William R.

2011-01-01

The effect of unreliability of measurement on propensity score (PS) adjusted treatment effects has not been previously studied. The authors report on a study simulating different degrees of unreliability in the multiple covariates that were used to estimate the PS. The simulation uses the same data as two prior studies. Shadish, Clark, and Steiner…

RcsB contributes to the distinct stress fitness between Escherichia coli O157:H7 curli variants of 1993 hamburger-associated outbreak strains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Curli are adhesive fimbriae of Enterobactericaeae and are involved in surface attachment, cell aggregation and biofilm formation. We previously reported that natural curli variants of E. coli O157:H7 (EcO157) displayed distinct acid resistance; however, this difference was not linked to the curli fi...

Center of Excellence in Biotechnology (Fellowships)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

unliated. Graduate student fellowships in the area of Protein Structure and Function, with subcategories of Enzyms and Receptors, were awarded annually on...Abstracts of publications not previously reported. Special ARO Symposia Programs 4.A. Graduate student fellowships in the area of Protein Structure and...Fellows. ARO fellows, thus selected, represented eight different Fields of Study at Cornell: Biochemistry, Chemistry , Chemical Engineering, Pharmacology

Does Autism Diagnosis Age or Symptom Severity Differ among Children According to Whether Assisted Reproductive Technology Was Used to Achieve Pregnancy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schieve, Laura A.; Fountain, Christine; Boulet, Sheree L.; Yeargin-Allsopp, Marshalyn; Kissin, Dmitry M.; Jamieson, Denise J.; Rice, Catherine; Bearman, Peter

2015-01-01

Previous studies report associations between conception with assisted reproductive technology (ART) and autism. Whether these associations reflect an ascertainment or biologic effect is undetermined. We assessed diagnosis age and initial autism symptom severity among >30,000 children with autism from a linkage study of California Department of…

A New Method for Calibrating Perceptual Salience across Dimensions in Infants: The Case of Color vs. Luminance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaldy, Zsuzsa; Blaser, Erik A.; Leslie, Alan M.

2006-01-01

We report a new method for calibrating differences in perceptual salience across feature dimensions, in infants. The problem of inter-dimensional salience arises in many areas of infant studies, but a general method for addressing the problem has not previously been described. Our method is based on a preferential looking paradigm, adapted to…

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

Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.

We report the first measurement of the muon flux underground at the Davis Campus of the Sanford Underground Research Facility at the 4850 foot level. Measurements were done with the Majorana Demonstrator veto system arranged in two different configurations. Both results are in agreement within statistical accuracy. The measured flux is (4.08+-0.19) x 10 -9 muons/cm/2. We compare our results with previous calculations.

Forest and rangeland ecosystem condition indicators: identifying national areas of opportunity using data development analysis

Treesearch

John G. Hof; Curtis H. Flather; Tony J. Baltic; Rudy M. King

2004-01-01

This article reports the methodology and results of a data envelopment analysis (DEA) that attempts to identify areas in the country where there is maximum potential for improving the forest and rangeland condition, based on 12 indicator variables. This analysis differs from previous DEA studies in that the primary variables are measures of human activity and...

A Study of Gender and Performance on Advanced Placement History Examinations. College Board Report No. 91-4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breland, Hunter M.; And Others

Several studies have shown that, on average, women perform slightly better than men on free-response tests, while men perform slightly better on multiple-choice tests. Two advanced placement examinations, United States History (USH) and European History (EH), were chosen for study because previous studies have shown that sex differences on the…

Approach to Mathematical Problem Solving and Students' Belief Systems: Two Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callejo, Maria Luz; Vila, Antoni

2009-01-01

The goal of the study reported here is to gain a better understanding of the role of belief systems in the approach phase to mathematical problem solving. Two students of high academic performance were selected based on a previous exploratory study of 61 students 12-13 years old. In this study we identified different types of approaches to…

Motivations to Seek Science Videos on YouTube: Free-Choice Learning in a Connected Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenthal, Sonny

2018-01-01

Do individuals use video sharing sites in their free time to learn about science, and if so, why? This study takes a preliminary look at individual differences that motivate online science video seeking. Among 273 Singapore Internet users who participated in an online survey, most reported using YouTube during the previous week, and one-third…

Development of 1-Mile Walk Tests to Estimate Aerobic Fitness in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Hoyong; Collier, David N.; DuBose, Katrina D.; Kemble, C. David; Mahar, Matthew T.

2018-01-01

To examine the reliability and validity of 1-mile walk tests for estimation of aerobic fitness (VO[subscript 2max]) in 10- to 13-year-old children and to cross-validate previously published equations. Participants (n = 61) walked 1-mile on two different days. Self-reported physical activity, demographic variables, and aerobic fitness were used in…

Red Turpentine Beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), Response to Host Semiochemicals in China

Treesearch

Jianghua Sun; Zhengwan Miao; Zhen Zhang; Zhongning Zhan; Nancy Gillette

2004-01-01

The response of the introduced red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte, to host semiochemicals in Shanxi Province, China, was distinctly different from that reported in previous studies conducted in the western part of the native range of D. valens in the central Sierra Nevada, CA. This Þnding suggests either that...

Effects of corn fiber gum with different molecular weights on the gelatinization behaviors of corn and wheat starch

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Corn fiber gum (CFG) is a novel arabinoxylan hydrocolloid. Recent research has shown that it has a considerable potential in food processing. In our previous study, we reported that CFG could be used to modify the gelling and rheological properties of starch-based food. In this study, starch and CFG...

Examining Risk and Protective Factors in Head Start Populations Located in High- and Low-Violence Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fedor, Megan C.; Bender, Stacy L.; Carlson, John S.

2010-01-01

This study examined parental reports of children attending Head Start programs in high- (N = 200) and low- (N = 188) violence communities to determine whether differences existed in the level of risk and protective factors as measured by the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (P. A. LeBuffe & J. A. Naglieri, 1999). Previous research has indicated…

The SWAN Captures Variance at the Negative and Positive Ends of the ADHD Symptom Dimension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnett, Anne B.; Pennington, Bruce F.; Friend, Angela; Willcutt, Erik G.; Byrne, Brian; Samuelsson, Stefan; Olson, Richard K.

2013-01-01

Objective: The Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior (SWAN) Rating Scale differs from previous parent reports of ADHD in that it was designed to also measure variability at the positive end of the symptom spectrum. Method: The psychometric properties of the SWAN were tested and compared with an established measure of ADHD,…

Mental Health Differences between Young Adults with and without Same-Sex Contact: A Simultaneous Examination of Underlying Mechanisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ueno, Koji

2010-01-01

Previous research has documented that sexual minorities are more likely than heterosexual people to experience mental health problems, but little is known about how these disparities emerge. Analysis of data from Miami-Dade County, Florida, shows that young adults reporting same-sex contact have higher levels of depressive symptoms and drug use…

Database interfaces on NASA's heterogeneous distributed database system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Shou-Hsuan Stephen

1989-01-01

The syntax and semantics of all commands used in the template are described. Template builders should consult this document for proper commands in the template. Previous documents (Semiannual reports) described other aspects of this project. Appendix 1 contains all substituting commands used in the system. Appendix 2 includes all repeating commands. Appendix 3 is a collection of DEFINE templates from eight different DBMS's.

Conduct a Cost Effectiveness Study of Postgraduate Medical Education Programs. Part I, Part II (Appendixes). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Phillip R.; And Others

To gather data on the effects of different modes of instruction on physician achievement in plotting mean P, O, RS, and T receptiors in electrocardiography, researchers chose a random sample of physicians who had taken a correspondence course on electrocardiography during the previous 5 years from the University of Southern California School of…

MTHFR and ACE Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Vascular and Degenerative Dementias in the Elderly

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandey, Pratima; Pradhan, Sunil; Modi, Dinesh Raj; Mittal, Balraj

2009-01-01

Focal lacunar infarctions due to cerebral small vessel atherosclerosis or single/multiple large cortical infarcts lead to vascular dementia, and different genes and environmental factors have been implicated in causation or aggravation of the disease. Previous reports suggest that some of the risk factors may be common to both vascular as well as…

Preservation of methane hydrate at 1 atm

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stern, L.A.; Circone, S.; Kirby, S.H.; Durham, W.B.

2001-01-01

A "pressure-release" method that enables reproducible bulk preservation of pure, porous, methane hydrate at conditions 50 to 75 K above its equilibrium T (193 K) at 1 atm is refined. The amount of hydrate preserved by this method appears to be greatly in excess of that reported in the previous citations, and is likely the result of a mechanism different from ice shielding.

Brief Report: Impaired Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST) in School-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yerys, Benjamin E.; Wolff, Brian C.; Moody, Eric; Pennington, Bruce F.; Hepburn, Susan L.

2012-01-01

Cognitive flexibility has been measured with inductive reasoning or explicit rule tasks in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The "Flexible Item Selection Task" (FIST) differs from previous cognitive flexibility tasks in ASD research by giving children an abstract, ambiguous rule to switch. The ASD group (N = 22; Mean age = 8.28…

Final Progress Report for Collaborative Research: Aging of Black Carbon during Atmospheric Transport: Understanding Results from the DOE’s 2010 CARES and 2012 ClearfLo Campaigns

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

Mazzoleni, Claudio; Subramanian, R.

2016-08-31

Over the course of this project, we have analyzed data and samples from the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) and the Clear air for London (ClearfLo) campaign, as well as conducted or participated in laboratory experiments designed to better understand black carbon mixing state and climate-relevant properties. The laboratory campaigns took place at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University to study various climate-relevant aerosol properties of different sources of soot mixing with secondary organic aerosol precursors. Results from some of these activities were summarized in the previous progress report. This final report presents the manuscriptsmore » that have been published (many in the period since the last progress report), lists presentations at different conferences based on grant-related activities, and presents some results that are likely to be submitted for publication in the near future.« less

Self-reported emotion regulation in adults with Tourette's syndrome.

PubMed

Drury, Helena; Wilkinson, Verity; Robertson, Mary M; Channon, Shelley

2016-11-30

Recent work has reported mild impairments in social and emotional processing in Tourette's syndrome (TS), but deliberate attempts to use specific emotion regulation strategies have not been investigated previously. In the present study, adult participants with TS and no comorbidities (TS-alone) were compared to healthy control participants on several self-report measures assessing habitual use of reappraisal and suppression emotion regulation strategies. There were no group differences on measures of reappraisal, but the TS-alone group reported using suppression more frequently than the control group and this was true across a range of negative emotions. The groups did not differ on symptomatology scores of anxiety or depression, although more frequent use of suppression was associated with higher depressive symptomatology for the TS-alone group only. Further work is needed to examine potential factors that may influence emotion regulation in TS, including increased emotional reactivity or expertise in applying strategies to suppress tic symptoms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Update on the Non-Mass-Dependent Isotope Fractionation under Thermal Gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Tao; Niles, Paul; Bao, Huiming; Socki, Richard; Liu, Yun

2013-01-01

Mass flow and compositional gradient (elemental and isotope separation) occurs when flu-id(s) or gas(es) in an enclosure is subjected to a thermal gradient, and the phenomenon is named thermal diffusion. Gas phase thermal diffusion has been theoretically and experimentally studied for more than a century, although there has not been a satisfactory theory to date. Nevertheless, for isotopic system, the Chapman-Enskog theory predicts that the mass difference is the only term in the thermal diffusion separation factors that differs one isotope pair to another,with the assumptions that the molecules are spherical and systematic (monoatomic-like structure) and the particle collision is elastic. Our previous report indicates factors may be playing a role because the Non-Mass Dependent (NMD) effect is found for both symmetric and asymmetric, linear and spherical polyatomic molecules over a wide range of temperature (-196C to +237C). The observed NMD phenomenon in the simple thermal-diffusion experiments demands quantitative validation and theoretical explanation. Besides the pressure and temperature dependency illustrated in our previous reports, efforts are made in this study to address issues such as the role of convection or molecular structure and whether it is a transient, non-equilibrium effect only.

Cytostatic versus Cytocidal Activities of Chloroquine Analogues and Inhibition of Hemozoin Crystal Growth

PubMed Central

Gorka, Alexander P.; Alumasa, John N.; Sherlach, Katy S.; Jacobs, Lauren M.; Nickley, Katherine B.; Brower, Jonathan P.; de Dios, Angel C.

2013-01-01

We report an improved, nonhazardous, high-throughput assay for in vitro quantification of antimalarial drug inhibition of β-hematin (hemozoin) crystallization performed under conditions that are more physiological relative to previous assays. The assay uses the differential detergent solubility of crystalline and noncrystalline forms of heme and is optimized via the use of lipid catalyst. Using this assay, we quantify the effect of pH on the crystal growth-inhibitory activities of current quinoline antimalarials, evaluate the catalytic efficiencies of different lipids, and test for a possible correlation between hemozoin inhibition by drugs versus their antiplasmodial activity. Consistent with several previous reports, we found a good correlation between hemozoin inhibition potency versus cytostatic antiplasmodial potency (50% inhibitory concentration) for a series of chloroquine (CQ) analogues. However, we found no correlation between hemozoin inhibition potency and cytocidal antiplasmodial potency (50% lethal dose) for the same drugs, suggesting that cellular targets for these two layers of 4-aminoquinoline drug activity differ. This important concept is also explored further for QN and its stereoisomers in the accompanying paper (A. P. Gorka, K. S. Sherlach, A. C. de Dios, and P. D. Roepe, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 57:365–374, 2013). PMID:23114783

Cytostatic versus cytocidal activities of chloroquine analogues and inhibition of hemozoin crystal growth.

PubMed

Gorka, Alexander P; Alumasa, John N; Sherlach, Katy S; Jacobs, Lauren M; Nickley, Katherine B; Brower, Jonathan P; de Dios, Angel C; Roepe, Paul D

2013-01-01

We report an improved, nonhazardous, high-throughput assay for in vitro quantification of antimalarial drug inhibition of β-hematin (hemozoin) crystallization performed under conditions that are more physiological relative to previous assays. The assay uses the differential detergent solubility of crystalline and noncrystalline forms of heme and is optimized via the use of lipid catalyst. Using this assay, we quantify the effect of pH on the crystal growth-inhibitory activities of current quinoline antimalarials, evaluate the catalytic efficiencies of different lipids, and test for a possible correlation between hemozoin inhibition by drugs versus their antiplasmodial activity. Consistent with several previous reports, we found a good correlation between hemozoin inhibition potency versus cytostatic antiplasmodial potency (50% inhibitory concentration) for a series of chloroquine (CQ) analogues. However, we found no correlation between hemozoin inhibition potency and cytocidal antiplasmodial potency (50% lethal dose) for the same drugs, suggesting that cellular targets for these two layers of 4-aminoquinoline drug activity differ. This important concept is also explored further for QN and its stereoisomers in the accompanying paper (A. P. Gorka, K. S. Sherlach, A. C. de Dios, and P. D. Roepe, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 57:365-374, 2013).

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of NiO nanospindles

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

Zhou, Hai; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049; Lv, Baoliang, E-mail: lbl604@sxicc.ac.cn

2014-02-01

Graphical abstract: NiO nanospindles with a different electrochemical activity as compared to those previous reports were synthesized via an agglomeration–dissolution–recrystallization growth process without the addition of any surfactant. - Highlights: • NiO nanospindles were synthesized without the addition of any surfactant. • The agglomeration–dissolution–recrystallization growth process was used to explain the precursors’ formation process of the spindle-like NiO. • As-obtained spindle-like NiO showed a different electrochemical activity as compared to those previous reports. - Abstract: NiO nanospindles were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal and post-treatment method. The as-synthesized nanospindles were about several hundred nanometers in width and about one micrometermore » in length. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the spindle-like structure was cubic NiO phase crystalline. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis indicated that these NiO nanospindles were of single crystal nature. On the basis of time-dependent experiments, a possible agglomeration–dissolution–recrystallization growth process was proposed to explain the formation process of the spindle-like precursors. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement showed that the as-prepared spindle-like NiO exhibited a pseudo-capacitance behavior.« less

Testicular expressed genes are missing in familial X-Linked Kallmann syndrome due to two large different deletions in daughter's X chromosomes.

PubMed

Hershkovitz, Eli; Loewenthal, Neta; Peretz, Asaf; Parvari, Ruti

2008-01-01

X-linked Kallmann syndrome (KS) is caused mainly by point mutations, in the KAL1 gene. Large deletions >1 Mb are rare events in the human population and commonly result in contiguous gene syndromes. A search for the mutation causing KS carried out on two pairs of first-degree cousins of 2 sisters. Two different apparently independent deletions were found. The deleted sequences encompass the KAL1 gene and four known additional genes exclusively expressed in testis. Two of these genes belong to the FAM9 gene family, which shares some homology with the SCYP3 gene, previously implicated in azoospermia. One of the events causing the deletion may have been mediated by an L1 transposition, the other by a non-homologous end joining. Such non-homologous recombinations have not yet been reported in the KAL genomic region and thus this area may be more prone to deletions than previously expected. This is the first report on genetic characterization of KS with a deletion of solely testis-expressed genes. The absence of these genes may have unfavorable implications for the patients regarding future fertility. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Both vision-for-perception and vision-for-action follow Weber's law at small object sizes, but violate it at larger sizes.

PubMed

Bruno, Nicola; Uccelli, Stefano; Viviani, Eva; de'Sperati, Claudio

2016-10-01

According to a previous report, the visual coding of size does not obey Weber's law when aimed at guiding a grasp (Ganel et al., 2008a). This result has been interpreted as evidence for a fundamental difference between sensory processing in vision-for-perception, which needs to compress a wide range of physical objects to a restricted range of percepts, and vision-for-action when applied to the much narrower range of graspable and reachable objects. We compared finger aperture in a motor task (precision grip) and perceptual task (cross modal matching or "manual estimation" of the object's size). Crucially, we tested the whole range of graspable objects. We report that both grips and estimations clearly violate Weber's law with medium-to-large objects, but are essentially consistent with Weber's law with smaller objects. These results differ from previous characterizations of perception-action dissociations in the precision of representations of object size. Implications for current functional interpretations of the dorsal and ventral processing streams in the human visual system are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Giant onsite electronic entropy enhances the performance of ceria for water splitting.

PubMed

Naghavi, S Shahab; Emery, Antoine A; Hansen, Heine A; Zhou, Fei; Ozolins, Vidvuds; Wolverton, Chris

2017-08-18

Previous studies have shown that a large solid-state entropy of reduction increases the thermodynamic efficiency of metal oxides, such as ceria, for two-step thermochemical water splitting cycles. In this context, the configurational entropy arising from oxygen off-stoichiometry in the oxide, has been the focus of most previous work. Here we report a different source of entropy, the onsite electronic configurational entropy, arising from coupling between orbital and spin angular momenta in lanthanide f orbitals. We find that onsite electronic configurational entropy is sizable in all lanthanides, and reaches a maximum value of ≈4.7 k B per oxygen vacancy for Ce 4+ /Ce 3+ reduction. This unique and large positive entropy source in ceria explains its excellent performance for high-temperature catalytic redox reactions such as water splitting. Our calculations also show that terbium dioxide has a high electronic entropy and thus could also be a potential candidate for solar thermochemical reactions.Solid-state entropy of reduction increases the thermodynamic efficiency of ceria for two-step thermochemical water splitting. Here, the authors report a large and different source of entropy, the onsite electronic configurational entropy arising from coupling between orbital and spin angular momenta in f orbitals.

Definitions of cardiovascular insufficiency and relation to outcomes in critically ill newborn infants

PubMed Central

Fernandez, Erika; Watterberg, Kristi L.; Faix, Roger G.; Yoder, Bradley A.; Walsh, Michele C.; Lacy, Conra Backstrom; Osborne, Karen A.; Das, Abhik; Kendrick, Douglas E.; Stoll, Barbara J.; Poindexter, Brenda B.; Laptook, Abbot R.; Kennedy, Kathleen A.; Schibler, Kurt; Bell, Edward F.; Van Meurs, Krisa P.; Frantz, Ivan D.; Goldberg, Ronald N.; Shankaran, Seetha; Carlo, Waldemar A.; Ehrenkranz, Richard A.; Sanchez, Pablo J.; Higgins, Rosemary D.

2015-01-01

Background We previously reported on the overall incidence, management and outcomes in infants with cardiovascular insufficiency (CVI). However, there are limited data on the relationship of the specific different definitions of CVI to short term outcomes in term and late preterm newborn infants. Objective To evaluate how 4 definitions of CVI relate to short term outcomes and death. Study Design The previously reported study was a multicenter, prospective cohort study of 647 infants ≥ 34 weeks gestation admitted to a Neonatal Research Network (NRN) newborn intensive care unit (NICU) and mechanically ventilated (MV) during their first 72 hours. The relationship of five short term outcomes at discharge and 4 different definitions of CVI were further analyzed. Results All 4 definitions were associated with greater number of days on MV & days on O2. The definition using a threshold blood pressure (BP) measurement alone was not associated with days to full feeding, days in the NICU or death. The definition based on treatment of CVI was associated with all outcomes including death. Conclusions The definition using a threshold BP alone was not consistently associated with adverse short term outcomes. Using only a threshold BP to determine therapy may not improve outcomes. PMID:25825962

A High-Coverage Yersinia pestis Genome from a Sixth-Century Justinianic Plague Victim

PubMed Central

Feldman, Michal; Harbeck, Michaela; Keller, Marcel; Spyrou, Maria A.; Rott, Andreas; Trautmann, Bernd; Scholz, Holger C.; Päffgen, Bernd; Peters, Joris; McCormick, Michael; Bos, Kirsten; Herbig, Alexander; Krause, Johannes

2016-01-01

The Justinianic Plague, which started in the sixth century and lasted to the mid eighth century, is thought to be the first of three historically documented plague pandemics causing massive casualties. Historical accounts and molecular data suggest the bacterium Yersinia pestis as its etiological agent. Here we present a new high-coverage (17.9-fold) Y. pestis genome obtained from a sixth-century skeleton recovered from a southern German burial site close to Munich. The reconstructed genome enabled the detection of 30 unique substitutions as well as structural differences that have not been previously described. We report indels affecting a lacl family transcription regulator gene as well as nonsynonymous substitutions in the nrdE, fadJ, and pcp genes, that have been suggested as plague virulence determinants or have been shown to be upregulated in different models of plague infection. In addition, we identify 19 false positive substitutions in a previously published lower-coverage Y. pestis genome from another archaeological site of the same time period and geographical region that is otherwise genetically identical to the high-coverage genome sequence reported here, suggesting low-genetic diversity of the plague during the sixth century in rural southern Germany. PMID:27578768