Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning at the High School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haley, Robert

2013-01-01

United States high schools are increasingly using online learning to complement traditional classroom learning. Previous researchers of post secondary online learning have shown no significant differences between traditional and online learning. However, there has been little research at the secondary level about the effectiveness of online…

Molecular Exploration of Beta-Lactamases in Fusarium verticillioides

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The mycotoxigenic fungus Fusarium verticillioides (Fv) is one of the most prevalent maize fungal pathogens. Fv mycotoxins are a significant food safety issue and have given rise to exposure concerns worldwide. The FDB1 locus, a beta-lactamase-containing Fv gene cluster, was previously shown to be in...

Confirmation of prior evidence of genetic susceptibility to alcoholism in a genome-wide association study of comorbid alcoholism and bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Lydall, Gregory John; Bass, Nicholas J; McQuillin, Andrew; Lawrence, Jacob; Anjorin, Adebayo; Kandaswamy, Radhika; Pereira, Ana; Guerrini, Irene; Curtis, David; Vine, Anna E; Sklar, Pamela; Purcell, Shaun M; Gurling, Hugh Malcolm Douglas

2011-12-01

Alcoholism and affective disorders are both strongly comorbid and heritable. We have investigated the genetic comorbidity between bipolar affective disorder and alcoholism. A genome-wide allelic association study of 506 patients from the University College London bipolar disorder case-control sample and 510 ancestrally matched supernormal controls. One hundred forty-three of the bipolar patients fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria diagnosis of alcoholism. A total of 372 193 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped. Genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism and addiction phenotypes were then tested for association in the bipolar alcoholic sample using gene-wise permutation tests of all SNPs genotyped within a 50-kb region flanking each gene. Several central nervous system genes showed significant (P<0.05) gene-wise evidence of association with bipolar alcoholism. The genes implicated, which replicated genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism were: cadherin 11, collagen type 11 α2, neuromedin U receptor 2, exportin7, and semaphorin-associated protein 5A. The SNPs most strongly implicated in bipolar alcoholism, but, which did not meet conventional genome-wide significance criteria were the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7, carboxypeptidase O, cerebellin 2, and the cadherin 12 genes. We have confirmed the role of some genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism in the comorbid bipolar alcoholism subgroup. In this subgroup, bipolar disorder may lower the threshold for the phenotypic expression of these alcoholism susceptibility genes. We also show that some genes may independently increase susceptibility to affective disorder and alcoholism.

Endocrine Disruptor Induction of Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Disease

PubMed Central

Skinner, Michael K.

2014-01-01

Environmental exposures such as toxicants, nutrition and stress have been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease susceptibility. Endocrine disruptors are one of the largest groups of specific toxicants shown to promote this form of epigenetic inheritance. These environmental compounds that interfere with normal endocrine signaling are one of the largest classes of toxicants we are exposed to on a daily level. The ability of ancestral exposures to promote disease susceptibility significantly increases the potential biohazards of these toxicants. Therefore, what your great-grandmother was exposed to during pregnancy may influence your disease development, even in the absence of any exposure, and you are going to pass this on to your grandchildren. This non-genetic form of inheritance significantly impacts our understanding of biology from the origins of disease to evolutionary biology. The current review will describe the previous studies and endocrine disruptors shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. PMID:25088466

Efficacy and tolerability of short-term specific immunotherapy with pollen allergoids adjuvanted by monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) for children and adolescents.

PubMed

Drachenberg, K J; Heinzkill, M; Urban, E; Woroniecki, S R

2003-01-01

Specific immunotherapy (SIT) with pollen allergoids formulated with the Th1-inducing adjuvant 3-deacylated monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL adjuvant, Corixa) has shown good efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of pollen allergies in adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate this treatment in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years old who were sensitive to grass/rye or tree pollens. An open, multicenter study was performed using 90 children and adolescents. The patients received four subcutaneous injections of grass/rye (n = 64) or tree pollen allergoids (n = 26) adsorbed to L-tyrosine and containing MPL adjuvant. Efficacy was measured by symptom and medication scoring, skin prick test reactivity and IgG/IgE antibody responses. Tolerability was monitored by recording adverse events. Both grass/rye and tree pollen treatment groups showed significant reductions in symptom scores and anti-allergic medication use compared with the previous pollen seasons (p < 0.01 in all cases). After therapy, skin prick test reactivity was significantly reduced in both groups and pollen-specific IgG was significantly increased in both groups whereas little change was apparent in pollen-specific IgE. Overall tolerability was similar to results obtained in previous studies in adults. Short-term SIT using four injections of grass/rye or tree pollen allergoids adsorbed to L-tyrosine and with MPL adjuvant was shown to be effective with good tolerability. The treatment compared favorably with previous studies in adults.

Effectiveness of oat and rye cover crops in reducing nitrate losses in drainage water

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A significant portion of the NO3 from agricultural fields that contaminates surface waters in the Midwest Corn Belt is transported to streams or rivers by subsurface drainage systems or “tiles”. Previous research has shown that N fertilizer management alone is not sufficient for reducing NO3 concent...

Measuring the Impact of Rater Negotiation in Writing Performance Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trace, Jonathan; Janssen, Gerriet; Meier, Valerie

2017-01-01

Previous research in second language writing has shown that when scoring performance assessments even trained raters can exhibit significant differences in severity. When raters disagree, using discussion to try to reach a consensus is one popular form of score resolution, particularly in contexts with limited resources, as it does not require…

Pulmonary responses of healthy young adults exposed to 0.06 and 0.08 ppm ozone

EPA Science Inventory

Background. Previous studies have shown small but significant decreases in spirometric lung function in healthy young adults exposed to 0.08 ppm ozone. It is unclear, however, if such effects may are seen at concentrations below 0.08 ppm. Methods. A group of 30 healthy young adul...

Silver speciation and release in commercial antimicrobial textiles as influenced by washing

EPA Science Inventory

The use of nanoscale Ag in textiles is one the most often mentioned uses of nano-Ag. It has previously been shown that significant amounts of the Ag in the textiles are released upon washing. However, the form of Ag present in the textiles remains largely unknown as product label...

Geostatistical Modeling of the Spatial Distribution of Sediment Oxygen Demand Within a Coastal Plain Blackwater Watershed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Blackwater streams of the Georgia Coastal Plain are often listed as impaired due to chronically low DO levels. Previous research has shown that high sediment oxygen demand (SOD) values, a hypothesized cause of lowered DO within these waters, are significantly positively correlated with TOC within th...

Focal Points, Endogenous Processes, and Exogenous Shocks in the Autism Epidemic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Kayuet; Bearman, Peter S.

2015-01-01

Autism prevalence has increased rapidly in the United States during the past two decades. We have previously shown that the diffusion of information about autism through spatially proximate social relations has contributed significantly to the epidemic. This study expands on this finding by identifying the focal points for interaction that drive…

Co-overexpression of OsSIZ1 and AVP1 in cotton substantially improves cotton growth and development under multiple-stress conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Environmental stresses such as salt, drought, and heat cause significant losses in crop production. Our laboratories employ genetic engineering to modify gene expression of selected genes to improve plant performance under environmental stress conditions. Previous studies by our group have shown tha...

Repetitive Visual Stimulation Enhances Recovery from Severe Amblyopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montey, Karen L.; Eaton, Nicolette C.; Quinlan, Elizabeth M.

2013-01-01

Severe amblyopia, characterized by a significant reduction in visual acuity through the affected eye, is highly resistant to reversal in adulthood. We have previously shown that synaptic plasticity can be reactivated in the adult rat visual cortex by dark exposure, and the reactivated plasticity can be harnessed to promote the recovery from severe…

Improving Learners' Oral Fuency through Computer-Mediated Emotional Intelligence Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdolrezapour, Parisa

2017-01-01

Previous studies have shown that emotional intelligence (henceforth, EI) has a significant impact on important life outcomes (e.g., mental and physical health, academic achievement, work performance, and social relationships). This study aimed to see whether there is any relationship between EI and English as a foreign language (EFL) learners'…

Diet derived phenolic acids regulate osteoblast and adipocyte lineage commitment and differentiation in young mice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A blueberry (BB) supplemented diet previously has been shown to significantly stimulate bone formation in rapidly growing male and female rodents. Phenolic acids (PAs) are metabolites derived from polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables as a result of the actions of gut bacteria, and they were fo...

A Cross-Lagged Longitudinal Study of Relations between Academic Achievement and Korean Adolescent Delinquency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Julie

2013-01-01

Objective: Previous studies have shown that academic achievement has a significant effect on juvenile delinquency, with the reverse reported as well. This study, therefore, examined the reciprocal causal relationships between academic achievement and juvenile delinquency. Methods: The participants were 3449 Korean adolescents (mean age 13.2 years,…

The Associations between Socio-Demographic Factors and Environmental Knowledge in the City of Toyota, Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Hiroshi; Kawazoe, Nobuo

2018-01-01

This study analyzes relationships between socio-demographic factors (age, sex, education, and household income) and environmental awareness related to the eco-policy in Toyota City, Japan. Previous research has shown that citizens' environmental awareness improved significantly after the city was designated as an environmental model city by the…

Preliminary Evidence That Growth in Productive Language Differentiates Childhood Stuttering Persistence and Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leech, Kathryn A.; Ratner, Nan Bernstein; Brown, Barbara; Weber, Christine M.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Childhood stuttering is common but is often outgrown. Children whose stuttering persists experience significant life impacts, calling for a better understanding of what factors may underlie eventual recovery. In previous research, language ability has been shown to differentiate children who stutter (CWS) from children who do not stutter,…

Incorporation of nanovoids into metallic gratings for broadband plasmonic organic solar cells.

PubMed

Lee, Sangjun; In, Sungjun; Mason, Daniel R; Park, Namkyoo

2013-02-25

We present investigation and optimization of a newly proposed plasmonic organic solar cell geometry based on the incorporation of nanovoids into conventional rectangular backplane gratings. Hybridization of strongly localized plasmonic modes of the nanovoids with Fabry-Perot cavity modes originating from surface plasmon reflection at the grating elements is shown to significantly boost performance in the long wavelength regime. This constitutes improved broadband operation while maintaining absorption enhancements at short wavelengths derived from conventional rectangular grating. Our calculations predict a figure of merit enhancement of up to 41% compared to when the nanovoid indented grating is absent. This is a significant improvement over the previously considered rectangular grating structures, which is further shown to be maintained over the entire angular range.

Flow field interactions between two tandem cyclists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barry, Nathan; Burton, David; Sheridan, John; Thompson, Mark; Brown, Nicholas A. T.

2016-12-01

Aerodynamic drag is the primary resistive force acting on cyclists at racing speeds. Many events involve cyclists travelling in very close proximity. Previous studies have shown that interactions result in significant drag reductions for inline cyclists. However, the interaction between cyclist leg position (pedalling) and the vortical flow structures that contribute significantly to the drag on an isolated cyclist has not previously been quantified or described for tandem cyclists of varying separation. To this end, scale model cyclists were constructed for testing in a water channel for inline tandem configurations. Particle image velocimetry was used to capture time-averaged velocity fields around two tandem cyclists. Perhaps surprisingly, the wake of a trailing cyclist maintains strong similarity to the characteristic wake of a single cyclist despite a significant disturbance to the upstream flow. Together with streamwise velocity measurements through the wake and upstream of the trailing cyclist, this work supports previous findings, which showed that the trailing cyclist drag reduction is primarily due to upstream sheltering effects reducing the stagnation pressure on forward-facing surfaces.

No discrimination against previous mates in a sexually cannibalistic spider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fromhage, Lutz; Schneider, Jutta M.

2005-09-01

In several animal species, females discriminate against previous mates in subsequent mating decisions, increasing the potential for multiple paternity. In spiders, female choice may take the form of selective sexual cannibalism, which has been shown to bias paternity in favor of particular males. If cannibalistic attacks function to restrict a male's paternity, females may have little interest to remate with males having survived such an attack. We therefore studied the possibility of female discrimination against previous mates in sexually cannibalistic Argiope bruennichi, where females almost always attack their mate at the onset of copulation. We compared mating latency and copulation duration of males having experienced a previous copulation either with the same or with a different female, but found no evidence for discrimination against previous mates. However, males copulated significantly shorter when inserting into a used, compared to a previously unused, genital pore of the female.

Childhood trauma and the development of paranormal beliefs.

PubMed

Berkowski, Monisha; MacDonald, Douglas A

2014-04-01

Belief in the paranormal is fairly prevalent in the general population. Previous research has shown a link between several personological characteristics and paranormal beliefs. The current study attempted to further investigate this link by replicating previous models that have shown a link between childhood trauma, fantasy proneness, and paranormal beliefs. In addition, the study attempted to expand on this model by including other variables such as stigma, resiliency, and coping style. The study used a sample of 198 undergraduate students. A significant correlation between trauma and paranormal beliefs was found. Partial correlations and path analyses revealed that fantasy proneness and avoidant coping style fully mediate the relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs. The results imply that researchers need to take into account how a person responds to trauma via the development of coping strategies to accurately understand any observed relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs.

Health in post-Black Death London (1350-1538): age patterns of periosteal new bone formation in a post-epidemic population.

PubMed

DeWitte, Sharon N

2014-10-01

Previous research has shown that the Black Death targeted older adults and individuals who had been previously exposed to physiological stressors. This project investigates whether this selectivity of the Black Death, combined with post-epidemic rising standards of living, led to significant improvements in patterns of skeletal stress markers, and by inference in health, among survivors and their descendants. Patterns of periosteal lesions (which have been previously shown, using hazard analysis, to be associated with elevated risks of mortality in medieval London) are compared between samples from pre-Black Death (c. 1,000-1,300, n = 464) and post-Black Death (c. 1,350-1,538, n = 133) London cemeteries. To avoid the assumptions that stress markers alone provide a direct measure of health and that a change in frequencies of the stress marker by itself indicates changes in health, this study assesses age-patterns of the stress marker to obtain a more nuanced understanding of the population-level effects of an epidemic disease. Age-at-death in these samples is estimated using transition analysis, which provides point estimates of age even for the oldest adults in these samples and thus allows for an examination of physiological stress across the lifespan. The frequency of lesions is significantly higher in the post-Black Death sample, which, at face value, might indicate a general decline in health. However, a significant positive association between age and periosteal lesions, as well as a significantly higher number of older adults in the post-Black Death sample more likely suggests improvements in health following the epidemic. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Urea hydrolysis and calcium carbonate precipitation in gypsum-amended broiler litter.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Broiler litter (BL) contains significant amounts of organic nitrogen (N) in the form of urea which is subject to ammonia (NH3) volatilization. Previous work has shown that the addition of gypsum to BL can increase nitrogen (N) mineralization, and decrease NH3 losses due to a decrease in pH but the ...

Development of an Educational Packet for Persons with Life-Threatening Food Allergies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Bradley F.; Teuber, Suzanne; Bruhn, Christine M.

2009-01-01

Previous studies have shown that those with severe food allergies have significant gaps in knowledge about their disease and how to prevent recurrences. The purpose of this study was to address these deficiencies by creating and testing an educational packet, "Coping with Food Allergies." Participants included 46 of 58 adults with documented…

Impact of elevated CO2 levels on control of purple and yellow nutsedge with glyphosate and halosulfuron

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been steadily rising each year and are expected to continue increasing in the future which could have a significant impact on agricultural production. Previous research has shown that elevated CO2 increases the growth and yield of most plant sp...

Does the Vigilance-Avoidance Gazing Behavior of Children with Separation Anxiety Disorder Change after Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

In-Albon, Tina; Schneider, Silvia

2012-01-01

Cognitive biases are of interest in understanding the development of anxiety disorders. They also play a significant role during psychotherapy, where cognitive biases are modified in order to break the vicious cycle responsible for maintaining anxiety disorders. In a previous study, the vigilance-avoidance pattern was shown in children with…

Stearidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids inhibit interleukin-6 expression in ob/ob mouse adipose stem cells via toll-like receptor-2-mediated pathways

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increases in adipose tissue weight positively correlates with increased circulating inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). We previously have shown that adipose stem cell produce significantly higher levels of IL-6 when compared to other cell types in the adipose tissue in genetically ...

TLR4 preconditioning is associated with low success of OK-432 treatment for lymphatic malformations in children.

PubMed

Reismann, Marc; Ghaffarpour, Nader; Luvall, Ethel; Jirmo, Adan; Radtke, Josephine; Claesson, Gösta; Wester, Tomas

2016-05-01

We have recently shown that the relative TLR4 expression on monocytes of low responding pediatric patients after OK-432 treatment is significantly reduced after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) compared with high responding children. The aim of this study was to perform further analysis to explain this observation. Monocytes from children with high (HR, n = 5) and low response (LR, n = 6) after previous OK-432 treatment were stimulated with LPS for 20 h and analyzed with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (mean fluorescence intensity, MFI; level of significance P ≤ 0.05). Mean MFI after LPS stimulation was comparable in both groups (HR 1142 ± 652 units, LR 839 ± 427 units, P = 0.85). Significant changes after LPS stimulation are explained by higher pre-stimulation values in the LR group compared with the HR group (950 ± 718 vs. 477 ± 341, P = 0.25) with considerable differences of the mean expression changes after LPS stimulation (HR 665 ± 683 vs. LR -111 ± 605, P = 0.08). The previously shown reduced TLR4 upregulation on monocytes after LPS stimulation in the LR group compared with the HR group can be primarily explained by TLR preconditioning. This observation implies the use of absolute values with definite thresholds.

Diurnal Variations in Global Joule Heating Morphology and Magnitude Due To Neutral Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billett, D. D.; Grocott, A.; Wild, J. A.; Walach, M.-T.; Kosch, M. J.

2018-03-01

In the polar ionosphere, variations in Joule heating are significantly controlled by changes in plasma convection, such as that brought about by changes in the interplanetary magnetic field. However, another important consideration when calculating Joule heating is the velocity difference between this plasma and the neutral thermosphere colocated with the ionosphere. Neutral wind data are often difficult to obtain on a global scale; thus, Joule heating has often previously been calculated assuming that neutral velocities are small and can therefore be neglected. Previous work has shown the effect of neutral winds on Joule heating estimations to be more significant than originally thought; however, the diurnal variations of the neutrals due to changes in solar pressure gradients and Coriolis forces have yet to have their impact on Joule heating assessed. We show this universal time effect to be significant in calculating Joule heating and thus can differ significantly from that calculated by neglecting the neutrals. In this study, we use empirical models for the neutral wind, conductivities, and magnetic field to create Northern Hemispheric patterns of Joule heating for approximately 800,000 individual plasma convection patterns generated using data from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network. From this, a statistical analysis of how Joule heating varies in morphology and magnitude with universal time is shown for differing seasons and levels of geomagnetic activity. We find that neutral winds do play a significant role in the morphology and total energy output of Joule heating.

Endocrine disruptor induction of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease.

PubMed

Skinner, Michael K

2014-12-01

Environmental exposures such as toxicants, nutrition and stress have been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease susceptibility. Endocrine disruptors are one of the largest groups of specific toxicants shown to promote this form of epigenetic inheritance. These environmental compounds that interfere with normal endocrine signaling are one of the largest classes of toxicants we are exposed to on a daily level. The ability of ancestral exposures to promote disease susceptibility significantly increases the potential biohazards of these toxicants. Therefore, what your great-grandmother was exposed to during pregnancy may influence your disease development, even in the absence of any exposure, and you are going to pass this on to your grandchildren. This non-genetic form of inheritance significantly impacts our understanding of biology from the origins of disease to evolutionary biology. The current review will describe the previous studies and endocrine disruptors shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Outcomes and Processes in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program: STEM PhD Completion, Sense of Community, Perceived Program Benefit, Science Identity, and Research Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maton, Kenneth I.; Beason, Tiffany S.; Godsay, Surbhi; Domingo, Mariano R. Sto.; Bailey, TaShara C.; Sun, Shuyan; Hrabowski, Freeman A., III

2016-01-01

Previous research has shown that the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is an effective intervention for high-achieving underrepresented minority (URM) students; African-American Meyerhoff students are significantly more likely to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) PhD programs…

Cover crops in the upper midwestern United States: Potential adoption and reduction of nitrate leaching in the Mississippi River Basin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nitrate losses from agricultural lands in the Midwest flow into the Mississippi River Basin (MRB) and contribute significantly to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Previous work has shown that cover crops can reduce loadings, but adoption rates are low, and the potential impact is currently unknown. Th...

Oral Contraceptives and Bone Health in Female Runners

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

activity. Previous cross-sectional research has shown that women with exercise - induced menstrual irregularities have a significantly higher...6. Cumming D.C. Exercise -associated amenorrhea , low BMD, and estrogen replacement therapy. Arch Intern Med. 156:2193-2195, 1996. 34 7. De...Science in Sports & Exercise . (i) Abstract from manuscript, “Randomized trial of the effect of oral contraceptives on bone mass and stress

Performers and Postulates: The Role of Evolving Socio-Historical Contexts in Shaping New Teacher Professional Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Simon N.; Roberts, Philip

2014-01-01

In this article we investigate the generative causes of variation in the professional identity of new teachers. Building on previous work that has shown a link between professional identity and socio-political context, we argue that the context experienced in late adolescence and early adulthood is particularly significant in shaping how beginning…

Enrollment in Distance Education Classes Is Associated with Fewer Enrollment Gaps among Nontraditional Undergraduate Students in the US

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pontes, Manuel C. F.; Pontes, Nancy M. H.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this research is to determine whether nontraditional undergraduate students in the US who enroll in distance education classes are less likely to have an enrollment gap (enrollment gap=part year enrollment). Previous research has shown that preference for distance education classes is significantly greater among nontraditional than…

Determinants of Success on the ETS Business Major Field Exam for Students in an Undergraduate Multisite Regional University Business Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagamery, Bruce D.; Lasik, John J.; Nixon, Don R.

2005-01-01

Extending previous studies, the authors examined a larger set of variables to identify predictors of student performance on the Educational Testing Service Major Field Exam in Business, which has been shown to be an externally valid measure of student learning outcomes. Significant predictors include gender, whether students took the SAT, and…

An exclusive human milk-based diet in extremely premature infants reduces the probability of remaining on total parenteral nutrition: A reanalysis of the data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We have previously shown that an exclusively human-milk-based diet is beneficial for extremely premature infants who are at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). However, no significant difference in the other primary study endpoint, the length of time on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), was fo...

Chemical investigation and authenticity of Indian vanilla beans.

PubMed

John, T V; Jamin, E

2004-12-15

Representative and validated samples taken from a 500 acre vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) plantation in India have shown significant deviations in aromatic profile, especially the relative amounts of vanillin (high) and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (low) and the deuterium isotopic (SNIF-NMR) values. However, the carbon isotopic values (carbon 13 profiles) were generally in accordance with the previous findings on vanilla from other geographic origins.

A Parent-Mediated Intervention that Targets Responsive Parental Behaviors Increases Attachment Behaviors in Children with ASD: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siller, Michael; Swanson, Meghan; Gerber, Alan; Hutman, Ted; Sigman, Marian

2014-01-01

The current study is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of Focused Playtime Intervention (FPI) in a sample of 70 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This parent-mediated intervention has previously been shown to significantly increase responsive parental communication (Siller et al. in "J Autism Dev Disord"…

Reduction in energy usage during dry grind ethanol production by enhanced enzymatic dewatering of whole stillage: plant trial, process model and economic analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A plant trial was conducted at a 54 MGPY dry grind fuel ethanol facility to evaluate the use of enhanced water removal from whole stillage by enzyme addition during fermentation. Laboratory data had previously shown significant improvements in water removal that could potentially result in significa...

Caregiver's Country of Birth Is a Significant Determinant of Accurate Perception of Preschool-Age Children's Weight

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natale, Ruby; Uhlhorn, Susan B.; Lopez-Mitnik, Gabriela; Camejo, Stephanie; Englebert, Nicole; Delamater, Alan M.; Messiah, Sarah E.

2016-01-01

Background: One in four preschool-age children in the United States are currently overweight or obese. Previous studies have shown that caregivers of this age group often have difficulty accurately recognizing their child's weight status. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with accurate/inaccurate perception of child body…

An Investigation of Starting Point Preferences in Human Performance on Traveling Salesman Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacGregor, James N.

2014-01-01

Previous studies have shown that people start traveling sales problem tours significantly more often from boundary than from interior nodes. There are a number of possible reasons for such a tendency: first, it may arise as a direct result of the processes involved in tour construction; second, boundary points may be perceptually more salient than…

Can color changes alter the neural correlates of recognition memory? Manipulation of processing affects an electrophysiological indicator of conceptual implicit memory.

PubMed

Cui, Xiaoyu; Gao, Chuanji; Zhou, Jianshe; Guo, Chunyan

2016-09-28

It has been widely shown that recognition memory includes two distinct retrieval processes: familiarity and recollection. Many studies have shown that recognition memory can be facilitated when there is a perceptual match between the studied and the tested items. Most event-related potential studies have explored the perceptual match effect on familiarity on the basis of the hypothesis that the specific event-related potential component associated with familiarity is the FN400 (300-500 ms mid-frontal effect). However, it is currently unclear whether the FN400 indexes familiarity or conceptual implicit memory. In addition, on the basis of the findings of a previous study, the so-called perceptual manipulations in previous studies may also involve some conceptual alterations. Therefore, we sought to determine the influence of perceptual manipulation by color changes on recognition memory when the perceptual or the conceptual processes were emphasized. Specifically, different instructions (perceptually or conceptually oriented) were provided to the participants. The results showed that color changes may significantly affect overall recognition memory behaviorally and that congruent items were recognized with a higher accuracy rate than incongruent items in both tasks, but no corresponding neural changes were found. Despite the evident familiarity shown in the two tasks (the behavioral performance of recognition memory was much higher than at the chance level), the FN400 effect was found in conceptually oriented tasks, but not perceptually oriented tasks. It is thus highly interesting that the FN400 effect was not induced, although color manipulation of recognition memory was behaviorally shown, as seen in previous studies. Our findings of the FN400 effect for the conceptual but not perceptual condition support the explanation that the FN400 effect indexes conceptual implicit memory.

Event-Related Potential Patterns Associated with Hyperarousal in Gulf War Illness Syndrome Groups

PubMed Central

Tillman, Gail D.; Calley, Clifford S.; Green, Timothy A.; Buhl, Virginia I.; Biggs, Melanie M.; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Briggs, Richard W.; Haley, Robert W.; Hart, John; Kraut, Michael A.

2012-01-01

An exaggerated response to emotional stimuli is one of several symptoms widely reported by veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Many have attributed these symptoms to post-war stress; others have attributed the symptoms to deployment-related exposures and associated damage to cholinergic, dopaminergic, and white matter systems. We collected event-related potential (ERP) data from 20 veterans meeting Haley criteria for Gulf War Syndromes 1–3 and from 8 matched Gulf War veteran controls, who were deployed but not symptomatic, while they performed an auditory three-condition oddball task with gunshot and lion roar sounds as the distractor stimuli. Reports of hyperarousal from the ill veterans were significantly greater than those from the control veterans; different ERP profiles emerged to account for their hyperarousability. Syndromes 2 and 3, who have previously shown brainstem abnormalities, show significantly stronger auditory P1 amplitudes, purported to indicate compromised cholinergic inhibitory gating in the reticular activating system. Syndromes 1 and 2, who have previously shown basal ganglia dysfunction, show significantly weaker P3a response to distractor stimuli, purported to indicate dysfunction of the dopaminergic contribution to their ability to inhibit distraction by irrelevant stimuli. All three syndrome groups showed an attenuated P3b to target stimuli, which could be secondary to both cholinergic and dopaminergic contributions or disruption of white matter integrity. PMID:22691951

Arsenic and ultraviolet radiation exposure: melanoma in a New Mexico non-Hispanic white population.

PubMed

Yager, Janice W; Erdei, Esther; Myers, Orrin; Siegel, Malcolm; Berwick, Marianne

2016-06-01

Cases of cutaneous melanoma and controls were enrolled in a New Mexico population-based study; subjects were administered questionnaires concerning ultraviolet (UV) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure. Historical iAs exposure was estimated. UV exposure estimates were also derived using geospatial methods. Drinking water samples were collected for iAs analysis. Blood samples were collected for DNA repair (Comet) and DNA repair gene polymorphism assays. Arsenic concentrations were determined in urine and toenail samples. UV exposures during the previous 90 days did not vary significantly between cases and controls. Mean (±SD) current home iAs drinking water was not significantly different for cases and controls [3.98 μg/L (±3.67) vs. 3.47 μg/L (±2.40)]. iAs exposure showed no effect on DNA repair or association with melanoma. Results did not corroborate a previously reported association between toenail As and melanoma risk. Arsenic biomarkers in urine and toenail were highly significantly correlated with iAs in drinking water. A UV-DNA repair interaction for UV exposure over the previous 7-90 days was shown; cases had higher DNA damage than controls at low UV values. This novel finding suggests that melanoma cases may be more sensitive to low-level UV exposure than are controls. A UV-APEX1 interaction was shown. Subjects with the homozygous rare APEX1 DNA repair gene allele had a higher risk of early melanoma diagnosis at low UV exposure compared with those with the homozygous wild type or the heterozygote. Notably, a UV-arsenic interaction on inhibition of DNA repair was not observed at iAs drinking water concentrations below 10 ppb (μg/L).

Radiative transfer dynamo effect

DOE PAGES

Munirov, Vadim R.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2017-01-17

Here, magnetic fields in rotating and radiating astrophysical plasma can be produced due to a radiative interaction between plasma layers moving relative to each other. The efficiency of current drive, and with it the associated dynamo effect, is considered in a number of limits. It is shown here, however, that predictions for these generated magnetic fields can be significantly higher when kinetic effects, previously neglected, are taken into account.

Changes in Inhibitory Control of Circular Smooth Muscle During Coilitis in the Rat

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-25

diarrhea is often the first symptom upon disease relapse. Previous data have shown that intraluminal exposure of rabbit ileum to two different...Colitis causes symptoms of diarrhea interspersed with periods of quiescence. Changes in smooth muscle contractility may contribute to abnormal...motility seen in inflammatory bowel disease . Inhibitory neurotransmitters contribute a significant role in maintaining normal motility and may be altered

Secondary School Students' Epistemic Insight into the Relationships between Science and Religion--A Preliminary Enquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billingsley, Berry; Taber, Keith; Riga, Fran; Newdick, Helen

2013-01-01

A number of previous studies have shown that there is a widespread view among young people that science and religion are opposed. In this paper, we suggest that it requires a significant level of what can be termed "epistemic insight" to access the idea that some people see science and religion as compatible while others do not. To…

Targeting Mechanisms of Resistance to Taxane-Based Chemotherapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

12]. Another interesting gene ; monoamine oxidase A ( MAOA ) was upregulated in patients with PSA relapse (Figure 8A). Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT...from prostate. After excluding genes previously shown to be influenced by the radical prostatectomy procedure, we identified 51 genes with significant...analyses confirmed overexpression of GDF15 may confer resistance to chemotherapy in prostate cancer cells. Gene expression changes after

A growing importance of large fires in conterminous United States during 1984-2012

Treesearch

Jia Yang; Hanqin Tian; Bo Tao; Wei Ren; Shufen Pan; Yongqiang Liu; Yuhang Wang

2015-01-01

Fire frequency, extent, and size exhibit a strong linkage with climate conditions and play a vital role in the climate system. Previous studies have shown that the frequency of large fires in the western United States increased significantly since the mid-1980s due to climate warming and frequent droughts. However, less work has been conducted to examine burned area...

Synaptic Activation of Ribosomal Protein S6 Phosphorylation Occurs Locally in Activated Dendritic Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pirbhoy, Patricia Salgado; Farris, Shannon; Steward, Oswald

2016-01-01

Previous studies have shown that induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) induces phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) in postsynaptic neurons, but the functional significance of rpS6 phosphorylation is poorly understood. Here, we show that synaptic stimulation that induces perforant path LTP triggers phosphorylation of rpS6 (p-rpS6)…

Detection of moisture and moisture related phenomena from Skylab. [Texas and Kansas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eagleman, J. R. (Principal Investigator); Lin, W. C.

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The high correlations between radiometric temperature and soil moisture content are shown to remain quite high for independent footprints of the S194 sensor. Since an analysis based on overlapping footprints had previously been reported with a high correlation, it was necessary to verify that the correlation did not arise from dependent data.

Radiative transfer dynamo effect.

PubMed

Munirov, Vadim R; Fisch, Nathaniel J

2017-01-01

Magnetic fields in rotating and radiating astrophysical plasma can be produced due to a radiative interaction between plasma layers moving relative to each other. The efficiency of current drive, and with it the associated dynamo effect, is considered in a number of limits. It is shown here, however, that predictions for these generated magnetic fields can be significantly higher when kinetic effects, previously neglected, are taken into account.

Amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli is influenced by oral contraceptive use.

PubMed

Petersen, Nicole; Cahill, Larry

2015-09-01

The amygdala is a highly interconnected region of the brain that is critically important to emotional processing and affective networks. Previous studies have shown that the response of the amygdala to emotionally arousing stimuli can be modulated by sex hormones. Because oral contraceptive pills dramatically lower circulating sex hormone levels with potent analogs of those hormones, we performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment to measure amygdala reactivity in response to emotional stimuli in women using oral contraceptives, and compared their amygdala reactivity with that of naturally cycling women. Here, we show that women who use oral contraceptive pills have significantly decreased bilateral amygdala reactivity in response to negatively valenced, emotionally arousing stimuli compared with naturally cycling women. We suggest that by modulating amygdala reactivity, oral contraceptive pills may influence behaviors that have previously been shown to be amygdala dependent-in particular, emotional memory. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Recent Improvements in Aerodynamic Design Optimization on Unstructured Meshes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nielsen, Eric J.; Anderson, W. Kyle

2000-01-01

Recent improvements in an unstructured-grid method for large-scale aerodynamic design are presented. Previous work had shown such computations to be prohibitively long in a sequential processing environment. Also, robust adjoint solutions and mesh movement procedures were difficult to realize, particularly for viscous flows. To overcome these limiting factors, a set of design codes based on a discrete adjoint method is extended to a multiprocessor environment using a shared memory approach. A nearly linear speedup is demonstrated, and the consistency of the linearizations is shown to remain valid. The full linearization of the residual is used to precondition the adjoint system, and a significantly improved convergence rate is obtained. A new mesh movement algorithm is implemented and several advantages over an existing technique are presented. Several design cases are shown for turbulent flows in two and three dimensions.

Heart rate at the onset of muscle contraction and during passive muscle stretch in humans: a role for mechanoreceptors

PubMed Central

Gladwell, V F; Coote, J H

2002-01-01

Previous evidence suggests that the heart rate (HR) increase observed with isometric exercise is dependent on different afferent mechanisms to those eliciting the increase in blood pressure (BP). Central command and muscle metaboreceptors have been shown to contribute to this differential effect. However, in experimental animals passive stretch of the hindlimb increases HR suggesting that small fibre mechanoreceptors could also have a role. This has not been previously shown in humans and was investigated in this study. Healthy human volunteers were instrumented to record BP, ECG, respiration, EMG of rectus femoris and gastrocnemius and contraction force of triceps surae. Voluntary isometric contraction of triceps surae elicited a significant HR change in the first three respiratory cycles at 40 % of maximum voluntary contraction whereas BP did not change significantly until after 30 s. This suggests that different mechanisms are involved in the initiation of the cardiovascular changes. Sustained passive stretch of triceps surae for 1 min, by dorsiflexion of the foot, caused a significant (P < 0.05) increase in HR (5 ± 2.6 beats min−1) with no significant change in BP. A time domain measure of cardiac vagal activity was reduced significantly during passive stretch from 69.7 ± 12.9 to 49.6 ± 8.9 ms. Rapid rhythmic passive stretch (0.5 Hz for 1 min) was without significant effect suggesting that large muscle proprioreceptors are not involved. We conclude that in man small fibre muscle mechanoreceptors responding to stretch, inhibit cardiac vagal activity and thus increase HR. These afferents could contribute to the initial cardiac acceleration in response to muscle contraction. PMID:11986394

Effects of viscosity and constraints on the dispersion and dissipation of waves in large blood vessels. II.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, E.; Anliker, M.; Chang, I.

1971-01-01

Comparison of previously described theoretical predictions with in vivo data from anesthetized dogs. It is shown that the observed attenuation of the pressure and axial waves cannot be accounted for by fluid viscosity alone. For large values of the frequency parameter alpha, the previous analysis is extended to include the effects of viscoelasticity of the vessel wall. The results indicate that the speeds of both types of waves are essentially unaffected by a realistic viscoelasticity model while the attenuation per wavelength is significantly increased and becomes frequency independent. There is fair agreement between theory and experiment.

Differential effects of lipid biosynthesis inhibitors on Zika and Semliki Forest viruses.

PubMed

Royle, Jamie; Donald, Claire L; Merits, Andres; Kohl, Alain; Varjak, Margus

2017-12-01

The recent outbreak of infection with Zika virus (ZIKV; Flaviviridae) has attracted attention to this previously neglected mosquito-borne pathogen and the need for efficient therapies. Since flavivirus replication is generally known to be dependent on fatty acid biosynthesis, two inhibitors of this pathway, 5-(tetradecyloxyl)-2-furoic acid (TOFA) and cerulenin, were tested for their potentiality to inhibit virus replication. At concentrations previously shown to inhibit the replication of other flaviviruses, neither drug had a significant antiviral affect against ZIKV, but reduced the replication of the non-related mosquito-borne Semliki Forest virus (Togaviridae). Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A towel less: social norms enhance pro-environmental behavior in hotels.

PubMed

Reese, Gerhard; Loew, Kristina; Steffgen, Georges

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that normative appeals to engage in environmentally friendly behavior were most effective when they were accompanied by a provincial norm (e.g., when norms matched individuals' immediate situational circumstances). Analyzing hotel guests' towel-use during their stay, the current study tests whether messages employing provincial norms were more effective in reducing towel-use than standard environmental messages. In line with previous findings, guests of two hotels used significantly fewer towels when provincial normative appeals--rather than standard environmental messages--were communicated. These findings corroborate to the body of research demonstrating the power of social norms on environmental behavior.

Comprehensive behavioral analysis of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) knockout mice

PubMed Central

Hattori, Satoko; Takao, Keizo; Tanda, Koichi; Toyama, Keiko; Shintani, Norihito; Baba, Akemichi; Hashimoto, Hitoshi; Miyakawa, Tsuyoshi

2012-01-01

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide acting as a neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, or neurotrophic factor. PACAP is widely expressed throughout the brain and exerts its functions through the PACAP-specific receptor (PAC1). Recent studies reveal that genetic variants of the PACAP and PAC1 genes are associated with mental disorders, and several behavioral abnormalities of PACAP knockout (KO) mice are reported. However, an insufficient number of backcrosses was made using PACAP KO mice on the C57BL/6J background due to their postnatal mortality. To elucidate the effects of PACAP on neuropsychiatric function, the PACAP gene was knocked out in F1 hybrid mice (C57BL/6J × 129SvEv) for appropriate control of the genetic background. The PACAP KO mice were then subjected to a behavioral test battery. PACAP deficiency had no significant effects on neurological screen. As shown previously, the mice exhibited significantly increased locomotor activity in a novel environment and abnormal anxiety-like behavior, while no obvious differences between genotypes were shown in home cage (HC) activity. In contrast to previous reports, the PACAP KO mice showed normal prepulse inhibition (PPI) and slightly decreased depression-like behavior. Previous study demonstrates that the social interaction (SI) in a resident-intruder test was decreased in PACAP KO mice. On the other hand, we showed that PACAP KO mice exhibited increased SI in Crawley's three-chamber social approach test, although PACAP KO had no significant impact on SI in a HC. PACAP KO mice also exhibited mild performance deficit in working memory in an eight-arm radial maze (RM) and the T-maze (TM), while they did not show any significant abnormalities in the left-right discrimination task in the TM. These results suggest that PACAP has an important role in the regulation of locomotor activity, social behavior, anxiety-like behavior and, potentially, working memory. PMID:23060763

Nanosizing a Metal-Organic Framework Enzyme Carrier for Accelerating Nerve Agent Hydrolysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-05

Previously, biodegradable liposome nano- carriers have been shown to be effective at providing functionally significant amounts of highly purified enzymes in...AlexaFluor-647 dye was purchased from Life Technologies (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Methyl 6-(pinacolboryl)-2-naphthoate was synthesized using a published...Hitachi) and PXRD (Smartlab, Rigaku). Labeling OPAA with Fluorescent Dye . AlexaFluor-647-labeled OPAA (OPAA647) was prepared by reacting OPAA (0.5

Mentoring of the Acquisition Workforce at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

of mentorship in career success was discussed along with form that mentorship took. The interview explored what elements of the mentor relationship...development that can have a significant effect on career success . Previous studies have shown that there are positive effects of mentoring beyond career ... success , including general job satisfaction and loyalty. In addition to benefits for the protégés, mentors capabilities are enhanced, and programs

Realization of High-temperature Superconductivity in Nano-carbon Materials and Its Application

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-13

hottest topics in condensed matter physics and also for application to zero- emission energy system. In particular, carbon-based superconductors have...ernission energy system. In particular, carbon-based superconductors have attracted significant attention for high transition temperature (T c). In...e-based superconductors have previously shown T c > 40K among various superconductors . In particular, carbon-base new SC exhibited T c < 20K in any

Anaerobic bacteria that dechlorinate perchloroethene.

PubMed Central

Fathepure, B Z; Nengu, J P; Boyd, S A

1987-01-01

In this study, we identified specific cultures of anaerobic bacteria that dechlorinate perchlorethene (PCE). The bacteria that significantly dechlorinated PCE were strain DCB-1, an obligate anaerobe previously shown to dechlorinate chlorobenzoate, and two strains of Methanosarcina. The rate of PCE dechlorination by DCB-1 compared favorably with reported rates of trichloroethene bio-oxidation by methanotrophs. Even higher PCE dechlorination rates were achieved when DCB-1 was grown in a methanogenic consortium. PMID:3426224

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

changes in brain function have indicated significant increases in brain activity supporting theory of mind and emotion regulation abilities in...depicted in the scenarios; adults with ASD have previously shown hypoactivation in the temporo- parietal-junction theory of mind (ToM) network when...treatment MRI data have been collected with processing speed, perspective-taking, theory of mind , and emotion regulation fMRI measures on participants

[Interaction of immobilization stress and food-getting learning].

PubMed

Levshina, I P; Stashkevich, I S; Shuĭkin, N N

2009-01-01

The behavioral effects of emotional negative stress (immobilization) were studied in Wistar rats intact and those that had previous positive emotion experience. The food-getting learning has been chosen as positive emotion experience. Animals were trained in food pellet-reaching task by their preferred paw. It was shown that immobilization of intact rats leads to suppression of motor activity and increasing the duration of grooming. These effects indicate enhancement of passive-avoidance reactions. It was also shown that motor learning in group of rats with food reinforcement before immobilisation significantly reduces appearance of passive-avoidance reactions. It was found that immobilization stress does not inverse the initial direction of limb preference in majority of rats.

Middle atmosphere heating by exothermic chemical reactions involving odd-hydrogen species

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mlynczak, Martin G.; Solomon, Susan

1991-01-01

The rate of heating which occurs in the middle atmosphere due to four exothermic reactions involving members of the odd-hydrogen family is calculated. The following reactions are considered: O + OH yields O2 + H; H + O2 + M yields HO2 + M; H + O3 yields OH + O2; and O + HO2 yields OH + O2. It is shown that the heating rates due to these reactions rival the oxygen-related heating rates conventionally considered in middle-atmosphere models. The conversion of chemical potential energy into molecular translational energy (heat) by these odd-hydrogen reactions is shown to be a significant energy source in the middle atmosphere that has not been previously considered.

The availability of prior ECGs improves paramedic accuracy in recognizing ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

PubMed

O'Donnell, Daniel; Mancera, Mike; Savory, Eric; Christopher, Shawn; Schaffer, Jason; Roumpf, Steve

2015-01-01

Early and accurate identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by prehospital providers has been shown to significantly improve door to balloon times and improve patient outcomes. Previous studies have shown that paramedic accuracy in reading 12 lead ECGs can range from 86% to 94%. However, recent studies have demonstrated that accuracy diminishes for the more uncommon STEMI presentations (e.g. lateral). Unlike hospital physicians, paramedics rarely have the ability to review previous ECGs for comparison. Whether or not a prior ECG can improve paramedic accuracy is not known. The availability of prior ECGs improves paramedic accuracy in ECG interpretation. 130 paramedics were given a single clinical scenario. Then they were randomly assigned 12 computerized prehospital ECGs, 6 with and 6 without an accompanying prior ECG. All ECGs were obtained from a local STEMI registry. For each ECG paramedics were asked to determine whether or not there was a STEMI and to rate their confidence in their interpretation. To determine if the old ECGs improved accuracy we used a mixed effects logistic regression model to calculate p-values between the control and intervention. The addition of a previous ECG improved the accuracy of identifying STEMIs from 75.5% to 80.5% (p=0.015). A previous ECG also increased paramedic confidence in their interpretation (p=0.011). The availability of previous ECGs improves paramedic accuracy and enhances their confidence in interpreting STEMIs. Further studies are needed to evaluate this impact in a clinical setting. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SEM/XPS analysis of fractured adhesively bonded graphite fibre surface resin-rich/graphite fibre composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Devilbiss, T. A.; Wightman, J. P.; Progar, D. J.

1988-01-01

Samples of graphite fiber-reinforced polyimide were fabricated allowing the resin to accumulate at the composite surface. These surface resin-rich composites were then bonded together and tested for lap shear strength both before and after thermal aging. Lap shear strength did not appear to show a significant improvement over that previously recorded for resin-poor samples and was shown to decrease with increasing aging time and temperature.

Precipitins in Liberian sera reacting with goat and sheep sera.

PubMed

Willcox, M

1976-10-01

Precipitins in nine sera from normal Liberian adults were shown to react with an alpha-globulin in goat and sheep sera. No cross-reaction was demonstrated with bovine sera. Hence these precipitins are different to others previously described. At present their significance, if any, is unknown. They are important as a possible cause of unexplained reactions in serological tests using sheep or goat serum as a source of antigen or antibody.

Probability of failure prediction for step-stress fatigue under sine or random stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambert, R. G.

1979-01-01

A previously proposed cumulative fatigue damage law is extended to predict the probability of failure or fatigue life for structural materials with S-N fatigue curves represented as a scatterband of failure points. The proposed law applies to structures subjected to sinusoidal or random stresses and includes the effect of initial crack (i.e., flaw) sizes. The corrected cycle ratio damage function is shown to have physical significance.

Structure and Function of the Superior Temporal Plane in Adult Males with Cleft Lip and Palate: Pathologic Enlargement with No Relationship to Childhood Hearing Deficits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriver, A. S.; Canady, J.; Richman, L.; Andreasen, N. C.; Nopoulos, P.

2006-01-01

Background: In a previous study from our lab, adult males with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCLP) were shown to have significantly lower temporal lobe gray matter volume than matched controls. The current study was designed to begin a regional analysis of specific subregions of the temporal lobe. The superior temporal plane (STP) is a…

Examination of the mGluR mTOR Pathway for the Identification of Potential Therapeutic Targets To Treat Fragile X

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

Introduction Fragile X syndrome is the leading cause of intellectual disability resulting from a single gene mutation...performance, which measures motor learning and coordination. Treatment with metformin did not significantly affect performance in the rotarod task (Fig 5...marble burying, novel object recognition, object place memory, and reversal learning in the water Y maze (data not shown). It has been previously

Impact of the national full herd depopulation policy on the recurrence of bovine tuberculosis in Irish herds, 2003 to 2005.

PubMed

Good, M; Clegg, T A; Duignan, A; More, S J

2011-11-26

This study evaluated the impact of the Irish herd bovine tuberculosis (bTB) depopulation policy (depopulation, disinfection, contiguous testing and local badger removal where implicated) on the recurrence of bTB infection, by comparing the future risk in restocked herds following depopulation for either bTB or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) during 2003 to 2005. Each herd was assigned a 'previous bTB risk', based on bTB history during the five years before depopulation. Future bTB risk was estimated, using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model for time-to-breakdown for each study herd, to identify risk factors associated with bTB. Future bTB risk varied significantly by reason for depopulation and previous bTB risk. Herds depopulated for bTB (by definition, at high bTB risk) were not significantly different from BSE herds with no or a low previous bTB risk. BSE herds with a high previous bTB risk were found to be at significantly greater future bTB risk. Herd bTB depopulation measures, as currently applied in Ireland, are shown to be effective in enabling herds to attain and retain bTB freedom following restocking. Based on the data presented, and consistent with current knowledge of the bTB epidemiology, local badger removal contributes to efforts to limit recurrence of bTB in Ireland.

Extratropical Respones to Amazon Deforestation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badger, A.; Dirmeyer, P.

2014-12-01

Land-use change (LUC) is known to impact local climate conditions through modifications of land-atmosphere interactions. Large-scale LUC, such as Amazon deforestation, could have a significant effect on the local and regional climates. The question remains as to what the global impact of large-scale LUC could be, as previous modeling studies have shown non-local responses due to Amazon deforestation. A common shortcoming in many previous modeling studies is the use of prescribed ocean conditions, which can act as a boundary condition to dampen the global response with respect to changes in the mean and variability. Using fully coupled modeling simulations with the Community Earth System Model version 1.2.0, the Amazon rainforest has been replaced with a distribution of representative tropical crops. Through the modifications of local land-atmosphere interactions, a significant change in the region, both at the surface and throughout the atmosphere, can be quantified. Accompanying these local changes are significant changes to the atmospheric circulation across all scales, thus modifying regional climates in other locales. Notable impacts include significant changes in precipitation, surface fluxes, basin-wide sea surface temperatures and ENSO behavior.

Reproducible diagnostic metabolites in plasma from typhoid fever patients in Asia and Africa.

PubMed

Näsström, Elin; Parry, Christopher M; Vu Thieu, Nga Tran; Maude, Rapeephan R; de Jong, Hanna K; Fukushima, Masako; Rzhepishevska, Olena; Marks, Florian; Panzner, Ursula; Im, Justin; Jeon, Hyonjin; Park, Seeun; Chaudhury, Zabeen; Ghose, Aniruddha; Samad, Rasheda; Van, Tan Trinh; Johansson, Anders; Dondorp, Arjen M; Thwaites, Guy E; Faiz, Abul; Antti, Henrik; Baker, Stephen

2017-05-09

Salmonella Typhi is the causative agent of typhoid. Typhoid is diagnosed by blood culture, a method that lacks sensitivity, portability and speed. We have previously shown that specific metabolomic profiles can be detected in the blood of typhoid patients from Nepal (Näsström et al., 2014). Here, we performed mass spectrometry on plasma from Bangladeshi and Senegalese patients with culture confirmed typhoid fever, clinically suspected typhoid, and other febrile diseases including malaria. After applying supervised pattern recognition modelling, we could significantly distinguish metabolite profiles in plasma from the culture confirmed typhoid patients. After comparing the direction of change and degree of multivariate significance, we identified 24 metabolites that were consistently up- or down regulated in a further Bangladeshi/Senegalese validation cohort, and the Nepali cohort from our previous work. We have identified and validated a metabolite panel that can distinguish typhoid from other febrile diseases, providing a new approach for typhoid diagnostics.

Hematological measurements in rats flown on Spacelab shuttle, SL-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lange, R. D.; Andrews, R. B.; Gibson, L. A.; Congdon, C. C.; Wright, P.; Dunn, C. D.; Jones, J. B.

1987-01-01

Previous studies have shown that a decrease in red cell mass occurs in astronauts, and some studies indicate a leukocytosis occurs. A life science module housing young and mature rats was flown on shuttle mission Spacelab 3 (SL-3), and the results of hematology studies of flight and control rats are presented. Statistically significant increases in the hematocrit, red blood cell counts, and hemoglobin determinations, together with a mild neutrophilia and lymphopenia, were found in flight animals. No significant changes were found in bone marrow and spleen cell differentials or erythropoietin determinations. Clonal assays demonstrated an increased erythroid colony formation of flight animal bone marrow cells at erythropoietin doses of 0.02 and 1.0 U/ml but not 0.20 U/ml. These results agree with some but vary from other previously published studies. Erythropoietin assays and clonal studies were performed for the first time.

All-optical switch using optically controlled two mode interference coupler.

PubMed

Sahu, Partha Pratim

2012-05-10

In this paper, we have introduced optically controlled two-mode interference (OTMI) coupler having silicon core and GaAsInP cladding as an all-optical switch. By taking advantage of refractive index modulation by launching optical pulse into cladding region of TMI waveguide, we have shown optically controlled switching operation. We have studied optical pulse-controlled coupling characteristics of the proposed device by using a simple mathematical model on the basis of sinusoidal modes. The device length is less than that of previous work. It is also seen that the cross talk of the OTMI switch is not significantly increased with fabrication tolerances (±δw) in comparison with previous work.

D-amino acids reduce Enterococcus faecalis biofilms in vitro and in the presence of antimicrobials used for root canal treatment.

PubMed

Zilm, Peter S; Butnejski, Victor; Rossi-Fedele, Giampiero; Kidd, Stephen P; Edwards, Suzanne; Vasilev, Krasimir

2017-01-01

Enterococcus faecalis is the most frequent species present in post-treatment disease and plays a significant role in persistent periapical infections following root canal treatment. Its ability to persist in stressful environments is inter alia, due to its ability to form biofilms. The presence of certain D-amino acids (DAAs) has previously been shown to reduce formation of Bacillus subtilis biofilms. The aims of this investigation were to determine if DAAs disrupt biofilms in early and late growth stages for clinical E. faecalis strains and to test their efficacy in disrupting E. faecalis biofilms grown in sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations of commonly used endodontic biocides. From thirty-seven E. faecalis strains, the ten "best" biofilm producers were used to test the ability of a mixture containing D-leucine, D-methionine, D-tyrosine and D-tryptophan to reduce biofilm growth over a period of 24, 72 and 144 hours and when compared to their cognate L-Amino Acids (LAAs). We have previously shown that sub-MIC levels of tetracycline and sodium hypochlorite promotes biofilm growth in clinical strains of E. faecalis. DAAs were therefore tested for their effectiveness to reduce biofilm growth in the presence of sub-minimal concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl-0.031%) and Odontocide™ (0.25% w/v), and in the presence of Odontopaste™ (0.25% w/v). DAAs significantly reduced biofilm formation for all strains tested in vitro, while DAAs significantly reduced biofilm formation compared to LAAs. The inhibitory effect of DAAs on biofilm formation was concentration dependent. DAAs were also shown to be effective in reducing E. faecalis biofilms in the presence of Odontopaste™ and sub-MIC levels of NaOCl and Odontocide™. The results suggest that the inclusion of DAAs into current endodontic procedures may reduce E. faecalis biofilms.

Towards Multiscale Interactions Between Tearing Modes and Microturbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Z. R.; Pueschel, M. J.; Terry, P. W.

2017-10-01

Work on the Madison Symmetric Torus Reversed-Field Pinch (RFP) has shown that large-scale tearing modes present in standard operation are highly detrimental to confinement. These tearing modes, even when reduced in improved confinement regimes of operation, significantly affect zonal flow activity and play a large role in setting microturbulent-induced transport levels. Previous gyrokinetic work has shown that a small but finite tearing fluctuation amplitude is necessary to produce transport values in agreement with experimental observation. This has previously been implemented via an ad-hoc, constant-in-time A∥ perturbation. This work details self-consistent modeling of tearing fluctuations in the RFP using the Gene code via the inclusion of a current gradient drive incorporated into the background distribution function. Tearing mode growth rates calculated from gyrokinetic simulations are benchmarked with results from fluid theory. Additionally, first results from multiscale Gene simulations describing tearing mode interactions with RFP microturbulence are presented. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Grant No. DE-FG02-85ER-53121.

Microwave-signal generation in a planar Gunn diode with radiation exposure taken into account

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

Obolenskaya, E. S., E-mail: bess009@mail.ru, E-mail: obolensk@rf.unn.ru; Tarasova, E. A.; Churin, A. Yu.

2016-12-15

Microwave-signal generation in planar Gunn diodes with a two-dimensional electron gas, in which we previously studied steady-state electron transport, is theoretically studied. The applicability of a control electrode similar to a field-effect transistor gate to control the parameters of the output diode microwave signal is considered. The results of physical-topological modeling of semiconductor structures with different diode active-region structures, i.e., without a quantum well, with one and two quantum wells separated by a potential barrier, are compared. The calculated results are compared with our previous experimental data on recording Gunn generation in a Schottky-gate field-effect transistor. It is theoretically andmore » experimentally shown that the power of the signal generated by the planar Gunn diode with a quantum well and a control electrode is sufficient to implement monolithic integrated circuits of different functionalities. It is theoretically and experimentally shown that the use of a control electrode on account of the introduction of corrective feedback allows a significant increase in the radiation resistance of a microwave generator with Schottky-gate field-effect transistors.« less

Patterned wafer geometry grouping for improved overlay control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Honggoo; Han, Sangjun; Woo, Jaeson; Park, Junbeom; Song, Changrock; Anis, Fatima; Vukkadala, Pradeep; Jeon, Sanghuck; Choi, DongSub; Huang, Kevin; Heo, Hoyoung; Smith, Mark D.; Robinson, John C.

2017-03-01

Process-induced overlay errors from outside the litho cell have become a significant contributor to the overlay error budget including non-uniform wafer stress. Previous studies have shown the correlation between process-induced stress and overlay and the opportunity for improvement in process control, including the use of patterned wafer geometry (PWG) metrology to reduce stress-induced overlay signatures. Key challenges of volume semiconductor manufacturing are how to improve not only the magnitude of these signatures, but also the wafer to wafer variability. This work involves a novel technique of using PWG metrology to provide improved litho-control by wafer-level grouping based on incoming process induced overlay, relevant for both 3D NAND and DRAM. Examples shown in this study are from 19 nm DRAM manufacturing.

Affirmation effects on math scores: The importance of high school track.

PubMed

Bancroft, Amanda; Bratter, Jenifer; Rowley, Kristie

2017-05-01

Stereotype threat has been shown to affect academic performance of minority racial groups. Minority girls may experience the burdens of both race and gender - a "double bind" theorized to affect the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. A randomized controlled trial focused on alleviating stereotype threat in three high schools in a large U.S. metro demonstrates the effects of affirmative writing interventions, which have previously shown positive effects for minority and female students. Results indicate effects for these groups were insignificant. However, results also show that student track is highly significant at p < 0.001, and interactive analyses suggest that the intervention may help alleviate threat for higher-achieving students. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scattering from randomly oriented circular discs with application to vegetation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karam, M. A.; Fung, A. K.

1984-01-01

A vegetation layer is modeled by a collection of randomly oriented circular discs over a half space. The backscattering coefficient from such a half space is computed using the radiative transfer theory. It is shown that significantly different results are obtained from this theory as compared with some earlier investigations using the same modeling approach but with restricted disc orientations. In particular, the backscattered cross polarized returns cannot have a fast increasing angular trend which is inconsistent with measurements. By setting the appropriate angle of orientation to zero the theory reduces to previously published results. Comparisons are shown with measurements taken from milo, corn and wheat and good agreements are obtained for both polarized and cross polarized returns.

Scattering from randomly oriented circular discs with application to vegetation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karam, M. A.; Fung, A. K.

1983-01-01

A vegetation layer is modeled by a collection of randomly oriented circular discs over a half space. The backscattering coefficient from such a half space is computed using the radiative transfer theory. It is shown that significantly different results are obtained from this theory as compared with some earlier investigations using the same modeling approach but with restricted disc orientations. In particular, the backscattered cross-polarized returns cannot have a fast increasing angular trend which is inconsistent with measurements. By setting the appropriate angle of orientation to zero the theory reduces to previously published results. Comparisons are shown with measurements taken from milo, corn and wheat and good agreements are obtained for both polarized and cross-polarized returns.

On the instability of hypersonic flow past a wedge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowley, Stephen; Hall, Philip

1988-01-01

The instability of a compressible flow past a wedge is investigated in the hypersonic limit. Particular attention is given to the Tollmien-Schlichting waves governed by triple-deck theory though some discussion of inviscid modes is given. It is shown that the attached shock has a significant effect on the growth rates of Tollmien-Schlichting waves. Moreover, the presence of the shock allows for more than one unstable Tollmien-Schlichting wave. Indeed, an infinite discrete spectrum of unstable waves is induced by the shock, but these modes are unstable over relatively small but high frequency ranges. The shock is shown to have little effect on the inviscid modes considered by previous authors and an asymptotic description of inviscid modes in the hypersonic limit is given.

The Role of Domain Knowledge in Creative Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Thomas B.

2008-01-01

Previous studies have shown that a predominant tendency in creative generation tasks is to base new ideas on well-known, specific instances of previous ideas (e.g., basing ideas for imaginary aliens on dogs, cats or bears). However, a substantial minority of individuals has been shown to adopt more abstract approaches to the task and to develop…

Development of a Reading Material Recommendation System Based on a Knowledge Engineering Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Ching-Kun; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chang, Chih-Kai

2010-01-01

In a language curriculum, the training of reading ability is one of the most important aspects. Previous studies have shown the importance of assigning proper articles to individual students for training their reading ability; nevertheless, previous experience has also shown the challenges of this issue owing to the complexity of personal factors…

Proposal to evaluate the use of ERTS-A imagery in mapping and managing soil and range resources in the Sand Hills Region of Nebraska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drew, J. V. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Visual examination of RB-57F color infrared imagery of range sites within Test Site 313 indicates that early season imagery will show significant differences in appearance of sub-irrigated sites as compared to dry valley sites. Differences appear to be significant also when comparing the previous two sites to sands sites. Comparison of existing soil map soils delineations with vegetative growth patterns shows reasonably good agreement between the two patterns over rather broad areas. Visual examination of ERTS-1 imagery has also shown that rangeland burned by prairie fire within the last six months can be distinguished. Three confirmed fire areas have been shown on the imagery. Since only broad estimates of burned acres are available, more accurate acreage measurements will be attempted. Known acreage of burned areas will be of value to those agencies responsible for deferred grazing payments to land owners. The relative speed with which this acreage information would become available to these agencies through ERTS-1 imagery would be of much benefit.

Functional Genomics to Identify Therapeutic Targets in Cancer Stem Cells Using a Novel Murine CRPC Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

previous report [6, 7], Ptenpc-/- tumors are sensitive to ADT (Fig 1A). A significant amount of normal epithelium was identified in castrated...histopathological analysis by H & E staining (Fig 1A) and MRI analysis (data not shown). There is no noticeable normal epithelium in the castrated Ptenpc...indicated that while tumor cells are enriched for pathways involving cell adhesion molecules and tight junction (consistent with their epithelial

Evaluation of Aedes Aegypti Presence and Abundance in Septic Tanks and Their Impacts on Dengue Transmission

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-10

problem was further compounded by the public’s incomplete understanding regarding the importance of Ae. aegypti. Many of the individuals surveyed ... survey of the community may identify the significant sources of pupae and help direct subsequent reduction efforts.59 A final point to consider...mosquitoes (all species), but as previously mentioned, they have not been shown to reduce the burden of disease. In contrast, pupal survey results and source

The deployment of intersensory selective attention: a high-density electrical mapping study of the effects of theanine.

PubMed

Gomez-Ramirez, Manuel; Higgins, Beth A; Rycroft, Jane A; Owen, Gail N; Mahoney, Jeannette; Shpaner, Marina; Foxe, John J

2007-01-01

: Ingestion of the nonproteinic amino acid theanine (5-N-ethylglutamine) has been shown to increase oscillatory brain activity in the so-called alpha band (8-14 Hz) during resting electroencephalographic recordings in humans. Independently, alpha band activity has been shown to be a key component in selective attentional processes. Here, we set out to assess whether theanine would cause modulation of anticipatory alpha activity during selective attentional deployments to stimuli in different sensory modalities, a paradigm in which robust alpha attention effects have previously been established. : Electrophysiological data from 168 scalp electrode channels were recorded while participants performed a standard intersensory attentional cuing task. : As in previous studies, significantly greater alpha band activity was measured over parieto-occipital scalp for attentional deployments to the auditory modality than to the visual modality. Theanine ingestion resulted in a substantial overall decrease in background alpha levels relative to placebo while subjects were actively performing this demanding attention task. Despite this decrease in background alpha activity, attention-related alpha effects were significantly greater for the theanine condition. : This increase of attention-related anticipatory alpha over the right parieto-occipital scalp suggests that theanine may have a specific effect on the brain's attention circuitry. We conclude that theanine has clear psychoactive properties, and that it represents a potentially interesting, naturally occurring compound for further study, as it relates to the brain's attentional system.

Modality-dependent effect of motion information in sensory-motor synchronised tapping.

PubMed

Ono, Kentaro

2018-05-14

Synchronised action is important for everyday life. Generally, the auditory domain is more sensitive for coding temporal information, and previous studies have shown that auditory-motor synchronisation is much more precise than visuo-motor synchronisation. Interestingly, adding motion information improves synchronisation with visual stimuli and the advantage of the auditory modality seems to diminish. However, whether adding motion information also improves auditory-motor synchronisation remains unknown. This study compared tapping accuracy with a stationary or moving stimulus in both auditory and visual modalities. Participants were instructed to tap in synchrony with the onset of a sound or flash in the stationary condition, while these stimuli were perceived as moving from side to side in the motion condition. The results demonstrated that synchronised tapping with a moving visual stimulus was significantly more accurate than tapping with a stationary visual stimulus, as previous studies have shown. However, tapping with a moving auditory stimulus was significantly poorer than tapping with a stationary auditory stimulus. Although motion information impaired audio-motor synchronisation, an advantage of auditory modality compared to visual modality still existed. These findings are likely the result of higher temporal resolution in the auditory domain, which is likely due to the physiological and structural differences in the auditory and visual pathways in the brain. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EFFECTS OF STROBOSCOPIC VISUAL TRAINING ON VISUAL ATTENTION, MOTION PERCEPTION, AND CATCHING PERFORMANCE.

PubMed

Wilkins, Luke; Gray, Rob

2015-08-01

It has been shown recently that stroboscopic visual training can improve visual-perceptual abilities, such as central field motion sensitivity and anticipatory timing. Such training should also improve a sports skill that relies on these perceptual abilities, namely ball catching. Thirty athletes (12 women, 18 men; M age=22.5 yr., SD=4.7) were assigned to one of two types of stroboscopic training groups: a variable strobe rate (VSR) group for which the off-time of the glasses was systematically increased (as in previous research) and a constant strobe rate group (CSR) for which the glasses were always set at the shortest off-time. Training involved simple, tennis ball-catching drills (9×20 min.) occurring over a 6-wk. In pre- and post-training, the participants completed a one-handed ball-catching task and the Useful Field of View (UFOV) and the Motion in Depth Sensitivity (MIDS) tests. Since the CSR condition used in the present study has been shown to have no effect on catching performance, it was predicted that the VSR group would show significantly greater improvement pre-post-training. There were no significant differences between the CSR and VSR on any of the tests. However, changes in catching performance (total balls caught) pre-post-training were significantly correlated with changes in scores for the UFOV single-task and MIDS tests. That is, regardless of group, participants whose perceptual-cognitive performance improved in the post-test were significantly more likely to improve their catching performance. This suggests that the perceptual changes observed in previous stroboscopic training studies may be linked to changes in sports skill performance.

How should "hot" players in basketball be defended? The use of fast-and-frugal heuristics by basketball coaches and players in response to streakiness.

PubMed

Csapo, Peter; Avugos, Simcha; Raab, Markus; Bar-Eli, Michael

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that changes in shot difficulty may have rendered the hot-hand effect in basketball unobservable and are potentially a result of defensive adjustments. However, it has not been directly analysed whether strategic changes indeed take place in response to streakiness and whether they are effective with respect to winning games. The current work consists of an experimental study with 18 professional coaches and 20 players based on video sequences from National Basketball Association games, where the shown player displayed a streaky performance in half of the sequences. While coaches were asked to devise a defensive strategy after each viewed sequence, players had to assume the role of the shown player and decide whether to shoot or pass the ball. We find that coaches tended to increase the defensive pressure significantly more often on presumably hot players and thus make use of the hot-hand heuristic. Meanwhile, players chose to shoot more frequently in low-pressure and streaky situations but selected "pass" regardless of the previous performance when they faced increased defensive pressure. Assuming that a streaky player's performance is indeed elevated during hot phases, hot-hand behaviour can be considered adaptive in certain situations as it led hot players to pass instead of shoot.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Microgravity: Efficacy in the Swine During Parabolic Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Smith L.; Campbell, Mark R.; Billica, Roger D.; Gilmore, Stevan M.

2004-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The International Space Station will need to be as capable as possible in providing Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Previous studies with manikins in parabolic microgravity (0 G) have shown that delivering CPR in microgravity is difficult. End tidal carbon dioxide (PetCO2) has been previously shown to be an effective non-invasive tool for estimating cardiac output during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Animal models have shown that this diagnostic adjunct can be used as a predictor of survival when PetCO2 values are maintained above 25% of pre-arrest values. METHODS: Eleven anesthetized Yorkshire swine were flown in microgravity during parabolic flight. Physiologic parameters, including PetCO2, were monitored. Standard ACLS protocols were used to resuscitate these models after chemical induction of cardiac arrest. Chest compressions were administered using conventional body positioning with waist restraint and unconventional vertical-inverted body positioning. RESULTS: PetCO2 values were maintained above 25% of both 1-G and O-G pre-arrest values in the microgravity environment (33% +/- 3 and 41 +/- 3). No significant difference between 1-G CPR and O-G CPR was found in these animal models. Effective CPR was delivered in both body positions although conventional body positioning was found to be quickly fatiguing as compared with the vertical-inverted. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be effectively administered in microgravity (0 G). Validation of this model has demonstrated that PetCO2 levels were maintained above a level previously reported to be predictive of survival. The unconventional vertical-inverted position provided effective CPR and was less fatiguing as compared with the conventional body position with waist restraints.

B2-kinin receptors in the dorsal periaqueductal gray are implicated in the panicolytic-like effect of opiorphin.

PubMed

Sestile, Caio César; Maraschin, Jhonatan Christian; Rangel, Marcel Pereira; Santana, Rosangela Getirana; Zangrossi, Hélio; Graeff, Frederico Guilherme; Audi, Elisabeth Aparecida

2017-10-03

Reported results have shown that the pentapeptide opiorphin inhibits oligopeptidases that degrade brain neuropeptides, and has analgesic and antidepressant effects in experimental animals, without either tolerance or dependency after chronic administration. In a previous study we showed that opiorphin has a panicolytic-like effect in the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) electrical stimulation test (EST), mediated by the μ-opioid receptor (MOR). This study further analyzes the mechanism of opiorphin panicolytic action, using the EST and drug injection inside the dPAG. The obtained results showed that blockade of the 5-HT 1A receptors with WAY-100635 did not change the escape-impairing effect of opiorphin, and combined injection of sub-effective doses of opiorphin and the 5-HT 1A -agonist 8-OH-DPAT did not have a significant anti-escape effect. In contrast, the anti-escape effect of opiorphin was antagonized by pretreatment with the kinin B2 receptor blocker HOE-140, and association of sub-effective doses of opiorphin and bradykinin caused a significant anti-escape effect. The anti-escape effect of bradykinin was not affected by previous administration of WAY-100635. Therefore, the anti-escape effect of opiorphin in the dPAG seems to be mediated by endogenous bradykinin, acting on kinin B2 receptors, which previous results have shown to interact synergistically with MOR in the dPAG to restrain escape in two animal models of panic. Chemical compounds: Opiorphin (PubChem CID: 25195667); WAY100635 maleate salt (PubChem CID: 11957721); 8-OH-DPAT hydrobromide (PubChem CID: 6917794); Bradykinin (PubChem CID: 439201); HOE-140 (Icatibant) (PubChem CID: 6918173). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Confirmation of prior evidence of genetic susceptibility to alcoholism in a genome wide association study of comorbid alcoholism and bipolar disorder

PubMed Central

Lydall, Gregory J; Bass, Nicholas J; McQuillin, Andrew; Lawrence, Jacob; Anjorin, Adebayo; Kandaswamy, Radhika; Pereira, Ana; Guerrini, Irene; Curtis, David; Vine, Anna E; Sklar, Pamela; Purcell, Shaun M; Gurling, Hugh MD

2012-01-01

Objectives Alcoholism and affective disorders are both strongly comorbid and heritable. We have investigated the genetic comorbidity between bipolar affective disorder and alcoholism. Methods A genome-wide allelic association study of 506 patients from the University College London (UCL) bipolar disorder case control sample and 510 ancestrally-matched supernormal controls. 143 of the bipolar subjects fulfilled the research diagnostic criteria (RDC) diagnosis of alcoholism. 372,193 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped. Genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism and addiction phenotypes were then tested for association in the bipolar alcoholic sample using gene wise permutation tests of all SNPs genotyped within a 50kb region flanking each gene. Results Several CNS genes showed significant (p<0.05) gene wise evidence of association with bipolar alcoholism. The genes implicated which replicated previously identified associations with alcoholism were: cadherin 11 (CDH11), collagen type XI alpha 2 (COL11A2), neuromedin U receptor 2 (NMUR2), exportin7 (XP07) and semaphorin associated protein 5A (SEMA5A). The SNPs most strongly implicated in bipolar alcoholism, but which did not meet conventional genome-wide significance criteria were the insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), carboxypeptidase O (CPO), cerebellin 2 (CBLN2), and the cadherin 12 (CDH12) genes. Conclusions We have confirmed the role of some genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism in the comorbid bipolar alcoholism subgroup. In this subgroup bipolar disorder may lower the threshold for the phenotypic expression of these alcoholism susceptibility genes. We also show that some genes may independently increase susceptibility to affective disorder and alcoholism. PMID:21876473

Perception of Global Climate Change as a Mediator of the Effects of Major and Religious Affiliation on College Students' Environmentally Responsible Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fusco, Emily; Snider, Anthony; Luo, Shanhong

2012-01-01

Previous research has shown a reliable association between environmental education and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). Research has also shown that aspects of religion were associated with ERB. However, the mechanisms of associations are unclear. This study builds on previous research addressing the relationship between student major,…

A positive effect of flowers rather than eye images in a large-scale, cross-cultural dictator game.

PubMed

Raihani, Nichola J; Bshary, Redouan

2012-09-07

People often consider how their behaviour will be viewed by others, and may cooperate to avoid gaining a bad reputation. Sensitivity to reputation may be elicited by subtle social cues of being watched: previous studies have shown that people behave more cooperatively when they see images of eyes rather than control images. Here, we tested whether eye images enhance cooperation in a dictator game, using the online labour market Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). In contrast to our predictions and the results of most previous studies, dictators gave away more money when they saw images of flowers rather than eye images. Donations in response to eye images were not significantly different to donations under control treatments. Dictator donations varied significantly across cultures but there was no systematic variation in responses to different image types across cultures. Unlike most previous studies, players interacting via AMT may feel truly anonymous when making decisions and, as such, may not respond to subtle social cues of being watched. Nevertheless, dictators gave away similar amounts as in previous studies, so anonymity did not erase helpfulness. We suggest that eye images might only promote cooperative behaviour in relatively public settings and that people may ignore these cues when they know their behaviour is truly anonymous.

Characterizing acoustic shocks in high-performance jet aircraft flyover noise.

PubMed

Reichman, Brent O; Gee, Kent L; Neilsen, Tracianne B; Downing, J Micah; James, Michael M; Wall, Alan T; McInerny, Sally Anne

2018-03-01

Acoustic shocks have been previously documented in high-amplitude jet noise, including both the near and far fields of military jet aircraft. However, previous investigations into the nature and formation of shocks have historically concentrated on stationary, ground run-up measurements, and previous attempts to connect full-scale ground run-up and flyover measurements have omitted the effect of nonlinear propagation. This paper shows evidence for nonlinear propagation and the presence of acoustic shocks in acoustical measurements of F-35 flyover operations. Pressure waveforms, derivatives, and statistics indicate nonlinear propagation, and the resulting shock formation is significant at high engine powers. Variations due to microphone size, microphone height, and sampling rate are considered, and recommendations for future measurements are made. Metrics indicating nonlinear propagation are shown to be influenced by changes in sampling rate and microphone size, and exhibit less variation due to microphone height.

Importance of neural mechanisms in colonic mucosal and muscular dysfunction in adult rats following neonatal colonic irritation.

PubMed

Chaloner, A; Rao, A; Al-Chaer, E D; Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B

2010-02-01

Previous studies have shown that early life trauma induced by maternal separation or colonic irritation leads to hypersensitivity to colorectal distension in adulthood. We tested the hypothesis that repetitive colorectal distension in neonates leads to abnormalities in colonic permeability and smooth muscle function in the adult rat. In neonatal rats, repetitive colorectal distension was performed on days 8, 10, and 12. As adults, stool consistency was graded from 0 (formed stool) to 3 (liquid stool). Colonic tissue was isolated for histology and myeloperoxidase levels. The colonic mucosa was placed in modified Ussing chambers for measurements of permeability and short-circuit current responses to forskolin, electrical field stimulation, and carbachol. Segments of colonic musculature were placed in organ baths and contractile response to potassium chloride, electrical field stimulation, and carbachol were determined. In adult rats that experienced neonatal colonic irritation, no significant changes in colonic histology or myeloperoxidase activity were observed; however, stool consistency scores were increased. Mucosal permeability, measured as an increase in basal conductance, was significantly increased but no changes in short-circuit current responses were observed. In adulthood, rats that underwent colorectal distension as neonates exhibited an elevated smooth muscle contractile response to potassium chloride, but no changes in response to electrical field stimulation or carbachol. In summary, neonatal colonic irritation, shown previously to produce colonic hypersensitivity, leads to significant alterations in colonic mucosal and smooth muscle function characterized by loose stools, increased mucosal permeability, and increased smooth muscle contractility in the absence of colon inflammation in adulthood. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Ambient fine particulate air pollution triggers ST-elevation myocardial infarction, but not non-ST elevation myocardial infarction: a case-crossover study.

PubMed

Gardner, Blake; Ling, Frederick; Hopke, Philip K; Frampton, Mark W; Utell, Mark J; Zareba, Wojciech; Cameron, Scott J; Chalupa, David; Kane, Cathleen; Kulandhaisamy, Suresh; Topf, Michael C; Rich, David Q

2014-01-02

We and others have shown that increases in particulate air pollutant (PM) concentrations in the previous hours and days have been associated with increased risks of myocardial infarction, but little is known about the relationships between air pollution and specific subsets of myocardial infarction, such as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Using data from acute coronary syndrome patients with STEMI (n = 338) and NSTEMI (n = 339) and case-crossover methods, we estimated the risk of STEMI and NSTEMI associated with increased ambient fine particle (<2.5 um) concentrations, ultrafine particle (10-100 nm) number concentrations, and accumulation mode particle (100-500 nm) number concentrations in the previous few hours and days. We found a significant 18% increase in the risk of STEMI associated with each 7.1 μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ concentration in the previous hour prior to acute coronary syndrome onset, with smaller, non-significantly increased risks associated with increased fine particle concentrations in the previous 3, 12, and 24 hours. We found no pattern with NSTEMI. Estimates of the risk of STEMI associated with interquartile range increases in ultrafine particle and accumulation mode particle number concentrations in the previous 1 to 96 hours were all greater than 1.0, but not statistically significant. Patients with pre-existing hypertension had a significantly greater risk of STEMI associated with increased fine particle concentration in the previous hour than patients without hypertension. Increased fine particle concentrations in the hour prior to acute coronary syndrome onset were associated with an increased risk of STEMI, but not NSTEMI. Patients with pre-existing hypertension and other cardiovascular disease appeared particularly susceptible. Further investigation into mechanisms by which PM can preferentially trigger STEMI over NSTEMI within this rapid time scale is needed.

Radiation Shielding Optimization on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slaba, Tony C.; Mertens, Chris J.; Blattnig, Steve R.

2013-01-01

Future space missions to Mars will require radiation shielding to be optimized for deep space transit and an extended stay on the surface. In deep space, increased shielding levels and material optimization will reduce the exposure from most solar particle events (SPE) but are less effective at shielding against galactic cosmic rays (GCR). On the surface, the shielding provided by the Martian atmosphere greatly reduces the exposure from most SPE, and long-term GCR exposure is a primary concern. Previous work has shown that in deep space, additional shielding of common materials such as aluminum or polyethylene does not significantly reduce the GCR exposure. In this work, it is shown that on the Martian surface, almost any amount of aluminum shielding increases exposure levels for humans. The increased exposure levels are attributed to neutron production in the shield and Martian regolith as well as the electromagnetic cascade induced in the Martian atmosphere. This result is significant for optimization of vehicle and shield designs intended for the surface of Mars.

Sounding Black or White: priming identity and biracial speech

PubMed Central

Gaither, Sarah E.; Cohen-Goldberg, Ariel M.; Gidney, Calvin L.; Maddox, Keith B.

2015-01-01

Research has shown that priming one’s racial identity can alter a biracial individuals’ social behavior, but can such priming also influence their speech? Language is often used as a marker of one’s social group membership and studies have shown that social context can affect the style of language that a person chooses to use, but this work has yet to be extended to the biracial population. Audio clips were extracted from a previous study involving biracial Black/White participants who had either their Black or White racial identity primed. Condition-blind coders rated Black-primed biracial participants as sounding significantly more Black and White-primed biracial participants as sounding significantly more White, both when listening to whole (Study 1a) and thin-sliced (Study 1b) clips. Further linguistic analyses (Studies 2a–c) were inconclusive regarding the features that differed between the two groups. Future directions regarding the need to investigate the intersections between social identity priming and language behavior with a biracial lens are discussed. PMID:25941505

Aerosol filtration with steel fiber filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergman, W.; Wilson, K.; Larsen, G.; Lopez, R.

1993-04-01

An experimental study has been conducted of aerosol penetration through a new high efficiency steel fiber filter and filter media that was developed in cooperation with Pall Corporation. Previous studies have shown that sintered steel fiber media have significant improvements in higher filter efficiency and lower pressure drop than the previous steel filter technology based on sintered powder metal media. In the present study, measurements were made of the penetration of dioctyl sebacate (DOS) aerosols through flat sheet samples, pleated cartridge filters, and a 1000 cfm filter having 64 cartridges housed in a 2 x 2 x 1 ft. frame. The steel fiber media used in our study consists of 2 micron diameter stainless steel (316 L) fibers sintered together into sheets.

The Stimulus Movement Effect: Allocation of Attention or Artifact?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Washburn, David A.

1993-01-01

In previous reports, including one by the author, learning has been shown to benefit by having discriminanda move rather than remain stationary. This stimulus movement effect might be attributed to several theoretical mechanisms, including attention, topological memory, and exposure duration. The series of experiments reported in this article was designed to Contrast these potential explanatory factors. Ten rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were tested on a variety of computerized tasks in which the stimuli remained stationary, flashed, or moved at systematically varied speeds. Performance was significantly best when the sample stimulus moved quickly and was poorest when the stimulus remained stationary. Further analysis of these data and other previously published data revealed that the distribution of the stimulus movement effect across trials supported an attention allocation interpretation.

Impact of x-ray dose on track formation and data analysis for CR-39-based proton diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinderknecht, H. G.; Rojas-Herrera, J.; Zylstra, A. B.; Frenje, J. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Sio, H.; Sinenian, N.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Li, C. K.; Séguin, F. H.; Petrasso, R. D.; Filkins, T.; Steidle, Jeffrey A.; Steidle, Jessica A.; Traynor, N.; Freeman, C.

2015-12-01

The nuclear track detector CR-39 is used extensively for charged particle diagnosis, in particular proton spectroscopy, at inertial confinement fusion facilities. These detectors can absorb x-ray doses from the experiments in the order of 1-100 Gy, the effects of which are not accounted for in the previous detector calibrations. X-ray dose absorbed in the CR-39 has previously been shown to affect the track size of alpha particles in the detector, primarily due to a measured reduction in the material bulk etch rate [Rojas-Herrera et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 033501 (2015)]. Similar to the previous findings for alpha particles, protons with energies in the range 0.5-9.1 MeV are shown to produce tracks that are systematically smaller as a function of the absorbed x-ray dose in the CR-39. The reduction of track size due to x-ray dose is found to diminish with time between exposure and etching if the CR-39 is stored at ambient temperature, and complete recovery is observed after two weeks. The impact of this effect on the analysis of data from existing CR-39-based proton diagnostics on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility is evaluated and best practices are proposed for cases in which the effect of x rays is significant.

Impact of x-ray dose on track formation and data analysis for CR-39-based proton diagnostics

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

Rinderknecht, H. G.; Rojas-Herrera, J.; Zylstra, A. B.

The nuclear track detector CR-39 is used extensively for charged particle diagnosis, in particular proton spectroscopy, at inertial confinement fusion facilities. These detectors can absorb x-ray doses from the experiments in the order of 1–100 Gy, the effects of which are not accounted for in the previous detector calibrations. X-ray dose absorbed in the CR-39 has previously been shown to affect the track size of alpha particles in the detector, primarily due to a measured reduction in the material bulk etch rate [Rojas-Herrera et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 033501 (2015)]. Similar to the previous findings for alpha particles, protonsmore » with energies in the range 0.5–9.1 MeV are shown to produce tracks that are systematically smaller as a function of the absorbed x-ray dose in the CR-39. The reduction of track size due to x-ray dose is found to diminish with time between exposure and etching if the CR-39 is stored at ambient temperature, and complete recovery is observed after two weeks. Furthermore, the impact of this effect on the analysis of data from existing CR-39-based proton diagnostics on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility is evaluated and best practices are proposed for cases in which the effect of x rays is significant.« less

Impact of x-ray dose on track formation and data analysis for CR-39-based proton diagnostics

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

Rinderknecht, H. G., E-mail: rinderknecht1@llnl.gov; Rojas-Herrera, J.; Zylstra, A. B.

The nuclear track detector CR-39 is used extensively for charged particle diagnosis, in particular proton spectroscopy, at inertial confinement fusion facilities. These detectors can absorb x-ray doses from the experiments in the order of 1–100 Gy, the effects of which are not accounted for in the previous detector calibrations. X-ray dose absorbed in the CR-39 has previously been shown to affect the track size of alpha particles in the detector, primarily due to a measured reduction in the material bulk etch rate [Rojas-Herrera et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 033501 (2015)]. Similar to the previous findings for alpha particles, protonsmore » with energies in the range 0.5–9.1 MeV are shown to produce tracks that are systematically smaller as a function of the absorbed x-ray dose in the CR-39. The reduction of track size due to x-ray dose is found to diminish with time between exposure and etching if the CR-39 is stored at ambient temperature, and complete recovery is observed after two weeks. The impact of this effect on the analysis of data from existing CR-39-based proton diagnostics on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility is evaluated and best practices are proposed for cases in which the effect of x rays is significant.« less

Impact of x-ray dose on track formation and data analysis for CR-39-based proton diagnostics

DOE PAGES

Rinderknecht, H. G.; Rojas-Herrera, J.; Zylstra, A. B.; ...

2015-12-23

The nuclear track detector CR-39 is used extensively for charged particle diagnosis, in particular proton spectroscopy, at inertial confinement fusion facilities. These detectors can absorb x-ray doses from the experiments in the order of 1–100 Gy, the effects of which are not accounted for in the previous detector calibrations. X-ray dose absorbed in the CR-39 has previously been shown to affect the track size of alpha particles in the detector, primarily due to a measured reduction in the material bulk etch rate [Rojas-Herrera et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 033501 (2015)]. Similar to the previous findings for alpha particles, protonsmore » with energies in the range 0.5–9.1 MeV are shown to produce tracks that are systematically smaller as a function of the absorbed x-ray dose in the CR-39. The reduction of track size due to x-ray dose is found to diminish with time between exposure and etching if the CR-39 is stored at ambient temperature, and complete recovery is observed after two weeks. Furthermore, the impact of this effect on the analysis of data from existing CR-39-based proton diagnostics on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility is evaluated and best practices are proposed for cases in which the effect of x rays is significant.« less

On Cellular Darwinism: Mitochondria.

PubMed

Bull, Larry

2016-01-01

The significant role of mitochondria within cells is becoming increasingly clear. This letter uses the NKCS model of coupled fitness landscapes to explore aspects of organelle-nucleus coevolution. The phenomenon of mitochondrial diversity is allowed to emerge under a simple intracellular evolutionary process, including varying the relative rate of evolution by the organelle. It is shown how the conditions for the maintenance of more than one genetic variant of mitochondria are similar to those previously suggested as needed for the original symbiotic origins of the relationship using the NKCS model.

[Itraconazole action on Toxoplasma gondii].

PubMed

Jamra, L M; Amato Neto, V; Braz, L M; Camargo, M E

1992-01-01

With the purpose to increase our knowledge about the spectrum of therapeutic action of itraconazole, the activity of a new triazolic derivative against Toxoplasma gondii was studied in vivo and in vitro with the aid of an experimental infection model in mice. The trial also aimed at a possible improvement of the therapy of toxoplasmosis in regard to safety and dosing easiness. The present study has not shown significant activity of itraconazole against Toxoplasma gondii, differing from a previous observation that showed it's activity against Trypanosoma cruzi.

Temperature and Gravity Dependence of Trace Element Abundances in Hot DA White Dwarfs (94-EUVE-094)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finley, David S.

1998-01-01

EUV spectroscopy has shown that DA white dwarfs hotter than about 45,000 K may contain trace heavy elements, while those hotter than about 50,000 K almost always have significant abundances of trace heavy elements. One of our continuing challenges is to identify and determine the abundances of these trace constituents, and then to relate the observed abundance patterns to the present conditions and previous evolutionary histories of the hot DA white dwarfs.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of DNA polymerases with exonuclease proofreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaspard, Pierre

2016-04-01

Kinetic theory and thermodynamics are applied to DNA polymerases with exonuclease activity, taking into account the dependence of the rates on the previously incorporated nucleotide. The replication fidelity is shown to increase significantly thanks to this dependence at the basis of the mechanism of exonuclease proofreading. In particular, this dependence can provide up to a 100-fold lowering of the error probability under physiological conditions. Theory is compared with numerical simulations for the DNA polymerases of T7 viruses and human mitochondria.

Reduction of Trapped-Ion Anomalous Heating by in situ Surface Plasma Cleaning

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-29

the trap chip temperature. To load ions, we initially cool 88Sr atoms into a remotely-located magneto - optical trap (MOT), then use a resonant push beam... trap heating rates [10]. Furthermore, some previous experiments have shown an improvement in the heating rates of surface-electrode ion traps after...rate when the trap chip is held at 4 K is not significantly improved by the plasma cleaning. While the observed frequency scaling is not the same in

Gender differences in heterosexual anal sex practices among women and men in substance abuse treatment.

PubMed

Calsyn, Donald A; Hatch-Maillette, Mary A; Meade, Christina S; Tross, Susan; Campbell, Aimee N C; Beadnell, Blair

2013-09-01

Heterosexual anal intercourse (HAI) is an understudied risk behavior among women and men in substance abuse treatment. Rates of HAI for women (n = 441) and men (n = 539) were identified for any, main and casual partners. More men (32.8 %) than women (27.1 %) reported engaging in HAI in the previous 90 days. These rates are higher than those reported for both men (6.0-15.9 %) and women (3.5-13.0 %) ages 25-59 in the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. Men were significantly more likely to report HAI with their casual partners (34.1 %) than women (16.7 %). In a logistic regression model generated to identify associations between HAI and variables previously shown to be related to high risk sexual behavior, being younger, bisexual, and White were significantly associated with HAI. For men, having more sex partners was also a significant correlate. HAI is a logical target for increased focus in HIV prevention interventions.

Cumulative traumas and psychosis: an analysis of the national comorbidity survey and the British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.

PubMed

Shevlin, Mark; Houston, James E; Dorahy, Martin J; Adamson, Gary

2008-01-01

Previous research has shown that traumatic life events are associated with a diagnosis of psychosis. Rather than focus on particular events, this study aimed to estimate the effect of cumulative traumatic experiences on psychosis. The study was based on 2 large community samples (The National Comorbidity Survey [NCS], The British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey [BPMS]). All analyses were conducted using hierarchical binary logistic regression, with psychosis diagnosis as the dependent variable. Background demographic variables were included in the first block, in addition to alcohol/drug dependence and depression. A variable indicating the number of traumas experienced was entered in the second block. Experiencing 2 or more trauma types significantly predicted psychosis, and there appeared to be a dose-response type relationship. Particular traumatic experiences have been implicated in the etiology of psychosis. Consistent with previous research, molestation and physical abuse were significant predictors of psychosis using the NCS, whereas for the BPMS, serious injury or assault and violence in the home were statistically significant. This study indicated the added risk of multiple traumatic experiences.

Cumulative Traumas and Psychosis: an Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey and the British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

PubMed Central

Shevlin, Mark; Houston, James E.; Dorahy, Martin J.; Adamson, Gary

2008-01-01

Previous research has shown that traumatic life events are associated with a diagnosis of psychosis. Rather than focus on particular events, this study aimed to estimate the effect of cumulative traumatic experiences on psychosis. The study was based on 2 large community samples (The National Comorbidity Survey [NCS], The British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey [BPMS]). All analyses were conducted using hierarchical binary logistic regression, with psychosis diagnosis as the dependent variable. Background demographic variables were included in the first block, in addition to alcohol/drug dependence and depression. A variable indicating the number of traumas experienced was entered in the second block. Experiencing 2 or more trauma types significantly predicted psychosis, and there appeared to be a dose-response type relationship. Particular traumatic experiences have been implicated in the etiology of psychosis. Consistent with previous research, molestation and physical abuse were significant predictors of psychosis using the NCS, whereas for the BPMS, serious injury or assault and violence in the home were statistically significant. This study indicated the added risk of multiple traumatic experiences. PMID:17586579

The New Surprising Behaviour of the Two 'Prototype' Blazars PKS 2155-304 and 3C 279

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

Costamante, Luigi; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Aharonian, Felix

2011-11-21

Recent VHE observations have unveiled a surprising behaviour in two well-known blazars at opposite sides of the blazar sequence. PKS 2155-304 have shown for the first time in an HBL a large Compton dominance, high {gamma}-ray luminosities and a cubic relation between X-ray and VHE fluxes. 3C 279 is the first FSRQ detected at VHE. The high luminosity required to overcome the significant absorption caused by the BLR emission cannot be easily reconciled with the historical and quasi-simultaneous SED properties. Both cases shed a new light on the structure and ambient fields of blazars. Contrary to previous claims, it ismore » also shown that 3C 279 - as any FSRQ - cannot provide robust constraints on the EBL.« less

Cleaning procedure for improved photothermal background of toroidal optical microresonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horak, Erik H.; Knapper, Kassandra A.; Heylman, Kevin D.; Goldsmith, Randall H.

2016-09-01

High Q-factors and small mode volumes have made toroidal optical microresonators exquisite sensors to small shifts in the effective refractive index of the WGM modes. Eliminating contaminants and improving quality factors is key for many different sensing techniques, and is particularly important for photothermal imaging as contaminants add photothermal background obscuring objects of interest. Several different cleaning procedures including wet- and dry-chemical procedures are tested for their effect on Q-factors and photothermal background. RCA cleaning was shown to be successful in contrast to previously described acid cleaning procedures, most likely due to the different surface reactivity of the acid reagents used. UV-ozone cleaning was shown to be vastly superior to O2 plasma cleaning procedures, significantly reducing the photothermal background of the resonator.

Atypical antipsychotic usage among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

PubMed

Takeshita, Junji; Goebert, Deborah; Else, Iwalani; Carlton, Barry; Matsu, Courtenay; Guerrero, Anthony

2014-09-01

Previous studies have shown significant ethnic differences in prescribing patterns of two or more antipsychotics. This study examined changes in atypical and typical antipsychotic prescriptions among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Five hundred consecutive charts were reviewed for antipsychotics at the time of admission and discharge from each of two inpatient psychiatric facilities in Hawai'i. Multiple antipsychotic prescription rates were 9% at intake and 6% at discharge. For the ethnic groups studied, there were no statistically significant differences by patient ethnicity regarding antipsychotics at intake (χ(2) = 29.2, df = 21, P = .110) or discharge (χ(2) = 20.5, df = 24, P = .667). There were no significant differences in prescription and polypharmacy patterns among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ethnic groups in this study.

Burnout and the learning environment of anaesthetic trainees.

PubMed

Castanelli, D J; Wickramaarachchi, S A; Wallis, S

2017-11-01

Burnout has a high prevalence among healthcare workers and is increasingly recognised as an environmental problem rather than reflecting a personal inability to cope with work stress. We distributed an electronic survey, which included the Maslach Burnout Inventory Health Services Survey and a previously validated learning environment instrument, to 281 Victorian anaesthetic trainees. The response rate was 50%. We found significantly raised rates of burnout in two of three subscales. Ninety-one respondents (67%) displayed evidence of burnout in at least one domain, with 67 (49%) reporting high emotional exhaustion and 57 (42%) reporting high depersonalisation. The clinical learning environment tool demonstrated a significant negative correlation with burnout (r=-0.56, P <0.001). Burnout was significantly more common than when previously measured in Victoria in 2008 (62% versus 38%). Trainees rated examination preparation the most stressful aspect of the training program. There is a high prevalence of burnout among Victorian anaesthetic trainees. We have shown a significant correlation exists between the clinical learning environment measure and the presence of burnout. This correlation supports the development of interventions to improve the clinical learning environment, as a means to improve trainee wellbeing and address the high prevalence of burnout.

Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Inventory Management in Manufacturing SMEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Shiau Wei; Tasmin, R.; Nor Aziati, A. H.; Zuraidah Rasi, Raja; Ismail, Fadillah Binti; Yaw, Li Ping

2017-08-01

Effectiveness of inventory management is a vital part in the manufacturing organization to be more competitive. The previous studies have indicated that there are several factors influencing the effectiveness of inventory management in the organization but there is lack of researchers who carried out the research in the manufacturing small medium enterprise in Johor. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify the problem of inventory management faced by the manufacturing small medium enterprise and also to determine the factors that will influence the effectiveness of inventory management. In completing this research, 80 employees were selected randomly from the manufacturing small medium enterprise in Batu Pahat, Johor and they were requested to complete questionnaires. The result have shown that the problems of inventory management faced by manufacturing organization were underproduction, overproduction, stock out situation, delays in the delivery of raw materials and discrepancy of records. The factors, documentation/store records, planning, knowledge of employees/staff skill have shown to significantly influence the effectiveness of inventory management while the funds have shown slightly significant influence on the inventory management in manufacturing small medium enterprises. This quantitative study is important to the manufacturing organization in Malaysia because it provides the guidelines to the employers of manufacturing small medium enterprises in Batu Pahat, Johor.

The Attractiveness Halo Effect and the Babyface Stereotype in Older and Younger Adults: Similarities, Own-Age Accentuation, and OA Positivity Effects

PubMed Central

Zebrowitz, Leslie A; Franklin, Robert G.

2014-01-01

Background Two well-documented phenomena in person perception are the attractiveness halo effect (more positive impressions of more attractive people), and the babyface stereotype (more childlike impressions of more babyfaced people), shown by children, young adults (YA) and people from diverse cultures. This is the first study to systematically investigate these face stereotypes in older adults (OA) and to compare effects for younger and older adult faces. Method YA and OA judges rated competence, health, hostility, untrustworthiness, attractiveness, and babyfaceness of older and younger neutral expression faces. Multilevel modeling assessed effects of rater age and face age on appearance stereotypes. Results Like YA, OA showed both the attractiveness halo effect and the babyface stereotype. However, OA showed weaker effects of attractiveness on impressions of untrustworthiness, and only OA associated higher babyfaceness with greater competence. There also was own-age accentuation, with both OA and YA showing stronger face stereotypes for faces closer to their own age. Age differences in the strength of the stereotypes reflected an OA positivity effect shown in more influence of positive facial qualities on impressions or less influence of negative ones, rather than vice versa. Conclusions OA own-age biases, previously shown in emotion, age, and identity recognition, and OA positivity effects, previously revealed in attention, memory, and social judgments, also influence age differences in the strength and content of appearance stereotypes. Future research should assess implications of these results for age-related differences in susceptibility to appearance biases that YA have shown in socially significant domains, such as judicial and personnel decisions. PMID:24785596

Reproducible diagnostic metabolites in plasma from typhoid fever patients in Asia and Africa

PubMed Central

Näsström, Elin; Parry, Christopher M; Vu Thieu, Nga Tran; Maude, Rapeephan R; de Jong, Hanna K; Fukushima, Masako; Rzhepishevska, Olena; Marks, Florian; Panzner, Ursula; Im, Justin; Jeon, Hyonjin; Park, Seeun; Chaudhury, Zabeen; Ghose, Aniruddha; Samad, Rasheda; Van, Tan Trinh; Johansson, Anders; Dondorp, Arjen M; Thwaites, Guy E; Faiz, Abul; Antti, Henrik; Baker, Stephen

2017-01-01

Salmonella Typhi is the causative agent of typhoid. Typhoid is diagnosed by blood culture, a method that lacks sensitivity, portability and speed. We have previously shown that specific metabolomic profiles can be detected in the blood of typhoid patients from Nepal (Näsström et al., 2014). Here, we performed mass spectrometry on plasma from Bangladeshi and Senegalese patients with culture confirmed typhoid fever, clinically suspected typhoid, and other febrile diseases including malaria. After applying supervised pattern recognition modelling, we could significantly distinguish metabolite profiles in plasma from the culture confirmed typhoid patients. After comparing the direction of change and degree of multivariate significance, we identified 24 metabolites that were consistently up- or down regulated in a further Bangladeshi/Senegalese validation cohort, and the Nepali cohort from our previous work. We have identified and validated a metabolite panel that can distinguish typhoid from other febrile diseases, providing a new approach for typhoid diagnostics. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15651.001 PMID:28483042

Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis: Human Exposure through Environmental and Domestic Aerosols

PubMed Central

Rhodes, Glenn; Richardson, Hollian; Hermon-Taylor, John; Weightman, Andrew; Higham, Andrew; Pickup, Roger

2014-01-01

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) causes Johne’s disease in animals and is significantly associated with Crohn’s disease (CD) in humans. Our previous studies have shown Map to be present in U.K. rivers due to land deposition from chronic livestock infection and runoff driven by rainfall. The epidemiology of CD in Cardiff showed a significant association with the River Taff, in which Map can be detected on a regular basis. We have previously hypothesized that aerosols from the river might influence the epidemiology of CD. In this preliminary study, we detected Map by quantitative PCR in one of five aerosol samples collected above the River Taff. In addition, we examined domestic showers from different regions in the U.K. and detected Map in three out of 30 independent samples. In detecting Map in river aerosols and those from domestic showers, this is the first study to provide evidence that aerosols are an exposure route for Map to humans and may play a role in the epidemiology of CD. PMID:25438013

Monochloramine Cometabolism by Nitrifying Biofilm Relevant ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Recently, biological monochloramine removal (i.e., cometabolism) by a pure culture ammonia–oxidizing bacteria, Nitrosomonas europaea, and a nitrifying mixed–culture have been shown to increase monochloramine demand. Although important, these previous suspended culture batch kinetic experiments were not representative of drinking water distribution systems where bacteria grow predominantly as biofilm attached to pipe walls or sediments and physiological differences may exist between suspension and biofilm growth. Therefore, the current research was an important next step in extending the previous results to investigate monochloramine cometabolism by biofilm grown in annular reactors under drinking water relevant conditions. Estimated monochloramine cometabolism kinetics were similar to those of ammonia metabolism, and monochloramine cometabolism was a significant loss mechanism (25–40% of the observed monochloramine loss). These results demonstrated that monochloramine cometabolism occurred in drinking water relevant nitrifying biofilm; thus, cometabolism may be a significant contribution to monochloramine loss during nitrification episodes in distribution systems. Investigate whether or not nitrifying biofilm can biologically transform monochloramine under drinking water relevant conditions.

Improvements in the order, isotropy and electron density of glypican-1 crystals by controlled dehydration

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

Awad, Wael; Cairo University, Cairo; Svensson Birkedal, Gabriel

The anisotropy of crystals of glypican-1 was significantly reduced by controlled dehydration using the HC1 device, allowing the building of previously disordered parts of the structure. The use of controlled dehydration for improvement of protein crystal diffraction quality is increasing in popularity, although there are still relatively few documented examples of success. A study has been carried out to establish whether controlled dehydration could be used to improve the anisotropy of crystals of the core protein of the human proteoglycan glypican-1. Crystals were subjected to controlled dehydration using the HC1 device. The optimal protocol for dehydration was developed by carefulmore » investigation of the following parameters: dehydration rate, final relative humidity and total incubation time T{sub inc}. Of these, the most important was shown to be T{sub inc}. After dehydration using the optimal protocol the crystals showed significantly reduced anisotropy and improved electron density, allowing the building of previously disordered parts of the structure.« less

The KASCADE-Grande energy spectrum of cosmic rays and the role of hadronic interaction models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apel, W. D.; Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; Di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Engler, J.; Finger, M.; Fuchs, B.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gils, H. J.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Klages, H. O.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Milke, J.; Mitrica, B.; Morello, C.; Oehlschläger, J.; Ostapchenko, S.; Palmieri, N.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schoo, S.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.

2014-05-01

Previous results obtained by KASCADE-Grande using the QGSjetII-02 hadronic interaction model have shown that the energy spectrum of cosmic rays between 1016 eV and 1018 eV exhibits a significant hardening at approximately 2×1016 eV and a slight but statistically significant steepening close to 1017 eV. Moreover, the analysis with QGSjetII-02 suggests that the break observed around 1017 eV is caused by the heavy component of primary cosmic rays. In this paper, we report on the results of similar analyses performed using the SIBYLL 2.1 and EPOS 1.99 hadronic interaction models to interpret the data. The present results confirm qualitatively the previous findings. However, the intensity of the all-particle spectrum, the positions of the hardening and steepening of the spectrum, as well as the relative abundance of the heavy and light mass groups depend on the hadronic interaction model used to interpret the data.

Testing Memories of Personally Experienced Events: The Testing Effect Seems Not to Persist in Autobiographical Memory

PubMed Central

Emmerdinger, Kathrin J.; Kuhbandner, Christof

2018-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that retrieving contents from memory in a test improves long-term retention for those contents, even when compared to restudying (i.e., the “testing effect”). The beneficial effect of retrieval practice has been demonstrated for many different types of memory representations; however, one particularly important memory system has not been addressed in previous testing effect research: autobiographical memory. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of retrieving memories for personally experienced events on long-term memory for those events. In an initial elicitation session, participants described memories for personally experienced events in response to a variety of cue words. In a retrieval practice/restudy session the following day, they repeatedly practiced retrieval for half of their memories by recalling and writing down the previously described events; the other half of memories was restudied by rereading and copying the event descriptions. Long-term retention of all previously collected memories was assessed at two different retention intervals (2 weeks and 13 weeks). In the retrieval practice session, a hypermnesic effect emerged, with memory performance increasing across the practice cycles. Long-term memory performance significantly dropped from the 2-weeks to the 13-weeks retention interval, but no significant difference in memory performance was observed between previously repeatedly retrieved and previously repeatedly restudied memories. Thus, in autobiographical memory, retrieval practice seems to be no more beneficial for long-term retention than repeated re-exposure. PMID:29881365

Testing Memories of Personally Experienced Events: The Testing Effect Seems Not to Persist in Autobiographical Memory.

PubMed

Emmerdinger, Kathrin J; Kuhbandner, Christof

2018-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that retrieving contents from memory in a test improves long-term retention for those contents, even when compared to restudying (i.e., the "testing effect"). The beneficial effect of retrieval practice has been demonstrated for many different types of memory representations; however, one particularly important memory system has not been addressed in previous testing effect research: autobiographical memory. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of retrieving memories for personally experienced events on long-term memory for those events. In an initial elicitation session, participants described memories for personally experienced events in response to a variety of cue words. In a retrieval practice/restudy session the following day, they repeatedly practiced retrieval for half of their memories by recalling and writing down the previously described events; the other half of memories was restudied by rereading and copying the event descriptions. Long-term retention of all previously collected memories was assessed at two different retention intervals (2 weeks and 13 weeks). In the retrieval practice session, a hypermnesic effect emerged, with memory performance increasing across the practice cycles. Long-term memory performance significantly dropped from the 2-weeks to the 13-weeks retention interval, but no significant difference in memory performance was observed between previously repeatedly retrieved and previously repeatedly restudied memories. Thus, in autobiographical memory, retrieval practice seems to be no more beneficial for long-term retention than repeated re-exposure.

Ran GTPase promotes cancer progression via Met receptor-mediated downstream signaling

PubMed Central

Yuen, Hiu-Fung; Chan, Ka-Kui; Platt-Higgins, Angela; Dakir, El-Habib; Matchett, Kyle B.; Haggag, Yusuf Ahmed; Jithesh, Puthen V.; Habib, Tanwir; Faheem, Ahmed; Dean, Fennell A.; Morgan, Richard; Rudland, Philip S.; El-Tanani, Mohamed

2016-01-01

It has been shown previously that cancer cells with an activated oncogenic pathway, including Met activation, require Ran for growth and survival. Here, we show that knockdown of Ran leads to a reduction of Met receptor expression in several breast and lung cancer cell lines. This, in turn suppressed HGF expression and the Met-mediated activation of the Akt pathway, as well as cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. In a cell line model where Met amplification has previously been shown to contribute to gefitinib resistance, Ran knockdown sensitized cells to gefitinib-mediated inhibition of Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and consequently reduced cell proliferation. We further demonstrate that Met reduction-mediated by knockdown of Ran, occurs at the post-transcriptional level, probably via a matrix metalloproteinase. Moreover, the level of immunoreactive Ran and Met are positively associated in human breast cancer specimens, suggesting that a high level of Ran may be a pre-requisite for Met overexpression. Interestingly, a high level of immunoreactive Ran dictates the prognostic significance of Met, indicating that the co-overexpression of Met and Ran may be associated with cancer progression and could be used in combination as a prognostic indicator. PMID:27716616

New Medications for Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Gordin, Jonathan S.; Fonarow, Gregg C.

2016-01-01

Heart failure is common and results in substantial morbidity and mortality. Current guideline-based therapies for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, including beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and aldosterone antagonists aim to interrupt deleterious neurohormonal pathways and have shown significant success in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with heart failure. Continued efforts to further improve outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction have led to the first new-in-class medications approved for heart failure since 2005, ivabradine and sacubitril/valsartan. Ivabradine targets the If channels in the sinoatrial node of the heart, decreasing heart rate. Sacubitril/valsartan combines a neprilysin inhibitor that increases levels of beneficial vasodilatory peptides with an angiotensin receptor antagonist. On a background of previously approved, guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure, these medications have shown improved clinical outcomes ranging from decreased hospitalizations in a select group of patients to a reduction in all-cause mortality across all pre-specified subgroups. In this review, we will discuss the previously established guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, the translational research that led to the development of these new therapies, and the results from the major clinical trials of ivabradine and sacubitril/valsartan. PMID:27038558

Variation in Rural African Gut Microbiota Is Strongly Correlated with Colonization by Entamoeba and Subsistence

PubMed Central

Morton, Elise R.; Lynch, Joshua; Froment, Alain; Lafosse, Sophie; Heyer, Evelyne; Przeworski, Molly; Blekhman, Ran; Ségurel, Laure

2015-01-01

The human gut microbiota is impacted by host nutrition and health status and therefore represents a potentially adaptive phenotype influenced by metabolic and immune constraints. Previous studies contrasting rural populations in developing countries to urban industrialized ones have shown that industrialization is strongly correlated with patterns in human gut microbiota; however, we know little about the relative contribution of factors such as climate, diet, medicine, hygiene practices, host genetics, and parasitism. Here, we focus on fine-scale comparisons of African rural populations in order to (i) contrast the gut microbiota of populations inhabiting similar environments but having different traditional subsistence modes and either shared or distinct genetic ancestry, and (ii) examine the relationship between gut parasites and bacterial communities. Characterizing the fecal microbiota of Pygmy hunter-gatherers as well as Bantu individuals from both farming and fishing populations in Southwest Cameroon, we found that the gut parasite Entamoeba is significantly correlated with microbiome composition and diversity. We show that across populations, colonization by this protozoa can be predicted with 79% accuracy based on the composition of an individual's gut microbiota, and that several of the taxa most important for distinguishing Entamoeba absence or presence are signature taxa for autoimmune disorders. We also found gut communities to vary significantly with subsistence mode, notably with some taxa previously shown to be enriched in other hunter-gatherers groups (in Tanzania and Peru) also discriminating hunter-gatherers from neighboring farming or fishing populations in Cameroon. PMID:26619199

Strong Langmuir Turbulence and Four-Wave Mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glanz, James

1991-02-01

The staircase expansion is a new mathematical technique for deriving reduced, nonlinear-PDE descriptions from the plasma-moment equations. Such descriptions incorporate only the most significant linear and nonlinear terms of more complex systems. The technique is used to derive a set of Dawson-Zakharov or "master" equations, which unify and generalize previous work and show the limitations of models commonly used to describe nonlinear plasma waves. Fundamentally new wave-evolution equations are derived that admit of exact nonlinear solutions (solitary waves). Analytic calculations illustrate the competition between well-known effects of self-focusing, which require coupling to ion motion, and pure-electron nonlinearities, which are shown to be especially important in curved geometries. Also presented is an N -moment hydrodynamic model derived from the Vlasov equation. In this connection, the staircase expansion is shown to remain useful for all values of N >= 3. The relevance of the present work to nonlocally truncated hierarchies, which more accurately model dissipation, is briefly discussed. Finally, the general formalism is applied to the problem of electromagnetic emission from counterpropagating Langmuir pumps. It is found that previous treatments have neglected order-unity effects that increase the emission significantly. Detailed numerical results are presented to support these conclusions. The staircase expansion--so called because of its appearance when written out--should be effective whenever the largest contribution to the nonlinear wave remains "close" to some given frequency. Thus the technique should have application to studies of wake-field acceleration schemes and anomalous damping of plasma waves.

Lighting in digital game worlds: effects on affect and play performance.

PubMed

Knez, Igor; Niedenthal, Simon

2008-04-01

As a means of extending the significance of findings in experimental psychology and nonvisual psychological lighting research to digital game research, the present study was designed to investigate the impact of warm (reddish) and cool (bluish) simulated illumination in digital game worlds on game users' affect and play performance. In line with some previous findings, we predicted that lighting in a digital game world might, as in the real world, differently influence the nonvisual psychological mechanisms of affect, which in turn might enhance or impair the players' performance. It was shown that the players performed best and fastest in a game world lit with a warm (reddish) as compared to a cool (bluish) lighting. The former color of lighting also induced the highest level of pleasantness in game users. A regression analysis indicated tentatively that it was the level of pleasantness induced by the warm lighting that enhanced the players' better performance in that digital game world. It was also shown that high- as opposed to medium- or low-skilled players engage almost 2.5 times more per week in game playing. Given their skill, they performed significantly faster and felt significantly calmer and more relaxed in doing so.

Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice.

PubMed

Weiss, L; Zeira, M; Reich, S; Har-Noy, M; Mechoulam, R; Slavin, S; Gallily, R

2006-03-01

Cannabidinoids are components of the Cannabis sativa (marijuana) plant that have been shown capable of suppressing inflammation and various aspects of cell-mediated immunity. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabidinoid has been previously shown by us to suppress cell-mediated autoimmune joint destruction in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. We now report that CBD treatment significantly reduces the incidence of diabetes in NOD mice from an incidence of 86% in non-treated control mice to an incidence of 30% in CBD-treated mice. CBD treatment also resulted in the significant reduction of plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Th1-associated cytokine production of in vitro activated T-cells and peritoneal macrophages was also significantly reduced in CBD-treated mice, whereas production of the Th2-associated cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, was increased when compared to untreated control mice. Histological examination of the pancreatic islets of CBD-treated mice revealed significantly reduced insulitis. Our results indicate that CBD can inhibit and delay destructive insulitis and inflammatory Th1-associated cytokine production in NOD mice resulting in a decreased incidence of diabetes possibly through an immunomodulatory mechanism shifting the immune response from Th1 to Th2 dominance.

Temporal expression of the human alcohol dehydrogenase gene family during liver development correlates with differential promoter activation by hepatocyte nuclear factor 1, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha, liver activator protein, and D-element-binding protein.

PubMed Central

van Ooij, C; Snyder, R C; Paeper, B W; Duester, G

1992-01-01

The human class I alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene family consists of ADH1, ADH2, and ADH3, which are sequentially activated in early fetal, late fetal, and postnatal liver, respectively. Analysis of ADH promoters revealed differential activation by several factors previously shown to control liver transcription. In cotransfection assays, the ADH1 promoter, but not the ADH2 or ADH3 promoter, was shown to respond to hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 (HNF-1), which has previously been shown to regulate transcription in early liver development. The ADH2 promoter, but not the ADH1 or ADH3 promoter, was shown to respond to CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha), a transcription factor particularly active during late fetal liver and early postnatal liver development. The ADH1, ADH2, and ADH3 promoters all responded to the liver transcription factors liver activator protein (LAP) and D-element-binding protein (DBP), which are most active in postnatal liver. For all three promoters, the activation by LAP or DBP was higher than that seen by HNF-1 or C/EBP alpha, and a significant synergism between C/EBP alpha and LAP was noticed for the ADH2 and ADH3 promoters when both factors were simultaneously cotransfected. A hierarchy of ADH promoter responsiveness to C/EBP alpha and LAP homo- and heterodimers is suggested. In all three ADH genes, LAP bound to the same four sites previously reported for C/EBP alpha (i.e., -160, -120, -40, and -20 bp), but DBP bound strongly only to the site located at -40 bp relative to the transcriptional start. Mutational analysis of ADH2 indicated that the -40 bp element accounts for most of the promoter regulation by the bZIP factors analyzed. These studies suggest that HNF-1 and C/EBP alpha help establish ADH gene family transcription in fetal liver and that LAP and DBP help maintain high-level ADH gene family transcription in postnatal liver. Images PMID:1620113

Decreases in thymopoiesis of astronauts returning from space flight

PubMed Central

Benjamin, Cara L.; Stowe, Raymond P.; St. John, Lisa; Sams, Clarence F.; Mehta, Satish K.; Crucian, Brian E.; Pierson, Duane L.

2016-01-01

Following the advent of molecular assays that measure T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) present in recent thymic emigrants, it has been conclusively shown that thymopoiesis persists in most adults, but that functional output decreases with age, influencing the maintenance of a diverse and functional T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire. Space flight has been shown to result in a variety of phenotypic and functional changes in human T cells and in the reactivation of latent viruses. While space flight has been shown to influence thymic architecture in rodents, thymopoiesis has not previously been assessed in astronauts. Here, we assessed thymopoiesis longitudinally over a 1-year period prior to and after long-term space flight (median duration, 184 days) in 16 astronauts. While preflight assessments of thymopoiesis remained quite stable in individual astronauts, we detected significant suppression of thymopoiesis in all subjects upon return from space flight. We also found significant increases in urine and plasma levels of endogenous glucocorticoids coincident with the suppression of thymopoiesis. The glucocorticoid induction and thymopoiesis suppression were transient, and they normalized shortly after return to Earth. This is the first report to our knowledge to prospectively demonstrate a significant change in thymopoiesis in healthy individuals in association with a defined physiologic emotional and physical stress event. These results suggest that suppression of thymopoiesis has the potential to influence the maintenance of the TCR repertoire during extended space travel. Further studies of thymopoiesis and endogenous glucocorticoids in other stress states, including illness, are warranted. PMID:27699228

An Evaluation of ChalleNGe Graduates DOD Employability

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

long-term impacts for ChalleNGe graduates. Our previous work has shown that cadets with higher initial reading and applied math TABE scores are...levels of reading comprehension, writing, and basic math ; they simply are not ready to acquire a second language. In addition, program directors noted...graduates. Our previous work has shown that cadets with higher initial reading and applied math TABE scores are more likely to complete ChalleNGe. In

Abnormalities in the fatty acid composition of the postmortem entorhinal cortex of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Hamazaki, Kei; Hamazaki, Tomohito; Inadera, Hidekuni

2013-11-30

Previous studies of postmortem orbitofrontal cortex have shown abnormalities in levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder (MDD). We have previously measured PUFA levels in the postmortem hippocampus from patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and control subjects; however, we found no significant differences between the groups except for small changes in n-6 PUFAs. Furthermore, our study of the postmortem amygdala showed no significant differences in major PUFAs in individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or MDD in comparison with controls. In the present study, we investigated whether there were any changes in PUFAs in the entorhinal cortexes of patients with schizophrenia (n=15), bipolar disorder (n=15), or MDD (n=15) compared with unaffected controls (n=15) matched for characteristics including age and sex. In contrast to previous studies of the orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus, we found no significant differences in major PUFAs. However, we found a 34.3% decrease in docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) (22:5n-3) in patients with MDD and an 8.7% decrease in docosatetraenoic acid (22:4n-6) in those with schizophrenia, compared with controls. Changes in PUFAs in patients with these psychiatric disorders may be specific to certain brain regions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protection from JP-8 jet fuel induced immunotoxicity by administration of aerosolized substance P.

PubMed

Harris, D T; Sakiestewa, D; Robledo, R F; Witten, M

1997-01-01

Chronic exposure to jet fuel has been shown to cause human liver dysfunction, emotional dysfunction, abnormal electroencephalograms, shortened attention spans, and decreased sensorimotor speed. The United States Air Force has decided to implement the widespread use of JP-8 jet fuel in its operations, although a thorough understanding of its potential effects upon exposed personnel is unclear. Exposure to potential environment toxicants such as JP-8 may have significant effects on host physiology. Previous studies in mice have shown that short-term, low concentration JP-8 exposure had significant effects on the immune system; e.g., decreased viable immune cell numbers, decreased immune organ weights, and loss on immune function that persisted for extended periods of time (i.e., up to 4 weeks post-exposure). Previous studies have shown that JP-8 induced pulmonary dysfunction was associated with a decrease in levels of the neuropeptide substance P (SP) in lung lavage fluids. It was found that administration of aerosolized SP was able to protect exposed animals from such JP-8 induced pulmonary changes. In the current study, aerosolized SP was analyzed for its effects on JP-i induced immunotoxicity in exposed mice. It was observed that SP administration could protect JP-8 exposed animals from losses of viable immune cell numbers, but not losses in immune organ weights. Further, exposure of animals to SP inhibitors generally increased the immunotoxicity of JP-8 exposure. SP appeared to act on all immune cell populations equally as analyzed by flow cytometry, as no one immune cell population appeared to be preferentially protected by SP. Also, SP administration was capable of protecting JP-8 exposed animals from loss of immune function at all concentrations of JP-8 utilized (250-2500 mg/m3). Significantly, SP only needed to be administered for 15 minutes after JP-8 exposure, and was active at both 1 microM and 1 nM concentrations. Thus, SP administration appears to be a relatively simple and efficient means to reverse the immunotoxicity due to hydrocarbon exposure.

Effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on the cochlear nucleus in cats deafened as neonates.

PubMed

Kandathil, Cherian K; Stakhovskaya, Olga; Leake, Patricia A

2016-12-01

Many previous studies have shown significant neurotrophic effects of intracochlear delivery of BDNF in preventing degeneration of cochlear spiral ganglion (SG) neurons after deafness in rodents and our laboratory has shown similar results in developing cats deafened prior to hearing onset. This study examined the morphology of the cochlear nucleus (CN) in a group of neonatally deafened cats from a previous study in which infusion of BDNF elicited a significant improvement in survival of the SG neurons. Five cats were deafened by systemic injections of neomycin sulfate (60 mg/kg, SQ, SID) starting one day after birth, and continuing for 16-18 days until auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing demonstrated profound bilateral hearing loss. The animals were implanted unilaterally at about 1 month of age using custom-designed electrodes with a drug-delivery cannula connected to an osmotic pump. BDNF (94 μg/ml; 0.25 μl/hr) was delivered for 10 weeks. The animals were euthanized and studied at 14-23 weeks of age. Consistent with the neurotrophic effects of BDNF on SG survival, the total CN volume in these animals was significantly larger on the BDNF-treated side than on the contralateral side. However, total CN volume, both ipsi- and contralateral to the implants in these deafened juvenile animals, was markedly smaller than the CN in normal adult animals, reflecting the severe effects of deafness on the central auditory system during development. Data from the individual major CN subdivisions (DCN, Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus; PVCN, Posteroventral Cochlear Nucleus; AVCN, Anteroventral Cochlear Nucleus) also were analyzed. A significant difference was observed between the BDNF-treated and control sides only in the AVCN. Measurements of the cross-sectional areas of spherical cells showed that cells were significantly larger in the AVCN ipsilateral to the implant than on the contralateral side. Further, the numerical density of spherical cells was significantly lower in the AVCN ipsilateral to the implant than on the contralateral side, consistent with the larger AVCN volume observed with BDNF treatment. Together, findings indicate significant neurotrophic effects of intracochlear BDNF infusion on the developing CN. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nerve cell damage in mammalian brain after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones.

PubMed

Salford, Leif G; Brun, Arne E; Eberhardt, Jacob L; Malmgren, Lars; Persson, Bertil R R

2003-06-01

The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for the human body is a growing concern for our society. We have previously shown that weak pulsed microwaves give rise to a significant leakage of albumin through the blood-brain barrier. In this study we investigated whether a pathologic leakage across the blood-brain barrier might be combined with damage to the neurons. Three groups each of eight rats were exposed for 2 hr to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile phone electromagnetic fields of different strengths. We found highly significant (p< 0.002) evidence for neuronal damage in the cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia in the brains of exposed rats.

L-theanine and caffeine improve task switching but not intersensory attention or subjective alertness.

PubMed

Einöther, Suzanne J L; Martens, Vanessa E G; Rycroft, Jane A; De Bruin, Eveline A

2010-04-01

Tea ingredients L-theanine and caffeine have repeatedly been shown to deliver unique cognitive benefits when consumed in combination. The current randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study compared a combination of L-theanine (97 mg) and caffeine (40 mg) to a placebo on two attention tasks and a self-report questionnaire before, and 10 and 60 min after consumption. The combination of L-theanine and caffeine significantly improved attention on a switch task as compared to the placebo, while subjective alertness and intersensory attention were not improved significantly. The results support previous evidence that L-theanine and caffeine in combination can improve attention. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using molecular dynamics simulations and finite element method to study the mechanical properties of nanotube reinforced polyethylene and polyketone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouhi, S.; Alizadeh, Y.; Ansari, R.; Aryayi, M.

2015-09-01

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the mechanical behavior of single-walled carbon nanotube reinforced composites. Polyethylene and polyketone are selected as the polymer matrices. The effects of nanotube atomic structure and diameter on the mechanical properties of polymer matrix nanocomposites are investigated. It is shown that although adding nanotube to the polymer matrix raises the longitudinal elastic modulus significantly, the transverse tensile and shear moduli do not experience important change. As the previous finite element models could not be used for polymer matrices with the atom types other than carbon, molecular dynamics simulations are used to propose a finite element model which can be used for any polymer matrices. It is shown that this model can predict Young’s modulus with an acceptable accuracy.

Distributed asynchronous microprocessor architectures in fault tolerant integrated flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, W. R.

1983-01-01

The paper discusses the implementation of fault tolerant digital flight control and navigation systems for rotorcraft application. It is shown that in implementing fault tolerance at the systems level using advanced LSI/VLSI technology, aircraft physical layout and flight systems requirements tend to define a system architecture of distributed, asynchronous microprocessors in which fault tolerance can be achieved locally through hardware redundancy and/or globally through application of analytical redundancy. The effects of asynchronism on the execution of dynamic flight software is discussed. It is shown that if the asynchronous microprocessors have knowledge of time, these errors can be significantly reduced through appropiate modifications of the flight software. Finally, the papear extends previous work to show that through the combined use of time referencing and stable flight algorithms, individual microprocessors can be configured to autonomously tolerate intermittent faults.

Accurate, fast, and secure biometric fingerprint recognition system utilizing sensor fusion of fingerprint patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Saba, Aed; Alsharif, Salim; Jagapathi, Rajendarreddy

2011-04-01

Fingerprint recognition is one of the first techniques used for automatically identifying people and today it is still one of the most popular and effective biometric techniques. With this increase in fingerprint biometric uses, issues related to accuracy, security and processing time are major challenges facing the fingerprint recognition systems. Previous work has shown that polarization enhancementencoding of fingerprint patterns increase the accuracy and security of fingerprint systems without burdening the processing time. This is mainly due to the fact that polarization enhancementencoding is inherently a hardware process and does not have detrimental time delay effect on the overall process. Unpolarized images, however, posses a high visual contrast and when fused (without digital enhancement) properly with polarized ones, is shown to increase the recognition accuracy and security of the biometric system without any significant processing time delay.

Plasma Equilibrium in a Magnetic Field with Stochastic Regions

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

J.A. Krommes and Allan H. Reiman

The nature of plasma equilibrium in a magnetic field with stochastic regions is examined. It is shown that the magnetic differential equation that determines the equilibrium Pfirsch-Schluter currents can be cast in a form similar to various nonlinear equations for a turbulent plasma, allowing application of the mathematical methods of statistical turbulence theory. An analytically tractable model, previously studied in the context of resonance-broadening theory, is applied with particular attention paid to the periodicity constraints required in toroidal configurations. It is shown that even a very weak radial diffusion of the magnetic field lines can have a significant effect onmore » the equilibrium in the neighborhood of the rational surfaces, strongly modifying the near-resonant Pfirsch-Schluter currents. Implications for the numerical calculation of 3D equilibria are discussed« less

The effects of bilingualism on toddlers’ executive functioning

PubMed Central

Poulin-Dubois, Diane; Blaye, Agnes; Coutya, Julie; Bialystok, Ellen

2015-01-01

Bilingual children have been shown to outperform monolingual children on tasks measuring executive functioning skills. This advantage is usually attributed to bilinguals’ extensive practice in exercising selective attention and cognitive flexibility during language use because both languages are active when one of them is being used. We examined whether this advantage is observed in 24-month-olds who have had much less experience in language production. A battery of executive functioning tasks and the cognitive scale of the Bayley test were administered to 63 monolingual and bilingual children. Native bilingual children performed significantly better than monolingual children on the Stroop task, with no difference between groups on the other tasks, confirming the specificity of bilingual effects to conflict tasks reported in older children. These results demonstrate that bilingual advantages in executive control emerge at an age not previously shown. PMID:21122877

Recent evolution of a novel begomovirus causing tomato leaf curl disease in the Al-Batinah region of Oman.

PubMed

Khan, Akhtar J; Akhtar, Sohail; Singh, Achuit K; Al-Shehi, Adel A; Al-Matrushi, Abdulrahman M; Ammara, Ume; Briddon, Rob W

2014-03-01

For last two decades, begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae) have been a major constraint for tomato production in Oman, particularly in the Al-Batinah region, the major agricultural area of Oman. Farms in the Al-Batinah region were surveyed during January-March and November-December in 2012 and January-February in 2013. Leaf samples of tomato plants showing typical leaf curl disease symptoms were collected and analyzed for begomoviruses. Out of fifteen begomovirus clones sequenced, seven were shown to be tomato yellow leaf curl virus strain Oman (TYLCV-OM); three, chili leaf curl virus strain Oman (ChLCV-OM); and one, tomato leaf curl Oman virus (ToLCOMV) - viruses that have previously been shown to occur in Oman. Four sequences were shown to have relatively low percent identity values to known begomoviruses, with the highest (86 %) to isolates of pepper leaf curl Lahore virus, indicating that these should be included in a new species, for which the name "Tomato leaf curl Al Batinah virus" (ToLCABV) is proposed. Although the betasatellite tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB; 7 full-length sequences isolated) was identified with some isolates of ChLCV-OM, TYLCV-OM and ToLCOMV, it was not identified in association with any of the ToLCABV isolates. Analysis of the sequences of the TYLCV-OM and ToLCOMV isolates characterized here did not show them to differ significantly from previously characterized isolates of these viruses. The three isolates of ChLCV-OM characterized were shown to have a recombination pattern distinct from earlier characterized isolates. ToLCABV was shown to have resulted from recombination between ChLCV-OM and ToLCOMV. A clone of ToLCABV was infectious by Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato, inducing symptoms typical of those seen in tomato in the field. Additionally, ToLCABV was shown to be able to interact in planta with ToLCB, resulting in a change in symptom phenotype, although the betasatellite did not appear to affect viral DNA levels.

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.

Mometasone Furoate Cream Reduces Acute Radiation Dermatitis in Patients Receiving Breast Radiation Therapy: Results of a Randomized Trial

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

Hindley, Andrew, E-mail: andrew.hindley@lthtr.nhs.uk; Zain, Zakiyah; Wood, Lisa

Purpose: We wanted to confirm the benefit of mometasone furoate (MF) in preventing acute radiation reactions, as shown in a previous study (Boström et al, Radiother Oncol 2001;59:257-265). Methods and Materials: The study was a double-blind comparison of MF with D (Diprobase), administered daily from the start of radiation therapy for 5 weeks in patients receiving breast radiation therapy, 40 Gy in 2.67-Gy fractions daily over 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was mean modified Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) score. Results: Mean RTOG scores were significantly less for MF than for D (P=.046). Maximum RTOG and mean erythema scores were significantly less for MFmore » than for D (P=.018 and P=.012, respectively). The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was significantly less for MF than for D at weeks 4 and 5 when corrected for Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) questionnaire scores. Conclusions: MF cream significantly reduces radiation dermatitis when applied to the breast during and after radiation therapy. For the first time, we have shown a significantly beneficial effect on quality of life using a validated instrument (DLQI), for a topical steroid cream. We believe that application of this cream should be the standard of care where radiation dermatitis is expected.« less

Reoperation for non-structural valvular dysfunction caused by pannus ingrowth in aortic valve prosthesis.

PubMed

Oh, Se Jin; Park, Samina; Kim, Jun Sung; Kim, Kyung-Hwan; Kim, Ki Bong; Ahn, Hyuk

2013-07-01

The authors' clinical experience is presented of non-structural valvular dysfunction of the prosthetic aortic valve caused by pannus ingrowth during the late postoperative period after previous heart valve surgery. Between January 1999 and April 2012, at the authors' institution, a total of 33 patients underwent reoperation for increased mean pressure gradient of the prosthetic aortic valve. All patients were shown to have pannus ingrowth. The mean interval from the previous operation was 16.7 +/- 4.3 years, and the most common etiology for the previous aortic valve replacement (AVR) was rheumatic valve disease. The mean effective orifice area index (EOAI) of the previous prosthetic valve was 0.97 +/- 0.11 cm2/m2, and the mean pressure gradient on the aortic prosthesis before reoperation was 39.1 +/- 10.7 mmHg. Two patients (6.1%) died in-hospital, and late death occurred in six patients (18.2%). At the first operation, 30 patients underwent mitral or tricuspid valve surgery as a concomitant procedure. Among these operations, mitral valve replacement (MVR) was combined in 24 of all 26 patients with rheumatic valve disease. Four patients underwent pannus removal only while the prosthetic aortic valve was left in place. The mean EOAI after reoperation was significantly increased to 1.16 +/- 0.16 cm2/m2 (p < 0.001), and the mean pressure gradient was decreased to 11.9 +/- 1.9 mmHg (p < 0.001). Non-structural valvular dysfunction caused by pannus ingrowth was shown in patients with a small EOAI of the prosthetic aortic valve and combined MVR for rheumatic disease. As reoperation for pannus overgrowth showed good clinical outcomes, an aggressive resection of pannus and repeated AVR should be considered in symptomatic patients to avoid the complications of other cardiac diseases.

Methadone patients exhibit increased startle and cortisol response after intravenous yohimbine.

PubMed

Stine, S M; Grillon, C G; Morgan, C A; Kosten, T R; Charney, D S; Krystal, J H

2001-03-01

Brain noradrenergic systems have been shown to be altered in opioid dependence and to mediate aspects of opioid withdrawal. Pre-clinical and clinical studies by others have shown that yohimbine, which increases noradrenergic activity, also increases both baseline and fear enhancement of the magnitude of the acoustic startle response (ASR). In a separate report from this experiment, it was shown that yohimbine produced opioid withdrawal-like symptoms, including anxiety, in clinically stable methadone-maintained patients and also produced elevations in the norepinepherine (NE) metabolite, 3-methoxy-4 hydroxyphenethyleneglycol (MHPG), and cortisol serum levels. The current study reports the effects of intravenous yohimbine hydrochloride, 0.4 mg/kg versus saline (double-blind), on ASR magnitude, plasma MHPG, and cortisol levels in eight methadone-maintained patients and 13 healthy subjects in a double-blind fashion. Yohimbine increased startle magnitude in both groups. There was no basal (placebo day) difference between the startle response of the two groups, but methadone patients had a larger startle magnitude increase in response to yohimbine than healthy controls. Methadone-maintained patients had lower baseline plasma levels of MHPG and similar baseline plasma cortisol levels compared with normal subjects. Yohimbine caused significant elevation in cortisol and MHPG in both groups. Methadone-maintained subjects had higher elevations in cortisol levels and MHPG (methadone main effect) levels in response to yohimbine. However, when MHPG levels were corrected for baseline differences by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), the yohimbine effect, but not the methadone effect remained statistically significant. These results are consistent with the previous report and support the hypothesis that abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and of noradrenergic mechanisms of stress response persist in opioid-agonist maintenance. The ASR effect extends the previous report and provides an additional objective measure for perturbation of noradrenergic and stress responses in these patients.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and IGFBP-5 mediate TGF-{beta}- and myostatin-induced suppression of proliferation in porcine embryonic myogenic cell cultures

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

Kamanga-Sollo, E.; Pampusch, M.S.; White, M.E.

2005-11-15

We have previously shown that cultured porcine embryonic myogenic cells (PEMC) produce both insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and IGFBP-5 and secrete these proteins into their media. Exogenously added recombinant porcine (rp) IGFBP-3 and rpIGFBP-5 act via IGF-dependent and IGF-independent mechanisms to suppress proliferation of PEMC cultures. Furthermore, immunoneutralization of endogenous IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 in the PEMC culture medium results in increased DNA synthesis rate suggesting that endogenous IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 suppress PEMC proliferation. TGF-{beta} superfamily members myostatin and TGF-{beta}{sub 1} have also been shown to suppress proliferation of myogenic cells, and treatment of cultured PEMC with either TGF-{beta}{submore » 1} or myostatin significantly (P < 0.01) increases levels of IGFBP-3 and -5 mRNA. We have previously shown that immunoneutralization of IGFBP-3 decreases the proliferation-suppressing activity of TGF-{beta}{sub 1} and myostatin. Here, we show that immunoneutralization of IGFBP-5 also significantly (P < 0.05) decreases the DNA synthesis-suppressing activity of these molecules. Simultaneous immunoneutralization of both IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 in TGF-{beta}{sub 1} or myostatin-treated PEMC cultures restores Long-R3-IGF-I-stimulated DNA synthesis rates to 90% of the levels observed in control cultures receiving no TGF-{beta}{sub 1} or myostatin treatment (P < 0.05). Even though immunoneutralization of IGFBP-3 and -5 increased DNA synthesis rates in TGF-{beta}{sub 1} or myostatin-treated PEMC cultures, phosphosmad2 levels in these cultures were not affected. These findings strongly suggest that IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 affect processes downstream from receptor-mediated Smad phosphorylation that facilitate the ability of TGF-{beta} and myostatin to suppress proliferation of PEMC.« less

Bandwidth reduction for video-on-demand broadcasting using secondary content insertion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golynski, Alexander; Lopez-Ortiz, Alejandro; Poirier, Guillaume; Quimper, Claude-Guy

2005-01-01

An optimal broadcasting scheme under the presence of secondary content (i.e. advertisements) is proposed. The proposed scheme works both for movies encoded in a Constant Bit Rate (CBR) or a Variable Bit Rate (VBR) format. It is shown experimentally that secondary content in movies can make Video-on-Demand (VoD) broadcasting systems more efficient. An efficient algorithm is given to compute the optimal broadcasting schedule with secondary content, which in particular significantly improves over the best previously known algorithm for computing the optimal broadcasting schedule without secondary content.

Continuous topical oxygen for the treatment of chronic wounds: a pilot study.

PubMed

Woo, Kevin Y; Coutts, Patricia M; Sibbald, R Gary

2012-12-01

Oxygen is essential for all stages of wound healing. Previous research has shown topical administration of oxygen to have positive effects on wound healing. In this study, the application of transdermal continuous topical oxygen therapy (TCOT) was evaluated for its effect on chronic wound healing in 9 patients. After 4 weeks of treatment, mean wound surface area and wound infection checklist scores were significantly reduced. Signs of bacterial damage were also reduced. Findings from this study suggest TCOT may be beneficial in promoting chronic wound healing.

Effects of glucocorticoid hormones on cell proliferation in dimethylhydrazine-induced tumours in rat colon.

PubMed

Tutton, P J; Barkla, D H

1981-01-01

Adrenocortical hormones have previously been shown to influence cell proliferation in many tissues. In this report, their influence on cell proliferation in the colonic crypt epithelium and in colonic adenocarcinomata is compared. Colonic tumour cell proliferation was found to be retarded following adrenalectomy and this retardation was reversible by administration of hydrocortisone, or by administration of synthetic steroids with predominantly glucocorticoid activity. Tumour cell proliferation in adrenalectomized rats was not promoted by the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone. Neither adrenalectomy, nor adrenocortical hormone treatment, significantly influenced colonic crypt cell proliferation.

Acoustic rhinometry of the Indian and Anglo-Saxon nose.

PubMed

Gurr, P; Diver, J; Morgan, N; MacGregor, F; Lund, V

1996-09-01

The internal and external geometry of the nose has previously been shown to differ between Anglo-Saxon, Chinese, and Negro noses. It is therefore important to define the normal geometric nasal parameters of a given race, so as to detect the abnormal nose. We present acoustic rhinometric data, with height-adjusted figures, examining the nasal minimum cross-sectional area (MCA), the distance to the nostril from the MCA, and the MCA between 0-6 cm. These data show no significant differences between Indian and Anglo-Saxon noses.

Neural network-based run-to-run controller using exposure and resist thickness adjustment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geary, Shane; Barry, Ronan

2003-06-01

This paper describes the development of a run-to-run control algorithm using a feedforward neural network, trained using the backpropagation training method. The algorithm is used to predict the critical dimension of the next lot using previous lot information. It is compared to a common prediction algorithm - the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and is shown to give superior prediction performance in simulations. The manufacturing implementation of the final neural network showed significantly improved process capability when compared to the case where no run-to-run control was utilised.

Visual response time to colored stimuli in peripheral retina - Evidence for binocular summation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haines, R. F.

1977-01-01

Simple onset response time (RT) experiments, previously shown to exhibit binocular summation effects for white stimuli along the horizontal meridian, were performed for red and green stimuli along 5 oblique meridians. Binocular RT was significantly shorter than monocular RT for a 45-min-diameter spot of red, green, or white light within eccentricities of about 50 deg from the fovea. Relatively large meridian differences were noted that appear to be due to the degree to which the images fall on corresponding retinal areas.

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.

Melasma in Latina patients: cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a quality-of-life questionnaire in Spanish language.

PubMed

Dominguez, Arturo R; Balkrishnan, Rajesh; Ellzey, Allison R; Pandya, Amit G

2006-07-01

Melasma has been shown to have a significant emotional and psychologic effect on affected patients. Although this pigmentary disorder is thought to be more prevalent among Latinos, the effect of melasma on quality of life (QOL) in this population is unknown. The goals of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the previously validated Melasma QOL (MELASQOL) scale into Spanish language, to confirm the new scale's reliability and validity, and to administer the scale to characterize melasma's effect on the health-related QOL of Spanish language-speaking Latino patients. Cross-cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire was performed using previously established guidelines. After pretesting the questionnaire in a group of 30 patients, it was tested in a group of 112 patients recruited from a community outpatient clinic. A Spanish-language health-related QOL assessment battery was also administered for validation purposes. The degree of melasma was determined on clinical examination by the investigator using the Melasma Area and Severity Index. Cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire was successful in producing a working and understandable Spanish-language version of the MELASQOL. The Spanish-language MELASQOL scale was internally reliable and demonstrated construct and content validity. The Spanish-language MELASQOL scores of patients with little to no formal education were significantly higher than those with at least a seventh-grade education. Scores were proportional to the length of time a patient had lived with melasma and were higher in patients who had previously sought treatment. Spanish-language MELASQOL score and Melasma Area and Severity Index were shown to be moderately correlated, but no differences were seen according to patient age, marital status, employment, or coexisting medical or psychiatric conditions. Limitations are a lack of data regarding socioeconomic status and limitation to Mexican and Central American female patients. We have developed a semantically equivalent translation of MELASQOL in the Spanish language and have begun to characterize the effects of melasma on the QOL in a population that has not been previously studied. Further studies in larger populations of Spanish language-speaking patients from various geographic and socioeconomic groups are warranted.

Applying the Socratic Method to Physics Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corcoran, Ed

2005-04-01

We have restructured University Physics I and II in accordance with methods that PER has shown to be effective, including a more interactive discussion- and activity-based curriculum based on the premise that developing understanding requires an interactive process in which students have the opportunity to talk through and think through ideas with both other students and the teacher. Studies have shown that in classes implementing this approach to teaching as compared to classes using a traditional approach, students have significantly higher gains on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). This has been true in UPI. However, UPI FCI results seem to suggest that there is a significant conceptual hole in students' understanding of Newton's Second Law. Two labs in UPI which teach Newton's Second Law will be redesigned replacing more activity with students as a group talking through, thinking through, and answering conceptual questions asked by the TA. The results will be measured by comparing FCI results to those from previous semesters, coupled with interviews. The results will be analyzed, and we will attempt to understand why gains were or were not made.

Advanced Water Purification System for In Situ Resource Utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anthony, Stephen M.; Jolley, Scott T.; Captain, James G.

2013-01-01

A main goal in the field of In Situ Resource Utilization is to develop technologies that produce oxygen from regolith to provide consumables to an extraterrestrial outpost. The processes developed reduce metal oxides in the regolith to produce water, which is then electrolyzed to produce oxygen. Hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids are byproducts of the reduction processes, which must be removed to meet electrolysis purity standards. We previously characterized Nation, a highly water selective polymeric proton-exchange membrane, as a filtration material to recover pure water from the contaminated solution. While the membranes successfully removed both acid contaminants, the removal efficiency of and water flow rate through the membranes were not sufficient to produce large volumes of electrolysis-grade water. In the present study, we investigated electrodialysis as a potential acid removal technique. Our studies have shown a rapid and significant reduction in chloride and fluoride concentrations in the feed solution, while generating a relatively small volume of concentrated waste water. Electrodialysis has shown significant promise as the primary separation technique in ISRU water purification processes.

Do empathy, perspective-taking, sense of power and personality differ across undergraduate education and are they inter-related?

PubMed

Toto, Regina L; Man, Lillian; Blatt, Benjamin; Simmens, Samuel J; Greenberg, Larrie

2015-03-01

Empathy is desirable in all health care professionals in their interactions with patients and each other. Empathy in its cognitive (perspective-taking) and affective forms has been well-studied in the literature and in fact, is shown in most studies to decline during undergraduate and graduate medical education. Empathy has also been shown to be inversely proportional to one's sense of power (SOP) in the business literature. In addition, the relationship of empathy to personality traits has not been examined. This cross-sectional study of four cohorts of undergraduate medical students at a private mid-Atlantic medical school compares the empathy of first, second, third and fourth year medical students to see if there is a decline across the medical school experience. It also examines the relationship among empathy, SOP and personality type across the 4 years of medical school. Unlike in many previous studies, we found no decline in student empathy. We found no significant relationship between SOP and empathy. Finally, there were no significant differences in power perception and personality measures across all educational years surveyed.

Occurrence and stability of masked fumonisins in corn silage samples.

PubMed

Latorre, Alicia; Dagnac, Thierry; Lorenzo, Bruno Fernández; Llompart, María

2015-12-15

Corn plants contaminated with Fusarium verticilloides were harvested at two dates and ensiled in laboratory silos. The stability of Fumonisins B1 and B2 (FB1, FB2) was studied and the effects of inoculant use (Lactobacillus buchneri) and of the ensiling time were assessed. The occurrence of masked fumonisins was also investigated. After the extraction of the free forms (FB1, FB2), the residue was subjected to an alkaline hydrolysis resulting in the release of derivates subsequently detected by LC-HESI-MS/MS. The ensiling time has shown to be a significant factor for the evolution of free FB1 and FB2 at the 2nd harvest date. Moreover, the use of inoculant had a significant effect on the stability of hidden and total FB1 at the two harvest dates. Samples previously ensiled and exposed to aerobic conditions for 7days have shown higher fumonisin levels than those not exposed to air. Our results showed that 65% and 39% of the total FB1 and FB2 contents in silage were due to hidden fumonisins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward Bridging the Mechanistic Gap Between Genes and Traits by Emphasizing the Role of Proteins in a Computational Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haskel-Ittah, Michal; Yarden, Anat

2017-12-01

Previous studies have shown that students often ignore molecular mechanisms when describing genetic phenomena. Specifically, students tend to directly link genes to their encoded traits, ignoring the role of proteins as mediators in this process. We tested the ability of 10th grade students to connect genes to traits through proteins, using concept maps and reasoning questions. The context of this study was a computational learning environment developed specifically to foster this ability. This environment presents proteins as the mechanism-mediating genetic phenomena. We found that students' ability to connect genes, proteins, and traits, or to reason using this connection, was initially poor. However, significant improvement was obtained when using the learning environment. Our results suggest that visual representations of proteins' functions in the context of a specific trait contributed to this improvement. One significant aspect of these results is the indication that 10th graders are capable of accurately describing genetic phenomena and their underlying mechanisms, a task that has been shown to raise difficulties, even in higher grades of high school.

The effects of the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, WIN55,212-2 and CP55,940, on salicylate-induced tinnitus in rats.

PubMed

Zheng, Yiwen; Stiles, Lucy; Hamilton, Emma; Smith, Paul F; Darlington, Cynthia L

2010-09-01

Previous studies in animals and humans have shown that, in some cases at least, anti-epileptic drugs can reduce the severity of tinnitus. Given that cannabinoid receptor agonists have been shown to exert anti-epileptic effects in some circumstances, we investigated whether two synthetic CB(1)/CB(2) receptor agonists, WIN55,212-2, and CP55,940, could inhibit the behavioural manifestations of salicylate-induced tinnitus in rats in a conditioned suppression task. We found that neither WIN55,212-2 (3.0 mg/kg s.c) nor CP55,940 (0.1 or 0.3 mg/kg s.c), significantly reduced conditioned behaviour associated with tinnitus. However, both 3 mg/kg WIN55,212-2 and 0.3 mg/kg CP55,940 did significantly increase tinnitus-related behaviour compared to the vehicle control groups. These results suggest that cannabinoid receptor agonists may not be useful in the treatment of salicylate-induced tinnitus and that at certain doses, they could actually exacerbate the condition. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differences in social skills performance between institutionalized juvenile male offenders and a comparable group of boys without offence records.

PubMed

Spence, S H

1981-09-01

Eighteen institutionalized young male offenders and 18 boys without criminal records, comparable in terms of age, academic performance and social background, were videotaped during a five-minute standardized interview with a previously unknown adult. The videotapes were then subjected to a behavioural analysis of 13 responses which had previously been suggested to be important social skill components. The tapes were also shown to six independent judges who rated each tape in terms of social skills performance, social anxiety, friendliness, and employability. The offender group was found to differ significantly from the non-offender group in terms of the level of eye-contact, head movements, amount spoken, fiddling movements, and gross body movements. The offender group was also rated in significantly less favourably terms on the scales of social skills performance, social anxiety, and employability, compared to the non-offender groups. No significant difference was found in terms of friendliness ratings. Correlation analyses between the specific behavioural measures and the subjective rating scales revealed statistically significant associations between six of the 13 behavioural measures and one or more of the subjective rating scales. The provides some indication of the type of responses important in determining the impression made by adolescent male in an interview situation.

Weather and childbirth: a further search for relationships.

PubMed

Driscoll, D M

1995-03-01

Previous attempts to find relationships between weather and parturition (childbirth) and its onset (the beginning of labor pains) have revealed, firstly, limited but statistically significant relationships between weather conditions much colder than the day before, with high winds and low pressure, and increased onsets; and secondly, increased numbers of childbirths during periods of atmospheric pressure rise (highly statistically significant). To test these findings, this study examined weather data coincident childbirth data from a hospital at Bryan-College Station, Texas (for a period of 30 cool months from 1987 to 1992). Tests for (1) days of cold fronts, (2) a day before and a day after the cold front, (3) days with large temperature increases, and (4) decreases from the day before revealed no relationship with mean daily rate of onset. Cold days with high winds and low pressure had significantly fewer onsets, a result that is the opposite of previous findings. The postulated relationship between periods of pressure rise and increased birth frequency was negative, i.e., significantly fewer births occurred at those times--again, the opposite of the apparent occurrence in an earlier study. The coincidence of diurnal variations in both atmospheric pressure and frequency of childbirths, was shown to account for fairly strong negative associations between the two variables.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Minimal effects of visual memory training on the auditory performance of adult cochlear implant users

PubMed Central

Oba, Sandra I.; Galvin, John J.; Fu, Qian-Jie

2014-01-01

Auditory training has been shown to significantly improve cochlear implant (CI) users’ speech and music perception. However, it is unclear whether post-training gains in performance were due to improved auditory perception or to generally improved attention, memory and/or cognitive processing. In this study, speech and music perception, as well as auditory and visual memory were assessed in ten CI users before, during, and after training with a non-auditory task. A visual digit span (VDS) task was used for training, in which subjects recalled sequences of digits presented visually. After the VDS training, VDS performance significantly improved. However, there were no significant improvements for most auditory outcome measures (auditory digit span, phoneme recognition, sentence recognition in noise, digit recognition in noise), except for small (but significant) improvements in vocal emotion recognition and melodic contour identification. Post-training gains were much smaller with the non-auditory VDS training than observed in previous auditory training studies with CI users. The results suggest that post-training gains observed in previous studies were not solely attributable to improved attention or memory, and were more likely due to improved auditory perception. The results also suggest that CI users may require targeted auditory training to improve speech and music perception. PMID:23516087

Association of HK2 and NCK2 with Normal Tension Glaucoma in the Japanese Population

PubMed Central

Shi, Dong; Funayama, Tomoyo; Mashima, Yukihiko; Takano, Yoshimasa; Shimizu, Ai; Yamamoto, Kotaro; Mengkegale, MinGe; Miyazawa, Akiko; Yasuda, Noriko; Fukuchi, Takeo; Abe, Haruki; Ideta, Hidenao; Nishida, Kohji; Nakazawa, Toru; Richards, Julia E.; Fuse, Nobuo

2013-01-01

Although family studies and genome-wide association studies have shown that genetic factors play a role in glaucoma, it has been difficult to identify the specific genetic variants involved. We tested 669 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the region of chromosome 2 that includes the GLC1B glaucoma locus for association with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in the Japanese population. We performed a two-stage case-control study. The first cohort consisted of 123 POAG cases, 121 NTG cases and 120 controls: the second cohort consisted of 187 POAG cases, 286 NTG cases, and 271 controls. Out of six SNPs showing significant association with POAG in the first round screening, seven SNPs were tested in the second round. Rs678350 in the HK2 gene coding sequence showed significant allelic (p = 0.0027 in Stage Two, 2.7XE-4 in meta-analysis) association with POAG, and significant allelic (p = 4.7XE-4 in Stage Two, 1.0XE-5 in meta-analysis) association with NTG. Although alleles in the TMEM182 gene did not show significant association with glaucoma in the second round, subjects with the A/A allele in TMEM182 rs869833 showed worse visual field mean deviation (p = 0.01). Even though rs2033008 in the NCK2 gene coding sequence did not show significant association in the first round, it had previously shown association with NTG so it was tested for association with NTG in round 2 (p = 0.0053 in Stage Two). Immunohistochemistry showed that both HK2 and NCK2 are expressed in the retinal ganglion cell layer. Once multi-testing was taken into account, only HK2 showed significant association with POAG and NTG in Stage Two. Our data also support previous reports of NCK2 association with NTG, and raise questions about what role TMEM182 might play in phenotypic variability. Our data suggest that HK2 may play an important role in NTG in the Japanese population. PMID:23349798

Vibration analysis of beams traversed by uniform partially distributed moving masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esmailzadeh, E.; Ghorashi, M.

1995-07-01

An investigation into the dynamic behavior of beams with simply supported boundary conditions, carrying either uniform partially distributed moving masses or forces, has been carried out. The present analysis in its general form may well be applied to beams with various boundary conditions. However, the results from the computer simulation model given in this paper are for beams with simply supported end conditions. Results from the numerical solutions of the differential equations of motion are shown graphically and their close agreement, in some extreme cases, with those published previously by the authors is demonstrated. It is shown that the inertial effect of the moving mass is of importance in the dynamic behavior of such structures. Moreover, when considering the maximum deflection for the mid-span of the beam, the critical speeds of the moving load have been evaluated. It is also verified that the length of the distributed moving mass affects the dynamic response considerably. These effects are shown to be of significant practical importance when designing beam-type structures such as long suspension and railway bridges.

Effects of ubiquilin 1 on the unfolded protein response.

PubMed

Lu, Alice; Hiltunen, Mikko; Romano, Donna M; Soininen, Hilkka; Hyman, Bradley T; Bertram, Lars; Tanzi, Rudolph E

2009-05-01

Previous studies have implicated the unfolded protein response (UPR) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously reported that DNA variants in the ubiquilin 1 (UBQLN1) gene increase the risk for AD. Since UBQLN1 has been shown to play a role in the UPR, we assessed the effects of overexpression and downregulation of UBQLN1 splice variants during tunicamycin-induced ER stress. In addition to previously described transcript variants, TV1 and TV2, we identified two novel transcript variants of UBQLN1 in brain: TV3 (lacking exons 2-4) and TV4 (lacking exon 4). Overexpression of TV1-3, but not TV4 significantly decreased the mRNA induction of UPR-inducible genes, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), BiP/GRP78, and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) during the UPR. Stable overexpression of TV1-3, but not TV4, also significantly decreased the induction of CHOP protein and increased cell viability during the UPR. In contrast, downregulation of UBQLN1 did not affect CHOP mRNA induction, but instead increased PDI mRNA levels. These findings suggest that overexpression UBQLN1 transcript variants TV1-3, but not TV4, exert a protective effect during the UPR by attenuating CHOP induction and potentially increasing cell viability.

An infrared system for monitoring Drosophila motility during microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Mark S.; Fortney, Michael D.; Keller, Tony S.

2002-01-01

Presently, the precise mechanisms of the aging process are unknown. Examination and comprehension of the aging process in other species could lead to significant advances in the understanding of human aging. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), commonly used for aging studies, is a widely studied organism in terms of behavior, development, and genetics. Previous microgravity experiments have shown a significant decrease in the life span of young male Drosophila after microgravity exposure. This decrease in lifespan may be related to locomotor activity, a convenient measure of overall physiological performance. This study describes the design and performance of a Drosophila Infrared Motility Monitoring System (DIMMS). The DIMMS uses a unique design of two infrared (IR) beams per fly to measure the locomotor activity of 240 flies. Locomotor activity is measured in terms of number of IR crossings per unit time, instantaneous velocity, and continuous velocity. Ground-based results using the DIMMS equipment agree well with previous values for Drosophila locomotor velocity. DIMMS is an improvement over equipment previously used due to its ability to continuously monitor locomotor activity throughout short-duration microgravity exposure. DIMMS is also lightweight, compact, and power efficient. DIMMS has been flight tested onboard NASA's KC-135 reduced gravity research aircraft and a Nike-Orion sounding rocket.

An infrared system for monitoring Drosophila motility during microgravity.

PubMed

Miller, Mark S; Fortney, Michael D; Keller, Tony S

2002-12-01

Presently, the precise mechanisms of the aging process are unknown. Examination and comprehension of the aging process in other species could lead to significant advances in the understanding of human aging. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), commonly used for aging studies, is a widely studied organism in terms of behavior, development, and genetics. Previous microgravity experiments have shown a significant decrease in the life span of young male Drosophila after microgravity exposure. This decrease in lifespan may be related to locomotor activity, a convenient measure of overall physiological performance. This study describes the design and performance of a Drosophila Infrared Motility Monitoring System (DIMMS). The DIMMS uses a unique design of two infrared (IR) beams per fly to measure the locomotor activity of 240 flies. Locomotor activity is measured in terms of number of IR crossings per unit time, instantaneous velocity, and continuous velocity. Ground-based results using the DIMMS equipment agree well with previous values for Drosophila locomotor velocity. DIMMS is an improvement over equipment previously used due to its ability to continuously monitor locomotor activity throughout short-duration microgravity exposure. DIMMS is also lightweight, compact, and power efficient. DIMMS has been flight tested onboard NASA's KC-135 reduced gravity research aircraft and a Nike-Orion sounding rocket.

Calcineurin inhibition enhances motor neuron survival following injury

PubMed Central

Hui, Kelvin KW; Liadis, Nicole; Robertson, Jennifer; Kanungo, Anish; Henderson, Jeffrey T

2010-01-01

Abstract The immunosuppressive agents cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK-506 have previously been shown to exhibit neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties in vivo. Given that significant clinical expertise exists for both drugs, they represent an attractive starting point for treatment of acute neural injuries. One putative mechanism for neuroprotection by these drugs relates to inhibition of calcineurin activity. However each drug–immunophilin complex can potentially influence additional signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, several non-immunosuppressive immunophilin ligands have been described as possessing neuroprotective properties, suggesting that neuroprotection may be separable from calcineurin inhibition. In the present study, we examined the mechanism of this neuroprotection in facial motor neurons following axotomy-induced injury. Similar to previous studies in rats, CsA and FK-506 enhanced motor neuron survival in mice following acute injury. To examine the mechanism responsible for neuroprotection by these agents, pharmacologic inhibitors of several potential alternate signalling pathways (17-(allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin, rapamycin, cypermethrin) were evaluated with respect to neuroprotection. Of these, only cypermethrin, a direct calcineurin inhibitor not previously associated with neuronal survival properties, was observed to significantly enhance motor neuron survival following injury. The results demonstrate for the first time that direct inhibition of calcineurin is neuroprotective in vivo. These data support a model in which calcineurin inhibition promotes neuronal survival, distinct from effects upon neurite outgrowth. PMID:19243469

Influence of 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1, 25(OH)2D3] on the expression of Sox 9 and the transient receptor potential vanilloid 5/6 ion channels in equine articular chondrocytes.

PubMed

Hdud, Ismail M; Loughna, Paul T

2014-01-01

Sox 9 is a major marker of chondrocyte differentiation. When chondrocytes are cultured in vitro they progressively de-differentiate and this is associated with a decline in Sox 9 expression. The active form of vitamin D, 1, 25 (OH)2D3 has been shown to be protective of cartilage in both humans and animals. In this study equine articular chondrocytes were grown in culture and the effects of 1, 25 (OH)2D3 upon Sox 9 expression examined. The expression of the transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) ion channels 5 and 6 in equine chondrocytes in vitro, we have previously shown, is inversely correlated with de-differentiation. The expression of these channels in response to 1, 25 (OH)2D3 administration was therefore also examined. The active form of vitamin D (1, 25 (OH)2D3) when administered to cultured equine chondrocytes at two different concentrations significantly increased the expression of Sox 9 at both. In contrast 1, 25 (OH)2D3 had no significant effect upon the expression of either TRPV 5 or 6 at either the protein or the mRNA level. The increased expression of Sox 9, in equine articular chondrocytes in vitro, in response to the active form of vitamin D suggests that this compound could be utilized to inhibit the progressive de-differentiation that is normally observed in these cells. It is also supportive of previous studies indicating that 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 can have a protective effect upon cartilage in animals in vivo. The previously observed correlation between the degree of differentiation and the expression levels of TRPV 5/6 had suggested that these ion channels may have a direct involvement in, or be modulated by, the differentiation process in vitro. The data in the present study do not support this.

Efficacy and Safety of a Multistrain Probiotic Formulation Depends from Manufacturing.

PubMed

Trinchieri, Vito; Laghi, Luca; Vitali, Beatrice; Parolin, Carola; Giusti, Ilaria; Capobianco, Daniela; Mastromarino, Paola; De Simone, Claudio

2017-01-01

Variability in probiotics manufacturing may affect their properties, with potential implications for their efficacy and safety. This is of particular concern with probiotic products destined for use in patients with serious medical conditions, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The purpose of the study was to carry out a series of experiments comparing the properties of the US-made probiotic formulation originally commercialized under the brand name VSL#3 ® , with those of the Italian-made formulation now commercialized under the same name. The US-made formulation has previously shown beneficial effects at the intestinal and neurological levels in HIV-infected subjects as well as in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and hepatic encephalopathy. Eleven subjects receiving combined antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1 were treated for 6 months with the US-made VSL#3 formulation. At baseline and 6 months, T-cells were analyzed for phenotype and activation markers, and fecal samples were analyzed for bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and their metabolites. The fecal metabolome was assessed using 1 H-NMR spectroscopy. Production of metabolites of interest by bacteria obtained from sachets of the two formulations was compared in vitro and their effects on a rat intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC-6) were assessed. Particular attention was paid to the metabolite 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA). At 6 months, fecal samples showed a significant increase in the specific bacterial genera contained in the probiotic supplement. Immune activation was reduced as shown by a significant reduction in the percentage of CD4 + CD38 + HLA-DR + T-cells at 6 months. Fecal concentrations of DHA decreased significantly. In vitro , significant differences in the production and metabolism of DHA were found between bacteria from the US-made and Italian-made formulations: the US-made formulation was able to metabolize DHA whereas the bacteria in the Italian-made formulation were producing DHA. DHA reduced the viability of Streptococcus thermophilus , reduced IEC-6 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and also led to a lower rate of repair to scratched IEC-6 cell monolayer. Our data, in conjunction with previously published findings, confirm that the new Italian-made formulation of VSL#3 ® is different from the previous US-made VSL#3 and therefore its efficacy and safety in HIV-infected subjects is still unproven.

VO2 kinetics of constant-load exercise following bed-rest-induced deconditioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Convertino, V. A.; Goldwater, D. J.; Sandler, H.

1984-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the oxygen uptake kinetics during exercise and recovery may be changed by alterations in work intensity, prior exercise, muscle group involvement, ambient conditions, posture, disease state, and level of physical conditioning. However, the effects of detraining on oxygen uptake kinetics have not been determined. The present investigation has the objective to determine the effects of deconditioning following seven days of continuous head-down bed rest on changes in steady-state oxygen uptake, O2 deficit, and recovery oxygen uptake during the performance of constant-load exercise. The obtained results may provide support for previous proposals that submaximal oxygen uptake was significantly reduced following bed rest. The major finding was that bed-rest deconditioning resulted in a reduction of total O2 transport/utilization capacity during the transient phase of upright but not supine exercise.

Secondary School Students' Epistemic Insight into the Relationships Between Science and Religion—A Preliminary Enquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billingsley, Berry; Taber, Keith; Riga, Fran; Newdick, Helen

2013-08-01

A number of previous studies have shown that there is a widespread view among young people that science and religion are opposed. In this paper, we suggest that it requires a significant level of what can be termed "epistemic insight" to access the idea that some people see science and religion as compatible while others do not. To explore this further, we draw on previous work to devise a methodology to discover students' thinking about apparent contradictions between scientific and religious explanations of the origins of the universe. In our discussion of the findings, we highlight that students' epistemic insight in this context does seem in many cases to be limited and we outline some of the issues emerging from the study that seem to boost or limit students' progress in this area.

21 year timing of the black-widow pulsar J2051-0827

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaifullah, G.; Verbiest, J. P. W.; Freire, P. C. C.; Tauris, T. M.; Wex, N.; Osłowski, S.; Stappers, B. W.; Bassa, C. G.; Caballero, R. N.; Champion, D. J.; Cognard, I.; Desvignes, G.; Graikou, E.; Guillemot, L.; Janssen, G. H.; Jessner, A.; Jordan, C.; Karuppusamy, R.; Kramer, M.; Lazaridis, K.; Lazarus, P.; Lyne, A. G.; McKee, J. W.; Perrodin, D.; Possenti, A.; Tiburzi, C.

2016-10-01

Timing results for the black-widow pulsar J2051-0827 are presented, using a 21 year data set from four European Pulsar Timing Array telescopes and the Parkes radio telescope. This data set, which is the longest published to date for a black-widow system, allows for an improved analysis that addresses previously unknown biases. While secular variations, as identified in previous analyses, are recovered, short-term variations are detected for the first time. Concurrently, a significant decrease of ˜ 2.5 × 10- 3 cm- 3 pc in the dispersion measure associated with PSR J2051-0827 is measured for the first time and improvements are also made to estimates of the proper motion. Finally, PSR J2051-0827 is shown to have entered a relatively stable state suggesting the possibility of its eventual inclusion in pulsar timing arrays.

Absolute Configuration from Different Multifragmentation Pathways in Light-Induced Coulomb Explosion Imaging.

PubMed

Pitzer, Martin; Kastirke, Gregor; Kunitski, Maksim; Jahnke, Till; Bauer, Tobias; Goihl, Christoph; Trinter, Florian; Schober, Carl; Henrichs, Kevin; Becht, Jasper; Zeller, Stefan; Gassert, Helena; Waitz, Markus; Kuhlins, Andreas; Sann, Hendrik; Sturm, Felix; Wiegandt, Florian; Wallauer, Robert; Schmidt, Lothar Ph H; Johnson, Allan S; Mazenauer, Manuel; Spenger, Benjamin; Marquardt, Sabrina; Marquardt, Sebastian; Schmidt-Böcking, Horst; Stohner, Jürgen; Dörner, Reinhard; Schöffler, Markus; Berger, Robert

2016-08-18

The absolute configuration of individual small molecules in the gas phase can be determined directly by light-induced Coulomb explosion imaging (CEI). Herein, this approach is demonstrated for ionization with a single X-ray photon from a synchrotron light source, leading to enhanced efficiency and faster fragmentation as compared to previous experiments with a femtosecond laser. In addition, it is shown that even incomplete fragmentation pathways of individual molecules from a racemic CHBrClF sample can give access to the absolute configuration in CEI. This leads to a significant increase of the applicability of the method as compared to the previously reported complete break-up into atomic ions and can pave the way for routine stereochemical analysis of larger chiral molecules by light-induced CEI. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fluctuating ideal-gas lattice Boltzmann method with fluctuation dissipation theorem for nonvanishing velocities.

PubMed

Kaehler, G; Wagner, A J

2013-06-01

Current implementations of fluctuating ideal-gas descriptions with the lattice Boltzmann methods are based on a fluctuation dissipation theorem, which, while greatly simplifying the implementation, strictly holds only for zero mean velocity and small fluctuations. We show how to derive the fluctuation dissipation theorem for all k, which was done only for k=0 in previous derivations. The consistent derivation requires, in principle, locally velocity-dependent multirelaxation time transforms. Such an implementation is computationally prohibitively expensive but, with a small computational trick, it is feasible to reproduce the correct FDT without overhead in computation time. It is then shown that the previous standard implementations perform poorly for non vanishing mean velocity as indicated by violations of Galilean invariance of measured structure factors. Results obtained with the method introduced here show a significant reduction of the Galilean invariance violations.

Optimization of optical proximity correction to reduce mask write time using genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dick, Gregory J.; Cao, Liang; Asthana, Abhishek; Cheng, Jing; Power, David N.

2018-03-01

The ever increasing pattern densities and design complexities make the tuning of optical proximity correction (OPC) recipes very challenging. One known method for tuning is genetic algorithm (GA). Previously GA has been demonstrated to fine tune OPC recipes in order to achieve better results for possible 1D and 2D geometric concerns like bridging and pinching. This method, however, did not take into account the impact of excess segmentation on downstream operations like fracturing and mask writing. This paper introduces a general methodology to significantly reduce the number of excess edges in the OPC output, thus reducing the number of flashes generated at fracture and subsequently the write time at mask build. GA is used to reduce the degree of unwarranted segmentation while ensuring good OPC quality. An Objective Function (OF) is utilized to ensure quality convergence and process-variation (PV) plus an additional weighed factor to reduce clustered edge count. The technique is applied to 14nm metal layer OPC recipes in order to identify excess segmentation and to produce a modified recipe that significantly reduces these segments. OPC output file sizes is shown to be reduced by 15% or more and overall edge count is shown to be reduced by 10% or more. At the same time overall quality of the OPC recipe is shown to be maintained via OPC Verification (OPCV) results.

The Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Contributes to Prosocial Fund Allocations in the Dictator Game and the Social Value Orientations Task

PubMed Central

Israel, Salomon; Lerer, Elad; Shalev, Idan; Uzefovsky, Florina; Riebold, Mathias; Laiba, Efrat; Bachner-Melman, Rachel; Maril, Anat; Bornstein, Gary; Knafo, Ariel; Ebstein, Richard P.

2009-01-01

Background Economic games observe social decision making in the laboratory that involves real money payoffs. Previously we have shown that allocation of funds in the Dictator Game (DG), a paradigm that illustrates costly altruistic behavior, is partially determined by promoter-region repeat region variants in the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor gene (AVPR1a). In the current investigation, the gene encoding the related oxytocin receptor (OXTR) was tested for association with the DG and a related paradigm, the Social Values Orientation (SVO) task. Methodology/Principal Findings Association (101 male and 102 female students) using a robust-family based test between 15 single tagging SNPs (htSNPs) across the OXTR was demonstrated with both the DG and SVO. Three htSNPs across the gene region showed significant association with both of the two games. The most significant association was observed with rs1042778 (p = 0.001). Haplotype analysis also showed significant associations for both DG and SVO. Following permutation test adjustment, significance was observed for 2–5 locus haplotypes (p<0.05). A second sample of 98 female subjects was subsequently and independently recruited to play the dictator game and was genotyped for the three significant SNPs found in the first sample. The rs1042778 SNP was shown to be significant for the second sample as well (p = 0.004, Fisher's exact test). Conclusions The demonstration that genetic polymorphisms for the OXTR are associated with human prosocial decision making converges with a large body of animal research showing that oxytocin is an important social hormone across vertebrates including Homo sapiens. Individual differences in prosocial behavior have been shown by twin studies to have a substantial genetic basis and the current investigation demonstrates that common variants in the oxytocin receptor gene, an important element of mammalian social circuitry, underlie such individual differences. PMID:19461999

Non-invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation during Sleep at 3800m: relationship to Acute Mountain Sickness and sleeping oxyhemoglobin saturation

PubMed Central

Johnson, PL; Popa, DA; Prisk, GK; Sullivan, CE; Edwards, N

2014-01-01

Background and objectives Ascent to high altitude results in hypobaric hypoxia and some individuals will develop Acute Mountain Sickness, which has been shown to be associated with low oxyhemoglobin saturation during sleep. Previous research has shown that positive end-expiratory pressure by use of expiratory valves in a face mask while awake, results in a reduction in AMS symptoms and higher oxyhemoglobin saturation. We aimed to test whether pressure ventilation during sleep would prevent AMS by keeping oxyhaemoglobin higher during sleep. Methods We compared sleeping oxyhemoglobin saturation and the incidence and severity of Acute Mountain Sickness in seven subjects sleeping for two consecutive nights at 3800m above sea level using either non-invasive positive pressure ventilation that delivered positive inspiratory and expiratory airway pressure via a face mask, or sleeping without assisted ventilation. The presence and severity of Acute Mountain Sickness was assessed by administration of the Lake Louise questionnaire. Results We found significant increases in the mean and minimum sleeping oxyhemoglobin saturation and decreases in AMS symptoms in subjects who used positive pressure ventilation during sleep. Mean and minimum sleeping SaO2 was lower in subjects who developed AMS after the night spent without positive pressure ventilation. Conclusion The use of positive pressure ventilation during sleep at 3800m significantly increased the sleeping oxygen saturation; we suggest that the marked reduction in symptoms of AMS is due to this higher sleeping SaO2. We agree with the findings from previous studies that the development of AMS is associated with a lower sleeping oxygen saturation. PMID:20051046

Application of fMRI to obesity research: differences in reward pathway activation measured with fMRI BOLD during visual presentation of high and low calorie foods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsao, Sinchai; Adam, Tanja C.; Goran, Michael I.; Singh, Manbir

2012-03-01

The factors behind the neural mechanisms that motivate food choice and obesity are not well known. Furthermore, it is not known when these neural mechanisms develop and how they are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. This study uses fMRI together with clinical data to shed light on the aforementioned questions by investigating how appetite-related activation in the brain changes with low versus high caloric foods in pre-pubescent girls. Previous studies have shown that obese adults have less striatal D2 receptors and thus reduced Dopamine (DA) signaling leading to the reward-deficit theory of obesity. However, overeating in itself reduces D2 receptor density, D2 sensitivity and thus reward sensitivity. The results of this study will show how early these neural mechanisms develop and what effect the drastic endocrinological changes during puberty has on these mechanisms. Our preliminary results showed increased activations in the Putamen, Insula, Thalamus and Hippocampus when looking at activations where High Calorie > Low Calorie. When comparing High Calorie > Control and Low Calorie > Control, the High > Control test showed increased significant activation in the frontal lobe. The Low > Control also yielded significant activation in the Left and Right Fusiform Gyrus, which did not appear in the High > Control test. These results indicate that the reward pathway activations previously shown in post-puberty and adults are present in pre-pubescent teens. These results may suggest that some of the preferential neural mechanisms of reward are already present pre-puberty.

Effects of vitamin D receptor knockout on cornea epithelium gap junctions.

PubMed

Lu, Xiaowen; Watsky, Mitchell A

2014-05-06

Gap junctions are present in all corneal cell types and have been shown to have a critical role in cell phenotype determination. Vitamin D has been shown to influence cell differentiation, and recent work demonstrates the presence of vitamin D in the ocular anterior segment. This study measured and compared gap junction diffusion coefficients among different cornea epithelium phenotypes and in keratocytes using a noninvasive technique, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and examined the influence of vitamin D receptor (VDR) knockout on epithelial gap junction communication in intact corneas. Previous gap junction studies in cornea epithelium and keratocytes were performed using cultured cells or ex vivo invasive techniques. These invasive techniques were unable to measure diffusion coefficients and likely were disruptive to normal cell physiology. Corneas from VDR knockout and control mice were stained with 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA). Gap junction diffusion coefficients of the corneal epithelium phenotypes and of keratocytes, residing in intact corneas, were detected using FRAP. Diffusion coefficients equaled 18.7, 9.8, 5.6, and 4.2 μm(2)/s for superficial squamous cells, middle wing cells, basal cells, and keratocytes, respectively. Corneal thickness, superficial cell size, and the superficial squamous cell diffusion coefficient of 10-week-old VDR knockout mice were significantly lower than those of control mice (P < 0.01). The superficial cell diffusion coefficient of heterozygous mice was significantly lower than control mice (P < 0.05). Our results demonstrate differences in gap junction dye spread among the epithelial cell phenotypes, mirroring the epithelial developmental axis. The VDR knockout influences previously unreported cell-to-cell communication in superficial epithelium.

Improved Atmospheric Soundings and Error Estimates from Analysis of AIRS/AMSU Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel

2007-01-01

The AIRS Science Team Version 5.0 retrieval algorithm became operational at the Goddard DAAC in July 2007 generating near real-time products from analysis of AIRS/AMSU sounding data. This algorithm contains many significant theoretical advances over the AIRS Science Team Version 4.0 retrieval algorithm used previously. Three very significant developments of Version 5 are: 1) the development and implementation of an improved Radiative Transfer Algorithm (RTA) which allows for accurate treatment of non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (non-LTE) effects on shortwave sounding channels; 2) the development of methodology to obtain very accurate case by case product error estimates which are in turn used for quality control; and 3) development of an accurate AIRS only cloud clearing and retrieval system. These theoretical improvements taken together enabled a new methodology to be developed which further improves soundings in partially cloudy conditions, without the need for microwave observations in the cloud clearing step as has been done previously. In this methodology, longwave C02 channel observations in the spectral region 700 cm-' to 750 cm-' are used exclusively for cloud clearing purposes, while shortwave C02 channels in the spectral region 2195 cm-' to 2395 cm-' are used for temperature sounding purposes. The new methodology for improved error estimates and their use in quality control is described briefly and results are shown indicative of their accuracy. Results are also shown of forecast impact experiments assimilating AIRS Version 5.0 retrieval products in the Goddard GEOS 5 Data Assimilation System using different quality control thresholds.

Doped ZrO2 for future lead free piezoelectric devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starschich, S.; Böttger, U.

2018-01-01

The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of doped ZrO2 prepared by chemical solution deposition (CSD) are investigated. Doping with different elements such as Mg, In, La, and Y leads to a stabilization of the constricted hysteresis. As shown in a previous work, for the constricted hysteresis of ZrO2, the piezoelectric response is significantly larger compared to ZrO2 with a normal hysteresis. The Mg doped ZrO2 shows a strong temperature and cycle stability. For the piezoelectric properties, a magnesium concentration of 7% shows the largest piezoelectric response with a piezoelectric coefficient of >10 pm/V, as well as the best cycle stability. Due to thicker films, which can be realized by the CSD technique, the shown doped ZrO2 films are a promising candidate for energy related applications such as piezoelectric energy harvesting as well as for microelectromechanical systems.

Various heterologous cells exhibit interferon induced transfer of viral resistance.

PubMed

Hughes, T K; Blalock, J E; Baron, S

1978-01-01

Previously it was shown that cocultivation of mouse L and human WISH or baby hamster kidney cells in the presence of mouse interferon resulted in decreased viral yield from both cell species. We now show that this phenomenon also occurs when rabbit kidney and human WISH cells, with their corresponding interferons, are cocultivated with human WISH and baby hamster kidney cells, respectively. This finding increases the number of donor cell types to three. The related finding that monkey VERO and chick embryo cells can be recipients of transferred resistance expands the number of heterologous recipient cell species capable of receiving transferred resistence to five. Not all cell types tested have been shown to function in this transfer system. The fact that VERO cells, which do not produce interferon, are capable of receiving transferred resistence is significant because it indicates that the mechanism of transfer does not involve production or interferon by the recipient cells.

Treatment outcomes in 4 modes of orthodontic practice.

PubMed

Poulton, Donald; Vlaskalic, Vicki; Baumrind, Sheldon

2005-03-01

This study is a continuation of a previously published report on the outcome of orthodontic treatment provided in offices representing different modes of practice. The sample consisted of duplicate pretreatment (T1) and posttreatment (T2) dental casts of 348 patients from traditional private orthodontic practices (5 offices, 134 patients), company-owned practices (5 offices, 107 patients), offices associated with practice-management organizations (2 offices, 60 patients), and general dental practices (2 offices, 47 patients). Methods were used to obtain random, representative samples from each office, starting with lists of patients who were treated consecutively with full fixed orthodontic appliances. The dental casts were measured by 2 independent judges who used the unweighted PAR score. Good interjudge agreement was shown on the initial casts, but the agreement was not as strong on the final casts. The measurements showed that treatment outcomes were generally satisfactory, although some significant differences between offices and management modes were shown.

Application of the Bernoulli enthalpy concept to the study of vortex noise and jet impingement noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yates, J. E.

1978-01-01

A complete theory of aeroacoustics of homentropic fluid media is developed and compared with previous theories. The theory is applied to study the interaction of sound with vortex flows, for the DC-9 in a standard take-off configuration. The maximum engine-wake interference noise is estimated to be 3 or 4 db in the ground plane. It is shown that the noise produced by a corotating vortex pair departs significantly from the compact M scaling law for eddy Mach numbers (M) greater than 0.1. An estimate of jet impingement noise is given that is in qualitative agreement with experimental results. The increased noise results primarily from the nonuniform acceleration of turbulent eddies through the stagnation point flow. It is shown that the corotating vortex pair can be excited or de-excited by an externally applied sound field. The model is used to qualitatively explain experimental results on excited jets.

DE NOVO MUTATIONS IN AUTISM IMPLICATE THE SYNAPTIC ELIMINATION NETWORK.

PubMed

Ram Venkataraman, Guhan; O'Connell, Chloe; Egawa, Fumiko; Kashef-Haghighi, Dorna; Wall, Dennis P

2017-01-01

Autism has been shown to have a major genetic risk component; the architecture of documented autism in families has been over and again shown to be passed down for generations. While inherited risk plays an important role in the autistic nature of children, de novo (germline) mutations have also been implicated in autism risk. Here we find that autism de novo variants verified and published in the literature are Bonferroni-significantly enriched in a gene set implicated in synaptic elimination. Additionally, several of the genes in this synaptic elimination set that were enriched in protein-protein interactions (CACNA1C, SHANK2, SYNGAP1, NLGN3, NRXN1, and PTEN) have been previously confirmed as genes that confer risk for the disorder. The results demonstrate that autism-associated de novos are linked to proper synaptic pruning and density, hinting at the etiology of autism and suggesting pathophysiology for downstream correction and treatment.

Parametric studies with an atmospheric diffusion model that assesses toxic fuel hazards due to the ground clouds generated by rocket launches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, R. B.; Grose, W. L.

1975-01-01

Parametric studies were made with a multilayer atmospheric diffusion model to place quantitative limits on the uncertainty of predicting ground-level toxic rocket-fuel concentrations. Exhaust distributions in the ground cloud, cloud stabilized geometry, atmospheric coefficients, the effects of exhaust plume afterburning of carbon monoxide CO, assumed surface mixing-layer division in the model, and model sensitivity to different meteorological regimes were studied. Large-scale differences in ground-level predictions are quantitatively described. Cloud alongwind growth for several meteorological conditions is shown to be in error because of incorrect application of previous diffusion theory. In addition, rocket-plume calculations indicate that almost all of the rocket-motor carbon monoxide is afterburned to carbon dioxide CO2, thus reducing toxic hazards due to CO. The afterburning is also shown to have a significant effect on cloud stabilization height and on ground-level concentrations of exhaust products.

B3LYP Calculation of Deuterium Quadrupole Coupling Constants in Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, William C.

1998-08-01

The B3LYP/6-31G(df,3p) model for the calculation of deuterium nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (nqcc's) is shown to yield results as accurate as calculations previously performed at the MP4 level of theory. For 25 molecules, ranging from HD and DF to pyridine and fluorobenzene, the rms difference between the B3LYP nqcc's and the experimental nqcc's is 3.2 kHz (2.7%). For benzene, our calculations suggest that the experimental χbband χccof S. Jans-Bürli, M. Oldani, and A. Bauder, 1989.Mol. Phys.,68, 1111-1123) have been incorrectly assigned with respect to inertia axes and should be reversed. For borane carbonyl and nitric acid, it is shown that nqcc calculations using hydrogen bond lengths given by MP2/6-311 + G(d,p) optimizations in combination with the heavy atom experimental structures significantly improve agreement with the experimental nqcc's.

Effects of carbon dioxide on Penicillium chrysogenum: an autoradiographic study

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

Edwards, A.G.; Ho, C.S.

Previous research has shown that dissolved carbon dioxide causes significant changes in submerged penicillin fermentations, such as stunted, swollen hyphae, increased branching, lower growth rates, and lower penicillin productivity. Influent carbon dioxide levels of 5 and 10% were shown through the use of autoradiography to cause an increase in chitin synthesis in submerged cultures of Penicillium chrysogenum. At an influent 5% carbon dioxide level, chitin synthesis is ca. 100% greater in the subapical region of P. chrysogenum hyphae than that of the control, in which there was no influent carbon dioxide. Influent carbon dioxide of 10% caused an increase ofmore » 200% in chitin synthesis. It is believed that the cell wall must be plasticized before branching can occur and that high amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide cause the cell to lose control of the plasticizing effect, thus the severe morphological changes occur.« less

Underestimating Calorie Content When Healthy Foods Are Present: An Averaging Effect or a Reference-Dependent Anchoring Effect?

PubMed Central

Forwood, Suzanna E.; Ahern, Amy; Hollands, Gareth J.; Fletcher, Paul C.; Marteau, Theresa M.

2013-01-01

Objective Previous studies have shown that estimations of the calorie content of an unhealthy main meal food tend to be lower when the food is shown alongside a healthy item (e.g. fruit or vegetables) than when shown alone. This effect has been called the negative calorie illusion and has been attributed to averaging the unhealthy (vice) and healthy (virtue) foods leading to increased perceived healthiness and reduced calorie estimates. The current study aimed to replicate and extend these findings to test the hypothesized mediating effect of ratings of healthiness of foods on calorie estimates. Methods In three online studies, participants were invited to make calorie estimates of combinations of foods. Healthiness ratings of the food were also assessed. Results The first two studies failed to replicate the negative calorie illusion. In a final study, the use of a reference food, closely following a procedure from a previously published study, did elicit a negative calorie illusion. No evidence was found for a mediating role of healthiness estimates. Conclusion The negative calorie illusion appears to be a function of the contrast between a food being judged and a reference, supporting the hypothesis that the negative calorie illusion arises from the use of a reference-dependent anchoring and adjustment heuristic and not from an ‘averaging’ effect, as initially proposed. This finding is consistent with existing data on sequential calorie estimates, and highlights a significant impact of the order in which foods are viewed on how foods are evaluated. PMID:23967216

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

Kreel, Nathan E.; Tabita, F. Robert; Berg, Ivan

Archaeal ribulose 1, 5-bisphospate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is differentiated from other RubisCO enzymes and is classified as a form III enzyme, as opposed to the form I and form II RubisCOs typical of chemoautotrophic bacteria and prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs. The form III enzyme from archaea is particularly interesting as several of these proteins exhibit unusual and reversible sensitivity to molecular oxygen, including the enzyme from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Previous studies with A. fulgidus RbcL2 had shown the importance of Met-295 in oxygen sensitivity and pointed towards the potential significance of another residue (Ser-363) found in a hydrophobic pocket that is conservedmore » in all RubisCO proteins. In the current study, further structure/function studies have been performed focusing on Ser-363 of A. fulgidus RbcL2; various changes in this and other residues of the hydrophobic pocket point to and definitively establish the importance of Ser-363 with respect to interactions with oxygen. In addition, previous findings had indicated discrepant CO 2/O 2 specificity determinations of the Thermococcus kodakaraensis RubisCO, a close homolog of A. fulgidus RbcL2. As a result, it is shown here that the T. kodakaraensis enzyme exhibits a similar substrate specificity as the A. fulgidus enzyme and is also oxygen sensitive, with equivalent residues involved in oxygen interactions.« less

Subetta increases phosphorylation of insulin receptor β-subunit alone and in the presence of insulin

PubMed Central

Gorbunov, E A; Nicoll, J; Kachaeva, E V; Tarasov, S A; Epstein, O I

2015-01-01

It has been previously shown that Subetta (a drug containing released-active forms of antibodies to the insulin receptor β-subunit and antibodies to endothelial nitric oxide synthase) stimulated insulin-induced adiponectin production by mature human adipocytes in the absence of insulin. Therefore, it was assumed that Subetta could activate the insulin receptor. To confirm this hypothesis, the capacity of Subetta to activate the insulin receptor in mature human adipocytes in the absence or presence of the insulin was investigated. Cells were incubated either with Subetta or with vehicle, or with basal medium for 3 days. Then, adipocytes were treated with water or insulin (100 nm) for 15 min. Following treatment, lysates were prepared and phosphorylation of insulin receptor β-subunits was analyzed by western blot analysis. It was shown that Subetta significantly increased (P<0.001) the ‘phosphorylated-insulin receptor β-subunit/total insulin receptor β-subunit' ratios in both the presence and the absence of insulin. These results support previously published data and indicate that Subetta could activate the insulin receptor through the effect on its β-subunits, whose conformational state is essential for insulin receptor activation. This action might serve as one of the primary mechanisms of the drug's antidiabetic effect. PMID:26148148

Initial evidence that polymorphisms in neurotransmitter-regulating genes contribute to being born small for gestational age

PubMed Central

Morgan, Angharad R.; Thompson, John M.D.; Waldie, Karen E.; Cornforth, Christine M.; Turic, Darko; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.; Lam, Wen-Jiun; Ferguson, Lynnette R.; Mitchell, Edwin A.

2012-01-01

Being born small for gestational age (SGA) is a putative risk factor for the development of later cognitive and psychiatric health problems. While the inter-uterine environment has been shown to play an important role in predicting birth weight, little is known about the genetic factors that might be important. Here we test the hypothesis that neurotransmitter-regulating genes implicated in psychiatric disorders previously shown to be associated with SGA (such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) are themselves predictive of SGA. DNA was collected from 227 SGA and 319 appropriate for gestational age children taking part in the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative Study. Candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes regulating activity within dopamine, serotonin, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid pathways were genotyped. Multiple regression analysis, controlling for potentially confounding factors, supported nominally significant associations between SGA and single nucleotide polymorphisms in COMT, HTR2A, SLC1A1 and SLC6A1. This is the first evidence that genes implicated in psychiatric disorders previously linked to SGA status themselves predict SGA. This highlights the possibility that the link between SGA and psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may in part be genetically determined – that SGA marks pre-existing genetic risk for later problems. PMID:27625810

Does the average cost of home health care vary with case mix?

PubMed

Nyman, J A; Svetlik, M A

1989-01-01

The relationship between the average cost of home health care and the case mix of patients served by the home health agency is investigated using 1983 data from Wisconsin's home health care agencies. In contrast to previous work, case mix is shown to have a significant effect on the home health agency's average costs. The methods used in the previous work are evaluated, and differences between the earlier study and the present study are discussed to explain the divergent results. Also, average costs are shown to decrease with output, to increase with the proportion of private patients served by the agency, and to be higher if the home health agency is located in an urban area or if it has a proprietary charter. The implications of this research for the design of an appropriate home health reimbursement policy are discussed. Primarily, it is argued that, although future research might confirm the relationship between average costs and case mix for home health agencies, we cannot necessarily conclude that reimbursement rates must be adjusted to account for differences in case mix as many States are now doing for nursing home reimbursement. Policies must take into account the fundamental differences between home health agencies and nursing homes, and their respective markets, in order to be effective.

Sexual Revictimization: A Routine Activity Theory Explanation.

PubMed

Culatta, Elizabeth; Clay-Warner, Jody; Boyle, Kaitlin M; Oshri, Assaf

2017-04-01

Research has shown that victims of sexual assault are at a significant risk of revictimization. We use routine activity theory to predict how sexual victimization in adolescence relates to depression, substance use, and ultimately revictimization as a young adult. We frame our research within routine activity theory and predict that sexual victimization increases substance use and depressive symptoms, both of which increase the likelihood of revictimization. We test the hypotheses with three waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of Violence Against Women. Using structural equation modeling, we examine the direct and indirect effects of previous sexual victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance use on the odds of victimization during the sophomore year of college. Results suggest that sexual victimization during the sophomore year of college is predicted directly by previous sexual victimization and also indirectly through depressive symptomology, though not substance use. Although understudied in the literature, depression is shown to mediate the relationship between victimization and revictimization, and this finding is consistent with routine activity theory, as well as the state dependence perspective on revictimization. Our findings suggest that depressive symptoms, a long acknowledged consequence of sexual victimization, should also be understood as a source of revictimization risk, indicating the importance of depression screening and intervention for decreasing sexual victimization.

Aurally aided visual search performance in a dynamic environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntire, John P.; Havig, Paul R.; Watamaniuk, Scott N. J.; Gilkey, Robert H.

2008-04-01

Previous research has repeatedly shown that people can find a visual target significantly faster if spatial (3D) auditory displays direct attention to the corresponding spatial location. However, previous research has only examined searches for static (non-moving) targets in static visual environments. Since motion has been shown to affect visual acuity, auditory acuity, and visual search performance, it is important to characterize aurally-aided search performance in environments that contain dynamic (moving) stimuli. In the present study, visual search performance in both static and dynamic environments is investigated with and without 3D auditory cues. Eight participants searched for a single visual target hidden among 15 distracting stimuli. In the baseline audio condition, no auditory cues were provided. In the 3D audio condition, a virtual 3D sound cue originated from the same spatial location as the target. In the static search condition, the target and distractors did not move. In the dynamic search condition, all stimuli moved on various trajectories at 10 deg/s. The results showed a clear benefit of 3D audio that was present in both static and dynamic environments, suggesting that spatial auditory displays continue to be an attractive option for a variety of aircraft, motor vehicle, and command & control applications.

Does the average cost of home health care vary with case mix?

PubMed Central

Nyman, J A; Svetlik, M A

1989-01-01

The relationship between the average cost of home health care and the case mix of patients served by the home health agency is investigated using 1983 data from Wisconsin's home health care agencies. In contrast to previous work, case mix is shown to have a significant effect on the home health agency's average costs. The methods used in the previous work are evaluated, and differences between the earlier study and the present study are discussed to explain the divergent results. Also, average costs are shown to decrease with output, to increase with the proportion of private patients served by the agency, and to be higher if the home health agency is located in an urban area or if it has a proprietary charter. The implications of this research for the design of an appropriate home health reimbursement policy are discussed. Primarily, it is argued that, although future research might confirm the relationship between average costs and case mix for home health agencies, we cannot necessarily conclude that reimbursement rates must be adjusted to account for differences in case mix as many States are now doing for nursing home reimbursement. Policies must take into account the fundamental differences between home health agencies and nursing homes, and their respective markets, in order to be effective. PMID:2502804

Binding of serum response factor to cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator CArG-like elements, as a new potential CFTR transcriptional regulation pathway

PubMed Central

René, Céline; Taulan, Magali; Iral, Florence; Doudement, Julien; L'Honoré, Aurore; Gerbon, Catherine; Demaille, Jacques; Claustres, Mireille; Romey, Marie-Catherine

2005-01-01

CFTR expression is tightly controlled by a complex network of ubiquitous and tissue-specific cis-elements and trans-factors. To better understand mechanisms that regulate transcription of CFTR, we examined transcription factors that specifically bind a CFTR CArG-like motif we have previously shown to modulate CFTR expression. Gel mobility shift assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrated the CFTR CArG-like motif binds serum response factor both in vitro and in vivo. Transient co-transfections with various SRF expression vector, including dominant-negative forms and small interfering RNA, demonstrated that SRF significantly increases CFTR transcriptional activity in bronchial epithelial cells. Mutagenesis studies suggested that in addition to SRF other co-factors, such as Yin Yang 1 (YY1) previously shown to bind the CFTR promoter, are potentially involved in the CFTR regulation. Here, we show that functional interplay between SRF and YY1 might provide interesting perspectives to further characterize the underlying molecular mechanism of the basal CFTR transcriptional activity. Furthermore, the identification of multiple CArG binding sites in highly conserved CFTR untranslated regions, which form specific SRF complexes, provides direct evidence for a considerable role of SRF in the CFTR transcriptional regulation into specialized epithelial lung cells. PMID:16170155

[Impact of Delivery Method on Antiviral Activity of Phosphodiester, Phosphorothioate, and Phosphoryl Guanidine Oligonucleotides in MDCK Cells Infected with H5N1 Bird Flu Virus].

PubMed

Levina, A S; Repkova, M N; Chelobanov, B P; Bessudnova, E V; Mazurkova, N A; Stetsenko, D A; Zarytova, V F

2017-01-01

We have previously described nanocomposites containing conjugates or complexes of native oligodeoxyribonucleotides with poly-L-lysine and TiO2 nanoparticles. We have shown that these nanocomposites efficiently suppressed influenza A virus reproduction in MDCK cells. Here, we have synthesized previously undescribed nanocomposites that consist of TiO2 nanoparticles and polylysine conjugates with oligonucleotides that contain phosphoryl guanidine or phosphorothioate internucleotide groups. These nanocomposites have been shown to exhibit antiviral activity in MDCK cells infected with H5N1 influenza A virus. The nanocomposites containing phosphorothioate oligonucleotides inhibited virus replication ~130-fold. More potent inhibition, i.e., ~5000-fold or ~4600-fold, has been demonstrated by nanocomposites that contain phosphoryl guanidine or phosphodiester oligonucleotides, respectively. Free oligonucleotides have been nearly inactive. The antiviral activity of oligonucleotides of all three types, when delivered by Lipofectamine, has been significantly lower compared to the oligonucleotides delivered in the nanocomposites. In the former case, the phosphoryl guanidine oligonucleotide has appeared to be the most efficient; it has inhibited the virus replication by a factor of 400. The results make it possible to consider phosphoryl guanidine oligonucleotides, along with other oligonucleotide derivatives, as potential antiviral agents against H5N1 avian flu virus.

Influence of Idealized Heterogeneity on Wet and Dry Planetary Boundary Layers Coupled to the Land Surface. 1; Instantaneous Fields and Statistics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houser, Paul (Technical Monitor); Patton, Edward G.; Sullivan, Peter P.; Moeng, Chin-Hoh

2003-01-01

This is the first in a two-part series of manuscripts describing numerical experiments on the influence of 2-30 km striplike heterogeneity on wet and dry boundary layers coupled to the land surface. The strip-like heterogeneity is shown to dramatically alter the structure of the free-convective boundary layer by inducing significant organized circulations that modify turbulent statistics. The coupling with the land-surface modifies the circulations compared to previous studies using fixed surface forcing. Total boundary layer turbulence kinetic energy increases significantly for surface heterogeneity at scales between Lambda/z(sub i) = 4 and 9, however entrainment rates for all cases are largely unaffected by the strip-like heterogeneity.

Autonomous stress imaging cores: from concept to reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Velden, Stephen; Rajic, Nik; Brooks, Chris; Galea, Steve

2016-04-01

The historical reliance of thermoelastic stress analysis on cooled infrared detection has created significant cost and practical impediments to the widespread use of this powerful full-field stress measurement technique. The emergence of low-cost microbolometers as a practical alternative has allowed for an expansion of the traditional role of thermoelastic stress analysis, and raises the possibility that it may in future become a viable structural health monitoring modality. Experimental results are shown to confirm that high resolution stress imagery can be obtained from an uncooled thermal camera core significantly smaller than any infrared imaging device previously applied to TSA. The paper provides a summary of progress toward the development of an autonomous stress-imaging capability based on this core.

Management of natural resources through automatic cartographic inventory. [Spanish Catalonia and Landes of Gascony (France)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rey, P. A.; Gourinard, Y.; Cambou, F. (Principal Investigator); Guyader, J. C.; Gouaux, P.; Letoan, T.; Monchant, M.; Donville, B.; Loubet, D.

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Significant results of the ARNICA program (February - December 1973) were: (1) The quantitative processing of ERTS-1 data was developed along two lines: the study of geological structures and lineaments of Spanish Catalonia, and the phytogeographical study of the forest region of the Landes of Gascony (France). In both cases it is shown that the ERTS-1 imagery can be used in establishing zonings of equal quantitative interpretation value. (2) In keeping with the operational transfer program proposed in previous reports between exploration of the imagery and charting of the object, a precise data processing method was developed, concerning more particularly the selection of digital equidensity samples computer display and rigorous referencing.

A comparison of workload and morbidity recording by partners in a group practice

PubMed Central

Carney, T. A.

1980-01-01

A survey was carried out of one year's workload and morbidity recording by three partners in a semi-rural teaching practice. Despite an equal workload of patient contacts there were shown to be statistically significant differences between the partners in the number of return consultations, the sex and age of the patients seen, and in nine diagnostic groups. The statistically significant differences in the latter groups appear to have been caused by variations in policy for recalling patients and the different sex and age groups of the patients consulting the partners, not by diagnostic preferences. A lack of previous experience affected one group. The partners did not find the discussion of these differences to be threatening. PMID:7441620

Mars, Always Cold, Sometimes Wet: New Constraints on Mars Denudation Rates and Climate Evolution from Analog Studies at Haughton Crater, Devon Island, High Arctic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Pascal; Boucher, M.; Desportes, C.; Glass, B. J.; Lim, D.; McKay, C. P.; Osinski, G. R.; Parnell, J.; Schutt, J. W.

2005-01-01

Analysis of crater modification on Mars and at Haughton Crater, Devon Island, High Arctic, which was recently shown to be significantly older than previously believed (Eocene age instead of Miocene) [1], suggest that Mars may have never been climatically wet and warm for geological lengths of time during and since the Late Noachian. Impact structures offer particularly valuable records of the evolution of a planet s climate and landscape through time. The state of exposure and preservation of impact structures and their intracrater fill provide clues to the nature, timing, and intensity of the processes that have modified the craters since their formation. Modifying processes include weathering, erosion, mantling, and infilling. In this study, we compare the modification of Haughton through time with that of impact craters in the same size class on Mars. We derive upper limits for time-integrated denudation rates on Mars during and since the Late Noachian. These rates are significantly lower than previously published and provide important constraints for Mars climate evolution.

Neuroprotective Dose Response in RCS Rats Implanted with Microphotodiode Arrays

PubMed Central

Pardue, Machelle T.; Kim, Moon K.; Walker, Tiffany A.; Faulkner, Amanda E.; Chow, Alan Y.; Ciavatta, Vincent T.

2012-01-01

Purpose Neuropreservation of retinal function and structure in RCS rats following implantation of a microphotodiode array (MPA) has been shown in previous studies(Pardue et al. 2005a; Pardue et al. 2005b). Since microphotodiodes produce electrical currents in proportion to the intensity of incident light, increased light exposure may result in greater neuroprotective effects. Our previous studies suggested that the frequency of light exposure to electroretinogram (ERG) flash stimuli might provide increased neuroprotection. Thus, in this study, we examined the dose response of subretinal electrical stimulation by exposing RCS rats implanted with MPAs to variable durations and combinations of two different lighting regimens: pulsing incandescent bulbs and xenon stimuli from an ERG Ganzfeld. While incandescent light regimens did not produce any significant differences in ERG function, we found significantly greater dark-adapted ERG b-wave amplitudes in RCS rats that received weekly versus biweekly ERGs over the course of 8 weeks of follow-up. These results suggest that subretinal electrical stimulation may be optimized to produce greater neuroprotective effects by dosing with periodic higher current. PMID:22183323

Subjective experiences of watching stereoscopic Avatar and U2 3D in a cinema

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pölönen, Monika; Salmimaa, Marja; Takatalo, Jari; Häkkinen, Jukka

2012-01-01

A stereoscopic 3-D version of the film Avatar was shown to 85 people who subsequently answered questions related to sickness, visual strain, stereoscopic image quality, and sense of presence. Viewing Avatar for 165 min induced some symptoms of visual strain and sickness, but the symptom levels remained low. A comparison between Avatar and previously published results for the film U2 3D showed that sickness and visual strain levels were similar despite the films' runtimes. The genre of the film had a significant effect on the viewers' opinions and sense of presence. Avatar, which has been described as a combination of action, adventure, and sci-fi genres, was experienced as more immersive and engaging than the music documentary U2 3D. However, participants in both studies were immersed, focused, and absorbed in watching the stereoscopic 3-D (S3-D) film and were pleased with the film environments. The results also showed that previous stereoscopic 3-D experience significantly reduced the amount of reported eye strain and complaints about the weight of the viewing glasses.

Clinicopathological importance of anterior prostate cancer in Japanese Men.

PubMed

Sato, Shun; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Kimura, Takahiro; Egawa, Shin; Furusato, Bungo; Ikegami, Masahiro

2017-03-01

Prostate cancer of transition zone origin or anterior location has been recognized as infrequent, smaller in size and indolent, whereas, our previous report showed that transition zone/anterior cancer was frequently experienced in Japanese men. The current study was conducted to show clinicopathological characteristics of transition zone/anterior cancer. A total of 201 radical prostatectomy specimens were categorized as cancer of anterior or posterior prostate where more than two thirds of the tumor existed in the specific area. Clinicopathological characteristics including Gleason score, pathological stage, lymph node metastasis, extraprostatic extension, surgical incision into the prostate (shown as pT2+), and surgical margin status were compared between anterior and posterior cases. Cases were divided as 83, 73, and 45 of anterior, posterior cancer, and no dominance, respectively. Anterior cancers included significant numbers of high grade tumors (13/83 cases: 15.7%), which was less than posterior cancers (28.8%: 21/73). The cases in pT2+ were significantly more frequent in anterior cases than posterior ones (22.9% vs. 4.1%). No seminal vesicle invasion was shown in anterior cases. Thus, although anterior cancers are less aggressive than posterior cancers, a significant numbers of clinically important cancers were located in the anterior portion in Japanese men. © 2017 Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

The effect of cap lamp lighting on postural control and stability

PubMed Central

Sammarco, John J.; Pollard, Jonisha P.; Porter, William L.; Dempsey, Patrick G.; Moore, Caitlin T.

2015-01-01

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are conducting mine illumination research with the objective of improving miner safety. Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) are the second leading accident class (18.1%, n = 2,374) of nonfatal lost-time injuries at underground mines (MSHA, 2005–2009). Factors contributing to STFs include recognition of hazards as well as postural balance and age. Improved lighting may enable better hazard recognition and reduce the impact of postural balance and age. Previous research has shown that cap lamp technology that used light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has improved hazard detection. This study was an initial investigation to determine if cap lamp lighting significantly influences measures of static postural stability (displacement and velocity of center of pressure). Results of this investigation showed no significant differences in the balance measures of interest between cap lamps tested. However, balance was shown to significantly decline (p < 0.05) when tested in an underground coal mine compared to the laboratory testing condition. Relevance to industry: Underground coal mine workers wear cap lamps on their hard hats as their primary light source to illuminate nearby areas where their vision is directed. Proper illumination may improve miner safety by improving their STF hazard recognition and balance. PMID:26472917

Comparison of Methods for Determining Boundary Layer Edge Conditions for Transition Correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liechty, Derek S.; Berry, Scott A.; Hollis, Brian R.; Horvath, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

Data previously obtained for the X-33 in the NASA Langley Research Center 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel have been reanalyzed to compare methods for determining boundary layer edge conditions for use in transition correlations. The experimental results were previously obtained utilizing the phosphor thermography technique to monitor the status of the boundary layer downstream of discrete roughness elements via global heat transfer images of the X-33 windward surface. A boundary layer transition correlation was previously developed for this data set using boundary layer edge conditions calculated using an inviscid/integral boundary layer approach. An algorithm was written in the present study to extract boundary layer edge quantities from higher fidelity viscous computational fluid dynamic solutions to develop transition correlations that account for viscous effects on vehicles of arbitrary complexity. The boundary layer transition correlation developed for the X-33 from the viscous solutions are compared to the previous boundary layer transition correlations. It is shown that the boundary layer edge conditions calculated using an inviscid/integral boundary layer approach are significantly different than those extracted from viscous computational fluid dynamic solutions. The present results demonstrate the differences obtained in correlating transition data using different computational methods.

Wavelet-based clustering of resting state MRI data in the rat.

PubMed

Medda, Alessio; Hoffmann, Lukas; Magnuson, Matthew; Thompson, Garth; Pan, Wen-Ju; Keilholz, Shella

2016-01-01

While functional connectivity has typically been calculated over the entire length of the scan (5-10min), interest has been growing in dynamic analysis methods that can detect changes in connectivity on the order of cognitive processes (seconds). Previous work with sliding window correlation has shown that changes in functional connectivity can be observed on these time scales in the awake human and in anesthetized animals. This exciting advance creates a need for improved approaches to characterize dynamic functional networks in the brain. Previous studies were performed using sliding window analysis on regions of interest defined based on anatomy or obtained from traditional steady-state analysis methods. The parcellation of the brain may therefore be suboptimal, and the characteristics of the time-varying connectivity between regions are dependent upon the length of the sliding window chosen. This manuscript describes an algorithm based on wavelet decomposition that allows data-driven clustering of voxels into functional regions based on temporal and spectral properties. Previous work has shown that different networks have characteristic frequency fingerprints, and the use of wavelets ensures that both the frequency and the timing of the BOLD fluctuations are considered during the clustering process. The method was applied to resting state data acquired from anesthetized rats, and the resulting clusters agreed well with known anatomical areas. Clusters were highly reproducible across subjects. Wavelet cross-correlation values between clusters from a single scan were significantly higher than the values from randomly matched clusters that shared no temporal information, indicating that wavelet-based analysis is sensitive to the relationship between areas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does Exposure to a Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Modify Thermal Preference in Juvenile Rats?

PubMed Central

Pelletier, Amandine; Delanaud, Stéphane; de Seze, René; Bach, Véronique; Libert, Jean-Pierre; Loos, Nathalie

2014-01-01

Some studies have shown that people living near a mobile phone base station may report sleep disturbances and discomfort. Using a rat model, we have previously shown that chronic exposure to a low-intensity radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) was associated with paradoxical sleep (PS) fragmentation and greater vasomotor tone in the tail. Here, we sought to establish whether sleep disturbances might result from the disturbance of thermoregulatory processes by a RF-EMF. We recorded thermal preference and sleep stage distribution in 18 young male Wistar rats. Nine animals were exposed to a low-intensity RF-EMF (900 MHz, 1 V.m−1) for five weeks and nine served as non-exposed controls. Thermal preference was assessed in an experimental chamber comprising three interconnected compartments, in which the air temperatures (Ta) were set to 24°C, 28°C and 31°C. Sleep and tail skin temperature were also recorded. Our results indicated that relative to control group, exposure to RF-EMF at 31°C was associated with a significantly lower tail skin temperature (−1.6°C) which confirmed previous data. During the light period, the exposed group preferred to sleep at Ta = 31°C and the controls preferred Ta = 28°C. The mean sleep duration in exposed group was significantly greater (by 15.5%) than in control group (due in turn to a significantly greater amount of slow wave sleep (SWS, +14.6%). Similarly, frequency of SWS was greater in exposed group (by 4.9 episodes.h−1). The PS did not differ significantly between the two groups. During the dark period, there were no significant intergroup differences. We conclude that RF-EMF exposure induced a shift in thermal preference towards higher temperatures. The shift in preferred temperature might result from a cold thermal sensation. The change in sleep stage distribution may involve signals from thermoreceptors in the skin. Modulation of SWS may be a protective adaptation in response to RF-EMF exposure. PMID:24905635

The utility of the KJOC score in professional baseball in the United States.

PubMed

Franz, Justin O; McCulloch, Patrick C; Kneip, Chris J; Noble, Philip C; Lintner, David M

2013-09-01

The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) Shoulder and Elbow questionnaire has been shown by previous studies to be more sensitive than other validated subjective measurement tools in the detection of upper extremity dysfunction in overhead-throwing athletes. The primary objective was to establish normative data for KJOC scores in professional baseball players in the United States. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the effect of player age, playing position, professional competition level, history of injury, history of surgery, and time point of administration on the KJOC score. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. From 2011 to 2012, a total of 203 major league and minor league baseball players within the Houston Astros professional baseball organization completed the KJOC questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered at 3 time points: spring training 2011, end of season 2011, and spring training 2012. The KJOC scores were analyzed for significant differences based on player age, injury history, surgery history, fielding position, competition level, self-reported playing status, and time point of KJOC administration. The average KJOC score among healthy players with no history of injury was 97.1 for major league players and 96.8 for minor league players. The time point of administration did not significantly affect the final KJOC score (P = .224), and KJOC outcomes did not vary with player age (r = -0.012; P = .867). Significantly lower average KJOC scores were reported by players with a history of upper extremity injury (86.7; P < .001) and upper extremity surgery (75.4; P < .0001). The KJOC results did vary with playing position (P = .0313), with the lowest average scores being reported by pitchers (90.9) and infielders (91.3). This study establishes a quantitative baseline for the future evaluation of professional baseball players with the KJOC score. Age and time of administration had no significant effect on the outcome of the KJOC score. Missed practices or games within the previous year because of injury were the most significant demographic predictors of lower KJOC scores. The KJOC score was shown to be a sensitive measurement tool for detecting subtle changes in the upper extremity performance of the professional baseball population studied.

Does exposure to a radiofrequency electromagnetic field modify thermal preference in juvenile rats?

PubMed

Pelletier, Amandine; Delanaud, Stéphane; de Seze, René; Bach, Véronique; Libert, Jean-Pierre; Loos, Nathalie

2014-01-01

Some studies have shown that people living near a mobile phone base station may report sleep disturbances and discomfort. Using a rat model, we have previously shown that chronic exposure to a low-intensity radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) was associated with paradoxical sleep (PS) fragmentation and greater vasomotor tone in the tail. Here, we sought to establish whether sleep disturbances might result from the disturbance of thermoregulatory processes by a RF-EMF. We recorded thermal preference and sleep stage distribution in 18 young male Wistar rats. Nine animals were exposed to a low-intensity RF-EMF (900 MHz, 1 V x m(-1)) for five weeks and nine served as non-exposed controls. Thermal preference was assessed in an experimental chamber comprising three interconnected compartments, in which the air temperatures (Ta) were set to 24°C, 28°C and 31°C. Sleep and tail skin temperature were also recorded. Our results indicated that relative to control group, exposure to RF-EMF at 31°C was associated with a significantly lower tail skin temperature (-1.6°C) which confirmed previous data. During the light period, the exposed group preferred to sleep at Ta = 31°C and the controls preferred Ta = 28°C. The mean sleep duration in exposed group was significantly greater (by 15.5%) than in control group (due in turn to a significantly greater amount of slow wave sleep (SWS, +14.6%). Similarly, frequency of SWS was greater in exposed group (by 4.9 episodes.h-1). The PS did not differ significantly between the two groups. During the dark period, there were no significant intergroup differences. We conclude that RF-EMF exposure induced a shift in thermal preference towards higher temperatures. The shift in preferred temperature might result from a cold thermal sensation. The change in sleep stage distribution may involve signals from thermoreceptors in the skin. Modulation of SWS may be a protective adaptation in response to RF-EMF exposure.

Nuclear electric propulsion mission performance for fast piloted Mars missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hack, K. J.; George, J. A.; Dudzinski, L. A.

1991-01-01

A mission study aimed at minimizing the time humans would spend in the space environment is presented. The use of nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), when combined with a suitable mission profile, can reduce the trip time to durations competitive with other propulsion systems. Specifically, a split mission profile utilizing an earth crew capture vehicle accounts for a significant portion of the trip time reduction compared to previous studies. NEP is shown to be capable of performing fast piloted missions to Mars at low power levels using near-term technology and is considered to be a viable candidate for these missions.

Pedunculopontine nucleus electric stimulation alleviates akinesia independently of dopaminergic mechanisms.

PubMed

Jenkinson, Ned; Nandi, Dipankar; Oram, Rebecca; Stein, John F; Aziz, Tipu Z

2006-04-24

The symptom of Parkinson's disease that is most disabling and difficult to treat is akinesia. We have previously shown that low-frequency stimulation of the pedunculopontine nucleus can alleviate such akinesia in a macaque rendered Parkinsonian using 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. Here, we have extended that study to show that adding stimulation of the pedunculopontine nucleus to levodopa treatment in this Parkinsonian monkey increased its motor activity significantly more than levodopa alone. This additivity suggests that pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation may improve movement by acting at a site downstream from where levodopa therapy affects the basal ganglia.

Could Intelligent Tutors Anticipate Successfully User Reactions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalisz, Eugenia; Florea, Adina Magda

2006-06-01

Emotions have been shown to have an important impact on several human processes such as decision-making, planning, cognition, and learning. In an e-learning system, an artificial tutor capable of effectively understanding and anticipating the student emotions during learning will have a significantly enhanced role. The paper presents a model of an artificial tutor endowed with synthesized emotions according to the BDE model, previously developed by the authors. It also analyzes possible student reactions while interacting with the learning material and the way the artificial tutor could anticipate and should respond to these reactions, with adequate actions.

Virtual reality stimuli for force platform posturography.

PubMed

Tossavainen, Timo; Juhola, Martti; Ilmari, Pyykö; Aalto, Heikki; Toppila, Esko

2002-01-01

People relying much on vision in the control of posture are known to have an elevated risk of falling. Dependence on visual control is an important parameter in the diagnosis of balance disorders. We have previously shown that virtual reality methods can be used to produce visual stimuli that affect balance, but suitable stimuli need to be found. In this study the effect of six different virtual reality stimuli on the balance of 22 healthy test subjects was evaluated using force platform posturography. According to the tests two of the stimuli have a significant effect on balance.

Beta-defensin genomic copy number is not a modifier locus for cystic fibrosis

PubMed Central

Hollox, Edward J; Davies, Jane; Griesenbach, Uta; Burgess, Juliana; Alton, Eric WFW; Armour, John AL

2005-01-01

Human beta-defensin 2 (DEFB4, also known as DEFB2 or hBD-2) is a salt-sensitive antimicrobial protein that is expressed in lung epithelia. Previous work has shown that it is encoded in a cluster of beta-defensin genes at 8p23.1, which varies in copy number between 2 and 12 in different individuals. We determined the copy number of this locus in 355 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and tested for correlation between beta-defensin cluster genomic copy number and lung disease associated with CF. No significant association was found. PMID:16336654

Coherent triplet excitation suppresses the heading error of the avian compass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsoprinakis, G. E.; Dellis, A. T.; Kominis, I. K.

2010-08-01

Radical-ion pair reactions are currently understood to underlie the biochemical magnetic compass of migratory birds. It was recently shown that radical-ion pair reactions form a rich playground for the application of quantum-information-science concepts and effects. We will show here that the intricate interplay between the quantum Zeno effect and the coherent excitation of radical-ion pairs leads to an exquisite angular sensitivity of the reaction yields. This results in a significant and previously unanticipated suppression of the avian compass heading error, opening the way to quantum engineering precision biological sensors.

Σ--antihyperon correlations in Z0 decay and investigation of the baryon production mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbiendi, G.; Ainsley, C.; Åkesson, P. F.; Alexander, G.; Anagnostou, G.; Anderson, K. J.; Asai, S.; Axen, D.; Bailey, I.; Barberio, E.; Barillari, T.; Barlow, R. J.; Batley, R. J.; Bechtle, P.; Behnke, T.; Bell, K. W.; Bell, P. J.; Bella, G.; Bellerive, A.; Benelli, G.; Bethke, S.; Biebel, O.; Boeriu, O.; Bock, P.; Boutemeur, M.; Braibant, S.; Brown, R. M.; Burckhart, H. J.; Campana, S.; Capiluppi, P.; Carnegie, R. K.; Carter, A. A.; Carter, J. R.; Chang, C. Y.; Charlton, D. G.; Ciocca, C.; Csilling, A.; Cuffiani, M.; Dado, S.; Dallavalle, M.; de Roeck, A.; de Wolf, E. A.; Desch, K.; Dienes, B.; Dubbert, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Duerdoth, I. P.; Etzion, E.; Fabbri, F.; Ferrari, P.; Fiedler, F.; Fleck, I.; Ford, M.; Frey, A.; Gagnon, P.; Gary, J. W.; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Giacomelli, G.; Giacomelli, P.; Giunta, M.; Goldberg, J.; Gross, E.; Grunhaus, J.; Gruwé, M.; Gupta, A.; Hajdu, C.; Hamann, M.; Hanson, G. G.; Harel, A.; Hauschild, M.; Hawkes, C. M.; Hawkings, R.; Herten, G.; Heuer, R. D.; Hill, J. C.; Horváth, D.; Igo-Kemenes, P.; Ishii, K.; Jeremie, H.; Jovanovic, P.; Junk, T. R.; Kanzaki, J.; Karlen, D.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Keeler, R. K.; Kellogg, R. G.; Kennedy, B. W.; Kluth, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Kobel, M.; Komamiya, S.; Krämer, T.; Krasznahorkay, A.; Krieger, P.; von Krogh, J.; Kuhl, T.; Kupper, M.; Lafferty, G. D.; Landsman, H.; Lanske, D.; Lellouch, D.; Letts, J.; Levinson, L.; Lillich, J.; Lloyd, S. L.; Loebinger, F. K.; Lu, J.; Ludwig, A.; Ludwig, J.; Mader, W.; Marcellini, S.; Martin, A. J.; Mashimo, T.; Mättig, P.; McKenna, J.; McPherson, R. A.; Meijers, F.; Menges, W.; Merritt, F. S.; Mes, H.; Meyer, N.; Michelini, A.; Mihara, S.; Mikenberg, G.; Miller, D. J.; Mohr, W.; Mori, T.; Mutter, A.; Nagai, K.; Nakamura, I.; Nanjo, H.; Neal, H. A.; O'Neale, S. W.; Oh, A.; Oreglia, M. J.; Orito, S.; Pahl, C.; Pásztor, G.; Pater, J. R.; Pilcher, J. E.; Pinfold, J.; Plane, D. E.; Pooth, O.; Przybycień, M.; Quadt, A.; Rabbertz, K.; Rembser, C.; Renkel, P.; Roney, J. M.; Rossi, A. M.; Rozen, Y.; Runge, K.; Sachs, K.; Saeki, T.; Sarkisyan, E. K. G.; Schaile, A. D.; Schaile, O.; Scharff-Hansen, P.; Schieck, J.; Schörner-Sadenius, T.; Schröder, M.; Schumacher, M.; Seuster, R.; Shears, T. G.; Shen, B. C.; Sherwood, P.; Skuja, A.; Smith, A. M.; Sobie, R.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Spano, F.; Stahl, A.; Strom, D.; Ströhmer, R.; Tarem, S.; Tasevsky, M.; Teuscher, R.; Thomson, M. A.; Torrence, E.; Toya, D.; Trigger, I.; Trócsányi, Z.; Tsur, E.; Turner-Watson, M. F.; Ueda, I.; Ujvári, B.; Vollmer, C. F.; Vannerem, P.; Vértesi, R.; Verzocchi, M.; Voss, H.; Vossebeld, J.; Ward, C. P.; Ward, D. R.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, N. K.; Wells, P. S.; Wengler, T.; Wermes, N.; Wetterling, D.; Wilson, G. W.; Wilson, J. A.; Wolf, G.; Wyatt, T. R.; Yamashita, S.; Zer-Zion, D.; Zivkovic, L.

2009-12-01

Data collected around sqrt{s}=91 GeV by the OPAL experiment at the LEP e+e- collider are used to study the mechanism of baryon formation. As the signature, the fraction of Σ- hyperons whose baryon number is compensated by the production of a overline{Σ-},overline{Λ} or overline{Ξ-} antihyperon is determined. The method relies entirely on quantum number correlations of the baryons, and not rapidity correlations, making it more model independent than previous studies. Within the context of the JETSET implementation of the string hadronization model, the diquark baryon production model without the popcorn mechanism is strongly disfavored with a significance of 3.8 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties. It is shown that previous studies of the popcorn mechanism with Λ overline{Λ} and p\\uppi overline{p} correlations are not conclusive, if parameter uncertainties are considered.

Unique inflammatory RNA profiles of microglia in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Christopher A.; Manuelidis, Laura

2003-01-01

Previous studies in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have shown that myeloid cells in the periphery as well as derivative microglial cells in the brain are infectious. Microglia can show an activated phenotype before prion protein (PrP) pathology is detectable in brain, and isolated infectious microglia contain very little PrP. To find whether a set of inflammatory genes are significantly induced or suppressed with infection, we analyzed RNA from isolated microglia with relevant cDNA arrays, and identified 30 transcripts not previously examined in any transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. This CJD expression profile contrasted with that of uninfected microglia exposed to prototypic inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide and IFN-, as well as PrP amyloid. These findings underscore inflammatory pathways evoked by the infectious agent in brain. Transcript profiles unique for CJD microglia and other myeloid cells provide opportunities for more sensitive preclinical diagnoses of infectious and noninfectious neurodegenerative diseases.

Does overgeneral autobiographical memory result from poor memory for task instructions?

PubMed

Yanes, Paula K; Roberts, John E; Carlos, Erica L

2008-10-01

Considerable previous research has shown that retrieval of overgeneral autobiographical memories (OGM) is elevated among individuals suffering from various emotional disorders and those with a history of trauma. Although previous theories suggest that OGM serves the function of regulating acute negative affect, it is also possible that OGM results from difficulties in keeping the instruction set for the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) in working memory, or what has been coined "secondary goal neglect" (Dalgleish, 2004). The present study tested whether OGM is associated with poor memory for the task's instruction set, and whether an instruction set reminder would improve memory specificity over repeated trials. Multilevel modelling data-analytic techniques demonstrated a significant relationship between poor recall of instruction set and probability of retrieving OGMs. Providing an instruction set reminder for the AMT relative to a control task's instruction set improved memory specificity immediately afterward.

Religious beliefs influence neural substrates of self-reflection in Tibetans

PubMed Central

Wang, Cheng; He, Xi; Mao, Lihua

2010-01-01

Previous transcultural neuroimaging studies have shown that the neural substrates of self-reflection can be shaped by different cultures. There are few studies, however, on the neural activity of self-reflection where religion is viewed as a form of cultural expression. The present study examined the self-processing of two Chinese ethnic groups (Han and Tibetan) to investigate the significant role of religion on the functional anatomy of self-representation. We replicated the previous results in Han participants with the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex showing stronger activation in self-processing when compared with other-processing conditions. However, no typical self-reference pattern was identified in Tibetan participants on behavioral or neural levels. This could be explained by the minimal subjective sense of 'I-ness’ in Tibetan Buddhists. Our findings lend support to the presumed role of culture and religion in shaping the neural substrate of self. PMID:20197287

Ultrastable lasers based on vibration insensitive cavities

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

Millo, J.; Magalhaes, D. V.; Mandache, C.

2009-05-15

We present two ultrastable lasers based on two vibration insensitive cavity designs, one with vertical optical axis geometry, the other horizontal. Ultrastable cavities are constructed with fused silica mirror substrates, shown to decrease the thermal noise limit, in order to improve the frequency stability over previous designs. Vibration sensitivity components measured are equal to or better than 1.5x10{sup -11}/m s{sup -2} for each spatial direction, which shows significant improvement over previous studies. We have tested the very low dependence on the position of the cavity support points, in order to establish that our designs eliminate the need for fine tuningmore » to achieve extremely low vibration sensitivity. Relative frequency measurements show that at least one of the stabilized lasers has a stability better than 5.6x10{sup -16} at 1 s, which is the best result obtained for this length of cavity.« less

Religious beliefs influence neural substrates of self-reflection in Tibetans.

PubMed

Wu, Yanhong; Wang, Cheng; He, Xi; Mao, Lihua; Zhang, Li

2010-06-01

Previous transcultural neuroimaging studies have shown that the neural substrates of self-reflection can be shaped by different cultures. There are few studies, however, on the neural activity of self-reflection where religion is viewed as a form of cultural expression. The present study examined the self-processing of two Chinese ethnic groups (Han and Tibetan) to investigate the significant role of religion on the functional anatomy of self-representation. We replicated the previous results in Han participants with the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex showing stronger activation in self-processing when compared with other-processing conditions. However, no typical self-reference pattern was identified in Tibetan participants on behavioral or neural levels. This could be explained by the minimal subjective sense of 'I-ness' in Tibetan Buddhists. Our findings lend support to the presumed role of culture and religion in shaping the neural substrate of self.

Cooking with Kids Positively Affects Fourth Graders' Vegetable Preferences and Attitudes and Self-Efficacy for Food and Cooking

PubMed Central

Lohse, Barbara

2013-01-01

Abstract Background: Cooking with Kids (CWK), an experiential school-based food education program, has demonstrated modest influence on fruit and vegetable preference, food and cooking attitudes (AT), and self-efficacy (SE) among fourth-grade, mostly low-income Hispanic students in a quasiexperimental study with an inconsistent baseline. Effect was notably strong for boys and those without previous cooking experience. The aim of this project was to assess the effect of CWK with a mostly non-Hispanic white sample that assured no previous CWK exposure. Methods: The randomized, controlled assessment of CWK effect on fourth graders was conducted with 257 students in 12 classes in four public schools. CWK included a 1-hour introductory lesson, three 2-hour cooking classes, and three 1-hour fruit and vegetable tasting sessions led by trained food educators during the school day for one semester. Fruit preference, vegetable preference, and cooking AT and SE were assessed with a tested 35-item measure, shown to have test-retest reliability. Univariate analyses considered gender and previous cooking experience. Results: Intervention efficacy was confirmed in this mostly white sample (75%; 79% with previous cooking experience; 54% girls). Increases in vegetable preference, AT, and SE were all significantly greater in CWK students with ηp 2 of 0.03, 0.02, and 0.06, respectively. CWK most strongly improved AT and SE for boys without previous cooking experience. Conclusions: CWK significantly improved fourth-grade students' vegetable preferences, AT, and SE toward food and cooking, which are factors important to healthful eating and obesity prevention. Noncookers, especially boys, benefitted from this intervention. PMID:24320723

MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion to hydroxyapatite with adsorbed bone sialoprotein, bone osteopontin, and bovine serum albumin.

PubMed

Bernards, Matthew T; Qin, Chunlin; Jiang, Shaoyi

2008-07-15

Native bone tissue is composed of a complex matrix of collagen, non-collagenous proteins, and hydroxyapatite (HAP). Bone sialoprotein (BSP) and bone osteopontin (OPN) are members of the non-collagenous protein family termed the SIBLING (small integrin-binding ligand, N-linked glycoproteins) proteins, which are primarily found in mineralized tissues. Previously, OPN was shown to exhibit a preferential orientation for MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion when it was specifically bound to collagen, while the MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion was shown to be dependant on the conformational flexibility of BSP specifically bound to collagen. Additionally, OPN was shown to play a greater role than BSP for cell binding to collagen. In this work, the orientations and conformations of BSP and OPN specifically bound to HAP are probed under similar conditions. Radiolabeled adsorption isotherms were obtained for BSP and OPN on HAP formed from a simulated body fluid, and the results show that HAP has the capacity to bind significantly more BSP than OPN. An in vitro MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion assay was then performed to compare the cell binding ability of adsorbed BSP and OPN specifically bound to HAP. It was found that there is a preference for cell binding to HAP with adsorbed BSP as compared to OPN, but not to a statistically significant level. However, the maximum cell binding was observed on HAP substrates with adsorbed heat denatured bovine serum albumin (BSA). The influence of BSA on cell binding was shown to be concentration dependant and it is believed that the adsorbed BSA modulates the proliferation state of the bound cells.

MC3T3-E1 Cell Adhesion to Hydroxyapatite with Adsorbed Bone Sialoprotein, Bone Osteopontin, and Bovine Serum Albumin

PubMed Central

Bernards, Matthew T.; Qin, Chunlin; Jiang, Shaoyi

2008-01-01

Native bone tissue is composed of a complex matrix of collagen, non-collagenous proteins, and hydroxyapatite (HAP). Bone sialoprotein (BSP) and bone osteopontin (OPN) are members of the non-collagenous protein family termed the SIBLING (small integrin-binding ligand, N-linked glycoproteins) proteins, which are primarily found in mineralized tissues. Previously, OPN was shown to exhibit a preferential orientation for MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion when it was specifically bound to collagen, while the MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion was shown to be dependant on the conformational flexibility of BSP specifically bound to collagen. Additionally, OPN was shown to play a greater role than BSP for cell binding to collagen. In this work, the orientations and conformations of BSP and OPN specifically bound to HAP are probed under similar conditions. Radiolabeled adsorption isotherms were obtained for BSP and OPN on HAP formed from a simulated body fluid, and the results show that HAP has the capacity to bind significantly more BSP than OPN. An in vitro MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion assay was then performed to compare the cell binding ability of adsorbed BSP and OPN specifically bound to HAP. It was found that there is a preference for cell binding to HAP with adsorbed BSP as compared to OPN, but not to a statistically significant level. However, the maximum cell binding was observed on HAP substrates with adsorbed heat denatured bovine serum albumin (BSA). The influence of BSA on cell binding was shown to be concentration dependant and it is believed that the adsorbed BSA modulates the proliferation state of the bound cells. PMID:18420388

Treatment of Venous Aortorenal Bypass Graft Aneurysm Using a Stent-Graft

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

Novotny, Jiri, E-mail: jino@medicon.cz; Peregrin, Jan H.; Stribrna, Jarmila

2010-02-15

We present the case of a 77-year-old male patient who had undergone a bilateral venous aortorenal bypass graft 30 years previously. Thirteen years previously, the patient was shown to have a decrease in renal function, with mild shrinking of both kidneys; additionally, a stenosis was found in the left proximal anastomosis. At the most recent follow-up visit (1 year previously), ultrasound revealed an aneurysm (42 mm in diameter) of the left renal bypass graft; the finding was confirmed by CT angiography. A significant ostial stenosis of the left renal bypass graft was also confirmed. It was decided to place amore » self-expandable stent-graft into the aneurysm while also attempting to dilate the stenosis. Proximal endoleak after stent-graft placement necessitated the implantation of another, balloon-expandable stent-graft into the bypass graft ostium. Postprocedural angiography and follow-up by CT angiography at 3 months confirmed good patency of the stent-grafts and complete thrombosis of the aneurysmal sac, with preserved kidney perfusion. Renal function remained unaltered, while the hypertension is better controlled.« less

Re-evaluation of rhodopsin's relaxation kinetics determined from femtosecond stimulated Raman lineshapes.

PubMed

McCamant, David W

2011-07-28

This work presents a theoretical treatment of the vibrational line shape generated in a femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) experiment under conditions in which the probed vibration undergoes a significant frequency shift during its free induction decay. This theory is applied to simulate the FSRS lineshapes previously observed in rhodopsin (Kukura et al. Science 2005, 310, 1006). The previously determined relaxation times for formation of the trans-photoproduct of rhodopsin were calculated using an incorrect equation for the time dependence of the observed frequency shifts. Here the data are reanalyzed by calculation of the corrected frequency sweep occurring during the vibrational free induction decay. It is shown that the calculated frequency shifts and general conclusions of the original work are sound but that the coherent vibrational frequency shifts of the C(10), C(11), and C(12) hydrogen-out-of-plane vibrations occur with a 140 fs time constant rather than the previously reported 325 fs time constant. This time constant provides an important constraint for models of the dynamics of the cis to trans isomerization process. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Characterizing relative humidity with respect to ice in midlatitude cirrus clouds as a function of atmospheric state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzambo, Andrew M.; Turner, David D.

2016-10-01

Midlatitude cirrus cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties have been shown in previous studies to vary seasonally and in various large-scale dynamical regimes, but relative humidity with respect to ice (RHI) within cirrus clouds has not been studied extensively in this context. Using a combination of radiosonde and millimeter-wavelength cloud radar data, we identify 1076 cirrus clouds spanning a 7 year period from 2004 to 2011. These data are separated into five classes using a previously published algorithm that is based largely on synoptic conditions. Using these data and classification scheme, we find that RHI in cirrus clouds varies seasonally. Variations in cirrus cloud RHI exist within the prescribed classifications; however, most of the variations are within the measurement uncertainty. Additionally, with the exception of nonsummer class cirrus, these variations are not statistically significant. We also find that cirrus cloud occurrence is not necessarily correlated with higher observed values of RHI. The structure of RHI in cirrus clouds varies more in thicker clouds, which follows previous studies showing that macrophysical and microphysical variability increases in thicker cirrus clouds.

Developmental differences in white matter architecture between boys and girls.

PubMed

Schmithorst, Vincent J; Holland, Scott K; Dardzinski, Bernard J

2008-06-01

Previous studies have found developmental differences between males and females in brain structure. During childhood and adolescence, relative white matter volume increases faster in boys than in girls. Sex differences in the development of white matter microstructure were investigated in a cohort of normal children ages 5-18 in a cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study. Greater fractional anisotropy (FA) in boys was shown in associative white matter regions (including the frontal lobes), while greater FA in girls was shown in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Greater mean diffusivity (MD) in boys was shown in the corticospinal tract and in frontal white matter in the right hemisphere; greater MD in girls was shown in occipito-parietal regions and the most superior aspect of the corticospinal tract in the right hemisphere. Significant sex-age interactions on FA and MD were also shown. Girls displayed a greater rate of fiber density increase with age when compared with boys in associative regions (reflected in MD values). However, girls displayed a trend toward increased organization with age (reflected in FA values) only in the right hemisphere, while boys displayed this trend only in the left hemisphere. These results indicate differing developmental trajectories in white matter for boys and girls and the importance of taking sex into account in developmental DTI studies. The results also may have implications for the study of the relationship of brain architecture with intelligence. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) Sprout Treated with Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA) Improved Anti-Adipogenic Activity Associated with the Oxidative Stress System in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

PubMed Central

Lee, Young-Jun; Kim, Kui-Jin; Park, Kee-Jai; Yoon, Bo-Ra; Lim, Jeong-Ho; Lee, Ok-Hwan

2013-01-01

Buckwheat sprouts contain various bioactive compounds including rutin which have a number of biological activities. We have previously shown that buckwheat sprouts (TBWE) treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) significantly increased the amount of phenolics and the antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of TBWE on anti-adipogenesis and pro-oxidant enzyme in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We also evaluated the anti-oxidative activity of TBWE in adipocytes by using the nitroblue tetrazolium assay. Our data showed that TBWE markedly inhibited adipocyte differentiation and ROS production in 3T3-L1 cells compared with control groups. Moreover, TBWE has strongly shown the inhibition of adipogenic transcription factor as well as pro-oxidant enzymes. Together, we demonstrate that the MeJA treatment significantly increased the amount of phenolic compound, resulting in the suppression of adipogenesis and ROS production in the 3T3-L1 cells. These findings indicate that TBWE has the potential for anti-adipogenesis activity with anti-oxidative properties. PMID:23344050

The effectiveness of air bags.

PubMed

Barry, S; Ginpil, S; O'Neill, T J

1999-11-01

Previous research has shown that the installation of air bags in vehicles significantly reduces crash related deaths, but these analyses have used statistical techniques which have not been capable of controlling for other major determinants of crash survival. This study analysed data from the US FARS database of fatal crashes using conditional logistic regression which is simultaneously able to estimate occupant protection effects for a range of variables. Results of the analysis provided a comparative quantification of both the effect of the air bag as well as other well known determinants of occupant crash survival (age, seat belt use, and gender). When potentially confounding variables were controlled, both the driver and passenger side air bag devices were shown to significantly reduce the probability of death in direct frontal collisions, but the effect size calculated was small compared to the effect of the seat belt. The effect size may also be very small in absolute terms depending on the severity of the crash involved. Given the limited benefit of the air bag, efforts to promote air bags seem particularly difficult to justify in countries such as the United States where the vastly superior occupant protection of the seat belt is under-utilised.

Potential interstellar noble gas molecules: ArOH+ and NeOH+ rovibrational analysis from quantum chemical quartic force fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theis, Riley A.; Fortenberry, Ryan C.

2016-03-01

The discovery of ArH+ in the interstellar medium has shown that noble gas chemistry may be of more chemical significance than previously believed. The present work extends the known chemistry of small noble gas molecules to NeOH+ and ArOH+. Besides their respective neonium and argonium diatomic cation cousins, these hydroxyl cation molecules are the most stable small noble gas molecules analyzed of late. ArOH+ is once again more stable than the neon cation, but both are well-behaved enough for a complete quartic force field analysis of their rovibrational properties. The Ar-O bond in ArOH+ , for instance, is roughly three-quarters of the strength of the Ar-H bond in ArH+ highlighting the rigidity of this system. The rotational constants, geometries, and vibrational frequencies for both molecules and their various isotopologues are computed from ab initio quantum chemical theory at high-level, and it is shown that these cations may form in regions where peroxy or weakly-bound alcohols may be present. The resulting data should be of significant assistance for the laboratory or observational analysis of these potential interstellar molecules.

Stiffness and Damping in Postural Control Increase with Age

PubMed Central

Cenciarini, Massimo; Loughlin, Patrick J.; Sparto, Patrick J.; Redfern, Mark S.

2011-01-01

Upright balance is believed to be maintained through active and passive mechanisms, both of which have been shown to be impacted by aging. A compensatory balance response often observed in older adults is increased co-contraction, which is generally assumed to enhance stability by increasing joint stiffness. We investigated the effect of aging on standing balance by fitting body sway data to a previously-developed postural control model that includes active and passive stiffness and damping parameters. Ten young (24 ± 3 y) and seven older (75 ± 5 y) adults were exposed during eyes-closed stance to perturbations consisting of lateral pseudorandom floor tilts. A least-squares fit of the measured body sway data to the postural control model found significantly larger active stiffness and damping model parameters in the older adults. These differences remained significant even after normalizing to account for different body sizes between the young and older adult groups. An age effect was also found for the normalized passive stiffness, but not for the normalized passive damping parameter. This concurrent increase in active stiffness and damping was shown to be more stabilizing than an increase in stiffness alone, as assessed by oscillations in the postural control model impulse response. PMID:19770083

The phase of prestimulus alpha oscillations affects tactile perception.

PubMed

Ai, Lei; Ro, Tony

2014-03-01

Previous studies have shown that neural oscillations in the 8- to 12-Hz range influence sensory perception. In the current study, we examined whether both the power and phase of these mu/alpha oscillations predict successful conscious tactile perception. Near-threshold tactile stimuli were applied to the left hand while electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded over the contralateral right somatosensory cortex. We found a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between prestimulus mu/alpha power and detection rate, suggesting that there is an intermediate level of alpha power that is optimal for tactile perception. We also found a significant difference in phase angle concentration at stimulus onset that predicted whether the upcoming tactile stimulus was perceived or missed. As has been shown in the visual system, these findings suggest that these mu/alpha oscillations measured over somatosensory areas exert a strong inhibitory control on tactile perception and that pulsed inhibition by these oscillations shapes the state of brain activity necessary for conscious perception. They further suggest that these common phasic processing mechanisms across different sensory modalities and brain regions may reflect a common underlying encoding principle in perceptual processing that leads to momentary windows of perceptual awareness.

The benefits of being a video gamer in laparoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Sammut, Matthew; Sammut, Mark; Andrejevic, Predrag

2017-09-01

Video games are mainly considered to be of entertainment value in our society. Laparoscopic surgery and video games are activities similarly requiring eye-hand and visual-spatial skills. Previous studies have not conclusively shown a positive correlation between video game experience and improved ability to accomplish visual-spatial tasks in laparoscopic surgery. This study was an attempt to investigate this relationship. The aim of the study was to investigate whether previous video gaming experience affects the baseline performance on a laparoscopic simulator trainer. Newly qualified medical officers with minimal experience in laparoscopic surgery were invited to participate in the study and assigned to the following groups: gamers (n = 20) and non-gamers (n = 20). Analysis included participants' demographic data and baseline video gaming experience. Laparoscopic skills were assessed using a laparoscopic simulator trainer. There were no significant demographic differences between the two groups. Each participant performed three laparoscopic tasks and mean scores between the two groups were compared. The gamer group had statistically significant better results in maintaining the laparoscopic camera horizon ± 15° (p value = 0.009), in the complex ball manipulation accuracy rates (p value = 0.024) and completed the complex laparoscopic simulator task in a significantly shorter time period (p value = 0.001). Although prior video gaming experience correlated with better results, there were no significant differences for camera accuracy rates (p value = 0.074) and in a two-handed laparoscopic exercise task accuracy rates (p value = 0.092). The results show that previous video-gaming experience improved the baseline performance in laparoscopic simulator skills. Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide analysis of central corneal thickness in primary open-angle glaucoma cases in the NEIGHBOR and GLAUGEN consortia.

PubMed

Ulmer, Megan; Li, Jun; Yaspan, Brian L; Ozel, Ayse Bilge; Richards, Julia E; Moroi, Sayoko E; Hawthorne, Felicia; Budenz, Donald L; Friedman, David S; Gaasterland, Douglas; Haines, Jonathan; Kang, Jae H; Lee, Richard; Lichter, Paul; Liu, Yutao; Pasquale, Louis R; Pericak-Vance, Margaret; Realini, Anthony; Schuman, Joel S; Singh, Kuldev; Vollrath, Douglas; Weinreb, Robert; Wollstein, Gadi; Zack, Donald J; Zhang, Kang; Young, Terri; Allingham, R Rand; Wiggs, Janey L; Ashley-Koch, Allison; Hauser, Michael A

2012-07-03

To investigate the effects of central corneal thickness (CCT)-associated variants on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) risk using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) data from the Glaucoma Genes and Environment (GLAUGEN) and National Eye Institute (NEI) Glaucoma Human Genetics Collaboration (NEIGHBOR) consortia. A replication analysis of previously reported CCT SNPs was performed in a CCT dataset (n = 1117) and these SNPs were then tested for association with POAG using a larger POAG dataset (n = 6470). Then a CCT genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. Top SNPs from this analysis were selected and tested for association with POAG. cDNA libraries from fetal and adult brain and ocular tissue samples were generated and used for candidate gene expression analysis. Association with one of 20 previously published CCT SNPs was replicated: rs12447690, near the ZNF469 gene (P = 0.001; β = -5.08 μm/allele). None of these SNPs were significantly associated with POAG. In the CCT GWAS, no SNPs reached genome-wide significance. After testing 50 candidate SNPs for association with POAG, one SNP was identified, rs7481514 within the neurotrimin (NTM) gene, that was significantly associated with POAG in a low-tension subset (P = 0.00099; Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.28). Additionally, SNPs in the CNTNAP4 gene showed suggestive association with POAG (top SNP = rs1428758; P = 0.018; OR = 0.84). NTM and CNTNAP4 were shown to be expressed in ocular tissues. The results suggest previously reported CCT loci are not significantly associated with POAG susceptibility. By performing a quantitative analysis of CCT and a subsequent analysis of POAG, SNPs in two cell adhesion molecules, NTM and CNTNAP4, were identified and may increase POAG susceptibility in a subset of cases.

Surface chemical effects on colloid stability and transport through natural porous media

USGS Publications Warehouse

Puls, Robert W.; Paul, Cynthia J.; Clark, Donald A.

1993-01-01

Surface chemical effects on colloidal stability and transport through porous media were investigated using laboratory column techniques. Approximately 100 nm diameter, spherical, iron oxide particles were synthesized as the mobile colloidal phase. The column packing material was retrieved from a sand and gravel aquifer on Cape Cod, MA. Previous studies have indicated enhanced stability and transport of iron oxide particles due to specific adsorption of some inorganic anions on the iron oxide surface. This phenomenon was further evaluated with an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate. Surfactants constitute a significant mass of the contaminant loading at the Cape Cod site and their presence may contribute to colloidal transport as a significant transport mechanism at the site. Other studies at the site have previously demonstrated the occurrence of this transport mechanism for iron phosphate particles. Photon correlation spectroscopy, micro-electrophoretic mobility, and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate particle stability, mobility and size. Adsorption of negatively charged organic and inorganic species onto the surface of the iron oxide particles was shown to significantly enhance particle stability and transport through alterations of the electrokinetic properties of the particle surface. Particle breakthrough generally occurred simultaneously with tritiated water, a conservative tracer. The extent of particle breakthrough was primarily dependent upon colloidal stability and surface charge.

Aerodynamics and Optimal Design of Biplane Wind Turbine Blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Phillip

In order to improve energy capture and reduce the cost of wind energy, in the past few decades wind turbines have grown significantly larger. As their blades get longer, the design of the inboard region (near the blade root) becomes a trade-off between competing structural and aerodynamic requirements. State-of-the-art blades require thick airfoils near the root to efficiently support large loads inboard, but those thick airfoils have inherently poor aerodynamic performance. New designs are required to circumvent this design compromise. One such design is the "biplane blade", in which the thick airfoils in the inboard region are replaced with thinner airfoils in a biplane configuration. This design was shown previously to have significantly increased structural performance over conventional blades. In addition, the biplane airfoils can provide increased lift and aerodynamic efficiency compared to thick monoplane inboard airfoils, indicating a potential for increased power extraction. This work investigates the fundamental aerodynamic aspects, aerodynamic design and performance, and optimal structural design of the biplane blade. First, the two-dimensional aerodynamics of biplanes with relatively thick airfoils are investigated, showing unique phenomena which arise as a result of airfoil thickness. Next, the aerodynamic design of the full biplane blade is considered. Two biplane blades are designed for optimal aerodynamic loading, and their aerodynamic performance quantified. Considering blades with practical chord distributions and including the drag of the mid-blade joint, it is shown that biplane blades have comparable power output to conventional monoplane designs. The results of this analysis also show that the biplane blades can be designed with significantly less chord than conventional designs, a characteristic which enables larger blade designs. The aerodynamic loads on the biplane blades are shown to be increased in gust conditions and decreased under extreme conditions. Finally, considering these aerodynamic loads, the blade mass reductions achievable by biplane blades are quantified. The internal structure of the biplane blades are designed using a multi-disciplinary optimization which seeks to minimize mass, subject to constraints which represent realistic design requirements. Using this approach, it is shown that biplane blades can be built more than 45% lighter than a similarly-optimized conventional blade; the reasons for these mass reductions are examined in detail. As blade length is increased, these mass reductions are shown to be even more significant. These large mass reductions are indicative of significant cost of electricity reductions from rotors fitted with biplane blades. Taken together, these results show that biplane blades are a concept which can enable the next generation of larger wind turbine rotors.

Is Motor Learning Mediated by tDCS Intensity?

PubMed Central

van den Berg, Femke E.; Nitsche, Michael A.; Thijs, Herbert; Wenderoth, Nicole; Meesen, Raf L. J.

2013-01-01

Although tDCS has been shown to improve motor learning, previous studies reported rather small effects. Since physiological effects of tDCS depend on intensity, the present study evaluated this parameter in order to enhance the effect of tDCS on skill acquisition. The effect of different stimulation intensities of anodal tDCS (atDCS) was investigated in a double blind, sham controlled crossover design. In each condition, thirteen healthy subjects were instructed to perform a unimanual motor (sequence) learning task. Our results showed (1) a significant increase in the slope of the learning curve and (2) a significant improvement in motor performance at retention for 1.5 mA atDCS as compared to sham tDCS. No significant differences were reported between 1 mA atDCS and sham tDCS; and between 1.5 mA atDCS and 1 mA atDCS. PMID:23826272

Fast Principal-Component Analysis Reveals Convergent Evolution of ADH1B in Europe and East Asia

PubMed Central

Galinsky, Kevin J.; Bhatia, Gaurav; Loh, Po-Ru; Georgiev, Stoyan; Mukherjee, Sayan; Patterson, Nick J.; Price, Alkes L.

2016-01-01

Searching for genetic variants with unusual differentiation between subpopulations is an established approach for identifying signals of natural selection. However, existing methods generally require discrete subpopulations. We introduce a method that infers selection using principal components (PCs) by identifying variants whose differentiation along top PCs is significantly greater than the null distribution of genetic drift. To enable the application of this method to large datasets, we developed the FastPCA software, which employs recent advances in random matrix theory to accurately approximate top PCs while reducing time and memory cost from quadratic to linear in the number of individuals, a computational improvement of many orders of magnitude. We apply FastPCA to a cohort of 54,734 European Americans, identifying 5 distinct subpopulations spanning the top 4 PCs. Using the PC-based test for natural selection, we replicate previously known selected loci and identify three new genome-wide significant signals of selection, including selection in Europeans at ADH1B. The coding variant rs1229984∗T has previously been associated to a decreased risk of alcoholism and shown to be under selection in East Asians; we show that it is a rare example of independent evolution on two continents. We also detect selection signals at IGFBP3 and IGH, which have also previously been associated to human disease. PMID:26924531

Behavioral modulation by mutilation pictures in women.

PubMed

Pereira, M G; Volchan, E; Oliveira, L; Machado-Pinheiro, W; Rodrigues, J A; Nepomuceno, F V P; Pessoa, L

2004-03-01

Previous studies have shown that women are more emotionally expressive than men. It is unclear, however, if women are also more susceptible to the emotional modulation of behavior imposed by an affective stimulus. To investigate this issue, we devised a task in which female subjects performed six sequential trials of visual target detection following the presentation of emotional (mutilation and erotic) or neutral pictures (domestic utensils and objects) and compared the data obtained in the present study with those described in a previous study with male subjects. The experiment consisted of three blocks of 24 pictures and each block had an approximate duration of 4 min. Our sample consisted of 36 subjects (age range: 18 to 26 years) and each subject performed all blocks. Trials following the presentation of mutilation pictures (283 ms) had significantly slower reaction times than those following neutral (270 ms) pictures. None of the trials in the "pleasant block" (271 ms) was significantly different from those in the "neutral block". The increase in reaction time observed in the unpleasant block may be related in part to the activation of motivational systems leading to an avoidance behavior. The interference effect observed in this study was similar to the pattern previously described for men. Thus, although women may be more emotionally expressive, they were not more reactive to aversive stimuli than men, as measured by emotional interference in a simple reaction time task.

Unraveling the Transcriptional Basis of Temperature-Dependent Pinoxaden Resistance in Brachypodium hybridum

PubMed Central

Matzrafi, Maor; Shaar-Moshe, Lidor; Rubin, Baruch; Peleg, Zvi

2017-01-01

Climate change endangers food security and our ability to feed the ever-increasing human population. Weeds are the most important biotic stress, reducing crop-plant productivity worldwide. Chemical control, the main approach for weed management, can be strongly affected by temperature. Previously, we have shown that temperature-dependent non-target site (NTS) resistance of Brachypodium hybridum is due to enhanced detoxification of acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors. Here, we explored the transcriptional basis of this phenomenon. Plants were characterized for the transcriptional response to herbicide application, high-temperature and their combination, in an attempt to uncover the genetic basis of temperature-dependent pinoxaden resistance. Even though most of the variance among treatments was due to pinoxaden application (61%), plants were able to survive pinoxaden application only when grown under high-temperatures. Biological pathways and expression patterns of members of specific gene families, previously shown to be involved in NTS metabolic resistance to different herbicides, were examined. Cytochrome P450, glucosyl transferase and glutathione-S-transferase genes were found to be up-regulated in response to pinoxaden application under both control and high-temperature conditions. However, biological pathways related to oxidation and glucose conjugation were found to be significantly enriched only under the combination of pinoxaden application and high-temperature. Analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was conducted at several time points after treatment using a probe detecting H2O2/peroxides. Comparison of ROS accumulation among treatments revealed a significant reduction in ROS quantities 24 h after pinoxaden application only under high-temperature conditions. These results may indicate significant activity of enzymatic ROS scavengers that can be correlated with the activation of herbicide-resistance mechanisms. This study shows that up-regulation of genes related to metabolic resistance is not sufficient to explain temperature-dependent pinoxaden resistance. We suggest that elevated activity of enzymatic processes at high-temperature may induce rapid and efficient pinoxaden metabolism leading to temperature-dependent herbicide resistance. PMID:28680434

Roles of an Upper-Body Compression Garment on Athletic Performances.

PubMed

Hooper, David R; Dulkis, Lexie L; Secola, Paul J; Holtzum, Gabriel; Harper, Sean P; Kalkowski, Ryan J; Comstock, Brett A; Szivak, Tunde K; Flanagan, Shawn D; Looney, David P; DuPont, William H; Maresh, Carl M; Volek, Jeff S; Culley, Kevin P; Kraemer, William J

2015-09-01

Compression garments (CGs) have been previously shown to enhance proprioception; however, this benefit has not been previously shown to transfer to improved performance in sports skills. The purpose of this study was to assess whether enhanced proprioception and comfort can be manifested in improved sports performance of high-level athletes. Eleven Division I collegiate pitchers (age: 21.0 ± 2.9 years; height: 181.0 ± 4.6 cm; weight: 89.0 ± 13.0 kg; body fat: 12.0 ± 4.1%) and 10 Division I collegiate golfers (age: 20.0 ± 1.3 years; height: 178.1 ± 3.9 cm; weight: 76.4 ± 8.3 kg; body fat: 11.8 ± 2.6%) participated in the study. A counterbalanced within-group design was used. Subjects performed the respective baseball or golf protocol wearing either typical noncompressive (NC) or the experimental CG. Golfers participated in an assessment of driving distance and accuracy, as well as approach shot, chipping, and putting accuracy. Pitchers were assessed for fastball accuracy and velocity. In pitchers, there was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvement in fastball accuracy (NC: 0.30 ± 0.04 vs. CG: 0.21 ± 0.07 cm). There were no differences in pitching velocity. In golfers, there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvements in driving accuracy (NC: 86.7 ± 30.6 vs. CG: 68.9 ± 18.5 feet), as well as approach shot accuracy (NC: 26.6 ± 11.9 vs. CG: 22.1 ± 8.2 feet) and chipping accuracy (NC: 2.9 ± 0.6 vs. CG: 2.3 ± 0.6 inch). There was also a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in comfort for the golfers (NC: 3.7 ± 0.8 vs. CG: 4.5 ± 1.0). These results demonstrate that comfort and performance can be improved with the use of CGs in high-level athletes being most likely mediated by improved proprioceptive cues during upper-body movements.

The impact of Rhodiola rosea on the gut microbial community of Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Labachyan, Khachik E; Kiani, Dara; Sevrioukov, Evgueni A; Schriner, Samuel E; Jafari, Mahtab

2018-01-01

The root extract of Rhodiola rosea has historically been used in Europe and Asia as an adaptogen, and similar to ginseng and Shisandra , shown to display numerous health benefits in humans, such as decreasing fatigue and anxiety while improving mood, memory, and stamina. A similar extract in the Rhodiola family, Rhodiola crenulata , has previously been shown to confer positive effects on the gut homeostasis of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Although, R. rosea has been shown to extend lifespan of many organisms such as fruit flies, worms and yeast, its anti-aging mechanism remains uncertain. Using D. melanogaster as our model system, the purpose of this work was to examine whether the anti-aging properties of R. rosea are due to its impact on the microbial composition of the fly gut. Rhodiola rosea treatment significantly increased the abundance of Acetobacter , while subsequently decreasing the abundance of Lactobacillales of the fly gut at 10 and 40 days of age. Additionally, supplementation of the extract decreased the total culturable bacterial load of the fly gut, while increasing the overall quantifiable bacterial load. The extract did not display any antimicrobial activity when disk diffusion tests were performed on bacteria belonging to Microbacterium , Bacillus , and Lactococcus . Under standard and conventional rearing conditions, supplementation of R. rosea significantly alters the microbial community of the fly gut, but without any general antibacterial activity. Further studies should investigate whether R. rosea impacts the gut immunity across multiple animal models and ages.

Reducing Tumour Hypoxia via Oral Administration of Oxygen Nanobubbles

PubMed Central

Owen, Joshua; McEwan, Conor; Nesbitt, Heather; Bovornchutichai, Phurit; Averre, Raymond; Borden, Mark; McHale, Anthony P.; Callan, John F.

2016-01-01

Hypoxia has been shown to be a key factor inhibiting the successful treatment of solid tumours. Existing strategies for reducing hypoxia, however, have shown limited efficacy and/or adverse side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for reducing tumour hypoxia using an orally delivered suspension of surfactant-stabilised oxygen nanobubbles. Experiments were carried out in a mouse xenograft tumour model for human pancreatic cancer (BxPc-3 cells in male SCID mice). A single dose of 100 μL of oxygen saturated water, oxygen nanobubbles or argon nanobubbles was administered via gavage. Animals were sacrificed 30 minutes post-treatment (3 per group) and expression of hypoxia-inducible-factor-1α (HIF1α) protein measured by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis of the excised tumour tissue. Neither the oxygen saturated water nor argon nanobubbles produced a statistically significant change in HIF1α expression at the transcriptional level. In contrast, a reduction of 75% and 25% in the transcriptional and translational expression of HIF1α respectively (p<0.001) was found for the animals receiving the oxygen nanobubbles. This magnitude of reduction has been shown in previous studies to be commensurate with an improvement in outcome with both radiation and drug-based treatments. In addition, there was a significant reduction in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in this group and corresponding increase in the expression of arrest-defective protein 1 homolog A (ARD1A). PMID:28036332

Reducing Tumour Hypoxia via Oral Administration of Oxygen Nanobubbles.

PubMed

Owen, Joshua; McEwan, Conor; Nesbitt, Heather; Bovornchutichai, Phurit; Averre, Raymond; Borden, Mark; McHale, Anthony P; Callan, John F; Stride, Eleanor

2016-01-01

Hypoxia has been shown to be a key factor inhibiting the successful treatment of solid tumours. Existing strategies for reducing hypoxia, however, have shown limited efficacy and/or adverse side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for reducing tumour hypoxia using an orally delivered suspension of surfactant-stabilised oxygen nanobubbles. Experiments were carried out in a mouse xenograft tumour model for human pancreatic cancer (BxPc-3 cells in male SCID mice). A single dose of 100 μL of oxygen saturated water, oxygen nanobubbles or argon nanobubbles was administered via gavage. Animals were sacrificed 30 minutes post-treatment (3 per group) and expression of hypoxia-inducible-factor-1α (HIF1α) protein measured by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis of the excised tumour tissue. Neither the oxygen saturated water nor argon nanobubbles produced a statistically significant change in HIF1α expression at the transcriptional level. In contrast, a reduction of 75% and 25% in the transcriptional and translational expression of HIF1α respectively (p<0.001) was found for the animals receiving the oxygen nanobubbles. This magnitude of reduction has been shown in previous studies to be commensurate with an improvement in outcome with both radiation and drug-based treatments. In addition, there was a significant reduction in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in this group and corresponding increase in the expression of arrest-defective protein 1 homolog A (ARD1A).

The effect of filtering on the determination of lunar tides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palumbo, A.; Mazzarella, A.

1980-01-01

The determination of lunar tides obtained by combination of a filtering process and the fixed lunar age technique is proposed. It is shown that such a method allows a reduction of the signal-to-noise ratio without altering the amplitude and the phase angle of the signal. It consequently allows the significant determination of the lunar semidiurnal component M2 from the series of data shorter than those required by other methods and the deduction of other interesting lunisolar components which have not previously been significantly determined in surface pressure and temperature data. The analysis of the data for Gan, Vesuvian Observatory and the Eiffel Tower have provided new determinations of L2(p) and have allowed comparison between the results obtained by the present and other methods.

Towards a better understanding of tidal dissipation at corotation layers in differentially rotating stars and planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astoul, A.; Mathis, S.; Baruteau, C.; André, Q.

2017-12-01

Star-planet tidal interactions play a significant role in the dynamical evolution of close-in planetary systems. We investigate the propagation and dissipation of tidal inertial waves in a stellar/planetary convective region. We take into account a latitudinal differential rotation for the background flow, similar to what is observed in the envelope of low-mass stars like the Sun. Previous works have shown that differential rotation significantly alters the propagation and dissipation properties of inertial waves. In particular, when the Doppler-shifted tidal frequency vanishes in the fluid, a critical layer forms where tidal dissipation can be greatly enhanced. Our present work develops a local analytic model to better understand the propagation and dissipation properties of tidally forced inertial waves at critical layers.

Does background music in a store enhance salespersons' persuasiveness?

PubMed

Cebat, J C; Vaillant, D; Gélinas-Chebat, C

2000-10-01

Background music has been studied as a key element of the store atmosphere in terms of its emotional effects; however, previous studies have shown also that music may have cognitive influence on consumers. How does music affect the salespersons' persuasive efforts within the store? To answer this question an experimental study was designed to assess the effects of four levels of arousing music conditions (no-low-moderate high arousing music). The level of pleasure of the musical pieces was controlled for. Music does not moderate significantly the effects of the salespersons on the intent to buy, but low and moderately arousing music (similarly low and moderately interesting musical pieces) does influence significantly the effects on the acceptance of the salesperson's arguments and the "desire to affiliate," i.e., to enter into communication.

Walking my way? Walker gender and display format Confounds the perception of specific emotions.

PubMed

Halovic, Shaun; Kroos, Christian

2018-02-01

Previous evidence has shown that males and females display different gait kinematics which may influence the perception of emotions displayed through the same walking gait. We therefore investigated the influence of walker gender on the perception of happiness, sadness, anger and fear displayed through walking movements. Full-light (FL), point-light (PL) and synthetically modelled point-light walkers (SW) of both genders were shown to perceivers over three experiments. Additionally, gender ambiguous synthetic walkers were shown to control for the influence of form, gender stereotypes and idiosyncratic gait movements on emotional gait perception. Each emotion was identified above chance level for both walker genders and in all display conditions though significantly less in PL and SW than in FL. The gender of the walker did not influence the pattern of identifications in FL walkers (Fear > Sad > Happy > Anger > Neutral), but did influence the identification patterns in PL (Female: [Happy = Sad = Fear = Anger] > Neutral; Male: Fear = Sad = [Happy > Anger] > Neutral) and SWs (Female: Happy = Sad = Anger = Fear = Neutral; Male: [Happy = Sad = Anger] > [Fear = Neutral]; Ambiguous: [[Happy = Sad = Anger] > Fear] = Neutral). The gender of the walker and format in which they are displayed influenced the perception of different basic emotions. The constructed SW stimuli also displayed happiness, sadness and anger with equivalent intensity in female, male and gender ambiguous walkers thus untangling the perception-expression entanglement that has plagued previous emotion perception research. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the Collision Nature of Two Coronal Mass Ejections: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Fang; Wang, Yuming; Shen, Chenglong; Feng, Xueshang

2017-08-01

Observational and numerical studies have shown that the kinematic characteristics of two or more coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may change significantly after a CME collision. The collision of CMEs can have a different nature, i.e. inelastic, elastic, and superelastic processes, depending on their initial kinematic characteristics. In this article, we first review the existing definitions of collision types including Newton's classical definition, the energy definition, Poisson's definition, and Stronge's definition, of which the first two were used in the studies of CME-CME collisions. Then, we review the recent research progresses on the nature of CME-CME collisions with the focus on which CME kinematic properties affect the collision nature. It is shown that observational analysis and numerical simulations can both yield an inelastic, perfectly inelastic, merging-like collision, or a high possibility of a superelastic collision. Meanwhile, previous studies based on a 3D collision picture suggested that a low approaching speed of two CMEs is favorable for a superelastic nature. Since CMEs are an expanding magnetized plasma structure, the CME collision process is quite complex, and we discuss this complexity. Moreover, the models used in both observational and numerical studies contain many limitations. All of the previous studies on collisions have not shown the separation of two colliding CMEs after a collision. Therefore the collision between CMEs cannot be considered as an ideal process in the context of a classical Newtonian definition. In addition, many factors are not considered in either observational analysis or numerical studies, e.g. CME-driven shocks and magnetic reconnections. Owing to the complexity of the CME collision process, a more detailed and in-depth observational analysis and simulation work are needed to fully understand the CME collision process.

Structural and Histone Binding Ability Characterizations of Human PWWP Domains

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

Wu, Hong; Zeng, Hong; Lam, Robert

2013-09-25

The PWWP domain was first identified as a structural motif of 100-130 amino acids in the WHSC1 protein and predicted to be a protein-protein interaction domain. It belongs to the Tudor domain 'Royal Family', which consists of Tudor, chromodomain, MBT and PWWP domains. While Tudor, chromodomain and MBT domains have long been known to bind methylated histones, PWWP was shown to exhibit histone binding ability only until recently. The PWWP domain has been shown to be a DNA binding domain, but sequence analysis and previous structural studies show that the PWWP domain exhibits significant similarity to other 'Royal Family' members,more » implying that the PWWP domain has the potential to bind histones. In order to further explore the function of the PWWP domain, we used the protein family approach to determine the crystal structures of the PWWP domains from seven different human proteins. Our fluorescence polarization binding studies show that PWWP domains have weak histone binding ability, which is also confirmed by our NMR titration experiments. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structures of the BRPF1 PWWP domain in complex with H3K36me3, and HDGF2 PWWP domain in complex with H3K79me3 and H4K20me3. PWWP proteins constitute a new family of methyl lysine histone binders. The PWWP domain consists of three motifs: a canonical {beta}-barrel core, an insertion motif between the second and third {beta}-strands and a C-terminal {alpha}-helix bundle. Both the canonical {beta}-barrel core and the insertion motif are directly involved in histone binding. The PWWP domain has been previously shown to be a DNA binding domain. Therefore, the PWWP domain exhibits dual functions: binding both DNA and methyllysine histones.« less

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation during sleep at 3800 m: Relationship to acute mountain sickness and sleeping oxyhaemoglobin saturation.

PubMed

Johnson, Pamela L; Popa, Daniel A; Prisk, G Kim; Edwards, Natalie; Sullivan, Colin E

2010-02-01

Overnight oxyhaemoglobin desaturation is related to AMS. AMS can be debilitating and may require descent. Positive pressure ventilation during sleep at high altitude may prevent AMS and therefore be useful in people travelling to high altitude, who are known to suffer from AMS. Ascent to high altitude results in hypobaric hypoxia and some individuals will develop acute mountain sickness (AMS), which has been shown to be associated with low oxyhaemoglobin saturation during sleep. Previous research has shown that positive end-expiratory pressure by use of expiratory valves in a face mask while awake results in a reduction in AMS symptoms and higher oxyhaemoglobin saturation. We aimed to determine whether positive pressure ventilation would prevent AMS by increasing oxygenation during sleep. We compared sleeping oxyhaemoglobin saturation and the incidence and severity of AMS in seven subjects sleeping for two consecutive nights at 3800 m above sea level using either non-invasive positive pressure ventilation that delivered positive inspiratory and expiratory airway pressure via a face mask, or sleeping without assisted ventilation. The presence and severity of AMS were assessed by administration of the Lake Louise questionnaire. We found significant increases in the mean and minimum sleeping oxyhaemoglobin saturation and decreases in AMS symptoms in subjects who used positive pressure ventilation during sleep. Mean and minimum sleeping SaO2 was lower in subjects who developed AMS after the night spent without positive pressure ventilation. The use of positive pressure ventilation during sleep at 3800 m significantly increased the sleeping oxygen saturation; we suggest that the marked reduction in symptoms of AMS is due to this higher sleeping SaO2. We agree with the findings from previous studies that the development of AMS is associated with a lower sleeping oxygen saturation.

Planetesimal formation in self-gravitating discs - the effects of particle self-gravity and back-reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbons, P. G.; Mamatsashvili, G. R.; Rice, W. K. M.

2014-07-01

We study particle dynamics in self-gravitating gaseous discs with a simple cooling law prescription via two-dimensional simulations in the shearing sheet approximation. It is well known that structures arising in the gaseous component of the disc due to a gravitational instability can have a significant effect on the evolution of dust particles. Previous results have shown that spiral density waves can be highly efficient at collecting dust particles, creating significant local overdensities of particles. The degree of such concentrations has been shown to be dependent on two parameters: the size of the dust particles and the rate of gas cooling. We expand on these findings, including the self-gravity of dust particles, to see how these particle overdensities evolve. We use the PENCIL code to solve the local shearing sheet equations for gas on a fixed grid together with the equations of motion for solids coupled to the gas through an aerodynamic drag force. We find that the enhancements in the surface density of particles in spiral density wave crests can reach levels high enough to allow the solid component of the disc to collapse under its own self-gravity. This produces many gravitationally bound collections of particles within the spiral structure. The total mass contained in bound structures appears nearly independent of the cooling time, suggesting that the formation of planetesimals through dust particle trapping by self-gravitating density waves may be possible at a larger range of radii within a disc than previously thought. So, density waves due to gravitational instabilities in the early stages of star formation may provide excellent sites for the rapid formation of many large, planetesimal-sized objects.

A Novel Gene, OZONE-RESPONSIVE APOPLASTIC PROTEIN1, Enhances Cell Death in Ozone Stress in Rice1

PubMed Central

Ueda, Yoshiaki; Siddique, Shahid; Frei, Michael

2015-01-01

A novel protein, OZONE-RESPONSIVE APOPLASTIC PROTEIN1 (OsORAP1), was characterized, which was previously suggested as a candidate gene underlying OzT9, a quantitative trait locus for ozone stress tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa). The sequence of OsORAP1 was similar to that of ASCORBATE OXIDASE (AO) proteins. It was localized in the apoplast, as shown by transient expression of an OsORAP1/green fluorescent protein fusion construct in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf epidermal and mesophyll cells, but did not possess AO activity, as shown by heterologous expression of OsORAP1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants with reduced background AO activity. A knockout rice line of OsORAP1 showed enhanced tolerance to ozone stress (120 nL L−1 average daytime concentration, 20 d), as demonstrated by less formation of leaf visible symptoms (i.e. cell death), less lipid peroxidation, and lower NADPH oxidase activity, indicating reduced active production of reactive oxygen species. In contrast, the effect of ozone on chlorophyll content was not significantly different among the lines. These observations suggested that OsORAP1 specifically induced cell death in ozone stress. Significantly enhanced expression of jasmonic acid-responsive genes in the knockout line implied the involvement of the jasmonic acid pathway in symptom mitigation. Sequence analysis revealed extensive polymorphisms in the promoter region of OsORAP1 between the ozone-susceptible cv Nipponbare and the ozone-tolerant cv Kasalath, the OzT9 donor variety, which could be responsible for the differential regulation of OsORAP1 reported earlier. These pieces of evidence suggested that OsORAP1 enhanced cell death in ozone stress, and its expression levels could explain the effect of a previously reported quantitative trait locus. PMID:26220952

Financial impact of improved pressure ulcer staging in the acute hospital with use of a new tool, the NE1 Wound Assessment Tool.

PubMed

Young, Daniel L; Shen, Jay J; Estocado, Nancy; Landers, Merrill R

2012-04-01

The NE1 Wound Assessment Tool (NE1 WAT; Medline Industries, Inc, Mundelein, Illinois), previously called the N.E. One Can Stage, was shown to significantly improve accuracy of pressure ulcer (PrU) staging. Improved PrU staging has many potential benefits, including improved care for the patient and better reimbursement. Medicare has incentivized good care and accurate identification of PrUs in the acute care hospital through an additional payment, the Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG). This article examines the financial impact of NE1 WAT use on the acute care hospital relative to MS-DRG reimbursement. PrU staging accuracy with and without use of the NE1 WAT from previous data was compared with acute care hospital PrU rates obtained from the 2006 National Inpatient Sample. Hill-Rom International Pressure Ulcer Prevalence Survey data were used to estimate the number of MS-DRG-eligible PrUs. There are between 390,000 and 130,000 MS-DRG-eligible PrUs annually. Given current PrU staging accuracy, approximately $209 million in MS-DRG money is being collected. With the improved staging afforded by the NE1 WAT, this figure is approximately $763.9 million. Subtracting the 2 reveals $554.9 million in additional reimbursement that could be generated by using the NE1 WAT. There is a tremendous financial incentive to improve PrU staging. The NE1 WAT has been shown to improve PrU staging accuracy significantly. This improvement has the potential to improve the financial health of acute care hospitals caring for patients with PrUs.

Encapsidated Host Factors in Alphavirus Particles Influence Midgut Infection of Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Mackenzie-Liu, David; Sokoloski, Kevin J; Purdy, Sarah; Hardy, Richard W

2018-05-16

Transmission of mosquito-borne viruses requires the efficient infection of both a permissive vertebrate host and a competent mosquito vector. The infectivity of Sindbis virus (SINV), the type species of the Alphavirus genus, is influenced by both the original and new host cell. We have shown that infection of vertebrate cells by SINV, chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Ross River virus (RRV) produces two subpopulations of virus particles separable based on density. In contrast, a single population of viral particles is produced by mosquito cells. Previous studies demonstrated that the denser vertebrate-derived particles and the mosquito-derived particles contain components of the small subunit of the host cell ribosome, whereas the less dense vertebrate-derived particles do not. Infection of mice with RRV showed that both particle subpopulations are produced in an infected vertebrate, but in a tissue specific manner with serum containing only the less dense version of the virus particles. Previous infectivity studies using SINV particles have shown that the denser particles (SINV Heavy ) and mosquito derived particles SINV C6/36 are significantly more infectious in vertebrate cells than the less dense vertebrate derived particles (SINV Light ). The current study shows that SINV Light particles, initiate the infection of the mosquito midgut more efficiently than SINV Heavy particles and that this enhanced infectivity is associated with an exacerbated immune response to SINV Light infection in midgut tissues. The enhanced infection of SINV Light is specific to the midgut as intrathoracically injected virus do not exhibit the same fitness advantage. Together, our data indicate a biologically significant role for the SINV Light subpopulation in the efficient transmission from infected vertebrates to the mosquito vector.

First Characterization of Human Amniotic Fluid Stem Cell Extracellular Vesicles as a Powerful Paracrine Tool Endowed with Regenerative Potential.

PubMed

Balbi, Carolina; Piccoli, Martina; Barile, Lucio; Papait, Andrea; Armirotti, Andrea; Principi, Elisa; Reverberi, Daniele; Pascucci, Luisa; Becherini, Pamela; Varesio, Luigi; Mogni, Massimo; Coviello, Domenico; Bandiera, Tiziano; Pozzobon, Michela; Cancedda, Ranieri; Bollini, Sveva

2017-05-01

Human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFS) have shown a distinct secretory profile and significant regenerative potential in several preclinical models of disease. Nevertheless, little is known about the detailed characterization of their secretome. Herein we show for the first time that hAFS actively release extracellular vesicles (EV) endowed with significant paracrine potential and regenerative effect. c-KIT + hAFS were isolated from leftover samples of amniotic fluid from prenatal screening and stimulated to enhance EV release (24 hours 20% O 2 versus 1% O 2 preconditioning). The capacity of the c-KIT + hAFS-derived EV (hAFS-EV) to induce proliferation, survival, immunomodulation, and angiogenesis were investigated in vitro and in vivo. The hAFS-EV regenerative potential was also assessed in a model of skeletal muscle atrophy (HSA-Cre, Smn F7/F7 mice), in which mouse AFS transplantation was previously shown to enhance muscle strength and survival. hAFS secreted EV ranged from 50 up to 1,000 nm in size. In vitro analysis defined their role as biological mediators of regenerative, paracrine effects while their modulatory role in decreasing skeletal muscle inflammation in vivo was shown for the first time. Hypoxic preconditioning significantly induced the enrichment of exosomes endowed with regenerative microRNAs within the hAFS-EV. In conclusion, this is the first study showing that c-KIT + hAFS dynamically release EV endowed with remarkable paracrine potential, thus representing an appealing tool for future regenerative therapy. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1340-1355. © 2017 The Authors Stem Cells Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AlphaMed Press.

Effects of alcohol on histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) and the neuroprotective role of trichostatin A (TSA).

PubMed

Agudelo, Marisela; Gandhi, Nimisha; Saiyed, Zainulabedin; Pichili, Vijaya; Thangavel, Samikkannu; Khatavkar, Pradnya; Yndart-Arias, Adriana; Nair, Madhavan

2011-08-01

Previous studies have implicated histone deacetylases (HDACs) and HDAC inhibitors (HDIs) such as trichostatin A (TSA) in the regulation of gene expression during drug addiction. Furthermore, an increase in HDAC activity has been linked to neurodegeneration. Alcohol has also been shown to promote abundant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in oxidative stress. TSA inhibits HDACs and has been shown to be neuroprotective in other neurodegenerative disease models. Although HDACs and HDIs have been associated with drug addiction, there is no evidence of the neurodegenerative role of HDAC2 and neuroprotective role of TSA in alcohol addiction. Therefore, we hypothesize that alcohol modulates HDAC2 through mechanisms involving oxidative stress. To test our hypothesis, the human neuronal cell line, SK-N-MC, was treated with different concentrations of ethanol (EtOH); HDAC2 gene and protein expression were assessed at different time points. Pharmacological inhibition of HDAC2 with TSA was evaluated at the gene level using qRT-PCR and at the protein level using Western blot and flow cytometry. ROS production was measured with a fluorescence microplate reader and fluorescence microscopy. Our results showed a dose-dependent increase in HDAC2 expression with EtOH treatment. Additionally, alcohol significantly induced ROS, and pharmacological inhibition of HDAC2 with TSA was shown to be neuroprotective by significantly inhibiting HDAC2 and ROS. These results suggest that EtOH can upregulate HDAC2 through mechanisms involving oxidative stress and HDACs may play an important role in alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Moreover, the use of HDIs may be of therapeutic significance for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders including AUDs. Copyright © 2011 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Reduced discretization error in HZETRN

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

Slaba, Tony C., E-mail: Tony.C.Slaba@nasa.gov; Blattnig, Steve R., E-mail: Steve.R.Blattnig@nasa.gov; Tweed, John, E-mail: jtweed@odu.edu

2013-02-01

The deterministic particle transport code HZETRN is an efficient analysis tool for studying the effects of space radiation on humans, electronics, and shielding materials. In a previous work, numerical methods in the code were reviewed, and new methods were developed that further improved efficiency and reduced overall discretization error. It was also shown that the remaining discretization error could be attributed to low energy light ions (A < 4) with residual ranges smaller than the physical step-size taken by the code. Accurately resolving the spectrum of low energy light particles is important in assessing risk associated with astronaut radiation exposure.more » In this work, modifications to the light particle transport formalism are presented that accurately resolve the spectrum of low energy light ion target fragments. The modified formalism is shown to significantly reduce overall discretization error and allows a physical approximation to be removed. For typical step-sizes and energy grids used in HZETRN, discretization errors for the revised light particle transport algorithms are shown to be less than 4% for aluminum and water shielding thicknesses as large as 100 g/cm{sup 2} exposed to both solar particle event and galactic cosmic ray environments.« less

Extracellular pH monitoring for use in closed-loop vagus nerve stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cork, Simon C.; Eftekhar, Amir; Mirza, Khalid B.; Zuliani, Claudio; Nikolic, Konstantin; Gardiner, James V.; Bloom, Stephen R.; Toumazou, Christofer

2018-02-01

Objective. Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) has shown potential benefits for obesity treatment; however, current devices lack physiological feedback, which limit their efficacy. Changes in extracellular pH (pHe) have shown to be correlated with neural activity, but have traditionally been measured with glass microelectrodes, which limit their in vivo applicability. Approach. Iridium oxide has previously been shown to be sensitive to fluctuations in pH and is biocompatible. Iridium oxide microelectrodes were inserted into the subdiaphragmatic vagus nerve of anaesthetised rats. Introduction of the gut hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) or distension of the stomach was used to elicit vagal nerve activity. Main results. Iridium oxide microelectrodes have sufficient pH sensitivity to readily detect changes in pHe associated with both CCK and gastric distension. Furthermore, a custom-made Matlab script was able to use these changes in pHe to automatically trigger an implanted VNS device. Significance. This is the first study to show pHe changes in peripheral nerves in vivo. In addition, the demonstration that iridium oxide microelectrodes are sufficiently pH sensitive as to measure changes in pHe associated with physiological stimuli means they have the potential to be integrated into closed-loop neurostimulating devices.

SOLID-FUEL HOUSEHOLD COOK STOVES: CHARACTERIZATION OF PERFORMANCE AND EMISSIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have shown that some fuel-efficient solid-fuel cook stoves have had worse pollutant emissions of PICs (products of incomplete combustion) than traditional cooking methods. Better stoves have been developed to reduce emissions, but test results have not previously...

Reconsidering Volcanic Ocean Island Hydrology: Recent Geophysical and Drilling Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, D. M.; Pierce, H. A.; Lautze, N. C.

2017-12-01

Recent results of geophysical surveys and exploratory drilling in Hawaii have suggested that Hawaii's hydrogeology may be more complex than has been generally recognized. Instead of a more-or-less homogeneous pile of highly permeable eruptive basalts that are intermittently punctuated by volcanic dikes confined to calderas and rift zones, we are finding that dike compartmentalization is occurring outside of recognized rift zones, leading to significantly higher volumes of stored groundwater within the island. Analysis of recent geophysical surveys have shown local water table elevations that are substantially higher than can be accounted for by the high hydraulic conductivities of Hawaiian basalts. Recent diamond wireline drilling results have also shown that sub-horizontal variations in permeability, associated with significant changes in eruptive character (e.g. explosive vs effusive activity) are acting as significant perching and confining bodies over significant aerial extents and suggest that these features also contribute to increased storage of recharge. Not only is storage much higher than previously assumed, these features appear to impact subsurface groundwater flow in ways that are not accounted for in traditional methods of computing sustainable yields for near shore aquifers: where buried confining formations extend to depths well below sea level, higher elevation recharge is being intercepted and diverted to deep submarine groundwater discharge well below depths that are typically investigated or quantified. We will provide a summary of the recent geophysical survey results along with a revised conceptual model for groundwater circulation within volcanic ocean islands.

Auditory hindbrain atrophy and anomalous calcium binding protein expression after neonatal exposure to monosodium glutamate.

PubMed

Foran, Lindsey; Blackburn, Kaitlyn; Kulesza, Randy J

2017-03-06

Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, and is stored and released by both neurons and astrocytes. Despite the important role of glutamate as a neurotransmitter, elevated extracellular glutamate can result in excitotoxicity and apoptosis. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a naturally occurring sodium salt of glutamic acid that is used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods. Previous studies have shown that MSG administration during the early postnatal period results in neurodegenerative changes in several forebrain regions, characterized by neuronal loss and neuroendocrine abnormalities. Systemic delivery of MSG during the neonatal period and induction of glutamate neurotoxicity in the cochlea have both been shown to result in fewer neurons in the spiral ganglion. We hypothesized that an MSG-induced loss of neurons in the spiral ganglion would have a significant impact on the number of neurons in the cochlear nuclei and superior olivary complex (SOC). Indeed, we found that exposure to MSG from postnatal days 4 through 10 resulted in significantly fewer neurons in the cochlear nuclei and SOC and significant dysmorphology in surviving neurons. Moreover, we found that neonatal MSG exposure resulted in a significant decrease in the expression of both calretinin and calbindin. These results suggest that neonatal exposure to MSG interferes with early development of the auditory brainstem and impacts expression of calcium binding proteins, both of which may lead to diminished auditory function. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eosinophilia of dystrophin-deficient muscle is promoted by perforin-mediated cytotoxicity by T cell effectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cai, B.; Spencer, M. J.; Nakamura, G.; Tseng-Ong, L.; Tidball, J. G.

2000-01-01

Previous investigations have shown that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) contribute to muscle pathology in the dystrophin-null mutant mouse (mdx) model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy through perforin-dependent and perforin-independent mechanisms. We have assessed whether the CTL-mediated pathology includes the promotion of eosinophilia in dystrophic muscle, and thereby provides a secondary mechanism through which CTLs contribute to muscular dystrophy. Quantitative immunohistochemistry confirmed that eosinophilia is a component of the mdx dystrophy. In addition, electron microscopic observations show that eosinophils traverse the basement membrane of mdx muscle fibers and display sites of close apposition of eosinophil and muscle membranes. The close membrane apposition is characterized by impingement of eosinophilic rods of major basic protein into the muscle cell membrane. Transfer of mdx splenocytes and mdx muscle extracts to irradiated C57 mice by intraperitoneal injection resulted in muscle eosinophilia in the recipient mice. Double-mutant mice lacking dystrophin and perforin showed less eosinophilia than was displayed by mdx mice that expressed perforin. Finally, administration of prednisolone, which has been shown previously to reduce the concentration of CTLs in dystrophic muscle, produced a significant reduction in eosinophilia. These findings indicate that eosinophilia is a component of the mdx pathology that is promoted by perforin-dependent cytotoxicity of effector T cells. However, some eosinophilia of mdx muscle is independent of perforin-mediated processes.

[Agglutination and phagocytosis of foreign abiotic particles by bluebottle Calliphora vicina haemocytes in vivo. II. Influence of the previous septic immune induction on haemocytic activity].

PubMed

Kind, T V

2010-01-01

The rate of Calliphora vicina haemocytic defense reaction to foreign particles injection depends on the larval age and on the previous bacterial immunization. Immunization of crop-empting larvae induces an evident increase in particles phagocytosis by juvenile plasmatocytes in 24 h after injection. Both the hemogram and the pattern of cellular defense reaction change significantly after crop-empting. Immunized larvae start intensive adhesion of foreign particles to plasmatocytes surface and formation of great aggregations of plasmatocytes (morules) no longer than in 34 min after injection. The period of particle-haemocyte adhesion is short-termed and no more than after 30 min cell aggregates dissociate and adhered charcoal particles pass to thrombocydoidal agglutinates. Unimmunized control larvae of the same age have shown no adhesion and morules formation. In immunized wadering and diapausing larvae, formation of capsules consisting of central thrombocydoidal agglutinate filled with alien particles and adherent plasmatocytes I is intensified. In contrast to moru-les, this capsule formation is not accompanied by charcoal particles adhesion to plasmatocytes. Immunization of mature larvae of C. vicina shown no prominent influence on both the rate of phagocytosis and the hyaline cells differentiation. It might be supposed that the receptors system is complex and the immunization both the mechanisms of foreigners recognition (adhesion, morulation and incapsulation) and the far more lately occurring phagocytosis.

Characterization of the gene encoding pinin/DRS/memA and evidence for its potential tumor suppressor function.

PubMed

Shi, Y; Ouyang, P; Sugrue, S P

2000-01-13

Several cell adhesion-related proteins have been shown to act as tumor-suppressors (TS) in the neoplastic progression of epithelial-derived tumors. Pinin/DRS/memA was first identified in our laboratory and it was shown to be a cell adhesion-related molecule. Our previous study demonstrated that restoration of pinin expression in transformed cells not only positively influenced cellular adhesive properties but also reversed the transformed phenotype to more epithelial-like. Here, we show by FISH analysis that the gene locus for pinin is within 14q13. The alignment of the pinin gene with STS markers localized the gene to the previously identified TS locus D14S75-D14S288. Northern analyses revealed diminished pinin mRNA in renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and certain cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemical examination of tumor samples demonstrated absent or greatly reduced pinin in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and RCC tumors. TCC-derived J82 cells as well as EcR-293 cells transfected with full-length pinin cDNA demonstrated inhibition of anchorage-independent growth of cells in soft agar. Furthermore, methylation analyses revealed that aberrant methylation of pinin CpG islands was correlated with decreased/absent pinin expression in a subset of tumor tissues. These data lend significant support to the hypothesis that pinin/DRS/memA may act as a tumor suppressor in certain types of cancers.

Preanalytical errors in medical laboratories: a review of the available methodologies of data collection and analysis.

PubMed

West, Jamie; Atherton, Jennifer; Costelloe, Seán J; Pourmahram, Ghazaleh; Stretton, Adam; Cornes, Michael

2017-01-01

Preanalytical errors have previously been shown to contribute a significant proportion of errors in laboratory processes and contribute to a number of patient safety risks. Accreditation against ISO 15189:2012 requires that laboratory Quality Management Systems consider the impact of preanalytical processes in areas such as the identification and control of non-conformances, continual improvement, internal audit and quality indicators. Previous studies have shown that there is a wide variation in the definition, repertoire and collection methods for preanalytical quality indicators. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Working Group on Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety has defined a number of quality indicators for the preanalytical stage, and the adoption of harmonized definitions will support interlaboratory comparisons and continual improvement. There are a variety of data collection methods, including audit, manual recording processes, incident reporting mechanisms and laboratory information systems. Quality management processes such as benchmarking, statistical process control, Pareto analysis and failure mode and effect analysis can be used to review data and should be incorporated into clinical governance mechanisms. In this paper, The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine PreAnalytical Specialist Interest Group review the various data collection methods available. Our recommendation is the use of the laboratory information management systems as a recording mechanism for preanalytical errors as this provides the easiest and most standardized mechanism of data capture.

Homologous and heterologous protection of nonhuman primates by Ebola and Sudan virus-like particles.

PubMed

Warfield, Kelly L; Dye, John M; Wells, Jay B; Unfer, Robert C; Holtsberg, Frederick W; Shulenin, Sergey; Vu, Hong; Swenson, Dana L; Bavari, Sina; Aman, M Javad

2015-01-01

Filoviruses cause hemorrhagic fever resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in humans. Several vaccine platforms that include multiple virus-vectored approaches and virus-like particles (VLPs) have shown efficacy in nonhuman primates. Previous studies have shown protection of cynomolgus macaques against homologous infection for Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) following a three-dose vaccine regimen of EBOV or MARV VLPs, as well as heterologous protection against Ravn Virus (RAVV) following vaccination with MARV VLPs. The objectives of the current studies were to determine the minimum number of vaccine doses required for protection (using EBOV as the test system) and then demonstrate protection against Sudan virus (SUDV) and Taï Forest virus (TAFV). Using the EBOV nonhuman primate model, we show that one or two doses of VLP vaccine can confer protection from lethal infection. VLPs containing the SUDV glycoprotein, nucleoprotein and VP40 matrix protein provide complete protection against lethal SUDV infection in macaques. Finally, we demonstrate protective efficacy mediated by EBOV, but not SUDV, VLPs against TAFV; this is the first demonstration of complete cross-filovirus protection using a single component heterologous vaccine within the Ebolavirus genus. Along with our previous results, this observation provides strong evidence that it will be possible to develop and administer a broad-spectrum VLP-based vaccine that will protect against multiple filoviruses by combining only three EBOV, SUDV and MARV components.

Possible involvement of the Sigma-1 receptor chaperone in chemotherapeutic-induced neuropathic pain.

PubMed

Tomohisa, Mori; Junpei, Ohya; Aki, Masumoto; Masato, Harumiya; Mika, Fukase; Kazumi, Yoshizawa; Teruo, Hayashi; Tsutomu, Suzuki

2015-11-01

Previous studies have shown that ligands of the sigma-1 receptor chaperone (Sig-1R) regulate pain-related behaviors. Clinical use of chemotherapeutics is often compromised due to their adverse side effects, particularly those related to neuropathy. Previous studies have shown that repeated administration of oxaliplatin and paclitaxel produces neuropathy in rodents. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to clarify the involvement of the Sig-1R in chemotherapeutic-induced neuropathy by examining the effects of oxaliplatin and paclitaxel on the Sig-1R levels in the spinal cord, and by examining the effects of Sig-1R agonist and antagonist on oxaliplatin- and paclitaxel-induced neuropathy in rats. Chemotherapeutic-induced neuropathic pain was accompanied by a significant reduction of the Sig-1R level in the spinal cord. Furthermore, the administration of paclitaxel to CHO cells that stably overexpressed Sig-1Rs induced the clustering of Sig-1Rs. We also found that the Sig-1R agonist SA4503 potently inhibited the neuropathy induced by oxaliplatin- and paclitaxel, whereas this action was abolished by the Sig-1R antagonist NE-100. These results suggest that the reduction of Sig-1R activity is involved in chemotherapeutic-induced neuropathy, and the Sig-1R agonist SA4503 could serve as a potential candidate for the treatment of chemotherapeutic-induced neuropathy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Homologous and Heterologous Protection of Nonhuman Primates by Ebola and Sudan Virus-Like Particles

PubMed Central

Warfield, Kelly L.; Dye, John M.; Wells, Jay B.; Unfer, Robert C.; Holtsberg, Frederick W.; Shulenin, Sergey; Vu, Hong; Swenson, Dana L.; Bavari, Sina; Aman, M. Javad

2015-01-01

Filoviruses cause hemorrhagic fever resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in humans. Several vaccine platforms that include multiple virus-vectored approaches and virus-like particles (VLPs) have shown efficacy in nonhuman primates. Previous studies have shown protection of cynomolgus macaques against homologous infection for Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) following a three-dose vaccine regimen of EBOV or MARV VLPs, as well as heterologous protection against Ravn Virus (RAVV) following vaccination with MARV VLPs. The objectives of the current studies were to determine the minimum number of vaccine doses required for protection (using EBOV as the test system) and then demonstrate protection against Sudan virus (SUDV) and Taï Forest virus (TAFV). Using the EBOV nonhuman primate model, we show that one or two doses of VLP vaccine can confer protection from lethal infection. VLPs containing the SUDV glycoprotein, nucleoprotein and VP40 matrix protein provide complete protection against lethal SUDV infection in macaques. Finally, we demonstrate protective efficacy mediated by EBOV, but not SUDV, VLPs against TAFV; this is the first demonstration of complete cross-filovirus protection using a single component heterologous vaccine within the Ebolavirus genus. Along with our previous results, this observation provides strong evidence that it will be possible to develop and administer a broad-spectrum VLP-based vaccine that will protect against multiple filoviruses by combining only three EBOV, SUDV and MARV components. PMID:25793502

Respiratory and oral vaccination improves protection conferred by the live vaccine strain against pneumonic tularemia in the rabbit model

PubMed Central

Stinson, Elizabeth; Smith, Le'Kneitah P.; Cole, Kelly Stefano; Barry, Eileen M.; Reed, Douglas S.

2016-01-01

Tularemia is a severe, zoonotic disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium, Francisella tularensis. We have previously shown that rabbits are a good model of human pneumonic tularemia when exposed to aerosols containing a virulent, type A strain, SCHU S4. We further demonstrated that the live vaccine strain (LVS), an attenuated type B strain, extended time to death when given by scarification. Oral or aerosol vaccination has been previously shown in humans to offer superior protection to parenteral vaccination against respiratory tularemia challenge. Both oral and aerosol vaccination with LVS were well tolerated in the rabbit with only minimal fever and no weight loss after inoculation. Plasma antibody titers against F. tularensis were higher in rabbits that were vaccinated by either oral or aerosol routes compared to scarification. Thirty days after vaccination, all rabbits were challenged with aerosolized SCHU S4. LVS given by scarification extended time to death compared to mock-vaccinated controls. One orally vaccinated rabbit did survive aerosol challenge, however, only aerosol vaccination extended time to death significantly compared to scarification. These results further demonstrate the utility of the rabbit model of pneumonic tularemia in replicating what has been reported in humans and macaques as well as demonstrating the utility of vaccination by oral and respiratory routes against an aerosol tularemia challenge. PMID:27511964

Hydrological time series modeling: A comparison between adaptive neuro-fuzzy, neural network and autoregressive techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohani, A. K.; Kumar, Rakesh; Singh, R. D.

2012-06-01

SummaryTime series modeling is necessary for the planning and management of reservoirs. More recently, the soft computing techniques have been used in hydrological modeling and forecasting. In this study, the potential of artificial neural networks and neuro-fuzzy system in monthly reservoir inflow forecasting are examined by developing and comparing monthly reservoir inflow prediction models, based on autoregressive (AR), artificial neural networks (ANNs) and adaptive neural-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). To take care the effect of monthly periodicity in the flow data, cyclic terms are also included in the ANN and ANFIS models. Working with time series flow data of the Sutlej River at Bhakra Dam, India, several ANN and adaptive neuro-fuzzy models are trained with different input vectors. To evaluate the performance of the selected ANN and adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models, comparison is made with the autoregressive (AR) models. The ANFIS model trained with the input data vector including previous inflows and cyclic terms of monthly periodicity has shown a significant improvement in the forecast accuracy in comparison with the ANFIS models trained with the input vectors considering only previous inflows. In all cases ANFIS gives more accurate forecast than the AR and ANN models. The proposed ANFIS model coupled with the cyclic terms is shown to provide better representation of the monthly inflow forecasting for planning and operation of reservoir.

Expression of the pituitary transcription factor Ptx-1, but not that of the trans-activating factor prop-1, is reduced in human corticotroph adenomas and is associated with decreased alpha-subunit secretion.

PubMed

Skelly, R H; Korbonits, M; Grossman, A; Besser, G M; Monson, J P; Geddes, J F; Burrin, J M

2000-07-01

We have studied the expression of the pituitary transcription factors Ptx-1 and Prop-1 in a series of 34 pituitary adenomas fully characterized for in vitro hormone secretion and histological staining. In studies involving mammalian cell lines, the pituitary transcription factor Ptx-1 has been shown to be a pituitary hormone panactivator, whereas more recent studies have shown that it plays an important role in alpha-subunit gene expression. Its expression has not been examined previously in human pituitary adenomas characterized by in vitro hormone secretory profiles. Of the 34 pituitary adenomas studied, Ptx-1 expression was reduced by more than 50% compared to that of the housekeeping gene human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the 6 corticotroph adenomas, which also had significantly reduced alpha-subunit production (all 6 tumors secreting < or =0.5 ng/24 h). Mutations of the pituitary transcription factor Prop-1, which is responsible for the syndrome of Ames dwarfism in mice, are being increasingly recognized as a cause of combined pituitary hormone deficiency in humans, although ACTH deficiency has been described only once. Prop-1 expression was detected in all 34 pituitary adenomas, including 6 corticotroph adenomas and 5 gonadotroph adenomas. The expression of Prop-1 has not been described previously in these cell phenotypes.

An evaluation of the efficacy of video displays for use with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Hopper, Lydia M; Lambeth, Susan P; Schapiro, Steven J

2012-05-01

Video displays for behavioral research lend themselves particularly well to studies with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), as their vision is comparable to humans', yet there has been no formal test of the efficacy of video displays as a form of social information for chimpanzees. To address this, we compared the learning success of chimpanzees shown video footage of a conspecific compared to chimpanzees shown a live conspecific performing the same novel task. Footage of an unfamiliar chimpanzee operating a bidirectional apparatus was presented to 24 chimpanzees (12 males, 12 females), and their responses were compared to those of a further 12 chimpanzees given the same task but with no form of information. Secondly, we also compared the responses of the chimpanzees in the video display condition to responses of eight chimpanzees from a previously published study of ours, in which chimpanzees observed live models. Chimpanzees shown a video display were more successful than those in the control condition and showed comparable success to those that saw a live model. Regarding fine-grained copying (i.e. the direction that the door was pushed), only chimpanzees that observed a live model showed significant matching to the model's methods with their first response. Yet, when all the responses made by the chimpanzees were considered, comparable levels of matching were shown by chimpanzees in both the live and video conditions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Video Displays for Use With Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

PubMed Central

HOPPER, LYDIA M.; LAMBETH, SUSAN P.; SCHAPIRO, STEVEN J.

2013-01-01

Video displays for behavioral research lend themselves particularly well to studies with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), as their vision is comparable to humans’, yet there has been no formal test of the efficacy of video displays as a form of social information for chimpanzees. To address this, we compared the learning success of chimpanzees shown video footage of a conspecific compared to chimpanzees shown a live conspecific performing the same novel task. Footage of an unfamiliar chimpanzee operating a bidirectional apparatus was presented to 24 chimpanzees (12 males, 12 females), and their responses were compared to those of a further 12 chimpanzees given the same task but with no form of information. Secondly, we also compared the responses of the chimpanzees in the video display condition to responses of eight chimpanzees from a previously published study of ours, in which chimpanzees observed live models. Chimpanzees shown a video display were more successful than those in the control condition and showed comparable success to those that saw a live model. Regarding fine-grained copying (i.e. the direction that the door was pushed), only chimpanzees that observed a live model showed significant matching to the model’s methods with their first response. Yet, when all the responses made by the chimpanzees were considered, comparable levels of matching were shown by chimpanzees in both the live and video conditions. PMID:22318867

Xanthium strumarium: a weed host of components of begomovirus-betasatellite complexes affecting crops.

PubMed

Mubin, M; Akhtar, S; Amin, I; Briddon, R W; Mansoor, S

2012-02-01

Xanthium strumarium is a common weed that often shows symptoms typical of begomovirus infection, such as leaf curling and vein thickening. The virus complex isolated from the weed consisted of two begomoviruses along with a betasatellite and an alphasatellite. The first begomovirus was shown to be an isolate of Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus, a new recombinant begomovirus species that is associated with resistance breaking in previously resistant cotton varieties in Pakistan, whereas the second was shown to be an isolate of Tomato leaf curl Gujarat virus (ToLCGV), a begomovirus previously reported to be bipartite. However, there was no evidence for the presence of the second genomic component, DNA B, of ToLCGV in X. strumarium. The betasatellite was shown to be an isolate of Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand betasatellite, the first time this satellite has been identified in Pakistan. The alphasatellite associated with infection of X. strumarium was shown to be a species recently identified in potato and various weeds; Potato leaf curl alphasatellite. Although each component has been identified previously, this is the first time they have been identified in a single host. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that weeds are reservoirs of crop-infecting begomoviruses that may contribute to virus diversity by virtue of harboring multiple viruses and virus associated components, which may lead to interspecific recombination and component exchange.

The Role of TREM2 in Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Tauopathy

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

shown that TBI causes enhanced MAPT phosphorylation and aggregation with heightened macrophage activation in hTau mice at 3 DPI suggesting that...previously shown that TBI causes enhanced MAPT phosphorylation and aggregation with heightened macrophage activation in hTau mice at 3 DPI suggesting that

White Matter Development during Adolescence as Shown by Diffusion MRI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmithorst, Vincent J.; Yuan, Weihong

2010-01-01

Previous volumetric developmental MRI studies of the brain have shown white matter development continuing through adolescence and into adulthood. This review presents current findings regarding white matter development and organization from diffusion MRI studies. The general trend during adolescence (age 12-18 years) is towards increasing…

Incidence and tracking of Clostridium perfringens through an integrated broiler chicken operation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Clostridium perfringens has been shown to be widespread in the broiler chicken hatchery, grow-out, and processing operations. In a previous study, ribotypes of certain strains of C. perfringens isolated from processed chicken carcasses were shown to match ribotypes isolated from paper pad lining tra...

Regularization in Short-Term Memory for Serial Order

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Botvinick, Matthew; Bylsma, Lauren M.

2005-01-01

Previous research has shown that short-term memory for serial order can be influenced by background knowledge concerning regularities of sequential structure. Specifically, it has been shown that recall is superior for sequences that fit well with familiar sequencing constraints. The authors report a corresponding effect pertaining to serial…

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.

Des-acyl ghrelin prevents heatstroke-like symptoms in rats exposed to high temperature and high humidity.

PubMed

Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Hayashi, Yujiro; Kangawa, Kenji; Suzuki, Yoshihiro; Murakami, Noboru; Nakahara, Keiko

2016-02-26

We have shown previously that des-acyl ghrelin decreases body temperature in rats through activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. Here we investigated whether des-acyl ghrelin ameliorates heatstroke in rats exposed to high temperature. Peripheral administration of des-acyl ghrelin significantly attenuated hyperthermia induced by exposure to high-temperature (35°C) together with high humidity (70-80%). Although biochemical analysis revealed that exposure to high temperature significantly increased hematocrit and the serum levels of aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and electrolytes (Na(+), K(+), Cl(-)), most of these heatstroke-associated reactions were significantly reduced by treatment with des-acyl ghrelin. The level of des-acyl ghrelin in plasma was also found to be significantly increased under high-temperature conditions. These results suggest that des-acyl ghrelin could be useful for preventing heatstroke under high temperature condition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

GLA-SE, a Synthetic Toll-like Receptor 4 Agonist, Enhances T-Cell Responses to Influenza Vaccine in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Behzad, Hayedeh; Huckriede, Anke L. W.; Haynes, Laura; Gentleman, Beth; Coyle, Krysta; Wilschut, Jan C.; Kollmann, Tobias R.; Reed, Steven G.

2012-01-01

Background. The decline in influenza vaccine efficacy in older adults is associated with a limited ability of current split-virus vaccines (SVVs) to stimulate cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses required for clinical protection against influenza. Methods. The Toll-like receptor 4 agonist glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant–stable emulsion (GLA-SE) was combined with SVV to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro to determine the cytokine response in dendritic cell subsets. Stimulated PBMCs were then challenged with live influenza virus to mimic the response to natural infection following vaccination, using previously identified T-cell correlates of protection. Results. GLA-SE significantly increased the proportion of myeloid dendritic cells that produced tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, and interleukin 12. When combined with SVV to stimulate PBMCs in vitro, this effect of GLA-SE was shown to regulate a T-helper 1 cell response upon challenge with live influenza virus; interleukin 10 production was suppressed, thus significantly increasing the interferon γ to interleukin 10 ratio and the cytolytic (granzyme B) response to influenza virus challenge, both of which have been shown to correlate with protection against influenza in older adults. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that a novel adjuvant, GLA-SE, combined with standard SVV has the potential to significantly improve vaccine-mediated protection against influenza in older adults. PMID:22147791

GLA-SE, a synthetic toll-like receptor 4 agonist, enhances T-cell responses to influenza vaccine in older adults.

PubMed

Behzad, Hayedeh; Huckriede, Anke L W; Haynes, Laura; Gentleman, Beth; Coyle, Krysta; Wilschut, Jan C; Kollmann, Tobias R; Reed, Steven G; McElhaney, Janet E

2012-02-01

The decline in influenza vaccine efficacy in older adults is associated with a limited ability of current split-virus vaccines (SVVs) to stimulate cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses required for clinical protection against influenza. The Toll-like receptor 4 agonist glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant-stable emulsion (GLA-SE) was combined with SVV to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro to determine the cytokine response in dendritic cell subsets. Stimulated PBMCs were then challenged with live influenza virus to mimic the response to natural infection following vaccination, using previously identified T-cell correlates of protection. GLA-SE significantly increased the proportion of myeloid dendritic cells that produced tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, and interleukin 12. When combined with SVV to stimulate PBMCs in vitro, this effect of GLA-SE was shown to regulate a T-helper 1 cell response upon challenge with live influenza virus; interleukin 10 production was suppressed, thus significantly increasing the interferon γ to interleukin 10 ratio and the cytolytic (granzyme B) response to influenza virus challenge, both of which have been shown to correlate with protection against influenza in older adults. Our findings suggest that a novel adjuvant, GLA-SE, combined with standard SVV has the potential to significantly improve vaccine-mediated protection against influenza in older adults.

Metastatic Melanoma Secreted IL-10 Down-Regulates CD1 Molecules on Dendritic Cells in Metastatic Tumor Lesions

PubMed Central

Gerlini, Gianni; Tun-Kyi, Adrian; Dudli, Christa; Burg, Günter; Pimpinelli, Nicola; Nestle, Frank O.

2004-01-01

CD1 molecules are expressed by antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells and mediate primary immune responses to lipids and glycolipids which have been shown to be expressed by various tumors. Glycolipids are expressed by melanoma cells but, despite their immunogenicity, no efficient spontaneous immune responses are elicited. As IL-10 has previously been shown to down-regulate CD1a on dendritic cells and is known to be expressed by various melanoma cell lines, we investigated if melanoma-derived IL-10 could down-regulate CD1 molecule expression on dendritic cells as a possible way to circumvent immune recognition. We found that CD1a, CD1b, CD1c, and CD1d were significantly down-regulated on dendritic cells in metastatic (n = 10) but not in primary melanoma lesions (n = 10). We further detected significantly higher IL-10 protein levels in metastatic than in primary melanomas. Moreover, supernatants from metastatic melanomas were significantly more effective in down-regulating CD1 molecules on dendritic cells than supernatants from primary melanoma cultures. This effect was blocked using a neutralizing IL-10 antibody in a dose dependent manner. Our findings suggest that metastatic but not primary melanomas can down-regulate CD1 molecules on infiltrating dendritic cells by secreting IL-10 which may represent a novel way to escape the immune response directed against the tumor. PMID:15579430

Effects of tryptophan depletion on the performance of an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game in healthy adults.

PubMed

Wood, Richard M; Rilling, James K; Sanfey, Alan G; Bhagwagar, Zubin; Rogers, Robert D

2006-05-01

Adaptive social behavior often necessitates choosing to cooperate with others for long-term gains at the expense of noncooperative behaviors giving larger immediate gains. Although little is know about the neural substrates that support cooperative over noncooperative behaviors, recent research has shown that mutually cooperative behavior in the context of a mixed-motive game, the Prisoner's Dilemma (PD), is associated with increased neural activity within reinforcement circuitry. Other research attests to a role for serotonin in the modulation of social behavior and in reward processing. In this study, we used a within-subject, crossover, double-blind design to investigate performance of an iterated, sequential PD game for monetary reward by healthy human adult participants following ingestion of an amino-acid drink that either did (T+) or did not (T-) contain l-tryptophan. Tryptophan depletion produced significant reductions in the level of cooperation shown by participants when playing the game on the first, but not the second, study days. This effect was accompanied by a significantly diminished probability of cooperative responding given previous mutually cooperative behavior. These data suggest that serotonin plays a significant role in the acquisition of socially cooperative behavior in human adult participants, and suggest novel hypotheses concerning the serotonergic modulation of reward information in socially cooperative behavior in both health and psychiatric illness.

Habitual action video game playing is associated with caudate nucleus-dependent navigational strategies.

PubMed

West, Greg L; Drisdelle, Brandi Lee; Konishi, Kyoko; Jackson, Jonathan; Jolicoeur, Pierre; Bohbot, Veronique D

2015-06-07

The habitual playing of video games is associated with increased grey matter and activity in the striatum. Studies in humans and rodents have shown an inverse relationship between grey matter in the striatum and hippocampus. We investigated whether action video game playing is also associated with increased use of response learning strategies during navigation, known to be dependent on the caudate nucleus of the striatum, when presented in a dual solution task. We tested 26 action video game players (actionVGPs) and 33 non-action video game players (nonVGPs) on the 4-on-8 virtual maze and a visual attention event-related potential (ERP) task, which elicits a robust N-2-posterior-controlateral (N2pc) component. We found that actionVGPs had a significantly higher likelihood of using a response learning strategy (80.76%) compared to nonVGPs (42.42%). Consistent with previous evidence, actionVGPs and nonVGPs differed in the way they deployed visual attention to central and peripheral targets as observed in the elicited N2pc component during an ERP visual attention task. Increased use of the response strategy in actionVGPs is consistent with previously observed increases in striatal volume in video game players (VGPs). Using response strategies is associated with decreased grey matter in the hippocampus. Previous studies have shown that decreased volume in the hippocampus precedes the onset of many neurological and psychiatric disorders. If actionVGPs have lower grey matter in the hippocampus, as response learners normally do, then these individuals could be at increased risk of developing neurological and psychiatric disorders during their lifetime. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Degree of Response to Homeopathic Potencies Correlates with Dipole Moment Size in Molecular Detectors: Implications for Understanding the Fundamental Nature of Serially Diluted and Succussed Solutions.

PubMed

Cartwright, Steven J

2018-02-01

 The use of solvatochromic dyes to investigate homeopathic potencies holds out the promise of understanding the nature of serially succussed and diluted solutions at a fundamental physicochemical level. Recent studies have shown that a range of different dyes interact with potencies and, moreover, the nature of the interaction is beginning to allow certain specific characteristics of potencies to be delineated.  The study reported in this article takes previous investigations further and aims to understand more about the nature of the interaction between potencies and solvatochromic dyes. To this end, the UV-visible spectra of a wide range of potential detectors of potencies have been examined using methodologies previously described.  Results presented demonstrate that solvatochromic dyes are a sub-group of a larger class of compounds capable of demonstrating interactions with potencies. In particular, amino acids containing an aromatic bridge also show marked optical changes in the presence of potencies. Several specific features of molecular detectors can now be shown to be necessary for significant interactions with homeopathic potencies. These include systems with a large dipole moment, electron delocalisation, polarizability and molecular rigidity.  Analysis of the optical changes occurring on interaction with potencies suggests that in all cases potencies increase the polarity of molecular detectors to a degree that correlates with the size of the compound's permanent or ground dipole moment. These results can be explained by inferring that potencies themselves have polarity. Possible candidates for the identity of potencies, based on these and previously reported results, are discussed. The Faculty of Homeopathy.

Habitual action video game playing is associated with caudate nucleus-dependent navigational strategies

PubMed Central

West, Greg L.; Drisdelle, Brandi Lee; Konishi, Kyoko; Jackson, Jonathan; Jolicoeur, Pierre; Bohbot, Veronique D.

2015-01-01

The habitual playing of video games is associated with increased grey matter and activity in the striatum. Studies in humans and rodents have shown an inverse relationship between grey matter in the striatum and hippocampus. We investigated whether action video game playing is also associated with increased use of response learning strategies during navigation, known to be dependent on the caudate nucleus of the striatum, when presented in a dual solution task. We tested 26 action video game players (actionVGPs) and 33 non-action video game players (nonVGPs) on the 4-on-8 virtual maze and a visual attention event-related potential (ERP) task, which elicits a robust N-2-posterior-controlateral (N2pc) component. We found that actionVGPs had a significantly higher likelihood of using a response learning strategy (80.76%) compared to nonVGPs (42.42%). Consistent with previous evidence, actionVGPs and nonVGPs differed in the way they deployed visual attention to central and peripheral targets as observed in the elicited N2pc component during an ERP visual attention task. Increased use of the response strategy in actionVGPs is consistent with previously observed increases in striatal volume in video game players (VGPs). Using response strategies is associated with decreased grey matter in the hippocampus. Previous studies have shown that decreased volume in the hippocampus precedes the onset of many neurological and psychiatric disorders. If actionVGPs have lower grey matter in the hippocampus, as response learners normally do, then these individuals could be at increased risk of developing neurological and psychiatric disorders during their lifetime. PMID:25994669

Light at Night and Measures of Alertness and Performance: Implications for Shift Workers.

PubMed

Figueiro, Mariana G; Sahin, Levent; Wood, Brittany; Plitnick, Barbara

2016-01-01

Rotating-shift workers, particularly those working at night, are likely to experience sleepiness, decreased productivity, and impaired safety while on the job. Light at night has been shown to have acute alerting effects, reduce sleepiness, and improve performance. However, light at night can also suppress melatonin and induce circadian disruption, both of which have been linked to increased health risks. Previous studies have shown that long-wavelength (red) light exposure increases objective and subjective measures of alertness at night, without suppressing nocturnal melatonin. This study investigated whether exposure to red light at night would not only increase measures of alertness but also improve performance. It was hypothesized that exposure to both red (630 nm) and white (2,568 K) lights would improve performance but that only white light would significantly affect melatonin levels. Seventeen individuals participated in a 3-week, within-subjects, nighttime laboratory study. Compared to remaining in dim light, participants had significantly faster reaction times in the GO/NOGO test after exposure to both red light and white light. Compared to dim light exposure, power in the alpha and alpha-theta regions was significantly decreased after exposure to red light. Melatonin levels were significantly suppressed by white light only. Results show that not only can red light improve measures of alertness, but it can also improve certain types of performance at night without affecting melatonin levels. These findings could have significant practical applications for nurses; red light could help nurses working rotating shifts maintain nighttime alertness, without suppressing melatonin or changing their circadian phase. © The Author(s) 2015.

Low dose naltrexone administration in morphine dependent rats attenuates withdrawal-induced norepinephrine efflux in forebrain.

PubMed

Van Bockstaele, Elisabeth J; Qian, Yaping; Sterling, Robert C; Page, Michelle E

2008-05-15

The administration of low dose opioid antagonists has been explored as a potential means of detoxification in opiate dependence. Previous results from our laboratory have shown that concurrent administration of low dose naltrexone in the drinking water of rats implanted with subcutaneous morphine pellets attenuates behavioral and biochemical signs of withdrawal in brainstem noradrenergic nuclei. Noradrenergic projections originating from the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and the locus coeruleus (LC) have previously been shown to be important neural substrates involved in the somatic expression of opiate withdrawal. The hypothesis that low dose naltrexone treatment attenuates noradrenergic hyperactivity typically associated with opiate withdrawal was examined in the present study by assessing norepinephrine tissue content and norepinephrine efflux using in vivo microdialysis coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ED). The frontal cortex (FC), amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and cerebellum were analyzed for tissue content of norepinephrine following withdrawal in morphine dependent rats. Naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal elicited a significant decrease in tissue content of norepinephrine in the BNST and amygdala. This decrease was significantly attenuated in the BNST of rats that received low dose naltrexone pre-treatment compared to controls. No significant difference was observed in the other brain regions examined. In a separate group of rats, norepinephrine efflux was assessed with in vivo microdialysis in the BNST or the FC of morphine dependent rats or placebo treated rats subjected to naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal that received either naltrexone in their drinking water (5 mg/L) or unadulterated water. Following baseline dialysate collection, withdrawal was precipitated by injection of naltrexone and sample collection continued for an additional 4 h. At the end of the experiment, animals were transcardially perfused and the brains were removed for verification of probe placement. Low dose naltrexone pre-treatment significantly attenuated withdrawal-induced increases of extracellular norepinephrine in the BNST, with a smaller effect in the FC. These findings suggest that alterations in norepinephrine release associated with withdrawal may be attenuated in forebrain targets of noradrenergic brainstem neurons that may underlie reduced behavioral signs of withdrawal following low dose naltrexone administration.

A 27-year experience with infective endocarditis in Lebanon.

PubMed

El-Chakhtoura, Nadim; Yasmin, Mohamad; Kanj, Souha S; Baban, Tania; Sfeir, Jad; Kanafani, Zeina A

Although rare, infective endocarditis (IE) continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Previous data from the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) had shown predominance of streptococcal infection. As worldwide studies in developed countries show increasing trends in Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis, it becomes vital to continually inspect local data for epidemiological variations. We reviewed all IE cases between 2001 and 2014, and we performed a comparison to a historical cohort of 86 IE cases from 1987 to 2001. A total of 80 patients were diagnosed with IE between 2001 and 2014. The mean age was 61 years. The most commonly isolated organisms were streptococci (37%), compared to 51% in the previous cohort. S. aureus accounted for 11%. Only one S. aureus isolate was methicillin-resistant. In the historical cohort, 26% of cases were caused by S. aureus. Enterococci ranked behind staphylococci with 22% of total cases, while in the previous cohort, enterococcal IE was only 4%. Compared to previous data from AUBMC, the rates of streptococcal and staphylococcal endocarditis have decreased while enterococcal endocarditis has increased. This study reconfirms that in Lebanon, a developing country, we continue to have a low predominance of staphylococci as etiologic agents in IE. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Understanding the Association Between Negative Symptoms and Performance on Effort-Based Decision-Making Tasks: The Importance of Defeatist Performance Beliefs.

PubMed

Reddy, L Felice; Horan, William P; Barch, Deanna M; Buchanan, Robert W; Gold, James M; Marder, Stephen R; Wynn, Jonathan K; Young, Jared; Green, Michael F

2017-11-13

Effort-based decision-making paradigms are increasingly utilized to gain insight into the nature of motivation deficits. Research has shown associations between effort-based decision making and experiential negative symptoms; however, the associations are not consistent. The current study had two primary goals. First, we aimed to replicate previous findings of a deficit in effort-based decision making among individuals with schizophrenia on a test of cognitive effort. Second, in a large sample combined from the current and a previous study, we sought to examine the association between negative symptoms and effort by including the related construct of defeatist beliefs. The results replicated previous findings of impaired cognitive effort-based decision making in schizophrenia. Defeatist beliefs significantly moderated the association between negative symptoms and effort-based decision making such that there was a strong association between high negative symptoms and deficits in effort-based decision making, but only among participants with high levels of defeatist beliefs. Thus, our findings suggest the relationship between negative symptoms and effort performance may be understood by taking into account the role of defeatist beliefs, and finding that might explain discrepancies in previous studies. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center 2017.

Energy-efficient privacy protection for smart home environments using behavioral semantics.

PubMed

Park, Homin; Basaran, Can; Park, Taejoon; Son, Sang Hyuk

2014-09-02

Research on smart environments saturated with ubiquitous computing devices is rapidly advancing while raising serious privacy issues. According to recent studies, privacy concerns significantly hinder widespread adoption of smart home technologies. Previous work has shown that it is possible to infer the activities of daily living within environments equipped with wireless sensors by monitoring radio fingerprints and traffic patterns. Since data encryption cannot prevent privacy invasions exploiting transmission pattern analysis and statistical inference, various methods based on fake data generation for concealing traffic patterns have been studied. In this paper, we describe an energy-efficient, light-weight, low-latency algorithm for creating dummy activities that are semantically similar to the observed phenomena. By using these cloaking activities, the amount of  fake data transmissions can be flexibly controlled to support a trade-off between energy efficiency and privacy protection. According to the experiments using real data collected from a smart home environment, our proposed method can extend the lifetime of the network by more than 2× compared to the previous methods in the literature. Furthermore, the activity cloaking method supports low latency transmission of real data while also significantly reducing the accuracy of the wireless snooping attacks.

Energy-Efficient Privacy Protection for Smart Home Environments Using Behavioral Semantics

PubMed Central

Park, Homin; Basaran, Can; Park, Taejoon; Son, Sang Hyuk

2014-01-01

Research on smart environments saturated with ubiquitous computing devices is rapidly advancing while raising serious privacy issues. According to recent studies, privacy concerns significantly hinder widespread adoption of smart home technologies. Previous work has shown that it is possible to infer the activities of daily living within environments equipped with wireless sensors by monitoring radio fingerprints and traffic patterns. Since data encryption cannot prevent privacy invasions exploiting transmission pattern analysis and statistical inference, various methods based on fake data generation for concealing traffic patterns have been studied. In this paper, we describe an energy-efficient, light-weight, low-latency algorithm for creating dummy activities that are semantically similar to the observed phenomena. By using these cloaking activities, the amount of fake data transmissions can be flexibly controlled to support a trade-off between energy efficiency and privacy protection. According to the experiments using real data collected from a smart home environment, our proposed method can extend the lifetime of the network by more than 2× compared to the previous methods in the literature. Furthermore, the activity cloaking method supports low latency transmission of real data while also significantly reducing the accuracy of the wireless snooping attacks. PMID:25184489

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: An Australian Twin Study

PubMed Central

Shekar, Sri N.; Zietsch, Brendan P.; Eaves, Lindon J.; Bailey, J. Michael; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Martin, Nicholas G.

2008-01-01

Previous research has shown that many heterosexuals hold negative attitudes toward homosexuals and homosexuality (homophobia). Although a great deal of research has focused on the profile of homophobic individuals, this research provides little theoretical insight into the aetiology of homophobia. To examine genetic and environmental influences on variation in attitudes toward homophobia, we analysed data from 4,688 twins who completed a questionnaire concerning sexual behaviour and attitudes, including attitudes toward homosexuality. Results show that, in accordance with literature, males have significantly more negative attitudes toward homosexuality than females and non-heterosexuals are less homophobic than heterosexuals. In contrast with some earlier findings, age had no significant effect on the homophobia scores in this study. Genetic modelling showed that variation in homophobia scores could be explained by additive genetic (36%), shared environmental (18%) and unique environmental factors (46%). However, corrections based on previous findings show that the shared environmental estimate may be almost entirely accounted for as extra additive genetic variance arising from assortative mating for homophobic attitudes. The results suggest that variation in attitudes toward homosexuality is substantially inherited, and that social environmental influences are relatively minor. PMID:18347968

Collaborative Testing Improves Performance but Not Content Retention in a Large-Enrollment Introductory Biology Class

PubMed Central

Leight, Hayley; Saunders, Cheston; Calkins, Robin; Withers, Michelle

2012-01-01

Collaborative testing has been shown to improve performance but not always content retention. In this study, we investigated whether collaborative testing could improve both performance and content retention in a large, introductory biology course. Students were semirandomly divided into two groups based on their performances on exam 1. Each group contained equal numbers of students scoring in each grade category (“A”–“F”) on exam 1. All students completed each of the four exams of the semester as individuals. For exam 2, one group took the exam a second time in small groups immediately following the individually administered test. The other group followed this same format for exam 3. Individual and group exam scores were compared to determine differences in performance. All but exam 1 contained a subset of cumulative questions from the previous exam. Performances on the cumulative questions for exams 3 and 4 were compared for the two groups to determine whether there were significant differences in content retention. Even though group test scores were significantly higher than individual test scores, students who participated in collaborative testing performed no differently on cumulative questions than students who took the previous exam as individuals. PMID:23222835

On the generation of magnetohydrodynamic waves in a stratified and magnetized fluid. II - Magnetohydrodynamic energy fluxes for late-type stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Z. E.; Rosner, R.

1988-01-01

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave energy fluxes for late-type stars are calculated, using previously obtained formulae for the source functions for the generation of MHD waves in a stratified, but otherwise uniform, turbulent atmosphere; the magnetic fields in the wave generation region are assumed to be homogeneous. In contradiction to previous results, it is shown that in this uniform magnetic field case there is no significant increase in the efficiency of MHD wave generation, at least within the theory's limits of applicability. The major results are that the MHD energy fluxes calculated for late-type stars are less than those obtained for compressible modes in the magnetic field-free case, and that these MHD energy fluxes do not vary enough for a given spectral type to explain the observed range of UV and X-ray fluxes from such stars. It is therefore concluded that MHD waves in stellar atmospheres with homogeneous magnetic fields in the wave generation region cannot explain the observed stellar coronal emissions; if such MHD waves are responsible for a significant component of stellar coronal heating, then nonuniform fields within the generation region must be appealed to.

Genetic structure of the crown-of-thorns seastar in the Pacific Ocean, with focus on Guam.

PubMed

Tusso, Sergio; Morcinek, Kerstin; Vogler, Catherine; Schupp, Peter J; Caballes, Ciemon F; Vargas, Sergio; Wörheide, Gert

2016-01-01

Population outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS), Acanthaster 'planci' L., are among the most important biological disturbances of tropical coral reefs. Over the past 50 years, several devastating outbreaks have been documented around Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean. Previous analyses have shown that in the Pacific Ocean, COTS larval dispersal may be geographically restricted to certain regions. Here, we assess the genetic structure of Pacific COTS populations and compared samples from around Guam with a number of distant localities in the Pacific Ocean, and focused on determining the degree of genetic structure among populations previously considered to be isolated. Using microsatellites, we document substantial genetic structure between 14 localities from different geographical regions in the Pacific Ocean. Populations from the 14 locations sampled were found to be structured in three significantly differentiated groups: (1) all locations immediately around Guam, as well as Kingman Reef and Swains Island; (2) Japan, Philippines, GBR and Vanuatu; and (3) Johnston Atoll, which was significantly different from all other localities. The lack of genetic differentiation between Guam and extremely distant populations from Kingman Reef and Swains Island suggests potential long-distance dispersal of COTS in the Pacific.

Effects of a flat prosthetic foot rocker section on balance and mobility.

PubMed

Hansen, Andrew; Nickel, Eric; Medvec, Joseph; Brielmaier, Steven; Pike, Alvin; Weber, Marilyn

2014-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the effective rocker shape of the physiologic ankle-foot system during standing and fore-aft swaying is much flatter than that used during walking, which indicates a more stable base of support for the standing/swaying activity. Previous work suggests that flat regions within the effective rocker shapes of prosthetic ankle-foot systems could provide enhanced stability for standing balance tasks. An experimental prosthetic foot was altered to provide three different flat region lengths within its effective rocker shape. It was hypothesized that longer flat regions of the effective rocker shape would lead to improved standing balance outcomes and reduced walking performance for unilateral transtibial prosthesis users. However, no significant changes were seen in the balance and mobility outcomes of 12 unilateral transtibial prosthesis users when using the three prosthetic foot conditions. Subjects in the study significantly preferred prosthetic feet with relatively low to moderate flat regions over those with long flat regions. All the subjects without loss of light touch or vibratory sensation selected the prosthetic foot with the shortest flat region. More work is needed to investigate the effects of prosthetic foot properties on balance and mobility of prosthesis users.

Effects of video modelling on emerging speech in an adult with traumatic brain injury: preliminary findings.

PubMed

Nikopoulos, Christos K; Nikopoulou-Smyrni, Panagiota; Konstantopoulos, Kostas

2013-01-01

Research has shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can affect a person's ability to perform previously learned skills. Dysexecutive syndrome and inattention, for example, alongside a number of other cognitive and behavioural impairments such as memory loss and lack of motivation, significantly affect day-to-day functioning following TBI. This study examined the efficacy of video modelling in emerging speech in an adult male with TBI caused by an assault. In an effort to identify functional relations between this novice intervention and the target behaviour, experimental control was achieved by using within-system research methodology, overcoming difficulties of forming groups for such an highly non-homogeneous population. Across a number of conditions, the participant watched a videotape in which another adult modelled a selection of 19 spoken words. When this modelled behaviour was performed in vivo, then generalization across 76 other words in the absence of a videotape took place. It was revealed that video modelling can promote the performance of previously learned behaviours related to speech, but more significantly it can facilitate the generalization of this verbal behaviour across untrained words. Video modelling could well be added within the rehabilitation programmes for this population.

A low-noise current-sensitive amplifier-discriminator system for beta particle counting.

PubMed

Sephton, J P; Johansson, L C; Williams, J M

2008-01-01

NPL has developed a low-noise current amplifier/discriminator system for radionuclides that emit low-energy electrons and X-rays. The new beta amplifier is based on the low-noise Amptek A-250 operational amplifier. The design has been configured for optimum signal to noise ratio. The new amplifier is described and results obtained using primarily electron-capture decaying radionuclides are presented. The new amplifier gives rise to higher particle detection efficiency than the previously used Atomic Energy of Canada Limited-designed amplifier. This is shown by measurements of (54)Mn and (65)Zn. The counting plateaux are significantly longer and have reduced gradients.

Schedule-dependent inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha protein accumulation, angiogenesis, and tumor growth by topotecan in U251-HRE glioblastoma xenografts.

PubMed

Rapisarda, Annamaria; Zalek, Jessica; Hollingshead, Melinda; Braunschweig, Till; Uranchimeg, Badarch; Bonomi, Carrie A; Borgel, Suzanne D; Carter, John P; Hewitt, Stephen M; Shoemaker, Robert H; Melillo, Giovanni

2004-10-01

We have previously shown that topotecan, a topoisomerase I poison, inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha protein accumulation by a DNA damage-independent mechanism. Here, we report that daily administration of topotecan inhibits HIF-1alpha protein expression in U251-HRE glioblastoma xenografts. Concomitant with HIF-1alpha inhibition, topotecan caused a significant tumor growth inhibition associated with a marked decrease of angiogenesis and expression of HIF-1 target genes in tumor tissue. These results provide a compelling rationale for testing topotecan in clinical trials to target HIF-1 in cancer patients.

Rehabilitative intervention during and after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: An analysis of the existing literature.

PubMed

Rossi, Francesca; Coppo, Monica; Zucchetti, Giulia; Bazzano, Daniela; Ricci, Federica; Vassallo, Elena; Nesi, Francesca; Fagioli, Franca

2016-11-01

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a therapeutic strategy for several oncohematological diseases. It increases survival rates but leads to a high incidence of related effects. The objective of this paper was to examine the existing literature on physical exercise interventions among pediatric HSCT recipients to explore the most often utilized rehabilitative assessment and treatment tools. Studies published from 2002 to April 1, 2015 were selected: 10 studies were included. A previous literary review has shown that rehabilitation programs have a positive impact on quality of life. Our analysis identified some significant outcome variables and shared intervention areas. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A generalized analytical model for radiative transfer in vacuum thermal insulation of space vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krainova, Irina V.; Dombrovsky, Leonid A.; Nenarokomov, Aleksey V.; Budnik, Sergey A.; Titov, Dmitry M.; Alifanov, Oleg M.

2017-08-01

The previously developed spectral model for radiative transfer in vacuum thermal insulation of space vehicles is generalized to take into account possible thermal contact between a fibrous spacer and one of the neighboring aluminum foil layers. An approximate analytical solution based on slightly modified two-flux approximation for radiative transfer in a semi-transparent fibrous spacer is derived. It was shown that thermal contact between the spacer and adjacent foil may decrease significantly the quality of thermal insulation because of an increase in radiative flux to/from the opposite aluminum foil. Theoretical predictions are confirmed by comparison with new results of laboratory experiments.

Rational design of cyclopropane-based chiral PHOX ligands for intermolecular asymmetric Heck reaction

PubMed Central

Rubina, Marina; Sherrill, William M; Barkov, Alexey Yu

2014-01-01

Summary A novel class of chiral phosphanyl-oxazoline (PHOX) ligands with a conformationally rigid cyclopropyl backbone was synthesized and tested in the intermolecular asymmetric Heck reaction. Mechanistic modelling and crystallographic studies were used to predict the optimal ligand structure and helped to design a very efficient and highly selective catalytic system. Employment of the optimized ligands in the asymmetric arylation of cyclic olefins allowed for achieving high enantioselectivities and significantly suppressing product isomerization. Factors affecting the selectivity and the rate of the isomerization were identified. It was shown that the nature of this isomerization is different from that demonstrated previously using chiral diphosphine ligands. PMID:25161709

Influence of free-stream disturbances on boundary-layer transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, W. D.

1978-01-01

Considerable experimental evidence exists which shows that free stream disturbances (the ratio of root-mean-square pressure fluctuations to mean values) in conventional wind tunnels increase with increasing Mach number at low supersonic to moderate hypersonic speeds. In addition to local conditions, the free stream disturbance level influences transition behavior on simple test models. Based on this observation, existing noise transition data obtained in the same test facility were correlated for a large number of reference sharp cones and flat plates and are shown to collapse along a single curve. This result is a significant improvement over previous attempts to correlate noise transition data.

Cavitational kyphoplasty: a new technique for reducing the rates of cement extravasation through targeted low-pressure cement injection.

PubMed

Mattei, Tobias A

2017-06-01

Previous studies have demonstrated lower rates of cement extravasation when comparing balloon kyphoplasty with vertebroplasty, an effect attributed to the low-pressure injection. However, in patients with isolated endplate fractures, balloon kyphoplasty may lead to further endplate damage and increased risks of intradiscal extravasation. The author provides a stepwise description of a new technique called cavitational kyphoplasty that allows targeted low-pressure cement injection without the necessity of balloon inflation. The new technique of cavitational kyphoplasty has been shown to be specially useful in patients with isolated endplate fractures without significant loss of the vertebral body height.

Subsonic sting interference on the aerodynamic characteristics of a family of slanted-base ogive-cylinders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britcher, Colin P.; Alcorn, Charles W.; Kilgore, W. Allen

1990-01-01

Support interference free drag, lift, and pitching moment measurements on a range of slanted base ogive cylinders were made using the NASA Langley 13 inch magnetic suspension and balance system. Typical test Mach numbers were in the range 0.04 to 0.2. Drag results are shown to be in broad agreement with previous tests with this configuration. Measurements were repeated with a dummy sting support installed in the wind tunnel. Significant support interferences were found at all test conditions and are quantified. Further comparison is made between interference free base pressures, obtained using remote telemetry, and sting cavity pressures.

Megalara garuda, a new genus and species of larrine wasps from Indonesia (Larrinae, Crabronidae, Hymenoptera)

PubMed Central

Kimsey, Lynn S.; Ohl, Michael

2012-01-01

Abstract A new genus and species, Megalara garuda is described from Sulawesi (Indonesia). The new species is one the largest known members of the crabronid subfamily Larrinae. It has a unique suite of putatively apomorphic morphological characters and is most closely related to the genus Paraliris. We found indications of a significant allometric variation in body size and mandibular length and shape in male Megalara, and the presence of acarinaria at least in females of the new genus. Allometric variation and acarinaria have previously been shown to occur in Paraliris, which is another indication for a close relationship of Megalara and Paraliris. PMID:22532785

Do contrails significantly reduce daily temperature range?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Gang; Yang, Ping; Minnis, Patrick; Hu, Yong X.; North, Gerald

2008-12-01

One of the most visible anthropogenic phenomena in the atmosphere is the occurrence of contrails. The direct effects of contrails on surface temperature are investigated on the basis of the data sets for the cloud cover and surface temperature over the conterminous United States for the period 1971-2001. It is shown that the increase of the average daily temperature range (DTR) over the United States during the three-day grounding period of 11-14 September 2001 cannot be attributed to the absence of contrails, a subject was debated in several previous studies. The present analysis suggests that the DTR is attributed to the change of low cloudiness.

Epigenetics Mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease

PubMed Central

Mastroeni, Diego; Grover, Andrew; Delvaux, Elaine; Whiteside, Charisse; Coleman, Paul D.; Rogers, Joseph

2011-01-01

Epigenetic modifications help orchestrate sweeping developmental, aging, and disease-causing changes in phenotype by altering transcriptional activity in multiple genes spanning multiple biologic pathways. Although previous epigenetic research has focused primarily on dividing cells, particularly in cancer, recent studies have shown rapid, dynamic, and persistent epigenetic modifications in neurons that have significant neuroendocrine, neurophysiologic, and neurodegenerative consequences. Here, we provide a review of the major mechanisms for epigenetic modification and how they are reportedly altered in aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Because of their reach across the genome, epigenetic mechanisms may provide a unique integrative framework for the pathologic diversity and complexity of AD. PMID:21482442

Effects of surface polishing on the microstrain behavior of telescope mirror materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eul, W. A.; Woods, W. W.

1973-01-01

Rough ground silicic mirror substrate materials were found in previous investigations to exhibit significant surface yield. This effect was removed by surface etching, a procedure not normally employed in the finishing of optical telescope mirrors. The effects of fine grinding and polishing techniques as well as graded etching are investigated. Torsional shear measurements of yield strain versus stress are made on four candidate mirror substrate materials: polycrystalline silicon, ULE silica 7971, CER-VIT 101, and fused silica 7940. Commonly employed fine grinding and polishing practices are shown to remove a major portion of the surface yield found in rough ground mirror substrate materials.

On pulse duration of self-terminating lasers

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

Bokhan, P A

2011-02-28

The problem of the maximum pulse duration {tau}{sub max} of self-terminating lasers is considered. It is shown that the duration depends on the transition probability in the laser channel, on the decay rate of the resonant state in all other channels, and on the excitation rate of the metastable state. As a result, {tau}{sub max} is found to be significantly shorter than previously estimated. The criteria for converting the 'self-terminating' lasing to quasi-cw lasing are determined. It is shown that in the case of nonselective depopulation of the metastable state, for example in capillary lasers or in a fast flowmore » of the active medium gas, it is impossible to obtain continuous lasing. Some concrete examples are considered. It is established that in several studies of barium vapour lasers ({lambda} = 1.5 {mu}m) and nitrogen lasers ({lambda} = 337 nm), collisional lasing is obtained by increasing the relaxation rate of the metastable state in collisions with working particles (barium atoms and nitrogen molecules). (lasers)« less

A New Global Core Plasma Model of the Plasmasphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, D. L.; Comfort, R. H.; Craven, P. D.

2014-01-01

The Global Core Plasma Model (GCPM) is the first empirical model for thermal inner magnetospheric plasma designed to integrate previous models and observations into a continuous in value and gradient representation of typical total densities. New information about the plasmasphere, in particular, make possible significant improvement. The IMAGE Mission Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) has obtained the first observations of total plasma densities along magnetic field lines in the plasmasphere and polar cap. Dynamics Explorer 1 Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer (RIMS) has provided densities in temperatures in the plasmasphere for 5 ion species. These and other works enable a new more detailed empirical model of thermal in the inner magnetosphere that will be presented. Specifically shown here are the inner-plasmasphere RIMS measurements, radial fits to densities and temperatures for H(+), He(+), He(++), O(+), and O(+) and the error associated with these initial simple fits. Also shown are more subtle dependencies on the f10.7 P-value (see Richards et al. [1994]).

Skylab S-193 radar altimeter experiment analyses and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, G. S. (Editor)

1977-01-01

The design of optimum filtering procedures for geoid recovery is discussed. Statistical error bounds are obtained for pointing angle estimates using average waveform data. A correlation of tracking loop bandwidth with magnitude of pointing error is established. The impact of ocean currents and precipitation on the received power are shown to be measurable effects. For large sea state conditions, measurements of sigma 0 deg indicate a distinct saturation level of about 8 dB. Near-nadir less than 15 deg values of sigma 0 deg are also presented and compared with theoretical models. Examination of Great Salt Lake Desert scattering data leads to rejection of a previously hypothesized specularly reflecting surface. Pulse-to-pulse correlation results are in agreement with quasi-monochromatic optics theoretical predictions and indicate a means for estimating direction of pointing error. Pulse compression techniques for and results of estimating significant waveheight from waveform data are presented and are also shown to be in good agreement with surface truth data. A number of results pertaining to system performance are presented.

A selective optical sensor based on [9]mercuracarborand-3, a new type of ionophore with a chloride complexing cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Badr, I. H.; Johnson, R. D.; Diaz, M.; Hawthorne, M. F.; Bachas, L. G.; Daunert, S. (Principal Investigator)

2000-01-01

A highly selective optical sensor for chloride, based on the multidentate Lewis acid ionophore [9]mercuracarborand-3, is described herein. This sensor is constructed by embedding the mercuracarborand ionophore, a suitable pH-sensitive lipophilic dye, and lipophilic cationic sites in a plasticized polymeric membrane. The multiple complementary interactions offered by the preorganized complexing cavity of [9]mercuracarborand-3 is shown to control the anion selectivity pattern of the optical film. The film exhibits a significantly enhanced selectivity for chloride over a variety of lipophilic anions such as perchlorate, nitrate, salicylate, and thiocyanate. Furthermore, the optical selectivity coefficients obtained for chloride over other biologically relevant anions are shown to meet the selectivity requirements for the determination of chloride in physiological fluids, unlike previously reported chloride optical sensors. In addition, the optical film responds to chloride reversibly over a wide dynamic range (16 microM-136 mM) with fast response and recovery times.

Statistics of gravitational lenses - The uncertainties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mao, Shude

1991-01-01

The assumptions in the analysis of gravitational lensing statistics are examined. Special emphasis is given to the uncertainties in the theoretical predictions. It is shown that a simple redshift cutoff model, which may result from galaxy evolution, can significantly reduce the lensing probability and explain the large mean separation of images in observed gravitational lenses. This effect may affect the constraint on the contribution of the cosmological constant to producing a flat universe from the number counts of the observed lenses. For the Omega(0) = 1 (filled beam) model, the lensing probability of early-type galaxies with finite core radii is reduced roughly by a factor of 2 for high-redshift quasars as compared with the corresponding singular isothermal sphere model. The finite core radius effect is about 20 percent for a lambda-dominated flat universe. It is also shown that the most recent galaxy luminosity function gives lensing probabilities that are smaller than previously estimated roughly by a factor of 3.

Rural-urban differences in cancer care: results from the Lake Superior Rural Cancer Care Project.

PubMed

Elliott, Thomas E; Elliott, Barbara A; Renier, Colleen M; Haller, Irina V

2004-09-01

Past studies have shown significant differences between rural and urban cancer patients in many measures of cancer care. There is little recent information about this disparity, which generally has shown disadvantages in rural populations. This study reports the rural and urban differences in cancer care using data from the Lake Superior Rural Cancer Care Project. The study used a prospective, population-based design that included all incident cases of breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers diagnosed in northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula from 1992 to 1997. The outcome measures were 9 endpoints that represented state-of-the-art cancer care during the study. Rural cancer patients as compared with their urban counterparts were disadvantaged in proportion staged, stage at diagnosis, initial management procedures, post-treatment surveillance testing, and participation in cancer clinical trials. These findings are similar to previously published studies. Further research is needed to determine more clearly the barriers in rural cancer care and to find more effective strategies.

Young children show the bystander effect in helping situations.

PubMed

Plötner, Maria; Over, Harriet; Carpenter, Malinda; Tomasello, Michael

2015-04-01

Much research in social psychology has shown that otherwise helpful people often fail to help when bystanders are present. Research in developmental psychology has shown that even very young children help and that the presence of others can actually increase helping in some cases. In the current study, in contrast, 5-year-old children helped an experimenter at very high levels when they were alone but helped significantly less often in the presence of bystanders who were potentially available to help. In another condition designed to elucidate the mechanism underlying the effect, children's helping was not reduced when bystanders were present but confined behind a barrier and thus unable to help (a condition that has not been run in previous studies with adults). Young children thus show the bystander effect, and it is due not to social referencing or shyness to act in front of others but, rather, to a sense of a diffusion of responsibility. © The Author(s) 2015.

Use of Silica-Encapsulated Pseudomonas sp. Strain NCIB 9816-4 in Biodegradation of Novel Hydrocarbon Ring Structures Found in Hydraulic Fracturing Waters

PubMed Central

Aukema, Kelly G.; Kasinkas, Lisa; Aksan, Alptekin

2014-01-01

The most problematic hydrocarbons in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) wastewaters consist of fused, isolated, bridged, and spiro ring systems, and ring systems have been poorly studied with respect to biodegradation, prompting the testing here of six major ring structural subclasses using a well-characterized bacterium and a silica encapsulation system previously shown to enhance biodegradation. The direct biological oxygenation of spiro ring compounds was demonstrated here. These and other hydrocarbon ring compounds have previously been shown to be present in flow-back waters and waters produced from hydraulic fracturing operations. Pseudomonas sp. strain NCIB 9816-4, containing naphthalene dioxygenase, was selected for its broad substrate specificity, and it was demonstrated here to oxidize fundamental ring structures that are common in shale-derived waters but not previously investigated with this or related enzymes. Pseudomonas sp. NCIB 9816-4 was tested here in the presence of a silica encasement, a protocol that has previously been shown to protect bacteria against the extremes of salinity present in fracking wastewaters. These studies demonstrate the degradation of highly hydrophobic compounds by a silica-encapsulated model bacterium, demonstrate what it may not degrade, and contribute to knowledge of the full range of hydrocarbon ring compounds that can be oxidized using Pseudomonas sp. NCIB 9816-4. PMID:24907321

Discrimination Learning in Paramecia (P. Caudatum)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armus, Harvard L.; Montgomery, Amber R.; Jellison, Jenny L.

2006-01-01

Previous attempts to condition a 1-celled organism, paramecium, by either classical or instrumental procedures, have yielded equivocal results. The present experiments were designed to determine whether the use of positive reinforcement provided by DC electrical stimulation at the cathode, which had previously been shown to be attractive to…

Physiological effects of major up-regulated Alnus glutinosa peptides on Frankia sp. ACN14a.

PubMed

Carro, Lorena; Pujic, Petar; Alloisio, Nicole; Fournier, Pascale; Boubakri, Hasna; Poly, Franck; Rey, Marjolaine; Heddi, Abdelaziz; Normand, Philippe

2016-07-01

Alnus glutinosa has been shown previously to synthesize, in response to nodulation by Frankia sp. ACN14a, an array of peptides called Alnus symbiotic up-regulated peptides (ASUPs). In a previous study one peptide (Ag5) was shown to bind to Frankia nitrogen-fixing vesicles and to modify their porosity. Here we analyse four other ASUPs, alongside Ag5, to determine whether they have different physiological effects on in vitro grown Frankia sp. ACN14a. The five studied peptides were shown to have different effects on nitrogen fixation, respiration, growth, the release of ions and amino acids, as well as on cell clumping and cell lysis. The mRNA abundance for all five peptides was quantified in symbiotic nodules and one (Ag11) was found to be more abundant in the meristem part of the nodule. These findings point to some peptides having complementary effects on Frankia cells.

New insights into the impact of neuro-inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

PubMed Central

Fuggle, Nicholas R.; Howe, Franklyn A.; Allen, Rachel L.; Sofat, Nidhi

2014-01-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be, in many respects, an archetypal autoimmune disease that causes activation of pro-inflammatory pathways resulting in joint and systemic inflammation. RA remains a major clinical problem with the development of several new therapies targeted at cytokine inhibition in recent years. In RA, biologic therapies targeted at inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) have been shown to reduce joint inflammation, limit erosive change, reduce disability and improve quality of life. The cytokine TNFα has a central role in systemic RA inflammation and has also been shown to have pro-inflammatory effects in the brain. Emerging data suggests there is an important bidirectional communication between the brain and immune system in inflammatory conditions like RA. Recent work has shown how TNF inhibitor therapy in people with RA is protective for Alzheimer's disease. Functional MRI studies to measure brain activation in people with RA to stimulus by finger joint compression, have also shown that those who responded to TNF inhibition showed a significantly greater activation volume in thalamic, limbic, and associative areas of the brain than non-responders. Infections are the main risk of therapies with biologic drugs and infections have been shown to be related to disease flares in RA. Recent basic science data has also emerged suggesting that bacterial components including lipopolysaccharide induce pain by directly activating sensory neurons that modulate inflammation, a previously unsuspected role for the nervous system in host-pathogen interactions. In this review, we discuss the current evidence for neuro-inflammation as an important factor that impacts on disease persistence and pain in RA. PMID:25414636

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

Monaghan, P; Shneor, R; Subedi, R

The five-fold differential cross section for the 12C(e,e'p)11B reaction was determined over a missing momentum range of 200-400 MeV/c, in a kinematics regime with Bjorken x > 1 and Q2 = 2.0 (GeV/c)2. A comparison of the results and theoretical models and previous lower missing momentum data is shown. The theoretical calculations agree well with the data up to a missing momentum value of 325 MeV/c and then diverge for larger missing momenta. The extracted distorted momentum distribution is shown to be consistent with previous data and extends the range of available data up to 400 MeV/c.

Relating retinal nerve fiber thickness to behavioral sensitivity in patients with glaucoma: application of a linear model.

PubMed

Hood, Donald C

2007-05-01

Glaucoma causes damage to the retinal ganglion cells and their axons, and this damage can be detected with both structural and functional tests. The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between a structural measure of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the most common functional test, behavioral sensitivity with static automated perimetry (SAP). First, a linear model, previously shown to describe the relationship between local visual evoked potentials and SAP sensitivity, was modified to predict the change in RNFL as measured by optical coherence tomography. Second, previous work by others was shown to be consistent with this model.

Aggregating Polytomous DIF Results over Multiple Test Administrations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zwick, Rebecca; Ye, Lei; Isham, Steven

2018-01-01

In typical differential item functioning (DIF) assessments, an item's DIF status is not influenced by its status in previous test administrations. An item that has shown DIF at multiple administrations may be treated the same way as an item that has shown DIF in only the most recent administration. Therefore, much useful information about the…

Supporting Students' Learning in the Domain of Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasparinatou, Alexandra; Grigoriadou, Maria

2011-01-01

Previous studies have shown that students with low knowledge understand and learn better from more cohesive texts, whereas high-knowledge students have been shown to learn better from texts of lower cohesion. This study examines whether high-knowledge readers in computer science benefit from a text of low cohesion. Undergraduate students (n = 65)…

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…

Molecular weight distribution of flour proteins in intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium): Impact on end-use quality parameters

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thinopyrum intermedium, commonly known as intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a perennial crop shown to have both environmental and nutritional benefits. We have previously shown that in comparison to wheat controls, IWG lines had higher protein and dietary fiber contents. However, a deficiency in hi...

Mechanism of Ethylene and Carbon Monoxide Production by Septoria musiva

Treesearch

Susan K. Brown-Skrobot; Lewis R. Brown; Ted H. Filer

1985-01-01

S. musiva, a causative agent of premature defoliation of cottonwood trees, has been shown previously to produce ethylene and carbon monoxide (CO) on media containing glucose, methionine, and iron. Chemical analyses have shown that all three substances are present in the cottonwood leaves. Of seven carbohydrates tested, none supported the production...

Efficacy of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Microgravity Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Smith L.; Campbell, Mark R.; Billica, Roger D.; Gilmore, Stevan M.

2001-01-01

End tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO 2) has been previously shown to be an effective non-invasive tool for estimating cardiac output during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Animal models have shown that this diagnostic adjunct can be used as a predictor of survival when EtCO 2 values are maintained above 25% of prearrest values.

Evaluation of Binding Effects in Wood Flour Board Containing Ligno-Cellulose Nanofibers

PubMed Central

Kojima, Yoichi; Isa, Akiko; Kobori, Hikaru; Suzuki, Shigehiko; Ito, Hirokazu; Makise, Rie; Okamoto, Masaki

2014-01-01

Wood-based materials are used extensively in residual construction worldwide. Most of the adhesives used in wood-based materials are derived from fossil resources, and some are not environmentally friendly. This study explores nanofiber technology as an alternative to such adhesives. Previous studies have shown that the three-dimensional binding effects of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), when mixed with wood flour, can significantly improve the physical and mechanical properties of wood flour board. In this study, ligno-cellulose nanofibers (LCNF) were fabricated by wet disk milling of wood flour. Composite boards of wood flour and LCNF were produced to investigate the binding effect(s) of LCNF. The fabrication of LCNF by disk milling was simple and effective, and its incorporation into wood flour board significantly enhanced the physical and mechanical properties of the board. PMID:28788217

The impact of bilingualism on working memory in pediatric epilepsy

PubMed Central

Veenstra, Amy L.; Riley, Jeffrey D.; Barrett, Lauren E.; Muhonen, Michael G.; Zupanc, Mary; Romain, Jonathan E.; Lin, Jack J.; Mucci, Grace

2016-01-01

Impairments in executive skills broadly span across multiple childhood epilepsy syndromes and can adversely affect quality of life. Bilingualism has been previously shown to correlate with enhanced executive functioning in healthy individuals. This study seeks to determine whether the bilingual advantage in executive functioning exists in the context of pediatric epilepsy. We retrospectively analyzed neuropsychological data in 52 children with epilepsy and compared executive function scores in monolingual versus bilingual children with epilepsy, while controlling for socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Bilingual children performed significantly better on the Working Memory scale than did monolingual children. There were no significant differences on the remaining executive function variables. The bilingual advantage appears to persist for working memory in children with epilepsy. These findings suggest that bilingualism is potentially a protective variable in the face of epilepsy-related working memory dysfunction. PMID:26720703

Sex-typed play in gender-disturbed children: a comparison to sibling and psychiatric controls.

PubMed

Zucker, K J; Doering, R W; Bradley, S J; Finegan, J K

1982-08-01

Gender-disturbed children (n = 14) were compared to their preadolescent siblings (n = 16) and psychiatric controls (n = 13) on a sex-typed free-play task previously shown to differentiate gender-disturbed boys from normal boys. On three separate trials totaling 20 minutes, the gender-disturbed children played for a significantly longer period of time with cross-sex toys and for a significantly shorter period of time with same-sex toys than did the two control groups. The gender-disturbed children also showed greater trial-to-trial consistency in their play preferences than the other two groups. The utility of this task in the assessment of childhood gender disturbance is discussed. In addition, the results are discussed in relation to a number of perspectives regarding both typical and atypical gender identity development in childhood.

Prospective motion correction with volumetric navigators (vNavs) reduces the bias and variance in brain morphometry induced by subject motion.

PubMed

Tisdall, M Dylan; Reuter, Martin; Qureshi, Abid; Buckner, Randy L; Fischl, Bruce; van der Kouwe, André J W

2016-02-15

Recent work has demonstrated that subject motion produces systematic biases in the metrics computed by widely used morphometry software packages, even when the motion is too small to produce noticeable image artifacts. In the common situation where the control population exhibits different behaviors in the scanner when compared to the experimental population, these systematic measurement biases may produce significant confounds for between-group analyses, leading to erroneous conclusions about group differences. While previous work has shown that prospective motion correction can improve perceived image quality, here we demonstrate that, in healthy subjects performing a variety of directed motions, the use of the volumetric navigator (vNav) prospective motion correction system significantly reduces the motion-induced bias and variance in morphometry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of intravenous aminophylline on level of consciousness in acute intentional benzodiazepines poisoning in comparison to flumazenil.

PubMed

Aghabiklooei, A; Sangsefidi, J

2017-03-01

Acute intentional benzodiazepine poisoning is marked by a significant loss of consciousness, aspiration pneumonia, and increased rates of mortality and morbidity, especially in older patients with underlying heart or lung disease. These patients may need flumazenil to reverse the respiratory effects of benzodiazepines. The positive effects of aminophylline on respiration and neonatal apnea improvement have been shown previously. However, its possible effects on increasing the level of consciousness have never been evaluated. In a placebo-controlled study, we assessed the effectiveness of aminophylline on increasing the level of consciousness. Time to full awakening was significantly shorter in those who received aminophylline (72 min vs. 881 min, p = 0.001), compared to those who received a placebo. When "flumazenil" is contraindicated or unavailable, intravenous aminophylline can be used as a second choice.

Empirically derived pain-patient MMPI subgroups: prediction of treatment outcome.

PubMed

Moore, J E; Armentrout, D P; Parker, J C; Kivlahan, D R

1986-02-01

Fifty-seven male chronic pain patients admitted to an inpatient multimodal pain treatment program at a Midwestern Veterans Administration hospital completed the MMPI, Profile of Mood States (POMS), Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS), activity diaries, and an extensive pain questionnaire. All patients were assessed both before and after treatment, and most also were assessed 2-5 months prior to treatment. No significant changes occurred during the baseline period, but significant improvements were evident at posttreatment on most variables: MMPI, POMS, TSCS, RAS, pain severity, sexual functioning, and activity diaries. MMPI subgroup membership, based on a hierarchical cluster analysis in a larger sample, was not predictive of differential treatment outcome. Possible reasons for comparable treatment gains among these subgroups, which previously have been shown to differ on many psychological and behavioral factors, are discussed.

MRS of brain metabolite levels demonstrates the ability of scavenging of excess brain glutamate to protect against nerve agent induced seizures.

PubMed

Ruban, Angela; Biton, Inbal E; Markovich, Arik; Mirelman, David

2015-02-02

This study describes the use of in vivo magnetic resonance spectrocopy (MRS) to monitor brain glutamate and lactate levels in a paraoxon (PO) intoxication model. Our results show that the administration of recombinant glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (rGOT) in combination with oxaloacetate (OxAc) significantly reduces the brain-accumulated levels of glutamate. Previously we have shown that the treatment causes a rapid decrease of blood glutamate levels and creates a gradient between the brain and blood glutamate levels which leads to the efflux of excess brain glutamate into the blood stream thereby reducing its potential to cause neurological damage. The fact that this treatment significantly decreased the brain glutamate and lactate levels following PO intoxication suggests that it could become a new effective neuroprotective agent.

Obesity Prevention in the Nordic Countries.

PubMed

Stockmarr, Anders; Hejgaard, Tatjana; Matthiessen, Jeppe

2016-06-01

Previous studies have shown that mean BMI and prevalences of overweight/obesity and obesity have increased over the last decades in the Nordic countries, despite highly regulated societies with a focus on obesity prevention. We review recent overweight/obesity and obesity prevention initiatives within four of the five Nordic countries: Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. Moreover, we analyze the current situation based on monitoring data on BMI collected in 2011 and 2014, and obtain overall estimates of overweight/obesity and obesity prevalences for the Nordic Region. Data analysis shows that obesity in adults has increased from 2011 to 2014, while no significant changes were found for children. No significant increases were found for mean BMI and overweight/obesity prevalence. Obesity prevention initiatives among the Nordic countries are highly similar although minor differences are present, which is rooted in transnational Nordic cooperation and comparable societal structures.

The Effect of Mortality Salience on Implicit Bias

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Kristopher I.; Kennison, Shelia M.; Burke, Amanda L.; Chaney, John M.

2012-01-01

Previous research in terror management theory has shown that when individuals are reminded of their mortality, negative evaluations of out-group members increase. This previous research has used a variety of methods to investigate the change in attitudes toward out-group members. These methods generally permit participants time to consciously…

Rapid Serial Naming Is a Unique Predictor of Spelling in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Robert; Pillay, Vanitha; Melidona, Santo

2008-01-01

Some previous research has shown strong associations between spelling ability and rapid automatic naming (RAN) after controls for phonological processing and nonsense-word reading ability, consistent with the double-deficit hypothesis in reading and spelling. Previous studies did not, however, control for nonsense-word spelling ability before…

What Comes after Stable Octet? Stable Sub-Shell!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Kim Chwee Daniel; Taber, Keith S.

2005-01-01

Previous research has shown that students' existing conceptions are critical to subsequent learning because there is interaction between the new knowledge that the students encounter and their existing knowledge from previous lessons. Taber (1999a) found A-level students in the UK had difficulty in understanding the principles determining the…

Pathways into Marriage: Cohabitation and the Domestic Division of Labor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxter, Janeen; Haynes, Michele; Hewitt, Belinda

2010-01-01

Does time spent in a cohabiting relationship prior to marriage lead to more egalitarian housework arrangements after marriage? Previous research has shown that housework patterns within cohabiting relationships are more egalitarian than in marital relationships. But do these patterns remain when couples marry? The findings from previous studies…

Probability Matching in the Right Hemisphere

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, M.B.; Valsangkar-Smyth, M.

2005-01-01

Previously it has been shown that the left hemisphere, but not the right, of split-brain patients tends to match the frequency of previous occurrences in probability-guessing paradigms (Wolford, Miller, & Gazzaniga, 2000). This phenomenon has been attributed to an ''interpreter,'' a mechanism for making interpretations and forming hypotheses,…

Weather and childbirth: A further search for relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Driscoll, Dennis M.

1995-09-01

Previous attempts to find relationships between weather and parturition (childbirth) and its onset (the beginning of labor pains) have revealed, firstly, limited but statistically significant relationships between weather conditions much colder than the day before, with high winds and low pressure, and increased onsets; and secondly, increased numbers of childbirths during periods of atmospheric pressure rise (highly statistically significant). To test these findings, this study examined weather data coincident childbirth data from a hospital at Bryan-College Station, Texas (for a period of 30 cool months from 1987 to 1992). Tests for (1) days of cold fronts, (2) a day before and a day after the cold front, (3) days with large temperature increases, and (4) decreases from the day before revealed no relationship with mean daily rate of onset. Cold days with high winds and low pressure had significantly fewer onsets, a result that is the opposite of previous findings. The postulated relationship between periods of pressure rise and increased birth frequency was negative, i.e., significantly fewer births occurred at those times — again, the opposite of the apparent occurrence in an earlier study. The coincidence of diurnal variations in both atmospheric pressure and frequency of childbirths, was shown to account for fairly strong negative associations between the two variables. This same reasoning might explain the positive association found in an earlier study. A comparison has been made between childbirth and onset as the response variable, and the advantage is emphasized of using data from women whose labor is not induced.

The relaxation response: reducing stress and improving cognition in healthy aging adults.

PubMed

Galvin, Jennifer A; Benson, Herbert; Deckro, Gloria R; Fricchione, Gregory L; Dusek, Jeffery A

2006-08-01

Aging adults are vulnerable to the effects of a negative emotional state. The relaxation response (RR) is a mind-body intervention that counteracts the harmful effects of stress. Previous studies with relaxation techniques have shown the non-pharmacological benefit of reducing stress and improving the memory of healthy older adults. Our pilot study evaluated whether a RR training program would decrease anxiety levels, improve attention, declarative memory performance and/or decrease salivary cortisol levels in healthy older adults. Fifteen adults participated and were randomly assigned to a RR training or control groups. Mean age was 71.3 years and mean education level was 17.9 years. Reaction time on a simple attention/psychomotor task was significantly improved (p<0.0025) with RR training, whereas there was no significant improvement on complex tasks of attention, verbal, or visual declarative memory tests. Self-reported state anxiety levels showed a marginally significant reduction (p<0.066). All subjects' salivary cortisol levels were within low-normal range and did not significantly change. Our 5-week program in highly educated, mobile, healthy, aging adults significantly improved performance on a simple attention task.

Autophonic Loudness of Singers in Simulated Room Acoustic Environments.

PubMed

Yadav, Manuj; Cabrera, Densil

2017-05-01

This paper aims to study the effect of room acoustics and phonemes on the perception of loudness of one's own voice (autophonic loudness) for a group of trained singers. For a set of five phonemes, 20 singers vocalized over several autophonic loudness ratios, while maintaining pitch constancy over extreme voice levels, within five simulated rooms. There were statistically significant differences in the slope of the autophonic loudness function (logarithm of autophonic loudness as a function of voice sound pressure level) for the five phonemes, with slopes ranging from 1.3 (/a:/) to 2.0 (/z/). There was no significant variation in the autophonic loudness function slopes with variations in room acoustics. The autophonic room response, which represents a systematic decrease in voice levels with increasing levels of room reflections, was also studied, with some evidence found in support. Overall, the average slope of the autophonic room response for the three corner vowels (/a:/, /i:/, and /u:/) was -1.4 for medium autophonic loudness. The findings relating to the slope of the autophonic loudness function are in agreement with the findings of previous studies where the sensorimotor mechanisms in regulating voice were shown to be more important in the perception of autophonic loudness than hearing of room acoustics. However, the role of room acoustics, in terms of the autophonic room response, is shown to be more complicated, requiring further inquiry. Overall, it is shown that autophonic loudness grows at more than twice the rate of loudness growth for sounds created outside the human body. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Global validation of the WSES Sepsis Severity Score for patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections: a prospective multicentre study (WISS Study).

PubMed

Sartelli, Massimo; Abu-Zidan, Fikri M; Catena, Fausto; Griffiths, Ewen A; Di Saverio, Salomone; Coimbra, Raul; Ordoñez, Carlos A; Leppaniemi, Ari; Fraga, Gustavo P; Coccolini, Federico; Agresta, Ferdinando; Abbas, Asrhaf; Abdel Kader, Saleh; Agboola, John; Amhed, Adamu; Ajibade, Adesina; Akkucuk, Seckin; Alharthi, Bandar; Anyfantakis, Dimitrios; Augustin, Goran; Baiocchi, Gianluca; Bala, Miklosh; Baraket, Oussama; Bayrak, Savas; Bellanova, Giovanni; Beltràn, Marcelo A; Bini, Roberto; Boal, Matthew; Borodach, Andrey V; Bouliaris, Konstantinos; Branger, Frederic; Brunelli, Daniele; Catani, Marco; Che Jusoh, Asri; Chichom-Mefire, Alain; Cocorullo, Gianfranco; Colak, Elif; Costa, David; Costa, Silvia; Cui, Yunfeng; Curca, Geanina Loredana; Curry, Terry; Das, Koray; Delibegovic, Samir; Demetrashvili, Zaza; Di Carlo, Isidoro; Drozdova, Nadezda; El Zalabany, Tamer; Enani, Mushira Abdulaziz; Faro, Mario; Gachabayov, Mahir; Giménez Maurel, Teresa; Gkiokas, Georgios; Gomes, Carlos Augusto; Gonsaga, Ricardo Alessandro Teixeira; Guercioni, Gianluca; Guner, Ali; Gupta, Sanjay; Gutierrez, Sandra; Hutan, Martin; Ioannidis, Orestis; Isik, Arda; Izawa, Yoshimitsu; Jain, Sumita A; Jokubauskas, Mantas; Karamarkovic, Aleksandar; Kauhanen, Saila; Kaushik, Robin; Kenig, Jakub; Khokha, Vladimir; Kim, Jae Il; Kong, Victor; Koshy, Renol; Krasniqi, Avidyl; Kshirsagar, Ashok; Kuliesius, Zygimantas; Lasithiotakis, Konstantinos; Leão, Pedro; Lee, Jae Gil; Leon, Miguel; Lizarazu Pérez, Aintzane; Lohsiriwat, Varut; López-Tomassetti Fernandez, Eudaldo; Lostoridis, Eftychios; Mn, Raghuveer; Major, Piotr; Marinis, Athanasios; Marrelli, Daniele; Martinez-Perez, Aleix; Marwah, Sanjay; McFarlane, Michael; Melo, Renato Bessa; Mesina, Cristian; Michalopoulos, Nick; Moldovanu, Radu; Mouaqit, Ouadii; Munyika, Akutu; Negoi, Ionut; Nikolopoulos, Ioannis; Nita, Gabriela Elisa; Olaoye, Iyiade; Omari, Abdelkarim; Ossa, Paola Rodríguez; Ozkan, Zeynep; Padmakumar, Ramakrishnapillai; Pata, Francesco; Pereira Junior, Gerson Alves; Pereira, Jorge; Pintar, Tadeja; Pouggouras, Konstantinos; Prabhu, Vinod; Rausei, Stefano; Rems, Miran; Rios-Cruz, Daniel; Sakakushev, Boris; Sánchez de Molina, Maria Luisa; Seretis, Charampolos; Shelat, Vishal; Simões, Romeo Lages; Sinibaldi, Giovanni; Skrovina, Matej; Smirnov, Dmitry; Spyropoulos, Charalampos; Tepp, Jaan; Tezcaner, Tugan; Tolonen, Matti; Torba, Myftar; Ulrych, Jan; Uzunoglu, Mustafa Yener; van Dellen, David; van Ramshorst, Gabrielle H; Vasquez, Giorgio; Venara, Aurélien; Vereczkei, Andras; Vettoretto, Nereo; Vlad, Nutu; Yadav, Sanjay Kumar; Yilmaz, Tonguç Utku; Yuan, Kuo-Ching; Zachariah, Sanoop Koshy; Zida, Maurice; Zilinskas, Justas; Ansaloni, Luca

2015-01-01

To validate a new practical Sepsis Severity Score for patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) including the clinical conditions at the admission (severe sepsis/septic shock), the origin of the cIAIs, the delay in source control, the setting of acquisition and any risk factors such as age and immunosuppression. The WISS study (WSES cIAIs Score Study) is a multicenter observational study underwent in 132 medical institutions worldwide during a four-month study period (October 2014-February 2015). Four thousand five hundred thirty-three patients with a mean age of 51.2 years (range 18-99) were enrolled in the WISS study. Univariate analysis has shown that all factors that were previously included in the WSES Sepsis Severity Score were highly statistically significant between those who died and those who survived (p < 0.0001). The multivariate logistic regression model was highly significant (p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.54) and showed that all these factors were independent in predicting mortality of sepsis. Receiver Operator Curve has shown that the WSES Severity Sepsis Score had an excellent prediction for mortality. A score above 5.5 was the best predictor of mortality having a sensitivity of 89.2 %, a specificity of 83.5 % and a positive likelihood ratio of 5.4. WSES Sepsis Severity Score for patients with complicated Intra-abdominal infections can be used on global level. It has shown high sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio that may help us in making clinical decisions.

Direct measurement of resonance strengths in 34S(α ,γ )38Ar at astrophysically relevant energies using the DRAGON recoil separator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connolly, D.; O'Malley, P. D.; Akers, C.; Chen, A. A.; Christian, G.; Davids, B.; Erikson, L.; Fallis, J.; Fulton, B. R.; Greife, U.; Hager, U.; Hutcheon, D. A.; Ilyushkin, S.; Laird, A. M.; Mahl, A.; Ruiz, C.

2018-03-01

Background: Nucleosynthesis of mid-mass elements is thought to occur under hot and explosive astrophysical conditions. Radiative α capture on 34S has been shown to impact nucleosynthesis in several such conditions, including core and shell oxygen burning, explosive oxygen burning, and type Ia supernovae. Purpose: Broad uncertainties exist in the literature for the strengths of three resonances within the astrophysically relevant energy range (ECM=1.94 -3.42 MeV at T =2.2 GK ). Further, there are several states in 38Ar within this energy range which have not been previously measured. This work aimed to remeasure the resonance strengths of states for which broad uncertainty existed as well as to measure the resonance strengths and energies of previously unmeasured states. Methods: Resonance strengths and energies of eight narrow resonances (five of which had not been previously studied) were measured in inverse kinematics with the DRAGON facility at TRIUMF by impinging an isotopically pure beam of 34S ions on a windowless 4He gas target. Prompt γ emissions of de-exciting 38Ar recoils were detected in an array of bismuth germanate scintillators in coincidence with recoil nuclei, which were separated from unreacted beam ions by an electromagnetic mass separator and detected by a time-of-flight system and a multianode ionization chamber. Results: The present measurements agree with previous results. Broad uncertainty in the resonance strength of the ECM=2709 keV resonance persists. Resonance strengths and energies were determined for five low-energy resonances which had not been studied previously, and their strengths were determined to be significantly weaker than those of previously measured resonances. Conclusions: The five previously unmeasured resonances were found not to contribute significantly to the total thermonuclear reaction rate. A median total thermonuclear reaction rate calculated using data from the present work along with existing literature values using the STARLIB rate calculator agrees with the NON-SMOKER statistical model calculation as well as the REACLIB and STARLIB library rates at explosive and nonexplosive oxygen-burning temperatures (T =3 -4 GK and T =1.5 -2.7 GK , respectively).

Dual-stiffness flooring: can it reduce fracture rates associated with falls?

PubMed

Knoefel, Frank; Patrick, Louise; Taylor, Jodie; Goubran, Rafik

2013-04-01

Falls cause significant morbidity and mortality in long term care facilities. Dual-stiffness flooring (DSF) has previously shown promise in reducing such morbidity in experimental models. This study set out to measure the impact of SmartCell flooring on falls-related morbidity in a nursing home. All falls occurring at an Arizona nursing home between July 1, 2008, and December 31, 2010, were reviewed for age, sex, diagnosis of osteoporosis, number of medications, history of previous falls, type of flooring (normal vs DSF), time of day, type of injury, and resulting actions. Fall-related outcomes were compared across room types using chi-square and logistic regression methods. Eighty-two falls on the DSF were compared with 85 falls on the regular floor. There was a tendency for residents falling on DSF to have less bruising and abrasions, while having more redness and cuts. There were 2 fractures on regular flooring (2.4% fracture rate) and none on the DSF flooring (0% fracture rate). The fracture rate of 2.4% of falls on the regular floor is consistent with previous reports in the literature, whereas a 0% rate found on the DSF floor is a clinically significant improvement. This suggests that DSF may be a practical approach for institutions and consumers to reduce fall-related injuries. A larger scale controlled study to confirm these encouraging preliminary findings is warranted. Copyright © 2013 American Medical Directors Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Good genes and the maternal effects of polyandry on offspring reproductive success in the bulb mite.

PubMed

Kozielska, Magdalena; Krzemińska, Alina; Radwan, Jacek

2004-01-22

Genetic benefits are potentially the most robust explanation of the controversial issue of evolutionary maintenance of polyandry, but the unambiguous demonstration of such benefits has been hindered by the possibility of their confusion with maternal effects. Previous research has shown that polyandrous bulb mite females produce daughters with higher fecundity than monandrous females. Here, we investigate whether this effect arises because polyandrous females invest more in their offspring, or because their offspring inherit 'good genes' from their fathers. Females were mated with either one or four (different) males. However, by sterilizing three of the four males with ionizing radiation, we eliminated any chance of sexual selection (in the polyandrous treatment) so that any differences in the female mating regimes must have been owing to maternal effects. Polyandry had no significant effect on daughter fecundity, thus indicating that any previously documented effects must have been genetic. This was further supported by a significant association between fathers' offensive sperm-competitive ability and the fecundity of their daughters. The association with fathers' sperm defensive ability was not significant, and neither was the association between fathers' sperm competitiveness and sons' reproductive success. However, sons of polyandrous females had lower reproductive success than sons of monandrous females. This shows that the maternal effects of polyandry should be taken into account whenever its costs and benefits are being considered.

A novel O-linked glycan modulates Campylobacter jejuni major outer membrane protein-mediated adhesion to human histo-blood group antigens and chicken colonization

PubMed Central

Mahdavi, Jafar; Pirinccioglu, Necmettin; Oldfield, Neil J.; Carlsohn, Elisabet; Stoof, Jeroen; Aslam, Akhmed; Self, Tim; Cawthraw, Shaun A.; Petrovska, Liljana; Colborne, Natalie; Sihlbom, Carina; Borén, Thomas; Wooldridge, Karl G.; Ala'Aldeen, Dlawer A. A.

2014-01-01

Campylobacter jejuni is an important cause of human foodborne gastroenteritis; strategies to prevent infection are hampered by a poor understanding of the complex interactions between host and pathogen. Previous work showed that C. jejuni could bind human histo-blood group antigens (BgAgs) in vitro and that BgAgs could inhibit the binding of C. jejuni to human intestinal mucosa ex vivo. Here, the major flagella subunit protein (FlaA) and the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) were identified as BgAg-binding adhesins in C. jejuni NCTC11168. Significantly, the MOMP was shown to be O-glycosylated at Thr268; previously only flagellin proteins were known to be O-glycosylated in C. jejuni. Substitution of MOMP Thr268 led to significantly reduced binding to BgAgs. The O-glycan moiety was characterized as Gal(β1–3)-GalNAc(β1–4)-GalNAc(β1–4)-GalNAcα1-Thr268; modelling suggested that O-glycosylation has a notable effect on the conformation of MOMP and this modulates BgAg-binding capacity. Glycosylation of MOMP at Thr268 promoted cell-to-cell binding, biofilm formation and adhesion to Caco-2 cells, and was required for the optimal colonization of chickens by C. jejuni, confirming the significance of this O-glycosylation in pathogenesis. PMID:24451549

The ACTN3 R577X nonsense allele is under-represented in elite-level strength athletes

PubMed Central

Roth, Stephen M; Walsh, Sean; Liu, Dongmei; Metter, E Jeffrey; Ferrucci, Luigi; Hurley, Ben F

2009-01-01

Previous reports have shown a lower proportion of the ACTN3 X/X genotype (R577X nonsense polymorphism) in sprint-related athletes compared to the general population, possibly attributed to impairment of muscle function related to α-actinin-3 deficiency. In the present study, we examined the frequency of the X/X genotype in both Black and White elite-level bodybuilders and strength athletes in comparison to the general population. A reference population of 668 Whites (363 men and 305 women) and 208 Blacks (98 men and 110 women) was genotyped for the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism. Strength athletes (52 white and 23 black; 4 women) consisting predominantly of world class and locally competitive bodybuilders, and elite powerlifters were recruited and similarly genotyped. Significantly lower X/X genotype frequencies were observed in the athletes (6.7%) vs controls (16.3%; P = 0.005). The X/X genotype was significantly lower in White athletes (9.7%) vs controls (19.9%; P = 0.018). No black athletes (0%) were observed with the X/X genotype, though this finding only approached statistical significance vs controls (4.8%; P = 0.10). The results indicate that the ACTN3 R577X nonsense allele (X) is under-represented in elite strength athletes, consistent with previous reports indicating that α-actinin-3 deficiency appears to impair muscle performance. PMID:18043716

Associations of Genetic Variants in the PSCA, MUC1 and PLCE1 Genes with Stomach Cancer Susceptibility in a Chinese Population

PubMed Central

Sun, Hongwei; Wu, Xiaoli; Wu, Fang; Li, Ying; Yu, Zhengping; Chen, Xiangrong; Chen, Yunzhi; Yang, Wenjun

2015-01-01

Background Several genetic variants including PSCA rs2294008 C>T and rs2976392 G>A, MUC1 rs4072037 T>C, and PLCE1 rs2274223 A>G have shown significant association with stomach cancer risk in the previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Methods To evaluate associations of these SNPs in the Han Chinese, an independent hospital based case-control study was performed by genotyping these four polymorphisms in a total of 692 stomach cancer cases and 774 healthy controls acquired by using frequency matching for age and gender. False-positive report probability (FPRP) analysis was also performed to validate all statistically significant findings. Results In the current study, significant association with stomach cancer susceptibility was observed for all the four polymorphisms of interest. Specifically, a significant increased stomach cancer risk was associated with PSCA rs2294008 (CT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.07–1.74, and CT/TT vs.CC: adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.03–1.63), PSCA rs2976392 (AG vs. GG: adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.02–1.65, and AG/AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.00–1.59), or PLCE1 rs2274223 (AG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.15–1.90, and AG/GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.14–1.84), respectively. In contrast, MUC1 rs4072037 was shown to decrease the cancer risk (CT vs. TT: adjusted OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.60–0.98). Patients with more than one risk genotypes had significant increased risk to develop stomach cancer (adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.03–1.64), when compared with those having 0–1 risk genotypes. Stratified analysis indicated that the increased risk was more pronounced in younger subjects, men, ever smokers, smokers with pack years ≤ 27, patients with high BMI, or non-cardia stomach cancer. Conclusions This study substantiated the associations between four previous reported genetic variants and stomach cancer susceptibility in an independent Han Chinese population. Further studies with larger sample size and different ethnicities are warranted to validate our findings. PMID:25658482

An analytic modeling and system identification study of rotor/fuselage dynamics at hover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Steven W.; Curtiss, H. C., Jr.

1993-01-01

A combination of analytic modeling and system identification methods have been used to develop an improved dynamic model describing the response of articulated rotor helicopters to control inputs. A high-order linearized model of coupled rotor/body dynamics including flap and lag degrees of freedom and inflow dynamics with literal coefficients is compared to flight test data from single rotor helicopters in the near hover trim condition. The identification problem was formulated using the maximum likelihood function in the time domain. The dynamic model with literal coefficients was used to generate the model states, and the model was parametrized in terms of physical constants of the aircraft rather than the stability derivatives resulting in a significant reduction in the number of quantities to be identified. The likelihood function was optimized using the genetic algorithm approach. This method proved highly effective in producing an estimated model from flight test data which included coupled fuselage/rotor dynamics. Using this approach it has been shown that blade flexibility is a significant contributing factor to the discrepancies between theory and experiment shown in previous studies. Addition of flexible modes, properly incorporating the constraint due to the lag dampers, results in excellent agreement between flight test and theory, especially in the high frequency range.

Inhibiting social support from massage-like stroking increases morphine dependence.

PubMed

Bates, M L Shawn; Emery, Michael A; Wellman, Paul J; Eitan, Shoshana

2017-12-01

Our previous studies showed that altering solely the drug experience of the cage mates with which rodents are housed affects the development of morphine dependence. In this study, we used designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs to artificially increase or decrease the activity of peripheral dorsal root ganglia sensory neurons expressing the G-protein-coupled receptor MRGPRB4. This is because sensory MRGPRB4-expressing neurons were shown to specifically detect the sensation of massage-like stroking resulting from social grooming, which is an important affiliative social behavior in the rodent. Blocking the sensation of social grooming in morphine-treated mice housed with drug-naive mice (i.e. morphine cage mates) significantly increased the display of jumping behavior in morphine-withdrawn animals. Activating the sensation of social grooming in morphine-treated animals housed solely with other morphine-treated animals (i.e. morphine only) did not significantly alter the display of jumping behavior in morphine-withdrawn animals. Repetitive jumping behaviors have been shown to correlate with morphine dependence. Thus, this study showed a role of social grooming in the protective effect of being housed with drug-naive mice on the development of morphine dependence. It further confirms a role of social support in the development of substance use problems.

The thrombospondin-1 N700S polymorphism is associated with early myocardial infarction without altering von Willebrand factor multimer size.

PubMed

Zwicker, Jeffrey I; Peyvandi, Flora; Palla, Roberta; Lombardi, Rossana; Canciani, Maria Teresa; Cairo, Andrea; Ardissino, Diego; Bernardinelli, Luisa; Bauer, Kenneth A; Lawler, Jack; Mannucci, Pier

2006-08-15

The N700S polymorphism of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) has been identified as a potential genetic risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). In a large case-control study of 1425 individuals who survived a myocardial infarction prior to age 45, the N700S polymorphism was a significant risk factor for myocardial infarction in both homozygous (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.3, P = .01) and heterozygous carriers of the S700 allele (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-3.3, P = .01). TSP-1 has been shown to reduce von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimer size, and the domain responsible for VWF-reducing activity has been localized to the calcium-binding C-terminal sequence. As the N700S polymorphism was previously shown to alter the function of this domain, we investigated whether the altered VWF-reducing activity of TSP-1 underlies the observed prothrombotic phenotype. The TSP1 N700S polymorphism did not influence VWF multimer size in patients homozygous for either allele nor was there a significant reduction of VWF multimer size following incubation with recombinant N700S fragments or platelet-derived TSP-1.

The thrombospondin-1 N700S polymorphism is associated with early myocardial infarction without altering von Willebrand factor multimer size

PubMed Central

Zwicker, Jeffrey I.; Peyvandi, Flora; Palla, Roberta; Lombardi, Rossana; Canciani, Maria Teresa; Cairo, Andrea; Ardissino, Diego; Bernardinelli, Luisa; Bauer, Kenneth A.; Lawler, Jack; Mannucci, Pier

2006-01-01

The N700S polymorphism of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) has been identified as a potential genetic risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). In a large case-control study of 1425 individuals who survived a myocardial infarction prior to age 45, the N700S polymorphism was a significant risk factor for myocardial infarction in both homozygous (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.3, P = .01) and heterozygous carriers of the S700 allele (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-3.3, P = .01). TSP-1 has been shown to reduce von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimer size, and the domain responsible for VWF-reducing activity has been localized to the calcium-binding C-terminal sequence. As the N700S polymorphism was previously shown to alter the function of this domain, we investigated whether the altered VWF-reducing activity of TSP-1 underlies the observed prothrombotic phenotype. The TSP1 N700S polymorphism did not influence VWF multimer size in patients homozygous for either allele nor was there a significant reduction of VWF multimer size following incubation with recombinant N700S fragments or platelet-derived TSP-1. PMID:16684956

Changes in expression of genes involved in apoptosis in activated human T-cells in response to modeled microgravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Nancy E.; Pellis, Neal R.; Risin, Diana; Risin, Semyon A.; Liu, Wenbin

2006-09-01

Space flights result in remarkable effects on various physiological systems, including a decline in cellular immune functions. Previous studies have shown that exposure to microgravity, both true and modeled, can cause significant changes in numerous lymphocyte functions. The purpose of this study was to search for microgravity-sensitive genes, and specifically for apoptotic genes influenced by the microgravity environment and other genes related to immune response. The experiments were performed on anti-CD3 and IL-2 activated human T cells. To model microgravity conditions we have utilized the NASA rotating wall vessel bioreactor. Control lymphocytes were cultured in static 1g conditions. To assess gene expression we used DNA microarray chip technology. We had shown that multiple genes (approximately 3-8% of tested genes) respond to microgravity conditions by 1.5 and more fold change in expression. There is a significant variability in the response. However, a certain reproducible pattern in gene response could be identified. Among the genes showing reproducible changes in expression in modeled microgravity, several genes involved in apoptosis as well as in immune response were identified. These are IL-7 receptor, Granzyme B, Beta-3-endonexin, Apo2 ligand and STAT1. Possible functional consequences of these changes are discussed.

An analytic modeling and system identification study of rotor/fuselage dynamics at hover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Steven W.; Curtiss, H. C., Jr.

1993-01-01

A combination of analytic modeling and system identification methods have been used to develop an improved dynamic model describing the response of articulated rotor helicopters to control inputs. A high-order linearized model of coupled rotor/body dynamics including flap and lag degrees of freedom and inflow dynamics with literal coefficients is compared to flight test data from single rotor helicopters in the near hover trim condition. The identification problem was formulated using the maximum likelihood function in the time domain. The dynamic model with literal coefficients was used to generate the model states, and the model was parametrized in terms of physical constants of the aircraft rather than the stability derivatives, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of quantities to be identified. The likelihood function was optimized using the genetic algorithm approach. This method proved highly effective in producing an estimated model from flight test data which included coupled fuselage/rotor dynamics. Using this approach it has been shown that blade flexibility is a significant contributing factor to the discrepancies between theory and experiment shown in previous studies. Addition of flexible modes, properly incorporating the constraint due to the lag dampers, results in excellent agreement between flight test and theory, especially in the high frequency range.

Controlled Delivery of a Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibitor Results in Accelerated Wound Closure with Decreased Scar Formation.

PubMed

Ma, Kun; Kwon, Sun Hyung; Padmanabhan, Jagannath; Duscher, Dominik; Trotsyuk, Artem A; Dong, Yixiao; Inayathullah, Mohammed; Rajadas, Jayakumar; Gurtner, Geoffrey C

2018-05-15

Formation of scars following wounding or trauma represents a significant healthcare burden costing the economy billions of dollars every year. Activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has been shown to play a pivotal role in transducing mechanical signals to elicit fibrotic responses and scar formation during wound repair. We have previously shown that inhibition of FAK using local injections of a small molecule FAK inhibitor (FAKI) can attenuate scar development in a hypertrophic scar model. Clinical translation of FAKI therapy has been challenging, however, due to the lack of an effective drug delivery system for extensive burn injuries, blast injuries, and large excisional injuries. To address this issue, we have developed a pullulan collagen-based hydrogel to deliver FAKI to excisional and burn wounds in mice. Specifically, two distinct drug-laden hydrogels were developed for rapid or sustained release of FAKI for treatment of burn wounds and excisional wounds, respectively. Controlled delivery of FAKI via pullulan collagen hydrogels accelerated wound healing, reduced collagen deposition and activation of scar forming myofibroblasts in both wound healing models. Our study highlights a biomaterial-based drug delivery approach for wound and scar management that has significant translational implications. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Targeting Alertness to Improve Cognition in Older Adults: A Preliminary Report of Benefits in Executive Function and Skill Acquisition

PubMed Central

Van Vleet, Thomas M.; DeGutis, Joseph M.; Merzenich, Michael M.; Simpson, Gregory V.; Zomet, Ativ; Dabit, Sawsan

2016-01-01

Efficient self-regulation of alertness declines with age exacerbating normal declines in performance across multiple cognitive domains, including learning and skill acquisition. Previous cognitive intervention studies have shown that it is possible to enhance alertness in patients with acquired brain injury and marked attention impairments, and that this benefit generalizes to improvements in more global cognitive functions. In the current preliminary studies, we sought to test whether this approach, that targets both tonic (over a period of minutes) and phasic (moment-to-moment) alertness, can improve key executive functioning declines in older adults, and enhance the rate of skill acquisition. The results of both experiments 1 and 2 demonstrate that, compared to active control training, alertness training significantly enhanced performance in several validated executive function measures. In experiment 2, alertness training significantly improved skill acquisition compared to active control training in a well-characterized speed of processing task, with the largest benefits shown in the most challenging speed of processing blocks. The results of the current study suggest that targeting intrinsic alertness in cognitive training provides a novel approach to improve executive functions in older adults and may be a useful adjunct treatment to enhance benefits gained in other clinically validated treatments. PMID:27372902

Optimization of advanced Wiener estimation methods for Raman reconstruction from narrow-band measurements in the presence of fluorescence background

PubMed Central

Chen, Shuo; Ong, Yi Hong; Lin, Xiaoqian; Liu, Quan

2015-01-01

Raman spectroscopy has shown great potential in biomedical applications. However, intrinsically weak Raman signals cause slow data acquisition especially in Raman imaging. This problem can be overcome by narrow-band Raman imaging followed by spectral reconstruction. Our previous study has shown that Raman spectra free of fluorescence background can be reconstructed from narrow-band Raman measurements using traditional Wiener estimation. However, fluorescence-free Raman spectra are only available from those sophisticated Raman setups capable of fluorescence suppression. The reconstruction of Raman spectra with fluorescence background from narrow-band measurements is much more challenging due to the significant variation in fluorescence background. In this study, two advanced Wiener estimation methods, i.e. modified Wiener estimation and sequential weighted Wiener estimation, were optimized to achieve this goal. Both spontaneous Raman spectra and surface enhanced Raman spectra were evaluated. Compared with traditional Wiener estimation, two advanced methods showed significant improvement in the reconstruction of spontaneous Raman spectra. However, traditional Wiener estimation can work as effectively as the advanced methods for SERS spectra but much faster. The wise selection of these methods would enable accurate Raman reconstruction in a simple Raman setup without the function of fluorescence suppression for fast Raman imaging. PMID:26203387

Lipid-load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: Impact of food-consumption, dietary-macronutrients, extracellular lipid availability and demographic factors.

PubMed

Ameer, Fatima; Munir, Rimsha; Usman, Hina; Rashid, Rida; Shahjahan, Muhammad; Hasnain, Shahida; Zaidi, Nousheen

2017-04-01

Lipid-load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) has recently gained attention of the researchers working on nutritional regulation of metabolic health. Previous works have indicated that the metabolic circuitries in the circulating PBMCs are influenced by dietary-intake and macronutrient composition of diet. In the present work, we analyzed the impact of diet and dietary macronutrients on PBMCs' lipid-load. The overall analyses revealed that dietary carbohydrates and fats combinatorially induce triglyceride accumulation in PBMCs. On the other hand, dietary fats were shown to induce significant decrease in PBMCs' cholesterol-load. The effects of various demographic factors -including age, gender and body-weight- on PBMCs' lipid-load were also examined. Body-weight and age were both shown to affect PBMC's lipid-load. Our study fails to provide any direct association between extracellular lipid availability and cholesterol-load in both, freshly isolated and cultured PBMCs. The presented work significantly contributes to the current understanding of the impact of food-consumption, dietary macronutrients, extracellular lipid availability and demographic factors on lipid-load in PBMCs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

The oncolytic peptide LTX-315 induces cell death and DAMP release by mitochondria distortion in human melanoma cells

PubMed Central

Eike, Liv-Marie; Yang, Nannan; Rekdal, Øystein; Sveinbjørnsson, Baldur

2015-01-01

Host defense peptides (HDPs) are naturally occurring molecules found in most species, in which they play a significant role in the first line defense against intruding pathogens, and several HDPs have been shown to possess anticancer activity. Structure-activity relationship studies on the HDP bovine lactoferricin revealed a de novo design of a nonamer peptide LTX-315, with oncolytic properties. In the present study, we investigated the oncolytic activity of LTX-315 in human melanoma cells (A375). LTX-315 induced a rapid plasma membrane disruption and cell death within 2 hours. At a low concentration, fluorescence-labeled LTX-315 was internalized and accumulated in cytoplasmic vacuoles in close proximity to the mitochondria. The mitochondrial membrane potential was shown to depolarize as a consequence of LTX-315 treatment and at ultrastructural level, the mitochondria morphology was significantly altered. Release of danger signals (DAMPs) such as ATP, Cytochrome C and HMGB1 into the cell supernatant of cultured cells was evident minutes after peptide treatment. The oncolytic effect of LTX-315 involving perturbation of both the cell membrane and the mitochondria with subsequent release of DAMPs may highlight the ability of LTX-315 to induce complete regression and long-term protective immune responses as previously reported in experimental animal models. PMID:26472184

THE McGill PLANAR HYDROGEN ATMOSPHERE CODE (McPHAC)

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

Haakonsen, Christian Bernt; Turner, Monica L.; Tacik, Nick A.

2012-04-10

The McGill Planar Hydrogen Atmosphere Code (McPHAC) v1.1 calculates the hydrostatic equilibrium structure and emergent spectrum of an unmagnetized hydrogen atmosphere in the plane-parallel approximation, at surface gravities appropriate for neutron stars. McPHAC incorporates several improvements over previous codes for which tabulated model spectra are available: (1) Thomson scattering is treated anisotropically, which is shown to result in a 0.2%-3% correction in the emergent spectral flux across the 0.1-5 keV passband; (2) the McPHAC source code is made available to the community, allowing it to be scrutinized and modified by other researchers wishing to study or extend its capabilities; andmore » (3) the numerical uncertainty resulting from the discrete and iterative solution is studied as a function of photon energy, indicating that McPHAC is capable of producing spectra with numerical uncertainties <0.01%. The accuracy of the spectra may at present be limited to {approx}1%, but McPHAC enables researchers to study the impact of uncertain inputs and additional physical effects, thereby supporting future efforts to reduce those inaccuracies. Comparison of McPHAC results with spectra from one of the previous model atmosphere codes (NSA) shows agreement to {approx}<1% near the peaks of the emergent spectra. However, in the Wien tail a significant deficit of flux in the spectra of the previous model is revealed, determined to be due to the previous work not considering large enough optical depths at the highest photon frequencies. The deficit is most significant for spectra with T{sub eff} < 10{sup 5.6} K, though even there it may not be of much practical importance for most observations.« less

Epistatic Effects Contribute to Variation in BMD in Fischer 344 × Lewis F2 Rats

PubMed Central

Koller, Daniel L; Liu, Lixiang; Alam, Imranul; Sun, Qiwei; Econs, Michael J; Foroud, Tatiana; Turner, Charles H

2008-01-01

To further delineate the factors underlying the complex genetic architecture of BMD in the rat model, a genome screen for epistatic interactions was conducted. Several significant interactions were identified, involving both previously identified and novel QTLs. Introduction The variation in several of the risk factors for osteoporotic fracture, including BMD, has been shown to be caused largely by genetic differences. However, the genetic architecture of BMD is complex in both humans and in model organisms. We have previously reported quantitative trait locus (QTL) results for BMD from a genome screen of 595 female F2 progeny of Fischer 344 and Lewis rats. These progeny also provide an excellent opportunity to search for epistatic effects, or interaction between genetic loci, that contribute to fracture risk. Materials and Methods Microsatellite marker data from a 20-cM genome screen was analyzed along with weight-adjusted BMD (DXA and pQCT) phenotypic data using the R/qtl software package. Genotype and phenotype data were permuted to determine a genome-wide significance threshold for the epistasis or interaction LOD score corresponding to an α level of 0.01. Results and Conclusions Novel loci on chromosomes 12 and 15 showed a strong epistatic effect on total BMD at the femoral midshaft by pQCT (LOD = 5.4). A previously reported QTL on chromosome 7 was found to interact with a novel locus on chromosome 20 to affect whole lumbar BMD by pQCT (LOD = 6.2). These results provide new information regarding the mode of action of previously identified rat QTLs, as well as identifying novel loci that act in combination with known QTLs or with other novel loci to contribute to the risk factors for osteoporotic fracture. PMID:17907919

Epistatic effects contribute to variation in BMD in Fischer 344 x Lewis F2 rats.

PubMed

Koller, Daniel L; Liu, Lixiang; Alam, Imranul; Sun, Qiwei; Econs, Michael J; Foroud, Tatiana; Turner, Charles H

2008-01-01

To further delineate the factors underlying the complex genetic architecture of BMD in the rat model, a genome screen for epistatic interactions was conducted. Several significant interactions were identified, involving both previously identified and novel QTLs. The variation in several of the risk factors for osteoporotic fracture, including BMD, has been shown to be caused largely by genetic differences. However, the genetic architecture of BMD is complex in both humans and in model organisms. We have previously reported quantitative trait locus (QTL) results for BMD from a genome screen of 595 female F(2) progeny of Fischer 344 and Lewis rats. These progeny also provide an excellent opportunity to search for epistatic effects, or interaction between genetic loci, that contribute to fracture risk. Microsatellite marker data from a 20-cM genome screen was analyzed along with weight-adjusted BMD (DXA and pQCT) phenotypic data using the R/qtl software package. Genotype and phenotype data were permuted to determine a genome-wide significance threshold for the epistasis or interaction LOD score corresponding to an alpha level of 0.01. Novel loci on chromosomes 12 and 15 showed a strong epistatic effect on total BMD at the femoral midshaft by pQCT (LOD = 5.4). A previously reported QTL on chromosome 7 was found to interact with a novel locus on chromosome 20 to affect whole lumbar BMD by pQCT (LOD = 6.2). These results provide new information regarding the mode of action of previously identified rat QTLs, as well as identifying novel loci that act in combination with known QTLs or with other novel loci to contribute to the risk factors for osteoporotic fracture.

The McGill Planar Hydrogen Atmosphere Code (McPHAC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haakonsen, Christian Bernt; Turner, Monica L.; Tacik, Nick A.; Rutledge, Robert E.

2012-04-01

The McGill Planar Hydrogen Atmosphere Code (McPHAC) v1.1 calculates the hydrostatic equilibrium structure and emergent spectrum of an unmagnetized hydrogen atmosphere in the plane-parallel approximation, at surface gravities appropriate for neutron stars. McPHAC incorporates several improvements over previous codes for which tabulated model spectra are available: (1) Thomson scattering is treated anisotropically, which is shown to result in a 0.2%-3% correction in the emergent spectral flux across the 0.1-5 keV passband; (2) the McPHAC source code is made available to the community, allowing it to be scrutinized and modified by other researchers wishing to study or extend its capabilities; and (3) the numerical uncertainty resulting from the discrete and iterative solution is studied as a function of photon energy, indicating that McPHAC is capable of producing spectra with numerical uncertainties <0.01%. The accuracy of the spectra may at present be limited to ~1%, but McPHAC enables researchers to study the impact of uncertain inputs and additional physical effects, thereby supporting future efforts to reduce those inaccuracies. Comparison of McPHAC results with spectra from one of the previous model atmosphere codes (NSA) shows agreement to lsim1% near the peaks of the emergent spectra. However, in the Wien tail a significant deficit of flux in the spectra of the previous model is revealed, determined to be due to the previous work not considering large enough optical depths at the highest photon frequencies. The deficit is most significant for spectra with T eff < 105.6 K, though even there it may not be of much practical importance for most observations.

McPHAC: McGill Planar Hydrogen Atmosphere Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haakonsen, Christian Bernt; Turner, Monica L.; Tacik, Nick A.; Rutledge, Robert E.

2012-10-01

The McGill Planar Hydrogen Atmosphere Code (McPHAC) v1.1 calculates the hydrostatic equilibrium structure and emergent spectrum of an unmagnetized hydrogen atmosphere in the plane-parallel approximation at surface gravities appropriate for neutron stars. McPHAC incorporates several improvements over previous codes for which tabulated model spectra are available: (1) Thomson scattering is treated anisotropically, which is shown to result in a 0.2%-3% correction in the emergent spectral flux across the 0.1-5 keV passband; (2) the McPHAC source code is made available to the community, allowing it to be scrutinized and modified by other researchers wishing to study or extend its capabilities; and (3) the numerical uncertainty resulting from the discrete and iterative solution is studied as a function of photon energy, indicating that McPHAC is capable of producing spectra with numerical uncertainties <0.01%. The accuracy of the spectra may at present be limited to ~1%, but McPHAC enables researchers to study the impact of uncertain inputs and additional physical effects, thereby supporting future efforts to reduce those inaccuracies. Comparison of McPHAC results with spectra from one of the previous model atmosphere codes (NSA) shows agreement to lsim1% near the peaks of the emergent spectra. However, in the Wien tail a significant deficit of flux in the spectra of the previous model is revealed, determined to be due to the previous work not considering large enough optical depths at the highest photon frequencies. The deficit is most significant for spectra with T eff < 105.6 K, though even there it may not be of much practical importance for most observations.

Performance of polygenic scores for predicting phobic anxiety.

PubMed

Walter, Stefan; Glymour, M Maria; Koenen, Karestan; Liang, Liming; Tchetgen Tchetgen, Eric J; Cornelis, Marilyn; Chang, Shun-Chiao; Rimm, Eric; Kawachi, Ichiro; Kubzansky, Laura D

2013-01-01

Anxiety disorders are common, with a lifetime prevalence of 20% in the U.S., and are responsible for substantial burdens of disability, missed work days and health care utilization. To date, no causal genetic variants have been identified for anxiety, anxiety disorders, or related traits. To investigate whether a phobic anxiety symptom score was associated with 3 alternative polygenic risk scores, derived from external genome-wide association studies of anxiety, an internally estimated agnostic polygenic score, or previously identified candidate genes. Longitudinal follow-up study. Using linear and logistic regression we investigated whether phobic anxiety was associated with polygenic risk scores derived from internal, leave-one out genome-wide association studies, from 31 candidate genes, and from out-of-sample genome-wide association weights previously shown to predict depression and anxiety in another cohort. Study participants (n = 11,127) were individuals from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Anxiety symptoms were assessed via the 8-item phobic anxiety scale of the Crown Crisp Index at two time points, from which a continuous phenotype score was derived. We found no genome-wide significant associations with phobic anxiety. Phobic anxiety was also not associated with a polygenic risk score derived from the genome-wide association study beta weights using liberal p-value thresholds; with a previously published genome-wide polygenic score; or with a candidate gene risk score based on 31 genes previously hypothesized to predict anxiety. There is a substantial gap between twin-study heritability estimates of anxiety disorders ranging between 20-40% and heritability explained by genome-wide association results. New approaches such as improved genome imputations, application of gene expression and biological pathways information, and incorporating social or environmental modifiers of genetic risks may be necessary to identify significant genetic predictors of anxiety.

Management of cervical spine injuries in young children: lessons learned.

PubMed

Smith, Jodi L; Ackerman, Laurie L

2009-07-01

Previous studies have shown that the correct use of car safety seats can protect infants and children from vehicular injury. Although child passenger devices are increasingly used in the US, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death and acquired disability in infants and children younger than 14 years of age. These events are likely related, at least in part, to the high percentage of children who are unrestrained or improperly restrained. The authors present 2 cases of severe cervical spine trauma in young children restrained in car safety seats during a motor vehicle crash: 1) a previously healthy 14-month-old girl who was improperly restrained in a forward-facing booster seat secured to the vehicle by a lap belt, and 2) a previously healthy 30-month-old girl who was a rear seat passenger restrained in a car safety seat. This study points out the unique challenges encountered in treating cervical spine injuries in infants and young children, as well as the lessons learned, and emphasizes the significance of continuing efforts to increase family and public awareness regarding the importance of appropriate child safety seat selection and use.

Limits to the Fraction of High-energy Photon Emitting Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerlof, Carl W.; Zheng, WeiKang

2013-02-01

After almost four years of operation, the two instruments on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have shown that the number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with high-energy photon emission above 100 MeV cannot exceed roughly 9% of the total number of all such events, at least at the present detection limits. In a recent paper, we found that GRBs with photons detected in the Large Area Telescope have a surprisingly broad distribution with respect to the observed event photon number. Extrapolation of our empirical fit to numbers of photons below our previous detection limit suggests that the overall rate of such low flux events could be estimated by standard image co-adding techniques. In this case, we have taken advantage of the excellent angular resolution of the Swift mission to provide accurate reference points for 79 GRB events which have eluded any previous correlations with high-energy photons. We find a small but significant signal in the co-added field. Guided by the extrapolated power-law fit previously obtained for the number distribution of GRBs with higher fluxes, the data suggest that only a small fraction of GRBs are sources of high-energy photons.

Evidence for view-invariant face recognition units in unfamiliar face learning.

PubMed

Etchells, David B; Brooks, Joseph L; Johnston, Robert A

2017-05-01

Many models of face recognition incorporate the idea of a face recognition unit (FRU), an abstracted representation formed from each experience of a face which aids recognition under novel viewing conditions. Some previous studies have failed to find evidence of this FRU representation. Here, we report three experiments which investigated this theoretical construct by modifying the face learning procedure from that in previous work. During learning, one or two views of previously unfamiliar faces were shown to participants in a serial matching task. Later, participants attempted to recognize both seen and novel views of the learned faces (recognition phase). Experiment 1 tested participants' recognition of a novel view, a day after learning. Experiment 2 was identical, but tested participants on the same day as learning. Experiment 3 repeated Experiment 1, but tested participants on a novel view that was outside the rotation of those views learned. Results revealed a significant advantage, across all experiments, for recognizing a novel view when two views had been learned compared to single view learning. The observed view invariance supports the notion that an FRU representation is established during multi-view face learning under particular learning conditions.

Activation Changes in Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) Brain Areas Evoked by Alterations of the Earth Magnetic Field

PubMed Central

Keary, Nina; Bischof, Hans-Joachim

2012-01-01

Many animals are able to perceive the earth magnetic field and to use it for orientation and navigation within the environment. The mechanisms underlying the perception and processing of magnetic field information within the brain have been thoroughly studied, especially in birds, but are still obscure. Three hypotheses are currently discussed, dealing with ferromagnetic particles in the beak of birds, with the same sort of particles within the lagena organs, or describing magnetically influenced radical-pair processes within retinal photopigments. Each hypothesis is related to a well-known sensory organ and claims parallel processing of magnetic field information with somatosensory, vestibular and visual input, respectively. Changes in activation within nuclei of the respective sensory systems have been shown previously. Most of these previous experiments employed intensity enhanced magnetic stimuli or lesions. We here exposed unrestrained zebra finches to either a stationary or a rotating magnetic field of the local intensity and inclination. C-Fos was used as an activity marker to examine whether the two treatments led to differences in fourteen brain areas including nuclei of the somatosensory, vestibular and visual system. An ANOVA revealed an overall effect of treatment, indicating that the magnetic field change was perceived by the birds. While the differences were too small to be significant in most areas, a significant enhancement of activation by the rotating stimulus was found in a hippocampal subdivision. Part of the hyperpallium showed a strong, nearly significant, increase. Our results are compatible with previous studies demonstrating an involvement of at least three different sensory systems in earth magnetic field perception and suggest that these systems, probably less elaborated, may also be found in nonmigrating birds. PMID:22679515

Tobacco consumption and antidepressant use are associated with the rate of completed suicide in Hungary: an ecological study.

PubMed

Döme, Péter; Kapitány, Balázs; Ignits, Györgyi; Porkoláb, Lajos; Rihmer, Zoltán

2011-04-01

The suicide rate of Hungary is the highest in the world averaged over the last century but it has shown a very pronounced decrease since 1987. To explore the background of this decrease we investigated the associations between some known suicide-related factors (i.e. tobacco use, antidepressant use and alcohol consumption at the population level) and the suicide rate between 1985 and 2008. The total number of man-hours worked per year by psychiatrists in the outpatient service system and real GDP growth were also monitored in our study. A time series analysis model was constructed to investigate the associations between the above variables and the suicide rate. In the unadjusted model annual tobacco consumption was significantly associated with the suicide rate in a positive manner, while antidepressant use and man-hours were significantly associated with the suicide rate in a negative manner. After adjustment, the associations remained significant only for tobacco consumption and antidepressant use. Neither alcohol consumption nor real GDP growth was associated with the suicide rate in any models. Our results from group-level data confirmed the role of smoking in suicidal behavior previously suggested mainly by studies using individual-level data and also corroborated the results of previous ecological studies concerning the inverse association between antidepressant use and suicide rate. These findings and the results of previous studies - investigating the relationship between smoking and the risk of suicidal behavior at the individual-level - may suggest that programs to prevent tobacco use or to address the widespread recognition and treatment of depression may also prevent suicidality. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Positive Effects of an Anti-Aggression and De-Escalation Training on Ward Atmosphere and Subjective Safety May Depend on Previous Training Experience.

PubMed

Fröhlich, Daniela; Rabenschlag, Franziska; Schoppmann, Susanne; Borgwardt, Stefan; Lang, Undine E; Huber, Christian G

2018-01-01

Anti-aggression and de-escalation (ADE) trainings of health-care professionals working on psychiatric inpatient wards have been shown to increase staff knowledge and confidence, which could be connected with higher subjective safety. Additionally, a potential reduction of aggressive incidents could improve ward atmosphere. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of ADE training on ward atmosphere and subjective safety. In 2015, an ADE training was established at the Psychiatric University Clinics (UPK), University of Basel. Nursing staff from 22 wards received theoretical and practical training over the course of 5 days. Ward atmosphere and subjective safety were assessed using the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES). A total of 46 people had been assessed in 2012 before training implementation (baseline), and 45 persons in 2016 after implementation. In the 2016 group, 23 people had previously participated in an ADE training, and 22 were first-time participants. Patients' coherence ( p  = 0.004), subjective safety ( p  = 0.004), and ward atmosphere ( p  = 0.001) were rated significantly higher by first-time ADE training participants compared to baseline, and patients' coherence ( p  = 0.029) and ward atmosphere ( p  = 0.011) were rated significantly higher by first-time ADE training participants than by nurses with prior ADE training. There were no significant differences regarding any EssenCES ratings by nurses with prior ADE training compared to baseline. ADE training was exclusively connected with higher ratings on most EssenCES scales for first-time participants. This indicates that the positive effects of ADE training may depend on previous training experience.

Electroencephalogram approximate entropy influenced by both age and sleep.

PubMed

Lee, Gerick M H; Fattinger, Sara; Mouthon, Anne-Laure; Noirhomme, Quentin; Huber, Reto

2013-01-01

The use of information-based measures to assess changes in conscious state is an increasingly popular topic. Though recent results have seemed to justify the merits of such methods, little has been done to investigate the applicability of such measures to children. For our work, we used the approximate entropy (ApEn), a measure previously shown to correlate with changes in conscious state when applied to the electroencephalogram (EEG), and sought to confirm whether previously reported trends in adult ApEn values across wake and sleep were present in children. Besides validating the prior findings that ApEn decreases from wake to sleep (including wake, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and non-REM sleep) in adults, we found that previously reported ApEn decreases across vigilance states in adults were also present in children (ApEn trends for both age groups: wake > REM sleep > non-REM sleep). When comparing ApEn values between age groups, adults had significantly larger ApEn values than children during wakefulness. After the application of an 8 Hz high-pass filter to the EEG signal, ApEn values were recalculated. The number of electrodes with significant vigilance state effects dropped from all 109 electrodes with the original 1 Hz filter to 1 electrode with the 8 Hz filter. The number of electrodes with significant age effects dropped from 10 to 4. Our results support the notion that ApEn can reliably distinguish between vigilance states, with low-frequency sleep-related oscillations implicated as the driver of changes between vigilance states. We suggest that the observed differences between adult and child ApEn values during wake may reflect differences in connectivity between age groups, a factor which may be important in the use of EEG to measure consciousness.

Correlation of pathologic features with CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) by quantitative DNA methylation analysis in colorectal carcinoma.

PubMed

Ogino, Shuji; Odze, Robert D; Kawasaki, Takako; Brahmandam, Mohan; Kirkner, Gregory J; Laird, Peter W; Loda, Massimo; Fuchs, Charles S

2006-09-01

Extensive gene promoter methylation in colorectal carcinoma has been termed the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP). Previous studies on CIMP used primarily methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which, unfortunately, may detect low levels of methylation that has little or no biological significance. Utilizing quantitative real-time PCR (MethyLight), we measured DNA methylation in a panel of 5 CIMP-specific gene promoters (CACNA1G, CDKN2A (p16), CRABP1, MLH1, and NEUROG1) in 459 colorectal carcinomas obtained from 2 large prospective cohort studies. CIMP was defined as tumors that showed methylation in >or=4/5 promoters. CIMP was significantly associated with the presence of mucinous or signet ring cell morphology, marked Crohn's-like lymphoid reaction, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, marked peritumoral lymphocytic reaction, tumor necrosis, tumor cell sheeting, and poor differentiation. All these features have previously been associated with microsatellite instability (MSI). Therefore, we divided the 459 colorectal carcinomas into 6 subtypes, namely, MSI-high (MSI-H)/CIMP, MSI-H/non-CIMP, MSI-low (MSI-L)/CIMP, MSI-L/non-CIMP, microsatellite stable/CIMP, and micro satellite sstable/non-CIMP. Compared with MSI-H/non-CIMP, MSI-H/CIMP was associated with marked tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor necrosis, sheeting, and poor differentiation (all P

Activation changes in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) brain areas evoked by alterations of the earth magnetic field.

PubMed

Keary, Nina; Bischof, Hans-Joachim

2012-01-01

Many animals are able to perceive the earth magnetic field and to use it for orientation and navigation within the environment. The mechanisms underlying the perception and processing of magnetic field information within the brain have been thoroughly studied, especially in birds, but are still obscure. Three hypotheses are currently discussed, dealing with ferromagnetic particles in the beak of birds, with the same sort of particles within the lagena organs, or describing magnetically influenced radical-pair processes within retinal photopigments. Each hypothesis is related to a well-known sensory organ and claims parallel processing of magnetic field information with somatosensory, vestibular and visual input, respectively. Changes in activation within nuclei of the respective sensory systems have been shown previously. Most of these previous experiments employed intensity enhanced magnetic stimuli or lesions. We here exposed unrestrained zebra finches to either a stationary or a rotating magnetic field of the local intensity and inclination. C-Fos was used as an activity marker to examine whether the two treatments led to differences in fourteen brain areas including nuclei of the somatosensory, vestibular and visual system. An ANOVA revealed an overall effect of treatment, indicating that the magnetic field change was perceived by the birds. While the differences were too small to be significant in most areas, a significant enhancement of activation by the rotating stimulus was found in a hippocampal subdivision. Part of the hyperpallium showed a strong, nearly significant, increase. Our results are compatible with previous studies demonstrating an involvement of at least three different sensory systems in earth magnetic field perception and suggest that these systems, probably less elaborated, may also be found in nonmigrating birds.

Identification of the Transformational Properties and Transcriptional Targets of the Oncogenic SRY Transcription Factor SOX4

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

has also been implicated in tumorigenesis of multiple tumor types and has been shown by our lab to be upregulated in prostate cancer. However, the...mobility group (HMG) DNA-binding domain (DBD) related to the TCF/LEF family of transcription factors. Our lab has previously shown SOX4 mRNA and...protein to be overexpressed in prostate cancer, and this expression is correlated with increasing Gleason score. Other labs have shown SOX4 mRNA to be

Effects of Ramadan fasting on cardiovascular risk factors: a prospective observational study.

PubMed

Nematy, Mohsen; Alinezhad-Namaghi, Maryam; Rashed, Masoud Mahdavi; Mozhdehifard, Mostafa; Sajjadi, Seyedeh Sania; Akhlaghi, Saeed; Sabery, Maryam; Mohajeri, Seyed Amir R; Shalaey, Neda; Moohebati, Mohsen; Norouzy, Abdolreza

2012-09-10

Previous research has shown that Ramadan fasting has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, however there are controversies. In the present study, the effect of Ramadan fasting on cardiovascular risk factors has been investigated. This is a prospective observational study that was carried out in a group of patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor (including history of documented previous history of either coronary artery disease (CAD), metabolic syndrome or cerebro-vascular disease in past 10 y). Eighty two volunteers including 38 male and 44 female, aged 29-70 y, mean 54.0 ± 10 y, with a previous history of either coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome or cerebro-vascular disease were recruited. Subjects attended the metabolic unit after at least 10 h fasting, before and after Ramadan who were been fasting for at least 10 days. A fasting blood sample was obtained, blood pressure was measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Lipids profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and insulin, homocysteine (hcy), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and complete blood count (CBC) were analyzed on all blood samples. A significant improvement in 10 years coronary heart disease risk (based on Framingham risk score) was found (13.0 ± 8 before Ramadan and 10.8 ±7 after Ramadan, P <0.001, t test).There was a significant higher HDL-c, WBC, RBC and platelet count (PLT), and lower plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, VLDL-c, systolic blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference after Ramadan (P <0.05, t test). The changes in FBS, insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), hcy, hs-CRP and diastolic blood pressure before and after Ramadan were not significant (P >0.05, t test). This study shows a significant improvement in 10 years coronary heart disease risk score and other cardiovascular risk factors such as lipids profile, systolic blood pressure, weight, BMI and waist circumference in subjects with a previous history of cardiovascular disease.

Measuring the Specific Heat of Metals by Cooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dittrich, William; Minkin, Leonid; Shapovalov, Alexander S.

2010-01-01

Three in one? Yes, three standard undergraduate thermodynamics experiments in one, not an oval can of lubricating oil. Previously it has been shown that the PASCO scientific apparatus for measuring coefficients of thermal expansion of metals can also be used to illustrate Newton's law of cooling in the same experiment. Now it will be shown that by…

Improving Emotional Face Perception in Autism with Diuretic Bumetanide: A Proof-of-Concept Behavioral and Functional Brain Imaging Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadjikhani, Nouchine; Zürcher, Nicole R; Rogier, Ophelie; Ruest, Torsten; Hippolyte, Loyse; Ben-Ari, Yehezkel; Lemonnier, Eric

2015-01-01

Clinical observations have shown that GABA-acting benzodiazepines exert paradoxical excitatory effects in autism, suggesting elevated intracellular chloride (Cl-)[subscript i] and excitatory action of GABA. In a previous double-blind randomized study, we have shown that the diuretic NKCC1 chloride importer antagonist bumetanide, that decreases…

Caffeine Reinforces Flavor Preference and Behavior in Moderate Users but Not in Low Caffeine Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dack, Charlotte; Reed, Phil

2009-01-01

The study examined the role of caffeine consumption in caffeine reinforcement. Previous findings have shown that caffeine reinforced flavor preference in moderate caffeine consumers who are caffeine deprived. However, most of these studies have employed rating procedures only, and have not shown the effectiveness of caffeine to reinforce behaviors…

Parental Belief and Parental Engagement: How Do They Interact?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodall, Janet

2013-01-01

Previous literature has shown the importance of parental engagement for children's outcomes; a largely separate body of literature has shown that there are clear effects on children's outcomes related to parental religion. This article is a literature review of these two fields, with the aim of relating them to each other. The article suggests two…

The Role of Resilience, Delayed Gratification and Stress in Predicting Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Vivienne; Catling, Jonathan

2015-01-01

Transition to university is an important and potentially stressful life event for students. Previous studies have shown that resilience, delay of gratification and stress can affect the academic performance of students. However, none have shown the effect of these factors in predicting academic performance, hence the current study aimed to look at…

The Dispersion Relation for the 1/sinh(exp 2) Potential in the Classical Limit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Joel

2009-01-01

The dispersion relation for the inverse hyperbolic potential is calculated in the classical limit. This is shown for both the low amplitude phonon branch and the high amplitude soliton branch. It is shown these results qualitatively follow that previously found for the inverse squared potential where explicit analytic solutions are known.

Control of high-Z PFC erosion by local gas injection in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudakov, D. L.; Stangeby, P. C.; Wong, C. P. C.; McLean, A. G.; Wampler, W. R.; Watkins, J. G.; Boedo, J. A.; Briesemeister, A.; Buchenauer, D. A.; Chrobak, C. P.; Elder, J. D.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; Guo, H. Y.; Lasnier, C. J.; Leonard, A. W.; Maingi, R.; Moyer, R. A.

2015-08-01

Reduced erosion of a high-Z PFC divertor surface was observed in DIII-D with local injection of methane and deuterium gases. Molybdenum-coated silicon samples were exposed in the lower divertor of DIII-D using DiMES under plasma conditions previously shown to cause significant net erosion of Mo. Three exposures with 13CH4 and one exposure with D2 gas injection about 12 cm upstream of the samples located within 1-2 cm of the attached strike point were performed. Reduction of Mo erosion was evidenced in-situ by the suppression of MoI line radiation at 386.4 nm once the gas injection started. Post-mortem ion beam analysis demonstrated that the net erosion of molybdenum near the center of the samples exposed with 13CH4 injection was below the measurement resolution of 0.5 nm, corresponding to a rate of ⩽0.04 nm/s. Compared to the previously measured erosion rates, this constitutes a reduction by a factor of >10.

Improving the Accuracy of the Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method Using Substeps

DOE PAGES

Isotalo, Aarno; Pusa, Maria

2016-05-01

The Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method (CRAM) for solving the decay and depletion of nuclides is shown to have a remarkable decrease in error when advancing the system with the same time step and microscopic reaction rates as the previous step. This property is exploited here to achieve high accuracy in any end-of-step solution by dividing a step into equidistant sub-steps. The computational cost of identical substeps can be reduced significantly below that of an equal number of regular steps, as the LU decompositions for the linear solves required in CRAM only need to be formed on the first substep. Themore » improved accuracy provided by substeps is most relevant in decay calculations, where there have previously been concerns about the accuracy and generality of CRAM. Lastly, with substeps, CRAM can solve any decay or depletion problem with constant microscopic reaction rates to an extremely high accuracy for all nuclides with concentrations above an arbitrary limit.« less

Single chamber microbial fuel cell with spiral anode for dairy wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Mardanpour, Mohammad Mahdi; Nasr Esfahany, Mohsen; Behzad, Tayebeh; Sedaqatvand, Ramin

2012-01-01

This study reports on the fabrication of a novel annular single chamber microbial fuel cell (ASCMFC) with spiral anode. The stainless steel mesh anode with graphite coating was used as anode. Dairy wastewater, containing complex organic matter, was used as substrate. ASCMFC had been operated for 450 h and results indicated a high open circuit voltage (about 810 mV) compared with previously published results. The maximum power density of 20.2 W/m(3) obtained in this study is significantly greater than the power densities reported in previous studies. Besides, a maximum coulombic efficiency of 26.87% with 91% COD removal was achieved. Good bacterial adhesion on the spiral anode is clearly shown in SEM micrographs. High power density and a successful performance in wastewater treatment in ASCMFC suggest it as a promising alternative to conventional MFCs for power generation and wastewater treatment. ASCMFC performance as a power generator was characterized based on polarization behavior and cell potentials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monthly prediction of air temperature in Australia and New Zealand with machine learning algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salcedo-Sanz, S.; Deo, R. C.; Carro-Calvo, L.; Saavedra-Moreno, B.

2016-07-01

Long-term air temperature prediction is of major importance in a large number of applications, including climate-related studies, energy, agricultural, or medical. This paper examines the performance of two Machine Learning algorithms (Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP)) in a problem of monthly mean air temperature prediction, from the previous measured values in observational stations of Australia and New Zealand, and climate indices of importance in the region. The performance of the two considered algorithms is discussed in the paper and compared to alternative approaches. The results indicate that the SVR algorithm is able to obtain the best prediction performance among all the algorithms compared in the paper. Moreover, the results obtained have shown that the mean absolute error made by the two algorithms considered is significantly larger for the last 20 years than in the previous decades, in what can be interpreted as a change in the relationship among the prediction variables involved in the training of the algorithms.

Thermal characteristics of the lunar surface layer.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cremers, C. J.; Birkebak, R. C.; White, J. E.

1972-01-01

The thermophysical properties of the fines from the Apollo 12 landing site have been determined as a function of their relevant parameters. These properties include the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, directional reflectance and emittance. The density used was the same as that observed from the returned core-tube samples and so should be close to the true density of the surface layer at the Apollo 12 site. The measured properties are used to calculate the diurnal temperature variation of the moon's surface as well as for several depths below the surface. The maximum surface of 389 K is obtained at lunar noon while the minimum temperature of 86.1 K is obtained at sunrise. It is shown that the most significant effects on temperature, as compared with previous calculations, are caused by using the directional reflectance which controls the amount of solar energy absorption during the day in place of a constant hemispherical reflectance. The results are compared with previous analyses and remote measurements.

Hypnotic suggestibility predicts the magnitude of the imaginative word blindness suggestion effect in a non-hypnotic context.

PubMed

Parris, Benjamin A; Dienes, Zoltan

2013-09-01

The present study investigated how the magnitude the word blindness suggestion effect on Stroop interference depended on hypnotic suggestibility when given as an imaginative suggestion (i.e. not post-hypnotic suggestion) and under conditions in which hypnosis was not mentioned. Hypnotic suggestibility is shown to be a significant predictor of the magnitude of the imaginative word blindness suggestion effect under these conditions. This is therefore the first study to show a linear relationship between the imaginative word blindness suggestion effect and hypnotic suggestibility across the whole hypnotizability spectrum. The results replicate previous findings showing that highs respond to the word blindness suggestion to a greater extent than lows but extend previous work by showing that the advantage for those higher on the hypnotizability spectrum occurs even in a non-hypnotic context. Negative attitudes about hypnosis may not explain the failure to observe similar effects of the word blindness suggestion in less hypnotizable individuals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GATA-dependent regulation of TPO-induced c-mpl gene expression during megakaryopoiesis.

PubMed

Sunohara, Masataka; Morikawa, Shigeru; Fuse, Akira; Sato, Iwao

2014-01-01

Thrombopoietin (TPO) and its receptor, c-Mpl, play the crucial role during megakaryocytopoiesis. Previously, we have shown that the promoter activity of c-mpl induced by TPO is modulated by transcription through a PKC-dependent pathway and that GATA(-77) is involved as a positive regulatory element in TPO-induced c-mpl gene expression in the megakaryoblastic CMK cells. In this research, to examine participating possibility of GATA promoter element in TPO- induced c-mpl gene expression through a PKC-independent pathway, the promoter activity of site-directed mutagenesis and the effect of potein kinase C modulator were measured by a transient transfection assay system. Together with our previous results on the TPO-induced c-mpl promoter, this study indicates destruction of -77GATA in c-mpl promoter decreased the activity by 47.3% under existence of GF109203. These results suggest that GATA promoter element plays significant role in TPO-induced c-mpl gene expression through a PKC-independent pathway.

Detection and attribution of flood change across the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archfield, Stacey

2017-04-01

In the United States, there have a been an increasing number of studies quantifying trends in the annual maximum flood; yet, few studies examine trends in floods that may occur more than once in a given year and even fewer assess trends in floods on rivers that have undergone substantial changes due to urbanization, land-cover change, and agricultural drainage practices. Previous research has shown that, for streamgages having minimal direct human intervention, trends in the peak magnitude, frequency, duration and volume of frequent floods (floods occurring at an average of two events per year relative to a base period) across the United States show large changes; however, few trends are found to be statistically significant. This study extends previous research to provide a comprehensive assessment of flood change across the United States that includes streamgages having experienced confounding alterations to streamflow (urbanization, storage, and land-cover changes) that provides a comprehensive assessment of flood change. Attribution of these changes is also explored.

Tissue classification using depth-dependent ultrasound time series analysis: in-vitro animal study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imani, Farhad; Daoud, Mohammad; Moradi, Mehdi; Abolmaesumi, Purang; Mousavi, Parvin

2011-03-01

Time series analysis of ultrasound radio-frequency (RF) signals has been shown to be an effective tissue classification method. Previous studies of this method for tissue differentiation at high and clinical-frequencies have been reported. In this paper, analysis of RF time series is extended to improve tissue classification at the clinical frequencies by including novel features extracted from the time series spectrum. The primary feature examined is the Mean Central Frequency (MCF) computed for regions of interest (ROIs) in the tissue extending along the axial axis of the transducer. In addition, the intercept and slope of a line fitted to the MCF-values of the RF time series as a function of depth have been included. To evaluate the accuracy of the new features, an in vitro animal study is performed using three tissue types: bovine muscle, bovine liver, and chicken breast, where perfect two-way classification is achieved. The results show statistically significant improvements over the classification accuracies with previously reported features.

Characterization of large price variations in financial markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johansen, Anders

2003-06-01

Statistics of drawdowns (loss from the last local maximum to the next local minimum) plays an important role in risk assessment of investment strategies. As they incorporate higher (> two) order correlations, they offer a better measure of real market risks than the variance or other cumulants of daily (or some other fixed time scale) of returns. Previous results have shown that the vast majority of drawdowns occurring on the major financial markets have a distribution which is well represented by a stretched exponential, while the largest drawdowns are occurring with a significantly larger rate than predicted by the bulk of the distribution and should thus be characterized as outliers (Eur. Phys. J. B 1 (1998) 141; J. Risk 2001). In the present analysis, the definition of drawdowns is generalized to coarse-grained drawdowns or so-called ε-drawdowns and a link between such ε- outliers and preceding log-periodic power law bubbles previously identified (Quantitative Finance 1 (2001) 452) is established.

Improvement of ion chromatography with ultraviolet photometric detection and comparison with conductivity detection for the determination of serum cations.

PubMed

Shintani, H

1985-05-31

Studies were made of the analytical conditions required for indirect photometric ion chromatography using ultraviolet photometric detection (UV method) for the determination of serum cations following a previously developed serum pre-treatment. The sensitivities of the conductivity detection (CD) and UV methods and the amounts of serum cations determined by both methods were compared. Attempts to improve the sensitivity of the conventional UV method are reported. It was found that the mobile phase previously reported by Small and Miller showed no quantitative response when more than 4 mM copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate was used. As a result, there was no significant difference in the amounts of serum cations shown by the CD and UV methods. However, by adding 0.5-5 mM cobalt(II) sulphate heptahydrate, nickel(II) sulphate hexahydrate, zinc(II) sulphate heptahydrate or cobalt(II) diammonium sulphate hexahydrate to 0.5-1.5 mM copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate, higher sensitivity and a quantitative response were attained.

Probability misjudgment, cognitive ability, and belief in the paranormal.

PubMed

Musch, Jochen; Ehrenberg, Katja

2002-05-01

According to the probability misjudgment account of paranormal belief (Blackmore & Troscianko, 1985), believers in the paranormal tend to wrongly attribute remarkable coincidences to paranormal causes rather than chance. Previous studies have shown that belief in the paranormal is indeed positively related to error rates in probabilistic reasoning. General cognitive ability could account for a relationship between these two variables without assuming a causal role of probabilistic reasoning in the forming of paranormal beliefs, however. To test this alternative explanation, a belief in the paranormal scale (BPS) and a battery of probabilistic reasoning tasks were administered to 123 university students. Confirming previous findings, a significant correlation between BPS scores and error rates in probabilistic reasoning was observed. This relationship disappeared, however, when cognitive ability as measured by final examination grades was controlled for. Lower cognitive ability correlated substantially with belief in the paranormal. This finding suggests that differences in general cognitive performance rather than specific probabilistic reasoning skills provide the basis for paranormal beliefs.

Lead isotopes in trade wind aerosols at Barbados - The influence of European emissions over the North Atlantic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamelin, B.; Grousset, F. E.; Biscaye, P. E.; Zindler, A.; Prospero, J. M.

1989-01-01

Previous studies have shown that Pb can be used as a transient tracer in the atmosphere and the ocean because of strong time-variability of industrial inputs and because Pb isotopic composition can be used to identify contributions from different sources. Pb isotopic measurements on aerosols collected from the North Atlantic Ocean in the trade wind belt are presented. Aerosols sampled at Barbados during the 1969-1985 period have a Pb isotopic composition different from that observed by previous investigators in Bermuda corals and Sargasso Sea waters. Barbados aerosols appear to contain significant amounts of relatively unradiogenic industrial and automotive Pb that is derived from Europe and carried to Barbados by the trade winds. In contrast, Bermuda corals and Sargasso sea waters are influenced mainly by U.S.-derived emissions, which contain more radiogenic Pb originating from Missouri-type ores. This difference generates a strong latitudinal Europe-U.S.A. isotopic gradient, thus allowing study of trans-Atlantic atmospheric transport and ocean mixing processes.

Experiments in dilution jet mixing effects of multiple rows and non-circular orifices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holdeman, J. D.; Srinivasan, R.; Coleman, E. B.; Meyers, G. D.; White, C. D.

1985-01-01

Experimental and empirical model results are presented that extend previous studies of the mixing of single-sided and opposed rows of jets in a confined duct flow to include effects of non-circular orifices and double rows of jets. Analysis of the mean temperature data obtained in this investigation showed that the effects of orifice shape and double rows are significant only in the region close to the injection plane, provided that the orifices are symmetric with respect to the main flow direction. The penetration and mixing of jets from 45-degree slanted slots is slightly less than that from equivalent-area symmetric orifices. The penetration from 2-dimensional slots is similar to that from equivalent-area closely-spaced rows of holes, but the mixing is slower for the 2-D slots. Calculated mean temperature profiles downstream of jets from non-circular and double rows of orifices, made using an extension developed for a previous empirical model, are shown to be in good agreement with the measured distributions.

Experiments in dilution jet mixing - Effects of multiple rows and non-circular orifices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holdeman, J. D.; Srinivasan, R.; Coleman, E. B.; Meyers, G. D.; White, C. D.

1985-01-01

Experimental and empirical model results are presented that extend previous studies of the mixing of single-sided and opposed rows of jets in a confined duct flow to include effects of non-circular orifices and double rows of jets. Analysis of the mean temperature data obtained in this investigation showed that the effects of orifice shape and double rows are significant only in the region close to the injection plane, provided that the orifices are symmetric with respect to the main flow direction. The penetration and mixing of jets from 45-degree slanted slots is slightly less than that from equivalent-area symmetric orifices. The penetration from two-dimensional slots is similar to that from equivalent-area closely-spaced rows of holes, but the mixing is slower for the 2-D slots. Calculated mean temperature profiles downstream of jets from non-circular and double rows of orifices, made using an extension developed for a previous empirical model, are shown to be in good agreement with the measured distributions.

Computer-delivered screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) for postpartum drug use: a randomized trial.

PubMed

Ondersma, Steven J; Svikis, Dace S; Thacker, Leroy R; Beatty, Jessica R; Lockhart, Nancy

2014-01-01

Electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) approaches for substance use have shown early promise. This trial was designed to replicate previous findings from a single 20-minute e-SBI for drug use among postpartum women. A total of 143 postpartum, primarily low-income African-American women meeting criteria for drug use, were randomly assigned to either a tailored e-SBI or a time-matched control condition. Blinded follow-up evaluation 3- and 6-months following childbirth revealed strong effects for confirmed illicit drug use abstinence at the 3-month observation (OR=3.3, p=.01), as did hair analysis at 6months (OR=4.8, p=.018). Additional primary outcomes suggested small to moderate effect sizes in favor of the e-SBI, but did not reach significance. This result replicates previous findings but fails to show durable effects. Assessment reactivity, e-SBI design, and possible extension of e-SBI via tailored messaging all merit careful consideration. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Frequency-dependent seismic attenuation in the eastern United States as observed from the 2011 central Virginia earthquake and aftershock sequence

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNamara, Daniel E.; Gee, Lind; Benz, Harley M.; Chapman, Martin

2014-01-01

Ground shaking due to earthquakes in the eastern United States (EUS) is felt at significantly greater distances than in the western United States (WUS) and for some earthquakes it has been shown to display a strong preferential direction. Shaking intensity variation can be due to propagation path effects, source directivity, and/or site amplification. In this paper, we use S and Lg waves recorded from the 2011 central Virginia earthquake and aftershock sequence, in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, to quantify attenuation as frequency‐dependent Q(f). In support of observations based on shaking intensity, we observe high Q values in the EUS relative to previous studies in the WUS with especially efficient propagation along the structural trend of the Appalachian mountains. Our analysis of Q(f) quantifies the path effects of the northeast‐trending felt distribution previously inferred from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) “Did You Feel It” data, historic intensity data, and the asymmetrical distribution of rockfalls and landslides.

Analytical Characterization of SPM Impact on XPM-Induced Degradation in Dispersion-Compensated WDM Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luís, Ruben S.; Cartaxo, Adolfo V. T.

2005-03-01

This paper proposes the definition of a cross-phase modulation (XPM)-induced power penalty for intensity modulation/direct detection (IM-DD) systems as a function of the normalized variance of the XPM-induced IM. This allows the definition of 1-dB power penalty reference values. New expressions of the equivalent linear model transfer functions for the XPM-induced IM and phase modulation (PM) that include the influence of self-phase modulation (SPM) as well as group-velocity dispersion are derived. The new expressions allow a significant extension for higher powers and dispersion parameters of expressions derived in previous papers for single-segment and multisegment fiber systems with dispersion compensation. Good agreement between analytical results and numerical simulations is obtained. Consistency with work performed numerically and experimentally by other authors is shown, validating the proposed model. Using the proposed model, the influence of residual dispersion and SPM on the limitations imposed by XPM on the performance of dispersion-compensated systems is assessed. It is shown that inline residual dispersion may lead to performance improvement for a properly tuned total residual dispersion. The influence of SPM is shown to degrade the system performance when nonzero-dispersion-shifted fiber is used. However, systems using standard single-mode fiber may benefit from the presence of SPM.

Inhibition of endothelin- and phorbol ester-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity by corticotrophin in the rat adrenal zona glomerulosa.

PubMed Central

Kapas, S; Hinson, J P

1996-01-01

1. The experiments described in this study were carried out to investigate the role of tyrosine kinase in the acute adrenal response to peptide hormone stimulation, and to determine whether the activity of this kinase may be subject to regulation by other intracellular signalling mechanisms in the adrenal zona glomerulosa. 2. Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that angiotensin II stimulates tyrosine kinase activity in the rat adrenal cortex. This study has shown, for the first time, that endothelin-1 also stimulates tyrosine kinase activity in this tissue. 3. Using the specific inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC) activity, Ro 31-8220, we have shown that stimulation of tyrosine kinase activity, in response to endothelin-1, angiotensin II or the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, is at least partly dependent on increased PKC activity. 4. The data presented also provide further evidence of cross-talk between signalling systems in the adrenal cortex. Corticotrophin and its intracellular second messenger, cyclic AMP, significantly attenuate the increment in tyrosine kinase activity seen in response to each of the effectors used. 5. The results of this study provide important new evidence for the regulation of protein kinases by other intracellular second messenger systems. PMID:8611168

Cytokines as a predictor of clinical response following hip arthroscopy: minimum 2-year follow-up.

PubMed

Shapiro, Lauren M; Safran, Marc R; Maloney, William J; Goodman, Stuart B; Huddleston, James I; Bellino, Michael J; Scuderi, Gaetano J; Abrams, Geoffrey D

2016-08-01

Hip arthroscopy in patients with osteoarthritis has been shown to have suboptimal outcomes. Elevated cytokine concentrations in hip synovial fluid have previously been shown to be associated with cartilage pathology. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between hip synovial fluid cytokine concentration and clinical outcomes at a minimum of 2 years following hip arthroscopy. Seventeen patients without radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis had synovial fluid aspirated at time of portal establishment during hip arthroscopy. Analytes included fibronectin-aggrecan complex as well as a multiplex cytokine array. Patients completed the modified Harris Hip Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index and the International Hip Outcomes Tool pre-operatively and at a minimum of 2 years following surgery. Pre and post-operative scores were compared with a paired t-test, and the association between cytokine values and clinical outcome scores was performed with Pearson's correlation coefficient with an alpha value of 0.05 set as significant. Sixteen of seventeen patients completed 2-year follow-up questionnaires (94%). There was a significant increase in pre-operative to post-operative score for each clinical outcome measure. No statistically significant correlation was seen between any of the intra-operative cytokine values and either the 2-year follow-up scores or the change from pre-operative to final follow-up outcome values. No statistically significant associations were seen between hip synovial fluid cytokine concentrations and 2-year follow-up clinical outcome assessment scores for those undergoing hip arthroscopy.

Both the intratumoral immune and microbial microenvironment are linked to recurrence in human colon cancer: results from a prospective, multicenter nodal ultrastaging trial

PubMed Central

Noguti, Juliana; Chan, Alfred A.; Bandera, Bradley; Brislawn, Colin J.; Protic, Mladjan; Sim, Myung S.; Jansson, Janet K.; Bilchik, Anton J.; Lee, Delphine J.

2018-01-01

Colon cancer (CC) is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States and the incidence has been rising among young adults. We and others have shown a relationship between the immune infiltrate and prognosis, with improved disease-free survival (DFS) being associated with a higher expression of CD8+ T cells. We hypothesized that a microbial signature might be associated with intratumoral immune cells as well as DFS. We found that the relative abundance of one Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU), OTU_104, was significantly associated with recurrence even after applying false discovery correction (HR 1.21, CI 1.08 to 1.36). The final multivariable model showed that DFS was influenced by three parameters: N-stage, CD8+ labeling, as well as this OTU_104 belonging to the order Clostridiales. Not only were CD8+ labeling and OTU_104 significant contributors in the final DFS model, but they were also inversely correlated to each other (p=0.022). Interestingly, CD8+ was also significantly associated with the microbiota composition in the tumor: CD8+ T cells was inversely correlated with alpha diversity (p=0.027) and significantly associated with the beta diversity. This study is the first to demonstrate an association among the intratumoral microbiome, CD8+ T cells, and recurrence in CC. An increased relative abundance of a specific OTU_104 was inversely associated with CD8+ T cells and directly associated with CC recurrence. The link between this microbe, CD8+ T cells, and DFS has not been previously shown.

Pupil Clustering in English Secondary Schools: One Pattern or Several?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorard, Stephen; Cheng, Shou Chen

2011-01-01

Previous international work has shown that clustering pupils with similar characteristics in particular schools yields no clear academic benefit, and can be disadvantageous both socially and personally. Understanding how and why this clustering happens, and how it may be reduced, is therefore important for policy. Yet previous work has tended to…

Learned Together, Extinguished Apart: Reducing Fear to Complex Stimuli

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Carolyn E.; Ringuet, Stephanie; Monfils, Marie-H.

2013-01-01

Pairing a previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS; e.g., a tone) to an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; e.g., a footshock) leads to associative learning such that the tone alone comes to elicit a conditioned response (e.g., freezing). We have previously shown that an extinction session that occurs within the reconsolidation window…

The Effect of Enrollment Status on Plagiarism among Traditional and Non-Traditional Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Robert

2017-01-01

Previous research has consistently shown that plagiarism in higher education exists. Most of the previous research had measured the number of incidents of plagiarism at different institutions of higher learning. Recently, research has tried to identify incidents of plagiarism in relation to student demographics or academic discipline. With the…

Single Measure and Gated Screening Approaches for Identifying Students At-Risk for Academic Problems: Implications for Sensitivity and Specificity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Norman, Ethan R.; Nelson, Peter M.; Klingbeil, David A.

2017-01-01

Educators need recommendations to improve screening practices without limiting students' instructional opportunities. Repurposing previous years' state test scores has shown promise in identifying at-risk students within multitiered systems of support. However, researchers have not directly compared the diagnostic accuracy of previous years' state…

Activation of LVGCCs and CB1 Receptors Required for Destabilization of Reactivated Contextual Fear Memories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suzuki, Akinobu; Mukawa, Takuya; Tsukagoshi, Akinori; Frankland, Paul W.; Kida, Satoshi

2008-01-01

Previous studies have shown that inhibiting protein synthesis shortly after reactivation impairs the subsequent expression of a previously consolidated fear memory. This has suggested that reactivation returns a memory to a labile state and that protein synthesis is required for the subsequent restabilization of memory. While the molecular…

THE CAPACITY OF PREVENTION WITH RESPECT TO THE TETANUS ANTITOXIN ACQUIRED BY THE RABBIT WHEN TREATED WITH HORSE SERUM. PASSIVE TRANSMISSION IN THE GUINEA PIG

DTIC Science & Technology

Previous studies have shown that the tetanus antitoxin of equine origin when injected into rabbits treated previously with many injections of horse ...with respect to horse serum. It demonstrates therefore the importance of antibodies (antihorse) in circulation.

Enzalutamide and CXCR7 inhibitor combination treatment suppresses cell growth and angiogenic signaling in castration‐resistant prostate cancer models

PubMed Central

Luo, Yong; Azad, Abul Kalam; Karanika, Styliani; Basourakos, Spyridon P.; Zuo, Xuemei; Wang, Jianxiang; Yang, Luan; Yang, Guang; Korentzelos, Dimitrios; Yin, Jianhua; Park, Sanghee; Zhang, Penglie; Campbell, James J.; Schall, Thomas J.; Cao, Guangwen; Li, Likun

2018-01-01

Previous studies have shown that increased levels of chemokine receptor CXCR7 are associated with the increased invasiveness of prostate cancer cells. We now show that CXCR7 expression is upregulated in VCaP and C4‐2B cells after enzalutamide (ENZ) treatment. ENZ treatment induced apoptosis (sub‐G1) in VCaP and C4‐2B cells, and this effect was further increased after combination treatment with ENZ and CCX771, a specific CXCR7 inhibitor. The levels of p‐EGFR (Y1068), p‐AKT (T308) and VEGFR2 were reduced after ENZ and CCX771 combination treatment compared to single agent treatment. In addition, significantly greater reductions in migration were shown after combination treatment compared to those of single agents or vehicle controls, and importantly, similar reductions in the levels of secreted VEGF were also demonstrated. Orthotopic VCaP xenograft growth and subcutaneous MDA133‐4 patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) tumor growth was reduced by single agent treatment, but significantly greater suppression was observed in the combination treatment group. Although overall microvessel densities in the tumor tissues were not different among the different treatment groups, a significant reduction in large blood vessels (>100 μm2) was observed in tumors following combination treatment. Apoptotic indices in tumor tissues were significantly increased following combination treatment compared with vehicle control‐treated tumor tissues. Our results demonstrate that significant tumor suppression mediated by ENZ and CXCR7 combination treatment may be due, in part, to reductions in proangiogenic signaling and in the formation of large blood vessels in prostate cancer tumors. PMID:29277895

Serine 363 of a Hydrophobic Region of Archaeal Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and Thermococcus kodakaraensis Affects CO2/O2 Substrate Specificity and Oxygen Sensitivity.

PubMed

Kreel, Nathan E; Tabita, F Robert

2015-01-01

Archaeal ribulose 1, 5-bisphospate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is differentiated from other RubisCO enzymes and is classified as a form III enzyme, as opposed to the form I and form II RubisCOs typical of chemoautotrophic bacteria and prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs. The form III enzyme from archaea is particularly interesting as several of these proteins exhibit unusual and reversible sensitivity to molecular oxygen, including the enzyme from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Previous studies with A. fulgidus RbcL2 had shown the importance of Met-295 in oxygen sensitivity and pointed towards the potential significance of another residue (Ser-363) found in a hydrophobic pocket that is conserved in all RubisCO proteins. In the current study, further structure/function studies have been performed focusing on Ser-363 of A. fulgidus RbcL2; various changes in this and other residues of the hydrophobic pocket point to and definitively establish the importance of Ser-363 with respect to interactions with oxygen. In addition, previous findings had indicated discrepant CO2/O2 specificity determinations of the Thermococcus kodakaraensis RubisCO, a close homolog of A. fulgidus RbcL2. It is shown here that the T. kodakaraensis enzyme exhibits a similar substrate specificity as the A. fulgidus enzyme and is also oxygen sensitive, with equivalent residues involved in oxygen interactions.

Serine 363 of a Hydrophobic Region of Archaeal Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and Thermococcus kodakaraensis Affects CO2/O2 Substrate Specificity and Oxygen Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Kreel, Nathan E.; Tabita, F. Robert

2015-01-01

Archaeal ribulose 1, 5-bisphospate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is differentiated from other RubisCO enzymes and is classified as a form III enzyme, as opposed to the form I and form II RubisCOs typical of chemoautotrophic bacteria and prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs. The form III enzyme from archaea is particularly interesting as several of these proteins exhibit unusual and reversible sensitivity to molecular oxygen, including the enzyme from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Previous studies with A. fulgidus RbcL2 had shown the importance of Met-295 in oxygen sensitivity and pointed towards the potential significance of another residue (Ser-363) found in a hydrophobic pocket that is conserved in all RubisCO proteins. In the current study, further structure/function studies have been performed focusing on Ser-363 of A. fulgidus RbcL2; various changes in this and other residues of the hydrophobic pocket point to and definitively establish the importance of Ser-363 with respect to interactions with oxygen. In addition, previous findings had indicated discrepant CO2/O2 specificity determinations of the Thermococcus kodakaraensis RubisCO, a close homolog of A. fulgidus RbcL2. It is shown here that the T. kodakaraensis enzyme exhibits a similar substrate specificity as the A. fulgidus enzyme and is also oxygen sensitive, with equivalent residues involved in oxygen interactions. PMID:26381513

MIV-150 and zinc acetate combination provides potent and broad activity against HIV-1.

PubMed

Mizenina, Olga; Hsu, Mayla; Jean-Pierre, Ninochka; Aravantinou, Meropi; Levendosky, Keith; Paglini, Gabriela; Zydowsky, Thomas M; Robbiani, Melissa; Fernández-Romero, José A

2017-12-01

We previously showed that the combination of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) MIV-150 with zinc acetate (ZA) formulated in a carrageenan (CG; MZC) gel provided macaques significant protection against vaginal simian-human immunodeficiency virus-RT (SHIV-RT) challenge, better than either MIV-150/CG or ZA/CG. The MZC gel was shown to be safe in a phase 1 clinical trial. Herein, we used in vitro approaches to study the antiviral properties of ZA and the MIV-150/ZA combination, compared to other NNRTIs. Like other NNRTIs, MIV-150 has EC 50 values in the subnanomolar to nanomolar range against wild type and NNRTI or RT-resistant HIVs. While less potent than NNRTIs, ZA was shown to be active in primary cells against laboratory-adapted and primary HIV-1 isolates and HIV-1 isolates/clones with NNRTI and RT resistance mutations, with EC 50 values between 20 and 110 μM. The MIV-150/ZA combination had a potent and broad antiviral activity in primary cells. In vitro resistance selection studies revealed that previously described NNRTI-resistant mutations were selected by MIV-150. ZA-resistant virus retained susceptibility to MIV-150 (and other RTIs) and MIV-150-selected virus remained sensitive to ZA. Notably, resistant virus was not selected when cultured in the presence of both ZA and MIV-150. This underscores the potency and breadth of the MIV-150/ZA combination, supporting preclinical macaque studies and the advancement of MZC microbicides into clinical testing.

A Pharmacogenetic Discovery: Cystamine Protects Against Haloperidol-Induced Toxicity and Ischemic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Zhang, Haili; Zheng, Ming; Wu, Manhong; Xu, Dan; Nishimura, Toshihiko; Nishimura, Yuki; Giffard, Rona; Xiong, Xiaoxing; Xu, Li Jun; Clark, J David; Sahbaie, Peyman; Dill, David L; Peltz, Gary

2016-05-01

Haloperidol is an effective antipsychotic agent, but it causes Parkinsonian-like extrapyramidal symptoms in the majority of treated subjects. To address this treatment-limiting toxicity, we analyzed a murine genetic model of haloperidol-induced toxicity (HIT). Analysis of a panel of consomic strains indicated that a genetic factor on chromosome 10 had a significant effect on susceptibility to HIT. We analyzed a whole-genome SNP database to identify allelic variants that were uniquely present on chromosome 10 in the strain that was previously shown to exhibit the highest level of susceptibility to HIT. This analysis implicated allelic variation within pantetheinase genes (Vnn1 and Vnn3), which we propose impaired the biosynthesis of cysteamine, could affect susceptibility to HIT. We demonstrate that administration of cystamine, which is rapidly metabolized to cysteamine, could completely prevent HIT in the murine model. Many of the haloperidol-induced gene expression changes in the striatum of the susceptible strain were reversed by cystamine coadministration. Since cystamine administration has previously been shown to have other neuroprotective actions, we investigated whether cystamine administration could have a broader neuroprotective effect. Cystamine administration caused a 23% reduction in infarct volume after experimentally induced cerebral ischemia. Characterization of this novel pharmacogenetic factor for HIT has identified a new approach for preventing the treatment-limiting toxicity of an antipsychotic agent, which could also be used to reduce the extent of brain damage after stroke. Copyright © 2016 by the Genetics Society of America.

A Pharmacogenetic Discovery: Cystamine Protects Against Haloperidol-Induced Toxicity and Ischemic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Zhang, Haili; Zheng, Ming; Wu, Manhong; Xu, Dan; Nishimura, Toshihiko; Nishimura, Yuki; Giffard, Rona; Xiong, Xiaoxing; Xu, Li Jun; Clark, J. David; Sahbaie, Peyman; Dill, David L.; Peltz, Gary

2016-01-01

Haloperidol is an effective antipsychotic agent, but it causes Parkinsonian-like extrapyramidal symptoms in the majority of treated subjects. To address this treatment-limiting toxicity, we analyzed a murine genetic model of haloperidol-induced toxicity (HIT). Analysis of a panel of consomic strains indicated that a genetic factor on chromosome 10 had a significant effect on susceptibility to HIT. We analyzed a whole-genome SNP database to identify allelic variants that were uniquely present on chromosome 10 in the strain that was previously shown to exhibit the highest level of susceptibility to HIT. This analysis implicated allelic variation within pantetheinase genes (Vnn1 and Vnn3), which we propose impaired the biosynthesis of cysteamine, could affect susceptibility to HIT. We demonstrate that administration of cystamine, which is rapidly metabolized to cysteamine, could completely prevent HIT in the murine model. Many of the haloperidol-induced gene expression changes in the striatum of the susceptible strain were reversed by cystamine coadministration. Since cystamine administration has previously been shown to have other neuroprotective actions, we investigated whether cystamine administration could have a broader neuroprotective effect. Cystamine administration caused a 23% reduction in infarct volume after experimentally induced cerebral ischemia. Characterization of this novel pharmacogenetic factor for HIT has identified a new approach for preventing the treatment-limiting toxicity of an antipsychotic agent, which could also be used to reduce the extent of brain damage after stroke. PMID:26993135

Pelvic Arterial Embolisation in a Trauma Patient with a Pre-Existing Aortobifemoral Graft

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

Abulaban, Osama; Hopkins, Jonathan; Willis, Andrew P.

2011-02-15

Pelvic fractures secondary to blunt trauma are associated with a significant mortality rate due to uncontrolled bleeding. Interventional radiology (IR) can play an important and central role in the management of such patients, offering definitive minimally invasive therapy and avoiding the need for high-risk surgery. Rapid access to whole-body computed tomography has been shown to improve survival in polytrauma patients and allows rapid diagnosis of vascular injury and assessment of suitability for endovascular therapy. IR can then target and treat the specific area of bleeding. Embolisation of bleeding pelvic arteries has been shown to be highly effective and should bemore » the treatment of choice in this situation. The branches of the internal iliac artery (IIA) are usually involved, and these arteries are accessed by way of IIA catheterisation after abdominal aortography. Occasionally these arteries cannot be accessed by way of this conventional route because of recent IIA ligation carried out surgically in an attempt to stop the bleeding or because (in the rare situation we describe here) these vessels are excluded secondary to previous aortoiliac repair. In this situation, knowledge of pelvic arterial collateral artery pathways is important because these will continue to supply pelvic structures whilst making access to deep pelvic branches challenging. We describe a rare case, which has not been previously reported in the literature, in which successful embolisation of a bleeding pelvic artery was carried out by way of the collateral artery pathways.« less

The diffusion dynamics of PEGylated liposomes in the intact vitreous of the ex vivo porcine eye: A fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and biodistribution study.

PubMed

Eriksen, Anne Z; Brewer, Jonathan; Andresen, Thomas L; Urquhart, Andrew J

2017-04-30

The diffusion dynamics of nanocarriers in the vitreous and the influence of nanocarrier physicochemical properties on these dynamics is an important aspect of the efficacy of intravitreal administered nanomedicines for the treatment of posterior segment eye diseases. Here we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to determine liposome diffusion coefficients in the intact vitreous (D Vit ) of ex vivo porcine eyes using a modified Miyake-Apple technique to minimize the disruption of the vitreous fine structure. We chose to investigate whether the zeta potential of polyethylene glycol functionalized (i.e. PEGylated) liposomes altered liposome in situ diffusion dynamics in the vitreous. Non-PEGylated cationic nanocarriers have previously shown little to no diffusion in the vitreous, whilst neutral and anionic have shown diffusion. The liposomes investigated had diameters below 150nm and zeta potentials ranging from -20 to +12mV. We observed that PEGylated cationic liposomes had significantly lower D Vit values (1.14μm 2 s -1 ) than PEGylated neutral and anionic liposomes (2.78 and 2.87μm 2 s -1 ). However, PEGylated cationic liposomes had a similar biodistribution profile across the vitreous to the other systems. These results show that PEGylated cationic liposomes with limited cationic charge can diffuse across the vitreous and indicate that the vitreous as a barrier to nanocarriers (Ø<500nm) is more complicated than simply an electrostatic barrier as previously suggested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Serine 363 of a hydrophobic region of Archaeal ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and Thermococcus kodakaraensis affects CO 2/O 2 substrate specificity and oxygen sensitivity

DOE PAGES

Kreel, Nathan E.; Tabita, F. Robert; Berg, Ivan

2015-09-18

Archaeal ribulose 1, 5-bisphospate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is differentiated from other RubisCO enzymes and is classified as a form III enzyme, as opposed to the form I and form II RubisCOs typical of chemoautotrophic bacteria and prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs. The form III enzyme from archaea is particularly interesting as several of these proteins exhibit unusual and reversible sensitivity to molecular oxygen, including the enzyme from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Previous studies with A. fulgidus RbcL2 had shown the importance of Met-295 in oxygen sensitivity and pointed towards the potential significance of another residue (Ser-363) found in a hydrophobic pocket that is conservedmore » in all RubisCO proteins. In the current study, further structure/function studies have been performed focusing on Ser-363 of A. fulgidus RbcL2; various changes in this and other residues of the hydrophobic pocket point to and definitively establish the importance of Ser-363 with respect to interactions with oxygen. In addition, previous findings had indicated discrepant CO 2/O 2 specificity determinations of the Thermococcus kodakaraensis RubisCO, a close homolog of A. fulgidus RbcL2. As a result, it is shown here that the T. kodakaraensis enzyme exhibits a similar substrate specificity as the A. fulgidus enzyme and is also oxygen sensitive, with equivalent residues involved in oxygen interactions.« less

Respiratory and oral vaccination improves protection conferred by the live vaccine strain against pneumonic tularemia in the rabbit model.

PubMed

Stinson, Elizabeth; Smith, Le'Kneitah P; Cole, Kelly Stefano; Barry, Eileen M; Reed, Douglas S

2016-10-01

Tularemia is a severe, zoonotic disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium, Francisella tularensis We have previously shown that rabbits are a good model of human pneumonic tularemia when exposed to aerosols containing a virulent, type A strain, SCHU S4. We further demonstrated that the live vaccine strain (LVS), an attenuated type B strain, extended time to death when given by scarification. Oral or aerosol vaccination has been previously shown in humans to offer superior protection to parenteral vaccination against respiratory tularemia challenge. Both oral and aerosol vaccination with LVS were well tolerated in the rabbit with only minimal fever and no weight loss after inoculation. Plasma antibody titers against F. tularensis were higher in rabbits that were vaccinated by either oral or aerosol routes compared to scarification. Thirty days after vaccination, all rabbits were challenged with aerosolized SCHU S4. LVS given by scarification extended time to death compared to mock-vaccinated controls. One orally vaccinated rabbit did survive aerosol challenge, however, only aerosol vaccination extended time to death significantly compared to scarification. These results further demonstrate the utility of the rabbit model of pneumonic tularemia in replicating what has been reported in humans and macaques as well as demonstrating the utility of vaccination by oral and respiratory routes against an aerosol tularemia challenge. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multipole Vector Anomalies in the First-Year WMAP Data: A Cut-Sky Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bielewicz, P.; Eriksen, H. K.; Banday, A. J.; Górski, K. M.; Lilje, P. B.

2005-12-01

We apply the recently defined multipole vector framework to the frequency-specific first-year WMAP sky maps, estimating the low-l multipole coefficients from the high-latitude sky by means of a power equalization filter. While most previous analyses of this type have considered only heavily processed (and foreground-contaminated) full-sky maps, the present approach allows for greater control of residual foregrounds and therefore potentially also for cosmologically important conclusions. The low-l spherical harmonic coefficients and corresponding multipole vectors are tabulated for easy reference. Using this formalism, we reassess a set of earlier claims of both cosmological and noncosmological low-l correlations on the basis of multipole vectors. First, we show that the apparent l=3 and 8 correlation claimed by Copi and coworkers is present only in the heavily processed map produced by Tegmark and coworkers and must therefore be considered an artifact of that map. Second, the well-known quadrupole-octopole correlation is confirmed at the 99% significance level and shown to be robust with respect to frequency and sky cut. Previous claims are thus supported by our analysis. Finally, the low-l alignment with respect to the ecliptic claimed by Schwarz and coworkers is nominally confirmed in this analysis, but also shown to be very dependent on severe a posteriori choices. Indeed, we show that given the peculiar quadrupole-octopole arrangement, finding such a strong alignment with the ecliptic is not unusual.

Caloric vestibular stimulation and postural control in patients with spatial neglect following stroke.

PubMed

Sturt, Ruth; Punt, T David

2013-01-01

The impact of spatial neglect remains a substantial challenge to patients undergoing rehabilitation following stroke. Beyond the relatively well-described implications for visuospatial function, neglect is increasingly shown to have a negative impact on the wider aspects of sensori-motor performance with corresponding implications for activities including gait and balance. Caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) administered to the contralesional ear has previously been shown to improve performance in patients with spatial neglect. Here, in Experiment One, we investigated the effect of CVS on clinical measures of spatial neglect and postural control in three groups of patients following stroke; left brain damaged patients (LBD, n = 6), right brain damaged patients without neglect (RBD-, n = 6), and right brain damaged patients with neglect (RBD+ , n = 6). While post-stimulation scores demonstrated an improvement for participants with spatial neglect, further analysis of postural scores indicated that improvement was selective for asymmetrical activities, with symmetrical activities remaining unchanged. We interpret these results with reference to the related problem of extinction which predicts that activities demanding synchronous bilateral activity (symmetrical activities) would cause greater difficulties for patients with neglect. In Experiment Two, we tested a further six RBD+ patients on the same measures following CVS to the ipsilesional (right) ear. There was no significant improvement in perceptual or postural scores. Our findings are supportive of previous studies that demonstrate improvement in perception and movement for patients with spatial neglect following contralesional CVS and suggest that these improvements may have clinical benefits.

Oxidation Mechanisms of Toluene and Benzene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bittker, David A.

1995-01-01

An expanded and improved version of a previously published benzene oxidation mechanism is presented and shown to model published experimental data fairly successfully. This benzene submodel is coupled to a modified version of a toluene oxidation submodel from the recent literature. This complete mechanism is shown to successfully model published experimental toluene oxidation data for a highly mixed flow reactor and for higher temperature ignition delay times in a shock tube. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis showing the most important reactions is presented for both the benzene and toluene reacting systems. The NASA Lewis toluene mechanism's modeling capability is found to be equivalent to that of the previously published mechanism which contains a somewhat different benzene submodel.

Memory enhancement by a semantically unrelated emotional arousal source induced after learning.

PubMed

Nielson, Kristy A; Yee, Douglas; Erickson, Kirk I

2005-07-01

It has been well established that moderate physiological or emotional arousal modulates memory. However, there is some controversy about whether the source of arousal must be semantically related to the information to be remembered. To test this idea, 35 healthy young adult participants learned a list of common nouns and afterward viewed a semantically unrelated, neutral or emotionally arousing videotape. The tape was shown after learning to prevent arousal effects on encoding or attention, instead influencing memory consolidation. Heart rate increase was significantly greater in the arousal group, and negative affect was significantly less reported in the non-arousal group after the video. The arousal group remembered significantly more words than the non-arousal group at both 30 min and 24 h delays, despite comparable group memory performance prior to the arousal manipulation. These results demonstrate that emotional arousal, even from an unrelated source, is capable of modulating memory consolidation. Potential reasons for contradictory findings in some previous studies, such as the timing of "delayed" memory tests, are discussed.

A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma.

PubMed

Li, Zheng; Allingham, R Rand; Nakano, Masakazu; Jia, Liyun; Chen, Yuhong; Ikeda, Yoko; Mani, Baskaran; Chen, Li-Jia; Kee, Changwon; Garway-Heath, David F; Sripriya, Sarangapani; Fuse, Nobuo; Abu-Amero, Khaled K; Huang, Chukai; Namburi, Prasanthi; Burdon, Kathryn; Perera, Shamira A; Gharahkhani, Puya; Lin, Ying; Ueno, Morio; Ozaki, Mineo; Mizoguchi, Takanori; Krishnadas, Subbiah Ramasamy; Osman, Essam A; Lee, Mei Chin; Chan, Anita S Y; Tajudin, Liza-Sharmini A; Do, Tan; Goncalves, Aurelien; Reynier, Pascal; Zhang, Hong; Bourne, Rupert; Goh, David; Broadway, David; Husain, Rahat; Negi, Anil K; Su, Daniel H; Ho, Ching-Lin; Blanco, Augusto Azuara; Leung, Christopher K S; Wong, Tina T; Yakub, Azhany; Liu, Yutao; Nongpiur, Monisha E; Han, Jong Chul; Hon, Do Nhu; Shantha, Balekudaru; Zhao, Bowen; Sang, Jinghong; Zhang, NiHong; Sato, Ryuichi; Yoshii, Kengo; Panda-Jonas, Songhomita; Ashley Koch, Allison E; Herndon, Leon W; Moroi, Sayoko E; Challa, Pratap; Foo, Jia Nee; Bei, Jin-Xin; Zeng, Yi-Xin; Simmons, Cameron P; Bich Chau, Tran Nguyen; Sharmila, Philomenadin Ferdinamarie; Chew, Merwyn; Lim, Blanche; Tam, Pansy O S; Chua, Elaine; Ng, Xiao Yu; Yong, Victor H K; Chong, Yaan Fun; Meah, Wee Yang; Vijayan, Saravanan; Seongsoo, Sohn; Xu, Wang; Teo, Yik Ying; Cooke Bailey, Jessica N; Kang, Jae H; Haines, Jonathan L; Cheng, Ching Yu; Saw, Seang-Mei; Tai, E-Shyong; Richards, Julia E; Ritch, Robert; Gaasterland, Douglas E; Pasquale, Louis R; Liu, Jianjun; Jonas, Jost B; Milea, Dan; George, Ronnie; Al-Obeidan, Saleh A; Mori, Kazuhiko; Macgregor, Stuart; Hewitt, Alex W; Girkin, Christopher A; Zhang, Mingzhi; Sundaresan, Periasamy; Vijaya, Lingam; Mackey, David A; Wong, Tien Yin; Craig, Jamie E; Sun, Xinghuai; Kinoshita, Shigeru; Wiggs, Janey L; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Yang, Zhenglin; Pang, Chi Pui; Wang, Ningli; Hauser, Michael A; Tashiro, Kei; Aung, Tin; Vithana, Eranga N

2015-07-01

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution. We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10(-33)), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7-TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10(-8)). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma

PubMed Central

Li, Zheng; Allingham, R. Rand; Nakano, Masakazu; Jia, Liyun; Chen, Yuhong; Ikeda, Yoko; Mani, Baskaran; Chen, Li-Jia; Kee, Changwon; Garway-Heath, David F.; Sripriya, Sarangapani; Fuse, Nobuo; Abu-Amero, Khaled K.; Huang, Chukai; Namburi, Prasanthi; Burdon, Kathryn; Perera, Shamira A.; Gharahkhani, Puya; Lin, Ying; Ueno, Morio; Ozaki, Mineo; Mizoguchi, Takanori; Krishnadas, Subbiah Ramasamy; Osman, Essam A.; Lee, Mei Chin; Chan, Anita S.Y.; Tajudin, Liza-Sharmini A.; Do, Tan; Goncalves, Aurelien; Reynier, Pascal; Zhang, Hong; Bourne, Rupert; Goh, David; Broadway, David; Husain, Rahat; Negi, Anil K.; Su, Daniel H; Ho, Ching-Lin; Blanco, Augusto Azuara; Leung, Christopher K.S.; Wong, Tina T.; Yakub, Azhany; Liu, Yutao; Nongpiur, Monisha E.; Han, Jong Chul; Hon, Do Nhu; Shantha, Balekudaru; Zhao, Bowen; Sang, Jinghong; Zhang, NiHong; Sato, Ryuichi; Yoshii, Kengo; Panda-Jonas, Songhomita; Ashley Koch, Allison E.; Herndon, Leon W.; Moroi, Sayoko E.; Challa, Pratap; Foo, Jia Nee; Bei, Jin-Xin; Zeng, Yi-Xin; Simmons, Cameron P.; Bich Chau, Tran Nguyen; Sharmila, Philomenadin Ferdinamarie; Chew, Merwyn; Lim, Blanche; Tam, Pansy O.S.; Chua, Elaine; Ng, Xiao Yu; Yong, Victor H.K.; Chong, Yaan Fun; Meah, Wee Yang; Vijayan, Saravanan; Seongsoo, Sohn; Xu, Wang; Teo, Yik Ying; Cooke Bailey, Jessica N.; Kang, Jae H.; Haines, Jonathan L.; Cheng, Ching Yu; Saw, Seang-Mei; Tai, E-Shyong; Richards, Julia E.; Ritch, Robert; Gaasterland, Douglas E.; Pasquale, Louis R.; Liu, Jianjun; Jonas, Jost B.; Milea, Dan; George, Ronnie; Al-Obeidan, Saleh A.; Mori, Kazuhiko; Macgregor, Stuart; Hewitt, Alex W.; Girkin, Christopher A.; Zhang, Mingzhi; Sundaresan, Periasamy; Vijaya, Lingam; Mackey, David A.; Wong, Tien Yin; Craig, Jamie E.; Sun, Xinghuai; Kinoshita, Shigeru; Wiggs, Janey L.; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Yang, Zhenglin; Pang, Chi Pui; Wang, Ningli; Hauser, Michael A.; Tashiro, Kei; Aung, Tin; Vithana, Eranga N.

2015-01-01

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution. We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10−33), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7–TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10−8). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis. PMID:25861811

Light intensity affects RNA silencing of a transgene in Nicotiana benthamiana plants.

PubMed

Kotakis, Christos; Vrettos, Nicholas; Kotsis, Dimitrios; Tsagris, Mina; Kotzabasis, Kiriakos; Kalantidis, Kriton

2010-10-12

Expression of exogenous sequences in plants is often suppressed through one of the earliest described RNA silencing pathways, sense post-transcriptional gene silencing (S-PTGS). This type of suppression has made significant contributions to our knowledge of the biology of RNA silencing pathways and has important consequences in plant transgenesis applications. Although significant progress has been made in recent years, factors affecting the stability of transgene expression are still not well understood. It has been shown before that the efficiency of RNA silencing in plants is influenced by various environmental factors. Here we report that a major environmental factor, light intensity, significantly affects the induction and systemic spread of S-PTGS. Moreover, we show that photoadaptation to high or low light intensity conditions differentially affects mRNA levels of major components of the RNA silencing machinery. Light intensity is one of the previously unknown factors that affect transgene stability at the post-transcriptional level. Our findings demonstrate an example of how environmental conditions could affect RNA silencing.

Cross-modal pattern of brain activations associated with the processing of self- and significant other's name.

PubMed

Tacikowski, Pawel; Brechmann, André; Nowicka, Anna

2013-09-01

Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the patterns of brain activity during the processing of personally relevant names (e.g., own name, friend's name, partner's name, etc.) and the names of famous people (e.g., celebrities) are different. However, it is not known how the activity in this network is influenced by the modality of the presented stimuli. In this fMRI study, we investigated the pattern of brain activations during the recognition of aurally and visually presented full names of the subject, a significant other, a famous person and unknown individuals. In both modalities, we found that the processing of self-name and the significant other's name was associated with increased activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Acoustic presentations of these names also activated bilateral inferior frontal gyri (IFG). This pattern of results supports the role of MPFC in the processing of personally relevant information, irrespective of their modality. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley company.

Effects of detraining on anthropometry, aerobic capacity and functional ability in adults with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Boer, P H

2018-01-01

Structured exercise has shown to improve parameters of functional fitness in adults with Down syndrome (DS). However, few, if any, continue to exercise after exercise intervention studies. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of detraining on anthropometry, aerobic capacity and functional ability of adults with DS. In a previous study, forty-two participants either performed 12 weeks of interval training, continuous aerobic training or no training (CON). After 3 months of detraining, the same participants were tested again for anthropometry, aerobic capacity, leg strength and functional ability. Significant reductions in maximal aerobic capacity, time to exhaustion and both functional test items were reported for both exercise groups compared to CON (p < .05). No significant differences were reported between the exercise groups concerning aerobic and functional capacity reductions. Detraining occurred significantly in both exercise groups regarding parameters associated with aerobic and functional capacity. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Anomalous magnetic structure and spin dynamics in magnetoelectric LiFePO 4

DOE PAGES

Toft-Petersen, Rasmus; Reehuis, Manfred; Jensen, Thomas B. S.; ...

2015-07-06

We report significant details of the magnetic structure and spin dynamics of LiFePO 4 obtained by single-crystal neutron scattering. Our results confirm a previously reported collinear rotation of the spins away from the principal b axis, and they determine that the rotation is toward the a axis. In addition, we find a significant spin-canting component along c. Furthermore, the possible causes of these components are discussed, and their significance for the magnetoelectric effect is analyzed. Inelastic neutron scattering along the three principal directions reveals a highly anisotropic hard plane consistent with earlier susceptibility measurements. While using a spin Hamiltonian, wemore » show that the spin dimensionality is intermediate between XY- and Ising-like, with an easy b axis and a hard c axis. As a result, it is shown that both next-nearest neighbor exchange couplings in the bc plane are in competition with the strongest nearest neighbor coupling.« less

WNK4 inhibits NCC protein expression through MAPK ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

PubMed

Zhou, Bo; Wang, Dexuan; Feng, Xiuyan; Zhang, Yiqian; Wang, Yanhui; Zhuang, Jieqiu; Zhang, Xuemei; Chen, Guangping; Delpire, Eric; Gu, Dingying; Cai, Hui

2012-03-01

WNK [with no lysine (K)] kinase is a subfamily of serine/threonine kinases. Mutations in two members of this family (WNK1 and WNK4) cause pseudohypoaldosteronism type II featuring hypertension, hyperkalemia, and metabolic acidosis. WNK1 and WNK4 were shown to regulate sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC) activity through phosphorylating SPAK and OSR1. Previous studies including ours have also shown that WNK4 inhibits NCC function and its protein expression. A recent study reported that a phorbol ester inhibits NCC function via activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 kinase. In the current study, we investigated whether WNK4 affects NCC via the MAPK ERK1/2 signaling pathway. We found that WNK4 increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner in mouse distal convoluted tubule (mDCT) cells, whereas WNK4 mutants with the PHA II mutations (E562K and R1185C) lost the ability to increase the ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Hypertonicity significantly increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in mDCT cells. Knock-down of WNK4 expression by siRNA resulted in a decrease of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. We further showed that WNK4 knock-down significantly increases the cell surface and total NCC protein expressions and ERK1/2 knock-down also significantly increases cell surface and total NCC expression. These data suggest that WNK4 inhibits NCC through activating the MAPK ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Measuring Constraint-Set Utility for Partitional Clustering Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, Ian; Wagstaff, Kiri L.; Basu, Sugato

2006-01-01

Clustering with constraints is an active area of machine learning and data mining research. Previous empirical work has convincingly shown that adding constraints to clustering improves the performance of a variety of algorithms. However, in most of these experiments, results are averaged over different randomly chosen constraint sets from a given set of labels, thereby masking interesting properties of individual sets. We demonstrate that constraint sets vary significantly in how useful they are for constrained clustering; some constraint sets can actually decrease algorithm performance. We create two quantitative measures, informativeness and coherence, that can be used to identify useful constraint sets. We show that these measures can also help explain differences in performance for four particular constrained clustering algorithms.

Cephalometric Evaluation of the Effect of Complete Dentures on Retropharyngeal Space and Its Effect on Spirometric Values in Altered Vertical Dimension

PubMed Central

Gupta, Prachi; Thombare, Ram; Pakhan, A. J.; Singhal, Sameer

2011-01-01

Role of complete dentures in reducing apnea-hypoapnea index in edentulous obstructive sleep apnea patient has shown promising results in previous studies. This study was undertaken to ascertain the role of complete denture and complete denture with slight increase in vertical dimension using custom made occlussal jig, on retropharyngeal space, posterior airway space, pharyngeal depth, and spirometric readings in comparison with those in edentulous group. Significant changes were observed in both intervention groups and thus, paving the way for doing further research for the consideration of using complete denture with modifications as an oral appliance in edentulous obstructive sleep apnea patient. PMID:21991477

A constructive model potential method for atomic interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bottcher, C.; Dalgarno, A.

1974-01-01

A model potential method is presented that can be applied to many electron single centre and two centre systems. The development leads to a Hamiltonian with terms arising from core polarization that depend parametrically upon the positions of the valence electrons. Some of the terms have been introduced empirically in previous studies. Their significance is clarified by an analysis of a similar model in classical electrostatics. The explicit forms of the expectation values of operators at large separations of two atoms given by the model potential method are shown to be equivalent to the exact forms when the assumption is made that the energy level differences of one atom are negligible compared to those of the other.

Differential effects of oestrogenic hormones on cell proliferation in the colonic crypt epithelium and in colonic carcinomata of rats.

PubMed

Tutton, P J; Barkla, D H

1982-01-01

A number of hormones, including some steroids, have previously been shown to influence the rate of cell division in the colonic crypt epithelium and in colonic tumours. In this report the effect of oophorectomy and of treatment with ovarian hormones on cell proliferation in these tissues is compared. Colonic tumours cell proliferation was retarded following oophorectomy and this retardation was reversed by the administration of oestradiol, but not by the administration of progesterone. Oophorectomy did not retard cell proliferation in the colonic crypts. The possible significance of these findings in relation to age-dependent variations in the sex ratio for human bowel cancer is discussed.

A new quantum sealed-bid auction protocol with secret order in post-confirmation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing-Tao; Chen, Xiu-Bo; Xu, Gang; Meng, Xiang-Hua; Yang, Yi-Xian

2015-10-01

A new security protocol for quantum sealed-bid auction is proposed to resist the collusion attack from some malicious bidders. The most significant feature of this protocol is that bidders prepare their particles with secret order in post-confirmation for encoding bids. In addition, a new theorem and its proof are given based on the theory of combinatorial mathematics, which can be used as evaluation criteria for the collusion attack. It is shown that the new protocol is immune to the collusion attack and meets the demand for a secure auction. Compared with those previous protocols, the security, efficiency and availability of the proposed protocol are largely improved.

Combination therapy for solar lentigines.

PubMed

Farris, Patricia K

2004-01-01

Solar lentigines are benign, hyperpigmented lesions that present a significant cosmetic nuisance for many middle-aged and elderly patients with chronic accumulated sun exposure. While previous monotherapies designed to lighten these lesions offer relatively modest improvement, there are several new treatment options. Combination topical therapy using 2% mequinol/0.01% tretinoin [Solagé Topical Solution] has been shown to markedly reduce lesion darkness with few side effects. Chemical peels can give good results either alone or in combination with topical therapy. Cryotherapy is an effective and inexpensive way of treating solar lentigines while IPL and lasers are more costly treatment options. For patients desiring treatment, optimal cosmetic improvement can be achieved using a combination of topical and procedural therapies.

Musician effect on perception of spectro-temporally degraded speech, vocal emotion, and music in young adolescents.

PubMed

Başkent, Deniz; Fuller, Christina D; Galvin, John J; Schepel, Like; Gaudrain, Etienne; Free, Rolien H

2018-05-01

In adult normal-hearing musicians, perception of music, vocal emotion, and speech in noise has been previously shown to be better than non-musicians, sometimes even with spectro-temporally degraded stimuli. In this study, melodic contour identification, vocal emotion identification, and speech understanding in noise were measured in young adolescent normal-hearing musicians and non-musicians listening to unprocessed or degraded signals. Different from adults, there was no musician effect for vocal emotion identification or speech in noise. Melodic contour identification with degraded signals was significantly better in musicians, suggesting potential benefits from music training for young cochlear-implant users, who experience similar spectro-temporal signal degradations.

Image Reconstruction from Highly Undersampled (k, t)-Space Data with Joint Partial Separability and Sparsity Constraints

PubMed Central

Zhao, Bo; Haldar, Justin P.; Christodoulou, Anthony G.; Liang, Zhi-Pei

2012-01-01

Partial separability (PS) and sparsity have been previously used to enable reconstruction of dynamic images from undersampled (k, t)-space data. This paper presents a new method to use PS and sparsity constraints jointly for enhanced performance in this context. The proposed method combines the complementary advantages of PS and sparsity constraints using a unified formulation, achieving significantly better reconstruction performance than using either of these constraints individually. A globally convergent computational algorithm is described to efficiently solve the underlying optimization problem. Reconstruction results from simulated and in vivo cardiac MRI data are also shown to illustrate the performance of the proposed method. PMID:22695345

Dirac neutrinos and SN 1987A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Michael S.

1991-01-01

Previous work has shown that the cooling of SN 1987A excludes a Dirac-neutrino mass greater than theta(20 keV) for nu(sub e), nu(sub mu), or nu(sub tau). The emission of wrong-helicity, Dirac neutrinos from SN 1987A, is re-examined. It is concluded that the effect of a Dirac neutrino on the cooling of SN 1987A has been underestimated due to neutrino degeneracy and additional emission processes. The limit that follows from the cooling of SN 1987A is believed to be greater (probably much greater) than 10 keV. This result is significant in light of the recent evidence for a 17 keV mass eigenstate that mixes with the electron neutrino.

Fischer Indole Synthesis in the Gas Phase, the Solution Phase, and at the Electrospray Droplet Interface.

PubMed

Bain, Ryan M; Ayrton, Stephen T; Cooks, R Graham

2017-07-01

Previous reports have shown that reactions occurring in the microdroplets formed during electrospray ionization can, under the right conditions, exhibit significantly greater rates than the corresponding bulk solution-phase reactions. The observed acceleration under electrospray ionization could result from a solution-phase, a gas-phase, or an interfacial reaction. This study shows that a gas-phase ion/molecule (or ion/ion) reaction is not responsible for the observed rate enhancement in the particular case of the Fischer indole synthesis. The results show that the accelerated reaction proceeds in the microdroplets, and evidence is provided that an interfacial process is involved. Graphical Abstract .

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-13

The Space Shuttle External Tank 120 is shown here during transfer in NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Slated for launch on the Orbiter Discovery scheduled for next Spring, the tank will be erected vertically in preparation for its new foam application process on the liquid hydrogen tank-to-inter tank flange area, a tank structural connection point. The foam will be applied with an enhanced finishing procedure that requires two technicians, one for a new mold-injection procedure to the intertank’s ribbing and one for real-time videotaped surveillance of the process. Marshall Space Flight Center played a significant role in the development of the new application process designed to replace the possible debris shedding source previously used.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-09-13

The Space Shuttle External Tank 120 is shown here in its vertical position in NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Slated for launch on the Orbiter Discovery scheduled for next Spring, the tank is in position for its new foam application process on the liquid hydrogen tank-to-inter tank flange area, a tank structural connection point. The foam will be applied with an enhanced finishing procedure that requires two technicians, one for a new mold-injection procedure to the intertank’s ribbing and one for real-time videotaped surveillance of the process. Marshall Space Flight Center played a significant role in the development of the new application process designed to replace the possible debris shedding source previously used.

Tissue culture of surgically prepared temporalis fascia.

PubMed

Walby, A P; Kerr, A G; Nevin, N C; Woods, G

1982-10-01

Temporalis fascia which is used to graft the tympanic membrane has been shown to be viable in tissue culture by a previous pilot study. This present study reports the effect on the viability of the fascia by scraping loose connective tissue from it and allowing it to dry. Pieces of fascia from 30 patients were each divided in 4 and prepared to give explants, fresh, fresh and scraped, dried, and dried and scraped. The fascia grew from 17 patients when cultured fresh, 5 when fresh and scraped, 1 when dried, and none when dried and scraped. These results are significantly different and show that the fascia is devitilized when prepared by the normal method for use in tympanoplasty.

The impact of terrorism on children and adolescents: terror in the skies, terror on television.

PubMed

Fremont, Wanda P; Pataki, Caroly; Beresin, Eugene V

2005-07-01

Terrorist attacks and their aftermath have had a powerful impact on children and their families. Media and television exposure of terrorist events throughout the world has increased during the past few years. There is increasing concern about the effects of this exposure on children who witness these violent images. To develop a proactive and strategic response to reactions of fear, clinicians, educators, and policy makers must understand the psychologic effects of media coverage of terrorism on children. Previous research has focused on media coverage of criminal violence and war. Recent studies have examined the effect of remote exposure of terrorist attacks and have shown a significant clinical impact on children and families.

Synthesis and characterization of colloidal ZnTe nanocrystals and ZnTe/ZnSe quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzales, Gavin P.; Alas, Gema; Senthil, Arjun; Withers, Nathan J.; Minetos, Christina; Sandoval, Alejandro; Ivanov, Sergei A.; Smolyakov, Gennady A.; Huber, Dale L.; Osiński, Marek

2018-02-01

Quantum dots (QDs) emitting in the visible are of interest for many biomedical applications, including bioimaging, biosensing, drug targeting, and photodynamic therapy. However, a significant limitation is that QDs typically contain cadmium, which makes prospects for their FDA approval very unlikely. Previous work has focused on InP and ZnO as alternative semiconductor materials for QDs. However, these nanoparticles have also been shown to be cytotoxic. High-efficiency luminescent ZnTe-based QDs could be a reasonable alternative to Cd-containing QDs. In this paper, we present preliminary results of our recent studies of ZnTe-based QDs, including their synthesis, structural characterization, and optical properties.

Lasercom system architecture with reduced complexity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lesh, James R. (Inventor); Chen, Chien-Chung (Inventor); Ansari, Homayoon (Inventor)

1994-01-01

Spatial acquisition and precision beam pointing functions are critical to spaceborne laser communication systems. In the present invention, a single high bandwidth CCD detector is used to perform both spatial acquisition and tracking functions. Compared to previous lasercom hardware design, the array tracking concept offers reduced system complexity by reducing the number of optical elements in the design. Specifically, the design requires only one detector and one beam steering mechanism. It also provides the means to optically close the point-ahead control loop. The technology required for high bandwidth array tracking was examined and shown to be consistent with current state of the art. The single detector design can lead to a significantly reduced system complexity and a lower system cost.

LaserCom System Architecture With Reduced Complexity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lesh, James R. (Inventor); Chen, Chien-Chung (Inventor); Ansari, Homa-Yoon (Inventor)

1996-01-01

Spatial acquisition and precision beam pointing functions are critical to spaceborne laser communication systems. In the present invention a single high bandwidth CCD detector is used to perform both spatial acquisition and tracking functions. Compared to previous lasercom hardware design, the array tracking concept offers reduced system complexity by reducing the number of optical elements in the design. Specifically, the design requires only one detector and one beam steering mechanism. It also provides means to optically close the point-ahead control loop. The technology required for high bandwidth array tracking was examined and shown to be consistent with current state of the art. The single detector design can lead to a significantly reduced system complexity and a lower system cost.

Mechanics of wheel-soil interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houland, H. J.

1973-01-01

An approximate theory for wheel-soil interaction is presented which forms the basis for a practical solution to the problem. It is shown that two fundamental observations render the problem determinate: (1) The line of action of the resultant of radial stresses acting at the wheel soil interface approximately bisects the wheel-soil contact angle for all values of slip. (2) A shear stress surface can be hypothesized. The influence of soil inertia forces is also evaluated. A concept of equivalent cohesion is introduced which allows a convenient experimental comparison for both cohesive and frictional soils. This theory compares favorably with previous analyses and experimental data, and shows that soil inertia forces influencing the motion of a rolling wheel can be significant.

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

Muir, Ryan D.; Sullivan, Shane Z.; Oglesbee, Robert A.

Digital lock-in amplification (LIA) with synchronous digitization (SD) is shown to provide significant signal to noise (S/N) and linear dynamic range advantages in beam-scanning microscopy measurements using pulsed laser sources. Direct comparisons between SD-LIA and conventional LIA in homodyne second harmonic generation measurements resulted in S/N enhancements consistent with theoretical models. SD-LIA provided notably larger S/N enhancements in the limit of low light intensities, through the smooth transition between photon counting and signal averaging developed in previous work. Rapid beam scanning instrumentation with up to video rate acquisition speeds minimized photo-induced sample damage. The corresponding increased allowance for higher lasermore » power without sample damage is advantageous for increasing the observed signal content.« less

Theory of mind deficit in bipolar disorder: is it related to a previous history of psychotic symptoms?

PubMed

Lahera, Guillermo; Montes, José Manuel; Benito, Adolfo; Valdivia, María; Medina, Elena; Mirapeix, Isabel; Sáiz-Ruiz, Jerónimo

2008-12-15

It has been hypothesized that a Theory of Mind (ToM) deficit could be a vulnerability marker for psychosis. Recent studies, however, have shown ToM deficits in affective relapses of bipolar disorder as well as in the euthymic phase. This study analyzes the relationship between ToM and a previous history of psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder. ToM, sustained attention and executive functions were analyzed in 75 bipolar euthymic patients with three or more previous relapses (42 of them had a history of psychotic symptoms and 33 did not) and 48 healthy subjects. ToM was assessed with the Advanced Test by Happé. ToM performance was similar in bipolar patients with or without a history of psychotic symptoms, and in both cases it was significantly reduced as compared with the healthy control group. Similarly, both bipolar groups showed impaired sustained attention and executive functions. This general cognitive deficit partially explains the differences obtained in ToM. The ToM instrument used shows low sensitivity for assessing ToM in bipolar patients and it could partially reflect general cognitive functioning rather than a specific deficit in psychosis. ToM deficit is not a trait marker for psychosis, given that it is present in bipolar disorder regardless of a previous history of psychotic symptoms.

Investigation of Damping Physics and CFD Tool Validation for Simulation of Baffled Tanks at Variable Slosh Amplitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, H. Q.; West, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

To meet the flight control damping requirement, baffles of various configurations have been devised to increase the natural viscous damping and decrease the magnitude of the slosh forces and torques. In the design of slosh baffles, the most widely used damping equation is the one derived by Miles, which is based on the experiments of Keulegan and Carpenter. This equation has been used in predicting damping of the baffled tanks in different diameters ranging from 12 to 112 inches. The analytical expression of Miles equation is easy to use, especially in the design of complex baffle system. Previous investigations revealed that some experiments had shown good agreements with the prediction method of Miles, whereas other experiments have shown significant deviations. For example, damping from Miles equation differs from experimental measurements by as much as 100 percent over a range of tank diameters from 12 to 112 inches, oscillation amplitudes from 0.1 to 1.5 baffle widths, and baffle depths of 0.3 to 0.5 tank radius. Previously, much of this difference has been attributed to experimental scatter. A systematical study is needed to understand the damping physics of baffled tanks, to identify the difference between Miles equation and experimental measurement, and to develop new semi-empirical relations to better represent the real damping physics. The approach of this study is to use CFD technology to shed light on the damping mechanisms of a baffled tank. First, a 1-D Navier-Stokes equation representing different length scales and time scales in the baffle damping physics is developed and analyzed. A well validated CFD solver, developed at NASA MSFC, Loci-STREAM-VOF, is applied to study vorticity field around the baffle and around the fluid interface to highlight the dissipation mechanisms at different slosh amplitudes. Previous measurement data are then used to validate the CFD damping results. The study found several critical parameters controlling fluid damping from a baffle: local slosh amplitude to baffle thickness (A/t), surface liquid depth to tank radius (h/R), local slosh amplitude to baffle width (A/W); and non-dimensional slosh frequency. The simulation highlights three significant damping regimes where different mechanisms dominate. The study proves that the previously found discrepancies between Miles equation and experimental measurement are not due to the measurement scatter, but rather due to different damping mechanisms at various slosh amplitudes. The limitations on the use of Miles equation are discussed based on the flow regime.

Evaluation of Allele-Specific Somatic Changes of Genome-Wide Association Study Susceptibility Alleles in Human Colorectal Cancers

PubMed Central

Gerber, Madelyn M.; Hampel, Heather; Schulz, Nathan P.; Fernandez, Soledad; Wei, Lai; Zhou, Xiao-Ping; de la Chapelle, Albert; Toland, Amanda Ewart

2012-01-01

Background Tumors frequently exhibit loss of tumor suppressor genes or allelic gains of activated oncogenes. A significant proportion of cancer susceptibility loci in the mouse show somatic losses or gains consistent with the presence of a tumor susceptibility or resistance allele. Thus, allele-specific somatic gains or losses at loci may demarcate the presence of resistance or susceptibility alleles. The goal of this study was to determine if previously mapped susceptibility loci for colorectal cancer show evidence of allele-specific somatic events in colon tumors. Methods We performed quantitative genotyping of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing statistically significant association with colorectal cancer in published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We genotyped 194 paired normal and colorectal tumor DNA samples and 296 paired validation samples to investigate these SNPs for allele-specific somatic gains and losses. We combined analysis of our data with published data for seven of these SNPs. Results No statistically significant evidence for allele-specific somatic selection was observed for the tested polymorphisms in the discovery set. The rs6983267 variant, which has shown preferential loss of the non-risk T allele and relative gain of the risk G allele in previous studies, favored relative gain of the G allele in the combined discovery and validation samples (corrected p-value = 0.03). When we combined our data with published allele-specific imbalance data for this SNP, the G allele of rs6983267 showed statistically significant evidence of relative retention (p-value = 2.06×10−4). Conclusions Our results suggest that the majority of variants identified as colon cancer susceptibility alleles through GWAS do not exhibit somatic allele-specific imbalance in colon tumors. Our data confirm previously published results showing allele-specific imbalance for rs6983267. These results indicate that allele-specific imbalance of cancer susceptibility alleles may not be a common phenomenon in colon cancer. PMID:22629442

Genetic variants in a haplotype block spanning IDE are significantly associated with plasma Abeta42 levels and risk for Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Ertekin-Taner, Nilüfer; Allen, Mariet; Fadale, Daniel; Scanlin, Leah; Younkin, Linda; Petersen, Ronald C; Graff-Radford, Neill; Younkin, Steven G

2004-04-01

Risk for late onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) and plasma amyloid beta levels (Abeta42; encoded by APP), an intermediate phenotype for LOAD, show linkage to chromosome 10q. Several strong candidate genes (VR22, PLAU, IDE) lie within the 1-lod support interval for linkage. Others have independently identified haplotypes in the chromosome 10q region harboring IDE that show highly significant association with intermediate AD phenotypes and with risk for AD. To pursue these associations, we analyzed the same haplotypes for association with plasma Abeta42 in 24 extended LOAD families and for association with LOAD in two independent case-control series. One series (MCR, 188 age-matched case-control pairs) did not show association (p=0.64) with the six haplotypes in the 276-kb region spanning three genes (IDE, KNSL1, and HHEX) previously shown to associate with LOAD. The other series (MCJ, 109 age-matched case-control pairs) showed significant (p=0.003) association with these haplotypes. In the MCJ series, the H4 (odds ratio [OR]=5.1, p=0.003) and H2(H7) haplotypes (OR=0.60, p=0.04) had the same effects previously reported. In this series, the H8 haplotype (OR=2.7, p=0.098) also had an effect similar as in one previous case control series but not in others. In the extended families, the H8 haplotype was associated with significantly elevated plasma Abeta42 (p=0.02). In addition, the H5(H10) haplotype, which is associated with reduced risk for AD in the other study is associated with reduced plasma Abeta42 (p=0.007) in our family series. These results provide strong evidence for pathogenic variant(s) in the 276-kb region harboring IDE that influence intermediate AD phenotypes and risk for AD. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Limited transfer of long-term motion perceptual learning with double training.

PubMed

Liang, Ju; Zhou, Yifeng; Fahle, Manfred; Liu, Zili

2015-01-01

A significant recent development in visual perceptual learning research is the double training technique. With this technique, Xiao, Zhang, Wang, Klein, Levi, and Yu (2008) have found complete transfer in tasks that had previously been shown to be stimulus specific. The significance of this finding is that this technique has since been successful in all tasks tested, including motion direction discrimination. Here, we investigated whether or not this technique could generalize to longer-term learning, using the method of constant stimuli. Our task was learning to discriminate motion directions of random dots. The second leg of training was contrast discrimination along a new average direction of the same moving dots. We found that, although exposure of moving dots along a new direction facilitated motion direction discrimination, this partial transfer was far from complete. We conclude that, although perceptual learning is transferrable under certain conditions, stimulus specificity also remains an inherent characteristic of motion perceptual learning.

Click trains and the rate of information processing: does "speeding up" subjective time make other psychological processes run faster?

PubMed

Jones, Luke A; Allely, Clare S; Wearden, John H

2011-02-01

A series of experiments demonstrated that a 5-s train of clicks that have been shown in previous studies to increase the subjective duration of tones they precede (in a manner consistent with "speeding up" timing processes) could also have an effect on information-processing rate. Experiments used studies of simple and choice reaction time (Experiment 1), or mental arithmetic (Experiment 2). In general, preceding trials by clicks made response times significantly shorter than those for trials without clicks, but white noise had no effects on response times. Experiments 3 and 4 investigated the effects of clicks on performance on memory tasks, using variants of two classic experiments of cognitive psychology: Sperling's (1960) iconic memory task and Loftus, Johnson, and Shimamura's (1985) iconic masking task. In both experiments participants were able to recall or recognize significantly more information from stimuli preceded by clicks than those preceded by silence.